Hikari sat at the bar counter her mother had set up in the shrine, with a glass of orange juice.
'I should have spent some time thinking of what I'd tell her…'
Marisa downed another mug of sake. She was already halfway through it.
'Who drinks sake from a mug?'
"...Isn't it a little early to be doing that?" Alice reprimanded her.
"...Yeah!" Marisa agreed, and kept drinking it anyway.
Alice sighed.
Reimu shrugged, having been the one who served Marisa.
Hikari looked around at some familiar faces.
'Sanae, Alice, Marisa, Mom…'
She didn't notice the other party-goers, though. They must have left earlier, or something. She was out long enough, anyway.
Hikari took a sip of her orange juice.
'Aaa~hhh… Nothing beats a glass of this after a day of chores… or crazy quests, in this instance.'
Mostly one in the same, anyway. Except for the whole 'nearly died numerous times' bit.
Her mother approaches the adjacent space behind the counter to her.
"...Where exactly have you been today, Hikari? It's not like you to just rush off for an entire day…" Reimu questioned her daughter.
'...I expected this question, but still don't have an answer.'
"...I-it's a long story." Hikari nodded.
'...Well, it actually is.'
Reimu stared at her daughter for a moment, then sighed. "...It's fine if you don't want to tell me just yet. I know you like your privacy, and everything…"
'Well, there's that.' Hikari sheepishly thought to herself. 'There's also the fact my story would make absolutely no sense so far.'
Sanae suddenly came up from behind and hugged Hikari. "Ooo~h, Reimu, your daughter is so~ cute!"
'Yeah, this was gonna happen.' That was just how Sanae rolled.
"You can tell me, wi~ght, Hikawi?" Sanae giddily questioned.
'I'm not a pet!'
Hikari struggled against Sanae's embrace, and broke free!
Sanae blinked. "W-woah! That was fast…"
Marisa giggled. "You're getting o~ld, Sanae!"
"S-shut up!"
Hikari smiled. 'Well, this hasn't changed one bit.'
Reimu tapped on the counter, and Hikari looked over to her. She handed her daughter a list.
"...Those were today's chores, but since most of the day is gone anyway, you can save them for tomorrow. They're nothing of importance, just some errands at the village that I don't feel like taking care of myself."
'Trust me, I already did a couple engaging errands the other day…'
Hikari sipped her orange juice again.
…
"How's dad?" Hikari asked while the other women were off causing a commotion amongst each other.
"He's doing well." Reimu smiles. "He wanted me to give you a new years present."
'It better be a really big hammer, or a sword. I'm probably gonna need one…'
Reimu takes out a pouch, and hands it to Hikari.
...Hikari opens it to find 5000 Yen!
'That works too.' Hikari was fine with cash prizes. Maybe she could get her gohei temporarily enchanted at the temple or something…
'Or buy snacks. I think I'll buy snacks with this when I get the chance.'
Reimu chuckles. "I take it you like it?"
Unbeknownst to Hikari, her own eyes had practically lit up like danmaku particles.
"Y-yeah…"
Thuds were heard nearby.
Hikari turned to see Marisa and Sanae had gotten into a tussle of sorts, with Alice standing off to the side, looking displeased.
"I shall feel the softness!" Marisa exclaimed boldly.
"N-not unless I feel yours first!"
It was, in fact, a groping competition.
Reimu slammed her hands down on the counter. "Hey, hey, hey! Not in front of Hikari, you dopes!"
Marisa paused in the middle of the skirmish. "...Aww, c'mon, Reimu-ze… Hikari's like, eighteen! She should be over here doing this instead of me!"
Alice glowered at her partner. "And someone your age shouldn't still be using 'like' as a filler word."
"It's a free country." Marisa argued. "Sue me."
"Maybe I will…" Alice grinned.
Reimu shook her head. "Aah- Hikari, look, maybe you should…"
Hikari had the perfect idea to resolve this.
She focused on the three other women, and concentrated…
'I don't really care what they do, as tiring as that last excursion was…'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled only around Marisa.
Alice paused. "W-what…?"
Sanae's mouth was ajar. "Whaa~?..."
Marisa blinked. "What's go-...going…"
Thud. Marisa was asleep!
'So it only targets one person at a time. Hmph.'
…
Alice stared down at the unconscious ordinary mage. "...What happened there, exactly?"
Sanae sat up and shrugged. "Tuckered herself out, I guess…"
Reimu blinked, then looked to her daughter, who noticeably didn't react with surprise to the occurrence.
…
"I suppose… I'll carry her to the guest room, then." Alice resolved, going to lift Marisa.
"Here- let me help…" Sanae moved to help.
With that, the two women got their human mage friend up and worked together to move her somewhere else.
…
Reimu eyed her daughter. "...Do you know what that was all about?"
'Heh heh heh…'
"U-uh… A little? I don't know?"
'Graceful.'
Reimu rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a no."
'That makes things easy, for now.'
…
Hikari got up, taking her orange juice with her, and went to her room.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
'Eight melodies, huh…'
Hikari finally remembered the bees' specific words. The eight melodies of Gensokyo…
'Or something.'
She looked out her window, still recalling the path she took to that meteorite earlier.
...Sip.
'...I should probably go about my business in the town right now. I have the money to do so, anyway.'
Hikari readied herself to leap out the window again, but paused…
'I should probably finish my orange juice first.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari came up to the gate to the village.
"Halt! No trespassing! Who are you!?" The guard points his spear at Hikari.
"E-easy there!" Hikari leapt back.
"Identify yourself, youkai!"
Hikari blinked. 'Either people instantly recognize me as mom's daughter, or they don't even recognize the shrine maiden getup. I don't get it.'
Suddenly, a piercing howl was heard near them.
'A-another dog!?'
Hikari's guess proved correct as another stray dog threw itself towards her from the bushes.
SMAAAAA~SH!
Hikari swung on instinct, and sent the dog flying down the opposite end of the path.
…
"...N-no way…" The guard stepped back from the miko. "W-with a gohei…?"
Hikari turned towards him, smug. "Hikari. Hikari Hakurei."
