[x] The underlying intent isn’t wrong

[X] All the same, apologize for interfering

Maybe the intent wasn't wrong, but for what they went through, saying that Shirou were trying to help by doing that is of cold comfort at best. Just because he had good intentions doesn't make it an excuse he can use to free yourself of consequences.

Besides just reading that option makes it feel like he's trying shift blame or something.

[X] All the same, apologize for interfering

If the whole point of this is to apologize, then it would behoove you to actually apologize.

Intent, though it can be appreciated, is not relevant to the matter.
She's not made at Shirou for what he hoped to do. She's mad at him for what he did.

[X] All the same, apologize for interfering
This' feeling as a 'give all, receive nothing' kind of relationship. What the heck?

>Spoiler section.
lol'd.

[X] All the same, apologize for interfering

Glad to see the main story back.

I intend to start writing and updating more frequently for now. I don't expect things to be fast right away after all this time but I guess I'm saying that I'll be gradually ramping things up. Keep that in mind. I'll be writing the next update soon enough, I just have a few things I have to do before I can get to it.

>You never tell me what’s wrong, so I have to work with what I have
True that. It is kind of hard to figure her out. I have some ideas but i am never sure if i am right or wrong because hints are sparse.
>I don’t want to believe that you’ve been lead on, because you haven’t. I’m just uncertain, that is all. You can’t blame yourself for my faults.
but i seemed to be on the right track.

This is kind of a hard choice here. We did enough apologizing already and it seemed to be accepted and was not the main reason here for Kaguya to be angry. Their problem is probably Shirou, like the time he went on a hiking tour with her and Eirin took her away. Eirin probably does not approve or wants to help and Kaguya is stubborn and wants Eirin to feel love too? Something like that.

But it is good to know that Kaguya is like every girl deep down inside. Uncertain, frightened and easily to hurt. Even if she said it is okay we should just show our love for her. Plan something romantic or just unique for her because we haven't moved from thinking of her as a buddy. Time to think of her as a love and treat her like that.
[x] The underlying intent isn’t wrong

The plan should be now:
Get on Eirins good side again. Get Kaguya and Eirin to sort out their problems, because that is currently the main problem here, plan some romantic time with Kaguya, actions show more than just words, be more assertive and less like an idiot when you pretty much guess what is going on.

[x] All the same, apologize for interfering

>Updates

Happiness!

I'm not sure if pushing Kaguya here would solve anything. Trying to break this with Eirin obviously works even less though... Well, we'll see.

[x] The underlying intent isn’t wrong

Seriously folks nothing wrong was done.

If anything it's a break from routine.

Plus it feels less like accepting the role of the doormat when the apologizing has already been given for the ruse in the first place. Man up

“All the same,” You continue on, “I’m sorry for getting in between you two. It really is up to you to figure things out with her. Please forgive me, it’s not nice having you angry at me.”

“I’m not really angry,” The lunarian reveals. Her expression is still rather dark, making the room seem brighter by comparison. Then again, you are projecting your insecurities onto her and to an objective observer you’re sure that Kaguya wouldn’t look particularly upset. To you, probably even a smile would be seen as the executioner’s cruel anticipation right before an execution. She lays upon you the worst line a loved one can possibly say,“ I am disappointed.”

Disappointment is a very special thing. It means that you have failed to live to someone else’s expectations of you. In the case such a statement comes from, say, a schoolteacher you might feel some remorse and even silently promise yourself to pay more attention in her class. From a parent, the line can be a real morale-wrecker. All the good deeds you’ve done over the years seem to lose meaning as you compare them with letting down people who are generally accepting of you. It is worst of all when someone you love - in that way - says it. Like Kaguya just now. It may be your idealized notions of romance and attachment interfering with your feelings but it really feels like you’re a failure. It’s not easy to explain just exactly why either. It affects you on a very basic level and it seems like your soul has been wounded. It can be best summed up as totally sucking regardless of specifics.

“How can we put this behind us?” You ask meekly, the pit of your stomach going wild with activity.

“I could always ask you to do something humiliating. Like exposing yourself or having you lick my feet.”

You stare at her blankly and are about to agree to anything that she asks for.

“That would obviously be a joke, loosen up.” Though she says it’s a joke, you don’t detect a change in her expression. She shakes her head, “Time is the only thing that will make all of this go away. As long as nothing else happens and you understand what’s wrong there’s no reason to dwell on this”

“That’s good to hear.”

“It’s something.”

“If there’s anything I can do to make things better, even if you can’t think of it now,” You try to force a smile, “tell me and I’ll do it. No hesitation.”

“No hesitation?” She repeats your words and pauses to think. Her brow furrows and her lip quivers momentarily. “There is something you can do right now, come to think about it. “

“Just name it and I’ll do it.” No hesitation indeed.

“All this talk has made me thirsty. I’d like you to fetch a bottle of sake from storage,” She commands, adding with casual authority, “And do bring two cups as well.”

You comply, assuring her that you’ll be right back. As you are returning you dare to hope that things will be different now. Your hope seems to be confirmed when you pour a cup for Kaguya and she invites you to join her. Sitting opposite her on the table you drink with the princess. Even though you both keep silently to yourselves, you allow yourself to believe that he mood is different. The air isn’t as heavy or as dry or wet as it had once been. A certain measure of anxiety remains in you but it is drowned out by the ingestion of fine drink.

It feels nice to be in a room with Kaguya no matter what the circumstances are. Even if she isn’t being as talkative as she usually is, she still brightens up your day. Her looks have to do with it - even the blind could probably see her well-proportioned features and aura that she exudes - but something else about her person is so much more appealing. Even if hidden by layers of well-mannered reserve and control, anyone could tell that she is a completely kind-hearted person. Even before getting to know her properly you felt it. Recent events served to prove your assertion; Kaguya was upset but not angry with you, disappointed. Spite and malice are as foreign concepts to her as quiet time seems to be for the rabbits.

“Say,” Kaguya asks over the third small cup of sake, “if you could be with anyone in the world, who would it be?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” You raise your eyebrows, “You.”

“I’m asking about something very specific though and-” She shakes her head, “Nevermind, best to forget I said anything.”

“Did I say something wrong?” You are ready to apologize.

“No, that’s not it. It’s more like I’m not sure if I did.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s alright,” The princess sighs, allowing herself to slouch a little. It makes it look like she’s weary of everything in the world.

“Again I’ll say it: if they’re anything you need from me I’m more than happy to oblige.”

“You could find the Fujiwara girl and tell her all about us if you wanted.”

“Mokou? What for?” You give it thought. They aren’t the best of friends but doing something like that seems pointless.

“I am only speaking in jest. I’d tell her myself if she were here, I wonder if she’d be jealous.” Kaguya laughs - a good strong laugh that comes from the heart. “She’d probably deny it as well or, better yet, try to make it seem like a bad thing.”

You’re not sure why she’s gone into that subject all of a sudden but you can’t complain much. Her attitude is better and she’s talking freely to you now. You raise your cup and drink, thinking that perhaps you have the alcohol to thank for this change in fortunes. Diligently pouring more sake when the cups are empty, eventually you reach the bottom of the bottle. It’s enough alcohol to make you feel rather drunk and have little clarity of mind. Kaguya looks no worse for the wear, despite the fact that she hasn’t stopped talking since about 3 cups ago.

“Hey, if I told you to do something really hard for me would you do it?” The chatty princess asks.

“Probably. I said I would.”

“I mean something really difficult, like almost impossible.”

“i can’t do the impossible but I can always try I think. It can’t be too hard to do the near impossible. I mean that’s why it’s ‘near’ and not just ‘impossible’.” You know why you’re rambling but can’t help it. Such is the effect of the magical brew.

“Why would you though?”

“Because you asked me to. And I want to do whatever I can for you.”

“It doesn’t mean that you have to. I mean, there are other things you can do.”

“Then why even ask me?” You wonder, striking a pose that looks like a sloppy version of The Thinker. “Just because you can? I mean that’s alright and all but I’d rather do things that have more practical value you know.”

“I want to know more about the why. Why you’d go through all that?”

“Haven’t I said it enough today? Even though you haven’t said it back I still don’t regret saying that I love you and all.” You blink, realizing you might have said something offensive, “Not that I’m demanding anything. Just that it’s nice.”

“I understand only too well I think,” Kaguya leans back, eventually lying with her back on the floor, “Still not what I wanted to confirm. I don’t think I ever could though.”

“What are you going on about?” You ask, leaning your upper body on the table.

“It’s nothing really.” She changes the subject, “You know my heart feels like it’s going really fast right now. It’s really strange. That never really happens.”

“Do I have anything to do with that?” You ask almost hopefully.

“I don’t know. can you tell me why it would have anything to do with you?”

[] The ever lovely write-in option
[] Default action (aka I can’t think of anything!); You’ve captured a place in both her mind and heart
-
Emphasizing that the default action isn't necessarily bad. Also this took me much longer than I anticipated and I don't have much to show for the time spent. One other thing - I really appreciate you guys and your readership despite my occasional complaints. Just saying that because I guess it might seem like I'm ungrateful at times.

[X] Default option (aka I can’t think of anything!); You’ve captured a place in both her mind and heart

Makes sense to me. Telling Kaguya that should show her that Shirou has at least some self-confidence in his persistence. He isn't the arrogant type so I doubt this option can go wrong.

>I am disappointed.
So am i.

[x] You’ve captured a place in both her mind and heart
Even if it is default, it is not bad at all. A bit smug, joking, lovely at the same time. Now he only needs to strike a pose that fits it, like a knight coming back from slaying a dragon and kneeling before her. Or licking her f- wait. Sweep her off her feet and into a wooing embrace.
He is dense like a board sometimes.

[x] Default action (aka I can’t think of anything!); You’ve captured a place in both her mind and heart

>One other thing - I really appreciate you guys and your readership despite my occasional complaints.

It goes both ways. Thanks for keeping with this story despite the retardation.

Hmm

[X]Perhaps you've realized something about me? Where as "suitors" may have tried out of fame, glory, prestige and so on, close friends would try for the sake of friendship as well as stability, I'd do so for simply you regardless if it all amounts to nothing more than a smile from you or with high hopes, being allowed to love you the best way that I can show you.

Had to try~

>>22000
>It goes both ways. Thanks for keeping with this story despite the retardation.

QFE

I waited to see if you guys would take this anywhere. Apparently pointlessly. There's less of you than yesterday.I meant the bit about updating more, you know. Writing nowish all the same.

“Isn’t it obvious?” You tell her like it’s the plainest fact of all. That’s something not easy to do with a straight face, “It’s clear that there’s a rather large place for me in your heart and up there in your mind as well.”

“Hm... maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Well, you’re still here, so there may be something to that.” The princess stares up at the ceiling, and captures your undivided attention. You look to her every movement and gesture, hoping to understand more of what is going through her head. It’s a laborious endeavor and your two eyes act like cameras, attempting to capture every moment with the highest of fidelity, You think you see traces of a smirk. Despite having the awareness that you may still be projecting your hopes onto her delicate features, you take it to be a favorable omen.

“I definitely think that there’s something to it,” Emboldened by the effects of the rice wine and what you think you see, you say things that undoubtedly sound smarter in the moment than in posterity, “Let’s face it, if it weren’t for that I wouldn’t be here at all. Eirin would have probably kicked me out or I would have been eaten by a grue. Not the case. Besides, you know, you’re the one that brought me here in the first place. So I’ve been winning the battle since day one.”

“Is that a fact?” Kaguya keeps looking upwards, betraying no sense of interest in the conversation to you.

“It’s therefore reasonable to conclude,” Wordy wordy talk caused by the sweet intoxication of alcohol keeps flowing forth, “that the object of my most abounding affect is, herself, infatuated with this very specimen of err... myself.”

“Besides the fact that you’re here do you have any other proof?”
“Eh?”
“I said, do you have any other proof?”

You stare at her, wondering why she’s being so contrary. Hair spread out on the floor like a fine silk tapestry, she reclines unperturbed. Her eyes are opened, and her gaze wanders in your general direction - her head rests upon one of her long-sleeved arms. It’s very informal and relaxed but simultaneously her pose exudes silent sophistication. It conveys feelings of yet something else; It feels like The Venus of Urbino, the princess is posed in an alluring and ultimately provocative way. Her question does not match in tone her body’s tone and you’re thrown off by that. It only takes the addition of a secretive half-smile to completely fuse most of your thoughts together.

“I.. don’t really,” You answer weakly and to no one in particular. Your head swims, and not entirely due to the drinking. You swallow, hoping to gather fleeting thoughts into a coherent sentences again, “There’s... a lot that only you can confirm. I think I’m right.”

There’s a moment of silence. You avert your eyes from her and try to think hard about what to do. Your thoughts as confused and sluggish, and you can’t trust any one idea that you get. All the while you feel Kaguya’s unflinching stare. She says nothing, keeping herself in the relaxed pose she was before. The moment drags on, stretching on for about as long as you can bear it. “There’s something we should probably do,” Kaguya breaks the silence. It is only then that you have enough courage to look at her again, and to accept what she has to say.

“And what is that?”
“Spend more time having fun.”
“Oh. That’s easier said than done.”
“It’s not,” Kaguya assure you, “It’s a matter of doing fun things together.”
“Things such as?”
“You don’t really need me to spell it out for you, do you?”
“I can be dense sometimes, this is one of those times,” You state calmly. There’s no use in denying your nature.
“I might as well just show you then.”

It turns out that her current idea of fun is not what you would have first guessed. There’s a new addition to the system, in the form of a very self-conscious Reisen who sits some distance from either of you. There’s a cup of sake for her now and there’s a new bottle as well. She doesn’t seem to want to drink, something which Kaguya doesn’t seem to mind.

“So do you see why the industry is doomed to failure now? All this merchandising of series and not enough original content.” The confused rabbit can only nod to Kaguya’s rant. She came amicably enough when called and joined us with little hesitation. An hour of sitting and listening to Kaguya speak about this and that now made her seem a little uncomfortable. You drink silently, occasionally offering your own opinion when relevant. “Well, whatever. It’s a nice day today, isn’t it? Quite bright and all that.”

“It’s already evening Lady Kaguya,” Reisen corrects her sounding diplomatic, “It was a rather nice day though. I got a lot of laundry dried and the rabbits-”

“You know what that reminds me of?” The princess doesn’t relent even for a moment, unfazed by the fact that it’s evening and she couldn’t even notice it,” I think you should get yourself a man, it’d do you good.”

“Pardon me? I’m not sure that I understand,” You watch as Reisen’s ears flop slightly and her brow creases. You can’t tell if she’s offended or perplexed. Either way she can’t think of anything else to say.

“You know, a lover. Someone that can make you happy,” Kaguya explains very smoothly and naturally, “You need to relax more I think. Sure Eirin might need to give you a break sometimes but I think if you had someone to make you relax after a long day you’d be happier. Doesn’t that make sense?”

“Thank you for concerning yourself, but I’m fine as I am...”

“Nonsense! You must be all worked up and all. It’s nice to have someone to talk to, someone to hold you, someone you can do things with... you know what I’m saying?” As Kaguya prattles on, Reisen looks to you as if to ask what is going on. She is retreating more into herself, curling up like she doesn’t want to hear any more. “You can’t have Shirou here, because he seems to only want me but you can probably get anyone else you want. You’re pretty and all, despite being just a moon rabbit. I bet the villagers love you.”

“Ah.. thanks,” The accosted moon rabbit weakly says, despite Kaguya having insulted her whole kind in a very direct way. You’re not sure why this is happening but you’re just happy to see Kaguya smiling as she talks about the happiness of having someone. It makes you smile as well and you raise your cup as a suggestion for Reisen to emulate. She does need to unwind right now, regardless of whatever Kaguya is on about.

“Isn’t that right?” That’s the cue for you to speak up.

“I’m sorry, could you say that again please?” You drink some more and pay attention.

“I asked you if you agreed with me - that she should go find someone, you know the entire point of this conversation. I mean she might feel like it’s only me that thinks this, but I’m right aren’t I? She won’t find happiness otherwise.”

You look at Reisen. She’s caved and is drinking quietly. Her eyes are on you and she seems to await whatever it is you’re going to say. You wonder if your answer will get some sort of reaction from her, perhaps even some blushing. That’s not probably you think as you knock back the rest of your drink. It’s funny, but even though everything was all muddled just earlier, drinking more somehow is making you think better. So it’s with a lot of confidence that you state your answer.

[] Reisen needs a man
[] She’s fine as she is

[x] She’s fine as she is

BULLYING STOP MOON BUNNY BULLYING STOP

I don't have the heart to go with the other choice, even if it would make Kaguya happy for Shirou to agree with her.

[X] She’s fine as she is

Wouldn't the option of her searching for a man in between her regular daily duties been known to her before the meeting?

>>22010
This isn't about Reisen or what she may have wanted or did in the past. This is about going along with Kaguya or not.

>So I’ve been winning the battle since day one.
Oh Shirou, you have so much to learn, if she feels like it she could play you with just words.
>Hair spread out on the floor like a fine silk tapestry, she reclines unperturbed.
Now that was a delicious update. Very delicious.
>Spend more time having fun.
I see, as you wish princess.

[x] Reisen needs a man
But why not, she wants Shirou but he is already taken, why not find her some good man that can love her. Because she just deserves someone who holds her in the evening after a hards day work and tells her how beautiful she is.
With Reimu's help we can make it come true.

[~] Reisen needs a man

I'm voting this begrudgingly. Between the two choices, I'd rather not have this one, but I'm curious.

Seeing how this isn't really going anywhere, I'm flipping a coin. And writing etc.

[X] She’s fine as she is

Rather rude of Kaguya to say things like "you're just a moon rabbit" and such. Besides isn't this Reisen't decision on whether or not she needs a man?

You smile at Reisen, “I think it would do you good to be with someone. It’s no good to be lonely.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Kaguya smirks, looking satisfied. Reisen looks at you with an uncertain look, as if to say she didn’t quite understand what you are implying. Of course you know what you’re implying - someone to have nearby, to tell her jokes, make her generally happy. Of course there’s the physical part of it, which you think she’d enjoy - she seems to be built for that sort of thing, besides being a rabbit... of sorts it’s natural to assume that that sort of thing is second nature. More than that, it’s a constant yearning. Kaguya drinks a little more, wagging her tongue a little more at the silent moon rabbit, “You’d be more happy for it too, I guarantee it. It’s not that I’m saying you’re miserable or anything, just that you need to get out more.”

“I don’t really know anyone here,” You say cheerfully, swept up by a series of different ideas, “but any way I can help I’d be glad to. I maybe tell who’s a jerk and who only likes you for your looks. Guys can tell that about other guys.”

There’s only so much more that Reisen can handle .When her cup is empty and Kaguya repeats herself for the third time, harping on about the greatness of having someone in her life, Reisen finds a way to extract herself from your company. She gets up, and bows in apology, “I’ve got an early start tomorrow and I should really go to bed. If you’ll please excuse me.”

“Hope you aren’t cross with us,” Kaguya laughs, adding an unnecessary comment, “It’s alright though, we can enjoy watching you walk away with that cute bottom of yours. It’s kind of hypnotic too, I mean, how your tail seems to stay in place, only twitching occasionally while your hips sway from side to side. It’s a very alluring walk.”

There’s no way that after a comment like that you can force yourself to look away. Along with Kaguya, you stare as the bashful rabbit tries to walk away. She’s stiff as a board, apparently being told about her usual style of walking has flustered her - something which constant prattle about lovers couldn’t do. She bids you good night with an embarrassed streak highlighting her cheeks and turns away to flee in an uncollected panic. Though she hold out by walking slowly until she’s out of sight, you hear her quickened footsteps down the hallway.

“We should talk to her more often. It’s nice to have someone else here with us,” Kaguya drinks some more, draining the contents of her cup in no time flat. Now you see that she’s a little flushed, hints of redness color her pale cheeks. She’s probably better off than yourself, granted you can’t tell lacking any reflective surface nearby.

“Hey, is this room tidier than usual?” You ask, noting for some reason the distinct lack of magazines piled up every which where.

“Maybe? Who cares?”

“Just popped into my head.”

“Have some more to drink, that’ll fix that.”

You accept further drink and listen Kaguya talk for a little while longer. She keeps the subject of Reisen alive and well, adding very imaginative descriptions to hypothetical scenarios, “Do you think she’d turn beet red if someone confessed to her? As deep red as her eyes, you know, it’d also really pop up on her face because of the light color of her hair. I think she would, and she wouldn’t quite know what to do.”

“Aren’t you giving this a little too much thought?” You try to dismiss the image she’s conjured up. But all you can think about is a very shy Reisen not knowing quite how to handle being the object of deep romantic affection. You grin, “Think she’d stammer? I know this is a complete stereotype, but do you think she’s the type?”

“There’s no way of finding that out, unfortunately. She’s a bit of a cold fish when it comes to that sort of matter. I’ve watched her and the closest she’s come to anyone outside of us, Eientei I mean, since I’ve known her is you.” The princess tells you somewhat soberly, as if it’s no longer something that humorous. “You’d be one closest to knowing how she’d react.”

“I see... I can hardly imagine myself confessing to her. She’s attractive and hardworking and all that but I just haven’t really drifted towards her in my time here. It’s been mostly you and,” You hesitate to say the name, “-Eirin followed by Tewi. And even with those two it’s different.”

“Maybe she’d get past her bashfulness and tell you first if you weren’t involved with someone, and she really liked you,” Kaguya tells another scenario entirely, “She’s like tonight sometimes but she can be pretty determined too. She’s got her head on straight.”

“I can’t picture that somehow.”

Kaguya laughs, “That’s only because you’d be the one blushing furiously and avoiding her gaze.” She teases you in a good-spirited way. Perhaps a little too much, “You’re a shy little boy as well. Everyone here knows it, despite of how you act sometimes. I can hardly imagine what would happen to you if one of the rabbits,” You know she’s referring to a very specific one clad in pink, “took a very vested interest in you.”

“It’s not like that,” You defend your honor as a man. Or try to. It’s not very clear why she’s brought this up but you contest her claims all the same, “As I recall I was the one that confessed to you, kissed you and did all sorts of stuff that warranted at the best a slap and at worst a kick... you know where if it was all unrequited. In fact, I’ll say it again, staring into your eyes. Whatever it is you want to hear.”

Kaguya shakes her head, keeping a sly smile on her face at all times. She disputes your claims with claims of her own, “If I said something you’d be as shy as a... a rabbit I guess.”

“You haven’t said anything of the sort to me so I don’t know.”

“You’re already blushing I haven’t even said anything!” The princess giggles, perhaps a bit too loudly. Her actions seem unrestrained and her words even more so.

“Am not!” You refute it with flawless grade school arguments. You do feel your face is hot and make up an excuse on the spot, “If I’m red now it’s because of all the alcohol, it’s making my face flush. Nothing to do with you insinuating anything.”

“Sure, I believe you,” Kaguya laughs so hard that she hiccups. It’d be adorable if not for the fact that you feel belittled.

“You’re being unfair! Just because we’ve been drinking a lot it’s suddenly just me that’s weak and all...” You were going somewhere with that, but for some reason can’t finish the thought. It’s like a piece of paper being carried by the breeze, once it’s up in the air it’s gone. “Shut up, you’re blushing too!”

“Nuh-uh, not the case.” She looks a bit flushed but just about what you’d expect from drinking a lot.You’re well on your way to finishing bottle #2. With that final sip, Kaguya’s cup is empty again. You reach over the table and pour her more. She thanks you. And then laughs, as if she had heard the best joke in the world.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’ve got it!” She exclaims excitedly, her arms flail just enough so as to create a small current - the tips of her silky hair flutter up before coming back down slowly. She explains herself, “I know I can make you all blushy and red and embarrased and whatnot. But can you do it to me? I’ll give you a shot to see if you can make me get flustered.”

You observe, quite astutely you think, “It wouldn’t be fair, because you’d be guarded. If you know now to be embarrassed you won’t get flustered. It has to be spontaneous.”

She replies, eyes drawn squarely on yours, “You know, my heart is already beating pretty fast and all this alcohol will help you. You’re already having some sort of effect on me, my chest feels like it’s tightening up a bit when I look at you and there are butterflies in my stomach, having a party.”

“Kaguya I-”

“See? I made you all embarrassed and you’re even redder now,” She sticks out her tongue in a playful manner.

“That’s just cruel,” You shrug in a melodramatic fashion; Your shoulder movements are exaggerated and slowed down for maximum drama.

“I’m only kidding about some of it, most of it is true - I’m not telling what though,” She sticks her tongue back in her mouth and winks. You drink in order to think better - nothing comes to mind readily. She restates the challenge, “So you have definite advantages, want to give it a go? Who knows, I might even give you a reward for making me feel so alive.”

“Alright, alright. I see that you’re not going to let me off without having me take a stab at this. Give me a moment to think, and don’t say anything - you’ll ruin the mood.”

She nods, satisfied, and drinks up. You stare at her intensely, trying to expose her very soul to your scrutinizing eyes. You figure that the eyes are the windows to the soul and look deeply into hers for inspiration.

Looking into her eyes, you want to...

[] Kiss every inch of her body, from her forehead to her adorable pinkie toes
[] Do unspeakable things involving her hair
[] Hold her close, feeling her soft breath and gentle heartbeat for an eternity
[] Other

[~] Hold her close, feeling her soft breath and gentle heartbeat for an eternity

I'm going to guess the word eternity is the answer.

[X] Hold her close, feeling her soft breath and gentle heartbeat for an eternity

[x] Do unspeakable things involving her hair

what

[X] Kiss every inch of her body, from her forehead to her adorable pinkie toes

Don't think unspeakable acts are what we need here, if the goal is to make her embarassed/shy. I would think something more physical than holding her is warranted, especially since that is something fairly tame, even if it is romantic.

Missed the previous update due to family events, wished I could have been there for the Reisen vote.

[X] Kiss every inch of her body, from her forehead to her adorable pinkie toes
-[x] Do unspeakable things involving her hair.

Works for me~!

I'll give this another two hours or so before calling and writing.

>>22021
Not everyone can be here all the time. It's only natural. It's a good reason to want lots of readers/voters from a writer's perspective though - it's far more improbable that everyone would be busy at once.

[x] Kiss every inch of her body, from her forehead to her adorable pinkie toes

>I'm going to guess the word eternity is the answer.

Yeah, I'd go with it if the purpose wasn't to make her face red.

[X] Do unspeakable things involving her hair

Good god, what is wrong with you people?!
That deliciously long silky hair!
Does it not call out to you?!
Imploring you to thrust your hands into it and run your fingers through those fine, ebony strands?!
See how it shimmers in the light! The way it almost flows over and through your fingers, as if it were liquid!
So soft! So fine! Not even the finest of silks could hope to compare!
There could be no greater pleasure than to wrap yourself in it, like a great, dark cocoon.
There, you would sleep, seasons passing as if sands through the glass, until the time came for you to emerge, transformed by its beauty into something greater than you once were.

[X] Hold her close, feeling her soft breath and gentle heartbeat for an eternity.

Works for me!

Gave it three hours due to laziness. I'll be writing now, though it's once again come down to a coin flip.

>>22026
I love you. Never ever change. It's what I would have gone for as a choice too, personally.Without even knowing what was going to happen too.

>>22028
>It's what I would have gone for as a choice too

Don't see why you don't throw it in along side the first choice seeing as some just added the second choice crossed out or not.

They can easily go hand in hand here.

