Not a moment after Seija finishes speaking do all four youkai spring into action, spreading out and flying above the lake where the trees will not get in their way. The breeze instantly picks up, causing everyone's hair to flap wildly.
As the Sun continues its slow evening descent, Aya, who is ahead of the others, faces them and shouts, "Wind Sign - Wind God's Fan!" Multiple stacks of red bullets form and progressively fan out in Seija's direction line by line. The amanojaku is the closest to Aya while Shin, fully geared up, and Hatate bring up the rear about ten meters away; Aya, not wanting to hit her partner, focuses on Seija for the moment.
So she's at least willing to make sure Hatate doesn't get caught up in it.
Thanks to the spell card's simple pattern, Seija easily weaves through before saying, "If this is all you can do, you should stick to reporting! Not like you're any better at that."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, a weakling like you isn't worth my full effort," Aya replies with a smile more confident than Seija has ever seen. Yet, to her surprise, Seija only laughs in response.
"You're exactly the kind of person I do this all for!" says Seija, matching Aya's expression with her own. "This kind of arrogance is just begging for an upheaval! Deceit Sign - Reverse Needle Attack!" She shoots pinkish bullets behind herself while continuing to approach Aya, who is confused by this maneuver. Shin, on the other hand, shrunk down and got out of the way before Seija finished saying the name thanks to her familiarity with the move; Hatate reacts quickly enough to evade without much issue.
"That can't be what you-" Aya cuts herself off as she deftly dodges the danmaku that discreetly manifested behind her when the attack was called. Their trajectory matches the bullets Seija shot at Hatate, as if they had wrapped around the battlefield and continued moving. Aya scoffs and continues, "'Never take anything an amanojaku says or does at face value.' That's an obvious rule anyone familiar with you should follow. All of your spell cards rely on tricks. Let me show you true strength! Hatate, follow my lead! Telescoping - Candid Shot!"
The brunette tengu, who's annoyed face is plain for all to see, answers, "Fine. Continuous Shooting - Rapid Shot!"
From either side of Seija, the pair of tengu whip out their cameras and shoot circles of bullets - Aya's being red and Hatate's purple - from their positions. Aya's bullets are very controlled, perfect circles as she lines her camera up on Seija from a distance; Hatate's, by contrast, go out much more wildly while she closes in on Seija and gets ready to take multiple photos.
I remember this from when they tried to capture me; well, different spell cards but the principle is the same. They've designed their danmaku around their cameras where it'll hurt me if I get caught in their pictures.
The tension from every dodged photo makes time feel like it slows down for Seija, who has her work cut out for her as she narrowly escapes the joint assault. Aya's bullets are predictable, but they lure their target into a false sense of security as she quickly photographs her enemy, leaving a harrowingly small amount of time to get out of frame. Hatate's attack requires more of Seija's attention due to its up-close and seemingly irregular layout; all it takes is a moment's distraction for Aya to catch Seija in her sights just as the latter spent a second too long evading yet another of Hatate's pictures.
Aya brings her finger down on the trigger. "Say hello to the front- Huh?" Her camera shrinks in her hand until it sits in her palm smaller than a coin. Turning around, she sees Shin sticking her tongue out and the Miracle Mallet's glow fading. "You little-!"
Nice! Knew she was planning something after disappearing earlier.
"Your reflexes are fast enough that you'd probably dodge if I tried to sneak up on you," Shin explains, grinning. "This method completely eliminates one of your methods of attack. And we don't need you using that picture you took earlier to falsely incriminate us."
Stifling a laugh, Aya replies, "Oh I'm sure the two biggest troublemakers in Gensokyo are at Moriya Shrine the day it's hosting an event completely benevolently."
"An event? What are you talking about?"
While they discuss, Hatate's spell card ends and she approaches them, saying, "I told you they just came here for an interview! They don't know about the Moriya Autumn Miracle Showcase."
The heck's an 'Autumn Miracle Showcase'?
"Do you still not get it, Hatate?" Aya asks, narrowing her eyes. "These two can't be trusted! Even if you're too naïve to see it, I can tell they're up to something. I'll expose the truth no matter what!"
"…And promptly misconstrue it before putting something that could generously be called a vague resemblance in your paper," says Shin, shaking her head. "I should know, I read it. Do you even listen to yourself?"
"I appreciate your patronage," Aya responds with a bow.
"A broken clock and all that. Oh, and so you know, I only borrow it. Would never give your trashy writing a single yen."
"Hmph. If an amanojaku's partner is criticizing me, I must be doing something right after all. Journalists are forever hounded by those who wish to muzzle them. But I'm not about to let you two stop me."
She's really bought into her own hype.
"Think what you want, it won't make a difference!" shouts Seija. "You had your chance, now let us show you what a real combination looks like! Right, Shin?!"
The inchling draws her needle. "Yeah!"
In order for our cover to hold, we'll need to go all out on twintails too. Welp, this is what she signed up for.
"Reverse Bow - Dream Bow of Heaven and Earth!"
"Mallet - Grow Bigger!"
Seija and Shin dive diagonally down from opposite sides of the battlefield and fly together such that they face Aya and Hatate above them. Very slowly, the duo moves closer to the water's surface without the other pair realizing. Bullets in the shape of arrows are summoned by Seija behind the tengu while circular and heart-shaped ones come forth from Shin that, fittingly, grow bigger as they move away.
"Seija already tried hitting me from behind. Is she really this uncreative?" Aya muses as she mindlessly weaves through the pincer attack.
Hatate, similarly having an easy time, says, "Just adding on Shin's bullets to a previous strategy seems too simple for them."
"I agree. There's a trick here we're not- Urgh!"
"Owch!"
Gottem.
Two of Seija's small arrows nick Hatate's left shoulder and Aya's right leg, respectively. While they were busy dodging, they did not notice what the real effect of Shin's spell card was. Aya looks at the shrunken camera in her hand and sees that it is even smaller than a coin now, at least from her perspective.
"Shinmyoumaru's using her mallet to make us bigger!" Aya yells.
Heh. You shouldn't let yourself get too complacent while dodging danmaku. All it takes is one change to make it all fall apart.
The reporters had been keeping an eye on Shin's seemingly more dangerous bullets this whole time, letting themselves use gaps in Seija's attack without looking once they got into the rhythm of its pattern. By moving closer to the water and manipulating the size of Shin' bullets, the duo played with their opponents' perspectives; Aya and Hatate did not notice their own growth until it was too late.
