~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
Renko the Science Gal
Sana:
The four of us walked into the store named the Kourindou. For the most part it was just an ordinary house in appearance, except for the knickknacks scattered all over the tables and shelves. There were no price tags as far as I could see, so how much were we supposed to pay for things? Actually, does this place even have currency at all? As I pondered these questions, a young man dressed in blue and black japanese wear walked out from a side room, frustration evident on his face.
The man looked fairly young, but his silver hair gave him the air of age, as well as his awfully plain looking square rim glasses. If I had to describe him in a word, I guess my first response would be ?bookish??
?Marisa, I?ve told you a million times to KNOCK befo-oh. It?s you.? He adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat to mask his embarrassment. ?My apologies.? he said, his voice becoming far more businesslike. ?I?ve been plagued by petty theft these days, so please pardon my rude conduct.?
?The black-white witch again, I see.? Ran said.
?That?s right. That accursed Marisa keeps sneaking in here and ?borrowing? my items. If you see her, tell her for me that if she has interest in my wares, to at least have the courtesy to come in and ASK first??
?I?ll see what I can do. In the meantime, we are here on business. Lady Yukari has requested an item.?
?Again? Fine, but I?d like my fee paid as soon as possible. I?m planning to stock up on fuel before winter comes.?
?Very well.?
?Good. Well, come in then. I see you?re accompanied by some new faces??
?Ah, yes. This is Lady Renko and Lady Maribel.? Ran motioned to us in turn. ?They are currently under the care of Master Yukari. I believe the two of them are both scholars of some sort, if I?m not mistaken?? Ran said, glancing knowingly at us. I guess that?s going to be what we tell people when they ask now?
?That?s right! I?m Renko Usami, and I?m going to be a magical researcher!? Renko said, maintaining our new backstories easily. Looks like she really is determined to look into this magic business.
?I?m Maribel Hearn. I guess you could say I specialize in the mind?? I wasn?t quite sure how much people here knew about psychology, so this seemed to be the easiest description.
?Nice to meet you all. My name is Rinnosuke Morichika, and I run this store.? Rinnosuke said. He looked at Ran. ?Now then, has your master requested an item in particular??
?I am afraid not.? Ran shook her head. ?As far as I know, it simply has to be ?interesting?.?
?I see?You have it tough too, it looks like.? Rinnosuke gave her a look of sympathy. ?Well then, feel free to look around, and give me a call if an item piques your interest. I?ll state its purpose and you can make your decision.?
The four of us scattered throughout the house, and began looking through the items on the shelves. Ran and Chen took on half the house, so Renko and I went through the other. The items all seemed to be in various states of disrepair. Curiously enough, a lot of the items here were from our world, albeit very out of date. I even stumbled across an antique gaming device, which I showed to Renko.
?Look, Renko! I?ve only seen these in museums. Looks like even here, people get away from it all with some puzzle games.?
?Oh wow. This thing?s probably like, what? Over 50 years old now, at least.?
?Don?t touch that!? Rinnosuke suddenly shouted out, taking the device out of my hands. ?It?s dangerous!?
?Dangerous?? I asked, puzzled. I mean, maybe some people think games can be dangerous for your eyes over time? But Rinnosuke seemed convinced of a far greater danger.
?This is an incredibly dangerous item! I?ve been looking for it a while after Marisa took it, but it looks like even she was unable to use it for its true purpose and returned it while I wasn?t looking. You see, this is a device capable of controlling anything...and even destroying the world.? Rinnosuke declared dramatically.
Renko and I burst out laughing. ?Hahahaha! Good one!? Renko said, almost crying with laughter.
?It?s no joke! My ability is to determine the purpose of any object, and it has never been wrong!?
Renko stopped laughing, her interest suddenly piqued. ?Wait, you say your ?ability? told you this??
?That?s right. No matter what an object is, I can determine its use.?
