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THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, four and a half) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...

Reiuji Youmu, the third of the Immaterial Children, had her past life come to her in a flash, as a psychic message attempted to reach out to and contact her. Between nightmarish visions of an apocalytic end, and the manipulations of Moriya Suwako, Youmu is desperate to find her chronicler friend.

While she came with Koishi, Orin, and Parsee, now only Koishi remains with her, while Orin and Parsee seek out fresh corpses to account for part of Suwako's actions. And far below them, Youmu's twin sister, Okuu, has come across Youmu's grandfather of a past life, and become dimly aware of some sort of connection.

Now, Youmu has made it to the human village. With the young Lady Koishi in tow, and flocks of tengu in the sky, the hell-raven treads once more through the city gates, in search of her old friend...


Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595 >>206906 >>207202
Yester/Youmu >>207370 >>207705 >>208027
Epilogues and Shorts >>/shorts/2804

Or read the story archive on Ao3:
https://archiveofourown.org/series/4062991



[11] “Is there maybe… a purple-haired youkai rabbit that makes deliveries in the Village? We were meant to meet for lunch, but she didn’t tell me where.”
[18] “Do you know of… a place where youkai rabbits are delivered to be made into lunch? I believe my friend might be one of those rabbits”

{21} Little green spirits? …Could those be…
{8} The blonde ‘Darcy’ girl… Did she mean ‘da ze’?

Youmu took a moment to compose her thoughts. Trying to reconstruct the best, most logical way Akyuu’s garbled message had gotten to her.

And what her brain came up with was…

“Do you know of… a place where youkai rabbits are delivered to be made into lunch? I believe my friend might be one of those rabbits.”

Meira stared. Koishi did as well. Youmu blinked, looking between the two of them. “...What?”

At length, the swordsman turned to Koishi. “This girl, is she… quite alright? The youkai might be pushing their boundaries, but implying that they’re setting up inter-youkai buffets in the village is…”

Youmu blinked. “U-uh, I thought that was what she said-”

Koishi shook her head. “I didn’t get anything like that from the message, Myon. I thought it was more like-”

“Oh, you two are silly.” Kotohime interrupted. “She asked about rabbits making deliveries, right? She must have meant Reisen and Akyuu, the Inaba Sisters!” Everyone looked at the eccentric Lady. “They come by about every week or so, to deliver the once-at-bedtime candy!”

Meira looked with incredulity between the Lady and Youmu. “You… speak Kotohime?” She seemed utterly shocked by the prospect. “I didn’t know there was anyone who could do that…”

Youmu has managed to reach the same wavelength as Kotohime! Jenny says 2 Kwah.

Youmu couldn’t meet Koishi’s worried gaze. “Um… anything else you can tell me about the Inaba sisters? Specifically the little sister, Akyuu?”

Kotohime jumped. “Yeah! Akyuu jumped from the moon down to earth hard enough to shatter the whoooooole sky! Then she fixed the sky by telling all sorts of stories.” Kotohime hummed. “She’s got a super-duper good memory, and when they leave, she’s always pushing for them to go have parfaits for lunch!”

Meira took a look at the two of them. “I’ve never actually met them personally, but allow me to parse some of that out for you. The Inaba Sisters are delivery girls for a secretive pharmacy. Reisen used to be the only one doing deliveries, but apparently her little sister’s started helping her out, since about the time of the Shattered Sky Incident. The thing about the parfaits might be accurate, though - I’ve heard Akyuu’s got a crazy sweet tooth.”

Koishi looked at Youmu, a small grin on her face. Youmu began to grin as well. “Yes, that does sound right! Thank you, Lady Kotohime!”

Kotohime snapped off a salute. “It’s any Police Officer’s duty, citizen!”

Meira gave a sly grin, pointing at Youmu. “I’m assuming this one gets her own sort of once-at-bedtime candy from them, does she?”

Youmu felt her face flush. “I-I assure you, I don’t, sir.”

Kotohime chuckled. “Oh, Meira’s not a sir, she’s a lady!” Youmu looked at Kotohime, then at Meira. Was that just another one of the Lady’s eccentricities, or…”

Meira side-eyed the satori. “...Really think your winged friend needs her head checked.”

Koishi chuckled, patting an increasingly-flushed Youmu on her back. “She’ll be fine. Youmu’s just had a very, very confusing yesterday, and she’s still getting herself sorted, I think.”

The hell raven stuttered, balking under the stares of Meira and Koishi, trying to change the subject. A thought came to mind. “Ah-um, oh! You said something about little green spirits earlier, right?”

Meira nodded. “Oh, yes. You mean the otters, right?”

Youmu’s head snapped up. “Otter Spirits?” Meira backed a half-step away from the sudden intensity. “What the hell are they doing here?”

Kotohime leaned forward. “They’re being super suspicious! They’ve been skulking around town, listening in to people’s conversations!”

Meira nodded. “We don’t know what they’re actually plotting, but sightings of them have been essentially constant since maybe a week after the Shattered Sky Incident. The Hakurei’s hound, Aunn, has been doing her best to chase them off, but they’re hard to deal with at the best of times. And of course, Kotohime’s been trying to capture them too, but her little cell’s meant for humans - small animals just slip right out.”

The lady pumped her fists up and down. “It’s soooooo irritating! Tiny hitboxes are cheating, I tell you! Cheating!”

Youmu growled. “Where have they been listening in to people’s conversations?”

The human swordsm-swordswoman shrugged. “Hard to say where they’re going, but it seems like they come from the Sanzu river. They’re most often found to be following people who went to or from there, whether that’s fishermen or people from the far side for another reason. Fortunately, in the former cases the Hound sniffs them out, and in the latter, well… anyone who comes from across the Sanzu is used to dealing with spirits.”

Youmu nodded, slowly. “...Understood. Yes, we believe they’re quite troublesome, ourselves. Thank you for your time, both of you.” She bowed, deeply. “Lady Koishi, shall we be off?”

Koishi nodded. “Yes, let’s. Sounds like we’re going to be quite busy today. If you’ll excuse us, ladies!”

The two hell residents began to make their way inside. Youmu felt her expression darkening, even as she passed them.

Whatever Yachie was doing, it couldn’t be good. She glowered, running her hands along the hilts of her swords, as she walked deeper into the village.

The two guardians watched them leave. Kotohime tilted her head. “...An odd pair, weren’t they?”

Meira scoffed. “No offense, lady Kotohime… but you’re not one to talk about oddities.”

The lady tilted her head. “Still… that Youmu girl came from Makai? …You don’t see many half-phantoms from there, do you?”

Meira gave her a look. “Half-phantoms have, well, phantom halves, don’t they? She’s pretty clearly some kind of a Makaian, I think. Think she’ll be trouble?”

Kotohime shook her head, firmly. “Don’t think so, personally. And if she is, she’s no match for me.” The princess flexed her muscles. “Be they shrine maidens, poltergeists, or time travelers, no one escapes the strong arm of the law!”

“...It’s Long arm, Lady Kotohime.”



Youmu’s attempts to steady her heart were proving rather unsuccessful. Though, to be fair, she wasn’t the only one.

The village had a palpable tension running through it. Already there seemed to be far more numerous, and far more involved, youkai running through the streets of the village than Youmu had ever seen. In addition to those moving around, there was all-but constantly a tengu hovering in the sky, or lurking on a city corner. Nobody seemed particularly happy about the tengu looming over everyone - the other youkai were trying to get the tengu off their backs, and the humans just did their best to avoid their eyes. There were even a few outright fistfights going on between the tengu and other youkai, as well as a couple of spell card duels. Youmu found herself glancing around constantly, for any sign of trouble.

But… Koishi was undaunted. Koishi was absolutely exuberant. Running through the streets, walking up to anyone and everyone, peppering them with questions. Youmu often had to scurry after her. For what it was worth, it seemed that Suwako’s advice was working flawlessly - nobody seemed too willing to try and stop a Makaian tourist with a jittery bodyguard. Even the tengu seemed to give them a wide berth.

Youmu slowly dragged the distractible satori through the streets. Her years of serving the mistress of the netherworld had given her a fairly strong idea of where Akyuu and Reisen would be headed. There was, after all, a fairly popular parfait parlor, and one that Akyuu had taken Youmu to herself, in her past life.

…Right, her past life. Compared to Kosuzu, who she only really met during their time in the gapped shrine, Akyuu and Youmu had long been connected. The two of them had been essentially friends by happenstance; when it came to those connected to the yama, they by nature tended to be old and wizened. Therefore, Yuyuko had pushed Youmu to go out, and interact with the young Hieda.

They’d managed to forge a friendship, out of necessity first and foremost. Both of them were fairly lacking in people their age they could interact with. Both to a degree had wisdom beyond their apparent ages, and childish hearts that more accurately matched them. And so, they’d managed to connect with each other, despite their obvious differences.

The thing that had managed to turn a friendship of convenience into a genuine and comprehensive one was a shared interest in botany. Youmu had been a gardener by trade, and Akyuu had always had a liking for unusual flowers. Many of the flowers Akyuu became known for using as headpieces over the years had actually come from Youmu’s own gardens. And their learning-and-training combination had worked in both girls' favor; Akyuu excelled at finding unusual and quality books on cooking or gardening, and Youmu would be able to use those same books to their fullest effect, letting them both enjoy the oftentimes literal fruits of their labor. …It’d be nice to pick that up again. Maybe Youmu’d have to dust off her old knowledge about growing carrots.

Eventually, they reached the downtown of the village. Koishi had started to slow down in her exuberance, either because she felt she had seen enough or the deluge of thoughts was getting overwhelming. Still, as the voices began to pick up, so did the luxurious scents of grilling and baking.

As they came out into the main plaza, the crowd did seem to lighten, or at least spread out a bit. A familiar night sparrow was running a cart, advertising a grand re-opening judging by the banner. There were various other vendors too, and a few outright restaurants as well. It seemed like they’d managed to make it before a proper lunch time rush, so there was quite a bit of space. Even the tengu seemed largely distracted by the smells of grilling and the sound of sizzling, so the area had a somewhat easier air than the other places.

Youmu and Koishi went to the parfait place Akyuu had brought her to a whole lifetime ago, and began asking around. The results were heartening. Apparently, the Inaba sisters usually came in about a half-hour from now, and were likely to do so today, as well - it had been more than a week, and it was usually Reisen’s insistence that limited Akyuu’s intake. Regardless, it wasn’t a guarantee, so Youmu had needed to just-about drag Koishi out of the building - agreeing to come back and have an actual parfait for lunch when the time came - so they could try and find her. Youmu had taken to scanning the crowd, looking for any signs of the rabbits.

…But it was an entirely different creature that caught her eyes, first. A small flicker of green, under the awning of one of the nearby shops, instantly got Youmu on edge. Koishi picked up on Youmu’s sudden focus, too, and followed her gaze.

The otter was just behind a familiar yellow-winged woman. She was idly kicking her feet, holding a letter, and observing the crowd. She was mostly blonde, except for a shock of red hair, which contained within it a small chick. Niwatari Kutaka seemed mostly bored, idling her time.

The two got closer. Koishi whispered in Youmu’s ear.

“...The winged girl is waiting for Akyuu, I think. And the otters - there’s two back there - are following her.”

Youmu leaned in. “Does she know she’s being followed?”

Koishi silently shook her head. “I... don't think so.”

[ ] Take out the otters with extreme prejudice.
[ ] Capture the otters.
[ ] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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Should we warn Kutaka about her stalker in case she doesn't know she's being followed... Or should we choose violence?

...Screw it. We're warning her.

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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>> “Officer Kotohime reporting! We’re looking for suspicious perpetrators! So we can lock them up!” Kotohime fished a pair of handcuffs from the folds of her kimono. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen any suspicious people, have you?”

>> Meira’s hand got dragged down her face. “...I can see some right now, you know.” Kotohime’s head started whirling around, trying to spot what Meira was talking about. “But I’m not the one playing law enforcer. I am acting as Lady Kotohime’s… second opinion, as it were. Trying to make sure she doesn’t perform any… unjust arrests.”
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

I'm gonna make the rational choice of letting go that most people voted for the bs JSK bait since it worked out and was overall pretty funny.

Kotohime is something else, I tell ya. Half-phantom? What a silly concept!
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>>208340
Her stupidity is palpable through the screen. Thank you for sharing more art with us!
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Yay for the grand reopening of Mystia's Izakaya™!

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

As far as we know, they are working together. But of course Youmu doesn't know that,

I'm really tempted to try to capture them, but we already got our fix of JSK.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

I feel like it would be smarter long term to try the peaceful option first.
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>>208344
I don't even think capturing them would be that bad of an idea, really. Even though they're obviously not scouting for malicious reasons, they could still be hiding from her. Interrogation would probably lead to the "oh shit, my bad" moment from Youmu sooner or later. Wouldn't be too unjustified, either, given past experiences.

I'm just voting for Kutaka as it's probably a qucker and clear means to the same end. Youmu will tell her about the stalkers. Kutaka will either say they're fine or play dumb. Youmu will inevitability get a little aggressive but introduce herself by name and Koishi is there, so hopefully the situation will calm down and we'll come to an understanding before we wait together for Akyuu to show.
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What's the timer until vote closes?
Leaning towards capturing and jnterrogating them since Koishi can just verify their information if Youmu thinks they're lying but there might be some downside I'm missing.
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So, capturing the spirit might work, after all we have just been told that Aunn and Kotohime already have locked them up/kicked the out various times so we wouldn't appear that weird, hell we have seen various Yokai fighting or having spellcard duels in the village, the problem is that we are in the main plaza of the village and trying something like that is very likely to attract the attention of the authorities or Tengu, so warning her seems like our best option.

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

:3
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I'm surprised the JSK option worked out that well. I thought at least Meira might take it badly. Anyways

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

Kutaka's a big girl (a good 8,000 I believe, since that's when chickens were domesticated and she was around beforehand that.) So there's a good chance she has a plan of some sort.

Captcha- Ghost yam- spooky because I'm reading about a phantom and ate yam a little while ago.
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[X] Take out the otters with extreme prejudice.
Strike out at the evil Kiketsu. Don't let them report back to the malevolent Yachie with information about the arrival of Youmu and Koishi, nor whatever Kutaka is doing. We need to free the enslaved Reimu!
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
The last thing we need is unwanted attention. So let’s just alert the friendly chicken goddess about her stalker problem and find akyuu
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[X] Take out the otters with extreme prejudice.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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Yay! Mystia's back in business!

>>208340
great art as always Kosu!

...hmmm which one to go with...
[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

huh, youmu tengu for the captcha
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

We don’t want to cause a scene, do we?
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New epilogue over at >>/shorts/2876! As opposed to helping Eirin, this time she's the one seeking help!

For those wondering about why the given option worked, It's because Kotohime was the one who receives a prescription candy from the delivery rabbits, and was going to give an answer appropriate to the option you didn't pick. If you'd picked the more sensible-sounding option, she'd have assumed you were trying to eat them.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

Our cover as a makaian is paper thin. It will shatter under the shallowest questioning - what does Youmu know of makai?

We rough these otters up in some way, the authorities will be at us. If they appreciate our efforts? As I said before, our disguise is fragile. One question about makai could be all it'd take. And if they don't appreciate us causing a ruckus just before lunchtime? Cause some property damage? We'll be arrested, they'll find Koishi is a satori, and that we're from the underground, and then we'll have that to deal with. Even if it is proven we're an immaterial child, theres bad actors at play, it isn't an instant 'get out of jail free card and also get my friend out of jail too and just forget about breaking the border pact'. We're not the only ones with knowledge about the previous timeline, somehow. (Ichi/Yumemi?, Go/Chiyari?, Aunn and very potentially Kotohime).

It just wouldn't be worth it. We can eviscerate as many otters as we want as soon as we've established ourself as an immaterial child with Akyuu, and let the political players on our side iron out the kinks of us breaking the no-travel agreement between former hell and the overworld. Think about the Koosh. Keep the Kosher safe.

Also:

-(x) Ask our lady to keep an eye out for us while we talk to Kutaka.
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>>208359 Here.

Sorry, not Chiyari, I meant Chiyuri.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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what are the odds that those otters are escorting kutaka rather than spying on her or something like that?
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Killing him will only worsen the situation and there is a possibility that they are accompanying Kutaka and capturing him makes no sense since they are ghosts so the most safe choice is....

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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Counting to >>208366:
Main Choice:
[2] Take out the otters with extreme prejudice.
[0] Capture the otters.
[18] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

Potential Additions:
[1] Ask our lady to keep an eye out for us while we talk to Kutaka. (>>208359)
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

- {X} Subtly. Don't want them to catch wind of a counterattack and bolt.
- {X} Maybe we could team up and capture them for a bit of interrogation?

i would've just gone for capturing them ourselves, but i thought about it a bit more.

we don't want to attract the tengu's attention with a possible messy capture (otters are slippery- kiketsu otters even more so), but we want information. kutaka might have a plan to deal with them, but from what kotohime said the folks from across the sanzu are "used to dealing with spirits". dunno what that means, but probably involves exterminating them to some degree since spirits aren't supposed to be in the village anyways.

i think youmu's been itching for a proper interrogation since she heard about their presence in the village. of course, they've probably been trained to resist standard interrogation tactics, but mind readers? hard to defend against. and we have one right beside us.

but. koishi would hate us if we used her for this. she already hates her third eye- and isn't the whole reason she wanted to get away from the underground and head to the surface in the first place because she isn't known as a satori here? we'd be breaking that trust. we'd be pushing her further to the edge of shutting her third eye forever.

so let's just stick to the old fashioned method. kutaka's been around for a long time, youmu has no lack of animosity towards the otters, and koishi's also willing to get her hands dirty if needs must. (see: her occult special in ULiL/AoCF and cheating detective satori chapter 34 for reference.) between all three of them, i think we have a decent chance of getting the information we want.
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>>208343
>>208356

Thank you, much appreciated!
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Does Koishi know what the otters are planning?

[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
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[X] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.

Best not to make a commotion in a place we literally snuck into, honestly. If a plan is needed, it can be done with Kutaka's help.
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[2] Take out the otters with extreme prejudice.
[0] Capture the otters.
[21] Warn Kutaka about her stalkers.
-[X] Subtly. Don't want them to catch wind of a counterattack and bolt.
-[X] Ask our lady to keep an eye out for us while we talk to Kutaka.


Youmu wanted to cut them down. So, so much.

But… she couldn’t afford to make an unnecessary scene here. She’d brought Koishi along so she could explore the surface, somewhere where her third eye wasn’t a factor. Bringing a grudge from beyond the grave was one thing, but getting the young mistress exposed by her own recklessness was another matter entirely.

Instead, Youmu turned to Koishi. “Could you cover me while I warn her? Call out to me if they catch on early.” The satori nodded, hanging back as Youmu approached.

Looking more closely, there were subtle signs of drowsiness on Kutaka’s eyes, and a slight unkemptness - one that suggested her being up all night, for one reason or another. She raised an eyebrow, then gave a genuine smile as Youmu approached.

“Well, hello there! With you and the lamprey seller, it’s nice to see a couple of feathered friends that aren’t well… you know.” She gestured at the nearest tengu. “What brings you here, young one?”

Youmu smiled. “Ah, Lady Niwatari? I just had a couple of questions I wanted to ask, privately.” The chicken god smiled, scooching over to allow the younger bird to sit next to her. “What brings you to the village, Lady Niwatari?”

Niwatari tapped the letter. “Well… it’s a long story. But this is my last job before I return home to the mountain, thanks to… well, surely you saw the sparks last night.”

Youmu tilted her head. “No? I… don’t live near the mountain, and I sorta fell asleep early last night. …It was just a really comfy spot.”

Kutaka looked surprised. "Oh, then you might have missed the big fight the Moriya Goddesses had, super late. I’m surprised anyone on the mountain got any sleep. First there was all the yelling, then the ground started trembling… then there was those big iron rings… by the end of it, I half-worried they’d wake up the old volcano.”

The goddess lifted the letter she was holding. “I decided to just head into work and get stuff done. Was nearly deciding to go for a fourth can of pick-me-up when… well, a certain opportunity came for Eiki to send me off. So I’m just passing on a little red letter before I go to a much-needed afternoon nap.”

Youmu nodded. “A little solo job on the way home, eh?” The chicken god nodded, and Youmu leaned in to whisper. “Then, are you aware there’s a couple of otter spirits following you?”

The chicken god’s face soured. “...Really? Ugh. I really must be tired if they managed to sneak around me. Where are they?”

After a moment’s thought on how to best communicate it, and realizing that she was talking with a Chicken God, Youmu extended one of her wings, conveniently pointing in the right direction. “Under the awning there.”

Kutaka grinned, pulling out her whistle. “This’ll do the trick, then. How did I write it…? ‘O Phantoms, Return to Thy Proper Place’.” She blew on the whistle, producing a short, sharp trill. In the corner of her eye, Youmu saw a line of spectral blue fire trace under the awning. And a couple of green bursts of light. Youmu took a glance over at Koishi, who gave a thumbs up, and nodded in satisfaction.

The chicken goddess smiled, sitting back and yawning. “Ahhh, now I know what that feeling was. Thank you, young Lady…?”

“Youmu.” The two birds shook hands. “Reiuji Youmu.”

There was a brief pause, as Kutaka tilted her head. “Youmu, Youmu… there’s something about that name…”

Youmu sat up. “Really? What was it?” The chicken god screwed up her face, but seemed to be making little progress. At length, Youmu sighed. “...You’re too tired to remember, aren’t you?”

Kutaka playfully stuck out her tongue, and bonked her head. “Sorry, Youmu. I’m a birdbrain at the best of times, and this definitely isn’t the best of times. Where do you live? Maybe I could pass on a message?”

Youmu paused for a second. “O-oh, well, uh…”

Koishi trotted up. “Lady Niwatari? I’m Koishi. Youmu here is my escort.” She offered a hand, which Kutaka shook. “Apologies for butting in, but… does the thing about Youmu have to do with the Immaterial Children?”

The chicken god blinked, then straightened up. “Yes! Yes, that’s it! Old man Konpaku told me he was chasing down every Youmu he could, because one of them could be his Youmu.”

Youmu blinked. “...Konpaku… Youki?”

Kutaka smiled. “Yep! You’d know him if you met him. Wizened old man, half-phantom, ghostly white hair… wears a lot of green… two swords…” She looked Youmu over again, muttering the same description under her breath. “...Looks a lot like you, actually.”

Koishi grinned, leaning in to whisper. “We came here because Youmu… is one of the Immaterial Children. We actually came up here trying to find Akyuu.”

Kutaka… slowly began to beam. She was the sort of person whose smile seemed to fill their whole body, down to her wings curving up in excitement. “Oh, how wonderful! We’ve been getting worried, you know. It’s been a whole month since we found the first two!” She scooched in closer. “So, you all turned into youkai, right? You’re… a hell-raven, yes?”

Youmu… didn’t respond. Grandpa was looking for her. Grandpa was looking for her. She turned her head up, reaching out to grab Kutaka.

“Where is Gran-where is Konpaku Youki?!” She couldn’t help but let slip a slight air of desperation. “I-I need to speak with him, as soon as possible!”

Kutaka took a moment to think. “...Uh, I think he’s exploring Former Hell right now. Found a lead he thought was really promising, about this… Phantom of Chireiden, I think.”

Youmu’s face fell. Was he seriously investigating the Phantom of Chireiden the one day she wasn’t anywhere near home?! “Are you serious?!” She leaned back, groaning. “Did we seriously miss Grandpa by a few hours?!”

Kutaka chuckled awkwardly. “I… I guess so.” The chicken goddess gave her a pat. “Well… does anyone who’s still there know where you were going?” Youmu nodded, slowly. “Then I’m sure they’ll convince him to stay, or something like that. In fact, it’s probably better - he’s still recovering from a rough battle a few weeks ago.”

The hell-raven sighed. “But… but still…” She sagged, feeling her wings trace along the dirt path. “I can’t believe…”

She leant forward, rubbing her forward. Now that she was suddenly thrust a lot closer to one of her ultimate goals… all of the other considerations were beginning to surface themselves. “Ah, what am I even going to say…? How do I even prove it…?”

The goddess gently reached out, patting Youmu’s head. “It’ll be okay, young one. You all remember bits and pieces of your past lives, right? …I think your grandpa has a trick up his sleeve. Regarding a certain family blade.”

Youmu straightened up. “Hakurouken? Would… would it accept me like…” She twitched her wings. “Like this?”

The chicken goddess chuckled. “No need to say it like it’s a curse, young one. As for if it’ll work… well, I certainly hope so. Whether or not Hakurouken would accept any given wielder has been his guiding light, all this time.” Youmu fidgeted, prompting a more reassuring pat from Kutaka. “Relax, Youmu. The only reason we know where the Immaterial Miko is, is because her own ancestral weapon responded to her, despite being a youkai.” Kutaka smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure Hakurouken will take a liking to you just the same.”

Youmu sighed. “I hope you’re right…” She straightened up. “Well… I suppose we should go back to waiting for Akyuu, shouldn’t we? Sorry for taking up your time, Lady Niwatari.”

Kutaka lifted up the letter again, swinging up . “It’s not a problem, I promise. I’ve just got this letter to deliver to Akyuu, then I’ll be off.”

Koishi grinned, sitting down on Youmu’s other side. “So we’re all waiting for Akyuu then, are we?” She took Youmu’s hand, giving it a reassuring pat. “Perhaps while we wait, we can double-check that our Youmu is the Youmu you’re looking for. Got some good stories to tell of her grandpa? I’m sure I’ve got a few of her, as well.”

As the two began to swap stories around her, Youmu did her best to take a slow breath and process. Hakurouken… the thought of being able to wield it again had set all her nerves ablaze, and she could barely sit still. And, likewise, the thought of it rejecting her threatened to break her heart. What would she do then? If the most central, core proof of being a Konpaku failed her?

…Then the Komeiji sisters would be there for her. Even as she was worrying, Koishi was trying to prove who she was, just in case. If the worst came to pass, Koishi and Satori wouldn’t abandon her. As a pause came, Youmu looked at the young mistress, who gave her a reassuring smile. The hell raven felt her heart ease…

Youmu felt the comforting flow through her, doing nothing to stymie it. Sometimes it snuck up on her just how mature Koishi could be. She closed her eyes, letting herself slip back into her memories.



