Chapter 55 – What do you mean it's not over?

She stared back with her piercing green eyes, shifting her gaze slowly from one person to another and wondering where they all came from. Her equally colored hair flowed down her back and ended somewhere around her waist, seemingly unaffected by the strong wind or even rain. She looked mature, yet youthful. Comparable to Eirin or Keine.

Dressed up in a blue and white dress and a matching blue cape with tattered edges, fixed around her neck by a yellow ribbon, and wearing a pointy blue hat with a yellow sun pattern, she emitted a strong impression of a magician. A mysterious and eerie white ghostly tail waved down from her waist where her legs were supposed to be, making it clear to everyone who saw her that she was not a living person. In her pale hand, a bloody knife was faintly reflecting the light from the lightning flashes that were still taking place every few moments in the dark clouded sky. Despite everything that just happened a while ago, she seemed completely calm.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Saigyouji Yuyuko." the ghostly princess courteously bowed her head to her.

Some of the girls have seen this woman for the first time, but to Marisa and Reimu, this young lady was already a well known and old acquaintance, for she was Mima – an evil spirit who could not move on to afterlife due to a grudge. However, she was so ancient that in her countless years spent on Earth, she even forgot who or what she held a grudge against. Even though she did say in the past that she wanted to take revenge on the entire human race, her reason for it was never quite certain. Reimu's first encounter with her took place almost a decade ago, when Mima appeared in the midst of Hakurei Shrine's hokora, which is a miniature Shinto shrine, usually attached to a larger shrine dedicated to the worship of minor folk kami. She was defeated by Reimu and sealed back within the hokora. Some time later, she managed to break the seal and stir up an incident. The second time she encountered the Hakurei shrine maiden, Marisa Kirisame acted as her apprentice, but Reimu managed to deal with both of them. In fact, Reimu knew Mima even longer than she knew Marisa. Mima's second defeat was followed by another sealing ritual into the hokora, only to break free just a month later. She has been seen around the Hakurei Shrine on several occasions, but her relation to the shrine was always a big mystery to Reimu. In the few documents that her ancestors left behind, she wasn't even mentioned. On the other hand, Mima proved to be quite knowledgeable about the history of the Hakurei Shrine, including the exact purpose of the Yin-Yang orbs. One day, however, she simply stopped coming. For several years nobody witnessed her, so it was even rumored that she finally found her peace and crossed the Sanzu River to afterlife. Apparently, these rumors were now swept away as the evil spirit has made her great comeback.

"So it WAS you all along!" Reimu accusingly pointed her finger at the green-eyed ghost.

Mima first returned a gesture of courtesy to Yuyuko and introduced herself before she shifted her attention back to the shrine maiden. "I wonder what you could be talking about."

"How many times do I have to seal you?"

"If you ever knew how to do it properly, even once would be enough." Mima replied with a soft, but cocky smile.

Reimu gripped her gohei tightly out of anger. Even though Mima was defeated, she acted as though as nothing had happened.

"Just one thing before I exterminate you again… Why have you done all this? Because of your grudge against all humanity?"

Mima just curiously tilted her head.

"Answer me!"

But instead of giving an answer, she asked a question: "Just… how did I end up here?"

"It's a bit too late to play dumb, don't you think?"

"No, I mean really… And why am I suddenly surrounded by all of you? I know some of these faces, but…"

"Are you making fun of me?!" Reimu threateningly raised her voice, to which Yuyuko shook her head.

"I'm afraid she can't, Reimu. Once under my control, no spirit can do as they please. She can't even lie."

"Ah, that explains why I feel so calm." Mima nodded understandingly.

"Is… Is that true?" the shrine maiden's voice, now laced with uncertainty forwarded a question at the mind-reading youkai.

"I can only see confusion in her mind. No memories of what happened tonight…"

"It can't be…" Reimu refused to believe. "We've caught her. She was leading the evil spirits to possess the fairies and used them to terrorize Gensokyo. She must be the culprit!"

"Lead an army of possessed fairies, you say?" Mima suppressed a laugh. "What kind of joke have you all played on me?"

"By the looks of it…" Marisa finally managed to speak up in front of her former ally, "It seems Mima-sama has suffered the same kind of amnesia as the possessed fairies that were slain and have resurrected."

"Ha!" the miko scoffed in apparent disbelief. "Even if she did lose her memory, that won't wash the blood off her hands!"

"Uhh… Blood?" Marisa scratched her head. "I never heard that that anyone died during the fairy incident."

"Well, uhh… The blood of those fairies that her undead subordinates have possessed! They're living beings too, you know!"

"Look who's talking." the blonde witch grinned at the great irony of her friend's remark. "Gensokyo's number one activist for the rights of all fairies…"

The flustered miko turned away, mumbling "Sh-shut up…" under her breath.

"Anyway," she quickly regained her composure and again pointed her index finger at Mima. "You need to answer for what you've done."

"Sure, sure…" the ghostly woman yawned in mockery to Reimu's threats. "But first, I'd really like to know how I got from the edge of the Forest of Magic to this place in a single moment… And why is everyone here? And why is there suddenly a thunderstorm?"

Just as she asked that, another loud thunder roared over Gensokyo.

"Is that… Is that the last thing you remember?" Marisa wanted to know.

"I think so." Mima's had an absentminded expression in her eyes as she tried to recall the last moment she remembered.

The ordinary magician hummed and nodded to herself. "Interesting."

"Don't tell me you believe her… Wait… Of course, you used to be her subordinate. So you're siding with her, huh?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Reimu. Haven't you heard what Yuyuko and Satori said? She is bound by a spell to speak only the truth."

"But you also saw what happened right after Yuyuko caught her, didn't you? All the fairies have stopped fighting and scattered everywhere. If that's not a clear proof that she was the one pulling the strings, then I don't know what is. Even Remilia must have seen it clearly."

"Speaking of that, we can try something out and see…" Yuyuko got an interesting idea.

"Like what?"

"If it really was Mima-san who was controlling the other spirits, it means she can still order them around."

Reimu silently blinked at the princess of Netherworld, eagerly waiting and pondering what kind of experiment she was about to demonstrate.

"Now, Mima-san… Call your minions to you." Yuyuko gently spoke an order that her captive could not disobey. Even if she had no idea what she was talking about. Yuyuko simply wanted to try if Mima still had the other vengeful spirits and their hosts under her control.

Mima's lips jerked slightly as she was forced to issue an order that didn't make any sense to her.

