GENSOKYOBOUND

by SKOOLATOON

Hikari Hakurei is Reimu's own daughter of eighteen years. Her quiet demeanor's brought by social inexperience and natural introversion. Night of Gensokyian New Year party, Hikari wakes to a strange meteorite falling from the sky. While many of Gensokyo's finest are in drunken comas in the shrine, Hikari takes it upon herself to investigate. It'd be a long time before she gets home.

23. Achievement Hakurei

...Hikari stared at the bottom of her glass of orange juice, shaking it over her mouth as if that would usher forth more.

'I need a gourd that produces infinite orange juice.' She slowly lowered the glass. 'That'd be the bomb.'

Osamu stared into his glass. "...The hell's this?"

"Grape juice." Hikari defines.

"...Got nothin' on grape soda." He pouts.

"Everything here's pretty much fine." Marigold shrugs.

...Stomping is heard from the shrine's main door. The party glances over, to find Marisa slowly stepping in with Hiyori slung over her shoulder.

'I'm not surprised.'

...After noticing the party's stares, she grinned. "Bagged myself an oni, ze."

...Reimu floated in behind them, pulling along Suika. The oni was slapped with a myriad of seals all over, but didn't seem much more than slightly disgruntled about it.

"...Hic!" Suika grinned widely.

In response, Reimu whirled to her. "You're fixing this."

"Aa~h… yeah." Scratching the back of her head, she idly glances the door.

Reimu takes notice. "I don't mean the fairies, either. I mean you."

"Yeah, yeah…" She waves the miko off.

Marisa plopped Hiyori on the floor. "Whadda we do with this one?"

Walking up to her, Reimu puts a hand to her chin. "...You know what? Hikari can decide. She's her oni, I guess."

'...Why'd you have to bring me into this? Then again, Hiyori's my friend...'

Reluctantly, Hikari does a short hop out off of her seat at the bar stool.

"Whaddaya say, ze?" Marisa grinned at her.

'...Well, she didn't do anything wrong herself, I think…' Taking a moment, Hikari stares down at her…

…

'What would I even punish her with?' Hikari realized.

…

"Uu~h…" Marisa felt awkward. "...You could always say no-"

"She has to decide on something." Reimu decides herself.

"Oh. Nevermind, then... " Marisa giggled sheepishly.

Hikari furrowed her brows. "It's not like she did anything wrong, did she?"

…

"She provoked Suika." Reimu stared at her daughter with a steely gaze.

"I didn't even know Suika could be provoked." The younger Hakurei countered.

Scowling, Reimu turns to Suika. "She can, when she wants to be…"

...Hikari blinks. 'You mean…?'

Noticing the questioning gaze of her daughter, Reimu grins. "Mmm. Don't get me wrong, she was probably angry, but Suika knows how to watch herself. Even if she's angry, she usually resolves things with minimal cleaning up needed afterwards." At that, she sighs. "...Which is why I'm upset. She could have just moved it outside."

"Maybe she wanted ta make a good first impression on 'er?" Marisa gave a toothy smile.

"They knew each other. They had to have." Reimu counters. "If Suika felt like it, that could have been a far harder fight than it was. We would have had to evacuate the kids."

Osamu frowned. "Hey! Who're ya callin' a kid!?"

...Reimu stares at him dryly.

Marigold fluffs up, ready to object, but ends up just nodding it off instead.

'We pretty much are.' Hikari agrees with that sentiment. 'Except for Hiyori.'

"Yeah, I hear ya." Marisa concurs. "Suika seemed ta drop the shit near the end, there."

...They both turned to Suika, who was still chugging from her gourd.

"Explain." Reimu tried.

...Thud.

Suika fell over, a happy expression spread across her face.

...Reimu walked up to her, and punted her. Suika didn't react. "Lazy drunk."

"Bet she ain't even asleep." Marisa gives a half-smirk.

...Marigold stepped towards Suika, taking out her Charm of Sleep. "I'll be the judge of that."

Blinking, Marisa realized her plan. "Y-you got one of them…?"

Looming over Suika, Marigold dropped the charm onto her flat chest. "Yeah, from the shrine."

"Ahah… No problems, right?" Marisa sounded nervous.

"No?" Marigold wasn't sure what she was on about.

…

"A-awuh…?" Suika's eyes blinked open. "...A-ah, shit…"

From the floor, she drew her gourd, and chugged again.

Leaning down, Marigold lifted the charm back up…

Thud. Suika's head flopped against the floor, again.

"Wow." Marigold stares at the small oni… "She's out of it."

Reimu huffed. "Apparently."

This idea in mind, Marigold made her way over to Hiyori, and pressed it to her cheek. The shackle on Hiyori's arm began glowing, but nothing else happened.

…

"Anyway," Reimu's attention shifted back to her daughter. "Did you decide on a punishment for her, yet?"

'Oh. Uhm…' Hikari felt she had to think fast. "...N-no. I'm not punishing her."

...

The flat, vaguely impatient stare from her mother drilled into her.

'I-I mean…'

…

"I've got an idea." Osamu raises his hand.

Reimu corrects him. "No you don't."

...He slowly lowers his hand.

"...I guess I can't force you to do anything." Reimu finally relents, sighing again.

With that, she began walking idly towards her room. "Let me know if Suika wakes up."

…

"Eheh…" Marisa scratched the back of her head. "I was gonna ask her if I could crash, too, ze…"

"Hnh…"

Hiyori slowly, steadily sat up…

Hiyori tried Lifeup ß!

"Th-there…" She tried to krik her neck again, only for no noise to be produced. "...Still sore."

'...I want to actually follow my mother's advice this time.' Hikari gazed down at Hiyori, looking determined. 'I've heard that line from her far, far too often. It's about time that I actually did something…'

"You." Hikari pointed her gohei at her.

Marigold and Osamu looked at Hikari with bated breath, unsure of what she intended.

"...Hmm?" Hiyori readjusted her hair, as she focused her attention on Hikari.

"Tonight, you have snack duty." Hikari resolves. "...Or drink duty, because I don't think we have snacks."

...Hiyori nods. "Fair enough."

"Du~de…" Osamu begins nodding enthusiastically.

Hikari decides to make an amendment. "Except for Osamu. He has to get his own drinks."

"Wha~t!?" He suddenly hollers.

"...I mean, you're going to be sleeping next to the drinks, anyway." Hikari figures. "It wouldn't make any sense."

"How do you know that?" Osamu folded his arms.

...She gives him a half-grin. "Tell me what other rooms there are in the shrine."

…

"The bathroom." Osamu smirks.

"U~h…" Marisa smirks back at him.

Hikari snorts. "We don't have a bathroom."

…

"Shit." Osamu cursed. "It's not like you guys're poor, though…"

"Shrines are weird." Hikari explains.

Mournfully, Marigold shakes her head. "I feel sorry for you."

"...My house is only one room." Hiyori ponders. "The city has lava-filled toilets, though."

'Ouch.'

With that, the girls all began getting ready for bed as the sun set…

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

The three girls of the party were in Hikari's bedroom.

Hiyori stared down at her pajamas, which were a copy of Hikari's. Unfortunately, the shrine maiden was far shorter than her oni friend.

"This hardly even fits me."

...Marigold nods, acknowledging this. "Yeah, it doesn't…"

"I might wanna reconsider the 'drink duty' thing…" Hikari wasn't into the idea of letting Osamu see a partially exposed Hiyori…

"I'd prefer if I had some form of discipline for losing that fight." Hiyori reasoned.

'...Why?' Hikari wasn't sure what to make of that decision. 'Guess she's more into honor than I thought…'

…

"Idea." Marigold casually brings attention to herself.

'...Uh oh.'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: OSAMU'S VIEW ====

'Ma~n…'

Drowsily, Osamu laid his head on the bar counter, staring woefully at the empty barrel which had once held soda…

'Why does she never stock it? What's wrong with soda!?'

...As he brooded over the loss of his favored beverage, the door to Hikari's room slid open…

His attention snagged, he gazed at the door in the dark shrine, as a tall figure emerged…

A futon with legs walked out, stumbling around on bare feet as it made its way to the drinks…

"...What." Osamu simply blinked.

Stumbling around, the futon bumped into the counter, then the drink rack, before-

Rip! Rip!

Hiyori's long arms shot out from the futon's cloth, ripping it open. She randomly grasped at drinks, before quickly shuffling back toward's Hikari's door-

Bam!

-denting the wall as she collided with it, then shuffling inside Hikari's door. The door shut behind her, giggling heard from the other side.

…

"Girls are fucking weird."

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====

Eagerly, Hikari and Marigold took the drinks from Hiyori's arms.

"Did- did I get enough?" Hiyori's muffled voice came from the walking futon.

"I think so." Hikari voiced, examining the drinks…

'Cherry smoothie… Banana cream… Ah!' Hikari grabbed the jug of orange juice.

"...Sake." Marigold noted, holding up a vase-esque jug, before setting it aside. "No thanks."

'Yuck.'

She sat the sake aside, and began going through the drink types herself.

"...Mango mayhem." Marigold was befuddled.

"Don't ask." Hikari grinned.

