SBS Time!
Kyouko Kasodani: I don't know why, but you seem to love cutting Minamitsu's head off.
Game2002: Didn't realize that myself... Just a coincidence that it happened the second time, that's all.

Chapter 2
Disappearance at the Lake

Nue was having a great time during dinner, because as promised, Byakuren prepared her favorite food, shrimp tempura. The nue was wolfing down so many of them that the others told her to leave some for them, not to mention eating in a more "civilized" manner.

After putting some food onto a tray, Kyouko stood up with the latter and headed out of the room, but Ichirin called out to her before she left. "Where are you going, Kyouko?"

"I'm going to feed that bug," the yamabiko replied. "We can't just leave it there with nothing to eat, can we?" Then she left the room.

"Will she be all right, going to that bug by herself?" Shou asked.

"I think it should be all right," Nazrin said. "Something would've happened already if it really can escape from there with ease."

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do about that bug?" Minamitsu asked. "Are we just going to leave it like that forever?"

"I'm wondering about that too," Byakuren replied. "Such a dangerous creature cannot be let loose into the wild just like that. Perhaps we can train it to not harm other people and keep it as a pet."

"I don't think that's going to be possible, after what we've done to it…" Mamizou said to her.

Kyouko approached the box that was placed close to the door leading to the storage room and called out to the dragonfly-like creature inside. "Hello? Are you in there?"

There was no reply, so she went up to the box and opened it slightly. The box suddenly shook, and the sound of angry hissing could be heard. The yamabiko hopped back in shock, and then she approached it again. "Don't worry; I'm here to give you something to eat… There's nothing to be afraid of…"

She opened the box again, but the shaking and the hissing once again made her close it and jump back in shock. Telling herself to be brave, Kyouko quickly opened the box slightly, let the contents on the tray slide into it, and then closed it. She sighed with relief that she managed to accomplish this safely, and then she quickly returned to the others.

It was the afternoon of the next day when Rinnosuke was seated behind the counter, reading newspaper. When he heard the door opening, he looked up from behind the latter and saw Nue and Mamizou coming in. "Oh, welcome!" he said to them. "How may I help you?"

"Hello, Rinnosuke!" Nue said to him while waving. "I've got something to show you today! We're wondering if you can tell us what it is." Then she placed the iPhone-sized device onto the counter.

"What do we have here?" Rinnosuke asked as he leaned towards the object while adjusting his glasses. "This thing… It looks pretty similar to those communication devices that are used commonly by people in the outside world nowadays…"

"I knew you would be reminded of a smartphone," Mamizou said.

Rinnosuke picked up the device and looked at all sides of it. "Where did you find this?"

"The outside world," Nue replied. "Maybe I should tell you the whole story first…"

Minamitsu was on shopping duty at the Human Village. As she walked down the path with a basket in her hand, she read to herself from a small list. "Onions, carrots, potatoes, pork… All that's left is curry powder…"

She arrived at a store that was selling spices. While looking for curry powder on the shelf, she overheard the conversation of a group of people standing next to the store.

"All I found were their fishing equipments. I searched all around the lake, but I didn't find them at all…"

"Strange… Why would they leave without taking their equipments? I didn't see them after they went fishing… I went their houses this morning, but they aren't home…"

"That guy living across my house went to that lake yesterday as well. He said he was going for a swim."

"Going for a swim at a time like this?! Is he out of his mind?!"

"He's a health nut, so he does intense workouts all the time. He claims that swimming in cold water is good for one's health… Anyway, I didn't see him at all after that."

"He probably froze to death swimming in that lake…"

Minamitsu listened to their conversation with interest, but when the shopkeeper, who was an old woman, asked her what she wanted to buy, she suddenly remembered that she was here to buy curry powder and thus told her what she was looking for.

After asking several questions regarding the device and looking at it over and over several times, Rinnosuke said to Nue and Mamizou, "Judging from what I heard from you, I believe I can conclude that this is a transportation device of sorts! After all, the only thing you saw it do was creating a portal that brought forth a never-seen-before living thing."

"Yeah, that's what we concluded before we came here…" said Mamizou, sounding unimpressed. "We were hoping that you would find out something we didn't…"

"Thank you so much for the big help…" Nue sarcastically said.

