Entry 2 - Marisa:

Crow plushie with an enormous hat. Technically a recolored eagle, but our little miko insisted it was a crow. She didn't really explain why after remembering her past life, just said that it fit.

Anyway, where Genjii was the first plushie period, this one was the first in a series of four. Marisa, Akyuu, Youmu, and Kosuzu. Our miko remembered all four around the same time, and asked for them in relatively quick succession. Considering Akyuu's been confirmed to be one of the Immaterial Children, and that the old man said Youmu would fit as the name of his missing granddaughter, the odds of Marisa being one are higher than our miko spotting Asami's attempts to drug her. (What was it again? Six tries foiled in quick succession?)

Regardless, Marisa's the only Immaterial Child that's still missing, which is interesting, since she takes center stage in our miko's playtime. When she was young, Marisa was the plushie she was most likely to "duel", and even after her attacks tore it apart one-too-many times, she still loves pitting it in battles against other plushies.

Interestingly, Marisa also features in the more peaceful playtime sessions as well. Our miko pretty much always includes her for tea-time, drinking, hanging out, shopping, walks... if it's not an action scene, then Marisa's at her side for it.

There's one constant to the whole thing, though. Whether it's sneaking books out from under the nose of a red bat, or winning shiny "magical" jewelry after a fight, our miko always has Marisa making off with some sort of prize after each adventure. I think that's probably why she picked a crow, seems like the whole hoarding behavior thing.

Makes me think our miko and Marisa were close. Friends close to be sure, but maybe a bit of rivalry in there as well. This closeness does mean we've got the best sense of Marisa's personality. She seems to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder; friendly, outgoing, and shameless to the point of being a compulsive liar. Apparently strong though. Maybe that's just bias from being the miko's friend, but she tends to win unless she's fighting the miko herself, and even then the miko will take a few pretend hits here and there. Another point to the rival idea.

All this is supported by the miko's memories, of course. There's some gaps, but what she's related lines up with the above, and indicates a friendly teasing/pushing relationship.

Speaking of which, the most important takeaway from this whole thing? If you desperately need to distract the miko from something, ask her point blank what Marisa would think of her plushies. She'll be reduced to a red-faced sputtering mess, and completely lose her train of thought. Though you then need to start running fast, or she'll reduce you to a green mist.

Still bloody hilarious though. Even Asami had to hide a laugh.

Entry 3 - Youmu:

Otter plushie with two swords. This choice officially means Youmu is the most noble and benevolent of Immaterial Children short of our own little princess, accept no substitutes!

What? Come on, princess was a figure of speech, not a slip, nobody would connect-

Fine, I'll edit it out later. (I swear, Asami needs to take the miko stick out of his ass.)

Youmu's another frequent combatant among the plushies. Our miko fights against her somewhat less often (and when she did, she'd pretend it was snowing about half the time), but she's presented as a capable combatant. In particular, her swords are apparently very dangerous. When Genjii came into the fray, our miko would declare him able to tank anything else, but then Youmu would appear and she'd cry "Oh no, Genjii! Her swords can cut through almost anything! Dodge it!". I got tired of hearing how those swords can cut through almost anything. When she first got Youmu she said it over, and over, and over.

But seriously, before Yachie made a pair of fake swords, the miko had outfitted Youmu with kitchen knives. And slashed up her bed with them. Plus the carpet, the curtains, and most of the other plushies. Genjii lived, though.

But yeah. Outside of combat, Youmu is apparently the perfect straight otter. Polite, straightforwards, diligent, no sense of humor, and frequently bewildered. (It's part of why I was so skeptical of the plushie project, I was sure this one was just Asami plus swords.) The other plushies kinda run rings around her, up until the point where she decides to start slashing. But yeah, she'll be gardening, or cooking, and then Marisa will steal food the moment her back's turned, and she never notices.

... though apparently part of the reason for that is Youmu cooks ridiculously large amounts of food? Any time the Youmu plushie is hosting one of the miko's tea parties, they last for like a dozen-plus courses. She doesn't treat the otter plush like a glutton, so maybe she's responsible for a large household.

