Disclaimer : Touhou and all its 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 8 : From Gensoukyou to San Andreas In an Instant
"Wait, what?"
"Like I said, the Scarlet Mist Incident, which created by yours truly, happened around 5 years ago."
After the teaching session ended, Sakuya showed our ways to the dining room. Well, maybe 'hall' would be more appropriate, considering the humongous size of it. It turns out that the hallways of SDM isn't as dark as I thought. As per the mistress's instruction, they cut off the lighting for a bit in order to "Invoke the perfect atmosphere." When we arrived, the rest of the company already seated on their own seat, in front of a very long racetrack-shaped table.
Seated on one end of the table, is a girl with a look that resembles a 10 years old. She wears a light-pink dress and mob cap, adored with red ribbons here and there. She has shoulder-length light-blue hair. There's a pair of dark wing on her back, much like a bat. The aura around her is what you would expect from a noble. But, there's a certain childish feeling into it.
She is The Scarlet Devil, Remilia Scarlet.
On one side of the table, in front of Reimu and Marisa, is another girl looks roughly their age. She wears a lavender pajama and night cap, adored with a golden crescent moon on her cap and red and blue ribbons here and there. Her long hair is a dark shade of purple, along with her eyes. From a glance you could tell that she's not feeling well, or even having a weak constitution. Currently, she's reading a book in front of her, not even bother to glance at us.
She is The Unmoving Great Library, Patchouli Knowledge.
Their reaction after seeing me unscathed, for the most part is, relieved. Reimu had that face which filled with questions, but fortunately she held it in. Marisa's just like usual. The only thing they asked is about the cut on my cheek. Seeing how embarrassed Flandre before, I decided to say that it's because I tripped and grazed onto something.
Sh*t, can't blame Sakuya for this!
Currently, I sat next to Marisa, the furthest away from the mistress of the mansion. Flandre choose to sit between her sister and the mansion's librarian. Her face's still showing a slight blush every time our gazes met. Man, she even tried to avoid it. Meanwhile, Sakuya stood behind her mistress. When I asked her if she'll eat with us, she only gave a slight bow, saying something like 'maid's etiquette' or something.
Right now, I was confused by the information Remilia gave me.
"Are you really certain of that?" I asked again, this time my gaze is pointed to the two incident resolver.
The miko, while still enjoying the meal – consisting of some type of steak, which I surprised that Sakuya had the time to prepare – gave a slight nod after swallowed her food. "Well, if you consider just how much summer has passed after that incident, yeah."
No, there's something really wrong with that. The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the game which the mist incident happened in, was released roughly more than ten years ago. Hearing that it only happened around 5 years ago is extremely odd. The look on their face didn't show any hesitation either.
Possibilities and theories started to form in my head. The first one, is that Yukari somehow put me back in time, which is almost impossible if I think about it. The second one, is that the range between each incident is shorter than I thought. But, it's also unlikely. If that's so, then that means ZUN somehow made a game about an incident that happened in the future? That he somehow predicted it with such accuracy?!
Wait… suddenly I remembered a little details about my conversation with Keine just a day prior.
...
"…Just imagine when they heard about the social upheaval. The villager's all ganged up, saying that 'humans should also stood up against youkai', 'we are not a weak creature', 'the top of the food chain' or whatever they were blabbering of!..."
...
If my guess was right, then that means the so-called 'social upheaval' happened around one of the newest game, called the Double Dealing Character, and I arrived in Gensoukyou after it. Damn, something just doesn't add up! I wanted to ask them a little more, but that would leave suspicion in their eyes…
*sigh* I guess I'll have to investigate on my own later.
"5 years already, huh-ze. I can't believe that time passed that fast." commented Marisa, her hands on the back of her head.
"That is worth 5 years of books for you to return." said the librarian with a stoic face, still etched to the book. But, a slight dejection on her tone goes unnoticed.
"Hey, hey, we already talked about this before, right Pache?" said Marisa, sweat-dropped.
"I don't remember we've reached an agreement, though." countered Patchouli.
"Now, now…" said Remilia, gaining everyone's attention. "…let's put it aside for another time, shall we? Now, let's move to another topic." her gaze shifted to me. "Yanto-sensei, we have evaluated your teaching skills and we have come to a conclusion." Then, she stood up from her chair – which doesn't change anything, considering her height.
"Would you like to become Flan's permanent teacher, for as long as you stayed in Gensoukyou?"
My only response is a couple of blink. Okay, that's… "Just where did that come from?"
"To tell you the truth…" said the maid, joining the conversation, "…I have already watched over the learning session you had with little mistress. And, as such, we considered that it would be better for you to be little mistress' teacher, rather than Keine-sensei."
That was… wrong in every aspect. If I said yes, then it would like that Keine is being shoved off her responsibility and job. Knowing how Keine is, I think that she would feel sad, or even upset because of it. I don't know what would become of me if that happened.
