Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona belongs to ATLUS. Touhou Project belongs to Zun. I have no ownership of the copyrights of either series in any way.

Edit Posted on 7/8/2021

Chapter 3: People to Be With

"It's good to see you again Igor," I said, to which the hunched man only nodded in response. The terse reply was possibly done out of professionalism. Nonetheless it was a relief to see a familiar face again, even if it was that face.

"This is a most interesting development. I never could have imagined that you would return so soon, given the circumstances of your leaving. As delighted as I am to see a guest such as yourself make a return, it is unfortunate to say that this event has caught even me by such surprise that I did not have time to properly prepare. I apologize for my misstep. However I suspect you are curious as to the reason for your coming here." As always Igor seems to know more; about myself or the situation, probably both really.

Still though… "I thought my contract ended, so why can I still come here?" Nice as it was to come back here, is there even a point? It seems peaceful enough where I am.

"This room is tied to your destiny, and as such you will always be considered a guest. As you can see, it has changed to reflect the new direction your life leads." So that's why the room is so different, but why emptiness? It probably means something, but I honestly don't really care.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why I'm here."

"I will admit I only called you here to inform you that the room is still available for your use. Should you require my services in the future, I guarantee that they will be ready the next time we meet. How you will use this information is up to you." Igor's explanation makes some sense. I wasn't always called here for the most important reasons… usually.

That reminds me, I still haven't checked for my personas yet. Still it's nice to know that the room is still around, and again, a familiar face is always welcome. Speaking of checking… should be in my pocket right… huh, she wasn't kidding. There is a charger in my pocket, but how did it get there? That's not what I was looking for. Ah there it is. I took my hand out of my pocket and opened it up to reveal a small velvet key. It seems I still have it even now. Satisfied, I placed it back in my pocket.

"Thanks Igor. Though, where is Elizabeth?" She was always standing right next to Igor, but she was conspicuously absent. I looked around, but nope. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Since the event of the time distortion that trapped your friends came to an end, my assistant has since retired. Inspired by them, she has left on a journey in hopes that you could be freed from your fate. Unfortunately, I have no means of contacting her of your recent revival. Do not fret, however. She will be fine as she still wields the power from your confrontation with her. Also, I have other assistants to aid me so the compendium will also be among my available services, when you return." Well, as long as she doesn't use pixie too much, I don't have a problem with her trying to see the world more.

"So is there anything else I should know?" I don't want to have too many more surprises.

"Only when the time is right." Cryptic as always I see. "Well with our business concluded, I will not keep you any longer. Until we meet again, farewell." At a familiar timing, darkness clouded my senses, and my eyelids dropped right before I felt nothing.

-0-0-3-0-0-

I awoke to darkness. Well something like darkness anyway. It's not that it was impossible to see, but it couldn't be called bright either. I looked out the window… Outside it was still night, though the glow of the sakura and the moon lent a mystic luminescence of sorts that drifted into my room. At least that might explain the lighting. How long have I been asleep? Since its still night outside it's pretty hard to tell.

A knocking echoed from the door, catching my attention in the otherwise soundless night. "Are you awake?" It seems Youmu was still up. It was Youmu right?

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked as I got up and opened the door. Yeah I think her name was Youmu. She… still looks pretty serious. Maybe that's just how she is as a person.

"Yuyuko-sama requests your presence in the dining room for breakfast. I am to escort you." The girl left no room for argument, turned around and started down the hall. "Well?" She asked. She didn't turn around, but her phantom familiar did. I guess she can see through it. Not that I can figure out just how, but given the circumstances, I'll just write it off as magic.

"Whatever." I was hungry and I might as well have something to eat. Wait did she say breakfast? "Um, are you sure you didn't mean dinner?"

"No, I'm certain I said breakfast. It is currently morning." I felt my brow furrow. She didn't seem like she was joking or lying.

"Morning? I mean sure, but it's kind of early morning isn't it? The sun's not even up yet."

"Ah I see," she said, gently hitting an open palm with her other fist. The phantom familiar at the same time used it's tail like a hand on a chin. "You're not aware. Allow me to explain then. Hakugyokurou is a land of eternal night. There is no sun that rises here."

"That's… so what about day?" The girl giggled a small bit at my question. I couldn't tell if it was at me or with me. I don't think I'd like the answer that.

Before speaking, she caught herself and returned to her serious expression. "We simply have it at night. While we don't have a solar cycle, we certainly do still have a daily cycle. We still follow the schedule of the world of the living."

"Okay…" I noticed the phantom familiar thing was still… laughing? It looked like it was laughing but no sound was coming out. "Do you mind if I ask another question?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"What's that following you?"

