Steward Of Paradise At Work

by Tall-Gothic-Guy

I didn't come here to meet shrine maidens or monsters. I didn't come here to erect a cross. No one even told me about magic being a thing here. Actually, I didn't expect myself to be here at all. I was simply chasing a woman who created eye portals. But it beats being a runaway thief. I just wish I knew sooner, that this place will never give me a break, not even God...Bring it on.

22. Light Up the Night with Pergamum!

[…..so that's it? It was all because of my frickin' 'Holy' blood?] I still find that hard to believe. I was blessed with the blood? Not born with it?

No, forget both of them. What's even harder to believe was that I even had it, even though it was already told to me at the throne room. But with all these evidences…..shit.

"Yes," Remilia confirmed, "Patchy's word is hardly disputable, and it is something akin to common knowledge among vampires. There is no other cure for vampirism other than this."

I faced away from her across the kotatsu table, looked to the side that led to the backyard outside the shrine, and I witness Flandre being entertained by a crowd, Marisa being the one to gather her attention more than the others. Lots of people were talking to her, asking questions and the like. Kiddo was lovin' the attention, doing the best she could to answer each of them, with Meiling and Marisa being the 'filters' to the questions thrown at her and the responses she gives back. I guess some things shouldn't be asked and said. Some new people came in while we and Remilia talked, and they too congregate around the kid like she was somebody only seen on TV and never up close.

…which was the case, because she had quite the reputation amongst Gensokyans before, both Youkai and man.

[What kinda reputation did she have before now?] I asked, turning my eyes back to the big sister.

Remilia had a little rise on the left corner of her lips. "A rather…entertainingly dreadful one. So many people, especially Marisa, thought my sister of someone with a fragmented mind, 'crazy' as you commoners put it. Dangerously so that she might take your soul away at the most unpredictable whim." She giggled.

I cringed a little at the last part, especially when she giggled. It was surprisingly dark to do so. That impression really fell on me two nights ago. [Yowch.] I even remembered that I lost an arm to her that night. The reputation is completely justified.

"Contrary to other people's beliefs, my little sister is aware of the power she carries and she clearly does her best to not use it. You can say that she is the most responsible person to carry it." She looked to the backyard and rested her cheek on her fist. "When she plays with danmaku, she enjoys herself more than anyone else because she could finally play with someone without killing them, in virtue of the Spell Card System. Look past the maniacal glee she displays and the unpredictable personality she lets on, you will see a spirited child at play."

You sound less of a big sibling and more like a parent when you said all that. It's admirable, gotta admit. It's a sign that she knows her sister well, and looks after her like a proper family member.

[I assume that her attitude when she plays danmaku is going wild or looking like some kinda insane murderer?] I harmlessly asked. I remember her acting like such when she burned my legs (can't believe I was possessed with paranoia at that time).

"Indeed." A fond smile crossed her lips, "She must have earned her reputation through her games. But even so with the attitude she lets on, she always plays by the rules, even it kills her. Which means no using of spell cards that could fatally harm someone, no killing of the enemy after winning, and you lost once you have played your last spell card."

[Hmph, I'm aware.] I smiled at the kiddo outside, [Before I got wild two nights ago, she was quite the honorable playmate. She dumbed down her strength and put herself down on my level just to make it fair. Except…everything was kinda high-tension and painful, even with the rules we got.]

"This is literally the first time she has ever been outside the bounds of the Mansion, and before that she barely met anybody new. Of course she would relish every moment she has with guests willing to play with her." She explained, with some emphasis on the word 'willing'.

I inclined my head, clenching my fist. [I saw her power, and the reason why you never let her out was because of that, right?]

"Yes." Her red-eyed stare was pointed right into my eyes. I admit that the pressure was pushing me to look away, but I forced myself through it. "After her step outside of the basement days since the Incident I started years ago," I see a fond smirk yer wearin' as you recall that 'Scarlet Mist Incident', "I have been ingraining mannerisms, decorum, and proper behavior into her mind if she ever wants a chance to step outside, and I have been doing so for years. Meiling has done very well to help me in the effort. If you had met my darling little sister years ago, you would not recognize her from the one you are familiar with today."

I chuckled when I recalled some moments before when Flandre did some of them Noble gestures like curtsy greetings. [Right. Kid's doing her best, especially on our first greetings so give her a chance if she breaks character. Honestly, I wouldn't mind her being informal around me. Formality's kinda stiff, even though there's no formal occasion going on.]

"We are of the Scarlet Nobility, boy. We are to act like such." Whoa, easy there, Noble Girl. I was just sayin'. "The Scarlet Family's image is represented through me and Flan, and I wish to see every action made perfect, as much as possible."

Geez, she's stiff about appearances. Was everything like that back in the old days, everything mattered in appearances, especially when you meet other families of nobility? If so, then Remilia here's a trooper to actually have the high-standards ingrained into her instead of rebelling against it. I would have rebelled. I wanna act like me, appearances can go to hell for all I care, societal standards considered.

[Right.] I nodded, then I turned back to yard. Right about now, Mature Flandre's sitting on Marisa's lap. From the looks of it, she's retelling her side of the story about two nights ago to Marisa's friends around her. I hope she's aware of what to share and what not to share for the sake of the Scarlet Name. Good thing there's Meiling and Marisa to 'filter' it as always. The former was doing the effort of keeping other people from overcrowding the kid. Good work, girl! Keep it up! [So….Is she now safe and guaranteed for return to society? From the looks of it, she's doing well.]

"Guaranteed, indeed." Remilia was wearing another fond look as she watched her li'l sis interact with some people. Considering that the kid's been a shut-in for the most part, this is quite of an upgrade for her to see. Then it fell, "But it isn't safe yet. Her excitable attitude is something that could endanger her…or another person. I wouldn't be sure of what she would do at the first sign of danger."

So the psychological complications are still present, you mean? [She's still a Wild Card, then?]

"Unpredictable, yes." She placed her hands on the table and interlocked fingers, her eyes strangely downcast. "But as a sister, I will not deny any compensation coming my sister's way for everything she suffered two nights ago."

So you do feel guilt. You never had it on full display back in that throne room but you really do. And you took what's probably a dangerous venture, letting your socially-deprived li'l sis come into a social gathering, where she might make a mistake of using her apocalyptic powers on someone due to mental stress. All to pay back for your mistakes?

…tough, stupid, dumb, and completely reckless. She really doesn't know what she's doing.

But I don't deny that it's the kindest thing I've seen her do for the kid. I could completely tell that she knows the risk she's taking. Plus, she came prepared: a big bunch of guardians are there to watch over the little girl (Marisa included), Sakuya is a good candidate for damage control. And if all else fails, we got Yukari and Reimu and Marisa around.

[Well….congrats, I guess.] I smiled weakly as I said it.

She looked up to me in a surprised light, "For what?"

I gestured to the kid with a hand, [Your plan….technically worked….she doesn't look so undead anymore, and she gets an age lift as well.] Let's not deny the fact that Flandre's bleached blonde head had lit up immensely. It was rivaling Marisa's shade of golden hair now, unlike the nearly bone-white coloration before. [Except that you only did it the hard way instead of the easy way.]

Then Remilia stared…..stared…stared.

Fucking hell, I couldn't keep staring for long and looked down, rubbing my palms with my thumbs, trying to ignore the fact that she was boring into me. The pressure she was putting on me was heavy.

After what could've been like a single minute, she finally asked, "And how do you feel?"

[Huh?] I looked up, confused, [Say again?]

She let out a long-suffering sigh, "How do you feel about these developments?"

…..um, [Glad, I guess? I haven't known Flandre that much, but at least it's a good thing that she gets to grow up, right? I mean, considering that she's 500 years old and looked 8-10 years old just days ago, it's a nice change for her….right?]

I haven't fully comprehended the pain Flandre was going through. Remilia had said that the kid hated being a vampire those hundreds of years ago, but since meeting her, that attitude isn't showing. The kid could've possibly grown to live with it, or maybe forgot about it. So I pretty much don't understand the pain Remilia thinks she was having.

With my Holy Blood tampered by spirits and unable to de-vampirize Flandre fully, growing up is the biggest plus we could get, so it's kind of a yay for me.

"You do not gratify?"

Um….what? [Pardon?]

She frowned, "You do not feel proud? You do not feel boastful at all?"

What? [Nnnnnno? Why should I even feel like so?]

Her scowl got even heavier, "You forget that the cause of her growth came from your blood. In Layman's terms, you were the cause of her change. You gave her growth, you gave her life, you gave her the chance to step outside. Do you not feel honored that you have contributed something worth countless treasures to the Scarlet Family, Eman Letitia…!?"

…even though I see her point, I still don't get her. Not at all, I still don't.

But if she wants to know, then she'll know. [To be honest with you, Remilia, I do feel honored. I even bragged about it to myself last night that everything that happened, good and bad, was because of me. When I visited her in the basement after you beaten me up, I even helped her recover old memories that she forgot when she was still human. If I hadn't entered your mansion in the first place, nothing—I emphasize—nothing would've happened. Her drinking my blood and her growth wouldn't have happened either if I had never been there. Why wouldn't I feel proud about myself?]

My words don't support my expressions, really. They're all wimp, and the smile on my face is everything but proud. It's still that weak smile.

When you got a principle to be humble, and the standard to never have a high-opinion about yourself, you get the tendency to be a realist.

[But if it weren't for you plotting my death….then none of it would'a happened. Even if you had me give it to her peacefully, I doubt that we would ever be in the relationship we have now. I'd be seeing her as everybody else sees her. Just some crazy vampire with an appetite for violence. Last night, I get to see what most people, even Marisa overlooked. She's cute, fair-minded, fun-loving, playful, and quite polite. She could be pushy, yes, but she always does so with manners in mind.] This time, my smile got wider. [She's so much like a child that I couldn't help but be fond of her…if a little. Her thirst gets in the way, I know, but she's aware of that and doesn't even like it. She just wanted friends, and she finally got one.]

Wait….

….Hold on…..

….…..…..…..…...!

Oh…my….fucking….!

[MMmmmmmmmhhhhmmmmmm!‼!] I can't believe it! I can't fucking believe it! [MMMMMMMMMMMHHHHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHM!‼!] I gotta hold it down with my hands! I gotta avoid drawing attention! THIS IS SO FUCKING….AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"What on earth is happening to you?"

[HMMK! HK! HK! HK! HK! HK! HK! HK!] I'm already choking on my laughter! I'm even smacking the fucking table, for fuck's sake! Why didn't I realize this sooner!? What was the point of everything I said in that fucking throne room!? Was all the pain for nothing!? Hahahahahahahahaha!

"Boy! Answer me when I ask you! What's happening to you!?"

[It was all because of that stupid grudge of yours that led to all this….!] Can you fucking believe this!? [The one thing I've shitted you on about is the one thing that led to Flandre's growth! Pfft hk! Hk! Hk! Hk! Even though I said you should'a let it go years ago, you instead got exactly what you wanted because you didn't! Ahahahahahahahahahaha…..!] Oh my fucking jeegabuzzus! I can't stop it! I can't stop laughing! The table's not gonna hold on! AGH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

I don't know how long I was laughing, but fucking hell, my gut hurts! OWhahahahaha….!

When the mirth was finally gone, I shook my head, sighed massively, leaned back, and supported myself with my hands, sardonically smiling at her. And I said this with a clear and composed voice, [Basically, it's you that should start bragging, Remilia. Even if I wanted to brag, the only person allowed to hear them is me. I brag only to me….and God always has the time to listen to me.] This is just a jab against you by mentioning Him, Draculina. If you still spite Him, then fuck you. It's not my fault that your life before is shit. Blame those villagers, not Him. [Credits all yours.]

Then I slowly slid myself down to the ground, lying my back against it and facing the side. All that mirth took a lot out of me, and the realization did my brain in as well. I gotta rest it up a little, just a bit. I'll be back up in just a few minutes.

Hm, looks like the sun's setting. The party might be starting soon.

Deep breath…..sigh.

So much for all the shit I said to her in that throne room. I was so caught up in my self-righteousness and anger that I didn't think about the results at all. But Flandre wasn't grown up yet at the time, so it was justified. Still, if only I had known what could'a happened afterwards….

…..no.

No, I don't regret anything. I said it before. I'm not taking my words back. Everything I said was something I needed her to hear and be ingrained to her head. Even though it was her grudge that brought everything, it's still the same thing that nearly killed her sister. She could have died. Even though Flandre didn't get to become human, this is closest thing to what Remilia wanted. If she wants to give any honor to the 'Nobility' she has, she should start acting like an adult. She's fucking 500 plus old, for fuck's sake.

"Eman,"

Hmm?

I sat myself up with my hands, [Yeah?]

