[x] Check yourself before you do anything.
- [x] Inventory Check
- [x] Bodily Check

[x] "...move...somewhere."

Might as well.

[x] Check yourself before you do anything.
- [x] Inventory Check
- [x] Bodily Check

[x] "...move...somewhere."

Inventory check is good. Staying on one place is not.

[x] Check yourself before you do anything.
- [x] Inventory Check
- [x] Bodily Check

[x] "...move...somewhere."

How Vague.

[~] Check yourself before you do anything.
- [+] Inventory Check
- [+] Bodily Check

[~] "...move...somewhere."


The person who had saved me, a light blue-haired boy with an oddly greyed shirt up top and a set of charmed red pants that looked almost too big for him, looked me square in the eye, interrupting my recounting.

"See, that's something you shouldn't have done. If you think a place is dangerous, you're better off if you're not noticed!"

I shrunk back a bit, terrified a bit of the emotional outburst. I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction to something I thought was obvious.

"Still," the boy continued, "you're alive. I couldn't even believe you managed to out-talk a rabbit like that."

I couldn't believe it either. I had already a good idea of what I had on me, but I decided to make sure. Sure enough, I didn't really have anything with me besides my clothing; not even food or water. At least I was unharmed. But I wasn't going to stay that way if I ran into any rabbits. So I started moving in what I felt to be East, trying to use the morning sun as a guide to where I should go.

As fortune might have it, I ran into an odd-looking rabbit. She had something like buttons where her rabbit ears' base was supposed to be. I figured that since these didn't look like the rabbits I ate for supper sometimes, this rabbit might be one of the ones that would eat me, so I decided to talk my way out of it. That's when the boy in front of me appeared.

"You know, even if you didn't do anything, she still would've let you go. She's a kind rabbit." The boy was still talking, and I barely managed to catch what he was saying. But from what I heard, I was incredulous.

"She won't eat nails and leave me for dead?"

"Nope!" The reply came swiftly.

It was awkward sitting here. The rabbit had left almost after he showed up, and he took me by hand out of the forest, asking me to tell him what was up with me being there.

By the time I got to this portion of the story, we had already left the forest and were situated in a field. I could identify this place; it was almost due north of the village, and a favorite place for romantic escapades during the summer. It was called the Field of Summer.

"You never gave me your name, you know," the boy stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, you're right." I pondered for a moment, not sure of how to answer him.

> [F] Marker
[ ] Write-In

Explanations start on the next post.

>>19249

There is such a thing as making choices too complex, just warning ya.

[F] Explain things and tell your name.
- [x] Name's Shin Matsuya
- [x] You ever heard of how normal people freaked out over someone's powers? Well they freaked out over mine.
--[x] If she insists, tell 'him' slightly what it is.
[x] Ask about the forest and the rabbits, since it seems she knows it much better than the village.

Here's my attempt.

>>19249
you lost me

[F] Explain things and tell your name.
- [x] Name's Shin Matsuya
- [x] You ever heard of how normal people freaked out over someone's powers? Well they freaked out over mine.
--[x] If she insists, tell 'him' slightly what it is.
[x] Ask about the forest and the rabbits, since it seems she knows it much better than the village.

I will go with this until i figure this out.

>>19252

Oh. My bad. I'm quite new to this whole thing. I figured a systematic system would work better than just declaring something like this:

> Write-Ins Allowed
> Only Additive Write-Ins Allowed

Any way I could make it easier to understand, if possible?

>>19267

Just noting if write ins are allowed or not, sure it's simple and done before, but simplicity works, and it's easier for Anon to figure instead of remembering various things.

Anon doesn't go to this site to repeat what they have to do in school.

[F] Explain things and tell your name.
- [x] Name's Shin Matsuya
- [x] You ever heard of how normal people freaked out over someone's powers? Well they freaked out over mine.
--[x] If she insists, tell 'him' slightly what it is.
[x] Ask about the forest and the rabbits, since it seems she knows it much better than the village.

Eh, it seems fine to me but whatever.

[F] Explain things and tell your name.
- [x] Name's Shin Matsuya
- [x] You ever heard of how normal people freaked out over someone's powers? Well they freaked out over mine.
-- [x] If she insists, tell 'him' slightly what it is.
[x] Ask about the forest and the rabbits, since it seems she knows it much better than the village. (Delayed)

I couldn't help but notice that somehow this person was much more acquainted with the bamboo forest. Well, obviously, one might think that after being led out of a dangerous forest with no concern for his well-being, this person might know quite a bit more about the true story of the rabbits and whether there really were nail-eating rabbits.

But first things first. It isn't polite to be rude.

"I'm Shin Matsuya."

But before I could respond with a 'And what's your name?', I was again swept off my verbal feet.

"Not bad, not bad."

It was as if he didn't want to talk about himself.

"I don't get how your power would cause people to freak out, though. Manipulation of truth? I mean, what does that entail?"

How ironic. Time to get this over with...and be alone again.

"Let's see...you have a heavy past, and a grudge that keeps you living, you don't want to talk about yourself because you're not used to communication. Am I spot on so far?"

The mood instantly darkens. *sigh* I've seen this before.

"Oh, I see."

The talkative boy has suddenly changed his composure. Instead of listening to me upright, he's now trying to avoid my gaze.

Well, I've said my piece, so I might as well go through the entire excuse. I've practically memorized it by now. I'm expecting to get interrupted.

"Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to peer into your past, it's just that..."

I look again, and he's not looking at me at all. He's just staring into the sun. I stop my prepared speech and look at him closer. It's almost as if he's...reminiscing?

"Dad..."

I couldn't help but respond. "Dad?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The boy turns back towards me. "The way you talk, even your power...you remind me too much of a regret." His face sours, so much so that I want to...

> Additive Write-Ins Allowed
[ ] ...press the issue; it'd be nice to hear a little back-story.
[ ] ...tackle another topic; this is getting a little too sensitive.

> Strict Vote Only
[ ] Finish apologizing.
[ ] Thank the boy and leave before it gets too awkward.

[x] Finish apologizing.

Uh...there's two votes that need to be done. You can add dialogue to the other vote.

>>19337

Though it was one or the other.

[x] ...tackle another topic; this is getting a little too sensitive.
-[x] Yeah, that's why my power is a damning thing. I really didn't mean to bring up anything bad.
-[x] Now about that subject of bunnies around here...

[x] Finish apologizing.

>>19337
Sorry, I suck.

[x] ...press the issue; it'd be nice to hear a little back-story.
-[x] 'Talking about it might help'

[x] Finish apologizing.

[x] ...tackle another topic; this is getting a little too sensitive.
-[x] Yeah, that's why my power is a damning thing. I really didn't mean to bring up anything bad.


[x] Finish apologizing.

I like this so far! Please continue!

Apologies for the delay, nothing I was writing was coming out properly <_<

[x] ...tackle another topic; this is getting a little too sensitive.
-[x] Yeah, that's why my power is a damning thing. I really didn't mean to bring up anything bad.

[x] Finish apologizing.

[x] Ask about the forest and the rabbits, since it seems she knows it much better than the village. (Still delayed, mood isn't right, but will cover next time for sure)

Normally, awkward talk like that is familiar territory for me. To get the focus off their personal lives, the first thing I have them do is ramble on a bit, then jolt them with a surprising comment. Let the conversation lead from there.

But this was different. From what I could tell, I didn't want to do that this time. But what could I do? If he switched the topics, that'd darken the mood, and...

"Sorry about that."

I didn't bother stopping him.

"That's my power. I really didn't mean anything bad by it."

"No, that's fine. Besides, you're pretty limited if that's your power."

Huh? That's a first. Instead of exaggerating my power to ridiculous lengths, he was...making it sound weak? Normally that'd be a blow to one's ego, but hey, I don't have an ego to hit. Nonetheless, I was curious.

"How so?"

"Well, you obviously have a very clear understanding of meta-talk, and your perception is very clear, but..."

There was a long pause. Maybe he didn't know how to word it?

"...I guess what I'm trying to say is, you can only manipulate what you perceive. If you don't know something, for example, like my name, you can't manipulate it."

Oh, so true. And on the topic of his name, he interrupted me before I could even ask what it was. And it looks like I won't get the chance again, as he continues to talk. Does he like the sound of his own voice?

"You're interesting. Way more interesting than normal humans."

"Wait, you're saying I'm not normal?"

I took offense, but in a joking manner. Lightening the mood seems to always set people at ease, even if only temporarily. Oh, the past...

"No, silly. It's just that I usually bring the people back to the village once they're free, and I go back into seclusion once that's done. But...you seem like a person that'd be handy to have around."

Uh oh.

"If you want, I can offer you at least a temporary abode."

"Is it's away from those rabbits and the bamboo?"

I definitely wanted him to know I still didn't trust those rabbits.

"Only if you want it to be."

Wait. Is he playing...mind games with me?


Additive (Dialogue) Write-Ins allowed
[ ] "Sure, I'll go. Mind if I help with anything?"
[ ] "I guess I can. What do you have in mind?"
[ ] "Maybe. Why do you want me around?"
[ ] "I'm unsure about the prospect."
[ ] "I have to be sure about those rabbits first."
[ ] "Probably not, I wouldn't feel exiled otherwise."
[ ] "Definitely not. It's not nice to impose."

If I had to say, this is another choice that locks out another route depending on your pick.

[x] "Sure, I'll go. Mind if I help with anything?"

[x] "I have to be sure about those rabbits first."

I want to see what the other characters are like before making a decision.

[x] "Sure, I'll go. Mind if I help with anything?"

We should think a bit on what choice might cut off a route, since I doubt I'm the only one who wants to see what all the various folks in the Eientei bunch are like before making a final decision. Then again I think cutting off routes so early isn't the greatest idea, but I'm not opposed to a route choose/lock point.

>>19427
Who said I was cutting an Eientei character? The main base will be in /eientei/ but that's not to say that there'll be others involved, including routes.

Consider this: Nazrin's route became locked from the first vote.

>>19428

Oh, well the Eientei bunch don't get much love to be honest, but it's rather vague what each choice ends up doing. And it's a bit out of bounds cutting off a route we didn't know existed until now. People might have voted differently if they knew. And giving a character that doesn't belong in a section a major route is a risky notion, sometimes it succeds, sometimes it fails.

>>19430
Well, don't worry, you'll get access to all of the Eientei characters. We're just eliminating the other Touhou characters that could show up but won't.

(Poor Nazrin; now she's in one of Tewi's traps.)

>>19431
I'm sure either she'd be saved or she'd get out, though I don't think she'd be quick to enter that forest again on foot.

[x] "Sure, I'll go. Mind if I help with anything?"

The boy turned towards the sky, and I followed suit. There was now a cloud blocking the sun, even if only partially, so that was good news for my light-sensitive eyes.

"I didn't expect you to say yes."

Neither did I. Of all the introspective things to do...I guess I really did want a place to sleep and be 'safe', whatever that meant.

"Well, you offered, I accepted."

"Yeah. I thought you'd be scared of the rabbits and the forest."

"I still am."

"Don't worry about 'em. They're harmless. Well, as long as I'm with you, they're harmless."

He stretched as if he was waking up again, and as if on cue, the cloud the sun had disappeared behind was on its way again, the sun again peering into my vision and blinding itself with my darkness.

I should probably ask now while he's not talking.

"So, what is your name anyways?"

"Well, about time, slow guy~"

You didn't give me a chance.

"Mokou."

"Maw-koh?"

I figured I probably got it wrong and reflexed accordingly.

"Yeah. Mokou."

"Phew."

We were content to gaze up into the sky for the next little while, just passing the time. I was still scared to look directly at him, but even with both of us not even exchanging a glance during that entire conversation, there was a peace in the atmosphere.

Finally,...

> Multiple Votes Allowed
> Label the votes in sequential order if doing multiple votes
[ ] ...there was someone that wasn't afraid of me.
[ ] ...I had a place to call my own, even if only temporarily.
[ ] ...I've found someone I could call a friend.
[ ] ...there's hope for me in this world.
[ ] ...no more pain.

[x] ...there was someone that wasn't afraid of me.
[x] ...I've found someone I could call a friend.
[x] ...I had a place to call my own, even if only temporarily.
[x] ...there's hope for me in this world.
[x] ...no more pain.

[1] ...there was someone that wasn't afraid of me.
[2] ...there's hope for me in this world.
[3] ...I've found someone I could call a friend.
[4] ...I had a place to call my own, even if only temporarily.

>a light blue-haired boy
Mokou = boy?, light blue hair?

>>19463
Perceptions are stronger than reality at times.

Sorry, have to be vague~

>>19465
It'll be fun when he finds out, but if one doesn't look closely, one might mistake Mokou for long haired pretty boy,

[1st] ...there was someone that wasn't afraid of me.
[2nd] ...I've found someone I could call a friend.
[3rd] ...there's hope for me in this world.
[4th] ...I had a place to call my own, even if only temporarily.

>> Relief, attachment, hope, self

Short update this time around; I got cut off from the site so I'm a little drained.

Not that there's much to this update; the last choice didn't really affect much other than personality.

----

"Thank you, Mokou."

I bet he doesn't even know what went on in my mind, but I feel thankful nonetheless.

"Uh...you're welcome."

For a mere moment, I felt free from the darkness. But like all good things, they come to an end, oh so quickly.

Mokou spoke again. "Alright, I'm done relaxing. Ready to go?"

"Sure, why not?"

He got up and started walking back towards the forest. "Follow me if you don't want to get lost!"

>> Additive Write-Ins Allowed
[ ] Follow closely behind Mokou.
[ ] Follow beside Mokou.
[ ] Follow a bit of a distance behind Mokou.
[ ] Walk away instead.

[x] Follow beside Mokou.

[X] Follow beside Mokou.

I wonder when our protagonist will discover that our new bro has boobs.

[x] Follow beside Mokou.

in b4 broobs

[X] Follow beside Mokou.

Well...this should turn out to be interesting.

[X] Follow beside Mokou.
-[x] Find out more about Mokou?

[X] Follow beside Mokou
-[x] Try to find out more about our mysterious companion?

Damn, I'm late. Seriously, I'm as unlucky as Hayate...Personal reasons aside, lemme continue <_<

>[X] Follow beside Mokou

Mokou, as I had suspected earlier, wasn't that much of a talker. I didn't know why she was willing to leave that quickly after wanting to relax, but a good guess as any would be to get away from being spotted. Despite what any human would say, I know that I'm not exactly the best person to be friends with.

In fact, besides that rabbit I saw earlier pulling out what seems to be a mouse youkai, presumably for dinner, there wasn't really much to talk about with the surroundings.

Bamboo.

Fifteen minutes of silence sure made things awkward, didn't they?

"Mokou, why-"

I was instantly cut off by her sharp turnaround. She put a finger over her closed lips, and it's only now that I can see that her eyes seem aflame. Well, so much for that.