“There isn’t much I don’t want to do to you,” You confess. It’s not an easy thing to prioritize and pick what’s the best thing to do. Her unearthly beauty is one thing but the physical isn’t the only facet of your attraction to her. She makes you smile, makes you laugh and probably, given enough motivation, would make you cry too. She excites you certainly, enough to make you act like a schoolgirl with a crush. It’s unbecoming of you but it’s okay. It doesn’t matter if it’s degrading or just plain silly, it really is just all okay with you as long as you’re with her.

You grin wildly, unable to help yourself from looking like an idiot. Kaguya is probably all too used to seeing you like that and so lets you take your sweet time to say what you want to say, “When I look at you I feel like kissing you all over. I wouldn’t miss a single spot either,” You picture yourself doing it, exploring Kaguya’s body with every kiss, ignoring no area, “I’d start with your forehead, brushing aside your silky hair to enjoy the contact with you smooth skin. I’d maybe take a detour as I worked my way down, taking a little time to nibble ever so softly on your earlobes. There’s no place I wouldn’t mind kissing and by the time I got to your adorable wiggling pinkie toes, you’d know for certain how much I love you.”

You tune down the creepy grin and try to reconstruct it into a loving smile. You let what you’ve said sink in, for her to understand what it is you’d do. It’s a vivid image that sends your hormones into a veritable frenzy. Though you look to remain calm, underneath your smiling and happily drunk exterior there stews about the magma from the volcano of desire. The occasional small shudder is a tremor warning of a possible future eruption. You can feel the internal passion radiating out in a sort of aura about you.

“That certainly is something,” Kaguya looks satisfied, smiling but otherwise not looking any different, “It makes me feel a little tingly.”

“I guess I lose then? Well I at least got that off my chest.” Though your body can’t really take any more, you drink the rest of your cup’s contents. What you said was embarrassing and quite possibly unrequited. Kaguya might be trying to spare your feelings by not laughing at how corny or how pathetic you sounded.

“Come here,” She pats the spot next to her. For the first time in the day she’s invited you to come closer. You scramble to your feet, trying not to sway too much and fall over. You’re not about to give up a chance to be closer to her. “We should just carry on having fun, it’s no fun to be estranged.” She concludes with a sigh, looking serious, “I am trusting you to learn from your shortcomings because I care about you. Please don’t do anything stupid again.”

“I can’t promise that,” You sit down, control your collapse downwards well enough to be only a hand away from her, “You should know me better. I’ll try my best to do what I think is right. I learn from my mistakes too but there’s a chance that I’ll mess up again.”

“As long as you don’t break my heart it’s alright.” She leans her head on your should, her hair draping over your left side. She laughs, “I’m probably too good for you, I can’t stay upset. Don’t take advantage of that.”

“I’ll try not to,” You kiss the top of her head; The wonderful scent of flowers and herbs fill your nasal cavity. It’s a good thing that she keeps her shampoo apart from the others, otherwise you’d be liable to huff it like some sort of stimulant. Then again, most of the appeal comes from the fact that her perfumed hair and scented smooth skin ares hers and it fills you with indescribable warmth to be in close proximity.

You share the last of the bottle, drinking without the cups, vulgarly downing the remainder straight from the bottle. The amount drunk between the both of you is alarmingly high, enough to put out even a seasoned drinker out of commission. The intoxication in your case is less acute and coupled with your satisfaction, invites sleep to wash over and overtake you whole.

“You feel a bit cold, are you alright?” You own skin is also a bit cold but her welfare concerns you more.

“I’m alright. It’s probably because I’m not wearing any socks right now,” She shifts around, coming apart for you so as to show you her bare feet. She wiggles her toes for you to see and lies back on the floor. “I think that we should call it a night soon. I’m ever so tired.”

“If that’s what you want.” She lies defenseless on the floor, eyes half closed. It tempts you to act boldly. You hesitate for a moment, unsure whether or not to go for it. She may be acting closer to normal now, but you’re not sure how much is enough. Ultimately much of your self-restraint was eroded over the night and the choice becomes a little too easy to make. You lean down towards her and give her a proper goodnight’s kiss. “Goodnight Kaguya,” You whisper close to her ear and she doesn’t seem to mind the ordeal.

“Goodnight,” She replies in kind, adding playfully, “not going to kiss these goodnight?” Her toes twitch and wiggle energetically.

“I did say I wanted to,” You smile and indulge the capricious princess. You bring your face to her small and unblemished feet and kiss her toes. It’s nothing as passionate nor as thorough as you led her to believe - a symbolic gesture for the most part.

“I guess that’ll do,” Kaguya smiles sleepily, her eyelids drooping and almost completely shutting her eyes.

“Do you need a hand so you can get to bed?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well alright then. See you tomorrow.”

You stagger back to your room with much effort on your part. You’re as tired as Kaguya is and as soon as you lie down all your motor control switches off.

Several days later, you’re at it again. If not for the conspicuous absence of Eirin, it would otherwise be a general gathering of the main personalities. Only light drinking has occurred thus far and it’s mostly been talk over food. Reisen is again there, not speaking much, but she’s joined by Tewi this time too. It was Kaguya’s idea to to invite her as well, so that Reisen wouldn’t feel like she was being picked on.

The subject is again romance. Though this time it’s not about the lonely moon rabbit. Instead, you’re getting grilled by the wry bunny in pink while Kaguya watches on, amused.

“I take it that you’re happy and all together?” She begins, obviously leading up to something else.

“Of course,” I smile and nod towards Kaguya.

“You’re a bit of an odd couple, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean by that?” You raise your eyebrows.

“I just mean that you have completely different backgrounds and such. Never in a million years would someone like you be with someone like her normally,” She smirks in spite of her rude remark. She just keeps going, “No offense princess, I like him too, but usually you’d get a prince or something after you.”

“Those days are well behind me,” Kaguya says amicably, as if it really was something as trivial as having a different haircut.

“What’s your point?” You ask dourly, not wanting Tewi to take the piss out of you for much longer. She could go all night if needed.

“Oh, nothing, just wondering who was the more active one in the relationship.”

“Me, probably. I’m the one who kissed her first and confessed,” You shrug trying to contain her.

“I don’t know about that,” Kaguya comes in, looking at Reisen as she speaks. She’s got a smile that must look just a little bit smug to the moon rabbit, “We were sort of talking about this the other day, how Shirou here gets all embarrassed when I put him on the spot. Yet he’d kiss my toes if I asked him to.”

“How filthy,” Tewi nudges you with approval. She then laughs adding, “I bet it tickles too. Have you ever had your tail kissed Reisen? I bet it feels like that.”

“No... I’ve never had my tail kissed,” Reisen shakes her head.

Tewi shrugs and smiles, “Ah, well, someday maybe,” Tewi moves focus away from her and back onto you, “How comfortable are you with her anyways? Like comfortable enough to kiss her in public.”

“I should think so...” You haven’t really had the chance to try. Usually you’re by yourselves when you’re with Kaguya. It somehow feels like this is another jab at the silent rabbit, so you look at her as you explain, “We don’t go around everywhere doing things together. We spend our time by ourselves.”

“That’s no fun though,” Tewi claims, “Part of being together with someone is being able to enjoy yourselves in any situation, with anyone present. Isn’t that right princess?”

“There might be some truth to that,” Kaguya agrees with some reluctance. Suddenly she doesn’t look so at ease any more. You try to figure out why that is.

“That’s why I think you should show how things are right here, right now. Don’t you think so too?” Tewi looks at you, waiting for your input.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you should go ahead and kiss her. You’re amongst friends and that’s the first step to having a truly comfortable relationship that you can maintain anywhere.”

“Uh-”

“It couldn’t be that you’re embarrassed?” Tewi grins, only then do you realize that she’s got everyone in the room right where she wants them to be. Reisen fidgeting but all the same hanging on to every word of the conversation, Kaguya silenced for some reason, and trying to get you to act bashful.

“That’s not it. I mean, I wouldn’t do anything that Kaguya didn’t want to do, that’s all.” You look at Kaguya with a smile.

“Nonsense, the princess has no problems with a little display of public affection, does she? You can go at it and even do a real passionate one if you want. You’re amongst friends.” Tewi gets a belayed and weak nod in reply, “See? What did I say? Things are just peachy. Go ahead and do it, it’ll be good for you to do it in front of us.”

Being constantly nudged you are pretty much forced to get on your feet. Your excuse is so that you can stretch, but all eyes are upon you now. They all are wondering what you’re going to do; Tewi is the only one that’s got a wide grin while the others have an indecipherable air about them. You yourself are almost flushed but try your best not to let it show. You know that if you do, you won’t hear the end of it from Tewi - and the other rabbits would all know within the day, and they’d stare at you judgmentally. Those little bastards.

[] Kiss Kaguya
[] Sit back down

-
>>22029
It was a remark of what I would have done as a reader. Besides which, you had a chance to vote for it and I wouldn't force you to do something besides what you chose.

>You stagger back to your room with much effort on your part. You’re as tired as Kaguya is and as soon as you lie down all your motor control switches off.

>Several days later, you’re at it again.
What.

[x] Change the subject "You know, the other day we were talking about getting a boyfriend for Reisen. You seem rather lonely by yourself, talking about other peoples relationships, wanting to watch them kiss and such" Look at Kaguya "Why don't we get her a man too while we are at it?"

Once Kaguya gets what you mean she will join in and together counter the situation.

>>22031
It's called a timeskip. I'm not implying that he slept for several days though ambiguous phrasing might make it seem like it. Also, I'm not categorically against a write in here but, in general, they tend to work better when you're explicitly given the opportunity for one. Like for the last choice or three choices ago.

[X] Kiss Kaguya

Hmm

>>22032
But that timeskip came out of nowhere and with no going over period. You should have made it more clear and with more space, and more explaining. Oh well.
It is strange but whenever there is only a write in option i can never think of anything. It just came over me.

[x] Kiss Kaguya

It doesn't have to be super long or anything. This is important.

>>22034

Take it easy~

In keeping with efforts to write I'm going to get to it now.

The two rabbits stare as you privately mouth a question to Kaguya, “Are you okay with this?” She smiles and looks to the others, as if excited about the coming ordeal. Up close, and in private, she looks like she’s not completely on board and hesitates to give an affirmative to you. You sit in the meanwhile, right next to her, just a lean away from getting as close to her as anyone might want.

“What are you waiting for?” The troublemaker rabbit cheers you on, “Get on with it, you won’t regret it.”

There’s a tiny bit of hesitation between you. It’s ultimately you who has to venture on to exciting heights. Much like the first time you kissed her, you heart beats like crazy and your whole world seems to spin. You close your eyes and feel your lips meet, followed by the sweet tickling of her soft breathing on your face. Again, like your first kiss, it’s not much more than a peck - it’s a restrained and measured encounter with the only audacious thing about it being its prolonged duration.

The kiss ends and you then find yourself looking at her eye to eye, at a distance no greater than three fingers. Something inside of you wants to snap, to go even further; You can see yourself reflected in her eyes and you see that your face screams desire. It is a feeling intensified by the realization that your expression is not at all very different from Kaguya’s own. It is only Tewi’s snarky, “That was tame,” that makes you even realize that you’re not in your own little private bubble.

“Reisen might be blushing but I’ve seen better performances,” Tewi is relentless. You draw back to find her leaning forwards on the table, much closer than she was before. Gravity causes her dress to tend towards the ground. You acquire knowledge that you had no use of - that she wears nothing under the top part of her dress; Her exposure doesn’t seem to be an issue to you and she even leans in closer to continue her unwelcome observation, “You’ll never make it in public if you can’t do something as simple as show your feelings for each other,” She turns to the quiet rabbit and asks, “Isn’t that right?”

“Maybe they don’t wish to parade around in public,” Reisen speaks up, clearing her throat when her voice comes out a weak whisper. Though her every gesture is awkward and she seems to flop like a fish out of water, her words are sensible and strike a chord with you, “There’s nothing wrong with being private about this sort of thing. Some people like to show off, others don’t.”

“I know that you probably would like to show off, eh?” Tewi teases, “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were an exhibitionist. With the way I’ve seen you not wear any panties sometimes-”

“Tewi!” Reisen silences her with a very evil glare. You get the feeling Tewi only cooperates because she knows what’s coming next, “If someone didn’t keep hiding them then it wouldn’t happen...”

Tewi laughs and shrugs, “I haven o idea what you’re on about. It’s a good thing that Shirou here isn’t after you, otherwise he would have already jumped a lewd bunny like you and well... I think you’d enjoy it actually.”

“Oh, leave him out of this,” Reisen apologizes to you but otherwise just tries to save face.

A heated discussion erupts between the rabbits, with both sides making rather bold claims. It’s the first time in the evening that Reisen has spoken so much, and so passionately. It’s how they carry on, with Tewi thrusting and prodding the precise places where Reisen is most sensitive. You tune them out almost immediately. It’s not long after that a tug on your sleeve distracts you from them anyways. Kaguya has been silent all through these exchanges and she whispers to you, “I wouldn’t mind it if we did a better job at kissing.”

You smile happily and look at her. There’s a hue of pink in her cheeks and, while it’s not a full on fluster, it’s a display of meekness. You forget about the rabbits and dedicate yourself to Kaguya in earnest. It’s an encounter the likes of which you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing in too long. Her kiss tastes of honey and before you know it you’ve gotten so into it that you’re both pushing and probing as you go along. Your hand finds a resting spot on her waist, and you feel her tense up in reaction for a moment; Her answer is wrapping an arm of her own around your shoulder, grasping at your back. Only by the time that you’re basically blue in the face that you come apart.

“Oh, that was amazing.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

It’s about then that you realize that you had an audience all along. The rabbits had stopped bickering and had watched your little performance intently. Tewi had an expression that screamed perverted old man while Reisen sported a look of genuine amazement, and perhaps with a splash of envy. Your immediate reaction is one of humility in face of praise and you just smile idiotically.

“I think it might be better if you left now,” Kaguya urged them to go away with a disarming smile. Surprisingly, it was Tewi who complied with no questions asked and Reisen was the one who stuck around needlessly, looking unsure of what to do. But they left and pretty quickly too. That left the both of you alone to talk or do whatever you wanted to do in privacy. Already you couldn’t help but feel excited. Kaguya’s brusque tone, however, takes you aback, “I think we need to have a little talk.”

“Uh, sure, what is it?” You scoot over, giving her a little more space.

“There isn’t an easy way to say this,” Her choice of words worries you, “but back when I was still learning about things and being taught lessons I learned a lot. I don’t know how you see things but I think that it’s best if we took it easy, do you understand?”

“I... think I do,” You reply, trying to figure just exactly it is she is talking about. It’s obviously about intimacy, but just what aspect in particular she was concerned with eluded you. “Let me know if I’m doing something that goes too far. I don’t want to make you feel pressured or anything.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

The rest of the evening goes by without further incident - or excitement. It’s nice to talk and laugh with her, but you feel that things got somehow cut off too quickly for no good reason. It’s something that you notice in the coming days with more and more frequency; You can’t say that you’re spending dull moments with Kaguya, but you can’t say that they’re very exciting or much more intimate than they’ve already been. However, every once in a while without fail, there are moments of shared closeness like the display in front of the rabbits. These moments are so blindingly intense that they end with you limping away, not just figuratively, more than once. Cold water proves to be a real lifesaver.

It doesn’t help that at times Kaguya seems to be the instigator. She gladly takes on a seductive role, pushing you to her soft lips with all of her usual charms. You fall prey to her knowing looks, her intoxicating smell and the sheen of her fine hair. More than once a grazing touch of hers, her soft and delicate fingers rubbing up against your hand or arm sets you off like a wild stallion. She exploits this to her advantage, using your willing self whenever she feels like indulging. She doesn’t reject your advances either, something which psychologically painful to bear; You know that any time you want you can saturate your senses with her.

One morning, before getting up, you take to thinking about things. Advancement is slow and full of sacrifice but so far seems worth it. Regardless, there’s a nagging feeling you get. Like there could be something you could do to make things better. But nothing substantial comes to mind. Thoughts fail to connect to form solid ideas, leaving you with only fragments of thoughts punctured by your feelings.

[] Let things run their natural course
[] Get advice from Tewi
[] Check with Eirin for her recommendation for the physical aspects

[x] Let things run their natural course

Let's try not getting anyone else involved this time. I think it will work better than going to someone for help now.

>3 updates in one day

oh god it's beautiful

[x] Get advice from Tewi

Had to flip a coin to decide between this and letting things go their natural course. On one hand, Tewi's idea on how to resolve things between Kaguya on Eirin went south in a spectacular way, but on the other, that last idea of hers seems to have pushed things along.

Also, picture related.

[X] Let things run their natural course.

I'm not sure if this means Shirou won't try anything in particular to progress his relationship with Kaguya, or if he'll just roll with whatever comes. Either way, I don't think he needs to keep asking for others' help when he and Kaguya hit a snag.

[X] Let things run their natural course.

This will do

[x] Get advice from Tewi.

Shirou doesn't have to take her advice. The Eirin option is a bit tempting, but he already turned her down before. As much as I'd like a second chance at that, I don't think we'd get it.

It. Is. Alive.
Glorious updates, I regret not checking sooner.

>It’s a good thing that Shirou here isn’t after you, otherwise he would have already jumped a lewd bunny like you and well... I think you’d enjoy it actually
Yes, i am not the only one. If it were her instead of Kaguya, they would be doing it all the time without break. But good work Tewi. Even if it was teasing it brought us forward another step. It showed that she wants more and needs more.
[x] Get advice from Tewi
I don't know why she suddenly steps on the brakes. Maybe she never had a man before and just doesn't know.
It is a good thing to be patient and wait but Shirou needs to learn to take the initiative and get things further forward.

[x] Get advice from Tewi
Hopefully the kind where she isn't smiling <50% of the time.

On the odd chance that someone is still expecting something, I'll be getting to writing in a bit. Might take a tad longer than before because I have stuff to do first.

>>22038
4 in 24.3 hours to be more precise.

Tracking Tewi down is not as easy as you would like. The girl never seems to stay in one place very long, constantly on the move looking for something interesting to do. Of course the rabbits are of no help, they are only concerned with food and playing around. There are some places that you can discount looking in, chiefly the more secluded corners of Eientei. The bowels of the mansion are seldom occupied and the only time Tewi is there is for reasons you she can’t really confirm nor deny. It’s vexing to look for her if she doesn’t want to be found; Most of Eientei and the surrounding bamboo forest is her playground, her neck of the woods to put it quaintly. She knows all of the secret spots and can move undetected and on whim.

When Tewi wants to find you, however, the matter simplifies itself somewhat. Popping out behind a door in your room, you know right away that she knows you want her and has allowed you to find her. It’s her way of being charitable.

“Just what seems to be the problem? Feeling a little hot under the collar?” She’s right on the mark and she knows it.

“You could say that.”

“Getting all hot and bothered?”

“I won’t lie - yeah,” It feels weird to admit it to someone who can pass for a child from the distance but you know better than to judge her based on appearances. You sit down on a cushion, legs crossed, “That’s not really the main problem though, I wanted your help with Kaguya. She’s holding back, and won’t let me in her head.”

“Getting you all wound up. Yes, I believe I covered that under hot and bothered,” Tewi smirks. Her eyes roll up and down along your body and you get the feeling that she’s undressing you. Casually you place an arm so as to cover up your nude self, you hope it covers you up in her mind. “You’re a man, it’s only natural for you to feel frustrated if nothing is going on. You should see the rabbits in heat.”

You laugh nervously, feeling that she’s right on the money, “I can’t say that you’re wrong but I can deal with that part of it. Like I said, I’m worried that Kaguya is trying to shut me out.”

“And you came for me for advice because you can’t bear to tell her the truth and confront her about it.”

“Would you be able to if you were in my position? She’s liable to think that it’s all just physical and guard her thoughts even more carefully.”

Tewi giggles, “I understand your troubles.” She smiles and promptly plops down in your lap, sitting with her back against your chest. You feel her weight pressing down against you. She feels smaller than ever with her dress caught against your two bodies and the fabric tugging where it now has less slack. Her ears flop around as she squirms, kicking up her legs playfully. You have full view of her head and her very messy hair, strands coalesce together towards the ends but otherwise the direction varies wildly.

“So can you help me figure things out?” You ask, strained.

“I think I will,” She giggles again, “You’ve had this since you walked in, it must be awful painful for you.”

You blush, realizing what she’s talking about. You can’t really help it either, what she is saying is true. It’s even worse now with her body’s pressure and her movements resulting in excruciating rubbing. Her casual attitude to these matters should come as no surprise, particularly if you think of her as a rabbit - everyone knows about their expertise in this field. Her nonchalant attitude in face of a rather embarrassing matter is a helpful, it saves a lot of awkward euphemisms you could have used as explanations.

Thankfully she gets up before things really get awkward. She smiles and tells you that she has something to show you “later tonight”. She swears that it’ll help you put things into perspective and then speeds along, skipping while humming a merry little tune. You give a sigh of relief and fall backwards on the floor. It’s tough to keep your mind on anything except Tewi and the way she was rubbing up against you. It’s completely inappropriate and you try not to think about her puffy tail nor her cute petite figure. Things are bad for you.

Things settle down in time for a pleasant little stroll with Tewi.

“Why are we here?” You whisper, trying to be as quiet as possible. In total silence any noise sounds about one hundred decibels louder than it really is and you cringe, thinking yourself too loud.

“Just watch,” Tewi taps you on the shoulder and points towards the hole in the wall.

And so you do watch. You’re in a cramped tiny crawlspace somewhere in between walls and the only light is the light streaming in from the hole in the wall. On the other side of the wall, the hole is in a corner, near the floor. It’s barely visible really, you’ve been on the other side and never noticed - it’ll probably look like a blemish on the wood or something else completely insignificant to the casual observer. It’s unobstructed and no furniture blocks the view into the room.This is why it’s a good peephole, it gives you fairly good overview of what’s going on inside.

Tewi has led you to a hole in the clinic’s wall. It’s Eirin’s office and you can see Eirin working by herself. She’s not at her desk, instead standing on the far side of the room with a beaker in hand. It’s so quiet that you can hear the noise of fluids sloshing as she pours the beaker’s contents into vials and flasks of different sizes. The hole is too low for you to see it, but you expect that solutions are interacting and changing color as she does this. There’s nothing notable about the scene, as far as you’re concerned it’s Eirin’s usual diligent self. She works quickly and efficiently, clad in a white lab coat and wearing thin rubber gloves. She wouldn’t look out of place in a research lab or at a hospital doing blood cultures.

You steal a glance at Tewi who in the dark gestures for you to keep on looking. You keep on looking, but see nothing exciting. Eirin is methodical, she likely enjoys working with chemicals and the clinic is a tidy place. Nothing groundbreaking. After several solutions are diluted and mixed enough, Eirin goes out of sight for a moment. When you see her next, she has a few solid elements and a Bunsen burner. Placing a components into a beaker, she proceeds to heat up a mixture. She’s at it for a few minutes, carefully monitoring the reaction occurring within. At last she’s done, and she extracts with tongs a solid object from inside. You can’t see what it is but she places it inside a storage cabinet and you distinctly see a look of elation on her. ]

Tewi taps you and you leave the crawlspace.

“What was that all about?” You ask, being clear of the clinic and in the hallways.

“It’ll make sense later, for now keep doing a good job at being quiet. We need to hurry up if we want to see it, it’s almost too late.”

Tewi guides you to your next destination on the tour. It’s another lovely crawlspace. It’s as dark, dusty, cramped and damp as the previous one. And to think that your leg was finally starting to feel less cramped.

Again, you come to and stop at a hole in the wall. Knowing that she expects you to do, you peer through the peephole.

The view isn’t immediately familiar. It’s a room like so many others here at Eientei. The hole is again low but doesn’t have as good of a view as the previous one. You start to make the details - There’s a bed and other signs of occupancy... you spot movement off to the right. The long lilac hair identifies her to you,.“Of course,” you mumble, realizing that you’re staring into Reisen’s bedroom. It’s a very girly room, come to think about it. It’s clean, organized and there are cutesy knickknacks here and there. Reisen keeps a very personalized room with a chest of drawers and other furniture that you haven’t seen elsewhere.

As for the moon rabbit herself, you scrutinize what she’s doing. She’s sitting in front of a mirror, dressed in her sleeping clothes. There’s a towel on her head and it seems like she’s just come out of the bath. Her back is turned to you and so you can’t really tell what kind of face she’s making. The edges of her figure are reflected off the mirror and you can see them from your vantage point. You watch silently as she lifts up her shirt a bit and... looks at herself. That’s what you reckon she’s doing. It’s a good five minutes of scrutiny with the occasional torsional twist - it is during those moments that you confirm that she is indeed looking at her reflection with much interest. She gets up and walks on over to the middle of her room.

Looking awkward, despite being in there by herself she lies down on the floor. She stretches her arms and legs, reaching out flexibly to touch her toes. With a look of worry she then begins to do a few sit ups. You watch her do them all, wondering why she didn’t do them before she took a bath. When she’s done, she wears a smile on her face and gets up to go to bed. It is then that Tewi tugs at you again and you leave the crawlspace.

This time you don’t ask anything. You know the answer she’ll give you is the same. There seems to be yet another stop which you can predict by now will be Kaguya. The drill is also the same. Another convenient crawlspace with a view into her room. Having been in the room so many times, you immediately orient yourself and reckon this hole is not in her main area but rather the adjoining room where she sleeps.

Sure enough by this time of night, Kaguya is in bed. There have been some pretty late nights so it’s only normal that she’s tired. You’re tired as well. There’s only a single dim light that casts long shadows against the opposite wall.

“She’s asleep,” You whisper to Tewi. She taps you and gestures for you to quiet down and to look again. Suppressing a sigh, you do it.

You look at where Kaguya is lying. She’s covered by a blanket and you can’t see her face. Her back is turned to you and for all intents and purposes you think her asleep. You stare for a minute, two and more. At first you think it the fault of the poor illumination but soon you realize that the sheets are moving slightly. They’re moving with a regular pattern and you hold your breath and hear heavy breathing from the other side. Intrigued, you try to make out any details you can.

A low, soft moan rattles you. With your eye pressed as hard as it can be to the dirty filthy hole you watch as the movement beneath the covers speeds up and gathers momentum. There is another moan and then another. Soon there’s a barrage of moans that keep in tempo with the movement. Kaguya sits up, back towards you and you see her shaking and moving her hands in the dark. All you can really see is the dark flutter and swaying of her hair, which even in the relative dark still manages to stand out like onyx on white linen. You can’t tell what you’re looking at of hers but you can tell that most of her clothes have been slipped off or drawn up to her waist.

Small moans are timed to the movements of her hands and the bobbing of her head. More than once she seems to slip, having to rest part of herself against he wall for support. The occasional flash of pale flesh in between strands of wild, dark hair excites you to no end. You make out arm movements, paying attention to when it is that she allows an arm to come up from below and give some attention to her unseen, but definitely exposed, chest. The ordeal comes to a head with an indecent gasp, full of desire and saturated with raw pleasure; You watch as Kaguya loses most of her strength and her extremities spasm. In the calm that follows, you hear several pants and Kaguya slumps back into bed with most of the tension in her body seemingly having faded away. She’s in a neutral, obstructed to your sight position in bed. You can just barely see the side of her face, very poorly on account the bad lighting. You would give anything to see her expression just about now.

It’s difficult to get out of the crawlspace. You’re in a daze. Tewi has to act like a guide dog, leading you on with tugs and the occasional growling. She dumps you in your room, plopping you in your own bed in an act of kindness.