"Stand up, and kneel before me." She ordered, with a very firm glare pointed right at me, "I won't say it again, now move."

If you say that while looking at me with the same look you wore when you stood between me and Marisa last night, no way I won't do it.

Wordlessly, I rose up to my feet, walked up to her side, and lowered to one knee before her, a single fist laying on the ground while my left forearm rested on the raised knee. As I was in position, she stood up from her spot before the kotatsu and would have stared me down if she was several inches taller. Even so, I couldn't help but look down instead of meeting her domineering look. Irritation lit up inside me as I did this, but I gritted my teeth and humbled myself.

Then a hand is placed on my head.

What are you doing?

"If you refuse to receive credit, then I shall bestow to you my gratitude."

…..what?

"Directly or indirectly, Eman Letitia, your involvement in the disasters two nights ago and the days that followed with you interacting with my little sister have brought many wonders to her life." Then I felt her hand ruffle my head very slowly. "By the word of the Scarlet Devil and in behalf of the Scarlet Family, thank you. Thank you for all the good you have done for her. This will never be forgotten. It is a promise."

…..damn…..

The gratitude of a woman is worth a lot, but gratitude from the people you've helped is something completely divine.

I learned that when I received a 'thank you' from Doctor Christopher's behalf for all the people I have helped with my blood. To think that it happened yet again, not many months after someone so kind to me did the same thing under the same situation due to blood…..damn.

I cried so much the first time….now, it's just simple welling in the eyes.

[Y—]

"But this does not mean you are forgiven."

My stare shot straight upwards to her face, absolutely shocked. [What?]

Her eyes glowed red, and each time her mouth opened, her fangs became prominent enough. Her hand never left my head. "For lecturing me in my throne room, for thinking of you being better than me, for the words you had the audacity of saying against me, for the use of sarcasm against me, for even mentioning my mother, and for calling me a bitch, I will not let that go. You will suffer for it, Eman Letitia."

…..…..…..

…..flames, ready the inferno. Bring out the golem if you have to….

[So you're still going to continue acting like some petty immature bitch, is that it?] I asked coldly, glaring back at her. I don't know if I'll be fast enough to get my head out of her hand before she snaps my neck.

"Be that as it may be, you will be served your just desserts." She retorted, with a voice as equally cold and malicious as mine. "I curse you with a fate that you will suffer everything I have suffered. From the loss of all friends' trust to the start of darkness."

I growled deeply, my head already starting to heat up. Despite so, Remilia still hasn't moved her hand away. [Are you so flat on your ass that you would rather let fate and misfortune do your dirty work instead of doing it yourself….!?]

"I control fate, boy." Her voice had dropped to that mature and deep intonation that belonged to a woman of no-bullshit. [Whether by my hand, or from natural occurrences, or even on the hands of another person, so long as I will be there to watch, I will relish every. Single. Second of your misery and despair.]

I felt the magical energies emanate from her, and her wings were beginning to expand, creating an unnaturally large shadow to fall over me. Just when there was still time before the sun sinks into the horizon, it was suddenly dark as night in this shrine. Remilia's form was all that existed in my eyes…as the tunnel vision told me of an incoming fight.

My growls were getting loud, deeper, and more guttural. The rage within me was coming in, and this time it's a genuine emotion. I slowly rose up to my feet, her hand slipping off my head, gracing me the sight of a really scalded hand before it was healed and my head was lit on fire. The heat in this room immediately rose up to prison hot-box temperatures, and my hands glowed yellow accordingly. Oh, he's coming out.

Golem…come out and pla—

*smack!* A hand landed on my shoulder.

The familiar size of that hand immediately told me who it is, and the fires instantaneously blacked out to nothing. As the heat was gone, so was Remilia's darkness. Her expression went from monster of the night into a kid caught in the act of stealing a fucking cookie. Likewise me.

We were nothing more than statues in the presence of this person when we were just about to wail on each other.

"If you two ever so much as shoot a single bullet inside or outside my shrine, I'm forcing the both of you into my personal slaves for an entire month. If you two are going to fight, take it outside. At least that'll give the guests something to look at while we eat."

Then that hand let go, the sound of footsteps receding into a distance, leaving a traumatic imprint of what would have happened if I even blasted out into the rage.

I had to remind myself that my breath has been halted, so I took my needed oxygen (a big amount), then I let out a shuddering exhale. Holy shit, it suddenly feels like winter. I'm absolutely surprised that my breath didn't fog up. I turn my eyes to the Draculina and I see her placing her hand on her chest, taking composing breaths.

[That….] I throbbed my thumb behind me, my voice having a slight shake, [….was scarier than being alone with Flandre in a dark room while she's thirsty.]

She took a far deeper breath than mine, then let it out in such a ladylike flare that it amazed me. "I concede to agree with your point."

I'm not stupid enough to fail realizing that we have drawn attention to ourselves. Plus, it just got a bit quiet, considering that Flandre's animated social interactions is all I could hear.

I looked over my shoulder, and I see a couple of eyes staring our way, most of 'em were unfamiliar people. Some awkwardly looked away, some retained some interest in their eyes. Why don't I snap them out of it?

*Stomp*

I love it when people flinch because of my silence-killing foot. "It's a very complicated story, people. Focus your interests on the rarely seen little sister instead."

And then they promptly depart from the rude-stare huddle, going back into placing their apprehensive-focus on the kiddo, who was still talking.

Jeez, anybody would'a figured she'd be shy upon going out, considering she's never met anybody else before but I guess not. She must've been really excited to meet new people.

Well, I can't blame her. She's on a hunt for friends at this point. I wish I could assist, but I don't know pretty much everybody present here, save for a few exceptions, and she's pretty much familiar with the majority of those exceptions.

"Eman?"

I hear your voice being placid, Draculina. Did you lose the antagonistic momentum as I did?

[What?] I responded, sounding more bored than snappy.

"If you ever need assistance, maybe some advice, or even asylum, come to the Scarlet Devil Mansion." She wore a smile. The most pleasant sight I've ever seen since the moment I saw her in this place, "We will welcome you with open arms."

….…..…..

…..…..…..…..

…..…..…..…..…..…..

…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..

….…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..what?

[You hate me,]

"Indeed." She remarked, the smile staying on her face and appearing very genuine. "I abhor you so much."

[Then why are you giving me privilege?] I cautiously asked, now extremely wary. [I thought we are supposed to be enemies?]

"That is the idea, boy. I do hate you, but I will not let something so petty stop me from knowing you any better. How else would I reward such a great contributor to my family?" That smile combined with those words, it just feels so wrong and unsettling. I don't know if I should take those words seriously or not. "And besides, I entertain strange relationships."

…I think I know exactly what you mean.

[Marisa.]

She snorted to a ladylike giggle, "You caught on to that very quickly. I like that."

[Well,] I couldn't help but chuckle, [Marisa and I share a weird relationship already. I am also starting to think that since yesterday, we'll never gonna be leavin' each other's presence without a fistfight.]

She chuckled gleefully at that, she didn't even cover her mouth. "It is a Gensokyan custom to greet friends and acquaintances-to-be with fists before pleasantries."

[Pppffhahahahaha!] So that explains everybody's attitude two days ago at lunch on the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It seems I can confidently assume that everybody in Gensokyo has a strange form of relationship with someone. [Hehe, I like this place already.]

I'll bet it'll be a nice substitute to keep myself fit and firm everyday without having to exercise or to dance every single morning. I don't know if my conscience would like it, beating people up on the first meetings. But if it's Marisa, then I can let loose.

I looked back to Remilia, returning her smile with a friendly one. [I'll consider it, okay? If I get desperate, I'll go to you.] I'll be game with a second odd relationship. It'll help me learn a few things about people around here. [Thank you so much, Remilia.]

"Don't mention it, Eman." She added a curtsy too.

First-name based relationship with Vampire lady, acquired. I'll make that a personal achievement as a Human in Gensokyo.

Will that day come though? The day I'll suffer everything she suffered? That I'll….fall?

"Mr. Emmanuello! Big sister!"

Oh! The kiddo's calling.

[Yeah?]

"Yes, Flan?"

"The party's starting! Come on! Miss Reimu's going to start everything!" And she bolts off the veranda, going to whatever caught her eye in the backyard.

[Hah, there she goes.] I turned to the big sis, [Shall we go, Remilia?]

"Of course," She emphasized, as if it was the answer everybody else but me knows. "I don't intend to miss this party."

[Then,] I held out a hand for her, with my other hand horizontal against my back, and my body slightly lowered so I could reach her short form, "May I have the honor to escort you to the venue, Lady Scarlet?"

Her surprise was apparent, then her smirk is everything between amused and haughty, but she nonetheless granted me her hand. Her cold, small, and delicate hand. "Your posture needs improvement, Mr. Letitia."

Pffft. "Whatever, Milady." I would'a added something colorful like 'fucking' but nah. It wouldn't fit right for sophistication purposes. But we shared a laugh anyway so it's worth it.

Always a time for fun, and a time for boredom. Always a time for a fight, and a time for peace. There's always a time for everything, I've known that for a long time, but I'm gonna train my mind to keep this new one close from now on: there's always a time to be a polite gentleman.

But considering everything that happened prior to now, I think Gensokyo's gonna fuck everything over in that regard.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

[She makes a horrible master of ceremonies.] Droned me as I picked up a nice pile of six hamburgers in my personally-owned wide plate that could hold more than enough to fill me up. [Even forgot what kinda party she was doing.]

Of all things to happen, Reimu fumbled over what kind of party was this supposed to be. The hell? And the worst of all, nobody else does either! The fuck!? Who organized this fucking thing!? Whose idea was this fucking thing!?

Of all the throw-it-in's people did, Reimu just used 'grand food-feast celebration' instead! Everybody was like 'yeah, let's go with that', then yay! Everybody cheered and started munching!

Might as well call this the most pointless party ever.

….not that I complain if there's food to gobble along with friends.

And I think that's good for the pile. A big serving of rice sprinkled with Korean ground meat (both of which pretty much overtakes almost more than half the plate), 3 skewers of BBQ, a chunk of steak meat, a little bit of bihon, a pair of fried chicken legs, a spoonful of adobo poured beside it, and lastly, my burgers.

Yum. I am so gonna enjoy eating this.

I am loaded from all the chips and donuts and coke and all but it's a fact that belching relieves a few spaces in the stomach department, and I belched so much already. I think I could take on a few more grams into my belly. Gotta gain some extra weight if I could.

Turning around, I carefully carried my load and skirted around the people in the way. Though, I can't help but notice their curious stares pointed at me. Is it because I'm an outsider? Is that it?

Gulping my saliva, I casually walked over to the veranda. I took my time to look around my surroundings, deliberately keeping a slow pace in my steps to catch on every guest that was here. The assortment of people here have more Youkai marks than human. Some children with little wings (obviously fairies), some lookin' human but most definitely not human (as Meiling could attest to), some with animal ears, tails, and/or wings, and some I don't think is even alive. That pink-haired girl over there staring at me looks far too pale and her eyes lacked any light into them. I think I even saw a girl with a disembodied head. She a dullahan or something? And what the hell is that white blob floating over that Youmu girl's head?

Nothing needs to be said about the number of hair colors present. It's just ridiculous. Black, blonde, red, brown, white, green, blue, pink, cyan, there's even a woman with gradient hair for fuck's sake! Why kinda genes do these people have!?

"Hey, Eman!" Oh, I hear Marisa. She's right over there, near the veranda at the side of the shrine, seated on a spread-out picnic sheet along with her other friends, Reimu included. "Get over here and share us some'a them goodies, will ya!?"

"Hey, Mr. Eman!" And there's another caller. It's Flandre, knelt on a separate sheet along with the Scarlet Family, near the opposite side of the shrine. "Eat with us! Sakuya made some delicious cake and ice cream!"

Great, now this situation comes in to ruin my plans.

Marisa's side: teeming with two acquaintances I've known and met on the first 2 days of coming here, but also loaded with 4 unfamiliar people that I barely knew save for their names, and the greenhead girl I don't know either. Interaction is good and all, but things that are best unasked will be asked in front of those girls. Us boys before know that women would always ask, even if it doesn't concern them. I don't want to lose an appetite to that situation.

Flandre's side: loaded with all the people I've met and had so much experience with, and I even know them all by name and personality (save for Sakuya, at least), but Remilia is there. Not that it's a bad thing, but I don't have the energy to deal with her right now. I've had my fill with her for the night. She hates me, and wants to know me better. My prediction? She'll goad out my information, mercilessly. Or worse, annoy the fuck outta me.

My choice?

I just passed by the both of them as I walked through the passageway in-between the sheets, and posted myself on the veranda, leaning my back against a wooden post with my load sat on my lap. And I say to them both, [I have the high ground.] I tap-tap the wooden surface of the porch with my knuckles, then I prayed.

