Chapter 4: Red, Black and Grey


Richard woke up early to head to the Hakurei Shrine, as his trip was mostly uneventful, save for a few feral youkai who were stupid enough to announce their position, and eat a ice blast to the face to keep them incapacitated.

"Here we are…." Richard remarked, looking up the stone stairs leading to the Hakurei Shrine. "I wonder what this Reimu will act like. If I'm fortunate, she'll be mostly the same grouchy but still amicable Hakurei."

Richard then began to fly up the stairs, before noticing that most of the notable fairies were present, including Wriggle Nightbug, who seemed to be waiting at the red torii gate of the shrine, as if expecting prey.

"Here to see the shrine maiden, aren't you?" Wriggle asked with a mischievous smile on her face, while Cirno sniggered, as Sunny rubbed her hands together in expectation of what's to come.

"Why, yes I am." Richard responded back, as he didn't seem to be threatened by the youkai, while Luna seems to be fairly surprised at Richard's calm, as was Daiyousei.

"How'd you like to talk to her while covered in hissing cockroaches?" Wriggle smirked, as a large group of cockroaches crawled out of her sleeve.

"Well, I think that Hakurei would not be-" Richard tried to say.

"All of you, knock it off!" Reimu's voice cried out, causing the fairies to free.

"It's Reimu! Scatter!" Cirno cried out loud, as the fairies and Wriggle fled in panic.

Richard could only chuckled lightly, before Reimu came out of the shrine.

"I'm sorry about that." Reimu stated, as there was a warm smile on her lips. "The youkai love to hang around my shrine and prank the visitors. Luckily for you. They are harmless around me."

"It would seem so. They don't seem to be that malicious." Richard declared, as Reimu's smile twitched slightly.

"I am Reimu Hakurei, shrine maiden and keeper of the Hakurei Shrine, protector of Gensokyo." Reimu declared.

"My name is Richard Liu. And I've come to seek your help on certain matters." Richard stated.

"Ah, you don't look like you're from around here. I could escort you across the Hakurei Border, if you'd like to go home." Reimu stated.

"I think you misunderstand, Hakurei." Richard answered back, as his smile faded. "I'm not looking to go home. I need your knowledge on this land. It is essential for my own survival here."

"Would you not wish to-" Reimu asked.

"Reimu Hakurei. Do you even know if I have a home across the Hakurei Border, in the Outside World?" Richard asked firmly, as Reimu went silent. "...I'm sorry to drop that on you, but I will have any misunderstandings. I don't have anywhere to go back to. Not until a long time has passed."

Reimu blinked several times, before clutching her face and groaning loudly.

"Fuuuuuccckk… Not this shit again." Reimu cursed, dragging her hand down her face. "I swear, this is the tenth time I have to deal with someone like you."

"I'm happy that you're done with sweet whispers." Richard crossed his arms. "It means that you're being forthright to me."

"Alright, I know that you're one of the smart ones." Reimu remarked, as her warmth turned into annoyance. "But you're still one of Yukari's kids. Kids that she sends to me in order to annoy me! I was once the most respected youkai hunter in Gensokyo, and now I'm a babysitter for a bunch of bratty foreigners!"

"Alright, I'll concede that yes, I am a Gappy." Richard answered back. "But you said that I'm a smart one. That speaks volumes for-"

"Oh no, you're going to say something about your power being related to Gensokyo." Reimu stated. "I know."

"Wrong. This proves otherwise." Richard remarked, before he then summoned a pair of magic balls, one of fire and one of water. "Does this remind me of something?"

"That…" Reimu remarked. "So what if you have elemental magic like Patchouli. That doesn't change-"

"This is what I had originally. I lost my powers, and I got them back." Richard responded back, dissipating the magic balls. " "So no, these powers are not from Gensokyo. They are my own, period. What next then, Reimu? What will you accuse me of?"

"That you came here, because you had a hard life, you're self-aware, or you're the 'chosen one'." Reimu remarked. "What do you say to that?"

Richard bristled greatly in response to that, as Richard clenched his fist tightly, before closing his eyes and breathing calmly.

"That is the first thing you've gotten right about me so far." Richard answered back. "Not the chosen one stuff, but the self-aware and the bad life stuff. Yes."

Reimu was about to open her mouth before Richard continued.

"But I can tell you that I'm not some emo who laments that I don't have any friends, or my parents don't respect my decisions." Richard growled. "...I'm the kind of person who actually had a life that is worth pitying. I know what it truly means to be left with only ashes of what you once had. And I will not speak of it any further. You may learn it if you earn my trust, but only then. And I do not care for your status. I only care if I can trust you with it."

"And how long have you been here?" Reimu asked.

"Two days, and I doubt that my stay has barely even started here." Richard responded back.

"And you aren't kidding about the fact that you have nowhere to go back to." Reimu emphasized.

"I'm very sure of that." Richard declared. "Not in the sense of when, like I'm from the far future, but in the same of where, as in this isn't the world I live in. So unfortunately for everyone here, my only sensible choice is to stay."

"And what do you want from it?" Reimu asked. "What do you plan to do here?"

"Live. Just live." Richard bluntly answered back. "Just like the humans in the human village. I will take a job, earn some money, pay for my own food and necessities. But if you want to ask me more specifically. I wish to make a few friends to help make my stay a little less lonely and boring, and also help to preserve the peace of Gensokyo should a threat rise."

"And here you were going so fine…" Reimu sighed.

"Is it because you think that I intend to usurp the incident resolvers?" Richard countered back. "...That would never happen, nor would I become an instigator. Both run counter to my eventual leave from here. I want nothing to do with the greater matters of this realm… despite Yukari's attempts to do otherwise."

"Then why come to me?" Reimu asked.

"I need local knowledge. The guides are not enough." Richard declared. "The Spell-Card rules, certain cultural matters that I must keep in mind to avoid offending the residents of this land, ghost, demon, oni, fairy and otherwise."

Reimu looked Richard up and down, before she then sighed. "Fine… come inside." She relented.

Richard then entered the shrine, as Reimu prepared several sheets of paper with the written specifics of the Spell Card Rules on it, before sitting down before her kotatsu.

"As you might already know, Gensokyo has very strict duelling rules, and violating them will cause a disaster of major proportions." Reimu declared. "It won't just mean your death, but the deaths of the natives, so pay attention."

"Go on." Richard nodded back.

"Because there are so many powerful beings in Gensokyo, we limit their powers to these spell cards." Reimu started, holding up an empty Spell Card. "It's a pre-prepared version of your strongest attacks, and you can only carry then at most."

"Is that so?" Richard responded back, noting the difference down on his head. "And funny that, I seem to have a few myself."

"What do you-" Reimu declared, before Richard conjured several of his staple spell-cards. "What!? How did you get them?"

"I came with them. I don't know much about them, but the guides told me that they're what can get me out of a pinch." Richard smoothly lied. "But it is true then. The hard-cap of Spell-Cards is ten, right?"

"You don't believe me?" Reimu questioned back.

"Not until I see hard evidence." Richard declared back firmly. "And spell-card duelling is meant to be non-lethal right?"

"It should, as long as the laws are abided." Reimu declared back. "Of course, many youkai violate the rules to attack Outsiders, but because it does not affect Gensokyo, we let it slide."

