AN : This last month makes me wonder whether I can keep my promise about that one-shot or not. And I finally decided. I'll slip it when WNSL reaches a milestone. That way I won't betray my own words. It might be too late, but I will push forward. I also didn't expect to get another review. Then, let's see how Yasei will begin his new life in Gensokyo after the tournament. Without further ado!
Wild Nerd's Strange Life Saga Chapter 7
Freelancer's First Request
Previously…
Soon after Yasei became the tournament champion (with Hotaru's walk out), he, along with Hiroshi and Hotaru, were discussing about the prize. Yasei decides that the half of the prize will be returned to the village, and the finalists (he and Hotaru) get the other half. He said that he is confused about how he should live with that much money, so he divides it. As he wants to go home, Sanae greets him, and they have a small talk, before 'Odysseus' interrupts them. None of them expects it until Yukari told both Yasei and Sanae that they are dealing with alternate universe residents. This revelation sure gives a big impact on their mindset since then…
Keine's school, Human Village, Gensokyo…
"So, in short, Lucy already contacted here, but you couldn't give her a shelter, is that what you mean, Keine?" Trying to confirm the data he has in his Notebook, Yasei decides to ask Keine in person. The latter nods and begins her explanation. "Unlike present, where outsiders are valued for their knowledge, the era where Lucy came is quite harsh, even though the time lapse is only few years. That time, humans fears outsiders, and I have to conceal Hiroshi's identity as outsider until you came. Why you're asking about this in a sudden?"
Not wanting to hide it any longer, Yasei decides to tell Keine about his assignment. "Before we continue, please don't get surprised with what I will say here. Actually, I got an assignment to watch Lucy and another person that Mokou will surely know. Speaking about it, I wonder why the village became quiet all of a sudden…" Much to Yasei's surprise, Keine took out her smartphone and shows him the latest SMS from Mokou. "Side effect from Occult Ball Incident. I take it you know what I mean." Just when he is about to read the SMS, an e-mail comes. Yasei quickly opens his Notebook.
Inbox : "Sorry I couldn't inform you about this in person, but it seems Reimu-san and Marisa-san must resolve another incident. So until they done with it, I suggest you to not travel too far from the village, though I doubt you'll listen to this, Yasei. Anyway, regarding Lucy and Vaati-san, I already made a file about what I know about them. Just click the link, and it will be downloaded to your device. Hope it can be of some use."
Knowing what it means, Yasei clicks the link and in seconds, the file is downloaded. After some hovering, he types his replies.
Outbox : "Thanks a lot, Sanae. Right now I'm still in the village. And don't worry about me. Unless I want to do trainings, I rarely go alone. Anyway, I'll take that in mind. Still, I never expect that you actually make a DocX. I'm sure this will come in handy. Give my regards to Kanako and Suwako."
Shortly after that, Yasei closes his Notebook, and asks Keine if there are any vacant jobs for him. "I know this might not be the right time, so I won't insist. I just want you know that I can't just sit here doing nothing." Silence fills the class as Yasei waiting for an answer. Then Keine gives him a note slip. "Give this to Hotaru, and go to the Guards' Base. Tell the post guard that I'm the one who send you."
Vaati's house, Misty Lake, Gensokyo…
"The last few days were pretty hectic, if I must say…" Lucy is lying down on the bed at one of the rooms. She's been with Vaati for more than four years since she recovers from extreme injuries she suffers from Marisa (Lucy almost killed because it), and she doesn't want to go back to Scarlet Devil Mansion, so Vaati offers Lucy to live in her house. "To be honest, I'm very thankful for that time. I don't know what happens otherwise…" Vaati simply shrugs. It's just in her nature that she can't leave someone with NDE, since she also has one. And she won't let them get that feeling again, since she's Hourai Immortal now.
"Don't mind about it. Though I must admit, Yukari did gone too far that time, and I'm still wondering what was in her mind that time… Good thing I could persuade Cirno to fake out the said 'Great Fairy Wars'. So, what do you think about the last tournament?" Vaati reminds Lucy about the tournament, where Yasei emerges as the champion. "Oh, about that… I totally didn't expect that ending. From what I could tell, that boy is surprisingly strong and agile. What's more is those two from Elite Fighters… They have their own specialties. I don't think I can fit in the details."
After some times, they can be seen eating outside, with Mystia treating them lampreys. "Hmm… Never expect that this tastes good. But how we should pay it?" Lucy never ate any lampreys before, so this is her first experience. And just what you would expect from a former maid, she eats it with such manner. "Consider this as my special treatment. I just got a big profit from my last sale, so you don't need to worry about expenses." That caught Vaati's interest. She doesn't stay in her house often because her occasional visit to SDM's library, and she leaves Lucy and Cirno to guard it from any intruders. Talking about trainees…
"So, what's happened?" Vaati opens the talk. Due to Lucy's training program, she didn't hear the news up until the tournament. "How should I say…? There's a boy who wanders alone at night time. I and Wriggle were in the village's outskirt when he comes. You know my usual business MO, right?" Both Lucy and Vaati nods. It's already obvious, since Vaati's house also serves as 'base' of small fries, excluding Three Fairies of Light. "No wonder you only open it at night. But you said you got a big profit. What connects it with this boy?" Then Mystia tells them what happens on the night after the tournament.
