Disclaimer : Touhou and all it's characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.

Chapter 2 : Sunday Mor-I mean, Tuesday Morning


White.

Pure white.

It's the first thing I noticed when I regain consciousness.

I looked to the left and right, up and down, front and back.

Nothing. There's nothing here except for me, white land and white sky. There's not even a cloud nor the sun. There's nothing-

"Are you sure?"

I jerked my head to the left and saw… a mirror?

Wait, that's not right. Why's my reflection smiling when I clearly sporting a confused look? And why is he squatting when I'm sitting?

"That's because I'm not a mirror, stupid. I'm not even you to begin with."

Huh? Then, who-

"In a sense, I'm you. But in another, I'm not."

…okay, this is confusing. Is this a dream?

"No. Should I explain?"

Yes, please.

"Okay, but it'll be long. First, I'll tell you who I am." He said while sitting beside me.

"I've tell you earlier that I'm not you. Well, not entirely. I'm what you can call your Optimist Mind. I'm the one who tell you to go forward when in doubt. In short, I'm what you call your 'Yes-Man'." And for where we are, well, we're in your subconsciousness."

Confusing, but makes sense. So, it's like I have two mind in a body, right?

"Well, no. Like I said, I'm you. Even though I said that, it's actually just your brain telling, well, yourself to go on. I'm just your mind visualized as a person. What's that called, embi, embu…"

Embodiment?

"Yeah, that's the one! I know I'm not stupid!"

Okay, you started to sound like Cirno there. So, if you're the optimist, then surely there must be…

"Yup. Your Pessimist Mind. She's the one who tell you to go back when you're facing a danger. Shortly, she's your 'No-Girl'."

She? So my pessimist side is a girl?

"Yup again. But there's nothing to be worried about. She's still you, in a sense."

That's what I'm worried about.

"Really bro, it's no big deal. Heck, she's even kinda cute for my standard."

"What? Something wrong?"

No, it's nothing. It's just, ugh… well, whatever. It's a surprise, but not unexpected. So, where is she?

"She doesn't wanna come out, saying things like 'he'll hate me when he see me'. *sigh* Man, even though the matter involves her the most."

Wait, what matters?

"I'll tell you later. But first, let me drink a little. *glug* *glug* *glug* Ah, that's the stuff."

Wait, where did you get that bottled water?

"It's your mind, remember? Just imagine something and it'll be there."

…you're right! Look, I made an iced lemonade!

"What did I tell you. Now let's get serious. You do remember what happened last night, right?"

Last night? *glug* *glug* You mean when Yukari teach me about gap?

"Yup. Don't you find anything strange there?"

Not really. Asides from why she wanted to teach me, everything's normal.

"That's only one. Let's change the question a little. Do you FEEL anything strange last night?"

What do you mean?

"So you don't. Expected."

Wait, I don't understand. What-

"I'll give you another one. Why did you accept Yukari's offer?"

Don't just cut people when they talk. *sigh* Well, first is because she'll take me to Gensoukyou. Second, is because she knows about 'that', right?

"Okay, change of question. Why did you accept Yukari's offer, so easily?"

…what?

"Look, bro. Even with how much you like Touhou and with how you really wanted to know more about 'that', there's no way you would accept her offer just like that. There's a lot of thing you still have to do in the Outside World, like saying goodbye to John for example."

What are you implying?

"When Yukari offering herself to teach you, you should've said 'I'll think about it', or at least something like 'I'll finish my business here first'. But you're not. Your Pessimist Mind should've taken control of your mind, but she didn't. She said that there's something blocking her from doing her job. Like, she wanted to move, but she can't. And when you plunge deep into your subconscious, that's when the force stop. Oh, and if you're wondering about me, the case's similar with her, except I was the one forced to take the control."

…Yukari…

"Yup. We think that Yukari somehow play with your border. I don't know why, but we've come to a conclusion : she really wants you to be in Gensoukyou, no matter what."

"And there's one more question that we still can't figure out. You've already asked Yukari, but she didn't give any definite answer. Why you? Why us? If she wanted a random Outsider, she could've just choose one from her world, not someone from entirely different universe."

…why…

"That's what we don't know. And there's nothing we can do except giving you some advice. Remember, if you feel something's not right, no matter how insignificant that is, don't hesitate to go back. Even with how much you like Gensoukyou, with how mind-stunning this place is, it's still a hell. A Bullet Hell, that is."

"Hey, don't be so tense, okay. I'm not asking you to be so serious or anything. Just take it slow, keep calm, but not too slow. Got it?