"Come again?" Richard asked, narrowing his eyes. "Could you clarify on this matter, before I get… the wrong impression on that?"

"...I see that you actually did read the guides." Reimu conceded. "In these cases, most Outsiders are capable of defending themselves from such mundane ferals. They help us deal with them, and we turn a blind eye to their own actions. And we cannot worry ourselves with ferals everywhere in Gensokyo. Does that simplify matters?"

"Hm. I suppose so." Richard remarked, trying to avoid frowning.

"Anyways, if you run out of spell cards or you feel you're down to your last 'life', you may call a surrender." Reimu declared. "But remember this: In the event somebody becomes too powerful, formal dueling rules go out of effect. That means no surrenders and no mercy. Existential threats must be contained by any means necessary. Understand?"

"Clearly." Richard nodded back.

"Now, about these red and blue things…" Reimu remarked, moving to various glowing boxes that were of two varieties, one being red cubes with the white P letter on all sides, and the other being blue cubes with the kanji for points on all sides in white as well. "This is dispersed energy, dropped from looting defeated combatants. Touching the red ones will give you a boost to your offensive power, while the blue ones will give you a mental boost. Yukari tends to mess with many gappies with what they took like, but I doubt that you could mistake it. Fairies and normal youkai will drop them should they be defeated, but so will you in the event that you are downed."

"Hm." Richard nodded, taking that as a aspect of gameplay and story integration for this particular Gensokyo, another difference shared with his own, where such things do not exist. "So the red ones strengthen me, and the blue ones refresh me. That's how it is, in the simplest terms, right?"

"In simple terms, yes." Reimu answered back. ""But let's get into tips regarding danmaku combat itself. To go over simple principles, the firstmost principle, the most important one, is that you predominantly seek open spots, not the bullets themselves. Trying to focus on the bullets tends to get you hit more often than not with the sheer quantity of them, making it impossible to track every single bullet."

"That, I can agree with." Richard nodded back. "Unlike modern warfare, most danmaku bullets are slow enough to be dodged if you know what you're doing and expecting."

"You learn quickly." Reimu nodded. "And as for the second principle… whenever you are on the offense, you are meant to find a way to circumvent this first principle through clever means. Some use manipulation of the battlefield to throw off people, while others hide surprises by disguising bullets behind others, or even using detonation-type bullets that either explode in a radius, or into more bullets."

"And then?" Richard pressed.

"Variety is the spice of life." Reimu advised. "Never stick to one kind of spell card when you're in a duel, especially when you only got two or three spell cards to use for the duel. Make sure that you ensure that your opponent does not know what you are able to plan with your next spell card, or you'll be wasting them. Those are the main principles of danmaku combat."

"And I think that I can understand why." Richard nodded. "So, I suppose that's most of what I need to know about the Spell Card Rules?"

"Yes." Reimu answered back, gesturing towards Richard. "Now then, any questions you would like to ask about this?"

"I do have one. Do they matter when you're facing someone truly strong AND ruthless?" Richard asked seriously.

"...What?" Reimu asked, as she was stunned for a moment by Richard's question, which came out of the blue.

"Actually, to be more clear on the matter… what stops certain youkai from being able to abuse this rule in their own regard?" Richard asked, as Reimu was silent. "...Well?"

"What… What prompted you to ask that kind of question?" Reimu said, as there was an unsettled look on her face. "Surely, you must have been attacked by a feral youkai, and believed that the other residents could do worse-"

"It's hard to mistake the shikigami of Yukari Yakumo, Ran Yakumo, in her golden furred glory." Richard answered back, as Reimu immediately choked on her words. "She attacked me as you said. And do you want to guess what I'm going to say next?"

"No. That's not possible." Reimu vehemently denied. "Yukari would never willingly break the Spell Card Rules, or command any of her shikigami to do the same. Unless you're some sort of ungodly threat that she needed to have dealt with immediately… but that doesn't make sense. You aren't even…"

"Would you like me to show you the scars to prove it?" Richard retorted back, as he reached for his clothes.

"No, don't. Don't." Reimu hastily said. "...Fine, I can only believe you, due to how blunt you're saying this. It's as if you're used to something like this before…. Who are you exactly, Richard Liu?"

"...Someone who wants to go back home." Richard declared firmly. "And that brings me back to my question. What stops the residents from breaking the Spell Card rules the same way the feral youkai do? I am certainly no existential threat, or you would purge me on the spot. So there needs to be an answer."

"I… I do." Reimu declared, after pausing for a moment.

"And were you there?" Richard answered back, as he bit back his own anger to prevent himself from sounding too abrasive towards Reimu, aware of her own uneasiness. "Let me tell you the story from my view: Ran and Chen attacked Marisa and Alice, and they demanded me to come with them. I refused. Suicidal, it may sound to be, but I wanted nothing to do with Yukari and her plans. It came down to a fight. I declared Spell Card Rules, but Ran refused to allow it. I was forced to fight with intent to cripple for self-defense and my own survival. And I was badly hurt as a result, just repelling the two of them. If the rules are iron-clad as they are, then why did this happen?"

"I don't know." Reimu stated. "...This… this never happened before. Sure, there were cases where it was the Outsider who disregarded such rules… but never once did an Outsider be the recipient of such a case… I…"

"Not once was it reported." Richard remarked, with horrible implications within. "It's unnerving to think about it. That the rules only matter to give you an illusion of safety, that you think that others would be playing fair and harmlessly with you, so that they can deal with you as they please in a moment's notice. From what that showed me… the Spell Card Rules only matter to the weak, the strong can toss the rulebook aside, and there is nothing to punish them."

"But I do!" Reimu declared angrily.

"And who else?" Richard retorted back, as Reimu was shocked at the retort. "You're just one shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei. Do you think that you can be everywhere to ensure that the Spell Card rules are upheld?"

"You sound like there are people who are withholding their infractions of the Spell Card rules to me." Reimu declared in a low voice. "...It's as if you see it as the same as persecution."

"It's far worse than just persecution. A more apt equivalent would be a silent and clean murder itself." Richard answered back. "So hard to find whodunnit, and whydunnit."

"Why do you tell me this? Are you expecting me to do something?" Reimu asked, trying to ascertain Richard's motives.

"I hope so. But like I said, you're just one shrine maiden. Your word might carry some weight, but it will not change people instantly." Richard declared. "And I can tell that you're wondering why I'm saying all of this. That's because I fear for my own safety. I have no ulterior motive regarding Gensokyo. The balance and tranquility of Gensokyo can stay where it was for the best of all of us, but Gensokyo is a land of chaotic fantasy. I doubt I will find peace like that easily."

"You sound composed for someone confessing his concerns." Reimu noted.

"That's because showing any visible fear in here, is a death flag towards any youkai who prey on such weakness." Richard answered back. "I cannot allow that to happen to me, for many reasons. I only ask that you ensure that each and every resident has the best interests of being nice and fair with me, as I have all of the interest to keep peace with them."

"...I'll try." Reimu sighed. "Just… please go. I have much to think about."

"Very well." Richard declared, before he then walked to the door, and then looked towards Reimu. "And you know, there is a quote that fits this situation of mine: 'All men are equal, but some are more equal than others'. I believe you'll understand its meaning soon."

