Gensokyo my Beloved

by Fonzi the Survivalist

It's late spring, year 125 in Gensokyo when a mass spiriting-away of outsiders takes place. The Hakurei shrine maiden thinks this is just a minor incident, easy to resolve. But is it...?

59. Harvest Feast

Chapter 59 – Harvest Feast

The rumors were not a lie. The harvest feast was a big event for the human population of Gensokyo. The attendance was no smaller than New Year's or Tanabata at the Hakurei Shrine.

But despite being an event celebrated by humans, they were still outnumbered by masses of sociable and curious youkai. And more often than not, there were human-eating youkai among them, waiting for someone they could eat. It's easy to get lost in a big crowd and highly unlikely for anyone to take notice if one or two people suddenly disappear. That's why people always had to be on their guard when attending such events. Even when the native human inhabitants inherited magic from the previous generations of youkai exterminators, and were under the protection of those who deemed themselves as the spiritual successors of those exterminators, there were still rare instances when someone was reported missing after a festival such as this one. Having that on his mind, Kyouichi headed for the farmlands, trying neither to blend into the crowds, nor to stray too far away from them. He suspected most of his friends to already be there, enjoying the feast. He just needed to find them.

That, however, proved to be much easier said than done. Once the villagers have swarmed the farmlands in hundreds, even such a vast area suddenly felt so small.

Kyouichi checked out the places where food and beverages were being served, but he couldn't find a trace of any familiar face. At this time he felt an increased longing for one of the conveniences of the outside world's technology. Back there all that he needed to do was to take a cell phone and call up whoever he was looking for so they could decide on a meeting place. But without a signal, even if he and his friends carried cell phones, he wouldn't be able to get in touch with them.

He spent at least 30 minutes walking around aimlessly, just casually observing the feast's attractions and the hordes of people and youkai shifting around in an uncoordinated fashion.

And while he had no luck finding his friends, they had luck finding him.

---

"Oi~! Ishimaru! This way!" the unmistakable voice of Asakura Soudai pierced the air and Kyouichi turned his face to its direction. As expected, the slightly eccentric and outgoing outsider was not alone. Midori, Sayuri, Daniel and even Hikaru-san were there, each holding a different kind of treat or drink and waving at him.

"Where have you guys been? I've been searching high and low for you."

"That's my line!" Soudai retorted. "I was starting to wonder what happened to you when I didn't find you at the gate. Especially when that slimeball Nishio was also gone by the time I brought a Ryuuken major to have a few words with him. All we found was his sword on the ground. What's left of it, anyway… What the hell happened there?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah, I do. I wanted to see that smug bastard humiliated publically."

"Then you should have waited here a little longer." Kyouichi grinned suspiciously.

"Will you finally tell me the reason?" Soudai asked with an impatient tone.

"The reason is about this tall, has green hair, red eyes and loves flowers."

It didn't take too long for Soudai to decipher his friend's riddle-like answer. "What? Kazami Yuuka?"

Kyouichi's silence was merely a gesture of affirmation.

"Damn… now I really regret not waiting there."

"Hey, who is this Yuuka you keep talking about?" Midori, who never met the youkai in question felt left out of the conversation.

Ignoring her question, Soudai just disbelievingly shook his head and chuckled. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but… Is Nishio still alive?"

"He is. But I think he's going to seriously consider a change of profession after today."

"I knew there was something really unsettling about that youkai."

"Unsettling? She's actually really sweet. But you were right that time with the magic detector… It was shining like that because of her."

"I should imagine. With magic that can bend steel like that…"

"Bare hands, Soudai. Bare hands. No magic."

"Okay, forget about "unsettling". She's scary!"

"Not unless you give her a reason to be."

"Guys, I hate to interrupt your conversation," said Midori, "but it seems people have started gathering over there." She pointed at the slowly growing crowd of people who were taking their seats at the long tables laden with all the "gifts" of a good harvest. "Should we go too?"

"I wonder if there's going to be any sort of program to this whole feast." said Sayuri thoughtfully.

Midori shrugged. "I'm not sure about the program, but I doubt we're going to see another danmaku tournament today. Although to be honest, I don't even know what to expect from this festival."

"I'm surprised how none of you even considered asking the locals about the festival." Hikaru Nagahashi lightly shook his head. As a man who kept notes of just about everything he's seen, heard or done in Gensokyo, it wasn't a big surprise that he'd have more insight about the harvest feast than his peers.

"Do you know something, Hikaru-san?" Midori shifted her glance to him.

"Besides gluttonous conduct and drunken revelry, this festival bares many similarities to the American holiday known as the Thanksgiving Day. However, in this case, the people offer their thanks directly to the harvest gods who are even said to manifest themselves and accept the gifts that the villagers have prepared for them."

"The gods are going to show up? Really?"

"I'm not sure whether the villagers meant it literally or figuratively, Iwakami-san, but in this wonderland, I guess we shouldn't be surprised by anything."

"I wonder how a kami could look like."

"That's easy, Midori, " Soudai spoke to her, "all you have to do is have a couple of drinks and maybe you'll see one."

"Or all 8 million of them." Kyouichi played along with the joke.

"Let's go and take a look at what's going on there." the young female outsider suggested. The other outsiders were curious as well, so they had no objections to following her.

They made the right decision to obey Midori's suggestion, as the tables were quickly running out of vacancy.

"Is all of that food for free?" Soudai didn't hesitate to ask as soon as he took his seat. All the meals on the table were taunting him and fueling his temptation to start eating.

"It's an "all you can eat" festival, young man." a stranger sitting next to him replied.

Midori wasn't sure if it was the reflection of the sun, but she would have sworn that she saw tiny stars in Soudai's eyes.

"This is the best festival I've ever experienced!" he exclaimed and reached for the nearest platter.

"Whoa, not so fast, hungry one." the same stranger halted him. "The village elder is about to give the opening speech soon. It would be rude to start eating before him."

"Damn it…" Soudai muttered disappointedly. "But if all this food is free, then I wonder what's the point of all the stalls that sell snacks, sweets and alcohol."

"That's simple. Only the food is free during the harvest feast. If you want sake or some light snacks, you'll have to buy them."

"I see. In that case, the elder better hurry up. I can already hear the orchestra playing in my stomach"

"Haven't you eaten anything today?" Kyouichi asked him.

"Only breakfast. I wanted to save some room for all the goodies this feast has to offer."

"Well, if you're that desperate, I still have two pieces of taiyaki with me."

"I'll pass. I can wait a few minutes longer. Besides, didn't you want to give those to your step-siblings?" Soudai referred to the children of the Saitou family.

"I suppose… But if I'm going to have just as much trouble finding them in this crowd as I had with finding you, I might as well eat them myself or share them with someone else."

"Shhh~!" Midori suddenly hushed them both. "The village elder is here."

Everyone turned their necks in the same direction as Midori was looking. The middle-aged man with a graying goatee and sideburns was approaching the tables, followed by his family members and escorted by a small squad of elite Ryuuken who served as his honor guards.

He made his way to the middle table where everyone could see him. His family occupied the seats by both his sides, while he was having a few words with some of the head farmers who organized the whole event. After a while of going over the fine details, Elder Fukukane took a spoon in his hand, cleared his throat and rang the spoon against an empty porcelain bowl to attract everyone's attention.

"Dear citizens of Human Village, dear guests!" he started off pompously like he was making a speech for his election campaign. "For the seventeenth year of my reign as the village elder, I have the pleasure of standing here before you during another harvest feast. As you well know, not every year has been as generous to us to hold this feast. Ever since our village has become sealed off from the outside world, we had to become completely self-sufficient, without the assistance of our supporting towns. Thus we had to develop from a simple war camp to an agricultural colony, which should still be able to survive the occasional youkai attacks. Instead, we had to rely only on our hard work, but sometimes even that was not enough when Mother Nature frowned on us. Floods, hailstorms, pests, droughts… Those were just some of the disasters that befell our fields and farms ever since the sealing of Gensokyo. But we still prevailed. With our work and with our faith, we always managed to get back up on our feet and kept the village fed for generations. It's been one and a quarter of a century now since this tradition has started and I indeed feel incredibly lucky and grateful at the same time, that I could celebrate it with you for seven consecutive years. May this trend continue for many years to come! It is therefore my obligation and pleasure to initiate the 125th harvest feast and express my gratitude to the harvest gods together with all of you!"

A wave of applause and cheers spread across the farms as the elder took a small cup filled with an unknown liquor and raised it into the air. "As one wise man said: "Eat a lot, drink a lot and be merry, for tomorrow you may die." In the same spirit, I, Fukukane Toshimi officially begin the feast! Raise your cups and mugs with me! Cheers~!"

"CHEERS~!" a thunderous reply of the massive crowd echoed back as everyone who had any alcohol-filled liquid container was now holding it over their head.

