[X] “Because treating a shikigami means planning around their orders. In your case, part of getting better would mean fulfilling your orders… and maybe I can help.”

You had a feeling it was about more than that. Reisen had hesitated for a while, as though seriously considering a different answer. But exhausted as it were, you found yourself reluctant to even consider whatever no-doubt-horrifying revelation it might involve. You just couldn’t imagine it being good. Not tonight.

You exhaled, doing your best to banish those thoughts. “Help would be nice,” you admitted weakly. “But I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

Reisen didn’t seem fazed, no doubt expecting as much. “Is there anything you can say? Or did Yukari order you not to say anything?”

You couldn’t help but note the not-quite-accusation towards your master, and how it in turn encouraged you to share what you could. “You’ve had practice at this.”

“I’ve helped with managing a number of the shikigami in my master’s care,” she confirmed. “I know discussing your orders can be a sensitive topic, but I also know how much fulfilling one matters.”

You stared down at the hand still holding yours. “More than merely sensitive. Did you ever truly succeed in getting your patients to detail everything?”

The nurse sighed. “It was never everything, but the more stable a shikigami was, the more details they could talk about. With the level of independence Yukari’s given you, I hoped maybe you were free to speak on it.”

Not a terrible guess, but sadly incorrect. “If it had been purely her decision to make, I’m sure I would be. But it’s something more fundamental. While shikigami aren’t quite forbidden from sharing our orders, our programming discourages it. Heavily so, if we start oversharing.”

Reisen bit her lip, thinking on it. “What counts as oversharing in this context?”

“Anything not immediately relevant to the situation at hand.” You sighed. “Tamamo-no-Mae knew full well how dangerous a weapon information is. A blanket policy of denying it to my enemies seemed wise at the time.”

“Surely there’s more to it than just that,” she tried. “You’ve been talking about your orders a couple times this evening.’

“What you witnessed was a product of Lady Yukari’s efforts,” you said, reminded again of your master’s care. “She has repeatedly insisted that I not let the shikigami’s desire for secrecy disrupt my duties. So long as it serves a genuine order-related purpose, I am largely free to explain myself.”

“And you were bargaining for Alice’s help with the incident,” Reisen realized, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. “I don’t suppose you could explain if I offered my assistance for it?”

You almost smiled at that. “Sorry, Eirin already gave that away for free. You’ll have to inform her she’s a crappy negotiator.”

“But Yukari wants you to recover, to get better in mind and body both! Isn’t that enough?”

You opened your mouth to tell the girl that your programming would require more than a generic desire, only to pause as a memory struck you.

“You are going to get medical treatment from Reisen,” your master decreed. “Especially for your tails, but a full physical and psychological evaluation would not be amiss.”

It was more recommendation than order, but in the absence of a true order… maybe it would be enough? You swallowed, suddenly nervous.

“Lady Yukari did suggest I receive a psychological evaluation from you. In your professional opinion, would an explanation of my orders be necessary for that?”

Reisen was smart enough to realize that her next words would be important, and hesitated for a long moment before delivering them. “If I say yes, and your programming tries to stop you from explaining, will you be alright?”

She really had dealt with shikigami before. But her concern was irrelevant, and you did your best not to give anything away. “Please don’t try to game this. I need an honest answer.”

The girl froze, her eyes darting back and forth between your broken tails and pleading gaze. Trapped between the haunting possibilities of hurting you now versus hurting you later, the moon rabbit flinched, looking away in shame. “I need to know your orders. I’m sorry, Ran, it’s too foundational - the shikigami’s psyche is built around it, too many landmines otherwise.”

You nodded, accepting the judgement. You put a hand to your chest, drawing strength from the tabard your master gifted you with… and plunged right into it. “My highest priority directive is this: ’Never create or change the programming of any sentient shikigami.’ ”

You paused for a moment, waiting for that all too familiar twinge, the headache that your programming deployed as both punishment and warning… but there was nothing. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding and continued on. “It’s an order my past self fully agrees with, and one that has never caused me any difficulty. The next one is similarly desirable, if considerably more complex.”

“‘The purpose of Gensokyo is to be a sanctuary where all manner of youkai can both survive and grow,’” you recited. “‘You are to maintain - and where possible increase - the diversity, power, and numbers of the youkai in this land, and to ensure it is always capable of sustaining them.’”

“That’s surprisingly broad,” Reisen said, her eyes searching yours for any hint of pain. “Aren’t shikigami’s goals usually a lot more specific?”

“Indeed. It is not the decision I would have made, nor the way the vast majority of shikigami are programmed, but Lady Yukari has chosen to trust me with a high degree of autonomy. But regardless, while lower in priority than the ban on shikigami, this can be thought of as my primary order. The vast majority of my actions are with the goal of ensuring Gensokyo flourishes.”

“That makes sense,” Reisen mused, relaxing slightly. “Constraints on primary orders are pretty common - though in your case I’m sure it’s unnecessary. From how you talked about the spell earlier, it’s hard to imagine you making more.”

“It’s not that hard,” you said quietly.

“Ran?”

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. “Surely you’ve wondered how Chen became my shikigami, given that order?”

“It had crossed my mind,” the rabbit admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

“The initial decision was born of necessity. Shortly after my service began, fate entrusted me with a newborn bakeneko paralyzed by crippling injuries. My lady was occupied at the time, busy dealing with the youkai whose rampage had caused it. That meant her only possible means of treatment lay with me, and while I am many things, a healer is not one of them.”

“I didn’t think the shikigami spell could heal.”

“The healing is something of a devil’s bargain,” you admitted. “When a strong enough youkai is possessing a significantly weaker one, they can use their power to essentially remake the weaker one’s body however they see fit. This does include remaking them exactly as they were, minus any debilitating injuries or missing body parts. In Chen’s case, it was sufficient to let me heal her broken spine.”

Reisen relaxed, giving you a gentle smile. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can see how you’d have mixed feelings about making a new shikigami, but it did basically save her life. Truth be told, I was expecting something much worse.”

“I’m getting to that part,” you said darkly. “You see, when it was time to program her, I was literally of two minds on the issue. My past self saw a young girl achingly similar to the daughter she’d lost. I saw a means by which I could better serve Lady Yukari. If I’d had my way, Chen would have been nothing more than a tool - a slave with no desires outside of service.”

You looked down at your hands and chuckled ruefully. “But my host outwitted me, managed to become Chen’s master in my stead - and Yukari was exceptionally happy with the results. Though it seems even that wasn’t enough.”