…got it. Thanks man. I don't know if I'll ever find that out if you didn't help me.

"Well, it's actually her that's asking me for help. But, 'twas no problem."

*chuckle* It feels weird to thanking myself, you know. Will we meet again?

"Time will tell, and next time we meet, I'll be sure to bring her to see you. Speaking of time, look at your watch."

Why? It's six…thirty…

Why's…the world…spinning….so…dizzy…so…..sleepy…


Same morning. Same Ceiling. Same….wait….

This isn't my bed. It's not even a bed to begin with, it's a futon! And that's not my ceiling. No one uses a wooden ceiling this day and age. Am I kidnapped?

Wait, I think something's happened last night, but I can't seem to remember any of it. What happen… what happen…what…

Oh yeah, last night Yukari teach me how to make a gap, and then I entered the one I made. And then I came out from the gap and then I…fall...

Thinking about it, I guess it's not her fault that I came out in the middle of the sky, considering it's my own gap. But never mind that. Did I hurt somewhere? …it seems I'm okay, there's no bruises or blood, and I can't feel any pain at all. Did Yukari broke my fall with her gap somehow?

I think I'll need to thank her for that.

"Your welcome"

…on a second thought, I guess I'll beat her to death instead.

"…don't hesitate to go back…"

…my Optimist Mind… now I remember. I guess Yukari really did play with my boundary. And there's no telling what she might do to me next.

I'll keep that in mind. But that's that, and this is this.

As I looked around, I noticed that I'm in the middle of a Japanese-styled room. The floor is made of tatami, the walls are made of, um, some paper-like thing. My clothes, cellphone, wallet and watch are still with me. Good, that means no one touched my stuff me when I sleep.

Am I really in Gensoukyo?

"Ugh…"

I noticed the sound and the movement on my right. As I looked, I realized that I'm not alone in this room. Someone is sleeping in a fetal position, facing his/her back against me. The person had a rather long, unattended black hair and using a white night dress which make me realize that the person is a she.

Great, did I just slept with her? One night in Gensoukyo, and I already did that?

I better get out before she wakes up and get some funny ide-

"Suika, I told you not to wake me up so early in the mor-…eh?"

"…"

"…"

"Um…"

"…"

"…good morning?"

"FANTASY SEAL!"

"GAAH!"

And then, everything went black, again. What a great way to start a morning.


"Gyahaha *hic* hahaha, so you just shot him on the spot? Man, that was too *hic* much!" A loli who reeks of alcohol laughed at the scene in front of her. She has long ginger hair that tied on the end. She also wears a red ribbons on the back of her head. She wears a white, seemingly tattered singlet and a long purple skirt. On her wrist are chains where a red pyramid and a yellow sphere were hanged. But what makes her really stand out is her two long horns, decorated with ribbons.

She is the Little Pandemonium, Suika Ibuki.

"Shut up, you drunkard! It's your fault that he became like this!" A girl shouted angrily at the loli while sitting at the table. She has long, if not shorter than the oni, black hair that is decorated with a red ribbon and two matching tubes on her sidelock. She wears a seemingly modified red-white miko outfit, with detached sleeves that shows her armpit rather nicely. She's also holding her gohei on her right hand.

The girl who I recognized as the one who slept with-I mean, beside me earlier, is The Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Hakurei Reimu.

"…" and me, the victim, sitting in front of the miko at the table, lost at word with bruishes all over my body. Damn, I know danmaku are not lethal, but it's still hurts like f-ing hell!

By the way, the two in front of me are also an important chara in Touhou. The old me at this kind of situation would freak out, screaming on the spot while muttering things like 'Omigod omigod omigod! They're real, they're real! I'm really in a game!'. But I have to hold the urge to do so. First impression is important after all.

Speaking of first impression, I guess what happened this morning already leave a bad taste on Reimu's mouth.

How should I react with this situation? Should I just tell them straight everything that had happened?...nah…I guess playing dumb will be good for now. It'll be hard to explain to someone that I know them from Video Games. "Um, guys-I mean girls?"

"What?" shouted the miko. I take that back. What happened this morning really did leave a bad taste on Reimu's mouth. "Um, could you girls tell me what actually happened?"

Staring at me, the two then sighed. "Suika, you tell him."said the miko.

"Nu-uh, you tell 'em. It's your fault too, remember?"

"Ugh, fine." The miko then looked straight to my eyes. "You. Do you know where you are?"