Reimu then left, as he decided to head towards Kappa Valley, as he used a common path to avoid being persecuted by the tengu patrols that are scaling up and down Youkai Mountain, finding himself in the technological city of the kappa, which eased Richard slightly.

"Same old Kappa Valley." He muttered with a smile to himself, before looking for a certain store. "If I can find Nitori… I could use her goodwill to be able to strike a trade that will benefit me, and her at the same time."

Eventually, Richard did managed to find Nitori's workshop, as there were several signs with her smiling face on it, giving Richard an easy guide to getting there, as he went through the open doors, before he then heard a conversation in motion, as he could tell who the voices belonged to, from his own memory.

"Did you hear somebody beat Momoi's shogi record?" Nitori remarked, her cheerful voice being recognizable anywhere.

"Yeah, stupid human probably cheated." Momiji declared with a scoff, which made Richard curious about her dislike of humans.

"Hey, humans are more awesome than you give them credit for." Nitori answered back.

"Feh, they're all a bunch of weakling moochers who think they can walk all over us youkai." Momiji bitterly stated.

"Be careful what you say about humans. You may choke on your words." Nitori declared proudly.

"Hmph." Momiji grunted, before Richard decided to make his entrance, catching both of their attention, as they seemed to be playing with a chess-board. "Oh look, another human. I wonder what he's going to be asking from you, Kawashiro."

"Momiji Inubashri, Nitori Kawashiro. I apologize for interrupting your match in progress." Richard humbly remarked. "I was simply here to be asking if it is possible to ask for a commission from you. I will pay it back soon."

"Here we go again." Momiji growled. "You order some sort of big project from Nitori, she willingly makes it for you, and then you go and never thank her for her work, and instead tell her to hop in your bed, so that you can have sex and make babies."

"Hey! Don't you disrespect-" Nitori angrily said, before stopping to look at Richard. "...Um… What is your name?"

"Richard. Richard Liu, if you want to be far more formal." Richard declared.

"Richard, you say?" Momiji remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Hm."

"As for your claim, Momiji… I sincerely hope that my commission will not be something heavily taxing on Nitori. I only ask for a stack full of daggers, with a metallic container to store them in." Richard answered back. "...And I will ensure that there will be payment for her, as well as Alice, who had been nice to treat my wounds."

"Aren't you a sweetheart?" Nitori teased Richard. "See, what did I tell you? Not all of them are moochers who think only for themselves."

"We'll see how true that holds up later." Momiji declared, with a harsh sniffle to indicate her discontent.

"By the way, check-mate." Nitori smirked, as Momiji looked down on the board, as the chess game had ended in her loss, much to her surprise.

"B-But how did you!?" Momiji exclaimed.

"So, if you want some daggers, I can make them immediately for you." Nitori stated. "In fact, not only that, I'll lend you a decent allowance of ryo, since you look like you're stripped dry of any cash. Just remember to pay me back, okay?"

"Ugh, I'm leaving before I have to witness whatever this is going to be." Momiji growled, before she knocked her chair away, before walking past Richard.

"I will." Richard declared. 'I've got plans to find some menial work to pay for my own living costs. Hopefully, by then, I can repay my medical debts, and my loan to you within the next few days at least, and by the end of this week at worst."

"Nah, take your time!" Nitori grinned back. "After all, I've never turned down helping humans. If you need metal, some contraption, name it, and it'll be yours."

"Thanks for the offer, but I only need what I have stated for my commission." Richard declared. "Although, if it is possible, make the daggers out of something that is able to conduct magic reliably, and that the container is able to allow me to draw from it quickly, should the need arise. It'll put a big hole in my budget… but better to be prepared, than to be not."

"You have my word." Nitori stated, before pointing at the seat that Momiji was on, while she got out of her seat. "Take a seat, and I'll be done within an hour. That's one of the easier projects that I have been commissioned on."

Richard did so, as Nitori went to work, as Richard bided his time examining the chess-board, trying to figure out how Nitori was able to get a win over Momiji, who was known to excel at these kind of board games, and her excellence in shogi should make her still formidable in chess.

As Richard was deliberating the answers, he felt a finger poke his shoulder, causing him to turn around, as Nitori came around with the dagger container, which was a large metallic container that was linked to a belt for his waist, as well as a small bag of ryo in her hands.

"There we go, everything that you asked for." Nitori declared. "I must say, you're an odd one. I thought that you would be asking for swords, due to how awesome they are as a melee weapon."

"I would ask for one if I needed one…" Richard remarked, before snapping his fingers, as a metal sword was summoned. "But I can make my own. The daggers however, that's a different story. I need something to attack from the range, and throwing daggers are something that fits me well. I have good hand coordination, you know."

"Well, I bet that you'll use these things well." Nitori stated, as Richard strapped the container on his waist, before he then opened it with a button on the side, which disposed a dagger into his hand, as he examined it, seeing that it was well-made, being light but also sharp enough to be effective. "Have fun, and don't forget to come back, if you want more of my work."

"You are too kind, Kawashiro." Richard smiled back, before he then took his leave.

After he managed to get something to supplement his fighting style whenever he might be in a situation where magic would not be helpful, he made a quick trip to Mokou's food stand, feeling a bit peckish in the noon,, as he managed to meet Marisa and Mokou, who seemed to be chatting it up.

"Oh, hi, Richard!" Marisa exclaimed. "Never thought that we would see each other soon. Are you feeling a bit better?"

"Much." Richard declared, rubbing his chest, which was slightly less sore than it was before. "I owe Alice for everything that she had done for my treatment. Tell her that I'll buy her a meal or any sort of gift to repay her consideration."

"And me?" Marisa gestured at herself.

"Well, if you want to go ingredient hunting, go right ahead." Richard offered. "I did promise you."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that to you." Marisa grinned back. "Just get your food. I want to see what kind of taste you have."

"Give me a simple yakitori, Mokou." Richard stated, before he then dropped several ryo. "Here's the money upfront."

Mokou nodded, before she then started the grill, as Marisa found Richard's sudden possession of wealth to be interesting.

"Wow. Where did you get that cash from?" Marisa asked.

"Nitori offered it to me, along with this." Richard declared, showing off the metal container and the daggers inside of it. "Like it? It's a secondary weapon, in case my blades don't cut it."

"You… you know that you gotta pay her back right." Marisa said seriously.

"I'm serious as a heart-attack on that." Richard agreed. "I'm not taking advantage of Nitori Kawashiro, even though she might feel like she's been dealt with that way…. I only hope that I can make her understand that not everyone just takes from her and her race."

"Word to that, Rich." Marisa nodded sagely.

Richard then received the cooked yakitori skewer from Mokou, as he began to indulge in it for a moment, polishing it off, and then burning it away into ash, which went by the winds.

"Man, that was something." Richard chuckled. "Thanks, Mokou."

"You're welcome." Mokou stated. "Just don't get yourself killed, alright? I kind of like you from just the first impression you make."

"Really? Me?" Richard asked with mock shock, knowing that Mokou as an immortal wouldn't miss him much, due to having to deal with the constant passage of time taking people she knows away from her. "You sure that you're not just saying that to make me happy, right?"

"Naaah-" Mokou drawled out, before the group erupted, to reveal Toyosatomimi no Miko, as she seemed to be in a hurry.

