Should have put these in the post before, but oh well.
First Part: >>30586
Previous Part: >>34444

And now, the INVENTORY!

Merchandise in dimensional bag:
Nice hat x1
Fireproof Clothes x1
Blank Spell Cards
Doohickey x1
A single stick of dynamite
Superboy XL x1(RESERVED)
Herbs and Leaves Tea Set x4
Shawl of Disguise x1
Butterfly Knife x1
Lamp x1
Strange Gem x1
Beginner’s Potion set x1
Tome of Advanced Practical Magic x1
Scotch Tape x1
Wand of Fireball x1
Batteries
Lava Lamp x1
Wrench Set x1
Mess of Hakurei Charms and Amulets

Outstanding Orders and requests:
Superboy XL (Rinnosuke) <In trade for mirror of dreams>
Keep an eye out for a manual sewing machine (Alice)
Keep an eye out for medicinal herbs and leaves (Eirin)
CD Player (Kaguya)
“Something of elegance, fashion-wise” (Remilia)


Personal items on hand:
Ring of Flight
Toolkit (Screwdriver, flashlight, bottle opener, simple knife (non-combat), campfire starter)
Food Rations
60,500 yen
Viator
Map of Gensokyo
Blank Spell Cards

Seals:
[Seal 1P] Arm Strength
[Seal 2P] Leg Strength
[Seal 3P] Stamina
[Seal 4P] Defense
<Seal 1M> Fire
<Seal 2M> Water
<Seal 3M> Lightning
<Seal 4M> Light

Abilities Unlocked:
LUCK x3 (Put in front of a choice to make our hero more fortunate for the next turn. At least 4 people have to select this for it to activate, but the options selected do not have to be the same)

You can once again gather the latent energy around you and channel it to suit your purposes. Larger endeavors require larger amounts of energy, and the energy you collect must be applied towards a person, object or the environment around you.

Spell Cards:
Spiritual Strike Talisman (System)
Magic Potion (System)
Practice Sign: Simple Laser
Surge Sign – Geyser of the Heavens <Requires Leg, Water and Light Seals Activated>

Known Merchants:
House of Kirisame (General goods)
Kourindou (Antiques, Variety, Basic Identification)
Kappa’s Bazaar (Various goods, mainly technological and literary in nature, food court)
Made by Nitori (Technological goods, technological repairs, located in Kappa’s Bazaar)
Fall’s Bounty (Seasonal Food – Autumn, located in Kappa’s Bazaar)
Kirisame Magic Shop (Junk shop, Marisa-for-hire?)
Fukuda Groceries (Food, produce)
Yagokoro Clinic (Medicine, health services)
Temple of Myoren (Dowsing)

[x] I wonder what’s going on in town…

Daylight's a wastin'. Rinnosuke will keep~

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

[x] Might as well take this chance to explore Eientei…

Can't resist.

[x] I wonder what’s going on in town…

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

[X] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

Give kourin his god damned toy.

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

Business first.

Maybe we could try to find Alice a sewing machine with the Kappa? I doubt the machine would be safe, though...

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

[x] Might as well take this chance to explore Eientei…

Might get lucky, and spot what is happening to Reisen right now.
That would be fun!

I wonder what Mokou would do for those fireproof clothes... Better yet, what Kaguya would do for them.

Sorry, I've got a big exam coming up tomorrow, etc etc. I'm sure you'll all live, though, so no worries!

>>37440
Mokou already has fireproof clothes and Kaguya uses her eternity power to prevent Mokou from burning hers every other day.

Mokou might still want them. It must get boring wearing the same outfit every day.

>>37453
Well these clothes were supposed to protect against the fire demon's attacks, so they'd probably protect kaguya from mokou's flames. That'd make it so much easier on her when the two fight.

[x] We still have a delivery we could fulfill today, don’t we…

Better to get the last piece of business you have out of the way before you try and take it easy. Business before bullets, and all that.

You make your way to Eientei’s entrance as you try and figure out where the heck you pulled that phrase from. Exiting the building, you lift into the air in the hopes of avoiding some of Tewi’s traps. Fortunately you don’t seem to trigger any, suggesting that either there aren’t any aerial defenses set up, or else the little rabbit is too distracted at the moment to activate any of them.

You find yourself glancing at the spot where you left Mokou lying on the ground, but you can’t see anyone in the general area. That either means that she was able to rouse herself before anything happened to her, or else, well, something happened to her. Still, the attempted theft is still pretty fresh on your mind, so you decide against pursuing this line of thought any further. Tewi said she would be fine, so you put your faith in that as you rise up above the bamboo.

---

As you touch down near Kourindou you get the feeling that something seems different from the last time you were here. It doesn’t take too long for you to figure it out; all of the stuff that was lying around on the ground seems to have up and disappeared. Of course, it’s been a month and a half since you were here last, but considering the disposition of the shop’s owner you wouldn’t have thought that he would go through the effort of actually cleaning all that stuff up.

You are taken further by surprise as you actually enter the shop itself. The place has been tidied up significantly, with items of significance being displayed near the shop’s entrance. (With price tags, even!) The shelved have been rearranged to assist with mobility, and you can see that there are a few youkai walking around, perusing the goods.

You can’t seem to find anyone from the village, however, a fact that puzzles you until you notice the dolls floating around the store. They are of similar design to the one that you saw near Alice the last time you were here, dressed in small dresses of blue and white. They seem to be occupying themselves with tidying up the store, dusting shelves and reorganizing items. One of them stops in front of you for a few moments before flying off towards the back. It leaves you with a half-cute, half-creepy sensation that brings the realization of why there are no villagers here.

Dolls or no dolls though, you’re here on business. You make your way towards the back of the store, where you find Rinnosuke leaning against the counter in a subdued manner. Next to him sits Alice, reading a book from one hand and making strange gestures with the other.

“Hey Rinnosuke, how’s business?”

“Mmm? Oh, Lawrence, was it?” Rinnosuke seems to regain some of his composure as he sticks a thumb in Alice’s direction. “Why don’t you ask her? She’s all but ransacked my shop, after all.”

“Now you know that’s not true, Rinnosuke.” Alice says as she closes her book and turns towards the conversation. “It’s just that I refuse to live in a pigsty, which is what your store more or less was when I came here. Now it’s a place of decency, and business has even picked up a bit, if I do say so myself.”

“It isn’t like I asked you pick it up for me.” You hear Rinnosuke grumble as he turns back to you. “So, what’s the reason for your visit today, Lawrence?”

“Delivery call, actually,” you say as you dig around in your pack. Upon hearing that, Alice’s eyes light up.

“Oh, were you able to procure a sewing machine for me, then?” Alice looks extremely eager as she says this, which makes you feel kind of bad that you have let her down.

“Unfortunately, Ms. Alice, I wasn’t able to find anything that matched your specifications this time around. Sorry.”

Alice blinks a few times before letting out a dejected sigh. “I was afraid that you would say that. Not surprising, since what I asked for is probably something of a rarity, even here in Gensokyo.” She puts a finger to her lips as she ponders. “I suppose that it isn’t a necessity, since I can do the majority of my work by hand in any case, but it would save me a lot of time when I start my business back up again.”

“Which can’t come too soon,” Rinnosuke mutters. Alice shoots him a dark look before turning back to you with a smile. “Would you mind keeping an eye out for it just a little while longer, Mr. Lawrence.”

“Sure, I’ll do my best.” As you say this you find what you are looking for, and pull the bag containing the Superboy, its games and the batteries on the counter. “As for now, however, I managed to get what you asked for, Rinnosuke.”

“What I… Oh!” Rinnosuke’s posture immediately straightens to a more interested one. “I’d forgotten that I ordered something from you! So this is…”

Rinnosuke takes the gaming machine from its box and gives it a good once over. Nodding, he turns his attention to the games. “Let’s see… hm, windows to alternate universes? Is that kind of thing even possible?”

“Of course it isn’t,” You lie, “These are just the games that go with the Superboy. See, they go into the slot there, and…”

“Ah, of course.” Rinnosuke fiddles around with the device for a minute or so before realizing that you are still standing there. “Ah, right, your payment. What was it that you asked for again?”

“The mirror, remember.”

“Ah right. One second, I’ll see if I can’t figure out where I put-”

A doll suddenly comes down from above, depositing the mirror into your hands. Rinnosuke now returns Alice’s dirty look back at her as she goes back to reading her book with a smug smile on her face. Rolling your eyes, you deposit the mirror into your pack.

Well, that’s all the business you had, so you’ve got some free time on your hands. What to do next?

[ ] Engage in some conversation
-[ ] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[ ] “I’m surprised that Marisa isn’t here.”
-[ ] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
-[ ] “<Write-in>”
[ ] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.
[ ] Head back to Eientei for now
[ ] Do something/head somewhere else <Write-in>

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

No harm in browsing while you bullshit.

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[x] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

You know, if nothing can be found, perhaps the manual sewing machine could be commissioned? Of course, that would ramp the price up, but if she really want it...

So, with that in mind...

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[x] Suggest to see if the sewing machine can be built if it can't be found, mentionning the disadvantage attached to it. She's free to accept or reject the idea.
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.”
-[x] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[x] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[x] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

[x] Engage in some conversation
-[x] “Interesting ability you have there, Alice.
-[x] “Neither of you have seen Reimu running around, have you?”
[x] See if there isn’t anything good left in the store.

“So, ah, interesting ability you have there, Alice.”

“Hm? Oh, this?” She twitches her hand causing one of the small dolls floating around to float over to where you are. “It really isn’t much. After all, I wouldn’t be much of a puppeteer if I couldn’t at least do this.”

“A puppeteer?” You ask, “I thought you were a tailor of some sort.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t seem to make a living by making dolls alone. For some reason, people are rarely interested in purchasing them. I just can’t understand.” She gives a small sigh as the small doll gazes with its soulless eyes into your own, sending shivers down your spine. “Because of that,” she continues, “it’s necessary for me to gain my income by some other means. And since I refuse to resort to base burglary like some people, I fall back on tailoring an d alterations for the general populace. You would be surprised how popular my services are in Gensokyo, actually.”

“Considering the…intricate outfits I’ve seen here, I’m not sure if I really am.” Come to think about it, pretty much everyone in this land has some sort of extravagant outfit, don’t they? Maybe it really wouldn’t hurt to stock some extravagant clothing from now on. Easier said than done, of course. Maybe Ailira would have some idea…

“You there, Mr. Lawrence?”

You snap out of your thoughts, turning back to Alice. “Sorry, I think I distracted myself there for a second. What were you saying?”

“I was waiting on you, Mr. Lawrence. In any case, is there anything else you wanted to ask?”

“Oh, um…” the small doll has floated off at this point, and you really don’t have anything else to inquire on that subject. You are about to say that you’d like to look around the store some more, when a thought occurs to you. “Hey, have either of you seem Reimu today?”

“Reimu?” Rinnosuke asks. “I can’t say that I have. Why, did you need her to drink some of your tea or something?”

“No nothing like… what? Anyways, no, I just thought she would have been through here. You see-”

At that moment you’re cut off as the front door is slammed to the side, and an exited shrine maiden runs in. “Rinnosuke!” she yells out with a matter of pride. “I have come as a consumer today!”

Everyone in the store can only stare at her, but Reimu doesn’t seem to take any notice. Striding to the front, she slams both of her hands on the counter and gives the beleaguered white haired merchant a wild grin.

“Th…That’s, uh, great, Reimu. Just…let me know if there is anything you want to purchase, alright?”

Reimu blinks before taking a look around her. Ignoring everyone in the store, she seems to remember something. “Oh, right, I’ve got to pick something out first. It’s been so long I almost forgot.”

“You did forget.” Alice says bluntly.

“Oh, hey Alice, how’s it going? I guess that I should pick something out, then.” She walks away from the counter, and begins moving along the isles, concentrating deeply. Rinnosuke seems to be stunned to the point where he can’t even move.

“…what the heck happened with her?” Alice asks with mild surprise. After a moment, however, her eyes narrow and she turns to face you. “This is your fault, isn’t it?”

“I…guess? Some of the items she gave me ended up selling very well in the outside world, so I thought it only fair that I gave her a share of the profits.”

“Wait… you mean that you would be willing to sell the items of others?”

“In return for a share of the profits, of course.”

Alice stares at you for a moment before quickly standing up. “Don’t go anywhere!” She shouts as she runs into the store’s back. After waiting a few minutes she returns with a very ornately dressed doll. “See if you would be able to sell this, would you?”

It takes you a few seconds before you catch on, but you take the doll from her hands. “You want me to sell this on commission? I suppose that I can do that.” You slip the doll into you pack. “I’ll let you know if I find a buyer the next time I come around. Now if it’s alright, I think I’ll browse a bit before heading out.” Alice gives a small nod, and Rinnosuke seem to still be stunned by the whole Reimu fiasco, so you head out into the aisles.

…as it stands, however, you don’t find anything you would consider interesting. Sure, there are all sorts of knick-knacks lying around neatly, but thanks to Alice’s organization you can’t find anything that you couldn’t get cheaper elsewhere. You get the feeling that she put anything interesting away in the backroom, and Rinnosuke doesn’t look like he will be functioning properly for a good long while.

Reimu seems to be having a similar problem, in that she can’t seem to decide on what to buy. You are tempted to help her out, but at the same time there are other places you could be right now. It’s around mid-afternoon right now, so you could probably make it to either the village or Moriya Temple before it starts to get dark. And even though you can fly now, you figure that being outside after dark is still a poor idea.

First…
[ ] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[ ] “You know, Reimu, I do have some items of my own for sale.” <Select Item>
[ ] Leave her be, better that she figures this out on her own.
Then…
[ ] Head to the village
[ ] Head to the temple
[ ] Head back to Eientei

---

ABILITY UNLOCKED!
You can now sell items on commission! Sometimes, people may come to you with the intent of expanding their business. If you accept their proposal, you will take their item for no charge, but you won’t be able to keep the full profits for said item, instead collecting only a shipping fee of sorts and paying the remainder to the original merchant. While not particularly lucrative, it is a good way to build connections with other merchants, and to make some money when they aren’t willing to sell you their products outright.
You can ask merchants if they have anything they want to put up, or if you have a specific item in mind you can suggest it outright. This option is always available as long as you remember it is.

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

Raymoo~

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

your back!

[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

[X]Leave her be, better that she figures this out on her own.
[X]Head back to Eientei

I want to go back to Reisen!