"Perhaps there are other uses to this, but until we find out what they are, it is most definitely a transportation device," Rinnosuke said as he handed the device back to Nue. "Yukari told me that there exist various dimensions and universes out there and that she also witnessed people creating things that allow them to go other dimensions, or at least trying to… Since you found it in the outside world, it's likely that the people there are aware of such dimensions and universes that they want to create something that can help them go to those places.

"I may not be an expert in technology, but I believe that they are without doubt taking a huge step forward in that! Perhaps you should show it to the science department. I'm sure they'll find out more about this than me! They'll surely be interested in what this is, too!"

"Sounds interesting!" Nue said after hearing what he said. "Alternate dimensions and universes… I would love to pay those places a visit! If only I can get this thing to work properly…"

"You said you got it to work when you threw it at the wall, right? As far as I know, no device is supposed to work like that," Rinnosuke said. "Perhaps this thing is faulty."

"Well, I did take it without permission from the place where it's being produced after all…" Nue said.

"Whatever the case is, I'm sure the science department can look into this and find out more about it," Rinnosuke told her.

"I'll decide whether or not to give them myself, but thanks for the suggestion!" Nue said. After that, she left the place with her friend.

While walking down the path that led to the Human Village, Mamizou said to Nue, "Can't exactly say we learned something new, but at least we did hear something interesting. The concept of alternate dimensions and universes is something occasionally seen on science fiction medias. Normally, I wouldn't believe in such a thing existing in real life, but considering that the demon of boundaries herself claims that they do exist…"

"Ichirin also said she went with some others to another dimension via a book." Nue said, and then she looked at the device. "This makes me excited to get this thing working properly! I wonder what sort of fascinating worlds we can visit!"

"Let's just hope that it can take us to more places than where that bug came from…" Mamizou said. "If that thing is an indication of what all living things there are like, then I wouldn't want to go there…"

The two arrived at the village and continued through it to get to the Myouren Temple. While walking past a group of people, they overheard them talking about something that made them curious, so they stopped to listen to their conversation.

"It's true! I really did see a large fish fin sticking out of the water and then going back down!"

"I was with him, so I can testify to this! Even after seeing that fin going underwater, we could clearly tell that there was something moving close to the surface!"

"Really?"

"It's probably just a very big fish."

"I've never seen a fish that big before! I've been to that lake to fish several times, and I only saw it today!"

"Hey, do you think it's possible that the three people who went there today got attacked and eaten by that fish? We haven't seen them at all since they went there…"

"That's what I'm thinking…"

"I think you're thinking too much…"

As the group of people continued to talk about this, Nue's stomach growled. "Feeling hungry, eh?" Mamizou asked her. "C'mon, let's go back to the temple. Lunch is being prepared at the moment, I believe."

They continued making their way through the village, and Nue asked, "Want to go and see that big fish after lunch?"

"You really love to stick your nose into things like these, don't you…?" Mamizou asked her.

"It's fun solving mysteries and going on adventures! I'm that kind of person after all!" Nue replied.

That afternoon, everyone at the Myouren Temple was having curry for lunch. Like during last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast, Kyouko brought a tray containing food to the dragonfly-like creature. "I brought you lunch," Kyouko said to the bug. When she was close to the box, its top suddenly opened, and the bug flew out. This scared Kyouko so much that she dropped the tray and took several steps back. "How… How did you escape?!"

The bug screeched loudly and then flew at her at a fast speed, but luckily for her, she acted fast and ducked in time. The creature turned around to go after her again, so she quickly threw herself to the side to avoid getting hit. Kyouko sat back up and quickly crawled backwards from the creature until her back was against the wall.

"Stay… Stay back…!" the frightened yamabiko said to the creature. The bug let out another screech before flying at her. In an act of desperation, Kyouko did what she was best at—shouting. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

A powerful sound wave was released from her mouth as a result. The bug was pushed back through the air at a very fast speed, and everything that was in the way of the sound wave were either torn to pieces or sent flying towards the wall. Due to being made of wood, the wall was easily torn down by it.

Everyone immediately rushed to where Kyouko was after hearing the incredibly loud cry. "Kyouko! What happened?!" Byakuren asked the yamabiko.

Minamitsu turned to look at the wall that was destroyed and said, "What… What happened here…?"

