Luigi wrapped up a converation with Red Toad. "...and then she said 'we don't allow animals on our doorstep'!"
Red Toad scratched his head. "I don't get it."
Luigi put hands out in motion. "It's funny because there was like a LITTER of bunnies in that mansion!"
Red Toad finally got it. He learned that Kaguya was a hypocrite. "Well, thankfully, I stole this jeweled branch from her!"
"Hahaha-" Luigi chuckled and then snapped. "WHAT?! That's one of the Impossible Requests!"
"You always loot a dead body."
Luigi couldn't believe what he was hearing from Red Toad. It just got morbid really quick. Wait, dead body... Luigi sighed. Phew. At least he knew one thing that Red Toad didn't, Kaguya was immortal.
Luigi and Red Toad finally arrived on a small blue-roofed house with a tower next to it. Next to that tower was a mechanical lab. "We're here, Red Toad. If you just wanna hop in there-"
E. Gadd exited the lab. "Oh, you finally made it back, Luigi! Did you win the fi-YOU FOUND A TOAD?!"
Red Toad waved and Luigi smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Kaguya was holding him hostage. But luckily, I beat the snot out of her!" Luigi threw his fists forward excitedly.
E. Gadd pondered and then smiled. "If Red Toad would like to stay here with Alice and I..."
Red Toad immediately nodded. "Yes please. I'm not strong enough to be in Gensokyo!"
E. Gadd turned to Luigi. "And you, young boy, you should get sleep too. It's night out, after all, and you look like Death."
Luigi faintly nodded, and turned and knocked on Alice's door. He looked back at the professor and Red Toad to see they were going inside his lab. When he titled his head back, Alice was there at the door.
"Ah, come on in, Luigi."
"Okie-dokie!" Luigi put his flashlight away and entered the warm embrace of the house.
Luigi looked around. "Kinda warm in here... all cozy..." He then breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"I was about to hop into bed myself, but then I felt... kinda guilty..." Alice fidgeted her hands sheepishly.
"Guilty?" Luigi was about to slam onto the floor again to sleep, but then questioned Alice. It was kinda unusual (and admittingly cute) to see Alice all red-faced and embarrassed, acting all shy.
"So I went into the Human Village and got you... this." She revealed a secondary bed with green covers. "Just for you to get better sleep. I could not live with the guilt of having someone so frail sleep on the floor."
Luigi set his Poltergust G-00 on the floor and laid his back on the bed. "Ah hah.. this is comfortable!" He shuffled his feet. "Almost enough to make me-ZZZZZZZZZZZZ..." And he was out like a light.
Alice sighed and was about to head into her bed when she saw E. Gadd and Red Toad peeking in.
"You two could come in too..." Alice sighed.
When they did, they were all watching Luigi's happy sleeping.
"Luigi's eyes..." Alice began.
"Are you in love?" Red Toad interrupted.
Alice turned red and turned to the mushroom. "Hey! I'm not! It's not humanly possible to fall in love with a man you JUST met."
Red Toad lowered his voice so that Alice couldn't hear. "Tsundere."
E. Gadd continued Alice's initial conversation. "Luigi's eyes?"
Alice shamefully looked down on Luigi's sleeping body. "Those are the eyes of someone who's truly traumatised. I have a feeling he was on the verge of death a lot of times. He must have suffered... so much..." She hung her head low.
Red Toad looked at Luigi, too. "Do you plan to kill him as well?"
Alice lifted her head to look at Luigi. "Seeing him peacefully sleep like this, I don't want to."
E. Gadd softly chuckled. "It's not easy when you have a fear of everything. Poor Luigi must have been through a lot. I don't blame him, though. One giant mansion, five mansions in a valley and a hotel resort... and now an entire world. He may be an old man but he's still Mario's little brother."
Alice turned to E. Gadd. "I'll suggest for him to go to the Human Village tomorrow."
E. Gadd and Red Toad nodded as they went back to the lab.
Alice tucked herself in her own bed and turned out the light. Pitch blackness in Alice's house.
...
Nothing.
Luigi dreamed of nothing.
He was truly at peace. No nightmares to keep him awake.
...but he eventually did open one eye when the piercing rays of the sun hit his face. Luigi covered his eye with his glove.
"Good morning, Luigi." Alice softly greeted as she sipped her tea on the dining table.
"Morning, Alice..." Luigi got up. "Man, that was refreshing..." Luigi turned to look in a mirror and finger-gunned when he saw he was back in full health.
"Today..." Alice finished her tea. "You're going to the Human Village, with that weird mushroom figure. I figure it's about time we get Reimu hearing about this."
Luigi put his hands up as if he were surrendering. "Alright, alright! Reimu it is..." Luigi put on his Poltergust and flashlight.
And left the house without eating or drinking anything.
Luigi knocked on E. Gadd's lab to be met with Red Toad.
"Hey, Luigi! E. Gadd added me to your contacts on that Wii Boo and added directions to the village! We just have to go through the spooky woods-"
Luigi shivered.
