1/29
"Good morning, Goro-kun." Keine stood at the door and smiled.
"Good morning," I said back. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm fine," she said. "Although, the question should be, how have you been doing?"
"I'm doing quite well, thank you."
"That's good." She looked behind her. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take you to my favorite teahouse. There are some things I would like to talk to you about, and see how you are doing so far here in Gensokyo."
"That would be wonderful." I bowed. "Thank you very much, Keine."
The teahouse was moderately busy, but not too crowded. Most of the people here were simply seeking refuge from the snow blowing around outside. Me and Keine found a secluded seat away from the door, so that we could quietly visit.
"So," Keine started, "you've been here for just over a month. How would you say you feel so far? Are you coming to appreciate Gensokyo?"
"Yes," I nodded. "I would certainly say it's a wonderful place, very different from Tokyo."
Keine smiled. "I'm glad you think so. Not every Outsider shares your opinion." She took a sip. "And I must say, you certainly have your way with women. Reimu, Marisa, Youmu… Reimu even tells me you've managed to find a friend in Nitori, a reclusive kappa." She looked up at me. "I have also been told you took Reisen with you, and went with some of Byakuren's acolytes, to go drinking in the Underground."
My eyes widened. "How do you know that?"
"Oh, that girl Reimu tells me a lot of things; she comes down to the Temple School quite frequently." She looked at me sternly. "I will caution you not to overstep your bounds. This is Gensokyo, a land full of youkai who wouldn't pass up the chance to jump on an Outsider such as you. Even if you learn Spell Cards, there are many dangerous places, as I have told you about." She took another sip of tea. "Still, going to the Underground, befriending the Shrine Maiden and several youkai, and learning how to fly, all in your first month. You're a very special person, Goro. I would not want to see it go to waste."
"Of course not," I said, shaking my head. "Reimu already thinks I would make a great third incident resolver."
Keine chuckled. "Well, hopefully she's right. Stubborn and lazy as she is, she has great intuition, and knows talent when she sees it. Perhaps only so that she can sleep in more." Both of us laughed. "In all seriousness, it sounds like you're doing very well. Just remember: if you ever need anything, come visit anytime. Certainly, the kids would love to meet you again."
"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded. "Thank you for the tea, by the way. This is a very nice place. I might have to bring someone here sometime."
Keine smiled again. "Don't mention it."
When I left the teahouse, I felt something go off: the messaging devices Nitori had given all of us. I took it out and looked at the screen:
seeingstars: Testing to make sure this thing works. Can anyone see this?
turtlepower: Is that you, Starburst?
seeingstars: Yeah, but this ain't the Metaverse, we don't have to use codenames, do we?
aburaage: I thought Crow insisted we do just in case someone intercepts these.
seeingstars: Wait, who are you?
aburaage: I'm Seraph.
seeingstars: The hell's with that name?
aburaage: Look, I was hungry when I came up with it, and I can't change it.
turtlepower: Yeah, sorry about that. I'll look into it.
turbogranny: These are quite interesting devices, just like those fones Sanae shows me.
seeingstars: I think it's "Phones." And hi there, uh…
turbogranny: What is it?
pancakeman: We haven't come up with a codename for you, yet.
aburaage: Who are you just now?
pancakeman: It's Crow. I like delicious pancakes.
turtlepower: Wow, you two are hopeless.
seeingstars: Anyway, we can deal with that later. Right now, I got some hot info for all y'all.
pancakeman: Alright, shoot.
seeingstars: So, last night, outta boredom I plugged some names into the key. Then, this morning when I went into town for tea I eavesdropped on some conversations and added a couple names to the list. I've got three Ethos matches in total.
aburaage: What are they?
seeingstars: The first one's a guy running a blackmail operation. He has this camera, takes pictures of couples in "the act," then threatens to sell them unless they pay the ransom. His name is Hayate Uchishiba.
ghostmochi: Disgusting. This is Fury, by the way.
seeingstars: Number two is a bully at the Temple School. His name is Masashito Takanashi.
pancakeman: Okay. And the third?
seeingstars: Well, the third one kinda surprised me: Kosuzu Mootori.
aburaage: Wait, Kosu-chan?
pancakeman: That's the girl in the shop across the street from where I live, is she not?
seeingstars: Yup, that's her. Surprised me because she seemed alright after we resolved the Youma Book incident and told her everything going on in Gensokyo. Maybe she still harbors some resentment about being lied to or something? I dunno.
pancakeman: Regardless, if her name registers on the key, that must mean she holds distorted desires, otherwise her shadow wouldn't appear in Ethos at all.
aburaage: I can't let a friend be corrupted like that, not after what happened. I say we should go for it.
pancakeman: Hold on, Seraph. We need a unanimous agreement before we go in, and Bull is not present.
turbogranny: A unanimous agreement?
ghostmochi: That's right. We don't start a mission unless every member of the team agrees.
turbogranny: I see. Very admirable.
seeingstars: By the way, where is Bull?
