Gensokyo my Beloved

[Fonzi]

While this fic of mine has been sitting on fanfiction.net for a while, since I already joined shrinemaiden, I figured I might as well post it here too. This is also a good opportunity for me to backtrack and perform corrections to its respective chapters. Especially the earlier ones were styled rather poorly compared to the more recent ones. So, without further ado, onto the story...

Disclaimer

All characters and events in this story are entirely fictional and any possible similarities between them and real people and events are purely coincidental and not intentional.

The same goes for any similarities between the story's original characters and the original characters in any other work of Touhou Project fanfiction.

This story is based on the Touhou series, and all its canon characters, locations and events are a property of Team Shanghai Alice, ergo ZUN. For the full list of these characters, locations, events, etc., please visit touhouwiki dot net.

Foreword

Greetings, any potential readers! This is Fonzi the Survivalist, presenting my very first written work of fiction. Before you decide to read it, however, it would be only fair to tell you what to expect from it before you waste a few days of your time reading something you won't even like.

This story will feature OC's. Lots of them. If you strongly dislike any and all non-canon characters, you should probably turn away.

As for the genre of the story, a slice-of-life adventure would probably fit it the best. There's a little bit of almost every genre in the mix, but the two aforementioned genres are the most prominent. If you are looking for an action-packed, fast-paced story, this fanfic will probably disappoint you. That is not to say that there is no action or fighting present in it. However, it's not all this story has to offer.

What I attempt in this story is a realistic depiction of life in Gensokyo from an outsider's perspective. Yes, I know, this concept has been overdone to death, but I took it as a sort of personal challenge to prove that I can still introduce something original and unique into this clich?d concept. At the same time the story will focus on the lives of Touhou's heroines and other characters as they live their lives in the times of peace as well as times of conflict.

Arm yourselves with patience and lots of snacks, dear readers, for this story is going to be LONG. If you prefer one-shots, run. Run far away, before this monstrosity consumes you.

Now, whether or not I managed to introduce new elements into the established Touhou universe without breaking the canon, I'll leave up to your judgement. Fanon elements will also be present, although not dominant. Should you notice any canon-breaking flaws, hesitate not to point them out for me. I am after all, still only learning?

As you also might have noticed, I do not come from an English-speaking country and English is not my first language. That, however, gives me no right or excuse to spam this site with unreadable pieces of trash, riddled with spelling, as well as grammatical errors. While I'm always trying my best to avoid them, I'm still only a human.

I shall wholeheartedly accept your criticism, as long as it will remain on constructive level.

Well, I guess that's all I wanted to say, folks. Now comes the story itself. Please enjoy?

Prologue

Ever since the creation of the Great Hakurei Border around the land of Gensokyo, there have been records of people being spirited away from the outside world. While many keep wondering why does this phenomenon keep occurring despite the presence of a multi-layer magical barrier, there have been many theories and hypotheses made on this matter by Gensokyo's native inhabitants. But regardless of the reason, this phenomenon is almost as natural part of Gensokyo's existence, just as magic, or the youkai.

Outsiders rarely have it easy there, and many attempt to find their way back to the outside world immediately after their spiriting away.

There are, however, exceptions and some of these individuals decide to settle there permanently.

But what happens when there's simply too many of them appearing at once? And what happens when Gensokyo's keeper of order and balance has to deal with two incidents simultaneously?

Perhaps something like this?

Chapter 1 ? A Rude Awakening

The light of the morning sun gently fell upon the hills, the trees, through the windows of the houses to announce the start of a new day. A calm breeze playfully swayed the leaves on a line of sakura trees making them rustle. A birds' singing could be heard in the distance. A few brief moments of perfect tranquility before the hustle and bustle of everyday life started all over again.

It is in this very short moment in the morning, when people are dreaming. For a few seconds, a person's eyes start moving rapidly, as if trying to replay the happenings of a lifetime flowing through one's mind in a single moment.

Some say that the dreams are merely scattered bits of information from one's previous experiences put together in a seemingly logical or downright illogical way by our sleeping brain. Some dreams, on the other hand, contain scenes of events, locations and people we have never seen, heard of, or read about and yet, they all seem somehow awfully familiar. Are they premonitions from the future? Visions of the afterlife? Flashbacks from the previous life? Images of some parallel worlds? Visualizations of our deepest desires, or simply, just some random scenes produced by our subconscious imagination?

They may be all of these things and they may be nothing? Who knows?

But no matter what dreams we have, be they pleasant or disturbing, memorable or forgettable, fantastic or boring; they all become meaningless once you hear THAT sound?
?*beep*?*beep-beep*?*beep-beep-beep*?*be-*

"Aaaaw, damn it! Just let me sleep for a little longer? please." muttered the young man, still half asleep as he hit the button on his digital alarm clock to stop the annoying sounds.

Content that the machine stopped making that infernal racket, he lay back on the pillow adjusting his head position to make himself more comfortable.

Knowing that he shouldn't fall asleep again, he at least tried to recall what sort of dream he had just a few seconds ago.

It was one of those flying dreams, where he either floated around idly, enjoying the beauty of the vast landscape around him, or he dashed through the sky at incredible speed with no particular destination in mind. It was a feeling of endless freedom and excitement. These were his most favorite type of dreams, rivaled only perhaps by his occasional perverted ones.

He was just trying to recall where his most recent dream took place, when all of a sudden?

*riiiing*?.*riiiing*?.

"Now you too?" angrily asked the young man, this time addressing the words to his cell phone, which was the new source of noise, as it was now ringing and slowly moving towards the edge of the night table due to its vibration mode.

"Yeah?" asked the youth, halfway yawning as he picked up his phone.

"Good morning, Kyou-chan," started the familiar female voice from the phone, "just calling so that you wouldn't oversleep again."

"Don't sweat it, mom, I had set an alarm clock." replied the early caller's son. "Besides, you never called when I actually did oversleep. So, what is it about this time?"

"Gee, you don't have to be so wrought-up, first thing in the morning." stated the mother. "Ok, Kyouichi, listen. Today I'm leaving on that business trip to Osaka that I told you about earlier."

"Oh, so that was today?" asked Kyouichi, a little surprised that he had almost forgotten about it.

"Yes, I'll be gone for a whole week, so I left you some money to cover your possible expenses on the "usual place"." said Kyouichi's mom with a hint of sadness in her voice.

The young man sighed into the phone's microphone. "All right. I'll manage somehow? .And you try coming back in one piece too."

"My son is worried about me? Awww, how nice? Don't worry, Kyou-chan, I'll be fine. Besides, it's not the first time I'm leaving you to fend for yourself. You need to learn to be self-sufficient." Kyouichi's mom paused herself for a bit. "I'll bring you something nice from Osaka when I come back."

Kyouichi smiled. "I will do my best, then? See you in a week, mom. Take care."

"You too. Bye for now."

Kyouichi put his cell phone back on the night table standing next to his bed. He was just sitting there on his bed motionlessly for about 30 seconds, trying to gather enough willpower to get up and get ready for another day.

"Ok, on your feet, soldier!" he commanded himself. "Enough laying around! Time to get ready for another?..*yaaaawn*..day."

Wiping his sleepy eyes, he proceeded to the bathroom in his small apartment. After using the toilet, washing his hands and his face, he looked at himself in a mirror hanging above the washing basin. In its reflection stood a young, 186 cm tall man. His skin complexion was somewhat pale for a Japanese, as he never used to spend too much of his time outside. His stature was average ? not too skinny, nor too muscular. His eyes were a mixture of gray and green. His dark-brown, shoulder-length hair now needed some serious combing. When he was done, he walked back into the bedroom, where he took his glasses from the night table, put them on and went to the kitchen. He poured some water into a kettle, put it on the stove and lit the gas. He took some sweet pastries he found in the bread box and started eating. As he was about to start eating his second sweet bun, he recalled this morning's phone call. He stood up and walked up to one of the wall lamps in the far corner of the kitchen. It was that lamp which had no light bulb in it. Kyouichi deftly unscrewed the lid made of milky-white glass to reveal its content. Just as his mom said, there was some money left inside.

"20 000 yen, eh?" whispered Kyouichi when he was done counting the money. "That's more than enough for one week."

He decided to take 3 000 yen for today, put the rest back into the lid and screwed it back onto the lamp. He then put on his casual blue jeans and a black t-shirt. The water in the kettle was already boiling, so he turned the stove off and poured the boiling water into a porcelain cup with a small motif of a landscape and a rising sun on it. He then put a tea bag with black tea into the cup along with some sugar and stirred it for a while.

The clock in the kitchen was showing 7 : 21. Knowing that he didn't have much time left before his first lecture starts, he quickly gobbled the remaining 2 sweet buns and sipped his hot tea as fast as he could. As soon as he was done eating, he dashed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"I should really get going now." thought Kyouichi as he put down his toothbrush and grinned at the mirror to make sure his teeth were all snowy-white now.

In less than one minute he put his cell phone, his money and his keys in the pocket, grabbed his handbag with notebooks and pens, put on his dark gray sneakers, left his apartment and locked the door.

He could be really fast when put under pressure of time.
Running down the street on the outskirts of Tokyo, Kyouichi made his way to the bus stop, where he would wait every morning for a bus to take him to the college on weekdays, or to the warehouses where he worked part-time on weekends.

A few minutes later, a bus showed up and stopped. Its doors opened and several people, Kyouichi included, entered the vehicle.

The bus was half-empty, so Kyouichi took a seat on the right side next to a window.

The weather was pleasant today, as there were just a few clouds in the morning sky, and the strong wind from yesterday was now replaced by a gentle breeze. Spring was almost over, but the weather during the most of the days in May would suggest that it just started recently.

Kyouichi just quietly stared outside the window as the bus was passing through streets with gradually taller buildings, denser traffic and larger crowds of people.

In some 20 minutes the bus reached its destination. The young student got off and continued a few hundred meters on foot through a park with rows of sakura trees lined along both sides of the path. There were playgrounds, food stalls and a big fountain in the center of that park.

At the end of the path, Kyouichi turned left, passed through an opened gate of the university campus and marched on towards the tall white building with hundreds of windows.

Not willing to wait for some stupid elevator, Kyouichi quickly took the stairs up until he reached the 3rd floor of the building.

He followed the corridor, still full of students making their way to their respective lecture rooms. Among all those students, he caught a glimpse of a familiar person.
"Yo, Akane." said Kyouichi as he greeted a girl with long dark hair in a pony tail. "Ready to enjoy another fascinatingly boring history lecture?"

"Oh, good morning, Kyou-kun." said the girl, obviously still not fully woken up. "If my last semester's history grades were not so terrible, I would have surely taken a day off today."

"Heh, well, mornings aren't exactly my favorite time of the day either." he replied, feeling compassion for his tired classmate.

They both entered a medium sized classroom with about 30 seats. Akane took her usual seat in the second row near the window, and Kyouichi, who was trying to avoid as much attention and responsibility as possible, made himself at home at one of the desks in the last row.

There were usually about 15 people attending this history lecture, so there were always plenty of vacant seats.

Kyouichi shortened his time until the professor's arrival by idle chit-chat with his other classmates, occupying the backmost seats of the classroom.

The chatter was interrupted as the classroom door opened and the professor, a shorter, young looking man, still in his 40's entered.

All the students were on their feet. "Good morning, students." the professor greeted the class with his ever cheerful tone.

"Good morning, Tatsuhita-sensei." echoed a unanimous greeting of the students as they bowed to the professor.

"Man... One thing that hasn't changed since grade school." thought the young student of anthropology as he recalled the same style of greeting ever since he started attending school.

The usual long and not exactly exciting history lecture started. Kyouichi had a really hard time trying to concentrate on the professor's words. It seemed that everything he heard simply leaked right out of his head. Instead of taking down notes of important dates of important events, he just stared outside the window and played with his hair. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wooden desk, wishing that the lecture would end soon. As usual, he started daydreaming about flying. He imagined himself as he was lying on a cloud, just drifting wherever the wind would take him. It was a very relaxing feeling, and before he knew it, Kyouichi's daydreaming turned into real dreaming.

?.

?.

?.

"..i...aru?.n?"?."?.maru...an!"?."Ishimaru-san!" called a man's voice somewhere in the distance.

"Whoa! What?" panicked Kyouichi as he was shaken from his nap. On his shoulder he could feel a tight grip of Tatsuhita-sensei's hand. The whole classroom burst into laughter.

"Is that desk comfortable?" asked Tatsuhita-sensei with a raised eyebrow, but still in his usual friendly voice.

"Yeah, just a bit too hard for my taste." replied Kyouichi, as he straightened up in his seat.

Again, the students started laughing.

"Well, I just think you should be more responsible, Ishimaru-san. Otherwise you will find the end-term exams even harder than this desk." remarked the professor, letting go of Kyouichi's shoulder and knocking on the desk for emphasis.

"This isn't grade school anymore." continued the lecturer. "You are a 20 year old young man and as such, you can't be always relying on the help of other people." he referred to Kyouichi's habit of copying notes from his fellow students. A common practice among university students, but still frowned upon by some teachers.

"Twenty-two."

"Pardon?"

"I'm 22, not 20." Kyouichi corrected his teacher.

"In that case, you are two years past due to learn some independence and responsibility."

Kyouichi opened his mouth as he wanted to say something for his defense, but he remained silent, because he knew, although he hated to admit it, that Tatsuhita was right.

He was always lazy and carefree, relying on the help of others, trying to achieve the maximum with minimum effort and acting only when there was almost no time left to act.

And ever since he moved to Tokyo after his parents divorced, he became even less caring.

He stopped doing sports, lost contact with his old friends and basically didn't have a life save his school and the part-time job.
As the lecture ended and Kyouichi moved to a different classroom, this time on the 1st floor, he was contemplating about how he should change his way of life in order to find things which his current life lacked. Friends, motivation, self-confidence, a meaningful job, love, a reason to get up in the morning? In one word: happiness.

The rest of the day went on without any embarrassing incidents happening to Kyouichi.

"Finally, it's over." he sighed and within 5 seconds, all his things were packed up and he was ready to go home.

The sky turned from blue to orange, as it was already past 5 p.m. As Kyouichi was leaving the halls of the building, he encountered one of his few friends from another faculty. He was a bit shorter than Kyouichi, with short black hair. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants.

"Oi, Kyouichi!" shouted the young male student standing in the hallway. "Are all of your today's lectures over?"

Kyouichi nodded both to greet his friend and to answer his question. "Say, what are you still doing here? Waiting for your girlfriend?"

"I wish?" said Kyouichi's friend. "I'm waiting for my brother to come pick me up by car."

"Well, well, someone is living in luxury." stated slightly surprised Kyouichi.

"Actually, he called me that there has been some major traffic accident just a few blocks from here, so all the bus lines will be delayed until all that mess is cleaned up."

"?you serious?" asked Kyouichi, apparently in disbelief to his friend's words.

"Look for yourself if you don't believe me. Anyway, if you don't want to wait until the road gets cleared, you can always just take the subway."

"Yeah? Although I would be taking quite a detour." mumbled Kyouichi to himself.

"Well, I'm just trying to help?" shrugged the young male.

"Ok, you convinced me. Subway it is." said Kyouichi after a while of thinking. "Thanks, Hideo."

"You're welcome." said Hideo. They both said their farewell and Kyouichi walked out of the school building. He passed the courtyard, then the park, but instead of waiting at the bus stop, he continued several hundred meters onward, until he came to a subway entrance.

Despite living in Tokyo for nearly 5 years, he took the subway only a few times, because the nearest station to his home was still over 2 km away. However, today was an exception.

Before he entered the underground he could see, 2 ambulances with their sirens on passing by and turning to an adjacent street, where his usual outbound bus line would go through.

"I guess things like that really do happen in real life too?" thought Kyouichi as he walked downstairs.
He checked the time and bought a ticket. Then he proceeded through a turnstile and again downstairs to the designated platform. He didn't have to wait for too long, because the train was just arriving at the station. He got onboard and marked his ticket. Then he just found a nice quiet place to sit down. Since there was nothing to look at through the window, he just closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the moving train. He knew that it would take at least 30 minutes before the train arrives to Kyouichi's destination.

"What a hassle." he whispered at the thought that he would still have to walk over 2 kilometers from the station, then do some shopping, go home and make some dinner.

With his eyes closed and lulled by the train's rocking, Kyouichi, for the second time today, fell asleep.

He was flying above an ocean at a very high speed. In the distance he could see a huge island with a very tall mountain. The sky was black with storm clouds and crisscrossed with lightning bolts every few seconds. The wind was fierce, turning raindrops into merciless water needles. The waves were as tall as houses, but Kyouichi knew that he absolutely had to reach that island at all costs. He lowered his head and tried to fly even faster. The island was getting ever closer. Just a last few kilometers, just last hundreds of meters, just?.

When he had almost reached the island he felt being swept by a gigantic wave which caught him from behind and violently smashed Kyouichi against the shore with devastating force? But Kyouichi could still hear? screams?

"What the...?! An earthquake?!" Kyouichi opened his eyes in shock, only to see complete darkness. People's screams were coming from every side as the whole train car was shaking violently. Sounds of heavy hits and breaking glass could be heard for over 10 seconds.

Kyouichi on the verge of having a heart attack just curled up and covered his head. It was the only thing he could do as he waited for this horror to end.

When all became quiet, Kyouichi checked if he wasn't injured. He did receive quite a few hits from unknown objects during that madness.

"I'm still ok. Thank God!"

He instinctively reached inside his left pocket and took out his cell phone to use it as a flashlight. A weak light faintly illuminated the interior of a completely wrecked train car. Of course, the phone had no signal, so it could only serve as a light source now. There was broken glass everywhere, some seats were torn out and the back section of the car was completely smashed and dented in.

Kyouichi gasped loudly in shock. If he was sitting back there, he would have been dead by now. His heart was still pounding like mad and his legs were shaking from the shocking experience, when he noticed something very strange? He was alone?

He could have sworn that there were at least 10 people in that car when he got on.

"Where the hell is everybody?"

He would have sworn that he heard people screaming right next to him and then, in less than 30 seconds everyone was gone.

"They couldn't have fallen out of the windows?" he tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for everyone's sudden disappearance.

Indeed, they couldn't have? The subway tunnel was completely collapsed, leaving no open space for people to fall off.

"Hello~! Is anybody here~?" called Kyouichi from the top of his lungs.

No response came.

Wondering what the hell could have happened, Kyouichi slowly walked to the front of the demolished car. He tried to look into the next car through the small window on the door, but he could see nothing.

"Hello~!" he tried his luck again, and again to no avail.

"Damn!"

He took a few steps back and tried to force-open the door.

*kick* the door didn't budge.

*kick* the door still didn't budge.

"Open?.up?..you?..goddamn?.door!" yelled Kyouichi as he went berserk on the car door. But the door still resisted the onslaught.

"Fine. Fine!" he looked around the broken car and took a metal bar he found on the floor.

"If you're not gonna open that way, I'm gonna pry you open!"

He jammed the metal bar in a small gap between the door and the hinge and pulled it with all his might.

"Hnnnrrghhhhh!"

A series of cracking sounds echoed inside the metro car as he pulled, concluded by a loud slam.

The door finally succumbed to the force of leverage and was now wide open. To Kyouichi's great surprise, the second car was also empty.

"This isn't funny anymore."

He could see pretty much the same scenery as in the previous car: smashed windows, torn off seats and rocks which forced their way in through the windows.

"What kind of day is this?" complained Kyouichi. "First some brutal mass traffic accident and now an earthquake!"

But what bothered him the most were the missing passengers. He was alone on a subway train buried deep under ground with no idea of his exact location and no way of calling for help.

"I'm gonna die here." is what he thought as he slowly walked to the door leading to another car further in front. This time he was luckier, because the door wasn't seriously damaged and could be opened with ease. What he saw in the third car, however, nearly made him drop his cell phone.

"Light!"

Kyouichi couldn't hide his happiness when he saw it. It was faint and still very far, but it was there. Whatever the source was, he was determined that he would reach it or die trying. He dashed through the car, and then through another, and then he saw it clearly. It was daylight without a doubt. He knew that it was impossible, because he was in the underground, but that didn't bother him at the moment. He saw hope that he could get out of that train and he ignored all his skeptic thoughts. Full of excitement, he opened the door to the last car and he saw that the front half of that car was completely torn off and missing. But even more noteworthy was the fact, that this car was not inside a tunnel, but outside on a small meadow.
Kyouichi covered his eyes, which were blinded by the sudden exposure to the bright light.

After a while his eyes adjusted to the new environment and Kyouichi took a long, long look around. He witnessed one of the most bizarre things in his life: the train was jutting out from a tiny hill as if it was just leaving a tunnel, but this was no tunnel. There were no railroad tracks coming from that "tunnel". Also the hill was too small for it to contain such a long train. It just didn't make any sense. Now focusing his attention on the landscape, Kyouichi had absolutely no idea of his whereabouts. There was nothing in sight but hills and forests.

As he looked behind, he saw a huge mountain in the distance.

"Just like in that dream?" he thought.

He looked at his trusty cell phone to see if there was any signal, but the bar next to the antenna icon was hopelessly empty.

Although he had no idea what happened, he knew that he couldn't stay here. The sun was about to set. He had to choose some direction and keep moving until he finds some city, village or just anyone who could help.

Since the distant mountain was the only distinctive landmark in sight, he decided to walk towards it.

"Maybe there's some mountain resort there." he thought to himself, trying to remain optimistic.

He walked to the end of the meadow and entered a forest.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 2 ? Neither the First, nor the Last

There were no paths to be seen, so Kyouichi just had to make one. He stopped every few minutes to check if he was heading the right way. Even though the mountain was really huge, it was quite hard to see with all those trees blocking the view. Furthermore, it was getting darker.

Kyouichi checked the time: 19 : 04.

"Damn! Less than one hour of daylight left. But how come it's already so late? When I got on the train it was barely past 6 p. m. Was I really knocked out or something?"

He speeded up a bit. If he wouldn't be able to reach the mountain, he would have to make shelter in this forest. He shuddered to think that he would have to spend a night in the forest and become prey of wild bears or whatever beasts that might have been dwelling here.

As he walked, he noticed what noise he was making with each step he took. The dried up leaves and small fallen branches crackling under his feet gave away his presence from even far away.

He stopped to check his heading again and to rest up a bit. The forest terrain was difficult to traverse even for an experienced hiker, let alone for a lazy, untrained indoor type such as Kyouichi. Sitting down on a large fallen branch, he muttered to himself: "There's no way I'm going to reach that mountain today."

"If only I could find a better vantage point, maybe I would find some other significant landmarks besides that mountain. But where the hell am I? This is nowhere near Tokyo and THAT is definitely not Mt Fuji. Has the whole world gone crazy, or is it me who's going crazy? Oh look, I'm talking to myself now... That's the first sign of going crazy."

Understanding that sitting and talking to himself was not going to help him in any way, Kyouichi stood up. He picked up a fairly straight wooden stick he saw lying on the ground, next to where he was sitting. What was once a part of a tree branch could now serve as a walking stick.

"I better look for some tall hill nearby, so I could get a better view." thought Kyouichi aloud.

He turned right and saw just the hill that could have a decent view of the surrounding area. It was still approximately 1 km away, but compared to the distance from the mountain, it was much, much closer.

Kyouichi started walking towards that hill with the help of his recently acquired walking stick.

It was already getting dark, but he knew that he would be able to reach the top of the hill before the evening falls.

As he walked towards his goal, he had this eerie feeling of being watched by someone. He didn't shake off that feeling even after stopping to look around.

"I'm just being paranoid." he thought to himself.

And so, not paying any more attention to his uneasy feeling, he reached the foot of the hill.
Looking up the hill, he could see some tiny dancing lights in the distance. Thinking that the lights were fireflies, he continued to climb uphill. The climb was more tiring than he thought and Kyouichi started panting for air.

"Damn, I need to start doing some exercise." he complained about his poor stamina.

As he was nearing the top of the hill, he saw, that the dancing lights were rather large for fireflies. Also, the feeling that someone was just looking over his shoulder still lingered inside, in fact, stronger than ever.

"Almost there?" he motivated himself.

Just a couple of meters, just a few steps... Goal! After a hard struggle, the top of the hill was finally conquered. The view from there was quite spectacular. Not only could he see the mountain more clearly, he could also see, that there were huge waterfalls coming from the foot of the enormous mountain. As he looked at the other side, he could see the small meadow, where he started his bizarre journey through the unknown land. It was now very far away and Kyouichi himself was surprised that he managed to walk such a distance in just an hour.

His attention, however, was immediately captivated by one of those lights that he saw earlier.

It just dashed in front of him and then soared up into the sky. Turning his head to follow the light, Kyouichi saw a small group of those lights, swirling around in the treetops. He tried to focus his sight to identify the mysterious light source, but it was already too dark to see anything but the silhouettes of the trees and the lights themselves. As he took a step towards the tree with the lights, he tripped over a rock and almost fell down. Kyouichi still maintained his balance thanks to the walking stick. The noise he made, however, seemed to have caught the attention of those weird lights. Several of them flew right towards him and hovered around him, as if they were scanning him. Now Kyouichi saw vividly, that the lights were emitted by something he had never seen before. He gazed with his mouth open at one of those creatures. It looked like a miniature of a girl, or like a doll with insect-like wings. It even had miniature one piece dress. In both of its hands were some glowing spheres which were the source of that light.

From all the fantastical creatures Kyouichi ever heard of, these beings were a textbook example of fairies. Stunned by this unbelievable sight, he just stood there without motion for a few moments. As soon as he took a step, however, the fairies attacked. One of them threw the shining spheres at the surprised Kyouichi.

"Aaaargh!" he screamed in pain as both of the spheres hit him directly in the chest. The hit was strong like a punch of an average adult man and it slightly burned too. Soon after, all the other fairies started throwing these energy spheres one after another, as they kept reappearing in their hands. Kyouichi was heavily bombarded by the shining orbs. Not needing much time to think, he just started running to find some cover. He wanted to get down from that hill, so he dashed for his life to the edge of the hilltop, when he suddenly stopped. And a good thing he did, because this side of the hill was much steeper then the one he used to climb up here. He wanted to find another way down, but before he could turn back, he was hit from behind by another barrage from the fairies, sending him down the steep hill in an uncontrollable fall.
"Noooo!... Ugh!... Dammit!... Whoa! That was close!...Oh, fuuu?.!" he covered his head just like during the earthquake in the subway and endured the fall until he finally stopped.

He groaned in pain as he was slowly standing up. His t-shirt was riddled with numerous holes and tears after the unpleasant fall and the fairies' attack. He reached his hand underneath the t-shirt. When he pulled it back out, it was covered in blood.

"Youch! I'm all messed up." he said as he tore his t-shirt into straps, so he could use them as bandages.

He tied the makeshift bandages around the most serious wounds, when his eyes saw something which raised his spirits high.

"Is that? a path?" Kyouichi couldn't believe his eyes. Although it was almost completely dark outside, this was without doubt a path. It was the first sign of civilization he found in this wilderness.

"Wherever it leads, I'm sure to find some settlement if I follow it." he encouraged himself to take the path in one direction or another.
With each step he took, he could feel the pain of his wounds and bruises. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, beat up and cold, because he sacrificed his t-shirt to make bandages. However, his mind was only focused on following the path.

After about ten minutes of walking, he saw a wooden signpost in shape of an arrow with something written on it. Taking out his cell phone to cast at least some light on the sign, he could read the writing: To Hakurei Shrine.

"Hakurei Shrine? Never heard of it." muttered Kyouichi. "But if there is a shrine, that means there has to be a village or a town somewhere nearby."

Not wasting any more time, he continued to walk further down the path. After about 15 minutes, he walked up to a crossroad with another wooden signpost, but he wasn't curious about reading it, since in the distance, he saw a set of stone stairs, leading up a hill to a large torii illuminated by the moon.
"This must be the entrance to that shrine." he thought as he carefully walked up the stone stairs. He tried to make as little noise as possible in order not to provoke any fairies which could be lurking everywhere.

Upon reaching the top of the hill and passing under the torii, Kyouichi found himself in a well maintained shrine yard with a small Shinto shrine in its center. He cleansed himself at a small stone temizu water basin standing near the torii gateway before he entered the sacred shrine grounds. First, he took a wooden ladle with his right hand, pouring water on his left hand, then switching hands and then rinsing his mouth. Finally, he took the ladle in both hands and tipped it over to spill the water over the ladle's handle to cleanse it. Once cleansed, he could now enter the sacred grounds. He slowly walked towards the shrine. There was a large wooden donation box placed in front of the shrine's entrance. Kyouichi took a look inside, but the box was empty.

"Maybe the donations were already taken by the priest?" thought the young wanderer.

But the whole place looked deserted. The priest of the shrine was obviously not around at the moment. Despite this fact, Kyouichi stepped to the altar, threw all the coins he had in his pocket into the wooden box, bowed twice, rang a bell, clapped his hands twice and prayed.

He prayed to the shrine's deity and asked for help. Help to survive and to find some shelter for the night.
When he was done, he bowed once more, turned back and headed down the stairs and back to the crossroad. Shining the cell phone generated light upon the sign, he could see four arrows pointing in 4 different directions: To Hakurei Shrine, To Forest of Magic, To Youkai Mountain and To Human Village. There was also an indication that there used to be more signposts, but some of them were missing.

Someone scratched words: "keep out" under the sign showing the direction to Youkai Mountain.

"Human Village?" chuckled Kyouichi. "Aren't all villages inhabited by humans?"

Although he found the name of the village funny, to say the least, he also knew that this village may provide just the shelter he made his expensive prayer for.

He silently walked down the path, illuminated only by starlight and the moon. He kept walking, and walking and at long last, he saw many flickering lights in the distance. Those weren't fairies, because these lights didn't fly around erratically. Despite his pain, which hasn't eased up one bit, he started running towards the village.

"I made it! I made it!" repeated Kyouichi as he entered the village.
It still wasn't that late evening, so the streets were still quite lively, with plenty of people walking around, chatting with each other, drinking sake and preparing food...

"Food!" a heavenly smell of roasted meat, fish, freshly boiled rice and other delicious things hit Kyouichi's nose. He hurried to some random person who was preparing some food and started explaining his situation:

"E-excuse me?I-I think I'm lost, but that's not important now? I'm starving. I would give you everything I have for just a bowl of rice."

The person was a young, black haired man, wearing a dark-red kimono with yellow zigzag pattern on the edges of the sleeves. He could be 30 years old, or so Kyouichi thought. He was sitting on a stool in front of a nabe pot, waiting for its content to cook properly.

The man measured Kyouichi up with his dark eyes from head to toe, with an expression of surprise on his face.

"Could you possibly be?." started talking the man in red, "an outsider?"

"Well, I'm not from this village, if that's what you're asking." replied Kyouichi, not quite sure what the man meant by "outsider".

"Like I said, I'm lost. I have no idea where I am or how I ended up here."

"You must have come from the outside world then." said the man as he took two pairs of chopsticks and offered one pair to Kyouichi.

"Here, eat up and don't be shy to ask for seconds." smiled the man as he invited Kyouichi to have some nabe with him.

"Thank you very much, kind sir." Kyouichi bowed down to the man as he accepted the offer and sat next to him on the ground.

"I'm Mizuto Saitou, by the way?"

"Kyouichi Ishimaru, pleased to meet you, and once again, thank you for the food."

"You're welcome." Mizuto made a gesture towards the nabe.

"Itadakimasu~!" said both Kyouichi and Mizuto at the same time and started eating.
"Ahhhh~! That sure hit the spot!" said Kyouichi after eating a satisfying amount of nabe, patting his belly.

"Would you like some more?" asked Mizuto.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you..."

"Yes?"

"What is this place and what did you mean when you said that I must have come from the outside world?" Kyouichi started interrogating. "I am still in Japan, aren't I?"

"Well, yes... and no." replied Mizuto, having problems to find the right words.

"You are now in Human village, in Gensokyo."

"Gensokyo? A fantasy land?" wondered Kyouichi.

"Quite a fitting name for these here lands. You see, this was once an ordinary place, which was a part of Japan... Well, maybe not so ordinary, as it was heavily populated by youkai, hence the name Gensokyo."

"Youkai? I thought those only existed in myths." Kyouichi just couldn't believe what he was being told.

"Well, looking at your injuries, I'd say you already had the pleasure of meeting some of them." stated Mizuto and continued explaining. "Yes, youkai do exist and most of them, by nature, attack humans, since they are their most favorite food. The humans living nearby, or those who were trying to pass through were often attacked and eaten. At first, it was only taken as a bunch of rumors and folktales to scare children, but as more and more people were mysteriously disappearing, people started to believe them. They sent messengers to all nearby towns to ask for help. Not long after that, whole regiments of warriors, priests and exorcists started coming to help the troubled villagers. The youkai presence was indeed confirmed and these warriors and exorcists went to battle. The battles turned into a long war, with each side struggling for victory. Since the war took so long, the soldiers and priests settled here and founded their own colony, even bringing their wives and families to live here. Since the youkai were not organized, they only attacked by small numbers, so as long as there were patrols in the villages, they were relatively safe. As the battles went on, the humans started to gain more and more power, which developed into magic abilities and they could seriously challenge the youkai. However, even youkai grew ever stronger, so the tide of war was constantly shifting from one side to another. Knowing that the youkai could never be completely exterminated, the high priest of the Hakurei clan, along with other high priests, have decided to create a magic ward to seal off the youkai infested land to prevent them from attacking the humans. They prepared for some powerful ancient ritual, when the most unexpected thing happened."

"What happened?" asked Kyouichi.

"A youkai of immense power appeared before them and offered them truce and help with the creation of this ward. At first, they were reluctant to cooperate with this youkai, but it was also obvious that if she wanted to betray them or kill them, she would have done so long ago without any problem. The sealing ritual required one of the priests to be the center and remain within the sealed area, while 11 other priests would form a gigantic circle around the central priest. Several other powerful youkai also took part in reinforcing the barrier. Nobody knows how large was that circle in diameter, as no one can say with certainty, how large Gensokyo is exactly. The high priest of the Hakurei clan offered himself to be the in the center, since he was born here, in the village near the shrine founded by his ancestors. The ritual itself did not take place at the shrine as you'd expect, but in the very middle of Gensokyo, which is an area further to the west. The shrine of the Hakurei lies on the easternmost border of Gensokyo and is supposedly a part of the Great Boundary. As the priest began to perform the ritual, the youkai also cast a spell or something. They say that there was a mysterious bright light shining from the earth towards the sky, slowly broadening and forming an enormous circle. It was probably much larger than expected, because the circle swallowed up several of the surrounding villages as well. It is also said, that in the very moment when the circle was complete, a dragon could be seen flying in the storm clouds above. That was the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier, the year zero and the beginning of Gensokyo as we know it today. The dragon was and still is worshipped as a deity by humans and youkai alike. We even have a great statue of the dragon just down the street. Anyway, after that, the youkai entrusted the maintenance of the Great Barrier to the Hakurei priest as well as responsibility for the safety of humans within Gensokyo. The youkai sage explained that she cannot keep other youkai from attacking the humans for long, because she needed to take a long rest after casting such a powerful spell. The Great Boundary not only prevents the youkai, but also humans from passing through it from both sides, or so should it be." Mizuto paused himself to drink some water.

"If that's so, then what am I doing here?" asked Kyouichi after hearing the history of this strange land he was now supposedly in. Although he usually didn't pay much attention during the history lectures at his collage, he was now absorbing every single word. It was just too fantastic not to pay attention to.

"Well, even though the barrier is a very powerful one, it is far from perfect. I'm no expert on this matter, but from time to time there have been cases of objects, humans and youkai crossing the barrier from the outside world. You see, this barrier is more than just a mere magic wall forming the border of Gensokyo. It is a boundary between two different realities, or so I've heard. You could say that Gensokyo exits within a different world, a different dimension."

"Then how come I managed to cross the border?" Kyouichi demanded an answer.

"Like I said, I'm no expert, but either you just managed to find a gap in it, or you posses some magic power, or? you were spirited away by some youkai." Mizuto started naming some explanations. "You're neither the first, nor the last person who came from the outside. I know several of them myself. However, few are those who actually managed to survive and made it to the village. From some tales I've heard, that when a human is spirited away to Gensokyo, he or she may appear anywhere within its boundary, and believe me, most of Gensokyo's locations are deadly dangerous for an outsider... You can consider yourself very lucky, my friend."

"Lucky?! You have no idea what I've been through." Kyouichi was slightly agitated by Mizuto's last remark. He didn't consider himself lucky at all. "First I nearly died in an earthquake, then I found myself in the middle of nowhere and wandered for hours without knowing where I was going, then I was attacked by some fairies or something, making me fall down a steep hill and messing myself up. Sure, I was lucky to find the village, but?"

"Indeed, you were very lucky to encounter only fairies." Mizuto stood up, walked into his house and then came back out with some water, cotton wool and some medical ointments.

"Fairies are the weakest of all youkai inhabiting Gensokyo." continued Mizuto with explaining. "They are also the most thriving, numerous and diverse kind of youkai."

He then asked Kyouichi: "Please, put down those bandages and let me take a look at your wounds."

"Sure." nodded Kyouichi, unbinding his makeshift bandages. "Please, continue. Tell me everything I should know."

"I really don't know all that much, but I'll do my best to explain what I know. However, if you'd want some more in-depth information about the village, Gensokyo or the youkai, then I suggest you should talk to someone else." Mizuto soaked some of the cotton wool in the water and started washing Kyouichi's wounds. "I'm just a simple fisherman."

"Were you born here?" asked Kyouichi, slightly clenching his teeth as the wounds still hurt.

"Yes, I was, and I have spent most of my life here in this village. This is after all, the safest place for humans in all of Gensokyo. I live in this here house with my wife and children."

"So, that nabe was meant for them, right? I'm sorry, I wouldn't have?"

"That's ok, lad, like I said, there is still plenty for everyone." Mizuto interrupted.

"And where do you go fishing? I haven't seen any rivers or lakes nearby." Kyouichi continued questioning the fisherman.

"There is a small stream just south of here." Mizuto pointed at the opposite side of the village as Kyouichi arrived. "However, if you really want to catch something bigger, then Misty Lake is your best choice. I even have a fishing hut there."

"Misty Lake? Where's that?"

"Well it's too dark to see it now, but the lake lies near the foot of the Youkai Mountain."

"That's quite far from the village." stated Kyouichi, staring at the dark silhouette of the distant mountain. "Isn't it dangerous there?"

"Of course, it's dangerous. That's why we fishermen are always accompanied by a few warriors and youkai fighters. You see, all of Gensokyo's human inhabitants are descendants of the families of warriors, priests and native villagers of this land. Of course, there are a few outsiders as well." Mizuto smiled at Kyouichi as he dipped one piece of cotton in some unknown ointment.

"And when was this Gensokyo created? You mentioned something about year zero or something."

"The year zero only marks the creation of the Great Hakurei Border. Gensokyo itself is much, much older than that. I really don't know what year it is in the outside world, though." frowned Mizuto, taking the soaked piece of cotton and started applying the ointment on the wounds. "This might sting a bit."

"Yoooouch!" screamed Kyouichi from the searing pain. "You call that "a bit"?"

"But Gensokyo was sealed precisely 125 years ago, so here it is year 125."

"That means it happened in year 1885 by our date." muttered Kyouichi to himself. "But according to the old calendar, the new year started in April, so it could have been in 1884?But how come there is no knowledge about this in the outside world?"

"There isn't?" asked surprised Mizuto, pausing to think for a while. "Hmm, well, I'd say that everybody who knew anything about the creation of the barrier was sealed within it."

"Hmm... 125 years. That wasn't so long ago."

"No, but like I said, there is much, much more to the history of Gensokyo, long before it was sealed. But I never was too much into history, so I really don't know much about it." Mizuto was still wiping Kyouichi's wounds.

"Really? You seem quite knowledgeable." said Kyouichi through his teeth while enduring the pain of disinfection.

Mizuto chuckled. "Oh, no, no, no. I only like to collect legends, folktales and other stories. We fishermen really like telling and listening to these stories to help pass time. I never really paid much attention to history during my school days."

"Tell me about it?" replied Kyouichi, smiling.

"There. Your wounds are treated." said Mizuto, who was now binding Kyouichi's disinfected wounds with some proper bandages.

"Thank you very much, Saitou-san."

"Just call me Mizuto, like everyone does."

"Ok then, Mizuto. Thanks for taking care of me." Kyouichi bowed down to show his thanks as soon as he was all patched up.

"You should rest a few days. Don't do any hard work and you should heal up in no time."

"Yeah, I shall."

"So, is there anything else you wanted to ask??" asked Mizuto, but before he finished his sentence, a young woman stepped outside from his house. She was almost as tall as Mizuto, had short dark hair and she was wearing a dark flower patterned kimono.

"Should I help you with that nabe? Oh, we have a guest? Good evening." she smiled and bowed to Kyouichi. "My name is Minako Saitou, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru and I come from the outside world, as I have just found out." said Kyouichi also bowing down.

"Minako, my wife works here in the village as a tailor." explained Mizuto.

"Oh, my?" called Minako. "You were spirited away from the outside world? That must have been a terrible experience for you. I'm glad you made it to the village safe and sound. If you like, you can stay in our house for the night."

"That is very kind of you, thank you." thanked Kyouichi.

"I'll just take the nabe inside. The kids are already hungry." said Minako as she took the nabe pot and entered the house.

Kyouichi then spoke again after a moment of silence. "Tell me something about the village."

"The village is the largest human settlement in Gensokyo. It has something over 2 000 inhabitants. Humans and youkai live here in peace... most of the time."

"Youkai live here in the village?" asked Kyouichi surprised by Mizuto's words.

"Indeed, they do. Know that humans are in minority here in Gensokyo. Also, it's not like all youkai are hostile, bloodthirsty monsters that eat humans. Some are really friendly too."

"Like the one who assisted the priest of the Hakurei clan with the barrier?"

"Oh, you mean Yukari Yakumo... Well, I... really don't know anything about her besides the legends." Mizuto looked a bit embarrassed by not being able to answer Kyouichi's question.

"What sort of legends?" Kyouichi kept bombarding the fisherman with more questions.

"Well, the legends about Yukari-sama are about as many as there are inhabitants of Human Village. Most of them say that she has been around for thousands of years and that she disappeared after the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier. To where? Nobody knows. I have even heard tales that some people have seen her or even met her in person, but the stories are as doubtful as some of their tellers. They were all like "my friend's friend once told me" kind of thing. Personally, I'd say that over 80 percent of those legends are all made up."

"So what you told me about the creation of the barrier was also just a legend?"

"Oh no, that really happened." continued Mizuto.

"What about that youkai?"

"Yukari Yakumo really did exist. There are even historical records about her. If you're interested, you could take a look around the archive here in the village. Sure, there are people, who claim to have met her, but since they have no proof about that, it is not certain whether or not these stories are true. I really can't say. I haven't met her or anything."

"And... what happened to the Hakurei high priest?" Kyouichi wanted to know more.

"The priest died of old age. Obviously."

"I figured as much. But who is now responsible for the safety of humans and the maintenance of the Great Barrier?"

"His great-great-granddaughter, Reimu Hakurei. She is the last living descendant of the Hakurei clan. She usually hangs around the shrine where she lives, but she also shows up down here in the village every once in a while."

"I've just been to the shrine." said Kyouichi looking at the direction of the road leading to the shrine. "The place looked deserted."

"Then you must have come while she was out somewhere." shrugged Mizuto.

"I see."

"Rarely anyone from the village visits the shrine these days since the roads are too dangerous, but if you want to know more about the barrier, then you should go talk to her. Also, see that old man wearing overalls?" Mizuto pointed at an elderly man sitting by the campfire with a bottle in his hand. "He's Naota Tanisake, a friend of mine. Like you, he is an outsider, but he has lived here for as long as I can remember. He has a lot of experience and can tell you a lot about life in Gensokyo from an outsider's perspective."

"Then I'll go talk to him." said Kyouichi while standing up.

"All right, then I'll go and help Minako set up the guest room for you." Mizuto shortly after stood up and went home.
Walking about 50 meters down the street to the campfire, Kyouichi could see the old man more clearly. He was wearing white, short sleeved shirt and brown working overalls. His balding head still had some gray hair. He was apparently drinking sake and wasn't indulged in conversation with anyone else by the fire. Kyouichi just greeted him as he would greet anyone.

"Good evening. I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru. Are you Tanisake Naota-san?"

The man lifted his head and Kyouichi could see that he was drunk.

"Whaddya want, runt? I don't take apprentices." said the old man with a gruff voice.

"Mizuto said you could tell me a lot about life in Gensokyo as an outsider."

"Oh, did he? And why would that interest you so much, kid?"

"Well just a few hours ago I was somehow taken to this place from the outside world."

"What did you say?" upon hearing those words the old man put down his sake bottle, stood up and took a close look at Kyouichi.

"I said that I'm an outsider too." repeated Kyouichi louder.

"You... You're all patched up in bandages. I thought that it was just some crazy fashion trend of the young generation, but those are bandages." the man's voice suddenly became more serious and friendly.

"It's not every day that an outsider, especially so inexperienced makes it safely to the village. No offense. Please, come sit here by the fire." Naota offered a place for Kyouichi to sit.

"Thank you." Kyouichi sat down on a log next to the old outsider.

"I am Naota Tanisake, but you already know that right? Hehe. Want some sake?" smiled Naota as he picked up his half empty sake bottle.

"No, thanks." Kyouichi declined the offer. "I'd like to know something about this place."

"No doubt, no doubt." he took a few gulps of sake from his bottle. "The most important thing you need to know: Don't ever leave the village alone unless you have to or are able to defend yourself."

"But I have to return home." argued Kyouichi. "Maybe I'll stay here till I heal up, but then I really have to go back home."

The old man frowned. "You really don't get it, do you? Once inside the barrier, there is no way back. Didn't Mizuto tell you anything?"

"But if there is a way in, there has to be a way out."

Kyouichi's mood suddenly changed to bad, when he heard that he probably won't be able to make it back home.

"That's what every outsider thought when they got spirited away here, but the barrier doesn't work that way."

"What do you know?! Have you ever been to the edge of Gensokyo?! Have you ever tried to return home?!" Kyouichi asked with a raised voice.

"Not me, but I know several people who did try and none of them ever succeeded. They said that they were wandering for days, thinking they are going straight, but they kept coming over and over to the same place again as if they were walking in circles. Eventually they all gave up on that idea and returned to the village. They were all exhausted and disoriented. However, they all got accustomed to life in Gensokyo sooner or later."

Those words were like a cold shower for Kyouichi. The thought that he would have to live here from now on for the rest of his life was too great a shock to believe. He just couldn't admit that he was stranded here; that there is no way back home. What will happen to him now? It will take days before his mother returns home and finds out that he is missing. And even if the whole country sets out to look for him, they won't be able to find anything.

"Why? Why was I spirited away to this place?" asked Kyouichi, not directing the question at anyone in particular.

"It was probably the meddling of the border youkai." came an unexpected reply.

"Border youkai? What border youkai?" Kyouichi wanted to know at least where he should direct his anger, if nothing else.

"The very same who helped to seal off Gensokyo." answered old Naota with a hint of anger in his voice. "Yukari Yakumo."

"What? But didn't she disappear forever after the barrier was formed?"

"That's only one story out of many. But I have met her personally some 20 years ago."

"Oh, really?" asked Kyouichi with a bit sarcastic tone, obviously not believing the old man's story. "And what did you do?"

"Nothing really." replied Naota plainly. "I didn't know who she was back then, but she said that I have surprisingly got used to living here in Gensokyo, or something along those lines. She just vanished after that and I haven't seen her ever since, good riddance. By the time I told this crazy story to one of the locals, he said that I have probably met Yukari Yakumo, the youkai of boundaries. After that I did a bit of research on the myths about this youkai and some of them claimed that she can freely travel through the barrier to the outside world and back. Also, it is said that she sometimes takes random things and even people from the outside world here to Gensokyo, just for fun."

Kyouichi suddenly felt a tiny bit of hope.

"If that's true, then this Yukari can also return things and humans back to the outside world, right?"

"Maybe. But she's a youkai, and she doesn't seem to have the slightest intention of returning the ones she spirited away back to the outside world. Youkai can never be trusted. They are unpredictable and their way of thinking is almost impossible to comprehend. Another problem is that no one knows where she lives or where she might show up. Most of the villagers have lived their whole life without ever seeing her."

"Damn!" cursed Kyouichi, as even his tiny bit of hope was shattered.

"Get over it, kid." Naota tried to comfort him. "Even if you do encounter her, which I hope for your sake you won't, you would most likely not be able to convince her to take you back though the barrier."

Kyouichi let out a heavy sigh. To start a new life... To find a new meaning to life... To find new friends... To find a new home... To be able to take care of oneself... All those things he needed to find and achieve to survive here flooded his mind.

"Say, kid," Naota broke the long silence. "What messed you up so much?"

"Huh? Oh, that. I'm not quite sure myself, but those creatures looked like fairies or something." Kyouichi wanted to talk to take his mind off his hopeless situation.

"Fairies did THIS?" the old man looked at Kyouichi as if he was just fooling around.

"Well, just a small portion of the wounds are caused by the fairies. The fall down a hill was more serious, though."

"Hmmm?" the aged man looked concerned. "It is quite unusual for fairies to be so aggressive."

"What can you tell me about them?"

Naota took another few gulps from the bottle. "They are like insects of Gensokyo. You can find them basically everywhere. However, they are mostly attracted to places where there are people, like this village, for instance."

"What?! They are here too?!" Kyouichi nervously started to look everywhere around as if he was expecting an ambush.

"Relax, kid." Naota calmed him down. "Most of them are harmless. The fairies are a physical manifestation of all sorts of natural phenomena, so there are many, many different kinds of them. They look like tiny humans and have wings, but their abilities and behavior differ from location to location. They like playing pranks on humans, so if you're not careful enough, they may steal food right from your plate, hide your daily used objects around the house or put salt in your tea when you're not looking." chuckled Naota as he recalled those things happening to him. Kyouichi smiled weakly and kept listening. "That happens to me even today." complained Naota. "People say that fairies aren't very clever, that they aren't more intelligent than animals, but of course, there are exceptions. Some of them are at least as intelligent as humans and can even speak our language. If you ask me, they all just pretend to be dumb, but they know all too well what they are doing, those little tricksters. Recently, the First Fairy Post Office has even been established here in the village." said Naota while pointing at some distant buildings of the village.

"The... what?" asked Kyouichi, not sure if he had heard the man right.

"My reaction exactly when I was first told about that idea. Apparently, one girl from the village really loves fairies and she somehow managed to befriend some of them. She was supposedly just leaving some food outside of her house for them. Then she started feeding them from hand. Eventually, more and more fairies kept coming to her and over time, she managed to tame them and teach them various things. Today, she runs the First Fairy Post Office and despite much skepticism from the villagers, the post office works surprisingly well. Until then it was believed that fairies cannot benefit humans in any way, but I guess times are changing."

Kyouichi was scratching his head. "This is some crazy-ass world I got myself into?"

"I felt the same way, kid. But it really isn't all that bad here. Even with all the youkai, life here has its charms."

The two of them were just sitting there silently, staring into the fire. After a few minutes, Kyouichi stood up and bowed to the old man.

"Thank you for time and your company. I think I should go to Mizuto's place and get some sleep."

"Good night, kid, and if you need anything, this is where I usually hang around." said Naota waving to Kyouichi as he was leaving him alone by the campfire.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 3 ? Outside World Blues

Kyouichi walked back to Mizuto's house. He took off his shoes and left them outside. Then he entered. He found himself in a narrow corridor of an old style Japanese house with 6 doors, 3 on each side and a seventh door, through which he entered. Since he didn't know, which door leads to the guest room, he just called out: "Sorry to intrude. Mizuto-san, are you here?"

The first door on the right side opened. "Ah, Kyouichi, come in, come in." invited Mizuto. "Let me show you the guest room."

He then walked to the end of the corridor to the third door on the left side. As Kyouichi was passing by the second pair of doors, he noticed that one of them was ajar and someone was peeking through the gap. As soon as he looked at the peeking person, the door closed.

"Must have been one of their kids?" he thought.

Taking the last few steps through the corridor, Kyouichi turned left and entered a small room. It was supposedly a guest room, but the place was cluttered up with various tailoring equipment and materials. There was a whole heap of woolen balls of various colors and sizes in a wicker basket, stacks of cotton fabric and linen were taking up a major part of the room and countless coils of thread were lined up on all shelves. In the middle of the room, there was still some free space; just enough for one person to stretch on the floor.

"I know it's not much, but at least it's better than sleeping outside." said Mizuto with a humble voice.

"I don't mind at all." Kyouichi reassured him.

"Since we never had any guests staying for the night, Minako uses this room as her storeroom and workshop." explained the fisherman.

"Like I said, I don't mind. Even if you offered me to sleep in the corridor, I'd gladly accept."

Kyouichi slowly sat on the floor.

"Oh, wait, I'll bring a futon for you." Mizuto then walked off somewhere and in a moment he was back with the promised futon.

"Thank you." said Kyouichi as he helped Mizuto to put the futon on the floor.

"There. All set up. I'll leave you for now; you need a good rest. Oh, and I'll be leaving early in the morning to fish at the lake, but I should be back by evening." he informed his new guest. "Until then, you could ask Minako to give you a tour of the village or play with the kids or whatever you like. Just don't leave the village alone."

With that last warning, Mizuto closed the door and went to sleep. Kyouichi undressed himself, lay on the futon and covered himself.
"A nice long nap and I'll feel much better?" he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something pleasant. He was tired after all he's been through, and on a normal day he would have fallen asleep without a problem. But today wasn't a normal day. It was a day, when the most unbelievable things of Kyouichi's not-so-interesting life happened. No matter how hard he tried not to think about them, no matter how tired he was, the flashbacks of today's events kept him awake and haunting his mind.

"What happened in the subway? Where did all the passengers disappear to? Where is this Gensokyo exactly? Why did I appear here? Do people really live here with youkai? What does it mean that Gensokyo is sealed off from the outside world? Is there a way through the Great Barrier? Will I ever see home again? What will my family do? What will I do?"

Kyouichi was just laying there for about an hour and thinking of all sorts of worst-case-scenarios that could happen to him. Then he just couldn't take it anymore. He sat up in his futon, looked around the room, and then he dressed up. Slowly opening the door of the guest room, he stopped to listen for a while. All was quiet. He then tiptoed his way through the corridor, quietly opened the main door and again closed it when he was out. He saw that Naota was still sitting by the campfire, throwing in some more firewood. Besides him, there was no one else on the street. Kyouichi put on his sneakers and went towards the campfire.
The old man didn't seem to have noticed him until he sat down beside him and stared into the fire for a while, his eyes dimly reflecting the flickering flames.

"Can't sleep?" asked Naota.

Kyouichi nodded, but remained silent.

"I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, the first night is the worst."

Kyouichi still didn't say anything.

"Are you sure you still don't want some?" asked Naota holding a full new sake bottle.

This time, Kyouichi accepted. "Yeah, I think I'll have some."

Naota smiled and opened the bottle and passed it to Kyouichi. "Sorry, but I don't have any cups or glasses here with me?"

Kyouichi didn't mind that and took a few big gulps right from the bottle. "Ahhhh! Oh yeah, I needed that."

He passed the bottle back to Naota, who did the same. Naota then started talking: "I was spirited away when I was 14. It was during the Second World War. It was in summer. I went to the woods with my father to help him get some wood for his work as usual. I had marked several trees the day before which he could use, so I went on ahead of him. When I got to the marked trees, I expected my father to be right behind me, but he wasn't. I had waited there for 5, 10, 20 minutes, but he still wasn't coming. I was worried that something happened to him, so I just left my tools lying on the ground and ran back the same way I walked to the marked trees. After about a minute I found him as he was chopping down some other trees, which he found perhaps more suitable. I was relieved to see that nothing happened to him, so I just waved at him and went back to get my tools. I was absolutely certain that I took exactly the same path to the marked trees, where I had left the tools, but as I went further, I could not recognize my surroundings. I kept walking and finally reached the place where I had left the tools, but they were gone. Even stranger was, that the trees were somehow unmarked. I thought I was losing my mind. I didn't know what to think, let alone what to do. So I just decided to return to my father, but the path back was not the same. Instead of getting out of the forest and into my village, I found myself on some road overgrown with higan flowers, with no sign of any village nearby. I didn't know if it was real or just a bad dream, but I followed the road down the hill. It was already getting dark by that time. Then I thought I saw something like a ghost near the path. I can't really describe it, but that very sight sent me running like the wind. The path took me all the way to another forest which I didn't recognize. Heck, even the plants growing there didn't seem to be from this country. I just kept walking through the forest, which just didn't seem to have an end. It was dark and I thought that I would never find my way out, but in the darkness I had seen a light. I followed it and after a few minutes, I got out of that creepy forest. The light was actually more lights, it was this here village. When I asked the people where I was and heard the answer, I thought that everyone had gone crazy including me. One of the families then took me into custody and raised me until I was adult and able to stand on my own. It was very hard getting used to live here. And not a single day has passed without thought about my home and my family."

The old man again drank some sake right from the bottle and passed it to Kyouichi.

"So, what about you, kid? Will you tell me your story?" asked Naota.

Kyouichi took a deep breath, another few gulps of sake from the bottle, which was already half-empty and told Naota how he ended up in Gensokyo with all details.

"That was quite an adventure you've experienced, young one." acknowledged Naota after hearing Kyouichi's story.

Kyouichi's mood got somewhat better and even the pain of his wounds eased up. Was it because of the sake or because he had shared his problems with someone? That wasn't important. The important thing was that he knew he wasn't alone with this problem.

"You mentioned earlier something about not taking any apprentices?" Kyouichi changed the topic. "Are you a craftsman?"

"I used to be." replied the old man. "I was a carpenter like my father. By the time I was spirited away, I already knew a thing or two about woodwork. Since the folks here didn't seem to be too? technically advanced, my modern techniques and design of my products became quite popular here. I even helped with the designs of many houses, which were built more recently. I'm even partly responsible for that Fairy Post Office building."

"Wow, that's really something?" said Kyouichi in amazement. "But why are you still wearing your working overalls when you said that you retired?"

"Heh, force of habit, kid, force of habit." laughed Naota and again drank from the bottle.

"How did you get used to this place? Can you give me any advice?"

"Yes. Make friends. Many friends. Walk around the village, talk to people and offer your help whenever you can. As for the youkai, avoid them, but if you can't, then act as politely as possible and you should not be harmed. Be careful though, most of the youkai in Gensokyo look exactly like humans, so it's often hard to tell if you're dealing with a human or youkai. Some of them however, have more? distinctive features like wings, animal ears and tails or just downright strange clothes. One of my friends is something like a guard or a youkai fighter, his name is Yukiyama. I can make arrangements so that he would accompany you, should you ever decide to travel outside the village. Oh, and yeah, you should find some work. Nothing is for free, even in Gensokyo."

"Yeah, but what sort of work? I'm no craftsman or a warrior."

"Everything can be learned, boy. Just ask around the village. I'm sure there's someone who can teach you something and make you useful." Naota cheered Kyouichi up. "But first, you should let those wounds heal up."

"I know. You don't have to tell me." muttered Kyouichi and he finished off the rest of the sake in the bottle.

"Umm? Do you know anything about Reimu Hakurei?" asked Kyouichi all of a sudden.

"What, the shrine maiden? Yeah, you can see her in the village doing shopping once or twice a week. I've been here before she was born, but the first time I had seen her was? I think seven years ago."

What else can you tell me about her?" Kyouichi was curious.

"Hmph, not much really." shrugged the old carpenter, who apparently never seemed to care much about anything that didn't concern him directly. "I haven't talked to her, I've just heard that she supposedly keeps the peace here and according to some, she is already responsible for resolving numerous youkai related incidents. Personally, I think it's all just part of the village legends. She's just a kid after all, even younger than you."

"But Mizuto told me that she knows a lot about the Great Boundary?"

"Mizuto collects all sorts of farfetched folktales. You can't take everything he tells you too seriously." Naota growled back.

"The same he thinks about those who claim to have met the border youkai." remarked Kyouichi.

"Ha! Even I have my doubts, kid. The youkai I met 20 years ago could have been just about any other youkai. I just told one of the folks here what she looked like and the guy told me that it could have been Yukari. Other than this? theory, I have no proof, so yeah?" Naota paused himself for a while. "And if you're really into every rumor and folktale, then you should also know that this Hakurei girl hangs around with all sorts of youkai, right at the shrine. But I really don't feel like going there to check, oh no."

"I'll just have to ask her then." said Kyouichi.

"Then I suggest that you wait here in the village until she comes by to shop. It's already a miracle that you made it to the village at night and as far as I know, miracles don't happen twice." lectured Naota.

"I think the sake is starting to take effect." the young man yawned, opening his mouth wide.

"I was about to go home too, anyway. We can talk again tomorrow, kid." said Naota while standing up.

They both bid each other good night and parted ways. Kyouichi again silently sneaked into the Saitou house, into the guest room and stretched himself on the futon. Within less than five minutes, he was sound asleep.
"Children, breakfast!"

"Coming, mom!"

Some voices have awakened Kyouichi. He sloppily put on his glasses and checked the time on his cell phone. It was just a few minutes past 9, but for him, it was still too early to get up. After all, he had no reason to be up early. As of yesterday, he officially no longer attended school and was no longer assigned to his current part-time job. People in the outside world might think he just got sick or something, but only Kyouichi knew that he would not see any of the people from that world any time soon. His head still hurt a bit after yesterday's sake, so what's the harm if he prolonged his nap by a few more hours? He put his head on the pillow again and fell asleep.

Finally he woke up, all fresh, but it was already past noon.

"Oh, crap! I don't wanna waste my day like this!"

He put on his clothes and went to the kitchen, where Minako was preparing something.

"Good morning, Kyouichi. Even if it's already afternoon." greeted Minako with a pleasant smile.

"*yawn*?morning." yawned Kyouichi. "Um?where can I like? wash myself or something?"

"The bathroom is right opposite the kitchen." answered Minako.

Kyouichi opened the sliding door to the bathroom. It was a small room with a wooden ofuro. The water was most likely supplied by a well somewhere behind the house and heated by a coal or firewood heater with a water tank, almost like a modern boiler. Kyouichi undressed himself and unbound his bandages. First, he used one bucket of water just to clean himself. There was no shower in this house and it was most likely so in all the other houses in the village. He had to be careful even while cleaning himself, as any soap in his wounds would burn him like hell. When he was done, he just wrapped himself in one of the towels he borrowed from the hanger and went back to the guest room. Minako was already there, standing and looking thoughtfully at a bunch of different kimonos.
"Ah, Kyouichi-kun, there you are. I noticed, that you're missing your upper part of your clothes, so I was thinking which kimono would suit you the best." started Minako full of excitement.

"Well, I?" Kyouichi didn't even get to finish his sentence as Minako kept explaining.

"I was thinking, like you can't ruin anything if you go traditional, but since you are not so traditional, as someone from the outside world, maybe some of these here would suit you better?"

"But?" Kyouichi again failed to interrupt Minako.

"I'm not sure if I have the right sizes of the less formal models right now, but I still think that traditional style would go better with your personality?"

Kyouichi wondered how can she judge someone's personality when she barely knows him and how does "traditional style" fit his personality. Meanwhile, Minako finally decided to pick a simple, traditional, white kimono with a black hakama.

"Go ahead, try it on." urged Minako.

Kyouichi just stared at her with a raised eyebrow?

"Oh, of course, I'm going already?" she suddenly realized, that people need some privacy while changing clothes. She left the guest room and closed the door.

"Now this will be fun to wear?" mumbled Kyouichi as he finished putting on the kimono and tying the hakama around his waist.
As soon as he was dressed up, Minako was already knocking on the door. "Can I come in and take a look?"

"Yeah, I'm already dressed up."

Minako opened the door and looked at Kyouichi in his new attire. "M-hm. Just as I thought; it suits you really well. Now you look like a native inhabitant of Gensokyo."

"Thank you very much. I can pay you for it right now?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Minako shook her head in disagreement. "Think of it as a welcome gift. I had a talk with my husband yesterday and he said that until you purchase your own house, this will be your home?"

"I... I can't thank you enough for your kindness. I'll do my best to find some work soon and as soon as I earn enough money, I'll buy my own house." promised Kyouichi. He still hoped that he would be able to return home one day. But since he didn't know when or even if that day would come, he just had to prepare for proper life in Gensokyo.

"Well then, how about I showed you around the village?" asked Minako.

"That was my plan, originally. If you're not too busy, then I would gladly take a tour of the village."

"I don't work on weekends, so I'm not busy. But first, you should eat something. You already missed the breakfast, so lunch will be your first meal today." said Minako as she went to the kitchen, followed by Kyouichi. Actually, lunch as a first meal was nothing unusual for Kyouichi back in the outside world. That is, unless his lectures started in the morning, when he had proper breakfast, just like all normal people.

"I made some onigiri today." said Minako while serving the onigiri and tea.

Kyouichi was hungry, so he ate 4 onigiri rice balls in a blink of an eye. Then he just slowly sipped the hot green tea.

"You make some of the best onigiri I've ever eaten." praised Kyouichi.

"I'm glad you like them?" Minako replied with a happy smile. "So, shall we go for a walk then?"

"Yes, please show me the village."

"Ok, let's go."

Minako put on her sandals and Kyouichi his sneakers.

"Hmm, this doesn't go too well with the kimono." he stated. "But the hakama almost completely covers my feet, so I guess that's ok."

"If you want some sandals, I know a good shop." informed Minako as they both left the house.
The weather today was just as nice as yesterday. Kyouichi for the first time saw the Human Village in broad daylight. It was a beautiful village with traditional Japanese houses lining the streets. Some of the houses however, were built in European style. The whole village looked like a mixture of two different countries. Far in the distance, Kyouichi saw the Youkai Mountain and not far from its foot, he saw an area covered in thick mist.

"That must be the Misty Lake." he thought.

As they walked down the street, several villagers greeted Minako and curiously looked at Kyouichi.

"You're quite popular here, Minako-san." stated the outsider.

Minako blushed. "This is a small village. Pretty much everyone knows everyone around here."

"If you say so?"

They passed the fireside where Kyouichi met old Naota. The fire was already extinguished, and nobody was sitting on the logs around it. People on the street were doing their everyday activities: working in their gardens, repairing their houses, selling various things. The children were playing tag or hide-and-seek. Kyouichi also saw several armed men dressed almost like him as they were patrolling the village. The street slightly turned right as they walked further. After a few moments, they walked to a large circular area with many market stalls. In the middle of the marketplace was a large bronze dragon-shaped statue. The dragon looked like a serpent with hands and horns. It could be something over 2 meters tall and 3 meters long. Its eyes were made of some odd white gems and it seemed that they had some kind of inner glow.

"This is the statue enshrining our highest order dragon deity." explained Minako. "It is said that the dragon is thicker than the oldest tree and so long that he blocks out the sky. He is said to live in the ocean, or the heaven, or in the rain. His cry can rend the heavens and create thunderstorms. When he stirs about, earthquakes occur. However, he is also Gensokyo's god of creation. Some say, that he appears in Gensokyo's greatest times of need. Last time he was seen was when Gensokyo was sealed. This statue is said to be able to predict the weather. Depending on the color of its eyes, you can tell what the weather will be."

"Really?" asked amazed Kyouichi. "So what does it mean when its eyes are white?"

"White means that it will be sunny, blue means rain, grey means cloudy? But when they are red, that means something very strange is happening in Gensokyo. It was so during many youkai incidents? Thankfully, everything was somehow resolved."

"That reminds me? do you know about Reimu Hakurei?" asked Kyouichi.

"I'm a bit surprised you know about her."

"Mizuto told me."

"Well, Reimu-chan is a nice girl. Last year she bought a yukata from me for the summer festival. But usually she just buys new miko clothes from me."

"And? does she really resolve all those incidents with youkai?"

Minako looked a bit puzzled. "Well I think she really did resolve? at least some of them."

"What incidents were there?" Kyouichi wanted to know.

"Well, for example, once there was this thick red mist that suddenly appeared one day all over Gensokyo. It was kind of scary. It blocked out the sun and somehow it made people feel weak and dizzy. Nobody was allowed to go out of their houses. We were all wondering what could be causing the mist, but before anyone from the village set out to investigate, the mist suddenly dissolved."

"Strange?" stated Kyouichi as he tried to imagine how it must have been.

"We later discovered that it was Reimu-san's work that stopped that strange mist. She even got a reward from the village chief for that one?" recalled Minako with a spacey look on her face.

"What was the source of the mist then?"

"Well, I? don't really know, but I've heard that it came from the Misty Lake?"

"Say, aren't you the least bit worried about your husband who goes fishing there?" asked Kyouichi.

"No." smiled Minako. "Or to be exact, not anymore. You see, before the incident with the red mist, the lake was a much revered place, which nobody dared to approach. Those few foolish fishermen who went there back then never returned. But once the mist incident was resolved, Reimu herself assured us that the lake area will be much safer for humans from that day on. People were hesitant to believe at first, but after some time, they started to go fishing at the lake again. Eventually, a small fishing colony was founded. Of course, the youkai still lurk everywhere, waiting for their prey, so the fishermen are always escorted by guards to the lake. Well, not just fishermen, but everybody who has any business outside the village."

"What about other incidents?"

"Hmm?" Minako was thinking. "Oh, there was this really loooong winter. It lasted until Satsuki."

"Satsuki? wait, that would be May by our calendar. That's really long, but how do you know it was caused by youkai?" Kyouichi kept asking.

"Ehehehe?" Minako giggled in slight embarrassment. "I really cannot say that it was caused by youkai with certainty, but if you live here for some time, you soon learn that Gensokyo is a place where wonderful and mysterious things happen quite often, and that is all because of the youkai."

"Did Reimu solve that one too?"

"Some say that she did, some say that it was just an unusually long winter that comes once in a hundred years? There were many other incidents, but I really don't know much about them?" Minako frowned.

"Ok, sorry for being so curious. Let's move on." suggested Kyouichi.

"Yes. I almost forgot I was supposed to show you the village." Minako stared walking again and Kyouichi followed her.

"So, as you can see, this is the marketplace." she explained. "The stalls here only sell food and other basic staples. Specialized goods are sold at shops like those over there."

"Oh!" called Kyouichi as he read one of the shop signs. "Saitou textiles. Is that really your shop, Minako-san?"

"Yes, that's where I sell all sorts of clothing for all sorts of occasions. Well, it's not really my shop since it's rented by the village council. I pay a monthly rent of 25 000 yen, but having a shop in the village center shows some prestige. That way, more people? and youkai come to buy my clothes than from other tailors."

"Oh yeah, about the youkai? aren't they dangerous?" wondered Kyouichi.

"Many people and youkai learned to coexist in peace with each other. If you ask me, youkai tend to be much better customers than most humans. They are also more polite."

"But there are also those who will attack humans on sight, right?"

"Yes, and that's why people must be careful at all times when traveling outside the village."

Minako kept walking towards some large mansion-like building just at the edge of the marketplace.

"That there is the village hall." she pointed at the building. "We don't have to go there now, but every inhabitant of the village has to be properly registered there."

"I? I'm still hoping to return home if there is a way?" said Kyouichi.

"I understand that, Kyouichi." Minako looked at him with compassion. "I don't know anything about the Great Boundary, but if there really is a way, then Reimu would be the first person I'd talk to."

"I intend to. I'm supposed to wait here until she comes to shop here."

"Hmm?" Minako took a look around the marketplace. "I don't see her anywhere..."

"That's ok, Minako-san, I still need to heal up before I can even think about returning home."

"I've never heard of any outsiders who managed to return home, but I'm just a simple woman who makes and sells clothes. You should definitely try and look for a way home. Me and Mizuto will support you as much as we can."

"Thanks. I hope I'm not causing you much trouble?" thanked Kyouichi.

Minako just shook her head. "Trouble? We are glad to have you with us? even if it's just for a few days."

"Is that so?" wondered Kyouichi.

"If it wasn't us, then any other family would surely take care of you?" Minako reassured him.

"One thing I have to admit? People here sure are nicer than where I come from."
Kyouichi kept following Minako through the market district. Among other shops, he could see a butcher shop, a tanner's workshop, a smithy, a carpenter's workshop, a stonecutter's workshop and many more. There was also a small tavern and several people were sitting outside, enjoying their drinks and talking. Minako then suddenly stopped at one of the shops and pointed at it. "This is the shoe shop I mentioned earlier. Let's get you some fine sandals to fit your kimono."

"Ok, let's?" agreed Kyouichi and entered the shop with Minako.

The shop was quite large inside and offered quite a selection of traditional, formal, informal, heavy-duty or ceremonial footwear. Since it was spring, the spring and summer footwear was dominating the shelves. The shoes and sandals were made from all sorts of materials such as rice straw, wood, leather, even silk and snake skin. Minako didn't hesitate for a second and she deftly made her way through a few other customers to one of the shelves. Kyouichi also weaved his way though the shelves and people in the shop to Minako. She had already picked 3 different pairs of sandals for Kyouichi to try on.

"Come, come, don't just stand there, try them on!" she urged.

"Are you always so energetic when you're shopping?" asked Kyouichi as he was putting on the first pair.

"I just really like to try out new things, especially clothes and shoes?" she explained. "Besides, I've still got the whole village to show you. We shouldn't waste much time here."

"You're not planning to take me to every single shop in the village, are you?"

"Don't worry, I'll just show you the most important places here?" she replied. "Now let me take a look at you? These are quite nice, but I also like this pair. Why don't you try on these too?"

Kyouichi sighed and tried out all the pairs which Minako picked for him.

"Alright, we'll take these, these and these here." said Minako after a while of thinking.

"Whoa, wait a second." Kyouichi objected. "I don't think I have that much money with me..."

"I'll be paying for them." said Minako with a cheerful smile.

"You can't be serious?"

"Like I said, the clothes will be your welcome gift. And the sandals are a part of that too."

"I guess I can't really refuse then..."

Minako then paid for the 3 pairs of sandals and the shopkeeper packed them in a decorated bag made of coated rice paper.

"You can put one of the pairs on right away." Minako suggested.

"Yeah." Kyouichi nodded and put on a pair of quality cherrywood sandals.

"It will take a while getting used to walking around in these." muttered Kyouichi as he almost tripped on his first steps in the new sandals.
"Once again, thank you, Minako-san." thanked Kyouichi while exiting the shoe shop with Minako.

"You're welcome." smiled Minako and pointed at one of the streets. "We'll be going down that street now."

Kyouichi just followed her without a word. They entered a street adjacent to the marketplace and followed it. The street was also lined with small shops, but there were more houses than shops. Kyouichi noticed that there were more of those armed patrols on this street. Taking a closer look, he noticed their uniforms also had a golden dragon shaped insignia on their chest.

Their shoulders were decorated with various amounts of golden stripes, probably showing their rank or skill. They wielded mostly swords and spears, but some of them were armed with bows and arrows.

"Who are these men, Minako-san?" asked Kyouichi with a hushed voice.

"They're the Ryuuken warriors." explained Minako. "They serve and protect the village and its inhabitants from aggressive youkai. Some of them are stationed at the lake to guard the fishermen. Some escort the woodcutters, hunters, farmers and those who need to travel outside the village. They also help to resolve youkai incidents."

"Hey, that's a great idea, Minako-san!" Kyouichi rejoiced. "I could ask them if they could escort me to the shrine?"

"Ummm, Kyouichi, that won't be so simple..."

"Why not?"

"Their numbers are not too great and every man is needed at one place or another. They won't accompany just anyone either. You will need to find work that requires one to leave the village or special approval from the village chief, and of course, money."

"I see." muttered Kyouichi. "But why are there so many of them on this street?"

"See that building over there?" Minako pointed at large temple-like building further down the street. It had a large courtyard surrounded by a tall stone wall. Two of the Ryuuken guards were standing at the entrance.

"That's their dojo."

"What if I joined them?" Kyouichi speculated, but Minako brought him back to earth.

"I don't think that will be possible for an outsider. Since they are native Gensokyo inhabitants, they also inherited some magic powers from their ancestors. I've heard that people in the outside world don't have such power and cannot learn magic."

"Eh? Does that mean that you also inherited some magic powers?"

"Yes, every human born in Gensokyo has some potential to learn magic and be able to defend himself against youkai if need be. But not everyone has equal potential to learn and to fight."

Kyouichi was amazed. "That's incredible, Minako-san."

"Oh, I'm not that incredible." replied Minako modestly. "At best, I could defend myself from a couple of fairies. When I was little, I dreamed of becoming a sorceress or something like that, but learning magic is no easy feat. Instead of taking the path of magic, I decided to make a living of my greatest talent and hobby - sewing. If everyone in the village was a warrior or a wizard, there would be no one to grow crops, make clothes or build houses?"

"Good point?"

They passed the training grounds of the Ryuuken and headed further down the street when Minako turned left to another street.

"Over there?" she continued, "?is the village school. It's one of the newer buildings in the village, but was already renovated several times. It originally started just as a history school in 117, but later became an affiliated academy."

The school was a two storey building built in old Japanese style. However, the second floor seemed to have been built more recently. The roof was covered with dark-green clay tiles.

"You attended this school?" asked Kyouichi.

"Yes, it's the only school in the village after all. I was already adult when I started attending it, tough." answered Minako and nodded. "Keine-sensei, who was my teacher, still teaches Gensokyo history. She's been around since the founding of this village."

"So she must be pretty old by now." stated Kyouichi.

"Well, she's a youkai, a were-hakutaku to be exact."

"A what?"

"You know, the legendary spiritual beast resembling a lion with horns that is said to visit and advise only kings of virtue. It is known as Bai Ze in Chinese folklore."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it, I think I heard about it somewhere." Kyouichi recalled. "According to that legend, it visited the Yellow Emperor, Huang-di and it explained that there are 11 520 youkai in the world describing each one in detail and even teaching him how to deal with each of them. The emperor wrote all that knowledge down in a book known as Bai Ze Tu, which of course no longer exists."

Minako nodded. "Yes, and one such hakutaku, I mean were-hakutaku is Keine-sensei."

"Why were-hakutaku?" asked Kyouichi with a confused look.

"That's because she's half human and transforms into a hakutaku when the moon is full." answered Minako. "Ever heard of werewolves?"

Kyouichi slapped his forehead with his palm. "Oh! Now I get it? And if she knows so much about history, maybe she can tell me something that would help me find a way home?"

"Uhh, there's a little problem with that." objected Minako. "You see, it's better to leave her alone when she's transformed."

"Right, the moon was full yesterday." Kyouichi recalled as he wandered for hours through Gensokyo wilderness and found a path to the Human Village only illuminated by moonlight.

"But don't get me wrong." Minako continued. "She is one of the friendliest youkai in Gensokyo. Her power is to manipulate history, but that is quite difficult to explain. Apart from being a teacher, she is also a guardian of the Human Village. She really loves humans and is willing to protect them in case of serious danger. When transformed, she still maintains all her human features but she grows a pair of horns and her eyes turn red. She's not really dangerous to humans in that form, just a bit? edgy. That's why people prefer to avoid her during that time."

"I think it's the same with all women during their? time of the month." jested Kyouichi.

Minako giggled. "Hehe, more or less, yes."

"By the way," Kyouichi digressed, "your children also go to this school, right?"

"Yes, both Tadao-kun and Chitose-chan go to this school. Chitose is older so she's in 2nd grade and Tadao-kun is a 1st grader in middle-school. I wanted to introduce you to them yesterday, but I figured that you needed rest after what you've been through."

Kyouichi tried to imagine a 13 year old boy and a 14 year old girl, who would bear both Minako's and Mizuto's features. His mind, however, still lingered on their teacher, Keine-sensei and her supernatural origin and knowledge. He asked Minako after a moment of silence: "Isn't this Keine-sensei transformed only during the night of full moon?"

"Yes, but she isn't very "social" even during daytime when the moon is in its full phase."

"Alright then. If Reimu won't be able to help me, then I'm paying this Keine a visit."

"You can usually find her at school on weekdays, otherwise she's at home." said Minako while moving on. "Come, I'll show you where she lives."
She walked a bit faster and Kyouichi had to speed up a bit as well. They passed by a large building that looked like a warehouse and at the second turn, Minako turned right to another street. The street eventually led to the southern gate of the Human Village. It wasn't really a gate, just a road leading further outside the village. The village itself had no fortification, walls or even a fence. In the distance, Kyouichi saw a thick bamboo forest and a few hills were visible behind it. Minako stopped at the fourth house from the northern side of the street. "Okay, so this is Keine-sensei's home."

The house looked just like any other Japanese style house in the village. Etched on the door were three kanji characters of the owner's family name.

"Kamishirasawa?" Kyouichi read the writing on the door.

Minako nodded. "Yes, Kamishirasawa Keine lives right here, but as I said earlier?"

"It's best to let her be during the time of full moon, yeah." Kyouichi completed Minako's sentence while looking at the forest in the distance.

"Um, do you know where that road goes to?" he asked.

"The southern road will take you to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost." replied Minako.

"That sounds like a scary place."

"It is." said Minako with an unusually serious tone. "The forest is enchanted, pretty much like the Forest of Magic. Bamboo grows so quickly that the forest constantly changes and one can easily get lost in there. Somewhere inside the forest lies a mysterious mansion called Eientei where Lunarians are said to reside. I haven't been there myself nor, do I know any human who was, but sometimes a few youkai from Eientei come to visit the village and some of them sell medicine."

Minako made a gesture for Kyouichi to follow her and walked back where they came from.
She headed further north without turning to the street with the school and the warehouse. If Kyouichi's sense for navigation was correct, they were getting back to the marketplace, however from a different direction. Along the way Kyouichi saw an interesting new looking building with a touch of both eastern and western architecture. A sign was hanging above the entrance: First Fairy Post Office. The building was rather tall in comparison to other buildings in the village and even had a small tower on its roof. Only now did he notice that many fairies were flying in and out of that tower and traveling with something that looked like small sacks to some unknown destination.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kyouichi in amazement. "So this is that place Naota was talking about."

"You already met Naota?" asked Minako. "He was working on the design and made many pieces of furniture for the post office too." she added.

"Yeah, he told me about that?" said Kyouichi while staring at the flocks of fairies busily sending and bringing letters and small packages.

"I haven't yet tried using the services of this post office, since I don't know anyone who lives outside the village personally except for Reimu Hakurei."

Kyouichi seriously thought about sending a letter to the Hakurei Shrine to ask for an appointment with Reimu, but he quickly dismissed that idea as he didn't want to waste money on anything unnecessary.

"She will eventually show up in the village anyway." he quietly thought.

They continued walking down the street and Kyouichi could now see a part of the familiar marketplace at the end of the street. Besides the post office, there were other small shops and a couple of red lantern stands on that street. As they were about to enter the marketplace again, Minako turned right instead. Right at the beginning of the street stood opposite of each other two large buildings. One had a symbol of a red cross painted above the entrance.

"This is the village hospital." explained Minako. "It doesn't look like much, but it's enough to treat people with all but the most serious of diseases and injuries."

Looking left at the opposite building she continued: "And this is the village fire station. There's always something going on in Gensokyo and not once fires had to be put out in the village."

Besides these two buildings, there were only houses on this street so Minako and Kyouichi just turned back and walked into the marketplace.
"Okay, Kyouichi, I'm going to show you one more place in the village and then you can do whatever you like." Minako smiled at him.

"One more place?"

"The Hieda house, also known as the village archive." she specified.

They walked across the marketplace and entered a street between a shop with ceramics and a tavern called Drunken Oni. Among the smaller shops on this street; a flower shop a sweets shop, a bookstore and a bakery Kyouichi saw more houses with beautiful gardens. He read the name tags on the doors of each of the house, when he found one with the name Hieda engraved on it.

"This is the village archive?" asked Kyouichi with a doubting tone and expression.

"It is the house where Gensokyo's chronicler, Hieda no Akyuu lives. She lives here with her family. Some people find her a bit? strange, but she will kindly welcome anyone who seeks knowledge about Gensokyo. Her compendium, the Gensokyo Chronicle is also a part of the material used by Keine-sensei when teaching history."

"Another useful person worth visiting if Reimu can't help?" noted Kyouichi.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed our little tour of the village." said Minako while clapping her hands together.

"I did." replied Kyouichi. "Thank you for your time, Minako-san."

"You're welcome." she replied. "I'll be doing some more shopping. The kids will be hungry when they come home after playing outside and you too, no doubt."

"I guess I'll look around the village a bit more."

They bowed to each other and parted ways. Minako headed back to the marketplace and Kyouichi walked slowly back to the Saitou house, looking more closely at all the shops along the way and paying more attention to the people on the streets.
"I wonder if any of them is a youkai?" he thought.

He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on any person he saw so he just kept walking and thinking what will he do next.

Again he looked at the fireside, where some people usually gathered in the evening, but since it was still only afternoon, there was nobody sitting there and the fire wasn't lit yet.

Shrugging his shoulders, he sat on one of the wooden logs to take a short break from all the walking. He picked up a small, half-burnt wooden twig from the ashes of the fireside and started drawing something like a small map of the village, or at least those parts where he had already been to. It was just a bunch of squares and lines in the ashes. As he was about to mark the residence of Keine Kamishirasawa and Hieda no Akyuu on his "map", he heard a bunch of male voices coming closer towards him. One of them sounded quite bossy and resolute. He didn't hear what they were saying until they got close. Kyouichi turned around and saw four men wearing the Ryuuken uniform. The bossy voice belonged to the leader of the squad; a tall, darker man with black hair in tied in a very short pony tail and black moustache. The other men followed him without a word. Kyouichi only heard his last sentence as the men passed him by.

"?then we shouldn't keep them waiting."

He watched as they headed to the edge of the village, to the road where he had come from yesterday. That's when he got an idea. He quickly stood up and ran as fast as he could to catch up with the squad of Ryuuken. But running in footwear he wasn't used to, and with the hakama, wasn't all that easy. As he was getting closer to the leaving men he shouted: "Excuse me!"

*huff*?.*huff*?.*huff* "Excuse me for a second!"

Kyouichi stumbled for a bit but kept on running towards the four Ryuuken warriors. They stopped and turned around to see who was delaying them. Catching his breath, Kyouichi stopped before the men and bowed down in a sort of apologetic manner.

"What is it, young one?" asked the leader. "We are on duty right now and are about to leave. We don't have any time for you at the moment. Just return back to the village."

"Can I ask where you are going?" asked Kyouichi.

"To the lake." replied the man in charge. "We are to replace four guards stationed there. They too need to take some rest from time to time. Now if you excuse us, we'll be going."

"Could you please let me come with you?" begged Kyouichi. "I only need to get to the shrine."

"I just said that we are going to the lake, not to the shrine." growled the warrior back. "Now beat it!"

"But sir, the shrine is along our way to the lake." objected one of the subordinates.

"Our orders..." shouted the leader who was apparently annoyed, "?are to march directly to the fishing colony at the Misty Lake, relieve four guards of their duty there and replace them; not to escort someone to the shrine. I hope I made myself clear enough. If you need to go outside the village, ask at our headquarters. They might provide you with some guards to escort you. If they consider your business important enough, that is."

He turned his back to Kyouichi and commanded: "Come men, we're going!"

"Yes, sir!" shouted the other three men in unison and turned their backs on the outsider.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 4 ? Meeting Gensokyo's Heroines

As they started marching to the lake again, Kyouichi just shouted out of the blue: "Do you perhaps know someone called Yukiyama?"

The men suddenly stopped, as if they just hit an invisible wall. The leader turned around to face Kyouichi again. He looked a bit surprised at the mention of that name.

"Well, do you?" asked Kyouichi again.

"I AM Soujirou Yukiyama." answered the leader. "But I don't think I have seen you before, stranger."

Kyouichi smiled. "Where are my manners? My name is Ishimaru, Ishimaru Kyouichi."

"And where do you know my name from?" asked Yukiyama.

"From one of your friends, Naota Tanisake. He told me that he could arrange you to accompany me if I needed to travel outside the village."

Yukiyama slightly opened his mouth and nervously scratched his head and Kyouichi could only wonder what could possibly make such an authoritative man so insecure. He muttered something inaudible under his nose and then looked up to Kyouichi.

After a heavy sigh he reluctantly replied: "Alright! But only because you're a friend of Naota's."

Kyouichi smiled smugly. "You're all heart, Yukiyama-san."

"Yeah, whatever. Just follow us and don't drag behind or get in our way! Understand?"

"Absolutely."

With that said, the Ryuuken marched off from the Human Village, followed by Kyouichi. The road had a slight uphill rising. Kyouichi looked around to admire the beauty of Gensokyo as he walked. The landscape was quite diverse, ranging from vast plains through hills, forests to the mountains far in the distance. The tallest of these mountains was the Youkai Mountain, towering above Gensokyo. It was so huge, that its peak was hidden, somewhere above the clouds. The road slowly sloped down again and stretched several hundred meters before them until it gradually blended with the land in the distance. A nice fresh breeze was blowing and pleasantly cooled Kyouichi while swaying his hair. The warriors marched on without saying a word. They walked for about a half an hour until Kyouichi recognized a familiarly looking crossroad with a wooden signpost. Just a few dozens of meters from that crossroad was a set of stone steps leading up a tall hill where the Hakurei Shrine was located. Although he couldn't see it from where he was now, he knew that it was there somewhere behind the blooming sakura trees. The group marched until they finally stopped at the crossroad.
"Well, here we are." announced Soujirou Yukiyama. "But I don't know who's going to escort you back to the village."

Only now did Kyouichi realize that he didn't think his plan completely through.

"Oh well," he shrugged, "if I made it to the village yesterday, so I can make it today?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Yukiyama curiously.

"I'm an outsider. Just yesterday, I found myself in Gensokyo and found the road to the village by chance."

"An outsider? And you dare to walk back to the village on your own? You are either extremely bold or foolish. These lands are teaming with youkai. If they see you, you'll end up as their snack."

"But as long as I'm at the shrine, I should be safe, right?"

Yukiyama put his palm on his forehead and sighed. "Listen? when we replace the men at the lake, they will return to the village taking this road. It will take a few hours before that, however, so you just stay here at the shrine until then. Ok?"

Kyouichi nodded.

"I'll inform them that you're here, so don't wander off anywhere."

"Alright," replied Kyouichi with a calm voice as if to soothe Yukiyama's anger, "you're the boss. I'll wait here for the relieved guards."

Yukiyama turned to his men. "Ok, let's move! We've wasted enough time already."
Kyouichi stood on the crossroad for a while and watched as the four men became tiny dots in the distance. He then turned to the stone stairs leading to Hakurei Shrine and slowly walked up. He passed under the torii, cleansed himself by the temizu and walked along the paved road to the shrine yard sprinkled with fallen cherry petals. His heart started thumping a bit faster as he saw two persons sitting on the shrine's porch. They were still too far for Kyouichi to see them in detail. All he could figure was that one of them was wearing black clothes and the other one was dressed in red. They were apparently in the middle of a conversation. As Kyouichi got closer and closer, he noticed that both of them were young girls. They could be in their mid-teens. The one in black dress and white apron was dressed like a witch, complete with a black witch's hat. She had blond hair tied in a braid on one side of her face. She held a cup or something and listened to the other girl. The other girl was wearing red and white, although somewhat unusually styled miko outfit with detached sleeves, revealing her shoulders and a yellow neckerchief. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail and decorated by a large red ribbon. She was talking to the witch-like like girl with excitement and happy expression on her face as if she had just won in a lottery.

"?I couldn't believe it at first and thought that it was just some kind of prank." she said.

The witch girl replied: "I guess even miracles happen sometimes, ze." and she sipped tea from her cup.

"But something like that should happen regularly and not be classified as a miracle." said the black-haired girl. "This is a shrine after all, and at shrines people leave donations."

"That's not the main reason why people visit shrines, you know." replied the blonde.

"The problem is that people don't even come to this shrine in the first place?"

Kyouichi stood about ten meters away from the two girls who didn't even notice him and listened to their conversation with amusement. Finally, after a while the witch looked at Kyouichi and asked her friend: "Hey, Reimu, is that a friend of yours?"

The girl in red-white turned her head to Kyouichi and gave him a confused look.

"Eh? He looks like one of the Ryuuken, but I don't know him?" she muttered.

Kyouichi politely greeted, bowed to the girls and introduced himself.

"Kyouichi Ishimaru?" asked the black haired girl. "Are you with the Ryuuken? Is there something wrong in the village? Are there problems with youkai?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." interrupted Kyouichi, "I'm no Ryuuken; just a human from the outside world."

"Eh? Really? An outsider?" the girl looked even more surprised. "Outsiders are usually dressed in weird clothes, but you look pretty normal to me."

"I'm an outsider, alright." acknowledged Kyouichi. "I just got here yesterday. As for my clothes, they're brand new."

"And where did you appear?" asked the curious girl.

"I don't know exactly. But it was approximately a few kilometers that way." he pointed in the direction away from the shrine. "I was lucky enough to find a path to the shrine, but since there was nobody here I just prayed here and kept following the road to the village."

"You were here?" she asked with a raised voice, as if Kyouichi just said something bad.

"Yes, it was already evening. I thought that this shrine was deserted, so I prayed here to find some shelter for the night and what do you know? It actually worked."

"So it was you who put all those coins in the donation box?" she asked while standing up.

"I think it's already obvious enough that it was him who left the donation yesterday." answered the blonde witch instead of Kyouichi.

"Well, yeah, I did." confirmed Kyouichi, not too sure what to think or say. "I always had my pockets full of change so I just put all the coins right in? I hope that's not a bad thing?"

The black haired girl stepped forward to Kyouichi so quickly, that he thought that she was going to attack him. He took a step back but the girl suddenly stopped and bowed.

"Thank you very much for the donation!"

Kyouichi was confused by her strange behavior and just said: "Eh... you're welcome."

"Oh come on, Reimu." the witch shook her head. "He donated to express his honor to the shrine's god, not his love for you."

The girl in red-white blushed and quickly straightened herself up again. "I know that. It's just? it's just been so long since someone actually visited the shrine to pray here and leave some donation."

"Isn't that what shrines are for?" asked Kyouichi.

"Usually yes." replied the witch, "But rarely anyone visits the Hakurei Shrine so it's quite understandable that it doesn't get much, if any donations."

"Yeah, cause the roads are all dangerous for normal people to travel and the Ryuuken have more important business than escorting villagers to the shrine." reasoned Kyouichi.

"Yup, that pretty much sums it up." nodded the blonde girl. "But how did you get here? Don't tell me you went alone."

"Not really. I just tagged along with one of the Ryuuken patrols on their way to the lake."

"A wise move." said the blonde. "Now that I think about it? I think we forgot to introduce ourselves to you. I'm Marisa. Marisa Kirisame, an ordinary magician."

While Kyouichi wondered what could be "ordinary" about being a magician, the black-haired girl bowed again. "Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." said Kyouichi to both girls. "Now to the reason why I'm here? I want to get back home. I asked a few people in the village about this place and they told me about the Great Barrier and that one can't or shouldn't be able to cross it. But sometimes it happens anyway, and so, people from the outside world sometimes end up here. I don't really care to know how or why I managed to get here. I just want to know if there's a way out. And the people recommended me to ask you, Hakurei-san. So I ask you: Is there a way back through the Great Barrier?"

As he asked that question, he felt his heart beat quickly in anticipation. He swallowed his saliva and prepared himself for the answer which would determine his immediate future. He could feel that he was nervous and he started to sweat. Reimu just stood there for a while without words, without motion. Then she finally spoke: "First of all, you can call me by my first name. As for your request... Yes, there is a way to the outside world."

Kyouichi's heart made a summersault upon hearing the positive answer. "T-there is?"

"Yes. I've already helped many lost outsiders who were lucky enough to get to the shrine. You see, this shrine lies on the edge of the Hakurei Border. Although we can't see it, the barrier stands right here and separates Gensokyo from the outside world. The shrine is something like a gateway. The only gateway?"

Kyouichi bent down and begged: "Could you please take me back to the outside world?"

"I can." smiled Reimu. "Do you want to go now?"

"Yes! Please." urged Kyouichi.

He completely forgot about his injuries which needed at least a week to heal up and insisted on returning home, even without saying goodbye to all the people he met here and who helped him.

"Very well," said Reimu, "then please step inside the shrine."

"Oh, Reimu, Reimu!" called out Marisa. "Can I come too? I knew about the shrine being a gateway, but I've never actually seen the outside world before. I want to see, I want to see!"

"Well, I guess you can?" shrugged the shrine maiden. "Then go into the shrine with Kyouichi and wait until I prepare for the ritual? It's been a while since I checked on the donation box in the outside world too."

As Reimu walked somewhere behind the shrine to prepare, Marisa grinned at Kyouichi. "Oh boy, I'll get to see the outside world! Yay!"
They both stepped into the shrine. It looked like an averagely furnished house on the inside. There was a small table in the middle of the large room, a futon, a couple of wardrobes, commodes with drawers, a byoubu folding screen and a small furnace for heating and cooking.

They sat down on the floor next to the table and waited until Reimu was prepared.

Finally, they could hear her footsteps getting closer and soon after, she entered the shrine.

She held some strange box in one hand and a gohei wand in the other one. She put the small wooden box on the floor and from it, she took something that looked like incense sticks and small circular stands. She gave some of those incense sticks to both Marisa and Kyouichi. "Here, put these incense sticks on the stands and then arrange them in a circle."

"How big should that circle be?" asked Kyouichi before he even put a single incense stick on a stand.

"Big enough for the three of us to stand in." specified Reimu.

In less than a minute, Marisa and Kyouichi affixed 8 incense sticks to the wooden stands and arranged them in a circle which could have about 3 meters in diameter.

"Good, now, each of you take one incense stick to hold during the ritual and sit in the circle, facing east." Reimu instructed.

Kyouichi and Marisa did as the shrine maiden said and waited for what would come next.

Reimu again took something from the wooden box and she closed the sliding door of the shrine. She then stepped forward and started lighting the incense sticks with matches that were apparently not of Gensokyo origin. The order in which she lit them seemed to play an essential role in the ritual of passage to the outside world. Finally, she lit Marisa's and Kyouichi's incense sticks and took the gohei in her hand.

"Okay, now close your eyes and breathe slowly, as if you were meditating."

Kyouichi closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths. He could smell the strong scent of the burning incense and hear Reimu's rhythmic footsteps and rustling of paper on the gohei wand.

Reimu was probably performing some sort of ritual dance, but Kyouichi didn't want to mess the ritual up by opening his eyes, so he just concentrated on his breathing instead. After about a minute, Reimu's footsteps stopped somewhere within the circle. A long silence followed. Kyouichi could only hear the faint sounds of breathing. He still didn't open his eyes, even though he thought that the ritual had ended. At last, Reimu spoke: "You can both open your eyes now."
As Kyouichi opened his eyes, his jaw dropped? He and both girls were still sitting in the middle of the circle. However, the shrine's interior changed beyond recognition. All the furniture was gone and it looked like the shrine suddenly aged a hundred years. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust and there were spider webs all over the room. A few rays of sunlight were shining through the holes in the roof.

"What the hell happened to the shrine?" asked confused Kyouichi.

"This is the Hakurei Shrine, as seen from the outside world." explained Reimu.

"So it's really true? I'm back where I belong?" thought Kyouichi to himself and watched as Reimu opened the aged sliding door of this falling-apart shrine.

"Gee, Reimu, this place needs some serious cleanup." stated Marisa. "It's almost messier than my home."

"Well, it's not like I come here every day? Besides, it would take more than just a broom to return this place to its former glory." replied Reimu and stepped outside of the shrine.

Marisa and Kyouichi followed her. The outsider took a long look around, trying to figure out where he was.

"So, that's it?" asked Marisa with disappointment. "This is what the outside world looks like? Boring~!"

The surrounding area of this shrine was remotely similar to that of Hakurei Shrine in Gensokyo; hills, forests, mountains? and not a single sign of human civilization in sight.

In place where the Youkai Mountain would stand in Gensokyo, there was only a range of some smaller mountains. As Kyouichi made a slow 360 degree turn to look around for the second time, he stopped and looked at Reimu and Marisa with a questioning expression on his face.

"So? Does anyone know which way to Tokyo?"

?

"Tokyo?" asked Reimu as she looked up at Kyouichi after checking the empty donation box. "I've heard of such place, but I have no idea where exactly it is. I think it was called Edo once?"

Kyouichi's hopes suddenly diminished as he figured out the truth. "This is bad?"

"Eh? You're from the outside world and yet you don't even know your way home?" asked Marisa.

"You don't get it, Marisa!" shouted Kyouichi back with his voice full of frustration. "The outside world is thousands of times larger than that Gensokyo you live in. I don't even know where we are! Tokyo might as well be hundreds of kilometers away and I don't even know in which direction."