And yet, I'm not bothered by that. Shouldn't a person be? It's like I'm following a youkai...

>[ ] ...oh, crap!
>[ ] ...whatever, I made my choice.
>[ ] Write-In

[x] ...whatever, I made my choice.

>>19728
When did our lead find out Mokou was a girl and not a long haired boy (He mistook her for a him an update or two ago)

>>19730
Complete mistake by my brain <_<. Assume it hasn't happened.

>I'm unlucky as Hayate
><_<
The comparing to crappy anime characters just makes you look bad, but smilies and shit (aside from ಠ_ಠ and ;_; ) don't fly here. Basic 4chan protocol, really.

...I'm going to go out on a limb, though, and guess that you've never been there.

>>19742
Nope, never been.

[x] ...whatever, I made my choice.

Voting in the hopes of encouraging a prospective writer to write.

[x] ...whatever, I made my choice.

>>19742
He could have said he was hit by some stray misfortune that slipped out of hina's hands; that would have been better.

It's been off for me too man. Troubles all around I suppose.

Anywho.
[x] ...whatever, I made my choice.

[ ] ...whatever, I made my choice.

If Mokou's a youkai, then at least a youkai trusted me enough for me to feel welcomed.

If Mokou's not a youkai, then I'll probably apologize to him for something he doesn't even know I did.

But either way, I'm here. It looks like we've arrived...and the view is grandiose. I rush straight-away to the fenced area and look down, and all around I can see the Human Village and the surroundings. I'm in awe. The frame markedly outside looks to be picturesque, and it's as if I was taking a breathtaking picture for the first time; this was unlike anything I could have imagined, dreamt, or otherwise fabricated.

And it was real.

"Have you really never been outside the village before?"

Mokou's question caught me off-guard. This was...ordinary for him?

"Not really; there's been no reason to."

"Well, either way, you'll get a better look in two hours, when the sun starts to set. Come inside, and I'll show you your room."

I finally turn around to face the whereabouts of Mokou's voice, but all I can see is his back and what appears to be his house: a simple bamboo cabin that's a lot bigger than it should be for just one person. It could probably house four people just by looking at it. I mean, c'mon, is there really a point to a bamboo/wood patio, two doors at the front, and even a cellar?

Well, no choice but to find out.

---

Now I can see why. The inside of the house is full of support beams and triangular pivots. As I walk into what appears to be a lounge, I hear a distinctive creak that's oddly familiar to me. Back in my shop, when I first started making flooring, that creak in all of my beginning projects would tell me that the floor was weak and needed support.

And now, I'm starting to get the urge to pull out some tools and work on this house. It's such a beauty, it's a shame to see it in this condition. I better tell Mokou first.

---

Mokou doesn't seem to be anywhere on the ground floor. I know better than to explore someone else's house, even if one is going to be retiring at said house temporarily, and yet, here I am, doing so. I end up back in the lounge, wondering how I'm going to find him.

[ ] Search some more
[ ] Wait quietly
[ ] Go check upstairs
[ ] John Travolta
[ ] Write-In

[x] Go check upstairs
Something tells me that (s)he's upstairs. Dunno if this would result in our lead finding out Mokou's real gender the hard way or not.

[x] Go check upstairs

>[ ] John Travolta
This makes me uncomfortable

>>19813
Seems like a win win situation.

[x] Go check upstairs

[X] Go check upstairs

What could possibly go wrong?

>[ ] John Travolta

Wat.

[ ] Go check upstairs

The nagging on my mind about how wrong this potentially could be goes away almost suddenly, and I feel it's safe to check upstairs.

Unfortunately, it's a quick check, since there's only three doors, all of which are locked. So much for the danger of going up there.

I head back down, and as I get to the bottom step, I hear the door open. Assuming it could be Mokou, I rush back to the open space from earlier and lie down, pretending to sleep.

While I do so, I hear two voices, both of which I recognize. One is Mokou, definitely, and one is Keine. Keine-sensei. Uh oh.

I still haven't returned the books I borrowed. Crap. She's gonna headbutt me like last time! Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep...

---

"Hey Shin, wake up."

*kick*

I open my eyes groggily, and notice that it's already night...crap! I actually fell asleep. I look around for the source of the pain coming from my right side, and it's Keine, trying to wake me up.

"You're still the same as ever; a heavy sleeper."

Nothing but a smile on her face...a genuine one at that. I won't even bring up the books because that smile might go away, and she looks somewhat alluring with that oh-so-common blue outerwear dress and the night sky as her background.

"Shin, Keine, supper's ready."

Ah, food. I haven't had food since last night.

[ ] Wash Hands
[ ] Forget It

So what should I converse with them?

[ ] Write-In

[x] Wash Hands

[x] The condition of the floor and how you have experience with them.

It's a start.

[x] Wash Hands
[x] The condition of the floor and how you have experience with them.

Might as well offer to make repairs if they're needed. Better useful than useless.

[x] Wash Hands
[x] The condition of the floor and how you have experience with them.

It makes for a good ice breaker

Are you there?

Yes, I am, and have been.
I've been troubled by not only eight midterms and four papers, but recording a couple of songs as well.

I was nearly done before my midterms started, but I hit the brick wall, so to speak.

Very annoyed with myself still, but I still want to get this updated.

>>20139
You could at least check in more often; this section has a NASTY history of stories dying without a word.

Still glad to hear that you're still alive and around.

[x] Wash Hands
[x] The condition of the floor and how you have experience with them.

In my rather minute romp around the house, I stumbled upon the bathroom. I was sure there wasn't anyone in there since it was completely dark, so I left it alone. In the presence of my teacher, however, I felt compelled to pay the room a visit, if only to pay oblation to her teachings, even if she didn't notice or care any longer.

My trek back to the gaiety voices of Keine and Mokou conversing was met with a sense of dread, mainly because of Keine's presence. She was my teacher indeed, but I couldn't really fathom why she would be here with Mokou. I surmised that she was here because she wanted to warn Mokou about me, and somehow had seen me with him.

And then a thought hit me. Maybe Mokou was Keine's boyfriend! My peers back in school had remarked as such behind Keine's back, and it seemed that she hadn't taken much issue with it. Maybe they were right?

Nah. Couldn't be.

The walk couldn't have taken more than five minutes, but on seeing their faces turn to look at me expectedly, I completely left my train of thought.

Mokou was the first to speak.

"Where did you go?"

So much for hiding the truth.

"You washed your hands!?" Mokou incredulously repeated my words, and then started to berate me. "Food doesn't wait for people, Shin, and maybe you should get used to it. When I'm hungry-"

"Mokou."

Keine's single utterance ceased the tirade. Ah, Keine. Calm and motherly in her voice, yet the way she carried herself was more befitting of someone younger than her voice would imply.

"I taught him to wash his hands when he was young," continued Keine, who was now turning to me. "It seems he remembers his lessons."

The atmosphere was a little awkward now, I thought. I had to change the subject.

"Shin's right. Let's eat for now, Keine. We'll spoil my cooking if we keep the chatter up." With that, Keine sat down at her seat, which was to my left, while Mokou was already seated to my right. The table, although nowhere resembling a perfect circular shape by any means, did a good job of segmentalizing the portions of food in front of us in an appetizing array of colors and aromas.

Realizing all three of us were ready, Mokou reached over to the dish in front of her, grabbed what looked to be the end of a bone, and pulled it off, along with a bunch of meat. I guess that dish is Yakitori, by the looks of it. I had seen it roasting on a meal cart once before, in the market.

Keine preferred to take a bit of the dish garnished with what looked to be cherry blossom petals first. It definitely looked like a salad, yet it seemed like it was missing something. Again, it was conveniently placed in front of her.

There were three other dishes too. The one in the middle was a sealed container. It had five small holes resembling a pentagon letting its meaty smell out around the center, which was a bigger hole. Beside it, was a sort of toothpick-lookalike. It seemed that the toothpick was meant to dip into the center of the container.

The one to Mokou's left and my right was a purple-ish looking soup. The purple color's origin was obvious when I spotted chunks of purple potatoes in the soup. Maybe it was stew. It smelled nice but it might ruin my appetite.

And that left the one in front of me. It was probably the most favorite of your favorite foods back in the village; a simple bruschetta-filled bun, with a touch of lemon tart and parsley that I knew the baker made fresh each day. In fact, he would always cut off a little pie-shaped section of the bun. I knew he did it for me, even though he repeatedly claimed that it helped give color to a bland shelf. Yes, that cut was so special, I'd recognize it at an instant. Like the one in front of me...

Wait. Hold on. This WAS from the baker! But...but how?

> [ ] Eat from the dish in front of Mokou first. (Yakitori)
> [ ] Eat from the dish in front of Keine first. (Salad)
> [ ] Eat from the dish in front of me first. (Bruschetta Bun)
> [ ] Eat from the dish between Mokou and me first. (Purple Potato Stew)
> [ ] Eat from the dish in the center first. (Mystery Container)
> [ ] Write-In.

While I moved to obtain my first meal in quite a while, I focused my eyes on Mokou. She raised an eyebrow at me when she noticed what meal I had decided on, but eventually let the issue slide. Not unlike what I was familiar with, we ate in silence, save for the few pleasantries worded from both Keine and me.

After the meal was done, Keine offered to help with the dishes, which finally gave me a chance to mention about the creaky floorboards.

"Oh, those? I've been having that problem for so long, I decided just to let it be."

I offered to help.

"I couldn't possibly have a guest do something like that for me! Wouldn't that be difficult for you, too?"

"Don't worry about it Mokou." Keine's voice echoed from the back room. "He's skilled in carpentry, and this is the first time he's ever asked someone to do a job for them."

I could almost feel Keine wink at me, which made no sense to me whatsoever.

"Give him a chance, Mokou."

Mokou's face disappears from view as she drops her head, sighing near inaudibly.

"Alright, Shin. Go ahead."

> [ ] "I'd feel much better if you were there, watching me,...
>> [ ] ...Mokou."
>> [ ] ...Keine."
> [ ] "I'd feel much better if you were there, helping me,...
>> [ ] "...Mokou."
>> [ ] "...Keine."
> [ ] "Thanks, I'll get working on it once I get my tools."
> [ ] Write-In.

====

I want to apologize for being this late again. It is almost entirely inexcusable and I hope this won't happen again.

As for The Word of One, I decided to actually come up with a plan. I started this project on a whim, but if I want this to continue I had to come up with some sort of semblant structure so that it actually becomes a story rather than just a random throw-whatever-the-hell-you-want-up-there sort of thing.

Anyways, thanks for the votes thus far, and hopefully this story will continue for a long while to come.

Oh yeah. There's two votes. Some people missed that the last time.

[x] Eat a bit of everything; it's good food and I haven't had a great meal in while.
[x] "Thanks, I'll get working on it once I get my tools."
-[x] "If you want, you two can watch me work."

>"You washed your hands!?" Mokou incredulously repeated my words, and then started to berate me. "Food doesn't wait for people, Shin, and maybe you should get used to it. When I'm hungry-"

Did Shin just passive-aggressively use Mokou as a platform to complain about his teacher's rules? Or is Mokou making fun of Keine? Either way, this was quite humorous.

>While I moved to obtain my first meal in quite a while, I focused my eyes on Mokou. She raised an eyebrow at me when she noticed what meal I had decided on

This is poisoning the well. Also you slipped a 'she' again.

[x] Eat from the dish in front of Mokou first. (Yakitori)

>"He's skilled in carpentry, and this is the first time he's ever asked someone to do a job for them."
>I could almost feel Keine wink at me, which made no sense to me whatsoever.

Collaborating? Between her history manipulation and Shin's present manipulation things are bound to get pretty weird.

[x] "Thanks, I'll get working on it once I get my tools."

The first thing I do when entering someone's home is tear up their floorboards and replace them with ones that don't creak. Shin is maybe a little bit autistic, and maybe also a little bit moe.

>>20210
>Did Shin just passive-aggressively use Mokou as a platform to complain about his teacher's rules? Or is Mokou making fun of Keine? Either way, this was quite humorous.

The latter.

>This is poisoning the well. Also you slipped a 'she' again.

Damn it. Thought I caught all of them.

And I don't think it's a "poisoning the well" because of the way I worded it. "...what meal I had decided on..." could be anything from one item to all of them. All I'm presenting (aside from write-ins) is which item to choose first.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

After Mokou left the room, I headed to the living room and surveyed around. Keine was just getting started on the dishes, and Mokou was hopefully now out of earshot. Perfect. After two more minutes of rechecking to see if anyone was around, I faced towards the wall, pulled out a now-familiar card to me, and shouted softly its name, releasing it into the air as I did so.

Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」

I didn't know how Keine and Mokou would react if I used a spellcard, so I decided to play it safe and only brought out the spellcard that would bring my tools to me, as opposed to the other one that would help me finish projects as I used to do. While the tools were being recreated from the danmaku in the spellcard's domain, I took out the rest of the cards (of course, out of the sight of any possible prying eyes) and thumbed silently through them, looking at the ripple of the nine cards. Finally, I rested my eyes on one in particular. The original one.

Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」

I had obtained this first card as a testament to my success in finding out what my ability was. Since I had never seen anything like this or the blank templated cards that came with it before, I surmised that it wasn't something that I should show to anyone, and I kept it hidden. I spent two extra months away from the village, trying to understand how these cards, or "spellcards" as my mysterious benefactor told me, worked, and how to make them do something. Towards the end, I was able to create some tools with a spellcard, and with my curiosity satisfied, I headed home.

Of course, one day my tools are in need of repair and there's a full day of work that needs to be done. I make the mistake of using my spellcard, somebody sees it, and as a result I get put under confinement temporarily until I tell the village elders my power (for no conceivable reason), and when I finally do I am allowed to go home. Two weeks later, or rather, today, I wake up inside the bamboo forest, and...

The tools falling into my hands thankfully interrupt my angry recollection.

---

By the time I finished, Keine was at the door, bidding farewell to Mokou. I hastily ran to the door to bid her farewell as well. Thankfully, Keine stayed at the door long enough for me to show up, but I guess she just wanted to remind me of my manners.

"Don't forget to thank Mokou for giving you a place to stay for now, Shin." I won't.

Keine turned to the person beside me.

"Goodbye for now, Mokou. Two days from now?"

Mokou nodded, and Keine walked off to Mokou's door being closed. However, I was suddenly curious.

> [ ] "What was that about two days?"
> [ ] "How was my work?"
> [ ] "Why was Keine here?"
> [ ] "Where will I be sleeping?"
> [ ] <Insert Question Here>


> [ ] Ask Mokou.
> [ ] Keep the question to yourself.

[X] "How was my work?"
[X] "Why was Keine here?"
-[X] Ask Mokou
[X] "What was that about two days?"
-[X] Keep the question to yourself

[x] "How was my work?"
[x] "Why was Keine here?"
-[x] Ask Mokou

[X] "How was my work?"
[X] "Why was Keine here?"
-[X] Ask Mokou
[X] "What was that about two days?"
-[X] Keep the question to yourself

Works for me~!