He snapped to attention. "H-Hakurei, yes! Right in, go!"
As the guard scrambled out of the way, Hikari proceeded into the village.
'Less troublesome than expected, at least.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Walking through the village, Hikari eventually reached the town square…
'Candy, candy, candy…'
She did a full three-sixty in the middle of the square.
'Where are the candy stalls? There's usually at least one…'
She pauses as a frazzled looking bunny woman passes her.
'That must be, uh… Raisen? Risen? Reisen. It was Reisen…'
Hikari didn't know her very well, if that needed to be said.
...She was still curious about the candy stalls, though. She approached the bunny.
The bunny girl had moved into an empty stall, the one big corner stall she usually took regularly, and was beginning to set up shop.
Hikari tapped against the counter with her gohei.
Reisen looked up at her. "R-Reimu?"
Hikari shook her head.
"...A-ah, you must be Hikari. I'm setting up shop right now, so if you could come back-"
"W-wait…" Hikari clumsily interrupted Reisen. "I-I was just wondering if you knew where the town's candy stalls were at the moment."
'...I just realized how juvenile that sounded.'
Reisen shrugged.
'...Not like I'll meet her much more, anyway. She'll probably forget about me in like a day or two…'
Hikari began walking off, but Reisen called out for her. "W-wait!"
'What?'
Hikari turned back to her.
"...I-If you could help me set up, that would be greatly appreciated…"
Hikari didn't see why not. "Sure."
She entered the stall, and examined a plethora of things that needed to be done.
"M-master wants me to put up all these decorations for it, even if I'll only be out here a day…"
'Not a lot I can do there. Without flying, decorating the upper portions of the stall would be too troublesome to bother with.'
"I can do some of the lower decorations…" Hikari offered.
Reisen nods. "Alright, here-" She pulls a large box from around the counter. "...If you've seen the stall before, I don't think I'll need to explain where most of them go."
Hikari nods.
…
After a moment, Reisen goes to dig through another, equally large box. Hikari nears hers and begins to dig through the decorations.
'...Alright, I think I know how this is going to go…'
Hikari drags the box outside with her. Most of the decorations were a sterile blue, as they usually were. Some red crosses were on key pieces.
Hikari furrowed her brows. '...I didn't see some of these pieces before…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari looked unsure of her final product.
'...Kinda glad I didn't do the top bits.' Hikari didn't know how she was supposed to attach blue countertops to already existing wooden countertops. She was a shrine maiden in training, not a carpenter.
...Therefore, she did what she could with some super glue. It came with the box, and was meant for the smaller papercrafts, but…
'...Well, it came in handy… somewhat.'
…
One of the plastic blue side plates fell off.
'Maybe I should have actually used the hammer and the nails… or the pressy-nail-tool-thing.'
Hikari didn't have much experience with power tools.
She looked around for Reisen, who had apparently gone elsewhere at the moment.
'...Wasn't she…'
Hikari looks around, confused.
'...Maybe I should leave before she gets back. I think I uh, got it started for her good enough…'
Innocently, Hikari weaves through the villagers on the main path and flees from the disaster zone.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Approaching Keine's house, Hikari sighed to herself.
'Crossing my fingers that I never meet Reisen again…' She surely wasn't happy after that stand thing.
Opening the door, she lets herself into Keine's house.
Keine, who was at the main table again, jerked her head to look at Hikari. "...Ah, you're back. Did you find Giant Step alright?"
Hikari nods. "Yeah."
"Good…" Keine smiled. "I suppose you got what you were looking for?"
"Mmm…" Hikari nodded again.
Keine turned back to the layout of the village on the main table.
It was at this moment Hikari remembered what she came to the village in the first place for.
"...Keine, do you know where the town's candy stalls are today?"
She turned to Hikari. "...I don't know, actually. I think they're all closed for today because of recent events."
'What!?' "Ah…"
...Keine went back to examining the map. Hikari still couldn't tell the details of it from a glance.
'...I suppose I should go through with that enchanting thing, then.'
"...I'm going to the temple." Hikari announces, heading for the door.
Keine pauses, and reaches out towards Hikari. "Hold on. Isn't it a little late to be doing things?"
...Keine wasn't wrong. The sun was going down now…
"...Alright." Hikari reluctantly agrees.
She moves back towards the depths of the house.
"You can stay here the night, if you want." Keine offers.
"Sure." Hikari accepts.
'It's rather novel to sleep in different beds…'
Moving into the guest room, Hikari plops down on the covers.
"Ha~h..."
'I should have lied down sooner…'
…
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
'Hello? Hello?'
Hikari focused on the thoughts that weren't her own.
'Can you hear me? I'm a friend you haven't met yet!'
Hikari attempts to respond, but she is unable.
'...Okay, that sounds pretty stupid, I know, but hear me out! I'm-'
The thoughts stop.
…
They resume. 'Help me out here! I know if anyone can do it, it's you, girlie! Again, I'm in-'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari's eyes flutter open.
'...Well, that was something.'
She didn't know how to feel about that dream.
Crawling from the bed, Hikari found herself re-energized.
'Now to finally get that enchantment…'
She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she was confident it'd be worth the five thousand yen she was willing to spend in one place.
Hikari eagerly booked it for the front door.
"H-hey, don't you want to stay for-"
The door slammed shut.
"...Breakfast?" Keine blinked.
Hikari slowed down now that she was out of the house. 'I really just want to get going, here…'
She power-walked to the western edge of the village with no further interruptions… until she reached the west gate.
She found that, for whatever reason, it was both guarded and shut.
'It's usually one or the other, not that I actually take this path often.'
Myouren Temple was not a place Hikari frequented.
She approached one of the guards.
He turned to her. "Look, miss, there's kind of an incident going down outside this gate at the moment. We're gonna have to keep it closed for public safety reasons- I'm sure you understand, right?"
Hikari blinked. '...Does he just choose to ignore the outfit, or what?'
"Hakurei business." Hikari tried the authority angle.
"Public safety business, miss. Take it or leave it." The guard sassed her.
'...Annoying.'
