Hikari tried Lifeup α!
...Slowly, Remilia unraveled her bandages, to Patchouli's curiosity.
'That's everybody.'
"...Achoo!"
Scrunching her face, Remilia wiped her nose. "Those bandages are so stuffy…"
Marigold moved her stiff limbs. "...Sorry about, uhm…"
Waving her hand, Remilia dismisses her. "No, no. I hadn't considered you'd take a page from the witch. I underestimated you."
At that, Marigold simply settled for looking awkward.
'...Everyone's still tired, just not in pain.'
Hiyori leaned on the table lazily. "...Why did you hide the mace?"
Remilia snorted. "Straight to the point, are you? Because it is a quality decorative mantle, and oni such as yourself couldn't appreciate that." She frowned. "When I had learned of oni presence on the surface, years ago, I hid it with my prized possessions as soon as I could. Speaking of which…" Raising from her chair, she pointed at Hiyori. "You learned of it through that stout brat, did you not?"
Marigold snorted.
'That's… kinda on the nose, there...' Hikari grinned.
Containing her own amusement at the statement, Hiyori nodded. "Yeah. I need the treasures to help Hikari in the latest incident."
...Remilia narrowed her eyes, smirking. "Incident, hmm? The red fog and the robots, yes?"
Hikari nods.
"...In that case, I suppose I could exempt you." Sitting back down, Remilia adopts a haughty posture, leaning back a bit. "I'm interested to see if the do-nothing shut-in of a Hakurei miko has what it takes to get this incident solved."
...Hikari furrows her brows. 'Wow. What'd I do to her?'
"Now, now, Remilia." Looking away from Hiyori, Patchouli chides her friend. "There's being condescending, and then there's just being rude."
"Am I not right?" The vampire holds up her arms. "Tell me I'm not right."
"You're not right." Marigold contributes.
...Remilia slowly pans her gaze to her. "...Nobody asked you, magi."
Marigold simply smirks back in response.
Hikari fends for herself. "I may've been kind of a shut-in before, but I at least went to the village, and stuff. Recently, I've kinda been all over the place."
"Not that there's anything wrong with being a shut-in." Patchouli adds her own two cents.
Remilia furrows her brows, turning to her friend. Before she can reply, Patchouli continues, "You hardly leave the mansion ever yourself, Remi."
...The vampire's brow twitches, before she gets up from the table. "I see how it is. You four are no fun."
She turns to Patchouli. "Also, you. Did I not say that I am not to be referred to casually around guests?"
"My daughter, a Hakurei disciple, and some oni." Patchouli rattles off the esteemed guests.
…
"Even so." Remilia rebukes, floating away in retreat. "I expect that mace back, however, oni. And make sure there's not a scratch on it!"
"Mmm." Hiyori indifferently hums her agreeance, examining the mace.
With that, Remilia floated off.
…
"...Remi can be a jerk." Marigold adopted her nickname, too.
"Don't call her by that often." Patchouli appears vain.
"Why not?" Marigold pouts. "I think it fits."
Patchouli shrugs. "It does, but she'd rather only close friends call her by that, and I wish to respect that."
...At that, Marigold nods. "Fair enough."
...
"Say…" Marigold stands up, moving towards her mother. "I wanna know how to improve this…"
She takes out the Lotion Dispenser she crafted the other day.
Hikari stands up. "I'm gonna go look for Osamu."
Hiyori stands, too. "...I guess I'll go with you. I'm not very keen on technology."
Marigold snorts at her comment, sparing her a glance, before looking back at her mother.
'Time to get on the move…'
Hikari begins moving for the shelves, Hiyori trailing behind her.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: MARIGOLD'S VIEW ====
Patchouli sighed once the two were out of sight. "...I'd like to know for what reason you brought an oni to my library."
Surprised, her daughter takes a moment to process the sudden hostility. "Wh-what?..."
'She hates oni. I would have remembered that, if we hadn't just run from an angry vampire…'
...Marigold paused to take in the sheer surreality of that sentence. "...Well, she's calm."
"Calm." Patchouli nods serenely… "Remind me to carefully monitor your diet. You seem to be either delirious from fatigue, or completely insane."
Marigold snorted. "She's a buddhist, sober, and happens to hug kittens."
"Definitely insane." Patchouli grins. "...At this point, I'll assume you have your reasons. Don't expect me to like her here, though. Keep away from Marisa's mushrooms, if you've been seeing her."
"Noted." Marigold sighs. "Can we just move on to my invention? Hiyori's fine."
"Yes, yes..." Looking down at it, Patchouli furrowed her brows… "What, exactly, am I supposed to be looking at?"
'Eheh, right…' Marigold clears her throat. "Ahem… so this, for now, is a lotion dispenser-esque thing. The jar of water on the bottom-" She taps on the empty jar. "-gets fed up through the hose, magically. The liquid's filled with Talcum Powder."
Patchouli furrows her brows. "What powder?"
'Right…' "Basically skin smoothing powder."
"Ah." Patchouli nods. "Continue."
'Oh, right!' "It's powered by holy magic."
...Patchouli furrows her brows once more. "Where on Earth did you obtain holy magic…?"
Marigold stares at her mother dryly.
…
"I travel with…?" She begins cycling her hands through the air.
Blushing, Patchouli realizes the implication. "O-oh, right. Hakurei. But… she's rather inept at everything a Hakurei should be at, is she not?"
"Hey…" Marigold props her arms on her hips. "She's not that bad. She did this thing with ofuda." The Lotion Dispenser is raised in demonstration. "She's got some crazy non-Hakurei magic, too."
"I'm sure." Patchouli dismisses the discussion. "What is this device's purpose?"
"I don't know." Marigold consents. "I just kinda made it."
...Giving her daughter a flat stare, she moved to examine it herself. "...Hmm." She examined the jar at the device's bottom. "...Magnets?"
"Mmm." Marigold nods. "I got them underground."
"Underground." Patchouli echoes. She moves to detach the jar, and does so with a few twists. With a few taps of her hand, the jar fills with water…
Marigold moves next. "Hold on, let me get out the Talcum Powder…"
Her backpack is rested on the table, and she sifts through it… "Ah! Here…"
Taking the Talcum Powder, she begins shaking it into the jar. After that, she takes the jar from her mother's grasp, and reattaches it to the magnet slot…
"There." Smiling, she reaches for the trigger…
"Ho-hold on…" Patchouli fluffs up. "Don't use that in here."
"It's safe for clothing, and fades if it doesn't hit skin." Marigold provides. "It's not gonna get anything wet, I'm pretty sure."
...Patchouli sighs. "If you're wrong about this, you will be cleaning it up."
'...I hope those ofuda still work.'
Marigold pulled the trigger. As the water travelled up the hose, the ofuda began glowing in order, spiraling up the broom shaft until the water reached the shower head.
It rained up into the air, and then fell down upon the two fluffy mages. Patchouli winced, shielding herself with her hands, before noticing the liquid didn't actually wet her.
...Nodding appreciatively, Patchouli begins rubbing her skin. "Hmm…"
'It's pretty good lotion.' Marigold grinned. 'Maybe I can sell it, or something…'
"...This is more than just lotion." Patchouli announces. "The liquid is enchanted."
...Marigold nods. "Yeah. It is."
Furrowing her brows, Patchouli gives her daughter a sardonic grin. "No, I mean, I don't think you've realized… The liquid has a defense spell cast upon it."
...Curiosity piqued, Marigold's brow rose. '...Defensive spell?'
"Probably a side effect of the holy magic." Patchouli lamented. "...Mixed with the powder, I would assume. This water would be less pleasant otherwise… if we can still call it water."
'...Why would that be?' Marigold appears conflicted. "...Is holy water bad for us?"
Her mother nods. "...Not exactly, but since we're youkai, it's not entirely healthy. It won't kill us, though. Someone like Remi would suffer a lot more."
'Probably shouldn't use it around her, then… unless I feel like it.' A grin begins creeping onto Marigold's face…
"No." Patchouli deadpans. "If you use it on her intentionally, you will be disciplined. Unless you have to."
