It was another boring morning on the school bus. Andy sat quietly, waiting for Chelsea and Shannon to finish whatever they were talking about. He never could get their attention when they were distracted. It was like talking to a wall. He was about to pull out one of his books, but then he saw something ahead.

He couldn't make it out exactly, but it seemed… odd. Before he really grasped what he was seeing, the bus drove straight into one of Yukari's gaps. The chatter throughout the bus faded away, but it was quickly replaced by the eerie melody that echoes in the gap dimension. Eyes glared in every direction, but mostly at the new arrivals.

Andy laughed.

"Is this really happening? Did she really bring us here?"

"Wait, you know what going on?" Shannon asked.

"Well, yeah. If I'm right, this is the work of Yukari Yakumo. She has the power to control boundaries, and she's my second favorite Touhou character. I did tell you two about her once, but you wasn't listening."

"I see." said Yukari. "So, who's the first favorite?"

"Oh, that's Utsuho- Wait, what?"

Yukari laughed.

"Sorry, did I surprise you?"

"Well, yeah." said Chelsea. "You put us in this weird dimension and came out of nowhere!"

Silence followed her comment. Andy thought that some of the other students would have spoken up, but as he looked around, he realized all of them were asleep.

"So, why are we still awake? You seem to have knocked everyone else out, Miss Yakumo."

Yukari smiled.

"I'm glad you asked. I was testing your innate power. If you were a ordinary human, you would be sleeping with the others. As things are, I'm going to make the three of you an offer. Can you guess what it is, boy?"

Andy considered this.

"Well, coming from you, it could be anything. Probably something ineffable."

Yukari looked genuinely surprised.

"Ineffable? You mean indescribable? What kind of person do you think I am? I always try to make things straightforward and simple for everyone. It's not my fault everyone else seems to overthink things!"

Andy decided to ignore this. It hurt his brain trying to imagine Yukari ever being simplistic. She always seemed to have a hidden agenda, or didn't tell the whole truth. At least, he'd always thought so.

"Well, what is your offer, Miss Yakumo?"

The youkai chuckled.

"Respect, that's a good start… Anyway, my offer is to make you, and your friends, if they want, one of my shikigami."

Again there was silence, but Yukari could see what they were thinking; it was written on their faces. Andy was excited, worried, curious, and somewhat uncertain. He seemed very worried about his two friends; he kept staring at them. Chelsea and Shannon were simply confused.

Knowing what they were about to ask, Yukari explained,

"A shikigami is someone magically bound to serve me. I can release them at any time, and there are a lot of perks to this, so listen before you decide. First, I live in the land of Gensokyo, which is separated from the rest of the world. It's a large place, and I assure you, anyone who lives there will never be bored again."

That caught their attention.

"Second, human shikigami have longer lifespans and much greater power than ordinary humans, due to their connection to me."

The trio thought this over, until Andy spoke up.

"Well, I think I'll say yes."

Confused, Yukari asked,

"What do you mean 'you think'? I need a definite answer."

Andy shrugged.

"Well, whether I say yes or not depends on whether Chelsea-sama and Shannon-sempai say the same. I'm not leaving them behind."

Yukari frowned.

"You're placing your decision, your life, in their hands? What is it between you and them? Romance, perhaps?"

Andy flinched.

"No, nothing like that! They're just… my best friends. You can understand that, right?"

Yukari stared at him for second, then shrugged.

"Well, what do you say, Chelsea?"

"I'm not going unless Shannon goes too!"

Chelsea hugged Shannon, but Andy and Shannon just rolled their eyes. Yukari sighed exasperatedly.

"Fine. If you're the one who decides for them, what's your choice, Shannon?"

Shannon looked out the window, but the eyes staring back wasn't any comfort.

"I don't know. I mean, who would want to serve someone for the rest of their lives?"

She stared at Andy pointedly. He shrugged.

"Well, it's probably not as bad as you think. Besides, from what I've heard, Yukari sleeps through the entire day, and hibernates through the winter!"

Shannon burst out laughing.

"D-Does she really?"

Yukari looked sheepish.

"Well yes, I do. Besides, I don't need you three for much. I just needed someone to watch my shikigami, Chen. Anyone else would probably just have to run errands occasionally."

Shannon considered this, and her friends stared at her and Yukari nervously. What would happen if Shannon said no? Would Yukari just send them home? Kill them? Somehow give them amnesia so they couldn't tell anyone about this?

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Shannon looked at Yukari and said,

"Alright, I accept your offer."

Yukari grinned and snapped her fingers. Before they could even blink, the trio was pulled into another one of Yukari's gaps.