[X] A girl?
[X] “Hello? It’s me. Wait, is this the wrong number? Who is this?”

[] A girl?

[] “Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

[X] A girl?

[X] "Congratulations! You've won the lottery!"

[x] A guy
[x] You have answered the call... The call of duty!

[x] A girl?
[x] “Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

[X] A guy.
[X] “Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

[x] A girl?
[x] "A former decorated member of the United States Marine Corps needs your support."

[x] A girl?
[x] “Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

Calling.

[X] A guy.
[X] "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills...

[x] A girl?
[x] Who's this guy anyway? Satori, that you?
> Hello! Can I speak to G... ... ...
> Wait a moment. Is this the wrong number?
> Oh it's the wrong number! The wrong number song! We're very very sorry that we got it wrong! Oh it's the wrong number! The wrong number song! We're very very sorry that we got it wrong!

[X] A girl?
[X] “H-H-Hello?! Is someone there? Help! I don’t know where I am!”

[x] A girl?
[x] “Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

====

“Pizza’s here. Gensokyo, right?”

A girl?

“What?” Cirno raises the object lower, where the voice is loudest. ”Peat sauce?”

“Yeah, yeah.” The voice says back. “Pizza.”

Pulling away, Cirno looks at the object again. Twenty six, twenty seven.

“Um, I don’t see any peat sauce. I don’t even know what that is.”

“-o, no, pi-“

The ice fairy can’t hear the voice. She puts her ear near the object again.

“What?” Cirno leans her head onto object so her mouth is closer. “I can’t hear you!”

“I said `pizza`. Not…whatever you said.”

Pizza. Pizza. Cirno repeats the word in her mind. She’s heard of that. But what is it again? Someone said it before. Where did she hear that word?

“Whoever called from this phone number said to deliver to Gensokyo.” The voice spoke slower. “They gave us specific directions, but no one came when I got here. So I started looking around.”

Pizza. Pizza. Wait. Cirno remembers something. She learned about it from that one woman who knew about a lot of stuff. Pizzas are good, apparently. Really good. Whatever that meant. But they also cost something to get. Could it be? Was this “pizza” something really a source of power? Or something powerful?

“Hello? Are you still there?”

No one picked it up? Does that mean…that someone forgot that someone is delivering this “pizza”? That makes sense! That would explain why they used this…foam? To call someone to deliver it to them!

Cirno laughs at her realization.

“I see!”

“I’m sorry?”

So, someone is keeping this source of power called pizza all to themselves. But, wait. What should she do, then? If someone is really using this to be powerful, wouldn’t they be looking for it right now?

No. No! This is no time to be scared! She is the strongest! So it’s only natural she should be taking this for herself!

“I mean,” Cirno clears her throat, “I’m the one who called!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh, so are you a friend or something? I was the one who answered the call, but the person who called sounded different.”

“Ah.”

The ice fairy froze.

“Ah…yeah!” Cirno’s head feels light again. “So, I’m the one who’s talking right now!””

“Okay. Then I don’t suppose you could help me get to you guys? I’ll try to stay on for as long as I can. If the call ends, I’ll call you again.”

“Uh…yeah.” Cirno has no clue what the girl is talking about. “Yeah, that sounds good!”

Out of the corner of her eye, Cirno notices someone approaching above.

Meanwhile, the delivery girl thinks to herself before saying anything else.

(Two people are flying near Cirno. One of them will reach her before the other. And that person is….)
[] Daiyousei, who’s been looking for Cirno.
[] Reimu. She sees Cirno and senses something is wrong.

(The delivery girl thinks to herself….)
[] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.
[] How annoying. I hope someone pays for all this, or I swear someone will…pay.
[] Whew. I was really, really scared. I hope nothing happens to me out here….

(Then, she says:)
[] “Can we meet somewhere? I have no clue where I’m walking around.“
[] “So, I came through the border, but it’s my first time in Gensokyo.”
[] “I’m on a motorcycle right now. I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”
[] “I’m flying around Gensokyo looking for you. What do you look like?”

[x] Reimu. She sees Cirno and senses something is wrong.
[x] Whew. I was really, really scared. I hope nothing happens to me out here...
[x] “Can we meet somewhere? I have no clue where I’m walking around.“

[x] Daiyousei, who’s been looking for Cirno.
[x] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.
[x] “So, I came through the border, but it’s my first time in Gensokyo.”

[x]1
[x]3
[x]4

[X] Daiyousei, who’s been looking for Cirno.
[X] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.
[X] “I’m on a motorcycle right now. I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”

[x] Reimu. She sees Cirno and senses something is wrong.
[X] Whew. I was really, really scared. I hope nothing happens to me out here….
[X] “So, I came through the border, but it’s my first time in Gensokyo.”

PIZZA QUEST!
Rule 1: Obtain delicious pizza
Rule 2: Don't fucking die

[x] Daiyousei, who’s been looking for Cirno.

[x] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.

[x] “I’m on a motorcycle right now. I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”

[x] Reimu. She sees Cirno and senses something is wrong.
[X] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.
[X] “I’m on a motorcycle right now. I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”

[X] Daiyousei, who’s been looking for Cirno.
[X] Okay, let’s do this! Looks like I’ll make this delivery after all.
[X] “I’m on a motorcycle right now. I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”

Calling it for these choices.

“Cirno!”

Still holding the foam to her head, the ice fairy spots Daiyousei flying down to her.

“Oh, Dai!” Cirno waves. Daiyousei lands on the grass.

“Really. I’ve been waiting for you since morning!”

“W-Were you?” The ice fairy taps her head with her other hand. She doesn’t remember. “Well, sorry! I totally forgot!”

At the same time, Cirno tries to listen to the delivery girl. Need to get a hold of this pizza!

“I’m on a motorcycle right now.” The girl hums for a moment in thought. “I just passed the Hakurei Shrine.”

“Oh, really?”

The ice fairy has no idea why the girl is on a moat or where a cycle is.

“Huh? Really what?”

Cirno froze at her friend’s question. Daiyousei stares at her friend, eyes open and staring.

“Cirno,” Daiyousei notices the object in Cirno’s hand and points, “what is that, anyway?”

The ice fairy’s mouth hangs open. Unsure of who to talk to, Cirno doesn’t speak. Does she explain? Wait, she needs to talk to the girl in the foam. But what if Daiyousei finds out? Would that be okay? Too much to think about! Um, uh, um….

“I don’t quite know where you are,” The delivery girl goes on, “but I need to know where to go.”

“Hey, Cirno.” Daiyousei says right after the delivery girl’s words. “What is that?”

“Duh, buh buh, uh.” Something cold freezes inside of Cirno’s head. Explain? Explain a little, right? Yeah! That would help! “I-I’m talking to someone with this foam right now, Dai! Uh, because someone’s talking to me through it. I think. So, uh. Yeah.”

“Oh, is someone else right next to you? Is it the person who ordered?”
“Oh, is that it? Can I listen, too?”

Cirno felt dizzy. She takes a step back. How to respond to two people at once? Uh, okay. First should be Dai.

“Uh, no?” Cirno isn’t sure about what’s coming out of her mouth. “Because you need to put your ear on it to hear it. Yeah! It’s hard to hear unless you have your ear on it!”

“Oh. Okay.” Daiyousei leans forward to examine the foam. “Wow, that’s pretty cool. Who are you talking to?”

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

AAAH! Cirno squeezes the edge of the foam with her fingers. Okay. Okay! This shouldn’t be too hard to do! Just make them both understand what you want to say!

“Um, can you give me a moment to think?” Cirno looks toward the foam. “I need to say something to my friend.”

“Oh. Okay. Just let me know when you’re done.”

…Okay. That’s one down. Ha! That wasn’t so bad!

“Cirno?”

Now for the next problem. Now that she can think, Cirno realizes something. She hasn’t even told her friend why she’s talking to someone with this foam.

“Okay, Dai.” Cirno rubs her nose.

Then she stops. Wait. Is this really okay? To tell Dai about the pizza? The pizza is supposed to be very powerful. Then that means only the strongest can get it. But even then. Couldn’t Dai still help somehow? They might be able to work together to get the pizza. And then, whatever the pizza is, Cirno can take care of it when they get it.

“Yeah, Cirno?” Daiyousei tilts her head.

“Whoa!”

Cirno jumps at the delivery girl’s voice.

“Wh-What?”

“I think something’s following me!”

“What?!”

Wait, what?! No! Someone must have sensed the pizza’s power!

“Cirno, is everything okay?”

Blinking, Cirno decides to answer her friend.
[] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[] But, what if Dai can’t handle its power? Maybe I shouldn’t tell her. Maybe I should keep it for myself instead. Yeah! Because I’m the strongest!

At the same time, the delivery girl shouts to Cirno.
[] “I’m going to keep on the path to avoid trouble in the village. Hopefully, whatever’s after me isn’t too strong!”
[] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

[x] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[x] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

[x] Tell her
[x] Go through the village

So it thinks it can outrun a professional delivery expert? Think again, Youkai!

[X] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?

[X] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

Let's hope she screams for help, too! If she draws interference, then the Pizza of Perfect Power will be one step closer to us!

[X] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[X] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

[X] 1
[X] 2

[x] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[x] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

[x] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[x] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

[X] She’s my friend. Of course I can tell her! We might even be able to share it! Right?
[X] “I might draw some attention, but I should be able to lose whatever’s after me by going through the village!”

====

“No!”

Daiyousei flinches when Cirno throws her hands into the air, still holding onto the foam.

“Dai,” The ice fairy springs forward and grabs her friend’s wrist, “we need to go get the pizza before it’s too late!”

Daiyousei stumbles on the ground before they fly into the air.

“What what what?! I don’t understand what you’re saying! Where are we going?!”

“I’ll explain later!” Cirno looks around. “We need to go before it gets taken from us!”

“That’s what I don’t understand!”

The two fairies fly away just as someone spots them from behind, farther away.

“Huh.”

Reimu stops in mid-air.

“Just a bunch of fairies? I thought I felt something else coming from out here.” Reimu scans the ground for a moment. She starts flying again. “Maybe I should fly around some more. Maybe it came from somewhere else?”

With those words, Reimu flies off.

----

Flying through the sky, Cirno brings the foam back up to her ear.

“So you’re going to the village near the shrine?”

“Yeah, I’m riding into the village right now! I didn’t get to look behind me, but I can see someone flying toward me from my mirror!”

“Alright! Hold on, we’re coming!”

“Alright, I made it to the village! Oh—”

Cirno hears screams, yelling, and a loud, growling noise. The fairy grips Daiyousei’s wrist tighter.

“Hey! HEY! Can you hear me?! What’s going on?!”

Still dragging her friend, Cirno flies toward the direction of the village.

“Cirno,” Daiyousei winces, “you still haven’t explained what’s going on.”

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on either,” Cirno turns to Daiyousei, “but I know that the person talking through this foam has something powerful called a pizza with them! You need to help me, Dai! It could be something important!”

“O-Okay…?” Daiyousei looks around like Cirno is doing, in case she sees whatever it is her friend looking for.

The foam has been silent for a while. Cirno listens for any other sound or voice.

“Whew. Okay.”

Cirno sighs as she hears the delivery girl’s voice. “Is everything okay?”

“Whatever it was that was chasing me, it seems like it stopped outside the village. But now, people are looking at me.”

Wiping her forehead of sweat that isn’t there, Cirno turns to Daiyousei.

“It looks like whatever this pizza is, it’s starting to attract a lot of attention. I think we should try and take it for ourselves, Dai.”

“What?” Daiyousei looks at her friend in disbelief. “You mean this pizza thing isn’t yours? What if it belongs to someone scary?”

Cirno laughs.

“Then we just take it from them! We might not even meet the person it belongs to! Come on, Dai! Let’s go!”

Groaning, Daiyousei follows without another word.

Releasing her friend’s wrist, Cirno puts a hand to her forehead to find the village. It’s clear that she needs to get to the girl and the pizza before anything else happens. If that’s the case, then they just need to meet quickly. Yeah. That’s a great plan! They weren’t far from the village anyway. It would probably take a minute or less to get there if they went fast.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Cirno hears the delivery girl’s voice, “did I surprise everyone?”

Then, Cirno can hear someone else’s voice through the phone, but can’t tell who it is.

“Oh, yeah. I’m…I came from…uh, somewhere else to deliver this pizza to someone. Well, I have other stuff, too. But it’s usually pizzas because, you know, we’re a pizza place.”

No! People are starting to talk to her! The pizza is supposed to be theirs!

Then, Cirno hears the other person’s voice again. It’s quiet, like it’s far away, but she can hear it this time.

“Oh my. That sounds interesting. I can smell something coming from your bag. Is it this pizza that you’re talking about?”

“Geh! Yuuka!” Something hard drops in Cirno’s chest.

The voice is Yuuka’s. Why is that woman in a human village?

“Sorry,” The delivery girl says, “I’m still out delivering right now. If you want, I can give you our number so you can order one yourself.”

“Uh, are you still there?!” Cirno says into the foam. “We’re not far away!”

“Oh, you are? Then maybe I should stay here and wait for you.”

The heavy feeling from before weighs down even more inside Cirno. “Uhhh…Yeah, about that. Could we…meet somewhere else?”

“Oh. Okay.”

Cirno lets out a breath.

“Then, where should I go?” The delivery girl says. “The closest place past the village is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Or, I could double back and go back to the Hakurei Shrine.”

“Um,” Daiyousei flies next to Cirno, “did you just say that flower youkai’s name?”

“…Give me a moment.”

“No problem.” Is the delivery girl’s reply to Cirno.

Cirno can hear Yuuka talking to the pizza girl again.

She lowers the foam. Okay. This is still all okay. No one really knows what the pizza’s true purpose is, right? So she and Dai can still go and get it.

“Yeah,” Cirno turns to her friend, “Yuuka is in the village where the pizza is. Maybe we should tell the lady to go toward that vampire’s mansion instead.”

