She… was a butterfly. Insignificantly tiny and light enough to float on the breeze. Her beautiful wings pulsed, yet they did not tire. Though, should she ever desire rest, respite was always but a moment away.

A sea of flowers stretched infinitely before her, their petals spread proudly and their stems reaching skyward. Not a single cloud despoiled the pristine blue sky. It was a perfect fantasy.

…

She was not alone. Other butterflies were there with her. Serenely, they would enjoy this world's endless bounty together. It was true freedom.

…

She began to feel a tug on her mind. It was inevitable, after all. This was all too beautiful, too perfect, to last. A tiny, blue and yellow butterfly landed on a flower, before the world faded to black.

…

Alice opened her eyes and was greeted by a familiar ceiling. Slowly, she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and yawned. After a deep stretch, she fell back onto her pillow.

Mmm, it was another pleasant dream. Something about the beauty and simplicity of the Butterfly Dream resonated strongly with her.

She glanced over at the medicine bottle on her nightstand. Hmmm, she would need to make another trip to Eientei soon. There were only a few night's worth left.

The morning sun shone brightly on the foot of her bed, another reminder that it was indeed time to wake. Alice had plans today, and she was not keen to delay them. Shanghai awaited.

Within the span of ten minutes, Alice had, with the help of several of her dolls, gotten dressed for the day, brushed through her golden blonde hair until it was pristine, and had breakfast cooking on the stove.

Eggs were another thing she needed to pick up from the Village. She added it to her mental shopping list.

After a quick meal, supplemented by one of the bread rolls Eric had brought her. Alice directed her little legion of dolls to do their daily chores. Things like dusting surfaces, cleaning the windows, sweeping, and making the bed were easy enough for them to do without Alice's direct control.

Although, with so many of her dolls doing different tasks at once, she found it difficult to focus her magical energy on much else.

All indoor tasks were finished in short order. Soon, Alice's dolls were outside, cleaning the house, clearing away tree litter, and weeding the garden.

It was late spring, so Alice's garden had long since sprouted and was coming along nicely. The soil in the Forest of Magic was only moderately fertile, but the concentration of mana in this region seemed to augment both growth speed and size when it came to plants.

Perhaps the human farmers should take a lesson from the Forest and infuse their crops with magic.

It was not an overly large garden, but it was enough to keep her busy. This year, she had planted mostly vegetables, herbs, and important reagents. However, she always made sure she had enough room for her favorite flower. It was one she would see often in her Butterfly Dream.

She had learned years ago that they were called pink carnations, and this Spring's batch was beginning to bud. Alice hummed a little as her dolls watered the soil. Soon she would be greeted by lovely pink petals.

It was late morning by the time all the chores were done. Alice decided on having a quick cup of tea before she made her trip into town. As it brewed, she gathered the things she would need for her journey.

A large, woven basket was placed on the side table nearest to the front door, and a pair of long, brown boots were brought front and center. She briefly considered bringing a parasol for shade, but decided against it. It would be difficult to hold a parasol while flying.

A few quick steps then brought her to her study. From a small, locked box, she withdrew a black book. It was a special book. A trained eye could easily detect the magical aura it radiated, and it was bound with one of Alice's signature red and white ribbons. The edges of the pages within slowly pulsed with a multicolored light. On the front, in shimmering gold letters, it read The Grimoire of Alice.

She certainly did not want to have to rely on it. It was always just in case. Though, her eyes lingered on it for perhaps a moment too long.

…

Ah, the tea is probably ready by now.

…

Back in her living room, Alice went through a mental checklist as she sipped her piping hot tea. It would be most efficient to do everything she needed to do in one trip, so she took care to be certain she did not forget anything.

With her teacup empty, Alice laced up her boots and slipped several metal rings onto her fingers. A small squad of 'going out' dolls, equipped with various weapons, assembled around her, attached to the rings with a fine, magical thread.

It was as light as a spider's silk while being as sturdy and sharp as a steel wire.

Should she be engaged in a duel, the wires made it easier to control her little retinue.

Her grimoire in her left hand and her basket in her right, Alice took a deep breath. She had been without Shanghai for much longer than she would have liked. A little bit of anxiety, and a lot of anticipation, welled up inside her.

Without another moment wasted, she stepped out of the house.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

Eric was having a weird morning.