"Look, look…" He put his arms up compromisingly. "I don't make the rules. I just enforce 'em. You can talk with the captain about this. I'm just doing my job."
"I'm a shrine maiden." Hikari extends her arms.
The guard extends his arms in return. "Look- there's nothing I can do! Captain Man- he'll talk it over with ya."
'Captain Man.' Hikari mentally groaned at the unfortunate nature of the captain's name.
"...Where do I find him?" Hikari's hands went to her hips.
"...He'll be over in the captain's shed, over to uh…" He squints, and holds his hand to the right. "Go down that wall a ways, and take a left into the third door."
'But your hand is gesturing to… nevermind…'
Hikari proceeds to the third door on the left in the wall.
She pauses. 'A shed… in a wall.'
Turning around, she instead makes for the actual shed a few feet in the opposite direction.
The door creaks as she opens it.
Inside the shed was Captain Man, standing at ease as he stared into a fireplace.
He turned to Hikari, scowling. "Ah… Hakurei. You've arrived, I take it?"
'You take it?' Hikari raised a brow.
"...No, I didn't."
Captain Man laughed. "Hohoho!... You Hakurei were always the ones to be troublemakers, weren't you? You see, trouble making is the problem of today's youth! Why, if I had a yen for every time…" He kept rambling furiously, as if imitating a public speaker.
Hikari wasn't sure what his problem was, but she just kinda tuned him out after that.
"...The village elders ought to know…"
'Boring.'
"...There was this time on the corner of…"
'Yawn.'
"...Every single time that waitress…"
'Is he even talking about the same thing anymore?'
"...And then I would wake up in the middle of the night, and-"
"Ahem!" Hikari cleared her throat.
"...I see. You have no respect for the viewpoints of others." Captain Man stated lowly. "Typical Hakurei behavior."
'What a nice person.' Hikari smiled awkwardly, half amused and half annoyed by his antics.
"...What is it, then, Hakurei? Have you come to collect the taxes, have you? Come to retrieve my debt? Come and take it, then!" He shouted, his face turning red.
…
"I think you need to take a nap." Hikari suggested.
Captain Man glared back.
'...I think it'd actually help him. Well, I guess he's a little beyond helping, but still…'
"...I'd, uhm, like to leave through the west gate-"
"No! Absolutely not!" Captain Man's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.
'Yeah, I figured as much.'
"For all I know, you were the one who caused this disturbance!"
'Trust me, I'm about to cause a disturbance in a moment, here…'
"If I let you through, I might as well-..." He paused, staring into the aether.
…
'Did he finally have a heart attack?' Hikari was hopeful.
"...Yes, actually. That's perfect…" Captain Man grinned wildly. He turned to Hikari, realizing she was still there. "You! Yes, you… Stay there. I'll be ri~ght back…!"
The door slams behind Hikari as Captain Man had raced out.
'...Okay.'
...Hikari starts twiddling her thumbs.
'...What the hell is this shed…?'
Looking around, the shed just had a single fancy chair and a fireplace. No windows, even. It had two doors, though.
'Captain's shed, huh. Probably what the inside of his head looks like.'
Hikari hears the door open, and she turns to see Captain Man march in with five guards in tow behind him.
"Alright, men! Attention!"
The guards all stand stiff as boards.
"I have gathered you all here today… to dispose of a troublemaker!"
...The guards kept looking straight forward, most of them glancing at Hikari.
Man walks up to the middle guard. "You! Do you have any idea who this trouble maker might be…?"
The guard steps back. "U-uh, aah… T-the youkai, or something, outside the gate, right?"
…
Pausing, Captain Man furrows his brows. "...What would have ever given you such an impression?"
"W-well, there's the miko there, and the west gate's been sealed for a while, and-"
Captain Man cuts him off. "Yes! The miko! That's it!"
The guard is confused. "T-the miko, sir?"
"Yes! That damned Hakurei miko!"
The guard tilts his head. He looks around, only to notice the others are still perfectly postured.
"Why? Is there something wrong with that?" Captain Man steps towards the guard.
"N-no, sir! Not at all…"
"Good!"
...Captain Man turns to Hikari. "...Here. Let me give you a… proposition, Hakurei."
…"I'm listening."
"If you can beat five of my strongest, most capable men…" He nods, as if satisfied. "Then you will be able to leave through the western gate. I'd even escort you myself."
'That'd be nice.'
"However! That will not happen, because this is where I send the message of the people! The Hakurei are not welcomed in this village!" Captain Man smirks. "Now, men, show her the valor of the town guard!"
The guard on the very left goes first, stepping towards Hikari. They seemed to be going one at a time, for some reason. "Hey there, kid."
Hikari readied herself. '...No swords?'
The guard didn't draw his sword or shield, instead reaching out with his arms as if ready for a bar brawl.
"Look, I know this is probably scary for you, and all. It doesn't seem right to me, either…" the guard begins, before making a moderately paced grappling attempt.
Hikari brought her gohei down on his head.
Thwack!
"Augh!" he yelled, clutching his head. "The hell…!?"
Recovering from the blunt trauma, he glared at Hikari. "Alright, little girl. The gloves are off, now!"
Waving his hands through the air like a wannabe martial artist, he charged towards Hikari and kicked at her.
Hikari saw the kick coming the moment he very overdramatically swung his leg back, so she moved out of the way and compromised his balance with a kick of her own.
Thud!
"W-whoah!"
Thud.
The guard was on the floor, scrambling to get up. "God, damn it, this little girl!"
Hikari quickly moved for the finishing blow.
SMAAAA~SH!
She swung her gohei at the man's head like a golf club. The strike forced him to faceplant the dirt, from which he didn't move from… for a few moments.
"Uuu~gh…" he groaned, prying his face from the dirt floor of the shed. "I-I've gotta go, guys… I gotta get out of here!"
He scrambled on all fours to make for the door. The door swung open and slammed against the wall as he was pulled along with it.
…
'That… was underwhelming.'
"He's fired." Captain Man stated offhandedly. "Next!"
The second from the left came up.