?...Interesting?.? Renko picked up a nearby object. ?Then, what is this for??
?That is a device used to straighten hair.?
?Hm. That?s right. But can you tell me how to use it??
?I?m afraid not. My ability tells me what an item is called and what it is used for, but not how to use it. Honestly, it?s a pretty frustrating ability sometimes.?
?Wow. That does sound frustrating. So you really think this ?dangerous? object lets you control anything??
?That?s right.?
?Have you?.thought about the name of the object? The reason why it?s named what it is??
?It?s called a ?Game Boy?, correct? Perhaps it is a divine artifact from a childish god, who thinks the actions of the world beneath are just a game.?
Renko sighed. It was clear that she really wanted to tell him it was just a gaming device, but it might blow our cover as people from the outside world.
?Hm?.? Renko suddenly took out a small notebook and pencil and began to scribble something in it. ?Okay, how about this? What do you think this does?? She had drawn a hasty drawing of a keyboard.
He looked closely at the paper. ?...I don?t know.?
?Okay, so your ability applies to the actual thing, and not a drawing of the thing...? Renko ran her hands through her hair in frustration. She whispered to me. ?Hey, Mary...can you fetch me something from my room? I?ve got a model in there and I want to see if it works with this ability thing.?
?But then he?ll know we?re from the outside world, won?t he? We?ll get in trouble! And we?re not supposed to bring anything from the outside world!?
?Oh come on, for all he knows, you?re just getting something from Yukari?s place. She probably has tons of weird stuff. Besides, it?s just a model, it?s not like we?re bringing an entire spaceship here! She said ?technology?, not anything, after all.?
?Well...I don?t know Renko. I?d have to leave entirely for that. We told Yukari we wouldn?t leave if we were in the middle of something.?
?Can?t you just poke your hand through the boundary and fetch it? You send us back and forth all the time.?
While it was true that I send us through the boundary frequently, I had never tried keeping the boundary open and reaching through it. For some reason though, I felt like I could do it now. I concentrated on reaching Renko?s room in particular, and extended my arm. My arm entered a small gap in the boundary, and disappeared from view. Rinnosuke?s eyes widened with surprise. I groped around for a bit, but it was hard to find one thing in particular when you couldn?t see anything.
?Renko...where is it?? I asked. ?I can?t find it.?
?It?s on my desk. Next to my textbooks.? Renko said, pleasantly surprised that I had managed it so easily.
I poked my arm around in the gap until I found the textbooks. Next to it was a small object. I grabbed it and pulled my arm out of the gap. In my hands was a small model of a robotic arm, its paint worn off with age.
?Okay. What can you tell me about this?? Renko said, pointing to the model.
?Hm?? Rinnosuke examined the model. ?It?s?.a scaled down replica of an object. It?s called the Canadarm? The object?s purpose is for decoration. What the original object is for, I don?t know.?
?So, the ability has a limited effect on replicas of an object?.? Renko said thoughtfully.
?Mind if I ask what this is all about?? Rinnosuke said, frowning. ?I am not a curiosity or a toy to be played with.?
?We?re trying to get to the bottom of your ability, of course!? Renko said.
?Get to the bottom of my ability??
?That?s right. So the first thing we needed to do is establish limits. What is your ability fully capable of? What does it work on? What doesn?t it work on? Without limits, we can?t work within them.?
?But...why?? Rinnosuke asked, puzzled.
?Why??? Renko looked like she couldn?t believe what she was hearing. ?The same reason anyone looks up at the sky and wonders, ?why is the sky blue?! Because it?s there, that?s why, and because if it exists in this world, there must be rules that define them! Isn?t that what research is all about? Finding out why things happen??
?I see...I?ve been studying magic for years, but for some reason it never occurred to me to study my own ability. Perhaps I?ve been taking it for granted. Maybe knowing more about this ability will help me out in my business.? Rinnosuke came to a decision. ?Alright, I?ll help any way I can. Just give the word, and I?ll tell you everything my ability provides to the best of my ability.?
