[x] I decided to give Mokou a hug.

Pissing against the tide, and I want the Mokou route too.

[x] I decided to give Mokou a hug.

[x] I decided to thank Mokou for all she'd done for me.

Mokou turned to face me, with a stern glare on her face. Her arm was on the railing, her mind and body seemingly ready to go to sleep. But her mouth certainly wasn't. "Don't ever thank me again, Shin."

What?

Mokou must have noticed my face, because she started speaking again, this time with an obviously angry face. "Don't ever thank me again," she repeated, "because that hurts! Do you think that's what I want to hear, Shin? Thank you. You're welcome. Bullshit!" I turned my face away from her, as if I had been slapped. My cheek even hurt, too, but it was clear Mokou wasn't the one who slapped me.

Was it that arrow woman again?

"If you're thinking of living here, I don't want you acting like Keine's lapdog..." She grew quiet all of a sudden. "I despise that goddamn horn-up-her-ass bitch."

I didn't know what to say. Those two were such good friends. Why was Mokou acting like this? Is this the way she felt?

"Who knows if she even did favors to them to stay in the village, unlike the two of us? Why is it that she has spellcards like us and isn't kicked out, huh?"

Now, while I couldn't respond to most everything else she had said, that statement about Keine being a slut was too much for me. I defended Keine with as much foul language as I could, and then some, while struggling to stay coherent. It was difficult. However, as I was ranting my mouth off, I could notice Mokou cracking a small smile. After I had finished, Mokou took a few steps toward me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"That's more like it, Shin. Now," she said as she headed up the stairs, "Good fucking night!"

---

I sat up in my bed, staring at my blankets. I didn't even notice that Seikatsu had opened up the mental link.

"Shin, what's wrong? You have a big day tomorrow."

I screwed up, didn't I Seikatsu? I feel really terrible.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to stop doing that, before? Alright, you screwed up (though I'm not sure how). Don't dwell on it; move on! What are you made of?"

Oh great, I made Seikatsu mad too...I don't care anymore. I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up.

"Hey! Shin! Shin! Sriracha! Damn it! Someone's here that's making them like this."

---

Shikieiki panted heavily, her saliva just barely escaping her mouth, trickling down her chin for just a small moment before falling down to the ground. In contrast, Komachi was already outside Mokou's door, looking none the worse for the wear.

"Can you," Shikieiki panted between breaths, "slow down," and paused again, "next time," and once more, "Komachi?" Komachi shrugged at her boss. "You just don't get enough exercise, Eiki. You're the one that insisted that we come here on foot."

Shikieiki shook her head. "Ignore me. We have to get inside, now. There's a bogey in there." Komachi nodded, but before she could open the door, it opened on its own, as if inviting her in. The river ferrywoman tried to enter, but found her progress blocked by an unseen force. "Boss? I'll need your help here." Shikieiki nodded, and invoked the use of her ability. The border between unseen and seen was dissolved, and there stood the source of the unwitting malice.

"Hello, pleased to meet you. My name is Ellen. What's yours?"

Komachi, startled by the witch's pleasantries, answered nervously. "H-hi, Ellen! My name is Komachi, and she's-"

"My name is not important." Shikieiki cut her employee short. "Tell your mistress this: the next time I see Ellen again, your control over her will be revoked."

Ellen curtsied to the two, then began to walk down towards the walkway to the side of the hill, while Komachi and Shikieiki mindlessly watched her graceful swagger. "Alright. I'll be sure to pass the message along. Thank you."

After finally being broken out of their trance, Komachi cursed under her breath, which earned her a whack to her head. "No swearing, Komachi. If only you weren't under your period..." Komachi gave an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

Eiki gave her an approving smile. "Yukari's a friend in this fight, but she's also a foe. She's concealing our enemy's movements, but she's also concealing ours. I just wish that stupid thing didn't guess exactly when your power wasn't usable, Komachi." The shinigami nodded. Her scythe was out of reach for this mission, but next time, they wouldn't fail.

The judge and her sidekick left the house and started to trudge down the walkway. At least, Shikieiki thought, after a good night's rest, Shin and Mokou would be less malicious to each other. The source of their hatred was gone.

---

End of Day 7

Active Main Routes:
Keine - 42 pts.
Mokou - 38 pts.

Active Mini-Routes:
Wriggle 40% complete

Finished Mini-Routes:
Cirno Happy End

Seikatsu awoke, outside of her shell, and right next to Shin. Even worse, she was still dressed in her pajamas, and she was hugging Shin. Tight. It only took a moment for the female in the room to determine the cause of her current state of affairs. She had reached out for Shin in his mind's eye, to bring him to her realm for a bit and just hold him, like a mother would. Instead, Shin turned when he unconsciously felt her touch, and pulled her to his realm instead. Seikatsu had bonked heads with Shin, and being the weaker of the two constitutionally, she fell asleep.

