"Seija!" says an excited voice. "C'mon, get up."
Shinmyoumaru shakes Seija by the shoulder, the latter having been napping while sitting against the wall in her bedroom.
"Hm…? What's going on?" says Seija between yawns.
"It's time for us to leave for the concert! You've been asleep the past few hours."
"Oh, right."
Shin grabs Seija's hand and pulls her up before they walk out.
Something feels… warm.
It takes a groggy Seija until they are halfway down the hall to realize Shin has yet to let go.
"Uh, why are you-"
"By the way," Shin begins, cutting Seija off, "I made snacks for us to share while we're there."
"That's not what-"
"I also know this spot that has a great view of the stars. We can stop by afterwards and lounge the night away!"
"SHIN!" Seija shouts, finally stopping both from walking any further. "Slow down! Why are you holding my hand?"
"What's wrong with that?" asks Shin. Her tone carries the slightest tinge of fear, unsettling Seija.
"I- urgh!"
My head feels like it's about to split open.
Shin continues, "If you want me to leave you alone, I will."
"No, it's not that-"
"Then there's no problem?"
"I… I guess not?" Seija replies, hardly able to focus.
"Good to hear!"
They resume their journey through the hall, Shin leading the befuddled Seija along.
What's happening? This situation isn't right…
"There are loads of other things I've planned for us to do!" Shin declares. "Visiting more festivals, a trip to some far off places in Gensokyo, of course the white-water rafting competition-"
"Wait, didn't we agree that the last one would be after going to the Lunar Capital?"
Shin grinds to a halt but does not turn around. "Do we really need to go there?"
"What kinda question is that? I thought you were completely on board with the plan."
"I've been thinking recently, what's the point of what we do?"
Seija is taken aback hearing this question from Shin, unable to immediately respond.
"All we accomplish is making our own lives harder," says Shin. "We have this castle, we have each other, and we have all the time in the world. Who cares what anyone else is doing?"
"But that's not our mission!"
The inchling turns around, her face full of disgust. "Oh that's right, you're an amanojaku. Overturning everything is your reason for being. I guess if I'm in the way of that, we don't have any reason to stay together."
"Wait a minute-"
"Wait for what, exactly? For you to ask me to stay? What a load of garbage. Shouldn't you have realized by now that no connection you form lasts? All you are is a slave to your nature!"
Her words sting Seija infinitely more than any danmaku.
Has she felt this way along? That can't…
"That said," Shin continues, "you really are a pathetic excuse for an amanojaku. Not only did you attempt to cultivate a relationship, but you also, for the briefest moment, felt guilt for what you put the Komeijis through. What a disgrace."
…in fact, it isn't true. Not only would Shin never say these things, but-!
"I never told you how I felt about what happened with Satori and Koishi," says Seija.
Shin's eyes widen slightly, her sneer faltering.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Seija taunts. "You really like rambling on like you somehow know me, yet now you've got nothing to say? If you're gonna steal my partner's face, at least try to be convincing!"
Ripping her hand away, the amanojaku summons a hundred bullets all around the imposter and lets loose. Each one is reflected back the way it came, prompting Seija to scramble out of the way.
"Hahaha…" the fake Shin laughs.
"How did you-"
"Oh I know you alright! Better than anyone, I'd say." The fake's face morphs into the evilest smile imaginable. "But it seems our time here is up."
"What do you mean?"
"That is enough!" yells a disembodied voice.
Huh?
Doremy Sweet materializes behind Shin, the latter freezing in place. "…Blast it, seems they escaped from this dream."
"You're that Ruler of- Agh!" Seija cuts herself off, gripping her head.
What are these memories? Nightmares…?
"Yes, yes, glad you're caught up," says Doremy. "I sensed you were having a dream and was greeted by a baleful aura. The perpetrator probably thought they could do this under my nose by catching a midday nap since that's outside your normal schedule."
This influx of memories is a lot to process, but it answers everything I was wondering the other day.
Still with a hand on her head, Seija asks, "Can we reveal who this faker is? They're frozen right in front of us."
"The puppet through which they talked to you is here, yes, but currently the only beings I feel in this dream are you and me. The intruder is gone. It's truly confounding, no one should be able to hide from me in this world."
"How do you even go about investigating something like this?"
"I have to try and track any residual memories left behind, which isn't foolproof. Last time, the nightmares you experienced ran as an automated machine; there was no one to find. They simply crafted the trap and let it run as intended. Your words managing to reach the previous Shinmyoumaru is a testament to how your memories affected it. For this dream, they took a more direct approach by controlling a version of your partner designed to actively tear you down. This should, ideally, give me an opportunity to track them after we're done here."
The moment we find them can't come soon enough after they used Shin's face like that.
Doremy, sensing Seija's mood, smiles inscrutably. "For what it's worth, you did a fine job of staying calm and recognizing the discrepancies in front of you." She holds up her right hand and a pink circular blob appears. "What I would normally expect is that both cases were caused by a dream soul like this one. That's the most direct way to force a dream on someone. Yet there's no indication this happened either time."
"So they're using a method unknown to you?"
"I can rule out the nightmare being chemically caused through medicine by examining its makeup. So, barring the incredibly unlikely case they're also a baku like me, you're right."
"Then why not let me remember this time so I can search as well?" an increasingly frustrated Seija asks.
Doremy sighs. "This dream is a prison. The only way for you to wake up is to experience some kind of change to your psyche, likely meant to be mental degradation, which is impossible now that I'm here and have chased off the cause. Either I devour it or you're stuck here indefinitely. By doing the former, I'm erasing it from your conscious mind's memory when you wake up. Even normal dreams do not stick around in the mind very long. Your experiences here still exist in your unconscious mind, however, as that's where dreams reside. Hence why a trigger such as seeing me while knowing you're in a dream can bring those memories back."