"Um… a shrine?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh great, another Outsider. Just to make sure, do you see any holes filled with eyes lately?"

Should I blame it to Yukari?...meh, whatever. "Um… I think I saw one. Somehow, the hole suddenly appears just below my foot, and then I fell into it. The next thing I remember is what happened this morning."

The miko looked down. Suddenly, with a face of great anger, she shouted to the ceiling.

"YUUUKAAARIII!"

"So loud~. What's the matter, Reimu dear?" suddenly the person in question shows up. She's hanging on her gap, showing only her upper body.

"You tell me, gap hag. What's the meaning of bringing this man here? What are you plotting this time?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just found myself a new entertainment." She said with a playful tone. Guh, so that's how she looked me. A mere entertainment, huh?

"Whatever your plan is, I don't care. Now send him back or I'll beat you to a pulp right on the spot."

She chuckled. Then she showed us her trademark smile. "As if you could defeat me, child of Hakurei."

The miko didn't move one bit. Not even a flinch, while I tried to be as far as possible from Yukari. The air feels so ominous I almost choke on myself.

"But don't worry. He won't bring you any trouble. As long as I'm the one who monitored him, everything would be fine." Suddenly the air goes back to normal.

"I doubted that." said the oni.

"And one more thing. Reimu," said the blonde, ignoring the oni "I suggest you start preparing a room for him, because starting today he will be staying with you."

"What? You mean I have to take care of this guy until god knows when? And why should I agree with you?"

"It will be easier for me to contact him here than in the Human Village. And as of why, it's because I say so~." Yukari said in her usual tone. Reimu just grimaced. She knows that no matter how hard she tries, she could never win against the youkai alone.

"Well, if there's nothing more, I'm going to sleep again. *yawn* Ja ne~." Yukari said while reentering her gap.

"Wait, Yuka- ugh, that damn hag!" looks like the miko is not on her best day. "And you! Why don't you say anything to her?"

"Um, why should I?"

"Obviously because she's the one who sent you here, baka!"

Oh, damn. I think I've angered her enough. "I'm sorry, it's just very confusing for me. You said I'm an Outsider, but where actually am I?"

She sighed before sitting at the table. "Now, listen well because I won't repeat this. It will be hard for you to understand, but try to bear with it. Got it?"

"Okay."

"You're in Gensoukyou, an isolated land where creatures like youkai, gods, celestials and so on can lives. Outsiders are the term we use for people from outside world, just like you. And that woman earlier is Yakumo Yukari, the youkai of boundary. She's the one who sent you here."

I tried to make a surprised face. "Youkai? Doesn't they exist only in myth and storybooks?"

"No, they don't. They are real, and some are very dangerous. I suggest you to run away if you ever see one. Oh, and some has a human-like appearance. Like Yukari, and Suika for example."

I looked at Suika, who is laying on her side while holding her gourd. "Wait, you're a youkai?"

"Yo. The name's Ibuki Suika, an Oni." She said with a big grin.

"Oni? I thought oni looked like-"

"Don't think about it too much." cut Suika. "You won't survive here if you use too much common sense."

"Is that so…" I looked back to Reimu. "And, that means you're…"

"No, I'm just a regular human, and there are others in the village. My name is Hakurei Reimu, current miko of the Hakurei Shrine. And you?"

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Yanto Bahar. Though, you could just call me Yanto."

She nodded. "Well, we already saw how Yukari reacts when she sees you, so you'll probably be staying here until Yukari says otherwise. Now, would you like some tea?" she said as she gets up and walks to the kitchen.

"Ah, yes please." I already thirsty since this morning. I guess she's not really that uncaring after all.

"How about you, Suika?" she said, glancing to the oni.

"Nah, I'm fine." She said before taking another sip at her gourd. Reimu just walked away to the kitchen.

"Um, Suika-san." I said to the oni. "Could you tell me what happened last night? I mean, how can I…um…laying…next to Reimu-san?"

" *glug* *glug* Ah, so you don't remember, do you?"

"Unfortunately no."

"Well, hehehe *hic* it's actually really funny. You see, last night Reimu-"

"Don't tell him anything weird!" Shouted Reimu from the kitchen.

"Geez, I only tell him the truth." she pouted. "Well anyway, that night…"

X-X-X-X

Hakurei Shrine near midnight.

A party, which is only happened because The Ordinary Witch, Kirisame Marisa 'borrow' some of Morichika Rinnosuke's high class liquor he found at Muenzuka and bring it to the shrine had almost come to an end. It was a small party nonetheless, with only the miko, the resident oni, and the witch herself attending.