“Do you understand what it is I wanted to show you?” She questions you, snapping her fingers to get you to pay attention to her.

“I’m... not sure. I saw a lot of things tonight.”

“Do you want to see what I do?” Tewi asks.

“I- what?”

She sighs, and shakes her head, “It looks like you didn’t get it after all.” She sits down by you and explains, “Everyone has their different way with coping with stress and boredom. You saw how happy the all were, didn’t you?”

You recall the smiles on Eirin and Reisen’s face. And then project a sweet, seductive smile on Kaguya. It makes your heart throb. “I guess you’re right... but do they do that all the time.”

“I’m assuming that you mean your girlfriend. You don’t really care about the others, do you?” She points out astutely. Nothing gets by her. “She’s a person like the rest of us, and we all have our needs. You understand, right?”

“Ah, I never really thought about it, I mean she’s a princess and all...”

“Even princesses can feel earthly desire and pleasure. I mean, it’s no good for her to be all worked up, right?” She grins, obviously enjoying being the harbinger of the newsflash, “I mean, if you were spending so much time getting close with someone, sucking face like there’s no tomorrow you’d also be frustrated. Oh wait...”

“Point made,” You accept what she says. It was still a shocking spectacle, unexpected and exciting - as little detail as you might have seen. To know that she was doing that and, if Tewi’s implications are to be trusted, at least partially because of you, is something momentous. It can’t be summed up easily, but you try, “I would have never imagined her doing a thing like that. I really would have had to see it to believe it.”

“And so you know. I guess my advice to you is to find your own way to relax and smile.”

“Thank you, I’ll take the lesson to heart. How can I repay you?”

“Just continue to be entertaining,” She smirks, “You’re good at that. Oh and maybe pinch Reisen’s bottom casually next time you see her. Act all normal too, she won’t know just what went on.”

“Uh... I’m not comfortable with doing that.”

“Suit yourself, be like that.”

“I’ll think about it alright? I can’t promise anything,” You meet her halfway. “Besides,” You point something else out, “this is only part of my problem, how do I get Kaguya to stop walling herself off? I don’t think things can keep on advancing in a healthy way if she keeps shutting me out.”

“That’s a tough one. Might require quite a bit of tact from your end. So you’re better off relying on someone else to help you through that.” Tewi teases, but there’s truth in her jest. She seriously recommends things, telling you that she doesn’t know for sure what’s wrong, “My guess is that it probably has something to do with why she hasn’t been on speaking terms with Eirin. Not saying that it’s the same one thing, but the underlying reason that’s all. Then again, these moon folk sure are crazy. You never know what you’re going to get with them. I tell you, first time I met them, I thought that they were frigid little...” She clears her throat, “Anyways, they’re not the easiest people to deal with and have their own way of doing things.”

“Alright, thank you for your advice. I really owe you one here.” You smile and thank the little rascal with a friendly pat on the head.

“Less thanking, more pinching,” She reminds you once again before taking off. Her posse of rabbits is waiting for her just outside the door, no doubt awaiting her so they can raise hell together.

It’s not easy to go to sleep after what you saw in the evening. All you can think of are shapely bosoms, erotic looks and naughty excretions born from excitement. You even imagine smells, displacing the moldy smell of dank crawlspace with vanilla scented candles and rose water. The tactile feedback is also imagined but no less vivid - the feelings of silky strands of hair running past like cool water as you pressed against flushed skin daunts you. No less intense is the sense of taste, of her various flavors... How you made the night without suffering a complete sensory overload, you don’t know.

Morning comes and you’ve barely slept a wink. It’s with reluctance and almost no energy that you get up.

[] Hound Eirin for the reason behind their estrangement
[] Get background information through Reisen
[] Sleep in and deal with things come as they may

[X] Get background information through Reisen

May as well ease thyself into solving the problem better than previous attempts.

[x] Get background information through Reisen

Aside from the last few updates Shirou really hasn't interacted with Reisen. Hopefully he is in a good light.

[~] Get background information through Reisen

If the mood's strained between Eirin and <insert character here>, I think it's better to go with the moon bunny.

If anything, she'd know. And tell him.

[x] Get background information through Reisen

I came. That is all i have to say. And blackmail Reisen to work for you, just mention what you saw and you have a Spy.

[X] Get background information through Reisen

[x] Get background information through Reisen

This tide; I'll be riding it.

[x] Get background information through Reisen.

Let's round out our information and maybe even act on Tewi's advice/dare.

I'm a bit busy right now, and will be for the next three hours or so. I'm trying my best so anon should try not to leave me hanging out to try when I update. I know most of you have better things to do than check constantly but updating with only 2-3 votes after several hours is not exactly very gratifying nor conducive to me keeping up a rhythm.

On another note (in the time between now and the next update): care to indulge me a little with your opinions and light commentaries? For some reason I thought there would be something a little more... well, you know after the last update in particular. This is mostly just for my selfishness but I think you could benefit from seeing things being said too.

>>22056

You're cruel teasing us with Kaguya and somewhat with Reisen.

What never fails is seeing the very events posted appear within my mind as I read it; they seem rather vivid. Who hasn't peeped or spied on some one? Being able to connect and understand the frustrations that a man dealing with a cock-teasing woman never seem so easy as it does here; along with the frustrations caused by others that trouble anon.

Just my two cents

>Then again, these moon folk sure are crazy. You never know what you’re going to get with them.

Damn right, Tewi. I still think that unless Kaguya and Eirin stop fighting Eientei will never truly be peaceful. There doesn't seem to be a way to directly pursue it at the moment though. (Well, there is but walking up to Eirin and demanding answers hasn't worked well in the past.)

Although that could have somewhat blown over by now because Eirin hasn't made an appearance in a while. Not that I don't want her to, but Shirou and Kaguya seem to be doing better without her toying.

Talking to Reisen might yield some insights. Maybe about Eirin because Reisen spends the most time with her.

>>22056
The last update ranged from hot to cute. Especially the Reisen part was pretty amusing, it just fits the bunny. I know we have Kaguya and i am not a real fan of Reisen but the Bunny should deserve some Route somewhen if possible. I thought of something like a Spin Off with her trying to find and man and love.
It would probably be mostly funny and cute. And innocent because too much sex is bad. It would involve Tewi too and Eirin from time ot time when she look at the guy who Reisen brings in like a father at the guy who wants his daughter. But well i am getting carried away.
Your writing seemed to have changed a bit over the months. You were a lot more of a tease and not that clear most of the time. Maybe you give us a chance now? The part with Kaguya just surprised me, i wouldn't have imagined that. But i guess it is just human.

To get the two together again will not be easy, first we need to find out why but neither seems to be willing to help you with that. And because the both can outsmart Shirou so easy it seems the only way to get informations is from someone outside who might know why and make her spy. So Tewi and Reisen is our best bet to find out more.
Once we know the reasons we can start to scheme and plan.

To get Kaguya to do that in front of us we need to solve a load of problems.

Hey there. In case you were thinking that I was a big fat stinking liar, I sort of am sort of aren't. Was busy for longer than expected yesterday and then resolved to take a nap. As I was finishing up, an earthquake happened and knocked out power until a few hours ago and internet until just now. So should be done sometime soon, after cooking and sending a couple of emails.

I failed at sage the first time around, so apologies.

“Good morning,” You greet, “how are you doing?”

“Good morning,” Reisen replies, “I’m doing just fine.”

Reisen is hard at work sweeping the front gate. As usual, she’s all alone. Unlike the times you see her working in the kitchen or helping Eirin, she’s wearing a short-sleeved blouse though the weather hardly justifies it. There’s an air of informality about her and peaceful happiness that is odds with her normal reserve. Not to mention her occasional outright reserve and reluctance in social situations or when in the presence of Eirin. Her long hair almost reaches down to the ground and you notice for the first time that it has a nice luster to it; While not the marvelous silky sheen you adore on Kaguya nor the well-maintained vigor that you see in Eirin’s, it holds its own in an objective assessment.

The dirt and stray leaves that gather at the entrances are not as bad of an issue as you might have expected; The earth in the immediate vicinity is hard and compacted and the occasional falling leaves don’t have much wind to carry them very far this deep in the forest. You’d probably be willing to say that sweeping is an almost symbolic gesture. Even the rabbits, who would logically track a lot of dirt from playing around, don’t seem to leave any noticeable marks.

“Say, if possible, I’d like to speak to you for a bit. When you have some time,” You watch her sweep the little dust there is off the stone walkway, the broom scrapes the stone with a loud scratching noise, “I’m free whenever you’re able to talk.”

“I have to finish my chores for the day first, what is this about?” Reisen inquires. Her back is turned to you as she finishes off sweeping the far tile.

“It’s something that I think you’d know plenty about, I’d say something more but I really want to talk about it in private.”

She finishes up cleaning. She returns to the doorway and pauses to look at you, probably trying to get a hint of your intention. The broom is put back in a nearby closet and she gives you an answer, “Alright, when I finish up everything today I’ll come see you in your room.”

“It’s a date then,” You regret your choice of words, but not as much as the almost perpetual swelling that’s very visible in your pants. Nothing you can really do about it but try to think about other things and not, like Kaguya has pointed out correctly in the recent past, the rather cute and sensuous movement of Reisen’s hips and puffy tail when she’s walking away.

In the interim, you withdraw back to your lair, intent on cleaning your head with a little extra sack time. The alone time is supposed to help you with another painful, socially awkward issue. Though you toss a wayward glance at your PDA - with each passing day it seeming like something of a relic of bygone days - with the thought that perhaps there’s a program on their that’ll suit your needs, there’s a fresh and powerful image imprinted on your mind that drives you relentlessly along.

As you work your way through every detail perceived through poor lighting and even worse angles, you can’t help but romanticize the ordeal. The subtlest of hints of flesh transform into lively and wholly indecent re-imagined memories. Curves inciting desire and sensuous testament of the feminine form are resplendent in your imagination. Well-proportioned breasts, being occasionally handled by her in the heat of the moment, nipples embossed on the majestic mounds. Indeed it’s thinking about what went on that compels you further; Soon you are matching the moans heard with expressions of utmost lewd excitement on her face. Needless to say, as the moans roll out - first muted by consciousness of the act but then rather vivaciously as she loses control in the face of pleasure - you see how color suffuses across her pale flesh, her face and body pigmented pink. By the time you reach the climax of the daring spectacle, and picture how the loss of control translates into a manifestation of utter bliss, things come to a climax of their own.

“Shirou, are you there?” The door slides open, revealing the object of your runaway fantasies. It takes her a moment to find you sitting in the corner.

“Oh, hey,” You greet her with a forced smile. You sure as hell don’t know what the proper etiquette is for being around her anymore. In the face of uncertainty, you go with past certainties - the pleasant and loving act.

She comes in dragging her feet. It looks like she just came out of the bath, her hair is still wet and her clothes stick closely to her body. Kaguya goes on over to your little corner, inviting you sweetly elsewhere, “I hope you’re hungry, there’s something special waiting for you in the kitchen.”

“Ah, I wonder it could be? I have a good feeling about this,” You play along despite not being at all hungry. There’s no way that you can disappoint that lovable face and well-meaning eyes. She tries to escort you directly to the kitchen but you’re able to convince her to allow you to wash up first. Trying to not look slovenly is a good excuse.

“I made it myself,” Notes of pride tinge her words. You believe her claim too - the kitchen is an absolute mess. The reason for her unusual mid-morning bath becomes clearer.

She presents you something wholly unsuited for breakfast and better suited for a cafe. What is essentially a cream puff overstuffed with cream and garnished with bitter chocolate sits on a plate for you inspection and eventual consumption. You play your role, eying the sweet with forced scrutiny. The caloric value of the sweet is off the charts judging by the frothiness of the filling.

You take the opportunity to make a joke, “It seems like Reisen went all out making this for you. It looks really well done.”

“It’s a recipe I found in a magazine,” She explains, avoiding the joke completely. You realize that she’s too proud to even engage in your usual lighthearted banter. It’s with good reason too, it looks delicious, if a little overstuffed and irregular shaped.

“Do you want a piece?” You pick up the sweet of the plate; Immediately your fingers feel the stickiness of sugar and glaze gluing you to the pastry.

“No thank you, I made a smaller one to try first, so I’m alright,” She looks happily at you, “It’s all for you, made especially for you.”

Shaking your head, you don’t hesitate to take a bite. You’re not hungry, but it’s a necessary sacrifice.The truth is that anything with that much pastry cream and sugary toppings is liable to taste too sweet. It’s not the case, surprisingly, and your taste buds appreciate some of the more subtle flavors - such as vanilla - underneath the sugary first impression.

“This is quite good,” You mean your compliment. Kaguya beams proudly as you continue to eat the pastry, leaving no crumb behind. “I-”

“Missed a spot-” She takes her pinkie and gathers a bit of stray cream that had lodged itself next to your mouth. Not hesitating, she licks her finger, looking quite satisfied with your reaction.

“What brought this on? It’s really unexpected,” You tell her, still tasting the treat on your tongue.

“Nothing, I just felt like doing something nice for you.”

“Do you want me to cook you something? You know I don’t mind.”

“It’s not about that, though you know I like that too.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to come off like I had to repay you,” You scratch your head, “It’s just that you made me happy so I feel like making you happy. Besides, we’re already in the kitchen.”

“It’s ok,” She shakes her head, “ I really only wanted to do something nice for you because I felt like it. In a way, it’s my own selfishness that made you eat that even though you probably weren’t very hungry.”

“Thank you and don’t worry about it. I enjoyed eating what you made. It really was good,”

You hold her, wrapping your arms around her back for a quick embrace. It feels good, but brings up feelings of guilt. Feelings that evidently show on your face; “Hm, what’s the matter? You look troubled.”

“It’s nothing,” You lie even as the smell of freshly soaped skin and shampooed hair elicits a powerful reaction from your tireless libido.

“Don’t lie, you’re a bad liar,” She pushes against your chest, smiling, “I think I know you well enough to be able to tell when you’re trying to hide something.”

“Is that so?” You play it cool, letting go of her and encouraging her to reach her own conclusion.

“Yes. In fact,” She pokes your belly playfully, “I might not know what it is you are trying to hide all the time but I can usually guess the general drift.”

“Alright then,” You humor her, testing her with something supposedly easy for her, “What sort of thing am I thinking about now then?”

“Hm,” She peers into your eyes, almost causing you to flinch. Kaguya can be downright intense she wants to be, and apparently reading you is one of those occasions. Her guess comes soon and is, regrettably, rather spot on, “You’re thinking about something very perverted, that’s what.”

“I’m a guy,” You lie through your teeth, “I’m always thinking about something perverted. You’re wrong to think that I’m for some reason thinking about something special.”

“No, I’m pretty sure about this. It’s something you don’t want to tell me, but probably should.”

“And what makes you think that?” You don’t think it too bright of an idea to confess to your thoughts, much less to your actions. Things are complicated and tense. Mostly complicated in your head and again tense so far as you can imagine. There’s no real indication that things are that bad, but erring on the side of caution surely can’t be bad.

“Oh, uh, it’s just a feeling, like a premonition,” She explains effusively and deflects answering about the basis of her rationale. “I just know it, can’t you just admit it?”

[] Admit to having impure thoughts about her
[] Confess about seeing her private moment
[] Deny, disassemble and deflect - the three D’s

[x] Admit to having impure thoughts about her
[x] And her Hair. You would do unspeakable things with it.

She knows already, no use to lie to her anymore. It might just make her angry. But saying you watched her through a crack in the wall might not be the best choice. Thank god that she is quite open minded about things.

[~] Admit to having impure thoughts about her
- [~] But try to deflect the question.

I don't think it's a bad thing to play along with her. I do, however, think it's a bad thing to be the manipulated puppet.

[x] Admit to having impure thoughts about her

Keeping the peeping thing a secret for a bit longer is alright with me. Playing hard to get with Kaguya looks pretty fun too, though.

[x] Admit to having impure thoughts about her
-[x] And her Hair. You would do unspeakable things with it.

If that extension is acceptable, this should be amusing.

>>22080
You just can't resist Kaguya's Hair.

Nothing for now. I have to replace a lot of food that went bad when the power was out (local supermarket is closed so have to go a bit further), help someone I know clear debris off their house and do a bunch of misc. stuff that will likely keep me occupied all day. I could do a short 500~ words update in between stuff in a couple of hours but it's not exactly what I intended. I'd ask you to do something in the meanwhile, but I can't think of anything. Well, nothing that isn't lewd.

[x] Confess about seeing her private moment.

Just for a little variety.

>>22089

Got hit by the storm I'm assuming? If so gald your safe 'n' all.

If I'm not busy, I'm lazy. Sorry about that but I really will get to it sometime in the next 12 hours. I promise. In the meanwhile, I'll pose a question that has no obvious bearing on this story but is fun to ask all the same: Reisen + frilly dress, yay or nay?

>>22094
See above; Earthquake you silly amerocentric person you. Thanks all the same.

>>22106
yay
Some Touhous were born to wear them, some were not.

[x] Admit to having impure thoughts about her

Honesty, like sugary treats, are good.
But too much only leaves you feeling queasy, with a bad feeling in your mouth.

>>Reisen + frilly dress, yay or nay?

...this is a trick question, right?

“Well then, you want to know what I’m thinking?” You pause, thinking about the right thing to say. It turns out that it’s easy to seem genuine because the thoughts really are there. “I’m thinking about you and your unbelievable beauty and all the indecent things I want to do to and with you.”

“I see,” Kaguya nods. She says with some disinterest in the previous topic, “All this effort has left me rather drained. I think I’m going to go take it easy in my room for a while. There are a few magazines I’ve yet to go through.”

You stop her from leaving by gently placing your hands on her shoulders. To your surprise, she flinches. You hesitate for a moment before saying what you have to say, “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t imaging your attractive body in its fullest exposure. Hell, even now I can’t help but picture an expression of ecstasy on your face and the subtle signs of excitement that would appear all over you. That’s worded poorly, I know,” You try to think of the best way to put it, “it’s enough to say that I’ve been totally captured by your charms and really can’t help it at all that I have such impure thoughts about you.”

Kaguya squirms under your hold, freeing herself. She has nothing to say to you and seems intent on leaving. The desire for validation overrides other considerations. It’s not fair that she makes you say embarrassing things and then gets to walk away. You stop her again, blocking the doorway by standing there. For a moment it looks like she’s going to shove you out of the way but then, evidently thinking the plan flawed, she turns to talk.

With a disgruntled sigh she says,”Would you please allow me to go back to my room?”

“So you’ve nothing to say to me after hearing that?”

“Not especially, no.”

“I don’t think you’re being very honest there,” Seeing a chance for a satisfying reversal of roles, you badger on, “I have a feeling, a premonition that there’s something you have to say, something that you’re thinking.”

“You’re wrong about that,” She denies simply. You can tell that she’s not going to say much more. The way her gaze drifts off to the side, you imagine that she’s contemplating exiting the kitchen through the other door, the one that leads to the dinning room.

“You brought the subject up,” You say defensively. Her accusations aren’t verbal, but they’re still there, behind her hard stare and tense body language. The way she’s wound up... it accomplishes the opposite of discouragement. You wish to make her loosen up, to make her let laugh and relax. Perhaps even make her admit to harboring those thoughts as well. The words of the sagacious rabbit in pink come back to you. Princesses are people too.

You let out a sigh of your own, “You know, every once in a while it’d be nice if you made me feel like I wasn’t the only one who is making a fool out of himself. You don’t have to be perfect, under any criteria, I’ll still feel the same about you.”

[] Let her go
[] Write in
-
Could this have been posted earlier? Yeah. The peace of mind required for writing is hard to achieve apparently.

[x] "I see" Pretend to let her go
[x] When she is about to walk past you, grab her and give her the most passionate kiss possible.
[x] Let her go, apologize for taking up so much of her time. Just leave.

For once, let us be the one to tease and not her. We all know what happened last time.

[X] Let her go

Can't think of anything that wouldn't be redundant sounding.

[x] Give Kaguya a warm hug.
[x] Reinforce the fact that you love her, all of her. You love the way her eyes sparkle and how her smile lights up your day.
[x] Remind her that she is your best buddy and thank her again for the delicious treat.
[x] Kiss her.

My attempt at a somewhat coherent write-in. Take it or leave it.

I still can't seem to figure out what Kaguya's problem is. The only thing that comes to my mind is that she suspects that Shirou is only physically attracted to her. This write-in aims to reassure her of the fact that she means the world to us and that we attracted to her first, not just her body.

I'm gonna laugh if it's something else entirely.

[~] Let her go

>>22130
Seconded.

...it doesn't seem like it was worth letting things go for over 24 hours But then again, when after 12 hours I had only a single vote I felt that it wasn't worth updating. This isn't gratifying at all. I'm now going to spend the next couple of hours doing other stuff to try to see if I can get over the frustration. I may not be the best writer and this may not be the best story but I'll be damned if it doesn't feel like I'm being unjustly punished. Well that's enough of that I suppose, complaining won't change anything.

[@] "I see" Pretend to let her go
[@] When she is about to walk past you, grab her and give her the most passionate kiss possible.
[@] Let her go, apologize for taking up so much of her time. Just leave.

Too curious...

x] Give Kaguya a warm hug.
[x] Reinforce the fact that you love her, all of her. You love the way her eyes sparkle and how her smile lights up your day.
[x] Remind her that she is your best buddy and thank her again for the delicious treat.
[x] Kiss her.

>>22128
The passionate kiss at the end seems a little too sudden. Wouldn't she get flustered in a bad way? Like saying how dare we do that so blatantly?

Of course who am I to ask that when I chose an set of options that leads to her getting kissed anyway?

[X] Don't press the issue any further, but let her know that if there was something she was thinking or feeling or wanting, and if she wanted to talk about it with you, then you will be glad to listen at any time.

[X] For now, however, you will not stop her from going back to her room. You will be going back to your own. Maybe after taking a nice, hot bath. Or maybe after doing some physical exercises. Hot, sweaty exercises. You know, burn some calories. Maybe exercising, then the bath.

If pushing isn't going to work, and it probably won't, then perhaps pulling might?

...maybe?

I figure, if she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to talk about it.
Doesn't mean we can't try to pour a little fuel on the fire, though.

She's having certain thoughts.
She doesn't want to admit she's having certain thoughts.
So, why not give her a bit more to think about?

Though, would Kaguya be responsive to the mental image of her Shirou getting all hot, and sweaty.? Possibly even naked? His body glistening with moisture?

After about a week of doing anything but updating this I came to realize that you people really need to read what everyone else posts. Things go nowhere if everyone pulls in a different direction. It doesn't seem like you can convince each other to sway to a different direction partially, I think, because you may not actually bother to reconsider votes after posting them. But well, whatever, this is just a general observation.

As for an actual update: Sometime in the next day. I still have to get into what people voted and decide what to go with. It'd be easier to go with whatever I liked best, though I guess it would defeat the point of votes and lessen my satisfaction. Not that I wouldn't get satisfaction from some of the things planned anyways, mind you.

You let her pass.

Almost, at any rate.

As she passes you grab her by the waist and press her up close. You whisper happily words meant for her ears only, “Thank you for the sweets, my sweet. Just thinking of you brightens my day, “ And disregarding the already dangerously level of cheesiness you add, “I love you and the way your eyes sparkle, your smile and especially how your lips quiver so adorably just before we kiss - just like now.”

Kaguya relaxes and accepts the kiss. Feeling her soft figure pressed against you makes you even happier than your hammed up delivery could explain. You smile, drawing apart, and stare deeply into her eyes. It is true that they shine, they twinkle and sparkle with an infectious magic that makes your heart beat wildly.

You hold her by the hips, letting some distance in between you. Roguishly, or what passes for dashing and suave in your mind, you utter carefully selected words, “If you’re thinking of something or wanting something and if you ever want to talk about it, I’m always going to be willing to listen.”

There is, of course, the icing on the proverbial cake, a gentle tease, a promise of things that may come, “Go ahead,” You let her go, smiling, “I’m going back to my room if you need me, might take a bath first. A nice hot bath, to clean myself all up, maybe after doing a couple of laps around Eientei and sit ups, you know, after getting myself all worked up. It’ll feel good to wash myself up, getting every area of my tired and sweaty body clean.”

You throw in a complimentary wink.

Kaguya walks away, saying nothing. But, and a very important but it is, you’re sure that just before she turned the corner you saw her eyes light up and let out a very stealthy giggle.

You lick your lips, tasting the sweet sugar all over again.

In the early evening, there‘s a gentle knock on your door.

“Come in,” You interrupt your thinking time and sit up.

Reisen is at the door, holding a small cloth bag. You signal for her to sit, curious as to why she brought anything at all. You smile at her and she returns the smile with a look of uncertainty. Her movements are twitchy and awkward and she takes a long time to sit down just opposite you. You almost laugh outright at the jerky way she crosses her legs, tugging the hem of her short skirt to cover up any exposure.

Your curiosity gets the better of you. It’s just plain weird for her to come to your room clutching a plain brown bag like it was a valuable artifact. You ask simply, “What’s with the bag?”

“It might be necessary,” She replies quietly. Her ears flop forwards a little, matching her generalized slump.

“Necessary for what?”

“For things...” She dances around an actual answer. More than once. It’s obvious that she thinks that she might need whatever is inside but it’s equally obvious that she doesn’t actually want to admit to what she has in there.

You push aside your curiosity, intent instead of proceeding with your original objective.

[] Talk about lunarians; Things will sort themselves out
[] Try to make Reisen relax first (specifics welcome but not necessary)

>Kaguya walks away, saying nothing. But, and a very important but it is, you’re sure that just before she turned the corner you saw her eyes light up and let out a very stealthy giggle.
Like a little schoolgirl. Well, that was really smooth now. Kaguya will probably not find much sleep tonight.
>Her ears flop forwards a little, matching her generalized slump.

[x] Talk about Kaguya. Tell Reisen of the joy of having someone you love.
[x] Apologize for your earlier behavior, you do not want to force her to do something against her will. But you were really serious about this.

Something like that. Don't want to mess around now that the situation with Kaguya improves slowly.

[X] Try to make Reisen relax first

WHO WANTS A BODY MASSAGE

[X] Try to make Reisen relax first

>>22212

DON'T FORGET YOUR SENSUAL AND AROMATIC OILS

Can I update? Technically yes. Should I? That's harder to answer. Do I feel like it? Not especially.

At this rate we'll never get anywhere. I think I'm nearing what some may call wits' end. Congratulations, I can now say that the site has directly influenced my drinking habits. Perhaps I should just claim that 'everyone lived happily ever after' and throw in the towel. There doesn't seem to be anything else I can do. I can keep updating with 3 votes in almost a day's time but that doesn't mean I want to. Nor does it exactly encourage me to try to update more than once a day, much less something near the 4 times a day I did recently. Really now, despite popular belief, I don't particularly like whining but like I said, don't really see any clear way forward.

So, I guess for the three of you: Any suggestions? I sure as hell can't think of anything else I can do on my part. Or whatever, you can choose not to say anything as well. It doesn't make much of a difference I suppose.

Unfortunately, I have to go to work.
Give me a good 10 hours or so, and I'll see if I can think of something.

>>22216
Write. Stop whining, Write. Do it for the people who still care.
When you only have 1 or 2 voters left then you can could quit.

>>22218
Oh you mean keep doing like I'm already doing? It's not exactly the most productive cycle, now is it? I don't know about you but I'd actually like to finish this story. I like to finish all things I start. At this rate, we won't. That is the problem. I have only come this far because I both enjoy writing and enjoy writing for those few who read this. So don't give me that bull.

