Chapter 2
Cries of Discontent

Reimu was sitting at the veranda of her shrine, looking at the yard, while Ruukoto was busy sweeping the leaves that had fallen from the nearby trees. The shrine maiden took a sip of her tea and then noticed that one friend of hers descending onto the yard. "Hey there, Reimu! I'm here to see ya!" said Marisa as she got off her broom.

"You treat this place just like your home…" Reimu said. "Got any particular reason for coming here?"

Marisa adjusted her hat as she walked up to her and sat down next to her. "Just want to ask you if you've heard about Kanako planning to build something called a movie theater near the outskirts of the Human Village." Then she took one of the crackers on a plate next to Reimu to eat.

"Yeah, I heard of that," Reimu said. "I heard it's a form of entertainment of the outside world. Yukari described it as being a giant-sized television or something like that."

"Is there really a point to movie theaters when you can simply watch TVs? Guess we'll have to see the final product with our own eyes to understand why people from the outside world find it entertaining…" Marisa said before taking another bite from the cracker. "Speaking of which, lots of trees were cut down in order to make this. I was at the Human Village and overheard the people there not being happy seeing lots of trees being cut down."

"Something tells me that things won't go well with the construction…" Reimu said. "Kanako may have to reconsider things if a riot starts up and faith towards her is threatened…"

"Yeah," Marisa said with a nod. "Guess the people here simply aren't ready for modernization yet…"

During the night of the same day, within a small house built somewhere in a forest near the base of Youkai Mountain, the Aki Sisters were getting ready to turn in for the night.

Sitting on her bed, Shizuha said to Minoriko as the latter applied lotion onto her face to keep her skin protected while sleeping. "Minoriko," the older sister said the younger one, "what do you think will be the future of Gensokyo?"

"What do you mean?" Minoriko asked without turning her face away from the mirror.

"I mean… You know how the mountain goddess is interested in renovating Gensokyo, making this place as advanced as the outside world…" Shizuha explained to her. "However, years of living here tell me that the people here aren't ready for modernization yet. Do you think there will still be a place for us if Gensokyo really became modernized?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about the last part if I were you," said Minoriko, still not turning to her. "It's not like autumn or harvests are going to disappear after the modernization. Even in the outside, they still eat crops planted by farmers, and while most of them come from the countryside, there are places in big cities where they plant vegetables and fruits, too. As for whether or not the people can accept this sudden change… Well, I can't be sure about that… Changes are sometimes inevitable, and people will have to accept the truth when it happens. They may be in denial about the change, but as time goes by and they start to get adapted to it, they won't say anything about it anymore.

"I'm sure the mountain goddess knows what she's doing. She may an ambitious person, but she cares for the wellbeing of the people in Gensokyo, too. I'm sure she knows what she's doing, and if she sees that the people here aren't satisfied with her decision, such as cutting down lots of trees to build a building, I'm sure she will have a change of plan and do something else instead."

"Something tells me that the future is going to be grim…" Shizuha said. "The end is inevitable… The current lifestyle of Gensokyo will come to an end as you know it someday…"

"You're always talking about pessimistic things, sis," Minoriko said as she stood up and headed towards her bed, which was placed a couple of feet next to Shizuha's. "You should learn to cheer up more! Good things happen to those who smile and think positively! I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end! There are still lots of trees for you to kick, you know."

"If modernization really happens and trees diminish greatly as a result, will I still have a purpose here?" Shizuha wondered. "Will I have to go somewhere else where there are lots of trees?"

"Think positively, sis! Like I said, everything will surely be all right!" Minoriko told her with a smile. "I'm sure the goddess will make sure that enough of this place's natural beauty will be preserved! There will still be enough trees for people to see in the autumn! All right, let's turn in for the night now. Good night, sis!"

"Good night, Minoriko," Shizuha said, and then she turned to look at the switch across the room. Taking off the leaf attached to her hair, she threw it like a dart at the switch and hit it to turn off the light. The leaf bounced back to her, and she caught it before placing it onto the table in between her bed and Minoriko's. The sisters then turned in for the night.