†Bless us O Lord and this Thy gift, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.†

And now, I take a bite on a piece of fried chicken, forked a clump of rice mixed with ground meat with my fingers, and brought it to my mouth.

It's Pinoy Style.

I also want to take in on the people's faces while I'm here. I won't have a good view without a good vantage point, and this place is good enough. Pretty much, everybody present is knelt on picnic sheets so that makes making out people's features easy. It seriously doesn't help that due to my eating spot, more than a few have no trouble finding me and are pretty much looking my way. It's a little overbearing, and my streetwise instincts are shouting at me that this is a bad move.

You're not supposed to draw attention to yourself, you dick!

Well, that's too late, brah! Everybody's attention were already on me the moment they saw me! Outsiders are an oddity here!

Just act unconcerned, behave like a normal Pinoy partygoer, and appear curious like an foreigner….which I actually am: I'm a born-Filipino, raised American, planning a permanent stay in Gensokyo-Japan. And I'm already trilingual at the first few minutes upon coming here!

I chuckled with my mouth closed, chewing on the BBQ meat before I smothered some Adobo soup on some rice and brought it to my mouth. I wonder what odd thing that's gonna happen tomorrow next.

Now, let's look over the people here.

I'll exclude the groups nearest to me, which were the Marisa troupe and the Flandre troupe. I'll move on to the people next to them. Now that's a fancy group over there in Yuugi's bunch. Some of 'em had the appearances akin to what I presume are 'Animal Youkai'. Kitty ears, big black wings, and look at that, the former got two tails. You rarely see that on most media about humanoids with animal quirks. While Yuugi was telling something like a story to the two, a third girl, a small pink-haired girl was looking my way. Disregard her blue dress and pink skirt, look at that eye on her left chest. Not only is it misplaced, there are some kind of veins or wires connected to it. I even saw it blink.

What kinda Youkai are you supposed to be, girl?

….what the? She's mouthing something, and it was clearly directed to me.

I raised confused eyebrows, so the girl will see my acknowledgement to her actions but not the meaning. Let's see what you're trying to say here….

…..Sa…too….ri? Huh?

Does that mean anything in the Japanese language? What? I let my face get confused even more, and her response is to point at herself.

….you mean?

I point at her, mouthing the words. 'You're….Saaatoori? First name?'

Oh, what do you know? She nodded.

Hehe, well, pleased to meet you then. I returned her nod, and looked over the group behind the Flandre troupe.

Now that's a quite a group. And look at that, there's Yukari as well, along with Ran and the kitty girl, Chen. Sure got a gathering of adult women she got there. The pink-hair earlier was there, wearing traditional Japanese robes, blue, and covering the lower part of her face with a fan. She must be amused, I could hear her giggling. Next to her, with her back facing me, it was a person with a big braid of silver hair. Wow. She got a fancy color palette for a dress, red and blue in a checkered pattern from top to long skirt. Next to Braids, it was somebody with an indication. Everything coming out of her, right down from the aura was dignified and mighty. Her body structure was quite above average, quite showing from her standard red shirt with white baggy sleeves and her pompous skirt. What's odd was that rope ring floating right behind her.

100 bucks says she's a god.

Okay….I take a sharp breath: her blue hair doesn't throw me off at all anymore, everything else does. So that's what a god looks like….it caught on to most of my expectations. Big, dignified, and clouded with divinity. I wonder what kinda god is she.

Oh? What's that hand waving to me at the far back?

Wha—!? It's a high school girl! It's an outsider! Someone like me! It's about time I found one!

I return her salutations with a signature greeting that my trickmates always receive when I luckily see them on the streets: Rock 'n' Roll, girl!

We shared a smile and I returned to my eating. After a few bites, I looked over to the girl again and examine her party mates. Contrary to my expectations, they aren't other outsiders. It's just her. Anyway, there's a particular character with ashen hair so long it pooled towards the grass behind her, and her wardrobe was out of the ordinary around here. 'Stead of skirts, she got pants, baggy pants (me want them). Look at that, she got suspenders over her dirty white shirt (is she an outsider or not?). Well, look who's here, the village guardian, Keine is beside her. Haven't seen her in a while. Wow…look at that woman's tail, it's massive, a big bushy raccoon tail. If the ears on her head are any indication, then yep, a raccoon Youkai. Next to her, a little preteen redhead wearing checkered traditional robes that had her eyes pointed my way and shyly looked away upon eye-contact.

Fancy little bunch. That pink head over there, sat on the other side of the high school kid, is she Chinese or something? She got a maroon Chinese garb over a white blouse, and I familiarized those hair buns on the same people. Must be quite the injury ya got there on that arm, it's nothing but rolled up in bandages.

….wait, what's that thing on her shoulder? It's….moving.

Can't see from here…meh, I'll figure that out soon.

Now from the other side, I see quite a peculiar sight. For one thing, there was a fucking pink cloud hovering over a separate group of people. And that's a rather particular kind of Youkai there, a mouse variant, with the matching ears and tail, and proper petite form. Next to her, quite a rather handsome blonde guy with a lotus flower on his head. His wear's quite extravagant, and it gave the impression that he was some form of religious authority, given the wide sleeves and the spear he kept up while he took a sip of sake from a small dish. And knelt beside him was the gradient-haired lady, and that's a nice gown she got on. It's out of the ordinary among the folks present. And her aura, man, it speaks of a gentle and kindly mature woman just from this distance.

Whoa, what's a sailor doin' there? And a nun? And what's with those wings, Thigh-Highs? They're asymmetrical. Should I make a joke about you three walking into a bar or something?

Now for the rest—

"Hey, dude."

[GGKK!]

*PUNCH!*

"KYAOW! YOU GOT ME IN THE NOSE-DA ZE!"

CAN'T BREATHE! CAN'T BREATHE! THERE'S MEAT STUCK ON MY THROAT! MUST PERFORM SELF-HEIMLICH MANEUVER!

"Aauughh! Damn! I thought ya broke it, ya damn nut!"

Horizontal cross-arms and—Hgk! Again! GHK! FUCKING! GET OUTTA ME! PUNCH-HEIMLICH MANEUVER!

*PUNCH!*

[GHHKKUAAAA!] And out goes the offending piece of meat from my mouth and into the ground. [Gah! Hah! Hah! Hah…hah….] Okay, I'm good. I look up and I see that the majority of everybody was staring at me. I waved them all off hastily, hiding the blush that was definitely showing on my white-ass face, "I'm okay! Ignore the choking situation and continue eating!"

Now to address the culprit of this incident!

I placed my plate down on the veranda and whirled around to a kneeling stance, facing Marisa who was still holding her nose from the subconscious backhand punch I sent. [The hell, Marisa!? I nearly died of asphyxiation there, you stupid idiot! You don't surprise people when they eat! The fu—] I stopped myself before I even said it, looking behind me to note that Flandre is still around. I returned to the bitch-witch, [The hell were ya thinking!?]

"Geez!" She stared at me incredulously, still covering her nose and nassling her dialogue. "No need to be a hard-ass, man! I was just prepositionin' to eat with ya!"

[From behind!? Are you kidding me!?] Are you planning something by coming up behind me!? [What wuz the point of you comin' up behind me if you could just approach me like a normal person!?]

"I don't know~!" She replied innocently, rubbing the back of her head, "I figured you'd freak out so I did it to see how you'll react!"

…..you…

My back's lit up on red fire, Marisa. You're really tempting me to bring out the golem. And you know what? Why don't I call him over and send your tiny-witch-ass to the next Lenten Week!? Check it out, he's already encircling my torso and ready to suit me up with his armor. I already got the helmet on, the visor raised up to show you how done I am with you.

Temperatures already rising, girl. Ready yer shit if ya don't want a roasting death and become the main course!

…..…..…..…..

….…..…..…..…..…..…..

….…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..

….…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..oy.

I just slumped forward, losing grip of the emotion-trigger and the red flames easily vanished like a snuffed candle. The artificial anger wrought out from overreaction always leaves me in an awkward mood, especially when there's people watching. And for all intents and purposes, I'm just embarrassing myself if I ever went any further and actually started a fight.

Plus, Reimu got ground rules put out. I don't wanna deal with any punishment if I could help it.

I raised my head up, faced Marisa as she finally got her nose fixed, and said, [Go get your plate and put some food in it. We'll share my rice, since I put too much in it.]

"Yay!" And she jumps off the veranda, swiped her empty plate from the sheet beside Reimu, and sashayed to the food tables surrounding everybody, hoarding as much as she could, eliciting a few chuckles from a few people.

[But keep yer hands off the food on mah plate!] If you take even a single piece of meat, you're in for a G-Simulator!

"Oh, don't worry! I won't do such a thiiing~!" And then more chuckles come out from the people, probably knowing as much as me about the real meaning behind what she said.

…..I'm so going to kill you if you immediately contradicted yourself once you come to my distance. [Right…]

Whoa….my right shoulder's got a little fire stuck to it. Egh! I slapped at it and it was put out.

Okay, go back to sitting down, lean against the post like before, ignore everybody's stare due to the fact that you just dug yourself even deeper by showing that an outsider like you had powers, and continue eating your food like nobody's business as if you were one of them in the first place.

Yep, this is totally not gonna bite you in the ass at a later date, you stupid fuck~

A glow of multiple colors lit up my peripherals, "Um, Mr. Eman?"

Hm?

Well, at least Flandre has the most courtesy to approach like a fucking normal person, unlike you, Marisa. You stupid witch.

[Yeah, kid?]

"Can I eat with you as well?" She politely asked, holding a plateful of food with her, "I already have my food with me so…."

Oh, okay. Why not? No need to be shy. [Sit here then.] I patted the ground beside my knee, like a checkered placement so Flandre will be at the side while Marisa sits in front of me, leaving a bit of space in the middle. We'll only lack the left side, since I'm sitting at the edge of the veranda with my foot resting on the grass, unless the third person likes to stand while eating like us Pinoy.

"Hehe, excuse me then." She knelt on the place I gestured, forked a piece of white cake and popped it to her mouth.

I smirked and leaned towards her, [You stopped calling me 'Emmanuello'.]

She froze mid-bite, then she sheepishly looked away, slowly chewing her bite before swallowing and turning to me with embarrassed blushes. "It's too long."

[Like I said.] I condescended, lightly poking her little nose with a finger. [You don't have the patience to keep it up.]

"No, you didn't." She objected, looking up to me. "You only asked if I had the patience. You didn't say that I don't."

What? [Really?]

"Serious." And she sounds adamant too.

…..hehe, I still win. Besides, [I'm still gonna call you Flan-dreh, and I'm not gonna get tired of it.]

"Mm…" She let out a cute pout. "You cheat."

[Hey, it's not my fault ya had a two-syllable name that almost sounded like the name of a certain neighborino.]

She looked at me, confused, "What's a 'neighborino'?"

[Eeeegh.] You don't wanna know, kid. You gotta have a bit of technological awareness before I introduce you to the green sweater with the glasses and the moustache along with the diddly.

Then the witch finally arrived, "Hey, I thought it was only gonna be for the both of us."

So what if Flandre's here, Marisa—

[My goodness, Marisa. Are you seriously gonna eat all that?] I don't know how to describe Marisa's plate but I think she hoarded a large spoonful of pretty much everything before coming here. There's practically a mountain on her plate, how the hell is she not spilling any of them?

"'Course I am! Girl's gotta eat!" Marisa replied answered as she plopped herself in front of me like I expected, leaving some space in the middle so I could put my plate down and give her easy access to the rice. "Need all the energy ya can get for everyday Youkai huntin'."

I'm gonna call out a taboo here, [What about yer weight?]

"Meh, I'm not worried." She shrugged before she pulled a spoon outta somewhere and horked up a load of rice from my plate into her own along with her massive pile. "I knew bringin' this spoon was a good idea. Anyway, I got all the time to be burnin' calories tomorrow so I got no problems-ze." And she shoveled a heap of everything into her mouth. Wow.

[Hmph.] I began forking the rice with my fingers as soon as I placed adobo meat on top and brought it to my mouth, my other hand below it so I don't drop anything on the veranda.

Aah, this is nostalgic, especially sharing the rice. Not really uncommon among the Filipinos, especially among family. Gets really special for us in the family reunion among the boys, especially if we had little brothers. We get our own separate table, a mountain of rice in the middle, and the dishes we gathered from the buffet are placed in-between us, with the optional soy sauce on the side. Then we go full-on Kinamot on the rice, reducing a mountain to pathetic crumbles of its former glory with our hands. And we enjoy every single second.

Sigh…yeah, really good times.