godlygeneral: I'm here. I've been here the whole time.
pancakeman: Hello, Bull.
seeingstars: Why didn't you speak up?
godlygeneral: Apologies. My master is scribing for me while I speak. She's been reading this conversation to me. In any case, I do not object.
pancakeman: Okay, that's two.
seeingstars: Let's go change some hearts and pocket some treasure.
aburaage: It's always about money and treasure with you, isn't it?
seeingstars: Pot hello kettle.
ghostmochi: Then, I say we go to Ethos as well.
turtlepower: Let's do it.
turbogranny: I will say yes as well. I would like to gain experience for future "fortresses" and see how you all work together.
pancakeman: No objections? What's the earliest everyone can come out?
aburaage: I have blessings and visits to the Temple School scheduled today through Tuesday. Wednesday's the earliest I can do.
turbogranny: I have time on Wednesday after our morning prayer session as well.
pancakeman: Alright then, it sounds like Wednesday is our day. Meet on the shore of the Misty Lake in the afternoon.
turtlepower: I'll work on our gear for us.
seeingstars: And I'll formulate some medicine for all of us. I think one of my black lotuses is about to bloom.
pancakeman: Alright, sounds good. See you all then.
I put the device away. I decided to head back to the shop and get some more hours in, when I felt it go off one more time. I checked it. It was a private message from Youmu.
ghostmochi: Are you free to come to the portal? Master wants to speak with you.
pancakeman: Certainly. I'll come right over.
When I arrived at Hakugyoukoro, it didn't surprise me that both Yuyuko and Doremy were both there, at the table with lunch already laid out.
"Welcome back," Yuyuko smiled. "It's been a little while, hasn't it?"
"My apologies, I got stuck in traffic," I said.
"Have you been taking good care of Youmu-chan?"
"Yes, in fact. She's holding her own quite well in the Metaverse, and we have recently managed another great achievement: we have taken down the fortress of Byakuren Hijiri, she awakened a Persona, and joined the team."
"Hohoho," Doremy chuckled. "The fortress of the great youkai priestess Hijiri. You're doing quite well, having taken down your second fortress. I'm sure you'll find her to be a powerful ally."
I sat down at the table. There was an assortment of fruit and vegetable skewers, fried tofu, and various meats, perfect for sampling, along with freshly-brewed, piping hot tea. I took my seat, and we all passed around food and dished up.
"So," I began, "I understand you summoned me here for a purpose?"
"Indeed," Doremy said. "It has been a while since our last meeting, and much has transpired since then. We have uncovered more details about the Outside incident, and have important matters to go over with you. This matter also concerns Youmu and the rest of your team."
"Oh?" Youmu wondered.
"Yes." Yuyuko took a bite and a sip. "More scouts have returned from Outside, and Doremy has analyzed more dreams. We believe we now fully understand what is going on." She looked down. "And it is not very good."
"How so?" I asked.
"I'll start with the short version," Doremy said. "Somehow, a man Outside has taken control of Mementos, is in the process of merging it with the physical realm, and is manipulating the collective consciousness of all of mankind to create a 'perfect world' where there is no pain or strife."
I spat out my tea. "Wha-" I took a moment to regain my composure. "So… it IS Metaverse-related after all. I figured as much, after what Jose said. But… merging Mementos with the real world… how is that even…"
"Here's the longer version," Doremy continued. "As you probably know, Mementos is the place where the distorted desires of the masses gather. However, it… did not always exist. Long ago, as the world modernized and the people grew complacent and dulled to its harsh realities, as nature was ravaged and corrupt men threatened each other's nations with war, a being was born from the mass's collective desire to be freed from making decisions, from having to think for themselves. In others, freedom from freedom."
"That sounds about right," I said, dourly. "They'll take security over freedom, but deserve neither."
"Right. Now, this being. It wasn't very powerful… at first. But because it was formed within a deep, isolated part of the cognitive realm, it went unnoticed for far too long. Soon, it grew, fed by the desires of the masses, and formed a massive prison around itself. This Prison of Regression was the core of the twisted, congealed mess of halls you know as 'Mementos,' and it was here that it imprisoned the shadows of everyone in the world… everyone who wanted to be imprisoned, that is. Because there were naturally a few 'rebels,' those who took matters into their own hands and attempted to exert their own control over the populace without actually fixing any problems; these were all of the palace owners."
I shot up. "Wait… so, you mean…"
"Yes," Doremy nodded. "The Phantom Thieves destroying all of those palaces played right into its hands. The being in the center of Mementos eventually blossomed into its mature state, the Holy Grail. And this Grail was, in turn, merely the 'resting' form of an even stronger being: the God of Control, Yaldabaoth." She took a moment to think. I realized that she wanted to say more, but also realized Youmu was present, and knew I was still keen on keeping my past a secret. Eventually, she continued with the same lie I told everyone else.
