"…and ya got yourself a pretty sweet deal with that whole 'reflecting lasers' thing you got goin' on, but there's gotta be some kinda limit or else it's not fair. My recommendation? Save it for bombs. Kinda gimmicky, but it works out. Have you put any thought into what kinda theme ya want for spell cards? Nah, course not. That's fine, stick to general purpose 'til ya know what you're doing. Ya said Ran was teaching you, right? Well, she's an Extra boss, so she'll get ya squared away. Your rate of fire is pretty pathetic so ask her to work on that first. Make sense?" Marisa looked expectantly at me. I stared back like a deer caught in the headlights.

"…I understood maybe 30% of that." I admitted without shame. Marisa had wasted no time in hitting me with the magic psychobabble and roped me into the discussion as soon as I had a cup of Suika's concoction pressed into my hand. I would have nodded along at the pauses between sentences to hold up the pretense of following along, but she never even stopped to take a breath. Honestly, I'm not sure what she even expected from me. I was really out of place in this kind of social setting. Marisa sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck from where she sat on the steps of the shrine. Reimu and Suika were currently rolling on the ground wrestling with each other as Reimu tried to beat the crap out of her and Suika tried to do… something that resembled sexual harassment, but was probably just her idea of playing around. Hard to tell with her. Reimu was definitely out for blood, though.

"Hehe… Sorry. I guess I got carried away." I managed to pull my gaze away from the scuffle and back to Marisa. "I don't usually get ta act like a senpai. Most people have been doing this stuff longer than me, and the only fresh blood we get anymore is youkai and weirdos." She said before draining another mysterious bottle and tossing it atop her steadily growing pile. Suika had her ever-lasting gourd, and Marisa had her hammer space hat filled with mysterious concoctions. I wasn't sure if she was drunk from the alcohol content, or woozy from drinking actual poison. Alcohol should not glow.

"I guess it's fine, then… just don't expect me to call you senpai any time soon." A mental image popped unbidden into my head of 'senpaiii~' coming out of my mouth in Isshiki's voice. I shuddered in disgust and fear. Some things just shouldn't come to be. "That's right, you're human… You look about my age too." Although that observation didn't mean as much as it used to. Still, it felt like ages since I had spoken to a fellow human. It wouldn't hurt to get some more information under the pretense of small talk. "How long have you been doing this stuff for?" I asked curiously. Despite her claims of being less experienced than others, Marisa treated magic with the casualness of someone who was old hat at it… Pun not intended. I was curious at how long a human needed to work at something like that. Marisa grinned widely at my question, seeming happy at my interest in her passion.

"Ya mean magic? I've been doing this since I was a little tyke! I was only about this tall when I ran away from home ta get myself a teacher!" She held her hand a few feet off the ground. Hm. She sure didn't grow much, did she? "Well, some stuff happened, and the rest is history. Got Mima-sama to teach me, set up a nice place in the forest, borrowed some books, and here I am!" Going by the shifty look she was giving Reimu to see if she would interject, there was likely more to the story than that. I didn't pry, because it wasn't any of my business. I also didn't actually care that much.

"Just like that, huh? Well… kudos for picking a path in life and seeing it through, I guess." I took a sip of the drink Suika had poured for me. Damn, still tasted amazing enough to tempt me into drinking too much. I suppose that was a small blessing, seeing as it's all I was having that night. I wasn't going near whatever Marisa was drinking, and Reimu wasn't sharing hers. Hopefully I could avoid a repeat of the other night by pacing myself. I didn't fancy my odds, though. Suika had been eyeing me suspiciously for a while now.

"Pffft, what? Quit talking like an old man." How rude. Kids these days have no respect for their elders! Wait, right, she's the senpai here. "'Sides, it's not like it was a tough choice or anything. That first time I saw magic…" Marisa let out a longing sigh and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "It was just so… so… ya know? There's no way I could have done anything else… ya know?" Quit asking me if I know when I so clearly do not. With her piece said, she flopped onto her back to stare at the last bit of the sun setting behind the horizon with a contented smile on her face. Admittedly, I was a little envious of her. However, there was one part of what she said that I wasn't willing to let pass.