"Does your family do that, Mr. Eman?" Flandre asked, halfway to finishing her cake.

I nodded while I brought another clump to my mouth, chewing fast so I could talk. [Every self-respecting Filipino should know how to do this. I ate like this so much whenever in an informal setting that my friends before got influenced to do the same thing on a barbecue feast. I ended up looking like the knowledgeable old man because everybody was doing it wrong.] Admittedly, it pissed me off that I became a Nazi as a result. [You don't use your palm, you use your frickin' fingers! Like this!] I demonstrated the procedure by pulling off a morsel from the beef, placing it atop some rice, forked it with thumb and fingers, and fill my mouth with it, making sure everything in my clump is fully in.

As I finish chewing, I continued, [Both hands are optional. You save it for the drink in hand, or for holding up the plate while you stand.]

I looked over the people, watching as they enjoyed their meals and chatted heartily with their friends. I could already see a few people getting drunk. Their laughter and joyous talks shows it.

[This feels so much like that party, without the cake actually.] I added. Let's leave out the fact that people are actually about to get shit-faced around here. My friends back Home got a rather unusual standard to not drink alcohol whenever in a friend's birthday. We never had an agreement at all, I think it came off as instinctual to all of us.

I'm fine with it but by American standards, it's weird.

"Sakuya brought cake!" Flandre quipped. "I'll have her get you some. Hey, Sakuya—"

[No!] Don't do it, kid. [No, no thank you. I appreciate the gesture really, but I don't have the fancy for white cake.] I kinda had the mindset to assume white means vanilla, and I don't like vanilla. Chocolate is the way to go.

"Come on! It's delicious, trust me." She insisted, then she forked a piece of cake and held it out towards me, "Here, you try. Say aaaahh."

I said I don't like the stuff, Flandre. Sigh, [Fine, but just once.] I leaned forward to the piece and bit into the fork lightly before drawing back.

….mm!

Actually very good. The frosting doesn't taste so bad at all, and the layers had a hint of chocolate in it. Mm, damn, why didn't I pick this out of the buffet? I wanna have a slice for myself. Sakuya, you're really good at the baking department.

Despite the tastiness however, I didn't let it show on my face. I just look like I'm still classifying the dish. When I finally swallow, I said, [Pretty good, actually.]

"Hehe, see?"

[But I still won't get some…..maybe later.] And I fork some rice to my mouth. The plate's about to empty, and I'm just about full already. Gotta clean my plate or I'll be disrespecting this party.

"Geez, dude." Marisa leered at me, "Stop bein' contradictive."

Oh yeah? [Since when was I ever contradictive?]

"You switchin' from angry to annoyed in a hat drop, and yer still eatin' hamburgers, even though ya said ya can't. And then this."

I still gave her a 'really?' look.

"Hey, Sakuya! Gimme some'a that cake, will ya?" And she ignored it.

*Wshk*

"Here you are, Marisa." And Sakuya comes outta nowhere beside me, holding out a plate of a slice of white cake with the visible chocolate layers. Damn it, why am I full now?

"Thanks." Marisa takes it and then as suddenly as the maid had appeared, there are glasses of the juice punch beside the three of us.

[Thank you!] I shouted to the maid as she teleported back to her mistress, and I receive a gracious bow in return.

I look down and I see that there's still one more hamburger left. Looking to my right, I knew that there was one thing to do: I take the hamburger, and held it out to Flandre, [Here you go, Flandre. I know that it's not high class like you usually eat inside your house but…I think it's pretty good, 'specially the mayo.]

Flandre was a little taken aback but she nonetheless takes it with a smile, "Thank you." And then she noms into it. Her eyes widened and she nodded to me. Yay~ She likes it!

[Y'know what's missing for this party?] I asked rhetorically to the both of them, [Some music. Buuut, good thing I got a guitar ready. Let's finish our plates then let's jam it out, how 'bout that? Just for the three of us? I could play us some Outsider tunes.]

"Ymm!" Don't talk with a mouthful, kiddo. Completely unladylike.

"Ya neber tol' megh yagh coul' flay, mush lesh havin' a guitar." Fucking hell, Marisa. Set a better example for the kid. She liked you first!

[Don't talk with a mouthful, Marisa.] I turned to the kiddo, saying in a far gentler voice, [You too, Flandre. It's unladylike and bad mannered.]

"Says the guy who hates using a spoon and fork."

[Told to me by the baby who breaks into other people's houses without the slightest regard for the owner's thoughts about visiting hours.]

"Uuuh, c'mon, dude! It's fine since we're friends, right?"

I nodded sarcastically; the most respectful equivalent to a slow and sarcastic clap, [Riiiiiight….] It is totally fine, you stupid biiiitch~~!

"I'm serious, dude! How come I was never thrown out!? Even Sakuya's okay with it-ze!"

Evil smile: activated. [Only because Flandre wasn't around to help with the throw-you-out thing.] I leaned towards the kid, speaking in a very audible voice for Marisa to hear. [Hey, wanna help out the family in stopping Marisa nee-chan from getting inside the library next time?]

She gasped in disbelief, as if I told her she'll receive a gift she always wanted. "Really!? Does that mean I get to play Danmaku with her again!?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Oh, Marisa's panicking~~! Looks like Marisa still has underlying fears towards Flandre's danmaku! I was already told by Remilia that Flandre really lets loose in a fight, because she was assured that nobody dies from her murderous power. She must'a made a long-lasting impression on Marisa years ago that she hid it in a bravado in that library fight two nights ago. No doubt she left that impression on me when she burned my legs. She looked like she enjoyed burning my legs.

[Yes. Absolutely yes.] I am so loving this conversation! [That way, you get a chance of playtime every time she visits!]

"Yay!"

"NO!" Oh, the horror in your face pleases me, sis! "You monster!"

Evil smile is still on, [Welcome to the World of Me being in your life, Ms. Marisa.] You were never the first person to call me a monster. The first one had that kind of impression on me when I bit his neck and kept going for it. This one, sis, you will get bit by a cute and trigger-happy little bloodsucker called Flandre Scarlet!

Now 'scuse me as I enjoy the last of my food while I watch the panic in your eyes, girl.

After a few bites and swallows, leaving my drink until everything is gone, I then asked, [How was meeting new people for the first time, Flandre?]

"It was great!" She exclaimed happily. Given her situation before, no blame here. "People kept asking things, some about Big sister and some about me, like how old am I and stuff. A lot kept sayin' I got caged so I said no and some never even knew I was Big sister's little sister."

'Big sister's little sister'….wrap your head around that one, hehe.

"Ya should'a seen the look on their faces, man!" Marisa remarked with a smile, "They all were scared, thinkin' Flan's gonna nom them up and drink their blood! Right, Flan?"

"Yeah! Their scared faces were funny! And I think Miss Rabbit was about to faint while I was talking to her!"

I see morbidity runs in the vampire genes.

"Hehe, yeah!" Marisa chuckled, "But ya should'a seen Youmu, man! She looked ready to run back to the Netherworld!"

I see that dimension is existent. Can't say I'm surprised, considering that I've been expecting it since yesterday. I did kinda contemplated where the Japanese souls go. I admit that the frickin' Netherworld had to be their afterlife is kinda surprising.

[I remember your mouth hanging when you saw Flandre, Marisa.] I said.

She shot me an incredulous look, "Ya kiddin' me, dude? So were you! And how could we not!?" Then she gestured to the kiddo, "I mean, she just got growth spurt-da ze! Vampires can't do that!"

I'll hold off the reason why until we're at a simple atmosphere. An atmosphere where you're supposed to have fun is not really ideal for that kind of conversation.

"I know! It surprised me too, I'm taller than Big sister now!"

Evil smile: activated, [Taller than Marisa, probably.]

And I moved my head away when Marisa just chucked a fucking bone at my face's direction. "Hey! She and I're at the same height, y'know!"

[Wearing shoes do not count.]

"We got the same kinda shoes, you ff—" Thank god you didn't say it, Marisa. Flandre is still here, do not poison her mind with our vocabulary. "You…you dumbnut!"

Is that the best you could do?

I chuckled mirthfully, [I get it. I get it.] I forked up some more rice, chewed, then swallowed. Then I turned to Flandre again, [Who else did ya meet, kid? Anybody among them ya can point out?]

"Mm!" She hummed, still chewing on the hamburger for a few seconds before she swallowed. "Sure! That giant woman over there, with the horn! She asked me if I'm tough and I said….

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

[Mm.] It's amazing how the punch is still cold, despite the number of minutes have passed. An hour has likely gone by already. Did Ran put some magical non-melting ice in the thing? If so, then I'm not surprised. As I drank the entirety of it, I clicked my tongue for the taste and said, [Hm, that's good juice.] The alcohol content I added is completely harmless, even Flandre can enjoy it without getting pissed (even if she had, she'll just fall asleep). It'll be like Tanduay Ice. Lord knows it's one of the fewest beers I can enjoy, due to its tasty quality (lemon is the best).

Now that I got My Beauty in hand, let's play it out and introduce a witch and a vampire to the modern and the classics!

Took me quite a while to actually get the thing out. I was still washing my plate as soon as everything was consumed, leaving Flandre and Marisa's spaces temporarily. After a thorough washing of the hands, and a full drying of the plate, I slotted it back to my duffel bag and whipped out what I wanted. Whoever put this thing here while I got kidnapped (probably Reimu again), thank you kindly.

Now let's get back to the veranda.

Slide the door close behind me, I then walked over to my destination. And lo, there's some new folks around. Three of 'em, 2 are interacting with the kiddo, one was with Marisa.

….wait a minute, is that a Bass Drum the redhead's sitting on?

"My, up close you're even more adorable, Little Flandre!" Said a violet-haired girl as she held Flandre's hands.

"And your wings are really interesting too!" A brunette commented as she fiddled on a pink gem, "How come I didn't get to see you often, since we're fellow Youkai?"

"I heard them rumors about Scarlet's li'l sis but I wasn't expecting this." The redhead talking to Marisa gestured to the kiddo, "I mean, she isn't so cr—uh, cuckoo like everybody said."

I see they are being friendly people, and completely not human, given by the brunette's question.

[I see ya kept yerselves busy while I was out.] And I let myself be known as I entered the space of the veranda and drew the three's attention along with Flandre and Marisa. I nodded to them, "Good evening." And the two that conversed with Flandre returned with a bow. The redhead simply did a simple salute with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Outsider." The girl with a neckless and stringless lute of some kind chained to her wrist greeted. "My name is Tsukumo Benben. I can be called the Biwabokuboku Youkai"

"Good evening to you as well, Mister!" The brunette looked like she would go for a handshake but couldn't do so since I got my hands full. There's still an empty glass in my other hand. So she just settled for a curtsy, "Howdy! My name's Tsukumo Yatsuhashi, and I'm a Kotofurunushi Youkai!"

"Nice to finally see ya up close, new guy." The white polo and skirt greeted, crossed legged atop the Bass Drum she was sitting on.

"What took ya?" Marisa asked, leaning back using her hands as a support against the floor.

[Was cleanin' up the plate before I do anything.] Then I lifted off the guitar off my shoulder and showed it to her by holding it out. [But I got the goods. Now, we can add a little bit of ambience to this dull atmosphere.]

"Uh….what he say?" The redhead asked, looking over to Marisa for assistance.

"Oh," Flandre took liberty in answering the question instead. "He was going to play his guitar so he went to go get it after eating."

Then the girl looked to me, with a tiny smirk on her lips. "Really now?"

I nodded. "Mm hm. Believe her." Then I politely said to the other two before me, "Would you two kindly move aside? That area next to the wooden post is my sitting spot."

"Oh, beg your pardon." Twin-tails nodded and rose up from her kneeling spot, giving me access. Brunette moved aside wordlessly.

After saying thank you and getting back into my spot, my back against the wooden pillar, My Beauty resting atop my lap, my other foot dangling off the edge of the veranda and laying on the grass, the redhead approached me by floating, still seated atop the Bass Drum.

She extended a hand to me, "Horikawa Raiko, drummer of the Horismriver Ensemble."

I KNEW IT! SHE'S A MOTHERFUCKIN' DRUMMER!

I smiled and received her hand for a shake, "Good to know. Is the Bass Drum all you brought with you?"

She chuckled, "Nope." She raised up a hand, snapped her fingers—

*CRSH!*

WHOA!

After a rather mild thunderclap and a blinding flash of light, Raiko suddenly had a ring floating behind her. Blinking a few times to see if I'm not hallucinating, I checked over the crowd and found out that nobody gave a shit to the fact that somebody just casted a bolt of lightning just a feet away from me.

"Wow! How'd you do that!?" Flandre excitedly asked.