[x] Try to make Reisen relax first (specifics welcome but not necessary)
[x] Sub-vote - Shirou should transition from several nonchalant remarks and slowly move on to explain the reason he called her here. After that is dealt with, he should get more specific. General tone should be calm yet slightly frustrated. Maybe even look for a opportunity to act on Tewi's advice and pinch her butt.

Thanks for sticking around for the good times and bad. I can't imagine how demotivating it must be for you to see the votes trickle down to this amount. I won't bother with my personal excuses for being late to more than a few votes, but I still do give a shit about this story and I want to see it reach a good end. As for how I see that coming about, I can't really offer a perfect solution except that those of us still reading and enjoying this story continue to do so even more. Put together longer posts on votes and really look at the updates for things you like and dislike. Let the writefag know! Those of us that already do, keep it up and pull out more.

That's about all I got. I'll try harder to put together better posts and do my part to discuss what's going on. I'm not really sure what else I can do.

Yes I am posting this from Hotspot Shield since now I can't view this site any other way. I blame my college's idiotic filter.

[~] Try to make Reisen relax first
- [~] Ask how she's been doing lately and other basic general questions

I don't really have much to go on; I'm not too good at making others relax.

>>22219
I am sorry. I wish i could give you a solution, i know you care and i am happy about it. But as you can see, i am trying my very best already. I can't influence people, or magical make someone go read it and vote. The only thing you can be certain of is my vote, my bit of discussion and caring.
From your side it is depressing because of the problems but from our side, the reader who care, it is depressing too when you are like that. It's like everything we do is in vain.

[x] Try to make Reisen relax first (specifics welcome but not necessary)
[x] Sub-vote - Shirou should transition from several nonchalant remarks and slowly move on to explain the reason he called her here. After that is dealt with, he should get more specific. General tone should be calm yet slightly frustrated. Maybe even look for a opportunity to act on Tewi's advice and pinch her butt.

Wrap this up and write something else if you feel unhappy about this. Maybe on a different board, too. I'm sure you've got other ideas that have been brewing.

I'm really sorry this is happening to you.

I think the problem is there isn't one single problem, but a bunch of smaller problems all meshing together.
Some of them, you can do something about. Others, you cannot. You can learn to put up with them, and hope they improve, but in some cases the best you can hope for is to not make it worse.

For starters, let me say one thing I think you were doing right. The pace where you were updating with at least once a day? That was very, very good.
Personally, I would think more than once might be pushing it a little, but otherwise it was good.

Problem is, that is not enough.

See, as you might be aware, there are plenty of unfinished stories on this site. As a result of this, a number of people have grown extremely wary of getting involved in any story they so much as think might end up dropped.

Unfortunately, signs that the writer of a story is unhappy and/or dissatisfied is a potential warning sign of this.

I realize you're simply being honest when you air your grievances, and in a way that's not a bad thing to do, but it might cause some people to start to distance themselves, lest they get caught with another story they had become attached to stopping.

On top of that, aside from fears about the story simply stopping, are possible worries about it ending but in a way that is unsatisfying.

Not only have people become wary of stories ending, some are still ridiculously paranoid about getting "Bad Ends", especially in the form of endings.

Regrettably, very little can be done about this, as a large part of the problem lies in the attitude of the readers themselves. Hell, even now you can't have some sort of sudden tragic event happen without repeatedly assuring them that things will still be alright in the long run, and even then there's a good chance someone will flip out anyway.

This does not get any better if the writer in question has already done something in the past that sets a precedent in people's minds.

The complete and utter inability to let things go that some people have continues to amaze me, even now.

But I digress.

Part of the problem with things in this story, I feel, is based upon a lingering uncertainty about whether or not it will end, or if it does, the end will be something rather unsatisfying.

Really, things should not be as problematic as they seem to be.
I mean, when we get right down to it, don't we all basically want the same things?

You want to write an enjoyable story.
We want to read an enjoyable story.
Or at least, that is what I assume.
It seems only reasonable, after all.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, don't we all want to be able to sit back, look at this, and say "I am glad that this thing happened"?

How do we get to that point with this story?
Honestly, I really don't know.
I suppose, for a start, by figuring out what you would find most enjoyable, what the rest of us would find most enjoyable, and then find some way to make those work together.

This is just an idle thought, not a suggestion, but I wonder what might happen if you were to ease back on the reader input and let the narrative run more on its own between votes.

Personally, in the past, some of the votes have felt less like a choice of directions to take things, and more along the lines of defusing a ticking time-bomb. Even when it's not a matter of life or death, or even a serious topic, the feeling that if you choose the wrong thing you will royally screw things up is a bit off-putting.

Not that I think there shouldn't be the option to screw things up now and then, but things going wrong is more fun when it's, well, fun.
Having a problem, trying to solve it a certain way, and then having that seemingly create another problem to be fixed on top of the previous problem is naturally going to discourage some.

I really don't know if anything I've just said makes sense, or if I'm just horribly off the mark, and I think I should just stop for now, before I begin to ramble more than I already have.


For what it's worth, though, I believe things can get better. Just try not to expect too much, or try to push yourself or the story so much. As much as I (and possibly others) might miss the old "F5ING LIKE THE MOTHERFUCKING FIST OF THE NORTH STAR" days, there is nothing at all wrong with a simple "one update a day" schedule.

I hope at least something I've said might be helpful, though for all I know I'm horribly wrong about any number of things.

Then again, if you have your ideas of what the problems here are, and the readers have their own ideas of what the problems are, and those ideas either don't match up or outright conflict with each other, perhaps that is, itself a problem. Or at least, indicative of one.

[X] Talk about lunarians; Things will sort themselves out

Reisen may be a bit confused as to why she was called here. I think we should just cut to the chase - if we focus this conversation too much on her, she may get the wrong idea. Sexually repressed Reisen is awkward Reisen, and if we call too much attention to that awkwardness, it could just end up making things even more uncomfortable.

I've been lazy with my voting for a while now, I'll admit. I've got nothing but worthless excuses to make up for that, so I'm sorry. I keep on thinking I've got more to say, but I keep on finding holes in my logic, so that'll be all. Keep up the good work, and just don't let the slow days (there are only seven of them in a week after all) get to you too much. That's just how this place has become, I think. Not to say that the opinion of someone who only consistently checks one story is necessarily a correct one, as I (obviously) tend to not visit the other boards here very often.

[x] Try to make Reisen relax first

I really don't have anything to say that won't sound trite. I do somewhat agree with 22228, though. If DoLF is just getting too frustrating for you, try something new. It might help, it might not.

>>22230
Thank you for taking the time to type that. I'm afraid that we may think the same regarding several of the points you've brought up. It is unfortunate because these are things that no one can do much about, as they regard the collective mentality than just an individual or two.

I'm certain that you believe this but I'll say it once again for the record: I fully intend to finish this in a satisfactory manner. Now there's no point in saying that for the people who have already may have made up their minds or never given me a chance but I say it because it's important to emphasize that it really is an earnest wish of mine to finish things. All I can hope for is some faith and nothing more.

As you've said in so many words, people are allergic to anything even seeming a setback. There have been setbacks here only if you look at things in terms of immediate results. On the medium-term and long-tem I'd say that things have been consistently positive since the begining of route locking. Relationships and things, while sometimes lacking in some areas, have progressed in ways I wouldn't belittle. I'm not sure if that message will ever get across, but I hope it does. There have been no purposefully bad options though some of the series of choices in combination haven't led to the smoothest of sailing.

I would like to update this story at least once a day but it's come to a point where even that has become difficult. As I see it, there's no point in writing more, offering less choice, if the end result will be pretty much the same. Besides, every choice adds a little something to the story, insignificant or not. Seeing the current state of the site I don't expect there to be seven votes in an hour but perhaps it would be nice to get six in a day. Whether people realize it or not, I really do put quite a bit of me to try to make things enjoyable so I guess it brings me down constantly see little response to it.

Unlike you, I can't see things getting better. I certainly hope they will, but expect them not to. Realistically speaking, this site has seen better days. Even our fastest boards are pathetically slow and only a few stories actually get more than a single vote in an hour. I honestly don't think that merging boards would do much for us; I've given the site a lot of thought and it turns out there really isn't much I can do for everyone.

There won't be a sudden influx or readers or interested parties either. I mean, I personally am not well-liked on the site. There's a lot of people who could say a lot about that subject but let's just acknowledge the fact. So no matter whatever I do or whatever I say, I'm always going to be in the situation I am now.

What does this all have to do with my previous statements? Not much. I'm just being honest as I always am. Well, and taking the time to say something because you took the time (though I know I'm not directly answering your post I figure there's no need to retread things we agree on).

I'll say this again to you all: I want to finish this story. At the pace we're going it could take a long time, I want to be able to go faster. Three votes will only get me to update for as long as I keep deluding myself with positive thoughts. I know you guys want something satisfying so just keep at it. I myself have a life and responsibilities so I understand the complications that can arise from that. I don't know, check a little more often, tell someone who might be interested to read or simply transmit positive vibes to your nearest Yakcorp Thought Receptacle (TM). There is no easy solution to this but I know that there's no solution at all if we both don't try our best.

>>22228
>>22237
I have been writing other things with mixed results. For a long time now. They're very different projects and gratifying in their own ways. It's not that writing for this story is frustrating, au contraire, I am generally happy with the decisions and things said here. And it's nice to write for as well. The frustrating bit is the pace we're going at. We should have been at this point in the story months ago. Even when taking into consideration the periods during which I didn't write. The character development is realistically portrayed (read: slow) and so are the relationships so the last thing I would want to do is rush things and have a good, but ultimately unsatisfying end.

Going to other boards really doesn't do much, seeing as we have an endemic problem. I dunno, I'd be willing to bet that if people took the time to read what I wrote, not even that - if they tried a new story every once in a while, we wouldn't be stuck in this rut.

>>22220
What kind of filter is it? If it filters only domains, try accessing the site through its ip (98.142.216.180). If that works add the site to your hosts file and that'll be that.

And now onto another completely unrelated topic: I have to point out >>22195 again. Guys, I'm not saying I'm unhappy with your comments and write-ins and whatever. I'm saying that you seem to ignore each other more than is healthy. We're only a few people so it's ok if you then post something validating/invalidating another person's vote/logic. Or suggest that you build upon it or whatever. That doesn't really work if you're 50+ people but it works in a small group. You often contribute good things but don't bother to see if maybe someone convinced you to change your mind or if someone had a really good idea or something.

I've unfortunately spent most of the free time I had now catching up with a few books I've been meaning to read and have to do real life stuff now. So when I do update it'll probably be hours from now. Not going to go into another week of doing nothing, hopefully.

The usual “hey, how was your day?” sort of line doesn’t strike you as entirely appropriate nor effective in this situation. It’s with what you hope is some tact that you try to put her at ease.

A joke seems appropriate, “You seem a little tense, if you want I can give you a back rub,”

“If that’s what you wish,” She replies without pause. The bag in her hand is held to her chest in a way that makes it look like she’s praying. This display of near-piety makes you feel uneasy. It feels like you could ask whatever you wanted of her and she’d comply, her suffering justified by the rewards of eternal life.

“Now now, I was just making a joke,” You smile uneasily, feeling like there’s egg on your face.

“Oh, but I don’t mind,” She murmurs, eyes half-closed. There’s a brief pause before she continues to make her position perfectly clear, “Whatever you need, I’ll do my best to satisfy you.”

“Um... I’m sure that hearing those words from you would make lots of guys happy...” You still look for a way to smooth things out. Your very limited genius can only find recourse in humor. Unlike Eirin, you can’t use innuendo to defuse tension with her, she’s liable to take it all very literally. She’s also unlike Kaguya in that you can’t get through to her with boldness or physical demonstrations of affection. It’s painfully obvious that she’s unlike Tewi as well, so no other strategy you’ve learned at Eientei applies here.

You try to transform the would-be foul into an ingenious bunt, “I might even fall for a line like that if you were dressed in a maid’s uniform and kept calling me ‘master’. If I didn’t I would have to be at least six months dead.”

She lifts her head up and for a moment you fear that she’s about to say, “That can be arranged, master.” Not allowing the room for that risk, you continue to hold the initiative, “I know, why don’t we play a little game? You’ll think of something and I’ll try to guess it by asking only yes or no questions. Ready?”

“I-”
“Is it a person?”
“...”
“Come on, this sort of thing is plenty fun,” You smile. It’s not easy being agreeable.
“...”
“Well, I’ll give you a minute to think.”
“...”
“So, is it a person?”
“...no.”
“Is it a place?”
“...no?”
“So it must be an object or thing, huh. Well... let’s see... is it something that I could find in Eientei?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Is it something in this room?”
“No.”
“Is it something you like?”
“...Yes.”
“Something Reisen likes... can it maybe be some pretty little item of clothing?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“No hints now. So then, is it something you use to have fun?”
“Hm, not exactly.”
“Ah. Ok. Is it maybe some kind of food?”
“Yes.”
“Getting closer. Is it something sweet.”
“A little.”
“That’s not yes or no... but I guess it’s a hint.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Anyways, is it something you grow?”
“Yes.”
“Is it a carrot?”
“Yes.”

“Looks like I got that one, now it’s your turn. I’ll think of something and you try guessing.”

You shrug in a very relaxed sort of way, trying to tell her through body language that it’s ok to take it easy. Of course you realize that your idea of what counts as relaxed probably just looks like an awkward spasm to her. And your friendly and inviting smile comes of as condescending and just plain creepy. In an ideal world she’d understand so you console yourself that your intentions are pure.

“Come on, just take a guess, I already thought mine up,” You incite her.
“...fine. If I must.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Is it a person?”
“Yes.”
“Is it Lady Kaguya?”
“..........................yes. Wow, you win.”

You don’t feel comfortable with being that predictable...

“Am I reall-”
“Yes, you are,” Reisen finishes your sentence for you. It’s not exactly a confidence booster to hear it from her.

You seem to be pouting. A literal, girlish pout complete with puffed cheeks and self-pitying huffing. If there’s anything that you’ve tried to be it has been exciting. Being predictable, especially to someone you don’t spend much time with, is massively discouraging. Insecurity creeps in and whispers a worrisome question, ‘could it be that you’re predictable to Kaguya?’ Worse than advancing slowly with the relationship would be to be considered dull and manageable.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Reisen bows apologetically. Her ears flop forward meekly, like they’ve had the starch life knocked out of them.

“No, it’s alright... it’s the truth after all,” You are not in the mood for apologies. The truth sucks.

“I just knew that you care about her too much, so it was easy to assume that you’d be thinking of her,” The tables are turned as she tries to make you act happy and aloof, “It’s really envious. I don’t think I’ll ever have someone do the same for me.”

“Oh that may be...” You mumble. And feel like an idiot when you realize what you’ve said. It’s stupidly hurtful. You hope she didn’t pick up on it but all the same add a quiet “but I’m sure it won’t be the case.”

If she understood what you meant, she doesn’t show it, looking somewhat less tense than she was before. She continues to hold the bag close, but she now leans forward, showing her empathy for you by coming physically closer. At this stage you think that you’re more likely to receive a massage than dispense one yourself.

“You understand, right?” You ask. “The reason for this?”

She doesn’t reply. But you know that she does.

“I have to know about her and how I can do my best,” It feels like now you can level with her, like you’ll be heard by her and her currently not-so-perky ears. You plead, trying to make her forget about any tension, what may be in the bag or what she thinks you really want from her, “Please tell me what you know about her, about her people and her background. You’ve known her a longer time and I know that you can help me. I’ll appreciate anything I can learn to try to find a place in her heart.”

“...I can’t really help you.”

“Sure you can, even if you don’t know details, it’s enough if you tell me how you see things.”

“How I see things...?” Her eyes gaze into a place in the past I can only imagine, the red looking particularly deep and mysterious. If you stared at her you think that you might start loosing all grounding in reality, it’s easy to get lost in her thoughts as strange as it may sound.

She sighs, letting her arms drape towards her legs, bag coming to rest on her lap. You listen carefully at what she says, hoping to hear the insight you need, “Up on the moon life is different. It’s peaceful and organized, kind of like an unending cherry blossom viewing party. There certainly are those who enjoy their time there. Even the hard stuff seems so easy and I don’t remember a time when I felt really unhappy. It’s strange to say that because I left, but trying to look at it impartially, it wasn’t bad. Things down here are interesting and have a movement to them that’s not found there but it’s pointless to compare things directly.”

There’s a gleam of uneasy nostalgia that occasionally appears on her face, making you feel uncertain if she’s being as objective as she can be. It’s the best you’re going to get, you know, and there’s nothing you can say to prevent her own personal feelings from getting in the way of her assessment.

“It’s strange when you think about it, you know,” Now disarmed, at least enough to allow herself to don a small smirk, Reisen talks some more about things on the moon, “Harmony is valued up there and nothing is ever done without thinking of how it might affect everyone else. I wouldn’t say that there’s no selfishness but there’s a consideration in everything. Like it’s all deliberate, you know? Sometimes it might seem cold but it’s just the way it is. You just have to trust that it’s for the best and go with it. More often than not you’ll have a place to stay and someone who cares about you. So it’s not bad at all.”

“...what about Kaguya?” You dare to interrupt her stroll down memory lane. She has more to say about things but you are brash and restless.

“I don’t like talking about her, it’s just not right. We live together,” Her respect towards her lunarian patrons never wanes or falters. That isn’t to say that she can’t tell you about the past, “It’s normal for people to have partners and get married on the moon. Neither Master nor Lady Kaguya ever did. I find it hard to believe that there weren’t offers all the time, for obvious reasons. Even then they had their minds on other things, I guess.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“What do you mean?” She asks, as if in a daze. Her thoughts are still firmly on the Moon and its people. By the look on her face you imagine her thinking about her home and bygone days of fun.

“Do you think I have the right attitude. Not being too pushy, maybe not pushy enough? I don’t know how to judge things most of the time.”

“Well, all I can say is that with me you’d know where you stood all the time.”

“...is that a fact?”

“Oh...” She gets her head out of the cosmos, “I didn’t mean it like that,” She shakes her head, looking a bit embarrassed, “I’m a different person, I’m not saying that I wish for anything or anyone or for you to do...”

“I get the picture, it’s just a slip of the tongue,” You say. There’s no point in getting the rabbit flustered.

“Well then, is that what you wanted from me?” She is quick to change the subject. Her unease is back in milder form. She fidgets with her bag, tugging at its top with two fingers.

“Just one more thing, I think I’ve got a good idea of what to do.”

“Sure thing, it’s not problem to cooperate,” She sounds a little too eager to you. Probably in an effort to deflect her earlier bungling.

“Tell me,"

[] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”
[]”...what sort of attention did Kaguya used to receive?”
[] “...what would you do if you were me?”
[]"...what's the end result I'm supposed to expect?"
[]”...are you sure you don’t want that massage?
-
Delays because everyone seems to want me during the weekend.

[X] “...what would you do if you were me?”

(The site has been funky for me. Anyone else getting "can not find touhou-project.com")

[X] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”

Hypothetical questions never do well for this anon, especially when certain things are bound to be very different experiences for each person depending on what is one's thinking processes and personality.

>“Yes, you are,” Reisen finishes your sentence for you.
Now that was priceless. Poor Reisen, we really have to find someone to love her.
>“Well, all I can say is that with me you’d know where you stood all the time.”
Her would have been the most obvious and easiest route to get. Even now she tries her best to steal him away from Kaguya. Even if she does not want it and has too much respect for her. Lunarians are really complex people.
>what sort of attention did Kaguya used to receive?”
She had that all the time, i am sure she doesn't want that now from him.
>what would you do if you were me?
I don't know how useful it is to get input from a women on a males perspective.

[x] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”
I hope he won't look that much helpless and lost now.

[X] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”

Poor little bunny.
How frustrating it must be to have a front-row seat to everything, all the while thinking about it would be different if the roles had been different. If only, if only, she had been the one chosen instead of her. Then there would be no need for all this dancing about. All this ambiguity. All this confusion.

How maddening it must be to see events play out before you, knowing how different they would be if you were the one involved in them, but being stuck in your role as an observer.
Unable to do anything but watch someone who has what you want, but clearly not appreciating it in the way you know you would.


...of course, that might not really be the case.
But it is both fun yet heartbreaking to imagine a certain someone's thoughts being along the lines of someone yelling at the TV while watching a game show.
"No! Don't do that! What the hell are you doing?! Do this! Damn it! If that was me, I'd have pushed him down and mounted him on the damn table already! Damn it all!"

>>22263
This logic seems sound to me, so I'll lend it my vote.

Poor bunny gets no love ...

[X] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”
[X] “...what would you do if you were me?”

I think both of these could yield some insight. If, by some chance, voting for both isn't allowed, then just snip off the second one.

[X] “...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”

Tasukete, Reisen-sensei!

“...you mentioned how important order was. How can I tell if I’m doing things right?”“ You complete the thought.

The moon rabbit smiles. Like she’s holding an ace up her sleeve, confident that she’s got everything handled just the way she wants it to be. It’s a different look for her, one that would not show itself if Eirin’s shadow were slinking in the distant background. Her smug self-confidence would be her undoing if Tewi were around, used to set her up for a spectacular fall, but around you it has its intended effect..

You hang on her every confident word, “Isn’t it obvious? “ She elucidates with the smile turning into a rather rapturous grin, “When you’re doing things right, things will go well. When you’re not, they’ll blow up in your face. It’s only common sense.”

“Common sense?” You ask incredulously. You doubt that all that buildup would lead to just that answer. Her advice is as plain as day and about as useful as a dead badger.

“What else do you expect me to say? That because they’re from the moon and they’ve got their own ideas on how to run society; That they’re different from you and I?” She drops her voice to a whisper, confiding a dangerously egalitarian secret, “Despite all of the pretenses and trouble that you get yourself into because of their sake, they’re just people. You’re a man, Eirin is just a woman as am I and the princess.”

“So you’re telling me that if she smiles, all is good and if she sulks there’s something wrong?”

“Sort of. That may be a little too dumbed down. I mean, if I told you I really liked strawberries do I have to have a single simple reason? I mean, it could be just because as easily as because of my past.”

The hints of her far-off past are tantalizing to think about. But as much as you would like to know about the indiscretions of her youth, you’re much more interested in the bits regarding your belle. Reisen’s story has to wait for another day, another time. It wouldn’t be proper to pry when she’s not that intimate with you, that much you know. She is an interesting character and, despite her very peripheral role in your difficult courtship she’s been helpful. You won’t forget that. Maybe you’ll get Tewi to go easy on her one of these days. Right after she starts to go easy on you.

“I guess I don’t have anything else to ask,” You really don’t think that she has any more layers to her argument. It’s frustrating as it is, at heart, true. And it is somewhat nice to hear it from someone else, even if that someone else has a chip on her shoulder.

“Alright,” She nods her head, getting up with quiet dignity.

“Thank you for your time,” You stand, “I really appreciate it. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Not letting her leave without showing proper thanks, you corner her a hug. It surprises her, her confident grin sublimating into a more humbling sheepish smile. You note how she pushes her bag to the side, keeping it out of your arm’s path.

“You’ve been a good friend,” You add, letting her go with a smile. She doesn’t get a fair chance to answer your remark, seeing as you take the advice of another friend of sorts. In a lightning strike, the supple flesh on her rear is pinched by the dexterous movement of your finger and thumb. You make no big deal out of it, pretending that you have done nothing wrong. She shivers, like electricity were running up her spine from where you’ve touched her.

It’s with something of a amiable pat on the back that you see her off. She says nothing, her red eyes guarding her feelings well. Her waddle away from your room is more accentuated than normal, her hips swaying uneasily and in a very self-conscious manner.

You sit by your bed, gathering your thoughts. It was a nice time, overall. Even if you never found out what was in the bag or why she brought it. You chuckle quietly as you entertain the notion that maybe it was something naughty, something that would kink up an intimate encounter up a notch. Perhaps all the talk of love and happiness had affected her more than you realized. You laugh again, finding the thought plain old ridiculous. Handcuffs, lotions and toys aren’t really Reisen’s style. Nor is being possessive and wild. You can sleep soundly at night, knowing that she won’t assault you. Not with the way she behaves, you laugh yet again at the strange image in your head.

You give yourself some time to digest what you talked about, with the days passing lazily and without much novelty. There is excitement, as exemplified by your wild heartbeat anytime you’re with Kaguya. Spending time together, laughing about games and intimate little jokes, is truly blissful. It’s almost enough to make you wish for no more, to stay content with the way things are.

Almost, but not entirely. If you hadn’t pushed, for right or wrong, you wouldn’t be where you were. That thought consoles you somewhat and give impetus for a new, healthier approach. Instead of sweating the small stuff, of making mountains out of molehills, you’d just treat the princess like you would like to be treated. In being warm, affectionate and earnest you think she might show you the same courtesy. Reisen’s advice, and talk of order and procedure has an impact on you, one that can’t be measured by just words. Actions do speak louder than words.

As for fun activities, you can think of several,

[] A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.
[] Let her eat cake! Spoil her sweet tooth rotten with a different pastry a day.
[] Rig up an outdoor bath pool for watery shenanigans.
[] Fun can’t be contained to just two people: invite Mokou so that she can share in the happiness.

>You note how she pushes her bag to the side, keeping it out of your arm’s path.
That goddamn bag. We must sneak into her room later on and find out what is in it. Must not rest before it is known.
>the supple flesh on her rear is pinched by the dexterous movement of your finger and thumb. You make no big deal out of it, pretending that you have done nothing wrong. She shivers, like electricity were running up her spine from where you’ve touched her.
once again Teruyo shows and teases us with what could have been.

>A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.
That sounds like a good idea. You can tease her a bit when you just about avoid to do something dirty to her. Heat her up more than she already is. And be sure to pay much attention to her hair and feet. And for once, you stop when it is about to get to the good part.
>Let her eat cake! Spoil her sweet tooth rotten with a different pastry a day.
Two different things come to mind. Feeding her or eat of her naked body.
>Rig up an outdoor pool for watery shenanigans.
Not like i need to mention the possibilities here.
>Fun can’t be contained to just two people: invite Mokou so that she can share in the happiness.
Who knows how she would react. It is not like the two of them, plus Shirou, together would make a letter to penthouse.

[x] A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.
Hard decision.

>[] Fun can’t be contained to just two people: invite Mokou so that she can share in the happiness.

Pfffft, this would be hilarious, but it'd end up providing mutilated corpses rather than a happy princess. It got a smile, though. Instead:

[X] A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.
[X] Throw in a casual conversation during said massage, as well. Shoot the breeze, ask her how her day has been and what's on her mind, and be sure to share your thoughts, as well.

This is risky, of course, but I suppose it all depends on how far we take the massage. Or, rather, how far Kaguya (admits that she) wants us to take it.

Honestly, the second part's in there because for someone who lives in the same house as her, we just plain don't talk with Kaguya enough. I suppose one could bring up the point that it's a pretty big house, but I don't think that's any real excuse for not conversing with the girl we claim to love a few times every day.

>>22275
I can jump on this one, the subvote is nice. Armed with the advice of both Tewi and Reisen, I'm sure we can crack the moon princess's shell.

Great update, it really felt like Shirou was getting somewhere. The little nuances in Reisen's behavior was excellent as well, if there is ever a third run, I'd pull for a Reisen route. Oh yeah, the butt pinch was priceless. Tewi would be proud.

[] Rig up an outdoor bath pool for watery shenanigans.