"So I get most of that. You saw magic, you fell in love at first sight with magic, then you ran away from home to elope with magic." Marisa chuckled lightly at my metaphor but didn't correct my choice of words. "…But the forest? The very same forest that everyone has gone through great pains to tell me is an absolute death trap? You ran away from home to live there?" I pressed. And as a kid at the age of however old she was, too! If my sister pulled a stunt like that then I would die of worry right alongside my parents. Marisa sat up and glared at me, seeming slightly insulted.

"Hey, quit dissing my home! It's not that bad!" She folded her arms and glared. After a moment of staring back at her, she deflated slightly. "…Alright, so it kinda is. Still! Ya just gotta know what to watch out for! It's only dangerous if you're an idiot, and I was a smart kid!" It seemed she wasn't quite ready to let the matter go. "Just don't go stickin' your nose where it doesn't belong and don't eat any weird stuff and ya got nothing to worry about." Except the man-eating youkai, of course. Although going by what I've heard so far, those weren't exclusive to the forest.

"'Weird stuff' like the glowing rainbow mushrooms, then?" I offered instead. I swore they were radioactive at the time, but I was beginning to have my doubts. This place was fantasy through and through. It would be strange to deal with radioactivity of all things in Gensokyo. Before I could move on to a different subject, Marisa firmly grasped my shoulders and turned me to face her intense stare. Damn, this girl was stronger than she looked! I gulped slightly, wondering what was with the sudden intensity.

"Where did you see those mushrooms?" She spoke firmly and evenly. Mushrooms? That's what all this was about? Despite phrasing it as a question, it had clearly been intended as a demand. The hard stare in her eyes left no doubt of that. Feeling unsettled, I decided then and there to tell her whatever she wanted to know.

"Uh… the forest? Can't really tell you much beyond that." Not that I had much to tell her. "They were all over the place, though. Can't miss them." I said. She clicked her tongue with an irritated scowl on her face.

"Fine then. Give me your blood." She demanded with frustration clear in her tone, as if she hadn't just asked something completely unreasonable of me. My thoughts came to a screeching halt as they tried and failed to process her request.

"That sounds like the exact opposite of a good idea. Also… What?" Because really, I have no idea what's going on in this conversation anymore. How much did she have to drink? I was taking it easy, so I couldn't be blamed for this latest bout of insanity. She clicked her tongue again.

"Fine then. A few hairs will work too." She said and stuck her hand out, not daunted at all by my refusal. Suddenly, a suspicion popped in to my head. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Did… Did you just demand something unreasonable so that your actual request would seem less ridiculous?" I accused her. She shifted her gaze to the side, refusing to meet my eyes while she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. "You did! What the hell, don't use my body parts for haggling!" I don't think I was asking for too much here.

"OK, no sweat. I won't use them for haggling. What about for magic, then?" She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. I was unamused. "Look, we can go back to the blood if it'll make you feel better…" She offered with a lazy grin. I couldn't even tell if she was joking anymore. When had I lost control of this conversation? I needed to get it back before she moved on to requesting organs. I'm pretty sure I still needed those. The liver, at the very least.

"…Only if you tell me what you'll use it for. Also, I want your word that you won't use it for anything besides that." I magnanimously conceded. The first rule of striking a deal with someone is to force the other party in to playing on your terms. Unfortunately, I overestimated Marisa's sense of honor. It was my fault really. Despite it being implied that she would tell me beforehand, Marisa hadn't seemed to agree.

"Deal!" As soon as she said the word, there was a sharp pain on my scalp as she ripped several of my hairs out faster than I could see her hand move. She inspected the black hairs in her grip, ignoring the baleful look I sent her way. It wasn't a pout, no matter what anyone else says. "I can rig up a locating spell with these bad boys." Marisa explained as she procured a glass bottle from her hat and sealed the hairs inside of it with a cork. "I figure it won't be too hard to repurpose the spell to retrace your steps, which is all I need them for. I won't use it to stalk ya or anything like that. Ya have my word, or whatever." She waved her hand dismissively. Wow, how reassuring. "Might be a little tricky working around the time you were in the Yakumo's house… Her place is probably as freaky as she is. I'll figure something out, though. I gotta get those mushrooms." There's a joke to be made there, but my Charisma stat was not nearly high enough to escape the beating afterwards.

"What do you even need the mushrooms for?" I asked, rubbing the newly tender area of my scalp. Actually, while we're on the subject… "Also, on a scale of 1 to 10, how dead would I be if I had eaten them?" I asked. I had certainly been considering testing my luck at the time. She snickered and tore her eyes away from the vial to look at me again. She stored the vial in her hat while she talked.