“Hmmm. Okay.” Daiyousei nods. Then, her head pops up. “Oh! I forgot! I just saw the vampire walking outside with that maid a while ago! I flew over them while I was looking for you.”

Cirno’s head hurt. Flying considerably slower, she comes to a stop in the air.

“Then, that leaves the shrine. I don’t think Reimu would care, but I’m worried about whatever was chasing the girl I was talking to. But that’s strange.” Cirno scratches her head with a finger. “Reimu would have scared it away, right? Unless it was someone she knew?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, the girl said she came from the shrine. But then she said she was being chased. Reimu would have sensed something that close to the shrine, wouldn’t she? Does that mean whatever was chasing her isn’t as strong as Reimu is?”

“It could be someone that miko knows.” says Daiyousei. “She shoos us away all the time if she finds us playing near the shrine.”

“But that means we have to get the pizza at the village. And that lady Yuuka is there.”

Cirno crosses her arms. If the pizza girl goes toward the mansion, she’ll probably run into the vampire and the human maid. If she goes back to the shrine, she’ll have to deal with whatever was chasing her and possibly Reimu. If she stays, Yuuka is there, for some reason.

“Arrrgh! What am I so worried about?!” Cirno throws her head up toward the air. “I’m the strongest! I’m not afraid of anything!”

With an unsure stare from Daiyousei, Cirno brings the foam in her hand back to her ear.

“It’s me, Cirno!”

“Okay, Cirno. So do you know where you want me to go?”

“Yeah!”

Cirno takes a breath.

[] "Stay there, we'll come right away!"
[] "Go toward the mansion! We’ll catch up with you soon!"
[] "Head back toward the shrine! We’ll help you deal with whatever was following you!"

[X] "Stay there, we'll come right away!"

[x] Stay there!

[X] "Go toward the mansion! We’ll catch up with you soon!"

[x] "Stay there, we'll come right away!"

[X] 1
Fuck the SDM trap.

[X] "Stay there, we'll come right away!"

[x] "Stay there, we'll come right away!"

====

“Stay right there,” Cirno nods to Daiyousei as they start to fly again, “we’ll come right away!”

Hopefully, they’ll get there before anything bad happens.

----

“That is certainly an interesting item you have there.”

“Ah, yeah. It actually belongs to me. I saved up a lot of money to buy this motorcycle for myself. I try to keep it in good condition, but sometimes I find it hard to keep everything working properly….”

Yuuka runs her hand over the deep, black skin of this…thing. The delivery girl in red sits with a foot raised near the front, where Yuuka’s hand is.

“It matches your hair.” Yuuka’s eyes shift to the girl. “Such a contrast with the rest of you, though. If I could name you, you’d be like…a ghost flower at night.”

“R-Really?” The delivery girl feels a chill pulse through her. “Thanks for the compliment?”

“Stop right there!”

Yuuka and the delivery girl, along with everyone else in the vicinity, looks up at the voice. Cirno floats next to the delivery girl, hands proud on her hips.

“If you want the pizza, you’ll have to answer to me!”

Daiyousei flies beside her friend. “Um, Cirno, is this really okay?”

“Oh.” Yuuka smiles, closes her umbrella in front of her. “You’re…that ice fairy from then. And you must be her friend?” She shifts her gaze at Daiyousei.

“Yeah! And the pizza lady is here for us! S-So,” Cirno’s hearing goes numb from Yuuka’s smile and closed eyes, “u-uh, don’t g-get in our w-w-way!”

Yuuka’s eyes open. Cirno can feel the wind on the hair behind her neck as Yuuka looks at her. Then at Daiyousei, who squeaks. And then Yuuka looks back at Cirno.

“I think the both of you are quite pretty.” Yuuka opens her umbrella. “But I’ve already finished my flower viewing in this village for today.”

“Uh, huh?” Cirno forces a laugh. “Th-Then, why don’t you go home for today!”

“That’s a fine idea. However, I think I feel like picking some flowers now.”

“HEY!”

Cirno turns around. And something like a cold sweat falls from her forehead, even though nothing is actually there. Reimu, tilting forward and slowing down, comes to a halt above and behind the ice fairy and Daiyousei.

“So it’s you who I’ve been getting a bad feeling from!”

“Wh-What?” Cirno flinches, looking at everyone once before turning to Reimu again.

“No, not you.” Reimu narrows her eyes. She raises an arm and points. “You.”

Cirno follows the finger…

…to Yuuka.

“Me?” The woman eyes widen in surprise. “Why, I didn’t realize I carried the scent of so many flowers on the way here.”

“Not your flowers! I mean you!”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Hey.”

The delivery girl leans toward Cirno, catching the fairy’s attention. Daiyousei swerves between the two.

“Don’t you think this might be a good time to leave?” The delivery girl cuts a glance at Reimu and Yuuka. “It looks like there’s going to be some trouble.”

“Yes, a lot of flowers are gathered here.” Yuuka’s eyes shift around, as if she’s truly taking in the sight of many flowers in a field. “It’s no wonder you were drawn here, as well.”

“The only one I’m here for is you!” Reimu whips out her gohei, taking out a few paper seals with her other hand. ”And now I’m telling you to leave before I get mad!”

“They’ll forget about us, right?” Daiyousei’s voice starts to shake. “I’d hate it if they somehow remember and start chasing us.”

Cirno laughs once, wiping her nose with a finger. “In that case, why don’t we take care of them now? Three on two!”

“I hate to break it to you,” The delivery girl laughs nervously, “but I don’t know how danmaku fights work. I’m just a human.”

The three of them start to inch away, with the delivery girl pushing the ground to move her and her motorcycle forward. Then, Cirno remembers something.

“By the way. Do you have the pizza?”

“I do.”

The delivery girl pats the red bag at her side.

“Then,” Cirno eyes the bag, “couldn’t you give it to me right now?”

“Technically, yes.” The ice fairy’s eyes brighten at the delivery girl’s answer. “The pizza was already paid for in advance. If you could sign your name on the receipt I have, I’d be willing to give it to you.” She reaches into her bag, then hands a piece of paper and something that looks like a pencil to Cirno.

Oh. So this means she gets to take the pizza?

“Just write your name on the bottom.”

“Um, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Daiyousei points at the lights emanating from Reimu and Yuuka, who are floating in the air, “but I think we should leave.”

Dai is right. First things first.

The delivery girl shrugs. “Well, I don’t see why those two would chase us. I’m just here to deliver a pizza.”

“But I think we can take both of them, Dai!” Cirno says, squinting when Reimu dodges several pillars of light emanating from Yuuka’s umbrella.

“We’re going to get hurt if we do….”

“Like I said, I can’t fight.” The delivery girl says. “It’s up to you. If you want the pizza, it’ll probably be quicker to give it to you if we get away from here. Unless you think you can win?”

A yellow ball of light flies past Cirno.

“If we’re going to do something,” The black thing growls as the delivery girl steps on it, “maybe we should do it now.”

Of course Cirno can win. She’s the strongest! But getting the pizza is also important. There’s no way Yuuka or Reimu would be interested, right?
There’s also this piece of paper. All she had to do is write her own name! Easy! Wait. Or maybe? Heh heh heh…but no. The pizza is supposed to be her and Dai’s!

[] Write “Cirno”
[] Write “Daiyousei”
[] Write “Yuuka”
[] Write “Reimu”
[] Hold on to the paper for now. The pizza is still hers, after all!

And so, about the fight….
[] Jump into the fight! There can be no challengers for the pizza!
[] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

[X] Write “Cirno"
[X] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

[X] Write “Cirno”
[X] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

Only the strongest name can be written on the paper.

[X] Write “Cirno"
[X] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

[x] Write “Sanae”

Come on, who else could order a pizza from the outside? No, Yukari doesn't count: we don't even know her real name.

[x] High tail it

Pizza > Battle

[X] Write “Cirno"
[X] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

Once we have attained the Power of the Powerful Pizza of Powerful Power, then we can test! But we need to GET the Power of the Powerful Pizza of Powerful Power first! HA! Critical thinking skills!

[x] Write “Cirno”
[x] Run with the pizza! They won’t chase after us!

Barely longer than not at all.

====

“Okay, let’s go!” Cirno nods to the other two after writing her name down. “Reimu and Yuuka will be too busy fighting each other, right? So let’s run before they realize the pizza is gone!”

Daiyousei laughs weakly. “I don’t think the pizza is what they’re concerned about….”

“Alright, hop on my motorcycle!”

The delivery girl pats a space behind her, an empty black spot. “I should have room for two little fairies. It’s also tuned to go fast, in case I ever had to ride in Gensokyo.”

“Is it safe?” says Daiyousei.

“Hey, I drove faster than the thing that was chasing me, right? I’d say I came prepared.”

“Alright!” Cirno hops on. “Let’s go! Go!”

Daiyousei hovers over the ground. “I-I think I’ll fly.”

“Don’t be scared, Dai!” The ice fairy grabs her friend’s wrist.

“Alright, hold on!”

After what sounds like a youkai’s roar, Cirno’s body jerks back as the motorcycle shoots forward. She hears herself cry out before she hugs the delivery girl from behind. The fairy can feel Daiyousei’s arms wrap around her body. What is this feeling? It’s different from that floating sensation when rising into the air. This felt…rough. Like lying face down on the ground after tripping. On top of that, this “motorcycle” is loud! Enough to make her whole body shiver!

Somewhere behind her, the whoosh and explosions of danmaku start to fade. Daiyousei is saying something. Her cheeks move on her back, even though Cirno can’t tell what she’s saying.

“Whoa, what’s that?!”

Cirno’s body pushes forward into the delivery girl’s back, a warm pillow of safety. Daiyousei’s arms shake around her stomach. Pulling away, the fairy tries to peek around the girl.

“What happened? Why did we stop?”

Sure that motorcycle has stopped moving, Cirno peeks over the girl’s shoulder.

“Because of that.”

In front of them is what looks like a purple gash in the air. Blood-red eyes peer at them from within. Cirno doesn’t need to see any more to know who is responsible for it.

A white glove. The fair skin of her arm. Then a body of purple. Widening the gap, Yukari steps through, as normally as one would walk through a door.

“Hello.” The gap youkai also introduces herself the same way. “It seems as though there’s been some trouble here.”

“Uh, yeah.” The delivery girl opens the visor to her helmet. “I didn’t mean to cause any.”

Yukari opens her umbrella, taking a glance at the two specks in the distance behind the trio.

“Indeed. Servants can sometimes be quite troublesome.”

Cirno couldn’t swallow for a moment. Then, shaking her head, she points at Yukari.

“Hey! Don’t get in our way! Are you here for the pizza, too?!”

The ice fairy’s pride takes another blow as she receives her second, slow-turn-to-look-at-a-fairy stare for the day. But Cirno keeps her finger raised.

Yukari chuckles.

“As much as I would be interested, I have made no requests to anyone as of late. On the contrary, perhaps it is more concerning to have accepted one too many.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” Daiyousei peeks around Cirno’s shoulder. She flinches farther behind her friend when Yukari cuts a glance to her.

“Why, exactly what I mean. May I see the receipt, by any chance?”

“Oh, sure.” The delivery girl turns to Cirno. “You have it, don’t you?”

“Uhhh…”

Still holding on to paper and pencil thingy. Gah! Riding the motorcycle and this woman appearing was too surprising to even remember that much!

Without thinking, Cirno hands the piece of paper to the delivery girl, who hands it to Yukari.

“Don’t worry.” Yukari holds the bottom of the paper to inspect it. “I have no concerns as to who will be the owner. At least, not until I confirm something. And even then, I might not be inclined to take action. Okay.” She hands it back to the delivery girl.

“Huh? Already?” The delivery girl says. “Were you looking for something?”

“In a way.” Yukari hands back the receipt. ”Green peppers, mushrooms, onions, extra cheese, sausages, pepperoni, grilled chicken, hamburger, and so on. Even I would have second thoughts ordering someone to create such a thing. Pre-paid, twenty three sixty five. Neither of them would make such an order. And these directions. Likely a mistake.”

“H-Huh?” says Cirno. “Do you know who ordered this?”

Silent, Yukari takes a deep breath to hide cover her yawn.

“The one who made the request is likely wondering where the pizza is. It would be problematic if they went out searching for it. And you should at least make sure,” Yukari says to the delivery girl, “that you meet that person before you hand the pizza to anyone. I believe that’s stated as part of your policy?”

“Oh…Oh, yeah.” The delivery girl leans back. “But usually I meet who it is that ordered at the shrine, so I completely forgot.”

“Yes, that would normally be the case.”

Cirno frowns. “You mean, I can’t claim the pizza until we find the person who ordered it? That’s annoying.”

“As part of the contract involved with ordering a pizza,” Yukari recites, “proper payment and identification must be provided at the time and delivery of the order. And seeing that you provided your identity but not the payment, you cannot claim the pizza as is. Likewise, the one who ordered has provided payment on their part without proper identification, and therefore forfeits their rightful claim.”

“I never heard of anything like that.” The delivery girl pockets the receipt after double-checking it.

“A formality most often forgotten, but I assure you, it is there.”

So the pizza’s power can’t be claimed without deciding who it belongs to?

“That goes to say,” Yukari continues, her gaze on the ice fairy, “that you are now in contention for ownership because of this. After all, that’s your name on the receipt, isn’t it?”

Cirno stares back at Yukari without speaking. Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. So what? It’s hers after all!

“Then that means others can challenge you for that ownership. And if they succeed, then you will no longer have any ownership.”

“Wh-What?!”

“And with all this commotion, rest assured there will be trouble. Why, it seems someone is on their way as I speak.” Yukari’s eyes track something behind the trio.

“Cirno!” Daiyousei taps her friend’s shoulder. “Behind us!”

Cirno and the delivery girl turn around. Indeed, a figure in the distance zooms toward them.

“I suggest making your way underground.” Yukari turns to leave, her gap reopening. “I believe the culprit is beginning to become impatient. As I said, if they were to leave their location, it would be problematic for everyone.”