So this annoyance is forcing us to split our focus in case they don't see immediate success. I still have no idea who they could even be.
"You could try telling me in the real world," suggests Seija.
"Would you even believe me without your memories? You're not the most trusting sort."
"Hmph."
I can't deny it. …I wish I could talk to Shin about this.
"We'll consider that a last resort. Farewell for now," says Doremy, closing her book.
The creeping sense of unease in Seija's mind fades with the dream.
"Seija," says a soothing voice, "wake up."
Shin tenderly rustles her partner by the shoulder, the latter waking from the nap she had while leaning against her bedroom's wall. The amanojaku notes a blanket on her she does not recall having earlier that day.
"Hm…? What's going on?" says Seija, yawning.
"It's almost time for us to leave for the concert. You've been asleep the past three hours."
"Oh, ri- ugh…"
Shin grabs Seija's hand and helps her to stand before letting go and asking, "You alright?"
"Yeah, a little lightheaded but it passed."
"That's good. It took a little while for my shaking to stir you, guess you needed the sleep."
"Suppose so," Seija replies, stifling the smile that attempts to emerge in response to Shin's consideration. She notes a tiny nick on her partner's left thumb. "Something happen? Your thumb's hurt."
"Huh?" Shin earnestly examines her hand. "Oh, it's nothing. Didn't even notice it."
That's understandable. I've had plenty of scratches I don't remember getting, too.
"Okay, I'm ready to head out if you are."
"Then let's go!" says Shin while shooting her fist forward.
The amanojaku does a routine of basic stretches. "When does it start?"
"In about forty minutes. I wanted to let you sleep as long as you could."
"I wouldn't have cared if you got me up sooner."
"What fun would it be if you were grumpy?" Shin's knowing look elicits an eye roll from Seija.
"Can it, shorty."
"Why don't you make me?"
"Is that an invitation?"
Unsheathing her needle and performing a series of practice swings, Shin says, "It has been a while since we last had a match. That chase from the other day was fun but not a real fight."
She's pretty excited. Seeing her get competitive hypes me up, too. But first thing's first.
"We can put that on our list of things to do after tonight," says Seija.
Shin sheathes her needle. "It's a date!"
"Oh, you're mocking me now?"
"Who said I was mocking?"
"Whatever."
The inchling cannot help but laugh while Seija starts walking, hands behind her head and elbows up in a laid-back fashion.
Hmmm…
They head out for the concert grounds, both full of anticipation.
Twenty minutes of flying is filled with going over what to do should they find Sumireko or Hatate.
"I figure if we're shrunk down and have the girl hide us we can hear Hatate's words for ourselves," the amanojaku explains. She wears her not-so-trusty hat disguise.
Shin, small and in her bowl, replies, "I'm assuming you want to do that to avoid Sumireko potentially forgetting or embellishing details?"
"Yep. It also doesn't need to be both us if the concert's started and you'd-"
"You can stop right there. We experience it together or not at all."
Should've known better than to try and convince her otherwise.
By the time the duo arrives, a large crowd has formed in front of the newly built stage, which is empty barring a drum set. The crowd itself is a mix of humans and Youkai, though the former group does not seem to notice how many Youkai are among them. A few kappa-run stalls stand a dozen meters from either side, selling snacks and drinks but not tickets.
"My bet is that Choujuu Gigaku refused to have tickets be sold," says Shin as she and Seija dive into the woods opposite the stage so they can sneak in without notice. "They're literally a roadside band, after all. Wouldn't be surprised if the Prismriver Ensemble settled on a compromise with them of letting the kappa set up concessions and splitting the profits."
"If it means being caught can't get us in trouble for trespassing, I'll take it- is that Reisen?"
Shin directs her gaze to where Seija's is and sees the restless moon rabbit pacing back and forth a few meters from the bush they hide behind. She is not wearing her suit and skirt but instead peddler attire of a loose top with a shirt underneath, baggy pants that stop a bit past the knee, and a sash around her waist. Both arms and legs are wrapped tightly and she wears a hat similar to Seija's on her head. One of her ears slightly juts out on her right side seemingly without her noticing, which is what allowed Seija to identify her.
"That's the disguise she wears when selling Eientei's medicine in the village," says Shin. "She must've come here after her shift ended."
For someone as high-strung as her, these kinds of concerts must be stress relief for her.
Once Reisen has moved on, Seija says, "We should avoid her. She'll be extra wary of us given-"
"Get down!" Shin whispers, prompting the amanojaku to drop.
"-ank you again for agreeing to this, dearie," says a certain refined voice nearby.
"I still don't get why Raiko sent you to contact me," a gruff and casual voice responds. "You said live music wasn't your cup of tea last time we teamed up."
That's Mamizou and Mokou. So the hag was this 'acquaintance' Mokou mentioned.
"I'll explain that later, for now I want to keep my involvement discreet," Mamizou continues. "You're not the type to ask too many questions or divulge secrets, so I went to you."
"Hmph, fair enough. I got an invitation to come not long after you asked, so it worked out."
"Sumireko, I assume? Is she here already?"
That question catches the duo's attention more than anything else said.
Mokou nods. "Yeah, I ran into her in the village as I was leaving and we got here together about ten minutes ago. We went to get some takoyaki but she was held up by Hatate, if you know her. That reporter said she had questions about the differences between concerts in the outside world and Gensokyo."
Seija and Shin share a bewildered expression.
Is that really why Hatate's interviewing Sumireko? We need to find them!
"Well, as someone who lived in the outside world until recently…" Mamizou's words fade as she and Mokou continue walking.
"If I shrink you down, it might take us too long to reach Sumireko," says Shin.