'Dang.' Marigold deflates. 'I-I mean, that's what I was thinking anyway- egh…'
...While her daughter cringes awkwardly, Patchouli gives the device another once over. "...There's not much I can do to improve this. Holy magic is not my field of study; particularly the Hakurei brand."
...Even so, Marigold was satisfied. 'I still know more about it than I did.'
Smiling, she took the device back from her mother. "Thanks, Mom."
...Patchouli paused, surprised.
'...Wait.'
"...Say, uh…" Marigold had a thought. "I might need a bunch of water jars."
'And a new name, for this thing. Lotion dispenser seems a little misleading…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
'If I was illiterate, and in a library, where would I be…?'
Pensively, Hikari strutted down the shelf-derived halls of the library.
Gaping at the lines of knowledge on the shelves, Hiyori realized just how massive the library was. "...I didn't have time to properly appreciate this when we entered, but… wow."
Hikari gets the urge to snark back, but then she pauses to marvel, herself. '...She's not wrong. Seriously, can Marigold's mom even read all of this…?'
…
She stopped marveling. 'Where is he?'
"Woa~h!" Osamu's wail was heard across the library.
...Hikari and Hiyori give each other a glance, before they begin running in the direction of their friend's voice.
...Noticing Hiyori was running far faster than her by default, Hikari was forced to apply what wind she could to herself to keep up.
'He-hey…' She quickly began expending her stamina to keep up…
Fortunately, it was only after a few corners that they found the scene they were looking for…
"Fuck you!" Osamu threw his arms forward.
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~…
A snowflake pattern formed around-
'What is that supposed to be…!?'
Before the four, was a large tome. Spider-like appendages stretched out of it, resting upon the top of the shelves as a large, yellow eye looked down at them from above.
Boom!
The spider creature was blown back by the icy blast, held from flying too far by its grip on the shelves.
"Hah!" Namori flew up, and point at the creature.
FwiChoo~m!
A blue laser slowly expanded to meet the eye, poking it.
The eye screeched, somehow. "Greeher!"
...Hikari slowly reached for an ear with one hand. "O~w."
Slowly retracting into the book, the eye made way for a large pair of mandibles, which slid out from the confines of the book.
Hiyori wasn't sure what to think. "What is this doing in the library…?"
"I dunno!" Osamu backpedalled towards the two, as did Namori. "It just fuckin' came outta this book with locks and shit on it! Legit!"
'...He cracked open a cursed tome.'
"Greeher, greeher!" No longer a screech, the creature's voice came out mechanically. It then shifted its 'head' into the aisle, and began slowly snipping its way towards the party, with the intent to consume.
Hiyori moved forward voluntarily, holding her mace high. "Hya~h!"
As the mandible clamped to her torso, failing to inflict any amazing amount of damage, Hiyori brought her mace down.
SMAAAA~SH!
Squelch!
The tome was embedded into the floor, yellow goo from the eye splattering around and onto Hiyori.
…
Twitching, the long spider legs slowly retracted back towards the tome, writhing as they folded back into it.
"Dude…" Osamu grinned. "What's with the club?"
"It's a mace." Hiyori stresses. "The last of the Deva treasures."
"I'll say!" He grins wider. "That's a big fuckin' mace!"
Namori simply stared at it, eyes wide.
…
"So, what're you guys doin' here?" Osamu suddenly looked a bit awkward. "I was kinda, uhm…"
"We're leaving soon." Hikari spoke. "Leaving you behind is probably not in anyone's best interest."
'Including your own.'
...Turning to his fairy friend, he smirked. "...Sorry, Namori. The guys need me."
...Namori nods gingerly. "O-okay..."
With that, Osamu began stepping back towards the party, looking pleased. "Y'guys eat tea and cakes while I was out?"
"If only." Hiyori lampshaded the previous chaos.
The three turn, and begin moving to leave the shelves-
Namori grabs Osamu's sleeve.
"Whuh…?" Osamu turns around…
The timid fairy stares at him. "...Co-come back… s-soon…"
Hikari is taken aback. '...Wow. That's… genuine, isn't it?'
…The two stared at each other.
'Watch Osamu screw this up with a cheesy comment.'
"Ye-yeah. No problem."
'...What.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
They soon began the relaxed strut back to the study their two magician friends resided at. Since Namori needed to leave the library, too, she followed them.
'How anticlimactic.'
"So…" Namori was inquisitive. "...Hi-Hikari…"
'Huh?' She turned to the shy fairy…
"I he-heard you… read books." Fidgeting, Namori continued. "...Wo-would you recommend any…?"
'Oh, wow… uhm…' Put on the spot, it was hard for Hikari to think of any good books. "Th-there was this one book, I really liked. It was European Daily Life."
Namori lit up. "O-oh! Pa-Patchouli-sama wrote that…"
'...What!?' Hikari's brows furrowed. 'I read that just before I started this adventure. There's no way…'
"It was about the mansion, al-although, she kinda… took some liberties…" Namori described.
'About the mansion? It-...'
Hikari suddenly realized who the two vampires in that book were. Along with the green gate guard, the purple librarian, and the blue maid.
Between this, and Osamu finding a girlfriend, Hikari's expectations were shattered. "My life is a lie."
At that, Namori quieted back down, simply moving towards Osamu. He grinned at Hikari, who stared at them...
"...Jealous?" Osamu was back to normal in no time, though.
'What?'
…
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that." Hikari focuses on the path ahead.
'Seriously.'
Hiyori snorted.
"Why?" Osamu tries to approach her. "Is it 'cause-"
He's cut off by Namori tugging on his sleeve.
"...S'up?" Immediately, he becomes a slight more sedated.
"...I-I don't think you should bully Hikari…" Namori quietly decided. "...She's nice."
"Awwh…" Osamu smiles, before setting his sights on Hikari again, ignoring the fairy's advice. "Is it 'cause ya can't get a guy? Or is it 'cause… ya lost a chance to get this?" Turning around, he flexes.
…
'I'm done.'
Hiyori senses the hostility, attempting to intercept before Hikari attacks. "Hey, hey, Hikari, he was just-"
SMAAAA~SH!
Thud.
"Os-Osamu-kun!" Namori blanched. "No!"
...Hiyori folded her arms, giving Hikari a displeased stare.
"...It had to happen." Hikari declares.
…
"Do-don't look at me like that…" Hikari blushes, turning away from Hiyori's judgmental stare.
…
"Look…" Hikari sighs. "Sorry?"
Hiyori sighs. "We've got a long way to go, when it comes to diplomacy…"
"Osamu-ku~n…" Namori mourned her unconscious boyfriend.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
It took effort, but the conscious members of Hikari's party met up with Marigold and her mother. Hiyori had to carry Osamu the rest of the way.
They arrived to see Remilia there again, reclaiming her portrait and the blue christmas tree decoration that was associated.
"Can't we keep one?" Marigold smiles compromisingly.
"No." Remilia frowned. "These are items back from my rowdier years, and I'd prefer if they weren't laid to waste by some infants."
'You are a tiny midget woman.' Hikari dryly jabs mentally. She gives Remilia a patronizing stare, instead.
"Really…" Marigold folds her arms.
"Yes, really." Remilia places her portrait behind herself. "If you want loot of your own, you'd best go exploring for it. Thievery gets you nowhere."
Patchouli amends Remilia's statements. "...Remi, you got both of those things from treasure chests while on the hunt."
Remilia freezes up.
A finger was brought to the mage's lip. "...I'm not sure why a portrait of yourself was even stored away in someone else's possessions."
"It was that one vampire's manor, remember?" Remilia recalls the scenario, glazing over her previous charisma break. "The tall, bald one, with the dungeon full of little peasant girls?"
'I don't even want to know.'
"...Ooo~h." Patchouli nods. "...Still doesn't explain why it's infused with your power, now."
"Because I like it." Remilia grins. "Disgusting wretch he may have been… but deceptively talented artist."
Adding to that, Patchouli points out something else. "I don't think you really need that Neutron Bomb…"
Marigold's eyes widened. She knew it meant nukes. "Neutron Bomb!?"
'Neutron Bomb!?' Hikari thought it sounded intimidating, also because of Marigold's apparent surprise.