"Wouldn't kill ya, but… Trust me, you're better off not knowing." I wholeheartedly accepted that response. "I don't need 'em for anything too crazy, just an experiment I've been working on. It's real finnicky, and those mushrooms would let me skip a bunch of the more annoying steps. Once it's done, I should be able to tak- Heeey… instead of telling ya, why not swing by some time and take a look? I can show you some other cool magic stuff while we're at it!" From one blink to the next, she had gone from sitting several inches away to being right in my face. The closeness to a girl my age might have caused me to blush if her breath hadn't reeked of booze. "Us human magic folks gotta stick together, after all!" Not a bad offer when all's said and done. Too bad she lives in the forest. We'll talk once you move somewhere else, Marisa. For now, I just gave a noncommittal hum and put some distance between us, while pretending to take a long sip of my drink.

"Oho~ Trying to steal one of Ran's students away, huh?" Suika sat down gracelessly between Marisa and I. Oh, hello Suika. So nice of you to join us. I see you've finally managed to pry yourself away from taking Reimu's innocence. I wonder if that has anything to do with that rapidly healing black eye you're sporting. Not to worry, I won't call attention to it. I am, after all, a perfect gentleman.

"Psht, no way. It's just my duty as senpai to make sure he doesn't turn out as boring as her, though." Marisa asserted. "That means I get to show him the cool parts with none of the responsibilities! If I was his teacher, I'd have to deal with the boring stuff too." By 'boring stuff', I would assume she meant safety precautions.

"Will this at all interfere with her goal of keeping me alive?" I questioned, already fearing the answer. The utterly disappointed look she sent me was all the response I needed from her. Why did I bother asking?

"Ugh, she's already gotten to you, man. You've gotta fight it!" She bemoaned with a hand dramatically thrown over her forehead. The solitary tear running down her cheek was a nice touch. The tone needs improvement, though. All-in-all, I give her performance a 6/10.

"Oi, knock it off." Reimu spoke up. She had sat down on Marisa's other side while acting as if she hadn't just been wrestling with an oni not even 30 seconds ago. Rather than out of politeness, she scared me too much for me to comment on it. "I'd like at least one Outsider to survive a visit here." Can we not talk about how likely I am to die for five minutes please? You've all made my odds of survival quite clear to me by now.

"What about Sumireko?" Marisa asked. Who?

"What about Sumireko?" Reimu shot back. Harsh. My condolences to whoever Sumireko is. Marisa seemed to think it was funny anyways.

"Come to think of it, I'm surprised you're even letting this happen right now. You usually don't drink with people until after you beat them up or they pay you." Marisa laughed. Reimu looked over at me as I tried and failed not to fidget under her gaze. No matter how much you look at me, I still won't have any money to give you!

"Pfft, this guy? Look at him. He's more likely to screw himself over than anyone else. I'm probably gonna have to rescue him from fairies or something." Reimu snorted. I had the feeling that bragging about beating up those fairies earlier would only attract more ridicule here. Best to just keep my mouth shut here.

"Hey, that's not true! He beat up a whole bunch of fairies earlier!" Suika boasted. Damn it, Suika. Reimu grinned at the light blush on my face.

"Oh, my mistake then. Please accept my sincerest apologies." Reimu spoke with a heavy layer of sarcasm. I think we had different definitions of the word 'sincerest.'

"Your confidence in me is humbling, truly." I snarked back. Reimu laughed and turned away to engage Marisa in a different conversation. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, as Suika had chosen that moment to strike.

"Heeeey, Hachiman! Buddy! Pal!" Suika threw her arm over my shoulder and pressed up against my side with a mischievous grin on her face. "Did ya really think I wouldn't notice you nursing the same cup all night?" Suddenly, the friendly gesture showed its true intent. I was trapped. Suika smacked the empty cup out of my hand before pressing the gourd into my palm. Reimu's glare at the nearly broken cup promised murder. "Drink up!" She grinned brightly at me. I sighed in despair.

"Can't you let it slide for tonight? I think I've had enough excitement for today." I knew it was a lost cause, but I couldn't give up without at least a token effort.

"I agree completely! That's why you should kick back and relax after having some drinks." So I was doomed no matter what, then?