"Hey, what about us?" Soudai hastily shot his glances left and right, looking for anything he could drink from, but with no luck. "Won't we get any sake?"

"Damn… it seems everyone has some except us." the foreigner Daniel also wanted to have a toast with everyone, but lacked both the beverage and the vessel.

"Umm, mister village elder, could you please wait for us while we quickly buy ourselves something to drink?" Soudai attempted a sort of telepathic thought suggestion as he was standing up from his seat and searching his pockets for money. But as soon as he tried to straighten up, he felt someone suddenly tapping his shoulder from behind and pushing him back down.

"What's going on?" Poor Soudai was so shocked, that for a second he believed that someone from the militia was about to arrest him.

"Looks like you kids are in dire need of some liquid bread." a ragged voice unmistakably belonging to Naota Tanisake reached the ears of the group of outsiders.

Looking back over his shoulder, Soudai only confirmed the identity of the familiar voice by visual contact with its source.

Naota, still holding his palm on the young man's shoulder while holding a big bottle of sake with the second, smiled and shook the bottle in an almost hypnotic motion.

"Oh man! Naota-san to the rescue!" the same sparks as when he heard that all the food was for free reappeared in Soudai's eyes.

"Are we supposed to all drink from one bottle?" Kyouichi rolled his eyes skeptically. "Not that I have anything against the idea."

"Me neither!" Soudai declared, still not letting his mesmerized glance off the bottle swaying in Naota's hand. "I hope none of you guys mind getting an indirect kiss from me, hehe."

"No worries, children, I thought ahead." the carpenter retiree put down the bottle on the table and deftly unpacked his backpack. In a few seconds, he unloaded over a half a dozen small drinking cups in an irregular formation on the table.

"Well, don't just sit there, junior," he beckoned Soudai, "open the bottle and fill 'em up!"

"Me?" he confusedly blinked, as if he just snapped out of a daydream.

"Yeah, you. Hurry up already!"

With an adequate amount of force, Soudai managed to open the bottle and obediently poured the content into the cups.

"Bottoms up, everyone!" Naota picked up his cup without waiting for others and drank it up in a flash.

Kyouichi and others followed suit, even though they already missed the toast with the elder of Human Village and most of its inhabitants.

As soon as the liquid touched his taste buds, a strong, sharp taste spread all over his mouth and a sensation of warmth all over his stomach once he managed to swallow it.

"Hey! That's not sake!" he threw an accusing glance at Naota.

"Noticed the difference, huh?" the old man grinned impishly.

Even Soudai wasn't quite prepared for the intense taste of Naota's strong liquor, but he at least managed to flush it down his throat.

Midori nearly spat it out too, but courtesy dictated her to drink what was offered to her.

"Water… someone… please?" she was desperately shifting her glances left and right.

"Water? You haven't come to the feast to drink water, have you?" Naota was having a good laugh at everyone's reactions.

"Now, let the feasting begin!" the village elder prompted everyone to eat.

To Midori those were the words of salvation, since now she had no moral obstacles that prevented her from eating anything she saw on the table in order to mitigate the unsavory taste of alcohol in her mouth.

"Thanks for the food!" she uttered and stuffed her mouth with a slice of cherry pie that was resting directly in front of her.

And so, everyone at the tables followed suit. The whole event looked almost like an eating contest, only a little more laid-back. Those who weren't eating anything were entertaining themselves by playing various music instruments or dancing. There were even some interesting, if not slightly crazy competitions set up for anyone who'd like to try them. From fishing apples out of a barrel of water using only the mouth, through various racing disciplines like the 3-legged race or the wheelbarrow obstacle course. For those who wanted to test their strength, there was the classic arm-wrestling contest or the millstone rolling. There was even an archery contest for those with good eyes and steady aim. The inhabitants of the Human Village didn't lack creativity when they wanted to have fun.

Even youkai had fun during the feast. Especially the fairy kind. In desire to repeat everything after humans, just like little children, they applied all sorts of sneak attacks or offensive raids on the food-laden tables to grab something and eat it.

"Hey, get back here! That's mine~!" Soudai yelled out while threateningly shaking his fist at the fairy that just snatched a chicken leg right out of his hand.

"Not anymore it isn't." Kyouichi tried to maintain a serious face, but failed ultimately.

"Damn vultures!"

A few seconds later, the very same chicken leg landed right on top of Soudai's head, nearly shocking the poor outsider out of his wits. "What the fu…?!"

Apparently, the fairy who stole it preferred vegetarian lifestyle, but still wanted to try meat regardless. This time all the outsiders had to cover their mouths as they laughed at his misfortune.

"Yeah, ha-ha! Very funny!" Soudai grumbled and wiped the chicken grease off his hair with a piece of cloth. "Stupid fairies… can't even appreciate what they steal."

"At least chicken legs hurt less than their danmaku." Kyouichi spoke from his experience.

"Maybe we should move somewhere indoors."

"Aww, what's the matter? Don't you like fairies?"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from, Ishimaru! You were once so scared of the little critters that you refused to enter the rehabilitation ward in Eientei."

"Suffice to say I've become more used to them."

"You shouldn't speak of the Devil, you two." Midori cut in. "You know that the fairy incident hasn't ended yet."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kyouichi waved his palm with an annoyed expression. "It's not like saying something is going to bring it about."

"You'd best hope it applies in Gensokyo too." she said with faint hint of concern.

"Midori… Relax and eat, will ya?" Kyouichi had just about enough of hearing about problems, threats and incidents. At least today, all he wanted to do was to have a good time with his friends without worrying about anything.

---

The same thing, however, couldn't be said about Reimu Hakurei, whose usual laid-back demeanor and lazy attitude was now a mere facade to camouflage her inner feelings of uptightness and unease. And with that unease, she just entered the well-known antique shop on the crossroad at the edge of the Forest of Magic. Her intention: to investigate the rumors about Rinnosuke's abundant supply of dangerous explosives from the outside world.

She stepped inside without a greeting. Only the chime hanging over Kourindou's main entrance announced her arrival. The man in his shabby kimono who owned the shop lazily lifted his eyes from the book about computers that he was reading and saw the shrine maiden approaching his counter with a deadpan serious face.

"So…" he tossed in the first word, "what can I provide you with today, Reimu?"

"A word has reached me that you possess something dangerous in your shop."

"I possess many things that could be considered dangerous in the wrong hands. You'd have to be more specific."

"I think you know very well what I mean, so I'd appreciate if you stopped acting so innocently and told me the truth."

"My, my…" Rinnosuke corrected his glasses and looked Reimu in the eyes. "Word certainly travels fast around here. It's just as you probably heard. Over two years ago I received a shipment from Yakumo-san."

"What sort of shipment exactly?"

"About a dozen crates, weighing something over 15 kilograms each. Inside the crates I found blocks of clay with small electronic devices attached. I knew they served for removing obstacles since the day I received them. However, only recently I've finally understood the true nature of their purpose which was revealed to me upon first glance."

"Well, from what I've heard from a trusted source, you are in possession of an outside-world weapon." Reimu crossed her arms and gave him an intense stare, as if demanding an explanation.

Rinnosuke didn't even need to guess who she meant by "trusted source", but he had no intention of hiding the truth from her. The outsiders have most likely told her everything anyway.

"That might very well be the case. But I haven't yet got the opportunity to test it. I succeeded in modifying the triggering devices and bringing them back to life, but I'm still hesitant about making an actual test explosion." he then paused himself and nodded. "And I think I know what you've come here for… Heeding the advice of those outsiders, you want me to get rid of all my C-4 supply. Am I right?"

That was what Rinnosuke thought, but Reimu's reply surprised even this exceptionally intelligent half-youkai.

"I have a little dilemma here, to be honest." she began undecidedly. "On one hand, that explosive clay of yours could potentially speed up the excavation works in Kazemura, but on the other hand, if the explosion damaged or destroyed the spirit ward that we've put up there, then all of our efforts to solve the incident would be pushed back by a long leap."

"The Kazemura excavation…" Rinnosuke spoke in hushed voice, nearly whisper. "What better place to test explosives than the quarry pit? Unfortunately, I'm afraid that not every Kazemuran would agree to that. I heard they uncovered an ancient temple there. Using these clay bombs could devastate it and you know how fanatical the yama-bito can be when it comes to protecting the historical heritage. They don't care if it's their own or of any other civilization. They'll protect it steadfastly."

"Personally, I couldn't care less about the yama-bito or their archeological sensation. If it becomes clear that the temple needs to be leveled, not an army of them will prevent me from doing so! But according to Patchouli's studies, the temple is made to withstand even a volcano eruption."

"Hmm…" the man with glasses hummed. "That changes everything. You see, I don't really wish to hold such a quantity of dangerous materials in my shop. I'm afraid the word that the outsiders have spread about me is already going to hurt Kourindou's reputation, and with it my business. I assume the wisest thing to do would be to get rid of them, as they advised me. But before that, I'd like to test at least one. I want to see its power with my own eyes."