...Grinning at the party's reaction, Remilia soaks it in. "Ye~s. The mighty Neutron Bomb is at my disposal! This is just a fraction of my resources, Hakurei!"
Hiyori hadn't heard anything of the Manhattan Project yet, fortunately. She was simply confused.
...Patchouli sighs. "We just call it that. It's actually a simple knockback spell in a ball."
'...Oh.' The excited party members relax.
Remilia slouches. "...Why must you do these things to me, Patchy? Where's your sense of fun?"
"I'd rather my daughter didn't believe we had nukes at our disposal." Patchouli deadpans. "In any case, I can literally make you fifty of those in minutes, if I desired. They are not treasure."
...Remilia huffed. "Yea~h, alright… Fine." She moves to toss it at Marigold, but Patchouli stops it telekinetically mid-air.
"...Make sure it doesn't feel sudden impacts." Patchouli stared at Remilia sternly.
Remilia looks innocent.
Slowly, Patchouli floated it towards her daughter…
Marigold obtained Neutron Bomb!
"There you are." She nods. "Most effective on weak enemies. Big ones, not so much."
"...Cool." Marigold didn't have much else to say.
'...You know, that goes for a lot of things.' Hikari realizes. 'Can we get something that's effective on big enemies?'
…
"Mari~chan!"
Hana suddenly stood in the middle of the party, surprising everyone.
"Wo-woah!" Marigold's eyes widened.
'Huh…?' Hikari turned to her.
Hiyori tensed up, before relaxing again…
"Wha-huh…?" Osamu began stirring. "Du~de, my hea~d…"
Hikari tried Lifeup α!
"...Suddenly feels good." Fully awake, he nods in satisfaction.
"I'm back!" Hana exclaims, having respawned from the previous thrashing she received from Hikari and company after she had spilled an entire tower of pancakes on everyone.
...
"...Hello." Hikari greets her gingerly.
Turning around, Hana glomps Hikari. "Awwh! That bow makes you look so fluffy!"
'...Wh-why?' Hikari was confused, but the hug was welcomed.
…
Hana gasped. "Oh? Oo~h…!"
She reached a hand into Hikari's pocket-
'Hey, hey, hey!' Hikari began struggling, inflicting pain on Hana.
"Ouch, ouch- ahah!"
The heart gem Hikari had obtained earlier was plucked from her pocket by Hana, who gleamed at it. "Did Koishi-chan give this to you?"
'Wh-what…?' Hikari narrowed her eyes. "...Yes. I'd like it back."
"O-oh!" Hana handed it back to her. "Sorry! I just felt it, and like, I really wanted to see her again, so I thought she was in your pocket. Sorry."
…
'Oh. Makes sense.' Hikari sees nothing wrong with that reasoning.
"It's rude to assault people, Ha-chan." Marigold chides her.
"I said sorry!" Hana covers her head and does a partial crouch, despite not being under attack. "Don't yell at me…"
...Marigold melts. "...Ok-okay."
Hikari stares down at the gem. Patchouli's eyes widened, as she hovered towards Hikari… "That gem… She said you got it from someone?" She struggled to find Koishi's name.
"It's not for sale." Hikari monotones.
"I do not desire it." Patchouli deadpans in return. "I will tell you that it's magical, though."
'Really, now?' Hikari was not surprised. 'Why wouldn't it be?'
"Unfortunately, I couldn't identify why it has magic without proper examination." Patchouli shrugged. "If the magic isn't simply ambient. Numerous stones are like that."
"...Could I just channel my mana into it?" Hikari guessed.
"Well, if you don't know what it does, you could be writing yourself a death sentence, for all we know." Patchouli warns her.
Marigold adds her own thoughts, though. "I don't think Koishi would give us something that explodes."
"How can you simply trust some stranger?" Patchouli voiced what was likely coming from what motherly side she had. "I've never heard of any individual by the name of Koishi myself. What last name might she bare?"
"Komeiji." Marigold specifies.
Patchouli jerked her head back. "...That's…" Then, she shook it. "You're certain of this?"
"Channel mana into it, Hikari." Marigold decides for her.
'...I didn't decide anything yet.' Hikari was put on the spot. 'I-I guess I should, though…'
Hikari begins focusing on the gem…
Patchouli grimaced. "Hakurei, you fool! At least allow me to create a-a proper testing environment first!"
Scrambling, the purple mage began summoning random walls of stone from the floor, haphazardly surrounding the party.
One raises in front of Osamu's face. "Oh, shit!"
Hiyori sighed. "...I think this is a little heavy handed."
"Mom can get like that." Marigold looks relaxed. "She's just looking out for us. And her books."
Hikari was still focusing on the gem, brows furrowed. '...Ugh. This… is a lot of mana, an-and it's not working yet...'
…
The gem abruptly lights up a bright pink, glowing in Hikari's hand.
"W-wa~h…" Hikari felt uneasy from the amount of mana that was suddenly expelled from her body.
...It tried to jerk itself from Hikari's hand.
'He-hey!' Hikari clamped another hand on it. "Ba-bad stone…!"
'You're supposed to work with me! I-I… magic stones are my thing!'
Tufts of magical, green clouds shot from the gem, trailing off into the air and jerking Hikari's arms in multiple directions
Poof! Paf, poof!
Marigold stared at the action nervously. "U~hm... "
'Woah, woah, woah…!' Hikari braced herself for pain as the gem began flashing brightly, more bursts of cloudy magic fighting her grip on the gem.
Namori clammed up. "Hawawawa~!"
Hiyori cast Osamu to the floor-
"Oof!"
-and moved to aid Hikari, when-
Poo~f!
A large, green cloud of mist was expelled from the gem, whirling in the air over Hikari…
"Heeyyaaa~h!"
Koishi floated above the party, pumping her arms into the air. She took a few glances around, before floating back down to Hikari…
"Boop!" She poked her on the nose, a small ring of green mist expanding outward from the contact.
...Hikari crossed her eyes trying to stare at her nose.
"Ko-Koishi…?" Hiyori stared up at the floating girl.
"That's my name!" She winked at the oni, before staring down at Hikari. "...Kinda surprised how fast she figured it out. The stone, I mean… not my name. Heehee!"
"What're you doing here?" Hiyori blinked at her in surprise. "You were underground… There's no way you could've…"
Koishi giggled. "...I mean, I actually could've flown here. But that's besides the point- I made it so someone could summon me through that little gem there!" Koishi pointed at the glowing gem. "Y'see, I kinda saw what that-" Her voice went monotone, "-Giygas…" before returning upbeat, "guy did when she, he, whoever was all like 'we are one person mwahaha!', and I copied it!"
...Hiyori didn't follow. "What?"
"Basically, I tried to copy guy gas' shtick, and like, poke around in Hikari's mind and help her, and stuff." ...Koishi stared at her her arms, then down at Hikari. "Didn't really work so well. This is cool, too, though!"
'...I'm not even gonna ask.'
...Then, Koishi's eyes widen. "Oh- just one more thing, I-"
"Koishi-cha~n!" Hana couldn't contain herself, leaping up to glomp the satori.
"Oompf!"
They collided with one of the earth pillars.
"Hello~!"
...Koishi beamed. "Ha-cha~n! What're you doing here!? Aw, man, this is awesome! All my friends are here!"
'...That's a rather small bank of friends.' Hikari considered. '...I'm one to talk, though.'
"...An-anyway!" Koishi looked back down at Hikari. "I'm not, like, actually here! It's just kinda a-a thing using Hikari's mana!"
'...I feel swindled.'
"That's so cool…!" Osamu gaped from the floor. "Summoning shit works!?"
"Are you… draining her mana? Right now?" Marigold seems apprehensive.
Koishi pauses, breaking from Hana. "...Well, not her mana. This form eats it like a beast man eats the food he eats. It's greedy!"
Marigold nods. "...So it's a one time cost."
"Mmm!" Koishi hums in agreeance. "...I'm a one-time, limited offer! Ten easy payments of about a third of your mana, and I'm here! I can stick around longer if I talk and do absolutely nothing useful." ...She seemingly loses energy. "I wouldn't mind that, personally…"
...Patchouli hovers over the rock pillars, staring at Koishi. Koishi smiles back.
