Chapter 3: A Youkai Teaching Session
The sun rises high into the sky as morning once more comes to Gensokyo. Kokoro had spent her night sleeping on the outskirts of the Human Village, as she needed to get a quick start on her plans for the day. Luckily, she had a sleeping bag on her person, bought from Korindou with her mother's money, so she was able to sleep warmly. Kokoro sits upright and smacks her lips before rubbing her eyes free of overnight build-up. A mask appeared beside her face to match her tiredness and then vanished as she stood up.
After smacking her lips some more to shake off the last sleepiness from her person she rolls up the sleeping bag and stores it within a crevice in a nearby tree, where it would be safe until she picked it up later. She then looked to the Human Village as it appeared bustling with activity, and thought to herself "It shouldn't be too late…I should be able to find her before she starts class…" With a clear image of the person in her head, Kokoro walked out of the forest and into the village, where some of the villagers were already there to greet her.
They wished her a fair morning, mostly, and she politely acknowledged them. For a Youkai to be greeted warmly by humans is quite a rarity in this village, but Kokoro has never threatened them and has been shown to not eat human flesh unlike the wilder species. Combined with her providing the village with the spectacle of her Noh dances, and Kokoro is pretty much as human as a Youkai can get…An observation that's more truthful than you'd think it'd be.
Some children flock around Kokoro in a circle, asking her happily if she will ever make another Noh dance, but as she looked around at all of them and felt a bit overwhelmed all she could say was "I'm sorry, I don't know yet…" Her guilt could not be expressed enough, especially in the face of the children's disappointed sighs. The kids were called away by their parents, for they had to get to class for the morning. Kokoro's head perked when she heard that, but before she made her way to the schoolhouse a voice called to her from behind "You are quite popular, aren't you?"
Kokoro, hearing the elegance of the person in their tone, turned around and saw a young and odd looking girl. She wore a frivolous dark violet dress with a laced blue ribbon tied around the bottom and her waist, and a small blue ascot was around her neck. Her blonde hair was tied into two long but thin ponytails, and she carried around a child-sized white parasol in her right hand. The girl approached Kokoro and looked up as she expressed confusion in return, saying in her elegant voice "You are the famed Youkai performer, Hata no Kokoro, are you not?"
One look in this girl's blue eyes showed Kokoro the demeanor of a girl far beyond her years. She carried the air of an adult and was absolutely relaxed, as if not even the mightiest hurricane could topple her. At first, Kokoro was hesitant to nod her head out of shock of the girl's demeanor, but when she did the girl immediately replied "It's a pleasure to meet you this close then. I have heard many things of your endeavors." The girl grinned while Kokoro asked "Who…Who are you?"
The girl, twirling her parasol over her shoulder, pulled back and said "I am a fan, you could say, of your work." The girl paused and lifted her eyes a bit, realizing what she needed to actually say "Oh…What you meant was my name?" Said in a slightly air-headed manner, the girl then glanced at Kokoro awaiting a reply that wouldn't come soon enough, as the girl then said "Well, perhaps I should tell you later. I must be getting to class…It will start any minute now."
Kokoro flinched as the girl walked past her, recognizing that her plans for today would end in failure if she didn't hurry, but before Kokoro was out of hearing range the girl said "It was a pleasure meeting you directly for once, Hata no Kokoro." Kokoro turned around, however the girl had already become one with the growing crowd of humans. Her heart raced a little as the confusion of the encounter swept over her, and after laying her hand against her chest and feeling the beating slow down Kokoro remembered what she needed to do and looked around quickly for any signs of the person she wanted to find.
"She can't be in class yet…" Kokoro whispered hopefully before focusing on the northern part of the village and choosing to sprint that way to find the person in question. She did make sure to not run into anyone by accident, which was helped by her glowing masks giving people warning early, though she was so focused on the people that she ignored the ground and ended up running into a small ball, which caused her to spin around and start tumbling back. Kokoro's arms waved out as she tried to maintain balance, but then she ends up running right into someone along the way and as the person tumbles forward Kokoro falls onto her rear.
