Link to the old thread:

>>30629

And here's your current inventory and personal statistics:

Merchandise in dimensional bag:
Cellphone strap accessories (8)
Lighter (2)
Deck of Cards (1)
Full body armor (1)
Jenga Game (1)
Yo-Yo (1)
Department Store Catalogue (1)
Nice hat (1)
Pumpkin (1)
Sweater (1)
Herbs and leaves tea set (2)
Exorcism Arrow (RESERVED, 1)
Fireproof Clothes (RESERVED, 1)
Blank Spell Cards x3
Hakurei Charm x12
Handheld Electric Fan x1
Pair of (rocket?) Roller Skates x1
Extendable arm x1
Doohickey x1
Optical Camouflage prototype x1

Orders and requests:
Superboy XL (Rinnosuke)
Keep an eye out for a manual sewing machine (Alice)

Personal items on hand:
Grappling hook (Consists of hook and rope, 1)
Toolkit (Screwdriver, flashlight, bottle opener, simple knife (non-combat), campfire starter)
Food Rations
25,250 yen
Blade
Map of Gensokyo

Seals:
[Seal 1P] Arm Strength
[Seal 2P] Leg Strength
[Seal 3P] Locked
[Seal 4P] Locked
<Seal 1M> Fire
<Seal 2M> Water
<Seal 3M> Locked
<Seal 4M> Locked

Abilities Unlocked:
LUCK x3 (Put in front of a choice to make our hero more fortunate for the next turn. At least 4 people have to select this for it to activate, but the options selected do not have to be the same)

Spell Cards:
Spiritual Strike Talisman (System)

Known Merchants:
House of Kirisame (General goods)
Kourindou (Antiques, Variety, Basic Identification)
Kappa’s Bazaar (Various goods, mainly technological and literary in nature, food court)
Made by Nitori (Technological goods, technological repairs, located in Kappa’s Bazaar)
Fall’s Bounty (Seasonal Food – Autumn, located in Kappa’s Bazaar)

God dammit Marisa.

[x] Have Marisa take you to her shop.
--[x] "Keep it if you want, but only if you bring me back to the village after we're done. I don't want to be prey to whatever is out in the forest at night."

May as well check it out if we have the chance... Sadly, Marisa's place is the best place to have unknow treasures collecting dust.

But only if she agree to bring us back to the village after. No way we're paying twice to come and then back to the village. If she refuses, then to the village.

>>31440

Given that she managed to scrounge up the Sword Of Kusanagi while hunting for scrap metal as a child and while she never threw away the pile of trash she gathered, she also never realised just what she had found with it, yeah.

While I want to check out Hisoutensoku, I have to vote for:

[]Marisa's Messy Magic Mart

[x] Go and check out Hisoutensoku with Nitori

Fucking Marisa. I told you guys she would do that shit if we didn't shut her down. And now she wants to force us into considering a ride as payment? I say fuck you; take the yo-yo and get out.

[x] Have Marisa take you to her shop

More Marisa is always good.

[x] Have Marisa take you to her shop

[x] Have Marisa take you to her shop

Marisa's bound to have some useful things lying around.

[x] Go and check out Hisoutensoku with Nitori.

[x] Go and check out Hisoutensoku with Nitori

I don't trust merchants who attempt to flat out steal from other merchants.

[x] Have Marisa take you to her shop

“You know, your shop is still the only one on my list that I haven’t checked out. If it’s still alright with you, would you be willing to let me see what you’ve got?”

Marisa apparently wasn’t expecting this line of inquiry from you, as she only gives you a blank looks at first. Soon afterwards, a smile comes back onto her face.

“Ah, so now you’re interested in what I have? I thought you didn’t want to associate with a thief like me.”

“I don’t mind associating with you; I just wish you would stop trying to steal from me. It’s very rude.”

“I’m not stealing, I’m only borrowing. You can have everything I’ve taken back after I die.”

“What if I die before you do?”

“Well then you aren’t going to need any of this stuff anymore, now will you?”

You continue on like this for a while, waving goodbye to a grinning Nitori as you follow the young witch out of the bazaar. It goes on like this for a while, up until the point where you realize that you are currently riding on a broom behind said witch.

“Whoa, when did we get so high up?” you ask in surprise, gripping onto the broom underneath you.

“Geez, pay more attention to what’s happening around you, will ya?” Marisa says as she guides the broom forward. You notice that despite you misgivings about her personalities, she is very quick when it comes to flight. You can already see the human village below you, and you can see the forest of magic spread out behind it.

“We’ll be at my place in a few minutes,” Marisa tells you, “so get ready to be amazed by what you see!”

Well at least you are making good time. You try to make yourself comfortable on the broom and try not to think about falling off. After about 30 seconds of this you decide that maybe having your mind focus on something else would probably take your mind off of falling to your death. You decide to take in the scenery instead, and you have to admit that the land from this height is breathtaking. The land is just beautiful, something that you would probably never get tired of looking at.

As you cast your gaze out, you notice something in the air behind you. You keep your eye on it and realize that it’s probably following you and Marisa. It’s too far away to make out exactly what it is, but you’re pretty sure that it looks like some sort of person flying after you, making sure to keep their distance.

[ ] Point it out to Marisa
[ ] Shout at it to get its attention
[ ] It’s not causing any harm, let it do what it wants

[x] It’s not causing any harm, let it do what it wants

Lets not start shit now. Our stalker is apparently congenial, so there is no need to alert Marisa to her presence.

[x] Point it out to Marisa

[x] Point it out to Marisa

A chance to experience Marisa's incredible danmaku dodging prowess from the best seat possible? I can't pass this up.

[x] It’s not causing any harm, let it do what it wants

[x] Point it out to Marisa

Sounds like fun. Could backfire if Marisa takes aggressive action (assuming it isn't someone with bad intentions).

[x] Point it out to Marisa

“Hey, it looks like someone is keeping on our tail.”

Marisa pulls back on the speed a bit, but otherwise doesn’t change her course. “Did you see exactly what it was?”

“I can’t make it out from here, but it looked like a person to me.”

“Direction?”

“Back the way we came.”

“So it’s probably someone from the mountain, and since most of them keep to themselves it’s probably that crow looking for another news scoop. Well let me ask you this then; how do you feel about newspapers?”

“Newspapers? That’s a bit of a non sequitur.” You ponder the question for a bit and ultimately say, “I guess that I have no particular feelings about them. It’s not like I can read the majority of the ones that I can pick up in the first place.”

“You can’t read?” Marisa asks with a note of surprise.

“Of course I can r-“ you cut off your speech as you notice the dot has begun rapidly accelerating towards your location.

“Gah, guess she heard that last part, it looks like she’s coming in for the interception.”

“Wha-“ before you can retort to that, the dot, which by this point has become a black and white blur, stops in front of you, creating a huge amount of wind that nearly knocks you off the broom. Floating in front of you is a black-haired tengu girl wearing a white shirt and black skirt. A red hat (which you later learned is called a Tokin) rests upon her head, and she is wearing a pair of geta, just like most of the tengu you saw today. Most notable of her belongings would probably be the camera hanging from her neck. She doesn’t look winded by her high speed in the least, and instead she stares at you with a look of incredulity on her face.

“You can’t read?!? But how can you get vital information from the newspapers if you can’t even understand what they are saying! If it weren’t for the vital information that newspapers bring to everyday life, then society around us would collapse! In fact, if you can’t read that probably puts you on the level of a peasant, which means that my upcoming scoop will be worthless! Well, I suppose that the whole part about your battle with Kanako could still be good, but people like to see character in the article, and if the characters don’t have character, then none of it does! What am I supposed to do now, if I want to print-“

“First of all,” you interrupt, “I can read very well, thank you, just only in my native tongue. Second, who the heck are you? Third, how did you hear us from all the way over there? And fourth, I’m guessing from your speech and camera that you are a newspaper reporter, but are you saying that you have been tailing us since the bazaar.”

“Well actually, I’ve been taking pictures since the village and-“ she catches herself there, before quickly changing gears, “I mean yes, since when you said.” Too little, too late Ms. Crow. You are beginning to guess who the people of the bazaar were referring to when they were talking about an “annoying crow”.

“Ahem,” she says as she clears her throat, “Let’s start over. I am the pure and honest (you note that Marisa chuckles at those words) traditional reporter of Gensokyo, Aya Shameimaru, writer and editor of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. And as for overhearing what you said, us tengu have very good hearing in general, so catching your statement of illiteracy was a piece of cake for me. Now, how’s about telling me a bit more about yourself, Mr. Lawrence?”

“…if you’ve been following all day like you’ve said, then I doubt there is much else to say. I’m a traveling merchant of sorts, and right now I’m finishing up my tour of the major businesses in Gensokyo that I can access at the moment.”

“I see! And when did you first step into Gensokyo?”

“Yesterday…” you try to concentrate on what she is saying, but the ground below you keeps making a much more persuasive argument for your attention. It’s not that you’re afraid of heights; it’s just that you know what will happen should you fall off the broom from this high up. Basically, you are in no position to grant an interview at the moment, so you’re going to have to ask her to postpone it one way or the other.

[ ] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this some other time
[ ] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this at Marisa’s, provided that Marisa doesn’t mind of course
[ ] Tell her you don’t want to continue this interview any further
[ ] Tell Marisa you don’t want this interview to continue any further

[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this some other time

>pure and honest (you note that Marisa chuckles at those words)
Fuck you Marisa. Aya is a wonderful maiden.

[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this at Marisa’s, provided that Marisa doesn’t mind of course
-[x] If Marisa refuses, some other time.

Give interview get advertisement space.

[x] Tell Marisa you don’t want this interview to continue any further

This can only lead to good things.

[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this some other time.

At this point, it's only a question of time before she writes something on us, so why not? And hey, free publicity (depending on what she writes of course, but still).

Still, night is coming soon. She can do it either once we're back at the village or tomorrow.

[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this at Marisa’s, provided that Marisa doesn’t mind of course
-[x] If Marisa refuses, some other time.

>Give interview get advertisement space.
Indeed.

>>31485
[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this at Marisa’s, provided that Marisa doesn’t mind of course
-[x] If Marisa refuses, some other time.

Hell yes, we give an interview in exchange for some advertising.

[x] Ask her if she wouldn’t mind continuing this at Marisa’s, provided that Marisa doesn’t mind of course

“Look, Ms. Shameimaru, I don’t mind answering some of your questions, but since I’m not really capable of flight at the moment I’m going to ask that we continue this on the ground,” you say as you try to keep yourself from falling off once more. Man, it’s really hard to straddle a broom and talk at the same time. You wonder how Marisa pulls it off. Practice, probably.

“Huh, the way you said that suggests that you can usually fly, but are currently unable to. Mind to elaborate further.”

“Sure, just not right now.” You turn to Marisa and ask, “Would it be alright if we continue the interview at your place?” Marisa shrugs in return and says, “Sure, it’s your rep. Just let her know that she’d better not start any trouble.”

“I would never dream of such a thing!” Aya exclaims, “Doing something like of that nature would bring shame upon my fellow tengu and me! How can you even consider that I would be on anything other than my best behavior wherever I might go?”

“Consider the message passed, but no promises on my part,” you interpret.

-----

After a few minutes of passing over the forest of magic, Marisa begins to rapidly descend. She lands in a clearing with a messy-looking house contained therein. It’s a two story home covered in ivy, and like Rinnosuke’s place there are items lying all over the ground. unlike Rinnosuke’s, however, is the fact that none of the items look like the have any sort of value whatsoever. You begin to wonder if it was worth it to come all the way over here…


As Marisa leads you inside you realize that you really can’t call this a shop in the slightest. This is a no less than a junkyard. You can’t even see the floor do to the number of random items (which oddly enough seem to mostly consist of books) that are piled up. If it weren’t for the fact that there were actual paths in between each pile, nobody would be able to navigate this mess whatsoever. It’s beginning to look like the only way that you will be able to find anything worthwhile in this mess is if you manage to get really lucky somehow.

Marisa clears off a table in the middle of the room with a sweep of her arm (with apparent disregard for whether or not she damages anything during that act) and motions for you and Aya to sit down. You do so as the witch lights up lanterns around the house with another arm sweep. As she moves about the house getting things in “order”, the interview continues where it left off.

Aya begins bombarding you with questions once more. She mostly asks you about what you have done and your impressions of Gensokyo and its people. She also asks you about the world outside of Gensokyo, to which you do your best to give the impression you saw the week or so you were there. You hope that you gave answers coherent enough to avoid bringing suspicion of your origins upon you, but Aya looks satisfied with the answers you are giving.

“Alright, I think that answers everything I need to know for the moment.” Aya says as she puts her notebook down. “Now let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is, as it were. Get out some of that merchandise of yours, if you would be so kind.”

“Yeah, c’mon, let’s see it already!” Marisa has stood up in anticipation to what Aya has said, her eyes gleaming in the lamplight. “I’ve been waiting all day to see what interesting things you’ve brought with ya.”

A demonstration of your wares? Right now? Well good press is good press, and you get the feeling that the sheer act of allowing the tengu an interview at all has put you in her good lights. On the other hand, you are in, quote, “Territory of the enemy right now,” unquote. There’s no telling to how Marisa will act if you start bringing things out. Then again, it’s not like you don’t know where any said stolen items would end up. You get the feeling that if you were to have anything taken, retrieval would be fairly simple at this point, since it would most likely only end up in one of the piles around you…

[ ] Do it, but make sure that you take inventory immediately after to make sure nothing is missing. <Select up to 5 items to display, top 3 votes will be shown>
[ ] Don’t do it, and instead see if you can’t find anything of note in the junk around you.
[ ] Don’t do it; You have no further business in this junk shop, so politely excuse yourself and egress.
[ ] Write-in

And once again, I forgot to add:

MERCHANT UNLOCKED! Kirisame Magic Shop (Junk shop, Marisa-for-hire?)

[x] Do it, but make sure that you take inventory immediately after to make sure nothing is missing.
-Cell phone straps.
-Sweater
-Doohickey
-Nice hat
-Yo-Yo

Its time. With Aya here, we can show the entire world all of our amazing merchandise. We're making earth shattering news here people. But we need to start slowly, show them some of our lesser wares first, lest these ladies find themselves too hot and bothered to continue viewing our godly merchandise. Why, after unveiling the yo-yo, I wouldn't be surprised if they immediately threw themselves upon us. We might need to play this one carefully.

[x] Do it, but make sure that you take inventory immediately after to make sure nothing is missing.
-Deck of Cards
-Pumpkin (Maybe Marisa will be interested in actually buying it? Or digging in her pile for something to trade for it at least.)
-Nice hat
-Yo-Yo
-Department Store Catalogue

Yo-Yo should be safe since Marisa already has one now. Also, the catalogue is to show something truly unique we can bring in Gensokyo that WILL set us apart from others merchants: Outside world items.

I briefly considered the armor too, but that actually might bring unwanted questions, considering it's not something common in the Outside World anymore.

>>31521
I have to ask: why show something we're not even sure on what is it? Hell, why show something we bought in Gensokyo?

[x] Do it, but make sure that you take inventory immediately after to make sure nothing is missing.
-Jenga game
-Lighter
-Fireproof clothing
-Herbs and leaves tea set
-Nice Hat

Let's show off the lighter by using it on the fireproof clothes. while wearing our nice hat and showing them how AWESOME Jenga is. Maybe sell some exotic outside world tea while we're at it.

[x] Don’t do it, and instead see if you can’t find anything of note in the junk around you.

[x] Do it, but make sure that you take inventory immediately after to make sure nothing is missing.

“Fine, but I’m going to take inventory straight afterwards, so any would be thieves in the room might want to think twice before they take something.”

“Ooooh, scary,” Marisa says, “I wonder what the big bad merchant would do to me if a certain thief were to steal something, hmmm?”

“…” You look over to Marisa, who seems to be trying her best to keep herself from laughing. You shake your head and let it go as you place your pack on the table and open it up.

“I’m only going to show you a small part of what I have, but hopefully that will convince you that I only try to carry quality stuff. We’ll start from the cheaper items and work our way up to the good stuff from there. And keep in mind that I also take orders from customers looking for a particular item as well.” With your speech over, you dig into your pack for a good item to start with.

