It was late summer, the cicadas worked hard, producing their buzzing songs, although one would find it irritating, the sound was nothing to worry about for the Shrine Maiden, who was currently asleep.

Of course, someone had to interrupt her affairs.

"Yo Reimu what are you doing ze?!" comes the witch sliding the door of the shrine open without care.

"Ugh~~" Nubing her eyes with an angry groan, Reimu slowly lifted herself off her futon.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to enter like that Marisa!?"

Still rubbing her eyes, the shrine maiden adjusted her skirt and walked over to the kitchen "You know what, whatever, I'm gonna have a snack, want some?" The witch giggles in approval, setting foot in the shrine proper.

"Ugh~~" Rubbing her eyes with a troubled groan, Reimu slowly lifted herself off her futon. "How many times do I need to tell you not to enter like that Marisa?!"

Still rubbing her eyes, the shrine maiden adjusted her skirt and walked over to the kitchen "You know what, whatever, I'm gonna have a snack, want some?" The witch giggled in approval, entering the shrine proper.

Meanwhile, somewhere else

A hidden path extended deep into the woods, although I called it "path" It was sparse and hard to follow for nobody had used it for maybe decades but at the end of it one would be directed to an old worn-out shrine abandoned in the woods.

The once white and pristine walls were covered in vines and the woodwork was infested with mushrooms and soaked to the brin by the rain. Once someone slid open the now rotten front door, however, they would find its interior walls filled with inscriptions and runes that connect with a magic circle right in the middle of the room.

Looking at the forest again a bit of hesitation spreads thoughts but is not like I have another choice as I don't have a home left for me anymore.

Checking if anything is in order I set my backpack down and check my belongs:

a week's worth of military rations, a Swiss knife, my purple charcoal (to complete the magic circle), my old man`s photos, and an old book with a blank cover with the instructions for the activation of the magic circle alongside 20 or so firecrackers with two types, one with intention of making a lot of noise but the explosion was small and the other type made a big explosion, nothing to kill but to stagger to get me wherever I was fighting enough for me or to run or to me go on the offensive myself.

Finally, after completing my work, I distance myself from the magic circle that should teleport me to a shrine just like this one.

Drawing a little note from my pocket alongside three black and white photos: It was a note from my grandfather that led me here. He'd left me the book with the details

The tree photos are a little more interesting though; the first one shows a woman with green hair and a checkerboard kimono partially covering her face with what looks like a flower-looking umbrella surrounded by a big field of sunflowers as far as the eye can see.

The second photo displays the same shrine as I am right now but now I can see that it's placed above a high place with a torii gate framing the shrine.

The third one seems to have been shot at night, showing a view of the Paris tower with a figure of a woman floating about…. while wearing pajamas, but from her distance of the photographer and the fact that the photo is black and white, I can't make the details of her dress either her face.

I slide the note and three photos back into my jeans pocket, set myself inside the magic circle for the last time, and recite the simple command to activate the spell.

"Teleport!" Activated the circle and its symbols thus began glowing a purple-ish color that filled the four walls surrounding me and not before long many order symbols and lines that I wasn't aware of at all, began growing in purple in the walls and the selling so bright that I bring my arms to shield my vision from it.

Then the light switched to orange, red, blue, brown, cyan, yellow, and…*Boom!

"What?!"

Something exploded on my right.

*Boshh!

Now on my left!

The light now is a rainbow-ish color repeatedly like some of those gaming keyboards and I am again forced to shut my eyes with the light hitting its peak when…it stopped.

The room now has no one in it, the magic circle and its various systems are going as if nothing has ever happened in the first place.

Somewhere deep in the forest of magic

Ugh, I feel like I was shot in the stomach.

Bringing myself to stand and look around, it seemed I was teleported to a forest, a very spooky one. The trees are almost four meters long and only a very dim light penetrates them.

The spell worked but where the hell I was?

The priority now is to leave this forest and find the shrine where I was supposed to appear, looking around, I found that some of the trees had little marks of combustion on them and a bit of smoke was coming, mostly because of my imperfect arrival and checking my body again and it seems I was teleported with my four limbs intact.