"That last guy was a stupid weasel…" The man spit onto the floor, then drew his sword. "You'll know why they call me Nick, the Iceman Swordsman, Hakurei!"
'He's marginally more intimidating than the last guy, to be sure…'
He suddenly swung forward with his sword. "Boo!"
Hikari swung for the flat with her gohei.
Thunk!
The sword was forced up from the strike. Nick suddenly brought it down.
"No way! I wasn't raised in a barn like you, shrine kid!"
Hikari snorted. '...Considering farming is one of the village's most valued occupations, that's sort of an unfitting insult…'
The man spun around slowly, and swung his sword at Hikari once he finished spinning.
Hikari had already moved way out of the way, though.
"...What was that?" Hikari dared asking.
"It was the final thrasher! You're pretty good if you got out of the way of it, though…!" Nick grinned. "Now… I'll show you why they call me the Iceman!"
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a box.
...He stabbed his sword in the floor, and began fiddling with the box. "Give me a moment, here…"
…
… "Almost…"
…
Hikari folded her arms. "I don't have all day…"
"Give me a second, damn it!"
…
"There!" The box opened, revealing ice cubes. "Eat shit!"
He threw the ice cubes at Hikari, who was forced to shield herself with her arms.
The ice bounced off her sleeves and skin and onto the floor, where they sat there.
"Now you'll slip and fall, and when you do, I'll strike you down!" Nick gave a thumbs up. "How's that for a starter like you, huh?"
…
'What a weirdo…'
Nick moved forward and stepped on the ice himself. Instead of slipping wildly out of control, however, he viciously swung forward at an angle.
"H-huh!?"
Hikari moved her gohei to block.
Thunk!
"A-aah!"
Hikari winced, the blade slipping into her left bicep.
Nick disengaged, tearing his blade out and sliding back.
"Aa-aaa~h!" Hikari yelled, the abrupt removal of the blade sending her pain receptors flaring.
"That's the power of the Iceman!" Nick posed, both arms in the air.
'I-it hu~rts!'
Hikari focused on her wound with rapidly tearing eyes…
'Come on, come on, come on!'
Hikari tried PSI Lifeup α!
…
Her wounds were healed!
'Sweet relief…' Hikari let out a sigh of relief.
Nick did a double take. "Whuh-wha-wha~t!?"
The rest of the guards were a little more attentive. Captain Man stayed completely stoic.
"What the hell… that must mean…"
Nick pointed his sword at Hikari. "You must be a youkai! It all makes sense now!"
'Oh, boy…'
Nick glared at Hikari. "No matter what, Nick the Iceman Swordsman will take you down!"
Nick tried the same attack again, even copying the previous angled slice.
Hikari tried harder to block it this time, making sure to try and deflect the blade instead of directly block it.
Thunk!
"Geez, girl…" Nick spun around, then stopped at the edge of the ice cube field. "You and that stupid stick…"
Hikari looked down at the ice.
'Maybe I could…'
She stepped onto the ice, and slid.
"W-woaah, ooaah~!"
SMAAAA~SH!
Hikari accidently flailed the gohei into Nick's face at high speeds, clotheslining him.
Thud! He hit the floor.
'...That could have gone way worse.' Hikari grimaced.
Nick quickly began scuttling back. "D-dude… That damn stick…"
He backtracked until he left the shed, then got up and ran away.
…
'T-three more, still? Geez…' Hikari was having second thoughts.
"He's fired, too. Next!" Captain Man didn't bat an eye at the fight.
...The third guard doesn't move, so the fourth, or second from the right, begins moving.
This guard was a burly man. "The name's Bruno." He takes out a questionably sized hammer, which seemed more fit for construction than combat. "You're fuck."
…
'You're… sure.' Hikari didn't care anymore.
"Die."
Bruno lifted the hammer as if it were heavy, then slowly fell forward towards Hikari.
Hikari stepped out of the way…
Bam!
The entire shed shook from the impact of Bruno with the soil.
He slowly got up, and Hikari took the opportunity to strike him on the head…
Thwack!
…
Bruno didn't even acknowledge the strike.
"You… don't… believe it!" Bruno exclaimed, stomping towards Hikari and slowly raising his tiny hammer into the air.
'You're right. I don't.' Hikari was growing concerned for the village's well-being.
Bruno slowly flopped forward again, and HIkari sidestepped it again…
Bam!
'There has to be some way of doing this…'
Bruno slowly rose again…
'...Oh, I know.'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
…
It only somewhat worked on Bruno!
"O-oough…" Bruno wiped his eyes. "...Die."
Bruno slowly raised his arms. Hikari stepped out of their reach as they came forward and threw themselves in Hikari's general direction.
'If this doesn't work, I might be in trouble…'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
…
Bruno fell asleep!
Bam!
He crashed into the floor, snoring peacefully.
Hikari ran up to the sleeping figure, and began wailing at the head.
Whack! Bam! Thunk!
SMAAAA~SH!
…
Bruno woke up slowly. "Aaaugh… Head hurt…"
Slowly rising to his feet, he shook his hammer at Hikari. "Sky girl death."
"No." Hikari countered.
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
…
Bruno fell asleep!
Bam!
"Second verse, same as the first!" Hikari felt the need to announce.
Whack!
SMAAAA~SH!
Thwack! Thunk!
Bruno slowly fluttered his eyes open again. "...S-sorry…"
He got up slowly, and stomped towards the exit. "Gotta go. Need… pain killer at shop."
With that, he walked into the door and took it with him.
…
'Well, that wasn't so bad. I probably would have died if I had gotten hit, though…'
While that may have been an exaggeration on Hikari's part, she probably would have at least been crippled by such an impact.
The very right guard was now up to the batting cage.
"Ahem…" The guard cleared his throat. He was an old, grey-haired man with a fancy moustache and a fencing sword. "I am El Verde Avangarde the Third. I have served in this town's guard for well over sixty years, and in my time I have come to realize the the Hakurei have played little role in our defense."
'That sounds made up.' Hikari was skeptical.
"As such, I see it within my power to eliminate you." The man flails his fencing sword about. "En garde!"
