> (Continue.)
At the start of the next round, the OMINOUS PORTAL suddenly sprouts n+7 TENTACLES! You think another TERRORHORROR might be trying to come through!
Ichirin is faster than you, but you ask her to wait a moment while you clear the way.
> Keine: SACRED, THREE TREASURES: SWORD.
Now you can use this in a more straightforward manner. You start shooting wind-elemental danmaku at everything (including Kosuzu), clearing the field of tentacles once again. The portal closes once all offending tentacles are removed, so that's one less thing to worry about.
It is now Ichirin's turn. She seems to be trying to figure out how to rescue Kosuzu, but there doesn't seem to be any kind of special context command to pull her off of the enemy side of the screen. Looks like the programmer intended you to do the whole battle with her on the field! This is stupid.
Giving up, Ichirin goes for the more expeditious option and punches the TERRORHORROR really hard.
> Tokiko: SHELLEY, MARY.
One good horror deserves another. You use DARK MAGIC to summon forth an incarnation of GOTHIC HORROR!
FRANKENSTEIN appears at your beck and call! (If you thought I was going to read up on any of Mary Shelley's other stories to come up with something less predictable, you thought wrong.)
FRANKENSTEIN smashes the TERRORHORROR flat with DOGGA HAMMER!!
You let FRANKENSTEIN disappear into the ether after that, because you don't have nearly enough ranks in SUMMONTECH to keep it under control if it sticks around.
The TERRORHORROR is in pretty sorry shape, and looks like it will keel over next round for sure.
It passively regenerates another tentacle, and uses it to grab Kosuzu!
It then starts doing some kind of weird running animation, indicating that it is attempting to escape the battle. It could get away any moment and take Kosuzu with it! You must act quickly!
> Tokiko: Act quickly.Your librarian's life is on the line! There is no time for hesitation! You use...
...THE SECRET FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE.
You soar above creation, and feel the power of BIRD flow through your body!
The TERRORHORROR fainted!
The magic circle at its entry point dissipates, and the TERRORHORROR vanishes. Keine quickly slaps the book shut.
You all check up on Kosuzu. She's suffering from a bit of shock, but she'll be okay. But afterward, Keine turns to face you.
The Tengu are OP enough as it is, and you know as well as anyone how disastrous that would be. You sigh deeply, and yearn for the day when you can truly stretch your wings and embrace the power of BIRD.
> Keine: Confiscate.
Kosuzu tells you that it's not even a youma book; it's a spellbook that someone from the SCARLET DEVIL MANSION pawned. She seems more than happy to part with it, which wouldn't be the case with the rest of her collection.
You take the book. Looking it over, it seems she is telling the truth.
You open it up and take a glance at it, being careful not to touch or read aloud any of the runes. It glows eerily, and you can tell right away it's a spellbook that deals in summoning and opening portals to all sorts of strange and malign places.
It has the distinct smell of an UNUSED PLOT DEVICE. You put it in your inventory; you'll figure out how to safely dispose of it later.
You decide to leave things be for now. You tell Kosuzu that you will return later to give her an earful and inspect her collection for anything else that is immediately dangerous. She rolls her eyes and makes one of those annoying teenager sounds.
Tokiko feebly thanks you and Ichirin for your help, and stays behind to help clean up the bookstore. Tokiko has LEFT YOUR PARTY.
> Keine: Talk to Ichirin.When you get outside, Ichirin has already changed back into her previous outfit using her instant swap passive. Changing clothes in broad daylight must convenient! (...and maybe exciting??)
You relax and switch back over to VISUAL NOVEL MODE to try to salvage your day out with Ichirin.
> _