Kokoro opens her eyes after some mumbling from the humans and looks at the person who fell over. Immediately recognizing the person by their blue-highlighted long silver hair and dark blue dress, Kokoro takes no time noting the unfortunate coincidence in meeting them like this and gets up to help the person up as they lift their head up and see the books they were carrying spread onto the ground. Kokoro offers her hands to help them get up, and the woman named Keine Kamishirasawa says "You're…Kokoro?"
"S-Sorry I ran into you…" Kokoro offers her immediate apologies, and the woman takes her hands and accepts her help to stand up while saying "It seems it was an accident, don't fret over it." Keine was kind and understanding, most likely due to Kokoro's swiftness in helping. Keine wanted to address Kokoro further, but the menreiki was busy gathering her books up so she decided to wait. Patiently folding her arms before her waist, Keine smiled at Kokoro's dutiful efforts but noted her nervousness as she worked.
By the time Kokoro was done she held the books up in a clean stack and Keine took them under her right arm. "Thank you for helping, Kokoro. Everything's a little scuffed, but I can still read it off to the class." Said with a smile, Keine then noticed something off and laid a hand atop her head, saying in a bothered tone "Oh dear, it seems my hat was knocked off…" Kokoro immediately looked over her shoulder and saw it wasn't on the ground, and so looked to the eaves of the nearby houses and saw that a breeze had carried the small building shaped hat onto the tip of one of them.
Kokoro uses her flight to go and pick up the hat, floating in front of Keine to place it atop her hat after brushing some dirt off, and once she's on the ground Keine thanks her with "Bless you, I don't know what I would've done had I lost this hat." "Is it important to you?" Kokoro inquired with a tilt of her head. Keine nodded her head and said "If I had the time, I'd tell you the story of it, but this slip up has almost made me late for class. Thank you again, Kokoro."
Keine prepared to depart, but Kokoro quickly but gently tugged on the side of her dress while saying nervously "W-Wait a second, Ms. Keine…" Keine paused, hesitant to stop because of her duty to her class, but after Kokoro took the time to help her out she would be quite rude to leave her out to dry. Turning around, Keine cracked half a smile and asked "What is it you need, Kokoro?"
Kokoro poked her fingers together and said without focusing on Keine "I-I…I'm wondering, do you remember when I was tricked into using my powers on you?" Keine paused and glanced aside, chuckling dryly as she remembered the events in question with little fondness, saying to Kokoro "Y-Yes I suppose I do…" Kokoro kept looking back and forth before remarking "I…I've been wanting to make it up to the people I affected back then, so I wish to start with you, Ms. Keine."
Keine puckered her lips a bit in surprise and said "You do? Well, you already helped me pick up my books and hat, so you don't really have to do anything else…" Kokoro fervently shook her head and said "That just owes up for a mistake I had just made. I need to do something more for you. I could clean your classroom while you're out, I can help sort your books, I would even be willing to make you bento boxes to take for lunch. Please, if there's anything I can do, I will do it."
Keine had reservations when it came to Kokoro's suggestions, as she did not wish to use the young menreiki for laborious tasks. So for a moment she had difficulty figuring out what to have her help out with, and her concerns about getting to the classroom in time were not helping her think at first. When she connected her thoughts together though, Keine came up with a solution to Kokoro's request and with a snap of her fingers said "There IS something you can do for me today Kokoro, if you're not too busy." "I have plenty of time to spare, Ms. Keine." The menreiki replied honestly.
"Good…Then you can help me teach class today!" Keine said enthusiastically, and Kokoro is taken aback by the offer. "T-teaching? Ummm…Mommy's taught me a few things, daddy has too…But can I really go in front of a class?" She was quite nervous about the idea, but then Keine reassured her "I won't need you to teach things like history, math or anything of the sort. But you can offer the kids something not many can, and that is the perspective of a kind Youkai."