"Miss Kirisame, Lady Fujiwara." Miko addressed the two residents. "There is an incident near the Human Village that requires both of your help. Somebody has taken the limiter amulet off of Rumia, so we will need all the help we can get."

"WHAT!?" Richard exclaimed, as Miko finally addressed Richard at last.

"You're the Outsider. Richard Liu, I presume?" Miko asked back.

"That is correct." Richard responded back, before stepping towards Miko. "What was that about the Human Village?"

"It's under attack, but I fail to see-" Miko started.

"I'm going there." Richard declared firmly, much to the shock of Marisa and Miko.

"Richard… You seriously know what you're getting into-" Marisa was about to say.

"Yes, I know, well and truly." Richard responded back. "And I made my choice the moment those words left Miko's mouth. I'm going, and I'm fighting Rumia, whether you like it or not."

"Are you mad!? Sure, you were able to face off against Ran and Chen, but Rumia without her limiter seal is a whole different matter entirely! She'll rip your organs out and eat them raw!" Marisa shouted.

"Then why aren't you afraid of that then?" Richard countered back. "You could end up the same, if she got her hands on you."

"Because I've done this kind of stuff. I know how to handle her." Marisa argued. "Look, I know that you're eager to-"

"This isn't about the FUCKING fame, Kirisame!" Richard snapped. "This is about countless lives that are about to die, because some fucker decided that pulling that ribbon of Rumia's off is an idea that's any less than outright suicidal for them and the surrounding area! I want to do the right thing."

"I won't let you." Marisa firmly declared. "I may not sound like I care about Gappies much, but you're not one of them. You're an actual functioning person who is just trying to be good. I can't just let you walk to your death like this."

"And how are you going to achieve that?" Richard retorted back. "You can waste your energy trying to put me down, or break my limbs for a more extreme measure. But I will tell you this from the bottom of my heart: You better hope you knock me out long enough for you and the others to be done with all of this. Because once I awaken back up, I'm going to the Human Village, in anything but the worst of conditions. You aren't stopping me, period."

"What… What the hell are you saying?" Marisa asked, as she was horrified at the mention that Richard would even suffer dislocation or fracturing of his own body, just to fight.

Miko decided to use the chance to examine Richard's desire, in an attempt to properly ascertain his motives in fighting for the Human Village, as she took a moment to listen closely to them.

There are people in danger. I must help them.

If I can prove to the people that I can at least use the power for good, that'll start earning some trust towards me.

I can't let the likes of EX-Rumia from hurting any more people. I won't allow it.

Please, don't make me watch more people dying before…

Too many people have died for me. Too many people have stained my hands with fresh blood…

Never again….

NEVER AGAIN…!

The last desire caused Miko to flinch heavily, as she staggered back with a horrified gasp, as she quickly recovered her composure, before anyone else could notice.

"I'm going, Marisa. And that's final." Richard softly said, after letting his anger dissipate. "Don't make me force myself forward. I can and I will."

"Richard…" Marisa stated with a concerned expression.

"It's no use. He's too set on it." Miko declared. "He is right, his desires are the farthest away from the idea of fame and glory. Yes, he believes this will earn him the people's trust somewhat, but… his strongest desire in all of this, is that he wants to help the people being terrorised. He's… actually selfless."

"Of course he is, I saw that myself…" Marisa growled, before she then took a few deep breaths.

"Fine." Marisa stated. "But you leave most of the fighting to us. Find some way to keep her distracted from the defenseless, or find a way to waste her energy… and we'll be able to get that limiter amulet back on her."

"It's a deal then." Richard declared.

"Well, I'm off." Mokou declared, before she sprouted her phoenix wings, and blasted off immediately, as Marisa prepared her broom.

"You not coming, Miko?" Marisa asked. "I thought you would be gone after you gave us this message."

"I… I need to talk with Richard." Miko declared.

"Your funeral. BLAZING STTTAAARRRR!" Marisa declared, before her broom blasted off with her at ludicrous speeds with a blast of rainbow energy from the back of it.

After Mokou and Marisa were gone, Richard turned to Miko.

"So… you read my desires." Richard declared. "...How much did you truly read, Miko? How far did you delve?"

"Richard, I will tell you honestly, that whoever you are… your inner desires unsettle me." Miko declared. "Your desires are tainted with such emotion that I can literally feel it in every word written into it. I sense that deep resentment towards yourself, and the sorrow of loss. You… you fear failing people. That much I can tell from your desires… but how could it become so strong that it is your foremost desire, compared to others?"

"...If I told you, you'd hate me to no end." Richard answered back. "...For your sake and everyone's elses, what you read is enough. My past is something that I prefer to have buried under secrecy, for it is the person that I changed from. That I want to never ever be again. Please, Miko, I beg you."

Miko looked at Richard's distraught expression on saying those words, before she then nodded silently. "I understand." Miko stated.

"Thank you." Richard answered back, feeling relieved. "Let's go then. We've done enough talking. You take the ground, I'll take the air."

The two of them immediately followed after Mokou and Marisa, as Ricahrd was using his wind magic to boost his flight-speed to being subsonic, as he managed to catch up to Marisa, just as they were about to enter the Human Village, that was being shrouded in a sphere of darkness, that is likely EX-Rumia's handiwork, causing Richard to flinch slightly.

Eventually, he managed to enter the Human Village, as he just arrived to see that Byakuren and Kyouko were evacuating residents of the Human Village behind the line of Myouren Temple followers that were protecting their retreat.

"Citizens of the Human Village are to rally at designated evacuation points!" Byakuren ordered. "The Myouren Temple is here to bring this misguided youkai back to peace!"

"Assuming Rumia doesn't blow them to pieces first." Miko snarked, having finished her transportation to the village right in front of them both.

"We can handle this alone, hermit. We have more than enough youkai." Byakuren remarked with a frown on her lips.

"You also have more than enough followers, which makes me wonder why you'd play the hero to gain more-" Miko snapped back.

"That's enough. Save the snark for later." Richard interjected, before things could get ugly. "We got a darkness youkai to deal with. Grievances can be dealt with later."

"Who are you?" Byakuren remarked, before noticing something about Richard that unsettled her. "Wait, you're…"

"Yeah, he's an Outsider, but he acts more like a proper one than some Gappie." Miko declared, before turning to Richard. "And you're right. I don't have time to waste. You got my back?"

"Yeah." Richard nodded.

The two of them immediately rushed on, as they began to fire danmaku into the horde of fairies coming their way, acting as Rumia's backup in the situation, as they deftly dodged the bullet patterns coming their way, while collecting the power and point boxes to give them a boost for the upcoming fight.

"You're doing quite well for your first mini-incident." Miko declared. "...You have experience fighting in these kinds of situations? I definitely know that you aren't from the Outside World just by how potent your magic is."

"I had good teachers. That's as far as I can say." Richard declared, before dodging under a laser spread from one of the larger sunflower fairies, before he then fired lances of light that managed to skewer the fairy, causing her to explode into a multitude of item boxes that Richard collected, as he coalesced them into the form of large light magic circles that orbited around him. "Huh… so that's how it works." ]

Miko and Richard then split off on one of the streets, as Richard continued on in a solo run against the fairies, as he was collecting more and more power to bolster his offense, until he managed to meet up with more friendlies, as well as EX-Rumia, as the former consisted of a multitude of Myouren Temple followers, Mamizou, Nazrin, and Nue.