Nighttime, after tournament…
"That boy just leaving me after paid the expenses… I wonder whether he is still in the village or not…" Mystia is wandering alone as she waiting for the said boy to come out from the village. She heard a conversation between him and the gate guards, and soon after she heard a 'yes', she tries to hide herself, but… "So you're still there, Mystia…" That surprises her. She recognized that voice. And as she turns around, Yasei is already in front of her. "… Are you the boy who paid my lamprey yesterday?" Mystia hesitantly asked, afraid that she might be tricked. (Hey, is her defeat effect really that severe?) Yasei nods and he then speaks. "I would like to buy the lamprey again."
Present Day…
Both Lucy and Vaati are very surprised after they heard that. They never thought that Yasei already met Mystia just a day before tournament. "Wait, is that the same boy who became tournament champion recently?!" Lucy is the first one to respond, as she suddenly stands up and slams Mystia's stand lightly. That question however, is directed to Vaati. "It's most likely. I don't remember seeing anyone other than lost humans that eats the lamprey." Mystia nods as her confirmation and she continues. "And since that time, I got orders from the village. It was one of his ideas to help me maintain my stand, since he keeps come back to give me lamprey orders. This lamprey I treat actually is my last stock before I must go fishing again." Lucy already calmed down as Mystia done with her story. 'That way of marketing sales… And that boy is the one who has the idea… Don't say…!'
Guards' Base, Human Village, Gensokyo…
"Keine-sensei already gives us the places where the youkai attack will occurs. She said that the incident resolvers will take the mastermind, so our role here is to minimize the damage to the village. Level 1 and 2 Guards will guard the villager's residence. Level 3 to 5 Guards' post is these places: Dragon Statue, Hieda mansion, Suzunaan, and the school. Level 6 and 7 Guards must secure the outer gates." Hiroshi is giving the mission briefing to the elite guards as he got interrupted by the post guard. "There are two people want to meet you, Hiroshi-san. They have Keine-sensei's permission." Hiroshi fell silent for a moment before he realized what it means, then he ordering the guard. "Tell them they are permitted to enter" The said guard nods and opens the base gate.
And nearly everyone in the base is surprised as they see who was in the gates before.
"Sorry for the intrusion, Hiroshi-san." Hotaru took out a table and sits there, while Yasei simply bows and states the reason. "Keine told me if the village is caught in the middle of an incident. Is there any way we can be of help here?" Looking back at the last tournament, Hiroshi could see that Yasei and Hotaru are capable to defend themselves. But it takes more than that. "Do you two have your weapons?" Both of them nods and took out their respective weapons. Hotaru holds her tables and Yasei equips his Night Hawks. "Just in case you're wondering, I already adjust it so it won't be lethal." Hiroshi nods as he took out a Composite Sword. Before he walks out the room, he told one of the elite guards to lead the base in his stead. Then he calls Yasei and Hotaru. "Come with me."
Few minutes later, they could be seen outside the village. Thanks to the navigation help from the map Yasei has in his backpack (He still uses it?!), the group managed to reach the first location of the potent youkai offense area. "Hey, Yasei. You just look like Nitori with that backpack…" Hotaru is teasing him because the backpack. Yasei shrugs as he hears it. But it doesn't mean he will leave it at that. "Says the one who has Wall of Jericho as her trump card…" That manages to make the girl surprised. And it didn't stop there. "Yep, that's you, Hotaru."
All of a sudden, they heard a loud echo. "Ready your weapons. We got the first wave of them coming here." Hiroshi holds his Composite Sword tightly as he giving that order. Then he gives an unexpected role to Yasei shortly after that. "Take the lead, Champion." Knowing that it's not the right time to get surprised, the boy nods and he examines the area. "Enemies come from the north. Hiroshi, when they're near, beat them down with your long sword. Hotaru, prepare some defense. I'll assist from long range." In seconds, they already took their respective roles.
Look like all of them agrees if only Yasei that is truly capable of it since he is the latest outsider with more advanced knowledge. Plus, he was the secret weapon of Japan Police Forces and already faced few youkai, so it makes sense that Hiroshi gives the lead to him.
Then, how about Lucy and Vaati?
The same echo could be heard throughout Misty Lake. "Those minor creatures got berserk again…" Without wasting any time, Lucy equips her Remington M870 Special, and takes all the ammo magazines in her disposal. Vaati, in other hand, already created more crystal ammo, in case they face enemies bound to Spell Card Rules. "This won't be easy, Lucy. Mystia, would you mind to join us? We need any firepower we could get." The night sparrow nods, and she joins Vaati's group right away. "First, we need to gather as many allies as possible. Hope we could meet Cirno."
Two groups moving at the same time.