"Ne,…" said the blonde witch, "...I wonder where Yukari is,ze. I haven't seen her in days."

"Don't know, don't care. The hag probably just sleeping like always." the miko said. A shade of red was seen in her face, indicates how drunk she is.

"I don't know,ze. It's still summer, and you know how she loves sake."

" 'Cept it's not sake, and she has a habit of sleeping all the *hic* time."

"Reimu, I don't know you're such a light *hic* drinker." comments the oni on the miko's flushed face.

" *glug* *glug* Puah! Yur all underesteemating mee." The miko said, even more drunk than before.

"Reimu, I think the party's over,ze. Let's all go to sleep and-"

"Eye don' wanna!" shouted the miko. "Lookie here, eye can steel even standing and-"

*Thump*

"Well, there goes our beloved miko." commented the oni at the sight.

"Weird. Never seen Reimu pass out on a liquor before,ze. Especially before me."

"Everythin' has it's first. Should I carry her to the bedroom?"

"Nah, such a bother,ze. Just change her clothes and put her on a futon here."

"Okay. But you'll be the one who set the futon."

"Huh? Why,da ze?"

The oni smirks. " 'Cause I know what'll happen if I let you two alone even if just a little bit. And don't think I don't know what's on your mind right now after seeing her like this."

A blush on the witch's face. "Wh-wh-wha? Wh-wh-what do you mean, what's on my mind? I-I-I don't think of anything-ze!"

"Ohoho, really?"

"Y-y-yeah! Now let's just tidy things up right away, okay? It's getting late after all-ze."

"Okay, but just a little more drink. *glug* *glug* *glug* Puah, that's the stuff. I've to admit, your's is really good."

After putting Reimu down on her futon, Marisa goes back home, flying on her broom. Suika chooses to sleep on the porch. Suddenly…

*Crash*

"Huh, wazzat?" mumbled Suika. She looked to the source of the sound, a bush. Lazily, she walks down to the source.

"Hey, weirdo! If y'all wanna took a peek at Reimu's sleepin' body, you gotta walk thru me first!" said Suika, as if mocking the culprit.

There's no answer. She walked to see who's behind the bushes.

"I said, if you lookin' for some trouble, then- wha?"

A man was laying face down on the ground. At first, she thought the man was just acting like he's passed out. But after poking his face several times with a stick, she realized that the man was indeed unconscious.

"What should I do…" mumbled the oni. She almost took him back to the village, but after seeing his clothes, she realizes that the man is an Outsider. It's almost impossible to wake Reimu up, so instead she just drag the man on his collar and put his body besides Reimu. 'Let's just finish things up tomorrow then.' She thought. Then she goes back to sleep.

X-X-X-X

"And that's what happened." said the oni, ending the explanation.

I facepalmed.

"Just one last question. Why did you put me beside Reimu?"

"Hm…no idea. Too sleepy to think properly."

I facepalmed, again. Really, just because of this and I get a spellcard on my face? What a great way to start a morning.

"Don't worry about it so much." said Reimu while she bring two cups of tea on a tray. "Danmaku and Spellcard–that's what I hit you with this morning–are nonlethal. The most it can do is giving you a light bruises."

"But it still hurt nonetheless." I said while rubbing my bruised face. "By the way, what's a Danmaku? And what's Spellcard?"

She put the cups and then sits in front of me. "Danmaku is a way to settle things here in Gensoukyou. Basically, you throw lots of energy bullets in a pattern to your opponent. If you get hit, you lose. Spellcard is an advanced type of danmaku." She then showed me a card. "It allows you to throw an even more complex or more deadly danmaku. It can also helps you conjure a difficult spells. It also has a timeout. Sometimes a spellcard makes the user invincible or unable to be hit. That's what a timeout is for."

I nodded in understanding. "So, anyone can use danmaku?"

"Not everyone. Usually people with above average spiritual or magical power could. There's even one person that uses her 'chi'? I don't know. And there's also another who uses something called 'Nuclear Power'." She's probably talking about Meiling and Okuu.

"I see. So aside from spiritual and magical, anyone who can harness the power of nature also can do danmaku, huh?"

"That's basically it."

"So, do you think I can do it too?"

"I don't know. Your spiritual power is average and I can't sense any magic within you either."

I slumped in defeat. Damn, there goes my hope to battling another Touhou chara. Wait, if I don't have any of that, how can I open a gap? And isn't the outside don't have any magic anymore?