Hiyori began sliding the futon from herself, undoing the tight ropes that held it in place. "...Your mother seems fond of juices."

Hikari nods. "Yeah. She kinda went overboard, once we actually started getting money."

'I'm not sure how old I was, but I was young when Mom put that bar in. She's had to get it replaced about ten times, since. I almost consider it a holiday.'

…

"Waa~h!" Thumps were heard from her mother's room.

'Yeah, that's what usually happens.'

Everyone can hear the progression of the night time combat, as the stomps transition to the shrine's main room…

"Oof!" Marisa lands on the floor, presumably.

"No." Reimu sternly declares. "Not happening."

"But- c'mo~n! I promise I'll be good, ze!"

Reimu slides the kitchen door shut, leaving Marisa in the main room.

"Reimu-ze~!"

...Marigold sighed. "Not surprised."

"It sounds like they were having fun together." Hiyori idly mentions.

…

Hikari and Marigold stare at her with curious, equally idle looks.

"What?"

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

…

It was an early, overcast morning. The damp interior of the Hakurei Shrine was chilly. Were this summer, this day would have been marginally humid and sticky, but the season demanded otherwise.

'S-so cold…'

Hikari rolled over in her futon, trying to sink into it…

'...Nothing's helping.'

She sat up in the shrine's dim light, white gloom pouring in from outside the room's large, open window.

Marigold slept in the ripped up guest futon, using her oversized backpack as a pillow. Her regular pillow was on top of her, acting as a pillow.

'She would.' Hikari stared at her dryly. She looked over at Hiyori…

The oni was sprawled out on the floor, in her ill-fitting pajamas. She seemed perfectly comfortable.

'How.' Hikari suddenly desired to be an oni.

...With little other choice than to get up, Hikari raises from her futon, moving over to the shrine's main room…

As she did, she cited the absences of the sake, and of a few other fruit juices that were supposed to be there the other night.

In the main room, Osamu was nowhere to be seen.

'Wonder where he went...'

She power walked to the kotatsu-

'Woah!'

…

She slowly climbed from the ridge in the floor that Suika made the other day.

'Ugh…'

The kotatsu was in reach, and she moved to sit in it…

Her legs were stopped by something lumpy.

'...That's where he went.'

...Pushing him out of the way with her feet, she sat under the kotatsu, remaining idle for a good few minutes.

…

'I almost wish we were underground again. Almost.'

Suika was, too, sprawled out on the floor across from the kotatsu, apparently fine with the weather.

'Oni would make good bed warmers.' Hikari didn't ponder that sentence very carefully.

…

The door of the kitchen slid open, a tired looking magician stumbling out.

"...Haa~h…" She yawned, before moving towards the kotatsu. Oblivious to the lump on one side and Hikari on the other, she went to slide her legs under.

"Uo~h…" Osamu groaned as he was violently evicted from his kotatsu home.

…

Reimu followed next, clad in a similar pair of pajamas to Hikari's, except a slight bigger. She also held her gohei.

As she approached the kotatsu, she evaluated the situation before her. After a moment, she came to a decision.

She stood behind Marisa for a moment, seemingly idle.

…

In one fluid motion, she slid her arms under Marisa's, and began sliding her out of the kotatsu.

"Wh-wha…!?" Marisa began struggling. "No…!"

Repeatedly, she tried to throw herself out of Marisa's grasp, before-

Bam!

The kotatsu tipped over, landing on Osamu.

…

"Wh-what the hell…!?" He began fighting it.

Marisa deflated, seeing the kotatsu tip over. "Why, Reimu? Why~?"

"Because."

…

Hikari reached for what kotatsu blanket was still near herself, and readjusted to be under it. 'This is gonna be a slo~w morning…'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

Fully dressed and ready for their days, the party drowsily convened in the shrine's main room…

"It's cold." Osamu hugged himself.

Marigold stared at him sardonically. "You have a bathrobe on."

Hiyori was the exception to the rule, being neither drowsy nor cold. "Maybe he's just cold blooded."

"...Yeah." Marigold nods to that. "Like a lizard."

He folds his arms, half-grinning. "Pick on Osamu day again, huh?"

'Everyday is 'pick on Osamu' day.'

Reimu yawned from the kotatsu.

"Anyway…" Hikari attempted to get everyone back on track. "Where should we go, today?"

'We've been to 'old' Hell, and we've been to Heaven. We climbed a mountain in reverse, and we've apparently missed a sanctuary location, or something.'

Hiyori put a hand to her chin, thinking…

"We could hang at my place…?" Osamu looked inquisitive, grinning sheepishly as he held his arms up in a shrug…

"That'd probably be even damper." Marigold slouched.

"...Yeah." Osamu admitted, slouching himself. "...Can we go back to bed?"

"I second that." Marigold agreed with him, for once.

"Aaa~h, yer all just a buncha lazy kids…"

Suika grinned as she stumbled in from outside, holding two sake bottles in each arm.

Reimu blinked at her. "...Where'd all that come from?"

"I won 'em in a drinkin' contest." Suika winked.

...Reimu's stare became critical. "You stole them from the shrine's back rooms."

"...Y'er psychic." Suika accused her, expression freezing.

The two stared off for a few moments.

'...Is there going to be another battle?'

…

Quickly, Suika rushed up to Hiyori, and began trying to shove the bottles into her arms. "Quick, Nori! Save th' booze!"

"Wh-what!?" Hiyori tensed up, grabbing the bottles to prevent them from falling and breaking. "N-no, I'm not…"

Suika began running off with one bottle, which caught Reimu's attention. She floated up from the kotatsu. "Suika!"

The tiny oni froze, almost out the door, with her foot just above the boundary.

"Sui~ka~..." Reimu warningly pronounced her name. "Don't."

...Turning back, Suika smirked, and teased pressing her sandal onto the other side.

Every time it got close to the wooden porch outside, Reimu darted towards her. When she lifted it back up, Reimu slowly floated back over the kotatsu.

…

'This is silly.' Hikari had an idea. '...This'll be great.'

Turning to Osamu, she whispered to him. "Buff me."

Osamu jerked his head back.

She sighed. "The strength."

"Oo~h." He rolled his eyes.

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

Hikari slowly progressed to one of the shrine's side doors. When her party members turned to her, she put a finger to her lips, and gestured for them to stay, only adding to their confusion.

Like that, Hikari went around the shrine's perimeter, before coming up behind Suika…

Said oni was stifling giggles as she rapidly raised and lowered her foot above the outer porch, eyes on the mobile Reimu the entire time.

Osamu beamed once he realized what she was doing…

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

Hikari gestured for more…

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

She continued…

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

Her arm began jerking naturally with the movement…

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

Now, Hikari naturally jittered, her body's subtle movements now amplified to stupid insane levels.

Osamu tried Offense Up α!

Hikari tried to gesture for him to stop, only to almost fling herself. 'Wh-whoah!'

He and Marigold chuckled.

...Reluctantly and carefully, Hikari raised her gohei behind Suika's head. Reimu had stopped, observing what was about to happen…

...Suika rose a brow. "Awwh. She got smart…"

...She turned to Hikari.

The junior shrine maiden swung.

SMAAAA~SH!

"Huwoaa~h!" Suika stumbled back a step, stomping down into the floor-

Crack!

She fell into the floor.

'Mission completed.' Hikari smiled. Upon moving to pump her fist into the air, she accidentally uppercutted into the air-

Thunk…

She fell from the roof, landing on the floor.

'Ouch.'

"Waahahahaha~!" The unusually quiet, but understandably drowsy Marisa laughed her ass off, becoming neither drowsy nor unusually quiet. "Wh-... wh' even…!?"

"...Damn!" Suika chuckled from her hole in the floor. "Reimu, whaddaya feedin' her!? Nails 'n' booze?"

...Reimu sighed, trying her best to look pissed, only to break a grin moments later. "I-I don't even…"

…

Everyone became idle after the event, Reimu floating back down to her kotatsu, and the party convening once again.

Hikari tried to get up-

"Whu…?"

Soaring through the air, she landed on the kotatsu, tipping it over as she slid across it.

Bam…

...Landing on her back on the other side, she looked concerned. 'Maybe this was a bad idea…'

...Reimu leaned over her. "You still gotta fix that hole in the front, though."

'Ugh.'

Reimu began walking away...

"Is- is there a thing for dispelling enchantments?" Hikari blushed as she called out to her mother.

"Mmm. I was just going to prepare it." Reimu smirked.

'Dang it…'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

Osamu got his wish and slept in for the day, while Marigold looked over her weapons, and Hiyori scouted the nearby woods out of curiosity.

A bright seal faded over Hikari's form, feathery light leaving her side…

"There." Reimu nods. "Don't do anything stupid like that when I'm not around."

'I'm pretty sure the buffs faded while she was prepping the seal…' Hikari awkwardly considered. 'I don't think that'd get translated if I told her that.'

Hikari sat up from the floor, smiling. "Thanks, Mom."

...Reimu smiled back. "No problem."

Osamu stood up from behind the bar counter. "I'm ali~ve!"

Marigold looked over from the nearby kotatsu, with a snort. "...Someone likes his sleep."