"And I want the vengeful spirit outbreak resolved as quickly as possible." the miko stated her desire.

"Then we may share a mutual interest. That is if you agree with the notion of testing this explosive clay in Kazemura…" Rinnosuke leaned slightly backwards, making the back of his chair let out a few squeaks and cracks.

"A single test might tell us whether it's too dangerous to use or not. But who is going to do it? You?" she lifted her eyebrows questioningly at him.

"If I had no other options, I'd do it myself. However…" he left the sentence unfinished, raising Reimu's tension.

"However?"

"However, there are some people who apparently have more knowledge about what this clay is and how it works."

"You want the outsiders to carry out the test?" Reimu nearly burst into laughter. "I never thought I'd hear such a ridiculous idea from you, Rinnosuke-san."

"If not carry out directly, then at least supervise. That should help us reduce the risk of something going wrong."

"I'm fairly sure they are not going to agree to that."

"Then we'll have to find some outsiders who will agree, or conduct the test without them. But we'll never know if we won't ask."

Reimu sighed out. "Fine… I'll try to be as convincing as possible."

"I have my full confidence in your convincing abilities, Reimu-san." the shopkeeper smiled at her cattily.

"Sheesh… another trip to the village awaits me just as soon as I leave it. All this hassle better we worth it."

After exiting the antique shop, Reimu's course wasn't plotted for the Human Village yet, as she has just returned from there with a bag full of groceries. Even though she said she wouldn't be joining the village's celebration of a good harvest, it appeared that the circumstances have made her change her mind.

---

"And now, dear denizens and guests of the Human Village," elder Fukukane rose from his table after he finished eating, "I would like to announce that due to exceptional success during the festival of Tanabata, we extended our request for another concert to the popular trio of poltergeist musicians! Yesterday, we've received their reply. Ladies, gentlemen, the Phantom Ensemble shall play for us all tonight!"

The elder's announcement has nearly caused a mass frenzy of cheers and shouts from all the fans of the Prismriver sisters. They were so loud, that the elder's following words were completely drowned out. All that indicated that he hasn't finished talking was the fact that his lips were still moving. But much to his dismay, nobody seemed to care.

Even Soudai's lukewarm mood, mainly caused by rude thieving fairies, suddenly got a boost when he heard about the concert.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Can't wait..."

"Just try not to get wasted like during Tanabata." Midori peeled his old wound by reminding him of his not exactly pleasant experience when he drunk himself to unconsciousness. That is to say if Soudai had any memories of that in the first place. But not even Midori's snarky reminder didn't worsen his current upbeat mood.

"Don't worry," Kyouichi reassured her, "I don't see any oni around, so he should be fine tonight."

"I got a feelin'~" the elated Soudai began singing, "that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good night, that tonight's gonna be a good, good night~!"

Kyouichi felt a strong urge to rub his palm against his forehead. "Oh, Jesus Christ…"

"Hehe, since when did you become a Christian, Ishimaru?"

"Ever since you became a pop star, Asakura."

Their mutual fun-poking at each other was suddenly interrupted by Naota, who stepped between them. "Boys, can I have a word with you for a second?"

"What is it, Naota-san?"

"So, I've taken a look at that hunter's lodge and the work you two have done on the roof…" he started calmly, but the two young outsiders were starting to feel very tense and uneasy for some reason.

"U-oh."

"I only got one question for ya."

"And that would be?" Soudai tentatively asked.

"Just what on Earth were you thinking?! What has that poor roof done to you to deserve such mistreatment?"

"W-we were merely following your guidance and doing what we could to get it finished."

"If you were my apprentices, I'd make you redo it not once, but as many times as it would take you to learn how to do it properly!" the carpenter showed them how strict he used to be before he retired from his craft.

"B-but…" Soudai opened his mouth in protest, but was silenced by another shower of unflattering words.

"I've never seen such a half-assed work even from the biggest dilettantes and carpenter anti-talents I've ever been mentoring. Even fairies could do better."

"Well, I hate to say it like this, Naota," Kyouichi could no longer remain quiet, "but seeing how we already have a way home secured, we are really not going to benefit from rebuilding the cabin. We don't need to loan anything anymore and neither do we need the cabin for any other purpose. I might as well go to the village hall and proclaim you as the new owner via a donation agreement. Surely the Ryuuken would allow you free passage through the gates at any time that way."

"That's not the point. I won't change the ownership of that cabin until you lot are long home with your families." he declared firmly.

Nobody really knew why the old outsider was so adamant about it, but neither did it matter to them.

"Then I see no problem. Once we're out of here and you inherit the cabin due to our contract, you can redo the roof with your ex-apprentices."

"I thought you'd put more care and effort into rebuilding the roof of something that could be your own house." Naota's voice trailed off as he turned his back on them and took his regular "medicine" from the bottle.

"Hah! My own house, he says." Kyouichi scoffed at the thought. "That was never the point of buying that abandoned shack. It was just supposed to look like that to the village officials in case we'd be asking for a loan. And ultimately for you to sell the renovated cabin to someone else. I'll never live in that shack and you know it."

"We can never know…" Naota wiped the sake droplets off his grey beard with his sleeve, "what the future holds in store for us."

"That almost sounds like you don't want us to succeed in returning home."

Naota's reply was a resigned sigh before he shuffled away from the group of young outsiders. When he was barely within earshot, he mumbled, as if to himself: "You're wrong…"

For a few seconds, Soudai and Kyouichi just blankly stared at each other in a loss for words until the older one of them broke the silence with nonchalance only he was possessed of.

"So, Kyou… Wanna go enter some of those crazy competitions?" he gestured towards the various attractions that the villagers were participating in.

"I'm not in the mood, Soudai." Kyouichi replied negatively. Naota was partially to blame for that.

"That sounded like an argument, ze." a voice that nobody expected, but everyone recognized sounded from behind them.

"Marisa? What are you doing here?" Kyouichi curiously eyed the witch in suspicion that she probably heard the whole verbal exchange between him, Soudai and Naota.

"Hmph! How rude." she pouted huffily. "As if I had no right to be here."

Kyouichi was quick to apologize, intending not to rub his worsened mood off on her. "I'm sorry. I just… didn't expect you here. If you're looking for Reimu, you missed her. She was here about an hour ago."

"Oh, not really~." she playfully shook her head. "I just came here to have fun with Alice and to see my dad. And then I heard some familiar voices having some serious-sounding debate…" a grin flashed across her lips.

"You heard it all, didn't you?"

"Just a part of it. Didn't know you two were carpenter apprentices." she shrugged, obviously misunderstanding the conversation she was eavesdropping on.

"Wrong. We're just doing the finishing touches on the roof of a certain cabin that the old man bought. It was meant to kill two birds with one stone by enabling Naota-san to sell a renovated building and for us to commit a loan theft."

"Ooooh, loan theft!" Marisa perked up. "I could tell you a thing or two about that, hehe."

"There's no more need for that, though." the outsider burst her bubble. "We already have all we need. But ever since the Ryuuken have introduced those strict regulations for entering and leaving the village, it's become impossible for Naota to finish the work he started. I still don't understand why he wouldn't want to claim the ownership of that building until we leave Gensokyo."

"Ha! You guys aren't the only ones who are rebuilding a house." said the blonde girl.

"You're rebuilding yours too?" Soudai tilted his head quizzically.

"I'm talking about Alice's house."

"Ah, that's right… The one that burned down." Kyouichi recalled overhearing the story, even when he never actually saw the house or the fires that destroyed it.

"Yeah. We're almost finished with it. All that needs to be done is to furnish it and Alice can live just like before. Thanks to Reimu for that."

"Reimu? How so?"

"She offered a decent sum that she received as donation money during the Tanabata festival, so Alice could rebuild her house faster."

"Reimu actually did that?" Kyouichi grimaced disbelievingly.

"I know, right? But then again, I know how adorably sweet she can be at times. Her shrine was destroyed and rebuilt twice, so she knows what it's like."

"By the way, where is Alice?" wondered the long-haired male.

"Oh, around. It's easy to get separated and lost in this crowd, but we have our secret signal, so we can find each other fairly easily." said the magician with a grin as she corrected the position of her pointy hat.

"Secret signal?"

"Yup, secret signal. Like this…" the witch produced a palm-sized hexagonal object out of her pocket and flashed it in a showy manner. "Ta-dah~!" The object, which appeared to be made out of wood, sported trigrams on each of its edges and a small round hole in the center. Before either of the two outsiders could ask what it was, Marisa put the object closely to her mouth and whispered some inaudible words into it.

"Is that a Gensokyian version of a cell phone?" Soudai inquired with a puzzled look.

"Didn't you watch my matches during Tanabata?" she replied with a question as she pointed the object towards the sky.

The two young men exchanged their glances in an attempt to recall any possible hints pointing towards the purpose of Marisa's little hexagon, but none of them managed to come with an answer before the fair-haired lass shouted: "Love Sign "Masteeeeeeeer Spaaaaaaaaark"!"