The forest itself doesn't look out of place if not for the dimming fog like atmosfere that prevents me to see anything outside of the trees along side this weird smell that gives me a headache.

Rustle Rustle

Suddenly I hear movement in the bushes behind me.

"Hmm~" Looking at the Hmm sound shows me a figure of a Mushroom monster with humanoid limos that were thigh as tree trunks covered in faded white-ish color with a cyan cap. Its limbs look more like elephant legs than something human.

Oh crap, I am right in front of him!

It stood there looking around as if I was just waking up and saw that when he looked at me he locked his eyes on me.

"Ugh!" the monster rushed forward and swung its colossal arm in my head.

By reflex, I jump back barely missing but I lose my balance and my but meets the ground.

"Ugh~~!" The mushroom extends its opposite arm to catch me but I evade again by crawling out.

I cannot win against this thing, I must run!

In a hurry, I picked a firecracker from my pocket, and quickly set the fuse to explode and clumsy tossed at the monster.

*Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang**Bang*

The explosions made loud bangs that stagged the monster and the smoke generated made him try to swing its massive arms again but with so much force that made him lose a bit of its balance making him accidentally smash a nearby tree pinning his arm in the body of a nearby large tree, giving me enough time to get up and run in the opposite direction.

Rushing through the bushes as fast as I could without caring about the cuts of the bushes nor the fatigue of running so fast through the forest, I could after a while the sound of the mushroom monster gradually faded until only the sound of my steps and the bushes could be heard just in time for me to see a glimpse of clearance ahead.

After exiting the forest I realize that I am at the side of a dirty road, to my right I see a path that I can see in the distance I can see a lake? I can see much of it because of heavy fog it's impossible to see much of the lake properly.

Looking up I can see that sky now as a purple-ish color, signaling that is near dawn right now.

To my left, the road continues in the distance but it deviates in two separate paths with a worn-out wood sign with the words with something that I can't read at the distance that I am right now.

Walking up to the sign I can see clearly in written in Japanese the following:

[ - Hakurei Shrine]

[ Village -]

It seems I landed not far from the Shrine I was looking for.

I decided to go to the Hakurei Shrine.

I nimbly walk right in the middle of the path. If something tries to attack me I can at least have some time to react and after walking forever I eventually reached a staircase.

"Ohaa~" This thing must have some 100 steps or so. I should climb the staircase one step at a time because I don't feel like killing myself by doing the last thing I am so tired.

"Ahhh! This is worse than rushing out of the forest!". At the top of the staircase, I spot a Torii gate, greeting me to the shrine proper.

It looks like the one I was before coming here or should I say my shrine looked like this one?

Anyway, I decided to go and call to see if anyone was and see if anyone is home, from the torii gate I could see that the shrine didn't look abandoned but not exactly brand new I wondered if I was at the right place, did I get thrown into another world or to just another place on japan? These buildings certainly look Japanese to me.

*Clomp*

Hm? Suddenly I hear footsteps just behind me and… it's the same Mushroom monster from before!

"Ughaa!" Picking me by surprise the monster struck me and sent me flying towards the shrine.

"Ugha!?" I landed somewhere far away on the Shrine grounds.

Ugh, did it follow me from the forest? I need to get some help. I tried to lift my body but it was big so I stumbled back and fell on my ass again.

Ughh~ Everything's blurry by the way but I can outline the Monster going in my direction, slowly since its body is so heavy.

I look around and I realize that I am at the Shrine's front door, almost touching the wooden floor that contours the shrine.

Looking at my back I can see that the Monster is already behind me lifting, slowly his arm to give the killer blow.

Now facing the monster I extend my right arm trying desperately to find something that would help me defend myself while weakling extending my left one to defend my face from the inevitable when…. I touched the shrine's main door.

In a moment I felt that something "clicked" inside me and after that, a ball of light materialized between me and the monster before assuming the shape of a purple and white Ying-Yong orb? however, I could not make out what happened next as my vision seemed to blur further as if something was draining me.

With incredulous speed, the orb simply launched forward hit its shoulder, and blew it up.