Anyway, as of this writing... talking? Youmu hasn't been found yet, but the old guy said it would be a fitting name for his granddaughter. Our miko had also named the plushie's swords, and while one of them doesn't match, one of them does. And Hakurouken is apparently even a bloodline weapon, which would explain why the other sword (Rou-something) is different. It's a point in favor of the plushie intel project, then.

I told our miko exactly that, by the way. She was not happy, but couldn't do anything to me because I'm acting under the boss's orders! It's not teasing, it's subtly encouraging her to develop refinement!

...

Wait, she can't do that! Can she do that? Asami, you've gotta countermand this, please!

...

Apparently our plushie princess can in fact choose who gets stationed on the front lines. I'm so dead.

Oh, shove off, Asami! What more are you gonna do, eat me yourself?

Koji had no plans of ending up as goat bait. Sure, Yachie might have put her down for now, but the hellgoat would be back. She always came back. The only reason the convoy job didn't give him a heart attack was that as an otter spirit, he couldn't technically have one of those any more. And while he had no intentions of ever admitting it to anyone, a part of him had been relieved when Yuuma had chased after Reimu's actual hiding spot instead of tearing through the central convoy he was guarding. Not that getting charged by Kurokoma was a restful experience, but getting splattered by the meathead was better than getting eaten!

For crying out loud, all he did was tease her a little! He didn't deserve this!

And... that meant he needed someone to countermand Reimu's pettiness. The problem was, the three higher-ups who actually cancel the order were Reimu, Asami, and Yachie. And... well, Reimu was stubborn. She could be talked down, but you'd generally need someone to talk her down. Someone like Asami, who was right there, approving the punishment, with his smug little smirk. No, there'd be no help from that quarter.

And while Yachie's authority was absolute, she hated being dragged into petty disputes. Without an actual strategic reason to object, she would consider this petty. Wasting her time was a good way for an otter spirit to end up on the front lines... and while he was already being sent there, pissing off the boss could always make things worse.

He needed an intermediary. A way to get in the good books, someone who would see that there was no point in sending a handsome, witty, and all-around useful otter spirit to his re-death in the Animal Realm's meat-grinder! He was destined for bigger things! Or at least safer ones, he'd settle for safer ones.

Well, as it so happens, they were hosting a VIP, were they not? Someone who was probably bored sick of receiving medical care, who was important enough for Yachie to care about his opinion, and most importantly, who would be grateful for any information about the granddaughter he was looking for, no matter what form it took!

And frankly, if Yachie thought this crap was good enough to keep a file on, other people should feel the same.

"What do you mean Youki's not here?!" Koji demanded.

"Exactly what I said," the doctor-otter said, leveling a disapproving glare his way.

"But... he was supposed to be here!" He had to be here!

"On that point I agree." the doctor scowled. "He was supposed to stick around for two more days of bed rest, but it would seem he snuck out an hour ago."

Koji could all but visualize the eagle spirits carrying him off to Yuuma, and he shuddered. "Do you know where he went? Please, doc, I need to find him! I have important information for him!"

"Oh?" The rise of the doctor's eyebrow was inversely proportional to how much he cared.

"Yes! It's from Reimu, about the immaterial children! About his granddaughter!" Koji pleaded. It was even true, minus the important part. He'd get down on his knees and beg, but that would only hurt his chances.

The doctor's face softened, and he sighed. "Regardless, I can't help you. He isn't here."

"Is it life and limb important?" a nurse chimed in.

Koji swallowed. "Very much so." It was his life, after all!

The female otter hesitated. "Well, I don't know if this will help you, but he was heading in the direction of Keiki's territory. You might be able to catch him by the reservoir."

Great. Just great.

Koji really, really didn't want to venture into haniwa territory. Those things were unnatural! A single haniwa could tear through dozens of animal spirits, what with their completely unfair advantage of having actual physical bodies! Which was really bad, because attacking animal spirits was like the only thing they did. Which was stupid! This was the animal realm! If they wanted their own place, they could find the hell of broken pottery or something!

Really though, if one of those stupid sculptures objected to his presence, he'd have no choice but to run. Which... meant running deeper into haniwa territory, because he had to find Youki.

Stupid Reimu. Stupid old man! Why couldn't he have just stayed put, and made Koji's life easier?! But no, the perimeter sentries confirmed that Youki had gone straight for the reservoir Keiki had seized.

