It had been a while since we had had a sleepover at the Moriya shrine. When we arrived this time we were greeted by an excited Suwako. "You two are staying over tonight, right? I got the kappa to make us a replacement controller! I'm gonna kick your butts at Tekken!"

We followed her into the living room of the residence behind the outer shrine where we found Kanako, sitting at the living room table and drinking tea. The Moriya shrine must have seen some success in gathering faith since the time of its arrival here as when we came by nowadays it was rather rare to see Kanako and Suwako not physically manifesting and walking about like living humans as opposed to them mostly being only invisible presences when we first met them. Kanako in particular looked very much at home, the very image of a parent relaxing and looking on approvingly as her daughter chatted with her friends. Kanako had once assured us that she was not in fact Sanae's mother, not biologically anyway, but I wondered how much that really mattered. For three people who were all divinities of one sort or another and who all shared a residence, what did the word 'family' actually mean?

I put such thoughts to the side as I bowed to Lady Yasaka. Mother or not, divinity or not, this shrine was still her house. "Sorry to intrude, Lady Yasaka."

Renko bowed too, tossing off the same rote greeting.

"Welcome, both of you," Kanako replied.

"Would either of you like some tea?" Sanae asked. "Lady Kanako, can I get you some more?"

"Oh, yes please, that'd be nice."

"I'll take some as well."

"Sure, just a moment."

It was as ordinary and comfortable of a greeting as one could hope for from any family and the feeling of being in Sanae's house was almost like the feeling of visiting relatives, even if one of the people in the room was wearing a pair of sacred artifacts on their person, the one running into the kitchen was a living god and the last was an ancient native god who had once caused plagues and famines but was now busily digging through a box of software discs. Renko and I helped ourselves to seats at the table with Kanako while Suwako scampered off to fiddle with the house batteries and set up the TV.

"So, Lady Yasaka," Renko began, "you're aware of what's been happening lately in the village, aren't you?"

"The recent public disturbances you mean? Yes, it seems as if a great many people's hearts are in turmoil at the moment."

"I heard from Sanae you're not planning on doing anything to capitalize on the situation. Is that right? The Myouren temple and the Taoists both seem to be recruiting a lot of followers."

"In times of upheaval, it's not uncommon for religions to come to the rescue, it's true. If there were neither gods nor Buddhas in the world then people would be absolutely without guidance, rudderless upon a sea of despair. The role of religion - any religion," she said, nodding at Suwako as she came back into the living room, "is to teach people how best to live their lives. What to nurture in themselves, and what to avoid. The promise of faith is imminently practical even if it speaks of the divine and the ineffable: live this way and your life will improve. Perform these rituals and your soul will be saved." Kanako said that, then put down her teacup, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Renko. "That said, I believe the current frenzy of religious fervor in the village is only temporary. In a month, very few of those worshippers will still be attending services at either of those two newcomers' institutions."

Renko leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

"What's happening now is nothing more than a bout of mass hysteria. Anxiety spreads among the villagers and creates more anxiety. People get whipped up into a frenzy, but they can't maintain their zeal for very long. Unless some great and pressing threat presents itself, they will not be galvanized into making their new faiths a permanent part of their identities. Natural disasters like the ones that have put people into a panic lately are major shocks, but they are one-time events. In the market of faith, this is the same as a bubble economy, just one inflated by religious zeal rather than financial exuberance. The smart investor will wait for the bubble to burst, then when people are disillusioned with the failings of the new faiths, they will return to the native religion they were raised in. We need merely bide our time. Taking action now would just lump us in with everyone else as another party that will come to be seen as cynically capitalizing on people's confusion."

"Hah, I see. You really are a goddess of the Outside world, Lady Yasaka. You've learned a lot about the way human societies work. But what do you think caused this recent bubble of anxiety to form and grow to the point where there have been public outbreaks of mass hysteria?"