Finals consist of this week, next week, and the next week after that, so I'll be off and on. I might be able to slide an update inside that time period, but no guarantees.

[X] "How was my work?"
[X] "Why was Keine here?"
-[X] Ask Mokou
[X] "What was that about two days?"
-[X] Keep the question to yourself

Mokou nodded.

"Sure, just give me a moment."

Mokou headed off upstairs, and I noticed the reason why. Mokou still had his apron on. Oops.

While I waited, I wondered to myself. 'What was that about two days?' Eh, whatever. If they wanted me to know I'd know, and if not it's not really my business to find out.

A few more minutes came by, and Mokou came back down, dressed in a striped red and white shirt with brownish-white shorts. Definitely, Mokou's clothes were similar in color to his previous attire. Maybe he just liked those colors.

"Alright, let's check your work."

I followed Mokou's lead. He wasn't exactly the person I'd expect to be the landlord, but then again this wasn't the village.

"Hmm. I'm surprised; it doesn't creak. How did you do that so quickly?"

Uh, crap. Think of an excuse, don't think of my spellcards...

Mokou's angled look at me probably mirrored my own: his was full of confusion. "She just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Open mind, release words. I definitely am tired to be this out of sync with my own head.

"Yeah, really. I know she takes care of all of her students."

Sure, but what I needed now was rest.

"Sure. I think since you fixed this place up, this would be a good place for you to rest, then. There's not really much here to feel comfortable, but I'll bring you a cot to sleep in so that you're not cold. It gets cold around here, you know."

I know. It was slightly nippy when I woke up this morning.

After everything was set up and we bid each other good night, I fell promptly asleep, remembering a time to wake up at.

[ ] Before Dawn
[ ] Early Morning
[ ] Morning
[ ] Noon

[x] Morning

A bit of a indulgence wouldn't hurt.

You know, thinking about it, someone with the power to manipulate history would be interested in someone with the power to manipulate truth, huh.

>>20843
Exactly.

[x] Before Dawn

The early bird catches the worm.

Besides, we are industrious.

[X] Early Morning

[X] Early Morning

Hoping for an interesting "reveal" scene soon.

[x] Before Dawn

Just because.

If it's still tied by the time I start writing (about 9 hours from now), I'll just roll a die to see who wins.

[X] Early Morning

Not much point to waking up when we can't see.

[X] Early Morning

>[X] Early Morning

Among my tools, I had also an alarm clock, and I was sure that Mokou was upstairs, I pulled it out of its hiding place.

This alarm clock was a special belonging of mine since its ringing can only be heard by my...truth radar. I'm still not sure how to describe my ability other than the manipulation of truth, but...

I have this voice in my head that tells me things. Based on what's being said, the truth and lies are easily perceivable. Yeah, I know, sounds freaky. I don't get to choose my power, though. No one does.

Sadly.

I set up the alarm clock to early morning and head off to sleep.

==

True to form, the alarm clock goes off in my head, and I wake up in the defensive. The last time I woke up, I was in the Bamboo Forest, with nothing really on me. I didn't want the same thing happening twice, even if last night I didn't fall asleep in my house.

After waking up fully, I roll up the bed and get my body moving. I didn't bother to look for Mokou, because my power had already told me what I wanted to know in the first place. Mokou isn't here.

It's easy to tell that something happened last night. There's a scorched patch of ground a few feet from the house, and close to it are amulets flapping in the wind, embedded in the ground. They were rigid at one point, and it looked like there was a danmaku duel here.

[ ] Go looking for a fight.
- [ ] I'll start towards the Bamboo Forest to the left.
- [ ] I'll climb down the scaling path in front.
- [ ] I'll head to what seems to be rushing water to the right.
[ ] Maybe I should check around the house first.
[ ] Stay in the safety of the house.
- [ ] Activity Write-In


Author's Notes
Day 1 Complete

Known Open Routes:
- Fujiwara no Mokou
- Keine Kamishirasawa

Known Closed Routes:
- Shou Toramaru
- Reisen Udongein Inaba

What would Mokou do?

>Known Closed Routes:
>Shou Toramaru

A Shou route would have been interesting to see.

>Reisen Udongein Inaba

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF--

>Known Open Routes:
>Fujiwara no Mokou
>Keine Kamishirasawa

...works for me.

[X] Maybe I should check around the house first.
-[X] Survey the damage.
-[X] Call for Mokou

If she's not there...

[X] Head to the Human Village.

>I didn't bother to look for Mokou, because my power had already told me what I wanted to know in the first place. Mokou isn't here.

That sounds pretty definite. But if the fight was last night, then Mokou might still be regenerating.

>It's easy to tell that something happened last night. There's a scorched patch of ground a few feet from the house, and close to it are amulets flapping in the wind, embedded in the ground. They were rigid at one point, and it looked like there was a danmaku duel here.

Especially if Reimu was who Mokou was fighting.

[x] Go looking for a fight.
- [x] I'll head to what seems to be rushing water to the right.

Out of the other two, the forest seems as likely to get us lost. At least with a river, Mokou might be getting a drink of water.

Want Mokou-route...hmm....
[x] go looking for a fight
[x] head for rushing water.
Be careful!

[X] Maybe I should check around the house first.
-[X] Survey the damage.
-[X] Call for Mokou.
[x] If she isn't around, see about fixing anything severe and sticking around the house.

Going off wandering in any case isn't the greatest idea and we don't want Mokou to go looking all over the place for us.

[X] Maybe I should check around the house first.
-[X] Survey the damage.
-[X] Call for Mokou.
[x] If she isn't around, see about fixing anything severe and sticking around the house.

>[]Go looking for a fight

Mind you this is the same protagonist that was attacked and was left in the Bamboo Forest pretty much to die. Holding his own in a fight may not be possible just yet. Unless truth hax is involved.

>>20901
Protip: It's not just Reimu that has used Amulet Danmaku.

>>20912
Being ambushed in one's sleep, especially when that same person is a heavy sleeper, doesn't really show one's combat potential.

>>20921

Totally missed that part. Thanks for reminding me. In that case...vote change:

[X] Maybe I should check around the house first.
-[X] Survey the damage.
-[X] Call for Mokou

If no answer...

[x] Go looking for a fight.
- [X] I'll climb down the scaling path in front.

>>20921
I choose to stick around just so someone watches over the house while Mokou's gone and so Mokou doesn't have to track him down.

[X] Maybe I should check around the house first.
-[X] Survey the damage.
-[X] Call for Mokou.
[x] If she isn't around, see about fixing anything severe and sticking around the house.

Well, I guess there's no point in looking around for Mokou if I don't have any leads. And that makes the area I'm standing in the first area to inspect: the burnt patch itself. I decide to engage in conversation with my power just to liven things up and to make it less boring.

Something happened here.

Yeah. The grass was burned here, but not by fire.

Must be a speed burn.

I wonder what could move that fast, though.


Next are the amulets.

These amulets are colored blue.

But the areas on the amulet closest to the scorched ground are red.

Does that mean that the amulets were thrown first?


Besides those two things, nothing really seems out of the ordinary. I guess that means it's back to the house to see if there's anything that could be related to this.

And what do you know. The hose here at the back of the house has a similar imprint, but quite different.

Yeah, it's more fried to a crisp. This one is definitely fire.

And it looks almost the same. There's amulets here too.

Except for an area that isn't scorched.

Is that a footprint I can see?

And don't forget about the quality of the amulets.

Yeah, this looks to be days old.


None of these clues add up. But in all honesty, it's nearly time for breakfast and I'm not sure where everything is mentally for me. Okay, okay, that's just an excuse. It feels weird doing stuff you'd normally do only in your own house in someone else's house, right?

Might as well call out for Mokou.

.

.

.

No answer.

.

.

.

One more time.

.

.

I jump to the side, spellcards in hand. A ball of light flies past me, but I can't see its color. What I can see is an approaching figure.

[ ] Call Out
- [ ] Write-In
[ ] Pre-emptive Attack
- [ ] Spellcard
-- [ ] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」
-- [ ] Construction Sign 「Materialism」
-- [ ] Praetor Sign 「Realism and Belief」
-- [ ] Mortal 「Dying Soul -Evermore-」
-- [ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」
-- [ ] Justice 「Nirvana Denied」
-- [ ] Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」
-- [ ] Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」
- [ ] Something Physical
[ ] Retreat into the House
[ ] Flee

[ ] Pat, I'd like to solve the puzzle.
- [ ] Write-In Answer

==========

Early update since I've got an interesting activity to attend to that involves GPS and Uniforms this entire long weekend.

[x] Pre-emptive Attack
- [x] Spellcard
-- [x] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」

[X] Call Out
-[X] "Pretty good aim...unless you were aiming for me."
[X] Pre-emptive attack
-[X] Spellcard
--[X] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」

'tis a complicated, delicate process to insert a spine into a protagonist.
I wonder who that could be?

[X] Call Out while feigning weakness
-[X] "Pretty good aim...unless you were aiming for me."
-[x] "Who are you and why are you attacking?"
[X] If it's an enemy, surprise attack
-[X] Spellcard
--[X] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」

We should find out who before shooting off. Whoever it is most likely doesn't know about our power.

[X] Call Out
-[X] "Pretty good aim...unless you were aiming for me."

[X] If it's an enemy, surprise attack
-[X] Spellcard
--[X] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」


Who's there?

No answer.

Just a lot more bullets, these ones again being circle-shaped.

It's pretty simple to dodge them, but then they freeze, and angle in different directions.

I can't play chicken all day. I don't do this often, but you asked for it.

Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」

Six masks form a protective barrier around me, and then procede to move in differing directions. I recognize the masks bouncing off of what seems to be nothing, which means I'm in a spellcard duel.

Great. I've only ever been in one before this, and I wasn't very good at it either.

Again, the icicles come, and yet before they get a chance to freeze, my masks seem to hit their mark, and my opponent's spellcard ends. Well, that's a first.

Again, who's there?

"The Strongest!"

That's a lie.

My stomach rumbles, and I turn my attention away from my opponent for just a moment. Big mistake. I lose just enough focus so that the recognizably female and childish voice has time to call her spellcard.

Ice Sign 「Icicle Fall」

Hmm, seems to be more icicles.

Frost Sign 「Frost Columns」

Wait, two spellcards? You can do that?

No. It's illegal.

Illegal by who?

An enforcer.


[ ] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
[ ] Use a counter spellcard instead.
[ ] Use a different spellcard instead.
[ ] Screw legality.

And how am I going to attack this time?

[ ] Rush blindly into the bamboo forest.
[ ] Stay back in familiar territory.
[ ] Move into the inner reaches of the bamboo, but far enough to see the house behind you.

Spellcard List:
[ ] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」 (Using)
[ ] Construction Sign 「Materialism」
[ ] Praetor Sign 「Realism and Belief」
[ ] Mortal 「Dying Soul -Evermore-」 (Counter)
[ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」

[ ] Justice 「Nirvana Denied」 (Counter)
[ ] Praetor Sign 「Placebo Reality」

[ ] Praetorian 「Diocletian Indignation」

[ ] Blank

===========
Yes, that's two updates today. And yes, that's Icicle Fall actually being useful. Even if it's the easy variant.

[X] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
-[X] But intensify the wave of bullets double--no, triple-fold! She's tried to attack you from behind, claims herself to be the strongest, and she's clearly cheating in a spell card duel!

[X] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
[X] Stay back in familiar territory.

We have the advantage, let's not give it up so quickly. Since we can't fly, open ground is better for dodging, and they don't call this the "Forest of the Lost" for nothing.

>And yes, that's Icicle Fall actually being useful.
Huh? That first card was clearly Perfect Freeze, and you didn't give much of a description for Icicle Fall before the declaration of Frost Columns.

>>21040
I'm implying that Icicle Fall is being used in such a way that it's not easy to get close to Cirno.

[X] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
[X] Stay back in familiar territory.

Great... beset by a nineball... we should continue playing legally since if the rules are being broken, chances are Reimu's on her way.

[X] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
[X] Stay back in familiar territory.
[X] Intensify the attack.

[X] Continue on the attack with the same spellcard.
[X] Stay back in familiar territory.
[X] Intensify the attack.

More dakka!!

I don't care. If she can do it, so can I.

No, stop! I don't know what kind of punishment you'd receive for that, but it's not something you want to do!

Fine.

I find time in the bullets coming at me to stop and raise the spellcard again, this time having it rotate counter-clockwise.

Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve -Hard-」

I redeclare my spellcard, but instead of six masks, twelve masks come out and do their thing. This version of the card allows me to once in a while call all of them from where they are to the spot my target is instantly, but I can't move during that time.

My masks, however, aren't so-called slave options, as the spellcard benefactor told me. They're options, all right, but they don't have the ability to fire bullets themselves.

It's probably why this card isn't that strong.

I see a nice little curtain of icicles around me, and I aim to dodge these by weaving in and out. However, I notice a tree flying in my direction, and I fail to dodge it in time. That tree is supported by a column of ice, and I find myself on the ground in no short order.

I'm almost sure no other human has spellcards, and because of that surety I try not to use many spellcards at all, because I don't want to be ostentatious. However, if I'm facing a youkai, these are perhaps the only way to survive.

But if that's true, then there's a few problems with it already. For instance, how do the other humans survive? If I'm the only one with tools to defeat youkai, then do those other humans live in fear of youkai as I once did? What about if other humans do have spellcards? Then why is it that spellcards were how I was condemned? Or was it an ulterior motive, or perhaps my power? But a power isn't easily discernable; you'd have to declare it yourself or have someone with some sort of power to see other people's power.

No more time to think! You've got company!

I look up, and I can see someone I think to be my assailant. I can't see her face very clearly due to the sun, but all I know is that I'm in trouble. My stomach still hurts from the tree, so rolling out of the way is out of the question, and I can't exactly get up either. And I see a familiar type of card in her hand. That's not good.

Ice Sign 「Icicle Fall -Easy-」

Now what do I do? I'm screwed, right?

[ ] "Do a barrel roll!"
[ ] "Aim for the open spot!"
[ ] "Use bombs wisely!"

>>21256
["Watch where you're aiming, Fox!"] "Use the boost to get through.!"

["It's quiet... Too quiet."] "Use bombs wisely!"

"You're looking more like your father."

[x] "Use bombs wisely!"
-[x] "Use the boost to get close through the openings!"

Logic?: Such a card obviously has a weak spot.

[x] 'Icicle Fall' looks a lot like 'Icicle Fail'. A spell card like that would have at least a 100% chance of a mishap.

[X] "Can't let you do that, Star Fox!"
[X] "Go for the eyes!"

[X] "Aim for the open spot!"
-[X] "Use bombs wisely!"

[X] "Aim for the open spot!"
-[X] "Use bombs wisely!"

[X] "Aim for the open spot!"
-[X] "Use bombs wisely!"