“Wait! Where are you going?” The delivery girl revs her motorcycle.

“Aaah, I want to get some tea.” The youkai enters her gap. “Yes, that would be healthier for me right now.”

With that, the gap closes. Behind the three, a voice calls.

“Heeey! Where do you think you’re going?!”

Cirno looks back at the figure. Black and white. A broomstick. Marisa.

“Well,” The delivery girl fastens her helmet to her head, “looks like the only way out is forward, huh?”

“Um, won’t she catch up to us?” Daiyousei takes a hold of Cirno’s waist again.

Cirno has no reason to doubt the motorcycle’s speed. But compared to Marisa? And also, the underground? Someone that far from the shrine ordered this pizza? How powerful can it be, for someone to trouble themselves that much? If that’s the case, to become the rightful owner of the pizza, they have to be defeated!

However, the more immediate threat is the one behind them.

“Cirno!” Daiyousei tugs at Cirno’s clothes. “She’s almost here!”

[] Confront Marisa.
[] Run!

[X] Confront Marisa.

We've beat her before and we can do it again!

And this time we have back up!

[X] Confront Marisa.

[x] Run!

[x] Confront Marisa

A rematch? Say it isn't so!

[X] Confront Marisa.

[x] Run!

See you in never!

[x] Confront Marisa.

Had to sit and think. Stuff and strategy.

====

“Wait.” Cirno says.

The delivery girl puts her foot on the ground. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

None of the three say anything as Marisa swerves in the sky to stop. She flicks her hat in greeting, then sneezes.

“Yo.” The magician rubs her nose. “I couldn’t help but notice how rowdy Reimu is gettin’ over there with Yuuka. And then I see you guys.”

“What about it?” Cirno gets off the motorcycle to face Marisa.

“I just have a funny feeling.”

Cirno does her best to glare at Marisa. What’s so funny? There’s nothing here to laugh at.

“Yeah, well, there’s nothing here!”

“Really? I’m good at finding things, though. And I think there’s something of value in that bag you’re carrying.”

As expected. This thief is here to steal.

“Hey,” The delivery girl places a hand over her bag, “you’re not planning to take the pizza, are you? This is for Cirno and her friend!”

“Oh yeah? You mean two little fairies got something from the outside?” Marisa places both hands on her broom, looking in-between Cirno and Daiyousei. “I think there’s something fishy here.”

Cirno’s eyes narrow. “Dai, give me a hand. I think someone needs to be taught a lesson.”

“Oh….”

Marisa flies off higher toward the sky in a wide curve. Cirno flies backward opposite from the magician’s position. Daiyousei follows the ice fairy. She looks back now and again to make sure the magician doesn’t suddenly attack. On the ground, the delivery girl leans her motorcycle to one side, boot still on the ground.

“You sure you want to do this?” Marisa holds the edge of her hat. “I won’t be responsible for taking care of two beat-up fairies.”

“Speak for yourself!” Cirno rises with her fists on her hips. “As far as I know, you’ve never beat me in a serious fight before!”

“That’s funny. I don’t remember you doing that either.”

That magician thinks that that glint in her eye someone tells people that she’s serious? Well, someone’s full of herself!

“Cirno,” Daiyousei floats beside her friend, “what should we do?”

Stars form in the sunlight around Marisa. How will she start? And how to start fighting her…?

Let’s see.
[] Fire ice shards in columns!
[] Fire ice shards randomly!
[] Let me try making some large, homing ice boulders….
[] Close the distance for a frontal attack!
[] Dodge first! She can’t hit me!

And Dai will….
[] Provide covering fire!
[] Be a decoy! Get her attention!
[] Dodge! Avoid getting hit for now!

[X] Close the distance for a frontal attack!
[X] Dodge! Avoid getting hit for now!

[Hax] Freeze the Hakkero. She'll be forced to use the much more dodgeable and freezable stars if we do that!

[X] Let me try making some large, homing ice boulders….
[X] Covering fire

Overwhelm the bitch. I mean witch.

Witch is what I meant.

[X] Double Dodge

Cirno loses when she stands still. Cirno wins (hopefully) when she dodges like some kind of twitchy retard with a keyboard is behind her!

[X] Close the distance for a frontal attack!
[X] Dodge! Avoid getting hit for now!

Calling it. For future reference, I will break ties/stalemates by using the decision with earliest post that hits the tied score.

[X] Close the distance for a frontal attack!
[X] Dodge! Avoid getting hit for now!

Writing, writing, idiot! And writing.

====

“Dai!” Cirno nods to her friend. “Just dodge for now!”

“O-Okay!”

Cirno flies back, then forward. Whips of stars lash at the two of them. The ice fairy flies through the gaps, to the side of intersections. Don’t try to gap the waves that are too close. Flip over the laser.

“Waaah!”

Daiyousei’s voice. But it’s a “That was close!” kind of yell. Everything is turning, rolling. The sky is below. Then it’s above again. The stars zoom past, wind chimes in a furious wind. The warmth from a star passes Cirno’s ear.

Cirno clenches her fists. The air around her hands begin to cool, then harden. Any idiot can dodge bullets from far away. So why not go in close so Marisa can’t blast any of her powerful lasers accurately? Even while shooting at two people, there’s no way she’d be stupid enough to charge a shot with someone in her face.

The ice fairy extends her palms to the magician. A line of icicles track Marisa’s position.

“Ha!”

After Marisa’s laugh, Cirno leans back, flipping backward. The burnt smell lingers in her nose, the flurry of stars now long behind the fairy. A new flurry of ice shards form a wall behind Cirno, this time flying toward Marisa’s next position. The distance between the two closes.

“Hey hey!” Marisa shoots a wave of large stars at Daiyousei. “Where do you think YOU’RE going?”

Cirno dives to the side as a laser shoots by. Blond hair streaks past in the corner of her vision. The ice fairy dodges the trail of stars that are left behind.

Cirno turns around. How’s Dai doing? Despite her cries, she seems to be dodging those shots pretty well. The points of the stars don’t even go close enough to graze her. The amount of bullets feels really small right now, despite how many Marisa has shot at them.

Marisa looks back at Daiyousei for a split second, then faces Cirno. With a somersault, two lasers shoot out in front of and behind Marisa. The lasers split, over a dozen of them curving and winding. Ducking under and barreling through the stars that fire from the smaller lasers, Cirno fires several pillars of ice at the magician. The speed at which they were flying would astound any human. Or rather, they would be after realizing they’ve been hit by one.

“Heh!”

Cirno’s jaw drops. Then, she laughs as well.

“What an idiot!”

“And who exactly is the idiot?”

Her broom skidding off the edge of an ice pillar, Marisa flies toward Cirno with a hand extended. Cirno does the same. A laser shoots out into a flurry of ice shards—

Cirno flinches. There’s a burning sensation inside of her mouth. A searing heat glances at her cheek where the laser missed. Had Marisa not made that small shift in her body, the laser would have been a direct hit. And the only reason for that, as far as Cirno had seen, is because of the thin line of water on Marisa’s face. Behind the magician, Daiyousei loops and weaves through the sparkle of stars and lasers. She’s considerably farther from Marisa than Cirno is, but hasn’t gotten hit so far.

Cirno’s body tenses and relaxes. Ha! What overwhelming power? Is Marisa really fighting seriously right now? Looks like it’s different when she’s fighting two people at once. Dai can dodge lot of them, it looks like. That’s good, at least. The ice fairy rises and falls with her flight, putting her fists on her hips for Marisa to see.

“Is something wrong? You seem to be having some trouble hitting us!”

Marisa keeps her posture in front of Cirno while more bullets form behind her to attack Daiyousei.

“What are you talking about? You haven’t hit me yet, either!”

Cirno turns to check on the delivery girl once. The delivery girl waves a hand. So Marisa isn’t fighting at her full capacity? Well, she hasn’t used any spell cards yet. But the same can be said for both sides. And if either of them were to use a spell card, Cirno would be the one to do so.

Marisa kicks off the air toward the ice fairy.

“You look like you want to fight me up close and personal, yeah?” The magician pulls that magic item from her hand. “Well come and try me!”

Cirno leans forward, propelling herself to meet the magician. Closing in was the plan. But it seems like Marisa wants to do the same. This is going to be something, if she wants to face off against the strongest!

So then….
[] A blade of ice! Let’s get a hit in!
[] Fly forward and fire! She won’t shoot first!
[] Feint and dodge! Tire her out and finish her!

And Dai should….
[] I need support now. Fire!
[] She’s doing good. Keep dodging!

[X] Fly forward and fire! She won’t shoot first!
[X] She’s doing good. Keep dodging!

[X] Fly forward and fire! She won’t shoot first
[X] She’s doing good. Keep dodging!

[x] Feint and Dodge
[x] keep supporting

She's going to use her Hakkero, we need to wait it out from afar.. God knows you can't dodge that shut up close

[Both] CHARGE!

This all boils down to getting a hit in.
If the rules suddenly change from dodgeball to tag, we win the fight because you can't really pivot a laser around that fast.

[X] LEFT OF SCREEN!
[X] DAI, GO RIGHT!

Master Spark looks pretty.

It's also not a Twin Spark. Split up.

[X] Fly forward and fire! She won’t shoot first!
[X] She’s doing good. Keep dodging!

Meanwhile, things fly through the sky and dream.

====

Cirno raises a hand, flying full force toward the human magician.

Marisa holds out her hakkero, where a light sparkles and converges on the center.

The first shard of ice flies over the magician’s shoulder.

The second cuts the front of her clothes.

The third makes Marisa’s head flinch to the side, but she flies steady.

The light around the hakkero pulses, blinding the two.

The fourth and fifth shards surprise Marisa. This time, the magician stutters in her flight—

As the light forces Cirno to raise an arm, she hears her name being called.

And then, she hears nothing.

…

…

…

…Cirno lowers her arm. She blinks. And breathes.

“Cirno!”

Cirno recognizes that her friend Daiyousei is in front of her.

The ice fairy coughs. Huh? Smoke? From both arms? Ow, ow ow OW!

Cirno looks at her arms, then at her own body. Smoke is coming off of her!

“HOT!!!” Cirno jumps up and down in the air, shaking her hands and feet.

“Geez, you crazy fairy. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull?”

Cirno stops blowing on her arms, turning to face Marisa. It’s not that the magician came out from the exchange unhurt. A red gash runs almost along the whole length of the arm holding her hakkero. Another thin cut runs across the magician’s cheek. Marisa takes deep breaths, wobbling on her broom as she faces the two fairies.

“You make me want to do some crazy things, too.” The magician channels more energy into her hand.

“Dai, just keep dodging!”

Cirno dives to the right of the incoming blast of light.

“Aaaah!”

“Dai!”

Cirno can’t see past the ray of light. So instead, she turns and charges forward again.

“I won’t let you!” Cirno shoots several icicles forward, where Marisa is readying another attack.

“Tch!”

Marisa flies backward, her arm losing its position as another laser fires off mark over Cirno’s head.

“Not yet, huh?” The magician’s eyes look to side, as she aims her empty hand at something else.

Cirno looks once. Daiyousei, unhurt, starts flying in a circle around Marisa, dodging the excess shots of stars and rays that are trying to trap her. Cirno aims with her hand.

“Over here! Are we too much for you?”

Marisa clicks her tongue again.

“Shoot, I got too distracted…!”

Two ice shards fly past the magician’s head.

The third, however, grazes the arm aiming at Daiyousei, just above her elbow.

“Unh…!”

Her hakkero wielding hand sparkles with light again. Marisa closes an eye to aim at Cirno.

But the ice fairy is already in front of her.

“Take this!” Cirno leans back, extending both arms and legs.

Two lines of ice shards fire from the fairy’s palms. Marisa swings to the side, flipping herself upside down.

Marisa grimaces as the last of the shards graze the shoulder of her hakkero arm. The fabric of her clothes tear twice: Once above her shoulder, and another to the side on her upper arm. Wincing, the magician swings back upright as Cirno balances herself in the air, thrown back by the recoil of her shots.

“Heh.” Marisa manages a grin. “Why are you being so stupid? Must be something really good in that bag down there.”

Without an answer, Cirno laughs. Like the knowledge of the pizza would be slipped that easily! Or would it be a secret? In any case, it looks like Marisa lost herself in an instant.

“Ready to admit defeat?” Cirno plants her hands on her hips. “We’re ready to declare victory!”

“I’m declaring something alright.” Marisa whispers something to her hakkero for a moment. “But it won’t be defeat.”

“Love sign「Master Spark」”

Marisa pants. A trail of blood runs down her cheek. And although there are no stains on her clothes, her aiming arm shakes from shoulder to hand. Her other arm limps to her side.

Cirno grins. Getting desperate, huh? Then it looks like it’s time to end this. While this would normally be a situation to be worried about, instead the fairy feels like she could do something extraordinary. For certain, declaring a spell card is needed to meet Marisa’s. A Master Spark, after all, is still a Master Spark. Cirno knew that well.

If this match is to be closed off with both certainty and power, then Cirno had two options. The first is a move that Cirno practiced over the lake, which could split the water in two for a few seconds. It was pretty cool, and it would be great to get some practice with something Cirno usually didn’t use. The second is something more like overwhelming. At least, the tree she practiced it on was reduced to splinters of splinters. And that was to say, almost dust.

Marisa would be fine, of course. This is danmaku, after all.

Although, it’s always safe to use a normal spell card.

Now, what to use?
[] Ice Wielding 「Destruction Blade」
[] Ice Flurry 「Machine Gunning」
[] Ice Storm 「Blizzard Fall」

Meanwhile, the delivery girl thinks before moving.
[] Pizza hasn’t gone cold, has it? I should take it out and check….
[] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking?!
[] Should I get going? Maybe I should go out by myself…?

[X] Ice Storm 「Blizzard Fall」
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking!?
As expected of the strongest.

[X] Ice「Ball of
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking!?

