2/14
When I woke up the next morning, my mind and consciousness were still filled with the dream I had had last night. About Ren, about how we were at the Jazz Club, about how we were just sitting there visiting each other like friends… and also about my mixed emotions about him, the great gentlemen who I was denied the chance to be, picaresque and dashing, those congealed and intertwined feelings of respect, admiration, wanting, jealousy, hatred and rage which drove me to make an attempt at his life…
I got a scrap of paper and a pencil and wrote down the details of the dream, leaving out anything that would suggest my ties to the Metaverse or the fact that I tried to kill him. As I wrote, I thought about Eirin's comments about the medicine, the Butterfly Dream Pill, about how it was supposed to grant one pleasant dreams in which all of their wishes could be fulfilled. To think that it would summon him into my unconscious mind once more… could that be my ultimate desire, to see him again and make amends with him? Have the friendship we never truly could, because of our circumstances and the unjust game we were thrust into? To not have to be set against each other?
I went downstairs, in order to start my day as I always did. In addition to Masato, Keine was also down there.
"Good morning," I said to her.
Keine looked at me. "Oh, morning!"
I started getting things out to make breakfast. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, I'm alright," she said. "I… apologize for running away suddenly, the other night. I… had something come up."
I shook my head. "No worries. It happens to all of us."
She came over to me and handed me a small box. "I hope this giri-choco can make up for it."
"Giri-choco?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "Have you forgotten? Today is Valentine's Day."
I took the box of chocolate. "Valentine's Day. I didn't know you celebrated that here."
"Well, we didn't used to, until recently," she said. "Sanae and later Sumireko introduced the concept to other people in Gensokyo, and it's slowly caught on since then. I don't usually partake in it, but this year I thought I'd make you and Mokou each a friendship chocolate, as a token of my support."
I smiled. "Thanks."
Masato chuckled. "Hoho, look at you, getting chocolate from such a beautiful woman."
Keine pouted. "Oh, now, you know better than to say that."
"You two sure have an interesting relationship," I said.
"Well, I mean, we've known each other for quite some time," Masato said. "She knows just about everyone in town, of course, but-"
"I'm thoroughly familiar with Masato's antics," Keine finished for him. "Someone has to keep an eye on him, after all."
Masato shook his head. "Why don't you go out and meet all of your friends today? I'm sure they all want to see you."
"That sounds like a great idea," I said. After breakfast I threw on my jacket and boots, and headed out to face the world.
I didn't even make it out of the village before bumping into Reisen again, out on another delivery run.
"Oh, hello again!" she said.
"Happy Valentine's Day," I said. "Are you doing anything special today?"
"No, unfortunately. Just another work day for me." She reached into her bag and pulled out two giri-chocos. "I was hoping I'd bump into you again today, though, so I prepared this. Kaguya-sama also wanted me to give you this, as well."
I accepted the boxes. One was fairly plain, but the other was ornate, decorated with gold flecks and a bamboo design. "Thank you… a chocolate from Kaguya herself…"
Reisen shook her head. "Don't tell anyone, but I made hers, too."
I laughed. "Of course you did. Knowing what Kaguya is truly like, it wouldn't surprise me."
"No, it wouldn't. You wouldn't want to see her cooking, much less taste it."
"I'll take your word for it," I said.
Reisen adjusted her pack. "Well, I need to get back to work. Have a good rest of your day."
"You too."
I walked the streets, going in the direction of the Shrine, and along the way passing by the Dragon Statue, where the Velvet Room entrance stood.
"Trickster," a voice called out to me. "Come. Someone would like to talk to you."
"Oh?" Confused, I followed her inside, to the Velvet Room. When I entered, I noticed Igor was absent; Lavenza explained he was away that day. I also saw Rika there, standing beside her tank, Evil Eye Sigma.
"Sup," she said. "Havin' a good day so far?"
"I mean, I've already gotten giri-chocos from three different girls," I said.
"Ohohoho, you Cassanova you," she joked. "Goin' around collectin' chocolates from pretty girls on Valentine's Day." She pressed a button, which caused an arm to emerge holding another giri-choco, extending until it was right in front of me and allowing me to take it. "'Course, you can go ahead and add this one to the pile. You've been a real help so far in improving my fusion tanks."
"You're very welcome," I said to her.
Lavenza smiled. "And I am very grateful as well. Without you, I'd still be forced to use those awful execution devices to fuse Personas for guests. Now that my other trickster's journey has finally concluded, I can scrap them for good."