[X] "Aim for the open spot!"
-[X] "Use the brake!"

[X] "Aim for the open spot!"
-[X] "Use bombs wisely!"

Screw you, stupid girl. You just pissed me off. Taunting me by declaring an easy spellcard?

Before her spellcard can float back down into her hand, I push off the ground with my hands and land a foot on her midsection, sending her backwards but with her spellcard still active. But now, I'm on my feet, ready to return fire.

Construction Sign 「Materialism」

This spellcard is horrible in long range accuracy, but against a close range target, this is very powerful. I form a danmaku hammer, and it hits an artificial block of wood, sending danmaku splinters everywhere.

Unfortunately, I failed to realize she had declared a smaller card to counter-act my own.

Skill -Icicle Sword-

Her icicle sword easily led her through the splinters, and despite her making contact with the splinters, it took blocking with my danmaku hammer and skidding backward several feet to even stop her momentum.

But a good spellcard never has one direction.

I form a second hammer and block of wood from behind her, and this finally cancels out her two cards, but the resulting shockwave thrusts her forward and I end up falling to the ground, pulling my assailant on top of me.

To prevent any more shenanigans, I focus on her legs as soon as I hit the ground, and pushing through my stomach and back pain, I wrap my legs around hers to prevent her overall lower-body movement. From there, it's a simple action to roll over and push her down to the ground, completely limiting her options.

It's only then that I hear the cracking of ice.

[ ] That sounded like it came from behind me.
- [ ] Jump away to the side immediately.
- [ ] Stay still, I'll be hit if I move.
[ ] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
- [ ] Is she still planning to fight?
- [ ] Is she injured?

[x] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
- [x] Is she injured?
--[x] Be careful about checking her.

[x] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
- [x] Is she injured?

Fragile fairy is fragile.

[x] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
- [x] Is she injured?
--[x] Be careful about checking her.

[X] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
-[X] Is she still planning to fight?
-[X] "Do a barrel roll!!"

Couldn't resist...but seriously. If she still wants to fight, don't let her freeze us.

[x] That sounded like it came from behind me.
[x] Use her as a meatshield.

[x] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
- [x] Is she injured?
--[x] Be careful about checking her.

[X] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
-[X] Is she still planning to fight?
-[X] "Do a barrel roll!!"

I actually have close to nothing written when I normally would have, by this time, a complete write-up or at least about half a page.

I guess it's because of this 4th short (set to be in /at/) that's been bugging me for a while. I definitely can't get it out of my mind, so I'll probably finish that before I can get going again with this (currently rewriting a good portion of it and making it longer).

It shouldn't take longer than one week if there aren't any interruptions.

[X] That sounded like it came from in front of me.
-[X] Is she still planning to fight?
-[X] Be careful about checking her.

I ease up slowly, and I realize one of her wings was broken by her fall. But I felt that I should still be wary and move, and I rolled to the side.

Good thing. Four icicles struck the ground where I had been, purposely missing the girl on the ground. And these icicles weren't small at all; they were a foot thick, long enough to seriously injure me.

She's still dangerous, so don't stop until she's done.

Got it.

It's not something that one would think is natural, but spellcards that I've already used since the day before turn slightly darker. They return back to normal after a few days of not using it.

And it's a darker spellcard I decide to use. Apparently it's something called spellcard corruption, but it's nothing I really felt was necessary to learn about.

Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」

I form my most familiar tools (hammer, saw, chisel, and screwdriver) out of danmaku, and then throw them at the girl, who is still struggling to get up. After three seconds, the tools explode, spreading the danmaku uniformly in all directions, as if the tools suddenly get bigger and bigger.

While those tools are exploding, I back up, and prepare another set of tools. But because of the explosions, I can't throw these at her, so instead I throw them diagonally, where I know they'll bounce off the spellcard duel walls and hit her from behind.

This card's weak point is inability to combat mobility. As long as my opponent moves very well, as well as a lot, the explosions won't do that much.

But, against an opponent on the ground, I figured a little okizeme would be worth it.

[ ] Have mercy
[ ] Make the fight fair
[ ] Finish what you started

Author Note:

Sorry, but I forgot to include this in the update. In order to ensure maximum life out of the story, please try to focus on one girl at a time. There will be further notes from me as the story progresses.

Oh, and one more thing. The previous non-story post I made has an error. The short isn't in /at/, it's in /forest/.

[x] Have mercy
-[x] "Give up already! I don't want to continue this pointless fight, but if I must, I'll end it!"

[X] Have Mercy

Poor Cirno.

[x] Finish what you started

[X] Finish what you started

[x] Finish what you started

[X] Have Mercy

[x] FINISH HER!

[x] Finish what you started

Opponent is too stubborn to stop otherwise.

>>21380
He's not a bloodthirsty warrior though.

[X] Have Mercy

[X] Have Mercy

I knew there was a place I forgot to update with my status. I'm actually away on a "business" trip. I'm supposed to be away for about 16 days ( today's Day number 4). Anyways, catch you all later, and I should have the update ready when I get back.

[X] Have Mercy

I hold off firing any more projectiles. Sure, it was a dirty attack, but I won't stand for actually finishing the poor girl off. Well, without giving her a chance to defend herself.

The blasts have died down, and still there is no response. Instead of rushing to my victim, I play it safe and stay still, checking to see where she is from my vantage point a few feet away.

The smoke settles, and I don't see a trace. However, what I do see is a gohei, and that alarms. I look left and right quickly, looking for the person whose upright gohei stood where that girl had a few seconds ago.

You idiot. Above you!

I look up, and there above me, is a shrine maiden. Rather, THE shrine maiden. And in her arms is the girl that had carelessly attacked me. My arms begin to shake as I drop the tools onto the ground, canceling my spellcard in the process.

When I was in the village, I learned about a person that you were never ever to make mad. She would hurt you, torture you, but never kill you, just keep you barely alive. And she would also do it mentally. Supposedly, that person rarely wore anything other than her red-and-white shrine maiden outfit. So as I looked up and saw her twitching and frowning lips, I realized I was in trouble.

[ ] Flee!
[ ] Stay silent.
[ ] Speak out.
If you choose to speak, write-ins are allowed.

[x] Stay silent.

[x] Speak out.
-[x] "Let me explain myself... well She started using two spell cards at once, and I'm sure that's what you sensed."
-[x] "I fought her off fair and square, unless you count that trapping her as unfair"

[x] Speak out.
-[x] "Let me explain myself... well She started using two spell cards at once, and I'm sure that's what you sensed."
-[x] "I fought her off fair and square, unless you count that trapping her as unfair"

[x] Speak out.
-[x] "Let me explain myself... well She started using two spell cards at once, and I'm sure that's what you sensed."
-[x] "I fought her off fair and square, unless you count that trapping her as unfair"

[x] Speak out.
-[x] "Let me explain myself... well She started using two spell cards at once, and I'm sure that's what you sensed."
-[x] "I fought her off fair and square, unless you count that trapping her as unfair"

She continues to stare me down, and for a while, we're locked in a staring contest. After a few minutes, her eyes finally blink, and her aggression tones down somewhat. But she still carries that haughty air, and looks away.

This is no time to be intimidated.

"Miss Shrine Maiden, please allow me to explain."

No response.

"Well, she attacked me, and used two spell cards at once. I did my best to hold her off, and I kept my attacks fair."

Still no response.

"Um, hello?"

She nods her head as if to say "I heard you already". But instead of turning towards me, she sticks an amulet on the girl's face and flies off.

...

Is everything the village told me just a pack of lies?

----

"Well, not everything. The village elder is too cautious, too much like Keine," Mokou explained in-between bites of some tandoori yakitori she had made. In addition to a few of those skewers are vegetables and what looks to be a large bat wing, both groups of which are skewered. My meal is simpler compared to his; Chicken Caesar with mini-bacon dumplings serving as bacon bits. The dumplings are half-coated in charcoal, but I don't mind it one bit. Mokou continued. "He doesn't like an X-factor in the village."

I nod. This was definitely true, though you wonder why you didn't notice until the week before you were thrown out.

"Is this the reason why I was kicked out of the village?" I wasn't really expecting an answer, so when Mokou went to open his mouth, I was elated, only to receive disappointment when I see him start on another skewer. I pause my eating and wait for Mokou to finish off the rest of the meat.

"Keine doesn't want me to tell you yet." Mokou looks at me, rolls his eyes, then goes back to observing his own meal. "Said something about making sure you didn't react improperly. It's not my way of doing things, that's for sure."

"I see." My gaze also turns towards my own food.

Nothing much was said afterwards, and we finished the meal in relative silence.


I lie in my bed after an exhausting day, and all I can think about was what the heck happened today. "Why did the amulet the shrine maiden used look almost exactly the same as the one I saw in the morning?" and "What is Keine trying to keep from me?" are just two of the questions that continue to pound my head and demand an answer, of which I have none to give. I have to get to sleep.

I wonder, though,...
[ ] ...what Mokou did today.
[ ] ...where Keine is.
[ ] ...what happened to that mouse.
(Pick an order for what you want to happen. You are free to skip any of these options in your vote.)
OR
[ ] Don't finish the thought

[X] ...where Keine is.
[X] ...what Mokou did today.
[X] ...what happened to that mouse.

I see what you did with that third option. The answer will probably be the same as the original: the obvious.

[x] >>21688

[X] ...where Keine is.
[X] ...what Mokou did today.
[X] ...what happened to that mouse.

[+] ...what Mokou did today.
[+] ...where Keine is.

May you dream of your delicious girlboy-mate, Shin.

Just going with one

[x] ...what Mokou did today.

Votes, in order.
[X] ...where Keine is.
[X] ...what Mokou did today.

----

"Keine Kamishirasawa. Friendly by day, protecting by night. For her, and the countless number of others who had previously held her position, this was by no means a chore, this was their means of survival. Bound by an ancient pact, forged by werebeast and oni alike, the defeated werebeasts were charged with protecting the human village they had once enjoyed feasting on. Should they refuse to do so, their race would die out. It was laughable at the time, since there were many in number of both genders, but eventually their population dwindled until only one was left. Defeated now by both oni and circumstance, there was only one thing left to do: honor the pact. And thus, they have always stood, protecting us, never allowing us to know of their horrible past where they once murdered and separated our families."

Keine shook her head at the assignment in front of her. Writing class wasn't a class she taught in the village school, but this piece, written up by a thirteen-year-old boy, was definitely the most ironic piece of writing she had ever seen. Granted, her history classes weren't exactly creatively exciting, but she was well-traveled and well-learned, so she had already figured that nothing could really shock her. This was not on her mind.

"Keine, I apologize on behalf of this student and on my behalf as his teacher." The teacher looked as stoic as ever, noted Keine. It was hard to imagine someone with almost no visible emotion could teach a person to create such a colorful piece with words.

"I would like your opinion on this piece before I talk with him." There was silence for a few seconds as Keine pondered on what to say.

"He is a very imaginative boy. I don't know where the ideas have come from, but I don't find any reason to stop him. The pursuit of knowledge, however trivial and nonexistant, is always welcome in my books. And for the record, I'm not really offended by the piece. I'm actually quite amused by it, and with your and his permission, I'd like to hang it on my board." Keine was sure this would do the trick, and sure enough, a small smile crept up on the teacher's face.

"Well, miss Principal, I will tell him. Good day." And with that, he walked out of the office.

It was close to midnight, but Keine had had non-stop meetings once the school day was over. Normally, small teacher meetings like the one she just had wouldn't be so numerous, but she had just the day before gone to check up on someone she felt was important. And really, sometimes a woman needs her own personal time.

But, for now, she was done, and she laid her head down, nearly falling asleep as soon as her head contacted her wooden desk.

----

Mokou's morning started at four o'clock, as always. While she had begrudgingly accepted Shin into her abode as per Keine's request, she couldn't break her normal routine. She had to do it. She had to learn how to fly.

Mokou had met Keine a few years ago, and ever since Mokou had found what Keine actually did to protect the village, she had wanted to help. The half-human had confided that she didn't enjoy consuming the history of the village, because she felt that the memories she gave back to the people weren't real. Mokou's refusal to fight for hundreds of years was due to not really having a real reason to. This, however, was different.

When Mokou presented her plan to Keine, there was an initial backlash, but over time, Keine came around to agreeing with it. What was first on the list was to learn what power Mokou held in Gensokyo, and training with it. This, Mokou managed to do quite well, and quickly as well. But it was what was second that confused Mokou. 'Learn to fly.' This was a struggle far beyond anything she had ever tried to do. Mokou even asked if there was a way around it, and Keine had no answer. It was necessary.

With no idea where to begin, Mokou had started using her power to blast herself upward. That didn't work too well, so Mokou went back to the think tank, and came up with myriads of ways on how to propel oneself with fire. Today's experiment is yet another idea being tried for the very first time.

Mokou stood on the garden hose firmly, with the water flow turned on, while she readied her fire-resistant amulets in her hands. The hose was in case something went wrong, which would nullify her fire and bring her back down to earth. Mokou jumped up, propelled herself upwards with the fire, and then threw amulets carried by the fire to propel her even higher by the explosion the amulets and fire would cause. And that's when things went wrong.

Mokou had forgotten to keep a rock on the garden hose head, so it sprayed upwards. It missed the fire Mokou was putting out, but it grazed the amulets enough to make them wet, while hitting Mokou in the face. And when amulets get wet, they lose their power. Mokou raised her hands to block the water, and instead got a faceful of fire by facing her palms towards her, and thus was propelled outwards towards the cliff. Trying to stop, Mokou aimed for the cliff and tried to propel herself the other direction, but because her vision was blurred from the water and then the fire, she actually hit the ground in front of the house, which pushed her further into the mouth of the cliff.

She spent the entire day getting back up.

----

Author's Notes
Day 2 Complete

Main Routes:
- Fujiwara no Mokou (25%)
- Keine Kamishirasawa (75%)

Open Mini-Routes:
- Cirno

Closed Mini-Routes:
- Shou Toramaru
- Reisen Udongein Inaba

The percentages are for the chance of attaining that route based on the previous votes cast.

Day 3 will start when I get back from my last trip.
Might as well have a vote, though.

[ ] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [ ] Praetor Sign 「The Many Faces of Eve」 (Used once)
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Materialism」 (Used once)
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)
[ ] Eh, why should I bother. I don't believe in all that Spellcard Corruption nonsense anyways.

[x] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [x] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)

I think the other cards will recover on their own.

[A] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [E] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)

I lift up a stone...

[ ] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)

>Closed mini-routes
>Reisen Udongein Inaba

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF--

>Main Routes
>Keine Kamishirasawa
>75%

...you're forgiven.

[ ] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [ ] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)

[X] I should probably purify a Spellcard.
- [X] Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」 (Used twice)

Got to keep our trusty, ol' baby clean.

I'm not sure what you would consider the proper temperature in the morning. Until the sun rises and wakes up, the inhabitants below it won't be warm. And yet, every day, people wake up to the cold. It's really nothing new, but the fact of the matter is...