Going around might work but would make our approach way too obvious. The crowd is the best cover we have.
"I'll have to make a break for it, hold on." Lowering her hat, Seija emerges from the bush as discreetly as she can and power walks east while Shin clams up in her bowl for Seija to carry. It takes roughly half a minute to push through the crowd without drawing attention, but she finally sees the stall ahead. However, upon arrival, neither Sumireko nor Hatate are anywhere to be seen.
Oh great. Did they already move on?
The amanojaku takes a brisk walk around the stalls and is still unable to see them.
"Wait, aren't there stalls on both sides of the stage?" Shin whispers, peeking through her bowl.
"Shoot, you're right. I'll go- oof!"
"Ow!"
Post-impact, the duo sees a young woman on the ground. She is wearing an inexpensive and simple orange kimono and a bandanna tied around her head that covers most of her hair.
"Are you okay?!" the woman's companion worriedly asks, kneeling down to check on her. This young lady has a red and white checkered-pattern kimono. Her light red hair and bell hair ornaments immediately give her identity away.
Kosuzu? I didn't immediately recognize the other one, but is that-
"Do I know you…?" the woman Seija bumped into muses, looking up at her. From the ground, she can easily see Seija's face and hair beneath the hat, including the distinguishable white and red streaks; however, this does not include the horns. "Now I recall, it was at the dango festival. You were the crowd member Mamizou called up. I didn't notice it back then, but you unmistakably have the aura of a Youkai."
This has to be Akyuu. Her memory is really something else. At least she doesn't realize my exact identity.
"A-a youkai?!" Kosuzu yelps. Her squeal attracts a few glances from nearby humans and a few kappa.
These two are gonna ruin everything!
"Oh get up!" says Seija, grabbing Akyuu's hand and pulling her to her feet. "Yes, I'm a Youkai, but so are dozens of others here. I'm sure you know all about that, Hieda no Akyuu."
"How do you-"
"Doesn't matter. I'm just here to see a concert, no harmful intent."
Akyuu's eyes narrow. "You're certainly acting much more suspicious than other Youkai here." She points to Seija's hand. "Why are you carrying around that small bowl?"
"If we're asking questions, why are you hiding your identity? I know an attempted disguise when I see one. Is it above your prestigious station to be seen at a concert meant for the common folk?"
"T-that's…"
"Uh, okay, maybe we should all calm down," Kosuzu chimes in.
Very rich coming from you.
The bookkeeper continues. "You just want to enjoy the concert, right? So do we. We can pretend we didn't see each other and move along."
The girl seems more informed about how Gensokyo works than I gave her credit for. Makes sense considering who she associates with.
"Fine by me," says Seija. "I won't tell anyone the esteemed Child of Miare was here and no one will know about your little rendezvous."
"One of those things isn't even a secr-"
"That's enough, Kosuzu," says Akyuu. "Let's get the food we came for."
Kosuzu nods, locking her right arm with Akyuu's left and hurriedly moving on.
Shin pops out of her bowl slightly. "That was close."
"She knows my face now and she's not one to forget."
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there. Let's find Sumireko!"
Seija lets out a grunt of affirmation before starting the minute long ordeal of forcing her way through to the other side of the crowd. This time, no problematic collisions occur and she reaches the concert grounds' other stalls without issue.
Now where… there!
As Mokou described, Sumireko is being interviewed by Hatate in a remote spot at the farthest point of the concession area. Hatate's back is to the crowd while Sumireko has yet to notice Seija.
"Found her. I'll swing around so you can shrink me and-"
A small flash comes from where the interview is taking place. The next moment, Hatate turns around and dashes to Seija with a tengu's nearly unmatched speed.
"Hey there," says the reporter with a simper.
"Whoa!" yells Seija, though not loud enough to attract much attention. "W-what are you-"
"I think we should have a chat, Seija Kijin. Or do you want me to blow the lid off of your Lunar Capital plan?"
The amanojaku's face turns three shades paler, though the dusk lighting of the area makes it unnoticeable. In her hands, Shin's bowl subtly shivers.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Seija says, her lying skills honed from a lifetime of practice.
"You saying that means you know exactly what I'm talking about. I really think it'd be in everyone's best interest if you heard me out. Sumireko doesn't know anything, I just asked her random questions to buy time. Speaking of…"
"Wait, where are you going?" the bespectacled girl calls out, catching up to Hatate. "Weren't you still asking me questions? And what was that photo you just took?"
"Very sorry about that, I needed you to help draw her out," Hatate says while pointing to Seija.
"Who's… Is that you, Sei- mmf!" Sumireko's words are halted by the tengu putting a hand over her mouth.
"No need to cause a panic by saying her name too loudly. Many here have heard of her."
"What's your game, crow?" Seija asks.
"I already told you. And Sumireko, legitimately, sorry. I don't like having to do something this underhanded. Let me talk with her alone."
Once Hatate's hand is taken off, Sumireko says, "Part of me doesn't like how shady this is, but I have to admit I'm intrigued! I'll back off for now, but one of you better tell me what's going on later!"
Always upbeat with her head in the clouds.
The Secret Sealing Club president walks off. Hatate wordlessly leads Seija to behind the farthest stall near the woods. The concert starts in fourteen minutes.
"I know Shin's hiding in the bowl so she can come out too," Hatate says matter-of-factly.
"Tch," Seija sneers. She opens the bowl, however no one is inside.
"What? Where-"
Shin, human-size, pounces from the bush behind Hatate, covering her mouth in a similar fashion to what the tengu did to Sumireko moments earlier. As the inchling is still only a little more than three-fifths of Hatate's size, she wraps her legs around the tengu's waist and pulls them back into the bush. Seija follows-up by knocking Hatate to the ground and slowly dragging her away from the stalls by the legs while Shin continues to restrain the arms and mouth. Hatate, for her part, willingly does not struggle.