For Marisa, we need to break the forbidden rule. In a danmaku fight, you never pack ice into your bullets. Throw ice at Marisa's forehead. She can hardly move while firing.

Also, pizzagirl=bestgirl

[X] Ice Flurry 「Machine Gunning」
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking?!

[X] Ice Flurry 「Machine Gunning」
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking?!


WE NEED MORE DAKKA... NMAKU!

[X] Ice Sign「Icicle Fall (Easy)」
-[x] And position yourself just right. Safespot be damned, we're gonna make her so ashamed she wouldn't dare be seen with anyone for the next week!
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking?!

[X] Ice Flurry 「Machine Gunning」
[X] Wow, Cirno’s pretty cool, huh? Wait, what am I thinking?!

I’m still hungry.

====

Cirno closes her eyes. Concentrate. Concentrate, and think of that weapon. A large bulk of ice, like a cannon. Yeah. Big. Strong. Powerful!

A swirl of cold wind circles around the ice fairy’s hands. Then, it materializes in front of her. Opening her eyes, Cirno watches her weapon take form: A barrel-like contraption as big as the fairy if she were lying on her side. It doesn’t actually have any complicated function, but looks the part because of how Cirno envisioned it in her mind’s eye. In reality, though, it does serve a purpose.

“You ready for this?” Marisa shouts as she aims.

“Um, are you…?” Daiyousei says.

A grin on her face, Cirno grabs the handle on top of her weapon.

“Ready whenever you are!”

The magician gives no warning before the light in the hakkero pulses once.

“Dai, move!”

Cirno channels her power into the weapon in her hands, heaving it with her. The edge of the ray blasts by, and immediately moves to engulf her in its light. Using the momentum of her flight and the weapon’s weight, Cirno flies and maintains her distance around Marisa. With a long grunt, the fairy turns the weapon so the end with the smaller holes is directed toward the magician. Cirno feels the weapon in her hands grow colder, heavier. It shakes and vibrates, but she continues to force more cold air into the weapon. Marisa’s laser, although slow and firing out stars, inches closer toward Cirno.

“Cirno!”

The fairy hears two voices yell as she feels the strain of her weapon’s weight in her arms. Her body tells her that she can’t hold it much longer, but Cirno refuses to listen. She can hear Marisa shouting for her demise.

Then, Cirno feels the handle get cold enough for her liking.

“Watch out!”

That’s the only warning Cirno gives to the magician, the grin coming back to her face. The fairy catches the instant that Marisa’s eyes widen.

The weapon fires.

Even though this part of the spell card numbs the hands, it really feels great. Nothing actually moves on the outside. But on the inside, all the cold that’s poured in gets changed into bullets. Then, more cold air is forced in until it all starts to shoot out. Pretty cool, isn’t it? Probably not for whoever gets hit. But to get hit by an attack from the strongest, that’s expected, isn’t it?

Marisa makes an effort to move. Despite the compressed hailstorm of ice shards flying parallel to the laser, it’s clear that the former had more potential for maneuverability. That, along with the fact that Marisa sacrificed her speed for power during the spell card, meant that she had no way out once her hakkero ran out of power to protect her while firing. It’s a property of her spell card: While her laser was active, she would be immune to any and all bullets. Of course, since Marisa had no way of knowing how Cirno’s spell card worked, and because her hakkero is indeed about to run out of power, her immunity is about to end.

“Heh.” Marisa maintains her defiance, her injured arms starting to go limp. The light from her hakkero begins to fade. “Why the heck did I pick this fight in the first place?”

Marisa barely moves an inch before it happens. The bullets which had been disintegrating before impact reach their target.

Cirno can’t see the magician behind the flurry of ice. But she does hear that high-pitched explosion of defeat, before seeing a heap of chill-smoked black spiral to the ground.

The fairy breathes once. Then, she inhales. Yeah, that’ll show her! Did Dai see?

Daiyousei flies toward her friend and hugs her, nearly knocking the ice fairy out of the sky.

“Heeey!” The delivery girl calls from below. “That was pretty good!”

Descending, Cirno and Daiyousei make their way to the delivery girl.

“Yeah, well,” Cirno rubs her nose, “that’s what happens when someone challenges the strongest in Gensokyo!”

Daiyousei giggles, but then turns toward the spot where Marisa fell. “She’ll…be okay, right? She won’t hold a grudge?”

“If she does, then we’ll fight again. Until then, that’s one challenger down!”

“All this over a pizza? Well, actually, I don’t think that girl knew that’s what she was fighting for.” The delivery girl puts on a pitied smile.

“Of course!” says Cirno. “How could she win if she didn’t even know that much?”

Which then lead to the next question. What now? As though to answer Cirno’s thoughts, Daiyousei speaks.

“Should we go, then? I think that lady said that we should go underground to find someone.”

“The person who ordered.” The delivery girl points a finger upward. She taps the finger to her head. “Well, apparently they might be coming for us at this rate. Maybe that means they’ll meet us halfway if we start moving.”

“In that case,” Cirno thinks for a moment, “I can think of ways to get there—”

That dripping sound. But, as Cirno pulls her foam from inside her clothes, it’s not hers.

“It’s mine.”

Cirno and Daiyousei look at the object in the delivery girl’s hands. That’s right. She must have had one, since Cirno answered with the other.

“Unknown caller?” The delivery girl checks the foam. Then, she looks at Cirno.

The two stare at each other for a second, with Daiyousei looking between them.

Cirno speaks.
[] “Maybe the person we’re looking for? Answer it!”
[] “Let me answer it! I’ll talk to whoever it is!”
[] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

[x] “Maybe the person we’re looking for? Answer it!”

[X] “Let me answer it! I’ll talk to whoever it is!”
Must be a wrong number, we ordered the pizza after all.

[X] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

4th best fairy needs more lines.

[X] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

Dai hasn't said anything much more than variations of 'ah!' and 'Cirno!' so far. A story about the strongest lets all her friends have lines.

[x] It's your call

Literally.

Also: GET RECKT MARISA

[X] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

[] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

Just got into this, and it's a lovely little story. Hope you have fun with it, OP!

[x] “Let Dai answer it. Maybe they’ll say something?”

Time is twice as long, yet the content is not. The bottom line is: Working normally.

====

Cirno and the deliver girl turn to Daiyousei.

“Huh?” Is all the fairy says. “M-Me?”

As the delivery girl offers her the phone, Cirno crosses her arms and nods. “We don’t know who it is, but maybe they’ll let something slip if it’s someone they’re not expecting.”

“Won’t they be more secretive if it’s someone they’re not expecting?!”

“In any case,” The delivery girl twitches her hand, offering the phone again, “someone needs to answer before they hang up.”

Mouth open, Daiyousei takes the phone with both hands.

“How do I…?”

“Press the button on the top left. Ah,” The delivery girl leans over to point above the phone, “this one.”

“Okay….” Daiyousei presses the button. She mimics the way Cirno held the phone to talk before. “He…Hello?”

Cirno taps her foot in the air while her friend listens. Daiyousei’s face freezes. Who could it be? By the look on her friend’s face, it seems whoever she’s talking to hasn’t finished talking yet. Was it the person who ordered? Well, if it is, Cirno would have probably asked without waiting for the other person to talk.

“Oh, n-no!” Cirno hears Daiyousei stutter. “This is, um, someone else. I’m with the delivery lady right now!”

Dai is gathering information, right? Unless it’s someone completely different, but they wouldn’t have stayed on the phone that long if that’s the case. Maybe because it’s Dai and not someone they’re expecting they haven’t stopped?

“We’re…planning to find the person now.” Daiyousei says. “We heard that we should go underground.”

A short pause.

“Yes! That’s what they said. Um, does she not want to talk instead?”

Another pause.

“O-Oh! Okay….” Daiyousei looks up at Cirno and the delivery girl.

Cirno purses her lips. Who is she talking to?

“I-If you don’t mind, why are you calling?”

A longer pause. Daiyousei stares back at the ground while she listens.

“Really?” The fairy’s eyes open in surprise. “I-I didn’t mean to be rude. I just didn’t know.” Then, Daiyousei jumps. She speaks louder. “I didn’t know that you were the one who usually orders.”

This time, Cirno’s eyes open. What?

“O-Oh! Okay. So something happened and you lost the…`phone`? But it wasn’t you?”

Interesting. Did someone learn about the power of the pizza and decide to take it from the original owner? That would sound right, wouldn’t it?

“So that’s it. Um, thank you very much!” Daiyousei bows to the air. “I’ll be sure to let them know! Huh…?”

Cirno stops tapping her foot. What else now?

“What…?”

That doesn’t sound good.

“…”

Daiyousei is frozen. Her whole body still. Cirno can’t even see her breathe.

“…Okay. I’ll…remember.”

Cirno notices her friend close her mouth to swallow. Daiyousei hands the phone back over to the delivery girl, who raises an eyebrow at the fairy.

“Something wrong? You don’t look well.”

“Oh. It’s…nothing.” The fairy smiles.

Cirno doesn’t believe it. But she asks the next question. “Who was it?”

“It was the ghost lady, and I’m pretty sure she was with the other lady from earlier. She was asking if we found a `phone`.” Daiyousei points at the (So that’s how you say it?) phone in Cirno’s hand. “And I think that’s what she’s talking about.”

Cirno looks at the phone in her hand for a second before putting it back in her clothes. So it was that woman named Yuyuko. And apparently Yukari was with her?

“That ghost lady is the one who normally orders pizzas from outside.” Daiyousei looks at the delivery girl. “But since she lost her phone, she wanted to know if someone ordered a pizza with it.”

“And how it sounded,” The delivery girl says, “it wasn’t her, was it?”

“No. Actually, she says it was taken from her.”

Cirno thinks. Someone took Yuyuko’s phone and ordered a pizza with it. At least, that’s what Dai was told. Yukari told them to go underground where the culprit was. And until they meet the culprit, the pizza can’t be claimed.

“Then let’s head out. We’re going to the underground, right?” The deliver girl fastens her helmet.

“Yeah.” Cirno nods. “I know another way in if we’re going to go there.”

Daiyousei blinks, realizing something. “Another way in? You mean that place we found?”

“Yup.”

“But we only went there once. What if we get caught?”

“We have a pizza to claim. And nothing’s going to stop me!”

As Daiyousei laughs nervously while flying over to the motorcycle, Cirno takes her seat behind the delivery girl. The mentioned path involves sneaking to a place near the shrine with the two gods and that other shrine maiden. They haven’t been caught yet, but there’s a decline leading to a cave nearby that spirals down underground. Of course, who knows why that’s there. The important thing is it would bring them underground quicker and more secretly. Secretly! Though, on top of that, the exit to said cave leads near that hot place where the crow works. But pizza! Pizza!

The other way would be the normal way leading underground. It’d be a bit longer, and who knows who they’d meet if they went that way. It’d attract attention, that’s for sure. But no one would be a match for them, would they?

“Know where we’re going to go?” The delivery girl asks.

Then, all three of them look up.

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

Cirno doesn’t even know who said that, but for good reason. Yuuka flies above them and toward where they would go if they were going to go underground.

Strange. She’s flying exactly toward the direction where they’d be going underground. Is that a coincidence?

Someone else flies overhead, smoking from the waist.

Cirno’s eyes turn to Reimu. She’s flying exactly toward the direction they’d be going if they were to go toward the secret path. To the other shrine? But what for, then? Gah! What’s with this?!

“Well, no crying over it all now.” The delivery girl shrugs, revving her motorcycle.

“So, where are we going to go, Cirno?”

Dai. She was definitely told something else.

But they also had to go somewhere. For the pizza.

Cirno decides.
[] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[] We’ll go underground the normal way.

At the same time, the ice fairy wonders. Who ordered the pizza? If she had to take a guess, including people from the underground according to Yukari….
[] The bridge girl. [Parsee]
[] That oni. [Yuugi]
[] The stupid cat. [Rin]
[] The even stupider crow. [Utsuho]
[] The sister in the mansion? [Satori]
[] The wandering sister? [Koishi]
[] (Write-in for someone else that Cirno has met or Cirno has heard of during the story)

And then. What Dai heard at the end.
[] Is it important? I’m worried….
[] …No, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll leave it to Dai!

As the three leave toward their destination, Marisa gets up from the ground.

“Ow ow ow. Those stupid fairies. What are they playing at?”

She looks up.

“Heh.”

Picking up her broom, the magician flies forward.

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[X] The stupid cat. [Rin]
[X] …No, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll leave it to Dai!
Morale.

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[X] Satori
[X] Is it important? I'm worried...

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[x] That oni. [Yuugi]
[X] Is it important? I'm worried...

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[X] The stupid cat. [Rin]
[X] …No, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll leave it to Dai!

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[X] The stupid cat. [Rin]
[X] Is it important? I'm worried...

Calling it. Update will be coming. Unless I somehow miscounted/messed up the tiebreaker for four votes of three choices.

[X] We’ll go toward the secret path by that shrine.
[X] The stupid cat. [Rin]
[X] Is it important? I'm worried...

====

There are curious stares from those seeing the motorcycle pass by. A few humans and several passing youkai. The path to the shrine is relatively safe until one reaches the foot of the mountain. The motorcycle growls as it rides forward with its two passengers, who hold onto the respective person in front of them. The girl who’s driving hums to herself, eyes flicking up to measure the mountain’s height.

Cirno feels her friend’s arms tighten, cheek pressed against her body. What did she hear while talking at the end? And why only to Dai? Was it something that only she could understand? Would the delivery lady have heard something, too?

Cirno shook her head.

No! There’s nothing to be scared of! And whatever it is, Dai, I’ll protect you! Because you’re my friend!

Then, Cirno notices something about the path they’re on. It’s strange. Though there aren’t many humans where they’re at now, there has to be some signs of life. Was that a beat up youkai they passed?

“Do you think it could be Reimu?” Daiyousei’s hand tightens on the ice fairy’s shoulder.