"Since when do I have minions?" she asked in her thoughts as her lips spoke the words: "Come to me, my followers!"

A silent moment of anticipation came about, as all the girls were waiting and looking around to see if the fleeing fairies haven't changed their heading to return to their supposed "master".

"Well…?" Reimu asked after a few seconds have passed without anything happening.

"Nothing's happening." said Marisa as she scouted the area. "Oh, wait… Some of the fleeing fairies have stopped."

Although not all of them, but some of the still possessed fairies have reacted to Mima's summoning call and began returning to her.

"Ha! There's your proof." Reimu crossed her arms as a sign that she made her point. "She's the mastermind. Can I seal her already? I'm already getting cold standing in this stupid rain."

Even Mima herself found a fact that she had obedient fairies at her disposal as surprising. Though as the little youkai were in flight to her position, some of them reconsidered and again changed their heading into the unknown, forsaking their mistress.

"Maybe the spell is wearing out." Marisa remarked as she observed their unusual behavior.

"Yuyuko's?" Reimu confusedly blinked.

"No, Mima's."

"I didn't cast anything." the evil spirit insisted. "I'd remember it, wouldn't I?"

The summoned fairies began slowly, but certainly dispersing again and before they made it to Mima, only a handful of them remained. They no longer considered her as their master.

"Youmu." Yuyuko addressed her servant.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Please, release them out of their misery."

Without any objections or questions, the white-haired half-ghost bowed. "Yes."

All it took was a few seconds, a few quick maneuvers and a few slashes, and the small group of fairies was no more. The spirits that possessed them finally realized that they weren't safe and began to flee to all directions. However, Youmu didn't let them. Her Roukanken sliced through their ethereal formless bodies, and the evil spirits were thus forced to reincarnate. It was basically an act of mercy, because this way, the souls of these sinners were automatically given a second chance to lead another life, perhaps as better people then they used to be.

Mima hummed to herself. "Interesting sword you have there, young miss." After seeing what it was capable of, she instantly started to ponder if it wouldn't be better to start anew. "If you cut me down with that…" she left the sentence unfinished and visualized what her next life could be like.

"Hmm… Not a bad idea." Reimu also liked the thought that she wouldn't have to put up with Mima anytime soon, but Yuyuko shook her head disagreeingly.

"I'm afraid that sealing Mima-san or forcing her to reincarnate won't resolve anything. In fact, I'm afraid this incident is far from being resolved."

"It can't be!" the shrine maiden refused to believe.

"I wish I could stay like this forever~." sighed Mima with a blissful expression. "I feel so at peace."

"Guess only time will tell." the ordinary magician shrugged. "But if she doesn't remember anything, doesn't that raise suspicion? You know… like someone else manipulating the spirits… including Mima-sama."

"That's what I think too." the ghostly princess nodded affirmatively. "But we really have no other leads, so there's nothing we can do for now."

"Someone controlling me?" The very notion sounded ridiculous to someone as powerful as Mima, though considering that she couldn't recall what happened ten minutes ago, she couldn't exclude it completely. After all, even right now she was also under someone else's control.

"There's still that unearthed temple in Kazemura." Remilia joined the conversation. "We should decide what to do with it. Bury it? Destroy it? Uncover it completely and all its mysteries? Whatever we choose, we better do it quickly."

That's when Reimu recalled the vampire's words, claiming that there is a connection between the communication amulet and the temple itself. And while a part of her would certainly agree with Remilia's first two suggestions, she also wanted to learn what became of Yukari. And only way to find that out, was obvious – let the Kazemura's miners dig deeper and uncover the whole temple.

But before she opened her mouth to speak, someone cut in with probably the most rational suggestion of the day.

"How about we all went someplace dry, warm and comfortable first?"

"Princess…" Eirin Yagokoro looked over her shoulder.

Kaguya Houraisan, the former princess of the Moon floated behind her, drenched to the last thread of her clothes, which got so torn up in the battle that they weren't leaving much to the imagination.

"N-no, I mean really~." she shivered and rubbed her hands against her arms to make herself feel warmer. "Let's go back already~. We can have this Mima person come with us."

"I agree." Remilia was also reaching her limit. Standing in the rain for a vampire was only one step less severe than basking in the sun, and she started to feel really weak.

Sakuya was at her side with a parasol in an instant. "You've put yourself in too much danger tonight, Remilia-sama. Please grab my hand. I'll support you."

"And what about Patchy?" the little vampire threw a glance at her friend.

Patchouli silently waved back, surrounded in a water bubble, letting them know that she'll be okay.

"And, and… I saw Aya falling down somewhere around there…" Remilia pointed her finger at the estimated place. "Someone should check if she's okay."

"I'll go." Eirin quickly began to descend. "You can go on ahead without me, Kaguya-sama."

The girls have slowly begun to return back to Kazemura, but Reimu remained there until she was sure that everyone from the expedition team was alright. Of course, where was Reimu, there was Marisa. Both of them waited until Eirin poked her head out from the treetops with an unconscious crow tengu in her arms.

"Aya…" she hovered over and took a close look at her. A few thin trails of blood flowed down her forehead and she had numerous bruises, cuts, lacerations and burns scarring her entire body as a result of being hit by tree branches on her way down to the ground. Definitely not a pleasant sight, but Eirin reassured them that such a strong youkai would recover from them completely in a matter of just a few days.

"Maybe we should let her drink some of that stuff that got Patchy back on her feet." Marisa thought aloud as she followed Eirin and Reimu back to the quarry village.


The storm still continued, but now, the only things that were hitting the roofs and walls of the village's buildings were the raindrops. The girls have returned to the damaged tavern and helped its owner and his family to at least put some provisionary covers on the windows to temporarily replace the broken glass. Everyone was soaked, tired, hungry and cold, but now they could finally satisfy all of their needs. They gathered in a half-circle around the tavern's fireplace, where they spread their futons and enjoyed the fire's inviting warmth with a cup of hot tea or other beverages in their hands. While some of them were celebrating their victory, other girls felt that it was too early to party and were intensely discussing the incident and planning their next steps. They've come to a conclusion that Mima was not the cause of the Fairy Incident, and despite Reimu's protests, Yuyuko lifted her spell of domination from her. Right now, the more pressing concern was to decide on how to prepare the village and whole Gensokyo for any potential future fairy attacks.

"So there will be more?" the shrine maiden mumbled as she stared into the fire.