Hikari takes caution, positioning herself.
'That sword is unlike the swords of most guardsmen…'
He swivels it through the air, and jabs towards Hikari despite the distance. Hikari tries to swing for an intentional parry, but the swift nature of the sword allows it to avoid her gohei completely- and even make a swipe through the air that made Hikari jump back.
'W-woah!'
The old man grins. "I have dealt with many a swordsman and woman in my time, you know. You couldn't possibly stand a chance against a bladesman of my caliber. Lay down your weapon, and my task will be far easier."
'Like that would ever happen.'
The two strafe around, with the man taking cautious jabs at Hikari now and then and Hikari avoiding and attempting to parry where necessary.
The man still holds his previous grin. "...You do realize I've been assessing your skill all this time, you know?"
"A-and?" Hikari attempts to retort, but her voice happens. 'Ugh…'
"This battle will be a piece of cake."
Swish!
Thunk!
Hikari barely blocks an ambitious slash.
'What is he-'
Swish!
"A-ah…!" Hikari gasps, feeling the sting of a swift slice that went straight through her miko garb.
She moves to parry the blade,
Swish!
"U-uh…" Hikari grimaces at the next slash that connects. On one hand, they didn't cut deep.
'T-that hurts…'
The man leaps back. "Come on, Hakurei! Make your move, chop chop!" He beckons her.
'It'd be a bad idea to just charge him head on…'
"I was told you Hakurei are headstrong! I'm not very much seeing that quality right now, I'll have you know!" The man slowly stomps towards Hikari.
'I can't do anything about those slashes, but… I need to…'
Swish!
Thunk!
Hikari luckily parried one, quickly backpedaling to avoid more.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
"F-fuck…" Hikari cursed. 'That one…'
"You know, I expected more from the Hakurei than this…" The man scowls at her. "You are nothing more than a child, it seems."
Hikari steps back. 'My mother would take cuts like these, no problem. I'm sure of it…'
"You should let me make this swift."
Swish!
Thunk!
Hikari leaps back with force, using the wind to force her away from the resulting slashes.
Swish! Swish!
"Come, now…" The man is disgusted at her use of magic to avoid combat.
'I need to get stronger…' Hikari focused on her body's weak form. 'I-I can't possibly win if I don't take those slashes…'
Putting on a brave face, she readied herself to endure…
...only to quickly backtrack from a silent but deadly jab that nearly connected.
"Hmph. The next one won't whiff."
Swish! Thunk!
The man used the parry to jab again.
"G-gaa~h!" Hikari wails, the jab stabbing clean into her.
'O-oooucch!'
...Sl~ick. The blade slides out of Hikari's torso.
"You lose, Hakurei."
Hikari stumbles back, focusing on her wounds. 'N-no… I-I can't lose, now…'
Hikari tried PSI Lifeup α!
…
'T-thank goodness…'
"Haa~h…" Hikari sighed in relief, her wounds closing themselves.
The man sighed deeply in disagreement. "That unholy magic… How we've not prosecuted the Hakurei clan for witchery yet is beyond me."
He swivels his sword around in the air fancily. "Nonetheless, I care not how many times you fuel yourself by unholy means! My sword's end shall pierce your youkai heart!"
'I hate old people.' Hikari decided.
Swish! Swish!
Hikari decided to just step back instead. He tried another jab,
Thunk!
Swish!
'W-well, that's not as bad as a jab…' Hikari paid a bittersweet thought to her new cut.
"Have at you, youkai!"
Swish!
'I need a way to just wail at him. I don't really want to use… that move yet.' Hikari didn't want to trigger PK Fantasy by accident, either.
Swish! Thunk!
Hikari sidestepped a jab.
'I need a way to protect myself…' This gohei alone didn't seem to be getting her very far.
'Protect myself…' Hikari thought back...
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: FLASHBACK TIME ====
A fifteen year old Hikari leapt back from the seemingly generic youkai's sluggish swipe.
"A-ah!" Hikari squeaked.
A storm of amulets suddenly bombarded the youkai from the right, sending him flying.
"Gowaah!"
Thud.
Reimu floated onto the scene, a little troubled by the difficulty her daughter was having.
"Honestly… Look…"
She moved her arm forward and cast a barrier of light. "It only requires a little faith manipulation and practice. I showed you earlier, right?"
Hikari nodded. 'I-I didn't really get the hang of it… but I think I understood it well enough. I think.'
"Alright, you try it, now. If you need to, shout something like 'Cautionary Barrier'. It helped me when I was your age."
'Right…'
The male wolf youkai thing was reeling from the previous impact. He slowly stumbled back towards Hikari… "D-damn you…"
Hikari threw her arms forward. "C-Cautionary Barrier!"
A small square of energy shot forth, but disappeared just as quickly.
The youkai grinned. "Hah! I've got you-"
Blam! A yin-yang orb sailed into the youkai, sending him flying-
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!...
-through, in fact, multiple trees.
Reimu sighed. "...I guess we'll need more theoretical practice, then."
Hikari gave a lopsided smile, knowing she'd messed it up.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: FLASHBACK OVER ====
'...We never really went over it again, but…'
Hikari glared at the old man in front of her.
'...It wouldn't hurt to try.'
Swish! Thunk!
"Got you!"
Hikari uses a boost of wind to evade a somewhat telegraphed jab.
"Hmph… I've gotten careless." The man shakes his head rapidly. "Come on, wake up…"
Throwing her open hand towards the man, Hikari shouted. "Cautionary Barrier!"
Hikari learned Shield α!
Hikari tried Shield α!
Hikari was protected by the shield of light!
...Blinking, Hikari examined the shield of light. It was nothing like her mother's barriers, nor was it a Cautionary Barrier. It was more like… a dome of translucent, yellow energy.
'...I mean, if it works, it works. I'm not complaining.'
The man smirked. "Finally, a Hakurei technique!"
'Aren't you a genius?' Hikari recognized that it was not, infact, a Hakurei technique. For all she knew, it was just the result of throwing magic around and getting lucky.
"Now I can see what Hakurei magic is truly capable of!" The man gleefully exclaims. "I've waited far too long for this day!"