Now it was morning, and Seikatsu found herself with two problems. One: Shin was sleeping on her arm, and he was heavier than she was strong. Two, and most importantly: Mokou got up promptly at four in the morning. Thirty minutes. That's all she had to get out.

She pulled at her hand, and found herself pulling off Shin's shirt instead. No go. She used her body and her arm as a makeshift jack, propping her arm enough to let Shin roll off. Okay, good. Her arm was free. Now, where to hide. The room was bare, Shin hadn't fully gotten rid of the creakiness in the wood flooring, and there was only one small window that she couldn't fit through. And she couldn't just hide under the blankets because it'd show, and she can't hide in the dark because her clothes were sheet-white. Sheet-white. Seikatsu shook her head. There was no helping it, even if she was embarrassed. She'd have to undress.

---

Mokou awoke promptly at 4 in the morning, like she always did when she wanted to practice on her fire mastery. But, she felt bad about the little tirade. She wasn't sure what had come over her. Heck, she didn't even believe half the stuff she said the night before. It wasn't really in her nature, but she felt she had to apologize. But then again, because it wasn't really in her nature, she didn't want to do it to him while he was awake.

So Mokou strode on down the stairs, created a small flame at the tip of a finger, then went in.

---

Seikatsu was alarmed. Despite how well she was hidden, a light would make it very easy to be seen. At least, for the moment, Mokou was more focused on Shin that she was on potentially anyone around the room. After watching for a moment, it was clear that Mokou wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. And she needed to sneeze. This was not going to turn out well at all.

---

Mokou, satisfied with her apology, left the room. As she opened the door, she found it was unlocked. Odd. She normally locked the front door. She paid it no mind, and was about to exit when she heard a distinct sneeze from Shin's room. She rushed back in, only to find the sleeping Shin rubbing his nose. Oh, Mokou thought, it was just Shin. I've never heard him sneeze before, now that I think about it. Mokou shrugged, then left, this time to actually practice. She'd wasted a good fifteen minutes with all of this observation crap.

---

Oh man, that alarm clock. It really does wake you up, doesn't it? Oh. That's the third female I've seen now in eight days in front of me. I must be in some sort of bad comedy show.

[ ] "Good morning, whoever you are."
[ ] Explore.
[ ] Wake up first.

[x] "Good morning, whoever you are."

[x] Explore.

Who doesn't want to see Seikatsu in all her glory?

[x] "Good morning, whoever you are."

[x] Explore.

Exploring before waking up. Excellent.

[X] "Good morning, whoever you are."

Greeting people is important! How would you like it if someone didn't greet you?

[c] "Good morning, whoever you are."

This seems legit.

[x] "Good morning, whoever you are."

Hoping this is the Seacats option.

[x] "Good morning, whoever you are."

"Don't look down." Whoever she is, she doesn't want me to look down. How come? Why shouldn't I look d-ohwowIcanseethetopo-

I feel a sharp tug on my chin, and I find myself much more awake and staring straight at Seikatsu's glaring eyes. "I told you not to look down. Now get me out of here and back into my shell. I haven't hatched yet."

Somehow, I understood what she was saying. She wanted to be back in my mind. Well, that's simple. All I need is to use my spellcard...oh. Yeah, that could be a problem. The lake's too far, and I don't really know any other place that's isolated enough.

Seikatsu again took the initiative. "Look, I'll lead the way. I know a spot you can unsummon me at, just get me out of the danger zone." I quickly sighed. Looks like yesterday was just the calm before the storm.

After a few minutes, I drew up a plan. Mokou would get suspicious if I didn't attend breakfast. It was really one of the few things she was insistent about, so I placed that as a non-negotiable. So, I needed to sneak Seikatsu out while Mokou was cooking, make an excuse as to why I had come from outside, eat breakfast, mention I would be training with my spellcards today (so I had an excuse to go outside), then leave. It took a few minutes, but I heard the little bell in front of the door go off. As I heard Mokou starting up the oven, I rushed Seikatsu outside.

---

Today's breakfast is quite simple. It's a stew-like soup, with stringy rabbit meat in it. It's quite a lot more tart than I expected, and I thanked Mokou for the great taste. Surprisingly, Mokou seemed to have forgotten about the whole little tirade that occurred yesterday, as she nodded, acknowledging my appreciation.

"So, what are your plans for today," Mokou asked, as she took the dishes over to the makeshift sink. She asked it on and off, so it wasn't really any different than any other day. I mentioned I was gonna spend some time practicing with my spellcards, and Mokou seemed more than a little pleased.

"Yeah. Those counter spellcards you have are certainly different than anything I've seen before, but you can't rely on them." Mokou's back was turned, but her voice was strong.