"-and we'll be there in an instant."
"Alright, here goes-" Luigi was then interrupted...
by a certain scientist. "Luigi, I think I might need your help."
Luigi slid like a stone toward the lab.
Inside the lab, there was a giant machine with ten slots. It was an arch with a human-size portal unederneath.
E. Gadd began introducing the invention. "Okay, I made some invention that can get us back to our dimension!"
"So how do we activate it?"
E. Gadd lended out his hand. "Give me that jeweled branch."
"Sure." Luigi pulled it out. Then he realised. "Wait, since when did I have this in my pocket? Red Toad must've slipped it in. Oh, Mama-mia..."
Luigi pulled it out of his pockets and then it sorta levitated towards the first slot and slipped right in.
"Oh yeah!"
Luigi paused his victory, and then took it in.
"There's ten slots."
E. Gadd pointed his finger. "Then that means there's ten arcs! Or ten main bosses! Hop to it, Luigi!"
Aand door slam.
Red Toad was folding his arms, tapping his foot. "Ready?"
Luigi hesitantly put out his flashlight... "Here we go again..." Luigi was shaking his hand because he was nervous, Red Toad just casually trailed behind Luigi, smiling without a care in the world. Luigi then entered the Bamboo Forest of the Lost.
A left, a right, a center, another left, another center...
And he was met with Mokou again! What are the odds?!
Mokou turned her head. "Back again, Luigi?" She then smiled. "Good. I'm glad you survived."
Luigi sharply inhaled. "I'm gonna need to speak to Red Toad real quick. We have something to ask of you."
Mokou put her hands in her pockets. "Sure, go ahead. Not like I'm busy."
Luigi pulled Red Toad into a sectioned-off part of the forest. "What's with Alice and Mokou liking me all of a sudden..."
Red Toad gasped. "Dude. You know what this means?"
Luigi shivered. "Oh no..."
Red Toad nodded. "That's right. This unique story's title is slowly changing into 'MALE LUIGI READER X TOUHOU HAREM'!"
Luigi dragged Red Toad out of the section and met back with Mokou. "We're back! We made an agreement to go to the Human Village!"
Mokou tilted her head. "Didn't you get lost last time?"
The plumber stopped cold. "Eep-"
Mokou softly chuckled. "It's fine, I can guide you. Come on, follow me. It's the least I can do for you helping me beat Kaguya."
Luigi shrugged and walked behind Mokou.
He hesitantly tried to keep up due to Mokou's knowledge and brisk turns. "Ah-ah!" Luigi then gave Red Toad a piggyback ride since Red Toad was lagging behind.
Red Toad sighed from relief. "Phew. Thanks, Luigi."
Mokou turned her head as she kept walking. "You two have good chemestry."
Luigi chuckled. "We've been through a lot!"
The wind picked up within the dark forest as it looked like a storm was about to kick in. Mokou looked up. "Better hurry. It's straight ahead!"
"Thanks, Mokou!" Luigi ran straight ahead, leaving Mokou behind.
He ran and ran with Toad slowly slipping off Luigi's back.
"Mmmgh..." Red Toad struggled. "Luigi! I can't hold on!"
"We're almost there! Hold on!"
And then Luigi passed through a gate just as the storm settled down.
A Japanese village...
Cherry blossoms with petals falling down, tickling Luigi's nose.
A gentle breeze brushing past the duo.
A river leading to a giant lake in the middle...
Said cherry blossom petals falling into the lake while the sun was glistening down on the water.
And plenty of wooden and classic Japanese houses leading down the villages, leading to shops and homes and hotels.
Plenty of people were walking about to. Luigi took in most of the people's appearances.
He felt at ease when he noticed one thing;
There were males here.
That's right. Some humans Luigi noticed were full-fledged boys. They weren't extinct! Finally!
Luigi didn't even feel Red Toad get off his back and run into the village.
Instead, he wiped a tear off his happy face and...
Wait, was he unconsciously jumping up and down? Was he feeling excitement to explore?!
Luigi giggled unconsicously as well. "Heeheeheehee!" He clenched his fists together as he did his silly little laugh as he turned off his flashlight and left his Poltergust on standby.
Time to explore the Human Village.
Luigi's first instinct was to interact with a male. How sad that must be.
The male turned. "Hey, you look new. Welcome to the village."
"Yo." Luigi kept smiling. Is he trying to be hip?
"Uh, you look kinda broken. Perhaps it's best if you have the Shrine Maiden on your side. She's over by the east side." The human walked away.
"Cya, dude!" Luigi finger-gunned.
And then mentally facepalmed. "Okay, maybe the shrine's near the shop. That's where I spend all my money..."
Luigi made his way downtown to the shopping isle.
Some notable shops, and a shop claimed to be housed by 'the greatest magician of all, da ze', whatever that meant.
And a yakitori stand with - Huh?!
Luigi knocked on the top of the stand. "Mokou?! You run a joint here?!"