"Wait, before we reach any conclusion…" I said, "…I think I need to tell you that there's two major problems. First, I can only teach math, while other subject is beyond me. Maybe I can teach her a little English conversation, or maybe very basic physics, but that's it. My Japanese is also mediocre."
Well, Keine only asked me to be the village's math teacher in the first place. Not counting about Flandre, though. To be honest, I'm not the brightest bunch in high school, let alone in college. My best score was usually other people's average, or even worst.
"Also…" I continued, "…I think that I can't give any yes or no in this. There are some people that involved which would be better for them to give an approval."
"…and that would be?" asked the vampire.
I raised my fingers and counted. "First, it would be Keine-sensei, as Flandre's official teacher. Second, it would be you, Remilia-san, as Flandre's big sister and the owner of the mansion. Though, you already confirmed your request earlier, so it could be nullified. Third, it would be Flandre herself."
"Hmm…" the vampire nodded understandingly. "…then that would make things easier. Tell me, instead of being Keine's substitute, how about becoming Flandre's permanent math teacher instead? We'll arrange another schedule with Keine and see if she'll accept! How about that?"
"Wait…" said Reimu, interrupting, "…you're getting suspicious, Remi. What's your real plan?"
The miko readied her talismans on one hand, ready for attack. I was expecting for Remilia or Sakuya to jump into action as well, so I readied my hands on my weapon's handles, ready to attack.
Instead, what we got was a light chuckle from the vampire and a smile from the maid. "Oh, Reimu… there's nothing to worry about, really. I was just worried about my little Flan's education, is all." she shifted her gaze to me. "Tell me, Yanto-sensei. Why did you accepted to be a math teacher in the first place?"
I lowered my hand, but still on standby. "Well, first is I needed the pay. Second is because Keine wanted to renew the math curriculum, which I suggested."
Wait…
The vampire smirked. "That's right. Surely that were-hakutaku wants to renew the curriculum for all her students, right? Then, it would be no problem for you to teach Flandre too, hmm?"
"And since you said that you do not have a say in this matter…" continued the maid, "…I would take it that you cannot refuse anything we decided for you."
I face-palmed myself. I can't believe my brain can be this stupid!
Needless to say, Reimu got even more enraged by that. "You brat… I will-"
"I will increase the pay."
"Deal."
…da heck?! "Reimu-san, are you insane?!"
She only shrugged. "The shrine always needs more for maintenance. Besides, you just leave her room with her unscathed, right? Also, the way I see it, you two seems to be getting along well. So, why not?"
I face-palmed again. I can't believe my landlady can be this money-oriented!
"Don't worry, don't worry-ze." said Marisa-san while patting my shoulder. "More visit means more reason for me to escort you here! Even without Reimu, you still got me, the one-and-only Kirisame Marisa! Believe me, you've got nothin' to worry about!"
"You just wanted a reason to barge into the library again." countered Patchouli, receiving an "Urk." from Marisa.
The vampire, which from earlier smiled in victory, rested her chin on her hands. "You've already heard my reason, so that leaves my little sister and the village's teacher." She shifted her focus to her imouto. "Then, how about you, Flan?"
The blonde vampire, which eyes from the start focused somewhere as to not looking at me, quickly looked up to her sister. "H-Huh?"
"Would you like Yanto-sensei to be your permanent math teacher?" asked the blue-haired vampire again.
"E-Eh? W-Well, I…" she fidgeted while looking down, "…I don't really… mind, actually…"
"Then…" the blue-haired vampire clapped her hand, "…that settles it! Sakuya."
"Yes, mistress." the maid reached beneath her apron and pulled an envelope, which then she gave to her mistress.
"Here is my formal request to the teacher." she handled Reimu the envelope, which then distributed to me. "I will send Sakuya to receive the news by the end of the week. Until then, I'll be expecting you to give her the letter."
I slumped on my chair. I can't believe I'm becoming my own downfall because of my own stupidity.
It's almost 9 o'clock, based on my watch. The three of us are ready to leave the mansion. The only one escorted us to the door is Sakuya, followed by Flandre. Just before we flew, the little vampire called me.
"Onii- I- I mean, Yanto-sensei…"
I looked back. "Hmm?"
She fidgeted, looking down. "You're not angry, aren't you? I mean, onee-sama forced you to teach me, and…"
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but chuckle. I bowed down and patted her head. "It's not anyone's fault. What's important now is your education." Then, I whispered to her ear. "Also, you can call me onii-chan if you want."
Hearing this, the blonde vampire beamed. "Really?! So you're gonna play with me next time?!"
Unconsciously, I gulped. "W-Well, as long as it doesn't involves danmaku or kyuu-ing, I guess…"
She nodded happily. "Umm!"
