Ryusei woke up with a start. His head was hurting but as far as he was concerned, they were in Kyoto or at least he hoped they were. To his relief, a large sign with the words "Welcome to Kyoto" written in Kanji confirmed that his fears were false and that he was at his desired location. Next to him was the red and white miko that joined him on his quest in exchange for a large payout and a nice adventure.
"Right. I almost forgot you were here."
Reimu got up moments later with no visible injuries. Like Ryusei, her head hurt but the pain went away fairly quickly. Her eyes widen as she sees the large towering buildings, the screeching trams, and the sheer volume of people rushing past, clad in strange, colorful clothing. Whereas Gensokyo was quiet and small, Kyoto was quite loud and full of people.
While she soaked in the sights, Ryusei took off his armor to reveal a basic black and red gi that was commonly used in jiu jitsu. Opening his backpack, he frowned upon seeing that he had only brought his old school uniform which still fit him even though it had been at least 10 years since he graduated. Quickly adjusting his gi, he looked at Reimu with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Welcome to Kyoto."
Reimu spun a full circle, her eyes sparkling with childlike wonder.
"This... this is incredible! So many people, so much movement! It's nothing like Gensokyo!"
Ryusei could help but grin slightly at her innocence.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a culture shock, huh?"
He gestures towards her current attire.
"Though, we might need to tone down your current outfit a bit. People here tend to dress… how should I put it… a little differently."
"But this is my uniform and the only clothes I have," informed Reimu. "I don't have a spare outfit or set of clothes unlike you."
"I know," informed Ryusei. "But we need to find something that is both suitable but also won't attract unwanted attention."
He watched as Reimu scanned the crowd and pointed out a group of young girls giggling as they walked by, their hair dyed bright colors and their clothes a mishmash of patterns and full of suggestive signals.
"You mean like them?" asked Reimu.
"Uh no. Maybe something less… flashy and suggestive," answered Ryusei. He scanned the area and quickly spotted a small clothing store tucked between a ramen shop and pachinko parlor. Pulling out a map, he marked the location before heading in a different direction with Reimu.
"Come on. I've got a friend around here who owes me a small favor or two."
Mordecai straightened his tie, a gesture that seemed almost comical considering the worn armchair he was sinking into. Outside, the midday sun glinted off the windows of his two-story house, a picture of suburban normalcy. Yet, a disquieting stillness hung in the air, broken only by the rhythmic tick of a grandfather clock. It was a stillness born of routine, a routine meticulously crafted to hide a truth most wouldn't believe.
Both he and his sons were always dressed this way and for the most part, they looked like a loving, adoptive father raising two extremely intelligent sons in a nice two story house. Or at least that's how it looked on the outside. Those that were close to him were well aware that his life was far from normal and was secretly a rich man that was also part of several large organizations.
He was well over a hundred years old yet he looked like he was in his early 20s and had the intelligence of someone who had lived at least a thousand years. Additionally, unbeknownst to most people, he had the ability to summon weapons of his choice from thin air and possessed several Geass powers. The Geass powers were the result of a dark past where he, along with several others, were forcibly taken and experimented on to push the limits of Geass.
Most normal people could only acquire and use one Geass but with heavy experimentation, Mordecai and several other people could use not one, but six different geass powers at the same time. In his case, he gained the power to halt one's perception of time, force a person to obey his every command, grant himself temporal immortality, teleport, remove the effects of Geass on a person, and rewind time 8 hours every time he died.
His two adopted children were no different and possessed the same abilities and all but two of his Geasses. They could not rewind time by dying or grant themselves temporal immortality since they had a special power known as the Code which made them immortal. They were also about 500 years old. To anyone else, they could pass off as elementary schoolers even though they were well out of the age for school.
That being said, to maintain their cover, the two boys still had to go to school while Mordecai remained home to take care of the housework unless his employer called either of them. No one knew who his employer was and many never bothered asking as his response was always the same.
"It's just some rich guy and his wife who lives in a castle. I only go when they need me. Otherwise, I'll be at the Lackadaisy Continental."
Today though, Mordecai was not at either and was just sipping some earl gray tea while reading the news.
He suddenly heard a loud but polite knock on his door and got up to check it out. Peering through the eyehole, he saw his friend Ryusei and what looked like a shrine maiden waiting outside.
"Ryusei?"
He opened the door and invited the two inside.
"What are you doing here?"
"Retrieving this," answered Ryusei.
He handed him the wanted poster and immediately, he understood.
"Ah. Yeah. You're not the only one," commented Mordecai. "Few others tried it last week."