IT'S FUCKING COLD!

Maybe I'm not used to the altitude change. I don't really get it. I'm just beginning to wake up and it's so cold I'm already shivering. And my mouth's not breathing. Well, that's new. I better not be in some snow locale and put through another experience like two days ago.

Just open your eyes already!

Oh, you're awake now? I guess it's fine to wake up and see where I am.

Hm. I'm still in the room. Nothing much seems to be different.

I close my eyes again, hoping to get back to sleep and away from the cold feeling. And that's when I realize something's definitely wrong. I can't turn onto my side. My body isn't moving, and my arms are pinned. My eyes fly open again, and because I'm not looking straight up I can see what the problem is.

This problem happens to wear a long dress with blue clothing and white trim. There's a small red ribbon dangling in front of me, and the ends of a much larger green one hanging to the sides. And of course, this problem happens to have her body on me and her lips on mine. I'm not sure what to think. This problem happens to be the same person that tried to hurt me yesterday. And she's kissing me.

[ ] What. The. Hell.
[ ] Someone help!
[ ] Don't move.

[X] Freeze!
[X] Don't move.

[X] What. The. Hell.
Exposure to Cirno too quickly can cause brain freeze.

[X] What. The. Hell.

O_O Okay, that was unexcepted. Seriously.

>>21780
>O_O
Don't do that.

>>21782

Sorry. Forgot that it is not allowed here.

>>21777>>21778>>21780
Damn it.

[X] Don't move.

Best not to startle the fairy.

[X] Don't move.

[x] Don't move.

Don't move, idiot. You shock her, you pay the price. You're the one that can't move.

Keh. You're right.

I decide to stay as still as I can, aiming to return my pulse rate back to normal, while I see if I can show her I'm awake somehow without shocking her. Nothing seems to work unfortunately, and I fall back asleep because of the cold feeling creeping up from my stomach and head.

The next thing I know, I'm being yanked out of bed. Mokou seems to have returned for breakfast, given that my alarm is ringing for the same. But she isn't calm, she's pissed. I rack my brain for reasons as to why she's mad. For all I know, she came back to the scene of some mystery girl in her house, kissing a guy that she barely knows, and she's planning to kick me out. And the more I think of scenarios, the more I dread where Mokou seems to be half-dragging and half-pulling me.

And then I arrive at the dining table. Wait, what?

"Mokou, you should have just let him sleep." Oh, I recognize that voice. Keine! Thank goodness!

"No way. If we're gonna have breakfast, we're gonna have it together, as always."

Wait. Mokou wasn't with me for breakfast yesterday, and I decide to say so. I get an elbow to my stomach in response.

"What did you say, Shin?"

I try my best to fend her off for the moment. I know that Keine doesn't exactly have the best memory, so she'll forget about it after breakfast is done. And definitely, breakfast will be a long affair; the food is plenteous and looks good.

Hmm...what to eat first.

[ ] Greens are good for you. What's good for your mind should be good for your body.
[ ] Meat. MEET. NEET. Don't be a pansy, eat the chicken.
[ ] Liquid at the beginning of the meal. Get your body primed first.
[ ] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here? {Unlocked Choice}

The above {Unlocked Choice} means that this choice wouldn't normally be available, but due to previous-made choices, this choice is unlocked. There'll be a lot more choices that can be unlocked, so keep an eye out for them.

[ ] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here? {Unlocked Choice}

Gonna go with the boring choice and ignore the tempting 'unlocked' option.
[x] Greens are good for you. What's good for your mind should be good for your body.

[x] Liquid at the beginning of the meal. Get your body primed first.

[Ⓨ] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here?

Suddenly, Shin isn't supply-blocked any more.

[x] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here?

[x] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here?

[ ] Food for thought: Thought for food. What's going on here? {Unlocked Choice}

Unlimited pylon works.
Don't make me use this bell! Ding dong! Dinner's served! Come an get it!

I didn't feel alright. Mokou dragged me out of bed so that we could share in a breakfast, and it's appreciated, but right now I feel really sick. I didn't feel like eating. I just wanted to make sense of what exactly was going on.

"Are you alright, Shin?" I don't know what it is about Keine, but she has this otherworldly sense when it comes to me. However, even her words were a blur today as my mind continued to replay the day's events over and over. The events continued to speed up faster and faster until I couldn't take it and yelled my frustration out loud.

Somehow, that...made me feel better. A whole lot better, actually. But as I relieved myself of that emotional tension in me, I noticed something seemed amiss. Keine's face was one of shock, but frozen, while a look to my left confirmed that Mokou seemed to be frozen while in the process of turning around to face me. Uh, what's going on here?

"If you're wondering, no, you didn't stop time. Time is going so relatively slowly that you perceive them to be frozen in time."

Uh, alright. So what's going on, then?

"You're probably not able to fully control me yet, but you activated a whole other side of your power: your thought processes are so accelerated everything else moves slowly. Try moving your hands."

I do so and find I can't actually move them. What gives?

"I told you. Your mind is on overdrive. Right now, as you are, you can make the logical conclusions without being affected by the tiredness of your body or the pressure of just being alive. The truth is open for you to see, all you have to do is decipher it."

You never told me your name, now that I think about it.

"See what I mean? Unfortunately, I can't tell you my name right now, there's too many prying eyes. Just call me Seikatsu for now."

Huh. Seikatsu. I can get that. I'd rather know a fake name than not know a name at all.

"Good. Now, you're better off using this power before it runs out."

So how long do I have?

"Not too long, I suppose. It'll probably feel like 5 minutes long to you."

And how much would that be in real time?

"Well, that'd be almost a full second."

Wow, that's fast.

[i]"Exactly."

The voice in my head seems to disappear, so I ponder on my thoughts. I want to get rid of the confusion, first and foremost.

Alright, let's see. According to my alarm clock, I woke up around 6:20, earlier than I set my alarm for. I woke up to see the girl I battled yesterday making me colder and kissing me, and I fell right back to sleep because of the cold. I woke up again, according to the same alarm, at 8:15...
Wait, 8:15? I set it for an earlier time! If it's been ringing for that long, Mokou would have probably heard it and tried for a while to shut it off, even if he couldn't locate the sound of the noise! Well, that explains why he's mad. And it's probably because I got so cold that I slept for longer than usual; I was trying to warm up. Okay, so that explains quite a bit. I should probably apologize for my outburst and explain what was going on if I want to resolve the situation.

Well, I feel like I'm almost back to normal now. I have time left too, so I should be able to tackle at least one more question nagging at my head.

[ ] Learn more about Seikatsu. (Specify.)
[ ] Learn more about your power. (Specify.)
[ ] Learn more about Danmaku Battles. (Specify.)
[ ] Write-in

- There's enough time to cover up to five specifications. The five specifications don't have to be in one category. A sample specification could be this:
[~] Learn more about Seikatsu (What about those prying eyes?)

[x] Learn more about Seikatsu. (Specify.)
- [x] How did I get your attention?
[x] Learn more about your power. (Specify.)
- [x] You mean with my power I can figure the truth of things as to deal with problems?
[X] Learn more about Danmaku Battles.
- [x] How bad is spell card corruption?
- [x] Is there a quick way to fly?

[x] Learn more about Seikatsu. (Specify.)
[x] How did I get your attention?
[x] Learn more about your power. (Specify.)
[x] You mean with my power I can figure the truth of things as to deal with problems?
[X] Learn more about Danmaku Battles.
[x] How bad is spell card corruption?
[x] Is there a quick way to fly?

The more you know...

[x] Learn more about Seikatsu. (Specify.)
- [x] How did I get your attention?
[x] Learn more about your power. (Specify.)
- [x] You mean with my power I can figure the truth of things as to deal with problems?
- [x] Is there some greater goal to my power?
[X] Learn more about Danmaku Battles.
- [x] How bad is spell card corruption?
- [x] Is there a quick way to fly?

[Ⓣ] Learn more about Seikatsu. (Specify.)
- [Ⓗ] How did I get your attention?
[Ⓔ] Learn more about your power. (Specify.)
- [ ] You mean with my power I can figure the truth of things as to deal with problems?
- [Ⓖ] Is there some greater goal to my power?
[Ⓐ] Learn more about Danmaku Battles.
- [Ⓜ] How bad is spell card corruption?
- [Ⓔ] Is there a quick way to fly?

I kinda realized I was being confusing in regards to the dialogue, so here's how it will be templated.

Shin's thoughts - Normal
Shin talking to Seikatsu - Italics
Seikatsu talking - Italics, quotation marks.

---

[x] Learn more about Seikatsu.
- [x] How did I get your attention?
[x] Learn more about your power.
- [x] You mean with my power I can figure the truth of things as to deal with problems?
- [x] Is there some greater goal to my power?
[X] Learn more about Danmaku Battles.
- [x] How bad is spell card corruption?
- [x] Is there a quick way to fly?

Hey, Seikatsu, I need your help. I don't get anything but silence, and my mind refuses to let me use up the remaining time in a wasteful manner, so I try again.

Seikatsu, are you there? Ugh, no answer again. I don't have time for this, Seik- no, she wouldn't, would she?

Please?

"Ah, much better."

Damn it. I need your help for the rest of these, since I think two heads are better than one.

"I wouldn't be so sure; I hated having two heads in a previous life." Uh, what?

That reminds me. I really don't know too much about you. I know I can't ask about you, but I'm curious. Why me?

"Why not?" She probably noticed my blood boiling, despite the fact my body was frozen in place. "Hm, that may not be adequate enough for you. Alright, how about your power? I mean, the power to manipulate truth is quite an interesting specimen. Will you use it improperly or properly, or will you even give a damn about it? I decided to tag along to see how you'd do."

You do realize I can tell you just lied to me a total of four times, right? "Yup. But with your current experience, you can't tell where I lied or what the actual truth is. You're just a human, so it's understandable." She got me there. Humans are always limited by their experience, and I'm no exception. Heck, look at my spellcards.

Whatever. I'll find out the truth eventually. All you want me to know is that you're around, and I should be glad. "Exactly." Sheesh, Seikatsu. You're more of a pain the more I talk to you. I think I liked it better when you were just Ms. Advice and the channeler of my power.

Next topic. Danmaku Battles. I wanna wrap my head around the whole thing; no one really taught me what exactly danmaku battles are. Sure, I have spellcards, but using them properly is the key. So how bad is spellcard corruption?

"It's not that bad...if you're not a human. Spellcard corruption happens if you don't have the magical capacity to carry out the spellcard, so instead of you the spellcard drains from itself. If a card is fully corrupted, it breaks. As you already know, each person in Gensokyo with a power have a limited number of cards, and they can't make any more, barring some exceptions. You are limited to ten cards at the moment, but you have a maximum of fifteen, should you get stronger." Interesting.

So by stronger, you mean by being able to fly? The shrine maiden I saw was floating in the sky, and everyone told me she's a human, which I confirmed as fact. So, could I- Seikatsu cut me off.

"Don't even think about it. Her power is the power to fly, so that's an exception, rather than the rule. Humans can't fly without the aid of a tool." She paused, then spoke again, though in softer tones. "Or a power."

So basically, I can't fly, and neither can Mokou or Keine. Okay, that's understandable.

So, about my power... I trailed off on purpose. I wanted to hear her response so I could gauge what she thinks about it. "What about your power?" Okay, so she won't let me analyze her. That's fine.

Basically, I can go all 'detective mode' when times call for it, and that's a facet of my power. "Correct." That answer came way too quickly.

I tried a different approach. Isn't there some sort of goal that my power could be used for? And what I got, I didn't expect. "Goal? Goal!? GOAL!? Of course there's no goal! Each power is given to be properly used or misused for one's own purposes. The order and semblance of balance in Gensokyo is because there IS no goal to any of our powers! It's up to you whether or not to use your power, and whether or not to use your power for good or evil, whatever they mean to you! You determine your power's destiny, and your power will drag you along!" She ended the sentence with an exasperated sigh, but I already got the message: she was mad.

I was in shock. This was apparently a sensitive subject for her, so I decided not to press the issue further. I waited for her to calm down, then I tried one more approach. Hopefully, this time it won't make her mad. Anyways, since you seem to know so much more about my power, I have to ask: what exactly does the phrase 'Manipulation of Truth' entail? I thought I knew all about it, but I can accelerate my thought processes and decipher things that weren't meant to be obvious, both of which I didn't peg as within my domain. Seikatsu hummed to herself for a bit, probably to get rid of her anger. While waiting, I started wondering how much longer my thoughts would be accelerated, so I pulled out my alarm mentally, and looked at it in shock.

I made sure to hush my voice before expressing my frustration the only way I knew how. 20 seconds left!? Did Seikatsu set this? I sure as hell didn't. I put it away, but I was aware of the ever-vanishing time.

"♪I can't tell you♪," Seikatsu sing-songed. Her taunts did little to quench the anger I was fueling. You wasted the rest of my time for nothing!? Why the hell not?

"♪Oh, because it's very personal to me.♪ Ah, perfect, your time's run out." I was incredulous. You did that on purpose!? "Yeah. Anyways, if you want to find out, you'll want to make some more friends. You'll want to talk with Kana and Mima if you want to truly understand it. Toodles~"

Damn it, Seikatsu. Leaving me with two names that I don't even know really helps. I should probably find someone that can help me find them, and it can't be Mokou or Keine. They're burdening themselves enough, I don't want to impose.

Dammit! With all that was in my head, I completely forgot to ask the most important question: how to activate my accelerated thought processes again!

"What the hell, Shin? What was that for?" Mokou's voice signaled the true end of my thought conversation, but I couldn't respond. Mokou, I wish I could tell someone, but I can't. People live together, but they have to struggle alone.
I thanked Mokou and Keine for the breakfast and left the table before either of them could start on how I actually hadn't eaten anything. As soon as I was out of sight, Mokou and Keine started talking, and I managed to overhear a few lines of the conversation before my mind went on auto-pilot.

"I told you, Mokou. He won't survive here if you keep him cooped up." Keine's voice was firm but caring. How just like her.

"Right. And you could do so much better, especially because you have no house to speak of." Mokou's retort was harsh and to the point. How just like him. Heh, what am I saying? I don't even know Mokou all that well; I must be assuming again. I really need to go to sleep.

I reached my room and immediately went inside the covers and fell asleep again. The last thing I saw before the lights went out was an ice shard, just in the corner of the room closest to the entrance.

---

I could hear voices, but they were muffled. I paid close attention, and I could finally make out what they were saying.

"Now I understand why you don't like me. You can't be such a lazy bitch with me around." Seikatsu's voice emanated in my head.

Another voice, one unfamiliar to me, responded. "I have a plan, dear, and I'm merely insurance to seeing that it comes to fruition. You're an obstacle and a threat, but because of a few things, I'm not allowed to harm you or even challenge you."