"Oh…!" Kokoro said out of shock, and Keine remarked "It's certainly not something I'd allow otherwise. Risking the safety of the children over bringing a Youkai in could lead to them getting eaten. But I know you can be trusted Kokoro." With Keine's faith marked with a smile, Kokoro said "Then I would love to help, Ms. Keine. I-I'm sorry for holding you up for the moment…"
Keine turned and said "If the kids really enjoy learning from you, then they'll forgive me being a little late. Come along Kokoro, I'll show you to the school." So the two walk through the streets of the village, avoiding anymore slip ups until they reach the building, which distinguishes itself from the other old houses by having a cloth with fancy symbols on it as the doorway. There was bustling and talking happening inside from the students before Keine enters the room, which leads to the students falling silent.
Immediately they quieted and laid their hands atop their knelt legs, with books resting in front of their kneecaps. All of them had wore down robes and short haircuts, which made the blonde-haired girl Kokoro had met earlier stick out all the more in the back. She sat like everyone else and had her parasol down beside her, and the moment Kokoro entered the room she closed her eyes and waved at her. Kokoro was only a little surprised to see her again so soon, and she weakly waved back at her while wondering who she was.
Keine went between the desk and the chalkboard and put her books down, saying to her students "Sorry for being late, but I brought with me a special person for today's lesson. Many of you may have already heard of her, but I would like to introduce the village's peaceful Youkai, Hata no Kokoro." Keine's gesture gave Kokoro the cue to grab the edges of her skirt and pull them aside to bow as she politely says "Thank you for having me here, Ms. Keine."
Immediately one of the kids said in wonder "I know her! She's that dancer with the floating masks!" As the boy pointed at Kokoro, the rest of the class began to remember her in turn and started clamoring, and Kokoro began to feel a smidge of timidity and laid the appropriate mask close to her face. She wasn't expecting this much attention right off the bat, but thankfully Keine was there to lower the pressure by remarking "Now children, there'll be plenty of time to be merry about this later. We have a schedule we need to stick to."
The words from their teacher made the students go quiet and attentive, and as Kokoro glanced at her Keine said "You're welcome to say what you want to now, Kokoro." The menreiki looked towards the class and her heart clenched momentarily as she struggled to think of something to say. "How does mommy always handle crowds…?" Kokoro thought as the eager students focused their gazes intently. Kokoro said on a whim "W-Well…Have any of you heard of tsukumogamis?"
One student in the second row raised their hands and Kokoro pointed at them to essentially give them permission to state "Isn't it a Youkai made from an inanimate object?" Kokoro nodded and answered with a gesture out "In a way…Mommy said that a tsukumogami is what happens when an inanimate object is abandoned for a long time, then their loneliness grows and turns the object into a Youkai."
Another child raised their hand and was called to attention by Kokoro, and this child said "Isn't Ms. Tatara a tsukumogami then?" The Youkai in question was someone Kokoro knew pretty well from the temple, and so she was curious enough to ask "You've met Kogasa?" Leading to the kid stating "Mmm-hmm! When I was much younger, she babysat me. I-I don't remember much, except that she always carried a living umbrella around with her…"
"That's because she was one before becoming a tsukumogami. Tsukumogamis can appear from many things…I've seen some made from dolls, and others made from instruments. Anything you cherish could become a tsukumogami if left alone for a very long time…D-Do any of you have anything you greatly cherish?" Kokoro's inquiry led to a series of hands being raised, and Kokoro picked the first person in front of her who said "I-I have this scarf at home my mommy knitted for me to keep me warm during the winter…She said not even a Yuki-Onna could snatch me away with a scarf that warm."
The child cuddled his chest warmly as though he had the scarf on now, and while he was doing that other children said "There's this broken up teddy bear I have that I try to take of…" "I love these books…" "I could never let go of my cherished pillow…" All of them had different things to love, and it was very interesting to hear them all speak their minds from Kokoro's perspective…At least until they started getting so into it that it became overwhelming, which led to Keine stepping in with a stamp of an eraser on the desk.