I decided to spend a few moments helping Mokou with the dishes before leaving.

Outside, Seikatsu was off to the side, standing impatiently. While she was still dressed in her pajamas, I had given her one of my clean shirts and pants to wear on top so that she was presentable. Quickly, we made our way down the wooden stairs at the side of the hill, right next to the forest. I wasn't going to risk another encounter with another fairy, even if Cirno turned out to be rather nice after I got to know her. I mean, last time was ice. Who knows if the next time it'll be a fire fairy that could burn off Seikatsu's clothes and knock me unconscious?

We arrive at the bottom, and I find that we're still We get to the bottom, and Seikatsu points me in a different direction: towards the human village. I wonder and continue to follow her, and as we get close, she takes a detour, passing by the north edge of the village into another forest. I take out a small danmaku machete and start cutting the branches I see in front of me. Seikatsu is paying it no mind, but I can't keep up with her if these obstacles are in my way. Finally, after what seemed like 15 minutes of endless cutting, we arrive at the back of the Hakurei Shrine. It's quite an extensive backyard, with trees, fruits, and even a pond/lake hybrid of sorts. There's even a large turtle swimming in it!

"Oh hi, Genji! Been a while since I saw you last, isn't it?" Seikatsu's voice catches me off guard, but I double over in shock when I hear the sound of a gentle and kindly male voice coming from the turtle. "Yes, indeed, milady. It's been ages since I saw you last, too!"

Those two knew each other? Wait, who's this turtle?

"I faced off against Genji and Reimu once. After getting trounced, I got to know Genji after our battle, since I wasn't too happy with Reimu. I'm still not, but I won't hold petty grudges anymore."

"So, basically," I asked telepathically, "Genji is Reimu's?"

Seikatsu nodded, even while talking to Genji. "Yeah. It seems like he's a teacher of hers, or at least was, at some point in time."

"...and it's nice being in retirement. She spends most of her income on me, which is very kind of her." Genji's voice cuts in after the link ends, and I'm again shocked at how kind it sounds. It's nice to listen to. "So," Genji asks, "who's the young man you brought with you? Is he your boyfriend, Seikatsu?"

"I wish, Genji. Nah, he's a companion of mine." I didn't even react to the veiled insult. Genji's voice was so calming I felt like lying down and just relaxing. After a few more moments of their catching up, Genji motioned me over with his flipper.

"So, young man, you're looking for a clear opening, right?" I nod. "Well then," he continues, "right beyond the path over there is a clearing you can use to unsummon her." He motions over to my right, where there appears to be rings of flowers around the trees. "I made it a special place that your ritual can't be observed by prying eyes." I thanked him, and hurried over to the clearing, catching Seikatsu's arm when I passed her and half-dragged her with me. Before I could enter, Genji gave me a parting call. "Come see me once you've finished young man. There is a lot I wish to talk to you about."

---

I enter the clearing, and am amazed by how round it is. It's as if it was made like this on purpose. Seikatsu enters behind me, panting. "You could have warned me you were going to do that, Shin! I almost fell down a few times!"

Whoops. Sorry. The quick silence that follows is broken up by Seikatsu urging me to complete the ritual, so I set up. When I'm ready, I pull the spellcard and prepare to toss it into the air. Instead, I realize the duel walls are brought up, and look over to see Seikatsu holding three spellcards of her own.

"Hey Shin! I wanna try my hand at this spellcard thing. Mind obliging me while I have the chance?" I shrug and accept. This had to be part of Seikatsu's plan all along. I told Mokou a lie, and Seikatsu wants to make that lie a truth.


Choose three:
- [ ] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Materialism」
- [ ] Praetor Sign 「Realism and Belief」
- [ ] Mortal 「Dying Soul -Evermore-」 (Counter)
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」
- [ ] Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」
- [ ] Justice 「Nirvana Denied」 (Counter)
- [ ] Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」
- [ ] Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」
- [ ] Human Sign 「Birthing of a God」

Choose perspective:
- [ ] Shin
- [ ] Seikatsu

Choose three:
- [x] Construction Sign 「Materialism」
- [x] Justice 「Nirvana Denied」 (Counter)
- [x] Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」

Choose perspective:
- [x] Shin

Choose three:
- [c] Construction Sign 「Materialism」
- [c] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」
- [c] Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」

I don't know the significance of these spellcards, but eh.

Choose perspective:
- [c] Shin

Choose three:
- [x] Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」
- [x] Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」
- [x] Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」

Choose perspective:
- [x] Shin

We haven't seen these three spellcards yet.

>>24937
There's only two that haven't been used yet.

Praetor Sign 「Realism and Belief」
and
Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」

- Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」 was used versus Keine. See >>22303
- Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」 was used versus Mokou. See >>24541

- [x] Seikatsu

Why is everyone turning down a perspective switch? This confuses me.

