3/18

turtlepower: Hey Crow, do you have some time today to come by and visit? I have some things that I wanted to discuss with you.

pancakeman: Absolutely. I'll come right over.

I had expected to meet Nitori at her cave, but instead I found her at the riverside, along with some other kappa, and a seal. They were busy repairing what appeared to be water pipes.

"Man, this reminds me of when we were locked out of our caves because of that oni chief tryin' to catch Seiga," one of them said.

"What was that dude's name… it was Sui-Ki, right?"

"Yeah, I hear he went to a bar and got smashed afterwards. I think he's still salty about it."

Nitori looked around and saw me. "Oh, hey there! Sorry about this, I got called out to help out with the water pumps suddenly."

"No, that's fine," I said. I looked at the kappa mob. "Are these your friends?"

"Well, I mean, as far as kappa can be friends with each other…" she said.

"Hey, isn't it that Akechi dude?" one of the kappa asked.

"Oh, wow, it is him!"

"Did Nitori call him over? Wonder if they got something going on…"

"I-it's not like that at all!" Nitori shouted at them, blushing. "I just… I just invited him over to visit!"

"Is that why you bored a hole in the mountain to let people into your cave?"

Nitori shook slightly in place.

"Come now," I said. "Let's not all tease her. You could say I formed a deal with her." I looked at the pipes they were all working on. "What are these for?"

"This is the water supply for the mountain," Nitori explained. "The pipes have to be serviced on a regular basis to make sure they have the correct pressure and flow, and to make sure there's no leaks or corrosion." She tapped the pipes with a wrench. "Lately, we've also been working on ways to conserve and reuse water, since it seems like the snowpack has been building later and melting earlier with each passing year, and there have been more dry spells with torrential rains mixed in."

"Ah, so even Gensokyo cannot escape climate change," I noted.

"Seems like it," Nitori said.

I looked at the seal. "And who's your friend here?"

"Hm? Oh, that's Manzairaku. He's a seal who ended up here in Gensokyo. Us kappa take care of him and he does tricks for audiences."

"I see. Is he actually the mythical Manzairaku?"

"Nah, it's just a name we gave him. We don't know what his original name actually is, assuming he had one."

I looked at Manzairaku, who just flopped around on his belly, observing the kappa at work. I always thought that seals were fascinating creatures, swimming so gracefully in the water yet looking like mobile sausages on land. Sometimes a case or a film shoot would have me visit the harbor, and depending on the time of day there would be a dozen or more seals huddled up on one of the floating piers, all just kind of piled up on top of one another. It was hard to imagine them being very agile on land, but if Manzairaku performed tricks then he had to be skilled. For now, though, he was content to simply observe the situation around him. After watching him for a while, he stopped, then…

*pphht*

"Er, why did he just-"

"Oh shoot, I think he farted," Nitori said. "Come on, let's step aside for a moment."

"Oh, us, yes, let's," I said.

"My God, this is-"

"Mm-hm, this is the fruit of my most recent labor," Nitori smiled.

We were standing at the edge of a massive, underground reservoir, from which pipes deposited and withdrew water. Above us were glowing crystals, powered, Nitori explained, by the nuclear furnace, which lit the area in a bright, green-tinted light.

"We're not allowed to build a dam," she said, "so instead we converted this old cave into a water storage site. From here we can control the flow of water off the mountain, either withdrawing some to control spring floods or releasing it to alleviate droughts, and we pump drinking and bathing water from here as well." She aimed a laser pointer at a suspended metal storage tank. "We treat and purify the water from the bathhouse in Tengu City, as well as some other baths, and add it back here to the reservoir. We can reuse most of our water this way, which will relieve stress on the farmers who need it for their crops, as well as the river's ecosystem."

"Impressive," I lauded her. "Did you manage this by yourself?"

Nitori shook her head. "Nope, it was a group effort. I've been able to rally more of the kappa here in the ravine to come together for group projects like this, as well as some social gatherings. Being with you guys these past couple of months made me think about what I was missing, and I wanted to share that with the others." She paused. "Also, I got some of my help from Mitori."

"Oh? That was your sister, correct? The one whose heart we changed?"