"Fine, fine… But if I wake up somewhere strange again, you're taking full responsibility." What exactly that would entail was a concern all its' own.

"Aaah, you're worrying too much again!" Suika waved my perfectly reasonable concerns off. "The world won't fall apart just cause you decided to cut loose a bit. Come on! You've earned it!" I looked at Marisa and Reimu for help, but they were lost in their own conversation.

"Well… Alright. Just a bit, though."

"Youth is a fucking lie!" I slurred. "It's nothing but a bunch of gullible morons eating up the lies their parents tell so they can feel better about their own shitty childhood!" We had moved into the shrine as the night's chill was just beginning to set in. The interior is about what you would expect when looking at the exterior. The room we were in was your typical Japanese dining area with a low-sitting table and several pillows scattered around it. The inside was slightly worn out, but it had a 'lived in' feel to it that made you feel comfortable. There were doors leading to other rooms, but I never used them. Thanks to Suika's efforts, I doubted I could stand under my own power anymore.

"Ahaha! Preach it, Hachiman!" Suika called out. Orimoto, is that you? If so, please leave! "Tell the one about nice girls again!" Rude. Well, at least nobody could accuse the people in this room of being a nice girl.

"Please stop encouraging him…" Marisa had been cringing in secondhand embarrassment behind her hands since the beginning of my tirade. Going by the haunted look in her eyes when I was ranting about Zaimokuza, I had the distinct feeling that she had gone through a chuuni phase of her own. I had to wonder what that was like when you have actual magic.

"That's right!" Reimu stood up and planted her foot on the table. "Every time those nosy old crones stir up trouble and make me take care of it, they have the gall to tell me I should relax and enjoy my youth more! I was enjoying it perfectly fine until you came along, you stupid hags! Stupid Yukari!" Hm, why did she reference Yukari twice?

"Oh god, there's two of them…" Marisa despaired for a moment, then shrugged and grabbed Suika's gourd. "Well, if you can't beat 'em…" She popped the cork and drank for several seconds, with Suika's accompanying chant of 'Drink! Drink!' in the background. While I stared in awe at Marisa's boldness, Reimu continued on with her rant.

"And what about those damn villagers, huh?! I save their dumbass kids every time they run away from home," Marisa had just enough shame to look somewhat sheepish at that. "I protect their crops from youkai, I go to those awful festivals, and what do I get? Nothing! Those cheap fucks won't give me a single discount!" Well, I didn't know if I agreed with that last part, but I wasn't going to speak up in their defense. Bastards. "They don't even have the decency to visit the shrine and donate afterwards. The only people that visit are those damn youkai that I had to protect them from in the first place!" Suika rubbed her nose with an embarrassed look on her face. Come on, Suika. At least pretend to have some shame like Marisa over here.

"Hey, it's not like that this time at least." Suika smirked at me. "I mean, Marisa isn't a youkai." I waited for her to name me as well, then glared at her when I realized she wasn't going to bother in the first place. Quit turning my humanity into a joke, damn it!

"Oi, you picking a fight?" I asked in the way only a belligerent drunk could. Contrary to my quite honestly foolish expectations, Suika's eyes practically lit up from the inside. Suika's next words confirmed the sinking feeling in my gut.

"Yes! Yes! Let's fight, Hachiman!" She had risen to a standing position and was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet with her eyes fixed excitedly on me. Hm. I hadn't thought this out very well, had I?

"I see… If you're willing to go that far, then I have no choice but to use my most powerful technique." I mused to myself. The truly frightening grin that came to Suika's face at my words only cemented my course of action. Without standing, I put my knees together, planted my hands firmly to the ground, and lowered my head as low as it would go. "This Hikigaya Hachiman humbly beseeches your mercy." Behold, the ancient technique known as dogeza, passed down by embarrassed government officials from generation to generation! I was fully prepared to start crying if this wasn't good enough for her. Nobody wants to beat up a crying man.

"Oh come on! What are you doing, moron?! Don't you have any shame?!" Suika cried out. I don't want to hear that from you of all people! I raised my head and glared her directly in the eyes, causing her to flinch minutely. In spite of that, there was a spark of hope in her eyes.

"None whatsoever!" I said firmly before lowering my head to the ground once more. What good is pride when faced with someone that could fold you like a pretzel? Not that I think Suika would do that, but well… She had already expressed an interest in 'toughening me up.' I was scared of what that would mean in a direct confrontation with her. A loud sigh from Reimu drew the room's attention to her.