“That’s an interesting pack there,” Aya says, “A bag that is bigger on the inside than on the outside; care to explain how it works?”

“I’m afraid that’s a secret, Ms. Shameimaru. I don’t want to spoil all of my mercantile advantages, now do I?” you say as you find something that you feel is appropriate to begin with. You pull said item out and place it on the table.

“Alright, this is a good knick-knack to start with,” you say, indicating the yo-yo in front of you, “a toy from the outside world that goes in and out of style. Marisa already stole one from me, so you can be sure that this is an item that has at least some value to it.”

You then begin a short exhibition of some of the better items on hand. The knick-knacks like the lighters and cell-phone straps get passed over fairly quickly (though Aya notes that she might know someone interested in one) as you head into some of the more valuable merchandise. After showing off the sweater and Jenga game off, you reach into your pack to pull out the… pumpkin…

“Woah, didn’t know you carried produce,” Marisa says, “I wouldn’t think that a pack like yours would be able to keep things cool, ya know?”

“It doesn’t, and I don’t.” You respond in confusion. “In fact, I’m not actually sure how this got in here. I don’t remember actually picking this up at any point now that I think about it.” You stare at it for a few moments before shrugging and putting it back. Oh well, it’s not likely to go bad over the next few days. Maybe you can find someone who wants it before it starts to rot.

“So you’re saying that stuff just comes and goes from your pack?” Aya says in wonder, “Does that mean that you never really know what inventory you’re going to have.”

“No, this is the first time I’ve found something I didn’t know about. I probably just picked it up while I wasn’t paying attention, or else someone slipped it in there as a joke.” Though you have no idea exactly what kind of joke it could be.

You show off one of the tea sets next, which gets a nice response from both girls. Apparently good tea is in high demand around here, a fact you store in your mind for later. Looking outside, you notice that it’s around the tail end of sunset, so you should probably wrap things up here.

“Alright ladies, this next item is the last in this little exhibition; the one I believe to be the best item I have on me right now.” Your anticipation builds; perhaps this will be the day that you can finally sell this thing. Marisa and Aya seem to be getting exited as well, wondering what in the world your best item could be. With a flourish, you pull out the nice hat from your bag and place it on the table.

Aya and Marisa are stunned. They simply cannot believe their eyes at the spectacle before them. At last, Marisa seems to break out of it a bit by saying, “Wow, that is a nice hat.” Aya nods in agreement.

“Indeed it is the finest hat that I have ever had the pleasure of coming across. Now let me ask you, what would you be willing to pay for such a magnificent item?”

As the shock wears off, Aya considers what you said and gives a definitive answer. “It is a really nice hat, but I don’t think that I would actually buy it. I can’t imagine ever wearing it, and besides, I’ve already got a hat of my own,” she says as she indicates the tokin on top of her head.”

“Yeah, same here; I can’t see that hat being something that a witch like me would wear.”

Dammit. You’re never going to get rid of this thing, are you? Sighing, you place everything back into your pouch. “Well, that’s what I have, for the most part.” You take a quick inventory before concluding that nothing was taken during the exhibition. “Hope that quells some of your curiosity, Ms. Aya.”

“Mmm, well I still have a few things that could be answered, but I think that’s enough for one day.” Aya gets up from the table and heads towards the door. “Time to get everything I’ve learned into newspaper format, so it’s time for me to head out. I’ll make sure you get a copy of the paper when it’s printed, Mr. Lawrence, so look forward to it. Later!” She literally zooms out the front door and into the sky, quickly dodging your protests that you wouldn’t even be able to read the paper in question.

You let out a sigh as Marisa continues to fool around with the yoyo she stole. Ignoring her, you turn your attention on what to do next. It’s getting late, so if you are planning to stay another night at Keine’s it would probably behoove you to start heading back now. Of course, there is no way that you would be willing to walk around the forest at night, so if you want to head back now you would have to ask Marisa for a ride. Alternatively, you could just ask the witch if she would be willing to let you stay for the night. It would give you the chance to look through the junk surrounding you, at the very least. Both options would probably mean owing something to Marisa, but at this point you don’t really think that you have many other options available to you.

[ ] Ask Marisa to take you back to the village
[ ] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night
[ ] Write-in (Note that as stated above, walking through the forest alone is not an option.

Sure, we could search for something in Marisa's stuff, but returning to the village may also let us find Keine with free time that will let us learn more about Gensokyo and potential clients and perhaps even provide us with a spellcard if we ask nicely.

Starting at the village for the next day will also let us sell some stuff too. Probably not the items we bought in Gensokyo, but the other stuff. We got confirmation that we can fetch a good price for the tea sets at least.

[x] Ask Marisa to take you back to the village

[x] Ask Marisa to take you back to the village

Staying the night would probably mean owing Marisa more, and while asleep she may find a way to disarm the magic in the bag.

[x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night

I say we stay and try to find a gem in the junk, then we'd able to make a deal with Marisa about getting something WITHOUT stealing it.

And why would everyone's favorite 17 year old sneak a pumpkin into his bag. (Sneaking something into his bag would be child's play for her)

[x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night.

[x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night

There is something amazing in that junk, and I intend for us to have it. I have no idea if we will get a separate vote later for junk-searching, so if we don't, consider this a LUCK vote.

[x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night

Must pick option that leads to most Marisa.

>>31554
LUCK [x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night

I second that LUCK vote. Although for completely different reasons, if you know what I mean.

>>31554
>There is something amazing in that junk
teehee double entendre

Only two votes for luck, which is two less than what is needed. No luck will be applied this round.

[x] Ask Marisa to let you stay the night

“Hey.”

“Hmm? What’s up?” Marisa looks up from the toy and directs her gaze towards you. “Ready to head out, or would you like to look around first?”

“Actually, if it’s alright with you I’d like to spend the night. I don’t really want to bother you for a trip right now, and I’m certainly not traveling through that forest on my own while its dark out.”

“Heh, didn’t think someone like you would be scared of the dark.”

“Scared? No. But it never hurts to take precautions against things that want to snack on your bones in the dark.”

“Hmm… well I suppose I don’t mind.” She sits back down at the table, wearing her customary grin. “So what do I get for my good deed?”

“How about some good karma? I hear it’s all the rage these days.”

“Bah, I can make my own karma if need be, so no deal. Anything else in that bag of yours that I might be interested in?”

“Not really. You’ve basically seen most of my inventory,” you say as you scratch the back of your head. “Besides a set of armor, which I don’t think would suit you (you groan on the inside when you catch the pun) the rest of my items are either junk or reserved for someone else. Unless you saw something that caught your eye during the exhibition, that’s all I’ve got.”

“Well then, I suppose that I’ll just have to put you to use somehow.” She assumes a semi-thinker position as she contemplates what you should do. “Hmm, how does being my personal housekeeper for the rest of your natural life sound?”

“As appealing as that may be, I don’t think I’m quite ready to give up the lifestyle of a merchant for that of a scullery maid quite yet,” you say with a smile.

“Darn. And I was looking forward to having you tend to my every whim from now on.” Letting out a fake sigh, she grins at you once more. “Still, it’s not a bad idea to have you help out around here a bit.” Bouncing up from the table, she heads into what looks like the kitchen. “I’m going to cook something up for dinner, so you go ahead and try to make yourself useful by cleaning up around you a bit, alright?”

Cleaning up? Is that even possible? There is honestly no way that you are going to make any headway in the time it takes for her to make anything. Still…this might be the perfect opportunity to search for potential diamonds in this scrap heap. Leaving your bag on the table, you make search for a good place to start.

[ ] Check the pile to the left of you, it’s as good a place as any to start
[ ] The heap near the front of the shop seems promising
[ ] The overcrowded bookshelf has tomes the like of which you’ve never seen
[ ] That workbench in the other room has caught your eye…

[LUCK] That workbench in the other room has caught your eye…

Here we go. It's time to find something spectacular. Something absolutely unique and never seen before.

[LUCK] That workbench in the other room has caught your eye…

We're hoping to get lucky anyway. Might as well go all the way.

[LUCK] Check the pile to the left of you, it’s as good a place as any to start

I think we have a better chance of finding something both awesome and hilariously undervalued by Marisa in a pile of junk than Marisa's workbench.

[LUCK] Check the pile to the left of you, it’s as good a place as any to start.

I wonder if Rinnosuke's found Kusanagi yet.

>>31568
very likely as this is post 12.3 at least.

[LUCK] That workbench in the other room has caught your eye…

[LUCK] Check the pile to the left of you, it’s as good a place as any to start.

LUCK is in effect for this round! x2 LUCK remaining!

[LUCK] Check the pile to the left of you; it’s as good a place as any to start
[LUCK] That workbench in the other room has caught your eye…

The pile of junk closest to you looks as good of a place as any to start. You begin digging through it to see if there is anything of value in the pile. Broken dolls, broken electronics, broken sticks (why would she even bother collecting those?), the list of pure junk that you find goes on and on. Yeah, you figured that there probably wouldn’t be anything of any real value here. You sigh as you sit down on the pile for a moment to rest, only to jump back up when you feel a prick from your seat. Getting up, you dig out the offender, only to find…

…

…

Your hands start shaking. This can’t be real, can it? There is no way that you would find something so valuable just laying around.

In your hands is a blazingly red crystal of what looks to be a shard of Canthomite, a pure, condensed energy source of sorts. Even the small shard you just found could probably power an entire modernized planet for around half a decade. The only downside to it is the fact that it is pretty much impossible to find. The stuff only seems to gather in small shards over the course of millennia, and usually only in places where there are both extreme physical and magical energetic concentrations, meaning that the danger of actually obtaining one is generally near suicidal. Being able to find one so easily…

Of course, Marisa probably doesn’t know its true worth. It was only by accident that the Bureau’s world suspected something about these gems, and it took half a century’s combination of intense technological and magical research to reveal their true nature. The very fact that this was left to rot in a pile of junk supports your logic. The girl probably thought it was shiny or something and just decided to snatch it while she had the chance.

You put the shard on the table, hands still shaking. If you found that in the pile, there is no telling what else there might be hidden in the junk. You cast your gaze about until you spot what looks to be a very crowded workbench in the next room.

Making your way over there, you gaze upon the spectacle. It quickly becomes obvious that the entire room is actually dedicated to magical research. Notes litter the workbench and surrounding walls, and open books are essentially the carpet. What looks to be a chemistry experiment in process lines the workbench as well, with liquids of all sorts bubbling and simmering over magically light heat sources. A heavy stench of mushroom permeates the air, and you can feel an intense magical pressure as well.

You are somewhat surprised. All of this seems to indicate that Marisa actually works somewhat hard at her magical research. You just took her for a thief who used the title of magician as a cover. Well, color you impressed. Looking closer at the workbench, you spot a wooden wand that curves near the top. You pick it up for closer examination.

“What are you doing in there?!?” You hear Marisa yell from the other room. She comes barging in as she pushes you out. “GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!” She slams the door closed and catches her breath. A blush has settled over her face, and you could swear that she is looking somewhat flustered. After a few moments she seems to compose herself and gives you a weakened grin. “Nothing interesting to see in there, alright? C’mon, I got dinner ready so let’s go and eat.”

“Really?” you reply, “But it looked like there was some major magical research going on, and-”

“C’mon, could you really see someone like me putting that much effort into something? Nah, that’s just some stuff that I tinker with in my spare time.” She says hurriedly as she sits you down at the table where what looks to be two bowls of mushroom soup await. “Now let’s eat and take it easy, alright?”

It looks like this girl doesn’t like others seeing the efforts she takes. Well, that’s somewhat surprising. Still, you can respect that so you let the issue drop. You place the wand you picked up on the table as you eat some of the soup in front of you, noting its unique taste.

“Oh? Where did you find that?” Marisa says as she picks up the wand and twirls it in her hand. “I was wondering where that went, couldn’t find it since the incident with the temple people.” She shrugs as she points the wand at one of the piles. A beam of light comes out and hits a teddy bear on the top, knocking it down. “Not much use for it besides whacking stuff, though.” She says as she places the wand down and starts on her soup.

Looks like that incident with the work-room has made her forget about the cleaning she requested you to do. Just as well, your mind is currently working in full gear on how to approach the Canthomite issue. Naturally you aren’t going to just steal it from her; that would be so hypocritical that it would almost reach the point of irony. But since she doesn’t know its true value, you might be able to convince her to part with it for very little. One way or the other, though, you are going to make sure that she sells it to you…

[ ] Let’s see if we can’t have her give it up for next to nothing…<Select a price from 0 to 1000 yen>
[ ] We don’t want to squander our wealth here, but at the same time we don’t exactly want to rip her off…<Select a price from 1001 to 3000 yen>
[ ] Let’s be at least somewhat honest with her. After all, it isn’t like she can take advantage of it’s true worth. <Select a price of 3001 to 5000 yen>

And that wand looks somewhat nifty as well. You estimate its worth to be around 1500 yen. Care to see if Marisa is willing to part with it as well?

[ ] Sure, might as well.
[ ] Nah, it’s not worth it

----

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Certain actions may lead to a buildup of KARMA, which may further impact your adventure. Such decisions will not affect your base personality, but they may influence what happens to your character in the future, as well as your general reputation.

KARMA is an invisible stat, so you won’t be able to check on it in your inventory along with your other abilities, and it will not present itself as a reward or punishment along with the choices you make. But just keep in mind that it very well might influence your adventure from here on out.

[x] Let’s be at least somewhat honest with her. After all, it isn’t like she can take advantage of it’s true worth. <3500 yen>
[x] Nah, it’s not worth it

Good things will happen do those who are good, huh? And since we want a good reputation, it's no brainer what to take. If the word spread about how honest we were with Marisa even after all she did, it will be good rep.

As for the wand, it looks good... but someone first need magic to use it, right? (so only sellable in Gensokyo). But then, won't they use what they usually have to whack stuff?

Then again, Keine could always use that instead of headbutts...

Don't know for you, but after that, we may want to start selling. Gettting a bigger inventory is nice and all, but we do need to unload it too.

So no barter options?

>>31576

Not this time, no. I want to get the the next portion of the story, so I'm trying to speed things along here for a bit. Just roll with it for now, it shouldn't last long.

[x] We don’t want to squander our wealth here, but at the same time we don’t exactly want to rip her off… 2200 yen
[x] Sure, might as well.

If we break level with her and hint at the crystals true worth, there is no way in hell shes letting it go. This way, everyone goes home happy. We get our crystal for a reasonable price, and she gets something over a paltry amount of money.

And since we are reasonably loaded with money, we might as well buy the wand. I'm sure it will come in handy somehow.

[x] We don’t want to squander our wealth here, but at the same time we don’t exactly want to rip her off… 2200 yen
[x] Sure, might as well.

[x] Tell her what Canthomite is. Let her name her own price.
[x] Sure, might as well.

Could you be any more blunt with that karma explanation? I'm halfway tempted to try ripping her off just to see what happens.

>>31582

Sure, I could have just said the KARMA system is now in effect and left it at that. Be glad you got what you got, ya ungrateful kids. An' get offa mah lawn, too!

I will say this though; there are no immediate effects from getting either positive or negative karma, but having more bad karma will probably make things harder in the long run. Likewise, good karma will probably make things easier for you as you go along. Choose your actions wisely...

>>31582
In a nutshell as I get it, cheating others or taking all quick opportunities at the expense of others will lead to more hostile encounters. For exemple, youkais in the forest or dangerous situations. Also, bad rep will result in less people buying for us (sales would also be harder with buyers that need convincing) as we would get known as a swindler.

On the other hand, good karma would maybe result in more friendly encounters. For exemple, meeting Reimu as she buys food in the village. Also, good rep may also result in better first encounters and easier sells, as humans and youkais alike would know we give fair deals and even attract clients on rep alone (like say, Sakuya coming to order something for Remilia or Mystia wanting to get something for her stand).

No need to say, but good and bad rep will play a role against competition too.

That's why I want to buy the Canthomite at 3500. Being honest will probably surprise Marisa and may even get her to stop trying so hard to 'borrow' from us.

I may be wrong too of course, but that's how I see it.

[x] We don’t want to squander our wealth here, but at the same time we don’t exactly want to rip her off… 2200 yen
[x] Sure, might as well.