"But you're still keepin' the chainsaw," Rika said.
"Why not?" Lavenza said. "It's a very useful tool."
"Nah, I bet you wanna reenact The Walking Dead with shadows," Rika retorted.
Lavenza giggled. "Perhaps."
Rika turned back to me. "Anyway, that's all I needed 'ya for today. And don't forget: Barbatos with Magarula."
"I haven't forgotten," I assured her as I exited.
I made my way out of the Village, and started up the path to the Shrine. It was morning, the sun was shining, and it was just a little bit warmer than it had been, so drops of water fell off the branches as the snow on the trees melted, and the snow beneath my feet was slushy and damp. Along the way, just like always, the Netherworld portal was visible off to the side, but today, I could see Youmu standing at the foot of the path.
"Ah, good morning," she said. "I thought you'd be going to the Shrine today. If you have a moment, Yuyuko-sama wants to speak with you."
"No problem," I said. I followed her in, and we eventually made it to Hakugyokurou, where Yuyuko sat on the front porch, drinking tea.
"Good morning, Goro," she said.
"First name basis today?" I asked.
"Why not?" she smiled. "Today is a very special day, after all." From her loose robes, she produced a giri-choco. "You have done well, lately. I think you are deserving of a reward."
"Another friendship chocolate," I said, as Yuyuko offered it to me.
"'Another?'" She bore a mischievous look on her face.
"Er…"
"No need to hide it," Yuyuko said. "You are quite popular, after all. I can easily imagine every girl and woman in your vicinity showering you with chocolate, enough that one of them is certain to turn out to be a 'special' chocolate."
I looked to the side, and saw Youmu standing with her hands behind her back.
"Is something wrong?" I asked her.
She looked at me. "Well, it's, um, well…" She paused for a moment, trembling, before she looked away and held out her giri-choco with one hand. "I-it's just a friendship chocolate, nothing more!"
"Is it?" Yuyuko said playfully, her fan in front of her mouth. "I'd say you're missing a grand opportunity here, Youmu-chan."
Youmu looked like she was going to die of embarrassment as I took the chocolate from her. Once I did, she got back up and said, "whew, okay, good, you took the chocolate, now I can get back to work!"
"So hasty and unladylike to dismiss a man on Valentine's Day just like that," Yuyuko said. "What a shame. And you even wore panties today, too."
Youmu's face turned beet red. "Uwawawawawa!" She practically pounced on Yuyuko and started shouting expletives, while I just waltzed right on out of there.
Finally, I made it up to the Shrine, after numerous interruptions and many boxes of chocolate. When I got up there, I saw four figures sitting in front of the shrine in a row: Reimu, Marisa, Alice, Mamiko. All were drinking hot cups of tea, chatting and simply enjoying the day.
"Hello there!" I said, walking up to them.
Marisa stood up. "Ah, there 'ya are! I was wonderin' when you'd show up!"
"Well, I mean, I was trying to come straight here, but…" I revealed my collection of chocolates. "I kept getting sidetracked."
"Is that so…" Reimu smirked. "Seems someone's popular today." She and Marisa spaced themselves away from Alice and Mamiko, making space for me. "Well, we still have some hot tea for you. Come, sit down with us."
"Thank you." I came over to them, seated myself, and helped myself to tea and rice cookies.
"So, you were wondering when I would come by?" I said.
"Yes," Alice said. "It's also part of the reason why me and Mamiko are visiting the Shrine today."
I heard footsteps inside the Shrine. "How is Maruki?"
Reimu crossed her arms. "Well, I figured as long as I had him as my prisoner, then I could at least make him useful around here, so I'm having him do chores like sweeping and mopping the floor in the main shrine."
The door slid open, revealing Maruki holding a broom in his hand. "Good day, Akechi-kun," he said.
I smiled. "I said you could just call me 'Goro.'"
"Ah, sorry, it's just a habit of mine." He looked out over the hill. "It's quite beautiful out here today. You're all blessed to live in such a picturesque place."
Reimu grumbled. "If you're trying to flatter me, it's not going to work. I hope you realize what your situation is."
"Yes," Maruki nodded.
"Good. We can't have anyone who tried to destroy the Barrier be given half a chance to try again."
"But I thought you said the circumstances could not be replicated," Alice said.
"Not as far as we know," I reminded her.