Using weaker versions of our spell cards worked like a charm, they were completely taken in. All Shin needed to do was sneak in a different attack's attribute, heheh.
A few more bullets pelt the tengu while they reacclimate, but the damage is far from critical. They split up and get on either side of the duo after returning to normal size.
"I'd bring up an old saying about cornered rats, but even Nazrin is less of a vermin than you," says Aya, more annoyed than hurt.
"Nazrin's a mouse youkai…" Hatate mutters.
"To borrow your logic, all this vitriol coming from a 'proud' and 'powerful' tengu is really high praise," says an exceedingly smug Seija.
"Let me correct myself," Aya continues. "You're not a vermin, you're a parasite. Shallow and weak on your own. Reliant on Shinmyoumaru and her Miracle Mallet or a slew of cheating tools to accomplish anything. You need to understand your place, which I'll be happy to show you."
Now you just sound like Tenshi, which says a lot.
"That overconfidence is gonna get you on the wrong side of some danmaku one of these days," says Shin, moving between Seija and Aya. "Not to mention the hypocrisy. Don't you have issues with the tengu caste system? You're, what, centuries years old and still have to run around making mostly baseless articles to appease your boss? If anything I would have thought you'd sympathize with what Seija and I tried to do before."
"She's got us there," Hatate admits, cracking a grin.
The senior reporter rolls her eyes. "Firstly, don't agree with them, Hatate. Secondly, you two don't know the first thing about me or my life, so I don't need to hear thoughtless falsehoods. And lastly, you really shouldn't have prevented me from using my camera."
"I'll humor you: why's that?" Seija asks.
"Because your defeat would've been much more painless." She clenches her fist and suddenly the already strong breeze multiplies exponentially. Large ripples form on the water's surface and the other three present have to brace themselves to not be blown away. Unlike Aya's earlier smile of confidence, she now bears one completely different: the smile of someone ready and willing to cut loose. "I'll ask one more time, to avoid making a scene: why are you here?"
What the-?! This is completely different from the vibe she was just giving off! I knew she always held back before but… Is my hand shaking? I'm afraid…? No, that's not it.
The amanojaku responds to Aya's smile in kind. "We were just here for an interview, but now that's changed to putting a pompous bird in her place!"
She's standing in our way to the Lunar Capital. I'm not about to let someone like her stop us from achieving our goals!
"Wrong answer, amanojaku. Hatate, keep the inchling in check!" Aya orders.
"I don't recall you being in charge of me," Hatate complains, "but sure."
"Haven't seen you this fired up in a while," says Shin quietly enough that only Seija hears her.
Seija rolls her shoulders. "Aya is one of the most well known youkai in Gensokyo. She always keeps her cards close to her chest and never exerts more force than necessary. Only a few can stand against her if she's being serious, or so she likes to think. I bet that's exactly what's running through her head right now; she doesn't believe we can beat her. And y'know what I say to that? We're going to overturn that notion here and now! Losing isn't an option!"
"I'm with you!" says Shin, her expression determined and eyes bright. "I'll keep Hatate busy but support you where I can."
Playing into two separate fights is what the crow wants. She knows we have better teamwork. If we follow her tune until the right moment, we can trap her.
Aya, pocketing her camera, calmly holds her fan to her face and says, "Illusionary Dominance." Immediately she flies above Seija and repeatedly moves back and forth, picking up speed each time. Every pass rains bullets; the faster Aya becomes, the denser it gets. Seija expertly flies up through the gaps to try and cut her opponent off, though she cannot keep track of her for more than half a second at a time. Soon enough Aya's form can only be perceived as a laser-like streak of red. Realizing the bullet method is ineffective and what Seija intends to do, the reporter forgoes it for repeated homing strikes to catch the amanojaku unaware. Her first fly-by grazes Seija's side after the latter momentarily loses visual contact, with subsequent charges barely missing their mark as Seija skirts around at the last possible moment each time.
I've never seen her move this fast! But she must not be able to fully control speed of this level if I'm not immediately getting blasted, which means…!
In contrast to her early strategy, Seija instead goes straight down towards the water like her maneuver with Shin, the tengu very quickly gaining ground. Yet it only takes about five seconds before Seija is centimeters from the surface; she now has nowhere to go and Aya will be on her in one second at most even if she tries moving left or right. Seija faces Aya and, before the latter makes contact, reverses their positions with the reporter flying headfirst into the water. Since the two are so close when the flip occurs, Seija gets soaked in the ensuing massive splash but is otherwise no worse for wear.
It's the same principle as Tenshi's keystone attack. If you put your all into something, you can't recover in time if someone uses your momentum against you.
Aya emerges from the water shooting circles of red and blue bullets in independent spiral patterns, seemingly unfazed by Seija's counter. The latter flies away along the lake's surface, with the former following suit. Both carve lines in the water with their flight path. Seija takes a moment to look at Shin and Hatate's battle while navigating Aya's danmaku. Hatate continually cuts off any attempts by Shin to get to Seija with her camera, but is slowly losing ground from Shin's spell cards pushing her back. By the same token, Shin only barely evades getting caught in Hatate's numerous photos.
They're putting on a good show. Too good if Shin is having this much trouble. Twintails sure has a lotta power tucked away for someone who willingly calls herself a shut-in. Suppose you need that much to be rivals with this stupid crow.
Suddenly wind blowing in the opposite direction of Seija manifests out of nowhere, nearly knocking her back. Turning around, she sees a counterclockwise vortex of air and water forming in front of Aya.
"Whirlwind - Torii Whorl-Wind!" yells the reporter. A tornado roughly five times Seija's height begins approaching her, with Aya following it up with waves of her fan that create miniature tornadoes to accompany it.
Seija maintains her cocky demeanor. "Not a word or quip besides that, huh? C'mon, don't be so lame!"
"You'll get to hear my voice plenty when you're being interrogated!"
"Like hell I will! Turnabout - Change Air Brave!" Streams of bullets moving clockwise emerge from Seija, intercepting the smaller tornadoes, however the largest one powers its way through and protects Aya while she continually waves her fan to make more of the small variety. Yet, something strange happens as the world periodically spins due to Seija's spell card. Aya's tornado gradually loses speed every rotation, until dissipating entirely. All the amanojaku feels is a cool breath of air.
