Touhou belongs to Team Shanghai Alice. So do concepts, characters and everything else you have experienced while playing the game, except the dishes. Here's another man who wants to use his ideas for a story.

"The library's closing, miss," the man stood over the sleeping girl at a table. "Please come back again tomorrow."

"Uh?" the girl gave him a bleary eye. "It's night already?"

"Yes, miss. It's already ten. Library closes at this timing daily."

"I'm sorry about holding your closing time back."

"Do you want me to place these books under your name?" the librarian asked as he helped stack the many books the girl had left on her table.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to borrow these so you can continue with them at home?" the man repeated his question with clarity. "I have noticed you were reading all of these for the past week that I had to chase you out."

"Uh… how do I go around borrowing these?"

"I would first require your card, then we can proceed to that machine…"

"I… I don't have one."

"Then I'm afraid you have to return tomorrow to continue with these," the librarian carted the books away to return them to the shelves. As he placed the books back on the shelves, he noticed that one of the books was of a different genre from the others.

"Hey, miss!" he called out to the leaving girl, who turned around.

"Hmm?"

"I see that you have interest in occult," he said. "But… why did you pick out this book?" he held out a worn and old-looking book entitled 'Children Fairy Tales'. The book had easily been a century old, if not more. "I'm pretty sure it's way out of your leagues."

The girl said nothing and continued to stand at her spot. "I believe in the existence of a parallel world," she finally broke the silence.

"A fantasy land?"

"Something like that. Do you happen to have heard of one 'Gensokyo'?"

"Imagination Land," he nodded. "A general name for such."

"There exists one," the girl repeated. "And I myself had been there. It was my home for the past hundred years. I may look just as young as the students of this university, but I have aged beyond the mortal's limit. I was the Librarian of the Great Unmoving Library, the Voile, boasting the largest library in the whole of Gensokyo. Something happened, we were forced to leave the world, which I called home."

"Ahh… ahh!" the librarian seemed to be faking understanding, but the strange girl saw it through.

"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I have no ways to prove what that I had say to be true, anyway."

"Is your interest in occult that deep?"

"In layman terms, you could say it's actually magic. I believe in magic."

"Europe's is very rich in art and folklores. You sure are blessed to have came here. With such interests, you could be writing for that occultist column in the daily papers."

"I wouldn't trust those occultists you speak of, they are mostly falsifying information."

"Hence your perfect qualification for the job… Patchouli Knowledge."

The girl was taken aback slightly. "How… how did you know my name?"

The librarian held on to the book of fairy tales and stepped towards Patchouli, who took one back. "Relax, I do not seek to harm you," the man tried to placate her, with no visible success; Patchouli already had her back to a shelf filled with books. "This library," the man spread his arms as if to encompass them. "Is older than you are, Miss Knowledge. And there can only be one reason for you to appear here four days ago: fate."

"What… what are you saying?"

"My grandfather, on his death bed, implored to his son, who became my father, to find The Missing Girl of the library."

"Am… I the… Missing Girl?"

"This girl," the man pointed a finger directly at Patchouli. "A hundred years ago, disappeared after reading this very book of fairy tales," he allowed his pointing finger to direct her attention to the book in his other hand. "Literally disappeared. Like 'poof'. Gone, just like that. Nobody knew how it happened. To make matters worse, other children who read the book did not disappear just like she did."

The mysterious librarian strode towards his counter, unlocked a drawer that was out of sight from Patchouli's side and pulled out a worn paper card, which was comparable to the book of fairy tales, and handed it over to her, who immediately received it with both hands and inspected it closely. Her full name was indeed on the card itself, along with her exact date of birth and other personal information.

"Among the belongings of this girl was this identity card. My father had passed this story on to me when I took over the library a couple decades ago," he spoke after a few moments of silence, allowing the revelation of her previous existence on Earth to be fully understood. "If you are truly the Patchouli Knowledge, the Missing Girl of the library, then I must say I have finally fulfilled my job as a successor for the library's ownership."

"Library's closing, sir," Patchouli lightly tapped on the sleeping student's shoulders, who shrugged her off and sluggishly made his way out of the library, his bag lazily slung over his shoulders, without saying anything. Sighing, she picked the books after him and loaded them onto the trolley.