I like Reisen.

>>37761
I also like Reisen.

[X]Leave her be, better that she figures this out on her own.
[X]Head back to Eientei

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

I think we can fit in one more stop before going back to Eientei.

>>37805
As long as we can actually end up going back to Reisen.

>>37879
Wow, you're paranoid. We'll definitely see more Reisen. and more importantly, Tewi

>>37879
I highly doubt that our "base" will change overnight. Also try to appreciate the story instead of mindlessly voting for Reisen like a goddamn retard.

We all know she hasn't gotten a route but mindless routefaggotry IS. NOT. THE WAY.

I apologize for the outburst.

>>37899
This story isn't exactly hostile to mindless routefaggotry. You know, between Minoriko (or is it Shizuha? I forgot.), Nazrin, Tewi, Reisen, Sakuya, etc.

Just don't start insulting other people's favorite characters (ALL OF THEM are someone's favorite character). No matter what. We'll find only misery down that dark path.

>>37906
mind you, I wasn't speaking against mindful routefaggotry as that's not too terrible outside of certain stories.

Stuff...happened today. Rather not post about it, so just know that I'm going to be taking a break for a little bit. I'll let you know when I'm up to continuing.

>>37906
Let's listen to this man, he's wise!

>>38069
Here's to hoping you'll be feeling better - hope it's nothing too bad.

>>38101
Again it's not so much normal routefaggotry that bugs me but mindlessly doing so at the expense of the greater story.

>>37761
>>37771
These are examples of what I'm talking about as they seem to be thinking of nothing but Reisen and maybe not even thinking that much.

Honestly this story should go to the best girl and at the moment Reisen's been getting the most time, but nothing that would effectively 'steal' the story (inspires all readers to go for her no matter what)

>>38104
Well, again, let's not start insulting what people vote for here.

You might not agree with them, and that's fine, but let's not start something here.

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x] See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

I think we can fit in one more stop before going back to Eientei

Just finished reading up to here, and had some random thoughts: we need to find that damn supercrystal, don't we? And didn't Nazrin offer to demonstrate her ability on one object of our choice? Perhaps with a Luck boost, we could solve that issue before it gets out of hand or forgotten. Next stop, temple?

On an even more random note, as long as we keep the fireball wand away from the garden, Yuuka might be interested in multidimensional flowers/seeds/plants. Then again, she wouldn't really have much to trade (besides rare plants...hmmm). Of course, he hasn't run into her yet (another visit to Meiling might have her name arise) and we have no way of knowing how Realm would handle her (amusing troll or psycho)... Possibly rewarding, probably dangerous.

>>38262
Yukari has the crystal, nothing we can do.

>>38263
So that was confirmed?
Ah, damnit. I had been hoping someone "normal" (read Marisa/Tewi) had nabbed it. Well, there goes that 'brilliant' idea.

[x] Continue?

>>38306

Yeah, I think that's probably enough recovery time. I don't think I have enough time to prepare anything today, but I'll try my best to post the next part within the week.

[x] Help Reimu find something in the store.
[x] Ask Rinnosuke if he has anything he wants sold.
[x]See if you can visit the back room while you're at it.
[x] Head to the village

“Need any help?”

Reimu looks up from her shelf-browsing with annoyance. “Why? Do you work here now?”

“C’mon, you look like you’re having trouble deciding what to buy. I just thought I’d lend a hand.”

Reimu’s annoyance slowly drops off her face as she turns back to the shelf. “I guess Alice was right. I haven’t had the chance to go shopping since I was small, so I don’t really know where to start. I’ve always had to focus on the essentials, so I’ve never really put any thought into what I’d like to buy.” She lets out a small sigh. “Maybe I should just save my money, instead of frivolously spending it…”

“Come now, what kind of anti-consumerism thought is that?” You reply, “I’m sure that there is something in this store that warrants your attention.”

“Maybe.” Putting a finger to her lips, Reimu heads back towards the front counter, where Rinnosuke seems to have broken out of his shock and is playing his new Superboy XL. Upon seeing the toy in his hands, a smile immediately breaks out on Reimu’s face.

“Let me see that, Rinnosuke!” Without waiting for a response, Reimu grabs the Superboy out of the merchant’s hands and begins playing with it. She soon becomes immersed in its gameplay.

“Hey, Reimu, what do you think you are-”

“This thing is great! It’s like it’s some sort of Danmaku trainer or something! How much for this?” Reimu says as she cuts the merchant up short.

To his credit, Rinnosuke only remains shocked for a second before regaining his composure. Putting on an air of seriousness, he replies. “I’m sorry, Reimu, but I’m afraid that particular item is not-”

“How’s 6,500 yen sound? I know it’s a bit much, but I think that something like this is probably worth it.”

“L…like I said, Reimu, this isn’t for s-”

“Right, it’s a deal!” Reimu pulls the offered money from her sleeves and slaps it down onto the table. “Great doing business with you, Rinnosuke! And thanks for… whatever you did, Lawrence! I’ll see you guys around!” With that, Reimu walks out of the store and takes off, never taking her eyes off of the console the whole time.

Rinnosuke just sits there for a few moments before collapsing on the counter, small sounds of weeping coming out. Alice gives him a soft look, and then turns to you with a harsh glare.

“Aha. Well, nobody said consumerism wasn’t a harsh mistress…”

---

Well, that didn’t go as expected. You wanted to ask Rinnosuke if he had any items you could commission for him, and maybe ask if you could even get into the backroom. (Though you suspect you would have had to convince Alice to let you back in there as well.) Alice promptly kicked you out of the store after the Reimu fiasco, however, saying that you had done enough damage to the shop as it is. You were going to object that it wasn’t even her store, but a number of flying dolls heading in your direction was enough to convince you that it would probably be best if you left.

Well, no point in dwelling on it. You had taken care of your most important business there in any case, and you don’t think that Rinnosuke blames you directly for the incident. You can probably head back there after the shopkeeper calms down. (Although you might want to pick up another Superboy before you do.)

In any case, you decided to stop by the village before heading back to Eientei. It’s about a few hours before sundown, and you probably have time for an activity or two before you need to head on back to the rabbit’s den.

Choose one:
[ ] Head on over to the House of Kirisame
[ ] You’re getting hungry; Let’s see if there is anything to eat over at Fukuda Groceries
[ ] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…
[ ] Head on over to the plaza
-[ ] Let’s see if anyone we know is hanging around…
-[ ] That dragon statue…

Glorious return

[ ] You’re getting hungry; Let’s see if there is anything to eat over at Fukuda Groceries

[x] make a note to get Rinnosuke another Super-boy for only 6000 yen this time.

Lucky Reimu!

[x] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…

Even an ex-hero needs to stop in at the tavern occasionally. Adventure hooks stop for no one.

[x] Head on over to the plaza
-[x] That dragon statue…

[x] Head on over to the plaza
-[x] Let’s see if anyone we know is hanging around…

Somehow I'm not surprised by this turn of events...

Aww, Reimu is being cute. For her.

[x] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…

[x] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…

Good place to pick up rumors, maybe it'll give us a lead to somewhere interesting.

[X] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…

Works for me~!

The merchant part of me winces at the though of going out to spend money on food at a tavern (that has to be the Gensokyo equivalent of going to watch a movie, or something - food must be really expensive).
Still, we might get lucky, and find more customers, or something, I guess.


[X] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…
-[X] Before we go, take a quick look to see if we anyone we know is hanging out at the plaza.

Started writing today, but it turned out a bit shorter than I liked, so I'm going to work on it a bit more.

[X ] It’s evening now, so the tavern might be open…

Pushing aside the cloth that acts as an entrance, you make your way inside the village’s watering hole. Conversations dim a bit as you walk inside, but as patrons recognize who you are the sound picks back up. You, for one, are grateful for that, as there is nothing more awkward and, in some cases, more dangerous than a completely silent bar.

The bar itself is fairly simple in its design, in the same vein as most of the rest of the village. Wooden tables and chairs filled by patrons litter the floor, and a sturdy bar sits towards the side of the room. Three or four servers are going around taking and filling patron orders, and behind the bar stands a sturdy looking man wiping down a glass. A bartender in his natural state, if you’ve ever seen one.

All in all, it isn’t the most extravagant beverage distribution facility that you have ever seen, but at the same time most places like these aren’t judged by how they look. Taking a seat at the bar, you direct your attention to the bartender. There are a few others sitting there as well, but aside from a few glances they don’t seem to be bothering you.

“What’ll ya have?”

Hmm…best start off with something simple. “What have you got that’s closer to the cheap side?”

The bartender seems to glare at you a bit, but gives a shrug and grabs a cup from behind the bar. Dipping it into a cask, he brings it over to you and places it on the table. You pick it up and take a whiff. Odd, it smells stronger than you expected. You take a sip and…

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Yeah, what do you want now?” The bartender seems to be glaring at you, daring you to say anything bad about what he serves.

“Is this really something from you’re lower end? No offence, but this seems like it should be a mid-range at best.”

The entire place goes quiet as you are hit with a sense of familiarity. You can only look over at the bartender as he stares at you in shock. Maaaaybe you should get out while the shock is still there and before random mug-shaped bullets start making their way towards your head.

Suddenly, the bartender starts laughing like there’s no tomorrow. A second later everyone else has joined in, and the place is once again filled with merriment.

“Oh man, I’d forgotten that you’re an outsider!” The bartender says as he wipes tears from his eyes. “Have to keep reminding myself that the standard of alcohol is much lower outside of the border.”

“Standard of alcohol?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda like a standard of living, only with, y’know, alcohol.”

“…really?”

“…I’ll let that one go, but in the future keep in mind that in Gensokyo, alcohol is serious business.

“I, uh, I’ll do that.” You take another gulp of the beer that you were given, and soon have it finished. Good stuff.

“That first one was on the house, outsider. Just consider it a taste of Gensokyo.”

“That sounds great, uh…”

“Call me Match, everyone else does.”

“Alright, uh, Match, I guess I’ll try something a little higher up then.”

Letting out another laugh, Match dips another cup into a different barrel and slides it down the counter towards you. You catch it and take a sip, noticing that the alcohol level seems to have taken quite a jump. Better pace yourself or else who knows what might happen…

Still, things seemed to have turned out alright. The atmosphere in the bar is cheerier than it was when you came in, and you feel that a good number of the patrons might be up to some conversation.

MERCHANT UNLOCKED: Match’s Tavern

Pick one:
[ ] “So, where did you get a name like Match?”
[ ] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo
[ ] Let’s see if we can’t get the old rumor mill running
[ ] Wonder if anyone knows the latest trends in terms of buying and selling…
[ ] Let’s not push things too far for now. Finish the beer and head back to Eientei.

[x] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo

Nation of drunkards.

[x] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo

[X] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo

Works for me~!

[x] Let’s see if we can’t get the old rumor mill running

[X] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo.

So, alcohol is worse outside...
That seems to be something we should remember - could be pretty profitable, at some point.

[X] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo

Because why the hell not.

[X] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo.
He was saying that his worst drink qualifies as normal in his book. How is that a bad thing?

>>38783

Depends on your definition of "outside".

[x] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo.

Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s celebrate with a story of what matters most in the new year: BOOZE!
---

[x] Delve deeper into why alcohol is so big in Gensokyo.

“So’s alcohol is a really big deal around here, huh?”

You’ve spent the last forty minutes or so talking to the patrons of the tavern. Friendly folk once you get to know them, and fairly trusting of outsiders. (Which, from what you understand, comes from the fact that even the weakest villager seems to have some sort of “spiritual” defense that most outsiders lack. Maybe you could get one of them to demonstrate later…) Only a minute or two after Match finished talking to you did a few villagers make their way over to you to chat.

Of course, in the time since then your first beer had run out, so you decided to shell out 700 yen for a “medium” range drink this time. Now you wouldn’t call yourself a lightweight, but at the same time you can tell that this drink is well above what you are used to, and that it might already be affecting your thought process. Then again, it was always difficult for you to judge your own sobriety levels…

“Heh, no kidding.” One of the farmers in your circle replies. “But that’s what you get for living in a youkai’s world, huh?”

“I don’ think I understand.” You reply, “What do the youkai have… have anything to do with this?”

“It’s the best way of peacekeeping with them.” Says a woman sitting a few seats down, “They tend to get real bored real quick, right? So every once in a while one or two of them cause a commotion here in town, trying to get attention. Thanks to the Law of Danmaku, it doesn’t usually get too out of hand, but the losers are generally still upset they lost. Breaking out the alcohol is usually the best way to ensure that there are no grudges going around.”

“Wait… Law of Danmaku? I knew that’s how people settled their disputes around here, but…”

“Well, it’s sort of a very heavily enforced ‘law in name only’. See, a youkai could go on a murderous rampage against everyone else if they wanted to, but at the same time everyone knows that would most likely gain the ire of pretty much everyone else in the land. Danmaku was set up so that everyone could play on a level field, and so that disputes could be easily solved. Heh, probably one of the only things that Hakurei girl has done right in the recent years.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Someone else interjects, “But realistically, it’s the alcohol that keeps things moving after the fighting is over. No better way to satiate someone’s bloodlust then by getting them drunk off their feet.”

“So it’s always alcohol after a fight, it is?” You ask in a somewhat slurred voice.

“Well, I’ve heard that tea is sometimes used if no one feels like getting drunk. But since that almost is never the case yeah, I’d say that alcohol is the most likely end scenario.

“I see…” You lift your mug up and finish off your second beer to a few cheers. So alcohol is very big around here, huh? You don’t usually make it a practice of carrying consumables around with you, but alcohol might be the exception here. You also note that good tea may be in high demand as well, though you might have to check on whether the stock you have fits the tastes of the people.

…man, this stuff is really getting to you. While you’re feeling pretty good right now, you’re pretty sure you are already at the point where you will be feeling this tomorrow morning. Of course, that has never stopped you from getting another drink in the past…

[ ] No, you’ve had enough better stop now while you can probably get back to Eientei on your own.
[ ] One more light beer couldn’t hurt, could it? And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[ ] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[ ] What’s currently popular
-[ ] Something else… <Write-in ONE question>
[ ]…screw it, you know where this is heading. Better to get smashed on your own terms then to pretend you will be doing otherwise.