"Who the hell is making all this noise?! I want to take a nap..here.." Reimu looked her eyes first at the creature before her shrine stone path.

The creature for a brief moment stayed still and gave his missing arm a look, without saying anything before he collapsed on the stone path before the gate, dead.

"What?" Confused, Reimu looked around to understand what happened and found besides the guts of the monster and the unconscious boy in her front door, there was something she recognized quite well.

A Ying-Yong orb however the color was different from hers and much smaller, so it probably fits in her.

"Did I summon it?" ignoring the corpse of the monster and picking up the orb she stayed annoying the orb for a few moments before answering her question.

"No, I did not know who did…it?" Looking at the boy lying beside her in front of her door she connected the dots and sighed.

It seems she has some investigation to do, just to mess with her afternoon.

After she confirmed he was unconscious and an outsider she would have to question him after he wakes up but for now, I have to clean up this mess.

After dragging the outsider inside the shrine, Reimu set out to look for injuries but to her surprise, he did not see a drop of blood leaking from him, just a brushed upper torso and a left arm with a burn mark going from the fingers to the elbow.

After applying Erin's medicine and bandaging the damaged parts of his body, I set out to make tea. Hopefully, someone like Suika or Marisa will appear out of nowhere and help me clean the mess of the mushroom monster that still lies outside.

"Yo Reimu! There's a corpse of these mushroom thin- Hey who is he? He got drunk and fell off the stairs?" Suika stepped inside the shrine and sat down around the outsider.

"No, he got attacked by a youkai and ended up like this, I am sure he is just another outsider" Getting up I moved to the kitchen. "Can you please move him to a futon in one of the rooms in the back? I'm gonna make some tea for myself and go back to sleep"

"Gotcha!" Suika quickly divided herself into small Suikas, as they began lifting him, one of the Suikas opened up the door opposite the front door and one by one they began carrying him towards one of the guest rooms of the shrine.

After warming up with some tea, Reimu asked Suika to also get away with what remained of the mushroom youkai. She just picked up what was left of it and threw it somewhere really far into the forest.

The stain of the monster is still in the stone path but I let the outsider handle it after he wakes up.


My body feels stiff, like, I have been shot, which you may ask I never have been shot, just a figure of language.

"Nnn… Nnn" Where I am?

Slowly opening my eyes, I look around and see that I am inside a room, with a Japanese-esque appearance, the room itself is not big, the only thing in it is myself, lying on a futon on a floor of a similar style.

Even though a thin layer of cloth separates me from the plain floor, It doesn't feel like a floor you see in a modern house, maybe of tiles or concrete but still, I miss my pillow.

"Hmmugn" I am barely able to rise from the futon, my right side feels like crap and every tiny movement hurts a lot.

"Ughhhhh Ah I give up" *Puff* I let myself fall on the futon. I will just wait and see who comes.

Moments later, I heard the sound of a door sliding open, allowing the late evening light to pour into the room.

From my position, I can't really see who is behind me but the person doesn't waste time and quickly confirms their presence.

"Are you awake? Can you move?" the voice is of a girl, it sounds young, maybe a bit younger than me.

"Y-yes and no I can't move, my right side hurts a lot when I do"

"Hmm….wait a moment" I hear the girl's footsteps going somewhere else, then the sound of something like a cabinet being open.

Moments later she appears inside and now I can hear footsteps going around me and showing the figure of a girl.

She seems to be around my height (although I am not considered tall), wearing a red ribbon with matching red side locks on top of her back hair.

Her costume is what is most extravagant however, consisting of a red skirt, a sleeveless red top with a white collar, tied with a ribbon whose color varies between white and red, and a pair of white detached sleeves, revealing that she might be a shrine maiden.

But why the exposed armpits?

She's now sitting beside me holding a red pin in her hands.

"This is a pain medicine, now open your mouth." Extending her arm, I do as I am told and open my mouth wide, however right when the pill is a tongue distance from my mouth she pulls away.

"Also" She changes from her calm endeavor to a serious look "What's your name? Where did you come from?"

What? Does she already know?! better not keep her waiting.