The moon rabbit tensed up at that. “What do you mean?”

For an instant you considered deflecting the query. You could give your orders without the context, and even the thought of explaining left a pit in your stomach. But if you were going to trust Reisen, you needed to actually trust her. “Tonight isn’t the first time Yukari’s removed my memories around a disciplinary incident. There’s a blank space in my memory, not long after I had Chen. One where I awoke in a similar state of distress.”

“Chen was so afraid when she saw me. Shaking, backing away like she was scared I was going to hit her. The moment I knelt down and hugged her instead, she started crying.” Your own hands were trembling, your vision blurring. “To this day, I’m not sure exactly what I did. I’ve never wanted to find out.”

You took a moment to wipe your eyes before continuing. “Lady Yukari must have felt the same. She went to considerable effort to get a hakutaku to erase it from history.” You paused, doing your best to blink back the flow of tears. “I wonder if she’ll do the same for tonight’s events.”

“You don’t know it was something terrible,” Reisen pleaded, “Chen might have been scared for you! Or if it was anything like that seizure, maybe she was shocked by how badly you were injured!”

You laughed, a bitter, defeated thing. “Oh, if only. But when I woke, it was with three new directives. Ones that all but confirm the nature of my deeds.”

“Three?” the bunny squeaked.

You looked back at the girl, your eyes a window into the abyss. “The magnitude of my self discipline alone was proof I’d done something terrible. Enough for an order around it - specifically, ‘You are not to risk permanent harm when self-disciplining.’ As for what it was that I’d done… well, the command not to create or modify sentient shikigami was installed then. It is almost certain that I tried to change her programming and make her the obedient slave I wanted.”

“But you wouldn’t do that!” Reisen protested. “I’ve seen the way you dote on Chen, it’s obvious you love her!”

You flinched from the reminder, your hand going to your chest. “I know, believe me, I know - but a shikigami has no room for such attachments. The only reason I can think of her that way is because of the third order my lady gave me.”

“Yukari ordered Chen to be your daughter?”

You outright recoiled at that, memories flashing through your mind as your breath came in ragged gasps. “Please don’t say that word. She’s not- I’m not allowed to.”

“Earth it!” Reisen swore, “I’m sorry, Ran! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

You nodded miserably, trying to settle your emotions - but that wound had been pried open twice tonight already, and it seemed even a light touch was enough to get it bleeding again. Your ears flattened out, tails going limp as you hugged yourself in lieu of a little girl to hug… it was pathetic, you knew it was pathetic, and yet you couldn’t seem to do any better.

Reisen managed to get her distress under control first and reached out, grabbing your shoulder. Gently but firmly she made you face her as those red eyes locked on to yours.

“Look at me.” she commanded. “Deep breaths, now. In, out. In, out.”

You followed orders, doing your best to focus on nothing but the rabbit’s red eyes and the rise and fall of your chest. Gradually, your breathing stilled, the steady rhythm soothing your desires back into uneasy sleep.

Finally, you sighed and pushed Reisen’s hand away. “I’m alright now.” Possibilities ran through your mind, from trying to explain to apologizing for your pitifulness. What came out was a plea to move past it all. “Sorry about that. Shall we continue?”

“No, it was my fault,” Reisen said. “I should have actually thought about what I was saying.”

You’d have dismissed it as an empty platitude if not for how the moon rabbit looked absolutely stricken. Why, you had no idea - it was a fair enough guess at what your orders might have been, and she wasn’t there for when Miko pressed the same button twice - but that guilty, downcast expression? It pulled at your heartstrings, demanding that it was Reisen’s turn to be comforted, to be held and told everything was alright.

You were forced to look away before you did something overly familiar again.

“Regardless,” you said heavily, “the third directive underlined that Lady Yukari wanted me to care for Chen. The exact wording is ‘You are to care for Chen as a pet and be highly affectionate towards her.’”

Reisen seemed genuinely torn, distractedly tugging on her tie as she glanced back towards the door. Finally she spoke, her voice filled with open concern. “Are things okay? With you and Chen?”

You didn’t need to think. “She’s my greatest comfort in life. I know she stirs up my past self, that I’d be more efficient without the distraction. But she makes Lady Yukari smile, and that alone is a value beyond what I can provide.” You sighed. “Some days it feels like showing her affection is the only order I can fulfill.”

“And you really need to fulfill an order right now,” was the moon rabbit’s entirely unnecessary comment.

You winced. “Thank you for that reminder.”

“Alright! I think we could both use a break,” Reisen proclaimed awkwardly, before turning tail and walking swiftly over to the door.

“I can keep going,” you protested. “You needn’t worry for my sake.”

Reisen ignored your words completely, grabbing hold of the handle and turning back to you. “And as it so happens, there’s someone here to see you.”

She opened the door, revealing the only face you wanted to see.

[-] Chen!
[-] Miss Ran!
[-] CHEN!!
[-] MISS RAN!!!!
[-] CHEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!

[X] CHEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!

Heedless of your bruises, broken tails, or any sort of pain, you leapt to your feet, catching your little girl as the most adorable bakeneko in existence jumped into your arms. The tails that weren’t immobilized curled around to the front, wrapping around Chen’s body in the warmest, snuggest embrace you were capable of.

Knowing what you needed, your kit returned the hug with arms and tails both, mewling in a way that made your heart leap. Tears falling freely, your movements only got more desperate, as your healthy tails squeezed tighter and even the injured ones tried to brush against Chen, as if her presence alone would heal them and make everything okay.

Scooping the little mob cap off her hair, you planted a kiss right on the top of her head. Your girl called your name, snuggling deeper into your arms, and you fought the urge to shower down further kisses like danmaku. Somehow you resisted, stroking the girl’s beautiful, beautiful brown hair, the brown locks swishing back into place an instant before springing right back into lively messiness that was so incredibly Chen. You kissed her again for good measure before simply leaning down and hugging your kit that little bit tighter. Your little girl was here, and for the moment, that was the only thing that mattered.

Everything your kit did - the soft mewling, the line of pressure around your back where she returned the hug, her tails entwining and brushing against yours - it all poured water on the inferno of your heart, a flood of satisfaction aimed right at the hole your disobedience had left. And while nothing could truly fill that abyss, neither could it remain unmoved by such love. Bit by bit, your shuddering gasps evened out, with even the stream of tears slowing to a trickle before finally drying up. The death grip you had on your girl gradually loosened, gradually giving way to gentle caresses, punctuated with only the occasional emphatic squeeze.