"Well, it's getting late. Please be careful on your way back." said Sakuya, subtly demanded us to get back.
"Hey, who do you think we are-ze, a bunch of yesterday's children?" countered Marisa, raising an eyebrow.
"We will, we will." said Reimu while waving her hand.
"Oh, and also, Yanto-sensei…" said Sakuya, one last time.
"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow.
"…I hope that you do not get too optimistic in searching what you are looking for. The world is much larger than you think."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do yo-" I stopped when I understand what she meant. "So you've been peeping at us the whole time, huh?"
She smirked. "Obvious, is it not?"
I sighed in exasperation. But, somehow I relieved because it means that Remilia still care about Flandre's wellbeing. "To tell you the truth, I'm not hoping anything at all. If I somehow got lucky, then thank god. If I don't, well, I don't really care anyway."
The maid closed her eyes in understanding. "If that's your decision."
"Come on, it's *yawn* getting late-ze." said Marisa.
"Well then…" I waved my hands at the two as the three of us ascended. "…goodnight, you two!"
The maid just bowed slightly, while the vampire jumped and waved, "See you again, sensei!"
The three of us ascended slowly until we reached our desired height – high enough to avoid fairies, low enough to notice the surroundings. The moon was, once again, glowed brightly. Because of it, I could see the marvels of Gensoukyou tonight, starting from the misty lake, all the way to the mountain range. We flew slowly enough so that the wind doesn't bother us too much.
"Lolicon."
I looked to my side. "What?!"
"Don't try to hide it, really. I could see it in your eyes." said the red-white miko, smirking.
"If I knew a spell to conjure a mirror outta nowhere…" said Marisa, "…then I'll make hundreds of it right now, just to prove Reimu's point." she glanced back with a sly smile. "Seriously-ze. You look like a horn-dog back there."
"Not to mention your eyes. Brrr…" shivered Reimu, "…just remembering it gives me the chill…"
I frowned. "Okay, that's extremely wrong in every aspect. First, I'm not a pedo. Second, I'm not interested in any vampire. Well, I admit that she's cuter than I thought, but there's no way in Makai's basement that I saw her in such way!"
The two, instead of answering back, just chuckled. Well, it's a laugh in Marisa's case. "Hahaha! Oh come on, Yanto, you're such an uptight!"
"*chuckle* But really, though. I still can't believe that you two got along in such a short time."
Hearing this, I simply shrugged. "*sigh* I'm just glad that she turned out to be better than what I'd expected, you know." I decided to shift the topic. "By the way, do we have any schedule for tomorrow?"
The witch put her hand on her chin. "Hmm… how 'bout some weapon-testin'-ze? We forgot to do it because of the time before, right? While we're at it, maybe we could show you some danmaku too. Y'know, for reference."
"After that…" continued the miko, "… maybe we could get some solution for your flying problem." she glanced at the witch, "Marisa?"
The witch slapped her forehead. "Shoot, I almost forgot! I guess she's already done with it by now."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'she'? And what's the solution anyway?"
The two looked at me before they simultaneously smirked. ""It's a secret (-ze).""
Same morning. Same ceiling. Same bed.
*RIIING* *RIIING*
I woke up to the same noise every day.
"Ugh, not again."
I took my phone, turned off the alarm, and then looked at the clock.
"7.01… Friday… Oh well, I guess I'll-" I muttered to myself befo-
"WAKE UP, YA SLEEPY HEAD!"
"GUAH!"
I raised up to my seat, quickly searching for the source of the sound in panic, until I finally found it.
"Marisa-san, it's still morning, dammit…" I rubbed my eyes, grumbling.
"Well, duh… obviously-ze! That's why you gotta wake up!"
Man, not this nonsense again… "Just 5 more minutes… "*yawn* or hours…" I said as I back to sleep, facing my back against her. "Say hello to the sun for me, will yah? Tell him I'm tired of his sh*t."
"Don't worry about him, Marisa-san."
I slightly glanced back to see my cousin, finally managed to walk without any aid. Most of the bandages is also already been taken off. If not for Eirin's suggestion, maybe I don't have to check her up tomorrow.
"Sleeping is always Yanto's biggest weakness since childhood, after being single." she said. I couldn't see her properly, but I guessed that she's sporting a smirk.
"Cut me some slack, girls…" I muttered, "…teaching really drains my energy, you know…" I pointed my gaze at my cousin. "…and stop talking about me being single already!"
"Breakfast's ready!"
I heard another sound, coming from one side of the room. Then, Reimu came in with a tray full of dish.
"Come on, Yanto. Sleeping-in is a bad habit."
"Said the miko who slacked off all the time-ze." said the witch, making her frown.
I decided to give up. "*sigh* Fine, fine… I'll eat it now…"
After the four of us ate our breakfast, we walked to the back of the shrine. Reimu sat on the porch, while me and Marisa were standing in the middle of the grass. Mia decided to make us some tea.