"That's right." confirmed Reimu. "The outside world is huge and one could get lost here quite easily."

"Alright, alright. I was just asking, sheesh. You don't have to yell at me." said Marisa. "But doesn't this place remind you of Gensokyo?"

Reimu nodded. "Yes, this is what Gensokyo looks like from the outside world. The barrier separates the two worlds and this shrine is the gateway."

"So where's the Youkai Mountain then?" wondered Marisa.

"According to one legend, there was once this tall mountain called Yatsugatake. It was a home to a goddess named Iwanagahime. It was supposedly taller than Mt. Fuji, which is said to be the home of Iwanagahime's younger sister, Sakuyahime. When it became known that Yatsugatake was taller, the goddess of Mt. Fuji, Sakuyahime, tore it down out of jealousy." explained Reimu.

Marisa started snickering for some reason. "Sakuyahime? So the goddess now works as a maid, huh?"

"Konohana no Sakuyahime is her full name." said Reimu to be more accurate.

Kyouichi wondered what could Marisa be referring to and laughing at, but he still didn't quite understand one thing.

"But the mountain stands tall in Gensokyo. It would only make sense if Sakuyahime tore the mountain down AFTER the creation of the barrier. The mountain in the outside world would be gone, but it would still remain in Gensokyo. But Gensokyo was sealed off only some 125 years ago and the legend is most likely much older than that." Kyouichi began questioning the legend.

"Well many, many strange things happen in Gensokyo." Reimu speculated. "It could be that the goddess of Mt. Yatsugatake was merely hiding the mountain and as soon as the Great Barrier was created, she saw Gensokyo as a sort of refuge where her mountain could stand proud, without fear of being torn down again by her envious sister goddess? It's possible that it appeared in Gensokyo just after it was sealed. After all, even the Scarlet Devil Mansion appeared in Gensokyo suddenly one day?"

"Wow! Reimu, you never cease to amaze me." Marisa admired Reimu's logic. "But? what are you going to do now, Kyouichi?"

Kyouichi was silent for a few seconds, trying to consider all his options. Trying to walk from here in hope of finding some settlement was out of question. Furthermore, he was still injured after his tumble down the hill, so he wasn't even in condition to travel long distances. Since neither he, nor Reimu and Marisa knew which direction leads to Tokyo, Kyouichi's only option was to return back to Gensokyo. There he had a place to stay and basically free food, at least for the time being.

"I?."he stuttered, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, but I don't know how to get home from here..."

"Don't apologize for something that's not your fault." Reimu comforted him. "I am the one who's sorry. This is the only location in the outside world I can go to from Gensokyo."

Marisa looked at Reimu with a confused expression. "Reimu is apologizing? Now that's something you don't see every day. You're not feeling sick, are you?"

Reimu didn't seem to pay attention to her friend's sarcastic remark. "Come, I'll take you back to Gensokyo. That's the best I can do for you now. If you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room in the shrine?"

"Oh, no." Kyouichi objected. "I'm already in custody of the Saitou family in the Human Village. But I thank you for your kind offer."

"Saitou? Wait? Saitou, Saitou?" Reimu was thinking hard, trying to recall any association with that name. "Oh! You mean that lady who has a textile shop in the village?"

"Yes, and her husband who's a fisherman?" Kyouichi completed the information.

"I see? Well, they are a good family."

The trio entered the old shrine again and closed the door. Marisa and Kyouichi again sat down in the circle formed by eight incense sticks on stands. They repeated all the procedures of the ritual of passage and within a few moments, they found themselves back in Gensokyo, inside the Hakurei Shrine.
"We're back. You can open your eyes." announced Reimu.

Everything looked exactly the same as Kyouichi remembered. As Reimu was putting out the burning incense sticks she muttered: "The only one who could possibly take you exactly to where you lived would be her?"

"What, you mean Yukari Yakumo?" asked Kyouichi.

Reimu gave him another surprised look. "Yes. How do you know about her?"

"The village is apparently full of legends about her? Some say that she disappeared forever after the creation of the barrier, others say that she's still around and even that she's the one who brought me here. I'm not sure what to believe myself?"

"Well, me and Marisa can assure you that she most certainly hasn't disappeared."

Marisa nodded. "Yukari can appear whenever and wherever she wants. She's really impossible to predict. Once she suddenly appeared at my house? without knocking? scared the hell out of me, ze. She's the most powerful youkai, if not the most powerful being in Gensokyo."

"Ha! I already defeated her more than once." said Reimu with pride.

Marisa turned to Kyouichi, covered her mouth with her hand and whispered: "Or in other words: Yukari let her win?"

"I heard that, Marisa!" Reimu threateningly looked at the witch.

"But it's true." Marisa continued. "Yukari didn't even try to win that time? In fact, she never does and yet, her attacks could overwhelm even an army of youkai."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kyouichi halted the conversation. "You got me lost there? Are you trying to tell me that you fought her?"

"I did, and I won fair and square." replied Reimu while crossing her arms and slightly tilting her head up.

"But why?"

"Because the world would be a better place without youkai. They're nothing but trouble."

"That's a bit too harsh." stated Kyouichi. "No, seriously, what did she do?"

"More like what she didn't do. You see, there is this barrier that separates Gensokyo from the Netherworld and that barrier once weakened so much, that it became possible to cross from both sides without much effort. That's not a good thing. I later learned from one of the ghosts that her friend, that is Yukari Yakumo, is the only one who can fix this problem?"

"Go on?"

"So I searched high and low to find this Yukari, but I only met her shikigami. She insisted that I couldn't see her mistress because she was sleeping. But since this was an urgent matter, I had no choice but to force my way to her."

"So you fought against her shikigami?"

"Yes. It was a longer battle than expected, but in the end, I won. The shikigami told me that her mistress is active during night, so I tried again, looking around the Netherworld, this time at night. Of course, the shikigami was there again but this time I made short work of her. Soon after, her mistress Yukari showed up. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to fix that weakened barrier even if I told her about it, so I just gave her a slight? motivational push in the right direction."

"By attacking her?" asked Kyouichi in disbelief. "Weren't you afraid at all?"

"Well, not really." answered Reimu calmly. "I knew that I was facing a powerful youkai, but I didn't know that she was the most powerful one? I've fought many strong youkai before, so I was quite confident about my victory."

"But you could have died!"

"Oh, you meant if I wasn't afraid of dying? Not since I introduced the Spell Card System of battle."

"The what??"

"The Spell Card System." repeated Reimu. "It is a form of bilateral contract between the humans and youkai of Gensokyo to resolve any kind of conflict in a sort of a duel which would allow both parties to show off their skills in a beautiful, non-lethal display of magical power. Much like a sport event. Spell Cards are special named techniques, the use of which requires a declaration of intent. Once declared, the card activates its spell and releases numerous magical projectiles in a specific pattern which we call danmaku and the user enters a sort of trance. The users can keep up their spell for as long as they have energy, but if they sustain a certain amount of hits, their spell will break. Danmaku can be also used in a non-declared manner and without using a Spell Card. This is pretty much just firing the projectiles in a straightforward manner. This form of attack is weaker than Spell Cards and is mostly used to break the opponent's spells. During an enemy spell, one should attempt to dodge all the projectiles until the spell either runs out of energy or is broken by direct danmaku fire or your own spell. The number of each parties' Spell Cards must be determined in advance of a duel. The first party to use up all their Spell Cards loses. The winner is entitled to only what was agreed upon before the duel. If they're not interested in the opponent's offer, they can refuse a duel. Winners should allow losers a rematch. And if a youkai defeats a human, they still cannot kill them."

"O-kay, so you're telling me that every single youkai in Gensokyo abides these rules?"

"More or less, yes, they should."

"But how did you even come up with such an idea?"

"Well, you see, back in the day, resolving incidents was really quite dangerous. Many times people put their lives on the line when fighting youkai. With these rules, however, I don't need to fear for my life and the youkai don't need to worry about consequences of defeating me?"

"Consequences of defeating you?"

"Well, as the descendant of the Hakurei clan, it is my inherited duty to oversee the Great Hakurei Border and to keep people in Gensokyo safe from the youkai. If I died, it could have dire consequences on the existence of the barrier. It could even collapse and that would be disastrous both for Gensokyo and the outside world alike? But that is just a theory?"

"I see? So whether this is true or not, the youkai must have quite some respect for you, right?"

Reimu smiled. "Perhaps, but they don't show it very often."

"So, let's say that youkai won't really harm you because the barrier could collapse," speculated Kyouichi, "but what about other humans who would be dueling with youkai? What prevents THEM from just being killed and eaten?"

"There's more youkai in Gensokyo than humans." she explained. "Now imagine that every single youkai would go out and eat one human every day? Then there would be no humans in Gensokyo at all. The youkai need us humans, because we believe in them? Without that their power would diminish, just like it happened in the outside world. Apart from that, they need to use their abilities every now and then, so their magic wouldn't wither away, and the most common way of using their powers is to attack humans. The Spell Card Rules offer a solution which benefits both sides and enables them to coexist here in relative peace."

"I still don't understand how do youkai live if they can't eat humans?" wondered Kyouichi.

"Oh, but they still do. Although it's rather rare." said Reimu while taking a tea kettle from the top of the furnace. "Outsiders like you are their most common victims."

"Now that's a comfort." muttered Kyouichi ironically. "Is that the reason why I was? abducted here?"

"Most likely not." replied Reimu and poured some hot tea in three cups on the table. "Youkai can't just take away humans to eat them. That's why the barrier stands in the first place. The only one who can do something like that is Yukari and she doesn't eat humans. Besides, it's not like youkai NEED to eat humans, more like they favor us as the most delicious of foods."

"Ahhh, so youkai have adopted to a new diet?" deduced Kyouichi.

"They can live without eating humans, but they still wouldn't hesitate to eat them, given the opportunity."

"I see?" Kyouichi took a sip of the black tea from the cup. "But boy, have we digressed? So you defeated Yukari in that Spell Card duel?"

"Yes, the Spell Card Rules make it possible for even weak humans to challenge even the powerful youkai, but as Marisa already pointed out, it was more like she let me win?"

"Why would she do that?"

Reimu also sipped some of her tea. "I don't know. She's a youkai. Their thinking patterns can hardly be understood."

"What happened afterwards?" inquired Kyouichi further.

"Well after I finally managed to beat her last Spell Card, which took me more than just a couple of rematches, she agreed to fix the weakened Netherworld barrier. But still, I don't think she did a thorough job about it?"

"But Reimu?" Marisa joined the conversation after a long while, "You forgot to mention the most important thing? that Yukari has become your friend after that?"

Reimu almost choked on her tea. "Friend?! More like a nuisance that comes by when you least expect her to pester you or steal your food."

"Reimu is just exaggerating." stated Marisa. "It was Yukari who helped her resolve one of the incidents."

"She was the one who dragged me out of my futon in the middle of the night, saying that there was something going on?" argued Reimu.

"Yes, and she had a good reason for that too?" countered Marisa. "She knew about the incident with the fake moon and even teamed up with you on resolving it."

"So that I would do all the work while she slacked off in the back? And YOU?" she pointed her finger at the witch, "You thought it was US who were responsible for that incident and attacked us!" Reimu pointed out.

"Maybe, but still, it was Yukari's Spell Card that got me that time, as I recall, not yours. And besides, you always complain about being bored. She just did you a favor by letting you know about an incident that needed resolving." Marisa jabbed back.

Kyouichi, who was completely lost in this conversation and had no idea what the hell were these girls arguing about, just calmly watched and enjoyed drinking the black tea. He even helped himself to refill his cup without asking. He just really liked black tea?

"So?" he suddenly interrupted Reimu's and Marisa's exchange of opinions, "you are acquainted with Yukari Yakumo."

The two girls just stared at him silently for a while until Reimu muttered a barely audible reply: "Well, yes. Acquainted?"

"I sometimes don't get you, Reimu," stated Marisa. "It's true that Yukari has a bit strange manners, but? she's one of the nicest youkai I've seen. And what's more, she really seems to like you?"

Reimu opened her mouth to say something, but she just sighed as if she lost all her arguments.

Kyouichi again, full of new hope turned to Reimu. "If what Marisa just said is true, then I humbly ask you to petition Yukari-sama on my behalf if you meet her. Please ask her if she could send me back home."

"Perhaps?" she started uncertainly, "Perhaps you're right, Marisa."

She seemed very reluctant to admit to have a friendly relationship with a youkai. "Perhaps she's not so bad after all?"

Her serious expression was suddenly replaced by a smile. "Don't worry, Kyouichi, we'll be sure to tell her about your problem. If she doesn't know about it already?"

Reimu started looking around herself as if she was being annoyed by some invisible insect. "Yukari? Hey, Yukari~! Are you here?" she called out loud.

But there was no response.

"Strange?" she shrugged. "Usually if you just mentioned her name, she would take it as an invitation, but... she doesn't seem to be here."

"Maybe she's still hibernating." reasoned Marisa.

"It's been long since spring started, but it would be so like her to sleep a bit longer?" added Reimu.

"Or maybe she doesn't want to show up." Kyouichi named another possible reason.

"We'll be on a lookout for her." Marisa assured him. "But it can take anywhere between a few days to several months until she might show herself. You better prepare yourself for a longer stay here, in Gensokyo?"

Kyouichi rolled his eyes and snorted. "What other choice do I have?"

"Well if you knew your way home from the Hakurei Shrine in the outside world?" speculated Marisa.

"I already told you, I don't know." replied Kyouichi and he turned his head to Reimu. "Did those outsiders you have sent back really know their way home?"

She put her index finger on her chin, trying to remember. "Hmm, now that I think about it, some of them really had no clue how to get home from there. Those who knew their way home were most likely those who actually visited the shrine in the outside world and managed to appear in Gensokyo somehow? They were the ones who appeared near the shrine here. That's why I asked where you appeared when you got spirited away."

"I don't even think I'd be able to find my way back to that place to show you?" regretted Kyouichi.

"But some of those who even knew their way home decided to stay here of their own free will." informed Reimu.

Kyouichi wondered what could make any outsider want to stay here in this strange and dangerous place. He asked another question: "Did this Yukari ever return any outsiders back to their home in the outside world?"

Reimu looked down. "That I really don't know, but she might be the only one who can do it?"

"I understand? For now, I have no other option but to settle down here, in the village and prepare myself to stay here? indefinitely." mumbled Kyouichi more to himself than to Reimu and Marisa.

"Don't worry, if you know how to stay out of trouble, you may find life here to be really splendid?" Marisa cheered him up.

"Funny, that you of all people should say that?" remarked Reimu with a sarcastic tone. "So in other words, don't act like Marisa and you should have no trouble living here?"

"And don't act like Reimu, and even youkai may be friendly towards you?" Marisa returned the blow.

Kyouichi just smiled and shook his head. "How did you two become friends anyway??"

"By fighting against each other." answered Reimu. "But that's a long story."

"Why does that not surprise me??" said Kyouichi.

"Hehe, it may look like we're often arguing about something, but only the best friends are not afraid to point out their mistakes and imperfections to each other." replied Marisa.

Reimu, Marisa and Kyouichi had a couple of more cups of tea and chatted randomly off topic.

Kyouichi was happy that he made some new friends today. Possibly, they could be the key people for his plan to return home one day? and if not, he at least now had someone to talk to and ask questions about Gensokyo. Since both girls claimed to be specialized in youkai extermination and resolving incidents, any outsider in Gensokyo would feel much safer by their side. As the hours went by, Kyouichi remembered his agreement with Yukiyama to wait at the crossroad for the returning patrol of Ryuuken.
"Thank you for your hospitality, but I think I should go and wait for the patrol to escort me back to the village."

"Ok, Kyouichi, please come again sometimes." said Reimu as Kyouichi was standing up.

"Yeah, come by to play sometimes?" said Marisa.

"Play? I need to get a proper job if I plan on living here." objected Kyouichi. "But if I'm not a bother to you and if I find some time? and someone to escort me, then I'll most certainly come here again."

"Of course you're not a bother." reassured Reimu. "But sometimes, it may happen that you won't find me at the shrine, like yesterday."

"Oh, and where were you, by the way?"

"Just hanging around at Marisa's place." she replied.

"I see? Well like I said, I'd really like to come again, if I get the chance."

"I also plan to shop in the village in a day or two, so I'll stop by the Saitous to say hello." planned the shrine maiden. "If you won't be working somewhere by that time..."

"No, I won't be working yet, I still need to heal up?" said Kyouichi and slowly walked along the stone paved path back to the torii with Reimu and Marisa.

"Heal up? What, you hurt or something?" asked the witch.

"Yeah, I was attacked by fairies before I found the shrine and took a tumble down a hill."

"Sounds to me like the fairies are asking for a lesson in pain?" said the magician while cracking her knuckles.

"What, you plan to shoot them down with your danmaku or something?" asked Kyouichi in jest.

"Of course! What else?" she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, didn't Reimu say that danmaku is harmless?" asked the outsider.

"I just said that it's non-lethal; not harmless." Reimu corrected him. "You know it kind of hurts to get a direct hit from such a projectile. The stronger ones can even knock people and youkai unconscious."

"So it's still dangerous?" stated Kyouichi.

"Yeah, but the fairies, you see, they're a special kind of youkai?" explained Marisa. "Even if they are mortally wounded, they just? respawn. You can't really kill them. They are like tiny fragments of natural phenomena."

"Immortal youkai?" wondered Kyouichi.

Marisa continued explaining: "Well, they too have their lifespans, but they simply resurrect once they die."

"Yes, in general, youkai have much longer lifespans than humans and some of them are indeed immortal?" Reimu added some facts. "Their other physical attributes, such as strength, speed, vitality, perception and intelligence may differ from youkai to youkai, but are usually also better than those of humans."

Kyouichi stopped at the torii and looked at the road to the lake. The sun was already low above the western horizon. Far in the distance, he could see a few white dots slowly moving along the road towards the shrine."

"Those must be the relieved guards." he said. "Well then, I guess it's time to say farewell for now."

Marisa turned to Reimu with a determined look. "I think I'm going to do some fairy hunting." and then she walked back to the shrine. "Hey, maybe we should invite some folks for a hanami (flower viewing). It IS spring after all."

Reimu looked thoughtfully at the shrine. "Hmm, you're right, we didn't have a hanami this year yet. Although the best hanami are in the Netherworld, watching the cherry petals fall at the shrine also has its charm? Maybe sometime in the next week we could have a hanami here. You are welcome too, of course." she said to Kyouichi.

Marisa was back after a short while with a bamboo straw broom in her hand. "Well then, I'm going to ask at the mansion if they'd like to come."

"Hmph, it'd be better if they didn't come, but? whatever." muttered Reimu.

"But first," said Marisa while sitting on her broom as if she was about to take off, "I'm a hunt me some fairies! Or just any unfortunate youkai who happens to be in my way, ze."

After that she took off and soared up into the sky and into the distance?

Kyouichi just stood there, stunned by the amazing sight he just witnessed. He opened his mouth, pointed at Marisa, who was now far away and looked at Reimu with a confused expression.

"What?" she asked as if she couldn't understand what's so unusual about today's evening sky.

"She just? flew away?" muttered Kyouichi under his nose.

"Oh, that! Hehe, well, all I can say is: welcome to Gensokyo?" replied Reimu with a smile. "I can fly too? In fact, I think almost everyone can."

"Errr? Yeah? ALMOST everyone." emphasized Kyouichi, staring enviously at the tiny black dot in the sky.

"Well then, see you next time!" said Reimu and returned back to the shrine.

"Yeah, see you?" said Kyouichi and carefully walked down the long set of stone stairs. By the time he made it down, the four relieved Ryuuken guards were already waving at him from the crossroad. He hurried up a bit, so not to keep the men waiting. He sort of expected the same attitude from them as from Yukiyama, and so, he even prepared himself to get scolded for going to the shrine without any official permission. But as soon as he greeted the men, his stress dissolved.
"Ah, you're the outsider who was so desperate to get to the shrine." said a young looking warrior with short, light-brown disheveled hair. He looked like a new recruit, but he already had three golden strips on his shoulder, so he could have some skill.

"I'm Lieutenant Akiyoshi Takamori," he introduced himself, "and you must be Ish? Ichi?"

"?Ishimaru, yes, that's me." said Kyouichi, helping the young lieutenant to recall his name.

"Oh, sorry that I forgot your name?"

"That's ok, Takamori-san. It's sometimes hard to remember a name of someone you haven't yet met."

"I usually don't forget people's names." explained Lieutenant Takamori. "It's just that Captain Yukiyama was in quite a hurry to replace us in our duty so he muttered your name really quickly?"

"Sorry to cause you trouble?" apologized Kyouichi.

"What trouble? We're not currently on duty? Besides, the shrine is along the way between the village and the lake, so we would've passed by here anyway."

"I see. That's good?"

"So how about we slowly went back to the village while you told me something more about yourself?" suggested the young lieutenant.

Kyouichi and the four guards slowly walked to the village, and he told them about himself, about his situation and about his reason to visit the shrine.

"So you just wanted to get back home?" said Takamori.

"Yes, but since I wouldn't know which way to go, I just decided to settle here until my plan B works? or fails."

"Plan B?"

"To get back home with the assistance of Yukari Yakumo? Well, legend or not, she's the only one who could do something like that? or so I heard."

"Eeeeeh? So the Hakurei shrine maiden claims to know that youkai personally?"

"So she said." confirmed Kyouichi. "But it seems that she appears rather sporadically and randomly, so it can take uncertain amount of time before she visits her again? And another problem would be to convince her to help me... Truly miserable chances of success, but even if there's a tiny bit of hope, then I won't give up."

"So you'll be staying here for quite some time as I see it." Takamori summed up.

Kyouichi nodded. "Perhaps even permanently, but as I said, I still haven't given up."

Finally, Kyouichi and the guards had reached the outer premises of Human Village. As they were slowly walking down a small hill, Kyouichi noticed that the roads from the village lead to some other smaller settlements.
"I thought that Human Village was the only village here?"

"No, it's not the only village, but it is the largest one? or to be more exact, the one with the largest human population." replied Takamori.

"Are the other villages safe?"

"What you're looking at now are just small branch settlements, too small to be even called tiny villages. They're still an external part of the Human Village, but there are other remote villages in Gensokyo besides this one. As for the safety of these settlements, us Ryuuken do regular patrols, just like at the fishing colony, so they're relatively safe. Not as safe as the inner village, though. Usually farmers and woodcutters live in these settlements, protected by warriors."

The group of five men entered the village. Kyouichi could see that the campfire was already lit, and again, some people gathered around it. The sun was slowly setting behind the hills in the west. Kyouichi was already quite hungry, so he planned to go to his new "home" to have some dinner.

"Well, here we are." said Takamori and turned to his fellow guards. "Let's go to the tavern, I could sure go for a few tankards of nice cool beer right now?"

"Thanks for your protection, Lieutenant Takamori." thanked Kyouichi and bowed.

"No problem. But next time, make sure you'll be leaving the village with some sort of official permission. Ok?"

"Alright, I'll try?" smiled Kyouichi.

As they parted their ways, Kyouichi went back to the Saitou house.
"I'm back." he announced as he entered the house.

Standing in the corridor in front of him was a young girl with short, dark-brown hair, wearing a dark-blue skirt and white shirt with short sleeves, staring at him with a confused look.

"Ah, you must be Chitose-chan, right? Your mom told me about you. I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru, pleased to meet you."

Kyouichi stretched out his opened hand to shake hands with Chitose, but the girl just called out: "Mom! There's some weird guy in our house!"

"Huh?!" Kyouichi was a bit freaked out that Minako and Mizuto haven't told their children about him.

Right after that, however, the girl giggled. "Just kidding! Yes, I'm Chitose Saitou. I know about you, Kyouichi. Mom told me that you'll be our onii-chan from now on."

"That's saying a bit too much, really?" said Kyouichi. "I'll just be living here until I can be self sufficient and buy my own house... or get home."

Chitose came closer to Kyouichi and pulled his hakama twice. "Hey, hey, Kyouichi, how does the outside world look like, huh? Tell me, tell me!"

"Ehehehe? sure, but I'm really hungry right now." said Kyouichi and his belly growled.

As soon as he said that, the kitchen sliding door opened.

"Ah, Kyouichi-kun, welcome back! The dinner will be ready soon. You can wash your hands and wait in the kitchen." said Minako and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Kyouichi did as she said, washed his hands and sat at the dining table. He could see Minako stirring something at the stove and a nice smell of something delicious permeated the air.

"Today we'll have katsu curry." said Minako over her shoulder.

"Yay, my favorite!" rejoiced Chitose.

"Did you take a look around the entire village, Kyouichi?" asked Minako.

"Errm? not really. I've just been to the shrine to meet Reimu."

"Huh?! I hope you didn't go alone."

"Of course not! I just happened to catch some? errr? friendly Ryuuken guards headed to the lake."

"Oh, speaking of the lake, I think Mizuto should be back in an hour or so." she informed. "I guess he'll just have to reheat the curry?"

"Does he go fishing every day?" asked Kyouichi.

"That depends?" explained Minako, "but usually every two days."

She then took some plates from the cupboard and placed them on the table along with chopsticks.

"But more importantly, what did Reimu tell you?"

Kyouichi briefly explained everything he learned and experienced at the shrine and how he decided to stay in Gensokyo for the time being.

Minako was apparently very interested. "That's unbelievable! I've never heard that Reimu can access the outside world through the shrine and that she personally knows Yukari-sama?"

"Well, me neither, but it seems to me that I won't be seeing my home anytime soon." stated Kyouichi and watched as Minako took a large bowl with the curry and put in the middle of the table.

"Mom, can I be a youkai hunter too when I grow up?" asked Chitose while looking at her mother.

"If you study hard enough at school and practice a lot, then why not??" answered Minako with a carefree tone. "But now you should tell your brother that the dinner is ready."

"Yes~!" called Chitose and walked out of the kitchen to call her brother.

A couple of seconds later she returned back to the kitchen with her younger brother. The boy was slightly shorter than Chitose. His hair was similar to his father's, short and black. He was wearing a brown, short sleeved kimono with some leaf patterns.

He glanced at Kyouichi and nervously greeted: "G-good evening."

"Good evening," replied Kyouichi. "I'm Kyouichi. You don't need be so shy."

"My?" continued the boy, "?my name's Tadao Saitou, p-pleased to meet you."

Kyouichi smiled to break the ice. "Same here, Tadao-kun."

"Well, now that you're all friends, let's enjoy our meal." said Minako.

"Itadakimasu~!" called everyone and clapped their hands before they started feasting on the katsu curry.
"Thanks for the meal!" thanked Kyouichi as soon as he finished his portion of curry.

"Well, now that you'll be staying here for a longer period of time, it would be good if you got registered at the village hall as a proper citizen." suggested Minako as she took Kyouichi's plate to wash it.

Kyouichi had no objections. "Alright, we can go."

"Oh, but not today. It's already closed now."

"Fine, then we'll go tomorrow."

"Are you going anywhere else today?"

"Maybe I'll go and see Naota-san, or maybe I'll check out some tavern and have a drink or two." Kyouichi considered his options.

"Okay, but please, don't try to go anywhere outside the village?"

"Sure, sure. I'll stay right here." he promised.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 5 ? Old Man's Advice

Before he left the Saitou residence, he first went to the guest room where he had his jeans. It wasn't the jeans he wanted to get, but the contents of their pockets. He took the money and the cell phone. Looking at the display, he noticed the battery was half-empty.

"Hmm, I'm not going to need this any time soon?"

He turned the phone off and left it in the room.
When he stepped outside of the house, he looked at the people around the campfire to see if Naota was there among them. After a while he noticed the old man sitting by the fire, again with a bottle in his hand. This time, however, he was talking to some other people, so Kyouichi just thought he'd stop by later. He walked down the street to the marketplace and looked around for a tavern. Besides the Drunken Oni, the only other similar establishment in the market district was the Uzume tavern, named apparently after Ame no Uzume no Mikoto, the goddess of dawn and revelry. Kyouichi was wondering where should he go first and after a while of thinking, he decided to check out Uzume. The building of the tavern remotely resembled a shrine, and in front of it there were several bamboo tables and chairs where visitors could have their drinks and chat. All of these tables were now occupied, so Kyouichi entered the tavern itself. As soon as he entered, his ears caught a pleasant tune coming from somewhere further in the tavern and his nose was smothered by a mixture of smells of aromatic incense and delicious food. The interior of the tavern was neatly furnished with bamboo chairs and tables, and there was even a non-smoking section divided from the smoking one. Approximately in the middle of the tavern, there was something like a stage, where several musicians were playing that soothing music using traditional Japanese instruments. It was more like a restaurant than just a simple tavern. Apparently, it was very popular among the villagers, since it was also crowded inside. Kyouichi just saw a couple of people who were about to leave, so he waited for the opportune moment to sit at the table. Immediately after sitting down, a waitress dressed in a bright colored yukata brought him a menu list. Since Kyouichi wasn't hungry, he ignored the meals list, and instead, he was looking at the beverages. One particular name caught his interest: The 8 Million Kami (or the 8 mil. deities ). It was listed in the special mixed drinks section.

"Huh? Eight Million Kami?" he read the name of the drink.

"Yes~!" answered the waitress with a wide smile "It's our special blend."

"Why is it named like that?"

"Because it's an alcoholic drink which consists of many different ingredients with different flavors, thus having a unique and delicious taste. The exact recipe is a secret, of course, but if you concentrate on the taste, you can tell which ingredients are there." explained the waitress. "Oh, and it's quite strong, so some people say that you will actually see all 8 million kami if you manage to chug down a whole glass."

Kyouichi grinned and rubbed his hands. "O-ho, yeah! I wanna try it."

"Yes~! Anything else, sir?"

"No, that will be all."

"Please wait a moment?"

The waitress disappeared somewhere behind the bar. As Kyouichi waited, he took a look around to see what people were visiting this tavern. He did notice a few strange individuals with unusual clothes? Well, unusual clothes for Gensokyo, because they looked like ordinary clothes from the outside world. There were 5 people dressed like that sitting at one table. That alone was somehow very suspicious to Kyouichi and he tried to listen to what they were talking about, but the tavern was quite noisy, so he couldn't make out anything of what they were saying.

"Yes~, your drink, 8 Million Kami, sir, please enjoy~!" said the cheerful waitress while putting the drink on the table.

"Oh? Thank you."

Kyouichi picked up the transparent glass with the mixed drink and observed it closely. The drink was a multi-layer blend of different drinks with different colors. It sort of looked like a rainbow in a glass? with ice cubes.

"Mmm? smells? fruity and? of alcohol? " he commented after taking a few whiffs of the beverage.

He slowly tasted the drink. The top layer was red colored and tasted like strawberry, but many other flavors blended in as well.

"Not bad? Not bad at all! In fact, it's great!" praised Kyouichi.

He slowly drank his mixed drink and enjoyed its changing flavors? From the red layer on top, through orange, yellow, green and blue to violet on the bottom. He could taste strawberry, orange, pineapple, kiwi, the blue layer was some peppermint booze and finally blackberries, all mixed with a neutral alcohol essence.

After about 15 minutes he finished his drink.

"Ahhh~! Now that was a drink!"

The waitress was right. It was quite strong? Perhaps its alcohol concentration in the individual layers wasn't all that strong, but it was their mixture that made it strong.

However, Kyouichi felt like he would have to drink at least 2 more glasses to get really drunk. But that would be no good right now? He paid for the drink and as he was leaving, he took one last glance at the people dressed like outsiders who were still sitting at the nearby table.

"Perhaps they really are outsiders like me?" he thought, but his uplifted mood made him care little about it, so he just left the tavern. He recalled that he wanted to see Naota again, so he briskly walked back to the campfire. Old Naota was still there, drinking as usual and still talking to some people? This time Kyouichi ignored the other people and just rudely interrupted their conversation.
"Yo, Naota-san! Guess what! I've been to the Hakurei Shrine today?"

Naota and his companions turned their heads to Kyouichi and stared at him quietly with surprised expressions.

"And guess what more?" he continued, "The shrine maiden knows a way to travel to the outside world and back? and I've even been there for a short time?"

Everyone was still quietly staring at him like at some apparition.

"Come on, people, aren't you surprised at all? Aren't you glad at all, Naota-san? It means you can return to the outside world! You always dreamed about that, right?"

Naota just grabbed Kyouichi by his wrist and stood up. "Please excuse us for a moment." he bowed to the men he was conversing with just a while ago. He then started walking somewhere, still holding Kyouichi's wrist. He took him to the other end of the street and entered one of the European style houses. He then closed the door, let go of Kyouichi's wrist and slapped him a good one.
"Hey! What was that all about?!" asked Kyouichi as he rubbed his cheek.

"That's my line!" shouted Naota. "What did I tell you about not leaving the village, huh?! You could have got killed!"

"I didn't go alone!" argued Kyouichi. "I met that acquaintance of yours, Soujirou Yukiyama. He escorted me all the way to the shrine?"

"You did?" asked Naota with a surprised tone. "?You should have said so. Sorry about that slap." he apologized.

Kyouichi was a bit confused. "So that was it? You were just worried about me? I thought that I had said something I shouldn't in front of all those people?"

"Huh? Oh, no? that's fine." said the old man. "They all know that I had always wished to return home? But is that what you said really true? About the miko and her ability?"

Kyouichi nodded. "Yes, it's true. But the thing is, she can only access one location. The Hakurei Shrine in the outside world. It is a desolate, abandoned shrine somewhere in the mountains, so I had absolutely no idea which way would take me home? But you," he pointed at Naota, "you're different. Your spiriting away was different? I was asleep while riding on a train, but you were fully awake when you just wandered into Gensokyo by yourself. It's possible that the shrine lies somewhere close to your home. Maybe you would know which way to go?"

Naota frowned and sighed. "It's true that once I counted every single day spent in Gensokyo and dreamt of returning home to see my family, but? not anymore."

"What?! You don't want to return? Why?" Kyouichi couldn't understand.

"Too much time has passed already. Everyone I had known in the outside world is either dead or living somewhere else by now? And if not, I'd most likely not recognize them anyway. Oh, no. For me, Gensokyo is now my home. I got over it, really. I made a few friends, I had a fulfilling job and a bottle of sake every day. But still, it makes me mad to see that innocent, unsuspecting people from the outside world are just being taken here and separated from their loving families? And I blame the youkai for that."

"So you decided to stay?"

"Yeah? But you? still have a reason to return home? You have your home, your family, your friends... But how to return to where you were taken from, I really have no idea."

"Well, the miko said that she personally knows Yukari Yakumo, but nobody knows when she will visit her again. I haven't set my hopes too high on returning home."

"It was most likely her who was behind your spiriting away in the first place... and mine too. Why would she bother returning anyone home? Youkai are no friends to humans. I despise all youkai; that's no secret."

"Well, anyway," shrugged Kyouichi, "I'm forced to live in Gensokyo whether I like it or not. And even if a miracle happens and Reimu convinces Yukari to send me back, it can take months, even years before she decides to show up. I just have to try and live a new life here?"

"Yeah," nodded old Naota, "and a good start would be trying not to get yourself killed."

Kyouichi smiled. "I already told you, I wasn't even considering leaving the village by myself. I just happened to come across this Yukiyama fellow? He didn't seem too friendly, to tell you the truth, but as soon as I mentioned your name, his attitude made a 180 degree turn? I wonder why."

Naota chuckled. "Hehehe, let's just say he still owes me a favor."

"I see?" muttered Kyouichi and wondered what kind of favor it might be.

"Say, how are your wounds?" Naota changed the topic.

"Pretty well, I must say." replied Kyouichi. "They're healing up faster than I expected. I don't know what kind of ointment it was that Mizuto used, but it seems to work. The wounds don't even hurt anymore? unless I touch them, that is."

"That's good to hear." smiled the old man.

"Umm? is this your home, Naota-san?" asked Kyouichi after he realized where he actually was.

"Oh, yes. This is where I have lived ever since I became an independent, self-sufficient man. Please, come in, and have a sit." invited Naota.

Kyouichi followed him to a living room furnished with a dark-brown oak table, three dark-red upholstered armchairs a tall bookshelf and a fireplace. The parquet floor was covered by an expensive looking, red, black and white carpet with ornamental patterns. Kyouichi took a seat in one of the armchairs. It was really comfortable.

"Would you like to drink something?" asked Naota.

"No, thanks, I've just been at Uzume." declined Kyouichi without even considering the thought that Naota could have non-alcoholic drinks in his house.

"As soon as I earned enough, I just picked a location and had my own house built." explained Naota.

"Hmm, I hope I can become independent too? I just feel like I'm a burden to the Saitou family."

"Well, you're only partially correct about that, but you'll find that out soon enough." replied the retired carpenter. "But it was a great feeling to finally have my own house. Many memories are bound to this place? The happy ones and the sad ones too? We've been through a lot during all those years, this house and I? I can only agree with your intention to become independent as soon as possible. You'll fell much more personal freedom once you have your own place to call home. And who knows, maybe, one day you'll be helping some unfortunate outsiders by offering them a place under your roof, just like the Saitou family offered theirs to you."

"But before that, I have to have a steady income. A job." said Kyouichi.

"Yes, a job. Preferably not too dangerous one."

"I still have no idea what job I could apply for."

Naota just smirked. "I'll let you in on a secret, kid. They often value outsiders here worth their weight in gold."

Kyouichi snickered, thinking that Naota was just making things up. "Really? And why would that be so?"

"I ain't kidding ya." said Naota. "It's because they value the knowledge of the outside world; of its inventions, technologies and even art?"

"Hmph, you're not serious. Do I really look like some sort of scientist or engineer? Oh, and I'm definitely no artist either."

"Then you'll just have to find someone who can teach you some craft or find some job that doesn't require much education." advised Naota. "It would even be good if you came up with something new that no one here in the village does. Maybe opening up your own business? I don't know?"

"Hmm, thanks for the tip, but to start an own business requires some initial capital? Something like that isn't cheap. I would have to save up really a lot of money to start a business of my own, and even then I'd probably still need to loan some extra cash. And to figure out what would be a good business here, I'll need to know the village a bit better."

"Ohohoho~, kid," laughed old Naota, "You didn't really expect to become a filthy rich tycoon of Gensokyo in one day, did you? Of course it takes time and money, but everything can be achieved if one really wants and puts his effort into it. And if one knows the right people."

"Now that sounded a bit shady, Naota-san." joked Kyouichi, "Do you have some connections here that I should know about?"

"I didn't mean anything shady, kid, but if that's your preference, you could give it a try. But it's at your own risk?" Naota warned Kyouichi.

Kyouichi made a surprised and amused smile. "Er? you do realize that I was only joking, right?"

"Heh! So was I, kid." smiled the old man.

Kyouichi also smiled and looked at the window, even though he could see nothing through the curtain. "You know what would really piss me off?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"If I got a chance to return home as soon as my business here would become successful?"

"Haha, well at least you still haven't lost your sense of humor, kid." remarked Naota. "With that, you'll be able to adapt to new life here much faster and easier? and without the risk of losing your sanity."

Kyouichi turned back to Naota and replied: "Maybe I already lost it and I'm just taking everything with humor as a result."

"Well, whatever the case, it's good for you. One can't always cry over spilled milk for his entire life, right?"

"I guess so?" agreed Kyouichi.

"Starting tomorrow, you could start asking people what jobs are there to be had in the village." suggested the ex-carpenter.

"Yeah, I plan to get properly registered at the village hall, so I could apply for a job here?"

"?and pay taxes, and get a mandatory life insurance, and save money for your retirement fund, and get permissions to leave the village and hire Ryuuken escorts, and get an official permission to buy or build real estates and so on, and so on?" Naota finished Kyouichi's sentence.

Kyouichi made a quiet whistle. "Wow, I'm surprised that there's such bureaucracy here."

"All adopted from the previous generations of outsiders like you and me, who thought that it would be oh-so-much-better if these simple peasants and warriors were governed by a set of laws from the "perfectly advanced" modern society of the outside world." remarked Naota ironically.

"You don't seem to be very fond of this system. Would you rather be if things remained here as they used to be?" asked Kyouichi.

"Sure I would. Why should this small isolated world need to establish new politics if there's absolutely no need for it? It's not like it's gonna help these people live their lives any better in these youkai infested lands."

"To me it doesn't seem like a bad idea." argued Kyouichi. "It at least helps people by providing equal possibilities, rights and duties for everyone, regardless of their social status. Besides, the whole village looks like a mixture of "old" and "new", of east and west? I actually find such system quite fitting?"

"Hmmmm?." Naota paused himself for a long while, thinking about it. "Perhaps there really is some truth in those words?"

"Anyway, good system or bad, it's here, and we have to live by it, right? Like I said, tomorrow I'm getting proper registration and official admission to the village. Tomorrow, I become one of the citizens of Human Village?"

"You're right." nodded Naota. "We should celebrate this somehow, and not argue about our political opinions. Although I have mixed feelings about this, we should throw some welcoming party or something?"

"Why the mixed feelings?"

"While it's good to see a new face here, it's also bad to see that people just keep disappearing from the outside world. What was the point of creating that goddamn barrier then? If it can't even fulfill its sole purpose of protecting the rest of the world from the youkai scourge, it's the same as if it didn't even exist. I say that the humans were merely tricked by the youkai when they agreed with the sealing of Gensokyo. It was probably just their plan to make the whole world believe that they don't exist while they could cleverly kidnap people here so they could feed on them? That wretched Yakumo hag tricked the foolish Hakurei priest into cooperation with the barrier creation. While it's impossible for humans to cross, the youkai can travel freely in and out without a problem? and while the shrine maiden naively thinks that she's helping the humans, she's just a puppet of the youkai..."

"Ehm-ehrm!" Kyouichi interrupted Naota's monologue by loudly clearing his throat. "I'm not really curious about your wild conspiracy theories, but I think I'm slowly beginning to understand why you hate all youkai so much."

"You don't understand at all?" muttered Naota suddenly with a sad voice, "why I hate the youkai?"
After that he remained silent for a long while, just staring at the floor. Kyouichi realized after a while that he had probably hit a sensitive string of Naota's past. Feeling that something isn't right, Kyouichi figured that it would be best to leave Naota alone for now. He stood up, bowed and quietly took his leave. Perhaps one day he will find out the reason for Naota's grudge against all youkai, but not today? He walked back up the street towards the campfire, still feeling the remains of the awkward atmosphere in Naota's living-room. It was already dark outside and Kyouichi didn't have any more plans for today. Ignoring everyone on the street, he returned to the Saitou house to have some rest. As he was in the corridor, he could hear that Mizuto was already home and talking to Minako about his today's catch. Kyouichi didn't even bother knocking or telling them that he's back home and he just shut himself in the guest room and stretched himself on the futon?

"I'm tired?" he said whith his mouth agape in a yawn, "and I didn't even do any exhausting activity."

Knowing that he'd probably fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, he undressed himself from his kimono. Tomorrow he'll have to get up early, so it would be better if he went to bed earlier too?

[Fonzi]

Chapter 6 ? A New Life Awaits

Small miracles supposedly happen every day, or so some people say. One such miracle was that Kyouichi woke up early in the morning all by himself and what's more, he even felt quite refreshed. Today was his big day after all. Today he would open up an entirely new chapter in his life. One that he didn't even imagine in his wildest dreams. Starting today, he will officially become one of the denizens of Gensokyo, a fantastical land full of supernatural beings and people with various magical abilities. Of course, he is only an outsider and as such, he doesn't have the predisposition to learn any form of magic, but he will at least be admitted into the society of the village.

Without dressing up, he walked straight into the bathroom. This time he decided to have a proper bath, rather than just cleaning himself like he did yesterday. His wounds were only stinging a little bit now. In a matter of few days they should heal up completely. As he was relaxing in the ofuro full of nice warm water, he was trying to plan his schedule for today. What should he do after he gets all the paperwork at the village hall done? Just wander around the village aimlessly, or to revisit Naota and have that welcome party they were talking about, or perhaps he should visit the village archive? He had a lot of options, but he couldn't make a decision at the moment, so he just closed his eyes and relaxed a bit longer. When he had enough, he got out of the ofuro, dried himself up and returned to his room to dress up. His kimono was formal enough so he didn't need to think too much about what to wear for his admission. He opened the sliding door to the kitchen and greeted Minako and Chitose:

"Good morning, Minako-san, Chitose-chan."

"Oh, good morning, Kyouichi," greeted a slightly surprised Minako. "I was about to go and wake you up, but as I see, you already had a bath and dressed up?"

"Good morning, onii-chan." greeted Chitose as she was drinking her tea.

"But I'm not really your brother, you know?" said Kyouichi.

"I know, but it's fun to imagine that you are." replied Chitose.

"Whatever?" the outsider muttered, when his nose caught a pleasant smell. "Mmm, something smells good? What's for breakfast?

"Tamagoyaki." answered Minako while serving the fried egg omelet roll on a plate. "Here you go, Kyouichi."

"Thank you, Minako-san. Itadakimasu!"

Kyouichi ate the tamagoyaki with appetite and had a few glasses of milk afterwards. Chitose looked at him after she finished her tea and asked: "Hey, onii-chan, will you tell me something about the outside word?"

"Hm? What about it?" he asked after he drank the second glass of milk.

"What magic do you have in the outside world?" asked the curious girl.

"Hahaha!" Kyouichi started laughing. "We don't have any. We only hear about it in fairy tales, or see it in movies and anime and such?"

"Huh? Movies? Anime?" wondered Chitose while scratching her head.

"Errr? never mind. Suffice to say that there's no such thing as magic in the outside world, as far as I know."

"Then how do you defend yourselves against the youkai?"

"There's no need?" smiled Kyouichi. "There are no youkai."

Chitose looked very surprised. "Eeeeeh?! No youkai? Did you hear it mom? It must be a very nice and peaceful place then?"

"Actually, no." opposed Kyouichi.

"Why not?" kept asking the curious girl. "Youkai are the worst enemies of humans. At least most of them are? If you don't have any youkai in your world then why isn't it peaceful there?"

"I'll correct you a bit? Not the youkai are the worst enemies of humans, but the humans are the worst enemies to themselves. We have crimes, wars, terrorism, racism..." explained Kyouichi, "As if the natural disasters, poverty and all sorts of diseases weren't already bad enough. Even without the youkai, there will always be conflicts? as long as there are people."

"I didn't know it was so terrible there?" said Chitose with the same surprised look.

"But don't get me wrong. It's not like the whole world is being ravaged by war or something? Fortunately, there are much more peaceful places than war zones in the world. And of course, there are many, many wonderful people in the world? I was merely trying to say that it isn't a perfect peaceful world as you might think. Perhaps Gensokyo is a much better place then the rest of the world. But I barely spent any time living here to claim something like that, right??"

"Well, here in Gensokyo, we only have to defend ourselves from the bad youkai. But there are many good ones too?"

Kyouichi hoped to see some other youkai besides the fairies, preferably the "good" ones, but so far, he hasn't seen any of them in the village.

"Hey, Kyouichi," asked Chitose suddenly. "Did you come from a peaceful place or from a war zone?"

"Me? I came from a peaceful place, in a big city of Tokyo. With many, many buildings, some of which are as tall as smaller mountains. It's so big that I would have to walk for almost an entire day from one end to reach the other. There are roads everywhere, and people travel around in cars or buses or motorcycles or trains - all of these are vehicles that people use to travel fast and far?"

"Eh~? Amazing!" exclaimed Chitose.

"Okay, Chitose-chan," said Minako, "You can talk with Kyouichi-kun later, but right now he has to go to the village hall so that he can become one of us."

"One of us? Yay, so you will also learn about using magic, right?" cheerfully asked Minako's daughter.

"Umm, Chitose-chan, Kyouichi and all the outsiders like him can't learn magic like people born in Gensokyo." explained Chitose's mother. "You know Naota-san, right? He also can't learn any magic, since he wasn't born here."

"Oh, no! That's bad. How will he defend himself if he meets a bad youkai, huh, mom?"

"By making sure that he doesn't meet them in the first place. This village here is the safest place to be in Gensokyo. As long as he's here, he doesn't need to worry? Now, let's go before the village hall gets too crowded."

"Okay, we'll go?" agreed Kyouichi.
Before he left, he went to the bathroom once more to brush his teeth, but instead of toothpaste, there was some unknown creamy and powdery mixture in a glass jar and a pile of paper rags next to it. Uncertain of the jar's content, Kyouichi took a whiff before trying to put any of that stuff in his mouth. It smelled almost like regular toothpaste with a mixed scent of some unknown herbs.

"Well, here goes nothing?" said Kyouichi as he put some of that creamy substance on one of the paper tissues. He slowly opened his mouth and started wiping his teeth with it. The "paste" didn't taste very well, but at least it got the job done. After a few minutes of "brushing" his teeth, Kyouichi rinsed his mouth with fresh water. He was now ready to go.

Minako was already waiting for him in the corridor.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

Kyouichi nodded.

"Alright, then, let's go."
They left the house and walked down the street to the market district where the village hall was located. There weren't a lot of people in the streets yet. Besides some Ryuuken guards, there were only a few villagers strolling about. Kyouichi and Minako kept on walking without words until they reached the marketplace, where they could already see the village hall building and the dragon-deity statue standing in front of it.

"Here we are." announced Minako. "Let's get in?"

Upon entering the building, they found themselves in a large hall with many doors leading to various offices. The door in the middle had a large sign with words "the main office" written on it. There were only two people standing in front of it and waiting to be called in. Kyouichi and Minako took their place at the end of this short line and waited.

"I came with you not just because we're taking you into custody, but also to pay my monthly rent for the shop." Minako explained. "Better sooner, than later?"

"Say, how long does this admission process take, Minako-san?" Kyouichi wanted to know.

"Not much." she replied. "You'll just fill in a form, sign it, then I'll sign it and finally, you'll get an ID card within a couple of days. The paperwork should take no longer than 10 minutes, though."
Finally, as the person standing in front of them left the main office, it was their turn. In the meantime, a fairly long line of people has already formed behind Minako and Kyouichi, so it was a good idea to get up a bit earlier today. A young secretary opened the door and called them in.

"You may come in, please."

Minako bowed and Kyouichi did the same. "Thank you."

They entered the office room with one large, low-leveled, Japanese style mahogany conference table. Sitting at that table covered by a pile of various documents, scrolls, books, quills and ink flasks with different colored ink was an elderly man with long grey hair tied in a ponytail. He had long grey sideburns and a goatee. He was dressed up in a luxuriously looking kimono. It was mostly dark-green and black with golden ornamental patterns. The man's face still looked relatively youthful, at least in comparison to someone like Naota. As Kyouichi entered with Minako and greeted him, the man nodded. "Good morning to you, Saitou-san and?" he curiously looked at Kyouichi whom he couldn't recognize.

"Ishimaru Kyouichi, pleased to meet you."

Minako immediately explained: "Apparently, he's been spirited away from the outside world two days ago and he was lucky enough to make it to the village."

"What? Another outsider?" asked the village chief. "Say, Ishimaru-san, did something strange happen in the outside world?"

Before Kyouichi could answer, the chief continued: "Because, you're about the tenth outsider who's come to get admitted here over the last few days? I wonder what's going on."

Both Minako and Kyouichi exchanged their surprised looks. Kyouichi did recall that he had seen a group of outsiders yesterday at the Uzume tavern, but didn't pay much attention to them.

"All of these outsiders seemed to come from Japan, as do you? from a certain city known today as? Tokyo." said the man as he read a couple of documents, which were probably the admission forms filled in by the other outsiders.

"Of course, it is my duty to ask you as well," continued the man, "before we can make you an official citizen; where were you last before you found yourself here?"

"T-Tokyo?" replied Kyouichi with an uncertain tone.

The chief looked concerned. "Hmm, so another one, huh?? Can you remember what happened before you were spirited away?"

"Well, I do recall I was riding on an underground train back home, but I had fallen asleep." explained Kyouichi as he was trying to recall the event from two days ago. "I was certain that I wasn't alone on that train? As I was awakened by what I think was an earthquake, I could see nothing but darkness and hear screams of other people everywhere around me. But as soon as that earthquake stopped and I made some light, I could see nobody. Everyone seemed to have disappeared. I walked all the way to the very front of the train, but there wasn't a single person to be seen. As I reached the front car? I was no longer underground, but somewhere outside? in the wilderness. I found the road to the village by sheer luck. It was already dark by that time, but I somehow made it all the way here. The first person I met was Mizuto Saitou and he treated my wounds and offered me a place in his house?"

"Hmm? I see?" replied the village chief while scratching his goatee. "All the testimonies of the other recent newcomers from the outside world and you had one thing in common? They all said they were riding this? train? thing?"

Kyouichi suddenly recalled what Mizuto told him on the first day. "I? I've heard that when one gets spirited away, he can appear at any random location in Gensokyo?"

"I guess that's not only a theory?" thought the village chief aloud. "The most common places for outsiders to appear are the Hakurei Shrine and the Road of Reconsideration. But as it seems, people can get spirited away to basically any place in Gensokyo."

"Shrine's the most common place for outsiders to appear?" asked Kyouichi. "I've been there yesterday and the miko said she hasn't met any outsiders recently."

"Well, some of them claim to have appeared right near the village, the others near the Forest of Magic and some near the Bamboo Forest of the Lost? None of them mentioned the shrine."

"Do you know where I can meet those other people from the outside world?" asked Kyouichi in hope of getting some explanation from the other outsiders.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give away any personal information about anyone, unless you're a relative or one of the Ryuuken militia."

"Alright. Never mind? As you already know, I've decided to stay here in Gensokyo for the time being?"

"Hehe, for the time being he says?" chuckled the village chief. "As if there was a way for us humans to cross the barrier to the outside world."

"You'd be surprised, but there actually is. The Hakurei shrine maiden knows how to travel through the barrier and even take people there and back. But as the shrine in the outside world lies somewhere deep in the mountains, I did not have any clue as to where should I go to get home? Returning here was my only option."

The elder gazed at Kyouichi with his eyes wide open in amazement. "Well I'll be? I've lived here for nearly sixty years, and you barely for three days, and yet you seem to have found out something I had no idea about?"

"How come you've never even heard about it?" wondered Kyouichi. "Aren't you in contact with the shrine maiden?"

"Of course we are in contact with the Hakurei Shrine. It's just that? she never brought anything up about it. Apparently she just kept returning most of the outsiders back through the shrine without our knowledge."

"Only those outsiders who found the shrine in the outside world would know their way back home? Those who were spirited away form other places, like me, wouldn't know which way to go from there? Not even the shrine maiden could help me."

"I see? But that means you're not staying here "for the time being" as you said, but for the rest of your life, Ishimaru-san."

"Umm? you may not be completely correct about that one either?" remarked Kyouichi.

"Don't tell me you know something more?" smiled the elder.

"Maybe? Surely you've heard a legend or two about Yukari Yakumo, right?"

"The ancient youkai of boundaries, borders and gaps, who by historical accounts originally came up with the idea of sealing Gensokyo and made an agreement with the Hakurei clan to erect the Great Boundary. In 1885 Gensokyo was sealed. That was the last time the Dragon-god was last seen? and the last time anyone reported a sighting of Yukari Yakumo as well?"

"Yes, that youkai." nodded Kyouichi. "She's supposedly the one who can travel freely through the Great Boundary and even take things and people from one side to another? Some say that she's still here."

"Don't tell me you believe in that legend?"

"I didn't. That is until I've heard directly from Reimu Hakurei and her friend, Marisa Kirisame, that they personally know the youkai. However, this youkai shows up on a very irregular basis, so only time can tell when she'll show up again."

"Honestl,? To think of all the new things I find out about Gensokyo in this old age? and from an outsider?"

Kyouichi shrugged. "I just got good advice form good people, I guess? But you may be right about me staying here for my whole life. Who can predict how such a youkai will react to someone's request to return them back. Especially if she could be the one who spirited me and others away to this place?"

"I should let the Hakurei shrine maiden know about all the other outsiders as well. Maybe this is another incident that needs to be resolved." said the elder and noted something down on a sheet of paper.

"Well now, Ishimaru-san, I've almost forgotten that you're here to get your admission, right?"

"Heh, yeah, I almost forgot about that too?"

The elder reached in one of the shelves and took a sheet of blank admission form. "Here you go. Just fill in the information about yourself and sign here? And this form is for you, Saitou-san."

Kyouichi took the form and a quill and filled in the basic information about himself; name, date of birth, address (both in the outside world and his new one in Gensokyo), and education.

Finally he signed the document and let Minako sign it as well.

"Ah, so you've filled it in?" asked the elder as he took the document and briefly checked if it was filled in correctly. "M-hm, okay, then? Your ID card will be ready within 3 days and sent to your current address? I'm guessing you'd also like to apply for some job here, right?"

"Yes, that would be great, but I'm not sure if I'm qualified enough to apply for anything?"

"Since you're an outsider, it is also necessary for you to have proper knowledge about Gensokyo and a certificate that confirms that."

The elder took another sheet of pre-written form from one of the shelves. "You shall enroll for studying at the Kamishirasawa Affiliated Academy. There you'll learn not only about Gensokyo and the youkai, but you'll also get to choose a studying guild where you'll learn specific knowledge and acquire specific skills in a particular area of your interest, which will enable you to qualify for a job in that particular area. Of course, as an outsider the study of magic will serve you no purpose, but you are free to study anything else. Until then, you'll only be able to get part-time jobs here. Or perhaps you could start your own business, if you save up enough money for that?"

"So I'm going back to school?"

"Well, you probably already know how to read, write and count to ten, right?" smiled the elder as he was filling in Kyouichi's application form to Kamishirasawa School. "You'll only need to take the last stage of the elementary education before you get to choose your studying guild. You will start attending the school from tomorrow until winter, when you'll do the final test to get your elementary certificate and then you'll get to choose a guild."

"Do all the outsiders have to study at that school?" wondered Kyouichi.

"All of those who wish to find some decent work here and are older than 6 years. The knowledge about the life in Gensokyo may be in fact even more important than any practical skill which helps people apply their trade. Even if you were older than me I'd still highly recommend you taking the final course of the elementary education, just to increase your own safety?"

"I heard one of the teachers is a youkai?" recalled Kyouichi.

"Yes, indeed. Kamishirasawa-sensei, the one who founded the school is a youkai, but you don't need to worry. She's the kind of youkai who'd rather sacrifice her own life than see a human suffering. She's a great teacher. You'll like her too?"

"Umm? Mr. Village Elder?" Kyouichi addressed the elder.

"Hm? What? Did I forget to introduce myself again?" asked the elder who looked a bit embarrassed. "It's been happening to me quite often lately. I must be getting old. My name is Toshimi Fukukane, and as you can see, I'm the current village elder since 108. I've been thinking about retiring soon? I should leave this job to someone younger and more competent, but maybe I can still manage a year or two? But I think you wanted to ask me something, right?"

"Yes, I'd like to take a part-time job. Are there any offers?"

"Hmm, let me see for a moment?" said the elder and searched the shelf with the documents behind him. "Ah, yes, there's still one left here?"

"Only one?" inquired Kyouichi. "One job offer in the whole village?"

"Well, there haven't been many offers lately anyway, and now that we've experienced this sudden wave of immigrants from the outside world, most of the part-time job offers were already taken. If you came a bit sooner, then you'd have a wider choice. But it's true that people don't offer employment as much as they used to, these days." complained elder Fukukane.

"Well, I guess the global economic crisis has hit even Gensokyo." supposed Kyouichi. "And what sort of part-time job is that last one?"

"A sales assistant in a bookstore." answered Fukukane. "It's close by, you'll just return to the marketplace and turn left, that is to the west, and enter the street between the Drunken Oni and the ceramics shop. It's called Starlight Glyph. It's the only book shop in the entire village so you can't miss it."

Kyouichi already knew where the bookstore was, since he took a small village tour with Minako yesterday. It was on the same street as the village archive, the house of Hieda family.

"Oh, I think I know where it is." said Kyouichi. "So what are the details about this job?" he asked.

"Well, selling books, helping with book transcriptions, keeping the shop clean and so on? 5 days a week from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and a wage of 300 ? per hour."

Kyouichi nodded to the offer. "Better than nothing? Alright, I'll take it."

He used to work part-time at many places, doing many different and often physically exhausting jobs. This job seemed quite good to him because it wasn't too hard and he could start working even if he wasn't fully healed up. Furthermore, it wouldn't conflict his school timetable, since the elementary grade lessons usually ended even before noon.

"Hmph, working at a bookstore? How hard can that be?" he thought.

"Okay then, just sign this contract here and you can start working there tomorrow already." said the elder and passed him the contract to sign.

Kyouichi quickly scribbled his autograph on the contract and the deal was sealed.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" asked the elder as he stamped the contract with the official seal of the village council and folded it up.

"I think that's all from me for now," replied Kyouichi, "but I think Minako-san still has some business with you."

"Yes." nodded Minako. "I've come to pay the monthly rent for the shop beforehand?"

"So, you're already paying rent for Minazuki (June)?" asked Fukukane.

"Yes, it's better to pay sooner than to wait until the end of next month when the financial situation is the worst?" explained Minako. "That way I will know exactly how much money I can spend until the end of the month."

"Good thinking, Saitou-san." acknowledged elder Fukukane as he was taking the rent from Minako. He then jotted something down on a paper that looked like a ledger and let Minako sign another document.

"Thank you very much." he nodded as he took the signed document along with Minako's rent of 25 000 yen. "Is that all?"

"Yes, that will be all, thank you." replied Minako and bowed with Kyouichi to the village chief. "Goodbye."

"Until next time." the elder said his farewell.

The secretary, who was in the office the whole time now stood up from her smaller table in the corner and opened the door for them to see them off and call in the next person in line.

Kyouichi and Minako bowed once more and left the office.
"Well isn't it great, Kyouichi-kun? You even got a part-time job." said Minako with a cheerful voice. "And don't worry about the school. The elementary certificate tests are a piece of cake."

"You know, I'm kind of looking forward to studying at that school?" said Kyouichi as they both left the village hall.

"Well, Kyouichi, do you have any plans for today?"

"Hmm, not really." he shrugged. "Maybe I'll say hello to Naota-san again. Or maybe I'll check out the archives? I don't know."

"It would be better if you had some friends of your age here, but since you're a newcomer you don't know many people around here?" stated Minako.

"Well, the only friends closest to my age so far are Reimu and Marisa."

"Marisa?"

"Yes, Marisa Kirisame. Apparently, she's a good friend of Reimu, but I don't know much else about her besides her name." explained Kyouichi.

Minako was silently thinking for a while. "I think there's a family by the name of Kirisame here in the village, but I'm not sure where they live."

"So Marisa lives in the village?" thought Kyouichi. "If that's so, then Reimu doesn't come here just to shop, but to visit her fiend as well?"

As Minako and Kyouichi were nearing the Drunken Oni, Kyouichi decided to check out the village archive after all.

"Oh, so you'll be visiting Akyuu?" asked Minako. "Okay then, I'll be going back home, because I still have some work to do. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Well then, I'll be seeing you, Minako-san." bowed Kyouichi.

"Oh, and please, say hello to Hieda-san for me, ok?"

"Will do." Kyouichi acknowledged and waved his hand as he entered the street where the archive was located.
Before Kyouichi reached the house of Hieda, he stopped by the bookstore, where he was supposed to work from tomorrow on. The bookstore had one large display window filled with some of the best selling books in the village. A wooden sign with the shop's name written both in roman letters and katakana; "Starlight Glyph" was hanging above the door. The shop was closed today, so Kyouichi at least took a look at the books in the window. There were both handwritten and block printed books in the window and some of them were even illustrated with some high quality pictures. His attention however was captivated by one book that had a real photographed picture on its cover. It was a photo of the Ryuuken barracks. Even though Kyouichi barely saw that building himself, the book's title "The Legacy of Ryuuken" suggested that the depicted building is indeed their dojo. He was surprised to see such a book in Gensokyo, but he soon realized that it was only 125 years ago that this area was sealed off. That means they could have at least some basic photographic technology here, since the history of photography dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. When he briefly looked at all the books, he kept on walking to where he planned - the Hieda house.

As he was standing in front of the door he felt a bit nervous, but he gathered his courage and knocked on the door before he entered.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 7 ? A Girl who Forgot to Forget

"Umm, hello?" he called out. "Is this the village archive?"

In a room with one table and many shelves filled with books and scrolls he saw a little girl turned back to him as she was leaning over some book with a writing brush in her hand. As Kyouichi called out, the girl seemed a bit jumped by this unexpected visit. She put down her brush and turned to see who just barged into her house and asked if this is the archive.

"Ah, someone who came to seek knowledge." said the girl as she stood up from the table. "Yes, this is the village archive and my home. I am Hieda no Akyuu and I'm pleased to meet you."

"I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss? wait a second?" Kyouichi suddenly paused himself as he realized something. "You're Hieda no Akyuu?! The village chronicler?"

He truly couldn't believe his eyes and ears, since the girl who was standing before him didn't look much older than 10. She was short, barely exceeding half of Kyouichi's height. She had short purple hair and eyes of the same color. She was wearing a kimono-like outfit with a green vest with yellow, flower-patterned sleeves and a dark-red shortened version of hakama with a red-white laced obi sash. Her hair was decorated by a light pink flower-shaped ornament, which looked exactly like the flowers on her sleeves. Despite her childlike appearance, she radiated a very mature and intelligent aura, which Kyouichi couldn't even explain. His first impression of her was: "This girl is a youkai? probably."

"Yes, but I'm not just the village chronicler, but Gensokyo chronicler." answered the girl.

Kyouichi just silently stared at this child for a couple of seconds before he spoke again. "I? eh, no offense, but I imagined you somewhat? older. Are you a youkai then?"

The girl giggled and shook her head. "No, no. I'm a human, don't worry."

"But I guess you're not so ordinary human, right?"

"Well, we all have our abilities, don't we?" answered Akyuu with a question.

"And what's your ability then, Akyuu-san?"

"To remember everything I see and hear and an inability to forget anything? even from my previous lives. Though the memories are limited to the relevant information to the Gensokyo Chronicle."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kyouichi. "That's quite something. But isn't it? you know? too much to bear?"

"Indeed it is." nodded Akyuu. "As a Child of Miare I started working on the Gensokyo Chronicle more than 1200 years ago and I remember everything since my first incarnation's birth until now. Even this conversation will be forever recorded in my memory. It really is a bit too much for a mere human?"

"Child of Miare? Are you referring to Hieda no Are? That oral historian who helped to compile Japan's first written historical record - the Kojiki?" asked Kyouichi as he recalled something he learned at school. "He really was famous for the ability to remember all sorts of stuff."

"Yes. And I, Hieda no Akyuu am his child. The ninth incarnation to be exact." replied the chronicler. "You see, the names of my previous incarnations were all puns on numbers: Aichi, Ani, Ami, Ayo, Ago, Amu, Anana and Aya. So as the ninth incarnation, my name is Akyuu, whereas Hieda no Are is a pun on zero."

"But isn't 1200 years longer than 10 generations?"

"That's right, but a Child of Miare is born in the Hieda family only once in a hundred years, give or take a few decades? But I still remember the events that occurred even when I wasn't physically here. From my informants, that is. I'm the first of the incarnations born after the barrier's creation."

"Amazing?" whispered Kyouichi. "Then you're just the person I'm looking for."

Akyuu smiled. "If it's about history, then I certainly can help."

"Then please tell me everything you know about the Great Boundary, or more importantly, about Yukari Yakumo." requested Kyouichi.

"Hm? Yukari-sama? And why are you so curious about her?"

"Because I'm an outsider and she might be my only way back home."

"I see?" muttered Akyuu. "In that case, I got good news and bad new for you, Ishimaru-san?"

"Oh boy?"

"The good news is that I've known Yukari-sama personally for quite some time? The bad news is that I've only seen her once as the ninth Child of Miare and I don't know when or even if she'll appear next time. I may not even have to live long enough to see her again in this life?"

Kyouichi sighed, because he heard the same thing about that youkai from several different sources.

"Yeah, I heard she appears only once in a few months or so, but if you are her friend or whatever, then why shouldn't you live long enough to see her again?"

Akyuu was silent and hesitant to answer for a while, but she answered after all: "Because with each time I reincarnate, my lifespan becomes shorter?"

"Does that mean that one day you will end your reincarnation cycle and finally enter afterlife?"

"That's one of the possible outcomes, yes." replied Akyuu.

"That means someone else will have to continue recording the events in Gensokyo."

"That's right." nodded young Akyuu. "But that won't be my problem anymore?" she added with a cute smile. Despite her not too pleasant fate, this girl who bore the whole history of Gensokyo on her shoulders seemed to be rather laid-back. She was even cheerful, as a child of her age would be.

"I'm not really sure if any of the historical records regarding Yukari-sama will help you, but I'll bring some anyway."

"Thanks, Akyuu-san."
In just a little while Kyouichi heard some slow and heavy footsteps coming from the hallway of the Hieda residence.

"?Akyuu-san?" he asked while peeking over the corner to the hallway. He saw a huge pile of books slowly moving towards him. Akyuu was apparently trying to bring them all in one go and Kyouichi could only see her hakama as she was carrying that half of a library to the living room.

"Are you nuts?! Let me help you with that!" said Kyouichi and took a major part of the book pile from Akyuu's overburdened hands.

"Ah, thank you, Kyouichi-san. I hope this will be enough?"

"Enough?! Are you kidding?! You brought a whole library with you! I might even figure out a way to bypass the Great Boundary by myself before I finish reading half of these books."

"Don't worry. It's not like these books deal only with Yukari-sama. Rather than that, they each contain some shorter passages about the great youkai and her deeds."

Akyuu and Kyouichi put all of the books on the table in the living room and then they started browsing.

"Hmm? Are all of these books a part of the Gensokyo Chronicle?"

"Yes, you'll find a record of every important and less important event and person in the history of Gensokyo in those books. Naturally, something about Yukari-sama too."

"Still, you can't really expect me to browse through all of these here?"

"Well no, but you can borrow them if you like." suggested Akyuu. "They're all copies, so it's okay."

"Are you really sure?" double-checked Kyouichi.

"Yes, I keep several copies of the whole compilation, so no worries." Akyuu reassured him.

Kyouichi took another look at the whole pile. "Hmm? I might need a hand cart or something to take all of these books home."

"Oh, right. I should at least give you some bags for them?" thought Akyuu and opened one of the drawers in the living room. From the drawer she took out a large, solid looking cotton bag.

It was big enough to contain all the volumes of the Gensokyo Chronicle.

"I think this should be enough." said Akyuu.

"Oh, this is perfect." said Kyouichi and immediately started packing the books in the bag.

"Say, Akyuu-san?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"I can imagine you compiling the Gensokyo Chronicle, but making copies of it? That's just? wow? I can't even imagine how much time it must have taken."

"Oh, but I don't make the copies all by myself. I just lent the original to the bookstore just across the street and they made transcriptions in case of the original being damaged or destroyed. Furthermore, they keep making more copies, so that one day, everyone will be able to buy their own copy of the Chronicle."

"So that's what I'll be doing as my part-time?" Kyouichi asked himself.

"Huh? You'll be working at the Starlight Glyph?" asked Akyuu.

"Yeah. Starting tomorrow. It was the only part-time job left?"

"That's great Kyouichi-san!" exclaimed Akyuu with joy. "That means we're like colleagues now."

"Eh? Yeah, but like I said, it's just part-time."

"But who knows?? Maybe you'll like that part-time job and start working there full-time." speculated Akyuu.

"Maybe?" replied Kyouichi uncertainly when he finally put the last book into the bag, "but I'd still prefer to return back to my home in the outside world?"

"Well then, I hope the information you'll find abut Yukari-sama will help you when you finally meet her."

"If there is a chance, then I will take it." said Kyouichi resolutely. "But even if I'm stuck here for the rest of my life, there's no harm in knowing an extra thing or two about this Gensokyo."

"No harm indeed." nodded Akyuu. "In fact, I think this knowledge may prove vital to your life here."

"Thank you very much for the books Akyuu-san." thanked Kyouichi and bowed to the little chronicler.

"The house of Hieda always welcomes everyone who seeks knowledge about Gensokyo, be they human or youkai." said Akyuu while flashing her cute smile.

"But still? Don't you at least want some cash for me borrowing those books?"

"Well I could ask for money for borrowing the books, but I think that you'll need every single coin as an outsider here, so you can borrow the books free of charge. Besides, I think you have a right to borrow them for free, since you'll probably be helping with making more copies."

"Alright then. I appreciate it? Thanks."

Kyouichi then picked up the bag and was about to leave.

"What, are you leaving already?" asked Akyuu. "Won't you at least stay for a cup of tea?"

"I thought you were busy, so I just?"

"Busy? You could say that I work on compiling the Gensokyo Chronicle in my leisure? I have lots and lots of free time. So, how about some tea?"

"Alright, I guess?" shrugged Kyouichi who didn't want to bother Akyuu too much, but he also had no real plans for today.

"Great! Please wait a moment."
Akyuu again disappeared somewhere in the back of her house and let Kyouichi waiting in the living room. As he waited and waited, he took a random volume of the Chronicle from the bag and browsed through its pages. He briefly read one random passage in the book; "Year 124 and the Flying Palanquin Ship Incident?"

"Year 124? That was one year ago? So this volume must be dealing with recent events." thought Kyouichi. As he was about to read the article about the incident, Akyuu returned to the living room with a platter with two cups of tea and a tea-pot.

"Sorry it took so long?" she apologized.

"Oh, that's ok. I'm not in a hurry or anything." said Kyouichi. "Say, Akyuu-san, where's your family?"

"I'd introduce them to you if they were here, but both of my parents are out at work right now. It's just me and my pet cat here." she beckoned to the corner of the room where a black cat was lazily lying on a pillow, occasionally swinging its tail.

"Alright, I was just curious?"

"So, um? how long have you been here as an outsider?" asked Akyuu as she was putting sugar in her tea.

"Today's the third day." answered Kyouichi while closing the book he was holding and putting it back into the bag.

"Really? And I thought that you've been here for at least a month or so?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, you're wearing clothes like people from Gensokyo, you got a part-time job and you came asking about the Great Boundary and Yukari-sama, so I thought that you must already have some experience with life in this place." deduced the 9th Child of Miare.

"I barely have any experience, though. I've just heard some rumors here and there, but I don't really know anything about Gensokyo." replied Kyouichi and took a sip of the hot tea.

"So you'll be learning everything from scratch?"

"Pretty much. From tomorrow on, I'll be also attending the Kamishirasawa School?"

"Keine-sensei will be your teacher for most of the subjects." informed Akyuu. "She's also an old friend of mine."

"And what about Yukari? What is she like in person? Can she be reasoned with or should I just give up on my crazy dream of returning home?" inquired Kyouichi.

"Of course she can be reasoned with. She's not like most youkai. Some say that she's mischievous or even dangerous, but she's got a really good heart. She may cause some trouble for humans from time to time, but she'd never go as far as directly harming anyone."

"Maybe not directly, but it still hurts when you're forcedly separated from your family."

"Well, one thing I can tell you with certainty, Yukari has done many seemingly incomprehensible deeds during her looooong existence, but know that there was a reason for each of them. You'll find out if you read about her in the books I gave you."

"A reason?"

"Like purposefully losing duels or even wars in order to achieve some greater goals? That is the way Yukari-sama thinks and acts. She may be really carefree and whimsical, but she is also extremely intelligent and cunning, as you'd expect from such an ancient being. Even if she can overcome everything with her sheer power, she often chooses to rely minimally on that power and rather use her deception. She can easily tell what effects will certain actions have even in distant future. In a sense, she's almost like a prophet."

"So, have you got any advice as to what should I do when I meet her by any chance?"

"Hmm? Well just greet her politely and act like a gentleman and you should have no problems with her. She's very friendly for a youkai. She's got lots of friends among youkai and humans alike."

"Yeah, I've already asked the local shrine maiden to talk to her about my problem. She also claims to know her personally."

"So, you've already met Reimu Hakurei? That's good for you, but she's just one of her friends out of many? You see, Yukari-sama's influence reaches far and wide and many of the most important, prominent and powerful youkai and humans are her good friends."

"So, she basically has the whole Gensokyo under her thumb?" stated Kyouichi.

"Actually, that's what they say about Reimu, but yes, I believe that the statement would rather fit Yukari-sama?"

"So, maybe I should become friends with more of Yukari's friends to increase my chances."

"That is certainly not a bad idea." agreed Akyuu. "Having as many friends in Gensokyo as possible is probably the most important thing for a good life? But be warned, while it's okay to become friends with most of the humans in Gensokyo, befriending youkai is often much more tricky and dangerous. You'll learn about most of the youkai at school, so once you know enough, you'll be able to peacefully deal with most youkai even without any magical abilities. Some youkai are naturally human-friendly, but much more common are the dangerous ones. For a human trying to befriend such a youkai can be extremely dangerous, but not impossible. The best place to try something like that would be in this village. Even if the dangerous youkai often come to the village, they won't attack anyone, but you shouldn't try their patience either." advised Akyuu.

"I don't have any suicidal intentions, so I won't be testing anyone's patience."

"To become friends with a dangerous youkai is one of the greatest achievements a human can accomplish. It's nothing you should try without any experience, though."

"Do you have any friends among the dangerous youkai besides Yukari Yakumo?"

"Well, no, I don't have any friends like that. And Yukari-sama isn't really dangerous, because she's a benevolent youkai. Although she's the most powerful and therefore, potentially the most dangerous, she really hasn't harmed anyone in a worse way than spiriting someone away or by means of a danmaku duel. But she likes to tease others by pranks and so on?"

"Okay, but why are you telling me to befriend the really dangerous youkai if you don't have any such friends yourself?" wondered Kyouichi.

"I'm not telling you to. I'm simply saying that although it's very difficult, it's still possible. The more friends you have among the youkai, the lesser the chance that you'll be attacked by the youkai. Understand?"

"Ah, I see? That's really clever."

"During your life here in the Human Village, you'll be sure to meet many youkai, even if you might not realize it. Almost every human here has some youkai friends, but rarely anyone can proudly say that they have a friend who is otherwise a very dangerous and hostile youkai?"

"So the greatest chances to encounter youkai are here?"

"Not the greatest, but they come by quite often. However, the one you'd like to meet the most almost never ever appears in the village?"

"Avoiding too much publicity, isn't she?" wondered Kyouichi. "Then I guess that "Youkai Friendship Plan" is my best option, huh?"

"I believe I haven't mentioned that she likes to sleep a lot." said Akyuu in addition. "And when I say a lot, I mean a whole lot."

"Oh, right, I think Reimu or Marisa said something about her hibernating or something?" recalled Kyouichi and took another sip of the tea.

"Yes, that she does," confirmed the chronicler, "but her hibernation should be over by this time, I believe. However, even when she's not hibernating, she still usually sleeps through most of daytime. She's a nocturnal youkai."

"Well what do you know, something we have in common?" murmured Kyouichi.

"What, are you nocturnal too?" asked Akyuu.

"Yeah, or at least back in the outside world, I used to work, study, play and basically live the most during nighttime."

"Well, nocturnal humans aren't so uncommon anymore, Kyouichi-san. Even I prefer to write during the night." admitted Akyuu. "On the other hand, even daytime youkai aren't as rare as they used to be. In fact, a good 50% of current youkai in Gensokyo are active during daytime."

As Kyouichi drank the last drops of tea in his cup, it occurred to him to ask Akyuu another important question: "Did Yukari ever? send anyone back to the outside world? even if she spirited them away here?"

Akyuu also finished her cup of tea and put it on a plate with a silent chink. She looked like she was thinking or tying to recall something and after a few seconds she smiled again with her usual cute smile. "Yes, Kyouichi-san. Yes, she did? Even more times than Reimu and all her predecessors together? Although, you are right, she was in most cases really responsible for people's spiriting away."

"So she's just playing with humans like with some toys?" asked Kyouichi, who still had very mixed feelings about the great youkai of boundaries.

"Even I, a friend of Yukari-sama for over a millennium will never be able to fully understand her mind," admitted Akyuu, "but if I should sum up her personality in just a few words, I'd say that she's? mischievous, but very kind-hearted."

"Thanks, Akyuu, for at least keeping my hopes up." said Kyouichi while nodding to her. He slowly stood up from the table, this time, really ready to leave. "I'll be going now, but I think I'll be coming for a visit quite often to consult things about Gensokyo."

"Please do," approved little Akyuu, "?and don't think that you're a bother or something, okay?"

"Alright, alright?" said Kyouichi. He took the loaded bag in his right hand - it must have weighed at least 25 kilos.

"Umpf?. Oh, by the way, Minako-san of the Saitou family sends her regards?" said Kyouichi as he was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, thanks? But how do you know Saitou-san?"

"I live in their house." explained Kyouichi. "That is, at least until I'll have my own place to live at or until my wish to return home becomes true?"

"Well, then please send my regards to Saitou-san as well. In any case, I wish you good luck, Kyouichi-san." said Akyuu, seeing Kyouichi off. "And do your best at the school and your part-time job."

"Alright, be good, Akyuu-san."
Bidding each other farewell for today, Akyuu returned back to whatever she was doing before and Kyouichi, with his hands full had to return back to the Saitou residence to drop off the books, so he could study them later. He laboriously carried the bag all the way to the northern part of the village, where the Saitous live; ignoring all the weird looks that the villagers on the streets gave him.

"I? I'm home?" panted Kyouichi when he finally opened the door on the house of the Saitou family. The heavy bag full of books made his way home quite exhausting.

"Oh, hello there, Kyouichi-kun." Minako greeted him. "Have you been shopping?" she pointed at the bag.

"No? I'm coming directly? from the archive." whispered Kyouichi still catching his breath. "Akyuu-san sends her regards?"

"So what's in the bag?" she inquired.

"I believe it's a copy of the most up-to-date version of the Gensokyo Chronicle? and probably something more?"

"You borrowed them?"

"More or less? I simply wanted to learn about something?" Kyouichi gave an uncertain answer.

"And I suppose you'll be going somewhere else now." wondered Minako.

"Sure, it's only noon, after all." replied Kyouichi, dragging the bag to the guest room.

"If you wait 15 minutes, the lunch will be ready."

"Sounds good."

Kyouichi unloaded the books from the bag in the already cluttered-up guest room, leaving even less free space in the room. There were 21 books in total. Some of them, however, didn't seem like they were a part of the Gensokyo Chronicle. As he tried to sort them into some chronological order, he heard Minako's voice calling: "Lunch is ready~!"

"Well then, let's freeload while I can?" said Kyouichi to himself in a joking manner.
He walked into the kitchen, where the whole family including Mizuto was already gathered at the table. Luckily, there was still some room for him at the table next to the children, Tadao and Chitose.

"Ah, Kyouichi-kun," said Mizuto, waving his hand at him, "please, sit, sit." he invited, "I heard that you're already admitted?"

"Well?" started Kyouichi, but was interrupted by Minako.

"Oh, come on, Mizuto, you can ask him about that after the lunch."

"Sure, I can, but I'm curious?" opposed her husband.

"Suffice to say, that I've been admitted, but I'm still waiting for my ID." the outsider summed up.

"Oh, you'll need a photo for that too." said Mizuto as he searched his inner chest pocket on his kimono. "This is how it looks like."

He took out a small, approximately 8x10 cm lacquered paper card with his photo and basic information about him.

"You're right." said Minako. "I forgot to tell him? Yes, you'll need to have a picture of you taken as well."

"So should I go back to the village hall now?" asked Kyouichi.

"No, there's no need." Mizuto calmed him down. "You can have your photo taken at the Ryuuken headquarters. There, they'll put the copy of your ID in their database, you'll get a stamp on your card like this one." he pointed at a small red circular stamp on his ID card. "And that's all. After that you're free to go."

"So I'll go to the Ryuuken HQ after lunch then."

"Er? Well, no, you won't." objected the fisherman. "You should wait until your card arrives and then go and have your picture taken and the ID confirmed at the same time. Otherwise, you'd have to go there twice. It could all have been avoided if Minako didn't forget about it, but it's nothing to fret about."

"That's right." agreed Minako. "I could go there with you if you like."

"We'll see?" said Kyouichi.

"Mom, we wanna eat already!" Chitose tried to apply her authority.

"Ok, ok, coming right up." said Minako as she went to the stove to serve the food into bowls.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 8 ? A Seemingly Pointless Stroll

After Kyouichi finished his meal, he thanked and bowed to the Saitous, telling them that he'll be yet going somewhere in the village. The truth was, he didn't quite know where he wanted to go yet, but he certainly didn't feel like spending the rest of the day in the guest room reading the borrowed books. He was thinking about seeing old Naota again and have that welcome party they talked about yesterday, but he decided that it would be better to have the welcome party after he gets his ID card.

Besides, he wasn't even sure if the retired carpenter would want to see his face again today. Their last conversation ended up in an awkward silence when it came to talking about youkai? For a moment, Kyouichi was even seriously considering visiting the shrine today, but shortly upon realizing the folly of this plan, he dismissed it as another one of his daydreams. Counting his remaining money, he even gave up on the idea of having some drink. He really had no idea what to do, so he just walked where his feet would take him. All within the boundaries of the Human Village, of course. At first he just strolled around the familiar streets near the marketplace, but to put more meaning to his wandering about, he decided to explore those parts of the village which Minako hadn't shown him yet. He didn't find anyone or anything particularly interesting in those unexplored streets and alleys.

The only noteworthy thing that caught his interest was one peculiarly looking building near one of the western farms. Kyouichi stood there, at the edge of the village, on the road leading west to the mentioned farm and turning gradually south, before it disappeared somewhere in the vast crop fields. This road seemed more frequently used than the one leading north and south. Even now, Kyouichi could see small groups of people walking down that road to and from the village. Oddly enough, none of them were accompanied by Ryuuken warriors. Many of them stopped at that strange building, standing approximately half way between the farm and the village.

Further beyond the building, there was a path leading southwards, eventually ending up at a distant large regular formation of stone objects ? probably the local cemetery. However, the young human had his eyes fixed solely on that uniquely-shaped building that people seemed to be visiting on their way from the farms. By Kyouichi's rough guess, it was at least 300 meters away from the village, and the farm could be something over a half a kilometer away. He wondered what that building could be. It looked like a crossover between a ship and a shrine. At first, Kyouichi thought that it's just some odd granary, since it was standing near a farm, but for what convenient purpose would it be located there, away from other farm buildings could Kyouichi only guess. Not to mention its weird design... Seeing as more and more people were stopping by and apparently entering it, his curiosity and temptation to check out that unusual structure increased gradually.

He looked behind him to see if there wasn't anyone on the street headed to that building so he could at least ask them what it was. Luck smiled upon him, because he saw two people leaving their house right there where Kyouichi was standing. They looked like a wife with a husband. The husband looked like a middle-aged man with his fair hair slowly turning gray. He was wearing unusual clothes ? like a black robe or a cloak and was possibly twice as old as his wife, if she indeed was his wife.
"Can we help you, young man?" asked the man, looking at Kyouichi, "Because you've been standing in front of my house for at least 5 minutes. If you came to buy something, my shop's open every weekday?"

"Oh, sorry? I didn't mean to." Kyouichi apologized. "I was only wondering what that interesting building on the road to the farm was. I've seen many people enter it and then leave after a while."

"Huh? What rock have you been living under until now, stranger?" asked the man. "You don't know about the Palanquin Ship? It's been converted into a temple last year."

"The Palanquin Ship?" repeated Kyouichi. The name sounded really familiar to him for some reason. A second later, he realized that there was an article about it in the chronicle, but he didn't really read it.

"Yes. Now known as the Temple of Myouren. You really haven't even head about it?" wondered the man in the black robe. "So you must come from another village then?"

"Actually, I come from the outside world."

"Ah, well that explains why you haven't heard?"said the man, putting his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight as he looked at the building in the distance.

"It all happened one year ago..." continued the robed man. "That building was actually a flying ship crewed by youkai. It was passing even above this village on its course to Hokkai - its final destination located on the outer edges of Makai. There, the youkai crew was supposed to free their friend and their spiritual leader from her imprisonment. On their way to Hokkai however, the ship caught the attention of the shrine maiden, who according to the news articles, thought that it was a treasure ship. Of course, there was no treasure onboard, just a bunch of youkai, so as a shrine maiden that she is, she decided to prevent the youkai from causing whatever incident they might have had up their sleeve by dueling them. However, even with all of the crew defeated, the ship continued in its course without stopping. Eventually, the ship reached Hokkai and the Hakurei shrine maiden, after learning the youkai's plan, wanted to see who was sealed off in the depths of that hellish realm. Upon opening the seal, she met Byakuren Hijiri ? once a human monk, who sought the secret of immortality, driven by her fear of meeting the same fate as her younger brother, Myouren. She indeed did manage to keep her youth using her power, but fearing that her power might eventually disappear, she helped many youkai in many ways. However, she also liked humans. She always had a vision, a dream of a future, where humans and youkai would peacefully coexist with each other. But the humans who were always at war with the youkai never gave her vision a chance. In fact, they feared her and despised her due to her benevolent attitude towards youkai. In the end, they conspired against her and sealed her away in Makai, where she was supposed to remain for all eternity. That was until a band of her most loyal youkai followers, who were previously saved by Byakuren, decided to free her. As the ship arrived at Hokkai, Byakuren was released from her seal. Of course, Byakuren, being a friend of youkai was seen as a potential threat by the Hakurei shrine maiden, so they ended up dueling. In the end, Byakuren was defeated, but Reimu didn't seal her off again. It seems they have made some agreement, but I don't know the details. In any case, Byakuren was finally given freedom after more than a thousand years. Boarding the Palanquin Ship, she made a decision to settle down here, near the Human Village. The ship was at first used as a granary, but later it was remade into a temple, where Byakuren lives and serves to this day. After such a long time, she finally got to see her dream fulfilled? at least partly."

"Whoa!" exclaimed Kyouichi, who patiently listened to the story behind the strange building. "And that happened last year, you say?"

The man in black robe nodded. "We are just on our way there. Would you like to come with us?"

"Wait. Doesn't that count as leaving the village? Won't I need a permission and an escort?"

"No, as you can see, it's just a few hundred meters away and the farm over there still counts as a part of the village." explained the man. "Besides, I am offering you an escort so there's no need to bother the Ryuuken patrols now."

Kyouichi wondered if that man was some sort of magician, but he didn't ask anything. He just nodded to his offer. "Yes, I'd like to see the temple from inside."

"Then come with us." said the man and started walking towards the temple followed by his young wife.

"People visit this temple really often." the man kept talking. "And even youkai come to pray there."

"So? another reason why the Hakurei Shrine is barely visited by anyone, huh?" presumed Kyouichi.

"I'd say that the Hakurei shrine maiden wouldn't be too pleased to have so many youkai visitors." said the man, "But yes, since this temple is so close to the village, the Hakurei Shrine can't expect to have many visitors."

"That's a little bit unfair." stated Kyouichi who believed that people should be more thankful for the services of the Hakurei shrine maiden.

"The whole life is unfair, young one?" replied the man.
They continued to walk down the path and after a short time they came to the recently established temple. They entered and found themselves in the praying room of this unusual Buddhist temple. There was a large Buddha statue in the back of the room and in front of it they saw a meditating figure of a young woman sitting and meditating along with other temple visitors.

"That lady over there is Hijiri-san." whispered the man to Kyouichi's ear.

Kyouichi took a good look at that woman. She had long, wavy, light-brown hair. He didn't see her face, because she was facing the statue, but Kyouichi could see that she wasn't dressed up like a Buddhist monk at all. She was wearing a black and white dress with long strips of black fabric going across the middle and white strips of fabric going across the arms. She was also wearing some kind of long cape which remotely looked like the robe of the man who came with Kyouichi.

"Well, are you going to pray here or have you just come to have a look?" asked the man.

"I suppose I could stay?" whispered Kyouichi and joined other temple visitors in their meditation.

After some time, Byakuren Hijiri slowly stood up and the other people did the same. She then took some object that looked like a scroll and unrolled it. A sudden flash of bluish and violet light illuminated the entire temple. The light seemed to be coming from that scroll she was holding. As Kyouichi looked closer, he could see that the scroll was covered with some large symbols or letters of some unknown language that were radiating that violet glow. As Byakuren unfolded the scroll, she lifted it above her head. This made it look like the upper part of her hair was violet, while the lower part of her hair was still light-brown.

"Oh, the world of dharma is filled with light." she started chanting, "May the light of Buddha shine on your path of life and illuminate your souls. May it wash away all your sins, hatred and sorrows and fill your hearts with love and joy. May it enlighten your minds and bodies and protect you from illness as well as from evil. May it dissolve all doubt and show you the one truth. May it bless you and let it reflect itself upon this world through your good deeds. May it shine brightly, not letting you stray away from the righteous path and may it guide us all to the ultimate goal ? a future where all beings, humans and youkai alike live alongside each other in love and harmony, not only in the afterlife, but in the present world as well."

A sudden bright flash from the scroll blinded Kyouichi and probably everyone else in the temple for a few seconds as Byakuren finished her blessing chants. Shortly after Kyouichi regained his sight, he could feel as if his soul had a nice big energy drink. He couldn't even describe this strange feeling, but he felt like it gave him hope? hope and willpower to carry on living no matter what misfortune might strike him during his life.

"Whoa!" Kyouichi exclaimed. "This Byakuren sure knows how to lift one's spirits."

Based on that story he heard about her from the man in the black robe, Kyouichi sympathized with Byakuren and her ideals without even knowing her or talking to her. He could now understand why her temple is so popular among the denizens of Gensokyo, but he could also understand that Byakuren's vision, no matter how righteous and virtuous it was, could hardly ever become true. At least in this world. There will always be humans who will despise the youkai and there will always be youkai who will hunt humans. Even if there would be only one race of beings in the world, there would still be conflicts. To achieve ultimate peace would seem like an impossibility to Kyouichi, but Gensokyo seemed to be the closest place to a real Paradise on Earth.

"Her blessings give hope and strength to those who need them." said the robed man, "But naturally, the temple is only popular to those humans and youkai who agree with her ideals. In other words, you may find some of the most human-friendly youkai and some of the most youkai-friendly humans among the temple visitors."

"Oh, so there are youkai here too?" asked Kyouichi and started looking around at the people in the temple.

"Shh~! Not so loud, young man. It's not very polite, you know." the man warned him with a hushed voice. "Of course there are youkai here too. They're all over Gensokyo. We are the minority here. Even Hijiri-sama herself is a youkai."

"Huh? Didn't you say that she was a monk or something?" Kyouichi whispered his question.

"She became a youkai, through her extensive devotion to magic." whispered the man back.

They slowly left the temple along with other people and were headed back to the village.
"So humans can become youkai too?" asked Kyouichi while walking.

"Naturally, they can. By many different ways and depending on many different conditions, humans, animals and even objects can become youkai."

"I see?"

Kyouichi started to think of all sorts of conditions required for someone or something to become a youkai ? based on what he heard in fairy tales and legends and such. Before he knew it, he already reached the village with the unknown robed man and his wife who didn't say a word for the entire time.

"Well, here we are, back in the village." said the man. "As you already know, this is my house and my shop at the same time. But I'm afraid my shop will be of little use to you since you are not a Gensokyo native?"

"Really? What are you selling here?" wondered Kyouichi.

"Mixed goods, but mostly magical items like wands, trinkets, potions, scrolls, decorative Spell Card cases, spell books, robes and so on."

"So I'm guessing that you're a mage then."

"Yes, although not the best one, but still good enough to make business here." replied the mage.

"I see. So it seems I really won't be your customer?"

"So it seems? Unless you were a collector or if you wanted to buy a gift for your magic-using girlfriend or something?" said the merchant mage.

"Errr? yeah?" uttered Kyouichi while thinking: "Don't be ridiculous, old man."

"Well anyway, even if you could use magic I couldn't help you today, since I'm closed on weekends."

"Alright, alright? Well it's been nice to meet you, mister. I should get going now?"

"Yeah, likewise, young outsider. And if one day, you would somehow gain the ability to use magic, then I hope to see you at my shop, hehehe?" said the man in jest. "And don't let the youkai eat you."

With that said, the mage turned and slowly walked towards his house. Kyouichi started to walk back home, throwing one last glance at the mage's house. After he made a few steps however, he suddenly stopped upon realizing something surprising. He turned again to check if his sight wasn't fooling him and if he wasn't imagining things, as he often used to. This time, however, it seemed his senses were sharper than he thought. His eyes weren't deceiving him, for he could clearly see the name etched on the door of the mage's house, just before he opened them to enter. The name said: Kirisame.

"Wait! Waaaaiiiiiit~!" yelled Kyouichi at the mage who was about to enter his house after his wife.

"What is it? Did you forget something?" asked the mage.

"You're Kirisame-san?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"You're Marisa's father?"

The man just opened his mouth and looked at Kyouichi with an expression full of surprise. "?You?" he said after a while, "?you've met my daughter?"

"Well, yes. Just yesterday at the shrine? Is she home at the moment?"

"She? she doesn't live here with me?" Kirisame-san slowly replied. He closed the door on his house and walked towards Kyouichi.

"How is she doing? Is she healthy? Does she have everything she needs? Is she?"

"Whoa, mister, slow down!" Kyouichi stopped Kirisame-san's barrage of questions. "I've only been in Gensokyo for 3 days and I met Marisa only yesterday. I barely know a thing about her. I thought that she lived here in the village like everyone."

"S-sorry? I overreacted there a bit?" muttered Kirisame-san. "It's just been so long since I've last seen her?"

"Where does she live then?" asked Kyouichi. "Why doesn't she live with you and her mother?"

"Her mother passed away long ago, when Marisa was just a baby." explained Marisa's father with a sad and serious voice. "I took care of her as best as I could, but I knew that I couldn't take on her mother's roles upon myself as well. I got married again for Marisa's sake, even though I knew my new wife was no replacement for her true mother. I really do love my wife, but as Marisa grew up a little, she and my wife didn't get along too well. Eventually, Marisa decided to move away on her own. She was already a much better magician than me in her age, so she settled down in the Forest of Magic, where she built her own house by magic. She visits me only on rare occasions now? She works as a youkai hunter, much like the Hakurei shrine maiden. The two are really good friends, or so I heard."

"Yes, it seems they are?" nodded Kyouichi. "But I barely know them yet, to tell you the truth. However, they both seemed like nice girls, so I guess that I'll eventually get to know them better."

"If that's so, then please? I know that I may be asking too much, but please, at least tell my daughter that I love her very much? and ask her if she could pay me a visit sometimes? at least once. It's been ages since I've last seen her?"

Kyouichi just stood in silence and after a while he replied: "Alright, Kirisame-san? But I'm not promising you anything, so please don't put your hopes too high."

"Thank you, noble young man? Thank you?" humbly thanked the mage as he bowed down several times to Kyouichi.

"And my name is Ishimaru. Ishimaru Kyouichi and I really don't think that I'm noble?"

"Ishimaru-san, is it? I'll be expecting you. Even if you won't convince Marisa to come, just telling me how she is doing will be enough for me."

"Although I have no idea where she lives exactly, I think I'll be seeing her sometime during the next week. There should be a hanami at the shrine."

"Once again, I thank you, Ishimaru-san. You're one of the very few people who know Marisa and visit the village."

"Well duh, I live in the village with the Saitou family."

"I don't know all the people in the village by name, but the name Saitou does seem familiar?"

"Maybe it's because of the textile shop in the center of the village?" Kyouichi helped to refresh Kirisame-san's memory.

"But of course! That lady? I think her name is Minami or something like that."

"Minako." Kyouichi corrected him. "She lives at the northern edge of the village, just if you wanted to know?"

"Well then, I look forward to seeing you again, Ishimaru-san." said Kirisame-san, turning back and heading home again.

"Say?" said Kyouichi suddenly, "Haven't you tried using the services of that Fairy Post Office to contact your daughter?"

"To be honest, I wouldn't trust a fairy even with taking out my trash. I did hear a lot of praises on that post office, though. Still, I think if Marisa saw some fairy trying to make her way into her house, she'd most likely make short work out of it with magic."

"Alright." said Kyouichi, chuckling at the thought of Marisa zapping some poor postal fairy. "I was just wondering. See you next time, Kirisame-san."

Kirisame-san bowed and returned back to his house. Kyouichi also headed home after that, since he couldn't think of anything else to do or anywhere else to go.
"Oh, you're back early." said Minako when she came to see who was knocking on the door of her house.

Kyouichi just shrugged. "Walking around the village alone and without any goal just isn't much fun?"

"True, but don't worry, you'll make more friends at school, I'm sure." Minako reassured him.

"I think I'll take a look at those books I borrowed."