[x] Let’s be at least somewhat honest with her. After all, it isn’t like she can take advantage of it’s true worth. <3500 yen>
[x] Nah, it’s not worth it

Supporting this vote.

[x] We don’t want to squander our wealth here, but at the same time we don’t exactly want to rip her off… 2200 yen
[x] Nah, it’s not worth it

Uhhh, anyone else feel like we're ripping Marisa off regardless of what we choose?

>Even the small shard you just found could probably power an entire modernized planet for around half a decade

Wiki says world oil consumption is 31.1 billion barrels per year. Oil is around 89 dollars a barrel now.

31100000000 barrels * 89$ = $2,767,900,000,000 * 5 years = $13,839,500,000,000, which is almost the GDP of the United States.

Now I realize that's a shitty way of estimating its value because it makes a lot of assumptions, especially concerning the feasibility of refining it (and the fact that nobody would be able to pay that much), but I still maintain that its worth some serious money.


I also realize that I'm overanalzing a small aside by the author, but I just want to say that I feel that paying 40 bucks for something that could potentially be worth such a ridiculous sum is just being mean.

>>31592

I’m really impressed that you went and did the math. You aren’t getting a freebie for it, but I’m impressed nonetheless.

You shouldn’t worry about any implications from this, though. Yes, in real world terms we are basically ripping her off, but my main concern right now is not to be carried off by a random Youkai while I sleep.”

“Still, that doesn’t sound too bad, all things considered.” Marisa says as she climbs down the ladder, facing you. “I see that you’ve still got some clothing and stuff stored down here, so hey, at least there is some extra room, right?”

“Did I mention that the more mass that enters this space at one point, the more likely it is to collapse upon itself?”

Marisa freezes in place, and then heads back towards the ladder, climbing it furiously. “Well, I’m sure that you’re tired by now, and I’m guessing that you have a full day ahead tomorrow, so I’ll just say goodnight here, ‘kay? Goonight!”

You watch as she climbs out of the pack. “A word of advice? Don’t wear a skirt the next time you are climbing up a ladder with someone below you!” She gives a squeak of embarrassment as she climbs out of the pack. You hear her run away from the pack, and then hear the sound of a door opening and closing. She probably shut herself in her study for the night.

You give yourself a stretch as you make your way to the bed. Lying face down on it, you turn on the light nearby and roll out the map. You start giving it a look over in an attempt to figure out where you should go next. As you do, you feel a weight press down near the side of the bed and turn around. You see Yukari sitting there, giving you a smile.

“I just thought I would pop in and see how you are doing, since you seem to be having so much fun lately.” She says as she lies down on top of you. You can feel her breasts press down upon your back as she looks over your shoulder at the map lying near the pillow. “Mind if I join you?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” You say as you shuffle around in an attempt to make yourself more comfortable. She responds by clinging onto you even more tightly, the tease. You wouldn’t say that you are distracted by any given pair of boobs that passes you by, but hers are somewhat hard to ignore right now. Thank god you are lying on your stomach, or else you might make the situation even more awkward. Shaking your head, you try your best to focus on the task at hand. “How did you get in here, anyways?”

“Silly boy, a place like this is easily within my domain. All I needed to do was think of your roguish charms and snap my fingers and here I am!” She places her head on your shoulder as she gazes upon the map she bestowed you, “Thinking of where to head next?”

“Y-yeah, I’m planning my course for tomorrow,” You explain as you try to ignore the pleasant scent coming from next to your shoulder, “Today was all about meeting the competition and making purchases, while starting tomorrow things will be more focused on finding clients and making sales. Right now I’m trying to decide where I should go next. By the way,” you say, turning your head slightly in Yukari’s direction, “is this map enchanted or something? I can’t read any of the words, yet I don’t find it difficult to understand.”

“Something like that,” Yukari says in return, “Let’s just say that it’s enchanted.” She gives the map another look over, and then starts whispering in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “So tell me then; where are you going to begin?”

[ ] Human Village
[ ] Temple of Myouren
[ ] Misty Lake/Scarlet Devil Mansion
[ ] Eientei
[ ] Kappa’s Bazaar

Note: Youkai Mountain, Moriya Shrine, Hakugyokurou, Mayohiga and the Underground are locked for now. Gaining certain abilities (like flight), learning their locations or getting an invitation may unlock these options in the future.

[x] Eientei

Best location. It's remote, so our services should be required, and we haven't been there yet so it'll be an adventure.

>so hey, at least there is some extra room, right?”

Oh Lawrence, you are a dense motherfucker.

[x] Temple of Myouren

[x] Eientei

Oh boy, a which group of Touhous do you want to visit vote!

If flight is a matter of being taught, we're already on good terms with Marisa... why not ask her? If it's unlocked by seals or something, nevermind this.

[x] Eientei

[x] Misty Lake/Scarlet Devil Mansion

I'm sure Remilia and Sakuya would love our tea set.

>>31599
I'm pretty sure we're going to grab that ring of flight for our next visit.

[x] Misty Lake/Scarlet Devil Mansion

Don't know for sure, but Tewi could potentially be worse than Marisa, depending on how much she may want to mess with us.

>>31602
Spend a LUCK with Tewi, receive 3 LUCK in return~

>>31603
Or no LUCK.

Or she might get Luc of her own.

[x] Eientei

The more luck the better~

[x] Misty Lake/Scarlet Devil Mansion

Little bit meta, but Remilia probably has the most money/stuff laying around to give the most for the tea set.

We could justify by saying that it's the only mansion in Gensokyo and that important people probably live there?

[x] Eientei
- [x] Call out for Tewi.

Anyone else afraid of picking the SDM because stories that tend to end up there get bogged down/updated slower and slower?

[x] Eientei

“I think,” You say slowly, “that the best bet would be to start here, at the red-colored mansion.”

“Is that so?” Yukari says as she points to said location,” You are aware of the fact that the head of the household there is a vampire, correct?”

“A vampire?” You say as you look back to the map, “Well then I suppose that I can’t go there come morning?”

“Well well, is the big bad merchant afraid of getting his blood sucked then?”

“Yeah, it’s making me shake in my boots over here,” you say in a flat tone, “but my reasoning is that a vampire would probably be heading off to bed in the morning, so it might be better to go around nightfall.”

“Makes sense,” Yukari says, “So what is your next choice?”

“My next choice would probably be… here.” You point to what looks like a mansion surrounded by a forest of bamboo. “Let’s just say that my merchant’s intuition is telling me that this is my next stop.”

“I see,” Yukari gets off of you and stands up on the ground, “Interesting choice, but certainly not a bad one. In any case I suppose that I should leave you to your preparations for tomorrow.” She pulls her parasol out from a gap and makes to leave. Before she head out though, she seems to remember something and turns around to speak to you once more. “By the way, I was watching your fight with the hell raven yesterday.”

“You mean Okuu? Yeah, that was a pain in-” You pause, “Wait, have you been spying on me?”

“Of course!” She says as she comes back towards you, “You’re just so interesting that I felt I had to keep an eye on you. But that isn’t the point here; I saw that those seals of power on your arms were acting a bit oddly during the spell card battle.” As she says that she starts running her hands over said seals, causing you to shiver in pleasure once more.

“Y-yeah, they couldn’t seem to decide what the actual threat level is. Kind of weird, actually, since they are generally pretty good at detecting threat levels. I’m guessing that the barrier that was surrounding us was making them act up somehow.”

“Indeed, the system controlling them seemed to be confused about how to deal with a spell card battle. But no worries,” she says as she claps her hands together, “I took a look at the system just now, and I don’t think you should have any problems with the seals in the future when it comes to participating in spell card duels.”

“Wait… you mean that I can use my seals freely in combat from now on?” You say as your excitement grows. This means that you can finally create your own spellcards, and-

“Oh no, quite the opposite in fact,” Yukari says with a beaming face, “They shouldn’t activate at all during a spell card duel!”

…you stop mid-thought as you look over towards the gap youkai. She continues to look extremely pleased with herself as she gets up and starts walking away once more. “Well I wouldn’t want to take any more of your precious time, so take care! I’ll make sure to keep an eye on you!” She disappears into on of her gaps, leaving you stunned on the bed.

…God damn it, Yukari. You get up off the bed with a sigh and head to the pack’s opening, closing it down for the night. You head into the sanitation facility to clean up and then change into some clothes more appropriate for bed. Lying under the covers, you activate the alarm next to your bed to wake you up at daybreak before drifting off to sleep.

…a moment of insight…

[ ] The past
[ ] Marisa
[ ] Yukari
[ ] Minoriko

[x] Minoriko

[x] Marisa

>They shouldn’t activate at all during a spell card duel!

God damn it, Yukari!

[x] Minoriko

...Well, no way around it. We need spellcards now if we want to survive. There's Marisa close (but I doubt it will be free unless she's feeling generous or feel pity on us) or we make a detour by the village to see Keine. At the very least, Keine will give us one if only to survive.

Of course, we're pretty much forced to see Keine or Mokou before heading out to Eientei, because there's no way we'll reach it without a guide.

>[ ] Minoriko
>[ ] The past
Delicious harvest goddess or possible interesting plot lead-up? Oh gods, I'm so torn. Can't I pick both?

Let's go with this since she doesn't get nearly enough love.
[h] Minoriko

[x] Minoriko

>>31615
We won't need to unlock the seals because I have an idea.


We'll eat the power gem thing.

[x] Minoriko

>>31617
What could possibly go wrong?

>>31619
Indigestion.

[x] Minoriko

It was another long day at the bazaar today. Sales were somewhat slow, but overall the harvest goddess had come out ahead. As she opens the door to the small house she shares with her sister, Minoriko considers whether or not she should try to draw in more customers in the coming days. Probably not; autumn will be coming soon, so it isn’t like there is an explicit need for such measures. Keeping the course is probably the safest way to go here. Walking into the kitchen, Minoriko spots Shizuha sitting at the table.

“Welcome back sis!” Shizuha exclaims, bounding up from the table and embracing her sister. Minoriko smiles as she hugs her back, noticing that Shizuha’s mood is improving with each day that fall approaches. Walking to the table, Minoriko places the money earned for today down and takes a seat.

“Hmm, not a lot of sales today either, huh?” Shizuha says as she starts counting the money.

“Shut up; it’s not like you could do better than me in any case.”

“Ah well, it’s not like we need that much anyways. Anything exiting happen today?”

“Yeah,” Minoriko says as she leans upon the table, a note of frustration coming into her voice, “I got requisitioned again by the Moriya goddesses again. When will they learn that we don’t want to join up with them?”

“I dunno sis, it might be nice belonging to a pantheon like theirs. It might make the sting of autumn leaving us each year somewhat less.”

“But at what cost? We’ll basically be handing control over what we do for the season over to them. Worst case scenario is that we are eventually integrated so far with that shrine that we are eventually forgotten as individuals.”

“I don’t think it will get that bad,” Shizuha says, “but I suppose that if you are so adamant about it we’ll leave it alone for now. Anything else of interest happen today?”

“Not really. Kanako came back later claiming that I somehow managed to get some guy to fall in love with me. Turns out it was a misunderstanding, but…”

“Oooo, a guy? Was he cute?” Shizuha sits up, her eyes gleaming.

“Pretty cute, yeah. Not like he was actually interested, of course.” Minoriko lets out a sigh as she slumps against the table. “I mean, who would be interested in a plain looking goddess like me?”

“Nonsense!” Shizuha exclaims as she jolts out of her seat, much to her sister’s surprise. “The only reason you think like that is because you don’t seem to care too much about how you look!”

“N…nah, that can’t be it. It’s just that a guy like that wouldn’t be interested in someone like me anyways.”

“If you are going to give up from the start, the battle is already lost! Come on, we’re going to go and work on your look. Making things look beautiful is my specialty, so this should be a snap for someone like me!”

“Battle, what are you-hey, wait, no let go! I don’t wanaa do this, let me go! NOOOOOOOO!” Minoriko continues to make a fuss as her sister drags her into their bedroom and slams the door closed.

-----

“Geez, that Yukari. Always complicating things” Marisa says as she walks with you towards the human village. After waking up she offered to escort you as far as the human village, which you gladly accepted.

“Yeah, but there isn’t much I can do about it, is there? I suppose that I’ll just have to avoid getting into any spell card duels for now.”

“Saying something like that is just tempting fate to throw you into one, though.” Marisa says as she digs around inside her hat. Pulling out a card, she hands it to you. “Here, take this then. If you activate it, it’ll give you a surge of energy that at the very least can be used with that wand you got from me.” She shrugs, “Better than nothing, right?”

“Yeah, thanks for that.” You say, taking the card. “I’ll try to avoid such battles, though, or maybe try to lose some intentionally.”

“Just be careful of people trying to mooch of your stuff, alright? If they win the duel, then the rules say you have to go along with what they say.”

“Ah right, forgot about that bit.” You smile as you make an appropriate comeback, “I wouldn’t want to have to give up any more of my stuff to people like you, right?”

“Exactly!” Marisa says as she begins to hover in front of you. “Well, there’s the village up ahead, so I think I’ll leave you here. If you’re still planning on heading into the bamboo forest, you should probably find Keine so she can set you up with a guide. You’ll probably get lost otherwise.”

“Advise from a thief, huh?” You say with a smile, “I’ll think about it. Later!” You wave at each other as Marisa lifts off the ground and flies away. You begin walking through the village, considering your next move.

[ ] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
[ ] We’re already burning daylight here, let’s just head in and trust our luck

Anything in particular you want to take care of in the village before heading out?
[ ] Write-in any suggestions

<SYSTEM CARD AQUIRED> Magic Potion

[x] We’re already burning daylight here, let’s just head in and trust our luck

Jean-Luc, wandering merchant-hero. We aren't some weak NEET, so we don't need a guide.

[x] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[x] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

Let's not be idiotic here. Two birds in one stone like this.

[x] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[x] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

...Whoa, whoa wait a minute here Realm. >>31623 here. When the hell did we tell Marisa about our seals and what did we tell exactly? Only Yukari knew about them because she knew who we were.

[x] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[x] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

>>31625

It's not like we went from dreaming about Minoriko to being on a path with Marisa. We told her about it during that time skip.

>>31626
That's the problem here: We're supposed to be an ordinary Outsider merchant, not one with unique hidden powers. remember when we talked about our encounter with Okuu? We avoided talking about the fight for that reason!

[LUCK] We’re already burning daylight here, let’s just head in and trust our luck

I'll trust my luck alright.

>>31627

Hm, that's right, isn't it? Buuuut I'm going to let it go anyways, since Marisa's relationship values have already skyrocketed from "acquaintance" to "friend". We'll just say that he was comfortable enough to share his abilities with her in order to partake in one of Gensokyo's favorite pasttimes: Complaining about Yukari's Shenanigans.

Good catch though

>>31630
Alright, but do watch out not to make the same mistake again.

And since no one commented on it yet, I'll just say I'll look forward to our next encounter with Minoriko.

[x] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[x] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

>>31623 here

I forgot to point it out, but by situation, I mean about how we're defenseless in a spell card fight and may get robbed all the time as we try to sell our wares. No talking about our seals.

[X] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[X] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

So I decided to take a break from this story for about a week and holy shit this story is productive as fuck.

[X] Let’s go see Keine; we wouldn’t want to get lost in another forest, after all.
-[X] Ask if she can create a spell card for us. Surely she'll understand if we explain our situation to her.

Walking through the village, you decide to take Marisa’s advice and see if Keine would be willing to guide you through the forest, or at least find someone to do it for you. With new purpose in mind, you head straight there.

…Or at least you would be if the villagers didn’t come down upon you like a storm. Apparently somebody spread rumors about you from the time you spent at the bazaar, and all of a sudden everybody is interested in the new outside. People get in your path every few minutes, asking things such as what you have for sale, whether or not you would be willing to buy some grain or a goat, or if you make picking a fight with goddesses a regular thing. Although the prospect of selling your items to such a large crowd does seem like it would be prosperous, for now you just attempt to push.