It was a daily routine for Patchouli. Four years had passed ever since that fateful night, and she found herself working in the very library she had disappeared from some time after. The owner, whom she had mistaken as another librarian, had offered her the position when he found out she was both homeless and jobless with nobody to care for her, and she had gratefully taken it up. Always glad to have books for company, although this library is smaller than the Voile.

The man had given his full trust in allowing her to stay overnight in the library if she chose to, something Patchouli naturally wanted. After locking the doors of the university's library, she began the laborious task of sorting the books through cataloguing, with the aid of the library's computer, and returning them back to their proper shelves.

Calculus… that shelf. Illustrated History of False Teeth, dentistry section. Guide to butterflies… Nature Studies shelves. Romeo and Juliet… oh well. I loved this one, it's pretty good. Love story. Oh, this reader had even picked out Hamlet and Othello, a true Shakespearean reader. Humming a soft tune she had once heard, she continued the task, until she realized the song had been heard in Gensokyo itself.

The sudden realization that she had forgotten all about Gensokyo struck her in the head like a jolt of electricity. To make matters worse, the last book on the trolley that was unsorted was a book on Nuclear Physics.

Nuclear Physics.

Mystia's song.

Nuclear… fusion…

Gensokyo...

… Rei-Reimu-mu…

The very second after she sputtered out that name, she felt an overwhelming urge to scream out, which she had managed to stifle by covering her mouth desperately with her hands, her eyes already spilling tears freely. The memories of that horrible day, one she had forgotten through her years of work in the library, came crashing back to her like a river to a dam.

"Now, take a deep breath," the university's homegrown psychiatrist, a doctorate holder in the industry himself, soothed. His patient did as she was told as she reclined in one of the leather armchairs. "We don't want you remembering things you don't want to."

The girl said nothing as she stared at the white-tiled ceiling with relaxed eyes, vestiges of her screamings and near-insane emotions showing only little traces. It was only eight hours later that the owner of the university's library discovered his already-blank-eyed assistant librarian had turned his library into a warzone, and instead of filing a police report, he had sent her off to the psychiatrist for better understanding of her situation, something he suspected to have connections with the girl's hundred-year disappearance. "I'm… I'm sorry… for what I have…"

"No need to apologize," the psychiatrist flipped a sheet on his clipboard. "The Principal is actually more concerned about you than the little display of power you did in the library. He has decided not to hold you for any damages too, so stay calm there." The man paused for a moment as he consulted his clipboard again. "Patchouli… Knowledge?"

"That is my name," the girl answered, not taking her eyes off the ceiling, as if something interesting had captivated them. "My friends… I mean, people used to call me 'Patchy'."

"So far, you are doing good with your responses. I hope you trust me."

Patchouli said nothing in reply, only adjusted herself in the comfortable seat. The man took that as his cue to continue. Going through the standard procedure, he slowly warmed himself up to Patchouli, who had seemed to be taking him easily into her heart, with a prepared set of questions familiar to anyone in his industry, even going to the point to ask about her love relationships. "I don't think anyone has actually hit up on me yet," Patchouli smiled with a slightly rosy-cheeked face.

Finally, after almost an hour of easy conversation, the psychiatrist felt that he had gained enough trust in her mind and slowly edged his way into the very topic that brought his patient into his room: Gensokyo. Patchouli, surprisingly enough, had already opened her heart and mind to the man and felt no difficulties telling him about her anxieties. Within less than twenty minutes, she had felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

"I… I must be truthful, you are the first patient I ever had," the psychiatrist pulled off his glasses and set them on a nearby desk, along with his clipboard, which had been filled with his handwritings over the past hour and leaned back into his own armchair. "Who actually recovers completely on her first visit to me."

"I… did?" Patchouli asked, unaware of her own progression in recovery from treading the line between insanity and stability.

"'The mind of man rests on a delicate balance between reality, the world of light, and the other darker world below the threshold of consciousness... and it is from this world of darkness which comes the evil destructive forces in man's nature', I once read."

"I don't quite get that."

"There's nothing you need to worry about now, Patchy," the man stood up, signaling the end of his session with her. Patchouli did likewise and took the handshake the psychiatrist offered. "Whatever you have experienced in the past, I would not say it's best forgotten, but only to move on. Let not the past chain you back in a sorrowful wallow. Confront your fears bravely, those who sacrificed themselves for you paid a heavy price for your continued life today. Be sure to return in kind, by living out your life meaningfully."

