Chapter 7: The Trials of Marisa Kirisame


Inside the stone storehouse that served as Moriya hamlet's precinct, Momiji Inubashiri sat at her desk and glanced over a sheaf of reports at her next appointment. "Enter."

The door opened, and a pair of solemn tengu shield maidens led Marisa before Momiji. The petite witch greeted the tengu sergeant's stern visage with a smile.

Momiji set aside her paperwork. "This is the third time this afternoon you were caught outside The Wandering Eye. Give me one reason why we shouldn't frogmarch you back to the Forest of Magic?"

"Because I'll be back tomorrow, and this time I'll bring Alice with me." Marisa laughed as Momiji massaged her temples. The witch raised her manacled hands and tapped her cheek with a finger. "Say, if you're here, who's keeping an eye on your wall? Who's watching the earth spiders?

"It is not tengu policy to discuss our patrols," Hatate Himekaidou piped up from her perch in the corner. The twintailed crow tengu typed idly on her phone.

"What's the squab doing here?" Marisa brushed a stray strand of her Rapunzel hair over an ear. "Tell her to come around to my right. That's my good side."

Hatate glowered at Marisa. Her camera phone flashed, then the tengu reporter returned to her typing.

"I'm asking the questions here," Momiji growled. "I don't have time for you to cause an incident or the people to chase you around the hamlet. Especially now that this Moon Maid is running free. I should banish you to the Moriya shrine, but I'm certain you'll be back in this office within the hour."

Marisa rubbed her wrists. "Give me some credit."

"Fine, call it an hour and a half. You aren't as sneaky as you think."

"I got past your wall."

"You followed a fairy." Hatate kicked her legs as she laughed.

Momiji ignored the snickering reporter. "This is for your protection. Half the mountain thinks you are a rabbit spy."

Marisa threw back her head and laughed. "Byakuren's the one running around in an unzipped leather catsuit."

"You spent three months at Eternity Manor."

"Learning herblore. A witch cannot live on mushrooms alone," Marisa said.

"Between your studies, Kaguya's wedding, and Mokou taking over the shrine, the rabbits' influence in Gensokyo is growing," Hatate said.

Marisa shrugged, covering her wrists. "Tewi will overstep her bounds and start an incident. I'll slap her back in line. After all, I can go anywhere during an incident, like when a clutch of earth spiders tries to starve my father."

"It doesn't matter," Momiji growled. "Three of the youkai clans want you punished for intruding on tengu and kappa lands. By agreement of Lady Akyuu and the Great Tengu, you will stay under house arrest in The Wandering Eye for five more days."

Marisa's grin grew wider. Five days? Such a curious number. And the same as the time remaining on her daddy's best guess on the Golden Room's position. "Do I get an errand tengu? How about that burly wolf boy who first caught me? I need a cupboard full of girlish necessities soon." The shield maidens at the witch's side choked back giggles.

Momiji scowled at the tengu troops and they fell silent. "During daylight, you may visit the bazaar and the Moriya shrine. Anything else?"

"My father left his ledger on the mountain."

"We swept the site clean and returned everything we found to Mr. Kirisame."

"See for yourself," Hatate cut in. The twintailed tengu pressed a key, then flipped her cellphone around. A slideshow flickered across the palm-sized screen, too small for Marisa, but not for keen-eyed Momiji.

"Thank you, Hatate." Momiji scooped up her paperwork.

Marisa pursed her lips. If the squab's spirit photography was real and the tengu and the spiders didn't have her daddy's book, who did? Or, more likely, who was lying about not finding it?

Momiji mulled over her paperwork. "Take her back to her room."

"No need." The handcuffs dropped from Marisa's wrists, landing at her feet. A hairpin remained lodged in the lock. The Rapunzel witch dipped into a curtsy. "I'll show myself out."


Marisa gawked through the storefront windows of The Wandering Eye. The witch's heart sank as she spied on her father as he poured over tengu broadsheets alongside Patchouli in the dining room. That should be her helping her daddy research his treasure hunt. And before her mother banned magic in the house, it was.