One is Elite Fighters from Human Village…
Sugaku Yasei (Nerd Ace Hunter)
Ability : Inhuman agility, expert gunfight, parkour martial arts, Vector stunts
Equipment : Tri-color pen set, Night Hawk .50C, AK-47, Krieg 550 Commando (firearms crystalized)
Mizutani Hotaru (Fantasy Table Defender)
Ability : High accuracy of sixth sense, expert table flipper
Equipment : Wood and iron tables (few modified into missile), plush doll
Hiroshi Kato (Prodigal Shadow Fighter)
Ability : SF2 weapon master
Equipment : [Current] Composite Sword, Throwing Daggers
And the other one is small group of inhuman characters…
Vaati Star (Hourai Strategist)
Ability : Lock and key master, warfare tactics, minor elemental magic (dominant in earth)
No equipment
Lucy Thesda (Hybrid Outsider)
Ability : Loophole finder, expert analyzer
Equipment : Remington M870 Special (can fire normal ammo and crystal ammo)
Mystia Lorelei (Night Sparrow Youkai)
Ability : Mesmerizing songs
No equipment
Look like they didn't notice that another group apart from them is already moving nearby.
"Hey, Cirno. Why we're here?" The fairies seem confused as they are gathered in a place. Actually, not many of them come there, only the elites. "To be honest, I don't really know, but if we don't act soon, I fear it might affect our race as well…"
Right above Misty Lake, the group of elite fairies led by Cirno is trying to locate the offense area. "Got any traces, Star?" Star Sapphire, the 'radar' of fairies, slightly shook her head, indicating that currently nothing is happened. That until they heard the echo. As Luna Child trying to mute it, Cirno stops her. "Don't. We're not going to prank anyone. Better move out now. It seems this is just the beginning…" Nearly every fairy there is confused with what Cirno just say, but they don't have other choice but to follow her, as the latter already moves to the source of the sound.
In case you wondering about them, here's the full list.
Cirno (Hourai Fairy)
Ability : Cold manipulation (mainly ice and sub-zero), adept swordsmanship
Equipment : Dual Icicle Swords (she can create them out of nowhere)
Sunny Milk (Sun Fairy)
Ability : Light refraction (weaker at night)
No equipment
Star Sapphire (Star Fairy)
Ability : Motion detection
No equipment
Luna Child (Moon Fairy)
Ability : Surrounding sound muting (weaker at day)
No equipment
Daiyousei (Great Fairy)
Ability : Minor group healing
No equipment
Lily White (Spring Fairy)
Ability : Spring announcement (via dense cloud of danmaku)
No equipment
Human Village Elite Fighters' area…
Few youkai got knocked out as they struck by Hiroshi's Composite Sword, while both Hotaru and Yasei charges forward slowly as they use tables to cover themselves from frontal attacks. "How's there, Hiroshi?" Yasei asks loudly since they're in the middle of a battle. He managed to knock out few youkai with headshots from his Night Hawks. "Things get rough. I think we must keep pressing forward." Hiroshi replies. And just as he done saying that, a bigger youkai came out. All of them are surprised to see that. "What must we do now?" Hotaru asks as she deflects an attack from a youkai and slams it with the table she uses as shield. Much to her surprise, Yasei smiles and... "It's time to show them the real strength of Human Village Elite Fighters. Let's go, Hiroshi, Hotaru!"
On that signal, all of a sudden, the group get stats boost. To Hiroshi and Hotaru, they can feel their fighting spirit is burning. Yasei, in other hand, still with excited look, points his guns to the bigger youkai, as if he challenging it. 'Rage manipulation, you say… I don't know if even excitement can invoke it… Thanks for the first clue, Yukari. I'll make sure to find out my second innate ability, and prove myself worthy to challenge you.' Soon after that, Yasei looks at his group members. "Leave the big one to me." Hiroshi nods and points his fist to the boy, which returns it. "Good luck with that, Champion." As for Hotaru, he throws the table back to her, which she catches easily. "Don't lose to it, Yasei."
Inhuman group's area…
Lucy and Mystia are clearing the way from youkai groups that get in their way, while Vaati covers their back. "How long we must do this?" Frustrated with seemingly endless wave of youkai coming to them, Lucy fastens her fire rate. And Mystia replaces her on reloading phase. "We'll be there soon." The latter answers while assembles a swarm of winged insects towards the youkai waves. It's worked as they're distracted by them. Still in sprinting mode, Lucy decides to ask. "Just how in the hell you could do that?" Mystia grins while smiling. She seems proud because someone saw it. "Well, I rarely use it. It's my other ability apart from my well-known song. I call it 'Rally of the Wings'." Vaati lightly shook her head as she heard that. She didn't expect that Mystia also can rally winged insects apart from birds. "Now that's what I didn't know until now."