"Clever. You countered my tornado's spin with your spell card, canceling it out," says Aya, now having to dodge bullets again.
"What, you want a reward for figuring it out?"
"You're quick to adapt, I'll give you that much," Aya continues, ignoring the question. "You can only do one thing, but your application of it is varied. The ways you 'reverse' can take on a number of meanings."
The odd shift to praise causes Seija to wince. "What's with the sudden accolades?"
"Oh, do you not like me describing your strong points? My occupation requires me to make these kinds of honest assessments."
"Yeah, sure. Here's one of my own, then: you-"
"Not interested. Should you really be talking when your spell card is about to end?" Sure enough, the last of the bullets fade and the two youkai stare at each other roughly ten meters apart. "You like to get under people's skin and throw them off-balance. It's a cheap tactic, but an effective one. I can tell it's rubbed off on Shinmyoumaru based on what she was saying earlier."
I see what you're doing.
"Cutting people off like that's rude, y'know," says Seija, lazily rubbing her nose with her left index finger. "You really are a hypocrite, just like Shin said. And you aren't about to beat me at my own game. I bet you started throwing out compliments since you figured that would unnerve me, right? Same for calling out my attack ending. For one thing, I can tell when someone isn't being genuine. For another, praise from you isn't the cool reward you think it is. When Shin or I insult you, it isn't just some mind game; from what I can tell, very few people actually like you very much. Between that, the hypocrisy, and the lies in your newspaper, you wouldn't make a bad amanojaku yourself."
Aya's poise does not falter but her eyes thin by the tiniest margin. She idly twirls the fan in her hand and says, "This is the first time I've gotten to interact with you so directly since your 'great' escape. Six years really fly by, don't they? You were pretty quiet for much of that time until the Fireworks Festival. Tell me, what changed?"
"Nothing 'changed,' I am who I am."
"Really? I beg to differ. I can see one huge change only halfway across the lake." Underneath the combined light of the rising and setting celestial bodies, Seija spies the battling Shin and Hatate, with Aya pointing towards the former. "Shinmyoumaru is a really curious case. She started off impressionable, to be sure, but as time's gone on she's really come into her own. Obviously she still needs the Miracle Mallet to fight, but now she's more than just the vessel for its power. I'm sure battling more experienced youkai during the Urban Legend and Perfect Possession incidents helped. So why?"
At this point I'm getting sick of having to say the same line.
"I already know where you're going with this," Seija responds dismissively. "Shin and I are equal partners now, I'm not using-"
"You misunderstand. I fully acknowledge her capacity to grow and decide, on her own terms, to work with you again. Anyone who looks at the two of you and thinks her negligence is the cause either hasn't been paying attention or lacks perspective. My question is why are you still in this partnership?"
Now it is Seija's turn to feel discomfort. "H-huh?"
"Shinmyoumaru is beyond your trite tricks. She wouldn't be taken in by you a second time, especially after coming to blows when you avoided capture. So how are you able to continue in, using your phrasing, an 'equal' partnership? You shouldn't be able to do that! Is it a long con? Some unseen goal? That's what I thought at first, but here you still are, two years and a botched plan later. It's well past the point of you putting on an act. So what's your reason?"
Throbbing. A sudden and increasing throbbing in the mind and chest. Seija's vision blurs.
W-what?! It's… happening again. Why…?
She becomes wobbly in her levitation above the lake. Aya tilts her head, noticing something amiss.
Not now… I still need to… find the entryway!
From the Moon behind Aya where only Seija can see, a single pulse of square-patterned light emanates from Earth's satellite. It does not repeat, perhaps due to the Moon not even being close to its peak height. The Sun, conversely, has only just begun dipping behind the trees and shrine due to the elevation. All the same, that one pulse triggers an inexplicable resurgence of energy through Seija's body.
The hell…?
"If you're going to act strange to avoid the question, you're better off in custody!" declares Aya. She points her fan below Seija; the reason she had been spinning it the whole conversation was to set up a wind-fueled whirlpool below them without Seija noticing. During the half-second the amanojaku looks down after realizing this, Aya surrounds herself with spinning wind discs and darts above her target. Seija cannot move out of the way before Aya roughly stomps her head, the wind around the tengu like a flurry of blows to her body, and sends her hurtling towards the whirlpool. "Here's a 'quip' for you: another word for 'autumn' is 'fall'!"
Agh!
Shin's eyes go wide as she witnesses her partner's fall from twenty meters away, a mix of worry and fury on her face. She rushes over, using her mallet to quickly knock Hatate out of the way, and grabs Seija's hand right before the amanojaku would be caught by the whirlpool. The twintailed tengu had also looked towards the other fight and did not see the blow coming; to her credit, she does not hold the sucker punch against the smaller youkai given the situation.
"You okay?" Shin asks.
Seija's head clears and she is able to float normally again. "A little bruised, but I'm fine. Thanks. I had another headache and it threw me off."
"That's why I'm here, don't even worry about it. Stay behind me while you get your bearings." Turning to Aya, Shin shouts, "Wall of Issun!" From around her and Seija comes ring after ring of red bullets that each have four large blue orbs equally spaced throughout.
"Hatate, what did I tell you?!" an irritated Aya asks. Whenever a blue orb gets closer to her, it turns red and homes in, creating an opening in the danmaku for her to narrowly move through.
"You really don't get it…" Hatate mutters under her breath. Before rushing over to help, however, an idea flashes in her mind and she rapidly types something into her camera.
Meanwhile, thanks to Shin keeping Aya at bay, Seija organizes her scattered thoughts.
What was that trippy aura that came from the Moon? It felt like it was responding to my thoughts… Ugh, I'm getting distracted, I need to focus on the fight for now! The crow's tough. And, compared to Tenshi, smart. Even if we can beat her, this fight's getting flashy and loud to the point it might attract the shrine's attention. No way we walk away cleanly if that happens. …Heh, that said, I can't deny how boring this is!
"You're a ways from matching me, inchling!" says Aya. After Hatate rejoins, the older tengu has her clear out some of the bullets and then follows up by saying, "Squall - Sarutahiko's Guidance!"