"Yes," she said. "She told me she was sorry about everything she said and did to me, and wanted to make up somehow. She was the one who designed this project, actually. I was… well, I was more like the foreman, doing some of the work myself and directing others on their tasks to make sure everything came together. She said she wanted to spend more time with me and catch up on everything I've been up to. She's even thinking about coming back down to the river and living like a normal kappa again."

I smiled. "Well, that's very good to hear."

Nitori chuckled. "Also, remember how she complained about the Tengu, and the temple as well? Well, recently she went to the temple, after Byakuren's change of heart, and she said that she couldn't recognize the place because of how much different things are now, more positive and open. She was a little suspicious at first, but now she plans on going more often. Also, she said that the Tengu guards were a bit nicer and looser with her the last time she was up there to do some contract work for them. Actually, ever since they dropped the caste system, it seems like the Tengu in general have started to open up. Maybe that's why they were so abrasive and so defensive about their territory before: they were just taking their frustration out on outsiders."

"You might be right," I nodded. "I trust Aya has been doing well?"

"Yeah, she came to visit recently," Nitori said. "She's had to take on about three times the staff at her paper to help her print copies and cover the things she wants to cover, truth and justice and all that. Her paper's really gone up in quality ever since then too, and doesn't have nearly as much bullshit as it used to. And she tells me business is booming. She's still the guard captain, of course, but the mountain rarely faces threats anyway, so combined with the increased paper workload she's really only on call now."

"Tell me about it," came a familiar voice. We turned around and saw Aya busily taking down notes.

"What's with the notepad?" I asked.

"I always have it," she said. "Gotta take down everything I see, especially given everything that's happened as of late."

"What are you doing all the way down here?" Nitori asked.

"Heh," Aya chuckled. "Well, in the past I would say just to pick up a hot scoop… but the truth is, I heard you guys talking and wanted to come meet you, as a friend and a fellow Day Breaker."

I smiled. "I'm glad we have you on our side now."

"Assuming I never was?" Aya asked. "Remember, I only followed you around because I thought you guys could help me. Now? Now I know you can help, and I want to do even more." She paused to think, then said, "do you have time after this? I'd like you to come to dinner with me to meet with the girl who runs the other paper, Hatate Himekaidou. She really wants to meet you."

"Absolutely," I said.

Nitori smirked. "Well, someone's really got a thing with the ladies, now do you?"

"Well, I suppose I can't deny it," I said to her.

We were meeting up at Aya's apartment, which was built atop her paper office. At her admission, she really only slept here, so it had very few objects inside it besides her futon, her wardrobe and a cupboard of tea and snacks for her to grab on the way out each morning. We ended up having to carry a table from downstairs up here just to have someplace to set the teacups.

"Why are we here?" I asked her.

"I'd be weird if I was seen in public with my newspaper rival AND you," she said.

"Ah, I understand."

We heard a knock on the window. Aya went over to pull aside the curtain and open it to allow a girl with brown twintails, a purple tokin hat, and a skirt with a violet and black pattern similar to the Valve missing textures pattern which didn't move, as though there was a hole in space where her skirt was. In her hand was an old, yellow flip phone.

"You know," she said, "I can't say I've ever been in your apartment before. Kinda sparse."

"That's because I'm hardly ever here, unlike a certain someone who never leaves their room," Aya said.

"Well, it's not like I need to leave for most things," Hatate said. "But, I just couldn't pass up the chance to talk to him in person!"

"Uh-huh, be glad that I even agreed to arrange this, youngster."

I looked at Hatate. "Oh, you must be-"

"Hatate Himekaidou, head of Kakashi Spirit News," she said with a smile and a pose. "I'm here because I wanted to talk to you personally, the famed human Outsider detective, Goro Akechi."

I chuckled, then laughed. "Ah, I suppose I can't escape being hounded by the press here, either. But, I'll gladly take questions from you."

"Splendid, I wasn't going to let you leave until I was done anyway."

"Er…"

Aya stepped out in order to go fetch dinner for us, leaving me alone with Hatate and her endless barrage of questions regarding my past life, the circumstances leading me here, and my activities ever since then. Dodging every trap that would lead to me disclosing the whole truth was a major hassle, but with my quick thinking and Rank 7 proficiency, I was able to do it while leaving her none the wiser. Pages and pages of notes crammed full with shorthand scribbles piled up next to her as she continued her assault.