"Okay…" said Marisa, juggling her mini-hakkero on her right hand then caught it back, "…we already know that your weapons can absorb and release energy, but that's it. We know less than Jon Snow except for that."
The witch looked at her hand, mainly at her weapons. "My mini-hakkero can amplify the magic I put into it and release it into an attack. My theories is that you sword and knife works in similar way."
"Wow…" I thought, "…she sounds smarter without any –ze."
"To prove that, here…"
The witch raised her free hand until it was her eye-level. Then, she summoned a small white-yellowish bullet orb.
"…try to hit or slash the orb with your knife. It's a heat-based one."
I nodded. Then, I readied my weapons while walking closer to her. The orb's still floating slowly in the air.
"Well, what're you waitin' for?" asked Marisa. "Quick, before it's gone!"
"Okay, okay…" I conceded. Slowly, I slashed the orb with Sabit…
*VVVMMM*
Somehow, it made the sound like how they would swing a light saber in the air. Surprisingly, the orb dissolved! There's no indication that it's been absorbed, or even slashed into two. Well, except that I felt something the moment after it slashed. It's just… gone.
"Yanto, look at your right hand!"
Hearing Reimu's words, I conceded and found that the earlier orb's floating near the point of the sword, much to ours surprise. A second after that, it finally vaporized into nothingness.
"Interesting-ze…" muttered Marisa. "The size and the energy seems similar to the one before you absorbed it."
"Did you feel anything?" asked the miko, walking closer to us.
I put my hand on my chin in thought. I tried to recall the sensation I felt earlier. "Hmm… it's like, how do I put it… my body feels like it's been, 'filled' by something… that 'thing' just flowing from my left hand, into my upper torso, then onto my right hand."
"Maybe it's the flow of energy. Did you feel the heat? I mean, it is heat magic after all-ze." asked Marisa.
I widened my eyes in realization. "Now that you put it that way, yeah… it did feel a little warm."
We experimented a couple more times after that. First, Marisa tried to make me absorb bullets made with other types of magic. The result isn't very satisfying. Other than I didn't amplify the energy, it turns out that every energy has different 'feel' into them, which I couldn't really describe that well. Water-based bullet felt, I don't know… watery? It's like there's an undescribed viscous substance running through my body. Other than that, light magic feels mostly the same with a heat-based one. Maybe because they're actually the same thing?
Reimu once tried to make me absorb an ofuda bullet. The result is that it simply ripped in two when contacted with my karambit. Marisa said that she noticed a red glow on my keris the moment after they touched by each other. Other than that is another weird feeling I can't describe. Mia, after she came to the porch while brought a tray of teas, theorized that maybe my weapons can only absorbs energy-based bullet. That could describe the glow and the feelings earlier. It means that I may not have any advantage when faced with an enemy that uses object as their main weapon, such as Reimu, Sakuya or Youmu.
Next, we theorized that maybe the weapons could store energy. The result is also mostly unsatisfying. Most bullets were released mostly a second or more after it contacted with Sabit. I once tried to, uh, 'hold' the energy within, as per Marisa's suggestion. The most I could do is roughly 5 seconds. Maybe it could be extended by training, but I decided to try it some other time.
After that, we tried if I could change the energy I stored into another types of bullets. As per their instructions, I simply 'imagined' the type of bullets I desired to come out. Luckily, I was able to change Reimu's white-reddish bullet orb into a red pellet-type, and Marisa's yellow star into a yellowish laser. It seems that the speed of bullet that came out is the same when it gets absorbed, but further testing might be needed.
We decided to postpone the testing to another day because it's already time for lunch. I still couldn't believe just how much time had passed because of the testing. After that, we – minus Mia, of course – flew away to meet the one who could come up with a solution for my flight problem.
"So…" I asked, "…where is this 'she', as in the one who have the solution, lives?"
"She's been living on the foot of the Youkai Mountain, along with her bunch." answered Marisa. "Though, I won't give you the exact location to you. It won't be a surprise anymore if we do-ze."
I shrugged. "Like I said, I may be well informed, but I'm not a know-it-all." then, a realization came into my mind. "Though, if we're talking about 'Youkai Mountain's foot', there's only one person that comes into my mind."
"Hmm… is that so? Then, what's your best guess?" asked Reimu.
I smirked. "Let's just say that this 'person' likes to deal with stuff from the outside and makes invention out of it. A sort of geek, if you ask me."
The two looked at me, seemingly unsurprised by my guess, then let out a collective sigh.
"Seems the cat's been out of the box, huh-ze?" said Marisa.
"Seriously Yanto, you're too smart in this kind of thing. Maybe Keine's history lesson started to rub in you, huh?" commented Reimu.