"Look! It's that bug!" said Nazrin, pointing at the bug, which was seemingly unconscious on the floor.

Everyone turned to look at the bug, and a few seconds later, it got back up and shook its head. It then looked at the residents of the temple and hissed angrily before flying out the nearest window. Minamitsu, Nue, Ichirin, and Mamizou quickly rushed to that window just in time to see that creature disappearing into the distance. "Great… Now a dangerous killer bug is on the loose in Gensokyo…" Mamizou said. "Everybody is totally going to have an awesome day from now on…"

"We better catch that bug before something bad happens…" Minamitsu suggested.

Shou approached the box, picked up one of the ropes inside, and inspected it. She then picked up the other ropes to inspect them. "From the look of it, that bug freed itself by forcefully opening its pincers with a strength strong enough to snap the ropes binding them before using the former to cut the ones binding its wings."

"It must have quite a bit of strength to be able to snap the ropes like that…" Nazrin commented.

"Such strength would make that bug very dangerous…" Byakuren said. "Must as I do not like to take lives, I fear that we have no choice but to put an end to that bug's life. Of course, if there is a deathless alternative, it is a better idea. To me, at least…"

"Well, we can try to use Nue's device to create another portal to send it back," Nazrin told her. "If we can figure out how to get it to work, that is…"

"Didn't she say that the portal appeared when she threw that thing at the wall?" Shou asked. "All we have to do is throw it at the wall again, right?"

"Yeah… However, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to make it create another portal…" Nazrin said. "What if more of its kind comes out from it…?"

"You have a point there…" Shou said.

"Anyway, we'll need to catch that bug right away!" Byakuren said. "Nazrin, I'm sure you can locate it, right?"

"But I'm not good at tracking down living things…" Nazrin told her. "Still, I'll give it a shot."

"We'll definitely track it down and put an end to it, Mistress Hijiri!" Minamitsu said to Byakuren. "Rest assure that it will not be harming anyone today!"

"Right! You can count on us!" Nue said with confidence.

"I'm not sure if I can really track it down in time, so you shouldn't be having too much confidence in your words…" Nazrin told them.

"How would you know if you don't try? Just give it a try already!" Nue told her.

Nazrin let out a sigh and then said, "Okay… but don't blame me if there are no results, okay? I'm really only good at finding small objects…" Then she headed for the outside of the temple and held up her dowsing rods.

Everyone else except for Byakuren and Kyouko, who were still inside the temple, looked at the mouse demon's dowsing rods, hoping to see a result. Nazrin moved towards the left and then walked until she turned around the temple's corner. Everyone followed her in that direction, and in the middle of walking past the temple, she suddenly turned to the right. She took several steps forward and then turned to the left, then to the right, then turning around completely, then to the right, then the left, then turning completely, and then to the right. Basically, she was moving in random directions.

"Um… Have you found anything yet…?" Shou asked her.

Nazrin looked at her with a frustrated expression and said, "Do I look like I found something?!"

"Sorry…" the tiger demon apologized.

"So… it really won't be easy for you to find that bug?" Minamitsu asked her.

"I wouldn't exactly say that I found nothing…" Nazrin replied. "While I didn't pinpoint the exact direction it went to, I at least found out the general direction it went to." She then pointed to four different directions. "Those are the directions that it may have gone to, so we'll have to split into groups if we want to find it fast. I can't be sure that we'll really find it, though, as it is constantly moving…"

"Better than not knowing where to look, right? Great job, Naz!" Nue said to her. "I'll take the leftmost direction!" Then she took off in the direction she chose right away.

"Geez… She sure likes to be in a rush…" Mamizou commented. "I think I'll accompany her to make sure that nothing goes wrong…" Then she went after the nue.

"Unzan and I will take this direction," Ichirin said before heading off in the second leftmost direction with the nyuudo.

Shou and Nazrin chose to take the second rightmost direction, while Minamitsu chose the rightmost direction.

Despite hearing about the possibility of a large and dangerous fish living in the lake, three men went there and rowed their boat to the center of it, hoping to capture that fish. The oldest-looking of the three, a large, muscular man with a somewhat messy-looking beard, stood at the front part of the boat and looked around the place for signs of anything peculiar. His two companions, while not as muscular, were tough-looking and looked like people one wouldn't want to get on the bad side of.