"Seija, get down!" Shin commands before she retreats into her bowl. Seija complies right before Aya, enveloped by a whirlwind, charges forward. The attack hits home, knocking Shin back a good ten meters, but the purple-haired youkai successfully blocks at the cost of some major cracks in her bowl.
"Stubborn girl…" says Aya, rolling her neck. After so much fighting, she finally shows signs of fatigue.
"I wouldn't lose to someone so conceited!" Shin retorts, emerging from her damaged cover. She might have guarded the attack, but it still shook her up a bit.
"Shin, I'm sorry," Hatate, flying over to Aya, cuts in, "but you and Seija can't win. It would take two of those mallets to beat Aya when she's this serious. Give up now and I can promise you'll be treated well."
"What are you…?"
This isn't like twintails at all. Is she trying to double down on the act?
The junior reporter continues, "You're just too inexperienced. Maybe give it a hundred years to close that distance and try again."
Wait, that's…!
"Glad to finally have you on my side," says a slightly less irritated Aya.
"…Fine then," states the ever-determined inchling. "If you're gonna backstab us, Hatate, we'll beat you too!" Shin's Miracle Mallet glows with the declaration as she holds it in front of her face. Unseen by the two tengu, she steals a glance at Seija right below them, who gives a thumbs-down in return.
"Get ready, she's trying something!" Aya warns.
"Thanks, would never have been able to tell!" Hatate replies, rolling her eyes and assuming a defensive stance.
"Now's not the time for sarcasm! Actually keep her away this time so I can finish off her maladjusted accomplice." Aya turns her back to Hatate and looks down at Seija. "They're strongest when working together but still resourceful when apart. I underestimated them, honestly. Stay mindful."
The sincerity of those words catches Hatate off-guard. She feels a twinge of guilt but only responds, "Okay."
An invisible weight slowly manifests in Seija's right hand while she motionlessly stares up at the others.
C'mon…! Just a little while longer!
Aya floats down to be level with Seija and immediately creates a tornado larger than any seen previously, roughly fifteen meters wide, around the two of them. "Even you can't reverse a storm of this size immediately. And if you're unable to react to my actions in time, you can't flip those either."
"I doubt even you can move that fast," says Seija, outwardly confident but with sweat forming on the back of her still drenched neck.
"Let's test our opposing theories. Peerless Wind God!" Before it took a few moments for Aya to appear laser-like when using Illusionary Dominance. This time, the change happens instantly. Seija reverses Aya's momentum a fraction of a second before the latter would have rammed her, but the tengu adjusts faster than the blink of an eye and repeatedly charges. With each attack, Aya flies in and out of the tornado to cover her approach and give Seija less time to respond. No matter which direction Seija forces her to move, Aya instantly course-corrects and tries again, hardly slowing down. Even when coming from above and letting Seija mirror her previous maneuver of flipping their positions, Aya predicts the counter. She keeps her bearings enough to turn on a dime and land a glancing blow on Seija's left arm. This all occurs within a few seconds of her calling the spell card. Yet, despite being utterly outmatched in raw speed, Seija rises to the challenge and manages to dodge or reverse nearly every attack with pattern prediction of her own and a bit of luck; though a few are such close calls that were she even a nanosecond slower, it would be all over.
I didn't think 'a little while longer' would be this hard to endure!
A flock of crows coast high over the lake, their caws echoing out, as Aya momentarily stops and spreads her up to now hidden jet-black wings. She throws her arm to the side and the entire tornado coalesces around her. Instantly moving below Seija, she yells, "Tornado - Guidepost for the Advent of the Divine Grandson!"
The shrunken tornado expands upward and, using water it sucked up from the lake, catches the tiring Seija in its torrent. It throws her up into the sky like a ragdoll. When Shin sees this, her mallet stops glowing and she tries to rush to her partner's side; however, Hatate cuts in front of her before she can rescue the amanojaku. Aya smiles and flies past them to deliver the finishing blow, not noticing the grin the seemingly distressed Shin flashes.
"This is the end, Seija Kijin!" the proud crow tengu roars, fully giving into her fighting spirit.
I agree!
The Replica Miracle Mallet fully materializes in Seija's hand; as she was anticipating this, her arm is already in the process of swinging when it does. The replica meets Aya's head with a sickening crack that reverberates over the mountaintop. A million questions run through the tengu's mind at that moment, but they are drowned out by the sheer annoyance she feels before blacking out. Her eyes dim and what was only seconds ago an implacable red streak hurtles to the water, before getting caught by Hatate swooping in at the last second.
"We did it!" Shin cheers, flying up to embrace Seija from behind.
"Yeah we did!" shouts Seija in response, raising the Replica Miracle Mallet in victory.
I finally have one of them back…
The duo descends to meet Hatate, who carries Aya on her back and says, "I hate that it came to this, but at the same time, she was really out of line to instigate this with no proof. Her ego could stand to be knocked down some pegs."
Seija examines the limp tengu and chuckles. "You could say that again."
Even if she wasn't exactly wrong. But y'know, it seemed like she was having fun the whole time. Can't fault her for that.
"That was a real gutsy trick you pulled, Hatate," says Shin. "It took me a second to piece together what you were saying. I can confirm that having a rough estimation of the distance seemed to make the wish easier."
It might've been easier, but since Shin was focusing on using the knowledge she had to be as efficient as possible with magic consumption, it wasn't instant.
"'Rough' is right," says Hatate. "A hundred's not the most ideal estimation of the distance in ri I could've given, but it was the only way I could drop hints with Aya listening."
Shaking her head, Shin replies, "I have a hard time imagining distances of that scale anyway, so I doubt a more specific number would've affected things."
"Hopefully we don't regret jumping the gun on it. I know you were concerned about an alarm, Seija, and wanted to know where all nine were first, but using the replica on Aya seemed like the best way to deal with a more immediate problem."
"I agree, though I can tell you feel guilty about betraying her," says Seija with a raised eyebrow. "We can cut off this working relationship now if there's a conflict of interests."
"Seija, she's helped us so much, that low of a blow isn't necessary," Shin objects.