Oh, the Mokou-inviting option is so tempting, but the backfire (or, more likely, the regular fire) potential is probably more than we would want to take on.

Besides, there are some lovely possibilities with getting a nice outdoor pool set up to enjoy and try to beat the heat.

[x] Rig up an outdoor bath pool for watery shenanigans.
-[x] A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.

Works for me~!

[X] Fun can’t be contained to just two people: invite Mokou so that she can share in the happiness.

I am weaaaaak, and evil.

[x] A nice massage gets all the worry and grumpiness out even the most stubborn princess.

Squeeze 'em and rub 'em. The more she moans, the better we'll score. Additional bonus points will be awarded for inducing involuntary convulsions.

Totally not dirty at all.

[x] Fun can’t be contained to just two people: invite Mokou so that she can share in the happiness.

Not a good idea? It'll be funny.

My intentions were shot to hell by academic concerns and something much more frightfully worrisome: a new civ game. So instead of a half-assed 500-700 words update you get... nothing for now. Sometime after just... one more turn... you'll get something probably. I'd say that impure thoughts about lunarians and their pets would help, but I'm not fooling anyone here.

>>22293
Awww and i just caught up.

>>22348
Now there's something unexpected. I hadn't thought that anyone else would have bothered.

In any case, I'm still under the spell. Could only do a single update at once. One city challenge on higher difficulties are too entertaining to let go easily. My advice to those waiting: read something else nice on the site if you feel bored. I'll get to this within the next day or so I promise but until then why not diversify a little? And no, this isn't a shameless plug for anything since I'm not bothering to specify.

>>22293
>new civ game

I feel your pain. I can already feel every shred of free time I have slipping away.

>>22350
Got to it, just did not finish. Barring divine intervention, I should be done somewhere in the upper range of the next 12 hours.

“Ta-dah!” You let go of her hand, having guided her to the spot you prepared. You watch with a grin as she opens her eyes.

She takes in the sight before her with a smile on her face.

There’s not much to be seen, truth be told. It’s just a run-of-the-mill small room deep within the bowels of Eientei. It’s nestled away in a part of the manor that no one really goes to, something which you consider an advantage - it lessens the likelihood of any interruptions and reduces the chances of having prying pairs of eyes watching. The room itself would be unremarkable if not for the special touches you’ve given it; In addition to the scattered flowers and wicker baskets that give the place an exotic island motif (so you hope, anyways) there are scented candles lit and placed strategically around the room. Their aim: to give the place a very cozy and intimate feeling.

“So those candles are why it smells like vanilla,” The princess says approvingly, inhaling the aroma in full, “I was puzzled why anywhere here would smell like that.”

Her gaze falls upon the centerpiece of the room - a very improvised massage table. Owing to the rarity of massage parlors in Gensokyo (the adverts in the village were for something else entirely you discovered), you spent the better part of a week designing the thing. You cobbled it together from a few wooden things borrowed from here and there and covered it with a gigantic cushion you made from resewing smaller pillows. You tried it on yourself earlier, and found that it was suitable for prolonged use, despite sometimes creaking.

“What’s that for?” She asks, cutting into the subject of why you brought her here.

“As I said earlier, I have something special planned for tonight.”

“Yes, yes,” She interrupts, “You’ve had me in suspense for the better part of these three days, you realize. After waiting patiently and being led with my eyes closed I think it’s safe for me to guess that we’re finally going to do what you had planned.”

“Tut, tut,” You wag your finger playfully at Kaguya. Though she may not admit it, she’s an awfully impatient customer when it comes down right to it. It’s clear that she can’t handle surprises. Since your casual announcement for her to await something special in the coming days she’s been pestering you non-stop with both direct and indirect questions. You play with her, keeping a straight poker face, “This is something to be savored, to be enjoyed to its utmost. It’s no good if you’re all wound up. The whole objective of this exercise is to get you to relax.”

“I’m relaxed enough, can’t you see I’m relaxed?” She forces a look of happiness that would not even fool a child.

“Well, “ You take her soft hand into your own again, “Why don’t you come in and I’ll explain what’s going on.”

You guide Kaguya to sit on the massage table. The old wood groans slightly with the addition of her weight. Pacing yourself deliberately, you walk slowly to the door and close it. It’s hard to be so calm and collected in face of Kaguya’s impatience - she has the same look about her as a child staring at a finely wrapped birthday present. It may only be because her anxiety dwarfs you own that you’re able to take your time.

“I’ve even prepared some music for this occasion,” With a flick of your thumb, you activate the remote in your pocket. The cool notes of smooth jazz play softly in the background.

“Shirou... it couldn’t be that you think to-” You can practically feel her excited heartbeat from several steps away. Anxiety, excitement and uncertainty all register on her face in quick suggestion.

You bend down and reach for a small box by her legs. Brushing past her foot accidentally makes her twitch.

“It took me forever to get things just right,” You explain, unfazed, “I owe too many favors for all of this. It was a pain to get these in particular.”

You pop open the lid of the small rectangular box, revealing a row of small tinted bottles. Each one has a different amount of liquid and each one serves a slightly different purpose. Not allowing a smile to slip off your lips even for a moment, you continue to explain, “These are all different oils I planned to use with you. They feel good to the touch and will help leave you satisfied.”

In order to emphasize the good qualities of your oils, you uncork the first bottle and offer her a whiff of the sandalwood or whatever it was.

“Ah, that’s nice alright. But I don’t get it,” She scrunches up her lips as she asks, “just what exactly is all of this for?”

“To put it delicately,” You bring up the line you rehearsed for the moment, “I think your ladyship has several issues she might not be aware of. And I, as your loving and faithful retainer, have seen it my duty to do what little I can to be of assistance.” You wait for her uneasy smile, coming as a reaction to your hammed-up performance. Seeing the unsteady way she waits for you to go on, you get on your knee and continue, “I have decided that the best way to render assistance would be by allowing you to release all of your built up tension. Therefore, if it please your radiant person, I have placed myself at your disposal for the purpose of a most gratifying massage. With these unworthy hands I plan to massage and scourge all what which beleaguers you.”

“...have you stopped to consider the possibility I might refuse your offer, as generous as it may be?”

“The thought crossed my mind. But I perish such thoughts,” You smirk, “just as I plan to perish your unease.”

“I appreciate the thought, I really do,” She sets you up softly for the inevitable ‘but’. She stops to look around, as if taking note of all the special little details of your effort, like the tiki-esque cutouts plastered on the walls. She then asks the obvious, forgetting her original sentence altogether, “Where did you learn to give massages anyhow?”

“Here and there,” You reply simply. You tell her the truth, “I don’t think I’m too skilled at it, but I once downloaded a video course, the pillows I worked on sure looked happy afterwards. That and I kind of have been practicing on the rabbits. They didn’t complain so I guessed I was good enough.”

You shift your arm slightly to the side, hoping to hide the spot where one of them bit you. It was totally a coincidence that he bit you and it was not related at all to the fact that you were massaging him. If anything, he intended to bite you even before you began. The others didn’t complain, that much was true.

“Alright fine,” Kaguya shakes her head, as if only now realizing that I was a lost cause. “You’ve gone though so much effort,” She says, “it would be a shame to put it all to waste. I’ll at least let you try.”

“Alright! Then there’s no time like the present, let’s get started.”

You tell her to lie down, getting ready your various oils and tools of the trade.

“I’d like you to take off your clothes,” You tell her.

“Come again?”

“Your clothes. I need you to take them off,” You repeat.

“I’m not sure that would be best,” Kaguya is hesitant to comply.

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t look,” You say, turning around. “If you wrap that towel over there over parts of yourself, I won’t have to see anything you don’t want me to. I assure you that my interest right now is that of a professional.”

“That’s not going to work,” She says, sounding pessimistic, “I’ll keep my clothes on I think.”

“Come now, I won’t be able to massage you properly if I can’t touch your skin.”

“...fine, I understand. A little bit won’t hurt I guess.”

There’s a short rustle as you hear her loosening buttons and her dress. After a moment she tells you she’s ready.

“This is enough, I don’t need a full treatment,” She preempts your protest. You find that she hasn’t stripped, instead having only loosened the top of her blouse. Her head is turned towards you and her hair has been pushed to the side, exposing her slender shoulders and the small of her delicate back.

“Well, I can work with I get, we’ll see about the rest later.”

With there being no further point in arguing, you get to it with your deft fingers. Betraying the confidence of a real internet superhero you impart your impassioned technique on her. You first get her to stop looking at you, leaving her neck straight. Then, the right type and amount of oil is applied to her thin and gently curving neck; You allow the oil to seep down towards her softly defined shoulders. The application of a tentative first rub with one hand is as satisfying as you imagined it would be. Her creamy skin is twice as smooth and pleasant to the touch as you imagined it to be. Her scrunched up dress abruptly cuts off access to the rest of her back below armpit height. Restraining your wild excitement, you focus on the task at hand.

“How are you feeling?” You ask as you move on down, using your hands to gently rub her as best you can.

“‘Kyaa~n, I’m like putty in your manly and capable hands!’ Is that what you want to hear?” She asks, not having lost her sense of humor despite the circumstances. In surrendering herself temporarily to you, you find that she’s become a lot more like the simple friend you used to have not too long ago.

“While that might make my heart skip a beat, my question is genuine. The point of this is to make you feel as relaxed as you can get.”

“Not bad, all things considered,” She replies, “But I wouldn’t go making this my career if I were you.”

“Duly noted,” You work on a surprisingly tense spot near the base of her neck, gently kneading and wriggling in a one-two motion between your palm and thumb. You chuckle, “I’d say I’m not doing too bad of a job, you’re acting nicer to me.”

“That’s just your imagination, I’m always this nice to you.”

“I suppose this is when I say something stupid to ruin the moment?” You muse, expanding the area of your work to the edges of her shoulder blade. She doesn’t say anything, presumably because she is concentrating on the gentle, but sometimes forceful, moves of your hands against her tense spots. You don’t let that daunt you, “Well since tonight is my treat to you I won’t do or say anything stupid. You’ll have to allow me to be stupid first.”

“I suppose that’s alright then, now enough talking and more rubbing, I do think you’ve got the hang of this.”

The massage only ends when you’ve run out of spots to rub. Kaguya perceptively notices when you’re about done and is quick to end the session, “That really was quite something and I’ve got to thank you for the great idea.”

Not quite ready to completely disrupt the mood, Kaguya sits on the table after fastening her dress securely as usual. She invites you to join her, and the makeshift masseur’s table creaks loudly under your combined heft. With you sitting, she presses up against your side as she usually does, her head softly resting on your shoulder. It’s a scene that often repeats itself when you’re alone, a scene that feels as intimate as it is serene for you. And, like you usually do, you find that your arm drapes around her back to hold her locked with you.

“That was really thoughtful of you,” She says quietly, her words almost being drowned out by the ambiance music, “I wouldn’t have suspected that you used the ‘net for this sort of thing given your track record.”

“In between games and chatting there is always some downtime, I guess I occasionally put it to good use.”

“Geez, what am I going to do with you?” She sighs, “If this were one of those this might be considered a flag or something. Sometimes it turns out that there’s someone else watching.”

“...”

The both of you fall silent, mulling over an acquired implication. Just like you can’t get the sounds from the scene out of your mind, it seems that she also has something she doesn’t want to think about. It seems to work to your benefit, as she then kisses you, in a way more spontaneous and passionate than usual. It feels like her way of giving proper thanks for your thoughtfulness, and you don’t waste the chance to show her your own appreciation by meeting her amorous parries with thrusts of your own.

As you hold her for a while longer, before she goes off back to her room for a very relaxed night of sleep, you hold positive thoughts. The effort you put into setting things up seemed to have paid off, even if you didn’t get to do the thorough job you originally intended to do. Seeing her earnest smile and feeling her soft lips and sweet kiss feel like more than ample compensation. And, if that didn’t seem enough, there’s also the fact that she’s acting genuinely more at ease than usual. It isn’t like you don’t talk about stupid things when you’re together, but now it’s like there’s no pretense required. In a way, you both seem to have forgotten the exact nature of your relationship.

The next day, as you clean up, you’re already thinking of how to next proceed. Of course, you can’t think of much and you have other priorities on your mind. Like returning all of the borrowed items before their absence is felt. You grin foolishly, reflecting on how there hasn’t been a dull moment in your life for quite some time now. While Tewi deserves some credit for that, the main reason for it is still probably sleeping in even though it’s past ten.


When you next see Kaguya, she’s back to her more reserved self. Though cracks in her armor do appear to be more obvious. With your can-do attitude and generous patience, you engage her as best as you can. Spending time with her is what you enjoy the most. Even more than Tewi’s underground poker tournament (with no betting ceiling, naturally) or Reisen’s improved carrot cake (as all great inventions, it was an accident - a bottle of rum you tipped on your piece made history). More days of quality time, of banter about the (largely irrelevant) industry news from the outside and of small but precious moments of closeness. It’s an unending cycle which is both sweet and aggravating.

If it were another person in your place, he might have gotten discouraged at how slowly things progress. They would not, most likely, appreciate the minute details in the cycle of daily activities that make things colorful and vibrant. Though much of your affection bears the guise of awkwardness, a lot of it is clearly shown through chance events and repeating situations. For example, when discussing your favorite magazines together, you often take up a position next to her as you read. In these moments, your gazes occasionally wander off the pages and cross, affirming a mutual affection that extends beyond a love for four-panel comics. In each other’s eyes lie the dignified feelings of affection.

Love, or this love at least, feels in many ways naive. You often feel the layers to Kaguya’s armor peel away as quickly as they come back, often exposing her soft and tender side long enough for you to ingratiate yourself. Nothing gaudy or as pointless as declarations of eternal love happen - her casual utterances - her proclamations amounting to not being able to imagine things being any other way convince you that you are on the right track. The secret little jokes you share while others are around (and invariably confuses them for it), shows the strength of the bond between you. The bond that had existed when you were the best of friends but is now surely transforming into something else. It’s enough to make you hopeful, to genuinely expect things to turn out for the best.

Despite the lack of direct affirmation of feelings from Kaguya, she shows an undeniable excitement in her general manner of being that you haven’t ever seen before. In her gait, in her poise and in the way she laughs at your dumb jokes. Though they are often muddied with lingering steely stoicism, her eyes are alight with laughter more often. It’s only when certain subjects are broached, the future chief amongst them, that she retreats into her defensive shell.

Talk, on one occasion, turns to a familiar subject: that of Reisen:

“She confessed she accidentally walked in on you when you were indisposed,” She remarks with a teasing smile. Though she is protective in her own way of Reisen, she notices the off behavior that the moon rabbit exhibits around you and often brings it up with regular jocularity.

“When was this?” You think back, drawing a blank, “I can’t remember anything like that happening.”

“Oh, she said she noticed and stopped herself from being noticed. She still watched you from beginning to end.”

“...I guess there’s nothing I can say, I mean, it’s really embarrassing for the both of us.”

“I suspect it might be a regular thing of hers, this voyeurism. It’s a delicate matter,” Kaguya appraises, “and I’m afraid I don’t know what to say.”

You think about what it is that Kaguya is trying to get out of you. She wouldn’t have brought the topic up unless there was some other angle to it, “I’m afraid I can’t say anything at all. Peeping is a bad thing and I certainly wouldn’t purposefully do it myself.”

“Oh? But if it’s not on purpose? Are you telling me you’ve done that sort of thing?” She asks, interested in what you have to say. It’s enough to make her put down her magazine and give you her full undivided attention.

“I’ve seen things I didn’t mean to. It’s happened a few times. Even though I didn’t have any ill-intent,” You gulp, thinking that maybe she knows about that one time. Certainly it seems like she’s playing cat and mouse with you and you suspect that maybe Tewi got bored and sold you out, “I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, so I understand if something similar happened to Reisen. But I wouldn’t make a habit of it. And even if I knew that someone did something secret the same time, every day, I wouldn’t keep on returning.”

“How very noble of you. It sounds to me like she hasn’t been behaving very well...”

“Ah, well... it’s understandable that she might be curious, I mean.,. I am the only man around here, right?”

“Curiosity?” Kaguya seems to think about the concept carefully. With a twitch of her nose she concludes, “Well, I suppose that might justify things somewhat.”

There’s a nagging feeling that tells you that you’re really just talking about something else. Reisen doesn’t factor in at all. It’s just a feint. But the specifics elude you as does the question why she would bring it up now.

“So if she continues to do peep, what are you going to do?” She asks plainly. It’s your opinion that Kaguya may be showing a little too much interest in your answer.

[] Invite her in to talk things through, no matter how indecent you might be
[] Do nothing

or, instead of answering the hypothetical:
[] Confess to having spied on her
[] Ask her what any of this matters to her

>“These are all different oils I planned to use with you. They feel good to the touch and will help leave you satisfied.”
Oh god, my mind is getting corrupted with oily Kaguya panting hard and moaning sweetly.
>With these unworthy hands I plan to massage and scourge all what which beleaguers you.
Thinking back to the night some time ago.....
>and I kind of have been practicing on the rabbits.
Suddenly, all rabbits lust after Shirou. I wonder if Reisen got one too.
>“‘Kyaa~n, I’m like putty in your manly and capable hands!’ Is that what you want to hear?”
Even if she was joking, this was a low blow.
>Her head is turned towards you and her hair has been pushed to the side, exposing her slender shoulders and the small of her delicate back.
Well, the whole thing was short but it had some very delicious parts.

And Time Skip. I am kind of put off by that. But maybe it needs to be done to get some progress and get to the ending sooner because of the fewer updates and votings. Time will tell.

The whole spying thing: Maybe Kaguya is talking about herself. Trying to say she was a bad girl.
>“So if she continues to do peep, what are you going to do?”
So, i can think of two things. Go for broke and tell her you would do nothing in hope she is talking not about Reisen but herself or go with invite to talk this through. Or you might go full risk with telling her you spied on her. But that could fuck things up pretty bad if this whole theory is wrong.

I am going to wait for some input from other people before voting.

And the next time he undresses, we should look around for someone spying. And if, go for a show that will heat up her night.

[x] Do nothing

Flaunt it if you've got it, Shirou!

>>Confess to having spied on her
>>Ask her what any of this matters to her

I'm inclined to think that neither of the non-hypothetical responses are the way to go.
The latter just comes off as defensive, and could lead someone to believe that Shirou has done more than he actually has.
As for the former, he already has basically admitted to peeping in the past, albeit in a very vague fashion.

Besides, the issue seems to not be a matter of whether or not a certain someone is peeping.

>>I suspect it might be a regular thing of hers, this voyeurism.
>>So if she continues to do peep, what are you going to do?

Whoever she is really talking about, she makes it sound as if their peeping is a repeating offense, not a one-time thing like what Shirou did. Unless someone else has been regularly peeping on her and she assumes Shirou is the culprit, I don't believe this hypothetical is meant to try to get Shirou to confess to some misdeed of his.


[X] Invite her in to talk things through, no matter how indecent you might be

The way I see it, if someone has already seen everything there is to see, there's little point worrying about decency at that moment. What's done is done, so if it really is a problem the concern should be with making sure it doesn't happen in the future.

Which would be worse; inviting the peeper in to discuss their peeping, and attempt to stop it while you are indecent? Or doing nothing to stop it at all?

>Whoever she is really talking about, she makes it sound as if their peeping is a repeating offense, not a one-time thing like what Shirou did. Unless someone else has been regularly peeping on her and she assumes Shirou is the culprit, I don't believe this hypothetical is meant to try to get Shirou to confess to some misdeed of his.
Hmmm. I haven't seen it form this viewpoint yet. It actually makes more sense like that.
>The latter just comes off as defensive, and could lead someone to believe that Shirou has done more than he actually has.
And this was exactly my thought too. It sounds like a confession.

[x] Invite her in to talk things through, no matter how indecent you might be

I am not happy with this vote. But the others are worse. Do Nothing sounds like an invitation to peep and confess is just too risky and no write in that i can think of here.

[X] Invite her in to talk things through, but not with your god damned pants around your ankles.

Like >>22378 said, I don't think telling her we watched her would work out very well. From the dialogue in this update, Shirou talked about peeping like he was being forced into it, obviously not the case from this:
>Intrigued, you try to make out any details you can. A low, soft moan rattles you. With your eye pressed as hard as it can be to the dirty filthy hole you watch as the movement beneath the covers speeds up and gathers momentum.

We're probably better off not telling her about it, at least for now. Or she already knows we did it, and not telling her could screw us even worse.

[X] Confess to having spied on her and apologize

Honest/blunt/prepare to be struck with a blunt object vote. I probably shouldn't be taking things quite this seriously, but I don't think a relationship can survive without complete honesty. If something like this were to end up ruining a relationship, then, well, I don't think that relationship would have been a healthy one anyway.

Or, you know, maybe this was just the usual Kaguya banter and she was expecting some sort of half-serious, half-witty response. Sure hope not.

>>22382
> [X] Invite her in to talk things through, but not with your god damned pants around your ankles.

i think having pants on would be a good idea.

[x] Invite her in to talk things through, no matter how indecent you may be.

I defer to >>22380s logic. I read this update four times and had no idea what to vote on until I read some of the comments. This option may not make the most sense, but the others seem a bit worse. Let's see what happens.

“There’s only one thing to do in that type of situation,” You explain, “If I noticed someone was watching me, I’d invite them in. In order to talk about why they’re doing that. You know, address the issue directly.”

“Oh?” Kaguya looks surprised, her next words come out wrapped in a soft snicker, “Wouldn’t you find it hard to talk about the topic at hand?”

You wince, the resulting grimace showing how graphically you picture the scene.

“What else am I supposed to do?” You ask. “Let her continue? I’m flattered that anyone would take an interest in me, but I get the feeling that you aren’t exactly comfortable with it.”

“Ah, why should I care?” She quickly gets defensive. Her eyes betray her thoughts.

“Because as far as I’m concerned, along with myself, you have exclusive rights to my body.”

“That’s really idiotic,” She scoffs, trying to act like she thinks little of the idea. As if you didn’t have enough bait to tease her with, she adds more fuel to the fire, “I don’t particularly want ownership of you, I never have.”

“It’s not ownership really,” You retort, “Not really anyways. How I feel isn’t limited to just ideas, it’s very much corporal as well. So that we can be happy, I’m not self-conscious at all. What’s mine is also yours.”

“No strings attached?”

“No strings attached. If you want me to confront her about it in a more normal way, I’ll do it. If it makes you uncomfortable that she peeps that is.” You have a mental image of the moon rabbit squirming, looking embarrassed enough to die. You can understand the curiosity. After all, you are the only male around. For someone who spends most of her time cloistered away, only occasionally going into town for business, the desire to know more is probably overwhelming. It’s even kind of sweet in its own way.

“There’s no need for that.”

“So you’re okay with her watching me?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll...” She stumbles in her speech, seemingly blanking out for a moment, “...I’ll talk to her myself, that’s what I’ll do.”

“I thought you said you weren’t sure how to deal with it. I mean, it’s no trouble at all for me to talk to her. I’ll think of something. Maybe it would be best if I surprised her in the act so she couldn’t deny it... it might embarrass her but it’s for the best....”

“No.” Kaguya squeaks.

“Huh?”

“Uh, I mean no that’s not a good idea. She’d probably never forgive you for it.”

“I guess you might be right.” You do think she can be skittish. She’d probably behave a lot like Kaguya is presently.

“That’s right. I mean if you were completely naked, wouldn’t it be awkward?”

“...maybe, not for me though. I’m pretty sure most people here have seen me naked before.” You think about past incidents. The recount is pretty vivid in some cases, “There’s Tewi and the now infamous bathroom incident, during which Reisen walked in. Let’s see, Eirin has definitely seen me naked more than once. Often under the excuse of treating me for something I may or may not have really had.”

It may be your conclusion that’s making her tread carefully, “I guess it’s really just you then. That hasn’t, you know.”

“...”

“Um, you know, if you want... it’s no hassle to me if you want to...” You begin to propose something ludicrous.

Kaguya stops you, very awkwardly shifting the subject, “That isn’t really what - I mean it’s not necessary.” She stops. And stumbles again, “I mean, I’ve sort of... already.”

“Eh?”

“Never you mind.” She shifts tracks, “I’ll talk to Reisen don’t bother to do anything. Now, have you seen the centerfold in this Megami?”

“Ooh, it’s-” You’re distracted by the curvaceous assets of model in the very typical kind of cheesecake centerfolds. Fortunately, even you aren’t that bird-brained to completely switch stations just like that. “Wait, why do I get the feeling that you’re avoiding something here? I mean, she’s nice and all but it feels like we weren’t having the right conversation.”

“It’s just your imagination,” Kaguya states evasively. She’s slippery but you’re wise to the princess’ capricious ways. She smiles, donning a rather good poke face, “We talked about something I brought up and we dealt with it. There’s nothing more to say.”

“I wonder. I kept getting vibes that there was something more to the conversation.”

“Ohoho.” She laughs, “Whatever could you mean? That was that there was to it.”

“Say, do you mind if I ask you something? Will you answer truthfully?”

“I suppose. As long as it’s not something stupid again. Like if I enjoyed getting rubbed down by you. I already told you I enjoyed your thoughtfulness.”

She did say she enjoyed your massage. Albeit with her dignity and reserve intact, something which disappointed you. Then again, it might just be another way she’s teasing you, keeping you constantly on the lookout for opportunities to outdo yourself.

“Well, I find that humor helps things, you know. But no, this isn’t a joke. Though it might sound like it a little. I don’t even really know anymore. It still feels like I’ve got to ask.”

“Well then, shoot, quit stalling,” Kaguya closes the magazine again, giving you once again her undivided attention.

[] “You know about that one time I was looking, don’t you?”
[] “Are you jealous of the type of attention I’m getting from the others?”
[] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

>Kaguya stops you, very awkwardly shifting the subject, “That isn’t really what - I mean it’s not necessary.” She stops. And stumbles again, “I mean, I’ve sort of... already.”

She wants it, she wants to see a goddamn strip show. Give her the best show ever been.

[x] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

The others would be fine too, but i like the idea of Shirou stripping and Kaguya blushing and half looking away.

>>“I’ll...” She stumbles in her speech, seemingly blanking out for a moment, “...I’ll talk to her myself, that’s what I’ll do.”
>>“Uh, I mean no that’s not a good idea. She’d probably never forgive you for it.”
>>“Never you mind.” She shifts tracks, “I’ll talk to Reisen don’t bother to do anything.

Clearly there is more going on here than we are being told. And I think I know what it is.

Reisen isn't just peeping on Shirou. Oh no. She's disguising herself as Kaguya when she does it!
Getting caught peeping is bad enough, but to be caught peeping while dressed up as your peeping victim's girlfriend? Scandalous.


[X] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

Though this probably counts as something stupid to ask, the jealousy one doesn't feel right, and something about "confess to peeping" being an option again is both seems as much a good idea as a potentially not-so-good idea.

It's main saving grace when compared to the previous one, however, is that it seems vague enough to be applied to any time he may have been suspected of peeking.
Maybe when Tewi was leading him around Eientei, or perhaps when the two of them were camping out.

[X] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

[X] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

[x] I'll tell you what, if I were peeping on you, I'd want you to invite me in to talk about it. You'd have to be decent though, I wouldn't be able to hold back.

Let's get some feedback for this write-in. Yay or nay?

>>22407 OP of >>22409 here and I thought the image was enough, but just in case,

I don't see anything wrong, unless Shirou just flat out rips his clothing off there's no harm.