I looked around Alice to Mamiko, who was holding a small box in her lap. "This 'chocolate' that you had me make…"
"Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought it would be good to have you make a friendship chocolate for Goro," Alice said. "That is what girls do for boys on Valentine's Day." She produced her own giri-choco. "I made one for him as well."
"So did I!" Marisa triumphantly stood up and held out her box, which was adorned with mushroom designs. "This stuff will knock your socks off!"
I winced. "Yes, but… is it safe to eat? Or will I be growing extra arms and seeing aliens eating the fabric of reality shortly afterwards?"
"It should be alright," Reimu said. "Marisa cooks well, and I've never felt anything."
"Says the woman who can consume deadly Poison Fire Coral like it's nothing," Alice said. "You probably are just immune to the effects of Marisa's, shall we say, eclectic cuisine. One time, I ate a stir fry she had prepared for me, and the next day I went outside only to discover the forest had turned into a psychedelic landscape full of pink elephants stuffing men up their trunks, music was playing which, when I described it to Sumireko, she said was 'Vaporwave,' and she also told me that the being Marisa had transformed into was something called a 'Xerneas.' Also, Reimu here was an anthropomorphic fox who spoke in blabber-talk. Since then, I've never let her cook anything for me, period."
"'Ey, how was I supposed to know I'd picked trippy mushrooms?" Marisa shrugged. "I know what psilocybin 'shrooms look like, so I thought I was better at avoiding shit that fucked you up really good!"
I rolled my eyes as the two continued to bicker at each other. "Reimu, did you make chocolate?"
"I… did," she said. She reached into her sleeve and pulled it out. "I had to borrow ingredients from Youmu to make it, but I think it turned out alright. It comes with a good-luck charm, too."
I accepted the chocolate from her. "Thank you very much," I bowed.
"Y'know, that chocolate's been rubbin' up next to her armpit for a while," Marisa remarked. "That means it's been blessed with her sacred underarm sweat!"
Reimu suddenly spun around and punched Marisa down as she shouted, "how many times do ah hafta tell 'ye not to talk about mah armpits like that, 'ye damn dirty perv!"
Here we go again, I said to myself, as I slipped away once more to continue my magical Tour de Chocolate.
I made my way next to the Myouren Temple. I figured that if most of my teammates so far had given me chocolate, the Byakuren probably would as well. She was a nice, sweet, caring lady, at least when she wasn't firing her massive gun and punching out shadow's teeth.
Kyouko, the small, green-haired girl, was out front sweeping and singing, when she noticed me coming up.
"Good afternoon, Akechi-kun!" she beamed.
"Good afternoon," I said back. "Is your master here at the moment? I wish to speak to her."
Kyouko peeked inside, then said, "she and the others are in the middle of a kung-fu class with some village kids. I don't want to disturb them." She smiled. "But sister Byakuren told us you'd probably be coming by today, and told me to give you this!" She handed over a small, wooden box. "She told me it was 'Valentine's Day' or something like that, and she wanted to give chocolate to her friend."
I looked inside the box. It held a chocolate baked into the shape of a smiling Buddha. "Did she make this herself?"
Kyouko gave a sheepish grin. "Weeeeeeelllll… I mean, I'd hate to be rude, but…"
"It doesn't matter," I said, shaking my head. "In the end, it's the thought that counts."
"Exactly!" Her ears stood up and her tail wagged. "Thanks for coming by!"
"It was a pleasure," I said.
Next up, I went down to Genbu Ravine to visit Nitori. With Aya now on our side, I no longer felt fear or apprehension in coming down in the open. I dived down beneath the water, and swam over to her cave, only to meet her halfway, underneath the rippling currents.
"Whoa-ho!" she said. "Didn't think I'd meet you under the water!"
"I was just coming to visit you," I said. "What are you doing right now?"
"I'm just out catching some fish," she said. "The fish in this river are huge!"
"I can see that," I said, seeing a massive, passing trout.
Nitori reached into one of her many pockets, and pulled out a metal box. "By the way, I heard from Marisa that people give their friends chocolates today, so I wanted to give one to my trusted friend and team leader! I specifically engineered it to be the best chocolate you've ever tasted!"
I accepted the box; unlike the others, it had a button on the top which caused a slot containing the chocolate to open. It looked like very dark chocolate, although the dim light here under the water could have been making it appear darker than it was.
"I appreciate it," I smiled. "I'll have to make it up to you later."
"No need," she said. "Just keep being our leader in the Metaverse, and you're good!"