Youmu felt the rising tide of embarrassment flow through her, doing everything she could to not show it. Sometimes it snuck up on her just how devious Koishi could be. She closed her eyes, trying to parse through her memories.

It had started out innocently enough. Discussion of specific techniques, and traits about sword styles according to the untrained eye. Koishi and Kutaka both seemed ever-more reassured about the connection, which was a good thing.

…And then something had changed. Youmu wasn’t sure what she’d done, but Koishi had taken the reins of the conversation, and determinedly shifted its course. It had, without seemingly any conscious acknowledgement by Kutaka, shifted from ‘comparing Youki and Youmu’s habits and behaviors’ to ‘telling embarrassing stories about Youmu’, and all the hell raven could do was sit there and take it.

She’d told all sorts of stories, from embarrassing failures in her early gardening attempts to the time she wet herself on her first day in Chireiden (thanks to a certain kasha’s spooky powers). And every time a story seemed to be about to wrap up, Koishi would throw out a little hook or debate, Kutaka would always bite, and Youmu would be back on the embarrassment treadmill. She groaned, as the story started up yet again.

As the stories seemed to be, presently, unending, Youmu did her best to tune it out. Instead, she tried to focus on everything else around them. The bustle of the stalls, the sizzle of the grills, anything other than the people right next to her.

It was as she was just about to zone out completely… that she heard it.

Something she hadn’t heard, - not just remembered or psychically sensed, but truly heard, in her entire life.

“...You sure she’s fine, Reisen?”

Youmu felt her heart catch.

“I’m sure. Lady Eirin said she came over this way, didn’t she? People who’ve gotten psychic migraines don’t go have lunch in a public place.”

Youmu’s eyes began to frantically scan the crowd. Looking for something, anything.

“I hope she’s not mad…”

“You just got a bit over-excited and peaked the proverbial mic. She’ll understand, I’m sure.”

The crowd parted, and Youmu saw them. Two rabbits, both in light, modern clothes, working with large packs. Reisen was standing, in the usual white button-up and pink skirt Youmu remembered from her past life. And the other rabbit, in a yellow shirt and green skirt - she was turned away from Youmu, kneeling on the ground and fiddling with her pack’s contents.

It was Reisen who met her eyes first. The lunar rabbit’s eyes focused on her, assessing her for a moment. Then on the chicken god next to her. Slowly, Reisen began to smile, turning to her companion. “Come on, leave that for a sec, will you? We can play with the packs once we’ve had lunch.”

“...I-I don’t know, I’m not ready.” The kneeling figure sagged. “What if she doesn’t recognise me? What If I don’t recognise her?”

Youmu stood up, slowly. The two on her sides said - something, a question maybe. She didn’t catch it. Her brain was flooded with memories. Memories of sharing recipes and dishes they’d studied and worked on together. Of reading stories of dazzling adventure with shared excitement, and tales of absolute horror under great protest.

Of coming around the corner, only to find a friend she’d brought tea to only minutes before reduced to even less than ash.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Something tells me, one look at each other, and you’ll know who’s who. You’ve got perfect memory, after all.” As her companion began to protest, Reisen reached over, dragging the pack away. “Now come on, I’m sure she’s been waiting for you.”

Youmu began to step forward, stumbling, shoving through the crowd. Pulled along by an invisible string that she’d forgotten existed for almost her entire second life, now as unyielding in its force on her as an iron chain. As the other rabbit straightened up, Youmu felt tears forming. Purple hair, of an unmistakable shade. An unforgettable shade. “...You sure she’ll know it’s me?”

Reisen smiled, putting one hand on her companion’s shoulder… and gesturing to Youmu with the other. “I think she already does. Don’t you, Youmu?”

The younger rabbit… turned. And Youmu’s heart soared, as what was completely, absolutely, undeniably Akyuu looked her in the eyes.

“Youmu?”

[ ] …



(Any write-ins for Akyuu specifically, use A instead of the usual X. Any write-ins for Youmu, use Y.)
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and here we are at last! two immaterial children at the same time!

[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.

(i want those happy chirps!!!!! and some tears.)

[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.

if i think of anything else, i'll add them in later. but for now, LET THEM HUG!
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[Y] Tackle hug! Specifically a tackle. Knock Akyuu to the ground.

[A] Fall to the ground with a yelp.

That oughta be funny enough.
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[Y] Thank goodness you escaped! Don’t worry Akyuu, I’ll save you from becoming lunch! Your desperate distress call nearly exploded my brain, so you must have been truly frightened.

It occurs to me that Youmu’s little misunderstanding at the gate was never fully cleared up.
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>>208389
It kinda was.
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[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.

[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.
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[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.
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[Y] "Akyuu... Its good to see you AGAIN..."

[A] "Right back at you, mu. It feels like we were at that shrine just YESTERday..." Begins psychically broadcasting Alstroemeria Records' cover of Bad Apple.

Alright, got that out of my system. Seriously now; this is my actual vote:

[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.

[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.
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[Y] Tackle hug! Specifically a tackle. Knock Akyuu to the ground.

[A] Fall to the ground with a yelp.
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[X] Hug and ugly cry
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[A] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologise for the psychic migraine.

[Y] Forgive her instantly, because you’re together now and that’s all that matters.
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[X] Hug and ugly cry

[A] Immediately start trying to tell her everything at once- you've got to tell her everything she might have lost about herself.

[Y] In between the stammering apologies and explanations, try to reassure her that everything is okay.

One fresh helping of emotions, please!
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[x] Youmu & Akyuu proceeds to hug each other, with the former initiating the hug & the latter being briefly surprised before hugging Youmu back.
-[x] Both of them try to start the conversation at the same time, realize that the other is also trying to speak, repeat until they both laugh (with both of them stating how much they missed each other).
--[x] Reisen & Koishi are busy looking at the girls bonding before looking at each other and slightly waving to each other, initiating some small talk.
--[x] Kutaka is just satisfied (and forgets about the letter that she was supposed to deliver to Akyuu). Fortunately, Koishi reminds her before it's too late.
--[x] Yukari can be seen briefly looking at the sight through a tiny gap before she decides to get back to work.
--[x] Suwako is slightly amused, but doesn't do anything.
--[x] ???
---[x] ?!?

Well, time for Kosuzu!?!?!?
Just kidding :3
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>>208399 here:
Just to make sure that I don't doom myself when counting this post...
It's just the first two suggestions.
Or...
[x] Youmu & Akyuu proceeds to hug each other, with the former initiating the hug & the latter being briefly surprised before hugging Youmu back.
-[x] Both of them try to start the conversation at the same time, realize that the other is also trying to speak, repeat until they both laugh (with both of them stating how much they missed each other).
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[X] Tackle hug with lots of chirps.
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[Y] Tackle hug! Specifically a tackle. Knock Akyuu to the ground.

[A] Cry-pologize. Let all the tension go.
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>> What would she do then? If the most central, core proof of being a Konpaku failed her?

Youmu you are more konpaku than you think.

[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.
[Y] Forgive her instantly, because you’re together now and that’s all that matters.
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[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.

[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.

[A] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologise for the psychic migraine.

[Y] Forgive her instantly, because you’re together now and that’s all that matters.

[A] Immediately start trying to tell her everything at once- you've got to tell her everything she might have lost about herself.

[Y] In between the stammering apologies and explanations, try to reassure her that everything is okay.

-------------------------

anyone want to bet the Red letter that Kutaka is carrying says something along the lines of Reimu trying to make a meetup point for Akyuu and ... the important bit under current context... has sent a pair of Otter spirits to guide her there? XD

>“Did we seriously miss Grandpa by a few hours?!”

unless I am mistaken, I think it was *an* hour!
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[Y] Tackle hug! Specifically a tackle. Knock Akyuu to the ground.

[A] Fall to the ground with a yelp.
[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.
[A] Immediately start trying to tell her everything at once- you've got to tell her everything she might have lost about herself.
[A] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologise for the psychic migraine.

[Y] In between the stammering apologies and explanations, try to reassure her that everything is okay.

[X] Remember you're in a crowded space and caused a scene. The people here might not know what the ruckus is, but many hearts were warmed today.

[X] Let's go have lunch, maybe assist to the grand re-opening of a certain stall?
- [X] Invite Kutaka to join us. The more the merrier.
- [X] And have a parfait for dessert

Birbs are friends.
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[Y] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out.

[A] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other.


Off-topic: Yes, I'm a different person than all the others lol
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>>208404 here

adding to vote:

[X] Remember you're in a crowded space and caused a scene. The people here might not know what the ruckus is, but many hearts were warmed today.

[X] Let's go have lunch, maybe assist to the grand re-opening of a certain stall?
- [X] Invite Kutaka to join us. The more the merrier.
- [X] And have a parfait for dessert
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Counting to >>208407:
Well, this will be hard to organize. I think?

Write-Ins:
For Akyuu ([A]):
[6] Return the hug. It's been a long time since you've last seen each other. (>>208387, >>208391, >>208393, >>208404, >>208405, >>208406)
[3] Fall to the ground with a yelp. (>>208388, >>208394, >>208405)
[3] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologize for the psychic migraine. (>>208397, >>208404, >>208405))
[3] Immediately start trying to tell her everything at once- you've got to tell her everything she might have lost about herself. (>>208398, >>208404, >>208405))
[1] Cry-pologize. Let all the tension go.(>>208402)

For Youmu ([Y]):
[7] Hug Akyuu. Tightly. Reassure yourself she's here, and she's alive, both of you are alive and safe, and... just... let it out. (>>208387, >>208391, >>208392, >>208393, >>208403, >>208404, >>208406)
[4] Tackle hug! Specifically a tackle. Knock Akyuu to the ground. (>>208388, >>208394, >>208402, >>208405)
[1] Thank goodness you escaped! Don’t worry Akyuu, I’ll save you from becoming lunch! Your desperate distress call nearly exploded my brain, so you must have been truly frightened. (>>208389)
[3] Forgive her instantly, because you’re together now and that’s all that matters. (>>208397, >>208403, >>208404)
[3] In between the stammering apologies and explanations, try to reassure her that everything is okay. (>>208398, >>208404, >>208405)

Miscellaneous Write-Ins ([X]):
[2] Hug and ugly cry. (>>208395, >>208398)
[1] Tackle hug with lots of chirps. (>>208401)
[2] Remember you're in a crowded space and caused a scene. The people here might not know what the ruckus is, but many hearts were warmed today. (>>208405, >>208407)
----------------
[1] Youmu & Akyuu proceeds to hug each other, with the former initiating the hug & the latter being briefly surprised before hugging Youmu back. (>>208400)
-[1] Both of them try to start the conversation at the same time, realize that the other is also trying to speak, repeat until they both laugh (with both of them stating how much they missed each other). (>>208400)
----------------
[2] Let's go have lunch, maybe assist to the grand re-opening of a certain stall? (>>208405, >>208407)
-[2] Invite Kutaka to join us. The more the merrier. (>>208405, >>208407)
-[2] And have a parfait for dessert. (>>208405, >>208407)

Hm... What am I forgetting? Oh right...
Note that all of these options can be combined together in various ways. However, certain options such as:
>>[A] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologize for the psychic migraine.
>>[Y] Forgive her instantly, because you’re together now and that’s all that matters.
are mutually inclusive as they technically wouldn't make sense without their counterpart.
Although, this is a very specific & likely a moot point.
>>208403, did you mean to add Akyuu's portion (i.e. [A] While hugging and slightly sobbing, remember to apologize for the psychic migraine.) as well?

On a final note, thank you Gooboi for continuing to write/type this story & congrats on making it this far. (There's a lot more left to do though...)
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__konpaku_youmu_and_konpaku_youmu_touhou_drawn_by_
The moment she saw Akyuu’s face, what little had been holding Youmu back broke. She ran, shoving through the few people remaining, doing anything she could to keep moving. Akyuu still seemed frozen, stunned.

The moment there was a clearing in the crowd, Youmu surged forward, faster than either of them had been expecting. Her full body slammed into Akyuu, toppling the smaller rabbit over from the force.

Youmu twisted her body, pulling Akyuu around so that she landed on top. Her arms and wings both closed around the rabbit, tightly, holding her close. As if she might slip away again if even the slightest grip was spared.

“Y-Youmu?!” The rabbit looked up at her, shocked. There were subtle differences, but… it was Akyuu. Alive. Whole. Safe.

Youmu… couldn’t find words. She said… something, but even she couldn’t tell what it was, between ragged sobs. She held the chronicler close, trying to speak.

“Y-Youmu…” The rabbit managed to get her arms free, hugging her back. “I-I’m sorry. When I was sending those messages, I got excited and-”

Youmu nodded, trying to focus on the blurry image of Akyuu. “I’m fine. Don’t worry, I was fi-.”

“No you weren’t!” The chronicler’s voice was heavy with guilt, and tears were beginning to fill her eyes. “I - when I saw you were on the surface, I-I was so happy, and I just- I lost control, A-and then you passed out, I’m sorry, I just - I was trapped up on the moon, and I couldn’t find a way down, and I-I wish I could have been here sooner, but- but all the options were so, so dangerous, and, and-”

“It’s fine.” Youmu kept holding her close. “I’m safe. You’re safe.” She let out a ragged breath. “I’m the one who should be saying sorry. When the time came… I failed to protect you. To protect anyone.”

She looked up at the sunny sky above. “And… I didn’t even see it happen to you. One moment you were there, the next, you were… just gone.” Youmu hugged the rabbit tighter. “…and then I forgot about you all. For years and years. But… you remembered. You got here. You brought me back. …Thank you, Akyuu.”

The rabbit let out a haggard sob, burying her face in Youmu’s chest. The hell-raven stroked her back soothingly, feeling her heart swell with every sensation. “There’s… there’s so much I have to tell you, Youmu, a-and-”

“We’ll figure it out.” Youmu sat up, bringing the sniffling rabbit with her. “There’s two of us here now.” She took an unsteady breath, trying to hold back from bursting into tears. “We’ll get them all home. Marisa, and Reimu, and Kosuzu, and, and, uh-”

Akyuu managed a laugh. “Y-you sure you’re right, Youmu?” She sat up, smiling. “...Yeah. W-we’ll save all of them, won’t we? Together.”

“Together!” The two of them chuckled… before a murmur slowly brought the rest of the world into focus.

A small crowd had gathered around the two of them, murmuring a bit. Koishi and Kutaka were trying to get the crowd to disperse, while Reisen seemed to be focusing her efforts on stunning a wolf tengu who was rubbernecking on the conversation. The two girls at the center flushed, slowly trying to stand.

Youmu turned to the young chronicler. “We actually haven’t properly introduced ourselves, have we?” She stuck out her hand. “Reiuji Youmu, of Chireiden. Satori calls me Myon.”

Akyuu took it, giving a firm shake. “You’re from Chireiden?” She turned to look with momentary nervousness, until she saw Youmu’s companion. “...well, if it’s Koishi, it’s fine. Inaba Akyuu of Eientei, ex-Eagle Ravi.”

Before Youmu could ask, Akyuu seemed to realize something. “Oh! Um, if you haven’t heard, Reimu’s awake as well. But she hasn’t been able to come to the surface yet - Yachie and the others are still negotiating. So we’ve been trading letters.” Youmu stiffened, as Akyuu tilted her head. “Um, did you hear, actually? About Reimu, and Yachie?”

Youmu gave a curt nod. “...mmm. I did.” The swordswoman let out a sigh. “...Hopefully they manage to pry her away soon. If not, I might just have to go down there and take her away myself.”

The rabbit smiled. “Well, we can talk more about that later. Have you two had lunch yet?” Youmu shook her head. “Well then! I’m sorta indebted to Mystia, so how about we have some lamprey and talk things over? I’m sure we both have a lot to discuss.”

Youmu grinned, brushing a bit of dust off her wings. “Oh, definitely.”

As they stepped towards the stall, and the crowd began to disperse… a short figure alighted on a nearby roof, out of sight. Moriya Suwako looked over the crowd, watching them quietly.

“...So that’s the Immaterial Chronicler, is it? A moon rabbit…” Suwako folded her arms. She’d actually seen that rabbit before, coming to the Moriya Shrine once a few weeks ago. She hadn’t realized she was new. If she had, then… would she have realized sooner?

The goddess sighed. “...Come on, Youmu. You’re so, so close.” Suwako squatted down, watching the Immaterial Children move about. “Don’t stop now, little birdy.”



Lamprey eel was not an ingredient easily found in Former Hell. Youmu tucked into her serve eagerly, savoring the flavors.

Koishi was just as eagerly devouring her skewer. She reached up to wipe a bit of sauce off her lips. “This is so good! Youmu, we have to bring some of this home!”

The swordswoman nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure everyone else will love it too. Orin will go ballistic.” She chuckled.

The two groups had briefly broken up, while the Inaba sisters worked on reorganizing their packs. Reisen had volunteered to do the rest of the deliveries solo, to give Akyuu and Youmu more time to catch up, so their packs had to be rearranged to all fit in one bag. Fortunately, it seemed like it’d be possible, eventually.

When the two rabbits were fully engrossed, Koishi leaned in, giving a conspiratorial whisper. “You sure we can’t take one of them home? We don’t have any rabbits at Chireiden yet!”

Youmu gave an awkward chuckle. “I think they’re already spoken for, Koishi. Princess Kaguya would be very unhappy if you took her pets away.”

Koishi sighed… but took a glance over at the rabbits. They hadn’t seemed to have heard her. “Well, I was sorta asking just to check… Youmu, I need to ask you something.”

Youmu looked over at her. All of a sudden, Koishi’s face was… she’d never seen that expression before. “What is it, Lady Koishi?”

“...Your friend. She seems to think I can’t read her mind.” Youmu blinked. “But… I can. And I don’t know why she’d think that.” She turned to Youmu. “Would she… know I’m a satori? The rabbits want to hide something from me, but I think they reassured each other while the crowd was still around, so now they’re not thinking about it.”

“Oh, absolutely. She definitely would know that, but…” Youmu shrugged. “She’s kinda psychic now… maybe she thinks she can block your abilities?”

Koishi shook her head. “She seemed to think big sis was more concerning, though…” She groaned, rubbing her head.

Youmu tilted her head. “So… then what should we do?”

Koishi leaned forward. “You have to ask her why. Why she thinks I can’t read their minds.” She smiled. “If there’s a way for me to not read people’s minds… then maybe nobody has to be afraid of me anymore!”

Youmu… gave it some thought. It was an important question, but… there was an obvious risk as well. If Akyuu thought some secret was safe, then… maybe she would react badly on learning it wasn’t as secret as she thought. Worst case scenario, she might even think she was under attack.

…But still, it wasn’t like Akyuu had any big secrets to keep, was it? Nothing that she wouldn’t tell Youmu, surely? The hell raven sighed, mulling it over. “I’ll… think about it. Might be best to ask later, when…”

When no satoris were around. Koishi sagged at the unsaid implication. “Well… it’s up to you, I guess. I can’t probe without revealing it, and I think if she knew I was probing, well…”

Youmu put a reassuring hand on Koishi’s shoulder. “I’ll figure it out. We’ll be fine, Lady Koishi.” The satori smiled at her, nervously. “Once they’re finished packing, let’s get some parfaits and we’ll all have a big talk.”

Koishi smiled. “I’ll trust you, Youmu.”

The two of them sat there, discussing some of the sights Koishi had seen already, with Youmu patching up a few gaps in her understanding. Before long, they’d had their fill of the eel, and with a final wave to the proprietress, they all stood up, and headed over to the parfait parlor.

Youmu took a few moments to observe her old friend more fully. Now that the initial burst of excitement was over… there were some clear differences between the Akyuu she remembered and the Akyuu in front of her. And not just the ears, or her height (belatedly, Youmu had realized she was tall enough now to be the equivalent of a several-years-older human Akyuu, which had thrown her off a bit). She also composed herself slightly differently - more alert, attentive, assertive. She seemed like she was a bit more spirited, too.

Youmu smiled as the chronicler came closer. “So, you’ve been on the surface for about a month, right?”

Akyuu nodded. “Yeah… and it’s been pretty non-stop for me ever since. Training with Reisen, trying to write up the chronicle, doing deliveries, trying to get in contact with the others… It beats the lifestyle of a rabbit soldier, though.”

The hell raven chuckled. Somehow, even with the more… soldier-y Akyuu in front of her, she could still imagine her so vividly struggling with a warrior's training. “I bet at least the beds back in the Hieda estate are comfier, right?”

There was a slight pause. Akyuu didn’t quite meet her gaze. “Um, well… I haven’t actually been there, yet.” Youmu turned to Akyuu. “I-I’ve just been so busy, you know?”

Somehow, Youmu didn’t even have to look at Akyuu’s shifty expression to doubt that. “Oh really? What sorta stuff has been taking up your extra time, then?”

[PICK TWO]
[ ] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[ ] “Princess Kaguya’s been helping get me back into civilian life. Trying to make sure I don’t blow my cover when I officially step forward as the Child of Miare.” (-1 Instinct)
[ ] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
[ ] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[ ] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
[ ] “...I’ve been… playing chess. With a certain shinigami. Certainly not slacking off, ahah…” (No change.)

{ } Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
{ } More subtly, try and fish out any secrets she’s keeping.
{ } Nope, all too risky. Another time, maybe.

( ) Any specific topics to discuss?




For the third choice, once again we’re going with (A) and (Y). It’s suggestion based, not vote based, like way back when Y'all were interrogating the otter in Redo/Reimu’s first arc, unless people’s choices start to conflict. (For example, if some people wanted Akyuu to tell Youmu what she thinks Jenny-say-kwah means, and other people think she shouldn’t.)

Instinct Resistance is pretty obvious in this case, I think. Like the other stats, it’s a five-point scale, whose only benefit is reducing the negative effects of the Instinct stat/other species-related issues.

Oh, and tallyanon! It didn't matter too much this time, but can you group the suggestions this time by topic, rather than by character?
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>>208409
Ok :3
[x] “...I’ve been… playing chess. With a certain shinigami. Certainly not slacking off, ahah…” (+1 to chess skills)
Maybe we'll have to play chess against the Pyres to save Gensokyo... I'm just joking, haha.

[x] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[x] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
{x} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
Hey, Akyuu & Youmu are friends. Surely they can be honest with one another? :3

-{x} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?
Just curious :3
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[x] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[x] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
{x} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

-{x} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?
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[X] "Lady Eirin's given me some special mind exercises! I'm not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! ... Um, I mean Myon."

if koishi's around here, akyuu needs to shore up her mental defenses NOW. koishi might not have any malicious orders for akyuu, but better to be safe than sorry.

[X] "Eheheh... well, I've been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?"

just because. theres a few other reasons, but it mainly boils down to just "fuck it, i want to see one of the most important humans of gensokyo like being a youkai better, social order be damned." a bit out of spite, a lot more out of curiosity of how everything will go after the pyres are defeated if one of the integral humans of gensokyo likes being a youkai way better.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can't read her mind.

youmu is kinda blunt and direct about things.

akyuu being made aware that koishi can still read minds is likely to send her into Panic Mode, but that's what her training with eirin is for, right? and if youmu knows what happened to koishi in the past timeline, then she can hopefully actively try to steer her away from it instead of us being kind of vague and hoping we make the right choices and know what to say.

...problem is, koishi can read our mind too. and if she ever finds out that there is a way to not read people's minds, she might take it regardless of the cost. even if she knew what would happen to her.

fuck it, i'll take that risk.

sorry for the amount of write-ins, i just had too many ideas to pass up.

(Y) "You've been trading letters with Reimu? How is she? The brainwashing isn't too bad, is it? You've been working on reversing it?"

as funny as the mental image of youmu ripping and tearing (well, sliching, dicing, and slashing, more like) her way into the animal realm to "save" reimu is, we have to clear this up soon.

(Y) Also ask if it's possible to send her own letters to Reimu. Former Hell and the Animal Realm are connected, right...?

(A) Don't forget about the letter Kutaka had! If it's from Reimu, maybe the two of you can read it together?

(Y) Ask about the Moriya goddesses. Weren't they supposed to arrive after the Sixty Years incident?

(A) (leading from youmu's previous question) "Have they come down to bother your sister about nuclear fusion yet?"

(Y) Explain Suwako's offer and ask for her opinion on whether she should take it or not.

(A) "How is Former Hell, by the way? I've never been there, for obvious reasons, but I've heard a lot of things about the hot springs there..."
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[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

The instinct resistance is useful, and I’ve mentioned far too many time how much I prefer to have neutral spirit when I can. Also…

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?

We’re bringing up the big secret anyways, why don’t we just make an attempt to stick the landing.

Is doing this a bad idea? Probably, but I don’t exactly want to have Koishi closing her third eye, and this might be a good warning against that. Plus we get some more Jenny-say-kwah, which could be rather nice.

Also, bringing up Koishi closing her third eye in this manner is funny in a dark way.
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Hey, a new stat!
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

Seeing that we saw what instinct can do (stupid centipede) I say we take this in case someone pulls something on us from the moon.

[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)

Now that Eiki is back, I think she would do this, seeing otherwise Gensokyo wouldn't have a record of...this. So yeah.

On the topic...be blunt. Either way, if Akyuu thinks Koishi can't, but we find out now we can...then Akyuu learns to be more vigilant and we have the info. So ye.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

Additions...

(A) Any specific sweets local to hell?

You know why this is here.

(Y) Did you know Youki was looking for her?

How the heck did Youki get mailed to the Satori mansion?

That's about it, this is a lot. Hopefully we get Akyuu some buffs
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[x] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[x] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
{x} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
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[x] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[x] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
{x} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

I think these are the most helpful. The thing that moves spirit to youkai-3 is useless because Akyuu is already youkai-3 (iirc).
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[A] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[A] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
This is a new life, with a new purpose. Akyuu can afford to live a little and enjoy her lapine body.

---

{Y} More subtly, try and fish out any secrets she’s keeping.
-{Y} Admit your own ignorance as to what Koishi was like before this reincarnation business. Implicitly prompt her to explain what she knows about Koishi.
(Operating on the assumption that Konpaku Youmu has no first-hand knowledge of Koishi.)

Akyuu believes that Koishi can't read minds. Youmu only knows this because Koishi can read minds. Bringing this up blatantly reveals that Koishi can read minds to a person who is hesitant to trust mind readers. The question is whether Youmu should reveal it or not. I say no, because we can always choose to reveal it later, but we can't un-reveal it.
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)

[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

Eiki did say once that she wanted for all of Immaterial Children to live their childhood again to their fullest so, why not?