"After you fell in Shido's Palace, the Phantom Thieves did, indeed, change the heart of Masayoshi Shido and made him confess his crimes. However, immediately after this, they realized something was wrong, as the people of Tokyo still clamored for him, and Antisocial Force cleaners were busy at work covering everything up. Concerned, they traveled to the center of Mementos, discovered the Prison of Regression, and faced off against Yaldabaoth. After a long, tough battle, they eventually managed to best him in combat, destroy him, and return the desires to the masses."
I looked down and thought. "A 'God of Control'... I remember Jose talking about it." I looked up. "If you were aware of it, why did you do nothing?"
Doremy shrugged. "I manage the Dream World, not the Cognitive World. The two are similar in many ways and intertwine, but are not the same thing. And as I said, Yaldabaoth flew under the radar for some time. Even if I could have confronted him, by the time he was noticeable he would have easily killed me…" As she said those words, I could pick up a hint of regret and anger which she had not expressed before. "But, I saw the Phantom Thieves, and realized they could destroy him. So I watched them. After they destroyed him and took the treasure of the masses, I thought that would be the end of it. However, almost immediately, the Dream World started receiving massive disruptions. Dream selves were not behaving in their normal ways, they began having dreams which completely contradicted reality, and dreamscapes were being wholesale ripped apart and rearranged." She sipped her tea. "And then… just when I did not think it could get stranger, those two had their dream selves whisked away entirely."
"Do you mean Reimu and Marisa?" I asked. "Both recently told me about a strange dream they both had…"
"That was no dream," Doremy said, shaking her head. "Something drained their vitality in reality to put them to sleep. You may have noticed their energy waning on the day of the 9th. Then, once they were asleep, both of their dream selves were ripped away from the Dream World and thrust into the Metaverse. Which should be more or less impossible."
"What is a 'dream self?'" I asked.
"A dream self is a projection of your real self which is created whenever you fall asleep," Doremy explained. "Your consciousness manifests within the Dream World, and creates a dream body around it. These dream bodies surround themselves with pink bubbles, wherein they interact with dreamscapes shaped by their own experiences, and in some cases that of others."
"So, they are similar to shadow selves," I said.
"...not quite. Dream selves are fleeting manifestations of every aspect of your consciousness, and only last for one dream. Shadow selves, on the other hand, are permanent fixtures existing in the separate Metaverse, or collective unconscious, representing the thoughts, feelings and desires one suppresses. As you are not entirely lucid within a dream, however, some of those thoughts can make themselves known and shape the dreams your mind creates." She took a bite. "Now then, Reimu and Marisa. On that night, their dream bodies were created, then immediately taken away and tossed into the Metaverse, specifically one particular location, whose nature I ascertained by analyzing their dream souls afterwards."
"Where did they end up?" I asked.
"A palace, just like the ones the Phantom Thieves took down," Doremy answered. "As it was a Metaverse location, and they had awakened to their Personas, their dream selves, acting as corporeal bodies, manifested their Metaverse attire and could use their Personas like normal. They were also completely lucid, unlike what is usual. After a short while, they encountered both the Phantom Thieves, and the palace's owner: one Takuto Maruki."
My eyes widened. "Maruki…"
"...did you know him?" Youmu asked.
"Yes," I said. "He was a counselor for a short time at Shujin Academy. I knew him personally and we were both good friends of Sumire Yoshizawa, a girl who had lost her sister to a car accident. To think he had a palace…"
"Not just any palace, though," Doremy said. "He can control Mementos from there, influence the cognition of the masses to create his vision of a paradise."
"Why would he do such a thing, though?" I wondered. "Palaces and Fortresses are usually born from some form of trauma in a person's life…"
Doremy shook her head. "Regardless, the two cornered him while he was in the process of forcing his 'salvation' upon a girl named Sumire Yoshizawa, a suicidally depressed girl whose sister was killed trying to stop her from running out onto the street and getting hit by a car. Unable to bear the weight of this event, it seems Maruki somehow influenced her cognition to make her think she was, in fact, her deceased sister. Meaning he has had this power for much longer than this current incident."
I sighed. "So that's it. I always suspected something was amiss with Sumire. But a cognitive filter caused her to think she was another person…"
"Losing someone so dear to her, especially if it could be thought of as being her fault, is a very hard thing to have to live with," Youmu remarked. "But… she accomplishes nothing that could save her soul by having a spell like that be placed on her. And the fact that this 'Dr. Maruki' can do such a thing in the first place…"
"Indeed, it is quite alarming," Doremy said. "Through their combined strength, Reimu, Marisa and the Phantom Thieves forced Maruki to the ground. Reimu was just about to kill him, before Marisa intervened. I suppose Marisa believed, despite all that Maruki had done, that he could be salvaged. Reimu disagreed. The two almost fought, before they were pulled away from the Metaverse and back to their waking selves."
We all took a moment to digest everything Doremy had dumped on us.
