CHAPTER 01 / Welcome to Gensokyo
Gensokyo, from what I had read, and heard from others, is an interesting place, filled with interesting people. I've also heard that something always seems to be happening in Gensokyo. My old town was boring-nothing ever happened. No sort of action or adventure to be found anywhere. The only thing I had going for me was my knowledge of computers and my occupation as a small-time DJ. The DJ thing was going downhill, though, so less and less started happening. Life became the ultimate bore. At least, until the accident.
I had recently moved into Gensokyo. Most of my things were still in boxes around the house. The only things not in boxes were my computers, a gaming console, and some other things that were too large to put in boxes to begin with. I had moved into a vacant house near a magic shop in the forest.
The house was three stories-attic, main floor, and basement-although you couldn't really tell from outside. It just looked like a small house like those you see in the Human Villiage. Hell, if I were still human, I would have moved there instead, and simply built onto it.
I had just finished reassembling the recharging station. Since it was finished, I felt like taking a nap, but I remembered, youkai like to roam these forests, looking for food and such. I needed to set up my field generator so I could protect my home. Now that I think about it, it might have been a good thing that I didn't move into the Human Villiage. With all the technology and such, my house would stand out like a sore thumb, and always attract all sorts of unwanted attention.
The instructions for assembling the field generator weren't in the same box as the rest of it. I sighed heavily, knowing I'd end up searching every single box in the house. I had the power supply-a nuclear fusion coil battery-in my hand, as I searched for the instructions. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was quiet, and the sudden noise startled me. I dropped the fusion coil onto the floor. It cracked. Dammit. I was lucky that the nuclear-powered coil didn't explode, but I wasn't sure it would work anymore. I whispered expletives to myself as I walked to the door.
I forced a smile and opened the door. The girl outside seemed kinda off. Then again, there are a lot of strange characters around here...not to mention myself. She had blonde hair, gold eyes, and was wearing some sort of witch's dress/maid's outfit combination, with the black dress and the white apron. Her witch's hat was obsurdly huge. She was looking at me with a tomboyish grin. I thought I recognized her, but I wasn't sure yet.
"New neighbour! Don't get many of those around here, ze!"
That's all I needed to hear. I knew who she was. I had heard about her and a shrine maiden going around solving incidents of sorts almost all the time. The girl in witch clothing would speak strangely, usually adding a "ze" somewhere in every other sentence. She was none other than-
"Marisa Kirisame, at your service, ze! I live and work at the shop back that-a-way. So, you here for business, vacation, or..." She stopped and looked past me and saw all the technology spread out across the livingroom floor. Her gold eyes lit up. I knew what that look meant, too. I heard Marisa likes to "quietly borrow" things. I should get that field generator put together soon.
She was stuck. I decided to continue the conversation and draw her attention back. "Nice to meet you; I've heard so much." I extended my hand for a shake. She slapped me five instead.
"So, what's all that techy stuff in there for, ze? Not only that, but aren't you a human? Why didn't you move into the Human Villiage instead? Kinda dangerous around here sometimes, ze."
I decided to answer both of her questions at the same time. "That over there is my recharging station, and that's a field generator for keeping youkai and other intruders out." Her smile faded slightly at the mention of a type of security system, but she didn't seem to change her mood much. I continued. "And to answer your other question, I'm not exactly human...well, not completely. I'm sort of a cyborg. There was this accident, and...well, I don't wanna bore you with my life story."
"Cyborg, huh? Not many of those around Gensokyo, from what I see. So what brings you to these parts?"
I didn't want to tell the truth. My memories of what happened were flooding my mind. I blurted something out. "Just wanted to see new places, is all."
"Well, drop by the shop sometime! You know the place, right? Kirisame Magic Shop, just down that path over there."
"I'll be sure to pay a visit soon." I nodded and smiled. She turned to leave. She stopped after a few steps, and turned back to me.
"Oh, what's your name, ze? You forgot to tell me."
I was from the other side of the world. I figured nobody here would know anything about me or the accident.
"Razu Teionhakushi. Everyone calls me Raz."