"What following?"

"That ghost thing." This time I pointed at it. Both she and the ghost thing looked at me, confused at my question. Did I just ask another stupid question? She and the… blob, stood still for a few moments before she finally broke the silence, a smile forming on her lips again.

"It's me," she said pointing to herself.

"Huh?"

"It's my ghost half."

"…what?"

"I get that a lot. It just simply is how I am." Well, okay that was certainly helpful. Actually no. No it wasn't. That's about as logical as a man whose blood alcohol content is more the latter than the former. Is this what I'm going to be dealing with going forward?

"We're here," she said before I could ruminate on it more. She slid the door open, revealing the room I met her master in just the day before.

"Hello!" Yuyuko yelled from where she was siting "Good morning, come have a seat." It was very early, but even so, she was no less cheery than she was when I first saw her yesterday. I took my seat at the other end of the table… I guess I better sit in Seiza.

"So how are you doing this fine morning?" I looked out the window upon hearing her question.

"I'm doing fine. Though it's still odd to call it morning."

"I suppose in a way I guess a normal person would always consider it night." I wouldn't mind that. It would mean being able to sleep whenever I want. "I already do. It's quite nice because I can sleep whenever I want." Great minds think alike. "But the rest of Gensokyou still experiences normal night and daytime, so unfortunately I still have to get up at the right times or miss I'll things altogether."

"What kind of 'things' are we talking about?" I need to do something to fill my time.

"Oh flower viewings, parties, announcements, incidents, that sort of thing."

"Incidents? What are those?" That certainly doesn't fit the others.

"Incidents are the best ones, usually involving solving some kind of mystery or resolving some sort of conflict or threat. Usually it's solved by the Hakurei Shrine Maiden or that Magician. The best part though is that that there is usually a party at the Hakurei Shrine." Well saving the day is something to celebrate, I guess.

"What usually constitutes an incident?" She said threat, and if Gensokyou has beings like her and Yukari then how dangerous does it get? She was now making a slight humming sound while cocking her head to the side. Placing her finger on her chin, she then raised her eyes towards the upper left making a picturesque 'let me think' pose.

"Well they can be anything really. I remember this one time when the Hakurei shrine lost its offertory box. Though they can be very dangerous like the incident I caused."

"You caused one? You seem too nice to have done something that could be considered a threat." She's kind of almost too fluffy a person for me to imagine her doing anything bad.

"So have many of the other incident starters. Incidents can start for the silliest of reasons and most of the time aren't done out of any ill intent. There was one where the lower world was covered in night because the person wanted to walk outside during the day." Huh? How would you… Why for that… Huh? Okay never mind. Let's just move on.

"What about the one you starte-"

"Yuyuko-sama, breakfast is ready." I didn't notice Youmu come in, at all. That's… kind of scary.

"Yay, I was starving. I was wondering what was holding you up Youmu." Wow Yuyuko looked happy. It was like looking at a kid having a sugar high. "You don't mind if we continue this conversation later right?"

"Uh… yeah, that's fine." Youmu then proceeded to bring dish after dish, after dish, after dish, after dish, after dish. One after the other was delivered to the table at lightning speed. She's fast. I mean really fast, and all the while handling the dishes with care. I don't know if I'd ever seen someone so fast before. Despite the volume being delivered, she did it in no time at all. And when she placed the last plate on the table, I could barely see even a semblance of a wood below them and the dishes were not only of quantity but of quality as well.

The omelets looked positively fluffy and smelled just right. The rice was cooked with just enough water to make them moist but not too much to make them like soup. Speaking of soup, the miso looked well mixed and was steaming up indicating its freshness. And amongst these Japanese dishes were western ones as well, mostly American. Pancakes topped with perfectly square butter that was still solid enough to stand but also melting into the soft looking pancakes with chocolate chunks trapped inside. There was also bacon, but I don't think any amount of description could do justice to the bacon I saw before me here. And the smell was just intoxicating. There was some fruit as well here and there which helped to add color and balance. And lastly to the side were a few pots of tea to down all this food with.

"Itadakimasu!" said my only company at the table with an unmatched zeal. She then began to eat, I mean devour, I mean inhale, the food at an inhuman pace, pun intended. Crap! She's eating everything. I got to grab something before she eats my share too!

"Itadakimasu!" I said in a panic as I scrambled to grab anything I could. Eggs… Bacon… rice… cereal… miso soup… I'm barely getting anything at all. By the time I'm reaching for something, she's already there to meet me. I'm at least getting something though… I think I'm seeing a pattern. Her eyes move first, then her chopsticks. She's not just getting things on a whim, she's selecting what she's going to get. I have to move to where she won't.