"Honestly," Yuyuko said. "I could never have imagined an incident of this type was even possible, much less having gone on for at least the past few years." She took a sip of tea. "Human cognition is a terrifying force to behold, able to give birth to powerful monstrosities such as 'Yaldabaoth' and being able to shape and manipulate the physical world. But, I suppose human cognition not only enables youkai and gods to exist, but can rescind their existence just as readily…"
"And now this force threatens our very way of life," Youmu said. "Yuyuko-sama, Doremy-sama, what is being done about this?"
"Again, I have been watching the Phantom Thieves," Doremy said. "It would seem they are on the cusp of dealing with this incident themselves, but I have also observed worrying signs of them wavering on their commitment as well, given the nature of this 'dream world' and the wishes it could grant them, the pain it could take away. So, our plan is this: if, by February 2nd, this coming Thursday, they don't show full commitment to taking down Maruki's palace, your group will be deployed to deal with it instead. Kasen will be responsible for facilitating this, although she does not know that you all will be doing so; she has only been told that we have 'powerful fighters' who are fully qualified to take care of the incident."
"And," Yuyuko added, "even if you all are not needed for that incident, you all are delving into another, separate incident with ominous implications for Gensokyo as a whole."
"Indeed," said Doremy. "Given that Reimu almost killed Maruki, I believe another force was responsible for her and Marisa going to his palace, one which wanted Maruki dead for some reason. Whether or not this force is related to the Fortresses you all have been taking down is unknown, but we can't discount the possibility. Therefore…"
Yuyuko got up and did a curtsey. "Allow us to be your 'mission control' of sorts. Given my vast experience with Gensokyo's politics, I'm connected to very nearly every person of importance in both the living and astral realms, and can arrange for anything you might need."
"And I am the master of the Dream World," Doremy added. "Together, we can provide you with all the intelligence you might possibly need."
I bowed. "Thank you. In return for your assistance, I swear to you that I, Youmu, all of us will get to the bottom of this."
"Splendid," Yuyuko smiled. "Then, on the 2nd, you will learn through Youmu whether or not your team will be required to deal with Takuto Maruki. Be sure to make any necessary preparations before then, because once you step Outside, none of us will be able to assist you."
"I understand," I nodded.
"Good. I have high expectations of you, after all," she said.
1/30
Taking to heart Yuyuko and Doremy's recommendations, I made my way over to Eientei to collect more medicine for the epic showdown we may or may not be headed towards. If nothing else, having extra supplies ahead of an Ethos excursion was not at all a bad idea. By now, I had a good enough idea of where it was that I could quickly fly there by myself.
I approached the front door, where, as always, Seiran and Ringo stood guard. "Good morning," I said.
"Ah, Akechi-san," said Seiran. "I trust you have business again today?"
"I do. I am here to collect more medicine."
Ringo shook her head. "Unfortunately, Eirin-sama is out today visiting the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She won't be back before nightfall. However, Reisen and the princess are here if you would prefer to see them."
"Actually, I was looking for Reisen specifically," I answered.
Seiran nodded. "I see. In that case, I will let them know that you are here. Follow me."
Seiran led me in through the main door and down the expansive labyrinth of hallways making up the mansion's interior. I wondered to myself how this many hallways could fit inside, since the main hall in particular seemed to be longer than the manion's exterior dimensions could accommodate. As always, each of those halls were lined with rabbits, some of which were animals and the others of which were bunny girls, and all of them gazed upon me with unnerving, ruby-red eyes.
Soon, we came to a door with an intricate, beautifully-painted mural sprawled across its two halves, and whose frame and handles were trimmed with gold. Seiran asked me to stand back, before ringing a bell hung up next to it. "Princess?"
"Yes, Seiran?"
"I have Akechi-san with me. May he come in?"
"Certainly."
Seiran nodded, then opened the door for me. "I must return to my post, now. Please show your best behavior and manners around the Princess."
...and exactly how was I expected to do that when the "Princess" in question was on her side, eating snacks while scraps and clothes were strewn all across the floor, in front of a TV showing Snow White with Japanese subtitles?
"Good afternoon, Kaguya-hime," I said.
"I told you you don't have to call me that," she said with her mouth full. "I haven't been a princess in literally forever, after all."
I shut the door and sat down. "Certainly one gifted with unmatched beauty such as yourself should act the part. Eyes red as a rose, hair black as a raven's feathers and skin white as snow…"
"Oh, so just like this chick on the box here?" she said. "Except I think it's her lips that are red. I don't know, I've never bothered with makeup, since as far as I'm concerned I don't need it, nor does anyone else need it. If you use makeup, you're just hiding who you really are and are pretending to be someone else."
"That's a rather nuanced opinion," I replied, "but it's no excuse for being a slob. How do the others put up with such behavior from you?"
Kaguya hit the pause button and got up to face me. "Well, I suppose I'm not going to be able to watch my movie while you're here. Why don't we head over to the tea room and continue this conversation?"
"That sounds lovely," I said dryly.