Hikari looks up at her. "...I think you would have knocked me out, if you took that much."
She glances down at Hikari, but Patchouli engages her in conversation.
"You are Komeiji's supposed sister, correct?" Patchouli looks inquisitive.
Koishi is charmed and re-energized. "O~h, yes! Are you a friend of her's? It's kinda hard for me to keep track sometimes, 'cause-"
"Unfortunately, you see, I am skeptical." Patchouli counters, smirking. "...For, from what I can tell, you cannot read minds."
...Koishi looks a little awkward. Her voice changes drastically to a more timid one. "U-uhm… ye-yes. I can't…"
"You see why I'm skeptical?" Patchouli frowns. "...For this reason, I believe you aren't who you say you are."
Hiyori didn't like the sound of that. Koishi floated down for a moment, glancing at Hikari with a glare. "Hey, uh… Ari? You mind tellin' me to defend myself here?"
Marigold rose a brow. "Defend yourself?"
"Come back out here, phantom." Patchouli remains in place, speaking with veiled malice. "I have a few things to discuss with you."
...Koishi nods exaggeratedly, speaking meekly. "Sh-she's plannin' 'a smoke me out… I'm, li-like, a goner…"
"...W-well," Hikari scratched her cheek, put off by her whirlwind of emotions. "Defend yourself, then. You don't need my permission."
Koishi giggled. "Yeah, uhm, I kinda do. Look, there's like-" She took out a scroll which emitted cloudy green magic. "It's complicated. I'm kinda breaking familiar rules, summoning rules, reality rules..."
She dropped the bottom of the scroll. It bounced off the floor, and rolled forward, passing the entire party before it weaved out of the stone pillars, rolling off into parts unknown.. On it, was very, very, very tiny font, in Japanese.
'Wow.'
Hiyori and Marigold gaped.
Hana and Namori had their eyebrows raised.
"Fuck." Osamu summarized.
Koishi grins, and taps it again, poofing it away. "Basically. The whole 'permission' thing is both so ya can strategize, and basically 'cause physics says so."
...Hikari nods. "Alright, then. Be gentle with her, alright?"
"She's my mother." Marigold adds. "If you hurt her, I'll have Hikari summon you just so I can shoot you."
"Ahahah…" Koishi blushes. "Don't worry. I'll treat her ultra~ soft!"
Floating back over the pillar, Koishi greets the mage.
"He~y, there, angry- woah!" Koishi bends out of the way to dodge a blue sphere of energy. "...Ain't it a little early to be callin' war!?"
"You have my daughter under your influence." Patchouli decides. "For that, you will die."
...Koishi giggles. "Oo~kay, lady. We usin' chopsticks, or silverware?"
'Koishi, attack!'
Hikari's mental command forces Koishi's arms to move. "Hey- wha!?"
Patchouli floats back, as Koishi launched her offensive.
The short satori's arms moved involuntarily, swiping at the air and sending out foggy, trailing beams of green energy "Hyah, hoo, hah!"
Koishi tried HK Uneasy α!
Koishi tried HK Nervous α!
Koishi tried HK Bravery α!
Poof!
Each bolt was absorbed into Patchouli's body, causing her to dissipate the fireball she was casting. "Wh-what…?"
Poof!
The next bolt changed her emotions. "I-I shouldn't be…" Patchouli stared at Koishi timidly.
Poof!
"...I-I have to do it for Marigold!" She resummoned the fireball with renewed vigor, glaring at Koishi.
Koishi smiled widely out of fear. "And this one may leave a mark!"
Koishi tried HK Happy ß!
Patchouli stared at Koishi.
…
The fireball whirled in her hand, slowly shrinking.
…
"Is everything alright up there?" Marigold called out.
The rock pillars slowly lowered back into magical circles, revealing an untarnished library floor.
"...On second thought…" Patchouli smiled, letting the fireball fizzle out. "I think I'll be willing to negotiate."
...Koishi was jerked back towards the stone. "E-eep! Out of mana!"
A stream of gaseous, green magic between her and the stone formed.
"Hikari, always remember, I always loved-" Koishi began getting pulled towards the stone, "-your pretty red bow!"
Ti~ng!
Koishi became a cloud of green mist, which traveled back into the pink gem, which promptly went out.
…
"That happened." Hikari was running out of disbelief.
...Patchouli landed on the floor ahead of the party, looking pleased, if a bit confused. "...Wh-what just happened? I summoned those rocks, and…" She grimaced. "...My memory cannot be degrading."
That said, she begins walking towards Marigold. "I feel pleased and worried at the same time, however. I'm also really in the mood for a hug."
Marigold is taken by surprise as the fluffy mage hugs her.
…
"Y-yay…" Namori celebrated the snuggling in the background.
Awkwardly, Patchouli broke the hug. "...Awkwardness. Now I'm back in my element."
'...All's well that ends well.' Hikari figures. '...Summoning Koishi eats almost as much mana as my fantasy lightshow attack. I guess I'll have to use it sparingly...'
...Floating up off the ground, Patchouli retreats towards her study. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go forget my previous blunder ever happened."
…
"Koishi-chan's so cool…!" Hana hugs herself.
"...Wh-who?" Namori tilts her head.
Everyone turns to face her, slowly.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"Come back soo~n!" Hana waved over enthusiastically at the manor gate, practically knocking herself over with each throw of her arm.
"Ye-yeah!" Namori gives her best attempt at raising her voice.
"Don't be strangers." Meiling smiles at them as they depart. "Make some noise out there, Marigold."
Marigold turns to her, and grins. "No problem."
"...Don't die, either." Meiling amends. "That's kinda important."
"...No problem." Marigold deadpans.
The four march away from the manor gates below the bright noon sky, the overcast of earlier having faded.
Hiyori takes the lead. "Hikari… where do you think we should go next?"
Marigold walks faster. "I think we should head to my Mom's place. Mostly so we can get that dirt rag we got for Osamu refurbished…"
"Sounds good." Osamu had no problems with this.
...Hikari hums in agreement. 'We could also visit Marisa's, and get Marigold that big rocket.'
With that, Hiyori comes to a stop ahead of the other three. "Grab on, everyone. We're gonna teleport there."
==== GENSOYKOBOUND ====
Meiling and the two fairies watched the four line up behind the oni…
"...Ha-chan, you know what they're doing?" Meiling wondered.
"No clue!" Hana beamed.
"...Gr-group hug?" Namori guessed.
"...More like a group conga." Meiling snorted. "Cute."
...The party began getting tugged around in a circular pattern, Hikari and company acting like a limp rope as they held onto the oni.
Meiling's eyes widened. "Wh-what…!?"
Hana clapped her hands. "Yea~h! They're dancing!"
Namori clapped her hands around her mouth. "U-uhm…!?"
…
KraKoo~m!
A circle of flames was left behind as the party vanished, a streak of light blinding those observing.
"Ghh…" Meiling shielded her eyes. "...What was that?"
"Fun." Hana looked in the wrong direction, temporarily blinded.
"Ow…" Namori held her eyes.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
KraKoo~m!
They touched down outside Alice's house, where Hiyori loudly skidded to a halt in the dirt with the heels of her sandals.
Bam.
Hikari was squished against her.
'I'm an idiot.' Hikari noted that Hiyori smelled of rocks.
'Considering I was underground for who knows how long, I know what rocks smell like.'
...Alice's door swung open. "What in the world…?"
...Marigold shook her dizziness off, turning to wave at her. "...Hi, Mom!"
"...Hi." Alice unsurely greeted them. "...You just appeared outside my house with a loud bang, and you brought an oni with you."
Hiyori notices her, and grins awkwardly.
"I think this calls for an explanation." Alice's tone conveys finality.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Inside, the four all sat around a wooden table. Hiyori and Hikari doubled up on one side, because the table did not have five sides.
"...So…" Alice took a deep breath. "The moment you left my house, you flew to heaven, scaled the entire mountain, went to Old Hell, destroyed a robot factory, met an oni, and came home."
