>>1097
>but you went and gave me another way to have fun with this.

That's a good thing though, since the more fun you have with this, the better the story will be, right?

[X]You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

[X] You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

>>1097

>Oh dear, do the people who voted to see something more in the grue's eyes really understand the extent of the consequences of their vote? Oh, you'll survive, but you went and gave me another way to have fun with this.

Glad to hear it. I hope we have plenty of Rumia to look forward to.

[X] You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

Get some brekkie. It's important.

[X]I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

I like this story more and more. Amazing.
Also, bath.

[X]I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

The food will taste better when the eater is refreshed...

[x] I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

[x] I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

>[ ] First of all, check the time.
Error: Not enough dapper.

[x] You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

[X] You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

>>1109
Thanks for opening a closed wound, anon.

[x] I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

[X]I think I need a bath. My skin is still crawling from where Rumia touched me.

Now lets see, we have Tsundere Mokou, Nicedere Letty, and now Yandere EX-Rumia. Ho boy, Keine is going to flip her lid when she finds out.

...I am suddenly concerned about when Rumia's mating season is, if she has one...

Maaaaybe Ivan should sleep somewhere that has light everywhere. You know, so he doesn't end up going to bed right on top of Rumia unintentionally.

>>1112
>Nicedere
ಠ_ಠ

[x] You know, I don't think I've eaten in some time...

>>1112
I'm inclined to think Rumia has no mating season. At all.

>Oh dear, do the people who voted to see something more in the grue's eyes really understand the extent of the consequences of their vote? Oh, you'll survive, but you went and gave me another way to have fun with this.
Pic related.

>>1112

>Nicedere

Nicedere brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

>>1113

Do you think he means...

Cooldere?

>>1116
No. I think he means deredere. Which doesn't really apply to her but whatever.
Nice pun tho.

The first thing on my mind is bathing, mostly because my skin feels like it's crawling from where the grue's darkness had touched me. Even more so on my hand since she had gone so far as to start licking the blood off it. "Mokou, could you do me a favor and get a spare set of clothes for me? I wish to take a bath so maybe I can get this slimy feeling off me." I don't know what's worse, the fact that I do feel some kind of weird residue on my skin or the fact that I almost don't mind it.

"Eh? Why can't you... Oh, that's right. You don't know where they put your stuff." Mokou does seem rather surprised by the little revelation that I don't actually know where Reisen might have stored my clothes, but in truth it's more that I don't know if one of the earth rabbits decided to prank me by relocating my clothes when I wasn't looking. "Here." She hands me my now-clean set of normal clothes without any sort of commentary. "I suppose you're going to want to eat sometime soon too, huh?"

As if to respond of its own accord, my stomach emits a noticeable growl. ...That's embarrassing, yet it saves me a little more time from having respond.

"Heh, I'll see what's in the kitchen. And if there's nothing there I'll set a fire under certain people until there is. Either that or make something myself, who knows?" With that enigmatic note Mokou leaves the room. Not that it was really that enigmatic since it only concerns breakfast.

Regardless, I hold my clean set of clothes under my arm as I head out of the guest room and towards the closest bathroom that I know of, which is not too far off since Eientei's designer saw the need to keep at least one bathroom handy for every few rooms. Not that I can blame them seeing as there are all the rabbits and I doubt very seriously that they just go wherever.

Sometime during my meanderings I find the bathroom I'm looking for, though I note that it's currently occupied. I consider just going to find another bathroom until the door swings inward to reveal that Eirin was using it. "Ivan, what are you doing up? I haven't checked to ensure that everything has set properly."

---

"With your medical expertise I didn't think it'd be needed." I've been in Eirin's care often enough to know that the doctor is most likely the single greatest medical doctor I will ever meet, and that when she cures a patient, she cures him. Or her. As such I can trust her to have made it so I can walk at the very least.

However, Eirin is quick to retort. "With your clumsiness and misfortune, I'd be a fool not to double-check before sending you on your merry way." She's still barring the doorway, and I saw her eyes dart down to the set of clothes I'm holding. She sighs and shakes her head after a minute. "Alright, come on. I need to make sure nothing broke again during the night." Eirin then leads me off to her clinic, which isn't too far away from the bathroom. Though the sheer number of doors you have to go through to reach the shortest route possible is enough to make anyone lose track of where they are. She leads me into one of the examination rooms and has me sit on the table within. "All right, take off your shirt and lay face-down will you?"

Not one to argue with the doctor I take off the shirt I'm wearing and position myself to where Eirin can easily get to my back. "Do you mind my asking what happened while I was out cold?"

The doctor's gloved hands begin by rubbing the back of my skull in light, meticulously calculated movements in order to check it for any remaining cracks. I'd have to assume it's nothing worse than that since I'd probably still be unconscious by this point if I were in any worse shape. "Actually, I was hoping to ask what had happened to you. Though Rumia showing up in Eientei to spirit you away was all the information I needed to put two and two together." She then put slight light pressure on the ridge of each spinal disk to ensure that none were loose or in danger of becoming loose. Somehow she managed to answer my question in the absolute vaguest way possible while giving me some information to work with. "I'd have to assume that you ended up taking her ribbon off somehow and almost became a meal for her."

"...Is it that obvious?" I don't even twitch as she yanks my pants partway down to get at my hips.

"She did come for you earlier. She seemed to be quite adamant about finding you again. Perhaps it's time you seek help with that issue?" And now she's feeling my thighs and tailbone to ensure they've set properly. With that she gives me the go ahead to put the clothes back on. Of course, she's dropping a not-so-subtle hint that I shouldn't keep doing this alone and possibly getting eaten.

"I get it. I'll talk to Reimu, but not before praying that she's in a good enough mood to take the news about Rumia becoming unsealed without inflicting pain on me for it." I note that somewhere along the line Rumia's ribbon ended up in one of my pockets. I think I put it in there to free up one of my hands for a spell and forgot to take it back out. This might just save me some effort...

"Reimu isn't the only one you can ask for help you know. I could do the deed just as easily, if not more so." Eirin disposes of the used gloves as she speaks, and I can't help but wonder if any of that black gunk had stuck to me, and if Eirin had gathered any samples from me when she healed me. "And there's always the option of surviving long enough to ask Keine to reset history to where you had never removed Rumia's sealing ribbon."

"I was dizzy from blood loss, and she took advantage. How was I supposed to think straight in that situation?" I hop off the examination table even in order to head back out to a bathroom so I can bathe.

"I'm not blaming you Ivan. In fact, I'm just happy you're still alive at this point." She then walks alongside me to further the conversation. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just that I still feel rather filthy considering what happened before Mokou saved me from an untimely death. "I suppose you'd like to bathe now."

"If you don't mind."

---

>>1114

So Rumia's mating season is the same as the average human, which is to say 'whenever the fuck we want'

I wonder what would have happened if it was one of the other characters that saved the day.

>>1122
Or 'Whenever we want to fuck'
That works too.

>>1102
>>1112
>>1122
>>1124

I can't help but raise my eyebrows at the letters Aya deposited on my table, and become increasingly unsettled when they seem to be leaning more toward wanting more frequent interaction between myself and the grue, or even sexual intercourse on a fairly regular basis. Not to mention the possibility of Rumia simply lying in wait within the darkness between the comforter and the matress, or Keine's possible reaction to my having an unintentional harem.

"Ivan? Are you okay? You look rather pale..." Keine herself walks up next to me and places a hand on my shoulder, wheras thanks to these letters and prior votes I get up off the chair and immediately hug her. "Eh? What's gotten into you?" She then looks over the letters for herself, then leads me over to my living room and sits us both down on the couch. "I thought you were exaggerating when you said a bunch of gutter-dwellers were controlling your fate, especially since you were so drunk at the time. I guess you weren't as wrong as I thought." She puts her arms around me before singing a quiet melody in the hopes that it would be enough to calm me back down.

...

Before I could leave the clinic Eirin had made a joke offer about helping me get cleaned up, which I respectfully declined. It's not that it wasn't tempting, simply that I figured that it may lead to something else, then something else, until we're both in an inn room in the village wondering what the hell happened. ...Not that such a scenario is very likely since I know the doctor has a massive alcohol tolerance even before taking a drug specifically designed to break down alcohol before it ever leaves the stomach. In short, it would take nothing less than a drinking contest with an Oni for anyone to ever see her drunk.

She still laughed when I voiced my opinion of the matter, then simply stated that some of my self-experimentation wouldn't hold off my libido forever, even if I was thorough. Little things like that really do frighten me when she says it, simply because I can never tell when she's being serious about it. Regardless, we go our seperate ways and I head back to the bathroom I had been lead away from. From there I enter it, apply the lock since the odds were very good that someone would intrude, then proceed to strip down and toss the used clothing in the laundry hamper. I then set my clean set of clothes on the counter next to the sink and note the lack of an external shower, then see that there's a shower head over the bathtub itself. I suppose Lunarians simply have efficiency in mind when it comes to plumbing.

I run the water for a few moments to ensure that I won't be stepping into freezing cold water, pull the shower curtains shut, then activate the shower head. ...That's it. I need to design something like this for myself. Using water to simultaneously clean and give a rudimentary massage simply isn't fair. Still, I pick up a washcloth, the body soap, and set to work cleaning myself while contemplating how to go about working the metal into the desired shape, as well as how to apply the needed pressure to get the desired effect.

Once that's accomplished I shut the shower off and pull the curtain aside only to note that the door had somehow been unlocked during my shower. This wouldn't have been any of my concern had I not locked prior to getting in the shower. I throw a suspicious glance at the door as I dry myself off, only to see the door swing inward to reveal a certain moon bunny. ...This might not have been an issue if I were wearing something, but when all you've got is a towel and said towel is currently being used to dry your legs... "E-EXCUSE ME!" Reisen leaps backwards and almost slams the door when she does so, and there was a heavy blush on her face as she lept out. The only way that could have happened is if someone with a penchance for pranks unlocked the door mid-shower, then opened it and shut it like someone had gotten out, then went to all the trouble of directing Reisen into the bathroom I had not ceased occupying.

God dammit Tewi. That rabbit might have a heart of gold, but ninety percent of the time you have to dig pretty damn far to see it.

---

You have my condolences Ivan for having such fans.

But to the Mokou fans, I propose an alliance in terms of blocking the efforts of Rumia fans.

>>1126
I propose we stop doing silly things like picking sides based on character preference.
Stories tend to go downhill when the readers do things like that.

>>1127
But it's truth of things, that and this is for the good of the story since folks would be trying to drag us into various bad ends just due to their craving for Rumia.

I doubt things will get that bad, not as if anyone has pulled any dirty tricks yet. Nor do I think there'll be any insults flying around.

Also saging the only living story in this board doesn't do much of anything.

>>1126
Nah, I'll vote as I see fit, no strings attached.

>>>1128

Which would be an issue if Ivan didn't have a sense of self-preservation. He will reinterpret votes or even override them outright in the event of an intentional vote to send him to his death.

While I am open about who Anon persues, Anon should keep in mind that they are not the final word in what happens and that going the route of Gensokyo High, assuming it ever gets that bad, will not change that.

So please, don't do to this story what you've done to that one.

>>1126

There's really no need as it's clearly just one or two guys pushing it, with some others that will occasionally join in for shits and giggles. There more of a funny distraction then a serious threat I think, sort of like the object of their affection...

>>1132
Yeah it's just a rivalry at this point, not the outright hatred that plagues stories like that.

>>1126
>>1128

Oh hey, it's that guy from GH who yammers on about the "good of the story" while spewing the polarizing rhetoric that causes all the problems he attributes to everyone who disagrees with him.

Yeah, think I'm going to pass on your routefaggotry there, buddy.

Come on guys let's all just chill out, no reason to be starting flame wars since that's the path to the dark side don't ya know.

Also shouldn't we be like voting or something?

>>1134
Which one, since I think there's two, but you know Taisa's choices are often polarizing in themselves.

>>1135
We're not at a voting point yet.

With that slightly embarrassing moment out of the way I finish drying myself off and put on my clean set of clothes. I opt out of wearing the jacket for now since it's not really needed right at the moment and all it would do is cause me to sweat inside Eientei. I do carry it with me out of the bathroom though since it's still the only one of its kind. Reisen seems bent on acting like her little run-in never happened and simply darts past me into the bathroom I had just finished occupying, then clicks the lock shut.

I'm not about to bother her or press the matter since it's nothing of any real importance, and instead focus on the goal of locating the dining room without further incident. ...And given my luck so far, I'm likely to run into at least one more person or get hopelessly lost. Of course, getting lost is far more likely since I don't know where anything is in relation to my room... All I have to do is run into a rabbit and ask it to lead me to the nearest dining room, right?

Of course, a few minutes of wandering turns up nothing, and I'm quite certain that I'm probably going to end up somewhere strange before this is all said and done. Now that I think about it, there's someone who specializes in dealing with curses on Youkai Mountain, isn't there? Perhaps I should pay that person a visit to see if I can't get this misfortune removed. It'd certainly make things easier.

...

I'm hopelessly lost right now. Everything leads into a goddamn circle with no end to any of it. The only possible way out is to find someone and hope they lead me in the direction I want to go, or investigate for any signs of life among the various rooms.

[X]Keep wandering. Surely these halls won't remain deserted forever?
[X]Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.

[X]Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.

Eientei is designed to get lost in, trying to get some help would be a good idea.

[X]Keep wandering. Surely these halls won't remain deserted forever?

Real men never ask for directions!

[X]Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.
True

[X] Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.

[x] Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.

[X]Look in the rooms that appear to be occupied.

>Real men never ask for directions!

I'd agree if I didn't know one can be lost in the hallways of Eientei for an eternity without some guidance.

[X]Keep wandering. Surely these halls won't remain deserted forever?