{Y} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
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[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)

I'll say, I'm really enjoying Akyuu's story. From being sheltered, isolated and frail in her previous life to free, hale and healthy in this new one, surrounded by people who treat her as a peer and as close family (SHe could have had that in her previous life, I don't know, I'm a fake fan...). I think she'd pursue any way to overcome the weaknesses of this body. And, after all, having fun and enjoying this life was one of the Yama's orders, right?

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

This is a painful decision. On the one hand, not bringing it up could give rise to some trust issues, and I don't think Youmu could sit comfortably with that. On the other, bringing it up could strain poor Akyuu around Koishi; either trying to suppress her knowledge of what the original had done around Koishi, or we'd have to have a very precarious conversation with her, even on top of all the other conversations we need to have. On that topic, though, the questions I'd like asked:

(X) Save the heavier questions for last. Don't want to sour our reunion.

(Y) Reassure Akyuu about the Hieda estate situation - channel the comforting power of Satori Komeiji. Pat the rabbit.

(A) Ask Youmu how this life has been - presumably, she's one of Satori's pets?

(Y) Ask Akyuu if she's ready to talk about the previous timeline's final incident. If she isn't, drop it.

Akyuu died quickly, and despite her perfect memory, she didn't speak of any of the greater specifics of the incident in her chapter, such as the shades or what occured in the gapped shrine. Previous timeline Reimu tells Youmu what little she knows about the pyres. I might be making assumptions, but it seems like Reimu witheld information of the incident from those who were locked in the shrine gap with her.

Discussing it could bring about a great synthesis of Akyuu and Youmu's collective knowledge - but it could also arouse great distress. Akyuu very likely has PTSD from the event - burning to death and then also having your soul eaten away at while you float helplessly with no sensation but pain sounds like a traumatic event to me, and could explain why her explanations were somewhat scant. Having PTSD while also having perfect memory sounds hellish.
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[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

All the benefits of having Instinct with none of the drawbacks? Gimme.

[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)

I'd feel bad for Eiki otherwise.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?

Is this how people play "low Int; high Wis" characters? Youmu's perceptive enough to notice things about Koishi's third eye and ponders about it at this exact moment, but because she lacks background knowledge she couldn't connect it Koishi's ability to read minds.
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[A] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
[A] “Princess Kaguya’s been helping get me back into civilian life. Trying to make sure I don’t blow my cover when I officially step forward as the Child of Miare.” (-1 Instinct)

{Y} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
{Y} Admit your own ignorance as to what Koishi was like before this reincarnation business.
{Y} If she's vauge-ish about why: ask what happened to Koishi in the previous timeline.

{Y} Ask about Youki? Maybe?

{A} Mention Re/Awakening.
{A} Discuss the reason we reincarnated and what Youmu implied she remembers.

Rip off the bandaids, especially Koishi's. If we don't try to get clued in on this then we aren't doing right by Koishi. We need the full picture, though. Koishi needs to know the full extent - or near-full extent - of closing her third eye.

On a lighter note:
{A} Any specific sweets local to hell?
{A} Any weird new behavioral quirks of your new reincarnation? I'm sweet obsessed.
{Y} What is it like having rabbit ears? I'm not used to having wings yet, myself.
{Y} Mention how you got confused about dinner portions.
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[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
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This votes got to be the largest by sheer volume of different choices I've seen in this story... hope you can manage, Gooboi and Tallyanon.
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>>208421
Just realized that I used the choice indicators completely wrong. I think things may be getting a little too confusing with them between there being 3 different choices and only the third one using the Y/A indicator for who is acting.
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
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Adding to >>208418

(Y) "Oh right! Kutaka had a letter for Akyuu!"
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[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)

[A] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make
sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.”

I love the idea of Mama Eiki.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

The longer we wait the more likely Koishi is to close her eye. We need to help her ASAP.
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.”
[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?”

Reject humanity, embrace bnnuy

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

Even if this blows Koishi's cover, it's better to talk about it now.

(Y) How are things in Hakugyoukurou? Is Lady Yuyuko OK?
(Even if she has new mistresses to serve, Youmu must be a little worried about her)

(Y) How's grandpa? He didn't leave for his long training trip this time around?
(Youki never told anyone about his injuries. Youmu might be worried she caused him to halt his training, unaware of his real fate.)

(Y) Have you noticed anything different in Reimu?
(I left this one ambiguous on purpose)
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[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind

Not related to the chapter, but I wonder if Youki will have to be the one to talk Youmu out of doing anything drastic with Yachie. I don’t think he cares much for her either, but he has actually met Reimu and can confirm that she is in fact Yachie’s daughter.
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>>208419 Here, just adding an extra write-in:

(A) Ask how Youmu's adjusting after being "reawakened" by Akyuu.
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>If there’s a way for me to not read people’s minds… then maybe nobody has to be afraid of me anymore!

Hahahahahahahahaha. No. Protect the koosh.

Anyway, ahhh so many options!

[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

A pyon and a brand new stat? Count me in.

[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)

Reimu and Youmu get the Hakurei and Konpaku family techniques. It’s only fair that Akyuu gets some too.

{(╹◡╹)} Nope, all too risky. Another time, maybe.

As much as I would like to protect Koishi, this isn’t going to work. Also, I don’t want Koishi annoyed at us, because then she might run off.

Now I might be wrong here. But I don’t think Akyuu knows how Koishi closed her eye, just that she did and that it affected her.

As such, it would probably be better to ask Akyuu, because then we can get a controlled release of information which includes all the no longer existing stuff.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?

I’m a bit too tired to make up my own suggestions this time, but I’m quite happy with most of the ones everyone else has suggested.

Thank you very much for taking all of our suggestions Gooboi.

And to the brave tallyanon: godspeed. May your counting be swift and accurate. We salute you.
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[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
Ganbare Eiki-san. Don’t let her lose her way.
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
From a pragmatic standpoint she really needs that resistance.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

I don’t care that this leaks the info to Koishi, she’s going to find out eventually anyways. I want this out in the open and capable of being discussed with her as to why it will go horribly wrong. We need to have this in mind to show Satori the potential future so that she can do something about her sister while she still has a chance.

Also I’ve only been skimming discussion while reading through this but has nobody brought up the point that “Ichi” and “Go” makes Strawberry? It’s so obviously Yumeimi and Chiyuri I don’t know why anyone would think otherwise at this point.
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[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?

(Y) Reassure Akyuu about the Hieda estate situation - channel the comforting power of Satori Komeiji. Pat the rabbit.
(A) Don't forget about the letter Kutaka had! If it's from Reimu, maybe the two of you can read it together?
(Y) Explain Suwako's offer and ask for her opinion on whether she should take it or not.

RIP Tallyanon
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>>208436

I actually did bring that up in the Ao3 version of Reimu’s story. And funnily enough, did so because I thought it was a silly Bleach reference. I now know better.
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File 171650035088.png - (543.83KB, 1322x1184, KutakaWaiting.png)
KutakaWaiting
>> The otter was just behind a familiar yellow-winged woman. She was idly kicking her feet, holding a letter, and observing the crowd. She was mostly blonde, except for a shock of red hair, which contained within it a small chick. Niwatari Kutaka seemed mostly bored, idling her time.

>> The two got closer. Koishi whispered in Youmu’s ear.

>> “...The winged girl is waiting for Akyuu, I think. And the otters - there’s two back there - are following her.”
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>>208439

Ayy its Kosu! Great art!

Bringing up that scene again - could those two otter have been the two otters in the car with us in Reimu's chapter? The driver and the guardian? It would've been pretty awkward slashing the shit out of them if so.
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>>208436

I did in the shorts thread, (though that was entirely on the physical description and the ichigo = strawberry I only saw later.)

>Suwako folded her arms. She’d actually seen that rabbit before, coming to the Moriya Shrine once a few weeks ago. She hadn’t realized she was new. If she had, then… would she have realized sooner?

Realized what sooner Suwako?

>The goddess sighed. “...Come on, Youmu. You’re so, so close.” Suwako squatted down, watching the Immaterial Children move about. “Don’t stop now, little birdy.”

also, stop what?

>We’ll get them all home. Marisa, and Reimu, and Kosuzu, and, and, uh-”

Who was the last one Youmu was trying to recall here? Was it Akyuu and her brain catching on or just you verbal momentum caused her to extend the ands too far and stumble from it? hm.

[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)


I am not sure what to put for the second one... maybe tempted for the instinct resistance, for the slipped out Pyon... but I do hope it's not too high for when [/i]everyone[/i] meets together.

hm, might go with the Tewi one, considering how they started out, them getting along sounds nice! as long as Tewi is giving her sister a break in return. (perhaps in helping nab a certain Shinigami in her trap brought this about?

On the other hand, having already started the training to resist the hypnosis might have the oh hey I'm actually sitting beside a mind-reader go over a liiitle better?

or having a chance to get some more chess games with Komachi and it...might? be funny for her to realize that she might've gotten distracted by other things and realizing she should have been getting on the training sooner than she has... hmmm

Ah screw it, go with the one point of resist. Akyuu was talking about it right at the end of the , maybe not push it to full… and get a Pyon here. Orrrrrr… I dunno, I’ll hold off on the second option for now either the resist option or the Tewi option… possibly the Komachi option.

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-(Y) “This may be due to the black flames… but I have a hard time remembering much about Lady Koishi from the first time around… would you know why that could be?”


(A) “Reimu’s… Past? First? Original? What word should we use? Anyways, Hakurei Haru is Alive! It was a little close… but she’s still here!”
(A) “Speaking of which… have you spotted Kiene in the underground perhaps?”
(A) ”Also, what was going on the first time around in Hakugyoukurou during the training incidents?”

(Y) “Do you know of any Youkai or other creature from Gensokyo’s past or before even then that produces black flame?”

(side note to that, I hope being a Pyre doesn’t echo back to here, I hope the Fairies of Light are alright!)

(Y) “There was a fight at Moriya last night, did you catch what was going on there? Just the regular duel between Kanako and Suwako?”

(Y) “Why was Mystia having a Reopening, did something happen to her stall?”

(A) “What do you think of how the village is with the Youkai here?”

(Y) “The Scarlet Mist Incident is due just about now isn’t it?”

This next one mostly because Youmu (or any of the other IC in her place) would ask this, even if we do know it won’t have an answer:

(Y) “Any sign of Marisa or Kosuzu?”

(Y) “Would you know of Jenny Say Kwah? And how does one cultivate it?”

Might add some more later, just wanted to get this ones posted.
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[X] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
-{X} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close?
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[X] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.”
[X] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.”

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

(Y) What is it like having rabbit ears? I'm not used to having wings yet, myself.
(A) Don't forget about the letter Kutaka had! If it's from Reimu, maybe the two of you can read it together?

>>208408 Yes, I forgot to modify it, I was busy at the time
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>>208440
Thanks but admittedly this one could have used more work.

>>208441
>> Realized what sooner Suwako?
She's asking herself "would I have realized she was the child of miare/one of the immaterial children?"

>> also, stop what?
Probably means "don't stop proving you're worthy of Yatagarasu's power" or something like that, but I'm not completely sure.
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>>208443
Sorry if I was rude. :/
Also, new update for LBOL? :3
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To you and me, Koishi's ego death and unconscious state is an existential horror story. To Satori, and by extension the rest of Chireiden, it's a source of great grief and worry.

To everyone else who was even aware of the situation, it's a relief. Please remember that the last time Akyuu discussed Koishi's business, she wasn't exactly pro-satori either. That was a lifetime ago with drastically different circumstances, but it's not like she's had any reason to revisit it since. (The fact that she currently has a specific reason to be extra worried about mind reading may not help.)

And to Koishi herself... well, the Koishi we see in canon isn't necessarily capable of holding a meaningful opinion. To whatever extent she might, she seems overall positive about her state, or at least superficially inclined to act like it. ("I love not thinking!" and all.) It's not as if you can exactly say she regretted her choice or suffered from it. The Koishi in this fic, although she's clearly in a better place overall, still is grappling with the same issues that led her to close her eye before. Will she really not find the idea at all tempting?

All that being said, this topic is going to have to be brought out into the light of day at some point. Can't keep secrets from a mind-reader. Better to start working with it now, in a relatively controlled way, than risk an inconvenient surprise later or a misinterpretable dripfeed from Akyuu’s stray thoughts.

{Y} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
{Y} Admit your own ignorance as to what Koishi was like before this reincarnation business. [There are a couple other write-ins getting at the same idea of focusing on Youmu's lack of memories, with different phrasing; I just grabbed one.]

I like this approach best; it seems pretty natural to ask about the apparent blanks in Youmu's memory.

As for the other stuff,
[A] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[A] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
(Y) What is it like having rabbit ears? I'm not used to having wings yet, myself.
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Ah... I'm sorry, Tallyanon...
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Counting to >>208446:
Main Choice #1:
[14] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[1] “Princess Kaguya’s been helping get me back into civilian life. Trying to make sure I don’t blow my cover when I officially step forward as the Child of Miare.” (-1 Instinct)
[9] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
[7] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[20] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
[0] “...I’ve been… playing chess. With a certain shinigami. Certainly not slacking off, ahah…” (No change.)

Main Choice #2:
{24} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.
{1} More subtly, try and fish out any secrets she’s keeping.
{0} Nope, all too risky. Another time, maybe.

Topics:
Note that for certain sections (Especially those that have [Y] or [A]), I'm putting the count to the side with the anons' posts. Just experimenting on stuff...
About Koishi's Third Eye:
-{8} Somehow, Youmu ponders on whether Koishi's third eye can blink or not. Surely sleeping would make Koishi's third eye close? (>>208410, >>208411, >>208413, >>208420, >>208422, >>208434, >>208437, >>208442)

About Reimu:
[Y] "You've been trading letters with Reimu? How is she? The brainwashing isn't too bad, is it? You've been working on reversing it?" (1; >>208412)
[Y] Also ask if it's possible to send her own letters to Reimu. Former Hell and the Animal Realm are connected, right...? (1; >>208412)
[A] Don't forget about the letter Kutaka had! If it's from Reimu, maybe the two of you can read it together? (3; >>208412, >>208437, >>208443)
[Y] Have you noticed anything different in Reimu? (1; >>208430)

About the Moriya Goddesses (Suwako & Kanako):
[Y] Ask about the Moriya goddesses. Weren't they supposed to arrive after the Sixty Years incident? (1; >>208412)
[A] "Have they come down to bother your sister about nuclear fusion yet?" (1; >>208412)
[Y] “There was a fight at Moriya last night, did you catch what was going on there? Just the regular duel between Kanako and Suwako?” (1; >>208441)

Suwako's Offer:
[Y] Explain Suwako's offer and ask for her opinion on whether she should take it or not. (2; >>208412, >>208437)

Personal Life:
[A] "How is Former Hell, by the way? I've never been there, for obvious reasons, but I've heard a lot of things about the hot springs there..." (1; >>208412)
[A] Any specific sweets local to hell? (2; >>208414, >>208421)
Almost was tempted into making a specific section for this.
[A] Ask Youmu how this life has been - presumably, she's one of Satori's pets? (1; >>208419)
[A] Any weird new behavioral quirks of your new reincarnation? I'm sweet obsessed. (1; >>208421)
[Y] What is it like having rabbit ears? I'm not used to having wings yet, myself. (3; >>208421, >>208443, >>208446)
[Y] Mention how you got confused about dinner portions. (1; >>208421)

About Youki:
[Y] "Did you know that Youki was looking for me?" (1; >>208414)
I do apologize if this edit wasn't what you intended, >>208414.
[Y] Ask about Youki... maybe? (1; >>208421)
[Y] How's grandpa? He didn't leave for his long training trip this time around? (1; >>208430)

About Koishi (:3):
{Y} Admit your own ignorance as to what Koishi was like before this reincarnation business. Implicitly prompt her to explain what she knows about Koishi. (1; >>208417)
{Y} Admit your own ignorance as to what Koishi was like before this reincarnation business. (2; >>208421, >>208446)
Close, but not close enough to be considered the same.
-{Y} If she's vague-ish about why, ask what happened to Koishi in the previous timeline. (1; >>208421)
[Y] “This may be due to the black flames… but I have a hard time remembering much about Lady Koishi from the first time around… would you know why that could be?” (1; >>208441)

Headpats (?):
[Y] Reassure Akyuu about the Hieda estate situation - channel the comforting power of Satori Komeiji. Pat the rabbit. (2, >>208419, >>208437)

About the Previous Timeline:
[Y] Ask Akyuu if she's ready to talk about the previous timeline's final incident. If she isn't, drop it. (1; >>208419)
[A] ”Also, what was going on the first time around in Hakugyoukurou during the training incidents?” (1; >>208441)

About Re/Awakening & Reincarnation:
[A] Mention Re/Awakening. (1; >>208421)
-[A] Discuss the reason we reincarnated and what Youmu implied she remembers. (1; >>208421)
[A] Ask how Youmu's adjusting after being "reawakened" by Akyuu. (1; >>208433)

About the Letter for Akyuu:
[Y] "Oh right! Kutaka had a letter for you, Akyuu!" (1; >>208427)
Again, I apologize if the slight edit wasn't what you intended, >>208427.

About Yuyuko:
[Y] How are things in Hakugyoukurou? Is Lady Yuyuko OK? (1; >>208430)

About Haru Hakurei:
[A] “Reimu’s… Past? First? Original? What word should we use? Anyways, Hakurei Haru is Alive! It was a little close… but she’s still here!” (1; >>208441)

About Keine:
[A] “Speaking of which… have you spotted Keine in the underground perhaps?” (1; >>208441)

About Pyres:
[A] “Do you know of any Youkai or other creature from Gensokyo’s past, or before even then, that produces black flame?” (1; >>208441)

About Mystia:
[Y] “Why was Mystia having a Reopening, did something happen to her stall?” (1; >>208441)

About the Human (?) Village:
[A] “What do you think of how the village is with the Youkai here?” (1; >>208441)

About EOSD:
[Y] “The Scarlet Mist Incident is due just about now isn’t it?” (1; >>208441)

About Marisa & Kosuzu:
[Y] “Any sign of Marisa or Kosuzu?” (1; >>208441)

About Jenny Say Kwah Stats (Why are you breaking the 4th wall, Youmu?):
[Y] “Would you know of Jenny Say Kwah? And how does one cultivate it?” (1; >>208441)

Miscellaneous Suggestions:
[1] Save the heavier questions for last. Don't want to sour our reunion. (>>208419)
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>>208448 here (Hey, I get the right to leave miscellaneous notes :3)
Unfortunately, this took 1 hour. Fortunately, this only took 1 hour. I can survive doing this type of count once per week... I think?
Anyways... I do apologize if the topic list was not to your liking, Gooboi.
As mentioned in >>208448, I will be doing some experiments when counting & sorting for topic instead of for character. I may need suggestions on what I could potentially optimize (to make it easier to read [As you can see, >>208448 isn't really readable]).

To the readers (and voters), please note that not all of your suggestions will be taken (As that would probably take Gooboi 10 years to compile and write). Although, he'll probably combine most of this (:3).
To >>208441, why? (I do like the suggestions though :3)
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Horrible, terrifying thought: What if we got into a spellcard duel involving 2+ immaterial children? Especially if they were dueling each other... I think that a single update would take up a whole thread.

On an unrelated thought, what did Suwako ever do with all those corpses? Like, unless she dumped them all in one large pit, I'm not sure even a goddess would have the time to preform proper rights for all of them. Do you think she just left a mountain of rotting bodies in the middle of the shrine before going off to play guardian angel for Myon?
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>>208450
Fortunately, I don't think the count thread will be as long :3.
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>>208450
that's probably why they were fighting last night.

"Suwako, what the hell made you think it was a good idea to bring home A LITERAL MOUNTAIN OF CORPSES?"

poor sanae, having to clean up the corpses while kanako yells at suwako again
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>>208452
Honestly, I would like to think that they were also fighting to determine who got to clear out the mountain of corpses that Suwako brought.
Sanae is too young for that type of task.
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Ahhh... thank you for your hard work, Tallyanon. That topic list is great, thank you.

Fortunately, I don't intend to do this more than once per arc. It's only because there's a significant gap in the two character's understanding and depending on certain choices, there may not be all the time in the world to discuss matters.
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>>208436 here, I’d like to add a vote for having youmu and Akyuu ask eachother about the Moriya’s

About the Moriya Goddesses (Suwako & Kanako):
[Y] Ask about the Moriya goddesses. Weren't they supposed to arrive after the Sixty Years incident?
[A] "Have they come down to bother your sister about nuclear fusion yet?"
[Y] “There was a fight at Moriya last night, did you catch what was going on there? Just the regular duel between Kanako and Suwako?”
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I really hope I'm not too late...

[X] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)

...just I wish her to embrace her new body and know she's just isn't stock in a bedroom wriiting books. (If I understand that point system correctly)

{X} Ask why she thinks Koishi can’t read her mind.

Get this out of the way ASAP imo
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>>208445
nah, don't worry :)
yep new patch, although it is a beta you will probably see a lot of changes in the new cards in these weeks
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Wait, I just realized that I could've put the third eye thought in the Koishi section. *Sigh*
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Gonna have to sleep on this update, but promising y'all it's a nice and meaty one. Haven't managed to fit every request in, but at least the remainder are either already known, or will be revealed eventually.

With that said, it's actually gonna be a hot minute until the Koishi Question, so while the Akyuu stat choice is closed, and the Topic Write-ins are now (mostly) closed, the choice about Koishi is still open!

Could probably split the update as is and upload some tonight, but i'm in no state to proofread or edit for thp. You'll see the whole update tomorrow, and i'll probably be able to squeeze out a much shorter next choice update too.
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>>208459
Thanks for the heads-up, take as much time as you need
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[14] “I’ve been doing extra training with Reisen! She’s been teaching me some special family techniques.” (+1 Instinct.)
[1] “Princess Kaguya’s been helping get me back into civilian life. Trying to make sure I don’t blow my cover when I officially step forward as the Child of Miare.” (-1 Instinct)
[10] “Eheheh… well, I’ve been having a bit of fun with Tewi, honestly. Just a few tricks, you know?” (Spirit moves to Youkai-3)
[7] “Eiki’s been over a lot, trying to make sure I’m doing my duty on the Chronicle, and otherwise fussing over me. I know she’s got my best interests at heart, but still… you know how she is.” (Spirit moves to Youkai-1)
[20] “Lady Eirin’s given me some special mind exercises! I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap hypnosis, pyon! …Um, I mean Myon.” (Gain 1 point of Instinct Resistance.)
[0] “...I’ve been… playing chess. With a certain shinigami. Certainly not slacking off, ahah…” (No change.)

Akyuu stuttered for a moment. “W-well, mainly what I’ve been doing is training, you know.”

Youmu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What sort?”

“Lady Eirin’s been giving me some special training to resist hypnosis!” The rabbit pumped her fist. “I’m not gonna be taken out by some cheap mind trick, pyon!”

There was a pause. Youmu kept looking at Akyuu. “...Do you mean Myon?”

“Um. Yes.” Akyuu couldn’t quite meet Youmu’s gaze. “That’s… I just misspoke, sorry.”

Eventually, Youmu sighed, finally breaking her stare. “Why do you even need that sort of training?”

“...Well… let’s just say it’s very useful to have as a moon rabbit.” Akyuu said, waving her hand noncommittally. “It’s… one of the best ways for Lunarians to try and control us.”

Youmu flinched a bit at that. “...Suddenly, you’re not making a moon rabbit sound that inviting. Are there any upsides to it?”

Akyuu nodded, grinning. “Well, the telepathy is how I found you, isn’t it? Not to mention I’m a lot stronger and faster… and besides, I’m not just any ordinary moon rabbit. I’m part of a special gene-warr- a special family that can use the Lunatic Eyes, and Reisen’s been teaching me how!”

Youmu looked over at Reisen, who’d sat on the other table, opposite Koishi. “Really? You can use hallucinations too?”

“Well… we’re getting there.” Akyuu shrugged. “Most of my hallucinations and stuff are based off my own memories, but… according to Reisen, it’s become a bit of a crutch. So she’s trying to get me to work on more spontaneous illusions.”

The hell-raven hummed. “I see… sounds like you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, I have so-”

“But… surely they’d have let you go see the Hieda family if you asked?” Akyuu flinched, quieting down immediately. “...Though I suppose it depends on what you’re asking, isn’t it?”

Akyuu muttered her next response half-under her breath. “...You can always see right through me, can’t you, Youmu?”

The swordswoman nodded firmly. “I might be better on the battlefield than around the negotiating table, but I certainly know you well enough. You’ve been avoiding them, haven’t you?”

The rabbit didn’t respond, balling up. At length, Youmu sighed, reaching out to give the Chronicler a pat on the head. “...Look, I’m not gonna give you a long lecture. I’m sure you get plenty of that from everyone else. But the longer you leave it, the harder it’s gonna be to eventually break through, alright?”

Akyuu nodded, a bit hesitant. Youmu… slowly retracted her hand, staring at it. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it until she was already into it, but… Akyuu had just provoked that response from her. Like a sad animal.

Youmu shook her head. It was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her.

Akyuu’s Instinct is now 3.
Akyuu’s Instinct Resistance is now 1.


[A] Any specific sweets local to hell?
[A] Ask Youmu how this life has been - presumably, she's one of Satori's pets?
[A] Any weird new behavioral quirks of your new reincarnation? I'm sweet obsessed.
[Y] What is it like having rabbit ears?
[Y] Mention how you got confused about dinner portions.


It was about that point when the parfaits arrived. The group had split into two tables, giving the two Immaterial Children some semblance of privacy to talk. Youmu started slowly, still trying to put away her other thoughts.

“...So… what is it like having rabbit ears? I’m… still adjusting to my new body, myself. Or… rather, the lack of one of them.”

Akyuu had taken a much bigger parfait than Youmu remembered her having in her past, and had to swallow a bit before speaking. “Well… they’re pretty good. One’s always getting in my face, but with enough power over wavelengths, I can probably make that a non-issue.”