"You just need to have some training to awaken your power. Don't worry, everything has a start." She said as if trying to lift my spirit. It works, though.

"Ne, Reimu…" called Suika. "What's for lunch?" I looked at my watch which says '7.10'. It's still morning and she already thinks about the lunch?

She glanced at Suika, then at me again. "Now listen. You'll be staying at my shrine, so you have to follow my rule. For now," she showed me a piece of paper and a pouch full of coin. "buy me the ingredients for lunch in the Human Village. I forgot to bought it yesterday so we don't have anything for lunch."

Saying things like 'Why don't you go? You can fly, don't you?' might not be the best course of action, as I 'acting' like I don't know her ability yet, and I don't wanna make her angry again. "Okay. So…um, how do I get to the village?"

"Just walk down the stairs and take the stonewalk. You'll be there in an hour."

"What? That far?" I'll broke my feet in the first 15 minutes.

"Yes. And while you're at it, search for a decent job, one that could pay well. I won't let you stay here for free you know, and I don't want another freeloader after all. Except if you're okay with not having any lunch or dinner."

I sighed in defeat. I know it'll come to this eventually. As if some donations could support three person's daily needs. That if she even got any.


The walk to the village was rather uneventful. There's only trees and birds. I was lucky to not encounter any youkai on the way. But the stair is really tiring. I could feel my foot burning up from fatigue.

The scenery is, well, not really as good as I expected. Every time I imagine Gensoukyou and it's scenery, what's in my mind is always that : a beautiful paradise. What I encounter, instead, is just like any other backwater land. You know what they said about expectation. But I couldn't help it but wanted to see more.

It has been 30 minutes and I can already see the village from afar. It's rather small compared to a city, but bigger than most villages. I can also see a mountain which is probably Youkai Mountain even further away. I wonder who come out with such a name like 'Human Village'. Like it couldn't get any more obvious. Just a little more walk and the trees will come to a clearing.

"So, have you got any ideas?"

I don't need to look at the source of the voice, because I already know who the speaker is.

"You haven't slept yet?"

"Not until I have a chat with my cute apprentice~."

I sighed. "For your information, no, I haven't. I don't have any sort of talent that could make a profit. I can't cook, I can't do any housework that well, and I don't have any muscle to do manual labour. If I go there, I'll be a laughing stock."

Unfortunately, my life as a university student doesn't help me much with developing my skill. My 'kost' – it's how we called a boarding house here, though I sometime use the word 'apartment' to make it cooler for some reasons – don't have any kitchen I could use. Mom never agreed to teach me how to cook either, saying things like 'man shouldn't be in the kitchen' or 'cooking is for woman'.

Man, how I missed her now.

"Would you like an advice, then?"

I just raised an eyebrow at her word. "I don't know you're such a nice person."

"Of course I am. Now, if you're looking for a job that suits you, go to the center of the village. It's the biggest intersection there is. After that go to the west and you'll find what you're looking for. *yawn* Well then, back to sleep~." She said before going back into her gap.

I'll never know what's on her mind.


After a while, I finally arrived at the gate of the village. I looked to my watch and noticed it has been 15 minutes from when I met Yukari. The village looks crowded with people going here and there doing their works or just having some chat. The buildings are made from woods and bamboos, and none were made from bricks or concrete. They doesn't look old, but not modern either.

As I walked, I noticed that some people were taking a glance at me. It's not long, as they immediately go back to whatever it is they were doing. Probably because of my clothes, or my unfamiliar face. I'm not a Japanese to begin with.

Just like what Reimu instructed, I walked further to the inside of the village and found myself in the market place. I looked at the list again. Hm… some vegetables, tofu, and some other ingredients. She don't even bother to write the price of each things. I hope the money is enough.

And luckily, it is. There's still even some for me to buy a snack, as I forgot to eat any at the shrine. Hopefully Reimu won't mind. I can't imagine what would happen if I ran out of money. The shopping only took me 15 minutes. As I walked even deeper with groceries at my hand, I found myself at a large intersection. Just like what Yukari said.

I don't have any compass at me, so I looked at the sky instead. It's only 8.30, so it's still morning, and the sun is still on the east. As I walked to the direction Yukari told me to go to, I found a building that at least three or four times bigger than any other one. I could hear some noises from inside of the building, so I took a peek at one of the windows.

The room inside is filled with children. Some are chatting with their friends, some are eating their breakfast, and some were preparing their books. I noticed that they looked at least 10 years old and could probably be classified as a fourth grader. With how the room is packed with tables and a black board in front of the room, I quickly noticed that the building was actually a school.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?"