- [x] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」
- [x] Praetor Sign 「Realism and Belief」
- [x] Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」
- [x] Seikatsu

I want to get inside her head.

Also, Shin being adorable to watch.

[x] The albuvista stays in Shin.

It was odd. I had noticed it when I woke up this morning, but even though Seikatsu was in front of me, I could still hear a voice in my mind. Was this my real power's voice, not just Seikatsu filtering the words? I asked Seikatsu to wait a moment while I contacted it.

"Hello Shin. It's good to finally hear you." Unlike what I was expecting or hoping for, the voice turned out to be masculine. Yes, and the same to you. Now, if I may ask, who are you?

The voice gave a hearty bellow, before responding with "Don't worry about that, young man. Finish your fight with my roommate; then we'll talk." I slapped myself on my forehead. That was Genji. The voice didn't have any alluring qualities, but it was still the same voice. Alright, I'll talk to you later.


Minor Threat of Gensokyo
Shin Matsuya

Perfector of Self
1%&#@)#6{


That was odd. My title changed, and Seikatsu's real name was hidden even among our titles. Oh well. I raised a spellcard quickly, and Seikatsu did likewise.

Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」

Spectre Sign 「The Last Wau」

My spellcard relied on me making small injector-like danmaku and spreading them out from my duel wall's back in an almost undodgeable manner. However, my body would act as a shield, so where I would move would be a safe spot for my opponent. I created the danmaku rather quickly, and started to stream them down, all the while moving back and forth, left and right, but never really getting closer or farther away from her. In the meantime, she was spending a lot of time charging up. I could see her own danmaku coming, but it looked to be small versions of the letter F in English. Why "F"? What does it stand for?

It shouldn't matter. Continuing my pattern, once I reached the right corner, I ran straight, heading for Seikatsu's left corner, before curving around her and then back toward my other corner. Seikatsu's spellcard was stationary, so I'm glad I used this spellcard. Sure enough, after about half a minute, I burst through her magic wall and break her spellcard. It knocks her off her feet, and she ends up on the floor. I almost run over to help her out, but remember Mokou's words about battle, and sure enough, she gets up rather quickly.

"Not bad, Shin. You're just lucky I'm not going to be using my best spellcards."

Oh please. I can control you much more than you can control me, Seikatsu. You have to be weaker than me, even though you're not human.

"I already knew you'd be overpowering me, since you have now 10 spellcards and I only have 7 at this point in time. But I know that if I go all out, you can't beat me. So, for now, I might as well let you relish your victories. Here I come!"

Purities Sign 「Mercury's Bubbles」

I laugh, then summon my own.

Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」

Again, I'm the first to act, creating the five-point star around me. The bullets are a bit refined now, so instead of pellet-shaped bullets like before, they're diamond-shaped. That allows me to fire more without exhausting my resources, and I take advantage by winding up and spinning in place very fast. This is a stationary spellcard, but I don't think she has anything that she can best me with right now.

Sure enough, she too is using a stationary, as far as I can see. She's got a danmaku cauldron behind her, and a bottle in front. It looks like the cauldron is just boiling water, but she's supplying the fire. Interesting. She's directing the steam towards the bottle, and...oh. That's not good. The bubbles are overflowing from the cauldron, and she's mixing the two together. I realize the ravens I'm creating from hitting the duel walls are now homing in on her position, but her danmaku bubbles are slow, but huge. Bubbles wrapped with mercury start to flood her position, and I force the ravens to focus on the bubbles to pop them. However, when they're popped, gravity does a weird thing and the drop of mercury encapsulating the bubble heads straight towards my duel wall. That's not good.

I make sure to only focus on the bubbles that aren't directly in my way, since they're affected by the wind, and sure enough, the ravens do enough damage to Seikatsu and break her spellcard as well.

I stop spinning long enough to catch myself. I feel like I'm under a dizzy spell, and Seikatsu takes advantage of the opportunity to declare first.

Myth Sign 「Hathor's Betrayal」

Who's Hathor? I raised my hand to use my spellcard, Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」, and found I couldn't. What was going on?

Seikatsu smiled. "Consider it a timed spellcard. Dodge everything, and you win. Otherwise, I do."

Now this was confusing. My mind clocked into overdrive. There had to be a pattern; Seikatsu was trying to tell me something. But what? What did those three spellcards have in common? I quickly made a chart in my mind and laid out her spellcards. From the numerals on the cards, I can tell she used her 2nd, 4th, and 6th cards. But before I can think any further, I see what looks to be a Holy Bird rise from Seikatsu's body, only to be pierced with a lance, then destroyed. The feathers are raining down toward me, and I dodge to the left to get out of the way. I think I have a small respite, but the Bird heading toward me has other ideas, and I have to roll out of the way of that one. I've given another moment to just rest while a shell is created around the Bird, and as I dodge the breaking shell fragments, it looks like it's reborn, only to have that lance pierce it again. Where is that lance coming from?