"No, no, she's right to bring that up," a slightly weary Hatate reassures. "Aya and I don't get along, as you can plainly tell, but I respect her as a rival. That said, my conviction is still plenty strong. I'll continue supporting your plan, if for no other reason than my utter distaste for the Lunarians' attitude and tactics. Did you know their invasion was largely motivated by their own home temporarily becoming uninhabitable? Instead of swallowing their pride and dealing with that, they immediately tried to 'purify' Gensokyo instead. If a human or youkai could fix their problem, it means they just refused to get their perfect and pure hands dirty. That kind of misplaced pride reminds me of my problems with Aya and tengu society as a whole."
The more I learn about these Moon people the more I can't wait to get up there myself.
"Tirade aside, even if it's risky, I'm willing to stick my neck out for your plan. Gensokyo's better off with the Lunarians handicapped until they learn to accept and treat other cultures with respect. If they ever do change their ways for the better, I'd gladly support communications with them. …If my boss allows me the time, anyway."
Aaaaand ya lost me. All that cleverness doesn't fix this girl's idealism.
"Anyway, what now?" Hatate asks. "I don't know how long Aya's gonna be out."
"In my experience, we've probably got somewhere in the range of ten to twenty minutes from when I smacked her," Seija guesses.
That's taking into account how it took Youmu a bit under an hour to reach the Former Capital after I clocked her underground. No one's sure how much time she spent drifting down the river unconscious, but it had to have been at least ten minutes for her to take so long to catch up. Although, the force I just hit the crow with exceeds the amount I used then, on top of her moving into it at top speed. She could be down for way longer. On the flip side, I don't know if her species would be more immediately resilient.
"Let's try to run through stuff quickly and not take any chances," says Shin. "But first thing's first." She takes Aya's still miniature camera out of the tengu's pocket and uses the Miracle Mallet to revert its size. From there, she removes the roll of film inside and smashes it - hiding the remains in her damaged bowl - before returning the camera to Hatate. "Now there's no evidence. I can throw out the film with my bowl later."
Hatate nods. Once the group flies over to where their earlier discussion took place, she sets Aya down against a tree with the camera facing the lake. Sitting down against the same tree herself but facing the woods, she says, "It's a safe bet Aya'll hold a grudge about this. Normally I would tell you to expect an article within a few days about the 'Insidious Amanojaku/Inchling Duo Prowling Mountain' that mentions you having the replica again, but she can't do squat without pictures to back up her claims."
Shin and Seija sit against a log opposite the tengu, the shorter member of the duo asking, "Won't she just ask for your pictures you took during the fight? Or have you use thoughtography to get a shot of Seija with the Replica Miracle Mallet?"
"Ha! You expect her to come to me for help? That's rich! She'd never 'belittle' herself to ask to use my photos even if her life depended on it. The real problem is if I don't put out an article about this myself, then she'll question my intentions."
"You can just tell her that we negotiated your terms of surrender once you realized you couldn't win or get away while defending her," Seija dictates. "Something like we made you promise to not tell anyone about me having the replica back since, as far as she knows, she attacked us completely unprovoked. Considering she's at our mercy right now, she'll have no choice but to accept that."
"That's what I was thinking, yeah. Just bear in mind Aya won't take this loss lying down. She's gonna hound your every move from now on, searching for any clue she can. Make sure not to give her even the smallest lead, otherwise her instincts could easily blow the lid on everything. This is your first time encountering her directly since you put your plan into motion, right?" Both halves of the duo avert their eyes and rub the back of their heads while bearing nervous smiles. "…Oh my gosh, where?"
"We don't know if she realized it was us, but we ran into her in the village two days ago," Shin explains. "She looked at us for a second and walked off. Couldn't tell you if it was a passing glance or not."
"Why in the world were you in the village again?"
"That lead you gave us on Clownpiece led us to Seiran and Ringo; from them we found out that the entrance to a passageway to the Moon is here at the lake. That's why we wanted to meet you here, to take care of two things at once."
"Now it all makes sense. I was always suspicious of this place since the invasion landing point seemed to be somewhere on the mountain, but I couldn't ever get a clear picture of how they got here. All my results that used keywords like 'passageway' or 'route' came back with static."
"Probably because the passageway goes through the Dream World according to the rabbits," says Seija.
"Huh. Never would've guessed the Dream World had something to do with it. I barely know anything about that place. No wonder I was having such a hard time getting results on my camera."
Oh yeah, that reminds me!
Seija suddenly turns to her partner and says, "Shin, remember when I had a headache during the fight?"
"Yeah?"
"Before it could get worse, I saw a weird aura come from the Moon. It felt like it was responding to me somehow. Did either of you see it?" Both the inchling and the reporter shake their heads. "Figures. Still, I think that might have something to do with the entrance. We should wait for the Moon to finish rising then investigate."
"You two can't stay here too much longer," says Hatate, her expression becoming more nervous. "Aya will likely wake up soon and, when she does, it won't be pretty."
Seija shakes her head. "Hold up, twintails. You're the one who just said your dear friend's gonna keep tabs on us going forward, which means leaving the castle will always be a risk now. With that in mind, this is our best opportunity to do initial scouting."
"Okay, before arguing that," says Shin, holding up a hand, "I have to know: why is Aya here? And why was she flying so low near the lake?"
Sighing, Hatate replies, "I couldn't answer the second question, but as for the first one: I assume Aya is here to cover the Moriya Autumn Miracle Showcase we mentioned earlier. Before you ask, no one is exactly sure what it is. All we have to go by are vague and sensational advertisements Sanae handed out in the village today and yesterday, though some rumors suggest it might be related to why the mountain's still green so late into autumn."
"That's not exactly Moriya Shrine's purview, though."
"Your guess is as good as mine. Kanako's really enterprising, so maybe she's trying to break into the season market or something."
"Hmmm…" the inchling crosses her arms, unsure what to make of the situation.
"Regardless, staying here is really not a good idea. Let me handle Aya while you two head home. Honestly, I'm surprised no one at Moriya Shrine noticed all the ruckus-"
A rustling coming from nearby trees interrupts the conversation, immediately prompting Seija and Shin to rise to their feet and quietly fly over to where the noise comes from. Hatate hides behind the tree where she placed Aya. Upon the duo reaching the source, they see a young-looking blonde woman slowly meandering in the lake's general direction. Atop her head is a red hat with grapes over the front brim. Her poofy yellow blouse is covered by a black dress that reaches her waist before securing itself with over-the-shoulder straps. Overlaid on that is a red apron with an embroidered wheat pattern. Completing the ensemble is a black choker tied like a ribbon around her neck.