?Aces!? Renko exclaimed. ?What are we waiting for, then? Let?s get started!?
Over the next little while, Renko and I tried all we could think of; photographs of objects, full scale replicas of objects, novelty objects that resembled others, multipurpose objects, even pieces of objects. Unfortunately, not much of it worked, with the notable exception of fragments of objects.
Renko sighed. ?This is crazy! This ability sure is finicky. It tells you all this information as if from nowhere, but it?s all information that is basically worthless when you actually want to learn more about the thing! And it doesn?t even distinguish between individual parts of a thing that do different things, just the purpose of the whole thing when it?s assembled! How does it even know!? Where does the information even come from in the first place?!?
Rinnosuke chuckled. ?Well, I did tell you it was a frustrating ability.?
Ran walked by. ?Not to disrupt your fun, but we still have yet to find an ?interesting? item for Master Yukari.?
?Oh! Sorry, Ran.? I said. ?We got swept up in Rinnosuke?s ability, and??
?Ah, now that you mention it, I recently found an item that might be perfect for you.? Rinnosuke said, as he walked into a nearby room. He reappeared with a small colourful cube in his hand.
?This is a ?Rubik?s Cube?. As far as I can tell, it is a box that presents the user with a puzzle, and the user is supposed to solve it. I don?t know what the puzzle is, but perhaps Yukari may find it interesting.?
Ran picked up the cube, examining it. ?I suppose this will have to do.? Renko and I both couldn?t help but smile. Looks like even Gensokyo wasn?t safe from the almighty Rubik?s Cube.
?Say, you studied magic, right?? Renko asked Rinnosuke.
?That?s right.?
?Do you happen to have any items here that measure the output of magical power? Preferably as precisely as possible.?
?Hm?? Rinnosuke thought to himself. ?I have to say, I don?t think I have. Were you looking for such an item??
?Yeah. Can?t be a magical researcher without reliable tools, after all.?
?In that case, try asking the Doll-Master in the woods, or the Knowledge girl from the Scarlet Mansion. They are both skilled magicians, so perhaps they would know more. And if I may add, if you ever meet the black-white witch, don?t be fooled. She is a skilled magician, but she won?t be much help when it comes to more...subtle matters of magic.?
?I?ll keep that in mind.? Renko said, scribbling the new info down in her notebook.
?No problem. And if you ever find out something interesting, please let me know. I?d love to hear about it.?
?Got it. Thanks!?
?In the meantime, were the two of you interested in anything??
?Yeah, this.? Renko grabbed a small camera.
?Oh, the ?camera?. That?s a popular item. I trust you know how to use it??
?I do, but how am I supposed to pay for it??
?Hm...for now, we?ll just call our activities today your payment. I enjoyed myself too, after all. Just be sure to return it when you?re done, and don?t break it.?
?Really? Great! Yeah, I?ll keep it safe. I?m going to need it, you know??
?And yourself?? Rinnosuke turned to me.
?I think I?m fine, thanks.? I said. ?I?d hate to lose something that didn?t belong to me??
?Yeah, Mary loses stuff a lot. I have no idea how she does it.? Renko shook her head in mock disapproval. ?...speaking of losing things, did we lose Chen??
Ran looked down at her side in surprise. ?You?re right. Now where has Chen gone now??? She walked out the door, where we all heard the sounds of a scuffle.
We made our way outside, where Chen had pounced upon a winged creature in a black and purple dress. It(she?) was struggling underneath Chen in a futile attempt to escape.
?Chen?! What are you doing?!? Ran ran to Chen.
?Ah, Master Ran, look! I found a bird!? Chen looked quite happy about her accomplishment.
The ?bird? looked in our direction, her blue and silver hair in disarray. ?I?m not a bird?? She said, her red eyes filling with tears.