"Okay then, I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

Kyouichi closed himself in the guest room, where he tried to make a bit more room on the floor. He then took the first volume of the Gensokyo Chronicle in his hands and skimmed through its pages. He certainly didn't intend to read all of those books from start to finish. He just wanted to know something more about the great youkai of boundaries, Yukari Yakumo. Something that wasn't just a legend or an opinion, but a historical fact. As he skimmed through the pages for the second time, he came across that name, almost at the very beginning of the book.

"Ah, here's something?" he muttered as he was checking the date of the event regarding this youkai. "Holy?! That really was more than 1200 years ago!"

Kyouichi returned a couple of pages back to the article's title ? The need of recording the history of a land called Gensokyo; by Hieda no Aichi. The whole article was about a dozen pages long thesis describing various reasons for starting the compilation of the Gensokyo Chronicle. Not only was this area populated by humans, which alone would be a reason to start a chronicle, but also by youkai, who were residing in Gensokyo long before humans settled there. The humans didn't settle directly in Gensokyo, but rather in its surrounding areas. They didn't know about the youkai at first, but they found out about them shortly after they had settled, over 1200 years ago. It was because of the youkai, that this land was called Gensokyo ? literally meaning Land of Fantasy or Land of Illusion. Many of the youkai were hostile, so humans rarely ventured deeper into their territory. Some of the youkai, however, were friendly towards humans such as the kappa. Among the non-hostile youkai was also one of great wisdom and power. Her name was Yukari Yakumo.

She often used to appear out of nowhere to surprise humans and to cause mischief, but she never meant harm. Many human warriors have tried to hunt her down simply because she was a youkai, but they were unable to defeat her no matter how hard they tried. She seemed to be curious about humans, but not just any humans. She seemed to be mostly attracted to exceptional and gifted people whose abilities could be considered supernatural. One of those humans was Hieda no Aichi. According to Aichi, Yukari appeared to her when she was a child and told her that she has a very interesting ability ? to remember everything. Although Aichi didn't believe it at first, it seemed that her power "awakened" one day and she was able to recall events even from the first day of her life. Before Aichi became 18 years old, Yukari appeared to her again and suggested that Aichi should compile a chronicle similar to Kojiki, but about Gensokyo and its inhabitants. Since that day, Aichi and Yukari became friends. Yukari would regularly inform Aichi of noteworthy events and Aichi would record them into the chronicle.

"Hmm, interesting?" muttered Kyouichi. "So this Yukari is older than the recorded history of Gensokyo? Let's see if there's anything more about her in this volume?"

Kyouichi found another article which mentioned Yukari. Its title was: Saigyou Ayakashi ? The great youkai cherry tree. This article said that there was once a very talented poet called Saigyou Houshi who lived from 1118 to 1190. He loved nature, which inspired him the most in making his poems, so he spent most of his time traveling. When he felt that his death was near, he decided to take his final breath under the most beautiful cherry tree he could find. A few decades later, after Saigyou's death, the cherry tree under which he died became even more beautiful. The rumors of its divine beauty spread across the land and many people wanted to see the tree. Many of those who saw it were charmed by its beauty into resting at its roots. But the tree actually drained the essence from their souls and eventually it developed youkai abilities. It could then charm anyone near it into resting under it ? permanently.

The cherry tree became known as the Saigyou Ayakashi. Since it was very dangerous, it was placed in the Netherworld by Yukari Yakumo, where it couldn't kill anyone, since everyone in the Netherworld is already dead. The tree's influence however, reached even beyond the borders of Netherworld, affecting people in the world of the living. It weakened the boundaries between the two worlds so that it could draw the living into the Netherworld and kill them there. Apparently, placing Saigyou Ayakashi in the Netherworld was but a temporary solution. Yukari Yakumo tried to find a way to seal the tree so that it would never bloom again and therefore render it harmless, but she only managed to weaken the tree's influence. By that time she hadn't yet mastered her ability of manipulating boundaries to the extent where she could seal the tree completely or erase it from existence.

That changed when she met another unusually "gifted" human child ? Saigyou Houshi's daughter. Her name was Yuyuko Saigyouji. She was blessed (or perhaps cursed) with powers relating to death and spirits of the dead. She was unaware of that power, but as more mysterious and unexplainable things started to happen around her, people started to believe that she was cursed or possessed by a demon. At first, Yuyuko could only control a few spirits and communicate with them.

However, her powers developed to a point when she could invoke death, although inadvertently. Ever since then, she was treated like an outcast, even by her own family. It was sometime during this period of her life when she met Yukari Yakumo. Since everyone despised and feared Yuyuko and her powers, Yukari became her only and best friend. As they were getting to know each other a bit more, Yukari told Yuyuko about the Saigyou Ayakashi, the great evil youkai cherry tree and about her plan to seal it. She even told her how to get to the Netherworld and showed her the youkai cherry tree itself. A couple of months later, Yukari Yakumo finally figured out how to permanently seal off Saigyou Ayakashi and she went to tell the news to Yuyuko. However, she couldn't find her anywhere where she used to hang out.

The last place that came to her mind was Hakugyokurou ? the huge mansion with a shrine overlooking the Netherworld. In one of its many gardens was the Saigyou Ayakashi. When Yukari appeared near the cherry tree, she had found her friend Yuyuko lying underneath its partly blooming blossoms in a pool of blood and a knife in her hand. It was too late to save her. She committed suicide, most likely because she couldn't bear to live with such horrible powers.

Although Yukari was crushed by this tragedy, she didn't lose her mind. She even got a better idea as to how to seal off the Saigyou Ayakashi ? using Yuyuko's body to create the seal. She then sealed both Yuyuko's soul and Saigyou Ayakashi's cherry blossoms, so that it would never bloom fully again. At the same time, Yuyuko's soul was meant to forever remain in the Netherworld and never to enter the reincarnation cycle, so that she would never feel pain again. Such was Yukari's wish.

After receiving her final judgment, Yuyuko was granted eternal residence in Hakugyokurou in exchange for the task she was appointed to by the great Yama judge - to manage the souls of the dead. Thus she became the princess of the Netherworld. There she could put her powers to good use. However, upon entering the afterlife, she lost most if not all of her memories from the time when she was alive. Yukari visited her again after a longer period of time to start their friendship all over again. The most recent addition to the article made by Hieda no Akyuu states that Yukari and Yuyuko remain as best friends even to this day.

"Now that was one heck of an evil cherry tree." stated Kyouichi when he finished reading the whole article. It gave him a hint that Yukari was a good-natured youkai, at least toward her friends. However, he also learned that she was mostly interested in exceptional humans gifted with extraordinary powers. Since Kyouichi considered himself as a completely ordinary young man, who has led a boring life even by the outside world standards, he saw his chances of ever meeting Yukari as very low.

"But why would she take me here then?" he contemplated. "Was it really her doing? Do I have some latent powers which I don't know about? ?Yeah, as if? A whole train got spirited away after all. I really doubt that every single person riding it would be gifted with unusual powers. In fact, I doubt that anyone was?"

Kyouichi was really curious about the true reason why he and many other people with him and before him found themselves in Gensokyo. However, his contemplations would have to wait, since he heard Minako calling: "Supper is ready~!"

"What a perfect timing!" he sighed, closing the first volume of the Gensokyo Chronicle. "All that reading made me really hungry."

Hoping that some day all his questions will be answered when he reads enough books and meets many people, he left the guest room and headed straight into the kitchen.
By the time Kyouichi finished his meal and returned to his room, it was already too dark to read. Since there were a lot of flammable materials in the guest room, it had no lamps or candles.

"Oh well, I'm getting up early tomorrow anyway." he said to himself. "I might as well get used to this routine?"

He got undressed and stretched himself on the futon. Going to sleep without setting an alarm clock made Kyouichi feel a bit uneasy. Especially when he knew that he shouldn't oversleep.

"Hopefully, Minako-san will wake me up in the morning?" he thought.

He closed his eyes and just waited until he drifts away into the world of dreams, but for some reason he just couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was because he was excited about his first day at the new school or because he was a bit nervous before he started working part-time at the bookstore. This was nothing unusual to Kyouichi, since he usually had a hard time falling asleep after a weekend, because now his mind had to focus on more important things. He even came up with a name for his little sleep disorder ? the Sunday Syndrome. In the end, however, he always managed to clear his mind of stress and fall asleep, although a bit later than intended.

[t0k]

Wow, your story is really good so far! I'm interested in seeing what happens with "the gang". Your story has a great atmosphere and all of the characters seem really strong!

[Fonzi]

@t0k 

Your story has a great atmosphere and all of the characters seem really strong!

  Excuse me, are you sure you are commenting the right story?

Chapter 9 ? Back to School

As the sun rose again, Kyouichi was awakened from his dream by Minako-san.

"Mmmmm?.*yawn*?what?" he mumbled from his sleep.

"Wake up, Kyouichi-kun. You don't want to be late on your first day at school, do you?"

Kyouichi quickly opened his eyes. "Of course I don't, Minako-san? Thanks for waking me? *yawn* ?up."

"You're welcome." said Minako with a smile. "Now why don't you take a bath before I prepare the breakfast?"

"Hey, I'm not a 5 year old. I know what to do when I wake up."

"Okay, sorry?" Minako apologized. "It's just that I always have to tell my kids what to do? I'm just not used to the fact that you're a bit older than them."

"Then why did you decide to take me into custody so easily?" asked Kyouichi as he was folding his futon. "It seems that you're already busy enough with your work and your children to be feeding a freeloader like me?"

"It may seem to you that way, but here in the village, there's a policy for those who take outsiders into custody to receive some extra financial support and tax advantages." replied Minako.

"Really? So I'm not a dead weight for you?"

"Really." assured Minako firmly. "And don't you think that we've taken you in only because of these advantages. We are all humans after all and we have to help each other. Especially in times of need."

"Alright then, at least I won't have to feel bad about living here?" said Kyouichi on his way to the bathroom.

"Of course not. Now go and take a bath."
Kyouichi took a quick bath, cleaning himself and drying up immediately afterwards. He got dressed and rushed into the kitchen to have breakfast. The whole Saitou family was again gathered at the table, having breakfast. Minako was making some sushi rolls, the children were talking and laughing about something and Mizuto was reading some local newspaper called Bunbunmaru.

"Oh, it's onii-chan! Good morning." called Chitose from the table as Kyouichi entered.

"Good morning to you all." greeted Kyouichi.

"We'll go to school together, right?" asked Tadao-kun.

"Yeah, but not to the same class I think?"

"I know, but it's a bit funny to see a grown up like you to go to school with us." remarked Tadao.

"I heard that I'm not the only one, though."

"That's right." said Chitose. "There were even much older people than you who attended the school."

"The school is quite fun." said Tadao. "You'll learn a lot about Gensokyo and the youkai and there is a lot of clubs to join."

"To tell you the truth, I never joined any school clubs before?" admitted Kyouichi. "Well, I did some martial arts for a couple of years, but that wasn't a club at our school?"

"Really?" asked Mizuto from behind the newspaper he had stretched before his face. "So you must have a strong body."

"Well, not really?" frowned Kyouichi. "It's been years since I last did any physical activity besides my part-time jobs."

"Why did you quit?" wondered curious Mizuto.

"Because my parents divorced and I moved to Tokyo with my mother. Our financial situation wasn't exactly good, so instead of continuing my training there, I had to find a part-time job to help support the household."

"Sorry to hear that? But knowing some form of martial arts would increase your chances of survival at least by a bit, should you be attacked by some youkai. Of course, if you were attacked by a strong youkai, it wouldn't help you even if you were a master of martial arts and adept in using magic."

"Nah, I don't think there's any need for me to keep training martial arts." rejected Kyouichi. "Besides, I don't think anyone would train me unless I was a Gensokyo native."

"That only applies for joining the militia." Mizuto corrected him. "However, you could train under one of their sensei. Even our Tadao-kun trains there. All you need is some money."

"There we go again ? money. It seems that I'll need a lot of money on a lot of more important things than training. And I'm afraid I won't be able to pull it off with just some part-time job."

"Well, as you wish. I'm not going to force you into anything."

"We can talk about this later, Mizuto-san. I have other things to worry about now."

"Okay?" nodded Mizuto and finally put down his newspaper on the table. "Good luck at school and your new part-time job then."

"Thanks." said Kyouichi before he swallowed the last sushi roll on his plate.

"Come on, onii-chan!" Chitose called at him. "We'll show you the way to school."

"I already know where the school is." replied Kyouichi. "But sure, I'll come with you."

He put on his sandals and off he went to school, accompanied by the Saitou siblings.
"I wonder if I'll have to buy my own textbooks too?" thought Kyouichi as he was passing through the marketplace.

He could see many other children who were obviously also headed to the Kamishirasawa School. For Kyouichi it was his first day at this school, but for all the other kids it was just a regular day in the middle of the school year. The good thing was that he only had to go through the last stage of the elementary education, but since the school year already started some time ago, he had to catch up with all the previously lectured lessons.

"Here we are? Kamishirasawa School?" he said in his mind as he was just a few meters away from that building. He took a deep breath and entered the school along with other, much younger students.

He found himself in a small lobby and he watched as the crowd of students gradually divided into several streams, each going in different direction.

"Damn, I don't even know where I am supposed to go."

"The 6th grade elementary class is on the ground floor." Chitose explained. "Just go through that door, turn left and keep following the corridor. The last classroom to the right should be it, right, Tadao-kun?"

Her brother nodded. "Yes, that's where I had my lessons last year.

"Okay, thanks."

"We'll be going upstairs to our classes, but we can meet during lunch break if you like." suggested Chitose.

"Okay then, rendezvous at twelve in the school yard." noted Kyouichi to himself.

"Good luck then, onii-chan. See you around." said Chitose while smiling and waving at Kyouichi as she slowly headed upstairs to her classroom.

Kyouichi smiled back and did a thumbs-up gesture to show that he will try his best. He went through the lobby door and turned to the corridor by his left side, as Chitose told him. He felt a bit awkward and anxious as he made his way through the corridor full of children who stared at him curiously. When he finally reached the corridor's end, he read the sign above the door: A ? 6.

"This must be it?" he said while opening the door.
He could immediately see that he wasn't the only odd fellow in the classroom. He saw a whole group of familiarly looking people dressed like ordinary people from the outside world.

They were the same people he saw back at the Uzume tavern. He slowly walked up to them, bowed and introduced himself to the whole group.

"So you too?" asked a young man who could be as old as Kyouichi. He was a foreigner ? probably from America or Europe, but he could speak Japanese quite fluently. He had short and spiky blond hair and light-green eyes. He was wearing a yellow tank top with the name of a famous NBA team and black baggy shorts.

"You're just like us. You were riding on that subway train, right?" he asked.

Kyouichi nodded.

"Oh, I think I remember you, young man." said a young lady, looking at Kyouichi. She could be in her late twenties. She had dark-brown straight hair affixed in the back by a pair of decorative chopsticks and she was dressed in a light-pink blouse, dark jacket and knee-length skirt. "You were wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans... and you were already sleeping when I got on the train." she said to Kyouichi as she recalled the event from a couple of days ago.

"Isn't this situation just amazing?" asked another person ? a middle-aged man with very short black hair with a bald spot on his head and glasses. He was wearing a dark-grey suit with a red tie. To Kyouichi he looked like a teacher, doctor, lawyer or some other sort of intellectual.

"For years I've read about mythology, ghosts, youkai, magic, UFOs and otherworldly realms, all the while trying to prove their existence. And here I am now? in a land that is like straight out of a fantasy novel."

"That's really great, mister, but not everyone like you is so happy to be here?" said a young looking man in a trainman uniform with an agitated tone. "I have a wife and kids. They? they must think I'm dead by now? I really don't know what the rest of you are planning to do, but I'm going to try and find a way out of this place. I'll read every single book they have here if it can help me get back home."

"Then we have the same goal." said Kyouichi to the trainman. "But I'm afraid it won't be that easy?"

"I think I'd rather die than to be stranded here?" the man continued. "Why does something as unthinkable as this have to happen to me?"

"Oh, stop whining already!" shouted a girl who was apparently a part of the group of outsiders. Judging by her high school uniform and her appearance, she could be 16 to 18 years old. She had short brown hair and eyes of the same color. She seemed a bit tomboyish and was obviously annoyed by the trainman's constant complaints.

"At least we're not dead." she continued. "Sure, most of us would like to get back home, but as this Kyouichi fellow said, it's not going to be easy. But if we really want to get out of this place, then our first step will be to learn something about it."

"This girl speaks some sense." acknowledged the man in the suit. "I'm eager to learn as much as possible about this place so that I'll be able to write a book about it after we'll all manage to return home one day? But that might take years, perhaps even decades."

"And perhaps there even isn't a way out of here?" said the young lady in pink blouse

"Such a possibility exists, indeed." said the man with glasses. "But for now, we'll just have to gather, analyze and consider every bit of information about this Gensokyo if we ever wish to find out whether or not is there a way back to the outside."

"Well, I don't know how much you already know," said Kyouichi while taking a seat at a vacant desk near the other outsiders, "but during the last three days I managed to learn a few things about this place from various people. You see?"

Kyouichi was about to start explaining what he already knew, but he stopped immediately as the classroom door opened and the teacher entered.

Her unusual appearance alone commanded Kyouichi's attention. She was a tall, young woman with long silver hair with a slightly bluish tone and brown eyes. She was wearing a navy-blue dress with short white sleeves and a red ribbon tied at the bottom of the collar. She was also wearing an unusual square-shaped hat, remotely similar to those worn by scholars, only with a small house-shaped extension, decorated by another red ribbon on top.

"Good morning, everyone." she greeted the whole class with a pleasant voice and smile. "Before we start with our usual lessons, I would like to make an announcement. As you can see, we have quite a number of... ummm? transfer students this year."

The attention of every regular elementary school 6th grader in the class now shifted from the teacher to the group of approximately 10 people who "transferred" to Kamishirasawa School from the outside world. A few more outsiders came into the classroom while Kyouichi was talking to the group of those 5 people who were already waiting there.

"These students," she continued, "will be your classmates and friends from now on, so I'd like you all to welcome them among us. I hope you will all get along well with each other."

The teacher then turned around to take a piece of chalk in her hand and scribbled something on the blackboard. She then turned back to the class and took a step to the side, so that the whole class could see what was written there. It was the teacher's name.

"Most of you already know me well... I hope. To all of you new students, my name is Keine Kamishirasawa." said the teacher while pointing at the blackboard. "But you can all call me Keine-sensei. Now, why don't you all newcomers come over here and tell us something about yourselves?"

Kyouichi and all the other outsiders slowly stood up from their chairs and walked up to the blackboard. Kyouichi was standing somewhere in the middle of this group. The man in the suit was the eldest of the group, so he introduced himself as first.

"Good morning, Keine-sensei, good morning, class and good morning, fellow transfer students. My name is Hikaru Nagahashi. I'm 46 years old and before I "transferred" here I used to be a paranormal researcher. I collected and studied all sorts of materials on various paranormal topics such as ghosts, spirits, demons, legendary beasts, magic, extraterrestrial beings and UFOs and so on? But I must say that I hadn't even imagined that one day I would find myself in a place such as this? Gensokyo."

"I'm pretty sure none of us who are standing here ever imagined ending up here, Nagahashi-san." thought Kyouichi as he listened to Nagahashi's brief introduction.

"Ok, thank you, Nagahashi-san." said Keine-sensei as she jotted something down into her class register. "Everyone, say hello to Nagahashi-san."

"Hello, Nagahashi-san~!" choired the children in the class.

Next in line was the tomboyish girl in a high school uniform. She took a step forward and bowed to the entire class.

"Hello, I'm Midori Iwakami, I'm 16 and I was an ordinary high school student before I appeared here? I look forward to studying here with you, but at the same time I wish to return home? That's all."

"Same here, Iwakami-san." thought Kyouichi as he was preparing words for his own introduction.

"Thank you very much, Iwakami-san." said Keine-sensei and again she jotted something down into the class register.

The students greeted Midori with a unanimous "Hello, Iwakami-san~!"

Without waiting, the man in the trainman's uniform stepped forward and nodded to greet the class.

"My name is Yuujin Ueda, I'm 31 and I am an engine driver of the Tokyo underground railways. Frankly, I can't wait to get home? It's been three days already? I just want to find a way back?"

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard that one before." thought Kyouichi. "I too hope to find a way home? only with less whining. Besides, I don't think many folks here even know what an engine driver means?"

Keine-sensei noted down Yuujin's name and the children welcomed him like anyone else.

The next person to introduce herself was the lady who was dressed in pink blouse and gray skirt and jacket.

"Greetings, my name is Sayuri Hayashi? Umm? I better keep my age to myself. I used to work in a travel agency, but then I found myself here? I don't know what else to say? I like children? and I like vanilla ice-cream and I sometimes have a cup of sake? But only occasionally. Oh, and?"

"Yes, yes, thank you. That will be enough for now, Hayashi-san?" Keine-sensei interrupted her. If she didn't, Hayashi-san would probably go on until the end of the lesson. Now it was Kyouichi's turn to say something about himself, so he also stepped forward and a little nervously, he started: "Umm?. Yo! I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru and like all these people, I appeared in Gensokyo three days ago. I'm 22, by the way? and I am? I was a student of anthropology? Learning about people, various cultures and society as a whole. Not very interesting stuff, to tell you the truth, but at least there's no math there, hehe? (okay, I better stop before I embarrass myself too much). Well, that is all. Nice to meet you all?"

The class greeted him as usual and Keine-sensei noted his name down as usual. Kyouichi again stepped back and watched as the foreigner standing beside him stepped forth.

"Hello, I'm Daniel Morrison. I'm 21 and I originally come from L.A., California. I moved to Japan with my parents when I was still in grade school and I slowly got a basic grasp of the language, but I still have difficulties sometimes? Oh, and I don't study at a university or anything? I started working as a car mechanic after I graduated from high school, but I guess you don't even know what that is, do you? Well, never mind? I just hope to return home safely? not that I have anything against you?"

Kyouichi was now lost in thought as he was trying to come up with a way how he could benefit from the knowledge and experiences of all the other outsiders and how his knowledge could benefit others. He didn't even pay attention to the rest of the people who were introducing themselves. As the last person in the group introduced herself, Keine-sensei told them that they could already sit in their desks.
"Now, dear transfer students, I'll be teaching you Gensokyo History, Youkai Typology and Basic Gensokyo Geography. You don't need to buy your textbooks; I've already put them in your desks along with some blank paper sheets to take down notes. You don't need to attend the Math and Japanese Language and Literature classes, but if you'd like to, you are free to join them. In winter, you'll be all doing the tests for your elementary education certificate. You don't need to worry, though; the tests aren't all that hard. However, I expect you to prepare thoroughly for every lesson and of course, to do your homework. You can consult anything you like with me after school. My office is right here on the ground floor? Alright then, let's start our Gensokyo History lesson."

Kyouichi reached under the desk and found three different textbooks and some blank papers, just as Keine-sensei said. He took the book titled Gensokyo History. It was a red, hardback book, which could have about 200 pages.

"Okay, open your books on page 56, we'll continue with the First Genso-Lunar War. But before we start, who can tell me what did we discuss last time?"

A few children raised their hands.

Keine-sensei looked at the students with raised hands and picked one of them to give the answer: "Hmm, how about Takashi-kun?"

"Last time we were discussing the sealing of Saigyou Ayakashi." answered the boy who was sitting right in front of Kyouichi.

"Correct." nodded Keine-sensei. "And who can tell me whose body was used to form the permanent seal on Saigyou Ayakashi?"

Again, a few of the regular students raised their hands, but so did Kyouichi, since he also knew the answer. Keine-sensei wanted to pick one of the 6th graders, but then she noticed Kyouichi and her face made a surprised expression.

"Eh? You know the answer?" she asked uncertainly.

"I believe it was the body of a noble girl named Yuyuko Saigyouji." answered Kyouichi, hoping that he pronounced the name correctly.

A moment of silence came about. Keine-sensei's smiling face turned serious as she stared at Kyouichi with a penetrating gaze.

"?Correct." she acknowledged. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Ishimaru Kyouichi."

Now everyone in the classroom stared at him like at some kind of alien. His unexpected correct answer attracted more attention than Keine-sensei's weird hat.

"May I ask how did you know about that?" asked Keine-sensei after she marked something in her register.

"I read about it in the Gensokyo Chronicle."

"Gensokyo Chronicle? That book is not yet for sale, as far as I know. That means you went to the archive?" deduced Keine-sensei.

"Yes, and Hieda-san even let me borrow the whole compilation."

"The whole compilation? What do you need the whole compilation for? We won't be discussing the history of Gensokyo in such detail."

"Yeah, I told Akyuu-san that I don't need the whole chronicle, just some information about Yukari Yakumo, but she said that it's ok. I don't really plan to read everything in those books."

"You're curious about Yukari-sama?"

"I don't think it should surprise you that much? As far as I've heard, she may be the only means for me and for all of us outsiders to return back home. That's why I'd like to know as much as possible about her."

"I see? Well in that case, you may learn something more about her today, because she was directly involved in the First Genso-Lunar War."

"Really? What, did she try to take over the Moon or something?" asked Kyouichi more out of jest than seriously.

"She did?" replied Keine-sensei seriously. "Open your book on page 56 and we shall finally start with the lesson."

The students did as they were told and Keine-sensei started talking more elaborately about one of the greatest events in Gensokyo's as well as Moon's history. This war was allegedly started by Yukari more than a millennium ago. According to the text in the book and Keine-sensei's explanation, she amassed an army of dangerous youkai under her command with the sole purpose of invading the Moon, which was and supposedly still is inhabited by a race of beings called Lunarians.

They are similar to humans in appearance, but are by far more advanced in both technology and magic than any individual, group or nation on Earth. Furthermore they are said to know the recipe for the so called Hourai Elixir, which grants immortality. It is also said that they keep hiding their presence from the Earthlings by living on the dark side of the Moon and by using cloaking magic. Yukari initiated her invasion by manipulating the boundary between the truth and lie on the surface of the Misty Lake, where the Moon was reflected.

She then opened a gap leading directly to the near side of the Moon. The army of youkai she commanded at that time would probably suffice to defeat any other army on Earth, however, even this army was no match for the Lunarians' advanced weaponry and magic. The whole army was routed within a couple of days, thus making Yukari's invasion a complete and utter failure. The text in the book states that one of the possible reasons for Yukari to lead an invasion was a mere personal greed for superior magic and technology, however, other sources claim that she purposefully lost the war in order to teach all other youkai a lesson not to lead any expansion wars. The latter theory seems more plausible, since it fits into the concept of concentrating the youkai in rather small areas in great density. One such area was Gensokyo. After the "failed" invasion, the youkai were starting to flock to Gensokyo and only attacked humans who dwelled near their territory or were passing through.

"This turn of events eventually led to the creation of the Great Boundary and Gensokyo as we know it today." Keine concluded the lesson.

"So she had this "failure" planned from the beginning?" asked Kyouichi to make sure he understood correctly.

"So it seems." replied Keine-sensei. "She might have had the idea of sealing the youkai from the rest of the world in her mind even before the first written records about Gensokyo came into existence."

"Didn't the youkai she commanded plan any revenge for her betrayal?" wondered Kyouichi.

"To tell you the truth, most of the youkai she commanded still believe that they simply lost against a more formidable opponent and they didn't even think of blaming Yukari for it. Of course, there was a small faction of those who found out about her intention and they didn't take it well, but at the same time, they feared that they might have ended up even worse if they took any hostile actions against her. After all, there were no casualties on neither sides, so the youkai from Earth had nothing to be upset about besides a couple of injuries and bruised ego. Even with all the advantages the Lunarians possess, it's not that easy to kill a youkai. Furthermore, it seems that Yukari-sama also took steps to ensure that there would be no casualties by applying her boundary altering abilities. It's even questionable whether this incident should be called a war."

"A war without casualties? now that's a bit odd, indeed." acknowledged Kyouichi and took down more notes on the paper.

"And it wasn't the only similar incident." Keine-sensei continued. "There was a Second Lunar War, again led by Yukari in 122. This time, however, it was a much smaller-scale incident. It seemed that she lost that one too, but it was the contrary, because she did achieve all her goals she had planned. We will discuss the Second Lunar War later in autumn. Right now, it will be enough if you know what happened in the first one."

Keine sensei looked at a clock hanging above the classroom door. "Alright class, it seems that this lesson is at its end. For your homework, please do exercises 1 and 2 on page 59. If you paid good attention today, you should have absolutely no problems with them. I'll be right back after the break."

The whole class stood up and bowed to Keine-sensei as she went to her office to prepare for the next lesson.
As Kyouichi sat down again and was about to race through the pages of another book, he felt two taps on his shoulder.

"Hey dude, that was quite impressive." said Daniel. "You already seem to know a fair deal about this place."

Kyouichi just shrugged. "Like I said, I only wanted to know as much as possible about Yukari Yakumo, so that I'd know how to deal with her if I ever meet her."

Midori joined the conversation. "Say, and who is this Yukari you keep talking about?"

"All I know is that she's a youkai. And as you heard a while ago, she's ancient and very powerful. There are numerous legends about her in the village. Most people don't even believe that she exists, simply because they had never seen her. However, several people that I've met seem to know her personally and I don't think they have a reason to lie. She supposedly cooperated with the creation of the Great Boundary and she can freely travel anywhere, regardless of this barrier. Furthermore, the Gensokyo chronicler, Hieda no Akyuu confirmed that she used to take things and people from the outside world into Gensokyo for some unknown reasons. However, she also said that Yukari has returned many outsiders back home."

Midori raised her eyebrow, "So you're saying that she teleported us here or something?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that? But she may be our only chance, our only way to return."

Yuujin suddenly smacked the desk with his fist. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's find her and get the hell outta here!"

"Do you really think?" responded Kyouichi with a stoically calm voice as he slowly turned his face to Yuujin, "?that I'd still be wasting my time here if I knew where to look for her? Trust me, you don't wish to return home any more than I do. At least we have some little chance, and I say that any chance is better than nothing."

"So we're just going to sit on our butts and wait in hope that some magical youkai lady will show up and ask us if we'd like to return home?!" asked Yuujin angrily.

"No, we're going to look for her alright. We'll be gathering information about her - articles, legends, poems, songs, local rumors, whatever? We may learn what places she uses to appear at or what people she likes to visit. Also, we need to make our problem official. The more people know about us and our situation, the greater the chance that Yukari will find out about us. Oh, and if you want to return to the outside world so badly, then you should go to the Hakurei Shrine and ask Reimu the shrine maiden to take you there. But you probably wouldn't know where to go from that place. It's somewhere deep in the mountains with no signs of civilization in sight."

"Oh, this is just great?" grumbled Yuujin. "And I don't know what makes you so sure that this youkai will even want to take us back home if she took us here."

"Are you listening to me at all?!" asked Kyouichi, this time with a raised voice. "I said that the chronicler confirmed that Yukari did return many outsiders back to their homes. Even those she spirited away to this place. Why? I have no idea. I myself have very ambiguous opinions about her and serious doubts whether I should really trust her? provided that I meet her one day. But right now, I don't think we have much of a choice."

The engine driver sighed. "Alright? You have a point, I suppose? But that plan sucks if you ask me."

"That's why I'm not asking you." replied Kyouichi coldly. "I'm going to look for Yukari Yakumo with or without your help and if you think you have a better plan, then let's hear it."

?

"Just as I thought... So, I presume none of you guys have anything against this plan, right?"

Before any of the outsiders could express their opinion, however, the classroom door opened again and Keine-sensei barged in for the second time to start the next lesson ? the Youkai Typology.
Everyone was on their feet as Keine-sensei entered. After they all bowed to her and sat down again, the teacher began the lesson.

"Alright class, today's Youkai Typology lesson will be about some of the friendliest of youkai ? the kappa. Open your books on page 44."

Sounds of rustling paper filled the classroom as the students were turning pages to find the 44th page in the book. When everyone finally found the article about the kappa, Keine-sensei started explaining.

"The kappa are a race of river dwelling youkai who formed their own society together with the tengu. In Gensokyo, their natural habitat is at the Genbu Marsh near the Youkai Mountain. Like many other youkai, they look like humans, but they have turtle shells on their back and a plate on their head. They are famous for their skill in various craft and for producing all sorts of useful tools. Their tools are technologically on about the same level as those from the outside world. They sometimes even copy the tools from the outside and combine them with their own technology. Although the use of most of their tools remains unknown, a few noteworthy examples of their engineering endeavors include photographing devices, clocks, voice and image transmitting devices, waterproof clothes and many more. Although they are usually friendly, they seldom show themselves to humans. Therefore, their behavior as well as a great deal of their technology is still shrouded in mystery. They trade mostly with the tengu, but sometimes they are willing to deal with humans too. The kappa aren't very well-versed in battle. When threatened, they usually dive in the water to hide. They are formidable swimmers and they can hold their breath for several hours. However, they don't live underwater, but on land, where they make their tools."

"Umm? Keine-sensei, may I ask something?" asked Midori with her raised hand.

"Certainly, Iwakami-san."

"Why did you say that kappa are some of the friendliest youkai, when they actually run away from humans?"

"They are rather shy, but make no mistake. They do like humans and are curious about them, but they just prefer to stay hidden. However, if they see a human who is in trouble, they won't hesitate to help them. The kappa are friendly in general, but they are more open to other youkai than to humans."

"Have you ever seen a kappa yourself, Keine-sensei?" asked Kyouichi.

"I personally know a few and I can only confirm that they are nice folks."

"And do any of them live in the village?"

"No, they all come from the Youkai Mountain and live there too. Most of you students will probably never see a kappa near the Human Village, but if you manage to earn their trust, then they'll be some of your best friends." replied the teacher. "I've also made arrangements with my kappa friends so that we could go on a field trip to the Youkai Mountain this year. I think they are just as curious to see us as we are curious to see them."

All kids in the class suddenly started whispering: "A field trip? This year? To the Youkai Mountain?"

"Please tell us more about this field trip, Keine-sensei~!" called the younger students.

Miss Kamishirasawa smiled and nodded. "Alright, alright? It was supposed to be a surprise, but now that the cat's out of the bag, I suppose I could tell you more? This autumn, we'll be going on an educational field trip around Gensokyo for 10 days. Among many other places, we will visit the new hot springs resort at the Youkai Mountain. You can really look forward to that, since we will be officially the first human visitors."

Kyouichi raised his hand again. "Wait, isn't the mountain a dangerous place for humans?"

"The kappa and the tengu are expecting us to visit. I'll be going with you so you don't need to worry. We won't be going deep into the mountain, only to the hot springs at its foot. The tengu wouldn't let us go any further anyway, since the mountain is sacred to them. Besides, there are many more hostile youkai than the tengu who inhabit the mountain, so it would be indeed dangerous to venture any further than we are allowed to. It is already a groundbreaking event that humans are now allowed to get near the mountain."

"So does that mean that the hot springs will be open for human visitors too?" wondered Kyouichi.

"That's right." confirmed Keine-sensei. "We are going to be the honored guests."

"But with the roads as dangerous as they are, I don't think they'll have many human visitors."

"The hot springs were built mainly for the youkai living near the mountain, but even humans are welcome there."

"Why would the youkai suddenly want to invite humans to the mountain?"

"To improve the good relationship between us and them, and to make some money. And like I said, it's not in the mountain but NEAR the mountain."

Kyouichi apparently wasn't very trusting. "That still sounds dangerous no matter how you put it. What if the youkai just want to lure the humans out of the village so they could eat them?"

Keine-sensei started to chuckle and gradually burst into hearty laughter. "Well, I don't know what you've been told about the youkai by the people in the village, but I can assure you that neither the kappa, nor the tengu eat humans. And since they don't want their paying guests to be eaten, they have made various countermeasures to make the hot springs as safe for humans as possible."

"If you say so?" muttered Kyouichi with doubt in his voice.

"The trip is not compulsory, so take your time to think and decide if you'd like to go or not. But I highly recommend it. As an outsider, you most likely won't ever wander around Gensokyo alone, so think of it as a chance to see places you normally couldn't visit on your own."

Kyouichi had mixed feelings about this field trip. On one hand he was tempted by curiosity to see the new places and youkai, but on the other hand, he was a bit scared since he didn't know what to expect? yet. He barely yet knew a thing about Gensokyo or the youkai, or his teacher. Perhaps time will tell whether he will decide to go on this trip or not, but at the moment, he wasn't certain about anything. He secretly hoped that he would somehow manage to find a way home before he would have to decide?

"Well, would you look at the time." muttered Keine-sensei as she checked the clock. "I guess that's it for this lesson. Never mind. For your homework, read the article about kappa in your books. Oh, and I believe that our new transfer students aren't yet familiar with the timetable."

She opened a drawer in her desk and took out a paper chart with this year's timetable for the 6th grade. Then she walked up to the blackboard with a piece of chalk in her hand and copied the timetable onto the board:

Monday: history, youkai typology, math, Japanese language and literature, geography

Tuesday: math, biology, youkai typology, Japanese, arts and crafts

Wednesday: geography, Japanese, history, P.E., theory of magic

Thursday: Japanese, youkai typology, theory of magic, biology

Friday: theory of magic, math, history, youkai typology, P.E.

Before anyone asked, she continued to explain. "Since your only three compulsory subjects are history, typology and geography, you only need to note down those subjects. I understand that it's going to be an inconsistent timetable full of gaps between the respective lessons, but since this school is short on staff, we cannot make any special changes to make it more convenient for you. I'm afraid you're going to have to bear with it."

"So this means that we now have a two lessons worth of break." thought Kyouichi to himself.

This reminded him of his inconsistent timetable on college when he just had to find a way to kill time as he waited for the next lecture. He could choose to attend every single subject, but for someone like him, that idea was about as attractive as manual labor in the desert. As he was standing up from his chair and turning back to the group of 5 outsiders, he could see that Daniel, the foreign guy had a raised hand. "Sensei, I'd like to ask?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to attend the Japanese language classes? I want to improve my Japanese"

"No problem." replied Keine-sensei with a smile. "Like I said, you can attend any other lesson, but you'll be tested only from the 3 compulsory ones."

"Thank you."

"Now, I hope you'll find a way to help you pass the time until our geography lesson."
As the teacher left the classroom, and Kyouichi was about to go on another aimless stroll around the village, someone called his name.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Midori Iwakami.

"Nowhere. I was just going to have a look around the school and then walk a bit around the village."

"Can we come with you?"

"Sure. At least I'll have someone to talk to. Are all of you coming with me?"

Yuujin shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll just go to Uzume and have some coffee."

It seemed that Hikaru-san wasn't in the mood for strolling around either. "Oh, you can go without me? I've seen the whole village already." he said while writing something into his diary.

"Alright then." shrugged Kyouichi as he turned to the remaining trio of outsiders. "Let's go for a little walk."

They left the classroom and proceeded back along the corridor towards the lobby. Kyouichi was observing the bulletin boards on the walls as he walked. Besides various children's drawings and important notices, he stopped for a while at a bulletin board with information about the school clubs.

"What? Are you interested in joining a club?" asked Midori.

"I'm just looking?" he replied blankly as his eyes raced over the information flyers pinned on the board.

There were many information flyers about all the school clubs such as musical club, art club, calligraphy club, cooking club, kendo club, karate club, mahjong club, literary club, astronomy club, theatre club and magic practice club.

"Never mind." muttered Kyouichi after a while of looking. "Let's move on."

As they were leaving the western wing and entering the lobby, he suddenly asked: "Where did you guys appear when you got spirited away?"

"Well, I'm not sure about others, but I think it was somewhere near that bamboo forest. I could just see the village, so I headed there immediately." explained Midori.

"I appeared on some rice field?" recalled Daniel. "Fortunately, it was also near this village."

"I don't really know where I appeared," said Sayuri, lost in thought, "but then I came to some hill, and from there I could already see the roofs of the houses? Oh, yes, I believe I got into the village through that road." she pointed straight forward ? towards the southern road, leading eventually to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

"I think I saw you guys at the Uzume tavern two days ago?" remarked Kyouichi.

Sayuri nodded. "Oh, yes, we were there and we were trying to figure out what to do next. I met all the others in the village hall the day before. After we were told about this place and our situation, we all felt like we needed a drink. Honestly, I don't know what to do."
As the group slowly walked around the school building, they found themselves on a small playground, which was still a part of the school property. Since they had no particular goal, they sat on a nearby bench and continued their chatting.

Kyouichi spoke again after a moment: "I've heard that there may be a way for us to get back home... The chances are slim, but if we work together, then maybe?"

"You're still talking about that youkai, right?" Midori interrupted him.

"Well, yes. We'll need to know more about her, so that we could have a clue where to look for her."

Midori frowned and sighed. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you with that? The first time I've heard something about her was on today's history lesson, so I can't tell you anything that you don't already know."

"That's why we must join forces as the outsiders and share all our knowledge about this place so far?" suggested Kyouichi. "But we also need to make our search more? organized. So that we wouldn't look for some piece of information that someone already knows."

"I'm afraid the only time we can be sure to see each other is during the lessons or after school?" remarked Daniel.

"But there's barely enough time to discuss such matters during the breaks?" noted Sayuri.

Midori gave her a surprised look. "Are you kidding?! With our current timetable we'll be having like? 2 hour breaks on regular basis?"

"That's right." acknowledged Daniel. "But as you can see, some of the outsiders just prefer to mind their own business, like Yuujin and Hikaru? and maybe others too."

"There were more than 10 outsiders in our class? we should at least tell them that we're planning to find a way home?" thought Midori aloud.

Kyouichi was brainstorming all the possibilities how to share information with all the outsiders and a way to organize their search for Yukari Yakumo, when he got a sudden idea.

"I got it!" he exclaimed so suddenly that he made the other 3 outsiders sitting next to him flinch for a moment. "A school club!"

"How will joining a school club help in our search?" wondered Midori.

Kyouichi shook his head. "Not joining, but founding our own! Like a club for all the outsiders who want to return home. Everyone who wants to return home will join us and together we will share all the knowledge we gather and use it to achieve our ultimate goal."

"I see?" she muttered and smiled. "Not a bad idea?"

"We should go and talk to Keine-sensei about this." suggested Sayuri.

"And we should make some information flyers or posters about our club too?" added Daniel.

"Alright, we'll stop by Keine-sensei's office after school." agreed Kyouichi. "Hopefully, there is still a room to spare for our club room."

"Alright." smirked Midori while standing up. "Now that we got our plan figured out, how about we discuss the details over a cup of tea? or whatever drinks you guys prefer?"

"Sounds good." agreed Daniel while looking at his watch. "We still have more than one and a half hour left before our geography lesson. We might as well stop by some tavern or caf?."

"Any suggestions?" asked Kyouichi looking slowly, left to right at his 3 new friends.

Sayuri immediately responded: "Uzume is a very nice establishment, but I've also seen a teahouse near the marketplace where I'd like to go to sometime."

Kyouichi didn't need much time to decide. "Well I'm not sure how would Keine-sensei react if we came drunk to her lesson, so I'm voting for the teahouse."

The rest of the band simply nodded in agreement, and so, they followed Sayuri who led the way to the teahouse.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 10 ? Forging a Plan

It turned out that the teahouse was on the same street as the training grounds of the Ryuuken militia, just a couple of meters away from the center of the village. A sign hanging above the sliding door to the teahouse greeted the guests with words: "Welcome to White Sakura Teahouse." Although Kyouichi did cross this street a few times before, he never paid much attention to all the signs on the houses there. The White Sakura wasn't standing out much, so one could easily mistake it for just an ordinary house.

As the group of outsiders opened the sliding door and entered, they found themselves in a neatly furnished and decorated tea serving establishment. A couple of waitresses welcomed them and showed them the way to the nearest vacant tea salon. As the name of the teahouse suggested, the main motif of the interior's decoration were paintings of beautiful sakura trees with white petals. There were even bonsai miniatures arranged to look like the cherry trees in bloom and the floor in the main corridor was sprinkled with genuine white cherry blossoms. Kyouichi could smell all sorts of different and pleasant scents of different kinds of tea blending together. As he sat at the table along with other outsiders, the waitresses gave them a menu list and waited patiently as everyone placed their order. Kyouichi never had a sakura tea before, so he thought he could give it a try.

"Certainly." bowed the waitresses with a smile. "Please wait a while. Your tea will be ready in a moment."

As the waitresses left the tea salon, Midori immediately started interrogating Kyouichi for more details about the new club they were going to found.

"So, what's it gonna be like? Our club I mean. What will we do there? What will it be called? What?"

"I... ummm?." Kyouichi cut off Midori's last question, "I think it will be better if we discuss the details when we gather all the outsiders."

"Oh, come on! Won't you at least give us a hint?"

"Well, like I already said, the club will be uniting the outsiders who strive to return home. Together we will attempt to find a way how to return to where we were spirited away from. Or at least, gather information that will help us find that way."

"Didn't you mention something about looking for that youkai?"

"Look, I don't care HOW we are going to return, but so far, I only know about the youkai of boundaries as our only option. But if we DO find another way, person, thing, place or magic spell that could take us home, then by all means, I'm willing to try it. I'm not even afraid to risk my life for it."

"Sounds like you're quite determined to leave this place at all costs." remarked Sayuri.

"Well, aren't you?" asked a bit surprised Kyouichi. "I mean, who with the least bit of sanity would want to stay here willingly if they knew that they don't really have to?"

He paused himself for a moment to rethink what he just said. "Well, alright... Maybe that sounded a bit too harsh, considering that this place is truly magnificent and people are really nice here and all? But? I already have a home? I already have a family? and I already know many nice people where I come from. But now? Now I'm separated from them? and I miss them? dearly. No matter how wonderful this Gensokyo may be? I simply don't belong here."

Sayuri was a bit saddened by Kyouichi's words and took a deep breath before speaking again. "I know? And you're not the only one who feels this way. I wish you best of luck on finding a way home, but? you should be prepared? that you may not succeed."

"I know, Sayuri-san, I know. I'm ready to face failure and live in Gensokyo when it comes to it. In fact, I hardly believe in the possibility of our success myself. But? no one's ever won a fight without actually fighting, right?"

"That's right?" replied Sayuri with a quiet voice, almost in whisper as she nodded.

"And we ARE going to fight!" Midori cheered them up.

"Yes, we are." reassured Kyouichi with a firm voice and determined look in his eyes. "Starting today, by the foundation of our new school club."

And so, it was decided. Kyouichi, along with other outsiders were determined to form a new club at the Kamishirasawa School. As they were discussing what name will their new club have, the waitresses have brought them the tea.

"Here you are."

"Thank you."

"Mmm? smells nice?" muttered Kyouichi as he took a gentle whiff of the sakura tea in his cup.

"How about we name it The Dandelion Seeds, since we were all randomly scattered all over Gensokyo?" suggested Daniel.

"And what if we call it Outsiders' Asylum?" asked Sayuri.

"Or maybe it should be called Homeseeker Alliance?" said Midori.

"Or maybe?"

Kyouichi just sighed and took a sip of the delicious tea as his three companions were coming up with some really crazy names for their new club.

"This is going to be a long day?"
A day just like any other started off at the Hakurei Shrine, the small shrine on a hill overlooking the eastern part of Gensokyo. Reimu realized that sweeping the shrine grounds at this time was a pointless job. Since the cherry trees were in bloom, it was only a matter of time until more and more petals would fall to the ground and she would have to sweep all over again. Nevertheless, she kept on sweeping, since she had nothing else to do anyway. A long time has passed since there was any serious incident that she had to resolve, and so, the Hakurei shrine maiden got bored easily.

"A long period of peace usually means just a quiet before the storm." she thought.

Based on her previous experiences, it was only a matter of time before something big would stir up in Gensokyo, but she had no idea what. Her intuition has rarely ever failed her before, so she couldn't help but to think that she will have to stay sharp until that "something" happens. In fact, maybe she secretly hoped for something to finally happen to break the stereotypedness of her simple life. So far, it seemed to her that nothing unusual is going on in Gensokyo.

"Maybe I should just kick back and enjoy these peaceful days while I can?" she muttered to herself.

It certainly seemed better than having to investigate something or duel someone.

"I wouldn't want anything bad to happen during the hanami after all?"

As she was thoughtfully sweeping the same step on the stone staircase in front of the shrine yard for the third time, she was wondering what guests she will have during this spring's flower viewing. She had even forgotten about the stranger who came to visit the shrine two days ago, but she was reminded soon enough?

A strange silent fluttering sound came from somewhere behind her, but as she turned to look, she couldn't find its source. She stared into the nearby thicket of trees, but whatever was making that sound was no longer there. Reimu shrugged and continued with the sweeping, thinking that the long boring days were starting to get to her. Then she heard it again - a sound like a rapid flapping of bird's wings, but it certainly wasn't a bird. Her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, but she couldn't tell where was that sound coming from.

"I'm not in a mood for pranks, so come out and show yourself or get out of here!" she shouted into the air.

Instead of a response, however, she only heard as the fluttering sound was gradually fading away and was followed by a short hollow knock, as if something had hit a wooden object. Reimu heard the knock clearly enough to tell that it came from the shrine yard. Out of all the wooden objects located at the shrine yard, only one of them had a high enough value to the Hakurei shrine maiden to make her shudder in fear at the thought that something bad might happen to it.

"My donation box!"

The box itself was a simple construction without any significant decorations. It was old and weathered and the "donations" sign painted on its front side was barely visible, but still, the box as a tangible asset of the shrine had greater value than all the donations it ever had inside together. That is not to say that it was that valuable, but that it barely had any donations. However, to Reimu, it was one of the most precious things she had. It was no wonder that she darted up the stone stairs like an athlete ready to beat the world record in a 100 meter sprint as soon as she heard that something might have hit the donation box.

As she ran up the final stair, she could see her donation box sitting there as usual in front of the shrine. A second later, she noticed that there was something weird standing on top of it.

She dashed another couple of meters towards the shrine to take a closer look, but at the same time keeping a safe distance. Something small and green with wings was standing on the box and it looked like it was trying to take something out of the box or put something in. Reimu instinctively reached up her sleeve and pulled out one of her Spell Cards.

"Hey! Who are you?! What are you doing with my donation box?!" she shouted at the intruder.

The small creature turned slowly to the shrine maiden and Reimu could now clearly see that it was a fairy. She had dark green one-piece dress matching the color of her short straight hair. On her back she had a pair of dragonfly-like wings. She was looking kind of surprised and hopeless at the same time.

"Can't you hear me?! Get away from that box!" yelled Reimu, threateningly raising her right arm with a Spell Card in her hand.

The fairy didn't move a muscle and kept staring at Reimu with her dark green eyes and an expression of a child who got into trouble and doesn't know what to do.

Reimu lost her patience, "Fine, have it your way! Spirit Sign "Fantasy Se?." huh?"

The shrine maiden stopped in the last second before she activated the spell of the card when she noticed that the fairy was holding something like a parcel.

"What's that?" she asked the fairy, but she either didn't understand human language or was too scared to answer.

Reimu put the spell card back into her sleeve and walked up towards the fairy standing atop the donation box. To Reimu's surprise, the fairy didn't even try to get away as she approached her. The shrine maiden was curiously looking at the parcel in the fairy's tiny hands and could see something written on it.

"Is that? for me?" she asked gently, pointing at the parcel and then at herself.

The little fairy looked at the parcel and after a while at Reimu, then again at the parcel and again at Reimu with an uncertain look. Then she suddenly jumped up as if she had realized something. She cheerfully flew around Reimu three times and then she stretched out her hands with the parcel and gave it to her with a happy smile.

"T-thank you." muttered Reimu as she took the parcel.

She was really curious who could it be from and she noticed that something was written on the wrapper.

"From Elder Fukukane Toshimi, Village Hall, Human Village to Hakurei Reimu, Hakurei Shrine."

On the bottom corner of the parcel there was a small logo with a tiny black silhouette of a fairy with a sign: "First Fairy Post Office".

As she unpacked the parcel, she could see that there were several separate documents accompanied by a letter from the village elder.

"Hmm? I didn't even know that they use fairies to deliver messages these days?" said Reimu looking at the fairy who was still happily flying in circles around her, celebrating the success of her first delivery flight.

She put the documents on a separate pile and started reading the short formal letter from the village elder.

"Dear Miss Hakurei, the village council humbly asks for your assistance. As of 28th of Satsuki 125, there were over 15 citizenship requests from individuals who claim to have arrived from outside of Gensokyo. At this alarming rate, the village council does not have the means to support them all accordingly. Apparently, these individuals all come from the city of Edo, now known as Tokyo. Unfortunately, there are no available records at our disposal that indicate the exact location of Tokyo in relation to Gensokyo before it was sealed. We are aware of the fact that you are able to access the outside world through the shrine, but given the current situation, it would be highly irresponsible to send the outsiders back via the shrine due to its remote and isolated location from any human settlements. While we do not believe that there is any other way for humans to cross the Great Boundary from the inside, we do believe that something now enables them to cross from outside without difficulty. This puts all the humans in the outside world in danger and the Human Village under economic pressure. We therefore ask for your help in investigating the source of the sudden wave of outside immigrants and putting a stop to it if possible. Of course, you will be compensated for your services. We're sending you the personal files of the most recent immigrants. Should you encounter any of them, please do not oblige them when they ask you to send them back outside. We will try our best to help these outsiders to the best of our abilities and resources.

Yours truly, Toshimi Fukukane."

As Reimu finished reading the letter she frowned a little and thoughtfully bit her lower lip. After a moment's thought, she turned her eyes to the delivery fairy.

"Wait here, okay? I'll be back in a minute."

She put the letter on top of the donation box and entered the shrine. True to her word, she came out after a little while with a folded sheet of paper with a brief reply to the letter from the village council. The fairy stopped flying erratically and was now patiently standing on the donation box. Reimu gave her the letter and told her to take it to the village hall, but the fairy stood still with begging eyes gazing at the shrine maiden.

"Oh, right? Wait a second." said Reimu as she reached inside her pocket. A second later, she pulled out a 10 yen coin and offered it to the postal fairy. The fairy happily took the coin and put it into a tiny leather satchel tied to her left wrist. After that she took off with the letter and soared into the sky, disappearing from Reimu's sight.

"Hmm, just when I thought that I'd have a peaceful spring this year?" she thought aloud. "Maybe I should go to the village today after all."

The day was still only in its first half and Reimu decided that it would be good to finish what she started. She grabbed her broom and resumed sweeping the stone shrine stairs. As she was getting done with the last stair, a familiar voice called from the distance.

"Heey, Reimu! I'm back."

"Marisa? You've come a bit early today."

The witch slowly descended to the ground on her flying broom with a confident smile on her face.

"Well, I just came to tell you that Remilia accepted the invitation and will come for the hanami, but she'd like to know when will it be exactly. I said that I don't know yet, but I'll let her know in due time, ze."

"So she's coming after all, huh?" murmured Reimu under her nose. "Have you invited anyone else?"

"Yes, Alice will come too, as usual. I've also tried to convince Nitori, but she said that she's too busy with her latest invention or something."

"What about Patchouli?"

"Nope," Marisa shook her head, "she ain't coming. I think she's still mad for the last time when I borrowed some more books? without returning those I borrowed earlier?"

Reimu let out a sigh. "You haven't changed at all, have you?"

"Heh, some things just don't change. You too haven't changed at all ever since I got to know you. Anyway, when will the hanami start? I'm curious too, you know. Who have you invited?"

"Well, ummm?" stuttered Reimu for a moment.

"Let me guess... You haven't yet invited anyone, am I right?" asked the witch. "?That was more like a rhetorical question. Of, course you haven't."

"I was actually going to?" Reimu tried to defend herself, but her excuse faded into silence as Marisa cut off her sentence.

"You've been here the whole time sitting on your butt. That's so like you. I don't know what the hell are you waiting for! The cherry blossoms won't stay on those trees forever. The spring is almost over. We better make that hanami soon or we might miss our chance for this year. You are the main host, so it should be your job to invite guests, not mine."

"Alright, alright! Jeez? You don't have to be so worked up about it. I'll go and make a run around Gensokyo and try to invite some folks as well, but having too many people at a hanami usually kills the mood. Not to mention too many youkai?"

"Now that I think of it? you did invite that outsider who came by a few days ago, right?"

"Oh yeah, I did. Ha, you see? I did invite somebody after all."

"That's really great, but how is he going to get here if there won't be any Ryuuken patrols?"

"Don't you worry, I'll figure something out?" Reimu reassured her best friend. "I have something to tell him anyway so I plan to go to the village. We can also discuss the hanami while we're at it."

"Something to tell him?" asked Marisa with a questioning look. "What? You want to confess your feelings for him or what?"

"Don't be silly. No, I actually got a letter from the village council today."

"And??"

"The elder says that there were more than 15 outsiders requesting citizenship at the hall over the last three days. It seems that something may be wrong with the barrier? But the strange thing is that I didn't sense any changes in the barrier's strength. In fact, I think that it's getting stronger as its new 60 year cycle begins. If the barrier was breached from the outside, I would definitely feel some sort of change, but I don't. Which means that this sudden increase in outsiders is caused by?"

"Our good old Yukari." Marisa finished Reimu's sentence.

"Exactly." nodded Reimu. "The council thinks that something made a hole in the barrier and now outsiders are flowing in, but apparently they don't even believe that the gap youkai still exists. I believe that all those 15 or more outsiders were spirited away to Gensokyo at the same time."

"So what does the elder want from you then?"

"To find and fix the problem. But there is no hole to mend. I might as well go to the village hall now and claim my reward and simply tell them that I took care of it."

"Wait. What about all those outsiders?" asked Marisa. "Isn't the council trying to help them get back home?"

"Not at all." Reimu shook her head. "They say that it's too irresponsible to send them back via the shrine."

"So what are you planning to do?"

"The best thing would be to find Yukari and tell her to return those outsiders home and leave those who wish to stay here. That way everything would be resolved peacefully and all parties would be satisfied. But the problem is? how to find her? Not to mention to convince her?"

"She seemed to like you, so I'm sure she'd listen to you? That leaves us only with the problem of finding her. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Yeah, I used to think so too?" Reimu reminisced about times not too distant in the past, when she used to spend many a night enjoying the company of Yukari. "She almost always showed up when there was a party or a festival or something. She even used to visit me on random occasions, but now? It's been over 6 months since I've last seen her."

"Maybe she'll show up at the hanami." wondered Marisa. "Maybe if we invite a few of her friends, she'll come too."

"Hmm, that would be great, but with her, we can never be sure of anything."

"No, but it's a good start. Our hanami needs more guests anyway."

As Reimu and Marisa were discussing the details of the hanami, the morning slowly shifted to noon without them noticing.
In the same way did time advance for the group of four outsiders in the White Sakura Teahouse, located near the center of the Human Village. Before they knew it, their nearly two hour long break was nearing its end and they would soon have to return back to Kamishirasawa School for another lesson.

Daniel, the young foreigner with short blond hair had a watch on his wrist, so he warned the others that the geography lesson will begin soon. They paid for their tea and left the teahouse.

"Man, we haven't even decided on the club's name?" said Daniel as he hastened to the school with the other three outsiders.

"I still think that Homeseeker Alliance would be a good name." muttered Midori.

Kyouichi chuckled. "Yeah, right. We might as well call ourselves the SOS Brigade. That would be appropriate too?"

"Don't be silly." said Midori. "Everyone knows that the SOS Brigade already exists."

"Hehe, you're right." admitted Kyouichi. "Well, anyway? the name is not all that important. It's the purpose that's important."

"Wait! Waiiit!" shouted Sayuri, who was having difficulties keeping up with the rest of the group. "You're going too fast. I? can't... keep up."

"Hurry, up Sayuri-san!" Midori urged her. "We don't want to get on Keine-sensei's bad side right on the first day."

"I know?" sighed Sayuri, trying to maintain balance while walking down the rough beaten path in a very inappropriate footwear. "It's those damn high-heel shoes? I can't walk very fast with them."
The group of four outsiders made it to school just in time. They still had a couple of minutes to prepare before the next lesson started. As they entered the classroom and took their seats, Kyouichi could faintly hear Yuujin's hushed remark.

"Oh, look, the smart-ass kid is back?"

Kyouichi just laughed quietly and turned to the engine driver. "As a matter of fact, Ueda-san, I have some news for you too? I don't know if it's good news, but it is news. And I think Nagahashi-san should hear it too." he turned to the balding paranormal researcher.

Both Yuujin and Hikaru were now paying full attention to what this young outsider had to say.

"What is it that we should know about, Ishimaru-san?" asked Hikaru.

"We're planning to form a new school club for all outsiders for the purpose of gathering relevant information which could help us find a way back to Tokyo."

"Is that so?" asked Yuujin. "And what do you want us to do?"

"For now, it's enough if you tell us whether you want to join it or not." replied Kyouichi.

"Well? alright, I guess." shrugged the trainman.

Kyouichi smiled lightly. "I knew you'd be with us, Ueda-san. What about you, professor?"

Hikaru nodded. "Of course I'll help you too. I want to learn about Gensokyo as much as I can after all."

"Alright, now we at least have some members. We'll see if we can get support from the other outsiders as well, but before that, we need to ask Keine-sensei about this?"

As soon as Kyouichi finished his last sentence, the half-youkai teacher entered the classroom. The usual chatter between the students immediately stopped as they stood up to greet the teacher.
The geography lesson that started shortly after Keine-sensei's arrival wasn't like Kyouichi had expected it to be. Instead of dealing with each specific area in detail, the lesson was dealing with Gensokyo as whole. What surprised Kyouichi the most was probably the fact that there was no official map of Gensokyo anywhere. Not even in the textbooks. Keine-sensei only made a rough sketch of a circular area on the blackboard and marked all the key locations. The map was no masterpiece, but at least it gave Kyouichi a bit closer idea of Gensokyo's layout. Again, he couldn't fight the urge to raise his hand.

"Yes, Ishimaru-san?" asked Keine-sensei.

"It may be a stupid question, but?" started Kyouichi uncertainly, "?hasn't anyone made a map of Gensokyo yet?"

"Nice observation, Ishimaru-san." nodded the teacher. "It's true. There is no such thing as an official map of Gensokyo? yet."

"Why not?"

"There were several attempts to thoroughly map Gensokyo, but unfortunately, it was in times before the Ryuuken were formed. I don't need to tell you how those unprotected expeditions ended? The second problem were the areas near the Great Boundary. Apparently, there's a spell at work there that throws off anyone's sense of navigation once they get too close to the barrier. And finally, Gensokyo isn't all that huge, so most people are satisfied with only basic idea of its roads and locations. However, I personally believe it would be better if people learned from exact maps, rather than rough sketches. The village council obviously thinks something else, but I'm not here to judge them. Anyway? it seems that we've digressed again. So, who can tell me which of the areas in northern Gensokyo have the largest youkai population?"

This time, only the regular students of the 6th grade had their hands raised and were ready to answer. Kyouichi quietly took notes and waited until the end of the lesson. His mind was more occupied with the near future, rather than the immediate present. Finally, his waiting came to an end along with the geography class and he didn't wait to ask Keine-sensei about the school club he was planning to found.
"You want to found a new club?" asked the teacher curiously.

"Yes, we want to find a way to get home to Tokyo, so me and my new friends?" Kyouichi looked over his shoulder, but there was nobody standing there with him.

"Hey! You all said that you'd help and now you're just sitting there as if it was none of your concern?!" he shouted at the other five outsiders. "Come over here, all of you, and help me negotiate!"

Soon, the teacher's desk was surrounded by outsiders, not just those who were familiar to Kyouichi, but also by some who were simply curious. Backed up by others, Kyouichi turned back to Keine-sensei with a bit more confidence and continued explaining.

"All the members of our club will gather different pieces of information, which will be recorded, processed and presented to other members. Ultimately, we hope to find something that would help us return to where we disappeared from. So far, our only bet is to look for Yukari Yakumo, but who knows...? Maybe there is some other way?"

"That's very? interesting." said Keine-sensei after a longer pause. "I can imagine how it must feel like to be suddenly? misplaced to an unknown world. If I knew of any way to take you back, believe me, I'd tell you. But looking for the youkai of boundaries? may not be such a bad idea? Most people in the village would probably tell you that your goal is a wild-goose chase, simply because they believe that she disappeared forever after the sealing of Gensokyo.

I, however, had the? umm? pleasure of meeting her, and I assure you as I stand here that she's still somewhere out there."

"Why did you say "pleasure" with such an ironic tone?" wondered Kyouichi.

"Well, we had a little run-in a couple of years ago, but it was a sort of misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding?"

"Yes, actually, it was one of the two incidents that occurred in 119. The first one was with the long-lasting winter and the second one, the one that we're talking about, happened in summer and it became known as the Imperishable Night Incident. It was during that incident that I first met the gap youkai in person."

"So what kind of misunderstanding was there?"

"During this incident, the Lunarians at Eientei have hidden the Moon and replaced it with a fake one. It caused quite a commotion, as every youkai in Gensokyo could feel that something was not right. I myself sensed something bad was going on and so, as a precaution I manipulated the history to make it look like there never was any Human Village built in Gensokyo. All for the safety of its inhabitants. When my spell was complete, I saw a couple of suspicious individuals en-route to the village. As the guardian of this village, I was determined to stop anyone trying to attack its human residents. I tried to fend the intruders off with my spells, but the two of them were simply too much for me to handle. The strange thing was, that one of them claimed to see through my spell, but apparently it wasn't the village they were after, but they were looking for the culprit who had hidden the real Moon. It later turned out that those two were actually Reimu Hakurei and Yukari Yakumo. They somehow stopped the night and were determined to keep it that way until the incident with the fake Moon was resolved. They managed to do so on that very night, so the humans didn't notice anything unusual. However, due to certain? turn of events, I faced them in battle once more, but? I'd prefer to keep that part to myself? at least for now."

"So? Does that mean that you're not on very good terms with either of them?" asked Kyouichi.

Keine-sensei lightly shook her head. "No, I wouldn't say that? I know that Hakurei-san and I have very similar roles ? both of us are here to protect the humans. It was an interesting experience dueling her and I dare to say that it was good that I lost that time. As for Yukari Yakumo? gods only now what her true intents and purposes are. She has power beyond imagining and her whimsical nature makes her very unpredictable, but I don't really think that she's evil. If that was the case, then there wouldn't be much left of Gensokyo or the outside world, for that matter. Now this may sound really farfetched, but I think that if she'd really want it, she could have single-handedly conquered the Moon and wipe out the entire Lunarian civilization a hundred times over with as little as a snap of her fingers. Apparently, that was not her plan?"

"O-kay?that sounds a bit scary?" said Kyouichi with an amused look. "But back to the point? Does that mean we have your approval for our new club?"

"It's a very interesting project indeed. You'll be technically doing something like a field research not only of Gensokyo's history, but also folklore and legends. I can already tell you that you'll have my full support, but before you can all celebrate, I need to check if there are any vacant classrooms where you can devote your time to your research and other club activities. Meet me at my office after the lunch break."

"Will do, Keine-sensei." promised Kyouichi "And thank you for your support."

The silver-haired teacher smiled warmly. "No problem? Now, you all must be hungry by now. Why don't you have lunch? I know the food from the school cafeteria isn't exactly home cooking, but at least it will fill up your stomach."
All the outsiders bowed to their teacher and slowly began to scatter all over the school grounds. Some of them were headed for the cafeteria, some were going straight home and others strolled around and waited until they hear the definite verdict about the new club. Kyouichi was now hungry, but as he was looking for the cafeteria, he recalled that he was supposed to meet up with Chitose Saitou in the school yard. He found the back entrance of the school, which led directly to the school yard. Now that he took a better look around, he realized that it was the exact place where he was sitting on a bench with Daniel, Midori and Sayuri, just before they went to White Sakura. This time, the school yard was full of students of all grades as they were eating their lunches, chatting or playing some games before their afternoon lessons began. He was carefully scanning the faces of all the young students in hope of finding Chitose or Tadao in that crowd, but he couldn't find them there.

"Onii-chaaan~!" called a girl's voice from somewhere.

Kyouichi started turning his head left and right in order to find the person who called at him. Sitting on one of the benches near the playground was Chitose. She waved at Kyouichi when he noticed her. He slowly walked up to the bench where she was sitting with some other girls who were probably her classmates. They immediately started whispering something to each other as he approached them.

"Can you please stop calling me like that?" said Kyouichi to Chitose.

"Aww, but why?"

"Because I'll miss you all the more when I find a way to return home." he replied with a smile.

"Are you really serious about that? You think you can find a way out of Gensokyo?"

"I wouldn't be the first one? at least according to Akyuu-san."

"But I've never heard of anyone who got out of Gensokyo on their own?" objected Chitose.

"That's probably because no one ever did get out of here on their own. We'll be looking for the youkai of boundaries. Only she can probably take us directly back to Tokyo?"

"Wait, wait, wait... What do you mean by "we"?" she asked with a confused look.

"Oh, right. I forgot to mention? There were more than 10 outsiders who were spirited away from Tokyo to Gensokyo? or at least, more than 10 of them made it to the village. All these outsiders are now attending the school along with me. We've even founded our own club in order to organize our search for Yukari."

"Dad says that she disappeared when she helped the humans with making the barrier, but Keine-sensei told us that she still lives somewhere in Gensokyo. I guess that she knows better than dad?"

"I have more than a good enough reason to believe her." confirmed Kyouichi. "But that still doesn't mean that looking for her is going to be easy."

Chitose shrugged. "Who knows? But I think you have a better chance of finding her as a team than if you were looking for her by yourself."

"Yes. That's exactly the reason why we've founded that club."

"Actually? I'm in a club too." said Chitose and both girls sitting beside her nodded twice to confirm her statement.

Kyouichi slightly tilted his head to the side and measured up the two of Chitose's friends with a curious look. One of them was a shy-looking red-haired girl with glasses. The other one was a tall and slim girl with her shoulder-length black hair styled in a hime-cut.

"Are these your friends?" he asked.

Chitose smiled brightly. "Yes. This is Haruka." she pointed at the red-haired girl with her hand. The girl shyly smiled and nodded.

"And this is Rie-senpai." Chitose introduced her second friend.

The black-haired girl gently bowed and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"My name is Ishimaru Kyo?"

"They already know about you, Kyouichi-kun." Chitose interrupted him.

"R-really?" stuttered Kyouichi in slight embarrassment, nervously scratching the back of his head. "What did you tell them?" he asked her.

"Oh, not much?" she replied while gently pressing her index fingers against each other. "I only told them that you're from the outside world and that you live in our house now."

"Oh?" he uttered after a moment, realizing that he really didn't tell Chitose about himself anything more than his name and origin. It's not that Kyouichi had any big dark secret that nobody was supposed to find out; he was simply just a bit sensitive about his privacy. He wasn't the kind of person who laid out all his cards from the start. Some people might call him a bit secretive, overly careful, or even slightly paranoid, but this kind of defensive strategy has proven itself to be useful more than once in his life.

"So? what club are you girls in?" he asked to divert the course of this conversation elsewhere.

Chitose straightened herself up with pride. "We're in the Magic Practice Club."

"I should've guessed?" stated the outsider. "The other day you asked your mom if you could become a youkai hunter? Although I have to admit, I didn't think you were serious."

"Hmm? Well, I'm not sure if I'm that serious about it, but the club is lots of fun. We practice every day, even when there's no school. We and some other members often have friendly duels to train both our concentration and our dodging skills, but none of us had an actual duel against a youkai before."

"You have duels inside the school?!" asked surprised Kyouichi.

"Of course not!" denied young Chitose. "We only study theory at school and practice outside. You can come and take a look sometimes."

"Now I'm really curious?" he confessed. "When do you have your practice sessions?"

"Every day after school." she replied shortly. "Will you come take a look then?"

As Kyouichi was about to say that he'll come and take a look, he immediately recalled that he had a part-time job on his schedule, and therefore, didn't have any free time after school.

Chitose was a bit disappointed by his negative reply, but suggested an idea: "We could hold an evening practice every once in a while too? Right, Rie-senpai?"

Rie thoughtfully rolled her eyes, considering Chitose's idea. "Hmm? You know, we actually not only could, but probably should? If we ever get attacked by a youkai, it's probably not going to be in broad daylight. We could tell the other members about it and have an evening practice at least once a week, but not today?"

"Alright then, Chitose-chan, let me know when your club will hold the evening training." said Kyouichi, already looking forward to seeing her and her friends practicing their magic.

Chitose nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Kyou-kun, I'll tell you as soon as you're back from your first shift."
A sudden sound of a bell's ringing reminded everyone at the school that the lunchtime break was over and the students who still had any afternoon lessons in their timetable were expected to return to their classrooms. Kyouichi accompanied Chitose, Haruka and Rie up to the lobby where they parted their ways. He was now trying to find Keine-sensei's office which was supposedly somewhere on the ground floor. It didn't take him long to do so, as the mentioned office was located right at the beginning of the western wing. A small metal plaque attached to the wide wooden door with an engraved sign ? Principal's Office, K. Kamishirasawa, indicated that Kyouichi was knocking on the right door

"Yes, please, come in!" a familiar female voice sounded from behind the door.

Kyouichi opened the door which made a loud creak and entered the room. Inside waited gathered yet-to-be members of the yet-to-be-approved club who greeted Kyouichi and made hand gestures showing him to come closer. Keine-sensei was there too, sitting behind her director's desk, awaiting the initiator of the idea behind the new club.

"We've been waiting for you, Kyouichi-san." she said with her friendly voice, her hands holding the admission form for the club.

"Sorry to keep you waiting?" apologized Kyouichi, lowering his head a little.

The teacher and principal in one person continued: "It appears that the only room that is not used during your timetable gaps is the library. There you should have enough space for your studying sessions and presentations. The literary club also uses the library, but their activities are reserved for the afternoon."

"So, does that mean??" Kyouichi left his question unfinished.

"That means all that's left to do is to sign this document and your new club will be officially founded." Keine-sensei answered, now passing the document and a quill to Kyouichi and all other members to sign.

As he looked at the document, he noticed that the club still had no name. However, the information about its activities was already filled in by Keine-sensei. He took the quill in his hand, scribbled his autograph into the Members column and turned to his fellow members with a questioning expression.

"Say, guys, you didn't happen to come up with or agree upon a name for this club by any chance, have you??"

The shrugging and dismissive headshaking of the other outsiders was a clear sign that they obviously haven't. Kyouichi just made a light snort and waved his hand in a gesture showing that he doesn't care about what the club's name will be. Taking a step aside, so he could let others come over to the desk and sign the paper, he quietly thought to himself: "I'll just let others decide? Hopefully someone from these people will take the initiative to be the leader."

"Then let me think of the name for your club." came an unexpected offer from Keine-sensei.

Everyone in the room exchanged their somewhat indifferent looks with each other and nodded in agreement. As the last person in line jotted down his signature on the club registration form, Keine-sensei stretched out her milky-white hand to take it and check if everyone signed up for membership. After a brief moment of counting the number of signatures and comparing them to the number of people standing in her office, she once again took the quill in her hand, dipped its tip into the ink and put her hand in a ready position to write the club's name. She hesitated for a second, but after a while she nodded as if to her own inner voice telling her something. The people standing the nearest to her desk leaned a bit closer to see what she was writing. Kyouichi was lucky enough to be one of those standing close enough and saw the name before it was announced.

"The Transfer Students' Club?" he asked in his mind, "Hey, not bad, Keine-sensei? Simple, yet appropriate. And not too fancy or funny-sounding either?"

"Okay, everyone," sounded Keine-sensei's voice, "you are hereby declared, associated and acknowledged members of the Transfer Students' Club."

A short moment of silence that came about after the announcement of the name was instantly followed by someone in the back calling: "Banzai~!"

"Banzaaai~!" echoed a loud cheer of all other "transfer students" in the room as they raised their hands three times into the air to celebrate the official start of their new club and their mutual cooperation with a single goal in mind ? to return home safely.

"Long live the Transfer Students' Club!" shouted the tomboyish Midori enthusiastically. Kyouichi who was standing right next to her had to cover his left ear to prevent temporary deafness.

"Yeah~!" replied the small crowd of outsiders with the exception of a few individuals; Kyouichi being one of them.

"I certainly hope in the opposite?" he mumbled just loudly enough so Midori would hear.

"Why so?? You? you?. traitor!" she smiled lightly to show that she meant no offense, but couldn't quite understand why Kyouichi doesn't wish for the club's long existence.

"Because we all wish to be home as soon as possible, don't we?" he answered. "If we succeed, it will automatically mean the end of this club."

"Well, it does make sense if you put it that way."

Keine-sensei was quietly looking at the celebrating bunch of students and then she stood up to regain their attention.

"Now that you're an official club, you can already hold your first meeting today. Provided you don't already have the time reserved for other activities. Otherwise, you can gather in the library tomorrow."

Kyouichi didn't have much time left before he should start his first part-time shift at the bookstore, so he told the others that he won't be joining them today, should they decide to hold the meeting right now.

"You think you're the only one?" asked Yuujin. "We all have our jobs. In this aspect, Gensokyo isn't any different from the rest of the world. Those without work soon find themselves on the fringe of society."

"Just curious, but what jobs do you guys have?" wondered Kyouichi. "When I came to the village hall to apply for work, there was but one job offer left."

"I'm stuck with the trading caravan with other villages? The wage was pretty solid, so I took it." replied the trainman.

Kyouichi was quite impressed by that. "Whoa! Really? So you're going to travel a lot and get to know other villages?"

"Yeah. We'll be doing regular shipments of goods? It's kind of similar to what I used to do."

"So, right up your alley?"

"Right. And at 2000 yen per trip and return, I hardly think I could have found any better part-time job."

"But you realize that it's paid so well because it's a highly risky job, right?" Kyouichi asked.

"Well, my first trip is going to be today so I can't yet say, but we'll be accompanied by an armed patrol so we should be safe."

"Will you be also lodging in the other villages?"

"No, we'll just deliver the goods from this village and return with traded goods from the other villages on the same day before the night falls, so my job doesn't clash with the school timetable."

"I see? And what about you, guys? Where do you work?" Kyouichi asked the other outsiders.

"I've taken the offer for the waitress at Uzume." answered Midori.

"I'll be helping on the rice fields?" said Daniel and sighed as he knew that it was going to be quite exhausting.

"I'll be selling vegetables at the marketplace." said Sayuri.

"And I'm going to help sort mail at the post office." replied Hikaru. "But there wasn't any offer about working at the bookstore when I came to the village hall."

"Then it must've been a recent offer." deduced Kyouichi.

"Well, you can be certain that I'd rather be working with literature than with mail, but at least I'm not unemployed?"

"Yeah? and if I don't want to end up unemployed, I better hurry to that bookstore." noted Kyouichi, looking at the time on an old clock hanging over the doorway. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya?"

He bowed to everyone and once more to Keine-sensei and with a loud creak as he opened the office's door, he left. Only about half of an hour remained until his first shift at the bookstore started, but Kyouichi still hasn't eaten anything since morning. He hurried to the Saitou residence, hoping that Minako had cooked something for lunch. Knocking on the door and immediately entering the house, he washed his hands and went straight into the kitchen.
"Oh, Kyouichi-san, I was wondering when you'd come." said Minako over her shoulder, serving something into a bowl, "You need to hurry or you'll be late for work."

"Wait, don't you have work today, Minako-san?"

"Oh, but I do." she acknowledged. "Right now I'm on lunch break, but you need to be at the bookstore in less than 20 minutes."

"Yeah, I know, I know?" he uttered. "What's for lunch?"

"I only made some miso soup? But it's better than going to work with an empty stomach."

She put a large bowl of soup on the table and Kyouichi didn't waste any precious seconds.

"Itadakimasu~!"

He slurped up the soup quickly, even though it was still quite hot.

"Thanks, Minako-san, it was delicious as always?" he bowed as he stood up. "I really have to go now."

"Do your best~!" she wished him good luck and waved her hand as he left the house and marched in a fast pace to the Starlight Glyph bookstore.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 11 ? Food for Thought

As he walked, he reached inside the inner breast pocket on his kimono and checked if he took the signed job contract that the elder gave him.

"Alright, I have it?" he muttered to himself. "Now just calm down, introduce yourself politely and listen to whatever the boss says and you should do just fine?"

He stopped just a meter away from the bookstore and nervously stared at the door for about ten seconds. He didn't know himself what he was so stressed up about, but it was always like that every time he started a new part-time job.

"Okay? Easy money, here I come."

He opened the door and found himself inside a bookstore, larger than it looked from the outside. The shelves in the shop were stacked up with enough books to rival an average library. Behind the counter, he could see the shop's owner ? a short, middle-aged man with his long dark hair starting to turn grey. His face was slightly marked with wrinkles and he was a bit plump in figure. He was wearing a white kimono top with yellow bamboo leaf patterns and a dark-brown hakama similar to Kyouichi's. At the moment, he was sitting in a chair and diligently reading one of the books.

"Umm, excuse me?" sounded Kyouichi shyly to get the man's attention.

"Oh, good afternoon~!" greeted the man in a surprisingly cheerful tone. "You've come to buy a book? Just say the title or the author and if it's in this shop, I'll find it right away?"

"Actually, I'm?"

"Oh, I get it, I get it?" continued the man without letting Kyouichi finish the sentence. He talked fast and accompanied it with wild, frantic gesticulation. "You haven't decided yet. That's why I'm here to help you! Just tell me what genre you're looking for. Is it adventure, drama, poetry, thriller, or maybe? some romance? Hm? Or perhaps you're a more practical type of person, right? For someone like you, the Starlight Glyph offers a wide selection of scientific books and journals dealing with history, mathematics, physics, astronomy, occultism, alchemy and many, many more. And if you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, no problem. We boast the best selection of various how-to related pieces of literature in the entire village! Should you ever decide to build your own house, or craft your own armor or brew your own beer, these tomes of wisdom will help you pick up the skills you need. We even have a discount on cookbooks?"

"No, I haven't come to buy anything." said Kyouichi. "I'm here to?"

"Oh, you've just come to browse? Well then, take your time."

"Nooo! Will you PLEASE let me finish?!" he shouted. "I'm here for the part-time job? My name's Ishimaru and I'll be helping you in this shop from now on."

"Huh? So you're my new assistant then?"

"So it seems." nodded Kyouichi and passed him the contract he got from elder Fukukane. "Look, this is the contract?"

The shopkeeper carefully read the contract and then measured Kyouichi up with his eyes.

"I see? Sorry about that sales hype rant of mine. I thought you were a regular customer." he explained. "I didn't expect that someone would take that job offer so soon."

"But here I am?" said Kyouichi while shrugging.

"Well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Daisuke Shimizu, the owner of this shop. I've been writing, transcribing, translating, selling and sometimes even illustrating books ever since year 96."

"Impressive. What sort of books do you write?" asked Kyouichi.

"Stories mostly. And poetry. But I transcribe and translate just about anything else?"

"And what do you expect me to do as your new part-time employee?"

"Ah, straight to the point?" said the shopkeeper while opening a drawer under his counter. "You'll be basically doing what my usual assistant did - helping with transcriptions, helping with sales and keeping the place clean. It's as simple as that."

"Here." he gave him a piece of paper that looked like a layout of the bookstore with each section divided and marked by a different number. "This will be useful to you at least until you memorize which section contains which books. Shouldn't take you longer than a week, you'll see. It's not that complicated."

Kyouichi briefly glanced at the chart and then asked another question: "What happened to your usual assistant?"

Daisuke's expression suddenly turned to slightly angered and concerned and so did his tone.

"That young one is a fool, let me tell you. He's not a bad assistant; he just? keeps getting into trouble."

"Such as??"

"Well, the other day one customer came looking for a grimoire that dealt with elemental magic, but since I'm no specialist in magic, I told him that we'd have to preorder the requested book transcription from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I've trusted the preorder task to my assistant. He was supposed to send a request using the Fairy Post Office, but that idiot thought it would be much faster and cheaper if he went there himself. I told him not to do anything stupid. I didn't really take what he said seriously? He must have thought that he's some hotshot youkai hunter and that nothing can happen to him. The poor kid didn't even make it halfway to the mansion when he saw a youkai and provoked her into battle. He's damn lucky that he made it out only with a broken arm."

"What's that Scarlet Mansion? thing?" wondered Kyouichi.

"You don't know? The Scarlet Devil Mansion is a dangerous place for humans by itself and the road there is none the safer." explained Daisuke, still with his typical gesticulation. "It lies on an island in the middle of the Misty Lake and is a home to vampires."

"Vampires?" asked Kyouichi unbelievingly. "You're dealing with vampires?!"

"Not directly? You see, the mansion's very own library has the largest collection of books in all of Gensokyo. They have many magic-oriented books and grimoires at their disposal, and like us, they also make copies to sell. Sure the vampires are dangerous, but sometimes they can be reasoned with. However, only the bravest and most capable of humans dare to go there personally. My idiot of an assistant aspires to join the Ryuuken, but his self confidence greatly outmatches his skill. Perhaps it was good that he didn't make it to the mansion, because I'm afraid that he'd provoke the vampires into killing him."

"So when this assistant of yours recovers from his injury, you won't need me anymore, right?"

Daisuke paused himself and seriously thought about it. "I? I don' know? After what he did I've seriously considered firing him, but? I just don't know? On one hand he's a great help in the shop, but at the same time, he risks his life on almost daily basis. Maybe now he finally learned some lesson in humility, but as I know him, he's probably already planning revenge against the youkai who broke his arm."

"Well, we'll see after a month or so?" said Kyouichi in hope that Daisuke's assistant recovers until then.

"Yeah? Okay, then, let me give you some work to begin with." said the shopkeeper and gestured to Kyouichi to follow him. He went through a door behind the counter to a smaller room with some large unknown device. It looked like some sort of printer, but Kyouichi had never seen anything like it before. It was all made of metal and it even had wheels so it could be transported. On one side of this device there were switches, buttons and levers that controlled all its functions. It even had a brand name printed above the control panel ? Nitori.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Kyouichi after a while of admiring the strange device.

"What? You're familiar with the kappa technology?"

"So this was made by the kappa, eh?"

"Of course it was made by the kappa." responded Daisuke bluntly. "You keep asking really silly questions."

"It does resemble a printing machine?" muttered Kyouichi thoughtfully, still looking at the intriguing contraption.

"And where in Gensokyo have you seen a printing machine before, young one?"

"Well I don't know about Gensokyo, but back in the outside world, I saw a couple of printers?"

Daisuke's eyes widened with surprise. "Wait? You're an outsider?"

"Well, yeah? Didn't you know?"

"I was wondering when you asked what the Scarlet Devil Mansion is? No, I didn't know that you're from the outside. When someone takes the job offer, the elder just sends a notice with the name of the new employee, but no other details."

"I see. Still, you'll need to explain to me how this printer works."

"Oh, that's quite simple. Look, this here button?" Daisuke led a long monologue, instructing Kyouichi into the basic functions of the kappa printing machine. Despite him saying it was simple, for Kyouichi it was quite confusing. When the shopkeeper finally explained everything, he tasked Kyouichi to make copies of the book that he had already put into a large slot on the printer's front side. Kyouichi mistrustfully looked at the machine's controls for a while and shrugged.

"Here goes?" he pushed the red button which immediately turned green and the machine started making a silenced humming sound. Kyouichi could only wonder what source powered the machine, since the people in Gensokyo haven't even heard of electricity. Apparently, this interesting example of kappa technology was driven by its own inner source; probably a battery or some other form of generator. Once the printer was activated, he loaded it with blank sheets of paper and pulled one of the levers. The machine responded with some weird mechanic clunking sounds and louder humming. After a short while a first copied page of the book came out from another slot and after each 10 seconds another one.
"Cool!" uttered Kyouichi with a smile and admiration. "This thing works all by itself. All I have to do is to keep it supplied with paper and ink. I wonder how it scans those books, before it copies them."

"Just don't get shocked when it breaks down again, young one." said Daisuke as he looked at the machine with even greater distrust than Kyouichi before he turned it on. "It's already an old hunk and I had to have it fixed almost more times than the number of books I've managed to copy with it."

"It seems to be working fine so far..."

"Let's just pray it keeps it up? I'm already fed up with its constant malfunctioning." complained Daisuke and showed Kyouichi to follow him again.

"While the book's being copied, I'll give you another task."

He took a large and heavy looking box from under the counter.

"Here you go?" he suddenly put the box full of books into Kyouichi's hands. "These are the completed transcriptions and copies. Sort these up and put them in the respective sections according to that little chart I gave you."

"Umpf? Whatever you say, Shimizu-san." panted Kyouichi as the heavy box almost slipped out of his grip.

"And try not to damage them, while you're at it." added the boss as he saw Kyouichi almost drop the box.

During his normal life, Kyouichi had experienced many different part-time jobs and the physically exhausting ones were no exception. However, when he figured that he could earn the same wage even with much easier jobs, he stopped taking the hard ones for good. He preferred his life easy and rather than toiling somewhere on the construction site or helping unloading trucks, he chose to do jobs like washing up in a restaurant or mopping the floor in a supermarket or his most recent ? sticking the warranty certificates on the boxes of various electronic goods in a warehouse. Taking the easier jobs sure is convenient, but as a result, Kyouichi gradually fell out of shape. He never got fat or anything, but his strength which he was once proud of diminished greatly and his former good stamina was now quite pitiful.

As he was recalling the dim flashbacks from the time he was in top condition, he put the heavy box filled with new books on the counter and opened it. He then took the first book on top and looked at its title ? The Evening Rain. It was a short romance novel written by Daisuke Shimizu himself.

"Ok, let's see?" muttered Kyouichi as he looked at the sections chart, trying to figure where to put it. "Section B ? 5? fiction/romance?"

He took the book and looked for the respective section. It wasn't a problem to find, since there were signs with the sections' names written on the side of each shelf. Once he found the right section and the right shelf, he quickly raced through the names of other titles so he could put the book among others while maintaining the alphabetical order.

"Alright, I guess I'll put you here then?" whispered Kyouichi while making some room for the book between some other two romance novels.

"That wasn't so hard? Hopefully the other books will be as easily sortable as this one."

He returned to the counter and took another book out of the box. This one was titled ? Basics of Herbal Medicine by Eirin Yagokoro.

"This one looks like it belongs to the "Journals and How to" section... Ok, let's take a couple of more books."

Kyouichi took some more books at once, so that he wouldn't have to return to the counter every time. Among the other titles there were: Fusing the Elements, Familiar Summoning and The Power of Gems ? all written by the same author, Patchouli Knowledge. Then there were a few copies of the early edition of the Gensokyo Chronicle, and finally, a few printouts of the book he saw in the shop's window ? The Legacy of Ryuuken by Makoto Yoshida.
It took him about 15 minutes to find a place in the shelves for all the books in the box, but it wasn't very hard. As he was working, he noticed that a few customers entered the shop and Daisuke immediately welcomed them with his exaggerated cheerful attitude. They said they just wanted to browse, so he left them alone for a while.

Kyouichi then came to report that he was finished with his task and asked the shopkeeper what he should do next.

"I see you're getting the hang of it, young one." said Daisuke in a hushed voice and praisingly tapped Kyouichi on the shoulder. "Go and check how the printer is doing and then come back to me."

"Will do?"

Kyouichi entered the printing room behind the counter and contently nodded as he saw the machine still working without any complications. It was supplied with enough paper and the ink tank gauge showed that there's no need for refill yet.

"The printer's still working fine? so far. What should I do now?"

"Take this duster and clean all the shelves. That should keep you busy for some time."

Daisuke gave him a piece of cloth and told him to clean the shelves properly.

"Well, I guess it's still better than working on a rice field. I certainly wouldn't want to be in Daniel's shoes right now." thought Kyouichi and proceeded to do the thorough cleaning of all the bookshelves in the shop. It was a simple, but very lengthy task. Kyouichi hummed melodies of some of his favorite songs to entertain his mind a bit during the monotonous wiping. As hours slowly passed by, Kyouichi began to feel the first signs of fatigue in his right wrist, shoulders and back. When he was finally done, he saw Daisuke peek out of the printing room and waving at him.

"Congratulations young one! You've just managed to make your first copy and what's more, the printer still works!"

"That's good to hear, Shimizu-san!" responded Kyouichi from the other side of the shop, slowly walking towards the counter.

"Alright then, I've got one last task for you and we can call it a day."

"Really? But its still 3 hours until closing time?" objected Kyouichi, because he wasn't sure if his payment wouldn't be reduced if he ended his shift earlier.

"Don't worry, I used to let my regular assistant go home a bit earlier without deducting from his pay." Daisuke comforted. "You did well for your first day so far. Now I just want you to mop the floor and your today's shift will be over."

Kyouichi exhaled lightly. "So, swab the ship's decks, eh? Aye-aye, Cap'n!" he jestingly blurted out in English with a pirate accent and even saluted before he started with the cleaning.

Daisuke, whose job consisted of translating the books had no difficulties with understanding that. He let out a silent chuckle and returned to what he was doing ? binding the copied pages into a hardback cover. Kyouichi was now happy that he managed to get a job that wasn't too difficult and he was permitted to go home a bit earlier than normal. The pay wasn't bad either, but it wasn't going to buy him a new house any time soon. Furthermore, he wasn't even certain if they'll need him at the bookstore once Daisuke's assistant recovers from his fracture.

"Come on? you've always managed to find some job before." he cheered himself up while recalling the situations from the previous years. "Even if they won't need me here anymore, I'm sure to find some other job if I ask around."

Indeed, one of Kyouichi's favorite creeds was: "Where there's will, there's a way." And he strongly believed that it will also apply for his will to return home to Tokyo. However, it was still too early to back up those beliefs with some results. Only time will tell if his dream to return will become true or dissolve as the morning mist over a river. With his mind again focused somewhere else than the present reality, he didn't even notice that he already managed to clean the shop's floor completely.
"Alright, Ishimaru, that was a good start of your new part-time job." Daisuke praised him. "Keep it up and we'll be getting along really well. Oh, and don't tell anyone that I'm paying you full wage even when I'm letting you go home earlier, okay?"

"Understood."

"Good. Well then? I guess I'll see you tomorrow again. Have a nice day."

"You too, Shimizu-san." replied Kyouichi and bowed to his employer. "Goodbye."

As Kyouichi left the Starlight Glyph and slowly walked down the path back to the marketplace, a growling of his stomach reminded him that he only had soup for his lunch and was now quite hungry. The sun was getting lower and Kyouichi didn't have any other goal now than the Saitou residence.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 12 ? An Unexpected Visit

"I'm home." he announced as he opened the sliding door of the house.

"Oh, Kyouichi-kun." Mizuto welcomed him. "Come in. You must be hungry, am I right?"

"Like a wolf?" admitted Kyouichi and clutched his growling stomach.

He sat at the table in the kitchen opposite to Tadao-kun, who greeted him and kept waiting until his father prepares the food.

"Minako's still at work so I'm making the dinner today." he explained. "You like grilled fish?"

"Mizuto-san, even if you offered me uncooked rice, I'd eat it voraciously. But yes, I do like grilled fish."

"That's good." smiled the fisherman and returned to the stove where he was grilling his today's catch. "Oh, by the way, we have a rare visitor today who came looking for you, but you were out at work."

"A rare visitor? Looking for me?" Kyouichi seriously wondered who that might be.

"Yes, Tadao-kun, could you please call the guest to the kitchen?" asked Mizuto.

"Yes, wait a second." his son replied and slowly left the kitchen.

After a while Kyouichi could hear his footsteps again, but this time accompanied by footsteps of another person.

"Good evening." sounded a young girl's voice, which Kyouichi was already familiar with. A glimpse of red and white, Kyouichi immediately recognized the person standing in the doorway.

"Reimu-san?!" he asked with a surprised face.

"Yes, it's me." nodded the shrine maiden gently and smiled. "I came for a visit since I've got something to tell you, but you were busy so I waited here?"

"Sorry?" apologized Kyouichi. "I did manage to get some work after all. I hope you didn't wait too long "

"Oh, that's fine? I was playing with Chitose as I waited, so I wasn't bored."

"Chitose is your big fan, Reimu-san." said Mizuto as he flipped the fish to grill on both sides properly. "She always talks about how she'd like to become a youkai hunter? But I'm worried about her? she's still too young to understand how dangerous it can be."

"Well, I don't think that age matters here that much." objected Reimu. "I was only 8 when I resolved my first youkai incident and that was before the Spell Card Rules and before I learned how to fly?"

"But you were trained for this kind of work ever since you were little and you have significant natural talent?" continued Mizuto.

"To tell you the truth, I had more luck than brains back then? Ever since I became an orphan and was forced to look after myself, I started to believe that I can handle youkai just as well as my parents used to. It's true that I never used to train much and I relied on my sheer talent, but the fact that I'm still alive is not a proof of my abilities alone, but also a great big deal of luck." admitted Reimu as she recalled her childhood days. "I realized that I can't go on recklessly risking my life as well as the existence of the barrier, so I came up with the Spell Card System to ensure no further bloodshed between the humans and youkai. It was only after several years that I figured why I managed to stay alive before I introduced the rules. The youkai were holding back, because they believed that with the death of the last descendant of the Hakurei clan, the Great Boundary could fall and their powers would be weakened severely. Not so long ago, there was a situation where youkai didn't even have the will to cause any incidents. With the rules, however, humans no longer need to fear the youkai as they used to. Now it's much more fun to fight against them. If your daughter wants to help protect the humans in the future, why not give her a chance?"

"Yes, dad, why not give me a chance?" sounded Chitose who just entered the kitchen with her younger brother. "The youkai can't kill people with these rules in effect, right Reimu-sama?"

"I'm afraid that's not entirely true." replied the shrine maiden. "The youkai still hunt humans for food, namely those who can't defend themselves very well: outsiders, hermits, and those who don't have Spell Cards of their own."

"And you don't have Spell Cards yet, Chitose, so don't even think about challenging a youkai on your own." added Mizuto, who was naturally worried about his daughter.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to go up against a youkai yet?" Chitose reassured him. "I'm still just a beginner in using magic."

"Say, Reimu-san, and where can one get them Spell Cards?" asked Kyouichi who was still a bit clueless. "Do they sell them somewhere, or do you have to make them somehow?"

"When someone becomes sufficiently adept in some form of magic or other power, they choose an offensive direct-damage spell and calibrate its effect to non-lethal." explained Reimu. "Once the fine-tuning of the spell is done, it is then cast and materialized into a card for later use. Another rule says that the Spell Cards should always have at least a minimal flaw in their projectile pattern, always giving the opponent some chance to avoid them. And a time limit, of course. Sometimes the duels turn out to be a contest of beautiful patterns, rather than actual battle."

While Reimu kept explaining, Mizuto was getting finished with preparing the dinner.

"Alright, I think they're grilled just fine?" he announced after he checked the color of the grilled fish and started serving them. "There's enough for everyone, so eat as much as you like."

"Itadakimasu~!"
While everyone was feasting on the ample amount of grilled fish meat with rice balls, Kyouichi asked Reimu why she came to visit the Saitous.

After a while of chewing her food and swallowing it she replied: "Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you about this?" she pulled out a folded letter from her sleeve and gave it to Kyouichi. It was the one she got from the village elder regarding the outsiders. He took the letter and read it silently. Reimu watched as his eyes traced the text and impatiently waited to hear his opinion.

When he finished reading the last line, he lightly smiled and snorted.

"Well that's a newsflash? I already met most of these outsiders. And it seems the council doesn't quite understand the situation."

"So you already knew about the others?" asked Reimu.

"Sure, we go to the same class now? We've even formed a club to join our forces in looking for a way home, whereas, the village council doesn't seem to give a damn?"

"That's because they think there's no possible way for you to return."

"And what do you think about this sudden boom of outside immigrants? Do you know why we all ended up here?"

"The barrier's fine, I can feel it." responded Reimu. "This was most likely just another one-time mass spiriting away caused by Yukari. If that's so, then I'm not sure if she'll be willing to take you back home."

"We'll just have to try and see, but first we need to find her?" said Kyouichi, still thoughtfully reading the letter over and over again. "Hmm? But this part here is interesting: "?there are no available records at our disposal that indicate the exact location of Tokyo in relation to Gensokyo before it was sealed"." he read aloud, trying to imitate elder Fukukane's voice.

"Yeah, that's why I'm not supposed to take you back through the shrine?" nodded the miko.

"Indeed, but if by any chance we were to find something in Gensokyo that would denote its location in Japan, it would mean that we wouldn't need to look for Yukari. You would just take us to the outside world via the shrine and from there we would go to the nearest town and ask for a way to Tokyo." he speculated.

"But I already told you, I don't know of any human settlements near the shrine in the outside world?" Reimu objected.

"I know? I'm merely suggesting that we may have more than one option." muttered Kyouichi, finally folding up the letter and giving it back to Reimu. "However, I don't know which one of these two paths is going to be easier."

"I think it won't be so hard to find Yukari." sounded Reimu after drinking some tea. "We're going to have a hanami soon and I know that she just loves parties and feasts. And even if she won't show up, some of her friends will, so we can ask them to help us look for her?"