I couldn't see either of the people talking, so this definitely wasn't a dream, but...it sure felt like one.

"Then get out of my way or these claws are coming for you!"

"Another time, dear. I have to go sleep now." Despite the fact the words themselves weren't harmful, the tone of the voice was so chilling I started shivering.

And then I awoke.

---

The shrine maiden I had seen yesterday had my head in her lap, using a fan to blow away my sweat, while the girl I had defeated yesterday was dropping ice crystals on the fan to keep the fan and presumably, the air around it, cool. I looked right and there seemed to be only one other person here. From her mannerisms, most anyone would think she's some sort of magical witch, but I know better, and not because of my power. She's not a witch, she's got the clothes on wrong.

"Oh, you're awake." This voice definitely came from the shrine maiden. I looked up at her, and was surprised. She wasn't the least bit scary in her mannerisms or voice...at least compared to the stories I had heard about her. Her voice was kind, almost motherly, even.

[ ] Greet the shrine maiden. (Specify how if you want.)
[ ] Wonder what where you are.
[ ] Close your eyes and relax.
[ ] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl. {Unlocked Choice}

[x] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl. {Unlocked Choice}
[X] Greet the shrine maiden.
-[x] Kindly but not too informal.
[x] Wonder what where you are.
[x] Close your eyes and relax.

[x] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl.
{Unlocked Choice}
[X] Greet the shrine maiden.
-[x] Kindly but not too informal.
[x] Wonder what where you are.
[x] Close your eyes and relax.

In this order.

[Ⓡ] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl.
[Ⓔ] Greet the shrine maiden.
[Ⓘ] Kindly, but not too informal.
[Ⓜ] Wonder where you are.
[Ⓤ] Close your eyes and relax.

[x] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl. {Unlocked Choice}
[X] Greet the shrine maiden.
-[x] Kindly but not too informal.
[x] Wonder what where you are.
[x] Close your eyes and relax.


I don't know what the hell is going on, but it seems that you're well-protected.

[x] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl.
{Unlocked Choice}
[X] Greet the shrine maiden.
-[x] Kindly but not too informal.
[x] Wonder what where you are.
[x] Close your eyes and relax.

You know, first Shin went back to sleep in his room at Mokou's house. Then, he dreams. Now how the heck he ended up at the shrine?

>>22005
Gee, I wonder.

[x] Thank the shrine maiden and the ice girl.
[X] Greet the shrine maiden.
-[x] Kindly but not too informal.
[x] Wonder what where you are.
[x] Close your eyes and relax.

Yeah, but I'm feeling kind of tired, so I think I'll just enjoy your company and relax my troubles away.

I would have loved to say that, but being a human involves choosing between fact and fiction. In this case, I chose fiction, and merely thanked her for the comfort.

"I don't think we've met before. I'm Reimu, and I'm a shrine maiden here. The fairy above me is Cirno, and the girl over there-" she paused as my eyes followed her outstretched hand toward the witch. "Her name's Marisa. She lives nearby."

I didn't feel any need to hide my name, so I said it. However, I did have a question for the shrine maiden. I mean, I was pretty sure I fell asleep inside Mokou's house, and now I'm at an unfamiliar place with people I've never really met before.

"Oh. I figured you'd ask that. See, there was someone flying over my shrine, carrying you. You somehow slipped from their grip and fell down, where you landed on Marisa over there." Again, she pauses as I look toward the witch again, and it's only now I notice some cloth wrapped around her head, almost completely hidden by her witch's hat. I apologize wordlessly, and she responds in like kind. "Cirno, the girl you fought yesterday, does have something to say to you, however."

If it's anything like this morning, then, uh, no thanks. I'd prefer to keep my lips chaste.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shin." Reimu's voice was definitely confused, and as I looked towards Cirno, she was giving me the same confused look. If I didn't know any better, I'd confuse them for sisters.

Yeah, I'm pretty tired. If you don't mind, I'll just lay down again and rest, my head could use it.

"Well, sure, but I was only showing Cirno here how to do it. Here, Cirno, you do it."

I sat up, allowing Reimu to move out of position and help Cirno into it. I laid down again, and felt a refreshing cooling feeling come from the fairy. Odd, really, I thought fairies were mythical beings that actually didn't exist. But then again, with all the bullshit that village taught, I wouldn't be surprised if that's wrong too.

The shrine maiden spoke up again. "So Cirno, all you need to do is concentrate your ice into the fan, and I'll blow it towards him."

I fell asleep to those words and the cool air.

---

"Hey Reimu! Why didn't you tell him about what Cirno wanted to do?" Marisa's voice was firm, but quiet, as she tried not to wake up Shin.

Reimu responded back with a retort of her own. "That's why you're a witch and not a shrine maiden. If someone's confused and tired, let him sleep without too much on their mind." Reimu shook her head, and then continued. "I still can't believe you told Cirno to use the power of love."

Marisa held her hands up as if to defend herself. "C'mon, Reimu. I didn't know the context; I thought Cirno wanted to beat the guy up, not actually show appreciation."

"That's how distorted your mind is."

Cirno silently carried out her duty without talking, though it never really occurred to her that the cold air the fan would give, coupled with her body heat (or was it cold?), would cause the person she had on her lap to easily catch hypothermia. Then again, Reimu and Marisa were arguing with each other, so they didn't notice either. There was really only one person that could help Shin now.

And she dropped him.

Keine walked up to the trio, but because they were so busy arguing or taking care of Shin, Keine had to audibly clear her throat to make her presence known.

"I've never seen you around here before," Reimu noted. "What's your name?"

"Keine Kamishirasawa."

"Hold on," Marisa interjected, "aren't you what the humans in the human village call their protector? Kamishirasawa, I think."

Keine nodded. "That's me." She sidestepped quickly to the right, dodging a few thrown amulets coming from Reimu.

Reimu was incensed when she heard the woman in front of her was the village protector, the one who had been slandering her own name to the humans there. "So why are you here, rumor-spreader?" Her tone was as bitter as the tea she normally drank.

"I'm here to thank you for nearly killing a certain someone." Keine motioned with her eyes over to the sleeping Shin, who was beginning to turn blue from the cold emitted by Cirno. Panic beset Reimu's face as she realized what Keine alluded to and her anger left her as she rushed to Shin's aid.

Marisa noticed something was odd, and pulled out her Trigram Reactor, and pointed it at Keine, who now had Shin over her shoulders. "What are you?"

"I wouldn't hurt an innocent if I were you. Put it down." Keine's smile annoyed Marisa, but she complied. Keine turned around and began to walk away, but she stopped at the loft of the stairs and turned her head back towards the angry witch and miko.

"Oh, and by the way?"

"What is it, rumor-spreader?" Reimu set her stance into the ground, ready to leap at Keine should she get the opportunity. Cirno landed in front of her, readying her wings as if to throw them, while Marisa affixed the reactor to her broom, ready to ride it at the village guardian.

"This never happened~"

Keine walked down the stairs, smiling to herself. In a few seconds, the three would wonder what they were doing, and that poor fairy would be the victim. One less threat to her village would make this trip worth it.

---

While Keine hadn't noticed, I actually woke up around the time she reached the stairs. I kept pretending to sleep until she stopped and laid me down. I pretended to wake up after a couple of rolls on Keine's part, and as I stretched, I looked around to see the Field of Summer. It was where I had first met Mokou.

I turned my head back to Keine, where I could tell she had just noticed I had just awoken. Keine chuckled to herself, then looked down and smiled at me. "I'm sorry for dropping you earlier. I didn't realize you were still asleep when you..." Keine's voice trailed off, and she looked away to hide her blush. I decided I didn't want to know. I knew I moved around a lot while asleep, so I could already guess a couple of reasons why she would have dropped me...wait, dropped me?

Either way, her blush was gone quickly, as I could see when Keine turned back toward me with a grin. "So?" So? "So, what do you want to do today? You don't have to stay cooped up in Mokou's house if you don't want to. Anywhere you want to go, I'll take you there. I'll show you that the rest of Gensokyo isn't that bad of a place at all!"

The cheeriness in Keine's voice struck me as odd, but I passed that thought over as I mulled over her offer for a while. Only then did I realize I'd never gone out of the village or Mokou's house to somewhere else. I didn't really know of any places.

I asked Keine to give me some time to think about it, and on approval I immediately called for Seikatsu.

"Yeah?

You've been around Gensokyo a few times, haven't you?

"Yup. Let me guess, you want me to pick your destination."

That sounds about right. Since you know so much about it, and I'm relatively clueless, you'd know where you'd like to go.

Seikatsu hummed to herself while I waited. I didn't want to keep Keine waiting, though, and I let Seikatsu know about it.

"Alright then." There was a slight pause, which worried me. "We're going to..."

Pick up to 3:
[ ] Stay in the Field of Summer
[ ] Misty Lake
[ ] Human Village (disguised)
[ ] Scarlet Devil Mansion
[ ] Kourindou
[ ] Forest of Magic

Please specify any activities in each location you select. Questions posed to Keine or to Seikatsu are permissible as well.

Oh, and these questions are guaranteed for the next post, so don't bother voting for these:
[~] "Wasn't I at Mokou's house before? Why am I here?"
[~] "Why are you taking such a vested interest in me, Keine?"
[~] "And why did Mokou take me in?"

[Ⓓ]Stay in the Field of Summer
[Ⓝ]Look for a nice spot to sit and enjoy the weather with Keine.
[Ⓕ]Chat with the teacher, at the same time observing Seikatsu's reactions. How much exactly does Seikatsu know about her?


On an unrelated note, if Seikatsu does not get a cat-form of her own later on, I am going to be very disappointed.

>>22067
I do apologize, but your vote contains things that Shin has no idea about.

The two areas in particular are:
-[x] Make a point to talk to the lovely gateguard politely.

This one, I think, contains the most blatant metaknowledge. The gatekeeper is not known by Shin at all, and keep in mind Seikatsu is only suggesting the locations but Shin is the one coming up with the questions. Even if Seikatsu would know there's a gatekeeper here, Shin only asked for the location.

-[x] Ask if this is Cirno's turf after realizing how cold it is.

Nowhere is it stated that Misty Lake is cold, particularly because that has not been featured as a location as of yet.

>>22066
Why a cat form?

>>22075
Oh, just that Seikatsu reminds me greatly of Em from Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings, is all.

[x] Misty Lake
-[x] Enjoy the scenery
-[x] Ask Keine why Reimu called her a rumor spreader.
-[x] Ask Keine about things of note in this area.
[x] Kourindou
-[x] Ask both about the man and shop.
-[x] Hang the shop, talking with Kourin
-[x] Look for anything useful/interesting.
[x] Scarlet Devil Mansion
-[x] Ask both about the area, listen to it
-[x] Ask both about the people.
-[x] See how the trip goes from there.

[Ⓓ]Stay in the Field of Summer
[Ⓝ]Look for a nice spot to sit and enjoy the weather with Keine.
[Ⓕ]Chat with the teacher, at the same time observing Seikatsu's reactions. How much exactly does Seikatsu know about her?

There's something I must have understood wrong.
I though that Seikatsu didn't have any form.
When did it gained a cat form?

>>22156
It hasn't

>>22156
I think the cat form was mentioned by >>22066 because I had mentioned Seikatsu using her claws as a weapon last update.

New update coming tomorrow.

>>22161
It's tomorrow!

>>22166
Here ya go.

---

[x]Stay in the Field of Summer
- [x]Look for a nice spot to sit and enjoy the weather with Keine.
- [x]Chat with the teacher, at the same time observing Seikatsu's reactions. How much exactly does Seikatsu know about her? (Ongoing)

"When you think about it, Shin, you really don't know where anything is. Don't you think Keine should know that too?"

What's your point, Seikatsu?

"I'm saying, she should know you don't know anything about the outside; she said so herself. If I were you, I'd stay here and carry a conversation, but, just so you know, I don't trust her in the slightest."

And my ability's telling me you're not telling me everything Seikatsu. I won't press you right now, but you'll have to tell me the truth some time.

And so I picked an area and both Keine and I laid down, facing the sky. The azure color of 'the great beyond' was a nice hue to take in, especially because all I had seen over the past 24 hours was white, red, grey, silver, and navy. And those aren't colors that people usually enjoy looking at.

---=---

"What did you want to talk about, Shin," Keine questioned. Oh yeah, that's right. I said I wanted to take a few things off my mind. Obviously, the first issue at hand was my location. How in the world did I end up asleep at Mokou's house only to wake up at Reimu's shrine?

"Well, I got into a little argument with Mokou over how she was treating you." I had already turned toward Keine, but Keine had only just now turned to look toward me. While I wanted to stare at her womanly body, I couldn't help but fix my eyes on her hat, which still hadn't moved even though she was pretty much lying down. "Basically, I get a chance to prove to Mokou I can do a better job of taking care of you."

Great, so this is some sort of game between you two, where I'm the prize.

"Don't think of it like that, Shin. It's not a game to us, we both care for you. Mokou and I may say things to each other that we don't mean, but overall we both have your interests at heart." I agreed outwardly and disagreed inwardly. You can't have someone's best interests at heart when you don't even know that someone. "Besides, unlike what Mokou said, I DO have a home in the village. It...IS small, though, and it's also unlivable in at the moment."

That's not what concerns me. What is it about me anyways that has you two bickering with each other? I thought you were friends?

Keine closed her eyes. "Well, we are. You can't bicker with someone and expect them to be your friends unless you're friends already. It's criticism that keeps a friendship going."

I pondered that statement for a bit. Criticism keeps a friendship going? How can that be?

Keine answered me back. "If you're always friendly with everyone, how do you know those bonds will pass the test when events, both good and bad, happen? Can you really trust someone you can't argue with?"

Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense. I still don't agree with it. In addition, I think there's a question that she hasn't answered yet, and I think it's more important.

"It's not like I know what Mokou's thinking, but for me, you're a student of mine. Of course I have an interest in how you're doing. It's not a teacher's obligation, but I make it my own. Each and every person I teach is like a son or daughter to me, and I can't just ignore someone I've put time and effort into." Keine's smile tries to mentally embrace me in combination with her inviting demeanor, but my power knows better: she's telling a half-truth.

[ ] Stay the course
- [ ] Be gentle
- [ ] Lash out
[ ] Pass the time aimlessly
- [ ] Keep talking
- [ ] Enjoy the sunlight
[ ] Pay a visit to the Human Village (Disguised)
- [ ] Check out Keine's home
- [ ] Gather information

[x] Stay the course
- [x] Be gentle

[Ⓡ] Stay the course
- [Ⓔ] Be gentle
Now later, if possible:
[Ⓐ] Pay a visit to the Human Village (Disguised)
- [Ⓥ] Check out Keine's home

[x] Stay the course
- [x] Be gentle

What am I thinking? I think Shin is an homunculus, designed by Eirin Mad Scientist Industry and Co.

I'm going to call a temporary halt to my updates, I'm battling quite a deep sickness that's actually stopped my fingers from moving the way I want it to.