Mokou, who was setting up supplies, had her back turned to Luigi and then gasped a bit "AAAAH- oh, it's you!" She instantly greeted Luigi with a small smile. "Hey, Luigi!"
"What you selling here?" Luigi looked at the yakitori.
"Yakitori! It's kinda, like, umm..." Mokou put a finger to her chin. "Fried chicken?"
"Oh, that sounds delicious!" Luigi's stomach rumbled on cue and he sheepishly smiled.
"You want one? It costs a bit of yen, of course."
Luigi kept smiling.
"...you're flat broke, aren't you?"
Luigi started to sweat but he still kept the smile.
"...fine. You may take one, but only one, and only once!"
She handed Luigi one yakitori.
"Thank you, come again!" Mokou waved Luigi off as he continued, now with a yakitori in his hand.
He munched on it while looking around. "Hmm, I guess I was hungry! Man, I skipped breakfast with Alice..." He used his other hand to adjust his hat to shield himself from the sun. "And it is boiling today... Hopefully I don't pass out from this heat..." Luigi addressed the sun. He walked down into a dining court and saw Red Toad sitting on a bench. Luigi slid to the table opposite of Red Toad. "Sooo, how's human village life?"
"It's been great! Gensokyo isn't all that bad, now that I think about it!"
Luigi was instantly reminded of all the trauma and suffering he had trudged through to make it to this point.
Red Toad slid off the seat. "Regardless, I found something! Follow me!" He physically dragged Luigi along and down a secret path with cherry blossoms and up a stone staircase. They passed under a red arch, which Luigi had seen plenty of.
And there was a lone shrine in the middle of it all. Supporting a gray roof and a lonely donations box. Luigi looked sad and pulled out a spare coin from the Mushroom Kingdom.
Red Toad looked at Luigi. "Surely you don't feel bad?"
Luigi looked at Red Toad with discerned eyes and tossed the coin into the donation box, clapping twice and praying. After Luigi opened his eyes, he slowly went back to the Human Village.
Red Toad tagged along while they were walking down the stone stairs. "So, what did you wish for, Luigi?"
Luigi winked and smiled. "They say your wish is more likely to come true if you don't tell anyone."
"A man of many secrets!" Red Toad laughed.
And Luigi laughed too, genuinely happy.
...and when they were out of sight and out of anyone's hearing range, someone opened the doors of the shrine.
A brown-haired woman with a red ribbon on her head. She was wearing a red and white shrine maiden's uniform. The girl opened the donation box and pulled out the coin.
"...huh..." The girl pondered. "Is that a coin from the man I've heard so much about...? He's here already. I have to find him quick."
And with that, the girl took her purification rod and made her way to the Human Village.
Luigi was mainly looking at the sky. "There's cherry blossoms everywhere, but I occasionally see some sort of witch with yellow hair flying around on a broom up above... Wonder what that's about..."
Red Toad sighed. "And we couldn't find Reimu! What a shame! We might as well tell Alice about it..."
Luigi nodded and pulled out his Wii Boo, calling Alice.
Alice instantly appeared on the screen. "Lovely weather, Luigi, from the looks of it. Did you find Reimu yet?"
Luigi shook his head. "No."
Alice seemed to flinch. "Well, you might find her now... s-see you, Luigi."
Alice instantly disconnected.
Luigi blinked and turned around and was met with a brown-hair woman in a red-white shrine maiden outfit.
The shrine maiden widened her eyes. "So it IS you... You're the latest incident, huh?"
Luigi was undeniably shivering. "U-um... who may you be...?"
The girl sighed, calmly introducing herself. "My name is Reimu Hakurei. I'm the incident-buster of Gensokyo, or that's what they call me."
Luigi gasped too. This was Reimu.
Wait... He felt his heart sink like a stone.
Earlier, he met Sanae, a green shrine maiden, and confused her for Reimu, a red shrine maiden... Sounded awfully familiar to him, everyone confusing Luigi for Mario... Luigi then felt a heavy stone of guilt weighing over his shoulder.
With Luigi's guilt, the only sentence he could muster was:
"Don't bust me up, please..."
"I'll bust you up real hard if you pose a threat." Reimu held her stick.
Luigi squinted his eyes. "PLEASE rephrase."
"What? What's wrong with what I'm saying?"
"Somebody's gonna take that line out of context."
Reimu rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I can see that you pose no real threat as of now, so if you excuse me, I need to catch up on some sleep and accept more donations." She walked off before Luigi could say anything
"But I-I-I-I-I-I..."
...he didn't get the chance to ask for help. It would annoy her to show up twice, especially in such a short span of time.
Red Toad looked at Luigi, and Luigi just felt utterly lost and broken. He quickly called Alice on his Wii Boo gamepad.
Alice came online and brushed herself off. "Whew, sorry about that earlier. So, did you interact with Reimu?"
Luigi's voice was a low murmur. "I did."
"...and? Is she helping you...?"
Luigi's next voice was a mix of that same low murmur and a bit of hatred and anger.
He said the following with emotion that could almost break him into tears.
"...no."