...Looking around the room, Hikari noticed someone absent. "Where'd Hiyori go?"

"Out with Suika." Reimu scoffed. "...You know."

"Scouting." Marigold annotates as she stared closely at the side of her Air Gun…

"Sure." Reimu didn't argue.

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIYORI'S VIEW ====

The moist woods were no trouble for the kimono-clad oni, and her tiny companion.

"I'd expect to see more trouble." Hiyori's gaze panned around the peaceful woods…

"Ah. Well, y'know…" Suika put her arms up behind her head. "...I've kinda been up here awhile."

"Youkai learn, then." Hiyori nods…

From the bushes ahead of them, a spider girl skittered out.

…

"Nope. Not human." She sighed. "...Then aga~in, you'd only be close to the shrine if you were human…"

Hiyori pointed up at her horns.

"...Oh." The pink haired spider blushed, before skittering away.

...Suika grinned. "I woulda just thrashed her."

Hiyori rolled her eyes. "I'd prefer to do things the peaceful way."

"Hah. Peace." Suika shook her head…

"I don't see you harassing the Hakurei." Hiyori counters.

…

Suika huffs. "And? I don't feel like it."

Hiyori grins. "...It's not like she's forcing you to stay there, either."

Perking up, Suika holds an arm out. "Exactly! She lets me stay, we drink booze, and she don't freak out like a big baby, and…"

…

"You sound like friends." Triumphantly, the tall oni begins walking ahead.

"I- ah… well, yeah." She sighs. "Yea~h. Alright, I guess peace ain't all that stupid."

'I win.' Hiyori felt proud of herself…

"...But it still ain't right ta be peaceful to just anybody!" With renewed vigor, Suika strikes back. "Reimu's a friend. That itty bitty spider wasn't."

"She was itty bitty." Hiyori countered with Suika's diction.

"Exactly." The triumphant grin was on Suika's face now, but the taller oni wasn't sure why.

'...I don't get it.'

…

The two encounter a fallen tree trunk, and Suika just walks through it.

Bam!

…

A green-haired youkai sat inside, gaping. "Wh-waah! Fly, Rumia, fly!"

From the open end of the tree, a blonde youkai girl in black flew out, darting into the overcast day's fog.

…

The bug youkai put up his or her fists. "I won't let-..." He notices Suika staring at him. "I-I…"

Turning, the bug notices Hiyori, and grins. "I won't let you be the boss of me!"

He goes to punch Hiyori in the face, and it connects.

…

Hiyori blinks moments later, staring down at the bug blankly.

Looking up, the bug youkai noticed her horns…

…

"Do-don't hurt me!" Pushing against Hiyori, he bolted away, barreling through the bushes nearby.

'I will say that the youkai up here sure aren't the same…'

"...Wha' was that?" Suika stared up at Hiyori, unimpressed.

She tilted her head.

"...How y'..." Suika shook her head. "Nevermind."

'Was it how I let her go?'

…

The two oni continued through the foggy woods, stomping through wet terrain.

'The kimono's getting dirty…' Hiyori considered. 'I wonder if I can just jump in a lake to clean it.'

"Wha' brings ya up north, anyway?" Suika turns to Hiyori, before stepping into a deeper puddle.

Bloop.

Suika was submerged completely, bubbles coming from where she sank.

…

"Well…" Hiyori began.

As she continued walking, Suika plowed through the dirt beside her, slowly raising out of it as she walked through it and back up to the proper elevation. The mud on her slowly dissipated into mist.

"I wanted a change of pace." Hiyori confessed. "...I wanted to stop drinking, and I wanted to better myself. That, and I wanted to finally learn magic, like I always said I would…"

"...Mmm." Suika hummed.

"Now I'm on this adventure." Hiyori gestures to 'the adventure' as if it were beside her. "...I think I like this better. That, and it's new."

Suika snorted. "Yeah. I guess a thousand years 'a partyin' gets a little old, sometimes."

The two onis neared the Misty Lake, standing at its shore.

Hiyori took a deep breath, taking in the mist's scent.

…

"S'what's with the treasures?" Suika voices her wonder.

"...Right." Hiyori pauses, thinking about how to explain it. "First. Kasen gave me hers."

Suika snorted. "Typical. You'd like her, I know."

"I beat Konngara."

...Suika glared at her. "Bullshit. Where's her mace then, ah?"

"She said she lost it. Treasure collectors."

…

"...So y'did beat Konngara…" Suika was at a loss for words. "...Now just how in the name 'a alcohol did a pipsqueak like you pull that off?"

"We tied, actually" Hiyori amended with further thought.

"Oh." Suika was marginally less impressed, deflating. "...Don't tell me Yuugi just gave ya her's just 'cause ya sucked her clit, or somethin'."

'...I'm not sure what to make of that.' Hiyori jerked her head back, but dismissed the thought. "Actually, it was because she was impressed by my progress. That, and recent events…"

Resolute, Suika folded her arms. "What a load 'a bull."

"That's why I'm on this adventure." Hiyori hoped the other oni would come to the realization Yuugi had.

"Fuckin' bull!" Suika bared her teeth, glaring. "Don'cha use lil Hikari's playin' 'n' prancin' about ta justify yer snide, yellow-bellied…"

Trailing off, Suika clenched her fist, holding it up…

…

"Hikari's gotten stronger." Hiyori spoke levelly. "She's got an incident to solve."

Seemingly cooled off, Suika continued debating. "Since when did the Hakurei do it co-op style?"

'I'm going to take a guess, and say Reimu didn't totally go it alone…'

"Marigold's mother." Hiyori's stare became dry.

Suika became equally dry. "When th' hell did other oni get observant?"

Hiyori fired back. "Since one became sober."

…

"Well. Damn." Suika was disgruntled. "Yer too fuckin' good at this 'peace' crap."

'...What's that supposed to mean?' Hiyori continued to stare dryly.

"...What kinda incident requires an oni wit' all the deva garb ta accompenn- accomfany-..." Scowling, Suika reeled her head back, and chugged from her gourd. "-Aah. Accompahnny?"

Hiyori grinned at her pronunciation trouble. "...One where the incident creator is a formless entity that possesses people."

...Suika nodded slowly. "Ah, shit. The Bunbunmaru was right, fer once, then…"

'The what?'

...With that, Suika sighed. "...Alright. I'll give ya one."

'Not that I wanted more. Also…' "You don't have to give me any, if you don't-"

"Nope!" Suika was absolute. "None of that peace crap! Just- here!"

She unfurled the tiny blue bow from her left horn, stumbling to the side as she struggled with it.

"I mean, really." Hiyori clarified. "You don't have to-"

"Shove it!" Suika shushes her as she begins to work on the big red bow at the back of her head. After jerking her head back trying to tug it off, she found an easier time in actually undoing it slightly and sliding it off…

Once they were both off, she held them as if bowling balls, and tossed them to Hiyori.

Surprised by the velocity with which they flew, she fumbled for them, only to find they weighed more than bowling balls.

'Wo-woah!?'

She fell backwards, onto her bum.

Hiyori obtained Bows of Devas!

...After a moment, however, the bows were as light as cloth again.

"There ya are." Satisfied, Suika folds her arms. "If ya let Hikari get hurt, though, I'll do more then just beat the shit outta ya, treasures or no treasures."

'...I mean, she's already gotten hurt more than once, but…' Hiyori felt that detail was better left unsaid.

"Absolutely." Hiyori felt a sense of pride well up in her chest. "It would be an honor."

With that, the discussion came to a close.

…

"Also, you gave me two things." Hiyori corrected her previous statement.

"Shut it. Oh, yeah..." Suika twirled to the other oni, again. "That mace 'a Konngara's. I saw it."

'Wh-what!?' Hiyori's eyes widened. "Really?"

"No, I'm lyin' out my ass." Suika frowned. "Hell yeah I saw it! 'Cross the lake, in that vampire's house! She's got it stashed away real tight."

'Vampire's house…?' Hiyori blinked. "...I-I see."

"Not an easy feat, y'know. Vampire houses. Unless yer me." Suika looks into the distance of the lake, where there was mist. "S'about thatta way."

Hiyori stared into the mist. "...That helps."

Snorting, Suika rolls her eyes. "No, look…"

She stuck her hand into the air, and began gathering the mist. Gradually, the mist from the overcast, cool day all drew towards her hand.

It kept drawing, the ball of mist in her hand growing bigger, larger, immenser…

'...Wow.'

Hiyori backed away as the mist ball reached a size big enough to dwarf the lakeside and surrounding forestry. As more mist flowed into it, it all became water at a certain point.

...Suika bounced it into the air slightly, and then uppercutted it.

BOOM

...The massive water ball slowly ascended upward into the sky. The force of the punch was enough to push Hiyori backwards towards the woods, until she stomped into the floor with both feet.

After a moment, all the water flew up high enough to no longer be visible…

…

"...Whelp! S'gonna rain t'morrow! Hahaha~!" Suika laughed.

Looking around, Hiyori was able to see clearly in all directions, as if it were a clear day. It was still overcast, even in spite of Suika's cloud gathering.

'So that's how powerful she is…' Hiyori was still in awe at the display.