The man swiped at Hikari with renewed vigor.
Swish!
'...Now it just feels like he's whacking me with a ruler.' Hikari would know, too. She and rulers just didn't get along.
Swish!
Hikari didn't try to block or dodge. The resulting swipe failed to even cut her.
"W-what!? What is this sorcery?" The old guardsman steps away, taken aback by the magic.
"Hakurei magic." Hikari lies.
She swings her gohei at the man. He reacts faster and swipes her-
Swish!
-but Hikari continues her attack anyway.
Thwack!
"Hgh…" The guard winces. "It will take more than-"
Swish! He reacts quickly as Hikari slowly and deliberately stomps towards him.
Thwack!
"Y-you…"
Swish! Swish!
Hikari is cut a little, but she ignores it.
Thwack!
The guard leaps back. "How about this!?"
Hikari actually bothers to dodge the jab, a move the guard wasn't prepared for. As she moved to the side, she readied her gohei like a baseball bat.
"Wha-"
SMAAAA~SH!
…
Thud.
The old guardsman was down for the count, unconscious on the floor of the shed.
'Finally…'
...Hikari's eyes rest on the lone guardsman.
…
"Well? What are you waiting for? You're my last man, after all, surely you've saved the best for last?" Man glares daggers at the final guard.
"...N-no way! I'm outta here! Screw that!" The final guard books it out the front door.
…
Man turns to HIkari. "Well… it seems all of my men are complete and utter failures to the village…"
'I'm inclined to agree. Those last few seemed capable of fighting youkai, but the rest were dopes. I guess that's why the village fights in numbers...'
Man's face gets ridiculously red. "...I will just have to use my super tango foxtrot martial arts on you, now."
'Wait, what?'
Captain Man comes out swinging, pumping his fists back and forth with vigor as he slowly accelerated towards Hikari.
'I don't think a punching attack could-'
Bam.
Hikari reeled back from a hook Captain Man used, her saliva knocked from her mouth. Stumbling back, she clutched her jaw with her free hand.
'G-geez!'
Hikari also noticed her shield of light was gone, having been dispelled by the strength of Captain Man's strike.
'Guess I can't just brute force this fight…'
At least, not in the same way.
"Huuuaagh!
Hikari's eyes widened, and she flung herself across the room aimlessly.
Thud! She hit the wall.
She looked back to Captain Man, who was flailing inhumanely in the direction of where she previously was.
'No human's limbs move like that!'
"I… will… annihilate… you!" Captain Man shouted with increasing volume and strain while his limbs flailed about like deadly wet noodles.
Hikari soaked in the surreality of the situation. '...Super tango foxtrot martial arts, huh. I have some 'super tango foxtrot martial arts' of my own…'
She shut her eyes.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy α!
Technicolor splashes rained into the shed, phasing through the walls.
Fizzle!
They splashed against everything they came into contact with, including Captain Man. Despite his flailing, the waves of energy flowed over his body seamlessly.
Fizzle!
Like that, Hikari's eyelids shot open, and she let loose a powerful blast of psychic energy- originating from Captain Man's location.
Bwaash!
"Aaaa~h, aaaa~h!" Captain Man wailed in agony, the blast tearing portions of his captain uniform asunder, armored bits flying across the room. He kneeled, panting…
Hikari was panting, too. "Haah… G-give up?" She pointed her gohei shakily at Captain Man.
He looks up at Hikari, glaring. "...A-are you talking… to me?"
"...Y-"
"Are you… talking to me!?" Captain Man stands up straight again. "You are not talking to me!"
Captain Man loses his temper!
Hikari feels the vibrations from the man's shout. 'H-holy crap! I wouldn't be surprised if the entire village heard that!'
Captain Man began stomping forward at an alarming pace. Taking the hint, Hikari boosted herself to get out of the way of the charge.
Bam!
Captain Man ran straight through a wall, taking out the wood with him as he ran outside.
'W-woah… Is this guy not a youkai himself?' Hikari had to give him credit for moving like that after taking a PK Fantasy to the face.
The fact he cleared a wall was pretty suspect, however…
Bam!
"A-ah!"
Hikari dove out of the way as Captain Man came in through the wall behind her. She felt her legs get clipped by his as he ran, but thankfully they only knee'd hers.
'My energy's kinda low. This is gonna be difficult…'
Captain Man stopped in the middle of the room again. "This is the la~st straw, Ha~kurei!"
Hikari ran up to him while he shouted into the opposite direction of her.
SMAAAA~SH!
Captain Man was seemingly unaffected.
'...Great.'
Man whirled around to face her, eyes bulging. "Wha~t!?"
Hikari was ready again, swinging her gohei like a baseball bat.
SMAAAA~SH!
...Still nothing.
'Uh-oh.'
Captain Man grabbed her by the arm. "Hooah!" He whirled around, and tossed her into the wall.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Hikari fell onto the floor, eyes tearing a little. '...Ouch. That could have gone worse, but…' Hikari rubbed her back.
"Are you listening to me!?" Captain Man hollered. "Whadda you wanna do with your life!?"
Hikari grinned through the tears. "...I wanna rock!"
Hikari tried PK Fantasy α!
Once more, the color barrage began.
Fizzle!
Captain Man got assaulted by the technicolor shitstorm.
Fizzle!
Hikari focused on Captain Man.
Bwaaash!
"Wooaaa~h!"
Captain Man flew backwards, into the wall. He didn't go through it though; he just thudded against it and slid to the floor.
…
'...'
Thud.
Hikari was out cold.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
'Hello? Is this thing on?'
Hikari heard that one voice again.
'...You there? This cell's gettin' kinda cold, you know…'
She couldn't really respond.
'...Guess I gotta see about breaking out myself, or something.'
The thoughts stopped coming.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari awoke from her marginally sleepless slumber.
"Hnnhh…"
'Ugh…' Hikari's body and mind were in unison at this given moment.
Slowly, she sat up on the floor of the shed, dirt caking her somewhat tattered miko outfit.