Thanking the university's psychiatrist, she made her way to the door, but was held back by the man's kind voice. "Take my advice, Patchouli Knowledge, sometimes penning out your thoughts helps."

Patchouli left the room… with a smile.

Reimu…

Thank you for giving us that second chance at life. I might have sold myself to being a youkai, but upon reaching the Outer World, I began to feel the joy and melancholy of a human's life. All of these in four years, they must have been part of what you had gone through during your life in Gensokyo.

I am, honestly, still befuddled by your decision to save Gensokyo despite the inevitable differences between humans and youkai, the latter forming the majority of Gensokyo. I have observed that humans were the most selfish of all kinds, that they steal, cheat, lie, kill, all of it simply to extend their chances of survival by minutes. My years in the library must have made me blithely blind to reality; we youkai were never much more different.

I had come to realize, recently, that I was once a human too, coming from the Outer World, or as you and, probably by now, everyone, know as 'Earth'. I, too, share guilt in the sins I labeled you humans did. Every youkai was definitely something else before we became so. Each living thing that breathes is liable to faults, whether youkai or human.

Your attitude, your endurance, your observation and instincts, those were the inevitable evolutions from your sins. Before my recent revelations, I had only thought humans were susceptive to sins, selfishly refusing to admit my own faults, that I was the most knowledgeable and nothing I did was ever wrong. I was even adamant when you had pointed out that I kept Koakuma as an unwilling slave of sorts in my library. If only I had opened my eyes sooner…

During one of her much-hated 'visits', Marisa had waltzed to my seat and told me about your decision to go underground to solve the incident. I still remember the answer I had given her, that humans were simply doing it for their own sake. That love-witch tried convincing me otherwise, as if she was already an enlightened thief, however not ready to return the books she stole. It was because of that did I refuse to cooperate with her to object your adventure down beneath the ground.

Your passing had awoken the one fear in many a youkai's heart; the Barrier protecting us in Gensokyo would fall if you did. Fell did the barrier, along with an irradiated world incapable of sustaining life. Fortunately, being holed up in my library, I was one of the few who escaped only with emotional injuries. Everyone else brought along 'creepy doses' of radiation with them across the gap.

Enough of the horrors in Gensokyo… I don't want to remember the One who disrupted our daily lives.

I'm currently working as a human librarian in some university, and the people who work or study in it, their actions resemble ours, almost to the point where I was beginning to think this was still Gensokyo, albeit in a future time. In this world, everything worked around consequences, and that was the main deciding factor in everything, from simple matters such as a lunch meal to big issues like world politics.

Tell me… you knew the consequences of failing underground, didn't you? Didn't you? Tell me! ANSWER ME, YOU DAMNED MIKO-

With a short burst of rage, Patchouli pushed herself away from the desk. Then, remembering her session with the psychiatrist, she took in deep breaths and calmed herself down. I was really getting emotional again, she thought as she turned the sheet of paper around, noting the increased pressure in her writing towards the last sentence she wrote, almost to the point of tearing through with the pen she was using.

Confident that she was in the right state of mind again, she continued the letter.

… Sorry for the outburst, Reimu. That's if you ever get to read this though.

I guess… frustration is also what one should experience in life. I was never frustrated before, only annoyed at most, usually with Marisa's burglary.

You are probably laughing by now, a self-proclaimed know-it-all who barely has experience with the true meaning of life. And now do I understand. It's all about doing what you think is right, embracing consequences and simply living it out as much as you can within a lifetime. You've had your share, Reimu, and I'm now taking your passing as the cue to start mine, after more than one hundred years.

Patchouli Knowledge

A.N.: Ehhh… I hope I wasn't going too off topic with both story and letter. I do get carried away easily! Well, this letter is definitely different from Alice's, which was heavier hearted and filled with remorse. I mean, I can't have every character feeling the same way, each person definitely has different takes on others.

I've thought of Patchy to be really naïve when it comes to issues that don't deal with magic, seeing her closed personality with being a bookworm for a century. Of course, her interpretation of life is from her point of view, not a general consensus that you or I would agree on.

It's just a story, damn it! But I hope you enjoyed it!