[X] One more light beer couldn’t hurt, could it? And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular

Drunk on two "light" beers.
What the hell - are they flammable?
Bah, if we want to prosper in Gensokyo, we better do something about that pitiful alcohol tolerance.

[x] One more light beer couldn’t hurt, could it? And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[x] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[x] What’s currently popular

[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular
-[X] Something else…
History or founding of this land?

[x]…screw it, you know where this is heading. Better to get smashed on your own terms then to pretend you will be doing otherwise.
-[x] While you're still halfway sober, ask about "the Hakurei girl."

We can segue into a discussion of just why every girl in this pocket dimension is so goddamn cute. And then we can bitch about our old job. Shit sucked! Being a merchant is so much better.

>>39098
It's light bear by Gensokyo standards, where light by outside standards is considered non-alcoholic.

[x] No, you’ve had enough better stop now while you can probably get back to Eientei on your own.

Discretion is the better part of valor.

[X] One more light beer couldn’t hurt, could it? And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular

>>39106
>light bear
Some kind of bear made out of LASERS?

>>39101
Aren't we supposed to not let anybody know about our former job, since we come from another dimension?

We're a merchant.
Getting wasted, when we're supposed to be talking to people?
Not a good idea
We've had enough to drink - humiliating ourselves isn't going to win us any favors.

The drinks in Gensokyo is obviously stronger than we're used to, so we can't expect to be able to handle them straight away.
We won't get to the point by getting wasted, and making a fool of ourselves.

[X] No, you’ve had enough better stop now while you can probably get back to Eientei on your own.
-[X] Do make sure to spend some more time getting to know these people, though, before you leave.

>>38786
Hah, true enough - there are quite a few places around Gensokyo that probably don't count as 'core' areas.

Because the only way to talk to some people, specially inside a fucking bar, is to share a drink with them.
[X] One more light beer will hurt. Get ready, but drink it anyway . And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular

>>39128
We don't have t o find out everything for our first time in the bar, though.
We can afford to spread out our information gathering over a couple of visits - which would, you know, also give us some time to get used to the extra-strength beer they serve in Genokyo, and won't make a fool of ourselves in front of people who we could sell stuff to.

I don't see why there's any rush.

[X] No, you’ve had enough better stop now while you can probably get back to Eientei on your own.

This will do

[X] One more light beer will hurt. Get ready, but drink it anyway . And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular

>>39131
Yeah, I'm not sure why everyone feels the need to move everything along so quickly.
Especially since, you know, we'll be drunk, so it's not terribly likely we'll have an easy time remembering what is being said to us during this time.

[X] One more light beer will hurt. Get ready, but drink it anyway . And while you’re at it, you could ask about...
-[X] “The Hakurei girl”?
-[X] What’s currently popular

“One more on the lower side of the standard, Match.” You set another 500 yen down on the counter.

“You sure? You seem to be taking the alcohol a bit hard, and I don’t know want to end up serving the drink that pushes you over.”

“Maybe, but I still have some conversation left in me, and what is conversation without a drink?” The crowd cheers at this and induces appropriate peer pressure. Truth be told, you are pretty sure that this next drink will most definitely make you somewhat sloshed, but there is still a matter or two that you think should be discussed while the going is good.

Match just shrugs and gets you another mug. “Not my job to make sure that people don’t kill themselves over this stuff. If you get too rowdy, though, I’m cutting you off.” With that he places another mug of beer on the counter and moves on to help another client.

Picking the drink up and taking another sip, you turn to the other patrons once again. “So I’m guessing from the way that you addressed her that the Hakurei girl isn’t very popular around here.”

“Hah!” One of the patrons laughs out loud, “THAT’S putting it lightly! I swear, that girl is about as useless as a fairy, and a disgrace to her name!”

“Oh come now, she’s not that bad.” A female voice calls out from one of the tables behind you. “She did set up the law of danmaku after all.”

“Yeah, but aside from that she hasn’t done anything in the past few years at all!” The guy who was originally complaining yells up again, pounding a fist against the table where he is sitting. “These days all she does is mill about at her shrine and play host to youkai! Youkai of all things!”

“What’s wrong with youkai?” You ask as you take another sip.

“Nothing if you’re an ordinary person, but she’s the Hakurei shrine maiden! The whole purpose of that bloodline is to exterminate the youkai when they get rowdy, not to cozy up with them and play nice! And yet all she does all day is just mull around that shrine like she doesn’t have a care in the world!”

“Not only that, but her shrine has lost so much faith that it’s now a youkai den!” Another patron interjects. “Seems like a day doesn’t pass by when you don’t hear tales of one youkai or another making their way over there.”

“Is that so?”

“It is so! It’s even gotten so bad that the vampire over at the red mansion can go and visit. Can you imagine? A vampire! They’re supposed to be the weakest against religious stuff like that, but she can waltz in like there’s no problem at all!”

So Remilia occasionally visits the shrine, huh? Good to know. “Is that why I haven’t seen any humans whenever I’ve been over at the shrine?”

“Exactly! Who would want to go to a youkai-infested shrine? Theoretically it would be safe while the shrine maiden was there, but the moment you set foot off the grounds BAM! Youkai chow!

“While she was there? Are you saying that she’s strong enough to face off against youkai?”

“Kid, she’s the Hakurei shrine maiden. If she wanted to she could take on ten youkai and it wouldn’t make any difference. They won’t dare act up as long as they think she’s watching, but the moment she looks away BAM! You’re history.”

“Hmm. So she has all that power and does nothing with it…”

“More or less.” The woman at the end of the bar says. “To her credit there really hasn’t been anything earth shattering for her to take care of lately, but in the past there have been major incidents where she did nothing at all.”

“Really?” You question. “Having met her, I’m not sure if she’s that lazy. After all, she went into a frenzy of activity after I paid her for her services today…”

“Ah, that was you, was it?” An older looking man comes up to the bar and leans against it with his drink in hand. “I was wondering where she got the money for all the food she bought today. That girl more or less never spends in excess, and yet today she bought more than a fair share of luxury items from us today.”

“Food, huh? You wouldn’t happen to be the other half of the Fukuda grocers, would you?”

“Got it in one sonny. Heh, but it was still a surprise when she started buying up some of the higher end goods.”

“No kidding.” A guy whom you recognize as Yoichi from the House of Kirisame. “She came in today trying to buy the whole store up, before realizing that there was nothing we had that she wanted.”

“The point is,” Fukada continues, “Is that you gave her access to some easy cash flow, something she normally doesn’t have. Naturally, that’s going to upset her balance a little bit, but for the most part she seems passive to a fault. Even when there are major incidents occurring, we don’t hear anything from the Tengu press. And since they report on everything that happens in this little country these days, there is little chance that she is doing things that the village doesn’t know about.”

“Unlike that Moriya shrine, who seem to be trying too much these days.”

“No kidding. They seem to be going for a merchandising run this time around. Think it’ll work?”

“Hah, no way! It’s just another one of their schemes. Best leave it be for now, it’ll pass like the rest of the things that they do.”

You aren’t completely convinced on the villager’s stance on Reimu, but you decide that it isn’t a conversation worth pressing anymore. You’ve gotten the general opinion of how they feel, and you can follow up on that later if you feel like it. For now, best to go with the flow, and see if you can’t use this merchandising angle to your benefit.

“So what kind of merchandise would you be interested in seeing, then?” You ask.

You hear a chortle coming from Fukada. “So the merchant shows his true interest for being here, eh? Well not that I can blame you, seeing as local trends probably affect your business greatly.”

“No kidding.” You say, turning towards the older man as you drift out of the greater conversation going on around you. As you make the turn, you find it somewhat difficult to stop after your momentum, and have to catch yourself on the bar to avoid falling.

“Easy there,” Fukada says as he lends you a hand to support you, “Don’t want you spilling your brains against the bar there.”

“Thank you.” You say as you accept the hand. “I’ll try and be careful. So what were you saying about the trends, again?”

“Heh, straight to the point.” Fukada chortles as he takes another sip. “A good quality to have, in my mind. But unfortunately, I’m not sure how much I can help you on trends here in Gensokyo.”

“Oh come on, are you holding out on me now? The way you were talking earlier made it seem like you would know these kinds of things!”

“Well certainly, as a grocer I have a good feel for the pulse of gossip around here. But the fact of the matter is that the people of Gensokyo are either very individualistic, or else part of an ever shifting group. You’re either going to end up with someone who has some very distinct tastes, or else changes their opinion so often that it would be difficult to pin down exactly what they would like at a given moment.”

“…in other words, you’ve basically have to guess what’s popular at the moment.”

“More or less. Of course, there is one exception to the rule here.”

“And that is?”

“No matter what the current trends are, items from the outside are almost always popular, one way from another. We’re an isolated little land here, so anything we can hear of other places is always met with a wave of excitement. Who knows,” Fukada says with a smile, “Something you bring in might just end up being what starts the next trend.”

“Is that so.” Outsider stuff, huh? Well that more or less includes you entire inventory at this point, minus the doohickey that you still have lying around. Looks like you aren’t that bad off after all. Well, aside from the fact that you are swaying a bit here and there even while sitting, but you’re pretty sure that’s from the alcohol, and not at all merchandise related.

“And with that,” Fukada says, pushing away from the bar “I believe that I will agree with Match’s opinion and say that you’ve probably had enough to drink at this point. You might want to consider heading out before the sun goes down completely.”

“Aw come on, Fukada, the night’s just beginning!” A patron yells out as he notices Fukada trying to lead you away from the bar. “We can always send him over to Keine to dry out if he goes too over the edge.”

Fukada lets out a sigh. “Well I suppose it isn’t my decision to make. What say you?”

[ ] You’ve already gone this far, might as well drink the night away.
[ ] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[X] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[x] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[x] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[x] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[x] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

[X] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

It'd be better to come back under our own power than to have Eirin and Co. find out that he tried to drink as much as an Oni.

[x] Best head out now before you make things any worse for yourself.

Even in your drunken state, you realize that the only thing another drink would bring you tonight would be shenanigans, and you get the feeling that shenanigans in this land could have disastrous consequences. Getting up from the barstool you wave off the friendly boos from the rest of the patrons as you head towards the entrance. By the time you reach it (with some slight support from Fukada) the boos have turned to laughs, inviting you back for another drink when your alcohol tolerance is a bit higher.

“So where exactly are you staying tonight, eh?” Fukada asks.

“Eientei.”

“What, the bamboo forest? Huh, interesting choice of lodging.”

“How so?”

“I wouldn’t say that the inhabitants aren’t known for being kind people, but it’s a bit difficult to reach, especially after dark. Most people would consider such a trek to be deadly.”

“I can handle myself.” You say as you wobble down the road. “Besides, I was planning on flying on back.”

“You sure that’s wise in your condition?” Fukada asks. “There’s going to be a lot of nasty stuff in the air come dark, and even from the air it would be difficult to pinpoint the mansion’s location.”

“I don’t want them to worry about me.”

“I’m sure they would understand if you came back in the morning to explain things, but I really don’t think you should be making the trip on your own. At the very least, maybe you should get that guide to lead you through the forest.”

“Ugh, no way am I going to rely on that mugger for anything.”

“Mugger? I don’t think she’s that bad. Come on, youngster, I’m only trying to watch out for you here.”

You don’t really see the problem with heading back on your own, but at the same time you just admitted to yourself that you’re at least somewhat drunk. Even with your mental state as it is, you can still see a few options laid out before you.

[ ] Head on back to Eientei on your own. It’s still sunset, you should be able to make it before dark, and even if you sway a bit in the air you shouldn’t actually crash into anything so long as you get enough altitude.
[ ] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.
[ ] Better to crash somewhere for the night and head back to Eientei in the morning to explain. It would probably be better to not take any chances.

If you end up choosing to crash somewhere for the night, you have a few options. You could take up Fukada on his offer, but you don’t really want to bother him if you have somewhere else you can go, and since you have your pack with you, you really only need a safe corner to place it in before accessing your personal living space.

[ ] Crash at Fukada’s
[ ] Crash at the school
[ ] Crash at the Temple
[ ] Crash at Kourindou Ok, see, that’s what we would call shenanigans. You’re pretty sure you should give it at least a day or two before you head back there.

[x] Better to crash somewhere for the night and head back to Eientei in the morning to explain. It would probably be better to not take any chances.
-[x] Crash at Fukada’s

It's not like Eientei would blame us for doing the smart thing. And showing up at someone's door all of a sudden partially drunk to ask if you can stay here the night? When someone already made you an offer? Yeah, no.

[x] Head on back to Eientei on your own. It’s still sunset, you should be able to make it before dark, and even if you sway a bit in the air you shouldn’t actually crash into anything so long as you get enough altitude.

Drunken fight scene! Gogogo!

[x] Head on back to Eientei on your own. It’s still sunset, you should be able to make it before dark, and even if you sway a bit in the air you shouldn’t actually crash into anything so long as you get enough altitude.

Drunken flying is best flying.

[x] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

[x] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

Mokou-ing.

[x] Head on back to Eientei on your own. It’s still sunset, you should be able to make it before dark, and even if you sway a bit in the air you shouldn’t actually crash into anything so long as you get enough altitude.
-[X] If possible, maybe you could find someone to help you find the way to Eientei?
-[X] Reisen would seem like a good choice, if she's around the village right now.


Seems like the best choice, to me.
We need to get back to Eientei, one way or the other, though.


If there's no help to be found, we still need to head back.

>>39401
Best choice except for the slim chance of actually finding someone to carry us back perhaps? Pressing luck isn't what I call a good idea.

[x] Better to crash somewhere for the night and head back to Eientei in the morning to explain. It would probably be better to not take any chances.
-[x] Crash at Fukada’s

[Luck] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

I always forget we have these.

[x] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

it's her job too. You people just HAD to get another drink...

[x] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

Cause it might be amusing in some way.

>>39406
Me too.
>>39399
Here, can I add a LUCK to my Mokou-ing?

>>39411
I did tell everyone this was a very bad idea.
No one seemed to want to change their vote against having that last drink right this instant instead of coming back some other time for more drinks when we wouldn't be too drunk to do anything afterwards, though.

>>39419
It wasn't a bad idea. We are not in a bad situation. Relax.

>>39420
It's still particularly unfavorable in getting back to eientei.

Eesh, this was a hard on to write, for some reason. Anyways…

---

Only 2 out of the necessary 4 options requested LUCK, so it will not be activated this round.