It was your little girl who pulled away first. Not completely - she was still in your arms, still on your lap - but she’d pushed against your shoulders enough to look over them at the bandages.

“Your tails...” Her whole body sagged, from her ears to her tail. "You really hurt yourself bad this time..."

Chen’s voice was fraught with worry, her face a picture to match. It was a combination that demanded comfort and sent shards of guilt through you. You were supposed to be the relief to your kit’s sorrow, not the cause of it.

"It's not as bad as it looks. And Reisen did a really good job patching it up," you assured her, gently stroking her ear. "Come tomorrow, I'll be good as new."

She turned her gaze to Reisen, who'd been unobtrusively packing up her equipment off to the side. "Is that true, Miss Reisen?" It was as much a plea as it was a question. The rabbit couldn't quite meet her gaze, practically radiating 'guilty conscience'.

You shot the nurse a pleading look, silently begging her not to worry your little girl further. Somehow Reisen pulled herself together, tugging at her tie and responding in a classic kind doctor voice, "...More like two or three days to fully heal. But as long as she's careful with those tails, she'll be out and about tomorrow for sure."

It was the right note to hit. Enough of an admission to make your kit feel like she’d seen through you, but a small enough one to ease her concern. Chen leaned into you a little, nuzzling you in relief and receiving a few scritches in return. "Maybe Lady Yukari can put them in a gap for you? That way they can't be hurt more."

"That's a good idea, Chen." You admitted, but with no intention of following up. It was probably irrational of you, but something in you bristled at the thought of hiding your tails, even temporarily. Perhaps it was foolish trying to hold on to dignity after your utter disgrace tonight, but tails were everything to a kitsune, and having all nine was one of the few things you had left.

“Don’t be sad! Reisen said you’ll be better soon.” As always, your little girl seemed to have an instinct for when your mind ventured down darker paths, and this earned her another cuddle. “And I can make it better too!”

The moon rabbit smiled. “Oh? Do you want to learn how to help patch Ran up?”

“No-” Chen paused, looking thoughtful. “I mean, maybe? She is always getting hurt, but that’s not what I meant.”

You tousled her hair affectionately. “Then what did you mean?”

She pumped a small fist, a look of pure determination on her face. “I’m gonna find Mamizou!”

You made a strangled noise of surprise, having to literally bite your tongue to prevent a full word from slipping out. You rubbed your jaw with a wince as Chen continued. “After all, you’re sad because Yukari told you not to talk about Mamizou - but she said she gave that order ‘cause 'the evidence proves Mamizou's dead'!”

“Lady Yukari,” you reminded her gently. “And when did you talk with her?”

Your girl tilted her head. “Half an hour ago? She was sad because you got hurt, and wanted to pet me for a bit.”

The dueling shame and warmth produced by your master being distressed for your sake were as strong as ever, and Reisen seemed to notice. The moon rabbit shot you a worried look before turning her attention to Chen. “And she just told you the details of Ran’s orders?”

"Yukari says a lot of stuff while she's petting me." For a moment Chen looked bashful, then her determination returned in full force. “But that’s not the important stuff! If I prove Mamizou’s alive, then Ran can catch her and tell everyone and solve the incident and make Lady Yukari proud!”

You believed her. Chen could scarcely not be endearing, but when your kit showed such an earnest desire to help, it warmed you from head to tails. (And entirely on her own initiative, too! Orin was a good influence on her, corpse collecting aside.) It made you want to shower her with praises, but you contended yourself with a few thorough pets, letting your little girl preen under the affection while you tried to figure out what you could say.

Because you did need to say something. While you didn’t want to discourage her, and her logic was correct as far as it went, the fact remained that it wouldn’t work. Your kit’s belief in you made you misty-eyed, (and your heart screamed at the thought of trying to convince her otherwise), but nevertheless, Lady Yukari had proven that Mamizou was dead. Chen would find nothing but disappointment.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” you tried for a gentle smile. “I’ll be fine.”

Something of your thoughts must have shown in your expression, because your girl’s expression grew even fiercer. “You always say that, but I'm not gonna stop! I'm not gonna get distracted, or spend the incident playing with Orin, or..." Chen glanced behind her before gritting her teeth and shaking her head, "... or any of that!"

You tried wrapping her up in a hug, but the moment you finished it, she made eye contact again, staring you down for everything she was worth. "I'm serious! I'm gonna help you make Yukari proud - so proud that you'll never have to feel sad again!"

You suppressed a sigh, matching her adorably fierce gaze with a gentle one of your own. How exactly were you going to convince your little girl to leave this alone? You couldn't just order or force her away - well, there was the last resort of locking her in at home, but that was a good way to make her truly furious. Persuasion was also dead on arrival. You'd had this argument too many times to convince Chen that you didn't need help, and charting a path which led her away from the incident’s dangers would be near impossible when you couldn’t say a single word on her goals! Normally you defeated her stubbornness by distracting her kitten side, but she was clearly on guard against further petting attempts, and it wasn't as though you had milk or catnip on hand.

And Chen was prepared to be stubborn tonight. She had her arms folded, ears twitching, defiantly making eye contact, all but daring you to try dissuading her from helping. It was almost a staredown, a contest of wills interrupted only by the occasional glance backwards... which wasn't at Reisen?

That was odd enough that you wanted to know why, and straining your ears, you managed to hear a faint squeaking noise. You smiled. No wonder your cat was distracted.

“You know, if you’re planning something bold, you might end up ruffling some feathers. I’d feel a lot better about it if I knew you were on Reimu’s good side.” You paused to let the kitten process your words. “Do you remember how thankful she was the last time you helped her with a mouse problem?”

Chen outright twitched at the word 'mouse', glancing back at the door yet again. "I said I'm gonna help and investigate!"

"You're not going to win an argument against me if you're distracted," you teased her, "And Reimu will thank you for it. Go ahead. We'll talk about this later."

She was clearly wavering, flexing her claws even as she watched, so you decided to give your pet one last push, and possessed your shikigami.

As always, the sense of Chen came through clearly. Instantly you could feel her two halves at war - not shikigami and host, but the girl and the cat. Your little girl's worry, her determination, her frustration at being unable to help - all of these shone through even more clearly with her feelings exposed. However, staying still while there was a mouse to be pounced on was torment for the kitten. Every breath carried the scent of prey upon the wind, each squeak a clarion call, an invitation for the hunter to strike. So you gave her the mental equivalent of a hug, letting your thoughts brush against hers as you gave her a glimpse of your own desires. To fulfill an order, to solve the incident, to keep your little girl safe... and in particular, that you really did mean to finish this conversation so she wouldn't sneak off on her own.