I look around, dodging the now-arching feathers that are bouncing off the side walls, and notice Seikatsu materializing a lance. So that's who's killing the Avian. I'd use a Counter Spellcard here, but it's her last card in this match, so I can't cut this short. I have to rely on dodging then, as I can't create danmaku very well without my spellcards.

This time, instead of ramming straight at me, the God-like Bird heads straight for Seikatsu, intent on attacking her, but the lance in her hand pierces straight through its heart. She then winds up, dashes up to me, and swings. I was not prepared to dodge a giant bird on a stick, and she easily hits me, knocking me up in the air.

As the duel walls dissipate, she runs out underneath me and holds out her arms, and she catches me before I hit the ground.

After letting me down, Seikatsu looks at me with a coy smile. "What do you think, Shin?"

That last spellcard made no sense to me. How could Seikatsu kill a God? I ask her, and she laughs it off.

"C'mon Shin, don't take it so seriously. It's just a spellcard; since when are spellcards representative of the people using them?"

I don't say anything, but deep inside me I know the answer to that question: every time. I can feel a fire start to kindle in me.

Seikatsu stretches her body, then returns back to where she had started the duel. "Whew. That worked off a bunch of stress. So Shin, ready to take me back now?" Seikatsu's smile never left.

However, her voice triggers something. I can feel anger boil up in me. I suddenly feel like she's been using me this entire time, but my mind quickly flashes back to the time we had talked on the lake, and I calm down, even if I don't really feel like doing so. As I prepare to send Seikatsu back, I can't help but feel so lost.

I wish I could talk to my benefactor one more time. There's so much more I would ask.


Vote 1: What are you going to do about Seikatsu?
[ ] Ignore everything else for now and focus on getting Seikatsu back into her shell.
- [ ] Trust her.
- [ ] Be wary of her.
[ ] Acknowledge that Seikatsu is a mystery and let her be.
- [ ] Trust her.
- [ ] Be wary of her.
[ ] Genji may not be your benefactor, but you need to talk to someone about Seikatsu.
- [ ] Trust her.
- [ ] Be wary of her.

Vote 2: How are you gonna get home?
[ ] Go down the stairs of the Hakurei Shrine. It's an open spot, so it's safe for spotting ambushes.
[ ] Return the way you came. There's gotta be marks from your machete somehow.
[ ] Ask Genji for help. He'll know what to do.

--

The update's not huge, but the vote will be. Time for the series to take a different tone for at least a little while.
Also, the Trust/Be Wary option does not affect Mokou or Keine's scores in the slightest.

[x] Acknowledge that Seikatsu is a mystery and let her be.
- [x] Trust her.
[x] Ask Genji for help. He'll know what to do.

[c] Acknowledge that Seikatsu is a mystery and let her be.
- [c] Trust her.
[c] Ask Genji for help. He'll know what to do.

Do we have an image representation for Seikatsu?

>>24943
I wish.

The only current description is at >>22972

"With her long black hair wrapped in a wet ponytail, her shirt wringing still continuing, my button-down shirt fitting rather nicely on her, and her skirt. I'm not sure even how to describe that skirt. I'm guessing it was just a flannel skirt that was tie-dyed with red and orange, as there are way too many blotches... "


On second thought, here's a better description.

She stands 5 foot 6, one inch shorter than Shin, and has jet-black hair (with a few white strands) in a ponytail, held together by a grass band. She still has Shin's off-white button-down shirt, but normally wears a white-green blend shirt. Her skirt was originally blue, but with the bloodstains on it it looks like red and orange. She wears geta on her feet, and no socks. The skirt reaches to right above her knees.

Her pajamas, which is what she's currently wearing (with Shin's shirt), is a one-piece side-zipper cloth bodysuit that has stripes where her chest is and is pretty plain elsewhere. It's mainly white, with the stripes being black and the outline of the bodysuit is brown. It's very easy to make out the square pattern indented into the cloth.

Her measurements are 37(B)-25-34, and her butt is round but shapely and small.

...makes me want to make a thread in /words/ just for things like this.

[x] Acknowledge that Seikatsu is a mystery and let her be.
- [x] Trust her.
[x] Ask Genji for help. He'll know what to do.

[x] Acknowledge that Seikatsu is a mystery and let her be.
- [x] Trust her.
[x] Ask Genji for help. He'll know what to do.

I'm not really sure what came over me. It was this wave of hatred that came out of nowhere. Where did it come from?

"Shin," Seikatsu called, "are you alright? You're clutching your heart; you look like you're in pain." As she rushed over, I decided not to refuse her help. So, as I caught my breath, I told her what I had felt and how sudden it had been.