As fast as the light shot out of the mysterious six-edge box, so did both outsiders immediately remember what Marisa was referring to. A dazzling beam of all colors, blending into a white pillar, pierced the sky and created a turbulence produced by the super-heated air as it traveled upwards. The whole spectacle was accompanied by the characteristic monotone high humming sound, making the whole "spark" impossible to miss even for a blind person. The small flock of fairies that were flying overhead bolted off into all directions out of sheer fear, even when they were all gifted by natural immortality.

Even some people on the ground were shocked by Marisa's spell, but oddly enough, after double-checking what it was, they returned to their interrupted activities, as if nothing unusual happed. After several seconds when the humming was silenced and the light died out, only a thin trail of white smoke was coming out of the hole in Marisa's magical box.

She pulled it towards her mouth again, and like a cowgirl from a classic spaghetti western movie, she blew the smoke off the barrel of her weapon and promptly pocketed it with grace of a skilled juggler.

Not much more was needed to impress all the outsiders who saw her spell and to attract the attention of anyone who recognized the beam.

"T-that was your secret signal?" Kyouichi slowly fixed his glasses and closed his mouth after realizing that he left it open.

"Mhm~!" she smiled contently. "Alice couldn't have missed it."

She was right. Alice and half of Gensokyo couldn't have missed her "secret signal" and it didn't take long for Marisa to receive a reply.

"Ah, there you are! I've been looking for you. Thanks for easing up my search, Marisa." a flying young female slowly descended to the ground, however, not the one that Marisa originally meant to contact.

"Oi, Reimu~! You were looking for me? So you changed your mind after all, huh?"

"I wasn't telling that to you, but to them." Reimu corrected her friend and pointed at the outsiders.

"Pardon?" Soudai tilted his head. "You were looking for us? Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

"No, I simply bring you some news. Not sure if good news for you, but it is news regardless. But before that," she rolled her eyes towards Marisa, "I'd like to ask you: What was the meaning of that Master Spark? Did you have a duel with someone?"

"Ehehe…" the ordinary witch giggled sheepishly, "No, no, nothing like that. I was just calling for Alice. Surely she's on her way to me right now, unable to wait any longer to be embraced in my arms…"

"Are you an idiot?" a third female voice asked a question directed at the caster of the spell.

"And there she is~. Just as I predicted, ze." She spread her arms wide welcomingly at the approaching puppeteer, only to be bonked on the forehead by the tiny fist of one of her magically-controlled dolls.

"Hey~! What was that for, Shanghai?"

"If you need to ask, it only proves my point that you are an idiot." remarked Alice, recalling her remote-controlled minion to herself.

"Nobody told you to wander off on me." Marisa defended herself and her actions.

"Okay, why don't you two go confessing your love for each other somewhere private?" Reimu poked fun at both of the girls and their bickering. The outsiders weren't certain whether she meant it as a joke or a serious suggestion. "I've got business to deal with."

"Oooh, let us hear it too~." Marisa instantly changed her object of interest, like an immature little girl.

"Whatever this business is, it probably doesn't concern me." Alice assumed and she was about to walk away, when her human friend grabbed her sleeve to halt her.

"What are ya talking about? Aren't you curious at all?"

"Whatever." Reimu breathed a sigh. "Maybe it's better if you hear it too."

"See?" Marisa gave Alice a soft nudge with her elbow. "I told you this would be interesting. Okay, Reimu, let the cat out of the bag!"

Reimu took a breath and began explaining what conclusion she and Rinnosuke have come to in regard to Rinnosuke's stockpile of explosives and the stagnating situation in Kazemura.

"And therefore I ask you to do one more favor for me… for us." she corrected herself as she was winding up her monologue. "I want some of you to go to Kazemura and conduct a test of that explosive. Do this for me and you can leave Gensokyo and return to your homes."

"Hey!" Midori didn't take long to show her disagreement. She and other outsiders have gathered to the scene after getting curious about Marisa's light show. And while Kyouichi and Soudai haven't been with her the whole time, her drowsy-sounding and louder than normal voice indicated that the young girl had a bit too much alcohol for today. "That wasn't a part of our agreement, Miss Red-White!"

"I really wish people would stop calling me that." muttered the miko, folding her arms across her chest. "Look, I never said it has to be YOU, or you, or him…" she started pointing at random members of the Transfer Students' Club. "I'll just need a few volunteers. You can decide that among yourselves. Those volunteers are going to deliver the clay to Kazemura… under my escort, of course, and either conduct the test themselves or supervise it."

"And if none of us will want to be your guinea pigs?" Midori hissed the question at her, to which Reimu was already prepared in advance.

"Then you can enjoy your stay in Gensokyo until you decide on the volunteers."

"I'm not sure if they could still be called volunteers then, ze." remarked Marisa.

"Hey, Midori…" Soudai whispered at her. "Are you drunk?" She apparently was, which was ironic, considering that she was the one lecturing Soudai about not drinking too much earlier. But even in her current state, she was able to lead a conversation and think straight. Or so it seemed at first glance.

Midori certainly didn't expect Reimu to impose such demands on the outsiders and she let her anger be known.

"Did I just hear you well? Are you threatening us?"

"No. Just stating my conditions." the shrine maiden replied stoically.

In complete contrast to Reimu's cold-blooded calmness, Midori blew her top and threw herself at the girl in red and white. "Why you dirty bitch! I'll scratch your eyes out!" she screamed furiously, to everyone's fortune, before she made any actual assault, so her friends had the time to grab her by the arms and drag her away from Reimu before things could turn ugly.

Reimu instinctively reached for her gohei as well as her ofuda and assumed a battle-ready stance, but the two male outsiders were already working on pacifying their infuriated friend.

"Midori!" Soudai shouted into her ear. "Pull yourself together! Just calm down! Damn it! Kyouichi, hold her!"

"I got her!" the other outsider hurriedly immobilized Midori's right arm which she was using to repeatedly hit Soudai in order to set herself free.

"Let me go! I'm gonna kill her! Who does she think she is?!"

"Hmph? Who am I, you ask?" Reimu slowly withdrew her weapons and straightened up proudly. "I am the Hakurei shrine maiden. I am the law and order in Gensokyo. And no human, no ghost, no youkai or god is going to keep me from doing my job. Anyone who disrupts the order shall answer to me and will be dealt with swiftly and without remorse. That is who I am."

"Well, the one causing the spirit incident is still at large, you know" Marisa pointed out, but Reimu wasn't paying attention, as she continued explaining her purpose to the intoxicated girl.

"All of Gensokyo knows my name. You'd do best to remember that, my dear, and show due respect. Otherwise I might confuse you for a youkai when the two of us cross paths again." she leaned closer to Midori's face to emphasize her words. The young female outsider's only regret was that she couldn't move her hands to strangle her.

"I'll burn your shrine down while you sleep." she sieved through her gritted teeth.

"You sound like someone possessed by a vengeful spirit." Reimu calmly stated as she drew her face away. "Perhaps I should perform an exorcism on you just in case."

"Oi, oi, Reimu, that's really going too far." Even Marisa was slightly disturbed by her friend's acting.

"Just teaching her some manners." she shrugged, as if her bully-like behavior was ethically correct.

"She's obviously drunk. Can't you see that?" Kyouichi explained on behalf of Midori's defense. Then he turned at the rioting female in his grasp and asked with a voice as calm as possible: "Say, Midori… How much sake have you had?"

But he couldn't get any intelligible answer out of her.

"Seriously, Soudai, how much did she drink today?"

"What am I? Her parent? I haven't been keeping a constant watch over her. I'd think she was responsible enough not to overdo it."

"She's still underage. She shouldn't be drinking at all in the first place."

"Well, you know how teenagers feel about rules and such…" Soudai shrugged, while still holding a firm grip on Midori's left arm. "She's in a rebellious age. We've all gone through that, haven't we? Well, sometimes I feel you haven't fully overcome that stage, Ishimaru, but that's not the point right now…"

"What was that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I don't know… A certain run from Eientei, maybe?" Soudai asked in sarcastic tone.

"Hey, at least I didn't pick a fight with anyone… I've never seen Midori mad like this before."

"You mean so wasted."

"And to think she and Akyuu are the same age..." Kyouichi scratched his head. "My brain fails to process it."

"Hey, what about Reisen?" Marisa's face brightened up with the arrival of an idea. "If she's here today, maybe you could buy some of that alcohol remedy from her just like last time."

"I think I saw a pair of rabbit ears in the crowd." Alice recalled with a distant look in her eyes. "I'll try to look around. You wait here, alright?"

"Don't worry. If we move somewhere else, I'll just give you another signal." the witch showed a thumbs up with a teethy smile, earning an exasperated sigh from her youkai friend.

"Attention magnet…" Alice muttered while leaving the scene with her floating doll.