"F-fine. But I'm going to investigate!" she declared, before transforming into a cat and leaping towards the door. Followed immediately by her needing to transform back to actually open it before re-transforming and scurrying off.

She was so adorable.

"Ran, are you alright?" Reisen asked you. "If it hurts to dance around a forbidden topic, I could tell her to stop."

"The relevant order is not to speak," you assured her. "Hearing discussion is no problem, so long as you avoid unfairly maligning my master. I’m more worried about Chen."

Your cat was sniffing around, trying to isolate where the mouse smell was coming from. The sounds had stopped for the moment, but that wasn't about to stop a hunter like her, and so she stalked across the hardwood flooring, carefully tracking her prey. Not the bedroom with Miss Ran, not the main room where the puppet lady and that weird saint were talking (why did her hair look like Miss Ran's ears?), so she continued down the hall, keeping her ears alert for the smallest squeak.

“What do you mean?” Reisen asked.

“This incident is dangerous,” you emphasized, gesturing at your bandaged tails. “Regardless of Chen’s wish to help, she’s not ready for something of this scale.”

And wouldn’t be for at least four centuries. Maybe eight.

“Regardless,” you continued, “In addition to banning that particular topic, Yukari has given me two other orders for the incident.”

That got her attention. “Yes?”

“One is to inform Reimu of the existence of the Lunar Capital’s occult ball if Sumireko reaches the outside world - likely a failsafe in her plans,” you explained. “The other is to not directly interfere or even interact with Sumireko.”

The moon rabbit frowned, considering it. “That’s strange, to put it lightly. Do you have any idea why?”

You sighed, looking down. “Given my recent issues, I can only assume Lady Yukari wanted to keep me out of the thick of the incident.”

"That reminds me, would Chen’s idea actually help?" The moon rabbit tried and failed to sound casual. "If, hypothetically speaking, you were given an order with a stated evidentiary base to its logic, and you later learned of compelling counter-evidence… would that lift the order?"

You gave her an odd look. “Hypothetically, yes, but the point is moot. My lady would never make a mistake of that magnitude.”

Reisen hesitated at that, before swallowing and turning to you. “Ran, Kasen and I had a talk with Miko while you were unconscious.”

The tone and body language alone gave you a sinking feeling. The girl seemed more nervous now than when you’d started talking about your orders, and that boded nothing good. “What’s wrong?”

It took a second more for her to steel herself, before those red eyes locked on to yours. “Akyuu’s desires. Miko told me that she enjoyed your seizure far too much."

The words didn't make sense. That wasn't possible, your master had said it wasn't possible, and Reisen knew better than to joke about such things. You had to have misheard her somehow. "I-I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Akyuu really is an imposter," she said. "Miko's sure of it. She's probably a tanuki, maybe even... maybe even Mamizou herself."

Even repeated, the concept felt like lightning from a blue sky. You'd expected something terrible, but of all the things, this was what Reisen was worried about? If Akyuu was an imposter, then you were largely, possibly even entirely correct.

And that meant you weren't crazy. You never had been.

"Oh," The stunned whisper slipped out, followed by a disbelieving chuckle.

The sheer relief of the idea was overwhelming. For so long your mind had been one of the things you were most proud of, that no matter what was done to you, be it poison or crippling or slavery, you remained brilliant, you remained capable. The prospect of losing that, of becoming this delusional shell of yourself unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy? It was absolutely gutting. You'd barely started coming to terms with being delusional, and realizing you weren't was like a pardon to a prisoner. One in the midst of being crucified, even.

You almost hugged the girl, but restrained yourself in time, instead throwing that surge of affection into your bond with Chen.

Chen had made her way to the kitchen when Miss Ran's presence returned in force. She was about to explain - she wasn't here for the food, this was just where the mouse was - but Ran didn't give her the chance, enveloping her with enough love and well-being to knock the girl off her feet. It was the sort of warm fuzzy feeling Chen got from sitting in her tails, except Miss Ran was the one feeling it! Her hunt forgotten, Chen mewled excitedly, the cat purring and nuzzling into her master's love for all she was worth. Because she was happy - for just a little while, Ran was really just happy.

"Are you alright?" Reisen asked you worriedly.

You laughed outright. "Better than I thought I possibly could be. Thank you, Reisen. Truly."

It was no exaggeration to say that this changed everything. You hadn't been insane, merely tricked, and that meant your deductions were still valid; you could still resolve the incident. Yukari would be so relieved to hear... wait.

Suddenly, Ran's presence went still. Chen meowed for her attention, trying her best to imagine another hug, but Ran wasn't hugging back. Her master did get like this sometimes - something must have made her busy again - but the girl waited a minute in hopes of more affection. But try as she might, there was nothing from Miss Ran, and she could still smell that mouse.

It had been Yukari who brought the newspaper. In fact, that was understating it. You'd had Mamizou cornered, about to be caught, and then it had been your master’s interruption that had saved her and stopped you. So why… why would she do such a thing?

The obvious explanation was that there had been a mistake somewhere. Miko thinking that Akyuu was Mamizou wasn’t true proof, after all. It was completely possible that she was lying, or that another ability had somehow interfered with hers to give her false results. It was simple enough to imagine an urban legend around Nue’s power of the unknown or Kokoro’s masks that could apply. It was too soon to jump to conclusions.

The logic did nothing to calm you. Correct though it may be, something in you found it entirely unconvincing, its demands for why resounding with every heartbeat. And in truth, you found it less than satisfactory as well. If Mamizou was in fact dead, then you were still delusional.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Reisen asked again. “You’ve been quiet.”

With an effort of will, you forced your voice to stay steady. “Merely surprised, that’s all. It’s a lot to process.”

Could it be that Lady Yukari was mistaken? Your head twinged at the thought, but it was an important possibility to consider, no matter how unlikely. You were certain you remembered her keeping a close eye on the religious wars, so there was no way she could have missed Mamizou.

Perhaps it was Keine’s effect at fault? Maybe if they'd found some way to power the hakutaku up, some urban legend that boosted her ability to erase history - but how could the hakutaku possibly affect your master and not you? Even aside from Yukari's own immunity, she'd already taken the better half of your power! If you were able to resist the effect, surely Lady Yukari could! No, if Mamizou was truly real, you had to assume that your master knew.