"It's a promise." I swam back up to the surface, and made my way back.
Just outside the Village gates, I ran into a familiar face making her way out.
"Oh hey there," Mokou said. "Out and about?"
"And then some," I said. "I've been getting lots of chocolate from my friends."
"Izzat so?" She took out a box identical to the one Keine had given me. "She gave me a chocolate too, 'cause I'm her friend and such. But… I don't really care for chocolate, but I don't want to offend her, because of everything I've ever done for her and because she's one of my only real friends. So," she gave the box to me. "Consider it my gift to you."
I took the chocolate from her. "Um… thanks," I said.
"Don't mention it," she said. "...and it's just a friendship chocolate, nothing more."
"Are you sure about that?" I teased.
"I-I mean it!" she stuttered, blushing. "...idiot! Don't forget who saved 'ya!"
I chuckled as I walked through the village gates, leaving Mokou to storm back off into the Bamboo Forest, visibly steaming in the cold, early evening air.
Back inside the village walls, I was just about to head back inside the shop, when Kana came up behind me unexpectedly.
"Good evening," she said.
"Oh, hello there! You startled me."
Kana bowed. "Pardon my manners. I didn't mean to spook you." She reached into her back, and pulled out a box. "I just wanted to give you this, since today is Valentine's Day. A chocolate for a friend."
I looked at her, and smiled. "So, we're officially friends now?"
"Why not?" she said. "I like you as a person, and I want to become your friend. That's why I made a friendship chocolate, instead of just going out and buying a cheap one from the village candy store."
I accepted the box from her, then said, "well, if that's the case, then we'll have to make a deal."
"A deal?" Kana was confused.
"That's how I forge bonds," I explained. "I make mutually beneficial deals with others. It's how I ensure that my friendships endure."
"Is that so…" Kana looked down, then back up. "You know, I've always wanted to see the world outside the village and the farms. Gensokyo has so many beautiful places and so many interesting people I'd like to see, but everyone else, including Reimu, keeps telling me it's too dangerous because of all the youkai. I'm just a farm girl, so I don't get out too much. But you take on this place without caring about the youkai. You're friends with Reimu-san and Marisa-san, you can fly, you can even use spell cards. I'd like to do all of those things, but Reimu won't let me. Perhaps you could convince her otherwise."
I thought about Kana's request. Here was a girl who wanted to spread her wings, especially now that she was approaching adulthood. On one hand, I was of course concerned about her safety; I myself did not know nearly everything there was to know about Gensokyo yet, so I wasn't wholly confident that I could act as her guide and keep her away from harm. I had only just learned how to use spell cards, and there were likely many extremely skilled practitioners out there who could mop the floor with me, as well as a few characters who just didn't care about the system.
...but on the other hand, I was certainly coming along, and Kana… I saw something in her that I didn't see in the others. Somehow, she reminded me of Ren. Whether it was their shared birthdays, or how she somewhat reminded me of her, I felt a desire to do things with her that I couldn't do with him. Maybe, perhaps maybe, she was my chance to do all those things. I felt that, if I didn't, I would be letting not just her down, but him as well.
I smiled and held out my hand. "I'm sure I could, rather easily."
"I'm glad." She held out her own hand and shook mine. "I look forward to spending even more time with you."
"I do as well," I said.
I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast strengthened an existing vow.
Thy dual bond shall bolster the wings of rebellion and reach high to the heavens.
With the newfound potential of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the gales of blessing that shall lead to even greater freedom and power…
"Oh, right, today's Valentine's day," said Sojiro as I helped him wash dishes. "No wonder there were so many guys bringing girls in here."
He turned toward me and smiled. "Don't you have anything exciting happening? I mean, you've been here nearly a whole year. Y'know, when I was young, heh, hoo boy…"
Well, of course I had something exciting happening, I thought to myself, not that I could say that aloud.
The bell on the door rang, and she, the one I had been waiting all day for, came in.
"Good evening." She bowed. "I didn't know you were still working. Sorry for stopping by so late…"
I put down the dishes and walked out to meet her. Sojiro scratched his head. "Oh, huh… you should've just told me…" He walked over to the door, and as he left, he turned back and said, "I'll… I'll leave the store to you." He smiled again. "Enjoy yourselves…"
As he left, Morgana came up from behind, and gave me a confident look. Both of us nodded, and he followed Sojiro out; as he did so, I swore I could hear him say, "whew, at least it's not Lady Ann."