Minoriko Aki? The heck is she wandering around here for?
The harvest goddess appears dejected, sighing every few steps.
She's headed towards us, but definitely isn't in a rush.
"Stupid Kanako…" Minoriko mutters. "Why does Shizuha get the spotlight while I'm stuck being her errand girl?! I don't get why she's concerned about 'strong winds' from the lake. It's always breezy in this area! Some wind god."
The partners exchange a look of mutual understanding before silently flying back to Hatate, all three now standing in front of Aya. Above them the sky becomes even darker, but a shrinking layer of sunlight still remains.
"Minoriko's here, apparently on Kanako's orders," Shin whispers. "Seija and I are gonna do what we came here for. I'll shrink the two of us so we can hide and wait it out. Thanks for all your help, really."
After taking a deep breath, Hatate says, "Guess I can't stop you. Just make sure all my effort doesn't go to waste, yeah? I'll try to get Aya away from here."
This exchange, while not very long, briefly steals the attention of those involved. As a result, none notice the slight twitch of a certain black wing. Shin's mallet begins glowing as she is about to shrink Seija and herself down.
Minoriko shouldn't be an issue. We could hide anywhere and be-
It happens in an instant. An extremely strong gust of wind surprises Shin, blowing the mallet out of her hand and into the lake; likewise, Seija's replica that she holstered on her waist ribbon meets the same fate. Hatate, about to pick up Aya to carry her home, gets hit by the gale point blank and is knocked back into another tree a couple meters away. Aya's wings spread wide - even while the rest of her body still appears unconscious - and flap to lift her half a meter off the ground. She raises her head, visibly struggling while doing so, and opens her eyes.
Oh you've gotta be KIDDING me! This fast?! Dang it, we got too caught up in other stuff!
"What… happened…?" the reporter asks no one in particular. Her vision is blurry, but she makes out two blobs in front of her: one pink and purple on the left, the other black, red, and white on the right. Suddenly her entire body snaps to attention and she shouts, "Shinmyoumaru! Seija!"
The amanojaku's mind runs through a dozen plans in an instant before she says, "Heh, you really are one tough bird! After beating you and your lying partner, we were gonna let both of you nap your bruises away!" While speaking, Seija glances at Hatate, who takes the hint and pretends she is passed out against the tree.
Twintails is gonna have to come up with a different cover story for not writing an article now…
Aya also looks over to Hatate and, seeing her position, takes Seija's words at face value for once. She does not offer a retort, instead charging faster than the duo can react and grabbing both of their collars with one hand each. Due to how she carries them, Seija and Shin can see each other between wing flaps while Aya has her arms spread sideways and slightly back. The speed with which Aya drags them over the lake creates waves on its surface.
"H-how are you able to move so easily after that hit?!" yells Shin, hardly audible due to their velocity.
"Don't hold me to such an insultingly low standard!" Aya retorts, a fire in her voice.
Seija barely manages to get out, "You have no proof we did anything! No one's gonna take your side on this!"
"At this point, I just refuse to let you beat me!" With that statement, Aya somehow increases her speed even further, never letting Seija or Shin get their bearings. Any danmaku the duo tries to create is outrun by the time it materializes.
Shin's at a disadvantage now, I need to help her escape!
The amanojaku reverses Aya's momentum, but not the direction she is facing, back towards the woods. This causes the tengu's arms to fly out in front of her body, allowing Seija to gain the leverage necessary to kick Aya's opposite hand and free Shin. The inchling falls away and is quickly left behind as Aya turns around and grabs Seija with both hands, now holding her in front.
"How selfless!" Aya shouts. "That reminds me how you never answered my question before!"
Struggling to break free, Seija says, "There's nothing to answer!"
"Maybe this will loosen your tongue!"
Since Seija redirected them, Aya takes advantage by holding Seija in front and using her as a shield as they approach the edge of the woods.
"Guess you're outta tricks if you're resorting to battering me with trees!" yells Seija.
"Do you really think I'm so simple-minded as to do that? I'm just getting us alone so we can properly finish what we started!"
"Dang, that's unfortunate, guess it's too 'simple-minded' for me to do THIS!"
Seija, grabbing Aya's own collar, flips their positions and gladly lets the unyielding reporter collide with the branches and bushes. In response, Aya takes this as an excuse to forgo her sense of fair play, maintain their speed, and use her superior air mobility to switch their places back so Seija starts taking the hits instead. This war for advantage repeats ad nauseam as they swathe a path through the trees, though Aya willingly goes through a much less dense section to save herself, and as a by-product, Seija, from any major physical danger.
This stings, but she's having to feel the same pain. It ain't danmaku if no one's afraid of getting hurt! Bullets, foliage, the medium doesn't matter!
"How does it -Ow!- feel to be this closely matched with someone like me?!" Seija taunts as she once more swaps their positions.
"I don't know how you can -Urgh!- say stuff like that in this situation!" says Aya before switching right back.
"Admit it, underneath that -Gah!- cool exterior, you love a good fight!" Their positions reverse. "But you can't bring yourself to say that to someone as 'lowly' as me! That attitude is the problem with this world! The strong and powerful should be brought down!"
"Quit it with the nonsense! You really -Agh!- don't know when to stop talking!" Their positions reverse. "You've done a much better job fighting back than I expected, but now you don't have Shinmyoumaru, the Miracle Mallet, or a surprise tool to save you!"
Again and again, their positions reverse.
"It's not hard to see how this kind of thrill is fun for you! That excited look on your face proves me right!"
"Wha-?"
While Aya processes that, they enter a clearing that immediately feeds into the grounds of Moriya Temple. The pair skids onto the pavement and loses their grip on each other, separately rolling out and roughly sliding to a stop about four meters apart. Both have numerous minor cuts and tears on their bodies and clothes, though nothing terrible. It takes them a second to realize that they landed in the space right between a crowd of mostly humans and a stage holding Kanako Yasaka, Sanae Kochiya, and Shizuha Aki. For some reason, a tear-down fence with a diameter of twenty meters surrounds everyone. The amanojaku and tengu, who landed just inside that fence, briefly take in the bewildered faces of everyone before looking back at each other.
Well crap.