Seikatsu's face, while cheery, was suddenly serious, and for a moment, she thought about her answer. Finally, she was ready to speak. "I'm not quite sure how to explain this to you, but that's darkness. Pure darkness. Something that needs to be gone before you can be free. Right now, my job is not only to assist you in mind, but also to combat that darkness from within."

She continued. "The power you have is greater than the average human, but it comes with a downside. Consider me as a safeguard." It was odd. This darkness...or whatever it was inside me, wanted me to not believe her, to use my power on her very statements and find out if they were true. But why should I not believe her? If she's fighting on my behalf, there's no way she's not on my side.

Even so, the darkness pointed out the hatching comment she had made not so long ago, but I tossed it aside. Why should I listen to the darkness if she's going to be fighting to get rid of it? I got up, ready to summon her back into my mind.

Human Sign 「Birthing of a God」

Instead of the orb being bright, however, it was pitch-black and dark. Seikatsu looked worried. "Looks like that darkness has got around my egg. Hurry up and get me inside, so I can start getting rid of it!" I didn't need another word. Invoking the spellcard, my thoughts raced as I watch Seikatsu turn into energy and float toward the orb, where she was drawn in. And suddenly, it was silent. The wind was no longer rustling, the birds in the trees weren't chirping. Something happened. It was then that I realized that right after I had put the spellcard back into its place in my belt that I found myself out of the clearing and in the Hakurei backyard.

Coming up to meet me was the old turtle Seikatsu and I had seen earlier. I think his name was Genji, right?

"Hello there, young man. It looks like you've done what you've come for. Please, have some tea and calm down." Before I could ask 'what tea', Reimu came walking around the side of the building with a teapot and two glasses. She spotted me, and didn't take her prying eyes off of me, even when she walked down the few steps of the back porch to get Genji's pond, where she dropped off the tea she was carrying. Instead of my eyes being drawn to the tea, they were drawn to Reimu. All she did, however, was glare at me.

In a somewhat suspicious tone, she asked, "Do I know you?" I was about to remark that she had once, five days earlier, but she cut me off. "Of course I do. You're Shin Matsuya. I won't mistreat you for trespassing since you're Genji's guest, but don't let me catch you doing that again." Without so much as a "hmph", she turned her face and walked away, dignified by her response.

I stood, watching her go, until Genji tapped my left calf. "Don't worry about her," he said as I turned around to face him, "it's her time right now." I understood, and left it at that.

"So, young man, what did you want to talk to me about?" I expressed my interest in learning more about Seikatsu, and the two of us talked for a long while. The subjects danced about, from finding a girl to relationships, to grape vines and wine-making. Finally, after a short ditty about a tentacle monster that used to terrorize youkai and humans alike, I noticed that the sun was starting to set, and I didn't have a way back. I asked Genji how I might get back home.

"Well, you have a few options, Shin. I can think of at least one person who won't be happy by what you choose, though." I wasn't sure what he meant, but asked him to carry on.

[ ] "I can take you, but I can only fly as far as the human village you came from, Shin."
[ ] "I can ask Reimu to fly you back home."
[ ] "I'll summon Seikatsu temporarily, and she can fly you back home."

"Or," Genji added,

[ ] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

"So, Shin, what will it be?"

[X] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

Sounds good to me.

[x] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

[X] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

I'll pick Unlocked Options wherever they appear, because it's rewarding to see the effects of our choices bear out across more than just the following scene.

[c] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

>>24953
Indeed, I completely agree. If you want to know, protecting Wriggle from Keine, even if it wasn't necessary, in addition to not staying in bed with Keine the next morning, unlocked this option.

I've actually been debating; should I be showing the unlocked options that you've missed, or should I just show you the ones you've obtained?

>>24955
Don't tell us what we've missed.

Update will be slightly late. I should have it done at most three hours after I get home.

[x] "I can have a friend of yours pick you up." {Unlocked Option}

I responded that I would prefer the last, as I wasn't sure I even had friends now.

"Ah," Genji replied knowingly, with a smile, "you have more friends than you think, Shin. Just because you may have met them once doesn't mean they can't be your friends."

"No, it's not like that, Genji." My voice suddenly found its strength. "I thought everyone abandoned me when I was left for dead by the elders."

Genji shook his head. "Dear boy, you should talk in that voice more often. It's interesting you've kept a quiet voice until now." I shrunk at his gentle but subtle scolding. "No," Genji continued, "I don't believe you were abandoned at all. Why else would the Elder ask Mokou to find you?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised, and I asked why the Elder would do that.

"I think he knows more than I do about that simple subject. Oh, your ride's here."

I turn around, expecting to see a human being, but no, just two antennae poking out from behind a tree. After getting over the initial shock, I felt relieved that it was Wriggle, and ran towards the tree to give her a hug. I was glad she was alright, and wasn't caught, and told her so.