Personal pride and old stereotypes dictate that I should simply continue until I find someone, but my brain has other things to say on the matter. Things like 'screw you, I'm actually in use!' As such I should look into the rooms that appear to be occupied and hopefully find someone who's inclined to help a guy find the dining room before he's lost forever within these eternal halls.

...That's actually a bit of an exaggeration since there are more than a few exit points and I'm quite certain that I'd find a landmark to work with if I kept going long enough. In addition, that's only if someone doesn't find me first. I push open the first lit door I see, and no one is inside.

And again...

And again...

And again...

It's rather infuriating how Eientei is so thoroughly devoid of life today. Even during winter there's usually rabbits running about within the building, either causing trouble or actually doing their job. It's rather worrying that there aren't any around, mostly because of the implications. These range from Rumia making a surprise visit, to black misfortune hanging over me, to some other malevolent force that's decided that I should be done away with. ...To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

I open up another door... Only to find that it's frozen shut. Why in the world would a door be frozen shut in this building when it's not cold enough to allow it? I won't linger on that mystery and instead focus on finding some sort of landmark on top of finding someone.

Fortunately, someone finds me when I open one last door. "Ivan!" And that someone is Tewi. "Why are you way out here? I thought you'd be with everyone else already." She takes a moment to think things through for a moment, and sighs. "Let me guess, my little prank didn't go over too well and you decided to let Reisen have her space instead of sticking around and asking for her to guide you." She shakes her head from side to side, which sends her floppy ears swaying in the same direction. "Come on, I better lead you back before whatever's causing Eientei to randomly freeze up gets you."

"What would anyone want to gain by-?" I can't help but ask, but it seems Tewi can't help but shut me up.

"Ask me later when we're in the inner areas. It's not smart to talk about it where the ice can listen in." With that cryptic remark she continues to lead me further in, and she occasionally makes a point of stopping to check the status of some seals located on each door we pass through. "This should be far enough." She doesn't stop walking though. "Tell me, how much do you know about the legend of Jack Frost?"

[X]Write-in

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

This is interesting... I doubt it's Cirno, since she's usually far too content with freezing frogs than rooms. I don't think it's Letty either.

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

I'm getting the feeling that Rumia is somehow involved. Why, I don't really know.

> some other malevolent force that's decided that I should be done away with

We'll try not to kill you on purpose too much. As Anonymous, we are the closest humanity can come to representing the Biblical demon Legion anyway, so there will be some people who will want to see the bad end.

And besides Ivan, the Anonymous from the place called '4-Chan' are much, much worse than the Anonymous here. '4-Chan' would have probably had you having 'surprise-buttsex' with EX-Rumia the instant she grew a chest.

And they are worse than a pissed off Reimu with a psychopathic mindset.

Also, Rumia, where did you run off to after you 'left' Eientei, hmm? Because I know your still around there.

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

>>1148
>I doubt it's Cirno, since she's usually far too content with freezing frogs than rooms. I don't think it's Letty either.

Hee-ho!

I'm actually more familiar with the Jack Frost of "Rankin-Bass" fame but I can't help but use this version of JF

>>1150

I think you meant to quote >>1147

>>1151
That is correct and I blame horrible sleep for that error

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

>>1148

I don't know I don't think anon here is quite evil enough to be classed as a demon. It's more like say the Greek pantheon a bunch of omnipotent beings of various temperaments that enjoy messing with mortals for various reasons.

Some of us don't want him to be killed at all and want the best for him as we fancy ourselves kind and merciful gods... Mind that doesn't mean we won't let you suffer a bit though for our amuse-- to encourage his growth as a person.

On a much lighter note, when Mokou requested what is essentially a lunch date, I wonder if she meant simply going out to town for some very tasty meals at "deli-variety" shops or have Ivan make some to her tastes as well as simply enjoying it in the warmth and comfort of his place.

It is after all sort of a home away from home to Mokou.

[X] "Not much, just that he was a western incarnation of winter weather and believed to be responsible for the patterns of ice that appear on windows."

>>1158

On another yet important note, considering that Rumia gave Ivan the revelation that he currently does not have the capacity to maintain his danmaku for long durations, something needs to be done about it; even more so now considering her recent change. I have thought about this before but never had a good reason to bring it up till after what had happened.

Perhaps his next project should be a way to strengthen his capabilities. Much like Ivan's jacket project finally finding success, perhaps through alchemy he can create a catalyst that will not only allow him to maintain his barrages but not affect his stamina as fiercely.

Heck through such catalysts he could very easily master control over his fire darts and light pulses, perhaps even strengthening their effect as well as control.

If Ivan's more daring...

Perhaps he should considering creating simple homunculus as assistants (perhaps some snow men for now) with his danmaku, Alice is known to use a form of homunculus (in this case puppets and dolls) so it'd stands to reason that perhaps Ivan should adapt a similar form of aid to his repertoire.

...

Oh Mokou surely you'd love to help with such a project should Ivan consider it yes..? If not I'm quite sure a certain tengu or snow woman would considering what had happened. May be even giving him an excuse to expand and explore his abilities as well as strengthen his bonds with his acquaintances.

>>1148

I walk by my Q&A table on my way to dispose of the remains of a persimmon I had just finished eating when I noticed the small group of letters on the table. I bite back a couple curses when I realize that either I must not have locked all my doors and windows, Aya's a skilled lockpick, Aya happens to be flexible and squishy enough to get through spaces that would otherwise be impossible for anyone to get through...

Okay, mind off that train of thought Ivan, nothing good will come of it.

After disposing of the rind I sit down in my familiar spot and open up the first letter, and sigh almost immediately. "First of all, while I don't approve of this 'Anonymous' for the most part I should point out that that wasn't necessarily directed at you. Think about it. I've got an upgraded version of an already formidable man-eater after me, my exeriments routinely have harmful results, I can barely keep myself out of Eientei for more than a day, and on top of that I'm almost certain at least one other person will come along to try and make my life hell without your assistance." I take a sip out of the glass of water placed there without ever giving it any thought. "Also, while this 4-chan seems to be the gutteral sewer and asshole of the internet, we aren't there, but instead in a place that's a fair bit better. In addition, Leigon is a collective of evil souls that more or less agree with one another. The simple fact that any of you disagree with each other automatically makes that arguement invalid." I fold up the letter and am immediately beset with the decision of whether or not to toss it in the incinerator or not. It's true that Aya wants me to keep these handy for her in case they ever turn relevant, but I fail to see the relevance in this. "And one last note: I'll listen to what you tell me to do, but to a point. While you are, in a way, the guiding hand of fate, I have been known to spit on the very notion from time to time."

With that I chuck in the incinerator without a care in the world.

>>1150

"And I must admit that I'm only familiar with the European legend, so this reference is lost on me. If you could give me a name of the series that Jack Frost is from, I'll gladly look it up on TVTropes to get a general idea." The next letter I open is much more... Tolerable. Rather nice actually, even if this one's assumption is far off base.

Only now does the fact that a glass of water spontaneously appeared catch my attention, and there's only one person I know who would simultaneously sneak around yet do something nice for me in the meantime. "Aya, you can quit hiding now. I know you're in here." I fold up the letter nice and neat as I say that, yet there's no response. I don't expect one until Aya feels ready to reveal herself.

>>1156

I pick up the next letter and see that it primarily consists of these peculiar people comparing themselves to gods. "Honsetly, I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place at times. Especially since some of you appear to be sadists." I prop my head up on one hand as I read this letter through to the end. "I don't really mind honesty you know. I'd much prefer it to you trying to justify making me do stupid things."

"I bet you'd prefer to be stuck between a soft place and an even softer place, wouldn't you~?" A pair of arms wrap around me from behind as Rumia pulls herself up from my shadow, and she makes a point of placing the back of my head between her breasts. ...What is it with women and using that as a show of affection anyways? No other woman I've met before now actively did that to me, only the youkai I've befriended.

And an angry tengu ninja drops from the ceiling and into my lap. "Butt out, Rumia. You're not going to eat him!" Fan in one hand and my torso in her other arm, Aya practically butts foreheads with the grue. You don't get any bonus points for guessing where my head is right now.

"Why eat him when harrassing him is so much more entertaining? The boy actively refuses to get close to a woman in that way, and he gets flustered in the most adorable way when he does." Rumia completely ignores Aya in favor of nuzzling my hair in an affectionate manner. Or as affectionate as her mischief-driven nature can get.

This happens to be something Aya takes execption to, and she starts forcing the grue off me with brute force. "That's my job! If anyone's going to show him the wonders of an intamite relationship, it's going to be me! Not some half-wit man-eater like you!" Aya pulls out a bottled light from my pocket and almost smashes it in the grue's face had she not fled. Content with that she finally realizes where my head has been the entire time. "Oops! Ivan, are you okay? You didn't suffocate or anything?"

"No. I simply tilted my head down when I saw you coming." A simple, straight answer since I don't trust my mouth right at the moment. The odds of me say something incredibly stupid is incredibly high, and the less encouragement I give this tengu the better. "Are you serious about showing me these wonders?" So why in the innermost circle of HELL does my mouth not listen to my brain?!

Aya seems surprised for a moment before she settles into a more sultry look that would command the attention of a lesser man. "Oh? So you do want me to show you?" And now she's going to take full advantage of this whether I really mean it or not. "Mmm~ It's been an awful long time since I've managed to lure someone pure like you into wanting me."

>>1162

"More like: It's been a long time since you've put any effort into that kind of thing, since I have no doubt you could assemble a drooling male harem if you so wish." Working around the tengu will be a mite difficult, but there's just one letter left to take care of before I can figure a way out of this bind. This one is far more intruiging than any of the others I've received so far, and I have to supress a grin for a moment. "Yes, my danmaku capabilities are woefully undeveloped, but I had just learned how to rework a couple of spells into something that wouldn't breach the spellcard rules on the same day I had to try and fend off the grue. As for coming up with some kind of catalyst... I've had a few ideas in mind, such as elemental imbibment to attune my body to the element of my choosing and perhaps even gain some of the attributes of that element." Finally, someone who isn't there solely to antagonize me and actually thinks of the things I do!

"So if you infused yourself with earth, you'd become rock-hard and gain quite a bit of stamina, right?" Aya asks this in an innocent enough tone, yet I fail to catch the implications right off the bat.

"Naturally. I..." I cast an annoyed glance at the tengu occupying my lap, who merely smiles in return. "Don't you have a wolf tengu to molest?"

"Nah, she's on duty right now." Like I really expected that to get her off me. Honestly, nothing but the show of one's panties are going to get this one off me.

"As for homunculi, that's actually a good idea if I could come up with an external power source for each one that regenerates its reserve fairly quickly, since unlike Alice I don't have the advantage of being the daughter of the Makai goddess. It's still something worth looking into, especially if things don't go the way I hope they will." I planned to ignore the last part of the letter, but Aya snatches it away before I can put it elsewhere.

"Iva~n, guess what? We're going to be working a lot closer together from here on out." I really, really hope she's just pulling my leg here.

>>1163
>Aya happens to be flexible and squishy enough to get through spaces that would otherwise be impossible for anyone to get through...
Aya can make DC 80 Escape Artist checks?

>>1162
Too be honest I think Aya or Letty would still help him; Aya's familiar with the way he does things, and Letty's very very nice.

>>1165

I'm rather surprised Aya has yet to report about Ivan accidentally relieving Rumia of a certain seal to the rest of Gensokyo.

Pleasure before business I presume..?

At the very least it would keep Reimu from trying to kick Ivan's ass, though who's to say this news has not already spread throughout Gensokyo..?

>>1166
I'm amazed that he wasn't visited by Reimu and/or Yukari about this. It's been said EX-Rumia getting out is generally major news.

That said, I wonder if there'd be a Wade cameo.

>>1166
She can use those news as 'leverage ' so...

>>1163

Imbibing elements? Well, if you want to go that route, I would recommend imbibing darkness, so that you can build up a nice tolerance. If you can do that, then maybe you'll be able to survive the next time a thick tendril of pulsing darkness thrusts its way into your mouth; when it starts pumping loads of darkness into your throat, maybe you'll be able to swallow it all without issue. When the tendrils begin searching for more ways to slip gently inside you, maybe you'll be able to withstand their assault.

Think how you would take that lovely, lovely Rumia by surprise if you had the strength and stamina to keep yourself together when her darkness enfolds you, takes you in, envelopes you completely. Think of the look on her face as you sink into her darkness, ready and raring to keep up the struggle. Imagine her shouts as you struggle against her, putting your entire body into the struggle with her, giving her every ounce of energy you have!

Doesn't that just sound like a marvelous idea?

>>1166
>>1167

All I'll say is that you're assuming too much too soon. Ivan's been out for a whole day after Mokou bailed him out, so take that into consideration.

>>1169

Shoo. Off with you. Ivan doesn't need the annoyance right now.

---

"Not much I'm afraid, other than he's the western incarnation of winter weather and is seen as being responsible for the frost patterns that appear on windows." I continue keeping pace with the earth rabbit as she leads me along.

"I suppose that's right, in a way." Tewi picks up on the unspoken question fairly quickly, and stops in front of another door before continuing. "But it's also a gross oversimplification. Maybe there's more than one Jack, or maybe this is a snow man who's taken his name, but this Jack Frost is nothing short of a total ass who freezes people just for the heck of it. And if you're a woman who happens to catch his eye..." She trails off for a moment as she lets the implications sink in. "Basically, the Jack Frost I've seen has been flitting around lately and has been attacking Eientei with little success. So if you're wondering why Winter seems a little more oppressive to you this year, that's why."

"I suppose if he's after women, then Kaguya would certainly qualify." At least I know now, though there are some other possibilities going through my head right at the moment.