Like a pebble triggering an avalanche, that one thought caused a cascade of other memories to crash down. Your horror at seeing your case fall apart, the absolute agony of your discipline, the pitying looks the incident resolvers had given you as you laid there on that gap. You shook your head trying to banish those thoughts, but all that did was give you a glimpse of your broken tails - the ones you’d broken trying to catch the damned tanuki.

You took a deep breath, clamping down on it. It was not ultimately important. You were a shikigami. You existed purely to serve Lady Yukari. If your reputation being torn to shreds served her purpose, then you should be glad to be of use. If it was her whim to see you broken, wholeheartedly believing that you’d been slowly losing your mind without realizing, then that was her right! You were supposed to hear and obey, not second guess your master’s commands!

And yet your heart hammered away within you, refusing this basic truth. What could possibly make Lady Yukari do this to you? What of her gentle ministrations, the medical treatment she’d provided both personally and through Reisen, or even her careful manipulations to prevent your discipline? Were those consistent with a master who would discard you like one of Tamamo-no-Mae’s disposable shikigami? It all boiled over into the singular, inescapable question.

Why?

“I might know why,” Reisen said softly. You blinked as she put her hand on yours, only belatedly realising you’d asked the question aloud. “Miko said that the desires she read indicate a conspiracy. That-”

“What were Yukari’s desires?” you asked urgently.

“She couldn’t read them.” Reisen admitted. “But Megumu’s were grief, guilt. She hated producing that newspaper. Which makes me think, she and Yukari… What if they needed to forge that newspaper? What if they didn’t have a choice?”

You felt your heart start to crack; you’d already dismissed that as impossible. “My master could never be threatened by a mere tanuki-”

“But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be threatened by someone stronger,” Reisen said carefully. “This incident’s a mess - it feels like we’re only a few pieces away from the situation being completely FUBAR. But if Mamizou only wants revenge against you, why go for an incident with so much collateral damage? It feels more to me like she’s being used. A convenient tool for the real mastermind.”

Oh. Oh my goodness.

It was the second time in as many minutes Reisen had turned your world on its head, but… if Mamizou was merely an accomplice, then your deductions could be almost entirely correct whilst leaving the incident unsolved. In fact, they were even dangerous, giving the illusion everything had been wrapped up neatly while the true culprit was still at large. Of course, this left the question of who could possibly threaten the Sage of the Gap… but now that you were finally asking the right question, it was obvious!

“The Lunar Capital,” you murmured.

“What?”

You were almost dazed by the shocking simplicity of it all. “It was their occult ball that started the incident - the same occult ball we’ve been chasing half the evening. My lady even left an order about it, presumably because of the danger it poses.” You laughed, almost disbelievingly. “And they even sent a messenger to Eientei just tonight! Specifically to check up on the incident and Yukari’s plans for it. All because…”

Your voice died off, as the memory of that particular discussion struck you like a lightning bolt.

“‘As for the gap youkai's plans, I'm sure Sagume will have the final say.'" Eirin quoted. “Sagume has either already used her ability, or she's about to.”

“Meaning the situation is about to invert drastically.” Kaguya mused. She paused, before looking at Eirin. “Is that why the urban legend incident has spiraled out of control?”

“Unlikely. Her ability is what made the incident possible. No, between this and Ran's actions, Yukari's clearly up to something. Toyohime would prefer to know the details so Sagume's ability can be more accurately targeted.”

“... because Sagume intends to use her ability to reverse it.” You finished, now far more subdued.

The pieces fit together perfectly. Sagume’s ability to reverse a situation simply by speaking aloud was an existential threat. Much like your master’s boundary manipulation, you weren’t entirely sure where or even if the ability’s limits existed… but it was entirely possible that the reason things had devolved so far already was because Sagume had said the incident would be quickly resolved. And that in turn justified Yukari’s actions - almost any extremity was preferable to a fully catastrophic set of urban legends. As unpleasant as tonight had been, you would recover, and relatively quickly at that. Something on the order of a nuclear meltdown could outright end Gensokyo. How could you have been so blind?

Well no, you knew exactly how you’d missed it. Back at the start of the incident, Lady Yukari had explained to you how the moon was unable to interfere any more than they already had, and as a shikigami such advice from your master was the next best thing to gospel truth. That had let you tunnel vision in on the Lunar Capital’s occult ball, completely ignoring the signs of hostile Lunarian action. A foolish oversight, and yet one Lady Yukari had certainly planned for. In fact, it fit the theory: your master’s advice could have been her playing along with the moon until a decisive counterstrike could be arranged.

“That’s why my master needed to stop me,” you realized. “The Watatsuki sisters are one of the few foes who can truly threaten her, and with the amount they have riding on this, they’d have no hesitation in doing so. If I’d succeeded in exposing their pawn, doubtless they would have responded with some terrible blow - something worse than murdering my family.”

The conclusion brought with it a wild concoction of emotions within you. On the one hand, missing the obvious for this long felt inexcusable, even if your nature as a shikigami made it borderline unavoidable. It was never enjoyable realizing you’d been played, even if it was part of your master’s plans. There was also a level of fury to it, now that you realized tonight’s injuries, humiliation, and gaslighting could be laid at the moon’s feet. You literally couldn’t be angry at your master, but the Lunarians? You’d fantasized for years about what Yukari would one day do to those bastards.

And yet all of that was drowned out by the sheer relief. Lady Yukari hadn’t torn apart your reputation and psyche for amusement or some random scheme; it was an emergency measure, unwillingly taken, but necessary to stop the moon from doing something horrible. And that meant you hadn’t been wrong about her. She still wanted the incident solved, she even still cared about you.

Chen was humming happily, the cat’s teeth not quite crushing the stunned mouse in her jaws… which admittedly made her hungry, but Miss Ran always gave her a treat for a successful hunt anyway! And then Ran did show up, so Chen perked up further, nuzzling her master as she showed off her prize! Miss Ran nodded gently, not seeming bothered like earlier, and told her good job… plus reminding her not to hold it in her mouth, she didn’t know where it had been. (But she did, it was gnawing through a sack of rice in the pantry!) Chen turned back to human form, moving the mouse to one of her hands… and then Miss Ran gave her a heart-hug.