Every project had to have a meeting, and building a movie theater was no different. In the morning of the next day, an hour before afternoon, Kanako held a meeting in the conference room of the science lab. Together with her were people that played roles in helping her renovate Gensokyo, and notable faces included Nitori, Rikako, Rika, and Akemi.

For about forty minutes, everyone talked about the construction site and its status, the blueprint of the movie theater, how they would introduce the concept of movies to the people of Gensokyo, and when they could start building it.

After they were done talking about this, Kanako said, "Before we end our meeting for today, Akemi would like to give a special presentation regarding the renovation of Gensokyo, how it would look like in the future and such. Let us now give our time to Akemi Machida!"

Everyone clapped hands as Akemi walked up to the front of the room and bowed. "Thank you, everyone!" she cheerfully said. "I hope you will enjoy my presentation! Since all of us here are people of the future who are seeking to improve the lives of the people here, I am going to share you with my view of this place's future! Please look at this presentation I prepared!"

She turned on her laptop and then connected a projector's cable to it. After things were ready, she gave the signal for Nitori to turn on the projector and a kappa standing near the door to turn off the lights. When the projector was turned on and the lights were out, a PowerPoint presentation was seen on the white board behind Akemi. The slide showed the picture of a city with the words The Future of Gensokyo in front of it.

Akemi went through each of the slides, which showed a bird's eye view of a modern-looking Gensokyo. "This is what I believe Gensokyo will look like in the future if our renovation project goes as planned," Akemi explained. "Those who know what the outside world look like can tell that it will become indistinguishable from the cities and towns there!"

She showed them a picture of a street that had stores at the sides. "What you are looking at now is the Human Village!"

Next up was a dock and several boats at a lake. "This is the Misty Lake. I'm sure it'll make a great place for boat rides and fishing! The Scarlet Devil Mansion is there in the background, in case you're curious."

Then she showed pictures of places that looked like towns. "Since the renovation is going to cover the whole of Gensokyo, it's obvious that the majority of this place will have to be habitable for everyone; therefore, additional towns will have to be built. As of now, it's really only the Human Village that is safe for people to live in, but once the renovation is complete, all of Gensokyo will be safe to live in!"

Next, she showed them the picture of a train inside a cave. "The underground will be renovated as well. For easy access to former hell, a train will be made to allow easy navigation between the surface and there. However, since the trip there involves going downhill, the train will have to be designed to travel that way.

Then she showed the picture of an underground city. "This is what I imagine former hell to look like after being renovated. I guess you can see that it will be the first true underground city, or town!"

Akemi continued on with the presentation until she was finished, and then everyone gave her a round of applause. "Thank you very much!" she said to them while giving a bow. "I'm glad that you like my presentation! Hopefully, we can work together to make Gensokyo a better place for everyone!"

"Your plans for this place are good!" Kanako said to her. "You have planned very far ahead, perhaps a bit too far ahead. If we rush things, the people here won't be able to catch up with the changes so easily. We should move forward step by step in order to get them adapted to the changes. Renovating isn't just about making physical changes, but also adapting people to the changes."

"Don't worry, goddess," Akemi said to her. "I'm sure they will get adapted to the changes! The movie theater will amaze them to no end, and they will be asking for more stuff from the outside world. We will continue to introduce all sorts of awesome outside world stuff to them, such as computers, video games, vehicles, department stores, and more! Even outside world food should be able to wow them! All these should be able to let them know what the wonders of the outside world are!"

"That is something we'll have to hold a meeting about some other day," Kanako said. "For now, let us concentrate on finishing the movie theater. Its reception will determine which direction the renovation project will take in the future. Okay, that will be all for the meeting today. Please continue your work at the construction site and report to me anything important."

With that, the meeting came to an end, and everyone got up and left the room. Kanako and Akemi left the room together, and the latter said to the former, "I won't disappoint you, Mistress Kanako! I'll definitely make Gensokyo the way you dream of!"