"Rumia, cease this attack at once, or we'll be forced to use force!" Nue declared, only to get no response from the dark youkai with a slasher-smile filled with too many teeth to be normal, even for a youkai, as it unsettled the group.

Richard immediately began to shift the magic circles in front of them, as they merged into a larger one, just as EX-Rumia opened her mouth to speak.

"COOOONSUUUUME." EX-Rumia declared with a guttural growl, as dark energy surged from her, before she fired a massive spread of dark slash waves that downed the entire Myouren Temple squad, as EX-Rumia floated down. "COOONSUUUME…"

When EX-Rumia floated down, she looked down at the dazed bodies of the Myouren Temple followers, as she prepared her dark blade.

"So much food!" EX-Rumia declared.

"Then chew on this!" Marisa declared, popping out of one of the abandoned food-stands, before before firing several star blasts from her Hakkero, which hit EX-Rumia several times, before she used her blade to block, and then firing a blade wave towards the stand, which was destroyed immediately, leaving Marisa vulnerable.

"Oh no, you don't!" Richard declared, before firing a beam of magic right from his magic circle, which hit Rumia dead-on, sending her flying away from the force of the attack, taking her by surprise.

"Woah, nice hit!" Marisa complimented Richard.

"We're not done here." Richard declared, as Sanae came in from behind.

"Never fear! Sanae is…" Sanae declared, as she was about to fire an attack, only to see that her target was gone. "...here? Where did Rumia go?"

"Sorry, she got blasted away." Richard declared, as Sanae turned to Richard, as she was fairly dazzled with how cool Richard looked in his current attire to her. "Sorry for ruining your big moment. Don't worry, you'll have far more chances to help soon enough."

"You… You think so?" Sanae asked with hope in her eyes.

"Richard, please don't encourage the show-off." Marisa remarked, as the Myouren Temple crew finally recovered.

"Everyone recovered? I do believe it's time to show that dark blondie what for!" Mamizou declared.

At the same time, Miko managed to catch up with the rest of the group, as she went blade-first into EX-Rumia, as the two of them began to clash, firing blasts of danmaku at each other to try and destroy each other's guard.

"Target Rumia!" Mamizou declared, as the followers immediately fired their own danmaku patterns into EX-Rumia, who were being pelted from all sides, although all it served to do was irritate her.

"You annoying pests!" EX-Rumia growled, before she then fired a massive triple burst of danmaku rounds, as they sent the followers flying, knocking them out of the battle once again, this time likely for good, as they didn't get up for a while.

Miko managed to lock blades with EX-Rumia, only for her to be parried back, as EX-Rumia was about to fire a blast right in Miko's face, only for Marisa to come in, firing a laser right into EX-Rumia's face that dazed her for a moment, with face covered.

"Now's our chance!" Sanae declared, as she began to cast spells to fire star danmaku at EX-Rumia, as they managed to stagger her back slightly, while Richard added his light lances, and Nue with her blue and red lasers, as they pelted EX-Rumia several times.

"ENOUGH! Dark Prism 'Dividing Line'!" EX-Rumia roared, before a triplet of barriers, each coloured red, blue and green formed around her, as she fired grey danmaku rounds that seemed to transform upon hitting any of the coloured barriers first, as the blue barrier turned them into fast moving danmaku bullets, while the red barrier burst them into even more bullets, and the green barrier enlarged them into circular rim bullets, as it filled most of the area with bullets.

Richard was forced to pay attention to the movement of the blue bullets, as they seemed to be the foremost threat with how sudden they can appear between the waves of red and green bullets, as he was able to avoid them, and graze the rest, the energy projectiles buzzing in proximity to his own skin, as the group were able to dodge the attack, firing down on EX-Rumia until her spell-card was taken down.

"It's time for you to see the sun! Hermit Sign 'Taoist of the Land of the Rising Sun'!" Miko declared, before firing an entire fusillade of golden lasers that hit EX-Rumia for considerable damage, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Sea Opening 'Moses' Miracle'!" Sanae declared, before she then teleported into the air, and slammed a massive blow onto EX-Rumia that cratered her into the ground with a massive wave of light.

Richard was smiling in approval, at the fact that the incident resolvers were able to hold an advantage against EX-Rumia. However, that feeling faded the moment he predicted that EX-Rumia was going to use another spell-card.

"Lunar Sign 'Moonlit Cascade!" EX-Rumia declared, as she managed to tag Miko with a pair of blue beams, which she fired a massive barrage of dark crystalline projectiles that forced the group to dodge, with a rain of lighter crystalline projectiles raining from above, making it hard for the group to be able to dodge all three parts of the attacks, as EX-Rumia used the pincering lasers to force the group to weave through heavy fire.

"Son of a…!" Richard cursed, before he managed to take a hit to his own hit-box by one of the crystalline projectiles, which temporarily immobilized him, and forcing him into free-fall, before he then quickly recovered before he could crash into the ground hard.

He wasn't the only one to be hit by the attack, but he also wasn't the one who was taken out by the attack, as Marisa was overwhelmed by the mass of projectiles, as the amount of hit-box hits she took from the spell retired her from the fight.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Sanae exclaimed. "She took Marisa out with that!?"

"If she pulls anything more… we're really going to lose the numbers…" Richard grimaced, as he tried to think of a way to prevent any more of the group from being taken out of the fight. "Damn it… there has to be some way…"

Eventually, Mamizou managed to break through the spell-card with her symbolic danmaku, thanks to the help of the others, as Nue managed to land a powerful explosive orb of danmaku that sent EX-Rumia flying, as she began to flag, but her danmaku also became far more intense in her desperation, as the group were struggling to keep up.

"She really won't go down like this…!" Richard remarked, before an idea popped in his head. "...But if I can find a way to draw her attention, I can exhaust her out…. It's under risk of death… but when has it never been for me?"

Richard quickly rushed up to EX-Rumia, before he then immediately used a familiar old trick, using a magic bomb made from light magic, as it hit EX-Rumia in the eyes, blinding her, before Richard sent her flying back with an earth pillar, as he turned to Miko.

"Miko, I have an idea." Richard suggested. "And hear me out before you go reading my desires for it."

"What is your plan? EX-Rumia is going to take more of us down if we don't find some way to deal with her." Miko remarked. "Don't tell me that it involves you-"

"It does involve me… but not in the way you're thinking at first." Richard declared. "...I'm going to piss her off, and hope that it draws the attention from you guys onto me."

"You… you what!? Are you mad, Richard!?" Miko exclaimed with disbelief. "Do you think you can handle her wrath head-on, if we can't!?"

"I don't have to handle it, I just need to endure it." Richard declared. "Marisa's our firepower, and she just went down after that attack. We're not winning this with a decapitation strike. None of us have the power for it. So the alternative is to weaken and exhaust her enough so that it is possible for us. And I know how to make her focus on me, instead of the rest of you."

"I…" Miko started, before she began to deliberate on the idea as quickly as possible, with EX-Rumia recovering from the attack. "...Alright, I trust you. But please, don't even bother blocking her attacks, you don't have any defenses powerful enough to survive her attacks."