"Excuse me." Before I could grab some of the kiwi, she already grabbed it before I could. Her eyes weren't there though. Is she paying attention to where I'm going? Then I'm going to snake eyes this…

"There we go…" Look at the toasted bread… There! Got it, I managed to grab some of the potato salad. She's both paying attention to my eyes and what she wants. And of course she's caught on, or at least that's what I assume that pouty look is for. Sorry, but I want to eat something too… While she's distracted looking at me then.

"Hyup!" That was what I heard, but I was more distracted by what I felt. My chopsticks were stopped? I can't move them. I looked down to see that they were indeed being stopped, by a second pair of chopsticks. Where was she hiding that? Why? This is going to be a long breakfast… huh?

-0-0-3-0-0-

That… was something. I managed to eat almost half of what was there despite the handicap, but I had to fight for every morsel. I… I have to let my stomach sit. Yuyuko on the other side of the table looked serene, as if I wasn't just battling against her for every bit of food. She sighed contently before wiping her mouth.

"My, that was quite fun, Perhaps I should have Youmu cook more from now on." Admittedly I'm still a little hungry after that. I wouldn't mind eating more of Youmu's cooking again either. It was as good as it looked and then some, just wish I could have that then some. "So is there anything else you wanted to know?" she asked, her face a combination of warm, inviting, and curious.

"Well, what is there to do here in the afterlife?" Can't believe I'm already used to the idea of living here of all places. Though the food is really good.

"To be honest, not very much; I usually just sleep and eat. It's also why I try to keep an eye on the rest of Gensokyou for something interesting to do."

"Well okay, then what about Youmu-san's ghost half situation? How does that work?" I might as well ask since I have the opportunity.

"Oh! You mean Myon?"

"Myon?" It's a cute name, but what?

"That's just what I call Youmu's ghost half. Youmu's always had it. It's just a trait that is shared amongst her family line." So it's hereditary. That doesn't explain everything, but at least it has precedent. Yuyuko closed eyes after answering my question. That smile of hers doesn't ever seem to disappear. It stayed on even as she began to speak again. "On the subject of things to do, there is something else now." She then opened her eyes again and continued. "Would you like to continue our conversation someplace else?"

"Um, sure?" It couldn't hurt I guess, though that seemed completely out of nowhere.

"Great!" she then grabbed one of the pots of tea we hadn't drunken from yet and began to… float… to the door. For lack of anything else, I followed behind her out of the room to wherever she was taking me.

Not long after, she led me to an room that opened to a large courtyard and garden that was as beautiful as I was coming to expect from this place. She sat down on the patio with her legs dangling off over the garden, placing the tea set on her left and gestured me to sit down on her right.

"Come now, don't be shy. I don't bite… hard." She teased. It was honestly making me quite nervous. I have gotten invitations from attractive women before, but in a place as beautiful as this? It's still a bit nerve racking.

"Okay." Was the most complex response I could give at the moment. I sat down as instructed and found my left side to be a little colder now. Comes with being a ghost I guess. She and I were sitting side by side, looking out at the scene of night despite it really being late morning.

"Here you go." She offered with an outstretched hand a cup of tea. It seems that when I wasn't looking, she poured one for me.

"Thank you." I took the cup of lukewarm, leftover tea and placed it on my other side to drink later.

"You're welcome." She then poured a cup for herself and set it down by her side much like I did. "As I said there is now something else to do."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Having tea with you." That's… well that's blunt. "Yukarin was right. You are fun to tease." She giggled as she poked at my shoulder when I wasn't looking.

"Please don't say things that have more than one meaning.." I don't need more of those kinds of people around.

"Sorry, Sorry, but I wasn't being facetious when I said it. Youmu is simply too serious and loyal for me to have a normal conversation with, and it is too much trouble to go to the world of the living just to have a simple conversation. I meant it yesterday when I said that I was delighted to have you as company." Her smile is monstrous. It's the kind that can just disarm you without you realizing it, and she has it on all the time.

"I guess I'll be having tea with you a lot, huh?" That isn't so bad. Nice scenery, nice company, it's pretty good.

"Well I am looking forward to it just a bit more now," she said as she covered her mouth while giggling again. "So is there anything else you would like to know?"

"You mentioned a shrine maiden and a magician, can you tell me more?"