"It's not just Kaguya, it's Reisen too. I refuse to let Jack get anywhere near them, Reisen least of all since she doesn't have the ability to lock herself into a single point of space and time to protect herself." I find that it's a little odd that she's decided to just stop here when it's clear that this isn't our destination, but I won't press it right now. "And since you're a guest here, and a friend of both Eirin and Kaguya I feel I should keep you safe as well."

"Thank you. I have enough to deal with as it is, so anything you can do to help is appreciated."

"Buddy, you have NO idea how much you have to deal with right now." Tewi lightly raps the door once, not quite loud enough to carry all that far. "Word traveled fast while you were asleep and both the shrine maiden and Yukari know about what happened. Telling those two was apparently the first thing Aya did when she was sure that Mokou had gotten you away from Rumia. Only Reimu is here right now since Yukari's off on some other business, but count on having to meet her before you leave." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Reimu's pretty pissed, but everyone knows that you didn't do it on purpose. Hell, Rumia went so far as to say she took advantage of your mind-addled state to get that seal off, and since Eirin recorded it nobody has any reason to go after you about it."

There's not much I can say in response to that.

The rabbit picks up on that and smiles while sighing. "Come on, you'll be fine. You've got that mostly-intact seal on you so this should get fixed fairly quickly. Even if it that does get destroyed somehow in a cliche twist of fate, Eirin can seal Rumia up with something nobody can undo." Tewi opens the second to last door and steps on through. "Come on, nobody's going to do anything to you for this."


Lacking any other option, I step through with her. Anxiety and apprehension made my blood run cold the moment I heard Tewi give an exact approximation of the waves I had unintentionally made and I can't say that I really want to face the end results. Rumia I can stand up to with a defiant look, even if it's clear I'll die. But Reimu? I don't know if I could stand the guilt for causing more work for her, especially such dangerous work. And Yukari... I know nothing about her so I can't say for sure what she'll be like.

---

>Even if it that does get destroyed somehow in a cliche twist of fate, Eirin can seal Rumia up with something nobody can undo.

Normally I would find this hard to believe, but this is Eirin we're talking about. That and medicine and poison are only separated by a thin line.

>>1170
>Shoo. Off with you. Ivan doesn't need the annoyance right now.

>>1170
>this Jack Frost is nothing short of a total ass who freezes people just for the heck of it. And if you're a woman who happens to catch his eye..."

no..

NO GOD DAMN IT NO, is it that Jack Frost the deranged serial killer that terrorized and killed quite a few people in horrible ways in a small mountain town a good while ago back again?!

Both movies were really stupid but for the sake of argument neither of them actually declared that Jack Frost dead. Short of sending him to the sun he'll never die

>>1173

For those that don't know what I'm talking about it, it's the 1996 film and the 2000 films I'm referring to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Frost_%281996_film%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Frost_2:_Revenge_of_the_Mutant_Killer_Snowman

>>1173

Serial killer? Not quite, and most certainly not the retarded-looking killer snowman version. Heck, up until now I've never even heard of those versions. Once again you're assuming too much too soon about a yet unintroduced character.

>>1175

To be fair I had serious doubts about you using that version but hey at least ya nipped it in the bud before it went and snowballed out of proportion.

Fun as always.

>Only Reimu is here right now since Yukari's off on some other business

>>1177
That picture is inaccurate; it's missing one american guy, a cat girl with a nice figure, etc.

>>1178

Too bad pictures of Wade and Nari don't exist.

...Not to my knowledge anyway.

---

Tewi stands by the door without opening it, most likely to give me a chance to compose myself before I open this final door. I give her a silent nod of thanks and use that moment to get myself under control before opening that final door.

...

Well, here goes nothing...

I slide open the door only to find that it leads out into another hallway, and I turn my confused face to look at Tewi. "Sorry, I just had to. This is the door you want." She then slides the door across the hallway wide open without giving me any sort of warning, which leads into the dining room I wanted to go to in the first place.

Of course, there's the minor change concerning that now that I know just what sort of scenario lies beyond and I find myself less than willing to cross the threshold. Yet I do anyway. The sight that greets me is that of the entirety of Eientei's major players save for Tewi is present within the room, Mokou sitting cross-legged on the floor, Reimu taking up a seat while sipping a cup of tea, and that blond woman must be Yukari. They all note my presence and respond to varying degrees, which makes it even more pressuring from my viewpoint. I start walking towards a seat near Eirin only for the ground to give way beneath my feet and deposit me next to Yukari, something I wasn't prepared for in the slightest.

"Ufufufu~ What's with that look?" Yukari makes no effort to hide her smile when she looks at me, and I can't understand what's so funny. "This isn't a courtroom session, nor is it your execution, so liven up will you?" She stands up and brings me up to my feet as well, then takes a step back to introduce herself more formally. "Or are you simply that intimidated by me?" I said... "But it seems I'm getting too ahead of myself. My name is Yukari Yakumo, youkai of boundaries."

"Yukari, stop screwing around with him. He's stressed enough as it is and I'd rather try to keep him calm for this." Reimu puts the proverbial foot down almost immediately after Yukari gets done introducing herself with a tone filled with annoyance for the gap youkai. "You saw how he walked in, he's sure we're going to do something horrible to him and your little antics aren't helping."

"It's a fair bit better than being all 'serious business' about it." Yukari looks at the miko and huffs at her with a mildly annoyed expression on her face. "I'm sure that your methods would stretch his psychological endurance to the breaking point before you started making a point of telling him what we're here for."

"And tossing him through gaps isn't a strain?" Reimu does have a point there, I didn't exactly enjoy my sudden trip through that... space. "He isn't used to it like all your friends are and from the looks of it he didn't exactly fare well."

"If you're all done arguing..." Kaguya's voice shuts them both up before they can bicker any more than they already have. She motions for me to sit next to her and I see absolutely no reason to refuse her when the alternative is sitting close to such an alien being. "Ivan, this is not what you believe it to be. No one blames you for this incident." I have to wonder if this is simply her commanding aura causing me to slowly calm down, the fact that she's a friend, or if she's doing something with her power of eternity. Regardless, I don't feel like arguing the point. "However, you have Rumia's sealing ribbon on you, which will be necessary in order to bring her back down to her less dangerous state."

"So if you could hand it over, we can repair it and get on with her resealing." Reimu stands up from her seat and strides halfway between where she was sitting to where I am. She chose not to stand over me, but instead requests that I meet her halfway with this...

[X]I have no use for this.
[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.
[X]Fake out time.

[X] I have no use for this.

The situation is serious, so the method that we know will work (if a little fragile) is better than an untested one.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X] Even if no one is going to blame you for this, you still bear responsibility for it.
[X] You'll take care of this yourself.

Full life consequences!

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X] I have no use for this.

I'm getting a vaguely Lord of The Rings vibe right now, with Ivan standing in for Frodo... Yukari could be Gandalf, Reimu could be Aragorn, and Kaguya could be Elrond. Ufufufu~

[X]I have no use for this.

It's better to leave it to the professionals at such a thing, and I'd rather have the Eirin option as a fail-safe.

>>1186
You had to mention that, didn't you? Now I'm picturing Eirin as Glorfindel (unless she thinks repairing the ribbon is a terrible idea, then she's Erestor), Reisen as Legolas, Mokou as Gimli and Tewi as Merry. All we're missing is Boromir, Pippin and Sam.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

[X]Tewi's words still echo in my mind.

While Rumia may be a fair bit more challenging there is another issue that may actually be more important.

>Only Reimu is here right now since Yukari's off on some other business
Lies!

[X]Fake out time.
Because someone has to vote for it.


>>1178
>one american guy, a cat girl with a nice figure, etc.
>>1179
>Too bad pictures of Wade and Nari don't exist.
Who?

>>1191
Would you mind telling me what you think that option means? I thought it was the Eirin option.

>>1192
>Who?
Main character and his cat from Archetype of Self over in /shrine/, the writer's other story. Read it for the only story that's on a Yukari route.

>>1193
>Would you mind telling me what you think that option means? I thought it was the Eirin option

I actually thought that it meant that Ivan and company got greater concerns besides an ex-rumia roaming about. such as an unusually oppressive winter than usual...

Just theories and if I post them I would only be "assuming things", however if I'm right and we missed a rather crucial moment, such as what Ivan does right now...

Let me put it this way, there might be some greater use to Rumia's former seal; perhaps even in Ivan's experiments and even then that idea goes beyond the scope of the original yet unspoken theory I have in mind.

Just as Tewi said before, Eirin can easily create another, most likely stronger seal should anything happen to the original one. So I see no harm in keeping it for later use or rather it may come in handy some time later on.

>>1195

I don't mind people theorizing, it's just when they don't seem to read the story very attentively and wildly guess at something regardless does it annoy me.

>>1166
>>1167

Such as these two. I've already stated within the story that Ivan has been unconscious for an entire day since Rumia defeated him and implied that Eirin had kept anyone from inflicting more stress on him when he should be recovering, hence why only Mokou was there instead of the lovely gap youkai and the miko.

I enjoy it when people discuss things, and it makes it possible to do more of those Q&A segments that everyone seems to enjoy so much.

>>1193
And what a Lovely Yukari she is. Definitely not standard.

>>1195
What about Yukari and Reimu? I don't think they'd be too comfortable with letting EX-Rumia run around even if she's focused on Ivan. That'd mean he'd need some sort of bodyguard not restrained by tasks... such as a certain snow-woman.

>>1197
>What about Yukari and Reimu? I don't think they'd be too comfortable with letting EX-Rumia run around even if she's focused on Ivan.

I'm betting that it will be at least a day or a while before Ivan even leaves Eientei let alone the The Bamboo of Lost just yet. Especially if Ivan brings up something Tewi told him earlier.

Consider the following~

>>1145
>"Come on, I better lead you back before whatever is causing Eientei to randomly freeze up get you." ~ Tewi

Right now A super-powered grue is the least of Ivan's, and perhaps Reimu's as well as Yukari's troubles. Yes Ivan may have had some preparations to deal with snow spirits similar to Letty, but an entity capable of freezing entire rooms with seemingly little effort. Plus it doesn't seem that the other two even know about this other entity assaulting Eientei.

Who ever is doing it don't seem to be concerned about it's rather powerful residents or if it is, it's clever in hiding itself before being spotted; especially for one who's been recognized as one who brings about winter itself; at least in western folklore.

Letty's simply more active during winter while Cirno's around all year round regardless of the season... Neither one of course are going around freezing rooms, let alone people.

>>1182

Of course, she just can't leave me be can she? Another set of letters adorn my table just as I'm about to start some experiments and she knows I start working on things right about this time. Still, I find myself unable to refuse the tengu as of late and sit down to go through another set of letters. ...Honestly, how did I manage to let her get in my life like this? Not even Letty has managed to get this far... "There is such a thing as getting too far in over my head you know. As of right now I simply cannot deal with the grue on my own, unless she's still susceptible to clever traps. Even then I couldn't rely on them every time." I view the first letter with mild annoyance since I came to the rather brutal realization that EX-Rumia is a little out of my league.

>>1186
>>1188

"Damn the both of you! I can't get that image out of my head!" I clutch my head and desperately try to think of something else to get that thought out of my head before it becomes permanent, but it seems like it just won't go away.

"What image won't go away?" This time, it's not Aya that's invaded my life, but Letty. I'm not objecting to this change of pace since Letty isn't out to make herself a permanent addition to my life without my ever realizing it. ...Of course, the simple fact that I'm saying something like that means it's already too late.

"Something that would make absolutely no sense to you I'm afraid." I prop my head up on one hand and toss away the pair of letters that have inflicted the mental image on me. "So what brings you here?"

"Me? I'm here to kidnap you actually." And the fact that she says that with such a straight face... She can't be serious, can she? "You spend so much time with that crow, but you've completely ignored me."

"I apologize about that, but..."

...

I step over to Reimu and put my hand in my pocket to fish out the sealing ribbon so she can get to work repairing it, but hesitate momentarily when Tewi's words echoed through my head again. She said that Eirin could seal Rumia up in a way that no one could undo, but there's her little warning about how Rumia would attempt to take the opportunity to destroy the seal at the earliest opportunity.

"What's the holdup? We both want to get Rumia sealed up as soon as possible." Reimu states the obvious during that moment of hesitation.

It's kind of ironic then, how I feel a sharp something punch through not only the ribbon, but my hand, and my side as well. A clean puncture right through the middle, yet it manages to thrust my entire arm up with the resistance before cutting the seal in half. This just happens to leave my hand sliced almost cleanly in two, and my side isn't much better.

"Hey... Are you oka-what!? How the hell?!"

"Reisen, get me-"

"On it master!"

"She really went and did it..."

"Well, this could be a problem."

"..."

It's taking every bit of concentration to block out the pain, but I make a point of pulling out the two blood-soaked halves in my... Ugh... Rather nauseating excuse of a hand. True to my fear, it's been cut cleanly in two but I should be more aware of that fact than anyone right now.

"Yukari! You're not just going to sit there and do nothing! Heal him!"

"Alright, alright!" The gap youkai instantly appears by my side and covers my hand in a gap, then places her free hand on the side that's been cut into. Strangely enough it feels like my body is somehow mending on its own... Is this boundary manipulation? "That should do it. Try moving your hand."

I give it a feel, and sure enough it's whole. In fact, aside from the blood on it I'd have to say it's perfectly fine, and my side feels like it had never been sliced open. I'm once again a little light headed from the blood loss, but that will pass soon enough. The blood-soaked seal didn't get the same treatment though, seeing as it's still bloody and sliced in two.

"Yes, that will take some work to get it to the point where it won't be a useless trink." Yukari pulls the halves out of my hand as she speaks, and I have to wonder if she responded to someone else or if she gleaned an insight into my mind while she was healing me. "Reimu, we'll need some kind of stopgap for the time being. I apologize for the sudden departure, but this just became a much bigger issue." And with that the gap youkai and miko vanish through a tear in space and time that has a red ribbon on each end.