"I know." Richard declared, before he then rushed forth, and faced down EX-Rumia. "Hey, dumb-ass, you remember me!?"

"You…." EX-Rumia growled.

"That's right, Rumia. The human you lost a fucking eye to." Richard declared. "How's the eye? I bet it got itself fixed up after you changed forms, didn't it?"

"I'm going to kill you." EX-Rumia declared, with no humour in her voice.

"Oh look, the 1st stage boss talks back." Richard sarcastically remarked. "Oh, shiver my bones, you only came that close to killing me because I was a defenseless human. You don't have the FUCKING balls to come after anyone who has even a single modicum of power. Speaks volumes of how much of a useless shit you are."

"...Wow, that's some way to piss Rumia off." Nue remarked, truly astonished by Richard's insults, as EX-Rumia was frozen on the spot.

"Look at you, it took changing to a fucking form that you have no rights using to be able to stand up against all of us." Richard continued. "But oh look, you had to rely on an army of fairies to be able to still stand a chance. It's truly astonishing how afraid of all of us you are."

"Shut up." EX-Rumia growled lowly.

"How about you make me?" Richard mocked. "You. Third-Rate. Shadow of a Boogeyman. The biggest fucking joke in all of Gensokyo. Go on, make my day."

"...Mystic Flier." EX-Rumia declared, as Richard immediately rose up, barely avoiding EX-Rumia turned into a blood-red comet, that literally ripped through where he was a split-second ago.

"COME ON, BITCH! COME AND GET ME!" Richard roared, as he immediately applied every single means of accelerating himself, before blasting off.

What ensued was Richard trying to avoid EX-Rumia's pursuit, as she managed to speed up to try and hack Richard to pieces, while firing a mess of danmaku everywhere, behind him, in front of him, by the sides, under and above him in all directions, as Richard focused only on dodging, tuning the rest out from his mind.

Meanwhile, down below, Sanae was muttering prayers to herself, as she was using her rituals to try and power herself up, while Mamizou and Nue were rallying up with each other, as Miko was left observing how Richard was leading EX-Rumia, who were screaming bloody murder with every second.

"By the gods… he really is that fearless to be able to do this with so little regret and hesitation." Miko remarked with awe, as she looked at the sword in her hands. "...Hopefully, I can gather enough power to make use of whatever chance Richard is about to give us."

Richard managed to shake EX-Rumia off for a while, although he got cut up by several slash waves that got too close, and could have cut off his limbs had he not reacted to mitigate the damage, as the magic exhaustion was catching up to him, with his uptake being off the charts.

'I have to end this quickly. I just need a chance to lead her off.' Richard thought to himself, before he then noticed that there was a large broken house that he could barely thread through at his current speed. 'Aha, now I just need to be able to make use of it…'

Richard then dived into the house, before pulling several manuevers to navigate through the wreck, as his turning was fast enough for EX-Rumia to be unable to follow his movement, as she came out of the ruins ahead of Richard.

"You fell for it! NOW!" Richard shouted, as he immediately summoned his spell card. "Declare Spell Card: Arcana Sign 'Magna Breaker'!"

Richard then fired the massive beam of energy right towards EX-Rumia, who barely reacted in time to be able to block the attack, using her blade to split the beam in two, as she smiled cruelly.

"Hahaha, now I got you!" EX-Rumia exclaimed, as she was about to rush forth to cleave Richard in two.

"Human Sign 'Tradition of Just Rewards'!' Miko declared, before a massive beam of light hit EX-Rumia dead-on, coming from Miko's raised sword, as it managed to push EX-Rumia away, and right into the path of Mamizou and Nue.

"Sixth Duel 'Tanuki's Shapeshifting School'!" Mamizou declared, as a mass of human-shaped bullets appeared in lines, as they marched on, firing yellow aimed bullets right at EX-Rumia.

"Unidentified 'Red UFO Invasion of Rage'!" Nue chanted, as red UFOs appeared around her, before firing a massive barrage of fireballs that honed after EX-Rumia, as the attack along with Mamizou managed to do considerable damage.

"And for the finale…!" Sanae exclaimed, before she raised her gohei. "Esoterica 'Nine Syllable Stabs'!"

She then slashed through the air, as a cross slash of six energy lines with glowing rainbow energy, formed in the shape of a 3x3 grid formed on Rumia, before they exploded, as EX-Rumia screamed, as she exploded with a massive burst of energy, as she fell onto the ground, finally defeated.

"Quick, the amulet, Sanae!" Miko shouted, as Sanae quickly fumbled around in her pockets, before finding a green ribbon.

"I got it!" Sanae exclaimed, before fitting it onto EX-Rumia's head neatly, as her form reverted back to normal, and the darkness faded, just as Keine and Byakuren rushed onto the scene, along with Kasen from the opposite direction, leading Reisen.

"Sorry we couldn't make it here earlier than this." Kasen apologized. "The fairies were adamant in getting in our way. We faced the majority of the horde here."

"It's fine." Miko declared. "We managed to hold our own… despite suffering casualities."

Reisen noticed that Miko's eyes were on Marisa, as she immediately went to the unconscious black-and-white magician, to tend to her wounds.

"And there we go. One fresh limiter amulet, courtesy of the Moriya Shrine." Sanae bragged slightly.

"Personally, I believe advertising your shrine on a youkai is the lowest of the low." Byakuren grumbled.

"Relax, Byakuren. She's not doing this with bad intent: Just a little something for her gods." Miko chuckled.

"Where did that outsider, Richard, go?" Byakuren said.

"You were mentioning me?" Richard asked, before he then landed down on his two feet, wounded but not down, although he seemed ready to keel over. "I'm here."

"You're… you're hurt." Byakuren declared.

"Yes, I am." Richard responded back. "But I don't regret what I have done. The incident has been resolved, and I have been of reasonable help."

"Yeah, I suppose he did play support for us." Nue remarked off-handedly. "He did manage to run Rumia ragged so that we could finish the fight."

"We are thankful of your help." Keine declared, nodding to Richard "Know that the villagers are grateful for what you have done."

"It is just good nature, Mrs Kamishirasawa." Richard responded back. "I couldn't just sit by and let the human village be endangered. I may not be as strong as the rest of you… but that doesn't diminish my duty the slightest."

"Unh…" Marisa groaned, as she finally returned to the world of the conscious.

"Marisa?" Richard remarked, before walking over to her. "Marisa, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll walk it off." Marisa groaned, before she then rose up. "What happened?"

"Rumia has been defeated." Richard responded back. "She will wake up, as the simple-minded blonde youkai that we all have to deal with. And from what I can tell, the only casualties that I have seen are several of the followers. It could have been worse."

"Yeah. And it would have been even better if that red ribbon was still on there." Marisa frowned.

Richard didn't deign to make a response on that, as he already had a strong feeling who was likely responsible

"It's perfectly acceptable to sit out an incident." Reisen suggested.

"Well, if Reimu was here, she could have beaten Rumia no problem, and she could do it with only me and Sanae backing her up!" Marisa argued.

"Miss Kirisame, do you really miss her that much?" Kasen argued back.

"Look, she's the only youkai hunter I can compete against, and these gappies have an unfair advantage." Marisa responded back.