I was too absorbed from looking at the room that I didn't notice that someone was standing beside me. She is speaking perfect English as she called me with such formal tone. She wears a dark blue dress with white short sleeves, a red ribbon that acts like a tie, and a hat that looks like the top of a building. She had brown eyes, long silver hair with blue highlights, and a smile that could easily tells you that she is a nice person.

She is The History-Eating Half Beast, Kamishirasawa Keine. She also working as the school's history teacher.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She probably thought that I can't speak Japanese. Luckily, I took my lesson well, unlike a certain someone. "I just walking through here and noticed the building. I kind of curious and wanted to look inside. I'm sorry if I looked suspicious, um…"

Looking at me with a slight blush, surprised that I can speak Japanese, she then regain her composure. "Kamishirasawa Keine. You could just call me my given name, if my family name is too hard for you to pronounce." She said, stating her name. "And no, of course not. I'm just surprised that someone really interested at our learning establishment, Mister…"

"Yanto Bahar. You can call me Yanto if you want. And your name isn't really hard to pronounce, Kamishirasawa-san. Though if you didn't mind, I prefer to call you Keine-sensei instead."

She seems surprised, either from someone pronouncing her name perfectly, or because that person knows her job. "How do you know that I'm a teacher?"

So it's the later then. I think it won't hurt to surprise her just a little more. "Well, you're the only person in 50 meter radius that is holding a book, and you're definitely doesn't look like a children." I stated the fact. "There are some white dust on your right finger, indicating that you're used to holding a chalk. Lastly, your glasses was hanging on your pocket, gives you a more teacher-like aura."

I lied, though. I already know her occupation from games and mangas. And the things I pointed out, well, that's just an example on how Sherlock Holmes and Conan Edogawa could affect your view on people. Now she'll see me like some sort of weirdo.

She looked at her hand, to her pocket, and then at me with eyes that is at least half bigger than before. Also, her mouth now wide open, like, really wide.

"H-how…" heh, seems I gave her quite a shock, huh?

"The world, Keine-sensei, is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. (The Hound of Baskerville, Chapter 3)" I tried to be as cool as I can, quoting from one of the book I know.

She almost like a fresh water fish statue right now, given how her face looks. I almost laughed, but just before her mind goes back to reality.

"You…"

"Yes?"

"You…you…you…"

"Yes, sensei?"

"YOU!" she suddenly dashed forward, grabbed my collar and shoved her face towards mine.

"YES!" I'm surprised, I'm really REALLY surprised. Some said that her headbutt was scary. That it could send you to Netherworld with no chance of going back. And, well, after almost experiencing it, I could safely say that it is indeed terrifying. It makes me forget the fact that her above-the-average chest was touching me. Somehow, her eyes are glimmering with expectation.

"You must be a scholar, right? Right?"

…eh? That's what makes her like this?

"W-well, actually I'm just a normal college student." I said.

"I knew it! I knew you're a-eh?" I think her last bit of common sense finally comes back to her mind, as she released her grab and moves further away from me. If her face before was like a fish, now it looks similar to a tomatoes.

She quickly gave me a deep bow (that almost hit me in the face, again) and apologized. "I-I-I'm sorry! I can't seem to control myself. It's just that I was happy to find another scholar aside from myself and I…I…I…"

"It's okay, sensei, I'm not angry at all, really. And…um…"I scratched my face in embarassement "…could you please stand up? People are looking and… it's kinda…you know…" I said as I glanced at the watchers.

"Ah, right." As fast as she bow, she's now standing straight again. " *ahem* If you don't mind Yanto-san, would you like to look at how our learning system is? I will be the one to teach the class that you looked earlier. It'll help us very much if you could recommend a better way to teach, or even renewing our curriculum." she said, but her tone almost like pleading.

I glanced at my watch. 8.44. It seems I still got time before lunch. And I'm not really expecting to get a job right away. As they said, there's always tomorrow, right?

"That's alright, I'm not really in a hurry anyway."

*RIIING* *RIIING* *RIIING*

"It seems the class has started." She glanced at the school bell. "You can sit inside the class if you wanted to, Yanto-san."

"It's okay, Keine-sensei. I'll just look from here. I don't wanna bother the children after all." I reject her offer, with a smile of course.

"Well, if you really okay with it. Then, see you after class." She smiled and gave me a quick bow. Then she turn her back and walk towards the entrance. I noticed that beside her plump chest, her body from the back was also really- *SLAP* Ah, a nice slap from my Pessimist side, telling me to stop thinking weird things. Thank you very much.