What an eventful day, hmm?

"That really was cliche and stupid..." Even my voice is an indication of my lightheadedness. "Why didn't I see that one coming?"

Interesting... If anything Rumia could have easily swallowed Ivan within the darkness and done away with both the seal and Ivan himself...

Yet she didn't.

Makes me wonder about the seal that much more considering it seems it's hated rather fiercely by Rumia, enough for her to risk such a hasty move.

Wait, Rumia is in his pocket?

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-

>>1201

Ivan had a monster in his pocket.

>>1200
I get the feeling to EX-Rumia, her interest in Ivan isn't food or killing, but rather something else.

I wonder can EX-Rumia attack from the shadows? if so... Ivan's got a really good reason to be afraid of the dark.

But more Letty is definitely needed.

>>1203

At the first part, you're realizing that now?

At the second part...err...well...I got nothin. Sleep with all the lights on and surrounded by multiple barriers?

At the last part, we'll let Ivan chose.

>>1204
No! Turn of the lights! She can't attack if there isn't no shadows... no wait, she comes from the darkness actually...

Well, I'm out of ideas.

Give us some ideas Ivan, we may be able to help you.

Rumia in a pocket? Sounds moe.

Now expecting Ivan to crawl into bed one night, only to have Rumia slink out of the darkness beneath his covers, and enjoy a night having him all to herself.

>>1201
>>1202

I suppose you could call Rumia the original 'Pocket Monster'.

---

"I'm back master!" Reisen rushed back into the room carrying a heavy-looking medical bag only to see that I'm still upright. Quite honestly I'm surprised that I'm still upright by this point.

"We may need to preform a blood transfusion, but other than that Yukari took care of it already." I didn't even notice Eirin standing next to me, though I feel her checking my hand and side. The shock's still fairly strong and the fact that Rumia attacked me from my own pocket only adds to the weight of the situation. She could literally attack me anytime, anywhere, then slip away without a trace. "Ivan, can you hear me?"

Having the night itself as your enemy sucks.

"I can." I give the absolute simplest answer possible so I won't have to use my mind all that much. Otherwise I might be reduced to something significantly more undignified... Not that it's not happening anyway, it's just that the more time I give myself the more time I may be able to come to terms with it.

"It's alright, you don't have to be strong for this." Kaguya then steps over with her usual grace and places a hand on my shoulder. "Not right now."

"He should be on his guard from now on. Rumia can attack from any dark place, any time she wants." Mokou takes up the seat Kaguya left and crosses one leg over the other. "...Though that's got to be a kick his morale."

"You think?" And the smart-alecky Tewi pipes up.

---

Well... This may be a good opportunity to create, or at the very least, adopt your sealed elements into something stronger such as a light or fire based orbiting satellite; or as I like to call, an "option"

Think of it as an artificial ignis fatuus or will-o'-the-wisp. It's no powerful homunculus or master spark cannon but at the very least they ought to help. Certain youkai and spirits utilize them so I can't see why not a human, especially a well known alchemist.

Beats wallowing in your own despair and low morale!

>>1208
I hope ivan hasn't thought about the fact that there are dark places all around him... like between his skin and clothes
...and within him too, his mouth when closed, not to mention everything going down from there: throat, stomach etc

If rumia can attack from any dark place, i'd say that he's pretty much at her mercy right now.

Kill her.

>>1210

You just had to bring that up, didn't you. Now I have the image of Ex-Rumia coming out of Ivan like a Chest-Burster. What's next, a giant snow demon smashes through the wall like the Kool-Aid man?

>>1212

OH YEAH!

>>1212
>, a giant snow demon smashes through the wall like the Kool-Aid man?

Now that is something I'd love to see.

>>1212
>>1213
>>1214
Stop giving the writer ideas. Of course, he could take the Joss Whedon route and say "Screw that."

>>1212
Is it shaped like a Toaster and shouts "HUZZAH!"?

>>1215
but there's so many fun things that could happen, like rumia appearing under our blanket when we're in bed followed by jack frost coming through the wall and giving us popsicles

>>1217
I agree those are both fun things, individually, but putting them together would just result in an incredibly strange and awkward moment.

>>1218

With the most likely result having Ivan getting killed.

Wait, >>1217 meant us, not Ivan.

We assimilate them into the legions of Anonymous?

Also Ivan, you mentioned going onto TVTropes earlier. How can you get Internet access? Better question: How did you even get a computer in the first place?

>>1219
>how
ALCHEMY!

>>1219
http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Curiosities_of_Lotus_Asia:_Chapter_15

>>1217

I don't think the later would be very awesome at all, a few popsicles are not going to cover the cost of rebuilding a wall!

>>1224

Also it just occurred to me that Ivan missed a golden opportunity here. He should have had them amputate what was left of his hand and graft a chainsaw onto it, then he just needed to locate a shotgun and he’d have been unstoppable…

>>1225

Really? Replaicing your arm with a heavy and noisy object that requires you to be up close and personal? Against a youkai, you're already dead. And I doubt Ivan even knows what a shotgun is!

>>1225
That only works with your name is Ash Williams, same goes for grabbing a girl, kissing her and saying "Hail to the King, baby"

>>1227

That would be Duke Nukem, not Ash Williams.

>>1209

"Ivan, Ivan, Ivan... What do you keep telling yourself about letting these pile up? The list grows longer, the questions more varied, and at least one of them I'm not prepared to answer." I facepalm at my own lack of incentive to answer the letters coming in, though I know I have to do it soon enough or Aya will practically live here until I get them all done. For someone who wants these answered for archival purposes, she's rather suspicious about what she does with them afterwards. "Might as well get started, or the story will never continue. Ahem... That's actually not a bad idea. Forcing the elements to float around me within their sealed containers will be a bit of an issue, but there's no reason why I couldn't think of a solution or collaborate with someone on the matter. ...There's that kappa Aya mentioned..."

>>1210

"Actually, I've already considered that possibility, unpleasant as it is. I doubt very seriously that she'd actually attack from there since she's not out to kill me yet. Maybe to use me as a chew toy, or find some other odd use for it." Truth be told, I'd be a fool not to worry about attacks that could literally come out of my own body, but why should I let myself descend into despair over it? I've done nothing to spark her ire.

>>1212
>>1213
>>1214

"You do realize that the more you post things like this the more likely it's going to be worked into the story somehow? ...Not that I need anyone crashing through my walls-" My sentence is cut short by the sound of someone crashing through the wall keeping all the nice warm air inside the house. "God dammit."

"Hiya Ivan!" There's a witch in the hole in my house, and she strolls right on in without asking me if it's even okay to come in. But that's Marisa for you... "You still doin' those screwy letters Aya leaves ya? Sheesh, you need to get out more. You're not in grade school anymore." And she takes up a chair without feeling the effects of the hole she made. She really is something else. "Hmm, guess I gotta fix that hole in the wall before Ivan gets mad about it."

"I'm right here you know." And she completely ignores me as she begins reciting something. ...I find myself wishing I had one of my lovely lady friends to snuggl- no, that kind of thinking will lead to Aya coming back, and right now I need her like I need a hole in the head. "Anyways..."

>>1219

"Now that is a very good question. It actually started a few days back where Aya kidnapp- I mean brought me to Youkai Mountain to meet up with her friend Nitori. Being the shy sort she is it only took us the better part of a half-hour to get her comfortable enough around me to where she wouldn't flee in embarrassment whenever I got close. After that she was more than happy to show me this 'internet' that Yukari brought in, but told me to keep it under wraps since the gap youkai wanted to keep modernization strictly regulated as to prevent what happened to the outside from happening here. After that I found out that Kaguya also had an internet connection, and she showed me TVTropes. ...Before I knew it I slept over that day." I still think the princess had plotted that all out beforehand to keep me around. Probably because of my connection to Mokou and how Kaguya adamantly believes that the phoenix should swallow her pride and come live with her. If I stay, Mokou might as well.

>>1225

"What do I look like, a Vital Suit?" I pose a question that may be a bit more than I bargained for...

>>1228
The Duke Nukem guys ripped off Ash and the Evil Dead series. (Bruce was not exactly amused by this)

>>1229
>You do realize that the more you post things like this the more likely it's going to be worked into the story somehow?

Yes, yes I do. And see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Whatever you do Ivan, don't go to this website: http://www.touhou-project.com/

You may find yourself having a case of 'Oh god I can see forever.'

---

"...Hmm." Eirin continues her physical despite the fact that I really ought to be laying down for this. "Your condition is passable. Though it's nowhere near as good as I'd like to see, and you certainly aren't going to leave Eientei today." She then snaps the medical bag shut and sends Reisen off to go put it back for now.

"Oi, you didn't BSoD on us did you?" Tewi starts poking my side to try and get my attention, and when that failed she pulled out her mallet...

"Okay! Okay! I'm fine!" I immediately stumble backward to try and get away from the closest source of unnecessary violence, which means I back straight into Eirin. "Eh..."

"It's fine." The doctor simply waves it off as I take a step away from her. "Tewi, I hope you didn't plan on going through with that." And then gives the earth rabbit a subtle yet noticeable glare that makes her back off.

"Come on, would I hurt someone in your presence?" There's something in her voice that makes it sound a little less than sincere, but she puts the mallet back wherever she had pulled it out of. "Fine, I won't even touch him if that's what you want."

The doctor's face softens noticeably once she hears Tewi state that she'll leave me alone. "Alright. Since Reisen is busy, I'll take care of setting up the accommodations. I assume you have no objections to keeping an eye on him?" She directs this at both Mokou and Kaguya, and on top of that she spoke straight through me as though I weren't there.

"Of course I'll keep an eye on him, no need to worry Eirin." The princess does seem perfectly happy with the concept of helping to keep me out of trouble, and I find myself appreciating it. I have no idea when or where Rumia will strike next, so any sort of reassurance will do both myself and my nerves good.

"I'd ask if you're really okay, but your face says it all." Mokou takes a seat opposite me and stares me right in the eye. "We'll do what we can, so try not to let this get to you."

Perhaps something to get my mind off this?
[x]I never did manage to learn flight...
[X]These two have been using danmaku for over a thousand years. Surely they'd have pointers.
[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

[x]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
-[x]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?
[x]I never did manage to learn flight...

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
-[x]Perhaps along with my options I'll increase my survivability as well as usefulness by learning flight as well...

[x]I never did manage to learn flight...
God fucking damn it.

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[x]I never did manage to learn flight...

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

[X] See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?
[X] I never did manage to learn flight...

Speed Up comes before Options.

[x]I never did manage to learn flight...

Might as well use our down time for something besides brooding. Even if we stay inside we should be able to practice by floating around the halls and such.

Though watch his repeated attempts to learn to fly being interrupted endlessly become a running joke.

>[X]These two have been using danmaku for over a thousand years. Surely they'd have pointers.

Actually I thought the spell card system was rather new before that I think they just murdered each other in various different ways. True they've still been at it a hell of allot longer then him, but I'm a nitpicky ass when it comes to details of history.

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[X]See if there have been any other visitors. Surely this would not have remained secret for long?

Rumia is basically the most dangerous youkai in Gensokyo currently, due to the fact that she can hide in and attack from any shadow.

...SEND HER AGAINST THE LUNAR EMPIRE YUKARI!

Why are you folks choosing attack options over flight?

>>1247

Rumia is almost assuredly quicker than us. We need some way to get her off of us if possible.

>>1248
From the sounds of things, not much would work, and Flying would have wider range of use.

I don't think anyone would let him out of their sight at the moment. If it's not Mokou it'd be Letty, and so forth.

How does Earth Rabbit know what Blue Screen of Death is?

>>1250
Kaguya has a computer, an internet connection, and her life has been ruined by TVTropes. She must have said Heroic BSOD at some point.

>>1248

Almost assuredly... but she's damn well more powerful so fighting back is even more futile. Plus running away gives more time for the harem to show up and save his ass.

[x]I never did manage to learn flight...

>>1251
Canon (in this story) Kaguya has a computer and internet?

>>1254
See >>512
>She does spend most of her time on the computer and doesn't socialize outside of Eientei very often, but she's actually quite skilled at several crafts.

>>1254

>>1229

>"Now that is a very good question. It actually started a few days back where Aya kidnapp- I mean brought me to Youkai Mountain to meet up with her friend Nitori. Being the shy sort she is it only took us the better part of a half-hour to get her comfortable enough around me to where she wouldn't flee in embarrassment whenever I got close. After that she was more than happy to show me this 'internet' that Yukari brought in, but told me to keep it under wraps since the gap youkai wanted to keep modernization strictly regulated as to prevent what happened to the outside from happening here. After that I found out that Kaguya also had an internet connection, and she showed me TVTropes. ...Before I knew it I slept over that day." I still think the princess had plotted that all out beforehand to keep me around. Probably because of my connection to Mokou and how Kaguya adamantly believes that the phoenix should swallow her pride and come live with her. If I stay, Mokou might as well.

>>1252

You guys do know he isn't too happy with us playing match maker.

[X]Perhaps I should weigh my... Options.
[x]I never did manage to learn flight...

Huh. Unless I'm very much mistaken we have a three-way tie with seven votes each. At least a two-way tie anyway so I'll just combine all the options.

---

I really, really need to get my mind off this before it becomes impossible to face the grue again because I'm quite certain I'm going to face her again before this is all said and done. To that end, I should ask for help regarding flight since I can no longer trust the ground not to lunge at me and attack. Perhaps less for that reason and more because it would be a massive, if not necessary, mobility boost and I'll need every edge I can get. Speaking of which, I've seen some danmaku duels where one person employed some kind of orbital magic cannon to deal more damage. It'd be an even bigger drain on me than just normal shot types but I could make it so the option is its own battery.