She shouldn't have taken her eyes off us.
Once there is sufficient distance between them and the nearest pair of prying eyes, Seija says, "We'll be the ones asking questions. Shin's gonna take her hand off when it's time for you to answer. Oh but please do try calling for help, I'm sure it'll work out for you. Now first, tell us what your goal is."
"No wonder no one likes you, my outfit's covered in dirt," says Hatate the moment Shin lets her speak. "My goal is what it's always been: to report on current events and publish articles that are beneficial to Gensokyo."
"So what you're saying is you want us to tie you up and leave you in a random neck of the woods."
"I'm being sincere. Believe me, I hate that I've had to exert this much effort already. I've never been the outdoors type and honestly prefer to let my camera do most of the work for me."
Seems like she's telling the truth.
"Do you even know how absurd the workloads put on tengu can be?" Hatate continues. "Conducting an independent investigation like this on top of churning out stories to fill the paper doesn't leave me much free time."
"We're not exactly feeling sympathetic, sorry to say," Shin responds.
The reporter sighs. "I wouldn't expect you to, that was the risk I took going into this. Look, deny it all you want, I know what I know. And I easily could have let the whole world know about your intentions before now."
"You're still going on about this thing, yet we have no idea what you're talking about," says Seija.
"If you wanna keep playing dumb, fine. Just know that I already asked colleagues to publish a story I made detailing every last event you two have been involved in the past few weeks, from Eientei to the dango festival to being here tonight. It also makes sure to describe your Lunar Capital plan in vivid detail. The only way to stop it is if I go back and retract the story before tomorrow morning."
Seija clenches her fist. Shin glances up at her, a serious look on her face.
"That's really interesting but doesn't explain why you've orchestrated this meeting."
"I set this all up to tell you that I want you to succeed."
Of all the answers Hatate could have given, the duo is not prepared for that one.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Shin demands to know.
"Exactly what I said. The Lunar Capital is a threat to Gensokyo's well-being. You two destabilizing it even slightly means we have less to worry about. They play a defensive game. A long game. If they realize there was even the slightest breach in their security, they'll spend who knows how long turtling up to make sure it never happens again."
"Part of me has a hard time believing you're this altruistic," says Seija.
"Thanks for the compliment. If you've gotta think about it in terms of what I gain, I'll be the first to report on it and the resulting traffic will drive up sales for Kakashi Spirit News. Gensokyo benefits, I benefit, and you get what you want. That good enough?"
Really? That's why she never reported on Eientei, to help us stay under the radar?
"…Let her go Shin."
"You sure?" the inchling asks.
"Yeah." Once Hatate stands back up and finishes wiping the muck of her skirt, Seija asks, "When did you start keeping tabs on us?"
"Almost overloading a nuclear reactor would alert any competent reporter," Hatate explains. "Your plan was executed, exposed, and foiled the same day, so both Aya and I were left picking up the pieces of what happened and putting it in our papers. Then we were pressured to leave out details regarding the Komeijis' involvement-"
Satori likely didn't want Koishi's role in that to become widespread knowledge.
"-which left a bad taste in my mouth. I'll be the first to admit I'd rather lounge around then break my back trying to figure out what others like Yukari, Satori, or Reimu are thinking, but I have pride in my work. And since you two were at the center of it last time, I decided to be proactive this go around once you were released from Former Hell community service. Gotta admit, you waste no time getting to work."
Shin cannot help but chuckle hearing that. "Can't let one loss keep us down."
"I honestly admire the level of determination both of you show, shame you're usually so destructive with it."
"Do you even know who you're talking to?" Seija says, placing a hand on her hip.
"Yeah, an amanojaku and an inchling maintaining and even thriving in a partnership. Can you blame me for wondering if it's possible for you to change?"
A spark flashes in Seija's mind. In Hatate's place, she sees an exhausted half-phantom who struggles to stay on her feet. Instead of a forest, they stand on a raised metal grate with orange light glowing beneath them.
"Amanojaku aren't meant to be liked or appreciated!"
"You get along well with Shin despite your words… If you finally have someone to call a partner, why do all of this?"
The memory passes. Looking at Hatate square in the eye, Seija declares, "You just don't get it. You don't see the world the way we do."
"Guess not," says the reporter with a shrug. "Regardless, at least this time, your efforts are directed at a target I can agree needs to be knocked down some pegs. But I don't think Eientei should be harmed either. Their medicine is a major boon to many who live here."
"Did you know we'd be there or was that a coincidence?"
"Thoughtography is reactive, not proactive. I can use it to get random snippets of your day-to-day lives, but that's not much. Plus I'm limited by being unable to hear what you're saying, only vague notions of intention. I found out you were behind the dango festival mishap and about your scuffle with Sekibanki's gang, but that didn't give me anything to work with. Then you happened to be at Eientei at the same time I was doing some obligatory field work and I got a lead."
"So you got lucky."
"True enough. From there the pieces fell into place. I overheard that Mokou was covering for you and I know you have a sample of the Ultramarine Orb Elixir in your castle. I found out soon after that the last time the elixir was used was to combat the Lunarians, which means that's what you intend-"
"Wait, hold on. What are you talking about? We had no idea what it was used for, we just took the thing cause it looked important and potentially useful. Marisa's explanation is when we found out what it did, same as you."
Hatate tilts her head. "Really? But that doesn't add up at all. If the Lunar Capital is your objective, why else would you infiltrate Eientei but to steal the best means of fighting Lunarians?"
Shin, whose arms have been crossed for a while as she thinks, speaks up and says, "There's a misunderstanding here. We went to Eientei to get information, the elixir was a happy accident."
