Thread 1: >>41094
Thread 2: >>41628

[x] A stroll somewhere exotic. We could compare our philosophies and spells.

“Perhaps a trip to some dark, mysterious forest?”

“A dark forest, really?”

I pulled away from her. Clasping my hands behind my back, I strolled toward the gate. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll do anything… inappropriate?”

“What? Why would I even think that?”

Still clasping my hands, I shrugged. “Why, indeed?”

Depending on who you ask. You’d get a lot of different opinions on this fantasy land called, ‘Gensokyo.’

If you were to ask the folks in the Human Village, they’d say that the land is nice so long as you stay inside the walls of the village. But if for some unfortunate reason you’d have to travel out of it, they’d still say the land was mostly fine so long as you’d stay within the well-traveled roads.

And avoided the enormous Forest of Magic.

Stayed away from any large fields of sunflowers.

Kept your distance from any large patches of spider-lilies.

Took care not to attract attention from the Tengu from the mountain

Made a large detour around the lake and avoided the scarlet mansion.

Oh and if you somehow had the ability to do so, stayed away from the big hole in the sky over yonder unless you want to visit the netherworld early.

Among other hazards.

‘But it is a nice place regardless!’ So they’d say.

If you were to ask the question to a youkai who was more willing to make conversation and not gore you for a snack ‘just because,’ They’d have a higher opinion of the land as a whole. But also mention some, if not a good chunk of the same hazards the villagers mentioned.

Then you’ve got the individuals that are practically the center of these hazards who’ll tell you that Gensokyo has no issues and will stare at you blankly and/or oddly for even suggesting that there might be some issues with this little land of fantastical paradise.

But who were you to think? You were just an outsider dropped into this hot mess out of nowhere. A case of ‘Right place, wrong time,’ that you quickly found out was all too common for something seemingly uncommon.

Months went by, through multiple strokes of luck and will. You had somehow managed to carve out a little niche for yourself as another ‘problem-solver’ of sorts. Taking cases from the village and, on the rare occasion, the more sophisticated youkai.

Luckily for you, the majority of cases were just small-time stuff. ‘There’s a weird noise coming from th

He apologized first to the girl. “Sorry,” Kigaku mouthed to Kyouko.

“Sorry,” she echoed as the prophet bowed in shame.

“No—um. It’s alright. Really.” The book-girl shrugged in resignation. “I’ve memorized the contents, more or less. And it was only a matter of time until something like that would burst into flames, so it was only inevitable.”

“And why would that be the case?”

“Because,” she said, her orange eyes falling onto the yamabiko. The girl was half a word into her next sentence until she cut herself short, instead muttering to herself. She hunched over, and, as if the prophet and his companion didn’t even exist, she circled around, mumbling non-words all the while.

“Um. Hello?” Kyouko took a nervous step back and retreated to behind the prophet. “I’m not liking this, Ametsuchi.”

The man silently agreed. It was not just her demeanor, either: Both the prophet and the youkai sensed malintent. And though the book-girl seemed innocuous at first glance, a spell of malevolence took to the air around her.

Kigaku nodded to his assistant. “Excuse me. Miss?”

Kyouko relayed, though her voice barely carried over—she was busy pressing her face into the prophet’s back, cowering all the while. But no amount of decibels would have swayed the orange-haired girl: She was entranced. This was an unfortunate setback for the prophet—he had prior business with the bookkeeper, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The prophet opened his lips. ‘Miss,’ he mouthed.

The girl stopped in her tracks, her glazed eyes turning to the man.

‘Forgive me, but I’ll be intruding.’ He took a step forward, and, delicately, the prophet put a hand to her left shoulder.

She recoiled, jumping back at the man’

The ominous gong of the church bell sent vibrations through the slim, tensed body of the blonde heroine. Her journey would end inside the cathedral before her: one of black, spike-like towers and cold, metallic trusses — a holy place captured and twisted by the legendary demon, Melog. It was a fate she had been prepared for ever since she took up the blessed sword, Fortuna, said to slice through all probability. There was always a price to be paid for defiance.

A firm hand slapped her back, sending a wave of force through her leather armor and into her shoulder blades. She steadied herself and looked up at the offender: a man whose shell of gray plate armor revealed only his cold, dark eyes.