He could just display his back towards her just as she did for him when he gave the brief massage. Keeping it light-hearted but at the same time it's could be a good gauge on whether she truly is honest on not wishing to see his physique in the buff or not.

emphasis on could as it can easily backfire. Got to push though damn it.

[X] “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?” Begin to undress in front of her.

A joke like that may be a good indicator as well as something to hopefully break any tension Kaguya may have coming back.

You grin with the cheeky confidence that life with Kaguya entitles you to. It probably makes you look like an idiot. But you don’t mind. You get to tease the sometimes uptight princess, “It’s okay to tell the truth. Are you being honest about not wanting to see me too?”

Synchronized with her vehement denial, you begin to loosen your collar and expose yourself.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She can’t seem to take her eyes off you despite her loud protests.

“Giving you a taste,” You wink and wish you had really trashy stripping music. It would make the act 5000% more awesome. You take your sweet time, unbuttoning your shirt slowly and play with each and every button like it were the last.

“That’s enough...” She says half-heartily.

“Now now princess,” You use the title that bothers her, “there’s no need to get all hot under the collar. I mean, look at me. Things got really hot, really fast for me and I just had to find a way to cool down.”

“Oops,” Your shirt flies off, making a white puddle on the floor. “It’s so very warm in here, I think I’m getting light-headed...” You slowly and deliberately go for your pants, in the process taking on an accent similar to that of a southern belle, “Whatever shall I do? Little ol’ me is so conflicted...”

Kaguya doesn’t stop you from going for your belt. She glares, looking at you like she’s not amused but for the most part lets you carry on with your crude spectacle. And so you do, smiling as you work your way down to your birthday suit. Not many people may be confident about their bodies, but you are at least comfortable with it. And you’re sure that Kaguya is too - otherwise she would have rejected you long ago. Her eyes, rather her glare, moves from your face down to your more impressionable and excitable areas. It gives you pause for a moment.

“Should I go on?” You ask as you stand wearing nothing but your socks and your underwear.

“...” There’s no answer.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” You say out loud, not sure what exactly you mean. You finger the elastic, drumming your fingers along the band, stretching and pulling it as you go along.

“...it’s not the first time...” Kaguya mumbles.

“Eh? What’s that?” You stop dead in your tracks. It feels a little drafty without most of your clothes gone.

“I’ve seen you... as you are,” She says, looking legitimately flustered. A wave of pink expands across her cheeks, instantly confirming the validity of the claim.

“...how... when?”

“Remember when I made you that treat?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I...” Her brow trembles as she struggles to confess, “...saw what you were in there. In your room. By yourself... with yourself... err I mean....”

“I know what you mean.” The coin drops. You weren’t as alone as you thought you were.

“I just came to get you, I didn’t mean to, but I saw and couldn’t leave... so it sort of just happened that I saw.”

“Well, the reason I was doing that...” You try to think of a way to explain yourself. It’s an awkward moment. Being caught with your trousers down like that by someone you really care about is... an interesting new experience.

“I’m not daft, I understand why,” The princess huffs. She regains some of her composure, daring to explain herself a little further, “There’s nothing wrong with it, Eirin has explained the way people are and their needs. Everyone has them.”

“I know...” You recall your own incident.

“Besides that, I watched you change more than once when we were on our little trip together... I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t know if it was alright to bring it up.”

Kaguya looks happy to have confessed. Her expression is like the ones the beatified sport in renaissance masterpieces. Bliss from being at piece with herself and the heavens.

“I suppose it’s pointless for me to go on then?” You joke, breaking the ice.

“No, please feel free to go on ahead. I don’t mind,” Kaguya smiled again, looking at perfectly ease with your joking.

“Well, I won’t unless you ask me to.”

“Hm, I don’t know, I don’t think I’ll see anything there that I can’t already imagine vividly.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“If you’re so excited about it, go ahead.”

“Maybe I will,” You laugh and begin to pull down your underpants.

Comedic timing in Eientei is excellent. There isn’t any other place in the world where so much happens to the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time depending on your point of view). You have long-since suspected that the wily prankster Tewi and her fluffy legion has something to do with that fact. They likely grease the wheels of comedy by setting up all the players and all the elements in the right amounts and direction. They might give a nudge, or allow the players to nudge things and they sit back and reap the benefits.

Kaguya wasn’t the first person to behold the glory of your man-scepter. By some twist of fate, you think you hear something behind you, and so you turn as your underwear reaches your ankles. Sure enough, as the gods of comedy will attest, there stood Reisen, carrying in a load of washed laundry. Naturally the door was open, and the poor rabbit never even had the chance to knock. Much less to avert her eyes, what with her hands being full of pretty pink dresses and pressed panties. She stared, much like a deer would at headlights, directly at your uncle Sam and his two oval buddies.

“Hiya,” You croak.

“Nicely sculpted,” Kaguya chuckles, “Like staring at a marble statue.” She wastes no time in making the rabbit feel self-conscious. In the process she affects your gung-ho attitude. Anyone would be affected in this sort of situation. A bystander is caught up in your bawdiness and the woman you love makes a glib remark about your buttocks.

“I seem to have interrupted something,” Reisen’s voice quivers. Her eyes never leave your crotch, if anything her stare intensifies.

“Geez, you look like you’ve seen something out of the ordinary,” Kaguya remarks. “Maybe something that you like?”

“L...Laundry,” The moon rabbit says, putting down the load on the ground. She says softly, “I’m sorry...” And begins to back away. She can’t stop staring and it causes her to bump into the corridor wall.

After the jolt she skits away. Like a, well, like a frightened rabbit. Practically hopping away with no clear sense of direction.

“A shame that,” Kaguya comments, “Looks like you’ve got quite a praiseworthy talent.”

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” You ask.

“With time. We should count all the carrots in the pantry. If there are any missing, we’ll know who took them.”

“That’s a really dirty joke,” You turn your head, the one on top of your shoulders, to her.

“We can’t get too hung up about these things, now can we?”

“...that’s terrible. But I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Would you rather preferred I make fun of it? I have a feeling that you wouldn’t like it very much.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” You turn completely, and are surprised to see that she flinches despite her ribald comments. You dare not to tell her that there’s a whole different appeal in being talked down to by a haughty person. It makes some men go wild, being called trash and so forth. Kaguya has the very dangerous capacity to be skilled in that area, you feel.

You don’t see the point in being naked. You pull up your drawers, something which deep down you think the princess appreciates. She doesn’t say anything about it of course, just adding a facetious line how you are more entertaining than all the Megami and NewType she has.

Suited up like a perfect gentleman, you start to speak to her again, “Well that’s that... I guess.”

“No fuss, eh?”

“None whatsoever. We dealt with something but I think that we still have to deal with much more.”

“Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself... I thought you liked to be really traditional when it came to this sort of thing?”

“What do you mean?” You ask.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“I love and hate that about you,” You say.

“Duality of human nature, eh?” She jokes.

“Not really. You just drive me wild. I don’t know if I’ll be able to restrain myself one of these days...”

“Are you going to jump me?” She rolls her eyes, “Wouldn’t be very fitting for a loyal retainer, now would it?”

“Courtly love can be tough.” You shrug.

You sit down, and grab a nearby magazine, “You know, you probably don’t take me very seriously when I say things like that, do you?”

“Not especially,” She admits, “You’re a good man at heart and I know how set into stone your ideals are.”

“I don’t think that you quite know me as well as you might believe.”

“Oh?” She once again takes interest in you, putting down the latest gossip about that popular seiyu, “I bet you can’t say anything that would legitimately surprise me.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” You grin, “What do I get if I do?”

“We’ll see... I can’t think too clearly now, I am still thinking about your manly chest and other assets...” She deflects with a joke, she pretends to swoon at just recalling your naked self.

“Fine, fine. If there’s anything I’ve learned about you is that you like to be a bit too enigmatic when you’ve got something to lose. I’ll call your bluff, but get ready to be shocked. Maybe I’ll get you to swoon for real sometime soon.”

“Maybe Reisen won’t need to work off the tension by eating a lot of chocolate again.” She smiles, “Anything is possible.”

[] Propose to elope with her as soon as humanly possible
[] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own
[] If she exposes herself, you’re willing to let off some stress of your own in front of her
[] Why do all these choices suck? (aka write-in)
-
>>22409
For what it's worth, I liked this write in.

I sometimes wish I could draw. If I could it'd be a very confused Reisen holding the laundry walking in on Shirou with his troll face on and Kaguya sitting there, smirking.

Definitely need a write-in for this one.

Eloping?
From a guy who suggested he "kidnap" her, and then actually went and did it? Par for the course.

A "show me yours and I'll show you mine" proposition? Crude, and potentially offensive, but I'm not sure it would count as being "legitimately" surprising.

As for the peeping, I'd say it's pretty much disqualified from being considered surprising simply by virtue of the fact that Tewi was involved.

Unfortunately, right now I got nothing.

>Reisen’s voice quivers. Her eyes never leave your crotch, if anything her stare intensifies.

It is mating season. Somehow i imagine Reisen to be someone who likes those romantic/sex novels that women read. Shirou storming in her, ripping off his shirt, the gust behind his back and the chest swelling up, the hair blowing in the wind. If we watch her tonight we can see sometihng good.

I got nothing this time. If someone got an idea?
If not i will go with
>Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own
It is only fair and will surprise her.

>I got nothing this time
>Unfortunately, right now I got nothing.
;_;

[x] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

The other options are suggestions of desperation.

Tewi's involvement in a risque situation in Eientei is like a boilerplate; it means nothing and should probably just be assumed anyway.

Basical it all started with
>“Not really. You just drive me wild. I don’t know if I’ll be able to restrain myself one of these days...”
saying she drives him crazy and he wants to devour her. Then
>“You know, you probably don’t take me very seriously when I say things like that, do you?”
>“Not especially,”
She does not take him for full or for a man. She thinks he is not wild enough and has no spirit to make the women he loves his.
>“Oh?” She once again takes interest in you, putting down the latest gossip about that popular seiyu,
You can easily see here that she has zero respect for his manliness and feels at ease because she knows that he would not do something naughty to her.
“I bet you can’t say anything that would legitimately surprise me.”
She showed signs of being aroused when seeing his body. She deep down wants it.
So this is her challenge to him.

There are only two things to do now: Channel your dirtiest thoughts out of your mind and tell her what you would do to her until she turns red and looks away.

Or just throw the magazine out of her hand, grab her, look her deep into the eyes and then show her how manly you can really be. Wild, hard and passionately so that she won't ever need to have fun herself again. Make the whole of Eientei shake and let everyone hear it.

[x] Grab her, look her deep into the eyes, kiss her and then make wild, hard and passionately love to her.

Could be a better write in, but it conveys everything that i want.

[~] End the conversation curtly and walk out.
- [~] "Expect the unexpected."

I figure that she is pretty sure that he's going to do something right at that moment. So, show her you have self-restraint and leave. The warning there is to show another side of him...

[x] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

>>22419

This. I don't really see how Tewi being involved would not make you vote for it.

>>22421

This. Let's go for broke and call her bluff. It's time to be a man and take the lead.

>>22433
Put a vote before it or Teruyo won't count it.

[x] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

Hmm...

[x] Grab her, look into her eyes, kiss her and make wild, hard, passionate love to her.

>>22438
Thanks for the heads up buddy.

[ ] "Well, this one time at band camp, I stuck a flute in my vagina."


[X] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

Okay, after a night of sleep and a long day at work, I still honestly have no clue what would be a good write-in.

This frustrates me.

While this vote doesn't strike me as very surprising, for some reason, it is kinda weird when you beak it down.

"I saw you masturbating last night!"
"I was masturbating last night because I saw you masturbating last night!"
"You saw me masturbating last night?! But I was masturbating because I saw you masturbating!"

Cue infinite loop of one confessing to getting off on seeing the other getting off while they were getting off on seeing them getting off on them getting off on them getting of on them getting off.

[X] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

Puts them on even terms, since she admitted it already

>>22424 here.

>[X] Tell her that the session she witnessed was a direct consequence of your seeing a session of her own

I dislike this vote completely. Everything that Kaguya has shunned or rejected so far has been due to his enigmatic and "use the first idea that comes to my head" shtick. Sure, it works a few times, but when the pilot gets old, so does the plane.

What needs to happen right now is complete self-restraint. I'm of the opinion that a write-in where the conversation shifts topics or ends is a better option in the long run rather than that of a potential short-term gain that is inherently risky.

Keep in mind what happened last time he was wavy.

>What needs to happen right now is complete self-restraint.
No. This is exactly the wrong thing to do right here. Last time the relationship was not at this point yet, we could not see inside Kaguya and what she felt and wants. But through the cracks in her armor we can see now what she desires. Step by step we build up to a certain point, we saw things that pointed us into the right direction and got the affirmation.

I probably did not look at it from this side: Kaguya could be relaxed, too ,because she would not mind Shirou being bold.

And like >>22446 said. It would awkward. The relationship is ready for the next step. What would you do? Sit around and talk shit or proceed?

“How about this?” You take a dramatic pause, “When you saw me that day... I was thinking about you. Now that probably isn’t a surprise for you but this might be... I saw you playing with yourself the night before.”

“Is that so?” Her face clouds over. It’s not an expression of shock. Not overtly at least. So you’re not sure what she makes of it.

“That’s right,” You say, “I now definitely know you have a dirty side to you and it gets me all hot. You can say what you want about me but I can’t forget what I saw. Even if I didn’t see much...” You stop, thinking that getting into too many details might not be the best thing.

“...no.” She shakes her head. She looks into your face, eyes clear, “This isn’t a shock. I didn’t expect anyone to be watching but if you did... then it’s not a problem.”

“I’m glad to hear it, but I suppose I didn’t win the bet?”

“No,” She smiles, “But I’ll let you in on a little something.”

She slowly stands up and makes her way around the table to where you sit. She squats down, bringing her mouth to your ear. She whispers, “If I had known you were watching, I would have gotten off much faster.”

She walks away, grinning.

“Are you serious?”

“Who knows?” She answers, shrugging.

“Are you trying to get me to peep on you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe,” She chuckles, “Maybe knowing that I have an audience gets me all hot and bothered... or maybe it’s because you’re there that it affects me.”

“You’re crossing into dangerous territory,” You warn, half-jokingly, “I wouldn’t be much of a man if I didn’t see that as an invitation to come on to you.”

“Why so obsessed anyways?” She loosens the collar on her blouse. She then winks and says, “I mean my breasts... my thighs.. my crotch... there’s nothing about them that you couldn’t get from Reisen or Eirin. Hell, even Tewi if you’re into that sort of thing. Given your mentality, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a lolicon.”

“I just want you... the fact that it’s you is what gets me going.”

“Hm... I don’t doubt that you’re for the most part sincere. I would have never kissed you back if I suspected you were that sort of person.”

“Then what is it about me that makes you uncertain?”

“You? Only a few small things...” She looks at her fingers as if counting off items on her fingers, “Nothing that would make me hate you.” Kaguya’s mood darkens and her eyes grow a little colder. You’re sensitive enough to her mood changes to know that her thoughts aren’t the happiest, “Ultimately you’re another person and... a man.”

“I couldn’t help being born this way,” You say.

“No, indeed not,” The princess sighs. She brings up a previous point again, “You and Eirin, are you telling me that you wouldn’t enjoy it? Or how about helping that poor wound up rabbit release her tension? Maybe even running into Tewi in the corridor, pinning her up against the wall and having your way with her? Can you tell me that there isn’t a part of you that wouldn’t like that?”

“Jeez Kaguya,” You scratch your head, “Of course there’s some part of me that would enjoy all those things. Anything else would be a simple denial of my baser instincts. But what about you?” You redirect the conversation towards her, “Are you telling me that there isn’t a part of you that doesn’t wish I simply stopped talking and had my way with you right here and now? Or a part that desires to be dominant, breaking and taming men however you see fit? Maybe you’d even fancy a go at some of the other people here. With the way you tease Reisen anyone would think that there might be something more to it.”

“...”

“We’re complicated individuals. With our own history and whims. No point in being fixated on all that. Isn’t what I feel the strongest about the most important? I made my choice long ago. If I wanted I could have had... some of the encounters you described, probably. But I didn’t and don’t and instead am here with you.”

“Well then,” Her eyes darken, her visage becoming completely stern, “What do you say if we enjoy one of those scenarios together? To see if either of us is not as sure as we might believe.”

“What are you proposing?” You feel a shiver work its way up you spine. You suspect that this will be another overreaction.

“Nothing we haven’t talked about already,” She says, “Let us go relieve dear Reisen of all the desire and stress she’s built up.”

“You can’t be serious,” You say despite knowing that she is.

“Oh yes, I am.” She smiles, her eyes betraying no real emotion, “I’m not saying we should do anything to her that she doesn’t want. She’ll want it, we’ll offer and we’ll do it. I’ve always wanted to make her squeak. I bet she’s a screamer.”

“How does this even relate to us?”

“It’s simple, lover, couples that do enjoyable things together, stay together. Don’t tell me that you don’t want to see her pant and moan with your touches... or perhaps you’d want to go even further.”

“I told you once, I’ve told you a million times; I’d much rather do that sort of thing to you.”

“Maybe once I’m free of doubt,” She answers mechanically, with little interest in the present. From what you can tell, she’s having fun doing as she pleases with the rabbit in her mind.

“This isn’t what normal people do...”

“Oh? If your love for me is so great, then you’ll just do the minimum and not stray from the path. Even after leaving her completely besot and asking for more.”

“This is an offer I want to refuse.”

“Go ahead. I’ll have to re-evaluate things though.”

Kaguya’s snapped. That’s what you think. You can’t see your buddy in there. The gentle and quirky lover that would sooner tease you than admit that she was wrong. She walks over to the door, stopping to look back at you, “Coming?” She smirks.

[] Go
..and
[] get involved.
[] don’t get involved.

Or;

[] Refuse
...and
[] let her go.
[] impede her, by force if necessary.

>>22450 here

Ah. Had to say, sadly, I saw that coming.

[~] Go and get involved.

If you start, finish.

[x] Go and get involved.

Iron will and blue balls, always a pleasant combination.

[x] Refuse
[x] Impede her, by force if necessary.

Weird. We haven't seen this side of Kaguya before. This could be a test, or she could genuinely want to do Reisen while we watch. This is a knee-jerk reaction, I'll re-vote if someone has better logic.

[x] Go.
-[x] And get involved.

Shirou loves Kaguya. All of Kaguya. That includes her fits of capricious whimsy. She a big enough prize that he wouldn't mind sharing.

Yeah, it could be some insidious test of Shirou's devotion. Or it could be a test a to whether he accepts her own desires: He said it himself that she must have a side of her that wants to do kinky things to Reisen (and who doesn't). The way their conversations have been going I wouldn't vote for stopping her unless it involves taking her body by force. The way I read it, this is already foreplay.

[X] Refuse
-[X] Impede her, by force if necessary.

If, like 22458 said, someone can provide some insight into the situation, I may revote, but as it is this seems like a bad idea, to me. Then again, standing in her way might also be a bad idea.

This...hm. I don't know.

[x] Go.
-[x] And get involved.

This is another test. Let's see how long it will take the immoral moon princess to give up when she sees Shirou kissing and caressing Reisen gentle. Starting from her legs slow upward, her bunny ears and tail, a kiss between her tights. He does not need to go and do it fast, he needs to do it slowly while always maintaining eye contact with Kaguya. Tell her through your eyes that this could be her.

>“If I had known you were watching, I would have gotten off much faster.”
Let's see if she really meant that, surely watching them will have some sort of effect on her.

You follow Kaguya down the hallway, all the way down to Reisen’s Room. There’s a spring in her step and she doesn’t wait for a reply after knocking to open the door.

“We’re here to have some fun~!” She announces, invading the moon rabbit’s privacy without second thought.

Reisen is by her bed, reading a magazine. She looks up in surprise and in confusion, not at all sure why you and the princess decided to make a sudden and eventful entrance. She looks at you, as if surprised that you’ve got a pair of trousers on. Kaguya wastes no time and sets to work quizzing her, “After what you saw earlier I know you got all worked up, there’s no use in hiding it.”

“Uh, Lady Kaguya, that’s not a topic I feel like discussing,” She tries to disengage politely.

“Nonsense, there’s no shame in admitting it,” Kaguya says, sitting by the confused moon rabbit. She gets physical, caressing Reisen’s cheek tenderly.

“...” Reisen doesn’t say anything.

“You have such soft skin, with all the work you do it’s a miracle you look so youthful... are you trying to impress someone maybe?”

“No... no one in particular,” The rabbit replies.

“You’re beautiful, my dear,” Kaguya smiles sweetly at Reisen, “We’re here to help you...”

Without so much as a warning, Kaguya forces herself on Reisen, locking lips with the stunned rabbit. You watch, as miffed by Kaguya’s aggressiveness as Reisen probably is. It makes your senses feel all jittery seeing Kaguya kiss her and it gets your heart pumping with increased speed.

“Mmm... ah!” Reisen recoils, blushing furiously.

“You’re tasty,” Kaguya chuckles, “I can’t wait to see what you’re like once you’ve loosened up.”

“Even as a joke... this is a bit too much...” Reisen protests, scampering backwards on her hands. She looks very vulnerable and very confused. Yet, amidst all that, in between the uncertainty of what’s happening and the confusion, you think you see signs of an exciting rush appear in the twinkle of her eyes.

“This is no joke, my dear,” Kaguya says, smacking her lips, “We’re here to offer you some very real and very dedicated release... provided that you want it. We’ll do our best to make you feel good, to feel like you want to feel.”

Kaguya crawls closer to Reisen, leaning in suggestively. The moon rabbit cowers, but allows the princess to grope her with minimal resistance.

“Oh, you see? I can tell you’re getting all hot from just thinking about the idea... it’s probably the fact that Shirou is here, isn’t it?” Kaguya giggles, kissing the moon rabbit again, “You’re so adorable that I could just eat you up... and if you let me, I will.”

“Mm...” Reisen moans as the princess pinches a nipple through her shirt. Her face is red and she doesn’t resist.

“Well then, is that a ‘yes’ or is that a ‘no’?” Kaguya asks, blowing softly on Reisen’s ears. The poor rabbit shudders and her gaze is fixed squarely on you. “Oh, you’re wondering what he’s going to do?” Kaguya asks, smiling darkly at you. Her gaze is as seductive as it is frightful, “He’ll do whatever you want him to do, I’m sure that you’ve been wanting that.”

“...alright...” Reisen’s voice is almost non-existent. Her compliance is just a shy half-nod and a little squeak of her voice.

“I knew it,” Kaguya begins devouring her up. She starts by stripping the moon rabbit, carefully removing her skirt and shirt. Reisen is left in her strawberry-colored underwear, with her tie still hanging around her neck and the tip resting in between her bra’s cups.

The moon rabbit squirms a little as you have your way with her. With Kaguya’s encouragement, you take to nibbling on her ears gently, causing her to spasm and twitch in conjunction with your bites. Kaguya in the meanwhile works with the rest of the moon rabbit’s body, running her fingers up her thick and soft thighs, moving and caressing with her hands. She stops to tease Reisen’s breasts on her way to her face, groping with an open palm and with little restraint.

“My, what nicely shaped breasts you have here,” Kaguya liberates Reisen’s breasts from her cute little bra. They flop out, looking naturally firm and very perky. It impresses the princess and she can’t help but comment, “I think they’re bigger than my own.”

“Ah...” Reisen moans as her nipples are pinched.

“Say Shirou, don’t you feel like sucking these?” She hefts up Reisen’s breasts, presenting them to you like a gift. She laughs, not waiting for a reply and begins to use her own mouth. She licks the moon rabbit’s soft and jiggly chest like a child would a lollipop. Without losing momentum, she further stimulates her by moving a hand down to her panties, rubbing Reisen’s crotch over the cloth. The moon rabbit flinches, and you hear a rustling sound coming from where she’s rubbing her thigh-high socks together.

“Come on now, dearie, I know you want him to do more stuff to you,” Kaguya whispers to the rabbit, “You have to come out and say it, otherwise he’ll keep on doing just the minimum and it won’t be any fun. You wan’t to have fun, don’t you?”

Reisen nods.

“Then say what you want,” Kaguya incites her.

“I want you to touch me like... like lady Kaguya is doing,” Reisen finally admits. She grabs your hand, bringing it to her bosom. You feel the warmth of her skin and the softness of her breasts. Reisen smiles, looking coy.

“You’re a mess down here,” Kaguya says with a knowing smile, “I’m afraid these are completely soaked.”

In her most daring display yet, Kaguya gets behind Reisen, undressing her from behind. She slides the rabbit’s panties along her legs, leaving them a dirty and crumpled on the floor. Sitting like she is, she holds Reisen from behind, slowly and deliberately spreading her legs for you. Reisen is exposed and you watch as Kaguya rubs her finger over her exposed crotch. Reisen’s folds move and split apart with Kaguya’s stimulation and indecent squelching noises are produced in sync with Reisen’s heavy panting.

“You know what comes next, don’t you?” She asks. Both girls are looking at your crotch which, unsurprisingly given the circumstances, has swollen up to an almost painful extent. “Ask nicely if you want it Reisen...”

“I’d like your thing please... if it’s not too much trouble,” The rabbit says shamelessly. It’d be adorable if not for how surreal it all is. Though you know that you’ve been at it for a good twenty minutes, things have been happening way too fast. In between’s Kaguya’s wild and frightening looks and her very unrestrained actions, you feel like you’ve walked into some kind of alternate dimension. An alternate dimension where you’re being politely asked to go all the way with a girl who is usually very modest and shy.

“These rabbits... if they don’t get love, they just go crazy,” Kaguya remarks with a laugh. “Go ahead, have fun. I’ll watch and enjoy the show.”

As much as your manhood might desire it, you don’t do it. Instead you give Kaguya one of the soberest looks you are capable of.

“What’s wrong?” She asks.

“I don’t want to do it with her...” You say, “Well, I do, I can’t help the biological urge, but I’d prefer it it was you who I was about to have sex with.”

“What a rude thing to say,” Kaguya smirks, “Can’t you see how her entrance down there is practically twitching, anxiously waiting for you to stir her up with no mercy?”

“I feel like I’m going to burst just thinking about it. But it doesn’t change what I really desire.”

“How shameful of me...” Reisen starts, “Lady Kaguya... if you want you can have him... I just got carried away and...”

“Shush,” The princess hushes her, “I don’t like girls in that way and even I want to pound you until you forget even your name.”

“What do I have to do to prove I’m sincere?” You ask, trying to avoid looking at the great temptation just in front of you.

“Don’t start with that again, we came here for a very specific reason.”

You get closer. Reisen stinks of seduction, of sex and energy. It’s a damp smell, one that is a mix of sweat and other bodily secretions. It’s an odor that would make the most asexual of men excited beyond their wildest dreams. You ignore the smell, instead grabbing Kaguya. You kiss her with all your might, clumsily but earnestly. She resists in a way she hasn’t before, trying to pull away. Not letting her have her way, you continue to press your lips against hers until you win the battle and are able to freely invade her mouth with your tongue. It tastes like what you imagine Reisen does.

“I want you, dammit!” You exclaim for the whole world to hear. Kaguya is taken aback by your yelling and does not look as confident as she did just moments prior.

Reisen grabs onto your arm and you’re forced to acknowledge that she’s still there. Her eyes are watery and indescribably bright. Her breasts are pressing up against your shoulder but it’s what she says that you pay attention to the most, “You’ve got someone you want, so you should never let go.”

