The Scarlet Devil 2: Scarlet Devil Rhapsody
by Cyberchao X

Disclaimer: The same as always

Chapter 8

My name is Keine Kamishirasawa, mostly human, dutiful best friend in spite of myself. Of course when Mokou asked me to be her maid of honor, I couldn't refuse. I could never refuse her…but how am I supposed to be her support system when my own feelings would benefit from this whole thing blowing up?

"I think I'm going to go insane."

"Please don't," I said, "we love you and value your sanity." Why did I say "we"? Because I couldn't just come out and say it. It's not like Mokou would've even noticed in her current state.

"That's the type of thing I'd expect Kaguya-chan to say. I just want this to happen already. I can't remember the last time I was so acutely aware of time passing. When you're immortal, the days all blur together…but I can remember every hour since she proposed to me."

"Even the ones when you're sleeping?"

"I really don't need sarcasm at the moment. You're supposed to be the one talking me down and telling me everything's going to be alright."

"It sounds like you have your doubts."

"Doubts? No. But that doesn't make me any less nervous. It's normally a girl's father's job to walk her down the aisle, but it's been centuries since I had one of those. I'm sure he's turning in his grave over this. Not just because I'm marrying another woman, even though homosexuality wasn't really a thing back then, or at least not something that anyone actually acknowledged, but of all women, her."

"Yeah, well, that's why you're immortal in the first place. You swore revenge on her for what she did to your father, and…"

"…and it turned out that the reason she turned away all of her male suitors was because she just wasn't interested in men."

"Yeah, technically you're the groom in this wedding…"

"I know. I don't feel like a groom. Why does one of us have to be designated the groom? I'm not objecting to it being me, if one of us has to be one, because Kaguya-chan is definitely more feminine than I am, but…I want to be a bride, too." She pouted. She looked so cute.

"You really are worrying too much. I don't want to be the one talking you down. I…" I sighed. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. Or at least, I will be. I just want this thing to happen already!"

"I am seriously tempted to just eat the remaining time until the wedding next time the full moon comes around."

"I thought you didn't want this to happen," Koharu said, as Junichi served me. (CCX: Yeah, I found it. Turns out the reason I couldn't find his name two chapters ago is because the only time it was ever previously mentioned was in Interlude ➈ of The Scarlet Devil.)

"Mokou-chan's just going to make me more miserable until this is finally over. Her anticipation is killing us both."

"Well, you probably shouldn't do it. There could be consequences if you mess with history."

"Oh, I know. I'm not actually going to do it. But it's tempting."

CCX: This is too short to be a chapter on its own, so let's continue with a new narrator.

My name is Watatsuki no Toyohime, and I'm a wedding crasher.

"Toyohime, if you're not going to take this seriously, you should let me do the narration."

My name is Watatsuki no Yorihime, and—

Not gonna happen. Neither one of you belong here, and while you may have defeated me on the moon, that was your territory. Now we're on my turf.

"Were that that were actually true," Sanae said, "but unlike our and Marisa and Alice's weddings, this wedding's being held at the House of Eternity."

"Well, yeah, obviously it'd be even more lopsided at the Hakurei Shrine, but we're still in Gensokyo."

"Would all of you please stop blurring the fourth wall?!" the author asked exasperatedly.

"Given that you just addressed us directly, you're no better," I reminded him. "Anyway, this was supposed to be a dramatic scene, and now it's completely ruined. I was going to ask Yukari-sama what she could possibly have to gain from this, and get no response, and then someone would tell me that Yukari-sama's not here and she won't answer me."

"Yeah. I was going to say that Chen's got the entire week off, and we're only halfway through," Mystia said.

"Why are you even at this event?"

"Well, it's not like I live that far away from Eientei. I was the Stage 2 boss of Imperishable Night, after all."

"Wriggle-chan's not here, though."

"Not as close."

"Well, I think this entire thing's been derailed. Basically, the message was that I'm on my own this time, so…"

CCX: …Yeah, let's just end this chapter.