Reimu opened her mouth to answer, but the gap youkai kept talking. "Ah! Actually, we should see a movie sometime tonight!" Her shikigami was about to speak, but she gave her no time to. "Ran, look up movie times!"

The shrine maiden leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms as she looked out the window. "Rocketman, the dramatization of the life of Elton John; 1917, the World War I movie; Color Out of Space, an adaptation of the story by HP Lovecraft; Godzilla: Ki—"

"GODZILLA!" Chen shrieked.

"Reimu, do you have any opinion?"

"I don't care," the girl breathed out.

"GODZILLA!" Chen shrieked again.

"Godzilla it is… That's playing in… Actually, if we leave now, there's a 62.8% chance of getting optimal seats 2 minutes and 17 seconds before the movie is scheduled to start."

"GODZILLA!"

Reimu slapped her hand over the child's mouth. "Knock it off!" The cat grabbed it and started biting her like a captured fish. "OW!"
"Hey! Chen! Stop that this instant!" Ran shouted at her.

"Oh, leave her alone," Yukari told her. "She's just playing!"

"You're not helping!"

Reimu instinctively reached for her ofuda but found nothing, so she instead started trying to shove her off. Ran twisted around in her chair to pry the two girls away from each other. "Chen, if you don't behave, we're not going to see Godzilla!"

"GODZILLA!" the cat yowled a fourth time, finally letting go to jump around in her seat. Once they had managed to get the cat mostly calmed down, they made their way to the theater. By luck, they were 7 minutes and 38 seconds early, so they had gotten the best seats they could. They were getting consessions when they heard a voice from behind.

"Reimu?" The group turned to see Sumireko holding a giant bucket of popcorn in one arm and an almost-as-large drink in her other. She also had a massive coat on for some reason. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to watch a movie, of course!" Yukari told her.

"Cool! I got a ticket for Godzilla, myself."

"G—!" A hand appeared over Chen's mouth.

"How serendipitous! Chen was insistent that we watch Godzilla, so we got tickets for it, too!"

"Nice! We can sit together then!"

"Reimu, what do you want to drink?" Yukari asked her.

"Tea."

"Just tea? Don't you want anything special?"

"Sake?"

Sumireko let out a low whistle. "Now that'dbe bold!"

"Sumi-chan, what are you drinking?"

"Rootbeer," the girl said before taking a sip.

"Rootbeer it is, then." Once Yukari had paid for the conscessions, she distributed them, and they moved to find their theater. As soon as Reimu sat down, she began wolfing down her bucket of popcorn.

"Woah, slow down, gurl!" Sumireko started. "It ain't goin' nowhere!"

"'M 'ungreh!" the shrine maiden shot back through a mouthful of popcorn.

"You're going to choke or get sick if you're not careful," Ran admonished, and the girl replied by rolling her eyes.

"Here, I'll share some of my food with you." The Outside World resident opened up her coat and produced a candy bar.

"Where did you get that?" Yukari asked.

"From my pocket?"

The gap youkai smiled patiently. "I meant beforeyou entered the theater."

"I know," Sumireko chirped. "I just felt like making a little joke."

"I see…" A moment passed. "Well?"

"'Well' what?"

"Where did you get that candy bar?"

"Same place anyone else would get a candy bar."

"The convenience store perhaps?"

"Mmm. Maybe…"

"Wouldn't that be considered theft?" Yukari asked with her usual coy attitude. "Bringing candy in from the outside instead of paying for it here?"

"Excuse me! Is it theft when I download a music file?! Do I just suddenly have the original produced song, and the maker doesn't?! No! He can still sell it all he wants, and—honestly—if I listen to a song or watch a movie, and it's shit, they should be paying me for having wasted my time!" She paled at the boy her age staring at her as she spoke. He nodded slowly before opening up his coat to show off three times the snacks that she had. She pointed at him. "See, hegets it! And besides, you'renot one to talk with the way you run Gensokyo, are you."