As I looked back to the class, I wondered what could be the difference between Gensoukyou and Outside's way of learning. But that will be answered almost immediately so I stopped my train of thought and focused my eyes.

Keine walked inside, and almost immediately, the children gave a bow to her.

"Stand! Bow!" said the class leader to Keine.

"Good morning, sensei!" said the student.

"Good morning student." replied Keine.

"Sit!" said the class leader, and everyone follow suit.

"Now, let's start our math lesson today." Oh, so it's a math class then. I wonder what will they learn today?

"Our lesson today will be about multiplying."

"…eh?"


This isn't right. This is definitely not right. There's something really wrong with this.

"Yanto-san?"

They looked at least ten, right? So they should be at least 4th grader, right?

"Yanto-san!"

Yet they still learning how to multiply! Some even don't know how much 2X5 is! This…this…

"Yanto-sa-"

"IS MADNESS!"

"Eeep!"

Eh, what's going on? Why is Keine covering her ears with her hands, and closed her eyes, looking terrified?

…oh, damn. I lost my cool again, didn't I?

"Keine-sensei! I-I'm sorry! I lost my temper earlier. Are you okay?" I looked at her, slightly in panick.

"I-I'm fine, Yanto-san. But still, what happen? Earlier, you look very…infuriated…" she looked at me worryingly.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just…" how should I say it to her… "…I don't really agree with your math curriculum."

"What do you mean?" she looks more calm than before. Instead, her worried face turns to one of curiosity.

"If I was right, they're at least 10, right?" I guess it's better if not use the term 'grade' now, since I don't know on which age did they starts to school.

"You are correct. And some of them were already 11."

"And they are still learning how to multiply?"

"Why yes. Is there any problem?"

I facepalmed. "How long is this system…um…used already?"

"If I wasn't mistaken, it's already been used since the founding of the school."

"And there's no effort to renew it?"

"Well, I had actually tried to change it, but I'm having some difficulty in deciding what they should learn and when should they learn it."

Bam. Double Facepalm. One more and I'll be doing a faceplant instead. "You see, in my place we already learned to memorize multiplication since we are 7 or 8 years old."

"What?" she surprised. "But that's so early! If so, then what do you learn when you're ten?"

"Hm… I think we learn about time, distance and speed, and how to measure them. We also learn on how to measure 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional structure's wide and volume."

"Oh my…" it seems she still surprised. "What should I do then? Should I… no, that would be inefficient. What about if… no, that won't be good either… How about…" she put her hand on her chin, figuring out the best course of action. Then, she looked at me.

"Yanto-san,.." she said. "I know it's rude of me to be asking you this… but I don't seem to have any other choice." She looked even more serious than before.

"Would you like to be our new math teacher?"

"W-wha? B-but I'm… actually… not really good at this… sort of… thing…" damn, what should I do? I never teach anyone before. And I'm not even that smart to begin with. "Can't you just renew the curriculum right now?"

"It will be hard for me to change what has already started. I'm not asking you to be our permanent teacher. It'll probably called… um… supplementary class, I presume. And for that, I need a help from another person."

As she looked at my still-not-sure face, she continued. "It's okay, I will help you as much as I can. And don't worry about money. I will see the principal to talk about your salary. We teachers always get paid weekly, and from my personal view, I think it's enough for roughly two person every month."

As I mused, I remember what Yukari said earlier.

"…and you'll find what you're looking for…"

Heh, just as planned isn't it, Yukari. Looks like I walked right into your trap.

"I guess I have no choice, I'll take it."


Phew! Finally!

I'm really sorry if it took longer than what you expected. If anyone actually expecting anything, that is. I'm actually having a hard time at the conversation part, thinking 'how would it like if reimu/suika/keine talks?' I looked at some other fanfic and even ZUN's official manga already, but I can't seem to get it properly… so I'm sorry if it somehow OOC.

As I already said before, it will be OC-centric. I'm still trying to understand each chara's way of thinking so I can properly make another POV.

The naming system I use will be the Japanese. Except some like Yanto that used western style, and some like Reisen that I think will be weird if use I.U.R. instead of R.U.I.

Oh yeah, I'm also planning to add one more genre. But if I do so, you'll figure out the main plot.

Damn me and my brain for not thinking about it properly.

And Yanto being a teacher, it's also important to the plot.