This idiot reporter was right for the wrong reasons.
"We need to figure out how to get to the stupid place," says Seija. "Our entire reason for the Eientei raid was to find out how to do that."
"Back up for a second." Shin rests her head on her left hand. "What was your full reasoning for thinking we were going to the Moon?"
"The fact you were at Eientei is what first gave me the idea. Next I researched the elixir and uncovered its intended purpose, which firmly planted the idea in my head. Putting 'Lunar Capital' into my camera as a key phrase along with your names produced results and showed the two of you having what appeared to be serious discussions, so I knew it was a topic you were thinking about. That was when I was certain. The fact you were so worried about me not publishing an article about Eientei also reinforced your desire to avoid premature exposure."
"A logical misstep that let you reach the truth," Seija says with a twisted smirk. "A contradiction in deduction if I've ever heard one."
"Fitting given the subject matter," Hatate admits.
"This is making my head hurt," says Shin.
All three stand in a circle, unsure what to cover next. Seija is about to ask another question when they hear a distant BOOM.
Huh?
"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE!" a voice shouts.
What?!
They run back to the stalls to see smoke rising from behind the stage. Over a hundred humans and Youkai are in the area, so the resulting hysteria creates congestion in foot traffic. Seija spies Nitori forging a path through the panicking crowd with a crew of four kappa.
Someone who can summon and control water can handle a-
The smoke behind the stage is replaced with a full-on eruption of flame. It has not reached the stage or concert grounds yet, but is spreading fast in all directions. A small forest's worth of kindling could keep it going for many hours.
This isn't our problem, we need to get out of here!
"Shin, let's-" When Seija turns to Shin, she sees a horrified expression on the inchling's face. The amanojaku grits her teeth.
She's been wanting to see this with me so badly…
"Grr… AGH!" Seija yells before she files straight up.
"Where are you going?!" asks a shocked Shin.
"To help stop this fire! Now get to safety!"
Seija does not wait for a response. She finds Nitori's group near the stage's right side, shooting huge streams of water to slow the blaze's spread.
They're undermanned. If they hold position then the fire might not reach the stage, but it could spread to the stalls and entrap any humans still stuck here. Not to mention the rest of the forest behind it all. Whichever way it goes, the concert will be canceled.
The stage's main platform is adjacent to what is best described as a large tent in the back. Stairs connect them but a performer would not be visible from behind or above the tent. Seija notes a large burnt hole in the back side.
Are the Prismriver Ensemble and Choujuu Gigaku still in there? They need to get out!
She flies down, avoiding the kappa's line of sight, and peeks into the tent. Mokou lies on the ground, the front of her body and especially face scuffed and lightly burned. Merlin Prismriver is currently on her knees tending to the immortal. The musician wears a short-sleeved black shirt with black pants that reach her shins and heeled boots, a leather overskirt surrounding the sides and back of said pants. Her light blue hair is tied back with a tuft loose over the right side of her head. There are noticeable skid marks on the ground that line up with Mokou's likely trajectory and a dent in the metal framing behind them that is part of the stage.
What happened to her…? Ugh, now's not the time!
"Yo, musicians!" Seija shouts, letting herself be seen. "There's a fire, get out of here!"
"Who are you?" Merlin asks.
"This really isn't the best time for questions!"
"I'm the only one here! My sisters and Raiko went to help evacuate people while Kyouko and Mystia are fighting the fire!"
The hell's a pair of musicians gonna do?
"Alright. If you need to, don't feel bad about leaving that woman behind. She's got a knack for surviving things."
Seija does not stick around to answer more of Merlin's questions. However, the fire has yet to spread as far as she expected it would. That is when she notices bluish transparent barriers forming on all sides.
I've seen these before… Kyouko's sound reflection! Sound travels along the air, so if she's able to block sound, she can also limit airflow! It's not a true vacuum, but that will help starve the fire!
In the sky above the fire is Kyouko, in her Choujuu Gigaku leather jacket and shades, focusing to maintain the barrier. Every time a lick of flame escapes her area of coverage, she expands it to compensate. Smoke rising from the fire is also lessened by the barrier, but the sheer amount lets some leak out, resulting in her frequently coughing.
She can't keep that up forever, though. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to stop.
Another pair of trees alights on the left side.
"Fan out and support Kyouko!" Nitori shouts from nearby. "Anything that gets out of her range is our prime responsibility! That way the fire can burn itself out!"
They're fighting a defensive battle. What can I do from here?
Seija takes a moment to reconsider. She sees kappa scrambling to shoot water, Kyouko up above, and even other Youkai like Mamizou and Reisen showing up with buckets of water, the former directing a swarm of tanuki to do the same. After that is Mystia, who is commanding random assortments of birds and insects to work together and bring yet more water.
Starving the fire's a good idea, but whatever started it definitely has a lot of fuel to burn judging by the temperature. That's the main source of heat and killing it will help snuff out the rest. Depending on how rooted it is…
"There you are!" Shin calls out. Seija turns and finds her partner and Hatate touching down next to her. "We can do this together, do you have a plan?"
"…You're right, sorry. And I do. You two go find Nitori and tell her to prepare a massive burst of water directed where Kyouko is. Hatate's credibility should help. Shin, try to amplify Nitori's burst with your mallet."
Shin nods. "I won't be able to safely maintain that for long, so whatever you do make sure it's fast."
"You'll know when it's time to shoot. I'm gonna overturn the source!" says Seija, making pointing gestures with her hands.
"Honestly didn't expect to fight a fire with an amanojaku anytime in my life," Hatate muses.
Everyone springs into action. Rocketing upward, Seija goes next to Kyouko and says, "We have a plan to kill this blaze! Get out of the way when I say to!"