"Would you get up already? You're gonna make my drink taste bad…" Reimu grimaced, before turning to Suika. "No fighting in the shrine." Suika clicked her tongue but didn't press the issue. I nodded and sat up once more. Looking around, I could see the atmosphere had grown a bit awkward. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to use one of my 108 skills.

"Those bastards wouldn't let me into the village when I tried to go there for help! Those shitty guards called me a youkai and then sent me on my merry way back through that hellhole of a forest just because my eyes are a little bit creepy. My sister said they look 'sort of OK' once!" I complained. Sure she had tacked on 'from across the room' to the end of it, but it still counted. What's important is that my little sister thinks I look fine.

"Ehhhh, he's just continuing the rant from before?!" Marisa exclaimed with a newfound flush on her cheeks. That's right. This skill allowed me to ignore all social cues and continue on as normal. Truly a must-have for any loner not wanting to be wrapped up in drama… Not that it had been of much use in the service club. Wow, I must be drunker than I thought if I was pulling that one out.

"This isn't over, Hachiman. I'll get that fight." Suika grumbled and pouted before taking another drink. Terrifying. However, that was a problem for future Hachiman. Better him than me, I say. Instead of brushing off my rant like the other two, Reimu was staring at me with a furrow in her brow.

"The guards turned you away at the gates?" She scowled as I nodded. "Those… Ugh, those morons. Even if you were a youkai, they're supposed to let you in after having Keine vouch for you." The person who was going to let me sleep on their classroom floor? Just what kind of position do they hold in the village? She seemed to notice my state of confusion. "Half youkai. She'd have known you're human. Probably would have given an interview if you were a youkai." How the hell does someone become half a youkai?! Questions for later.

"Ah, I heard something about that from Rumia actually. She said they were on high alert because the guard captain's kid was killed by a youkai… or something to that effect. She thought I was a youkai trying to sneak in to the village." I scoffed with no real malice. I couldn't truly be mad at a girl like Rumia, after all. Reimu didn't seem to agree. At hearing her name, Reimu's face smoothed out into a frighteningly blank visage.

"Ehhh? Rumia said that, huh? Did she mention anything else about the village?" Her tone was friendly and even, but I still felt the sensation of ice down my spine. It said a lot about Reimu that acting friendly just made her scarier. I frantically shook my head after giving it a bit of thought. The tension disappeared as she let out a sigh. I let out a sigh of my own, not realizing I had been holding my breath. "Another dead end… Guess I'll have to beat the answers out of her myself." I heard her mumble just loud enough for me to hear. Did she say 'beat' just now?

"Is… there a problem?" I asked after regaining a bit of my lost courage.

"Hm? Not really. Well, not yet anyways. A few humans from the village have been going missing lately, but nobody has seen them leave. If this keeps up then human and youkai relations might get strained, which means I'll need to take care of it." She shrugged. "It's probably just some upstart youkai I need to beat up. That's usually how these things tend to go." She explained nonchalantly. Just like that, I didn't quite feel so bad about not being allowed into the village. Rest in peace, you selfish bastards.

"I know allll about stupid villagers, man. My dad wouldn't even let me learn magic!" Marisa slurred after slouching on top of Reimu. To Reimu's credit, she only looked a little annoyed.

"Good call on his part. He must have known how much of a bum you'd turn out to be." Reimu shot back. OK, so maybe more than a 'little.'

"Ah? What was that? You pickin' a fight, Reimu?" Marisa glared. Déjà vu.

"Pfft, of course not. After all, it wouldn't be much of a fight if it's you vs. me." Reimu teased with a smirk on her face. Marisa chuckled at that.

"Yeah, yer right. Guess it wouldn't be." Marisa laughed, completely missing the barb.

"I was insulting you, you idiot." Reimu said. Marisa's laughter suddenly cut out.

"'Idiot?!' That's it!" Marisa pulled out a strange octagonal box from her hat and pointed it towards Reimu. Just staring at it sent my danger senses into overdrive. Light began to coalesce at the center of it and put off a frightening amount of heat.