I also figured out that Gensoukyo is actually written as Gensoukyou. I'll repair the first chapter right away.

Any comments, reviews, and so on are really appreciated. Like, really.

I can't promise when I can release next chapter (Dammit you Real Life!) so…

Until next time then :v


Um…Epilogue?

The same day, around evening.

A certain mansion in the Netherworld.

Sitting in the porch, a woman is having her luxury time, eating snacks and tea while looking at her garden. It was only a light meal, consist of mochi and green tea. But the amount of the meal makes it nowhere near the word light.

From afar, she could see a giant tree without leaves nor flowers standing in one of the hills. It is the biggest tree in there, makes the other looks like it's own child. It looks old and rotten, but if anyone dares to venture closer, it would look like any other living trees out there. That, if anyone dares to, as it could drive anyone who approached it insane with deadly peacefulness.

It is the Saigyou Ayakashi, the Youkai Sakura Tree of the Netherworld. Some said that it hasn't bloomed for ages. And that's what the woman had trying to do some years ago. She failed, nevertheless. Yet, there isn't any piece of regret shown on her face. Infact, she was smiling, humming some tunes she heard from the three poltergeist sisters some time ago.

"Yuyuko-sama…"

The girl, now known as Yuyuko, glanced at the source of the voice. It was a girl clad in green, holding a katana on her right while her wakizashi is sheathed on her back.

"What is it, Youmu?"

It was the mansion's gardener, Youmu. It seems she had done with her duties today, what with holding a sword and sweating a lot. She almost finish her daily training, if not for looking at the sight before her.

"Would you like some more tea?"

The woman, as seen by the girl, had not drink her tea for past a while. She was probably too lazy to get her own or just too full to stand. The last is impossible though, thought the girl.

"Ah, thank you, Youmu. And bring two when you come back."

"I'm not really thirsty, Yuyuko-sama."

"Is that so. Then, bring three glass, and some more snack if you can."

The girl couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her mistress's behavior. Though, the girl's train of thought stopped when seeing somebody comes out from a gap behind the woman.

"A-ah, just a moment, Yuyuko-sama, Yukari-sama. I'll get your tea in no-"

"No need to be so uptight, Youmu. I'm not in such a rush either."

"Y-yes, Yukari-sama."

The gap youkai then sits beside the other woman, gazing at the garden.

"It has been 4 for years already, isn't it?" mused the woman to herself.

"Yes, the flows of time was indeed a cruel thing." said the youkai.

"I can't help but feel that it has been only yesterday, you know."

"It is for me too."

A silent follows the two, but just before the youkai to continue her talk.

"You know, to tell you the truth, I already know from the start that all your effort that time was in fain. That it was impossible to make it bloom once more." The youkai look at the woman. Her face full of regrets "I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner, Yuyuko."

'I already know', thought the woman. The woman smiled, but not showing it to the youkai. Instead, she covers her mouth with her hand, showing the youkai a playful-surprised look.

"Oh my, what is wrong with you, Yukari? Do you catch a cold? Have you got any sleep?"

The youkai looked away in embarrassment. It was clear that she is not the type that used to showing any guilt or even ask for forgiveness.

"Shut up. You know how embarrassing it is. *yawn* And yes, I haven't sleep since yesterday."

There's something wrong with Yukari, the woman thought. She is probably worrying about something, or someone right now. The amount of her worry is probably large, considering her strange behavior earlier. But she just giggled at her embarrassed faced.

"Here's your tea, Yuyuko-sama, Yukari-sama."

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sudden appearance of her gardener.

"Thank you, Youmu." said the youkai. Again, it was rare for her to say any thanks. "Why don't you join us for some chat?"

"I'm sorry, Yukari-sama. I still had some training to do at the dojo. Then, if you'll excuse me…" and the gardener goes.

The woman pouted. "Mo~, Youmu's too uptight."

And then, another silent. Not because they don't have anything in mind, but they waited the perfect moment to say it. It was broken not long after, when the woman talk first.

"So, what about him?"

"He's doing fine, even though his gap isn't perfect yet. For now, I put him in the shrine and made him work at the school so his interaction with the other increases."

A chuckle. "It's as if you forced him to socialize, isn't it?"

"If I don't, he'll end up as a loner for the rest of his life." The youkai took a sip from her tea. "It's also important for him in order to know his past."

"Why didn't you just tell him then?"

The youkai smiled. Her usual façade comes back to her. "Ufufu, and what would be the fun in that?"

"You're right." said the woman with a smile.

And the evening ends just like another day.