?Chen, what did I tell you about attacking people unprovoked?? Ran looked very unimpressed, like a mother disappointed in her child.
?Oh?Right.? Chen?s face fell, and she got off the girl. ?Sorry?.?
The girl looked up at me from the ground and froze in fear. ?You?.you?re that legendary gap youkai!?
Getting mistaken for Yukari was starting to get tiring. ?No, I-?
?Please! You have to help me!? The girl cut me off, crawling to my feet. ?It?s her, she?s done it again! I'll do anything, so please! Rescue my friend from the Red-White Demon!?
Hello Purvis:
Renko attempts to get to the bottom of Sakuya's time manipulation, finds herself suddenly deposited into a trash can with no memory of how she got there.
AzyWng:
Also, an encounter/confrontation with the Hakurei? This is either gonna be fun, or FUN!!!
Evil_Nazgul0616:
[Plot intensifies]
Sana:
Not much sciency stuff in this one.
The five of us were hidden in the forest near the Hakurei Shrine, the home of the supposed ?Red-White Demon? the bird girl had told us about. The girl(her name was apparently Tokiko?) was shivering with fear, but was doing her best to keep calm. Chen was playing with Tokiko?s wing feathers, much to her displeasure. Renko looked quite focused, but Ran seemed surprisingly detached from the whole affair.
?So...what now?? I wiped the sweat from my brow, peering through the bushes.
?Dunno. It?s not often we get asked to rescue someone from a kidnapper, after all. What do we know about this demon thing?? Renko asked.
?Oh, she?s very fearsome!? Tokiko whispered. ?She?s strong, and mean, and doesn?t listen to anyone! She?s a big bully!?
?She is?? Chen whispered back. ?But she gives me food sometimes. That?s good, isn?t it??
Ran frowned. ?While my opinion of the miko is not exactly stellar, I find it hard to believe that she would stoop so low as to kidnap an innocent. Can you explain what happened in detail??
?Well, I was walking along playing with my friend when I bumped into the Demon. And then she pushed me down and took my friend! It was awful!?
?...That?s it? That?s not very detailed at all.? Renko said. ?Also, you said ?Demon?, but Ran said she?s a miko. Which is it??
?Just because she?s a miko doesn?t mean she can?t also be a Demon! She?s terrible! She just pushed me down and took him!?
?Don?t worry, it?ll be okay.? I tried to reassure her.
Renko sighed. ?Okay, I get it. So, what does he look like??
?He?s wonderful!? Tokiko?s eyes glittered with admiration. ?He?s very handsome, but has that sort of worn look that makes you think, ?oh, he?s so smart?! Like he?s wise beyond his years! And he?s just the right amount of thickness, you know? Like not too thin, but not too thick either, if you know what I mean. He?s just right!?
?Thickness?? I thought to myself. ?I don?t think I?ve ever described anyone by how thick they are...Weird.?
?...Right?? Renko seemed unimpressed. ?But I still don?t know what he looks like.?
?Hmm?? Tokiko thought to herself. ?He?s sort of a?.brownish gold? Oh, except for a little stain on his front from when I accidentally spilled something on him. But you?ll know it?s him when you see him, because I put a sticker with my name on it on his back, and I wrote my name on his inside.?
?Wait wait wait wait. Hold on. Tokiko, your friend wouldn?t happen to be a book...would he?? Renko asked.
?Wow! You?re so smart! How?d you know??
Renko and Ran both sighed deeply. Renko rolled her eyes, to the point where it was a miracle they didn?t just disappear into her brain.
?Tokiko, um...Not that books can?t be our friends in some way, but...what about your other friends? You could?ve asked them for help, couldn?t you?? I asked, trying to be as courteous as possible.
Tokiko tilted her head. ?Other friends? But he?s my only friend.?
?I see?? There was an awkward silence. After a few moments, Renko grabbed Tokiko by the arm and began to walk out of the bushes towards the shrine.