Shortly after that, they arrive at the said spot. "I can't see anyone other than us…" Lucy sighs as she said that. "That's very rude. I'm trying to rally the insects that sparrow used earlier…" The group turns around, and they saw Wriggle with the insects gathering around her. "Still, who would expect that the 'predator' of insects forced to use it on night…" Mystia almost get mad because that, but Vaati calms her down. "You two can continue this later. Wriggle, we need your help. Some wild youkai has gone berserk lately. Know where Rumia is?" The firefly lightly shook her head. And that's when they saw a big youkai thrown just above them.
Skies above Misty Lake…
Star also detects the same motion. "Look like someone managed to beat one of their elites." With a sigh of relief, they are about to disperse themselves until Cirno calls them. "It's not over yet. We still haven't beaten the boss. And I think that motion you detect might be a signal for us, Star. We'll go there." And nother sigh comes out, this time the disbelief one. It seems they point it to Cirno, which become better after direct training from Vaati herself.
On the other side, Rumia also see the same event. "Hmm? Is something going on? If that's food, I'm in!" Speeding up to the area, she doesn't seem to realize that she moving to the area targeted by two other groups, as what she thinks that time is a meat. And that's where the most unexpected surprise awaits.
Then, let's see the source area…
"Huft… Never thought my guns don't have any effect to the big one…" Yasei sighs as he tends his right hand. Hotaru is surprised with what the boy did earlier. She didn't expect that Yasei uses uppercut to finish that youkai. "You're one to say… I wonder how much force you got in that hand of yours…" Hiroshi only able to shook his head as he heard that. Make sense, since he didn't make the boy angry on the tournament, unlike Hotaru. "So that's the rage manipulation you told us yesterday, Champion…" Yasei nods slightly as he put his Night Hawks back to its pocket. "Yeah. Normally, I would get slight dislocation because that. I did it to Rumia before. The uppercut part, that is. About the rage part, just ask Hotaru."
Hotaru is about to rebut that when she feels something. "I think we're on for a big one…" Hiroshi instantly took guarding stance as Yasei activates his Night Visor support card. "More look like a huge one to me…." He could see two groups coming to them. Unlike before, this time he deactivates it sooner, and holds his pen spell card set. "Just in case, Hotaru, prepare your spell cards, too." The girl nods and holds her tables spell card set.
That's when a shot is coming towards them. Without wasting time, Yasei equips his Krieg Commando and hit the bullet perfectly. (What a reflex...) What surprising him however, is the fact that the shot from the other side swallows the bullet from his sniper rifle. Knowing what it means, he shouts immediately. "Hiroshi, Hotaru, take cover!" On that signal, all of them take cover behind Hotaru's table. A second after that, the collided shot explodes. "Phew… I wonder what would happen if you weren't here…" Hiroshi is glad because they took no damage. He then returns to defensive stance. "Good to hear. I think we need to raise our guard now…" Hotaru now uses her tables like a shield, just like what she did on the last tournament. "Okay. Watch out for any aerial attack, Hotaru. I and Hiroshi will cover the ground."
The group got surprised as they saw two other groups coming, except Yasei, which already expects it.
"Whoa?!" The three groups get surprised with their unexpected meeting. They fell silent for a moment, before Lucy breaks it with pointing her shotgun to Yasei. And so does the latter. "So you're the one who counter my shot…" Still with his sniper rifle in the hand, the boy replies. "Same to you. I didn't expect that shotgun could actually fire such shot…" No one see this coming, and they can't say any words. The best they can do is waiting. "Krieg 550 Commando, sniper rifle with 30 bullets in its magazine. What a unique weapon." Lucy examines the sniper rifle in Yasei's hands. The boy returns the favor. "Why, thank you. Remington M870 Special, made by Patchouli Knowledge with manual from Yukari Yakumo. It can fire normal ammo and crystal bullets, and the only one of its kind capable of such feat."
Surprised at first, Lucy finally decides to lower her shotgun after confirming her suspicion. "Never expect to meet the tournament champion here…" Yasei does the same, and put his sniper rifle to his backpack. "Not really. The girl with table over there gives it to me." Hotaru get surprised as she is mentioned by the boy. And it seems everyone's eye is on her now, except Cirno and Vaati.
"By the way, are you an outsider? I was one before that f**king witch ruined me literally." Lucy asks Yasei about his origin. 'Americans and their Precision F-Strike…' That was what on Yasei's mind, but he decides to reply. "Yeah, I'm just moving here recently. My name is Sugaku Yasei. By moving here, I'm not kidding. I have a friend that encourages me back in Outside World, and she moves to Gensokyo earlier." He then converts to English. "I'll let you guess who that person is, Lucy Thesda."
Lucy froze in place. She didn't expect that Yasei also can speak English. She already knew that Kaguya and Yukari are capable it, but this is the first time a fellow outsider speaks English to her. "Okay… Is that gap youkai is the one who brought you here?" The boy nods, and he replies. "Indeed, but it wasn't her who meet me first, but your former colleague." He converts back to Japanese. "That's about it. I think you should be able to answer my earlier question."