"Kaguya, Mokou, would either of you mind assisting me in learning how to fly?" I turn to look at each of them as I say their names, then brace myself for anything that might happen as a result. I know I haven't mentioned options, but the way I want to do it will require some specialized help with Eirin being the most obvious example. ...I also know that I've repeatedly turned down her help before but this is something that cannot have even the slightest possibility for failure.

"You still haven't learned to fly?" There's a hard edge to the princess' voice as she responds, one that makes me flinch away from her ever so slightly. She ignores this and latches onto my arm, then grabs Mokou's, and proceeds to drag us both off to who knows where. "Perhaps if you weren't being hunted by a dangerous man-eater I wouldn't be so worked up about this, but you are. So we'll use Eirin's indoor archery range to practice." ...I really should have expected this.

"I can walk on my own Kaguya, I'm over thirteen-hundred years old." Mokou jerks herself out of Kaguya's grip in order to regain a small bit of dignity. She keeps pace with the irate lunar princess as she drags me along to our destination.

The archery range hasn't changed in the slightest since I was last here. The high ceiling, the long, moderately thin room that's almost ideal for simple strength and accuracy training... This would be a decent place to practice flight if this didn't feel like I was going to end up getting worn out to the point of exhaustion.

Kaguya sets me upright near the wall and floats out of the room for no apparent reason. At least until she comes back in a strange outfit that seems to be of millitary origin. It's supposed to make her seem more intimidating or something, but the fact that she didn't put her hair in a bun or braid it manages to take away from the effect. "Alright, welcome to flight training one-oh-one. I'm your drill instructor Kaguya Houraisan and you will not leave here without a basic understanding of magic-based flight! Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'm." Though I'm not about to question how she runs this show since she's the one with the experience.

Though the effect Drill Sargeant Kaguya was having is mitigated by her recieving a sharp rap to the head with the heavy end of her own small whip. "Kaguya, give the kid a break. He doesn't understand what the hell your getup's about, and to be perfectly frank, neither do I." Mokou tosses her aquired whip behind her sholuder and crosses her arms in front of her. "So no goofy costumes, no terrorizing him to try and beat it into his head faster. I know you're pissed off at his lack of common sense and scared for him, but clear instructions are what's needed here and letting your emotions get the better of you will only make this worse. We both know what that's like." She finishes her small rant off by giving the princess a similar hard-edged look.

"Fine... At least show me that wind-based technique you tried a while back. It might even be something workable if it doesn't take much time to activate." Kaguya's tone reverts to normal after relenting to Mokou's words. She's still annoyed with me, that much I can tell without a doubt.

---

>>1257
He should be more glad, look at the job we've done for Wade.

>>1255
>>1256
Massive derp on my part.

>>1260

Getting many people mad at him and unleashing a man-eater that may or may not actually be in love with him.

Yeah, good job.

[/sarcasm]

>>1262
How were we supposed to know we'd end up unleashing EX-Rumia? And this was also an a result of Ivan refusing to learn up on Danmaku when he had better chances.

And people are upset because They are CONCERNED for him.

>>1263

Yeah, concerned they're gonna get a Bad End instead of an H-scene.

This is Anonymous you're talking about, they thrive on H-scenes and trolling.

>>1259
>I've seen some danmaku duels where one person employed some kind of orbital magic cannon to deal more damage. It'd be an even bigger drain on me than just normal shot types but I could make it so the option is its own battery.

There are always souls of the dead, but maybe that's pushing it...

Oh heeeyyyyy remember how whenever the jacket project would backfire and simply explode upon wearing it then regenerate once its remnants are taken off? What if, and a big if a battery that never runs out of power can be created like that. Better yet, perhaps creating a power source that can be locked away at a certain point of time and existence causing it to never lose it's strength nor output capability.

Perhaps even creating catalysts within the orbiting satellites that will allow such batteries to amplify its damage output by 50% if done right. May end up damaging the housing mechanism of the satellites though...

Oh the possibilities for an alchemist as far as I can see can be endless if thoroughly explored.

>>1264
I was talking about Ivan's friends, dumbass.

>>1265
and then Ivan was a tower defense game.

Joking aside, applying the concept of the exploding/regenerating jacket to options does seem like an excellent idea. All the more so because he has two different immortals to take samples from, and in all likelihood they would each yield different results, allowing for a variety of benefits.


>>1266
>I was talking about Ivan's friends, dumbass.
>dumbass
What are we, twelve? If you're going to insult someone, in text, for completely trivial reasons, you can at least put some thought into it and come up with something better than appending schoolyard profanity to the end of your sentence.

>>1267

Not that guy but to be fair no one really cares.

All that matters to thp-anon is the continuation of the story along with some semblance of thp-etiquette. Calling some one a person entering into puberty does nothing but fuel the unwarranted attention to the garbage; or merely clutter the thread with muck-posting.

Now back to Ivan's tale shall we..?

I do look forward to lovely Mokou'sKaguya's method of teaching as well as Ivan's progress with alchemy despite all that is troubling him. Perhaps he'll eventually find another level of alchemy that would unlock his potential involving the deeper yet magical realms of Gensokyo.

>>1263

Actually, that's more anon's fault for choosing the option that Ivan was the least experienced with. The attack option chosen at >>1034 determined how the entire fight would play out, and I can say that you could have come out of it far better than you did. Perhaps not even necessitating a rescue.

---

>>1265

"There are options for using dead souls you know. However, such things will take skill and a trip to Hakugyokuro in order to make it karmatically acceptable to use certian souls in alchemy." I smile as I let that little... Okay, BIG bit of info slip out into the open. From the sounds of it nobody had even considered it so far, and I can't blame them. It's a perilous trek that they probably don't want to bother with if they knew all that was involved in it. "Now, see, that's using your head. I can't match up to any experienced duelist but I can give myself all sorts of nasty tricks to call on to level the playing field. Rushing headfirst into battle is a surefire way to get me killed."

...

I call upon my rather unwieldy wind spell to get myself off the ground and find that Kaguya's already trying to get me to quit. "Too slow! Waaaaaaay too slow! You'd get eaten long before you ever get off the ground!" Before I know it she's right beside me and tugging on my arm. "That won't really work for what I had in mind. You need to be able to kick off the ground at a moments notice, make gravity forsake you!"

"Wouldn't I just unravel in painful fashion if I made gravity forsake me?" I know she means to simply throw myself at the ground and miss, but the way she words it...

"Funny. What you need to do is stop thinking about it so much. This isn't alchemy, it's simple magic that anyone can do." Kaguya floats just a small distance away from me in order to get a better look at me, but I can't tell what for. It's not until I look down that I realize that she's lifted me about a foot up off the ground, at which point I immediately drop to the floor in shock. "See? It's no big deal so long as you stop thinking about it."

"Come on, is that really it? He shouldn't be able to fly just like that. This isn't some RPG." Mokou takes a more realistic look at this, and happens to share my view on the subject. This really is far to simple to accomplish just like that.

"Okay, okay, I cheated a little to prove a point. But that should give him the right mindset should he ever manage to stop overthinking everything. This really is just a matter of throwing yourself at the ground and missing." At least she's trying, right? She might be on to something though, maybe I am thinking about this too much for my own good. I need the mobility, but is it really as simple as she makes it out to be?

---

>>1270
So a preemptive strike would have worked better?

Free your mind, Ivan.

>>1272
I'm now imagining Letty and some of the others in Trinity's tight black number.

>>1273
I'm imagining Ivan standing alone against a tide of Agent Rumias, and all of them are saying "Is that so~" at almost the exact same time, so it's like a cascading wave of "Is that so~"

>Actually, that's more anon's fault for choosing the option that Ivan was the least experienced with. The attack option chosen at >>1034 determined how the entire fight would play out, and I can say that you could have come out of it far better than you did. Perhaps not even necessitating a rescue.

Yeah, but then we wouldn't of gotten rescued by Mokou and asked out on a date so net gain as far As I'm concerned.

>>1275
Guess all votes have good and bad consequences, but I still would like to see him win-or get as close to win as posible.

>>1275

Ivan was asked out on a date? Where?

>>1274

I'm remembering the final fight scene in the third Matrix movie where Neo is going one-on-one with Agent Smith with all the clones just watching. Now replace Neo with Ivan, Agent Smith with Ex-Rumia, and the Agent Smith clones with shadowy versions of normal Rumia.

>>1270

You aren't going there unless your killed. We're going to make sure of that. However, if Yukari has any say on the matter and wants to send you there herself, we can't really stop her from doing so. Besides, you're not the only one who can fight dirty.
And the Spell Card Rules will prevent you from doing so anyway, which some of the smarter youkai may use against you.

>>1277
>Ivan was asked out on a date? Where?

>>1097
>Mokou ~ "In that case then, you owe me a favor." She mocks deep thinking for a moment before speaking again, and it's clear something amused her. "I know staying out of trouble would be too hard, so I think I'll settle for you taking me out for lunch sometime."

Even though Ivan did ask Mokou if that's all she really wanted she had started to mull over it. Other then that though her payment method has not changed just yet.

>>1277
> Besides, you're not the only one who can fight dirty and the Spell Card Rules will prevent you from doing so anyways; some of the smarter youkai may use against you though.

I believe Ivan meant in his capability of adapting and evolving his skills as well as abilities.

Element of Surprise if you will; especially if they drastically aid Ivan for the better...

Here we stand
Worlds apart, seals' broken in two
Sleepless nights
Is that so?
I'm reaching for you

Feelin' that it's gone
Can change one's mind
If we can't go on
To survive the tide, love divides

Someday I will find you
Break those friends that bind you
One night will remind you
How we touched
And went our separate ways
If I ever hurt you
True love won't desert you
You know I still love you
Though we touched and went our separate ways

Troubled times
Caught between Danmaku and light
Distant eyes
Promises they made were in vain

If you must go, I won't be far
You'll never walk alone
Take care my love
Miss you love

Someday I will find you
Break those friends that bind you
One night will remind you
How we touched
And went our separate ways
If I ever hurt you
True love won't desert you
You know I still love you
Though we touched and went our separate ways!

Oh...

Someday I will find you
Break those friends that bind you
One night will remind you
If I ever hurt you
True love won't desert you
You know I'll still love you

I still love you boy
I really love you boy
And if I ever hurt you
True love won't desert you...
No...
No...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoWGGGfTD2A

>>1275
Biased much?

"Hey, you still there?" Mokou waves a hand in my face to get my attention since it seems like I went and got lost in thought again. After seeing me make eye contact with her she steps back. "Good. Kaguya's got the right idea, but she's trying to rush things in a way that won't work for you. So..." Why is she engulfing her hand in fire? "Think fast!" Aw shi-!

I leap backward from the fireball she just hurled at me just before it impacts the ground, and I note absolutely no change in how far I go. All that happens is that I find myself wondering what the hell she's thinking. "What the hell Mokou?!" Another swift sidestep and I find that she's starting to aim her attacks in such a way that I can't evade them with my current capabilities.

"Mokou! After what you said about not terrorizing him...!" Kaguya shouts over the small explosions that the phoenix is creating to no effect. She then flies right alongside her to make sure the phoenix hears her. Mokou's still going but I think I have an idea as to why that is. "Isn't this precisely what you told me not to do?!"

"There's a difference. I know how, when, and where to hold back." Another launch and the resulting impacts are starting to get much too close for comfort. She's also speaking in an undertone so it's impossible for me to actually hear anything that's going on between them. "'Sides, Ivan never really learned something properly when taught, unless it's Keine or Eirin since they know how he works." Mokou saw the objection forming on the princess' lips and held up a finger to silence her. "I've seen him think up some pretty good strategies under pressure, and he's launched himself a fair distance before when it looked like it'd be the end of him. This won't be an overnight success by any stretch, but if we can get him to consciously realize what he's doing as he's doing it we might just be able to get a foundation together for a proper tutorial."

"Just what is going on here?!" Is that Eirin? I get a fairly good look at the doctor storming into the room since I'm more or less flipping over her on a wide arc, then touch down... Twist... Compress... And launch! Ha HA! This isn't so-

WHAM

"Hard..." Apparently I should learn to look before I leap, lest I slam myself head-first into the opposite wall. ...Seriously, why do I keep getting hurt so often? This wasn't even because of some stupid decision. Regardless I end up falling to the floor while clutching my head, yet I get the sense that this might not be as difficult as I first envisioned. I actually have a feel for what I need to do now so I should practice once the doctor is done chewing everyone out.

Mokou's the first one to reach me and I can see that she's hanging her head from Eirin's scolding. Despite that she smiles at me and ruffles my hair, which to me means she doesn't regret what she did in the slightest and that she's just acting to keep the doctor off her. "Heh, good job Ivan. We've got something to work with." She then pulls me to my feet and starts leading me over to the other two. "I don't get why they're so worried though. Your head's so thick it a youkai couldn't get through it without some serious effort."

"Because metaphorical density and physical density are two entirely different things. I don't think he's taken anything more than a light concussion, but do I really need to remind anyone what he just got healed up from?" Eirin's crossing her arms and her face matches her tone. She's annoyed to say the least, and she's probably going to keep a closer eye on me from here on out until she's certain I won't come to further harm. She does sigh when we get closer. "Honestly princess, if you wish for him to learn flight without resorting to brute methods you should have let me teach him."

"But that would have mean reworking his spells until he could fly with minimal effort. At least with this method he knows what he needs to do." Mokou is fairly quick to defend her methods though, primarily because they'll ultimately have a more practical use. "If you try to utilize that wind spell like I think you were going to, then that's just begging for some disaster to happen. What if his concentration breaks mid flight? Better to take a couple lumps now than take one big one that he can't recover from."