There was nothing else for it. The only nice thing about Keiki setting up shop in the reservoir was that Koji could sneak closer to it in true Kiketsu fashion. Rather than the uncomfortably exposed streets, he could swim his way through the waterways nearby. He was swift, he was silent, he was practically invisible! A pale green shadow at the bottom of a deep canal. Dodging Keiki's own sentries was easy. All he needed to do was sneak through this checkpoint, and-

"That's an otter spirit! Kiketsu!"

Aw, hells.

Koji abandoned all thoughts of stealth and started swimming for his life. The haniwa chased along either side of the canal, firing arrows into the water, but the sheer depth of the water made that a pointless effort. That was the problem with their oh-so-precious physical bodies! They were wholly unsuitable to moving in water, and that meant there was nothing they could do to him!

A haniwa ahead pulled a sack and tipped it into the waterway. Which seemed really stupid to Koji. Even if it was some kind of spirit-trapping weapon, the water would dilute it to uselessness. There was nothing that-

Haniwa crabs?! The wicked god made HANIWA CRABS?! That wasn't fair! She couldn't do that! And rather than crawling along the bottom, like an real crab should, some propeller thing in the back of their shell started spinning and sent them rocketing towards him. And- oh dear Yachie those claws were huge!

Koji dodged down away from the first clay crab, touching bottom. For the next couple, he waited for them to charge before pushing off, springing away right before the crabs hit the stone with enough speed to crack the clay. He'd launched at an angle too, carrying him over to the side of the canal where he could leap again when the next one charged.

Right, this could work! There were only half a dozen of them, and they were all stupid! If he just kept alternating walls, he could let them shatter themselves to pieces, and continue on his way!

A splashing noise drew his attention, as three more sacks of clay crabs were tipped into the waterway.

That... two dozen. Two dozen of these giant-clawed crabs. He wouldn't even have the decency to get eaten by one person, the wicked god's crab swarm would tear him to pieces!

He had to get out. With the clay crabs in the water and haniwa lining the banks above, he needed somewhere they couldn't follow. Looking around desperately, he spied a narrow pipe sticking out of the wall he was clinging to. There was a grate covering it, but nothing better came to mind, so Koji made a beeline for it.

Crabs rocketed around him in every direction, narrowly missing as he swam and squirmed his way towards his only hope. Yelping as one of them got a tuft of fur, he made it to the pipe, grabbing the grate with both hands and pulled. The grate rattled and the pipe shook, but the damn thing was stuck, and more crabs were coming! He tried some of those fancy danmaku bullets that Reimu liked, sending a few green orbs smacking into the pipe, but the grate held! He’d need something stronger- and he was out of time. He had to dodge aside as another crab came rocketing at him, smashing into the side of the pipe and denting it.

Wait, denting it?

Koji swam over to the front of the pipe as the next one came, positioning himself so that the grate was to his back. The crab took the bait, striking forwards with a claw as Koji flipped himself up and over onto the top of the pipe. The claw smashed into the grate and broke from the sheer force of the blow, but Koji had lost track of the other monster, only to be reminded of its presence when it clamped down on his tail.

Yelping in pain, Koji yanked the loosened grate free and smacked it into the monster grabbing him. The flat side of the grate bounced off the shell, doing basically nothing as the crab pulled him away from the pipe, and the other twenty-some monsters closed in. Desperately, he rotated the grate, swinging the edge this time and aiming for where the crab's arm connected to the body. This one was aimed true, shattering the thin arm. With the detached claw still latched on, he scrambled to the pipe’s opening and started squeezing into it, tail-first.

The haniwa-crabs kept snapping at him, but he managed to bat them away with the grate as he backed into the pipe. Finally, he was far enough in to replacing the grate in front of him, and Keiki’s monsters were left with their claws bouncing uselessly off the metal.

He was safe! Of course, it was a really tight squeeze, and he couldn't get out, or turn around, and the only way 'forwards' was to back down a pipe he couldn't see into the unknown deep into Keiki's territory, and why did he think this was a good idea again?!