Kyouichi doubtingly raised his eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late for a flower viewing?"

"The spring is still here and the sakura trees are still in bloom." said Reimu with a daydreamy look on her face. "There's still time for a hanami, although not much."

"So when is this hanami going to be?" asked Kyouichi. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to come, because as you can see, I'm already working part-time."

"And when do you have time then?"

"Hmm?" Kyouichi paused himself to think. "I think I'm free on weekends, or if the hanami's going to start in the evening, then I'm basically finished with work every weekday at a time like this."

"Then how about next Friday?" suggested Reimu.

"Friday evening? Well, okay, but? how will I get to your shrine? I don't think the Ryuuken will be willing to escort me this time."

"I'll do it." she immediately responded.

"You? will?" asked Kyouichi, only partly believing her words.

"Yes." she replied with a soft smile. "I'll be waiting here next Friday, if Saitou-san has nothing against it."

"Of course not, Reimu-san, on the contrary, we're honored to have you visit." said Mizuto, who was pretty much like his daughter a bit overexcited about Reimu's visit.

"Can I come too, Reimu-sama?" asked Chitose, with her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"No, Chitose, you can't." resolutely responded her father. "Even with Reimu-san, it's still risky to go out of the village. Besides, there's probably going to be a lot of drinking and you're too young for that."

"Aww, geez? " mumbled young Chitose, lowering her head in disappointment. "And Kyouichi-kun doesn't even know how to cast the easiest spells and he can go? Not fair~!"

Mizuto gave his daughter a strict glance. "First of all, he's an adult and can decide on his own. If he's not afraid to risk his life for the sake of returning home, then I cannot forbid him to do so. I can only give him a friend's advice. You are my daughter and I hold full responsibility for your well being?"

"You worry too much, dad." said Chitose with an agitated tone, a typical response of a teenage child who wants to get a taste of independence from her parents.

"When you'll have your own children, you too will understand." said Mizuto and ended their conversation.

Reimu was actually hoping to have some more new faces at the hanami, but she couldn't really make objections to a parent who is worried about the safety of his children.

"By the way, Reimu, can I bring someone along there?" asked Kyouichi a bit uncertainly, breaking the silence in the room.

"Actually, we're currently short on guests so sure, why not?" the shrine maiden agreed. "Who would you like to invite?"

"Well, maybe a few of those outsiders who are now my classmates? And perhaps even? Do you know the village? I mean the Gensokyo chronicler? Well, maybe her too?"

"Oh, you mean Akyuu-chan? But of course!" exclaimed Reimu. "I've almost forgotten about her? I've been to her place with Marisa only once, but she's nice. Of course she can come."

"Well then, I'll go and ask her tomorrow? I'm already looking forward to the hanami."

Reimu was also looking forward to the upcoming flower viewing event, but on the other hand, she felt a bit annoyed at the thought of all the preparations she still had to make and the cleaning she would have to do afterwards. Although the shrine maiden usually liked having parties at her shrine from time to time, she wasn't very fond of her usual guests' antics after they just had a bit too much sake.

"Well then," she said as she was standing up, "I still need to go and do some shopping? And then invite a few more guests." with a sigh, she bowed to everyone and was about to take her leave. Kyouichi, Mizuto and both of his children followed her to the doorstep of their house.

"Take care of yourself, Reimu-san! We're looking forward to your next visit." called Mizuto as the shrine maiden was slowly walking backwards towards the marketplace, still facing the Saitou house and waving back.

As soon as Reimu disappeared behind the corner of the street, Mizuto closed the main door and returned to the kitchen to finish off the leftovers of today's dinner on his plate. Kyouichi turned to Chitose who was still a little gloomy about the fact that she couldn't go to the hanami.
"Hey, Chitose-chan, don't feel so blue," he tried to cheer her up a bit, "just wait a couple of years and you won't need anyone's permission?"

The girl sighed, looking at the floor. "If only I had my own Spell Cards, I could go almost anywhere I'd like to, but I still need to train hard?"

"Oh, that's right, do you already know when you are going to have an evening practice with that club of yours?" asked Kyouichi, trying to cleverly change the topic and bring Chitose to happier thoughts. "I'd like to see that?"

It seemed to work, because her mood quickly changed to better. "Oh, yes, Rie-senpai arranged the evening sessions for Tuesdays, so you can come and take a look at us tomorrow already. We practice on a meadow near the farms and the new Buddhist temple. We start as soon as the sun sets."

"That's great." he smiled and gently tapped her on her shoulder. "I'll be there to cheer for you."

With that said, Chitose returned to her room and Kyouichi decided to take a quick bath. After that he walked into the guest room and again took the first volume of the Gensokyo Chronicle to look for more info about the elusive youkai of boundaries. He found the passage about the youkai cherry tree which he had already read and from there he raced through the following pages to find other entries mentioning her name. However, he could find nothing more in this book. Not giving up, he took the second volume and diligently kept on searching. The search still wasn't very fruitful, as the only bits of information he could find was regarding Yukari occasionally visiting the chronicler and her later incarnations and informing her of other events.

Gradually getting more tired, he yawned and sighed. "Man? this didn't bring me any further."

A little bit of frustration only fueled his motivation. When it was already too dark to read, he took several of the books with him and went to the kitchen. There he lit a few candles to make some light and was ready to pull an all-nighter if it meant getting another step closer to knowing something more about Yukari. But frankly, Kyouichi didn't actually care about the boundary youkai. He simply viewed her only as a potential ticket back to Tokyo.

After a few hours of thorough searching, he finally came across something interesting in the fifth volume of the massive compilation. He almost wanted to shout out "Eureka!", but since he didn't want to wake up the whole Saitou family who were already sleeping peacefully, he stayed only at clenching his fist and swinging his right arm to gesture his success.

"Thank you, God of Patience, thank you." he whispered to a deity he just made up while looking at the ceiling. "Now let's see what we have here?"

He adjusted his glasses and started reading an article titled: The Youkai Expansion Project.

The date signified that the article was dealing with an event from over 500 years ago. According to the text, the project referred to Yukari's plan to restore the power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who fell under the pressure of human expansion. Until then, Gensokyo was merely an isolated mountain area inhabited mostly by youkai. However, with the technological progress made by humans over time, faith and superstition gradually gave way to science. As gradually less and less people still believed in the existence of youkai, their powers began to weaken, even in Gensokyo, where their concentration was the largest in Japan. Yukari planned to restore their power by creating a boundary between illusion and reality around Gensokyo, thus creating a new world. The barrier was not physical, so traveling into and out of Gensokyo was still possible. It only served as a sort of sanctuary where the youkai could thrive without having to worry about losing their powers. This resulted in massive youkai immigrations into Gensokyo from all over Japan and even beyond. Eventually, the world outside of Gensokyo was generally regarded as a world without youkai, while Gensokyo was now seen as their demesne. An addition to the text made by Akyuu explained that the effects of this boundary remain even in the present and that this boundary is now one with the Great Hakurei Border created several hundred years later.

"Hmm? So there was another barrier before the Year Zero, huh?" thought Kyouichi after reading. "It would also seem that the youkai in Gensokyo don't need the humans to sustain their powers like Reimu told me. But why is it called a Youkai Expansion Project, when the result is a complete opposite of expansion?"

The answer to that question was not important, for he learned something new today. It was already past midnight and Kyouichi's eyelids were getting heavy. He blew out the candles and took the books. In complete darkness, he traced the wall of the corridor with his hand as he was carefully walking to the guest room. He put the books he had already checked on a separate pile and then he undressed himself. Laying down on the futon, he yawned with his mouth gaping wide and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 13 ? The Transfer Students' Club

He had a dream. It was a dream about the outside world? It was just a few inconsistent flashbacks from his childhood, combined with the setting of more recent times and it ended with the recollection of his spiriting away to Gensokyo. When he woke up, he found himself being curled up and covering his head, just as he was in the subway on that fateful day of May the 28th, year 2010. It was only four days ago, so it could be expected that this event would replay itself in Kyouichi's dreams a couple of times with some minor variations. When he fully came to his senses, he exhaled with relief that it was just a dream. However, the fact that he was now stuck for the fifth day in an illusionary world called Gensokyo was as real as life itself.

It was still early ? not more than half past seven. Even though the timetable for the "transfer students" began after ten on Tuesdays, Kyouichi had the responsibility to come to the club's first meeting. In other words, he needed to go to school at 8, like usual. After the morning hygiene and eating breakfast made by Minako, he left the house. The Saitou siblings kept him company on his way to school today as well.

As they entered the school, the three of them split up in the hallway, each heading to their classroom and Kyouichi to the library. He walked up two flights of stairs to the second floor of the school and looked for the school library. It took him less then a minute to find it. It was a room at the very end of the eastern wing on the 2nd floor. Not sure if there was anyone there yet, he knocked on the door and then opened it.
The fact that the door was unlocked suggested that someone was already inside, but Kyouichi couldn't see anyone.

"Hello?" he called as he entered.

"Huh? Who's there?" sounded Midori's voice from behind a large bookshelf. Her head peeked from behind it.

"Oh, Kyouichi-san, good morning." she greeted.

"Yeah, good?*yawn*?morning." he responded with a sleepy voice. "Are you alone here?"

"So far I am, but it shouldn't take long until others come as well."

As if waiting only for those words, someone else knocked on the door and entered the small library.

"Good morning."

Kyouichi turned around to see who greeted. It was Hikaru Nagahashi, the eldest member of the Transfer Students' Club. Like Midori, he still remained faithful to his clothes from the outside world. He bowed to the other two members in the library and took a seat at one of the reading desks. Kyouichi, who was still a little sleepy also sat down at one of the desks and rested his head on his hands. Midori was browsing through the books in the shelves more out of boredom than of anything else. Hikaru took out his notepad and started writing something.

After 10 minutes of idle waiting, people from the club finally started to gather one by one in the school library.

Kyouichi didn't even know the names of most of these people yet, but it was obvious that they all had the same desire to be back at home in the outside world.

"Hey, no snoozing." said Midori while lightly shaking Kyouichi's shoulder. "It seems that everyone's here. I think we can start our meeting."

"Great." muttered Kyouichi with his head still resting on the desk. "Go ahead and start?"

"Me?! But founding this club was your idea, so you should do the introductory speech." suggested Midori.

Kyouichi straightened up, his back making a silent cracking sound. He looked at her with a serious face and sighed.

"But we haven't even decided who's going to be the club president."

"What do you mean? You're the founder, so you'll be the president."

"Whoa, whoa? Just a minute!" protested Kyouichi. "I think that the role of the president should be taken by someone more competent."

"I think it will be best if we all introduced ourselves first and then we could vote for the best candidate for the club's president." suggested Hikaru.

"Great idea, Nagahashi-san." Midori praised him. "Everybody, gather around! We're each going to introduce ourselves like on our first lesson with Keine-sensei and we're each going to tell a reason why we joined the club..."

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyouichi interrupted her. "Because we all want to get back home."

"Hmm? I guess so?" she muttered to herself and then again turned her face to other members. "Well then, each of us will tell some idea that could help us return."

Hikaru turned to a new page in his notepad, ready to write down each of the members' names and their ideas.

"Okay, who wants to start?" asked Midori loudly, but no volunteers were raising their hands. "Nobody? Fine, then I guess I'll start?"

She cleared her throat and began her brief introduction along with sharing any knowledge she had acquired about Gensokyo and the Great Boundary over those few days.
"?and therefore, I believe it would be best if we held on to our original plan ? to search for the youkai of boundaries, Yukari Yakumo." Midori finished her monologue.

The other members clapped their hands for her in a light applause.

Next was Hikaru. He apparently gathered more knowledge about Gensokyo than Midori, but it was nothing new to Kyouichi. He was also hesitant to decide on any ideas about how the outsiders should attempt to return to Tokyo. He explained that he still knew too little to tell what would be the best way of trying to return, and therefore, he suggested further studying of Gensokyo in general.
In very similar manner, all the club members made their short introductions, and told what they know about Gensokyo, unless it was something already said by other members. Their ideas for looking for a way home were various: some of them being funny, stupid, pointless and even dangerous. Not that looking for some mysterious boundary altering youkai was the most reasonable of plans, but it certainly sounded better than digging a tunnel under the Great Boundary or trying to build an airplane and fly over it. Some people didn't even have any ideas. They just wanted to get home like everyone else.

Finally, it was Kyouichi's turn to say something. He stood up in his desk, took a deep breath and literally began a lecture about Gensokyo, going into details about what he heard and read about it. He also mentioned his short trip to the outside world with Reimu and Marisa through the Hakurei Shrine, which lies somewhere in the middle of mountains, far away from any towns or villages. He also brought up two ideas: one to search for Yukari and the other to find out Gensokyo's location in Japan, so they could exit through the shrine and walk on their own to the nearest settlement and return to Tokyo from there. He also pointed out all the flaws of other members' ideas and kindly asked them not to attempt such ridiculous actions.
"?and finally, not that it wouldn't interest me if we could overcome the navigation disrupting effect of the Great Boundary, Yamada-san," spoke Kyouichi to one of the members, "but seriously? Trying to dig under it? I mean? what's the point? We could all just cross the barrier now if we wanted to. Reimu the shrine maiden can do it. The real problem is that this Gensokyo is not even near Tokyo, so even if this curious plan of yours worked and we would manage to dig a tunnel to the outside, we would still be lost in the middle of? God knows where."

The other members started to chatter and whisper something to each other and Yamada-san, a young Japanese male otaku sulked in his chair.

Kyouichi was winding up his speech: "I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's either Yukari or a map of Gensokyo's surroundings. My only hint regarding the location of Gensokyo would be that it's somewhere near the Yatsugatake mountain range. We should be working towards at least one of these two goals?"

As he sat down, nobody even applauded, as they did for everyone. Instead, they were indulged in exchanging their opinions on what they just heard.

As the introductions came to an end, it was now time to decide on picking the most competent person, who would be able to organize the work of the other members to look for relevant but different pieces of information that would help them fulfill their goal.
"Alright~!" Midori was again standing and getting the other people's attention with her slightly hyperactive attitude "Now each one of you will write one name on a piece of paper to give your vote to the person you believe would be the best in the position of the club's president and put them in this vase. The members placing 2nd and 3rd in this poll will be entrusted with the roles of the vice-president and the club's chief secretary." She took a small empty clay vase that was standing on the windowsill of one of the library's five windows.

Some people immediately jotted down some names, others needed some more time to think, but eventually they all managed to throw in their vote into the vase. Kyouichi without thinking wrote "Hikaru Nagahashi" on his little scrap of paper and put it into the vase along with others.

"I hereby declare this poll as closed." announced Midori as the last person threw in their vote. "Now we shall commence with the counting of votes?"

She took the vase, flipped it upside-down and spilled all the crumpled up pieces of paper on one of the desks. Then with the assistance of two other randomly picked members she counted the papers and sorted them according to names. There weren't too many members in the club, so the counting was over in a minute.
"And we have the results~!" she announced again while waving her hands in the air. "Placing as 3rd with 4 votes is? Nagahashi Hikaru-san! Congratulations!"

Hikaru didn't look very surprised as he stood up to bow to the others. "Thank you for your votes." He even smiled a bit, showing that he had no objections to working as the chief secretary of this club.

Midori continued with announcing the results. "Placing 2nd in the poll with 5 votes is... why, thank you very much! It's me! Yay~!"

"Congratulations, Midori!" called Kyouichi as he applauded for her. Midori was apparently more surprised than Hikaru that she managed to take the 2nd place. She even blushed a little which made her look quite cute. When she realized that she spaced out for a while, she apologized and announced the name of the club's president.

"And finally, our club's president, with a total of 8 votes is? Ishimaru Kyouichi! Congratulations~!"

Everyone applauded to the new president and Midori and Hikaru even shook their hands with him. Kyouichi bowed to all the club's members and made a wide smile more out of courtesy than out of genuine joy.

"So? I get to be the brigade chief, huh?" he muttered to himself.

"Okay, okay!" sounded Midori again, flailing her arms in the air to get some more attention. "Our president will now start the introductory speech and tell us what he will expect from us and our work as a club."

Kyouichi lowered his head and sighed heavily, trying to focus his mind on what he would tell these people. After a few seconds, he nodded in agreement and stepped forward to the middle of the room so that everyone could see him.

"Dear ladies and gentlemen, my fellow outsiders, my new friends," he preambled, "?I welcome you all heartily in this new club? Phew? I don't even know how to start?"

He paused himself to take a couple of deep breaths and continued: "First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for putting so much trust in me? Although frankly, I hoped that this responsibility which I'm now going to bear would fall onto someone else? Someone more capable of management and someone with certainly better leadership skills than myself? But since I've already been so officially elected, I'm not going to back away from the responsibility that this role brings. I have to admit that I've never had any experience in managing people and assigning them to some tasks, but I'm going to try and do my best in order to coordinate this club as effectively as possible. I can only hope that you all knew what you were doing when you wrote down "Ishimaru Kyouichi" on those little paper strips before you put them in that vase? I can very well understand your desire to return to your homes and families, and therefore, I ask you to be strong? strong and patient, because neither I, nor anyone else whom I've met in Gensokyo so far can guarantee that we'll succeed in our quest. We can only deserve this success. I expect each of you to put your best effort into helping us all find a solution to our problem. I will only be here to help us coordinate our search."

"And what if we won't be able to find anything? What will you do then?" asked Yuujin Ueda, the engine driver of one of the lines of the Tokyo subway.

Kyouichi knew that this guy never really trusted him and his idea of searching for Yukari, but he couldn't really blame him? Although Yuujin could be a little irritable, he was nonetheless a member of the club and due to his current job as a part of the trading caravan, Kyouichi viewed him as an invaluable asset of his team.

"Then, Ueda-san, I promise I'll let you whine and complain and blame me all you want, for I'm afraid that I have no other alternative."

"Do you have any assignments for us, president?" asked Midori, like a polite little schoolgirl with a raised hand.

"Actually, I think I do?" Kyouichi replied as he started to thoughtfully walk around in small circles ? one of his habits when he was thinking hard about something. He suddenly stopped and repeated himself: "I think I do?"

"So what do you want us to look for, president?" asked Midori again.

"First, let me get one thing straight? Don't call me "president", ok? We're all friends here, so please just stick with "Kyouichi" or simply "Kyou". Now for your first assignment? Well, it's not actually an assignment as it is an invitation."

"An invitation?" muttered Midori with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. Since I already have all of you guys gathered here, I'd like to invite you on behalf of Reimu Hakurei to a hanami which will take place this Friday in the evening at the Hakurei Shrine?"

Everyone started whispering: "What? A hanami? Where? At the shrine? Is he serious?"

Kyouichi tapped on the desk with his hand like a judge trying to silence the people at the court. "As I've already explained, Reimu Hakurei is the local shrine maiden and a key figure in Gensokyo due to her role as the barrier keeper and something like a youkai police. She's going to host a hanami this week and I've been invited there as well. Not only that, but I've also been permitted to bring a couple of my own friends along with me? So I'm asking you: who would like to come with me?"

Yuujin immediately objected. "This is what you call searching for a way home?! Going to some stupid flower viewing?! I'm beginning to seriously regret giving my vote to you?"

"Whoa, take it easy, Ueda-san. I wouldn't bring it up if it was completely irrelevant?" Kyouichi defended himself. "This hanami is going to host some youkai too, as I presume, and some of these youkai may have some relation to Yukari. That's why I'd like to go there and ask around a bit? and I'm inviting you as well."

The club members again started to whisper something as they exchanged their surprised looks.

"There is? well, actually? there SHOULD be no danger from these youkai, assuming that they are on friendly terms with the shrine maiden, but if you aren't trusting enough, then you better not go? If anyone feels like coming with me, just let me know."

Nobody out of all the 17 other members raised their hands. As Kyouichi looked at them left and right, hoping that at least someone would like to take this unique opportunity to find out something new and to meet new people and youkai, Hikaru shook his head.

"It's not that we wouldn't like to come, but? we all have jobs already and I'm afraid that I won't be able to go?"

"Yes, and besides," said Sayuri, "the Ryuuken won't even let us out of the village."

"As for that, Reimu herself offers us escort to the shrine." Kyouichi explained.

"But I'm afraid I'll be busy as well." objected Sayuri while shaking her head.

"Me too? Yeah, likewise? I'm not going, sorry?" replied all the other people with regret.

"Never mind." muttered Kyouichi silently. "Let me then give you some tasks at least? Midori, Hikaru, Sayuri, and you too, Dan, I want you to ask some village folks about any rumors, legends and stuff they've heard about Yukari. Ueda-san, you have a special assignment. Since you're traveling with the traders to the other remote villages of Gensokyo, I want you to do the same and ask around about Yukari there. You may also want to dig around the other villages' archives a bit and see if you can find a map of Gensokyo and its surrounding areas. I know I might be asking a bit too much of you, but you can ask the other traders to help you gather some pieces of information. Everyone else, try to get your hands on any interesting books about the Great Boundary and take notes of the important information, because you'll be each presenting your new findings to all of us. And Hikaru-san, one more thing: You'll be in charge of compiling whatever useful information we may find to the club's research log. You may also pick two assistants for this task."

Hikaru nodded with a smile and showed several pages of his notepad already filled up with his handwriting to show that he already noted down everything that was already discussed today.

Kyouichi showed a thumbs up gesture. "Great work, Hikaru-san?" he praised him, "Everyone, take example of this man. But don't worry if you won't be able to find anything. I'm not going to scold you. I think our will to return home is strong enough to keep us motivated. Well then? enough of my ramble. Our first club's meeting is concluded. We'll be holding meetings once a week. You may all go about your own business now."

Kyouichi then walked back to the desk where he was sitting before the meeting and slumped down onto the chair. Midori walked up to him and leaned over his desk.

"I told you you're going to be the president, didn't I?" she provoked him a bit, a wry smile settling on her face.

"I guess I should have seen this coming?" admitted Kyouichi with a sigh. "But I really DO want to return home, so I'm going to be serious about this club."

"Me too." Midori backed him up.

"I never doubted that, Midori. I'm glad to have you in our team."

She giggled a bit. "Stop? You're making me blush? Anyway, now that the meeting's over, we still have some time before the typology starts. Would you like to take a little walk?"

Kyouichi suddenly realized something: "Typology! Homework! I completely forgot!"

He quickly took out the textbook of the Youkai Typology from his handbag in a state close to panic and checked the notes he took on yesterday's lesson.

"What did we even have for homework...? Let's see? Oh, just read the article about the kappa? Whew, I was worried I'd have to write something."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk?" Midori shook her head disapprovingly. "How irresponsible of you, club president?"

Kyouichi shrugged and smiled. "If you knew me a bit more, you'd be more surprised if I ever DID my homework?"

"You don't want to get into trouble with Keine-sensei, do you? I've overheard some of the younger kids talking that she sometimes resorts to corporal punishment."

"Really?" asked surprised Kyouichi as he was racing quickly through the text about the kappa. "She certainly doesn't look like the type? But I guess that sometimes a little educational slap can't be avoided in a village school."

"I've heard she uses a rather unconventional method for that, though?"

"?Alright. I'm done reading." announced Kyouichi after a minute while slamming the book shut. "So? you wanted to take a walk?"
It was still an hour too early for the transfer students to be at the school, so it was perfectly fine to take a little walk before the first lesson. This time Kyouichi was accompanied only by Midori. They were walking around the school grounds for a while as they were getting to know each other a bit more.

"?Eh~? So that Saitou family took you in?" asked Midori curiously. "Lucky you? Me, Sayuri and Dan-san are living at the Ryuuken barracks. We have food and a bed to sleep in, but in exchange, we have to be on regular cleaning duty."

"Why won't you look for a family that would take you in?" Kyouichi offered her a solution.

"I've tried, but so far no luck?" replied Midori, looking somewhere away. "With so many people spirited away, most of the families I've asked already took some outsider into their custody. Like I said? I've just been a little low on luck in the recent days."

Kyouichi thoughtfully hummed. "I may know about at least one person who might be willing to take you in? after I do a little talking with him."

"Really? I'd be really grateful to live in some normal house. I wouldn't even mind helping the family with household chores? I just can't stand some of the Ryuuken. Some of them are nothing but a bunch of arrogant, bossy and even perverted bastards."

"I'll see what I can do?" said Kyouichi without any false promises. "But I think we better get going... our lesson's about to start soon."

As they walked back into the school, they could hear the bell ringing in the school's small clock tower announcing the end of recess and the beginning of the next class. They entered the classroom just in time, but they still received a few curious looks from the other students as they immediately assumed that a new pairing was sprouting up. Ignoring their provocative remarks, Kyouichi took a seat at his desk and pulled the Youkai Typology book out of his handbag only seconds before Keine-sensei entered the room.
"Hello, students." she greeted her class. "It's time for another lesson about the different kinds of youkai who inhabit our little Gensokyo. Last time we were talking about the kappa, if I remember correctly, and I also gave you an easy homework to read the whole text, which we didn't get to do yesterday, as we ran out of time. So, to check if you really read that text, I'll ask you a few questions. Who can tell me what's the favorite food of the kappa?"

Many students in the classroom raised their hands. Even those who were labeled as "transfer students".

"Hmm? How about? Hayashi Sayuri-san?"

"The kappa love to eat cucumbers." responded Sayuri without thinking.

"That's right, Sayuri-san." nodded the teacher. "Next: Who knows the name of at least one kappa engineer and manufacturer?"

Again some hands were stretching upwards.

"Tell us, Daniel-san?"

"Hmm? Kawashiro?" he answered uncertainly.

"Yes, Nitori Kawashiro is indeed one example of the creative kappan minds?" confirmed Keine-sensei. "Okay, one last question: What are the kappa famous for besides making tools?"

This time only few hands were raised, but Keine-sensei wanted to pick someone who didn't raise their hand.

"Kotomi-chan, how about you?" she asked one of the regular 6th graders.

The girl nervously scratched her head and after a while she muttered: "Umm? they are? famous merchants?"

"Why of course, they are." agreed Keine-sensei. "However, as I already told you, they're still a little shy from humans. They exchange mostly with tengu? Alright, it seems that you've all read the text. And speaking of the tengu, in this lesson we are going to learn something about this interesting race of youkai who inhabit the tallest mountain in Gensokyo. Open your books on page 47 and we can begin."

In a rather short lecture, Keine-sensei explained that there are several sub-races of the tengu in Gensokyo; the management type ? daitengu, the information gathering type - the crow tengu, the office work type ? the hanataka tengu, the mountain's defense force ? the white wolf tengu and some more. Unlike what Kyouichi had expected them to look like, Keine-sensei said that like all the youkai in Gensokyo, they look like humans, but bear certain features of one of their sub-races. One of their common features is that they wear tokin on their heads and often carry hauchiwa fans made of aralia leaves or from feathers. These fans are dangerous weapons and have the power to create very strong winds.

The tengu are an example of the so called "deified youkai", who are sometimes worshipped at Shinto shrines as other kami. They inhabit the upper parts of the Youkai Mountain, which they regard as sacred and will forcefully drive away any intruders. The tengu are socially more stratified than their kappa neighbors. Their current ruler is Lord Tenma. The tengu are well known for their love for gossip and many of them write different kinds of newspapers. The most popular examples of these are the Bunbunmaru Newspaper or the Kakashi Spirit News among many others.

The tengu are also generally known as heavy drinkers, rivaled perhaps only by the oni. They also have technology of their own, but most of the time they rely on the products made by the kappa. They are far more intelligent than humans. They are apparently more outgoing towards humans than the kappa and are usually very friendly. There is no need for humans to fear them as the tengu aren't anthropophagous kind of youkai. However, one should always keep in mind that trespassing into their sacred territory will be met with dire consequences. Their physical and magical abilities command respect among any other youkai in Gensokyo. They can fly at extremely high speeds that very few youkai can match. And unlike any other race of youkai, they are very cooperative with each other.

Keine-sensei's lecture was concluded with her reminding the students about the autumn field trip around Gensokyo.

"?so if any of you have already decided to go, please sign yourself up on the list hanging on the corridor's information bulletin board? Well, I guess that's it for today's typology. For homework, do exercises 2, 3 and 4 on page 50. Also, try to bring an issue of any tengu newspaper for your next lesson. See you next time, students."
The students stood up as Keine-sensei was leaving and sat back down as soon as the door behind her closed. Kyouichi and other outsiders were already packing up, because today they had only one compulsory lesson. As he was waiting in the line of outsiders who were leaving the classroom, he tapped Midori's shoulder.

"Yes? What is it?" she asked.

"I'm going to try and persuade one of my... umm... friends? to see if he wouldn't let you live in his house." Kyouichi informed her. "I'll let you know as soon as we meet next time, meaning tomorrow."

"Thanks. If you'll arrange that, then I don't know how I'm going to repay you?"

Kyouichi gave her a devilish grin. "I'll think of something?"

"What's with that look?" asked Midori with a little frightened voice.

"Oh, nothing really." Kyouichi calmed her down, returning to normal expression. "For now, all that I ask in return is you being serious about your work for the club. And if I'll need any special favor from you, I'll remind you? Deal?"

"Okay." she giggled as she grabbed his stretched out palm and shook his hand. "Deal."
The outsiders parted their ways as they left the school grounds and were each headed for their own destination. Kyouichi thought that he'd at least help Mizuto make lunch today. He marched up the street turning north and reached the Saitou residence. Just as he had thought, Mizuto was home today as well.

"Oi, Kyouichi-kun! You're back a bit earlier, eh?"

"Such is our timetable?" explained Kyouichi tersely.

"I've got something for you." said Mizuto, expecting Kyouichi to guess what it was.

"What? You've made lunch already?"

"Well, err? no?" he embarrassedly replied while scratching his head. "What I meant to say was that the village council has sent you your very own ID card? Catch!"

Mizuto passed him a small envelope, but Kyouichi failed to catch it and had to bend down to pick it up from the floor.

"My... You should train your reflexes a bit more?" Mizuto teased him.

"Yeah, whatever?" Kyouichi muttered under his nose as he picked up the envelope and dusted it off with the back of his hand.

Just as Mizuto said, it was from the village council and it was addressed directly to Kyouichi. Curious and slightly excited about the envelope's content, he ripped it open. Out of it fell a small hard paper card with Kyouichi's basic personal information. The only thing that was missing was, of course, the photograph. It was even explained in the brief letter that was also added in the envelope. His duty was to have his picture taken at the Ryuuken headquarters and have that photo attached to the card. Once this is done, he'll get a seal of approval from the Ryuuken and will officially become one of the denizens of Human Village.

"Simple enough?" thought Kyouichi as he finished reading.

"So, I'm guessing that you'll be going off to the Ryuuken headquarters right now." said Mizuto.

"Yeah, I think?"

"It'll still take me some time to prepare lunch so you might as well go there now."

"Heh, and there I was thinking that I'd finally help you with something?" said Kyouichi while putting the card and the letter into his breast pocket.

"Hm? Are you any good at cooking, Kyouichi-kun?" asked Mizuto with a teasing tone, since he wasn't too sure about his manual skills.

"So-so, I guess?" he replied while shrugging. "At least I can slice the ingredients without adding my fingers into the dish. As for my actual cooking? Well, let's just say I wouldn't starve to death if I lived on my own and had a supply of cooking ingredients?"

"Well, that's the most important thing?" nodded Mizuto approvingly. "It doesn't have to be super-delicious as long as it serves its main purpose ? to feed a person, am I right?"

"Right." nodded Kyouichi. "Alright then, let's not waste any time. I'll be back soon. See you later, Mizuto-san!"

"Yeah, later, Kyouichi-kun!"

[Fonzi]

Chapter 14 ? Officially Admitted

Closing the sliding door behind him and putting on his sandals, Kyouichi walked towards the marketplace. The place was quite lively with all the merchants selling their goods to the villagers who were haggling for a better price. Oddly enough, Kyouichi no longer felt that strange to be walking there among them.

Perhaps he was beginning to get used to the village or maybe it was because the other villagers didn't give him curious looks and didn't point their fingers at him whenever he was passing by. His new attire helped him blend in with the rest of the natives, but he was still a stranger there.

Although amazed by its supernatural nature and beauty, Kyouichi didn't want to get too attached to Gensokyo or any of its inhabitants. However, getting used to live here was inevitable, for even if he would once get to leave this place, he would have to stay here for an indefinite period of time before that chance arises.

He turned to the street with the Ryuuken barracks. His eyes immediately noticed the White Sakura teahouse where he told his three other friends about his plan to form a club. It seemed that it was opened today as well, but he had no real intention of going there. Instead, he kept on walking forward until he was standing before the tall stone wall, forming a large rectangular area around the entire Ryuuken compound. This wall was the only sign of any fortification this village had. At the entrance there was, as usual, a pair of guards standing in attention.

Kyouichi approached the gate slowly, avoiding eye contact with the guards. Since they didn't stop him, he figured that it was okay for the villagers to enter and leave their headquarters at will. As he passed between them, he found himself in a large stone courtyard where even now, dozens of these black-white and gold-clad warriors were in the middle of training. They were divided into groups according to the weapons they were using. The spearmen were practicing with long bamboo sticks and the swordsmen had wooden training versions of swords. It seemed that both groups were in the middle of performing some sort of kata, as their instructors yelled out numbers from 1 to 10 and then all over again for each new movement their trainees should perform.

Again, he was reminded of his good old days, before he moved from his old home in Sapporo, Hokkaido to his new one in Tokyo. It was during this period of his life, when his friends talked him into doing karate with them.

As he nostalgically looked at the practicing warriors, he realized that he came there looking for something like an office to get his ID finally validated. After a while of looking at the signs on all the other buildings, he found the right building and headed on towards it. Besides the office building there were the barracks, the dojo, a small temple dedicated to the god of war, an archery range, an armory and surrounded by another wall and well guarded by more of the Ryuuken warriors ? a prison.
"It's quite developed? this little village?" thought Kyouichi after looking around the main courtyard of the Ryuuken headquarters.

As he entered the main office and court building, he asked one of the guards for directions.

"To get your picture taken, go along that corridor and then turn left." the guard guided him. "It's the first door on that corridor, you can't miss it."

"Thank you." Kyouichi bowed and followed the man's directions.

He didn't see much of the ordinary villagers in the halls of this building, which was good, because he knew that there wouldn't be any long lines in front of the offices. In fact, there was no line at all in front of the civil department's identification card registration office.

"Sorry to intrude?" said Kyouichi after knocking on the door and letting himself in.

The clerk sitting at a conference table, similar to the one he saw at the village hall greeted him by bowing slightly.

"Good day to you, young sir. What can I help you with?" she asked.

Kyouichi took out the ID card and the letter he got from the council and put it before her on the table.

The middle-aged lady raced through the brief letter and nodded understandingly.

"I see? You're another one of them folks from the outside. Come, come? let's make you a nice photo for that card."

She invited him further into the office, behind the table into a darkened room. There was an old camera placed on a tripod stand with its finder aimed at a single chair standing in front of it. Kyouichi took a seat in that chair without having to have the office lady tell him so and brushed off some of his long hair from his face. The lady took a place behind the ancient camera, hiding her head in a black veil as she adjusted the lens for a clear shot.

"Okay, young sir, say whenever you're ready?" she mumbled from behind the camera.

Kyouichi faked a gentle smile, trying to look natural and gave a signal to the lady to take the picture. A blinding flash briefly illuminated the entire dark room, immediately reminding Kyouichi of his visit to the new Buddhist temple near the farms where he and other visitors received a mass blessing from Hijiri-san. That time he was also blinded by bright light, although that one was of magical origin.

"Alright, I think it will be a good one?" said the office lady as she was taking out the film from the camera. "While the film gets developed, let's add you into our filing system."

Kyouichi followed her back into the office and there, following a similar procedure as in the village hall, he filled in another form with his personal information. The lady then took an official seal, dipped it in an ink-soaked cotton pillow and printed the office's symbol onto Kyouichi's ID card.

"Please wait a couple of more minutes outside while the photo gets developed. I'll call you in to pick up your valid ID card once it's ready."

"Yes." nodded Kyouichi and left the office while bowing down to the lady.
He took a seat on one of the benches in the corridor and patiently waited for about 30 minutes, all the while humming some melodies and thinking about his plans for the rest of this day.

Finally the office clerk called him in, giving him the valid ID card, complete with his photograph attached to it. Of course, it was black and white, but it was clear enough to anyone that it was Kyouichi's face. The card itself was now coated with a thin transparent protective layer similar to laminate.

"Thank you very much, madam." thanked Kyouichi after a while of observing the card.

"You're welcome, young sir? Please have a nice life here in Gensokyo."

"Uhhh... yeah? sure." responded Kyouichi with clear rejection in his tone.

He didn't mean to be rude, but apparently he still couldn't get over the fact that he might indeed spend his entire life here. He once again bowed to the lady and took his leave of the office and court building and the Ryuuken headquarters.
The lunchtime was getting near, so Kyouichi went straight back home to the Saitou house, hoping that Mizuto would let him help with preparing the lunch at least a little.

"I'm back, Mizuto-san." he called as he entered the house.

A voice sounded from the first door to his right: "Well, Kyouichi-kun, how did it go? Did you get your ID validated?"

"Pretty much?"

"Say, you wouldn't mind lending me a hand here, would you?" asked the fisherman while cutting up some meat.

"Sure. What should I do?"

"Boil some rice? enough for 5 people. Then you can chop a couple of onions, carrots, and all these mushrooms here?"

Having their cooking tasks divided, Kyouichi and Mizuto were done with cooking in no time.
"Mmm? not bad, not bad at all?" mumbled Mizuto as he degusted the curry he prepared with a little help from Kyouichi as well.

"What's that nice smell coming from the kitchen?" sounded the pleasant and cheerful female voice belonging to Minako.

"Oh, Minako-san's here?" said Kyouichi as he turned around to greet her. "Welcome home?"

"Good afternoon, everyone." Minako greeted them. "I can't believe you've made lunch without me."

"What do you take us for?" her husband defended himself. "We men can cook just as well as women can."

"Oh, good. Then you can make all the meals from now on, right, Mizu-chan?" jokingly asked his wife while giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

While Kyouichi was snickering at the table, Mizuto was futilely trying to come up with some excuse so that he wouldn't have take on the role of the only cook in the house.

"But I love your cooking, Minako!"

"Really? Now? when was the last time I heard that from you?" Minako further teased her husband. "Hmm? sometime? .before our wedding, I think?"

"But you always cook delicious meals?" Mizuto tried to flatter her. "You know, it's just what they say about love? You shouldn't say "I love you" to the person you love too often, because always having to remind your love to someone means that the love is not true."

"But I wouldn't mind if you reminded me at least once in a while?" replied Minako, still smiling and patting Mizuto's head.

"Well then?" shrugged the fisherman as he leaned closer to his wife's ear and whispered: "I love you, Minako?"

He then embraced her and without any restrictions from having a stranger right in their kitchen, he kissed her right on her lips.

Seeing two people who love each other gave Kyouichi a very nice and warm feeling inside and he couldn't help but to smile while looking at them and thinking: "Awww? How sweet?"

"Now, let's have a taste of what you cooked up, shall we?" said Minako once she was released from her husband's embrace. "Mmm? not bad at all? "

"I should think so!" said Mizuto who was already serving the curry onto plates. "We both did our best, right, Kyouichi-kun?"

"Well, I guess so?" muttered the outsider.

"Oh, so that's your secret, huh?" Minako jokingly jabbed at Mizuto again. "You're letting our guests do the work for you, eh?"

"Nonsense! And besides, he's not just a guest anymore, but almost like an adopted member of our family. And any member of the family should contribute to the household by some work? Show her your ID, Kyouichi."

"Eh? So you already have a valid card, Kyouichi-kun?" asked Minako and curiously looked at the young man, whom she and her husband decided to take under their roof.

"Oh, sure?" said Kyouichi as he searched his pocket and pulled out his ID card, passing it to the Saitous.

"So it's official now, isn't it?" commented Mizuto as he was observing the small card.

"So it seems?" nodded his wife, holding the ID with her fingertips. "You look good in that picture."

"Thank you, Minako-san."

"So, shouldn't we celebrate this somehow?" asked Mizuto as he was returning Kyouichi's ID to its owner.

"Actually, I was planning to see Naota-san, since I've promised him to have a welcome party as soon as all my admission business was over." said Kyouichi, while putting his ID in the safety of his breast pocket.

"Really, then why not go together?" suggested the head of the Saitou family. "It's been a while since I've talked to that old coot, hehe?"

"Of course, you're welcome!" agreed Kyouichi. "If it weren't for you, I'd be a homeless bum, or worse yet, youkai food? Well, now I'm just a normal bum."

Mizuto chuckled heartily as he smacked Kyouichi's back with moderate force. "If it's housework you want, then I'll be sure to give you some? But not today, because today, we drink till dawn!" he shouted while standing up and raising his arm into the air.

Minako disapprovingly stared at him and shook her head. "Hey, Mizuto, calm down! You can't get Kyouichi drunk. He's got school in the morning?"

"I? uh? didn't mean that literally, my dear." replied Mizuto with a serious face, but neither Minako nor Kyouichi were sure if he wasn't just faking it.

"Okay, Mizuto-san," said Kyouichi after a moment, "I'll see you at the party? wherever that is going to be? But it's going to be late, since I've also promised Chitose to look at her magic practice."

"Alright, young one? But don't complain if there won't be any more sake left when you come, hehehe?"

Minako gave him another warning glare.

"I was only joking, honey." Mizuto reassured her. "Alright, let's eat before it gets cold?"

"Jeez? Sometimes I'm not so sure about your "jokes"?"

"Itadakimasu~!" called the Saitous and Kyouichi as they were ready to feast on the meal.

The children were not there since they had consistent timetable and most likely had their lunches at the school cafeteria. Whatever was left of this curry would be their dinner.

As everyone finished their portion and Minako picked up the plates to wash them, she turned to Mizuto again.
"That sure was an unusual visit yesterday, wasn't it? It's a pity that she left before I got home. It's been a while since I've seen the girl to be honest."

"Well then you're in luck, because she said that she'll come here again this Friday." Mizuto informed her as he grabbed a newspaper from one of the shelves near the door.

"Whaat?!" exclaimed surprised Minako. "You didn't tell me about that!"

"I thought Chitose already told you?" Mizuto excused himself.

"She didn't?" muttered Minako as she stared to panic a bit. "Oh my? we need to put this place into some order and buy some snacks? And maybe I should bake some cookies or something? But will I even be back from work before she leaves again?"

"Now who should calm down?" Mizuto poked fun at his wife for a change. "Just relax. We still got 3 days. And besides, I think we can talk Reimu-san into staying at least until you get home, so there's no need to worry."

"Hmm? okay, but make sure to keep your promise." said Minako over her shoulder as she was washing another dirty plate. "Huh? You're going already, Kyouichi-kun?" she asked as she noticed him standing up from the table with the corner of her eye.

"Yeah. I'm going to try and invite Akyuu-san to the hanami on Reimu's behalf." replied the young man.

"Okay? Good luck. And don't forget that your shift starts in less than an hour." Minako warned him as he was leaving the kitchen.

Kyouichi lifted his head and noticed a small, old clock hanging above the kitchen's door and assuming that it was working properly, he saw that he still had some 50 minutes before his part-time work shift starts.
Bowing to the Saitous and saying that he's leaving, he slowly strolled down the familiar street with the familiar houses and a large fireside with four wooden logs placed around it until he reached the marketplace, from where he took a turn to the west and into another street where both the Hieda house and the Starlight Glyph bookstore were located. A few people on the street were spending the afternoon by shopping and exchanging gossip. Some kids were trying to persuade their mother to buy them some sweets from the candy shop, an elderly couple was looking through the window of the bookstore, a young lady in red plaid dress and short green hair (probably a youkai) was leaving the flower shop with a bunch of different flowers in her hand and a folded white parasol in the other one? It was just another peaceful afternoon in this peaceful little village. Kyouichi stopped just a few steps away from the Hieda residence, took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Sorry to intrude~!" he called into the hallway as he walked in.

Some unfamiliar male voice called back: "Just a minute! I'll be right there!"

Trying not to be too rude, Kyouichi waited there in the hallway for this unknown person to come and let him in or otherwise.

"Good afternoon, young sir." greeted a tall man in a completely plain white kimono. His head was shaven bald and his hazel eyes were looking directly into Kyouichi's. "Welcome to the house of Hieda. Please come in?" he invited him further.

"Have you come to seek the knowledge of the chronicle or is this an informal visit?" asked the mysterious man.

"Maybe a little bit of both?" said Kyouichi as he followed the man into the living room where he noticed the smell of burning incense and several lit candles placed at the Hieda family altar. Kyouichi figured that he probably disturbed the man from his prayer or meditation.

"Is there any particular event you'd like to know about? Or some person perhaps??"

"Actually, I came to see Akyuu-san." answered Kyouichi truthfully.

"So you're already familiar with my daughter? I'm sorry, but I don't recall seeing you before, young sir?" said the man in white, not letting his eyes from his visitor.

"Yes. I've already been here once? You see, I'm from the outside world and I came here to look for some information?" Kyouichi started explaining how he got to know the Gensokyo chronicler and it took him quite a few minutes to do so.
"Well, Ishimaru-san, that was quite a tale? I do remember several outsiders visiting the archive with the very same intention as you are now?" spoke Akyuu's father after hearing out Kyouichi's story in a nutshell. "Unfortunately, as far as I know they all still live here in the village. At least all those who weren't yet eaten by youkai or died naturally? But I don't mean to discourage you. On the contrary, I want you to learn from their mistakes and take off from where they finished. I believe that you're stepping in the right direction in your search, but you must be aware of the many perils that will await you on that path?"

"You know something that could help me?" asked Kyouichi. "Please, tell me."

"I believe my daughter will be able to tell you about the failed escape plans of the outsiders much better than I. After all, she remembers everything... I'll go and call her, so please wait a second?"

The man walked off to somewhere, returning after a while with his little daughter at his side. Akyuu seemed pleasantly surprised by this rather unexpected visit from her recent acquaintance as she welcomed him with her cute smile.

"Nice to see you again, Kyouichi-san."

"Same here, Akyuu-san." replied the outsider and reciprocated Akyuu's smile.

"I hope dad didn't interrogate you too much like all the newcomers?" said the chronicler, looking straight into her father's face.

"Well, not really." replied Kyouichi negatively. "I sort of told him everything that happened to me by myself?"

"Okay, then?" smiled the child of Miare, "come with me so we could talk in privacy."

Kyouichi followed her right after he bowed to her father. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Hieda-san."

"The name's Reiji by the way?" said Akyuu's dad as a late introduction. "Hieda no Reiji."

His daughter gave him a blaming look. "Gee, dad? Asking people questions without even introducing yourself?"

"I'm sorry? I just went with the flow of the conversation." her father apologized.

Akyuu sighed while shaking her head and led the way into the vacant guest room, as expected, crammed up with tons of books. "Please wait here a moment. I'll tell my mother to make some tea."

Kyouichi didn't even get to look around the room properly before the young chronicler returned.
"Well then, Kyouichi-san, please make yourself at home. You've come to talk about something, have you not?"

"Uhh? yeah?" muttered Kyouichi while sitting down. "I don't have much time, so I won't stay for too long?"

"So, what can I help you with in this short time?" asked Akyuu.

"Well, Reimu-san's going to host a hanami at the shrine and she's looking for some more guests? She said that I can bring a few people along and I thought that maybe you'd like to go there too?"

Akyuu's eyes lightly sparkled with joy as she was surprisedly looking at her guest. "You're inviting me to a hanami?"

"I am, although I'm not the host?" responded Kyouichi.

"And is Reimu-san ok with this? She never invited me before?"

"To tell you the truth, she said that she almost forgot about you? But she'd like to make it up by inviting you this time."

"Oh, my?" Akyuu paused for a moment, trying to process the pleasantly surprising news. "I? I don't know what to say? Thank you? and Reimu-san, of course? I'll gladly come, but? When is this hanami going to start?"

"I don't know the precise hour, but it takes place this Friday. Sometime in the evening?" answered Kyouichi while explaining that Reimu herself will be waiting at the Saitou residence to personally escort them both to the shrine.

While the little chronicler bowed and thanked once more, the door to the guest room suddenly opened and an unknown young looking woman entered with a porcelain tea set on a silver platter.

"Good afternoon to you." she greeted. "Here's the tea, Akyuu-chan?"

She had black shoulder-length and slightly wavy hair and was clad in a light-purple short sleeved kimono with a red obi tied around the waist. Judging by the informal endearing suffix that she addressed Akyuu with, Kyouichi thought of her as the chronicler's mother.

"Thank you, mom." said Akyuu while bowing and smiling and confirming Kyouichi's deduction.

"Won't our guest stay with us for lunch?" asked the mother.

"No, thank you?" Kyouichi kindly refused. "I've already eaten and besides, my work starts soon, so I'll be leaving in a couple of minutes."

"That's a shame?" sounded the woman with disappointment as she poured the tea into two cups. "Alright, I won't be delaying you two with your conversation. See you next time?"

"Yes, goodbye, Hieda-san." bowed Kyouichi to the leaving mother of Akyuu.

"So, Kyouichi-san," the chronicler resumed the conversation, "should I be waiting at the Saitou residence on Friday then?"

"Sure. Why not?" agreed the young man. "I'll let the Saitous know that there will be two guests."

"Okay then? Thank you again."

"No problem."

"Well, why don't we enjoy those last few minutes with this tea that my mom brought?"

Kyouichi nodded as he and Akyuu took the cups in their hands and sipped the hot but delicious green tea with honey. The outsider then spoke again after a while: "It just occurred to me, Akyuu-san, but? when you reincarnated nine times?"

"Eight." Akyuu corrected him.

"Huh? Oh? right, eight times? Well, does that mean that you had different parents each time?" asked Kyouichi, even though he expected Akyuu's answer to be positive.

The little chronicler nodded, again with her childlike smile. "That's right, Kyouichi-san. A little weird, isn't it?"

"How's it like? Being born into a new family every time? Did you like all your parents?" wondered Kyouichi whose curiosity grew proportionally with the amount of information he absorbed.

"To put it simply, I got used to it. Even though I consider my first parents as the real ones, I do love all my other parents as well?"

"I admire you, Akyuu-san?" admitted Kyouichi and drank the last drops of the tea in his cup. "To be able to bear the burden of all the memories from your previous lives and being aware that you're probably going to repeat it yet a couple of more times? And all the while knowing that your life gets shorter? I really doubt I'd be strong enough to live like this and even manage to keep on writing a chronicle? I wish I could have such a strong spirit."

"Thank you for your kind words, Kyouichi-san, but I don't think there's really much to admire me for." said Akyuu, shaking her little head in denial. "I can give you a little advice, however. It's all about the standpoint? The outlook on life and the world? If you can think of every aspect, every event, every little detail in your life and realize that there's a reason for everything, you can easily understand and learn to accept both the "good" and "bad" things equally, without putting too much strain on your soul. And faith? faith is a necessity. It doesn't matter what you believe in. Be it a god, or some personal idol, or some supernatural force or simply your own self? Faith is the key that can work wonders with your inner self? It may not help you directly in a certain situation, but it offers answers? Answers to the questions every one of us keeps asking before we fall asleep? Like: Who am I? What am I doing here? What is my purpose? Is there life after death? Is it really possible to achieve eternal happiness? Faith helps people realize... it opens their eyes to see the world in a whole new color. It is like a shield? like an armor for your soul and mind to help you endure the emotional blows that every one of us encounters in our lives sooner or later. Of course, I believe even those who claim that they don't believe in anything will be able to find happiness in the afterlife, but hardly any in their present life? Those who don't believe and those with a narrow point of view tend to give up easily, being depressed and committing suicides? Really, it's true. So what about you, Kyouichi-san, do you believe in something?"

Without much time to think, he responded: "Yes, I do?"

"Then you already have what it takes to find happiness in your present life. Most people don't realize it, but they all have the key to happiness with them all along."

"Really?"

"Indeed." acknowledged the ninth child of Miare. "I'll tell you a little story so that you'd better understand what I mean?" she finished her cup of tea and cleared her throat. "Once upon a time, there was this old beggar who had no home. Every day he was sitting near a road on an old rotting wooden box and begging for a few coins or a little bit of food from the passerby. One day as he was again sitting in the scorching summer sun near the road, a stranger was passing by and the old beggar stopped him. "Would you please spare a few coins for this humble old man?" he asked. The stranger stopped and told him: "I'm sorry, but I don't have any money." The old beggar sighed: "That's a pity." and sat down again on the aged wooden box. The stranger suddenly asked: "What do you have inside that box?" "Nothing." The beggar replied, "It's just an old box? It's been laying here for as long as I can remember." "Have you ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No. Why should I?" wondered the beggar. "Maybe there's something that you could sell?" said the stranger as he was again walking away from the beggar, on his way to his unknown destination. "Yeah, right?" grumbled the old man as he spat on the ground. As he was sitting there for several hours, the stranger's words kept echoing inside his head, making his mind restless. Finally, he just couldn't take it anymore, and to get rid of this feeling, he decided to take a look inside that old rotting box to make sure that there was nothing there. As he opened the decayed lid of the box, however, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, for inside of that box was filled to the top with gold bars. He wanted to thank the stranger for telling him to look inside, but the man was long since gone. The old man lived off the rest of his life as the richest man in the village where he had settled? End of story."

"That was a very interesting story indeed." stated Kyouichi after Akyuu finished.

"Yes. It simply says that we all already have the greatest treasure we can find right within ourselves." Akyuu summed up. "All that we need is to become aware of it. Or a help of a stranger who will tell us to take a look inside..."

"I see? Thank you for this story, Akyuu-san? I think I'm beginning to see how you managed to keep your cheerfulness throughout all those lives that you've lived?" said Kyouichi while nodding understandingly. "But? I think I should really get going now if I don't want to be late for work."

The chronicler giggled. "Right? I didn't mean to delay you."

She stood up and accompanied Kyouichi all the way to the doorstep of her house.

"Well then, I guess we'll see each other again this week." said Akyuu.

"Yeah?" acknowledged Kyouichi. "I'm looking forward to that too? Goodbye for now."

"Bye~!"
Leaving the Hieda residence, the young outsider didn't have a long way to walk to get to his workplace since it was just across the street. This time he didn't feel nearly any stress as he walked into the bookstore named Starlight Glyph to begin his second shift as the storekeeper's assistant. Daisuke Shimizu, his employer, was standing at the counter, talking to some customers who apparently just bought some book. As he waved at them while they were leaving the shop, he noticed Kyouichi standing there and gestured for him to come closer.

"Good day, Ishimaru-san, you came right on time~!" he called with his hyped up tone. "Let me give you some tasks right away."

He led him again to the printing room behind the counter and put a whole pile of books for him to make copies of.

"Albright, Ishimaru-san, we've received a larger order from one of the other villages and I need you to make copies out of all these books here before the closing hour. Also? while the printer will be making copies, I've put a pile of manuscripts that we bought from Eientei on the table over there and want you to manually transcribe them into something more? legible. Yagokoro-sama may be a genius, but she sure could use a few calligraphy lessons? At least by the time she was writing these? They're very old as you can see, so be careful while manipulating with them, okay?"

"Yes, boss." nodded Kyouichi. "Anything else?"

"That is all." replied the storekeeper. "You can do the usual cleaning afterwards. But it's enough work to keep you busy for the better part of the shift."

"Alright then, I better get started?" said Kyouichi as he loaded the kappan printing machine with the first book of the pile, blank paper sheets and more printing ink.

"I'll be right here at the counter tending to the customers." Daisuke informed him while pointing backwards with his thumb. "If you'll have any questions or problems, just call me."

"Airtight, Shimizu-san, I'll let you know if I need anything."

"Oh, and one more thing?" said the shopkeeper as he was about to leave the printing room. "Be sure to check on that old printer every once in a while. It's a small miracle that it's still functioning properly, but with the amount of books I need to get printed today, I'm afraid it might be a bit too much for it to handle. If it starts making any strange noises, or if it starts smearing ink over the pages uncontrollably, turn it off and let it cool down for a while. If the problems persist, then I'm afraid we would have to get it fixed again and my promised shipment will be delayed? meaning, my reputation would suffer." explained Daisuke as he again started to gesticulate excitedly. "Okay? I guess I should let you work now?"

As Daisuke left Kyouichi alone in the printing room, the outsider took one deep breath, cracked his knuckles and started working on his tasks. He put the first of the books into the duplication slot. Pulling a couple of levers, turning a dial to set the machine's performance and pushing the start button on this wondrous, but aged piece of kappan technology, he began making copies. After watching the printing process as several text-covered pages successfully made their way out of this clunking and humming machine's interior, Kyouichi assumed that it was working smoothly. He then took a seat on a simple wooden chair at a simple wooden desk where a small pile of yellowed manuscripts with faded and barely legible text was waiting to be transcribed to preserve the ancient wisdom of their author. Carefully taking the first parchment into the gentle grip of his fingertips, Kyouichi began to diligently decipher the hurried and sloppy handwriting.

"Extracting? the essence? of healing herbs? to produce? universal? cold and flu? remedies?" whispered Kyouichi as he checked and stopped after every couple of words of the manuscript as he copied those words on another paper in his own handwriting, trying to write the kanji characters as legible as possible.

"?by Eirin?Yagokoro?" he finished transcribing the title and the author's name.

He recalled that he had sorted some books yesterday which were written by the same author? Or at the very least, by a person with the same name. Whoever this Eirin was, she certainly had considerable knowledge in the field of medicine, chemistry, human anatomy and herbology, as Kyouichi was gradually figuring out while reading and transcribing her texts filled with tongue-twisting scientific terms and mind-boggling amount of information about things he couldn't even begin to understand.

After successfully copying the third parchment, the young outsider let out a sigh. "Damn? It's a good thing I didn't get to study medicine? This stuff makes my brain hurt."

As he was shaking off the stiffness from his right wrist, he turned to check the progress of the printing machine. Everything seemed to be going well so far and the pages that were gradually piling up in the printout tray were printed well and without any ink smears. Kyouichi was a little surprised by the machine's performance, because it had already managed to print over 80 pages, while he could only transcribe 3 parchments. He reluctantly returned to the uncomfortable chair and resumed his work of parchment transcription. It clearly wasn't as easy a job as he had thought it would be, but come to think of it, none of the part time jobs he had tried were exactly easy. After some more minutes spent writing, Kyouichi noticed the printing machine stopped making the clunking sounds and was only silently humming.

"Huh? Is this thing done with work already?" he stood up from the desk, walking towards it.

It certainly seemed that way, so Kyouichi turned the machine off to cool down, as recommended by his boss and at the pull of a lever, the mechanism ejected the original book out of the duplication slot like a VCR ejects a cassette.

"So, how's it going, Ishimaru-san?" Daisuke's voice came from the doorway as his small stature leaned in to peek into the printing room.

"I've got the first book copied a-okay, but I'm not doing so hot with the manuscripts?" admitted the assistant with a humble tone, being aware of his lack of speed in transcribing.

"That's okay?" the shopkeeper comforted him. "Take your time with the parchments? I know all too well how hard and time-consuming a task it can be to make a good transcription. Especially when it's a handwriting written by someone like Eirin-sensei? The book copies are our top priority for today. Anything else can wait, ok? You'll yet have plenty of time to work on the manuscripts. Just please, let that machine rest every now and then?"

"Alright, alright? I know?" replied the outsider, already getting tired of Daisuke's constant warnings about the machine's unstable functionality.

There were still 8 titles left to be copied before the store closes, so Kyouichi waited but a couple of more minutes before putting in the second tome and starting the printer up again.

Doing a couple of simple stretching exercises with his arms, back and neck, he again assumed his place behind the desk and continued working on the manuscripts from Eientei. As he was filling more and more sheets of paper with the barely comprehendible entries on how to concoct healing ointments, sleeping powder, hallucinogenic incense, anesthetic pills and even aphrodisiacal potions, he could hear Daisuke's voice enthusiastically explaining to some customers why is the Starlight Glyph the best bookstore in all of Gensokyo. Again, he instinctively checked on the printer and made himself sure it was working as it should be?
Four and a half hours have passed until the final page of the final book of the pile came out of the belly of the printer.

"?And done." announced Kyouichi to his boss that the copies were ready to be bound, packed and sent on their way.

"Ah, excellent work!" he praised both his assistant and the kappan printing machine. "And the printer's still working. Amazing? You're like a good luck charm, Ishimaru-san, you know that?"

"That's ridiculous?" denied Kyouichi, chuckling to Daisuke's remark.

"No, trust me? If you told me that I'd be able to make 9 full copies of books with that old hunk of metal today, I'd probably laugh you off, thinking that you're a fool. But just look at that! It still works."

"So you were not even hoping that you'd be able to deliver that order today?"

"Frankly, I was almost reconciled with it." admitted the storekeeper. "It's just about time I started considering ordering a new printer from the kappa."

"So, should I keep on transcribing or do you want me to clean up the store?" asked Kyouichi.

"Just run across the floor with a wet rag. You don't need to wipe the dust from the shelves every day? And I guess I can let you go after that. What do you say?"

Kyouichi was more than happy to agree to that offer, since he still had a few things planned for today. The sooner he was done here, the sooner he could go and take a rest while watching Chitose practicing magic and later drinking with Naota, Mizuto and perhaps some other people. He wiped the floor of the bookstore as he was told, and after 10 minutes, he was already bowing to Daisuke and taking his leave with the content feeling of a job well done.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 15 ? First Sight of a Danmaku Duel

The sun was nearing the distant hills in the west, giving Kyouichi a rough idea about the time left to sunset. He estimated that time to be something over one hour.

"Still a bit too early to go to the meadows near the farms and wait for the magic practitioners to gather." He thought as he gazed at the setting sun while holding up his hand against his forehead to shield his eyes from the bright light.

He decided it would be better to kill some time while waiting for the Magic Practice Club members by browsing the through the windows of shops and maybe buying some snacks to sweeten the moment. After a longer while of slow-paced walk and window-shopping through the Western Street (since the streets in the village had no names, Kyouichi decided to give them some names to tell them apart), he again ended up in the central circular area of the village's marketplace. A pleasant smell of freshly baked taiyaki drove him towards one of the stands where a short line of customers waited to buy the delicious treat.

"Mmm, taiyaki? It's been ages since I've last had one of those." sighed Kyouichi with nostalgia as he inhaled the sweet aroma spreading from the baking mold. As the turn to buy finally came to him, he placed his order: "One with the sweet-bean paste, please."

"Yes, that will be 150 yen, please!" called the taiyaki baker as he took one of the freshly baked pieces of the carp-shaped sweet snack and put it into a paper bag.

After paying the price, Kyouichi contently clutched onto the taiyaki in the bag and with his leisure pace, he headed on towards the village school. As he walked, he impatiently unwrapped the snack and took a deep whiff of its fresh scent before taking a first bite.
"Uguuu~!" uttered Kyouichi after tasting the taiyaki, earning a few curious looks from the passing-by villagers. As he was enjoying the snack, he eventually reached the front entrance to the Kamishirasawa School. There he sat down on the stairs and waited for Chitose to come out with the rest of the club members. As he was savoring the taste of taiyaki and staring at the distant bamboo forest at the end of the south-eastern road, he heard the bell ringing and soon after, muffled sounds of students running down the halls of the school as their evening club activities were over (or in some cases, only beginning).

He quickly stood up from the stairs and took a step aside, so he wouldn't get caught up in their stampede. Several seconds later, the entrance's door burst open and a frenzied horde of young students poured out of the building like rats trying to escape from a sinking ship. Kyouichi was desperately trying to catch sight of Chitose in that flowing crowd, but it was like looking for a needle in a hay sack. Fortunately for him, he was much taller than any of those kids and it was Chitose Saitou who took notice of him right as she walked out of the school.

"Oi~! Onii-cha? I mean, Kyouichi-kuuun~!" she called out to him and slowly worked her way through the crowd towards him.

"Ah, Chitose, there you are." said the outsider once he noticed her emerge out of the crowd.

"Thank you for waiting for me." she said while smiling. "Please wait here just a moment while I call the other club members?"

Kyouichi nodded and watched as the little Chitose walked back towards the school and disappeared in the crowd of students who were still leaving the school.

"Man... How many of them are there?!" he wondered about the number of the students devoting their time to various clubs at this school. He would guess that to be at least two hundred. That was quite a lot, considering the small population of the Human Village. His attention was again reverted to Chitose who was again walking out of the crowd, this time with a small band of other students including her two friends, Haruka and Rie. There were around 20 members of the Magic Practice Club and now they were all staring at Kyouichi and wondering what was this strange guy doing there.

"Well then, let's go to our training grounds!" commanded Rie, who was obviously the club's president.

The group began marching westwards, apparently heading for the "Western Street" and the road leading to the farms and the temple. As Kyouichi and Chitose exchanged their news of the day, they were already nearing the mentioned Buddhist temple converted from the flying Palanquin Ship. The sun was already hidden behind the horizon and the color of the sky gradually faded to dark-blue. Just about 50 meters before they'd reach the unique-looking building, the group turned 90 degrees to the left (that is to the south) and marched on for something over 5 minutes until they stopped on a vast meadow, located approximately two kilometers north of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. The forest was now only visible as a giant black wall stretching wide from the south-east and continuing all the way to the west until blending with the rest of the landscape.
"Alright, here we are." announced Chitose, letting Kyouichi know that he could stop.

The rest of the group began forming a large circle in which they'd hold their practice duels. Kyouichi sat down on the ground and curiously watched what would happen next. Before the actual duels started, Rie walked up into the middle of the circle and informed the club members about the evening practice sessions.

"These meetings will be no different from our regular practice in form. The only difference is the lack of natural light." she explained. "In the real life situations, the youkai usually attack their victims during the night and so, to prepare ourselves for such situations, we'll be practicing in the evening at least once a week."

After her short foreword she began explaining the difference between nighttime and daytime tactics of danmaku duels.

"I guess I don't need to explain the principals of dueling during the daytime, since you're already well accustomed to that. During the night, all the danmaku becomes much more clearly visible, so presumably, it's also easier to avoid getting hit. That of course doesn't mean that nighttime duels are easier."

Rie suddenly conjured up a bright shining sphere in her hand, very similar to those which the fairies used against Kyouichi on his first day in Gensokyo. This sphere was much larger, though. Rie stretched out her hand to the sky and launched the glowing orb up into the air. After ascending to the height of approximately 30 meters, the orb exploded in a bright flash of greenish light, making a loud booming noise as it burst into dozens of smaller green orbs, unguidedly flying from the center of the explosion like some sort of magic fireworks.

"As you can see," continued Rie explaining as she pointed at the sky, "all the projectiles are shining brightly in the dark, which might make it easier to dodge them. However, they are blinding us at the same time, so we should also try to avoid looking directly at them. It will also be rather difficult keeping track of your opponent's position while you're focused on dodging all that display of pretty lights."

Kyouichi however, stared directly at the beauty of the demonstrational example of Rie's danmaku and watched as the small green orbs were gradually slowing down before they harmlessly faded into nothing.

"That can be both our advantage and disadvantage." sounded Rie again after briefly pausing herself. "In real life situations, most of the time our main goal will not be to win a duel against a youkai, but simply surviving the encounter. I realize that most of us here are complete amateurs who cannot even begin to compare with the Ryuuken or the skilled youkai hunters, but we can all avoid being eaten even with the little magic abilities we have. If we can just conjure up a danmaku pattern in conjunction with good timing, we won't even need to hit our attacker. The danmaku will temporarily blind them and confuse them, buying us precious seconds to escape and hide. Okay, enough about the theory, let's all try shooting some danmaku into the air to see how it looks during the night?"

What followed was a massive barrage of multi-colored bright lights soaring up to the sky and a mixture of many different light effects accompanied by loud explosions, high-pitched whistling and crackling. It was as if a group of 20 young teenage students were celebrating New Year by the end of spring. Not long after all the danmaku dissipated and faded into silence, a bunch of half-alarmed and half-surprised Ryuuken guards came rushing towards the meadow where the Magic Practice Club gathered to hold their first evening training.

"What the hell is going on here?!" shouted one of the men. "What are you kids doing here in this late hour?!"

Rie calmly walked up towards the guards and pulled out some sort of paper from her backpack.

"We're the Magic Practice Club from the Kamishirasawa Affiliated School." she explained.

"This is the permission to hold the evening practice sessions at this specified location signed by Kamishirasawa-sensei herself." she said as she offered the document to one of the warriors to confirm.

"Oh, so you're the youngsters who usually gather here to practice, huh?" asked the guard as he briefly checked the permission. "We thought that there was some youkai attack, so we rushed here to see?"

"No, no?" Rie shook her head smiling. "It was just us practicing? Nothing you should worry about."

"Very well then, Fukukane-san?" nodded the warrior approvingly. "Just be careful. The youkai are the most active after sundown."

"What?! Fukukane-san?" Kyouichi curiously whispered the question to Chitose's ear. "Is she the village elder's??"

"Yes. Rie-senpai is elder Fukukane's granddaughter." Chitose whispered the answer. "She's quite capable in magic. But not as cool as Reimu-sama?" she said with a daydreamy look.

The Ryuuken were already marching back to wherever they came from, and Rie Fukukane returned again to the middle of the circle formed by the club members to resume the training.

"Alright? I think we now all understand how beautiful and bright danmaku is at night. Now, let's try some practice dueling! Saitou-san?" she turned suddenly to Chitose.

"Yes, Rie-senpai?" asked her surprised friend.

"Let's have a friendly match, shall we?"

"Uh? yes, senpai?" nodded Chitose as she nervously walked into the circle to face her friend.

Kyouichi then witnessed as Rie slowly began to ascend into the air and stopped at 10 meter height, hovering in mid air above the other members. While Kyouichi was in sheer bewilderment, the others were casually observing the sight as if there was nothing unusual about it. The fact that Chitose also began rising to Rie's level soon afterwards didn't help Kyouichi to hide his amazement either.

"Holy sh?! Even Chitose can fly?!"

A brief moment of silence came about as both girls levitating in mid-air stared at each other. Only the quiet sound of flowing breeze, swaying their hair and clothes could be heard, before Rie suddenly cut the silence.

"Let's go! Hya!" she quickly flew several meters backwards while stretching both of her hands forward, eyes locked on her opponent.

At the same time, light particles of bright-green color began rapidly gathering in front of her palms, becoming two large brightly shining energy spheres. A second later, a salvo of smaller light-green spheres shot forward out of the large ones, forming a spiral-shaped stream of fast-moving projectiles headed Chitose's way.

Unlike the spectating Kyouichi, Chitose was not dazzled by the impressive display of Rie's magic and without much effort, she elegantly dodged out of the attack, avoiding all the green projectiles coming at her. Kyouichi caught himself clenching both of his fists from the thrill as he took a couple of steps backwards out of caution. Chitose's response to Rie's attack was swift, as she stretched her arms above her head, making numerous small bright-blue sources of light appear randomly within 5 meters of her proximity. She kept her arms up as the lights' intensity gradually increased, making their color turn to white.

At this point it was dangerous for eyes to look at them directly, so Kyouichi and the other spectating club members shielded their eyes with their hands. Suddenly, Chitose flung both of her arms downward, as if trying to throw some invisible object. The moment she did so, the dazzling white lights shot out blue beam-like projectiles, first accelerating at incredible speed, then suddenly slowing down and letting their tail catch up with the front, thus again shortening the projectiles until their shape was again that of small palm-sized bright spheres.

Rie at first looked a bit surprised by the strange movement of the shots, but she managed to stay out of their way, simply by slightly tilting her position to the left, enough to avoid one of the beams that just grazed past her. Not giving her opponent any time to counter, Chitose already conjured up a large blue orb in front of her outstretched arms and without waiting, she sent it on its way toward Rie. The large orb was rather slow in movement, but as it was nearing its target, it grew in size, like a giant blue glowing bubble. When it was just a couple of meters away from Rie, it was already 3 times as large as her.

Rie didn't panic as she accelerated forward, as if trying to directly dive into the bubble. To Kyouichi's and also to Chitose's surprise, she did almost exactly that. She threw herself right into the orb. However, not into the middle, but rather only into its outermost layer and safely emerged from the other side. A second later, the giant blue bubble made a loud pop, bursting into a hundred small unguided bright-blue fragments, which disappeared a split second afterwards. Rie didn't even have to look back and avoid them. Instead, she was already holding her arms stretched sideways, with bright pulsing sources of green light in each palm.

"Not bad, Chitose-san!" she shouted so that her sparring partner could hear her words. "But you still have yet much to learn about danmaku!"

The raven-haired girl then pointed both of her arms forward, making both green lights fly toward Chitose and colliding together, thus forming one large arrow-shaped missile of high energy and velocity. It also seemed like this shot was homing in on Chitose, who in response instinctively pointed her index finger at the incoming magic missile and shot out a single beam-shot, just like those she made in her previous attack and hit Rie's projectile halfway to its target. A blinding flash illuminated the entire meadow like a sun and a loud bang made many of the spectators and the two dueling girls cover their ears. Hundreds of blue, green, yellow and orange magic fragments scattered from the epicenter of the blast in a steady stream, like a miniature demonstration of the big bang.

"This is funky?" murmured Kyouichi to himself as he gazed upon the intriguing light effects. That was, however, only until the moment when several of these blazing magic fragments hit the ground with considerable force, dangerously close to his feet.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed in shock as he immediately turned away from the scene of battle and darted away from the danger. The other club members stared to panic as well as the circle which they had formed around the dueling girls scattered to all directions. After a moment when everything and everyone calmed down, Kyouichi could see the dark silhouettes of the dueling girls, still hovering high above the ground, but no longer attacking each other. He slowly walked up back to the "arena" and watched as all the other club members also began returning and reforming the large circle. The girls slowly descended back to the ground and Kyouichi saw as one of them was holding her arm over her the other one, as if she was wounded. As he came closer, he saw that the girl in question was Chitose and as soon as her feet touched the ground, Rie ran towards her in panic.

"Chitose-san, Chitose-san! Are you alright?!" she shouted.

"Don't worry about me, Rie-senpai?" Chitose calmed her down, "It just stings a little." she said as she removed her right hand from her left forearm, revealing a burnt hole through the sleeve of her school uniform.

"I? I'm so sorry!" apologized the club's leader as she immediately pulled up Chitose's sleeve to take a look at her wound.

Rie herself was unharmed. Kyouichi could only wonder what miracle was at work that she managed to avoid being hit when she was so close to the magic blast.

"Like I said, don't worry. It wasn't your fault, Rie-senpai. It's only a little burn." Chitose reassured her friend as she stretched out her left arm to show her that the wound wasn't serious at all.

"Thank goodness?" Rie exhaled in relief. "Fortunately, we only use the weakest form of danmaku possible. Otherwise it could have ended up much worse."

Kyouichi, who was also worried about Chitose, quickly rushed into the middle of the circle to make sure that she was alright.

"What do you mean, the weakest form of danmaku possible?!" he angrily shouted at Rie. "Your attacks didn't look weak at all! You could have seriously hurt her! And that explosion just now? it was enough to send all your fellow club members running! Don't you have any responsibility?! If you weren't a girl I'd just?" his short outburst of anger was calmed down by Chitose, who grabbed him by his hand and cut off his last sentence.

"That's enough." she said with a serious and slightly intimidating tone, but her grip on Kyouichi's hand was gentle and soothing, as if nicely asking him not to spill his anger on her best friend. "Rie-senpai is the last person on Earth who would want to hurt me, so please? just? Don't yell at her!" she begged, her voice trembling as she began sobbing and tears began forming in the corners of her eyes.

She then walked up to Rie, who was standing there in awe with an expression of fear and guilt. Chitose gently wrapped her arms around her best friend and rested her head on her shoulder. Her muffled sobs were the only sounds that were breaking the dead silence on the meadow as everyone was just standing there speechless and watching this awkward situation.

"F? forgive me?" muttered Kyouichi silently, as he bowed to Rie and Chitose as well. "Please, forgive me. I was just?" he couldn't even think of the right words to finish his sentence. He felt sorry for both of them, but he just didn't know how to react. On one hand he felt that he did the right thing to scold Rie for using needlessly powerful magic, but on the other hand, he knew that he did wrong when he yelled at her like that. He also came to realize that Chitose's attacks didn't seem weak either.

"It's alright?" sounded Rie after a short while as she stroked Chitose's head. "I'm also sorry for making you worry? Come on, Chitose, there's no need for crying."

"Yes?" sobbed Chitose as she let go of her friend and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"It might have looked like we were using strong danmaku, but we decreased its damage to minimum." explained Rie. "All the flashy effects are only for show."

"So that's how it is??" whispered Kyouichi as he embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.

"That's right." nodded Rie. "Even fairies have danmaku that is more dangerous than this."

Kyouichi remembered very well how it felt to be hit by the fairies' danmaku as they attacked him on his first day in Gensokyo. Ever since, he developed respect if not a minor phobia towards those creatures.

"Then I'm once again sorry, Rie-san, for bursting out on you like that?" he apologized once more. "I misunderstood the situation."

"It's alright... No apologies needed."

"Umm? Chitose-chan?" he turned to the other girl and observed her left forearm. "Are you really ok?"

"Y-yes. " she stuttered a little. "It's nothing, really."

"I'm glad to hear that." said Kyouichi, taking Chitose into a brief and gentle embrace. "But when I saw that last explosion? That was quite a light show. It really scared me."

"Compared to some other danmaku we've seen during our daytime training, that one was rather mild." said Rie. "If you practice danmaku duels or even any form of martial art, it's inevitable that you'll get hurt a bit every now and then. That is a part of the training? To prepare us for the real deal, when we'll face real danger and take real hits."

"I have to admit, you're right." replied Kyouichi while nodding knowingly. "No pain, no gain."

"Yes, that's how it is?" agreed Rie. "I've already lost count of how many times I got hurt during training. I even had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. But I haven't given up training, and now I have the honor of being the president of this club."

"Well then, I guess I better let you resume the training."

"Thank you." smiled Rie as she took Chitose by the hand and walked her to the edge of the edge of the circle.
Kyouichi accompanied them and took his place beside Chitose and they both kept spectating the following practice duels. By the end of the training, Rie had called forth yet 4 other pairs of randomly picked practitioners and let them duel it out in very similar fashion as she dueled Chitose. Kyouichi yet saw 4 impressive matches packed with fast-paced, dazzling and colorful danmaku action. He was reminded of Reimu's words when she told him that almost everyone can fly. Truly, every single dueling pair had their practice match whilst flying and some of the duelists even demonstrated quite spectacular maneuvering skills. Some of them got hit, some of them managed to to stay out of harm's way, but all of them seemed like they were enjoying their training.

After an hour, Rie called it a day and announced the end of today's evening practice session. Everyone was walking back to the village, cutting their route short over the grassy field. By the time they reached the center of the village, they began splitting up into smaller groups, each with their own destination. It was there when Chitose and Kyouichi bid Rie goodbye and headed home. As Kyouichi was slowly walking up the Northern Street, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his left hand as it was again gently grabbed by Chitose.

"Kyouichi-kun??" she asked shyly.

"What is it, Chitose-chan?"

"?Thank you for being worried about me?" she murmured as she clung closer to the outsider.

Kyouichi looked down on her and smiled softly. "Please don't make a habit out of making me worry about you."

The girl giggled. "I'll try."

As they were both passing by the fireside, which was now surrounded by over a dozen villagers, Kyouichi quickly scanned them to check if old Naota was among them. However, he could not see the retired carpenter there, which he found rather unusual.

"Umm? Chitose-chan," he spoke again to the firstborn child of the Saitou family, "you can go on ahead without me. I just remembered something that I need to take care of."

"Okay, see you at home, onii? err? Kyouichi." she corrected herself before she addressed him the way he told her not to.

She then ran up the rest of the way to her home. Kyouichi turned on his heel and headed back down to the opposite side of the Northern Street, adjacent to the marketplace where Naota's western-style house was located.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 16 ? The Welcome Party

He could see even from distance that a dim light was flickering behind its windows, indicating that someone was there. He stepped close to the door and knocked a few times. He then habitually turned the door handle to open the door for himself, but as he pulled, the door remained firmly in its position. It was locked. Kyouichi again knocked on the door, this time with more force, so that the old man could hear it.

"Hellooo~! Naota-san, are you there~?!" he shouted through the door after some more loud knocking.

He then pressed his ear against the door to listen. A moment later, he could already hear the familiarly gruff voice of Naota Tanisake and his footsteps getting ever louder as he approached the door.

"Keep your fundoshi on! I'm coming already?" sounded his muffled voice from the other side of the massive oak door. "Man? Whom the devils bring here this time?"

Kyouichi couldn't help but to snicker at Naota's grumpiness. A sound of the door being unlocked was heard and right after that, the door opened.

"Oh?!" exclaimed the bald old man in working overalls standing in the doorway. "It's you."

"Hey, good evening there, Naota-san!" Kyouichi greeted him rather cheerfully. "I didn't see you at the campfire, so I figured I'd find you here."

"I was just about to go there, actually. You want something from me, kid?"

"Why, of course I do." acknowledged the young outsider. "Why else would I bother visiting an old irritable geezer at this late hour?" he jokingly remarked.

Naota let out a snorting chuckle. "So what can this old geezer help you with then?"

"Remember when you said that we should throw a welcome party once all my admission business was done?" Kyouichi began explaining.

"Don't tell me that?"

"Yes, I'm telling you exactly THAT." he cut off Naota's sentence immediately. He then pulled out his ID card and flashed it to the old man. "Ta-daaah~!"

The retired carpenter took a closer look at the card with his mouth ajar. "Well, kid, hehehe, of course I remember our little agreement. And today seems like a great day for a party. Wait here, ok? I'll be right back."
Kyouichi crossed his arms as he waited for Naota who walked back into his house. A couple of minutes later, he came out with a leather bag in his right hand. The clinking sounds that it made as Naota was carrying it, spoke of its content.

"Here, you carry this for me, kid." said the old man, passing the heavy bag to Kyouichi.

The curious youth took a peek inside to see five full bottles of sake.

"O-hoho~! I'm so going to skip school tomorrow?" he stated at the sight of all that alcohol.

"It's not just for the two of us, you know?" growled back old Naota as he again showed up in the doorway with yet another, albeit smaller bag. "I'm also bringing some cups, so that we wouldn't have to drink from the bottles like some wild savages." he explained the content of the second bag.

"I know, I know?" nodded Kyouichi, "I don't know if Mizuto told you, but he's coming too."

"Mizuto? Really?" asked Naota with a surprised tone. "I haven't seen him since last week? I'd sure like him to come and have a drink or two with us. That young wife of his is probably keeping him on a tight leash, hehe."

The old carpenter locked the door of his house and gestured to Kyouichi with his head to follow him.

"So he didn't tell you? That's weird. He seemed to be looking forward to the party?" said Kyouichi as he followed Naota to the fireside, lugging the heavy bag. "Maybe I should go and pick him up."

"Looks like you won't have to, kid." replied Naota, pointing at the band of people gathered around the fireside. "It seems, he's already started without us."

"That traitor!" jokingly muttered Kyouichi as he drew closer to the fireside along with Naota.
Mizuto was already sitting on one of the logs and excitedly talking to some strangers who were probably his friends. Then as he finished his sentence, the whole group was engulfed in jolly laughter and they all raised their drinking cups up and drank their content to the bottom. As Mizuto saw two familiar people approaching, he waved at them from the distance and shouted loudly over the entire street: "Heeey~! There they are! Over here, Naota and Kyouichi! We have roast meat and there's enough sake to flood the village!"

"Oh my God?" chuckled amused Kyouichi. "And we're bringing even more!"

"Better safe than sorry." noted Naota calmly. "It's always good to have some extra reserve."

Mizuto already reserved a place for two more people on one of the wooden logs, where Kyouichi and Naota took their seat.

"This one here," Mizuto pointed at Kyouichi, "is now our new member of the family. He's come to Gensokyo from the outside world four days ago, all beaten up and exhausted."

"It's not like I've actually come here, as much as I've simply appeared here." Kyouichi corrected him.

Mizuto, however, continued without paying attention to Kyouichi's words. He was apparently already half-drunk.

"We decided to take this poor, lost young man in and provide him with our humble shelter and food. Today, however, he's officially become registered as a proper denizen of the Human Village. Everyone, let's raise our cups and have a drink to our new friend, Ishimaru Kyouichi!"

Kyouichi didn't even notice when did someone put a drinking cup into his hand and before he could react, Mizuto was already filling it with sake and prompting him to drink with everyone.

"Cheers~!" sounded all the gathered people in unison as they raised their cups.

"Cheers? No, no, no, no, no?" Naota shook his head in disapproval. "You ought to say "bottoms up"!"

"Isn't that the same?" asked Kyouichi with an amused expression.

"You bet it's not." said the old man. "When you say "cheers", it means people can drink, but not necessarily the whole cup or glass. Now "bottoms up" clearly states what the drinkers should do."

"Oh?"

"Well then, why are we still wasting time?" spoke Naota again. "Bottoms up, people! All of you!"

"Yeah~!" called out everyone as they emptied their drinking cups in one go.

Kyouichi didn't even get to properly enjoy the taste of the sake when he noticed he had his cup already refilled.

"What the?? When did you??" he stuttered confusedly. "This cup must be magical." he jested.

"And a round two!" called out Naota raising his cup into the air, provoking everyone else to do the same thing. "And to the bottom!"

Kyouichi had no objections or problems drinking another cup of sake. He could already feel the warm sensation spreading from his stomach all over his body. Mizuto didn't waste a second refilling Kyouichi's cup again. As if having an empty cup would attract some really dangerous youkai to the village.

"Um?Naota-san?" he suddenly asked the old outsider.

"What is it, kid? Need a refill?"

"I just wanted to ask you something while you're still? relatively sober."

"I'm listening." replied Naota.

"As you may know, I'm not the only outsider who got spirited away to Gensokyo four days ago. And in case you didn't know, well now you do?" preambled Kyouichi.

"Yeah, I've already heard." nodded Naota. "They say that over 15 outsiders were spirited away on that day."

"To be exact, over 15 outsiders made it to the village safely and/or requested citizenship at the village hall." Kyouichi corrected the statement. "There's probably even more of them here or in the other villages. I'm afraid that a good number of the outsiders that were spirited away didn't make it, so I can count myself among the lucky ones. But I digress? Those who did make it to the village are now by the order of the village council attending the Kamishirasawa Affiliated School, so I got the chance of getting to know all of them. I've become aware of the special policy of the village council to support the families who decide to take outsiders into their custody and many of those people who made it here found their new homes in some nice families that way. Some, however, were not so lucky and they were given provisionary accommodation in the barracks of the Ryuuken militia. I probably don't have to tell you that their living conditions there are far from ideal, or at least that's what one of my friends told me? I've promised to that one friend of mine that I'd at least ask you, Naota-san, if you could consider taking her into your custody, because she said that some of the Ryuuken can be very abusive in their superior position and I don't want her to suffer from it. So what do you say, Naota-san? Would you care to take a young 16 year old lady in?"

"Whoa, kid?!" exclaimed Naota in amazement. "That was quite a monologue? But.. I? I really don't know? if she'd even want to live under my roof. I'm not the most ideal person either, I know that."

"She said she'd be perfectly fine just about anywhere else but the Ryuuken barracks." said Kyouichi. "She said she'd even do the housework for the family that would take her in."

"Well, if she won't mind a? how did you call me back then?? An old gruff, irritable geezer to be her caretaker, then she's more than welcome to move in. But I'm afraid I can take in only one person, meaning your other friends will just have to stay in the barracks?"

"Thank you very much Naota-san." nodded Kyouichi thankfully. "I'm sure she'll appreciate the offer? And I didn't call you gruff back then, only an old irritable geezer." he added jokingly.

Naota chuckled loudly. "Well aren't you a comedian! Tell that friend of yours that she can move in whenever she's ready? Man? I ought to cut down on drinking now that I'll have some responsibility?"

Kyouichi bowed once again. He knew that underneath the shell of grumpiness, Naota was a good person on the inside. Though he viewed all youkai with the same level of prejudicial hatred, fear and disgust, he was kind enough to humans who had something in common with him. In this case, being an outsider in Gensokyo. Midori should have no problems living in his house. Probably? Hopefully Dan and Sayuri will be more able to cope with the tough conditions of the Ryuuken barracks before they can find a better place to stay? or return to their real homes in the outside world.

"Well it seems that we have another good reason to celebrate today." remarked Naota as he was refilling his cup. "Say, what is this friend of yours called, kid?"

"Midori Iwakami." replied Kyouichi.

"Well then, to Midori Iwakami's new? and hopefully better home!" called the old carpenter with his cup raised up.

"Yeah~!" shouted all the party attendants as they threw another dose of sake down their throats.
The party went cheerfully on, lasting almost until dawn. Kyouichi and the others enjoyed the happy atmosphere, the warmth of the fire, the taste of roast meat and more than ample amount of sake. That all changed after Naota and Mizuto exchanged a couple of stories and then they stared interrogating Kyouichi about what he thinks of the life in Gensokyo.

"Sooo, have 'ye got used to living here?" asked the drunk old carpenter, his speech becoming less and less comprehendible.

"Hardly!" disconfirmed Kyouichi while taking another bite of the roast meat, his mood taking a sudden downward slope. "I may have a place to stay, some work to do and a school to attend, but I'm already starting to miss the conveniences of modern technology. There are no computers, no internet, no TV's, heck, not even radios? I'll yet have a hard time adjusting to this lifestyle. Not to mention that my family is probably already searching high and low for me. I feel bad for them, since they don't even know if I'm alive. They must be going through some serious heart-wrenching moments and the thought of that makes me feel miserable?"

"Oh? s-sorry?" apologized Naota. "I shouldn't have reminded you?"

"That's okay, Naota-san." Kyouichi comforted him. "You haven't reminded me? I've never forgotten? It's a hundred years too early for me to forget about them? Well? actually only my mom, because I never got along well with my father? I'm not all that eager to see that man again, but there are still a few people out there whom I miss and I'm sure they miss me as well."

Naota pityingly patted Kyouichi on his shoulder. "Listen, kid, it's good to remember your family? No, you HAVE TO remember your family and friends, but you also mustn't allow your sadness to get the better of you."

Kyouichi didn't say a word and instead, had another cup of sake.

"I know it hurts," continued Naota, "but there is nothing you can do about it."

"Oh yes, there is." Kyouichi opposed him immediately. "I've stared working on it since the day one."

"If you're talking about looking for your youkai of boundaries, I suggest you should give that idea a rest. You'll only end up getting yourself into trouble. And I don't mean just a couple of cuts and bruises."

Kyouichi didn't have the slightest intention to heed Naota's warning. "You're not going to talk me out of this, Naota! I won't stop looking for a way out until I'm certain that I've tried everything within my abilities to do so."

Taking another deep breath, he continued: "I already have the support of many people, who are working towards the same goal. Unless we fail to find Yukari after searching every nook and cranny of Gensokyo, or if we find her and she says: "Screw you, human fool! You'll rot in Gensokyo forever, muwahahahahaaaa!", then and only then will I be at peace, knowing that I did my best, but failed."

"Do you even have any idea how damn near-impossible is that going to be?" asked the old man with concern.

"Not if we spread the news about ourselves and get more people and even some youkai to help us."

"Then maybe I should help you too?" spoke Mizuto after a longer while of watching those two exchanging their opinions. "I'll tell your story to the other fishermen at the colony and ask around if any of them knows anything that could help you."

"I would very much appreciate that, thank you." said Kyouichi, approving of Mizuto's assistance.

"I don't have any contacts outside the village," spoke Naota again, thoughtfully scratching his balding head, "but I could ask Yukiyama if he hasn't heard anything interesting about Yakumo?"

"So you do approve of my idea after all?" wondered Kyouichi after hearing Naota's surprising change of view.

The retired carpenter exhaled loudly and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, kid. I don't mean to deprive you of your will to try and find a way out of here. I'm simply trying to warn you from the danger that you're sure to encounter if you plan to travel around these lands. I can't say I approve of you looking for that youkai, but that's your own decision?"

"I know there's danger and I'm not that big a moron to roam around Gensokyo alone." Kyouichi reassured him. "And if you're so much against Yukari, then I should also tell you that it's not just her we're looking for."

The aged man gave him a curious glance. "And that would be??"

"Information about Gensokyo's location in Japan." replied Kyouichi after he again refilled his cup with more sake. "All we need is to get a fix on the nearest human settlement to the Hakurei Shrine in the outside world and we're as good as home. But since none of us want to end up getting lost in the mountains, we need to know exactly where to go?"

"Ah, I see." murmured Naota understandingly. "That way you won't even have to search for the gap youkai."

"Exactly." confirmed Kyouichi, nodding once in response. "Although I still think that I shouldn't neglect the first option?"

"Fine? Suit yourself." growled Naota indifferently, his hand brushing off any remaining concern he had for the young outsider's safety. "It's your life that you're risking?" he added and subsequently took a near-empty sake bottle and drank the remaining sake right out of it, without bothering to pour it into his cup.

"I've heard that she's not one of those human-eating types?" remarked Kyouichi after a Naota finished off the bottle and put it on the ground next to the other empty ones.

"Even so, I wouldn't trust her even if a hundred people would try to convince me to negotiate with her?"

Turning slowly to Mizuto, Kyouichi presented him a rather personal question: "Say, Mizuto-san, what's up with Naota's negative attitude towards all youkai?"

As the fisherman's lips parted, ready to give an answer, the old man immediately silenced him with a menacing gaze. "Some things, I'd rather keep to myself? But I assure you that it's not just me. You'd be surprised how many people hate the youkai here? and for a good reason they do. The humans and youkai have always been in a constantly shifting predator/prey relation and no amount of time has changed that fact. I say that all those who act all friendly are only cunningly waiting for their opportunity?"

"That's enough, Naota." Mizuto ended his monologue. "I understand your feelings, but you shouldn't force your presumptuous opinions to others. It's a clear fact that not all youkai are enemies to humans and yet you seem to be ignoring it stubbornly."

"And you're wondering why?! After what they've done?!"

"You can't blame every single youkai for what happened back then." continued Mizuto, referring to some unknown event, leaving Kyouichi to make wild guesses. "Some of my best friends are youkai and I would trust them with my life."

"Bah, whatever?" grumbled the ex-carpenter as he stood up from the wooden log. "I'm going home. I've had enough sake for today?"

Having said that, he turned away and slowly walked away from the fireside, his steps unsteady and stumbling from the amount of consumed alcohol.
Kyouichi's cheerful mood from just a couple of minutes ago was now replaced by a mixture of different and confusing feelings. Only he and Mizuto were now sitting at the smoldering fire.

"Some party this turned out to be?" remarked the young outsider.

Mizuto sighed as he buried his forehead in his palm, looking tired. "That Naota? He worries me sometimes?"

"Come on, can't you tell me why he hates all youkai?" inquired the youngster.

"I'm sure if the time comes, he'll tell you himself. If he wants to keep it to himself, then we should respect that."

"I guess so." whispered Kyouichi, more to himself than to Mizuto, his mouth then gaping wide open in a big yawn.

"We should go home too." suggested the fisherman. "You've got school in the morning, remember?"

"Oh my god?" groaned Kyouichi in displeasure. "Tomorrow morning's gonna suck?"

"Come now, let me help you?" Mizuto offered to support him as he saw that he could barely stand on his own.

"Thanksss? Mizuto-san." uttered Kyouichi as he made an audible hiccup. "Oh maaan? it's starting to kick in?"

"You drank almost more than the old man himself. And that is something to say, since he drinks almost like an oni." chuckled the fisherman slowly guiding Kyouichi's steps to the Saitou residence.

Kyouichi, however, no longer paid attention to any of Mizuto's words as his vision started to blur and overwhelming feeling of sleepiness was taking over his entire body.

"Almost there?"

"Nice and easy?"

"There we go?"

A warm sensation of a comfortable futon was the last thing that Kyouichi remembered before passing out into a dreamless black sleep.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 17 - Hanami

Although it wasn't even a week since his spiriting away, the following days were starting to become a routine for Kyouichi. Waking up, going to school, then going to work and then spending the rest of the day with some random leisure activity, mostly reading the chronicle for more references to the border youkai.

His wounds were by now fully healed up and he didn't even know he ever had them.

Midori Iwakami was indeed very thankful to hear that she could move in to Naota's house, giving Kyouichi a big hug and over a dozen thankful bows. To his surprise, she got accustomed to her new home very quickly. Daniel and Sayuri were still accommodated in the Ryuuken barracks, but never actually complained about it. The school which they all attended reminded him very much of his days at the grade school back in Sapporo. Once praised for good work, other times scolded for slacking off. He even learned first-hand what Midori meant when she spoke of Keine-sensei's unconventional corporal punishment. As she was checking if the students had done their homework and figured that Kyouichi had forgotten about it, she surprised him without a warning with a semi-painful headbutt. However, he managed to learn another couple of interesting facts about Gensokyo, namely the history of the Human Village, a little more about the tengu community in conjunction with some more information about their newspapers.

As for his part-time job at the bookstore, it went on without any greater difficulties. Once he was done with Yagokoro-san's old manuscripts, the bulk of his job was now focused on mechanically copying the Gensokyo Chronicle. Surprisingly, the old kappan printing machine was still working as it should, which sparked the shopkeeper's curiosity. He suspected that it works so well because of Kyouichi's familiarity with the technology of the outside world and its similarity to its kappan counterpart. Kyouichi, however, told Daisuke that he only operated the machine according to his instructions. There were a few occasions when Daisuke had to take care of some business and left Kyouichi to tend to the shop alone. It was okay, because the shop didn't have all that many customers. Twenty people a day was an average number of customers and that wasn't a problem even for Kyouichi to handle. He even managed to sell a couple of books during Daisuke's absence. Most of the time, however, he could just idly sit at the counter and look outside the window as he awaited his employer's return. Watching people passing through the street, the children playing games, and the other shopkeepers taking a breather outside of their shops has become a sort of pastime. He even memorized a couple of folks who regularly passed through this street. One of the more memorable ones was a mysterious young lady with her emerald-green hair, wearing always the same red plaid skirt and a matching waistcoat on top of a plain white shirt and a small yellow neckerchief, similar to Reimu's. In fact, from a distance, her whole attire was quite similar to that of the Hakurei shrine maiden and he almost mistook this person for her if it hadn't been for the green hair, and the white parasol this lady always seemed to carry around. She was also quite taller and more developed than Reimu. Almost every day, she would show up during the afternoon, coming from the western road and visiting a flower shop. Kyouichi would bet his entire week's wage on his guess that she's a youkai. She always left the flower shop with another bunch of flowers in her hand and headed back where she came from. Kyouichi's curiosity urged him more than once to go out of the bookstore and meet this young lady, but in the end, he decided not to.
As a couple of days passed, it was already Friday, the 4th of June. Precisely one week since Kyouichi's spiriting away. It was on this day that Reimu had planned to hold the late spring flower viewing at her shrine. He was impatiently waiting for his another school lesson to end as he was trying to imagine what sort of guests would be there at the hanami. With the sound of the bell, he hurriedly packed up his books and headed straight home to have lunch as usual.

"Hi there, Kyouichi." Mizuto greeted him as he opened the kitchen's sliding door. "Will you lend me a hand with preparing the dinner? We're having two important guests today after all."

"Sure, I can." replied Kyouichi, putting the handbag on the floor. "At least I can pick up some cooking skills from you."

"I believe Minako would be a much better teacher, but even I can teach you a few recipes."

"What about the lunch? Need any assistance?"

"No, no," Mizuto refusingly shook his head, "it'll be ready in a few minutes. It's a rather western-style dish?"

The fisherman then returned to the stove, putting something into a frying pan, making a loud hissing sound as the ingredient touched the boiling oil. Kyouichi curiously peeked over his shoulder to see what's being prepared.

"Fried cheese and french fries?" he raised his eyebrow in a curious expression. "Now that's an unexpected change of cuisine."

"It's simple, it's fast and it's good?" responded the fisherman as he flipped one of the blocks of cheese in the pan.

"Mmm-mm." hummed Kyouichi in delight. "Nothing like a nice, big, delicious portion of unhealthy high-caloric goodness?"

"Now that I think about it," continued Mizuto, "I guess you'll be still at work by the time our guests will arrive, so I'm on my own with the dinner preparations."

"Nah, Shimizu-san, will probably let me go home earlier as usual."

"Alright then. I'm counting on you."
After the meal, Kyouichi still had some time to laze on the futon in his room. As he did so, he also decided to resume his study of the chronicle.

"Man, there's so many books?" he pouted as he stared at the huge pile of literature. "When the hell am I gonna read them all?"

As he was thoughtfully looking at the whole anthology of the chronicle, he became curious about the other titles which Akyuu recommended to him. He took one of the thinnest books in the pile and briefly observed its cover.