The rabbit traced Youmu’s gaze, to her spoon. “And the other thing is that I’ve got a crazy sweet tooth. According to Eirin most rabbits are at least somewhat like that.” She looked a little awkward. “...I think half the reason she insists on me joining in the deliveries is to keep my weight in check.”

Youmu chuckled. “Well, at least you’re fit enough to do it, right?” The rabbit grinned, flexing her arm as Youmu continued. “I haven’t noticed a big difference in my tastes myself. …Well, maybe I’m more tired of spicy things, but that’s more just a consequence of the cuisine in Former Hell.”

Akyuu smiled. “Oh yeah, you’re obviously from Former Hell this time, right? Any good sweet stuff down there?”

Youmu tilted her head. “Mmmmm… not a whole lot, it’s a spice-and-sake sorta place for the most part. But there’s some nice, fruity puddings in there. They all tend to be on the sour side, though, so you’d have to temper it.” After a moment, she snapped her fingers. “Oh! There was this mousse I had an idea of making, but Lady Koishi just seemed to hate the very thought of it. Maybe I’ll have to make that for you, sometime.”

Akyuu licked her lips. “Ah, I’d like that - but don’t spoil the surprise for me just yet. So you’re still a cook on the side down there, are you? …You’re Satori’s pet, I’m guessing?”

Youmu nodded. “Yep. It actually caused a few problems last night, because I started making Yuyuko-sized portions.” The chronicler started to chuckle at the thought. “But we had enough pets to make a banquet out of it, so it worked out okay.”

The chronicler smiled. “Glad to hear it didn’t go to waste. …You said Reiuji Youmu, right? That means… Okuu’s your sister? I’m assuming big sister? Because it would be an earth of a coincidence if we were both pets, and little sisters.”

Youmu shook her head. “Actually, she’s my twin sister. …She’s very slightly taller than me, but not as big as you remember.”

Akyuu seemed to pause, taking that in. “Maybe she had a growth spurt from… you-know-what.” Youmu nodded. “When you say twins, do you mean from the same clutch, or…?”

Youmu tilted her head. “From the same egg, actually - or so we were told, of course.”

Akyuu looked at her, taking a moment to think. “...That could be quite interesting. There’s lots of superstitions around twins, you know. Saying they’re linked down to the soul, and that.”

Youmu shrugged. “Well, I certainly still feel like my old self. Is that really important?”

“...It could be. It could be very important.” Akyuu looked at her, evenly. “...Youmu. Have you ever heard of… Re/Awakening?”

[A] Mention Re/Awakening.
-[A] Discuss the reason we reincarnated and what Youmu implied she remembers.
[A] “Reimu’s… Past? First? Original? What word should we use? Anyways, Hakurei Haru is Alive! It was a little close… but she’s still here!”
[Y] "Did you know that Youki was looking for me?"
[Y] Ask about Youki... maybe?
[Y] How's grandpa? He didn't leave for his long training trip this time around?


Youmu shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard of it. What’s that?”

“Basically, it’s… the leading theory on why we were reincarnated. Why even I came back as a youkai, rather than just being a passenger alongside you all.” Youmu raised an eyebrow at that.

“It’s… Can I show you something? With Lunar Rabbit powers?” Youmu nodded. And Akyuu put her spoon down, reaching to take Youmu’s hand. At once, Youmu’s mind was filled with an image of… wearing a robe of purple crystal.

“...Whoa.” Youmu tried to lift her hand, but the body she was seeing didn’t react. “What is this?”

“Well, it’s my memory, so it’s moving the same way I did. As for those crystals, it’s… my past, superimposed on my present. Supposedly, it makes us a lot more powerful. Both me and Reimu have managed to do it… exactly once.” Akyuu let go of Youmu’s hand, and the illusion faded. “That’s Re/Awakening. And it allows us to change fate itself - both of us managed to save someone who was fated to die.”

Youmu raised an eyebrow. “How… how do you do this Re/Awakening?” Akyuu raised an eyebrow at the swordswoman’s perfect pronunciation. Youmu just smirked. “Seems like it’d be a powerful tool if we could control it.”

“Yeah, but… it’s not that simple. You need to be in a life and death situation… or at least feel like it… and you need to have your past and current lives being super-heavily juxtaposed. And you need to have a little bit of your past life in your memories, too.”

Youmu frowned. “Well… I don’t know what to tell you, but… I don’t think it’ll be that simple.” Akyuu looked surprised. “I’m still a swordswoman, right down to using Konpaku Style. In any life and death situation I can think of… my lives are pretty similar.”

The rabbit turned her head. “...You sure? What about Utsuho? If your souls are linked… then maybe she can access it too.”

The swordswoman shrugged. “I mean, if we can make a life and death situation out of cultivating some orchids, maybe we have something, but… I just don’t think it’d be super possible. And the only big difference in Okuu’s life is me - and the fusion thing of course, but she doesn’t have memories of her past life.”

Akyuu tapped her chin with her spoon. “...Maybe it’d need a specific trigger? Like… Hakurouken?”

Youmu sat up at that. “Now there’s a thought.” She said, mulling it over. “Maybe if I got my hands on Hakurouken, that might do it. …If only I can convince Grandpa it’s me…”

Akyuu grinned. “Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that too much. Reimu’s done a fair bit of convincing for you.”

Youmu blinked. “Reimu’s met Grandpa?”

Akyuu nodded, eagerly. “He’s the one she saved! He was up against Toutetsu Yuuma, and it was only Reimu’s help that got him out of there.” Youmu blinked, feeling a drop of sweat drip down her back.

“Are… are you sure that he would’ve…”

Akyuu nodded. “No doubt about it. Actually, it’s one good turn for another so far - I saved Haru, and she saved Youki. Maybe we’re making a little loop?”

Youmu took a deep breath to steady her worries. “Well… if it comes to that, I’ll just have to save them the old-fashioned way, I think. …You’ve spoken to Reimu?”

[Y] "You've been trading letters with Reimu? How is she?"
[Y] Also ask if it's possible to send her own letters to Reimu. Former Hell and the Animal Realm are connected, right...?
[A] Don't forget about the letter Kutaka had! If it's from Reimu, maybe the two of you can read it together?
[Y] Have you noticed anything different in Reimu?
[Y] “Any sign of Marisa or Kosuzu?”


“Well, I haven’t spoken with her directly.” Akyuu said, lifting up the letter Kutaka had handed her earlier. “But we’ve been trading letters, back and forth.”

Youmu looked it over. “...Are you sure it’s from Reimu? I mean… she’s with Yachie, right?”

Akyuu nodded. “Trust me, the handwriting is one-hundred-percent Reimu’s.” She grinned, starting to open the letter. “Here, why don’t you read it for yourself?”

Youmu watched as Akyuu struggled with the letter. “...What about Kosuzu and Marisa? Any news about them?”

Akyuu shook her head. “Nothing concrete. I’ve heard from the Hakurei Shrine that there’s a lead on Marisa in the village, maybe, but they haven’t been able to chase them down. If she’s a youkai who doesn’t remember her past life, I can’t imagine the idea of anyone from the Hakurei Shrine trying to follow her went over well. And it might have just been another member of the Kirisame fa-mily!” She ripped the letter open at last, pulling out the contents.

Youmu raised an eyebrow. “Is there anything we can do, then?”

Akyuu grinned. “Well, if she’s in the village, I’ve got a special trick.” She handed the letter over to Youmu. “Here, read this out, I’ll just fetch it from my pack…”

Youmu took the proffered letter, unfolding it and beginning to read aloud.

Akyuu,

Thanks for your detailed response on that. Sounds like I’ve got a lot of work to do when I get to the surface. We’ll talk more in person - hopefully, I’ll be able to come over very soon.

Mama’s still being insistent on an escort, but I’m holding my ground. She’s tried to get any number of people on with me, but we’re slowly wearing through the options. I expect that I’ll be able to come up next week at the latest.

I’ve only been getting an even stronger gut feeling about this ‘psydar’ thing. Let me know as soon as you’ve tracked down Youmu, okay?

Stay safe,
Reimu.


Youmu scowled at the letter. “‘Mama’, huh…”

Akyuu gave an awkward look at that. “Apparently Yachie dotes on her.” Youmu scoffed. “...Something the matter?”

“...Are you sure Reimu’s gonna be okay? Yachie’s… an incredibly manipulative person. And being part of the Kiketsu is… it’s not a good thing in the slightest.” Youmu’s eyes stayed locked on the one word of endearment.

Akyuu lifted a tightly-bound stack of paper. “Well, if it makes you feel better, supposedly she makes for a rather poor Kiketsu. Always trying to stick up for the humans, and liking the benefits of human ingenuity. Pretty clear she’s not a Kicchou all the way through.” Akyuu gave a weak chuckle. “I once mentioned I was ‘refining’ my skills as a moon rabbit, and it turns out that’s a word Yachie likes using to describe Reimu’s need to be more Kiketsu-like. That letter was a lot longer than three paragraphs, I assure you.”

Youmu breathed a sigh of relief. “That… makes me feel a lot better, Akyuu. Thank you. Hopefully we get her here soon… things seem pretty tense here right now.” The swordswoman looked away from the letter, at the pages Akyuu was holding. “And… what is that?”

“It’s a manuscript of a 'fictional story', of the world-that-was.” Akyuu smirked, spinning it around. “Going up under the nom de plume Agatha Chris Q.”

Youmu looked at it, tilting her head. “So… how does this help?”

Akyuu sighed. “Never been too much of a literary sort, have you? Well, that’s what the psydar was for, I suppose.” She pointed at the pages. “If I can get this printed… maybe we won’t even have to find the others. Maybe they’ll find themselves.”

The hell-raven’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, of course! Particularly that possibly-Marisa, right?” Akyuu nodded eagerly. “That might be just the thing to rouse their memories.”

The rabbit puffed out her chest. “Of course! Nothing the bibliophiles like more than a mysterious book. Heck, I’m pretty sure it counts as a Youma book - a youkai did write it, after all.” Akyuu smirked. “This is pretty much ready to go, as well. Had a couple of editing passes and everything - here, take a look.”

Youmu smiled as they traded paper. “You’ve always been a hell of a fast writer, you know? Are you taking this to that ‘Suzunaan’ place? I’m sure they’d be glad to help.”



“Akyuu?” The rabbit couldn’t meet Youmu’s suddenly stern gaze, hiding behind the letter. “Have you been to any of the families?”

“I… I just don’t know what to say.” Akyuu said, quietly folding up the letter. “And… I don’t know how they’d react if a rabbit says it.”

Youmu folded her arms. Akyuu did seem pretty rabbit-y right now, but… “Akyuu… you need to tell them.” She sighed. “We can do it together, alright? Actually, no, scratch that: we are doing it together. No ifs, no buts.”

As the rabbit flinched at the scolding, Reisen poked her head over at the two of them, subtly giving Youmu a thumbs up. Perhaps they’d have to compare notes later, Youmu mused. The hell raven turned her eyes to the manuscript.

“...Actually, maybe now is the time to ask. I wanted to get some things straight in my memory.”

Akyuu looked up. “Oh? What’s bothering you?”
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>>208449

>>208441 here, sorry! just had a lot of ideas for things for the two of them to talk about, some important, some fun, and didn't want to miss out getting important info... I actually had some more but voting is closed so eh whatever.
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>>208463
It's fine :3
Enthusiasm is always nice.
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[Y] Ask about the Moriya goddesses. Weren't they supposed to arrive after the Sixty Years incident?
[A] "Have they come down to bother your sister about nuclear fusion yet?"
[Y] “There was a fight at Moriya last night, did you catch what was going on there? Just the regular duel between Kanako and Suwako?”
[Y] Explain Suwako's offer and ask for her opinion on whether she should take it or not.
[Y] “Would you know of Jenny Say Kwah? And how does one cultivate it?”


“...Suwako came down to Chireiden recently. To speak to me.” Youmu looked up at Akyuu’s shocked face. “Yeah… she’s considering me to be a second Yatagarasu, with Okuu.”

“...Oh my. That’d be…” Akyuu paused, tilting her head. “She seriously thinks you’re up for it?”

Youmu tilted her head. “Well… she says she thinks I have potential. That Chireiden Ravens are more reliable than outside ones. And she’s asked to monitor me to see if I have the Jenny-say-kwah.”

“The what?”

“The Jenny-Say-Kwah. Something secret that makes me and Okuu good candidates. Apparently Okuu’s got more of it than I do, but-” Youmu raised an eyebrow as the rabbit started to snicker. “What?”

Akyuu resisted the urge to chuckle. “Pfff… I think I might have an idea what she means.” As Youmu leant forward, Akyuu put her hands up defensively. “Ah, it’s only a guess, though. Wouldn’t want to upset a curse god by implying something she’s not actually doing.”

Youmu sighed. “Why does everyone who seems to have an idea dodge the question…?” Akyuu gave her a pat on the shoulder. “A-anyway, I did want to ask about that, but… there’s something else bugging me.”

Akyuu tilted her head. “What is it?”

Youmu looked up at her. “I’ll admit… my memories regarding the Moriya are particularly fuzzy, but… I can’t help but feel something’s wrong about this. So… maybe you could patch things up for me?”

Akyuu paused, as if debating what to say. “That’s a blank spot for you? …Odd coincidence, that. Reimu asked me to send the recount of the Moriya with my last letter, too.”

Youmu shrugged. “Admittedly, I never kept too great a grasp on surface events if I wasn’t participating. My memory’s pretty patchy in some places…”

Akyuu smiled, reassuringly. “Well… I think it’s pretty clear why you’re distressed. You’re thinking they’re early, right?” Youmu nodded. “Well, that’s because of their official story, I think.”

Youmu tilted her head. “Official story?”

“Yeah.” Akyuu nodded, picking up the book and starting to flip through the pages. “Because they originally used the Spring Snow Incident as justification for the nuclear plant. But building that big reactor must have taken longer… so they probably were planning much earlier than that.”

Youmu looked up at her. “...You sound pretty confident making that speculation.”

The rabbit rapped her hands on the paper. “The Moriya’s arrival was one of the first events I was old enough to record as it happened. So documenting them became a bit of a special project of mine.”

Youmu nodded, slowly. “...Maybe that was it, then…” She sat up, musing. “Admittedly, I’m even more flaky on the incidents before the Spring Snow one.”

Akyuu smiled. “Well… without Reimu, they went a fair bit differently than they did in our world. The Twinned Invasion incident was… well, the incident itself was resolved peacefully enough, but things went pretty poorly afterwards. The Demon’s Record Incident followed, and that went… well, the Hakurei took some injuries, but it still didn't get too far out of hand.”

The rabbit leaned back, humming. “Next was… A bunch of spooky ruins appearing near the Hakurei Shrine? It wasn’t considered a true incident in our timeline, and it still isn’t here, for a change - apparently some girl named Kotohime resolved it in the end.” Youmu blinked. Surely that was a coincidence, right…? “...After that was the Lotus Rampant Incident… As in Kazami Yuuka. That one went… very, very wrong.”

Youmu leaned in, feeling dread fill her. “What happened?”

“Well… Hakurei Haru was still dealing with injuries from the Demon’s Record, so she couldn’t keep up with Yuuka, and got even more badly wounded. And Yuuka’s youkai ran rampant all over the place.” Akyuu raised a finger. “That was about the time the Moriya came in, probably to use the incident for faith-gathering. They missed the deadline last time, Reimu had it wrapped up before they even got here, but this time… Kanako helped resolve things, and chased Yuuka back to the Garden of the Sun. And, well… if you’re wondering why the Makaians have a treaty, they negotiated that as well.”

Youmu shook her head. “Sounds like I owe Suwako even more than I thought… Reimu’s really gonna go spare when she sees them, isn’t she? Speaking of going spare… do you know what happened last night between them? Apparently there was a big fight.”

A firm shake of the head. “First I’m hearing of that, but… well, it’s nothing all that unusual for them in either case. Does that clear things up for you?”

…Did it? There was something still bothering Youmu. Just the slightest, littlest nagging doubt. But… surely she could trust Akyuu? At length, she sighed. “I guess… I’m sure when Reimu gets here, she’ll be able to dig out any details you’ve missed.”

Akyuu huffed dramatically. “What, you don’t trust me?” She chuckled. “Hopefully. Something was bugging her about it too, maybe you can put your heads together and find something that’s kept outside of civilian life.”

Youmu pushed the paper back, and Akyuu started putting it away. “Now… if I’ve filled in a gap for you… can you fill in a gap for me?”

[Y] Ask Akyuu if she's ready to talk about the previous timeline's final incident. If she isn't, drop it.
[A] “Do you know of any Youkai or other creature from Gensokyo’s past, or before even then, that produces black flame?”


Youmu took a deep breath. “...You mean the very end?”

Akyuu nodded. “I was hoping you remembered more than I did. Last thing I can remember is drinking some very nice tea, courtesy of a certain half-ghost gardener. Much worse memories I could go out on, I suppose.” She picked up the parfait cup, starting to scoop around the edges. “What do you remember?”

Youmu… took a deep breath. Of course Akyuu would be curious about a gap like that. And she was clearly ready to have this conversation.

Hopefully Youmu was too. She took a moment to compose her thoughts. “...Do you remember feeling a bit of rumbling before the end?”

Akyuu nodded. “Oh, yes. Kosuzu spilled her tea on herself.”

Youmu hesitated. “That was… Yukari starting to bring us to the surface. She was dying, and covered in this… strange black fire. I… think she was trying to let us out before she… couldn’t. Marisa touched the flames, and then… she was gone.”

Akyuu let out a gasp. Youmu did her best to not get too distracted. “Um, we panicked, but Yukari told me to cut through… to cut through the flames with Hakurouken, and that’s how Marisa ended up a little mote. She started explaining some things to us. About the flame, and the Pyres.”

Akyuu tilted her head. “...I’ve never heard of black flames. …That makes it hard to speculate on… What are these Pyres?”

Youmu tried to steady her breath, feeling her heart start to pound. “They were these… living flame things. Looked a lot like fairies, actually. But… but before Yukari could properly explain things, we heard a scream from Kosuzu.”

The hell raven pulled at her collar, feeling her hand get slick with sweat. “We… came around the corner and …you were also up in flames. Burning away. We put out your flame the same way, and…” She took a deep breath. “A-and then you were a little ball too.”

Akyuu winced. “...Perhaps I got lucky, then. I was sitting closer to the door… I must have taken my hit from behind, and died before I realized. …Youmu… are you alright?”

Youmu only barely heard Akyuu’s question, picking up her parfait spoon. “We… we tried to protect Kosuzu, so, so she could still act in your stead.” The spoon began to clatter against the glass.

“...Youmu? Youmu!” Akyuu reached out for her. “Slow down, okay?”

“But… one of the pyres spotted us. Through a wall, somehow, and… and Kosuzu didn’t stand a chance.

Akyuu gripped her shoulder. “Youmu, deep breaths. We - we can talk later, alright?”

“We - we cut the first one to pieces, but, but Kosuzu was already gone-”

“Youmu!”

“-One of them heard the noise, and was headed to the shrine so I ran to head it off-”

“Youmu?! YOUMU! YOUMU!” The swordswoman did her best to not get distracted, swinging her blade with deadly precision. The spiral-haired Pyre gasped, as its form began to dissipate.

Youmu steadied herself, breathing heavily. As the black flames dissipated, all that remained was… something like a crystalised piece of charcoal. Youmu stepped back, turning to her last remaining companion as she flicked some sweat off her brow.

“Th-there’s still one more, I think. Don’t get…” She paused. Reimu had partially chased after her, and was now looking around, stunned. Slowly, Youmu followed her gaze… and observed the world they had emerged into.


“Reisen, what’s wrong with her?!”

Dark grey clouds completely, utterly filled the sky. The only exception were the flowing curtains of ethereal, red light raining down from them. But… as Youmu’s eyes traced downwards, she realized that wasn’t even close to the worst of it.

There was nothing alive.

Nothing.

The closest one got to something living was the occasional old, worn log, or faded bones of an animal dead long before the end. Aside from that, every thicket and scrap of grass was completely, utterly gone. Untouched earth sat fallow, unoccupied, next to pillars once covered in moss, now picked completely clean.

“Yukari…” Youmu turned back to the Shrine Maiden, whose face had gone utterly pale. “Where- I need to-” She took off at a run, turning around the corner. Youmu was only a few steps behind.


“Not good… she’s hyperventilating!”

“Calm down, Reimu! The last threat’s over that way! Don’t go runnin-” Youmu rounded the corner, drawing her blades, and-







Yukari was dead.

Youmu looked up, and… saw Reimu, standing over the toppled Komainu statues, and the corpse of the gap youkai. Yukari had rolled onto her back, and her face was burnt, but… still, somehow, eerily peaceful. The back of one Komainu didn’t seem like anything special, but the one Youmu could see the front of had a cavity driven through its chest. And… whatever Youmu had sensed about the Komainu before was-

The slightest disturbance of dust brought Youmu’s vision back into focus. She launched forward, blades at the ready, slicing through the air. With a vicious cut, the last of the Pyres came back into vision, only for the two parts on either side of the cut to fade away. Another crystalline ember was left, and Youmu flicked it away, with the tip of Roukanken.


“Youmu, come back to us!”

“Reimu, these things aren’t so tough! We can beat them, I’m sure!”

There was no response. The half-phantom turned to Reimu, who hadn’t moved. “Reimu…?”

“...There’s no point.” Reimu’s knees gave out beneath her. “Everything’s gone.”

“We can’t give up! Yukari had a plan-”

“Yukari’s DEAD!” Reimu landed on her palms. “Not just vanished, she’s GONE! And the fairies are - She- I-” The shrine maiden let out a wretched sob. “Wh-what are we supposed to do?”

Youmu hesitated. “We, we might still be able to find the culprit, and beat them!”

“...What’s the point? They won.” The miko began to curl up. “Even if we still stood a chance… We failed. We lost. There’s nothing left to save. No-one left to remember.”


“Sh-she’s gonna pass out at this point!”

Youmu began to reach out for the shrine maiden… and paused.

“R…Reimu?” Black flames were beginning to surround the miko. Youmu tried to slash at them without hurting her, but they just seemed to grow, and grow. “R… Reimu, you’re - you’re gonna-”

The Shrine Maiden looked at the flames surrounding her, and just before she was swallowed by the flames, Youmu saw her expression.

It wasn't defiance, or anger, or fear. She… she almost looked relieved.

And then she burst into flame.

“REIMU!”


It was too much, too much, and Youmu couldn’t keep a hold on it anymore. She screamed and thrashed, fighting off the others and the flames, and
the world
went
black.
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hopefully Koishi isn't looking, its probably not pretty for her either...

I wonder what the cavity in Aunn was about.

despair seems to be tied with the flames or at least a method of catching someone on fire with it...nothing to do with Shion... right?
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…Wow.
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There's a lot to unpack here, I'll ask my pillow and reply in full tomorrow.
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>Youmu looked up, and… saw Reimu, standing over the toppled Komainu statues, and the corpse of the gap youkai. Yukari had rolled onto her back, and her face was burnt, but… still, somehow, eerily peaceful. The back of one Komainu didn’t seem like anything special, but the one Youmu could see the front of had a cavity driven through its chest. And… whatever Youmu had sensed about the Komainu before was-

I have a feeling that Yukari lying near the Komainu statue with a small gap through its chest is not just a coincidence.
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Pity a soul so twisted by despair…
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I wonder how Youmu will react once she finds out that Reimu is Yachie’s daughter for real, not just some kidnappad and indoctrinated youkai kid.
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hm....

with how similar youmu's lives are, i think going for jenny-say-kwah and becoming an avatar of yatagarasu might actually be the play for a re/awakening here. it's a really, really marked difference between both lives, not to mention the sheer amount of power that comes with it. problem is, just how different would it be? suwako mentioned being able to cut atoms apart, so.... fission? and okuu can be fusion, if she gets it as well.

maybe. that's just speculation for now. but i've been growing more and more partial to getting youmu nuclear, and this is just more fuel to the fire, so to speak. or would the proper saying be more fuel for the nuclear reactor they're building?

switching to another topic- it's getting pretty heavily implied that the pyres we see in youmu's flashbacks are the three fairies of light. youmu says they looked like fairies, and reimu even referred to them as such.

if i had to guess, star sapphire was the one who attacked kosuzu (long, trailing hair, sensed them through a wall) and got cut to pieces in return. luna child was the next one youmu killed (spirals framing her face), and sunny milk was the last one to go (fire trailing with spurts off the top corner of her head, had the ability to become invisible).

we don't actually know yet if pyres are youkai who got "infected" by the black flames ala zombie apocalypse (that would be absolutely terrifying since gensokyo has a lot of powerful youkai with world-ending abilities, which as demonstrated by the fairies of light, the pyres can use) or if they're some weird recreation by the main threat. some sort of transformation combined with mind control? i dunno, just throwing out ideas here. yukari left a (clearly burnt and not burning with black flames) body behind, so that's a point to the recreation thing, but it's still too early to know for sure. still, it's fun to break things down a bit.

the hourai immortals and keine referred to the main threat as an "it", not a them, implying that there's something behind the pyres. there's also whatever the second pyre left behind after youmu got to it- something like a crystalized piece of charcoal. i don't think the pyres arent the ones being referred to, by the way- mokou said that any human who got close vanishes, but youmu managed to get within wakazashi range without being affected, and since wakazashi are generally shorter swords, she must've gotten pretty close. marisa burst into black flames, but that was after physical contact with the affected.

and there's gensokyo afterwards. dark clouds with strange red lights... seems familiar, but the great hakurei barrier on the verge of breaking is different. jagged, lightning-like cracks running across the sky. the lights here are flowing, ethereal curtains. but the complete lack of life reminds me of the lunar capital. and i dunno if its actual black flames because it's in black and white, but reimu's ofuda had black flames on it when she summoned oomagatsumi (the god of impurity) during her battle with yorihime in ssib.

not to say that we've got the culprit already, it's just one possibility out of many.

might comb through everything so far and start putting pieces together sometime. or wait for a few more tidbits about everything. been loving the hints and flashbacks of the end, though! nice, good whump of youmu losing everyone else one by one.

also, this update was almost 5000 words long. please don't push yourself to give us updates of this size on your almost-daily upload schedule. take as much time as you need for each update, we'll be waiting warmly for you.
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>>208476

Actually, this update was shockingly easy to write because it's basically finally bursting the dam on about a half-dozen lore bombs and stuff like that. That, and I had so much material I didn't even have to try to hit my usual expectation of about 1.5-2k words
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A girl in a white robe stood on a hill, overlooking the human village. She tapped her foot impatiently, glancing between the village and the mountain. “Come on, Megs… what’s taking you so long?”