It had all started when he woke up, still a little tired from his late night. The sun was in his eyes, but that was normal. The way his room was positioned, the morning sun went right through his window and into his face.

It was a great alarm clock, really. Very consistent. However, it seemed just a bit brighter than usual today.

He rubbed his now blinded eyes before sitting up in bed. A few more minutes of sleep would have been a godsend, but he had things to do. And so, Eric grabbed his glasses.

He had to open up the cafe. He had to meet with Alice again so she could have Shanghai back. He had to-

Wait. He looked around at his room. This is… much… cleaner than I remember.

Indeed, his books had been reshelved, and his papers had been stacked neatly on the corner of his desk. He pulled himself out of bed.

Upon closer inspection, he observed that his entire bookshelf had been reorganized based on genre and was sorted by the author's last name. His papers, too, had been organized by date.

Eric then felt a pleasant breeze and was surprised to see that his window was open. As he moved over to close it he noticed that the glass was much clearer. Hmm, that would explain why the sun was so bright.

It wasn't just the window that looked like it had been cleaned. There was much less dust in general on the surfaces in his bedroom. He… had a pretty good idea who was responsible for this.

Just then, there was a light scraping sound. It was close, but it wasn't in his room. It sounded like it was coming from the short hallway just on the other side of the wall.

Welp, there was only one way to find out. Eric opened his bedroom door, eager to confirm his suspicions.

…

As it turned out, Shanghai had been busy during the night. She'd dusted, organized, swept, cleaned, and scrubbed away at various parts of Eric's home/cafe. The doll had just finished wiping the hallway floor when Eric had emerged from his room.

It was unexpected, but much appreciated.

After that peculiar start, Eric went about his usual routine to get ready for the day ahead.

…

The next odd thing occurred after he had walked down the stairs to prepare the cafe for opening.

There was a man across the street. He was highly animated and yelling out to random passersby. Eric couldn't make out exactly what he was saying, but he definitely heard the phrases "end times" and "youkai supremacy." In the man's hand was a sign. The word 'youkai' was painted on it, covered by a big red 'X.'

He'd never seen that man before, but he immediately knew what he was about. People like that had been cropping up in the Village lately, but this was the first time that one had set up in front of his cafe.

It probably wasn't great for business.

Still, as long as the guy kept his distance, there wasn't much Eric could do.

…

Once the sign was flipped to open and the door was unlocked, Eric experienced a small return to normalcy. Tradition's End received a steady flow of customers. It was always busiest in the morning, and Eric was focused.

Preparing and serving orders, clearing off the tables afterwards, making small talk with the guests… The first couple hours were always a hectic, one-man show. It took no small effort for him to keep up.

After a little while, though, he started to notice weird looks being thrown his way, usually as people entered. It took a bit before he realized why.

Shanghai was shadowing his every move. As he moved back and forth from one end of the counter to the other, she followed.

"Hey uh, Shanghai? You don't have to, y'know, keep guarding me. I'm perfectly safe right now, see?"

Her glass eyes stared blankly at Eric before turning away. She appeared to be looking at the food and drinks that were being prepared. A quick finger point confirmed it.

"Oh! Interested in the food? Sorry, I didn't know you could eat. I can make you a little bit if you want."

Shanghai slowly shook her head.

"Um, need a drink then?"

That was a negative again.

"D-Do… Do you want to help?"

A slow nod. Shanghai was looking for an opportunity to be useful. Like Alice would have wanted.

Eric grinned. Aw, she just wants to help. That's adorable!

"Um, I don't think I can let you help with making the stuff." He leaned in a little bit and whispered, "I use a little bit of magic while I prepare everything, but don't tell anyone. It's a trade secret!"

She turned back to Eric and tilted her head.

"But, if you want, you could clear off the dirty tables out there and bring the dishes back. Only if you want to, though. You've already helped me a lot."

Ah, cleaning. Something she had a lot of experience with. Something that resonated with her. Surely Alice would appreciate something getting cleaned no matter where it was.

With a subtle nod, Shanghai drifted off towards her first table. Eric made sure to keep a close eye on her. He wasn't sure how Alice's dolls worked when she wasn't around.

It didn't take long until he realized that there was really nothing to worry about. Shanghai seemed perfectly able, and she even cleaned the dishes after she brought them back. Needless to say, Eric appreciated the assistance.

