The trek to Eientei in the heat was miserable, but Mokou lead us there with the three of us wearing soaked rags around the backs of our necks to keep cool. Upon reaching the bamboo outer wall surrounding the mansion, Mokou parted with a wave, saying "I'll come back and get you at sunset." Less than a minute after she had moved out of sight back into the forest, the heat began to become tolerable again, and not long after that the temperatures became what might be expected, pleasantly cool amidst the green shadows. The change was beyond refreshing given what we had just had to suffer through.

Renko gave me a nudge with her elbow as we walked up to the gate. "See? What'd I tell you? Now that we're away from Mokou, the weather's cooled off."

"It certainly seems that way," I agreed, wiping the sweat from my face with a handkerchief.

"I wish I could ask Eirin exactly how that works, but I don't think asking Mokou to come here so she can take measurements would work out well for anyone." Renko paused for a moment as we arrived at the gate, then called out. "Excuse me, is anyone home?"

From behind the wall came the sound of many feet scurrying and then all at once Tewi's face appeared above the gate as she bounded to land on top of the stone archway above the door.

"Oh, it's the usual two humans back again. You're coming by a little late this evening."

"Sorry about that. If it's not too much trouble I was hoping I could talk to doctor Yagokoro for a bit. Is she in?"

"Master's here. She's in the middle of some work though. I'll go tell her you're coming, but it's not my fault if you become part of her experiment."

Tewi dropped to the ground behind the gate and opened it, guiding us in to the mansion. Despite the fact that the wards preserving the place had been down for years, not much about Eientei had changed since our last visit. A few youkai rabbits could be seen washing the floors or sweeping the corners in places, but the mansion still had a timeless quality to its design. Tewi lead us down the long corridor lined with doors, then threw one open, yelling, "Master, your guests are here!"

"Hello, miss Yagokoro. Good to see you again," Renko said as we entered.

"Hello again, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Eiren greeted us, looking up from her writing desk. "Is there something bothering either of you to have come this far at this hour? Or are you finally ready to let me have a look miss Hearn's eyes and brain?"

That seemed to be everyone's favorite joke tonight. Personally, I didn't see the humor in it.

"I'm happy to say we're both perfectly healthy, which means I'll have to disappoint you as we have no plans to donate anything of Merry's at this time." Renko said with a smile as she helped herself to a seat on one of the cushions. Eirin put her writing desk aside and turned to face us as I did the same.

"A pity that, but I'm glad you're doing well. I take it then that you have some burning question you'd like me to answer?"

"It's about the recent unusual weather patterns and their relationship to the disordered temperaments of the natural world. I'm concerned that these signs may be pointing to a coming earthquake."

"Oh, I see you've already grasped the significance of these omens. Very good, detective." Eirin's eyes had widened in surprise, but as usual with her, it was utterly impossible to tell if some or all of that surprise was sincere. "Well, if you already understand the causes and effects there's not much I can tell you. Did you come here to ask about earthquake safety measures?"

"I was hoping that, as the sage of the moon, you might have some unearthly insight into the mechanics of this Incident. I take it from your question that an earthquake is now inevitable though? There's nothing we can do to stop it?"

"Well, that's what I asked Reisen to investigate, but she hasn't come back yet." Eirin said with a shrug.

"I see. I suppose with the technology at your disposal and likely built into this mansion, an earthquake, no matter how severe, doesn't pose much risk to you. The same cannot be said for the human village though. Can you give me any insight into when the quake is likely to occur?"

"It's beyond my control, I'm afraid, but I don't expect it will be more than a week at this point. I'd advise you to make preparations now."

"I suppose it goes without saying that you're not in a position to be able to prevent this quake using lunar technology, correct?"

"I am merely a resident of Gensokyo now, need I remind you? As an exile from the moon, even if such a technology existed, I wouldn't have access to it."

"Ah, of course. I suppose that can't be helped then. One last question then, miss Yagokoro, if you would."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea who exactly might be responsible for causing the temperaments of individuals to become intertwined with those of the weather?"

At Renko's question, Eirin suddenly narrowed her eyes. "I've been here at Eientei, working as usual this whole time. Why ask me that question?"

"Well you're the sage of the moon. I merely hoped your wisdom might be of some use here."

"Even we Lunarians cannot see everything."

"I see. I had thought that, being as the Lunarians aren't Earthlings, they might have insight into the doings or motivations of other heavenly beings who might do this sort of thing."

I turned to stare at Renko in surprise. Where had any of this come from?

Eirin's expression was perfectly neutral, her tone completely disinterested. "What would make you think the mastermind behind this is a heavenly being?"

"I suppose you might just call it a 'hunch.' I don't have any hard evidence. I just thought that perhaps since this Incident seems to be caused by shifts in the temperament of the heavens themselves, and we've heard reports of scarlet clouds which are supposed to be omens of coming earthquakes, both events might be the result of someone intentionally gathering and magnifying the temperaments of individuals, then releasing those temperaments as scarlet clouds, which in turn are responsible for unleashing the unusual weather. The people of the earth have always looked to the heavens both for portents of the future and in times when they are troubled by weather events. Given that both are involved here, I thought that perhaps the phenomena we've been witnessing might be a result of some entity in the heavens trying to communicate with the people of the earth. Perhaps the Dragon God, for example."

"...Ah, I see." Eirin said after a slight pause. She sighed, then blinked and seemed to regard Renko with new interest. "You know, you really are a most unusual Earthling, Renko Usami. I would appreciate if you would allow me to examine your brain as well."

"I'm afraid that my brain is still in use at the moment, but in the event of my death, I'd be happy to leave it to you in my will."

"Well, that's an intriguing opportunity, though it might become somewhat complicated if you ever decide to take me up on my previous offer. I'll do my best to avoid the temptation to arrange your death while waiting. Before we discuss that though, let me clear up one misconception which I believe you are operating under."

"Oh, what would that be?" Renko said, tilting her head curiously.

Eirin smiled, closing her eyes as she answered. "The Dragon God would never do something as subtle as gathering up temperaments or manipulating weather. If the Dragon God wanted a message sent, you can rest assured it would be sent in undeniable way that would be impossible to misinterpret."

"Then in that case..."

"This is probably the doing of a celestial."

"A celestial? Is that like a Lunarian?"

"Similar, but not the same. Arguably, you might even say that Lunarians are a type of celestial, though both Lunarians and celestials might object to such a statement. They are creatures with no set lifespans who have been elevated by the gods. They live unending, peaceful lives in the heavenly realm of the Dragon God, free from pain or want or strife, which is supposed to make it easier for them to attain enlightenment. In my experience though, it just tends to leave them bored and with too much time on their hands. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that's the sort of creature that's been causing these problems for those of us living here on Earth."