“You.” The girl jumped, whirling around to see who was speaking. “You’re the one calling yourself Go, right? What exactly are you playing with?”

Go reached into the folds of her robes. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

Slowly, a woman did as she was bid. She emerged slowly, in stages, letting the robed figure see her, piece by piece. Short indigo hair, framing a face with a stern expression. A mature, regal figure, garbed in reds and blacks, and adorned with a mirror atop her chest. Rings of shimenawa rope, around her ankles, wrists, forehead and neck, with a large ring orbiting behind her.

And, of course, an onbashira, hoisted over her shoulder. Yasaka Kanako had a feeling she’d be throwing more than the one in her hand before long.

The goddess stared down the small figure. “I asked you a question, brat. And I want some answers.”

Go slowly straightened up. “Ah, you must be lady Kanako. What brings you here, my lady?”

“Spare me.” Kanako hefted her pillar. “I’ve been asking the tengu to report on any white-robed figures after last night. You’re the one Suwako’s been talking to, aren’t you?”

“My, what on earth could you be-?”

The goddess hurled the pillar, slamming it into the ground. The robed figure toppled over, starting to scrabble away. “You’re already in over your head, brat. Now, are you going to answer my question?”

Go fished through her robe, pulling out a small, metallic object. “S-stay back. This may look small, but it’s a lethal weapon.”

Kanako approached, undaunted. “‘Lethal’ for humans? That’s the standard you’re going for?” She grabbed onto the end of the pillar, tugging it from the earth. “Do you want to know my professional expertise, as a war goddess? Anything can be a lethal weapon, if it’s moving with enough force. That weapon might be the new style, but all it does is make the process more portable to the weak.” She shouldered her onbashira. “Now, are you gonna start talking, or am I going to have to demonstrate?”

She saw the robed figure starting to sweat. “Now, now, calm down. You may not believe it, but what I’m doing is for the benefit of all of Gensokyo. The Immaterial Children need to reach their full potential, if they’re going to pull through from this.”

Kanako glared at the figure, but she didn’t budge, just holding her gaze firm. At length, Kanako sighed. “This is why I’m calling you a brat. You’ve got no perspective on just how dangerous your actions are, do you? You’ve just locked on to an end goal, and you’re pursuing it no matter what means you need to use for it.”

“Now, now, you’re making me out like some evil witch!” Go started to sit up. “I haven’t done anything to Suwako at all, nothing whatsoever! All I did was pass on a little information. Information that you neglected to mention.”

Kanako took a single stomp closer, prompting Go to reaim her weapon. “You mean about Reiuji Youmu.”

The robed figure chuckled nervously. “Well, why not? Suwako certainly thinks she’d make a good candidate for Yatagarasu. Why did you… overlook her, Kanako?”

“You’re not the one asking questions here, brat.” Kanako said, bluntly. “And I’m sure you came up with a good enough answer yourself, if you think gloating about it is anything resembling a good idea.”

She hefted her onbashira again. “You know, I’ve heard rumors about you. Robed figures going around, whispering just enough in certain ears, and yet being unable to be manipulated by other powers. …I believe the running theory is that you’re using some kind of illusion magic?”

The robed figure began to respond, but Kanako cut her off. “But… I detect no magic on you. So perhaps your trick is more… mechanical in nature? No more than smoke and mirrors?” The goddess chuckled. “In other words… a piece of technology, correct?”

At this, Go grumbled. “Think yourself clever, do you?”

“Smarter than you, at the very least. Because I have a hunch… that you wouldn’t be as concerned about protecting yourself…” The goddess surged forward, prompting desperate fire from the robed figure. Kanako shrugged off the blasts, grabbing the girl by the scruff of her collar. Her hood fell back, revealing blonde pigtails.

There was a pause, as both of them took a moment to process. Slowly, Kanako took on a slight smirk. “...if you weren’t really here. Where’s your puppet, pigtails?” Go couldn’t quite meet her gaze. “Or… did the little soothsayer not see this coming?”

The blonde girl began to sweat. “I… I was just planning to play observer…”

“I see! I see.” Kanako lifted the girl up with one hand, gripping her firmly by her shirt, so she didn’t choke. “Well, perhaps you’re in a more straightforward mood now, are you? Talk. What did you do with Suwako?”

The blonde girl squirmed. She couldn’t be more than a teenager, Kanako guessed, keeping her grip just barely too light to hurt her. “I- I told you! All I did was point her in the direction of Youmu! I wanted to help her get Youmu to the surface, but she insisted on doing it her way!”

“I see. So… what else did you do? Surely your goal wasn’t just to get her topside?”

Something fluttered in the corner of Kanako’s gaze, and her head turned, towards the mountain. Small, black figures began to fill the sky around the mountain. The girl in her arm caught the distraction, and twisted her head around, too. “Ah, there goes the flock.”

Kanako pulled the girl down to glare at her. “And what part did you have to play in that, hmm?”

The girl chuckled, in spite of it all. “Aheheh, well… You’re right that the real me’s here. I wanted to see if anything big would happen in the village.” She pointed with a thumb. “The ‘puppet’ is still coming back down from Youkai Mountain, after having given a certain daitengu a liiiiittle tipoff. About a white-winged raven… and about her posse.”



Okuu let out a whoop as she finished her loop-de-loop. The world around her was filled with endless, limitless blue. She’d never been so far from the ground before.

She came down to a landing, next to Satori and Mr Youki. The two of them had been the ones who’d brought Okuu to the surface, tracing Koishi’s steps. “Lady Satori, this place is great! The sky goes on forever!”

Satori gave her a weak smile. “...I’m… glad you’re having a good time, Okuu. Did you see any of them?”

Okuu saluted. “Yes! Orin and Parsee are coming back this way with a full cart. Um, I didn’t see Koishi or Youmu, though.”

The swordsman mused for a moment. “Perhaps they’ve gone to look for that Akyuu, then…” He looked over at the satori, now garbed in a heavy cloak. “Any idea where they might have gone?”

Satori wiped some sweat off her brow. She’d chosen something that’d hide her third eye in a rush, and now was feeling the heat. “I’m… fairly sure the psychic message I received said… something about the village. But I hope they weren’t daft enough to take Koishi straight there.”

Okuu took a look. “Maybe we should go ask at the village, then?” Oh, and get some food. They’d left in a rush, so Okuu was kinda hungry.

Satori shook her head. “No time for eating now, Okuu. We have to find Koishi before something goes horribly wrong.” She took a look. “But… it wouldn’t hurt to ask some of the people around here, I suppose.

Youki nodded. His phantom half slid a little closer to Satori, trying to cool the sweating Youkai. “Looks like there’s two possible entrances they could have entered the village from. Let’s get a little closer and see what’s happening at them.”

Okuu came down to the ground, nearly stumbling over. In her defense, the flowers were so colorful she almost forgot to stick her feet out. “Oh, this is so exciting! I can see why Youmu’s always wanted to bring the flowers down if they’re all like this!”

Youki chuckled. “Ah, does Youmu do gardening? I have something of a professional interest in it myself.”

Okuu nodded. “She does most of the gardening around Chireiden. She’s always frustrated ‘cos there’s not many plants that can grow in hell. Not enough sunlight.” The hell raven thought back, to her idle dreams as a little kid. Of bringing the sun down to hell, so plants and other stuff could grow down there.

…It was funny how Youmu never seemed to show up in them-

“Okuu?” The hell-raven started, looking up at Satori. “I’ve… been meaning to ask. Have any strange people come to speak to you recently?”

“Ummm…” The raven took a moment to think. “Oh! There was a man with a ghost and two swords just this morning!”

Youki chuckled. “I think she knows about that one, lass.” Satori sighed, waving it off and turning back to the village gates. Okuu skipped ahead, trying to see what was there.

It looked like each of the gates had a pair of people. One was a pair of short people with caps, and a bunch of metal things around them. They appeared to be brushing themselves off, and nursing a few bruises.

The other was a pair of people with red and purple clothes, and purple and red hair. The purple-and-red one was counting something off on her fingers, while the red-and-purple one was slowly banging her head into the wall. Satori took a look at them, nonplussed.

“...These appear to be rather interesting duos. How about we split our forces? I’ll take the two humans - they’re less likely to sniff me out.”

Youki nodded. “I’ll take the kappa and yamawaro, then.” He turned to Okuu. “Who would you like to talk to, lass?”

[ ] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.
[ ] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

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Not voting yet, but anyone else notice how Sanae had not been mentioned at all? Should we be worried?
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.
The comedy potential from Meira meeting another person who speaks Kotohime is too good to pass up.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

>>208479
> Anyone else notice how Sanae had not been mentioned at all? Should we be worried?
Nah. …Not yet at least.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.
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[X] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.

Yammywaro

Also, fantastic work, Gooboi. You're able to maintain your writing quality, even with how large your throughput is. 42,829 words in about a month - around 1400 words per day. You must be the Judge, because it seems like you never sleep. But there's this little tick where characters repeat actions multiple times - humming, sighing, raising eyebrows. But that's miniscule stuff - best left for after the story's finished, which I hope won't be soon! Again, I'll stress that you're a fantastic writer. I'm extremely grateful for all the time you put into writing this, and I can't stop checking this damned website for updates on your story... I hope you're finding time for yourself, and that you're enjoying writing this story as much as I enjoy reading it. Godspeed, Gooboi.

tldr; Thanks, big man Gooboi.
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>>208479:
To be fair, they could be entering Gensokyo without Sanae (to make sure that everything is fine beforehand) before letting Sanae in. Or Sanae is already here with them & they're protective of her. There are a lot of things that could've happened, but I doubt that anything serious has occurred to Sanae.

Anyways...
[x] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.

We spoke with Meira & Kotohime, now it's time for Nitori & Takane. :3
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guess my hunch was right- we're going up against the tengu. unless someone else steps in last minute.

anyways, i wonder how things would've gone if white wolf tengu youmu had won? they're looking for the immaterial children too, aren't they? if they were to find out one was amongst their ranks...

taking the route we didn't take earlier and seeing nitori and takane while they're nursing their wounds would be nice, but we dont want to alert any more youkai to the fact that former hell residents are on the surface breaking the the treaty.

[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

when the tengu come asking for information about koishi, they'll likely ask the kappa and yamawaro first, then the humans. and even then, good luck trying to get anything out of kotohime. meira might blab, but most of her attention's gonna be on keeping kotohime in line.

>>208479
assuming she's either roughly the same age as reimu or even a bit younger (she strikes me as that age. the thought of having her be older than reimu is... no.), them she should be like. pre-teen. and a human, to boot. her moms gods are probably keeping her safe at the shrine, away from potential threats. this gensokyo is more dangerous than the one they stepped into last time. sure, the spell card rules are there now, but given that kanako was the one to step in for the lotus rampant and makai incursion incidents, i can't fault them for erring on the side of caution.
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>>208487

I wasn’t initially gonna vote on this, but yeah that’s a good point.

[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

If just Youki goes to the Kappa, it’ll make sense if they misinterpret it as him just passing through the village, as opposed to us going with him. Plus, this option gets us to Youmu faster through Kotohime’s information.

Also yeah, it would be funny for Meira to see someone else who speaks Kotohime.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

Lets see how much of a headache Satori gets
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

Silly-to-silly communication.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

Satori’ll need help to speak on Kotohime’s level.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

How fortunate that utsuho speaks the silly forbidden language
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

arrg, hard choice here, don't want to miss out on Nitori and Takane... but. I also what to find out what Kotohime has done that has Meira banging her head against the wall. and also if JSK allows Okuu to translate Kotohime speak it would be helpful to Satori.

and CHIYURI! Did you not lear- oh right, the incident did not go as it did last time... so you might not have learned to not stir the pot just to get something to happen, for crying out loud! (yeah what Chiyuri is doing probably doesn't reflect on Yumemi, as Chiyuri kicked the nest in TH3 which got all the protagonists to show up... sooo yeah, she did it again this time with the Tengu.) and interesting possible explanation to the Gensokyo Chiyuri.

>You’ve got no perspective on just how dangerous your actions are, do you?

a-HEM Kanako, exactly how well did the Moriya shrine conspiracy go? it did end up nearly NUKING the SURFACE right?

>But I hope they weren’t daft enough to take Koishi straight there.”

... hm... oops? (,,¬﹏¬,,)
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Writing this before reading any comment, so I'm sorry if anything here was already been said or answered.

From >>208462
>> "There’s lots of superstitions around twins, you know. Saying they’re linked down to the soul, and that."
This is very important. It's not like this hasn't been implied a couple times before, but...

>> “...You sure? What about Utsuho? If your souls are linked… then maybe she can access it too.”
There it is. Of course again, it's right on the nose so I'm not saying anything you couldn't have read yourselves.
There's many possibilities for stuff to happen, yet.

If Youmu's former life is too similar to her old one AND Okuu's soul got intertwined with Youmu's I can see Okuu becoming a master swordswoman for a while in HER Re/Awakening to fight side to side with Youmu, especially if the tengu arrive to cause trouble (well, in this case it would be more or less to defend village instead since we're the intruders, but you get what I mean). It might end in Youki seeing both as his granddaughters and true heirs, even. But it begs the questions: who get's Hakurouken in this case?

I just want to see how it all plays out in the end, I'm really engaged.

From >>208466
>> "You’re thinking they’re early, right?” Youmu nodded. “Well, that’s because of their official story, I think.”
>> “Because they originally used the Spring Snow Incident as justification for the nuclear plant. But building that big reactor must have taken longer… so they probably were planning much earlier than that.”
Nice way to explain it in-universe, and it makes sense if you really think about it.

Regarding Sanae, I don't know if I'm mixing canon and fanon, so please correct me if I got things mixed, but doesn't Sanae go to Gensokyo because she awakened her power over miracles? It makes sense she's not in the picture yet, because she might still be in regular Japan living a normal life.

The Moriyas resolving an incident just to gather faith is very on-character for them, too. Especially if Haru had her hands full and wasn't at her 100%.

>> There was nothing alive. The closest one got to something living was the occasional old, worn log, or faded bones of an animal dead long before the end. Aside from that, every thicket and scrap of grass was completely, utterly gone. Untouched earth sat fallow, unoccupied, next to pillars once covered in moss, now picked completely clean.
>> "The swordswoman did her best to not get distracted, swinging her blade with deadly precision. The spiral-haired Pyre gasped, as its form began to dissipate. As the black flames dissipated, all that remained was… something like a crystalised piece of charcoal."

IIRC fairies can become crystallized life force so whatever this black fire does, it can affect that state as well. This is even more trouble than we could have imagined before: it doesn't just kill humans, and this will sound dumb, but it kills life itself.

>> The back of one Komainu didn’t seem like anything special, but the one Youmu could see the front of had a cavity driven through its chest. And… whatever Youmu had sensed about the Komainu before was-

No mention of any hole before Yukari entered the gap space or our attention would have been driven to it. I don't have the slight idea of what could have done that. The suspects are Yukari and the pyres, so unless there's something else our main characters just didn't see, the most likely culprit is Yukari having done something to the statue (and probably relates to Aunn's current situation). I asked this question before, but it's even more relevant now: Does Haru know how to make a shikigami or did she have help from someone else, someone who definitely knows how to make a shikigami?...

Also, very sad ending for Reimu there. She just gave up, died hopeless.
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[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

I really want to go with grandpa in this case so Okuu can tell him about using the sword accidentally, but I have the gut feeling that speaking with Kotohime might not only be funny, but it will lead to something more interesting happening. That or I might be reading too much into it.
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Regarding Reimu's death, and what might be soon Youmu's... we're forgetting a fairy that is always around the Fairies of Light AND also near the shrine... in fact she's usually directly under it.

Clownpiece, she might've been the one to light the fires around Reimu there.

...and speaking of that, I think we should be careful having Youmu speak of it again she had some trepidation after the Kosuzu vision, and seeing how this last one went... seeing her death might... echo here in the present...
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[X] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.

I think the thing that's worrying me about the Moriyas is... their description in the past timeline.

>“Well… Hakurei Haru was still dealing with injuries from the Demon’s Record, so she couldn’t keep up with Yuuka, and got even more badly wounded. And Yuuka’s youkai ran rampant all over the place.” Akyuu raised a finger. “That was about the time the Moriya came in, probably to use the incident for faith-gathering. They missed the deadline last time, Reimu had it wrapped up before they even got here, but this time… Kanako helped resolve things, and chased Yuuka back to the Garden of the Sun. And, well… if you’re wondering why the Makaians have a treaty, they negotiated that as well.”

>“Because they originally used the Spring Snow Incident as justification for the nuclear plant. But building that big reactor must have taken longer… so they probably were planning much earlier than that.”

Why is Akyuu talking like the Moriyas were here this early in the last timeline, too?

> Akyuu paused, as if debating what to say. “That’s a blank spot for you? …Odd coincidence, that. Reimu asked me to send the recount of the Moriya with my last letter, too.”

Presumably, this is what Reimu thanked Akyuu for her 'detailed response' on in her letter.
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>>208502 here
just clarifying - i'm picking the youkai because they're the ones who might know more about the moriya
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>>208502
She... just explained that, right there in the part you quoted. The reactor should have taken at least 4-5 years to build, therefore they must have already come to Gensokyo by the time of MS.
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>>208504

But in MoF, they are called the 'new gods of the mountain'. I.E. they only came over then.

From Aya's dialogue in MoF:
> That god showed up here not too long ago with a shrine and a lake.
>There's a new shrine up the way a bit. She should be there.

Mystic Square, the Vampire Incident, Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night, and Phantasmagoria of Flower View all happen in between. That's kind of a hell of a lot to still be calling them 'new' from.

Kanako also calls herself a 'new power' in Symposium of Post-Mysticism, which is the second book of the Chronicle we have that's written by Akyuu. But here she says the moriya's arrival is one of the first events in the timeline, and it's weird that they wouldn't make the first book if that's the case.
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[X] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.
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Counting to >>208506:
[4] Go with Mr. Youki and speak with the two youkai.
[13] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.
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>>208505
>Kanako also calls herself a 'new power' in Symposium of Post-Mysticism, which is the second book of the Chronicle we have that's written by Akyuu. But here she says the moriya's arrival is one of the first events in the timeline, and it's weird that they wouldn't make the first book if that's the case.

Alright, look at it this way. Lets pretend that Kanako wants to build a McDonalds in Gensokyo. It takes her 5 years to build the McDonalds because she needs to gather up supplies and find a place to build it first. Now lets say that Kanako successfully does all that and holds her McDonald's big Grand Opening today on May 25, 2024. Would you consider this hypothetical McDonalds to be 1 day old or 5 years old?

Now lets pretend that Akyuu is writing a series of books about interesting things that are happening in Gensokyo, and it takes her 5 years between writing her first book and writing her second book. Would you expect Akyuu to write about Kanako's McDonalds in her first book when Kanako would only have just started clearing land for her McDonalds, or would you expect Akyuu to write about Kanako's McDonalds in her second book when Kanako has taken Gensokyo's fast food industry be storm.

Even if Akyuu wanted to put Kanako in her first book for some reason, the only thing she would be able to write about Kanako would basically just be "some new woman showed up and bought a vacant lot in the village."

Kanako is considered a "new power" in Symposium of Post Mysticism because she was still building up her new power before that. Or in our scenario, Kanako would be considered a "new McDonalds" in Symposium of Post Mysticism because she had not constructed the new McDonalds before that.

[X] Go with Satori and speak with the two humans.

Because I think enjoyable shenanigans will result from this.
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I think I'm beginning to understand what happened:

So the three pyres are probably the three fairies, and the pyres collectively caused everything to die. Fairies in Touhou are embodiments of life, so if you reverse that somehow, they become embodiments of death. With how common fairies are in Gensokyo, they'd be able to destroy everything very quickly. Youkai aren't flesh and blood like humans, so they get to survive a little longer, but they need humans to live and they eventually die, too.
Yumemi and Chiyuri are time travelers/from another universe so it makes sense that they'd be able to survive and keep up with the protagonists' time travel. Yukari must have told them her plan somehow, and now they're doing their best to make sure it stays on track. As Akyuu said, Re/Awakening needs difference between someone's current life and their past life. Right now, there isn't much difference between Reiuji Youmu and Konpaku Youmu, but if she were to gain the power of the Yatagarasu, there would be more of a difference, allowing her to Re/Awaken.

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>>208508

Okay, but you're forgetting that they came with a Shrine and a Lake at the same time. Those just appeared on top of the mountain one day. No way Akyuu doesn't write about that.

That's more like teleporting a mcdonalds onto the ground day one. Is that not something that'd get written about in the first book?
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>>208476

If it helps you visualise the 'curtains', pic is actually related.

Don't be too wedded to the exact wording of the original OP; I've only really been calcifying the exact who what how why of the incident over time.

>>208485

Ah, I'm excruciatingly aware of that tick... That's the biggest thing that needs an editing pass, methinks.

Gonna do a run through of redo/reimu's ao3 version soonish and see if i can fix for that part. I might also make some small adjustments to wording and stuff. I'll note any significant changes I make in the main thread at the time.

>>208498

You're talking about Stone Cherries. The image in the update in question is actually a picture of one.

>>208502
>>208504
>> and onwards
I think I'm going to clarify what I'm going for there in my next update. Should help clear this debate up.
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“I’ll go with Lady Satori.” Okuu said, smiling. “Those two seem funny.”

Mr Youki seemed slightly saddened at that, but nodded. “Very well, lass. We’ll meet up shortly.” Okuu waved as they parted ways.

As they got closer, Okuu turned to Satori. “So, what are Kappa and Yamawaro?”

Satori smiled. “They’re rather clever creatures. Very good at inventing things, and working with complex technology.”

“Oooh, like those metal things around them?”

“A classic example.” Satori glanced over at the two, who had turned their attention to the approaching swordsman. “They are very industrious. Unfortunately, they’re difficult to keep on task at the best of times, but with the right motivation, they can do incredible things.”

“What sort of things?”

Satori rubbed her chin in thought. “For example… if you wanted them to build some big, massive piece of machinery, and you had the blueprint ready for them… they could probably get it running in months. A facility started in autumn could be ready by spring. The only problem is having enough to offer to keep them on track that long.”

“Woooooah.” Okuu blinked. “But there are no kappa underground. How do you know that?”

Satori chuckled, smugly. “Running a place like Former Hell requires a good understanding of who you can get working and how. Tsuchigumo are great for constructing actual buildings, those with the ability to shift earth are good for digging and clearing out space… species that rely only on themselves tend to underestimate just how fast you can build things, with the right assistance.” She sighed. “I’ve considered hiring yamawaro in the past, but we don’t have anything worth their focus, like good technology. Or, well, cucumbers. And kappa are even more unsuited.”

Okuu pouted. “Awww… that’s a shame. Metal things are fun sometimes.”

Satori gave the bird a pet on the head. “Another time, Okuu. Now… we’re going undercover here, so I’ll be going under a nickname of…”

Okuu waited. Lady Satori started to sweat.

“...Lady… Torisa.” She finished awkwardly. “L-let’s go with that. It’s just hiragana, it’ll work fine.”

Okuu looked at her, flatly. “...Okay.” She closed her eyes, muttering it under her breath. “Torisa, torisa, torisa…”

“For the last time, there was SEVEN people, counting the mastermind and yourself.” The purple haired woman was all-but banging her head against the wall. “The shrine maiden was licking her wounds, and I don’t know where the hell this talk of a magician came from.”

“You’re just trying to play me down, arencha?” The redhead responded, pointing her fingers up. “You’re just jealous of my talent and beauty and cooking prowess and brains.”

“I’ll give you exactly one of those things, Lady Kotohime.”

“You want some recipes?”

“No.” She looked away from the wall, to observe the newcomers. “Halt! Who are you two?”

“I’m Okuu! And this is Lady Saaaaa-to… Torisa!” Okuu waved at the two humans. “We’re looking for our sisters!”

Sato- uh, Torisa was staring at the redheaded lady. “...This Lady, she’s… I don’t believe we’ve met?”

Kotohime struck a pose. “Lady Kotohime! Winner of the Hyperspace Tournament! At your serv-ice! Oh, and this is Meira.”

The satori gave a doubtful look, prompting Meira to elaborate. “Not surprised you haven’t heard of it. A somewhat-recent intrusion upon Gensokyo by a pair of troublemakers turned into an impromptu free-for-all. And when the dust settled, Kotohime was the winner.”

The winner stuck her fingers up in a v-sign. “The winner got their wish granted - and I certainly didn’t waste mine, heheheh!”

Okuu hopped forward. “What did you do with your wish?” The funny lady lowered her hands, making a ring, and Okuu leaned in, until the fingers were against her cheeks.

Meira sighed. “She… locked up one of the perpetrators. She wanted to… ensure her security measures were still operational. So the lesser of the troublemakers got locked up.”

Kotohime nodded. “She was a funny one. Blonde hair and pigtails, always going da ze da ze!” The lady stepped back, putting her hands on her hips. “I think she was called… Chipotle Kataraccashawaka.”

Meira let out a groan. “Chi-yu-ri Kita-shira-kawa. She’s your only prisoner who even had an overnight stay, the least you could do is remember her name.” The princess let out an elegant chuckle. “Lady Kotohime has always had some… eccentricities. And now those eccentricities seem to be adjusting the numbers in her head…”

Satorisa looked over at Kotohime, smirking. “Numbers, plural? Are there other cases?”

“Yeah!” Kotohime pounded one fist into the palm of her other hand. “Meira’s saying that there’s like… four Immaterial Children? Five now? But there’s only the shrine maiden and the one with the fancy sword, right?”

Meira scowled. “You’re forgetting the two civilians and the Child of Miare. And the latter’s pretty important, I’d think.”

Torisa waved her hand. “Anyway, this conversation has been… enlightening, but it’s not what we’re here for. Have you seen either of our sisters?”

Meira rubbed her chin… “Maybe? What do they look like?”

Okuu flapped her arms. “Well, my sister’s like me, but where she’s got white stuff, I’ve got black stuff.”

