Chapter 12 – An Unexpected Visit
"I'm home." he announced as he opened the sliding door of the house.
"Oh, Kyouichi-kun." Mizuto welcomed him. "Come in. You must be hungry, am I right?"
"Like a wolf…" admitted Kyouichi and clutched his growling stomach.
He sat at the table in the kitchen opposite to Tadao-kun, who greeted him and kept waiting until his father prepares the food.
"Minako's still at work so I'm making the dinner today." he explained. "You like grilled fish?"
"Mizuto-san, even if you offered me uncooked rice, I'd eat it voraciously. But yes, I do like grilled fish."
"That's good." smiled the fisherman and returned to the stove where he was grilling his today's catch. "Oh, by the way, we have a rare visitor today who came looking for you, but you were out at work."
"A rare visitor? Looking for me?" Kyouichi seriously wondered who that might be.
"Yes, Tadao-kun, could you please call the guest to the kitchen?" asked Mizuto.
"Yes, wait a second." his son replied and slowly left the kitchen.
After a while Kyouichi could hear his footsteps again, but this time accompanied by footsteps of another person.
"Good evening." sounded a young girl's voice, which Kyouichi was already familiar with. A glimpse of red and white, Kyouichi immediately recognized the person standing in the doorway.
"Reimu-san?!" he asked with a surprised face.
"Yes, it's me." nodded the shrine maiden gently and smiled. "I came for a visit since I've got something to tell you, but you were busy so I waited here…"
"Sorry…" apologized Kyouichi. "I did manage to get some work after all. I hope you didn't wait too long "
"Oh, that's fine… I was playing with Chitose as I waited, so I wasn't bored."
"Chitose is your big fan, Reimu-san." said Mizuto as he flipped the fish to grill on both sides properly. "She always talks about how she'd like to become a youkai hunter… But I'm worried about her… she's still too young to understand how dangerous it can be."
"Well, I don't think that age matters here that much." objected Reimu. "I was only 8 when I resolved my first youkai incident and that was before the Spell Card Rules and before I learned how to fly…"
"But you were trained for this kind of work ever since you were little and you have significant natural talent…" continued Mizuto.
"To tell you the truth, I had more luck than brains back then… Ever since I became an orphan and was forced to look after myself, I started to believe that I can handle youkai just as well as my parents used to. It's true that I never used to train much and I relied on my sheer talent, but the fact that I'm still alive is not a proof of my abilities alone, but also a great big deal of luck." admitted Reimu as she recalled her childhood days. "I realized that I can't go on recklessly risking my life as well as the existence of the barrier, so I came up with the Spell Card System to ensure no further bloodshed between the humans and youkai. It was only after several years that I figured why I managed to stay alive before I introduced the rules. The youkai were holding back, because they believed that with the death of the last descendant of the Hakurei clan, the Great Boundary could fall and their powers would be weakened severely. Not so long ago, there was a situation where youkai didn't even have the will to cause any incidents. With the rules, however, humans no longer need to fear the youkai as they used to. Now it's much more fun to fight against them. If your daughter wants to help protect the humans in the future, why not give her a chance?"
"Yes, dad, why not give me a chance?" sounded Chitose who just entered the kitchen with her younger brother. "The youkai can't kill people with these rules in effect, right Reimu-sama?"
"I'm afraid that's not entirely true." replied the shrine maiden. "The youkai still hunt humans for food, namely those who can't defend themselves very well: outsiders, hermits, and those who don't have Spell Cards of their own."
"And you don't have Spell Cards yet, Chitose, so don't even think about challenging a youkai on your own." added Mizuto, who was naturally worried about his daughter.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to go up against a youkai yet…" Chitose reassured him. "I'm still just a beginner in using magic."
"Say, Reimu-san, and where can one get them Spell Cards?" asked Kyouichi who was still a bit clueless. "Do they sell them somewhere, or do you have to make them somehow?"
"When someone becomes sufficiently adept in some form of magic or other power, they choose an offensive direct-damage spell and calibrate its effect to non-lethal." explained Reimu. "Once the fine-tuning of the spell is done, it is then cast and materialized into a card for later use. Another rule says that the Spell Cards should always have at least a minimal flaw in their projectile pattern, always giving the opponent some chance to avoid them. And a time limit, of course. Sometimes the duels turn out to be a contest of beautiful patterns, rather than actual battle."
While Reimu kept explaining, Mizuto was getting finished with preparing the dinner.
"Alright, I think they're grilled just fine…" he announced after he checked the color of the grilled fish and started serving them. "There's enough for everyone, so eat as much as you like."
"Itadakimasu~!"
While everyone was feasting on the ample amount of grilled fish meat with rice balls, Kyouichi asked Reimu why she came to visit the Saitous.