"Probably." Yuyuko gave an uncertain answer.

"At least now Mima won't be leading them." Marisa tired to make the best out of it.

"Are you so sure?" Reimu eyed the evil spirit with doubt. "If she really was controlled by someone else, what prevents them from doing it again?"

"I really wouldn't like that." Mima acknowledged. "What fun is there in wreaking havoc, if you don't even remember it?"

"What if you tried out the same thing you did with the Three Fairies of Light?" the witch suggested.

"That ritual?" Reimu thoughtfully placed her finger on her chin, but then she just burst out in laughter. "What a joke! Performing a ritual that protects from evil spirits on an evil spirit…"

"Well, I'm not a shrine maiden. I was just asking, ze… Maybe Patchy knows something about the matter." she shifted her gaze at the sorceress.

Now wrapped in a blanket and warming herself up by a cup of tea, Patchouli Knowledge tried to speak once more, but the burning pain in her throat only allowed her to utter quiet whispers.

"We are dealing with a being powerful or knowledgeable enough to manipulate the spirits."

"I think we all know that." the blonde witch grinned crookedly.

"Marisa." Alice hushed her. "Let her spea… uhh… whisper."

"I know of one who would fit the description." said the Hakurei shrine maiden. "Powerful enough to make even Mima bend to her will. Although I can't imagine what would drive her to do that."

"If our enemy is the boundary youkai," Patchouli continued in her hushed whispers, "then there is no defense. If not, then we should put isolating any potential spirits from the reach of this mastermind on the top of our priority list. Judging from Mima-san's words, we must assume that the influence radius of this manipulator reaches as far as the northernmost areas of the Forest of Magic, which is almost over half of Gensokyo. However, seeing that Yuyuko-sama was unaffected by this manipulating power, I'm hesitant to draw any definite conclusions. There are several ways to cut ties between controlled spirits and their master."

"Uh-huh, we're listening, go on." Marisa prompted her to continue.

"If we don't wish to fight Mima-san again, we could seal her back in the hokora to protect her from any necromantic attempts to dominate her will."

"Finally, someone who speaks some sense!" Reimu approved of resealing Mima once more, even if she'd just break free again.

"You already released me from that tranquil state." Mima remarked with a sly grin. "Do you really think I won't fight back if you'd try to seal me again?"

However, much to her chagrin, nobody paid attention to her semi-threatening remark.

"Alternatively, we could use Reimu's and Sanae's spirit wards and place them all around the excavation site. That way the spirits that emerged from this temple would be trapped within and unable to make a move. Lastly, we could perform our own necromantic ritual and put every spirit in the area under our control, though in order to do that, we'd need someone skilled in the arts. And I know of no other candidates than Yuyuko-sama."

"Eh~? But I'm not a necromancer, Patchouli-san."

"Maybe not, but you've got an incredible gift, that many necromancers would be jealous of. But of course, I'd also prefer a different way to deal with this problem then to delve into the darker areas of magic."

"That second option sounded quite reasonable." Sanae Kochiya spoke up. "Spirit wards are not that hard to make, and even when they've only got a temporary effect, they should buy us enough time until the temple is fully uncovered."

"True," said Reimu, "but uncovering the temple and learning all of its secrets are two different things. While the former may take only a month, the latter could last for years."

"That, Reimu-san…" Hieda no Akyuu suddenly joined the discussion. "That, you can leave to us." she gestured towards Keine, who nodded in response.

Though doubt still resided in her eyes, Reimu didn't have much of a choice but to put her trust in their words and hope for the best.

"Very well. We'll proceed with placing the spirit wards around the quarry. Maybe I could even make some extra money if I started selling some protective trinkets to the villagers…" the black-haired miko spoke her intentions without any restraint.

And as the plan for the future was decided, the goddesses Kanako and Suwako couldn't help but to remind everyone their concern about the fact that their divine powers were severely weakened just by being present in the village. Kanako even compared her feelings to those she felt in the outside world where the faith in gods was giving way to trust in science and common sense.

"In that case, I think it would be in your best interest to return back to the shrine." Sanae kindly asked the two deities.

And just as the wind priestess was worried about her goddesses, so was Sakuya starting to look more worried about Remilia. The vampire girl was quiet the whole time, looking really under the weather. Oddly enough, even Hatate showed signs of worry about her rival Aya when she watched Eirin treating her injuries.

"She'll wake up soon, right?"

"Don't worry, Hatate-san. Aya-san will yet write many more articles, but we should let her rest."

"See what you did, Mima?" Reimu shot an accusing glance at the ghost, who didn't remember shooting down any crow tengu.

"I wish I could remember that beautiful moment, but I really can't."

"It would be better to have you on our side than against us." Yuyuko spoke to her. "Maybe only the spirits like you are prone to being dominated. But if you were to be judged and moved on to afterlife, then perhaps you wouldn't have to worry about anything like being controlled again."

"Oh, I'll teach whoever did that to me what a vengeful spirit can do." she smiled and looked lovingly at the knife in her hands.

"Harboring grudges will keep you chained to this pitiable existence forever. Wouldn't you want to live in peace?"

"For what I've done, I'd be sent straight to Hell. Or perhaps this is my Hell… But I've already gotten used to living among mortals. I wouldn't mind spending another thousand years here. There are always ways to have fun in this world."

"Well, at least you weren't causing all this chaos out of your own volition."

"Whoever's doing it has some nice sense of humor, I'll admit. But using me like a puppet… that I can't approve of. If not me, then promise me that one of you will give them what's coming to them."

"Our enemy is smart." Patchouli sounded with her barely audible whisper. "The fact that they are able to rid their defeated minions of any traces of memory means that they know how to cover their tracks. But since we already know where the spirits are stemming from, it's already too late for such tactics. Once the temple gives away its secrets to us, it's just a matter of time of time before we end this incident."

Even though waiting another month seemed like an eternity to Reimu, she had to bear with it. At least things were starting to look promising again. Once more, all hopes were placed in the efforts of the bookworm sorceress, a young chronicler and the half-youkai teacher of history.


"Ayayaya~! What? Where?" a call from behind distracted everyone's attention.

"Oh, look, she's up already." Eirin walked up to her to make a check-up.

"Oh…" the crow tengu took in her surroundings and realized that she was no longer outside. "Don't tell me I missed it all."

"You only missed the end, Aya-san." replied the pharmacist. "Here, have some tea."