"Reimu Hakurei is one of the shrine maidens here in Gensokyou. She's lazy and can be rough at times, but I don't think there is anyone more loyal to her duty than her. The self-proclaimed ordinary magician Marisa Kirisame is a boisterous thief that likes to plow her was through her problems and has firepower for when things go awry. She is quite cute though. These two are considered the strongest in Gensokyou due to their constant solving of the incidents that happen so frequently." Huh, so they're the resident problem solvers then? Guess they do need some sort of force of law here. She then leaned towards me, hands now on the floor.

"Your turn! I've told you a lot of things, so now it's your turn. Tell me about yourself." Well that was sudden. Her face was now really close to mine. She smelled flowery, like sakura, but not like in an artificial way. It was like it was a natural smell of hers… No stop it, none of that. I guess there's no harm in telling her things since I'm going to be staying here for an indefinite amount of time.

I told her about my life in Gekkoukan high school, sans personas and such things just to keep the mood we had going. She laughed when I talked about Junpei's failing the midterms and acting out like a kid. She was very vindictive when I talked about Fuuka's cooking. She became extremely interested when I started to talk about the Yukari that I knew. She seemed quite bored when I talked about my sempai for some reason but became quite sullen and respectful when it came to Shinji. When I talked about Ken and Koromaru, she returned to her happy mood. Overall she seemed to enjoy my telling of my time in my second year of high school.

"Quite a life you've lived haven't you?" She stared longingly at the bright, full moon that was high in the sky now. "However it still doesn't explain what Yukarin sees in you though."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually, Yukarin dumps those she brings to Gensokyou in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves. They'll then either get eaten by Youkai, find a human village and live there, or get to the Hakurei Shrine and return to the outside world. You, however, are an exception. She brought you specifically to me to be cared for."

As I was about to explain myself she placed two fingers on my mouth and said, "To be honest, it doesn't really matter that much. As much as I find it odd, I'm just happy to have more company now." She now smiled even wider than she did before, silencing anything I was wanting to say. A knocking echoed from the entrance way.

"Yes, Youmu?" Is Youmu the only other person here? I haven't seen anyone else.

"I have returned Yuyuko-sama. I'm also here to inform you that the Hakurei shrine will be holding another flower viewing tomorrow." Flower viewing? I remember Yuyuko mentioned that earlier.

"Excellent." She clapped her hands a bit before turning towards me "Minato-kun, do you want to join us, it'll be a lot of fun."

"Sure," I said without hesitation. This'll be my chance to see more of what Gensokyou has to offer. Also Yuyuko said something about getting out of Gensokyou through the shrine. I'll try to see if I can sneak out for just a little bit. I know I am probably safer here, but I don't think it should be that bad if I go back for just a little bit right?

"Great. Youmu, we'll be attending the flower viewing tomorrow."

"As you wish Yuyuko-sama." And with a bow, she left as suddenly as she appeared, and yet looking graceful despite the speed.

"Well, we still have some time before lunch. Want to talk about fried chicken flavors?" A weird topic, but okay, I'm game.

And that was how she and I spent the rest of the day. When she and I weren't eating a meal, we sat in front of the courtyard drinking tea and talking about, honestly the weirdest things I have ever talked about. Favorite sleeping positions, best way to eat a muffin (didn't even think there would be more than one), and things she likes to do to Youmu in her sleep were talked and discussed about at length. I mentally apologized to the poor servant for that one.

Eventually, Yuyuko retired early, stating that since she oversleeps so much, she'll just have to oversleep at the right time to go to the party tomorrow. And so here I was, still in the courtyard alone. Youmu did come by to pick up the now empty tea set. I invited her to stick around and talk but she rejected my offer, almost immediately really. Her response was quite sudden. Though I do have to wonder, was Myon a pink color? I thought it was a pure white when I first saw her.

Regardless, something was still bothering me: incidents. When I consider what Gensokyou is like, these incidents sound very dangerous. Although I never did address what incident Yuyuko started, I remember what Yukari said-

"While she is a bright person, don't let that fool you into thinking she is a simple person."

If incidents happen as frequently as they are implied to happen, then I have only one thing I could probably use: my Personas. I began to look in the same place I always looked for them, in the sea of my soul. A persona is a mask that one wears to face life's hardships. By summoning a Persona, one can perform magic and other normally impossible feats. For me who could wield multiple Personas at once, as opposed to just one like everyone else I knew, I had more than the normal amount of versatility.

Now then... I could see that even now I still had my Personas despite all that has happened. That's a relief. Would have been quite scary to just have them up and gone. I guess I should have seen that coming though, since I had access to the Velvet Room.

However, even though I could feel grasp and change them around, that still didn't change one key fact. I can't summon them. Try as I might, I just couldn't get one to materialize. I don't even know why I am even bothering to try though. Normally I had an evoker that helped to facilitate the process of summoning one. But without one, I'm not entirely sure what I can do about it. It also wasn't even the dark hour.