…
'We didn't actually destroy the factory.' Hikari reasoned. 'That's also not the right order of events…'
"I mean, basically…?" Osamu grinned sheepishly.
…
Alice sighed. "I've got a feeling something's not right here, but I can't exactly call you liars…" She stared at the oni. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Hiyori." She supplied. "I'm a buddhist. I do not drink alcohol."
…
"Kids, I'd like you to step outside for a moment." Alice monotoned. "Hiyori and I have something to discuss together. Alone."
'Yeah, this was inevitable, wasn't it?'
...Osamu huffed. "I'm startin' ta think Hiyori's the one who needs ta learn diplomacy, here…!"
"Summon Koishi." Marigold immediately requested. "It worked last time."
"No." Hikari denied. "She eats my magic."
"Summon the dragon." Osamu beckons.
Alice's motherly senses began mobilizing her into action. "I said let us talk."
Strings began lifting Marigold, who was slowly dragged from the room. "M-mom! She's alright! She- woah!"
Marigold was rocketed out of the room.
...Hikari felt herself begin to be lifted. 'For the love of…'
Pulling out the heart gem, Hikari focused her mana into it. 'Hnngh…'
She was positioned in front of the door, when-
Poo~f! Paf, poof!
She was jerked around, displacing Alice's carefully strung wire, and forcing her to shake in the air. Green, gaseous magic flowed from the gem and shot outward, until-
Poo~f!
"Heeyyaaa~h!"
Koishi twirled out, pumping her arms into the air. She looked around…
An angry Alice paused. "...Wh-who are you? Where are you people coming from, all of a sudden…?"
"Oh, hey!" Koishi beamed. "It's the crazy puppet lady!"
"Hey!" Marigold called from outside.
Hikari was then thrown outside by the strings, landing next to Marigold.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: OSAMU'S VIEW ====
'Whelp, there goes Hikari.' He nods as she leaves the room.
"Oh! Whelp, see you, Ari." Koishi waves at her. "Geesh. Hakurei maidens, am I right? Always flyin' all over the place..."
'How the hell should I know?' Osamu grinned.
"...I'll question you next." Alice dismisses Koishi's presence. "I'm more concerned by why my daughter's suddenly being escorted by an oni."
"What have I done?" Hiyori stands up, holding her arms out. "I've done nothing but protect your daughter."
...At this, Alice seems to relent. "...Re-really…?"
...Hiyori huffs. "Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but… I don't drink, or anything."
…
Alice sighs. "I-I guess I was being a little rash, there…"
Koishi's arms began moving. "Wh-whoops! U~hm… what boss lady says goes! Sorry 'bout this!"
'I got no idea how her gem thing works.'
...Alice furrows her brows. "I'm sorry?"
Koishi tried HK Sorrow α!
Koishi tried HK Lust α!
Koishi tried HK Happy α!
Slinging her arms around, Koishi sent out streamed, cloudy beams of green energy. "Heh! Hah! Hoo!"
The first beam approached Alice on a curve, and she tried to block it with her arm…
Poof!
...Alice grimaced. "Wh-what have I done…?"
She didn't acknowledge the next beam sneaking around the other angle…
Poof!
Her eyes widened. "O-oh, my…!"
Clutching her skirt, the final beam struck her in the chest.
Poof!
"...We-well…" She looked around, then at her hands. "What was that all about?"
...Gulping, Koishi reeled her arm back, suddenly becoming solemn… "I-I'm sorry about this…"
Koishi tried HK Sorrow ß!
…
Alice dropped to the floor in front of Hiyori, bowing. "Please forgive me."
'Woah!' Osamu grinned down at her.
...Hiyori sighed, turning to Koishi. "You can manipulate emotions, can't you?"
"Ye~p." Koishi winks. "I can do all sorts of amazing things! Like, make people laugh...!"
…
"Wow. Short resume..." Koishi notes.
'She's sellin' herself short, there. She can beat people up!... Indirectly, I mean…'
…
"Ye-yeah…" Koishi rubs the back of her head. "I'd fix this, but uh… not a lot you can do over gem-spirit doohickies. It's like, like tryin'a call while you're in a tunnel! Some of it gets through… but only when it feels like it!"
'Yeah, I'd imagine.' Osamu observed from his seat. He didn't get the call analogy, but he knew what it was like to live in a tiny house. 'It's probably pretty cramped in there.'
...Hiyori stares down at Alice. "...I-I forgive you. Please stand up."
Slowly, Alice raises to her feet. Then, she feels her head… "...U~gh…"
...Then, she blinks, and locks eyes with Hiyori again… before settling her gaze on Koishi.
"You." She addresses her. "You're far more dangerous than that oni."
...Koishi shrugs. "Everyone's a critic, today…"
"Leave." Alice requests of her.
"Would you like fries with that?" Koishi grins.
...Strings begin pulling her towards the door. "He-hey, could I interest you in a subscription to-"
She was expelled. "Woa~h!"
The door slammed shut.
…
"Ya know…" Osamu began, before he idly scanned the table for snacks. He found none. "...Marigold and Hikari're outside."
The door swings back open, and Alice rushes outside, not bothering to touch the floor.
He chuckles, while Hiyori simply shakes her head. "...I hope every other place we go doesn't end up like this."
'...The village'd be a riot!'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
"Apparently, the lotion dispenser has this defense spell in it…" Marigold made idle conversation.
'People like kicking us out, as if we wouldn't walk right back in.' Hikari reflected. '...I mean, we don't, but that's not exactly the point.'
"I think it's because of your ofuda." Marigold states.
Hikari was snapped out of her thoughts. "...Really?"
Koishi flew outside, over them. "...I received your message, Hikari, ma'am!"
'...Good?' Hikari was skeptical. "...How did she take it?"
...Koishi ducked, as a lance flew over her head. "Ahaha~h… Not well."
Alice was at the door, appearing resolute. "What do you want with us?"
"Nothin'!" Koishi objected, snarling. "Honestly! Gah!"
'I wonder…' Hikari had an idea.
"You don't attempt to hijack someone's emotions just because." Alice frowns.
'Koishi, return!'
...Koishi turns to Hikari. "Uu~hm, the command's 'dismiss'. Yeah, picky, I know."
...Hikari stared at her dryly. 'Koishi, dismiss.'
"See ya!" Koishi waved to Alice, before her form came undone, becoming a cloud of green mist which returned to the gem.
The gem went dark.
…
"...Something very suspicious happened just now." Alice announced. Then, she blushed. "...But I have no idea what."
...Grinning, Marigold went up to her. "Ahah… C'mon, Mom. Let's go inside…"
Alice paled. "...I-I'm not… How did I get here?"
'I might wanna save Koishi for actual fights…' Hikari decides. 'Using her for diplomacy's just kinda asking for trouble…'
She slouches. 'That... and she really tires me out… in both respects.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"...I keep forgetting how fickle Gensokyo is, despite having lived in it for well over multiple decades, by now." Alice sighs. "I suppose weirder has happened."
"I was surprised by how surprised you were." Marigold adds. "Seriously."
Alice smiles. "It's not every day your daughter, whom had comfortably come home on a routine basis and without change, suddenly comes home after travelling a good portion of the world with an oni. That, and that… girl that Hikari summoned, according you four…"
...Marigold looks awkward. "Ri-right…"
Osamu shrugged. "I dunno. Could be worse."
"As if I didn't know that." Alice shot back.
...Hikari and Marigold just gave him a flat stare.
"Not that worse!" Osamu protests, holding up one hand to gesticulate, and using his other to reach for a nearby snack bowl. "Like, damn. I mean, what if she came home with two oni? Ah? How about them marbles?"
...Alice relaxed. "...Mmm. I was never into 'what if' questions, myself. I can recommend you to someone who is, though."
'Situation salvaged.' Hikari relaxes, herself. 'And I didn't have to hit Osamu, this time.'
"...If you all plan on heading to the village, though…" Alice held a hand to her chin. "...Actually, I think Keine would be receptive. Somewhat."
Hikari snorted. 'Don't jinx us, please…'
"Mom," Marigold began, "You see that red rag on Osamu's torso?"