'...Another one of those dreams…'
Looking through the damaged portions of the shed's walls, Hikari could determine that it was either sunrise or dusk.
'Probably dusk.'
She slowly and sorely rose from the floor. '...Great... I'm still here.'
Looking across the room, she saw Captain Man sitting up against the wall, looking stressed.
"...It is with… great shame…" Captain Man begins, noticing Hikari was up and about. "...that I shall allow you to pass the western gate…"
'About time.'
Captain Man stiffly rose on his feet. '...F-follow me. I'll escort you to the gate myself… that was the deal, right?'
Hikari walked aside the injured captain as they made their way to the western gate, which wasn't too far away. The guards were still there, blocking the way.
"...H-hey, there bo-... Boss!? The hell happened to the both of yous?" The guard ran up to the two. "We heard those noises earlier, but those stupid high ranks told us to not go check on you and that you'd be fine!"
Captain Man held up his hand. "C-Carl… please."
Carl, as he was named, went silent.
"...I want you to let this miko through whenever you see her. Regardless of the situation at hand." Man nodded.
"...A-alright?" Carl was a little confused by the specific order.
Man turned to Hikari. "...I hope you don't last longer than ten seconds on the outside. Mark my words, young Hakurei, the youkai will eat you alive."
With that, Captain Man walked off, beginning to limp for an unknown reason.
'...I always knew you were a good person, deep down.' Hikari satirically added. '...Didn't you accuse me of being a youkai conspirator earlier? I'll say it again: I'm worried for this village's safety…'
She sneezed.
"Achoo!"
'Damn dusty floors…'
Carl looked concerned. "...Geesh, kid. Sounds like the boss really has it out for yas…"
"I guess so…" Hikari concedes.
'I don't really even know why, either…' That kinda frustrated Hikari, but she couldn't dwell on it too much.
Carl moved out of the way. "Well, if you've got business with the monks… I s'pose I shouldn't be stoppin' ya."
Hikari nods, and walks forward.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: ? VIEW ====
A lone man of eighteen years sat in his cell.
'...Still no response? Peachy.' He sighed.
Brushing off his worn magus robes for the tenth time in thirty seconds, his eyes turned to an absurdly sized stuffed bear in the corner of the room.
"...Just what the hell is that thing?" He giggled to himself.
'I should practice my magic on it…'
He heard banging on his cell's bars.
"Hey! Keep it down in there!"
He sighed. 'Stupid fatass kid…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI VIEW ====
Hikari paused in the middle of the woods, confident she was a good ways away from the village walls…
Hikari tried PSI Lifeup α!
…
Hikari felt a little less stiff.
'That's better…'
…
Hikari reeled her head back.
"Achoo!"
…
'Please don't tell me…' Hikari feared the worst.
…
'I seem fine for now…'
Hikari continued into the woods, until she saw a walking mushroom.
'...Don't see that every day.' Minor youkai were always an enigma to her.
The mushroom had two legs, and that was it. It started running in place, and then began slowly accelerating towards Hikari.
'...Okay.'
Hikari reeled her gohei back like a golf club as the mushroom slowly accelerated towards her…
SMAAAA~SH!
She brought her free hand to her forehead as she watched the mushroom fly away into the depths of the woods.
'Terrifying youkai. Definitely need to seal the village from that thing.'
Continuing into the woods, Hikari paused.
'I haven't really gone to the temple much before.' The last time Hikari remembered was years ago, when the buddhists there were hosting one of the new year's' celebrations themselves.
Her mother flew her there that time.
'I suppose I'll just have to try and remember the way…'
...She began wandering aimlessly.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
SMAAAA~SH!
'There's a lot of these little things…' That was probably the fifth walking mushroom thing Hikari encountered.
…
"Achoo!"
'I'm catching a cold.' Hikari deduced. '...Shit.'
She wiped her nose on her hand.
"Ugh…"
'This is gonna be fun.'
Hikari had been tracing along the walls of the village loosely yet aimlessly as she scouted the area for something that resembled a temple's property.
She eventually came across a giant staircase.
'Yeah, no.'
She went to the side of the staircase and readied herself to run up the hill-
"Achoo!"
Hikari reeled back from the surprise sneeze, the wind she was mustering lost.
'Great.'
…
Hikari readied herself again. With a sudden dash, she conquered the steep incline in about twenty seconds.
Reaching the top, she slowed and stopped.
...and shivered.
'A f-fever too…? I can't really go home right now...' Hikari was in the middle of something, after all.
She didn't really have that much experience with getting colds.
'If Mother were here…' Hikari hugged herself, the slightest breeze chilling her now.
'Ugh… can this cold just stop?' Hikari sighed, fed up with the inconvenience.
Hikari learned PSI Healing α!
Hikari tried PSI Healing α!
…
Hikari got over her cold!
'...Huh. That works.'
Wiping her nose of remaining snot one last time, Hikari looked towards the temple gate once again, now with renewed enthusiasm.
'...It looks a little crappy.' The gate had streaks of blue on it sploshed across it haphazardly, and numerous sections of the temple's outer fencing seemed to have splashes of blue paint just thrown about upon it.
'The hell happened here?'
Suddenly, the gate opened, and a short, green haired girl came out to greet her. She held a broom that was sloppily coated in blue paint, and her green hair had blue highlights of some description.
"Welcome. How may I assist you? My name is Kyouko." The girl spoke as if in a daze. She hid the broom behind her back, the tip of it dripping with fresh blue paint. Her ankles and shoes were soaked in paint, glistening in the sun's light.
'...Geesh. Someone really likes the color blue…' Hikari slightly cringed.
'I don't remember the temple being this weird…'
…
"I-I'm… here to visit." Hikari eventually answered, unnerved by the girl's immobility while she awaited Hikari's response.
"Visit? Please, stay awhile. Let me tell you of the joys of Happy Happyism." Kyouko monotoned.
'Creepy. You don't sound too happy...'
Walking through the courtyard, Hikari examined the inner devastation.
'Woah.'
Smashed posts and indents in walls were everywhere. From here, Hikari could see fallen sections of fence. Pools of paint builded up in the yard outside, the grass either a sickly mix of green and blue, or dead… and blue.