"What am I doing?" As magical as Gensokyou was, it wasn't a place saturated with human consciousness. I came to realize that was the kind of place needed to summon a persona after ascending to the seal.

At the very least let's see what Personas I do have though. Okay… so I have the following: Orpheus Telos, Thanatos, Messiah, Cybele, Daisoujou, Alice, Helel, Satan, Metatron, and Lucifer. That's a bit underwhelming. I know rushed at the last minute before the fight to make my preparations, but couldn't I have at least filled my roster out to the full twelve that I could carry? There wasn't even a variety of fusion spells either. At least I have both Helel and Satan. That's going to help. Still, even though I have Orpheus equipped, this still doesn't mean anything until I find can a way to summon them. Though, welcome back to the land of the dead Orpheus. I guess you fit right into a heaven for artists.

Is this really all I can do though? The power of the Universe and that's it? A sigh escaped my lips as I looked up at the moon. It's getting late. Or at least it feels like it since I can't tell by sight alone here. I fell on my back and closed my eyes.

"Well no use in fretting over it. There's a party tomorrow and I might as well enjoy it." I said to no one in particular, probably to fill the silence. Before I knew it though, I fell right… to… sle…

-0-0-3-0-0-

I woke up to find that it was still as dark as ever. Looking around I found that… I guess I slept in the room leading to the courtyard. I guess narcolepsy doesn't leave you even in death, couldn't stay awake in class because of it. As I started to get up I noticed something was off. I don't remember having a blanket when I went to sleep... I looked around and saw that someone also left a note by my side to which it said:

"Dear Minato-san,

Please return to your own room when you feel the need to retire for the day.

Sincerely,

Youmu Konpaku"

I guess it was Youmu then. That's nice of her though. She didn't wake me up and was also kind enough to give me the blanket. I'll try to remember to thank her for that later. Oh, there's another…

"Dear Minato-san,

It would appear that you are still asleep. Yuyuko-sama will also take some more time to coax out of bed. Please go ahead and make your way out to the entrance to the netherworld and wait for us using the map behind this note.

Sincerely,

Youmu Konpaku

PS: We may take a while so there is no need to rush."

Does Yuyuko also have some form of narcolepsy? Oh well. Lo and behold, Youmu did indeed leave behind a map behind the note. There are also doesn't seem to be another note around, so I guess I'll just ahead. It was nice of Youmu to also include a map of the manor as well. How very thoughtful of her. She's really been a great help. Thanks to the map I was able to get out of Hakugyokurou right quick.

Getting outside from those huge, but surprisingly easy to open, front doors I was greeted by the garden again. This time however, instead of having to look up to see everything, it was all below. A sea of glowing pink under a moonlight starry sky met my eyes. This… I don't know if I could ever get used to something like this. I looked at my map and found that it was going to be quite the walk to the gate. I better get going.

-0-0-3-0-0-

A quiet night out. It was supposed to be morning, but it couldn't be called anything but a night stroll through a quiet and serene garden. I couldn't help but be becalmed by it. Still though that was coming to an end as I was now within shouting distance of the gate. Since I came via gaps last time, I never got to see what the gate looked like.

Looking at it now, despite its massive size and ancient look, it really didn't look all that special. It did look like it'd been quite a long time since the last time it was opened. How did they manage that?

"HELLO THERE!" Okay. Now where did that come from? I was already looking around, but there wasn't anyone here… unless.

"HELLO!" Up. High in the sky I could see three distinct figures, one black, one whitish pink, and the last one was red. Soon after I returned the greeting, the three figures descended to reveal themselves to be three girls. They all wore similar outfits with button down dress shirts and long skirts, their colors being the ones that I saw from afar. They also were adorned with similar hats as well that had a cone shape to it and a tall border at the ends sort of like a wall. The one in black had blonde hair and amber eyes while holding a violin. The one in pink had lavender eyes and white hair and held a trumpet. The last one was brown haired with hazel eyes and had… a synthesizer. What was the technological level of Gensokyou again?

"Hey there!" Said the one in pink. "You must be the guest that Youmu-san was talking about." I guess that means that they're supposed to be here then if they know Youmu. "I've never seen Youmu so excited about someone before and we sisters really wanted to see who got her so flustered." Wait what was that about being flustered? Have I been making her uncomfortable or something? "Oh where are my manners? We are the Prismriver sisters. My name is Merlin, and I guess you can say I am the outgoing of the bunch."

"I'm Lunasa Prismriver" said the one in black. She said it in a formal, serious tone, but not uninviting. She seemed to put her all into it. Guess that means she is the hard-working type, huh?