Rumia arrives late, as the 'crowd' already calmed themselves. "Did I miss something?" Vaati slightly shakes her head as she saw her. It seems she already discuss her planning with Cirno and Yasei. "Actually, you're on time. I already deduced that the minor youkai we faced before is infested by occult ball's power. And we're lucky because we got a group of outsiders who know about its origin." Yasei nods and gives a short explanation. "You, Wriggle, and Mystia are lucky since youkai comes from Japanese mythology that comes far before urban legend exists, Rumia. But the minor ones can't resist the infestation." He then turns to Vaati. "By the way, I almost forgot. You said that we must split into two groups, right?" The Hourai magician nods and told the groups her plan.
"The non-human group will 'clean' any infested minor youkai. If possible, beat their elites first. I'm counting on you for that, Cirno." The said fairy put the sword on her back as response. "Got it, Vaati. We'll be taking off now." Then they leave the place, and only humans that stays. "Hey Wild-kun, do you think they will be okay? I know they're the 'official' ones, but still…" Somehow, Lucy is reminded with Yukari's ultimatum which has been cleared more than 4 years ago, thanks to Vaati's tactic. "Don't worry about Cirno. I'm sure she won't lose to them. The minors, that is. Then, what's our role here?" Yasei calms Lucy since he already met Cirno before. Hearing the question, Vaati turns to Hiroshi and asks him. "You said that Human Village is on incident alert?" The latter nods and told her about the past events. "Right now, all guards in Human Village are already stationed on their respective posts."
As they are about to depart, Yasei suddenly feels his head hurts. Hotaru wants to help him but Vaati stops her. "Don't. I think he get some other clue." True to the prediction, the boy recovers himself. 'Damn… This memory connection again… Now what- !' Everyone could see that he has a shocked face, and what surprises them, except Vaati, is what he says after that. "Head to the Human Village now! We don't have much time!" He then dashes quickly, followed by the others.
Human Village, Gensokyo…
'To think it actually happens… So that's what it means by Occult Ball Incident side effect… This is what we advanced outsiders calls Antinomy of Common Flowers.' Yasei quickly equips his Night Hawks while waiting for his teammates. Soon after they arrive at the scene, he opens the map.
Unexpectedly, he found out that the map already showed some dots. 'Good grief… Using flaws on my vow last time… You really are something, Yukari.' Examining the dots on the map, he connects it with his recently new memories, and found out that his group (him, Hotaru, Hiroshi, Lucy, and Vaati) get dragged to the said incident. "Hiroshi, you better go back to your base. Leave this to us." Yasei said that in order to even the members count. "Understood. I do need the reports of the guards. Good luck out there, Champion." With nod, Hiroshi leaves the group and returns to the base of Human Village Guards.
Still in the same place, the group is discussing about the said incident. "Perfect Possession?" Hotaru and Lucy got confused with what they just heard. "Yes. It's a phenomenon where one is taken over by a completely different person, not only in mind, but also in body. That's much like Master and Slave." Vaati explains it with the data she got from Yasei. And the latter states their stance. "Sanae already informs me that both Reimu and Marisa are already on their way. We better don't disturb them. And as of 'Perfect Possession', we won't use it. None of us want to get controlled, right?" All of them nod at the same time, and heads out to find any youkai-infested area.
BGM (Touhou 12.3 UNL OST ~ The Legendary Titan)
The group moves out to Hakurei Shrine. With help from Yasei's map, they found out that Reimu isn't present since she focused on resolving the incident. 'To think those youkai groups dare to invade the shrine of the border…' With that thought, he gives them signal to 'clean' quickly. "We must 'clean' the shrine in less than a minute." And they unexpectedly 'cleaned' it up in exactly 55 seconds!
"Okay. That will do. But I'm afraid this isn't over yet…" Yasei looks at the map, and found out that almost every area in Gensokyo is infested, minus Hakurei Shrine and Human Village. "Cirno's team is focusing on 'cleaning' Forest of Magic and Misty Lake. The village is already secured, thanks to Hiroshi and Keine. As of major places, we can ignore them since most of strong characters are still there." He summarized the layout of the map. 'Good thing Suika isn't here. It will get worse if we come at the wrong time.' Lucy reloads her shotgun as she asks. "Then where we should go next, Wild-kun?"
BGM (Touhou 7.5 IaMP OST ~ Wanderings)
Cirno's group already secured the Misty Lake and its surroundings. They are about to take off to Forest of Magic as they saw few fairies starts to get infested as well. 'No good! If this continues, we'll get affected as well!' Afraid of what will happen next, Cirno tells her group to beat the infested fairies as well, much to their surprise. "Wait, Cirno-chan! Are you sure?" Daiyousei is the most vocal among them. "No other choice, Dai-chan. It's better to make them forget this even happen, for the sake of our race." (Whoa… That words… Good thing fairies can reform.)
And just after she done saying that, the fairies suddenly gets obliterated. That surprises them. Not only that, but the said obliterator is also a fairy. "Figure someone needs my help here." All of them look at the fairy, and surprised to see who she was. By that, nearly everyone except Cirno is.