"...How was that?" The tiny oni was eager to fish for compliments. "Y'ever see anything do somethin' like that?"

...Hiyori briefly paused, but couldn't think of anything quite on the scale of that. 'I'm pretty sure she's more than an oni, like that…'

'Wait. There was that sun Okuu made...'

Hiyori nodded. "Yeah."

...Suika slouched. "How."

"Okuu." Hiyori stated.

...Suika, despite having never met Okuu to Hiyori's knowledge, knew what she was talking about. "Ah. Figures…" She looked back at the lake. "Guess I got someone ta rumble with later!"

"Please, don't." Hiyori'd rather not see the two fight. She wasn't even sure if the underground would survive that.

"Yeah, yeah. Lookit." Suika pointed across the lake…

Hiyori saw the mansion.

'Oh, wow… It looks bigger than Satori's palace...'

...Suika smirked. "Heh. Yeah, good luck wit' that. Them vampire sisters hit like a doozie."

'Vampires…' Hiyori had never met any before.

…

With that, Suika turned around, and began wobbling home. "I'm headin' back to tha' shrine. Y'can keep 'scouting' or whatever stupid thing ya were doin' before I talked wit'cha."

'...You'd be surprised how informative this was.' Hiyori smiled at her as she hobbled off…

…

'I should head back, too.'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====

"Dude." Osamu looked around outside. "...The hell happened to the fog?"

'That is a very good question.'

...Marigold peeked outside as well. "Should we go look for Hiyori?"

"I think so." Hikari decides. "She wouldn't go far."

Reimu stared at the three vainly. "She went far."

...Furrowing her brows, Hikari turns to her. "How?"

"Onis go far." Reimu justified.

…

"You two are so alike that it's scary." Marigold annotates.

They both turn to her with blank expressions.

"...Hee~yaah!"

Marigold and Osamu turn to see Suika stumbling towards the shrine. "A welcoming party, hey? Alri~ght!" Taking this moment, she chugs from her gourd…

...Hiyori followed behind her, moving with purpose towards the shrine's door…

'There she is.'

Once everyone was inside, again, they gathered for a plan of action…

"Mo- I mean, that magician, told me she made some new, bigger rockets…" Marigold adds to the discussion. "We should go buy some, some time. She told me I probably couldn't carry more than one, because they were so big."

'That sounds pretty big.'

"Suika told me of where the last treasure is." Hiyori informs the party.

...Suika turns to them from the kotatsu. "Oi, oi. That vampire place, yeah? S'dangerous!"

...Marigold rose a brow. "Vampire place?"

"Mmm." She nods. "Big mansion, with blood suckin' bats, and killer maids."

Osamu gapes. "Holy shit…"

...Marigold is unimpressed. "You wouldn't happen to mean the mansion my mother lives at, do you?"

Suika shakes her head. "Marisa? Hahaha~h! Marisa wouldn't'ave the pennies to live there a day!"

...Sighing, Marigold corrects her. "I mean my other mother. Patchouli Knowledge. It's the Scarlet Devil Mansion, right?"

…

"Say whuh?" Suika was confused.

"Yeah, I live there." Marigold nods. "...There's not a terrible lot in the way of 'blood sucking bats', unless you mean the mistress there. Killer maids is not wrong, but… I'd say killer maid is more accurate."

"No, the otha' thing…" She scratches her cheek. "'Bout the mother."

…

Marigold sighs. "It's a long story."

"Did they… like, adopt ya?" Suika was still confused. "...Fer some reason, I can't see Marisa bein' inta that…"

"I have three mothers." Marigold started explaining…

"Oo~h!" Nodding, the oni grins. "So it was a team effort!"

…

Marigold blushed. "We-well, you… could say that…"

Hikari attempted to intervene. "She doesn't-"

"Who's tha' third one?" Suika blurts. "S'it that puppet woman? The toy maker?"

Upon hearing such a description, Marigold fluffs up. "Sh-she's not just a puppet woman!"

...Nodding, Suika looks satisfied. "So it is…"

…

"So're you adopted?"

"No!"

…

Pulling her arms inward, Marigold looks mortified. "A-ah…"

Suika's jaw drops. "Wait, really...?"

Quickly, Marigold whirls around, looking for a way out of the room, before taking the nearest door, which lead just outside.

…

"Huh." Suika blankly watches her go. "...I wanna learn how ta do that!"

'Okay.'

Hikari moved for the door after Marigold, done with the situation.

Osamu was wearing a grin. "...Y'know, I could teach ya…"

...Suika scoffed. "Oo~h. I didn't know ya had a hole down there. That'd explain everything."

Hikari snorted. 'Wow.'

Osamu deflated. "Damn. Geesh… sorry for askin'."

...Hiyori stared at him dryly. "Did you honestly expect that to work?"

He flailed his arms, before holding them in front of himself. "Dude! A dude's gotta try!"

"Girl, ya mean." Suika snidely remarks.

Folding his arms, he glumly follows after Hikari, who moved outside…

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

After everyone calmed down, they decided on their direction at the bottom of the shrine stairs.

"You're gonna love it there." Marigold tells Hiyori. "We have a lot of everything."

Everyone began gathering behind Hiyori, the mansion having been decided on as their destination.

...Hiyori nods, unsure what 'everything' entails. "That's… good?"

"It's big." Hikari fills in the other details.

"There's a ton 'a fairy girls!" Osamu grins. "...Who aren't the totally crazy outdoor kind, I think."

"That's to be debated." Marigold adds offhandedly.

…

Hiyori turns, speaking to the party. "Everyone ready?"

"Mmm." Hikari nods.

Osamu snorts. "Yeah, yeah."

"As ever." Marigold sounds off.

Hiyori tried Teleport ß!

...The party begins getting dragged along by Hiyori's mana, slowly moving in a circle. As they speed up, the path's dirt kicks up, a small dust storm being produced by their repetitive motion.

'I-I'm still not used to this…!'

"Wo-wooaa~h!" Osamu yells.

KraKoo~m!

…

Reimu floats over the shrine's stairs, eyebrows furrowed. "Is this an incident, or what? What is that…?"

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

KraKoo~m!

Once again, Hikari found herself pressed between Marigold and Hiyori.

'Oof!' On the upside, they were soft.

Osamu was less fortunate, peeling off of Marigold's backpack. "...Du~de… what do you even carry in there? Jagged rocks…?"

"Yes." She dusts herself off a bit. "Specifically for this occasion."

'...It's better than how we used to do it, by far.' Hikari considered. 'Breaking legs was well and good and all, but it hurt.'

...Meiling stood by the gate, leaning against the wall.

'She looks a bit down, today…'

...Marigold stepped up to her, before blinking. "...She's asleep, again."

'Oh.'

Osamu snorted. "Sleepin'? Out here!?"

...Marigold shrugged. "Yeah. She's strong."

'Is she?'

"I think we could slip inside without her, at this point." She informs the rest of the party. "...Hiyori should be able to push open the gate."

Everyone turns to the oni of the hour.

"...Alright." Hiyori nods compliantly, moving towards the gate…

"Hold on." Osamu interjects. "I got this."

Cracking his knuckles, he moves on the gate, and viciously attacks it with his shoulder.

…

"Hnnngh…!" He tried a different angle. "C-c'mon, I practi~ced…!"

…

"Damn…" The gate had bested him.

Not saying anything, Hiyori takes his place, and gives the gate a nudge.

The metal creaks as it swings open.

Woosh!

In the blink of an eye, Meiling's arm is extended in front of her, blocking her passage.

"Halt." Meiling monotones sternly, before her drowsy gaze realizes who's before her… "...Marigold? Hikari? That, uhm… guy?"

She turned to the oni, before turning back to Marigold, blinking questioningly.

"Hi." Marigold smiles at the gatekeeper. "We came to visit."

...Meiling points at Hiyori. "Friend?"

The blonde magi nods. "Mmm. We found her in the sky."

'...Anything else you could have told her would have been more believable. Even if it's true.'

...Nodding, Meiling accepts this fact. "Oo~kay. Just don't let her get into the wine cellar, alright?"

Hiyori furrows her brows. "...I don't drink."

…

Meiling simply smiles back awkwardly.

...

"I dunno what to say about that." Meiling continues smiling awkwardly.

"I'm a buddhist." Hiyori clarifies.

Unfortunately, Meiling did not find much clarification. "I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"Yes." Marigold moves past the two, moving for the manor's main door. "Come on, guys."

Hikari quietly follows along.

As Hiyori moves to follow the two, Osamu falls behind, turning to Meiling. "...Y'know, if yer dreamin'..."

...Meiling stares down at him, still smiling awkwardly. "If I'm dreaming, I could beat you up without repercussion, right?"

Osamu bolts away. "Hey guys, wait up!"

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

"If you keep hitting on women, someone's going to take you seriously, eventually." Hiyori chides the stout human mage.

"Exactly!" Osamu grins. "There's gotta be someone who'll dig this hunk of man meat!"

...Hikari sighed. 'That expression.'

Marigold chuckled.

Hiyori gives him a dry stare. "...You know, some youkai have different ideas of reciprocation."

...His face lights up. "Really!?"