“Don’t lose your nerve,” he said through his visor.

She forced a smile as her heart fluttered in her chest. “You should know by now that my nerve has only ever faltered once: when we first shared a bed, and I gazed upon your—”

He turned away. “That’s precisely what I mean.”

She silently apologized. Even as a heroine, inappropriate humor seemed to be her only talent. Perhaps if she had any real skills — sorcery, medicine, peddling, or even farming — she would not have been forced to take up the holy sword. He would also have been spared.

Her legs pushed her forward, to the large double-doors. There were no locks, no barricades. She placed her hands on the door and struggled against its size.

Then he appeared beside her, adding his own weight to her efforts. “I have never regretted my decision.”

Rice and Rain >>/shorts/2209

Inspired by, or shamelessly stolen from. Take your pick. Mibya wrote that (>>/gensokyo/15535).

Thread 1 >>41060

Previous thread: https://www.touhou-project.com/shrine/res/38956.html

It's been a while, but I'm back with a sequel to the Hakurei Apprentice. Enjoy!
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Leaves blow in the cool wind. The red blends with the yellow, sticking to the grooves and cracks of the stone pathway leading to the shrine. A familiar sight each and every autumn morning. It was as much of a part of my routine as making breakfast and doing laundry. It’s what my Master often called ‘shrine maiden training’ when it was just daily chores. I’ve done this so many times, it’s as if the days bled into months bled into years.

It seemed like only yesterday that Yukari brought me across the barrier into the Hakurei Shrine. Despite my life in the outside world, I’d like to say that, overall, coming here was an improvement. I’ve been able to form relationships with people that I would have never dreamed of meeting. Well, people being the operative word, but… they’re still ‘people’ all the same. Thoughts, feelings, hardships, desires.

Humans, youkai, gods, fairies, spirits -- all of them are different, but they can still exist in the cut-off world of Gensokyo. Despite their eccentric personalities, I really wouldn’t have it any other way.

Master hasn’t let up in the years that I’ve been here, always being hard, always expecting more out of me than she was going to get. I know that should be encouraging, but I’m just not as gifted as she is. Tapping into her innate powers as the Hakurei shrine maiden seems as easy as breathing for her. For me, it’s a struggle -- considering I’m still having a hard time grasping the basics even after four years.

I struggle with the thought that Reimu might not be a good teacher. I’m still not entirely sure myself, but the fact remains that I live here, that she’s helped me, and that because of her, I’ve found a place to belong. There are moments where Master’s intuition and guidance are something to be admired, truly. I wish that I--

Thread 1: >>41094

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[x] To spar.
　[x] Loser has to sleep at the opposite abode.

I strode back out, into the open. She wouldn’t get out of those habits on her own, so I decided to shake this up. Byakuren waited by the trees.

I turned and faced her, resting my left hand on my sword. Seiga didn’t help, but I still had one card up my sleeve. I threw my right hand out, shaku pointed at Byakuren. “We’re here to duel.”

She stepped out of the shade. “Excuse me?”

I shrugged my shoulders and let my right hand descend to my side. “We’re not reaching each other through conventional means. So, I’ve decided we need to speak in a more common language.”

“Hey. Say something. Please?” She appeared before him with the wind gently fluttering her billowing pink dress. She brushed aside a stray hair from her eyes, and the girl smiled, her emerald eyes smiling with her.

The man would, but there was one small problem in the way: He was, in the most literal sense, mute.

[ ] Hand motions are simple enough to explain.
[ ] Mouth the words. She should understand.
[ ] So he engaged in interpretive dance.

Rice and Rain >>/shorts/2209

Inspired by, or shamelessly stolen from. Take your pick. Mibya wrote that (>>/gensokyo/15535).

Thread 1: >>38346
Thread 2: >>38909

[x] Kokoro is learning about this sort of thing too, right? Maybe talking to her might help!

Before I can come up with an answer to that, Medicine surprises me. She slowly and awkwardly puts her arms around me and hugs me back.

...umm, what's that smell? It's kind of... sweet? And it's coming from Medicine's hair...

"You smell like flowers," I say.

"It's su-san's smell," Medicine mumbles.

"Er... aren't suzuraan poisonous?" I'm not going to get sick from hugging her am I?