On your way there, something comes streaking out of the sky and hits you straight on in the head. Getting up off the ground, you pick up what looks to be a newspaper. Looking up at the sky yields nothing, although you think you can hear the word “Extra!” being yelled out. Shaking your head to regain your senses, you open it up to see if there is anything interesting. Naturally you can’t read the actual text, but a picture of you being manhandled by Kanako on the front page gives you a suspicion as to why you are the talk of the town. Sighing, you fold the paper up and keep heading towards Keine’s. All in all in takes you a full hour before you are able to make it there.

It looks like class is in recess when you arrive; kids are running around outside playing games, and you think you can see Keine sitting in the classroom from a sliding door that’s open. Before you can get too close, however, you hear shouts of “the outsider merchant” coming from where the kids are, and soon you find yourself in an unruly mob of children trying to discern if you have anything cool to show them.

“That’s enough!” A voice from the schoolhouse ring out, as Keine marches over towards where you and the kids are. “Honestly, I thought you all had better manners than that. Now apologize to this nice young man.” You chuckle at being called ‘young’ as the kids give muffled apologies and back off.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Keine says, bowing low, “Please come inside.” She leads you back to the schoolhouse as the kids begin playing once more, although you can’t help but notice that they glance in your direction every once in awhile. Once inside, you sit down next to Keine’s desk, filled with various pieces of schoolwork and writing instruments. Keine does the same.

“Please forgive them, it’s just that right now you’re the talk of the town, so everyone is excited to learn more about you.”

“Ah, would that have anything to do with this?” You pull out the newspaper and show it to her. Keine nods and says, “Yes, that article is the talk of the town. It’s rare for outsiders to come into Gensokyo, so when one does people tend to get riled up with excitement.”

“Well, nothing wrong with a little free publicity.” You say as you smile at her. “But in any case, I came here to ask for your help on a few matters.”

“I’ll do my best to try, but please keep in mind that I have to start class up again soon, so let’s try to keep this brief, alright?”

“Sure, I’ll do my best. The first thing I want to ask you is whether or not you can guide me through the bamboo forest. I want to meet with some potential clients there, and I heard you were the person to talk to.”

“I don’t guide people through there,” Keine says as she shakes her head, “But I do know a friend whose job it is to do that. I’d offer to either take you to her or bring her here if I didn’t need to keep watch over the kids.”

“Hmmm,” you say, contemplating this. “Well before we settle that, let me tell you about the other item I want to discuss. I’ve been having trouble with the spell card rules, and I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with creating a spell card of my own.”

“Really? I would think that Reimu would be a better teacher in that, considering she was the one who made the rules in the first place, but I suppose that I could give you a few pointers if you are willing to wait until the end of class. Although if you do that, it might take a while before we can go and see my friend.”

Decisions, decisions. You don’t think time is really of the essence here, but on the other hand you don’t want to start setting out too late. Looking outside, you can see that it’s around mid-to-late morning right now. What to do…

[ ] Ask Keine if she can direct you to where her friend might be
[ ] Offer to watch the class while Keine retrieves her friend
[ ] Wait until class is over, then go and see Keine’s friend together
[ ] Wait until after class and then wait until Keine comes back with her friend

If you select the third option, choose one item below. If you select the fourth item, choose 2 items below:

[ ] Ask for help with the spell card rules after class
[ ] Try and see if your status can’t help you sell any items in the village
[ ] Do an in depth exploration of the village to see if you see if you missed any interesting places
[ ] Head back to the House of Kirisame
[ ] See if you can’t find someone to read that newspaper to you
[ ] Write-in

[x] Wait until after class and then wait until Keine comes back with her friend

[x] Do an in depth exploration of the village to see if you see if you missed any interesting places
[x] See if you can’t find someone to read that newspaper to you

Already missed the Tewi option... might as well waste more time around the human village. We'll have plenty of time to talk to Mokou on the walk to Eientei.

[x] Offer to watch the class while Keine retrieves her friend

Not only will we be helping Keine, but we will have an opportunity to regale the kids with riveting tales of the outside. By the time Keine comes back with Mokou, these kids will be whipped into an awestruck frenzy.

[x] Wait until after class and then wait until Keine comes back with her friend

[x] Do an in depth exploration of the village to see if you see if you missed any interesting places
[x] See if you can’t find someone to read that newspaper to you

Realm, that first waiting option... You do realize it's worthless since we need Keine for that and she'll be busy?

Anyway, I'm undecided yet, but I don't think exploring will go well with our current popularity.

>>31686
Use that popularity by asking someone for a tour.

>>31687
You're a genius.

[x] Wait until class is over, then go and see Keine’s friend together.
-[x] See if our current popularity can get someone to show us around the village.
--[x] After class is over, discuss spell cards with Keine on the way to her friend.

>>31686

I meant direct as in give directions, not take us there personally. Sorry for the confusion.

>>31689
I mean the second set of choices. If it's to pass the time, what is that first option doing in that list?

>>31690

Well I meant... wait, what the heck did I mean again?

Oh, yeah, the spell card option. Yeah, it is kind of out of place, but I couldn't think of a better way to stick that option in there at the time. For now you can just select it if you want to do something with spell cards; I'll find a way to work around it.

[x] Wait until class is over, then go and see Keine’s friend together
-[x] Ask for hellp in teh spell cards rules

>>31691
What do you think we're going to do, choose NOT to mess with spellcards? Is there any possible way that that could benefit us?

[x] Wait until class is over, then go and see Keine’s friend together.
-[x] See if our current popularity can get someone to show us around the village.
--[x] After class is over, discuss spell cards with Keine on the way to her friend.

[x] Wait until class is over, then go and see Keine’s friend together.
-[x] See if our current popularity can get someone to show us around the village.
-[x] See if you can’t find someone to read that newspaper to you
--[x] After class is over, discuss spell cards with Keine on the way to her friend.

“Alright, I’m not one to keep people from their responsibilities,” you say as you get up, “and it isn’t like I’m in any particular hurry, either. I’ll mull around the village for a while until you finish up with your class, and afterwards we can go see your friend together, discussing the spell card rules on the way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Keine says with a smile, “Come back around early afternoon and I’ll be happy to escort you there.

You leave the school and head towards the center of town. Well as long as you have the time, you might as well explore this village a bit more. Walking along the streets, the villagers take note of you once again and begin asking questions once more. Spotting a statue near the center of town, you sit down nearby and bring out some basic merchandise in an attempt to do some business.

Half an hour later and the group that was surrounding you have dispersed. It turns out that while a lot of the villagers found your merchandise interesting, almost nobody was actually willing to buy any of it. Turns out that they are a somewhat frivolous people who only buy what they need, or at least wait until they are somewhere like the bazaar before going on a spending spree. The only sale you made was a lighter for 800 yen. Oh well, can’t always get lucky. You pack up you things and catch a glimpse of the statue, turning your attention to it.

It looks like a statue of some sort of dragon, though not one you have ever seen before. Granted, you’re in an alternate dimension, but you always find it interesting how things can be different in the different places that you go. The dragon depicted seems to consist of one long cylindrical body, with what appear to be whiskers near the snout. A set of hands is attached near the head, and the body seems to be piled upon itself in something of a relaxed state. The thing that interests you the most, however, is the dragon’s eyes. A stark white color permeates them, and you could swear that there is something about them that draws you in somewhat. You stare at the statue for about a minute trying to figure it out.

“What are you doing?” A voice from behind you asks. Turning around, you are greeted with the sight of what appears to be a mouse girl. Grey dress, grey ears, grail tail (with mouse basket included!) and red eyes, she stares at you with a no-nonsense look on her face.

“I’m getting an odd feeling from the eyes of this statue,” you explain, “but I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is.”

“You know, if you read the plaque, you might be able to find the answer somewhat quicker.” She points to the sign on the base of the statue. “It says right there that the eye color changes based on the coming weather.”

Ah, so that’s what you were feeling. But why was it bugging you so much to begin with if it was only some basic weather reading magic? Well it’s not a big deal, you suppose; more importantly, you need to clear up a misunderstanding.

“I can’t read that, ma’am, so that really isn’t an option for me.”

“Oho, you can’t read?” She asks with a slightly sardonic grin, “It’s not everyday that I meet someone who can’t read carrying a newspaper around.”

“Ok, for one thing I can most certainly read, just not in your language. And for two, I’ve been trying to find someone to read this article for me. I get the feeling that I should know what it says, since it’s supposedly about me.”

“Really?” she asks with her eyebrow upturned, “Let me see that.” She takes the paper from you and starts reading off from the front page.

---

Outsider Merchant take Bazaar by Storm
Irks off Local Goddess while meeting locals

Yesterday, as I was passing through the bazaar, I came across an interesting sight.

The wind goddess of the mountain was wrestling with someone over in the middle of the bazaar’s food court.

The one being attacked was an outsider to Gensokyo, Jean-Luc Lawrence, a travelling merchant who came across the border a day or two ago.

When asked for her reasoning in attacking said merchant, the blue-haired deity said it had to do something about gathering faith.

“The guy seemed to be more interested in a minor deity than in a major power player like myself. I was just trying to set the record straight as to who is the major power on the mountain.”

Afterwards, she sped back towards her shrine, intent on performing some task which will be reported on at a later date.

I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Lawrence later on, and he was more than willing to show me his merchandise. Pulling various items from his pack, he started going on a rant about the different items he had available.

While there was a lot of variety in what he had, ranging from cheap, bland items to things of extravagance, this man apparently doesn’t make it a habit of carrying any sort of regular stock.

“I pick things up as I go y’know? So if you see something that you like in my inventory you should probably pick it up, because it isn’t very likely that you will see it again the next time I come around.”

In my mind, a true shop would have some items that are always available, just so that the regulars could always find something that they like.

Still, he does say that he will take orders for hard to find merchandise, so you can always go to him if there is some sort of rarity that you desire.

Of course, here in Gensokyo one would have to wonder if any such desire could even exist.

(Aya Shameimaru)

---

Well… this explains a lot. While this article isn’t exactly the shining piece of press you were hoping it to be, at least it doesn’t portray you in a negative light. You think. (And where did that “y’know” come from? You’re pretty sure that you never said that during the interview)

“A travelling merchant, huh?” Nazrin says as she tucks the paper under her arm, “If that’s the case then why are you wasting time around here.”

“I’m waiting for the local teacher to finish her class. My next destination is the mansion in the bamboo forest, and she says that a friend of hers would be willing to guide me there.”

“Well whatever, that’s your business I suppose.” She begins to walk away, “I’m keeping this paper, by the way. It’s not like you need it anymore.” You watch as she heads towards the market area of the village.

[ ] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>
[ ] See if Aya is still in the area, you want to go over some finer points of her journalism style. <Aya, an encounter may not occur>
[ ] Take a self-guided tour; it isn’t like you’ll get lost, and you might meet another interesting person to talk to. <???, an encounter will occur if this path is selected>
[ ] Check back at the House of Kirisame to see if anything has changed in the span of a day <Aito Kirisame and staff>
[ ] Head back to the school early and see if you can’t learn about some of the local history <Keine>

[x] Take a self-guided tour; it isn’t like you’ll get lost, and you might meet another interesting person to talk to. <???, an encounter will occur if this path is selected>

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

A good relationship with Nazrin could be very profitable.

[x] Take a self-guided tour; it isn’t like you’ll get lost, and you might meet another interesting person to talk to. <???, an encounter will occur if this path is selected>

This could be anyone! It might even be Nazrin!

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

I immediately knew this update would be fantastic when I saw that picture. That we get the choice for more Nazrin is surely a herald of good things to come.

>>31707
As will a good standing with Byakuren's group, which we seem to be chronically passing over.

>>31715
It's not like the writefag wants to write about them and will shove them in our face like he just did or anything~

>>31716
I'm sure the Nazrin encounter was just a randomly selected character he drew out of a hat or something. That's definitely it. It could have been anyone.

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

Trying to meet new people is not wrong, but that chance is just too great to pass up. If it goes well, we probably will learn about her treasure-detection abilities. We could get an invitation to the temple and maybe insight on what they would buy too.

[x] Ask her to guide you around town. <Nazrin>

“…”

“…”

“…is there a reason why you are following me?”

“Yes, it’s my mission in life to keep track of the actions of mice, to make sure that they aren’t planning on taking over the world once more.”

Figuring that your best bet for a tour guide was this mouse girl, you decided to follow her around a bit in order to breach the subject. So far you haven’t gotten a chance to, and all you’ve managed to do is make yourself look like a pervert with a thing for animal ears. The villagers don’t seem to mind, however, as they are mostly keeping to themselves.

“Hm, well at least you aren’t underestimating the power that mice have. So mind telling me the real reason?”

“I’d like someone to give me a bit of a tour around the village, and I thought you would be an ideal candidate. I figured that you wouldn’t take me around if I asked, however, so I did what I thought was the next best thing.”

“So instead of asking me outright, getting rejected, and finding someone who knows the area better than I do, you decided to stalk me.”

“That’s about the jist of it.”

“Look,” she sighs, “My comrades and I are relatively new to the area ourselves, so I doubt that I would be able to give you any sort of a grand tour. And in any case, the only real thing of interest in this village is the dragon statue you just saw. Other than a few shops, the tavern and the school, I doubt that there would be anything of real interest here.”

“I see.” Well you figured as much, the people here are of a practical nature, after all, so they probably wouldn’t have anything they would consider unnecessary for survival. The tavern might be promising, but you don’t really feel like drinking right now and you already have plans for the evening.

“Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got to pick up some groceries for the temple, so I’ll have to ask that we part ways here.” She moves towards what looks to be a grocer and disappears inside. Smelling something good coming from inside, you remember that you are starving and head in as well.

“Inside are an assortment of foodstuffs, mostly of the rice and vegetable variety. At first the mouse girl seems transfixed by some sort of display. She soon notices you, however, and a look of annoyance comes on her face. “I thought I said don’t follow me.”

“I’m not following you, I’m following lunch.” You see that the owner is selling some sort of bento lunch, so you purchase one for 300 yen. “I’ll be leaving soon enough.”

“Good, I’ve got better things to do than chase you off. She goes back to staring at the display, which has different cheeses on display, naturally. Looking at the price, you see that the stuff is very expensive, with a medium block of cheese going for around 1000 yen.

“Cheese is in short supply around here, huh?”

“Oh my yes,” the store owner, an older looking woman, replies, “few farmers around here bother to have any sort of livestock at all, which means that anything made of milk is a rarity. You’re that new merchant, correct? Are you thinking about bringing some additional supplies in from the outside?”

“Unlikely. I don’t really have the capability to keep produce fresh for a long time. I might be able to buy a few items here and there before I cross the Gensokyo border, but there is no way I can do any sort of mass shipping of such items on my own.”

“A shame; any rare foods would sell like hotcakes around here. Oh my,” the owner says as she claps her hands, “I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kumiko Fukuda, the owner of this humble grocery, along with my husband Taiki who is currently out collecting from the farmers.” She gives you a bow as she says this, which you give in return.

“Jean-Luc, a travelling merchant of sorts. So tell me, does that girl always stare at the display like that?”

“Oh yes. The poor dear seems to have a fondness for the stuff. Not surprising, considering her nature, but the temple she belongs to doesn’t have enough extra money to purchase any. And the one time she tried stealing some, the head of the temple came down on her hard. Ever since then, though, she always volunteers to do the groceries for the temple just so that she can look at her favorite luxury.” The old woman chuckles, “My husband treats her to a small piece from time to time, though, so she’s always friendly to us.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

----

Nazrin places the bag of rice on the counter next to the pile of vegetables. Being a youkai (and a mouse at that) she had plenty of strength to fly everything back all at once, so even something of this size would be no trouble for her. “That should be everything Ms. Fukuda. How much for everything?”

“Let me total it up dear and I’ll tell you in a second.” As Ms. Fukuda totals up the groceries, Nazrin gazes upon her precious cheese once more. Her youkai nature is screaming at her to just take it, but fear of Byakuren’s wrath keeps her in check. And since the owner isn’t in today, it looks like she won’t be getting any of it today. Sighing, she turns back to Kumiko for the total, when she notices a package has been placed on top of the pile. Opening it up, she finds a medium sized block of cheese. “Excuse me, but I didn’t order this.”

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that. That nice young merchant bought that block for you before he left, right after I told him about your love of cheese. Such a sweet guy, wouldn’t you say.”