"Yeah." Hiyori grins. "Some of them don't even bother to lure you away from civilization before eating you."

…

"S'that eatin' in the good way, or…?" Osamu tilts his head.

"Your innards become outards." Hiyori summarizes. "Or so I've heard."

"...Oh." Suddenly, a pensive look spreads across his face.

The two take a moment to glance around the scarlet halls, fully realizing where they followed the other two girls to.

"Wait…" Hiyori turns, looking down the vast expanse of hallway behind them. "How long were we in here for?"

"Like, two minutes." Marigold huffs. "I wanted you to see the foyer, but you were too busy talking about maiming."

...Hiyori snorts, and grins. "Sorry?"

'Come to think of it, I never actually saw a youkai kill a person. I've seen robots kill tengu, though, and I think we may have accidentally'd a village guard or two, a while ago...'

After a few minutes of hopeless hallway meandering, Marigold began checking random doors…

"The hallways aren't being particularly nice, today…" She swung open a door, and inside was a generic fairy maid's room. A short, black-haired fairy maid blinked at her, before she shut it. "Let's see…"

She moved to the next door, swinging it open…

Inside, there was a large piano, and some chairs.

"Oo~h!" She lit up, ecstatic about her discovery. "It's this room!"

...Hiyori smiled with appreciation. "Do you know how to play the piano?"

Marigold giggled. "Not a chance! It's fun to mess with, though."

'Pffffft…' Hikari grinned. '...That sounds like fun.'

"...Ah." Hiyori's smile became a smirk. "Well, that makes four of us."

Osamu rolled his eyes. "Dude. I was born able to play the piano."

"And I'm a fairy." Marigold jests. "Watch and learn."

She sits down at the piano, cracking her fingers, before getting to work…

Random keys are mashed as she moves her hands with only vague sense of reason. Eventually, she gives up on whatever current 'song' she was playing, opting to just press whatever she felt like pressing.

...Eagerly spectating, Hikari couldn't take it anymore, and decided to join her, adding to the ensemble of racket.

Seeing no reason not to contribute, Osamu casually walks up to the other side, and begins 'working' on it.

"I can't believe I expected at least one of us to be able to play the piano." Hiyori simply observes, folding her arms…

"Mis- I mean, Remilia always wanted me to." Marigold smiles widely as she bashes down on the same three keys thrice, in rapid succession. "I never really wanted to do it, though. It always kinda feel like a waste of time, to me."

'Bashing keys is fun.'

Osamu tries running his fingers across all keys which are available to him, only to hardly manage it due to how the keys on the piano functioned. "...Some fancy snobs in the village played piano. What I'd give ta do this to one of their pianos! They'd probably hire someone for my head!"

Ceaseless banging haunted the halls, the otherworldly factor of which could be debated.

"...Just what are you three doing?"

Sakuya appears behind the three, a befuddled look on her face.

The racket stops, as they turn to the maid.

Hiyori tenses up. "Wh-...?"

…

Hikari presses her hand into some keys behind herself, making an ugly chord play.

"...I see." Sakuya shakes her head. "You've somehow found friends who share the same interests."

Shrugging, Marigold comments. "Who actually knows how to play piano?"

"...For starters, there's the keyboard poltergeist." Sakuya brings up.

"Aside from her." Rolling her eyes, she discounts the ghost. "She's cheating."

...Sakuya pauses. "...Some villagers."

"And?" Marigold looks unimpressed.

"A few fairies, to different extents." She adds.

Marigold blinks, surprised. "Wait, really?"

"I can, too." Sakuya smirks.

"Well, obviously…"

...Gingerly, Hikari holds up her gohei, and presses it horizontally against the keyboard, to press down as many notes as possible.

A loud, violent chord played.

Sakuya cringed from the unexpected noise. "Really…"

'Hah.'

"Actually…" Marigold is reminded of something. "Would you happen to know where Remilia keeps treasure?"

…

"Where's this from, all of a sudden…?" Sakuya looks suspicious.

Marigold isn't entirely sure why, though. "We need a specific thing."

"...Ah?" The explanation doesn't do much for Sakuya.

"It's a mace." Hiyori specifies. "Of oni heritage, actually."

"Oh. This visit is for you, then, I take it." Sakuya's suspicious stare shifts to Hiyori.

...Hiyori nods. "I suppose."

"...Forgive me for being apprehensive," Sakuya treads carefully, "but such a request is not to be taken lightly."

Marigold rolls her eyes. "Can't you just go check for us? If it's a mace, it's bound to be somewhere obvious. Or in a pile of weapons."

"For what reason would an oni need weaponry…?" Sakuya shakes her head. "...But, if only to disable you four from hunting for the room yourselves, I'll humor you."

With that, she vanishes.

…

Osamu gets off of the piano chair. "Say-"

Sakuya appears again. "There is no mace to be found."

"Woah!" Osamu leaps back, nearly walking into her.

...It was now Marigold's turn to appear suspicious. "...You su~re?"

"Yes."

"...You aren't saying it just to-"

"I may be called many things, but not dishonest." Sakuya frowns at her.

"...Alright." Marigold folds her arms, dissatisfied.

With that, Sakuya vanishes.

…

'We got a lot done.'

Osamu shared Marigold's dissatisfaction. "Why's she gotta be like that?"

"She's always been kind of a prude." Marigold complains.

…

Hikari stands up. "Let's look for it."

"I'm beginning to doubt it's even here." Hiyori voices her own concern.

...Walking for the door, Hikari addresses said concern. "Suika wouldn't lie."

...Hiyori tilts her head back and forth. "It's still possible she could be wrong."

'...Still.'

With newfound doubt, the party took to the halls again, searching for the last treasure…

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

Random searching and room intruding led the party to the dining room.

'Oo~h…'

Various segments of the table had an occasional group of fairies stationed at it, attending plates of either pancakes, or waffles. Or, in a rare instance, both.

"...I guess we shouldn't search on an empty stomach." Marigold takes this opportunity to have a nice meal.

"Yeah." Hikari sees no problem with that.

"Heheheh…" Rubbing his hands together, Osamu pressed towards the dining room table. "Where'll we get the food from?"

"We could try the…" Upon looking at the kitchen, Marigold realized it had a line. A long line.

'...That might be a problem.'

"...Follow me." Marigold gestured for her friends to follow, walking around the length of the table.

The four moved until Marigold paused behind a group of seated fairies…

"They aren't hot shit, you know." A long, black-haired fairy maid tells her orange-haired companion. "The spinnin' ones, I mean. All you have to do is strafe and shoot."

Koi was irate. "That's easy for you to say! You got these stupid spinny orb things, I got bombs! I gotta like, prepare that shit, girl."

"Hey, Komi, Koi…" Marigold smiles as she approaches them from behind…

…

"Where the fuck have you been?" Komi deadpans. "I thought the vampire finally went up and ate you."

Koi grinned widely. "Or maybe Chief took ya to her sex dungeon…!"

A nearby, blue-haired fairy maid turned towards the discussing girls, meekly adding her own contribution. "I-I… thought she ran away…"

"...Bo~ring." Koi objected to that interpretation. "...Oo~h, oh, that succubus! She coulda stashed ya away!"

"If any of the above happened, I would be dead, not just away." Marigold looks unsure what to make of the situation. "...Namori was right, by the way."

Koi furrowed her brows. "Y'wouldn't be dead in Chief's sex dungeon."

"Dead inside." Marigold clarified.

Osamu takes the moment to slide in between Namori and Komi. "He~y, ladies! How's it goin'...?"

…

"H-hi…" Namori quietly greets him.

"He-hey!" Osamu tenses up, getting farther than he had ever gotten before in one brief moment. "Name's Osamu."

He held out his hand.

"..." Namori shook it, shaking.

Then, a pancake hit the back of his head.

"Hey, assface." Komi scowls at him.

Osamu turns to her. "What's your problem?"

...Grinning, Marigold backs away, gesturing for the party to do the same.

'...Guess we're just gonna watch the fireworks.'

"What do you want with Namori, huh?" Komi shifts towards Osamu, attempting to intimidate him.

He was oblivious to it. "Nothin'! Just, y'know, get to know her, take her on a few dates…"

"Da-dates!?" Namori suddenly clams up.

...Hiyori steps up behind Osamu, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Please excuse the team idiot."

"Wha- hey!" He turns to face her. "What'd I do!?"

...Hiyori paused, pensive.

"You all but strong-armed the poor bitch!" Komi answers for her.

He whirls back to her. "Strong-armed!? How!?"

Komi's patience wore thin. "Oh, I'll show you a strong arm, alright!"

An audible sigh came from Hiyori, as black danmaku was fired, surrounding the two.

…

"U~hm…" Osamu glanced at the passing black danmaku. "S'that supposed to hit us, o~r…?"

Komi stepped into the ring of black danmaku, and began getting physical.

"Wha- bitch!"

The two exchanged fisticuffs, until Hiyori stepped between them.

"You want some!?" Komi began punching Hiyori, to little effect.

"We came to eat food." Hiyori voiced their intent. She turns to Osamu… "Not molest shy fairy girls."

"Yeah, whatever." He folds his arms, looking away.

