And so we walked with Kanako to the kagura stage of the Moriya shrine. I couldn't imagine what Renko or I could possibly add to the conversation, but Kanako walked in and sat down across from the assembly of kappa watching us enter with such dignity and confidence that no one thought to question the presence of two additional humans. Not until one of them realized who we were, that is.

"Geh, it's lady Ibuki's friends! Why are you here!?" cried Nitori, leaping to her feat and extending a pointing finger towards us. Despite the fact that we had been acquainted with her for years now, Nitori had yet to recall our names or ever treat us with anything other than an unctuous mix of fear and obsequious subservience.

"Hello Nitori, we're just visiting the shrine, and thought we might as well take the opportunity to say 'hi' to our kappa friends while we were here. Are you leading the kappa fusion research team? I know you were interested in harnessing geothermal power last time we spoke."

"That's right! I'm the one who will tame that hell raven into something useful."

"Ah, yes, I remember Marisa mentioning something about you building a prototype. That's an impressive feat. So then what brings you and your crew here today?" Renko's tone was perfectly amiable, but by simply being present in these negotiations as a known friend of Suika Ibuki, she was putting Nitori in a position where she couldn't risk making any unreasonable demands. Perhaps that's why she had wanted to attend these talks in the first place.

"Geh, uh, well, um, actually..." she began, shrinking back from us, then suddenly prostrating herself on the floor of the stage. The other kappa followed her lead, bowing their heads almost to the ground. "We came to ask you to devote some more funds to our work on the Underground Geyser Center. The established budget has nearly been expended already."

"Our budget is limited too," Kanako said, with an unimpressed stare toward the groveling kappa. "You signed onto this project knowing that there would be many obstacles to overcome. If you're facing cost overruns, shouldn't those expenses be borne by your people? This is a joint project between the kappa and we gods of the mountain, after all."

"Well, that's what we agreed upon, but the tengu have gotten involved and they see this whole project as being something that's only of value to your shrine. They've asked us to stop devoting so much time and and so many resources toward working for you, and to instead prioritize their requests. We kappa fully understand the importance of fusion power and support your vision for the future of the mountain, but we only have so many resources. If we're to deliver your project on time and on budget, then an understanding will have to be reached with tengu."

Kanako glowered down like a thundercloud. "In other words, you're asking me to buy off the tengu who have been harassing you."

"Ehheheh, um, well something like that, yes."

"Renko, what do you think of their request?" Kanako asked, folding her arms. If not for the sacred mirror and the shimenawa adorning her outfit she would have looked right at home in any TV boardroom drama.

"Even in Gensokyo, research positions are subject to the whims of politics, eh?" Renko snorted derisively. "Well, it seems to me, Lady Yasaka, that if we want to proceed with fusion research then we need to consider what our goals are. You're not trying to conquer a market or outdo a competitor here, so your only goal is to ensure that the project is completed in a safe and timely manner. Given the scale of the project you're attempting, I think it's reasonable that we should try to bring in some outside investment. That could free up more funds to take care of the kappa's needs, and the tengu could hardly complain if the kappa's work for you was resulting in a net profit, right?"

"An investor?" Kanako asked with genuine surprise. I'm not sure if she had expected Renko to have any actual suggestions. "Who were you thinking of? I wouldn't want to cede control over the Geyser center to someone we couldn't trust. That really only leaves the tengu. Or were you thinking of someone in the village?"

"The tengu would make for interesting partners. I don't think they'd be interested in money or labor for trade, but we might entice them with the promise of information. You could sell exclusive rights to report on the reactor facility once it's completed."

"It's no good. That might attract a tengu investor, but an individual tengu wouldn't have anything but information to offer us in trade. We couldn't engage with tengu society as a whole because exclusive interview rights would be meaningless if they were given to everyone."

"Ah, I see. Well, there aren't many individual humans in the village who could contribute enough to keep the tengu off of the kappas' backs either, but the village as a whole probably could if we could figure out a way to raise the funds ourselves through sales. Do you kappa have anything you'd be willing to bring to market? Not services, obviously, as you're already thin on time and people, but maybe inventions or the like?"

"I'm already in the habit of selling anything that would make a good profit," Nitori said.

"Well, about things that wouldn't? If we could find a way to turn a profit off of some of your less successful inventions, that could be a new source of income. You kappa are always working on all sorts of personal projects, right? Why not see if you could sell some of those?"

"Unsuccessful inventions...?" Nitori asked. Her contemplation was echoed by the other kappa, who all began chatting amongst themselves, abuzz with whispered conversations. "Do you think there's a market for anything like that?"

"Well, I would refrain from selling anything unsafe, but the level of technology the kappa possess is advanced enough that it would seem wonderous to the people of the village. Even if you don't have a use for it, if you've made something with an interesting function or even something useless that looks neat or moves in an interesting way, you could probably find some humans who would be willing to pay for it. Even failed prototypes could be useful. You must have had to go through a lot of prototypes for your optical camouflage suit right? Well even the failed ones would still make for good wet weather gear for a human. Everything you make is waterproof, right? You could clean out all the failed test units and half-finished testers you have in storage! For villagers it would be a wonderland of new and strange devices. You could hold a huge kappa bazaar, everything sold as-is!"

Nitori blinked her eyes in surprise. "Would humans really pay for stuff like that, miss Ibuki's friend?"

"Well, its all a matter of marketing. If you put up a sign advertising 'failed inventions', then sure, no one would want any. But if you make a big flashy display and let people find their own uses for things, I'm sure you could attract customers. You'd just have to be a bit creative in thinking about potential applications. Keep in mind that these are people who are used to do everything by hand. If you can save them any labor at all, I'm sure it would be a huge success."

The kappa once again descended into a huddle of whispers. The tone sounded more excited this time, as nearly everyone present seemed to have one thing or another they could imagine someone finding a use for.

"A bazaar of failed kappa goods... Hmmm since none of the inventions are successful, none of them would technically be registered as kappa technologies either. That means the tengu wouldn't have any rules about who we can or can't sell it to... That certainly sounds more fun than having to grovel before gods or tengu looking for another round of investment."

Kanako smiled happily. "This would be beneficial to the completion of our project too. I'm certain I can talk the tengu into allowing that, especially if it means the kappa will have more time to service their requests as a result."

I sighed beside her and elbowed Renko in the ribs. "Renko, you realize that something like this is exactly the sort of attraction that Rinnosuke and Marisa won't be able to resist, right? Are you planning on bankrupting them both? You know they're natural-born hoarders."

"Merry, giving people what they want is a mutually beneficial arrangement that forms the basis of all economics. Besides, they're both inventive people, they may well come up with creative uses for the things the kappa have to sell. What could be better than making something useful out of something useless?"

"You just want to see what sort of weird things the kappa have come up with for your own amusement, don't you?"

"You're not a satori, Merry, no reading my mind. Besides, you saw those robot arms Nitori had coming out of her backpack last winter, they had big cartoon hands! That's wild! I want to see if all the other kappa inventions are that crazy, don't you?"

I sighed at her, but Kanako was already nodding approvingly and negotiating a venue while Renko looked on with excitement shining in her eyes.