What!?! A human taking pity on a youkai!?! Cheese might be the best food in the entire world, but a youkai should never let their pride fall so low as to accept pity from a human! Running outside, Nazrin spots the merchant walking down the street, opening his lunch.

“HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!” Nazrin shouts out as she gives chase. The merchant pauses mid-step, then turns around to face her, a look of bored annoyance on his face.

“I never asked you for your pity! There’s no way that I’m going to accept this from you!”

“Fine,” the merchant sighs, “then hand it back over.”

Wait… that would mean giving up the cheese, wouldn’t it? Nazrin is suddenly conflicted when she realizes that she has to choose between the most delectable food in the world and her youkai pride. In the end her pride wins out, however, and she reluctantly holds out the cheese, which the merchant takes. Closing her eyes in fury, she begins her rant once more, waving her arms at her side as she does.

“Who do you think you are, anyways? Some sort of pervert who goes around wooing every girl he meets? I have half a mind to challenge you to a spell card mpgmpgMMMPPH!” Nazrin suddenly finds her mouth blocked off by the most delicious taste she knows. Opening her eyes, she sees that the merchant shoved the block of cheese into her mouth, effectively muffling her due to its size.

“No take backs, alright?” The merchant says with a smile as he begins walking down the road once more. Nazrin is stunned for a moment, but she soon begins chewing the piece of cheese in her mouth in an attempt to clear the way for some scalding words of retribution. The more she chews, however, the less and less angry she becomes, until by the point that she is actually able to bring herself to swallow she isn’t angry anymore. She still feels that she should shout something, though.

“Hey! My name is Nazrin, alright? If you ever try to visit the Temple of Myouren in the future, you’re going to have to get past me, you hear!” The merchant raises an arm in acknowledgement, but doesn’t stop walking.

Yeah, that’ll show him.

-----

Well, so much for your good deed of the day. It cost you 1000 yen, but you feel that it was worth it. Digging into your lunch, you think on what to do next. You figure that you have at least half an hour or so left before the class let’s up, so you probably have time to do something if you make it quick.

MERCHANT UNLOCKED! Fukuda Groceries (Food, produce)

[ ] Wonder around the village a bit more; A little exercise couldn’t hurt.
[ ] Go back and examine the statue to see if you can’t figure out what bugged you about its eyes.
[ ] Head back to the school early so that you can leave the moment Keine is ready.

That line was used before, but I gotta say it: Totally worth it.

[x] Wonder around the village a bit more; A little exercise couldn’t hurt.

We can ask Keine about the statue if we want to know that bad.

[x] Wonder around the village a bit more; A little exercise couldn’t hurt.

D'awww

[x] Wonder around the village a bit more; A little exercise couldn’t hurt.

Tsunchu?

[x] Head back to the school early so that you can leave the moment Keine is ready.

Oh lawdy, Minoriko just got some competition.

[x] Go back and examine the statue to see if you can’t figure out what bugged you about its eyes.

I want to know about these eyes!

[x] Wander around the village a bit more; a little exercise couldn’t hurt.

You decide that a quick walk around the village would do you some good. It would both keep you active and let you get a general sense of the area. You continue to walk along the street as you finish snarfing your lunch.

You make your way around the village once, and are about to start checking for shortcuts and backstreets (because it never hurts, you know) when catch sight of something that makes you pause mid-stride. A maid is walking down the street, dressed in a full blown traditional maid uniform in blue and white. Her hair is a silver color sporting a braid on each side of her face, and is topped off with a white maid’s headband. She is even wearing high heels, a feat that… no, you’re not going there. Not with that pun.

She catches you staring at her, and gives a smile in your direction. And then disappears. Since when did maids have the ability to vanish into thin air?

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” A voice from behind startles you. Spinning around, you see the maid standing a few feet away, retaining her smile. Ok, so the maid can teleport. Considering what you know of Gensokyo, you suppose that this shouldn’t surprise you.

“Ah, well, it’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve seen a real life maid in the flesh. Not exactly a sight that I was prepared to find today.”

“I see,” She says in an even tone, “well as long as it isn’t a habit of yours to stare at girls on the street, I suppose that it’s fine this once.” She lifts up the hem of her skirt a bit as she goes into a curtsy. “I am Sakuya Izayoi, the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Jean-Luc Lawrence, a traveling merchant of sorts.”

“Ah, so you are the travelling merchant I’ve heard about. My mistress read about you in that crow’s paper and has been fantasizing about what items you might be carrying with you at the moment. Would you by any chance be planning on stopping by the Scarlet Devil Mansion?”

“I am, as a matter of fact. I was told that your mistress is a vampire, however, so I was planning on waiting until later in the evening to stop on by.”

“My, how thoughtful of you. In that case I shall alert our gate guard that you may stop by sometime soon, so hopefully you will be able to gain entry without too much effort.”

“Sounds like a plan. But try not to let your mistress’ fantasies get too out of hand, alright? I find that clients who let their imagination do the talking tend to be somewhat disillusioned when I actually show of what I have available.”

“Is that so? Very well then, I shall try my best. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Sakuya says as she gives another curtsy, “There are some things that my mistress wanted me to pick up while I am out, so we will have to part ways for now. I look forward to your incoming visit at the mansion.” She walks off in a manner that you can only describe as elegant. You watch her for a bit, and then remember that she asked you not to stare, so you move along.

---

Arriving back at the schoolhouse, you see the kids leaving the grounds to go and play their silly kid games or whatever. To be honest you aren’t really sure what they are up to, and you can’t say that you really care either. Walking to the door, you find Keine waiting for you.

“Just in time,” Keine says, “Well come on, let’s go and see if she is at home.” Keine leads you away from the school and towards the end of the village that is nearest to the bamboo forest.

“So what part of the spell card rules are you having trouble with, exactly?” She asks. “For the most part I find them to be fairly intuitive, so I can’t believe that even the simplest person could have trouble understanding the instructions.”

“Ah right, the instructions. I can’t read those.”

“Why? Are the instructions on the cards you received illegible?”

“No, I just can’t read the language since it isn’t my native tongue.” You swear, if she acts shocked about the fact that you can’t read…

But she only nods in understanding, “I see, so that’s what the problem was. Well for the most part it’s fairly straightforward; most cards just act as a sort of guideline for magical energy to run along. After going through the initial design, all you have to do is channel energy into the card and it should activate and run by itself.”

Something along the lines of a magical program, huh? Well that’s a relief; you never exactly had a knack for the magical arts (read: you’ve failed every time you have ever tried to cast a spell) but you are surprisingly good at channeling the energy from the world around you. In fact, you’re pretty sure that your seals run on that principle, although you aren’t sure where the energy they provide comes from. But in any case, it looks like you might not be so helpless in a spell card duel after all, so long as you don’t have to rely on your seals.

You are interrupted mid-thought, however, as you reach what looks to be a small house made of bamboo, located right next to the bamboo forest’s edge. Keine knock on the door a few times, then opens it and looks inside. Sighing, she turns back to you.

“It looks like she isn’t in right now. What should we do now? I can attempt to guide you to Eientei if you wish, although I give no guarantees that we will find it. On the other hand, we can wait here to see if she returns.” Looking up at the afternoon sky, you consider your options.

[ ] No sense in wasting any more time. Let’s chance heading through the forest.
[ ] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…
[ ] This is becoming too much trouble. Let’s put Eientei on the backburner for now and head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion instead.

Mmm... Kind of a loaded choice. We might wait for nothing, but we also might get lost. Since we pretty much announced we will go to the SDM this evening, losing time here means less time spent at Eientei. We CANNOT afford skipping SDM: it will damage our reputation hard, especially now that Remilia will prepare to receive us. So...

[x] No sense in wasting any more time. Let’s chance heading through the forest.

Keine's with us if we encounter trouble. Also, Eientei may also have read the papers and will come get us if they sense us or Keine lost in there.

We may want to consider activating LUCK here... If you guys want to go for it, then I'll join in.

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…

I'd be all for activating luck and heading into the forest if we were alone, buuuut I don't want Keine cramping Tewi's style.

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…

Might want to save that luck for something important.

Hey, do you think we can somehow get Tewi to refill our luck meter?

[x] No sense in wasting any more time. Let’s chance heading through the forest.

You are all a bunch of wussies. There is nothing in the forest to be afraid of, doubly so since we have Keine on our side, and I have the utmost confidence we shall find Eientei.

>>31777
Counterpoint: Keine is boring.

>>31778
Yes. I understand completely. Keine is boring, so we should vote for an option that will necessitate spending more time with her. Brilliant.

>>31779
If she's going to be boring, she might as well be useful boring.

>>31778

Keine's been nothing but helpful andand missing out appointment at the SDM.
This way has a good change of us finding Entei, gives us much needed practice and means we can give up and go to the SDM if need be.

>>31785
>appointment at SDM
What appointment? We just said we'd drop by sometime, not that we'd necessarily do it today.

I'm sorta hoping we can waste enough time to get to sleep at Eientei, but that probably isn't happening. It'd definitely happen if we got injured though! To the forest, godspeed!

>>31786
>“I am, as a matter of fact. I was told that your mistress is a vampire, however, so I was planning on waiting until later in the evening to stop on by."

>>31787
Oh. Reading comprehension, my worst enemy...

We definitely shouldn't sleep in the SDM, in any case.

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…


It's probably a little too early to head to the SDM and we need spellcards anyway.

>>31787

Ah, right, you don't have to take that as having a set appointment. Just know that the SDM is expecting you at some point in the near future, it doesn't have to be on the same day.

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…

>>31790
Realm, you do realize that this pretty much crash my whole argument (I'm >>31771)? These kinds of misunderstanding need to be avoided or cleared fast.

>>31794

I'd agree, but a) I'm not that good of a writer and b) I only get rare chances to check how the vote is progressing throughout the day and make comments. I don't really get any time to sit myself down and dedicate myself to this until the evening, and I only usually get an hour or so at that.

Speaking of which, no update tonight. I'm piled down with work and high on cold drugs, so anything I write tonight would be lackluster at best. We'll try it again tomorrow after I get the chance to rest a bit.

>>31795
>>31794
It's fine, isn't it? Even if we don't need to go to the SDM today, and if not doing so would have no 'in-game' consequence, we reacted to encountering Sakuya by deciding we should lest we risk besmirching our own reputation.
The update doesn't imply a set time or date; We responded to a potential issue, and in doing so anon has guided (if maybe only in our own minds) how Jean-Luc reacts and is perceived.

Also: get well soon Realm.

[x] Might as well wait to see if she comes back. In the meantime, maybe some spell card practice is in order…

It’s already around mid-afternoon by this point. While you could potentially make it back to the village and head to the vampire’s mansion, you are hesitant to let all this waiting go to waste. And you still don’t particularly feel like chancing the bamboo forest on your own just yet. Better to keep yourself productive while waiting for the guide to return.

“I’m in no particular hurry,” you say, “and in any case this gives us a good opportunity for practice.” You pull out on of the blank spell cards and gesture for Keine to come over. She shrugs, and beings instructing you on the basis of a spell card.

Apparently, the spell card rules are very open ended. Basically, so long as the rules agreed upon beforehand are met and nobody is seriously hurt in the end, it’s pretty much ranges from anything goes to patterned attacks. Heck, the card’s don’t even have to be gotten from the shrine maiden so long as they follow the basic template. (Apparently this was a sore spot with Reimu when the rules were created. Something about “lost means of revenue”) Keine helps you set up a basic card with only a single, simple pattern of lasers being released.

“Why lasers?” you ask.

“It’s just one aspect that I’m good at,” she shrugs, “as well as the fact that it’s pretty easy to master. Everyone has their specialties when it comes to danmaku, but lasers are generally easier to learn since you are basically only learning to release energy in specific directions. Now, once activated, the card’s border will guide your attack. All you should need to do is provide the raw energy by channeling it into the card.”

Well that seems easy enough. Even someone like you with no magical talent whatsoever can channel energy. In fact, you’re pretty sure that it was one of your most used skills back in the pity days. When you switched over to being a merchant you started to rely on the seals instead, as per your instructions, but it shouldn’t be too hard to get back in the groove.

Keine stands a distance away from you and begins shouting. “Alright, for the most part, danmaku battles take place in the air, but from what I can tell you can’t fly, correct?” You nod. “Well in that case we’ll keep things on the ground only for now. It’ll put you at a disadvantage, but there isn’t much we can do about that. Alright, let’s start with a system card first to make sure everything is going smoothly!”

You take out the Spiritual Strike Talisman and hold it in front of you. A border of sorts appears quickly and spreads out in a rapid manner. You’re guessing that anyone who was near you would be thrown away at this point by the expanding border, which rapidly dissipates as it recedes away from you. You try the same thing with Marisa’s card, which fills you with a rapid amount of energy. You practice letting out a few single bullets with its help, but the stream of energy soon dissipates after a couple of seconds.

Keine nods. “System cards like that generally use a stored amount of collected power, stored within the card itself. You have to wait for them to essentially ‘recharge’ before you can use them again. Now, let’s see you activate a true spell card. Come at me!”

You grasp the card between your index and middle finger, holding it in front of you in an overly dramatic gesture that you know is completely unnecessary.

<Practice Sign: Simple Laser>

You can feel the border activate and surround you and Keine. Additionally, you can somewhat ‘sense’ the tracks of the attack around you, so all that’s left for now is to channel the raw power into it. You concentrate and let your old senses come back to you. Yeah, now you remember. Breathe in and out slowly, drawing in the latent energy from your environment. Collect it in one place and prepare to send it on its way. Huh, that’s funny. You don’t remember feeling that sensation before. What is it? Oh right, pain. Funny, you never encountered any sort of pain like this in the past when doing basic channeling; you wonder what could be causing it.

On second thought, you don’t wonder what could be causing it as the fact that it hurts more than anything you’ve ever felt begins to override your more complex thoughts. You grasp your arms in agony, as the hurt seems to be emanating from them, and more specifically from your seals. You drop to the ground as the border shatters around you. All you can feel is the hurt and everything else around you is blocked off from your senses.

Slowly, the pain starts to recede, and you are able to view your surroundings once more. You are lying on a futon, with a flustered Keine hovering above you. Seeing you aware once more puts her in a state of relief.

“Ah, thank goodness. I was worried when you collapsed outside, but lucky for you my friend came back soon after you fell. We brought you inside and set you up in Mokou’s futon, with you being completely unresponsive the whole time. How do you feel?”

How do you feel? You feel like you have just been though the greatest trial of your entire life. You feel as though some major part of you has been taken away, and that it may take quite some effort to get it back. But most of all, you feel like shouting three very distinctive words.

“GOD DAMMIT YUKARI!”

Keine jumps back as you sit up, a look of anger in your face. Soon, however, you realize that you probably can’t take on that damned gap youkai as is, and in any case you don’t have any proof that this was her doing. (Although that doesn’t keep her from being your main suspect at this point)

“If I had 10 yen for every time I’ve heard that.” A voice coming from the kitchen says. Into the room walks a woman who is probably a quarter-head shorter than you are. Having long violet hair, red pants patched with what look like charms, and a shirt that looks as if it has been lightly toasted, she carries three cups of what you suspect to be tea into the room and sits down next to you and Keine. “So what, you think that the gap youkai has something to do with why you collapsed.”

“I believe so. All I know is that last night she came to me and said that she would be weakening my spell card prowess. I didn’t realize that it would be this much, though.”

The stranger shrugs, putting down the tea on the floor. “Well not much you can do about it until she visits you again, I suppose. She’s pretty much impossible to track down, so that’s the only option you have at this point. I’m Mokou, by the way.” She offers her hand in greeting which you take. “My suggestion is to put all the spellcard stuff out of mind for now, since it sounds like you aren’t going to get anywhere without her input. Just stick to system cards in battle if you really need to fight, or have someone on hand to do it for you.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” You say dejectedly. Now how are you going to protect yourself from the various youkai of Gensokyo that will inevitably want to steal your treasures. Well, you could always break your seals if you have to, even if you will have to pay for it later. Still, you can’t help but feel that something is off about this whole thing…

Ah well, you’ll save that for another time. Mokou is here now, which means that you can have her lead you through the bamboo forest.