Under normal circumstances, Kyouko would question what Seija is talking about, but holding this fire back requires immense concentration. All she can offer is an affirming nod.
After taking a deep breath, Seija shouts, "Now! Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!" The spell card, in this case, is a misnomer as Seija chooses to affect only a narrow area: the center of the fire and everything in a vertical line above it within a radius of five meters. She and Kyouko back up as various pieces of debris fall. At first only ash and dead branches plummet into the sky, but a moment later a dozen barrels meant to hold flammable liquid fall out. One leaks the substance their mostly fireproof exteriors hold and is engulfed such that it is akin to a fireball. Along with those are two boxes of fireworks volatilely sparking. Once all these containers are clearly in sight, a gigantic stream of water shoots from Nitori's position; Seija can make out Shin and her glowing Miracle Mallet next to the kappa. The blast drenches every container, putting out their flames and sparks while killing any chance of them igniting again. The roughly seventy degree angle Nitori shot her attack at combines with the reversed gravity of Seija's spell card, making much of the water spurt out in various directions. While it does not cover everything, it douses much of the fire.
Perfect! That one barrel leaked and somehow the fireworks were set off, causing a chain reaction in the woods. Those other eleven barrels were still fine but half-melted; if they had given out this would've gotten way out of hand.
This joint effort makes Seija's presence known to the other Youkai present, as her hat was lost in the aftermath of her spell card. Even from a distance, she can see Reisen's mixture of confusion and annoyance as well as Mamizou's indulgent chuckling.
Can't believe I just did a public service. Disgusting.
However, the fire is not dead yet. Everyone prepares to continue their efforts, however Seija notices a red light emitting from the area where the boxes were.
I've seen that shade of red recently… No way!
A red laser blasts out of the forest, past Seija and Kyouko. The sun finished setting while the fire-fighting was progressing, so the laser lights up the night sky. Seconds later, a small and localized bundle of clouds form and it begins raining over the fire. That rain combined with the continued efforts of everyone finally ends the blaze. Seija and Kyouko fly down to meet their respective groups.
Nitori approaches Seija and says, "I don't know why you chose to help us, but thanks."
"Save it," the amanojaku responds. "I didn't do it for any of you."
"Let's leave well enough alone, dearie," says Mamizou, her dignified tone betrayed by her disheveled appearance following the ordeal. "Though these aren't the circumstances I expected to meet you in next."
"I would've been happy not to meet her again at all…" mumbles Reisen, arms crossed and ears droopy.
Shin goes to stand next to her partner. "Mystia took Kyouko to the backstage tent to rest. I overheard them say that they intend to go through with the performance once the rest of the ensemble is back."
"I sent my crew to inform everyone that the fire's out," Nitori explains. "We likely lost a few customers, but it's not like they paid for tickets anyway. I imagine some of them will find the whole thing, I believe the term is, 'metal'?"
"Is no one gonna check on the person who saved the day?!" shouts an annoyed voice from within the charred trees. All present look to the source and see Tenshi, her outfit burned in fifty different spots. She, however, is no worse for wear. In her arms is Shion, who is clinging to Tenshi tightly.
"Why were you in there?!" an exasperated Shin asks.
"It's an interesting stor-"
"We got into a fight which started the fire," says Mokou, who arrived without anyone noticing.
"This, uh, isn't quite what I meant by 'pyrotechnics' you know," says Mamizou.
"Oh I didn't use my abilities near the containers, I'm not an idiot like some people. I went to check on them since it was almost time when I saw those two snooping around. Shorty drew her sword and took a swing, but tripped and hit one of the fireworks boxes."
Nitori says, "We supplied the band with twelve barrels of lighter fluid for the stage's built-in sparklers, which Mokou would light, and three boxes of fireworks for the end of the performance."
"But only two boxes came out with the barrels earlier," Seija responds.
"Then you see the problem," Mokou continues. "When her sword hit the box, it sparked. She had opened it while she was messing around and that spark lit some fuses. We tried to stop them, but then all the fireworks in it exploded outright."
"Those fireworks all have fail-safes!" Nitori counters. "You're telling an entire box's worth exploded prematurely? The odds of that happening are astronomically low-"
Shion sneezes. Seija, Shin, Hatate, Nitori, Reisen, Mamizou, and Mokou all stare directly at the poverty god Tenshi carries. The celestial mouths, "Don't you dare."
"Anyway…" says Mokou after multiple agonizing seconds, "the box explosion happened right in my face. Specifically, one firework got loose and hit me in the face. It both dazed and knocked me back quite a ways. If that had hit someone more fragile, they'd have been down for the count a while."
Explains why she was sprawled out in the tent earlier.
Tenshi walks over and sets Shion down. "As for me, the explosion launched me into one of those liquid holding things. My sword was still active and pierced it."
Which, of course, is also obscenely unlucky.
"So much for the planned fireworks show and all the fuel for the pyrotechnic devices. Only the fog machine can be used now," says Nitori. "And of course Raiko was our first customer to actually buy the insurance package…"
Reisen says, "Can't Mokou still-"
"Consider me retired after this disaster," Mokou interrupts.
"After that," Tenshi continues, "sparks were flying from the fireworks and one touched the fluid, igniting the grass and soon everything else. Shion and I were stuck in the fire. If it was just me I could withstand it enough to get out and experience minimal pain, but Shion doesn't have that luxury."
Mamizou pushes up her glasses. "A god, even one of poverty, wouldn't die from that. But at the same time, the experience certainly sounds less than pleasant."
"So you stayed behind and covered her?" Hatate asks.
"Pretty much. I was preoccupied making sure she didn't catch fire herself. Once the huge flame next to us was clear, it was safe to uncover her long enough to change the weather."
"T-thank you so much…" Shion trails off.