Marisa overheard it, though and puckered her lips in a playful pout. "How rude."

"And I used the more polite version of the term." the puppeteer retorted without stopping or turning around.

"Tsh… the thanks I get for letting her live in my house. Unbelievable." Marisa grumbled when Alice was already gone.

By now, Midori resigned on her struggling and just calmly rested, supported by her two friends, with her head dizzily dangling on her neck.

"I think she tired herself out." Soudai estimated by waving his palm in front of her eyes.

"Oi, Midori…" Kyouichi tried communicating with her. "Are you calm now? Okay… I'm going to let go of you… slowly. Three, two, one…" and true to his word, he released the grip on her arm as he counted down to zero. Soudai was more hesitant, but after registering no violent attempts from Midori for several seconds, even he slowly set her arm free.

Midori stood there in silence for a while, her figure swaying slightly back and forth before she started falling backwards. Luckily for her, her friends didn't let down their guard and caught her just in time before she came to harm.

"Gotcha!"

"Let's make her sit down." Kyouichi suggested and with Soudai's help, they seated the young high school student on the grassy ground.

"She reminds me a bit of my first meeting with Suika." Marisa reminisced as she watched the drunken girl trying her best not to pass out.

"We're sorry for this trouble, Reimu." Kyouichi began apologizing in Midori's stead. "And I'm sure Midori would be as well… if she was sober."

"She'll get her chance to apologize." said the shrine maiden haughtily.

"But I also have to say that I partially agree with her." the outsider added after a pause "I honestly didn't expect you to demand something like that from us. Don't you understand the danger you're putting everyone involved into?"

"And don't you understand the danger EVERYONE is being put into with each day this incident remains unresolved? It's much greater than if all of Rinnosuke's clay exploded in the middle of this village." Her reply certainly had its point, but Kyouichi wasn't willing to undergo something so dangerous without an argument.

"Look, I promised we'd pay you for taking us out of Gensokyo safely; not that I'd be tinkering with a deadly device just so you could get your incident resolved by a few days sooner."

"And I'm giving you a choice. Lend us a hand, or don't."

"No, Reimu. What you're doing is not really giving us a choice. It's an ultimatum. I'm not sure if a return trip to Tokyo is worth the risk of losing my life."

The black-haired girl crossed her arms and let out a sigh. "Fine. Rinnosuke wanted me to convince you somehow… so I tried."

"So that's how it was." Soudai nodded understandingly.

"Even money becomes insignificant when we're facing a large-scale problem such as this." Reimu continued. "We can help each other out. We're going to test the explosives with or without you. But your assistance would help us a great deal."

Kyouichi took a long pause before choosing his reply. This wasn't just about him. Every outsider could decide to offer his or her help for Reimu's cause, but there weren't any volunteers raising their hands and standing in line to risk their lives for it. And as much as he didn't want to end up as a bloody smear on the ground after an accidental premature detonation, he didn't wish the same fate to Reimu or anyone else.

"If it's just for supervision…" he spoke up slowly.

"Even that will be fine!" Reimu immediately responded.

"Then I'll volunteer myself."

"Great~! Anyone else?"

"Think you'll take all the glory for yourself? Not on my watch!" Soudai stepped forward. "I'll go too… But just to supervise! You hear me?"

"Don't worry. We're going to apply magical counter-measures that will maximize the safety and minimize the risks." the shrine maiden reassured them.

"Hold it right there!" Kyouichi showed a palm in front of her. "If you can make magical countermeasures, why don't you just use magic to blow up that rocky layer around the temple?"

"That's the problem. The rock, the temple encased in it… It dampens magic. Mostly divine power, but also magic. That's why the yama-bito haven't breached it yet. Physical force is the most effective choice, but it's going to take those youkai long before they clear the way. That clay could help us. Kazemura isn't in the most suitable area for casting magic, but at least we can muster some basic spells to provide safety from the explosion."

"Just tell us when are you planning to conduct the test?" Soudai asked.

"As soon as possible. How about tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? We'll just be recovering from our hangover after we end up like Midorin~!"

"Did someone say hangover?" a rustle in the grass foretold the arrival of another person to the scene. It was Reisen, the Moon rabbit from Eientei, tagging along Alice who called her there.

"Oh, hello, Reisen-san." Soudai sheepishly grinned at the familiar lunar youkai as he waved his palm with equal bashfulness.

"Well, if it isn't our pair of fugitives." the rabbit remarked satirically. She didn't even give them a proper greeting when she rolled her eyes downward to take a look at the "patient" in need of help.

"Hey, I remember this girl."

"Yeah, that's our friend, Midori. She got a little out of control…"

"Well, last time it was she who was helping you stand during Tanabata if I recall." Reisen pointed out as she knelt down to give Midori a quick check-up of vital signs.

Soudai was quick to come up with a witty and yet truthful reply: "Hehe… I remember no such thing. And what I don't remember didn't happen."

Reisen ignored his answer, as she was focused on examining Midori. She looked alright, but her glance was all distorted and her breath alone was strong enough to make another person drunk from inhaling it.

"Whoa, Midori-san…" Reisen turned her face away as she took a whiff of the intense sake smell leaking out of Midori's mouth. "Accepting challenges from the oni is never a good idea unless you are one of them." she then took a small packet filled with a powdery content out of her pocket and ripped it open. "Can anyone bring me a glass of any non-alcoholic beverage, please?"

"I'll get some for you." Soudai trotted off as soon as he said that, returning in a moment with a cup full of water. "I hope fresh water is good enough."

"Of course it is. Thank you." the Moon rabbit accepted the cup and spilled the powder from her bag into the water. She then covered the cup's top with her palm and shook it well so the powder remedy would dissolve faster.

"Here, Midori-san… Drink it all up, nice and slowly."

The young human girl didn't react to the presence of the cup in front of her nose, so Reisen had to assist her, spilling some of the mixture over Midori's clothes.

"Like feeding an oversized baby." Soudai tried to hold back a chuckle.

"You were no different when I was making you drink that stuff at Reimu's shrine." Kyouichi replied.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course not…"

"The remedy takes a few minutes to take effect, so you should stay with her and keep an eye on her." the rabbit nurse from Eientei advised them. "However, this time it's not going to be for free."

"Sure, how much do we owe you?" Soudai asked her.

"Five hundred."

"No problemo…" he showed an "ok" gesture while he searched Midori's pockets with his free hand. "No... Not here… No cash here either…"

"What… the heck… are you doing?" Kyouichi arched his eyebrows at his friend's rather improper actions.

"Looking for money to pay Reisen for the remedy, of course." Soudai replied nonchalantly.

"Don't you have any money on you?"

"I do, but I'm not the one who drank the remedy, am I?"

"Soudai… stop touching her everywhere. She'll kill you when she comes to her senses!"

"Hmph…" Soudai resignedly shook his head and left the poor girl alone. "Fine…" he dug out a 500 Yen note out of his own pocket and reluctantly handed it to Reisen. "But she better pay up when she gets better."

Reisen took the payment for the medication and dusted her palms off. "I'll be somewhere around the village during the whole festival if anyone else needed to buy some medicine." She took a step forward, as if she was about to leave, but stopped to say one last warning: "Oh, and… don't overdo it with alcohol. Just because your friend did, doesn't mean you should compete with her… Take care."

"Thank you Reisen-san~!" Kyouichi waved his palm at the leaving Moon rabbit.

With the situation under control, Reimu once again cut the silence with the sound of her clearing her throat. "Getting back on topic, we still haven't decided when to conduct the test. If tomorrow is not a good time, then the day after tomorrow should be alright. Meet me in Kourindou at noon to pick up the clay and head out to Kazemura."

"Wait, wait, wait… Hold it, Reimu." Kyouichi tried to halt her, but the shrine maiden was currently in a "broadcast only" mode. "And don't forget to pack your bento. The road is a long one."

"I just want to know why do WE have to carry the explosives to Kazemura? I thought you just wanted us to supervise the test."

"Because, there's apparently more of that stuff than I alone can carry." she replied. "In fact, more than both me and Marisa can carry."

"More than I can carry? There's no amount big enough that I couldn't stea… errr.. carry." Marisa's tongue slipped.

"But why take everything with us when we're just doing a test of a single charge?" Kyouichi questioned her idea.

"Because, if the test is successful, we can put the rest of the clay to immediate use in the quarry without having to fly back to Kourindou."

"Are we supposed to bring a cart with us?" Soudai asked flusteredly.

"If you have a cart, then by all means, use it.

"Well…" Kyouichi spoke again after a moment, "At first it seemed like Reimu was asking for volunteers, but given our current employment and the situation with the village gates, I think we're the only ones who can."

"What about Dan-san?" Soudai recalled the foreign member of the Transfer Students' Club, who also worked in agriculture sector and could therefore pass through the gates of Human Village without problems.