"What's this?" he wondered. "Perfect Memento in Strict Sense? What a weird name for a book?"

The author of this title was none other than the ninth incarnation of the Gensokyo chronicler herself and the very first page notified, that it was, in fact, a part of the Gensokyo Chronicle compilation. In the lower right corner of the first page, there was printed "Test printout ? not for sale yet, last update: 30th of Shimotsuki (November) 124, Starlight Glyph Publishing".

"So this is actually a part of the ninth volume? No wonder it's so thin? Akyuu must be still working on it. But wait a sec. She said that all the books were a part of the chronicle and the 9th volume should be the last one? So how come there are 21 books in total?"

After double checking the titles of the whole pile, he slapped his forehead with his palm, since he figured out the reason for this irregularity.

"I see now? The first volume took up 3 books, the second one 2, the third one took up 3 again and so on?"

The longest volume was the 6th one, containing 4 books, whereas the shortest was the final one, with only the unfinished version of Perfect Memento in Strict Sense so far. At first glance at its pages, the book reminded Kyouichi of some sort of encyclopedia dealing with various youkai and locations in this land. It was written in a considerably different style than all the other parts of the compilation he had read so far. The text was much more simplified and easier to read even for the less academic types. Furthermore, it was illustrated, unlike the previous titles.

"Hey, this one seems quite handy." he murmured to himself. "Let's see if it says something about any areas outside the barrier? Wait a minute? I remember now. Yes. This is that book that I raced through while I was at the Hieda house. It had an article about the Palanquin Ship Incident."

As he found the Locations section of the book, he came across only those areas that were within the barrier. That was no surprise, since Akyuu was the first incarnation of the child of Miare to be born after the year zero. It would be quite needless for her to describe anything that lies beyond the Great Hakurei Border.

"Man, I'm so dumb!" he suddenly exclaimed when a thought crossed his mind. "If Akyuu remembers everything from her previous lives, she then must remember something about the surrounding areas of Gensokyo! Why did I only not ask her about that when I visited her yesterday?"

He slammed the book shut and nervously started to walk around in circles around the room. The mere thought that he might have some reasonable chance to get out of Gensokyo just as soon as his theory would be confirmed, made the outsider quite excited.

"Okay, okay, just calm down?" he thought to himself. "Today's the hanami and before that, she'll come over to the Saitous. I'll just ask her as soon as I meet her?"

Having settled with this thought, he decided to go to work, even if it was still more than an hour too early.

"Huh? Leaving already?" wondered Mizuto as noticed him putting on his sandals at the door.

"Why not? If I expect Shimizu-san to let me go home earlier, I should as well start working earlier today."

"Oh, I see. Well then, do your best!" called out the fisherman as Kyouichi was opening the main door, ready to take his leave. "And don't overwork yourself there! Save some strength for helping me with dinner!"

"Don't you worry about me!" called Kyouichi back, "It's not like I'm working on a field or something."

Indeed, the work of a bookstore assistant was a walk in a park in comparison to many other forms of manual labor. The hardest thing about it was the cleaning, but Kyouichi was certain, that in a matter of a few days, his body would get at least a little back into shape, and he wouldn't find it so tiring anymore.
"Good afternoon, Shimizu-san." greeted the outsider as soon as he entered the shop. "Ishimaru reporting for duty? a bit earlier today. Umm? Shimizu-san?"

The storekeeper was nowhere to be seen and Kyouichi thought that he must have left the store to take care of some other urgent business and in his haste, he forgot to lock the door. That, however, was not the case, since Kyouichi could hear some strange noise coming from the printing room behind the counter. A moment later, Daisuke Shimizu's voice called out:

"What? Ishimaru? Boy, am I glad you came?"

Kyouichi slowly walked into the printing room to see the storekeeper helplessly staring at the printing machine. "What's wrong, boss? You seem rather desperate."

"Disaster!" he called out melodramatically. "?And just when I thought that this machine could last at least until the end of the week?"

"Oh, I see. It broke down again, right?"

"Please, Ishimaru-san! You gotta help me!" begged the storekeeper with trembling voice as if he was about to start crying. "Without the help of this printer, my work? and yours too, will become significantly harder. And my business will suffer?"

"But what can I do about it?" asked Kyouichi. "I'm no technician, you know."

"But, but? You're from the outside world. You have plenty of gadgets like that in the outside world. You must be familiar with technology and stuff? You?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have about as much knowledge about the kappan technology as you do. And I'm being overconfident?"

"But? please. At least take a look." urged Daisuke. "Perhaps you can figure out the problem if I couldn't?"

"Sheesh? Who does this guy think I am? Some Japanese version of McGyver?" Kyouichi sighed and reluctantly stepped toward the broken printer. "Are you always so helpless, Shimizu-san? From what you told me, this certainly isn't the first time this machine had a breakdown."

"That's true, but I'm afraid it's serious this time?"

"Serious? How so?" inquired the outsider.

"When I turned it on to make a copy of just a few pages, there was this loud bang? and then? and then smoke started coming out of it?" explained Daisuke, trying to calm himself down.

Kyouichi at least checked if any of the switches on the machine still worked by pushing them randomly. He then pulled a few of its levers back and forth, and after seeing that nothing was happening, he gave the old printer a few smacks and kicks.

"Yep, it's broken alright?" stated Kyouichi after his "expert" analysis of the machine.

"Damn it!" cursed the storekeeper. "I've already wasted so much money on repairs?"

"Why don't you just order a new one?" Kyouichi suggested. "There must already be better, faster and more reliable printing machines than this one?"

Daisuke quietly stared at the wreck of his old printer and nodded silently. "Yeah? It seems I don't have any other choice. To to tell you the truth, the machine's heyday was long since over by the time I bought it from the kappa. It seemed like a good bargain at that time and I have to admit that it had served me well over many years. It broke down quite often, but the repair costs were fairly low, so I decided to keep using it? But now, it seems it's reached its limit. Gonna have to buy a new one."

"So, I guess I'll be transcribing things manually for now, right?"

"No." rejected the shopkeeper. "You're gonna have to take care of the shop for me again, while I go and order some high quality printer. This might take some time, but you already know what to do. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Alright, I know the drill." Kyouichi reassured him. "I'll try to sell something? if I'll have any customers, that is?"

"Thanks again, Ishimaru. You're quite a reliable assistant, you know?"

Kyouichi smiled. "Just doing what I have to? And, Shimizu-san, before you go, I have a little request."

"What is it?"

"I arrived an hour earlier, as you already noticed and I'd like to go home an hour earlier as well. It's only for today."

"Oh, but of course." approved Daisuke almost immediately. "I'll try to hurry then. Do your best until then."
With that said, the owner of the Starlight Glyph took his leave and Kyouichi was once again left with the full responsibility for the bookstore. He took a seat on a chair, rested his feet on the counter and crossed his arms as if he was now the big boss. Of course, if anyone caught him in this position, be it Daisuke or some potential customer, I'd be quite embarrassing. That's why he kept a close eye on the situation outside the shop through the window. He was sitting there for quite some time, observing the street, but nothing particularly interesting was going on.

"Oh man, this is getting boring." he muttered. "I ought to help me pass the time by reading something. But what?"

He stood up from the chair and began browsing through the tall shelves of the bookstore to find some book he might be interested in reading. At first he thought he'd look for the chronicle, but he soon recalled that both Akyuu and Keine-sensei mentioned that the chronicle is only in the process of being published and copied, and therefore, is not available for sale yet. Although, he did remember copying a part of the chronicle just yesterday, Daisuke apparently already took both the original and the copies and put them somewhere safe. Kyouichi then decided, that he'd just randomly take the first book that would catch his attention. The book he picked up from one of the shelves was a rather thick one and it had a nice and colorful cover. It was some sort of botanical encyclopedia, titled The Universal Guide of Flora.

"Well what do you know? this book has pictures in full color." commented Kyouichi as he randomly opened it approximately in the middle. "This... this must be a book from the outside. Interesting. I might as well take a better look at it?"
He took the book to the counter, where he sat down again and started reading from the beginning. Every few moments he looked outside the window to check if Daisuke wasn't coming back or if any potential customers weren't about to enter the store. He was quite fascinated to find a book from the outside world in this bookstore. All the more when the book was full of high definition pictures in full color, which Daisuke's old scanning and printing machine couldn't even dream of copying. It was rather strange that this rare piece was sitting among the other books designated for sale. It was really unlikely for Daisuke to be selling a one-of-a-kind original without at least making several copies, even if only in black and white. As he read page after page full of in-depth information about various exotic and common plants, he again paused to check the situation in front of the shop. And then he saw it again? To be more exact, he saw HER again. The green-haired parasol-wielding flower lady was again on her way out of the flower shop just across the street. Kyouichi at first only hesitatingly stared at her through the window, but then he put the book on the counter, stood up and walked out of the shop, stopping at the doorstep. He kept watching as the familiar, but still unknown lady was slowly walking past him, not paying attention to anyone or anything around her. She seemed satisfied though, as she was carrying another bunch of flowers and humming some unknown, but somewhat cheerful melody with a lovely voice. He still thought it would be weird if he just stopped her to ask who she was and who does she buy flowers for every day, so he again just watched her leave the village and head further west. Kyouichi kept staring at the western road even when the lady was already out of sight, as he was indulged in another one of his usual reveries. His brief spacing-out was interrupted as he heard the squeaking sound of a door opening. He turned his head to the right and saw a man in green working outfit stepping outside of the flower shop. He stretched his arms above his head and then his head from side to side. It looked like the flower shop's keeper was taking a short break. Kyouichi looked at the man for a while, and then he closed the door to the bookstore and slowly approached him.

"Umm?good afternoon." he greeted shyly. "Would you mind if I asked you something?"

"Hm? Why no, I wouldn't mind?" replied the man. "What would you like to ask?"

"I was just wondering? Who was that lady in red plaid clothes just now? I've started working part-time in the bookstore over there just this Monday you see, and I've seen her almost every day visiting your shop? Oh, and to clear up any misunderstandings, I'm one of them outsiders who got here a week ago?"

"Oh, that youkai lady? She comes by almost regularly, but it's only in certain times of the year." explained the florist. "Her name's Yuki? or was it Yuuko? I'm sorry, I sort of forgot?" he lowered his head in slight embarrassment.

"Could it possibly be Yukari?" asked Kyouichi curiously.

"Hmm? could be?" shrugged the man phlegmatically. "I'm only certain it starts with "Yu". Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm looking for Yukari Yakumo."

The man suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh, no? that lady is most certainly not the youkai of boundaries. Even if her name really is Yukari. She's just some lesser youkai? at least I think so... But I don't really know."

"What can you tell me about her then?" Kyouichi interviewed further.

"Well, like I said. She comes to buy a whole bunch of different flowers almost every day. Especially during spring and summer. And she keeps wearing that same red plaid skirt and waistcoat all the time?"

"Do you know why does she buy flowers so often?"

The florist thoughtfully scratched his chin. "I? honestly have no idea? She's a youkai. They're all weird in one way or another. If you like her, why don't you ask her that yourself when she comes by next time?"

Kyouichi snickered quietly. "I'm not looking for a date. I just wanted to clear up some facts."

"Well, all I can tell you is that she's really nice, extremely polite and always smiling when she comes to buy some flowers." said the florist. "But sometimes I get this eerie feeling in her presence? almost intimidating. I can't put my finger on it? But otherwise, she's really sweet. Just between you and me, if I wasn't married then I'd?"

"O-kay, I think I get the picture?" said Kyouichi, cutting off the florist's last sentence. "She's not Yukari Yakumo. That's all I needed to know."

"That she isn't." the man shook his head. "At least from what I've heard, Yakumo-san wouldn't bother WALKING to the village or even BUYING things. If she wanted something, she'd just? you know? take it."

"And you haven't happened to encounter her during your life by any chance?"

"Nope, I can't say that I have? Or at least, not that I'd know about it." replied the florist. "I guess she doesn't need flowers too much, hehehe..."

"So? you believe that she exits, I take it?"

"Sure, why not?" shrugged the man. "I guess we wouldn't learn about her back then at school if she was just a myth?"

"Yeah, I guess so?" admitted Kyouichi while nodding agreeingly.

As he turned back for a while, he noticed someone walk into the bookstore. "Okay, I guess I have some customers. Thanks for your time, mister."

"Sure. No problem."
Kyouichi then hurried back to the bookstore where some customer was already browsing through the books on the shelves.

"Welcome to the Starlight Glyph. Sorry to keep you waiting?" he apologized as he entered the shop.

"Hm? Are you Shimizu-san's?" asked an elderly man in a tattered gray kimono.

"Yes, new part-time assistant." Kyouichi answered immediately. "He's out at the moment, but if you need help with anything, don't be afraid to ask."

"I see? I'm just looking for some interesting novel." explained the customer. "I've got a lot of free time on my hands since my retirement?"

"Ok then, please help yourself."

After about 5 minutes, the elderly man walked up to the counter with a book in his hand, ready to pay for it.

"I'd like to take this one." he said as he put it on the counter.

Kyouichi opened it on the last page, where Daisuke penciled prices on all the books in his shop.

"That will be 2000 yen."

The man in gray took out two paper notes, each worth a thousand yen.

"Thank you very much and have a nice day." said Kyouichi and noted down the transaction into the shop's ledger.

"Aye, a good day to you too, young man." bowed the customer and with his slow pace, he left he shop.
Again, Kyouichi was left alone, so he again resumed reading the encyclopedia about plants. He read almost 50 pages until Daisuke, his employer finally returned.

"So, Ishimaru, has everything been okay while I was gone?" he asked before the door even closed behind him.

"You could say that?" replied the part-time assistant. "There's been only one customer, but he bought a book for two thousand yen."

"That's good to hear." said Daisuke as he took out some document from his inner pocket and put it in a drawer under the counter.

"What about you, Shimizu-san? Did you order a new machine?"

"Yeah. And it took some time too. Hopefully this new model will be worth the investment."

"I'm sure it will." said Kyouichi. "Anyway, now that you're back, I guess you'd like to take the counter under your control again."

"Oh, right, right... That's my job after all." smiled the storekeeper. "And it seems you got used to that as well. You've even started to read books in your leisure, just like I do." he pointed at the botany encyclopedia that Kyouichi was reading.

"Oh, yeah? It just caught my eye. This book I mean. May I ask where did you get it?"

"This one here?" asked Daisuke, picking up the book and observing it closely. "This one's from the outside world."

"Yeah, I thought so, but how did you acquire it?" wondered Kyouichi. "Do books from the outside world just randomly keep appearing in your shop?"

Daisuke chuckled. "Oh, but of course not. Don't be silly. This one here I ordered from Kourindou. They sell various goods, but it's not here in Human Village. Often times, they offer goods from the outside, but since we in Gensokyo have no idea for the use of all those strange contraptions, nobody really buys them. Well, books are of course a different matter. I regularly check their inventory for some interesting pieces of literature, such as this. But sometimes I just have to haggle for a few minutes, as the shop's owner sometimes doesn't like to part with some of the books."

"So they deal with goods from the outside world?" asked Kyouichi. "I wonder who supplies them."

"Good question?" murmured Daisuke, scratching the back of his head. "My guess is that he gets his goods from folks like you, who get spirited away to Gensokyo every now and then."

"Hmm? I wonder if I could sell my cell phone there." speculated Kyouichi. "But you're selling an original? without making a copy?"

"What do you think I am? A fool?!" asked Daisuke, slightly raising his voice. "No, in fact, I got a whole box of these books, all in full color. But hey, maybe you're right? maybe the new printer I ordered will be able to make colorful copies. That would be great."

"And when is that printer supposed to arrive?"

"I'd say within 3 days." replied the storekeeper. "That means there's a good chance you'll be able to try it out right after this weekend."

"Alright." nodded Kyouichi, his eyes meeting Daisuke's. "So, got any tasks for me?"

"You know what? If you clean this place up a bit, I'm gonna let you go after that. You've already pulled a major part of my shift, so it only seems fair, doesn't it?"

Kyouichi bowed thankfully and went to grab the mop and a bucket. "Thanks, boss. This is actually one of the easiest part-time jobs I've ever done and I've been doing plenty."

"Well, it's a bookstore, so there's not much manual work here." shrugged Daisuke.

"So what you're saying is that you don't usually do much work around here?" asked Kyouichi a little daring question as he began mopping the floor.

"Haha!" chuckled Daisuke. "You're not too far from the truth. Back when I opened this shop, I used to work alone. It was basically the same as now ? copying, writing, translating and selling. But when my business picked up a bit, I often needed to visit other villages. The new post office made that a bit easier now, but as you could have noticed, I often have to leave the shop. That's when I wrote a requisition form to the village hall to hire an assistant. And that's when I met Hiroto, who is now recovering from that youkai attack I mentioned before? Well, more like he attacked first."

"Was he armed?"

"No, not with a sword or a knife. Only with his overconfidence, short temper and dim wit."

"Did he use magic then?" wondered Kyouichi, getting done with one section of the shop's floor.

"Naturally, all of Gensokyo's natives have some innate magic abilities. A legacy from times long ago when men and youkai were at war? But Hiroto? that fool wants to become a Ryuuken and he always has to keep proving to himself that he's worthy, so he attacked a youkai only with his bare hands." said Daisuke and slapped his forehead at the thought of his assistant's folly. "A suicide attempt if you ask me, but I guess idiots are lucky and the youkai left him only with one fracture. Not even a veteran Ryuuken warrior would dare to fight a youkai barehanded and without magic."

"If he wants to be a Ryuuken, why didn't he join them yet?" Kyouichi couldn't understand. "Why does he work at the bookstore?"

"Where should I begin??" murmured the storekeeper thoughtfully. "Have you heard about an old carpenter, Naota Tanisake? He's one of the oldest outsiders in the village."

"Naota?!" Kyouichi looked quizzically at his boss. "Yeah, I know him personally, but what does he have to do with all this?"

"Well, you see, Hiroto wants to follow in his father's footsteps." explained Daisuke with his typical gesticulation. "His father is a well respected Ryuuken captain, so he wanted to be like him."

"I see nothing wrong there?"

"While Hiroto is a good fighter, he never was much of a thinker. Ever since he started attending school, he had problems. There's a custom that in order to join the Ryuuken militia, one has to either take a special course at the school or get an approval from any of the master craftsmen in the village after some years of work. The Ryuuken aren't just a bunch of armed men trained to fight youkai, but they are also adept in many other trades as well. Since his grades at school were below average, taking the advanced course for the aspiring Ryuuken was out of question. He had to choose some crafting guild and get educated as an apprentice. But he apparently didn't have the skills or patience to finish his apprenticeship, so he dropped out of school with only elementary education. His only chance to get among the Ryuuken was to personally apply for work at one of the master craftsmen's workshops. You see, it's not that important for a Ryuuken to know a craft, as it is important to have some discipline and work under a master craftsman helps to build that discipline. But none of the masters would hire him. Nobody except one?"

"Naota Tanisake?" completed Kyouichi.

The storekeeper nodded. "That's right. Since he was an outsider, he didn't hold much regard for our local customs and took young Hiroto as one of his apprentices."

"So how did he end up at your bookstore?"

"Well, he was doing fine at Tanisake's workshop, but only until about one month before he was supposed to get his approval. He got into a brawl with another one of Naota's students for something and he hurt him badly. He was immediately arrested and put to trial. If he was sentenced for his attack, he would spend a good couple of months in a cell, but Naota, as the only other witness, spoke in Hiroto's favor and said that the other student provoked the fight. I wasn't there, so I don't know the truth. But whether Tanisake spoke the truth, or if it was just a convenient calculation on his part because of Hiroto's father's influence, the trial found both of the brawlers partially guilty and let them both go only with the punishment of a monetary fine of 50 000 yen. Immediately after that, Naota retired, leaving his workshop in charge of his eldest apprentice, Mamoru Endou, the elder brother of the one who had the brawl with Hiroto. Naturally, Hiroto had no chance of getting an approval from him, so he left the carpenter's workshop for good."

"And that's when he became your assistant?" asked Kyouichi, who had already cleaned a half of the shop's floor by now.

"Yes. Since all the masters in the village had their capacity full at that time, Hiroto had to cope with the work in the bookstore, waiting until one of the masters will have a place to hire new apprentices. So far, he had no luck. In fact, he just keeps getting into more trouble."

"Hmm? now that I think about it, Naota did say that a certain Ryuuken still owes him a favor." recalled Kyouichi. "Is Hiroto's family name Yukiyama?"

"Yes, Yukiyama Hiroto is his full name." confirmed Daisuke.

"Well that explains everything then?" he remarked with an entertained smirk.

"Did Tanisake tell you about that?"

"No, he just mentioned that Yukiyama guy owing him a favor."

Not long after hearing Daisuke's story about his injured assistant, Kyouichi was done with the mopping and Daisuke let him go home as promised. Kyouichi bowed to his boss and bid him a nice weekend before he left the bookstore and with a brisk pace, he marched home. Since he didn't find any other shoes or sandals at the door of the Saitou residence, he assumed the guests haven't arrived yet.
"I'm home, Mizuto-san!" he announced his arrival and walked into the kitchen.

Mizuto was just unpacking some freshly bought groceries and putting them on the table.

"Welcome back. So, are you ready to help me with this?"

"Sure. Just tell me what to do and I'll try to do my best."

Mizuto gave Kyouichi a whole multitude of minor tasks from peeling and slicing onions, slicing eel, boiling rice stewing vegetables and flavoring them with spices. Although Kyouichi wasn't very good at cooking, under Mizuto's supervision, he did rather well.

Approximately one hour later, they could hear someone knocking at the door.

"Oh my gosh, they're already here!" said the head of the Saitou family with a bit of overexcitement in his voice. He nervously walked up to the door, swallowed his saliva and opened it.

"Mi-Minako?!" he gasped in a surprised shock. "You got me thinking that the guests have already arrived."

The fisherman's wife made a gesture with her head towards two heavy bags she was holding, asking Mizuto to help her with them.

"I closed the shop earlier and went to buy some drinks and snacks." she explained as she passed the bags to her husband.

"Isn't that a tad too much?" asked Mizuto as he felt the weight of the both bags in his hands.

"Well? umm? some of that is for the kids too."

She then started to show signs of overexcitement as well, as she barraged Mizuto with trivial questions.

"Have you made the dinner already? Have you cleaned up the house? Have you taken the trash out? And I hope you're not going to wear THAT when our guests come?" she pointed her finger at him.

"Oh damn? I forgot to change!" exclaimed the fisherman who was still dressed up in his fishing outfit. He immediately hurried to the guest room to get changed into something more appropriate.

"Here, Kyouichi, help me unload the bags and get me some plates and bowls for the snacks." asked Minako for Kyouichi's assistance. "And the white porcelain cups too?"

Kyouichi was glad to help her and did as she asked. Meanwhile, Mizuto walked into the kitchen, wearing his dark red kimono. The same one as he was wearing when Kyouichi first met him. He got changed just in time, as there was again another knocking on the door.

"That must be the guests!" he excitedly called out and hurried to welcome them.

However, as he was about to reach for the door to slide it open, the person who was knocking already beat him to it and opened the door herself.

"I'm home?"

"Chi-Chitose?!" Mizuto yelled the one-worded question as he was gawking stupidly at his daughter.

"What's wrong, dad?" asked the girl nonchalantly, giving him an asking look.

"What's wrong with ME?!" he called out through his laughter. "More like what's wrong with YOU?! You never knock when you come home and suddenly, when one day in a few months we are expecting guests, all of you guys start knocking?"

"What? Guests? Oh?. Today's Friday! Reimu-sama's coming for a visit! I almost forgot!" called out the daughter of the Saitous, in an almost panicking tone.

"Not just Reimu-san, but also Hieda no Akyuu-san." Minako informed her, making the final preparations on the kitchen table. "And where's your brother?"

"Oh, he's just chatting with his friends outside, he should be here anytime?"

Just as Chitose finished her sentence there was a third knocking on the door of the Saitous.

"Well, I guess he's already here."

"Why does even my son have to knock on the door of his own home?" murmured annoyed Mizuto under his nose as he walked up to open the door. "Why the heck is everyone in this family knocking on the door today?!" he blurted out the question in an annoyed tone, expecting to scold his unsuspecting son, only to be surprised to see someone else.

Reimu Hakurei looked up at the fisherman with a mixed expression of surprise and embarrassment, with her mouth slightly open as she smiled and took one nervous step back.

Hieda no Akyuu, standing right next to her, hid behind the shrine maiden, clinging to her red skirt and frightenedly peeking from behind her.

"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry!" he apologized immediately and bowed several times. "I thought it was my son? Please, come in, come in!"

After but a moment of hesitation the two guests slowly walked into the house and proceeded to the kitchen where the rest of the family short of Tadao-kun was already waiting.
"Welcome again to our humble home, Reimu-san." greeted Minako with a bright smile. "And I believe this is the first time for you, Akyuu-chan. Please make yourselves at home, we'll be serving dinner right away."

Right after Minako and Chitose welcomed the guests, the shrine maiden and the chronicler took their seats at the table, where Kyouichi, although rather informally, greeted them as well.

"Good afternoon, Reimu-san, Akyuu-san." he smiled and nodded.

Reimu smiled back, but gave him a questioning look. "You call her Akyuu-san?"

"Anything wrong with that?" Kyouichi wondered.

"No, just a little? strange." replied Reimu, turning to Akyuu. "Since she's so little and cute, I call her Akyuu-chan." she explained while smiling brightly and hugging the little chronicler.

"But technically, she's much, much older than you or me." reasoned Kyouichi. "Besides, I don't think we're that familiar with each other yet?"

"It's okay." sounded Akyuu all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Kyouichi quizzically tilted his head to the side.

"I'm okay with being called like that." said the 9th child of Miare. "In fact, I like it."

"See?" said Reimu again, "Now why don't you call her Akyuu-chan as well?"

"Well, if Akyuu-san? I mean Akyuu-chan says so?" Kyouichi corrected himself, feeling a bit awkward while doing so.

"See, it didn't hurt, did it?"

"And is it okay for me to call you Reimu-chan then?" he asked jokingly.

Reimu blushed in her cheeks. "Well? umm? errr?." she stuttered embarrassedly.

"?Since you're young and cute as well?" continued Kyouichi without paying attention to her reaction.

The shrine maiden continued to stutter, unable to find words for a straight reply. "I? umm?"

"Don't worry~!" Kyouichi calmed her down. "I was only joking. I would call you so only with your permission, Reimu-san."

Reimu's face color returned back to normal, but she still avoided Kyouichi's eyes and instead was focused on the empty bowl on the table in front of her.

In the meantime, Tadao-kun just arrived home? and he didn't knock. As he saw the full kitchen, he figured that everyone was waiting only for him. He hurried to wash his hands and as he shyly greeted everyone, he took the last vacant place at the table, by his father's side.

"Finally, everyone's here, it's time to eat." said Minako and began serving the soup into everyone's bowls. "I'm not too sure if will be good, since Mizuto cooked it all?"

"Hey!" called out the fisherman, feeling offended by his wife's remark. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, and I helped him?" murmured Kyouichi. "...Which could make things even worse, so be warned?" he added in jest.

Right after that, Minako, the two Saitou siblings and both guests exchanged their mistrustful looks before they began eating.

"Itadakimasu~!"
Mizuto and his wife excitedly interrogated their guests while they were eating. Kyouichi thought that they'd be polite enough to let them finish their meals at least, but they just kept asking them more and more questions. And since both Akyuu and Reimu kept answering to the best of their knowledge, Kyouichi figured it'd be ok to ask his question.

"Umm, Akyuu-san, may I ask you something too?"

"But of course." smiled the chronicler and took a sip of lemonade. "Ask away."

"I kind of feel embarrassed that I forgot to ask you before, but you do remember the surrounding areas of Gensokyo, right? I mean outside the barrier. What's the nearest town or village in the outside?"

Akyuu looked surprised for a moment as she remained silent, thinking about something. Then she spoke. "To be honest? I only dealt with the history of Gensokyo itself, so I can't really tell you much about that." She then looked down and kept murmuring as if to herself: "I really didn't start with the chronicle all by myself. I was born here, so I wasn't there when the first village was founded. All the information regarding the history before my time I gathered from numerous informants. They gave me the basic material needed to start a chronicle? and Yukari-san of course. She gave me that idea and told me about my unique ability. There's no one in Gensokyo who knows more of the outside world than her? and the spirited-away outsiders like yourself."

"But Gensokyo had no real boundaries back then. You have to know at least where in Japan it lies, right?"

"Before the first barrier? You mean the Youkai Expansion Project? That was a long time ago, Kyouichi-san. The outside world has doubtlessly changed a lot since then. So I'm not sure if anything I tell you will be of any help. I haven't heard of any towns that were closer than a hundred kilometers from the approximate area of Gensokyo I'm afraid."

Kyouichi disappointedly exhaled as his hope was again reduced to but a tiny spark. "Well then, what about the geographic features?" he asked with a lack of certainty in his tone. Anything that could help?"

"Well, I can tell you that the approximate location of Gensokyo in the outside world would be somewhere in both the Yamanashi Prefecture near the Yatsugatake mountain range and the Nagano Prefecture. Lake Suwa lies several tens of kilometers that way?" she pointed at northeast, "and a part of it was also taken to Gensokyo after the Great Barrier. And that's about all I know? I'm sorry."

"Lake Suwa! I know that!" exclaimed Kyouichi, again full of hope. "I haven't been there myself, but one of my friends has and told me about it. There's definitely a lake resort there. In which direction did you say it was?"

"Somewhere over there?" she pointed again, giving the approximate direction. "But it's still very far away. And I wouldn't rely on my approximate directions if I were you. I may remember everything, but I'm still just a human, not a compass. Unless you know exactly where you need to be headed and are well equipped for a long walk through very difficult terrain, I certainly wouldn't recommend you going anywhere."

"I see?" murmured Kyouichi in disappointment. "Thanks anyway."

"Don't worry, Kyouichi, we'll find Yukari so that you outsiders can all be sent home." Reimu tried to cheer him up. "There's a good chance that she'll come to the hanami. She just loves to show up at parties? Especially when she's uninvited?" she added with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"That's right." Akyuu acknowledged Reimu's suggestion, taking a brief look at the shrine maiden. "I have to agree with Reimu-san. It is in your best interest not to leave Gensokyo through the shrine's gateway. The elder certainly didn't request Reimu not to let anyone out for no reason."

"So you even know about the elder's orders?"

"Request would be a better word, since he has no real legal authority over the Hakurei shrine maiden." explained the little chronicler. "And yes, I know about it. This is a small village and word here spreads faster than a wildfire."

Kyouichi frowned. "Man? I've only found out about it by chance that I know Reimu-san. Fukukane should have sent an informing letter to each of us outsiders if he wishes us all to abide by his "requests"."

Akyuu shrugged as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation. "My guess is that he thought it would be enough to inform Reimu-san about this to make sure she wouldn't let any outsider cross the border via the shrine, should any of them, like you, ask her about that. Apparently he dreads the outside world about as much as he fears the youkai of this world and he didn't want you to get lost out there. Other than that, he probably didn't want to inform the outsiders that such possibility even exists in order to protect them and not to give them any false hopes of return?"

"Well, it's a little late for that?" remarked Kyouichi mockingly.

Akyuu gave him a concerned look "You told the other outsiders about it?"

"Hey? Like you said: Word here spreads faster than a wildfire." retorted the outsider. "Yeah, I told them about it and they are fully aware of how dangerous it would be to just take a random direction and follow it? Don't worry, Akyuu-san, we're not stupid enough to attempt a blind expedition like that. Without any solid lead like a map, we're not going anywhere."

"That's a smart decision." nodded the 9th Are maiden.

Reimu giggled quietly. "?You said "Akyuu-san" again?"

Kyouichi shrugged with a smile settling on his face. "What? We're having a serious conversation here? It would be funny to address her as "Akyuu-chan" when we're discussing serious issues." As he spoke, his smile gradually faded into another concerned frown. After a few seconds of pause, he exhaled heavily and nodded, as if in agreement to the chain of thoughts whirling inside his head. "But who knows? Maybe? Maybe over time we'll grow so desperate that we will do whatever it takes to get home? Even if it means heading out from the Hakurei Shrine without any guidance?"

Reimu put on an unusually serious face and looked Kyouichi straight in the eyes. "Look, Kyouichi? The elder's request is only there for your safety, but if you really want it, I could let you all cross through the gateway to the outside. Even right now. I don't mind or care. It's at your own risk, however. I don't really care about what happens to you afterwards. You must be absolutely sure about this, understand?"

"I understand? and thank you." replied the outsider and bowed to the shrine maiden. "For now, I still think it's better to stay in Gensokyo? But when my desperation gets the better of me?"

"You know where to find me?" Reimu finished the sentence for him and again, her serious face was replaced by a carefree, smiling one.

"Yeah?"

"You should at least wait until Yukari makes contact with any of us, so we could talk to her about it." Akyuu continued. "Although it is rather rare to have her visit? Perhaps Reimu-san is graced by her presence more often."

Reimu shrugged. "That's really hard to predict? She sometimes shows up at the shrine once every day, or once every week, or just twice a month? Sometimes she doesn't come for several months."

"And when did you see her last time?" wondered Kyouichi.

"It's true that I haven't seen her for over half a year now, but that's because she hibernates during winter? I think."

"But we already have summer knocking on our doors."

"Well, either she's just taking her time to visit me, or she's intentionally hiding because she knows that I'll beat her up for causing an incident." said the shrine maiden in a nonchalant manner. "But a hanami should work well enough to attract her. Then we might get some answers from her?"

"How will she know that there even is a hanami taking place?" asked the outsider.

"Trust me, she knows just about anything that goes on in Gensokyo. She might as well be watching us right now and laughing at our stupidity and we wouldn't even know?"

"Heh? Big Brother's watching you, eh?" remarked Kyouichi with a faint smirk. "Or Big Sister in this case? But just hypothetically, if she caused an incident, how would you find her?"

The shrine maiden was suddenly in a loss for words. "Well? that is?"

"You said you dueled her once, didn't you? Where did you find her then?"

"That was in the Netherworld? But that's not where she lives. Nobody knows where exactly she lives? I'm not really sure I'd be able to find her if she wanted to stay hidden."

"That doesn't sound very reassuring?"

"Fortunately for us, Yukari is more of a protector of Gensokyo, who occasionally plays the role of troublemaker? And whenever she makes one of her pranks, she always tends to reveal herself in the end, so that saves me the trouble of looking for her. If your spiriting away was one of her pranks, then she will certainly show up? eventually."

"What if she's the one in trouble?" speculated Kyouichi.

Reimu and Akyuu exchanged their amused looks before the shrine maiden replied. "Yukari? In trouble?" she snickered, "Impossible? Well unless she stands against ME in a fight? or the Lunarians maybe? I heard that she got beaten by one of them? but so was I when I come to think of it?"

Kyouichi looked puzzled. "What's with the Lunarians anyway?"

"Oh, that's a long story, but in a nutshell, Yukari plotted a plan to take revenge for her defeat from over a thousand years ago when she tried to invade the Moon. We? That is me, Marisa and some other folks were a part of that plan too. We made it all the way to the real Moon, but only I got the chance to see the lunar capital, unfortunately?"

"Wait a second?" Kyouichi interrupted her. "Are you telling me that you've been on the Moon?"

"I just said that, yes?" confirmed Reimu, wondering, what could be so strange about it. "I had to convince everyone that I was able to call on the power of the gods to clear up some misunderstanding to calm the moon-people down? I don't really know? I never was too much into politics anyway."

"But there's no air on the Moon?" he tried to argue with common sense.

"It was quite similar to Earth over there? Well, anyway, there are these two very powerful Lunarians, the Watatsuki sisters, who are now sharing the role of the previous Moon princess. We only wanted to take a little tour around the Moon, but one of those sisters, namely Watatsuki no Yorihime, stopped us and said that we can't go into the capital. So we proposed a Spell Card duel to decide if we could at least take a little souvenir from the Moon. However, Yorihime's power is that to call on the powers of the gods into her body, and it was no problem for her to handle all four of us? If I practiced harder, maybe I'd be able to do that one day as well?"

"Was Yukari there too?" asked Kyouichi.

"No. She used us as a distraction to get the attention of the lunar army, while she tried to steal something from the lunar sage's house? or so I've heard. But she fell into a trap that sent her back to Gensokyo, where Watatsuki no Toyohime, the second of the two sisters was waiting for her. Now I really don't know the details, but Yukari supposedly lost to her? or gave up without even fighting? I don't know, I wasn't there to see. I just heard it from her shikigami? that supposedly no one from Earth can stand against a Lunarian in terms of power. Still, it sounds kind of fishy coming from a youkai such as Yukari? She's been known to lie and deceive others every so often?"

"So she failed to take her "revenge" I take it?"

"Actually? She did manage to outwit the Watatsukis in the end? thanks to a third party? Her best friend also made it to the Moon somehow and while both of the lunar princesses had their hands full, they had a priceless bottle of a thousand year old sake stolen from them?"

"What?! Sake?!" exclaimed Kyouichi in an expression of both amusement and disbelief. "Hahahahaha! So she invaded the Moon for a bottle of sake?! That's just the most ridiculous thing I've heard."

"The Second Lunar War wasn't about the sake, as it was more about Yukari proving to the Lunarians that she can just as well be viewed as equal to them? Or perhaps she had some other goal, which none of us even know about? I don't really know. Anyway, the point was that only the Lunarians could probably pose any trouble for her."

"I've heard different opinions though?" remarked Kyouichi. "Are you sure she didn't just lose on purpose?"

"I can't really say? All I can tell you is that both her and the Lunarians are exceptionally powerful. It's possible, though? The first war she led was pretty much also lost on purpose? And even after the second one, mind you, it really wasn't a war, it's just called that way... Well even after that she seemed to achieve her goal? whatever it was."

"So, both of her "defeats" were actually victories?" wondered Kyouichi while scratching his head.

"I guess they were?" estimated the shrine maiden uncertainly. "Anyway, it's very doubtful that Yukari wouldn't show up because she was in trouble. She can basically handle any kind of situation and what's more, she doesn't even need her full powers for it. I bet she's just having fun now, watching a bunch of unsuspecting outsiders wandering aimlessly around Gensokyo, trying to figure what to do next. And when she gets tired of it, she'll show up and return you all back to where you were taken from."

"I just hope it won't take her too long." remarked the outsider, looking blankly into the ceiling.

"Well then, let's go to the shrine and wait for the guests to gather." suggested Reimu. "I personally think that the boundary youkai will show up there too. I have a good intuition."

Kyouichi looked back at her and smiled. "Yeah. I've been looking forward to the hanami for this whole week. So why the hell should I feel depressed now, right? Let's go."
After that, they stood up from the table, thanked for the meal and took the bags full of snacks with them. As they opened the main door of the Saitou residence, they could see that the sun was slowly, but certainly setting, so without any further ado, they set out on their way to the Hakurei Shrine. They left the village through the northern road which gradually sloped slightly uphill. The Ryuuken stationed at the northern end of the village didn't even try to halt them, so the trio could leave without any delay. The road to the shrine was long, but to Kyouichi's eyes it looked safe. There was nothing suspicious about it. Besides the three of them, there was not another person to be seen far and wide and the young outsider began to wonder if all the rumors about the roads being dangerous were actually true. As they walked, Reimu and Akyuu were talking about their daily lives. Kyouichi didn't talk much, as he was just walking there with them and admiring the landscape. He did notice, however, that the shrine maiden seemed to like Akyuu a lot. Considering her claims of meeting her only once before, she treated her very nicely. She held her hand like she was her little sister, although Akyuu was technically way older than her. After well over 30 minutes, they reached the crossroad, just about 100 meters in front of the Hakurei Shrine. As Reimu helped Akyuu to scale the stone stairs, Kyouichi tightened his grip on the bags with snacks and followed them up. Just as they walked under the torii, a boisterous girl's voice called at them.

"Oi, Reimu! There you are! And you brought some guests already, ze?"

It was Marisa Kirisame, the self-proclaimed "ordinary magician" in all her black and white glory. It looked like she just arrived at the shrine recently, judging by the fact that she was still sitting on her flying bamboo straw broom.

"Hi, Marisa!" Reimu called back at her. "Have you been waiting long?"

The witch girl shook her blonde head. "No, I just got here. Brought some drinks too?" she pointed at a bunch of bottles standing near the donation box. "Oh, Akyuu-chan, what a surprise! Nice to see you again, ze? And you too, Kyouichi."

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Marisa-san." replied the outsider as he put down the two bags next to the donation box. "I met your father the other day? He sends his regards and would like to know how you're doing and all?"

"Whaaat?! You met dad?" asked the surprised magician. "What did he say?"

"He said that he misses you and asked ME of all people to tell him how are you doing. He'd really like to see you again sometimes? I know nothing about how well you get along with each other, so it's okay if you refuse to see him? I'm not here to judge."

"Of course I like my dad." replied Marisa. "It's just? I really can't stand his new wife? I do see him from time to time to check on him, but only when that harpy's not around?"

"So, are you going to see him again in the near future?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I'll stop by tomorrow. And? thanks for telling me, Kyouichi."

He smiled warmly and nodded. "No problem, Marisa-san. By the way? where are the other guests?"

"They'll yet take some time. Since I told them we're having an evening hanami this year." answered the miko instead. She entered her shrine and came out after a moment with a stack of plates in her hands. She put them carefully on the wooden porch of the building and started counting off on her fingers.

"?eight, nine and ten? That's the expected number of people for today. Still, I took out some extra plates just to be sure."

"Do you need any help with anything, Reimu-san?" Kyouichi offered his help.

"If you asked me that two days ago, I'd give you a whole pile of work, but now? all the preparations have been already done. All that's left is to light the fire over there?" she pointed at a pile firewood surrounded by a circle of stones in the shrine yard. "And put some blankets around, so we could sit on the ground."

"I'll get the blankets." volunteered Marisa and disappeared inside the shrine afterwards.

"Guess it's up to me to light the fire then?" frowned Kyouichi in displeasure of this task falling onto him. He unsteadily grabbed two thin wooden sticks from the firewood pile, braced them against the pile of dried-up leaves underneath and started to rub them against each other in hope of creating the igniting spark. Akyuu was there, crouching near the fireside and cheered him up to do his best. After some good 5 minutes of rubbing the sticks, Kyouichi was about to resign his attempt. Oddly enough, both Reimu and Marisa were taking their time to get out of the shrine as well. It was good, since the outsider didn't want them to see how in

[Fonzi]

Chapter 18 ? A Very Close Encounter

"Hey, keep it down!" she scolded the noisy girls who were trying to pick up the drinking cups.

"Oh? I don't remember Kaguya-san being invited to the shrine?" Marisa blurted out and began laughing again.

"Oh, princess, princess!" called Aya at Reimu. "Would you mind me having a small interview?" she asked through her snickering and took out her camera to take a series of pictures.

"Cut it out, you two!" retorted the shrine maiden. "There are people who are already sleeping, you know."

"But Kaguya-sama, it's so rare to see you outside Eientei, let alone here at the Hakurei Shrine?" commented Aya with evident sarcasm. "Oh, and you cut your hair shorter too?"

"Ha, ha? Very funny, Aya. Now why don't you help me by taking the pillows and blankets back inside?"

Aya snickered and bowed mockingly. "Your wish is my command, my princess."

"Hey, Reimu, Reimu!" called Marisa with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, "Raise your right hand up and down like this and say: Eirin, Eirin! Help me, Eirin! Hahahahahaha~!"

"Shut up already!"

"What's all that shouting about?" asked Kyouichi who curiously popped his head out of the shrine.

Marisa who just walked past him only leisurely waved her hand. "Reimu's at it again?"

Kyouichi gave Marisa a suspicious look. "How did you piss her off this time?"

"Me? I have no idea what you're talking about." denied the witch, but her insidious snickering gave her away.

"Reimu-san looks pretty with her hair untied like that, doesn't she~?" asked Yuyuko's voice from behind Kyouichi.

"Waaah! How did you?? Damn?! Don't scare me like that, Yuyuko-sama." said the outsider holding a palm on his chest. "Weren't you outside just a second ago?"

"Maybe~." said the ghostly girl with an innocent smile.

Kyouichi wanted to ask her how did she manage to get inside the shrine in an instant, but upon realizing that she was a ghost, he just asked her something else.

"So, what's got Reimu so fired up again?"

"Marisa-san and Aya-san thought that she looks a bit like Kaguya-san?"

Before Kyouichi could ask who Kaguya-san was, Reimu was already entering the shrine with a bunch of pillows in her arms, followed by Marisa, Alice and Aya, carrying some stuff as well. The outsider took a step aside to let the girls in, his sight focused on Reimu. Yuyuko-sama was right ? Reimu's hair looked pretty even without any accessories. It seemed the girls managed to take all the things from the shrine yard inside in one go.

"Kyouichi~!" called Reimu at the outsider suddenly.

"Yes, Reimu-san?" he turned back to see the shrine maiden with a bucket of water by her feet.

"Could you please put out the fire?"

"Why of course I can." he obliged and took the bucket.
The weak fire that was still burning in the shrine yard went out with a loud hiss as Kyouichi splashed some water over it. Then he noticed that there were still several lamps and bamboo torches lit that were providing some additional light. He thought it would be a good idea to put them out as well. He found a ladle-shaped metal tool for putting out torches right next to the donation box and went over to the first torch. Its flame went out without a sound, leaving only the strong scent of burnt oil.

Then he repeated the process with all the remaining lamps in the shrine yard. Once he was done, he noticed some dim light coming from somewhere below the torii. Just as he suspected, there was a last pair of torches lit at the beginning of the stairway. He carefully walked down the dark stone stairway lined by thick trees from both sides. As he made his way closer to the last lamps, he noticed it got a little darker. It was strange, since it already was a few hours past midnight and the dark night simply shouldn't get any darker. Even the light from the torches seemed to be weakening the closer he went to them.

"What's going on?" he muttered to himself as he stopped to look around. The moon was now but a dim gray blob in the pitch-black sky and the stars could no longer be seen. It wasn't just the sky. The whole world seemed to fade into deep darkness. No need to say that Kyouichi was frightened like a child.

"This isn't good." he dropped the torch extinguisher on the ground and hurried up the stone stairs, or to be exact, tried to. By now it was already so dark he couldn't see anything at all. He was literally blind, and as such, he tripped over the first stone step and fell down.

"What the hell?! What's happening?! Help!" he shouted as loudly as he could.

He clumsily stood up again and tried to walk up the stairs while tracing them with his hands.

Not a second later, something hit him heavily from the front and knocked him down to the ground. Then he felt something clawing at his chest violently.

"Aaaaaah~!" he screamed from pain.

Something definitely attacked him, but he couldn't see anything, so he just instinctively covered his chest with his arms.

"Damn it! Remilia, is that you?!" he shouted into the darkness, but got no other answer than a series of nasty scratches, tearing his sleeves apart and cutting his wrists. His heart raced like mad from panic and his mind was desperately trying to come up with anything that could help him in his current situation.

"What did Marisa tell me back then? Don't struggle and let her take a few pints of blood if I get attacked?" he thought as he struggled against his unseen foe. "Like hell I'm gonna do that!" he shouted and tried to return a few blows to whatever was sitting on him and ripping his clothes into shreds. He managed to hit something, but not with enough force to knock it off from his body. Right after that, he could feel his right wrist being grabbed and forcefully pushed down to the ground. The attacker was apparently much stronger than Kyouichi. Then the outsider felt a very painful sensation on his left arm which was covering his chest and neck. It was just as if something bit him.

"Aaaaargh!" he let out another terrified scream as he felt the teeth sinking into his flesh. The creature's mouth was quite small though, so the bite wasn't all that serious, but it was painful nonetheless. Right after that, the thick, impenetrable darkness gradually faded as the creature was gnawing on Kyouichi's forearm. The outsider blinked a few times in disbelief as he saw what was attacking him. Sitting on top of his chest was a small girl dressed in a black vest and skirt, white blouse and a small red ribbon tied to the left side of her short blonde hair. Her bright-red eyes were focused on Kyouichi's neck. She was doubtlessly a youkai.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked the confused outsider, still trying to free himself from under his attacker's grip.

The red-eyed girl didn't pay any attention to his question and took a second bite at Kyouichi's bleeding forearm.

"Goddamn, that hurts!" he groaned and desperately kicked his feet.

The attacking girl let go of Kyouichi's right wrist and used her free hand to push away his left arm from his neck. Kyouichi saw that as an opportunity and punched her to the left side of her head with all his might. He had no time to feel bad about hitting a girl when his own life was at stake. Furthermore, he wasn't even sure if it wasn't just one of the ways this youkai masked its true form. Kyouichi's hit had enough force to knock out an evenly strong adult man, plus, it hit a vulnerable spot, so he thought he just managed to save his life? But he was wrong. The youkai girl didn't even seem to notice being hit and continued to bite and scratch at his poor left arm. He desperately repeated the hits into the same area only to make his knuckles hurt. The attacking youkai didn't even flinch.

"Aaaah! Get off me!" he screamed and punched, but he was simply no match.

Thinking that this would be the end of his short adventure in Gensokyo, he managed to find a small rock on the ground just within the reach of his right arm. Using the last amount of strength in his body, he grabbed the rock tightly in his palm. At the same time, he felt that his left arm was pushed aside, leaving his neck vulnerable to attack. It was literally a do-or-die situation with no room for error. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and swung his right arm with great force. This was enough to hurt even this youkai.

"Ack!" she screamed in a childish voice as she was grabbing her head. There was no blood anywhere, but she definitely felt the hit. Kyouichi didn't hesitate for a second and he slid from under her, kicked her down and ran to find cover in the nearby thicket of trees. The youkai girl took no more than 10 seconds to recover from the surprising blow and she was ready to fight again. However, Kyouichi was already hidden and watching her motionlessly.

"Aww? my dinner got away." groaned the youkai with a sad tone.

She took off into the air and levitated about 1 meter above ground. She then created some kind of dark sphere around her, enshrouding everything within a 5 meter radius.

"So this is what caused that sudden darkness?" thought Kyouichi, still trembling from fear and excitement. A small branch cracked under his weight and the youkai noticed it. Kyouichi could only see the big sphere of darkness getting dangerously close to him. He immediately grabbed a small rock from the ground and threw it somewhere away from his location.

"There you are~!" sounded the youkai's voice from the middle of the darkness as she followed the sound. Kyouichi even held his breath as she passed just a few meters away from him. Then something unexpected happened.

"Kyah! Ouch!" cried the youkai as she just bumped into a tree. Apparently, she couldn't see properly through her own darkness. That was probably what saved Kyouichi's life that night. That and a conveniently placed rock by his side? He waited there for well over ten minutes, crouching behind a tree, biting his nails. When the sounds of dull bumps and the youkai girl's voice could no longer be heard, he slowly stood up and returned to the shrine's stairway. The sun was already rising and Kyouichi took a look at his wounds.

"Aw, damn it? Just as soon as my first wounds heal up, I get new ones."

His left arm was in pretty bad shape with three deep bite marks and cuts from the youkai's nails. His chest was also crisscrossed with scratches, but they weren't too deep to cause serious bleeding. His clothes took the worst of it, though. His upper part of the kimono was torn into straps with only the right sleeve being intact. On the ground, he could see the remains from his white kimono lying scattered in the dirt and the rock he used to defend himself lay broken in two.

"Well, at least the hakama's still okay?" he summed up the damage tersely.

He slowly walked all the way up the stairs to the shrine yard when he saw Reimu in her nightgown nervously looking everywhere around.

"Over, here?" he moaned and waved his unhurt arm in the air to make her notice him.

"Kyouichi!" called Reimu with a relieved expression and ran towards the outsider.

As she saw his injuries, she gasped in shock. "What? what happened to you?"

"A youkai happened." answered the outsider, still unable to believe what just happened to him.

"What did I tell you about not going home on your own?!" she yelled at him angrily.

"I didn't? I just wanted to put out the torches in the shrine yard." said Kyouichi, looking back over his shoulder. "Heh? I guess they burned out already anyway? Now I believe you that the roads are dangerous."

"Kyouichi? I was so worried?" sighed the shrine maiden with a quiet, but very concerned voice. She tightly embraced the outsider as if to make sure he was still alive.

"Ow? It's not that I don't like you, Reimu-chan, but this kind of hurts?"

Reimu took a look at his left arm and turned away immediately. "This looks serious. You better go to Eientei?"

"Maybe? But first, I need some rest." said Kyouichi and yawned. He was barely able to stand on his feet and he wasn't even in a mood for talking. A good sleep is all he thought about at that moment.

"Of course, Kyouichi-kun. Please, let me help." said Reimu and helped to support Kyouichi's weight as she led him towards the shrine.

"Ugh?thanks, Reimu-chan?"
As soon as the two of them stepped inside, the idle chatter between Aya, Marisa and Alice immediately stopped to be replaced by dead silence.

"What the hell?!" asked Marisa with her eyes widened.

"Kyouichi-san?" uttered Aya, apparently too surprised to even take pictures.

"Oh, no~! He's hurt?" stated Yuyuko, who also looked worried.

"I'll tell you what happened to me? But after I get some sleep?" said the outsider with a hushed voice.

"We can't leave that arm of yours like that." said Reimu as she led him to a futon in the corner of the shrine. "You could get an infection."

"Well? Do you have anything for disinfection then?" asked Kyouichi, undressing the remains of his torn up kimono top.

"Yes, I've got a first aid box from Eirin." replied Reimu and went to fetch some disinfecting solution and a coil of bandages.

"Was it a youkai?" asked Marisa while Reimu was searching for the first aid box.

"Yeah? I think." nodded the outsider, checking his left arm again. "It'll probably take a few stitches and leave some scars?" he murmured to himself. "But still, I'm glad that I'm even alive?"

"Damn! That's really troubling." cursed the magician.

"What's worse, it all happened right under our noses." added Reimu who returned with the promised medicaments. "This will make everyone think that we're not competent enough to do our jobs of protecting people. You must think I'm a terrible shrine maiden now?" she said with a voice full of guilt and self-disappointment.

"What did that youkai look like? Where did it go? I'll Master Spark it to hell!" raged Marisa as she stood up.

"Sit down, Marisa." said Kyouichi, picking up a small brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the first aid box and giving it to Reimu. "She's already far away?"

"Now you seriously got me curious, Kyouichi-kun." said Aya, getting her notepad ready. "So you're saying that it was a female youkai, right?"

"That doesn't narrow our search much." grumbled Marisa as she nervously walked around the room. "There's thousands of female youkai in Gensokyo. Hell, millions if we count the fairies?"

Alice was the first to make a logical remark. "This doesn't look like a work of the fairies, Marisa."

"Okay, Kyouichi, this is probably going to hurt?" Reimu warned him before she poured the contents of the bottle on his injured arm.

Kyouichi halted her for a moment. "Oh, wait a sec." he said as he took a piece of cloth from his torn-up kimono and put it in his mouth to bite on. "M-kay? I'm weady?" he mumbled and turned away.

"So, did you manage to see what that youkai looked like?" inquired the tengu.

"Ow, yea? Fhe haw?Ah, screw this?" he cursed as he took out the cloth from his mouth to be able to talk clearly. "She was kind of short, had short blonde hair, red eyes and? Aaaaaaaaaaaa~!" he yelled from the sudden searing pain. His scream was loud enough to wake up Youmu, who quickly rose up with her sword ready.

"What the??! Yuyuko-sama, are you alright?!"

"I'm perfectly fine, Youmu, thanks for asking~." replied Yuyuko with her ever calm voice. "But it looks like our new human friend had a recent run-in with a youkai."

"Really? When?" asked confused Youmu, still wielding her sword in a fighting stance.

"Excuse me, Youmu-san, but I'm in the middle of an interview here, so please ask your questions later." Aya interrupted her. "But you can listen and maybe your questions will be answered before you even ask them? So, Kyouichi-san, could you repeat your description of the youkai that attacked you?"

"Well, like I said: she was short, had short blonde hair and red eyes? Oh, and don't put that screaming part in there, okay?"

"What about clothes? What clothes was she wearing?"

"I don't know? some plain black dress with a vest and a white blouse. Nothing too conspicuous."

"And how did she attack you?"

"That's the strangest thing? I didn't see her coming. It was like the whole world went black for that moment. Then I got pounced on by her and knocked to the ground. I still didn't see a thing and only instinctively tried to push her away, but she was incredibly strong. Then I felt scratches all over my body and then a bite on my left arm. Then all of a sudden, the darkness faded and I was able to see her up-close."

"Say no more, Kyouichi." Marisa stopped him. "I know that youkai?"

"Rumia." muttered Reimu thoughtfully as she was binding the bandages around Kyouichi's forearm. "The youkai of darkness."

"Rumia-san, huh?" repeated Aya, putting a pen to her mouth. "Yeah, that description does sound like her? I knew she was dangerous for humans, but I never thought, she'd lurk for prey so close to the shrine."

"You know her too, Aya-san?" wondered Kyouichi.

"What did I tell you about calling me so formally?" she reminded him. "Yes, I know her? I know many youkai all over Gensokyo. I've even done an interview with her a couple of years back."

"She's just a small fry, but for a defenseless outsider?" said Reimu without finishing her sentence.

"Indeed." nodded the reporter. "Despite her appearance, she does eat humans. Now, to the question I'm most curious to hear an answer to: How did you manage to survive that encounter?"

Kyouichi exhaled and shrugged. "I guess I rolled double sixes on my luck check?"

"Could you be a bit more specific?"

"I hit her hard with a rock that was lying on the ground next to me. Then I ran for it. I hid behind a tree and she wasn't able to find me? I guess I really am a lucky bastard."

"That's quite impressive for an outsider." complimented the tengu while taking notes. "Kind of makes me feel bad that I wasn't there?"

"Would you help him or would you just stand back and take pictures?" asked Reimu with a disdainful look.

"Of course, I'd help him?and take a few shots while I'd be at it?" replied Aya with a smile.

"Then I could write an article about a brave heroine, Aya-chan?"

"Perhaps another time, you'll have such a chance." said Kyouichi jokingly. By that time, Reimu already treated his injured arm to the best of her abilities.

"There, that's all I can do for you? Make sure you go visit Eientei, okay?"

"I don't even know where that is. But some folks in the village might?"

"Right? Well, then I'll at least take you to the village when you're ready." promised Reimu and put away the leftover bandages back into the box.

"It's a little late now, but you could at least give him some protective blessing, no?" asked Marisa when she had calmed down and assumed sitting position on her futon.

Reimu slapped her forehead with her palm. "And I couldn't think of it sooner? I really am a terrible shrine maiden? I can't even protect people at my own doorstep."

"Nobody's blaming you, Reimu-chan." Kyouichi reassured her. "You can't seriously hope you'll be able to protect every single person in Gensokyo. It's impossible. It's me who should have listened to people's advice and warnings?"

"But it was me who told you to put out the fire?"

"What's happened has happened and none of us can change it. Besides, it was a valuable experience. A one which I will remember for the rest of my life, and another reason for me to find a way home. The sooner, the better. Now? why don't you tell me about that blessing Marisa mentioned?"

"Oh, yeah? The blessing." Reimu shook her head as if waking up from a trance. "Well, basically, as a shrine maiden, I can confer blessings upon people or cleanse them from evil spirits. The blessings can have various effects from good health, success at work to protection from youkai. I can even use some of them on myself, but unfortunately, the one for more donations doesn't seem to work?"

"So can you give me a protective blessing?" asked Kyouichi curiously.

"I can, but I shouldn't perform the ritual in my nightdress. But I'll give you a blessing when we wake up tomorrow? I mean today, since it's already morning."

She then stood up and put out all the lamps inside the shrine. The others made themselves comfortable on their futons and closed their eyes. Finally, Reimu crawled into her own yin-yang patterned futon and yawned before she fell asleep.

Despite experiencing another unpleasant event in Gensokyo, Kyouichi managed to fall asleep easily. He was still alive and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.
He woke up to a pleasant smell of something delicious. He opened his eyes and figured it was already around noon. The only person that was still sleeping was Suika. Everyone else was already awake. Just a few steps away from his futon, Reimu and Youmu were standing over a stove, preparing lunch. Both were wearing aprons on top of their regular clothes.

"Oh, I see? You put the meat in afterwards, huh?" asked Reimu, who was carefully learning some new recipe from Youmu.

"Yes, just wait until the onions fry to golden-brown, then put the rest of the vegetables in, let them fry for a minute or two and finally, put the meat in, pour in some water, cover the pot and let it cook for about 20 minutes." Youmu instructed her.

"Good afternoon morning to you, Kyouichi-san~." greeted Yuyuko-sama, sitting at the table, looking at him with her sweet smile.

The outsider yawned loudly before he managed to utter any words. "Yeah? Good afternoon to you too, Yuyuko-sama."

The girls at the stove looked back for a moment to greet him as well and returned back to cooking.

"How's your arm doing?" asked the shrine maiden while she was stirring something.

"It still hurts, but I'll make it." answered Kyouichi truthfully.

"That's good to hear." she said with relief. "Please wait a couple of minutes and the lunch will be ready. And since Youmu-san's helping me, today's lunch is guaranteed to be delicious."

"Youmu has many talents~." said Yuyuko matter-of-factly. "I think her cooking is at least as good as Sakuya-san's."

Youmu didn't say a word, but her ghostly half was blushing again. She got embarrassed even when Yuyuko-sama was praising her.

"Where are the others?" asked Kyouichi, since he didn't see anyone else inside the shrine.

Reimu was the first one to answer his question. "Marisa, Akyuu and Alice are drinking tea outside and Aya already went home."

"Need help with anything?"

"Are you kidding me? You want to help me even after what happened to you last night?" asked Reimu unbelievingly.

"I'm just hurt, not a cripple." replied Kyouichi as he was standing up. "And I really don't like when people pity me."

"I don't pity you. I'm just being considerate."

"Well, thank you for your concern, but I really am able to work. Fortunately, I'm right-handed, so I can still perform most tasks like usual."

"Well, if you insist, there's still quite a pile of unwashed plates over there?" said the shrine maiden while pointing at a stack of plates standing next to a large wooden bucket.

"Well then, I'll get right to it." said the half-naked outsider and started washing up right away.

Kyouichi could still use his left hand, since only his forearm was badly bitten. He didn't do the washing up as fast as he would with a healthy arm, but neither him, nor anyone else at the shrine was in much of a hurry, so he just worked at his leisure pace. He finished washing the last plate almost in-sync with Reimu and Youmu, who were just about to serve lunch.

Kyouichi took his place at the table, again sitting opposite to Yuyuko-sama. Reimu went to call the girls in, while Youmu served the food with great finesse.

Marisa, Alice and Akyuu were eager to hear Kyouichi retell the event from today's early morning, but he refused, convincing them that he already told them everything. He certainly wasn't in a mood for recalling that attack. Youmu interrupted their chatter with an announcement: "The meal is served. Hope you'll like it."

"Itadakimasu~."

Finally? Sweet silence. At least for this short moment while everyone was savoring the delicious taste of the meal, everyone was quiet. Kyouichi didn't hurry to gobble up his portion as he usually did. The curry made in a joint effort of Youmu and Reimu was even more delicious than his mom's home cooking and that was really something to say. The quiet atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by Suika.

"Good morning, everyone~!" she squealed through her yawn. "Something smells nice~. Hey? You're already eating! Wait for me~!"

She quickly got on her feet and hurried to the table, tripping over one of the futons and landing on another one. "Kyaaaah~!"

Her scream was followed by a silent thud as she was stretched on the floor.

"Hey, careful there?" smiled Kyouichi as he watched the little oni standing up and rubbing her knee. "You still don't look too sober, Suika?"

"You bet she isn't?" stated Reimu as a matter of fact. "Now, when was the last time you were sober, huh, Suika?" she asked and hummed thoughtfully. "I think I'd have to take a look at Akyuu-chan's chronicle for that? One of the early volumes."

"Oh, come on, Reimu~?" pouted Suika as she finally crawled to the table on all fours. "An oni that isn't drunk is either ill or a weirdo."

"Well, you're a weirdo regardless?" jabbed the shrine maiden at her. "Come over here and eat or there'll be nothing left?" she warned her. Then her eyes turned to Yuyuko-sama and she added: "You really ought to hurry before SOMEONE asks for seconds?"

"How much did you even drink yesterday?" asked Kyouichi as Suika sat down by his side again.

"I don't know? I don't measure it. I just drink till I drop." she replied nonchalantly, taking a ladle into her little hand.

"Heh? I think you'd really get along well with Naota-san." chuckled the outsider and took another piece of meat with his chopsticks.

"Who's Naota-san~?" asked the curious little oni as she was serving some curry on her plate.

"One of my friends? But he doesn't like youkai much, so I'm not sure he'd be too eager to meet you? Come to think of it, I'm not sure I like them too much myself."

"Considering what happened to you, I can't say I blame you, ze?" stated Marisa as she was playing chopstick hockey for a piece of meat from the pot with Yuyuko-sama.

"Huh? What happened to him, Marisa~?"

"This happened." answered Kyouichi by showing her his bandaged left arm.

"Eeeh?! Did you trip and hurt yourself, Kyouichi?"

"Err? something similar?" replied the outsider, not willing to retell the whole story about being attacked.

"He was attacked by Rumia last night." said Marisa, still struggling to get the same piece of meat that Yuyuko wanted. "And he managed to chase her off all by himself."

"And when did I ever say something about chasing her away, Marisa-san?" asked Kyouichi surprisedly."

"Amazing~?" stated the little oni, who apparently fell for Marisa's made up version of the tale. "You're quite something, aren't you?"

"For the last time, Marisa, I did NOT chase that youkai away!" insisted Kyouichi. "I just gave her a hit in the head with a rock, crawled from under her and kicked her down while she was holding her head. Then ran for cover and hid behind a thick tree? That Rumia or whatever you call her was up on her feet in a matter of seconds without a scratch on her. Then she created that dark field around herself like before and tried to find me? But she didn't. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here talking to you."

"That's still impressive? for a human that is." Suika complimented him.

"If you say so?" muttered the outsider, gently pressing his injured arm with his right hand. It was sensitive to even little pressure.

"Make sure you get that arm looked at at the village or at Eientei, okay?" Reimu reminded him, wagging her finger.

"Yes, mom?" replied Kyouichi jokingly. He thought that she was sometimes being a bit too patronizing. But at least he knew that Reimu wasn't completely indifferent to other people's well being.
"Ahh? that really was delicious." praised Kyouichi after he finished his meal. He amusedly watched as Marisa finally managed to grab the piece of meat with her chopsticks, giving Yuyuko a wry, triumphant grin. The ghost princess stared at her with her mouth agape, her sad eyes widening and tears forming at their corners.

"Look at it this way?" spoke the witch to her like a person giving away consolation prizes at a competition, "You're a ghost. You eat only for enjoyment, whereas I eat to stay alive. Surely you must acknowledge that I'll need this piece of meat more than you, ze?"

Having that little speech was Marisa's great mistake. Just as she finished her sentence, Yuyuko opened her mouth wide, and since she was immaterial, or at least seemed to be to a certain degree, she swallowed the piece of meat right from between Marisa's chopsticks without any difficulty.

"Mmmm~? Delicious~ ." she sang in delight as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the taste as well as Marisa's shocked expression.

"What the heck?!"

Everyone then started laughing at the outcome of that situation. Alice even made her doll, Shanghai pityingly pat Marisa's head.

"Hahaha!" Reimu chuckled heartily. "That's Yuyuko-sama for you?"

"Next time, we should settle similar things with danmaku." grumbled Marisa angrily.

"We still can~." Yuyuko pointed out calmly.

"And what for? You've already eaten the prize."

"Or she's too scared she'll get her butt kicked?" whispered Reimu to Kyouichi.

"Say, Reimu, are you going to take me to the village now?" he asked the shrine maiden.

"Oh, that's right? I should take you to the village. Okay, but I should get you some replacement for your kimono?"

"Hey, why don't we take him to Kourindou first?" suggested Marisa. "There's a good selection of clothes too. Then we could take him and Akyuu-chan back to the village."

The black-haired miko hummed and scratched her chin. "That's not a bad idea. I've got some clothes I need mended as well."

"Alright, it's decided then! Let's head to Kourindou!"

"In that case, it's time for us to go home as well." announced Yuyuko. "We can't leave the Netherworld unattended, right, Youmu?"

Youmu took it as a cue to stand up, bow to everyone and come to Yuyuko's side.

"Thank you very much for the invitation, Reimu-san. You've been a great host. Next time, I'll be sure to invite you people to a big feast in the Netherworld. And Kyouichi-san, I hope you'll manage to meet Yukari soon and get home?" she paused for a moment and smiled at him warmly. "And if you die by some unfortunate turn of events, you can come to live with us at Hakugyokurou~. There's plenty of rooms for many souls to live~."

"Uhh?Thanks? I'll keep that in mind."

Kyouichi's smile froze on his face as he heard Yuyuko talk about his death so nonchalantly. However, given the current state of affairs, people like Kyouichi would be among the first ones on the Grim Reaper's list in Gensokyo. He was now more than well aware that this world, which was still quite alien to him, presents deadly dangers at every corner and that if he wanted to stay alive, he'd have to live by its unwritten rules. First and foremost, he should listen to people's warnings and never act on his own, because just being careful is not good enough here.

He absent-mindedly watched as Yuyuko and Youmu were leaving the shrine, bowing twice to everyone before they soared up into the blue afternoon sky.

"Okay, are you all ready to head out?" asked Marisa, putting on her pointy black hat.

"I'll stay here and hold the fort~." said Suika who stretched herself on a futon again, patting her satisfied stomach.

"In other words, you'll laze around and drink sake." stated Reimu with a hint of sarcasm. "Fine. Just don't break anything."
With that said, the Hakurei shrine maiden left the shrine's living quarters and closed the sliding door. Kyouichi was already waiting outside with the other girls. He was, of course, still half-naked. Before he left the shrine, however, he took his ID card from the breast pocket of his torn up kimono shirt and put it in the pocket of his hakama.

"Can I get that blessing now?" he asked the shrine maiden suddenly.

"Oh! But of course?" she nodded as she just recalled her promise. She took a gohei wand into her hand, took several deep breaths and began performing a series of elegant movements around the outsider, occasionally swinging the gohei at him, letting only the paper straps hit him. All the while she kept muttering some sort of incantations, too silently for Kyouichi to make out the words of the prayer. The whole "dance" lasted something around two minutes and was finished by one final touch of the gohei on top of Kyouichi's head.

"There? You are now blessed to repel youkai and to heal up faster." explained the miko. "Now remember, blessings are only temporary, lasting but a few days at best. But I could sell you some protective charms that I use as danmaku?"

Kyouichi didn't take a second to think of his next question: "How much?"

"For you, let's say? 50 yen per piece."

"Will I need more than one?"

Reimu shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. These omamori are a weapon I throw at youkai. They're vulnerable to faith-based attacks. If you ever find yourself in a dire situation like yesterday, just take one of these and touch a youkai with it. The amulet will disappear instantly, but the youkai will feel the burn of divine power."

"I'll take 5." said Kyouichi, reaching inside his hakama to prepare the money. "I still need some cash to buy a new kimono shirt."

Reimu smiled and counted off five of her rectangular, red and white paper amulets and gave them to Kyouichi, who paid her equally with a sum of 250 yen.

"Okay then?" spoke Marisa, getting everyone's attention. "Kyouichi, Akyuu, you will ride on the broom with me? Don't worry, I'll fly really slowly." she added as she saw the scared look in the chronicler's eyes. "Alice and Reimu can fly by themselves so don't worry about them."

"Does that mean that you can't fly by yourself, Marisa-san?" wondered Kyouichi. "?since you're using a broom to fly and all?"

"Oh, but I can." answered the witch, waving her hand. "But this is faster? Furthermore, I can tie a bag to the tail and carry heavier loads like books and such?"

"From the Scarlet Devil Mansion, right?" pried the outsider.

"Hehehe? Well?you know? Patchouli has already read those books hundreds of times, so there's no harm if I borrow some every now and then? That is? unless she thinks otherwise and protests with danmaku, which is the case most of the time, ze?"

"Patchouli, huh?" muttered Kyouichi silently as he was sitting astride over Marisa's broom. "Now why does that name sound so familiar to me? Wait a second?." he finally remembered where he first came across that unusual name. "Patchouli? Patchouli Knowledge?"

"Yes, that's her full name." nodded the witch.

"Seriously... That's the weirdest name I've ever heard." remarked Kyouichi, giving a hand to Akyuu, who was just trying to sit on the broom as well. "Damn? And I thought it was just some kind of pseudonym? She's the one who's written some books about magic and elements, right? I've seen some in the bookstore I work at."

"Oh-ho! Not just SOME books, Kyouichi. She's written so many books, that you could build a house from them. Not to mention the other ones she keeps in her library. I'm telling you, you haven't seen a library yet until you visited the one inside Koumakan (Scarlet Devil Mansion). It's freaking huge, ze? Maybe I'll take you there? some day. Hopefully, Patchy won't mind to see a new face."

"Hold on, isn't Remilia-sama the mistress of the mansion?" Kyouichi inquired further.

"That she is. But Patchouli is her close friend who received permanent residence in the mansion ? the library part, obviously. Even though she's basically a just guest in the SDM, even Remilia respects her privacy. She rarely comes down to the library anyways. To be honest, most of the time I visit the library, Remilia doesn't even know I'm there. And sometimes not even Patchouli? Okay, ready to take off?" she asked, turning her head back.

Kyouichi nodded affirmatively. "Well, I'm ready. What about you, Akyuu-chan?"

As he turned back he saw the chronicler already sitting on the broom with a face flushed from embarrassment that she will have to hold onto Kyouichi's half-exposed body. The young outsider figured as much and smiled at her reassuringly.

"Oh, come on, Akyuu? I won't believe you if you tell me that you haven't yet seen a naked man during your previous eight lives?"

Actually, he thought the exact opposite. "I bet she's already more "experienced" than any other normal woman."

That thought was just as intriguing as it was disturbing.

"Come on! I'm just half-naked, so what?" he tried to encourage her.

Finally the chronicler obliged and tightly embraced Kyouichi's waist.

"Alright, Captain Marisa, this is the Hakurei Airbase control tower, you have permission to take off from the torii runway." he announced with humor - one of the things this human almost never seemed to lack.

"I have no idea what you just said, but we're taking off, so hold on tightly."
The next second, they were in the air, slowly gaining altitude and flying right over the shrine's torii. Marisa was true to her word and she was flying much slower this time. At first, Kyouichi thought that perhaps another passenger on the broom had something to do with this fact as well, but Akyuu-chan was just a child who could weigh only something around 30 kilograms, so the broom couldn't be overloaded. If it could fly like a rocket with Marisa and Kyouichi sitting on it, then Akyuu's negligible weight could hardly slow it down.

"If my hat gets in your way, you can do what you did yesterday." said Marisa on a side note.

"I was just thinking the same thing." sounded Kyouichi from behind her and borrowed her large witch's hat. The sight at them must have been ridiculous ? a blond teen girl with black and white dress, a half naked, long-haired young man with glasses wearing a hakama and a witches' hat and a small purple-haired girl wearing a bright, colorful kimono, all riding on a magical flying bamboo straw broom in broad daylight. Reimu and Alice escorted them by each side.

"I bet Aya would take pictures of us if she was here?" thought the outsider to himself.

They were heading west, along the road which Kyouichi walked one week ago when he got spirited away.

"Maybe I'll see that clearing where I first appeared." came another thought to his mind.

As they followed the road below them, the trees were gradually becoming more and more dense until the road was no longer visible. They were now flying over the vast Forest of Magic. Kyouichi noticed the tall hill which he had fallen down from as Marisa drove her broom further and further west.

"Um? Marisa?" he asked her bashfully. "How are you going to land with all those trees in the way?

"We're not there yet, Kyouichi. The shop's at the edge of the forest, so there's no problem with landing." Marisa informed him, turning her heading a few degrees to the south.

A couple of minutes later, they were already nearing the south-eastern edge of the forest and the road which led to crop fields, farms and eventually, the Human Village.

"Here we are." announced the blonde witch and began descending to the ground. Only now Kyouichi noticed a wooden building, not much different from a regular Japanese house in both size and architecture standing at the edge of the forest near the road, leading further into the woods. Marisa managed a smooth landing, letting the outsider and the chronicler get off the broom and feel the solid ground beneath their feet again. Reimu and Alice were already standing in front of the shop, waiting.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 19 ? Let's go Shopping

"This here is Kourindou." said Marisa, making a theatrical gesture. "You can get all sorts of goods here? even from the outside world. Hey, maybe you can tell me something about some of the stuff I've seen there a little better than Kourin. Come on, let's go inside."

Marisa opened the door to the shop and the others followed her in.

"Oi~, Kourin~! Long time no see, ze!" she greeted and waved her hand.

The person she greeted was the shop's owner ? a tall, young looking man with short silver disheveled hair, wearing a black and blue kimono with white zigzag pattern along the hem and a pair of rectangular glasses. He also had a small leather bag resembling a school bag tied to the front of his obi sash. He rolled his golden eyes from a book he was reading to Marisa and the rest of the band.

"Oh, Marisa, good afternoon." he greeted with a mixed expression of surprise and happiness.

He took a while to observe all the people standing inside his shop, before he shook himself awake again from his thoughts.

"Uh? Greetings to you as well, Reimu, Alice? and even Hieda-san? and umm?" his eyes stopped at Kyouichi, who was just returning the witch's hat back to Marisa.

"Ishimaru. Ishimaru Kyouichi." the outsider bowed and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Kourin-san."

The shop's owner looked at him with a surprised and embarrassed smile and Marisa began snickering for some reason.

Kyouichi gave the witch an asking look. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no, no? It's just that "Kourin" is only a nickname by which only I call him?" explained Marisa. "His real name is Rinnosuke."

"Oh? Well then, my apologies, Rinnosuke-san." said Kyouichi as he bowed again to the owner of Kourindou.

"Don't apologize." smiled Rinnosuke and waved his hand. "Yes, my real name's Rinnosuke. Morichika Rinnosuke. As you can see, I run this humble little antique shop?"

Kyouichi slowly turned his head to look around the entire shop and examined the various items on the shelves. Just like the Starlight Glyph, it also seemed to be much bigger from the inside than from the outside.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't call it little?" stated the outsider after a while of looking around.

Just as Marisa said, there were tons of various items, many of which were certainly not made in Gensokyo: books, clothing, food, drinks, sweets, toys, gardening implements, cosmetic goods, cleaning detergents and even various electronics. In the corner near the shop's entrance stood an old Coca-Cola vending machine and placed right on the main counter was a laptop, a portable television set, a digital camera, several iPods, a disassembled radio and a Nintendo DS.

Of course, since there was no electricity in Gensokyo, all of these electronic devices were uselessly sitting there and collecting dust. Unless they were powered by batteries... But even batteries run out eventually, so there was really no reason for anyone to buy them. Nevertheless, at a price like 500 yen for an iPod, or a 1000 yen for the digital camera, Kyouichi seriously considered buying some of these items, so he could take them home later.

"Are you interested in buying anything, Ishimaru-san?"

"I was just looking at what sort of jun? uh? I mean merchandise you are selling in this shop." replied Kyouichi, correcting a word in his sentence.

Rinnosuke snorted with an understanding smile. "Just go ahead and say it ? junk. Yes, doubtless these are all very interesting items for me, but I just can't sell them, even if I lowered their prices several times."

"Do you even know what these things are, Rinnosuke-san?" asked Kyouichi with a raised eyebrow.

"I do have an idea about their purpose, but the way they work is still quite a mystery to me." explained the shop owner. He corrected the position of his glasses and made a gesture towards one of the iPods.

"This here for example is a device used to store and play music and moving pictures. But don't ask me how. I've heard it's quite trendy in the outside world."

He moved to the laptop and continued explaining. "And this one? It's a sort of shikigami that people in the outside world call computers. Like these small boxes which they call iPods, the computers can perform all sorts of other different tasks, like remembering texts, or drawing or enabling two people to communicate with each other across very long distances, like telepathy? This one here is sleeping and I couldn't get it to wake up. Maybe it only listens to its master."

As Kyouichi heard Rinnosuke's descriptions of his merchandise, he couldn't help but to start chuckling. "Hahaha~! Okay, that's enough, Rinnosuke-san? You don't have to explain their purpose to me. I know what all these things are used for. Your descriptions are quite amusing, though."

The shop's owner looked at him quizzically. "So you also have the same ability as me? To tell the true name and purpose of anything at first glance?"

This time, Marisa was the one who started laughing again. "No, silly Kourin? Kyouichi is a human from the outside world. We just came here so he could buy some clothes?"

"Really? An outsider?" he measured him up carefully. "I see? The glasses you're wearing? Their frame is made from an artificial substance? What was it called again? Plastic?"

Kyouichi just smiled and nodded silently. This man was really smart.

"Well then, could you please shed some light on how this computer here works?" inquired the silver-haired man.

"Uhh? well? I'm sorry, but I have no idea on how computers are made, or how do their programs work. I just know how to use them, that's all?"

Rinnosuke scratched his head and hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder why does every outsider say that? They all say they know how to use these things, but nobody can tell me how they work or how to reproduce them."

"So you got all of these things from outsiders?" asked Kyouichi, curious about the origin of all these goods.

Rinnosuke shook his head. "No, not all of them. I have a? how should I put it? an irregular supplier."

"A supplier?" repeated Kyouichi, feeling the curiosity building up inside him.

"A certain youkai? Yukari Yakumo?"

Kyouichi's heart suddenly began pumping faster "Her?! When did you see her last time?"

Rinnosuke was a little jumped by Kyouichi's suddenly raised voice and the question itself. "Well, it's been more than a couple of months since her last shipment? Why do you ask? Do you know her?"

"Only from other people's talk and a bunch of texts." replied the outsider. "I'm asking because I'm looking for her in order to return back home. But those people who claim to be her friends have all said that they haven't seen her for over half a year, so I was wondering if perhaps you haven't come into contact with her recently?"

"Well, I wouldn't call her a friend." spoke Rinnosuke after a brief pause. "We're just business partners."

He then suddenly leaned closer to Kyouichi and continued with a hushed voice. "To tell you the truth, I don't really like her. Whenever she comes I get this eerie feeling and goosebumps. Her presence alone makes me feel uneasy? like she's always up to something. But? it also makes me wonder why she hasn't come to make another delivery already?"

"Then please, if she ever shows up at your shop, make sure to let any of us know." requested Kyouichi, looking briefly at the girls standing in the shop.

"I suppose I can do that." shrugged Rinnosuke. "Now, I'm guessing you'd like to take a look at some clothes?"

"I don't need anything fancy. If you have a plain white kimono shirt that would fit me, I'll take it."

"I sure do." confirmed the shopkeeper. "Please give me a minute."

He disappeared somewhere in the back of his shop and took a few minutes to return back with a stack of several white kimono shirts.

"Please, help yourself and try them on. Pick the one which fits you the best." said Rinnosuke with an offering gesture.

Kyouichi tried all of them on and easily decided which one of them to choose. It cost 3000 yen, but since the outsider no longer had so much money on him, he managed to haggle the price down to 2500 yen. Rinnosuke wasn't very pleased that he had to sell it cheaper, but at the same time, he wanted to make some business. After putting his new kimono shirt on and paying for it, Kyouichi decided to take some more time to browse through the shop's interesting inventory. The girls weren't in a hurry either, so they all spent at least another 30 minutes in Kourindou. Kyouichi suddenly stopped at one section of the shop.

"Ho-ho~! Check it out?" he said as he was looking at all the snacks from the outside world.

"Did you find anything interesting?" asked Marisa from the other side of the shelf.

"What are all these little colorful packages?" wondered Reimu, who was standing just a few steps away from the outsider.

"Snacks, snacks and more snacks." smiled the outsider, taking a box of chocolate Pocky sticks.

"Hey, look, Reimu. Pocky~!" he showed her the package.

The shrine maiden looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I don't know much about snacks from the outside?"

"You don't know Pocky?" asked Kyouichi in slight disbelief. "It's one of my favorite snacks. I'll buy one box and let you have some too."

"I thought you had no more money left?"

"I can still afford one pack of Pocky." said the outsider and took the snack with him to the counter.

He paid for it with his last coins, opened the package and took out one chocolate-coated stick

"Okay, say aaah~." said Kyouichi, holding the stick in front of Reimu's face, obviously trying to feed her.

She took the snack with her hand, observed it for a while and took a little bite.

"Mmm? it's sweet. And crunchy?" she muttered and took another bite.

"See? And these snacks come in many different flavors? I still prefer the classic, though."

He offered a piece of Pocky to each of the girls and then he ate the rest of the pack himself.

"Ah? I never would have guessed I'd come across these here." he stated as he finished off the small package. "All it needs is to wash it down with some drink."

"There's an old thirst-quenching shikigami right there?" sounded Rinnosuke, pointing at the old vending machine standing in the corner. "But that one is also in some sort of hibernation and it won't obey requests. I tried donating some coins and praying to it, but nothing happened. If you could make it work somehow?"

Kyouichi took a closer look at the old unplugged machine and grinned mischievously.

"Ah? how nostalgic?" he muttered as he ran his hand over its button panel. "We've had the same kind of vending machine back in our elementary school? Those were the days?"

He turned back to face Rinnosuke and the others, tapped his hand on the machine and added: "This is an old-fashioned vending machine and back in my school days, I learned a little trick from some of my? uhh? more inventive classmates how to obtain drinks from it without paying a single yen."

"Really? Like some sort of spell?" asked Marisa curiously.

"Yeah, something like that." smiled the outsider back at her. "Now? provided there are still any drinks left in it, I could show you how I used to "buy" drinks after my PE class."

"Show us then." she encouraged him.

"Okay." he turned back to the machine and began knocking gently on its front side, carefully listening to the sound of the knocks. When he found a spot where the knocks didn't sound hollow, he nodded to himself and held his hand over that spot, turning back to the spectating girls and Rinnosuke. "Don't try this at home?" he remarked jestingly before he stood up again. He then grabbed the vending machine by the top side and slightly leaned it towards himself. He took a step back while he still held the drink machine in its leaned position with one hand, while the other pushed and held a button for the drink of his choice. He readied his right leg into a kicking position. The next second, he gave the old machine a good kick right above the drink dispenser. The onlooking girls exchanged their surprised looks with the shopkeeper. Suddenly, a loud clang sounded and a can of the most popular soft drink of the United States appeared in the dispenser slot.

"Well, what do you know, there's still something inside?" said the outsider, returning the machine back to its upright position and taking the can of coke from the slot.

"Wow?" sighed Marisa in amazement.

"Doesn't that classify as stealing?" asked Reimu, giving the outsider her typical scornful look.

"It sure does." acknowledged Kyouichi shamelessly. "That's why our school vending machine was replaced by a modern one, once they figured that the amount of money in its coin box didn't add up to the amount of drinks sold, hehe. But before that, I used to help myself to a free drink whenever there was nobody looking."

"I like the way you think, Kyouichi-kun." grinned Marisa approvingly.

"I didn't think you were that kind of person?" stated Reimu with disappointment.

"I was no saint, let me tell you..." Kyouichi admitted. "But trust me; compared to some of my other classmates, I was like a lamb."

"Nobody's perfect." stated Akyuu tersely. "I also have a couple of thefts on my hands from my previous lives." she confessed shyly.

Her unexpected confession made Reimu open her mouth in a shocked expression. "W-whaat?! Akyuu-chan??" she shook her head in disbelief.

"It's nothing that I'd be especially proud of, but there were times when my temptation and curiosity got the better of me."

"So even Akyuu-chan did something like that??" muttered Reimu, barely able to imagine it.

Marisa smiled at Reimu wryly and tapped her a few times on her shoulder. "You're not exactly sinless either, Hakurei shrine maiden?"

Reimu blinked several times, as if she was hit by a brick in the head. She just thoughtfully stood there for a good couple of seconds without a word. Her face was unusually serious and somehow? she looked as though as she was blaming herself for something.

"Oi, Reimu, are you alright?" asked Marisa, waving a palm in front of Reimu's eyes.

The shrine maiden quickly returned back to reality, and nodded reassuringly. "Yes, yes. I'm fine? Okay, then, Rinnosuke-san. Make sure you mend my clothes properly." she addressed the shopkeeper.

"Whatever you say." muttered Rinnosuke with a hint of annoyance. "Come back tomorrow. And make sure you actually pay for the service this time."

Reimu pouted and crossed her arms. "Hmph? Some people just aren't grateful for me keeping Gensokyo safe." she whispered to herself.

"No wonder if you can't even make your shrine's doorstep any safer than the forests near the Youkai Mountain?" jabbed Marisa at her friend, scoring another low blow against Reimu's already bruised ego.

Alice took pity of Reimu and gave Marisa a blaming look. "You were there yesterday as well, so you have no right to make it sound like it's all Reimu's fault. In a way, it was our collective fault."

"Yeah, that was a bit harsh from you, Marisa?" agreed Kyouichi. "If there is really someone to blame, it's me for doing something I wasn't even asked for."

Reimu shook her head in disagreement. "You just tried to be helpful. Nobody could predict there'd be a youkai lurking so close to the shrine?"

"The Hakurei Shrine itself doesn't have any youkai-repelling effects, so yes, in fact, we should have seen it coming." remarked the blonde witch. "But Kyouichi should be safer now that he bought some of your amulets, ze."

"Yeah, I hope?" said the outsider, opening the can of coke with a characteristic hiss and pop and took a few gulps. "Mmm? A bit too warm for my tastes, but still drinkable?"

"Okay, people, we all got what we wanted and said everything we wanted to say? I think we can go now." Reimu suggested, waving her hand in a "follow me" gesture.

"Uh, yes, have a nice day." said Rinnosuke, standing up and seeing his customers off. "I'll let Yukari know that you're looking for her if she ever shows up? And come back to Kourindou again sometime?"

"Yes, thank you, Rinnosuke-san." bowed Kyouichi on the shop's doorstep. "Goodbye."
They left the various goods shop and Marisa was already preparing her broom for another flight. Reimu suddenly stepped to her and said: "You take them to the village. I'm going back to the shrine."

"As you wish." shrugged Marisa. "See you later." she waved at her as the shrine maiden took off and flew back to her home. "What about you, Alice? You coming with us, or do you have some other plans?"

"Actually, I should get home as well and do the laundry while the weather is still nice." said the youkai dollmaker. "But I think I'll come over to you for a visit later, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not~! Just come over?" agreed Marisa, nodding repeatedly. "Take care, ze?"

Alice bowed elegantly and headed further down the road into the forest on foot. Her doll was flying behind her like a pet fairy.

"Alright, you two?" said Marisa, looking at Akyuu and Kyouichi. "Time to take you home? Get on!"

Kyouichi was starting to get used to riding on Marisa's broom. He took his place behind the witch and Akyuu sat behind him. Once Kyouichi gave the ready signal, Marisa slowly drove the broom forward, accelerated to a high speed and increased the broom's altitude. This time, they were flying along the so called "Western Road"- the one which led all the way to the village, crossing through farmlands and along the new Buddhist Temple and its adjacent cemetery.

They still had a long way to their destination, though. If they went on foot, it could take them over 90 minutes to reach the village. Using the advances of magic flying, however, this trip would take only something around 15 minutes. Kyouichi watched the land stretching ahead of them, and the brown dirt path in the middle of it. They were still over 2 minutes away from the crop fields, when Kyouichi's eyes noticed a single person walking on the road, heading towards the village, wearing some familiarly looking red and white clothes. The opened white parasol above the person's head made Kyouichi immediately identify her. She was the youkai lady who regularly visited the village's flower shop. He didn't know her name, but he saw her several times already. Apparently, Marisa also noticed the person on the road and her reaction was quite unexpected.

"Oh, crap!" she cursed and drastically changed the broom's heading and accelerated to a dangerously high speed.

"W-w-what's wrong, Marisa-san?!" called Akyuu-chan from the tail of the broom, tightly holding onto Kyouichi's waist.

"Yeah, what's with that crazy maneuver?!" Kyouichi seconded Akyuu's question.

"You don't want to know!" called Marisa through the wind and took a big detour to get to the village.

Kyouichi wondered for the remainder of the flight what could make Marisa change her course so suddenly, but he didn't ask.
They landed safely at the northern end of the village, less than a hundred meters away from the Saitou residence. The outsider and the chronicler got off the broom and thanked Marisa for her time to take them both to the village.

"You're welcome." she smiled at them. "Now that I'm here already, I might as well pay my dad a visit?"

Kyouichi immediately recalled the favor that Kirisame-san asked him ? to let him know how his daughter was doing. Now that Marisa was planning to see him personally, Kyouichi no longer needed to inform the man about Marisa's daily life. Besides, he still didn't know basically anything about Marisa, except for a few basic facts and a vague idea about her personality.

"No doubt he'll be beside himself when he sees you." said Kyouichi, returning the smile back.

"Yeah? I can imagine?" chuckled the blonde. "Very well then, Kyouichi-kun, Akyuu-chan? Hope to see you again soon, ze." she saluted with two fingers and headed down towards the center of the village, disappearing behind a corner.

Akyuu also bowed to the outsider. "It's been a wonderful hanami at the Hakurei Shrine if it hadn't been for that attack, of course? Please read my chronicle, Kyouichi-san. At least the final volume. There's a Youkai Encyclopedia dealing with the youkai currently inhabiting Gensokyo and a Dangerous Area Guide as well. You won't find information about every single kind of youkai in there, but it should give you enough information for you to live a safer life here in Gensokyo."

"I haven't gotten to the last volume yet, but I raced through its pages? Thanks for the advice, Akyuu-chan."

"No problem." smiled the ninth child of Are. "I hope we meet again soon. And may your wounds heal up quickly."
With that said, she bowed one more time and walked slowly to her home. It was about time Kyouichi showed his face at the Saitou house, his current home. He slid the door open and called from the doorstep.

"I'm back~!"

Light footsteps sounded from the kitchen and a few seconds later, Minako appeared.

"Welcome back, Kyou-kun! Did you have a good time at the hanami?"

"It was great. And I learned a LOT from just being there." answered Kyouichi without telling the whole truth.

"Are you hungry?"

"Nope. I've eaten recently."

"If you're looking for Mizuto, he's gone fishing to the lake again and the children went to play outside." Minako informed him.

Kyouichi stood for a while in silence, trying to think what to do next, but it didn't take him long to decide.

"I'll go for a little walk around the village? Visit some friends maybe. I just came to tell you that I'm back from the shrine already."

"Very well, Kyouichi-kun, don't let me keep you?" said Minako with a pleasant smile as the outsider left the house again.
It was a few hours past noon, and the sun was heating the air up to warm summer temperatures. Kyouichi felt a little hot in his clothes, so he tucked up the sleeves of his brand new kimono shirt, which was unrecognizable from his previous one. He headed down the street, planning to see Naota and Midori. He didn't even have to walk all the way to the old man's house as he saw him outside, sitting on an old folding chair near the fireside, basking in the sun and reading a newspaper.

"Good afternoon, Naota-san!" he greeted as he stopped right in front of him.

The old man lifted his head to meet Kyouichi's eyes, silently measuring him up for a while with his mouth slightly agape.

"What the hell did you get yourself into this time?" he asked without even greeting him first, gesturing towards his bandaged forearm.

"Oh, that? hehehe, you see?" Kyouichi started off uncertainly, but told him the whole story.

As soon as Naota heard the part about the youkai attack, he stood up from his chair and gave Kyouichi a stinging slap.

"Hey, watch the glasses! They're the only ones I've got?" called out the young outsider as he rubbed his cheek with his one hand, while affixing the position of his glasses with the other one. "You know, I kind of expected your reaction would be something like that, Naota-san... But didn't you say that you no longer care what happens to me?"

"I just can't help it, seeing what kind of a big moron you are!" growled Naota angrily. "Despite what you've heard about Gensokyo and the youkai, you dare to do something as dumb as wandering away from the shrine at night! If I didn't have any heart, I'd say that it serves you right to get attacked."

"Yeah, I realized that already? if a little late." admitted the outsider, focusing his attention to his hurt arm. "I should have that arm looked at, but I'm really reluctant to go to Eientei. I really don't feel like trying my luck, wandering through the bamboo forest?"

The retired carpenter took a closer look at Kyouichi's arm and snorted. "At least you still have some reason left inside that immature head of yours?" he stated harshly, even though it was actually a compliment. "It looks like it's just a little flesh wound. Nothing that people would die of? Certainly not a reason to drag your ass all the way to Eientei? They'd laugh you off if you showed yourself up in there with such a trifling scratch and send you back where you came from. Eientei is only worth visiting when things are REALLY serious and the village hospital can't help. Besides, getting there is risky and difficult."

"Oh, right?" recalled Kyouichi suddenly. "Almost forgot there's a little hospital here in the village."

"Yeah, just head down to the marketplace and enter the next street to your left. It's the first building with the red cross sign, right opposite the fire station. Can't miss it."

"I know where it is, Naota-san, thank you?" thanked the young outsider, a smile settling on his face again. "?May I ask you something?"

"If you think I can answer, go ahead?"

"Tell me, Naota-san, but honestly? Were you never ever attacked by a youkai during your life in Gensokyo? Even AFTER you heard how dangerous they are and how dangerous the areas outside the Human Village can be?"

The old man inhaled through his teeth and after a silent moment, he shook his head.

"I've already lost count of how many near-death situations I've been in during my time in Gensokyo. You could call it one hell of a lucky streak of coincidences that I'm still kickin'. I've been saved a bunch of times by Ryuuken, back when I still used to gather materials for my work by myself? Before I became recognized as a master craftsman. Once, I was nearly torn and beaten to death by some vicious youkai in the bamboo forest? I have no idea what saved me that time. Probably the youkai thought I was dead already, which wasn't too far from the truth. But that also makes me wonder why I wasn't eaten after it beat the crap out of me? Anyway, the next thing I remember, I woke up in Eientei on a bed, all patched up. I don't know what secret methods the doctors used on me there, but I healed up just within three days. No wounds, no scars, nothing! As if I was born into a whole new body. They even took me all the way back to the village once I was up on my feet? Never again did I wander to that accursed forest alone. Not without at least a pair of Ryuuken watching my back while I chopped bamboo trees."

"Wow, that must have been a terrible experience." stated Kyouichi in amazement.

"And that was just one of many. And I'm not even mentioning all the minor injuries I've taken from the less serious youkai encounters?"

"So, that's why you're so? reserved towards all youkai, huh?"

"No, Kyouichi, that's not the reason?" grumbled Naota irritably. "I already told you I won't speak of this? At least not yet?"

"Okay?" muttered Kyouichi understandingly and changed the topic. "So? what's that tabloid you're reading?" he gestured towards the folded newspaper in Naota's hands.

He raised the paper up, revealing the name "Bunbunmaru News" on the front page.

"Oh, Aya-san's newspaper? Does it say anything interesting?"

The old man chuckled bitterly and opened the paper on the second page. "This one might interest you? The mass spiriting away and the missing youkai of boundaries."

"What the??" asked Kyouichi with a surprised expression. He just told that thing about the outsiders to Aya yesterday, and now, the people in the village were already reading the newspaper about it. "Wow? she's fast?" thought the outsider silently.

"Besides what you might already know, the article says that nobody has seen the old Yakumo in a long while? So what? I haven't seen her for over 20 years. Can't say I miss her either?"

"Yeah, we've already discussed that thing at the hanami too?" remarked Kyouichi.

"Looks like just another incident to me?" said Naota and closed the newspaper again.

"I hope Reimu will be able to resolve that one as well." thought Kyouichi to himself. "By the way, how's Midori doing?"

"She's very kind and helpful." replied the old outsider. "She looks happy to be able to live in my house, but sometimes I'm not too sure if she isn't just forcing her smile? You wanna pay her a visit?"

Kyouichi smiled, glad to hear that Midori was starting to like her new home, but he refused Naota's offer. "No, thanks. I'll see her at school in a few days anyway?"

"Suit yourself?" shrugged Naota and sat down on his folding chair again.

"I better go to that hospital now." said Kyouichi and bowed to the old man.

"Good idea." approved Naota and waved his hand at the departing young outsider "And? try to avoid the youkai next time?"
Kyouichi was contemplating all the way to the village hospital how can he completely avoid the youkai in a land where they severely outnumbered the human population by hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. Even the Human Village itself was not so entirely human as one would think. Trying to avoid all and any contact with the youkai was pretty much impossible in Gensokyo. Furthermore, Kyouichi knew that there are just as many friendly youkai out there, as those dangerous ones. Alice, Aya, Suika, Youmu, Yuyuko, and even partially Remilia? All of these supernatural beings, made Kyouichi certain, that he simply can't view all the youkai as aggressive or evil.