BGM (Touhou 15 LoLK OST ~ Faraway Voyage of 380.000 Kilometers)
"Never expect you'd come here, Clownpiece." Cirno sheathes her swords as she saw the said fairy. "You too, Cirno. So, how was your last cap on incident resolving?" Take note that Cirno is trained by Vaati, and began to take active part on resolving incidents since SDM arc. "Not really good at first, but somehow we managed to beat that Secret God together. And my skin is no longer tanned now." Clownpiece nods in amazement, as she never thought that Cirno actually taking part on resolving the latest incident. "Speaking about it, do you see that butterfly fairy?" Cirno shook her head and explains. "You mean Eternity? I think she's currently sleeping. This is nighttime, after all."
They then continue 'cleaning' the place. This time it's not only youkai that got infested, but few fairies as well. As they doing it, Cirno continues telling Clownpiece about her experience and how she could be one of notable fighters in Gensokyo, thanks to Vaati. "To be honest, if I haven't met her, you wouldn't see me like this. And the truth is I didn't use any powers given by 'them', but only the tricks she taught me. I also pretended to be idiot in front of them, and caught them in surprise. It seems they didn't expect that I would use swordsmanship rather than my inner power."
BGM (Touhou 14.5 ULiL OST ~ Forms of Manifested Folklore)
Reimu and Kasen are on their way to the shrine after beating two 'rivals' of the former, Miko and Byakuren. "Hmm… I wonder why that outsider isn't visiting me yet… I'm afraid this might be too late for him…" Reimu sighs as she done speaking. Kasen silently listen it when she saw four spots below them. "Perhaps he is on that group? Besides, we need to look out for any traces of Perfect Possession." Without wasting a second, they proceed to the location of the spots.
As they arrive, they surprised to see that there are humans fighting youkai. "… Are my eyes tricking me?" Kasen blinks few times to make sure she isn't imagining things. (Even the titular hermit of WaHH?!) Reimu didn't respond to that, and shoots at the biggest youkai she saw. And to her surprise, a bullet collides with her talisman. What's more, it's not like any normal danmaku, but a bullet-shaped one. "I have to admit, someone who managed to counter my talisman is very rare. I think we found him."
On the other side, Yasei's group already has done 'cleaning' the path to the shrine. And that's when the boy realized something. 'That talisman… It can only mean one thing.' He then tells his teammates what he deducts. "Reimu already realized that we're here, so it's no use hiding anymore. Don't take offensive stance. We're facing the border shrine maiden. So show her our respect." Soon after that, they hear someone rushes behind them.
BGM (Touhou 15.5 AoCF OST ~ The Yorimashi Sits Between Dream and Reality - Necro-Fantasia)
Knowing that it isn't a good sign, Yasei quickly orders his group to spread formation. After regaining their stance, they could see the said shrine maiden in front of them. When Hotaru, Lucy, and Vaati is about to gather to Yasei's place, a barrier suddenly formed in front of them, and separating them from the area. The only thing they could hope now is Yasei's well-being.
"So you're the outsider Sanae mention to me on that tournament…" Reimu stares at the boy with cold eyes. But he remains unfazed, and put his hands up in the air, making 'I surrender' gesture. "You got me, Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Reimu Hakurei." The shrine maiden only grins as she hears that. 'I know it. It seems since Lucy comes here, most outsiders nowadays have high awareness about Gensokyo. But to actually has connection with Sanae… If that's the case, then a test is needed.'
Reimu suddenly disappears, much to Yasei's surprise. Then two homing amulets are coming his way. 'Darn… Sanae is right about not messing up with Reimu…' But he is stunned when he saw the amulets slowed down. 'Strange… Sakuya isn't supposed to be here, and I can't detect her movement either. Then, could this be...' Not wasting the chance, he decides to shoot the amulets, and stunned again to see that his bullets didn't slowed down.
Just as Yasei done testing it, Reimu appears from behind and try to strike him. But the boy evades it with his speed. "You're lucky because I was holding back, Nerd Ace Hunter, Sugaku Yasei." That almost make him surprised, but he managed to calm down. "Holding back, you say? On my opinion, you barely even trying, aren't you? Besides, my group isn't related to this incident." He puts his guns back and shows the map he got from Yukari. "I'm sure you're familiar with this."
With suspicious look, Reimu takes the map and examines it. She then returns it back. "It seems you're right. Yukari often told me that I must prepare some maps in case there are outsiders like you who decide to stay here. And from the look of this map, she gives you this herself, didn't she?" Yasei nods and shows her some spell card he got. "Hope this is legal. I don't think I can use inner power like most residents here." Reimu takes a quick glance and sighs. It isn't because the cards, but rather because the previous 'test' she gives to Yasei.