"You can call me Manato, I came using a spell, to tell the truth, I was only structured to go to a shrine".

After mumming to herself a bit she continued "Very well, I will ask more questions later but before anything else, here" She just let the pills fall into your face before proceeding to leave the room.

I guess she isn't all that kind.

Picking up the pill, I noticed she did not leave anything for me to help swallow, I guess I don't need water to swallow it.

After a few moments, I can sense immediately the effects of the pill, although the pain still has not disappeared completely, I can move my arm now, which is quite surprising since I don't imagine a single pill can do that kind of healing.

I guess I can ask about that later, might as well now leave the room and ask where I am exactly.

After rising from the futon, I left the room from the sliding door the shrine maiden left, leading directly to a corridor where I could see at the end another room with a warm and soft light shining from it.

After walking to it, I realized it was sorta of the same room I was before but a bit bigger and with a Kotatsu in the middle. I guess this is the main room. The kotatsu also had two people on it, the shrine maiden in question and a witch.

The witch in question has long blonde hair stretched on her back, a bit of hair is braided on her front with a bow and her eyes are the same color to match it. Her clothes are what you expect from a witch of the medieval era: her black hat is comically a bit big with a white bow in it, and her attire follows a black and white color scheme with a vest and skirt consisting of a deep black with an equal deep white waist apron and undershirt.

The two are currently sitting comfortably inside the kotatsu, with two cups of what I presume is tea laid on top of the kotatsu.

The witch seemed to notice me as she turned her head to me with a smirk "Oh hey Reimu that guy wake up ze!" annoyed, Reimu picked up her cup to take another sip of tea. "I am not blind Marisa and also" After another slip of tea she sits up, still looking annoyed. "Want some tea?"

Is not like I like tea but I guess is impolite to decline "Yes please if you could"

"Great, please sit in the kotatsu, it's cold right now" The shrine maiden starts to walk outside of the room the room by a sliding door to my right.

Following her commando, I get myself comfortable in the kotatsu and unlike the shrine before, I just sit with my legs crossed.

"Hey" Shifting my attention to the voice on my left, the witch continued "I heard Reimu have been taking care of an outsider curious how had been able to arrive here from Moenza"

Outsider? Moenza?

"Where am I exactly?" The witch took another slip from her cup and continued

"This place is called Gensokyo, a great magical barrier separates this place from the 'outside' where tales and legends that are forgotten in the outside world end up here, so we have youkai, vampires, fairies, oni, monsters of the type you killed three days ag-" W-Wait three days?!"

The witch just broke in a wider grin "Yep"

Resting my head in the kotatsu I just left a long groan "Ugh and here I thought I was prepared enough" Marisa raised an eyebrow "Prepared? Did you come to Gensokyo on your own?" "Yes? I built a portal using a book I found to activate a spell that would teleport me 'somewhere'."

"Hm, that's unusual" Looking peaceful, the witch also rested her head on the table.

A few moments later, the Shrine Maiden arrives back with one more tea cup and a kettle, settling beside me and going back to the comfort of a warm kotatsu before proceeding to inquire about me.

"I heard from the kitchen you two, so you arrive on your own?"Nodding, she lets out a heavy sigh before continuing"

"Consider yourself lucky, most outsiders don't even get past Muenza and end up being eaten alive by Youkai"

"Most outsiders you say?"

"Some outsiders who manage to arrive at the village are directed to me" Pointing at herself the Shrine Maiden proclaimed "I am responsible for maintaining the barrier that separates this world from the outside one and also sends outsiders to well, the outside world"

"That's a bit difficult to believe"

"Well you will see soon enough but for now here is your tea"

So this is how it works, a strange role for a shrine maiden, I suppose she can also use some sort of magic.

"That being the case… I suppose you know the figures of these photographs?" sliding my three photographs from my pockets, I proceed to put them on the table.

"These photographs are from my grandfather" Picking up the three photographs the girls started studying, I continued "By the way thanks for accommodating me for these three days." Nodding the girl continued to stare at the pictures, since we were in the mood to ask questions I asked something that was bugging me "Also there is something….strange about this place."