"I sure hope your presentation will be an accurate portrayal of what the future of this place will look like!" Kanako said to her. "Good work on the presentation! Keep it up!"

"I will! I'm off to work now!" Akemi cheerfully said before running off.

Kananko then made her way through the science lab, greeting some workers along the way, until she came to an elevator that had the sign saying For Moriya household members only next to it. She entered the elevator and rode it to the top, and when it stopped, she stepped out into a dark room. She slid open a paper door and stepped out into the living room of the Moriya Shrine, where she saw a green-haired and ponytailed girl wearing a blue and white shrine maiden's outfit standing there with a worried look. "You're finally back, Mistress Kanako!" the girl—Sanae Kochiya—said to her.

Noticing the look on her face, Kanbako asked her, "What's wrong, Sanae? Why are you looking so worried?"

"Well, um… Maybe she can explain to you better…" Sanae said as she stood aside to let Aya come forward.

"Good morning!" Aya said to the goddess. "Or is it afternoon…?"

"It's you, Miss Shameimaru," Kanako said to her. "What is the matter?"

"Well… Regarding your plan to build a movie theater…" Aya said to her in a rather nervous tone. "You see… You had your workers cut down lots of trees in order to build it, right…?"

"Yes, and what about it?" Kanako asked her.

Marisa was walking around in the Human Village when she noticed a quite a number of people gathered near the exit, having a commotion over something. Curious, she headed over there to see what was happening, and she heard the people expressing their discontent at such a large amount of trees being cut down. The witch made her way around the people until she was able to see the clearing created yesterday.

Because of the people's discontent and grumbling, the kappas and fairies were nervous and wondered what to do. They told the people to calm down and wait for their superior to arrive and settle this issue with them.

"Guess my hunch was correct after all…" Marisa said. "I had the feeling it would be like this…"

A few seconds later, a pickup truck arrived at the scene, and when Akemi stepped out, a kappa rushed up to her and said, "Foreman! You're here at last! You see the people over there? They aren't happy with the deforestation yesterday! What do we do about them?"

Akemi looked at the people for a few seconds and said, "Stuff like this happen often… You got to see the outside world, I'm telling you. Just ignore them; they're only barks and no bites. It's not like they can do anything by simply yelling at us. They're not going to get away with the law if they use force either. Just put barricades around the construction site and then get back to your work."

"Are you sure?" the kappa asked her. "I think it's better that we give them a word first…"

"They can't be reasoned with me, so you should ignore them," Akemi said as she walked in the direction of the clearing with her stuff. "If I were you, I'd pretend that they aren't there."

Though unsure about her superior's command, the kappa decided to do as she said and told her fellow workers to set up a barricade to keep the people from coming in. Some workers remained close to the barricades to make sure that nobody crossed over them, while some went to work, clearing and flattening the land so that it would be suitable for construction. Some of the villagers called out to Akemi, but she ignored them and continued giving out orders to the workers.

Seeing her like this, Marisa said to herself, "Geez… Such a fine example for a foreman… Completely ignoring everyone's complaints… I wonder how she can do her work without getting bothered by all these yelling…"

"If you knew her better…" said a voice. Marisa looked to the side and saw Keine standing there.

"Oh, it's you," the witch said.

"Akemi showed up once in a while at the village with some workers to help construct and rebuild certain buildings," Keine told her. "I've seen her a few times, and she has already left quite an impression on me. She's from the outside world, and apparently, she doesn't like our current lifestyle. It's too primitive for her taste."

"She's from the outside world?" Marisa curiously said.

"Yes," Keine said with a nod. "Akemi was here since last year, having somehow ended up here when she was wandering around the shrine that leads to this world. I was the one who took her into the village and explained everything to her. After finding out that the kappas and Kanako had access to technology, she quickly moved to the science lab to live and work there. Her goal is the same as Kanako's—renovating Gensokyo."