Then he heard a clunk and the whirring of motors. That couldn't be good. Some other trick of the haniwa? He had just enough time to shake nervously before he started getting sucked down the pipe! Frantically he scrabbled at the walls, but the pipe's sides were smooth and offered no leverage, and the grate was just out of reach!! Despite his best efforts clawing at the walls, the pipe's suction was dragging him away from the waterway, into whatever torments Keiki had prepared!!! He was doomed!!!! DOOMED!!!!!

This went on for quite some time, the otter being roughly dragged through a number of sections of plumbing, up until the point where the pipe narrowed and Koji got stuck. At which point his hysteria switched to being trapped forever in a random pipe. Which in turn lasted until the pipe started banging and rattling again, which switched back to sheer terror of whatever was coming to get him.

With the panicked frenzy that Koji had worked himself into, his reaction to the Haniwa guards that had come to retrieve him and unclog the pipe can perhaps be understood.

"Please don't eat me!" he screamed.

After his close brush with Keiki's demon crabs, pipe of doom, and the psychological torture that one of the Haniwa referred to as "plumbing", Koji felt he was remarkably put together, all things considered. It had only taken a few minutes for him to stop gibbering in terror, and a few more to make the haniwa understand that he had important information for Youki! Vital, top secret, not-for-their-eyes information! They'd believed him, proving his mastery of persuasion, and even given him an escort deep into Keiki's fortress! Which... you know, put him even further from safety than before, but he had to get here to talk to Youki anyway, so maybe it was progress!

And as the haniwa dumped him in a chair, Koji saw the target of his quest. The old man! He even seemed to be in a decent mood, looking amused about something... perhaps the blue-haired demon-goddess next to him, who looked supremely unimpressed about it.

"I've been woken up for this?!" Keiki demanded, rubbing her eyes. "This had better be good."

"That- I don't- you weren't-" Koji sputtered.

One of the haniwa next to him leaned in, eyes sparkling maliciously. "You'd better tell Lady Keiki what she wants to know. Or she'll make you into a new haniwa."

"Plushies!" Koji screamed, bringing the entire room to a dead stop. "Reimu has a plushie of Youmu I wanted to tell Youki about! She's got plushies of all the Immaterial Children, and memories about what they were like, and I wanted to tell the old guy about his granddaughter! That way he could put in a good word for me and I wouldn't get sent to the front lines, and I just don't wanna die!"

Youki started chuckling as Keiki stared at him. "A plushie. I got woken up because one otter spirit, scared of his own shadow, managed to breach multiple lines of defense in his quest to tell Youki about a child's toy."

"To be fair, it's a very important toy," Youki cut in.

Keiki glared at him, doing nothing to stop the old man's mirth.

"I've got proof!" Koji squealed. "I couldn't bring the plushie, Reimu'd kill me, but the drawing..." he reached down to the little waterproof satchel he'd carried it in, then stopped, finding it missing. "Where'd it go?!"

One of the haniwa interrupted. "The operative's bag was taken to a mined-out section of the quarry, to safely examine it."

"To be fair, it could be a very dangerous drawing," Youki said again.

"Oh, shut up!" Keiki snapped, before turning to the haniwa. "I'm going to have coffee. And by the time I'm done, I want a detailed report on how a single otter spirit managed to get far enough into my defenses to trigger a security alarm!"

The enraged goddess turned to Koji. "And as for you! You're going to make this interruption worth my while. I want to know every last detail about these Immaterial Children plushies."

"Starting with Youmu," Youki interrupted.

Keiki rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, your granddaughter first."

"I'll tell you everything!" Koji pleaded.

He told them everything.

And so! After a harrowing adventure, Koji, first of his name, succeeded in his quest to regale Youki with Reimu's memory of his grandduaghter! Such were his persuasive efforts that he managed (after coffee) to make a positive impression on Keiki, causing her to extend for the Reimu safe passage agreement to some of the otters! Between his bravery in storming Keiki's stronghold, the strategic coup in paving the way for otters to sneak through her territory, and the good word Youki was putting in for him, Yachie was surely going to be impressed enough to admit that being another soul on the front lines would be a waste of Koji's talent, and promote him to a far more fitting position!

Except... the more Youki said, the more Yachie was giving off smoke. With a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"You don't need to worry," Yachie told Youki, using that calm voice that implied someone was about to die. "I'll be sure to reward this brave spirit appropriately."