"Well, there are likely various reasons and causes, but the main factor is that the villagers seem to have lost a sense of hope. The prayers I hear say things like 'I don't think I can go on' or 'I feel like I have no future,' or 'I don't know what to do.' These sorts of sentiments indicate a lack of faith. People with a proper respect for the gods do not worry about such things, as they know that we will provide for them. That faith has to be earned though. These new religions find people who are worried and whisper to them 'things could still get worse, be afraid, repent!' but proper religions, the ones worthy of lasting faith, simply abide. They do not promise a life free of tribulation, only that the world will continue and the gods will always assure a place for you in it. The Taoists, Buddhists, and likely even the Hakurei shrine will all compete for worshippers and make fools of themselves doing it. When they have all done their dances and the people have grown bored of spectacle and watching their preachers prattle they will see that Youkai Mountain still stands tall. The rivers still flow and bring life to the village. The forests are still filled with abundant nature. We gods will continue to provide for them. The villagers will see this and then they will gain a proper respect for the blessings we have granted them. THAT is how to properly gather faith."

"In other words, Lady Yasaka, you'd be fine if the Hakurei shrine, the Myouren temple and the Divine Spirit Mausoleum were to come to blows over this. If they were to engage in a religious war and all three started raiding eachother and knocking buildings down, that'd work out nicely for you, wouldn't it?"

Kanako smiled wickedly for a moment before turning away from Renko and looking stoically upward. "Such worldly matters are of no concern to the gods," she said. As Sanae came back in with cups of tea and a plate of sweets for everyone she let her shoulders fall a bit though and spoke again. "Right now none of that matters anyway. For the time being, our first priority has to be making it easier for the villagers to visit the shrine."

-.-.-.-.-

After that we had a delicious home-cooked dinner and spent several hours playing games with Suwako. As night fell we retreated to Sanae's room with a spare pair of futons. As soon as the door was closed, however, Renko dropped hers in a heap and turned to Sanae.

"All right, part-timer." She said. "Now for the real reason we're here. The Hifuu Detective Agency is conducting a stakeout tonight. In the human village, around the hour of the ox."

"That's like three in the morning, right? You're going to sneak out? Do I get to come too this time?"

"I certainly hope so. We didn't bring Genji with us and getting down the mountain in the dark would be pretty rough."

So that was her plan. Renko hadn't given up on the idea of nighttime surveillance, she just hoped to be able to see the village from the air, all at once, as Sekibanki must have been able to do with her flying heads.

"Renko, if this is what you were planning on doing why drag Sanae into it? We could have asked Genji," I protested.

"Genji's an old man, Merry. He wouldn't want to be up late at night and Sanae wouldn't want to miss out, right? As the agency's director, I'm just trying to be considerate of my employees' preferences."

"And the fact that I never wanted to be part of this doesn't factor into it?"

"You can take a nap, Merry. It's only nine right now. You've got time to sleep before we have to go."

"If you're going to insist on this, I'm going to do that then. We were already up late last night." I sighed and began spreading my futon out on the floor. Renko and Sanae both watched me with mild bemusement, sitting on their bedding, clearly intending to just stay up all night. After laying out my things, I went into the washroom to get changed and brush my teeth then came back in and stretched out under the comforter. Both of them were still smiling at me as I pulled my sleep mask down over my eyes. "Good night, Renko. Good night, Sanae." I said, in a bit of a huff.

Perhaps a minute passed before I felt Renko creep over and whisper into my ear. "Hey Merry, since you're sleeping, I'm going to have an affair with Sanae, okay?"

"Do whatever you want Renko, I'm sleeping," I declared, rolling away from her.

"Wait, what? This is all so sudden, boss. I had no idea you felt that way about me."

"Well I'm lonely, Sanae. I'm all alone in this world now without a Merry to take care of me. Surely you can give me some comfort, right?"

"Umm, Merry? What should I do? Does she have an off switch?"

"I'm sleeping, you two. Good night."

"Uh, I don't really know what to do, I haven't really..."

"It's fine. I'm a teacher, Sanae. I can teach you all sorts of things."

"Wait! Renko, this is cheating, right? You don't want to become a philanderer."

"Merry said it's fine. Just relax."

"You're my boss though. Isn't this harassment?"

"Only if you don't enjoy it and I can see to that."

"Hiii? Eeeeek!"

I ripped the mask off of my eyes and sat up. "What are you doing to her, Renko?" I turned to where they were both collapsed on Sanae's bed, with Renko tickling Sanae's side with both hands. Upon seeing me glaring at her, Renko froze, her fingers still poised in position. A catlike grin slowly spread across her face.