While this happened Reimu looked around and was shocked by the whole sight. Instead of the traditional wooden floor, paper screen walls, and sliding doors, all the rooms had solid wooden walls that were painted white or black. The floors were covered with a large blue-gray carpet and there was a large flat screen tv in the middle of the living room. It almost reminded her of the Scarlet Devil Mansion where one of her youkai visitors, Remilia Scarlet, lived. Except, they didn't have a tv and their walls and floors were completely red.
The house was surprisingly cool despite the visible absence of fans.
"I take it, you're not from around here," commented Mordecai.
Reimu turned to the older well dressed man with a look of shock on her face.
"How did you know?"
Ryusei sat down and helped himself to some tea while Mordecai pointed out all the facts.
"One, your expressions are similar to a child's when they first enter someone else's home. Second, your clothes. If I didn't know better, I would've assumed that you were a dedicated cosplayer but most cosplayers don't carry a large number of needles in their sleeves."
Reimu gave him a puzzled look.
"What's a cosplayer?"
"Nevermind that," replied Mordercai. As much as he wanted to explain that cosplay was basically dressing up as a fictional character, he knew that he'd probably end up making it sound more complicated than it should for someone like her. He entered a hidden code and began counting some bills.
"Some advice my friend, dress like a tourist. You can have no idea on how something works and no one will bat an eye. I also recommend getting another school uniform. That way, if you need to attend a more formal social event, no one will bat an eye. Also, if anyone asks you anything, just say you're partners."
He then handed Ryusei three straps of $20 bills. "Here it should be enough to get you what you need. Let me know if you need any more help."
Ryusei took the cash and left with Reimu.
"Thanks. I'll see you soon and tell your kids that I said hi."
"Will do."
With that, Mordecai went back to his mundane activity of drinking tea and reading the newspaper.
Ryusei scanned the racks of brightly colored clothes, a foreign world compared to his usual attire. Still, due to his many experiences in the outside world, he knew what to wear. He grabbed a simple pair of sport pants, a shirt, and jacket to compliment. All three items were colored black with bits of red lining some parts of the clothes.
"Alright, Reimu," he called out, turning to see her browsing a section overflowing with dresses. "Let me know if you need help finding anything."
Reimu held up a sequined red dress that sparkled as if it were made of rubies.
"How does this sound?"
Ryusei winced internally. He had forgotten to tell Reimu that they needed to disguise themselves as tourists. Whatever the case, the dress that she was currently holding clearly did not scream tourist.
"Uh… very… vibrant… I guess." he managed. "But maybe get something a little less eye-catching. We're trying to blend in as tourists."
Reimu tilted her head, confused. "Don't tourists wear things like this?"
Ryusei held back a small laugh. "Well, sure, but most tourists try to blend in a bit. That dress will certainly turn heads." He scratched the back of his head.
"Now I'm beginning to wish I had teamed up with a girl in the past. I have no ideas when it comes to female fashion for tourists."
"Alright," conceded the shrine maiden. She disappeared between the racks and reappeared with a white blouse decorated with flower prints and a bright red skirt. "How does this look?"
Ryusei forced a smile. "It's… colorful to say the least. Maybe something a little more plain?" He winced at his own lame description. "Seriously Ryusei, any fashion advice you give girls clothing is either outdated or belongs in the trash."
"Then what do you suggest?" asked Reimu.
"Well, what's something you want with all your clothes?" asked Ryusei.
"I want them to be comfortable," responded Reimu. "But also a bit like this."
She pointed to her shrine maiden outfit which consisted of a red skirt, sleeveless red top with a white collar, tied with a yellow ribbon, and a pair of detached white sleeves. Save for the primary red and white colors, it was nothing like the traditional hakama worn by most shrine maidens.
Seeing this, Ryusei pointed her towards a section of simple cotton dresses and helped her find a bright red dress with a cute white floral pattern. It was far from the flamboyant choices she initially went for, but it was practical and undeniably touristy.
"This would seem better," admitted Ryusei. "It's cute, suits your style, and doesn't look out of place for a sight-seeing trip."
Reimu eyed the dress cautiously before entering the dressing room. "Alright. I trust you… somewhat."
A few minutes later, she came out and Ryusei had to admit, it looked great on her. The red ribbon and tubes in her sidelocks and hair complimented the outfit perfectly.
"See?" Ryusei said with a genuine smile. "Perfect tourist outfit."
Privately though, he sighed. "Next time, I'm looking up both girl and boy clothes before I go on a trip."
He crossed tourist outfits off his mental to-do list before calculating the price tag. Luckily, it wasn't a major dent in his budget.