"Must we have this conversation now? We should leave it up to Ivan as to how he wishes to go about learning flight and respect whatever his decision may be." Kaguya breaks up the brewing argument before it can get any worse.

[X]Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.
[X]Eirin knows how I think, and I have faith in her abilities.
[X]Perhaps this should wait...

[X] Help me, Eirin!

Mokou agreed that Eirin knows how Ivan works don't bother her about it.

[X]Eirin knows how I think, and I have faith in her abilities.
-[x]Ask about if there's any other visitors.

[X]Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

Sometimes one's personal touch can mean everything, from ad-libbing on a comedy script and making it funnier, to tweaking code from the standard format to make it more proficient.

Who know's what Ivan's form of flight be like if he succeeds in making it second nature to himself; rather than a crutch made by some one else...

>>1285
You're acting as if that'll be easy, possible, and won't result in Ivan getting banged up so badly he'll have to stay another week. It's better to be able to call upon it instead of in a desperate situation. Very rarely do you learn how to channel that desperation.

>>1287

Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs~!

In this case I don't expect it at all to be smooth sailing, but I do see it as something more of a personal accomplishment for him than anything else.

Soon as he gets the feel of during desperation mode, eventually it should come more naturally as he's used to the feeling of flight and pushing himself. While flying he would then be able to concentrate at the task at hand without worry of suddenly breaking wind spells.

Less work for the mind the better in a variety of situations for him. Especially when dealing with the crafty members of Gensokyo.

>>1288
As opposed to working his over thinking into multi-line thinking by someone who knows how his mind works?

It's hard to feel personal accomplishment when he ends up spending more time in Eientei's bed than any other protagonist.

_, ,_ ∩
(　ﾟ∀ﾟ)彡　えーりん！えーりん！
⊂彡 26

[x]Eirin knows how I think, and I have faith in her abilities.

There was mention that due to the current situation, having Eirin instruct Ivan now would be agreeable.

[X] Call for Tewi Haha no.
[X] Perhaps this should wait...

It will be better to learn something when his head isn't sore. Try shooting up the place in the meantime a.k.a. Danmaku.

[x]Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

In the heat of combat, Ivan cannot be bothered to actively focus on how he is supposed to get from A to B. Once he decides on a destination it should be up to his body to get him there, and the process of flying should be no less reflexive than the individual steps one takes when walking/running.

Yes, this route will result in some scrapes and bruises, but the only way it will end with him being bedridden again is if he overexerts himself, and Eirin's route has just as much risk of that from tapping into his under-developed magical abilities as Mokou's does. The benefit of this route is that, through physical repetition of the action, he'll be consolidating the process of flight to a single thought through muscle memory. With one less vital process to concentrate on, Ivan could better focus on things such as planning his movements in advance, conjuring a superior offense, or preparing an enhanced version of the same wind spell in question, perhaps for rapid bursts of movement.

[X] Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

Think back to the begining of the story: Eirin offered to make Ivan her apprentice, but he refused on the grounds that he wanted to make his own progress. Now here she is again, offering an easy way to fly, but it relies on her knowledge. Are you going to have Ivan stick to his principals, or give Eirin the opening she wants?

>>1294
But to most humans flying takes some kind of effort; it's not like he's a youkai where flying is instinct. And we all know he'll over exert himself; that and his luck ensure such an outcome would occur.

>>1295
I think he was also worried about ending up a test subject, but that is a good point. I do hope Letty's among the other visitors that we might not even see.

>>1293

Changing to [X] Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

[X] Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

[X]Eirin knows how I think, and I have faith in her abilities.

Getting help from someone that knows what they're doing is NOT a sign of weakness nor will it somehow negate the effort you yourself put into learning from them. Bashing your head against a problem yourself when you have knowledgeable people willing to help isn't anything besides fucking stupid.

He should take a lesson from the jacket which he utterly failed at endlessly because he was too thick headed to just ask for advice.

[X] Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

>>1299
I don't think any one's saying it's a sign of weakness to ask Eirin's aid, hell Ivan's already asked Kaguya's as well as Mokou's help already.

The thing is Ivan's, as far as we know, had always stuck to one singular path where it meant that he learns on his own unless it's absolutely necessary to learn from some one else.

As for the deal with the jacket project, it was more of an advice and revelation on how he was going about gathering the materials rather than the actual construction of the jacket.

>Think back to the begining of the story: Eirin offered to make Ivan her apprentice, but he refused on the grounds that he wanted to make his own progress. Now here she is again, offering an easy way to fly, but it relies on her knowledge. Are you going to have Ivan stick to his principals, or give Eirin the opening she wants?

>The thing is Ivan's, as far as we know, had always stuck to one singular path where it meant that he learns on his own unless it's absolutely necessary to learn from some one else.

Actually it looks like that's exactly what you and him are saying, and others are skirting around in a roundabout what when muttering about his "personal style" and such.

The entire "do it yourself, just because" argument is inherently based on the absurd idea that getting help somehow diminishes an accomplishment, or that making something unnecessarily difficult proves something besides what a thickheaded dufus you are.

This sort of attitude is born out of stubborn and foolish pride, not any virtue. A total lack of trust and unwillingness to ask more knowledgeable people for assistance isn't a trait that ought to be encouraged.

>>1301
Have you ever watched a child work on a task that is trivial to adults and refuse any offers of help? You know what the parents do in that situation? They back off and wait for the kid to realize (s)he's not making any progress and ask for help. Why? Because they want their child to be self-sufficient. Society praises people who accomplish things on their own, and it looks down on people who have everything handed to them on a silver platter.

Last I checked, Ivan had been making progress before he hit that wall. He doesn't need Eirin's help.

>that making something unnecessarily difficult proves something besides what a thickheaded dufus you are.
So nobody should ever play on Lunatic mode? Also, easymodo.jpg.

>>1302
>easymodo.jpg.

To put things in perspective, while Ivan may receive a few lumps regardless of who helps him, in the long run the constant interruptions and switching between various would be teachers could only make things worse or even cause Ivan to just give up for the rest of the day.

>>1303
Maybe he should have asked Tewi for a blessing before he started so his luck doesn't have him feeling like an Oni punched him in the end.

>>1304
Ivan would probably be pulverized from an onis punch, especially if she hit the vials he's carrying.

...would probably make for some nice fireworks though.

[X] Mokou's right. I shouldn't even have to think about this.

>>1305
Go out with a bang, huh?

>>1285

...

I did it again.

Despite my better judgment, I've let the letter pile up again, and now Aya's sitting on my lap to ensure that I actually get them dealt with. I'm quite certain this is more because she's feeling like I've been ignoring her as of late, but this is a bit much. "Hehe~ If you just got this done like I asked, this sort of thing wouldn't happen now would it?" She puts all her weight into pinning me down, which doesn't really amount to much since she's so light. "Though when I think about it, I have to wonder if you really think this is so bad."

"If you weren't so overly forward and treating me like I'm already yours this wouldn't." I still manage to get a hold of the first letter I've been neglecting to answer despite her obvious attempts to impede me further. "I have to agree that putting one's personal touch in something is important. One can never soar as high as they could alone after all."

>>1287

"And you're acting like it isn't possible for one to channel desperation at all. Ivan has the odds stacked against him no matter how you slice it, but he always managed to get out of those truly dangerous scrapes before without relying on anyone else." Aya takes advantage of my poor reaction time to snatch up the letter in a thinly-veiled attempt to help me through this pile. "Humans can be more dangerous than youkai at times you know, especially one who already knows how to channel desperation."

>>1288

"I'm certainly a prime example of breaking eggs in the process of making an omlette. Everything I've done thus far has resulted in me getting hurt a few times before getting it right, so I expect my flight attempts to end in failure the first few times." While Aya's busy with the letter she grabbed, I reach around her and pick up the next on the list. She doesn't mind the additional closeness since she continues to make herself more comfortable on me.

"The eggs being unfertilized of course." She says this in a matter-of-fact tone that carries some semblance of a threat. ...I suppose she won't be happy about those eggs in the icebox then.

>>1289

"It's nice to see that people are making arguments about both paths, as they both have their pros and cons. I won't go into them since the majority have already swayed one side and I'd prefer not to have to wait any longer on this." Aya slips another letter into my hand and I find that I'm only holding it with one hand instead of with both. My other arm has given up and wrapped itself around Aya's midriff to keep her close. As such I'm currently unaware of it, yet it's not lost on the tengu. "Mokou's path offers the advantages pointed out by >>1294 along with some other perks, and >>1289 offers another possible advantage about taking Eirin's route."

>>1296

"You were worried about Eirin using you as a test subject before, weren't you?" Aya managed to get a hold of yet another letter while I wasn't paying sufficient attention and spilled part of the contents while I wasn't prepared for it.

"It was that, along with the fact that I was very close to getting the jacket done on my own without her help. I would have felt like some kind of cop-out had I taken the easy way out that close to completion." Of course, there's nothing to stop me from responding to her and perhaps clearing up an unfortunate misconception. ...Perhaps not that unfortunate, but you get the idea.

>>1299

"Surprisingly, I do know my limits. One particular path in this story will require me to swallow my pride and ask for Eirin's help since I'll only have one shot and cannot screw it up." I pull the shapely tengu against me as I lean back into the chair, and find myself not minding this at all. Not many people get such nice company after all. "That's all you get though. But I know there are some things that are beyond me. When we hit those points, it will really be up to you all to decide on what's right and stick to it."

>>1301

"Ehehe~ Better watch it Ivan, or you'll end up a tengu yourself!" I don't really get what Aya's saying until she shows me the letter she just read, and I can't help but snort in slight annoyance. "Better keep it in mind as you keep going. Otherwise I'll snatch you away with no resistance."

>>1304

I cringe when I take a look at the one-liner here. "Uhh... Actually, she's already granted me luck when she saw me have the crap kicked out of me on a routine basis. That's probably part of the reason I'm still alive at this point."

---

Story continues later, just wanted to get the update-sized Q&A done beforehand.

>>1308
>I cringe when I take a look at the one-liner here. "Uhh... Actually, she's already granted me luck when she saw me have the crap kicked out of me on a routine basis. That's probably part of the reason I'm still alive at this point."

OH SHIT. Worse than I thought. Yeah you should visit Hina when the snow clears up if not sooner.

Both options have their pros and cons and I take the silence provided by Kaguya to consider my options carefully. Mokou's option leans more toward instinctual magic while Eirin's offering conscious training of the skills required to get me off the ground and keep me off the ground. I'm more inclined to go down the instinctual route here if only for the fact that I don't think I can spare any time in my engagements to just stand there casting an obvious spell. "Sorry Eirin, but I'm going with Mokou on this one. As useful as learning how to refine that spell into something faster I just don't think that anyone who would attack me would be willing to wait for me to finish casting a spell." I can't help but not meet her eyes when I finish saying that since she might take that as my saying I have no faith in her. "And everyone here knows that my spellcasting speed could make a snail blush."

"That's something we're going to have to work on anyways. This is just to get you off the ground, so don't think you're going to get out of working with those who would be better for the job." Mokou crosses her arms as she speaks to help her stance drive the point home. "Eirin, you've got no problems with taking a backseat role for this? Even if you're not directly involved, I doubt you'd be willing to let an accident-prone patient out of your sight while you're still unsure."

"Of course I don't mind. I'm curious about how quickly he'll learn to do this with you teaching him." Eirin then steps out of the room, presumably to get a chair to sit on while Mokou tries to teach me the fine art of flight. True to my assumption she comes back with one under her arm and sets it up next to the wall.

"Okay. This isn't going to consist of a whole lot since this is probably going to be just as unwieldy as any spells you can cast, but I want to at least get that feeling of flight hammered into you before we're done." Mokou walks over to the middle of the room with me just behind her. She then turns to face me. "Alright. Now try recalling that feeling when you launched yourself through the air, but focus on using it to keep yourself off the ground. If you can pull that off without hurting yourself we'll take it a step further from there."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I snark back in a deadpan voice, but I do as she says anyway. It's an easy feeling to recall yet one that I can't quite keep a steady grip on for more than a few moments before feeling my feet tap on the ground. "Mokou, I'm going to give some simple movements a shot. You know what I'm wearing so you can identify me at the morgue." With that I close my eyes and take a flying leap sideways, then place my hand on the ground just as I land to launch myself into the air again. It's pretty easy when I think about it, something like this would only be limited by stamina and my desire to stay airborne. It's also fairly easy to tell when the ground is coming up so I can position myself to rebound farther. ...This seems too easy if you ask me. There must be something more to it, or perhaps I'm just getting a dread feeling because-

WHAM

"Wall..." Yes folks, paying attention to where you're going would be a good thing. Or at least changing directions every now and again so you can avoid the eternal walls that manage to take the hit as though it never happened. Thankfully I didn't damage anything in my own body so I simply get up, dust myself off (even if it was completely unnecessary), and call on that feeling again. It comes more easily with each passing moment and I find that I can direct my movement ever so slightly while in the air. If I could perfect some kind of air dash... In fact, there are any number of uses for flight that haven't been explored yet.

"Watch it!" Mokou calls out just as I put my hand to the wall, but this time I manage to get my legs on said wall and kick off that way. "Heh, alright, whenever you want to come down fly-boy. Looks like you got the hang of this."

I open my eyes to let myself see where I'm going, then kick off the ground again to land in front of Mokou. ...That was the idea anyway, but I managed to misjudge my landing and faceplanted on the hard wood floor. "Don't say a word. I know I need to work on my landing."

"Looks like you saved me a trip to the morgue either way, so get up." Mokou lends me a hand and pulls me up off the floor. I check myself just in case I'm bleeding anywhere I shouldn't be, which is nowhere at all, and am satisfied with my physical state.