It was that special feeling, the link they shared when Ran held her happily in her lap for hours - sometimes to read a book, sometimes telling a story, but really just so she and Chen could be together. It was a warmth in her very soul that Ran could only give when she didn’t have orders, or work, or worries about what Lady Yukari would think, for when she and Chen were allowed to just be happy. And she was happy, because Ran was telling her she loved her, that she did a good job… and to hurry back for a real hug. The girl had been basking in the moment, but that was the one thing that could make her even more excited, and she started scampering back.

You turned to thank Reisen, to somehow convey how much her words and presence had done for you tonight… only to realize that the moon rabbit looked supremely uncomfortable. The girl’s ears were drooping as she cringed guiltily, unable to look at you. “Ran, I’m so sorry about this.”

Right. You silently cursed your tunnel vision anew. This had to be a difficult topic for the moon rabbit to bring up to begin with, and rubbing her nose in that particular atrocity was the exact opposite of tactful. But with your heart reassembled, perhaps you could finally ease hers. “It’s not as though you played any part in their atrocities,” you said gently. “You ran away, remember?”

The girl slumped further. “I shouldn’t have, I-”

“Escaped when you had the chance,” you finished for her. “I can’t imagine life up there being pleasant for anyone but the Lunarians.”

“I-it isn’t,” she said, somehow looking even more miserable. “The Lunarian nobles always-”

“Miss Ran!”

Chen came rocketing around the corner, a cat-shaped missile comprised of speed, adorableness, and an endless capacity for kitty cuddles. You fielded her expertly, catching your little girl and spinning her around to bleed off momentum, before transitioning into one of those full body hugs with all the tails you could move.

A moment of bliss later, you remembered that Reisen had been in the middle of saying something, and looked up to continue the conversation… but if anything, the moon rabbit looked relieved to have the conversation interrupted. Still guilty, still bothered over something… but she gave you a slight shake of the head and a meaningful look at Chen.

You hardly needed the encouragement. A few deft movements, and the mouse was set to the side and sealed in a tiny spherical barrier (a little utility spell you’d developed for this exact situation), while your kit was once again in your lap where she belonged. Right where you could deliver her usual reward of a kiss on the head, a cuddle, and several repetitions of how good a job she did and how proud you were. (Naturally, that wasn’t all there was to it, but you’d need to wait until you were home to actually cook fish for her.)

But before you could truly relax, there was one last thing you needed to address.

“Chen, regarding your investigation…”

Your little girl perked up, looking at you hopefully. “Yes?”

It was too dangerous to bring her with you, and you could already tell your little girl wouldn’t listen if you told her no and left her alone. That meant leaving her with someone. Someone who knew the stakes of the incident, who could guarantee she’d stay safe… and hopefully let her find something that would satisfy her desire to help.

[-] Kasen. If she’d been talking to Miko, she’d likely reached the same conclusion as you, and she was your usual babysitter when you needed someone to watch Chen. Surely she could find some suitably safe tasks for a fluffy and earnest assistant.
[-] Megumu. You were more certain than ever that your old friend would never let any harm come to your little girl, and letting her chase down the source of that newspaper in a remote, well-protected tengu archive sounded perfect.

[-] Megumu. You were more certain than ever that your old friend would never let any harm come to your little girl, and letting her chase down the source of that newspaper in a remote, well-protected tengu archive sounded perfect.

It was tempting to leave her with Kasen. The hermit was your usual first choice for babysitter during dangerous incidents, being inherently trustworthy and a model of discipline, foodie tendencies aside. Even if her duties brought her into the line of fire, you were sure she’d arrange for her animals to supervise your little girl on some safer task.

But Kasen couldn’t promise a safe way for Chen to help. For anyone openly on your side, exposing the Lunarian plot would mean exposing themselves to danger. For the hermit to guarantee Chen’s safety, she would need to sideline her, and your kit would chafe at that. It was the correct decision when you were forced to make it, as keeping Chen safe was more important than keeping her happy… but what if you could do both?

“I want you to go with Megumu, and ask to investigate her archives.” You said, petting your kit as you delivered the words. “And keep an eye on her, if you can.”

Chen closed her eyes and leaned into the pets, only to frown as your words registered. “But I was gonna chase down Mamizou for you!”

Her pleading would have been so adorable if it wasn’t frustrating. You’d been hoping she’d connect those dots, but now your gag order made it hard to clarify. You weren’t sure if you could mention the newspaper, but maybe you should have tried?

“This is chasing down Mamizou,” Reisen covered for you. “If you can prove that newspaper’s fake, that proves Mamizou isn’t dead.”

“And then Ran can talk again!” Chen realized, perking right up.

You smiled, petting her some more, as you mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to Reisen. Chen purred and nuzzled into it, but she wasn’t done with questions just yet. “Miss Ran? How do I investigate a newspaper?”

This was far enough removed you could talk about it, at least in brief. “Ask Megumu.”

“But… isn’t she the one who showed the fake one?” Your kit questioned. Her ears flicked back as she thought it through. “If she knows it’s fake, then…”

“Megumu’s not lying by choice,” you promised her. “There’s someone else behind this incident. Someone who’s strong enough to threaten her, and even Lady Yukari into obeying.”

Chen’s eyes went wide, and her next line was little more than a whisper. “Moon people?”

“I think so - they’re the most likely culprits, to be sure - but that’s beside the point.” You gave your clever little girl a good scratch behind the ears. “Whoever the mastermind is, Megumu and Lady Yukari will be looking for their chance to break free and fight back. I want you to help them get ready for that chance. That might be finishing your investigation, that might be playing along, but whatever Megumu asks you to do, I want you to do it. No matter what.”

“Even if…” She takes a moment to steady herself. “Even if it ends up hurting you again?”

You nodded, ruffling her hair a little more. “Even if it ends up hurting me in the moment, it’ll still be for the best in the end. And nothing would make me happier than to know you did everything you could to help my old friend. Okay?” You were certain that Megumu would keep her out of any Lunar subterfuge, but it was still best to warn your girl away from any dangerous heroics.

She nodded, slowly. “Okay, Miss Ran… I promise. I’ll do anything I can. I promise.”

You took a moment to assess her expression, before giving her one last ruffle. “That’s my girl. But there’s one last, very important thing I want you to promise me.”

Your little kit gulped, trying to imagine what this last important thing could be. “Y-yeah?”

You paused, taking a long slow breath. Then you gave a small smile, letting the tension in the air vanish. “I want you to promise you’ll brush your teeth.”