"Phew," she said, throwing down her pen and lying on the table. "Can't remember the last time I've had this much work on my plate." She looked up at me. "So, you were popular with the press out there too, yeah?"

"Quite," I smiled. "I was a regular face on a morning talk show, talking about the cases I was working on."

"That's quite the feat for a kid like you," she said. "But doing that and school at the same time, and without parents? Takes a really strange kid to even attempt that and not crack like an egg."

"Well, I'll admit it was a challenge, but I made it work," I said. I looked at her phone. "By the way, Aya mentioned that you can use that phone to write articles without leaving the house?"

"Oh, yeah, that. So, I have a power that lets me 'imprint' mental images onto paper - 'thoughtography'. I use this device as a conduit for my ability. I put in keywords for things that I hear, or even just want to look into, and the pictures appear on my phone. I then write articles based on what I see."

"I see," I nodded. "I recall experiments over a century ago done by a man named Tomokichi Fukurai-"

"Fukurai was a moron," Hatate dismissed. "You pay people enough money, they'll make up whatever shit they can come up with to keep it. I could do tarot readings better than half the hacks on the street who will promise you a solid gold moon."

"I'm surprised you know about that case," I said, "considering Gensokyo is locked away from the Outside."

"Well, I have connections," she said.

"Why didn't you use it to gather information on me before?" I asked. "You make this sound like the first chance you've gotten to get material about me."

"...about that," Hatate said. "There are two reasons. I suppose I'll start by just getting straight to the elephant in the room." She sipped her tea. "So, I have tried using my thoughtography in the past to get articles about you, but there's a problem: you're a walking psychic event horizon."

"...what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"How do I put this? You're sort of an 'infohazard', at least as far as my ability is concerned. It's not apparent to the naked eye, or to normal cameras. I can talk to you and physically write down information, and it will turn out just fine. But any time I try to pull pictures of you, people talking about you, or discussing events that you had a hand in, all I get is a blank image. I've only seen this happen with a couple other people, most notably Reisen, who can manipulate wavelengths. So, either your name, appearance and existence is a memetic anomaly, or you can repel psychic waves. Which, of course, made me even more interested in talking to you."

"I see…" I was relieved that she couldn't see any of my Metaverse-related actions, but she also revealed that I might not be as ordinary as I thought. Not that I could be considered an 'ordinary' person, mind you, but I still ultimately believed I was an otherwise normal human. But if Hatate's claims were to be believed, then I actually did possess strange powers in the real world as well, not just the cognitive world.

"Yes, but that's not the only issue," she said. "Because of the caste system, I had a lot of work piled up on me, and I had no choice but to keep up with quotas. I consider myself a rebel and norm-breaker at heart, hence the phone, and what I really want to do is write articles that expose injustices and force people out of their comfort zones, really make them think about the world and how their actions shape it. But I couldn't, because I was forced to write the samey shit that the powers that be wanted… so imagine how I felt when, out of the blue, they just withdrew the whole system outright. At first, I thought I got drunk the previous night, hit my head somewhere, and was having a strange dream. It took me a few days to finally realize that, no, this was reality, I really am living in a world with no caste system. Really, everyone was confused, and kind of didn't know what to make of it, but as the days ticked by after the announcement there was just kind of an understanding that, hey, this is how things are now, and there are no more castes, classes, or anything like that. No cheers, no jeers, I think us Tengu are kinda self-conscious about that sort of thing. It took a lot of pressure off of me personally too, since I have more time and freedom to do, see, and report on the things I want. And, talking to Aya, it seems she feels the same way."