Mr. Kirisame glanced up from his newspaper and met Marisa's eyes. He beckoned for his daughter to return.

Marisa's cheeks grew red. She exhaled sharply, gathered her skirts, and marched into the dining room. The witch stopped at her father's table. "The tengu said they don't have your book." She planted her hands on her hips. "And we're stuck here for five more days."

"That will give us enough time to reproduce my findings." Mr. Kirisame spread his paper across the table. "Miss Knowledge has been an invaluable help. I hope to take her with me when I go searching again."

Patchouli glowed as she transcribed notes into a fresh journal.

"When's that?" Marisa asked.

"Six days, if the tengu don't change their mind." Mr. Kirisame traced a column of text with a finger.

"What about the store?"

"Your brothers will keep it open until I return." Mr. Kirisame brushed aside the broadsheet as Marisa whirled around and walked towards the café doors. "Where are you going?"

"To find some extra hands," Marisa called over her shoulder. "We'll need the help on the mountain."


A flock of Celestial maidens scattered as Marisa stomped out of Moriya's general store. She crumpled a tattered telegram in her hand. Since when did Alice need an entire week to wash her hair? Someone needed to yank that doll out of her house—

The petite witch collided hard with an unseen wall and sprawled backward into the dust. She winced and rubbed her hip. A handsome Celestial man stood in the road, a living version of the marble statues that filled Yukari's travel pictures.

Then again, Alice could stay on the shelf a little longer.

Marisa hid her face behind the wide brim of her hat. She pinched her cheeks and bit the back of her lips, bringing a rosy glow to each. She glanced up, flashing her most coquettish smile.

To Marisa's horror, Sakuya hooked her arm around the Celestial idol and pressed herself tightly against his arm. As the elegant maid dragged her prize towards the teahouse, Marisa pouted. Not only did Sakuya snare what the witch wanted, the perfect maid would not want to muss her lace exploring an underground cavern.


As soon as Marisa's railway car settled on the heights of the Moriya Shrine, Sanae greeted the Rapunzel witch with a holy ofuda charm pressed to the blonde's forehead.

"Go away. I'm grounded because of you." The Wonder Girl shoved Marisa back inside the railway car. "Lady Kanako's arrangements with the tengu are now in jeopardy."

"Let me talk to Reimu." Marisa squirmed free of Sanae, but the Wonder Girl slammed the door to the railway car. With an ominous click, the door latched shut.

"She's staying here until she decides to either marry Lord Fujiwara or spurn him entirely. Save for incidents, of course." Sanae darted to the side of the railway platform and threw open the handbrake lever. The capstan wheel groaned as it carried Marisa back towards the Moriya hamlet station. The Wonder Girl cupped her hands to her mouth. "And don't even think of starting one!"


Marisa shoved her way through the swinging doors of The Wandering Eye. As soon as the café doors clattered against the walls, Reisen pushed away from the table known as The Matchmaker's Throne and confronted the cute witch.

"The Celestial gossip queens say you are treasure hunting." The matchmaker drew her bunny-eared pistol. "I want no part of it."

Marisa threw up her hands. A spell card glowed in each of her palms. "Even after living with your kind for three months, I still don't have you rabbits figured out. Hidden treasure should be right up your alley, especially after all the romance of Kaguya's wedding." She grew pensive. "Say, how did Yori find that dragon's pearl that won him Kaguya?"

Reisen's eye flared ruby red as she stared down Marisa through her pistol's bunny-eared sights.

"Suit yourself, Honey Bunny." The witch backed away, laughing as Reisen thumbed the hammer. "Ease up, Udonge."

"It's Reisen to you," the bunnygirl snapped. But she lowered her pistol and returned to her throne.

Two charred cards fell from Marisa's hands. She dashed up the stairs. If the incident solvers would not help her, it was time to call on her more disreputable contacts.