Placing my right hand on the tatami I continue "I feel as if something is flowing from this room into me." Is like a current, a kind of sensation of like I am connected to this place. In the same way, a computer is connected via a power cable, to a wallet drawing electricity to power itself.

Looking at the Shrine Maiden now and she's hm…

She displays an even more incredulous look, her mouth is wide open, and at some point in my internal monologue, she drops the photographs and is looking at me with her eyes wide.

The witch was also starting to worry "Hey Reimu what's with that face?"

Hearing the witch, the Shrine maiden composed herself and with a worried expression looked at me and the eyes and said.

"W-well you see, Did you know that only those who are part of the Hakurei clan can draw the power of the Hakurei God?"

"Is that so? but what this has to do with me?" The witch however appeared to have already understood and looked at me with the most smudged expression possible.

Ignoring the witch, Reimu continued "You are standing in his Shrine, If you feel the same power as I do then…" She says as if you don't completely believe herself in what she's saying.

"Wait. this means that this you and I are…..relatives?"

We stare at each other for a bit before the Witch decides to break the deadlock putting a hand on Reimu's shoulder and proclaiming "Congratulations Reimu! You just found a relative ze!".

At that moment the red and white shrine maiden jumps off the kotatsu pointing at me. "B-but that should have been impossible! N-no ancestor of mine ever left Gensokyo! I am the only heir to the Hakurei clan alive!"

The witch then decides she wants to annoy me and puts her free hand on my shoulder "Congratulations to you too!" She now wears the most shit-eating grin ever.

This girl is handling this as if she were in a bar, I think why this Shrine Maiden finds her annoying.

"Stop with that Marisa! And with that shit grin," Reimu is getting even more annoyed very fast by the witch's behavior.

That said, the Witch also stands out of the kotatsu still with the grin.

Is my impression or did this room just get a lot more tense?

"And what are you gonna do ze?" "I am gonna beat you up!" " W-wait you two are gonna start to fight-" " How about this? if you manage to graze through my three cards I will do anything you ask for" "You bet!".


Standing opposite of one another in the front of the shrine, Marisa prepared her broom and just like that, she took off to the sky….. She just started flying out of nowhere!

Following suit, Reimu, who now holds a gohei in her left hand, takes off as well, although she doesn't have a broom to fly.

Are they gonna fight? But how?

"Hey, you!" Shiting my view to the witch who called me "Watch this!" She raises a card high into the air and declares

Magic Space 'Asteroid Bolt'

From herself, six yellow magic circles pop up around her shooting small stars not exactly aimed at the Shrine Maiden many of which go in opposite directions, moments later red and blue stars as big as Marisa materialize from within herself scatter in all directions.

"Taking easy on the first one?" Reimu for its part casually dodges the upcoming projectiles Big stars while showing minimal effort in a zigzag pattern and when a small star appears, she just flexes herself to not be hit while at the same time, she starts throwing. shooting? what appears to be needles she takes from her sleeves.

And myself? well, I am just barely hanging behind the donation boxes trying to not get shot! and that shrine maiden says she is just taking it easy? This is utter chaos.

After a minute or so has passed, the star shooting stops and the sky becomes clear with Remix coming out of it appearing without a scratch.

"You should have known that this is child's play, Marisa, so go ahead and the next one! And once you are done I'm gonna make you eat your own words!"

Aren't shrine maidens supposed to be holy and composed?!

Marisa still holds that cock smile of her and proceeds to prepare another spell of hers.

Love Storm "Starlight Typhoon"

In an instant a thin ring of magic runes engulfs half of the arena past the red and white, at the same time various magic circles different from the last barrage materialize around Marisa and go to settle on the ring however instead of just shooting stars at their foe, they also continually shoot lasers out of the ring making it impossible to stay off a certain range from the arena it and on top of all that Marisa starts shooting small stars in the general direction of Reimu's.

The battlefield quickly becomes another mess but as the ring contracts the shooting becomes more and more chaotic.

Reimu's movement becomes more and more precise showing not only enjoyment but also a beauty that hastily dodges these projectiles at the same time she throws what appears to be paper? at the Witch which flickers at each hit.