"Oh? And how do you know how I run Gensokyo?"

"Someone may have let it slip…" The high schooler's eyes drifted to Reimu. The shrine maiden, of course, had no memory of that.

"I see. And what did she tell you?"

"That you're l—" Suddenly, the room grew dark and the screen grew bright. "Ooh! It's starting!" Sumireko said before shushing the rest of them.

"But it's just the previews."

"This is the best way to stay informed, now be quiet!"

Reimu had no idea what was happening. There was a giant lizard, and a three-headed dragon, and a big moth, and a feather-less bird-lizard thing, and guys with guns, and other humans, and… She'd rather have been drinking with Suika if she was completely honest.

"Oh, and, man! When Godzilla took out King Ghidorah?! I did not expect it like that at all!" Sumireko gushed.

"I didn't get it," her Gensokyo counterpart admitted. "I thought there weren't any youkai in the Outside World anyway."

"Silly Reimu, that was just a movie," Yukari explained. "It was pure fantasy."

"But it would be possible, right?" the high school girl hastily said. "Right?!"

"It could be…"

Sumireko got down on her hands and knees, pressing her head against the floor. "Yukari, pleeease! You needto make it happen!"

"That sounds like a pain, so no," Reimu replied for her.

"No, but—! He would—! It'd be okay because—!"

"I said no, Sumireko."

The bespectacled girl pushed herself up. "You sounded a lotlike my mom just now…"

"What's thatsupposed to mean?!"

"Wha—?! Nothing, I just…" The high school girl shrugged. "You sounded like my mom, that's all!"

The shrine maiden continued to glower at her. Yukari, meanwhile, said, "Well, this has been quite the treat, meeting you here, but we ought to get going."

"Yeah, I should get home, too. My realmom's already gonna be pissed enough that I snuck out on a school night." She took the final few sips from her root beer as her eyes were trained on the ceiling. "Actually… Yeah, what the hell. Got room for one more?"

"Absolutely!" Yukari sang. Ran must have known better than to argue because she didn't say anything.

Sumireko, after having gushed about how much she liked their car, was playing a game with Chen that involved tapping each other's fingers until… someone won somehow while answering Yukari's questions about her life in the Outside World. Reimu wasn't paying attention, instead imaging all of the cuts of meat she'd never heard of until five minutes ago. "How much longer until we're there?" she asked, toeing the line between curious mind and annoying child.

The gap youkai chuckled. "Eager, aren't we?"

"Reimu, please don't overeat when we get there, alright?" her shikigami spoke.

"I won't."

"I'm serious; you ate a whole bucket of popcorn in 2 minutes and 14 seconds!"

"I was hungry!"

"There were— a lot of calories in that, meaning… In layman's terms, you won't be able to eat as much as you think when we get there." Reimu huffed and continued to stare out the window. "You also had a large root beer and plenty of chocolate. I can't believe I let you do that to yourself…"

"Oh, don't worry about her, Ran!"

"You too, Lady Yukari! The only reason I'm not lecturing you, too, is because I know you won't listen!"

"And because I'm your master."

"At this point, that's the furthest thing from my mind! You're setting a horrible example for Reimu if you truly intend to act as her mother!"

"'Mother?'" Sumireko repeated. "You said 'mother?'"

"N-no, I… meant to say mentor."

"Competing with Kasen, huh?" the high schooler pressed, but from her amused tone, it sounded like she didn't believe the shikigami.

"It's rather sweet of you to pretend that she can compete with me, but she isn't here, dear," Yukari spoke, and Sumireko laughed along with her.

"No, but seriously—"

"Drop it."

"O-okay…?"

The group eventually made it to the restaurant and sat down in a nice, private booth. "Let's get sake," were the first words out of Reimu's mouth.

"Unfortunately, the Outside World has these things called laws that prevent people from doing things. That includes children your age from purchasing alcohol," Ran informed her.

"We'll get sake, Reimu, don't worry," Yukari spoke.