"Oh, that's right. You also have a visitor. Or perhaps there are multiple visitors by now." Eirin pipes up after staying quiet for a while, though I can see that she's trying her hardest to keep her concerns to herself. On the flip side, she's managing this by putting a sly smile on her face, which makes me rather nervous.

[X]Go see who's there.
[X]Stay here and get a better hang of this.

[X] Go see who's there.

Don't keep them waiting.

[X] Go see who's there.

It's rude to make people wait.

[X]Go see who's there.

Ivan can learn to fly later. There isn't any danger in Eientei.

Aside from maybe Rape Frost.

[X]Go see who's there.

I hope Letty's among them.

>Air Dash
A nice start I'd call that.

[X]Stay here and get a better hang of this.
Get out

>>1315
Oh my, so cold.

[X]Go see who's there.

[X]Go see who's there

Not as if all of this is planned on Ivan and it is rude of him to make guests wait unless he's incapacitated.

[X] Go see who's there.

Multiple visitors, eh?

[X]Go see who's there.

>Have you ever watched a child work on a task that is trivial to adults and refuse any offers of help? You know what the parents do in that situation? They back off and wait for the kid to realize (s)he's not making any progress and ask for help. Why? Because they want their child to be self-sufficient.

While I still don't agree this argument is more or less settled so I won't continue it. So why quote this?

Mostly because this example suddenly gave me the image of Ivan as a toddler off alone in a corner at a daycare trying to shove a square peg in a round hole, refusing any help and figuring if he keeps bashing long enough it’ll go in sooner or later. Not exactly a flattering image, but perhaps not entirely inappropriate either.

>>1319
He certainly is pig-headed stubborn. If he wasn't told about how Mokou's hair works, he'd still be trying the same wrong thing with disastrous results. Determination is a great trait provided it's in the right direction.

[X] Go see who's there.

Probably Letty and Keine. Rumia wouldn't be allowed anywhere near Ivan at this point. Not that it could stop her though...

>>1321
I think Rumia might be a bit busy dealing with Reimu and/or Yukari. And I'm sure the visitors' room will be very well lit.

>>1322
Unless the visitor's room has light bulbs in every conceivable area with a specially prepared overlap, there WILL be shadows somewhere.

>>1323

You guys worry too much we've gotten pretty fair warning up to now when ever possible danger was a foot. My spider sense is not tingling at this so I think we're safe.

There's no point in being rude to the people who've come to see me specifically, especially if one of them winds up being who I think she is. "If no one has any objections, I'd like to put this on hold for a little while so I can go see who my visitors are." And knowing my luck I'd end up colliding with one of them during flight practice, and that would be incredibly rude.

"No objections at all. After all, it's not good to cause unnecessary worry in those close to you." Eirin simply sits there and smiles in her usual fashion, which annoys me to no end since that means she's up to something. Or that she knows something I don't, or that she's interpreting things in a way that would be accurate yet something I wouldn't want to admit. A childish notion yes, but... "Are you going to dawdle all day? Shoo." And with a waving motion she shoos me off to go greet my guests.

Once I leave the room...

"Eirin, you're pretty counterproductive sometimes." Mokou merely gives the doctor a deadpan look once I depart the room.

"I know, but he's simply too easy to mess with sometimes." Eirin shrugs in response to Mokou's comment before crossing one leg over the other and putting her hands in her lap. "...Yes, yes, I know I should try to get him to trust me more."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to get him under your wing to begin with."

---

...Let's see now, it was a left here, straight through the next two doors, and head through the sliding door with a red stripe instead of the blue one. I think. Bah, I'll just head through and see if I'm right since it's not like I can't backtrack, nor are there any absurdities to worry about aside from the occasional frozen door that seems to be crackin- Wait, cracking?

I step away from the door in question as the cracking noise grows louder, as I'm quite certain something is going to come crashing through that door in short order. Seeing how the upper hinges are failing first I'd have to imagine that it's probably Keine using her head to solve the problem. This hypothesis is proven moments later when the hinges break free and the door falls over to reveal not just Keine, but Letty and Tewi as well. ...Oh, and there's a white haired pretty boy with incredibly pale skin and a busy snow-themed outfit half mashed into the foot-thick ice covering the door, and I hope no one minds that I fail to describe his face since it's a rather gruesome mess right at the moment.

"Ivan, there you are." Keine steps through the doorway and makes a point of stepping on the person crushed into his own ice with something much like a stomp without ever actually acknowledging that the doormat is there. "I'm torn between hugging you in relief and ripping you a new one for going off into the Forest of Magic alone when you knew it would be a risk to your life to do so." She then pulls me into her arms, which I can only presume means she's going to hold off on chewing me out. "I'll 'rip you a new one' once Eirin gives you the green light to leave Eientei, so don't think you're off the hook."

"I'm glad to see you too, Keine." I reciprocate the gesture for a moment until my bare hands register a small fact that the rest of my jacketed body had failed to notice. "Keine, you're freezing! And here you are chewing me out for not having any common sense!" The irritation coloring my tone is half genuine concern and half realization that her reason for not chewing me out now was that I'd see her as a hypocrite.

"Well, yes. It's quite cold and-" She starts up again and I slide her arms off me for a moment so I can take my jacket off. "What are you doing?"

"Putting this on you so you can warm up faster." Keine merely sighs as I get my jacket onto her body. I know she could put it on herself but she probably feels like she could wait until she hits the warmer sections of Eientei. A gasp escapes her lips as I zip it up, and I realize that it's for multiple reasons. One, it's an instantaneous and very noticable temperature change, two, it has the combined smell of both Mokou and myself, and three... I guess I should have accounted for the teacher's chest when I decided to take her temperature issues into my own hands, as embarrassing as that is. "I guess I should have considered our gender difference when I thought of this. It'll provide plenty of warmth as is though so don't even think about taking it off until you've warmed back up properly."

"Yes dear." Har har Keine.

---

>there's a white haired pretty boy with incredibly pale skin and a busy snow-themed outfit half mashed into the foot-thick ice covering the door
Jack Frost, I presume?

>"I'll 'rip you a new one' once Eirin gives you the green light to leave Eientei, so don't think you're off the hook."
Better wait until after the full moon to leave Eientei.

>>1327
Who just got his ass kicked quite badly. I wonder who took part in it exactly; I know Keine is among them.

I'm kinda imagining Ivan being boxed in by Keine, Letty and Eirin... a soft plush paradise.

Of course I think if things go well... Wade might have a similar experience. Even at worse, waking up between a soft purring place, and a soft reality warping place isn't that bad.

Nice update. Enjoyable story even when nothing spectacular happens.
Unless you count her rack that is. Then, one could say that... I should stop typing now.

...Now why do I imagine Letty with the same voice as Shino from .Hack//GU?

---

"And here I thought I was going to have to convince Letty to share body warmth with her to keep her from freezing up. Nice to see you taking the initiative in your relationship!" Tewi leans on her mallet as she pokes fun at me, and I note that the head seems to bear a few dents itself. I almost feel sorry for the guy if he had to bear the brunt of both Tewi and Keine's attacks, but that 'almost' is more along the lines of 'can't really feel it'.

"Friends take care of friends, that's all there is to it." Honestly, the jacket looks pretty good on Keine, save for the fact that it wasn't designed to be worn by her. She stands through the minute fussing long enough for me to decide I'm content with it, then takes the lead. "It's nice to see you too Letty. I hope I didn't worry you too much." I do regard the snow woman since she isn't just an ornament to look at.

"Considering what you just went through, I think 'worry' would be a bit of an understatement. Taking on Rumia, then continuing even after her seal comes undone... I suppose that was you channeling sheer willpower to keep fighting even when facing certain death." Letty keeps pace with me as we head toward the archery range I left to go find out who came to visit. "Or perhaps you were too stubborn to give up? Even if it's really the latter, it's not such a bad trait if it can pull you through an impossible situation."

I simply snort at her comment. "It's nice to hear that you don't mind my being so stupidly stubborn, but if I hadn't relied on something I had only just learned, and didn't misjudge it so badly I wouldn't need to be at Eientei right now." I pause for a moment before continuing, mostly because I have to think about the next part a little. "But that same stubbornness should just encourage me to push the envelope further until I hit the proverbial brick wall. After that, I could hardly refuse another gentle shove in the right direction."

"So, you finally got help on the jacket huh? I wondered why you didn't burn to the ground when you put that on." The rabbit steps alongside with with the cockiest grin I've ever seen that daughter of a bitch wear. The fact that she has that large mallet of hers slung over one shoulder does nothing to help that image, and the fact that I know just how fast she can swing that... I also get the impression she said something very annoying in her statement. "You better be careful Ivan, you might just end up like your friend Marisa if you keep being all friendly with so many ladies."

"At least I wouldn't be completely oblivious to it." And did I mention how annoying Tewi can be? I did? Here's a reminder. Though I should take her less-than-subtle warning to heart since I don't really want a group of women fawning after me. The part of my brain that keeps the fantasies flowing doesn't object to the idea, but my practical side asks me how the hell I'm going to keep up with that many, or if I could even keep a youkai woman happy if I manage to form that kind of relationship with one. I'm only human after all...

"Just keep telling yourself that kiddo. Sooner or later you'll wise up." She then picks up the pace until she's alongside the schoolmarm. "It's on this door to the right, you were going to overshoot it."

"Oh? Thank you." Keine opens the door to reveal the same room I originally left. Mokou and Kaguya are more or less chatting with each other while Eirin is off doing something else. Reisen seems to be present and is right alongside the doctor. ...I almost hesitate to ask what in the world those two are doing since the lunar doctor never ceases to worry me.

[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.
[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[X]Against my better judgment, go see what the moon bunny and the doctor are up to. Eirin might make me uneasy, yet she never ceases to be interesting.
[X]Talk to the schoolmarm for a bit, ask about her day and such. I should keep an eye on her so I can have a clear conscience on the matter.
[X]What are the immortals up to? Simple small talk or something more?

[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.

Letty~

Tempted by Eirin but I think Ivan would be more comfortable not rejecting more apprenticeship offers.

[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

If this is one of the choices, then we may have an angry snowman on our hands now, along with a yandere(?) super powered grue.

[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.
[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[X]Against my better judgment, go see what the moon bunny and the doctor are up to. Eirin might make me uneasy, yet she never ceases to be interesting.
[X]Talk to the schoolmarm for a bit, ask about her day and such. I should keep an eye on her so I can have a clear conscience on the matter.
[X]What are the immortals up to? Simple small talk or something more?

idort.jpg

But seriously,
[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.
It feels like more than 1 choice would be forcing the plot. Let's just see where this leads.

[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[X]Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

>>1329
In that case, there's two nice racks; Letty's also known for her 'hitboxes' This Letty has other nice traits (I feel kinda guilty talking about her like this)

[X]Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.

[x] Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[x] Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

[X] Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.

[x] Take a moment and talk to the snow woman. I have to admit that it's nice that she's already worrying about me, even though she hasn't known me that long.
[x] Ask about that guy who's half-mashed in the door. I get the feeling I know who he is, it's just the fact that it might not be so safe to leave him there unattended.

You know, it's not often that people worry about me within a couple days of meeting me. ...Though I shouldn't try kidding myself seeing as I get into some ridiculous trouble sometimes. Blowing myself up, getting blown up, unsealing the grue, potentially pissing off the embodiment of winter...

...

At this rate, I really am going to need all the help I can get. Still, that shouldn't be high on my list of concerns right now seeing as the gap youkai and Reimu are both on Rumia's case and ol' Frost just got his ass handed to him. I should also ask about him at some point since I doubt anyone wants that one running around Eientei unsupervised. Perhaps not surprisingly, most everyone is busy talking to each other save for the snow woman. This makes it quite easy to pull her aside to talk to her.

"What is it?" I can tell she was going to settle for staying off to the side for a bit and did not expect me to want to speak to her first. That doesn't change the fact that her mood brightened just a bit when I pulled her aside.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to know how you were doing." It then occurs to me that I didn't think about what I wanted to talk about before initiating the conversation. Ah well, it's a good thing I'm not afraid to improvise and adapt as the situation calls for it.

"Quite well. I was more interested in seeing how you were doing since you are the one who ended up here to begin with." She's quick to turn the topic to my condition, which was expected.

"I'm fine. Eirin managed to repair everything within a day so I probably won't need to be here too much longer."

"That's good. I was concerned that Rumia dealt more damage than she did."

"She did. Tore my hand in half and ripped into my body in order to slice her sealing amulet in half. ...She really doesn't like that thing does she?"

---

> ripped into my body

Rumia is literally inside Ivan? FFFFFFFF-

>>1342

No, she was just being a pocket monster.

---

"It was a device created to restrict her freedom. No one would want such a thing to remain intact." Letty answered the question first, then gave me another worried look when the severity of the wounds I described sunk in. "Though I have to ask, how did you recover from such a grievous wound so quickly? It sounds as if you had taken that attack recently yet there is no indication of it."

"I had a little help from Yukari Yakumo. She restored my body to its pre-damage state since she was right there and Reimu was chewing her out for not reacting fast enough." That's the general gist I got out of it, though perhaps the gap youkai would have helped regardless. I don't really know her at all so I can't say one way or the other.

"Yukari Yakumo? I suppose if Rumia has made it harder to seal her powers up again Yukari might feel the need to aid Reimu in the matter, since Rumia can be quite violent at times..." Letty sounds like she knows quite a bit about this but at the same time she doesn't want to talk about it all that much. Just how much does she know? "It is good to hear that she gave you aid when you needed it."

"I'm certainly thankful for it. I wouldn't be upright right now if she hadn't, and I'm a little tired of spending more time at Eientei's clinic than my own home." That most certainly has not always been true, but I do feel like I've been spending more time injured here than experimenting at home or doing something I want to do. ...It's kind of sad really. This isn't a record I can be proud of, nor is it one that's going to be broken by anyone else I think.