?C?mon then. Let?s just get this over with, shall we?? Renko said. ?We?ll ask the ?Demon? or whatever for your book back, then you?ll be happy, right??
?W-wait! I can?t go out there! She?ll kill me!? Tokiko pulled back.
?Now now, surely she?ll listen to reason, right?? I glanced to Ran. ?...Right??
?Well, the miko does have her bad days. But I see no reason why she would not comply. I doubt the book is as important to her as it is to Tokiko, in any case.? Ran said.
We walked out into the clearing and approached the shrine. A girl clad in red and white miko garb had just exited the shrine, broom in hand. I suppose she was about to do some cleaning? She looked quite bored. Even when we entered her field of view, her expression was unwavering.
?Not often I see you guys around here?? She glanced at me. ?Hey, you there. You look an awful lot like Yukari, but you obviously aren?t her, so who are you? And I've never seen you before either.?
I was a little taken aback by her straightforwardness, but pleasantly surprised that someone had finally seen through my resemblance to Yukari so easily. ?My name is Maribel Hearn, and this is my friend Renko Usami. But how did you know I wasn?t Yukari??
?If you were Yukari, you wouldn?t have bothered to walk to the door.? the girl shrugged. ?Besides, she usually comes alone.?
?Ah, that makes sense. It seems like you know her pretty well.? I smiled.
?I?ve had my fair share of run-ins with her, yeah. So? What do you guys want?? The girl asked.
Renko cleared her throat. ?Ahem. We?re here to get a book back from you. Apparently you took it from her?? she motioned to Tokiko, who was hiding behind Ran?s tails.
?Oh, the bird. Yeah, I?ll get it. In the meantime, you guys want some tea??
?Sure.? Renko said, and followed the girl into the building. For a so-called ?Demon?, she seemed surprisingly accommodating considering her name.
We all walked in and sat around a wooden table. Chen promptly began eating some of the rice crackers on the table. Tokiko looked around frantically, as if everything in the room was booby-trapped and out to get her. Everything in the room seemed quite old, except for a small wooden cage. Inside was what appeared to be a doll-sized room complete with futon and furnishings.
?Renko, look at this! Isn?t it cute?? I picked it up and showed it to her.
?Woah, this is pretty well made. Think that ?Doll-Master? Rinnosuke was talking about made it?? she said, examining the cage?s contents closely.
?Ah, I would advise against touching that.? Ran said.
?Why not?? I asked.
?The owner will be angry with you. See?? Ran pointed behind me.
I turned to see a very tiny girl sitting in a small floating rice bowl. Her purple hair was cut in a bob, and she was wearing old-fashioned Japanese formal wear. ?Hey!!! Give me back my room!? She seemed to be shouting at the top of her lungs, but it still sounded very quiet.
?Oh! My mistake.? I put it back in its place, and put my head closer to the girl so I could hear her better. ?I didn?t know anyone was living in it.?
?Well, since you?ve realized your mistake, I suppose I can forgive you.? She replied. "But don't do it again, you hear?"
Renko just looked at the girl like she was seeing things.
?Hm? What are you looking at? Is there something on my face??
?You?re TINY!? Renko blurted out. ?How is it even possible to be that small????
?Rude!? The girl shouted. ?Didn?t anyone tell you in etiquette class not to make fun of a person?s height?! Especially a girl?s height!?
?Hm...she?s this small, but she still seems to have all the standard features of a human despite her height.? Renko muttered to herself, ignoring the girl?s outburst. ?And it seems her body functions normally? And she can even fly like the other people here. And somehow her bowl can fly too??
?Hey!!! Are you listening?!? The girl waved her hands.
?Don?t mind her, she?s just thinking about things?? I said. ?So, who might you be??
?I am Sukuna Shinmyoumaru, the Princess of the Inchlings!? She declared proudly.