"Yes, well, I really do appreciate hearing more of my granddaughter," Youki replied. "I figured it was worth the trip to thank you for it."

"And I'm sure he told you and Keiki a lot," Yachie said, sending Koji a smoldering glare. "But if you'd like to hear more, I believe Reimu's doing nothing of importance. I'm sure she'd love to go over what Koji told you."

For his part, Koji sent Youki a pleading glance. The boss was going to kill him!

"I may just do that." Youki replied, not noticing his plight. "You have my thanks, Yachie."

The moment the swordsman was out of sight, Yachie yanked the otter into a private room.

"Boss, I-" he tried.

"You had no reason to be in Keiki's territory, and even less to tell that god anything." Yachie snarled. "Explain. And leave nothing out,"

Yachie's use of her ability was unnecessary. The glare would have been enough.

By the time Koji finished his tale, Mt. Yachie had quit smoking, at least. Which wasn't to say she was happy with him.

"I find myself at something of a loss," she admitted. "Your actions were idiotic. The idea was wrong, the execution was worse, and your actions were insubordination bordering on treason... and yet your hairbrained scheme worked out."

He said nothing. It seemed like the safest bet.

"The details you leaked are strategically unimportant, but yielded measurable gains. Reinforcing Youki's gratitude and Keiki's concession on otters moving through her territory, are in fact relevant." Yachie mused. "I'd call your 'plan' worthy of the Keiga... but with recent events, perhaps there's some value to that. On rare occasions."

"Does this mean I'm not being sent to the front lines?" Koji asked.

"Of course not, that would clearly be a waste of your unique talents." Yachie grinned. It wasn't a pleasant smile. "You will be the first member of the Kiketsu Special Forces."

"The what?!" he blurted out.

"A new branch, for those dangerous missions that require a unique touch." the boss sentenced him. "Such as scouting out Gouyoku territory to see how Yuuma's recovering."

Entry 4 - Kosuzu

Hey! Komori here! As Koji's poor decisions have gotten him in trouble (Really, he should have known better!), Asami has reassigned this whole audio logs business to me. Which is great! Rei-Rei, there won't be any more teasing, I promise. No, I have to use the nickname, I’m not supposed to call you your full one, it’s a rule, remember? But really, I think it's great that you have all those plushies, and not just because of the informational advantage! It's adorable, and entirely appropriate for a child your age.

(Ah, she's blushing! So cute!)

Anyway, Kosuzu's a red wolf puppy with a bell on her collar. I know, I know, wolves are supposed to be the Keiga thing, but she really does act like a puppy! When Rei-Rei was playing with her, Kosuzu was always cute and harmless, always happy to be included, to watch others play danmaku, and nosing her way into any business she could just to be part of the group. This apparently got her into trouble a lot! She's one of the two main plushies (Akyuu was the other one) who never actually played danmaku herself, and she'd always be wandering off looking for a book, or for her friends, and then youkai would attack or she'd get lost, or she'd fall into some scheme, and Rei-Rei would have to save her! She was Rei-Rei's own little damsel in distress!

The other way Kosuzu's cute and puppy-like is how happy she is! She is basically irrepressible. Even right as she's being captured, or some wicked youkai has her claws in her, she might get scared, but she'd still be like "It's okay, Rei-Rei will save me!" And of course, Rei-Rei would save her, she'd drive off the bad guys with Genjii, and Kosuzu would instantly be super cheerful again, getting a hug from Rei-Rei, and she'd be safe and happy again, right up until the next time she got herself into trouble. And of course Rei-Rei would save her again, then Kosuzu would get a hug, and some pets, and Rei-Rei and I would set all the plushies up for whatever the next incident was going to be!

No, Rei-Rei, it's not embarrassing! It was perfect for a child your age! It still is! We haven’t played in ages!

Anyway, Kosuzu also really loved hanging out with her friends when she wasn't getting into trouble. Akyuu was the one she'd hang out with the most - she was the other non-combatant, but they were close friends too - but she was also happy to hang out with Rei-Rei, or Marisa, or anyone else, really! Again, she was always friendly, always happy, there was basically nobody she disliked... it's another way she really was the cutest puppy! Ahh....