The delivery girl inspects the path ahead. “Well, since she’s flying, I’m sure she’ll be faster than us. Assuming she’s headed where we’re headed.”

“The kappas made a road in case humans ever came by.” Daiyousei’s voice is barely audible over the motorcycle. “I don’t know if there are a lot of people using it, though.”

“That’s good for us, then.” The smell of something warm fills Cirno’s nose from the red bag around the delivery girl’s waist. Such power! “We’re not going to be bothered by a lot of people coming this way.”

Through the trees ahead, the path winds into a larger one. It spirals up the mountain, away from a large waterfall.

“Up, right?” The delivery girl says to Cirno.

The fairy nods, focused on their destination at the shrine.

----

“That’s why I’m telling you to stop doing strange things!”

“It’s not us that’s doing strange things! How dare you accuse us of something like that!”

All along the path to the shrine, or at least outside of the path that the three could see, were the bodies of beaten lesser youkai and tengu. Approaching the shrine, the three on the motorcycle could hear the argument getting louder.

“The kappas and tengu have no idea what was at the village. So it must be you shady people who’re at fault!”

“Seriously? Know some shame before rampaging about! Aren’t you a shrine maiden? And on what basis do you think we’re at fault?”

“Whoa,” The delivery girl comes to a stop in front of the shrine’s entrance, “that sounds like a serious talk going on over there.”

Something in Cirno’s chest falls into her stomach. It would’ve been nice if the shrine had no one there. But instead, they arrive to see two annoying humans. Hopefully, the gods aren’t there. Or at least, not willing to step outside. Maybe they could sneak past without being noticed? Cirno frowns at the shrine maidens ahead of them.

As Reimu and Sanae turn to the three, Cirno stares back at them without hesitation.

“Hey!” Reimu points before turning back to the other shrine maiden, finger still in the air. “See? Just like suspicious people to return to the place they came from!”

“That’s why I’m saying you’re jumping to conclusions!” Sanae stomps once. “I honestly have no idea what’s going on and why those three are here!”

The delivery girl shifts to look at Cirno. “So, uh, where did you say this secret path was?”

Cirno doesn’t look away from Reimu and Sanae. “It’s just a bit away from behind the shrine.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to pass by?” Daiyousei pokes her head around Cirno’s shoulder. “It’s not as though we’ll go any faster. We’ll have to take this motorcycle through as fast as it can.”

“I got into a fight with Yuuka because of those three,” Reimu continues to yell, “so I’m going to get to the bottom of all this.”

“So it’s an incident, then?” Sanae crosses her arms. “Then you have no place being here, because there’s nothing wrong!”

“I’m saying there is!”

“And I’m saying there isn’t!”

“Things are heating up.” The delivery girl watches the spectacle. “So, Cirno. What’s the plan? Are we going to try and ditch these two?”

Cirno keeps staring at the two shrine maidens. They could. It would mean they would reach their destination quicker, and possibly reach the pizza ordering culprit before anyone else gets in their way.

The culprit. Cirno thought long and hard about who it could be while they driving to and up the mountain. Maybe it was that cat? Rin, was it? Cirno had seen the cat wandering Gensokyo from time to time to gather whatever it was she gathered. But would she have been able to take something from that ghost lady without noticing? As a servant of that eye lady, she couldn’t be that powerful. But she was someone from underground, like the gap lady said. And if that lady is telling the truth, then they needed to go underground before the cat left. There would definitely be trouble if a funny black cat ran around all over Gensokyo asking about a pizza. She definitely would, considering what that cat does and how often she comes out from the underground.

But seeing how much Reimu has blabbed about them, could they escape again without getting caught? The other shrine maiden is still fishy. She has no reason to side with Reimu. Well, she has no reason to side with them, either….

Reimu and Sanae stare each other down. Cirno doesn’t turn away.

[] Let’s wait and see what happens. There’s no reason to risk attracting more attention to us.
[] Let’s go! It doesn’t look like Reimu will let us go, so we need to escape!

[X] Let’s wait and see what happens. There’s no reason to risk attracting more attention to us.

[x] Let’s go! It doesn’t look like Reimu will let us go, so we need to escape!

Don't try to stem the chaos, embrace it. Glory to Arioch!

[X] Let’s wait and see what happens. There’s no reason to risk attracting more attention to us.
Worried that "let's go" might mean getting further away from the entrance in some scooby doo-esque chase.

[X] Good job distracting her comrade! The hour of our victory is nigh at hand! Tell our boss and mastermind SUWAKO MORIA that our plan to TAKE OVER GENSOKYO is ready to begin.
-[X] Slip past them while they are distracted.

She got a frog to eat Cirno in Canon. That shit ain't cool.

I'm torn... Trying to snake past them will lend us advantage, but it doesn't solve the matter and we'll probably end chased. But if we stay (and maybe try to explain us) we'll lose time. And there is a high probability that Reimu will not believe us and she'll stop us by force.

tl;dr I'll wait a bit before voting because indecision.

[x] Let’s wait and see what happens. There’s no reason to risk attracting more attention to us.

Back from stuff. There will be an update in the next twelve hours. Tiebreaking. If I made a mistake, then correct me. Now working.

[X] Let’s wait and see what happens. There’s no reason to risk attracting more attention to us.

====

Whoever it is that ordered the pizza better still be where they are when they get there. Cirno floats off of the motorcycle.

“Fine!” Reimu flies backwards a few steps. “If you’re so set on protecting those three until the end, have it your way. But I know someone’s responsible for all this!”

“You’re the one who’s going to be responsible!” Sanae also prepares for the inevitable fight. “For all of the mistakes you’ve made, that is!”

“We’re not running, are we?” The delivery girl loosens her helmet.

Cirno shakes her head. “Nope.”

“And we’re not going to be pulled into this?” Daiyousei hugs the delivery girl from behind on the motorcycle.

No one answers that question.

“Hey,” Reimu calls to the three, “you’re not going to help? Your ringleader’s in trouble.”

“And I said for the last time,” Sanae stomps on the air this time, “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

The two shrine maidens stare at each other for a moment. Then, they both shoot forward. Cirno raises an arm in front of her eyes as green and red collide. Red and blue orbs of light fly through and past each other, from both sides. Reimu and Sanae rise higher into the air.

“For someone who’s guilty,” The ice fairy hears Reimu shout, “you sure aren’t holding back from the start!”

“Of course!” Sanae answers. “It’s because I’m innocent from the very beginning!”

“Save your lies for after the battle, if you still can!”

“It’s you who needs to stop saying things that aren’t true!”

The two fire several waves of bullets at each other. Reimu dodges a barrage of danmaku twice. Sanae also dodges two sets of orbs and bullets. Sometimes it becomes a mess of danmaku where both shoot and move. Soon enough, everything seems to come to a stop.

“If you won’t stop your absurd quest for nothing,” Sanae clasps her hand in front of her chest, then raises it over her head, “then I’ll stop you myself!”

Fortune Seeker 「Severed Stars of the Battleground」

The light shining in her hand splits apart into rays. The rays become danmaku that fire in Reimu’s general direction, while many more fly in random directions.

“And if you won’t admit your guilt,” Reimu returns by raising her gohei, “then you’ll let me do whatever I want after I win!”

Barrier Seal 「Shrine Erected Barrier」

Walls with symbols surround the red shrine maiden, then spread and dissipate as the bullets from Sanae’s spell card come into contact with them. Reimu dodges the stray danmaku in the space between her own spell card’s barriers.

Sanae winces as she passes through a hole in one of Reimu’s barriers. A thin string of light also cuts into the side of Reimu’s clothes, grazing the skin. The two are nearly in front of each other before they fire at each other.

Cirno, Daiyousei, and the delivery girl watch as Sanae passes by Reimu. The shrine maidens face each other, with somewhat light breaths.

“Do you think we could escape now?” Daiyousei says.

“Or unless you want to be crazy and jump in?” The delivery girl adds.

Cirno purses her lips. It wouldn’t take much to beat them now that they’re tired, would it? Or, they could even jump in and team up against the other! But they did still need to get out of this situation and go underground soon. The more time they waste, the worse the pizza situation could get! That being either the person who ordered isn’t there anymore, or someone else comes to get in their way! All for this pizza! The ice fairy grumbles to herself.

Well, if this fight is going to end soon, siding with the green shrine maiden would be the safe bet. There’s no way she’d turn on them for no reason, right? It’d make Reimu really mad. Unless they sided with Reimu instead? She didn’t really seem to like them, but maybe helping her out here will stop her from being so annoying. Maybe she can be reasoned with, but she does seem to fight first and ask questions after. No, that’s definitely Reimu, isn’t it?

Of course, they could always just run, too. Maybe this is the chance?

Cirno thinks.

If it’s like this now….
[] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!
[] Side with Sanae. Reimu’s crazy!
[] Side with Reimu. Maybe helping her will help us?
[] Take both of them out! No shrine maidens allowed!

[X] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

[X] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

[X] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

Let's a go!

[x] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

[X] Take both of them out! No shrine maidens allowed!

We are a fairy! And what do fairies do when two player characters are fighting?

They jump in the middle and yell IT'S SPRING start shooting!

[X] Side with Sanae. Reimu’s crazy!

, [x] Side with Sanae

REIMU YOU SHOULD CHILL

[X] Side with Sanae. Reimu’s crazy

Here's hoping we don't get betrayed

[x] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

Called. Update within the next twelve hours.

[X] Then now’s the time! Let’s get out of here!

====

“Let’s not waste any more time,” Cirno hops onto the motorcycle behind Daiyousei, “let’s go while they’re tired!”

“If you say so.”

After the delivery girl fixes her helmet and revs the motorcycle, Cirno’s body lunges forward. The ice fairy wraps her arms around Daiyousei’s neck to avoid being thrown off.

“Hey!” The ice fairy hears Reimu shout as they pass behind the shrine. “So you are with them!”

“It’s straight ahead,” Daiyousei taps the delivery girl in the side, pointing, “keep going where it’s dark.”

Squeezing her thighs on the sides of the motorcycle, Cirno leans to the side. Strange lights illuminate the cave on the walls. The path slowly slants downward, and gravity pulls forward on the three.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” The delivery girl raises her foot off of the pedal. “This feels really weird!”

Although the motorcycle continues to move, the three face straight down. They aren’t falling, but the path forward continues on as though they were upright.

Cirno counts in her head. Maybe humans might not feel comfortable, but since they were riding this motorcycle, it might be a little strange. When Daiyousei was following the last time, both of them were flying down. And at the end….

“We’re gonna crash—!”

Closing her eyes, the delivery girl settles her foot on the brakes. Daiyousei and Cirno’s bodies squish against her back. But the pain never comes.

Instead, the delivery girl peeks at her surroundings. The motorcycle stops.

“Whew,” Cirno picks her head off of Daiyousei’s shoulder, “we’re here.”

Now upright, the three look at the path that splits to the left and right.

“Where are we now?” Says the delivery girl.

“Underground.” Cirno rubs a finger on her nose.

“Then where do we go?” The delivery girl looks left and right down each path. “You know where these lead?”

Daiyousei finally pushes herself from the delivery girl’s back. “We’re looking for the pizza person, right? Do you know who they are, Cirno?”

“I thought it was that cat.” Cirno says. “What was her name? Ran?”

“Rin.” Daiyousei corrects her friend. “If that’s the case, we should go left. She lives with the eye lady in the mansion most of the time.”

“What’s to the right?” The delivery girl’s curiosity asks.

Cirno shudders. “Just a really hot place. It isn’t fun to play there.”

“Haven’t you been here before, Cirno? It was that time you went off on your own to chase something….”

“Mmm, I guess Dai wouldn’t know. I did come here, but I didn’t use the secret path.”

A shudder runs down Cirno’s spine. Someone is poking their finger from behind? Cirno turns around, but doesn’t see anyone.

“Is something wrong?” Daiyousei jumps at her friend’s sudden movement.

“Nnrrrgh.”

Cirno grumbles. That sensation. It’s familiar. But where?

“If we’re going to go somewhere,” The delivery girl peeks left and right. “We should go left, yeah? It’s where most people in the underground are, from what I’ve heard.”

“The only thing to the right might be the raven, too.” Daiyousei says after. “That’s where she works, right?”

“Right.”

Cirno confirms her friends’ words. There’s no guarantee that meeting the raven would provide results. When Dai says “might”, she means if the raven happens to be somewhere else. Unless…she is the one who ordered the pizza? It would be a huge gamble. It would be like skipping right to the last boss if that’s the case. If the raven isn’t the person who ordered, then it would be like a mid-boss if they got into a fight. On the other hand, going left has a lot more people to question. One of them has to be the person who ordered, right? And there would be a lot more information to get—

A shiver runs through Cirno’s body. The strange sensation lingers over the ice fairy.

What is it? Something does this. But to find out, do you think about it? Or do you avoid thinking about it? If you try to think about it, it goes away. But maybe, knowing who the strongest in Gensokyo is, thinking about it hard enough will force…it. It’s easy to know. But to recognize it. It’s going away, but it’s always there. No, it’s there right now.

Cirno shakes her head.

They’re approaching their goal. But is this all to the quest for the pizza?

“Alright guys. Let’s go…”

Left? Or right?
[] Left, to the eye lady’s mansion!
[] Right, to that hot furnace!

The strange sensation.
[] Keep focusing on it. Don’t let it escape!
[] Forget about it. The strongest doesn’t worry about small things! They come naturally!

[x] Left, to the eye lady’s mansion!
[x] Keep focusing on it. Don’t let it escape!

[X] Left, to the eye lady’s mansion!
[X] Keep focusing on it. Don’t let it escape!

I know a Koishi option when I see it!

[X] 2
[X] 2

[x] Left
[x] Focus

[X] Left, to the eye lady’s mansion!
[X] Keep focusing on it. Don’t let it escape!

Still called. Things keep exploding. Updating within the day.

[X] Left, to the eye lady’s mansion!
[X] Keep focusing on it. Don’t let it escape!