Huddled over the counter of a soba shop, Maria raised a glass of soba sochu and toasted the owner with the weak buckwheat whiskey. Behind her, a bamboo curtain swayed in the mountain breeze, trapping the mouthwatering aromas of the broth of vigor inside Nemuno Sakata's soba shop. The savory mix of shaved pork jerky, bacon, and shiitake mushrooms drew lines of carnivore youkai and human gourmands to a stove cart under an awning of Moriya's general store, panting for a choice between hot soba soup and cold noodles with dipping sauce. Only a single red lantern advertised the dive's location—and the meeting with Marisa's next contact.

The metronomic chop of Nemuno's cleaver cutting soba noodles filled the alcove, heard only by the five souls at the counter, including Kagerou Imaizumi and a pair of wolf tengu men. As Kagerou led her white wolf suitors in a boisterous cheer, Marisa's contact turned away from her plate.

"No, not this time." Nitori Kawashiro slurped her noodles with gusto. "Every time you get our hopes up, we find nothing more than a pile of sand. Last time, you even had us digging through toxic spirit sludge."

"I was digging alongside you." Marisa hid her grimace behind a sip of soba sochu. "I didn't know about the toxic part. Thankfully, Kasen stopped us."

Nitori shrugged and dipped her noodles in the pork dashi sauce. "I make more here at Moriya's bazaar than you ever paid me to dig holes." The kappa gadgeteer held out a palm towards Marisa and waggled her fingers. "Show me the gold first. Real gold. Then my kappa girls will be more than willing to excavate your find."

"All I have is a lead." Marisa twirled her chopsticks as she waited for Nemuno to ladle noodles from boiling water.

"In that case, your best bet is Satori. If she's even willing to talk to you." Nitori slurped another bite of noodles. "Good luck."

"It was Koishi's fault." Marisa gave thanks as Nemuno slid her a bowl of mushroom soba soup.

Nitori shrugged, and both girls turned to the serious business of eating. Marisa attacked her soup with relish. After days of The Wandering Eye's pancakes, roast beef, and beer, the cute witch longed for more traditional fare. She closed her eyes and sighed as she bit into a savory mushroom. Too soon, Marisa's bowl was empty. The magical girl pondered seconds over another soba sochu.

A loud crack interrupted Marisa's musings—and Nemuno's knifework. Kagerou stormed through the bamboo curtain, abandoning the two wolf tengu men at the bar. One bore the imprint of her palm across his cheek. After a moment's confusion, he dropped a fistful of coins into Nemuno's tray and chased after the werewolf belle.

Before their seats could cool, a chocolate-eared mouse youkai in red pushed through the bamboo curtain. "Yakumo soba, please!" Akane Yakumo chirped as she perched on her stool.

Marisa nudged Nitori in the ribs. "You didn't tell me about a secret menu." The kappa shrugged and slurped her noodles.

Nemuno nodded and set a pot of oil on the stove. While it heated to a boil, the mountain tribeswoman cubed a block of tofu.

Akane squealed happily and patted her pockets. The mouseling's eyes grew wide, as her patting grew frantic. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of sand. The little mouseling familiar teared up and dropped from her stool.

Marisa's heart broke. "Akane, come here." The mouseling pleaded as she approached. Marisa sighed and dropped a cascade of coins into Nemuno's tray. "I'll pay for your meal, but just this once."

"Thank you, Aunt Marisa." Akane bounced in glee, unaware that her tail whipped into Nitori's back. The gadgeteer glared at the mouseling.

"It's 'Miss.' I'm still a girl." Marisa tousled Akane's hair. "You can tell me the truth. A fairy gave you that money, right?"

The mouseling nodded.

"Big girls don't take money from fairies because it's always a prank. Now, while Mrs. Sakata cooks your soba, you need to tell your aunt what just happened."

"Auntie Yukari?" Akane hoped.

"No, Aunt Ran." The little mouseling sighed dejectedly. "Go on, your soba will be ready when you get back." Akane trudged out of the soba shop.