"If things were really that easy…" Marisa said. "I'm not against Gensokyo becoming as advanced as the outside world. In fact, I'd totally give the opportunity to experience that kind of lifestyle, too! It's just that not everyone can get adapted to changes so fast, which is why Kanako still hasn't successfully renovated this place yet. Anyway, what are we going to do about this? That foreman isn't caring about the people at all…"

"Perhaps I should try to convince the people to calm down," Keine said. She was going to make her move when suddenly someone pointed out that there was someone flying in the air. Everyone looked up and saw Kanako flying towards them.

"It's one of the goddesses from the Moriya Shrine!" someone said.

"Well, guess things are about to solve themselves-ze," Marisa commented.

Kanako landed in the clearing, and the kappas and fairies immediately stopped working and bowed down to show her their respects, including Akemi. Akemi then ran up to Kanako and said, "Mistress Kanako! What brings you here? Are you here to see the progress?"

"Well… Um… Is everything going smoothly here?" Kanako asked her in an uneasy-sounding voice. Noticing this, Akemi asked her what was wrong, but the goddess looked at the people standing behind the barricades instead.

Seeing that the goddess was looking at them, Akemi said to her, "You're worried about them? You don't have to worry about them, Mistress Kanako! They're all talk and no threat at all! Stuff like this happen in the outside world often, and I've seen enough of it to know that they can't do anything to stop things from happening! Rest assure that they will eventually grow tired of pestering us and then leave!"

"On the second thought, I think it's better that we give them a few words and listen to what they have to say," Kanako told her, and then she walked up to them to start speaking to them. "Everyone, please calm down. I understand that it is hard for you to accept the sight before your eyes. I had the feeling that something like this would happen, but I still hoped that the announcement I made two days ago would get you ready for this."

"It's true that you told us about this beforehand, but we didn't expect it to be like this!" a man said to her. "Do you know the kind of harm that can be caused from cutting down such a large amount of trees? Flood is going to happen more often!"

The people continued to throw various kinds of complaints at Kanako, who was having a harder and harder time trying to calm them down. Eventually, she raised her hands and said in a louder than usual voice, "All right! All right! I have heard your complaints! For now, the construction of the movie theater will be put on hiatus. We will hold a meeting regarding this to decide what we should do next. Rest assure that we will give you the best possible response, so please do not be worried!"

Hearing this, a look of shock appeared on Akemi's face. "WHAT?!"

The people, on the other hand, were satisfied to hear this. After telling the goddess that she better make the best possible decision, they started to leave one by one until no one else was left behind the barricade. The goddess sighed with relief and then said, "That's that…"

"You can't be serious about this, Mistress Kanako?!" Akemi said to the goddess in disbelief. "You can't seriously be considering abandoning the project, can you?!"

"We'll have to have a meeting regarding this," Kanako told her. "In order to not make the villagers complain anymore, I think we should do it when we get back. Tell the workers that they can stop work for today." Akemi could not believe what she was hearing. This was something she did not expect at all.

Meanwhile, sitting on a tree branch not very far away, Shizuha had witnessed the whole scene and heard everything.

No sooner after returning to the science lab conference room, Kanako summoned the important members of the project to another meeting to talk about their course of action, seeing how the villagers were not satisfied with the process of their project.

"Now that you all know what the problem is, do you have any other suggestions on what we can do as an alternative? Or do we simply call a halt to this project for the time being?" Kanako asked the attendants.

The attendants then spent about a minute talking with each other, trying to come up with suggestions and ideas. Eventually, Nitori raised her hand, and Kanako told her to give her suggestion. "Since starting such a grand-scaled project right off the bat proved to be unwelcoming to the villagers," the kappa said, "perhaps we can start with a smaller-scaled one first? It's not like movie theaters always have to be big. You can simply build a small building that can fit about twenty or so people and play the movie there. You don't even need to have a building! You can simply arrange for the movie to be played in an empty lot. The only problem with the latter is that it really only works at night…"

"Her idea is just like that goddess's…" said Akemi while thinking of Shizuha.