As his cafe had grown in popularity, it had become increasingly difficult to handle all aspects of running it alone. Shanghai sharing the burden today just made him even more eager to hire a dedicated employee. Not having to run back and forth from behind the counter was so much less tiring.

By late morning, one of his regulars, an older man, had struck up a conversation with him.

"Ahh, seems like you finally got around to hiring some help." He gestured in Shanghai's direction. "Though, I gotta question your choice in employees. I mean, a youkai? Really?"

"Hmm? Oh, Shanghai? She's not an employee. Not officially anyways. Although, I wouldn't mind it…" Eric shakes his head. "Nah, she's just helping out until her maker picks her up. Should be today." He returned the man's gaze. "Why? What's the problem?"

The man looked taken aback "Oh no no no, you misunderstand! I don't have a problem with it. I'm just sayin' that some other customers might. You know plenty of people get uncomfortable around anything youkai related."

Eric's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well, they'd be glad to know that this cafe regularly serves youkai and not once has there been a danger to the other guests." He crosses his arms.

The little bell chimed as the front door opened again.

"I'm just sayin'! As one businessman to another, it's better for business if you hire someone normal."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I put up the help wanted sign."

The man turned to leave. "Thanks for the coffee. See ya tomorrow!"

Eric sighed and pulled out his typical farewell. A quick wave, followed by, "Thanks for stopping by. Have a good day!"

Behind the counter again, he glanced back at Shanghai. There's nothing wrong with being different…

…

"Excuse me."

Surprised, Eric spun around and faced the source of the voice. It was a young woman with strikingly red hair and eyes. Other distinctive features included a similarly red cape that hid the bottom third of her face and a big blue bow on the back of her head. Her demeanor suggested human, but her fashion sense screamed youkai.

She must have come in while he was speaking with that man. She was a regular. Not an everyday kind of regular, but she still showed up often. She always got a strong blend of coffee.

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Did I hear correctly? Are you hiring?" Her voice was… not high pitched, but also not deep.

Ah, she must have caught the tail end of the conversation when she entered. "Um, yes? I haven't made it official yet, but I do need the help."

"Can I apply? I kinda need the money."

Wow, I didn't expect to get an application THAT quickly! "Uh, sure! What's your name?"

She glanced over her shoulder before she responded. "Sekibanki."

"Alright then. Thanks for applying, Sekibanki." Eric made sure to remember her name.

"So… do we have an interview?"

Oh shoot, that's right. An interview. He didn't quite know what he should be asking. "Um, ok, how about this? The cafe is closed tomorrow. Are you able to come by in the morning and have your interview then?"

She nodded. It looked just a little bit unnatural. "Sure. That's fine."

"Great! I'll see you then."

She nodded again and then turned away to find an empty table.

Eric sighed once more. Now he had an interview to plan for. He returned to his work.

He was having a weird, but eventful, morning.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

It was very early in the afternoon when Alice touched down at the edge of the Human Village. She had made great time; the only things that had delayed her were a couple of cheeky fairies who'd taken potshots at her.

They'd been dealt with quickly.

As she approached the village gate, she put away all but two of her dolls. There was no need to have quite that many following her within the safety of the Village. Also, she didn't necessarily want to scare the populace.

Where did she store them all? Well, that was a secret. A magician's secret.

The village guards let her pass without trouble, perhaps remembering her from previous encounters. She walked briskly, heading for the north side of town. Her first objective was reuniting with Shanghai.

Countless people milled about in the streets. Although, when Alice approached, most of them chose to walk on the other side of the road. That was alright, as it just made her path clearer.

It seemed like every time she came to the Village there were more and more people around. Was she just imagining it? Were there just a lot of outsiders migrating into Gensokyo? Was there a massive baby boom that she was not aware of? Either way, it was less like a village and more like a proper town now.

…It was an interesting thing to think about. More humans would generate more fear and faith, thus more easily sustaining the gods and youkai. But on the other hand, more humans would be more confident and capable should they band together. Thus, they would need to rely on their gods less and would fear youkai less.

Ultimately, a delicate balance must be struck.

…She was glad that it wasn't her trying to find that balance.

Alice was pulled out of her ponderance by the sight of her destination. There it was. Tradition's End. She had seen the building through her crystal ball the night before, but she could make out more details in the daylight.

It was a solid, western-styled, two-story building with large windows on the first floor. A small awning stuck out from the top of each window, seemingly to block direct sunlight from high angles.