After a while of chewing her food and swallowing it she replied: "Oh yeah, I wanted to tell you about this…" she pulled out a folded letter from her sleeve and gave it to Kyouichi. It was the one she got from the village elder regarding the outsiders. He took the letter and read it silently. Reimu watched as his eyes traced the text and impatiently waited to hear his opinion.
When he finished reading the last line, he lightly smiled and snorted.
"Well that's a newsflash… I already met most of these outsiders. And it seems the council doesn't quite understand the situation."
"So you already knew about the others?" asked Reimu.
"Sure, we go to the same class now… We've even formed a club to join our forces in looking for a way home, whereas, the village council doesn't seem to give a damn…"
"That's because they think there's no possible way for you to return."
"And what do you think about this sudden boom of outside immigrants? Do you know why we all ended up here?"
"The barrier's fine, I can feel it." responded Reimu. "This was most likely just another one-time mass spiriting away caused by Yukari. If that's so, then I'm not sure if she'll be willing to take you back home."
"We'll just have to try and see, but first we need to find her…" said Kyouichi, still thoughtfully reading the letter over and over again. "Hmm… But this part here is interesting: "…there are no available records at our disposal that indicate the exact location of Tokyo in relation to Gensokyo before it was sealed"." he read aloud, trying to imitate elder Fukukane's voice.
"Yeah, that's why I'm not supposed to take you back through the shrine…" nodded the miko.
"Indeed, but if by any chance we were to find something in Gensokyo that would denote its location in Japan, it would mean that we wouldn't need to look for Yukari. You would just take us to the outside world via the shrine and from there we would go to the nearest town and ask for a way to Tokyo." he speculated.
"But I already told you, I don't know of any human settlements near the shrine in the outside world…" Reimu objected.
"I know… I'm merely suggesting that we may have more than one option." muttered Kyouichi, finally folding up the letter and giving it back to Reimu. "However, I don't know which one of these two paths is going to be easier."
"I think it won't be so hard to find Yukari." sounded Reimu after drinking some tea. "We're going to have a hanami soon and I know that she just loves parties and feasts. And even if she won't show up, some of her friends will, so we can ask them to help us look for her…"
Kyouichi doubtingly raised his eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late for a flower viewing?"
"The spring is still here and the sakura trees are still in bloom." said Reimu with a daydreamy look on her face. "There's still time for a hanami, although not much."
"So when is this hanami going to be?" asked Kyouichi. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to come, because as you can see, I'm already working part-time."
"And when do you have time then?"
"Hmm…" Kyouichi paused himself to think. "I think I'm free on weekends, or if the hanami's going to start in the evening, then I'm basically finished with work every weekday at a time like this."
"Then how about next Friday?" suggested Reimu.
"Friday evening? Well, okay, but… how will I get to your shrine? I don't think the Ryuuken will be willing to escort me this time."
"I'll do it." she immediately responded.
"You… will?" asked Kyouichi, only partly believing her words.
"Yes." she replied with a soft smile. "I'll be waiting here next Friday, if Saitou-san has nothing against it."
"Of course not, Reimu-san, on the contrary, we're honored to have you visit." said Mizuto, who was pretty much like his daughter a bit overexcited about Reimu's visit.
"Can I come too, Reimu-sama?" asked Chitose, with her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"No, Chitose, you can't." resolutely responded her father. "Even with Reimu-san, it's still risky to go out of the village. Besides, there's probably going to be a lot of drinking and you're too young for that."
"Aww, geez… " mumbled young Chitose, lowering her head in disappointment. "And Kyouichi-kun doesn't even know how to cast the easiest spells and he can go? Not fair~!"
Mizuto gave his daughter a strict glance. "First of all, he's an adult and can decide on his own. If he's not afraid to risk his life for the sake of returning home, then I cannot forbid him to do so. I can only give him a friend's advice. You are my daughter and I hold full responsibility for your well being…"
"You worry too much, dad." said Chitose with an agitated tone, a typical response of a teenage child who wants to get a taste of independence from her parents.
"When you'll have your own children, you too will understand." said Mizuto and ended their conversation.
Reimu was actually hoping to have some more new faces at the hanami, but she couldn't really make objections to a parent who is worried about the safety of his children.
"By the way, Reimu, can I bring someone along there?" asked Kyouichi a bit uncertainly, breaking the silence in the room.
"Actually, we're currently short on guests so sure, why not?" the shrine maiden agreed. "Who would you like to invite?"
"Well, maybe a few of those outsiders who are now my classmates… And perhaps even… Do you know the village… I mean the Gensokyo chronicler? Well, maybe her too…"
"Oh, you mean Akyuu-chan? But of course!" exclaimed Reimu. "I've almost forgotten about her… I've been to her place with Marisa only once, but she's nice. Of course she can come."
"Well then, I'll go and ask her tomorrow… I'm already looking forward to the hanami."