[x] Go get Mokou to help you out. She might have angered you by trying to mug you, but you may be able to use that angle to guilt her into leading you back.

While you understand Fukada’s reasoning for crashing somewhere in the village tonight, you don’t want anyone at Eientei worrying about you, so you feel that the best course of action would be to head on back. At the same time, walking (or flying) through a dark, youkai filled bamboo forest in the middle of the night starts to strike you as a bad idea as well. Of course, the only escort you know of who would be willing to go through the bamboo forest at this hour would be…

---

“What, you did what?”

Keine was used to her friend acting in ways contrary to normal human behavior. After all, she didn’t have to worry about taking care of her body like a normal human would, so a good number of the cares and concerns of a normal person just didn’t apply to her. At the same time, though, it seemed that lately Mokou had taken a large interest in making sure the humans of the village stayed safe, and seemed to appreciate it when people showed her gratitude. So to hear of an act like this out of nowhere was…

“Hey, he had it coming, alright? If he’s going to be all friendly with her, then I have every reason to go after him, right?” With a humph, Mokou went back to her drink.

“But to mug someone just on that? And not to mention the fact that he was probably just delivering an order for them, and not necessarily doing it out of good will.”

“Aw come on, Keine! What was I supposed to do, just leave him to give something to Kaguya that could potentially make her happier? Besides, I wasn’t able to go through with it anyways. Something knocked me cold before I could go too far.”

Keine let out a sigh and let the matter drop. It was very difficult to win an argument with Mokou, considering that she could keep on going about something without sleep if she felt the need to. Still, it was pretty obvious that she was actually speaking the opposite of how she truly felt. Keine could see that despite her justifications, Mokou was really beating herself up about this. On one hand, Keine thought that this was probably a good thing, considering she never knew Mokou to attack a human in all the time Keine knew her. On the other hand, Keine didn’t like to see her good friend in distress, and something like this would probably weigh down on her for a long time. (Not to mention the fact that she would probably come over to drink for a good number of nights, which would cut down on the time Keine had to sleep. Drinking with Mokou wasn’t a bad thing, but the girl could take drink after drink forever, and Keine had the school to think about in the morning.) What to do…

A knock at the entrance broke Keine out of her reverie. “Just a minute,” she called out as she made her way to the front. Opening the door, she was surprised to find the old grocer Fukada supporting the merchant they were just talking about.

“Evening, Ms. Keine.” Fukada says with a smile. “Might I ask if that bamboo forest guide friend of yours is around?”

Blinking, Keine leads the two inside. Upon reaching the living room she sees Mokou jump somewhat as the two men make their way inside.

“They say they were looking for you, Mokou.”

Mokou just sits their blinking as Fukada explains the situation. Keine looks over at Lawrence who, in a word, looks completely sloshed. Even so, it’s pretty apparent that he is not amused with how things have turned out, casting an angry drunken glance over at Mokou.

Keine moves over to where Lawrence is sitting. “You shouldn’t take it too hard. Mokou tends to be somewhat… overly aggressive when it comes to everyone over at Eientei.”

“Shat so?” Lawrence slurs. “Sho shoulds I take it tha’ she at…attacsh everyone who maks there way ova’ there?”

Geez, how many drinks did he have? “No, but just take it from me, it wasn’t an assault against you. There is some…bad blood between her and Kaguya. Let’s just leave it at that.”

Lawrence only lets out a drunken humph as he continues to glare at Mokou. A few moments later said fire girl downs the last of her drink and gets up off the floor.

“Alright, I think I get the gist. Let’s go, Merchant.” With that , she strides towards the door. Lawrence only stares at her, and for a moment Keine thinks that he might make a fuss, but soon enough he pushes himself up and follows her out.

Keine can only smile. Mokou isn’t saying anything, but Keine knows that she’s leading Lawrence back in the middle of the night to try and make up somewhat for what she did. Though whether Lawrence sees it that way is another thing entirely. Getting up herself, Keine turns her attention to Fukada, who seems ready to head on home himself.

---

So here you are, walking in the youkai-infested bamboo forest in the middle of the night, with the woman who attacked you earlier today. It’s a good thing your drunk, or else this whole situation might be somewhat worrisome.

For her part, Mokou seems to be the same as ever, quietly striding forward as she leads you through the thicket. You’re still pretty pissed at her for what she did, but what Keine told you is weighing down on your mind a bit. You kind of figured that Mokou and Eientei weren’t on good terms, but to take it to the point of mugging an outside party just to upset their counterpart? What in the world could have happened? You kind of doubt that Mokou is in a talking mood, but maybe it couldn’t hurt to strike up a conversation anyways.

[ ] Ask her why she attacked you.
[ ] Ask her something else. <Write-in ONE conversation topic>
[ ] Stay silent and get through this trek as quickly as possible.

[x] Stay silent and get through this trek as quickly as possible.

The best thing to do when drunk is keep your mouth shut.

Though canonically Mokou doesn't act aggressively against the rest of eientei, just Kaguya.

[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

>>39632
That's boring.

[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

I'm with you Anon. I hope we can finally get to use one of these Lucks.

[X] Ask her why she attacked you.

[X] Ask her why she attacked you.

May need [LUCK] for later.

[X] Ask her why she attacked you.
- LUCK

Originally I was thinking of trying to come up with a write-in, but with LUCK coming into play I'll settle for this option.

[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

You know, a part of me is in agreement with Lawrence here, that what Mokou did wasn't fair, so I kind of enjoy the idea that she'll continue beating herself up a little.
Still, another part is going "She's an immortal person who knows the area well - how can you NOT want to get on her good side?!" (and, let's be honest here, Mokou is a decent enough person that she probably will like us if we can help get rid of some of that guilt)

If nothing else, maybe we can get this to the point that she won't start a fight as soon as she gets within range of the place?

And, since we apparently will be using luck here, given what the votes are (it was supposed to be 4 votes for it, which we've got now), I might as well go along with that.


[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

LUCK has been activated. 2x LUCK remaining.
---
[LUCK] Ask her why she attacked you.

“So?”

Mokou raises an eyebrow as she turns to look at you. “So what?”

“So mind explaining why you suddenly decided to attack before? I’m not used to people ignoring me one second, then threatening to assault me with fire the next.”

She stares at you for a moment before turning away. “There really isn’t anything to say, is there? You pissed me off, so I attacked you. That’s all.”

…huh. You honestly weren’t expecting some kind of response. It seems like she’s more talkative then normal tonight for some reason. Is there something on her mind?

…well whatever it might be, this could be a chance to figure out how to keep her from attacking you in the future. Best to get on the offensive while you have this chance. “I pissed you off? I don’t remember saying anything that offensive…”

“Jeez, just stop, alright? If you’re worried about me attacking you, don’t! I already owe you one from before, so there’s no way I’m going to attack until the favor is repaid!”

Well that explains why she was so willing to take you back this time around; looks like she was feeling a bit bad about attacking you earlier. Still, if you stop here, you’re never going to get to the bottom of this. But at the same time, you’re going to have to focus a bit more if you are going to gain any ground here. Just talking your mouth off doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere, so you need to deduce what part of your conversation infuriated Mokou so much.

It looks like it’s time to bring out… DETECTIVE MODE!

…yeah right, like you have anything like that. It’s not like you became a merchant due to your vast deductive abilities. But in this case, even someone like you could figure out what the root cause of Mokou’s grief is from your previous interaction with her. Tewi warned you against mentioning it, but…

“Hey, mind telling me what happened between you and Kaguya?”

THAT got her attention. Mokou immediately flinches to a stop and turns to face you. All she does is glare at you, but MAN she can be intimidating if she wants to be.

“I’ve been thinking about our conversation this morning, and it dawned on me that you only got aggressive after I mentioned that I was carrying merchandise for Kaguya.”

Mokou takes a step towards you.

“I also remember you saying that you didn’t really care about any of the merchandise that wasn’t for Kaguya as well.”

Another step.

“And then Tewi told me that mentioning Kaguya in front of you was probably a really bad idea and GAAAAAK.”

Mokou has grabbed your shirt and lifted you above the ground with one hand. Considering that you are slightly taller than her, this is quite an impressive feat. Wait, no, she’s compensating through floating. You float yourself up a few inches before continuing on.

“Look, I don’t really care what happened between you and Eientei; it really isn’t any of my business. What is my business, however, is the business that I do with Eientei. So if it’s alright with you, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t attack me just because I’m carrying something for Kaguya.”

“…there’s no way I can agree to that. If I can get something that belongs to Kaguya, then…” Mokou seems to be talking half to you, and half to herself. You get the feeling that she’s arguing over whether or not attacking an outside party would be for the best.

“But that’s just it.” You say, “Before I give an item to its intended recipient, the item still belongs to me. It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s intended for Kaguya, as long as I still have it you are essentially attacking me and me alone.”

Truth be told, the guideline of ownership are much more complicated than that, but it seems that Mokou is buying your bluff. Letting go of your shirt, she drifts towards the ground and take a contemplative expression. “Not, Kaguya’s huh? Maybe that’s why I’ve been feeling…”

“Feeling?”

“Her eyes snap back at you, and then she turns around and starts walking again. “Never mind. I won’t try and mug you for carrying something to Kaguya from now on, alright?”

“…alright.” Truth be told, you wish she wouldn’t try to mug you at all, but this is certainly better than nothing.

“And also…” You think you hear her mutter something, but you can’t quite make it out. Well, at the very least you seem to have made some sort of peace with her. All’s well that ends well, right?

[ ] It’s not over yet! Ask her what she was muttering.
[ ] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.
[ ] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

[x] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.

[x] It’s not over yet! Ask her what she was muttering.

I just want her to actually apologize.

[ ] It’s not over yet! Ask her what she was muttering.

Jealousy?

[x] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.
[x] Offer her a nice hat.

[X] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.

It's been going well thus far.
Let's not try our luck with the fire woman right now, when we've actually seemed to get her to agree to not attack us on sight anymore.

[x] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

I would, however, be more than willing to sell you Kaguya's things.

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

[x] It’s not over yet! Ask her what she was muttering.

[LUCK]

We can't press our luck without using Luck! You will regret this!

[X] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.

Works for me~!

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

Got to be something she had always wanted!

[X] Let it slide, and just enjoy the quiet noise while you walk back to Eientei.

We'll be around for a few days at least. We can always go back and ask her if she wants anything then. Or ask Keine if she knows of anything Mokou wants/needs (unsure if we've met Keine while sober yet, but that may change later this round in Gensokyou)

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!
If Kaguya's good enough to be our client, so is she.

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

[x] It’s not over yet! Ask her what she was muttering.

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

Can't promise any updates until I finish with...something. Something that may or may not be related to the newest Mass Effect game. It might take a week or two, so keep an eye out for when I crawl out of my gaming hole.

Eesh, sorry for the long absence. Bunch of stuff came up one right after the other. Anyways, where were we…

---

[X] Hey, I know, let’s try and sell her something!

Now it should be stated that you have a strict rule about selling anything when you are inebriated. Namely, the rule is that you don’t sell anything when you are inebriated. Every time you have done so in the past, you generally either come off horribly in the end, or else the situation around you becomes horribly complicated once you wake up the next morning. As such, you’ve more or less grounded the idea that selling anything while drunk is a really, really bad idea.

Of course, having such a rule doesn’t really do much if your drunken self never bothers trying to remember it.

“You know what?” You say to Mokou as you attempt to catch up to her, “I think it would help if you tried buying something from me as well.”

Mokou glares at you. “Didn’t I just say that I wouldn’t bother you when you are carrying goods for her?

“Yeah, yeah, but we can’t just leave it at that! C’mon, I’m sure that there is something that I have that you might like! Like maybe, uh…” You begin digging in your pack for things to show her. “Like maybe this!”

Mokou looks at the item in your hands with a raised eyebrow, and then turns away. “Do I look like I need a hat?”

“But it’s a nice hat, isn’t it?”

“Even if it is, I never needed a before, and I certainly don’t need one now.”

“Oh. Well than, maybe…”

---

Mokou begins to wonder why this guy won’t just shut up and leave her alone. He was kind of annoying before, but now that he’s in his sales pitch mode his annoyance level has almost gotten to a level that she can’t bear.

Still, she does owe this guy for the attack from before. Despite the fact that he was slurring the entire time, he did make a good argument for why the whole “attacking him for his minor connection to Kaguya” thing was bad. Still, if he keeps this up much longer, she’ll have a whole new reason for attacking.

Luckly, it looks like her mansion is coming into view, so this probably won’t take too much longer in any case.

“Nooow, thiiiisssh piesh of cloth is quite the intereshting little numbuh. Ya shee-”

“Look,” Mokou says, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice, “I brought you back here, so if you wouldn’t mind, could you stop trying to pawn your shitty wares off on me?”

“My my, with an attitude like that, it’s no wonder that you attacked him on sight.”

Mokou freezes for a second, then begins to turn slowly, feeling the rage inside of her start to flare. Turning around, she sees that wreched Princess not a few meters away.

“I don’t recall asking for your opinion, Princess.”

“Oh my, but aren’t you the one who is trespassing on my land? And as such, wouldn’t my opinion be the one that matters the most here?”

“I ain’t trespassing, I’m only making sure that this idiot got back here safely.”

“Ah, I see. We were wondering where Mr. Lawrence had wandered off to. Well if that’s the case, then I suppose that you can just be on your way then.”

“Oh, you’d like it if I just up and left, huh? Well what if I said that I wasn’t in the mood for leaving quite yet?”

“Oh my, I wonder what I’d do if that were the case.”

This more or less pushes Mokou over the edge. (Not that it’s too difficult for Kaguya to push her over the edge in any case) “Alright Princess, if it’s playtime you want, it’s playtime you’ll get. See if you like a taste of my FUJIYAMA VOLCANO!”

Kaguya gives a small smile as she prepares herself for this impromptu playdate, but suddenly her smile turns into a frown of concern. “Ah, wait!”

“Not a chance!” Mokou says as she unleashes her attack, realizing too late that the merchant was still in the area and, in association with her attack, still in the line of fire.

---

Geez, what is it with these girls! You get that there is some bad blood between them, but it only took them a few seconds to go from hateful conversation to hateful fire in your face! Couldn’t they at least have waited for you to leave?

Jeez, it’s a good thing you were trying to show Mokou the fireproof clothes before she went all crazy. As it stands, they are probably kept you from being fried whole. You think you might be slightly singed here and there, but aside from that they seem to have blocked most of the damage. (And, you might add, look no worse for the wear.)