"Well gee, if you asked for help instead of being a boneheaded idiot you'd spend more time conscious. And since when did you ever have a hobby other than alchemy?" Tewi surprises me by popping up next to me while I didn't expect it, and she's still sporting that annoying grin. "I thought alchemy was your life."

"Is it?" And now Letty's listening to her. This could be good or bad depending on how much lying Tewi does here.

"This kid literally does not really have anything that could qualify as a 'life'. His work is all he's interested in and everything else comes second." The rabbit continues to walk around the two of us while spouting things that are... that are... "He really need someone to whip him good you know? Make him live a little before someone finally makes him kick the bucket."

---

> No, she was just being a pocket monster.

You have an idea for that, don't you S.L.D.T?

> "He really need someone to whip him good you know? Make him live a little before someone finally makes him kick the bucket."

Ivan has Keine, Marisa, and Rumia for that Tewi, now get lost.

>>1344
> Make him live a little before someone finally makes him kick the bucket."
>Ivan has Keine, Marisa, and Rumia for that
Well Keine and Marisa are good friends but I'm pretty sure that Rumia's objective is not exactly make 'live' a little.
More or less the opposite actually.

>"It was a device created to restrict her freedom. No one would want such a thing to remain intact."
I, as a human, wouldn't cut someone I care about in half to destroy it, cursed chains or not. Youkai will be youkai I guess. although I guess that the guys from 'X's little visit' wouldn't agree.

>>1346
EX Rumia's love is more of a yandere type than a normal type.

>>1347
>EX Rumia's love is more of a yandere type than a normal type.

>>1280

???

>>1348
>???

Journey, man.

>>1280

I'd say that's pretty yandere...

awesome song though imo...

As if Ivan needs any more love notes from her...

---

"That's enough Tewi." I don't really want to deal with the fallout of that rabbit convincing Letty, or any number of girls, to pursue me. If I want to pursue a relationship I'll do it on my own, not on someone else's terms. Or rather, not because of a certain trickster's machination.

"Hey, you're the one who's just going to let himself wither away in a corner. How often do you get out exactly?" Tewi's still wearing her wicked grin, which means she's not about to let the subject drop. Not unless there's outside interference.

"Now that I think about it, what are we going to do about that guy who was half-mashed into that frozen door? I doubt he'll be happy about that when he wakes up." Of course, there's always the option of being rude and ignoring her. I don't think it'll last but it's something.

"Dodging the question because we don't like the answer huh? Typical." And she's still being annoying about it. ...She means well though, and I know it, it's just the fact that I wish she'd stop trying to pull the strings behind my back when she's right in front of me. "As for your question, Frost won't be waking up anytime soon."

"So with that out of the way, you're going to continue to convince people to pursue a relationship with me." I cross my arms to help express my annoyance as I speak, yet it doesn't phase the bunny in the slightest.

"More like, lend you a helping hand. I get the feeling you're going to wind up with someone no matter what you do, so why not speed that up?" Now she's leaning on her mallet again. Where does she keep that thing when she has no need for it?

"Do you think he needs the help?" Letty finally speaks up after remaining quiet for the duration of the back and forth conversation between, and she's taking this in a direction that I didn't really want to keep going down. "He seems perfectly capable of attracting women on his own."

"He does, he just doesn't bother with it because he's worried that a love interest will take away from his advances in alchemy. If you want my opinion though, he'll kill himself before he manages to do anything really memorable." And I cease to be a conversation member. She'll most likely expect me to stick around anyway so she can poke fun at me or something, not that I have to.

[X]I should get back to flight practice.
[X]Speaking of which, I never did eat. What time is it?
[X]See if this conversation goes off in a more tolerable direction.
[X]Write-in

[X]Consider making a trip to a certain Kappa for your idea on creating floating satellites attuned to your specific thoughts/orders/danmaku ect... In the mean time...
-[X]I should get back to flight practice then lunch~!

Got to work out that stress for lunch to be all the more savory.

On the bright side Ivan, at least Tewi is not gunning for you, and thus your personal projects and experiments will be safer for that.

[X] Speaking of which, I never did eat. What time is it?

Oh yeah, Mokou went to get Ivan something to eat after his bath, but then he never got it. What happened, did Reimu eat it?

[X] Speaking of which, I never did eat. What time is it?

If I could ask Ivan something, I'd ask: Why Alchemy as opposed to regular magic? I'm not sure if that got answered, but I mean with the jacket, he could have looked into enchantment magic to do it.

[X] Speaking of which, I never did eat. What time is it?

> Frost won't be waking up anytime soon.

You just had to tempt fate, didn't you Tewi...according to monster movies, 9 times out of 10 the monster is still alive and kicking, and nearby.

[X] Speaking of which, I never did eat. What time is it?
- [X] After food, get the hell out of dodge.

[X]I should get back to flight practice.
-[x]Afterward, time for a meal.

[X]I should get back to flight practice.
-[x]Afterward, time for a meal.
Yup

>>1358
But the movie monsters are usually dealing with relatively powerless idiots. If frost attempts trouble here, he's going to be in deeper shit than a crackpot opportunist searching for gold in a septic tank.

I get the feeling if we went to check the visitors first, we might have gotten to see the fight first hand.

It occurs to me that I haven't had anything to eat lately, and that it's well past breakfast. I wonder why I don't feel any more hungry than I already do since from the sounds of it I was out a whole day and have been exerting myself ever since. Of course, now that I'm thinking about it my body decides to let me know how badly I'm mistreating it by having my stomach rumble loudly. "It seems I went and forgot to eat again." There's no real emotion behind that statement, just a simple acknowledgment of the fact that I'm hungry.

Tewi just looks at me as though I was something strange, which isn't really far from the mark. I'm hardly usual by normal human standards. "Again? How do you forget something as simple as breakfast?" She then turns to the snow woman next to her and gestures to me. "See what I told you? He needs someone in his personal life."

"It seems so..." The way Letty's looking at me makes me a little unnerved since I can't gleam its meaning without making it obvious. "You should go get something to eat."

"Aw hell, I forgot about that!" Mokou also heard my stomach and finally remembered that she had said something about getting me something to eat, but I got off track and dragged everyone with me so I can hardly blame her for managing to forget about that small fact. "Ehh, come to think about it, did any of us eat either?"


"I'm pretty sure that we did. The only reason Ivan didn't eat along with the rest of us was that he was still asleep when we were serving breakfast." Reisen was the first one to respond to the question, and she tilted her head to one side after saying that to wonder why Mokou had said that. "Oh, that's right. You wanted to stay near Ivan so he wouldn't do anything stupid the moment he woke up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." It was pretty much impossible to keep the dry, deadpan tone out of my voice since everyone says that kind of thing without the slightest consideration for who can hear it. Especially not for the one they're referring to.

"Hey, you were being targeted by Rumia, and she did come after you. It made sense for me to stick around to keep an eye on you." Mokou quickly defends her position as she steps on over to the group I'm standing next to, an her expression is somewhat apologetic. "Especially with your track record. Knowing our luck, you'd have been killed or at least mortally wounded if you were left out of sight at that point."

"It's fine. I should see about visiting the shrine to see if my luck is really just luck or some kind of curse. If it's the latter, then removing it would make life much easier don't you think?" I'd prefer not to make other people feel that they need to hover over me like a parent keeping watch over an ailing child, so this will be a priority.

"But first you're going to take care of yourself." Kaguya's made that point perfectly clear, and I have no intention of arguing with her. "Mokou, Ivan, please go and get something to eat, then do as you see fit."

---

>>1364
So, after, I mean if the visit to the shrine fails, I guess we should go find Hina.

>Kaguya's made that point perfectly clear, and I have no intention of arguing with her. "Mokou, Ivan, please go and get something to eat, then do as you see fit."

>Kaguya's made that point perfectly clear, and I have no intention of arguing with her.

>do as you see fit

I bet you wouldn't Ivan you sly dog you.

I do wonder though what Mokou thinks of Ivan's in regards to adapting and strengthening himself; especially considering she's currently his teacher...

Kaguya's words carried something akin to an order within them, and she's not going to accept anything short of compliance from me on the matter. Since this is one instance where resistance is futile I decide it would be better to do as she says and head off to get brunch, that peculiar invention some particularly hungry person came up with to have an excuse to eat more than three meals a day. That might not be the truth but it's my theory and I'm sticking to it. "As you wish. I take it there's no objections to my making something in Eientei's kitchen?" A quick courteous bow and a little poking at the princess are in order before I head off to the kitchen to make Mokou and I something to eat.

"It would make it easier to keep an eye on you, and to make sure you actually take care of yourself as you say you're going to. You have a habit of getting sidetracked after all." And the princess responds to my prodding in kind with a smirk and a whim. "Now, shoo. Off with you, or I'll sic the rabbits on you."

"Not the rabbits!" I decide to just play along with this since I find it rather amusing. I stare at and recoil from Kaguya in mock horror before grabbing hold of Mokou. "Then we must flee before we're overrun by fluff! To the kitchen!"

Kaguya merely withholds her laughter, though she doesn't really accomplish that too well since she's closed her eyes and is giggling into her sleeve. She opens her eyes again and stops making any attempt to hide her amusement. "Keep that up and I might just do something silly. Though I'm quite serious about getting the rabbits after you."

Mokou just shakes her head side to side as she starts leading me away from the archery room before I tempt fate any more than I already have. "I swear, if you get her into a 'Magical Queen Inaba' mood I'm going to make sure you're on the receiving end of it instead of me." She seems annoyed by the very idea of it.

I raise an eyebrow at that comment since it seemed both random and somewhat on-topic at the same time. I get the feeling that she won't go into much detail about this as to preserve the shock factor when Kaguya decides to do this on her own. Even though I know the odds of it aren't great, I have to ask anyway. "Magical Queen Inaba? What is the story behind that?"

"One of Kaguya's little projects for Halloween one year. She decided that she'd be the queen of all rabbits, and while the outfit is kind of nice, the way she acts is another matter entirely." Mokou rolls her eyes as she recounts something that must have been embarrassing for her to go through the first time. Or perhaps every time depending on how far back this goes. "And no, I'm not going into any greater detail than that so don't bother asking. You want to find out more, then you can dive headfirst into that minefield."

I notice that Mokou doesn't even pay attention to Jack Frost until she passes by him, at which point she just torches him in an off-handed fashion, causing the winter spirit to run away screaming. "I take it he's not welcome here." It's an equally off-handed comment for such an off-handed action

"Eh? You mean the snowman? Yeah, I got tired of him a couple hundred years back and just decided to torch him whenever he gets close." Mokou seems to take a second to realize that I've said something, though I get the feeling this is another topic she doesn't really want to get into right at the moment. "He's no real threat to immortals, even less to me since I'm basically his elemental enemy, but you should be careful if you ever wind up facing him alone."

"I get the distinct feeling that I won't be alone for a very long time. Or at least until this whole Rumia business gets sorted out." It does strike me that the grue might just keep me from harm other than what she inflicts in order to keep her chew toy in working order. "Quite honestly, I'm more worried about being alone with a certain grue than some snowman who might piss the grue off."

"She did strike out from your pocket... You're right. She's the bigger concern right now." A few moments of silence later and we've gotten to the kitchen with no further incident, and we begin to divide up the meal making process between us. "So what are you going to do after this? Thinking about paying the shrine a visit?"

"Assuming I don't blow myself up, get stabbed, get put into a coma, have my soul sucked out of my body, get mashed into a fine paste, or anything like that. Yes, that's the first thing that's on my agenda for today. I'm quite tired of feeling like I'm a walking ill omen for myself." I don't know if the miko deals in curse removal or not, or if my horrid luck is misfortune at all, but it's worth a shot if it means I won't have to put up with as much or make people worry about me needlessly.

"You've got a morbid sense of humor sometimes." Mokou does chuckle at that list some as she starts frying the meat. "I don't think you're luck's going to be so horrid that you can't even get to a shrine before something bad happens to you. How stupid would that be?"

Hmm, I know that people occasionally cut sweet potatoes into strips, fry them in oil and eat them that way... I wonder if they'll mind my using one? They've got a fair few frozen in a single point in time so it's not like one will be that big a loss. "Incredibly so. No one gets attacks every day, unless the grue decides to start attacking me at every convenient moment." Which is entirely possible, unfortunately.

"I don't think she's going to go after you every day. You take a lot of the fun out of it for her by hurting yourself every other day." Ouch, Mokou...

---

Curiously writer, are you posting in spurts or just gauging something..?

Perhaps you don't care much for wall making..?

No complaints really as it's sometimes awkward seeing a new update but no voting option just yet every few updates.

>>1368
I think he's doing this from his Wii, which has a character limit.

I think he's posting as inspiration comes.

More writers should do that: forcing yourself never did anyone any good.

> I don't think you're luck's going to be so horrid that you can't even get to a shrine before something bad happens to you. How stupid would that be?

Why hello Fate! Hows it going? What's that? Something bad is going to happen to them because they tempted you? Oh, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes when that happens!

> Assuming I don't blow myself up, get stabbed, get put into a coma, have my soul sucked out of my body, get mashed into a fine paste, ect.

Oh, come on Ivan! Have some more faith in us.

>>1370
he also said in his /shrine/ story he has slightly limited time to write and the Wii being unable to save the file at times.

>>1368
>>1369
>>1370
>>1372

I am posting as inspiration comes, and it tends to come in spurts unless I manage to hit some kind of epiphany as to how to deal with the update. It's also true that I mostly do this from my Wii, but it's been getting ever more difficult to actually update from it since for whatever reason the site won't even load half the time.

I don't write walls all that much simply because unless there's a good reason for it I have no interest in doing so most of the time.