There was nothing terribly unique about its construction, but the large sign made it unmistakable.

…

She was about to approach the door when a hand grabbed her by the shoulder and roughly spun her around, causing her to drop her basket.

"And you!"

Eyes wide, Alice came face to face with a man who was snarling savagely.

"You witch! You are the one who shall doom us all!"

To say Alice was startled was an understatement. He was close, much too close. She wrenched herself out of his grip and retreated backwards. Her two faithful dolls filled the gap between them, their little swords pointing straight at the man's neck.

But the man was not done screaming. "You damn youkai! Servants of the devil, all of you! Bringers of the end times! You deserve to be cleansed in holy fire!"

Her dolls had the human at the tip of their swords. If he tried to attack her again, he would not live to regret it. Though, the man was still very aggressive, and he was beginning to hurl obscenities.

Alice, however, was frozen in place. She did not know what to do. He was still very much a threat, but did she dare to harm him?. Even if it was self defense, it was still in the Human Village. There would likely be consequences…

She wanted to escape. She wanted to flee the confrontation altogether. Her destination was so close. All she needed to do was go through one simple door. Shanghai was waiting for her.

Said door opened at that exact moment. "Alright guy, look. I will NOT be having you harass my customers. If you want to yell at random people about however the hell you think this world's going to end, go ahead! But you'd better be doing it from the other damn side of that street. Got it!?"

Alice chanced a glance over her shoulder. It was Eric, wearing a very different expression than he did last night. For lack of a better term, he looked pissed.

"And YOU, my poor friend, are just as responsible as THEY are! You sit idly by as the world crumbles around you and allow their evil to poison us all! Safe harbor for the truest of demons!"

"If you aren't out of our faces in the next five seconds, then I'll be calling the guards over and letting them deal with you." His voice held an edge. "Can't preach from a jail cell, now can you?"

The seething man turned and stomped away. "And there it is! The whole system is rotten! Rotten to the core! The hierarchy is a sham! Who are they to impose the will of the youkai upon their fellow man…" His voice faded as he rounded a street corner.

"Unbe-fucking-lievable." she heard Eric mutter under his breath.

Now that he was gone, Alice closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths to try and compose herself. Beside her, she could hear Eric take a deep breath, too. After her eyes opened, she caught him flashing her a sympathetic smile.

He spoke, his tone apologetic. "I'm…really sorry about that. It's bad enough they're all spewing their nonsense everyday. I guess now they're assaulting people in broad daylight, too."

There was that tug on her being again.

"It… would appear so," was all she could say.

"Well, you can come in if you'd like. I'm sure Shanghai misses you."

!

Alice immediately perked up, some eagerness returning. "Yes, surely she does."

After recovering her basket and entering the café, she immediately spotted Shanghai. She floated behind the counter and waved as if to welcome her as a customer.

Alice could feel her direct link to Shanghai return, and she beckoned the little one over. As soon as the doll was within arms reach, Alice crushed her into a tight hug.

"I've missed you." It was the longest she'd gone without Shanghai's presence in at least a decade. She was… more than a little emotional about it. Were her breaths shuddering?

She was glad that there were only a couple patrons left in the café to witness what some might have considered a touching scene. Their staring was awkward...

"Hey, um, do you want to have a seat? And have a drink? I think I've got a funny story to tell you about your little doll here."

To Alice, that sounded like a great idea.

~~~~~~Author's Notes~~~~~~

Babe, wake up. A new supporting character just dropped.

I... also think Sekibanki is a neat character. Not a lot of official content about her, so there's a lot of freedom in shaping her personality.

Personally, I see her as a a plain spoken person who's just trying to live a normal life (or as normal as you can be as a youkai). The pridefulness and stubbornness is more reserved for when she gets into a fight (or is berserk from the Miracle Mallet a la Touhou 14.)

I mean, she disguises herself as a human to live within the village and doesn't cause trouble. I don't think she's really the epitome of confidence.

Also, sorry Alice. There is, in fact, some antagonism within the village.

I hope her reactions aren't too OOC, but I don't think she handles being taken by surprise very well. Also, she's lived in the Forest of Magic by herself with only her dolls for at least a decade. She's probably not great with physical human contact. Or separation from her one constant companion. Even if said companion is a doll. That she made. And controls. Yeah.

Look, some attachments aren't necessarily logical, okay? :p

Anyways, thank you for reading! Have a great day!