"What do you mean "only missed the end"? That's the most important part! And I didn't take a single picture."

"Now, now…" Eirin put on a sheepish smile, since she wasn't sure how to comfort her. "You should be glad that you're still here among us."

Ignoring her words of reason, Aya instinctively began searching her pockets. "Where's my camera? Don't tell me I lost it… I'll, I'll…"

"H-here you are." Hatate bashfully stepped up to her, handing over the camera to its rightful owner.

"Huh? Hatate?" Aya measured up the other tengu and her eyes brightened up as soon as they saw the familiar little device resting in Hatate's palms. "My camera! You have it…"

"I kept it safe for you." the brown-haired tengu made an offering gesture.

Aya was usually a very talkative girl, but seeing her rival in journalism returning back her precious camera after keeping it safe has taken all the words out of her mouth for a while. She realized that she hasn't shown any reaction for a few seconds and as a response she deeply bowed and took her camera back.

"Thank you."

"D-don't take this the wrong way." Hatate turned her back on her as soon as the camera was removed from her hands. "You're still a rival to me. But… but I know how awful it is for a journalist to lose her important instrument."

Happy that her tool of the trade was unharmed and charmed by Hatate's very kind gesture, Aya couldn't help but to smile.

"Hatate~!"

"What?!" she gasped from the shock of finding Aya's arm wrapping around her waist.

"Hey, everyone, let's take a picture together!"

"And then let's drink together~!" Suika raised her gourd and began pouring her sake into everyone's cups even without their consent.

"Everyone, gather around, we'll make a beautiful group photo to celebrate our victory~!" Aya called out with renewed enthusiasm. That's when her eyes have caught the presence of Mima "Huh? And… who's that?"

"The mastermind." Reimu uttered semi-seriously.

"Hey, Shameimaru, don't you recognize me?"

It certainly took a while, but Aya really did see her in the past quite a few times. Those were the times long before Reimu's birth and Aya's memories of them were not so fresh anymore.

"Eeeeeh~?! You can't be Mima-san, can you?"

"In the flesh… uhhh… I mean… in spirit." the ghost quickly corrected herself.

"Woooow! I haven't seen you in the longest while! Sorry it took me so long to remember you. How have you been? Still haunting around Hakurei Shrine?"

"Umm, Aya?" Marisa spoke up to the journalist. "This person was the one who knocked you out of your senses."

"Really? I thought it was a fairy."

"And I keep telling you it wasn't my fault."

"But… whatever the case, the incident is solved and we should commemorate this! Come on, let's take a picture with all of us… That goes for you too, mister." She pointed at Xeng-Yao, who was quietly drinking his own brewed spirits in the corner.

"Me? No, thanksss, I don't need any…"

"No talking back~. You've fought with us, so up you go and stand over there."

After a while of arranging the group and setting the timer on her camera's auto-shutter, Aya hurried to take a place as one of the members of the expedition team and put on a bright smile in an attempt to look cute.

"Why do I have to stand next to the Lunarian?" the single male from the group grumbled as he stared at the camera, trying not to show his forked tongue when the picture would be taken.

Even though Aya just woke up and didn't quite understand the situation, everyone stayed quiet about it and let her be in blissful ignorance to the fact that the incident was not yet resolved. At least until her happy mood still lasted. There was a party that lasted till morning and even Remilia, who looked rather sickly has risen her sake-filled cup more than a few times that night.


"Are you really feeling alright, my lady?" Sakuya asked her. "Being out in the rain certainly didn't do you any good."

Lying in her futon, the young vampire lady shook her head. She felt terribly, but so good at the same time. While a strange infirmity took over her body, her heart was singing with joy, because her dear friend was saved. Not only that, but she felt very proud of Patchouli and how well she was handling the whole incident.

"Pa-Patchouli…"

"Yes… I'm here." the elemental wizard sat next to her and listened to what she had to say.

Remilia just reached out her little palm and took the librarian's hand.

"So warm..."

"What is it, Remi?" the purple-haired girl whispered a question.

"I'm so happy, that I have you. Even if you just freeload in my mansion… I'm happy that I've met you and taken you in. You can't believe how proud you make me… leading this team on its way to resolving this incident, when even Reimu and Marisa would just be stumbling in the dark without your guidance."

Patchouli replied with a soft smile. "You're giving me too much credit."

"No. I've barely given you enough credit. But tonight I've realized just how important… how precious you are to me. Losing you… I don't think I'd be able to take that. Even though I'd really like to deal with this incident as fast as possible, please promise me that you'll be more careful from now on."

"I'm sorry too." Patchouli lowered her head in an apologetic gesture. "It's because of me that you dove right into that heavy rain and are now in such a state."

Remilia let out a weak coughing chuckle. "And I'd do it a hundred times more if it was for your sake. I really don't know what I'd do without you. It's a scary thought... You heard what I told you when Eirin was treating your wound, right?"

Patchouli remembered those words well and replied with a nod.

"I really meant them… as I said them."

"…"

"Come closer." Remilia beckoned with her finger. Patchouli hesitated, but leaned a little closer as she asked.

"Closer." the vampire still thought the distance between them was too large. Growing suspicious of her friend's motives, Patchouli said that she can already hear her well enough.

But Remilia was very persuasive. "Come on… Just a little closer."

The nervous sorceress first quickly looked around to make sure none of the other girls were paying attention to her and then she leaned her face towards Remilia's by yet another few centimeters.

"Hehe~." The little vampire giggled impishly as she got her right where she wanted. She put her free hand on the librarian's back and drew her face towards hers.

"Hey, wha…?"

"Pat*chuu*li." A short, but sweet kiss was planted on Patchouli's cheek. "I like you so much."

"Silly Remi." Patchouli held back a chuckle. "But now, you're making me worried about you in return."

"It's alright. I'll be fine. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Then you should rest. I'm also exhausted after today. I hope my health won't betray me again."


As the girls went to sleep, the storm calmed down, and by the time they woke up, they sky over Gensokyo was already clearing up from the grey clouds. The village of Kazemura survived, but the nightly battle has certainly taken its toll on almost all of its buildings. Only after waking up, the girls found out how unhealthy it was to fly around in heavy rain for an extended period of time.