Chen stares, before puffing up her cheeks. “Miss Ran-”

“Morning and night, Chen.” I said with a mock stern tone, even as she became more adorably indignant. “And no asking Megumu for sweets to get the taste out.”

My little kit groaned, covering her face with her hand. “That only happened once!”

“Well of course, because I had Kasen watch you after that.” I chuckled, snuggling up to her. “...You get the point. Be a good girl, okay?”

“Of course I’ll be good!” She protested, but settled down into the hug regardless.

“That’s my girl,” you whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Reimu opened the door and froze, the words on her lips suffering a fatal crash into the logjam of what on earth as she stared at the scene before her.

You looked like a cartoon’s caricature of a person with heavy injuries, with nearly every inch of exposed skin wrapped up in some way or other. Your tails were a bouquet of bandages and floof, one arm was in a sling, one leg had “just” heavy bandages to the thigh and calf, while the other was laid out straight in front of you, using the gap as a footrest… as Chen happily wound layer after layer of gauze around your knee. Even your face hadn’t been spared, featuring a square band-aid on your cheek, and one of the small ones for children right across the bridge of your nose. With a cute little rabbit on it.

“What’s going on here?” Reimu finally managed.

That was a question you never wanted to hear from the shrine maiden, made worse by there not being a good explanation for it. You’d realized Reisen was still looking guilty and out of sorts as you hugged Chen, and decided to break the ice by teasing her a little - offering her petting and head pats, the sort of affection you’d been showing Chen. The flustered girl had taken refuge in something your little girl had said earlier… and proven her ability to get revenge in kind.

Perhaps you’d teased the bunny a little too much?

“Reisen’s teaching me how to treat Miss Ran’s injuries!” Chen declared happily.

“Oh is she, now?” Your master floated in on a gap of her own, which was perhaps the only thing that could have made this more embarrassing. “And how has she been doing that?”

Lady Yukari was smiling, and her tone indicated she approved… which should have been a good thing, but gave you surprisingly mixed feelings at the moment. Especially as it gave your nurses full license to continue.

Reisen coughed, a little embarrassed herself. “Well, Chen wanted to learn how to patch up her mo-” she coughed again, “her master the next time Ran gets injured. So I’m drilling her on some basic triage and how to bandage wounds.”

“It’s simple! Look, you wrap it up with gauze like this,” your little girl gestured to you now thoroughly wrapped knee, “then you put a self-adhesing layer on top to keep it on!”

“Self-adhesive,” you corrected softly, as Chen followed up her words by showing off her new skill. And then kissing the top of your knee once she’d finished.

“I doubt the kiss is part of the medical procedure.” Reimu said grumpily.

“Don’t be silly, it’s very important!” Chen said. “Miss Ran insisted on it!”

Chen, you didn’t need to say that part! You flushed as Lady Yukari smiled wider and even Reimu chuckled a bit.

“Very well done,” Yukari praised, opening a gap to pet your kit. “But what if she had a small cut somewhere you couldn’t just wrap the whole limb up? Could you show me how you’d treat that?”

Chen immediately dashed over to Reisen’s bag of supplies and picked up a smaller gauze pad and some surgical tape. Reisen’s eyes glowed red to simulate the new injury, and you looked over your body to see where Chen’s ministrations would be directed. Nothing on your arms, your torso was fully clothed (small mercies), your tails were already mummified, maybe down near your ankle or something?

“Hold still!” Chen ordered, climbing up beside you on the bed.

Your kit kneeled on your lap, her tails brushing against your legs as she leaned in, her little fingers gently holding the gauze pad against your cheek. Your breath caught as she pulled it away, cutting it down to size with a pair of scissors, and then the remainder was pressed to your cheek once more, firmly this time.

With her other hand, Chen applied the medical tape, her face scrunched up in concentration as she made sure to get all four sides of the bandage good and taped down. Your heart raced as you realized what was coming, and then your kit leaned in and kissed you on the newly bandaged cheek.

The combination of embarrassment and happiness burned, but that ship had sailed long ago. Your free arm whipped around to grab hold of your little girl, giving her a one-armed hug as you delivered the praise she so clearly deserved.

“Good job Chen,” you had to fight to keep the whimper out of your voice, “That was perfectly done.”

You followed this up with a kiss to the top of your kit’s head, taking a moment to unlatch the sling around your other arm so you could hug her properly before you turned to your master.

“Lady Yukari,” you started hesitantly. “Regarding the events of this evening? I have additional details to report.”

Your master’s eyes sharpened as she gave you her full attention.

“Ugh, of course you do,” Reimu complained. “You know, you all might be youkai, but I still need sleep.”

“Then sleep,” you shot back, irritated. “I don’t report to you.”

Lady Yukari coughed meaningfully. “Reimu will be working with me for the duration of the incident. It’s best if she’s kept fully informed.”

It wasn’t a reprimand, but being corrected by your master was never pleasant. You flinched, your ears flattening out. “Is that an order?”

The answer was almost always no in these cases - Yukari virtually always rejected the idea, instead declaring her words to be a suggestion, or occasionally a strong suggestion. Which made it all the more notable that she actually paused, looking consideringly at the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.

Reimu blinked, shaking her head. “You’re not going to… I thought you wanted to give her as few orders as possible!”

“I do. But given how things have turned out, perhaps this is for the best.” Yukari sighed, turning to you. “For the duration of this incident, if I am unavailable or indisposed, I want you to follow Hakurei Reimu’s directions.”

You shivered with gratitude as the order settled in. It wasn’t full order authority for Reimu, but it was the next best thing, placing you under the shrine maiden’s command should your master not be present. And with your master unavailable as frequently as she was, there were reasonable odds of the order coming into play. And Reimu was a very blunt person - any commands she gave were all but guaranteed to be straightforwards.

It would be such a relief to have orders you could just go out and fulfill. Granted, how well you truly fulfilled them could only be assessed by your actual master after the fact, but it would at least follow the rhythm a shikigami was meant to follow.

The shrine maiden appeared to recognize the level of responsibility she’d just been given, her face going pale. “You didn’t need to do that?”

It was somewhere between protest and question, her words fading out into a pleading, almost begging tone. Your lady was quick to reassure her, patting Reimu on the shoulder. “It’s just a contingency. If you don’t want it used, I suppose you’ll need to stay by my side.”