"Ah, don't worry about it. What's a celestial if not someone who can handle anything?!" Tenshi declares with pride while puffing out her chest. Shion goes starry-eyed while everyone else's eyes glaze over. The mystery is solved so the group splits off and starts shuffling back to the front of the stage. Mamizou, Mokou, and the duo all go in the same direction.
"I'm curious about something," Shin says, scuttling next to bake-danuki. "Why did you ask Mokou to help with the concert? And why are you here to begin with?"
"Kyouko lives and works at Myouren Temple, which I frequent," says Mamizou. She takes a puff of her pipe. "Byakuren doesn't approve of her moonlighting as a vocalist, but leaving her alone doesn't feel right. The dear's a nice girl who's usually rather timid. Seems wrong to deny her the ability to let off stress and bring some joy to others, even if I don't really get it. So I took the unilateral measure of approaching Raiko about the idea of them teaming up."
"You're the reason this collaboration happened?!"
Mamizou holds a finger to her mouth and winks. "Not so loud, dearie. The Prismriver Ensemble is a respectable group. If Kyouko is working with them, even if the style is still a bit 'punkish,' that reflects well on her and adds legitimacy to her hobby. Raiko was interested since Kyouko and Mystia already have an underground following. Once I offered Mokou's services and some help with procuring outside world music technology, she was sold."
"I'm not a bargaining chip," Mokou mumbles in front of them.
Mamizou whispers so only Shin and Seija can hear, "I knew Sumireko would be all over this concert if she heard about it. She helps Mokou see the joy in things more and Mokou looks out for her in turn, almost like sisters. And I have a feeling that shut-in might enjoy the show."
So Raiko isn't taking advantage of them, it's all in good faith. Boooooooooooring.
"You're way too nice for a 'trickster,'" Seija says mockingly.
"Try not to lose all the good will you gained earlier so fast," says Mamizou with a sly grin. "That good will could help you pull the rug out from under everyone later."
"Giving me advice now?"
"Just saying what I would do in your position, dearie. Take it as you will." With that she waves goodbye and fades into the reforming crowd.
Nearly everyone who was evacuated slowly pours back in, including Kosuzu and Akyuu; both are too far away to notice Seija, however. A few people do give her a weird look, be they Youkai who have read the paper or the occasional human who notices her horns, but no one bothers her.
This feels so wrong.
"There you are Mokou!" Sumireko rushes to the immortal. "I was being interviewed but then Seija showed up and then I was alone but then I had to evacuate because of the fire and-"
Mokou places her right hand on Sumireko's shoulder. "Calm down, Sumi. I'll explain what happened later. Let's get closer to the stage, yeah?"
"Oh, sure!"
They go to the front of the stage, though Mokou makes a thumbs-up with a hand behind her back as they walk away.
That supposed to be a thank you?
"Well, you helped save the concert," says Shin. "How do you feel?"
"Like I'm gonna puke since I just did what many perceive as a good deed," Seija replies, legitimately sickened.
"Then why did you do it?"
"I'm sure you can figure it out."
Shin tilts her head but then comes to a realization. She immediately hugs her partner. The amanojaku stands stiff but eventually puts a hand on the back of the shorter girl's head. Her feeling of disgust in the pit of her stomach is replaced by a different yet familiar sensation.
Still not sure what to call this feeling…
Around them, the crowd starts cheering when Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble step out from backstage; the stage lights up via the spotlights built into it and the fog machine activates to make their entrance dramatic. The three sisters all carry electronic instruments to pair with their signature ones floating above them: Lunasa holds a bass guitar, Merlin wields an electronic wind instrument, also referred to as an EWI, and Lyrica brandishes a keytar.
Never seen those instruments before. Is that what Mamizou meant by 'outside world music technology'? The thing Lunasa's holding does remind me a bit of the weird guitar Mystia has.
All six Youkai are wearing punk-style clothing, with Kyouko and Mystia decked out in their signature full-body leather jackets and black shades. Seija already saw Merlin's themed outfit, but examines Lunasa and Lyrica's for the first time. Lunasa wears a graphic t-shirt, open leather jacket, a plaid red skirt with a chain on her left side and matching miniature top hat, black leggings with intersecting white lines, and black laced boots. Lyrica's outfit consists of a black brimmed hat, closed leather jacket, fingerless gloves, shorts with a chain on her right side, knee-high socks, and ankle-high black shoes.
"HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT?!" Raiko yells into a microphone. Her costume includes a black collared button-up with a square maroon tie, leather pants with black straps, studded bracelets, and black laced boots similar to Lunasa's. "All of us up here want to express our sincerest gratitude to you all for sticking around after that unfortunate accident. Thanks to the brave efforts of various volunteers as well as your own Choujuu Gigaku," she pauses to allow the audience to cheer, "the fire's been safely put out! The show must go on and you better be ready, cause our music will melt this place down faster than any blaze! However, while I apparently have a reputation as something of a spotlight stealer," a few audience members, and even Merlin and Lyrica on stage, laugh, "I'm not the star tonight. This collaboration is meant to celebrate a synthesis of our two groups and the beauty apparent in any musical style!" The crowd applauds. "Kyouko has a few words for you as well."
The yamabiko takes Raiko's place at the microphone as the latter moves to a black drum set behind them. She adjusts her shades and says, "I hope you don't mind the lack of a light show tonight, but honestly I don't think we need it. Choujuu Gigaku was founded as a down-to-earth duo that lets anyone who listens bear their soul, isn't that right?!" The audience shouts in agreement. "Normally I'm the only one singing, but thanks to Lyrica's abilities, Mystia will be able to sing with me tonight!" There are murmurs in the crowd among those who know what Mystia's singing can do. "She's been wanting to sing for you a long time, so please give her a chance! The six of us have practiced together before and can guarantee there aren't any adverse side effects… ASIDE FROM ROCKING OUT! ARE YOU ALL READY?!" The sheer volume and energy emanating from Kyouko alleviates the crowd's worry instantly. Even Seija feels a degree of excitement. "PLAY US OFF, RAIKO!"