"Perhaps you don't know it, but you actually already have one. I can only give you two hints, your speed and my amulets. That's all. Now I must move out soon, or this won't over." A second after that, Reimu flies to her shrine, and deactivates the barrier. 'Whoa… She doesn't even trying and I still got a hard time… And speaking about it, I didn't see Kasen anywhere… Make sense, though. Perfect Possession, that's why. So what was Reimu's hint again…? My speed and her amulets… Sounds ridiculous indeed, but it seems I've just slowed down her amulets unconsciously.' (Music ends here)
Morning in Human Village…
"You're right about the side effect of Occult Ball Incident, Keine. And I already discuss it with Vaati here. She's the one who took care of Lucy since four years ago." Yasei summarizes the last night scouting and introduces Vaati to the group. Right now they're gathering in main hall of Hieda Mansion. (Wait, you're not kidding, right?!) And what I mean by group is him, Keine, Akyuu, Hotaru, Hiroshi, Kosuzu, Lucy, and Vaati. The last two nods and confirming what Yasei just said.
"I see… Hiroshi told me that the guards managed to secure the village area while he, you, and Hotaru went outside. But I never expect that minor youkai would get affected by this as well…" Keine seems concerned with the summary. Vaati saw this and says her argument. "Indeed. And from what this boy told us, this is just the beginning. I heard that someone already took advantage of 'Perfect Possession' and think it's fun." Yasei, Lucy, and Hotaru fell silent. Look like they already discuss that topic before they come here.
Dawn at the front of Yasei's House…
"Wait Wild-kun, so the one who made the barrier wasn't Yukari?!" Lucy is very shocked when she heard that. Yasei nods and resumes his explanation. "It seems Reimu have been searching me around, and by chance she found me, or rather us, on the path to her shrine." Vaati listening closely and begin to ask. "Knowing her, she might use 'Perfect Possession'. Did she show it to you?" This time, the boy shook his head. "For some reason, she decided to 'test' me rather than confront me. Probably because my status as newest outsider here, and what's more, she found out my second inner ability."
Hotaru finally got her chance to talk. "I guess the first inner ability he has is rage manipulation. What I didn't expect, he used it against me on the final stage of the tournament. By the way, I didn't know that you two also watch it." Both Lucy and Vaati nods. Then the latter 'takes the steer' of the discussion. "We do feel the same thing, Hotaru. But right now, our focus is how to prevent rampage of infested youkai. It seems that echo we heard last night is the catalyst. And the only way to end it is waiting until those two done resolving this incident."
Present Day…
"The rampage of infested youkai is connected somehow with the current incident, yet indirectly. But it has nothing to do with the abusers and culprits of this incident. 'Perfect Possession' is a phenomenon where one is taken over by a completely different person, not only in mind, but also in body, much like Master and Slave. Yasei already made a good choice of not using it and with good reason as well." Keine fell silent for a moment, and she shows the SMS from Mokou on her smartphone. "I think you might get some clue here."
All of them look at the said SMS, and Yasei suddenly shocked. (Again?) "Give me a minute, Keine. I'll try to check it on my database." Then he opens his Sun Shine Notebook and found out that the content of the SMS is same as the data about extra story of ULiL on his device. And look like he got another e-mail on his inbox.
Inbox : "Do you already meet them, Yasei? I get a feeling that they will take part on 'cleaning' the area from infested youkai. And don't get that surprised. I'm sure you aware that Nitori-san also involved on two previous incidents with same format like this. By the way, I got a message from Reimu-san. She will send an e-mail to you soon." [Sanae Kochiya]
True enough, few seconds later Yasei get another inbox.
Inbox : "I don't know what you did to those youkai mobs, but that actually helps, as we (I and Kasen) didn't face any of them on our confrontation with Yukari. Soon after this is done, I expect you to master your abilities. For now, take your time with those mobs. And your cards are legal." [Reimu Hakurei]
'Great… Now two inboxes from both shrine maidens… I don't think I can reply both at the same time unless… That's it!' Yasei copies the link and opens it to the new tab, then began typing replies, one for Sanae, and the other for Reimu. (Hey, is he planning on sending the replies at the same time?!) After he refreshes both tabs, he sends both replies simultaneously. (He really did it…)
If you think Yasei didn't know that nearly everyone is still there, you're wrong.
"It took longer than I thought… Anyway, Sanae and Reimu already inform me from the inbox about recent news. It seems Vaati is right about the youkai infestation. We're not done yet." Then they spend the rest of the morning discussing the plan. Wondering about both replies? Here you go.
Outbox 1 : [To Sanae] "I did, and by chance, at that. You're right about Reimu. She barely even trying and I still got a hard time. Don't take me wrong there. I think that's because we (I mean Hotaru, Lucy, Vaati, and me) 'cleaned' her shrine last night. As we were about to go back to the village, she suddenly appears and 'testing' me. Now I need to train both my rage manipulation and speed manipulation. About the latter, I happen to slow down her amulets unconsciously. Soon after this incident resolved, I'll begin my 'arcade rush'. I'll send a file to make it clear. We'll fight after I'm done with Sakuya, Sanae."
Outbox 2 : [To Reimu] "Thanks for the hint, Reimu. That actually helps me answer Yukari's riddle few days ago. It seems you found out that we already 'cleaned' your shrine. The only good thing is Suika isn't there. You know what happens otherwise. Your expectation is quite harsh actually, but you're right. I need more experience, or I can't survive here. And perhaps I'd like to face you head-on in the future. I already told Sanae to send the file to you as well."