She leaned over the table. "Still, this whole thing seems a bit too convenient. It all happened not long after she started bringing you up here to the city, and I'm still surprised that the guards just let you waltz in so easily, since they're trained to turn away outsiders. Then she had a sudden shift in personality, completely abandoning her 'pure and honest' act and asking everyone hard questions, even if it got her in trouble with her superiors, it was like she didn't give a rat's ass about consequences if she was convinced she was right. Then there was the whole thing with the calling cards at the concert and the 'Day Breakers' that have started dominating the gossip that the bar I frequent." She flicked one of the cards in question in her hand. "A group of shadowy vigilantes who 'take the distorted desires' of their targets, I don't even know what that means or how they do it. They targeted Izunamaru-sama, who started acting very strangely the morning after the concert, and of course the day after that they came out and abolished the caste system, seemingly at her insistence, and since then she's gone out and worked with all sorts of people making amends, saying things like how a past feud with Aya was why she pressed for it to begin with, like, I knew her and Aya had history with each other, but…"

"Are you suggesting that I caused all of this?" I calmly asked.

"Well, one thing's for sure, wherever you go, strange events follow," she replied. "Not only did you amass a circle of friends including some of Gensokyo's elites within a short time of coming here, but you can fly and partake in spell card duels. Most other Outsiders are lucky just to go this long without being eaten by a youkai." She grinned. "And let's not forget that every last one of those friends, apart from Marisa's dad who is sheltering you, is female."

"I also had fangirls in Tokyo too," I smiled.

"I wouldn't doubt it." She twirled her pen around in her hand before taking down more notes. "A man of your good looks and charm, you're a natural born ladykiller."

"Huh, I see," I smiled. "Well, did I 'kill' you as well?"

"I like girls," Hatate said bluntly.

I gave a funny look at her blunt statement, before chuckling. "To each their own."

Aya came back through the window with an armful of goods. "You kids done with your heart-to-heart? It's time to eat."

"You know I'm not a kid," Hatate pouted.

"You are compared to me," Aya smiled.

"Oh, alright, oba-san."

"WHA-"

"Now now," I said, "it's time to eat, not to fight."

Aya settled down. "Oh, right." She stretched and sighed. "Ah well, it can't be helped. Let's thank the chef for the food."

I put my hands together and said, "thanks for the food."

After we ate, Hatate left, leaving me and Aya to talk about our plans.

"So, Reimu mentioned you found out the location of Seiga's distortion."

"That's right," I said. "It's Senkai."

"Interesting," she said. "I thought it'd be that cave or something." She took out her key. "Now we just need the 'what,' is that correct?"

"Correct. We need to figure out what she sees Senkai as. We should get together as a group soon to figure out what it is."

"I can block out part of my schedule tomorrow so I can come down."

"Excellent, then I'll send out the invite tonight."

Aya looked off to the side. "By the way, what do you think of Hatate?"

"I thought she was…" I paused. "Where's this coming from?"

"Oh, well, I mean… she's young, and full of energy, not a jaded old woman like me. She rarely comes out of her room, but the few times she does, I just can't keep up with her." She sighed. "I know I don't act like this around Reimu, or anyone else for that matter. There's just… something about you that makes it easier for me to unload how I really feel."

"That could be because you accepted your repressed feelings as a part of yourself," I said. "Or, perhaps it's because I'm a relative newcomer, and so won't judge you as harshly as someone like Reimu."

"Or, you know, because you're a young, handsome guy," she said.

I chuckled. "There is that." I looked around. "Is it really just you here?"

"Pretty much," Aya said. "Between my work and play, I've never really gotten around to starting any kind of family, and my parents are long-dead, but I manage to get by with the support of my friends and my squad. The only other person related to me who might still be around is my brother, but…" She shook her head. "Well, forget it. Long story for another time."

"I understand," I nodded. "In any case, Hatate is not the kind of person whom I would 'get with,' if that's what you were asking. I prefer a woman who is willing to give me some distance when I need it, and our relationship needs to be equal parts affectionate and professional. She should be strong and independent, as I have no patience for shallow, submissive types who want sugar-daddies, nor do I care for gossipy types who get so absorbed in their little bubbles that they fail to step back and see the big picture, the harsh realities of the world. One who I can stand with as a lover and as an equal."

"Hmm… Well, that could describe most of the girls and women you know here in Gensokyo, including the rest of our team. Maybe you just have very good chemistry with those types of women."