"Nah Reimu, you should've said 'Keine's lesson started to rub one out of you-ze." said Marisa.
The three of us started to laugh, obviously because of the dirty jokes.
"Okay, okay, stop it with that joke." I answered, still wheezing. "Even I'm not that perverted."
A couple minutes later, we arrived in some kind of settlement near a ravine. There are no houses, instead there are numerous caves on the walls of the ravine. If you try hard enough, you could hear some noises of something's been fixed coming from the inside of the cave.
Around the settlement, walked a dozen or more women – or girls, I'm not sure – all wearing the same kind outfit while mending their own business. Some of them fishing, some carried stuff, and some looked like they had nothing to do. Surprisingly, most of them looked averagely short, a little below Marisa, but taller than Remilia or Flandre.
"Is this the place?"
"Yep." answered Reimu. "This is the Genbu Ravine, home of the kappa. You could even said that it's their village."
"So, my guess was right, huh…" I thought.
Marisa, after talked with one of the kappa, comes back to us. "They said that her home's over there." she said while pointed back with her thumb. "Let's go-ze."
We walked for at least another five minutes. Some of the kappa looked at us with interest before going back to their own stuff. Luckily, no one freaked out or gets too shy when we made an eye contact. Finally, we came upon a cave which at least one-half times bigger than the others. It is located near a relatively small waterfall, which walls are covered with numerous blue pipes of unknown purposes. There's no visible door on it. Instead, the entrance were covered with a simple drape.
Just like at the Kourindou, the two just barged in, doesn't even bother to make themselves known to the owner. Out of obligation, I decided to "Sorry for intruding…" in case someone's been inside.
The inside is, for the most part, poorly-lighted. There're no windows whatsoever that could be used as a source of light. If I squint harder, maybe I could detect some electronics scattered around inside. At the end of the cave, was a girl which resembles the kappa outside. She's using a table lamp to help herself see the small objects she's been mending on.
Marisa uses this opportunity to sneak behind the girl, tapped her shoulder and surprised her.
"Boo."
"AIIIEEEHH! FOR THE GLORY OF GABEN, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!" she shouted. The girl panted heavily before she looked at her back. "Marisa, what the heck?!"
The witch grinned sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry-ze. Just thought that it'll be fun, so I just sorta' do it, you know."
"I found the switch!"
*CLICK*
Shortly after, the room's filled with artificial lighting coming from a bulb on top of our head. Makes me wonder where the electrics from. I blinked a couple times to readjust my eyes. It turns out that the room's even messier than I thought. It resembles a warehouse more than a regular cave. There are some tables with stuffs scrambled on top of it. Some even scattered near the walls.
Standing near Marisa, is a girl which resembles the kappa from the outside. She has blue hair which tied into twin tails with hairbands that resembles two red marbles. Her eyes were also blue-colored. Her clothing's similar with the kappa outside, with a short-sleeved blue dress of a different shade than her hair and eyes. The shirt band is white, while the skirt has a lot of pockets around it. She also wears a green hat with white symbol that slightly resembles a tadpole.
She is the Super Youkai Warhead, Kawashiro Nitori.
"Seriously, you could use some real lighting once in a while." commented the miko. "A short-sighted kappa wouldn't be funny to look at."
"…and you shouldn't just barge in to someone's house too, you know." the kappa sighed, exasperated. "Seriously, Reimu, I think you hang out with Marisa too-EEEK!"
Suddenly, she shrieked after she looked at me. Quickly, the kappa took a defensive state behind Marisa. She pointed her fingers at me. "W-Who's that?"
I just chuckled at her behavior. "I'm sorry if I startled you." I smiled, took a quick bow and introduce myself. "My name's Yanto Bahar, an Outsider. Though, currently I'm working as the village's math teacher."
I don't really like to boast about my occupation, though. It's just that I thought that I could convince her that I'm not a bad person by doing that.
The kappa, still looks hesitant, said "K-Kawashiro Nitori, a-an engineer."
"Hey Nitori…" called Marisa, "…did you remember the guy I talked to you a couple days ago? Y'know, the one that lives in the shrine-ze."
"The…guy?" questioned the kappa. She pondered about it a little before she beamed at me in realization. "OH! So that means you're the one who's gonna be the test bunn-UUMMMPPHH!"
Wait… "Test… what?"
"I-It's nothing, it's nothing-ze. What she meant, is… um… customer! Yep, a customer! Isn't that right, Nitorin?"
The kappa finally managed to get free from the witch's hand. "PUAH! Just when did you actually wash your hands, Marisa?!" she yelled. "*sigh* Fine, fine, a customer will do. Back to the topic…" she gazed at me. "…is it true that you need a solution with your flying problem?"
I nodded, didn't really care about the scene earlier. "Yep. To tell you the truth, I don't have enough spiritual or magical energy in order to fly. Reimu said that she asked Marisa to find the solution, and I guessed that you have it?"