"I was actually looking for you, Sriracha," Wriggle stated ashamedly. "I tried to find you by myself, but I couldn't, and I had to ask the bugs for help."

I patted her on the head. I don't know why I just decided to do it, but it felt right. I encouraged her, and asked her why she was looking for me.

"I want to know more about Sriracha. I want to know more about the son of Takuhito." Wriggle's face was innocent and childish about her words, but my power told me that she was hiding something. There was another reason that she wanted me to know more about me. I paid it no mind, and told her that I'd be able to spend time with her tomorrow.

- Notice: Day 9 Changed -

"Really? I'm glad." Wriggle started to happily wander off, and realizing she was my ticket home, I stuttered out a goodbye to the chuckling Genji before stumbling my way to beside Wriggle.

[ ] Conversation between Shin and Wriggle.
[ ] Whereabouts of Keine.
[ ] Mokou's Training.

--

Sorry for the short length.

[x] Conversation between Shin and Wriggle.

[x] Conversation between Shin and Wriggle.

No contest.

[x] Conversation between Shin and Wriggle.
More Wriggle!

[x] Conversation between Shin and Wriggle

I had only turned away to catch up to Wriggle when Genji called after me. I let him talk, but didn't turn back to him.

"Goodbye, Shin," Genji called out. "I hope we'll talk again some other time."

I nodded, and raised my right hand, palm facing him. I was always taught that the palm was nicest thing one could show a person.

---

"So, Wriggle, where are we going?" I asked. My voice seemed to be fine when it was just us two. Maybe. When Wriggle pressed the question, I responded. "I haven't seen where you stay for all this time I've known you. I was curious, and thought I could come and see."

Wriggle's antennae twitched, but I wasn't sure what it meant.

"W-what are you saying? You don't ask to see where a youkai girl like me stays? B-besides, you're human, I'm youkai! A relationship like that should never happen!"

Well, now I know what that twitching means.

"Wriggle." I tried to emulate Genji's voice as I had heard it before, and she stopped and turned to face me, visibly pouting, but it was obvious she was faking it.

Oh well, time to clear up the mess.

"I never meant anything like that, Wriggle. Man, it's because I'm a human I'm interested in things like that. How was I supposed to know that was sacred for youkai?"

Wriggle finally relented, and nodded, but her bottom lip was still curled upwards. I scanned her body while I awaited her answer; was that something guys normally do to a girl?

"Alright, fine. Just remember that for next time." She turned back, and starting walking briskly. I ran to catch up to her, and then realized we were on the flat walkway in-between the two flights of stairs necessary to get to the Hakurei Shrine, and I missed the first step down. Wriggle noticed, and turned to catch me, but even with her youkai strength, the momentum pushing me forward was much greater, so the only thing she could do was jump off the steps backwards to propel the two of us away from landing on the stairs.

"I really didn't want to do this, Shin." A strange buzzing sound started to come from Wriggle, and instead of falling, she started to fly. I wish I could say I caught exactly what she had said, but I didn't. She dropped down a good few away from the Human Village, and descended, dropping me off.

"Wriggle?" I couldn't help but notice that something felt off.

"I'll drop you off here for now. I'll see you again, Shin." Her voice was calm and very soft-spoken, almost similar to my regular speech. But that wasn't going to let her trick me. She untucked her wings from under her cape, and was about to take off when I grabbed her hand, and pulled her next to me. Surprised and startled, her wings continued to flutter, tickling my sides, but I stayed focused and resisted the urge to start laughing.

"Wriggle, come see me tomorrow. I won't ask anything more of you." The words just tumbled out of me. I didn't know what I meant or what I had planned. I just knew they were the right words at this time. I gave the now quiet girl a gentle squeeze from behind, and then let her go. She wordlessly packed her wings in, and started to walk away. Even with all the calling to run to her side and tell her more, I resolved not to. Wriggle had her own problems, I could tell, even with my limited understanding of her situation. But everything had to be taken slowly. If you don't slowly advance when trying to catch a bug, it'll be startled and move away from you, forever scared of you and your kind.

There's no reason why this wouldn't be the same way.

---

As I pass the village, I notice Keine running out to me. This was different. I could see a ticket in her hand, so this had to be interesting.

"Shin! I have something for you!"

I wondered what it was, and I asked her so. Oh, my voice is back to normal.

"It's something from the Elder! I managed to convince him that you were mistreated when you were kicked out, so I got him to give you this."

I looked at it. It had a small picture of the Elder holding two fingers up. What?

"Consider it a free pass into the village. As long as you have it with you, you won't ever be refused from the village. You're still not welcome to stay here, but you can at least now come in and out as you please."

Wow. What did you do, Keine?

