With no further items on the agenda, Byakuren rose and made to leave.
"Am I to be assured that all will go as we have discussed?" Miko asked as Byakuren opened the sliding door.
Byakuren nodded. "A suitable site will be found in due course. I will have my followers assist yours should the need arise. Good day to you, Toyosatomimi no Miko. Traveler, I will find some way of properly expressing my gratitude and returning your favor in full, but I have some urgent matters to attend to for today. If you will excuse me."
The door snapped shut, and the two of us were left alone.
"She seems much less forthcoming that usual," I commented.
"The terms we agreed were not necessarily favorable to her, though she too stands to reap great benefit from our future arrangements. It is understandable that she would not be in an uplifting mood."
"What sort of agreements did you make with her? Byakuren mentioned something about a site."
"Well, amongst other things, she has agreed to relocate the Myouren Temple and hence expose the Great Mausoleum to the light of Gensokyo, which should hasten the latter stages of my resurrection and bring even more potential followers into the fold. She does not want to stray too far from the Human Villlage, since that is where many of her followers reside, but she also does not want to be too close to the Mausoleum either. It wouldn't be nice to have the home of your enemy too close by."
"I see. That sounds like a fair compromise."
"Byakuren is more averse to conflict than I expected. Though now I know that she is as fierce as any when it comes to protecting her own, as you have told me."
I stared at the tea leaves floating aimlessly about the circumference of my cup. "It is strange."
"What is?"
"Kanako Yasaka was fully convinced that the two of you would enter into an all-out conflict, and she was willing to stake everything she had on that presupposition being true. I can't lie; I thought the same. If I had not been so worried, I might not have had to trouble Marisa, Reimu, and ultimately you as well."
"There is an unspoken rule in Gensokyo that you may be aware of already." Miko stared outside the window, taking in what little of the view could be seen from our room. "Considering the great strength of those who make their home in this world, all who inhabit this land have constrained themselves from performing any actions that might threaten the overall harmony under which we live. Skirmishes may arise – battles, even – but when all is said and done, our utmost priority is the integrity of Gensokyo. Nothing else comes before that."
"Kanako Yasaka does not seem to agree. She said she would see this realm razed to the ground if it would benefit her to do so."
"Yes, well, Kanako Yasaka needs this place to stay healthy for her own sake. There are no followers to be found in the outside world anymore, and she knows it. If she doesn't, then that shows either a significant lack of foresight on her part, or a gross underestimation of the silent camaraderie that lurks underneath Gensokyo's apparently palpable discord." Miko drained the last of her tea and leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows. "Now then. Let's talk about your training."
"Yes, the training."
"On the topic of locations, I feel that it would be difficult for us to get you into Senkai if Kanako Yasaka is watching. Powerful as I am, the world between worlds is Yasaka's domain. Even the sturdiest of boats can be tipped over if the storm is strong enough."
"Would that prevent you from returning to Senkai if you were on your own?"
"Who knows? I would be willing to risk the trip if I were alone, but that is besides the point. How did you initially learn about your ability to traverse through the dimensions?"
"Marisa Kirisame was tutoring me. Though we didn't get much done before we were… interrupted."
"Then we should liaison with her first. Perhaps we will be able to use her help – and her cottage, if she'll allow us."
"That's a good idea."
"Then I will discuss this matter with her, and have her inform you of her decision tonight. We can smooth out the finer details of your training later. I shall go and look for Marisa; I bid you farewell for now." We stood, bowed to each other, and went our separate ways. Before I knew it, I had whittled the rest of the day away.
The arrival of nightfall came with some considerable trepidation on my behalf. It had slipped my mind that Marisa had been teaching me the ways of magic, and I wondered if she had any desire to take my lessons further now that peace had, for now, returned to our surroundings. As I ate my dinner alone at the tavern, Marisa entered the inn and, spotting me, came over to my table and took a seat opposite me. I nodded in greeting, but somehow felt too afraid to say anything, instead allowing her to do the honors of speaking first. Which, after she ordered her meal, she inevitably did.
"You spoke to Toyosatomimi no Miko this afternoon," she stated monotously.
I nodded again. "She wanted-"
"I know what she wanted; she couldn't have made it any clearer. I just find it a difficult favor to accept. You do realize we spent the better part of a fortnight chasing her down, right? And now she wants us – wants you – to act like nothing happened?"
"What she suggests is reasonable." I shrugged. "I will take any advice I can get. Even if it is from an enemy, which she is not."
"You know, sometimes it amazes me how willing you are to forego a little vigilance for the sake of finding a way to recover your memories. You went to the Nuclear Furnace a few days ago, didn't you?"
"How did you find out about that?"
"Suwako Moriya told Toyosatomimi no Miko about your trip. Apparently Miko didn't think you withheld any secrets from me. I suppose she and I were both wrong about that."
"I'm sorry for hiding it from you, though we all have our secrets. Also, Suwako insisted on my going alone."
"And that in itself didn't make you at least a little wary?"
"Of course it did. But my principle since coming to Gensokyo has always been to take the road less traveled, within reason. It's served me well so far."
"Maybe so. I can't help but have my misgivings, but I can't begrudge you your ideals. Like you say, everything's working out pretty well, all things considered. I'm not totally against lending you my house, but only because I trust you to make the right decisions."
"So, you're going to help us?"
Marisa sighed and tapped the table restlessly. "Let's make something clear here. I'm not helping that hermit. I'm helping you, for your sake. She doesn't get to boss me around, and if I ever want her out, she goes. No questions asked."
"That sounds fair enough, given that it's your place we're borrowing."
"Also, I get to listen in on the lessons and provide my own suggestions. She has her ideas on magic, but I have mine, too. And what the two of us were doing – alongside Reimu – was more than just fine. There's honestly no need for Toyosatomimi no Miko to be here at all. And," Marisa jabbed a finger in my direction, "before you say anything, I'm not being jealous or petty. I just can't find it in myself to trust her right now."
"Yes, I know. You're doing this for me. I understand completely."
"Do you really?" Marisa squinted at me, but decided that the issue was not worth pursuing any further. Her meal arrived, and she dug into it with her usual gusto.
Sometimes it was difficult for me to remember that I had only been here for seven weeks, given that the entirety of my recognizable memories were centered around my time in Gensokyo. Seeing Marisa so easily group the other maidens into the simple categories of friends and enemies made me feel somewhat perturbed, since I only viewed each person that I met as a unique individual from whom I could learn more about this world. Yet I knew that perspective was a privilege granted solely to a neutral observer like myself, who could be distanced from the many conflicts of this world purely because of my status as a recent visitor.
Maybe I was allowing myself to get swept along by my arbitrary sense of adventure, letting the currents of fate take me wherever they might see fit. Or maybe I was just being naïve. In any case, the answers to my many questions would only be revealed to me as long I relentlessly ventured forward into the unknown.
And I intended to continue doing so. Even if there were now people who, at least to my knowledge, only wished for me to keep on living, regardless of whether I was doomed to remain in the dark for the rest of my days.