Loud coughing echoed in the tavern when Reimu welcomed the new day. And she wasn't the only one. Patchouli and Remilia were now displaying all sorts of ill symptoms from runny noses to high fever. It was unusual for a youkai to be stricken with disease, but certainly not unheard of. In Remilia's case it was fairly obvious that her reckless act of heroism would not end without consequence. As for Patchouli, she was actually used to being sick. Knowing that she would no longer be needed outside in the quarry pit, she took this as an opportunity to keep on studying further information about repelling spirits and counteracting the powers of those who are able to control them.

"My, you don't sound very healthy either, Reimu-san." Eirin remarked as she noticed the miko's abrupt coughing. "Perhaps you should have a rest as well. I'll give you some medicine to sort you out after Remilia-san's checkup."

"I can't *cough, cough* rest. We must set up those spirit wards around the whole quarry to secure it."

"I can do it myself, Reimu." Sanae informed her. "You really should listen to Yagokoro-san."

"I'm *cough* perfectly fine." the red-white shrine maiden insisted stubbornly as she was putting on her daily attire.

Eirin smirked at her reaction, which was pretty much as she expected. She dug around her medical bag for a moment and took out a small box of pills. She then walked up to Reimu, and a little forcefully, stretched her palm open and handed it over to her.

"I'm not going to keep you locked in. I already learned my lessons with patients running away, but please take that medicine. It should cure you in a few hours."

"What a pity…" Xeng-Yao sighed disappointedly, "that those healing potionsss only work on injuries."

"You said you didn't specialize in medicine?" Eirin raised her eyebrow.

"That'sss right. I revel in mixing variousss, I prefer to call them, "utility" potionsss. Sure, I have sssome knowledge of medicine, but mossst of it I obtained from the Lunar Capital. There isss only one universssal medicine that can cure everything… Isn't that right, doctor?"

Of course, he meant the Hourai Elixir - the medicine which Eirin created, but was reluctant to produce and offer it to anyone after her exile from the Moon. Xeng wouldn't have any moral problems with selling the forbidden medicine, if only he hadn't run out of ingredients to make it.

"I will not brew that medicine ever again."

"Yesss, yesss, you and your moral high ground. What would be so terrible about it? Imagine a whole world where everyone could live forever. Where there would be no disease, no deaths. Where any conflicts and wars would be pointless, because nobody could be killed. Where food shortages would not matter, because people would no longer need to eat."

"That's a very narrow-minded idealistic vision. A utopia so unrealistic, that it would even make the Lunar Capital pale in comparison. Because you only see the good points without seeing the whole picture. It would be a world full of endless suffering. You think people would stop fighting? Just look at my princess and her eternal rival. It would completely throw off the natural order. We would offend every single god in existence. The stronger nations would conquer the weak and subdue them to eternal slavery. And that's just a drop in the ocean of problems that would arise if such a world would come to existence."

"That's right." Yuyuko joined the discussion. "The elixir is a bad thing. There would be no new ghosts coming to Netherworld. It would become a dull place."

After Eirin's serious explanation and Yuyuko's rather funny remark, the youkai alchemist suddenly started laughing. "Alright, alright… I wassss jussst joking. But ssselling the ssstuff to thossse few who could afford it… I would have no qualmsss about that."

"I believe we already talked about that in your… dwelling."

"Yesss, we know our opinionsss are different, but thatsss only natural. Besidesss, you know that I can't reproduce the elixir anymore." and as he said that, she tightened the strap on his backpack and put it on his shoulders. "Well, I assume I'm not needed here anymore, but in cassse I wasss, you know where to find me."

"Leaving already?" the Lunarian looked at him questioningly.

"What elssse should I stay here for? I already proved that I'm not guilty of causing thossse fairy attacks. Now if you'll excussse me, I have businesss to run."

He stood up and opened the tavern's door, when he stopped in the doorstep and added: "Good luck with solving the incident." After that, he left the village and headed back home.


While Doctor Yagokoro was tending to her patients, Reimu and Sanae have gone outside and began proceeding according to Patchouli's suggestion.

Spirit wards were specially enchanted blessed ofuda, the purpose of which was quite obvious – protection from evil spirits. By forming a large circle around the whole quarry pit, the two shrine maidens have created a barrier, through which, in theory, no evil spirits should be able to pass. However, in order to ensure the ofuda would not get worn out or destroyed by the weather, they each needed some sort of protective shelter. That's when the villagers of Kazemura have shown their generosity and offered the two miko their help in crafting wooden hokora to house these warding amulets.

"It would be best if we had some shimenawa rope, but this will have to do for now." Reimu noted as she and Sanae watched the villagers encircling the excavation site with hokora. "I have some stored at my shrine, but barely enough to link two or three of these wards."

"That would surely strengthen the ward." Sanae nodded agreeingly. "But regretfully, I haven't been taught how to make shimenawa. However, I think I could ask Kanako-sama how to make it."

Shimenawa ropes were widely used in Shinto for ritual purification and were believed to have warding effect against evil spirits. Their addition to the hokora would certainly make the barrier more effective. However, even with the whole quarry site perfectly warded against evil spirits, the danger would still remain.

"How's the progress on that spirit ward, girls?" a woman's voice slightly startled the duo of busy shrine maidens.

"Ah, Kanako-sama." Sanae offered a gesture of courtesy to the goddess of wind and rain. "What a good timing. We were just talking about the idea of using shimenawa rope to link each hokora around this pit."

"Ah, I see…" the goddess nodded understandingly.

"But the thing is... I have no idea how to make those ropes." the green-haired girl smiled sheepishly. "It may be a bit improper to ask this, but…"

"I understand." Kanako smiled before Sanae finished her sentence and placed her hand on the miko's exposed shoulder. "I'll teach you how to weave shimenawa."

"Wouldn't it be faster if you made some now and then teach her how to make it?" Reimu never showed much humbleness, even when facing a god.

"It would…" Kanako's smile gained a regretful tone to it. "But it's this place… It's a source of such an oppressive energy that my and Suwako's divine powers were almost completely drained. The best I can do to help you for now is to teach you how to make sturdy and effective shimenawa."

"Please teach us, Kanako-sama."

And so, the mountain goddess began to explain the details of the process of creating the sacred ropes out of rice straw. It took her two apprentices a fair while to grasp the skills, but the girls had nothing better to do anyway. They still needed to wait until the villagers placed the miniature shrines on short wooden pillars all around the mining pit, so learning how to weave ropes was actually a worthwhile pastime.

"Well done." she praised the girls after they finally succeeded in creating their first, two meters long piece of shimenawa. However, there wasn't enough of materials in the village for them to make a rope long enough to encompass the quarry, nor was it a task that could be accomplished within the span of one day.