====

"...left!"

The delivery girl pushes her motorcycle forward with a foot."Then let's not waste any more time. Pizza's still warm, but any longer and I don't know."

Cirno takes a seat behind Daiyousei. The ice fairy takes one last look behind where the path leads to the furnace. The motorcycle sputters as the delivery girl eases the way forward.

"If we don't find the culprit," Cirno leans back and crosses her arms, "then there'd better be someone who can answer our questions."

"And if we get into a fight?" Daiyousei shifts to face Cirno.

"Well, Marisa and Reimu have been here before, right? If we can beat Marisa, and Marisa can beat everyone here, then we should win no problem!"

"Is that so?"
"Do you really think so?"

The ice fairy blinks.

"Dai?"

"Yes?"

Her friend's eyes wide, Cirno purses her lips.

"What did you say?"

"Um...I said `Is that so?`"

So annoying.

"Hey, did you guys feel anything strange since we came down here?"

The delivery girl takes a look around as the three came out of the smaller passageway. Had it not been for the earthern sky above, it might have seemed as though the three had come out above ground.

"No, I didn't."

"Me neither. Are you okay, Cirno?"

Crossing her arms, something bites at the inside of Cirno's mind. True, there wasn't really any strange sensation. But the feeling that something's there is uncomfortable. And that's annoying. Like saying a word so many times it's not a word. Or seeing spots after looking at the sun. No. It's more tricky than that.

Cirno grumbles.

"Stupid. But I can't do anything if it's like this."

"Are you...okay?"

"...I'm fine, Dai." Cirno blew hot air through her nose. "Just something that's annoying me, that's all."

"O...kay."

Dai didn't seem like she understood. But that was the point, huh?

"Well if we've got someone following us, they'll have to keep watching."

Cirno looks around the delivery girl's back to where she points with a finger. Though still in the distance, the fairy spots Rin peering over her wheelbarrow and Satori sitting in a lone chair sipping tea. The delivery girl slows down at the same time Satori, though her expression cannot be seen, places her cup of tea in her saucer. The satori seems to speak, as the next second Rin looks up and spots the three on the motorcycle.

"Hey!" Cirno hops out beside the motorcycle. ""Are you guys...?"

"Do you want something? Hmmm. This is interesting...."

Taking one more sip, Satori places the saucer carrying her cup on the chair's armrest. The clink of metal fills the silence, of which Cirno had been lost for words.

"So is it you guys? Do you know?"

"I've got to say," Rin frowns, leaning an arm on her wheelbarrow, "I didn't know we had visitors. Especially not people who came from the opposite direction."

"We were hoping you guys knew." The delivery girl returns the shift, leaning forward on her motorcycle. "I've got a delivery to make, after all."

"If that's okay." Daiyousei scoots closer to the delivery girl's back, peeking while sitting.

"Pizza? And `this lady's cat seems suspicious`? And also something else...hmmm."

"Am I wrong?" Cirno plants her fists on her sides. "It's just a guess, so I'm not saying anyone's guilty yet. But this is important!"

"I understand. After all, if that youkai got involved, then she must know more than I do about the situation."

Standing, Satori yawns, hand over her mouth.

"Orin."

"Yes, Lady Satori?"

"Have you been up to the surface lately?"

"Yes, I have."

"And where have you been?"

"Well, before I went up, I stopped by the city to greet everyone. There was a party last night, so everyone was still rowdy and alive when I passed by this morning. Then I did a quick run out up top and found some bodies to bring back."

"Where exactly did you go?"

"Nowhere special. But I didn't go far. At least, I didn't see anybody."

"Be specific!" Cirno raises an eyebrow. "This is important!"

"Hey, Lady Satori," Rin hangs her head over the wheelbarrow, looking up at the sky, "do you want me to take care of these people?"

Cirno frowns. This cat is one step away from getting an icicle shard shoved up her—

"No, it's alright." Satori speaks. She takes a step toward Cirno. "I would also hope that you would not rush to any hasty actions. I want you to believe me when I say Rin is telling the truth. I am a satori, after all."

"Yeah, but what if—"

"I am not lying. But I suppose that in itself could be a lie." Satori places her fingers on her lips, as though to take back her words. "But if you desire a reason for my honesty, then you should have an idea why. That is to say, you are the closest to the reason why."

Cirno doesn't know how to respond. Yeah, that's probably what she's talking about. But can't she at least do something about it, then?

"For whatever reason," Satori goes on, taking her seat on her chair, "it seems that she's not going to appear for us as of now. You do understand her power, correct?"

"Yeah. It's creepy and stalking, right?"

"Cirno!" Daiyousei shakes, turning toward the satori.

But instead of getting angry as Daiyousei expected, Satori sighs.

"The only reason I am talking about her right now is because I, to put it in its best terms, am her sister. However, even I cannot find or see her, much less read her thoughts. I do not know if you've heard from the shrine maiden or the magician, but that is the case."

"Then," Daiyousei gathers her courage, "what about the other one? The crow? Has she gone anywhere?"

"Orin?"

"I assume she's just been shut up in the furnace all day." Rin sits on the side of her wheelbarrow. "There's where she works."

"Yeah," Cirno says, "but have you SEEN her?"

Cirno's eyes track the cat looking toward her master. That lady is just drinking her tea, but somehow it looks like that meant something.

Rin looks back at the three.

"No, I haven't. Why? Is it important? I don't know what's going on, you know."

"Orin. Let me explain for you."

As the satori addresses her servant, the delivery girl leans over toward Cirno.

"Cirno?"

"Mm?"

"You think these people know anything? Like, they're keeping a secret?"

"I think we should figure out who it is."

The delivery girl and Cirno turn to Daiyousei.

"Dai?"

"I...I mean!" Daiyousei presses herself into the delivery girl's back while staring at Cirno. "We're running out of time, right? So we should be quick, or else, like the gap lady said, everyone will be in trouble. Right?"

Cirno raises her eyes toward her head. Did she...? Oh, yeah. Yukari did say something about that. But was that really important?

"By the way, Dai."

"Yes, Cirno?"

"What did Yukari tell you when you were done talking?"

Daiyousei froze. The pause is even more awkward by the fact that the fairy was staring right at her friend's eyes.

"Ah...ah...I...."

"Dai."

"It was nothing!"

"Dai!"

"I said it was nothing!"

What was this? Is this one of Yukari's tricks? Turning Dai into a traitor or something? Or scaring her somehow? Unforgiveable!

"So."

Cirno looks back over at Rin, who finished listening to her master.

"You guys have a `pizza` with you? Lady Satori didn't give me all the details, but it seems like it's really important."

"Yeah." This isn't the time. Is it? "Why do you care?"

"Oh, nothing." The cat's smile is despicable enough to punch. Then, the smile fades somewhat. "But if this is how it's turned out, then maybe you'd like to ask a few questions? About who you're looking for?"

Cirno's head is still on fire. Despite only yelling once at Dai, the fact that yelling was involved is already huge enough. But this is important, too. The pizza is the reason for all of this. .

"If we're really pressed for time," Says the delivery girl, "then we should probably make this count. Who knows what's going to happen, between getting chased by that Reimu girl or someone else showing up."

Right. If the problem wasn't resolved soon, who knows what could happen? But what to do? Dai doesn't seem willing to talk. But it's important, right? And it seems like the mystery behind the pizza coming to Gensokyo is almost solved. Well, if that's true, they could just go to the person who ordered and resolve everything right away!

Cirno nods to herself.

Grrr....Someone is responsible for all of this. Whatever the case, it's all going to finish with the pizza in the right hands!

Now, it's time to decide!
[] Address Dai's problem. Will she talk?
- [] Ask. Dai will talk to me, right? She has to!
- [] Let the delivery girl ask. Dai might not tell me for some reason!
[] Figure out who the person who ordered is with the cat and her master.
- [] Confirm the situation of everyone in the underground.
- [] The eye lady's younger sister. Is she important?

[X] Figure out who the person who ordered is with the cat and her master.
- [X] Confirm the situation of everyone in the underground.

[x] Address Dai's problem. Will she talk?
- [x] Ask. Dai will talk to me, right? She has to!

[x] Koishi option

We'll make her skip ten times in the goddamned misty Lake if she doesn't cut it out.

[X] Figure out who the person who ordered is with the cat and her master.
- [X] Confirm the situation of everyone in the underground.

I'm itching to write, and have some time to kill for a while. Calling it. Again, I break tiebreakers by first posted that ties the score. Even if it's one.

[X] Figure out who the person who ordered is with the cat and her master.
- [X] Confirm the situation of everyone in the underground.

====

Sorry Dai. But if things end now, then everything should be fine!

“Hey, you! Cat!”

“I have a name, you know.” Rin frowns at the ice fairy.

“Whatever! Just tell me what you know. Make it clear this time!”

Rin turns and scratches her shoulder while looking over at Satori. Satori nods once, which prompts the cat to speak.

“Then. You want to hear about everyone, right?”

“Yeah!”

Cirno shifts her eyes to check on her friends. Daiyousei catches her friend's gaze for a moment, then looks back forward at Rin and Satori. The delivery girl leans on the handles of her motorcycle to listen. The ice fairy's eyes focus on the cat again.

“So! Where was everyone?”

“Everyone? I guess you just want to know about the most important people I know.” Rin sits on top of her wheelbarrow, crossing a leg.

“Then start with the least important! And make it quick!”

“I still don't like that tone,” The cat kicks a foot back and forth, “but I guess the situation kind of makes it reasonable. So, in no order, let's start with Miss Parsee then.”

“That bridge princess, right? She just lurks like a creep around the bridge, so she shouldn't be a problem.”

“I don't like how you talk about her, but I guess I can't deny that. She was at that party in the city, though. Got dragged there by Lady Yuugi. I passed by both of them before I even passed the bridge and went outside.”

“So that oni lady didn't go anywhere either?”

“Like I said, I didn't go far. So there's no way either of them went out after.” Rin kicks her feet and falls back into her wheelbarrow.

“Then you and,” The delivery girl clears her throat, “Miss Satori here, you guys didn't make any phone calls?”

“No, we didn't.” Satori folds her hands in her lap. “I can speak for myself on the matter of making such a request that I did not. And I see you don't recognize our voices, so I doubt Orin made any requests to the outside world as well. Unless she is hiding something from me, somehow?” The satori's gaze shifts to her servant. Rin jumps back on the side of her wheelbarrow.

“O-Of course not, Lady Satori!” The cat's tail wags from side to side.

Cirno scratches her head. “Then that leaves your sister and that crow.”

“My sister comes and goes to her fancy. So unfortunately, I cannot speak for her actions nor give testimony to her innocence in the matter. As much as it pains me to say, it may very well be that she is the cause of your problem.”

Really? Then that might explain that bit. Seeing how she seems to go everywhere and all. Cirno listens as Rin speaks.

“Okuu hasn't gone anywhere, of course.” The cat's eyes dart toward the passage Cirno passed through earlier. “She's still hard at work. No time to be causing problems other than when she makes a mistake.”

“But you didn't see her, did you?”

Cirno sees Satori's eyes widen and Rin stops kicking her legs. The reason why stands beside the fairy. Something presses down on Cirno's shoulder.

No. It wasn't like that. That wasn't anyone's voice. Then the one who spoke after Rin must be....

“Hey sis!” Koishi hovers down to the ground, previously pushing down on Cirno's shoulder. She skips forward two steps. “Oh. I was trying to take a peek in the bag right there. But I didn't.”

Cirno shrugs her shoulder from the weight that made her sore. No one noticed. But the soreness is like she'd been there the whole time. Very creepy. A stalker. At least she's here now. Geez!

“I'm not trying to blame anyone.” Koishi bends over, folding her hands behind her back while turning back to Cirno. “I would've come out earlier. But you were trying so hard, so I thought it was interesting.”

“H-How long have you been following us?” Daiyousei says.

“I don't know.”

That isn't a good answer. Actually, that isn't an answer at all!

“Koishi.”

“Yes, sis?”

Koishi turns to her sister with her eyes as blank as they were when she was looking at Cirno.

“Did you have anything to do with the situation at hand?”

“Maybe.”

“Koishi!”

Satori stands from her chair.

“But that's why I brought Okuu, too.”

“Lady Satori....”

Following Rin's pointing finger after she speaks, Cirno turns around.

Behind the fairy, mimicking her friend, Utsuho also points to herself with a finger on her mouth.

“Lady Koishi asked me to come along. I was busy, but she said it was impotant, and since it was Lady Koishi....”

No one responds to the crow. At least, one person doesn't because something racks at the inside of her mind.

The first response is an explosion in the distance.

“What was that?!” Daiyousei spots the smoke cloud rising behind Rin.

“That,” Rin turns and frowns, “came from the city. So it looks like it really is serious, what you guys are doing.”

That one person pays no attention to the explosion, though. Instead, she speaks to Utsuho.

“It's you.”

Cirno's ears perk at the voice. Who? Her? That crow? But if this girl is saying that, then that must mean....

“It was you on the phone.” The delivery girl hops off her motorcycle. “At least, I'm pretty sure. I don't forget people's voices easily, especially if they're a customer.”

“What now, Cirno?”

The ice fairy turns to her friend as Daiyousei also gets off the motorcycle to inch near her.

“It's a little confusing right now.” Daiyousei looks between Utsuho's confusion toward the delivery girl looking up and down at the crow, and the eye sisters and Rin who's staring at the explosion in the distance. “But...you're going to get the pizza, right? That's what you came to do?”

...Dai's right. That was the whole point of this adventure. From when the phone made that noise and was answered, to trying to find the person who ordered the pizza. And then take it. After all, that's how Yukari said it was supposed to be, to take the pizza to share with Dai. The paper with her name on it. The people they ran into and away from. Maybe some of them were in the underground too, now. But that wasn't as important. Because the strongest is here with the person who ordered!

“Hmm. Actually, I wanted to find out, too.”

Cirno's eyes look up at the delivery girl.