I nodded. "As I mentioned before, I was an orphan who was passed around different foster homes on a consistent basis, so I never really had any strong role models. So, I had to quickly learn to become self-sufficient. I also found that women and girls were generally more receptive to my situation than men were, which was part of why I had so many fangirls." I paused. "Then Ren Amamiya came into my life. He's the leader of the Phantom Thieves, and got dealt quite the bad hand himself, being arrested on a false assault charge and serving his probation in the attic of a coffee shop. We first met on the set of that TV show I regularly appeared on, while his school was there on a trip. We managed to bond over our shared hard backgrounds, and I started visiting that shop both to go see him as well as enjoy some coffee." I smiled. "Sakura-san, the owner of the shop, does make very good coffee. Me and Ren continued to visit over the summer and fall, as I built up my case against the Phantom Thieves, and I came to realize that he was the male friend I so desperately needed earlier in my life."

"He must be a wonderful, charming guy," Aya commented.

"I'd say he was, since he had a few female friends of his own. Obviously, each of the other members of the team, but I've also seen him with a famous shogi player at a local church, a fortune teller in Shinjuku, a reporter much like you who frequents a bar also in Shinjuku, and a back-alley doctor near the coffee shop who was often also there when I got coffee, and spoke fondly of her 'little guinea pig'. I even heard that he visited his homeroom teacher in the hospital when she was unwell."

"Heh-heh, quite the little lady charmer, wasn't he?" Aya said. "Was he dating any of them?"

"Now that you ask, I'm fairly certain he was dating a girl named Sumire Yoshizawa by the time I came here to Gensokyo," I said. "She's the daughter of the director of that morning talk show who, unfortunately, lost her sister in a bad accident last year. Except not quite, as that sister simply turned into a shinigami instead and is being trained here in Gensokyo."

"Ah, yes, Kasumi is her name, correct? I published a story on the Sanzu's new shinigami last year. And she's Komachi's niece, how big of a coincidence is that?"

"It is quite the coincidence," I said. "They were both accomplished gymnasts, and I got to know them over the course of my TV appearances. There was one time where I went to lunch with Sumire and Ren, and the three of us had a good time. I myself have never dated, due to how loaded my schedule is. I suppose the closest I came was Sae-san, a prosecutor who I frequently worked with. We would go out after work to blow off steam, and she would tell me all sorts of stories, like how she met two girls who thought she was my mom."

"How old is she?" Aya asked.

"She's still younger than either Reimu or Marisa, but gives off such a fierce, intimidating aura that some people think she's significantly older. It was a bit of a sore spot for her, since her superiors often ragged on her for being a 'Christmas cake' who needed to take time off to go find herself a man. I was one of the only people who agreed that, in this day and age, she needn't rush it. That, and I personally feel sorry for whoever is foolish enough to date her, as she would most likely dominate them."

Aya chuckled. "Sounds a lot like Reimu, actually. As silly and lazy as she can be at times, when she's on the job, if you're her target or even just in her way, she will destroy you, and she absolutely will not take crap from anyone, which tends to scare off men from trying to approach her because they think she'll just walk all over them and drive them like slaves. In fact, we sometimes joke that when she does eventually find the right man, her first instinct will be to try and kill him, because she is so averse to showing weakness that she'd rather die in a blaze of glory than admit her feelings."

"And yet at New Years, she was willing to cry around me without hesitation," I commented.

"I thought that was really strange too," Aya said. "I saw that and I just… didn't know what to do, because on one hand it was scoop-worthy, but at the same time it seemed like something that shouldn't happen."

"I'd say it had something to do with her awakening to her Persona," I said. "Doing so puts you in full control of all of your emotions and gives you a better idea of who you are as a person. Her shadow likely embodied her repressed feelings of weakness, loneliness and frustration, not to mention what she considers to be true justice. Once she accepted all of that as part of herself, her tough, no-nonsense facade began to crack, and she started being more open with others, although she clearly still has far to go."

Aya took a deep breath. "Strange how something like that works. When I faced my own shadow, I could feel all of the pent-up rage and passion for justice and the truth, built up over centuries of accepting Megumu's system, plus my own denial that I partly caused all of it. Centuries of emotions, thoughts, and feelings, all unleashed at once. At that moment, I felt like I had the power and will to personally rip every evildoer on Earth to shreds. I guess that's what Freydis represents, huh? Going out and hunting down every last criminal and monster, if not there than out here by exposing the truth and letting the people do the rest."