"Yes, I do." Alice notices it. "I'm genuinely curious as to what he did to the adjusted robe I made him."
"It got blown up." Marigold summarized.
"Blown up." Alice broke into a grin. "As a robe does."
Marigold grinned, as well. "...We'd like it if you fashioned that rag into a new robe… or at least, patched it into his old robe. It's sturdy."
"Is it, now?" Alice struts over to Osamu, and examines the material. "...You're not wrong. The enchantment wasn't made to last more than a year, though. Rather cheap thing…"
...She lifts it from Osamu's shoulders, folding it up. "Let me see what I could do with this, first… Keep your robe on."
...Osamu rose a brow as she claimed the rag. "Don't we hafta do measurements and all that shit? Not that I'm complainin', but…
Alice waves him off. "Oh, I've recorded those, already."
He double-takes. "Wait, what?"
"You were here before." Alice explains. "I kept your measurements from then."
...He was in an argumentative mood. "We-well, what if I grew!?"
"In three days." Alice grins. "Considering how tall you are, I doubt that you've grown in the past year."
Osamu steamed. "Grrh…"
Turning towards her table of projects and materials, Alice folded up the red cloth, and sat it down in an empty space. Dolls moved to clear room and rearrange supplies, plopping them in places Alice moved to grab from before they were even placed.
"...I'll probably be needing you robe, too." Alice decides. "This rag has surprisingly little cloth to work with."
...Standing, Osamu moves for the guest room. "You got any, like… spare stuff?"
"Check the closet. Throw on anything." Alice dismissively waved him off. "It's going to be a little while."
'A little while, huh…?' Hikari began looking around the room.
…
'So many dolls…' Hikari observed the doll armada on shelves again. 'The way all the ones on the top shelf are in uniform is kinda cool…'
...Marigold stretched. "...We could play chess."
'Chess, huh? Kinda western, but all things considered...' She furrowed her brows. 'Wait, are we in the east? West…? Somewhere in between?'
"Is that a no?" Marigold pouts.
"A-ah…" Hikari realizes she has to say words to get responses. "N-no, I was just thinking. Sure."
She began scanning the room for the chess board…
Marigold turns to her mother. "Mom, we want to play chess."
Alice glances over. "Oh? Very well…"
'...Is Chess important, or something?' Hikari was beginning to get confused. Twisting herself around in her chair, she began looking for the board more avidly... 'I can't even see the board…'
A nearby vanity opened up, and dolls dressed in blue and red hovered out, in uniform lines.
The table was soon cleared of remaining debris by two similarly dressed, but oddly colored white dolls.
"Wha- hey! No!" Osamu reached for the snack bowl which was whisked away. "Get back here!"
Each color of doll filed into two lines, and each line was two dolls wide.
Once they stopped shifting, Hikari gazed at the bigger picture…
'O~h… We're playing some fancy Chess, then.'
Hiyori nodded at the Chess game. "...That's actually pretty cool."
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
A snowflake shaped pattern of ice crystals materialized around the white-clad chess doll, freezing and thawing rapidly.
Boom!
The doll was blown to smithereens, icy chunks raining across the room. The snack bowl dropped to the floor, encased in a block of ice.
A few ice shards landed on Alice's desk.
…
Marigold shook her head. "Wo~w."
Osamu grinned sheepishly. "Hehehe~h…"
...Alice sighed, expression unreadable due to facing away from the party. "I'd recommend you didn't go around blowing my dolls up. Let me just say that they do not appreciate it."
Osamu furrowed his brows. "They?"
Shi~ng!
The other white-clad doll amassed a lance out of nowhere, and pointed it at his face, inches away from contact.
"Wo-woaa~h!?" He flailed his arms, falling backwards.
Thud! "...Ouch."
...Smiling, Alice turns to face him. "So, please, treat them how you would like to be treated."
…
"That's Mom's way of telling you to not touch her stuff." Marigold simplified it for him.
"Oh." He relaxed. "Well, shit. Tell it not to touch my snacks!"
Alice's smile became ironic. "...That I provided for you." She turned to her daughter. "Did you really have to ruin the fun?"
"You weirded him out." Marigold sat her eyes on the board, and blinked. "...You wanna go first, Hikari?"
Hikari nodded, and examined the board…
...Alice shrugged, and went back to work over her counter.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
...Hastily, Osamu ran back inside, slamming the door shut behind himself. Since he had changed out of his torn up robes, he now wore a mixture of generic clothing and some random odds and ends from certain unique outfits he saw in the closet. Namely, he took out a single Hakurei arm sleeve, and decided to attach a maid headdress to his arm.
'I have no idea what he was thinking, but it's temporary, anyway. I probably would have done something similar…'
Idly, Hiyori and the two Chess contenders glanced at him, before looking back at the game.
'I wouldn't have been caught dead going outside in it, though.'
...Hikari made a strained face as she thought about her move. '...If I go there, my queen'll be open. But I have to, I think…'
...Wincing, Hikari makes her move.
…
Marigold proceeds to take her queen with a bishop.
"No~..." Hikari whines.
"I'll be honest. I haven't played Chess for years, and I hardly know what I'm doing." Marigold smiles casually.
'...Is that supposed to make me feel better!?'
The door bangs loudly, as Osamu presses his back up against it.
…
Hiyori stared. "What was-"
"Nothin'!" Osamu gives a big, cheesy smile. "I just, uh-" Bang, bang! "...fell into the door?"
...The party's stares were dry.
...Bang, bang!
On the other side, a woman's raspy voice came out. "Open up, human! Your precious puppeteer seems to not be home!"
Alice turns from the counter, looking vaguely annoyed. "Oh, it's one of those ones."
...Hikari decides to get up. "Hiyori, watch my pieces."
Hiyori gives her a thumbs up, while Marigold gives her a pout.
...Stepping up to the door, Hikari pushed Osamu aside.
"Dude, be careful." He cautioned her. "I don't even know what that bitch is."
'...What?'
Shaking it off, Hikari swings the door open.
On the other side, a large worm topped by a woman's torso loomed over her. "...Oo~h! Is this your girlfriend!? Appetizing…!"
...Hikari's jaw dropped. "Wow. You're… slimey."
'I was about to call her ugly, but that would be rude. Besides, her human half doesn't look that bad…'
Grinning, the worm girl revealed her smashed teeth. "Come to Kamiya, baby~!"
Before the worm girl could even engage Hikari, a lance flew into her.
Shink!
"...Hgh-huuh…?" Still grinning, her eyes widened as she contorted to stare at her new piercing. "...Da-damn…"
A few more whizzed past her, but the worm girl turned around and began slithering along the floor, the lance embedded in it forcing it to move awkwardly, partially dragging itself whenever it got caught against the forest floor. Purple blood created a trail into the brush.
…
Hikari shook her head. "That was necessary."
Alice paused, turning away from her work again. "...You'd have rather me let that youkai hurt you? Good to know."
'...I don't think she's absorbed that bit about 'exploring half of Gensokyo', yet…'
Moving to resume her game, Hikari sat down on her end of the Chess board.
'Or that thing about healing myself. Healing magic seems pretty uncommon…'
...Osamu glanced out the door, before resolving to close it gently, coming to terms that the Forest of Magic wasn't quite a place to frolic in without friends nearby.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"It is done." Alice declares, holding up the new dark blue and red robe. "The enchantment should last a little longer, too."
Osamu grinned. "Cool. Thanks."
...Alice stared at his 'temporary' clothing.
"...Du~de, this is awesome!" Osamu unfurled the robe, examining it.
Osamu obtained Rugged Robe!
"...Why are you wearing an arm sleeve? Better question, what's that maid headdress doing as a bracelet..?" Alice observes with a grain of salt.
Osamu grins. 'I dunno! I'm just tryin' out styles."
'Styles.' Hikari's brows rose, as she looked up from her Chess game. 'Sure.'
Marigold moved her king to capture Hikari's last pawn, leaving the two with nothing but their kings.
...Hikari moved hers,and Marigold moved hers. They continued to move like this for a few moments…
"I think it's a stalemate." Hiyori comments.