She nodded understandingly. "We do have some in the back. Then, follow me."
I was surprised to see that there's a secret hatch on the back of the cave. It goes deeper underground, at least two meters down. We have to use a ladder, much to the girl's inconvenience. After that, we walked for another 15 meters before we came upon a steel door. In the middle of it is a red button.
"So, what's with the secrecy?" I asked.
"This is where I did some of my advanced invention. Well, I didn't want a certain 'reporter' to know the place. If this gets to the higher ups, there's no doubt that they'll do some massive investigations all over the ravine. We are, after all, one of the lower ones in the mountain's hierarchy."
"Still, I think this is too much for a simple invention. Why don't you just use that camouflage-thingy you own?" suggested Reimu.
"Because…" she answered, "…if some normal human like you could see through it, there's no doubt that the tengus can see it too. Though, I hope that you don't say anything about this to anyone, Yanto-san. Even if kappas and humans are swore friends, I won't hesitate to silence you by force, just in case."
I nodded. "You can count on me. My lip is glued."
The kappa nodded, then pushed the button. With a loud *PING*, suddenly some things just dropped out of nowhere in front of her.
"Whoa!" I said, surprised.
"What…" mumbled Reimu.
"…the heck's that?!" continued Marisa, yelled.
"PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE SCANNER." said a synthetized voice.
I noticed that on her left is some kind of finger print detector. The kappa did just as instructed, then the voice said "SCANNING COMPLETE. PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME AND PASSWORD."
"Kawashiro Nitori, Super Youkai Warhead. 10-3, 11 M-C, 13.5, 14.5."
"SCANNING COMPLETE. PLEASE COME IN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MISTRESS NITORI, AND GOOD DAY."
"Okay… that's a little too much." I thought.
When the door opened automatically, we surprised to see that we're in some kind of big bunker. It looks far more advanced and had more weird stuff than the upper ground, even if it's still messy. Imagine if Tony Stark had a playground. But this Tony Stark is not a human, and not that rich. I looked to my left and noticed something weird.
"Panzerkampfwagen? Damn, this is going too far!"
"I take me opinions back. This is not just some simple invention." said Reimu.
"Heck…" muttered Marisa, still dazed over the size of the place. "…you could give Pache a run for her money-ze!"
We walked to one side of the bunker, to one of the table there is. On top of it lies a peculiar looking metal belt with red dots as its head.
"This is my invention no. 29, called the Anti-Gravity Belt, or AGB in short. Try to put this on." she said while handing me the belt.
While I'm putting it, Marisa asked "So, how does it work?"
"Well…" Nitori said, "…the mechanic's too hard to explain, so I'm just gonna tell you the principles. Basically, the earth has two gravitational pole, which is the North and South. What the AGB do is just makes another field around the user to counter-act the gravity on earth."
"So it's just like when you met two magnets with the same pole together?" asked the witch again.
"Sort of." the kappa shrugged.
"Man, you could get a Nobel Prize just because of that!"
"Wait, what's this?"
We glanced to the source of the sound. There, Reimu's looking at a noticeable red button hanging from the ceiling.
"Oh, that… it's my invention no. 13, called "The Happy Button". I made it to relieve my stress once in a while, but never used it until now. Just try it if you want."
I sweat-dropped at the choice of naming and purpose. Before I said anything, however, the miko just pushed the button out of a whim.
*PING*
The same time, in the tengu village, at a certain tengu's house. There, the owner of the house was seen sitting on a couch while scribbling on a note. On a table on her right, is a cup of ice tea.
"*yawn* I can't believe I have nothing to do for today…" mumbled the owner.
"Hmm… what should I get for the next headline?" she pondered. "Besides the new teacher, there's hardly any things going on these days…"
She pondered a little more, before she beamed. "I know! I'll just make another gossip around him and Rei-"
*BOOM!*
"-eh?"
That day will be remembered by the tengus and other mountain dweller as "The Reporter's Karma."
"Wow…" I said, "…somehow I fell… refreshed…"
"Me too." confessed Reimu. "It feels like a weight just lifted from me, like someone just cleansed my heart. It's feels… nice…"
"I don't feel anything, actually. But somehow I get super happy today-ze!" grinned Marisa.
"Ah, that feels good…" muttered Nitori. "…anyway, let's get back to the topic. Yanto-san, try to push the red button on the head of the belt."
I looked down and reached for the head. Without thinking, I pushed it down.
"Wait, Yanto, don't-"
*VOOOM!* *CRASH!*
"…ow… that f*ckin' hurts…"
I was taken by surprise when the belt suddenly flew me up, crashing onto the ceiling.
"Ouch, that's definitely gonna leave a mark-ze." commented Marisa.