"Oh, yeah, Daniel. Almost forgot about him. Dan! Come over here for a second!" Kyouichi called at him.

The young man with fair hair hesitantly stepped forth. One could easily tell he wasn't quite willing to undertake the dangerous trip to the distant village. Let alone with a cart full of explosives. "A-aren't two volunteers enough for this task?" he asked sheepishly.

"Hmm… maybe they are." Reimu acknowledged after a moment of thought. "The hand cart solves our need for more than two people."

"Oh, thank God…" Daniel exhaled with relief. "You two can handle that just fine, right?"

As much enthusiasm as Soudai showed when he agreed to help Reimu, he was now having some serious second thoughts about the whole idea when he heard that the miko wants to take all of Rinnosuke's stockpile of explosives.

"Seriously… If I had known that you'd ask us to drag all of those C-4s to Kazemura, I would surely react just as Dan now."

"Why don't you switch places?" Reimu suggested teasingly.

"I don't want to die yet~!"

"But we're the only ones with permission to leave the village." his younger friend reminded him.

"Dan doesn't seem too enthusiastic about it and I can't say I blame him now."

"Hmm…" Kyouichi rubbed his chin as he brainstormed for any alternate solutions. "Yuujin works with a caravan… Technically… he could…"

"Why, of course~!" Soudai wiped away his pessimistic expression in an instant. "He also has the permission to leave. And even travels to Kazemura regularly. And he's a jerk…"

Luckily for, him, Yuujin Ueda wasn't there among the outsiders to hear Soudai's words.

"Let's have Yuujin make the delivery." he showed his fondness for the idea with a sly, almost scary-looking grin.

"…let's." Kyouichi also agreed after a moment of silence.

"Ok, so where is this Yuujin person?" Reimu cast her glance in the direction of the gathered outsiders, but received no reaction from them.

"Apparently, not here." Kyouichi summed up after double-checking the faces of the gathered people. "I'm not really in the mood for looking for him, thank you."

"Then unless you find him and convince him, our agreement remains unchanged."

If Kyouichi had the willpower to look for someone he never got along with only to brew up another argument, he would probably start searching for him by now. But his feet remained firm on the ground like they were nailed down. Soudai wasn't hurrying anywhere either.

"I guess your passivity means you agree with me, yes?" Reimu asked without waiting for an answer. "Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining everything all over again to a stranger. Now that that's taken care of, I can finally go home and start making dinner."

"Why won't you stay here and join our fun, ze?" her blonde-haired friend curiously tilted her head.

"Because I don't feel like celebrating. Besides, news from Kazemura can come at any moment. I need to be available at the shrine in case of an emergency."

"Don't feel like celebrating? But hey, if it hadn't been for the good harvest, you'd be starving through the winter." Marisa countered.

"And if we underestimate the situation, we might not even have anywhere to live before winter comes. I don't want to end up like Alice, with my shrine burnt down when I wasn't home."

"My house was burnt down even when all three of us were there. I don't think your over-vigilance will make much difference when the swarms come swooping down on us again." Alice made a valid point with a stoic calmness in her facial expression.

"And you seem to be overly carefree about it. Do you want all that money I assisted you with to go to waste?"

"Look, Reimu." Alice let out an annoyed sigh. "I appreciate the gift and can't thank you enough, but… I'm going to live my life as I see fit. And seeing how you've been acting lately, I suggest you should ease up too. I bet even the girls working in Kazemura aren't as uptight as you are. If the expedition team needs to find you, they will."

"Yeah, Reimu." Soudai joined the conversation, siding with Alice. "We just signed up for a potentially deadly mission just because we care. And yet you can't do anything for us in return? How about this idea? If you can stay and have fun with us during this feast, then and only then we'll go to Kazemura with you."

"I guess you really do want to spend the rest of your lives in Gensokyo." the shrine maiden returned to her previous intimidating tactic.

"Reimu…" Marisa put her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "You were the one who wanted to get the outsiders home before moving on to solving the vengeful spirit outbreak, if I recall. Be reasonable."

Seeing as even her own friends have teamed up to convince her to stay, Reimu became frustrated. If this was a normal day without an unresolved incident still hanging in the air, she would have no objections joining the festivities, drinking cupfuls of sake and partying until tiredness takes her. But now, even the slightest thought of easing up and letting her guard down brought searing discomfort to her already troubled mind.

"Don't they realize that in these troubling times, it is necessary to be in constant alert?" she thought to herself as she silently clenched her right fist in anger. She swung her gohei in a dangerously-looking motion, stopping just inches away from Kyouichi's nose, who flinched out of shock. "This conversation is over! Goodbye." She announced her departure in an aggravated fashion and took her feet off the ground. Marisa's and Alice's calls after her did nothing to stop her from returning home to her shrine.

"W-what did I do?" Kyouichi still didn't understand why Reimu specifically chose him when she swung her gohei, even when the miko was already long out of sight.

"You were just unfortunate enough to stand right in front of her." Marisa gave him a terse explanation.

That's when Kyouichi felt a light tug on his hakama. As he lowered his head, he witnessed as Midori was trying to stand up, using his leg for support.

"You alright?" he asked her, even when he wasn't sure if all of her senses have returned to her.

"I feel dizzy…" she murmured a barely audible reply.

"You don't say." Soudai scoffed sarcastically.

"I must have drunk too much…"

"I see you're recovering your scattered wits." he reached for her hand and helped her stand up. "Today you'll be drinking just tea, understand?"

Both of her friends helped her walk to one of the provisory benches that were surrounding every table, but they haven't even made two steps when someone from the crowd crossed their path.

"I see… You're the source of that Master Spark, as I suspected." The woman with slivery-bluish hair peeked at Marisa over Soudai's shoulder.

"Oh, crap. The last person we needed to meet right now." Kyouichi whispered to his friend.

"Oh, hello, Keine-sensei…" the older outsider sheepishly greeted the village's teacher.

"Does the half-beast have any business with me?" Marisa curiously eyed her.

Not minding the witch's rather rude demeanor, Keine simply wanted to know what was going on. "I have business with anything that disturbs the village's peace. And your little magic show has caused quite a ruckus, I must say."

Marisa shrugged, as if casting Master Sparks was a part of her everyday routine, which probably wasn't too far from the truth. "I was just calling for Alice, that's all. I didn't ask half the village to gather around me, ze."

And while Keine's attention was mostly focused on Marisa, the outsiders attempted to make a smooth and quiet getaway, but the sound of Keine clearing her throat has stopped them dead in their tracks.

"And where are you lot off to?"

"Um, ehh, just going to take a seat." Soudai tried to keep calm, but the summer heat in combination with his nervousness has made his forehead perspire more than usual.

Both he and Kyouichi were trying to inconspicuously support Midori and prevent her from losing her balance. Letting their teacher find out that Midori got herself smashed was the last thing they wanted, but so little could be done when Keine's probing eyes scanned the trio of outsiders suspiciously.

"Well, how is your day, "transfer students"?" she asked them with a tiny hint of derision in her voice.

"Uh, perfect!" Kyouichi took over the talking part. "Great! Fantastic… Couldn't be better." if his nose would grow each time he told a lie, it'd probably be poking into Keine's face by now.

"My…" Keine smiled warmly, "you seem to be so close to each other. You must be really good friends with Midori-chan…"

The fact that they were standing too close to each other couldn't be denied, but at least they'd hope Keine wouldn't notice that one of the best students in her class is barely able to stand.

"Sure we are. Hahaha…" Soudai forced a chuckle in hope of looking natural.

"You seem oddly quiet today, Midori." the half-youkai was dangerously getting closer to revealing her intoxication. The fact that Midori's head was basically hanging on her neck and looking down was only further arousing Keine's curiosity.

And in a last hopeless and desperate attempt to camouflage it, Kyouichi used a sleight of hand to lightly pull Midori's head upwards and tried to imitate her voice: "I'm sorry, Keine-sensei, I'm just a little tired today…"

Soudai tired his best to resist bursting into laugher over his friend's pathetic attempt.

"Man… You suck at ventriloquism."

Keine tilted her head to the side with a poker-face expression and hit the nail on the head with her question: "Is she drunk?"

"Uhh… yeah." Kyouichi knew that it was no use trying to deny it now.

"Oh, my, shouldn't we take her to the village clinic?"

"No, we already met Reisen-san from Eientei. She gave her some remedy; we just need to wait for it to take effect."

"And I was hoping she'd be setting an example for you two…" Keine let out a sigh of disappointment. "Just because today is a festive day doesn't mean you have to drink till you drop."

"We don't even know when she drank so much." Soudai gesticulated with one hand, while supporting the girl with another. "She just showed up, curious about Marisa's "signal". She looked alright, but then it all came down on her suddenly. She almost started a fight with a shrine maiden too."

"The shrine maiden is here?" wondered Keine as she looked around.

"Nope." Marisa replied negatively. "She took off pretty pissed. She acts all cool and strong, but somehow I think she desperately needs help."