…

"Darn." Marigold hunched over.

'I think Marigold wanted something else to happen, there…'

"Act-actually…" Namori fidgeted in her seat. "...I-I wouldn't mind… a date."

…

'Huh.'

Komi and Osamu gaped at her, while Hiyori looked mildly surprised.

Hikari turned to Marigold, only to find her looking bewildered, as well.

…

"Hell ye~ah!" He leapt into the air, pumping his fists upward.

Moving towards the party, he grinned. He points to Marigold. "In your face!"

...Marigold blinks.

"In your face," He points at Hikari. "your face..." He points at Hiyori…

"And you." His last target is Komi. "...Fuck you."

Komi sticks up her middle finger.

Smugly, he returns to Namori's side.

…

'That was a surprise.' Hikari wasn't sure what to think. 'I guess it had to work eventually.'

…

"So, uh…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "What should, we uh…"

"I-I don't know…" Namori holds her arms close, glancing at Komi helplessly…

Komi turned the other cheek. "Nope. Not gettin' involved."

"...Well…" Namori brainstormed. "...We could… go-go for a walk…?"

"I mean, I guess…?" Osamu had no idea what to do from here.

Getting up from her chair, Namori slowly lead the human mage out of the dining room.

…

"I don't even know what just happened." Marigold shook her head, proceeding for Namori's seat… "Let's cannibalize her pancakes."

'So that was her plan.' Hikari grins, moving towards the seat with her…

Their attention was soon grabbed by something else, however. A cyan-haired fairy maid with a multiple foot tall stack of pancakes precariously approached them, the tower wobbling as she neared…

"Oh, hey, Ha-chan…" Marigold stares at the pancake tower warily.

"Mari-chan!" Hana beams. "I saw you guys come in, so I got extra food!"

Hiyori eyed the tower. "Do you need help with that…?"

...The fairy girl ignored her, maneuvering past her and Komi to loom over the table. "Friends."

She dropped the plate on the table, and it shattered. The impact causes the entire pancake tower to fall apart, spreading out across the immediate area.

'What? No!' Hikari raises her hands in a futile attempt to resist the pancakes.

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

With their appetite effectively warded off, the butter and syrup smeared party eventually made their way to Remilia's room.

"We're on the wrong floor entirely, but okay." Marigold lampshaded the insanity of the halls.

"Hmm?" Hiyori didn't know what she referred to.

...Marigold realized this. "Oh. This is where Remilia is. She owns the mansion."

"Aa~h…" Nodding, Hiyori continues towards the door. "I figure I'll have to push it open?"

"Mmm."

Eying the giant door, Hikari's curiosity was piqued. "...Is there actually a reason it's so big?"

Marigold snorted. "Nope."

'Figured.'

Moving up to the door, Hiyori turned the knob, and pushed inward…

Creaa~k…

'I remember that. The squeaky door.'

...As the door swung open, the three gazed inside.

Inside sat a smirking Remilia.

'I think she's been expecting us…'

"Come in, come in!" The vampire beckoned them. "Do not be shy."

They continued forward, moving into the room's midst.

"...I've been expecting you three." Shifting her legs, the mistress of the manor inspected them with her gaze…

'Yep. She's very into building tension.'

One of Remilia's brows raise. "...Though, I do have a question, now that I see you three."

The party waits for her question.

"...Why are you spattered in butter and syrup?" Remilia grinned.

"The dining room was really rowdy today." Marigold noted.

Remilia's head shifted around. "Yes, yes. I know you'd be one to associate with the fairy rabble. But the Hakurei miko partaking in such behaviour? Is your job not to exterminate youkai?"

Hikari shrugged. 'Kinda bigger things, at the moment…'

…

Her face fell. "Hmm. Not nearly as hard-headed as your mother, I see."

"Fairies hardly count as youkai, anyway." Hikari counters.

"Heh… Too true, too true." Remilia is amused. "...Sakuya told me you three were here to, in her own words, 'pilfer through our treasury'. Particularly..." Slowly, she points at Hiyori. "However, because you have me in a good mood, I'll humor you. What exactly did you hope to find, here?"

Hiyori steps forward carefully. "It's an oni treasure. It should be a mace."

…

"Hmm…" Remilia hums idly. "Who sent you?"

...Blinking, Hiyori responded to the unexpected question. "...Myself?"

...She nodded. "Ah. I'm afraid we have nothing like that." Shrugging, she continued. "We do have a few antique sake dishes, but those were purchased only recently. We are in no possession of any form of oni weaponry, nor have we ever been."

...Hiyori furrows her brows. "I see…"

"...Was that everything?" Remilia tilts her head.

"...I suppose." Hiyori sighs.

"Good. Had you come for raw wealth, I would have had to become unpleasant." With that, Remilia seems to relax. "You three may leave, unless you wish to stay for tea."

'...Never been in possession?' Hikari furrowed her brows. '...Someone has to be lying, then. I don't think it would be Suika, either...'

Marigold and Hiyori turn to leave, but Hikari stands her ground. "We'll be staying for that tea."

The other two freeze, turning to her curiously.

Remilia smiles. "Very well. I'll have Sakuya serve us."

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

The four sat at a tea table which was mysteriously erected in the middle of the throne room.

Sakuya poured Hikari her tea, before pausing… "What happened to your token idiot?"

Hikari gave it a moment of thought. "...He went to see about a girl."

...To this, Sakuya furrowed her brows, though she didn't reply further, 'teleporting' to pour Marigold her tea.

'Is moving around the table normally really that big of a deal?'

"So, Marigold…" Remilia initiates the conversation. "What have you been up to, recently? Mingling with the wild fairies? Rolling in the mud?"

"Building guns." Marigold grins back.

"...Oh." Remilia snorts. "I'd expect no less."

...After a moment, Marigold begins to recount some previous events. "...We went to Heaven, and fought this girl with a peach adorned straw hat…"

Remilia double-took. "You did what?"

'Wait…'

Disregarding this, the magi continued. "We scaled the side of Youkai Mountain, and helped stop the source of the robots."

Remilia was now sufficiently weirded out. "I was… about to send Sakuya to do that."

"We then went to Old Hell, and fought a sun god… raven thing." She nods her head…

Hikari adds to that. "We almost died to a mind reader."

"Oh, yeah…" Marigold giggles sheepishly. "That was bad."

"They meant well, though." Hiyori clarified. "They were also under the influence."

...Remilia nodded slowly. "I… see. So you've kept busy, then."

Marigold nods casually. "Mmm."

"...For what reason, was all of this?" Remilia tilted her head. "I assume this is all part of solving the incident at hand?"

...Hikari concentrates. 'I swear we heard something weird about the mansion while in Heaven…'

...Glancing at Hikari, Marigold realizes she wasn't going to answer. "A-ah, yeah. Hikari's the driving force behind solving this."

Remilia looks down at her tea, and sips from it. "...Is she, now?" Her gaze locks on Hikari. "Where is your mother, in all this?"

Hikari was thoughtfully panning her own gaze around the walls of the room.

"...Hakurei." Remilia demands her attention.

'Hmm?' She looks at Remilia.

"Where is your mother?" The vampire demands.

"...Home." Hikari resumes staring at the walls and furniture.

...Irked by the response, Remilia chooses to brood. "Hr~m…"

Scanning the ceiling, Hikari noted the large chandelier. 'Fancy…'

…

'Why is the ceiling white, but everything else sorta red?'

Remilia performs damage control, if only for herself. "...Finding my abode admirable, Hakurei?"

'It's too big.' Hikari never thought she'd think that about a home. "...Sure."

"Fufufu…" Smug, Remilia leans back in her chair. "Don't be afraid to admit it. This mansion is a thousand times better than your paper shrine, is it not?"

...The insult made Hikari pause for a moment, but she didn't take it personally. 'She's rather eager to brag, isn't she…?'

Turning her attention back to the vampire, Hikari readies to say something-

"So?" Marigold folds her arms. "The home is where the heart is."

"Quiet, you." Remilia's brow twitches. "If you have not forgotten, it is by my allowance you live here."

Marigold snorts.

'...Anyway…' Readying herself again, Hikari speaks. "Does this mansion have any secret passages?"

...Grinning, Remilia elaborates. "Oh, certainly. Aside from the halls being forever in my favor, I've ordered the construction of a myriad of private passages. They make good storage, and they're a good way to keep the fairy maids out of anything important."

Marigold gives Hikari an unreadable stare…

...Hikari takes a moment to consider her next question.

"Could you not simply have locked rooms?" Hiyori wonders aloud. "I feel like that would be more effective when it came down to it…"

Remilia sighed. "Yeah, tried that. One day, the door mysteriously vanished entirely…" Then she scowled. "The door was removed magically. For this reason, we don't clearly label our treasuries."

Marigold nodded in recollection, but Hikari and Hiyori were left bemused by the description.

"...Does this room have any secret passages?" Hikari asks before uncomfortable silence can set in.

"Hmm?" Remilia pauses, herself. "...Why? Are you feeling…" She smirks domineeringly. "Paranoid, Hakurei?"

...Hikari stares at her dryly. "Shaking in my sandals."