Ahem. Anyway, we don't have much information about Kosuzu as an Immaterial Child. The most likely source is the Mootori’s with their bookstore, considering the plushie's notable love of books, but the real thing hasn't shown up yet. Maybe if we can scrape together enough stories from Rei-Rei's memory, we could spread a book that would draw her attention?

Don't worry Rei-Rei, your name wouldn't be included. There's nothing wrong with a child playing, but you're a secret, after all!

Oh, that reminds me! To better establish Kosuzu's character, I figured we could re-enact a typical scene with the plushies! Now, I've got Kosuzu and Akyuu here, I think we can let Youmu be the villain, and you've already got Genjii, so-

Wait, Rei-Rei! Where are you going? Come back!

Entry 5 - Akyuu

Komori here again! And this time our focus is going to be on the last of the IC plushies, Akyuu! Learning more about the youkai in Gensokyo people already know about doesn't seem as important. I'll have to ask Asami, but that... might make this the last entry?

What are you thanking God for, Rei-Rei? Oh wait, is this a miko thing? Is it practice? You're always so diligent about this stuff!

But getting back to plushie-Akyuu, she's adorable! Forget the color scheme, she's an otter plush, with a flower motif! (Although, I'll admit, purple looks better on an otter than I thought it would. Stupid eagles ruining a perfectly good color.) And like a flower, her job is to just stand there and look pretty.

Okay, that's a bit of a stretch. The thing is, like Kosuzu, Akyuu's not a fighter. She stays back, drinks tea, and watches everyone else having wacky adventures. The thing is, unlike Kosuzu, Akyuu's basically never getting into trouble. The bad guys don't target her, and she doesn't wander out after dark or crack open suspicious books marked "DUn'T READ ME, iM KURSEd!!!!" (Yes, Rei-Rei wrote it out that way! I saved the warning sign, it was too good to throw away!) Every once in a while, maybe she's in a group that comes under attack or something, but by and large, she just gets to chill.

So, if she's not a fighter, and she's not a damsel in distress (except very occasionally), how does Akyuu get to play? Well, there's all those tea parties and innocent scenes. In fact, it's how I know Rei-Rei's listening when the boss is going on about refinement! Akyuu's manners are immaculate. She drinks tea with her pinky out, never confuses the salad fork with the dessert fork, remembers everyone's names and titles, and generally does all those proper young lady things! (You'll get good at them too, Rei-Rei, I know you will!) She'll even lecture Kosuzu over some of them, brushing crumbs off her and telling her how to be a proper guest. Kosuzu kinda gets annoyed at that, which is pretty much the only time Kosuzu ever gets frustrated, but never for long, and they're always friends again by the end of the tea party.

(Though I wonder... perhaps the red puppy should have been a red and white puppy? At least for those play sessions.)

But that's not to say Akyuu doesn't come out for more serious quests too! She might not be involved in combat, but she's really good at figuring out what's wrong and telling the others where to go. Sure, sometimes it's obvious, like Marisa stealing Youmu's swords, but other times, especially if Yukari the axolotl is involved, it gets sneaky. And Akyuu has an amazing eye for detail. She keeps picking up the smallest little hints, and Rei-Rei was pretty creative with them! My favorite was when she pointed out the Suika plushie was a little bit smaller right before the sake got mysteriously stolen, which meant she split part of her off to go and nab it! She's also got a teeny bit of a mischievous streak; every once in a while she'll play a small joke on the others, like swapping the covers on Kosuzu's books. She pretty much never gets caught. Rei-Rei had a running gag for a while where Akyuu kept blaming it on Marisa, and it kept working! (Though Marisa did get her back in the end.)

And as far as the real thing goes... well, she's been found. Akyuu Inaba is the Child of Miare, and is living as a moon rabbit at Eientei. The first publicly known Immaterial Child. I'm not really sure where things will go from here... whether she'll stay at Eientei, or go back to the Hieda household. I hope she stays. Being a cool animal youkai has to be way better than being human, even if it's not an otter. Supposedly she’s got a sister named Reisen, so hopefully that's enough reason for her to stick around?

That got a little heavy... I guess that's it, huh?

...

Rei-Rei? You don't have to, but... do you want to play? One more time? I'll turn the recorder off.

...

Really? You're the best!

*click*