“Eientei, huh? Sure, I can guide you there, especially if you want the doctor there to look into your little incident just now. But if we head off now we’re probably going to get there around twilight. Is that ok with you?”

[ ] That’s fine, let’s get going.
[ ] On second thought, I should probably find a place for the night and bunker down there. We can go to Eientei in the morning.
-[ ] Ask to stay at Mokou’s
-[ ] Ask to stay another night at Keine’s
-[ ] See if you can’t stay somewhere else <specify>
[ ] On second thought, if it’s going to be evening soon in any case, we might as well head to the SDM.
[ ] Write-in

[x] That’s fine, let’s get going.

Well, this is what we we're waiting for.

>God damnit Yukari
Boy, that sure never gets old. What's next; pad jokes?

[X] That’s fine, let’s get going.

>>31806
I think Yukari actually deserves it, here. I mean, sealing the outsider's powers, sure, but physically damaging him just because he tries to do any danmaku is crossing the border (ha) from "playful and mischievous" to "dick". That's assuming that it was her that caused the pain, though. We could just have brain cancer or something.

On the bright side I've never found reading about danmaku particularly riveting anyway.

>>31810

My thoughts exactly. I've always held the philosophy that the best place to experience danmaku is in the games themselves, so don't expect too much from any sort of spell card fight that might appear in this story.

[x] That’s fine, let’s get going.

>>31811
There's always the fighting games to draw from. Those seem more like Jean-Luc's style anyway.

Actually, I think what Yukari did to us was more along the lines of pity. Why?

The seals aren't affected by the Spell Card Duel 'Non-Lethal' rules.

We should probably be thanking her for not killing us on the spot to prevent us causing an 'accident' starting a chain reaction where youkai find/create loopholes around the 'Non-lethal' rules ultimately leading to Gensokyo's destruction.

Of course, we should still punch Yukari in the face as soon as possible, hopefully leaving an actual mark. I may also be completely wrong on my hypothesis. Hopefully.

>Having long violet hair
Huh?

>>31822
Light violet. Not white.

[x] That’s fine, let’s get going.

[x] That’s fine, let’s get going.

Yeah, it’s time to get back to business as it were. After you finish your tea, you get up off the futon and secure your pack, announcing your intent to head toward Eientei. Mokou shrugs once more and gets up off the floor as well. Keine looks as though she has doubts on whether or not you should be moving so soon, but if she does she keeps them to herself.

“Well then, thanks for everything Ms Keine,” you say in parting.

“Ah, yes, goodbye then.” She waves goodbye and hesitantly heads back the way she came, though you think you can see her glance back once in concern before she is out of sight.

“Welp, if we’re going to be heading out to her place, I suppose that we should probably get moving before it gets too dark.” Leading you onto a path into the bamboo forest, Mokou begins guiding the way.

About twenty minutes in and the trip is still uneventful. Not that you are complaining, mind you. Complications always seem to arise whenever you travel, and it’s nice to have a trip where nothing happens.

*CRASH*

Or not. It would seem that Mokou fell into some sort of pit trap while walking ahead of you. Being secretly glad she took the lead, you lean down over the hole and look down inside of it. “You ok down there?”

You pull back as Mokou come floating out of the hole. “Yeah, just got caught off guard again. That damn rabbit is always making these traps without considering that some people might actually want to get to Eientei. Heck, I’m not sure if she even remembers how many are out here. If it weren’t for me there would be little chance of anyone ever making it in one piece.” You were going to ask her whether or not she sustained any injuries, but it looks like she’s fine, so you let the matter drop.

Along the way, Mokou sets off two more pitfall traps, as well as what seems like a bamboo spear trap. You could have sworn that she was actually stabbed by that last one, but after pulling the spear out there didn’t seem to be any apparent damage. You ask her if she is alright, but she just shrugs and takes you on your way.

Soon enough, you see a large complex come into sight. “This is as far as I take you,” Mokou says, “I’ll stick around the area for an hour or so if you want me to lead you back, but otherwise you might want to see if the princess would be willing to let you stay the night.” She says the word ‘princess’ with an aura of disgust, and you wonder why she is willing to guide people here if she dislikes the residents so much.

Ah well, none of your business you suppose. You head towards the mansion, only to find the ground below you crumpling away. Damn, you didn’t think there would be a trap this close to the residence, so you let your guard down. This one seems like it would be pretty deep as well, and since no one is directly attacking you, you know that your seals aren’t going to activate.

[ ] Break a physical seal; this is no time to worry about the consequences!
-[ ] Arm Strength: Grab onto the wall and pull yourself up!
-[ ] Leg Strength: Land hard and wall jump out of there!
-[ ] Stamina: Better get some physical endurance going if you want to climb out of there!
-[ ] Defense: Brace yourself for impact!
[ ] Just try to land as softly as possible, then use your grappling hook to get back up.

Okay, that's it. I requested it before and I request it again now: information on seals and the consequences of breaking one. A price was mentionned and I want to know it before making a decision.

[x] Just try to land as softly as possible, then use your grappling hook to get back up.

>>31838

Judging from what happened during the spell card, very painful.

>>31838

Mmm... yeah ok, let's get some of this out of the way.

Breaking a seal will give you full access to it's abilities, but there is a price. Unlike using an activated seal, a broken seal will cause you some amount of harm after it manages to reseal itself. The more seals you break at one time, the worse the effect afterward.

As for what the seals do, their description basically says it all. I'm going to go ahead and let you know that the other two magic seals are air and lightning (original, right?) so that you can access them at any point.

Note that Jean-Luc did not expect what happened with the spell card. That shouldn't have involved the seals in any way, so he had no idea that they would react like that.

If I could, I would probably go back to the beginning and redo this whole seal system into something more manageable, but my goal here is to deal with difficulties like this instead of relying on retcons. Sorry for the inconvenience.

>>31839
I doubt it. What happened earlier was unexpected. Breaking a seal here imply that we won't be able to turn it off. In Gensokyo, it also means being unable to hide any part of our true strength we unlock. I suspect that only the organization we belong to can repair our broken seals. And I'm pretty sure there's another good reason we have seals in general.

>>31844 here
Well, I went ahead and thought too much about it. Now, I'm pretty sure we don't want to know what could be at the bottom. We don't even know how deep it is so trying to land softly may end up breaking something and thus we would be unable to go back up.

[x] Break a physical seal; this is no time to worry about the consequences!
-[x] Arm Strength: Grab onto the wall and pull yourself up!

[x] Just try to land as softly as possible, then use your grappling hook to get back up.

There really isn't any need to break a seal; Tewi's traps are designed to annoy. The only injury we shall sustain will be to our pride. Besides, we all just saw Mokou run through a few of these things and she's just fine, so we shall be too.

>>31847
Obviously, you seems to have missed the bamboo spear trap. You honestly think our eyes just played a trick when we saw Mokou getting stabbed?

>>31849
Considering she managed to come out of the trap perfectly fine, I would certainly say so. Now, you and I both know she obviously got pierced and simply regenerated it away, but Lawrence doesn't. To him, it actually was just his eyes playing tricks on him.

[X] Just try to land as softly as possible, then use your grappling hook to get back up.

[LUCK] Just try to land as softly as possible, then use your grappling hook to get back up.

Why not burn a luck for no apparent reason?

> That shouldn't have involved the seals in any way

Explain Yukari's reasoning.

>>31865
For all we know, she could have fucked up and will apologize at night.

[x] Break a physical seal; this is no time to worry about the consequences!
-[x] Arm Strength: Grab onto the wall and pull yourself up!

>>31865

In due time.

[x] Just try to land as softly as possible, and then use your grappling hook to get back up.

Alright, no need to panic, we can do this. You twist in the air in an effort to straighten yourself before you hit the bottom, which is fortunately bamboo-free. The good news is that you marginally succeed in this endeavor. The bad news is that marginal success may still occasionally come with a penalty.

*Crack*

Well, that didn’t sound good. The fact that your left leg is now in immense pain seems to suggest that you didn’t quite make the perfect landing. You collapse on the bottom of the pit as you attempt to wrest control of your flailing body back from the throes of agony. How in the world did Mokou survive so many of these pits unscathed? Speaking of which, the forest guide is peering down the hole.

“Yo, you okay down there?” she asks in a manner of idle curiosity.

“Oh sure, other than the horrendous amount of pain I’m in, I’m doing just fine.” You manage to stop yourself from spasming any further, and contemplate how you are going to get out of this. Well the good news is that your arms are still fine, so climbing out shouldn’t be an issue as long as your hook can find purchase. You get your grappling hook out of your pack and toss the hook portion to Mokou. “Find something that can support my weight, alright?” She nods and moves away from the edge as you begin climbing up.

Reaching the top, you are surprised to find that Mokou is still holding the hook in her hands. You guess that she didn’t even bother finding something to purchase it against. It’s not like you are a lightweight, so this is pretty impressive in and of itself.

“Thanks,” you say as you take your hook back. She shrugs once more and goes back to observing her surroundings instead of you. At the moment, though, you have more pressing concerns then getting the attention of a forest guide with a short attention span. You test your weight on your injured leg. It hurts like hell, but you should still be able to move about.

“Didn’t you say that there is a doctor living at the mansion over there?” you ask Mokou, getting another nod in response. “Right then, thanks for all the help.” You leave her to her wandering as you slowly make your way to the complex ahead, making sure to avoid any further potential pitfalls. First things first, let’s get some medical attention, and then see if we can’t peddle our wares after that.

You head towards what looks to be the main entrance. As you approach, a figure comes out of the entrance and takes a fighting stance. She’s wearing what looks to be a uniform of sorts and has long purple hair. Bunny ears stick out from the top of her head, but it isn’t like you haven’t seen anything like that before.

“Halt!” the bunny-eared girl shouts, “State your business!” On closer inspection, it looks like her fighting stance consists of her making a gun out of her right hand and pointing it at you.

…seriously?

[ ] Polite : “I’m the new merchant in the area, and I’m here to show off what I have. But first, would you be able to help me treat my injury?
[ ] Exasperated : Put that hand down, alright? I’m just here to get myself fixed up.
[ ] Confused: “…no seriously, is that stance supposed to be some kind of joke?”
[ ] Just ignore her and press forward
[ ] Write-in

[x] Polite : “I’m the new merchant in the area, and I’m here to show off what I have. But first, would you be able to help me treat my injury?

As terribly tempting third option is, it may not end too well and we really should try to make a good first impression if we want some sales.

[LUCK] Stunned : Are all the people here this beautiful?
[x] Exasperated : Put that hand down, alright? I’m just here to get myself fixed up.

How cute, Reisen thinks she can fight~

>>31886

Aw man, I should have put a 'smooth' option in. Ah well, write it in if you want.

[x] Just ignore her and press forward

This isn't a fucking joke, Reisen. I'm sure she can see our limping bum leg, and can thus infer we are here to see the good doctor. Why she would take a hostile stance and ask our business is anyones guess at that point.

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"

Let's examine this carefully. We've been very nice and tolerant for a very long time, but we've got to have some limits on patience. And with a busted leg, Yukari constantly putting limiters on us, making us miserable, etc... sometimes enough is enough.

And now some bunny girl is threatening us with her fingers? All we want to do is make an honest buck after a hard life and this girl is giving us attitude like this? We can play nice, but goddamnit, I'm pretty sure a bum leg means bad news for adventurers and wandering merchants. Their body is their temple.

>>31887
As much as I'd like to, I don't think Jean-Luc is in the mood right now.

[x] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"

[x] Polite : “I’m the new merchant in the area, and I’m here to show off what I have. But first, would you be able to help me treat my injury?

I'd rather not rack up more injuries.

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"
-[x] "And put that down, will you?"

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"
-[x] "And put that down, will you?"

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"
-[x] "And put that down, will you?"

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"
-[x] "And put that down, will you?"

>>31895

Heh.

Update should be incoming within the hour.

[X] Annoyed : "Do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?"
-[x] "And put that down, will you?"

Yeah, no. You currently have a leg that is sprained at best, and this little rabbit thinks that she can scare you away with theatrics? Talk about your lack of hospitality; you are regretting ever making the decision to come this way.

“Let me ask, do you greet every single guest with spike traps and threats?” you say as you approach the girl, annoyance in your voice. A look of confusion comes upon her face as you say that. “Spike traps? What do you mean?”

“Oh no, there is no way you don’t know about the various pitfalls surrounding this place. If it weren’t for the forest guide I could have died five times over coming this way!”

“Look, Tewi is the one who deals with security around here; I have nothing to do with-”

“Why do I not believe you? And put that down, will you?” You grab her hand and force it away from you.

“Hey, don’t do that, it-“

*BANG*

You are frozen in place as a bullet flies forth from the bunny’s fingertips. You watch the bullet as it slowly makes its way to one of the main building’s walls, where it dissipates once it hits. You stare at the small mark it left as you let go of the girl’s hand, and then cover your face with both hands in exasperation. This just isn’t worth it anymore.

“Look, all I wanted was to come and show my merchandise off to the head of this mansion, alright? But I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort anymore, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.” You start to limp away from the bunny girl, regretting that you came this way in the first place. Hopefully Mokou is still around to guide you back to Keine’s. Maybe she can help you find medical treatment.

“Merchandise?” She says, considering what you just said. “Wait…are you that new merchant the paper talked about?” Suddenly the bunny girl becomes frantic and she chases you down, grabbing your arm. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize who you are, and we’ve had some issues with uninvited guests lately, and are you injured I didn’t even notice, and-”

“Whoa, slow down there little bunny,” you say, trying to calm her down, “Are you saying that you are willing to listen to me now?”

“Yes, I am. The princess has been talking about you all day, and I was going to head out tomorrow to see if I couldn’t find you and oh man this save me so much time! But anyways come inside, I’ll see if my master can’t look at that leg of yours as well.” She begins to lead you inside. “By the way, my name is Reisen. Please forgive my earlier rudeness; I just didn’t realize who you were.”

Forgive Reisen?
[ ] Nah, let’s see her squirm a little first?
[ ] Sure, she was probably just doing her job.
[ ] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her.

Respect at last. Though you wonder whether or not you should put aside your injury for now and go make a good first impression with this princess she keeps speaking of. After all, first impressions are everything, and coming in with a broken leg doesn’t sound like the best way to start a merchant-customer relationship…

[ ] Deal with the pain for now, and ask Reisen to take you to the princess.
[ ] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.

One way or the other, though, you’re going to want to get that leg looked at. When you do, should you ask them to compensate you? After all, it was their traps that got you injured in the first place.

[ ] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.
[ ] It doesn’t sound like the people here were even aware of any traps to begin with aside from this “Tewi” person. Have her cover your costs.
[ ] Cover your medical costs in full; even if it was their traps that hurt you, you can’t fault them for taking security measures.

[x] Sure, she was probably just doing her job.
[x] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[x] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.
-[x]Make sure to mention the traps and this "Tewi". If you had come in with Keine or if it was anyone else...

No reason to be hard on Reisen, Kaguya may just send us to Eirin herself if we go see her in now and while full payment could probably bring good karma, I'm frankly not sure of the costs. Will go for it if others want however. Write-in because we gotta make sure patients coming in don't get hurt even more too.

[x] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her.
[x] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[x] Cover your medical costs in full; even if it was their traps that hurt you, you can’t fault them for taking security measures.
-[x] Though its pretty extreme for such security on the way to a DOCTOR.

I can't stay mad at our moon bunny.

[X] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her.
[X] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[X] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.
-[x]Make sure to mention the traps and this "Tewi". If you had come in with Keine or if it was anyone else...
-[X] Push comes to shove, see if this Master wants to trade if she doesn't want money.

It'd be nice if we could get Eirin interested in our goods, but it'd feel pretty rude to snub the Princess. Ignoring the Master of the House for servants is generally bad form. Maybe Jean-Luc can talk to her after meeting with Kaguya and getting Eirin to muse on the possibilities? Either way, getting her to browse while looking for a suitable (discounted) payment would be good.

[x] Sure, she was probably just doing her job.
[x] Deal with the pain for now, and ask Reisen to take you to the princess.
[x] Cover your medical costs in full; even if it was their traps that hurt you, you can’t fault them for taking security measures.