She lets go and grabs onto Kaguya, holding her still from behind just like she was being held just moments ago. Kaguya struggles but can’t break free from the strong hold.

“Are you just going to make yourself happy now, in your own selfish way?” She asks, looking distraught.

“I’m not going to do anything to you that you don’t want to do,” You calmly say, “But I do feel like we’ll be going around in circles forever if I don’t do something.”

“Just go ahead and have Reisen, it’s not like we’re committed or anything...”

You shake your head and silently mouth an apology to Reisen, “You expect me to believe that you wouldn’t feel anything if I had done what you wanted me to do to her?”

“Who knows?” She avoids answering.

“You’re too stubborn. Would it kill you to be a little more honest with me?”

“I am being honest.”

“Well then, maybe I should just treat Reisen as I do you; Tell her I love her, hold her close and pretend there’s nothing else in the world but her. Maybe then you’d realize how sincere I am.”

“...”

“Not even that would do it? Somehow I doubt you’re being honest.”

You nod at Reisen, she’s still flush and, by the looks of it, rather excited.

[] Fair is fair; Make Reisen get off by herself while Kaguya watches
[] Have Reisen shower you with attention
[] Something that’s not rape or outright sex (write in option rears its ugly head again)

[~] Something that’s not rape or outright sex
- [~] Act as if you're going to rape her and instead just get Kaguya off.

I'm not sure what to do with Reisen.

>“I’d like your thing please... if it’s not too much trouble,” The rabbit says shamelessly.
I love you for this Teruyo. Immoral Lunarian, horny bunnies. I would vote for throw Reisen on Kaguya, tease them and then fuck Kaguya, BUT, let's return to reality.
>Fair is fair; Make Reisen get off by herself while Kaguya watches
shouldn't this be
>Fair is fair; Make Kaguya get off by herself while Reisen watches
? It was Kaguya who came in and made the Bunny horny.

>“Just go ahead and have Reisen, it’s not like we’re committed or anything...”
There is probably only one thing that you can do now. I know we did it already countless times but now is where it would count most. Her defense is down and she is weak for it. Grab her, tell her how much she means to you, kiss her and then just love her.

[x] "Damnit Kaguya. There is only one woman on this earth that i love and that is you. Not even Reisen can sway my love and lust for you."
[x] Don't wait for her answer, just grab and kiss her as passionately as possible. Sign Reisen that it is time for her to return the favors from earlier.

So Reisen works on her below the waist and you above the waist. Too bad i don't feel comfortable enough with writing about this. But you get the picture. It should end with Kaguya on her back, Reisen on her face and Shirou kissing Reisen while doing Kaguya.
As long as you don't fuck Reisen everythings fine.

This may just be a wild guess, but it seems as if Kaguya isn't truly sure herself of how she'd feel if Shirou and Reisen had their way with one another. Unless she's just messing with us again, this might be Kaguya's method of confirming, within herself, her true impressions towards Shirou's actions. Assuming we choose to go ahead with Reisen, there are two possible outcomes:

1) Kaguya stops Shirou.
2) Kaguya doesn't stop Shirou.

It's a test toward herself; force her hand. There are risks, but No.2 isn't necessarily a death sentence since it could mean any number of things.

[x] Have Reisen shower you with attention

We've already affirmed our feelings for Kaguya, now it's her turn.

In the end, it's also probable that I suck cocks.

[x] "Damnit Kaguya. There is only one woman on this earth that i love and that is you. Not even Reisen can sway my love and lust for you."
[x] Don't wait for her answer, just grab and kiss her as passionately as possible. Sign Reisen that it is time for her to return the favors from earlier.

This is steamy, hot, sweaty and sticky. Sounds fine to me.

[X] "Damnit Kaguya. There is only one woman on this earth that i love and that is you. Not even Reisen can sway my love and lust for you."
-[x] Don't wait for her answer, just grab and kiss her as passionately as possible. Sign Reisen that it is time for her to return the favors from earlier.

Oh_boy_here_we_go!.jpg

...Yeah, I'm not really feeling the write in at all. I mean, I could easily be wrong, but I feel a little more behind the following option when I got done with reading 22467's logic. It's entirely possible that I also suck cocks, however.

[x] Have Reisen shower you with attention

Wow. Miss a little, miss a lot, I guess.

[X] Have Reisen shower you with attention

Though, frankly, I'd much rather see Reisen shower Kaguya with attention. Especially in light of:

>>“I don’t like girls in that way and even I want to pound you until you forget even your name.”

The sex-appeal of the moon-bunny is truly a frightening yet beautiful thing, isn't it?

Seriously, though, Kaguya is getting rather ridiculous with the amount of resistance she's putting up. Not that it's wrong to have doubts, but when you reach the point that you're practically sabotaging your relationship to validate those doubts?

I really do feel bad for Reisen now.
How much does it have to suck to have something you want dearly, and being forced to watch as that thing is right in front of you, in the hands of someone who doesn't seem to truly appreciate or even want it like you do?

[x] Have Reisen shower you with attention
gauging kaguya's reaction should be good unless she's one of those can't express herself kinda person or a tsundere

[x] Have Reisen shower you with attention

Sorry about not updating, I haven't been feeling very well. I'll be getting to it sooner rather than later though, so don't be discouraged from checking in the coming hours.

KV-2 for no real reason.

Oh and if you thought the vote was a tie, sorry to say but that was votespam by someone who doesn't regularly vote in this story.

>>22485
as long as you don't die and get to finish the story, I wont mind too much.

Nix the sooner part. Need rest or otherwise this will be full of typos (more so than usual). Sorry about leading any of you on. In the meantime, if you were looking forward to a little taste: just think about how the world would be a better place if there were more nude moon bunnies running around.

>>22486
Don't plan on dying anytime soon. Hopefully I'll live for many years yet.

[X] Have Reisen shower you with attention

hope that i'm not too late

An impartial observer would certainly find the present situation bizarre. First, you and your would-be girlfriend have a conversation about self-gratification and voyeurism. During said conversation both parties admit to indulging in the two and, what’s more, not feeling particularly bad about it. The talk turns to discussion about latent desire and attraction to others. In a sudden mood swing, your belle gets it into her head that the best course of action is to actually go out and live out one of the hodgepodge notions mentioned. It leads you to pretty much unilaterally assaulting a tightly-wound but, basically, willing friend. It’s only when you decide not to go the whole way that things come to an abrupt end, with you regaining the initiative.

It’s a strange turn of events by any metric.

Kaguya glares, watching with intensity the scene unfolding before her. She’s no longer being held and, with no restraints of any kind in place, has been free to leave for a long time. Hers is a confusing stance, that of a witness to a car crash - you can tell by the way she bites her lips that she’s not enjoying the scene, but she can’t help but to take in every detail of what she sees.

Reisen is being cooperative. She quickly understood what you wanted her to do and is doing her best in her own strange way. She’s still mostly naked, her perky breasts occasionally rub against your arm and her crotch is still indecently exposed for anyone to see. A change from just a half hour earlier is your shirt, which drapes over her shoulders offering some small measure of artificial modesty at the expense of your own. It felt like the right thing to do and you really didn’t realize beforehand of how, to some, the combination of no undergarments, thigh highs and an oversized collared shirt that is a few sizes too big is the pinnacle of the erotic.

You’re tense, not comfortable entirely with the scenario you’ve created. Not that you allow your feelings to show very much, keeping a decadently good cheer about you. You keep your eyes mostly on Reisen, smiling with them. Every so often you steal a stealthy glance at Kaguya and are satisfied with what you see.

“Open wide~” Reisen giggles, bringing another fresh handful to your mouth.

“Ah~” You let her feed you, chewing happily. You lean back, reclining like the Romans of old. Life is good.

“A little juice came out,” Reisen says, quickly using a finger to wipe the trail of fluid coming from her mouth. She licks her finger clean, smiling.

“More grapes please,” You ask, and watch how she carefully cuts away a small stem from the main bunch. She removes the grapes one by one from the stems, and soon has another handful ready.

“Ooops,” She drops one on your chest, the table grape rolling down to rest on your lower abdomen. Without a second’s thought she leans down and picks it up with her mouth, eating the solitary grape with relish.

The feeling of her lips on your body, regardless of how brief, is enough to make you tingle all over. You congratulate her, “Well done, it’s good not to be wasteful.”

After she’s fed you your fill, you continue to a whole range of other activities. Nothing is overtly sexual per se, though you both remain in the same relative state of undress throughout. To an impartial observer, you might seem like a lovey-dovey couple. The very annoying kind that just have to flaunt their happiness in front of others. It’s kind of what of you and Kaguya are, except more physical and less verbal. For her part, Reisen performs well, getting into each activitiy eagerly as can be. In fact, yuo find yourself thinking once or twice that maybe this is what being a newlywed must be like.

Though she observes, Kaguya says nothing. It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking, least when she’s as withdrawn as she is. The only time you see her show any reaction is when Reisen whispers somethign into your ear. You whisper back, thanking her for putting up with your selfishness.

“Maybe I should be more affectionate,” You put your arm around the moon bunny’s svelte waist, bringing her close to you. Reisen buckles under your grasp, her form collapsing onto your shoulder. Her long hair droops to the side. She smiles, looking pleased with the present situation.
“I assume you were talking to me,” Kaguya speaks up for the first time in a long while.

“You know Reisen, I never noticed how absolutely wonderful your hair is,” You ignore Kaguya, taking up a strand of Reisen’s hair and sniffing it, “Smells fresh and fruity too.”

“What is it that you want me to say?” Kaguya asks, “That I’m really feeling jealous? That I can’t be honest with the way that I feel?”

“You really could make a man very happy,” You brush aside the fair that’s covered her face, smiling all the while.

“For your information, I never made it a secret that I was jealous of the idea of you wanting to act out with someone else,” Kaguya informs, calmly. You continue to dole attention out to the moon rabbit while the princess continues to speak, “It’s normal. I assume that you’d also be jealous if I got some other man to do things to me. This isn’t about jealousy and therefore there’s no need for you to keep doing this.”

You ignore her.

“Are you listening to me?” She begins to sound a little upset, raising her voice, “Stop being an obtuse idiot and listen to me!”

You let Reisen slip away as you let go and whisper a thank you. The princess sits with her fits clenched, her face simmering with energy. You look at her with a placid smile, satisfied with how detached you must seem in comparison. You speak, “Problem, Kaguya?”

“...have you not been hearing what I’ve said?” She huffs.

“I don’t know, I was so bewitched that I think I may have forgotten,” You put on a pensive expression, with your eyes unfocused and thinking, “Can’t remember a thing. Unless it was about having my way with Reisen. I remember that. My girlfriend told me that I could go all the way with another woman. And as a guy, I was all too happy to hear it.”

“I take it you’re upset with me?”

“Me? Upset?” You ask, “Why should I be? Being this open with my feelings is how you get by so I’m fine with copying you.”

“You are upset, I knew it,” She shakes her head.

“Don’t worry I’ll just bottle it up and not talk to my best friend for weeks now for some reason. That’ll show everyone!” You’re on a roll, on a dickish roll, but some things just need to be said.

By now, Reisen’s got some more clothes on - a pair of pajamas. It’s absurd, considering it’s her own room, but she leaves. She sneaks off, evidently noting that you need time alone now. Kaguya doesn’t even notice it, looking withdrawn like she’s gathering her thoughts.

“Obviously, being the type of person that I am, I’ll keep everyone else at arm’s length. Maybe while continuing to be irrational and suggesting something as crazy as jumping a third party,” You drive the nail home. It may not be fair nor one of your finest moments, but it’s cathartic. And that is its own reward, regardless of what the exasperating lunarian may do next.

“I suppose I deserve that,” Kaguya concedes, “It’s not really as bad as you make it sound, I assure you.”

“Tell me how it isn’t,” You say, looking her straight into the eye, “Say anything and I’ll believe you. Explain why we can’t just get on properly. Even if it’s silly, even if you think it’s embarrassing, I won’t mind. Really, I won’t. If it’s a problem with me, I understand that too. If I can fix it, I’ll try. Otherwise, well, we’ll just have to see.”

“We certainly have come to the climax. That’s what it seems like anyways,” Kaguya sighs, “Not really my intention for things to carry on like this.”

“This is your chance to fix things.”

“Am I supposed to bear my soul now? I don’t think anyone is ever ready for that...”

“No, nothing so grand,” You state. As cruel as it may sound, you’ve already forgotten Reisen and her warmth, her pleasant little ways and her special type of affection. The path you’ve taken leads to Kaguya, no matter how many detours you might take. You say softly, “Just be honest and I’ll be satisfied.”

“In that case, ask away, I’ll be as honest as I can be. You might doubt this, but I really don’t want to drift apart... ” Her words are at odds with her previous actions. You say nothing. She asks, “What is the most important thing you want to know?”

[] If she loves you
[] Why the falling out with Eirin happened
[] Whether she is happy how things are going

>If she loves you
I am sure there is no doubt about this. She loves him, he loves her. So it would be down to the two.
>Why the falling out with Eirin happened
This would actually be the more interesting option. We tried to fix it and failed. Knowing more it would probably be something trivial. If that is the case we can just laugh it off and reassure her. Or try to fix it with her. Don't want things to stay bad between them.
>Whether she is happy how things are going
Or talk about feelings with her. How much they love each other and so on.

[x] Why the falling out with Eirin happened

[x] Why the falling out with Eirin happened

Yes, please.

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going

As curious as I am about the mess between the two Lunarians, there are issues between the two lovebirds that should also be addressed, and I don't know if Eirin and the troubles with her are really all that relevant.

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going
I agree with >>22496.

sort our porblems out first.

It's been over a day guys. You're killing me here. It's ok to spoil me sometimes with more votes. It doesn't have to be as many (or as quickly) as some of the others on this site but a larger vote to update ratio does everyone some good. What with the different opinions and the increasing chances for more perspective. At this rate I can't even do the modest once a day update.

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going.

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going

I had put off voting because I felt it to be sort of a tough choice, sorry. Not the best of reasons, but, well, there it is.

Well, I suppose it's been made clear that she loves us, so that one's out of the question. As much as the thing with Eirin has certainly affected the plot, maybe Kaguya really was right when she said it was none of our business, regardless of how concerned we are. I think bringing it up with her in the future would, perhaps, be a good idea, of course; it'd be nice if we could help her work through her problems with Eirin, or at the very least, talk with her about them. Right now, however, I don't see that ever happening unless she becomes more open and honest with us. I think this is the question that'll lead us there.

>>22501

Sorry. I'll vote when I have the time to read the latest update.

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going

hmm

[X] Whether she is happy how things are going

I like this one the most. Not accusational, not with Eirin, etc.

“I guess this is an awkward thing to ask...” You start.

“I don’t think this situation could be any more awkward, so just go ahead,” Kaguya interjects abrasively.

“Alright. Then, “ You look her in the eye, “Are you happy with the way things are going?”

Kaguya doesn’t take long to reply, shaking her head dismissively, “That’s a rather meaningless thing to ask, isn’t it?” She laughs, as if any tension she was feeling suddenly evaporated away. You get a good look at the regular Kaguya, the one that is not crazed with ideas regarding your libido. She shrugs, “I don’t really know what to expect, so there’s really no point in asking.”

“No point in asking?” You squawk back like a good little parrot.

“In case you haven’t figured it out,” She says, “I haven’t exactly had this sort of relationship with someone in the past. I’m surrounded by girls and the men I met in the past were idiots. A different kind of idiot than you, however. Unless you want me to start thinking in terms of romance novels and visual novels, I don’t really have anything I can compare things to.”

“Hm,” You see where she’s coming from with her answer. But it doesn’t make you any more pleased.

“I’m sorry...” Kaguya seems to think that you’re taking it hard.

“No need to apologize. I understand.”

“You look like you’re in pain,” She sighs, “It shows on your face. I don’t want you to feel bad.”

“Uh, well,” There’s a reason for your facial expression you realize. It isn’t something conscious, or even a product of what she said. You have been trying to block out the physical discomfort as hard as you can, but it’s so extreme that it makes you nauseous. You doubt you’d be able to stand. “As long as we’re being honest,” You find it hard to look her in the eye, moving your gaze a couple of inches to the left, “You do know what happens when a guy gets all worked up and then.., nothing happens, right? This is it?”

“Ah?” Kaguya’s brow knits, and her face shows confusion, “I’m not sure I get what you mean.”

“Yeah,” You wince, “I guess it’s not a very popular subject in entertainment media. Especially stuff made for males, we don’t like to think about this outcome.”

“Are you saying that you’re hurt because you held back?”

“That’s not quite it,” You try to explain it simply, “Like I said, when a man gets very excited and then has no release, the body takes revenge. My pain is physical, not so much emotional. It’s not really your fault.”

It’s not her fault. Directly at least. The cramps cause pain to shoot up to your skull in a weird and unfortunate anatomical feat. You’re not sure Kaguya can understand what you’re explaining, no woman could. You get a sympathetic look, bordering on pity.

“Do you need to lie down or something?” She asks.

“I don’t think that’d help. It’s just best if I keep on talking and get my mind off of it.”

“If there’s something I can do to help... just ask,” She states, not completely comprehending what she’s implying.

“I think we’ve gone down that path today too many times,” You mumble.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” You grin, trying to hide what you’re feeling.

Kaguya turns back to the previous subject, “Well, I’d at least like to satisfy you somehow, otherwise you’ll sulk all week. I’m not really into the depressive type either, one of the things I like about you is your optimism.”

“Optimism? Me?” You mumble, not sure what she means.

If she heard you, she ignores it, carrying on, “I guess I should ask you, but I already think I know the answer. You’re not happy with the way things are going.”

“I just want to make sure we’re on the right track. I don’t want things to end in disaster,” You remark, perhaps looking a little too dejected. Kaguya picks up on your vibe and looks at you with some pity.

“What do you want to improve things then? I can’t change who I am, but I can try to be more accommodating. I, um,” She pauses awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed to say something, “well, anyways I once heard that the small things are what matter the most, the rest works itself out.”

You don’t know why, but Reisen’s room seems like a very inappropriate venue to hold this conversation. You think back to Tewi and her secret peep holes and realize that the whole of Eientei is similarly insecure. You can’t tell what Kaguya is thinking but something about her tone makes you anxious. She seems to be dancing around a point, potentially struggling with her earlier cold and cynical impulses.

“I suppose that, like you’ve asked me, I should ask you,” Kaguya says softly, “A different question but it’s tit for tat; What’s something small that I can do that’ll make you feel more comfortable?”

[] Stopping all the pointless innuendo
[] Start admitting how she really feels about you
[] Let you know how she expects you to behave with the other residents
[] Morning forehead crusher
-
Combination of being put off followed by real life business has kept me from updating. Yeah, mea culpa I suppose.

[x] Start admitting how she really feels about you

Let us start with the basics my friends. We need to find out first what she really feels about him. Let her put it into words and express her feelings. We need to know and hear it, in detail what she really feels and thinks.
We need to start off from somewhere and build up on that.

It's not that she loves him, its how and in which way she loves him and how and what we can do to convince her to really love and trust him.
Or in other words, we just need to hear it from her. After that we can tackle all the other problems.

>>22519
Has a good point, it would be nice if she was more "open" about how she feels.

[x] Start admitting how she really feels about you

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

Works for me~!

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

Not really much to say on this one, seems pretty cut-and-dry.

>Not really much to say on this one, seems pretty cut-and-dry.

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

Kaguya's always dodging questions and changing the topic, so this is the best way to solidify their relationship.

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

[X] Start admitting how she really feels about you

This is an easy choice. I really can't think of anything else to say to it.

I guess I'll be writing now. Something soonish probably.

“You could start by being a little more honest about how you feel,” You say with no hesitation, “Particularly how you feel about me. The whole keeping me in suspense and arms length thing? Not my ideal scenario.”

“Not your ideal scenario?” Kaguya closes her eyes, “Maybe you’ve grown to be a little too picky...”

“I’m not asking for much, and you know it,” You shrug, “I really don’t feel like repeating myself for the umpteenth time, you should know what I have to say by now.”

“That I do,” She states, keeping her eyes closed. She looks to be pensive, engaged in a mental exercise of sorts.

You feel bad about driving your suggestion home, disturbing her, “I’m not being unreasonable, so would you cooperate?”

Kaguya sighs, knowing that you were going to say that. She opens her eyes and blinks slowly several times in succession. Her dark irises sweep across to you, and she takes a moment before saying anything. With the casual flair of a starlet addressing her adoring fans, she speaks demurely, “And what am I supposed to say then? That my little ol’ heart begins to beat faster whenever you’re near?”

“There’s no need to push yourself,” You shake your head, “I’m just asking for a little more honesty.”

“Heavens,” She smiles, “And what if you don’t like what I have to say to you?”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Well then, I suppose I should start right away then,” Kaguya leans forward, as if inspecting you. She takes another pause as your heart beats excitedly in anticipation. All in all, the princess takes an agonizingly long time to verbalize what she’s thinking, “I don’t like the way you breathe when you’re kissing me, it tickles and really gets me out of the mood.”

“...”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that, it’s true,” Kaguya pouts. She looks dead serious .

“Well excuuuse me, princess,” You groan. It’s... important to know this sort of thing but her words are just too out of place for you to bear. You try to patiently explain what you meant, in a likely foolish action, “When I say I want to know how you feel about me I mean when I tell you that I love you you don’t just ignore me or tease me or whatever. A legitimate expression of your feelings is what I want. As it is, I’m not sure where I stand.”

“Are you asking me to say that I love you?”

“...if you want to simplify it, then yes, I do.”

“Ah,” She mumbles something.

“What’s that?” You ask.

“...There’s a problem with that, you see,” Kaguya looks evasive, she refuses to make eye contact again.

“Don’t tell me-” You think about what’s going on. That you’ve maybe unintentionally gotten her in an embarrassing bind. You expect her to blush furiously any moment. You find that you’re grinning, facial expression bordering on a grimace.

“What sort of idiotic thought are you having this time?” She snaps, evidently none too pleased with your toothy grin.

“Just thinking maybe that I was about to hear and see something really special from you. Something that would make you even cuter than you already are.”

“Hah! As if,” She turns her head to the side, looking rather haughty. Her long hair follows in a dark silky wave.

“Well? Then what?” Completely oblivious to her coming reply.

“Fine, you idiot. I guess since you asked me to be honest, I’ll just make it clear as day. The problem with telling you that I love you is that... well,” She stalls momentarily, but then picks things up without relenting, “I don’t actually know if I love you.”

“You, don’t... kidding?” You form what is, in retrospect, not a complete and intelligible sentence.

“Don’t misunderstand,” She follows up quickly and ruthlessly, “I’ve never loved anyone like in the way you’re talking about before, so how am I supposed to know? I care for you, sure, otherwise I don’t think we’d be here together right now. It’s just hard to tell, you know... and no, I’m not going to ask you to tell me what love is, nor to show me. You’re the fan, not me.”

“I wasn’t... going to bring that up,” You say, rather taken aback by the whole thread of the conversation. You think you space out for a moment, because before you realize it Kaguya is looking at you with worry written all over her face. You ask dumbly, “What is it?”

“I don’t know if you’re alright hearing this, that’s why I didn’t want to bring it up.”

“I guess it’s my fault for wanting honesty,” You say absentmindedly.

“Please don’t let this change anything between us...” Kaguya coos softly.

“I, really... I guess I need time to think,” You excuse yourself, retreating in a controlled panic.

Kaguya says something, but you don’t hear it properly. You’re far too lost in thought for the outside world to hold any meaning. What awaits is the arduous trial - where both major camps of thought battle it out. Your room is your deliberation chamber and you try and analyze the facts of the case. It’s really a hung jury, no matter how you look at it and how many hours of introspection pass. It’s maddening, vexing, but there’s no real recourse you can appeal to in this case. Logic and emotion is split even amongst both camps, with sentimentality and reason being present in either real argument.

Hours pass and night turns into day. Or perhaps days pass, it’s hard to tell.

It doesn’t feel very satisfying when your optimistic side wins the case. It leaves many questions unanswered, namely how to conduct yourself in the future. To pretend that nothing matters, to just enjoy things as they are? There’s no insight that reassures you. Just the same old lingering doubts.

Kaguya has a point, and you know it. But her issue seems to be the same issue that haunts everyone in everything the first time - uncertainty from inexperience. Your logic is faulty but you can’t tell exactly where it fails. It’s not much ado about nothing nor is it a sweet midsummer night’s dream, your own feelings vacillate strongly in between the tragedy found in the case of star-crossed lovers and... by the time your reach the other extreme you’ve passed out.

Sleep is no better a refuge than your overanalysis. Dreams, punctured by irregular geometric shapes and displays of bright lights keep you alert and afford you no rest. You somehow know that you’re making a bigger deal of things than need be but you still can’t help but to make a big deal. The exploding trapezoid is right. You need to cheer up.

“I’m fine with this,” You scribble onto a blank piece of paper. There are a few more words you add, though there’s nothing more you really want to say. You write on the other side Kaguya’s name and sign the bottom with your squirrely signature. You place the letter in front of her door, taking care so as to not make her realize you’re there.

The day is nice one. Clear, crisp air and a mildly warm sun. As you pick up your small bag, you think that it’s fortunate that you picked today to set out. A small trip is just what you need to help you think and to help you feel alright with yourself. Eientei has a nasty habit of melding together the days, so you’re never quite sure how much time passes while you’re with Kaguya. The date on your PDA could be wrong, for all you know. It is made from dodgy parts.

The usual peaceful scene as always prevails in the village. People come and go, shopping or otherwise stopping to talk. They haven’t got many cares in this world. Just like you at the moment. You have been trying so hard not to have any cares in the world, that you haven’t even planned very far ahead.

[] Unwind at your local watering hole even though it's still morning, Jesus. It's definitely not morning so it's okay to do so.
[] Catch up with Keine .
[] Loiter in the square, watching passersby.

[x] Check your PDA.
It was long ago forgotten what use this thing has. Time to discover it once again.

>You think about what’s going on. That you’ve maybe unintentionally gotten her in an embarrassing bind. You expect her to blush furiously any moment.
Oh, that poor guy. one moment happy and everything is fine and then
>“Fine, you idiot. I guess since you asked me to be honest, I’ll just make it clear as day. The problem with telling you that I love you is that... well,” She stalls momentarily, but then picks things up without relenting, “I don’t actually know if I love you.”
Broke his poor maiden heart in two.
>“I’m fine with this,” You scribble onto a blank piece of paper.
That was the best part. He is just too innocent and cute.
So, he is in the dumps right now. I can think of one thing that he can do. Go to Keine. He just needs some cheering up, showing him the way, or rather just someone he can talk to about the situation with Kaguya. That helps wonders.

[x] Catch up with Keine. Ask her if you could come over to her house.
[x] Tell Keine about what has been going on with Kaguya and how she is not sure if she loves him.
[x] If Mokou were to show up, hold back. You wouldn't want her to know what is going on.

The first is asuming that she is somewhere outside, if not then you can just knock on her door and ask her if she has some time.
The part with Mokou is optional, i have no idea how they are to each other and if she would know of this, how much of a problem that would be for Kaguya.
>“I am only speaking in jest. I’d tell her myself if she were here, I wonder if she’d be jealous.” Kaguya laughs - a good strong laugh that comes from the heart. “She’d probably deny it as well or, better yet, try to make it seem like a bad thing.”
But i am sure she probably wouldn't want that.