The mansion's tea room was uniquely set in the middle of a greenhouse, whose dome was covered in a thick layer of snow, contrasting with the palm trees, ferns, spider lilies and aquarium filled with exotic tropical fish and coral. The air was humid and clammy, and colorful butterflies fluttered through the air and between the leaves.
"Do you like our butterfly garden?" Kaguya asked. "Eirin created it with Lunar technology, and I keep everything beautiful and pristine with my power."
"What is your power?" I asked.
"I can manipulate eternity and spontaneous moments," she said. "I can freeze the time of an object, speed it up, and perform actions too fast for anyone to see. It's how I hid this mansion for the longest time."
"Fascinating," I nodded. "You must be extremely powerful, then."
"Perhaps, but Eirin is even more so," Kagyua said. "She just doesn't show most of it out of respect for me."
"Is that so…"
We sat down around the table, set atop a tatami protecting it from the moist stone door. Soon after, Reisen came into the garden with a platter holding a tea kettle and cups, followed by a large, black bunny, Boss-kun.
"Hello, Goro," Reisen smiled.
"Hello, Reisen," I said.
"Ohoho, are you two already that close?" Kaguya giggled. "Remember how you two went out drinking that night?"
"Again, only as friends, and we went with others," I clarified.
"I know that." Reisen poured Kaguya a cup. "In all seriousness, I want to thank you for taking care of her that night. I was very concerned when she said she was going drinking in the Underground."
"Do you care very much about her?" I asked.
"Well, she is my favorite inaba," she said. "We often sleep together."
"Kaguya-sama!" Reisen complained while blushing. "Please don't say such things to a guy! It's embarrassing!"
I looked over to Boss-kun. "Seems you've brought a friend."
"He thinks I'm going to give him treats," Reisen said. She looked down at him. "Look, I already fed you for today, so you're not getting anything else."
…
*Thump*
Reisen pouted. "I said no! You're being a bad boy! Go over and sit with Goro or something!"
…
*Thump*
Kaguya chuckled. "Someone's a bit needy today, it seems."
"Is he?" I asked. "I don't know much about rabbit behavior…"
"They do that when they're being fussy," Reisen explained. "I don't let them have it, though. Here." She picked him up and plopped him right on my lap. "Spend some quality time with Goro-kun."
Once again, I petted him, and he seemed to melt into my lap and completely relax, closing his eyes and twitching his nose. He was warm, fluffy and heavy, which was made more bothersome by the humid greenhouse in which we sat. Still, I settled in, sipped some tea, and visited them for a while. For the most part, we just engaged in small talk. I still found it hard to believe, being seated here with the legendary Kaguya-hime, seeing her for who she really was (and how she was perfectly fine with that) and just getting to know her as a person. Reisen herself was an interesting person: a 'moon rabbit' who came down here long after Eirin and Kaguya did and served them dutifully.
"So, what brought you to come down here in the first place?" I asked.
"Well, I, uh…" Reisen paused for a moment. "I just didn't like it up there, I guess?"
I could tell from her voice that I hit a sore spot, and the reason for her coming down here was a sensitive topic, and she wouldn't answer me directly. So instead I decided to see if I could get an answer indirectly and try to figure it out myself. "Tell me, what is the Lunar Capital like?"
"The Lunar Capital," Kaguya said. "It's been such a long time since I've lived there, so most of what I know about it these days comes from Reisen."
"Well, I mean, it's the capital of the True Moon," Reisen explained. "It's a shining place, on the shore of the expansive seas covering the Moon, glowing with lights and whose skyscrapers glint in the light of the Sun and the Earth. A sprawling metropolis of more than twenty-five million Lunarians and rabbits, it has technology far ahead of anything humans have come up with, along with huge stores of magic. Up there, they live completely divorced from the concept of life, and therefore death. It was founded by Lord Tsukiyomi, along with several humans who wished to leave Earth's 'impurity,' and soon became godlike themselves."
"Lord Tsukiyomi… would that be the same Tsukiyomi, the Shinto moon god, who was born from Izanagi's right eye when he cleansed himself following his visit to Yomi?" I asked.
"The one and only," Reisen nodded. "He's an enigmatic and somewhat reclusive figure who I've only seen once, but he is incredibly powerful. He and the other founding Lunarians pooled their sheer divine and magical power to create the barrier which hides the Lunar Capital from the Earth. The Moon, as it was before, is what we see in the sky. Its light is the source of power for all youkai, who all become stronger on the night of the full Moon; other creatures around the world become stronger under the Moon as well, and it can induce insanity in humans and animals. Although, seven years ago, something happened that caused its power to be somewhat subdued, and it seems to no longer have any effect on the humans of Gensokyo at all."
Seven years ago… if my conversations with former members of the Kijiro Group and Strega served, it had been seven years to the day since the Shadow Operatives, before they were known by that name, prevented the Fall, which had something to do with the Moon, and lost one of their members in order to "seal" it. Perhaps Reisen was describing that event?
"I see… it sounds like the Lunar Capital would be an interesting place to visit, to say the least," I said.