"Oh nothing much." In laidback grace, Raiko turned to the kiddo with a proud flare in her eyes. "Just a little snap and there you go, I got my set with me anytime."

[That was sudden.] I looked over the ring behind her, and noticed they had some kind of….hexagonal pads with the familiar symbol of Mitsudomoe. They are, like, 8 of 'em lining the circle, with varying sizes. Could those be…"Are those pads…toms and snares?" I asked curiously, with a bit of enthusiasm slightly showing in my voice.

Raiko chuckled, making the circle float up and lean one side towards me, "Find out."

Right before me is a tiny pad, the smallest amongst the others, which I'll signify as the first drum. Okay, since I have her permission, don't mind if I do. I tapped a finger against it: an electronic traditional drum sound comes out.

[My goodness…!] I was outright squealing at this point.

The thingy rotated clockwise and the third pad is before me. Tap: Dude….! "A Closed High-hat." I remarked in awe.

"Hm, looks like you know about the drums." Raiko commented with an approving grin.

"Correct." I nodded with a giddy smile, "I was part of a band once, and the drums are all that I cannot play in the set. I am still an inept player at the keyboard, however."

Now rotate, then before me is the fifth, and with a tap of the finger. "Ah, the Open High-hat."

Okay, next. I think this one could be the seventh. Tap. "Ride Cymbal."

That earns a nod of approval from me, and I look up to Raiko. "I think you and I are going to be great friends of the beat at a possible future, ma'am."

She chuckled good-naturedly, pointing to the instrument on my lap. "I see what ya mean. Let's see how good can ya play if we're ever gonna see each other again for some good ol' jamming."

Yep, I am so gonna see this girl again.

"Alright, next slide." I beckoned, and I dramatically waved my hand to the left, as if doing so made the ring of drums rotate. As I face the 8th drum, I tap into it and a loud Cymbal Crash erupts. I noticed Flandre flinching to the sound in my peripherals. Funny. "That was sudden. Okay, next."

Rotate, and this could be the fourth. Let's see what it sounds like. Tap. Oh, "Floor Tom. Okay." Rotate again, and this one? "Ah, here's the Snare. I was wondering where it could be." I tap it twice and did the drama hands again for the second of the set and final pad too. This the toms?

Tap.

"As suspected, it's the tom." It's odd that the floor tom and the standard tom are separated by the snare in-between. "Can you actually execute a drum roll at such an arrangement, ma'am?"

"Hmph!" A pompous grin comes out of her face and she whips out a pair of drumsticks, spinning them like a boss and suddenly doing a beat! Doing the Open High-hat and the Snare on either side of her, her feet suddenly had the drum mallets on the back of her shoes like spurs! What the hell!? She's even slamming them against the Bass drum by swinging her legs at the speed you'd expect from a normal pressed drum foot pedal! And she's not even straining!

After a few seconds of the same rhythmic beat, she executes the drum roll by starting at the Snare, then doing a rapid-fire push-pull on the tom-tom followed by the floor tom before ending it with a cymbal crash and double-mallet Bass drum slam of her spurs.

She put the cherry on top by hitting the cymbal behind her back with one drumstick and winking at me, the other drumstick pointed to her smiling lips flirtatiously.

It was so fantastic I couldn't help but applaud along with Flandre, followed by Marisa. My judge on the performance: "Beautiful."

"Hm, hm!" Drummer babe lets out a pleased hum, spinning her sticks and settling them on her lap. "Do me a favor and call me Raiko instead. 'Ma'am' is too formal for my tastes."

"I shall, Raiko." I nodded, setting my guitar into position.

"Hey, how 'bout you show me your skills?" She suggested, "I already showed mine so your turn."

"Hmm, gladly!" I joyously complied.

*HWACK!*

*THUD!* I slammed my head against the post behind me, blasted aback at the sudden appearance of FUCKING YUKARI at my face from a gap.

I could already hear the chuckles from the people when they heard the thud the back of my head made.

"Before you do, let me give your instrument a few modifications." She didn't give me a choice as she took the guitar out of my hands and sunk back into the gap before it closed.

….…..…..

…..…..…..…..

…..…..…..…..…..…..…..

"Hokay!" Raiko was the first to gain her composure from her shock, patting her chest. "That was outta nowhere, hehe!"

"Welcome to the party, Raiko." Marisa commented with a dry look on her face, drinking from her glassful of punch.

"Um, what was that thing?" Flandre asked, lost on what just happened instead of being shocked.

I felt someone poke my shoulder, "Mr. Outsider?"

"I think Ms. Yakumo scared him out of his mind, sis!"

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"I cannot believe this was actually possible." I commented with my eyes completely wide in disbelief as I brushed my hand across the strings.

"What she do?" Marisa asked, peering into the instrument.

"She changed the sound the nylon strings make." I was right to expect Raiko to have the knowledge about the situation and understand the context. "That's what steel guitar strings sound like. Nylon sounds much softer."

"Yes, like the ones we have at my home." Flandre quipped. "They don't sound like this at all."

"Quite unlike my strings." I looked towards Benben, seated between me and Flandre in a diagonal angle, and there were glowing yellow strings appearing on the lute she was holding. The lines extended further, creating the neck of the lute and her other hand held it like it was now a complete instrument. With a brush of her fingers across the magic strings, there was a brang kind of sound. Kinda ugly in my opinion, wouldn't work in a band. "Or the spirit of my other instrument's player from the Outside World either." The strings glowed red this time, and the sound of an Acoustic Bass comes out of it as she plucked all 4 strings.

Oh shiiiit~~! We have a band ready here! Me the Guitarist, Benben here the Bassist, and Raiko the Drummer! Perfect set!

"Unlike mine too." The Brunette, Yatsuhashi as I think her name was, knelt between Marisa and Flandre in a matching diagonal angle like the Bass Babe here, waved her hand across her skirt and 1 2 3—6 magical red strings appeared across the entire fabric, encircling her below the waist. "Or my other instrument's spirit too. I think mine's a lot more….steely, I think." She brushed her plucked a few strings with ring picks on three fingers and I think I heard a clean electric guitar strum. "See."

Wait…..that position almost looked like the same way you hold one of those long lap guitars from China.

"Um, may I have a bit of context here?" I raised my hand up questioningly, "Miss Benben, what do you mean by spirit of the player from the Outside world?"

"Ah, I think I can answer that, Eman." Raiko offered.

[Okay, go ahead.] I prompted her. Even with English, she'll get the response.

"Un, I'll take that as a 'go'." She cleared her throat, "Okay. Before I start, you know what a Tsukumogami is?"

I shook my head. "Apparently, no. I'm not from Japan, and my homeland's mythology of Youkai are far different." And I'm dying to know if there's any of them around Gensokyo. The Tikbalang I really want to see.

"Is that so? Well, that's okay." She rested her hands on her knees. "To simply put it, tsukumogami are Youkai born from human tools that have been unused for a hundred years. While I am a natural born tsukumogami, these two here aren't. They were born not too long ago, and they still haven't reached a century before they become sentient. You following me here?"

Surprisingly, I am. Keep going.

"Right. As I were saying: due to stuff that happened in an Incident, they don't have long before they change back into their ordinary forms so I taught them how to transfer their spirits into another tool and be free!" She spread out her hands dramatically as she said the last word, then composed herself to continue. "Yatsu's first tool was a koto and she transferred her spirit to an Electric guitar that was once used by a rather hyperactive player in the Outside World and so, she earned that player's personality and can also make electric guitar sounds along with the koto."

[I see….] Even though it was something that somebody with a bit of supernatural knowledge would only understand, I actually caught the entire gist of it. And that Chinese lap guitar was called a 'koto'? I gestured to Benben beside me, "And I assume the young lady here took on the Acoustic Bass and assumed the past player's personality as well?"

"That's right!" She nodded approvingly, "You caught on quicker than I expected."

"Thank you for correctly assuming my situation." Benben said gratefully with a soft smile.

I returned her smile and nodded before I turned back to Raiko, "In fairness, you used simple words, hence why I was able to understand immediately."

"Hmph, whatever you say." She told with a lazy smile, adjusting her seat on the Bass drum while the drum ring surrounded her. "So, shall we start playin?"

Wait. "Did you say 'we'? As if, you want all of us to play together?"

"Why not?" Raiko asked rhetorically, "Forget showing me your skills, let's just go for it. Them steel strings could do us nicely for a little show in this party!"

Hmm. Okay, I guess this is really happening, "You want me to entertain the crowd alongside you?"

"Yeah! You know how to play that thing right!?"

I looked down, contemplated the situation, and found it very appealing. I wasn't planning to play for the crowd, I just wanted to play for Flandre and Marisa, but I must remind myself that this is a party. Everybody is to have a good time, and music amplifies that. This is no time to maintain personal security, this is no time to be stiff. This is a time for me to let loose, to have fun, and to enjoy it with company and friends.

So, in conclusion: fuck personal business and just go have fun.

I nodded with a wide grin. [Let's do it.] "Let us play!" I adjusted my seat, positioned my guitar correctly on my lap, and felt the deformed shape of the instrument.

"C'mon, Flan!" Marisa stood up from her spot and took Flandre by the hand. "The players're 'bout to play and they need the stage!"

"Okay!"

I watch them go back to their respective spots before I examined my guitar once again, tuning the strings just to be sure.

Before Yukari took it, its base was the standard 8-shape of a standard Classical Guitar. When she gave it back to me out of the gap, the area of the base below the frets of 12 to 19 had been morphed like clay to make the entire thing look like a modern acoustic guitar, allowing my fingers easy access to them without struggling to reach them from the 11th fret.

Is Yukari trying to spoil me? Or maybe this was a thank you for the hard work on the kitchen to make the food for the party?

"Can I join in too!?" Yatsuhashi—actually, I'll call her Yatsu from now on like Raiko does. Yatsu asked excitedly, readying her ring-pick fingers across her six red strings.

"May I have the honor to play as well, Mr. Outsider?" Benben wants to join too, readying her grip on the magic-stringed lute.

"Of course! The more the merrier." I replied happily, then I turned to Raiko with a question, "But who shall do the lead?"

"Who else?" She asked rhetorically, "You. Sing or play and sing, your choice. Just play a song and we three will catch on."

[Oh, okay.] Hihi, I'm excited! I don't know which song to play! There's so many choices! Wait…."A little disclaimer: I don't know any Japanese songs. All I have are Western songs and OPM music. Is that okay with the three of you?"

"Meh! Don't care!" Yatsu waved it off. "I just wanna let my soul out! C'mon! Let's start!"

"No probs here!" Raiko informed with a smile, "I kinda got a fancy for Western songs."

"I have no complaints as well." Benben added, "Feel free to go along with any music of your choosing and I will follow."

Okay! Me the Acoustic Guitarist, Raiko the Drummer, Benben the Bassist, and Yatsuhashi the Electric Guitar. We're a complete set!

"Catch on to my beat, if you could. Raiko." I told to the redhead, "You're the one that makes the pace and rhythm of the song for the others."

"I'm a Drum Tsukumogami, Eman. I think I already know what a drummer is supposed to do in a band." She chided condescendingly.

Whoops. "I…do forgive me." I shyly looked down for my mistake, "I am just excited. It's just that…I haven't played with other music players for a long time. It does nothing but makes the nostalgia feel powerful."

"Hey, it's alright. I'm not mad or anything." She leaned forward to pat my shoulder, then she leaned back and spun the drumsticks in both hands, wearing a grand-performing smile for what's to come, "Okay, let's make the most of this! Shall we make this the greatest concert of nostalgia you ever experienced in your life!?"

[Oh, hell yeah!] I headbanged to that, making my hair jump and bounce in the process. "Catch on to my beat, Raiko!" I jumped off the porch and into the grass, on the same level as her while the two other girls stays up.

"I'll catch on to the rhythm on the first note, Eman!"

For the cherry on top, Yatsuhashi proclaims the word, "Alright! Let's get it on!"

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"YEEAAHH! WHOO!" Marisa hyped up the moment with her hollers and everybody eventually caught on to the mood. Feeling a little showy, she trotted up in front of the impromptu band and proclaimed for all guests to hear.

"Ladies and single gentleman—no offense, Unzan—I would like to introduce you all to my rumblin', tumblin', stumblin' friend here—And I'm not sayin' this for fun! He's actually a rumblin', tumblin', stumblin' Outsi—whoa!"

Marisa's instincts saved her head from being smacked aside by Eman's tornado kick as she ducked under it, "I do not STUMBLE, you stupid nut! My footwork is methodical and practiced, and my vocabulary is on par with eloquent nobles! Do not involve your delusions into this!"