"You still need a lot of practice, but you'll get there eventually."

"Thank you for your assistance, Kanako-sama." Sanae bowed thankfully.

"Yeah, thanks, I guess." Reimu also expressed her thanks in her own way.

"I feel an obligation to ward this area, so while appreciated, your thanks is not at all necessary, my dear children. You still have a lot of hard work ahead of you after all."

"But thanks to you, we can now make a powerful spirit ward that will protect Gensokyo from the vengeful spirits that reside in those ruins."

"Actually, Sanae…" Kanako's face turned serious. "Even with the shimenawa ward in place, this place will still be far from safe. You both must have noticed that after we defeated the fairy possessed by that dead magician, the major portion of the fairy swarms has fled the battle. As long as they are possessed, they still remain a threat. Even Patchouli-san has brought it up as I was leaving the tavern. The barrier will protect the village as long as it's intact, but it's still vulnerable to attack and easy to destroy. What this village needs is to build up some defenses to protect this spirit ward, because if our enemy has any intelligence, they will attack it using those fairies that we didn't defeat yesterday. But without help from outside, this village can barely defend itself. I'll see what I can do about it…"

"Are you heading back to the shrine then?" asked Sanae.

"Yes. I have to regain my power from the faith of our shrine's visitors. You should also tell Suwako to do the same. She seems to be too carefree about this situation. This place does not do well to the gods. Perhaps because that temple houses a nasty dormant deity that feeds upon these divine powers. Even if that's just a speculation on my part, Suwako should not take this lightly and leave the village as soon as she can."

"I'll try to talk to her about it." replied the shrine maiden from the outside world.

Kanako offered Sanae one more smile before leaving the village. "I'm counting on you." As she turned her back on the two girls, she let out a sigh of reluctance and muttered: "It's going to be a long walk home."

Sanae blinked surprisedly. "Wait, you're going on foot?"

"I just told you. My power is nearly gone. Without it I can't even do as much as fly. And since the two of you also rely on divine powers, you'd do well not to stay in this place for too long."

"We'll keep that in mind." said Reimu to the departing goddess.

Once the miniature shrines were in place, Reimu and Sanae have placed their blessed ofuda inside each of them and created a basic spirit ward.

"I don't know about you, but I've gotten really hungry." the dark-haired girl informed her colleague and headed back into the tavern.

"Wait for me~!" Sanae trotted after her, looking forward to some refreshing meal as well.


Once their stomachs were filled, the shrine maidens have discussed the issues of Kazemura's defense with the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Sanae tried to persuade the earth goddess to return to Moriya Shrine. The little and cheerful kami thought that there was no real danger in staying here a little longer and have fun with everyone, but this time Sanae would not withdraw from this opinion dispute.

"Alright, Sana-chan. I guess I should not leave Kanako alone. I just thought this village is really charming. The surrounding landscape is so beautiful… I just wanted to enjoy this little trip to the fullest, because I'm nut sure when I'll come back here again."

"Maybe once we find out what's absorbing divine powers and stop it somehow, it would be safe for you to come here. Maybe placing the shimenawa around the pit will suffice. But for now, it would be wisest if you followed Kanako-sama's example and regained your powers."

"So you really are worried about me, aren't you, Sanae? How sweet~. I'll be waiting for you home then. You should come back soon as well, okay?"

"As soon as our work here is done, I'll return." promised the green-haired miko.

"Well, then… See you later~." the earth goddess waved her hand on the tavern's doorstep, when she realized that she was missing something. "Huh?" she patted her fair-haired head, "Where's my hat?"

"I haven't seen it." Sanae scratched her head in puzzlement.

"Pyonta~! Where are you~?"

As the girls have carefully looked around the tavern's interior, they managed to find Suwako's unique hat on the ground right next to Suika, who was using it as a stand for her sake gourd.

"Ah, there you are~!"

"Oh, you'd like a drink, Suwako?" the oni looked at her expectantly. But when she saw that the goddess only intended to retrieve her hat, her smile faded a bit. Right after that Suwako left and headed a back to Moriya Shrine.


The afternoon was slowly shifting to evening and the band of girls who formed the expedition team was having another discussion about deciphering the temple's symbols. Meanwhile, Reimu and Sanae were talking with Remilia and Patchouli about their spirit ward. The whole group planned to stay in Kazemura for at least one more day, but the two shrine maidens needed to fly to Human Village and buy enough rice straw to make the shimenawa rope.

"So you're leaving too?" Remilia asked them.

"No, no." Reimu shook her head. "We'll go tomorrow and probably take Suika with us too."

"Hm? Why me?" wondered the horned youkai.

"You'll carry the materials, of course." replied Reimu matter-of-factly.

"I'm not your pack mule~!"

"Think of it as repayment for all the days I let you freeload at my shrine."

"Well, at least it's tomorrow." Suika muttered contently and downed another few gulps of sake and adjusted her position to maximize her comfort. "Today I only want to laze around and drink~."

"More importantly…" Reimu shifted her gaze back at the Scarlet Devil, "I wanted to ask about…*cough-cough*." Her sentence got interrupted by another series of coughs. Eirin's medicine was taking some time to work.

Remilia, who was in no better health condition, chuckled weakly. "Just look at us… Done in by some pathetic rain. Maybe you should just get in a futon and take it easy like me and Patchy. I can send Sakuya to the village to get the materials for you."

"Eirin said the medicine should take effect any moment. Anyway… Remilia."

"Yes?"

"About your ability to see fate strings... What do you see when you look at Mima now?"

"That ghost?" Remilia rolled her head on the futon to glance at the spirit in question. "She was linked with the possessed fairies. The evil spirits were following her will, but…"

"But what?" the miko narrowed her eyes.

"All these strings seem to be severed now. But just as Patchouli says, I also believe that the true mastermind is yet to be revealed."

"I heard the prospectors started digging in the pit again." remarked Sanae.

"And that's where our only remaining clue points to." Remilia added. "Here's hoping that your spirit ward can keep the spirits and whoever is controlling them in check."

"The spirits may be impeded by the ward, but the fairies can still destroy it." Patchouli reminded them.

"Yes, we heard from Kanako. But what can we do? Even if I excel in youkai extermination, and have a whole team to back me up, we just lack the numbers. There's still enough possessed fairies out there to raze this village. They don't even need to fight us. If they focus their offense against the ward, then all that we've done so far will have been for naught. This village needs reinforcements. Badly."