"Our shadows really are part of ourselves, the parts of ourselves which we attempt to bury," I said. "Accepting them and vowing to overcome our weaknesses and oppressors makes us stronger, not just in that world but in the real world too."

"Damn straight, I've felt like a new girl ever since that day." She smiled. "Honestly, crossing paths with you is one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"I'm happy to hear it," I smiled back

Aya looked at her notes again. "Anyway, getting back on topic, we need to come up with a plan to infiltrate Seiga's fortress."

"Indeed. We'll need to review what we already know, and formulate our next steps from there."

"Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, then." I opened the door and flew out. "Good night."

…for a night at the end of winter, the air felt unseasonably balmy on the way back, especially as I got closer to the village.

3/20

At around midday, our group convened at the hideout to go over what we knew about Seiga. We decided just to keep it simple and huddle over tea while surrounded by Nitori's gizmos, which included an incomplete mech suit and the schematics for a rocket-propelled chainsaw.

"Is it just me, or does it feel like the weather's been a little out of whack?" Marisa said. "It's snowin' and frostin' at the forest, but at some other places it seems really warm."

"The sakuras around the shrine started blooming today," Reimu said. "I think flower viewing will start in the next couple of days."

"On my end, it seems like the maple leaves are rapidly growing, but right into their fall colors," Aya said.

"Could this be an incident?" Youmu asked.

"Possibly, but we can look into it later," I said. "We're here specifically to discuss Seiga."

"Absolutely," Mamiko nodded. "The 'Wicked Hermit' so I've been told?"

Byakuren looked around, then turned to Mamiko. "Where is your master? She is welcome at these meetings."

"She has been investigating Ethos on her own recently," Mamiko said. "She takes many unenchanted dolls with her, then when she returns the dolls will be animated in strange ways. She tells me that she is 'studying the human heart' but won't give me any details."

"Is it even safe for her to be in there on her own?" Nitori asked.

"She does have a Persona," I said. "Let's not forget that. And if she's coming back in one piece after each visit, I think it's fair to say she's doing alright."

"Knowing Alice and her drive to understand the world of magic, she ain't gonna get bored in there," Marisa said.

"Back to the topic at hand," Youmu cut in, "so far we know that Seiga has a distortion based on Senkai, but we don't know what that distortion is."

"It's hard to know what goes on inside the mind of someone like her," Byakuren said. "For sure, she is our most openly vile target thus far."

"Do you two have history with each other?" I asked her.

"Not quite," she replied. "I only know her because she is an old time associate of Miko. However, she is like an evil version of myself, as we both sought to extend our lifespans for similar reasons, but she shows no remorse or guilt for the things she has done to keep her extended lifespan."

"She really is a 'wicked hermit,'" Aya said. "Just having a conversation with her is enough to make your soul feel dirty. And the way she describes her, er, 'hermit arts' with a womanly flourish is just sickening."

"She's like Yuuka in that regard," Reimu said, "saying how she'll tear you limb from limb with a smile and a proper voice, not like some openly deranged madman. And even then, Yuuka has the excuse of being a youkai, while Seiga started as a regular human and had to become that way somehow, since I can't imagine a normal human being like that naturally."

"Hmm…" I looked down, reflected on Reimu's words, then looked back up and said, "furthermore, we know she has distorted desires, so the abhorrent character she displays isn't necessarily all there is to her. There is most likely a hidden side to her that she shows no one else, or at least not to most people. The key to figuring out her distortion is finding out what that hidden side is."

Marisa sighed. "But we can't just beat it outta her without ruinin' the operation. Plus, she's on her own most of the time, and I don't think she's got many friends, other than…"

"Right," Byakuren said, "the only person she's likely to confide her feelings to, if she does at all, is…"

The room was silent, as one person came to all of our minds.

"...I suppose we have no choice," I said. "We'll have to ask Miko directly. She's the only person likely to know enough about Seiga's past and character to provide us with the keyword."

"She can also read hearts," Youmu said. "That means she could easily guess Seiga's distortion."

"But, wouldn't that cause her to learn our secret?" Mamiko asked.

"Yes…" I said. "...but that might not be a bad thing."

"How so?" Reimu asked.