The situation drew more than a couple of chuckles from the crowd.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Marisa apologized, holding her hands up as if it'll stop Eman from sending her another wallop. She turned around to face the crowd, recomposing herself and starting again. "Let's try that again! Right behind me is the new Outsider on the block like Sanae here and Sumireko over there and he's gonna be part of the family soon enough once we show him the proper ropes of the Spell Card System!"

"Hey, we're Outsiders too!" Suwako shouted from her place with Kanako.

"Sorry! Human Outsider on the block! And unlike Sanae and Sumireko here, he ain't no human god or an ESPer or somethin' but he can do crazy stuff you wouldn't expect normal Outsidah's to do! For 'xample he can blast fire from the butt if he tried-ze!"

A man wreathed in red flames loomed behind her, speaking in an absurdly deep voice. "Would you like to be the receiving end of a flamethrower from my Rear-End, MARISA!? Do the introductions correctly!"

"Sorry!" She scampered away a few feet from the immolating being. "I said it wrong! I meant he can blast fire on your butt if he tried-ze!"

She dove away from a flamethrower that would have roasted her.

As the fire-breathing hand closed into a fist, shutting off the attack, Eman took the place of where the Being of Fire once stood, his pale face blushing madly at the feat Marisa said he could do. "That's even worse! You're just making it sound sexual!"

Then came an even mirthful chuckles and laughter erupts from the crowd, somehow finding the relationship between the newcomer and the famed Ordinary Witch very amusing, even the usually-bored Reimu couldn't help but snicker.

After a moment of Marisa being strangled, she was thankfully released to get her oxygen back and was pushed forward to the center to try again, but not without a slap to the back of the head. She rubbed her head with a stink eye thrown to the Outsider, "Geez, dude! Yer comin' with me to the library so I could use ya as Flandre-bait next time!"

[Good!] Surprisingly, he smiled at the prospect. [Save me some'a tha' action, 'cuz I wanna explore my potential around these parts!] He told, his right hand lighting up with yellow fires.

She found his jolly mood infectious and smiled likewise, throwing him a fast star bullet. He replied her high-five projectile with a reflexive uppercut, which followed a small explosion of sparkles and embers. He hopped backwards, shaking his flaming hand. [Ow.] He rubbed his knuckles as he went back to his place near his impromptu band.

She leered maliciously at him, then she turned her focus to the crowd once again, with a showy smile. "Anyway, hope ya'll get along with him. He's a nice guy so I'm sure ya'll will. If ya want a diversion or someone expendable—or a fighting partner of unseen caliber!" She hastily added when she felt the heat rising up behind her along with the yellow glow of Eman's fire, "Ya got him! Pretty sure he won't refuse a good fight!"

It again drew another fit of chuckles from the crowd, and Yuugi's laughter was close to breaking everybody's ears.

"He got moves, I tell ya'll!" She gestured to the guy behind her with a hand, "He can dance it up and throw danmaku at the same time! Take him for a spin sometime and see what he can do-ze!"

[Marisa.] Eman actually does not appreciate having inevitable conflict coming his way in the coming days, and Marisa is only making things worse for him. [Do not advertise me as a practice dummy that fights back!]

And Marisa being Marisa, she ignored him, "But right now, he gotta play some tunes for us! Let's give 'im and his band some lovin', eh!?" She clapped her hands above her head and the crowd was pleased enough to follow.

Three players of the band are appreciative of the applause. Yatsuhashi hollered grateful 'thank you's and 'I'm very humbled' to them. Benben waved demurely to the masses, reveling in the attention quietly. Raiko blew kisses to the crowds. Eman was bashfully rubbing the back of his head, his touch of being on the stage as either band player or dancer lost to time.

"And lastly: giiiirrrrlllls~~~~~~~~!" Marisa grinned evilly. "In case any a' ya were wonderin' and YES! EMAN'S SINGLE AND STILL A VI—"

*VHHOOOOOSSHHH!* A dragon bellowed a hateful breathe of fire towards the scathing witch.

The only thing stopping Marisa from ever becoming a blackened crisp on the shrine grounds was because she ran to the safe space of her longtime friend, Reimu. No way he'll hurt his host along with her, Marisa noted. Luckily, no bystander was harmed.

Eman's Japanese vocabulary has fallen to the realm of informality as he stopped roaring fire from his mouth and sneered, his face getting even redder, "One more word outta you, ya stupid broad, and I'll roast yer frickin' ass to the next New Year!"

Yuugi had fallen over to her back and those who are away from the ear-breaking radius of her laughter fell to the contagion and lost their shit altogether.

"Ha! As if ya could!" For once, Marisa decided to fight back, "This the Ordinary Magician ya threatenin'! You be down under one Master Spark!"

"Yeah, shut up!" Eman decided to not make any further arguments on that. But he won't hesitate to leave a confident promise, "But I could take you on next month! Now shut up and let us play! You been draggin' the introductions for too long!"

"Hey, everybody!" Marisa turned to the crowd, a shit-eating grin already on her face for the next thing she'll say, "If ya'll got some earplugs then time to use 'em now! Ya gotta hear this guy sing in the bathroom-da ze!"

"Hey! THAT ONE WAS MEANT FOR YOU!" Eman will not let that hang, "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I GOT THE MOST DECENT—!"

He paused mid-rant, noticing a sticky note on the side of the guitar's base that he didn't see when he got it back from Yukari. It said 'turn up the knob and see what happens'.

"Dude? Somethin' wrong?" Marisa asked, concerned that the impasse of the performance they were intentionally imposing was not proceeding.

He held up a finger to gesture a 'hold on'. He reached for the two knobs found at the bottom right of the base, gripping the volume knob next to the tuning knob and twisted it to a maximum.

After a few seconds of nothing happening, he brushed his hands across the strings—

He jumped, so did his band mates alongside a few of the crowd.

The sound of a Distorted Electric Guitar came out instead of a loud explosion of the A-chord.

He turned a shocked glance to Yukari, and an excited smile grew on his face. Throwing a grateful thumbs-up to her, he turned to Marisa with a very menacing grin. "You wanna see me singin'!? Ya wanna see me singin', Marisa!? HUH!?"

"HELL YEAH, I WANNA HEAR YA SING! I WANNA SEE YA MAKE EVERYBODY'S EARS BLEED THIS TIME-DA ZE!"

[THEN BLEED THIS!] He dropped to a single knee, rested the angled curve of the base above his thigh, and shouted to the drummer, "Catch up to the beat, Raiko!"

With a slide from fret 12 to 1, he invoked the spirits of Pergamum and played the Classical Metal.

Bach Toccata D minor

[Ta-ta-noooooow!] He sang the notes alongside the actual sounds of the distortion guitar. [Te-ne-na-na-noooooooooooo!] The last note coming out as a successful squealing pinch harmonic with his fingers, he slid his finger on the 5th fret back to 1 as a finisher.

He froze, shocked at the fact that Raiko, who he thought had never heard of Pergamum's masterpiece, had perfectly performed the proper drum sequence. Not only her but even Yatsuhashi and Benben riffed their own parts with their respective instruments to the intro as perfectly as the drummer did. They didn't just catch on to his beat, they matched his beat.

[Ho….how….]

"Like I said," Raiko told with a pleased smile over his reaction, spinning her left drumstick, "I'll get it at the first note. And these two? I'll make 'em get the beat."

Shooting a shocked glance to the two, he turned back to Raiko and asked again, "But how?"

A wide grin thrown his way, she spun both drumsticks above her, then struck the open hat and the snare along with a slam of the Bass drum with her feet. And a thunderclap from the skies was perfectly unified to her.

When he looked up, there was only a tiny clump of cloud in the sky. Where did that thunder come from?

"I make anything follow a rhythm, especially the high heavens."

Looking back down to the drummer's proud countenance and processing her claim, he found that to be a challenge.

"We'll see about that."

Adjusting his hold on the guitar, he proceeded with the follow up of the intro. Still feeling showy, he did it again, [Ta-na-noooooow!] He kept his eye on Raiko to see what happens. [Bre-ne-ne-heeeeeeeeee!]

She actually did it. The rapid-fire Bass Drums were kicking in, the snare and ride cymbal were struck in the same beat he knows.

No longer having the urge to make the sounds with his guitar anymore, he now opted to be silent and proceeded with the fast picking and tapping. As he did, the Tsukumo sisters showed their magic as they matched the rhythm. Each of them executed the tremolo on their respective strings; the youngest copying every note in impossible accuracy with the spirit of the electric guitar while the eldest rapidly plucked the D-string of the Bass before the end brought her to the last note, with the Outsider plucking a high-pitched note on the e-string.

As the three Youkai allowed a quiet Rest, Eman filled the granted silence with the riff, and as the tapping notes have passed, he ended it with a D-chord.

He let the distortion ride out until it disappeared, and the three followed his pace, letting ring the notes while Raiko rolled the cymbals.

Then came the applause of the crowd. The band reveled in it all, even Eman couldn't help but close his eyes in satisfaction. After a moment, he stood up and extended a hand for Raiko to take, and she shook it vigorously. "I stand corrected." He turned to the Tsukumo sisters, "You two, that was amazing."

"It was nothing!" Yatsuhashi said proudly.

Benben gestured to the drummer, "Thank Ms. Raiko for her power over rhythm."

"I don't know how that works but whatever!" He hopped up to the veranda, let his foot hang off the edge, and rested his guitar on his lap. Twisting the E-string to set the tuning into the Drop D, he then said to the crowd, "Get ready, my beautiful audience, because we are about to shake the mountain!"

Then a gap opened in front of him, sending his head rocketing back to the post behind him just as before and Yukari's upper half presented itself. "Before you do," She held out a silver guitar pick in-between her delicate fingers in front of his face. "Take this." With his eyes crossed as he looked at the object, he placed thumb and finger in-between the object and Yukari immediately departed with a faint "Play well~" as an afterword.

Thumping his chest to shake out his shock and the ache at the back of his head, he yelled to Yukari amongst the crowd, [Thank you!] Then he turned to his newly-acquired pick and could not stop himself from smiling wickedly. "Okay, now that I have the ultimate weapon in my hand, this mountain shall be reduced to crumbles! Raiko, take it away!"

Pergamum

Blasting another D-Chord, he slid his pick across the fretboard and matched up to the drummer's startup beat saying, [One two three four!]

His fingers went hyper on the fretboard in the tapping sequence, and he reveled in the hysteria that was building up in him like a madman, grinning wildly and violently bobbing his head up and down all the way, his long-pixie hair bouncing and flying in wild abandon, not even needing Raiko's power over rhythm to control his movements' tempo. Benben's lithe fingers caught and matched his every note in the low pitched strings, and Yatsuhashi's fingers flew across the magical red strings around her, like an elegant pianist composing a beautiful but fast-paced piece.

As the riff was about to come to its conclusion with its receding speed, Raiko controlled the pace to its exact speed as accurately as possible, despite having never heard of the original masterpiece in the first place, making sure the sisters, especially Eman, does not go out of rhythm.

And as the last note was hit alongside the slam of the cymbals and the bass drum, the next composition immediately followed up with no more delays.

Moonlight Sonata #5

At this part, Eman didn't pluck a single string, awaiting his moment and letting the Tsukumo pair have the first half. Yatsuhashi handled the clean guitar notes, Benben handled what the rhythm guitar would have played. Raiko's movements were flowing and elegant, completely relaxed as she executed the complicated sequence of the drum notes, spinning a single drumstick whenever she can. The outsider still headbanged at specific intervals, letting his hair come alive and dance. And as the portion of the lead guitar was about to come, he readied his ring finger at the 17th fret and let it bend.

The screams of the lead guitar filled the night with a poignant and soothing aria, and the player closed his eyes, tilting his head back as the emotional euphoria filled him, not needing to look and missing no note in the process.

Remilia in particular could not stop smirking wryly, as she fully recognized the sequence of notes and melody. She wondered why she was having impressions of Beethoven on her mind at the first half and she finally found out why. Nonetheless, she was somehow enjoying this particular rendition.

Pergamum

There was more to Raiko's power than just make anything she sees follow a beat or rhythm. She could also see it, especially in Eman's mind. Not in typical use of eyesight but in the mind's eye, allowing her consciousness to fully grasp the beat in the outsider's mind. And when she saw the beat before he even started the song, she captured it into her consciousness and let her movements be guided by that beat, executing every note that existed with precise and god-like accuracy.

Every song has its rhythm, even a single note could count as a rhythm. If there is no rhythm, it's nothing but grating noise. When she saw the rhythm of the song Eman had in mind, his memory of the song is passed on to her. She doesn't fully know the song in actual, but she was granted the knowledge of its speed, its rise and falls in pitches, timing, its specific times of rest, and especially its rhythm. It was comparable to reading the music sheets but never hearing the song itself.