"C'mon, you giant fish!" the oldest one said out loud. "Whether you're just an overgrown fish or a demon, the greatest fisherman in all of Gensokyo, Daisuke Daishi, is going to capture you and put your dead body on display! If you're the one responsible for eating the previous three people who came here, then you're going to become the main course of a great feast that we're going to hold tonight after capturing you!"

His two companions were in charge of taking care of the large net they let down into the water. They also brought multiple harpoons to use against the "fish".

"I can't wait until that giant fish shows its face!" said one of his companions, who was mostly bald and only had hair at the sides and the back of his head. It was the kind of hairstyle commonly seen among males in feudal Japan.

"Yeah! I'm hoping that it struggles hard!" said the other one, who had the same kind of hairstyle, but he also had an eyepatch covering his left eye. "I love it when the fish I'm trying to catch fights back!"

Suddenly, those two felt and saw the net being tugged, so they quickly pulled it up, but all they caught were a bunch of normal fish. "Bah… Just the ones you see in fish markets…" the one with an eyepatch said.

"Don't pull up the net if it isn't being tugged hard enough!" Daisuke said to them. "If that fish really is a big one, then the tugging should be a lot harder! Use your common sense!"

"Yes, yes…" said the two as they removed the fish from the net and threw them into a basket they brought along.

Unknown to them, something was watching the boat from below while those two were removing the fish. They were just done doing that when suddenly the boat flew into the air a few centimeters, and the man with the eyepatch fell into the water.

SPLASH!

When the boat fell back onto the water, Daisuke asked in surprise, "What was that?!"

The man with the eyepatch emerged from the water, but shortly after that, he was pulled underwater. The other companion saw this and then shouted, "Daiki! Daiki!" The part of the water where the man disappeared underneath was bubbling, but it eventually stopped. "Daiki! Can you hear me?! DAIKI!"

Daisuke looked at where that man was shouting at and said, "It was must be that big fish!" Then he quickly grabbed one of the harpoons. "That monster will pay for claiming my younger brother's life!"

Suddenly, they heard a loud buzzing sound, and when they looked at the sky, they saw the dragonfly-like creature that escaped from the Myouren Temple. "What… What is that?!" Daisuke's remaining companion asked.

The bug let out a screech before flying at that man very fast. Because of its speed, the man wasn't able to react in time, and though he did move to the side, the bug still managed to leave behind a gash on the side of his neck. This was a fatal blow that caused the man to fall backwards off the boat and into the water.

SPLASH!

"DAICHI!" Daisuke gasped upon seeing the death of another companion. He then looked at the bug angrily. "You vile demon! How dare you kill my other brother?! You'll pay dearly for this!"

Just then, Minamitsu arrived in the air close to the lake and saw Daisuke trying to hit the bug with his harpoon, but the latter kept on moving around to avoid getting hit. "There it is!" she said.

When the bug dodged Daisuke's spear again, it quickly flew behind him, latched onto his back, and bit into his neck hard, causing him to scream in pain. Seeing this, Minamitsu quickly rushed in their direction to save that man. Suddenly, a large creature came out of the water behind them and caused her to stop in her track in surprise, but those two failed to notice this.

Its massive mouth came down on top Daisuke and the bug, devouring them both and the middle section of the boat. The creature that devoured those two went back into the water, and its tail, which was that of a fish's, could be seen just before it disappeared underwater.

For several seconds, Minamitsu stared at the lake with her eyes and mouth wide open. When she snapped out of her state of shock, she quickly flew towards the lake and went underwater. To avoid being seen, she changed into water to basically become invisible. She looked around for whatever it was that just devoured Daisuke and the bug, but she didn't see anything that was big enough to do so.

Minamitsu returned to the surface and floated into the air. "What… What was that just now?" she wondered.

TO BE CONTINUED

Nue was referring to one of my stories, Deep, Dark Dangers, when she said Ichirin went to another dimension before via a book.

Three named OCs here, and all three of them are dead… Yeah, really only OCs will be dying in my Touhou series, unless I allow an exception, but rest assure that I'm not going to make any Touhou characters die. Also, those three OCs are brothers. Daisuke is the eldest, and the two younger ones are twins.

I also hope that you know what kind of hairstyle I'm talking about that men of feudal Japan commonly have… I can't find a good way to describe it properly…