"I can think of several reasons," I said. "First of all, at the very least, Miko needs to see for herself how twisted Seiga actually is. She wouldn't keep considering her a good friend, despite her crimes, if she owed her enough of a past favor to look past her current sins, or denied that she was actually that distorted for some other reason. We need to make her see that distortion and force her to reject the lies she keeps telling herself."

"So, in other words…" Nitori said.

"I think she needs to join our cause," I said.

Everyone's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean?" Byakuren asked.

"I mean what I say," I said. "Imagine how invaluable someone who can read hearts, and sniff out distorted desires, would be to our team. We wouldn't be caught in this dilemma of having to puzzle out people's distortions every time we committed to taking down a major target. Furthermore, there's a chance she could help us fill critical holes in our offense."

"What holes?" Aya asked.

"Specifically, we don't have dedicated Electric or Psy users yet," I said. "Each time we encounter an enemy whose only weakness is either of those, I'm forced to call out a different Persona, often one who is weaker than Bond, to handle the threat. Every new attacker we add alleviates this problem bit by bit, but it is still less than ideal. Now, there's no guarantee that Miko would actually use either of those, but there's only one way to confirm that."

Marisa looked around the room and asked, "we already have eight members. Don't you think we'd be too big a group to sneak in and do what we do?"

"Not necessarily," Nitori said. "I've done some calcs based on enemy movements, available cover and alert levels, and I came to the conclusion that past twelve members we'd have to start leaving people behind, which of course we don't want to do because we only act on a unanimous decision and we need to keep the group together. That's also part of why the meeting table only has twelve chairs."

"So that means we have room for four more," Mamiko noted. "That does sound like plenty of room to diversify our repertoire."

"Correct, and as you all know I dislike anything less than efficient tactics and use of resources. In any case, convincing her to join our team will remove someone who could reveal our secret." I took a sip of tea. "We should do this as soon as possible, so tomorrow I would like to seek her, backed up by one or two people, ask her about Seiga, try and get a keyword out of her and, if successful, ask her to join us. If she's made to face Seiga's shadow, she'll certainly be confronted by her own. All in favor, say aye."

Everyone else said aye, except for Byakuren, who hesitated for a moment, before saying, "she may be my rival, and I don't know if the two of us can work together. But, if doing this is the only way to make Seiga accountable, and if this operation could make Miko see things the way I do, then I do not object. In fact, I request that I be the one to accompany you."

"Then, it is decided," I smiled.

"Now hold on a minute," Reimu said. "What's going on with the weather out there right now smells like a fast-brewing incident, which could threaten Gensokyo. If that's the case, then solving it needs to get priority over this operation."

"Right, something about what's happening doesn't seem right," Aya said.

"I understand," I said. "I don't know what all different kinds of incidents can happen here, since I've only been here about three months. Additionally, me, Reimu, Youmu and Marisa did agree early on that solving any immediate Gensokyo-threatening incidents which come up takes priority over Metaverse exploration, and that all members reserve the authority to briefly call off operations on those grounds."

"I'll do some poking around later to try and figure out a cause," Reimu said. "It might just be some fairies or lesser youkai fooling around, which I can easily take care of. If I suspect something bigger, I'll let you all know."

"I'll do the same thing on my end," Aya said, "if only because maple leaves sprouting right into their fall colors is not natural."

"And I'll go look around the forest for any rogue yuki-onna or somethin'," Marisa said.

"Excellent. Then, barring any disturbances, Byakuren, I'll come to the temple tomorrow when you're ready."

"I look forward to it," she bowed.

Before heading home, I decided to fly up and briefly observe conditions all around. Indeed, I could see fall colors on Youkai Mountain, snow in the forests near town, blooming sakuras near the shrine and some other places and patches of brown summer grass near the lake. All of the farm fields seemed normal for this time of year, but I could tell the farmers were getting anxious about the unusual weather.

Then, when I returned to the village, I saw the clearest sign of all that the game was afoot: red eyes in the Dragon Statue.

If this was an incident, I thought, and assuming there was a common cause behind everything, who or what would I, someone who was still learning the Spell Card system, be going up against in my first real Gensokyo incident? I tried not to let my thoughts run wild, but I knew that whatever the cause, it would not be put down so easily, even with our combined strength and wit.