Was your order just another way for her to manipulate Reimu into accepting her affection? You repressed a sigh. Really, why didn’t your master just hug the girl and get it over with? Sure, she’d make a big deal of complaining, but it would put an end to this frankly tiresome dance. It was an odd blind spot in Lady Yukari’s usually flawless planning. Even Cirno knew she and Reimu cared for each other.

Regardless, you knew better to involve yourself, and so you launched straight into your report.

“As such, between the Lunar Capital’s occult ball and the probable use of Sagume’s ability, the evidence points to them as the true culprits,” you summarized. “And given both the sheer firepower available to the moon and the danger reversing the situation could pose… I understand now why prematurely exposing their pawns would be unwise.”

The only one truly comfortable at the moment was Chen. Admittedly, petting her was doing a lot to keep you calm as you explained your recent conclusions… but Reisen looked just as uncomfortable as when you’d first realized the logic, and Reimu wasn’t much better. Lady Yukari kept her composure, but the sage of the gap was tightly controlling her reaction; her face may as well have been carved from granite.

“Ran. There’s a lot I cannot explain regarding this incident and my part in it,” your master said tightly. “I can neither confirm nor deny my motives.”

“I expected as much,” you admitted. “Is there anything that you either wish to share with me, or to hear regarding my intentions?”

Under normal circumstances you would obviously relate everything, but if your master had a need for plausible deniability, it was best if you preserved that option for her. Perhaps one of the Lunarians possessed a spell or ability that forced even Lady Yukari to tell the truth?

She paused, considering the question. “How do you intend to act on your theory?”

“Pursuing the occult ball remains the highest priority available to me, but I need to discuss the situation with my allies,” you admitted. “I suspect Reisen will continue aiding me-”

“I will,” the moon rabbit confirmed quickly.

You gave her a grateful nod, continuing, “But I should check with Miko and Alice. After the evening’s events, they may be reconsidering their cooperation.”

The words hurt, just a little. There was good reason for it, and hopefully Lady Yukari would allow you to explain yourself, but being seen having a breakdown was nevertheless unpleasant. Chen leaned into you, rubbing her head against your chest, and you hugged her a little tighter in response.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” your master told you. “I’ve explained things to Alice, and Miko still desires your help with Kokoro.”

You brightened up immediately at that. “In that case, I could resume pursuit immediately.”

“No, you will not.” The command rang out sharply. “You are injured, Ran. Your only duties for this evening are to care for Chen, and to get a good night’s sleep.”

Your little girl even mewled artfully, combining it with a pleading look that begged for attention. It earned her a smile and a pet, but truth be told, it was wasted effort. In other circumstances you might have insisted on more work, but it was obvious that your body and soul could use the rest - and if Yukari believed the incident could wait eight hours, that was enough.

“Very well,” you said, giving your kit a quick cuddle. “Though that does bring up the other matter I wished to discuss.”

Your master nodded, and you took it as license to continue. “Chen insists on helping, by proving the identity of the Lunarian pawn.”

“I’m gonna work with Megu to show the newspaper’s fake and Mamizou’s really alive!” Your kit jumped up, giving Yukari a meaningful look.

Your master’s eyes narrowed and you hurried to explain. “My intention was that - assuming this hypothesis is correct - it would be a safe way for her to help facilitate the truth, once the time is right.”

The sage’s look turned thoughtful, and after a moment she nodded. “It’s a good idea,” she said, reaching out to pet a now-beaming Chen. “I’ll let Megumu know to expect her in the morning.”

Yukari continued to pet your shikigami, and the girl leaned into it, purring at the gentle touch. Your master reached out to her, and Chen shrunk down to her cat form, jumping into the sage’s outstretched arms for still more petting and cuddling. Yukari pulled her in, rubbing the feline against her cheek as some semblance of grief finally showed on your master’s face.

There’s one more thing, your master thought through your shikigami bond. If things go as I’m planning for them to go, you’re going to end up sealed for a little while.

That caught you completely off guard. Lady Yukari?

It will be as short as I can possibly make it, I swear. But it’s necessary. I can’t explain why.

I’m always happy to serve, no matter how, you reassured her.

Of course you are. You could feel the undercurrent of tiredness running through her thoughts - and unlike with Reimu, it had nothing to do with the late hour. I just need you to know, no matter what happens, no matter what the situation looks like, I’m on your side. Now and always.

You wanted to say you’d never doubted that - but to your shame, you couldn’t, not with your treacherous thoughts earlier. I’ll remember, you promised.

Your master cut the connection at that. You watched helplessly, hoping that her continued petting of Chen would offer her some solace. Would that you could help more, but assurances of your service had never eased your master’s heart, and you had little else to offer. All you could do was hope your kit’s presence would help Lady Yukari like it did you.

“Is that finally everything?” Reimu asked with her usual lack of tact.

Yukari straightened up, the moment of vulnerability passing as quickly as it came. “Can’t wait to get to your bed and clock your usual twelve hours?”

The shrine maiden whacked her on the shoulder, scowling. “You’re one to talk. With the amount you sleep, anyone would think you’re half baku!”

Your master laughed, setting Chen down as she opened a gap. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

The rest of you mere mortals had to use the door to exit, filing out into the shrine’s hallway. You paused there, still needing to shed the extra bandages from Chen playing nurse. Reisen assisted, and in no time at all you were back down to “merely” five tails bandaged.

“Thank you,” you said, peeling off the last of the gauze. “Do you have anywhere to stay for the evening?”

Reisen glanced down the hall to the main room where the incident resolver meeting had taken place. (It felt like another lifetime. Had it truly been less than an hour?) “I was thinking I’d borrow a guest room from Miko, or maybe Alice.”

“Our home has one that’s already made up,” you offered. “It would be the least I could do.”

“Raaaaan,” your little girl complained, not happy at the idea of potentially sharing your attention.

“Don’t worry, she’s all yours,” the moon rabbit smiled at your kit. “It’d feel strange sharing a house with Yukari anyway.”

It wasn’t unreasonable on either count, but you felt compelled to protest. “My master does have a more human side. It wouldn’t be a bother, really.”

Reisen shook her head, shouldering her medical bag. “I believe you, I just think it’s best if someone talks things over with them tonight, make sure we’re all on the same page. And you’ve been told to relax with Chen.”

You could hardly argue the point, but it still felt wrong for the girl to work on your behalf while you relaxed. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Reisen hesitated, carefully considering her next words. “I’ll pass what we’ve discovered on to those who need to know. After all that’s happened tonight… we have a lot to talk about.”

End of Part 2C.