I shook my head. Oh, that Mona. Determined as ever to steal her heart. When will he realize…
Sumire sat down at one of the booths, and I fixed a cup of coffee for both of us. "That's considerate of him," she said. "I hope I'm not being imposing."
"Of course not," I said. "You're always welcome. You should know that already."
Sumire giggled. "I know, but you know I, um, I'm new to this sort of thing. Having someone special in my life, I mean. My coach knew I had something special going on, though, so she let me have the day off of practice."
"I'm just glad you could come by," I said. "It's been pretty stressful for us lately, after all, getting me out of juvie. I was confident I wouldn't be in there long, though, with you guys and everyone else on my side."
"Yeah… I had so much I wanted to say when I finally got to talk to you. But now that you're here, I can finally see your face for myself… and my mind is at ease just like that."
"I'm sorry that I worried you," I told her.
"It's okay," she said. "I understood why you did what you did. Shido and everyone else are finally behind bars because of it. Besides," she produced a box with a teddy bear on it. "I brought you something, because it's Valentine's Day."
I took the box and smiled. "Thank you. I'm touched."
"You're welcome. Honestly, compared to everything you've done for me, it's nothing." She looked down. "I can't believe this is the real world…"
"You expect this to still be Maruki's dream reality?" I asked.
"No, not that," she said, shaking her head. "But it doesn't feel real. Because of you, I'm finally living again, for myself, and as myself, too. And I will continue to do that, just for you."
I laced my fingers together, and looked down. "Maruki… whatever happened to him, after that day? I've been locked up, so I don't know…"
Sumire shook her head. "We wondered the same thing. After that night, he went completely missing. As in, he seemed to disappear entirely; no obituaries, no police or missing persons reports, not even any record that he ever existed. I hate to say this, but… he probably died alongside his dream reality."
I sighed. "So, he's dead after all. Our last job as the Phantom Thieves, and in the end we couldn't truly change one heart for the better."
Sumire breathed a heavy sigh, too. "I'm not sure if you were looking, since you were hanging on to Mona-senpai by your grappling hook, but I was looking down and saw him on a large piece of glass, with that strange girl Reimu confronting him. Perhaps she finally got to execute him before she went back to, well, wherever it is she comes from, Gensokyo or otherwise." She crossed her arms on the table and planted her head on them. "On the other hand, perhaps it's for the best. Given Dr. Maruki's mental state, I don't think he'd be able to rebuild his life out here, even with everyone and everything that caused his grief gone."
I looked up at her. "That's a rather cynical way of looking at it, especially coming from you… but perhaps you're right. Some people are just better off being put out of their misery, since doing anything else would just be prolonging their suffering and torment."
"There's another thing that's been bothering me since that night," Sumire said. "Those doors that saved us near the end. Yusuke-senpai said he looked behind us at one point and noticed a figure which he described as 'a goddess' whom he thought was creating them." She pulled out her phone and showed me a picture, which I could tell was made by Yusuke, depicting a blonde woman in a black hat, a green, patterned skirt and a golden tabard with rainbow energy emerging from her back. "He created this picture based on the details he could make out."
I took the phone and examined the drawing. "Very strange… who was she, and what was she trying to do?"
"I don't think we'll ever know. But, she obviously wanted us to win, and she succeeded, so that's probably all that matters."
I smiled. "Perhaps I'll meet her someday so I can properly thank her."
"Yeah…"
Sumire started blushing. "Um, Senpai, may I… sit next to you?"
I scooted over, and let her sit beside me.
"So… you're going back home soon, yes?"
I nodded. "I am. On one hand, I'm glad to be going back; it's been a while since I last saw my parents, and it's been such a crazy year for me, too. On the other hand, though, I'm going to miss all of you guys. And, I'm going to miss you especially. But that doesn't mean we can't visit each other. And besides, once we're both done with school…"
"Mm-hm," Sumire nodded. "I'm going to keep working hard, just for you. Kasumi always said she performed best when she thought about someone she loved. And I think I understand what she meant. When I think about you, I always think the competition's going to go just fine…" She leaned against me.
"Ah. That means…"
She giggled. "I think you know what I mean."
I smiled. "Then, why don't we spend a long night together?"
"Yes, let's…"
…
"Who are you guys?!"
"We're Star Fox!"
"You'll never defeat Androoooossssss!"
Me and Sumire laughed. "Oh, this moment just never gets old, no matter how many times I play this game."