"Oh, were you wishing this was you, Merry?"

"Hardly."

"Then were you getting jealous, maybe? You know I'd never really cheat on you, don't you Merry?"

"I'm not jealous and I don't care if you're cheating, I'm just trying to sleep!"

"Hey, Renko, were you just using me to flirt with Merry?" Sanae asked, rolling over onto her back. "I bet you don't even care about me at all!" she cried, puffing out her cheeks in a pout.

"Wait a minute, did you actually think I was being serious, Sanae? If you're pouting now does that mean you're interested?"

Sanae glanced nervously from Renko to me, then back again. "No! I wasn't... Merry help!" Sanae cried, scooting away from Renko and off of the bed. She ran over to my futon and I opened my arms, catching her in a hug as she collapsed onto me.

"It's okay Sanae. Renko's just a pain. Let's just snuggle down here quietly and get some rest. Renko can go have her affair by herself." I said, drawing the blanket over her shoulder.

"Hold on, are you two having an affair without me now?"

"Hush Renko, sleeping time." I pulled my mask down over my eyes again and laid down. The last sight I saw was Sanae holding a finger up to her lips and laying down beside me as Renko's jaw dropped, an expression of abject horror on her face.

-.-.-.-.-

The clock in Sanae's room showed a quarter to three when Renko woke me up. Sanae was already awake and dressed or perhaps still awake and dressed. I took the flashlight she handed me and made my way back into the bathroom, changed once more, splashed some water on my face, then headed out to join them. We stole quietly out of the shrine, then took Sanae's hands as she carried us into the air.

The dark of night in Gensokyo is unlike any darkness you can experience in a city in the Outside world, but here on the mountain the darkness was something else again. Night was not a lonely, desolate time here, but a cautious, dangerous thing, filled with life and subtle, creeping movement. The dark tops of swaying trees whispered beneath us as we sailed through the air. The Scarlet Devil Mansion was visible only as a handful of golden pinpricks above the vast mirror sheen of Misty Lake, the light spilling out of its few windows the only indication of life. Even as we drew closer to the village I could see that there were lanterns glowing inside the Myouren temple, but blinds had been hung to shutter their light and not a sound rose up to meet us. Before long we were hovering above the northern gate of the village. I wondered what the guards walking the walls would do if they managed to spot us all the way up here.

"Alright," Renko said, looking up the stars. "3:03 AM, the hour of the ox. Let's see what happens."

"Probably nothing," I groused. "Or nothing we can see in the dark, anyway."

"Have faith in Banki. I'm sure something will happen."

"I believe her just fine. You're the one who's probably delusional."

"Well keep an eye out anyway, we need you boundary-detecting skills."

I sighed, but dutifully turned my eyes toward the quiet village below. Around now the bars would just be letting out. A little beyond the gate I could see their light spilling out onto the streets, interrupted by the occasional moving silhouette of someone walking through the doorway. I concentrated, trying to make out details among the dim shapes...

-Then, all at once, the entire village wavered, shimmering as if lying beneath a heat haze.

"What was that..." I muttered to myself.

Renko overheard me. "What is it, Merry, do your eyes see something?"

"I don't know... everything looks sort of foggy to me..."

"I knew it! Sanae, take us closer, lets have a look."

"Right, boss!"

We swooped lower and drew to a stop, hovering in the air a few meters above the rooftops. The sight we perceived there under the moonlight was nothing I could have expected. I covered my mouth and gasped in surprise. Sanae stared wide-eyed, her hand tightening around mine. Renko looked just as surprised, but her eyes were gleaming with excitement.

-.-.-.-.-

In the northern quarter of the village, a large number of people could be seen marching down the streets. Without light and seemingly without any destination, hundreds of people were emerging from their houses and wandering pointlessly with unsteady, sleepwalking steps. The image that was called to mind was not a riot or protest march but a zombie outbreak. Strangest of all, the faces of every last person wandering the streets were covered with expressionless, blank white masks.

That was how we stumbled on the Incident that was occurring in secret behind the scenes of the public and spectacular religious war. This was the moment that we first became aware of it.