The shikigami's eyes pointed up at the ceiling for a while.

"Any of you ever had Korean barbeque before?" Sumireko asked.

"Of course!" the gap youkai answered. "Though never with so many people. Have you?"

"Nope."

As Reimu wondered why the girl had even brought it up then, Chen asked, "What's tripe?"

"Cow stomach. Apparently, it's really good, but I just can't imagine eating… that."

"That sounds disgusting," Reimu remarked.

"I know, right?!"

"Oh, don't be like that, girls!" Yukari intervened. "It is good. In fact, I might get some…"

"Now I want to make liver and onions…" Ran murmured.

"You two aren't going to start talking about eating people, are you?" Reimu interrogated.

"You'd be surprised how long it's been since we've eaten someone," the gap youkai said with a smile.

"Oh yeah…" Sumireko mumbled. "You guys… do that. Is, uh… Uh…"

"Whatever question you want to ask, dear, you shouldn't; you're ruining your appetite just thinking about it."

"Yeah, I am… Though the tripe talk didn't help, either."

"This place has a bathroom, right?" Reimu asked.

"Of course," Yukari answered. "There should be signs pointing it out if you look."

"I'll come, too," the shrine maiden's high school counterpart said. "Shoulda gone at the theater, but whatevs." As the pair made their way through the restaurant, Sumireko leaned toward her. "Lemme know if you need help using the toilets; I'd bet anything they're not what you're used to."

Reimu clicked her tongue as the sink once again shut itself off. "This is stupid. Why would someone make something that gives out free water just for it to stop working every five seconds?"
"That's deliberate. It's for saving the environment or something. Hey, what's the deal with… Ran said Yukari want's to be your mom or something?"

The shrine maiden froze. "…Drop it…"

"What?"

"I said 'drop it!'" the girl snapped.

Sumireko raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay!"

The two returned to the table, carrying the tense and awkward air with them.

"Ran," Yukari spoke. "You should take Chen to the bathroom, too—just in case."

"Yes, Lady Yukari, I'll do that."

"But—"

"Come on, Chen."

Once the kitsune and the bakeneko were gone, the gap youkai laid her hefted her crossed arms onto the table. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Reimu told her.

Yukari shook her head, and Sumireko said, "I… mayhave asked about…"

"'Mayhave?'"

The high schooler rubbed her hands together under the table. "Did. Did ask. About something I… guess I shouldn't have."

The older woman smiled politely. "I don't fault you for being curious, but I did tell you to drop it, didn't I?"

"You did…"

"I did," Yukari confirmed as she nodded. She turned her attention to her shrine maiden. "Reimu, please don't be angry at her. Can we just drop the matter and continue to have a fun night?"

The girl sat there with her arms crossed over her chest for a while before she spoke again. "Why did you even bring me out here in the first place? This was yourstupid idea in the first place, so why don't you just tell me what you were thinking."

The gap youkai sighed. "You're right. You are right. This was my idea… …Reimu— Are you happy?"

"I was just fine before you showed up."

"Before I brought you to the Outside World? Before the party? The Eternal Night incident?"

The shrine maiden leaned forward. "All my life I've been just fine being alone! I don't need you! I don't need any youkai! I don't need anyone!"

"Reimu…" Sumireko started, but she couldn't continue.

"Reimu…" Yukari tried to find her words. "…I'm sorry. It's all my fault… I'm sorry…"

The group was frozen in the tension until the orphaned girl stood up and stormed away. The high schooler went after her, and the gap youkai remained.

"Reimuuu! Waaait!" Sumireko called out to the fleeing girl

"Go! Away!" the shrine maiden shouted back in a voice that was beginning to break. She made a turn down an alley and immediately tripped over a garbage can. The concrete below scraped away at her knees and palms, and she gingerly pushed herself up with her wrists.

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" Tears began dripping from her eyes. "Just… Just go away!"

"Reimu, I'm… I'm sorry… I shouldn't've asked… I was just curious, though! I mean… that's such a weird thing to say… Like, wouldn't your parents—?"