This pattern that the Witch is using is surprisingly shorter than the last one and less than a minute late, when even after that the magic hazard stops, and Reimu once again comes out of this madness without a scratch.

The Witch on the other hand appears very fatigued and her clothes and some burn-out marks all over.

Seeing the opportunity, the Shrine Maiden directs what appears to be the same Yin-Yang orb I used to kill that Mushroom monster when I first came that strikes the Black and white right in the guts.

"Ughhh!" the witch grunts and almost falls from her broom before quickly adjusting herself.

This time however she takes from her pocket a brown octagonal object that from where I stand I can't figure out its details and with haste, she points the object to Reimu and announces her last spell or whatever they call it.

For a moment I thought something was wrong since no bullets seemed to be leaving Marisa as before but the object in her hand seemed to be glowing more and more so did Marisa's Smile.

"Ready to give up ze?"

"As If, I am just waiting for you to use up everything you had before crushing you!"

"Then better you look at who's behind you!"

Reimu then, as if noticing something, quickly shot a glance behind her only to find that Marisa was in a higher elevation than herself and was in the opposite direction of the Shrine with me hiding behind a strangely large box that was sitting in front of the shrine.

Terror quickly falls upon Reimu's face and she rushes to pick up a card from her sleeves but by then it is already too late.

Love Sign "Master Spark"

"Woshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Ugh my fucking ears!

I could not make much of a spell as a bright rainbow light engulfed my sight however I did not feel the impact of the blast and opening my eyes just enough to not make me blind could make out the loose outline of the Shrine maiden's that is receiving the blast upfront.

After what appears an eternity the light did die out however the Reimu was nowhere to be seen.

Did She just get killed?!

As I composed myself I noticed that the Witch was in a state of confusion not of the apparent death of her friend (I am not sure if they were) but she was worrying while looking around trying to find her opponent.

I did not take much though, as the voice of her opponent quickly made her location known.

Above her is a face that expresses the desire to kill.

Dream Sign "Dream Dimensional Rift"

As a reflex Marisa tries to look up only to find that Reimu has already disappeared, flying so fast that as if she's teleporting at the same time she unleashes on what appears to be a blue-collared piece of paper but I suppose being by hit should hurt since the witch is desperately trying to evade them.

This pattern continues until the Red and White at last appears in front of Marisa and swings her gohei she bombards the Witch this time red growing paper before quickly disappearing and doing the teleport thing again.

At some point, after being hit so many times by these pieces of paper the witch succubus falls off her broom.

Oh shit! Quickly I spring from my hiding to catch her, fortunately, she is not heavy and I manage to catch her.

She slowly opens her eyes again and after realizing her position the Witch stares at each order a little bit before a deep crimson red fills her cheeks.

"Y-you let go of me!" She suddenly starts struggling and swings her arms widely.

Unfortunately for her, my 16-year-old gamer arms don't like that and I end up dropping her, stomach down, on a pool of water just in front of me.

"Ohh" I stand there for a bit before she quickly rises from the pond looking tired.

"Hahahaha!" We two stare at the direction of the launch, to find Reimu laughing loudly holding her stomach.

"Deserves you right! Who do you think you are to attack my donation box? hahaha" She is now in a crunch position laughing at the now sad and annoyed-looking Marisa.

The way she flows through the witch spells, her skill, and her confidence in avoiding these bullets were beautiful!

Knowing exactly what to do, I make my way toward the Red and White who is now composing herself, and stop right in front of her.

Reimu, now realizing my position looks at me with confusion before I quickly grab her hand and go to an uncomfortable distance from her, the Shrine Maiden looks at me eyes wide unsure of what to say.

"I-I" This doesn't work. I should be just as direct as possible.

"Reimu-san" I call her name with honorifics to get her attention

"Y-Yes?" Reimu's cheek is deep red, anticipating what I will say next.

"P-Please make me your Disciple!"

As if time has stopped, silence fills the shrine grounds, even the noisy wild stops blowing at this moment.

"Eh?"