“I think...” The delivery girl laughs as she meets Cirno's eyes, “now that we've finally met the person, I can confess something. I wanted...well, it wasn't on purpose. But as soon as I knew it wasn't the usual people, I did get curious.”

What was going on?

“I mean, now's as good a time as any. It's not coming out right. I actually wanted to say this earlier, but I couldn't.” The delivery girl scratches the side of her head.

“I wanted to see what Gensokyo was like.”

What's with all of this talking and everything?!

“I should've just taken the pizza back. Or refused. I know this might not mean much to you, Cirno, but I feel like I just need to say it just because.”

What was she talking about? Cirno looks at Daiyousei, who does nothing but stare at the delivery girl, listening.

“Maybe I wanted it to last longer. But this is fine, too.”

“Hey, hey.”

Cirno hears Koishi call her.

“What?”

“Do you understand?” The younger satori calls. Her older sister observes the explosions coming closer, but Koishi continues to address the ice fairy. “Do you understand what's happening? Do you know?”

Despite the nature of her power, something hot runs through Cirno's body. No, this is all weird! But. Wait. Somehow, it isn't. Is it? With that heat running into her mind, Cirno asks her friend a question.

“Dai. Do you know what she's talking about?” Cirno points at the delivery girl.

Daiyousei stammers for a moment, but speaks.

“No. I don't.”

Cirno frowns as she places her fist on the side of her temple. Really? Then is the delivery lady just saying things on her own? And the crow here. The reason she would have called the delivery lady for the pizza wouldn't matter right now. What matters is what happened. Because if this wasn't sorted out....

“You know, Cirno,” The delivery girl leans back on her motorcycle, “we've pretty much just met. But let's settle this, yeah? I just needed to get everything off of my chest if things are going to get crazy. Sorry if it was a bit sudden.”

“Oh.” Utsuho's eyes travel to the black bag. “So the pizza's in there? Then....”

Okay. Think. Think! No more tricks, no more confusion. Something's coming, so this should end soon. Everything that's happened so far. There should be enough to figure out what happened. If so, then it's obvious what needs to be done without even needing to decide. But maybe just in case, that decision should be made. Yeah. But it'll be no problem anyway, right?

Because I'm the strongest!

So, how did a pizza get ordered to Gensokyo?
[] Write-in theory.

The decision for the pizza, if I'm not right about what I think happened....
[] Utsuho ordered right? Then, let's fight the final boss!
[] Take the pizza right now! And take it's power!
[] Explain the situation so even a dumb crow can understand! The pizza is mine!
[] Wait and see what happens. Who's coming?

Well Koishi does have a cellphone after that occult ball fiasco.

[x]Write in theory:
- Koishi, being Koishi, randomly decided to drop/hide/place her cellphone somewhere for Okuu to find. Okuu then found the phone and, being the simpleminded birdbrain she is, decided to play with it because it lit up and made funny beeping noises whenever she pushed the buttons. By sheer coincidence, Okuu eventually managed to hit the buttons in the correct order to dial a random pizza joint. The resulting conversation probably went a little something like this:

Pizza:"Hello, this is Random Joe's Pizza. Would you like to order a pizza?"
Okuu: "Well, OK!"
Pizza: "Great! What toppings would you like? We serve (insert list of pizza toppings here)."
Okuu: "Ooh, that sounds good! I'll get that."
Pizza: "Great! Where do you live, so we can deliver this pizza to you?"
Okuu: "I'm in Gensokyo."
Pizza: "Excellent! We'll send someone over right away."

Once that was over, Okuu stopped playing with the phone and Koishi took it back. Some time passed, during which Koishi wandered up to the surface. In the mean time, the pizza delivery girl managed to get to Gensokyo, and decided to call back to get better directions. Koishi, being Koishi, randomly decided to drop her phone again and see if anything else interesting would happen. Cirno then found the phone, and the rest is history.

[x] Utsuho ordered right? Then, let's fight the final boss!

[x] Share.

[x] Share.

[x]Write in theory:
- Koishi, being Koishi, randomly decided to drop/hide/place her cellphone somewhere for Okuu to find. Okuu then found the phone and, being the simpleminded birdbrain she is, decided to play with it because it lit up and made funny beeping noises whenever she pushed the buttons. By sheer coincidence, Okuu eventually managed to hit the buttons in the correct order to dial a random pizza joint. The resulting conversation probably went a little something like this:

**ring~ring**
Jerry: Through some cosmic stroke of misfortune, you've managed to contact Jerry's Pizza shack. How may I ruin your day today?
Okuu: HI~ My name is Okuu!
Jerry: I'll be sure to remember that during tonight ritual. Which one of our DISGUSTING pizzas would you like to have slither down your throat tonight ma'am?
Okuu: Unyuu? Is it food? May I have some? I'm a little hungry.
Jerry: What we serve can be considered food in a select few municipalities, yes. I'll put you down for a cheese pizza we made a few days ago since this place was foreclosed and we haven't received any new supplies. That'll be 29.95$ plus tip.
Okuu: Uhhh....my master says I shouldn't accept things that cost money if I don't have any money....
Jerry: I'll settle for two pints of your blood and a pair of used underwear.
Okuu: DEAL!

[X]share

Why did she said that she should have taken the pizza back or refused? Why doesn't anyone want to give the straight version to Cirno? Is it because it's sad? Did the delivery girl died and is a ghost and that's why it could come to Gensokyo? Is that why she's speaking as if this is the end? If her job gets done she loses her reason to stay here and passes on? Am I reading too much into this?

Oh, and when Reimu comes, offer her a slice, too.

[X] Theory completed.

====

How did it happen exactly? Who would know. But one thing's for sure, something like that would make sense. After all, knowing how annoying that young sister is and how the crow is acting, at least it's clear who the person who ordered is. It was just a bit complicated. Nothing a genius can't handle, though! Cirno rubs her nose as her memories and thoughts come together.


“They gave us specific directions, but no one came when I got here. So I started looking around.”
“But usually I meet who it is that ordered at the shrine."
“That ghost lady is the one who normally orders pizzas from outside.”
“But since she lost her phone, she wanted to know if someone ordered a pizza with it.”
"Neither of them would make such an order. And these directions. Likely a mistake."
"Actually, she says it was taken from her.”
"As much as it pains me to say, it may very well be that she is the cause of your problem.”
Then that might explain that bit.
“The one who made the request is likely wondering where the pizza is. It would be problematic if they went out searching for it."
"I assume she's just been shut up in the furnace all day."
“So the pizza's in there?"


----

"Here."

"Hmm? What's this?"

Outside Hakugyokurou, Yukari extends a hand to Suika. In her hand is a cellphone.

"I think it only fair that I give one to you, too." The gap youkai says while the oni takes the phone, turning it around in one hand. "Yuyuko sometimes orders food from the outside world. Of course, on occasion, she personally goes to the shrine to receive the food in person."

"If I can't get a drink," Suika places the phone in her clothes, "I might not bother. But if you're vouching for food, maybe I'll make an exception. Though, you'll trust that woman with something from the outside? You know how lax she gets with her possessions."

Yukari shrugs, opening a gap.

"I do not mind. These are gifts to the two of you, after all."

----

Koishi steps inside the room. The atmosphere pulls at something in her body. Because it's a death place. No one is currently around to sense her presence. Well, there was that guard. But she was a bit busy cleaning at the moment, and the ghost lady isn't around.

The young satori admires the embroidery of flowers on the wall. Then, her eyes find something on the table in the center of the room.

Hey. It's that thing from when she went outside. Humans called it a phone.

----

Inside the furnace, Koishi spots one of her sister's pets.

"Phew," The satori hears Utsuho as the crow wipes her forehead, "that should be enough for now. Though I am a little hungry." Utsuho places her hand on her stomach.

Koishi's hand grips the phone it holds. Surprising that it was still even there. Oh. If that's the case, why not give a reward to Okuu for all the hard work she's done?

Walking to the end of the bridge leading to the core, Koishi lays the phone on the ground.

----

The ice fairy eyes Koishi, who skips over by her sister to watch the havoc in the distance with Rin. Though Cirno doesn't know the specifics or why, she does have a good idea how it all happened. So, she approaches Utsuho.

“Hey, you.”

“Hm?”

The crow points to herself.

“Yeah.” Cirno nods. “Looks like you've somehow taken the ability to get pizza from the powerful people.”

Utsuho tilts her head. “Hmmm. I don't know about that. All I know is that I ordered a pizza because I'm hungry, and I was told it was food.”

...Huh? Wait, so the thing called pizza was food? Cirno looks at the delivery girl, who returns the look for a moment.

“Wait,” The delivery girl realizes the blank look on the ice fairy's face, “you didn't know? Yeah, pizza's food.”

So it's food that gives you power? Something clicks in Cirno's mind.

“Oh. Oooh. I see now.” Cirno chuckles to herself, nodding while stroking her chin. “So it's food, huh? That makes more sense. That makes it easy to become more powerful, if you eat it. Well if that's the case.” The ice fairy taps her finger in the air, pointing at the delivery girl's bag.

“Ah, yeah.” The delivery girl follows the finger's direction, shaking her head on her second realization in the minute. “Yeah. That might be a good idea since you're both here now. Sorry. I'm still a bit out of it.”

What this delivery lady was saying earlier still didn't make a lot of sense. But if she was still a good person, then there's no reason for anyone to be mad. After all, the strongest are quick to forgive people if they're good! Cirno walks closer as the delivery girl opens her bag.

“A-Are you taking out the pizza?” Daiyousei also hovers toward the delivery girl. Utsuho does the same.

Cirno can't identify the smell to any food she's ever eaten. But saliva pools under her tongue as the delivery girl pulls a slim, white box of some sort into view. Someone's stomach growls. The ice fairy notices Utsuho putting a hand on her stomach, rubbing through her clothes.

“Since it's already paid for, and it looks like you guys don't mind,” The delivery girl does something to the sides of the box, “you guys are free to start eating.”

Cirno swallows. So this...this is the power of the pizza. No. This is what power feels like. Even as the delivery lady opens the box, the heat from the food radiates power! What is this?! If miracle food like this existed in Gensokyo, even humans might become almighty powerful! No wonder it came from the outside world....

“You two,” The ice fairy looks from Utsuho to Daiyousei, “you don't mind sharing, right? It seems like there's enough for all of us.”

Green. Red. Brown. Yellow. So many colors. So much...power!

“You three can eat without me.” The delivery girl holds the pizza for the three to stare at. “Although I like pizza, I usually like it if I'm the one ordering since I work in a pizza place. Not saying I won't take a piece if there are leftovers, though.”

Cirno's eyes can't turn away. If anything, she looks at the other two. Utsuho's mouth hangs open, ready to devour the food in front of her. Daiyousei, on the other hand, stares. Just staring. It's not specifically an expression, but that she's staring at it.

“Cirno.”

“Uh...” Cirno wipes her mouth, unsure if she was drooling, “Yeah, Dai?”

“I...don't think you should eat it.”

“Huh?!”

Cirno stares at her friend. Daiyousei turns to the ice fairy.

“Why?!” Cirno's eyebrows furrow.

“Because...because you just shouldn't.” Daiyousei can't continue looking at her friend.

“No, tell me why!”

“I can't.”

“If you two aren't going to eat it,” Utsuho clears her throat, “I'll take the first piece. I'm really hungry.”

The delivery girl raises an eyebrow at Daiyousei, looking down at the pizza. “There shouldn't be anything wrong. We made it like we always do.”

“Dai, we're going to share the pizza. And like the delivery lady said,” Cirno looks from the delivery girl back to her friend, “it's food. It's not like I'm going to die.”

Daiyousei slowly turns to her friend.

Dai's...scared?

“Wait. You aren't serious, are you?”

For a fraction of a second, everything stops in Cirno's body. That's...That's ridiculous! What kind of twist is this?! Wait, is this what that gap lady told Dai? But, who can say for sure? Maybe it's just to scare them. Yeah. There's no way eating this pizza would kill anyone! It's not like the strongest fairy would melt or anything. Marisa's beam is way hotter and dangerous than this pizza!

“I...I'm really glad you were worried about me when the gap lady called.” Daiyousei looks back at the pizza, now with a nervous glance. “But I don't want you to get hurt.”

This is crazy. But Dai wouldn't lie. Then what? Abandon a taste of the pizza? A taste of power? No! This can't be for nothing!

“I don't know what else to say, Cirno.” The delivery girl places the pizza in her lap while Utsuho goggles over it. “Though I've delivered for only a few people in Gensokyo, none of them have complained about it. Much less died. But if you can't eat it, maybe you have an allergic reaction or something? I don't know.”

The pizza is right there. It's waiting to be eaten. Dai won't say anything more to me, but the delivery lady says I should be fine. Yeah, the explosions and chaos are getting closer. But this crow cawing over the food is more of a problem.

Cirno takes a look at the pizza.
[] I'll take the first slice. The strongest doesn't fear anything!
[] Then Dai. Could you eat it first? I wanted to share it with you....
[] Let the crow eat first. If it's really bad for some reason, maybe we should wait just a little bit.
[] Write-in.

I guess we made a wrong choice. But it is obvious that, if it seems dangerous, we should take the first slice.

[x] I'll take the first slice. The strongest doesn't fear anything!

>>187709
Whoops. That was my fault.

I actually intended to have a slice ready for the Inevitable Flying Shrine Maiden (TM) to placate Reimu. That's why I picked the option to share.

Besides, someone'll make a memorial spellcard called "Hell's Pizza Party" now wouldn't they?

[X] Then Dai. Could you eat it first? I wanted to share it with you....

[x] Then Dai. Could you eat it first? I wanted to share it with you....

Don't be a wuss Dai.

[X] Then Dai. Could you eat it first? I wanted to share it with you....

I'm calling. But no one's home.

[X] Then Dai. Could you eat it first? I wanted to share it with you....

====

“Then, Dai.”

Cirno looks over at her friend. “Could you eat it first? I was actually planning to share it with you, after all.”