"Just consider your debt repaid, Shin, and we'll leave it at that." Keine gave me a wink, and ran back to the village, her weird hat at her...wait, she has her hat off? Dang it, I should have taken a closer look at the top of her head! It was a joke between us in the village that she was hiding devil horns underneath her hat, and hey, while I didn't believe it anymore, it would have been one more thing off my mind.

---

When I arrived home, I saw Mokou with an ecstatic smile. This was a day of surprises, that's for sure!

"Shin, I finally did it! I managed to fly!"

I congratulated her and asked her how she managed to do it.

"Well, you know when I tried to fly last time and we both fell through Keine's roof?" I nodded. "It's been heavy on my mind, so what I decided to use you as inspiration, Shin."

That was a surprise.

"Well, Shin, you have a spellcard that sends masks around the field, right? To be honest, I liked the fact that it was propelled from behind. I'll be honest, I never really tried that."

Really. That was it?

"Be grateful, Shin; I don't like to rely on others' help very often. It makes me feel indebted to them."

I assured her I was not like that, and insisted her to continue.

"So I decided to propel fire from the bottom of my feet. That was much better. I can now be of more use to you, Shin, now that I'm not as worried about my own training. You know, more time together besides mealtime."

You sound like you actually do care, Mokou.

"Of course I do. I just don't like the lovey-dovey way Keine insists I do it by. Everyone is unique, and we all live and love in different ways. Remember that, Shin."

Of course I'll remember. I've decided what I'm gonna do with Wriggle tomorrow.



I'm taking her on a date.

[ ] Write-In on any aspect of the date.

I will not be updating next week due to birthday plans and renovation troubles. The next update will be on March 4, 2012. Thank you very much for your understanding.

What a beautiful fucking day.

[x] Take Wriggle to Kourindou. She may be too recognizable to step foot in the Village as is, but with some work...
-[x] Traditional clothing. Yukata or kimono & geta. Something subdued.
-[x] Hat.
-[x] Thick glasses.
[x] Use your pass to get through the entrance in the evening and distract the guard, while Wriggle hops the gate.
-[x] Visit the lantern-maker and buy something ornate for Wriggle.
-[x] It could hardly compare to Mokou's, but there's bound to be a yakitori stand open.
-[x] The guards should be less suspicious of a couple on a stroll exiting the village.
[x] Real fireworks would be a bit much, but try asking the witch who runs the magic shop in the forest to put on a 'summer fireworks display'.

We've seen that Wriggle likes the Village, that she liked Village food, and that she's trying to investigate the change in Village policy, but can't walk around freely, so a disguise should help her in the future. She also is likely to appreciate bright objects, being a firefly youkai. Wriggle has the advantage that her green hair and eyes will look indistinguishable from brown under yellow lantern lighting.

Kourin is not likely to charge much for clothing that could easily be found in the village. Glasses will make Wriggle stumble around a bit in her geta on her own, so she'll have to cling tightly to Shin's arm.

Neither Shin nor Wriggle were able to take advantage of the festival, but with some work, the two can share their own. Shin knows Marisa a little already, and the suggestion to ask her to imitate fireworks appears in PMiSS. Her mini-route has been open for some time without much appearance, so this might be a helpful segue.

And happy birthday.

well I have a few suggestions

[x] Show her any special places you (Shin) found that have flowers and such.
[x] Avoid nosy places and prefer quiet ones.

I can't help but think that showing a firefly bright lights is good courting.

Tried to post earlier but got BSOD'd and lost the document. Yeah yeah, I know, save more often.

>>25022

If you insist on only writing your updates in the browser text field, I suggest getting the 'Lazarus Form Recovery' extension, which caches all text entries. It works with Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, and has saved many a long write-in from connection and system failures, even after browser closing or boot cycling.

http://lazarus.interclue.com/download

>>25023
Thank you, but it wasn't that. I was backing up my update onto my external harddrive like I always do, and I got BSOD'd while doing that. I tried to retrieve the file but it was corrupted, so I ended up deleting it.

Progress on the update is coming along, but it's quite demoralizing to lose an update that way. I'd say I'm about 40% done.

>>25063

Hooray!

One slight snag has occurred in the writing process; I have to go to the hospital tomorrow, and I don't know how long I'll be there.

I'm about 60% done, but I need to rewrite Parts 1 and 3 (out of 9) of the update. Sorry for the delay.

>>25088

So long as you're alive.

I really didn't want to do this.

I need to suspend this story for the next month or so; I'm going to be needing surgery. I do apologize for the even more lengthened wait; I hope that everything will come out alright with no complications.

>>25142

We'll be here when you're healthy.

Surgery was successful, but I relapsed just recently. I'm considering having a co-author for the time I'm unable to write right now, because I don't want to let this story die.

>>25328
Good luck? I'm not sure what to say here.

I don't want this or you to die.