After a two minute walk, he reached the building of the village hospital and entered it.

"Hopefully they won't ask money from me for treating my wounds?" hoped Kyouichi as he was nearing the reception desk. He was basically penniless now that he bought the kimono shirt at Kourindou.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" asked the desk receptionist ? a brown-haired woman in her thirties, wearing a white doctor's uniform.

Kyouichi unbound the bandages on his left forearm and rested his arm on the desk. "Will treating this be expensive?" he asked the desk clerk nonchalantly.

She quickly observed the bite marks on his arm and smiled at him. "Not at all, young sir. Is this your first hospital visit or what?"

"Yes." nodded Kyouichi and explained that he's an outsider.

"Ah, I see." smiled the receptionist understandingly. "Well, for future times, you should be aware that any hospital service is complimentary. Our modest facility is entirely financed by the village council. In other words, from the money of the tax-paying citizens of the Human Village? We're not as great as Eientei, but we buy some of our supplies from there and our staff is highly qualified and professional."

"That's good to hear." said the outsider and took his bitten arm off the desk. "So? where should I go to get this treated?"

"Second floor - Traumatology, room 204. Kobayashi-sensei will stitch you up in no time."
A minute later, Kyouichi was knocking on Kobayashi-sensei's door. It turned out that the doctor in question was a surgeon, a traumatologist and an infectologist in one. He was a middle aged man with short grey hair and a strict-looking face, but otherwise quite friendly in nature. Kyouichi's injury was just another routine task for him and he managed to stitch up his wounds quickly and painlessly without much effort. He had to disinfect the wounds again, though. It hurt, but considerably less than when the bites were still fresh.

"There. All done." informed Kobayashi-sensei once he finished the last stitch. "Come see me in two weeks to have the stitches removed, mister? Ishimaru." he added as he checked Kyouichi's ID card.

"Well that was quick?" muttered the outsider, checking the doctor's handiwork on his own forearm.

"It's my job to be quick and effective." smiled Kobayashi-sensei, returning Kyouichi his ID card. "Goodbye, Ishimaru-san. And try to stay out of harm's way."

"Thanks a lot, doc. See you in 2 weeks." bowed the outsider and left the premises of the village hospital.

Since he had no other plans for today or any money in his pockets, he decided it would be best to go home and laze off the rest of the day on a futon, reading the Gensokyo Chronicle.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 20 ? Always Someone New to Meet

Kyouichi's life in Gensokyo went on in an almost routine, stereotypical fashion. School, work, home, occasionally intervened with a little reunion with his friends and classmates in a tavern or a teahouse.

The following two meetings of the Transfer Students' Club brought a large amount of interesting information to light, as all the members were presenting what they found out in their research. Everyone was now aware that Yukari lived in Mayohiga and a few inconsistent indications suggested that it could be located somewhere around the southwestern edge of the Great Boundary. However, that was just a rumor. There has been little success in finding a map of Gensokyo's surrounding areas, though. The one that Yuujin Ueda mentioned to find in the archives of Kazemura ? a remote village located far in the north, east of the Youkai Mountain, was way too old and undetailed to be of any use. He also mentioned that Kazemura was a small quarry village with population slightly exceeding 500, only 200 of which were humans. He said that there has been some rare archeological discovery made at the quarry recently and that the stone mining operations have been halted in favor to the archeological excavations. Kyouichi didn't know if this piece of information was of any relevance, but he told Nagahashi-san to write it into the club's research book anyway. To sum things up, the Transfer Students' Club was off to a good start. They all agreed upon one thing: to leave Gensokyo through the shrine and set out on a hit-or-miss expedition to find their way to Tokyo before winter, should they not find Yukari until then.

The regular lessons at school were quite fun. The outsiders and the young native students learned a great deal about Gensokyo, about its areas and various kinds of youkai, such as phantoms, werebeasts, vampires and the oni. Keine-sensei even threw in a surprise exam to see if her students were taking the school seriously. Fortunately, almost everyone passed it with excellent results.

As for Kyouichi's part-time job, he had no problems. Ever since Shimizu-san ordered a new printing machine, the copying of books was a smooth and easy task. The printer was much better than the previous one. Not only could it print faster, it could also print colorful images. And in quite a high quality too. Kyouichi was needed only for manual transcriptions or to tend to the shop and customers during his employer's absence. He had plenty of free time on his hands nonetheless, so he could even read books at work. In the next two weeks, he had read through almost one half of that plant encyclopedia which he started reading out of boredom and curiosity.

His wounds from the encounter with the youkai of darkness healed up nicely and he now had his stitches removed. There were some little scars, of course, but otherwise his arm was perfectly healthy and useable.

He hasn't been in contact with any of his friends from Gensokyo with the exception of Akyuu-chan, whom he regularly visited on weekends. Other than that, he hasn't heard from Reimu, or Marisa or anyone else he was so-so familiar with.

The only interesting thing that happened to him during the first half of Minazuki was the fact that his face appeared in one of the issues of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. It was a picture taken from the hanami where he was photographed after his first interview with Aya. It didn't make him famous, but on a few occasions people did recognize his face, so he got greeted by complete strangers a couple of times.

As for his mental state, young Kyouichi was gradually getting used to living in Gensokyo without even realizing it. Of course, there were still times when he felt depressed, thinking thoughts like: "I could have been home in Tokyo, drinking beer with my friends and watching the live broadcast of the FIFA 2010 championship in South Africa, but nooooo~. Instead, I'm stuck in some god-forsaken middle of nowhere full of dangerous youkai." However, his duties and school kept his mind away from the depressing thoughts and instead, forced him to focus on how to solve his problems.
One day, when he was just taking a short break in front of the Starlight Glyph and stretching his stiff neck, he again saw the familiar youkai lady in red plaid dress leaving the florist's. This time, the bunch of flowers she carried was quite smaller. Kyouichi thought that he should be at least polite enough to greet her, if he already saw her so many times. He gathered some courage and bowed to her as she was leaving the flower shop.

"Good afternoon to you, young miss. Buying some flowers today as well?"

He didn't even know why he asked that, but since he wanted to start this conversation, he had to find some topic. The green-haired youkai lady stopped and gently bowed with a very sweet smile. Even though her clothes and appearance in general didn't fit in with the image of most of the people from the village, this young lady was truly beautiful. Her shoulder-length emerald-green hair gently swayed in the pleasant warm summer breeze and her dark ruby-red eyes were dimly glittering in the sunlight. Kyouichi's inner voice called: "Watch yourself around this one?", but now that he spoke to her, he didn't feel so nervous anymore. In fact, he felt peace and serenity as he was looking at her.

"Good afternoon~." she spoke with a honey-sweet voice. "Yes, I've come to buy some new flowers to liven up my garden, but this flower shop doesn't have any hibiscus."

"Hibiscus?" Kyouichi repeated the name of the plant. He did come across several examples of this plant's genus in the encyclopedia and now he tired to recall what it looked like.

"Yes~. A white one would be nice, but I haven't seen such flowers in quite a while."

"Maybe it's because hibiscus flowers aren't native to Japan." reasoned Kyouichi. "I don't think you'll see them growing wild in Gensokyo? Although, I could be wrong."

"What a pity~. " sighed the youkai lady with a little disappointed voice. "I can still remember how its flowers look like, but I just couldn't find it anywhere."

"And where exactly did you see a white hibiscus, young lady?" he inquired, being slightly surprised that this young miss knew about a flower that probably never ever grew in Gensokyo.

"I don't even remember?" said the green haired beauty with a thoughtful look. "Some place far away from here, I guess? A couple of centuries ago."

Kyouichi raised his eyebrow. "A couple of centuries? So you used to roam the world before you settled in Gensokyo?"

"I used to go wherever there were flowers~♥. I still do, but now it's only within the boundaries Gensokyo. I can still remember flying over water for several days during my journeys."

"Wow, you crossed oceans on your journeys to find flowers?" asked the outsider in amazement, even though he was aware that he was talking to a youkai. "Now that's what I call dedication. If I had so much dedication to my goal, I'd be home already?"

"Huh? You know about oceans? And you say that you'd like to go home?" wondered the green-haired girl. "Ah~. But, of course? You are a human from the world beyond the barrier." she deduced quite easily.

"Uh? yes, I am?" confirmed Kyouichi bashfully. "The name's Ishimaru. Kyouichi Ishimaru. It is a pleasure to meet you." he made a late introduction and bowed again.

"Kazami Yuuka." the youkai lady said her name and nodded gently. It was certainly a Japanese name, but her clothes didn't look very Japanese. Probably because she was a youkai.

"Yuuka-san, is it? You're a nature youkai, or something?"

The beautiful youkai smiled as sweetly as ever and nodded. "Yes, something like that~."

"Were you born in Gensokyo?"

"I was born in Mugenkan, the Dream World. I still have a residence there, but Gensokyo is now my home as well? Before it was sealed off, I used to travel a lot."

"To look for flowers, right?" asked the young man, getting a sudden idea. "Could you please wait a minute?"

"Certainly~♥." replied Yuuka positively and watched as Kyouichi entered the bookstore.

He took the colorful plant encyclopedia from under the counter and hurried back outside, but Daisuke stopped him half-way.

"Isn't it already time to get back to work, Ishimaru-san?"

"Of course, boss." bowed the outsider in an apologizing manner. "I just? I may have a potential customer?"

"Really? Then why didn't you say so?" smiled the shopkeeper approvingly. "Go, strike a good deal, Ishimaru." he added with a friendly tap on Kyouichi's shoulder.

"I'll try?" shrugged Kyouichi and left the bookstore with the borrowed book.

"Sorry for the wait." he apologized to Yuuka, opened the botany encyclopedia on a page with pictures of white hibiscus flowers and showed it to her. "This is what you're looking for, right?"

Yuuka's red eyes sparkled with interest. "Oh, this is it~♥!" she ran her finger gently over the picture as if she was patting it. "Hibiscus Arnottianus? If I could only get my hands on just one of these, I could make it grow anywhere and as many as I'd like?" she muttered to herself. She flipped a few pages of the book and let out another delightful sigh. "Ah~! So many beautiful flowers? and I haven't even seen these before?"

She was completely mesmerized by the pictures in the encyclopedia and completely ignored everything for well over 5 minutes. Her reactions as she saw some new flowers were quite amusing and adorable. Kyouichi couldn't bring himself to interrupt her and patiently waited until the youkai lady reached the end of the book. Fortunately, she was just looking at the pictures and not reading the texts. Otherwise this would be a really long wait.

"Do you like that book, Yuuka-san?" Kyouichi asked her after patiently observing her reaction.

"Yes, very much~♥!" she replied with a happy face. "Can I buy it?"

"Sure can. Please, follow me into the shop." gestured the outsider towards the door. He opened it and gentlemanly held it for Yuuka to walk through before he closed it behind her. As she walked past him, he could smell a faint pleasant scent of some unknown flowers. However, as he tried to inhale some more of the scent, his nose became itchy and caused him to sneeze.

"Uhh? excuse me? My allergy season is starting? Anyway, welcome to Starlight Glyph."

Daisuke opened his eyes wide as he saw the new customer enter his shop and he suddenly started acting really strange for some reason. Instead of his typical cheerful monologue about the fantastic selection of the bookstore, accompanied by his wild gesticulation, he began to stutter and sweat.

"Uhh? I just remembered I needed to check on something?" he bowed in apology. "Please excuse me? You handle this one, Kyouichi-san?" he nervously muttered and disappeared in the printing room.

Kyouichi confusedly tilted his head to the side as he watched his boss hide himself in the printing room. He chuckled amusedly.

"I think that's the first time you called me by my first name, boss? Very well, I'll tend to this customer." he turned back to Yuuka and whispered. "You'll have to excuse the boss? He isn't usually like that. I wonder what's wrong with him today?"

Yuuka smiled and blinked innocently. "Who knows...?"

Kyouichi went to fetch an untouched copy of the encyclopedia and brought it to the counter.

"Okay~! That will be? 2750 yen. I know, it's a little steep, but this IS a rare book from the outside world?"

Yuuka took out a small flower-shaped wallet from her pocket and put 3000 yen on the counter.

"Thank you very much?" thanked the outsider, and gave 250 yen back to Yuuka. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Yuuka curiously scanned the whole shop's interior for a moment and then her eyes rested on Kyouichi again. "Would you mind if I looked around some more?"

"Not if you won't mind me asking you some more questions."

"I can agree to that." said the green-haired youkai and slowly proceeded to the bookshelves and began browsing through the books.

"So? uhh? You have power over plants, right?" the outsider continued inquiring.

"I do. But it isn't my innate power. I acquired it not so long ago? And I also learned some magic." revealed Yuuka about herself. "But I was always fascinated by the beauty of flowers. Long before I learned to manipulate them."

"Do you have any favorite flower? Other than hibiscus??"

"Hibiscus is very nice, but my most favorite are sunflowers~♥. I just love sunflowers?"

"Sunflowers, huh? Well, it's the beginning of their season, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's why I love summer so much~."

"And what do you do in winter, when there are no flowers growing?"

"Oh, but there are~." Yuuka corrected him. "There are flowers blooming in all seasons ? even in winter. I simply love seasonal flowers? I move to different locations depending on the season, so I'm active all year around."

Kyouichi decided it would be a good time to change the subject.

"Say?Yuuka-san? Do you know a youkai called Yukari Yakumo?"

"Yukari?" she suddenly stopped looking at the books and turned to Kyouichi with a kind of intimidating look in her eyes, but still smiling. "Of course I do. We used to have Spell Card duels every once in a while?"

"Not anymore?"

"Not since last summer?" she paused herself, absentmindedly looking at one direction, as if she was able to see through walls. "I hope she stops by sometime? I really enjoy our battles?"

Kyouichi was a little unnerved by her last remark. He really wouldn't say that a peaceful-looking person such as Yuuka would enjoy duels, especially those against Gensokyo's probably most powerful youkai. But come to think of it, he never saw an actual Spell Card duel yet, and from what he had heard already, he figured it was considered as one of Gensokyo's most popular form of entertainment besides its primary purpose ? being a non-lethal means of conflict resolution. He even recalled Marisa's words that anyone can challenge anyone and win. The fact that someone was good or bad at Spell Card battles was not a measure of their actual power. How else could have Reimu Hakurei ? a mere human child resolve so many incidents, often times facing opponents of immeasurable power and still live to tell the tales?

Figuring out that there was nothing odd about Yuuka finding enjoyment in Spell Card duels, Kyouichi became more curious about her relation to the youkai of boundaries.

"Are you two friends?"

"There aren't many youkai and almost no humans whom I'd call? friends." she said in a deeper and more serious voice. "But Yukari is one of those rare exceptions."

"Really?" asked the outsider, surprised by her statement. "I'd say that a sweet young lady like yourself has many friends? You really don't have any friends in the village?"

Yuuka smiled sweetly at Kyouichi's flattering remark. "It's not that I don't interact with humans, just that I had? very few human friends."

"Had? Did you have quarrel or something?"

The green haired youkai giggled and shook her head. "They're all dead~♥." she said with the same smile on her face as always. "?That was some time ago? You humans are so short-lived. You wither away so fast... just like the seasonal flowers~."

"Hm? you're right?" agreed Kyouichi and nodded thoughtfully. "We're not built to last too long. But if that's how the gods wanted us to be, then so be it. I wouldn't want to live for too long in this world anyway."

"Gensokyo?"

"No, I meant the world in general? Well, anyway, the reason why I brought up Yukari's name is that a lot of her friends are looking for her, but she's a no-show. I'm looking for her as well?"

Yuuka kept on browsing through the books about herbs, plants and flowers, seemingly not paying attention to what Kyouichi was saying until she spoke again. "She hasn't shown up in a while, but it's nothing unusual. It usually means two things: either she is too lazy or she is plotting something."

Yuuka was another person who suspected Yukari's absence to be intentional and that the youkai was planning something big.

"Maybe I'll buy some of these other books later~." she directed the sentence more at herself than Kyouichi. She put the book she was checking back into the shelf and slowly walked towards the shop's exit.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Yuuka-san." said the outsider, smiling at her as she was leaving. "Please come again."

Yuuka returned one last smile before she opened the door. "I think I will~. Goodbye, young human and watch out for dangerous youkai~."

The door closed behind her with a gentle knock and Kyouichi watched through the window as the young youkai lady walked out of the village, heading down the Western Road. After a minute, he realized that his boss still didn't get out of the printing room.
"Uhh? Shimizu-san?" he curiously peeked inside the room behind the counter.

Daisuke was crouching over a box with finished book copies, pretending he was working. Kyouichi found his behavior really suspicious today. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh? Ishimaru? Just? umm? clean up the shop a bit and you can have the rest of the day off?" uttered the shopkeeper with a shaky nervous voice.

"Sweet?" rejoiced the young outsider and hurried to do his task. He dusted the shelves and cleaned the floor in less than 30 minutes. In the meantime, Daisuke finally assumed the place behind the counter and began sorting the copies he printed into several small piles. Kyouichi didn't bother asking him what was wrong with him today and as soon as he was done with the cleaning, he bid him farewell and left the bookstore.
He had saved up some money from the previous two weeks of working in the bookstore, so he could again afford buying things. Since his today's shift ended earlier than usual, he thought it'd be nice to go for a beer in this hot summer day. Right at the corner of the Western Street and the marketplace was a tavern called Drunken Oni. It wasn't as fancy as Uzume, but popular nonetheless. Whereas Uzume was more of a restaurant, the Drunken Oni was more tavern-like. It was a popular place for Ryuuken who were currently not on duty. As Kyouichi entered the establishment, he immediately noticed several men wearing the colors of the militia, sitting at the bar. He walked up to the bar to order some beer when one of the men put a hand on his shoulder. Surprised by this, the outsider slowly turned towards the person to see what he wants. He was relieved to see a familiar face.

"I knew it! It IS you!" called out the young Ryuuken warrior. His name was Akiyoshi Takamori, a lieutenant of the village militia. He was smiling widely and tapping Kyouichi's shoulder. "You're... uh? that... outsider, right?"

"Takamori-san?" asked Kyouichi as he recalled the man's name.

"No, that's my name? You are? Wait a minute, I remember? I just?"

"Ishimaru? Kyouichi." he refreshed the lieutenant's memory. "How's your work, Takamori-san?"

"Oh, you know? The usual ? doing night patrols around the village, the farms, escorting the fishermen to the colony and back, protecting the trading caravans and so on. I haven't seen much action lately. Well, except one time when we chased off a youkai lurking near the road to Kazemura? But what about you, Kyouichi-san? How are you doing?"

Kyouichi took a few gulps from his beer stein and told him about his experiences and mishaps during the 3 weeks of his life in Gensokyo. Akiyoshi listened with great interest and stopped him a few times to ask some questions. Once Kyouichi finished his story and his beer, he was curious to hear about the recent events going on in the village of Kazemura. He already heard something from Yuujin, but it couldn't hurt to hear about the matter from another person.

"Yes, the quarry workers have found some ancient ruins and are now proceeding slowly with unearthing them."

"When did they discover those ruins?" inquired the outsider, gesturing to the bartender that he'd like another beer.

"I believe something over two months ago. It looks like they've found some kind of ancient temple or perhaps a tomb. Nobody can say with certainty. But they already managed to uncover quite a bit of those ruins in relatively short time. If you'd like to see them, I could take you there. My next assignment in Kazemura will be on the 27th of Minazuki and we're leaving the village early in the morning, so if you want to go, you should be waiting at the Northern Road at 6 in the morning."

"Minazuki 27, huh? That's in 10 days?" murmured Kyouichi and sighed with reluctance. "As much as I really hate getting up early, I'm curious to see the other parts of Gensokyo besides the village? Alright, Takamori-san, I'll be there? But? what about the return trip?"

"Oh, we're just escorting a caravan, so we're returning to Human Village on the same day."

"Very well, I think I'm convinced to take that trip. Provided you can ensure my safety?"

Lieutenant Takamori chuckled amusedly. "I can't guarantee anything, but I'll try to protect the caravan should it get attacked. You shouldn't worry too much, though? From my own experience, only 1 out of 6 caravans gets attacked?"

"You call that "ONLY"?!"

"Relax. There haven't been any human casualties among the caravan runners ever since 112."

If that was Akiyoshi's attempt to reassure the young outsider, it certainly didn't work much. However, Kyouichi knew all too well that no trip throughout Gensokyo was without a risk, so in the end, he made the agreement with the lieutenant to travel to Kazemura on the said date ? the 27th of Minazuki. He and Takamori spent the rest of their conversation talking about various trivial matters and drinking beer. Once they left the tavern and parted their ways, Kyouichi went home to indulge himself in further reading and understanding the history of Gensokyo.
The stereotype of his previous days was about to take an unexpected turn. That's what he thought when his part-time employer, Daisuke Shimizu, gave him some more important assignments. Apart from his usual tasks, he was now responsible for handling business correspondence with suppliers as well as buyers. Among one of the suppliers was the library in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. At first, there wasn't anything strange about handling the orders, shipment logs and invoices, but soon after Kyouichi began signing the business documents in his name, he got an unexpected letter accompanying one of the shipments from the mansion.

It was addressed directly to him and was signed by the proprietor of the library, Patchouli Knowledge. The letter was an invitation to the mansion, but it stated nothing about the purpose of this invitation. Kyouichi found it very unusual and turned down the invitation out of fear for his own safety. He wrote an apology letter, in which he made up some excuse why he couldn't accept the invitation and was about to go to the post office to send it to the mansion.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to that place?" he thought to himself quietly as he folded the letter and put it into an envelope. As he opened the door and left the Starlight Glyph, he met Yuuka-san again, but this time he was too busy to stay for a conversation and only tersely greeted her as she was passing by. He hastily marched towards the marketplace and from there he turned to the street by the left side of the village hall.

"Come to think of it, this will be my first time visiting the post office."

Although it was already one full week since he was assigned to help Daisuke manage the correspondence, it was always the storekeeper who dealt with the post office personally.

He opened the door of the new post office building and entered. After waiting some time in the line, he put his letter on the clerk's desk and explained that this was his first time using the services of this post office and that he simply wanted to send the letter to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The clerk was a young crimson-haired girl dressed in a dark-blue outfit, similar to a school uniform.

"Oh, so this is your first time in this post office?" she asked and without waiting for an answer, began a short introduction. "In that case, welcome to the First Fairy Post Office~. My name is Kurohana Ai, but you can just call me Ai-chan." she said and smiled brightly. "I am the founder and owner of this post office. My fairies are all well trained and can deliver letters or parcels to almost any place in Gensokyo? Except Mayohiga, that is?" she added and scratched her head embarrassedly.

"You? trained all those fairies?"

Ai widened her smile and proudly nodded. "Yes~. I love fairies so much. It all started when I left my curry to cool down a little on the windowsill and went to make myself some tea in the meantime. By the time I remembered I put it there, the plate was already half-empty and grains of rice scattered all around it. I knew it was a fairy, but I didn't pay it any mind. Then another day I saw a fairy flying just outside the window and looking inside my house. When she noticed me, she fled immediately. I figured it was the same one who ate my dinner the other day, so I thought to myself: "She must be hungry.", so I put some cookies on the windowsill and watched. The fairy returned after a few minutes and started eating the cookies.

She was so cute~! But she was still frightened when I came closer to her? Only after a few weeks, she didn't fly away, when she saw me. I slowly moved towards her, holding a cookie in my hand and told her: "Little fairy, little fairy, don't be afraid? I'm Ai and I've got more cookies for you." She just stood there and watched me. I moved closer and stretched out my palm with the cookie. The fairy hesitated for a minute, but she snatched it and fled in an instant. That day I made myself a new friend. It took almost a year until the fairy was so used to my presence that she let me pat her on the head, but it was worth the time and effort. Soon after that, she brought another fairy with her and eventually, a whole pack of them. As I was feeding them, I tried to teach them some things by playing some simple games with them and they learned quickly. Now, seven years after befriending my first fairy, I managed to teach my big fairy family how to read and some of them even how to talk. I taught them about the names of places in Gensokyo and how to make small deliveries. For the first time in Gensokyo's history, I managed to do something nobody else did before me. I proved that the fairies can help humans. Well, perhaps not completely first, as the Scarlet Devil Mansion has fairy maids, but I trained my fairies to be helpful to a wider community. Don't listen to what some people say about fairies. They're really smart. Although, a bit clumsy sometimes."

"And sometimes even dangerous?" added Kyouichi upon the recollection of his first encounter with the creatures.

Ai looked at him quizzically. "They're playful and mischievous, but dangerous?? I don't know?"

"But I do?"

"Well, if you make them angry, then of course, they can be aggressive, but still, most of them are hardly a challenge for even average humans."

"I guess I must have made them really angry back then?" murmured Kyouichi to himself.

"So you were attacked by fairies? Didn't you try fight back?"

The outsider let out an embarrassed sigh. "I'm incapable of using magic? I'm not from Gensokyo."

"I see. So, my guess is that you don't like the fairies too much?" presumed the owner of the Fairy Post Office. "Nonetheless, please don't be afraid of my fairies. They're very friendly and very cute. Wait a second?"

She turned her head back and let out a high-pitched whistle. A couple of seconds later, a single fairy came flying towards Ai from the mail sorting room. She was small like most fairies ? just around 1 meter tall, had light-pink semi-long hair trimmed by a silver diadem. Her dress was white and pink and her wings resembled those of a butterfly and were flapping rapidly as she hovered next to Ai, looking at her with questioning eyes. Ai stretched out her arms, as if prompting the fairy to come closer to embrace her. And that's exactly what happened. The fairy joyfully exclaimed: "Ai~♥!" and threw her little arms around the girl in a loving embrace. Ai gently held the little fairy in her arms and planted a feather-light kiss on her forehead.

"I just wanted to introduce you to someone." said Ai as she let go of her.

The fairy again began hovering in mid-air, propelled by her wings and curiously stared at the young man standing at the other side of the desk.

"Umm? h-hello?" she greeted shyly and bowed once. "I? My name is? Moe-chan? I'm a fairy? umm? nice to meet you."

Even though Kyouichi felt nervous whenever he saw a fairy so close, this one seemed like a very peaceful one. Furthermore, he never ever met a talking fairy before, so he was more curious than nervous. He introduced himself to her with almost the same level of shyness as she greeted him.

"Yes, this is Moe-chan ? my most beloved fairy. She's the first one I managed to befriend." explained Ai while looking at her. "She now voluntarily helps me with sorting the mail? In return, I give her cookies." she smiled and took out a home-baked cookie from a lunchbox she had under the desk. "Say aaah~."

The fairy closed her eyes and opened her mouth in anticipation. Ai moved her hand with the cookie to the fairy's mouth and fed her. Moe delightfully munched the cookie with a blissful expression. It was a very endearing sight. For a moment, even Kyouichi forgot about how dangerous can some of these creatures be.

"So, Kyouichi-san?" Ai broke the brief silence. "You want to send this letter to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, am I right?"

"Yes, please." he nodded and passed the letter to her.

"No problem. That will be 20 yen, please."

As the outsider searched his pockets for the coins, Ai forwarded another question. "May I ask what business does an outsider have with the residents of the mansion?"

"Uh? just? business, that's all. I work for Daisuke Shimizu-san, the owner of the bookstore."

"Ah, so you're his new assistant?" Ai smiled understandingly. "Well, you didn't hear this from me, but his previous one is a really unsympathetic guy?"

"Really?" asked Kyouichi, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know Hiroto-san personally?"

"Yes? unfortunately?" she affirmed with a certain level of distaste in her voice. "I've heard he provoked a youkai. A really powerful one too? Ended up with a broken arm, he did. A very, VERY lucky outcome for someone who angered such a mighty and dangerous youkai... Hopefully, he'll learn something from that experience."

"Well, it seems he'll return back to the bookstore as soon as his fracture heals? I'm afraid, I'll have to look for some other work soon?" predicted Kyouichi thoughtfully.

"I don't know about Shimizu-san, but he'd be foolish if he fired you in Hiroto's favor." speculated Ai and put a stamp on the envelope of Kyouichi's letter.

"Even if you say that, I still think I'll be made redundant in a week, maybe two. Anyway, I'm still on duty, so I should hurry back to the bookstore? It's been a great pleasure meeting you, Ai-chan? and Moe-chan too." he added and smiled at the fairy.

"Looking forward to seeing you again too, Kyouichi-san~!" called Ai, waving her hand.
Kyouichi hurried back to Starlight Glyph, where he still had his hands full with writing more business documents. Daisuke even put so much trust in him that he asked him to help him check the accounts in his ledger and make an inventory check. Even though he no longer acted as strangely as he did on the day when Yuuka-san came to buy a book, it was still quite unexpected for him to develop such trust towards Kyouichi in such a short time.

Today was one of those rare days when Kyouichi worked all the time until the bookstore's closing hour. Just as he double-checked the store's income for the past month, there was a knock on the shop's door. Daisuke and Kyouichi exchanged their surprised looks and the outsider volunteered himself to open the door. It was really unusual for someone to be knocking on the door to the shop and not entering. He opened the shop's door to see a small creature standing at the doorstep.

It was a fairy, holding a small leather satchel and a letter in a light-purple envelope. It didn't take him long to figure that the fairy was one of Ai-chan's postal fairies, but it still surprised him to see one knocking on the door of the bookstore at this hour. Just as he took the letter from the fairy's little hands, the little youkai took flight, heading towards the post office. The letter was again addressed personally to Kyouichi, written in a familiar elegant handwriting, characteristic of Patchouli Knowledge. The envelope gave off a faint scent of lavender. Kyouichi nervously stared at the letter for a few moments and after swallowing his own saliva, he tore the envelope open.

"What's this?" asked Daisuke, curiously looking over Kyouichi's shoulder. "Another letter form Patchouli-sama? Addressed to you? I wonder what's this all about?"

"I'd like to know that as well." said Kyouichi and turned his head back to his boss. "Ehm? Will you excuse me for a moment?"

Daisuke backed off almost immediately as he realized that reading letters addressed to other people was none of his business, no matter how curious he was.

"Oh, but of course, Ishimaru-san?"

Kyouichi entered the printing room and took a seat as the table. As soon as he had some privacy, he unfolded the letter and began reading it by candlelight.

Dear Ishimaru-san,

I fully understand that my sudden invitation to the library without giving any reason or stating my intention has left you in doubt and you probably hesitate to accept it, because you might fear the mistress of the mansion.

Rest assured that my intentions are not of malign nature. On the contrary, my wish is to help you and the rest of the outsiders who got spirited away to Gensokyo over 3 weeks ago. I'd like to speak with you about this matter personally and try to come up with a reasonable solution for your current situation.

Remilia-sama herself wishes to see you again and discuss the same matter. We both guarantee you absolute safety within the premises of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, provided you abide a couple of our rules, which will be explained to you upon your arrival. It would be best if you arrived as soon as your duties will allow you.

Yours truly,

Patchouli Knowledge

[Fonzi]

Chapter 21 ? A Devil's Invitation

As Kyouichi finished reading the letter, a maelstrom of thoughts and questions stirred up inside his head. Why does this Patchouli even want to help him? What guarantee does he have that this invitation is not simply a trap? Does she really know of some way to transport the outsiders back to Tokyo? She IS a well known sorceress after all?

He thought long and hard about it, considering all options and chances. If he turned down this invitation now, he could be held responsible for denying the other outsiders including himself a chance to return home, if it indeed exists? He couldn't live with the thought that he would let this chance pass him by and go to waste because of his own cowardice. Now was not the time to be afraid. He brought it upon himself that he'd lead the other outsiders towards their goal, and if he really didn't try everything in his ability to find a way to Tokyo, he would regret it for the rest of his life. A decision was made. Tomorrow he'll travel personally to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. He nodded repeatedly, as if he was trying to encourage himself.

"It will be fine? It will be just fine? I want to go there? I HAVE to go there?" he tried to convince himself.

Folding the letter back and putting it inside his pocket, he stood up from the chair and told Daisuke about the content of the letter and his plans for tomorrow.

"You want to go to the mansion, huh? You sure you know what you're doing, Ishimaru?"

"Hell, no? But I'm going either way." announced Kyouichi, trying to sound resolute.

"I see?" nodded the storekeeper. "So should I not expect you to come to work tomorrow?"

"No, I need every coin I can earn. I'll skip school tomorrow and travel to the mansion with Mizuto in the morning. I should be back in the village before afternoon. And if I won't, it means I died." explained Kyouichi with a bit of black humor.

"Sounds reasonable enough? Just watch yourself inside the mansion. Try not to provoke the vampires." Daisuke warned him.

"Gee, I would have never figured that out by myself, Shimizu-san. Thanks for the tip." retorted the outsider with sarcasm. "I know how to behave myself. Even towards youkai? unlike somebody?"

"Are you hinting at Hiroto? Well, yeah, I guess you are more level-headed than him."

Kyouichi only nodded silently. It actually wasn't just Hiroto he was hinting at, but also Daisuke himself and the day when he acted so strangely when Yuuka entered his shop. It certainly wasn't very professional of him.
Daisuke closed his shop and wished Kyouichi good luck for his tomorrow's trip. The outsider had a lot to think about all the way he went home and all the time he was eating dinner with the Saitou family. He explained the whole thing to Mizuto and when he didn't believe him, he showed him the letter. After good 30 minutes of negotiating, Kyouichi finally made his point by telling him that this might be just the chance he and all the other outsiders were waiting for and the fisherman agreed with him at last.

"Thanks for understanding the situation, Mizuto-san." bowed the outsider thankfully.

Mizuto nodded a few times and chuckled forcedly. "At least I can show you where I work? However, I expect you to get up as early as me. That is at 5 in the morning."

"Oh my God, why so early?" protested Kyouichi. "The fish won't grow legs and run away from that lake if you come a bit later, will they?"

"Well, this IS Gensokyo, so I wouldn't be too sure about that statement?" joked Mizuto. "But that's how I always go to work. The walk to the lake alone takes over 3 hours, so by the time we get there, it will be 8 o'clock. And you said you wanted to be back in the village by noon, so that doesn't leave you much time for staying in the mansion."

"Hmm? you're right." admitted Kyouichi after giving it some thought. "If I want to come on time to my work, it means I've got like 2 hours for taking care of my business in the mansion."

Kyouichi sighed with contempt. "Such a long walk? If only I had a flying broom like Marisa-san?"

After he woke up from his little daydream, he figured that he'll need a lot of strength tomorrow for such a long walk and so early in the morning. So even though it was only half past seven, he decided to go to sleep.
Kyouichi didn't even sleep properly that night, so he basically just waited on his futon until Mizuto came into his room to wake him up. The fisherman woke him up at 4 a.m., so that they could both prepare themselves for their trip to the lake. Kyouichi took a quick bath and had a light breakfast. His hair didn't even get to dry up properly when Mizuto announced that it was just about time to head out.

As Mizuto packed up his fishing gear and Kyouichi some extra onigiri for the trip, they quietly left the Saitou residence and waited a few minutes until a 5 member Ryuuken patrol escorting several other fishermen marched up to them. They greeted the fisherman in a friendly manner while they curiously measured Kyouichi up with their eyes.

"Is he coming with us too?" asked the man in charge of the squad, gesturing at the outsider.

"Yes, he's with me." replied Mizuto tersely and without any further ado, the whole group set out on their way to the Misty Lake. Even though it was summer, the early mornings could be still quite chilly. The morning dew formed tiny silvery droplets on the blades of grass and the leaves of the trees, glittering in the early rising sun.

The walk was a quiet and peaceful one. Neither the Ryuuken warriors, nor the fishermen they were escorting were very chatty. As they passed the crossroad, Kyouichi instinctively looked up a hill by his right, as if in hope to see the Hakurei shrine maiden sweeping the stairs. As he suspected, he didn't see her, so he just shrugged and kept up the pace with the rest of the group.

The road was sloping up and down every few hundred meters as they walked through the foothills further north beyond the crossroad. A few times something caused the Ryuuken commander to halt the whole group and wait in complete silence until the scouts made sure there was no imminent danger. Kyouichi did see a glimpse of some youkai as they fled from the sight of the Ryuuken and quite a lot of fairies dancing on the meadows, several hundred meters away from the road. Other than that, the trip was quite uneventful.

The group took only one 10-minute break once they were halfway to the lake. Kyouichi was starting to feel the fatigue in his legs, but he was more or less used to long walks. The group came across another crossroad - this time, only 3-directional. One direction headed further north with a wooden post saying "To Kazemura", the other one turned gradually to northwest and a signpost pointing in its direction said "To Misty Lake and Youkai Mountain". The third direction was, of course, the way the group came from. After another hour of marching, Kyouichi finally saw the thick haze formed above the appropriately named Misty Lake, which formed a natural moat around the Scarlet Devil Mansion ? his destination. Of course, the mist was too thick for anyone to see even the shores of the lake, much less the mansion itself.

"By noon, the mist usually dissolves, but I guess you don't have so much time, right?" asked Mizuto as he looked at the outsider.

Kyouichi nodded agreeingly. He really didn't want to idly wait at the lake's shore until the mist disperses.
At long last, the group of Ryuuken and fishermen arrived at the fishing colony on the southern side of the lake. The warriors assumed their guard posts all over the small encampment and Mizuto led Kyouichi to his modest fishing hut.

"Well, this is the place?" he announced and unlocked the hut's door. "My little fishing hut."

It consisted of only one 4 tatami room with one bed, one stove for heating and cooking, a small shelf with kitchen utensils and two tables. One table for gutting and cleaning the fish and the other one for eating. There was also a large wooden closet in the corner, probably for Mizuto's fishing outfits and gear. It was quite messy inside the hut and the strong smell of fish permeated the air.

"Okay, Kyouichi, I need some time to prepare my rods and bait, but you can already go to the mansion. You can borrow one of my boats. Come, I'll show you the way?" he gestured to Kyouichi to follow him and led him to one of the small wooden piers built on the southern shore of the lake. He gestured towards a couple of boats tied up to the pier.

"Nice boat?" stated Kyouichi with a smirk on his face.

"Pick whichever one you like, I need to get to work. If you won't find me at my hut, I'm probably still fishing. But you don't have to wait for me. Just wait until the Ryuuken patrol gets relieved and go with them back to the village." said the fisherman before he returned back to his hut. Kyouichi took a while to choose a boat before he got on one of them which looked the safest and untied it from the pier.

The mist was so thick that the visibility was less than 10 meters. He grabbed the oars tightly in his hands and in one stroke he set the boat into motion, distancing himself from the pier. He steered it to the left so that the boat's front faced the direction where he presumed the Scarlet Island to be. He didn't really see where he was going, so he slowly rowed on and on, hoping that he'd see the island's shore before he'd crash into it.

After one minute of rowing and looking back over his shoulder, he noticed a single dim white light shining in the distance, as if calling him to come closer. Kyouichi was a bit freaked out, but he didn't stop. He rowed the boat in slow long strokes until the light grew brighter and closer. The chilling silence was only disturbed by the quiet splashes of waves.

In less than two minutes, he could already make out the faint silhouette of the island's shoreline, the light was still some distance further away. Since the residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion had obviously no use for boats, it was also expected that there'd be no piers on the island to tie the boat to.

With one final stroke of the oars, the boat reached the shallow waters before it was stopped by the island's shore and Kyouichi could get out. To make sure the waves wouldn't carry the boat away, he laboriously dragged the boat up to dry land. He was finally standing on the mysterious Scarlet Island, staring at the light that guided him here. He still didn't know what was its source, but he didn't take his time to stand there and contemplate. He walked towards it, carefully watching his step so that he wouldn't trip over something in that dense fog.

After a while he could make out the barely visible silhouette of the tall iron bar fence, marking the borderline of the premises of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The light that led him here was coming from a single lantern placed in front of the ominously looking gate. Sitting on a chair at the side of the gate was a single person ? a tall young female, resting her back against one of the gate's pillars. It looked like she was sleeping. Kyouichi didn't recognize her. She had long scarlet hair with two long braids by the sides of her face and the rest, flowing freely. She was wearing a green outfit, similar to a traditional Chinese dress and a beret of matching color with a golden star on its front side. Engraved into the star was a single Chinese character: "long", meaning "dragon".

Kyouichi stood there for a while, looking at her and wondering when she would notice him. After his patience ran out, he decided that he'd gently wake the girl up to let her know that he's been invited to the mansion.

"Umm? excuse me." he addressed her in a low voice. The girl didn't react. "Young lady, please wake up?" he spoke to her gently again.

"Umm.. mfmummsum?" mumbled the girl out of her sleep. "Wha?? What is it??" she asked, obviously still sleep talking.

Kyouichi saw that trying to wake her up gently didn't bear much fruit, so he had to try a different approach. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and from the top of his lungs he shouted: "ATTEEEEEEEN-TION!"

In an instant, the girl was on her feet, saluting, with her eyes widely open. "Yes, general?! Huh? Oh? it was just a dream?"

"Good morning." greeted Kyouichi, with an innocent smile and bowed politely.

Only now did the girl notice him. "Eh? Who are you? What are you doing here? You better not try to trespass into the mansion." she warned him and assumed a fighting stance.

Kyouichi just smiled at her reaction and calmly took out Patchouli's letter from his pocket and gave it to her. The girl's aqua-colored eyes raced quickly through the text and her mouth opened slightly as she finished reading it. She looked up at Kyouichi again, who in the meantime took out his ID card and was now showing it to her, smile not leaving his face. The girl nodded understandingly.

"You're Ishimaru-san? My apologies for startling you."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing for that?" said Kyouichi as he got his letter back.

"No, no? I'm a gate guard and I shouldn't be really sleeping on duty, but? it's just so? boring."

"So, will you let me through the gate, miss?"

"But of course!" nodded the girl and hurried to unlock the iron gate. "Remilia-sama and Patchouli-sama said they were expecting you, they just didn't know when you'd arrive." explained the gate guard. "My name is Meiling. Hong Meiling."

"Pleased to meet you, Meiling-san. Are you Chinese?"

"Uhh? yes. Not that hard to guess, huh?"

"You speak perfect Japanese."

"Oh? Thank you." smiled Meiling and opened the gate with a loud shriek. "The mansion's straight ahead. Just follow the pavement."

Kyouichi thanked her for letting him through and let her continue her guard duty as he walked towards the mansion. He swallowed his fear and kept on walking until he reached the massive wooden door and knocked on it. A second later, the sound of the door unlocking came from the other side and the door slowly opened as if moved by some unseen force. He found himself inside the main foyer of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It was really huge. The interior as well as the exterior of the mansion was built in a renaissance style. The floor was covered by dark-red carpet and the tinted windows were letting in a dim dark-red light. The additional lighting was provided by numerous candlesticks attached to the walls and one large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As soon as Kyouichi entered, the door behind him closed.

Frightened by the sound of the shutting door, he turned around and saw a tall, slender figure.
"Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion." sounded a female voice, greeting him formally.

"S-Sakuya-san?" asked the outsider as he recognized the person standing in front of him. He had no idea where she appeared from, but she was now standing there, looking at him with her dark-blue eyes. She was the head maid of the mansion and this time, she was wearing slightly darker uniform with a seductively short skirt. It appeared she also had a silver pocket watch hanging on a small chain tied to the side of her apron. Kyouichi also noticed that she had a thigh strap on her left thigh, stocked with what looked like a set of throwing knives.

"Yes." confirmed the maid. "Please follow me. Patchouli-sama is waiting in the library."

She turned to the left and walked into a long narrow corridor lined with numerous doors. Kyouichi followed her silently and obediently. Her formal attitude combined with her calm voice, elegant movements and cold look in her eyes gave away an aura of respect as well as fear. Even though she was very attractive, Kyouichi felt uneasy in her presence.

"Remilia-sama hasn't woken up yet, so you'll be seeing Patchouli-sama first."

"Okay?" shrugged Kyouichi and followed the maid's lead.

She turned at the corner of the corridor and led the way further until she came to a staircase leading to the lower, underground level of the mansion. After descending down the stairs and passing another long hallway lined with lit torches, they stopped in front of a massive wooden door.

"This is the library." she announced and opened the door, leading Kyouichi inside.
As soon as he stepped inside, his jaw dropped out of sheer bewilderment. The library was one gigantic 2 storey hall, large enough to house several Boeing 747 airliners. A line of tinted windows near the ceiling was giving the place just enough natural light so that it wouldn't be buried in pitch-black darkness. He couldn't even see where the library ends. Even with countless candles, lamps and torches lighting the place up, it was still eerily dark inside.

Besides wondering how anyone could read books in this poor lighting, he couldn't understand how the library could be so enormous, since the mansion definitely didn't look as large from the outside. And that was just one part of it. It was truly mind-boggling. And those bookshelves? They were at least 5 meters tall and there were so many of them that they made the whole library look like a labyrinth, or almost like a little city. He kept following Sakuya with his eyes and mouth wide open as he couldn't even find words to describe the grandeur of the whole place.

It took almost 2 minutes to reach a clear area in the center of the library. There were several tables for reading and several comfortable armchairs as well. Sitting in one of those armchairs and reading a thick book was another young girl. She could be around Reimu's age, judging by her height and appearance, but Kyouichi knew that appearances may be deceiving. The girl had long purple hair decorated by several colorful ribbons. Her eyes had the same color and her skin complexion was as pale as Kyouichi's. She was wearing a long light-purple nightgown and a matching nightcap decorated by a few more of the colorful ribbons and a golden crescent-shaped decoration. It seemed like she just woke up recently, since she didn't even get changed from her sleeping wear. Actually, she looked quite lovely. As she saw Sakuya leading a guest, she closed the book and put in on a table next to her.

"Are you Ishimaru-san?" she asked in a quiet, but pleasant voice.

"Yes, I'm Ishimaru. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I am also pleased to meet you in person." she smiled gently and nodded instead of bowing. "As you might have already guessed, I'm Patchouli Knowledge and before you ask, yes, that is my real name?"

Kyouichi didn't say a thing, just put on an amused smile.

"Please take a seat. Make yourself comfortable." she gestured to another armchair opposite of her. "Sakuya, please make us some tea and bring some dessert."

The maid bowed with respect. "Yes, Patchouli-sama, I'll be right back."

A loud popping sound echoed throughout the library and a platter appeared in Sakuya's hand with a porcelain tea set and two plates with tiramisu. Kyouichi blinked a few times, not too sure of what just happened. Sakuya elegantly poured the tea into both cups and bowed again once she was done.

"Thank you very much, Sakuya. That will be all for now." thanked Patchouli and as soon as she finished her sentence, another loud pop sounded and Sakuya was no longer there.

"Wow?" uttered the amazed outsider. "How did??"

"Time manipulation." said Patchouli suddenly, before Kyouichi even got to ask his question.

"Huh?"

"Sakuya has the power to manipulate time." she continued. "That's why it looks like she appears out of nowhere and disappears just as suddenly. She can also manipulate space, that's why the inside of the mansion is so large."

"Oh?"

"Apropos, welcome to my library, Ishimaru-san." she welcomed him in a more easygoing tone.

It took a couple of seconds for Kyouichi to realize that he should say something. "Uh? yes, thank you for the invitation, Miss Knowledge."

"You don't have to pretend your gratitude." said Patchouli, looking at him intensely, but smiling to show that she doesn't mean any offense. "You turned down my invitation at first, because you feared this place, am I right?"

Kyouichi only managed to open his mouth slightly in admiration to this girl's logic. "Wow? she's sharp? As if she can see right through me?" thought the outsider to himself.

"As for the formalities, I don't insist on them at my presence as much as Remilia, so feel free to call me Patchouli or just Patchy." she explained on a side note and took a sip of tea from her cup.

"Well then, Patchouli-sama," Kyouichi decided to address her in the same way as the head maid did, "I'm sorry that I turned down the invitation the first time, but?"

"No need to apologize, Ishimaru-san." she interrupted him half-way. "I should have given it some more thought and time to explain my intentions. But I'm glad that you accepted it and arrived sooner than I expected. Let me explain everything to you, Ishimaru-san."

"Kyouichi."

"Pardon?"

"That's my name? You said yourself you don't need me to address you formally, so you don't need to be formal with me either." explained the outsider and smiled at the thought that he met another sympathetic and friendly person.

"I understand." murmured Patchouli and took the plate with tiramisu into her hand. She took a bite of the dessert and savored its taste for a while before she continued. "As I mentioned in the letter, I want to help you."

Kyouichi raised his eyebrow and gave her a distrustful look. "Why?"

"Let's just say that we share the same goal." said the purple-haired girl and took another bite of tiramisu.

"What, you want to go to Tokyo?"

Patchouli giggled and shook her head. "No, Kyouichi, I want to find out the reason for the unusual absence of Yukari Yakumo. In other words, I wish to find her and speak to her about certain? issues concerning whole Gensokyo."

"I see?" muttered the outsider and as he thought about his next questions, he helped himself to the tiramisu. In the meantime, Patchouli kept explaining.

"There is also quite a high possibility that Yukari decided to entertain herself by causing an incident and see who will be the first one to take the initiative in its resolution. If that is the case, then we must all prepare ourselves for unpredictable things to happen and hope that someone can find her and do a formal duel with her. I'm 99.9 percent positive that Yukari would not do anything that would harm anyone, be they human or youkai. However, given the nature of the event from 3 weeks ago, I'm no longer sure?"

"You mean our spiriting away?"

"Yes." said Patchouli quietly, almost whispering. "If it was indeed her job, which I suspect it to be; it would be an unprecedented incident responsible for the deaths of dozens of people from the outside world."

"What?! So there have been so many deaths confirmed?!" asked Kyouichi with a shocked expression. Even though he knew that only a small percentage of the people riding the subway made it to the Human Village and that a lot of them probably didn't make it, but now Patchouli said it as a fact.

"Yes, unfortunately? Over 25 bodies of outsiders were reported to be found in random locations all over Gensokyo. They've had the misfortune to be spirited away into some of Gensokyo's most dangerous areas and fell a victim to the youkai or were unable to find their way to the village and died of starvation or dehydration. If that's Yukari-sama's new idea of entertainment, Gensokyo is in big trouble. I still don't believe that a loving protector of Gensokyo would let so many outsiders die, but her long absence has only increased my suspicion in her. If my theory proves to be correct, we'll need to stop her at all costs before she repeats it or does something even worse?"

"But haven't youkai been killing people in Gensokyo all the time?"

"Yes, some indeed have." confirmed the librarian. "We can't really blame the youkai for that; it's in their nature. If a few humans die here and there, it's considered normal, natural. As sad as it may sound, it's the everyday reality of not just Gensokyo, but also the world where you and I come from. Youkai hunt people and vice versa. It's a natural cycle and not even Hakurei's Spell Card system is a guarantee for no bloodshed. Nobody pays much mind if a few humans die in Gensokyo, but when a few hundred people suddenly appear here, it's bound to attract everyone's attention. I really can't tell why were you all spirited away here. I'm afraid only Yukari may have answers for that."

"And if she wasn't responsible?"

"True, there are several ways how to breach the barrier and enter or leave Gensokyo, which would exculpate Yukari from being responsible. However, the only known and possible way a mass of people from a faraway place such as Tokyo could appear suddenly in Gensokyo, is by the means of Yukari's boundary manipulation. But that still leaves us with plenty of unanswered questions?" continued Patchouli and took another refreshing sip of tea. "Such as: Why would she do it? Or perhaps it would be more fitting to ask: Why didn't she watch over these people and left them at the mercy of deadly youkai and the unforgiving land? Which brings me to another interesting question: What if she wasn't able to protect these humans? As doubtful as it may sound, what if Yukari is experiencing some serious difficulties and is unable to control her power? Like I said; too many questions and no certain answers? That is why I wish to find her."

"I've heard she lives in Mayohiga?" said the outsider. "And from a very reliable source? However, not even that reliable source knows the way to that place as does nobody else in Gensokyo?"

Oddly enough, Patchouli didn't look the slightest bit surprised. "I know of Mayohiga, but very little about its actual location. Still, I have a way of contacting her. I'm in possession of a communicating amulet, by the means of which I could contact Yukari in case of need. I didn't really want to, but two years ago, during the so called Subterranean Animism incident, when earth spirits began emerging from the underground through a geyser near the Hakurei Shrine, I figured that it would be best to consult the matter with Yukari. She told me that only humans could enter the underground for some reason and since both of us are youkai, we had to once again rely on the humans?"

"Reimu and Marisa?"

"Yes? They took care of the problems. But I've digressed. The amulet, which I could contact Yukari with, seems to have either lost its power, or she simply ignores my attempts to talk to her, which I find also very unsettling. That would not surprise me as much, given the fact that our relationship is more of a formal one, but if she even avoids contact with her best friends, something must be going on? I'll let you in on a secret, Kyouichi-san; I hate to be left in uncertainty? when I can't find the answers to my questions in any book?"

Kyouichi drank some more of his tea and tried to explain another theory. "Well, I don't really know much about Yukari, but I asked Reimu-san once if it was possible that the youkai of boundaries could be in some sort of trouble. She said that it was out of question, but still?"

"Yes, that theory crossed my mind as well. Surely, Yukari is youkai with unbelievable power, but even that power has its limits. For example she said that she couldn't enter the underground?" remarked Patchouli and paused herself in a thoughtful expression. "But I still find it weird how could she talk about the underground locations and the youkai living there in such detail?"

"Wait a second?" Kyouichi interrupted her. "Did you say youkai living in the underground? Doesn't that contradict with what Yukari said about the fact that youkai can't enter that place?"

"She said that the youkai from the surface cannot enter underground, but I have a feeling that it doesn't apply to her? Anyway, even if the shrine maiden claims that Yukari cannot be in trouble, I certainly can't omit this theory? But like I said, the most probable theory is that Yukari is the culprit behind your spiriting away and is planning something more?"

"What if there is another youkai of boundaries?" asked the outsider out of the blue.

Patchouli opened her mouth as if she realized something. "I? never even considered such a possibility. But I'm 99.9 percent certain, that there is only one in Gensokyo and the whole world?"

Kyouichi shrugged and smiled. "Well, it was just an idea? Anyway, Patchouli-sama, how do you plan to find Yukari?"

She took the last bite of tiramisu on her plate and finished the tea in her cup before she spoke.

"If she's planning an incident and if she really was responsible for your spiriting away, we'll probably just have to wait until she makes an appearance. So far, she always did whenever she played some prank or caused an incident?"

"Well beg your pardon, Patchouli-sama, but why did you even invite me here then? Everyone keeps telling me that it's just a matter of time before she appears to someone, but waiting is hardly a solution."

A smile crept again to Patchouli's otherwise serious face. "You didn't let me finish, Kyouichi-san. There is a way we could use my communicating amulet to locate her, but it won't be so simple?"

Kyouichi's eyes widened. "You have my full attention, Patchouli-sama."

"There is a youkai with a very useful ability living in the underground who could use that amulet to pinpoint Yukari. But the problem is that I cannot go to the underground as I explained earlier."

"But why tell this to me? Why not Reimu-san or Marisa-san?" wondered Kyouichi.

"I would, Kyouichi-san? But recently our relationship hasn't been exactly what you'd call friendly. Besides, I have? other duties in the mansion besides my work in the library, but you? From what I've heard from Remilia, you seemed to be on good terms with both the witch and the miko."

"What about Sakuya-san or Meiling-san?"

"Meiling's a youkai, so she can't go there. Sakuya may be a human, but she's never been in the underground. On the other hand, Reimu and Marisa already know their way around, so it would take them less time to get into contact with that youkai? But since we've had quite a serious quarrel recently, I don't think any of the two will listen to me."

"Oh, I've heard something from Marisa?" said Kyouichi, trying to recall what the witch mentioned at the hanami. "Something about stealing books and some Royal Flare or something?"

Patchouli again giggled in her lovely voice, but soon after, she began coughing abruptly.

"Patchouli-sama, are you alright?" asked surprised Kyouichi, standing up from his chair and coming closer to the librarian.

"Yes? I'll be fine..." uttered the girl through her coughing as she took out some kind of inhaler from her pocket and took one deep breath from it. Her coughing subsided and she was breathing slowly and calmly. She smiled again, this time a little bitterly and murmured: "Hah? I can't even laugh with this stupid asthma?" she poured some more tea into her cup, and drank it all in one go. "But when I recalled that day, I just couldn't help it? Royal Flare is actually one of my most powerful Spell Cards. I used it on Marisa when she was stealing books from me. But now I also regret it. I'm afraid that was the end of our friendship?"

As Kyouichi saw that Patchouli stopped coughing, he took his seat again, looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "Patchouli-sama?"

"What is it?" she looked back at him with her beautiful violet eyes.

"You need not worry about your friendship with Marisa. She said herself that you're one of her best friends when I asked her about you."

"Really? She said that?"

This information surprised her and Kyouichi could also see that she looked relieved to hear it.

"She did." confirmed the outsider. "And she's not angry at you at all? In fact, she's the one who thinks that it will take some time before you can forgive her."

"So even after that, she still speaks of me as a friend? I? I'm glad to hear that?"

"As for Reimu? Well, I think she mentioned you a couple of times as well? I think she wanted to invite you to the hanami, but Marisa said that you wouldn't come because you're mad at her? I don't think any of the two has anything against you, Patchouli-sama. On the contrary, I'm sure they'd hear you out?"

A happy and relieved smile settled on Patchouli's face. "I'm so glad?" she sighed and stood up from the chair. "In that case, let's not waste any more time. I'm going to send them letters and inform them about the situation."

Kyouichi raised a palm to halt her. "No need to waste ink, Patchouli-sama. I will tell them personally. Or better yet, send them here, so you can all discuss this issue together."

"But you don't have to?" said the librarian, but Kyouichi didn't let her finish.

"It's okay. It's the least I can do for you after coming all the way here."

The youkai sorceress was in a loss for words for a moment. "I? Thank you, Kyouichi-san."

"No, Patchouli-sama. I thank you for wanting to help us outsiders?"

"In that case, I'm going to give you the amulet. You'll give it to either Reimu or Marisa, but only after they agree to go to the underground."

"As you wish?" shrugged the outsider, and stretched out a palm, expecting to receive the amulet.

"Wait a minute, Kyouichi-san. I don't have it with me. It's in my room. Please wait here for a while?"

"Okay." muttered the outsider and sat down again as he watched Patchouli walk away towards a large double door.

"Please don't wander off anywhere?" she warned him before she opened the door. "And don't touch anything."

"Understood." nodded Kyouichi and crossed his arms.
Even though Patchouli said she'd be back in a minute, that minute lasted at least 15 minutes and Kyouichi was starting to grow impatient. He stood up from the armchair and slowly strolled back and forth around the center of the library, curiously observing the books in the shelves. There were books of all sorts, colors, genres and sizes. Some of them were written in some unknown language. Some didn't even have any titles at all. Kyouichi obeyed Patchouli's warning and didn't touch a single book. He was just looking. Suddenly, he thought that he heard a silent sound of a door opening somewhere in the distance, but as he looked behind him, the big double door was still firmly closed and there was nobody there. Shrugging it off as just his own imagination, he continued to browse though the library's endless collection, trying to see if he wouldn't find any books from the outside world. After a couple of more minutes, he could hear light footsteps dampened by the carpet coming closer to him and a young girl's voice humming some melody. It didn't sound like Patchouli's voice, but the outsider still didn't pay it any mind and kept on browsing through the shelves. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped and after a few seconds of silence, the girl's voice sounded from behind him: "Hey, Onii-chan, good morning? Will you play with me?"

Kyouichi let out a sigh and muttered to himself: "Oh, great? Just what I needed? More people calling me Onii-chan."

He stood up from his crouching position and turned around to see the girl talking to him. As he saw her, he curiously tilted his head to the side and blinked a few times.

She was a short young girl who appeared to be something over 10 years old. Her eyes were dark-red, just as Remilia's or Yuuka's. She had short blond hair tied into a single ponytail on the left side of her head. She was wearing a red skirt and a vest with a pink shirt underneath. She also wore a pink mob cap decorated by a small red ribbon. And she had wings. A very intriguing pair of wings? They looked? artificial. Their black crooked frame seemed to be made of iron and each wing was decorated by a set of colorful gem-like shards. There were 8 of them on each wing: light-blue, blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow, green and light-blue again.

She was standing there and looking curiously at him. Kyouichi observed her with the same curiosity. He stretched out his hands forward and drew an outline of her wings with his fingers in the air. The girl noticed it, smiled cutely and gently waved her wings up and down making the crystal shards clink like a chime.

"Do you like my wings?" she asked in a childish voice.

"Umm? yeah? they're nice." replied Kyouichi, still quite confused by the girl's appearance. "Are you Remilia-sama's??"

"Younger sister." said the girl, finishing Kyouichi's sentence. "My name is Flandre."

"O-oh? I see?" stuttered the outsider for a moment. "I'm Kyouichi. Nice to meet you, Flandre-sama." Only now he recalled that Marisa mentioned that Remilia had a younger sister. However, she didn't look any younger or older than her.

"Hey, Onii-chan, you smell like a human?" commented the girl after taking a few whiffs of air. "Are you a human?"

Kyouichi embarrassedly lowered his head and whiffed at his own armpit. "I just bathed this morning? But yes, I'm a human."

"Really? You're the fourth human I've met~." rejoiced little Flandre and smiled. "Are you my playmate or a drink?"

That question really unsettled him, but he tried to hide his fear and reply truthfully. "Actually, I've been invited by your sister and Patchouli-sama to talk about something? Which reminds me that she should have been here already. I wonder what's taking her so long."

"So you know Onee-chan and Patchouli-sensei?" she asked with a curious face. "I guess I shouldn't eat you if you're their friend?" she murmured with a little disappointed voice. "Then? Will you play with me?"

"Play? And what game do you want to play?"

"Danmaku~." said Flandre with a joyful sparkle in her eyes.

Kyouichi mustered a crooked smile and chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I can't play danmaku."

Flandre looked at him with an unbelieving expression. "Eeeh~? What do you mean, can't play danmaku? Everyone knows how to play danmaku."

Kyouichi shook his head in disagreement. "No, only those from Gensokyo."

"So, you're not from Gensokyo?"

"No, Flandre-sama, I'm a completely ordinary human, who doesn't have any cool magic. You'll have to find some other playmate or think of some other game?"

The younger Scarlet sister hummed thoughtfully. "How about I just shot danmaku and you just dodged?"

"I don't think I'd last for longer than 10 seconds. Besides, what would Patchouli-sama say?"

Flandre seemed to suddenly realize something. "Oh? You're right? She wouldn't be too happy? So, what does Onee-chan want from you anyway?"

"I don't know yet? I've met her only once before and we didn't talk much."

"Hey, hey, Onii-chan??" asked the little vampire again. "Tell me about the outside? Are there more humans?"

Kyouichi raised his eyebrow at her weird question. "You don't go outside much, do you?"

Flandre frowned and lowered her head. "Onee-chan says I can't. She says it would be too dangerous. But I've been outside a few times. I think it's very nice. But only when it's not raining."

"Well, yes, people usually stay indoors when it's raining?" confirmed Kyouichi and smiled at her. "I think your sister loves you so much that she's too worried about you. But I don't think it's right to make somebody stay inside all the time."

"That's just what I think too?" said the vampire and walked up to the table and stared at Kyouichi's unfinished tiramisu.

"You can have it if you want."

Flandre smiled joyfully and took the fork into her hand and tried to cut off a piece of dessert with it, but she pushed the fork a bit too hard and a piece of tiramisu fell on the carpet.

Kyouichi immediately picked it up and ate it. "Hehe? 3 second rule?" he smiled and came closer to the cute vampire girl. "Here, let me help you." he took the fork and sliced off another piece of tiramisu. "Say aaaah~."

Flandre closed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Aaaaah~."

Kyouichi could see that she indeed had vampiric fangs, but since she was so adorable, he wasn't really afraid. He fed the girl with tiramisu and she looked like she was enjoying it.

"Is it delicious?"

"Yes~." smiled Flandre and asked Kyouichi to feed her some more. And so, Kyouichi fed her the rest of the dessert until it was all gone.

"You remind me how my Onee-chan used to feed me long ago?" reminisced the little vampire.

"Your sister fed you? Not your mom?" asked the outsider.

Flandre looked absentmindedly at him, her mouth slightly open as if she was trying to remember something from a very long time ago. "I don't even remember my parents? For over 500 years it's been just me and my sister? Well, now there's also Patchouli-sensei and Meiling-san and Sakuya-san, so it's not so lonely? "

"You said that I'm the fourth human you've met? Who are the other three?"

"Umm? well, Sakuya-san, then sometimes a witch named Marisa comes to visit, but she just comes to see Patchouli-sensei? And the third one is a shrine maiden. But I've met her only once. She didn't want to play with me."

"Oh, I see... Reimu? But did you really not meet anyone else before?"

"No? I didn't even know how people looked like. I hadn't seen them in any other form than drinks or snacks. But after meeting some of them and learning something from Patchouli-sansei, I became curious? I'd really like to go outside and make many friends, but then Onee-chan would yell at me for disobeying her? Say, Onii-chan, will you be coming here for a visit from now on?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think so? I'm here because Patchouli-sama wants to help me return home." said the outsider with a little bit of regret. "I'm not sure if it's even possible, but we're all going to try our best?"

"But if you won't be able to return, will you come and visit me again?"

Kyouichi paused himself in a serious expression and after a moment of silence he again smiled at the younger of the Scarlet sisters and nodded. "If I won't be able to return home, not only will I come to visit you, but I'll convince your sister and take you for a walk around the Human Village and buy you some ice-cream or something?"

Flandre's eyes again widened with joy and she smiled endearingly. "Yaay~! I love ice-cream~!" she rejoiced and happily flapped her wings. After calming down a little, she turned again at Kyouichi with a questioning look. "Do you promise, Onii-chan?"

Kyouichi frowned and with a cold tone he replied: "I don't make any promises? ever?"

Flandre pouted and for a moment she looked really angry, but Kyouichi continued.

"?But in your case, ?I'll make an exception?" he added and smiled at her sweetly, stretching out his right pinky finger.

Flandre returned back to her cute, joyful expression. "Pinky promise~!" she called out and interlocked her little pinky with Kyouichi's. The both shook their hands, singing the pinky promise song and the promise was made.

"I almost wish you didn't succeed in getting home now?" said Flandre once she parted her hand with the outsider.

"Now that's a little selfish wish there, Flandre? I can imagine how you feel, but I feel the same way here? Like I said, I'll be sure to keep my promise if I won't be able to get back."

"And how long should I wait?"

"Until autumn." replied Kyouichi after a pause. "We have a plan? me and other people from the outside world, that we're going to try our luck and walk on our own from the Hakurei Shrine to find our way home?"

Flandre pouted in a thoughtful expression and shrugged. "Well, I don't really know what you're talking about, Onii-chan, but I know what autumn is? It's one of the four seasons of the year that comes right after summer and before winter."

Kyouichi nodded affirmatively. "That's correct. It would be very hard for us to travel through the mountains in winter, so we must go before winter comes. However, Patchouli-sama may have some plan that could help us all return even sooner."

"Patchouli-sensei is very smart, but she is a little boring sometimes?" revealed Flandre about the librarian.
Just as soon as she mentioned her, the large double door of the library opened and Patchouli stepped inside, accompanied by the mistress of the mansion ? Remilia Scarlet. Both were indulged in a lively conversation as they entered the library, but as soon as they saw Kyouichi and Flandre they stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes and mouths wide open.

"Onee-chan, good morning~!" Flandre greeted her big sister cheerfully. "And you too, Patchouli-sensei~!"

"F-F-Flan?!" stuttered the older Scarlet sister with a very surprised expression. "What are you...?"

"I was just waiting for another lesson with Patchouli-sensei and met Onii-chan instead?"

"I'm Kyouichi?" murmured the outsider to her.

"Hey, human?" called Remilia at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'd feel better if I had some sleep last night, but otherwise I feel fine." replied Kyouichi and bowed deeply to greet her. "By the way, good morning to you, Remilia-sama."

Remilia turned to Patchouli with the same half-frightened expression and asked her to take Flandre back to her room. The librarian complied with her request and took the younger Scarlet sister by the hand and led her somewhere away. Flandre turned back at Kyouichi one last time and waved at him, smiling cutely as ever. He also smiled and waved back at her before she and Patchouli disappeared behind one of the massive bookshelves.

"Are you sure she didn't try to rip you into shreds?" asked Remilia again as she measured Kyouichi up.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about, Remilia-sama? Your sister is one of the nicest and cutest girls I've ever met. We just talked a little?"

"Hehehe?" chuckled Remilia in disbelief. "You sure are one lucky outsider?"

"Why would you say that?"

"My sister?" she spoke uncertainly and carefully picked words. "She's? well? not very used to humans?"

"Yes, she told me? But she's very sweet. And apparently she loves you a lot?" argued the outsider on Flandre's defense.

Remilia again gave him a very surprised look and couldn't find a word to let out of her mouth. It really wasn't common to see her like that. So unsure of herself?

"Um? Remilia-sama? Are you feeling alright?"

She finally woke up from her trance and repeatedly nodded. "Yes, yes, I'm fine?"

She took a seat in the armchair where Patchouli was sitting just a couple of minutes ago and asked the outsider to sit down as well. He obliged and sat opposite of her, looking straight into her eyes, waiting until she spoke first. But the vampire just sat there quietly, resting her cheek on her palm and scanned the outsider like an x-ray.

Unbeknownst to Kyouichi, Remilia possessed a unique power ? the power to see a person's "strings of fate" and the ability to manipulate those strings to a certain degree. She could see them around everyone and the young outsider was, of course, no exception. She saw all the thin red strings, invisible to anyone but her, stretching out from all parts of the outsider's body. Each of them meant this human's fate in various respective aspects of life. His lifespan, health development, school, career, family, wealth, friendship, love, everything? Depending on how each string curved and twined, she could already tell how each of the person's life aspects were going to develop up to several decades into the future. She carefully studied each of Kyouichi's fate strings and traced them with her finger. Kyouichi only stared at her confusedly, wondering what she might be doing. Remilia didn't pay him any mind at the moment and curiously read his fate. She could see that the string representing his school life has been severed at one point and after a blank spot, continued in a quite different direction. His family fate string, stretching from the area of his heart was strangely curled up, separated into two, with one end severed and the second, continuing in an uncertain pattern until it gradually faded out of Remilia's fate vision. She wasn't sure if the second of the ends also wasn't severed and was tempted to pull the string a bit to see further into his future, but that would also mean that she'd irreversibly manipulate his fate in some way and that was something she didn't do very often. Summing up all of the strings' patterns, Remilia amusedly nodded to herself and stated: "Interesting life?"

Even as she spoke to him, she could see the fate strings subtly change their formation ? some to better, others to worse. Such was her ability. She could change people's fate even unwittingly, just by talking to them.

"What? Here in the mansion?" wondered Kyouichi about Remilia's last statement. "Yes, I'm sure I could get used to all the luxury pretty quickly?"

"No." retorted the vampire, shaking her head. "I meant YOUR life, human?" she spoke in a deeper, more serious voice.

"I have a name, you know?" murmured the outsider under his nose. "Wait a minute? Did you just say MY life? What would be so interesting about it?" he wondered. "I'd say it's been rather boring."

"Perhaps until, now? Kyouichi." she finally addressed him by his name. "But as for your future? I see some interesting development here."

"Are you an oracle, Remilia-sama?"

The vampire giggled childishly, smiling wryly so that one of her upper fangs jutted over her lower lip. "Something better." she replied. "Do you believe in fate, Kyouichi?"

"No." he answered immediately and with absolute certainty in his voice.

"Why not?" she asked him teasingly as she playfully coiled a strand of her hair around her slim white finger.

"I don't like the thought that I'm not in control of my own life."

"Ah, but the existence of fate does not depend on whether we like it or not." she continued with her teasing, drawly speech. "Just as afterlife exits, independent of people's belief or disbelief in it?"

"Regardless, I still don't believe in fate." insisted Kyouichi on his opinion.

Again, the blue-haired vampire girl giggled, amused by his obstinate beliefs. "And tell me, Kyouichi, with your hand on heart, did you also believe in the existence of vampires or youkai until three weeks ago?"

Kyouichi's lips parted in a silent, wordless expression, revealing to Remilia that she made a good point. "Now that you say it? No, I didn't?" replied the outsider after processing the thought.

Remilia's smile slightly widened as she blinked slowly. "Then is it really so hard to accept the existence of fate?"

Kyouichi hummed thoughtfully, pulling his lower lip. "Perhaps it would be easier for me if you specified what you mean by "fate"."

"By fate I mean a certain predestined path all living beings take at certain points in their lives. A complexity of actions and consequences depending on their decisions and their possibilities. Every living being lives in belief that they decide their own path. That they choose their own fate. Ironically, they're almost correct. However, strings of fate are tied to everyone and they are the representative of their current beliefs upon which each individual acts and decides, thus, unwittingly, follows their inevitable fate ? their predestined path? And I am able to see those strings and even alter them as I please."

"But if you can change it, you can no longer call it fate, can you?" argued the outsider.

"If you believe that fate is a series of events that are going to happen in your life based on your decisions, than fate is nothing more than your state of mind that determines how you are going to act in those future situations. In a sense, you've already made your future decisions based on your current beliefs, opinions and world view. You may now think that you can decide on what path your life will take, but in the end, you will take only THAT one path, which you had chosen now or perhaps even long ago. But fate does not consist of our individual beliefs and decisions alone. It is a complex equation with many variables: random natural occurrences, supernatural occurrences and the fates of other beings that are all entwined together in one gigantic mass of strings. Sometimes, when I see two people standing close to each other, I can see some of their fate lines bound together. I can see that with members of one family, colleagues at work, childhood friends, lovers, enemies and even complete strangers? However, even my sight is limited, and I cannot see all the strings' patterns too far in the future."

"You still didn't answer my question." Kyouichi pointed out.

"You are indeed a perceptive one?" giggled the mistress of the mansion amusedly. "I can change people's fate and alter their lives, but only as long as they are not aware of the future that awaits them? If I told you that you'll be struck by a lightning tomorrow and die, naturally, you'd try to oppose that fate and stay inside your house for the whole day. Thus, you'd break and change your fate. Such are the limitations of my power?"

"So? were you manipulating my fate strings just now?"

"Yes and no?" replied Remilia unclearly. "I didn't touch any of your fate strings directly, but I'm speaking to you right now? That alone is altering your fate slightly, but the full extent of that alteration I cannot yet see... However, I can see that your fate? is an interesting one."

She could see the strings forming patterns that meant both great sadness and great happiness in the life of the human before her. However, she did not tell him anything more.

"O-kay? If you say so. But I guess you haven't invited me here to tell me my fortune, have you, Remilia-sama?"

"You're right. That is indeed not the reason why I summoned you here." nodded the noble vampire. "Don't worry, I'm not going to drink your blood?" she jestingly added, showing both of her fangs over her sweet, but mischievous smile.

Kyouichi was somewhat relieved to hear that, but still feeling the tension hanging in the air.

"I wanted to talk about the same matter as Patchouli did?"

"Yukari?"

"That's right." said Remilia. "Patchouli might have told you a way to find her, but I don't think she told you the exact reason."

"She said she wanted to talk to her and ask her why she spirited away so many people at once." Kyouichi informed her. "And she also said something about some issues concerning the whole Gensokyo, but I guess she meant that thing with the outsiders?"

"There is another reason." explained the vampire. She paused herself as if she was looking around for something and called her maid: "Sakuyaaaa~!"

Instantaneously, the silver-haired maid appeared out of nowhere, her hands folded one over the other. "Yes, mistress?"

"Tell Patchouli to come here, please." she ordered her with a nonchalant tone.

Two popping sounds echoed and Patchouli was standing next to Sakuya, holding the maid's hand.

"What is it, Remi?" asked the surprised sorceress.

"I believe this outsider should be told the whole truth about our reason why we want to find Yukari Yakumo." said Remilia to her. "There has been something else going on in Gensokyo? Something that started even before the mass spiriting away."

Kyouichi curiously leaned forward to be able to hear her even better.

"At first, it was nothing serious." she continued. "Just a bunch of crazed fairies attacking the mansion? Meiling took care of them without much trouble. However, more recently, the attacks of the fairies seemed to have intensified. This is apparently a very unusual behavior for otherwise peaceful creatures. I'm no expert on this matter, but Patchouli here knows much more about that stuff than I do? Please, Patchouli, explain it to us once more."

Patchouli nodded affirmatively. "Yes, Remi, just a minute?"

She raised her hand with a stretched out index finger above her head and flung the arm forward. In a bright red flash of light a shining circle with a pentagram appeared on the floor. A second later, thick white smoke rose from the centre of the circle and once it lifted, another, to Kyouichi yet unfamiliar person, stood in its middle. Again, the person was or at least appeared as a young female, dressed in a simple black dress with white sleeves. For a second, the outsider thought that she was the youkai who attacked him two weeks ago, but the only similarity between her and this new person were the clothes. The girl, who was apparently summoned by Patchouli, was a little taller than the sorceress herself. She had long red hair, eyes and a pair of black batlike wings coming from her back and a much smaller pair from the sides of her head. At first glance, she looked like another vampire, but was she really? She was looking at Patchouli with a docile and curious look. "Patchouli-sama?" she asked her summoner as if expecting her order.

"Koakuma?" Patchouli addressed the girl. "Please bring me the books about fairies that I asked you to bring me before? Do you still remember?"

"Yes, Patchouli-sama." bowed the winged girl and took off into the air, flying somewhere away from the center of the library. In a minute, she was flying back with three books in her hands, passing them to Patchouli once she landed.

Kyouichi curiously looked at the girl and as Patchouli turned her face to him, he asked: "Ehh? Patchouli-sama? Aren't you going to introduce us to each other?"

"Huh? Oh? but of course?" she nodded and gestured to her summoned helper. "Kyouichi-san, this is Koakuma, my library assistant. Koakuma, this is Kyouichi-san, our guest."

"Pleased to meet you." said both Kyouichi and Koakuma at the same time.

"As her name suggests," continued Patchouli explaining while turning the pages in one of the books. "Koakuma is a little devil? The devils are a quite powerful race of youkai living in Gensokyo, but their home is in Makai. Koa-chan, however, is one of the weaker ones. She's a great help to have in such a big library. She has an excellent overview about the books in this library and can find me whatever book I'm looking for in just a moment? Provided that the requested book is still in the library?" she then pretended to cough and uttered "Marisa" in-between her fake coughing.

Finally, the purple-haired sorceress found the desired chapter in the book and put it on the table.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 22 ? The Dress Makes the Man

After bowing to Meiling on his way out, Kyouichi had to push the borrowed fishing boat back into the water. The thick mist from the morning had significantly lifted and it was now possible to see the lake's shore from the island. Once the boat was again floating on water, he got on and with a few hard strokes of the oars, he picked off from the island's shore. He was more relaxed now that he left the mansion and that the mist over the lake was now rather thin. He leisurely rowed the boat at a slow pace, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. However, something unusual caught his attention. He could hear two childish voices from somewhere, but as he looked around, he couldn't see anyone. It sounded like two girls arguing about something. He sopped rowing and focused his senses to hear what the voices were arguing about. Finally, as he looked up, he could see two faint silhouettes floating above the lake. As he took a better look, he saw that the two figures were fairies. One in a blue dress and the other one clad in red and white. They didn't even notice him as they were arguing.

"W-Whaat?!" called one of the fairies.

"That's right, I haven't forgotten!" replied the other one. "You destroyed my house the other day, didn't you? So I declared a war on you! Which I just remembered now.

"Wait, so perhaps the one who declared the war on us?"

"It was me! And now you're gonna die!"

"Huh? So you mean it wasn't Marisa-san? Too bad?"

"It's a good thing I remembered! Now today will be the anniversary for my declaration of war!"

Right after that, the two fairies began their battle. One of the fairies conjured up a widespread barrage of bright yellow shots of energy while the other one launched icicles in a straightforward rapid-fire stream. This lasted for over half a minute as the two kept shooting and missing or dodging away if a stray shot or two headed their way. The icicle-shooting fairy seemed to have the edge in this battle. Her attacks were more accurate and when she was overwhelmed by a dense barrage of light, she stopped her attack, stretched out her hands forward and a white shimmering light appeared in front of her as she charged up her energy. Just when the yellow wall of shots was about to make contact with her, the ice fairy activated her power and a chilling wave erupted out of her palms, freezing all the energy shots in front of her and as the frozen bullets were hit by those behind them, they also stopped their motion and joined the frozen ones in a chain reaction that spread all the way back to the other fairy.

"Aaaack!" cried the red-white fairy as she felt the frostbite on her palms.

The mass of frozen bullets burst in a loud crashing sound equivalent to the sound of breaking glass. Hundreds of small ice fragments scattered everywhere and hit the lake's surface like a hailstorm. The red-white clad fairy didn't falter and wasted no time to charge up another attack, this time forming a sphere of larger yellow and orange energy balls around her body and sending them off to all directions. As Kyouichi saw what was about to happen, he panicked and tried to row the boat away as fast as possible. Luckily, the outburst of yellow shots spread wider and missed the boat by a few meters. This time, the ice fairy didn't have as much luck. As she used another quick-charge freezing wave, several of the orange fireballs continued in their flight.

"Kyaaah~!" screamed the ice fairy, confirming that she's been hit.

Kyouichi did what he could to get out of the scene of their battle, but the boat didn't move very fast.

"That's it!" shouted the ice fairy. "I'll freeze you like a frog!"

She drew something out and held it above her head.

Kyouichi interrupted his rowing to look up once more. "Oh? That looks like a Spell Card. I've never seen one those in action yet?"

"Ice Sign "Icicle Fall"!" declared the ice fairy and with a bright blue flash, the Spell Card in her hand dispersed into blue sparkles. Behind her appeared a few shining blue lights out of which flowed unsteady rhythmical streams of magical ice shards directed not at the other fairy, but launching sideways. However, as the first burst spread wide enough, the ice shards changed their heading and closed in on their target in slow half-circle waves. The fairy in red and white looked surprised at first, but she managed to cleverly dodge the first two waves with little effort. She closed in on her ice-powered opponent and stopped just a few meters in front of her.

Kyouichi's eyes widened in panic as he saw the wave of icicles that missed its target dangerously closing in on his boat. "This won't end well?"

It was too late to move out of the way. Impact was imminent. Kyouichi could only do as much as cover his head with both arms. He heard a series of splashes interjected by a loud crack. Kyouichi was unharmed, but the boat was hit. As he straightened up and lowered his arms, he noticed a bubbling sound which drew his attention to his feet. Looking down at the boat's bottom, he saw a single hole through which the water flowed into the boat.

"Oh, great! I'm sinking." he grumbled as he tried to plug the hole with his foot. He tightly grabbed the oars again and hurried to the southern shore of Misty Lake. Meanwhile, the ice fairy's Spell Card ended. The other fairy was unscratched and all she had to do was stand right in front of her enemy and wait.

"Ahahahaha~!" she laughed amusedly. "And THAT is what passes for a Spell Card? Ahahaha~! How pathetic. Now it's my turn!"

She drew out her own Spell Card, showed it to her opponent and declared: "Sun Sign "Aggressive Light"!"

Apparently, this fairy had powers related to sunlight. Right after the declaration of her spell, the air in front of her was filled with unguided bright orbs of light combined with rapid narrow beam-like streams of smaller projectiles. The ice fairy just barely dodged the rays and in panic, she drew out another of her cards. Fortunately for the outsider, this attack was more directed at its target, so the boat was safe. However, with a hole in it and slowly filling with water, it was a bit too late. Kyouichi's foot only managed to slow down the flooding, but he estimated that he should make it to the shore anyway. That estimation changed instantly when the ice fairy declared another of her Spell Cards in a desperate act to survive the sun fairy's barrage.

"Freeze Sign "Perfect Freeze"!"

It suddenly became very cold. Every single energy projectile including the bright fireballs was frozen solid, hanging there in thin air for a couple of seconds without motion. Even as the sunlight fairy fired new shots, they just froze instantaneously. In the following moment, the ice thawed and all the bullets were set back into motion, but this time their heading was erratic and unpredictable.

Kyouichi only managed to utter a swear word as he helplessly watched a few of those projectiles heading his way ram into the fishing boat and add a couple of more holes in its hull.

The water was flowing in fast. He was no longer curious about the outcome of the fairies' duel. He needed to row hard and fast. He tried to hold both his feet on the holes, but it did little to prevent water from flowing in. He was still more than 200 meters away from the shore.

Huffing and puffing with each stroke of the oars, he felt his feet and the lower part of his hakama getting wet. As the boat gained more and more water, it became slower. With all his effort, Kyouichi still managed to close the distance between himself and the shore to something around 150 meters, but he was already knee-deep in water by now. He resignedly let go of the oars and shrugged.

"This boat is going to the bottom?" he muttered to himself as he looked up once more to the fairies that caused the boat to sink.

It appeared that the ice fairy was victorious, since the other fairy was nowhere to be seen. She either fled or was eliminated. It didn't unsettle Kyouichi's mind, since he knew that the fairies get reborn right after they suffer mortal injuries.

"Well, little ice fairy, I hope you're happy now? Mizuto's going to kill me for this?" he commented as he was standing up. Fortunately, one of Kyouichi's few talents was swimming, so he wasn't as much worried about drowning, as he feared Mizuto's reaction when he finds out that he managed to get his boat sunk. He found this situation somewhat tragicomical. He smirked at the thought of how this all happened and as he whistled the melody from the movie Titanic, he prepared himself for the unpleasantly cold water, in which he would be forced to swim soon. As he began to feel that the boat's bottom was going down, he took one deep breath. With a last few bubbling sounds, the fishing boat disappeared under the lake's surface, leaving the outsider to swim on his own.

"Damn, is it cold?" he commented as he was trying to stay afloat. "I just hope that no lake monsters live here?" However, his worries were soon dismissed by a logical assumption that if the lake was truly a home to any dangerous creatures, there wouldn't be any fishing colony here in the fist place.

Swimming in a kimono wasn't exactly easy, but this wasn't the first time he was forced to swim with clothes on. He was a good swimmer and 150 meters wasn't a very big distance. He didn't hurry to the shore, though. Instead, he used slow strokes in combination with slow breathing to save his strength and prevent getting a spasm in the foot. In less than 3 minutes, he was already climbing up the lake's shore. He was wet from head to toe, but he didn't want to see Mizuto to ask for some spare clothes. He was too scared to see him and tell him that he has one less fishing boat. He didn't think that the fisherman would buy his story that the fairies sank it, despite it being the truth. Just as he was thinking what to do now, he saw a Ryuuken patrol leaving the colony.

"This is my chance." he thought to himself and hurried to follow them. "Maybe if I won't say anything, he won't find out? But I think it's just a matter of time until he finds out? I should apologize to him? and pay him for a new boat?"

As his guilt and fear wrestled inside his head for supremacy, he quietly followed the relieved Ryuuken out of the colony. He was walking 10 meters behind them, too embarrassed to be walking there with them in his soaked clothes. The guards looked back at him a couple of times and had a good laugh at him as his clothes were dripping water even after 20 minutes of walking.
Meanwhile, Mizuto returned on one of his boats to the shore after catching quite a lot of fish. He docked his boat at one of the piers and after taking a better look, he noticed that both of his two other boats were tied to the pier. "Hmph I guess Kyouichi-kun already got his business settled? Okay? Time to cut these fish up?"

After he got off of the boat with a net full of fish hanging over his shoulder, he greeted a fellow fisherman, who was nervously walking around and muttering something.

"Hey, there Kenjiro-san? How's your work today?"

The elderly fisherman gave him a sidelong look and frowned. "Ah man, this is such a pain? Some of those young anglers must have borrowed my boat again. I can't see it anywhere."

"Pfff, kids these days?" stated Mizuto as he passed his friend by.

"I wonder what are those goddamn Ryuuken doin' if the boats just keep disappearin'."
By now, Kyouichi was already a long way from the colony, still falling some distance behind the small squad of warriors. He blamed himself all the way for not avoiding the battle between the fairies.

"At least I didn't lose Patchouli-sama's amulet?" he muttered, grasping the object in his palm. "Let's just hope you'll bring me more luck at getting me home than you brought me at getting across that lake?" he whispered, addressing his words to the ornate amulet.

An hour and a half has passed since he left the fishing colony and he was starting to feel hungry. Furthermore, the wet clothes were chilling him. He was prepared that the Ryuuken would take a break at the crossroad, but to his surprise, they didn't stop and continued on their way? to Kazemura.

"Hey, wait, wait, waaaait~!" called Kyouichi after the Ryuuken leader. "Aren't you guys going to the Human Village?"

The Ryuuken officer let out an amused laughter. "No, you dimwit. We are assigned to Kazemura. The next patrol headed for the Human Village departs the fishing colony in two hours from now."

"What?! Damn! What should I do now?"

"Well, you can either come with us, or stay here and wait for the next patrol or head to the village on your own. You choose?"

Kyouichi considered his options for a while and finally made a decision. "I'm going on my own."

"Suit yourself." shrugged the Ryuuken indifferently and commanded his men to follow his lead.
For some reason Kyouichi had the confidence that he wouldn't be attacked by any youkai on his way to the village. He continued his way at a brisker pace, to warm up a bit. He still had Reimu's blessed amulets in case some hungry youkai would get in his way. Cursing the life in Gensokyo, the fairies and even the youkai of boundaries, he made his way through the foothills on the northeastern side of the Forest of Magic. He didn't encounter any youkai all the way. After another hour, he came to a crossroad in front of the stairway to the Hakurei Shrine. As he looked up the stairs, he saw the shrine maiden sweeping.

"Hi, Reimu~!" he called at her and waved his hand.

The shrine maiden waved back as she saw him and made an inviting gesture. Kyouichi was tired and hungry, so he thought he'd stop by for at least some soup. As he stepped up the stairs towards Reimu, she noticed that his clothes were drenched.

"Hello, Kyouichi. I haven't seen you in quite a while... Why are your clothes all wet?"

"You want to hear the short version or the whole story??" replied the outsider with a bitter tone, but with a pleasant smile.

Reimu stopped her sweeping and invited him to the shrine. She was curious about what happened, and so, Kyouichi told her the whole story including the letter, his trip to the lake, the short stay in the Scarlet Devil Mansion and his way back. Reimu listened carefully and with great interest while she made him some tea. Suika was also at the shrine, and just like Reimu, she asked a whole lot of questions. Kyouichi explained Patchouli's plan to find Yukari using the amulet and that someone would have to go to the underground and meet a certain youkai who can supposedly pinpoint Yukari's location.
"I see?" muttered Reimu and nodded understandingly as she observed Patchouli's amulet. "I guess it's time to visit the Palace of the Earth Spirits again."

"Hey, Reimu~. Give me, give me?" asked Suika childishly for the communicating amulet.

As the shrine maiden sighed and obliged, the little oni took the amulet, shook it in her palm, tapped it with her finger and spoke to it: "Heeey~! Yukariiiin~! Are you in there~?"

Reimu gave her a questioning look. "Uhh, Suika? I hate to break it up to you but, I don't think that Yukari is actually IN the amulet."

The oni didn't listen to her and kept on talking to the amulet. "It's me, Suika~. And Reimu's here too? Come on, say something. We want to see you again. Come out already~!"

As expected, there was no response coming from the amulet and Suika sadly lowered her head as she gave up her attempt.

"Reimu~! I want to see Yukari again~!" she whined as she was returning the amulet to the shrine maiden.

"I know?" muttered Reimu, tracing the ornaments on the amulet with her finger. "Me too?"

"So, you're going to the Former Hell again?" asked the oni.

"I don't really want to go there?" pouted the shrine maiden and took a sip of tea from her cup. "But if that girl can really help us find Yukari? I'll go."

"And what about Marisa-san?" asked the outsider.

"Yeah, we'll get there faster if we go together." thought Reimu aloud. "We'll need some time to prepare for the trip"

"Thank you, Reimu. Take the amulet then and let me know what you found out once you're back." Kyouichi requested from her. "I better hurry to the village or I'll be late for work."

"Wait a minute." she halted him by grabbing his hand. "You can't go to the village in those wet clothes."

"It's not like I have a choice. Besides, I walked all the way from the lake in these?"

"No. You need to get changed or you'll catch a cold." protested the shrine maiden. "Wait here."

She went into the shrine and after five minutes she returned with another cup of hot tea and some folded clothes.

"Here? And take these too?" she handed him two white pills.

"What's that?" he asked as he mistrustfully observed the drugs.

"It's a cold preventive medicine from Eientei." Reimu explained and passed him the cup of tea.

"Okay?" shrugged the outsider and swallowed both pills, washing them down with tea. "So, have you found any clothes I could get changed into?"

"Yes." smiled Reimu and unfolded the clothes which she brought. "They may be a bit small for you, but?"

Kyouichi spat out the tea in laughter as he saw them. "What?! Miko clothes?! That's not gonna happen!"
An hour later after waking up from a sudden blackout caused by the medicine he took, Kyouichi was already groaning in displeasure as he was looking down at his chest and tucking onto his new shrine maiden's attire. Suika who was standing behind him was covering her mouth as she giggled. "Oh, Kyou-chan? You're so cute~!"

"What the hell did you do to me?!"

He stood up slowly and walked up to the mirror hanging on the wall. His jaw dropped from the shocking image staring back at him from the mirror. "W-Where are my normal clothes?"

"They're drying up outside, of course." replied Reimu who just entered the shrine. She put on a wicked smile and she couldn't manage to hide her chuckling.

"I can't show myself like that in public?" said Kyouichi, refusingly shaking his head as he watched his new image reflected in the mirror. "At least you could spare me from this hair ribbon?" he muttered as he was untying the big red ribbon from his hair - the same kind that Reimu had in her hair.

"What are you doing? You look so good in it~! Miko-miko Kyouichi~!" laughed Suika, holding her stomach.

"Just look at me! I'm a freak! And you, Reimu?" he threateningly pointed his finger at the shrine maiden. "Those pills were no cold medicine, were they?"

"Oh, but they were? They're just a bit strong and have a little side effect. They put you to sleep for a while."

"What time is it anyway? I need to get to the village and go to work."

"I don't have any clocks at the shrine." shrugged Reimu. "But it's sometime around noon I guess?"

Kyouichi finally untied the red ribbon from his hair and quickly thought what to do next.

"My clothes are drying outside and the walk to the village takes over a half an hour? If I go now, I just might make it to the bookstore on time. And when I get to the village, Minako-san will surely give me some normal clothes? Alright, I better get going." he said reluctantly, hoping that nobody would see him like this.

"Okay, then. I'll go with you." Reimu volunteered herself and told Suika not to break anything while she's gone. "Come on, Kyou-chan~!" she teased him as she giggled at how ridiculously her own clothes looked on him.

"Yeah, ha, ha~? So damn funny." grumbled the outsider as he followed Reimu out to the shrine yard.

They didn't even get halfway to the torii when a rapid clicking sounded from behind, followed by an amused call: "Ayayayaya~!"

Kyouichi froze on the spot, trembling from embarrassment. "Oh, no?! Not her! Anything but her!"

A sudden gust of wind blew from behind them and a renowned tengu reporter made her appearance. "Oh, this will be a scoop." she smiled wryly and rubbed her hands. "The Hakurei Shrine has a new shrine maiden?"

Another series of pictures was taken from all angles as Aya excitedly flew around them.

"Aya-san, please? give me that camera?" Kyouichi tired to desperately negotiate with her.

"No can do~!" sang the tengu teasingly and snapped more shots of the embarrassed outsider.

"Reimu, please tell her something." he turned to the shrine maiden in hope of her support.

"Let me know when the next issue comes out." called Reimu at Aya, hiding her giggling with her hand.

"You'll be among the first ones to get the new printout." smiled Aya and waved at her before she jetted off into the sky again.

Kyouichi stood there dumbfounded, blinking a few times before managing to find the right words to describe his feelings. "Someone? kill me, please."

He could already see the looks on all the people's faces when they read the next issue of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. If his appearance in the news during the hanami from two weeks ago didn't make him famous, this doubtlessly will. However, the correct word in this situation would be "infamous".

"Damn? So this is what Remilia meant when she said that my life will get really interesting?" asked Kyouichi himself. "She should have told me frankly that it will suck like hell?"

"Oh, don't worry." Reimu tried to cheer him up. "People will forget about it? eventually."

"Just when I thought I was going to like the tengu girl? And she does this to me?"
They walked down the set of stone stairs, ready to turn left and head towards the village when they both noticed rhythmical drumming sound like a horse gallop.

"Oh, please, no more witnesses?" whined Kyouichi, covering his face with his palms.

However, he was curious who could be riding down this road, and so, he uncovered his face to look. Reimu also prepared herself, reaching her hand inside her sleeve, ready to unleash her amulets. However, as soon as they both saw a human figure riding from the north on the back of a brown horse, they felt relieved. At least Reimu did. The horseman's clothes bore the hallmarks of the Ryuuken militia and he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. As he spotted Reimu and Kyouichi, he pulled the reins, making his horse slow down gradually and stop. Judging by the stripes on his shoulders, Kyouichi knew that this young rider had the lowest ranking among the warriors. He was definitely one of the new recruits. The way he was unsteadily balancing on the saddle of his horse revealed that he couldn't have been in the service of the militia for too long. He looked like a scout or a messenger. Even though he saw Kyouichi in his ridiculous outfit, he maintained a serious face. Then he curiously raised his eyebrow and asked the dumbest question he could.

"Which one of you is Reimu Hakurei?"

Kyouichi put on a half-surprised, half-angry smile with his lips slightly agape and the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Which fist would you like me to hit you with first?" he asked jokingly, showing off his clenched fists.

"Yes? What is it that you need from me?" asked Reimu curiously.

"There's some trouble in Kazemura. The village has been attacked by a swarm of aggressive fairies. We're holding them off, but there's too many. We need your help as soon as possible." explained the messenger.

Reimu opened her mouth in slight surprise and nodded. "Okay then, I'll be right there." She then turned to Kyouichi and apologized. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to walk you to the village. You should wait at the shrine with Suika until I get back."

Without even saying goodbye, she took off from the ground and headed north. The Ryuuken messenger turned his horse around in the meantime and off he went, heading north as well.

Kyouichi was again left alone. He unbelievingly stared into the sky at the flying shrine maiden and shrugged helplessly. When he looked down, he noticed something shiny lying by his feet.

"Huh? What's this?" he asked as he looked at the shiny round piece of metal. "Oh? Don't tell me?" he didn't even finish his sentence. He knew that it wasn't a coin. It was Patchouli's magical amulet used for communication. Reimu must have dropped it as she soared up into the sky. He picked it up and scratched the dirt off its surface.

"Epic? This is just? epic." he grumbled as he realized that he'll have to visit Reimu again to hand her the amulet. Hopefully, she won't go into the underground before she realizes that she no longer has it. Kyouichi immediately got an idea to give the amulet to Suika, but the drunken little oni would probably lose it too. He decided to keep the amulet until his next meeting with the Hakurei shrine maiden or optionally, Marisa. Right now, he had other things on his mind. First: to get a move on to the Human Village and second: to get changed from Reimu's outfit into something more masculine.
He trotted at a moderate pace down the road to the village. The sooner he'd make it there, the lesser the chance that he'd encounter something dangerous. He jogged all the way to the village. It was exhausting, but he forced himself to keep the pace up until he was within the outer premises of the Human Village. As he expected, he saw two guards stationed at the northern end. He decided to stray from the road and make a detour to avoid being seen by them. His plan worked. He managed to sneak into the village undetected. Pressing his back against the wall of one of the houses and peeking around the corner, he waited for the right moment when there was nobody on the street. Then, he darted across to the other side and right into the Saitou residence.

"Whew?" he exhaled with relief as he closed the door behind him. "That was close."

He tiptoed to the guest room to undress himself from the shrine maiden's clothes. Minako was home on her lunch break and she noticed some noise coming from the corridor.

"Huh? Kyouichi-kun, is that you?"

Kyouichi quickly hid Reimu's clothes under his futon before Minako entered his room.

"Oh, you're home already? And? did you take a bath?" she asked him with a surprised expression.

"Ehh? yeah." he lied to save himself from embarrassment. "But I accidentally got my kimono wet? Do you have any spare clothes for me?"

"I'm sorry, Kyouichi-kun." Minako bowed in an apologetic manner. "I've taken all the clothes from the guest room to the shop already? But I'll take a look inside the wardrobes and see if I have something you could put on?" she said and left the guest room.

"Anything will be better than what I was wearing just a moment ago?" murmured Kyouichi quietly and let out a relieved sigh. Minako fell for his little lie, but Mizuto probably won't.

"I better think of some really good excuse to explain why I didn't return with his boat."

In a minute, Minako was back in the guest room, handing him her old yukata with a regretful look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyouichi-kun, but Mizuto's clothes are all dirty so this is all I can give you at the moment."

Kyouichi raised his eyebrow. "A yukata?"