"Shut up and get me down already…" I pleaded, a little scared because of the height.
After Marisa helped with her broom, I quickly took off the belt.
"I think it's still needs some improvement, Nitori-san." I said while I handed her the belt.
"Hmm… actually, I haven't put the control mechanism, but let's try that later. Over here…" she walked away, didn't really care about it, followed by the girls.
"What? There's a control mechanism?!" I surprised. "Hey, wait!"
We arrived at another end of the bunker. There's a bulge covered with a white fabric, just like a car on a motor show. The kappa asked the witch to help her remove it.
"Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, one of my greatest invention yet…" she started, then pulled on the fabric.
"…The Nitori Jetpack!"
I was anticipating something great when she said that. Instead, what's on a display beneath the fabric makes me raised an eyebrow.
"…a backpack?"
True enough, it looks just like another ordinary black backpack. It's even smaller than what I own.
"No, a Nitori Jetpack." she answered haughtily.
"It looks just like your bag back on the shrine, Yanto." said Reimu.
"No, no, no. You guys haven't seen it all. Yanto san, try to wear the jetpack along with the belt."
I complied her order and put it all on. "Okay, so now what?"
She reached to one of her pocket. Then, she handed me a black cordless earphone with white button in the middle of it.
"Put this on your right ear. It's the control mechanism, using your brainwave to control where you're going. After that, push the white button."
While I put it on, her hand reached to the belt. "The belt functioned as your levitator, it makes sure that you stay up even though you don't have any energy to fly. Then the backpack…" she trailed and reached the backpack's right shoulder strap. There, she pushed a blue button.
*FWIP*
"Whoa!"
"…used so that you could move around."
I was surprised to see that a pair of metal wing, at least a meter long, just sprouted from the side of the bag. It looks just like a passenger plane's wings, though smaller. Marisa came to me while bringing a big mirror.
"Look at your back-ze."
True enough, from the front side of the backpack sprouted two big cylinder that resembles an upside-down nitrogen tank, along with two nozzles that resembles a rocket's. Over and all, it looks neat.
But, there's something weird.
"Nitori-san, if this button on the right is the on button…" I glanced to the left shoulder strap, "…then what's this red button on the left?"
"Oh, that… that's the self-destruct button."
.
.
.
"""WHAT?!""" shouted the three of us.
"Why the heck did you need a self-destruct button-ze?!" asked Marisa, confused.
"Huh? Of course you need a self-destruct button."
"NO, WE DON'T!" shouted Reimu.
"It won't be an invention if it doesn't have a self-destruct switch."
"YES IT DOES! NOW PUT IT OFF BEFORE I STUPIDLY PUSH IT AGAIN!" I yelled, pleaded.
After a little, um, 'negotiation' with Nitori – plus some yelling, shouting and pleading – she decided to remove the button, along with the self-destruct mechanism. It's already '15.33' based on my watch, so we're already here for at least one and a half hour. The three of us now seated in a green sofa, watching Nitori do her things while we took a sip of our tea. I seated in the middle of the two.
"Hey girls…" I called them, "…I just wanna ask. Between speed and agility, which is better for a danmaku battle?"
"Huh? Of course it's speed-da ze." answered Marisa. "Combine it with firepower, you got yourself an indestructible force!"
"No, no." rejected Reimu. "Obviously agility is better. After all, you need to weave out of spell cards and such. Also, it would be better if you could use a homing bullets to hit your opponent more precisely."
"Nah, Reimu, you got it all wrong again. Obviously speed and power are better." Marisa countered.
"Nu-uh. Agility and homing are the one who'll help you win."
"Speed and power!"
"Agility and homing."
"Power!"
"Homing!"
"POWER!"
"HOMING!"
"OKAY, OKAY, STOP!" I widened my arms to silence the two. "Seriously girls, it's no time to brawl over it."
"Sheesh…" I thought, "…what I ask is between speed and agility, not power and homing!"
"It's done!"
We looked over to see Nitori waved her hand, asked us to come over. After I put it all on again, Nitori pushed the button again.
"Okay, it's on." she said. "How do you feel?"
I shrugged. "Apart from feeling the weight, it's mostly normal."
"Okay then. Now, try to imagine yourself levitate. Not fly, just levitate."
I nodded at her instruction. I tried to do the same as when I flew the first time in Yukari's gap. The result was I floated slowly until I reached at least a meter up.
"W-Whoa…" I surprised, still unused with the wobbly sensation. "…this is awesome!"
"NOW DON'T PANIC." said Nitori over a megaphone. "NOW TRY TO FLY REAL SLOWLY. DON'T PUT TOO MUCH POWER INTO IT."
"Okay." I gave them a thumb. With a little command with my head, the engine started to sound like a flamethrower. I surprised that I actually flew a little faster than I thought.
"Neat! Feels like riding a motorcycle, only cooler!"