"Well, good luck getting there," Reisen said. "It's protected by a powerful barrier that separates fantasy and reality - actually, the Hakurei Border is based on it. On full moon nights, the barrier is at its weakest, and one can use a path which crosses through the Dream World, known as the Kaian Passageway, to reach the edge of the seas on the Moon, which then must be crossed in a particular order to reach the Capital. And then they'd probably shoot you on sight, on account of being an 'impure' Earth mortal, assuming you successfully made the journey."
"'Impure?'" I asked.
"Yes. As I said, Lunarians live separate from the cycle of life and death, and cannot be considered either alive or dead. If a living thing goes up there, they would bring their life energy with them - and wherever life goes, death and decay follow closely, and they'll stop at nothing to keep that from contaminating their home. Two years ago, a spirit led an invasion of the moon with legions of fairies jacked up with life energy, causing the Capital to become a frozen wasteland and the citizens to have to evacuate; I assisted Reimu, Marisa and Sanae with quelling that incident, since their plan was to invade Gensokyo in a bid to set up a new home. I faced the spirit, who explained that she specifically smoked out the Capital in order to get to Chang'e so she could kill her."
"Chang'e," I said. "So, she really does exist. Although, if I'm sitting here with Princess Kaguya, I suppose I should have suspected that already."
"Yes," Reisen nodded. "She's the master of the Moon Rabbits. She consumed a prototype of the Hourai Elixir, which made her immortal and therefore subject to the cycle of life and death again, so she was imprisoned. Us Moon Rabbits pound mochi in an attempt to atone for her sins. And…" She looked away from me. "...sorry, it's just… hard to talk about this with strangers."
"No, I understand," I said. "I can tell the circumstances under which you left the Moon weren't at all happy."
"How could you tell?" Reisen asked.
"Never doubt a detective's intuition," I said. "But, if it's a hard subject for you, I won't press it further."
Reisen smiled. "Thanks. At least you understand; there are others who weren't as polite or respectful." She sipped her tea. "I will say I used to be a soldier. I'm sure you can piece together why I left the Moon just based on that."
A soldier… while I couldn't fully sympathize, I was still made to go out and kill people by corrupt, armchair officials. Perhaps the only reason I didn't have PTSD was because of how deranged I was most of the time on the job, gleefully slaughtering hapless foes left and right.
"I...see." I looked down at Boss-kun, who had melted into my lap without a care in the world, and patted him lightly. At least he would most likely never know his master's tumultuous background, whatever it entailed. "Well, if there's anything you need, know that you can rely on me, just as I rely on you and your medicines."
"Thank you," Reisen bowed.
Kaguya giggled. "I'm glad you two seem to get along well. I think you two are good fits for each other, I'd only want the best for Reisen-chan."
Reisen blushed, and her ears stood up. "K-kaguya-sama!" Once again, I groaned.
As I was getting ready to leave and Reisen showed me to the door, Marisa came in with a bag of mushrooms and herbs. "Oh hey there," she waved, "your master wouldn't happen to-"
All of a sudden, Boss-kun came up from behind us, bounding quickly toward Marisa while making some sort of nasally honking noise.
"Whoa!" I exclaimed as he ran right between my legs. "Where did he come from?! And… what kind of noise is that?"
"It just means he's happy," Reisen smiled.
Marisa crouched down to his level and patted him. "Hey, buddy," she grinned. "Good to see 'ya!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of straw. "I got your favorite snack right here!" Boss-kun took it into his mouth and nibbled hungrily.
"Not a carrot?" I asked.
"That's actually a common misconception," Reisen said. "Carrots are too sweet for rabbits and are not good for them."
"Carrots? Sweet?" I wondered.
"Humans eat more sugar than most other animals," Reisen explained. "It's why you get cavities so much, not that us youkai rabbits are any better, or any youkai for that matter." She looked at Marisa. "But he's really taken a liking to Marisa, probably because she always brings tasty snacks for him."
"'Ey, I can't help it," Marisa said. "He's your only rabbit that's actually cute and friendly, not like the others with their creepy red eyes, and they all tend to be buttholes. Prolly because Tewi leads all of them." Boss-kun finished up his snack, and Marisa petted him some more. "Gotta say, Reisen, you're a hell of a pet parent. I could see 'ya bein' a mom."
"Er… thanks," Reisen blushed.
The door opened again. "I'm home," said Eirin, a little exhausted. "Sorry I'm late. It took some time for me to be able to go speak to Patchouli, and then she didn't want to talk much." She sighed. "I know she's a bit of a recluse, but she somehow seemed even worse than normal…"
"Well, that's Patche for 'ya," Marisa said. "Won't go outside to get fresh air even if the whole damn library was on fire. I've tried coaxing her outside for a Spell Card Duel using her books as bait; it only sometimes works." She handed Eirin her goods. "I got some good ones recently, I think you'll like 'em."