The last one yawned before giving her greeting. "And I'm Lyrica" said the red one with the synthesizer.

"We three guard the gate into the netherworld as well as play music." I returned my gaze back to Merlin now who continued to explain to me what exactly it is they do here. "Well, why don't you introduce yourself Minato Arisato?"

"You already said his name so what do you expect him to do?" said Lyrica with an obvious twinge of snark before shooting me a look that was some parts apologetic, and some parts joking. I could also swear I saw a bit of a shrug as well.

"Don't mind them continue," Lunasa said whilst shooing the other girl. I guess forcing the conversation to keep going is a thing that can happen.

"Well then to start with my name is not Minato Arisato, but Makoto Yuki. It's nice to meet all of you." Let's kill some time.

"Really? Then what are the Kanji?" Looks like Lyrica was directing her sarcasm at me this time. Well let's see…

"It's made with the characters for Link, Castle, and Truth." Yeah I think that works.

"Well, then I guess you aren't Minato. I apologize for not knowing your name. Though it's not like Youmu to mess up a name." Lunasa tilted her head. She is quite polite this one. I wonder what prompted Youmu to talk about me though?

"So then Makoto-kun, what brings you here to the nether world in the first place? You aren't dead from what we can tell. And we see a lot of dead people around here." Might as well indulge Merlin's question.

"Yukari brought me here to live in Hakugyokurou." Some truth and some lie works wonders for messing with people.

"Oh but that can't be all can it?" All three were now looking at me expectantly after Merlin continued to hound me with that question. "Tell us what you think of Youmu." And now they were focused on me even more. I looked at the gate in front of me and decided it wouldn't hurt.

"Well she seems a bit on the cold side, but deep down I think she is probably a very nice girl."

"Well how about her looks?" Now the sisters were giggling. Was Merlin's question that funny, or is this just the normal girl gossip giggles?

"Well she looks nice. Her hair cut is cute, and I like the dress. It's quite different from what I used to see all the time back in the world of the living. She wears it really well."

"Oh Minato-kun you are such a flatterer, I think Youmu is going red; Myon too," a cheery voice squealed behind me; a voice that I discussed the difference between types of cooking oil with the other day. I turned around to see that it was indeed Yuyuko… a very sleepy looking Yuyuko; one whose eyes were barely open. And next to her was…was… who painted Youmu's face red? Oh. Wait. Right…

"Wait, so your name really is Minato." Lyrica was leering at me with an accusatory gaze.

"Surprise?" I said in a sheepish tone, throwing my hands up just the tiniest bit. This time my face was going a bit pink. Merlin was now just laughing it up, taking it in stride. Lunasa was harder to read, but I can tell she too was going to just let it be. Lyrica, not so much from the looks of it.

"Well how about we get going shall? That certainly managed to wake me up and I think we want to get to the party as soon as possible." Yuyuko was slowly starting to get her perkiness back. "Since Minato-kun said such nice things about you Youmu, maybe you should hold him as we fly down?"

"Y-Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu yelled in an indignant and surprisingly emotional tone of voice. Guess she isn't so stiff after all. Still-

"I'm sorry for being so careless." I bowed down. It might have been a joke, but I shouldn't have talked about someone behind their back like that, even if it was compliments.

"No… it's… um… uh…don't be so careless next time!" I could swear for a second that steam was coming out of her ears. I hope she is okay. That's fine for half ghosts right? She isn't going to dissipate from that?

"I'll be sure to in the future. Um, Yuyuko-san."

"Yes?" She tilted her head towards me, holding a fan before her lips.

"What do you mean by flying?"

"Oh, well the entrance to the Netherworld is located high in the sky." Oh wait that gate in the sky I saw when I first came to Gensokyou; that's this gate. Is… that not a problem for something like the afterlife to be that accessible. I mean as long as you can't fly I suppose it's fine. Even in a fantastical world, it's not like everyone can fly… right?

"Since Yuyuko-sama said that you need to hitch a ride, I guess that means you can't fly then?" Lyrica, as lazy and snarky as she looked, was actually really sharp, catching on before her sisters.

"If Youmu won't take him then I will," Merlin offered with a cheeky grin.

"Merlin, you can't. You have to hold your instrument, remember?" Lunasa reprimanded just as a suddenly as Merlin made her offer.

"Oh yeah that's right. Guess that means Youmu really is the one who's free to take you." All three of them had instruments, though I'm not sure why they were so adamant about holding them. Though since they were, that left Yuyuko and Youmu. Yuyuko I wouldn't trust right now due to the fact that she still seemed to be trying to wake up. That leaves us with-

"Well Youmu, looks like you get to have some nice alone time with Minato-kun." I might not have been able to see Yuyuko's smile, but it certainly was not only there, but it was probably quite big as well.