"Not at my shrine, Marisa!" Just as the light was beginning to form into a solid shape, a black and white orb flew from Reimu's sleeve straight into Marisa's face, sending her crashing through both the thin doors at the entrance. "Argh, my shrine! You better pay for those!" After shamelessly shifting the blame onto Marisa, Reimu soared out the lightly smoking hole in the shrine. Suika chuckled from the side as I tried to pick my jaw off the floor. That was a lot that had just happened in rapid succession.

"Heh. Those two are so dishonest." Suika laughed again at the look of confusion I sent her way. "Reimu's really wound up over those disappearances in the village. Marisa was picking a fight with her so Reimu could blow off some steam… Not that she didn't want to fight in the first place." I see. Quite a bit of subtext I was missing out on there. Well, best to leave them to it. Before I could even begin to look for a nice place to relax away from the action, Suika began tugging at my sleeve. "Come on, Hachiman! Let's get a closer look! We've gotta get higher!" She said. She moved to climb onto me but stopped when I put a hand in front of her face.

"Nope! No way! I've been carrying you all day and I'm not doing it again!" I stated as firmly as I could. If that failed, I would just need to point out that I probably couldn't stand up. Suika tilted her head in thought for a moment, then shrugged with an easy grin on her lips. The next thing I knew, I was scooped into her arms and being carried like a dainty little princess. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." I pleaded with her to let me down. I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for, but I was too embarrassed to deal with this. This was even worse than if she'd threatened to fight me again.

"Hold on tight!" Without a chance to do as she said, Suika kicked off the ground and sailed through the hole in the shrine at a blinding speed. I clutched her neck with my arms as tight as I could as her feet skid on the shrine grounds. "Ack! Hachiman! Can't breathe!" I loosened up a bit, then immediately retightened as Suika kicked the ground once more, this time sending us vertical. This was not how I wanted to be introduced to flying. Thankfully, our destination was only to the roof of the shrine. As soon as Suika landed, she unceremoniously dropped me onto the ground. I opened my mouth to complain at her rough handling, but my breath was stolen away when I caught sight of their fight in my peripherals. Wordlessly, Suika passed me a cup filled with sake and relaxed while watching the show herself. I mindlessly took a sip as I watched the display. Not a word was exchanged between us.

The only danmaku I had experienced up to this point was my own fight with the fairies. While that had been intense for me at the time, I now understood that Marisa wasn't exaggerating when she said it was impressive 'for a beginner.' As I looked on, the night sky was filled with incredible patterns that utilized magic of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Normally a sight such as this would create a considerable amount of light pollution, but the stars could be clearly seen even with the ongoing performance. The patterns themselves were awe-inspiring to see, but the truly incredible part was the two human shapes that effortlessly ducked and weaved between each projectile with only bare centimeters to spare each time. Rather than a fight, I felt like I was watching a unique form of art.

I raised my cup to take another drink and clicked my tongue when I found it was empty. I hadn't been paying attention to my intake while watching the performance. I turned to Suika to ask for more, but it ended up being unnecessary. The green haired girl sitting between us passed me Suika's gourd without me needing to ask. I raised a silent toast in thanks to the empty patch of air and resumed watching the danmaku, occasionally taking a sip straight from the gourd. The complexity of the patterns had begun to vanish, instead being replaced with speed and power. They were too far away for me to tell if anyone had been hit, especially when considering how they were both scraping as close to as many projectiles as they possibly could. Sadly, that's when things began to get fuzzy. I never did find out who won that fight.

I was awoken by the rhythmic pounding inside of my own head. Not to be bested, I was alerted to the fact that my entire body was sore as well. I grumbled and rolled over to try and get comfortable and was startled into immediate alertness by the sensation of falling. I flailed in panic thinking I had just thrown myself off of Reimu's roof. I hit the ground before I could even brace for impact. Luckily for me, I had only fallen a few inches. Still hurt like hell though. What an awful way to start the day. Maybe I could just lie there forever and never face the world? Tempting, but I suppose I had to face reality some time. I pried my eyes open and tried not to cry out from the sunlight stabbing into my retinae. It would seem that even my powers of rejection weren't enough to stop a hangover. Then, as I took in my surroundings, I blinked once. Twice. Thrice. What the hell…?