"I'm sure after yesterday's battle, the Human Village will double up on the Ryuuken stationed here." said Marisa.

"That's still not enough." Reimu wasn't satisfied.

"Well, no." the witch admitted. "But it's a start."

"When we go shopping to the village tomorrow, we ought to stop by the Myouren Temple and drag them all here. By force if necessary."

"Oi, oi…"


For the rest of the day, the expedition team was mostly just killing time in the tavern while the more academic individuals were conducting research. It was on the next day when Reimu, Sanae and Suika traveled to Human Village to purchase some quality rice straw for their shimenawa barrier. In the meantime, Eirin made her best effort to treat her illness-stricken patients. While Reimu recovered from her symptoms rather quickly, Patchouli and Remilia were a different story. Remilia never thought that enduring the rain would put her into such a pitiable state, which even Eirin's best drugs failed to alleviate. As for the librarian, her asthma was a chronic condition, but now on top of it, she had to deal with fever. Despite this predicament, she was doing her best to direct her team and study the mysterious tomes that the yama-bito have accumulated in their archive. From 10 hours a day, she now studied only two, but even that was commendable, given her health condition. Eirin couldn't stay in Kazemura any longer. She had duties in Eientei, but she told Kaguya that she could stay longer if she wanted. Knowing that there were still illnesses that her normal medicine couldn't cure, she decided to devote more of her time to research.

As the shrine maidens finished the final touches on the shimenawa rope, the sun was already sinking behind the trees in the west.

"Hey, Reimu, look up there in the sky!" Sanae suddenly pointed her finger upwards, prompting her surprised teammate to look in that direction.

There was a large group of shadows flying towards them from the west.

"Fairies?" Reimu was already reaching for her ofuda, but something about those distant figures seemed different. They were larger and considerably fewer in numbers than the usual fairy swarm. Still, there was about a hundred of them and everything indicated that they were heading towards Kazemura.

When they got closer, Sanae was able to recognize them. "Those aren't fairies. Those are…"

"The white wolf tengu." Reimu completed Sanae's unfinished sentence. "What are they doing here?"

When the whole company of whife wolf tengu warriors landed in the village, their leader flashed an official-looking document to the first villager he saw.

"By the will of Yasaka-sama and by the order of Lord Tenma, we, the White Wolves have come from the Youkai Mountain to assist you with guarding this settlement from hostile intruders.

Reimu scoffed bitterly at their arrival. "Where have they been two days ago when the village really needed some help?"

"It still does, Reimu." said Sanae. "Kanako-sama said she'd help us protect the village. I see now how she meant it. This is her doing."

"I wonder how long they'll stay here."

"I don't know and it doesn't matter right now. Come on, don't laze around and help me hang this rope properly."


And so, the girls have finished the spirit ward and even tested its functionality by asking Mima to pass through. The ghost tried various tricks to get around it, but the sacred barrier didn't allow her any way through. She tried cutting the rope with her knife, but she couldn't even get close to it. She tried flying over it, but it didn't work, as the barrier has formed an invisible pillar that prevented the evil spirits from approaching it from any direction. And if there were some spirits left buried within the ruins of that mysterious ancient temple, they were now imprisoned. Finally, she resorted to magic and with a glorious smile on her face she destroyed a section of the rope with her danmaku.

"Well, thanks, Mima." Reimu nodded to her. "Now we'll have to weave a new one."

"It's not perfect, but at least it should work on the ordinary evil spirits that don't use magic." Sanae made a note to self.

"Well, you have your tengu "friends" here to prevent something like that from happening, don't you?" Mima pointed her thumb backwards over her shoulder at the tengu reinforcements.

Kazemura's elder welcomed the tengu guardians with open arms, even when the white wolves seemed to look down on everyone who wasn't one of them or their superior. This additional protection allowed Kazemura to fully resume its trade with Human Village and the villagers to work in peace without fear. After a few days, only a skeleton crew remained in Kazemura from Patchouli's expedition team. Since no fairies dared to attack the village, there was no longer a need for those who specialized in combat. Only digging, studying and research were important now. Reimu and company were waiting impatiently to hear the latest news on the progress from the excavation and any information that could help them uproot the source of the "Fairy Incident".

This incident was not only a test of their valor in combat, but also a great test of patience and determination.


And while Reimu nearly forgot about it, another parallel incident still remained unsolved in the Human Village. The spirited-away humans from the outside world were working every day to get another step closer to their homes. And they've made quite an impressive progress thus far. But even if they didn't want to rely on anyone else's help, they still needed the Hakurei shrine maiden for one task – to send them across the barrier. Their preparations were nearing completion and they already had a decent amount of supplies stored at the Hakurei Shrine. But as they often say: "Plans are meant to go wrong."

"Have your read the news?" Asakura Soudai, reading a newspaper asked his friend, Ishimaru Kyouichi as they walked down the village market square on their way to work.

"I'd only take Bunbunmaru if it had some crosswords or something. Not much for the articles."

"Oh really?" Soudai shaped a grin under his nose. "Not even if it had some interesting pictures of, let's say, Patchouli-san?"

Kyouichi blinked at him cluelessly. "What…?"

"No? What about Yuuka-san?"

Figuring out what sort of pictures his friend had in mind, Kyouichi failed to suppress a chuckle. "Yuuka-san, eh? Well… maybe… Anyway, why are you asking me in the first place?"

"One of the articles says something about a shrine attacked on top of the Youkai Mountain just a couple of days ago. Doesn't seem too serious, though."

"The other shrine… you mean Moriya Shrine?"

"Yes, that one. Ever been there? The view from up there must be really neat."

"No, I haven't been there. And I doubt any other humans have. You heard Keine-sensei, right? The tengu won't let anyone up there."

"Well, apparently they did let a decent number of fairies up there to cause a stir. And of course, the reporter is criticizing the tengu security measures…"

"Well, the mountain is far away from us. Let's hope the fairies won't take their attacks further south."

"In other news…" Soudai flipped a page of the newspaper, "it seems that our village elder's intentions haven't escaped the attention of the tengu."

"What intentions?"

"It seems that they are going to rebuild the village's fortifications, just like how they were in the times before the Great Hakurei Border."

"What?" the unexpected information took Kyouichi by surprise. "So that's what those workers were measuring around the village the other day… So this village used to have walls before."

"Maybe they tore them down when they needed to build more houses."