"ONE, TWO, ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" Raiko yells in time with clicking her drumsticks.
They start off with a song that is intense right from the outset, with a fierce drum beat and all six instruments the Prismrivers are playing going wild. Once the intro is over, Kyouko and Mystia start singing, the latter also joining the others with her guitar; their lyrics mirror each other in a call and response fashion:
"EVERY DAY IT HAPPENS!"
"NO ONE CARES FOR OUR PASSIONS!"
"LOOKED DOWN ON YET AGAIN!"
"WE ASK OURSELVES, WHAT THEN?!"
"OUR LIVES ARE OURS TO LIVE!"
"AND THIS IS WHAT WE'LL GIVE!"
"WE'LL BEAR OUR VERY SOULS!"
"WE'LL DECIDE OUR OWN ROLES!"
Right on cue with the music, Nitori flies over the crowd and drops dozens of glow sticks for people to hold. Shin snags one, though she has to hop to even see the band from within the crowd.
"Shrink yourself down, I've got an idea," Seija yells, as that is the only way Shin can hear her.
"Alright!"
Once she is inchling-sized, Seija picks Shin up and places her partner on her shoulder. "Better?"
"Absolutely!" Shin holds the glow stick, which is now as tall as she is, above her head and waves it. Seija ensures she does not fall over. Both of them really get into the show after that. In front of them, Seija makes out Mokou waving her own glow stick with passion.
"WE'LL ALWAYS KEEP ON RUNNIN'!" Kyouko belts out.
"THEY'LL ALL SEE WE'RE STUNNIN'!" sings Mystia.
"OUR EXISTENCE WILL MATTER!"
"EXPECTATIONS WE WILL SHATTER!"
Kyouko shouts, "CAN YOU HEAR US GENSOKYO?!"
The audience erupts in a unified cheer while Mamizou smiles from within the trees. Everyone there raises a hand in the air, from Reisen to Sumireko and Mokou to Seija and Shin. Shion is happy to be there while Tenshi admits to herself there might be merit to the surface's music after all. Even the normally reserved Akyuu is able to cut loose along with Kosuzu. For the next three hours, all that exists in this portion of Gensokyo is music.
"My head's ringing…" says Seija, sprawled out next to her and Shin's dining table minutes after getting back to the castle.
"Isn't it a great feeling?!" the inchling responds.
"Heh. Glad you enjoyed the show."
"Same to you. I still can't believe we got the bands' autographs for helping with the fire!" Shin cheers, clutching the frame she has already put the signed parchment in. All six signatures from Choujuu Gigaku and the Prismriver Ensemble are scrawled on it.
"Quite the fangirl over here."
"Just imagine I'm Sagume and you can be the same."
"Urgh…"
"But really," says Shin, turning to Seija, "thank you. You helping with the fire for my sake, despite how much you hate helping others, means more than I can express."
"You don't have to remind me."
I still feel awful I did something like that, yet Shin being this happy actually manages to outweigh that somehow. Honestly not sure why I feel that way. Shin's my partner, sure, but this is extremely unlike me.
"Seija, I, um…" Shin trails off, as though she is building up the courage to say something.
"Yeah?"
"…I, er, uh, did you wanna open that letter Hatate gave you before we left?"
"Oh, sure," says Seija. She whips out a folded piece of paper and reads aloud the contents. "'I didn't want to kill the mood, so I figured this was the best way to follow-up. You mentioned that your main roadblock was a way to reach the Lunar Capital. I'm not too privy on the details myself, but I know the Hell fairy Clownpiece was involved in the last invasion somehow. Back when I investigated that incident, Marisa mentioned meeting Clownpiece on the Moon. She currently lives under Hakurei Shrine if you want to find her. Good luck, you'll need it.'"
"I remember her, she was one of the Youkai I enlisted for the fireworks festival plan."
That squirt has a lot of potential for chaos with her torch. If she has experience getting to the moon, we can make good use of her.
Seija keeps reading the paper. "There's more. 'P. S. - Aya was snooping around tonight. She definitely knows that you two got involved with putting out the fire and might speculate that you're up to something, so be on the lookout for that.'"
"Of course she was," says Shin. "Still, I'm surprised with how things turned out with Hatate. Her articles have always been more progressive than Aya's, but this is going far with who she's willing to work with. If her connection to us is exposed, she could end up in major trouble."
"I'm sure she knows that," Seija replies. "And she knows that we know that. Likely part of her plan to make us believe she won't rat us out."
"Well? Do you believe that?"
"For the moment. We can deal with her if she turns out to be a problem, but I won't turn down tips from someone with access to the tengu's information network."
The anticipation on Shin's face is palpable. "This is getting big. If we can pull this off…"
"Yep. This past week's been eventful, but break time's over! Tomorrow, we restart our efforts!" Seija orders, holding out a fist.
Shin meets that fist with her own. "And no one can stop us!"
Author Notes:
Hello, thank you for reading my work. As my updates here are cross-posts from AO3, I normally don't add my end-of-chapter notes from over there. However, in this case, I want to direct you to my account on that website (same username: Rekoto) so that you can see key art I've commissioned for various chapters. The cover image this story uses is the art for Chapter 1, but Chapters 4, 5, and 7 also have some. 7's includes a reference sheet for the punk rock outfits I describe the Prismrivers and Raiko wearing. These images are all at the bottom of the chapter pages there. If that sort of thing interests anyone, feel free to check them out. Thank you once again and have a fantastic day/night!