She can also grant the rhythm she saw to other people, and she passed what she read from the song to the Tsukumo sisters, filling their minds with the rhythm, timing, and even the sequences of notes they never even heard before. It took them no time to fully grasp the song and perfectly execute their parts to play.

And if she ever were to use this ability in a fight, the only way to defeat her is to be unpredictable. Even danmaku have their own rhythm, and if she could read them, then she has already foreseen the battle's outcome before it even started. Even if her opponent had no rhythm, they would have no idea that they had fallen to her trap, throwing danmaku in a rhythm she created. She is a fighter that takes ahold of the battle's proceedings, manipulating the flow of the battle with however she wished.

She sometimes wondered what would have happened if she knew how to control these powers when she met the Hakurei Shrine Maiden the first time.

Vivaldi, The Four Seasons

Then came the tremolo overload. The three stringed instrument players shook their right hand across one string, rapidly picking it to create a machine gun of notes while their other hand handled the lone notes found in the sequence. Raiko's feet were nothing but a blur as the pedals on her shoes slammed against the Bass drum in quick succession, matching the tremolo notes with her face showing not even the slightest sign of effort. Her posture remained straight, and her easy smile is all that's showing as she watched her band mates let their hearts out.

Eman in particular could not stop headbanging. He was the splitting image of what a rock star should be, his bouncy and shining hair could not be more supplying to the impression. his appearance is the only thing that made him come close to the emo ones. Black midnight hair and pure white skin, it's a close-match in Raiko's perspective.

As the D-chord was strummed and the Rest came, Eman started up the Scale, with Raiko coming second with a snare drum roll before the Tsukumo sisters followed suit. The bell-like sound of the ride cymbal and the prominent snare alongside the rapid fire bass drums rung around the rising pitch of the bass guitar and the lowering melody of both electric guitars, clean and distortion.

At this part, Eman did not headbang and instead focused on the strings he was tapping carefully. Every note must be played. And as he played the last few notes, the headbanging returned, now at a very rhythmic pace as the next part arrived.

Pergamum

As the catchy riff rang out, the three stringed instruments playing in the same notes and pace, more than most of the audience bobbed their heads in unison to Eman's own, finding his execution of both performance and entertainment very enthralling. The show is amplified in magnificence when one of the most sharp-eyed partygoers noticed that the Outsider had his eyes closed. The notes he played were clean and precise, not so messy in quality despite his fast-paced hand movements, and the squealing pinch harmonics at the end of each sequence was a very sweet cherry on top, giving everybody collective goose bumps. It gave the impression that he had loved this song more than any other he knew that he could play it without straining himself and instead have fun in the process.

And unbeknownst to Eman himself and nobody else, sparks of light have been flying off his form since the playthrough of The Four Seasons. Too caught up in his headbanging and focus of the song, he failed to notice his emotion-trigger beginning to act up all around him. And Yukari made sure he never noticed, as witnessing them would have made him falter in his performance and ruin the dynamic momentum of the party.

Marisa wasn't surprised, she had expected this to happen at some point. As she had thought before in the library two nights ago, one of the means to activate his emotion-trigger was to do things he liked, and playing the guitar definitely struck a chord (pun unintended) in him as well. When she was worried that the floating embers could have started a fire, she was assured that they were completely harmless. Even a single spark that landed on Reimu's shoulder didn't even seem to bother her. When she caught one in hand, she felt relatively nothing before it dissipated in her hand. The wooden structure of the shrine had been touched multiple times, and no signs of a fire were starting.

Beethoven Symphony #5

What came out however was not what she expected: The orbs of light varied in shapes and sizes, even colors. A rather foreign sight, none of Eman's flames were ever blue, green, white, or even brighter in hue before (excluding yellow). His normal bullets weren't shaped like specter orbs, vengeful spirits, music notes, and butterflies the first time.

And they matched up to the mood of the music as well. The erratic and fast-paced melodies wrought out simple orbs of light and the vengeful spirits. Simple and neutral parts wrought out music notes that only the Prismrivers would understand. Slow and soothing pieces like the Moonlight Sonata brought out even hummingbirds besides the butterfly.

Right now, long steams of fire and burning skulls of darker colors were conjuring themselves out of him, alongside a few music notes, sporadically flying around the air, almost dancing in rhythm of the beat, and even times where they collide against each other and create a snowfall of colorful embers seemed to be happening in unison to the slam of a cymbal crash. Likely due to Raiko's power. If she could affect spirits, then it's no surprise she could affect danmaku as well.

And nobody batted an eye at the occurrence. This was completely nothing out of the ordinary. Every danmaku duelist that have been known to play instruments have been shown to have done the same thing. The only surprise here was that an outsider could do it, but even that's not much of a big deal compared to other things years ago, not since the human who is a goddess that could perform miracles came to Gensokyo.

But Yukari knew better. These lights were more than the activation of his emotion-trigger, and in contrast to Marisa's thoughts, these lights are not from his magical core of fire. When Yuyuko had caught a small butterfly in her hands as if she was a child, Eman's true form was immediately known to the Ghost Princess's knowledge. A Carrier of the Holy Spirit, and the backdoor to the Primordial Layer of Reality.

Amidst the noise of the show, a soft voice slipped out amongst the song and reached Yukari's ears, "You finally found him, Yukari."

An impish grin made its way to Yukari's face, "The storm is coming, Yuyuko."

Pergamum

The breakdown riff arrives, and Eman's headbanging had halted whenever he had to tap the fretboard. After a single repeat of the first half, the quick succession of mute picks made every outsider present have goose bumps. Now this is a machine gun riff, they thought, and the impression was amplified by Raiko's rapid-fire bass drums making every partygoers' chest resonate and thump with the beat.

As the last pinch harmonic was executed, Eman's full concentration was on the fretboard and his finger placement, headbanging fully at a stop just like the first time. The diminished sweeping was one of the hardest techniques he had ever learned and mastered in his high school, and he barely made it on Beethoven Symphony #5 for the concluding sweeps.

Unsure if he either did it well or fucked up a few notes in the process, he quickly proceeded with the tapping before the quick picking and hammers in the D-string. But he silently celebrated in victory when he did the scale perfectly. It felt like every note present in that area was played perfectly, and he found his proof when Yatsuhashi's notes had resonated with his own.

The second breakdown arrives without the sound of a preceding unsheathing sword, and he looked over his band mates for the last time. Raiko's closed high-hat drum had been strangely replaced by a china cymbal sound, which he found surprising but satisfying as it is exactly what this part needed. Her rapid-fire bass drum was extra-satisfying, especially when he looked at the impossible speeds her feet moved as they slammed the pedals against it. Benben followed his breakdown, her fret hand hovering over the strings while her plucking hand flicked across the Drop D-string in unison with him. Yatsuhashi was holding still, it seemed she will handle the lead part of the guitar. He hoped it is as satisfying, even with clean guitar sounds.

And he was right. She even made sure to make it as loud as possible so everyone could hear it amidst the breakdown.

And the final riff finally arrived. This time, it was now or never.

Time to go All Out, Motherfuckers!

Bach Toccata D Minor

It wasn't just him, even Raiko had decided to let her soul play out instead of her mind. As she had already played the sequence the first time, she doesn't need to look over the sheets again. As the Mistress of the Beat, she needed no effort for this.

She headbanged, and the crowd become ecstatic. The normally cool, normally swagger-on-stage, normally composed and fun-loving Raiko is headbanging. All who had went to her concerts before had never seen her like this. Cheers, applauds, hoots, and hollers resonated all over the shrine, filling the intense performance with as much noise as possible. It only fueled every player's hearts with more adrenaline.

The Tsukumo sisters were smiling broadly, with the youngest opting to join the proactive head movements, but she could only do so at controlled paces as she needs to keep her eyes on the strings. Eman needed no such requirement. The first part of Classical Metal has been the most invested with time when he practiced the masterpiece for the first time, and every growing success gave him a feeling of accomplishment like no other. And when he could dance his head to it, there is no pleasure that could match to this euphoria on stage.

Blazing red hair and silky black tresses swung and bounced wildly in perfect unison, the energy of the moment controlling the tempo and the excitement. And the lights that filled the air were innumerable: orbs, streaming rivers that slithered like snakes to the sky, musical notes that bounced in the beat, burning skulls that spun around in violent circles and often crashing into others, specters that gracefully glided across the sky; the entirety of the Shrine's premises shined with countless colors.

The final conclusion was coming, and the speed was receding. And when the low notes arrived, the chug riffs that came afterwards was followed by an explosive D-chord and a loud slam of the cymbals.

The second and final guitar chugs came in, Eman jumped off the veranda and into the grass when he struck D-chord again, and he was unaware that his overloaded emotions had summoned a giant multicolored hawk and it ascended to the sky, peppering everywhere around it in its flight with endless bullets of colorful danmaku as he played every note possible before the song ended. The Tsukumo sisters and the Phantasmal Percussionist adlibbed as much as possible, wild abandon taking ahold of their movements. Tremelos, rapid-fire bass drums, non-stop drum rolling, and intense plucking—every noise found in the D-chord resonated as one.

And the last two explosions arrived to end the show. One executed by the performers blasting the D-chord twice for the last time, and the great colorful hawk in the sky detonated, creating a beautiful rainfall of blazing colors on the audience.

For the unnecessary cherry on top, Eman fired a pyrotechnic with his hand and shot it to the sky. A short burst of flame.

He never realized that his emotion-trigger and the hawk he unwittingly created did all the flashiness for him, but the rousing and vigorous applause was enough to make him cry and feel absolutely complete.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

Ooh, tight squeeze! This girl's got arms! Is this a Youkai thing again?

"We did it, mite!" Raiko remarked delightedly as we gripped each other tightly in the embrace, though where'd the 'mite' come from? "That was a wonderful play!" She parted the hug, "Where'd you learn that song? Who wrote it?"

"Some parts of it were metal renditions of classical compositions." I informed, "And Pergamum, the band of the cover didn't forget to add some original guitar riffs of their own. I became addicted to it after hearing it for the first time."

"I can see." She held out a hand for me, "Let's do this again sometime! What do you say? Next party? Chance meetin'? A li'l visit to the Prismriver Mansion?"

I took her hand, "Next time." And I mean that as anytime we see each other, we'll jam it out. "I still have more pieces to play, I would like you to know them."

"It's a promise." Raiko smiled to me, then gestured to the sisters beside us, "C'mon, give 'em some love for their part in the play."

"No need to tell me." I hopped up to the veranda and held out a hand to Yatsu, "That was utterly wicked. You killed it with those magic strings."

"I know, right!?" She took my hand, rose up to her feet and hugged my waist, being a head shorter than me. Then parted, "Best rocker moment of my life! Thanks for the song!"

"Thank you in turn for your performance." Then I turned to Benben, who's still kneeling. I held out a hand, "Wonderful play on that bass, Ben." There ya go, a nickname! You get one for playing the masterpiece with me.

She daintily took my hand and shook it, smiling softly at the praise, "Thank you. It was a fun and exciting endeavor."

"Hm, I'm glad you think so." I kissed her knuckles and released her hand, settling myself down on the veranda. "What do you think? Care to play with me and Raiko again at the next party?" I turned to Yatsu, "How about it? Interested in trying this again next time?"

"Oh sure!"

"I await with anticipation."

Sweet!

"Hey, Eman!" Whoa, here comes Marisa with a mug of foaming booze. "Awesome play!" I immediately high-fived her as soon as she had her hand up. She turned to Raiko, "You too, babe! That was fancy, all the headbangin' an' stuff!"

"Ahaha…" Raiko smiled awkwardly, fiddling a lock of frazzled red hair, "I never done that before so I'm kinda nervous about how I looked like but I guess it was alright."

"It was amazing!" Oh look, here comes Reisen the rabbit girl, offering a cup of sake to the drummer. "And I loved the way that you didn't have to look!"

*hug!*

Oof! Something just encircled my waist!

"Yay! You're amazing, Mr. Eman!"

Oh, it's just Flandre. [Thank you, darlin'.] I picked her up by the arms (still light, despite her growth spurt), and shared a tight hug. Her gem wings joined in as well, making me shine like a Christmas tree as they wormed around my sides. [Was the song good?]

"It was beautiful! It's almost like the stuff Beethoven and Vivaldi made!"

Um…

"It is the composition of Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Johann Christian Bach." Oh and there's Remilia, holding a glass of wine with Sakuya following close behind. "It was a modern age rendition of their masterpieces, fast-paced and quite appealing to my ears."

Great! [Glad you like it too. I was kinda wonderin' how you'd take it.]

"Japanese, Eman. Not all of us here could speak English." Geez, Draculina. You gonna keep this up?

I grumbled, lowering Flandre down. And look, there's Reimu coming over with a cup of sake in hand. "How was the performance?"