Truly, Minako's pink yukata with purple flower pattern and a bright red sash wasn't exactly masculine. Kyouichi seriously thought that walking around the village in Minako's yukata or Reimu's attire wasn't so much of a difference, but now, he had to choose the lesser evil.

As Minako helped him tie the sash into a knot behind his back, Kyouichi shook his head while looking in the mirror. He still refused to accept it as real and thought it was just some kind of bad dream.

"Say, Minako-san. What's the time?" he asked her to divert his attention from the silly young man dressed in pink yukata staring back at him from the mirror.

"Half past one." she replied nonchalantly as she finished tying the sash.

"Already?! I better move it?" he commented and after thanking Minako for her kindness, he gathered all his courage and stepped outside.
As he walked down the street to the marketplace, he attracted a lot of attention. He could literally feel everyone's eyes staring at him as he walked through the crowded center of the village. He managed to swallow his embarrassment and walked all the way to the Starlight Glyph, just as if he was wearing his usual kimono. He entered the bookstore as nonchalantly as ever and as he approached Daisuke sitting behind the counter, the man immediately stood up

"Oh, good afternoon! Welcome to the Starlight Glyph! Have you come to buy a? wait a second? Ishimaru?!"

In the meantime, Kyouichi heard the shop's door open behind him as some customer entered right afterwards, but the outsider only looked at his boss, sighed with contempt and shook his head. "?Don't ask?"

Daisuke's face showed an expression of utmost surprise and disbelief as he pointed his finger at Kyouichi. "Y-Yu?Yu-u-ka?"

"Yes, a yukata?" nodded Kyouichi affirmatively, looking down at his stylish wear. "I've been so enthralled by the atmosphere of the upcoming summer festival that I just had to express my emotions? So yeah? I've come here in a yukata today." he explained with sarcasm laced on his words.

He didn't even finish his sentence before Daisuke walked backwards into the printing room with droplets of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kyouichi called behind him. "Aren't you even curious how my today's trip to the mansion went?"

The only reply coming from the printing room was the sound of the running printer and the rustling of paper.

Kyouichi shrugged and crossed his arms. "Hmph? Fine? Be that way? I wouldn't tell you if you begged me!"

Suddenly, a gentle female voice sounded from behind him: "Good afternoon~♥."

A little surprised, he turned around to the familiar voice and smiled joyfully. "Yuuka-san! A good afternoon to you as well." he bowed and greeted.

The flower youkai closed her eyes, widened her smile and also bowed gently. Even though Kyouichi never had the time to talk to her much, Yuuka was one of the people (or in this case, youkai) he liked the most. She was always so polite, always smiling and always so calm. He knew that she preferred solitude, but she didn't avoid social contact either. Now she was standing inside the bookstore for the second time.

She curiously rolled her eyes up and down, looking at Kyouichi's borrowed yukata. "Is there a summer festival already~♥?"

"Not really?" Kyouichi shook his head. "I? just? went for a swim in the Misty Lake, you see?"

"In your clothes?"

"Well? yes." he shrugged embarrassedly and changed the topic. "Anyway, what brings you here today?"

"Oh, I've saved up some more money to buy another book I saw here the other day~♥." she replied sweetly.

"Very well, then. Let's see?" he led the way to the encyclopedia section until he stopped at a part of the bookshelf dedicated to books about plants. "Here we are. Can you see that book you mentioned somewhere around here?"

Yuuka slowly shifted her head from one side to another and pointed at the book that caught her interest.

Kyouichi picked it up for her and checked its title. "Hmm? Herbalism in a Nutshell by Eirin Yagokoro? This book is quite in demand here. Just over the last week, we've sold over 10 copies. I haven't read it myself, but I guess it must be good."

"I'll take it then~ ."

"Anything else?" Kyouichi asked her before returning to the counter. "Do you also grow tea in your garden, Yuuka-san? Or fruit trees?" he wondered as he raced through the titles of the other books.

"No, but perhaps one day I will."

He led her back to the counter where she paid for the book. As she was about to leave the shop, she stopped on the doorstep and added teasingly: "Nice yukata?"

Kyouichi furrowed his brows in annoyance and replied. "Trust me, compared to what I was wearing just a half an hour ago, this is quite ordinary."

Yuuka giggled amusedly. "I wonder what that was? Goodbye, Kyouichi-san. And stay out of trouble~ ." she gave her usual friendly warning before she left.

"Yes, goodbye." he called after her. "And watch out for crazy fairies?" he added in jest.
As the lovely flower youkai left, Kyouichi grabbed Daisuke's ledger from one of the counter's drawers. He checked how much money he earned over the last two weeks and tried to calculate how much he would need to pay Mizuto for a new boat. Suddenly, Daisuke walked out of the printing room, pretending that nothing happened.

"What's wrong with you, Shimizu-san? You disappeared just like that again? I'm the one who's supposed to be handling the copying and transcription and you're supposed to be dealing with the customers." Kyouichi pointed out, wondering why was his boss acting so strangely sometimes. "You've had countless youkai customers before, so what's eating you again?"

"Nothing, nothing?" denied the storekeeper, but Kyouichi could tell that he's not willing to tell him something. "I just had to refill the ink tank on the printer?"

Kyouichi didn't mean to pry, though. He rather changed the topic to his most recent mishap and asked his boss for some advice on how to tell Mizuto that he was partially responsible for sinking his boat.

"Well, if I were you, I would tell him the truth." said Daisuke after hearing out Kyouichi's version of the story.

"Yeah, I thought you'd say that? And I also think that's the right thing to do, but?"

"Always better than if he'd find out on his own."

"I bet he already had..." sighed the outsider with self-concern. "Well? I guess I've no choice. I'll confess."

"Yeah, you do that?" approved Daisuke and handed him a box of books for copying. "Now, let's make five copies of each so that we wouldn't run out."
The rest of today's shift went on as usually. There were over a dozen customers throughout the day, Kyouichi was keeping an eye on printing and he also took care of some business correspondence. By the end, he swept the shop clean and finally went home, mentally prepared to confront Mizuto with the unpleasant truth. He was physically exhausted and he at least wanted to ease up some weight from his mind. As he entered the house of his caretakers, he was greeted by the head of the family. Oddly enough, Mizuto seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.

"So, how was your day, Kyouichi-kun? And what on earth are you wearing? Are you advertising Minako's shop or something?"

Kyouichi took one deep breath of self-encouragement and explained everything.

"?I know it sounds ridiculous and that you don't believe me a single word, and I don't blame you, but that's how it happened? I'm sorry? I was going to tell you, but I was worried that you'd be mad at me. I'll pay you for a new boat with my own money. Just give me some more time."

Mizuto silently stared at him with eyes widened from surprise and a tension-strained face. His mouth slightly opened and it took a while before he spoke.

"What are you talking about, Kyouichi-kun?"

Kyouichi's heart skipped a beat as he heard Mizuto's reaction. "What do you mean what am I talking about? I just told you the whole truth?"

He seriously expected a slap or some harsh scolding, but to his great surprise, none of it happened. Mizuto shrugged and smiled. "I've seen all of my boats docked at the pier?"

"What?!" asked the outsider unbelievingly. "In that case? I must have borrowed someone else's boat!"

"Now that you mention it, a colleague of mine complained about his boat disappearing again? I guess he must have meant the one you accidentally borrowed and that got sunk?"

Kyouichi was relieved that Mizuto's property was unharmed, but on the other hand, he'd just have to go and apologize to someone else.

"But don't worry about it," Mizuto continued, "Kenjiro-san had all of his boats insured against damage and theft, so he should be compensated for his loss."

"And how is he going to prove that his boat got sunk?" wondered Kyouichi.

"He doesn't have to." explained the fisherman. "The Ryuuken guarding the colony are held responsible for the safety of civilians as well as their property and they write daily reports about the state of every person and item. If anyone has something to explain, it's them."

"But that still makes me guilty of borrowing his boat without permission."

"As it is also my fault for not telling you which boats were mine exactly." retorted Mizuto, accepting a part of the guilt. "But we can both save us some trouble if we just leave things as they are. Kenjiro will get his money and the Ryuuken will keep a better lookout. You should be happy that you didn't drown yourself and not worry over some stupid boat."

Kyouichi exhaled heavily with relief.

"Seriously, Kyouichi-kun? You should take things easy. Anyway? I'm dying to hear what happened in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. How does it look from the inside? Did you meet the vampires?"
The outsider explained everything in detail, while he was stuffing himself with fried chicken.

None of the Saitous said a single word to interrupt him. Kyouichi said that there may be hope for all the outsiders to be sent back home soon if everything goes as planned.

"Wow? So you met both of the vampires?" inquired Mizuto after Kyouichi's monologue was over. "Weren't you scared?"

"Well, I did feel a bit unsettled when talking to Remilia-sama." admitted the young outsider. "At first I thought she'd be kind of childish and all, but? Well, maybe she is indeed like that, but not all the way through. She is surprisingly wise and serious. And when she started talking about fate and stuff... That was just weird. But she's got the sweetest little sister. She didn't see many humans before because Remilia doesn't let her out much, or at least that's how I understand it? Anyway, back on topic, this here amulet is supposedly used to communicate directly with the legendary youkai of boundaries."

Mizuto raised his eyebrow as he inspected the ornate round medallion-shaped amulet made of silver and gold. "Yukari-sama?"

Kyouichi nodded. "Yes, but like I already said, Reimu dropped it when she hurried to help the Ryuuken at Kazemura? I wonder how she fared today? If the village became so dangerous, I'm kind of hesitant to go there, but? I also feel like I should."

"You're not planning to enter that underground realm on your own, are you?" wondered Mizuto.

Kyouichi chuckled and shook his head to reassure him. "I'm eager to return home, but I'm not suicidal. I'm going to give this little trinket to Reimu or Marisa and let THEM handle the rest. And if this whole amulet business brings no fruit, we'll go through the shrine's gateway whether elder Fukukane likes it or not."

"So you're going to leave us soon either way?" stated Minako after she had enough of being silent the whole time.

"So it seems?" muttered Kyouichi, feeling a hint of discomfort. "It all gives me a mixed feeling. I don't even know if I'm looking forward to it or feeling bad about leaving all the nice people I met here, never to see them again? I just? don't know?"

Then, Chitose said something very nice and comforting. "Maybe you can make an agreement with Yukari-sama so that you could come back to Gensokyo for a visit every once in a while. That way everyone could be happy?"

Kyouichi couldn't help but smile at Chitose's cute naivety and optimism, even though he could never make himself believe in something like that.

"Thank you for the dinner?" he said while standing up from the table. He picked up his plate and volunteered to wash it. Minako protested at first, but the outsider insisted.
Since it was weekend coming, he figured, he should head to the shrine to hand over the amulet to Reimu. That way he wouldn't have to take a day off or skip school as he did today. He could also choose to give it to Marisa, but since he had no idea where she lived, Reimu was the only option. Furthermore, he wanted to return her the shrine maiden's outfit that she and Suika made him wear today and also, get back his own clothes that were left out to dry. And finally, he could also ask her about the situation in Kazemura. The plan for the weekend was decided. As for today, Kyouichi had burned out his entire energy reserve. Only courtesy prevented him from laying down on the kitchen's floor and falling asleep there. He bid the Saitou family good night and dragged his feet to the guest room. He slumped himself over the futon and closed his eyes.

"Ahh? so comfy? Time to pay a visit to the dreamworld again?" he thought to himself. "Hey? didn't Yuuka-san say that she comes from dreamworld??"

As he was thinking about it, he gradually passed out.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 23 ? Weekend at the Shrine

The next day he woke up, it was just like the other normal days. Nothing noteworthy or special happened. He just briefly informed his five closest friends from the outside world that they're one step closer to finding the youkai of boundaries. And although they were all very curious to hear the details, Kyouichi didn't tell them anything more and instead, he promised that he'd brief them about the situation on the next club's meeting. While still at school, he asked Yuujin whether the caravans still go to Kazemura. His reply was positive. The trade between the two villages was unaffected by the recent events. This was somewhat reassuring and Kyouichi was now firmly decided to travel to that village in 6 days.

The rest of the day was completely uninteresting in comparison to yesterday. For some reason, the new issue of Bunbunmaru hasn't come out yet. At least Kyouichi didn't have to listen to people's jokes about his new "fashion trend".
As Saturday came, the young outsider was preparing for his trip to the shrine. However, now he had a little problem. Mizuto already left and he had no permission to leave the village. The Ryuuken would halt him and turn him back due to their regulations. But he had an idea.

"I'll just slip out of the village the same way I sneaked in here two days ago." he planned in his mind. "Regulations my ass! The Ryuuken patrols are a joke. Anyone could just slip in and out of the village anyway."

With this plan in mind, he took the crumpled up shrine maiden's dress from under his futon, folded it up and put it into a leather handbag which he used for carrying notepads and textbooks to school. Of course, he didn't tell a word about his today's plan to anyone of the Saitous so that they wouldn't worry and protest. He just said that he's going for a little walk as usual. He borrowed one of Mizuto's kimonos and headed out on his little trip. He chose the same detour on his way out of the village as he used to get here the day before yesterday, thus successfully avoiding the Ryuuken guards. After distancing himself from the village to about half a kilometer, he returned back to the road and continued further north. He didn't encounter another person until he reached the Hakurei Shrine, marking the eastern wall of the Great Hakurei Border. Sitting on the shrine's porch was the resident shrine maiden, enjoying a peaceful summer afternoon. Kyouichi waved at her from a distance as he approached her. Reimu waved back and waited until he came within earshot of her voice.

"Hello, Kyouichi?" she greeted with a lazy voice. "How are you *yawn* doing today?"

She looked very tired. Her eyelids were half open and it seemed that all she could do today was laze around and drink tea.

"Hi, Reimu. I've come to return you your clothes?" he waved with his handbag.

"Oh, yes? that's great... *yawn* thank you." she mumbled. "You can put them somewhere inside."

"And have my clothes dried up yet?"

"Huh? Oh? yes? they're right behind the shrine."
Kyouichi did as she said and left her clothes folded on her futon. Then he went behind the shrine to get changed from Mizuto's kimono to his own. After 5 minutes he showed up in front of the shrine again and sat down next to Reimu.

"Suika's not here anymore?" he asked.

"She's gone to Marisa's place?" murmured the shrine maiden and took another sip of tea.

"You look tired, Reimu?" stated the outsider after a while of watching her just sit there in silence.

"Yeah? So hot... Don't feel like doing anything?" she replied while repeatedly pulling her top to cool down a little.

"You haven't been to the underground yet, have you?"

She turned to him with a depressed face and disappointedly replied: "I think? you're not going to be happy about this? I have been there yesterday... But? you see?" she spoke incoherently, trying to find the right words.

"You didn't have the amulet." finished Kyouichi in her stead.

"Huh? How did you know?"

The outsider took out the amulet out of his pocket and showed it to her. "You dropped it when you hurried to Kazemura."

The shrine maiden pouted and exhaled heavily. "I've made a total idiot out of myself down there? Fighting my way through all of those youkai? And for nothing."

"You did what?!"

"I don't want to go there again? not now? too tired?" she breathed heavily. "At least Satori said she'd come up here sometime?"

"I'm guessing that's the youkai who can track down Yukari via this amulet?" guessed Kyouichi, tilting the trinket in his palm and admiring its shine.

"Yeah, but when she will come out, I can only guess?"

Kyouichi smiled at her reassuringly and patted her on the head. "In that case, your trip wasn't all in vain. Thank you, Reimu." he thanked her and gave her the amulet. "But make sure you don't lose this until this Satori person comes here."

Reimu smiled weakly and received the trinket. "Um? Kyouichi?" she asked bashfully. "Want some tea?"

"Sure." nodded the outsider.

Reimu reluctantly stood up and went to make some more tea. She returned back with another cup and passed it to her guest before she sat down again and rested her back against the shrine's wall.

"So, what's the situation in Kazemura?" asked Kyouichi suddenly.

"Kazemura? Oh? there was some really big attack of fairies on the village." Reimu recounted. "Hundreds of them. I used up all of my Spell Cards on them and it still wasn't enough. Fortunately, when we reduced their numbers down to around half, the rest of them just scattered and fled. But that sure was one intense battle? Almost like a small war. My yesterday's trip to the underground was a walk in the park compared to Kazemura? But like I said, we drove them off?"

"And? do you have any idea what could have caused it?"

"The fairies of course. I just told you, didn't I?"

"But what caused the fairies to attack the village?" asked the outsider. "You know, Remilia asked me to take a look around the village and look for anything suspicious? Her mansion too was attacked several times by crazed fairies and all the attacks came from the east of her mansion? from somewhere near Kazemura?"

The shrine maiden suddenly looked more energetic as she heard this piece of information. Kyouichi continued: "Not only that, but some of her own fairy maids became violent as well. Could be a disease or some mind control or something?"

Reimu looked at him suspiciously. "Why didn't you tell me about that sooner?"

"But I told you about the fairy attacks." argued Kyouichi. "That's the reason why Patchouli wanted to contact Yukari and why she gave me the amulet."

"I meant that part about Remilia's fairy maids going crazy as well?" Reimu specified. "And why would she want to send YOU of all people to investigate?"

"Because I wouldn't draw attention." explained the outsider. "She wanted to resolve this little incident by herself, but Patchouli suspects something bigger is going on. She suspects Yukari has something to do with this."

"Hmm? I never thought that she'd be sending fairies to attack villages, but this is Yukari we're talking about so everything is possible?" thought the shrine maiden aloud.

"Another theory is that Yukari is in some serious trouble." continued Kyouichi. "But Patchouli's not very sure about that one. Either way, we need to find her."

"Then maybe I should go back to the underground once more after all?" murmured Reimu to herself.

"I'm not urging you, Reimu, please, just take your time and rest a little? You're exhausted."

"But this can be urgent?" she protested.

"Then we can ask Marisa to go there." speculated the outsider.

"She's been there with me yesterday. She called me an airhead for forgetting the amulet. I don't think she'll be in a mood to go there again today."

"Then why don't you take a day off, Reimu? Just relax and take it easy. If you need any work done, I can help."

Reimu gazed at him unbelievingly. She did feel really tired today, so it might not be a bad idea to use this outsider as a cheap labor force.

"Then can you please sweep the shrine yard a bit?" she asked pleadingly. "And the stairs too?"

Kyouichi smiled and nodded agreeingly. "Heh? just the kind of job I used to do back in the outside world as a part-time? Apart from other jobs?"
He found the broom in a storeroom behind the shrine. The area behind it was really large. There was even some sort of wooden stage probably meant to be used during festivals for performances.

Kyouichi whistled admiringly. "That's enough ground to sweep to keep me busy for a couple of hours? But for you, Reimu, I'll do it gladly?"

He started sweeping the stage in the backyard. Fortunately the rest of the area behind the Hakurei shrine was not paved, so he didn't have to sweep so much. The front yard was a different story, though. Fortunately, Reimu swept it regularly, so it was relatively clean, apart from some fallen leaves and tiny branches.

"Hey, sweep it properly!" called Reimu from the porch as she watched him do his voluntary work.

"Yes, yes~?" mumbled the outsider and tried to stay focused on his work. "But if I sweep any faster or harder, I'm afraid this broom will catch fire."

The sun was high and the air was very hot. It could be something around 30 degrees Celsius on that day.

"No wonder she's so tired today?" thought Kyouichi while wiping sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his kimono. "This heat is starting to wear me down too?"
After an hour of sweeping, Kyouichi finally swept the last square centimeter of the last stone stair. He was now about as tired as Reimu, if not even more. He must have sweated out nearly 10% of his body fluids. With the last remnant of willpower, he walked up the stairs and sluggishly walked towards the shrine. He sat down in the shade provided by the shrine's pagoda-like roof.

"The shrine yard's so clean you could eat from it?" he muttered while breathing heavily. "Man, my stamina sucks?"

Suddenly, he felt a sensation of Reimu's hand softly tapping his shoulder from behind. "Thank you, Kyouichi?" she whispered in his ear and offered him a refreshing cup of cool lemonade.

"Reimu? Oh? thanks?" he grabbed the cup and emptied it in an instant. "Ahhhhh~ Oh yeah~. That hit the spot." he let out a blissful sigh.

"I'm so glad I didn't have to do the sweeping today?" said Reimu and rested her shoulder against Kyouichi's. The outsider felt a bit surprised to have Reimu clinging to him like that, but he didn't find it the least bit unpleasant.

"Maybe you should invent a Spell Card for sweeping the shrine yard." he suggested. "Wouldn't that be neat?"

Reimu chuckled weakly. "You know, I was considering that idea for quite some time now? But I don't have any spell that could get the job done."

The two of them sat there for the next few moments quietly and enjoyed this peaceful summer afternoon. The occasional breeze cooling their bodies felt really nice.

"Hot days like there should be banned?" murmured the outsider. "Sure could use a bath about now."

"Why don't you have one then?" asked the shrine maiden, pointing her thumb at the shrine's doorway. "The ofuro's in the back?"

Kyouichi stood up, pulled his lower lip in a thoughtful expression and nodded. "Fine then, I'll cool down a bit?"
In the back of the shrine's living quarters was a separate room with a large wooden ofuro tub, a water pump and a small corner furnace with a cauldron for heating the water. He didn't take a proper bath, just poured a bucket of unheated cold water over himself, soaped himself up and washed it all down with another bucket of cool water. It was refreshing enough to shake him up from his sleepy mood. Once he dried up and got dressed, he could already see Reimu inside the shrine, cutting up some vegetables and meat.

"Oh, you're going to make lunch? What's it going to be?"

"I'm going to try and make that new curry recipe that Youmu showed me after the hanami." she replied without even raising her head to look at Kyouichi.

"Really? That curry was fantastic." rejoiced the outsider, fastening his hakama properly.

"Yes, because Youmu did most of the cooking." murmured the shrine maiden as she sliced the carrots. "But this time, I don't guarantee it will be as tasty."

Kyouichi walked up closer to her to see what ingredients she was about to use.

"Do Yuyuko-sama and Youmu-san come to the world of the living often?" he asked suddenly.

Reimu shrugged. "Youmu comes here quite often, but most of the time she's just running some errands for her mistress. Last time I saw her was a week ago, while shopping in the Human Village. As for Yuyuko, she stops by only occasionally? Even Yukari used to visit me more often than her."

As Kyouichi observed Reimu's work, she rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I doing something wrong?"

"Uhh... sorry. Didn't mean to stare." he apologized and shifted his look elsewhere. "I'd help you with the cooking, but I'm afraid that my "for emergency purposes only" cooking skills wouldn't be much of a help?"

"Don't sweat it, Kyouichi, you've already helped me enough today." said Reimu and poured some oil into a frying pan. "I shouldn't let people spoil me by doing work for me too often? Otherwise I'll get too lazy to even fight the youkai."

"Well, you can rest assured that I'm not going to do THAT for you." snickered the outsider and sat down at the table. "My memories of Rumia-san are still quite fresh?"

A sudden hiss sounded as Reimu put the sliced onion into the heated frying pan. "Oh, yeah? I saw Rumia the other day." she remarked as she stirred the onions. "She was hanging around the northern edge of the Forest of Magic. That's her usual spot."

"Didn't she attack you?"

"Ha! She wouldn't dare. Even though she's not the brightest of youkai? No pun intended."

"So you say she's one of the weaker ones, right?"

"Rumia's usually not very dangerous, but what she did two weeks ago was? really unusual of her?"

"I guess she was really hungry for some human flesh?" shrugged Kyouichi. "And if she is a weaker youkai, I don't even want to imagine what a really powerful youkai would do to me?"

"The powerful youkai are usually not as aggressive as the weaker ones." explained the shrine maiden, while putting additional ingredients into the frying pan. "In most cases that is..." she added after a pause.

"So, Suika-san is one of the powerful ones too?" inquired Kyouichi curiously.

"Suika? Yeah, you could say that. But she's a friend to the humans. She's been living here with me in the shrine for quite a few years? Almost like a little sister."

"I have to admit that my impression of the oni race was quite different before I found myself in Gensokyo? According to the legends of the outside world, the oni are considered evil and violent?"

"I don't know many oni myself." admitted Reimu. "But those few whom I've met were really friendly and jolly. They like drinking, eating, festivals and competitions. Oni are mighty and powerful, but not to be feared. I'd say that about Yukari too, but? I still feel like I know nothing about her."

While the curry was being stewed, Reimu started preparing rice. A pleasant smell was gradually filling up the shrine. As if drawn by that smell, a voice from outside the shrine called: "Oi, Reimu~! I've come for a visit, ze."

The voice was obviously Marisa's. Her greeting was followed by another one, this time pronounced by a high-pitched voice. "I'm back, Reimu~." called Suika.

Even without seeing the two people, Kyouichi and Reimu couldn't mistake their voices for anyone else's. Soon after their greeting the shrine's sliding door opened and in came both of their sources.

"Oh, Kyou-kun you're here too? Hello." Marisa greeted as she was putting her hat down.

"Hi, Marisa and Suika." bowed the outsider to both girls, not even noticing when was his empty cup of lemonade refilled by Suika's sake.

"Something smells good." Marisa remarked as she sniffed the air. "Should I help you with cooking?"

Reimu gave her a very mistrustful look and with a strange crooked smile, she refused kindly.

Marisa shrugged. "Whatever?" she sat down at the table along with Suika and Kyouichi.

"So, Marisa?" Kyouichi addressed the witch. "You've been to the underground yesterday?"

"Oh, don't even remind me." she brushed him off with an annoyed voice. "We've gone there all the way to the Palace of the Earth Spirits, fighting our way through, and when we finally reach the throne room this airheaded red-white here says that she doesn't have the amulet! How are we supposed to find Yukari now?"

"The truth is, she just dropped it as she hurried to Kazemura, so don't worry." Kyouichi reassured her. "And you, Reimu, please calm down and put away that knife?" he asked the shrine maiden with a calm voice.
In a conversation that lasted for about ten minutes, everything was explained in detail.

"Yeah, fortunately, Satori did say something about coming to the surface sometimes?" nodded Marisa when Kyouichi asked about her. "We're lucky we didn't lose this amulet."

"Anyway, Kyouichi, I haven't seen you in quite a while now? How's your life in Gensokyo? You didn't get into any more trouble, did you?" asked Marisa, derailing from the serious topic.

Before Kyouichi answered her, he took a gulp of what he thought was lemonade, only to be surprised by the intense taste of sake.

"What the??!" he blurted out after he swallowed it. "Suika-san?? At least give me a warning next time."

The oni girl put on an innocent face. "I just wanted to see how you'd react?"

"It's a good thing I wasn't thirsty and didn't drink it all in one go?" said the outsider. "As for your questions, Marisa, I almost hate to admit it, but I think I'm getting more and more used to living in Gensokyo with each passing day."

"And how is that a bad thing?" she couldn't understand.

"Because if it goes on like this, I'm seriously going to miss it here once I finally return home."

"I think I've gotten used to you already." smiled the blonde magician.

"Me too~." Suika seconded. "Not many humans want to compete against an oni in drinking?"

Reimu didn't say anything. She was focused on the cooking, which she was just getting done with. She took out four plates out of her cupboard and four pairs of chopsticks.

"I too, have grown to like you very much?" admitted Kyouichi to cut off the silence. "You and many other people? even some youkai. It's true that I wish to return, but on the other hand, I'd also like to get to know some of these people and youkai a bit better? I'm afraid that if I stay here for too long, I won't even want to return home."

"Oh, so you'd like to make more friends around Gensokyo, huh?" asked Marisa. "Hey, hey, is there any girl that you like here?" she forwarded an impertinent question while grinning wryly.

Kyouichi's face reddened slightly as he was thinking about his reply. "You mean like my first impression? Well, I guess I can be honest?"

Marisa, Suika and even Reimu leaned a bit closer to hear him clearly.

"I like a lot of girls whom I've met here so far. I try my best not to get too attached to anyone, though. I plan to leave this place after all and emotions like regret and love would only be an obstacle? However, I have to admit, if Gensokyo was my home, I'd probably fallen for someone?"

"Really? Like who?" pried Marisa, holding her breath to hear the answer.

"That's a tough one?" he murmured to himself.

"I saw you looking intensely at Yuyuko-sama the other day~." remarked Suika.

"It's true that Yuyuko-sama is incredibly beautiful and nice, but? seeing as how she's a ghost and all? I-uh? I don't think that would work?"

"Then do you like anyone else?" Suika continued the interrogation.

"Well, I like Reimu for instance?" he said nonchalantly, making the shrine maiden widen her eyes in a surprised expression.

"Wait? what?"

"I also like Youmu-san, even though I don't know much about her?"

"Youmu-chan, huh?" asked Marisa.

"Then? hmm? there's something about Patchouli-sama that I found somewhat? attractive, but like with Youmu, I don't know almost anything about her either."

"And what about Marisa?" asked the prying little oni.

"Marisa? Marisa is a very interesting, cheerful and spontaneous character with a straightforward personality and a good sense of humor, but? a bit too tomboyish for my tastes? Sorry, Marisa-san."

The witch just grinned and giggled. "No hard feelings? You're not my type either, Kyouichi, but as a friend, there's no point about you for me to complain about."

"And is there a certain type of girls you like?" Suika continued her inquiry.

"Type? Well? I don't know really? But there are more girls in Gensokyo who I'd like to know a bit more about."

"Which ones~?" Suika wanted to know.

"Apart from those I already mentioned? Well? for example I'd like to get to know? Yuuka-san?"

Marisa suddenly spat out the tea she was drinking all over the table, staring at Kyouichi with a shocked face. Reimu's and Suika's expressions copied hers.

"For God's sake, don't!" Marisa shouted.

"Then? for example..." continued Kyouichi in a nonchalant manner. "I don't know? Flandre-san?"

Marisa's expression turned from shocked to freaked-out. Her mouth was strained in a forced smile with its corner twitching. She slowly turned to her miko friend who donned a very similar expression and uttered in a shaky voice: "Ehehehe? Now that you mention it? Yuuka-chan is quite cute, isn't she??"

"Ehh? yeah?" muttered Reimu as if she was in a trance of some sort.

"You think so too?" asked Kyouichi while smiling. "I've talked to her a few times when she came into the bookstore, but not much. For some reason she doesn't have many friends among humans. She does remind me a bit of Yuyuko-sama, by the way?"

"Yeah? She too can invoke death in all sorts of ways?" remarked Marisa jestingly and Kyouichi took it as a joke.

"Anyway, what are your plans with the amulet I gave you?" Kyouichi started asking questions again. "Are you going to try the underground one more time or are you just going to wait until Satori-san comes out?"

Marisa served some of the curry and rice on her plate and hummed. "Well, if tomorrow won't be as hot as today, we just might go there? After all the youkai we've fought through, the resistance can't be so strong anymore, ze?"

"What did you two even fight against?"

"Restless earth spirits, phantoms, fairies, undead fairies, an earth spider, a hashihime, an oni, a kasha, a yatagarasu hell raven and Satori-san?" Marisa started naming creatures, most of which Kyouichi never even heard about.

"Wait, Marisa." Reimu halted her. "We didn't fight against all of these yesterday? Just the hashihime, the kasha and Satori-san?and the earth spirits of course?"

The outsider raised his eyebrows. "Why on Earth did you have to fight the youkai we need help from? Was it really necessary?"

Reimu and Marisa exchanged their thoughtful looks and shrugged synchronically. "That's how we always do it?" muttered Marisa.

"Yeah? It's easier to explain one's demands through danmaku? It always works." smiled Reimu and crossed her arms.

"Gee? is this how you ask someone a favor?" wondered Kyouichi. "I'm almost afraid to think what you would do to me if I refused to sweep the shrine yard for you today?"

"Do you think I'm some kind of heartless brute?" retorted the shrine maiden.

"Well? yeah?"

The miko sighed resignedly and shook her head. "So that's the impression people have of me, huh??"

"I just wanted to say that you can solve conflicts even without violence?"

"Kyouichi-san, with all due respect," said Reimu while looking into his eyes, "you don't know what a shrine maiden's job is all about. You don't know all those youkai. You can't possibly understand?"

"Well, he did survive an encounter with Yuuka and even Flandre, so I guess there is some truth to his words?" murmured Marisa to her best friend.

"But danmaku battles aren't even considered as acts of violence here." argued Reimu stubbornly. "Besides, it was your idea to shoot at Satori-san first and then ask her favors?"

"Uh-uh?" Marisa shook her head in denial. "She saw your harmful intentions as soon as you flew over her doorstep. No wonder she'd react the way she did?"

Kyouichi interrupted them before they started arguing again. "Okay, okay, I get it? Danmaku is like saying "hello" in Gensokyo? You don't need to start another one of your arguments now."

"Kyou-kun's right~." said Suika as she put her hands on both Marisa's and Reimu's shoulders. "We're not in a mood to listen to your quarrels."

They had to admit that there was no need to point out each other's mistakes now. Reimu put the curry and rice pots on the table, letting everyone take as much as they like.

"Tomorrow does sound like a fine day for a second attempt." admitted the shrine maiden, mentally getting ready for yet another flight to the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

"I wonder how this amulet will help us?" Marisa scratched her head. "Even if Satori finds out Yukari's whereabouts, how are we going to get to her?"

"We'll try to figure that out later." Reimu answered. "Maybe Satori will manage to get in contact with her. Maybe she'll convince her to show herself?"

Marisa rolled her eyes and exhaled. "Oh, Reimu? Optimistic as always, are we? I don't recall the two having any friendly relationship. If someone could actually convince that old hag, I'd put my money on either you, Yuyuko-sama or Suika."

"I wouldn't call her old hag if I were you~." said Suika as a friendly warning to the witch. "Otherwise she could pop up from somewhere and make you regret it?"

"Isn't that exactly what we want?" retorted the magician as she scooped some more rice onto her plate. "Hell, if all it takes for her to show up is to piss her off, then why not?"

"Marisa?"

"Old hag, old hag, old hag!" shouted Marisa out loud while beating her fists against the table. "Come on, show yourself and do your worst! I ain't afraid of ya!"

"No, seriously, Marisa, you should calm down?" Reimu tried to tame the witch's short temper.

"Oooooold~ haaaaaaaag~!" sang Mairsa almost like an opera singer. "Yakumo! Do you hear me?! You're older than your own grandfather! If you have any? You're so old that Adam and Eve could be your great grandchildren!"

"Who?" asked Reimu, raising her eyebrow.

"You know? from the Bible?"

"Oh?"

After yet a while of Marisa's theatrical calling and provoking, she gave up her attempt and resorted to drinking tea instead. "Haaa~." she exhaled with contempt. "I don't like her anymore? She's just not communicating, ze?"

"If she's up to something bad, I don't think that words will be enough to make her reveal herself." speculated Reimu.

"Fine? We'll see what Satori can tell us. We should just rest up today so we'd heve enough energy to go to the underground again."

"Sounds like a fine idea~." agreed Suika and poured her sake into everybody's teacup. "Cheers~!"

Suika really knew how to convince people to stop thinking about serious matters and start having fun. But Kyouichi was still curious to ask Marisa what she thought about the attacks of aggressive fairies.

"Aggressive fairies?" she repeated. "Well, some fairies are naturally aggressive. Me and Reimu call them death fairies. They're usually more powerful, resilient and reckless than the most of their kin. Attacks of fairies are nothing uncommon in Gensokyo. At least they give me a chance to try new spells on them, ze." she grinned widely. "But I didn't experience anything like in Kazemura or what Remilia told you? But hey, I found the youkai that attacked you the other day and zapped her, hehehe."

"Rumia?"

"Yeah? You should have seen that. She didn't stand a chance."

"Whatever you say?" muttered Kyouichi. "But you're saying that there isn't anything strange about the fairy attack on the Scarlet Devil Mansion and Kazemura?"

"Probably has something to do with the recently recurring fairy wars?"

"Fairy wars?"

"Yeah. Something like that happened here two years ago, but I saw a bunch of fairies dueling in the forest the other day and they kept saying something about a war against each other or some nonsense like that? Not too sure I heard them right, though?" said Marisa with a strangely embarrassed tone.

Reimu hummed and nibbled on her chopstick. "So probably Yukari has nothing to do with this? I don't know? There's still that sudden aggression breakout among Remilia's fairy maids that needs to be explained?"

"Oh, I believe those two fairies that sunk my boat were talking about a war declaration or something?" recalled Kyouichi. "Well? it wasn't really my boat, but that's not important? When did you say you saw the two fairies dueling, Marisa?"

"Two days ago? I believe that's the same day you saw those two fighting at the Misty Lake?"

"Yeah, on the day when I walked around Gensokyo in Reimu's miko dress?" muttered the outsider embarrassedly.

The girls immediately burst into jolly laughter. When they calmed down a bit, Marisa's face was strangely serious. "You know? I had an embarrassing experience on that day as well?"

"Such as?" asked Reimu.

"Actually?" Marisa started uncertainly and her face blushed. "To tell you the truth, that day when I saw the fairies dueling?"

"Yes?" Reimu gestured to her to continue.

"I met Cirno that night, you see?" she paused herself again and drank all the sake in her cup to encourage herself. "And she challenged me and?. And won a Spell Card duel against me?" she finished her sentence, while exhaling heavily and shaking her head.

Reimu gave her a questioning glance. "What? You're kidding, right?"

Marisa didn't reply, just kept shaking her head and asked Suika for a refill.

"Umm? You're talking about someone I don't know again." remarked Kyouichi who wanted to know why was Marisa feeling so embarrassed.

"Cirno's a fairy." Reimu began explaining. "An ice fairy? Not too smart, nor too powerful. What else would you expect from a fairy? But?" she paused herself and snickered. "What were you doing, Marisa? How did you manage to get beaten by our local idiot?"

"I-I? don't even know?" stuttered Marisa. "She's become really skilled and powerful ever since our last encounter. She even acquired a new power to freeze danmaku shots. At first I was just giving her some chance to win to see if she'll even survive, but she did surprisingly well. Even when I unleashed almost all my magic, she bested me that time. I must have had a really bad day?"

"So you think that Cirno is responsible for the attacks of fairies?" asked the shrine maiden.

Marisa shrugged with a grimace. "Dunno? Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't? But she didn't seem to be crazed or anything. It was your typical formal Spell Card duel. Don't know if this fairy war is still going on?"

"But if the fairies are in a war with each other, why would they target a village full of youkai and some humans?" wondered the shrine maiden.

"I'm sure we'll be all wiser when you show this amulet to Satori-san." said Kyouichi and finished the sake in his cup.

"I hope I can count on your assistance tomorrow, Marisa."

"Sure, Reimu. Not a problem. Maybe I'll stop by at Yuugi's place while we're down there, ze. And you should put that amulet somewhere where you won't lose it."

"Alright, alright." pouted the annoyed shrine maiden. "I'll be careful this time."

They finally closed the serious topic for good and enjoyed the food and sake until evening.
"Actually, that curry wasn't so bad, Reimu." said Marisa in retrospect. "Not as great as when Youmu helped you cook it, but not half bad?"

Despite her criticizing tone, it was actually a praise coming from Marisa.

"T-Thanks?" muttered Reimu with a flushed face. It was either her blushing from being praised or due to the sake she drank. It was a bit hard to tell at that point.

"Hey, hey, I got an idea!" called out Marisa suddenly. "Since there's four of us, we could play mahjong."

"Oh~! That's a great idea!" rejoiced little Suika. "But, do you have the tiles?"

Marisa's smile froze suddenly. "Ehh? no. What about you, Reimu?"

"I don't know?" shrugged the miko. "But I could take a look in the storeroom. There's all sorts of old things I don't even use. But I rarely find what I'm looking for?"

"I did find the wind chime you were looking for the other day~." remarked the oni.

"Really? I thought I lost it?" said Reimu while standing up. "But if I could find one of Alice's dolls, Sakuya's knife and even Yukari's cap in there, I should also be able to find some old mahjong tiles."
She trotted out of the shrine and left the trio of two humans and one oni wait until she finds (or doesn't find) the mahjong tiles. As they waited for five minutes and as Suika refilled everyone's cups, they heard a sudden commotion coming from the outside.

"What the hell is she doing?" complained Marisa who got startled by the sudden banging noise.

"Let's take a look~." suggested Suika and clumsily stood up on her feet. Marisa was faster, though, and was the first to get outside. Kyouichi and Suika followed her and took a look around once they were in the shrine yard.

"Reimu~?" called Suika after she managed to get her horns unstuck from the narrow doorway.

The sun was still peeking from behind the western horizon, shining its last orange rays to illuminate Gensokyo for the last couple of minutes for this day.

Since the storeroom was located behind the shrine, the trio didn't hesitate and headed to the backyard.

As Marisa saw what was going on, she excitedly clapped her hands and gestured to Suika and Kyouichi to hurry up and take a look as well.

"What's going on Marisa?" wondered the outsider.

"Come on, come on?" she called them. "Look, look?"

Kyouichi caught up to the magician and his eyes saw the image of Reimu floating high above the ground, facing another unknown girly figure.

"Looks like we're going to see a duel?" stated Marisa as she stared up.

"Who's that?" asked Kyouichi as he tried to identify Reimu's opponent.

She wasn't very tall, her clothes were brown and white, her hair had a similar color ? a mix between brown and pink and she sported a pair of light-pink bird-like wings. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she was a youkai, but Kyouichi hasn't seen any youkai like her before. She didn't look like a fairy.

"That's Mystia Lorelei." announced Marisa while waving her hand in disrespect. "A little night sparrow. No big deal, but at least we can enjoy Reimu blasting her away."

"A night sparrow?" repeated Kyouichi. The little youkai floating on Reimu's level looked pretty humanoid to him, but then again, he's heard many times that youkai in Gensokyo in almost all cases resemble humans.

"Yeah." nodded the blonde witch. "The likes of her aren't very friendly to humans so, I'd watch out for her if I were you."

"So she's dangerous?"

"For you, yes. But for any more capable human, she's not much of a challenge."

"I guess I needn't even ask, since even fairies are dangerous for me?" thought Kyouichi while looking at Mystia and Reimu. Both of them looked like they were about to attack each other any moment.

"There's going to be a festival here soon." echoed Mystia's voice from above. "So I just thought I'd practice some new songs before doing a live performance here."

"Go practice somewhere else!" shouted Reimu back at her. "And I'd rather listen to Marisa's drunken singing all day than your songs."

"How rude!" Mystia pouted angrily. "Everywhere I go there's always someone who complains about my singing. But practice is practice and I'm not going to do my live performance unprepared. And what better place to practice than the stage where I'll be singing to a whole crowd of youkai and people on the day of the summer festival?"

Reimu gave her a look of disbelief combined with an asking smile. "Who says that my opinion about your singing will change until the festival? Who says that you're even invited?"

"Just for your information, I AM a popular singer and my grilled lamprey stand is an inseparable part of the festival that takes place here every year. You can't just kick me out!"

Marisa put her hands to her mouth to amplify her voice as she called: "I hate to say it, but she's right, Reimu! She's one of the attractions of the festival."

"But I need some peace and quiet today. You should really go home ? wherever that is, and practice where you won't bother anyone."

"How about we settle this with a battle?" suggested Mystia with a confident smile.

Reimu sighed. "I was hoping I'd get some rest today, but I guess that's asking too much? Very well, I'll humor you. How many Spell Cards will we use this time?"

"Three." replied the night sparrow with determined look in her eyes.

"That sounds like a fine number." said the shrine maiden and picked three cards from her deck. "How hard should I be on you?"

"Ehehehe~. Don't be too hard, okay?" uttered Mystia, smiling sheepishly.

"Okay then, I'll give you some room to breathe? maybe."

Kyouichi disbelievingly listened to their conversation before he turned his gaze to Suika and Marisa. "Are they really going to fight over such nonsense?"

Both girls just exchanged their looks and shrugged. "You've probably heard this before, but? welcome to Gensokyo." responded Marisa.

Kyouichi snorted amusedly and shook his head. He couldn't say that he was too happy about how things worked in this magical world, but at least its inhabitants kept their conflicts on a non-lethal level? most of the time. As he raised his head to the scene of the upcoming battle between a shrine maiden and a night sparrow, he saw that the two were now distanced much further from each other. Not long after that, the battle began. Mystia was the first to take a shot at Reimu, stretching out her right hand and sending a spreading wave of white plasma-like spheres at her opponent. Each of the projectiles left a trail of smaller stationary bright green orbs. Reimu looked completely calm and confident even as the streams of energy spheres missed her by a few centimeters. She was basically surrounded by them, but she didn't even flinch. A moment later the halted green orbs were set in motion heading the same direction as the main projectiles that spawned them. None of them hit its mark, however. Reimu's response was swift and merciless. She took out a whole bunch of her blessed ofuda-like amulets and by the help of some unseen force sent them flying in steady straightforward streams from both of her hands. They flew ridiculously fast and despite Mystia's effort to dodge them, quite a few of them hit the night sparrow's various body parts. Each amulet disappeared in a reddish flash of light upon making contact with the youkai, but it looked like it would take quite a number of them to cause Mystia any serious harm. Kyouichi thoughtfully took out the same amulets that he bought from Reimu the other day and wondered if they were really going to be of any help, should the situation from the two weeks ago repeat itself sometimes.

"This is what I paid 250 yen for?" he asked himself as he looked at the five rectangular paper amulets in his hand. "They don't look very effective."

However, he didn't feel like thinking too much about it as he was now more interested about the Spell Card duel taking place right in front of his eyes. All seemed to be telling him that Reimu had the upper hand in this fight, but he couldn't forgive himself not to ask Marisa a question: "Say, Marisa, does Mystia-san even have any chance of actually winning?"

"In a Spell Card battle, any outcome is possible, but quite frankly, I don't think that we'll witness any such miracles as Mystia winning today?" answered Marisa and took a seat on the porch of the shrine.

"Did you notice how Reimu asked her how hard she should be on her?" she asked the outsider.

"Why, yes. What about it?"

"Before any formal battle is declared, the opposing parties have to agree upon some terms of victory and defeat and the rules for their match. That basically means that Reimu's pretty much holding back now. She's using just a small fraction of her skill and power. Should be still interesting, though?"

Reimu didn't look like she was about to ease up on her attack and seemingly out of nowhere, a pair of red and white yin-yang orbs appeared by her sides and each of them began spewing white circular projectiles that homed in on the poor youkai girl and hit her with an unfailing accuracy.

"Kyaaah~!" shrieked Mystia in her vain attempt to move out of the way of Reimu's homing shots.

"Oh, come on, Mystia!" Marisa cheered her up from below. "Show her some resistance. Otherwise this fight will end without Reimu using even a single Spell Card."

It seemed that Marisa's words came like an advice to the night sparrow. Despite being hit from every side by countless amulets, she managed to draw out a Spell Card and declared it: "Vocal Sign "Hooting in the Night"!"

"Seriously? Who comes up with the names of those Spell Cards?" thought Kyouichi to himself as he heard Mystia declare her next attack.

Immediately, Mystia became surrounded by an irregular sphere of purple and teal light particles. Reimu concentrated her fire, but this time Mystia didn't even try to dodge the shots. She entered a trance and the light sphere she was concealed by began bursting its layers one by one. The particles it consisted of were actually some sort of arrowhead-like projectiles, which were sent out in rhythmical ring-shaped waves, which gradually picked up speed and followed a deceptively curved trajectory. Reimu deftly managed to evade the first wave simply by increasing her altitude by a few meters. The second wave was a combination of teal and purple shots with intersecting trajectories. Reimu probably already knew this Spell Card well enough to wait for the right moment when the purple and teal shots intersected and she quickly made a beeline straight through one of the gaps formed in the wave. She kept on firing her conventional danmaku at the night sparrow, but Mystia's attack also grew in intensity. The waves becoming more frequent and consisting of more shots gave the shrine maiden little time to think and little room to fly around. Gradually, the gaps between the shots became so narrow that Reimu's sleeves got singed as she squeezed herself between the projectiles. She gritted her teeth and launched another barrage of amulets at the little night sparrow who still remained floating in one place. Suddenly a loud popping sound echoed over the Hakurei Shrine as Mystia's spell was broken and all the shots that were launched by her disappeared in that very instant. Reimu managed to break her opponent's Spell Card without using her own. Kyouichi was very impressed by her flying skill.

"Rei~mu! Rei~mu! Rei~mu!" he cheered for her while raising his arm repeatedly.

"Actually, I'd like to see Reimu defeated once for a change." muttered Marisa to him. "But don't tell her, okay?"

As soon as she said that, Mystia declared her second Spell Card: "Moth Sign "Sphingid's Wingbeats"!"

As soon as the night sparrow activated the spell, several white phantom-like apparitions resembling birds or presumably moths appeared from both left and right sides of the dueling girls. They weren't directed at anyone. They just flew in front of them, flapping their phantom wings and leaving behind a trail of small white dots. At the same moment, Mystia shot out a fast straightforward burst of larger red spheres directly at Reimu. The miko managed to move out of the way and returned fire. Now Kyouichi could see that the trail of white dots that was left behind by the phantom moths changed its color to purple as each of the dots was separated into two arrowhead shots heading in opposite directions. As a result, the sky above the shrine was now basically littered with purple shots directed both at Reimu and Mystia. However, the magical arrowheads faded harmlessly upon touching their caster. Reimu was too busy dodging the purple shots to notice another red stream of spheres coming at her from Mystia's palms. She got hit by three of the spheres directly in the chest.

"Unrgh! This really hurts?" muttered Reimu to herself.

"She got hit, didn't she?" asked Kyouichi who tensely spectated the match.

"That's because she's holding back." explained Marisa calmly. "You know, giving the night sparrow some chance, making things look more dramatic?"

"Oh?"

"And why don't you sit down here with us?"

"No way!" refused Kyouichi resolutely. "What if I'll have to run from some stray danmaku and take cover? You two can fly so you're fine, but I can't."

Meanwhile, Reimu recovered from the hit she took and reached inside her sleeve to pull out her Spell Card.

"Spirit Sign "Fantasy Seal ?Concentrate-"!" she called out, holding the card high above her head.

"Ahh, the focused Fantasy Seal?" commented Marisa from the porch. "Reimu's classic. Despite how it looks, it still CAN be dodged."

Kyouichi wondered what she meant by that. His inner question was answered immediately as five brightly shining orbs; each of different color erupted from Reimu's Spell Card and formed a circular formation around her as they rotated rapidly. Each of the orbs was as large as a basketball and they orbited Reimu ever faster. Mystia's spell was still active, but her shots didn't seem to have any effect against the shrine maiden now. Then as the orbs around Reimu reached their top speed, they were launched one by one at Mystia. They closed in on Mystia really quickly and as she tried to make a dodging maneuver, they instantly changed their heading and tracked her down. All five of them hit her with considerable force, knocking her several tens of meters backwards. However, the night sparrow proved to be tougher than she looked.

"Now let's see how you'll fare against this!" shouted Mystia at Reimu, while rubbing her stomach in pain. "Night-Blindness "Song of the Night Sparrow"!"

"Uh-oh?" uttered Marisa nervously.

"What do you mean "uh-oh"?" asked Kyouichi nervously. "Should I start running already?"

Suddenly, Mystia began singing some melody.

"What the hell?!" asked the outsider, looking at Marisa and Suika who were already covering their ears. The very next moment, Kyouichi experienced a very similar, if not the same thing that happened to him two weeks ago. Everything suddenly faded into darkness. He was only able to see things distanced less than 2 meters away from him.

"Aaaah~!" he shouted in fear. "Rumia's come back for me!"

Marisa put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "Relaaax, Kyouichi~. This is just the effect of Mystia's song?"

"?No Rumia??"

"No Rumia?" the witch reassured him. "Every human subjected to Mystia's hypnotizing song will become night-blinded, which is kind of unfortunate, ze. We can't see the actual battle now."

"So how is Reimu going to win now?"

Marisa giggled. "You really care about Reimu, don't you?"

"I'm naturally concerned."

"No need to worry. She's been up against much worse and won."

Since Kyouichi, Marisa and Suika couldn't see what was going on during the following seconds, all they could do is listen to the sounds of blitzing magical projectiles. They all tensely awaited what would happen once the darkness (or to be exact, their night-blindness) wears off. For well over 30 seconds all they could hear was popping, hissing and humming coming from above.
Finally another loud booming sound of breaking glass echoed and everyone regained their sight again. Mystia was lying on her back on the ground and Reimu remained hovering above and looking down at her beaten opponent.

"You did it, Reimu!" cheered Kyouichi as he saw the shrine maiden slowly descending and landing.

She turned to the spectators of her battle and waved her hand: "Tsch? Youkai kids these days?"

Kyouichi then shifted his look to Mystia's unconscious body. "Is Mystia-san going to be okay?"

"She'll be up on her feet in a few minutes." answered Reimu with an indifferent tone. "But she's not going to train her singing here tonight, that's for sure?"

"So we're just going to leave her like this?"

"Yes." replied the shrine maiden tersely.

"Just tell me one thing?" requested Kyouichi after taking a while of looking at the defeated night sparrow. "Is she really going to be singing songs that make people go blind on the summer festival?"

"If the crowd will ask her to, then I'm afraid yes? By the way, I'm afraid I don't have any mahjong tiles in the storeroom."

"What a pity." shrugged Marisa and stood up from the porch. "But watching other people dueling is much more fun than some Chinese table game."

Reimu stretched her arms above her head and yawned with her mouth opened wide. "I'm so tired~?"

Her clothes were torn and burned on the places where she got hit, but still holding together and covering up what they should. She didn't even need to say that she was tired. It was obvious to everyone. Suika took her by the hand and helped her walk into the shrine. The sun finally set, but it wasn't completely dark yet. Kyouichi figured it would be best if he went back to the village and let Reimu take a proper rest, but as he asked Marisa to take him there, she blatantly refused.

"Oh, no? Flying the broom in the dark is one thing, but flying the broom while drunk is just? no."

"You didn't drink all that much, have you?"

"I'm not going to risk? Reimu said that she's perfectly fine with you staying here overnight, so don't worry."
Kyouichi would have thought otherwise, but if Reimu said that it was okay, he agreed with Marisa's suggestion and decided to stay at the shrine. Reimu already went to sleep despite the time being just barely past 9 p.m., but Marisa, Suika and Kyouichi stayed up drinking some more sake and talking about various things in hushed voices.

"So, was your dad happy to see you that time when you showed up?" wondered Kyouichi as he forwarded the question to Marisa.

"Ha! Should have seen his face? He was like: "M-Marisa? Is that really you? W-W-what are you doing here?" Hahahaha~! You bet he was happy. And me too?"

"That's good to hear."

"He's doing fine and his sales are picking up again. He also says you should stop by his shop sometimes, Kyouichi."

"Doesn't he sell goods for magic users and such?" asked the outsider. "I doubt there's anything for me in his shop, but I suppose I could stop by for a chat."

"He said he wanted to thank you for helping arrange our meeting."

Kyouichi denyingly waved his hand. "I don't really think I did anything special, but? if he says I should pay him a visit, then I will."

"Before we go to the underground tomorrow, I'll take you to the village."

"Okay." smiled Kyouichi. "Thanks."

"Or maybe I could go there with you~." suggested Suika and drank a decent amount of sake from her gourd.

"You'll probably wake up in the afternoon before you sober up?" remarked Marisa and flicked Suika's right horn with her finger.

"So? What's wrong with that?" wondered the little ginger-haired oni. "You're not in a hurry, are you, Kyouichi~?"

"I'm not, but? I think I'll just hitch a ride on Marisa's broom anyway." replied the outsider. "Say, Suika-san?"

"What?"

"Do you actually live here in Reimu's shrine?"

"Heee~. Not really, but I hang around here quite often." she smiled brightly. "I used to live where Reimu and Marisa are planning to go tomorrow."

"In the underground?"

"Yes~. In Ancient City where other oni live." explained Suika. "I'm actually the only oni living on the surface. Currently, I have a cottage on the Youkai Mountain and sometimes I go to Heaven for a party?"

"So you're a bit of a drifter, eh?"

"You could say that."

"I'd say she's more of a drinker, ze?" the witch corrected the statement.

"The oni didn't always live in the underground, though." Suika continued. "Long ago, we used to roam the surface world just like any other youkai. But humans feared us and they began exploiting our weaknesses to wipe us out. That's why the oni decided to go into hiding, taking refuge in the Ancient City in former Hell. Not too long ago, I decided to return to the surface and tried to attract other oni to come up as well."

"In other words," Marisa interrupted Suika's speech, "Suika was responsible for an incident 6 years ago. She used her power of gathering and made people gather for a feast every 3 days. I honestly do like parties too, but? that was a bit too much."

"So that was considered an incident?"

"It was then when we first met Suika." Marisa went on and pointed her thumb at the oni sitting beside her. "She wanted to create an ideal festive atmosphere here on the surface in an effort to make other oni come out from the underground. But ultimately, her plan failed."

"So your first encounter was in battle?"

"More like after the battle?" specified Marisa. "Neither me nor Reimu could figure out what force made all the people gather for the feasts until Yukari showed up and told Reimu who was responsible. Then Reimu and Suika battled it out against each other and she somehow managed to win?"

"Reimu got me that time~." nodded Suika and added some more sake into her system. "That would make her one of the few humans to beat me in a contest? I really like her."

"I see?" muttered Kyouichi and looked at the corner of the room where Reimu was sleeping.

"So, you're not too old friends with Reimu and Marisa after all?"

"It's been six years? For someone it's long, for someone else not." shrugged the oni and imbibed some more of her precious endless sake.

"So does that mean you've also known Yukari for only 6 years?"

"Of course not~!" denied Suika in her childish voice as she waved her hand. "I've met her millennia ago? Can't even remember when exactly. It was back in the days when oni still lived on surface. And she wasn't as powerful as she is now, but still possessed greater youkai powers than most of her peers. Even back then, she was already considered an elder youkai, but she's the kind of person who can get along with just about anyone and the age difference doesn't even matter?"

"By the way, Suika, what's with these chains that you're wearing?" asked Kyouichi as his sight fell upon the oni's unusual accessories. "Are they some sort of charms?"

"That's another mark of an oni besides the horns." answered Suika and raised her arms to show the chains. "These symbols attached represent my power. The circle or the sphere, to be exact, stands for nothingness and represents diffusion. The triangle or the pyramid means harmony, or collection. And finally, the square or the cube signifies permanence, and stands for the self. This basically means I can manipulate density."

"Interesting."

"That's basically how she manages to fit so much sake into her little stomach." Marisa cleared up. "Hey, maybe you could use that gathering power of yours to drag Yukari here?"

Suika giggled weakly. "You think I haven't tried yet? It just doesn't work?"

Marisa gave out a contemptuous sigh. "But of course? What would it be about if resolving incidents was easy for once? As if we didn't have enough trouble in our lives as it is? As if we needed the most powerful youkai contributing to our problems?"

"Now you sound just like Reimu~." remarked the little oni. "When it's peaceful, she complains that she's bored, but when an incident starts, she complains that it's annoying and distracting?"

"Hehe? I guess so." admitted Marisa and yawned. "It's our job after all, so we shouldn't complain, right?"

"You look tired too, Marisa." stated Kyouichi as he saw her droopy eyes.

"I am?" she yawned a second time and reluctantly stood up on her feet. "I better go get some sleep as well." she mumbled to

[Fonzi]

Chapter 24 ? Not a Single Trace

He removed a pin from the simple locking mechanism and opened the door. He found himself in a relatively large single-room building filled up with shelves, crates and various odds and ends lying about in a disorderly manner. It took him a while to find where Reimu stored her extra futons and once he found them, he took two ? one for himself and one for Suika. As he got out of the storehouse, he put both futons on the ground so he could close and bolt the door.

After he did so, he picked them up again and was ready to enter the shrine, but when he turned around, he immediately dropped them again. The only thing he managed to hold was the lantern, shining weak light in the otherwise dark backyard of the Hakurei Shrine. Just about ten meters in front of him and about 3 meters above the ground he saw a shadowy figure of a small girl floating silently and staring at him. Kyouichi's heart kicked its performance into high gear as his body froze in motion. He couldn't make out any features of the dark figure, so he speculated that it was either Rumia or Mystia, but this shadow didn't have any wings. His instinct made his free hand reach inside his pocket to grab Reimu's amulets. As soon as he did so, the figure spoke in a quiet voice, very similar to Patchouli's.

"Do not fear me? outsider."

Kyouichi's eyes widened even more out of sheer surprise. "Who is she? And is it really so obvious that I'm an outsider?" he thought, but didn't say a word.

"I know that you're not from Gensokyo." said the girl, as if in response to the question in his mind. "Ishimaru Kyouichi?"

Kyouichi still stood frozen in disbelief as he heard the girl say his name. "If she knows my name, then does that mean?? Oh, right? the new Bunbunmaru issue must be out already and she saw my embarrassing photo? Great?"

"Who are you? (You're not some nasty human-eating youkai, I hope?)" he finally asked her.

"My name is Komeiji." replied the girl and slowly hovered towards him. "Satori Komeiji? And I don't eat humans, if that's what you're afraid of?"

"Huh? You're Satori-san? From that underground palace? whatever? thing?" asked Kyouichi uncertainly.

"Yes, I'm the mistress of the Palace of the Earth Spirits." answered Satori in her monotonous voice. "After Reimu Hakurei's request, I came up to the surface as I promised. However, I didn't expect it would be nighttime by now?"

As she was closer, Kyouichi could see the girl's features clearly. She looked around the age of 12 or so, had short purple hair with a black headband with a single yellow heart decoration. Her hairstyle was similar to Youmu's, only that Satori's hair was a little disheveled. She was wearing a light-blue shirt with yellow heart-shaped buttons, pink collar and sleeve hems. Her skirt was also light-pink with faint flowery pattern and she wore a pair of pink slippers. There was also a little white heart symbol on each of them. The weirdest thing about her was a red eye placed over her heart with four cords or arteries connected to her other body parts. Two of them connected to each of her wrists, one to her waist and one to the heart-shaped decoration on her headband. The eye looked organic, but at the same time it seemed that it was just a part of her clothes, not her body. All in all, she looked peaceful and even cute.

"So you're here to see Reimu, huh? (Another girl? Seriously, what is it with Gensokyo and so many cute girls?)" Kyouichi wondered as he scanned the details of Satori's clothes.

"Yes, about the amulet that she was supposed to bring with her?" replied Satori. "And do you really find me? cute?"

Kyouichi's jaw dropped in awe. "W-What?! Wait, wait a second?!" he stuttered. "You're not supposed to hear what I say in parentheses, because that's just what I'm thinking? (Unless?)"

"I can read people's minds." explained the girl. "I am a satori after all?"

"Wait? that's also a species of youkai, right?"

Satori nodded. "I can see that you do have some vague memories of tales about youkai, including my kind, but your mental image of us greatly differs from reality? We are the youkai who can see and hear the minds of other living beings, but unlike what your outside world legends say, we don't see humans as an enemy. It's usually the other way around."

"So? you're a satori called Satori. How cool is that? (I wonder if there is a tengu called Tengu or an oni called Oni too?)"

Satori gave him an unamused look. "Is my name really so funny?"

"No, not at all, Satori-san? (It's cute.)" replied Kyouichi, trying to keep his face expression as serious as possible.

For a second, the satori girl smiled weakly and descended to the ground. Kyouichi took a better look at her and at the strange red eye on her chest.

Satori's reaction was immediate: "That's my third eye." she explained. "Every satori has one, and with it, we can see the hearts and minds of all living beings. And no, it doesn't come off."

Kyouichi nodded understandingly and wanted tell her that Reimu was already asleep, but Satori spoke again: "Yes, I should imagine that people are usually asleep at this hour. I guess I better head back home?"

"No, Satori-san." Kyouichi stopped her. "Please wait here, okay?"

Satori looked at him curiously, seeing that he was thinking about going into the shrine and waking Reimu up. "Please, go ahead and try it?" she encouraged him.

"Hehe? Do I even need to talk to her at all?" he asked himself in his mind.

"Not really?" replied Satori in her monotone.
The outsider then picked up the futons he was about to take to the shrine and entered its living quarters. When he put the futons on the floor, he walked up to the sleeping shrine maiden and gently prodded her shoulder.

"Reimu, sorry to bother you, but we have a guest?" he whispered into her ear. However, she was reluctant to abandon her dream and mumbled something incomprehensible.

Kyouichi tried again to shake her awake, being a bit rougher this time. "Hey, Reimu, get up!"

"Mmmurmfruffafmn? Marisa~?" she talked in her sleep.

"No. Guess again." said Kyouichi as he waited for Reimu to wake up. However, she didn't. Kyouichi was tempted to try the same method on her as he used on the Scarlet Devil Mansion's sleeping gate guard, Meiling, but then he'd probably make all three girls in the shrine his new enemies. He suddenly got a much better idea. He reached inside his pocket to grab a few coins and rattled them in his palms next to Reimu's ear. The next instant, Reimu was fully awake, sitting up in her futon.

"Donations! Money! Huh? What the?? Kyouichi? What's going on?"

She was loud enough to wake Marisa who was sleeping next to her. "Calm down, Reimu? I'm commin', ze?" she mumbled before opening her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up, girls, but Satori-san is here. Apparently, she was unaware of the time on the surface?" Kyouichi informed them.

"No donations?" mumbled Reimu as she was wiping her eyes. "Why do I never get do? Wait, did you say that Satori is here?"

The outsider nodded. "She's waiting in the backyard."

Reimu blinked a few times and parted her lips as she processed the information. Then she turned to Kyouichi and ordered: "Well what are you waiting for then?! Let her in!"

"That's what I was waiting for." muttered Kyouichi and went out to call Satori into the shrine.

"Sorry to intrude?" greeted Satori from the doorway as she entered.

"Umm? Welcome to my shrine, Satori-san." Reimu welcomed her in her nightgown. "Right, the amulet..." she walked up to her folded dress and found the bimetallic communication amulet.

"Oh, I'm curious to see this." said Marisa and hurried to wake Suika up. However, the oni slept like a log and Marisa couldn't shake her awake.

In the meantime, Reimu took the amulet and walked up to Satori. "This is it." she said as she handed the coin-sized pendant to the mind reader. "Hope that you can find Yukari with this."

Satori's expressionless face turned down to the amulet in her palm. "I'm going to try."

Marisa finally gave up her attempt to wake up the little oni and hurried to see what Satori was going to do with the amulet. Satori closed her eyes and positioned the amulet right in front of her third eye. The eye's pupil seemed to have focused itself on the object and stared at it without motion. Reimu, Marisa and Kyouichi waited in anticipation and were curious to hear Satori's answer. A minute of silence has passed and nothing particularly interesting happened with the exception of Suika who began snoring a bit louder. Finally, Satori opened her eyes and clasped the amulet in her palm.

"Well??" Reimu wanted to hear the answer.

"Where is that old hag hiding?" asked Marisa.

"I'd like to know that as well." replied the mistress of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

"What do you mean?!" asked Reimu and Marisa in unison.

"Yukari? is not responding?" muttered Satori and looked up. "I don't sense her presence? She's not here."

"Don't tell us where she isn't, but where she is!" Marisa prompted her, gritting her teeth in impatience.

Satori's face didn't change its expression. "She's not in Gensokyo. That's all I know."

"Not in Gensokyo?" repeated Reimu. "So could she be in the outside world then? I did hear rumors that she has a house somewhere over there too? But did you see anything else? What was she thinking or what was she planning?"

"I couldn't even feel her mental activity, because she is not in Gensokyo. She's somewhere far beyond the operation radius of this amulet."

"Where could she be?" Reimu wondered and thoughtfully scratched her chin.

"Maybe she really is in the outside world now and is planning to bring in more people to Gensokyo." theorized the magician.

"Or perhaps she's in one of the other realms like Makai, Higan or the Netherworld." contemplated Reimu. "Perhaps she decided to try her luck again and invaded the Moon for the third time."

"Could be." admitted Satori and returned the amulet back to Reimu. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you more?" she frowned and lowered her head.

"Don't worry about it." Reimu cheered her up. "Thanks anyway."

Kyouichi didn't feel disappointed by the result of Satori's attempt. He kind of saw it coming. While it was a bit of a letdown that Yukari wasn't found, he knew that he may not need her help at all in order to leave Gensokyo.

"I should take my leave now." said Satori and turned to the door, but she got halted by Reimu.

"You don't have to? You can stay here if you like. I'll bring you a futon and we can talk some more tomorrow."

Satori slowly turned back to the shrine maiden, silently looked at her for a couple of seconds and her lips curved in a genuine happy smile. "Thank you, Reimu-san."

Kyouichi seriously thought that this girl was emotionless and that she couldn't even manage a smile, but he was now proven wrong. Reimu brought in one more futon for the guest and Kyouichi in assistance with Marisa pulled the sleeping Suika from under the table and bedded her. The oil lamps were put out and everyone went to sleep. Even Satori, who was adjusted to be up during nighttime lay down and tried to fall asleep. However, she had it quite difficult now, since she could basically hear everyone else's thoughts.

She never was used to sleeping with someone else in one room besides her pets and her younger sister. However, something pleasant warmed up her heart. It was a feeling that she couldn't entirely comprehend. She could see that none of these three humans felt any dislike towards her for being able to see their every thought. It was a new sensation she had yet to get used to. She might have lost a fight against the team of a miko and a witch, but thanks to them she was basically pulled out of her underground shell where she's been avoiding human contact for the better part of her life. Now she was beginning to see that there are at least some humans, who took her for what she was and didn't hate her for it.

"Perhaps losing a danmaku battle and accepting your opponent's terms isn't always so bad?" she thought to herself before she fell asleep.
With the new dawn came the new day and this time, even the late-sleeping Kyouichi woke up almost simultaneously with the other girls. It could be something past eight when he got out of the comfortable cover of his borrowed futon.

"Good morning, everyone." he greeted while standing up to roll the futon up.

"Morning, Kyouichi." Reimu greeted back. She was just tying up the strings on one of her detached sleeves, so it would hold in place and wouldn't slip down her arm. Once she finished the knot, she gathered her long, straight black hair up behind her head and trimmed them with her usual red ribbon with white zigzags and dots. Kyouichi caught himself staring at her for almost a minute. One thing he had to admit was that her hair ribbon looked much better on Reimu than it looked on him. He still shuddered to think about how he looked like when Suika and Reimu put him into a shrine maiden's outfit while he was knocked out by Reimu's special cold medicine. It was probably a good cold medicine, since Kyouichi didn't catch a cold after swimming in the cold waters of Misty Lake and then running around in a soaked kimono for a few hours. However, the worst was probably yet to come as he was caught on the camera by none other than the most popular journalist in Gensokyo, Aya Shameimaru. Once those pictures show up in the newspaper, he might as well kiss his dignity goodbye.

"Hey, Reimu," called Marisa who was now nosing around Reimu's pantry, "looks like you're running low on supplies here. What shall we make for breakfast?"

"We'll have to use whatever there's left." replied the shrine maiden and went over to take a look into her pantry herself. "Hmm, it really is almost empty? I guess I'll have to do some shopping in the village today."

"Yeah... It's almost as if Yuyuko paid you a visit recently." stated the witch in jest.

"At least you still have enough eggs. How about some tamagoyaki?"

Reimu shrugged. "I'm okay with that?"

"Me too." muttered Satori.

"I don't mind either." sounded Kyouichi.

"Not that there's really any other choice, though?" murmured Marisa and took the pallet of eggs, ready to start making tamagoyaki. "Okay, so first we melt some butter in this pan here?" she began the preparations while Reimu desperately tired to find any meat and vegetables in her pantry.

"I've even run out of milk?" she scratched her head as she checked the crate with milk bottles. "I definitely need to go to the village or perhaps to Kourindou. Rinnosuke sometimes sells food at a discount price." she muttered to herself. She was trying to save every yen she could.

"Yeah, you might wanna have your torn and singed clothes mended again." suggested the magician as she cracked eggs into a bowl.

"Say, Satori-san?" Reimu addressed her new guest, but before she asked her question, she got a reply.

"I suppose I can come with you for a while, but I'm going back home by noon. I can't leave my pets unattended for too long? And who is this Akyuu-chan and why do you think I look like her? Oh, I see?" nodded Satori understandingly and smiled.

Marisa turned back to snicker amusedly at Satori's mind-probing ability and at how she didn't even let Reimu talk much.

"Marisa-san?" Satori turned to her immediately. "You can't cook so well, can you?"

This time Reimu and Kyouichi were the ones who were chuckling. "At least there isn't much to ruin about making tamagoyaki?" jeered Reimu at her.

"Maybe I should help you with that?" Kyouichi jokingly volunteered to help.

Satori tilted her head to the side as she kept looking at Marisa and added: "So you can't cook because you're too busy studying magic and stealing books? I see?"

This last line irritated Marisa a bit. "Hey, now!" she turned with an angered face at the satori. "You see, that's your problem, Satori?" she said, but got interrupted halfway.

"I'm simply telling what I see?"

"Quiet! I'm talking now, so PLEASE let me finish." reacted Marisa with a scolding tone.

"But I know what you're going to say."

This time Marisa shouted really loudly. "SHUT UP! I don't give a damn if you can read everyone's freakin' mind, ze! Your problem is that you keep constantly reminding everyone that you can see to the very bottom of their mind. SO WHAT?! If you were at least a little bit considerate about other people's hearts, you'd know that this is exactly what pisses everyone off about you. And yet you keep wondering why all humans and youkai hate you with the exception of your pets and your sister? I know that you can't just turn your power off, but at least don't keep reminding everyone that they have no privacy when you're around." she then took several deep breaths after she made her point to calm down and tried to stay focused on making the tamagoyaki. Even Suika was shaken awake from her slumber and surprisedly glared at the scene and wondered what was going on.

Satori stood frozen-solid after Marisa's sudden outburst. She sadly lowered her head and stared into the floor for a good minute. After a long while of introspection, a tear rolled down her cheek as she sobbed quietly.

"S-Satorin?!" asked Suika as she wiped her eyes and focused her glance. "You're here?"

The little satori girl didn't respond verbally. She just buried her face in her palms and sobbed some more.

Kyouichi felt pity for her, but he couldn't think of anything to do or to say to cheer her up. Reimu was the first to take action. "There, there, Satori?" she comforted the girl by an embrace and patted her on the head. "Marisa didn't mean it that way?"

"She did," muttered Satori between her sobs. "And? and she's right."

"Hey, Marisa, you should apologize." Reimu looked scoldingly at her old friend.

The witch turned back and just now she realized that she made Satori cry. "Wha..? Hey? what's wrong?"

"Don't play dumb now and apologize." said Reimu and handed Satori a handkerchief.

"But?"

"It's okay." murmured Satori, waving her hand. "I? I'll try? not to?"

"?remind people that you can see their thoughts?" Kyouichi finished the sentence for her.

"Yes?"

"Hey, I'm sorry if I was a bit impulsive there," Marisa began to formulate her apology, "but I was merely trying to help you improve your relationship with people."

"But you even got ME startled there?" frowned the shrine maiden.

"I just said I'm sorry? Sheesh?" grumbled Marisa and resumed her cooking.

Satori could see that she was sincere about her apology, but she also saw that Marisa insisted on her opinion that she was right. On the other hand, she felt an unusual comforting feeling coming from Reimu. The shrine maiden truly held no grudges against her or any other youkai despite the fact that she's encountered and fought against many of them. On the outside, she always presented herself as a person who embraces the idea that all youkai should be exterminated, but beneath that thick, hard shell was a heart full of understanding and compassion.

"Hey, Satori~." Suika suddenly joined the conversation. "What's new in the underground? It's been quite a while since I've seen you. And did you guys give her that amulet already?"

Suika knew Satori just vaguely as the underground's most hated person, but the oni didn't feel any hatred towards her.

"It's been a while, indeed." replied Satori as she turned to Suika and measured her up. "Sorry, but I haven't been able to find your friend. As for the situation in the underground, everything looks peaceful so far. Even the Hell of Blazing Fires is pretty calm these days? And no, I don't want any sake right now, thank you."

Suika looked a bit disappointed, but continued the conversation. "You put that bird in charge of it, right?"

"Okuu is doing a good job now that she's learned how to control her power a bit more."

"Okuu? Hell of Blazing Fires? What?" wondered the confused outsider.

Marisa turned back again. "Be glad that you don't know, Kyouichi?"

"I? guess I am?" shrugged Kyouichi. "Some things I'm better off not knowing?"

Even though Kyouichi said that, Satori didn't find anything wrong about his curiosity and tried to give a simple-to-understand explanation. "The Hell of Blazing Fires is a part of the former Hell where the souls of the worst of sinners were banished to. It's located under my palace. It's been inactive for a long time until quite recently. And Okuu is one of my pets ? a hell raven, to be exact. She used to be just like any other of her kind until she consumed a yatagarasu ? a divine three-legged crow which is said to be a manifestation of a sun god. With this new power, she reignited the Hell of Blazing Fires and is now responsible for maintaining the heat."

"Aaand??"

"What's that good for, you ask? Well, the heat from the former Hell provides energy for the kappan industry inside of the Youkai Mountain."

"Okay?" nodded Kyouichi who still needed some extra time to process information about things that would be normally considered supernatural. "Thanks for the explanation, Satori-san."

"You still find it hard to imagine it, don't you?"

"Frankly, yes."

"Then perhaps you could come to the underground one day to see for yourself." Satori suggested. "It's not that dangerous for humans if you know your way."

Kyouichi smiled sheepishly and shook his head. "Unless I won't have a VERY good reason to, I'd rather not go there."

Reimu suddenly broke the conversation as she took a few sniffs. "Speaking of Hell of Blazing Fires, I smell something burning?"

Marisa giggled embarrassedly from the stove. "Ehehehehe~ I think this tamagoyaki roll will be a bit crispy?"

"I can't believe she burned it?" murmured Reimu and shook her head in disbelief.

Marisa attempted a pitiful excuse. "Hey, it's not my fault that your stove is so hot."

"Sure, blame the stove?" retorted Reimu sarcastically. "What's next? You'll blame the eggs for being so easily burnable?"

"This never happens to me when I cook at home?" Marisa defended herself.

Satori turned to Reimu and just silently shook her head to tell her that the witch was lying.
Once Marisa was done making her special extra-crispy tamagoyaki, everyone stared silently at their plates. Nobody dared to make a move to taste it.

"Well? umm? itadakimasu?" Marisa encouraged everyone to start eating. Everyone exchanged their tentative looks and Kyouichi probingly poked the tamagoyaki with his chopstick. It made a crunching sound as he touched it.

"Hehe? Even a master chef can make a mistake sometimes, right?" shrugged the magician and took a piece of tamagoyaki into her mouth.

"I'm not sure if even Yuyuko would eat this?" muttered Reimu as she sniffed the food a few more times.

Suika seemed to already have a plan thought up. She took several big gulps of sake, ate the tamagoyaki and immediately washed it down her throat with more sake to kill the bad taste.

Kyouichi widened his eyes and opened his mouth in amazement. "You're a genius, Suika-san! Mind if I do the same?" he grinned at her pleadingly.

The oni was always happy when she could share her infinite sake with someone. "Of course not, Kyouichi-kun~! Have as much as you want." she passed him her gourd.

Kyouichi copied Suika's technique and ate the crunchy egg roll mixed with an ample dose of the alcoholic drink. "Mmm? It's actually quite delicious, Marisa-san. (Ugh? never again?)" he gave a fake praise after he finished the seemingly inedible meal.

"Really?" Marisa showed a surprised smile.

"Yes, this sake is really good?" he grinned jeeringly.

Reimu and Satori tired to remain sober, but they couldn't hide their funny expressions as they chewed their food as if they were forced to eat sand. Even Marisa herself didn't look especially pleased to be eating her own cooking, but in the end, she just swallowed it as quickly as possible.

"Well, I'll admit, I've eaten better things from myself."

Reimu put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat to get the others' attention. "Okay, now that we're? um? not hungry anymore, we need to do some shopping."

"So are we going to the village or to Kourindou?" asked Marisa.

"I think we should first check out Kourindou and if the prices will be too steep, we'll go to the village." suggested the shrine maiden.

"Fine, let's get going." said the witch and looked at Suika. "Are you coming with us?"

"Well, I ?"

"Yes she is." Reimu replied instead. "You'll help me carry the heavy stuff?"

"Geez, Reimu? Since when have I become your pack mule?" pouted the oni in annoyance, but obliged her friend's request and dusted off her clothes as she stood up. "I'll get the bags then?"
"Is everyone ready?" asked Reimu before she was about to close the door of her shrine.

Everyone replied positively since they were already standing outside in the front yard.

"Alright, let's fly? And you, Satori, just follow us, okay?"

The mind-reading youkai nodded silently and slowly lifted off from the ground.

Kyouichi took his usual place on the broom behind Marisa, habitually borrowing her hat for the time of the flight. The flight on the broom already seemed like something normal to the outsider. He certainly wasn't afraid anymore when Marisa drove her broom through the sky at over 100km/h speeds. This time, he wasn't as much focused on admiring the landscape as amusedly observing Suika's intriguing flight. It looked like she was side-gliding through the air and at times she even flew backwards. She was really funny to watch. Satori didn't look very energetic, but she kept up with the group just fine.
Fifteen minutes later, they landed on a knoll near the various goods shop called Kourindou, owned by a half-youkai young man with unsatiable curiosity for items from the outside world ? Rinnosuke Morichika. They entered his shop and saw that there were a few other customers from the Human Village shopping there as well.

"Oh, Marisa, Reimu, good morning to you." greeted the busy shopkeeper as he saw them pass by his counter. "Oh, and even Suika and? Kyouichi, if I remember your name correctly?" he nodded at the other two of the group. "Annnd?" his curious gaze stopped at Satori, whom he had never seen in his shop before.

"I'm Satori." muttered the girl and nodded to greet him.

"Really? It's not that common to see a satori among other humans?" he stated and corrected his glasses. "You probably know my name by now, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I am Rinnosuke Morichika and I own this humble shop? And what's your name, young miss?"

"I just said it. I'm Satori. Nice to meet you."

"Uh? yes, I know what your youkai species is, but?"

"Sa-to-ri." she repeated her name by syllables.

"That's her name, Rinnosuke-san." explained Kyouichi after a while of watching their conversation. "She's a satori called Satori? Mind-blowing, isn't it?"

Rinnosuke slapped his forehead with his palm. "Ahahahaha~! Now I get it." he laughed at his own misunderstanding. "I see, Satori-san? Sorry."

"No problem." muttered the purple-haired girl and went on to catch up with Reimu and company.

"And I thought you had the power to identify the name and purpose of anything, Rinnosuke-san?" remarked the outsider.

"That applies only for objects, not people and youkai." explained the shopkeeper. "Anyway, is there anything that you'd like to purchase?"

"I'll just browse, like usual." replied Kyouichi and went on to regroup with the girls and help them with shopping.

"Oh? Look here." said Reimu excitedly as she pointed at a pallet with vegetables. "Potatoes here are cheaper than at the marketplace in the village."

"Then you should take at least one bag." advised Marisa and Suika immediately took one.

"?But meat on the other hand is more expensive at Kourindou." Reimu pouted at the higher prices. "Let's take a look at the prices of rice, flour and butter?"

"Okay?"

Kyouichi was amazed by Reimu's overview about the prices of staples at the village and how she was immediately able to tell what was cheaper and what wasn't. While she, Marisa and Suika were excitedly talking about what to buy next, Satori was more intrigued by observing other human customers and reading their minds. Kyouichi killed his boredom by browsing through the stuff from the outside world. He was currently checking out a section of various tools and gardening implements ? lawn mowers, scissors, rakes, leaf blowers, chainsaws and other things that were nearly useless in Gensokyo. He was about to turn back and leave the section when his eyes were caught by a pallet of small packets of plant seeds. He took a better look and opened his mouth out of surprise.

"No way?" he smiled, bur refused to believe what he saw. "Is this some crazy coincidence?"

He took the small bag of seeds with a picture of a beautiful white flower printed over it. It was definitely from the outside world. The Latin name of the flower was written in small black letters below: Hibiscus Arnottianus.

Kyouichi's smile widened. "Well, Yuuka-san? It seems Christmas comes early for you this year."

He took the packet and returned to the girls who were loading additional staples into their bags. Suika was the one who had to carry all that stuff, but on the other hand, she didn't seem to have the slightest problem with that.

"Ah, there you are." said Reimu as she saw Kyouichi coming towards her. "I think we have everything, so I won't be going to the village today. Are you coming along, or are you going to stay in the shop for a while longer?"

"I guess there's nothing else I'd need from here." replied the outsider and followed Reimu to the counter. "But I guess I'll just head right to the village from here. You don't need to give me a ride, Marisa. I'll just tag along with some of the other villagers." he gestured with his head towards other customers in the shop.

Marisa shrugged. "As you wish then? Have a safe trip."
After everyone paid for what they bought, Kyouichi parted ways with the four girls who were headed back to the shrine and set out on a long walk to the Human Village in company of three unknown villagers. It took a really long time for them to reach the village on foot, but at least today wasn't as hot as yesterday. During their long hike, Kyouichi became friends with the other three men and learned that they were farmers and were not customers at Kourindou, but its suppliers. They managed to sell all of their crops to Rinnosuke and were now pulling an empty cart behind them. They said that they weren't afraid to travel without any escort, because they were supposedly recently blessed at the Temple of Myouren.

"That's that strange looking building near the farmlands, right?" asked Kyouichi to make sure.

"Yes." nodded one of the farmers. "Byakuren-sama's blessings protect us from youkai by reducing their aggressiveness, but still, the Kourindou is as far as we dare to go from the village."

"Yes, it pays better when we sell the crops ourselves than if we sold them to the caravans. That's why we're making these trips to Kourindou on our own. And we don't even need to pay the Ryuuken for protection." explained the other man.

"By the way," said the third of the men, "we could always use an extra hand to help out. If you're interested in some extra coin, just let us know."

"Thanks for the offer." said Kyouichi. "I'll think about it."
As they reached the farms lying just several hundred meters away from the village, Kyouichi noticed and old abandoned house standing next to the road. He wasn't sure if it was even a house. The simple small wooden structure looked like some sort of shack or a small cabin similar to Mizuto's fishing hut, only with a horizontal roof. It was in terrible condition.

"That used to be a hunter's lodge." said the farmer when he noticed that Kyouichi was curiously examining the building.

"And now?"

"As you can see, it's been abandoned for over two years now. The hunter who lived here was an adventurous type and often left his hut for even several months, roaming around Gensokyo. He was a weird guy. Not just a game hunter, but also treasure hunter and collector. However, he's been gone for too long to be alive? I'd say that some youkai ended his adventurous days. A hunter who got hunted down?"

"But nobody knows that for sure?" argued another of the farmers.

"True, but that doesn't change the fact that this cabin is already now in possession of the village council. My guess is that they're going to tear it down soon. Nobody's interested to buy it. I mean just look at it? It's not even worth of wasting time and effort for its repairs. Only rats and spiders are happy to live there."

Kyouichi shrugged and turned away from the deteriorated cabin to face the three farmers again. "Alright, gentlemen, it's been a pleasure to meet you all and thanks for keeping me company on the way to the village. I guess this is where we part ways."

"Hey, no problem, young one? Until we meet again." said the farmers and dragged their cart towards a farmstead.

Kyouichi still had a bit of a way ahead of him, but compared to what he had walked already, it was nothing. He walked past the Temple of Myouren and couldn't tear his eyes away from it until it was behind him. Finally, he made it to the Human Village. He was getting really hungry by now and his feet hurt from the long walk. The Saitou residence was the only thing on his mind right now and that's exactly where his steps led. He smiled with relief when he removed the sandals from his feet before entering the house.
"Good afternoon!" he announced his arrival. "I'm back."

"Kyouichi!" called Mizuto from the living room and hurried to welcome him. "Where have you been? I was really thinking of declaring you as missing to the Ryuuken."

Kyouichi needed to apologize and explain in detail that he was at the Hakurei Shrine, but he didn't tell a word that it was because he went to get his kimono back and return Reimu's shrine maiden outfit. He just made some false excuse as to why he went there without telling anyone of the Saitous about it. Mizuto didn't look like he'd fall for it, but in the end, he nodded understandingly and smiled.

"If that's how it was, then I suppose it's fine?"

He had already said once that he could only give Kyouichi warnings and advice, but he wouldn't restrict him and forbid him leaving the village, should he decide to. If Kyouichi was in Naota's custody, however, he'd probably get another slap by now.

He was glad that he could live with such a nice family like the Saitous and he felt a little bad about making them worry about his safety.

After he ate something considerably more delicious than Marisa's tamagoyaki, he lay down in his room to take a rest. Inside his head he was already forging an alternative plan for leaving Gensokyo, taking all details he could think of into consideration. He even took some notes of his ideas into one of his school notepads. As the president of the club formed solely by outsiders with desire to return to their homes, it was his duty to inform everyone about the progress of the search for the youkai of boundaries. Since nobody had any idea about her current whereabouts, he decided it was time to slightly readjust the focus of the other members to other activities?

"There?" he muttered to himself as he wrote down the last idea that he wanted to present on the next club's meeting. "And that's all that I can think of? With or without your help, Yukari, we are returning home?"

[Fonzi]

Chapter 25 ? A Change in Plans

A couple of days have passed and Kyouichi was only more firm about his decision to stop looking for the youkai of boundaries. However, to realize his plan to leave through the shrine's gateway, he and every other outsider would need to be well prepared and well equipped. It was therefore without a question that he'd need more money to afford all the traveling supplies. On Monday afternoon, when his school was over, he went to the village hall and knocked on the door of elder Fukukane's office. The secretary called him in and after a formal greeting he took a seat at the conference table, opposite of the elder.

"Good afternoon, Ishimaru-san. What can I do for you?" asked the head of the village council.

"I'd just like to know if there's any work available."

"Work, eh? Well, let us take a look then." he turned around and browsed through some papers on his shelves. "By the way, Ishimaru-san, don't you still work at the Starlight Glyph?"

"Yes, I do." admitted Kyouichi. "But just in case Shimizu-san would fire me after his assistant recovers from injury, I'd like to have some certainty that I won't be without a job."

"Yes, there are some requests for part-time jobbers here." Fukukane said and took a thin pile of papers and put them on the table. "Here you go. Please, take a look at these and tell me if any of these catch your interest."

"No, Fukukane-san, thank you." said Kyouichi and bowed. "I just wanted to know if there even is any work at all. Looks like there are plenty of opportunities so I don't need to worry when I lose my current job. I kind of like it there, you know, but still?"

"Oh, is that right? So you just wanted to see the situation on the job market? Well, I can certainly say it got better than when you were here last time? Is there anything else you wanted then?"

"That is all, thank you." replied Kyouichi and took his leave.
He felt a little relieved to know that there were quite a few job offers to choose from, if by any chance he wouldn't be working at the bookstore anymore. However, he still worked there and right now, that's where he was headed. He left the village hall office building and walked past the bronze dragon statue. Its mysterious gem-like eyes were now glowing in a blue light, predicting the beginning of the rainy season. The sky was still relatively clear with a few white clouds here and there, but the rain would start pouring down soon enough. Kyouichi entered his familiar workplace and greeted his employer in a friendly and informal manner. Daisuke was reading as usual. However, he wasn't reading a book, but a newspaper. As the outsider entered, he gave him the same look as when he entered his shop dressed up in a pink yukata and started chuckling.

"What's so funny, boss?" asked the confused outsider, but he wasn't too sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"You are?" chuckled Daisuke a bit louder.

Kyouichi now realized what he meant. "Oh no? You're reading Bunbunmaru?"

Now, the shopkeeper burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha~! Way to make a name for yourself, Ishimaru?" he laughed as he passed him the newspapers.

Right there, on the front page of the new edition of this irregularly published popular newspaper full of biased articles and half-truths, there was a large black and white photo of Reimu Hakurei and Kyouichi Ishimaru in front of Hakurei Shrine, both of them wearing the same color and same size miko outfits. Kyouichi wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

A large-lettered title said it all: Introducing the Hakurei Shrine's New Shrine Maiden.

Kyouichi speechlessly stared at the newspaper, his hands shaking like those of an old man.

"?Aya? I don't like you? Reimu, Suika?. I don't like you anymore either?" he whispered as he dropped the paper on the counter, not even able to bring himself to reading the article inside. In reality, he didn't really dislike any of the girls he mentioned, it was just that he knew that this article was going to yet stir things up in his near future and not in a way he would like.

"Okay, just keep breathing?" he told himself. "Nice slow, deep breaths? Look at it all with rational eyes? You're going to get out of Gensokyo anyway? People will forget? They will not remember? They will not care? And neither will you?"

"I know that this is Bunbunmaru and that pretty much 70% of stuff written there is crap, but when I saw you on the front page?" said Daisuke and didn't finish his sentence due to another laughing seizure.

Even Kyouichi's tolerance had its limits and it was just being tested right now. Daisuke kept on laughing. "First a pink yukata, now a shrine maiden's dress??"

Kyouichi got a good idea to silence Daisuke's laughter. "Oh, look." he pointed outside the window. "Isn't it Yuuka-san coming to the shop?" he asked, even though the said youkai wasn't really there.

The mere mention of that name was super-effective. Daisuke's laughter stopped immediately, his smile froze and his reddened face paled instantly. A total opposite of what he looked like just a second ago. Kyouichi couldn't hide his amusement.

"?*snicker*?Pfhahahahahaaa~!" he exploded into laughter. "Oh, man! This is too good? You should have seen your face, boss!" he chuckled as he tried to mockingly imitate Daisuke's shocked face.

Daisuke frowned and exhaled with relief. "That wasn't very funny, Ishimaru. You shouldn't joke about such things?"

"Okay, okay?" Kyouichi promised, still smiling from the afterglow of his good laugh. "But only if you won't poke fun at me for what I was forced to wear on that horrible day." he added and ripped the front page of Bunbunmaru Newspaper into shreds. He still didn't quite understand what made Shimizu-san so much afraid of such a sweet and lovely flower youkai lady, but he didn't have any time to ponder the question as he was immediately tasked to work. More books to copy, more manuscripts to rewrite and more documents to handle. It was another busy day at the Starlight Glyph. Particularly, there were much more customers visiting the shop than usual.

Part of it was probably caused by the fact that it started raining in the meantime and people without umbrellas simply wanted to find some shelter. It was a refreshing sight for Kyouichi to see his boss actually working hard instead of just reading books half the time of his shift. It was also refreshing to have the unbearable heat of summer dampened by a nice cooling rain. However, Kyouichi feared that the rain wouldn't let down any time soon. Not just for today, but for the next couple of days and weeks too.

As he worked on rewriting manuscripts of some unknown author with terrible handwriting, he felt at least a bit relaxed that he was hidden in the printing room ? safe from the looks of the people who could have read today's newspaper and recognize its new protagonist. Time went by and there were still many people browsing through the shelves of the bookstore. Many of them got so intrigued that they actually fell for Daisuke's smooth talk and bought some books.
Kyouichi finally deciphered the last paragraph of some alchemical recipe, or at least he thought he did it right. It was now about time for his usual cleaning duty, so he didn't hesitate and took a mop and a bucket of water and began wiping the floor clean, regardless of the many customers still waiting inside for the rain to subside. He didn't bother to tell the people to step aside because they were in the way of his work. He just cleaned whatever else he could and put away the cleaning utensils back where they were usually stored. As he looked out of the window, he could see a really fierce downpour that held no indication of stopping in the following minutes.

"I don't suppose you took your umbrella with you today." said Daisuke Shimizu behind his back.

"I don't even have one to begin with." replied Kyouichi, still facing the shop's window.

"Too bad. Looks like the rain isn't stopping."

"Maybe I could borrow some large book from you and use it instead of an umbrella." jested the outsider.

"You could." admitted the shopkeeper. "Although that would be the last thing you'd do as my employee."

"O-hohoho~!" laughed Kyouichi in a sort of melodramatic manner as he turned his face to his boss. "Look at you, threatening to fire me? As if it's not going to happen in a few days anyway."

Daisuke raised his eyebrow and confusedly tilted his head. "Don't know where you gather that nonsense from, but I never said anything about firing you when Hiroto recovers."

Now, it was Kyouichi who was dumbfounded in confusion. "So? you're saying that you're going to have two assistants?"

"I don't see why not." said the shopkeeper casually. "You could be the one handling correspondence, cleaning and dealing with customers and Hiroto could be the one making copies, transcriptions and running errands if needed."

"What? You're still going to let him run errands outside the shop? After what he got himself into?"

"Look, I know Hiroto for some time and despite him being an ass sometimes, he knows his way around Gensokyo. I wouldn't risk sending you, a defenseless outsider to go on a trip to? I don't know? Youkai Mountain to help us establish some new contacts with potential customers or authors."

"Isn't Youkai Mountain off limits to humans?"

"I was saying that just as an example, Ishimaru." responded Daisuke, frowning at the outsider. "Hiroto will not do anything stupid like provoking a youkai and do you know why?" he asked without waiting for Kyouichi to answer. "Because that's the last chance he'll get from me. If he does any more bullshit like that, I'll fire him on spot and he can go and look for work in the fields. If he survives another encounter like that, of course?"

"So we'll be working together, huh?" asked Kyouichi and looked outside the window again.

"I might have called him a short tempered fool, but I'll give him a clear definition of acceptable behavior and a clear warning of what happens when he strays from that behavior. I want you to cooperate and do your best while working. I won't care if you two won't get along with each other as long as you don't let it show and do your duties right. Nobody's telling you to be best friends with him."

Kyouichi nodded silently and turned around. He walked past Daisuke and around the counter.

"Well, at least I can stay and do what I got used to." he murmured to himself as he was reaching for the door, ready to open it.

"Aren't you at least going to wait until the rain calms down a bit, Ishimaru?" called Daisuke at him.

Kyouichi smiled, waved his left hand to show that he doesn't care about the rain and left the bookstore after his shift was over.
The rain was dense, but he didn't hurry. He'd get wet even if he ran so what was the point of hurrying? The streets were nearly empty, with the exception of those few people who had umbrellas. Kyouichi just leisurely walked to the Saitou house, ignoring the rain completely.

"Welcome back." said Minako, greeting him in the corridor. "You got all wet. Looks like you're going to need an umbrella during the following days."

"Hi, Minako-san? Perhaps you're right, but I don't like umbrellas."

"So, Kyouichi-kun? How was your work today?"

"I'm not complaining? Yet." he added as if he could predict something bad was going to happen soon.

"And what are you going to do during the rainy season?" she inquired as she brought him a dry change of clothes.

Kyouichi really didn't know that himself. "Beats me." he shrugged. "I guess I'm just going to keep on reading the Gensokyo Chronicle. Although I don't see the point anymore?" he murmured, lost in thought. Since he was convinced that he won't find Yukari by reading references to her name in the books, he considered the whole compilation of the Hieda chroniclers as little more than entertainment reading.

"I guess that the following days are going to be rather boring?" he said as he dressed himself up to a dry kimono. Meanwhile, Mizuto showed up in the kitchen with a folded roll of newspaper in his hand. When Kyouichi saw it, he expected to be laughed at, but instead, Mizuto didn't even mention the photo or the article.

"You know what they say..." he said as he sat down at the table. "That after every rain comes the sun."

Kyouichi didn't know if the fisherman meant that literally or metaphorically, but for him, that sun was the day when he and other outsiders will successfully find their way to Tokyo. He knew that day wasn't tomorrow, but he also knew that it wasn't too far in the future. After the whole family had dinner, the outsider felt really tired. He thought he'd keep on reading, but instead, he just lay on his back in the guest room and stared into the ceiling, listening to the sound of beating rain. He felt just as tired and lethargic as Reimu did when it was too hot and he blamed the whole lack of energy on the weather. Even such was the life in Gensokyo ? not always packed with fun and interesting things to do, but also boring at times. That was one of Kyouichi's laziest days ever.
The next day was a different story, though. The rain let up during the night, turning into a calm drizzle by morning. Kyouichi absentmindedly prepared for his meeting with the outsiders and didn't pay attention to mostly anything he was being told or asked by the members of the Saitou family when he had breakfast.

"Hey, Kyouichi-kun? What's wrong? Why don't you say anything?" wondered Minako who just poured some tea into his cup.

"Huh? Oh? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention?" apologized the outsider as he returned back to reality.

"I can see that." remarked Minako, giving him a concerned look. "Haven't you woken up yet?"

Kyouichi chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I guess I haven't."

"Then you better wake up soon." smiled the tailor. "I remember that Keine-sensei doesn't like it when her students aren't paying attention during her lessons."

"You're right." nodded Kyouichi and drank the warm tea. "I can imagine my life even without being headbutted by a were-hakutaku?"

"Hey, hey, Kyou-kun?" asked Chitose who just finished her breakfast. "I've heard you've been at the shrine again recently? That's not fair. I want to be Reimu-sama's friend too."

"I don't even know if we're friends exactly, but? she definitely deserves to be called a friend since she's doing what she can to help us."