I assume this last option is for us to pay our own medical expenses? We cant expect them to pay our expenses when it was our own fault we were injured, and it sounds like they are high alert so it was bound to happen anyways.

They aren't at fault here, so they shouldn't have to pay. Every other part of this vote is self-explanatory.

[x] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her. She was just doing her job anyways.
[x] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[x] Cover your medical costs in full; even if it was their traps that hurt you, you can’t fault them for taking security measures.
-[x] Mention the traps and Tewi anyways to see if they're a part of the proper measures or not.

As much as I'd like to stick the costs on Tewi, I doubt it'd amount to much. That and paying full price is a good start, not to mention the fact that Eirin wouldn't charge too much.

[x] Sure, she was probably just doing her job.
[x] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[x] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.

We have no reason to believe in her words. 'Tewi' might as well be a scapegoat.

[x] Nah, let’s see her squirm a little first?
[x] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[LUCK] It doesn’t sound like the people here were even aware of any traps to begin with aside from this “Tewi” person. Have her cover your costs.

Ask Tewi for compensation, receive luck~ Too bad this will never win.

[X] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her.
[X] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[X] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.
-[x]Make sure to mention the traps and this "Tewi". If you had come in with Keine or if it was anyone else...

Do traps not activate the seals? It seems like a pretty clear threat.

Keine would just fly over the traps. Mokou doesn't cause she gives no fucks.

>>31936

The seals only activate when they sense someone intending to hurt you. The trap had no hard feelings for you, it was only doing its job. Also it wasn't technically sentient, but the result was the same.

>>31939
No protection from environmental hazards? How is he expected to adventure in a volcano dungeon like this? Whoever designed those seals hates his guts.

>>31952

Yes, because merchants are known so well for how they often venture into live volcanoes.

[X] Yeah, we can’t stay mad at someone as cute as her.
[X] Your health comes first; go and see Reisen’s master to see if you can’t get your leg fixed up.
[X] Yeah, make sure to get compensation for any medical expenses, or at least get a discount out of it. It’s only fair, after all.
-[x]Make sure to mention the traps and this "Tewi". If you had come in with Keine or if it was anyone else...

You stare at the bunny for a few moments before your willpower finally gives out. You could never stay angry at a pretty girl for too long. A bit shallow, maybe, but let’s just call it one of your character flaws.

“Alright, I’ll forgive you. But only because you’re cute, you hear?”

Reisen stares back at you for a second, before going into what can only be called an adorable pout. “So I’m really only good for my looks and sex appeal after all, huh?” She seems a bit annoyed, but at the same time you think you can make out a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Hey, I barely know you, so it isn’t like the other aspects of your personality are standing out at me. I go with what I have, y’know. Now, would you be so kind as to lead me to your master? This leg of mine is starting to become a bit more painful.” Actually, the pain is excruciating by this point, but you aren’t going to let her know that.

“…this way please.”

She continues to lead you along a hallway in silence. After a few turns she opens a door to what looks like a simple examination room and has you sit down on the bed inside. Avoiding meeting your gaze, she leaves the room, saying something about getting her master.

You wait on the bed, trying to keep yourself from going crazy from the pain. About 10 minutes later, a woman wearing what looks like a red and blue nurse’s outfit walks inside. Her long silver hair is tied into a loose braid behind her head, and she is carrying a clipboard. Reisen follows her in, carrying what look to be examination tools, as well as a syringe or two.

“Well well, what do we have here?” the woman says with a smile on her face.

“You’ve gotta help me doc,” you say, returning the smile, “I don’t think I’ll last the hour if this goes on,” you say as you point to your leg.

“Straight to the point. Interesting.” She makes a note on her clipboard as you wonder why on earth that comment would require her to write something down. “In any case, my name is Eirin, and I’ll be your doctor tonight. Now sit still.”

What follows is a rudimentary examination, at least from your perspective. Eirin does all the basic checkup necessities such as taking your temperature and blood pressure before moving on to examine your leg.

“Why is it always something outside my field?” Eirin sighs as you give her a curious glance. Glancing back, she goes on, “My specialty is internal medicine, but it seems like I’m always mending bruises and bones more often than viruses.” She lets out a sigh, “Ah well, nothing for it then. Udonge, the x-ray please.” Reisen (Udonge?) hands Eirin a handheld device that she passes over your leg twice. A few moment later and she nods at the results the come forth.

“That leg is definitely fractured.” She says with a small frown. “Nothing major, but it’s probably extremely painful. I’m amazed that you aren’t screaming out right now.”

“I’ve… had some similar experiences in the past, so…”

“Is that so? Well regardless, this shouldn’t be too hard to fix.” Handing the device back to Reisen, Eirin turns to you with a smile. “That is, assuming you have the means to pay, of course.”

“Oh I do, but I would expect that you would be willing to let this case slide by?”

“Oh really?” she says as her smile increases, “Now why would I do that?”

You return the smile just as hard, “Because it was your security system that did this to me. I fell into one of your pits right along the main path. And while I commend this ‘Tewi’ of yours for her diligence, I would have to say that it is very rude to attempt to injure any potential guests who are merely trying to make their way here.”

Eirin’s smile has vanished, and now a scowl has appeared on her face. “Udonge!” she yells out. Reisen flinches as Eirin turns her gaze towards her. “The rabbits are your responsibility, correct?”

“Y-yes, but-”

“No buts! A guest was injured due to one of your subordinates.” Pushing her face right up against the petrified rabbit’s, Eirin lets out a growl. “I’m sure you know that it goes without saying that you will punished severely for this.”

“Ah…Ah…”

“Now go and find Tewi, and be sure to reprimand her for her actions.” Eirin points at the door, which Reisen scampers out of as quickly as she can. Turning back to you with a sigh, Eirin speaks to you once more.

“I apologize for that; I didn’t realize that you were injured due to the negligence of this house.” She pauses, putting a finger to her lips. “I’ll waive the labor and treatment expenses this time, but it is very hard to find materials in this land. Would you be willing to pay for the materials necessary for your treatment?”

[ ] No, I think that I deserve the entire treatment on the house.
[ ] Sure, I don’t mind.
[ ] Maybe we can work out an alternative deal…<Select Item>

….

[ ] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.
[ ] Say nothing

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] Say nothing

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] "…hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault."
-[lies] "She rushed me right over here when she saw I was hurt!"

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] Say nothing

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.

Ouch. Should have gone to Tewi.

>>31954
Yeah, I didn't think that example through. As a plane-hopper, though, he might end up on an elemental fire plane or something. Unless there are failsafes for that sort of thing in Blade.

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.

That and the fact that Tewi generally never listens to Reisen doesn't help things much.

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.
-[x] Yeah, I should have... er... guessed that a trap was hidden there..."

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.

It's not like Reisen is able to keep track of Tewi constantly if she is helping Eirin.

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.

>>31972
Perhaps, but I'm pretty sure Eirin don't want Eientei getting a reputation of injuring any guest coming. Eirin was harsh here, but perhaps part of it is also a show because we were here.

>>31973
Possibly, though I get the impression this Reisen gets chewed out a good deal and has some issues as she wasn't fully amused by Jean's compliment.

[x] Sure, I don’t mind.
[x] …hey, go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.

You nod. “I can understand something like the cost of materials. After treatment is completed, I’ll be more than happy to pay for them.”

Eirin smiles, “Glad to hear it. As you said, the bill will come after everything is said and done.” She reaches over to one of the syringes and preps it. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll need a blood sample.”

“For a fractured bone? Pardon my ignorance, but I can’t imagine that taking my blood has much to do with mending my bones.”

“I told you my field of specialty was internal medicine, correct?” She says with a smile, “Well even a fractured bone is nothing against my special drugs. They can do anything from kill viruses to mend wounds, and in one case,” she says, eyes gleaming, “even bestow immor-” she seems to catch herself, and gives her head a shake before turning back to you. “In any case, in order to get it to work properly, however, I’ll need to modify it to your specific body chemistry. Hence, a sample is needed.”

That sounds… suspicious, but you’re in no position to refuse her right now. You allow her to take two full syringes of your blood, which makes you feel somewhat light in the head. After securing the samples, Eirin takes out what looks to be a dinner set from what Reisen carried in, as well as a few pills.

“Something Udonge quickly threw together while you were waiting. She may be irresponsible, but her cooking should be good. Additionally, these pills should act as pain reliever of sorts. Take them while you eat and you shouldn’t be bothered by your leg tonight. Now, if there isn’t anything else…”

A scene runs through your head. A small boy being berated for a wrong he did not commit…

“…Hey”

Eirin turns to look at you.

“I know it’s none of my business, but go easy on her, alright? Everyone makes mistakes, and this one wasn’t even entirely her fault.”

“Be that as it may, she still holds responsibility for what happened to you tonight. Are you just going to let it go?” Eirin says with a serious look on her face.

“I just… know what it’s like to be in the position she’s in right now.”

Eirin gives you another serious look, but eventually lets out a sigh. “Well responsibility is still responsibility, so she still needs to be punished. But since you asked, I’ll tone it down in that case.” She gives you a small smile, “I’ll let her know that you intervened on her behalf. In the meantime, take those pills and get some rest. I’ll have your treatment ready in the morning.” With that, the doctor leaves the room.

You sit back in the examination bed. Not the best place you’ve ever slept in, but certainly not the worst. You eat the meal (which is pretty good by your standards) and take the painkillers. Afterwards, you lay back and think about the day. Not excruciatingly busy by most standards, but at the same time it isn’t like anything horrible had happened. Turning over, you let yourself drift off into sleep.

***

A moment of introspection…


Scenes 1 and 2 <Select 2>:

[ ] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[ ] Eirin’s Analysis
[ ] Udonge’s Punishment

Scene 3:

[ ] Yukari
[ ] Keine
[ ] Marisa
[ ] Minoriko <A character other than Jean-Luc cannot have more than 1 introspection per visit>
[ ] Aya
[ ] Nazrin

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis

Want to know more about our guy... and I bet Eirin is going to find more than what we want others to know.

[x] Nazrin
I really, really want to see the aftermath of that encounter.

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Nazrin

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
-[x] Eirin’s Analysis
--[x] Nazrin

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Nazrin
Yes, this looks good.

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Yukari

I'm tempted to go with Reisen because it is the year of the rabbit, but I'm curious.

Yukari because having info about Yukari is probably the most valuable.

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Marisa

I'd rather see Marisa, but a Nazrin is fine too.

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Nazrin

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Udonge’s Punishment
[x] Nazrin

Nazrin option, yes! I've been waiting for this since she first made her appearance.

What kind of store are we going to unlock here? A pharmaceutical would one of the only things that would make sense, though I can see us peddling some lunarian tech for them.

[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Udonge’s Punishment
[x] Yukari

[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Udonge’s Punishment
[x] Marisa

[x] Tales of the past – A young boy’s trials
[x] Eirin’s Analysis
[x] Nazrin

Hmm. This one’s probably going to have to be split into at least two parts, so no voting for now. Let’s see if I can’t manage to get through them quickly.

---

“What the hell do you think you are doing, boy?”

A small child flies through the air, landing hard against the ground. A red welt is beginning to form on his face where he was hit only a moment ago. Looking up, he can see the enraged face of the guild master looking down on him once more.

“Do you know what kind of trouble you have caused for all of us?” The enraged man yelled, pointing to the shack where the fuel for the furnaces was stored. A hole was present in one of the walls, outside of which was a large pile of coal that had fallen out when the opening was created. “Now instead of making weapons like we are supposed to, we’re going to have to spend all afternoon clearing that mess up.”

“But it wasn’t me!” the small boy yells out, “Maxwell was the one who made that hole!”

“Funny, all the other children seem to agree that you were the one who did that.” Running a hand over his face, the guild master thinks for a moment before turning back to the small boy, his anger still burning. “You know what? I think I know just the punishment for you. You’ll be the one who has to clean up that mess and fix that hole.”

“But-“

“No buts, Jean. Now if you want to finish by nightfall, I suggest you get started.” The man steams off back to the main building, and Jean can only sulk over to the coal shack, pick up a shovel, and start moving the black lumps around. Soon, however, he is surrounded by the other kids in the village, with Maxwell at the lead.

“So much for taking one for the team, Jean,” Maxwell says with a smirk on his face.

“Shut up, Maxwell. It’s your fault this happened. You were the one who let go of that metal ball too soon.”

“Yeah? Well according to the guild master, that was you, and if I were you I would get back to shoveling that coal. After all, this mess isn’t going to clean itself.” The kids laugh as Maxwell leads them away to some other game. For a moment, Jean was tempted to let Maxwell have it with the shovel, but soon enough Maxwell was long gone, and all Jean could do was go back to the task at hand.

---

…something is wrong here.

Looking at the sample through a magnifier, Eirin can see the small blood cells moving about as they do their work. Mixed in with them are the white blood cells, the platelets, and all the other things that one might normally find in such a sample. There is evidence of magical energy mixed in as well, but in a land such as this one that isn’t anything to blink an eye at.

Leaning back, Eirin runs a hand through her hair as she ponders what she is seeing. Despite the fact that everything seems in place, she still feels as though there is something wrong with the sample…No, not wrong. The word off is probably a better way to put it. After all, nothing is missing, and there is nothing out of the ordinary with the sample. And yet for some reason the cells within don’t seem to react in the way she expected them to. It’s almost as if they were programmed with an entirely different set of genetic instructions that ultimately ended in the same result as the kind of life she is more used to examining.

Shaking her head, she puts her eye back to the eyepiece. There is no way that could be true. The only possible explanation for that would be the existence of alternate dimensions, and her fellow scholars on the moon had disproved the existence of such things long ago.

…maybe too long ago. After all, it has been around a millennia since she was last able to hear their opinions. Maybe things have changed since then, new research came to light, and-

Shaking her head once more to clear out those inefficient thoughts, the moon doctor returns to the task at hand. After all, even a patient with odd blood is no match for the genius of the moon. One way or the other, this medicine will be made. Ignoring the voices in the back of her head telling her that something is off, she gets back to work.

The mouse youkai walked into the kitchen with a sigh, dropping the load of groceries on the table in the middle of the room. She then proceeded to slump over said table as she processed her thoughts on what had happened today. All in all, she had to say that it was a pretty decent day. Yeah, she met up with a merchant that infuriated her to no end, but since the end result was cheese she suppose that she could live with it. She actually managed to save a bit of it for when she got back, something that she was usually unable to do. Pulling out the last bit, she prepared for consumption.

“Nazrin! You know what happens when you purchase cheese on the temple’s budget!” Shou had come into the room just now, and had seen the mouse girl about to eat her bounty. “Byakuren will have a field day when she hears that you-“

“Relax,” Nazrin says as she waves the grocery receipt in her hand, “the cheese was a gift from someone. Here, check the receipt if you don’t believe me.” Shou looks at Nazrin with disbelief, but takes the receipt and looks over it for inconsistencies.

Meanwhile, Nazrin lets her thoughts wander some more as she savors the last bite of cheese that she will probably have for a while. For some reason, her thoughts travel back to that damned merchant. How dare he pity her? Not to mention the fact that he humiliated her in public with that cheese stuffing act! Alright, so it was kind of cool how he pulled that off, but the end result overrides that fact! The next time she sees him, she will have to teach him-

“NAZRIN!” The mouse girl jumps as she looks up at her superior, leaning over her. Letting out a sigh, Shou shakes her head. “Spacing out like that is not fitting of a warrior, and you know that! No wonder you keep falling out of favor with Bishamonten; you keep letting your discipline slip!”

“Ah, sorry Shou. I was just thinking on something that happened while I was out. Nothing to worry about.”

Shou raises an eyebrow, but moves on. “In any case, it seems you were telling the truth about the groceries, so we need to start preparing the food for tonight. After dinner, we shall partake in training to see if we can’t improve that warrior’s spirit of yours.”