I'll update as soon as I can, but typing through a proxy is difficult enough.

>>22264

Get well soon, mate.

>>22264
Yeah, get well soon mate.
I want to read your story.

[ ] Stay the course
- [ ] Be gentle

I don't want to raise suspicion. I'm worried about what makes me unique: my spellcards and my power. So I press Keine about powers in general.

"That's simple, Shin. Humans normally don't get one, when almost everyone else does. You know that already, don't you?"

Then I go ahead with spellcards.

"Same goes. Powers denote the ability to create spellcards, whether or not your power is ordinary or world-breaking."

I ask Keine to provide an example for me.

"I'm a human, Shin, remember?" Keine's eyebrows raise, but not as high as I expected. It's almost as if she's actively trying to keep her hat on, and she doesn't want to do anything to knock it off.

I smile and respond in kind.

"Well, humans who get powers are usually... important to a community of people, or influential to at least one non-human community."

The smile intensifies. I point out that she let me know that she taught classes with youkai mixed in with the humans.

"But that doesn't make me..."

I also point to the fact that Keine's considered the village guardian from everyone in the village, whether it is true or not.

Keine sighs and turns back to me, her smile slightly fading. "Alright, you got me. I do have spellcards."

So, can I see one? I want to practice in case a youkai attacks me.

Keine's smile returns. "Sure." But before anything, she takes off her hat, pulls out a spellcard, and hands it to me.

Confused, I query as to its purpose.

"It's for you. You can't fight a youkai if you don't have a spellcard of your own." Damn it. Well, I can claim ignorance and get off scot-free.

"So you've never actually fought a youkai before? Well, I guess it's a good thing you found out about it before anything else. First off, you should create a pattern. Are you familiar with that?" Keine's voice is nostalgic. I believe the last time I heard this way of speaking was back when I was part of her class.

I deny any knowledge of the fact, contrary to the reality of it.

"Hmm. Alright, let me help you."

Time passes by quickly as she gets me re-introduced as to how to set up a spellcard. She shows me the ins and outs, and I have to keep up an interested look so as to fool her about my pre-knowledge. After a while, though, she's done, I'm done, and we're ready to start our battle. Keine walks to an appointed spot, while I move to my directed spot.

"The methodology of organized battles states that each person declares how many spellcards we're using. To declare them, simply move them from your collection to in front of your head. They'll disappear and be marked for this duel," Keine concludes.

Both Keine and I do so with one spellcard, but then I decide to push my luck and pull out another spellcard. Keine looks over to me, a questioning look on her face.

"Why do you have another one?"

I respond, reluctantly (as planned) that the shrine maiden gave me one, knowingly lying to Keine. Keine takes the answer, and adds another spellcard.


Protective Village Guardian
Keine Kamishirasawa

vs.

Seeker of Ebullient Truth
Shin Matsuya


"Firstly, each of us declares our spellcard. The goal is that we use our spellcard to try to use it to break the influence of our opponent's spellcard. Here, look at me and I'll show you how it's done."

Keine touches her hat, which pulls out a spellcard in front of her face. She then spins it sideways in place, which lets it rise. As it reaches the same level as her hat, she calls out her spellcard's name.

Light Sign 「Amaterasu」

The spellcard splinters into many fragments, and on reaching the ground they change the atmosphere. I can clearly see the duel walls this time, since we're on a field with small hills and waving grass instead of a forest with a mixture of trees and bamboo poles. I copy Keine's actions, though for me I pull out the spellcard from a pocket in my tool belt, something I'm surprised I'm still wearing.

Construction Sign 「Building of the 300-Year Wall」

I'd rather use what I'm familiar with rather than something I'm not. My side of the field changes, and my tools are ready to be made. But even before I materialize my wrench and screwdriver, the two tools I throw forward, her attack begins suddenly, with lasers of light aimed towards my general vicinity. I spin to my right to avoid the first batch, and as I finish my spin, I throw the wrench and screwdriver.

"Oh, that's rare. You know how to move within a duel chamber already."

I just thought about dodging, and I did, Keine. If there's supposed to be some restriction, I don't feel it.

My problems have only begun, however. I threw the tools towards what I thought was Keine, but looking forward was as blinding as looking directly at the sun. I had no choice but to throw my tools smartly, hoping to catch Keine before she caught me.

While materializing my saw and hammer, I try to get back to where I started, and on doing so, throw the tools backward. The first explosion commences right on schedule, and suddenly the laser firing stops. I look forward, and I see why: Keine is actively dodging my bullets, but it seems the firing isn't coming from her, but from a slave of light rotating around her. The slave is having trouble keeping up due to the large amounts of grazing Keine is doing, which keeps her focused on defense instead of offense. So, I press the assault.

I recreate my wrench and screwdriver, and throw it forward again. This time, all four of my tools explode at the same time, while the saw and hammer are just being thrown again immediately after the explosion. I wonder though: why isn't Keine coming closer to me? That's the card's weakness, and I'm pretty sure a veteran like her knows that, but there has to be a reason why she's ignoring it and choosing to dodge all those bullets instead.

I don't have time to think anymore, as Keine's resumed firing. Seems she's been using that time to figure out how my pattern works, and now she's just aiming the lasers at me. I decide to try something fancy, and create my chisel and mallet, and throw them upwards toward the sky. I continue with my pattern, barely dodging the lasers and sometimes getting hit, but I know Keine will be in for a big surprise. Sure enough, the chisel and mallet hit the boundary in the ceiling, explode, and instead of creating their shape in danmaku, it showers down onto the battlefield. It's obvious I hit Keine, she stopped attacking for just a few seconds before starting again. But before long, my body gives out before my mind does, and my spellcard breaks, restoring my body's energy.

"That's a really innovative spellcard, Shin."

I ask if I did well for my first time.

"I'd say so. Though, you have to work on your attack speed. You'll want more projectiles if you want to compete with the youkai."

I point out my humanity. Keine's response is to loose her second spellcard.

Ambition Sign 「Masakado Crisis」

I do likewise, but with my new spellcard, hoping that it's good enough to help me win.

Mortal Sign 「Poe's Raven」

My body shifts me instantly toward the center of the battlefield, drawing the initiative from Keine. I create a five-point star around me. Once complete, I spin in place, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The star spins at the same rate I spin, and each second, the five tips fire five bullets at a time. As the bullets touch the walls, they turn into miniature Ravens, aiming directly at Keine. Unfortunately, by the time my bullets are ready, Keine's are as well. She has already started her pattern, creating her six slaves, three to each side of her, before they spin, firing bullets without stop. She also fires a slow but larger bullet, coinciding with the walls of bullets that each slave trio creates.

[ ] Spin counterclockwise to counter
[ ] Move with the star until it's right next to Keine, taking a few hits along the way.
[ ] Move back to my starting position.
[ ] Try to stop your spinning and jump the larger bullet. {Unlocked Option}

[X] Move with the star until it's right next to Keine, taking a few hits along the way.

This option contains the words 'right next to' and 'Keine', which is a combination I find too alluring to pass on.

[x] Try to stop your spinning and jump the larger bullet. {Unlocked Option}

[ ] Try to stop your spinning and jump the larger bullet. {Unlocked Option}

[X] Try to stop your spinning and jump the larger bullet. {Unlocked Option}

[ ] Try to stop your spinning and jump the larger bullet.

Even while spinning, I already knew that the bullet flying at me was way too high for me to jump as I was right now. I had to stop spinning if I wanted to jump it.

It didn't even occur to me to just dodge in-between the bullets by moving back to where I started from, or even switch the direction of my spin to try and destroy the bullet with my own. But it was fine. All I had to do was stop and jump. Stop and jump. How hard could it be?

---

"Are you alright, Shin?" Keine's voice filled my head. Wait, what happened? Why am I lying down now? I remember managing to stop, and attempting to jump over it...

"Well, you tried to jump a bullet of mine, and you tripped on it." It's only then I realize my head hurts really badly, and it's on Keine's lap. It's so painful I've yet still to open my eyes. Keine continued. "You ended up spinning again after the trip, and you hit your head hard on the hill over there." I bet she's pointing off to the hill, but I don't want to open my eyes yet. Looking at anything remotely bright wouldn't be a help to suppressing my aching head. Instead, I just nod.

"Sorry, Shin. I didn't expect danmaku to be that dangerous for you right now." Keine's tone was apologetic, but because I refused to open my eyes, I could sense a lot more about her actual motive in conjunction with my power.

I then realize that I've been out for more than a couple of hours; the sun isn't as bright as it used to be. Did Keine go through the cards in my belt pocket? I pretend to yawn and stretch, but while doing so, I rub my right arm against my belt pocket. Sure enough, there's nothing there, and I mentally facepalm because the cards only materialize when they're needed.

"How are you feeling, Shin," Keine asked. "Are you feeling better?" I retort jokingly that I wasn't feeling that much better since her thighs weren't soft enough, prompting a little pinch to my upturned ear by Keine. "That's not something you say to an elder, Shin. You know that." Her tone, however, belies the message from her words: she understood what I meant.

We stay for quite a while in what I assume still is the Field of Summer, but eventually the sun begins to set, and the pain is mostly gone. As I manage to open my eyes for the first time in a while, I reach up and find some bandages around my head. I wonder where she got them, but before that, I ask Keine about what she wants to do now. Keine shakes her head, much to my surprise.

"I really wanted to show you the things about Gensokyo that would make you feel at ease. But today, it's been one problem after another, and this was definitely what I didn't have in mind." Keine hugs me downward, which prevents me from seeing anything again. On the plus side, it's now nice and comfy. "I'm sorry, Shin. I wanted to prove I can take care of you better than Mokou, and I failed." I make muffling sounds to free myself from her hug, and turn to look up at Keine's face. There's a small tear that's falling down her eye, and I remove it before she can.

I take some time to think of what words to say, and once I'm ready, I begin.

[1/2] (You can choose a minimum of one.)
[ ] Console Keine and urge her to do better next time
[ ] Make a joke out of the experience and show you had fun
[ ] Highlight the positive and comparatively dismiss the negative

I pause. This last part is really important, and I don't want to mess it up with wasteful words. I want to hit straight to the point, but honestly convey Keine's role in my life at the same time.

[2/2] (Choose one of the emotions.)
[ ] "But,"
- [ ] Declare your intention to go back to Mokou tonight.
-- [ ] Gently ("I'm sorry Keine...")
-- [ ] Amiably ("Keine, for now...")
-- [ ] Brusquely ("I'll be going..."
[ ] "And,"
- [ ] Ask for her to try again sometime in the future.
-- [ ] Forcefully ("Oh please, Keine...")
-- [ ] Amicably ("I'm sure that you'll...")
-- [ ] Glimly ("Why do you talk that way...")

--------------------
A/N: I'm curious. Are these kinds of choices alright or are they too complex?

I was turned off by the idiosyncratic formatting, but then I came to see that both the content of the writing and the writing style models the jumbled nature of the character's mind.

[x] Highlight the positive and comparatively dismiss the negative

Because she didn't do anything wrong. Some of the things she introduces Shin to cause him pain, yes, but these are growing pains. They are necessary, and will come on their own if need be, but to be there as a support and as a guide when they occur is compassionate and chief in among matters of service.

[x] "And,"
- [x] Ask for her to try again sometime in the future.
-- [x] Forcefully ("Oh please, Keine...")

Because earnestness and forceful conviction cannot so easily be dismissed as platitudes or consolation. Keine needs to be convinced here not that Shin appreciates her company or the fact that she made her best effort or that he doesn't think any less of her for this 'failure', but that his time spent was educational and that the lessons he learned, or endeavors to learn, have real applicability and capture his boyish interests.

>A/N: I'm curious. Are these kinds of choices alright or are they too complex?

It's just right. It's sometimes feasible to replace 'complex' choice with a write-in, but as the dialogue of the protagonist is often implied, it may not fit your idiom.

[x] Highlight the positive and comparatively dismiss the negative
[x] "And,"
- [x] Ask for her to try again sometime in the future.
-- [x] Amicably ("I'm sure that you'll...")

[X] Console Keine and urge her to do better next time
[X] "And,"
- [X] Ask for her to try again sometime in the future.
-- [X] Amicably ("I'm sure that you'll...")

Just because I feel like sounding a little bit flirtatious.

The delay in the update is because I want to get the proper feeling into the post without making it sound, um, I guess "crappy".

Well, that, and it's Canadian Thanksgiving.

>>22499

That you're still alive is good enough news.

I lay in my bed, surprised by what had happened today. There was never a doubt in my mind that Keine was a teacher that cared for her students, and that Mokou was some odd and brash yet kind-hearted guy that allowed me a place in his life. It was today that I saw for myself why those two were such good friends: they complimented one another. I got to see Mokou's paternal side, and I got to see Keine's insecure side.

I'm back. Oh, Seikatsu. Where were you? I had wondered where Seikatsu had been the entire time I went through Keine and Mokou's ordeals (well, really, only Keine's was harrowing).

I decided to see how you fared handling something like that today. I'm pleased to say that you're very autonomous. Wait, hold on a second, Seikatsu. You're telling me that you wanted to see if I could function without you? Am I just a host for you to just leech off? To tell you the truth, I wasn't mad. I wasn't even anxious or annoyed, I was genuinely curious as to what the relationship between me and her really was.

Let's just say that Keine and Mokou aren't the only ones interested in your power, and I'm leaving it at that. Great.

Okay, fine, I get it. There's stuff you can't tell me. I turned to my side, turning towards the glass window, which was facing the forest. But did I do the right thing? What do you mean? I feel like I'm two-timing them, even though I'm not dating either one of them.

Seikatsu started to laugh, and she laughed so hard that she couldn't stand in my mind's eye and just fell. I was about to get angry, but I knew that I was a man and she was a woman. There was no way that both of us would always understand each other. You were so funny! You sounded like you were confessing to Keine! I...what? What are you talking about?

Well, let's see. How about your "I'm sure that you'll do better next time!" while giving her a wink, huh? My face grew red-hot as I recalled that particular line. I had been completely serious at diverging her attention from the negative to the positive, and I had figured that some flirting was necessary to lighten the mood before I finished my talk. Keine didn't respond the way I expected; she was rather bashful, and after I was finished even surprised me before she took me back to Mokou's house.

And what about Mokou? Oh dear. I know what's coming. The way you cried and hugged him, telling him "You're like the dad I never had"? That was even better! When I got back, I had been half-expecting Mokou to be angry with me choosing Keine over him today, but he wasn't. In fact, he apologized for just overlooking me and that things had come up, but he was willing to make things right if that's what it took for me and him to be on an equal footing. It was a stark contrast to the way my dad had told the village elder about my supposed untrustworthiness, right in front of my face. I couldn't help myself; I was so overcome from Keine's final farewell and Mokou's words that I started crying, hugged him, and just said it.