"She just wants to be left alone." Alice shrugged. "I can understand that."

"I know she does. I just think that she doesn't really know what's good for her." said the ordinary magician.

"Now, now, Iwakami-san." Keine wagged her index finger patronizingly. "It's not nice to pick fights with a shrine maiden, you know… And being drunk is not an excuse. Make sure you apologize properly, okay?" she finished her mild scolding with a smile.

Midori finally managed to return the gaze and weakly nodded her head. "I... I'm sorry, I… I feel terrible."

"Let's help her get to that bench already." Kyouichi took the initiative and with slow steps he and Soudai carried her to the nearest bench and carefully seated her.

"Don't worry; in 15 minutes you'll never know you even drank anything today." Soudai reassured her, talking from his own experience after ingesting the same remedy almost two months ago.

"You're lucky to meet Reisen-san today in such a crowd. Not to mention that she doesn't appear in the village very often." the teacher pointed out a little fact about the mysterious Moon rabbit.

"That was Alice who found her, so… yeah… Thanks, Alice." Kyouichi belatedly expressed his gratitude for Alice's assistance in need.

"Don't mention it." she waved her palm dismissively, as if she couldn't care less about their gratitude. "Come on, Marisa." she beckoned her friend, "I'm not letting you wander off again. You'll just do something stupid as usual."

"Ahh~! Alice-chan! I'll stay with you forev…. ugh!" Marisa tried to cuddle to her, but was pushed back by the puppeteer's pale palm.

"That doesn't mean you can invade my personal space, though."

"So cold… Hey, hey, Kyouichi!" the witch suddenly called the outsider.

"Hm?"

"What did you say a person acting hostile on the outside and being all lovey-dovey on the inside was called again?"

"A tsundere…?"

"Ah, that's right." she nodded affirmatively. "You're such a tsundere, Alice!"

"Whatever. Let's go. See you around." Alice bid everyone else goodbye.

"Yeah. Bye, ze!" Marisa followed suit and waved her hand before she and her youkai friend got lost in the shifting masses.

Keine gazed quizzically at the departing duo of magic-users and asked herself: "Was that a pun?" By which she meant a pun on the Chinese name of her youkai species.

Pun or not, Marisa and Alice were gone and so, Keine's attention reverted back to the outsiders.

"Mind if I sit down here with you for a while?"

"Not at all." Answered Soudai and slid a bit aside to make room for her. But his friend had different thoughts.

"Actually, yes." Kyouichi had enough of unpleasant conversations for today and he didn't even care if he was expressing his desire for Keine's departure with blunt rudeness.

"Hey, that was unexpectedly untactful of you." the teacher of history frowned and sat down on the bench anyway. "Did I do something wrong to you?"

A sigh of utter tiredness left Kyouichi's mouth as he slowly shook his head while looking at the ground. "No… I just don't want to talk with anyone."

"What's the matter?" Soudai teasingly prodded his shoulder, to which Kyouichi didn't even react. "Did Reimu's "everyone, leave me the hell alone" mood rub off on you too?"

"Probably…"

"Hey, maybe you just need a drink."

"Don't… even… mention… drinks… ungh." Midori begged him as the medicine in her system was fighting against the residual ethanol.

"Ah, right. Sorry there, Midori." Soudai promptly apologized. "

"I've been meaning to ask you what your problem was." the were-hakutaku got straight to the point.

"What problem? Whose problem?" Soudai offered her a clueless stare.

"Yours and Ishimaru-san's. You used to do better in your studies, but at some point, it's as if somebody swapped bodies with you. Of course, you're still the same people, but… your grades are below the class average and I simply don't believe that there isn't some sort of problem in your lives that caused it…"

Both of the boys stayed silent, not willing to admit anything, even when Keine was not an easy person to fool. They both knew why they weren't taking their studies seriously for some time, but if they told Keine the truth, it could put their plans of leaving Gensokyo into jeopardy.

"If you can find it in you to tell me what's preventing you from getting better results," she continued, "perhaps I can aid you with your problem. But if you stay quiet, you'll be left to deal with everything by yourselves and nobody will be able to help you…. It's not a shame to ask for help sometimes."

"We don't need help." Kyouichi insisted stubbornly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we're sure. Now please leave."

Keine nodded and stood up. "As you wish." she said without even hinting that she was in any way offended and marched away from them.

Soudai has never seen Kyouichi speak his mind like that in front of their teacher, so despite being quite talkative, he suddenly had a problem to word his thoughts. But on the other hand, he had understanding for his reaction. Nobody could predict what outcome it could have to tell Keine about their planned escape from Human Village. While she knew about the purpose of their club – collecting the village's lore about the youkai of boundaries, the current plan of the Transfer Students' Club was, for all intents and purposes, kept a secret from her.

Soudai finally broke the awkwardness with his heavy sigh: "And this day started off seemingly so well…"

"Couldn't agree more." Kyouichi grumbled quietly as he stared into nowhere. The day started off really well. Everyone was looking forward to this evening, but now the three young people from beyond the boundary just sat there at a half-empty table without a mood to do anything. Even Kyouichi's pleasant afternoon spent with the lovely nature youkai seemed like it took place a year ago. Where did it all take such a wrong turn? After some inner reflection, Kyouichi let out a weak chuckle that sounded more pained than joyful.

"Maybe you were right, Soudai."

"About what?"

"Maybe I could use a drink right now."

"Nooooo~!" Midori begged them with a tired monotonous moan.

"Don't worry; not for you." Kyouichi reassuringly patted the poor girl's back. Luckily for him, someone left a half-empty tankard at the table filled with what looked and smelled like wine. He didn't care who it belonged to, he took it without asking and finished off its content to the last drop.

Soudai tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Kyou… What the hell?"

"It was just standing there; taunting me." Kyouichi shrugged innocently, earning an amused laughter from his friend.

"I can see that… Just wanted to tell you that you don't want to be sitting here when the owner of that beverage returns and starts asking questions."

"And where should we go?" the long-haired young man asked a rhetorical question. Before Soudai could even begin to think about a reply, a sudden wave of applause took the trio of outsiders by surprise. Cheers and shouts could be heard from afar, piquing their curiosity.

"What's going on over there?" Soudai looked at his two friends, as if he was hoping they'd know the answer. But instead of either of them, the reply to his question came from the very epicenter of the cheering crowds.

A powerful sound thundered across the crop fields, comparable to the sound of organ amplified by a multitude of high-performance concert speakers. It played a short set of chords that resonated loudly enough to be heard even from the Hakurei Shrine. Kyouichi could feel his stomach tingle as the sound waves overwhelmed him. And after that, an equally impressive, but rather mellow sound of violin followed the previous instrument, creating a beautiful, enchanting and a bit melancholic melody.

"It's started!" Soudai finally understood. "The Prismriver Ensemble has started their concert!"

"So… magnificent…" Kyouichi whispered in awe, his words drowned out in the melody. And when the sound of a trumpet filled the air, it was no doubt a signal that the three famous poltergeists began their performance.

"Come on, man! I don't want to miss this!" Soudai pulled Kyouichi by the sleeve.

He would follow him without hesitation, if it hadn't been for Midori, who still looked like she didn't completely overcome her drowsiness.

"Are you feeling better, Midori?" he leaned closer to her face. "Do you want to come with us to see the performance?"

She slowly raised her right hand and waved it in a gesture that signified agreement. "I… I'll stay here for just a moment. You… can go on without me."

"Are you sure?" Soudai raised his eyebrow in slight doubt.

"Yeah…" she nodded while holding her stomach. "I'll catch up with you… in a minute."

"If you say so…" the oldest of the three shrugged and reluctantly stepped back from her. "We probably won't be able to wrestle our way to the front rows, so when you get better, you can find us somewhere around the outer section of the crowd."

"Okay." Midori gave an affirmative nod, signaling her friends that it's alright if they go now.

---

After one last silent exchange of glances, the two males left her alone. She felt really miserable and her nausea was lifting only slowly. But her mood was not at the freezing point just because of the alcohol. She had a memory blackout, but she could still recall bits and pieces of the events that took place before Reisen's medicine somewhat brought her back to her senses. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to fully recall what happened, but while she was indulged in her thoughts, she heard a set of footsteps approaching the table she was sitting at. But she couldn't be bothered to turn around and see who it was. As the steps rustled in the grass louder, a pair of female voices brought a part of their conversation to her ears.

"…and it's bigger than last year's, isn't it?"

"We've already did what we came here for, sis. People are only grateful for a while before they forget." the slightly lower-pitched voice replied.

"But it's nice to be at the village once in a while. And this celebration takes place only once a year. Sometimes it doesn't take place at all…"

"Depending on your generosity, yes. Besides, doesn't the harvest usually come AFTER the changing of leaves?"

"Perhaps it does, but exceptions aren't unheard of. I provide only as much as people deserve… Oh, look, a vacant bench. Let's take a break here for a while."