Meira leaned in… and her face blanched. “Your sister, is she…”

“She’s named Youmu! She’s more focused than me. I’m a bit of a scatterbrain in comparison.” The swordswoman stepped back, momentarily letting out a shudder. Torisato coughed, to bring the attention back to the actual point.

“If you wouldn’t mind… Does that mean you have seen them?” Meira nodded. “...They’ve gone into the village, haven’t they?” Another nod.

Torisatori sighed. “Ahhhh… I knew it. Koishi…” She groaned, rubbing her head. “How could this day get any worse?”

Okuu looked up at her lady, concerned. …And then she looked past her lady.

At all the birds in the sky.

“...Unyu?”
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Did you have to jynx it Lady Saritotori?

Aaaand now i'm trying to translate kotohime... >.< what's this about... Wait how is kotohime keeping track of Youmu's flashbacks? Did the hyper probability vessel do something to her? Or is it just her... Hmmmm.
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Youmu held Hakurouken unsteadily, jumping at shadows in the howling winds. Her other hand tried to cup the small motes, herding them against her chest.

Her eyes whirled around, searching for something. Anything. The slightest hint of movement.

“...Come on, come on… something has to have survived, right…?” She started stepping backwards, towards the Shrine. At least then she’d have some visual cover. “HELLO? Is anyone out there?”

There was a long, long silence. Youmu tried to keep her breath level, straining her ears.

“...You know, you fight someone a few times, you think you get to know them in a rough spot.” Youmu’s eyes went wide. “But I’m surprised Reimu just gave up like that. Always gave me the impression of being defiant to the end. Nothing the flame likes to feed on like despair and the living, though.”

Youmu gripped her sword. “Wh-who’s there? Show yourself!”

The voice continued, undaunted. “It’s hard to say who gets the better end of it. Humans burn up too fast to be saved, but at least it’s quick. Youkai and gods burn a lot slower, but in theory you can save them - or they can take themselves out, as a certain youkai’s just demonstrated.”

Youmu… saw an ethereal, green glow, around the corner of the shrine. Slowly, she began to approach it. “...What… what are you? Are you human, or youkai?”

The speaker chuckled. “I was human, once. A lifetime ago. …Now let me ask you a question. How are you still standing, Youmu?”

“Wh-what?” Youmu tried to wipe a bit of sweat off her brow with her sword hand.

“You heard me. If you’d given up heart and soul, near those fairies’ embers, you would have gone up in flames just like Reimu. But… you still stand.” The voice seemed to mull it over. “Do you not realize how hopeless the situation is? Have you been holding out for a miracle?”

Youmu clutched the motes closer. “There… there has to be a backup plan. I’m sure of it.” Slowly, she took a deep breath, and rounded the corner.

And felt her knees go weak. The vivid light cloaked a strange figure, hovering in the sky. Long, green hair framed a face Youmu couldn’t quite see, except for eyes like glowing emeralds. She was taller than Youmu by at least a head, with a more mature figure. But more overpowering was her presence - the world around her almost seemed to fade out, irrelevant compared to her imposition upon reality.

“A backup plan, even when the architect lies dead in a pool of her own blood? …I suppose that answers my question, then.”

Youmu gulped. “Wh…who are you?!”

The figure kept looking at Youmu. She couldn’t read her expression from this far away. “...I’m one of the two reasons Yukari decided to sequester you all away.” She looked up at the sky. “The other is responsible for our little light show here.”

Youmu raised her sword, as the figure lifted off, and started to approach. “You may be surprised to know… there is actually such a backup plan. One last hope - the Hourai Immortals. They’ve got Kamishirasawa Keine with them. I’m sure they’ve seen the gap you were all in open up by now. I certainly did.”

Youmu took a step back, trying to keep pace with the interloper. “The… the Hourai Immortals? C-can they save my friends?”

The figure nodded. “...With their help, you could be the key piece in saving everyone. But… that depends on them getting here before it’s too late. Getting here while at least someone is still around.”

Youmu shuddered. “Do… do you mean if they get here…” Youmu looked down, trying to psych herself up. “I-I’ll hold out. However long I have to.”

“Not like that, you won’t.” The half-ghost looked back up at the figure. “You intend to fight with only one hand? Don’t think fighting off a few burning fairies is enough - you’ll need both your blades out, Youmu. As it is, you don’t stand a chance.”

Slowly, the figure extended her hand. “But… fortunately, your miracle has arrived. There is someone else here who knows exactly what to do with those little motes. So… how about you let me take care of them?”


Youmu sat bolt-upright, gasping for air. Reisen caught her, trying to steady her.

“Easy now, easy…” The rabbit gave her a pat on her back. “You good, Youmu?”

Slowly, the world came into focus. They were sitting on a bench outside of the parfait parlor. Koishi and Akyuu were next to her, with the latter proffering a cup of water. Youmu looked at it, but pulled her arms around herself, shuddering.

“I-I’m sorry, Youmu. I-I didn’t realize that your memories were like that.” Akyuu pulled the cup back, resting it next to the shivering hell raven. “Are… will you be alright?”

Youmu tried to speak, but her throat was too dry. Koishi picked up the cup and offered it to her again, and the hell raven took it, taking uncertain sips. “...I don’t know. The deeper the memories go… I, I just know I’m getting close. Close to…” The words dried her throat again, and Reisen started to give her back a gentle rub.

Akyuu looked up at Youmu. “...Then, we can drop it for now. Black fire’s a big clue already, I’m sure.” She did her best to give a reassuring smile. “So we’ll just work off that, okay?”

Koishi glanced at Akyuu, and spoke, hesitantly. “I’m… not sure about that.” Youmu looked over at her. “That person in that last dream… she seemed important. Do you know who she is, Youmu?”

Youmu stuttered. “L-let’s not go back down that r-right after passing out, o-okay?” She slowly started to stretch out. “I-I need some time, Koishi. S-sorry.”

As the satori started to pull back, Akyuu turned to look between them. “...Sorry? Koishi, did you say you can see her dreams?”

Youmu nodded, latching on to the alternate topic. “R-right. Akyuu, we’ve been meaning to ask…” She turned to look at the rabbit. “Why do you think she can’t read your mind?”

There was a long pause. Akyuu opened her mouth, slowly. “...Eh? You mean her third eye isn’t…?”

The chronicler’s eyes went wide, and she scrabbled back, getting to her feet. “S-stay back.”

Koishi got to her feet, hesitantly. “Akyuu… I’m not going to hurt you… I just… I need to know.”

“S-stay back.” As Koishi stepped forward, the chronicler tried to backpedal. “I-I can’t, I don’t want to-”

“Akyuu.” Reisen was standing now. “Don’t freak out. I was talking to her earlier, and I don't think she-”

“I-I don’t care about that… that button thing.” Akyuu’s eyes shrank to pinpricks, as Koishi stepped even closer. “I-I just need to-”

“STAY BACK!”

A shove.

Koishi hit the dirt hard.

Youmu was on her feet, trying to stumble over to her. “K-koishi, are you-”

Before she could get there, the girl was on her feet again. She turned and ran, disappearing into the crowd.

“Koishi, wait!” Youmu tried to reach her, but she was already disappearing into the crowd. She turned her head back, looking at her other friend. “Akyuu, what the hell was that?!”

Akyuu was still shivering, as Reisen knelt next to her. “I-I’m sorry, it’s just, I can’t…” She straightened up. “I-I need to…”

Reisen looked around. “That… that girl’s… ahhhh, this is a mess.” She stood up, looking over at the stunned hell-raven. "If it ends like this..."

[ ] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
[ ] Ask about Akyuu. Clear that air, and then get their full assistance looking for Koishi.
[ ] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.


Koishi's mental state has been badly rattled. Depending on the final boss of the arc, Youmu may start with a strike against her.
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Well fucking shit.
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

This is wreckless, but if we could get them to reconcile it might help Koishi's state a bit.
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green hair, green eyes, hakurei shrine.... MIMA????!???!?!??!?!??!?


things are definitely speeding up now. with that warning about koishi, i'm guessing there's a chance that she'll close her third eye regardless of what we do. so far, i'm guessing at two "final boss" options: one of the tengu (hoping for my best girl aya to show up!) or koishi herself, where we have to talk her down from closing her third eye. could be more, but that's what i've got so far.

don't have a choice yet, but i'll start running the simulations.

i think the first option is a horrible choice since the tengu are on the lookout for us already and heading straight in our direction, but if we want to find koishi, it'd be faster this way. assuming the tengu don't interrupt us first...

third choice is the most pragmatic one- compromise between the first two. but it could backfire if akyuu really is too rattled/scared of koishi to come along.

second option runs the risk of outright losing koishi and having her be captured by the tengu, since they're looking for her (satori are stated to be the most hated youkai, if i remember correctly). then again, she's still wearing that poncho (i hope), and if the tengu are working under the assumption that youmu is with koishi, then not being with her should make her a bit harder to identify.

and don't forget: we have that badge from suwako. she didn't mention a limit on how many times we could use it, but suwako is still suwako- best to err on the side of caution.
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so we just got a strike, but have a chance to either avoid it, or take it back

also Mima... I have the feeling that her offer was a good one, juuuuussstt a feeling. or at least one that Youmu is going to appreciate.

[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

I think the way to get the strike taken back is to get Akyuu to take it back, as we saw with Koishi's reason to want to come to the topside, even if Youmu herself went and comforted her, that's just the situation she's always been in. nothing in the life that is grinding her down has changed, so getting someone topside to accept her (which it looks like Reisen would be a good help there too.) is I think where we want this to go.

and yeah... should we use the badge now?
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

Akyuu needs time to gather her thoughts, and if she needs help, she can get it from Reisen.

The Human Village is a no-fly zone (with some exceptions), right? If anyone tries to stop us, ask them for help.
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Hm... This is hard.
Ignoring the strikes, I think that this would be the most optimal choice:
[x] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

Youmu doesn't know what & why Akyuu is scared/worried of Koishi. We need that info. On the other hand, we don't have time to wait for a full explanation as we have a missing Koishi (who may have alerted the tengu already by her flying away). We have a secondary goal to not reveal who we came from (cause that would mean a broken treaty).
The first option seems optimal for preventing Koishi from sealing her third eye away, but then you realize that Youmu won't know why Akyuu dislikes Koishi & the only way for her to get info on that would be by talking to a very startled & very sad Koishi.
The second option seems optimal at determining the root issue, but we need to move towards Koishi to hopefully reconcile things.

>>208526 brings up an interesting point...
Should we use the badge? Is there any event that we could potentially happen & be worse than what has already occurred? Hm...
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

I’d explain my decision here, but others seem to have done it better already.
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Damn it Akyuu, wonder how much of that reaction was amplified by her Instinct?

This is a tough choice for sure. Pretty sure we can ignore the second option since we really don't have the time. If we didn't know the Tengu were on their way in force, I'd say getting to Koishi ASAP would be the better option, but with how things are going that might end up with us surrounded by some really pissed off birds. Can't imagine that'd be good for Koishi's remaining sanity.

[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

As for the badge... Suwako hasn't really screwed us over yet, plus I would hope a goddess that's been around as long as she has wouldn't be as quick to judge someone like Koishi. Plus, A: she might have an in with the Tengu, depending on how that relationship is going this time around, and B: even if we're taking Suwako as being purely self serving, helping Koishi is a sure-fire way to get on Satori's good side. Of course, she is still a primordial goddess, and she might think breaking Koishi somehow advances her plans, but I can't think of a reason myself.

[X] Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?
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>>208526 here

I meant to say o had a feeling that Mima's offer was NOT a good nor one that Youmu would appreciate, i don't know how i missed saying not twice and not noticing X.x
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

Akyuu's got her sister to look after her, she'll be fine. We need to find Koishi.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

Akyuu has Reisen, but Koishi has no one. And I somehow doubt that Satori’s crew will arrive to see Koishi.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

Koshi needs us right now.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
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>>208530

I was wondering that too, rather glad we grabbed that instinct resist despite my hesitance to vote for it due to wanting some pyons when everyone meets up...

And >>208526 here, adding this to our vote, as finding Koishi is needed.

[X] Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?

Hopefully we can help akyuu accept Koishi, or at least someone.

See Chiyuri? We don't need tengu conflict to have a finale showdown that would kick off re/awakening! In fact a fight would probably be something that would be closer to Youmu's old life. If contrast is what is needed, then protecting the feelings with comfort of someone that actually needs our help (because lets be honest, yuyuko was a bit over youmu's weight class...) There's contrast (heck akyuu also demonstrated it through the chess match!) Doesn't have to be a literal conflict to kick it off.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

It feels mean to leave Akyuu, but Reisen’s there to help her and I’d rather Koishi not get caught by the tengu on her lonesome.
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>>208417
> Akyuu believes that Koishi can't read minds. Youmu only knows this because Koishi can read minds. Bringing this up blatantly reveals that Koishi can read minds to a person who is hesitant to trust mind readers

This seems apropos
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

I don't really know where this is going but I can't just leave to take care of one while leaving the other in the dust.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
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Bringing Akyuu along and make her fix things with Koishi would probably be the best outcome, but at the same time if she doesn't recover fast she would slow us down and we would lose sight of Koishi, it's kinda of a gamble where we could get everything or nothing.

On the other hand going after Koishi immediately should allow Youmu to catch up relatively soon, after all Youmu is very fast as it was shown in the spar with Suwako, we would very likely reach her before the Tengu can find her, but at the same time it's almost guaranteed that they would notice and follow us.

[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

I might end regretting this choice but we know that Akyuu will apologize after she calms down and Reisen is there, the priority right now is making sure that we don't lose sight of Koishi and risk her getting confronted by the Tengu alone in her current mental state.
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>> “We’ll figure it out.” Youmu sat up, bringing the sniffling rabbit with her. “There’s two of us here now.” She took an unsteady breath, trying to hold back from bursting into tears. “We’ll get them all home. Marisa, and Reimu, and Kosuzu, and, and, uh-”

>> Akyuu managed a laugh. “Y-you sure you’re right, Youmu?” She sat up, smiling. “...Yeah. W-we’ll save all of them, won’t we? Together.”

>> “Together!” The two of them chuckled… before a murmur slowly brought the rest of the world into focus.
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

This is definitely having our cake and eating it too, but the gamble's more than worth it. If Youmu can work through this fast enough while looking for Koishi, we can maybe get her to apologize and have a surface dweller not hate her for who she is. It might take a miracle, but we have one in our pockets.

[X] Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?

This is absolutely an emergency. Suwako could try to keep the tengu at bay or maybe even help look. Plus, I'd imagine she'd be willing. Helping her potential Immaterial Sun, getting in the good graces of Chireiden, and preventing a conflict between the surface and Former Hell will ALL benefit her plans. Who knows? Maybe pushing for the best outcome in spite of how much of a gamble it is could even be a little jenny-say-kwah of us. ;)
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Agh, shit. Not sure if this could have been avoided or at least cushioned with the sneakier choice but now our beds made... maybe we should consider being more open to social manipulation in the Kosuzu and Marisa chapters upcoming? Anyways.

Last thing we want is for Koishi to be captured. That opens up any number of horrible possibilities. Other anons say that Koishi might be safer alone, but consider that the tengu were tipped off by Go. They'll probably try to force a Re/Awakening by putting her in peril. Trying to kill her? Or coaxing her into closing her third eye? Again, Go is behind this, who has knowledge of the previous timeline. We need to reach her.

[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

Also, I'm unsure about using the Moriya medallion. She's involved with Go and company, and we don't know if we'd actually get her assistance, or just alert her that its prime time to test Re/Awakening.
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I’m gonna rule deciding to use or not use the badge is a seperate vote. So, here are your options:

{ } Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?
{ } Hold off on calling Suwako for now.
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>>208548 , I am!

{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now.
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>>208528 here:
Hm...
{x} Hold off on calling Suwako for now.

Suwako makes things easier, but she's not absolutely needed right now (Unless the story is about to end a lot earlier than I thought). Unsure if the badge is a one-time use or not, but I would err on the side of caution. Still thinking, may switch.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now.

The other two choices are very risky because of the situation and if things get worse or something stops the group I think it would be a good idea to call suwako
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
- [X] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous.

{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now
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>>208548 Yet again

- [X] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous.
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>Koishi made a strained noise, before she finally broke. “Okay… fine! Fine! I wanted to come to the surface, okay?!” She looked up at the three of them. “Everyone hates us here!”

>Youmu shook her head. “We don’t hate you, Lady Koi-”

>“Not what I mean! Nobody wants us satori around anywhere!” She jammed a finger at the reveling hashihime. “The only reason she likes me is because she can feed off me being jealous of everyone else with only two eyes!”

>She looked up at the pets, tearing up in her pleading. “I just… I just want one place where people don’t know me as Koishi the Satori. Just one place where Koishi is just… Koishi. They don’t even need to think I’m a good person - just… not someone who’s trying to steal their brains.” She tugged at the poncho.

What is the plan when Youmu finds Koishi? we've already tried the "we are here for you bit." and Koishi shut it down immediately. So how are we going to help Koishi when/if we find her? If we get Akyuu back from her shock and help her through her issue as we are looking for Koishi, then there we go! We have someone that can accept Koishi as Koishi. If it's just us then what?

The only other good shot we might run into that would be willing/able to help Koishi with this situation would be Youki, which we don't know if we are going to run into on time. Helping both of them helps help both of them. and if we are going to want Akyuu then we don't want to get separated from them... and actually on that point, Akyuu and Reisen might have a way to track Koishi, they managed to track us thanks to what seems to be the Psydar (they knew that Youmu was at the market which indicated that they have the radios back to Eintei with Eirien keeping track of things, which means that it could likely be used to track Koishi, (and also would be really nice to help avoid the incoming Tengu too.

And if the Psidar can't track Koishi we got Suwako backup, which considering that we've already used it (at Suwako's prompting, but still.) means that I heavily doubt its one time use.

Might be difficult to link back up with Akyuu if we separate now. And having the Eintei covering for us might be useful in case we do run into the Tengu.
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Firstly, MIMA!

Secondly, crap.


> Depending on the final boss of the arc, Youmu may start with a strike against her.

Okay, Koishi is great. But, bear in mind that we do not know how many possible final bosses there are nor their chances of occurring. This isn’t run ending, however through a string of bad luck this might be the difference between a win or our first catastrophic loss.

As >>208556 said, Youmu has tried to console Koishi before and it didn’t work. Akyuu must be there to apologise.

So how do we do this? We almost certainly need Youmu in the air, but we also need a way to somehow signal that we’ve found Koishi to the others. You’re all more creative than I am so hopefully we can find a way.

[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
- [X] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous.

Make a plan, explain quickly, then split up.


Lastly, Suwako is a powerful earth goddess, not a hunting or mental health or invisibility goddess. Another set of eyes would be useful, but we should really save the badge for when we’re up against worse odds.

{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now
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>>208548
I think Suwako generally means well for Youmu, at least. From the second Youmu thread:
>“...Well, who says you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs?” The frog-loving goddess grinned, slyly. “Told ya, there’s no need to go knocking out third parties, Miss Go.”
>Her passenger, a blonde girl in a pale white robe, tched. “I had a whole plan, you know. Was gonna have a lot of fun with it, too. Getting in by following her, knocking her out while she’s distracted, traveling back in time to distract her…”
>“The more moving parts a plan has, the more failure points it has. And we have enough of those already with this whole thing. And besides, rain or shine we are still going ahead with the underground sun plan. I’d rather not harm anyone actually in Chireiden, when what we’re asking them to do also carries a risk.” She tipped her hat at her sulking counterpart. “...Though… does that plan of yours even work? I was wondering…”
Then, when Youmu scouted ahead, Suwako popped out and gave a little advice to Youmu on dealing with Koishi. maybe she’s got a soft spot for green-haired girls.
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
>>208557 reasoning has spoken to me the most.

Akyuu really needs to learn some magic for flight, huh?
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>>208529

{X} Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?

This are definitely going very wrong, so we might as well try.

This was very much a “the risk I took was calculated, but boy am I bad at math” moment.
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Adding:

- [X] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous.
{X} Hold off on calling Suwako for now
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Counting to >>208561:
Main Choice #1:
[12] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
[0] Ask about Akyuu. Clear that air, and then get their full assistance looking for Koishi.
[12] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

Main Choice #2 (From >>208549):
{4} Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?
{7} Hold off on calling Suwako for now.

Potential Additions:
-[4] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous. (>>208554, >>208555, >>208557, >>208561)

We're tied for choice #1.
Praying for a certain choice to win.
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for the Suwako vote, a little Meta, but she would also be able to give us a heads up on the incoming Tengu, and especially if we still have the IN-8 sisters (as well as their connection to a mission control with an active raPsydar that can guide Youmu and co away from detection and to Koishi.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

[X] Use the badge to call for Suwako's help. At worst, maybe she can help track Koishi?

Wouldn't getting Akyuu involved in the search before she's recovered lead to the same problem that started this?
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>>208566
potnetially, but equally so to the likelyhood that she's going to have issues linking back up to us, and that is putting aside the fact that if we don't have her with us then we have no means of reversing the damage. Koishi is not going to respond to Youmu alone as was demonstrated back underground as I quoted in >>208556

so we can try to get Akyuu recovered before we reach Koishi with some risk of it not being sufficient yet, but her trying something for Youmu's sake, or guarantee that we won't be able to accomplish anything when we do find Koishi.
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>>208567
Eh. It still seems to me the saying about trying to catch two rabbits applies here. If we want Akyuu to help, we should get her ready first. If we want to get to Koishi fast to help, we should do that (and maybe get Suwako for another perspective). Halving our attention on both seems to me to just hurt both.
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First time replying to this story I’ve been following. Good work on this stuff by the way Gooboi.

[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
Would explain this choice but others have explained it better

[X] Hold off on calling Suwako for now
Same here, others have explained better
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
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[X] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.

While Akyuu is definitely rattled, she has Reisen, Koishi doesn't really have anyone right now, so I feel she's a bit of a priority, especially with the incoming storm. Plus, I don't want her to close her Third Eye, so definitely go and try and help her. Also:
[X] Hold off on calling Suwako for now
[X] Fly around in bird form to be less conspicuous
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Need a tiebreaker.

First vote after 208571 decides the vote! Will we be going for Koishi alone, or taking Akyuu with us?
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[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
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Too late but
[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talking to her while moving both girls need help and neither can really wait

Both of them really do need to talk to each other to sort this out.
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Never too late
[X] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.
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[14] Go after Koishi, take to the skies. Leave Akyuu to recover.
[ ] Ask about Akyuu. Clear that air and get their full assistance looking for Koishi.
[17] Get Akyuu up and moving and talk to her while looking. Both girls needed help, and neither could really wait.

Koishi had already vanished from Youmu’s vision. Youmu turned around, trying to look for her in the crowd.

“Damnit…” She turned to Akyuu, who was still shivering. ”We… we need to go after her. Akyuu, what… what was that?”

Reisen looked at Youmu, seeming to debate something in her head. At length, she pulled Akyuu to her feet.

“Why… why did you think she couldn’t read minds, Akyuu?”

Akyuu took a moment. “I-in the last timeline… she closed her third eye.”

Youmu… tilted her head. “…is that even possible? I thought those things didn’t do more than blink. Wait… if that works, then… doesn’t that mean she can be safe?”

Akyuu shook her head. “…I-it’s not a good thing. She becomes… e-essentially entirely unconscious. She can’t be hated, but she can’t be liked. Her mind fades, and she fades from everyone else’s memory… and as far as I know, she can’t open it back up again.”

Youmu stared at her. The absence of Koishi in memories of her past life began to click. “WHAT?!” The hell raven’s wings flicked out, already ready to take off. “Did she get that from you?! The closed eye thing?!”

Akyuu looked up. “…maybe. I-I think so.” Youmu swore, grasping at her face and pulling it down. .

Reisen dusted her sister off. “We need to go after her.” She looked up. “Let’s take to the skies.”

Youmu nodded. “Akyuu, you’re coming too. We’ll talk on the way.”

The three of them packed up, standing to leave. All three of them were rattled, and in a hurry.

By the time they noticed the manuscript had fallen out of Akyuu’s pack, it would be long gone.



The first few minutes were almost dead quiet. The three of them flew in silence, save for the occasional mutter that a particular street was clear.

The lack of a second pair of eyes was doing nothing to help Youmu’s pounding heart. Naturally, it was her who broke the silence first. “...So. What was it?”

Akyuu looked over at her. “...What do you mean?”

Youmu clicked her tongue. “You know. What exactly didn’t you want Koishi to know?”

The rabbit glared at her. “Do I have to tell you?”

“Exactly? No. Enough to understand why you might be responsible for Lady Koishi closing her third eye? Yes.” Youmu faced Akyuu’s glare down with one of her own.

Reisen called out from in front of them. “This street’s clear. Moving to the next one.”

Akyuu broke first. “...Look, there’s a… thing. A secret about lunar rabbits that not even most of us know.” Youmu’s glare remained until Akyuu coughed up more details. “It’s… a way for Lunarians to control us. Make us their obedient pets. Even knowing about it is dangerous if there are mind-readers about.”

“I see.” Youmu waited a few seconds. “If it’s secret, and dangerous to know, why the hell does the one rabbit who can never forget things know it?”

Akyuu sputtered. “I- look, you can counteract it a bit if you know what it is, that’s what the training was for.”

Youmu let the irritation seep through in her voice, needling the younger rabbit. “That’s not what I asked. Why do you know?”

Reisen pulled a device Youmu barely registered out of her pocket. “I’m just gonna call in Eirin. See if she can help.”

Akyuu didn’t have a response. Youmu rolled her eyes. “I see. Great forward thinking there, oh Child of Miare.”

“Oh, are we talking forward thinking now?” Akyuu snapped back. “Here’s a question for the apparent expert: for what earthed reason were you taking a satori to our first meeting? Did you not think that could be an issue?”

Youmu kept her eyes focused forward. “She came up to the surface on her own. It was her first time. We already had Parsee, and we split two and two.”

“Then you should have taken Parsee here, shouldn’t you?”

Youmu turned her head to Akyuu. “You actually want Parsee here rather than Koishi?”

Akyuu nodded, firmly. “Koishi being in the city would break the treaty between the surface and underground Youkai, at the hands of a relative of one of the primary administrators of old hell. If word got out she did that, you’d have a scandal on the surface and a riot beneath it! Surely you know that?” She stuck a finger in Youmu’s face. “So shouldn’t you have left her with whoever the fourth was - probably the grave-robber? - instead of taking her to the one person who would know exactly who she was? At least then she wouldn’t be literally in the middle of the human village!”