I was currently sprawled out on top of a concrete sidewalk, next to a metal bench that I had presumably been asleep on moments ago. A short distance away there was an empty playground, occupied by a rundown jungle gym and a set of swings. I recognized this place. I recognized it because it was the same park I biked past every single day to and from school. That meant… I was back in Chiba! Well, let's not get too hasty there. Let's run through some tropes. Maybe this is actually a fake world created by some spooky youkai to lull me into a false sense of security for… some reason. Or maybe Gensokyo was actually just a crazy dream I had cooked up… Yeah, that was probably it. That place made no sense in reality. I ruefully shook my head. Truly, the mind was capable of creating strange new worlds. I wonder what these dreams said about my psyche?

"Hey, are you awake yet?" Yes, truly the mind is capable of creating strange fantasies. Strange fantasies such as a small girl stuck into the ground by her horns. A strange girl that happened to look like Suika. Well, guess this is real then. Damn. That meant I actually had to deal with this.

"I can see your underwear, Suika." I said in lieu of answering her question. Thanks to the magic of gravity, her long skirt had folded until it covered her head. She didn't seem too worried about, so I suppose I wouldn't be either. Hm? Why wasn't I embarrassed by this situation? Because it's Suika, of course.

"Big deal." She laughed it off. "Everyone has seen everyone else's underwear in Gensokyo." Now that she mentioned it, why is it that people who can fly insist on wearing skirts and dresses all the time? I suppose it helps that they can throw magic at anyone who acts like a pervert. "Now help me up already! My arms are too short to reach the ground!" She proceeded to demonstrate this by wildly waving her arms around. Are you an oni or a t-rex? Regardless, I walked over and hefted her out of the ground. After freeing her and flipping her over I moved to set her on the ground, but she took advantage of my show of weakness by quickly scrabbling onto my shoulders. Et tu, Suika? She made a show of looking around us with her hand to shadow her eyes. "Huh… Where are we? I don't remember seeing a place like this before." She was talking to herself. I doubted she expected to get the answer from me.

"I'm pretty sure we're in Chiba." Suika looked at me with a blank stare. "You know… Japan? Which is Outside of Gensokyo?" She stared dumbfounded for a moment and then squealed in sheer delight, causing me to temporarily lose most of my hearing in one ear.

"That's great! I haven't seen Japan in centuries! Yukarin said they've done a lot since then, but I haven't been able to explore since they put the barrier up." To my pleasant surprise, she hopped off my shoulders and landed on her feet. "Come on, come on! Let's go!" She was pointing excitedly down the path.

"Go where, Suika? I'm not even supposed to be here right now." I hadn't even known I could be here right now, let alone have Suika here with me. Actually, that brought up a good point. "Didn't Chen say something about youkai not being able to live out here?" I pointed out. She looked fine, but the last thing I want on my conscience is Suika dying from magical nonsense. That's supposed to be my schtick.

"Oh! That's only for weak youkai, so it's not a problem for me. I'm a lot weaker now, but I should be fine!" She punched an open palm, creating a visible shockwave from the impact. How exactly is that weaker? "Come on, you're from here right? Show me around! Show me that, eh… What did you call it? Saize?" Because of course I rambled about Saize while drinking. Thankfully, I could stop this in its' tracks.

"No can do. I don't have any money, remember? Yukari stole my wallet." I said this apathetically, but that was going to be a real problem if I was stuck here for too long. Ugh, 'stuck.' Listen to me talking about being 'stuck' in my own hometown. Thinking of a tentative plan, I reached to my pocket to check the time on my phone… shortly before realizing Yukari had stolen that as well. Ah well, approximation should work just as well. "The sun looks like it's been up for a bit. My sister should be leaving for school right about now, so we can head to my house and figure out what to do next." I didn't verbalize it, but I was looking forward to being home again so soon after resigning myself to not seeing it for a while. "You stick out like a sore thumb, so we need to try not to be seen-"

"Hikki?!" A familiar voice came from behind me.

Well. That plan fell apart faster than I thought it would.

Hi everyone! Sorry for the wait this time! This chapter was… Hoo, what can I even say about this chapter? I had to rewrite this thing 4 times before I had something I was happy with. I was genuinely beginning to get worried that I'd have to say 'screw it' and post a chapter I disliked. Luckily, it didn't turn out that way. However… I am posting this at the end of a very long editing spree. Normally I would wait a bit and then do a final sweep before publishing, but I am honestly sick of looking at it. Sorry if there's errors! I'll probably fix it later if there is! Anyways, that's all for now. Once again, thank you all for reading this fic. It means more to me than you know. Bye for now!