File : Challenge Agenda
- Byakuren Hijiri (Myouren Temple) [Inner Power]
- Suika Ibuki (Hakurei Shrine Outskirts) [Density]
- Satori Komeiji (Palace of Earth Spirits) [Mind]
- Iku Nagae (Sea of the Clouds) [Atmosphere]
- Toyosatomimi no Miko (Senkai) [Desire]
- Tenshi Hinanawi (Bhava-Agra) [Toughness]
- Reisen Udongein Inaba (Eientei) [Wavelength]
- Hata no Kokoro (Kagura Festival) [Emotion]
- Youmu Konpaku (Netherworld) [Swordsmanship]
- Yuyuko Saigyouji (Hakugyokurou) [Death]
- Yukari Yakumo (Unknown) [Boundary] {Finale}
Outside Hieda Mansion…
"Whoa… You're really serious about that goal of yours, Wild-kun…" Lucy is surprised again when she saw Yasei's Challenge Agenda. "Yeah, and this is the best one I could think of, Lucy. You do know that to face Yukari, I must beat Yuyuko first. The one who can manipulate death is inferior towards the boundary watcher." The boy explains that while wondering in his minds. 'There's something very peculiar about my 'invitation' to Gensokyo. And with those memory connections I have last night… The only way I could answer that is done this challenge agenda first, and finds it out from Yukari herself.'
Both Vaati and Hotaru are still inside. Hiroshi somehow managed to 'sneak in' Lucy and Yasei's talk. "That's a high goal you have Champion, just as expected." The latter replies it with a nod. He realized that Hiroshi is a Shadow Fighter. That's why he isn't surprised. "It's near-impossible, if I must say, but she already accepts my challenge, so I need to prepare myself with this. Speaking about it, do you feel any new power since you came here, Hiroshi?"
Hiroshi slightly nods, and he answers. "A little, but I think on that tournament, somehow I'm familiar with your attack skills." Yasei seems to thinking something, and he then replies. "Make sense. Actually, my Vector Parkour skills and your Shadow Fight skills are derived from same style. I suppose it won't be surprising if you can read my moves. Well, we should go now. Lucy, do you mind giving me a hand on my training?" Lucy smiles as she hears that. She finally gets a good training partner, as Yasei is the champion of the tournament. "Not at all, might as well as resuming what happens last night, Wild-kun." Both of them grin at each other, and Hiroshi only can shake his head. "I believe a training ground is needed. I'll inform the guards to give permanent access to four of you from now on." Lucy and Yasei thanks Hiroshi for his kindness, then they go to the Human Village Guard's Base with him.
With that, the first day of Perfect Possession Incident has been passed. And the next day awaits them…
Cleaning Party Members
Group 1 : Yasei, Hotaru, Hiroshi, Lucy, Vaati
Group 2 : Cirno, Clownpiece, Rumia, Wriggle, Mystia, Sunny, Star, Luna, Daiyousei, Lily White
Next Chapter Preview…
While discussing about Lucy, Yasei found out that the village is surprisingly become silent. (Yasei : That sounds like the night setting of Hopeless Masquerade…) (James : Shinkirou?) Disturbed by that, he asks Keine's permission to 'investigate' the cause of it. (Yasei : You got me, James…) After some youkai 'cleaning', he, along with Hiroshi and Hotaru, met the two people said by 'Odysseus' few days ago. (Yasei : And that's how I managed to recognize you that fast, Lucy.) (Lucy : Not to mention you already discussing about me with Keine, Wild-kun…) He also unexpectedly met Reimu, the shrine maiden of the border. (Yasei : She even told me about the second inner ability I have, speed manipulation.) The first day is over, and the second day is started. Which place they will 'clean' next time? Find it out on the next chapter!
AN : Phew… One month, more than one month actually. And that's just for learning AoCF. So far, I only managed to get script for Reimu-Kasen and Marisa-Koishi's scenario on Touhou Wiki, fully translated. Wondering about why I use this setting instead of usual Touhou fighting games? That's because Yasei told me that he won't interfere with the incident, and I come up with idea of the 'infested' youkai group. Honestly, 'infected' is way too harsh. If you notice, there's a word that I censored. I'm sure you know what that means. On The Outsider by Savato93, it's stated that Lucy is American. So for convenience- (Yasei : I know. So that's why I can speak English…) (James : You found it again…) Well, if I continue, I think I'll mumble to unclear direction. Then I'll end it right here. Before I forget…
James : Ready, Yasei-kun?
Yasei : Ready, James.
James and Yasei : Happy Birthday, Toyosatomimi no Miko!
Right. February 7th, 2018. Miko's 1444th birthday. Then, see you on the next chapter!
PS : Originally, I want to upload it six days ago, but got trouble with blackouts. That's when I found out that Miko's birthday is coming, so here's the result.