You look over at Kaguya and Mokou. They seem to be completely in shock from the fact that you managed to come out of that inferno unsigned.

“But…” Mokou says.

“How…?” Kaguya says.

“Fireproof clothing.” You say as you store said item away. The fervor you had for selling something to Mokou seems to have been burnt away, and it seems like the alcohol you imbued is finally catching up to you. You’re beginning to feel a bit drowsy, and decide that it would probably be for the best if you just went back to your room and collapsed for a while. It’s been a long day, after all.

Kaguya and Mokou can only stare at you as you walk past them. They both blink and turn to face one another, before going back to stare at you once again.

And then things start getting complicated.

“Hey, merchant,” Mokou says, “How much for that fireproof clothing set?”

“Don’t listen to her, Mr. Lawrence. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me, instead?”

“Why in the world should he have to tell you? And why in the world would you even want something like this in the first place?”

“Why, it would be very helpful if someone were to, say, attack me with fire on a consistent basis. Not that you would know anything about that.”

“That’s your fault and you know it! Besides, do you know how hard it is to find clothing that doesn’t burn? It’s nearly impossible!”

“Come now, if that were the case you’d be walking around naked, wouldn’t you?”

“You think these fire retardant charms I wear are easy to make? I have to take a day off almost every week to remake them!”

“Oh, because I’m sure that wasting a single day is so costly for you. In any case, Mr. Lawrence, be a dear and let me have those clothes, alright?”

“You do that, merchant, and I swear I’ll have all I need to attack you on sight.”

“ENOUGH!” Both girls jump as you shout out. Turning around, you glare at them in annoyance. “Look, I’m begging to remember why I don’t make deals while under the influence. As it stands, I’m not selling either of you anything right now.”

“But…!” Both of them let out.

“It will still be here in the morning, alright? We can argue over who gets it then, alright?”

The two of them swivel their heads to look at each other once again. Suddenly, Kaguya’s little smile reappears on her face. “Of course, Mr. Lawrence. The two of can… discuss this while you sleep. My apologies for all of the trouble we have given you.”

“It’s no trouble, Princess. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head on over to my room now.”

“I hope you have a pleasant sleep then.” Mokou makes as if she is about to say something, but an elbow from Kaguya causes her to double over in her tracks.

…whatever. You’ve had enough shenanigans from these two for one night. Leaving the two of them to their bickering, you uneventfully make your way back to your room. The futon is laid out for you, but you decide that you’re in the mood for sleeping in a bed tonight. You set your pack to open up to your mobile domicile and climb in. After using the sanitation facility to clean yourself up, you fall into bed, with sleep following what feels like only a minute later.

---

A moment of insight…

[ ] Kaguya and Mokou
[ ] A Gensokyo resident… <CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER! Note that it has to be someone that you’ve encountered during the current trip.>
[ ] The merchant’s past
[ ] Ailira

For your patience, go ahead and vote twice. I’ll pick the top 2 or 3 choices for the next update.

>>43440
>Note that it has to be someone that you’ve encountered during the current trip.
No Nazrin, no Minoriko, no me caring for this choice.

[x] The merchant’s past
[x] Ailira

Yay! You're back!

[x] Kaguya and Mokou
[x] Remilia

>Note that it has to be someone that you’ve encountered during the current trip.

Derp I am illiterate.

[x] the merchant's past

Also, will you maybe be updating more than twice a month now?

>>43445

I'll update when real life lets me update. Don't have as much luxury with time as I used to...

[x] A Gensokyo resident… <Reisen>
[x] The merchant’s past

I'm just curious where we stand.

[x] Kaguya and Mokou
[x] The merchant’s past

Wonderful update, BTW

[x] Kaguya and Mokou
[x] The merchant’s past

Helps with our current problem of Mokou pestering us.

[X] Kaguya and Mokou

[X] the merchant's past

Works for me~!

[x] Kaguya and Mokou
[x] The merchant’s past

[x] Kaguya and Mokou
[x] The merchant’s past

Oh snap, didnt notice this update.

[x] Kaguya and Mokou

“Of course, Mr. Lawrence. The two of can… discuss this while you sleep. My apologies for all of the trouble we have given you.”

“It’s no trouble, Princess. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head on over to my room now.”

“I hope you have a pleasant sleep, then.”

As the Merchant makes his way into the mansion, Kaguya thrusts her elbow into Mokou, effectively silencing her. (And possibly breaking a rib or two, but from Kaguya’s perspective that isn’t either here nor there.)

Just as Lawrence disappears from view, Mokou seems to regain some of her composure. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Come now, Mokou, I think we bothered him enough for one night. He doesn’t know about our circumstances, and it seems like he’s had a long day. We don’t need him here to decide who gets that precious item.”

“Why do you even want it, anyways?” Mokou says as she gets up from the ground, flinching from the pain of a broken rib. “It’s not like you can use it.”

“Oh, but couldn’t I? I mean, it seems like the ideal fashion to wear while one is lounging about the mansion on a hot summer’s day.”

“Bull. You saw it as well as I did, that this is as ugly as hell. You only want it so that I can’t have it.”

“Now why would I ever consider doing something as mean as that?” Kaguya says with a small pout and fluttered eyelashes. Two seconds later she reverts to her normal self. “That does still bring up the question as to who gets to buy it in the morning, though.”

“So it’s a contest of who can snatch it out of his hands first, huh? But wait, you have the unfair advantage here! You can just stalk his room out and wait for him to come out in the morning.”

“Or I could just have one of the rabbits watch his every move.” Kaguya takes a few steps away, gazing at the waxing moon. “But I naturally wouldn’t want to do something like that, now would I? I mean, it wouldn’t be fair.”

“Hah. What would a moon wretch like you know about fair? You’re always one to take a cheap shot whenever you get the chance.”

“Oh come now Mokou, I just want to make things more interesting every once in a while. Killing ourselves over and over is nice, but sometimes I just get the urge to do things differently.”

Mokou looks as if she is about to retort, but in the end she can’t help but take the bait. “Fine. How are we doing this?”

Putting a finger to her lips, Kaguya begins pacing in thought. “Let’s see… well we could always try to have a race to see who can get to him in the morning first…”

“No way.” Mokou says, “Like I said before, that gives you too much of a home field advantage.

“Alright, then how about we make it a contest of who can get it from him without him noticing?”

“…you kidding me? I’m pretty sure that if he catches wind of us doing that, he’ll hate the both of us for life.”

“True, true…” Kaguya continues pondering for a bit before a mischievous smile come upon her face. “Maaaaybe we could see who can seduce it from him first?”

In one second flat, Mokou went from being somewhat annoyed to completely enraged. “Oh, you mean like how you managed to seduce my father, you wretch!?!”

“Oh my, your right Mokou,” Kaguya says with a small sigh, “There is no way that you could compete with me on that front, now could you?”

---

Forty-five minutes later, both girls were lying on the ground. Kaguya had third degree burns all over her body, and Mokou was impaled on a large amount of bamboo that had been rapidly grown from what Kaguya had denied to be some sort of suspicious looking drug.

“Well, that was fun,” Kaguya said as she limped to her feet. Walking over to Mokou, she pulls her counterpart out of the nest of bamboo and, with a quick throw, tosses the bloody mess onto the ground. “But I think I agree, we should probably keep this simple. I’ll stall the merchant until evening, which should give you enough time to grab a few things that he might like in trade.”

Despite the fact that she currently had her lungs punctured in three different places, Mokou was still able to wheeze out a response. “Don’t…have…”

“Oh don’t be silly, Mokou, I know that you’ve been hoarding a treasure or two in that hut of yours. It shouldn’t be too hard to pick out something from there that you think he might be interested in.” Brushing herself off, Kaguya made her way back towards the mansion. “Of course, if you don’t want to show up with something tomorrow night, I won’t stop you. But that would mean that I win by default, doesn’t it?”

The pile that was Mokou could only sputter curses in response. Letting out a small giggle, Kaguya slid the front door to her mansion open. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see you tomorrow then, dear Mokou.”

As the door closed, Mokou was finally able to pick herself off the ground. Glaring at the mansion, she made her way towards the bamboo forest as the rabbits began their normal cleanup of the grounds.

---

I’m still working on the next part, I’ll try to have it ready for you guys by next week.

Aw man is this dead too?

>>43969
He's just busy/shit happening.

>>43977

This more or less gets it in one. At this point the story is more or less update sporadically, so don't fret too much if a few weeks go by without an update.

[x] The merchant’s past
---
NOW DIE, YOU FIEND!

With all eight seals blazing, you drive your blade into the demon’s heart. With strength of godly proportions, you pierce it all the way through, then channel all four elements through at once. Even for a demon lord, this amount of magical chaos in such a sensitive area is simply overwhelming. Roaring in pain, the demon falls to his knees, and you only just move out of the way in time to avoid being crushed by the body.

Suddenly, all is silent. The Demon King has been slain, and countless worlds have been saved. Ahead lies a good amount of loose ends to tie up, not to mention all the cleanup to be done. (Funny how dead bodies don’t tend to clean up after themselves) Looking at your companions, however, there is only one question running through your mind. Turning to your party, you open your mouth and the words come flowing out:

“What now?”

The group can only look at each other and the body in shock. Considering that they only provided support in slaying this…monster, you are not sure how you feel about that.

Your feelings are only made more confused when the entire group bursts out into laughter. “What…what are you…?”

“Well damn, kid, I didn’t think you could pull it off. Hell, when you jumped out against orders like that I thought you were dead on your feet.” Your team leader, Ben, steps up to confirm the kill. With a height of at least seven inches above yours, he always cut an intimidating figure in his BISE commander’s uniform. At the moment, his helmet is obscuring his features (much like yours), but from the way he’s talking he almost sounds…mirthful. “We’ll have to make sure that the body is properly contained, and there is the matter of you breaking ranks, but from the looks of it I think we can more or less consider this case closed.”

Part of you want to say, ‘That’s it?’ but at the same time the fact that the demon isn’t regenerating from the blow you dealt kind of shows that it is. “Ah, yeah, I…”

“Go ahead and take five. I’d say that you’ve more than earned it.” With that, Ben dismisses you to call in the cleanup crew. You snap your channeling blade back onto your arm and lean back against a wall, watching as the rest of the team creates a perimeter. With the demon lord dead, those under his thrall should be released from his control, but it never hurts to take precautions. Watching your seals restore themselves from their authorized release, you try to follow your orders and relax.

Half an hour later, the cleanup crew has arrived, and you are still feeling pretty uptight. True, you saved numerous worlds from this dimension hopping creature, but… you’re still feeling unsettled, which has been happening more and more often as of late.

“Hey, come on! The hero of the day shouldn’t be sitting in the corner like this!”

Looking up, you see your favorite peach-haired administrator looking down at you. You can’t help but crack a smile upon seeing her all dressed up in light field armor. It doesn’t suit her at all. “Hey, I’ll have you know that slaying a demon lord take a lot out of a person. Not to mention the fact that it almost got through my armor.

This gets her attention. Sitting down next to you, she beings to inspect you for damage. “Are you alright? Did he get through to you?”

“No, he never breached, but it was closer than I would have liked. Honestly, even with the element of surprise, I got really lucky there.”

“Yeah, how did you surprise him anyways? Demon lords tend to be very difficult to shake.”

“Well to be honest, I don’t think anyone expected me to do what I did, not even me. But I got so bored of listening to him monologue on and on, so when I saw an opportunity I took it.”

“Command isn’t going to like that, Jean.” Ailira says with a look of concern.

“Yeah, well…maybe this just goes to show that command and I just aren’t meant to get along.”

Now the concern is really showing on her face. She takes your hand as she begins. “Jean, not this again. You might go against the grain… a lot, but command knows your good. You keep getting results even when things get shaky. It’s why they keep sending you out here!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that I like where I am now. I don’t know, Ailira, I’ve stayed with the Bureau under recommendation, but maybe it’s time for a change.”

Ailira looks like she wants to say something, but you can see the topic die midway. With a small sigh, she puts a hand on your shoulder. “Look, I think you’re great at what you do, Jean, but ultimately I won’t stop you from doing what you want. I can’t make your decisions for you.”

“Thanks, Ailira.” You stand up and take a stretch, then hold out your hand to her. “Come on, enough thinking on my part for one day. How about you take me back home?”

With a smile, Ailira takes your hand and the two of you make your way back to the group.

---

You wake up somewhat unsettled. You can’t exactly remember what you were dreaming about, but it felt like…hmm, you can’t remember. Looks like whatever was on your mind is long gone now.

Just as well, since it would probably be more prudent to deal with what’s on your chest instead. Sitting crossed legged on top of you is your favorite pink-dressed rabbit girl, grinning down at your face

“Should I even ask how you got in here?”

“Hey, it’s not like you made it difficult. I’ll admit it was a bit surprising when you climbed down in here, but all that shocky stuff that your pack does seems to have turned itself off when you crawled down here.”

Right, no anti-theft protocols when the pack is in residence mode. “Alright, that clears that up, but if I might ask, why are you sitting on top of me?”

“Aw, wish that Reisen was sitting on your chest instead, Mr. Mechant?”

“Alright, get off.” The bunny girl lets out a giggle as she hops off of you. After that, it only takes a few minutes for you to shoo her out of your pack so that you can get yourself ready for the day. Around twenty minutes later you climb out of the pack, ready for another day of mercantilism.

“About time you came out, I was getting bored out of my mind.” Tewi is lounging on the floor of your room, a few rabbits hopping around her.

“I don’t recall saying that you had to wait up for me.”

“Yeah, well that wasn’t your call to make.” Tewi says, “I have a message from the princess; she says that she wants some time to look through what she can offer for those clothes you have, so she’d like it if you could be wait until sunset to bargain for them.”

You shrug. “Sounds good to me. I was hoping to visit one or two more places while the day is young. Let Kaguya know that I will do my best to be back here by sunset.”

“Sure thing! And since it’s for the princess, I won’t charge you for the message this time around.” Tewi bounds up and heads for the door. “Reisen probably has some breakfast going if you want to grab something to eat on your way out.” With that, she makes her way into the hall.

“How thoughtful,” You say as she makes her way out. The other rabbits eye you for a bit before they head to the hall as well. With that, you sit back onto the ground and get your map out. Breakfast sounds nice, but it would probably be better to get your next destination in mind before your head out.