Before Hikari can say anything, the dolls suddenly break from their position, and begin attacking each other with regal staves.
Clink! Clink!
Then, they pulled out large, decorated broadswords. They were silver and gold, with fancy red and blue designs running up the blades.
Cla~ng!
The table vibrated as their swords clashed. The pieces placed on the sidelines began moving, cheering their respective faction's king as the two struck each other repeatedly.
Blow from each king landed upon one another, their armors protecting them from excessive battle damage, until they both held their swords high.
Pillars of flame and ice emerged from the table's surface, engulfing both dolls, until both were encased, in cinder and frost respectively.
The dolls on the sidelines stopped moving, cupping their hands over their mouths.
…
'Wow.'
"...That was dark." Marigold grinned. "I don't remember that stalemate animation."
"I actually had Patchouli help me with that some time ago." Alice explained, smiling smugly. "She helped me perfect the final bits, with the fire and ice spells. You just wouldn't see it often, because stalemates are uncommon."
Hikari stood from her chair, finding her back stiff. 'Wo-woah…'
Marigold was used to sitting in chairs for long periods of time, finding herself fine after an extended sitting session. "...I think we'll be heading out soon."
Alice nodded. "Very well. Try not to go anywhere off-road again, though, okay? You're exceedingly fortunate to not have anything encounter you on the way…"
'You'd be surprised.' Hikari slouched, rubbing her back…
"Lemme throw this robe on…" Osamu moves for the guest room, again.
"We'll try." Hiyori makes no promises.
...Alice noted that, but chose to ignore it, instead sighing. "...Right."
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Outside the house, Osamu strutted around while gazing at his new duds.
"I'm such a badass, dude…" He grins. "When we walk into the village, I'm gonna look like an evil wizard!"
'When did we decide we'd go to the village, later…?' Hikari furrows her brows. '...We should probably make some stops around other places, though. The kappa valley could probably help with Marigold's stuff, and…'
She notices Osamu's yukkuri beanie.
'We're buying him a new hat.'
The four continued on the path towards Marisa's abode…
"Yo~u!"
Stopping at the sound of the long, raspy yell, the party turned towards the brush.
From it, the worm girl emerged. "Hahaha~! It's my lucky da~y!"
She slithered towards Hikari, who reeled her gohei back…
SMAAAA~SH!
"Guh!?" The worm girl flinched from the strike. "...Meals don't fight!"
Recovering quickly, the worm girl lunged at Hikari as a counter attack, sinking her teeth into the arm she raised in defense.
With a strong pull, flesh was ripped from Hikari's arm.
"Aa-aaaa~h!" Hikari's eyes widened, her arm shaking.
'Ow, ow, ow…!'
Hiyori immediately threw herself into action, coming to her side.
Hiyori tried Lifeup ß!
...The chunk of flesh missing from Hikari's arm slowly began to heal. "O-ouch, ouch…"
This time, the worm girl went for Hiyori, biting at her throat. "Mine!"
She clamped her teeth around Hiyori's neck.
…
Again, she attempted to pull strongly, but only managed to leave some red marks on her flesh. Displeased, the worm girl bowled herself into Hiyori, to little effect.
Hiyori attempted to pick her up, but she slithered out of her grasp, attempting to engage the other party members.
"Hahaha~!"
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
"Huh!?" The worm girl was locked in place by a rapidly freezing and thawing snowflake-shaped pattern of ice crystals…
Boom!
"Hunh…" She locked up, parts of her body frozen. "H-hah…"
Flopping on the floor, the worm girl was unable to do much more. "...Hnh!"
'...Awful thing.' Hikari rubbed her arm where the flesh wound was, finding dirty teeth marks still there.
...She began firing danmaku from her mouth, brown bullets flying straight forward into a tree trunk.
Hikari considered hitting her again, but Hiyori moved to stop her. "We've won. Let's leave it at this."
'...Fine.' Hikari shook her head, moving forward on the path to Marisa's house.
"Stupid fuckin' worms… I didn't even know worm youkai were a thing!" Osamu complained.
"Ga-gaagh!" She snarled at the party as they left, marching off to Marisa's house.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Nearing the shack, Hikari glanced at her funds…
'Seven thousand, three hundred yen…' She counted. 'That's good.'
Marigold knocked on the door.
…
It swung open. "Aa~h? O-oh, hey!" Her eyes widened upon seeing her daughter. "You're here for the new rocket, right…?"
"Mmm." Marigold hummed. "I still have one of the last ones, too…"
Marisa whirls inside, digging through books and rubbish. "Hold on, I got it… Where the hell…"
...Victoriously, she yanked it from the books. "Haha~, ze!"
...The book pile began rumbling.
Marisa scowled. "Ah, shit."
The party stood back as the mountain of books bowled over, Marisa rapidly stomping up the flat covers of books as the pile flowed towards her.
Eventually, she slid outside, surfing atop an oversized tome, gritting her teeth as she held the giant rocket.
'Tha~t's a big rocket…'
...Marisa dropped it to the floor, producing a small vibration. "Haa~h… S-so yeah, it's big."
...Marigold gazed upon it with wide eyes. "That's more like a siege weapon…"
"Speakin' of nukes…!" Osamu grinned at it. "Think we could knock over an oni with this?"
...Hiyori gave him a curious stare. "I'd rather we didn't find out."
Marisa giggled. "I only got this one, and lemme tell you, it wasn't cheap."
Closer inspection showed Hikari that it wasn't just a colossal rocket, but along the base, a ton of smaller bottle rockets were tied to the base, string connecting the inner portions with precisely cut holes.
"How am I supposed to carry this?" Marigold stared at it apprehensively herself. "You can barely carry it."
"Well…" Marisa scratched her cheek in idle contemplation. "We could try a lightweight spell, or somethin'. Or shrinkin' it. I figured Hiyori there'd just carry it."
...Hiyori shrugged. "I'm not sure about that…"
"Aw, c'mon!" Marisa tried to pressure her. "Just strap it to yer back!"
Hikari intervenes. "Hiyori kinda needs to be able to move. I think that lightweight spell'd work."
"...Yeah, that sounds good." Marigold agrees.
"So, between the kappa stuff, and the parts... " Marisa nods. "Sweet! That'll be two thousand yen."
…
The disagreement was universal.
"Wha~t!?"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
'...I didn't need that money anyway…' Hikari comforted herself.
Marigold's backpack had the oversized rocket strapped to the back of it, but it was manageable after the lightweight spell was cast on it. "...How much farther is the village…?" Marginally more manageable, anyway.
"Not too far." Hikari spoke.
Osamu grinned. "Hiyori, yer gonna like it there."
...Hiyori snorted. "Sure."
That was when they were interrupted by the most unstoppable of forces.
"Hey, you!"
Cirno descended from above, accompanied by fairy friends. "Eye heard what you did to Rumia, the other day!"
...Hikari turned to her friends, who shrugged.
"What did we do?" Hikari asked her.
"Don't play dumb!" Cirno jabbed a finger in the air at her. "Eye know all, and Eye see all! Eye'm the strongest on this here path!"
"...I think that would be my Mom." Hikari counters.
Osamu folded his arms. "What's a puny little fairy like you gonna do to us? We've got an oni!"
...Hiyori snorted. "...As happy as I am to be treated as a weapon of destruction, I'd like to know if we can resolve this matter peacefully."
Cirno glared at her. "There can be no peace!"
Osamu chuckled.
'Well, there's that question answered.'
Stomping up to the four, Cirno gestures to the fairies behind her to follow suit. "Everyone! Introduce yerselves!"
The blue-clad fairy walks up to Osamu, looking conflicted. "...Star Sapphire. You can't see me."
...Osamu blinks. "I can?"
The orange-haired fairy in the back growls. "Sta~r! That was my line!"
"O-oh, bloody…" Star sighs. "I mean, I can see you."
...Osamu nods. "Wow. You have eyes."
"...Told you that line was stupid." Star addresses Cirno.
"Shut up." Cirno counters.
The blonde fairy lazily floats up to Marigold. "I'm Luna Child. I… forgot what I was going to say."