"And what about-" Sanae asked.

"No. I have seen enough that Richard isn't in a mood for some fighting." Marisa shook her head. "The only two times he actually fought was against Ran who was trying to maul him, and then this, because he wants to do some good. I think he won't take nicely to being challenged out of the blue."

Richard could only sigh, as he turned his head away, before he then noticed that there were several dead bodies in a dark alley, as they were several citizens that failed to get away from the massacre, as they were torn quite brutally, as there were even boys and girls within it.

Richard couldn't even speak, as the scene horrified him, as he was left wondering how many people really died in the incident, excluding the followers of Myouren Temple and the fairies.

"...Richard? Hey, Richard?" Marisa asked, as she tapped Richard's shoulder to get his attention.

"Marisa? What is it?" Richard responded back, turning around.

"You… you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you okay? You didn't take any hits to the head, right?" Marisa asked.

Richard was silent for a moment, as the image of the dead burned heavily in his mind.

"No, I'm fine-" Richard remarked, before his consciousness then suddenly winked out, as he collapsed to the ground.

"RICHARD!" Marisa exclaimed, before she then rushed over to him. "Reisen, what's wrong with him!?"

Reisen began to examine Richard closely, noticing the erratic breathing, although she was able to tell that there were no internal injuries after a lengthy detailed check-up on him.

"He's not severely injured in any way that causes his consciousness to fade." Reisen answered back. "He's just simply out cold after suffering severe mana deficiency. He'll wake up soon."

"Of course… I almost thought that he was well…" Miko stated. "...I can't tell everything about him from his desires alone. He must have been trying to stay strong for all of us, to speak with us…. What conviction to hide his own fatigue until it surged through him when he couldn't hold it back any longer."

"Let's get him to bed." Keine suggested. "...And allow him a place to stay here. If he has no home-"

"That won't be necessary." A voice remarked, before a pair of doors appeared in reality, as Okina Matara appeared through them.

"Matara!?" Kasen exclaimed. "How are you here!? I thought that the matter of mortals is beneath your concern, as you said before!"

"Not this one. This one, I have personal interests and stakes on." Okina declared, before scooping up Richard. "Yukari left him a house to stay in. I merely wish to take him back there, and have a chat with him."

"What are you planning right now?" Byakuren asked with narrowed eyes.

"To be honest… I'm not sure if I can plan for this." Okina off-handedly remarked, as her response stunned the group slightly. "Now, if you excuse me, I'll be taking my leave."

Okina then summoned a pair of doors, as she disappeared through them, leaving the group silent for a moment.

"Did she… just confess to saying that she doesn't know what to do about this?" Marisa remarked. "The great Okina Matara, who is one of the Gensokyian Sages, and was responsible for one of the most tumultuous incidents barring those that the Gappies created… she actually said that?"

"Our ears do not deceive us." Miko declared. "As hard as it is to read her desires for a clear answer… I can tell with good certainty… that Matara is indeed not lying."

"...What the hell does she want from him?" Marisa wondered.

As soon as Okina came out of the other side of the area, she immediately laid Richard down on the bed, awaiting for him to recover on his own.

"Oh, Yukari, Yukari, Yukari…" Okina muttered. "...You have no idea who this boy is, do you? If the wrong buttons are pressed, he will not be the continuation of your Gensokyo… but the end of it. A monster who has been mellowed out for so long… who wants to forget his own darkness… a far worse enemy than any Gappy could hope to become."

Richard slowly groaned, as his eyes squinted slightly, before he then blinked his eyes several times.

"Bed… I'm on my bed… How did I…?" Richard remarked groggily, still recovering from his injuries.

"Hello, Richard Liu." Okina greeted Richard with a faint smile, as Richard snapped his head towards her with a serious expression. "...It's nice to see that you are awake."

"...Okina Matara." Richard declared tersely, although his face betrayed hints of distrust already.

"That is my name, don't wear it out." Okina declared.

"Well then, what's your game here?" Richard asked. "I take it that you're the one who placed me here."

"Correct, and please… don't get too tense. You just exhausted a lot of your power fighting." Okina answered back. "I am not here to cause trouble. That much I can promise you."

"...Hmph, I suppose I haven't got any reason to distrust you yet." Richard scoffed. "...But you better explain things to me. Am I going to be correct on my first guess on who was responsible for the Human Village's incident?"

"You will." Okina nodded. "...If your first guess is Yukari Yakumo, then yes, you are right."

Richard clenched his fists tightly at that answer, as his knuckles popped under the pressure that he was exerting, silently seething.

"I also know that you won't be trying to get revenge on her." Okina declared.

"How could I? The fucking Sage herself made herself untouchable." Richard growled. "And I refuse to play her game by allowing her to toy with my emotions like this. I will not let her force me to try and gather power to gain a hollow revenge. I will endure whatever she throws at me, and that will be all."

"I admire your resolve. But do you think that Yukari will just sit idly by and throw these kinds of things at you?" Okina answered back.

"What are you implying, Matara?" Richard asked, as he was glaring harshly at Okina.

"Your past won't be hidden from her for much longer. That alone is enough to make people turn their backs on you." Okina declared. "If they learn of what they have done, you can consider your chances of making peace with the people to be very slim."

Richard's glare softened slightly, as he looked down for a moment, before he then looked up.

"...And that's why I've been trying to prove that I'm beyond that." Richard declared. "If I can show that I'm different to the monster that I was before, surely the truth will win out. It has to. Nobody would believe that people can't change."

"The people of this Gensokyo would. You have seen how much they hate Gappies. What do you think someone who is truly monstrous will be seen as by them?" Okina harshly stated.

"'This' Gensokyo?" Richard remarked, before the implication caused him to drag Okina closer by the shoulders. "...You better start speaking about what the hell you know about me, or this conversation is over."

"I know that you've grown in a different Gensokyo to this one." Okina stated. "In fact… the Yukari over there… and me? We know each other."

"And she doesn't deign to even speak about you. That's not convincing at all." Richard scoffed.

"She doesn't want you to fall in the same path as the one you reincarnated from, did." Okina declared, as Richard froze. "You didn't need to burden yourself with a Gensokyo that would never treat you like a proper person, or spit in the face of your ideals. That's why she left no mention of any of us. Because she doesn't want to agonise over it."

"And how the hell do I know that this isn't one of your games to try for something?" Richard narrowed. "I know you, and you know me. There is very little else to be said, but the fact: Can I even trust your advice?"

Okina looked back at Richard for a moment, before she then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll admit it. I'm not much different to how you know me. I manipulate people, I don't give two shits about most people, and I don't even treat my dancers too well." Okina declared firmly. "But that doesn't change the fact that I am a Sage foremost, and the Hidden God second. I have a duty to Gensokyo, and my machinations do not impact its existence, and you know it. What's more, I am a god in the traditional sense: bless the faithful, punish the wicked. I'm not some sadistic woman who gets her enjoyment from kicking mortals around, and their dogs. I merely do what I want to sustain my existence. And that's all there is to me."

Okina then placed her own hands against Richard's shoulders, looking directly back at him.