"Oh?" the other voice sounded surprised by something. "I sense depression and melancholy. And I'm fairly sure it's not just me."

Midori felt as someone sat on the same bench, but she still didn't bother to turn her head. At least not until she was directly addressed.

"Young miss, pardon my rudeness, but has something happened to you?"

Slowly, Midori turned her neck to the side and sighted two short-haired blonde girls, probably around her age, sitting on the same bench. They looked alike if it hasn't been for their clothes. Judging from their conversation that she inadvertently overheard, the two were sisters. One of them was clad in a poofy-sleeved yellow blouse, complemented by a dark dress reaching about halfway up her chest, held in place by black shoulder straps. She also wore a pinkish apron with wheat patterns over her dress and her head was partially covered by a bright-red hat adorned by a cluster of blue grapes. For a moment, Midori wondered if they were real or manmade decoration, but what attracted her attention even more was the fact that the said girl had no footwear. No boots, shoes, sandals or even socks.

"Hello~! I'm talking to you." the other girl spoke up again louder, to make sure Midori paid attention to her.

Like her presumed sibling, her hair color and stature was nigh-identical. The only distinguishable differences were her yellow eyes as opposed to her sister's red eyes and her apparel. A bright-red dress, gradually flowing from her dark-red top and sleeves to her brighter-red center and orange bottom, which ended with leaf-shaped cut-outs. Her hair sported a red leaf-shaped decoration, and unlike her sibling, she wore white socks and black shoes. She was the one who spoke to Midori, but the female outsider wasn't much in a mood for conversation with a pair of strangers in weird dresses.

"That's not your business." she murmured grumpily. Although she wondered if her terrible mood was that obvious if a complete stranger took notice at first glance.

"It isn't… But I find it unusual for people to be depressed in this season and during a festive event, no less."

"Look, I don't know who you are, but if you know how I feel, then you should know that I'd prefer to be left alone."

"Depressed people are the most likely targets of youkai, you should know that."

"Well, would you look at that, Shizuha," the barefooted girl spoke to her sibling, "it seems there are still some people who don't recognize us."

"Hmph… Am I supposed to know everyone from the village?"

"Oh, but we aren't from the village, young lady." the one called Shizuha corrected her, showing the faintest smile Midori has ever seen.

"D-don't tell me that you're youkai…" the girl from the outside world slightly backed away from the two blonde sisters.

"Oh, no, don't worry. We're not… Seems I'm not that known even as one of the harvest gods…" said the other girl, seemingly addressing the words to herself.

"What the…?" Midori wasn't sure if the alcohol remedy really washed away her intoxication when she heard that. "Harvest… gods?"

"Yes~!" the girl with grapes on her hat chimed cheerfully and bowed in a courteous manner. "Minoriko…"

Her sister, whose name was already known, followed suit: "Shizuha." she spoke in her quiet voice that was nearly drowned out in the music of the Prismriver concert.

"We're the Aki sisters." Minoriko completed the information and smiled sweetly.

"Aki?"

"Yes. We control the season of autumn. Actually, only I am the harvest goddess. Older sis here paints the leaves and makes them fall. We love humans, but not in the gastronomical sense."

Midori could still hardly believe that she was actually talking with two deities, but if they really weren't, what reason would these two girls have to spread lies?

"I never… thought I'd see a real god."

"What are you talking about? Gensokyo is full of gods, just as it is full of youkai."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised… ugh… sorry. Feeling a bit sick."

Even a simple look at the outsider could tell everyone that she wasn't exactly in her prime, and Shizuha especially felt the girl's negative thoughts coursing through her mind, enshrouding her with an aura of self-blame and regret.

"I know…" Shizuha walked up a little closer to her and nodded to herself understandingly.

Minoriko stood up and joined her sister's side as they took up Midori's view. "Hey, cheer up, okay?"

Midori sighed hopelessly. "I wish it was that easy… I've... I've done something really stupid today."

"All humans do such things every once in a while." the younger goddess said to comfort her troubled heart.

"But I don't know what to do now!" she lamented over her regrettable actions. She shook her head self-critically, avoiding direct eye contact with the two autumn goddesses. That's when she noticed another strange thing about Minoriko.

"Hey… wait a minute…"

"Yes?" Minoriko tilted her head quizzically.

"What's with your feet?"

"Oh, my feet? Never mind about those~!" the cheerful harvest goddess giggled while stretching and flexing her toes. The unusual thing about Minoriko wasn't obvious at first glance, but now, Midori clearly saw that the goddess of abundant harvests walked on two left feet.

"For now, just letting your troubles out is enough to get you started."

"But… we just met… and I barely know you."

"Sometimes, sharing your troubles with a stranger can bring you more emotional relief than you'd think." Shizuha opposed.

Midori hesitated, but when the two divine sisters wouldn't let their eyes off her, she conceded.

"Alright…" she breathed out resignedly. "I… I think I argued with someone…. I can't really remember it well, but… I think it was pretty bad."

The two goddesses exchanged their glances for a second, looking a little baffled, before Minoriko spoke to the girl.

"And… that's all?" she showed a sheepish grin.

"What do you mean, "that's all"?!" the outsider raised her voice, but covered her mouth immediately afterwards after she realized that she was just about to repeat the same mistake. "I… I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, young human girl." the harvest deity comforted her by placing her palm on her head.

"Midori."

"Pardon?"

"My name… It's Iwakami Midori… I'm sorry. I'm so rude I even forgot to introduce myself."

"Well, Midori…" Shizuha took the word, "It is a problem, but… one that can be easily resolved."

"Indeed." her younger sister continued, "All you have to do is to think of a good way to apologize and make up for it somehow."

"As if it was so easy."

"And isn't it? Just go see that person and say that you're sorry. An honest apology can work wonders. And if you bring some little present along, it's only going to increase your chances."

"There… may be more than one person who I caused trouble to." Midori added after a hesitant pause. "I just don't remember it… I don't even remember if I ever got drunk as badly as today."

"Oh, drunken revelry. That's more of your specialization, sis." Shizuha teasingly smirked at her younger sibling.

"I think you're confusing me with some other goddess, Shizuha. In any case, I'd first try apologizing to your friends, as they are the most likely to forgive you, and ask them about the details of what happened. That way you'll know who else you should apologize to. Now all it takes is your own will and courage."

"But… I'm… I'm worried that they'll hate me."

"It is your decision, Iwakami Midori." the goddess of turning leaves explained the options she had. "You can either leave things as they are, and leave everyone convinced that you don't care about them, or you can show some dignity and right your own wrongs. Take your time to think about it… And don't say I didn't warn you about those youkai. They can feel your sorrow just as much as I can, and to them, nothing smells tastier than a depressed human outside of village's walls."

"Well, maybe except an outsider." the younger goddess added after a second of thought.

Those words were enough to make Midori realize the potential danger that she was in, and served as a spur to motivate her into action. Her nausea was nearly all gone thanks to the medicine she took; now all that was left for her to do was to get some plasters for the wounds on her soul. And only she could bring herself to ease… by looking for her friends and starting to apologize.

"I… I think I get it quite clearly now." she slowly stood up from the bench and took a deep breath of the refreshing evening air into her lungs. "Thank you for talking to me… and for listening to me."

"No problem, Midori-san." smiled the easy-going Minoriko. "We wish you good luck."

"Once again, thank you, Aki sisters! If all goes well, I promise I'll visit shrines more often!" she bowed to them as she was about to leave.

"Do your best now!"

"Strange girl…" Shizuha muttered as she watched the young human trot away towards the thickest concentration of people, viewing the performance. "Does she even know we don't have any shrine?"

"What does it matter?" Minoriko asked, looking in the same direction as her sister. "Faith is what matters. Without it, a shrine is but a building."

"Hmm… True." Shizuha hummed and nodded her head. "Out of all 8 million gods, only about 100 000 of them have a shrine, and yet they don't complain."

"People love us and we love them in return. A faith in a god is a system of give and take. The ever-looping cycle of reciprocity…"

"You don't need to tell me that, you know."

"You're right." Minoriko laughed. "You're my older sister, so you surely know more than I do. Now, how about we take a look at those phantom musicians while we're here?"

Shizuha shrugged. "A bit too loud for my tastes, but… very well."

The two goddesses of autumn have joined the crowd of spectators shortly afterwards…

And so, the grand harvest feast was nearing its end. Midori managed to find her friends and apologized to them. She didn't even expect them to accept her apology, but she was joyous when they did. Even when this day was full of mood swings for all the outsiders, it ended on a rather optimistic note. One last month for them to spend in Gensokyo… The visions of homecoming have warmed up more than one outsider's heart. Kyouichi and Soudai had probably one last adventure left ahead of them. One that promised unforgettable memories, if everything would proceed as planned. And after that? Only to wait for the arrival of autumn, the day which will mark their return to the world they belong.