"Dad won't let me go to the shrine so I could visit her?" she kept complaining. "But one day, I'll be good enough to travel on my own and go wherever I want."

"Yes, yes?" Mizuto patted his daughter's head. "But until then, try to stay focused on your studies."

"But I am?" argued little Chitose. "Oh, but we need to hurry or we'll be late." she said as she looked at the clock. "Tadao-kun, Kyouichi-kun, let's go already."
They all took their school bags, and through the streets of the Human Village on a drizzly morning they trotted to the school. This at least made the outsider's heart start pumping a little faster and he wasn't feeling so sleepy and groggy anymore. As soon as he split up with Chitose and Tadao in the school's hallway, he walked up to the second floor and marched towards the library.

"Ah, finally, the club's president is here." sounded the voice of the foreigner, Daniel, who was sitting at the table with most of the club members.

"Sorry I'm late." Kyouichi apologized to everyone as he closed the door behind him.

It looked like the club started its discussion without him, as Midori was already standing at a small blackboard with chalk in her hand.

"Did I miss anything important?" he asked.

Midori shook her head. "I was just pointing out that all the material we've gathered about Yukari Yakumo so far, including the recent information, is? well? There are so many versions of stories about her, that many of them are contradicting each other."

"Yes." confirmed Hikaru and rubbed his chin while looking into his notepad. "It seems that the more information we've gathered, the less certain we are about her habits, residence and appearance."

Kyouichi sighed and didn't even sit down at the table as he walked up to the blackboard where Midori was standing. "Which is why I'm here to tell you, that the time has come for a change of plans." he said with resolve in his voice.

A mix of whispers and murmurs echoed throughout the room for a while.

"What do you mean a change of plans?" asked some of the club members simultaneously.

Kyouichi took a deep breath and retold a short version of his recent findings. "?And so, it seems to me, that Yukari is not going to help us after all."

"As if I didn't tell you so." muttered Yuujin, the ever-criticizing man among the outsiders.

"Like I mentioned earlier, our second and now, seemingly our only alternative, is going through the Hakurei Shrine's gateway." Kyouichi continued, pretending he didn't hear Yuujin's remark. "We've already agreed upon taking this option if we didn't find Yukari until autumn. However, we didn't set ourselves any concrete date when we'll leave and that's also one of the things I'd like to discuss with you."

He paused himself to take a better look at the people sitting in the room. "And before I begin, I can already see that some of the club members aren't here yet. Hikaru-san, can you tell me how many people are absent?"

Hikaru cleared his throat but before he said anything, Midori was the first to answer. "Nadeshima-san is ill, as far as I know, but have you heard about Asakura-san?"

"No, what about him?" wondered Kyouichi, because he didn't know all the members of his club too well.

"He was attacked by a youkai last Friday and got seriously injured. He had to be taken to Eientei." replied Midori with a serious tone.

"Seriously?" Kyouichi raised his eyebrow. "Tell me more. How did it happen?"

"I've only heard it from other people, but Asakura-san works with the woodcutters in the bamboo forest. Supposedly the group of workers got attacked by a fierce youkai. Even though they were all protected by Ryuuken, they couldn't prevent the workers from getting hurt. But fortunately, nobody got killed at least."

Kyouichi's lips parted and he whistled in amazement. "Whoa? I guess I'm not the only one to brag about something like that." he told himself as he rolled up his left sleeve and revealed the scars left by the teeth of the youkai of darkness.

Midori's eyes widened in surprise. "What's that? You were attacked too?! You never told us about that?"

"It wasn't all that serious really."

"What happened?" Midori inquired.

"Just some young youkai of darkness jumped on me and went "omnomnomnom" on my left forearm." replied the outsider jokingly. "But seriously? I hope Asakura-san will be fine."

"I'm sure he will." said Sayuri, who joined the conversation. "I've heard that the doctors at Eientei are really amazing and can save people with even the worst of injuries? Provided they still live, that is?"

"O-kay. But what about the other absent members?" wondered Kyouichi, who counted only 13 out of 18 people in the room, including himself.

"Ah, yes?" sounded Hikaru and frowned a little. "It seems that three members of our club have changed their minds and decided to stay in Gensokyo? They won't be coming with us."

Kyouichi again put on a surprised face. "Really? So there are people who are staying here after all? Well, it's their decision?"

"So, what did you want to talk about today?" asked Midori impatiently.

"Right? We're going to leave Gensokyo on our own, but for that, we'll need to buy a lot of supplies, because we don't know for how long we will be wandering before we find any sign of civilization. That's why I'd like to establish something like a club's fund for that purpose. Each week, every member will contribute a part of their earnings to this fund and with that money, we'll buy all the necessary traveling supplies like tents, food, spare clothes and medicine."

"Very well, Kyouichi-san." nodded Hikaru as he scribbled notes into his diary. "I suppose if we all paid let's say 2500 yen per week, we could save up enough money to buy what we need until autumn."

"But why the hell should we be waiting until autumn?!" protested Yuujin. "Why not leave sooner if we manage to scrounge up enough cash together?"

"A very good question, Ueda-san." nodded Kyouichi understandingly. "I too would like to set out on that journey without any unnecessary delays, but as you might have noticed already, the rain season has just started. I don't know about you, guys, but I certainly don't feel like hiking through the dangerous mountain terrain in this miserable weather. The second thing is, we probably won't manage to scrounge up enough money any sooner than autumn anyway. Remember that we'll still need to take some money with us to the outside world, not to mention that we should also pay something to Reimu-san for her kindness of taking us through the barrier. It seems to me that traveling in fall is our best choice."

"Looks like you have it all thought through?" acknowledged Yuujin reluctantly. "Except for one minor detail? How the hell do you plan us all to gather at the Hakurei Shrine PLUS carry all the traveling equipment that we'll need? The Ryuuken will turn us right back if we try to leave the village all at once. They have orders from the council not to let outsiders travel around Gensokyo without permission."

"The Ryuuken are the least of our worries, Ueda-san. We could sneak away by small groups or if that fails, we could bribe the guards to let us pass. Right now, we need to set ourselves the day when we will begin our exodus."

"And when exactly will be the day?"

Kyouichi took a longer moment to think about it before suggesting his idea. "How about the first day of Kannazuki (October)?"

A complete silence filled the school's small library until Hikaru replied: "I have nothing against it."

"I agree too." acknowledged Sayuri.

"Me as well." nodded Midori.

"First of Kannazuki? No problem." replied the other "transfer students".

"Excellent." smiled Kyouichi and turned to Hikaru. "Nagahashi-san, I'm putting you in charge of the club's fund. I don't know where we are going to put the money, though? I don't recall seeing anything like a bank here in Human Village."

"Of course, just leave it to me."

"Thank you very much. Now? all that's left for me to say is? that I wish you all good luck at your part-time jobs. Oh, and in case some of you still had the feeling like they have too much time on their hands, they can continue gathering whatever helpful information about Yukari like we did up to now. I didn't give up on looking for her entirely; I was just saying that our priorities should be focused on preparations for our expedition. That's all I wanted to say, thank you."

"Now that we've said everything important," spoke Daniel suddenly with a strange grin on his face, "I'd like to present the next topic? Has anyone read yesterday's Bunbunmaru news?" he snickered as he waved the printout of the said newspaper in his hand.

Kyouichi's jaw dropped and he slapped his head with his palm. "Oh for God's sake, people? Don't embarrass me more."

The entire library echoed with wild laughter, with Kyouichi being the only one who wasn't laughing. He knew that this sort of publicity was not going to make his life in Gensokyo any easier. But it was too late for him to make other people unsee what they already saw.
And thus started a series of jokes and rumors about Kyouichi wherever he showed up at school. When the club's meeting ended and the outsiders and other regular students gathered in the classroom on the first floor, the young ones already started pointing fingers at him and giggling. Some of the students have even started calling him Miko-Miko-Kyouichi or Reimu-kun. Even Keine-sensei looked at him with a strange, suspicious look the whole time. Kyouichi rarely felt so happy to be leaving the school after the final class as he did today.

He didn't wait for any of his friends. He just hurried up straight home to have lunch before his next shift at the bookstore.

After approximately 30 minutes, he was already entering the Starlight Glyph, hoping he could at least relax his mind while working. However, as he entered, he could see Daisuke as well as another person behind the counter as they were talking about something. What was their conversation about remained unknown, as they stopped talking as soon as Kyouichi showed up.

The person standing next to Shimizu-san was a tall young man with wide face and muscular stature, dressed up in black kimono pants and vest. He had dark-brown eyes and his hair was cut very short and it was hard to tell what color it was. He almost looked bald. He was a little shorter than Kyouichi, but he looked much stronger. The outsider guessed his age to be somewhere around mid twenties.

"Uh? Good afternoon, boss." he greeted bashfully.

"Ah, good afternoon to you too." bowed Daisuke and gestured towards Kyouichi. "And this is your new co-worker I mentioned to you earlier - Ishimaru Kyouichi-san."

"Nice to meet you." bowed the outsider once more. This time, to the other man.

The young man crossed his arms as he measured Kyouichi up with his eyes. "Hmph? This one here is your new assistant?" he disdainfully cocked his head at him. "He doesn't look like much?"

"Hiroto!" Daisuke looked at him scoldingly. "What did I tell you just now? Don't you know how to behave?"

"Oh? So you're Hiroto-san? Shimizu-san's usual assistant?" asked the outsider.

"Figured that out all by yourself, have you?" asked the muscular young male with a cocky tone. "Yes, I am Hiroto Yukiyama and if you want us to get along well, you'd do well not to get in my way."

"You two are certainly not going to get in each other's way here." retorted the owner of the shop. "That's because you'll be working cooperatively."

"Hmph? If I have no other choice?"

"But of course you do, Hiroto-kun." said Daisuke with a forced smile. "You can always look for work elsewhere if you don't find the working conditions in the bookstore to your liking."

"Didn't you want to become a Ryuuken, Hiroto-san?" wondered Kyouichi.

"I still do. And mark my words that I will become one!" replied Hiroto loudly and boastfully. "But until then, I'm going to help out here."

"Fine by me." shrugged the outsider. "So, what is there to do today?"

"You will now take your place at the counter and deal with the customers, Ishimaru." replied Daisuke and tapped the counter with his hand. "As for you, Hiroto, you'll be printing and transcribing in the back."

"Why do I have to get the menial tasks?" grumbled the older assistant with displeasure.

"It's not menial. It's just as important as any task here. Now? let me explain how this new kappan machine here works?" said Daisuke and led Hiroto into the small room in the back of the shop.
A couple of minutes have passed and a few people showed up in the shop. Kyouichi thought he'd get the chance to sell something again, but it seemed that these people have just come to browse.

"Alright, Ishimaru I'm going to the post office to order some new titles, so watch over the shop for me, okay?" requested Daisuke and not even waiting for a positive reply, he left the bookstore.

For a moment it was quiet, but after a couple of minutes, Hiroto walked out of the printing room stretching his arms like after some exhausting work and sat down right on the counter.

"So? What's up, Hiro-kun?" asked Kyouichi, trying to break the ice.

The man gave him a piercing glance and he furrowed his eyebrows. "If I'll like you, you may call me Hiro-kun? But guess what? I DON'T LIKE YOU!" he yelled loudly straight into Kyouichi's face, letting the outsider smell his bad breath.

"Do you have a problem with me?" asked Kyouichi with a calm voice.

"I don't like your mug? outsider." he said the last word with utter disgust in his voice as if it was the worst insult he could think of.

"You're not exactly my type either." retorted Kyouichi reservedly. "But why making yourself more enemies instead of friends? Yukiyama?"

"Ha! I'd rather be kissing a horse's backside than associating myself with a miserable outsider such as yourself!" he growled back and provokingly prodded Kyouichi's shoulder.

However, Kyouichi could remain perfectly calm in similar situations. Perhaps he was afraid of the youkai in Gensokyo, but people such as Hiroto didn't scare him at all.

"So you have something against outsiders?" he inquired nonchalantly.

"What an idiotic question!" laughed Hiroto amusedly. "Let me put this as politely as I can? You are the scum of Gensokyo! You and the rest of that pathetic rabble from the outside? You think you're all smarter than gods! You think you can change the whole world! You think you can just pop up here and turn Gensokyo into another one of your colonies!"

"What the hell is this guy on?" thought Kyouichi to himself as he watched Hiroto's nonsensical rambling.

"You bring your fantastic ideas and inventions and rules to Gensokyo and you're all expecting us to be kissing your boots for that? Ha! You mean NOTHING! You're weak and pitiful and unable to take care of your own selves! The money of all honest taxpayers is wasted on feeding you worthless bums! You take up other people's houses and you even take jobs away from the native villagers! Why does the elder even let you stay here?"

"I'm not too sure if your former master, Tanisake would be very happy to hear you say such things, Yukiyama?" remarked Kyouichi.

"Pffff? That old drunkard can go die in a hole! He is a perfect example of why I hate outsiders! Bah! Even saying the word makes my skin crawl! You are not going to dictate OUR lives! You are the lowest of the low! Even fairies here mean more than you! Gensokyo would be much better off without the likes of you!"

Kyouichi smirked and shrugged. "Well, good for you then, because we are all currently working on how to get home where we came from. You won't have to put up with "us miserable scum" for too long. When autumn comes, we're out of here. And once we make it home, then Gensokyo can rot for all I care! Oh, and if you meet Yukari Yakumo by any chance, please, do tell her that I send my regards and that she can teleport herself into another galaxy or into the deepest level of hell and stay there for at least an eternity, rather than forcefully taking people into this insane asylum of a world and letting half of them die!" he shouted as his voice turned gradually from calm to angry. He said words he wouldn't normally say, but Hiroto was really starting to get on his nerves. Hiroto didn't speak for a moment, and so, Kyouichi continued. "I don't plan on dictating anyone's life and I'm not happy about having to stay here any longer than necessary. Don't know how you would act if you found yourself stranded in Tokyo one day and you couldn't even explain how you got there?"

Hiroto annoyingly waved his hand. "Bah! I'm not curious about your problems. Why do I even waste my time talking to you?" he asked and went back into the printing room to continue whatever work he was in the middle of.

Kyouichi was almost proud of himself that he managed to talk his way out of this conflict without provoking Hiroto into beating the crap out of him. Suddenly the shop's door opened again and Kyouichi expected to see either Daisuke or some customer, but the person entering was Hieda no Akyuu with a small pile of books in her hands.

"A-Akyuu-chan?" asked surprised Kyouichi. "How nice to see you again."

The little chronicler smiled sweetly. "Hi, Kyouichi-san. Is Shimizu-san here?"

"Ehh? No, he's out at the moment. Is there anything you wanted from him?"

"I've just brought an update to the ninth volume of the chronicle, so it could be copied." replied Akyuu and heaved the books on top of the counter.

"Oh, why? yes, thank you very much, Akyuu-chan. I'll let the boss know that you brought it. And I'll return you all the books I borrowed from you soon."

The chronicler looked at him with curious eyes. "You've read them all?"

"No. I won't need them anymore? What's the point in learning various trivia about Yukari if she's not even in Gensokyo? Oh, no? I've already decided to leave Gensokyo with Reimu's help. Even if it's risky and more difficult."

Akyuu looked at him seriously and muttered: "Won't you wait until next spring at least?"

The outsider immediately shook his head in disagreement. "Forget it. Oh, wait? You can't. Well, just ignore it? I'm not waiting any longer than until Kannazuki. Then we're all leaving this place even if it started raining chainsaws."

"Chain? what?"

"That was just a metaphor? Anyway? I'd like to thank you for all the helpful information you provided to help us, Akyuu. I really appreciate it. I'll even pay you for the help you provided, but not before we all buy all the necessary supplies for traveling."

"Kyouichi-san?"

"I know that you won't forget about me, and I won't forget about you either? We can still enjoy a few months of time as friends, but then we'll part our ways for good."

Akyuu smiled again and nodded. "I know. But I guess I wasn't much of a help after all."

"Oh yes, you were." argued Kyouichi. "It's not your fault that your good old friend decided to go for a vacation somewhere outside of Gensokyo. But it doesn't matter to me anymore. Once again, thank you? And have a nice day."

"You too, Kyouichi-san." bowed the little chronicler and left the bookstore.

As soon as she did so, Hiroto's face popped out from the printing room. "Aww! That was sooo touching." he jeered with sarcastic tone. "Pretending to be nice and caring and shit?"

"I thought you didn't care about my problems." remarked the outsider and gestured to Hiroto to return back to his tasks.

"What did you just do?" asked the older assistant in incredulous manner. "Did you just shoo me off to return back to that room, outsider?!" he stepped forward with a threatening gaze.

"I just want you to do the same you want from me ? to mind your own business."

"Oh, sure? That's just what I'm going to do." he grinned crookedly and glanced on the small pile of business documents that Kyouichi was writing. Then he picked up an ink flask from the counter and spilled its content over all the documents. "Oooops! Looks like you're going to have to start all over again. What can I tell you...? Accidents happen sometimes. But don't worry, outsider, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it one day?" he returned back to the printing room while laughing stupidly.

Kyouichi clenched his fists and teeth hard, trying his best not to attack the other guy. After taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm himself down and he started cleaning up the mess on the counter. Fortunately, Akyuu's update to the chronicle was unharmed. Another fortunate thing was that there weren't too many documents soaked by the ink. In the meantime, Daisuke returned from the post office and noticed Kyouichi washing an ink-soaked rag in a bucket of water.

"Did you spill some ink, Ishimaru?"

"Nope." he replied tersely and pointed his thumb backwards at the printing room, but Daisuke obviously didn't notice it. He brought two bags of fresh yakitori from one of the stands in the marketplace and a pleasant smell immediately spread across the shop. He gave one to Kyouichi and carried the other one into the printing room.

"Oh, by the way boss, Akyuu-san just brought some new material to be copied." Kyouichi informed his employer.

"Akyuu-san was here? Ah, there's the new material? Good, good. We can start making copies right away." smiled Daisuke as he rubbed his hands. He carried the pile of Akyuu's notes into the printing room and tasked his other assistant to make copies of them.

The tense atmosphere partially dissolved when Daisuke was there in the shop, but whenever he left, Hiroto started acting up again.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 26 ? The Ups and Downs of an Outsider's Life

At first, Kyouichi thought he'd be able to stay calm and endure all of Hiroto's provoking remarks and occasional bullying, but it only got worse with each passing day. It was just a matter of time when things would escalate to the point of open conflict between the two. For an entire week Kyouichi just shrugged off Hiroto's insults and his attempts to discredit him in front of Shimizu-san. In his mind he pitied Hiroto and laughed at his childish behavior, but by the end of the week, things really stared to get out of hand. It was no secret that Hiroto hated all outsiders just as much as Naota hated all the youkai. He kept constantly expressing his hatred to outsiders and in no uncertain terms. But when words were gradually replaced by provoking prods and even slaps, Kyouichi had just about enough.

"Will you just leave me the hell alone?!" he yelled at Hiroto as he pushed him away from himself. Of course, Daisuke was not in the shop at that moment.

Hiroto grinned like an idiot. "Oh, so you'd like to fight, outsider, eh? Then let's take it outside!" he cracked his knuckles. "Come on, outsider! You wouldn't want to dirty Shimizu-san's books with your blood, would you?"

"I don't want to fight. I just want you to get off my back."

"You don't want to fight? You don't want to fight?!" he repeated while pushing Kyouichi towards the door. "Then I hope you won't mind me taking a few whacks at your skull, four-eyes!"

Hiroto grabbed Kyouichi by the throat, opened the door and shoved him out on the street. It was still raining quite a bit and there were no people on the street to stop the upcoming fight.

"I heard you had your arm broken recently." remarked the outsider as he was getting up from the ground. "And now you're in a risk of getting fired? Not only that, but perhaps even arrested."

"Hahahahaha~!" Hiroto laughed madly. "There are at least two brawls in the one of the taverns in the village every week! Do you really think they arrest everyone who gives someone a punch in the face?" he asked and charged forward. Kyouichi attempted to block his punch but Hiroto was so strong that he knocked Kyouichi down even through his defense.

"Whew? at least he didn't break my nose?" exhaled the outsider with relief as he was standing up again.

"And besides?" continued Hiroto and kicked Kyouichi right in the ribs as he was standing up. "I never said I liked working in the bookstore."

Kyouichi held his hand over the place where he got kicked. This time Hiroto let him stand up.

"So, what about now? Do you still not want to return that pain back, outsider?" he taunted him. "Don't worry, I won't be cheating by using spells or weapons? Just you and me up close and personal?"

Kyouichi just stood there, trying to catch his breath again and Hiroto took it as a cue to hit him again.

"If you're not going to make a move, then I will!" he charged for another attack.

Kyouichi again just tried to evade. Hiroto's first punch missed, second one was blocked, but he surprised the outsider by a quick kick in the chest, again knocking him down.

"Come, on outsider! At least pretend to be defending yourself? Picking on such a wimp is no fun at all."

Kyouichi helplessly looked at the both ends of the street, hoping there'll be someone to help him, but there wasn't anybody. Hiroto was starting to lose his patience with him when he wasn't standing up. He walked up to him grabbed him by his hair and put him into a headlock.

Now, the young outsider was really afraid of him. Unable to put his arms into a block, he got assaulted by Hiroto's repeated knee strikes in the chest and solar plexus. One particularly unpleasant kick knocked the air out of his lungs. As soon as Hiroto released the headlock, he grabbed him under the shoulders, lifted him off the ground and tossed him forward; almost making him hit the building across the street. Kyouichi lay there on his back, pain shooting up in his head, ribs and stomach, his vision was getting blurry. "Stop? Somebody, make him stop?" he thought.

Suddenly, the door on the building he was lying in front of opened and bumped into his head. "Ow?!"

Somebody was just trying to go outside, but they couldn't open the door, since he was lying in the way.

"Ow... ow? ow?" he murmured in monotone as the person trying to open the door repeated his or her attempt. "Don't mind me? I'm just takin' a breather?" he uttered to whoever was at the other side of the door. By this time, Hiroto was already standing over him. He grabbed him by the collar of his kimono and picked him up. "What's the matter, you wuss? Had enough already?" he shook him back and forth violently.

Kyouichi was mentally preparing himself for another series of hits, when he heard the door behind him finally opened and closed. Hiroto lifted the outsider again with his powerful arms and was about to throw him again, but instead, he just dropped him down this time. Kyouichi landed on his feet for a change and gave Hiroto a confused look. Hiroto looked back with the same confused face and he tilted his head to the side.

"Seriously, man? Just stop it already?" wheezed Kyouichi beggingly.

Hiroto's eyes suddenly widened and his mouth opened in shock. He pointed his index finger at Kyouichi and let out a terrified scream.

"WAAAAAAAH~!"

Then, in a blink of an eye he turned away and sprinted towards the marketplace, flailing his arms in panic. "Please, don't kill me!" he called from the distance and the next second, he was gone. If this was an anime or a manga, Kyouichi would probably have a huge question mark flashing over his head right now.

"Huh?.?" he stared in amazement in the direction of the marketplace. "What the beep was that all about?" he asked himself.

"Good afternoon~♥." sounded a greeting from behind his back.

He turned around to see Yuuka Kazami, who just left the flower shop. She was standing there with her parasol opened; now serving as an umbrella. In her left hand she held a basket full of flowers of different kinds. Despite the unpleasant rainy weather, she was still smiling like a sunflower.

"Oh? Yuuka-san. Good afternoon." he greeted her and bowed slowly, because the pain in his ribs still persisted.

"Wasn't that the son of a Ryuuken captain just now?" wondered the youkai lady.

"Oh, he's a son of a? yeah, a Ryuuken captain. His name's Hiroto Yukiyama." specified Kyouichi, who was still confusedly staring at the end of the street where Hiroto ran. "I swear? I have never seen someone run so fast?" he remarked admiringly. "It could even be a world record?"

"Ah, so his broken arm finally healed up?" said Yuuka thoughtfully. "Is he causing you trouble?"

"Trouble? Well? for the first few days it was bearable, but it seems that he doesn't like outsiders much?" shrugged Kyouichi and tried to dust off his clothes. "Then again, I don't think he likes anybody at all? But how do you know about his broken arm? Are you two friends or something?"

Yuuka giggled amusedly. "I met him just once about one month ago~ . I think he was headed for the Scarlet Devil Mansion?"

"Wait? A month ago? That could be on the day when he got his arm broken?" deduced the young outsider. "Did you meet him on that road?" he pointed west, towards the farmlands and the road that stretched all the way to the Forest of Magic.

"Yes~♥." nodded the young flower youkai. "At first I didn't notice him as he walked towards me, but then he suddenly charged at me. I thought he was a thief who wanted to steal my precious umbrella, so I grabbed his wrist as he tried to reach for it. I guess that's when his fragile little bone cracked~♥." she explained with unsettlingly sweet voice and smile.

"S-So you're the youkai he provoked into a fight, just to prove he was worthy of joining the Ryuuken?!" asked Kyouichi in disbelief. He felt a sudden wave of anger building up inside him. "What a bastard!"

"Oh, so he actually wanted to fight~ ? Really? I don't know why he didn't challenge me to a formal duel then?"

"But? wow? You broke his arm? just like that?" he wondered. "?Come to think of it? I've heard a rumor that Hiroto's arm was broken by a very dangerous and powerful youkai and that he can be happy that he still lives?" he thought in his mind, but as he looked at the cutely smiling Yuuka, he immediately shook his head. "Nah?" He did guess that Yuuka could be stronger than a human, but she didn't look the least bit like a dangerous youkai. "Even Marisa said that Yuuka was kind of cute, so she must be?"

"If he's giving other people trouble, maybe I could? talk some sense into him~♥." she suggested, nonchalantly spinning the umbrella in her hand.

"Oh, you don't need to bother, Yuuka-san. I'm going to quit working here anyway?" said Kyouichi and beckoned at the bookstore. "There are other ways to earn money. And with people who don't hate you for not being born in the same village as them."

"So you're not going to work in the bookstore? Because of Hiroto?"

"Yeah? He can stay here with Shimizu-san. I'll try my luck elsewhere."

"Maybe you could work in a flower shop~♥." Yuuka suggested and widened her smile.

"Hehe?" chuckled the outsider. "Maybe? Who knows? Oh, and speaking of flowers, I've got something here for you, Yuuka-san." he returned the smile and began searching his kimono.

"Something?.for me??" she looked at him curiously. "What could it be~♥?"

"I think you'll like it?" he replied without giving away the surprise. "Now, where did I put it?" he muttered as he was searching his pockets. "Aah? there you are? Okay, Yuuka-san, please close your eyes and open your hand."

Yuuka blinked a few times in surprise, and then she put down the basket with flowers gently on the ground and did as Kyouichi asked her. She felt a sensation of something light being placed on her hand.

"You can open your eyes now." said Kyouichi once he gave her a little present.

She curiously tilted her head as she observed the small package in her hand. "What's this?" she wondered.

"Exactly what it says on the pack." smiled Kyouichi, and waited for Yuuka's reaction.

The flower youkai looked more closely and muttered: "Hibiscus Arnottianus?" Oddly enough, it was when Yuuka became surprised or curious that she wasn't smiling as always.

"I remember you were looking for those?" said the outsider. "It really surprised me too when I found those seeds in Kourindou. Even though, they have lots of stuff from the outside, this really wasn't something I expected to find. (It almost makes me believe in that stuff about fate that Remilia was talking about.) I immediately remembered you when I saw this."

Yuuka's ruby-red eyes focused on the packet of hibiscus seeds. She tore open the small bag and took out a single seed. She stared at it curiously as she rolled it between her fingers. Then she clasped it inside her hand and as she opened it, a beautiful blooming white flower appeared. It was like seeing a magician's trick, only better. The flower just kept growing larger and larger before Kyouichi's eyes. But even the flower's beauty paled in comparison to Yuuka's following joyful smile. It wasn't her usual smile ? it was something much more beautiful. Kyouichi couldn't think of any other word than "adorable" as he looked at her.

While Yuuka was mesmerized by the blooming hibiscus in her palm, Kyouichi noticed that some people showed up on the street. One of them he could recognize even from a distance.

"Yo, Naota-san!" he waved at the old man.

Naota noticed him and walked up to Kyouichi a little faster.

"Hey there, Naota-san. You're not going to believe what just happened to me?" he started as the old man was within earshot, but Naota ignored his words, grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away towards the marketplace.

"W-What's going on?! Hey, what are you doing?"

Yuuka curiously looked at Kyouichi being dragged away by the old man.

"Just wait here a moment, Yuuka-san, okay? I think Naota-san here wants to talk to me in private about something?" he called at the flower youkai and waved his hand.

Yuuka just stood there and waved back.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming with you, Naota-san, you don't have to drag me? Geez?" said the young outsider as he freed his arm from the old man's grip. Just as they reached the far end of the street at the edge of the marketplace, Naota stopped and gave him a serious stare. Kyouichi could predict something wasn't right about Naota's look and just as the old carpenter swung his palm at him, he ducked and evaded the slap.

"Haha?" chuckled Kyouichi amusedly. "You know, I was kind of expecting you'd do something like that, Naota-san, but trust me, I didn't start that fight. It was Hiroto?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" growled the retired carpenter. "More importantly, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Uhh? I'm talking to you?"

"What did I tell you about not hanging around with youkai?!"

"That old story again? Look, Naota-san I know that you hate them all indiscriminately and I don't even know why? Gensokyo is their home after all, not ours. Every normal human here has at least one youkai friend?"

"That would probably not bother me as much, kid." said the old man and hushed his voice. "But why on Earth did you decide to mingle with one of the deadliest of youkai in Gensokyo?!"

Kyouichi raised his eyebrow disbelievingly. "Yuuka-san? Dangerous? What makes you say that?"

"Trust me, kid, I've heard many rumors about a horribly powerful youkai, supposedly even stronger than a dozen oni and that she kills people and other youkai just for fun? And THAT youkai over there?" he pointed at Yuuka, "?fits the descriptions very well."

"Oh, I see? You've heard rumors?" said the young man, hinting sarcasm. "I've heard quite a few of them myself. For instance, that excessive alcohol consumption can have negative effects on the brain in the long run."

"I'm just trying to keep you away from danger, kid. Stay away from that youkai if you know what's good for you?"

"But you and your rumors don't even make any sense!" argued Kyouichi. "Do you seriously think that the Ryuuken guards would let a murderous youkai walk around the Human Village so freely? Besides? just look at her." he turned his head at Yuuka, who was now making hibiscus flowers bloom on the ground in front of the flower shop. "She's just so? so? moe~!"

"What the hell does that even mean?!" bellowed the old man.

"You don't know what's moe? What kind of anime fan are you?? Oh, wait?" Kyouichi paused himself as he realized that Naota probably didn't even know what anime was. "Well, just look at how sweet she is? That's moe? Yes. A youkai moe~."

Since this popular slang word literally means "budding" it was really appropriate for a youkai with the power of plant manipulation.

"One thing you should learn about the youkai, kid ? never judge them by their appearance." lectured the old outsider.

"I never did that in the first place? Now if you excuse me, I'm still on job." said Kyouichi and without even bowing to the old man, he walked back towards the bookstore. Yuuka was still standing there, as if she was waiting.
"What did that man want from you?" she wondered.

"Oh, nothing really? Anyway, do you like the hibiscus flowers?"

"Yes~♥. It's been so long since I've seen them. Now I can make my garden even prettier~♥."

"Glad you like them." nodded the young outsider. "Think of it as a? as a parting gift or a memento or? whatever?"

The flower youkai bowed gently. "Thank you. Now that I think about it, I remember I told Yukari once that I was looking for hibiscus?"

"Well, I did find those seeds in Kourindou, so maybe she got them for you, but was too? uhh? preoccupied to bring them to you personally." speculated Kyouichi. "But did you know that she's not in Gensokyo anymore?"

Yuuka didn't change her expression. "This doesn't surprise me. She likes going outside? of Gensokyo I mean. I hope she shows up soon, though."

"Well, I'm not waiting for her any longer than autumn. Then, me and a bunch of other outsiders are leaving through the shrine."

"It would be really bothersome if Yukari didn't show up until then."

"We might not need her help anyway." Kyouichi muttered and remembered that he still has to return to the shop which was left unattended for almost 15 minutes now. "Alright, Yuuka-san, I think I should return back to the shop already. Until next time?" he bowed to her hurried back into the bookstore.
There was still nobody inside, which was good. He could at least have a moment of piece and quiet from both Hiroto and Daisuke. While he was sitting on the chair behind the counter and waiting for his boss to return, he was thinking about how to tell him that he no longer wants to work for him. He was a bit reluctant to part with this simple job, but also eager to try something different. After all, it was all the same to him, since one day, he'd leave Gensokyo anyway. Now that he thought about it and realized that he'd spend yet another 3 months there, he had a feeling that he should enjoy those three months to the fullest. He wanted to make many good memories of events that he experienced and people he met. His thoughts took him to an event in the near future ? the Tanabata festival at the Hakurei Shrine. He was really looking forward to it. It was supposedly one of the few days in year when many people and youkai gather to drink, feast and celebrate and one of the few days when Reimu actually gets any donations. Apart from that, he still remembered that he wanted to visit the village of Kazemura and the day he and his Ryuuken acquaintance agreed upon was tomorrow. Brooding about being unable to return to Tokyo the easy way was pointless. Instead, Kyouichi decided to take things optimistically.

Almost an hour has passed before Daisuke returned to the bookstore together with Hiroto. Both of them had calm faces, as if nothing happened. Kyouichi nodded to his inner voice and stood up from the chair.

"Shimizu-san, I've been thinking this over for quite some time now and have come to a conclusion?"

"What conclusion are you talking about, Ishimaru?" wondered the storekeeper, surprised by Kyouichi's unusual formal tone. "And why are you all wet and dirty?"

"Oh, I'm surprised your reliable old assistant hasn't told you yet?" smirked the outsider and gave Hiroto a sharp stare. "The conclusion I was talking about was my decision about working in the Starlight Glyph. It wasn't a sudden decision, and for a few days I was hesitant about it. But not anymore? I've decided to terminate my job contract with you, Shimizu-san. For the better of me, you, and Yukiyama-san?"

Hiroto put on a grimace of surprise and amusement. "Awww~. Say it ain't so?" he drawled in sarcastic manner.

After a long moment of silence, Daisuke raised his head again to look Kyouichi in the eyes. "Are you really sure about that, Ishimaru?"

"Oh, absolutely." nodded Kyouichi and crossed his arms. "I would have left anyway once I'd get the chance to return to my real home. That chance hasn't come yet? or at least, not in a form as I expected, but we, the outsiders, are going to make our own chance. Or perhaps not make? this chance was already here all along and still is, but I was too blind to see it? Too focused on searching for the youkai of boundaries to realize that THIS is actually the easier way? The gateway of the Hakurei Shrine. All that is left to do is to make proper preparations for our long trip and then we set out."

"It was about time. Good riddance." murmured the arrogant son of a Ryuuken captain.

"Sorry for sounding so melodramatic, boss, I just got a little carried away?" apologized Kyouichi while chuckling weakly. "Oh, and don't worry, Hiroto-san, I'm not angry at you at all? Hopefully you'll make it to the militia one day, but remember that being a Ryuuken also means providing help and protection to outsiders?" he added and grinned provokingly. "Oh, and I almost forgot ? Yuuka-san sends her regards."

The sudden change of expression on both Daisuke's and Hiroto's faces was simply priceless. Kyouichi could easily guess what made Hiroto become afraid of her, but why did Daisuke also tremble in fear? Was it because he was worried that Yuuka might associate him as a friend of the man who attacked her? Or perhaps he heard the same rumors as Naota did? That Kyouichi didn't know, but he couldn't hide his snickering as he thought about what will Hiroto and his boss do, if Yuuka ever comes to the bookstore again.
By the time Kyouichi's final shift at the Starlight Glyph ended, the rain outside stopped completely, but it was still cloudy. Daisuke paid him his week's wage, shook his hand and wished him good luck. He said that he'll need it.

"Thanks, Shimizu-san? And good luck with your business too?" smiled the outsider and with money in his pockets, he left the bookstore. Just as he stepped outside, he remembered that Marisa's father's shop is on the same street and that the man wanted to see him again. Having no other duties for today, Kyouichi decided to at least check out what kind of shop it was. It was a supposedly in Kirisame-san's house, so Kyouichi just knocked right on the door.

Nobody was coming, but the door opened by itself.

"Huh?" uttered Kyouichi surprisedly.

He peeked inside and saw Kirisame-san standing behind a table full of some unknown miscellaneous items. This time, Kyouichi couldn't brag that he knew what each of the objects was used for, unlike the goods at Kourindou.

"Oh...! Young outsider!" the man recognized him, but couldn't recall his name. "I thought you'd never come to visit me? Come in, come in." he beckoned him to step inside the little shop "Welcome to Kirisame-ya ? my little second-hand shop!" He looked at Kyouichi with a little confused face. "Uh? Had a hard day?" he asked when he noticed his clothes soaked with rainwater and dirty with mud.

"It could be better, I suppose." shrugged the outsider. "So? Marisa told me that she came to see you about a week ago."

"Ah, yes, yes?" nodded the robed man. "My Marisa? It was really nice to have her visit me after so long. And I've heard that it was you who asked her to come here." Kirisame-san smiled and turned around to pick up something from a tall wooden shelf behind him. "I'd like you to have a little something for your trouble?" he turned back to the outsider and offered him a small object shaped like a magnifying glass with smooth black metallic frame and a very unusual glass. It was as if it could randomly change colors.

"What's that?" he asked before he dared to touch it.

"This is the so called magic detector. It works on the same principle as its more advanced version used by the Ryuuken warriors. It can detect the essence of magic within a fifty meter radius." Kirisame-san explained excitedly as if it was his own invention. Come to think of it, it probably was.

"Uhh? excuse me, Kirisame-san, but? what use will I have for it? I'm just an outsider."

"Oh, it can be very useful, young man. Especially for you. It can even detect youkai when they get near and even give you an approximate idea where they are."

"Now that really does sound useful." nodded Kyouichi. "Thank you very much?"

"No, mister? uh? outsider, I thank you for helping me arrange a reunion with my daughter. Hope this little device helps you stay away from danger. Or maybe it will help you find some lost magical item of even greater value? Who knows?"

"Hey, maybe I could check out those ruins at Kazemura with this thing?" thought Kyouichi aloud. "If the Ryuuken haven't done so already."

"Oh, just a little word of advice ? if you get too close to the barrier, for instance at the Hakurei Shrine, the strong magical resonance will render the detector useless."

"O-kay, and how will I know that it detected something?"

"There are two ways to use it. First option is to use its default detection field which works by emitting low-intensity neutral mana particles and recalling them subsequently once they travel a distance of 50 meters. When the particles collide with any form of magic, they usually change their element into that of the other mana particles, and once they are channeled back into the detector, they project an image on the glass as a colorful flashing dot. To demonstrate how it works, I'm going to cast a simple illuminating spell?" the mage raised his palm and murmured a silent incantation. Suddenly, a small bright light appeared in his palm.

"Now take a look at the detector."

Kyouichi lowered his head and looked at the strange magnifying glass in his hand. He could see a small yellow dot appear just a little off the center of the glass.

Kirisame-san kept explaining. "Your position is always at the center of the glass, so if I'm standing in front of you, you'll see some magic being detected just a little closer to the upper edge of the glass. If there was something magical behind you, a dot would appear closer to the lower edge?"

"Wow, it's almost like sonar!" said Kyouichi in amazement.

"Eh?what?"

"Umm? never mind." he muttered while waving his hand. "What about it's second use?"

"Pretty much the obvious?" shrugged the father of Marisa. "To look directly through the glass like if you were using a monocle. That way you can see magical essence a bit further than 50 meters and in much greater detail, but that way you narrow your scanning field to just your field of vision."

Kyouichi was tempted to try it out, so he held the glass close to his right eye and looked through it. Not only he could see a bright yellow aura around the illuminating spell, but also a similar aura around Kirisame-san himself and a whole color spectrum around several objects placed on his table.

"This is cool?" he grinned like a kid who got a whole box of candy. "Now it almost looks like a kaleidoscope."

"That's because you're looking at my merchandise, which is mostly magical. Different colors represent different magic elements, although, not in all cases. But I'm not going to give you a long tiring lecture about different kinds of magic when I know that you won't be able to learn it. Suffice to say that any unusual color or movement that you'll see through the eye of this detector and not with your naked eyes is magic. Even if you'll look at people who were born in Gensokyo, you'll se their aura. It should be fairly obvious to you by now that it doesn't detect normal objects, animals and outsiders. Otherwise you'd see a bright dot in the middle of the glass in its default mode."

"I see? This will really come in handy. Thanks again, Kirisame-san." bowed the outsider thankfully. "Guess taking a look at your shop was really worth it?"

The magician waved his hand. "No problem? And try not to lose it."

"I'll do my best." he reassured him. "By the way? It's very clever how you managed to refurnish this room into a shop." he said on a side note as he admired the interior.

Kirisame-san chuckled dryly. "Yeah? Imagine that I've got a kitchen just behind that door." he gestured at the closed door by his left side. "Anyway, feel free to come visit my shop again sometime. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll invent magic scrolls that even outsiders could use."

Kyouichi could sense that Kirisame-san wasn't too serious about his last sentence, but even if he did come up with something like that, it would be probably when Kyouichi and most of the other outsiders would no longer be in Gensokyo.

"See you next time, Kirisame-san!" called the young outsider from the doorway as he was leaving the shop with magic items. "?Maybe?" he muttered once the door closed behind him.
He hid his new gift within the safety of his pocket and as he listened to his growling stomach, he marched back to his "home" ? the Saitou residence. This day was somewhat sinusoidal for him. He got ridiculed at school, he got beat up by his colleague, he made one youkai happy, he quit his part-time job and he received a special gift. He truly couldn't complain about boredom today, but at the same time, he hoped he wouldn't have to experience too many days like this in his near future. However, he already had to prepare himself for tomorrow's long walk to a place near the northern edge of Gensokyo. As he heard from a few people who travel between the villages regularly, the trip from Human Village to Kazemura on foot could take up to six and a half hours.

After he satisfied his stomach with zoni soup and fried eel, which were today's dinner of the Saitou family, his body simply begged for a nice relaxing bath. As he was sitting in the ofuro filled with steamy hot water, he was contemplating about what sort of part-time job he should be looking for now. He didn't want to end up unemployed and penniless. However, he didn't even have any idea about what sort of job he would want to do. Although he could already make a pretty long list of what he didn't want to do.

After a half an hour, he shook himself awake upon realizing that he nodded off in his bath. He reminded himself to be more careful about that, since he could have easily ended up drowning himself. The water was already getting cold, and his body was thoroughly soaked. Kyouichi swiftly got out of the ofuro and dried himself up. Even though the two siblings, Chitose and Tadao were curious to hear about his little incident with Hiroto, Kyouichi was too tired to stay awake for much longer and he headed straight for his futon in the guest room. Before that, he asked Mizuto to wake him up before dawn, so he could be already standing ready outside to meet up with Lieutenant Takamori and set out to the mining village.

Despite what he expected after such an eventful day, Kyouichi had little trouble falling asleep. But his slumber didn't last nearly as long as he would like it to.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 27 ? The Village of Winds

"Hey, Kyouichi? Get up!" sounded Mizuto's voice in the middle of Kyouichi's dream. He was really disappointed, since he just had a dream where he could not only fly, but also use danmaku and Spell Cards. However, now wasn't the time to think about the dreams but to act in reality. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head, his spine and elbows gave out a crackling sound. He could still feel a bit of pain in his lower left ribs after his little run-in with Hiroto, but it was only subtle.

"You should hurry and get dressed if you don't want the caravan to leave without you." Mizuto warned him and before Kyouichi could even find his glasses, the fisherman already put a backpack on his lap.

"What's this??" murmured the sleepy outsider.

"I've already packed you your food and water for the trip. I also packed in one of my raincoats. Even though it's just drizzling outside, staying in that drizzle for straight six hours will get you soaked to the skin. Besides, you never know when this little rain can turn into a downpour."

"Thanks, Mizuto?" uttered Kyouichi while yawning. "But what about breakfast?"

"No time, Kyou-kun. The caravan is already standing outside and will depart soon."
Kyouichi opened his eyes wide as if someone just splashed cold water into his face. "What?! Already?! Why didn't you wake me up sooner then?" He didn't bother to hear an answer. He just hastily put on his kimono and the dark-brown raincoat on top of it. Just like soldiers on a drill, he raced with time to dress up as quickly as possible and hurried out of the house with the backpack strapped on his shoulders. As Mizuto said, there already was a trading caravan waiting at the end of the northern edge of the Human Village. It consisted of four wagons with goods, each dragged by a pair of horses. Ten Ryuuken warriors stood ready by the sides of the convoy. The majority of the merchants were comfortably sitting on their wagons; some of them decided to travel on foot. Kyouichi covered his head with the hood of the raincoat and hurried to join the caravan before it would leave without him. As he caught up with the group of merchants, he eyed each of the Ryuuken guards in order to find the familiar face of Akiyoshi Takamori. He managed to recognize his frowzled hair pretty quickly.

"Takamori-san!" he called at him. "Lieutenant Takamori!"

"Oh, there you are, Kyouichi-san." nodded the swordsman as he recognized the hooded person calling his name. "We're just waiting for a few more merchants to join the caravan. Feel free to take a seat on that wagon over there." he pointed at the closest cargo wagon. "That one is empty and will be loaded with goods from Kazemura once we get there."

Kyouichi noticed that there were a few men already on board. Looking a little closer, Kyouichi recognized yet another familiar face.

"Ueda-san! Good morning to you." he greeted and bowed to the other outsider who was working now as a caravan driver.

"Huh? Ishimaru? What are you doing here?" asked Yuujin, unable to hide his surprise.

"Just a little tourism around Gensokyo?" smiled the young man in a raincoat. "You know? see some sights and make some memories before we all leave this place for good."

Yuujin frowned disapprovingly. "This isn't a travel agency, young man. It's a really risky job? You should turn back." he warned him.

"Oh really?" chuckled Kyouichi and tilted his head to the side. "And do you really think that our journey out of Gensokyo will be some kind of picnic? Besides, if it's so risky then why do YOU do this job in the first place?"

"Because we'll need the money to buy those traveling supplies that you mentioned and this job pays really well."

"You see? I'm also willing to take some risks in order to get back to Tokyo?"

"But you're just sightseeing." argued Yuujin. "You're not doing anything to help our cause by going to Kazemura without any serious business."

"Oh, but I do have business there." Kyouichi corrected him. "I made an agreement with one vampire, you see?" he smiled sheepishly explained it briefly.
"So if you bring her a report about suspicious activities in Kazemura, she'll pay you?" asked Yuujin after hearing about Kyouichi's agreement with Remilia.

"At least that's what she said?"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the voice of one of the Ryuuken. "Everyone's ready~! We can set out~!"

With those words, the whole caravan set into motion, leaving the Human Village behind. As the weather was rather dull and foggy today as well, Kyouichi didn't see much of Gensokyo's landscape. He couldn't even imagine how thick the fog had to be near the Misty Lake right now. It wasn't a very good weather for traveling, but the caravans needed to make their trips regardless of the weather. Kyouichi gradually grew bored of just watching the road ahead, and so he took out his new magic detector out of his pocket and looked at it. He could see dim white dots representing the merchants who were born in Gensokyo and brighter white dots standing for the Ryuuken warriors. He spent quite some time just looking at the glass and occasionally, he could see other dots showing up near the edges. As he looked around, he could see several silhouettes of fairies flying overhead. Otherwise, the trip was kind of boring. Even though the fog had lifted, the drizzle persisted and even intensified as the caravan reached the three-way crossroad between Misty Lake and Kazemura to take a short break. In the meantime, Kyouichi unpacked some rice cakes from his backpack and filled his empty stomach. After several minutes, the wagons continued on their way to the mining village. They still weren't even halfway to their destination. Some of the merchants were killing time by telling some folktales, some were singing songs or just humming their tunes and some even took books with them to help them pass the time. The only people who had to always pay attention to their surroundings were the armed guards. However, after several hours of walking in the rain, even they became bored and began chatting with each other. Kyouichi even fell asleep for a short time and when he woke up, the caravan was still yet on its way.

"When will we get there?" he murmured under his nose as he looked around.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon." Yuujin informed him and pointed forward. "The road leads through this coniferous forest and after some 20 to 30 minutes we'll see the village."

Only now Kyouichi noticed the range of mountains stretching on the horizon in front of him. They were quite tall, but still dwarfed by the Youkai Mountain, lying far in the west from the caravan's current position.

"Say, Ueda-san?" Kyouichi addressed the ex-trainman. "How often do the caravans travel between Kazemura and Human Village?"

"Twice a week." replied Yuujin tersely. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I should stay here overnight. Guess I'm not coming back with this particular caravan?"

"The next one is scheduled for Wednesday, Ishimaru, so I don't know if staying here and waiting for the next caravan is a good idea."

The younger outsider hummed thoughtfully as he considered his options. "If I want to go back with this caravan, then I only have a few hours to look around the village. However, Remilia said it would be better if I stayed here overnight. But that would also mean that I wouldn't be able to return sooner than Wednesday? Hmm? there's gotta be some other way how I could travel back to Human Village sooner."

"Well, it's up to you how you'll decide, but don't take longer than three hours. That's how long this caravan will stay in Kazemura."

"I can hardly make any investigation in such a short time." thought Kyouichi to himself. "You know what? You can go back without me?" he said to Yuujin after a moment of thinking. "I'll think of some other way how to get back to Human Village before the end of this weekend."

Yuujin shrugged. "It's your choice, Ishimaru. Just try not to get eaten. Kazemura's population consists mostly of youkai, you know."

"If they coexist and cooperate with the human minority, they can't be so bad, can they?" asked Kyouichi.

"I suppose not? I wasn't able to tell them apart from other humans. I don't even know what kind of youkai they are? Probably yama-bito, but I'm not sure?" murmured Yuujin thoughtfully.

Finally, the dense pine forest surrounding the beaten dirt path from both sides was crossed by the caravan and eventually thinned into an open valley where Kyouichi could already see the roofs of houses and other buildings.

"And that right there is the quarry of Kazemura?" announced Yuujin as he pointed forward.

The village was relatively small - just about two dozen houses and several other facilities. It was basically nestled in a valley and surrounded by mountains from all sides but the south, where the caravan was coming from. It still took about ten minutes for the whole group of merchants and warriors to reach the mining village itself.

"We're finally here?" exhaled Kyouichi as he got off the wagon.
After more than six hours of sitting in the same position, his limbs became stiff and standing up was a welcome relief. He immediately gazed upon the quarry pit further behind the living area of the village. It wasn't very deep ? 3 meters at best, but it could take up an area of up to several thousand square meters. A single artificially made slope served as the one and only way to access the quarry and to enable the workers to carry away both the mined stone and excess soil on hand carts. However, with the rain being as persistent as it was, all the work at the quarry was halted and water started to pool in the pit. The "ruins" that were supposedly discovered over 3 months ago were mostly still buried underground. Their only indications were the unearthed rooftops of some ancient buildings and tips of some stone pillars or obelisks which were just barely jutting out from the ground.

"Well, these are the wondrous ruins of who-knows-what." announced Yuujin with strongly ironic tone. "Just breathtaking?" he murmured and yawned. "Come on, let's go get some lunch and hot tea at the local tavern."

"Yeah? just a moment?" said Kyouichi as he reached inside his pocket for the magic detector. This time he held it in front of his eye and looked at the whole quarry pit. "Hmm? I see nothing magical or out of ordinary?"

"Hey, Ishimaru, did you hear me?" called Yuujin just before he was about to enter one of the larger wooden houses with the rest of the merchants and warriors.

"I heard, I heard!" he confirmed and hurried inside the tavern as well. Just as he entered, the smell of roast meat filled his nostrils and the sounds of lively chatter and clinking of beer steins were the music for his ears. He ordered a nice big and juicy boar steak and a glass of local beer.

"So, tell me, Ishimaru, how are you going to carry out your little investigation?" Yuujin inquired. "Are you going to run from house to house and from person to person to ask them if they didn't notice anything suspicious lately?"

"Of course not." Kyouichi denyingly shook his head. "I shouldn't be drawing too much attention. I should just pretend to be a curious young merchant who likes to hear local gossip."

He barely got to finish his sentence when a stranger sitting at a nearby table looked at him quizzically and pointed his finger at him. "Hey, hey, I know you? Hahahahaha~! You're that weird outsider who likes to dress up like a shrine maiden!"

"?Oh man?" groaned Kyouichi in displeasure as he sunk his forehead into his palm. "So much for my incognito investigation?"

Not even Yuujin could suppress his laughter and that just attracted even more curious eyes to their table.

"Gee thanks, Aya, for making me a celebrity." mumbled the young outsider through his teeth.

However, this unwanted notoriety had its perks, oddly enough.

"Hey, bartender, a round for the miko-outsider~!" called the stranger who recognized Kyouichi as first.

The bartender ? a semi-bald plump man with thick brown beard nodded and poured another glass of beer from the wooden barrel behind him. The stranger who just ordered Kyouichi a drink took a seat at the same table as him and chuckled as he eyed the outsider. He was nearly two meters tall with muscular figure, pale skin and wildly disheveled shoulder-length black hair. He also had quite an impressive beard. He was wearing a dirty white tunic-like robe without sleeves. He had a string of rope tied around the waist like a belt. As he sat next to Kyouichi, the outsider grimaced at the man's unpleasant sweaty odor.

"So, what brings an outsider to this forgotten part of Gensokyo?" asked the strange man with a crooked grin.

"Well, since I'm no longer anonymous, I suppose I can start asking openly?"

"Asking what?"

"Well, knowing your name would be a good start for instance?"

"Oh, yeah... Pardon my manners. I'm Wataru Matsuoda, but everyone calls me Chibi-kun. I'm one of the prospectors here." the man introduced himself and took a few gulps from his beer stein.

"Why Chibi-kun?" wondered Kyouichi and couldn't hide a smirk.

"Because I'm so short." said Wataru tersely.

"Short?! You're over two meters tall, man!"

The prospector sighed with contempt. "If I was a human I'd be considered taller than average, but as a yama-bito, I'm more of a dwarf."

"You're a youkai?"

"Yeah, and if you take a better look around you, you'll notice that most of the folks here are one head taller than me? Except for the bartender ? he's a human. One of the few who live here." explained Wataru and made a hand gesture around himself to make Kyouichi see what he means. "Now, will you tell me why did you come to Kazemura?"

"I've heard about the recent fairy attack on the village, so I came in hope of finding out what caused it?"

The quarry worker curiously looked at Kyouichi and snorted. "Why would an outsider be trying to investigate such things? Shouldn't the Ryuuken or the local youkai hunters handle such problems?"

"Actually, I'm working for someone who also deals with similar incidents, so I just came to see if there isn't something strange going on around these parts."

"Aye? You helpin' the shrine maiden? She's been here 'bout two weeks ago to help repel the swarm of some really nasty fairies."

"Did you see the attack?"

The yama-bito laughed loudly. "Did I see the attack?! I was in the middle of it all! Yes? it was around noon. I was workin' in the quarry with everyone else, when all of a sudden I noticed that a large shadow quickly obscured the sun. I thought it was just a cloud, so I didn't pay it any mind. But then I heard some of the men shouting and pointing at the sky, so I turned around and looked up at the sky to see a swarm of fairies. They were everywhere. There must have been at least a thousand of them. I had no idea where they came from. Then, all of a sudden, the crazy little things start shootin' danmaku galore, attackin' everything ? buildings, trees, rocks, people, youkai,?heck, some of them I swear I saw going after each other. Then the Ryuuken rushed in, firing their spells at them, but there were just too damn many of the fairies that it took them over 15 minutes to dispose of them. And that was just the first wave! The next one came 'bout a half an hour later. This time, the Ryuuken were prepared and even the Hakurei shrine maiden showed up and made it really easy for the Ryuuken."

"And what were you doing during the attack?" wondered Kyouichi.

"What do you think I was doin'? Every man, woman and child in the village returned the danmaku fire against the fairies. As soon as we reduced their numbers, the rest of them scattered and fled. I've never seen something like that before..."

"What do you think might have caused it?"

"I dunno? It was as if they all went crazy. It just makes no sense to me."

"Could somebody be controlling the fairies?"

The youkai miner shrugged. "Maybe. But if that were true, then why would some of them go attacking even their own kind? I truly have no idea what made them act so strange."

"Were there more attacks on the village or just this one?" Kyouichi kept asking.

"Aye, there were more since the start of this year. Usually, just around ten to twenty fairies made a fly-by, shot some danmaku at random targets and fled. This happened a few times in the evening? Nothin' unusual about that ? fairies just like to play pranks and do funny stuff like that, but the thing that happened two weeks ago? I just can't explain it."

"You know, I heard rumors about similar attacks on other locations in Gensokyo and it seems that the clues point to Kazemura? or the area around it."

"Well, trust me?" said Wataru and finished his beer. "I don't know about anyone or anything in this settlement that could have caused such a thing. We're just a peaceful mining community and we're fond of our history. But there are some other individuals rumored to live somewhere around this part of Gensokyo who might know somethin' or even? be behind all this?"

"Really? Who?"

"There's supposedly a very old youkai of considerable knowledge and power who lives in solitude somewhere near these mountains, but I don't know where? I'd ask the bartender, he might know more?"

Kyouichi halted him. "Wait, Wataru-san, you're not talking about Yukari Yakumo, are you?"

"No, the one I'm talking about is a snake youkai. And now that you mention it, he might know the youkai of boundaries personally, but I really can't say. I've never seen the fella? Just heard the stories of humans who supposedly visited him. I've heard he conducts some kind of experiments in his hidden hut. Maybe he made something that drove the fairies insane."

"That's very interesting?" nodded the young outsider. "I'll be sure to ask the bartender, but first I'd still like to ask you about the ruins that were uncovered in the quarry."

"Aye, it was quite a discovery. It was shortly after the New Year. One of the workers broke a cart wheel over a rock jutting from the ground, so he took a pickaxe to get rid of the obstacle, but he figured that the "rock" had some ornaments on it, so he carefully uncovered the ground around it to figure that it was a part of some ancient stone pillar or something. A few days later, more of these were discovered and thus, we all decided to stop the stone mining and uncover the ruins. Now it will be three months since their discovery and it seems that we've found a roof of some building. We're proceeding slowly and carefully so not to damage the ruins."

"Was this the first archeological discovery in the quarry, or did you unearth anything else before?"

"This is the first time we've uncovered something in this area. This village is but a small mining settlement, that's slowly grown over the years into its current size. Our home territory lies further to the west, closer to the taller mountains. We've made plenty of minor archeological discoveries there, but none can compare to what we recently uncovered here. You see, we, the yama-bito, are very fascinated by all historical artifacts?"

"We haven't yet learned about the yama-bito at the village school?" said Kyouichi thoughtfully. "Could you tell me more about your people, please?"

"Sure." grinned the stone miner. "We're the mountain people, just as the name suggests. Not to be confused with yamabiko; that's a whole different sort of youkai? We're mostly much taller than average humans? except for some." he lowered his head shamefully. "Other than that, we're also stronger than humans and we're resistant to harsh cold. Otherwise we're quite similar to humans. We eat, sleep, drink, reproduce, age, get sick, bleed and die just like you people do. And it also might be worth mentioning that a human cannot become a yama-bito? We're mostly peaceful with other races, but that doesn't mean we don't know how to fight. We're not as brutally strong as the oni for instance, but we can still split a boulder with just one swing of a pickaxe. Some of us are pretty decent magic users too. And as I said, we're just crazy about all things related to history. We even have a little museum here in the village with a small archive, but we don't get many visitors from outside the village besides the human traders and warriors who escort 'em. However, with the discovery of these ruins, several other curious humans began visiting us recently. You're not the first one, but we haven't seen a human from the outside world here?"

"Oh yes, you have." said Yuujin and pointed his thumb at his chest. "I was also spirited away on the same day as Ishimaru, here? and tens of other people."

"Really, so you're one of those who got spirited away to Gensokyo by the end of Satsuki?" Wataru asked him.

"Yeah? But we've already got a plan to return back to our homes." replied the caravan driver.

"That so?" asked Wataru and gave him a suspicious look. "So you're an outsider who works as a merchant?"

"No, I just run the caravan wagon for the merchants." explained Yuujin.

"So you're both outsiders, eh? I guess you're not one of them then? You know I've been hearin' many rumors lately about the members of the Secret History Association coming to Kazemura, disguised as merchants. They are most curious about the ruins?"

"Secret History Association?" Kyouichi repeated.

"You haven't heard about them yet? They're some secret group of people whose goal is to look for knowledge about the origin of Gensokyo and the reason why youkai live here? Barely anyone knows their identity, though? All I know is that they operate in the Human Village."

"Hmmm?" Kyouichi hummed as two possible people came to his mind. "Maybe Keine-sensei or Akyuu-chan could be in that group." he thought, since both of them had something to do with history. "So you believe that this association sends spies to Kazemura?"

"Spies? Ahahaha~!" laughed the stone miner. "No, they're just trying to keep their identities hidden. We don't keep secrets from anyone. Our archive and museum is open to any visitor."

"I might take a look there later." said Kyouichi as he looked out of the window. As he expected, it was still raining. "But before that, I think I'll go and meet mister bartender over there."

"Aye, go right ahead, young one." Wataru encouraged him by a tap on his shoulder.

Kyouichi also finished his beer and took the empty glass with him as he was heading to the bar.

"Umm? Excuse me, sir?" he started bashfully and put the empty glass on the counter. "Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

"Questions? If you want to know the secret recipe for my beer, then tough luck, stranger." said the barkeep sternly.

"No, I'm uh? just curious about the local rumors and gossip?"

"Oh? Sure, I guess there's no harm in that?" shrugged the plump man and took the glass to wash it. "Anything particular you'd like to hear about?"

"Well, I did talk to? eh? Chibi-kun here about the fairy attack on the village and I was wondering what might have caused it."

"Oh, I might have an idea who could have been behind this." nodded the bartender. "If you go further north along the mountain path just behind the quarry and keep following it for an hour, you'll reach a vast plain. And if you look to north-east, you'll see a mountain that has two peaks, resembling horns. Then if you go towards it, there's a small hill with a pond nearby. It's much closer than the two-peaked mountain. I'm just mentioning it as a sort of landmark. From the north-eastern side of that hill you'll see the entrance to an underground hut. That's where Xeng-Yao lives?"

"Who's that? And how do you know where he lives?"

"Xeng? He's a youkai alchemist. He's friendly, but he keeps to himself. As to how I know where he lives, well I found him by chance. That pond near his hill is one of my favorite spots to relax after a long day? if I'm in a mood for a little walk. Once when I was sitting at the pond, I heard some strange noises coming from behind me, but as I turned around, I didn't see anybody or anything. Curiosity got the better of me and instead of running, I followed the sounds and stumbled into a wooden door leading to a cave of some sort. I was hesitant to knock on it, but then all of a sudden the door opened and I saw this strange fellow dressed in a long green cape with piercing yellow eyes staring at me. I was just about to run, when he greeted me politely and welcomed me."

"So he's an alchemist?"

"Yeah, he invited me into his hut and told me about himself and what he was working on? I barely understood half of it, but it seems he brews potions and the like? It's him who gave me the recipe for that beer. Maybe that old half-snake made some potion that makes you go insane. Maybe he used it on fairies as test subjects? I don't know. But I'd go ask him."

Kyouichi was really curious to see if the youkai in question really had anything to do with the recent fairy attacks. However, he was reluctant to walk around Gensokyo alone.

"Hmm? if that Xeng-Yao guy is really the one responsible, I'll just inform Remilia. That's all that she wants from me after all?" thought the young outsider.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask?" the bartender asked him.

"Actually, yes. Are there any dangerous youkai living in this area that I should look out for?"

The bartender scratched his beard. "Well, none that I'd know about, but I've heard rumors that Xeng-Yao himself was long time feared by the locals? I don't really know why, though. He's a sympathetic fella, if a bit weird? You don't need to fear him."

Kyouichi was relieved that this part of Gensokyo was considered relatively safe and he was eager to try and find the mysterious youkai alchemist on his own.

"I have a little favor to ask of you." he said as he turned to the bartender and put 500 yen on the counter. "If I don't return within three hours, let the Ryuuken know. I'm going to pay Xeng-san a visit."

The bartender just chuckled amusedly and gestured that he doesn't want to take his money. "First of all, stranger, it'll take you over one hour just to get to him, so it's most likely that you'll return later than in 3 hours if you want to actually ask him something and not just take a look at him. And second, he's not dangerous."

"If the walk's so long then I better get going already." muttered Kyouichi to himself as he stood up. "Well, if you don't want the money, then I'll take it back."

"Sure." smiled the man and let the outsider take his coins back.
Kyouichi took the money, bowed to the bartender and told Yuujin that he's going to continue his investigation outside. He stepped outside of the tavern, pulled the hood of the raincoat over his head and looked to the north at a narrow road entering a forest behind the quarry pit.

With one hand in his pocket clutching Reimu's blessed amulets and the other hand holding the magic detector, he set out on his way to find Xeng-Yao's hidden hut. First he had to get around the quarry pit. Then he kept on walking north along the path, always shifting his attention from his surroundings to his detector. There was no reading of any magical energy all the way as he walked through the forest. He therefore hastened his pace so that he'd get to his destination a little bit sooner.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 28 ? Need to buy a Potion?

Nearly an hour has passed since Kyouichi left Kazemura and just as the bartender said, he got out of the forest and saw vast grasslands with hills and valleys, almost like the landscape around Human Village. The only difference was the mountain range forming the horizon. Kyouichi wondered how far he could be from the northern edge of the Great Hakurei Border. He figured that Kazemura wasn't that close to the boundary as he originally thought, but it was a really long way from the human village. He looked to his left and saw the peculiar mountain with two peaks at approximately the same height. It could be still over ten kilometers away from his current location. He strayed from the road and headed in the direction of that unusually shaped mountain. He saw several small hills in front of him, so he wasn't sure which one of them was Xeng's hideout, but after a dozen minutes of walking, he saw a small pond. It could have something over 30 meters in diameter and looked pretty shallow, but due to the rain, the water became murky, and so it was hard to guess how deep it was exactly. Kyouichi wasn't even curious about the pond as he was curious about the nearest hill. It was overgrown with pines and it looked pretty ordinary. The outsider didn't hear any strange sounds except for the rain drumming on his raincoat. As he walked around the hill, though, he noticed a slope camouflaged by bushes leading to something that looked like a cave entrance with a built-in wooden door.

"This must be the place." he said to himself as he tore through the dense bushes.

He looked at his magic detector to see a large shining spot of magical energy directly ahead of him. Swallowing his fear, he took another step towards the door and knocked on it loudly. For ten seconds there was no response, but then the door opened and a tall, slim man dressed in a dark-green cape stepped outside and gave Kyouichi an intense glance. The outsider inadvertently took one step back out of caution. The man had bright yellow eyes contrasted by the dark dots of his pupils. His hair was black and semi-long and he had a thin moustache and long sideburns. His cape was trimmed by a leather sash with numerous leather bags with unknown content.

"Uh? hello?" greeted the mysterious man. "Human or youkai?" he asked right afterwards.

"Pardon?"

"Are you a human or a youkai?" he repeated more loudly and clearly.

"A human." replied Kyouichi timidly. "?from the outside world."

The man kept glaring at him for a few more seconds and then he stuck out his tongue, which was to Kyouichi's surprise forked like that of a snake, and flickered it rapidly as if he was detecting something.

"Hsss~. A human? How nice to have a visitor after a long while." he smiled. "Pleassse, come in. Don't be afraid?"
Kyouichi obliged and followed the man into his underground dwelling. At first glance it looked like an ordinary cave with torch stands fixed to its walls, but as they walked a little further, Kyouichi found himself in a cavern which could be around 15 meters wide and its ceiling could be approximately 5 meters above the floor. It looked like a natural cave with stalactites and stalagmites jutting from the floor and the ceiling. However, the cavern was neatly furnished with numerous tables, chairs wardrobes and bookshelves, just like a normal household. A little bit above the standard even. All the lighting was provided by torches and candles. There was also a big black cauldron placed over a fireside and its mysterious content was bubbling inside. Kyouichi had no idea what it was, but it most likely wasn't food. One of the tables was filled with laboratory apparatus such as vials, flasks, burners, distillation units, cooling pipes and Petri dishes. Another one had sacks and jars of numerous ingredients, most of which were completely unfamiliar to the outsider. The bookshelves were also filled with all sorts of intriguing items besides books. One of particular notice was a human skull used as a candle stand.

"Welcome to my little laboratory." said the man as he turned to Kyouichi. "I'm Xeng-Yao and I'm a very skilled alchemissst if I do have to say so myself? So nice to have ssomeone to talk to again?"

"Uhh?yes, I'm Kyouichi Ishimaru. Pleased to meet you, Xeng-san."

The alchemist hissed again as he flickered his forked tongue. "I can sssmell that you're afraid, human Kyouichi? Back in the day, I wouldn't blame you since I wasss a feared human-eating youkai, but those days are long since gone."

Kyouichi's heart skipped a beat as he heard those words. "D-Did you say "was"?"

"Yessss~." Xeng confirmed with a nonchalant tone. "I was feared jussst as much as? vampires or the oni? I ate many humansss in the passst. I'm not very proud of it?" he frowned.

"So now you're on a diet?"

"No, Kyouichi-sssan. I changed. I'm a whole new person now."

"What made you change your tastes?" wondered Kyouichi, who looked calm on the outside, but still trembled on the inside.

"It's a long ssstory, but if you'd like, I could tell you a ssshorter version." said Xeng and offered Kyouichi to sit on one of the chairs.

"Please, go ahead?" nodded the curious outsider as he sat down.

The youkai alchemist cleared his throat. "I was born in China over two thousand years ago. We were a nassty race of half-beassts who feasted on human flesh more than on anything elsssse. Well, mossst of my kind are probably ssstill like that even now? As I grew old and felt that my final days are drawing near, I decided to do a little traveling and jussst over a sea I found a land thriving with youkai as well as humansss. I sssettled here and more than hunting for humans, I began ssstudying how to cook, brew and distill all kinds of thingsss. I was over 900 yearss old by that time and over a century I spent living in the Foressst of Magic where I got mossst of my ingredientsss. It wasss convenient since the Human Village wasn't too far away. Occasionally, I'd catch me some losst human who happened to be passsing by. Then, after over a hundred yearss it all changed."

"What happened?"

"I wasss visited by the eldesst youkai sage of Gensokyo. She was recruiting ssstrong and dangerousss youkai for an army to conquer the lunar capital."

"Yukari?"

"Yesss. She promissed wealth, glory and even immortality if we joined her army of youkai. I was too old to fight, but inside, I craved to be a part of an event that would surely enter the history. Yukari-sama told us about the Lunarians' superior technology and magic and told us how stuck-up and arrogant their entire race is? It didn't take much of her persuasion for me to agree and join her army as a field medic and alchemissst. Then, on a night of a full moon, the invasion started. Yukari-sama opened a large gap on the sssurface of Misssty Lake and the army of over 5 thousand youkai poured in. I was among the lassst ones to enter. In the next moment, I wasss on the Moon, marching with the resst of the army to the very heart of their capital. There was already a full-blown combat underway in the streetsss. We've had the element of surprise and at first, it looked like the whole invasion would be a piece of cake. But then the lunar army retaliated at full force and began pushing us back from the city center. After a day, I was retasssked from tending the wounded to an infiltration misssion, hssss~. While the Lunariansss were busy dealing with the other invading youkai, I managed to ssslip in unnoticed into one of their top sssecret research centers?" Xeng explained and grinned mischievously while rubbing his hands. "?and you wouldn't believe what I found and learned there. Hs-s-s-s-sss~." he hissed abruptly, which was probably the way he was snickering.

"What did you find, Xeng-san?" wondered Kyouichi.

"For instance, I found out how to make ten times more effective magic potions then the ones I used to make, or how to make healing gel that could heal wounds almost instantly. But the mossst interesssting find was the formula for their legendary Hourai Elixir which grantsss immortality. I even found all the necessary ingredientsss there and stole as much as I could carry."

"Whoa! Really? You can make an elixir of immortality?" exclaimed the young outsider in amazement.

"Yessss~." smirked the alchemist. "Not only that, but after over a thoussand yearsss of experimenting with more than ample amount of ingredients, I managed to improve the formula and tested it on myself! And it WORKSSSS!"

"So, you're immortal now?"

"Precissssely."

"But what did you improve about the formula? Does it make you even more immortal now?" asked Kyouichi jestingly.

"No, Kyouichi-san? You see, normally the Hourai Elixir has but two benefitsss. It grants eternal life and prevents the user from contracting any form of illness. However, the recipient can still sssuffer pain from any injury and ssstill feel hunger and thirst or the lack of oxygen if they're underwater for too long. However, they cannot die no matter what. The effect of the elixir is irreversible and so far, there is no such thing as an antidote for it."

"Hmm? an eternity in a world full of pain and suffering?" muttered Kyouichi thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if I'd like such a life?"

"However?" Xeng-Yao continued, "My improved Hourai Elixir can even neutralize any painful sensation of the body. Plusss, its regenerating effects are considerably fassster. Watch?" he suddenly grabbed a sharp knife from the table and plunged it right into his palm, managing to stab a hole through not just his hand, but also the table. He didn't even blink. Kyouichi was in a loss for words and he only stared at him with his mouth wide open.

"Hehehe~! Still not convincing enough for you?" he asked and pulled out the knife from his palm and put it to his neck.

"Uh? please, Xeng-san, don't do anything stupid!" Kyouichi shouted at him, but the youkai didn't listen.

He grabbed the hair on his head in one hand and started cutting through his neck using the knife in the other hand. It was a gruesome sight as blood began pouring out of his neck, staining his clothes and floor. Any living being would be dead by now with such a deep wound, but the half-snake alchemist's hand kept moving back and forth even faster and with greater force as he was cutting through his spine and finally severing his head completely.

Kyouichi trembled in shock and he felt like he'd throw up any second now, but he managed to hold it in somehow. Xeng's headless body then stood up from the chair and started tossing around his head from one hand to another like a ball. It was utterly disgusting.

"Oh-my-God! Okay, I believe you, you're immortal, just cut it out already!" he begged him as he covered his eyes.

"Okay, okay?" muttered the alchemist's head. Then the body threw it in the fire.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Relax, Kyouichi-san." said the head with completely calm voice even as the fire was burning it to ash. "A new body part will grow if one is destroyed completely."

And just as he said that, the blood from the body's neck stopped flowing and flesh began rapidly growing and shaping into a new head. In less than a minute, Xeng was as good as new. Except for his cape, which was now more red than green.

"Ooooh. Look at all the mess I made? But at least you see that the elixir worksss."

"Is that how you managed to survive the First Lunar War?"

"Oh, no, no." said the youkai and shook his head. "I had no time to prepare the elixir in the field. I just copied its formula and stole the ingredients. However, right after that, the Lunarian soldiers found me and I thought I was a goner for sure. They shot me on sight and I fell down ? blacked out. I thought I was dead, but then I woke up back on Earth. Yukari-sama was there too along with the entirety of our army. All of them were wounded, but none of them dead. The funny thing wass that I still had all the copied recipesss on me. Yukari-sama then came to me and apologized. She said the invasion was a faliure. I think I even saw a tear in her eye? But then I understood it all? Well, not immediatelly, but after a few years in retrossspect. She lossst the war on purpossse."

"So I guess you probably hate her, right?"

"Never!" shouted the snake youkai resolutely. "She opened my eyes. She helped me become a new and much better perssson. Mossst of the youkai who fought in the war ssstill believe that they could have won and blame Yukari-sama for treachery even to this day. And perhapsss they're right that we could have won. But I know why she did it. She did it all for us youkai, so that we'd be less aggressive towards the humansss of Earth. And I took it to heart? From that day onward, I never harmed a sssingle human and I intend to keep it that way. The secret of immortality too? I owe it all to Yukari-sssama."

"So uhh, you can make as much of your improved Hourai Elixir as you want?" inquired the outsider.

"I've got the know-how, yesss." hissed the alchemist while nodding. "But it's not easy. You alssso need to ussse a ssspecial binding ssspell and a time altering spell at the same time. However?" he smiled again with his mischievous grin and opened one of the wardrobes behind him to reveal hundreds of paper scrolls with blue and read seals on them. "I ssstole more than enough of the spell scrollsss to make hundredsss of dosesss of the immortality elixir. The problem is the ingredientsss themselvesss. With the lasssst experiment, which resssuletd in the improvement of the old formula, I ran out of ingredientsss. And mossst of them can be found only on Moon, so I sssadly cannot make any more? What a pity. I could have made a fortune with it?"

Kyouichi chuckled amusedly. "But? Did the youkai in Yukari's invading army even know that the Lunarians are immortal?"

"Nay, because they're not." Xeng corrected him. "They know how to make the elixir, but they are forbidden to use it for their own benefit."

"What? That doesn't make any sense! Why do they produce it in the first place?" Kyouichi couldn't understand the logic behind Xeng's claims.

"To use it as a sssort of bargaining chip and a meansss to manipulate others ? usually humans to do anything to acquire it? So far there are only four more known recipientssss besides me, who drank of the elixir. Three of them live in Gensokyo. Two are Lunarians and one's a human. The last one is the legendary Chang'e. The Lunariansss are very, very long lived, though. I've heard once that the only known person who knows the recipe is Eirin Yagokoro and even she can only make it with the assistance of her mistresss. Who knows? It's been over a thousand years since I've been on the Moon or heard any newsss from there. Not that I care, though. Perhaps they no longer make the elixir and perhapsss they've found some way to make it even without Yagokoro?"

"Eirin Yagokoro, huh?" Kyouichi repeated the familiar sounding name. "I've seen quite a few books written by her?"

"Yessss~. She's an exile from the Moon along with her princesss? They live in Eientei in the Bamboo Foressst of the Lossst. Ha! Yagokoro thinksss she's a geniusss, as do all Lunariansss, but I've invented hundress of potionsss they'd be jealousss of?"

"Sounds like you don't have much respect fot them?" remarked the outsider.

"Ha! I've scraped thingsss off my boots that I ressspect more than Lunarians." hissed the youkai alchemist disdainfully. "But I guesss not all of them are ssso bad? If they had any idea of the fact that I ssstole much of their sssecret knowledge and made it even better, I'm sssure they'd sssend an army to kill me. Hahaha! But they wouldn't be able to?"

"Is that why you live in hiding?"

"Yesss. And apart from that, I have peace and quiet for my experimentsss. I've learned to like humansss as well as youkai and to whomever comesss to see me, I offer my wide ssselection of potionsss and sssimple recipesss."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about your recent experiments."

"My recent experiment?" repeated Xeng. "You mean my ssspecial homemade moonshine? I call it: Vengeance of the Forest. It's really? potent. H-s-s-sss-s. Want a sssample?"

"A moonshine? No, I was just wondering if you don't know anything about the fairy attacks on Kazemura and other nearby locations."

"Fairy attacksss? Don't know anything about that. Honessst." replied Xeng while shrugging.

"You're not using any as test subjects for your potions, are you?" asked the outsider, while raising his eyebrow.

"What do you think I am? A sadissst? I never harmed a fairy. Not even when I used some fairy hair strandsss in the new Hourai Elixir formula. I tessst all my potionsss on myself, since they can't kill me even if the experiment goes wrong?"

"But if you can't feel any pain or anything, how do you know that your potions aren't harmful to anyone else?"

"The ssensation is different, when the potion isss poisonousss. I have developed my senssses well over the yearsss. I don't feel pain, but I feel other sensationsss jussst fine."

"So? you really don't know anything about the crazed fairies that began acting up in the recent days?" asked Kyouichi once more to make sure.

"I haven't been out much lately, so I don't really know?"

Kyouichi sighed heavily and scratched his chin. "What could be the cause then?"

"If you told me something more about it, maybe I'd be able to tell you more." suggested the alchemist and so, Kyouichi told him what little facts he knew about the fairy attacks.
"So you're saying that their attacks come from this area?" asked Xeng, who was now also curious about the cause of the attacks. "And those newly found ruinsss in Kazemura that you mentioned? It's just really odd? Maybe there's some sort of connection between them and the fairy attacksss."

"I have a special item here?" said Kyouichi and showed him the magic detector. "It can read any form of magical energy, or so I was told? But when I looked at those ruins it didn't show anything?"

The half-snake youkai looked absentmindedly at the ceiling of the cavern and shook his head after a longer while of thinking. "Maybe it was some youkai that can mind control other creatures or cause temporary madness? But I'm jusssst guessing."

"Oh, and I should also mention that Yukari is missing? Nobody knows where she is, but most of the people I asked haven't seen her for over half a year."

"So? I haven't seen her for a few centuriesss? But a few yearsss ago I heard sssome news about her making a sssecond lunar invasssion?"

"Don't you think there's a chance that she could be the one causing it?"

"Hmph? I don't know? I can just tell you that I haven't done anything to make the fairies act the way you just described."

Kyouichi nodded. "Well, that's good? Thanks for the information."

"Huh? Leaving already? I haven't even shown you the potionsss you can buy?"

"Well, I suppose I could at least take a look since I'm already here." shrugged the outsider and looked up at Xeng, who made a gesture towards one of the shelves with a line of flasks filled with liquids of all sorts of colors.

"Thisss here, for instance?" he pointed at a flask full of dark-blue liquid, "?is a potion that ressstores magical energy and adds a boossst to the spellsss."

"I'm an outsider, so I've no use for it."

"Oh, right, I forgot? Well, then? how about this one?" he took a vial of golden colored potion in his hand. "

"What is it?"

"It's the so called Lightning Potion. If you drink it, you'll be able to run five timesss as fassst and you won't feel any fatigue for the whole duration of its effect. However, it only lasssts about five minutesss. It costsss 1500 yen per vial if you're interesssted."

"Hmm? I don't know?" muttered Kyouichi as he glared suspiciously at the potion. "Do you have anything else?"

"But of courssse." hissed the alchemist and put took another bottle filled with a colorless liquid, which Kyouichi suspected to be normal water. "What human wouldn't want to try to become invisssible for an hour?" smiled Xeng mischievously. "Just imagine all the girlsss you could ssstalk with this. Hehehehe~. Only 2500 yen per bottle."

Kyouichi made a half-amused, half-shocked face at Xeng's last remark. "Uhh? I'm sure it's useful, but?" his sentence died halfway as the youkai raised a warning finger.

"Oh, yeah and it will only make your BODY invisible, so if you want to avoid being seen, you'd have to get naked. Including your glassessss? Not very ussseful if you'd want to use it outside on a cold winter day."

"Running around naked with my impaired eyesight? Why, no, thank you?" rejected the outsider while shaking his palm.

"Hmm. A discriminating cusssstomer, eh?" said the alchemist, still not giving up on his attempt to try and sell something to Kyouichi. "

"What else you might be intresssted in? Perhapsss a ssstandard healing potion for 500 yen? Or a ssstrong healing potion for a thousand?"

This time, Xeng finally managed to get Kyouichi's interest, since the outsider figured it might be a good idea to have some sort of injury treatment material for the planned journey out of Gensokyo.

"Okay, I'll take some." He said and prepared his money. "I'll take five standard ones and three strong ones."

The half-snake rubbed his hands excitedly. "Excellent~! You're not going to regret it, outsssider. I jussst hope you won't have to ussse them too soon."

Kyouichi paid for the potions, and his pockets became 5500 yen lighter. He packed the corked glass bottles carefully inside his backpack and slowly put it back on his shoulders.

"It'sss been nice to meet you, Kyouichi-san." bowed the alchemist, still wearing his blood-soaked cape. "I hope we'll ssssee each other again sometimes. I might even give you a dissscount."

"Yeah, maybe I'll come again." shrugged Kyouichi and proceeded to the cavern's exit. "Have a nice? eh? eternal life, Xeng-san."

"Yesss. I'll be right here if you'll need more potionsss. You could alssso spread the word to bring in more customersss. I'd be grateful."

"Okay, I'll advertise your business a bit." smiled Kyouichi as he opened the door. "Would you look at that? It stopped raining."

"Jussst don't tell the Lunariansss that I can make a better Hourai Elixir than them?" said Xeng as he was seeing his guest off. "Or you know what? Go ahead and tell them everything! Let them know that they are not superior to everyone from Earth. Let them be jealousss! I'm not afraid of any of them. And there's no way they could get the recipes from me. They're all safely in my head. Even if they tortured me, I'd just laugh right into their facessss!"

Kyouichi was a little startled when Xeng started to ramble like a madman, but the youkai calmed down almost immediately. "Try not to break the potion bottlesss, human. See you next time?" he said with a calm voice and then as the outsider turned his back to him, he closed the door of his cavern laboratory.
Kyouichi had to shield his eyes after he got out of the dark cave into a much brighter environment. The fact that the clouds were gradually dissipating and letting the warm summer sun shine upon Gensokyo only enhanced the contrast between Xeng's cavern and the outside.

Getting back was a little trickier then getting to the immortal youkai's hidden dwelling. While he could use the twin-peaked mountain as a landmark on his way there, Kyouichi had no such landmarks when he was trying to return to Kazemura and he had to rely more on his instinct and memory to follow the same path that he used to get here.

[Fonzi]

Chapter 29 ? The Word is Mightier than the Sword

Even with the rain gone, and the time being shortly after noon, the outsider was as careful as ever, always checking the magic detector so he wouldn't run into some nasty youkai. However, everything looked quiet and the sensor didn't pick up any disturbances.

"Okay, so where is that forest path that leads back to the quarry?" wondered Kyouichi, having problems to find the said path. He saw the dense pine forest ahead of him and the hulking Youkai Mountain far, far in the west. It was at least a 50 km distance.

"Okay, at least I know that that direction is the west?" he thought as he took a glance at the mountain. "And 90 degrees to my left is the south. That's where I need to get."

He felt kind of embarrassed for not being able to find the path back, but at least he had a vague idea of which direction he needed to go. He therefore entered the forest even without seeing any path and headed straight south. This haphazard walk through the forest reminded him very much of his first day in this secluded magical world and it was also his idea about the expedition that he and other outsiders were planning to undertake in autumn. He could already envision them wandering aimlessly for days through forests and mountains before they'll be able to find some sort of settlement. However, given the current circumstances, this seemed as the best course of action for all those who refused to settle down and start a new life in Gensokyo.
"I just hope nothing nasty lives in these woods?" he said to himself as he was walking for over 10 minutes in the forest, still having no idea if he was even going the right way to Kazemura. Then all of a sudden, he heard a young female voice? singing. It sounded somewhat familiar, but Kyouichi couldn't quite identify it. He immediately looked at his magic detector, but nothing showed up on the glass. Fifty meter radius wasn't a great distance, so Kyouichi decided to follow the voice, trying not to get noticed. He sneaked as slowly and quietly as he could, and after a few moments, the detector picked up a positive magic reading near the edge of the glass. He peeked from behind one of the trees, trying to see who was singing this unusually sounding song, but could see nobody. He knew that it was either a youkai or a human born in Gensokyo, but the voice really sounded familiar to him. As he took another step closer, a small fallen branch crackled under his feet, and as an immediate response, the voice stopped singing.

"Oh, crap?" cursed the outsider in his mind.

His body froze as he motionlessly listened to the quietness that settled itself in the forest. Nothing was happening for a good minute and the outsider figured that whoever was singing the song nearby was already gone. Even his magic detector showed nothing, so he resumed his walk southwards. For just that brief moment that he let his eyes off the detector, he again heard the voice right from behind him.

"Ahh~! What do we have here~? A human." said the girl's voice, clearly addressing the words to Kyouichi.

The surprised young man turned around and saw the small figure of the originator of that voice. "Mystia-san??" he asked surprisedly as he identified the night-sparrow youkai.

"Hey, I know you~." grinned the winged girl maliciously. "You were there at the Hakurei Shrine, watching me fight against the shrine maiden? What's the matter, human? Have you lost your way~?"

"Ehh? yeah, a little." sighed the outsider in embarrassment.

"Well, don't worry human," smiled Mystia and stretched out her fingers, revealing long, sharp claw-like nails, "I can end all your problems right here and right now~."

Kyouichi got the hint that she meant to kill and eat him, and naturally, fear began to settle in his mind.

"C-Come on, Mystia-san?" he looked at her with begging eyes. "Can't we just talk about this?"

"I doubt you have anything interesting to say, besides begging for your life~." retorted the night sparrow. "But I suppose I could have a little conversation before lunch?"

Kyouichi swallowed his saliva and reached for Reimu's amulets inside his pocket, not drawing them out just yet.

"Look I'm sorry I disturbed your singing, but I was just curious who was singing that pretty song just now?"

Mystia's grin turned to an expression of surprise. "So? you think that my song was pretty?"

It seemed that flattery had some effect on this youkai girl, so Kyouichi tried his best to praise her singing voice. "Why, yes. Even though I've just heard the melody? I thought your voice sounded familiar to me? But this song didn't make me go night-blind unlike the one you sang at the shrine."

"Not all my songs cause night-blindness. I like singing normal songs too. I was just practicing here, because that mean miko won't let me sing at the shrine."

"Reimu? Well, sometimes she acts like that, doesn't she? But that day when you dueled with her, she was really tired?" Kyouichi said on Reimu's defense. "She didn't really mean what she said (Probably?). Don't worry. You will be able to sing at the summer festival at the shrine this year as well."

"Of course I will." said Mystia matter-of-factly. "What would the festival be without my live performance?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one yet."

"What?" asked the night-sparrow disbelievingly. "Not even once? Are you some kind of hermit or what?"

"Hermit? No, outsider. But I'd really like to go to this year's festival"

Mystia's eyes gleamed and the same malicious grin settled on her face. "Ah, I see~. Not just tasty, but also defenseless~." she drawled and licked her lips. "Should I eat you now, or do you want to entertain me for a little longer?"

"Crap? I should really learn how to lie." muttered the outsider as he just made clear that he's nothing more than a walking bento box for the likes of Mystia. "You know, Mystia-san, I've just met a youkai who used to eat humans on daily basis, but he quit. You see, you don't actually need to eat me right now or any time to come? There are tastier things than humans that you could eat instead."

"What youkai would do that? What could be possibly tastier than humans?" wondered the night sparrow.

"Hmm?" hummed Kyouichi as he tried to think of something to save his hide. He then put down his backpack and from a lunch box he took out one of Minako's delicious hand made onigiri that she packed for him. "How about some delicious? onigiri?" he grinned sheepishly as he presented the whole lunch box to Mystia. As he expected, the night-sparrow disdainfully waved her hand and snorted.

"Pffff! Human food? That can't even begin to compare to the taste of raw human meat. Have you ever tasted it?"

"Do I look like Hannibal Lecter?" asked the amused outsider. "Don't aswer that..."

"Who's that? A youkai?"

"Uhh? yeah, something like that? And by the way, have you even tasted Minako-san's onigiri? She makes the best ones I've ever eaten. Come on, don't be shy. Just a little bite?" he smiled and beckoned to the onigiri inside the box.

The night sparrow raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Oh, you think I'm some kind of idiot? They're surely poisoned! I take just a bite and then I faint or something?"

"Don't be silly, Mystia-san." Kyouichi reassured her and took a bite of the onigiri himself to show that they're not poisoned. "?hwere? wou fee? No poifon." he muttered with his mouth full. "Mmm-m. Delicious. I'd hurry and take some too or I might just eat them all at once?" Mystia watched him chew and swallow the bite he took with anticipation, as if she was expecting the human to drop on the ground any second and start trembling in convulsion with foam coming out of his mouth. But of course, no such thing happened.

"Please, Mystia-san, have some too?" said the outsider in calm and inviting tone, so to camouflage his internal adrenaline rush. "If you won't like them, nobody's forcing you. But if you'll like the taste, I'll share with you."

Mystia finally lowered her sharp talons and slowly descended to the ground, her eyes constantly fixed on the human. Once her feet touched down, the youkai girl took a few cautious steps towards the outsider with her mouth slightly open. For a couple of seconds she just stood there, glancing at him as he took his already second onigiri and started eating it. Mystia stretched out her hand shyly and slowly, and as soon as she grabbed the rice ball, she retracted her arm immediately.

"Hmph? I doubt it tastes better than my fried lamprey?" murmured the night sparrow and took a suspicious whiff before she dared to taste it. Then, she finally took a bite?

?

"?This is?" she uttered with a surprised face and her eyes wide open. "This isn't half bad?" she took another bite and savored the taste. "Mmm? This might actually go well with fried lamprey. Hey, maybe I'll try making some of these filled with lamprey bits."

"See, our food isn't as bad as you might think." smiled Kyouichi and offered her the last triangular rice ball filled with seasoned meat and tofu. "Hey, if you let me live, I'll be glad to come and see your performance at the festival and even have some of that? ehh? lamprey that you're supposedly selling."

Mystia looked like she didn't pay attention to his words, but as soon as she gobbled up the second onigiri and wiped the rice grains from her lips, she nodded.

"Very well, human. I'm letting you go? But just this time. Just because I took a liking to your food doesn't mean that I like humans in general. If I ever catch you alone next time, I won't be so merciful."

"That won't happen again?" Kyouichi reassured her and with a sigh of relief he let go of the amulets inside his pocket and put the empty lunch box back into his backpack.

"But it's a little odd?" he remarked by the way. "That you're doing your performances and selling your grilled lamprey to humans despite you not liking them very much?"

"They're well paying customers. I don't eat those? It would be bad for business?"

"Oh, I see? So eating me is perfectly fine, isn't it?"

"Nobody misses outsiders if they mysteriously disappear? Now go, before I change my mind."

"You don't have to say that twice." said Kyouichi and he trotted away from the scene, his potion bottles jingling inside the backpack. He could still feel his heart race from all the anxiety and nervousness.
"Man? I can't believe I managed to talk my way out of this one?" he said to himself while chuckling. There was basically nothing funny about that situation, but the outsider couldn't help himself but to laugh for the next minute as he ran through the forest, away from Mystia.

If someone saw him now, they'd think he's some sort of madman. But he was just that happy that he managed to save his life with nothing but words and a couple of Minako's onigiri.

"If this was an RPG, I'd probably level up right now?" he thought to himself when he finally slowed down from trot to walking. "Hehe? like Ishimaru Kyouichi ? level 2 outsider, plus 10 hit points, new skill ? youkai diplomacy?" he jested and snickered at his ridiculous thoughts.

"But seriously now? Where the hell is that quarry?"

He still couldn't find any trace of the forest path or any indication that the trees would thin up if he went further south. However, he didn't change his heading and kept on going for dozens of minutes. He expected that the forest land would slope slightly downhill as he'd go further south towards the valley where Kazemura was situated, but the case was exactly the opposite ? it sloped slightly uphill.

"Okay, okay? Apparently, I'm getting myself lost? Honestly? what was I thinking? Going there by myself?" he scolded himself as he tried to look around to see any landmarks. But the forest was too dense to allow him any other sight but the trees. Turning back now would be quite pointless, especially since he'd risk the chance of running into Mystia again. He kept going where he intended ? south. Finally after another 10 minutes he saw the trees thinning into a clearing. When he finally got out of the forest, he figured that the clearing was actually a tall hill, looming over the eastern side of Kazemura.

"Oh, so that's where it was?" he flicked his forehead as he finally realized that he turned south a bit too early. "Now? how to get down? Preferably without inflicting any major fractures upon my person?"

The hill was a steep one from both east and west sides and the outsider took quite some time looking down and trying to figure how to carefully climb down. Fortunately, it also had trees growing even on its steep sides, which he could grab onto while proceeding down. However, it was still quite risky.

"Oh, what the hell? I'm giving it a shot." he encouraged himself and slid down towards the nearest tree. Just as he was about to lose balance, he grabbed onto its trunk.

"Okay, that one was easy. Now, onto next one?" he sprung away from the tree trunk he was holding onto and made a direct slide towards another one.

"Ugh!" he exclaimed as his chest hit the hard wood before his arms managed to get a grip around it. "Whew~! I almost failed that one."

In the same manner he proceeded from one tree to another all the way down this over 300 meters tall hill. Once at the bottom, he could finally rest for a moment and catch his breath. He was finally back in the quarry village.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see this little village again."

He had just about enough walking, and the only thing he thought about was to sit down somewhere. He figured that the merchants and the Ryuuken were all probably gone and on their way back to Human Village, but as he headed to the tavern, he could see a single wagon from the caravan and a bunch of people in black, white and gold garbs.

"What are they still doing here?" he asked but the question really didn't bother him very much, since this meant that he could return to Human Village sooner than expected. From the merchants, Kyouichi didn't recognize anyone, but from the guards, he noticed that Lieutenant Takamori was still there with three other armed men, waiting for something. Only as Kyouichi came closer, he could see that the wagon was missing its left hind wheel, which was probably the cause why it remained behind while the rest of the caravan moved on.

"Takamori-san? I'm glad you're still here?" said the outsider and glanced at the wagon.

"Kyouichi-san?! I thought you left with the rest of the caravan?"

"Oh? No, I had a? a little errand to run, so I stayed behind."

"Well, as you can see, the wagon wheel broke down and we're not moving on until the merchants return with a new one to replace it." explained the warrior and looked at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Shouldn't take more than half an hour, though. We should be back in Human Village before sundown anyway. You can still go to the tavern and have a beer or two if you don't feel like standing outside."

Kyouichi was really tempted to do exactly that, but then he recalled his agreement with Remilia.

"Oh, right? The report?" he mumbled to himself. "But what will I write? I didn't find or learn anything helpful. Come to think of it, I didn't even take a proper look at the ruins?"

Since the rain stopped some time ago, the quarry was already bustling with workers ? humans and youkai working hard and diligently to remove the ground under which this archeological discovery was buried. He told the Ryuuken lieutenant that he's going to take a closer look at the ruins. The warrior's response was just an indifferent shrug without any words to accompany it. Kyouichi took it as a: "Whatever?" or something along those lines and slowly proceeded down the land slope to enter the large quarry pit. Just to make sure that he's not doing anything that others might not like, he asked one of the yama-bito workers if he could take a closer look at the archeological site. He was met with a positive reply and so, he headed towards the small poles with red flags which signified the excavation area.

The other workers eyed him curiously, but none of them sent him away or said that he's in the way of their work, so Kyouichi took his time to observe the unearthed tops of stone pillars carefully. There were some odd symbols or patterns etched on each of their sides, resembling runes, but it could be just a form of decorative ornamentation. If it was a language, however, it was not one of those that the young outsider could recognize, much less decipher. Again, he put down his backpack and out of it he pulled his school notepad and a pencil. He ripped out a few blank pages, pressed them against the carvings and with light strokes of the pencil he managed to make a copy of the symbols. Much more trustworthy than if he tried to copy them by eye. He repeated the process with each stone pillar. There were 6 of them in total plus the tip of a larger pyramid-shaped stone in the center.

He even marked the pages with numbers to tell which carvings came from which pillar. It didn't take him long to find out that the carvings on each of the pillars were unique and not repetitive. This excluded the theory of the carvings being just mere ornaments, but that's about as much as the inexperienced young outsider could learn from them. Just to make sure, he took out his magic detector one more time and scanned the surface of each of the pillars, the pyramid stone and even the uncovered rooftop of some yet unknown building. The device picked up no magical activity. Just to make sure that it worked properly, he put it in front of his eye and looked at the quarry workers. He saw some auras around each of them. They were faint, but he didn't pay it any mind. The detector was functioning properly. Finally, he made a simple sketch of the quarry pit's layout and drawn where the ruins were found.

"There? I don't know what else I could learn from these, but this will have to do for the report?"
He folded the papers and put them back inside the backpack, ready to return up to the caravan wagon. Once there, he saw that the merchants were already back at the wagon and hammering the new wheel onto the axel.

"So, how are the repairs coming along?" he asked, but didn't address anyone in particular.

"We'll be done in no time." replied the merchant with the hammer and gave the wheel a few final knocks, setting it in the right position. "Alright, people, let's load the rest of the goods so we can get back home."

In a few more minutes, the merchants were all set and sitting on the wagon along with Kyouichi. The driver took the reins and with a light swing, the pair of horses began slowly dragging the wagon back to Human Village.

Since the roads were still wet after the rain, the merchants with the assistance of the Ryuuken had to push the wagon when its wheels got stuck in the mud. This slowed down their progress by quite a bit. After they got out of the forest through which the road led, the dirt path was a bit more stable. Kyouichi could finally rest his back against the sacks filled with various goods from Kazemura and just rest until the wagon reaches the village. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. It was yet a long way back, so the outsider decided to take a little nap. In a matter of minutes, he was already snoozing.