The fumes of the paint made Hikari scrunch her nose.
"Happy Happyism was a wondrous belief founded by the exalt, Byakuren Hijiri…" Kyouko rambled slowly and tiredly. "It was brought to give the world a new, blue, view."
'A new blue view. I don't know, it looks pretty crappy…'
Hikari looked skeptical.
Kyouko took notice. "...Do you not desire to be blue? To be blue is to achieve higher enlightenment… if you resent such, you… are surely a sinner." Kyouko tilted her head down, her eyes masked by shade.
Hikari sighed. 'This is going to become a scene, isn't it?'
"...I'll… be honest. This doesn't look…" Hikari wasn't sure what to say.
Kyouko wielded her broom like a pole arm. "I see. You must… be cleansed."
Hikari positioned herself for combat, grinning at the surreality. 'This is wei~rd…'
Kyouko swings the broom at her like a staff, and Hikari blocks with her gohei.
Thunk!
The blue paint splashes off the broom's bristles and onto Hikari's outfit, and some of her face.
'Really?' Hikari sighed in frustration. She was hoping this outfit didn't get totally torn apart in the adventure, but now she wasn't sure.
"Happy Happyism will solve all the problems in your life…"
Kyouko jabbed at Hikari, and successfully painted her torso a bit. Hikari felt the paint seep into her clothes, and onto her skin.
'This outfit's going to be pitch blue by the end of today.' Hikari didn't entirely mind. Blue wasn't a bad color.
Kyouko reeled the broom back for a mighty strike, but left herself wide open.
Whack!
"A-ah!" Kyouko's monotone was briefly broken as she squeaked in pain from the strike. Her eyes quickly dulled over again, and she abruptly brought the broom to Hikari's face.
Splash!
"Pfft! Phtoo!" Hikari spat some paint out, and wiped it off her face. 'Seriously!?'
…
'I don't mind, actually…'
Hikari felt strangely comfortable with the blue paint on her.
Kyouko brought the broom across her chest again, but Hikari didn't move to stop it.
Swish!
...She still counterattacked, though.
Whack!
"Oww…" Kyouko moved to clutch her head for the briefest moment, but stopped herself.
"Why do you resist the blue?" Kyouko suddenly asks, her monotone cracking a bit.
…
'S-she's… right…' Hikari pauses, unsure of what she's doing. '...Blue is… my favorite color…'
Hikari feels her grip on her gohei weaken.
"Just believe in Happy Happyism, and everything will be better." Kyouko walks towards Hikari, and gently starts painting her.
'Everything will be better…' Hikari smiles as the broom gently runs over her body. "O-okay…"
Hikari dropped her gohei and sat down, a far-off expression on her face.
"Let me get more paint…" Kyouko walked off.
...Hikari giddily rubbed the paint that was currently on her around, giggling to herself.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: ? VIEW ====
'Come the hell on here…' The magus fiddled with the lock on the cell, faint electricity coursing through it. 'Work with me, locky baby…'
Across from him, the fat manchild was asleep on some chairs stacked side by side.
His hands were shaking rapidly as he tried to maintain a solid current.
'Work, damn it…'
Suddenly, his concentration slipped.
He tried PK Thunder α!
Thwaa~sh!
A massive lightning bolt made the lock explode into a molten mess.
"Huh-wah-huh!?" The manchild flailed his hands, waking up suddenly.
"Shit!" The human magician barked. He ran out to the manchild.
"Hey, how'd you get out of you- oof!"
The guy just punched him in the face, and then lifted one of his chairs and threw it at him.
"Wh-what are you doing!? G-guards! Guards!"
He then flailed his arms at the kid, before some blue-clad village guards entered the room, holding paint buckets and brushes. "Yes, Prophet Porky?"
'Prophet Porky. This dude for real, or is he just crackin' at him?' He looked confused.
"Paint this nonbeliever!" Porky pointed at the mage.
The guards suddenly looked extremely pissed.
'Oh, shit on a stick.'
The ran towards him and tossed their paint cans at him.
Splash!
"I'm water and you're glue! You can hit me, but I won't.. stick to you?"
'I fucked that up something fierce.'
He tried PK Hydro α!
A torso-sized bubble of water was produced, and it floated in the air.
'...You know, maybe this blue stuff isn't so ba-'
The bubble burst, sending a gush of water out that knocked over the mage and the guards who ran up to him.
Thud, thud thud!
'Sweet kami, fuck! Fuck this blue shit!' He rolled around in the puddle to get more of it off him.
This was what he did last time they tried to paint him, which is how he got locked into a cell in the first place. The only difference between then and now was that he wasn't surrounded by monks, guards, and magical girls also trying to beat the crap out of him.
He got up and ran to the door, but stopped to glance at Porky.
"You big fat idiot! Get him!" Porky pointed at him.
The human mage stuck his middle finger up at Porky, and ran out of the jail.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 3
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Hand-me-down Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Critical hits enabled.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Nothing
Misc: Nothing
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage.
PK Hypnosis α - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes.
Shield α - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it.
PSI Lifeup α - Heals target a little.
PSI Healing α - Heals basic status ailments.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
α-α-α-α
Mage: ?
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Worn Magician Robes - An old robe from the days when the village respected the medium of magic. Well past its due date, but still comfy!
Misc: Nothing
-Skills-
PK Thunder α - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage.
PK Hydro α - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not!
PK Freeze α - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Low damage and effect; may freeze wet targets.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
Author's Note:
it's that time of the year again friends
that's right it's FANFICTIONING TIME
help no hikari got covered in paint
mage knows hydro instead of fire because HYONK; someone else will get the huge "fuck-you" that is PK fire though don't worry… just NOT THIS DUDE
"why is he both magician and psychic" because he's a INDECISIVE TWAT and because he accimadentally discovered the psychic bits
he's not particularly great at EITHER AT THE MOMENT
the careful attempt of trying to balance BULLSHIT PSYCHIC POWERS with WORLD OF HURT
i've got some fun characters in mind, though
as always, see you all next time!