After the testing inside, Nitori requested me to do a test run outside, to see how fast and agile it could go. The other kappa already waited enthusiastically outside, leaving their works to see Nitori's latest invention being tested. Some even cheered on us.
Marisa, being Marisa, decided to make it more exciting by borrowing the megaphone from Nitori.
"COME AND WATCH, LADIES AND KAPPAMAN! ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME THINGS HAPPENED ON THIS CENTURY! HERE IS: THE FLYING JETMAN!"
I face-palmed. That was too lame for me to comprehend. Surprisingly, they cheered even more.
"Are you ready, Yanto-san?" asked Nitori. She's wearing a headphone which connected to another earphone on my left ear. "If you want, you could back up right now."
"I already told you guys: I was never ready my whole lifetime. I just blast the bullsh*t in front of me and get away with it somehow." I shrugged.
"I'll follow you on the back, just to make sure you're doing fine." said Reimu.
I pushed the button, and the engine started.
*VROOM!*
[BGM Start: Senya – Kachou Fuugetsu]
I took a ready state. Slowly, I floated upward using the belt, until I'm at least 5 meters from the ground. Then, with a command from my head…
*VOOM!*
…I fly.
"Hey, wait!"
I took my time to fly along the edge of the ravine. Shortly after, I came upon forest.
"Okay, let's see what you got!"
I slowed down a little, then waved between the trees. I make sure to not making any sharp bends so that I won't loss any speed. I was lucky that my time in the game really paid off. After I had enough, I ascended through the lush tree top.
"Wow…"
What I saw is a breathtaking view of Gensoukyou in evening. The sky's orange, illuminating the ground calmly. From afar I could see the series of mountain range. I glanced at my back and noticed the Youkai Mountain.
"That's my destination!"
I tried to fly faster than before, under the pretense of testing the limit of the machine. My adrenaline flowed, pumping my heart in sheer excitement. I could feel the wind fluttered my hair. I decided to go faster.
*VOOM!*
The jet engine slowed down as I rotated around the Youkai Mountain. To be safe, I made sure that I flew far enough from the mountain so that the people there won't notice me. I managed to take at least three turn before I stopped to marvel the scene before me.
I noticed that I actually high enough to see almost all of Gensoukyou. I saw a lake from my left and a red dot on its side, which I assumed is the SDM. Further to the right, is a hill which might be where Hakurei Shrine is. In the middle of them is the Human Village.
I was happy, extremely happy. I never noticed how amazing it is when I sit on the broom. But, after experiencing it on my own, it actually looks more…
"Amazing, isn't it?"
I looked to my left, to see the resident border youkai, sitting calmly on one of her gap. She carried her parasol, slowly rotating it on her right hand.
"Gensoukyou is the land I helped to create and protect. It is one of my dream, to make a place where anything could happen in it. A place where youkai, human, and other kinds of living being could have the same chance to live."
She glanced at me with a smile. "I will protect it, even if it's the last thing I do."
I noticed the seriousness in her tone, in her face, in everything. I glanced back at the evening sky.
"That man's going too fast!"
Just a minute ago, I was getting far behind him when I tried to follow him. After getting out of the forest, I glanced left and right to see just where did he went, until I noticed a grey blur near the Youkai Mountain.
"That's him!"
Shortly, after I released my full speed, I managed to get closer to him.
"*pant* *pant* Damn it, could you just slow down? I-Yukari? What're you doing here?"
I was surprised to see her sitting near him. She just smiled and waved when she saw me. It appears that he doesn't aware of me just yet.
"You know…" he trailed while releasing the communication device. "…Touh- I mean, Gensoukyou, had already saved me from my depression a couple years ago. It is one world that I could actually love, that I actually care about."
He turned to Yukari. A serious expression plastered on his face. "Gensoukyou belongs to all of us. Even if I once an Outsider, I will protect it. I will put my life on the line, if it means that this land, this world and its inhabitants could be save."
[BGM Fade]
Phew, I can't believe I finished it this fast. Maybe because of my free time before the finals?
Not much I could say about this chapter, actually. Only some weapon testing, and Yanto finally gets a way to fly. You might get the reference from the title. Also, I finally got the scene to put a BGM. Hope it doesn't feel too weird.
By the way, I got the inspiration for the 'self-destruct' joke from a Touhou doujin, called Super Speed Starters by Karaage Tarou. You should try it, it actually makes me laugh a couple times over.
The next chapter – which hopefully finished around July, considering the time I start writing – might be the start of the climax of the story. Though, it would still attain its slice-of-live feeling. Will Yanto finally meet her sister? Who knows? Action and such might have to wait in the climax.
On a side note, please review if you have any good ideas about anything, or if there's something bugging your mind.
Until next time, then :v
Oh, and cheer up! I might put an epilogue next chapter!