"I can't say it makes much sense to me." Kyouichi scratched his head.

"Why?"

"Like why would they want to rebuild the walls? To protect the village? From what? Most if not all youkai out there can fly. Heck, even a decent number of local humans can."

"Hmm, that's indeed true." Soudai admittedly nodded. "I doubt the walls are going to help them against flying creatures. But if the village had them in the past, then perhaps they won't be completely useless… And hear this: the elder plans to finish their construction by the end of this month."

"That's impossible!" Kyouichi shouted out, making the passerby in the marketplace look curiously in his direction. "But… wait… Myouren Temple was technically built overnight, so… perhaps not."

"It's still really strange. And suspicious. It's like the elder was preparing to go to war or something."

That's when a very uncomfortable thought floated up from the bottom of Kyouichi's mind. "Something tells me we're not going to like it."

"I don't like it already, but what exactly do you mean?"

"These walls. If they'll really finish them as quickly as that tabloid says, that could mean trouble for us outsiders sneaking out of here when our time comes to leave Gensokyo."

"That couldn't have been the reason why the council decided to re-fortify Human Village, could it?"

Even to Kyouichi, the idea seemed irrational. For the village elder to frivolously spend the money from his coffers on such a seemingly unnecessary thing, there would have to be some serious reason for this sudden decision. If keeping the outsiders from escaping the village was his only goal, there were certainly cheaper ways to achieve it. But still, Kyouichi couldn't shake off the thought that this was indeed the case and the council's step to ensure that the spirited-away humans would not attempt to venture out of the village without his knowledge and consent. He faced a big dilemma whether to work harder and attempt to re-schedule the day of departure before the construction of walls would finish, or to stick to the original date.

"Now I know what keeps Naota-san's friends who help us with renovating that hunter's cabin so busy every day."

"Surely they were hired to work on those walls." Soudai stated what was pretty much already obvious. "But at least they still show up to help from time to time."


Another routine day of farm work awaited the two, and after half of their strength was used up for the completion of their given tasks, they were once more given the job of delivering fresh products to supply the buyers - the marketplace in Human Village, Kourindou and the fishing colony at Misty Lake. As they were heading out of the village to the antique shop, Kyouichi couldn't miss some unusual activity going on at the place of his previous employment. He saw Daisuke Shimizu, the owner of the Starlight Glyph bookstore removing the shop's name sign from its position over the door.

"Hey there~!" Kyouichi greeted the middle-aged storekeeper by waving his hand. "Been a while, hasn't it, Shimizu-san?"

"Hm?" Daisuke, still in a half-absentminded state, hummed in an asking tone as he heard someone calling his name. Since he was standing on a rickety-looking ladder as he was putting the sign down, he couldn't really turn around to look at who was greeting him. Only once he had the wooden sign firmly in his grasp, he dared to slowly turn his head to cast a glance over his shoulder.

"Oh… Why hello there, Ishimaru-san!" he belatedly reciprocated his gesture of greeting before he began to descend down the ladder's steps. "Indeed, it has been quite a while. In fact, I believe we haven't seen each other ever since you quit working here."

"Uhh, yes…" this time it was Kyouichi who threw an absent-minded stare at the wooden sign in Daisuke's hands. "Just what exactly are you doing, Shimizu-san? And where is your assistant?"

The storekeeper raised his eyebrows. "You haven't heard yet? This shop is going to have a new owner, and therefore, a new name."

"What?!" Another stunning information left Kyouichi's mouth ajar. "But… why?" he failed to understand. "And just when you bought a new printing machine… And you even said your business was picking up."

Daisuke took in a deep breath and sighed. "I realize this decision was made rather suddenly, but I believe it's the best one I could make."

"If it's not a rude question, may I ask what drove you to sell Starlight Glyph?"

"You see…" the short, plump man cleared his throat and put the sign down, "I've recently become a grandfather. My son's wife gave birth to a beautiful girl. My granddaughter… After some thinking, I figured that maybe I'm already old enough to finally settle down and leave the business to someone younger and more enthusiastic. I'll still be doing what I always used to – write stories that will perhaps even find their place in the shelves of this shop. I just don't want to be tied down by my work schedule anymore. I want to play with my grandchild as much as I can, so she'd at least think of me with a smile on her face when I will no longer be in this world. I realized that I have already achieved everything I had wished for, so I feel no regrets about retiring and selling the bookstore."

"I see." Kyouichi finally began to understand Daisuke's motive. "Congratulations to your granddaughter's birth, but… what will become of this place now?"

"Oh, it'll still serve its purpose as a bookstore. Or to be more specific – a book renter. On top of selling the books it'll also allow customers to simply rent any title for a fraction price. Something I didn't even think of doing while running the Glyph. Oh well, I do feel a little sad about not being able to print out Hieda-san's latest update to Gensokyo Chronicle personally, but what's done is done. Motoori-san has been known to collect books for a long time, so I put my full confidence in his ability to handle this business. As for my assistant, Hiroto, I haven't heard from him in a while. When I told him about selling the shop, he left without much regret. I'd even say he was happy to leave, but I don't know if he got accepted into apprenticeship if he still wishes to follow in his father's footsteps. You will most likely not see him employed here again when Motoori-san takes over."

"Is he talking about that guy who gave you a beating?" Soudai murmured a question to Kyouichi.

"Uhh… yeah, that one." the long-haired outsider grimaced as he replied.

"Well, that's about the whole story about the fate of this bookstore." Daisuke shrugged his shoulders. "Starting next week, this place will be known as Suzunaan. If you'd like a book, please stop by."

Kyouichi peered into the bookstore through the window and a strange feeling of nostalgia overcame him. "May I… take one last look inside?"

"Why of course you can. Come right in!" the storekeeper's usual cheerful tone returned as he opened the door.

"Kyouichi, we really don't have much time for this." Soudai tried to talk him out of it. Unsuccessfully.

Despite the pressing time on their next delivery run, Kyouichi entered his previous workplace one more time before it would change its owner and name. Everything was exactly placed just as he remembered it. The shelves, the counter and other pieces of furniture, the printer in the back room and the houseplants that decorated the shop's interior. He wanted to imprint the image of that place as much as he could into his memory. Losing his track of time, Soudai had to walk in and tell him to hurry up.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming." He said his farewell to the old bookstore and rejoined his friend to finish their work. A long trip awaited them, so they needed to keep up if they planned on returning before sundown.