?Nice to meet you, Princess. I?m Maribel Hearn.? Sukuna beamed when I called her ?Princess?. ?You know, I?ve never met a real princess before. You live in a castle or something like that, right? What?s being a princess like?? I asked.
?Ah, well I'm very important, since I'm a princess. And my castle is huge! It's made of the finest stone, and it floats in the air as a symbol of our greatness! And I do very important work too, I?ll have you know. My entire kingdom relies on me! ?
?Gosh, that sounds hard. I don?t know if I?d be able to handle pressure like that. I can barely make decisions for myself sometimes.?
Sukuna seemed somewhat surprised that I was taking her seriously. ?Er...yes! It?s a hard job! But it?s no problem for me!?
There was suddenly an onset of quiet snapping noises. Renko was rapidly taking pictures of Sukuna from various angles. ?Hey, Mary, can you move closer to her a bit? If you?re not in the frame it?ll just look like I doctored the photo or something. And maybe hold something up next to her for reference??
Sukuna looked at Renko with disdain. ?This is why I hate humans sometimes, never respecting our dignity!?
The miko walked in with a tray filled with cups of tea. ?So, I see you?ve met the midget.?
?See, this is exactly what I mean!!!? Sukuna shouted, pointing at the miko. ?No respect!?
She ignored Sukuna and handed out cups of tea before sitting down herself, and taking a drink. Ran, Chen, and I followed suit. Tokiko seemed very unconvinced by the miko?s charity, and very obviously pretended to take a sip. Renko glanced at the tea, then downed half the cup in one go.
?Renko?? I poked at her, giving her the ?stop being rude!? face.
?What? We?re allowed to drink it, aren?t we??
?Yes, but do you have to drink it that way??
?Don?t worry about it. I?ve seen worse.? the miko said. ?At least she actually drinks it. Anyway, you wanted this, right?? she pulled out a small, leather bound book and put it on the table.
?Jules!? Tokiko shouted out, taking the book back immediately.
?Jules? Your book?s name is Jules?? Renko asked. ?Why??
?Because that?s his name. See?? Tokiko pointed to the cover, which read: ?Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days?.
?....Right?Well anyway, you got your friend back. Isn?t that nice??
?I suppose so.? Tokiko seemed to have calmed down now that she had her book back. ?But I would?ve preferred it if this had never happened at all??
?Actually, yeah. You seem pretty laid back, uh??
?Reimu. Reimu Hakurei.? the miko stated.
?Right, Reimu. So, why would you take Tokiko?s book if you were just going to give it back to her later??
?Hm?? Reimu thought to herself. ?Well, you know. There?s something about this bird??
?Oh??
?Yeah, she just...she just seems so easy to bully, if you know what I mean. It?s like a reflex. You know, when you see something, and it seems so weak that you kind of want to tease it a little?? Reimu chuckled. Tokiko looked dismayed after hearing Reimu's words.
?Mm.? Renko nodded sagely. ?I kinda get what you mean. Mary used to be a lot like that when she was younger.?
?Excuse me?!? I nearly spit out my tea.
?Yeah! C?mon, Mary. You can?t tell me you weren?t kind of wimpy back then. Remember that time in grade school, when you somehow got ?trapped? up on some school building and they had to use a ladder to get you down??
I crossed my arms. ?Well, at least I didn?t paint my room black with white spots because I wanted to ?see stars during the daytime?.?
?Oh, so that?s how you?re going to play it, huh?? Renko smiled grimly.
Luckily, the impending war was cut short by a shout from outside. ?YO! FATTY! YOU AROUND??
Reimu stood up, a smile on her face. ?YOU?RE THE FATTY, YOU MUSHROOM MANIAC!?
?WHAT?D YOU CALL ME!?? There was some stomping, and a girl appeared in the doorway. Her blonde hair was tied into braids, and she was wearing a black and white witch?s outfit. She looked at Reimu and cracked a wide smile. ?Yo! Reimu! What?s up??