As he went through the list again, he realized they needed something that worked as a semi-formal outfit and casual clothing. For him this was no problem. Reimu on the other hand, would need some serious help. Still, it didn't hurt to try.
"Mordecai also mentioned getting a school uniform, just in case," mumbled Ryusei, remembering his friend's shady advice from their earlier encounter.
Reimu's eye's lit up. "Oh that's easy. I just need to get something that would match Sumireko!"
Hearing this, Ryusei thought to himself, "Maybe not all hope is lost after all."
She quickly disappeared and reappeared in a bright purple plaid skirt and vest over a white blouse and a black tie.
Ryusei winced upon seeing the outfit
"Umm… Well… how should I put it…"
Reimu looked at him with a confused expression on her face.
"That's a school uniform alright," Ryusei finally said. "But it's not exactly your style."
He pointed her to a mirror and watched as she nodded in agreement and left to get a different. Moments later, she reappeared with a bright red, two-piece bikini with a tiny yellow sailor collar draped across her shoulders and a triumphant smile on her face.
Ryusei's face turned the same shade as the monstrosity she was holding. "Reimu, no! That's... not a school uniform. It's a swimsuit!"
Reimu blinked, confused. "But Sumireko says that's what she wears when her school goes to the beach."
"I take it back. This is going to be hopeless."
"Yes but only when she goes to the beach. Normally, she wouldn't wear that right?" questioned Ryusei.
"You have a point," admitted Reimu. "But I'm all out of ideas. Maybe give me an example or so."
Ryusei sighed. His inexperience with girls' fashion was painfully obvious and he knew it was beginning to show. "Welp, at least I'm getting some right now." He changed out of his black and red jiu jitsu gi and got out his old school uniform. Though it had been 10 years since he had last worn it, the outfit still fit like a charm and as far as he knew, was still being used by his old school. "I'm so glad God gave my people the ability to restore our youth."
Moments later, he emerged wearing a black blazer with a white button-down shirt, blue and gray striped tie, and matching black pants.
"See, this is a typical uniform for high school boys here," he explained, gesturing to himself. "Try to get something to compliment this."
Reimu stared at him, then darted back to the uniform section. Ryusei winced in anticipation. Moments later, she emerged, a shimmering, sequined red dress, and white ribbons that wouldn't look out of place on a prom queen, clutched in her arms.
"How about this?" asked Reimu. "Does it look pretty? Do any schools use this?"
Ryusei resisted the urge to slump against the nearest rack. Though he didn't show it, his patience was beginning to wear thin. "Pretty, yes, but that's a prom dress, Reimu. Prom is a formal dance for high schoolers after graduation." He explained the concept of prom night, the confusion slowly clearing from Reimu's face.
"Oh," she said, her voice small. "So not a school uniform then?"
Ryusei chuckled, a hint of relief in his voice. "No, definitely not. Wait here."
He scanned the area for an available employee before approaching the store manager when he couldn't find any. Explaining their predicament, the store manager gave him a sympathetic smile and walked over to where he had left Reimu.
"Ah. I know the perfect outfit for you."
The manager disappeared with Reimu and later reappeared with a navy skirt with white frills, and a long sleeve navy blue and white blouse accented by a red bow, a stark contrast to the wild choices Reimu had gravitated towards earlier.
"There. That school's always sending out more requests for these outfits. Let me know if you need an extra. I've got a couple more waiting in the back."
With that Ryusei finished their final selections and paid for their purchases. By luck, the store had given them a nice discount since they were buying a school uniform and their grand total wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
Unbeknownst to anyone but Ryusei, the uniform Reimu was wearing was the same one for girls provided by his old high school. He recognized the style and the tiny red decorations on the blouse's white collar which were the exact same ones his school used in all their girl uniforms.
Despite the unexpected coincidence, he decided to keep quiet about it. "Chances are, this could be a coincidence."
With their shopping bags in hand, the two left the store ready to continue searching for the amulet.
Author's note: Alright so turns out, there are multiple OCs in this story but only one will actually play a big role. Mordecai's another OC I made as a side character for this story and yes, he has powers from the Code Geass Franchise. Really good series and I recommend checking the first two seasons and the movie out.
As a side note, Mordecai will get his own story though its going to be very dark and since his story may violate rules, I may not post it on this site and instead put it on my AO3 account.
In any case, I know Reimu seems pretty OOC here but this is her first time visiting the outside world and even Sumireko's stories can't fully replicate an in-person experience. Also, the school uniform Reimu is wearing is suppose to be the same one she wears in Lost Word and though I don't play it, I've got to admit they have some pretty cool art.
Thanks for putting up with me again and hope to see you in the next chapter.