Let’s see here…Korin

Where to next?
Forest of Magic:
[ ] Kirisame Shop of Magic
[ ] Forest of Dolls (No point in going while it’s still being rebuilt)

Human Village:
[ ] House of Kirisame
[ ] Fukuda Groceries
[ ] Dragon Statue
[ ] Keine’s School

Youkai Mountain:
[ ] Kappa’s Bazaar (Though it might be prudent to ask if it’s still open before heading out)
[ ] Moriya Shrine

Non-Grouped Locations:
[ ] Kourindou (Probably best to let Rinnosuke cool off a bit before heading back there.)
[ ] Temple of Myoren
[ ] Scarlet Devil Mansion
[ ] Hakugyokurou (Where exactly is this place?)
-[ ] Maybe it’s time to ask someone where to find it. But who? <Write-in>

Someone has a recap on our goals for this trip? As with the wait, I forgot.

>>44084
I just reread the last few threads, and nothing seems to pop out beyond the standard 'sell wares, make a profit' thing.

[X] Moriya Shrine

However, we learned from the tavern that the Moriya Miracle Manufacturers is apparently now in business, so I kind of want to check out our competitors.
We might as well check out the Bazaar too while we're there, but we can go there on the way back down.

[X] Moriya Shrine

We lost a super power source on our last trip. Yukari took it because it was too dangerous to let it go to the Bureau.

For long term goals, I think we needed a sewing machine for Alice and some elegant clothes for Remilia.

[X] Moriya Shrine
-[X] Kappa’s Bazaar

I don't see why not asking about the shrine within the Kappa Bazaar along the way, plus he can try to clear out some items as well.

I vote we do get something to eat before we head out.
Because, you know, we won't know how long we will be away for, or even if we'll be able to get anything else to eat while we're out.
Can't negotiate very well when we're hungry, right?

[x] Kappa’s Bazaar (Though it might be prudent to ask if it’s still open before heading out)
[x] Moriya Shrine

Tewi watching him sleep. That's kinda creepy.

>>44091
We could always stop by the Aki's stand.

But the view of the past has his world being rather modernish despite there being a demon king.

[x] Kappa’s Bazaar (Though it might be prudent to ask if it’s still open before heading out)
[x] Moriya Shrine

[x] Kappa’s Bazaar (Though it might be prudent to ask if it’s still open before heading out)
[x] Moriya Shrine

The Moriya Shrine… your encounter with Kanako during your last trip is bouncing through your head, but at the same time the Moriya shrine is the only place on your list that you haven’t been to, barring that Hakugyokurou place. And since you have no idea how to get to the latter, the Moriya shrine is the next logical choice. You’ll just have to deal with those crazy gods when you get there.

Even if the shrine proves to be a bust, though, there is still the bazaar. It’s very probably that you will be able to find something nifty there again; though to be fair you still have no idea what that Doohickey you picked up last time is supposed to do. (You were hoping that Rinnosuke might have been willing to identify it for you, but…) Still, a market is a market. Maybe you can set up a booth of your own, assuming the organizers are willing.

…or assuming that the bazaar is open at all, come to think of it. You have no idea what kind of schedule the bazaar runs, so it might not be worth it to head that way at all.

Still, it seems like something that would probably be common knowledge. You can probably ask about it before you head out. As for now, some breakfast would probably do you some good. You head towards the dining area, only to realize that you’ve never actually been in the dining area before. Luckily, one of the rabbits seems to have stuck behind, and in the end you follow it towards the front of the mansion. Surprisingly, the rabbit doesn’t attempt to make you lost, and soon enough you find yourself in a room with a fairly large table of knee-height or so.

“Good morning, Mr. Lawrence!”

Wearing what looks to be an apron over her uniform, Reisen enters the room with a few platefuls of food. Setting a few down on the floor for the rabbits, she then hands the remaining one to you. “I’m glad I decided to make this for you; I wasn’t sure if you would be staying for breakfast.”

“I always try to grab a bite before I start my day,” you say with a smile, “though I hope you don’t mind if I rush a bit in eating so as to not waste time.” Taking the plate, you sit down next to the table and begin to eat as quickly as you can manage without trying to seem rude. The dish is simple in its nature, consisting mainly of vegetables and rice, but despite its simple taste it has a refreshing quality, and is quite filling at the same time.

“Not at all. Just let me know if there is anything you need before you head out.”

A few thoughts occur to you between bites. “Well, I am curious to know where Eirin and Kaguya are. I would have thought they would have enjoyed some breakfast along with me.”

“Master… seems to still be examining those arrows you gave her.” A look of slight worry crosses her face, but it quickly passes. “She tends to be quite busy in any case, so it isn’t unusual for her to try and skip breakfast. I’ll bring her something to eat later in any case. As for the Princess, I can’t really say I know where she is right now. I think I heard one of the rabbits say that she was heading for the storage area, but that’s all I know for now.”

“I’ve got a couple of the rabbits keeping tabs on her.” Tewi says as she pops up next to you from under the table. “She’s still in the area, but she seems preoccupied with something.”

You nod. It’s not like you need them right now, and it would probably be rude to interrupt whatever it is they are doing. “Alright, then let me ask something else. Do you know if the Kappa’s bazaar is open right now?”

“The Kappa’s bazaar?” Reisen’s face clouds over in thought. “I’m not sure; I’ve only been there once or twice to try and sell medicine, and to be honest the schedule the Kappa keep on the bazaar tends to be on the sporadic side. I haven’t checked whether or not they are holding them recently…”

“Hey, no worries!” Tewi says as she sits on the table. “I heard that it’s gonna be open today, so you should have no worries in checking it out.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.” With that you finish off your plate and thank Reisen for the meal before heading out of the mansion, setting the bazaar as your destination.

---

“…Tewi?”

“Yes, Reisen?”

“Who was the one who told you the bazaar is open today?”

“One of the rabbits.”

“…have any of the rabbits actually ever been to the Kappa bazaar?”

“Not that I know of, no.”

---

“…right, Tewi.”

You let out a sigh as you continue to observe the very empty bazaar. Well at the very least you were heading this way anyways, so it isn’t like you lost any time. Walking up to what appears to be some sort of bulletin board, you attempt to see if there is any sort of schedule posted. You find what looks to be a calendar, but upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that you still can’t read any of it and that approaching the board was probably a silly idea in the first place.

Letting out another sigh, you make your way towards the mountain. Since you don’t know how much you may or may not need to fly in the next few hours, you decide to let your ring charge a bit and stick to the ground. Not like it will hurt your schedule, what with the few hours you’ve just picked up.

You walk for about 45 minutes, taking in the nice day as you go, and soon enough you notice that the ground begins to incline more and more. Additionally, it becomes apparent that you will be shortly entering a forested area. You might need to take off soon if you don’t want to lose your way.

Suddenly, you spot something from the corner of your eye. Turning your head slightly causes you lose sight of it, but as you continue onward you think you spot it again. Looks like someone or something is following you, and considering your previous encounters here in Gensokyo you aren’t sure if you want to stick around to find out.

Choose your random encounter:
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]

And choose how you will respond to this follower:
[ ] Just keep walking normally, and be prepared to move if anything happens
[ ] Take off now; You can probably handle whoever it is better from the air
[ ] Try to lose them in the forest up ahead
[ ] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you
[ ] <Write-in your own strategy>

[4] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you

No. Bad writer. Do not make us do your dicerolls for you.

[2] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you

[1] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you.

[1] Just keep walking normally, and be prepared to move if anything happens.

No need to show anything more than necessary.

[4] Just keep walking normally, and be prepared to move if anything happens

[1] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you.

These things always make me so nervous - I never know what the numbers mean...
But, might as well pick one at random, and see where it goes.

Calling the vote. Will post shortly. Also, thanks for the advise; I'll try to avoid these sort of dice roll type choices in the future.

[1] Fake trying to lose them in the forest up ahead, but then attempt to back around and see who is following you.

You burst into a sprint, soon reaching the woods up ahead. You weave your way through the trees, searching for an ideal one to hide behind. Soon enough, you find one that’s appropriate. You make to run past it, but at the last second you conceal yourself in an attempt to cause whoever is following you to pass you by.

A few seconds pass and you realize that you haven’t actually heard anything along the lines of footsteps. Odd… you peer around the tree’s trunk to see if anyone is floating over the ground behind you. Nothing comes into view, which means that either you lost them or else they are better at stalking then you thought. At the very least, though, it’s probably safe to come out from behind the tree. Turning around, you-

*FLASH*

“GAAAAAAH!” You fall to the ground, startled by the bright light that appeared in front of you. You can only look up at horror at the monstrosity reaching out at you.

“Heya!”

Ah geez. You take Aya’s hand as she helps you back on your feet. “Yeah, thanks for letting me know you were following me, Ms. Reporter. Didn’t think I was being stalked by something out for my blood or anything like that…”

“Aw come on, Lawrence! This is Gensokyo! Everything here is probably out for your blood.”

“Amazing how you can say that with a straight face.” You mutter as you brush yourself off. “So is there any specific reason that you’re stalking me this time around, or are you just bored?”

“Considering that you’re a scoop waiting to happen, I felt it would be best to keep tabs on you. You know, just in case there is a pressing need for investigative journalism and whatnot.”

“…whatever. Just don’t get in my way as I head to the shrine and you can do whatever you want.” You probably aren’t going to get anything worthwhile out of Aya, so you decide to stop grilling her and continue on your way.

“Ah…” You are stopped by a tone of hesitation coming from the black-haired girl, something you didn’t think she was capable of. “Were you planning on heading through the forest, then? Because it’s probably not a good idea to head down that way and…”

“What’s this?” you say with a grin, “Is the intrepid reporter afraid of going through a walk in the woods?”

“Afraid… no, I wouldn’t say that, but it would be fairly inconvenient for both of us if we went down this way. I don’t want to meet up with that curse goddess, ya know?”

“Curse Goddess?”

“Yeah, her. C’mon, I can carry you to the shrine if needed, but I really don’t want to stick around in these woods if we don’t need to.” She moves to pick you up by your shirt, which you shake off.

“Hey, off! I can handle myself in the flight department, thanks.” You float a few inches off the ground, to Aya’s amazement. “What, weren’t you paying attention when I touched down in the bazaar?”

“I only spotted you just now; I had no idea you managed to learn to fly in such a short period of time! The last time you were here you stuck solely to the ground!” Aya’s camera goes off in short bursts as she circles around you.

“The last time I was here I didn’t have my ring of flight on me.” You say as you brandish your ring. “I figured it would probably come in handy this time around.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Well in that case, what are we waiting for? I’ll show you the way to the shrine, alright?”

Aya is looking towards the deeper part of the forest, still seemingly apprehensive. You aren’t sure how strong Aya is at this point, but at the same time she definitely knows the lay of the land better than you do. And in any case, you aren’t sure if you want to trust someone who has been stalking you, not to mention that you still have no idea what her intentions currently are.

[ ] This curse goddess sounds interesting. Continue on through the forest.
[ ] Take Aya’s advice and follow her to the shrine through the air.

[x] Take Aya’s advice and follow her to the shrine through the air.

Fuck Hina. That is all.

[x] This curse goddess sounds interesting. Continue on through the forest.

Stalker lacks the courtesy to even ask about following beforehand so I couldn't care less if she's uncomfortable with it.

[x] Take Aya’s advice and follow her to the shrine through the air.

We don't want to catch misfortune considering we are carrying merchandise.

[x] This curse goddess sounds interesting. Continue on through the forest.

You know, we might be able to sell Hina something and lose misfortune as it's what she does in general.

[x] This curse goddess sounds interesting. Continue on through the forest.

[x]This curse goddess sounds interesting.
She's probably aware of how we interacted with the harvest goddesses, and may be friendly enough to buy something from us.

[x] This curse goddess sounds interesting.

[x] This curse goddess sounds interesting. Continue on through the forest.

“So do you routinely ignore good advice?”

“Actually, yeah. I tend to find that sticking to the road brings a less fulfilling life in the end.”

“You’re crazy.” Aya says with a shake of your head. The two of you have made your way into the forest, which Aya thankfully seems to know her way around. For her part, Aya seems much less enthusiastic than before. While you wouldn’t say that she looks scared, you get the feeling that she is on alert, watching out for anything that might pop out of the bushes.

“Hey, I never said that you had to come with me.” You say as you make your way over a tree root. “I’m surprised you are still following me, actually. I thought you were scared stiff at the thought of coming in here.”

“Hey, I can handle my own.” Aya says as she floats ahead of you. “But like I said, it’s foolishness to dive straight into the territory of a curse goddess, even a friendly one. It’s just common sense.”

“As if common sense was normal in a land like this.” You mutter under your breath.

Aya laughs out loud at that comment, causing you to become confused. “Oh man, you outsiders really do take after one another.” She suddenly becomes lost in thought for a moment as she floats around you. “Although could we really call Sanae an outsider at this point? She’s been fitting in pretty well with the others lately… in any case, this way.”

Leaving you to your confusion, Aya makes a sudden turn. It seems the two of you have come upon a river of sorts that’s cutting through the forest, and at her beckoning the two of you begin walking upstream of it. Soon enough, you can spot an eerie light coming from what looks to be a clearing up ahead. Peeking through some bushes, you behold what looks to be a pond, but is in fact just a collection pool that the river’s water passes through. On and above the ponds surface bob what look to be silvery spirits, moving in what appears to be a spiral formation. Floating above the center of the pool is a green-haired woman, dressed in a red-laced dress with a green spiral on the front. She is wearing straight-laced boots, and is covered in frilly red ribbons all over her hair and on one of her arms. One of said ribbons is tied in a bow, and holds a portion of her hair under her chin, almost giving the impression that she is sporting a beard. She is spinning in tune with the spirits around her, and you suspect that she is the one from whom the spiral originates.

“Alright, I’m going to hang back here while you try chatting her up.” Aya says as she begins readying her camera. “Try to finish up quickly, alright? I’m not really the type to ask for an exorcism, if you know what I mean.”

You don’t, but decide that it’s probably not worth a follow up comment. Making your way out of the bush, you take in the spectacle in front of you, almost in awe at its eerie beauty. The woman takes note of your presence, and slows her spiral to a halt, though she continues floating above the pool.

“Hello!” She says with a cheerful smile. “You should leave immediately!”