"You know she'll pull that stunt again," Nitori grumbled, rubbing her back.

"Not after Ran sets her right. Besides, that was real fairy dust." Marisa hopped off her stool. "There's enough change for another soba sochu on me. Come find me when you change your mind."

"Find the gold first."

With a wave, Marisa stepped through the curtain. The evening wind whisked away the soba shop's swelter from her skin. The witch shivered, rubbing her arms as she rounded the corner towards The Wandering Eye.

A peal of magical thunder drew goosebumps to her flesh. Marisa flattened herself against the general store and peered around the corner.

The crowd in kasane chrysanthemum parted, scrambling for the sidewalks. A star-spangled fairy sprinted through their wake, chased by a cat youkai. The Doomkitten pounced, knocking Clownpiece into a tangle of arms and legs. But the star-spangled fairy proved too slippery, worming free from the dogpile. Her white butterfly wings blurred as she darted wildly through Moriya's single road, with the Doomkitten an angry orange streak on her heels.

As black hexes rippled around her, Clownpiece swooped around the corner and ducked inside Marisa's shadow. "Help! She's going to eat me!"

"Nonsense, you're too scrawny." Marisa stepped out of the way as a curse smashed into the general store's siding, spraying accursed frost everywhere.

The Doomkitten barreled around the corner, noticed Marisa, and then tried to skid to a stop. Instead, she tumbled yowling into the back of a kappa's stall, spilling boxes and curios.

Marisa grabbed the harlequin fairy by the collar. "You must be the one who gave Akane fairy gold."

Clownpiece gave Marisa her most winsome smile. "Mousey should have known better."

"So should you." Marisa grabbed the fairy's chin and turned her head towards the tail thrashing in the kappa's stall. "That's her 'mother.'"

The Doomkitten rose from the pile of scattered knickknacks. "Hand her over." The air around the Doomkitten crackled with curses as she prowled towards Marisa.

"Apologize," Marisa whispered. "Now."

Clownpiece fell to her knees, helped by Marisa's firm hand. As the harlequin fairy babbled for forgiveness, Marisa held her in place with a boot on her ankle.

"I said, hand her over." A billowing nimbus of black curses gathered around the Doomkitten.

Marisa shifted her weight, and Clownpiece's apologies grew shriller and more fervent. "Reisen is searching for you."

The cloud around the Doomkitten blinked away. The cat youkai yowled, her fur standing on end. She clawed her way up the general store's wall.

"Scat, cat!" Marisa hollered.

From the safety of the rooftop, Chen hissed, "This isn't over." The kitten turned tail and scampered across the roof.

Marisa raised her boot. Clownpiece hopped to her feet and stuck out her tongue at the Doomkitten's back.

The witch slapped the hell fairy upside her head. "Sunny taught you better manners. What was her first lesson?"

"Don't get caught?" Clownpiece quailed under the witch's glare. "I mean, 'always keep an eye on Star?'"

"Forget it," Marisa said. She grew embarrassed by her next unwitchy words. "You should know better than to pull a prank like that."

The star-spangled fairy grew puzzled. "Why? I can outrace that witch kitten. I ran from worse in Hell."

"Worse than Reimu?"

"She needs to go home!" the harlequin fairy snapped. At once, Clownpiece covered her mouth, then her confidence swelled. "But she's mooning over her silver god, so I can do what I want. Miss Sanae won't stop me, Miss Mokou can't, and you are too nice. Now, if the Moon Maid ever came after me…"

Astonished, Marisa stared at the blonde fairy. Just the week before, the witch thrashed the plans for a fairy war out of Clownpiece's mind. And now, Marisa was too nice? She shook her head as the harlequin fairy prattled on.

A glint from the roof of The Wandering Eye caught the witch's magpie gaze. A woman stood among the shingles, an open duster wrapped around her corseted dress. But a gleaming glass globe painted to match the full moon sat where her face should have been. She pointed at Marisa, and the evening filled with danmaku.