"You don't need to trust me, yes. But you just need to know that I'm not your enemy, and that I'm working on trying to get you back." Okina declared. "But I have no way to send you back, because somehow, the way back has been scrambled. It's a one-way trip until Yukari, your one, can find the severed connection and bring it back to normal. I want to help you get through this, Richard. You could help this Gensokyo more than you think, and that's my genuine thoughts."

Richard looked at Okina for a moment, before he then spoke.

"..You're being a bit too forthright to me…" Richard remarked, as Okina flinched. "...But I can't deny your words, for you have spoken them without any intent to deceive. You're actually speaking out of your heart, and I can actually tell because several people done the same to me, and I was subject to it myself. Alright, Okina Matara. I'll stop distrusting you, but you still will need to earn my trust, from scratch. Maybe you are being honest with me, maybe you're trying to play me. Either way, we'll know when we get there, and that's a long while before I can reach either conclusion."

"That will be enough." Okina declared, before she then dropped some traditional food, consisting of rice, a mix of Japanese main dishes, such as sushi and tempura prawns, and even some freshly cooked teriyaki beef, onto the nearby table. "Have some food on me. You need to stay well-fed, if you want to be able to handle what's outside."

"Thanks." Richard stated, as he swore that Okina gave a faint hint of a smile, before she then disappeared.

As Richard finished off the food, as it was a good meal for him, and kept him quite sated, he noticed that there were someone knocking on the door.

"Come in." Richard remarked, before he then walked over to open the door, and saw that it was Chen. "...Oh. It's you."

"Yeah." Chen nodded back, before she then took her seat at the table. "So… about the human village incident."

"What do you have to say about it?" Richard asked, as he took his seat.

"Just want to say good job." Chen remarked, with a genuine smile. "Very few Gappies are able to handle Rumia when she is at full power, without her limiter amulet. And you even gave a great fight about it. Sure, the others did a larger part of the work, but you did manage to give her a few hard blows. I say that you get an A out of all of the letter grades for that performance."

"A good fighter is a good team player." Richard responded back. "I can't defeat EX-Rumia alone, and I know that clearly. That's why I've been heaping damage on her from afar, while letting Miko take her attention, and the others to add their own blasts to the fun. My tactic was meant as a means to buy time for the others to power up and launch a decapitation strike to end her swiftly before any of us could suffer casualties like Marisa did."

"So like a proper RPG boss battle." Chen remarked, before she chuckled. "Man, you can be so cliche sometimes. But at least you're the fun kind."

"Is this a game to you, Chen?" Richard asked, as most of his warmth left his voice.

"Well…" Chen started, as she scrambled for a proper response to Richard's question.

"There were human bodies, Chen. Not as big as I would expect, but there were many dead." Richard declared with emphasis on his words. "I saw a boy torn in half, and a girl whose entire face was gone. And no prize for guessing who is responsible."

"You… you sure it wasn't any feral youkai who were taking advantage of the-'' Chen remarked, as she was faltering in the face of Richard's sudden change in temperament.

"You know why I'm saying this." Richard interrupted. "I would be careful how you say those words. Because I don't think that it would be so entertaining to the people who just lost friends… if not family because of that."

Chen could only lower her head in silence, before Richard heard knocking on the door, as he opened it to see Yukari, who came in, holding a familiar red ribbon, as his expression darkened.

"Well, hello Richard." Yukari remarked. "Just your usual day in Gensokyo, isn't it?"

"If you count having to deal with a flesh-eating youkai who is a serious enough threat to have a lot of people coming to aid on it, with several factions acting on it…" Richard remarked. "Then yes, it's a normal day in Gensokyo indeed… except it's not. Not even by the standards of this land."

"Oh?" Yukari stated, before Richard pointed at the amulet.

"So then, Yukari, care to explain why you sicced Rumia on the Human Village?" Richard asked. "And don't play stupid, the guides clearly state what that ribbon is to Rumia."

"Of course you'd know that." Yukari casually stated. "But if you're asking for the reason in particular… it's the reason that it failed to achieve, and that's to keep you away from Marisa. And to test the humans."

"Test, you say?" Richard remarked. "And would you like to die in that trench you're digging into, Yakumo?"

"I don't know what you mean." Yukari answered back with a stoic tone.

"Does a test involve dead bodies, Yukari Yakumo? From what I heard, tests like these are not meant for killing people, indirectly, or especially indirectly." Richard continued, as he snarled. "I don't think you subscribe to the same idea of 'testing'."

"You are making bold claims for someone who is in a precarious situation, Richard." Yukari warned Richard.

"There is no-one here but us. But do keep on playing your game on me." Richard declared, as he took his seat back on the table. "You know what I'm talking about, no matter how much you play the fool about it. So then, back to the topic at hand: You call siccing EX-Rumia on the Human Village as a means to separate me from Marisa. I fail to see your damn logic in this, Yakumo. Seriously, I wonder if you are actually half-sane just doing that."

"I expected that you would have stayed away, if you weren't being corrupted into a glory-hound by Marisa." Yukari declared. "You going to fight Rumia was a very stupid move that would have killed any Gappy that wasn't half as smart as you. So tell me what is your reason-"

Richard immediately slammed his hands on the table hard, as it shocked Chen.

"If I need a FUCKING reason to save people, then the question should be turned the other way around to you." Richard growled back, as his voice turned hostile. "What right do you have to decide whether I should save people or not? So what, I'm supposed to close my eyes, pretend that the suffering of the people doesn't matter to me? Is that what you want from me, Yukari Yakumo?"

"Your selfishness in deciding whether you have to be the one to save people is the problem." Yukari declared.

"No, I only acted as a fucking assist. Sure, I went for that hail-mary, but did it threaten anyone but me? No, no it didn't! If you were there, you would have realized all of that." Richard continued, before he then stomped out from the table, and pointed an accusatory finger to Yukari. "And don't forget, it's your fucking hare-brained scheme that got us into this mess. So don't talk to me as if I'm the one to blame here. Your title as Sage doesn't absolve you of the responsibility of YOUR fuck-up. You're lucky that people either turn a blind eye to this, or they don't know the truth of this, and I'm not suicidal enough to go around hollering your crime for everyone to hear."

"Is that all you have to say?" Yukari asked, as her expression was cold.

"Yes, and I don't care what you have to say." Richard stated, before jabbing towards the door with his finger. "Get out. I don't care whatever you threaten me with, I am not playing whatever convoluted game you're slamming right in front of me. Take your nekomata, and go back to Mayohiga, or even go and take a visit to Yuyuko, and maybe that visit would make you less of a pestilence on the rest of Gensokyo."

"Richard Liu, you will regret your attitude if you keep this up. Take this seriously from me. I do not approve of this." Yukari remarked, as she snapped around on her heel.

"I am. And I will tell you this back: The day I care about your twisted opinion of me is the day that Hell freezes over." Richard answered back.

Yukari merely wrinkled her nose, before she then opened a sukima. "Chen, come with me." She stated as an order, with how uncompromising her tone is.

Chen looked at Richard for a moment, as there was genuine worry on her face, before she then nodded, and moved beside Yukari as the both of them left.

Richard let out a frustrated sigh, before pulling out a can of chilled beer, before downing it in a single gulp, and resting against the couch.

"What kind of Gensokyo did I end up in… How could something like this be fucking justified…?" Richard growled to himself. "...I only hope that this will not be a common occurrence when the time comes."