[LUCK] That’s two for two. Beg her pardon and take your leave.
[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

Hina is worth it.

[LUCK] That’s two for two. Beg her pardon and take your leave.

Is not. Is not. Is bloody well not.

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

Works for me~!

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

Let's put this to use.

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battleconversation!

BRACING FOR IMPACTCONVERSATION!

He'll fall in love with her. Heed my words!

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battle conversation!

Your LUCK is being drained! x1 LUCK remaining!

[LUCK] You were warned of the risks. Stand your ground, and prepare for battleconversation.

For a moment, you’re at a loss for words. You aren’t used to people trying to shoo you away right after meeting you. (Chasing you in a murderous rage you might understand, but shooing doesn’t seem to happen that often) The hesitation doesn’t last long, however, and you attempt to bring the goddess into a more conversational mood.

“So, uh… nice place you’ve got here.”

The woman blinks her eyes, and then tilts her head in confusion. “Nice place? I can’t really say that I live here…”

“Agh, no, sorry.” You say, trying to cover over your fumble. “Let me go back a step here; My name is Jean-Luc Lawrence, a wandering merchant of sorts.”

“Hina Kagiyama, residence goddess of misfortune.” She says as a smile returns to her face. “I really must ask you to leave, Mr. Lawrence; while it is a pleasure to meet you, it isn’t safe for humans to be in my presence; especially here, where I gather the misfortunes that have made their way down from the mountain.”

“Misfortunes?” You say, trying to get a better look at the silvery blobs hovering over the pond. “I thought they were spirits.”

“Please try not to get any closer.” Hina says as she slowly begins spinning once more. “They will attempt to latch onto you given any opportunity, and while I am doing the best I can to keep them from you it would be very easy for one of them to slip out of my grasp.”

You back off, but attempt to keep the conversation going. “Sorry, I didn’t realize. Is it hard to keep them contained like this?”

“Mr. Lawrence,” Hina says with a sigh, “While I do appreciate you attempting to converse with me, I must really ask you to leave. I see that Ms. Aya has accompanied you here, so if you could have her escort you somewhere safer it would put me at ease.”

“Ah, are you sure you wouldn’t be interested in anything that I am carrying?” You ask. “Who knows, I might have something in here that would suit you.”

This causes her to pause for a moment, but soon her spinning resumes. “While I may be interested in perusing your merchandise, I must reiterate that this is neither the time nor the place. If you are interested in talking further, there are times that I set up shop near the human village. I would be willing to continue this line of conversation then, but I must insist that you leave now, if only for your own safety. Please, Mr. Lawrence, I don’t want to try to make you leave by force.”

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.
[LUCK] She seems interested in our merchandise; maybe we can perk her interest further with something specific? <Select Item>
[LUCK] By force, huh? You haven’t actually had an aerial danmaku duel yet, and as long as she is offering a fight…

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.
-[x] Ask for the next time before leaving.

I think we shouldn't press our luck there any longer and it'll help Hina feel at ease.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

Noooo, there goes our luck.

[LUCK] By force, huh? You haven’t actually had an aerial danmaku duel yet, and as long as she is offering a fight…

This sounds like a much more fun way to take our leave. And if we're still in conversation afterwards, we'll get to see something interesting when his luck runs out.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

I like Hina, but we simply don't have the luck to afford to hang out with her.

[LUCK] By force, huh? You haven’t actually had an aerial danmaku duel yet, and as long as she is offering a fight…
ALL IN

>>45229
She'd rather have us leave and not be at risk anyways.

[LUCK] By force, huh? You haven’t actually had an aerial danmaku duel yet, and as long as she is offering a fight…

I still want to interact with her. We already used up a luck.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

Seriously, why are you guys wasting our luck and trying to fight her after she politely declined?

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

This is our last chance to leave before our Luck is gone entirely. Heck, just leaving is going to drain the last of it, it seems.

That was a shitty thing to do. Why did you give a Hina option if you were just gonna punish us for it? What's more, once people sacrificed a limited resource to go talk to her anyway, you gave us nothing of interest but another chance to give up.

Check yourself.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

Well that was a bust.

>>45244
He gave us a perfectly good chance to fight her unprovoked. That would be interesting if we weren't turning it down.

>>45244
We did find out a better way to meet her and perhaps the gesture was flattering, though she'd rather have us leave for our own safety.

It could have been worse.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

>>45244
We have a LUCK stat.
Hina is a misfortune goddess.

Some things should not need to be spelled out. Coming here was a mistake and staying here for more than one choice was too.

>>45345
If Aya (or anyone) told us about Hina's stand, then it might have saved us some trouble.

Your LUCK has been drained! No LUCK remaining.

[LUCK] We should take our leave; we wouldn’t want to upset her.

For a moment you consider actually going against her request, just to see what she would do. But thinking rationally, you decide that not only would it be a really rude thing to do, but that there would be no real benefit to antagonize her further. Besides, it seems that she is mainly concerned with your safety here, so it would be best to leave before you are cursed.

“Alright, no need for idle threats of violence.” You make your way around the pond and continue your way upstream. “I’ll try to keep an eye out for you in the village, then. Any idea of when you will be around next?”

Hina seems to ponder for a moment. “I’m not sure. I suppose that it has been a while since my last visit; perhaps you can find me there starting from the day after tomorrow?”

That’s not very specific, but it’s better than nothing at all. “Alright, I’ll do my best to keep an eye out. It was nice meeting you, Ms. Kagiyama.”

Hina give a wave and a smile as you make your way out of the clearing and continue on your way. A few seconds after you make your way out you encounter Aya once again, who seems to be pouting over something as she floats over the ground.”

“Geez, Lawrence, for a second there I thought you were going to provoke her into attacking. Can you imagine what kind of scoop that would have been! Thanks for ruining that for me.”

“Glad that you were thinking of my well-being.” You say in a deadpan tone. You begin floating over the ground yourself and the two of you begin picking up the pace. “Anyways, how about taking me to the shrine now?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Aya says with a wave of her hand. “We’ll follow the river to the waterfall, after that I’ll try to cover for you as we make our way up to the shrine.”

“Cover for me?”

“The other Tengu may not be as appreciative of you showing up unannounced in our territory. Don’t worry though; it shouldn’t be anything I can’t handle.”

“…and if it is more than you can handle?”

“Well then I should be able to do an interesting article on local news, so win-win, right?”

“…right.”

---

Soon enough the forest starts to thin a bit as the river begins to widen. You decelerate slightly to take in the nice view around you. The trees are full of green, and the sun shining brightly from overhead lets you see fairly deep into the river, although curiously you can’t seem to see the bottom aside from near the shore. The warm sun and gently breeze begin to ease away your tension, and all in all you are feeling fairly refreshed by your surroundings. Gensokyo might be a dangerous place, but at the same time it certainly is a place of great beauty.

“Enjoying the view?”

You turn to Aya, who is floating on her back as she gives you a bored smile. It looks like the surrounding environment is not having the same effect on her as it is on you.

“Do you mean the surroundings, or are you referring to something else?”

Aya lets out a single laugh as she makes a lazy loop around you. “Who knows? Though I will say that I’m surprised you haven’t started hitting on me yet; last time I got the impression that you were quite the lady’s man from the last time you were here.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Really?” Aya says with a look of confusion. “You don’t remember your interactions with the fall goddess or the mouse at all?”

“Well… yeah, ok, I can see how my interactions with Nazrin could have been taken out of context, but the fall goddess? Didn’t I just buy a few potatoes from her, and then proceed to have my head smashed into her stand by Kanako?”

“…you’re kidding, right?” Aya says with a mask of incredulity. “You more or less stood up for her as Kanako berated her. From what I was able to gather, that’s more than anyone else has stood up for her within the past few decades. Heck, from what Hatate has told me you’re probably the reason the fall sisters are acting the way they are now.”

“What do you mean, ‘the way they are now’?”

As Aya begins to tirade you on some of the changes that have occurred in and around Gensokyo, the two of you are interrupted by a huge splash. With a yelp Aya quickly gains several feet in altitude, which you are unfortunately unable to duplicate. You are quick enough, however, to orient yourself towards the origin of the splash, just in time to see a giant hand that’s a second-and-a-half away from grabbing you.

[ ] Dodge it!
[ ] Zap it!
[ ] Break it!
[ ] Bop it!

[x] Break it!

Someone wants a high five!

[X] Zap it!

Got to distract it some how!

[X] Zap it!

The choices were made in the terms of being nice... and maybe with future prospects but nothing that outright.

[x] Zap it!
We're too slow to dodge it and too weak to break it in time.

Giant hand?
Holy shit, that can't be good.

I don't think any of the friendly ones we've met thus far have anything like that?
In which case, time to do our best in surviving!

[X] Zap it!

[x]Zap it!

Electricity + hand covered in water = fried hand and everything that's attached to it

[x]Zap it!

It only takes you a second to determine the best way to react to a giant hand that’s reaching for you from the depths. Unfortunately, in the next second that you would have needed to physically move into action, said hand managed to catch up to you and wrap itself around your torso. It begins pulling you down, straining against the upward force that your ring of flight is generating.

The good news is that this gives you a better overall view of the situation. The hand is actually connected to a metal lattice that is rising up out of the river. While you can’t see the ultimate origin, the fact that the connection is metal actually helps with what you have in mind.

Taking a deep breath, you begin channeling energy from around you. For a second or two you falter as you try to get the rhythm that you’re used to, but soon enough you can feel the magical energy flowing around you. Now all you need is a point of contact to direct all this power to. Fortunately, even though the hand is currently pinning your arms to your sides, you are still able to make contact with the metal lattice underneath with one of your fingers.

An interesting fact about magical energy is that, more often than not, releasing it in a natural state will give it properties similar in nature to electricity. There are always exceptions, of course, but you are still glad to see that the energy you are directing into the metal lattice arcing over the metal in sparks as it travels down into the water. Unfortunately, it seems like the material the hand is made of isn’t completely non-conductive, and some of the feedback you are generating into the metalwork seems to be coming back around to you. Still, there seems to be some resistance at least, so all you have to endure is a mild shock.

Whatever is in the water, however, is not so lucky. You can’t really see if there is any reaction at first, but soon enough the hand loosens up to the point where you can slip out. The whole contraption begins sinking back into the water, and soon enough it’s sunk deep enough where you can’t see it anymore. Something else, however, begins to rise to the surface as this is happening. You float down just as it reaches the top, beholding what seems to be a mess of blue-green cloth. No, scratch that, it’s a black-haired girl clothed in a blue outfit with a ton of pockets that for some reason seems somewhat familiar to you.

Dropping down to the river’s surface, you grab the girl and lift her out of the water. It seems like she’s completely out from your retaliation, but the good news is that she seems to still be breathing just fine.

“Hey Aya,” you yell out as you scan the sky for her, “Can you come down here and tell me if you think she looks alright?”

“Ah…” Aya drifts down from above with a shocked look on her face, no pun intended. “Yes… I mean, she looks fine to me. I think it would be alright if you just left her in the river.”

“What, really? Shouldn’t I at least bring her up to the shore?”

“She’s a kappa.” Aya says with a shrug. “She’s just as comfortable in the water as she is on land.”

“Huh. Well, if you say so.” You let go of the girl, watching her drift slowly down the river with the current. Within a few moments, another head pops out of the water, this one with light blue hair and sporting glasses. After glancing at you for a few moments, she grabs her companion and dives back under the water.

“Better watch out there,” Aya says with a small grin, “The kappa aren’t likely to look favorably on you for shocking one of their own.”

“Yeah, well, maybe they shouldn’t try to drag people minding their own business underwater then. I’m not going to apologize for defending myself.”

“Yeah…” Aya’s grin slips off her face as she continues to stare at you. “Hey, mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“What, right now? Shouldn’t we be making our way to the shrine?”

“Lawrence, you just managed to beat a full-fledged kappa without flinching a beat. Not to mention some of the things I’ve seen you do the last time I was here.”

“The last time I was here?”

With a grin, Aya pulls out a couple of photographs and hands them to you. It only takes a glance to make you realize that she was spying on you almost the entire time you were here last. (To be fair, though, it wasn’t like she was actively hiding her spying activities.) The thing that gets you, though, are a few choice photos of your battle of Remilia.

“Please tell me you didn’t…”

“Nah, I can’t just publish photos like this without taking an interview or two along with it,” Aya says as she crosses her arms, a prideful look worming it way onto her face. “After all, I can’t make up whatever I like if I don’t have any basis for it in fact, now can I?”

“Uh…”

“And as luck would have it,” she continues with a chagrined look, “No one at the SDM would talk to me about the fight. I guess Remilia decided to try and keep the fact that she lost against you under lock and key.”

“Ah…”

“So anyways,” Aya says as she flies in close and grabs your shoulders, “I think that you owe me an interview at this point, considering all that I’ve seen. I’m kind of interested in your abilities, and we wouldn’t want me to mix up my facts, right?”

Geez, this crow really can be annoying at times. You shoo her off of you as you try and make your decision.

[ ] We can’t let her know everything… but at the same time it might be best to come clean on what you can actually do.
[ ] You have no desire to hold an interview right now. Ask her to bug you on it later.
[ ] You have no desire to give her any more insights on who you are. Tell her the interview is a no-go.

[x] We can’t let her know everything… but at the same time it might be best to come clean on what you can actually do.

BOy I feel guilty about shocking Nitori.

[x] You have no desire to hold an interview right now. Ask her to bug you on it later.
[x] We can’t let her know everything… but at the same time it might be best to come clean on what you can actually do.

Sorry Aya, your ploy to stall for time at the scene of the crime has failed. You'll get your interview in a safe location.

>>45808
Neither of them are Nitori.

>a black-haired girl
>another head pops out of the water, this one with light blue hair and sporting glasses

>>45812

Correct. It's the Kappa Mob, not Nitori. Sorry if the picture caused any confusion; the focus should be on the dress in the picture, not Nitori. I was going for a "waterlogged dress" effect which, in hindsight, isn't something that I myself understand anymore either.

[x] You have no desire to hold an interview right now. Ask her to bug you on it later.
[x] We can’t let her know everything… but at the same time it might be best to come clean on what you can actually do.

I don't think this is the time or place for it, especially when she's supposed to be escorting Lawrence to the shrine.

[x]no-go

I'd prefer to not tell anyone, really. Let's just trash-talk about how we beat up Remilia and keep our secrets secret.