"Fufufu…" Remilia giggles. "...Why, yes. This room does have secret passages, naturally."

'Hmm…'

…

"I never really found many." Marigold admits.

Remilia raises a brow. "You found any?"

…

"In my defense, they were poorly hidden." Marigold sips her tea…

Hikari scans the walls, again…

'Walls… secrets...'

Then, it struck her.

'...That man up in Heaven!' She stood from her seat. '...He was probably insane, but…'

...Remilia curiously watched her as she rounded the table to approach Marigold.

"I need one of your guns." Hikari requests.

"What?" The request takes Marigold off guard.

Remilia furrows her brows. "Excuse me?"

'Which one would be good for this…?'

"Do you still have your Air Gun?" Hikari nears her magical friend.

"...I upgraded it, so no, technically." Her brows furrow. "Why do you need-"

"That machinegun thing?" Hikari guesses.

She's corrected. "NF Burst Gun, you mean. Also, yes, why do you need it?"

"Secret checking." Hikari reveals.

Slamming her arms on the table, Remilia stood up. "You will do no such thing!"

…

Pointing to her backpack, Marigold gave her the go ahead. "You should see it in the back."

"Thanks." Hikari began riffling through it…

"I hope you don't plan to hold up miss Scarlet, here…" Hiyori frowns at the miko. "I had thought you already saw what happens when you try to strong arm people."

'...Our team mage gets a date?' Hikari grins. 'That is pretty scary…'

Drawing the NF Burst Gun. Hikari aims up at the walls.

'...How do you use this thing?'

Noticing her fumbling with it, Marigold came to the rescue. "Just pull the trigger."

'Oh.'

"Now, stop right there!" Remilia begins stomping around the table. "You will not tarnish these walls for-"

PoPoPoPoPop!

Clumsily, Hikari aimed the shots at the upper segments of the walls.

They thunked against the upper left walling of the room, leaving scorch marks.

"You…!" Remilia grabs for Hikari, who then shot at the upper right segment.

PoPoPoPoPop!

The weapon was ripped from Hikari's hands, and she was pushed away by Remilia. "You barbarian! Look what you've done to my-"

Ti~Ti~Ting, Ti-Ti~ng…!

A loud noise echoed across the throne room. The area the danmaku struck shimmered lightly, revealing a box of light under the wall paper.

Rips formed where the danmaku struck, revealing the shimmering segments of a magical circle underneath.

Everyone turned to the spectacle, realization slowly setting in.

...

"Get out." Remilia instructs them.

"What's up there?" Hikari pressed.

"Get out." Remilia began pushing her towards the door, which Hikari couldn't struggle out of.

Hikari quickly looked at Hiyori. "Hiyori! Do a triple kickflip into the magical circle!"

'The crazy man in the sky was right!'

Hiyori stood, unsure what to do. "Wh-what?"

Remilia's eyes widened, turning to the oni. "You will do no such thing!"

Pointing at the wall segment, Hikari shouted. "Up there!"

Arms wrapped around the miko, and the door to the room flew open on its own.

'U-uhm…!'

"Begone!" Remilia spun around, tossing Hikari out into the hall.

'Woa~h!'

Thud! Hikari's back collided with the hallway wall.

'Ouch…'

Vacating her chair, Marigold made for one of the nearby pillars. "Woah, woah, woah!"

Hiyori took a glance at the faintly shimmering section of wall. Preparing herself-

"Hah!"

Remilia jabbed towards Hiyori, who was taken by surprise by the vampire's speed.

Her claws dug into the cloth of the oni's kimono, but didn't manage to break the cloth. "Hnh…!?"

Hiyori leapt blandly towards the magic seal on reflex.

Ti~ng!

With the massive impact, the wallpaper was shredded, but the magical barrier shone brightly, denying Hiyori entry. Marigold was clearly able to see it, a hovering magical circle taking up the width of the square indent in the wall.

"...I'll be darned." Marigold examined it…

She felt an arm on hers, and she reached for her Spectrum Shotgun. "He-hey!"

Remilia quickly jerked her into the middle of the room. "You're not supposed to see that! You aren't supposed to be in here!"

Holding up Marigold by her torso and her bum, she began making motions to throw her into the hall…

"Hi-Hiyori!" Marigold blurted for her attention. "You… you have to do a triple kickflip! You have-"

Remilia sent her soaring out into the hall.

Thud!

"Oww-"

Thud. She landed on Hikari.

'Oof…'

Hiyori leapt backwards, preparing to try again…

This time, the vampire went for her face.

Swish!

"Ghh…" Hiyori threw an arm outward to stop the vampire, but she had already leapt away.

Swish! Swish!

Furrowing her brows, Hiyori glanced up at the seal again, as she staggered backwards.

Remilia floated up in front of the seal. "Do not attempt it, you-"

Hiyori leaped, doing a backflip as she kicked through the air.

Eyes widening, Remilia prepares to intercept…

Woosh!

She darts to the side after her claws connect with Hiyori's second kickflip, avoiding the brunt of the strike.

Ignoring the long scratches up her leg, Hiyori executes the third kickflip, soaring into the barrier.

Kraa~ck!

The barrier collapses inward, allowing Hiyori entry to the undecorated hideaway.

Thud.

She landed on her butt.

Inside the room, there were numerous objects present. The most notable of which seemed to be a large portrait of Remilia herself, smirking at the viewer.

Hiyori's eyes darted around the room, glancing at various swords and spears, until she saw-

"The mace!" She stands…

A large, scarlet orb blindsides her, sending her flying. "Gah!"

Bam! She slams into the interior wall.

...Hiyori attempts to take the moment to regain her senses, when she is suddenly bombarded by a series of stabbing sensations.

"A-ah, ah, ah!" She threw her arms outward wildly in an attempt to make them stop, and it was successful.

Remilia shot back out of the room. "I'll have your head, oni!"

Arching back in the air, she brought her arm up, and reeled it back.

Scrambling, Hiyori sprinted for the mace…

Hiyori obtained Mace of Devas!

...She also grabbed the giant picture of Remilia to use as a shield. There was also a small, round object attached to the back of it, appearing akin to a small, antique bundle of cloth.

Hiyori obtained Power of Mistress!

Hiyori obtained Neutron Bomb!

"Haa~h…!"

Hiyori looked at Remilia again, and noticed a large, cackling scarlet spear in her grasp.

"Divine Spear!" A wicked grin spread across the vampire's face. "Spear The Gungnir!"

...With little choice in the matter, Hiyori jumped in place.

Boom!

She fell through the floor, smashing another reflective barrier in the process, landing next to Hikari and Marigold.

"...We need to go." Hiyori summarizes the current objective.

Ba~m!

Dust and rubble falls from above, as the spear violates the upper level of the manor.

'Yeah.'

"We should try Mother's library…" Marigold proposes.

Bam!

Remilia flies through the wall. "You're not leaving with that!"

...Marigold gestures to her. "Case in point."

'If we're not getting outside, somewhere with cover would be the next best thing.'

The three begin dashing down the halls.

Remilia flies after them, homing in on Hiyori specifically.

...Turning, Hiyori is forced to cast the portrait and the cloth bundle ahead, as she swings the mace back towards Remilia.

Woosh.

Latching onto the mace when it was supposed to collide with her, Remilia then leaps and kicks Hiyori in the face.

"Guh…" Hiyori backs up, and continues running.

Hiyori tried Shield ß!

Hiyori was protected by the power shield of light!

...Hikari snagged the items her oni friend abandoned, darting ahead with them.

Hikari tried Hypnosis α!

She glanced back at Remilia, who actively dodged the hypnotic ripples, sensing the psychic attack before it even began.

'Woah…'

Remilia smirked. "Do you know nothing about vampires?"

Stabilizing herself in the air, she closed the distance between herself and Hikari…

"This way!" Marigold gestured for the party to follow. "The door's just ahead! Even though it's the wrong floor!"

Hikari turned, using what wind she could pick up to carry herself as she ran faster.

Remilia darted ahead, and turned to face Hikari…

"This is a sleeping spell…!" Remilia grinned, as her eyes flashed.

…

'Wh-wha~...?' Hikari felt her vision blurring violently. 'N-no…'

Thud.

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: MARIGOLD'S VIEW ====

Hiyori's shackle glowed a faint purple, before the color faded, leaving it dark again...

"Darn it…!" Marigold grimaced, and took out her Charm of Sleep. "Get up, you lazy bum!"

"Fufufu…" Remilia watched her toss the Charm of Sleep, finding the motion amusing. "Simply throwing things at her will not wake her up, simple child. She is under my spell."

The charm of sleep smacked Hikari in the face.

Marigold watched with baited breath. 'You better wake up, or so help me…!'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====

'U-ugh…'

...With a jolt, Hikari propped herself up with her arms. 'Wh-what happened…?'

"I've put her under a spell, one which I will only break, if you give me back what is rightfully mine." Remilia triumphantly smiled as she gazed at the two across the hall. "...What will it be, then? The Hakurei… or my possessions?"

Marigold tried to contain her own grin, but failed. Hiyori didn't even try.

Remilia was quick to realize what happened, turning a surprised gaze to Hikari. "...And you. What are you doing up?"