"But…but…" Youmu has displayed more emotion in these past 15 minutes than I have ever seen of her in the last 48 hours. I guess she's the kind of person who once you know how to break past the ice, she melts quite quickly.

"No buts. I command you to help Minato-kun down to the surface until we reach the shrine." Stated Yuyuko now in her sterner, more authoritarian tone.

"Yes, Yuyuko-sama." She didn't look dejected when she said it. In a way she seemed a bit relieved to have been given an order and managed to recompose herself. She then walked up to me and then bowed to me. "P-Please take c- care of me…" Perhaps not totally recompose herself.

"Yes, please take care of me as well. So how are we going to do this?" Youmu was now beat red.

"You will have to hold onto me as we make our way down." She was no longer stuttering, but she wasn't looking directly at me. She seemed to find her shoes most fascinating. Myon was hiding behind her as this went on, though it seemed to peek out every other moment or so.

"Well, okay then." I bent down and then wrapped my arms around her as it seemed to be the best and most secure choice for the descent. Since she was shorter than me by a bit so I had to kneel a bit more than I expected to wrap myself around her properly. Even then her head was still below my eyes.

"Eek!" she shrieked a little. "Don't do it so suddenly." Myon was now shaking like mad.

"Sorry. Is this alright?" I asked as I adjusted myself.

"Yes, I can fly like this." I looked at the others who were now looking at us with some… very interesting expression. I don't like that smirk. I can't describe that smirk, but I don't like it.

"Oh don't mind us. Keep going," said Yuyuko whose shoulders shook just the tiniest bit.

"Whatever. Shall we get going? And also, who opens the gate?" The gate still wasn't open, and it looked pretty heavy based on its size. I wonder how they're going to get it open.

"We don't open it. We just fly over it," said one of the sisters while my view was being obscured by Myon and Youmu's bow at the moment.

"Oh…" was all I could spout. That's… talk about just cutting the knot.

"Well let's be off then," Yuyuko said as she was the first to fly up and over the gate. The Prismriver sisters followed soon after and were gone from sight as the crossed over.

"Um, Youmu, the others have left already." She looked, um, content? No maybe that's not right… but was then immediately thrown into a frenzy as soon as I finished my sentence.

"Right! I knew that! Let's just go alright!" She's scrambling quite hard to calm herself down. Though in way that sounds oxymoronic.

"Well?" She still seemed to be hesitating.

"I'm going now." And as soon as she said that she too wrapped her arms around my waist, and I began to feel a pull upwards. It wasn't forceful, and in some ways it was actually gentle. Little by little, we lifted off the ground, and before I knew it my feet were already several dozens of meters above the walkway. She seemed to be going slower than the others were a moment ago.

"Are you alright? Is it too heavy?" If this were too much for her then that could be dangerous.

"N-no, everything is fine." Guess then the slowness is deliberate. We then continued to ascend before flying clear over the gate. It took only a second for the night to shift into day. It was almost instantaneous to see the dark black sky becoming painted in bright blue. I wanted to shield my eyes from the sudden glow, but had to hold back given that I my arms were preoccupied with making sure I didn't fall from such a height.

"Don't worry you get used to it." Seems she was getting used to me too. I guess the gate was as high as we needed to go as I could feel my stomach lifting a bit from the descent. As we floated down, I could see that it was just the same as it was when I first saw it.

It was expansive, beautiful, picturesque, and seemed to be filled with wonder, a wonderland if you will. How far does this place expand to? How much is there hidden in the woods that cover all the mountains and valleys? Who lives that mansion beside the lake? What secrets lie in that giant bamboo forest down below us? Maybe at some point I can find the time to explore the place more along with the nether world. Time… I actually have that now. I… I can do things again. It isn't just me stuck with my imagination. I can go to these places…

As we continued our descent, I could see that we were beginning to approach a clearing with a building in the middle of it which slowly came in to focus, revealing itself to be a traditional shrine. Well, I say traditional, but the festivities around seemed to suggest otherwise… I don't remember a shrine being that lively, at least not in a party kind of way.

Did something just click? Actually, was that a camera shutter? I looked around to see that flying beside us was a girl at a similar speed. She had black middle length hair with red eyes. Her ears were pointy, and she wore a red hexagonal (octagonal… really hard to tell at this angle) hat with two red tassels hanging off of it that flapped in the wind.