Reimu was also looking forward to the upcoming flower viewing event, but on the other hand, she felt a bit annoyed at the thought of all the preparations she still had to make and the cleaning she would have to do afterwards. Although the shrine maiden usually liked having parties at her shrine from time to time, she wasn't very fond of her usual guests' antics after they just had a bit too much sake.
"Well then," she said as she was standing up, "I still need to go and do some shopping… And then invite a few more guests." with a sigh, she bowed to everyone and was about to take her leave. Kyouichi, Mizuto and both of his children followed her to the doorstep of their house.
"Take care of yourself, Reimu-san! We're looking forward to your next visit." called Mizuto as the shrine maiden was slowly walking backwards towards the marketplace, still facing the Saitou house and waving back.
As soon as Reimu disappeared behind the corner of the street, Mizuto closed the main door and returned to the kitchen to finish off the leftovers of today's dinner on his plate. Kyouichi turned to Chitose who was still a little gloomy about the fact that she couldn't go to the hanami.
"Hey, Chitose-chan, don't feel so blue," he tried to cheer her up a bit, "just wait a couple of years and you won't need anyone's permission…"
The girl sighed, looking at the floor. "If only I had my own Spell Cards, I could go almost anywhere I'd like to, but I still need to train hard…"
"Oh, that's right, do you already know when you are going to have an evening practice with that club of yours?" asked Kyouichi, trying to cleverly change the topic and bring Chitose to happier thoughts. "I'd like to see that…"
It seemed to work, because her mood quickly changed to better. "Oh, yes, Rie-senpai arranged the evening sessions for Tuesdays, so you can come and take a look at us tomorrow already. We practice on a meadow near the farms and the new Buddhist temple. We start as soon as the sun sets."
"That's great." he smiled and gently tapped her on her shoulder. "I'll be there to cheer for you."
With that said, Chitose returned to her room and Kyouichi decided to take a quick bath. After that he walked into the guest room and again took the first volume of the Gensokyo Chronicle to look for more info about the elusive youkai of boundaries. He found the passage about the youkai cherry tree which he had already read and from there he raced through the following pages to find other entries mentioning her name. However, he could find nothing more in this book. Not giving up, he took the second volume and diligently kept on searching. The search still wasn't very fruitful, as the only bits of information he could find was regarding Yukari occasionally visiting the chronicler and her later incarnations and informing her of other events.
Gradually getting more tired, he yawned and sighed. "Man… this didn't bring me any further."
A little bit of frustration only fueled his motivation. When it was already too dark to read, he took several of the books with him and went to the kitchen. There he lit a few candles to make some light and was ready to pull an all-nighter if it meant getting another step closer to knowing something more about Yukari. But frankly, Kyouichi didn't actually care about the boundary youkai. He simply viewed her only as a potential ticket back to Tokyo.
After a few hours of thorough searching, he finally came across something interesting in the fifth volume of the massive compilation. He almost wanted to shout out "Eureka!", but since he didn't want to wake up the whole Saitou family who were already sleeping peacefully, he stayed only at clenching his fist and swinging his right arm to gesture his success.
"Thank you, God of Patience, thank you." he whispered to a deity he just made up while looking at the ceiling. "Now let's see what we have here…"
He adjusted his glasses and started reading an article titled: The Youkai Expansion Project.
The date signified that the article was dealing with an event from over 500 years ago. According to the text, the project referred to Yukari's plan to restore the power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who fell under the pressure of human expansion. Until then, Gensokyo was merely an isolated mountain area inhabited mostly by youkai. However, with the technological progress made by humans over time, faith and superstition gradually gave way to science. As gradually less and less people still believed in the existence of youkai, their powers began to weaken, even in Gensokyo, where their concentration was the largest in Japan. Yukari planned to restore their power by creating a boundary between illusion and reality around Gensokyo, thus creating a new world. The barrier was not physical, so traveling into and out of Gensokyo was still possible. It only served as a sort of sanctuary where the youkai could thrive without having to worry about losing their powers. This resulted in massive youkai immigrations into Gensokyo from all over Japan and even beyond. Eventually, the world outside of Gensokyo was generally regarded as a world without youkai, while Gensokyo was now seen as their demesne. An addition to the text made by Akyuu explained that the effects of this boundary remain even in the present and that this boundary is now one with the Great Hakurei Border created several hundred years later.
"Hmm… So there was another barrier before the Year Zero, huh?" thought Kyouichi after reading. "It would also seem that the youkai in Gensokyo don't need the humans to sustain their powers like Reimu told me. But why is it called a Youkai Expansion Project, when the result is a complete opposite of expansion?"
The answer to that question was not important, for he learned something new today. It was already past midnight and Kyouichi's eyelids were getting heavy. He blew out the candles and took the books. In complete darkness, he traced the wall of the corridor with his hand as he was carefully walking to the guest room. He put the books he had already checked on a separate pile and then he undressed himself. Laying down on the futon, he yawned with his mouth gaping wide and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.