The class stopped talking and looked back at Kokoro within due time, and after Keine gave her the urging nod Kokoro said "Well cherish those things then, and they will remember that happiness even if one day they do happen to become a Tsukumogami." Another child raised their hand and Kokoro answered with a gesture, giving them permission to say "Kokoro, what are you a tsukuma…tsukumogo…" When the child has difficult pronouncing that word he immediately switched to "What object were you before?"
Eyebrows raised, Kokoro answered politely "I was sixty-six masks made for the purpose of performing sixty-six plays…" She then displayed some of the masks she has in front of her, each of them carrying a spiritual blue fire around their forms. The class joined in a unified cry of awe as the room was illuminated, and Kokoro let their awe linger for a few seconds before leaving only her relaxed mask beside her face. "But I do not know much else besides that…" Kokoro lamented.
But that was what Keine was for, as her knowledge of history extended beyond most others in the village, and she said calmly "I do believe the story goes that it was our resident Crown Prince who created the sixty-six masks. Which by all means makes her your 'father'…Hehehe." Keine was making a joke, but Kokoro responded seriously with "But she is my father" and the mood of the room shifted in an instant.
Keine blinked a bit as her students began to murmur over that news, and quickly she had to fulfill her duty as a teacher by telling them "S-She means adopted father, class. May I remind you the Crown Prince is a woman…!" Kokoro added to Keine's remark by saying "Yes, that's how it is…Miko is my daddy, Byakuren is my mommy…" A student raised their hand and said in a puzzled tone "Aren't those two religious ene-"
"Kokoro…! If you have anything else to teach, now might be the time to bring it up." Keine said with some fluster in her voice, and after picking up on that the menreiki quickly got on subject and inquired "Are there anymore questions regarding tsukumogami?" There wasn't any, but rather one of the students commented "I-I would love to be able to talk to a tsukumogami of my most prized possession…Especially if they ended up as pretty as you are Kokoro…"
The menreiki blushed as she felt warmth in her heart, looking aside as the student then said "But you said they only become one after a long time of being abandoned? …I could never willingly do that, even if it would be cool. But now I can appreciate my possession as a friend, so thank you for telling me that, Kokoro." Back to normal in a snap, Kokoro said with a stutter "D-Don't mention it…Ummm…" Then she was at a loss on what to teach next to the children, and she faced Keine and said "I'm sorry…I wish I knew how to handle this."
Keine left the desk for a moment and leaned towards Kokoro, whispering to her "It's alright, the kids are enjoying having you around. You seem to have a few admirers amongst the crowd." She giggled while returning upright, and Kokoro looked towards the students and saw a few of them smiling her way, the most prominent being that of the strange blonde girl in the back. A part of Kokoro liked the attention, but remained humble and inquired "If there's anything else you'd like to ask me, you can do so as long as Ms. Keine permits it."
Keine smiled at that little detail and a student proceeded to raise their hand in the back, asking politely "Ms. Kokoro, I heard you are into Noh dances. Why is that?" After Keine gave the nod of approval on the inquiry Kokoro replied with confidence "See my face?" As she pointed towards the lack of any emotion she said "It is very difficult for me to express emotions alone, so Noh dances are my way of getting around that. Dancing in all forms is a way of expression, but I choose to focus on Noh because there's a part of me that remembers when my old owner used to dance that way."
Kokoro was really into her explanation without realizing it, and she drew her fans into her extended hands before waving them before her face. Widening her eyes, Kokoro then realized what she was doing and bowed forward, saying in an embarrassed tone "S-Sorry…I was just about to dance…" Keine however remarked with a smile "I don't see what would be the problem Kokoro. Many of these kids might not have seen a show of yours…You can always perform one dance. What do you say class?"