“…yes ma’am.” Ugh, training. Lately, Nazrin has been dreading it more and more with each passing day. She just can’t put her heart into it in this small but peaceful land. But as the image of that merchant enters her mind, anger slowly starts to creep in, and soon training doesn’t seem so bad if it will give her the upper hand on that man. If he ever shows his face around the temple, he had better prepare himself…

---

You wake up in the examination room, fairly well rested. True, you think that the bed gave you a shoulder cramp, and it feels like the painkillers are wearing off, but overall nothing too horrible. A pair of crutches have been placed next to you, so you use them to help you find the nearest restroom to relieve yourself in, which conveniently is attached to this room. As you make your way back, you catch sight of your pack, lying on the floor. You also notice a black-haired girl sitting next to it, wearing a pink dress and sporting rabbit ears similar to (but not, you notice, exactly like) Reisen’s. You also notice the fact that she seems to have somehow managed to get your pack open, and is currently going through its contents with glee.

[ ] Do something immediately
-[ ] Act out in anger. “GET AWAY FROM THERE!”
-[ ] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”
-[ ] Tap her gently on the head with one of your crutches to get her attention. “Oi, mind telling me exactly what you think you’re doing?”
[ ] Wait for an opportunity…
-[ ] Try to grab her by the ears <50% chance of success>
-[ ] Do nothing and see what she does while trying to remain inconspicuous

[x] Wait for an opportunity…
-[x] Poke her with crutches

><50% chance of success>
Am I the only one who gets annoyed at seeing things like this?

[ ] Wait for an opportunity…
-[LUCK] Try to grab her by the ears

>Am I the only one who gets annoyed at seeing things like this?

Nah. We have the means to get better odds anyway.

I'm worried about the other choices because of how likely it is that she will run away with some of our stuff.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “Ah, I see you've taken a liking to that hat.”

Forever a merchant.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Act out in anger. “GET AWAY FROM THERE!”
--[x] Tell someone what happened and get the hell out of here

After all the crap this place has put him through, enough is enough. It's time to get PISSED.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”

We need a better security system. In any case, being hostile may make her run away with something, so we may as well get friendly... So long as she doesn't try to get free stuff.

[X] Do something immediately

-[X] Tap her gently on the head with one of your crutches to get her attention. “Oi, mind telling me exactly what you think you’re doing?”

>>32017

Losing our temper like that seems to me to be the sign of a bad merchant. Yeah I don't see Jean being happy about Tewi rooting around in his bag but on the other hand if we talk to her nicely it just might be possible to learn how she got into our big in the first place. Besides we are looking to see some of our stuff so it's worth looking to see if Tewi's found anything she might like and what she might be willing to offer for it.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”

[x] Wait for an opportunity…
-[LUCK] Try to grab her by the ears <50% chance of success>

This seems like the most amusing option.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”

Let's take Reisen as a guide of what NOT to do to get Tewi to listen to you (as in, no anger and no immediate grab for our stuff). Jean doesn't know who she is yet so she could just be someone curious to him, but I bet he would love to know how she managed to bypass all the security.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”

>>32017
Nah, we vented at Reisen. Shit happens sometimes, you get used to that as a salesman. At least this is someone showing interest in your merchandise. Better not come off as a disturbed man.

[x] Do something immediately
-[x] Sit down next to her, “So, enjoying yourself?”

You didn’t even see this girl when you were leaving the room, but from the looks of it she’s been going through your pack for at least 15 minutes. Jeez, first Marisa, and now this. Staring at the rabbit girl going through your things, you can only wonder if this will happen every time you take your eyes off your pack in this land. Well at the very least she seems to have the decency to put the things she looks at back inside the pack after she’s done looking at them. Besides, you probably can’t even think of holding up to her speed with your fractured leg.

Well it’s as they say; if you can’t beat them, join them. You maneuver yourself (trying not to hurt your leg) into a sitting position next to the girl (who has undoubtedly noticed you by now, even if she doesn’t show it) and hold your chin in your hand while looking at her with a poker face. “So, enjoying yourself?”

“You bet!” The girl says enthusiastically, turning to you while holding the pumpkin in her hands. “I had no idea that all this stuff could fit in here! I thought you only had boring things like maybe seeds or something, but man was I wrong!”

“You think seeds are boring?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Unless they’re magic seeds or carrot seeds then yeah, can’t say I’m too interested. What else is in here?” She asks as she puts the pumpkin back and continues rummaging.

“You mean besides my livelihood?” You say in a sarcastic tone, “Look, mind telling me how you got in there in the first place? The security protocols on there should have kept you out, and I’m sure that I didn’t leave it open before going to sleep last night.”

“Yeah, it was a pain getting this thing open, that’s for sure. I had some of the other rabbits try opening this thing for most of the night, but they kept getting either shocked or repelled.” She points to one of the room’s corners, where you notice a pile of slightly charred rabbits resting. (How in the world did you miss that?) “After that we tried all sorts of tools and methods to try and pry it open, but your bag just wouldn’t open. Finally, I decided to try and just throw the thing to see if that would work. It landed on the mattress next to you, knocking it up into the air. When your hand came down it was right on top of the pack. I tried opening it one more time then, and wouldn’t you know it, it came undone!” Finishing her tale, the girl gives you what looks to be an innocent smile.

Huh, you never thought of that. Your hand being on top of the pack like that must have tricked the security into thinking you were opening it. You never realized how many loopholes the system had.

In any case, the girl’s tale has given you something of an inkling on what her true identity is. “…you wouldn’t happen to be Tewi, would you?”

“I see that my reputation proceeds me.” She says as she stands up, puffing her small chest out. Seeing her standing, you notice that she looks as though she’s around 12 years old. Somehow you aren’t convinced that’s her true age, though.

“You know, you caused a lot of trouble for that other rabbit girl yesterday.” You say as you do your best to get back up and on the bed.

“Who, Reisen? Nah, she’s tough enough to survive any punishment that Eirin can dish out. Besides, that was more of your fault anyways, since it was you who actually decided to fall into my trap.” She clamors onto the bed next to you, bringing your pack along. Digging into it, she pulls out the exorcism arrow and begins to examine it.

“Don’t you think that since you were the one who made that trap in the first place, you should be the one to take responsibility?”

“Nah too much trouble. Better to let Reisen take the fall than to get any punishment.”

“I see. So that’s how you really feel.” Startled, the two of you look up to see an un-amused looking Eirin staring from the hall. “If that is the case, then perhaps you really could use a little more discipline.” She starts walking towards Tewi, who seems scared in place. “And what did I tell you about going through my armory? I… wait, that isn’t one of my arrows…”

“Yes, it’s one of mine,” you say as you take both the arrow and the pack back, throwing the former in the latter before sealing the pack back up. “This little minx here was…” You consider telling Eirin about Tewi’s antics with your pack to get some payback, but for some reason your intuition tells you that it would probably be better to get on this rabbit’s good side. The pile of charred rabbits only furthered that notion. “…curious about some of the items that I had, so I let her look around in there for a bit.”

“I see.” Eirin says once more. Looking at Tewi, Eirin finally lets out a sigh before waving her hand at the door. “We’ll talk more on this later; for now, go and help Reisen with her chores.”

“Ah, alright.” Tewi bounds from the bed and heads to the doorway. When Eirin turns her head back to you, however, the black-haired bunny turns back in your direction and gives you a small wink before heading out into the hall.

<+1 LUCK earned! x3 remaining!>

“Now then,” Eirin says, turning your attention back to her, “I’ve managed to complete the medication as per our arraignment.” Eirin pulls out a large syringe filled with a brown colored liquid. “You have some very odd blood there, Mr. Merchant. It took me all night to put this together.” She gives you a piercing glare as she says this.

“Ah, the name’s Jean-Luc Lawrence. And yeah, I get that a lot.” DAMN! You completely forgot that a blood sample might reveal certain things about where you come from. You just hope that she hasn’t figured anything out yet.

“Anything you feel the need to tell me then, Mr. Lawrence?”

“Can’t say that there really is, no.” Damndamndamndamndamn. Please oh please just let the matter drop.

Eirin continues to stare at your for a bit with those piercing eyes, but eventually relents. “Well, I suppose that we all have our secrets.” She says with a sigh. Then she gives a small smile. “Besides, if I ever really wanted to know, I could just make a truth serum, couldn’t I?”

“Hah, yeah you could, couldn’t you?” You say weakly, “Not that you ever would though, right?”

“Of course, of course.” She says with a smile. Once again you are left feeling unconvinced on whether or not she means that. “Now, this drug will require you to remain in bed for around an hour while it takes effect. It works very quickly, but you may feel some slight discomfort. Is that alright with you?”

“Yeah, I’d rather not let myself be slowed down by a pair of crutches. Go ahead.”

Eirin injects the liquid into your leg, which immediately feels as though it is on fire. Slight discomfort your foot! But you suppose that it’s no worse than what you felt when you broke the leg in the first place.

“Now before I leave to let the healing work, I must say that I find that arrow you have quite interesting.” Her eyes gleam as you see them look at your pack for a split second. “Would you mind letting me have a look at it?”

The arrow? Even in your pained state you can still recall the fact that the arrow in question is already reserved for somebody else. Of course, you’re under no actual contract to deliver said arrow, but the person who requested it has a very good need for it, and you don’t know if you would be able to find a good substitute in time. Not to mention the fact that it’s bad business to sell items that others already have a claim to.

[ ] “Sorry, that item is already reserved for somebody else, so I don’t think it would be right to show it to you.”
[ ] “That particular arrow is reserved, so I don’t think it would be right to let you see it. I can keep an eye out for unique arrows in my travels if you like, though.
[ ] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”
[ ] “Alright, I can show it to you. Let’s talk business then”

Optional second choice:

[ ] “Maybe you would be interested in this instead/too…” <Select item>

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

I'm conflicted here...

Tewi got it out and nothing happened. So there shouldn't be any problem. If something did happen while Eirin was holding it... Well, we would have Eirin's help in getting a new one. She should be professional enough to first be careful with it and to understand responsability. And we're on good terms with Reimu anyway... Then again, how is such an arrow made anyway? Would Reimu know in the first place?

On the other hand, that gleam in her eyes worry me... And is there a chance we'll make a wrong move in our state while holding the arrow and break it? That would be quite the worst-case scenario -breaking it ourself and thus have no help to replace it.

>>32068

It's doubtful that you would be able to find an exact replica of the arrow in Gensokyo, since it wasn't made there. Still, you wouldn't necessarily need an exact copy, just something that met the needs of your client.

Whether or not you could find such an item quickly enough is another story, though. You aren't currently on a timer for the reserved client, but that's only because you already have the items in question, with plenty of lead time to get back. If you gave up the arrow now, you would have to find something that matches the client's request, or else risk losing the client themselves.

Hmm...that brings up a good point. I suppose that I should provide you guys with the description of orders that aren't introduced explicitly in the plot. For now, there is only one such description, which goes as follows:

"Provide the means to exterminate a fire demon, as well as something to protect one against his attacks" (Temple Priestess Kira)

I'll put this description in your outstanding orders in the inventory, and I will attempt to provide a description of the order for any reserved item that may show up in the future. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Oh, and as for breaking one of your own items, assume that unless you do something like intentionally breaking it yourself or bashing it against something, or do something that would obviously tempt fate such as taking something out while in the presence of a known thief or while inside a live volcano, that an item will not break while in your hands, or while a potential/current customer is examining it.

>"Provide the means to exterminate a fire demon, as well as something to protect one against his attacks" (Temple Priestess Kira)

Oh hell. Eirin migh just be tempted enough to take it from us. Do I even need to explain why?

And considering it's set for a specific type, I doubt Reimu will/can do it, by lack of knowledge or just too much work for her.

And the problem is that there's no reason for Jean to know what I just explained...

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

I'll trust Eirin's professionalism. At the very least, I have no doubt she'll make a very good offer for it to try getting it. If it stabs me in the back, being on good terms with Kaguya could have Eirin give it back. If that fails, then... I doubt it will come to that. I don't think either Eirin or Kaguya wants to start getting the same kind of reputation as Marisa.

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

I don't think Eirin would harm it or break it.

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

If we see Tewi again, we should spend that luck she gave us. Either we get more than we spent, or something awesome happens, or both.

[x] “That particular arrow is reserved, so I don’t think it would be right to let you see it. I can keep an eye out for unique arrows in my travels if you like, though.

[x] “That particular arrow is already reserved for someone else, but I suppose that I can let you see it. Let me know if it interests you, and I’ll keep my eye out for another one just for you.”

You consider her request as pain continues to course through your leg. The arrow in question is already reserved for Hina, one of your regulars. You can’t remember all the details clearly, due to your leg feeling as though it is being burnt off its bone, but the burning sensation does remind you that the arrow is needed to help slay a fire demon.

But that aside, the arrow has already been reserved, so it just wouldn’t be right to sell it off to Eirin here and now. But at the same time, you don’t want to discourage her from doing business with you…

“Well, that particular arrow is already reserved for someone else. But I suppose that it couldn’t hurt to let you see it. And if you like what you see, I’ll do my best to find another one just like it for you.”

“Sounds good,” Eirin says with a smile, “Would I be able to see it now then?”

“No, I don’t think right now is a good time.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“If you hadn’t noticed, the medication you administered is causing what you would call some ‘slight discomfort’.”

Eirin blinks before letting out a chuckle. “Of course, how forgetful of me; as I said, the medicine should take about an hour to work. I’ll send Udonge in around the time it finishes to get you something to eat, and after that we can all meet in the main room to see what you have to offer.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you say through your grit teeth, “now would you be able to give me something to lessen this pain?”

“Of course not.” Eirin says briskly, “any additional medication may interfere with the healing process. And maybe if the treatment hurts enough, you’ll try to avoid future injury.” She gives you a small smile, “That treatment was fairly difficult to make in any case, so you should be thankful that I was willing to go through that much effort.”

“I promise that I’ll thank you sometime soon, but I get the feeling that any thanks I give right now will roll off my tongue dripping in sarcasm.”

“Suit yourself. Now if you don’t mind, I think that I’ll go and lie down for a bit. It was a long night, and I wouldn’t want to go and neglect my own health, now would I?” Giving you one last small smile, Eirin walks out of the door.

You settle in for a long hour ahead of you. This is not the worst pain you have ever felt, not by a long shot, but on the other hand it isn’t something that you would want to experience again. For the most part you writhe on the bed, trying to keep yourself from yelling out as sweat rolls down your face.

About half an hour into the process, you see two pairs of bunny ears coming from the side of the doorway. Looks like you have a pair of peeking bunnies. Wait, no, other than the two rabbits there is also a third person attempting to spy in on you. The only thing you can notice about her is her long, shiny black hair. Other than that she is obscured from sight.

Normally you’d invite them in to chat, but you aren’t sure that you would be able to keep up your smooth demeanor with your leg bothering you as it is…

[ ] Might as well invite them in anyways. They could take your mind off of the pain at the very least.
[ ] Shoo them away, you need to recover before you are ready for any serious interaction.
[ ] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.
[ ] Write in

>“Of course not.” Eirin says briskly, “any additional medication may interfere with the healing process. And maybe if the treatment hurts enough, you’ll try to avoid future injury.” She gives you a small smile, “That treatment was fairly difficult to make in any case, so you should be thankful that I was willing to go through that much effort.”

A lot of gall.

[x] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.

If we say anything out of line, we can blame it on the effects of Eirin's shady drugs.

[x] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.

I'd like to think that our leg feels like its exploding in slow motion.

[X] Might as well invite them in anyways. They could take your mind off of the pain at the very least.

As painful as our leg may feel it'll do us some good to be able to hopefully focus on something else. Besides it's possible that they're potential costumers in which we should be a good enough merchant to be able to ignore the pain in order to show them what's in our bag.

And Jean does seem to be the type of person who just likes talking to people.

[x] Might as well invite them in anyways. They could take your mind off of the pain at the very least.

[x] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.

Perhaps after a couple of minutes spying, they will have built up enough courage to come chat.

[x] Might as well invite them in anyways. They could take your mind off of the pain at the very least.
[x] Show them your wares

Broken bones and shady drugs can't stop the power of commerce!

[x] Might as well invite them in anyways. They could take your mind off of the pain at the very least.

[x] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.

[x] It’s their house, so you suppose that they can do as they like. Just leave them to their spying and focus on recovery.

Hmm, we're just about at the auto-sage limit here, so I'm going to start a new thread and post the link to it here.

Here we go:

>>32128