The orange-haired fairy maid growled, running up to Hiyori. "Sunny Milk! You can't see me!"
...Hiyori grins. "I wouldn't be so sure about that…?"
Finally, Cirno approached Hikari, with a big, cocky grin. "Eye'm Cirno! Yer not sending me back to the ice age!"
'...What?' Hikari was confused by her attempt at wit.
Marigold can't contain her grin. "You certainly look like a dinosaur."
...The three fairies of light give polite giggles.
Gritting her teeth, Cirno begins the battle. "Fairies, attack!"
Instantly, Sunny disappeared as she leaped backwards, causing Hiyori's eyes to widen.
Luna Child tried Silence α!
Marigold stepped back as magical prisms formed around her. They dissipated, and traveled back to Luna, becoming a solid, blue orb of cloudy magic. "Magician neutralized…"
Attempting to speak, Marigold opened her mouth, only to find no words could come out.
Star ducked back, avoiding Osamu's fist, as she retreated towards her party members. "Good! Luna, can you seal the others?"
"No can do~..." Luna pouted. "I collected as much mana as I could…"
Sunny's irate voice came from nothing. "What!? I thought you said you could seal any of them!"
"...I never said that." Luna denies outright.
Cirno lunges forward and pushes Hikari over.
Hikari lands on her bum. "Oof…"
'...That was just uncalled for.'
Grinning, Cirno leaped back towards the other three fairies. "Which one's got the most fight in 'em!?"
Star squints… "...I think it's either the one with the horns, or the shrine maiden…"
Cirno targets Hiyori. "On it! Ice Sign, Icicle Machinegun!"
Holding out both of her arms, they both begins unleashing rapidfire ice danmaku, forcing HIyori to begin strafing linearly…
Frustrated, Marigold reaches into her pocket, and begins fishing around…
Smug, Osamu sat his eyes on the ice fairy. "How's a taste of yer own medicine sound…!?"
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
Cirno was engulfed by the snowflake shaped pattern of ice crystals, which began rapidly freezing and thawing...
Boom!
...Cirno was untouched, looking more alert. "S-so~ good…!"
...Hikari and Marigold gave him dry stares. He shrugged.
'Using their own element on them is obviously not strategically viable.'
...Brandishing her gohei, Hikari began running towards the fairies from the side…
Star perked up. "Look out! Shrine maiden on our right!"
Eyes widening, Cirno fires to their left, inadvertently clipping Hiyori with the ice bullets as she did so.
"Gh…" Hiyori was left slightly uncomfortable.
Hikari sprinted towards Star-
Bam!
Sunny flickered back into visibility, her fist held out in front of Hikari's face. Hikari stumbled backward…
"Hahaha~! I can't believe that worked!" Sunny mirthfully cheered. "Like- hahaha~! Wo~w…!"
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Boom!
A tree fell over, struck by lightning.
Thwaa~sh!
Pi~chun!
Luna became a concept.
"O-oh, bloody hell!" Star flinched violently. "Th-they got Luna!"
Sunny's mirth was over. "Wh-what!? How!?"
...She flew back as Hikari swung her gohei at her.
'Darn it.'
"They summoned lightning!" Star shouted.
The blue orb Luna dropped shattered on the ground, and the magic traveled back to Marigold.
...Marigold said words. "Of all the fairies we had to meet, we met the ones with annoying, obscure support spells."
Sunny got angrier. "Shut up!"
Sunny Milk tried PK Flash ß!
Osamu began feeling strange! "...Wh-what the hell…?"
Marigold began crying! "Wh-what? M-my eyes…"
Hiyori fainted, collapsing on her side.
"Yeah!" Cirno beamed. "Eye got her! Eye got her!"
...Hikari was unaffected.
'Oh, boy…' Hikari watched her party instantly dismantle.
"Three to go!" Star reports, because it wasn't obvious.
Sniffing loudly, Marigold wiped her nose, and pulled the Neutron Bomb from her pocket. "He-here…!"
She tossed it forward blindly…
Hikari silently retreated behind Osamu, who absent-mindedly turned to her. "O-oh, hey, Hikari…"
The Neutron Bomb hit the floor.
Kri~ng!
A loud, shrill noise made everyone flinch…
Pi-Pi~chun!
Subtly, a blue orb expanded outward. The two fairies of light were instantly destroyed, and Cirno was simply knocked backward into the blast, backflipping into a faceplant.
...Leaves settled around her, floating to the floor gently.
Hikari tried Healing ß!
Marigold stopped crying. She still needed to clear the snot, however… "Achoo! A-achoo! Achoo~... ugh…"
...Osamu slowly turned to face her.
"...Ho-how annoying…" Marigold wiped her nose, again.
Cirno leaped from the floor, standing tall again. "Ey-eye'm not done, yet! Ice Sign, Fairy Spin!"
'Really?' Hikari glared at her wearily.
The ice fairy began spinning in place, a spread of icicles flying outward from herself, towards the party.
Grimacing, Marigold fiddled with her backpack, trying to get a gun out. "C-c'mon…"
...Osamu hugged her.
"Wh-what!?" Marigold was bewildered.
Hikari began running towards Cirno, doing her best to weave through the bulky danmaku icicles…
She was clipped on her arms and legs in a few places as she sprinted towards Cirno…
"A-agh…" Hikari felt frost build up on her limbs.
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
'So-so tired…' The effects of mana overexertion began setting in…
Energy rippled around Cirno…
"Aa~h…" Thrown off balance for a moment, the ice fairy's spinning became awkward, and her danmaku quantity lessened.
At the very end, Hikari dashed straight through the danmaku, tanking the hits…
'O-oou~ch!'
SMAAAA~SH!
Pi~chun!
Cirno was sent back to the ice age.
…
Hikari dropped to her knees, exhausted.
'I-I knew I shouldn't've summoned Koishi, earlier…'
…
Marigold pushed Osamu away. "Pervert. Get off."
"E-eh, I-..." Blushing, he seemed at a loss for words as he walked towards Marigold again…
Slap!
…
"Ow!" He objected. "What the hell was-..."
Promptly, he fell into his trance again.
Marigold rolled her eyes. "Abnormal status it is, then. If you're listening, help me pull them to the village."
Hikari tried Healing α!
…
Nothing happened.
'Da-darn…'
...Osamu moved towards her, and began dragging her along.
Hikari was glad her hakama had long pant legs, or else her knees would be getting vaporized by the dirt path by now.
...Marigold began pulling Hiyori, only managing to pull her along with individual tugs, rather than consistent pulling.
'Th-this sucks…'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 24
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.
Summon Koishi - Using the Heart Gem's power, Hikari summons Koishi Komeiji. Casts three random HK spells on enemies, before using a higher tier one that depends on her current mood. Typically can manage two uses before she's out of mana. Costs sizable mana.
γ-γ-γ-γ
Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Rugged Robe - A sturdy robe enchanted to resist damage. Made partially with sturdy cloth from deep underground.
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.
Defense Shower - 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 a holy defensive effect. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for alchemical purposes. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion.
-Skills-
Relatively Nuzzlable - But it depends…
Happy Mask Salesman - Except with guns and bombs.
Knows the Art of War - Only vaguely.
The Magi from The North - Augusta per angusta!
Is Iron Magi - Actually, that'd be Byakuren, wouldn't it…?
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:
nugget people
a BIT SLOWER THAN USUAL because freakin' COLLEGE but oh well yo, it got DONE
i hope this chapter was as ENTERTAINING AS OTHERS; if not, hit me up
with blunt objects, in the shape of words
(though i should KNOW it to be entertaining and not HOPE, it's easy to get CREATOR INFATUATION and CONSUMER APPEAL mixed up sometimes)
anyway, summonable koishi! pretty much like GENIE from KINGDOM HEARTS 1, except instead of time / thunder / gravity / pink laser, it's PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACKS
also mana thing so she's not used too often
our next stops are basically gonna be IN PREP for the END-GAME as well; basically getting marigold one more big pre-end-game item and getting osamu SOME new armor
i'd be more hype about the end-game but COLLEGE REALLY THROWS YA FOR A LOOP, lemme tell ya that much
as always, see you all next time!