"Thank you," Eirin said, taking the goods. I took a closer look at them, and realized some of the herbs were ones dropped by shadows in the Metaverse. Eirin inspected them, then said, "intriguing… even I've never seen some of these herbs before. They certainly look potent, where did you get them?"
"Sorry, trade secret," Marisa grinned. "I am growing them in my lab, though, to see if I can isolate their active ingredients."
"Hah… well, fair enough," Eirin sighed. "I'll give you extra next time if I find a good use for these."
"Deal," Marisa said.
"I'll go get started on dinner," Reisen said, walking towards the back.
"Oh? Why did you not start it already?" Eirin asked playfully.
"I was just waiting for you to return so that it was hot and fresh for you," Reisen responded.
"Well, certainly it wasn't because you were speaking with this fine gentleman over here?"
"EEP! NO, NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Reisen rushed to the back. "I'll start dinner right now!"
Eirin turned around to us next. "How about you two?"
"Sorry, I got stuff to work on," Marisa said. "And I already had a pot goin' before I left."
I looked outside. "Dinner does sound great, but it is starting to get dark out."
Eirin smiled. "Well, alright. Just remember to come back soon so we can do more trials."
"I won't forget," I promised. "See you later."
"See you later, Goro," Eirin waved as I flew off, above the tree canopy and towards the village.
1/31
*knock knock*
It was late morning when I heard the door knocking. Strange, I thought. This was a store, customers were free to come in as they wanted. Either way, I went to answer it, and saw Reimu standing out in the snow, her head and neck wrapped in a yellow scarf.
"Morning," she grunted.
"Good morning," I smiled. "You don't have to knock, you can just come in."
"I wanted to get you quickly so that we could head back to the shrine and practice Spell Cards. It's been a while because of investigating Byakuren and everything."
"Oh, alright," I said. "I'll go let Masato know, then I'll be right out."
"Excellent. Just hurry up, it's freezing out here."
We flew up to the Shrine, where I saw Suika over by the main building cooking something. "It smells delicious," I said.
"Well, Reimu told me you'd be comin' to do spell practice, so I thought I'd make y'all lunch," she replied. "Fried pork, wrestled a boar to the ground and gutted it myself."
I shivered a bit, then looked at the two ladies' exposed armpits, which made me shiver some more. "Aren't you two cold, wearing sleeveless shirts in this weather?"
"I get hot if I wear sleeves on the job," Reimu said. "Sweaty, too."
"And I'm an Oni, I don't get cold," Suika smirked. "And besides, what's a guy like you doin' starin' at girls' armpits? Hopin' to catch sideboob or somethin', dirty boy?"
"Er-"
...fuck, I totally walked right into that one.
Instead of jumping straight into sparring, Reimu took me inside the shamusho, where she presented me with a set of blank cards, like the type we found in the Metaverse.
"We're going to start today by going over Spell Cards," Reimu explained, "since I think it's time you started making your own. You can't participate in 'capture' duels without them, anyway."
"Fair enough," I said.
Reimu laid out some cards for me, and pushed over a pot of ink. "Now, then, I'm sure you've seen examples of spell cards by this point. They are not just powerful attacks: as I've said before, each one has a story and symbolism behind it. Sometimes, they represent something of personal significance to the user, such as their past, their family, or an event in their life. Sometimes they are special attacks and moves they already possess, rendered in 'danmaku' form. The point is, they have substance, and are just as alive as their users. One could even say they are reflections of your soul and personality." She took a brush of her own, as well as a card. "Now, a physical card only has to be made once; you can create magical 'clones' of that card by focusing energy into it. When naming a card - and they must all have names - usually the standard convention is 'X Sign - suchandsuch.' For example, 'Spirit Sign - Fantasy Seal.' Some people name their cards a little differently than this, but that's the general rule."
I looked at the blank card, with the brush in my hand. "This all sounds very complex."
"Well, it gets much simpler once you jump right into it." She crossed her arms and sat back. "Now, then. You're making your first card. I want you to consider, what makes you, you? What is your 'personal brand' which sets you apart from others?"
My "personal brand" as she put it… I thought about it carefully. Certainly, there was my resentful, violent past, but not only did I want no one to know about that, I actively wanted to move on from it, and redefine myself. I thought about my current self, a gun-slinging, knife-twirling rogue in the Metaverse, wielding the power of Persona and enacting justice in the shadows…
Before I knew it, my hand started moving by itself, putting down the character for the number 0, a caricature of a man with a dog, and 'Le Mat' written at the bottom. The ink dried quickly. I took it between my fingers, closed my eyes, and focused in on it. I could feel the card brimming with power as I did so. I definitely felt a certain energy coming from it, my first spell card.
"May I see it?" Reimu asked.
"Certainly." I handed Reimu the card, and she looked over it briefly.
"I see… something like a Tarot card, like how your Personas are classified." She looked up at me. "Well, I suppose your 'power' is leading people into the Metaverse and fighting using different Personas. Would you like to step outside and demonstrate it?"