Meanwhile Kaguya could have made up with Eirin, having no one to talk to is bad and things will bottle up and somewhen you just need to let it out. It was probably as hard on her as on him. She loves and cares for him, being unable to love him back as much as he her should drive her crazy. Plus, seeing him hurt.
We should find out if they made up by the time he gets back. If not, then talk to her and ask her to sort things out. Kaguya needs her back.

Plan should be. Pour heart out, get energy back, form plan, triple efforts (but don't storm in and overwhelm her all the time, steadily and with a good pace) and just make her fall in love with him.

[x] Catch up with Keine

>>22533
and include most of this, but if mokou shows up don't hold back.

[X] Catch up with Keine.

[X] Check your PDA
[X] Catch up with Keine

Yep.

[x] Catch up with Keine
-[X] Ask for advice if the topic turns to Kaguya, but don't complain to Keine, and keep the conversation light.

[x] Catch up with Keine. Ask her if you could come over to her house.
[x] Tell Keine about what has been going on with Kaguya and how she is not sure if she loves him.
[x] If Mokou were to show up, hold back. You wouldn't want her to know what is going on.

Let's do it.

This was really the problem? It's so obvious that it didn't even cross my mind. What a blow, too. This vote encapsulates what needs to go down.

[x] Catch up with Keine. Ask her if you could come over to her house.
[x] Tell Keine about what has been going on with Kaguya and how she is not sure if she loves him.
[x] If Mokou were to show up, hold back. You wouldn't want her to know what is going on.

[x] Catch up with Keine. Ask her if you could come over to her house.
-[x] Tell Keine about what has been going on with Kaguya and how she is not sure if she loves him.
--[x] If Mokou were to show up, hold back. You wouldn't want her to know what is going on.

hmm..

Walking around is tedious and there’s only so much of the daily village routine that you can take before your mind begins to wander off in strange and unusual directions. To remedy that, you take to fiddling with your few worldly possessing while walking - namely your obsolescent PDA.

An informal session with the electronic gadget yields nothing of use. Somehow stock prices, spam mail and factually dubious encyclopedia articles don’t have the same appeal as they used to. Most of the games and applications are equally unappealing and you wonder, with a scowl, how you could have ever found a game about magical girls shooting colorful bullets at each other appealing. It just seems all silly and quite unnecessary at this point in your life, particularly the ever-cryptic app that has been locked away with a single star for a while now. All the blasted device is good for is telling the exact time and occasionally for waking you up in the mornings, the alarm being one of your favorite power ballads of all time.

Your destination is changed when you find that it’s the weekend, and that your first guess for Keine’s whereabouts is incorrect. The schoolhouse is silent and empty in that special way all educational institutions are during the holidays - the buildings themselves seem like ancient temples, beholden to time, without the animated coming and going of students and teachers.

It takes you a while to get to Keine’s home. Partially because you had to ask for directions more than once from passersby. You knock softly on the door, hoping that she’s in.

After a second, slightly louder knock, you hear activity from within the house. There’s some shuffling about from within before the door is open.

“Yes?” Keine looks flushed, out of breath and maybe even a bit nervous. It She’s wearing a very loose robe and you don’t think much else could be under it, she holds one side of it over the other, haphazardly keeping it closed,

“Hi, sorry to drop in out of the blue like this,” You greet her amicably, feeling a bit anxious for apparently interrupting something.

“Oh, hello,” She recognizes you and blinks unsteadily. Evidently her mind is elsewhere. She asks after a while, “What can I do for you?”

“I’m taking a day off and I felt like seeing you... maybe catch up a little, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”

“It has, hasn’t it?” She agrees absentmindedly, her attention focused elsewhere.

“I’m sorry,” You say, “Am I interrupting something? If it’s not a good time, I understand.”

“You said you’d be back in an instant. It’s been a saeculum by my reckoning,” An impatient baritone voice calls from somewhere within her home.

Keine answers the voice, “I’ll be right there, no need to be all impatient.” She looks at you with a polite smile, “I’m sorry, but I’m comparing notes with a colleague. We’re in the thick of it and I don’t know how long it’ll take. You know how academia can be, right? No?” She looks away absentmindedly, tugging the side of her robe.

“That’s not a problem, this was a very spur-of-the-moment thing,” You say.

“Glad you understand. Some other time then.”

“Some other time.”

She closes the door after a polite nod. You hear the male voice once again, loudly proclaiming, “What a naughty model you are, scampering away just as we got to your more sensitive areas and their delicate complexion.”

You frown and walk away, not really having needed to be aware of what was happening. Your very casual plans are disrupted and, for a while, you walk aimlessly. You go to where your feet take you and stop to buy some food from a confectionery cart on the outskirts of the village. It’s not much sustenance but it satisfies you for the time being.

Going back to the schoolhouse, you while away the hours by lying in the empty playground. It’s peaceful and quiet. It seems to be the type of change of scenery that you need and you think about nothing too vigorous or exciting. You smile, at some point realizing that it’s now afternoon and being satisfied with blissfully spending a couple of hours in harmonious solitude. The fact that there’s no real driving force behind you makes being a carefree soul an even better experience.

As the day darkens, you don’t quite feel like ending your trip just yet and you look around for a good spot where you can watch the sunset. It turns out that there’s a small hill just outside the village with a view to the large lake and the mountains. You take pleasure in the small details of the spectacle, the different hues of orange and purple that form in bands in the far-off horizon. Within the confines of Eientei, you can’t see the setting sun in between the tall stalks of bamboo which surround the manor. The secretive location is hidden from most of the sky, except for the few courtyards which provide a good observation point for sky-gazing.

The village doesn’t go to sleep as soon as the sun is down. On the contrary, it seems to burst into more activity than during the day. You stare from the distance and see that they’re holding some sort of festival, with lights and people moving about in a merry fashion. There’s bound to be drinking and food you know, despite not knowing the reason for the celebration. Music starts up in the distance, lively finding you with no issue.

The moon peers from behind cloud cover, full and white as a specter. The twilight turns into a bright night, one filled with rhythm and merriment. You think of the rabbits - how they pound away mochi every month under the full moon. It’s lively at Eientei as well, with Reisen and Tewi being busy in their own respective ways. Not that you’d know because, as of a long while, you’ve been more absorbed in other matters to give the rabbits any real attention.

[] Join the festivities
[] Continue to relax from a distance

>>22542
Two things: 1) No write ins for completely different options. Because of Shirou's frame of mind, etc. 2) Stop it with the conditional options, in general. It's a gigantic cop out to put in 'ifs' and 'maybes' for things that may or may not happen and may or may not be possible. If there's a choice, there doesn't ever need to be votes about things in the far off future.

[x] Continue to relax from a distance.

Taking it easy is fine, too.

[x] Continue to relax from a distance.

can't be assed getting up.

[x] Go back to Eientei.

>You think of the rabbits - how they pound away mochi every month under the full moon. It’s lively at Eientei as well, with Reisen and Tewi being busy in their own respective ways.

I really want to go back and watch the Bunnies. It is Shirous home after all. Plus, Company is always nice. He had the time to clear his head and Keine is busy doing lewd things with a man. Maybe meet Eirin and have a long talk with her.

[X] Join the festivities

Whether trying to have some fun, or simply kicking back and taking it easy, I don't see much in the way of pros or cons for either choice.

Though, of course, that doesn't mean there aren't any.

[X] Join the festivities

Perhaps it'd do some good to get our mind off of our problems for a while. If we relax, we could easily drift back to what's troubling us, and we're out here precisely to get away from our troubles.

[X] Continue to relax from a distance

>>22543
>Stop it with the conditional options

Works perfectly fine for me~!

[x] Join the festivities.
Frolic with your fellow humans.
Return to the house of eternity once your head is clear.

[x] Continue to relax from a distance.

Farther away from booze the better.

not to mention possible CHANCE ENCOUNTERS

>>22561

I guess I'll be writing now. Even in fantasy anon seems to prefer being antisocial.

For a long time the festivities go on. You lie on the grassy hill, watching from a distance, thinking about life, the universe and everything. Even from a distance the gaiety is palpable and infectious and, even though you’re no where near the singing and dancing, you can’t help but smile when looking in their direction. The music lulls you into a relaxed state, a reassuring sign that there are a lot of good things in life.

The moon is bloated and white, looking fuller in the clear night sky than usual. You stare hard at it, admiring the delicate topographical features visible from Earth. You still can’t quite believe that people live there, or that the people you live with come from there. It seems like a very bad fairy tale, with the moon being a better place just because it isn’t here. Hard to believe too. With the joyous laughing and celebration going on nearby it doesn’t seem like any other place in the universe could be quite as happy and fortunate.

A soft breeze caresses the hill, swaying grass around you. It is mildly cold, a reminder that it is supposed to be winter. That is a fact very hard to believe on a night like this - there’s no snow, no biting wind and there’s hardly even need for you to wear a jacket. In fact, you think that you could sleep out in the open like this with no problems, something best reserved for carelessly warm summers.

Eventually it gets late.

There is still much drinking and much dancing in the village, but it’s a little more subdued than earlier. No doubt most children have already gone to bed and those unaccustomed to late night reveling are yawning in between dances. The tempo of the music changes as well, with a lot of the songs slowing down into more intimate and sentimental pieces. Stuff that just smacks of simple rural nostalgia. It’s wholesome and ordinary at the same time it’s exquisite and exotic.

To your surprise, you’re not alone for much longer.

A young couple, a fine pair of local youth, walk from the village towards the hill. They don’t see you, or don’t care to see you instead being altogether too busy with paying attention to each other. They sit together by the food of the hill, talking softly and embracing one another. It’s not long before they get more intimate. It’s no surprise given the atmosphere. This is their moment, their time and likely nothing else in the world matters to them.

You get up and slink away, not interested in watching the more physical exchanges that are yet to come.

Unfortunately, you can’t stop thinking about them. Even as you walk aimlessly in the moonlit night. As stupid as it might seem, part of their feelings resonates with your own and conflicting feelings of satisfaction for what has occurred and jealousy for what has not hound you.

You come to rest at an empty house, long since abandoned in the outskirts of the village. It’s dusty and it probably has more than its fair share of insects running around but it’s still decent shelter. You’re too tired to walk on anywhere else anyways. An old carpeted spot in a room makes for a temporary bed. You can’t complain much about how the day turned out, it hasn’t been nearly as bad as you thought it might have been. Eventually the music stops and you’re finally free to forget about the outside world.

Morning brings with it an opportunity to purchase breakfast. The interior of the village is still a mess. Not many people have gotten up either. You have to make do with what seems to be leftovers from the night before. You eat and figure out what you’re going to do for the rest of the day.

Well, after taking a bath that is. The local bathhouse is up and running before noon so you figure it wouldn’t hurt to make yourself squeaky clean. There’s hardly anyone in the place so you have all the time and privacy in the world to scrub away your worries. It’s all very different from Eientei, with no fancy soaps available for use or rubber ducks on the margins of the room. There are no naked moon rabbit either, something which you don’t know is a good thing or not. Certainly the presence of Reisen would turn in a crowd of would-be peeping toms and be good for business. Then again, Reisen doesn’t deal well with strangers. She would be liable to do something not too pleasant to the villagers.

You dry off and get dressed, feeling happier than you were the day before. Being away from it all feels good. Clearing your head is more satisfying than you thought it would be. It’s funny how a silly impulsive action can mean so much in the long run.

[] Try Keine again
[] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine
--
I'll apologize now guys. I'm aware that these past few choices have seem trivial and nonsensical but I'll ask you to just bear with me for a little while longer. I'm going somewhere with all of this.

>It’s all very different from Eientei, with no fancy soaps available for use or rubber ducks on the margins of the room.
Reisen just can't do without her rubber ducks.

[x] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine
>I'm going somewhere with all of this.
This is supposed to be a secret.

[X] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine.

Reimu's the master of taking it easy, so we can relax around her for a while. I'd rather not bug Keine again, anyway.

[X] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine

Sure. I suppose we should probably leave Keine alone for now.

I remember nothing about whether or not Reimu has shown up in here before, much less what sort of terms we were on with her, so I'm curious as to how this'll turn out. That is, if we even run into Reimu, but I think it's a pretty likely thing.

>>22569
>I remember nothing about whether or not Reimu has shown up in here before
...really? It's alright if you can't remember anything before thread like 9 or 10 (anything before the story focusing primarily on Kaguya to be honest), since most of it is inconsequential to current events. However, a statement like that makes me worry somewhat.

[X] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine.

Never mind Reimu, I'm curious to see if we can get some more advice from Suika, the Drunken Love Doctor.

>>22570

I myself knew that Shirou had met Reimu before, but my memory was too fuzzy to determine whether this was early on, or after the 'reset' point where the second run began.

In any case,

[X] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine.

Color me interested.

>>22572
Well, I can understand that; It was a while back. I mean, hell, I occasionally forget specifics. But you know, it was a whole *thing* - staying at the shrine with Kaguya is the direct cause for much of the current relationship.

I suppose five votes constitute a majority and I'll get to writing now. I guess Keine gets the day off.

[X] Extend your trip with a visit to your local shrine.

Every bit helps, right?
F5ing for the rest of the night.

The journey to the shrine takes under an hour. The path itself is old and eroded, poorly maintained and you guess that only seldom taken. As far as you’ve noticed, the village ignores the existence of the shrine. Any faith looking to make inroads with the populace is probably in for a difficult time. Even if they planted a temple smack dab in the middle of the village you don’t think people would care enough to notice.

The shrine itself is as empty and solemn as you remember it. Your footsteps are loud, the peaceful surroundings causing them sound to echo off the weathered steps. You pass under the torii and find the main building as you remembered it.

Instead of looking around, risking looking like an uninvited guest, you walk over to the donation box. You place a few coins you have and pull the rope, ringing the bell. There’s nothing really that you wish to pray for and so it’s just a mostly an empty gesture. It does, however, provide you with signs of life.

A few moments after the chime, hurried footsteps come from the inside of the shrine. Dressed as she usually is, Reimu comes out sporting a look of unmistakable anxiety. It looks like her heart is at her throat.

“Hello,” You greet her. She’s looking around, as if she were expecting someone else to be where you are.

There’s a pause before she registers your presence. She blinks, and her expression changes into one of annoyance, “Oh it’s you.”

“I’m sorry, did I do something I shouldn’t have?” You ask apologetically.

“No,” She continues to scowl. She continues to look around before finally deciding that all she’s going to get is you. The donation box catches her eye and it seems that she remembers her manners because of it, “Terribly sorry, thank you very much for your donation today.”

“I’m afraid I couldn’t donate much, I’m a little tight on money,” You try to determine if she’s approachable at the moment or not by making polite small talk.

“Aren’t we all?” She smiles, apparently getting over whatever it was that bothered her. “Thinking of your shrine in spite of it is praise worthy.”

“I’m glad you feel that way,” You smile in return, hoping that she’s genuinely over her previous disappoint.

As if she suddenly remembers something, she softly smacks her hands together and asks you, “Where’s your girlfriend?”

“I’m taking a little trip by myself, she’s back home,” You say vaguely.

“Oh, I see. I hope that things worked out for you since the last time you were here,” She explains a little smugly, “It isn’t often that someone not from the village gets together with someone else, much less someone like her.”

“Things have been going... well, they’ve certainly been developing,” You aren’t sure what to say.

“Well, if you don’t mind, you could tell me over some tea. It’s about time for my morning break anyways,” She invites you in, thinking nothing of sharing her time with you.

You sit on one of her lateral porches, waiting as she prepares the tea. The shrine is a peaceful place, awesome for lazing around. The way the sun hits it in the afternoons makes it extra ideal for taking naps. The main building itself is newer than it looks, which isn’t a good thing. On nice days it’s alright to live at the shrine you think but when it snows heavily it must be a cold hell.
“Thank you,” You take your cup and sip pensively. Reimu sits next to you and you chat for a while.You tell the shrine maiden about your relationship with Kaguya. She seems interested, in a polite sort of way. You tell her about how nice it is to spend time with her and how you genuinely are happy to be with her. She’s good company, but only seems to be listening to some of what you tell her. Her mind seems to be in a far off place so you sometimes have to repeat yourself when she asks about a detail you’ve already gone over.

You don’t tell her the truth about your trip, fearing it would spoil an otherwise pleasant chat.

“You should follow his example instead of moping around all day,” A shameless eavesdropper lets her opinion be known.

She had been laying in a room behind you for a long time apparently, but she was so still that you first mistook her for a pile of clothes or something. The horned little girl sat up, clutching in one hand a bottle of wine.

“Great, like I needed the opinion of a freeloader,” Reimu grumbles, apologizing to you with her eyes.

“Don’t be like that,” Suika pouts, “I’m just as bored as you are. But you know that this is important. It’s not our place to mess with that too much.”

“If it’s something you feel comfortable discussing with me, I wouldn’t mind if you told me,” I offered sympathetically to the miko, all the while trying not to overstep our boundary of intimacy.

“It’s nothing important,” She said, “It’s not worth talking about.”

“Sure it is, he’s a human like you and he’s happy with his relationship, maybe he can help you. I know I’ve tried, but you keep telling me to shut up,” The horned girl waddles on over to where you are, plopping down with the grace of a wounded elk.

Suika pats you on the back, “I can tell,” She says, “You’re not that bad of a person.”

“It’s not comfortable for someone to bare herself in front of someone they’ve met a handful of times,” You say, thinking more about your own situation than the shrine maiden’s.

“Now that’s just being shy, and I think I told you what the best thing to do last time you were here, right?”

“...how could I forget your bold suggestions?”

“I bet it all worked out for you, didn’t it?”

“Uh...”

“Yeah, I knew it did,” She concludes. She then adds, “It’ll be great if you could make her understand that I’m right about these things.”

[] Confess to things not going very well
[] Endorse the oni way of dealing with relationships

>>22573

At first, I was going to say something along the lines of not being able to clearly remember things which happened two months ago, let alone two years, but then, suddenly, >>22575.

If you'll excuse me, I'll be off hanging myself for being a fucking moron. How getting advice from Suika slipped my mind, I have absolutely no idea. I didn't think my forgetfulness was this bad.

[x] Confess to things not going very well.

[x] Confess to things not going very well

No need to hide it.

>As far as you’ve noticed, the village ignores the existence of the shrine.
Isn't it sad, Reimu? This reminds me of a certain other story that would need an update...
>Her mind seems to be in a far off place so you sometimes have to repeat yourself when she asks about a detail you’ve already gone over.
>The horned little girl sat up, clutching in one hand a bottle of wine.
Suddenly Arc, coming to confess his love to Reimu or Suika.

[x] Endorse the oni way of dealing with relationships
Kidnap, bring home, make love to.

[x] Confess to things not going very well.

Mikos have good advice...i think.

[X] Confess to things not going very well.

Honesty is the best policy, especially when an oni is involved, after all.

[X] Confess to things not going very well.

>>22583

Even if she happen to be away at the moment, avoiding the problem doesn't help much either.

[X] Confess to things not going very well.

Well, I remember the whole staying at the shrine thing now, as well, and of course feel a bit dumb. I think I had somehow forgotten the specifics of our whole runaway incident, but remembering that we stayed at the shrine brought back a lot of stuff; taking the alcohol we found in that crate, Kaguya and Reimu secluding themselves to talk for a while, and of course, our own Mystic Oriental Love Consultation.

Well, anyway; let's do things the oni way in a different sense and just straight out tell them what's been going on.

“Well actually,” You try to confess. But it’s hard to when staring at eyes so full of childish excitement and zeal like Suika’s are. So you have to look away, making eye contact with Reimu instead, “Things aren’t going that perfectly.”

Reimu rolls her eyes at Suika, who isn’t discouraged in the least by your confession.

“Nothing is ever perfect,” She quips, “But at least you’re happy right?”

“I’d like to think so, but I’m not really sure. I worry a lot, see.”

“You’re just like our armpits miko here then,” Suika giggles. She slaps you on the back hard, like you were supposed to be all buddy buddy by now or something.

“‘Armpits miko’?” Reimu looks annoyed, “Now listen here you freeloading leech, I don’t go around telling everyone how I’m stuck with a midget deer who wouldn’t know how to be polite even at her own funeral.”

Suika simply laughs at the frazzled shrine maiden. Nothing ever seems to catch her off guard or make much of a dent to her jubilant mood.

She ignores Reimu, instead telling you, “Well you see your problem here is not being direct enough. If you’re not sure you’re not happy it’s because you aren’t reaching out to be happy. Y’know, to make sure.”

“People are complicated,” Reimu interjects, “there’s no point in simplifying things to that extent. Things are never as simple as going and reaching out. Besides, it makes you seem selfish.”

“If you were a little more selfish you wouldn’t be here waiting, now would you?” Suika retorts off-hand. The diminutive guru smiles and continues to badger you, “People really are just simple. I mean, good things are good and bad things are bad. If you just go for the good then the bad doesn’t really matter much, does it?”

“I’m going to side with with Reimu here,” You say. The shrine maiden nods, satisfied. “Things aren’t simple and if they were I would have solved my problems a long time ago.”

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Suika is unfazed. She points out the obvious, “You’re here alone just like Reimu is alone. It’s because you think things aren’t so simple. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just get up and do what you wanted? Well, you can.”

“Give it a rest,” Reimu says, “You’re being rude and he’s my guest.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever,” Suika finally disengages. She rolls back inside, disappearing into the shrine.

“Sorry about that,” The shrine maiden apologizes, “She likes sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“It’s alright. I can’t really fault her for being honest,” You say.

“If she heard something like that it would just enable her to keep up her unreasonable behavior,” Reimu sighs.

“She did help me out last time I was here,” You tell Reimu about that time. She doesn’t seem surprised to hear it, and winces with the mention of expensive alcohol, but is generally accepting of what went on.

“Well you seem to have enjoyed yourself. Or should I say, are enjoying yourself?”

“Hm, how do you figure?” You ask, “What do you mean by ‘are’? Like I said, things aren’t going so well right now.”

“It’s simple,” She points out, “You’ve been smiling all the while you’ve told me the story. And before, when you telling me about things, the smile never left your face.”

“I guess maybe Suika is right then,” You shrug.

“That doesn’t even really matter. Things can still be complicated and you can still enjoy yourself. It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“Then what about you?” You ask an indiscreet question, a byproduct of feeling that you’re hogging the spotlight.

“What about me?” She smiles, “Things are complicated for me too but if I wasn’t happy I wouldn’t be waiting I guess. It’s stupid but it’s just the way things are.”

“Maybe we’re both idiots,” You mumble.

“I won’t argue against that.”

Eventually you go through your cup of tea. Accepting the shrine maiden’s cordial invitation, you have a second cup. It really is peaceful at the shrine, no doubt about it. The talk is light and not really particularly about anything. That suits you fine. Reimu is a nice girl, certainly not as vicious as hearsay from the rabbits would have had you believe. You certainly wouldn’t mind becoming her friend, since it’s so hard to find sensible people in Gensokyo. You know you’re just a normal human like she is but you wonder if she sees you the same way. You think that maybe she associates you with Eientei and, by extension, to anything but normalcy.

None of that really matters right then.

The pitter-patter of footsteps out front and Suika’s loud laughing brings your mutual break to a close. Reimu excuses herself in order to go see what is going on. After a moment, you follow. Already from a distance you can tell it’s who Reimu was waiting for. Her smile is radiant as she addresses the short-haired youth. You figure that the guy is about Reimu’s age, a little younger than you are maybe. He’s also smiling, speaking softly while Suika clings onto his right arm like a happy child would to an older sibling. He has an honest-looking face and kind eyes but otherwise looks about the same as any other villager to you. Maybe neater attire and a little more confidence than the average yokel. You decide that he would definitely have be confident to deal with those two so casually.

You double back and leave your last few coins next to your cup. You won’t be needing them anymore, you reckon. Money isn’t really necessary to your lifestyle. Then, without being seen by the new arrival, you leave the shrine by following the grove of dormant cherry blossoms out back to an ancient and well-trod path.

It’s a while before you find the village and a while longer before you cross over to the side near the bamboo forest. By early afternoon most of the village is awake, regardless of how their heads might feel, and a lot of the mess from the previous night has been cleaned up. The miko didn’t really offer you any snacks, not that you expected her to go all out with you or anything, but you’re pretty hungry.

You ignore your body’s urges for now, instead leisurely making your way through the bamboo forest. On your way back, you spot a few rabbits scampering about as they usually do. They seem to ignore you which you don’t really mind. They’re always fickle and chances are they’re on some sort of mission dictated to them by their all-powerful dear leader in pink. There’s groups of them stretching all the way to Eientei itself. Other than the mobilized rabbits however, you don’t see anything out of the ordinary.

You room is as you left it. Sure, in a place called the House of Eternity that might seem like a no-brainer, but you can attest to the contrary. Your room has been the site of high-stakes gambling tournaments, large unlicensed distilleries and even a shelter for destitute youkai rabbits. It seems like Tewi hasn’t had any brilliant ideas about using your space and things, much to your relief. Anytime you’re gone, even if it’s for an afternoon, there’s a chance something might happen to your room.
As far as you’re concerned, just because you’re back doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying yourself. It doesn’t feel stuffy yet. Always a good sign.

[] Napping is the surest way to take it easy
[] See if Eirin is still needlessly hard at work
[] Check in with Tewi [s]Jong-Il[/s]

[~] Check in with Tewi Jong-Il

I'm going with this for now as a knee-jerk reaction to the post.

[X] Check in with Tewi

Our last choice between do something/relax ended in relaxing, so I'm inclined to choose to actually do something. Of course, I was one of the ones who voted the join the festivities, so I may be a bit biased.

Somehow I think visiting Eirin would just stress us out more. It's not that I want to cut communications with her off completely or anything, not at all; I'd just rather wait until next time we've got a chance to see her.

All things considering, we've got sort of awkward relationships with about half the residents here, huh. Reisen will probably have a hard time looking us in the eye after our latest incident, and Eirin, well, is still the same old Eirin. Things seem to fluctuate between good and bad with Kaguya, so I don't really know how to sum our relationship with her up. We seem to get along well with Tewi, and as wily as she acts toward us, she seems to hold us in fine regards.

tl;dr: Tewi's our bro and we should be spending more time with her because we haven't screwed up our relationship with her (yet).

[x] Check in with Tewi Jong-Il

She's our friend, why not?

[x] See if Eirin is still needlessly hard at work
Look what she is up to, try to get a feeling for things, talk to her.

[x] Check in with Tewi Jong-Il

What better way to ease back into Eientei once more?

[x] Check in with Tewi Jong-Il

[x] Check in with Tewi Jong-Il

>>22590
>Tewi's our bro and we should be spending more time with her because we haven't for now screwed up our relationship with her.

pretty much sums up my thoughts.

I have a little over an hour to finish the next update before I'll be busy for a couple of hours. Alas, I'm not 100% certain I'll be able to finish the update in an hour. Why am I bringing this up? No real reason. It looks like we'll need a new thread anyways. It took us only two months to fill this one. I don't know, feel free to post moon people or whatever. Or, as always, general comments are welcome.

>>22597
It was not our fault that it took you 2 months. Updates need to be taken on a daily dosis is what the good doctor advises.

What a missed chance.

>>22598
It might be one thread but it's still an average of two days per update. I think that's respectable given the general track record on this website.

>>22605
as long as you update im happy.

Moon bunny demands that you get back to work nigger.

So, uh, wrote most of it, decided it sucked. Scrapped 1000 words and I need to rewrite it. Problem is, well, the image sums it up. Those last two weeks are just the 3-4 or so days since the patch since I hadn't played for a while. We'll see if I'm able to tear myself away after I finish my current marathon game.

>>22638

I'll see you there.