The students were unanimous in their urging, and thus Kokoro once more tried to set the mood for her dance by holding her arms out diagonally and saying "Then allow me to show you one of my first dances…'Hopeless Masquerade'…" While Keine moved the desk back to give Kokoro the room, the menreiki gave the students a performance they would never forget. Her young body moved around with the grace of an adult, her arms and her legs pausing so naturally into the proper poses she wanted while her masks handled other parts of the dance.
And the students were all quiet, enamored by this Youkai's beautiful performance that by the time she was done they were unaware that ten whole minutes had passed, and Keine was under that very same spell. Kokoro ended the dance by dispelling her fans and looking towards the class, who clapped one after the other while cheering her on, their voices getting so loud that some of it leaked outside, forcing Keine to calm them down with another hit of the eraser on the desk.
Looking at Kokoro, Keine then said "Thank you for the dance, Kokoro. It's obvious the class really enjoyed it." Kokoro bowed to the students, and some of them said "I want to see more of your dances!" "Please do more!" "I want to become a dancer someday too!" But their comments had to be stopped as Keine pointed out "If you wish to ask Kokoro for more dances, I'm sure she'll listen to those requests later, but I'm afraid we must move on now to another subject."
The class let out a prolonged "Aw" of disappointment, but Kokoro just looked to them and said politely "It was fun meeting all of you, I mean that…But please thank Ms. Keine for allowing me to come here." They all did so, followed by Keine chuckling with joy in her heart and saying "Now then, I will allow a ten minute break so I can speak to Kokoro for a moment, and then when you return I want you to open up your books to page 15 so we can discuss the moon."
After a few seconds of waiting for the students to leave and taking in their cheerful glances, Kokoro felt very good about herself and laid a hand to her chest as warmth filled her body, and with a small smile she looked to Keine as she said "It seems I cannot thank you enough for your help today, Kokoro." Keine laid a hand atop her desk and further commented with a smile "Perhaps I should take you under my wing and tutor you to be a teacher."
"W-Was I really that good? I-I'm not quite sure…" Kokoro had her doubts, some of which were cast aside when Keine raised a finger and remarked "No one is perfect their first time, but you do have it in you to teach…At least in my opinion. But I will leave you to think about that for now." Keine nodded her head enough to not disrupt her hat and said "It was a last-minute decision, but I do thank you for the help Kokoro. You are welcome to help out again, but just run it by me first, alright?"
Confused, Kokoro inquired "Was this really enough? I feel I should do more to apologize…" Shaking her head was Keine's response, followed by her pointing out "I do not need to be buttered up that much Kokoro. Be happy with what you did for me today and keep helping whoever you need to. That's the best advice I can give you as a teacher." Heeding those words in her heart, Kokoro said "I-I will try and do my best!" with voiced raised slightly.
"And that's the spirit you need to have. I hate to rush you out of here, but I AM still teaching for today." Keine pointed out while pulling out the right book for the next part of class. Kokoro thus politely bowed and said "T-Thank you for your time, Ms. Keine. I wish you a wonderful day." Kokoro then turned around and made her way out of the schoolhouse, pleased with her results so early into the day. As she looked to her next person to help for today, however, a familiar voice said "That was quite the interesting class, Kokoro."
Turning around, Kokoro was surprised by the blonde-haired girl standing close by with her parasol in hand again. The girl lightly smiled and said "If I were to be so kind, I'd say it was the most interesting class in a long while." Kokoro mustered up the courage to bluntly ask the girl "Please…Can you tell me who you are?" Holding a gloved hand to her chest, the girl said "My name? I suppose you could call me Kuriya Kumoya…"
The girl named Kuriya then held that hand out gracefully and asked "And if you would allow me to be so forward, I would like to be your friend, Hata no Kokoro." While the girl was honest with her intentions, there was still certainly something odd about her. Kokoro could only wonder just what the deal with her truly was…
Next Time: To be a Hero