"You have a good idea there, Nitori!" Kanako said with a nod. "Perhaps I was too ambitious and also in too much of a rush to renovate Gensokyo… I should've known by now that the people here have been living life like this for so long that it would be impossible to instantly force them to change… You're right; we should start off humble and small, and if the reception is good, we can introduce bigger and better things to them."

Rikako raised her hand and said, "I agree with Nitori. If we only care about ourselves and try to force our ideas into others, they won't like it. Furthermore, being a goddess, your existence is dependent on the faith of the people towards you. If your actions dissatisfy them, they will abandon faith in you, and that is dangerous for your existence."

"You're right about that as well…" Kanako said. "I was actually worried about that, too… Thanks for reminding me of it again… Okay, so it seems that everyone agrees with calling a halt to the project and going for a smaller-scaled one instead, right?"

Everyone accept for Akemi nodded, and the latter raised her arm and said, "But what about the clearing we made? You can't just leave it like that, can you?! We went through the trouble of cutting down the trees, and now we're going to abandon that place and make our hard work go to naught?!"

"It's unfortunate, but it can't be helped…" said Kanako, slowly shaking her head. "Since we are responsible for the clearing, we should also be responsible for changing it back to normal. I will send people to plant trees there once again."

Akemi, however, refused to let the project die so easily. "But all the time we spent on coming up with this project! We can't abandon it just like that, can we?! If that spot isn't satisfying enough, we can simply find a better place! I'm sure there are places the people don't mind if trees get cut down, right?"

"The outskirts of the Human Village are the best spots we can think of at the moment," Kanako told her. "We don't want people to have to travel so far to watch movies. There are no cars here, and you have to think of the danger of traveling through the woods, as demons that devour humans lurk in them. If you can come up with a suitable location, then I am willing to reconsider reviving the project in that place."

"Then you can bet on me to get this done!" Akemi said. "I will without doubt find the best location for the movie theater! In the meantime, please don't call off the project completely just yet! I will come back to you with a new location as soon as possible!" After saying that, Akemi rushed out of the room, despite Kanako telling her that the meeting wasn't over yet.

"Geez… Why is she so determined to build a movie theater…?" Kanako wondered.

"She's a very enthusiastic person," Rika told her. "She really is determined to renovate Gensokyo."

"I'm interested in doing that as well, but I also care for the wellbeing of the people here," Kanako said. "I can't force my interests into them. I need to do it in a way that can be accepted by them, but she's like… She basically wants to force her interests down people's throat… While having the passion to reach a goal is good, being too rushed may bring trouble in the end… Anyway, that's all for the meeting today. We will see if Akemi can come up with a good location first before deciding on the fate of this project."

After that, everyone stood up to leave the room.

Akemi rushed back into her workroom and wasted no time in pulling out a map of Gensokyo from her desk. She quickly scanned every single part of the map for the most suitable place to build the movie theater. "Let's see… Forest of Magic? They might do… In front of the Misty Lake and across the Scarlet Devil Mansion? The way there is too dangerous, I think… Garden of the Sun? Nah, that flower psycho is going to kill anyone who even thinks of it… Nameless Hill? Like anyone wants to go there… Spring Path? Hmmmm…"

After thinking about Spring Path, Akemi placed her fingers underneath her chin and thought for a while. "This place looks good… Not very far from the Human Village and also quite safe to get to… However, people seem to like the flowers there, so… Geez, why do people like flowers anyway? What can they do to them? Anyway, if I want to build the movie theater there, I may have to face the consequences of getting shouted by flower-lovers…"

Suddenly, an idea came to her, and then a malicious expression appeared on her face. "Heeheehee! I got it!"

TO BE CONTINUED

I know Shizuha didn't show up much in this chaper, even though the story revolves around her. Rest assure, however, that she will have a bigger role in the next chapter. I'm also excited to show you my portrayal of her! Get ready to feast your eyes on the way I imagine her to be like!

I think Sanae looks quite good with a ponytail after seeing how Saya (Sayamendo) draws her. Please be warned that you may run into NSFW materials if you plan to look for pictures drawn by him/her.