“Lady Eirin? Is there any way to retarget the psydar remotely? …I thought not.”

“I…” Now it was Youmu’s turn to break. “I didn’t think of that.”

“Clearly!” Akyuu rolled her eyes. “Can’t fathom why you thought that was a good idea. I’d say it was Okuu’s genetics rubbing off on you, buuuuuuuut let’s face it, you were birdbrained in your last life too.”

Youmu glared at her. “Well, if I was always birdbrained, what’s Little Miss Genius doing learning forbidden knowledge that makes meeting a satori a threat?”

“We’re looking for a young satori. Her name’s Komei - wow, Lady Eirin, maybe they should call you the mind-reader.”

“I didn’t know there’d be satori-”

“-Aside from the one that was regularly involved last time and liked collecting pets? For all you knew, one of us could have been a satori! Hell, maybe one of the others is a satori we just haven’t met yet!” Youmu growled. “What, were you expecting to get to kick back, sip your tea, and relax while we did all the work?!”

“Maybe I was! Maybe I thought I could just point in a direction and you’d go off cutting down everything in your path again!” Akyuu glared at her. “Or maybe I’ve been busting my tail for my entire life trying to get to even one of you! I didn’t get to goof off in the hot springs!”

The hell raven’s voice was incredulous. “Oh, you think living in Former Hell was easy?! It’s not called Former Hell because it’s become a pleasant place, you know! All the other hatchlings in our clutch were eaten! Me and Okuu only survived because the hellhound that attacked us saved the runts for last! We were all we had until Satori found us!”

“Still better than being some Eagle Ravi who everyone thinks has their Lunatic Eyes in backwards! Still better than having to literally fall from the moon to get here! Do you have any idea what it’s like to live as a soldier?!”

“Do you?! I’ve fought enough ‘Eagle Ravi’ in my time to know they’re not soldiers. Just useless little bunnies who wouldn’t know a real fight if it burned off their cottontails!”

“Hmm? How’s the reunion going?” Reisen quietly lifted the device and pointed it in the direction of the other two.

“Like you’re any better. The only thing you’ve trained to fight is topiary animals!”

“At least I wouldn’t lose!”

“Catch that? …So yeah, it’s going great.”

Akyuu was tearing up. “Have you got any idea what I had to do to find you?! I broke bones your borderline-illiterate ass couldn’t even find if you had a labeled chart! I had to accept the idea that splattering on impact with the earth was just going to be a faster way for me to get to Eiki! And what do I find for my trouble but an absolute fucking idiot whose first move on the surface is to bring a species of youkai hated by literally everyone as her plus one!”

Youmu stopped in midair, flaring her wings out to intimidate the little bunny. Her own vision was getting watery as well. “Have you got any idea what you finding me did to me?! I’ve been in a constant state of having to hold back a panic attack from missing a whole god damn body! I’ve been having to hold my ears just to stop my brain leaking out every time you wanna give me a heads up! And I’ve been getting to watch a delightful little countdown of everyone dying in front of me, and all that’s left is the wonderful little epilogue of getting burnt to absolutely nothing!”

She leant over the rabbit. “And do you wanna know why I brought Koishi?! Not why I didn’t bring Parsee, why I brought Koishi specifically?! Because I thought there might be one girl who’s used to having every person around her looking at her like she’s an unnatural inhuman automaton! Who would be able to find some common ground with her, not drive her to break her own goddamn mind!”

There was a resounding clap, amplified from merely sharp and piercing to outright deafening. Both girls held their ears, flinching, and looked at their third compatriot.

Who blasted them both, full throttle, with the Lunatic Eyes.
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>>By the time they noticed the manuscript had fallen out of Akyuu’s pack, it would be long gone.

Hm...
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y'know what, we probably should've expected this. is ripping off the bandaid usually the approach i like going for? yeah, but not in the middle of another crisis. i hope they at least work it through in time to save koishi.

poor reisen, having to be the rational one yet again.

... is using the lunatic eyes really a rational move, though? it would shut them up and get them focused on the task at hand afterwards, sure, but it could leave them out of commission as well. especially youmu, since the last flashback left is...

well. i hope satori, okuu, and youki can deal with the tengu while youmu and the inabas take care of koishi.

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Fight, fight, fight, fight!

Bad spot for a fight, and just after they found themselves, too. I'm sure they'll reconcile eventually but Koishi takes priority right now.

>>208582
Hm... indeed.

>>208583
On Lunatic Eyes being the best move, it's debatable.
On the others being able to handle the tengu, I'm guessing Youki alone would be able to take them on if he were healthy, but he's still recovering from Yuuma's fight and I'm not sure if he's able to fight yet (not that he would admit it).

Probably not a good place or time to say this, but I'm still hoping Okuu proves herself in battle. Better yet, I would love to see the twins finally teaming up to beat a foe. Even better if Youki gets to see them in action.

Also, it's looking worse and worse for the party's chances of being undetected as "Former Hell residents".


Let's see what happens next.
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>“Still better than being some Eagle Ravi who everyone thinks has their Lunatic Eyes in backwards! Still better than having to literally fall from the moon to get here! Do you have any idea what it’s like to live as a soldier?!”

>“Do you?! I’ve fought enough ‘Eagle Ravi’ in my time to know they’re not soldiers. Just useless little bunnies who wouldn’t know a real fight if it burned off their cottontails!”

>“Hmm? How’s the reunion going?” Reisen quietly lifted the device and pointed it in the direction of the other two.

>“Like you’re any better. The only thing you’ve trained to fight is topiary animals!”

>“At least I wouldn’t lose!”

Damn. Akyuu's going to remember these burns forever.

I also want to point out Reisen's not disagreeing with Youmu here.
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Well this stinks
I still feel this was the best choice, I don't think going for Koishi alone would do anything for us as shown earlier in >>208556
Really hope the kosher can get helped by the duo (trio?), I don't want the eye to close again
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Rip Koosh
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>>208586 well, this detour is going to set us back by uh... A while. So there's a good chance the person to find her would be Megumu, and getting smacked by a tripod is definitely not going to be good for her mental health. Akyuu doesn't seem to be an apologetic mood either right now, though that could change.
Well, it's not like I didn't vote for this either. Just have to see how it plays out.
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>>208587

Some were saying that about Haru and Akyuu, Reisen and Eirien managed to pull through on that. Don't count her out yet!

Though hopefully Youmu and Akyuu find Koishi before Satori finds them as they're going to feel like Patchy over in USiL when Satori lashed out there...
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>>208590

Well, I'll admit to being a little jittery by nature. I think the option we went with is the one with both the highest risk(being too indecisive and failing to help anyone) and the highest reward(a prompt, proper reconciliation would do wonders for everyone- but especially Koishi).Right now, it's looking closer to the risk than the reward... But you're right that it could very well still be salvageable, if not by team Youmu then by team Satori. Hopefully Reisen can put Akyuu + Youmu's heads back in the game in time.
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I don't know why but this kind of situation will make them strengthen their friendship during and/or after the problem.
I hope the okuu group will help them in some way.
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Oooh boy. I haven't been here a bit. Well, let's hope our intrepid heroes will figure this out. And maybe talk about all the issues they picked up along the way.
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At least the manuscript got stolen. Akyuu can just rewrite it from memory, as time consuming as that may be, and the chances are high that a specific person stole it.

This is going pretty terribly, though.
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>>208595
>>208582
We won't get back to that copy of the manuscript until a later arc. Don't worry, it will serve it's intended purpose.
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This fight is so entertaining

Hopefully this fight helps to clear the air and strengthen their bond, but I’m still worried that time is running out for Koishi.


> By the time they noticed the manuscript had fallen out of Akyuu’s pack, it would be long gone.

Alright everyone, start betting. Kosuzu or Marisa?

I’m personally going with Marisa as I feel like Kosuzu would give it back and Marisa probably wouldn’t.
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Satori is probably gonna fucking send us off to the mines for hard manual labor regardless of if we manage to help Koishi or not. I bet she's gonna be so pissed that we not only walked Koishi through the human village, but managed to create this situation.
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>>208598
Well that's an image.
I'm now imagining Satori forcing Youmu to work in Old Hell or something while she's comforting Koishi by patting her head or something.
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“Alright that’s enough, both of you.” Reisen’s voice was sharp and firm, and the glow of her eyes dominated the two girl’s vision. Youmu started to object, but her voice didn’t come out - the elder rabbit’s glare was utterly impenetrable. “If you two want to end this with a danmaku fight, or pulling each other’s hair? That’s fine by me. But we’ve got a young girl out there who’s about to make an irrevocable mistake, and you’re both more focused on blaming the other than fixing it! So if either of you give a damn about not letting that happen, you will both shut up and look for her!” Reisen pulled another, similar device out of her pack, throwing it at the stunned Youmu. “Now, I’m going to take a look over that way, and I don’t want either of you to follow me. I’d say it’s so we can spread out and cover more ground, but the truth is all you’re being right now is noise pollution and I’m trying to listen for her literally crying her eyes out. Got it? Reisen, out.”

The elder rabbit turned, storming off. Akyuu and Youmu floated there, stunned.

They both turned away from each other. Youmu’s blood was still boiling, but Reisen’s glare had been the appropriate ice to allow other emotions to surface. Embarrassment. Guilt. Regret. Her tears started to flow more openly.

She heard Akyuu choke back a sob behind her, her voice on the verge of breaking. “Do you know how many times I tried to contact you? I tried for a whole week. And it hurt. It hurts to use that thing.”

Youmu bit back the urge to say good. She couldn’t hold off all of the bile, though. “It hurt to hear it, as well.” She regretted it as soon as she said it. “...I only heard two, though. The one last night and the one today.”

Akyuu took a shuddering breath. “I-I had to keep trying each night. I-I wasn’t used to it, so working up to the volume was really difficult. I… I didn’t want to wait to test it, I wanted to find you.”

Youmu sniffled herself. “Well… I didn’t wait to come up here, either. Had to bet my dignity against Parsee just to come up. I…” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to find you too.”

She pushed the rest of the anger down, turning to look at her friend. “Akyuu, I… I’m sorry for what I said-”

The rabbit shook her head. “I-it’s fine. I-I know I’m not cut out for this.” She started to sob. “I - I nearly got the Hakurei killed, I caused the Eternal Night Incident early, a-and now Koishi… I-I just seem to be-”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Youmu turned around, stopping to pull Akyuu into a hug. “It’s okay, Akyuu. You saved Haru, didn’t you? We’ll save Koishi too. We’ll figure this out, okay?” Akyuu nodded, letting out a weak sob. Youmu began to tear up too. “I-I’m sorry I yelled at you. A-and I’m sorry I didn’t think things through more.”

“I’m sorry I called you an idiot, Youmu. You’re not. You’re… you’ve always been a lot smarter than me when it came to dealing with people.”

“And I’m sorry I downplayed your work finding me. A-and acted like I didn’t want you to save me. E-even if I’m freaking out a bit now, I-I’ll get used to it. After all, I went my whole life so far without even realizing all this.”

Akyuu looked up at her, and Youmu did her best to crack a smile. “Here’s another reason I didn’t bring Parsee: clearly we didn’t need her help in starting a fight.” Akyuu let out something between a laugh and a sob, and Youmu joined in.

And… for a moment, it just broke. Everything. Neither of them could find any words, they just… laughed, and cried. And slowly, the tension faded, bit by bit.

When it was all over, Akyuu took a deep breath, steadying herself. “O-okay. Full apologies can wait, we have to find Koishi. You said she seemed like me?” Youmu nodded. “...If that’s the case, I might have an idea.”



Koishi stared, down at the canal. She held her knees close to her chest, and tried to just… hold herself together.

Well. The bright side was that her long awaited solution did actually exist. The only problem was it required breaking herself.

The pieces of confused, panicked thoughts Akyuu had given her hadn’t been much, but it had been… enough. Closing her third eye. Becoming forgettable. Becoming invisible.

And in exchange… her ability to talk to her pets. Her ability to discuss things with Satori in secret, where no one would ever hear. Her ability to think and feel.

Everything she ever wanted. All it would cost is everything she ever had.

She found herself wondering. Did the Koishi Akyuu remember know, when she made that choice? …No. Probably not. How could she have known? It wasn’t exactly a topic of casual discussion. Maybe she was the only satori that did it. Or maybe there were hundreds of satori that did it, and nobody remembered them anymore.

Koishi couldn’t blame them. She couldn’t even blame her past self. Maybe she’d screwed up as badly as Koishi had today. Maybe then-

“Hey.”

Koishi looked up.

Akyuu was sitting on the opposite side of the canal.

“I need to tell you something. Will… will you hear me out?” Koishi was too stunned to respond.

Akyuu looked down at the river. “If you’re wondering how we found you, well… me and Youmu were too busy blaming each other to chase after you, at first. So you got away pretty well.” She picked up a rock and tossed it in. “But… whenever I got stressed and overloaded, I’d come to a place like this. A place where most of the sounds weren’t other people. ...Granted, took us four tries to find the right one.”

Koishi opened her mouth. “Wh…where’s Youmu?”

Akyuu pointed up, and Koishi followed her finger. Far above, a ghostly white hell-raven gave her a wave. “She’s stepped out, for my sake. She’s still close enough to dive in to help, though.”

Koishi looked at Akyuu, but didn’t speak. After a moment, the rabbit continued.

“...I want to apologize… but first. You should hear why I freaked out. There’s… a secret buried in my head. In every moon rabbit’s head.”

Koishi nodded. “The signal-”

Akyuu put her hands up. “Please, let me. …You’re not wrong. It’s a radio signal, designed to make me… compliant. Make me a good little bunny. I’ve already fallen victim to it once, pyon.” She’d let that slip through on purpose, and yet… Koishi chuckled. “The best thing is to never learn of it in the first place. The next best thing is to forget it. But… I can’t forget things, ever, and I’m too curious for my own good, so… I have to settle for building a mental resistance the hard way.”

Koishi stared, as Akyuu pulled herself up, and hopped over the gap. “But… that’s no excuse for doing what I did to you. I should have trusted Youmu more. I should have trusted you.” She sat down next to Koishi. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

Koishi looked down. “...It’s okay. I’m used to being feared. And being hated.”

Akyuu chuckled. “Well… then tell me. How am I feeling right now?”

The satori looked at her. Then, even closer, trying to make sure she understood it. “You’re still scared… but a bit relieved?”

Akyuu smiled. “...Yeah. It’s strange, isn’t it?” Akyuu looked out, up at the sky. “It’s terrifying, having your secrets open to someone else… but if they’re open by default, why not just… let it all out?” She grinned. “I mean, I can’t even tell Youmu about the secret, because it’d be the one part of the conversation she wouldn’t ever forget.” Koishi had to hold back a chuckle at that.



Youmu looked down, seeing the two girls talk. She breathed a sigh of relief, letting the tension out.

“Youmu? Are you there?”

The hell raven almost shrieked, throwing the device that had suddenly spoken into the air. She managed to grab it before it fell, staring at it.

“Lady Eirin? Was that you?”

There was a pause, before Eirin’s slightly choppy voice came through again. “Youmu? Are you there? …Did Reisen not tell you how to use the communicator, or did you just drop it?”

She shook her head. “She didn’t teach me, Lady -oh. Mmmm.”

There was a few more seconds of pause. “...If you can hear me, but not respond… Can you go ten paces any direction, then come straight back? We still have your position on psydar.” There was a short pause as Youmu did as asked. “...Great. Press the red button while you’re talking, and let it go while you’re not.”

Youmu pressed the red button. “Lady Eirin. Nice to meet you for the first time. Me and Akyuu found Koishi. They’re just talking it out now, in private.”

“...I see. That’s a start, at least. Youmu, I need to tell all three of you something. Reisen’s got news, and absolutely none of it’s good.”



“...Koishi. Can I ask you something?” The satori nodded, looking over at Akyuu. “...That dream of Akyuu’s… you saw it, right?”

Koishi thought back. To the figure in emerald light. “Yeah. I saw it. I’ve seen all her visions, except the first, I think.”

Akyuu looked up. For whatever reason, Youmu seemed to be doing a lap of the sky or something. “...If so… can you help her figure it out?”

Koishi looked at her. “...what do you mean?”

The red eyes turned down, into the canal. “...She’s freaking out about them. She’s getting closer to remembering her own death. I… I don’t want her to go through that.”

Koishi nodded, slowly. “I… don’t want that either.” The rabbit smiled. “...But how can I help?”

Akyuu turned to her. “...Is it as scary for you to remember what you saw, as it is for her?” Koishi shook her head. “Then… maybe you can remember for her. Pull the pieces out she can’t.”

The satori tilted her head. “...do you think I can do it?”

The rabbit gave her a thumbs up. “I seem to recall your sister doing some detective work in our time. Maybe you can be the same… or something similar, at least.” The chronicler grinned. “Even one thing you can spot in Youmu’s memories, that she doesn’t have to go through herself… might be enough to save the whole world. Bet some people would change their tunes with that, huh?”

Koishi… blinked. “Me? Save… the world?” The rabbit nodded emphatically. She was serious, too, already drafting a puff piece in her head. Trying to make up for her own mistake.

...Right. Her mistakes. Satori was going to be so mad, and if they found out about her coming here-

Akyuu looked out, turning her head. "...If there's one thing I've learned from going through this... it's that making a mistake is one thing, but if you just run away from it, you can never make it better... or even fix it. It's not over until the fat lady sings."

...Well. That certainly knocked Koishi's gloomy mood off-course, even if she wasn't sure it was Akyuu seeming to read her mind, or that bizarre saying.

She looked down, thinking. Something that only Youmu could remember... something that only Koishi would know.

“...Um. About that last dream of Youmu’s. Right at the end, there was a new person-”

“GIRLS!” The two young youkai jumped, turning to look at the sudden entrance. Youmu landed next to them, kneeling down.

Her face was deadly serious, and her thoughts even more so. “We have a problem. Akyuu, can you put up a sound-cancelling barrier?”

The rabbit gave a weak non-committal gesture. “I can put up a sound-dampening barrier. I’m not as good as my sister, yet. Will that work, if we keep our voices down?”

A voice Koishi didn’t recognise came in through the device. “It’ll have to. Gather around young Koishi, and keep your voices down.”

“The tengu are making their move.”
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That was one hell of a saving throw god damn. Rolled a Nat 20 with that one
Reisen comes in clutch yet again, she gains yet another W
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That... was incredibly lucky. Not out of the woods yet, but I think Koishi will be okay for a little while longer.
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>>208597

I'm going to say Aya, and then to one of the others.

Though speaking of the others, considering the current plan we had going into the arc is for Marisa to be last, do we think the "Marisa" people have spotted is actually her or what does everyone think is going on with that?

Also, thank you Reisen for taking the edge off that fight!

>“Hmm? How’s the reunion going?” Reisen quietly lifted the device and pointed it in the direction of the other two.

>“Like you’re any better. The only thing you’ve trained to fight is topiary animals!”

>“At least I wouldn’t lose!”

>“Catch that? …So yeah, it’s going great.”

Great bit there! best big bunny sister!

And best friends certainly know where to dig the deepest, though a couple of them were stumbled upon.

Youmu hitting her with the Eagle Ravi aren’t soldiers is rather funny as Akyuu at the start of her arc was thinking the same thing of the regular moon rabbits and the Eagle Ravi as the capable ones!

And Akyuu hitting about relaxing at the hot springs accidentally bullseye’d on Youmu’s thought about how much Reimu was doing compared to her.

And as I was typing this the update came out: YES! They found Koishi! AND helped her calm down!!

Is the strike taken back or is the fact that she knows of it the strike?

>Can you go ten paces any direction, then come straight back? We still have your position on psydar.” There was a short pause as Youmu did as asked.

Why do I picture her doing literally that and ‘walking’ on the air to count out the 10 steps? XD
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Glad it turned out OK with Koishi, at least for now.

>>208604
>> Why do I picture her doing literally that and ‘walking’ on the air to count out the 10 steps? XD

This got me chuckling lol.

Unrelated, but sorry I'm not drawing a lot these days. I've been busy at work and there's been some family issues so all I wanted to do these couple days was, well... nothing at all.

I'm feeling better now and I want to start a new drawing. I have a couple ideas but if anyone has something to suggest which sounds better I might draw that instead.
Thanks and sorry to bring the mood down a bit.
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>>208605
Don't apologize! The art you've made thus far is great and you didn't have any need to draw it for us. Take your time. Don't force yourself to do anything.

If you want ideas, though, Reisen hitting them both with lunatic red eyes just now is probably a good moment to do. That or Koishi and Akyuu.

Only if you're feeling it, though!
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The three of them huddled close. Youmu kept her wings around the other two, particularly their heads, staring at the device.

Akyuu had fiddled with its settings until it was ‘talking’ much more quietly. When she’d done that, a hazy, translucent bubble had formed around the group, just within Youmu’s wings. She’d had to lean her head in a bit - getting her ears right on the bubble itself was not a pleasant experience. “Okay, we’re ready, Lady Eirin. What’s the situation? What are the Tengu doing?”

“They’ve gotten a tipoff. That the Immaterial Samurai is on the surface.” Youmu felt a drop of sweat trickle down her cheek. “...And that alone would be a problem.”

“...Why is that?” Koishi asked, hesitancy in her voice.

“Because the fact that the Immaterial Children are being found is known, but the fact that they’ve become Youkai is not.” That response came from Akyuu. “Because, in the case of… basically all of us except maybe Marisa and Youmu? That’d be a huge problem if we were discovered.”

The communicator spoke up again. “We’re trying to make sure we know what they’ve all become before we say anything concrete about it.” Akyuu nodded. “And that’s not even the biggest problem. What’s the bigger problem is what they’ve been given to identify you by.”

Youmu took a deep breath. “What features have they used to describe me? My white hair? My feathers?”

“No. That’s the twisted part of this.” The communicator seemed to take a moment to choose its words. “The tipoff’s worded very specifically. And it doesn’t describe Youmu at all.”



Satori took a deep breath, clutching at her heart. She took a moment that Okuu guessed was to recall the exact words she read.

“The tipoff was ‘the Immaterial Samurai is traveling with a green-haired, green-eyed satori’. In other words… the tipoff is really about Koishi.”

“WHAT?!” Orin was on her feet in moments. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

Okuu looked over at her, confused. “I-isn’t that just the truth though? What’s so scary about that?”

The hashihime sighed. “You really are a birdbrain, aren’t you? The problem isn’t that it’s a lie, the problem is that it’s a secret. Koishi only came up here because people didn’t know she was a satori. If it comes out she is one… then it’s going to be even less pleasant here for her than it is on the surface.”

Okuu whimpered as the implications hit her. Youki folded his arms, humming. “That’s… beyond troubling, it’s targeted. Assuming our understanding of events is correct… Nobody who knew that Koishi was traveling with her wouldn’t know what Youmu looked like.”

Satori nodded. “And there’s other problems, too. If it’s discovered that Koishi came up here… it’s pretty much instantly a scandal. And… it’s not like Youmu can just reveal herself, either.”



“Why not?!” Youmu demanded in her most fierce whisper. “Couldn’t I at least get them off her trail?!”

Akyuu shook her head, fiercely. “You can’t! If they discover you’re here, they’ll know the tipoff was true! And if they find out you’re Chireiden’s pet, it’s pretty obvious who the satori in question is.”

Koishi shuddered, pulling on her hat. “No, no, no, no, no…”

Eirin spoke up again. “In short, you both need to get out of here - Youmu unidentified, Koishi all-but-unseen - to avoid any issues.”

Youmu grit her teeth, taking a deep breath. “...Okay. Fine. I get it.” She turned to Akyuu. “Can you conjure up an illusion to help? Or can we get Reisen in?”

Akyuu’s head-shaking went from fierce to grim. “...I wish I could say I could. I can do some mind trickery on individuals, but I’m not good enough at illusions to hide another person, let alone two, and tengu have plenty of information-gathering abilities that circumvent it, regardless. Like spirit photography, or telegnosis, or just good noses.”

The communicator only concurred with grim tidings. “Reisen’s trying to help from where she is, conjuring green-haired illusions to scatter the tengu. But she’s gotten too far from you all to help quickly, and many tengu are faster, regardless - it’ll be hard to meet up again subtly, and many of the same problems apply.”

Youmu gulped. “So… we’re stuck like this? Can anyone come to help?”



Satori paced. “That’s the trickiest part. Pretty much any of us who go in either reveals people from Former Hell are coming up, or reveals Youmu is in - the same thing, with extra steps.”

Parsee looked up. “Well, on the ‘bright’ side, if it can be called that… it’s gonna get pretty hectic, I think. The tengu are not working together, they’re competing for the scoop of a century. And the other youkai won’t take something this brazen lying down. There’s gonna be brawls in the streets.”

Okuu looked out. Already, she could see one of said brawls, between a crow tengu and the kappa that had been at the gates. Or the Yamawaro. The green one, that one.

She looked up. “Unyuu… I’d hate to be the one who has to sort this all out…”



The two otters peeked out from under the awning. The lamprey saleswoman had said something about a green-haired customer, and now three tengu had cornered her, peppering her with questions.

“...Do you wanna be the one that tells the young mistress?”

“I vote for the ‘slide a note under her door and run’ strategy.”

“Sounds like a plan.”



Youmu groaned. “Chaos might make it doable, but… it’s still going to be a mess. No coordination just means a tengu could pop up at any time.”

Koishi looked up. “...But there’s another option, isn’t there?” The two turned to her. “I-if I’m discovered, then… I won’t have anywhere left to go, anyways. So-”

Both of the pets spoke in unison. “NO.” Akyuu was the one that continued. “Whoever did this… they either want to hurt you, or they don’t care that they might if we fail to escape. At the very least, we’re not going to let that happen.”

Youmu rubbed Koishi’s shoulder. “I'll find them myself, if I have to, once we're safe here. We won’t let them win. I promise you that. No matter how sticky the situation looks, we’ll... find a… way…”

She paused, reaching into her pocket. And pulled Suwako’s badge.



“An… earth goddess?” Okuu tilted her head. “What’s this Soo-Wacko person like?”

Orin tilted her head. “She’s one of the two gods of a shrine on Youkai Mountain. Youmu seemed to have a relatively favorable impression of her.”