"…Don't worry, everyone!" proclaims Kanako, not an ounce of uncertainty in her voice. Her blue hair rustles gently but majestically in the breeze. "These two are here to help with the miracle! It seems they ran late due to an argument, but truly, who doesn't argue with the ones they care about?"
What the heck is she going on about?
The humans murmur amongst themselves, justifiably wary of two youkai randomly crashing into the proceedings. A few youkai in the crowd recognize them, with Nitori standing dumbfounded in her nearby stall. As this occurs, Seija notices that Kanako and Sanae are wearing altered versions of their usual attire. Kankao's fancy short-sleeved red shirt has an autumn leaf pattern on it; her long black skirt's red flower pattern has been replaced with the same. Conversely, her long-sleeved white undershirt and red sandals have not changed while the shimenawa and shide behind her stand as tall as ever. Sanae, meanwhile, also has a leaf pattern on her blue skirt to match her patron's, but her blue and white sleeveless top and matching detached sleeves are the same as when Seija last saw her. In her green hair, both the frog and snake decorations have small red leaves on them. To the right of both Moriya representatives with much less presence is Shizuha. Her short blonde hair features a band with red leaves - likely what Sanae is trying to match - while her white-collared button-up shirt and skirt's color combo chromatically descends from dark red to a light orange. The bottom of the skirt has beautiful leaf cut-outs that remind others of autumn with every movement.
Kanako raises her hand to quell the crowd, the setting Sun reflecting in the mirror on her chest such that she appears to be glowing. "Be not afraid! I can promise that neither of these two pose a danger while Sanae and I are here. The tengu has come to record today's events while the amanojaku will help us overturn the season once and for all! I enlisted them for this, so please have some faith. Sanae, if you could help Seija up here."
"A-at once!" says Sanae. She walks down and nudges the confused youkai to the stage, whispering, "Right this way, please."
"The hell are you trying to pull here?!" Seija asks, trying and failing to resist after a grueling battle.
"We could ask you the same thing. Keep your voice down and play along, otherwise you could cause a panic."
Aya begrudgingly joins the crowd, which is somehow rolling with this turn of events, and retracts her wings while Seija stands next to Sanae on stage. The disheveled amanojaku sticks out like a sore thumb.
How can this crowd just eat up Kanako's blatant improv like that?! How'd it even end up like this…?
"Now then, as I was saying," Kanako continues, "many of you know how Shizuha lovingly paints the leaves by hand every year! It's a truly remarkable and admirable role, something I respect as a fellow god! However, it often goes unappreciated until after the deed is done. I had a desire to change that."
Translation being you saw an opportunity to wring out a few drops of faith with a gimmick.
The ever up-beat Sanae declares, "Okay everyone, please get as close together as you can and brace yourselves!"
Right on cue, the ground the crowd and stage rest on begins to rumble before rising up twenty-five meters; the chest-high fence had been placed as a safety precaution in anticipation for this moment. While some humans panic initially, many become exhilarated upon witnessing such a feat of strength. Children in the audience are especially starry-eyed. Everyone is able to see across the mountaintop into the horizon as well as far down the slant towards the base.
This has to be Suwako's handiwork.
"I'm sure many of you have noticed these past few months how the mountain has remained green despite the rest of the land already being blessed by Shizuha's power. This was all by design! I want to showcase a genuine autumn miracle for you all today by combining my powers with those of Shizuha, Sanae, and -ahem- Seija. Through our dominion over earth, winds, and autumn itself - not to mention the faith of all of you - we shall overturn the remnants summer has left behind! Gaze upon a miracle!"
Suwako's the one with 'dominion' over earth, not you.
Kanko and Shizuha close their eyes to focus while Sanae begins praying. Many in the crowd go to the fence in anticipation, though Aya simply sighs before taking out her notepad. On the stage with nothing to do, Seija still struggles to process the absurd situation she has ended up in.
I hope Shin's alright after we left her in the dust…
A sudden pounding in the amanojaku's head nearly causes her to lose her balance. She rubs the top of her scalp and mindlessly looks towards the lake; the Moon is now even higher above it. From the distant space rock, only barely visible, she sees more waves of the aura it gave off earlier.
I don't know how or why but… I'm certain that's where we need to go. "That's where I need to go."
"Psst, Seija, act like you're doing something!" whispers Sanae, bringing the youkai back to reality.
…Huh? What was I just thinking about?
"Lady Kanako is probably really mad you crashed the event! I can tell you're worn out, so don't push your luck."
"I don't recall asking for your input," an annoyed Seija whispers back. "But if you really want me to do 'something' I'm happy to oblige! It's been a while since I last had an audience!"
"What do you-"
I'm already deep in it anyway, might as well have some fun!
Seija cups her mouth with her hands and shouts, "Hey folks! Do any of you remember me?!" The crowd returns its collective gaze back to her while Sanae appears horrified.
One nondescript young man in the audience answers, "W-weren't you that other MC from the fireworks contest a few years ago? I'd never be able to forget that stage presence!"
"Glad to see I left an impression! Ya see, as the esteemed Kanako so nicely described a second ago, I'm here to help overturn the seasons. But I can do way more than just that. Are y'all ready to experience the kinds of thrills you can only get while scraping the heavens themselves?!"
Every human in the crowd cheers, much to Sanae's chagrin. Kanako tensed up a bit when Seija started speaking, but now relaxes after hearing the positive reaction.
I bet most, if not all, of these people were also at the festival back then. It's the same old story: they'll eat up any kind of entertainment, even if it puts them in danger, if they have people like Reimu or Sanae to protect them.
Seija shifts her eyes to Sanae and says, "You might want to get ready to prevent any unfortunate accidents."
"What?!" Sanae exclaims. "Lady Kanako, we can't let her-"
"Follow her lead for now, Sanae," Kanako interrupts, eyes still closed.
"Thank you ever so much for the go ahead, snake!" says the deviously gleeful Seija. "Let's light this place up! Reverse Sign - Overturning All Under Heaven!"