"Did you ever play it on an N64 before, Senpai?" She asked me.
"No. When I first played it, it was on the Wii Virtual Console. Futaba and I were out shopping one day in Akihabara, and she pointed out this N64 on sale at one of the stores, complete with two controllers, a Rumble Pak, and a copy of this game. Since then, we've been one-upping each other with high scores, and now I'm above 1900."
"That's impressive, Senpai! I was never able to get the true ending, Star Wolf was just too hard."
"I know, right?"
Just then, we heard a knock on the door downstairs.
"I can get that for you, Senpai." Sumire got up and went downstairs. I wondered who could be coming by at this time of night. Probably just Futaba, I thought. She's the only one who usually-
"Yo," came Ryuji's voice. Sumire came back upstairs, followed by a rather dejected-looking Ryuji and Ann. They came and sat down, cross-legged and mopey.
"You two look like you just found out your cat died," I joked.
"Ah, shaddup!" Ryuji shot back. "I couldn't get a date today, and it's Valentine's Day! I mean, you got a date, and even Mishima got a date!"
"I was too busy making up for an exam to find a date," Ann complained. "And every boy in school thinks I'm above their league, so they won't go out with me." They then said in unison, "and that's why I'm here, trying to forget about today."
I gave them an aside glance. "Oh yeah, well then, if you're just going to come here and crash me and Sumire's date, then why don't you just date each other?"
Ann and Ryuji paused for a moment, then looked at each other, blushing. "H-huh?"
"I mean, think about it, you two are perfect together! You both slack off and play video games instead of studying, you've both got good hearts and a keen sense for details, you both don't know where Los Angeles is, you're both loyal, you've both got good bodies, and you already hang out a lot after school anyway. Plus, you two bicker at each other like an old married couple. So, why not?"
At that moment, Morgana jumped in through the window and snarked, "yeah, and you two are both knuckleheads and-"
"Did you just call 'Lady Ann' a knucklehead?" I said, smirking.
Morgana just stood there as he realized what he just said.
"F-f-forget I said that!" he stammered. "Forgive me, Lady Ann, I-"
"Oooooooo, Mona's so busted!" Futaba popped out from under my bed, slid across the floor and grabbed Morgana, standing up and holding him like Longcat.
"MREEEOOOW?!" Morgana trashed and wriggled around trying to get free, but to no avail. Futaba smiled. "Classic Mona, talks all smooth, but when you get right down to it, he's just a big-"
"Why were you hiding under Senpai's bed?" Sumire asked.
Futaba pursed her lips.
"Yeah, Futaba, why were 'ya?" Ryuji asked with a grin.
"Were you hoping to catch us doing something dirty?" I asked.
Futaba's face reddened as she realized she had just been found out. "I-I…" She dropped Morgana, rushed over to the TV and took the controller. "It's because I wanted to show you up on this game in front of everyone! Yeah, that's it!"
I adjusted my glasses. "Well, whatever, we'll go with that." So we spent the rest of the night gathered around her, watching her score over 2,000 despite going through Fichina and Solar. After that, the last trains would already have left, so Ryuji and Ann just spent the night and we all went to school together the next day. In bed, I sighed to myself, thinking about how after a ruined summer festival and Christmas, I couldn't even enjoy a romantic Valentine's Day alone with Sumire, instead having to settle for an awkward double-date with two lovable idiots.
I woke up at some point in the middle of the night. Sumire was sleeping soundly beside me. Futaba was curled up like a cat. Ryuji was snoring loudly and Ann was laying on her side.
I went downstairs to use the bathroom. When I came back up and slipped back into bed, I turned my head to one side, when I observed Ann sitting up, staring forward. She held this pose for several moments, before she slowly reached her hand forward. A moment later, there was a shine, and a string of white light, leading from one end of the room out the window, materialized, her hand touching it. A minute later, she retracted her hand, and the line disappeared. She then laid back down and instantly went back to sleep.
When I asked her about it the next morning, she said she didn't know what I was talking about and that she never woke up during the night, although she did recall a dream which, while she couldn't remember most of it, she did remember it had something to do with "ley lines," although she couldn't tell me what those were. Futaba explained to me that ley lines were magical conduits, shaping the world and its various processes, whose existence was theorized by occultists. Given what we now suspected about Gensokyo, I began to wonder if that thing I saw was a ley line, and if so, what that meant in terms of the way the world truly worked. And how, apparently, Ann could interact with them.