Satori nodded. “It extended to her past life, too. And Suwako gave Youmu a token of her power - a way to contact her, and get her aid.”

Youki rubbed his chin. “Suwako… she has the ability to shape the earth. To swim through it, even. If she could even just take this young Koishi out…”

Okuu grinned. “...Then there’s no problem, is there!” The hell-raven beamed. “They can get past the tengu, at least!”

“So I guess I’m just in on this crackpot stuff, now?” Parsee’s voice was gruff, but concern did lurk in its shade. “...It lines up, sure, but what if this is her trap? After all, isn’t she the corpse-carter who pulled us to the surface in the first place? Maybe all this was set up by her?”

Youki considered it. “...Speaking as someone who knows Suwako personally… no. Going off Koishi’s description alone? Targeting a young lass like her in such a cruel way, just to set off a trap… is absolutely unthinkable for her.”

The hell-raven looked up at him. “A girl… like Lady Koishi?”

Satori nodded. “Not to mention… There’s other reasons, too. After all, she plans to build a relationship with Chireiden.”



“Wouldn’t this work just to curry favor?” Akyuu asked. “Make a problem, and magically you already have the solution?”

Eirin considered it, but responded to the negative. “The problem is that Chireiden is lead by mind-readers, and this is an extremely personal attack on them. And if your previous loop is anything to go by, they want to give what amounts to nuclear weaponry to one of the pets of Chireiden.”

Youmu nodded. “Two, actually. And yeah… one way or another, we all know how powerful Nuclear Okuu can be. You don’t plan to give that to someone, and then drive the young lady of their residence to… this.” She turned to Koishi. “For that matter… did anyone convince you to come up here?”

Koishi shook her head. “I… didn’t really need convincing. …It was all just my own stupid idea.”

Youmu rubbed her chin. “Though… admittedly, I can’t think of many other people who’d have a chance to know Koishi came up. You’d have to see the future or something, wouldn’t you?”

Akyuu’s face hardened. “...There may be such a person. Two, in fact, according to Reimu’s account. And they have a reputation for telling half-prophecies, as well.” Youmu raised an eyebrow, but Akyuu waved it off. “Not the time, I think.”

The white hell-raven continued. “...And the one meeting I had with her today… well, she told me to disguise myself as a Makaian, and it worked just fine. She could have very easily given me dodgy advice, or just gone along with my tengu plan.”

Koishi tilted her head. “...Then what’s the catch?”

Youmu shrugged. “We’d have to ask her to see if there is one. She certainly didn’t make it sound like there is one, and if someone’s used whatever her intentions were in sending me to the surface against us, she might be amenable to negotiation even if there is one. She definitely can be hard to predict, but…” Youmu stared at the talisman. “This might be our best chance, by a long shot, of getting out of here.”

Akyuu looked at the talisman. “...It’s your call, Youmu. You’ve probably got the best idea what to go with here.”

[ ] Try to sneak out without being spotted. It was risky, but...
[ ] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.




I don't need to tell you which one of these leads to the path you've got the strike on, right?
The reason I turned the previous write-in about using the badge into a vote was because the very next vote was going to be when the question was officially popped. Had it won there, I'd have skipped this vote.
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>>208605
Your own health and life come before internet strangers. Your art contributions are greatly appreciated though - just please, look after yourself!
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Firstly, we got really lucky with Koishi here, hopefully she won’t try shutting her eye anytime soon.

So now we’ve just got to get to the bamboo forest of the lost and then Eintei.

This vote is practically not a choice at all.

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
Technically there is a non-zero chance that we get out via sneaking out, but the chances are so small it might as well be 0
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I'm going to take a wild guess, and say that the strike we have is Koishi's mental health. My problem is, I could see both paths leading to us having this be our strike metric. Having to keep Koishi calm while sneaking out, or Suwako potentially turning on us? (Though with the reasonings of both other anons and the characters in the story themselves, this seems unlikely). Suwako also hears everything through the badge if I'm not mistaken, so if she is a bad actor, I'm sure she'd have went in for the kill before now.

Thus, I'm voting for using the badge. I hope I don't regret it...

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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>“The tipoff was ‘the Immaterial Samurai is traveling with a green-haired, green-eyed satori’. In other words… the tipoff is really about Koishi.”
If only we had ready access to someone else with green hair and green eyes, who arrived recently enough that even the tengu might not immediately recognize her...

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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> I don't need to tell you which one of these leads to the path you've got the strike on, right?

I think this is telling us that it's the badge one, but I'm not actually certain. Going to wait until I have a chance to do an analysis on this to make a vote.
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We’re the ones who made this vote possible aren’t we? Might as well follow through.

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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>>208613

Koishi’s already considering closing her eye to sneak out, so I’m pretty sure that’s the one we’ve got the strike on, if closing her eye is what we’re here to prevent.

I don’t think that line was meant to be deceptive.
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>>208610 here for follow-up commentary
Suwako probably bears no ill will towards us, as going against means not only does she lose an interesting subject for her nuclear test, she would also potentially lose Okuu, seeing as we're her sister, and, despite her not being the sharpest tool in the shed, she'd probably remember the person who left her sister in the dust.
Overall, using the badge is most likely the safest and correct option here to avoid a strike
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i was about to say something about youmu managing to stay in the lunar capital undetected for a month, but 1. she had multiple advantages such as: a) the fact that she was a "pure" being already and was less likely to be detected, b) she and yuyuko had two decoys set up by yukari, which made the lunarians lower their guard, and c) everyone else was also distracted by the watatsukis parading reimu around. 2. yuyuko literally just walked up to a bunch of moon rabbits and started petting them. they were not undetected. the only reason they weren't reported was because moon rabbits for the most part... kinda sucked in ssib. granted, that was yuyuko, not youmu, so.

either way, while youmu and akyuu have been shown to be decent at stealth, the tengu have abilities which negate this like thoughtography. no point to sneaking around if a random shut-in tengu just types in "green-haired satori" on her phone and takes a picture.

on the other hand, suwako has nothing to gain from targeting koishi. doing so would ruin any chances of either youmu or okuu accepting the yatagarasu. and she's already offered youmu quite the amount of help. and if suwako wants to continue gaining favor, she might also just stick around to help.

problem is, the moriyas are technically enroaching on tengu territory, unless they built the shrine somewhere else. they have an agreement with the tengu and everything. if suwako is seen siding against the tengu...

assuming, of course, she's seen.

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

on the (unlikely, from what i'm seeing so far, but things could change) chance that we stay up here, i think the best possible tengu to encounter would be aya. youmu and akyuu are plenty familiar with her, and therefore could rely on their previous knowledge for a counter. she doesn't have much of the fancy hard counters to akyuu's wavelength manipulation- in stb, aya had trouble against reisen and wasn't able to identify her until the last spellcard. granted, akyuu isn't quite as proficient as her sister yet, but it's still somewhat effective. plus, we've seen that aya is capable of thinking ahead and knows what her effect her stories have on the general public. and she's very, very capable of twisting the truth to gain an advantage. what advantage would she gain by announcing that the immaterial children, including the child of miare, are youkai now? it would destabilize gensokyo. and i think she has more sense than do to that on purpose.

could be wrong, though. still don't have a good grasp on her character. but if we're lucky, we won't be seeing any of the tengu this arc, and this line of thought remains just speculation.

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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

I'm still on "see what happens" mode on this one, and this seems like an obvious "get out from the village free" card, but the line of "Suwako wants to help Chireiden so they trust her > cause a problem for them > help them solve the problem you caused to gain their trust" does sound like a Moriya modus operandi.

In character, we know that we're going either by A- "Suwako did this on purpose to gain our trust" or B- "Suwako didn't do this and genuinely wants to help", both options right now have the same outcome, which is "Suwako helps us get Koishi out and we think about that later" so not using the badge is a bad idea unless they REALLY don't trust Suwako.

The only way I can see this going really bad is by Kanako interfering into froggy's assistance.

Maybe I'm thinking too much about this, or not enough at all lol

>>208606
>>208608
Thank you. I assumed next update would be tomorrow so I asked that but I didn't mean to distract from the voting. This story has been one of the few things carrying my mental state the last few days, but I'm feeling a bit better now. Being able to contribute to this makes me happy
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[X] Try to sneak out without being spotted. It was risky, but...
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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[x] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

:3
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

It looks like the Otters are on the Surface to do scouting for Reimu before she emerges. Judging by the growing mess that Youmu and Akyuu are getting caught up in, this may be the precipice of Reimu causing an incident of her own to attack the tengu if they are going to be THIS belligerant in the Human Village.

>>208618

My gut is saying that there is still SOME catch to Suwako's help, though the only thing I can think of is that Suwako is going to try and stir up trouble like in Mountain of Faith and wants a ringer for one reason or another. Of course, it probably is more likely that Kanako is going to cause trouble than Suwako, but...
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

If I'm understanding this correctly, we're choose between a route that pits us against Megumu and a horde of Tengu... or against Kanako.

and yeah, getting the Koosh out with minimal risk is priority.

and hey! looks like a couple of the otters managed to avoid Kutaka's attack there! though...

>“I vote for the ‘slide a note under her door and run’ strategy.”

The animal realms does have radios so this might be "oh hey here's an update oh dear the radio is breaking up, can't continue this conversation bye!!" buuuttt it also sounds like Reimu could be in town right now...

regarding Mima... with the knowledge that she has offered to take care of the souls until Eintei arrived (and youmu is burnt by something before entei arrives with hostiles apparently being a possibility seems to indicate that Youmu might've accepted?), Marisa's comment at the start feels suddenly suspicious:

>Feeling… heavy. Marisa’s ‘voice’ seemed weaker than it's initial cocky tone. I… I don’t feel right.

feeling "heavy" doesn't some like someone coming apart... Mima? what did you do? and how is it going to impact Marisa's arc?
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do it for koishi
This is a no brainer

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

The Koosher must be protected.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

Koishi's smile must be saved
Last Remote intensifies

>>208618
take care of yourself do not push yourself too hard
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

We must protect this girl!
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority
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[Lol] damage koshers eye so they cant find her
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority

There is absolutely going to be some sort of catch, but I don't think it's going to harm Koishi. More likely in my mind is something that leads to Youmu and/or Okuu interacting with the Moriya a lot more.
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I judged what the other had to say - but the consensus was also my first idea before I checked the trhead. So...

[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

We need to protect the Kosher.
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It's not unlikely that Suwako did okay this, though. Kanako didn't seem very pleased about it and she had a loud and violent fight with Suwako last night.

Doesn't make me inclined to change my vote, though. Koishi is priority, and we may be able to trust Kanako if it turns out Suwako screwed with us. If that does turn out to be the case, the catch of needing to interact/cooperate with the Moriyas isn't that bad. Kanako being reasonable is a nice change of pace, assuming that is what this is.
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>>208634

The big fight between Kanako and Suwako was bugging me, because it didn’t seem like the former had any idea about the Tengu being tipped off, and that seems like something the mountain goddess would inform her of.

So I went back to Kanako’s check. Turns out, their definitely not behind this, as Go, who I’m almost positive is Chiyuri at this point admitted to sending one of her illusionary clones aka “puppets” out to tip the Tengu off while Kanako was talking to her.
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

All Suwako needs to do to gain (or lose) Chireiden's trust is to be within mind-reading distance from either of the Komeiji sisters, which she'll probably have to be in to help dig a tunnel for Koishi and co. Now I can't help but think if it's possible for Suwako to create a massive tunnel network that connects the Moriya Shrine to Chireiden and Eientei like some GLA commander.
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Counting to >>208636:
[1] Try to sneak out without being spotted. It was risky, but...
[21] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

:3
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[X] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

It's as I said earlier. Suwako not being helpful here would be rather detrimental to her plans. Let's summon a god.
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[1] Try to sneak out without being spotted.
[22] Use the badge. Protecting Koishi was the top priority.

There wasn’t even a moment of doubt.

Youmu gripped the badge, tightly. “Lady Suwako? I’ve got to call on that favor.”

There was a long pause. Youmu felt sweat trickle down her face. “Lady Suwako? We need your help. If you don’t… Koishi is going to be in danger.”

That seemed to bring a small reaction. “Mmmmh?” …It was an oddly lethargic noise.

Youmu took a moment to compose her thoughts. “We’ve got… Tengu coming for us. Technically for me, but… the only hints they’ve been given relate to Koishi. We think she’s the one being targeted.”

“...What?!” That immediately got a bigger response. “Who the hell-rnnng, if it’s that blondie, why would she… not the time.” The badge vibrated in Youmu’s hand. “Right, I’m not far. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be waiting, Lady Suwako.” Youmu sat back, pulling her wing around Koishi to comfort her. She looked over at the other two. “Seems like we have a couple minutes. Let’s just sit tight, alright?”

Akyuu gave Koishi a reassuring rub on her shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Koishi.” …After a moment, she tilted her head. “That interaction was a bit weird, though, wasn’t it?”

Youmu shrugged. “My first interaction was pretty weird with her too. Felt like she was having a big joke at my expense.” Akyuu tilted her head at that. “...What?”

At length, the chronicler sighed. “Ah, it’s probably nothing. Just a business face, maybe.” Koishi looked between them, but seemed to hold her tongue. Youmu gave another shrug, and settled down to wait.

It wasn’t much longer they had to wait before the frog goddess emerged from the ground next to Youmu. She was pulling her hat down at the front, as she emerged. “Alright. Tell me what the problem is, and how I can help.”

Youmu bowed. “There’s Tengu who are nominally looking for me, but the big clue they’ve been given is that I’m traveling with Koishi.” She saw the goddess grit her teeth. “We need to get out of town without being seen.”

Suwako growled. “...Have a bad feeling I know who tipped them off. Alright, that’s an easy fix in terms of immediate safety. I’ll just get you out under the ground, and take you back to the cave entrance you came from, okay?”

Akyuu hopped up. “Sounds great!” The goddess tilted her head in Akyuu’s direction. “...Though… I guess this means this is where we part ways, huh?”

Youmu nodded. “Guess so. Lady Suwako… we can’t thank you enough.”

Koishi looked at Suwako… her face turning to one of concern. Quietly, she bowed before the goddess. Suwako looked her up and down… before reaching out and placing a hand on her head.

She spoke in a gentle, low voice. “...Poor thing. You’ve had a bad time of it, haven’t you?” The goddess sighed. “Perhaps we’ll have to arrange a convincing disguise for next time.”

The satori looked at Suwako, seeming to debate something. “Lady Suwako… are you okay?”

The goddess took a shuddering breath. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. Nothing I’m not used to.”

Youmu turned to Akyuu. “Akyuu… I’m sorry to cut this short, but…”

The younger rabbit nodded. “For now, just keep that device with you, alright? At least then, next time you come to the surface, I’ll know.”

“...Right.” She turned to Suwako. “Lady Suwako… why did you call me to the surface?”

The goddess hesitated. “...I wanted you to meet your friend quicker. And beyond that… don’t worry about it. What I expected to happen, happened.” She nodded, slowly. “And seeing how bad those flashbacks have been treating you has only confirmed pushing you further is a bad idea.”

Youmu was about to ask, but the Moriya goddess raised her hand. “You should say your goodbyes. It might be a while before you see each other again.” Youmu’s wings sagged, and she turned to her friend again.

“...I guess this is it, then.”

The ex-Hieda chuckled. “Yes, I guess it is. Say hi to your grandpa for me, will you? I’m sure he’s been waiting for you for a long, long time.”

The hell-raven nodded. “And you better plan meetings with all the other families you haven’t told yet-”

Akyuu sighed dramatically. “The Kirisames and the Motooris, yes.” Youmu glared at her. “...And the Hiedas. I’ll make sure everyone knows their daughters are coming home.”

Youmu smiled. “I’ll see if anyone’s down in Former Hell with me. We’ve got three of us now, we’re over the half-way mark. And so far, everyone’s kept their old name, right?” Akyuu nodded. “It won’t be long until everyone’s here.”

The rabbit grinned back. “Yep! Only two more until the quintet’s complete.” She clapped her hands together. “Next time you’re up, I’ll have to give you some dango me and Reisen made.”

“We’ll prep a big feast when we’re all together.” Youmu started to think. “I’ll have to see if anyone else’s tastes have changed.”

The rabbit chuckled. “A little party at the Hakurei Shrine sounds like a plan to m-”

Suwako snapped her fingers, fixing a single, irritated eye at them. “If you are quite done, rabbit, it’s time to go. The tengu could be here any minute.”

Youmu nodded, walking over to Koishi. The satori was looking between the other three around her, as if debating on saying something.

Suwako snapped her fingers, and a small square cut formed in the earth around them. Like a platform, it began to sink. “Now, Youmu, Koishi… I’m sorry your day is going to end so abruptly, but… I can only apologize for my own impatience. Please, have a nice rest. You deserve it.”

Akyuu gave a wave. “Talk to you again, Koishi! Have a nice time, okay?”

The satori swiveled her head between the three of them. At last, she started to say something. “A-ahhh, wait-”

Youmu stumbled at a sudden lurch of the ground beneath them. The cup that had been formed in the earth seemed to be moving beneath the surface - after the initial acceleration, the only indicator of movement was the changing ceiling of their box. She looked over, to see Koishi had fallen flat, and her hat had dropped off.

The satori’s eyes were wide, shrunk to pinpricks. “Nonononono! Go back! Go back!”

Youmu moved up next to her. “Koishi? What’s wrong?”

She turned to Youmu, her face ashen. “Akyuu - Akyuu’s in danger!”



Akyuu watched, as the ground resettled itself. There was always a fascinatingly fluid quality to earth Suwako was moving.

She grinned at the goddess. “Guessing you pushed away Koishi early so she couldn’t see why you’re in a funk, huh?”

The goddess took a moment to respond. “...How far away do you think she’d have to be to prevent that?”

“About… thirty ken, I guess?” Akyuu shrugged. “But hey, if there’s anything you wanna talk about, I can keep a secret.”

“Oh, you can, can you? Seems to be a lot of people keeping secrets these days.” The goddess’ voice dripped with sarcasm. Akyuu just rolled her eyes. “You here on your own, rabbit?”

“Ah, Reisen got stalled out making decoys to protect Koishi. I’m sure she’ll be over soon. ...Oh, right, I was curious.” The chronicler leaned over Suwako’s shoulder. “Lady Suwako, I heard you got into a fight with Kanako last night? If you don’t mind me asking, what was that about?”

There was a pause. Akyuu looked at the smaller girl, squatting down a bit to get a look at her eye. It almost looked like she’d been cr-

The goddess turned, and Akyuu felt a grip of stone close around her throat. “You wanna know why?! Because the one thing I’ve been trying to find, for over a fucking decade, she decided to keep from me! That answer your curiosity, vermin?”

Akyuu tried to pull at the fingers. “C-can’t… breathe…”

Suwako let go, but when Akyuu tried to stumble back, her feet were sucked into the earth. “And you know what? I’ve had enough of Kanako’s secrets, the official half truths, and your brazen fucking lies.” She squatted down, grabbing the sinking rabbit by the ear. “So how about we have a little pow-wow, eh? One where we put eeeeeeeeverything on the table?”

Akyuu gasped. “L-Lady Suwako, I-I don’t know what you’re talking abo-” The goddess slammed her head into the fluid pavement, causing it to splash like water. Some survival instinct managed to grit the rabbit’s teeth in time, preventing her mouth being filled with the mud-like dirt.

“Now, now, no need to discuss it here.” Suwako gave a vicious grin. “Let’s go somewhere a little more… private, shall we? I know a perfect little place, just past the Chireiden pair’s destination. A nice, secluded little grove with no interruptions… and no witnesses.”

Akyuu heard the goddess chuckle as the dark earth swallowed them both.



koishie is safe! <3

Next thread will start with the next update.
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Suwako beats Akyuu to death real
The image of Suwako grabbing Akyuu by the throat reminds me of this image.
Really hope Akyuu manages to make it out of this though, despite the fact that it's really likely she does, given she's one of the Immaterial Children.
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Something I forgot to add: The koisher is safe yippee!!!
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Woo! Koishi is safe!

Um, wait. Did we have another character we were supposed to be giving therapy to? Eh, it's probably nothing.

Anyways, we probably need to go find Jenny now and get her to talk to Suwako about the proper way to hold someone. She could hurt people holding them by the throat, you know!
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THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR BELIEVING MORIYA!!!
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Wait a goddamn minute.

Is… is Suwako talking about Sanae?🙀
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>>208646
Ooh, maybe Sanae is absent for some reason, and Go tricked Suwako into thinking that Akyuu knows about it because of the Immaterial Children business. That's my guess.
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Akyuu just does Not have any luck when it comes to people believing her when they just meet! And we kept choosing the honest options when doing so too! XD

>>208647

I dunno, it seems like whatever is missing is because Kanako has been keeping whatever it is from her for over a decade... If it was Sanae she'd would've been an infant when Kanako started doing it...

Also how was Satori keeping up with the conversation? Was she reading her sister's thoughts from a distance somehow?
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>>208648

It doesn’t say that she was keeping the secret the whole time, it just says she was keeping it at all. She could’ve easily found out where it went anywhere in that decade timespan and decided to keep it from Suwako because she thought that knowledge was too dangerous.

Alternatively, there’s the option that the person you responded to brought up. Go could be lying to Suwako, making her think Kanako knows something. Sure, Suwako’s normally more perceptive than that, but I can’t imagine her thinking too clearly in regards to something that personal. I could buy her missing something in her grief.
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LETS GOO YOUKI DODGED AGAIN
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A frog calling a rabbit vermin? These damn gods always making exceptions of themselves.
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Wait. Is Sanae also an immaterial child here? To the best of our (and Akyuu’s) knowledge, she isn’t, but I doubt Suwako’s going to believe that.

This might go poorly for the bunny. (Emergency head pats may be required.)
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>>208652

Maybe Suwako and Kanako managed to pull off something similar without being able to let anyone else know so Yukari, the IC and Eintei didn't know?
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... Well, at least Youmu's one of the faster immaterial children in terms of movement speed. So she can cover a lot of ground really quickly.

Looks like Suwako decides to go off and pull a scheme without telling anyone. Guess she didn't want to fall behind Kanako... Wonder if she's a potential final boss? Right now the candidates are looking like either her or Megumu.(or Lord Tenma, if Gooboi feels like dipping a bit into OC territory)
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on the one hand, Suwako seemed to have run out of patience when Youmu and Akyuu were talking about all the immaterial children meeting up so might be that she's under the impression that Sanae is one, on the other hand Youki seems to have alluded to Sanae when defending going with Suwako.

>Youki considered it. “...Speaking as someone who knows Suwako personally… no. Going off Koishi’s description alone? Targeting a young lass like her in such a cruel way, just to set off a trap… is absolutely unthinkable for her.”

>The hell-raven looked up at him. “A girl… like Lady Koishi?”

on the other hand...:

>There was a pause. Akyuu looked at the smaller girl, squatting down a bit to get a look at her eye. It almost looked like she’d been cr[ying]


on a side note: Youmu still has the radio, Reisen could probably hear Akyuu's Psychic cries for help, Haru has had a month to recover, Reimu is going to get the news soon... Congrats Akyuu!~ you've started the mountain of Faith incident early! that's your second one so far! is there going to be a chance for you to go underground and have the Buddists make a go for Makai early? accidentally get in contact with Okina and have her try recruiting? trip off the Great Fairy War?
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Well Koishi is safe, that’s all that matters

AKYUU NOOO!

Anyway,
The “thing” Kanako’s been keeping from Suwako is probably Sanae. It makes sense, Suwako’s (possibly) only descendant suddenly disappearing at a young age would make her livid, especially if she thinks Kanako was to blame.

It’s also possible that Suwako is incorrectly assuming that Sanae was an immaterial child. This would explain why she went down to former hell upon hearing rumours of an immaterial child (if I’m remembering correctly); and also explains why she targeted Akyuu, who remembers her past life perfectly.

There are some holes to this theory though. Why not just ask Youmu if she also remembered her past life? And why would Kanako know where Sanae’s “reincarnated” and not tell Suwako?

Either way, love the story Gooboi!
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>>208656

>"Let’s go somewhere a little more… private, shall we? I know a perfect little place, just past the Chireiden pair’s destination. A nice, secluded little grove with no interruptions… and no witnesses.”

i think there's a chance they end up underground, yeah. non-zero chance buddhists + taoist combo is coming soon!

reimu's gonna be soooo pissed if akyuu causes most of the incidents early
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>>208656
To be fair, nothing about saying Koishi looks like someone Suwako would want to protect means that sanae is around. it might be just saying she looks vaguely the right age/resembles a kochiya. it might even be her empty nesting.
that might even be why Youki 'knows Suwako personally'.
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>>208657

It's also possible that Sanae will get the Okuu treatment and suddenly find herself with a twin sister whose name is suspiciously familiar. If I remember correctly, Gooboi did say that there might be outsider and sister options for the remaining Immaterial Children, and the fact that Sanae's also a Living God might help not break the trend of the Immaterial Children all being non-human.

If this is the case, then it may be that even Kanako herself is unsure of Sanae's situation given how the Immaterial Children seemed to be retroactively inserting themselves into the history of others. This potentially leaves Sanae's history in a weird state of limbo where she either does or doesn't have a sister, at least until we finally get to pick for Kosuzu's or Marisa's reincarnation.
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The only ways for Sanae to go missing is:
1) Kasen trying to find replacement for shrine maiden, but how did she get Sanae out of all the people on the outside?
1.1) Our first lead is kanako giving Sanae away for stability and future relationships in gensokyo. But how?
1.2) there are more immaterial children then we were lead to believe
2) Yukari doing same thing. There might be possibility that she did something in the future (like somehow attach part of her identity to Marisa soul or something less nonsensical).
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What consequences will be for Moriya after her attack on Akyuu, one of Immaterial Children?
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Just so people know and don’t stay here waiting for an update (like I did), there’s a new thread.

I don’t know how to link it, just use the story threads box at the bottom of the website.
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File 171760236611.jpg - (2.33MB, 1687x1874, __kazami_yuuka_and_kazami_yuuka_touhou_and_2_more_.jpg)
__kazami_yuuka_and_kazami_yuuka_touhou_and_2_more_
Ah yes, apologies.

Please find the link to the 12th thread here: >>208664.
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