She wore a white dress shirt with puffy shoulders and a black bowtie along with a matching black skirt. And in her hand… was a modern camera, somewhat. It still made a shutter sound, but it was more modern than feudal village I saw in the distance in the same view.

"A-aya? What are you doing?" So Youmu knows this Aya? Well she's smiling now.

"Ho… looks like little Youmu-chan is growing up and has herself a boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" She shouted loud enough to make my ears ring. I mean I don't disagree, but that was loud and fast.

"Oh, what do you have to say about this… mister…"

"Minato Arisato. And I'm not her boyfriend." I'll say it in a calm manner so it could not be misconstrued in anyway.

"Mhmm, mhmm. I see. Well that is all I need. Thank you for your time. This will be added in the next issue so keep an eye out for the next edition of our newspaper. See you at the party!" She then flew off with a sonic boom towards the mountains. Seriously, a sonic boom. That is ridiculous. I thought it was only hedgehogs that could move faster than sound.

"So who was that?" I never did catch her full name.

"Aya Shameimaru. Despite what she says, do not read her newspaper. All it has is slander, gossip, and lies." Technically it's libel, but who really cares. She was calmed down now but still seemed nervous. Wait a second.

"There is a newspaper?" I mean, they have a printing press?

"There is, but again, it doesn't have anything of worth. We've arrived by the way."

Oh… I didn't notice. We were now at the base of the shrine's footsteps. Even from so far away, I could hear the rumblings of the party at the top. I suppose it's so she can avoid more embarrassing situations. Of course this means that we had to walk up the stairs, but honestly I sort of missed the ground despite not having been gone from it for very long. Don't make it weird, just get off her in a casual way… I think I did it.

"Let's go." Hmm? She seems disappointed. Uh… she's leaving without me. I better follow before I'm left behind.

-0-0-3-0-0-

Finally reaching the top, I could see that the festivities were even livelier up close than they were from afar. Even though the relative space was quite small, there was still for some reason enough room for what could only be called… eclectic chaos.

In one corner under the shade of the trees was a… maid attending to whom I could assume was her master who looked to be a little girl. Another side, one could see a child with massive horns downing a purple gourd of what I hope is not alcohol along with several other girls. One in particular was this tall, shapely woman with a single horn planted on her forehead. She seemed to actually be competing with the other horned girl.

Looking up I could see what looked to be fairies flying in the sky playing tag or something like it. They seemed to be using magic I think? Looks kind of dangerous… In the distance nearer to the center, I could see the Prismriver sisters playing their instruments with an impressive level of focus given the environment. It was somehow not only able to pierce through the chaos, but not be overpowering. I have to admit I'm impressed. Lastly, Yuyuko was sitting right at the tables with food doing what she does best. Youmu was there as well, having already left my side, blinking in and out with food just as quickly as it was eaten.

I know Yukari said that Gensokyou was something of a fantasy kitchen sink. but to see it was still quite something to see in the flesh. Though I only had question left. Just one weird question… why is it nothing but girls? I didn't notice at first, but there really doesn't seem to be any guys here at all. It's just young girls as far as the eye could see. I think Junpei would call that a cliché story set up. Well, I guess when in Rome…

"Minato-kun?" I turned behind me to find three figures standing just in front of the steps. While I recognized all three of them, I could only focus on the one in the middle.

"Sanae-chan?"

Edited Author's Notes:

This required a bit of rewriting. One of the main things I cut and redid was that breakfast sequence. I suppose we all have things we're embarrassed about, but man that read very pretentious. I, almost wanted to rip my eyeballs out from that. There's a lot of rookie mistakes here and there too, just basic grammar no-no's that I've gotten better with time. Alongside that, I just added some sentences or reworked a few things. I've tried to get rid of more blatant references or things that would date the work in some way. I also toned down some of the minor swears. It's not like I've got those hard ones in there, but there were a bit more 'damns' and 'hells' than I remembered putting in there. It's still odd in a way to be able to redo this, but I'm glad I'm doing it.

For reference, I'll stop these edits well before the current chapter, around maybe chapter 20 or so. I think at that point, the work is modern enough to my current skill that it doesn't really need that big an overhaul. Of course I'd like to hear what you guys think of the edits themselves.

Anyways, I'll see you guys next time, which should be the next chapters really.

Author's note: Well just to address something off the bat, no I am not changing the main character's name to Makoto Yuki, even though that is now what his name is now officially for two reasons: sentimentality and also I have already used Minato so I might as well stick with it. Also to those of you going to Anime Weekend Atlanta in September, say hi to ZUN there because it would seem that he is going to make his American debut there. As always please come forth with any criticisms that you believe are necessary, and thank you for your time.