"Yes, let's," I nodded.
Outside, we wasted no time lifting off into the air and shooting lasers at each other. I slung my pistol around, while her Yin-Yang Orb provided backup fire while she fired streams of needles. Even though I was still a rookie and she was the Spell Card system's creator, she was still adamant about keeping the pressure up, even while it was clear she was still holding back. After a few minutes, she stopped firing, and took out a spell card. "Now, here. I'm going to declare a spell card, and I want you to counter it with your own."
"Er, alright," I said.
"Good. Now then," she flicked a card, then cast out her gohei. "Spirit Sign: Fantasy Seal!" Almost instantly, her needles and orb-like lasers halted, and were replaced with volleys of sealing amulets, heading right toward me. With no time to hesitate, I pulled and declared my own card, my very first one.
"Fool Sign: Secret Agent!"
I felt power brimming from behind me, a shimmering blue, flaming aura which repelled the amulets. Gray lights then encircled me, like the inside of a gun barrel, before a blood-red laser fired out and struck Reimu directly. Once the lights cleared, I saw her on the ground, kneeling and her gohei on the ground in front of her.
I lowered down to her level, and walked up to her. "So then… How did I do?" I smirked.
Reimu looked up at me, with a look of shock in her eyes. "You…"
"...hm?"
She got up and pointed at me. "You didn't notice? When you activated that card, Bond appeared behind you for a second! I couldn't believe it, I didn't think you could use Personas in real life! That's why I didn't dodge! I could hardly believe what I was seeing!"
I… summoned my Persona in real life? ...I shook my head. That was impossible. Still, though, that card I created was essentially a Tarot card, a Fool card at that, and using it summoned the Fool Persona Bond…
"Perhaps that's my special power," I suggested. "Since I can use many different Personas in the Metaverse."
Reimu chuckled. "Heh. Well, I guess you have a point. You're the one who led us all into the Metaverse, and can use all those Personas compared to all of us only having one… or, two, I guess, if you count that frost thing living in my gohei." She held it out. "I swear, I was sparring the other day and an icy bolt came out of it instead of a homing amulet. At least it won me the fight, since it froze Youmu's feet to the ground and left her a sitting duck."
"Interesting," I thought. "Usually, Metaverse effects are limited to the Metaverse, but I suppose Gensokyo has different rules, if all you have to do is believe. Perhaps that's why I can use this model pistol to fire danmaku."
"I guess," Reimu shrugged. "Either way, that wasn't bad at all for a first card. It's… not the strongest I've ever seen, but huge lasers aren't something I usually see rookies and weaklings using, so you're already doing much better than most."
I bowed. "Thank you, Reimu."
"No problem." She handed me some more cards. "Now, I want you to try coming up with some more cards. Do that, then come back here so we can test them out."
"I will," I nodded.
"Good," Reimu smiled… before slowly looking off to the side. "...although… since we're talking about cards, can I… discuss something with you?"
"Sure, what is it?" I asked.
"Well, I mean…" She looked over her shoulder, to Suika who was black-out drunk on the front steps of the shrine. "Can we go to, well, that place, just in case she wakes up?"
It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about, before I said, "ah, I get it. Absolutely. Let's go right now."
We soon found ourselves in a room near the bottom of Ethos. Reimu took out one of the cards, a blank skill card, and a brush. "Remember when you came in while we were looking at these and Marisa suggested I try and copy them?"
"Yes, I do," I nodded.
"Well, I wanted to try copying and using one here in the Metaverse to see if it's actually possible." She started painting a design onto the card - when I leaned in to observe, I could see her working out the details of a Mapsi skill card. After a couple minutes, she held it out in front of her. "Aaaaand… there. A perfect replica, if I do say so myself."
Suddenly, the card shined white, and a moment later, it had turned into a real skill card.
"Wha-" Reimu recoiled, before looking at the card again. "So it really does work! As long as you make the design as accurate as possible, the card turns into the real thing."
At that moment, several Shiisa shadows spawned in behind us.
"Looks like we have the perfect opportunity to test it out," I said. "Toss me that skill card, quickly."
"Understood." Reimu flicked the card over to me, I crushed it in my hand, then summoned Yuki-Onna to dispatch the Shiisas before they knew what hit them.
I pulled my glove. "Excellent. It looks as though with your art skills you can make skill cards for us as well."
"Well, I can only copy designs for ones I've seen, but yeah, I guess I can." She then stood up straight. "Of course, as good as I am at making charms, amulets and spell cards in real life, was there ever any real doubt?"
"I suppose not," I said. "Now then, let's leave for today, before he shows up. Tomorrow, we'll come back with the others, take on those targets, and explore Ethos further."
"Sounds good," Reimu affirmed. We shuffled out, rowed back across the lake without incident, and went our separate ways for the night. I spent the evening before going to bed replenishing our stock of infiltration tools, as well as helping out with dinner; I was now capable of cooking meat in a way that did not completely burn it nor leave it totally raw and rancid.
