The cherry trees were in full bloom at Hakugyokurou, filling the air with cherry blossoms and the sweet scent of vanilla that filled the halls. The servants fluttered about, right and left, faceless apparitions preparing meals, sorting out rooms, and caring for various tasks. Yuyuko and Suika sat across from each other, sitting on pillows with A banquet spread across the table that separated them: roast duck, boar, beef, and other unidentifiable meat alongside numerous sweets and bottles of Sake. After everything else, a covered wooden container was left centered on the table.

"Thank you for preparing this meal, Youmu."

The half-phantom bowed, "You are welcome, my lady. I live only to serve you."

Suika laughed, "Wow, you're as much of a suck up as ever, ya'know."

"Ah, please don't be mean to poor Youmu, she really did put a lot of effort into this."

"Whatever, it's just nice to hang out like this. The shrine never has enough food."

Yuyuko agreed, "Yes, it's nice that we're able to have such an enjoyable get-together, Suika."

The two of them lapsed into silence as they began eating, taking from every plate while leaving the wooden container untouched. The conversation was light and enjoyable, with jokes about acquaintances, questions about what the other had been doing recently, and laughter.

"You should have seen how Yukari was back when I was causing everybody to party, she was so worried about me but didn't have the heart to say it or to explain to others what was going on, talk about shy."

"Yes, I wonder how our Yukari would be if a certain someone were kinder to her? Perhaps if they invited her to spend some time with their friends."

"Please, it's your shitty encouragement of her, half her problems are caused by that overly shy, attention loving personality. I'll show you what, I'll go right to her house and drag her to the village, that'll do her some good!" Suika shot back.

"Perhaps you should treat her with more kindness than, don't think I don't know those rude things you say about our Yukari."

"Please, you've given that dirty trickster her fair share of grief. How about you do it yourself, princess, invite Yukari to a party yourself!"

"I'm not the homeless bum here you Oni, the Yama has her demands. Maybe if you went back underground where you belonged and gave poor Yuugi a break, you'd have an excuse."

"Please, she's handling herself fine, besides, it's not like I have anything to do with what she or the others get up to nowadays."

Yuyuko rose from the table and tilted her head to the side, innocently and dog-like. "So, how about we settle this with a Danmaku bout?" In contrast to her polite demeanour, a black aura grew from behind her, causing Youmu to take a step back as Yuyuko's smile became vicious.

Suika almost burst out laughing, her chains rattling as a black aura appeared around her, "Now, you're talking!"

The massive waves of pressure each of them emitted began to solidify, blowing the doors to the room out into the courtyard outside, but that was when a gap cut clean through the space between them.

"Just what are you two getting up to, playing Danmaku without me?"

Yukari appeared in the door frame with a popping sound as she closed her gap behind her.

Instantly, the tension in the room vanished as both of her friends put on their best faces. "Yo, Yukari, nice to see you!" Suika said, smiling as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Although I wonder how you were able to find us?"

"If you can believe it, a certain white rabbit told me when I visited Eientei. She's quite the gossip, you know?"

Yuyuko turned her head to where Youmu now stood in the corner of the room, looking nervous as she rested a hand on her sword. "I, uh, might have mentioned something to Reisen," Youmu gulped.

Yuyuko shook her head, "Youmu, what am I going to do with you?"

Yukari didn't waste any more time, stepped past the threshold into the room as Ran appeared behind her. "I'm a bit offended to see my two best friends hanging out without me, you know? Ran, what do you think about this?"

"They could have offered you an invitation, but-"

"See, you should have invited me," Yukari pouted, gapping in a pillow for her to sit down on. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to dig in."

Suika blinked. "Uh, you sure about that? I don't think this meal will be to your, uhh... Tastes."

"Mh, yes, Suika's right. We should go to your home, I'm sure you have something more suitable there."

Suika felt her eyebrow twitch; they had danced around the subject for Yukari's sake, but she could really be oblivious. "Oi, idiot, it's human."

Indeed, all the roast duck was gone, even the boar and beef, leaving only a few meals prepared from human meat. A delicacy in Gensokyo and the Netherworld, something that neither of them would ever be allowed to eat at a shrine banquet. Across the whole table, there was

Yukari moved before anybody could stop her. "Well, what about-"

Yukari shut her mouth as she saw what was in the covered container, a singular football-sized soup dumpling that barely contained a human-sized brain inside.

"It's something the Sumirenko girl showed Youmu," Yuyuko explained, "The outside world sure has a lot of neat ideas."

Yukari stood frozen, looking at the massive human brain dumpling as some black flame swirled behind her eyes.

"My lady, perhaps it would be better if we returned to Mayohiga, I'm sure, Chen and I can prepare something for you three on short notice."

"No," Yukari protested, puncturing the dumpling with a spoon and taking a heap of brain matter into her mouth.

Yukari chewed deliberately, doing her best to show off to Yuyuko and Suika even as the sound of human brain matter in between her teeth made her stomach queasy. Finally, Yukari finished chewing and forced herself to swallow the brain matter, holding down her vomit all the while.

"See," she said, breathless and flushed, "I'm a real Youkai, over one thousand years old and everything, in fact I-"

<hr>

Yukari trashed back and forth on the operating table, foam coming from her mouth as the wards of the room buckled, desperately trying to hold her back. Above her stood the head doctor at the Hourai Pharmaceutical group, Erin Yagakoro.

Eirin deftly dodged as Yukari split the space where she stood, surging towards the bound patient in a single jump as she pressed a syringe into her.

"There you go, miss Yakumo," Eirin said in a sweet voice, "Just go to sleep, we can't have you hurting anybody else, now can we?"

Yukari's eyes fluttered as she fought against the urge to sleep, but she was far too unaware of herself to mount any substantial effort as her eyelids closed. The wards surrounding the room calmed down as Yukari stopped struggling, and Eirin finally relaxed, removing the syringe from Yukari.

"This certainly is a strange case," Eirin said, "It seems she's developed multiple types of prion diseases in a short matter of time. Has she eaten any human meat recently?"

Ran sat across from them booth bandaged, "Yes, but not a lot, it was only a single bite before she started foaming at the mouth."

"Yes, well, this isn't beyond my ability to treat, although she will be occupied here for quite some time."

Ran cried. "Oh, this is all my fault, if I had stopped her or, or-"

Eirin was at her side in an instant, holding the nine-tailed fox and petting her head. "Don't worry, Ran, this isn't your fault. Yukari isn't a child,"

Ran sniffled. "Yes, it's just hard to forget that sometimes, with how she acts, I'll... manage in her absence as I do every winter, I'll have to talk with Reimu."

"I'll see you later as well, Ran, if you ever need help with anything, just ask."

"I will," she said, nodding to Eirin and moving from her touch.

Ran left the room, giving Eirin an opportunity to slump down in her seat as she left out a sigh."Well, let's get right to fixing you up. Tewi really should be more careful."