>>45856
Except just being able to beat up Remilia means that there's stuff about us that Aya wants to find out. We can not tell her, yeah, but it's not as if she'll think "Oh I guess it's nothing special."

[X] You have no desire to hold an interview right now. Ask her to bug you on it later.

Better in a more relaxed setting and hopefully a better control over the conversation.

[X] You have no desire to hold an interview right now. Ask her to bug you on it later.

“Not now,” you say bluntly.

“Aw come on, you can’t leave me hanging on this!” Aya says as she swoops in close again. She brings her face close to yours, and tries to apply some charm with a smile. “It won’t take that much time, just a few questions and I’ll be on my way, promise!”

“I said not now, Aya.” Once again you push her out of your way as you continue to follow the river upstream. At this point you suspect your ring is at least a third-of-the-way empty, but unless the shrine is unreasonably far away you don’t think you have anything to worry about.

“But why not?” Aya swoops into your sight again, pouting. “Why are you denying such a cute girl as me? Can’t you tell that I’m reeeeaaallllyyy interested in you right now? Are you really going to let an opportunity like this slip away?”

“Look Aya,” you say as you avoid her charm like a boss, “right now I’m on a business call to the shrine, and I’d rather not get sidetracked if at all possible; not to mention the fact that this seems to be giant hand territory. I’d rather not stop now if I don’t have to.”

“But…!”

“I’ll give you an interview later, ok? But right now I want to see if I can make it to the shrine by morning’s end.”

---

Grrr…

The merchant floats past you, unconcerned for your pressing need to have a scoop ready in time for tomorrow’s paper. How can he not see the pressing importance of this matter? This guy is probably the most interesting news source that has popped in your lap in the past month or so, and he’s not even being cooperative!

…well ok, that’s more or less par for the course for everyone in Gensokyo in regards to your interviews, but you were hoping that since this guy was an outsider he wouldn’t learn so darn quickly! And seriously, is this guy celibate or something? You turned on your schoolgirl charms, for crying out loud! (Granted, you haven’t actually needed to go to school for centuries now…) Maybe he’s gay… hm, something to write down for later…

But anyways, we need to pry this scoop from this guy as soon as possible! If you aren’t the first one to figure out exactly what this guy is capable of, then who knows, maybe even Hatate could beat you to this. And that is something that you just can’t allow to happen!

Now how to go about doing this? Obviously, having an actual interview would garner the most info, but if you just want to see what this guy is capable of, maybe a more direct approach would be more appropriate.

[ ] Let’s just keep pestering him; he’s bound to give in sooner or later!
[ ] A full on attack might be the best course of action here; nothing like a little Danmaku to get people to loosen up.
[ ] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…
[ ] …you know, the last time he asked us to wait, he actually ended up giving us an interview. Maybe we should just be patient. Come now, that’s not the investigative journalism way!

[x] A full on attack might be the best course of action here; nothing like a little Danmaku to get people to loosen up.

I've caused wars, you know.

[x] …you know, the last time he asked us to wait, he actually ended up giving us an interview. Maybe we should just be patient.

The overly pestering type Aya is too common. I don't care if this isn't counted, but I want to make my opinion known.

[x]the waterfall is coming up ahead...

What man could possibly resist a water-soaked girl? Time to apply womanly charms!

And by that I mean slut around until he can't run away anymore.

>>46000
Being completely ignored will drive Aya crazy.

[x] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…

The waterfall likely means the other tengu, which means bringing Momiji and maybe Hatate into the story.

[X] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…

Also, pestering him or outright attacking will only piss Jean-Luc off. Being passive-aggressive as fuck instead gives Aya some leeway to avoid completely severing any odds of him giving her the time of day.

[x] Let’s just keep pestering him; he’s bound to give in sooner or later!

[x] A full on attack might be the best course of action here; nothing like a little Danmaku to get people to loosen up.

Time for the Gensokyo special.

[x] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…

[X] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…
-[x] Remember the last time he asked us to wait.

[X] Hey, the waterfall is coming up ahead, isn’t it? Maybe we don’t need to take any direct action against him…

---

As you come up to the bottom of a large waterfall, you take a moment to spare a glance at Aya, who went silent right after you shot her interview request down. You begin to wonder if you should say something; it isn’t like you aren’t willing to give her an interview, it’s just that there is a time and place for everything, and this isn’t it.

“Hey, Lawrence,” Aya says as she swoops by you, “I’m going to go on up ahead for a bit, try and clear the coast out a little.”

That shakes you out of your little reverie. “The coast?”

“Yeah! Remember how I said that some of the tengu wouldn’t appreciate you trying to come onto the mountain? I’m going to scout ahead for a bit, see if I can pick out any of the types that we want to avoid. You think you’ll be alright on your own for a bit?”

“Um… sure, but I’d still need directions to the shrine.”

“Easy. Just head on up the waterfall, shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes. After that, you should be able to see a big lake. The shrine’s located right around there.”

“Alright, Thanks Aya, I appreciate this. And hey, about that interview…”

“Hm? Changed your mind?”

“Well no, but come see me later, I promise that I’ll give you one when the setting is more appropriate.”

For a moment Aya just stares as you, but soon a large grin appears on her face and she swoops towards you, giving you a large hug. “Aw, that’s sweet of you Lawrence!” Letting go, she drifts a few feet away from you, a pair of wings appearing from her back. “I’ll be sure to hold you to that later, ‘kay?” With that, she all but disappears, leaving only a huge wave of air pressure as she rockets towards the top of the waterfall.

---

Aw man, why did he have to go and get all sweet at the last second there? It kinda puts a damper on your plan to know that he trusts you enough to willingly give you an interview. Maybe you should go back…

No, there’s really no point in going back at this point, and it isn’t like he can’t take care of himself. At least, that’s what you’re hoping. That girl isn’t known for holding back when it comes to you…

---

You take about five minutes to charge up your ring a bit for the ascent, and then you begin to climb up into the air, following the general direction that Aya went. You pass by a few annoying fairies who fire off a few rounds of energy bullets at you, but they don’t really seem to be putting their heart into it and are fairly easily avoided. All in all, it seems like this climb will be a relatively peaceful one.

“HALT!”

From directly above you comes a loud an aggressive shout, and as you look up you see someone bearing down upon you. Said someone is carrying a large sword, which unfortunately seems to be falling in your general direction.

For a second your reflexes cause you to grab at your arm, but unfortunately your channeling blade isn’t on your person anymore. Not having anything to directly block your assailant’s blade with, you opt to move out of the way at the last second instead. Fortunately, it would seem that this person wasn’t that serious about hitting you, as instead on maneuvering the blade around he or she opts to drop past you for a bit before flying back up to where you are.

Coming up to your level is a silver-haired girl, wearing a white shirt and a long red and black skirt. Along with her sword (which you note is still pointed at you), she is wielding a shield with a print of what looks to be an orange-red leaf on it. All in all, she doesn’t appear to be the naturally friendly type.

“I don’t care what that crow told you, no outsiders are allowed past this point!”

Man, what is with all these people telling you to leave today?

[ ] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation. (If desired, specify a conversation topic).
[ ] She seems adamant; we’re probably going to have to use force if we want to get past.
[ ] This is starting to become too much trouble for a simple trip. Let’s leave for now and try coming back another time.

[x] She seems adamant; we’re probably going to have to use force if we want to get past.

We get inside, Aya gets a story, everyone is happy except Momiji.

[x] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation. (If desired, specify a conversation topic).
-[x]Remark on seeing the shrine.

Vain vote that's on track.

[x] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation. (If desired, specify a conversation topic).
-[x]Remark on seeing the shrine.
--[x] If she insists in being difficult, add religious reasons.

According to Akyuu's latest, believers in a pilgrimage can visit the shrine just fine.

[x] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation. (If desired, specify a conversation topic).
-[x]Remark on seeing the shrine.

If she's still refusing then we can just push her face in ask how, exactly, anyone is supposed to visit the shrine and sneak past her.

>>46125

Can you give me a specific reference for where in the symposium you saw that?

>>46130
Kanako's article where she talks about trying to make a skyway so humans can safely travel there. The white wolves don't like the notion as one might expect.

>>46131

Alright, I see why I was confused. The shrine in that the article that people are said to go to seems to be referring to is a branch shrine in the valley near the base of the mountain, not the one near the lake and the top of the mountain.

"Seeing no other way, they established a branch shrine in the valley to allow people to come and pray respects, as well as conducting business by themselves and gather faith from humans."

"They" probably refers to the Moriya inhabitants, so what seems to have happened is that since the tengu won't allow people up the mountain, they were forced to open up a branch shrine down below. (Not sure if this is referring to the Hakurei shrine or not...)

Anyways, sorry for the clutter here, I was just looking for some clarification on this point.

>>46125
Do we look like someone on a pilgrimage, though?

>>46181

It would be pretty hard for you to fake it, I'll say that much.

>>46188
...Yeah, we might want to be a little careful about pretending to do that, then.
She seems to be a pretty serious girl; trying to lie to her doesn't strike me as a good idea.

Maybe just some general talk, to get her to sympathize with us?
Seems like that'd be a good start.

Just beat her up. That's what everyone who is anyone in Gensokyo does and what Aya wants us to do.

[X] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation.
[X] Simultaneously, take a seat on the ground and refuse to engage her. Or dodge, for that matter.

Let's play chicken. Will her honor allow her to strike a man with no intention of fighting back?

[x] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation. (If desired, specify a conversation topic).
-[x]Remark on seeing the shrine.
-[x] Simultaneously, take a seat on the ground and refuse to engage her. Or dodge, for that matter.

[X] Let’s see if she’s open to some conversation.
-[x]Remark on seeing the shrine.

“No outsiders are allowed? I thought the people of Gensokyo tended to look highly upon those from outside the border…”

“You misunderstand,” the silver-haired girl replies, “No one from outside the mountain is allowed onto the mountain. You will leave, now.”

“Ah, ok. Well anyways, I do have some business with the Moriya shrine. If you could let me pass, I’ll-“

“NO OUTSIDERS ARE ALLOWED PAST!”

You start to notice that the woman seems to be somewhat upset with you. Upon closer examination, it looks less like she is upset and more like she is barely containing her rage. She seems to be throwing a huge amount of hate your way, something that you weren’t quite expecting.

“Um, is everything alright?” You ask. “You seem to be somewhat angry with me, and I’m not quite sure what I did wrong…”

“Don’t play stupid!” She shouts as she drops her guard somewhat to berate you. “Do you think you can hide the fact that you have been consorting with that horrid crow? Even if I hadn’t been watching your approach onto the mountain, her stench is all over you!”

“Well, I… you’ve been watching me?”

“Don’t misunderstand,” she says as she points her sword at you, not a lick of shame on her face, “It is my duty to watch those who approach the mountain, in order to ascertain whether they are a major threat.”

“And what was that about some sort of stench?”

“Are you really this dense? It was probably from when she hugged you just before you began your ascent.” This causes her to pause in thought, and she crosses her arms as she seems to ponder something over.

When she hugged you? Ah, this girl is probably talking about Aya. It doesn’t seem like they have a good relationship, either.

“Say, outsider,” the girl says, interrupting your train of thought. “What exactly is your relationship with that wretched crow?”

“My relationship? Well mainly, it’s one where she is always trying to get some sort of article out of me for her paper.”

“That does sound like her.” The girl mutters. “There is nothing else in between you, then?”

“No? Is there supposed to be?”

“No, it’s nothing,” the girl says with a sigh. “I apologize for my outburst, then. It’s just that I can’t stand that girl, and I tend to take offense fairly quickly against anything I perceive her to be involved in.”

Geez Aya, what did you do to this girl to make her question about you in this way? Well at the very least, it seems like you cleared up a misunderstanding. “That’s fine, I didn’t take any offense. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

You make to move past her, but find your way barred by her large sword once more. “My relationship with Shameimaru is one thing, but your intruding upon the mountain is another. I appreciate you not taking offense against my outburst, but I still must uphold my duty. You may not pass, please leave at once.”

Ugh. It looks like talking with her didn’t get you much farther. Looks like it might be time to try something else. Still, there is at least one thing you should do before anything else.

[X] Ask for her name

After that…

Choose one main option and one corresponding sub-option

[ ] We still might be able to convince her to let us past. At least she isn’t as hostile now.
-[ ] Ask her something <Write-in a conversation topic>
-[ ] Maybe we could try selling her something in return for letting us past? <Select item>
[ ] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[ ] Strike first while her guard is still down.
-[ ] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.
[ ] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now.
-[ ] Make to leave, but try to figure out a different way to get onto the mountain
-[ ] Let’s try heading somewhere else for now. <Select destination>

Fuck yes. Hates Aya Momiji is the best sort of Momiji.

[X] Ask for her name
[X] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[X] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.

I'd like to strike first, but I can tell that won't get off the ground. Perhaps people will be up for an honorable battle?

[X] Ask for her name
[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
-[x] Let’s try heading somewhere else for now: human village(more specifically the tavern)

[X] Ask for her name
[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
-[x] Let’s try heading somewhere else for now: human village(more specifically the tavern)

[x] Ask for her name
[x] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[x] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.

Gotta establish dominance and all that. Shame we don't have a rolled up newspaper on us.

[X] Ask for her name
[X] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[X] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.

Not that I like this much but it's far better than the hurr durr let's drink alot votes.

[X] Ask for her name
[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
[x] Ask her how one can get permission to enter the mountain for next time.

[X] Ask for her name
[X] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[X] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.

[X] Ask for her name
[X] Looks like we’ll need to fight this out.
-[X] Let’s do this by the rules and announce our intent to fight first.

[X] Ask for her name
[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
[x] Ask her how one can get permission to enter the mountain for next time.

Well this sucks as the trip seems ruined no thanks to certain factors.

[X] Ask for her name
[X] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
[X] Ask her how one can get permission to enter the mountain for next time.

[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now.
[x] Make to leave, but try to figure out a different way to get onto the mountain
[x] Ask how travelers would safely get to the Moriya shrine, or perhaps guided there.

-[x] Ask for her name
[x] This isn’t working; we need to leave for now
[x] Ask her how one can get permission to enter the mountain for next time.

Mostly cause I'm wondering how she'd react to someone actually following the rules around here rather than just going all Fight It Out.

New thread! (Finally!)

>>46301