Hikari held the Charm of Sleep. "Waking up."

With a snort, Remilia shrugged. "Well, not for long."

Her eyes flashed again.

…

Hikari began dashing past her.

"What- you…!" Remilia gritted her teeth. "Must I dirty the halls simply to dispose of you!?"

Marigold and Hiyori began sprinting as soon as they noticed Hikari had distanced herself from Remilia. Quickly, they gained on the door, which Hiyori voluntarily engaged.

With a single swipe of the mace…

Boo~m!

Cra~ck!

The door flew open, a magical barrier shattering from the force of the strike.

Marigold leaped in, turning and aiming her Spectrum Shotgun at the door. "Get in, get in…!"

Hiyori and Hikari scramble in-

"Give it!" Remilia barks, latching onto the mace in Hiyori's arms, attempting to pry them out…

Unfortunately, Hiyori was an oni, and as it turned out, struggling for objects was one of the things oni did best.

'Hiyori's also pretty tall… and Remilia's pretty short.'

After prying it from Remilia's clawed grasp, she tries to kick the vampire away, only to find Remilia has done yet another good job at distancing herself.

The trigger is pulled, giving Hiyori a brief moment to run under one as the seven revolving lasers denied passage through the door.

Or so Marigold hoped.

It only took a moment for Remilia to weave inside and past them.

"...I would be upset at that, but this is technically Patchy's library, now." Remilia smirked. "Any vandalization of the walls shouldn't reflect on me, then."

...Begrudgingly letting go of the trigger, Marigold had an idea. "Hikari. Get her down here."

'...Yeah, okay.' Hikari furrowed her brows. "How."

"Try." Marigold gave her an in-depth strategy.

Once again, Remilia went for the mace. Before she grappled it, however, she stopped. Hiyori readied herself…

"This is no longer the time for games." Remilia threw her arm aside, her eyes glowing. "God Art! Vampire Illusion!"

Almost as if to compliment Marigold's shotgun-esque weapon, Remilia let out a shotgun spread of massive, purple bullets.

"Wh-wa~h!" Hikari wailed, barely grazing the side of one. The giant orbs left red orbs in their wake, which convened and created waves of scarlet magic, centered on Hiyori.

"Aaa~gh…!" Hiyori was unable to avoid the big orbs, her body crackling with colorful, red energy as she began to kneel.

Marigold glared at the vampire. "Th-this will have to do…!"

Slowly, she began attempting to close the distance between herself and the manor's mistress…

A bright shockwave of aesthetic scarlet energy bloomed from Remilia, before she fired another shotgun spread of giant, purple orbs.

"Ha-ah…" Marigold felt her heart race as her arm was clipped. She felt a small line of three smaller red orbs float into her back… "U-uuh…"

Hikari adopted the strategy of running in circles to avoid the smaller red orbs. 'So many…!'

"Guaa~h!" Hiyori was flung back into a nearby shelf, one which the bullets dissipated upon when they struck.

The shelf shook lightly as she hit it, but soon stabilized.

Energy bloomed forth from Remilia again, and she formed another spread…

Marigold shook as she stopped before the generating line, and was grazed on both sides as the spread shot mobilized. "Gaa~h…!"

She was as close as she could get without getting stuck in the line the orbs spawned in, so she tried to make her final steps forward count.

Dashing forward into the red orbs that swam around Remilia, the young mage gritted her teeth…

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…" She whimpered as she closed the distance, and held her Spectrum Shotgun up to Remilia's face.

"...A-aaa~h!" Marigold's attempt at a quip became a scream of pain, instead.

She fired the gun, Remilia smug face being wrapped in rainbow light.

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

...Patchouli sipped her tea.

Across from her, Marigold sat at the table, face down with her arms sprawled out on it.

Next to her, Hiyori jittered in her own seat, scarlet energy still triggering her muscles.

Hikari was no worse for wear, sitting peacefully next to Hiyori…

'Honestly, running in circles worked perfectly fine. I got hit a few times, but we coulda timed out her card if we tried.'

...Next to them, was Remilia, her face wrapped completely by bandages.

…

Osamu walked by in one of the nearby aisles, Namori trailing him with a large book of some kind.

"Dude, how the hell is this place organized…?"

"A-ah…" Namori looked up. "We-we have to take a left, coming up…"

The two wandered into the shelves again...

…

"What happened?" Patchouli vainly stared up from her tea.

"Mmph." Remilia states.

'...I should probably heal everyone up, now.' Hikari contemplates…

…

'I like this silence, though.' Hikari holds up her own tea. 'I think I'll let them be tired for a few moments longer…'

==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====

END OF CHAPTER 23

Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise

-Inventory-

Weapon: Miracle Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Adds an increased chance to deal critical hits.

Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.

Body: Combat Miko Outfit - A black leotard and hakama combination worn by the previous-previous Hakurei miko. Designed to be suitable for excessive physical activity and close combat, it slightly improves physical combat prowess. Now with less sideboob!

Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.

-Skills-

Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!

PK Fantasy α, β, γ - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier. Third tier forms a barrier, which breaks upon moderate damage.

PK Flash α, ß - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry. Higher tiers increase chances, and introduce possibilities of fainting or dispel.

Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.

Shield α, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.

Lifeup α, ß, γ - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.

Healing α, ß, γ - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.

Teleport α - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however.

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.

γ-γ-γ-γ

Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage

-Inventory-

Weapon: Fisticuffs!

Arms: Nothing

Body: Dated Village Magician Robes - An old robe from the days when the village respected the medium of magic. Now actually looks navy blue, instead of black!

Misc: Yukkuri Beanie - Resembles a really tacky tablecloth, made in the Yukkuri theme. Lime green and has tons of fun yukkuri decals!

-Skills-

PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.

PK Hydro α, β, γ - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.

PK Freeze α, β, γ, Ω - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones. Highest tier has a near-guaranteed freeze chance and immense ice damage, at the cost of being very taxing.

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.

PSI Shield α, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.

PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.

Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.

Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.

γ-γ-γ-γ

Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child

-Inventory-

Weapon: Spectrum Shotgun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo. The addition of a battery and a prism allow it to fire seven rainbow colored beams at a wide spread, which deal non-elemental damage. Firing long enough allows them to focus and deal incredible damage, at the cost of insane recoil and instability.

Arms: Nothing

Body: Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows freer movement with a shorter skirt, and a more flexible material.

Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.

Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.

Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…

Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!

Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.

Scotch Tape - Transparent adhesive from the outside world. Weak, but handy!

Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?

Shield Killer - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Fires electrical projectiles, of unknown power.

NF Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.

Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.

Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.

Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.

Charm of Sleep - Grants immunity to sleep while equipped, or held. Can be equipped to Arms or Misc.

Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.

Lotion Dispenser - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Made of a broom, a showerhead, some magnets, and uses jars of water as ammo. Slapped together with ofuda, giving it unknown holy properties. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for no discernible reason. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion, as a result of the above.

-Skills-

Participates in Finny Fun - Isn't it neat?

Knows How to Drive Gummi Ships - Licensed Gummi pilot!

Fluffs Up to Appear More Intimidating - ...She's freakin' snuggly, dude…

Pioneer of Gensokyian L'oreal - She's an entrepreneur!

Part of Backpacking Culture - Avid practitioner!

γ-γ-γ-γ

Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni

-Inventory-

Weapon: Mace of Devas - The last of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Ability to whack stuff really hard. Increases critical hit rate by lieu of being a really big, blunt, spiky weapon. Allows partial blocking of magic attacks.

Arms: Shackle of Devas - The first of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to sleep-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to wind and thunder magic.

Body: Kimono of Devas - The second of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to paralyzing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to fire magic. Insanely durable. Has a floral design to it…!

Misc: Bows of Devas - The third of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to confusion-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to ice magic.

-Skills-

PK Starstorm α - Summons forth the stars from the night's sky to rain down upon enemies. Hits all enemies, and deals high magical damage, at the cost of being highly mentally taxing. Can hit allies if they're in the effective area, as the white stars don't have homing properties. Power proportional to amount of enemies, as well.

PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. More impact comes with higher tiers.

PK Freeze α, β, γ - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.

Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.

Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.

Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.

Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.

Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

γ-γ-γ-γ

Author's Note:

hi friends

that is the END of the DEVA WEAPON SIDEQUEST; hiyori is now as ready as she'll ever be to go off to war to fight the big bad eldritch abomination

still a little bit of PREPARATION TO GO before we can begin the MIGHTY END GAME; it's been a long road, yo, and i hope you've all enjoyed the ride, 'cause if you didn't, why are you here

ANYWAY

progress might slow a slight because college is stronk; lemme tell you right now, it's not school levels of busy work but it's INVOLVED and and definitely leaves less room for error than high school (although you get to do things like get up and go to the bathroom whenever you want without asking anyone, so it all evens out)

also y'know it's just your CAREER on the line this time, so NO PRESSURE

(though usually everything's in place to kinda HELP YOU this time around- butcha still gotta do that work)

...yeah

oo~h, gensokyians don't have to worry about SCHOOL or JOBS… just DYING VIOLENTLY

so which is the lesser evil

as always, see you all next time!