"My parents are dead! Don't you get it?! They're dead! They're gone! I have nobody but myself!"

"R-Reimu… I'm… I'm so sorry…!" Sumireko crouched down and hugged her. "I'm so, so sorry… I didn't know… I just thought they were busy or… I'm so sorry…" The shrine maiden cried into her friend's arms for a while until she had calmed down. "I know what it's like to be alone—at least a little bit… My parents, they're always on business trips—one or both of them, so before I got into high school, I would have to stay with my aunt in another town." She gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Being into occultism probably never helped either…"

"…I wish I was you…" Reimu murmured.

"Sometimes I wish I was you, too… But the grass is always greener, huh?"

"…I suppose so…" A moment of silence passed. "…I'm hungry…"

Sumireko started chuckling, then it grew it into full hysterical laughter. "I'd bet. C'mon, let's go." She helped her friend up, and they started back towards the restaurant. It didn't take long at all before they found Ran looking for them.

"There you two are. You're injured." The shikigami reached into her sleeve and pulled out a first aid kit. "Lay her down." Sumireko did as she was instructed, and Ran immediately set to work cleaning the shrine maiden's wounds. Reimu hissed when the alcohol was applied. "I'm sorry it hurts, but it needs to be done."

"I've been injured before, you know."

Ran nodded. "I suppose you have…"

"Youkai?" Sumireko asked.

Reimu nodded. "And Marisa dragging me around on her 'adventures.' Or just cutting myself with a knife while cooking or some other mundane thing."

"Hm. Makes sense."

Once the shikigami had finished her care, she helped the shrine maiden to her feet. "…Sorry for running out on everyone," Reimu murmured.

"It's alright. I don't blame you. I'd rather be curled up at home with a good book, and I'm sure you'd rather be drinking tea."

"I was promised good food, though!"

Ran smiled. "That's the spirit."

The group shared a pleasant meal before they headed out for their last stop of the night: Karaoke.

Reimu sat awkwardly as Sumireko sang catchy pop and loud rock songs, Yukari and Chen sang weird English songs, and Ran sang slow ballads of yesteryears.

Eventually, the gap youkai said, "Reimu's tuuurn!"

"No way!"

"Come on, Reimers, we can do a duet!" Sumireko offered

"I don't even know any songs!"

"Well now's the perfect time to start learning some!" The highschool girl grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. "We'll do Ievan Polkka!"

"What?"

Sumireko stretched an arm over her head. "Haaa… Man, I'm wiped…" Reimu mumbled in agreement. The cool night air was likely the only reason she was still awake.

"Awww," Yukari whined. "You're sure you can't stay up a little longer? Maybe we could get ice cream?"

"Sounds nice, but I can't. It's a school night, after all." The highschooler winked at her. "Any chance I could get a gap back home?"

The youkai laughed. "Alright, here you go." She drew her finger in the air, and a rift appeared before them.

"Thanks! See ya around!"

"Bye-bye!" Yukari turned to the rest of her group. Ran was holding Chen in an arm, and Reimu was leaning against her trying to stay awake. "Ice cream?" The shikigami's tired look became a tired scowl. "Oh, fine…" They returned to their car and drove home, the youngest two sleeping soundly in the back seat. "Did you have a good time, Ran?"

"I told Reimu I'd rather have been reading a book. I don't regret having come along, though. But it's not like I had a choice, so…" She shrugged a shoulder. "Whatever…"

"Why don't you take the day off tomorrow then?"

"Because you can't do anything without my help."

Yukari threw her head back, laughing loudly.

When they had finally arrived home, the two women woke the two kids. Before Reimu had entered her room, the bakeneko tugged Reimu's sleeve. "What is it?"

The young youkai held out prize she had won earlier that day. "Here!" Chen shoved it closer to her. "A gift! For you!"

She accepted the salamander without a thought, thanked her, then fell into her bed fast asleep.