"Kinda good."

…..'kinda' good? What?

"Oh, looks like it wasn't enough to make Reimu fall into ecstasy, only an average performance was all she sees." Remilia teased mockingly.

I rolled my eyes; whatever, bitch. Not everybody likes rock, as much as I hate to admit it.

"But it made everybody's mood up, so it's all good." Then Master extended the sake cup to me, "Here you go."

You gonna make me drink this shit, master? "Um…."

"I highly suggest that you drink it, boy." Remilia leered, "Being given a cup from the Shrine Maiden herself is such a high honor."

Reimu's reaction didn't seem to support that claim. She looked at the vampire in bewilderment, "Really?"

Still, I see Remilia's point. This could be her way of showing her sentiment to my performance. But still, sake?

Whatever, give it here. "Thank you kindly, Reimu." The dish in my fingers, I clogged up my nose, took it to my lips and—

GRK!

IT'S STILL SHIT!

*Gulp!*

I put the dish back into Reimu's hands and I spatted whatever remained of that fucking shit out my mouth to the side! [Agh! Pffthaa! Peh! Pfft!] Damn it! "Egh! I never liked beer before, it is guaranteed that I will hate sake as equally as much!"

"Wait. You hate sake?" And you ask that as if I don't believe in the existence of beaches.

"Yes, and don't you dare judge me!" And I don't want any arguments about it, because I'll fucking flip! "I'm a wine drinker! I have higher standards in regards to my alcohol."

"Then I am pretty sure you will like Sakuya's special brew." Remilia told me, and beckoned Sakuya over. One eye blink later, she had a tray with a single glass of wine on top.

"Aperitif?" Maid asked graciously.

"We are past that, actually, but thank you." I took the glass by the base, and quickly took it to my lips. No need for any of that classy smell and swirl shit or whatever. Now let's see how you taste.

…..…..…..

*gulp*

…..…..…..…..I take it up to my lips again and drank it whole. My face immediately crinkled at the aftertaste.

I placed the glass back on the tray, "If I may ask: were you keeping in mind my preferences, Sakuya?"

"Indeed." Sakuya simply replied, "The brew was from wild grapes, and delicately aged to 40 years."

Time hax again, maid?

"Well, it still manages to make me come close to gagging. The quality was there but I can say that it will only taste good if I plug my nose. "

"I see." What? No sour reaction? No hate for the criticism? "I will improve my brewing skills until I can manage to acquire your taste."

Well…that's noble of you, at least. Taking criticism and learning from it.

"Comrade!" Oh, I recognize the person who usually gives me that nickname. Hey, Meiling! Are you drunk or something!? "Mighty show you got on there earlier! I didn't really fancy you for a musician!" She held out a fist and I punched it.

"I didn't fancy you for a gardener in turn so that makes us even." That reminds me. How's the garden back at that mansion? Was everything fixed back after the storm? "Are you enjoying this party?"

"Immensely!" She exclaimed happily. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she got shitfaced, "Your music made everything better after all these wonderful food! Oh, here! A token for your performance!"

Another cup of sake. Are you fucking joking?

"Meiling, friend, you will have to know—"

"That he will gladly accept your offering!" Remilia! What are you doing!? "Surely, you are not so cruel as to decline a kindly gesture from a friend, are you?"

You…..!

I don't let peer pressure get into me, but you somehow used blackmail instead!

You fucking bitch. I hope you get stabbed later!

"Give that to me!" I swiped it out of her hands and horked it down immediately. Instant gulp and cough out the excess in the saliva! AGH! Blegh! Yuck! ARGH! "Goodness, how do you morons drink that stuff?"

"It tastes bad?" Flandre asked.

"Very bad! Never drink this, Flandre. It will make you dumb." Here, take your stupid cup back, Meiling!

"Lighten up, Comrade! This is a party!"

Ahem, China!

"I decide how I will 'lighten up', Meiling." I turned around and went back to the veranda, leaning back against the edge. Geez. Is it me or is my head getting a little bit light? Is this the intoxication coming in? Oh no, fuck all of you. None of you are giving me another sip of that piss ever again!

"And is your conception of 'lightening up' sitting alone, missing out the fun with your friends?" Fucking Remilia, man. Since when'd she teleport to my side, sitting cross-legged on the veranda next to me?

"I am trying to get away from the cause of intoxication, specifically people. And you." I turned to her with a glare, [The hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be partying like everybody else?]

"I'm here to keep you company in your lonesome, my boy." She pleasantly replied, with a very honey-like voice. "Surely, you can appreciate the presence of a noble lady like me?"

[I don't.] Face it, girl, especially when you're seriously annoying me.

"Oh, Eman, why are you so mean?"

[Don't even start!] I snapped, [Oy! What're you tryin' to do? Aren't we supposed to be enemies!?]

"We already are!" She exclaimed happily, as if what I said was 'friends' and not 'enemies'. The fuck!? "And I am living the moment of being the thorn at your side!"

[You little—]

"Hey!" A tiny pair of cold arms encircled my neck from behind. "What were you and Big sister talking about?"

Sigh. [Hi, kid.] I took her hands into mine and interlocked fingers. I glanced to my side just a bit to see that the Tsukumo sisters were gone, prolly to eat or talk with friends. Raiko's still there, interacting with the people about her performance. [We were having an argument about our status.]

"Hm?" She peered at me from my shoulder with a curious face.

"You will understand once you know better, sweetie." Remilia told. Nice to see that you're not getting your family involved in our personal affairs.

Oh look, there's Reimu coming over with a plateful of tosino. "I don't know how you got that kid into liking you but good job." She commented, laying her back on the veranda's edge beside me.

…..

"Did you come here just to say that, Reimu?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Hm. That, and your food is tasty, especially this red meat. Mm~"

Hm! "Good to know!" Another point for me! I impressed Master with my food! Yes!

"Hey, Miss Reimu, wanna play danmaku with me?" Flandre asked.

"Not now, Flandre." I squeezed our interlocked hands. "You two can play when she's available and willing."

"You're quite quick to defend, my boy." Remilia commented, smirking. Oh no, not this! "Is there something going on between you two?"

"I am just being kind, mind you." Keep a straight face and a straight voice on, Eman. "I don't think anybody would want to fight while eating or after eating. I experienced doing strenuous things after lunch two days ago, and I nearly regurgitated my innards. I am simply saving Reimu from the trouble."

"Thank you." …Reimu actually thanked me.

…..To be honest, that's more shocking than it looks...

And it feels…..horrifyingly good to hear.

"Elated, Eman?" Remilia whispered to my ear with a shit-eating grin.

Great, now that happy mood just disappeared.

"Get off my ear. You might bite it off." I lightly pushed her off with my elbow.

"Aw," I'm not gonna look at you pout. I'm not gonna look at you pout. "Not even a friendly nibble?"

…..…..

…..…..…..

"Hihi!" Flandre giggled beside my head, "Mr. Eman, your face is getting red!"

"Oh…so does that mean you are not opposed to the prospect, my boy?" I felt Remilia's cold breath right at my ear, and the chills that went down my spine were unpleasant. "Then, if I may?"

[Whoa!] I instantly unraveled myself out of Flandre's arms and backed away from the two, [Don't you dare do it!]

"Oh, you don't want to?" The elder sister innocently asked, "Then, shall we save it till we're in bed?"

[WHAT!? NO! NO WAY! I DON'T WANT THAT! NO-NOT THAT I'M SAYING THAT I DON'T LIKE IT BUT—WAIT! DON'T YOU TAKE THAT OUT OF CONTEXT! I'M JUST SAYIN' THAT—!] Shit! How do I explain this without sounding dishonest or fucking over my vocabulary!?

"Does that mean you're gonna tickle him in bed?" Oh no. Flandre, don't get involved! "I want in!"

WHAT!? [WHAT!? No! Flandre! Don't get involved with her!]

"Aw, why not?"

[Because—! Because….!] Geez! I can't think anymore! My face is really getting hot! "Re-Reimu, help me out here!" Lend me assistance to this crises.

She simply raised an eyebrow at me, "You're into that, Eman?"

[You're not helping!] WHY ARE YOU EVEN APATHETIC ABOUT IT!? "I'm trying to say that I'm—"

"HEY! IT'S THE ROCK STAR WE GOT HERE!" OOF! The hell!? Is this you, Suika!? Is this you piggybacking me again!? "I was kinda wonderin' where ya been since I passed out!"

"Not the time, Suika!" Seriously not the bestest time that I had to use your name!

"What you talkin' about!? It's the best time as any party time!" She did a megaphone with her hand, "Yuugi! I got 'im! Le's give 'im a good ol' Ogre tradition!"

"Coming!"

"KYA!"
"WHOA!"
"MAKE WAY! I DON'T WANNA BE CRUSHED!"
"HEY! NO PUSHING!"

[What? What!? What's going on!?] Everything's happening one after another I can't focus! [WHOA!] Suika just swung her bodyweight around and forced me to look behind.

"Face the tradition, Em'n!"

The Big girl, Yuugi was coming over with her wide dish in hand, and a big bottle of booze.

Oh no…

"Suika, we talked about this." I gotta talk my outta this somehow! How am I supposed to use force in this situation when this fucking shortstack is clinging on to me!?

"I remember! Don' worry!" She patted my head, "This sake will be tasty! You will love it!"

What?

"Are you sure?" I asked seriously.

"Yeah! We ogres don't lie! And Yuugi's dish makes any sake that gets into it super tasty that even a human kiddie will love it!"

Unheard of. I never heard of any beer that tasted any great. I don't even consider Tanduay Ice to be beer. It's more like a juice bottle with a tiny amount of alcohol content. But if ogre were to be ogre, then I'll have to give it a try. Let's see the full credibility of Honest monsters like Oni a full test.

"We shall see."

"Ahaha, ya some kinda delicate prince or somethin', Jimmy!? Ya don't like to drink 'n' party like everybody else!?" Yuugi asked with a big smile.

"I just do not appreciate horrid flavors, Yuugi." I answered with a wary grin, keeping myself balanced since Munchkin here had gotten a little heavy, enough to swing me around. I placed my hands below her thighs to straighten my posture before I asked, "So Suika has told me of your dish being able to make any alcohol very delectable, is that true?"

"Yes it does!" She gloriously confirmed, already pouring the drink down into the dish. "And yer gonna love the stuff, Jimmy!" And then she held it out to me. It's as wide as a small basin, absurdly looks like a saucer in her hands(!), and it was filled with the clear liquid of the stuff. "Sharing our sake: a gesture of respect from an Ogre to a Human!"

I took it with both hands, careful not to spill anything or even drop it, and my arms got slightly weighted but I held on and brought it close to me.

"Hey! Check it out! Eman's drinkin' from Yuugi's bowl! Everybody! Look! He's drinkin' from the dish-da ze!"

Ffffffffffffffuck yooooooooooouuuuuuuuu, Marisa! The most unwanted attention…thrown straight into my direction! Now I could feel a thousand eyes looking my way!

Okay, here we go.

With a nod, and a small whiff (I nearly fell over), I take it to my lips. And I noticed that everybody has fell silent.

*sip*

…..!

[Wow!] It's actually very tasty! "It's delicious! Like the mixture of sweet fruit juice and finely aged wine together! How did it do that!?"

"That is the Hoshiguma Dish, Jimmy!" She proudly proclaimed to me, big hands on her hips. Glancing around, I think everybody—and I mean everybody's attention was fully on me. "It's the masterwork of all Ogres!"

"Really?" I appraised the dish I'm holding and I can't bring my mind to think that this thing is not an ordinary drinking dish. I mean—who drinks beer with something this wide!?

"Serious!" Yuugi asserted, "Now come on! Don't just stop there! Drink up some more!"

[Will do!] Bottoms up!

As I drank the tasty goodness, I heard the cheers of many women around me. Marisa was losing it for some reason, some women cheered me on, more than a few looked like they were sending me to my death. If the thing is strong, then I'm not feeling it! It's tastier than the alcohol content! Looks like I can tolerate the shit you can't, people!

*Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!*

Oh geez, why does this thing taste so good!? Oh, man! Multiple flavors in every second! Lemon, apple, orange, papaya, watermelon, grapefruit, mango, grapes, dragon fruits, avocados—Damn, there's so many! This is so good! I could even taste candy! Wait a minute, what is this strawberry flavor!? It tasted like that squishy and sugary red candy back in the Philippines but I forgot what it was called!

*Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!*

[Aaahh!] That was astounding!

…..…..…..…..…..

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…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..…..Oh no.

---

To any reader who has experienced hangovers before, please PM me with how it actually feels. Really necessary for the next chapter. I don't drink strong beer, especially if it tastes bad, and I never will. My only option is to confer to people with experience.