Seikatsu, don't push me. I could barely hold back the laughter as I spoke those words to her, but somehow I did and finished my train of thought. For all you know, I might swoon you and sweep you off your feet, 'Princess', before I make passionate love to you under the moonlight. Now, normally, I'm pretty sure I'd get slapped for such a comment, but Seikatsu got it and started blushing and laughing almost as quickly as she had ended her previous chortle.

In fact, we teased each other quite a bit that night, and it wasn't until 4 a.m. that we both fell asleep.


What do you want to see?
[~] The event with Shin and Keine (Contained in the next post)
[ ] The event with Shin and Mokou
[ ] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno
[ ] No more events, just start the new day already!
- [ ] And there aren't any spellcards I need to purify, too!

----

Re: Day-Ending Events

At the end of each day, you get a chance to pick an event. The format won't be in the viewpoint of one character, but will be a standard narration, just like >>21737. Sometimes you'll get to pick more than one, sometimes you'll get to pick only one. The choice can play a part in determining the route and ending.

[x] Highlight the positive and comparatively dismiss the negative
[x] "And, I'm sure that you'll..." (Amicably)

The Field of Summer, or the Aurora Valley, as it is called by many youkai, is so called because it is always bright, and is one of the last places where the the sun visibly sets. In fact, Rumia sometimes called this place home.

But even with all the beauty around them, Shin and Keine were focused on each other. It wasn't as if they were in love with each other, but you wouldn't know it by the way they were positioned. Shin was lying on Keine's lap, having his hair stroked gently by Keine's free hand, while Shin's left hand removed a teardrop that had escaped Keine's reddening eye.

"Keine, I want to be open with you." Shin's voice cracked a bit, as he hadn't fully regained consciousness, but he continued after a short pause. "I want to be truthful to you, but I can't if you're not going to be truthful to me too, alright?" Keine closed her eyes, sending more tears down her face, but nodded in response, unwilling to say anymore lest she hurt him any more than she already believed she had.

"Good. First of all, I didn't mind the time we shared. Sure, it probably was how you planned it to go, but remember, Keine, something you said when I was in your class before? You said, 'When we make plans, we always have to remember that plans aren't the end of our planning.' Sure, plans don't happen the way we want it too. It's a fact of life. But does that change our intentions? Sooner or later, your intentions are going to come out, and I feel it did. You wanted me to see outside my shelters, something I'll admit I took for granted the first time you mentioned it."

Keine nodded. She knew already what he meant, but her mind took her back anyway to the time where she had visited him one day back in the village. She had come with the intention to show Shin the world outside the village, but he had been dismissive, and almost completely rude to Keine. On Shin's side, Keine had picked the absolute worst day to show up, as he had a full backlog that day since his dad had gotten sick, leaving both of their workloads to the younger. Finishing it would take almost the full workday (that is, the time from when the sun rose to the time the sun set) and then 1 or 2 hours after that. He was almost sorry that he had snapped at Keine, but duty was first before himself.

But that was then, and this was now. Shin was no longer a member of the village, Keine was no longer just a mere teacher, and both of them were alone. This was different. Shin had a new understanding ever since his own personal journey, and Keine had found a new respect for responsibility.

Not giving Keine a chance to speak, Shin continued, while looking serenely at the setting sky. "I really just want to say thanks, Keine. In the end, you ended up letting me experience a day out of my comfort zone, and it was a pleasant surprise." Shin turned to look up at Keine again, only this time with a small, mischievous smirk. "And I bet that if you tried again the next time you come, I might be a lot more receptive." Shin's smirk intensified as he continued. "Well, assuming you don't drop me."

Keine's face reddened. Someway, somehow, Shin had figured out what had happened during Keine's flight to the village. After concluding her argument with Mokou, Keine had marched over to Shin's room, picked him up bridal-style, and carried him out of the house. A small chase with Mokou insued, but Keine got away. Unfortunately, in the commotion, she had snapped Shin out of a deep sleep, and being half-conscious, had reached out for Keine's breasts, thinking them to be someone else. In panic, she put her hands defensively in front of them, causing her to drop Shin right over Hakurei Shrine.

"Th..That was your fault!" As she said this, she again put her hands defensively over her breasts, but this time calmed down quicker than she had earlier. "So, Shin, what you're saying is that-"

Shin interrupted her with a friendly nod and a smile. "Yes, Keine. I'm sure that you'll do better next time. I'm looking forward to another lesson with you." And, as a bonus, Shin winked at Keine, with a smile that showed he was teasing her.

Keine lost her ability to speak momentarily as her already flushed face became even more red, and instead of breaths all one could hear coming out of her mouth was stammers, giggles, and pointed stares, all happening at the same time. When she had calmed down enough to talk coherently, she refused to do so, only nodding bashfully in response.

It took only a few minutes after that for Keine to have Shin ready to take off and ready to return back 'home'.

[Ⓘ] The event with Shin and Mokou
[♡] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno
[Ⓚ] No more events, just start the new day already!

As previously forewarned.

[X] The event with Shin and Mokou
[X] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno

>The way you cried and hugged him, telling him "You're like the dad I never had"?
Oh god what.

>It was a stark contrast to the way my dad had told the village elder about my supposed untrustworthiness, right in front of my face.
Untrustworthy? When Shin gave up the chance to wander around the countryside to do his work and your work too? This is approaching Gendo level parenting.

[x] The event with Shin and Mokou
- [x] And there aren't any spellcards I need to purify, too!

"You are the dad I never had"
Priceless.

[X] The event with Shin and Mokou
[X] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno

[x] The event with Shin and Mokou

Hilarity.

[x] The event with Shin and Mokou
[x] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno
- [x] And there aren't any spellcards I need to purify, too!

[x] The event with Shin and Mokou
[x] The event with Reimu, Marisa, and Cirno
[x] No more events, just start the new day already!
- [x] And there aren't any spellcards I need to purify, too!

Wall me.

>Unfortunately, in the commotion, she had snapped Shin out of a deep sleep, and being half-conscious, had reached out for Keine's breasts, thinking them to be someone else. In panic, she put her hands defensively in front of them, causing her to drop Shin right over Hakurei Shrine.

I wonder what or who Shin was dreaming of... though Keine has some "grade A Meatbuns" in blazblue speak.

>>22557
More like a typical gensokyo native freaking out when their kid has a particularly strong talent. Folks assume the worse out of people with certain abilities (Yamame, Hina, Satori).

Though things are going to get really awkward once Mokou's real gender is revealed.

>>22580
>I wonder what or who Shin was dreaming of...

Black cat reminds me of James Rolfe.

Aiyah! I knew I forgot something.
I'll have the update in a few hours.

I knew I forgot something when I left on that training retreat.

Hooray!

[=] Stand your ground. Mokou's a good person.

On the way back to Mokou's house, Shin was struck with a thought: how would Mokou react? Keine and Mokou, according to how he understood it, didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Shin parlayed his concern to Keine, but he was greeted with a smile.
"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Shin. Mokou may be brash, but..."

Shin finished her sentence for her. "Mokou's kind on the inside too?"

Shin received a slight rap on the head for the interruption, but a quick nod for the confirmation.

For Mokou's part, she had been anticipating Shin's return as well. When Keine snuck Shin out of the house, Mokou hadn't noticed it until Keine had opened the door. The distance between them was just enough to get Keine in the air, flying over the cliffs that the day before had nearly claimed one of Mokou's infinite lives. With Mokou's inability to fly, the chase was over as fast as it had started.

Mokou had spent the next couple of hours doing some introspection, and realized that she hadn't actually been hospitable to Shin. Sure, he had lodging and food, but it wasn't as if there was much in the way of talk between them. Keine had known him longer, and Mokou was sure she had her own reasons for letting him stay here instead of in the village. In fact, Mokou was almost sure that Keine was instrumental in having him kicked out of the village; it was way too convenient. But that was beside the point. Anything involving Keine could wait. Shin was the main goal, and if she didn't want any defections, it was up to her to make sure that he felt at home.

Of course, Shin had no idea what was awaiting him at his destination.

---

Keine had dropped Shin off close to the front gate of the house, but left as quickly as she had come, citing an emergency back at the village. It was obviously untrue, but it wasn't hard to ascertain the reason anyway. Shin took a breath, then moved up to the door and knocked on it. While waiting, he wondered what Mokou would look when "he" would see him (after all, the only male parental figure he had known was his dad, and he wasn't exactly the best example of parenting). And, as Shin had feared, Mokou was standing at the open door, holding what seemed to be a disapproving frown on "his" face. Mokou motioned Shin inside wordlessly, and Shin couldn't help but juxtapose Mokou's face with his dad's as he entered the house.

Once inside, both parties realized the atmosphere and the tension, though neither seemed sure what to do about it at first.

Finally, Mokou spoke up. "How was it." There was no hint of emotion in her voice, and Shin sighed in anticipation of the near future.

"How was what, Mokou?"

Mokou turned her back to him and responded with a grunt: "Keine."

This conversation wasn't going to go anywhere fast if he took the bait, so Shin continued to provide polite answers while aiming to 'please' Mokou. "Well, for one, she dropped me. I ended up being rescued by the shrine maiden."

Admittedly, this wasn't what Mokou was expecting. She had only dealt with men in an abrupt and brash way, if only to prevent them from latching on to her in a romantic way. The responses she gave were just the results of her many years of conditioning, and it wasn't going to change any time soon. "And."

"Well, Keine found me, and we spent some time in the Field of Summer, and had a fight." Shin suddenly realized he was off the floor, and before he knew it Mokou had thrown him into the wall, not unlike what his father had done in a drunken rage two weeks before.

"A fight? Did she ever do THAT!" Mokou spit her words toward Shin, to which Shin winced. Mokou took a step forward, and then suddenly stopped, in realization of what she was about to do. Shin looked up to see a face twisted in comfort and pain, which started to speak. "I can't do this, Shin. I can't be this mean. I can't..." Shin, despite what had happened, rushed to Mokou's side as she fell to one knee, her stoic mask being flooded by her instincts and the fact that this time, a man was her goal.

"What's wrong, Mokou?" Shin was still wary, however, and while he was close to Mokou he had his free hand in a defensive position. However, the fight was completely gone from Mokou, and as proof tears started to fall from her face. Shin, sensing the change in mood, lowered his guard and held the teary-eyed Mokou in a hug. They stayed in that position for a good 30 minutes, long enough for the moonlight to trickle into the house.

"Look, Mokou." Shin cleared his throat, then started speaking again. "I don't know you, you don't know me. We've known each other for practically three days, and already, this is a bad start. I won't lie, that really hurt when you threw me into that wall, just like I probably hurt you by spending all this time with Keine." Mokou's head slightly bobs at this statement, and Shin continues. "Okay, so we got off to a bad start. That doesn't mean we can't change." Shin was now in autopilot, repeating the same words he had echoed to his dad after any particular drinking day. "As long as we start over, we can right the wrongs between us. What do you say, da- I mean, Mokou?"

Mokou's thoughts were anything but confused, most of them seemed to say the same thing: 'Treat him differently.' Unfortunately, the one that didn't was the loudest. "D-did you just call me dad?"

"Well, yeah." Shin was trying to save face, trying to not let Mokou notice his slip-up. "Mokou, you're a guy, and while it may not have been the most ideal way to obtain it, you allowed me to have free lodging and free meals. Just by that alone, you're better than my dad is on a bad day. But obviously, that's not enough. I want you to be better than my dad is on a good day, too."

Mokou, despite having completely heard the male comment by Shin, was all ears, ready to put into practice whatever it was that Shin asked. "How do I do that?"

"Well for starters," Shin answered pensively, "you can start by eating together with me even when Keine isn't here. That way, you don't have to prove something to her; it's you."

'But that's not me!' almost escaped Mokou's lips, but, for the first time, she may have obtained some self-control over her mouth. The first time in over eight hundred years. "W-well, I can try. Don't expect me to get it right on the first go, though!"

Shin's smile answered her back. "Of course. But for now, we should get to sleep. We can talk about it in the morning." Mokou nodded and slipped away from Shin's arms, standing up and walking off to head upstairs. But before she could even touch the first step, Shin asked "him" to wait.

As soon as Mokou did, Shin hugged her from behind with tears in his eyes. "I want you to be like the dad I nev-no, that's not right. You ARE the dad I never had. Don't forget that, alright?"

Mokou nodded, Shin let go, and she slowly traisped up the stairs. Shin waited until he couldn't see Mokou any longer, and then went to his room. What Shin didn't know was that Mokou had stopped at the top and had been looking at Shin as he waited and then walked off. "So," Mokou whispered under her breath, "you think I'm a guy. Well, that's perfect, then. That solves the problem of you being another one of those...men. You won't rape me if you don't think I'm a woman." Mokou turned around and headed straight for her room.

>You won't rape me if you don't think I'm a woman.

Interesting.

D'awwwww

Shin, a great sage in a boy's body.

Mokou's giving Shin far less credit than what he's due... and he'll find out sooner or later about things.

On a side note, I'd think he'd get along with Satori quite well.

pɐʎ ɟonɹ: ʍɥʎ ɐuɐǝsʇɥǝsıɐ doɹʞ nd ʎopǝן

~Next Thread >>22685

I'll post the Cirno short afterwards.
I encountered a block while writing it and decided to continue the story instead of delaying posting for one week, but I'll still post it here when I'm done.

"This never happened."

As Keine turned again to leave, her power kicked in. Cirno, Reimu, and Marisa had forgotten completely about Keine and Shin having been there, and were dazed and confused for a few minutes. After the disorientation, there was really only one question left on their minds.

"Why are the spellcard duel walls up?"

--

Cirno fell down, exhausted from the fight she had had with Marisa and Reimu. The miko and witch had initially teamed up against Cirno, who had actively tried to freeze as many bullets as she could, but one stray charm Reimu had shot had accidentally hit Marisa, who was charging up a Master Spark. This turned the two friendly rivals against each other, with the ice fairy taking advantage of the situation. At the end of it all, all three parties realized what they had been doing and laughed off the tension, enjoying the little bit of time they had spent together.

Cirno, in particular, had more than a little fun. Sure, her brain was configured like most fairies, in which she usually thought of pranks not unlike how humans think of breakfast: it's something that happens in the morning, it's fun, and there's no real consequence most of the time. However, after having been beaten by both Reimu and Marisa twice, Cirno wanted to see why everyone else seemed to gravitate to them. Besides pranks and eating iceberries, there really wasn't much that she could do; any time she had spent with any Daiyousei would be practically erased after either's faux extermination, and a fairy spending time with a human would seem like a prank to anyone else, keeping her fairly safe and free. It was flawless!

And as long as she stayed friendly with the two 'figures', then she'd be definitely alright.

"Let's do this again, Marisa, Reimu. And next time I'll be the strongest too!"

=Cirno Happy End=

---------------------------------------------

All side characters have a happy/okay/bad end, but most of the time their actual end has no further implication on the story. There are exceptions (like Cirno) however.