Bullets, which Seija manipulates to be shaped like leaves, appear above and below the raised platform and shoot out far around the area. She does not try to direct her bullets away from people or stalls, prompting Sanae and Nitori, respectively, to hurriedly defend them. All the people in question love the show, of course. Next, everyone's perceptions of up and down flip, making it seem as though the mountain is above them. This is what Kanako was waiting for; her eyes snap open with Shizuha's and, like a wave, all the foliage turns red and orange from the peak to the base. Seija assumes Suwako is hidden nearby and providing further assistance. It takes about fifteen seconds for the miracle to finish, which gives everyone ample time to gaze in awe; the leaf-like bullets add to the effect. Kanako summons winds to scatter many genuine leaves that fall from the trees, which mingle with the bullets to paint the upside down sky a gorgeous orange-red. During all of this, Aya annoyedly taps her pencil on her notebook.
Hm, everyone's enjoying this too much. Can't have that!
Seija ups the intensity of the bullets such that Sanae can no longer block all the ones heading for humans. A few people have to jump out of the way themselves, screaming as they do so. Others run into each other due to the discombobulation caused by Seija's spell card. Just as it seems one woman is about to be hit, Kanako herself flies from the stage and deflects the bullet.
"I stay true to my word," the wind god says calmly. "While Sanae and I are here, all of you will be safe!"
The crowd starts cheering for Kanako and Sanae instead, with the latter feeling rather pleased that Seija is no longer the fan favorite. No longer needing to fear injury, the visitors go back to enjoying the beautiful scenery above them as Seija's spell card ends. Shizuha bows and steps off the stage after Suwako lowers the ground back to where it was from an unseen location; the elder Aki sister is happy to see so many admiring her handiwork, with some coming up to thank her personally.
"It's all just part of the show, right?!" Seija calls out, laughing maniacally without a care in the world. "Hope you didn't regret having me on! I'd call this collaboration a major step in bridging the gap between the lowest and highest tiers of society!"
For how impromptu this was, I got a pretty good kick out of it.
Descending back to the stage and looking down at Seija, Kanako says, "Think whatever you would like, amanojaku, just take care not to sully my shrine. I neither know nor care why you and Aya were fighting, but take it somewhere else next time. If I see you here uninvited again, you'll need to climb a mountain higher than this one to escape in one piece. I must say, though, your appearance here today was excellent for garnering faith. A villain like you makes a great point to rally against. And I respect the showmanship of your danmaku, at least. It's little wonder the humans enjoy your performances so much."
"Tch. Pleasing you and the humans wasn't my intent."
"I believe you. All the same, I'll offer the due courtesy of allowing you to leave freely today."
Aya, overhearing this, flies up to the stage and says, "You can't just let her go, she was snooping at the lake!"
"Was she now?" Kanako narrows her eyes. "For what reason?"
"I… don't know yet, but-"
"Do you have proof she was up to something I need to be concerned with?"
"No, but that's because my camera's missing its film, which means they-"
"You're just as guilty of almost costing this shrine profits and faith, something I do not tolerate. Seija's one thing, but this kind of unruly behavior from you is not something I expected. I would report this to your superior were she not so bothersome to deal with."
"You have to realize that Seija going anywhere isn't something to overlook!"
"I agree, but you must greatly respect her influence if you think a bug has a chance of overturning a mountain. She's certainly gotten your reporter's spirit flowing."
The tengu's eyes go wide hearing Kanako's words. She looks at Seija, who gives her a slight yet taunting grin, before shifting back to an annoyed expression. It holds an edge of contemplation, however. Unable to do anything else, Aya turns to walk away. Shin, Hatate, and Minoriko arrive at the same time, the former two rather confused to see their respective partners on stage. The latter one goes to her sister, where they debate whose dominion over autumn is better.
"What happened?" Hatate asks. "After I, uh, woke up, Shin and I declared a truce. Both of you look like wrecks, which I suppose explains the trail of debris we saw on our way here."
"Oh, so there's more of you," says Kanako. "Seems I was right to send Minoriko to check, a shame she's so slow. Well, she wouldn't have been any help during the proceedings regardless. Hatate, you can tell me what happened later since your colleague is obviously predisposed."
"Uh, sure."
"If I find out anything untoward is being planned, I'll send Sanae to teach them a lesson. Does that satisfy you, Aya?"
"Fine," says the tengu without even turning back to face everyone.
"You alright?" Shin asks Seija.
"Yeah," she responds. "I'll fill you in on the details of what you missed on our way home."
The Sun finishes setting while the group talks, the sky fully darkened. Sanae, who has been mingling with the crowd, thanks everyone for coming and goes with them on the ropeway to escort the villagers home. Nitori and her kappa squad dismantle their damaged stalls and leave right after.
Shizuha returns to offer Kanako and, surprising everybody, Seija a bow before saying, "I could feel the faith of those people as we and Suwako performed the miracle. While I acknowledge that Kanako was taking advantage of the situation to bolster her own faith as well, being able to put on a show for the humans and see their reactions made the effort we put into this worth it. There was a noticeable uptick in the faith I felt when you took center stage, Seija, which I appreciate. The leaf bullets were a good touch."
Ugh, I don't want your praise!
With a sly smile, Kanako replies, "I can assure you, I simply wished to help you and thought this would be a mutually profitable method. If you want to partake in this venture again next year, just let me know." Turning to Seija, she adds, "If you ever temper that rebellious personality of yours, I wouldn't mind bringing you back too."
"Ha! Not on your life," says Seija bluntly. "But man, you really care so much about faith and profits that you're willing to ask me? I'm almost impressed."
"Hmph. I think it's time for you to go."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Seija walks off the stage with Shin, the duo sharing a smile and shrug.
We didn't get to finish talking to twintails and we'll have to sneak up here again later. Setting up another meeting with her is gonna be risky, too. Word we were here will spread fast and more eyes will be on us going forward.
She briefly stares at the Moon before turning her gaze to Hatate, who offers a slight wave, and Aya, who looks to the sky and is unsure what to feel about the day's events.
But my gut's telling me I've found our entryway. And, more importantly, I was able to rock an egotistical idiot's world a bit!
"You're in a better mood than I would've expected after seeing Aya drag you away," the inchling observes. "Sorry for not being there at the end."
"Don't worry about it. Did you get the stuff back?" Seija asks.
Shin gives a knowing smile and pulls her now normal-sized cracked bowl out of her sleeve, sliding open the lid by just smidge. Inside are the smashed roll of film and the freshly shrunken Replica Miracle Mallet.
Nice.
The duo bumps fists before taking off, already plotting their next move. No one hears Suwako chuckling into the night while sitting on the branch of a far-off tree, quite amused by what she witnessed today.