“Wait, what?” Utsuho wipes her mouth with her arm. “Why her? So you're using her to test for poison or something?”

“If you weren't drooling over the pizza,” The delivery girl laughs, “maybe you'd have heard what we were just talking about.”

The crow tilts her head for a moment.“I was. But isn't that a problem for the fairy? It's got nothing to do with me.”

Cirno's mind tunes out the crow's voice. Dai's worried, but if she can eat it, why would it be harmful to one person? That makes no sense. The ice fairy continues to stare as Dai doesn't take her eyes off of the pizza.

“I...don't think it'll matter if I eat it first.” Daiyousei looks up at the delivery girl, who nods as the fairy makes a motion to grab a slice. “It's you I'm worried about, Cirno. But maybe....”

Circular slices of meat. Jagged nuggets of beef. The light green insides of the green pepper. The tan of the sliced mushrooms. The glisten of the cheese. The heat reaches Cirno's mouth. Even as the cheese breaks apart when Daiyousei takes a slice, blowing at her hands when she realizes the food is hot, Cirno swallows as her friend balances the small piece between two hands. Daiyousei takes two deep breaths. Utsuho does the same while watching.

Daiyousei opens her mouth, which approaches the pizza slice. Her lips close as her cheeks move with her teeth, biting off the tip. Everyone around her watches as her face pulls away to chew.

“Mmn.” Daiyousei concentrates on chewing as her eyes stare over the pizza in front of her. She blinks, eyes widening.

“Uh. There's nothing wrong with it, is there?” The delivery girl shifts back and forth, still holding on to the pizza box. But Daiyousei looks up at her.

“It's good.”

Cirno's mouth drops open.

“Then,” The ice fairy wants to throw her arms in the air, “there's nothing wrong with it!”

Daiyousei sputters for a moment, turning back to her friend. “B-But you still can't, Cirno! It might hurt you!”

What.

“Dai.” Something tightens in Cirno's stomach. “You....That's not what you said earlier.”

“No, believe me!” Daiyousei drops her piece of pizza, holding her palms up to the ice fairy.

“HEY!”

Dropping on a hand and her knees, Utsuho catches the slice before it hits the ground. “Don't waste food!”

“Dai, tell me the truth.” Cirno narrows her eyes at Daiyousei. “Don't try to trick me anymore!”

“I wasn't trying to trick you!” Daiyousei shuts her eyes, straightening her arms at the floor. “But I know what you're going to do if I tell you, so I can't let you do it! Not if it hurts you!”

“You know. I've been listening for a while.”

Cirno, Daiyousei, and the delivery girl look over at Satori, who had walked closer to the group of four at one point. Rin watches the smoke rising in the distance from her wheelbarrow.

Satori's arms rise and fall, crossed against her chest. “It is an interesting thing that youkai has told you. I think you should tell your friend regardless. She's no doubt decided in her choice, despite the possible consequence.”

“Wait.” The delivery girl turns to Cirno, then Satori again. “So, she is allergic to pizza?”

“Why not hear it from the person who knows herself?” Satori's gaze doesn't waver from Daiyousei.

“Dai.”

Cirno's hands are on her friend's shoulders before she realizes. Dai can't be quiet forever. With this in mind, Cirno tightens her grip on Daiyousei's shoulders.

Daiyousei looks up into her friend's eyes.

“Okay, Cirno. If you want to know...I'll tell you.”

----

“So that’s it. Um, thank you very much!” Daiyousei bows to the ghost lady through the phone. “I’ll be sure to let them know!”

“Wait.”

The other lady's voice calls, and her voice becomes clear a few seconds after.

“Huh...?” Daiyousei listens.

“Allow me to say one thing before the three of you leave. It's about what will happen when your friend decides to consume the pizza.”

The gap lady pauses for a second. Then—

“That is, she might die.”

“What...?”

“That is what may happen.” Yukari continues. “It is not a certainty. What is likely as a certainty is that your friend will proceed to eat the pizza herself if she has the chance. When she does, she may die as a result.”

Daiyousei does not know what to say. So she listens.

“You do not need to believe me. I don't know what you, in particular, will think of what I'm telling you. I will even be so polite as to say I am not telling you everything I know. What you will do as her friend, I leave to your discretion. But remember what I've told you. I don't want Reimu to come heckling me for keeping secrets, though likely she will do so regardless.”

“…Okay. I’ll…remember.”

----

Daiyousei looks down toward the ground as she finishes.

That despicable old hag! So she was hiding something like that the whole time? And she didn't even tell the whole truth to Dai! Well, that's enough! With a huff of air, Cirno faces the pizza.

“I don't know what that woman means,” The delivery girl thinks about Yukari's words, “but if it might hurt you, Cirno, I won't force you to do anything. Actually, I care about you too much to even say you should.”

With that reassurance, Cirno laughs to herself. “Then you know how strong I am. Like I'd die from something like this!”

From behind the nibbling Utsuho, Koishi skips next to the ice fairy.

“Oh, oh.” The younger satori peeks between Cirno and the pizza. “You're going to try it? Even after what you heard? You're pretty interesting.”

With a long hum of thought, Satori turns toward Rin.

“Orin.”

“Yeah, Lady Satori?” The cat perks for her master's call.

“Go toward the disturbance in the city and greet whoever it is that's coming. Though I believe I know who they are.”

“Alright!”

With a wave and a hand on her forehead, Rin hops out of her wheelbarrow, takes on bound off of the ground, and flies toward the smoke in the distance.

“Cirno.” Daiyousei covers her lower lip with the upper half. “I-I know you might be mad at me. So I won't tell you what to do. But I don't want you to get hurt.”

I know, Dai. This pizza. This power. It might just be food. But this is what all three of them worked for coming here. They were here first, so they should have the right to claim their prize. Along with the crow, who's already eating. Grrr! Just thinking about the fact that this crow is eating next to me is angering enough!

With a shrug, the delivery girl opens the box again.

And Cirno gazes at the pizza for a few seconds.

...But, is it the end? Just to do this? There's nothing wrong?

The pizza is in front of Cirno.
[] Eat.
[] Do not eat.

[X] Do not eat.

[x] Do not eat.

[X] Eat.

[x] Eat.

She's a fairy. Even if the pizza does kill her somehow, she'll come back to life anyway.

[x] Eat.

Silly ghost thinks she can fool us, ha.

[X] Eat

[x] Do not eat.

We can take anything that comes to us but.. why worry our best friend?

[x] Do not eat.

Silly Cirno, you're already the strongest.

>>187744
[X] Eat.

[x] Eat.

Called.

[X] Eat.

====

“Yeah.” Cirno stares at the pizza. “There's nothing wrong with it, is there?”

Cirno's eyes stare up at the delivery girl. Alright, it's a little scary how even she's not sure. But this is all because that old lady said weird things! Urgh....Fine. Fine! Then just eat one piece and prove everyone wrong! The strongest in Gensokyo doesn't fear anything!

Cirno glides a hand under a piece.

Her hand lifts the slice. Okay. Nothing wrong so far. It's a little hot, but it's not too bad. Blow on it just like Dai did.

Daiyousei's feet inches left and right while watching, and the delivery girl closes the box.

Cirno blows a few more times. The smell makes swallow in anticipation. Then, she opens her mouth and puts the pizza on her tongue. The ice fairy bites down. The pizza isn't hot anymore, so Cirno pulls it apart and eats.

And eats.

Dai's right. This pizza is delicious. Who knew you could put this much stuff on food and make it all taste so good? Cirno takes another two bites, a little less than halfway done with her piece.

Daiyousei, the delivery girl, Satori, Koishi, and Utsuho (with a pizza slice of her own in her mouth) watch the ice fairy eat her share in under twenty seconds. Cirno burps.

“Are you okay?” Daiyousei narrows her eyes. But her friend licks her lips.

“Fine. I'm fine!” Cirno clears her throat. “I don't feel anything!”

Something in the ice fairy's chest fills with the devoured food. That's what it feels like after eating food. Of course, the strongest will have more. But only after Dai gets another piece for herself. Although it's a bit disappointing that nothing's changing yet.

“Maybe the power doesn't come immediately or something?” The ice fairy speaks out loud.

“Hm?” The delivery girl's head tilts forward as she catches Cirno's words. “What was that?”

“Isn't the pizza supposed to make me stronger?”

Daiyousei and the delivery girl stare at each other. The delivery girl turns back to Cirno.

“Well, I guess if you're talking about filling your stomach, yeah?” The delivery girl checks the pizza in the box, almost half of the pizza eaten already. “It's pretty good, isn't it?”

“What did you mean by `get stronger`?” Daiyousei says to her friend.

Cirno's eyebrows lower. “I thought this pizza was something those people used to make themselves stronger.”

Something pulses once inside of her.

“What?” The delivery girl laughs twice. “No no, pizza's just something people eat. It's food.”

The pulse beats twice.

What was that? Cirno looks down as she places her hands on her chest.

----

“Yuyuko.”

“Yes, Yukari?”

The ghost mistress gazes outside of her home when her friends asks her something. Yukari rubs her forefinger and thumb together, staring at them. At something between them.

“Did I ever tell you how humans cleaned snow from their roads?” The gap youkai stares up at the thing in her fingers, her other hand supporting her cheek as she leans on the table.

“I remember you talking about that.” Yuyuko keeps staring outside. “What about it?”

“Let me continue. Did I ever tell you how humans use salt to boil water?”

“Hmmm. I think you were making `spaghetti` for us to eat. But yes, you did.”

“Then let me ask one more thing.” Yukari rolls the mineral between her fingers in a circle. “What do you think happens if you inject high amounts of salt into someone that can manipulate cold air?”

“My, Yukari.” Yuyuko frowns. “You're not saying you're trying to hurt people, are you? Reimu will puni~sh you.”

“The answer is nothing.” Yukari kisses her forefinger, tasting the salt on top. “But since this is Gensokyo, the conditions might be right. It's not a problem, though. I'm sure it will be resolved peacefully.”

“You're going to be puni~shed.”

----

“Whoa! What....”

The delivery girl doesn't finish. Before everyone around Cirno, a cold fog forms around the ice fairy. The fairy herself stares at her hands, then down her body.

“This is ba~d.” Koishi skips in a circle, ending up farther from Cirno than where she was just standing.

“Cirno? Cirno!” Daiyousei wills herself not to step away from her friend. However, Cirno does.

Floating backwards into the air, the ice fairy releases a breathe of cold fog. As normal as it was her breathing. She looks up at her two friends.

“What's happening...?”

No one answers. Instead, Satori's eyes narrow.

“This is troublesome. Everyone, get back.”

“Why?” The delivery girl says to the satori. “What's happening to her?”

“I'm not sure. But we need to get away from her.”

“Lady Satori! Lady Koishi!” Utsuho hops to her feet. “Please get behind me!”

Daiyousei and the delivery girl exchange a glance. Cirno reaches out with an arm.

“Hey!” The fairy calls out to everyone. “What's going—”

Before she finishes, her two friends each dive opposite to each other. From where her arm extended, cold air shot forth and froze into a pillar of ice. The pillar falls, leaving a trail of cold where it had formed.

A few seconds later, Cirno's feet stop moving. Staring down, the ice fairy yells in surprise.

“Wh-What's this?!”

Everyone's eyes are on her. From her feet, ice crystallizes over them and up her body. Cirno winces as she tries to move her lower body. She manages to lift a leg, though her movement kicks up a blue dust that turns to ice. The ice fairy kicks her legs before she manages to move both of them how she wants to, though one swift kick fires shards of ice at the people watching.

“Look out!” Utsuho steps in front of her masters.

The crow grunts as several shards pierce her arm, her cannon arm covering it from many others.

Daiyousei and the delivery girl look back at their friend, who is covered in ice up to her chest.

“Dai...!” The ice fairy also stares at the delivery girl.

Both make a motion to reach for Cirno when she raises an arm to them.

“Stop.”

But Satori's voice make Daiyousei and the delivery girl turn around.

“What is it?”

“H-Huh?”

“You shouldn't go close.” Satori steps in front of her pet. “She's become dangerous.”

“Why?!” The delivery girl turns to Daiyousei, then to Cirno. Ice covers every part of her body from the neck down. “Are you saying she really had a bad reaction to the pizza?”

“We can't leave her like that. She'll die!” Daiyousei does the same, eyebrows raised at the delivery girl, then over at Cirno. She look back over at Satori and Koishi. “We have to help!”

Daiyousei stifles a scream when the ice covers Cirno's head, rendering the fairy immobile in the air.

“Guh...!” The delivery girl grits her teeth. “Cirno!”

“Isn't it fine?” Koishi flicks a hand up into the air beside her sister. “You fairies come back to life anyway.”

“I wonder about that.”

Everyone, even Koishi with her blank eyes, listens when Satori speaks.

“What do you mean by that?” Daiyousei asks.

She knows fairies do come back to life, but even then, she wouldn't want her friend to die in front of her. But what Satori says plants a fear inside of her worse than that thought.

“I mean,” Satori stares up at the frozen fairy, whose eyes stare in shock at everyone, “the food that was brought here from the outside. It's because it's from the outside world that it's dangerous.”

“Well, tell us!” The delivery girl can't turn away from the frozen fairy.

The delivery girl doesn't want to spend any more time waiting. The fear of Cirno getting hurt weighs on her mind.

“It's my speculation from everything I know so far.” Satori keeps looking up at the frozen ice fairy. ”Gensokyo is a place of fantasies, where that which the outside world has forgotten or rejected lives. If that is so, then what would happen if you combined something from the world that rejects fantasies with something from the world where fantasies live?”

“Th-That's...Isn't that a bit too much thinking for something like this?” Says the delivery girl.

Daiyousei cannot speak, eyes stunned at what the satori is saying.

“I am considering the worst case for you two.” Satori's eyes twitch while concentrating on Cirno. “But, if it's not that, then it may be a bad situation for us instead.”

Before Daiyousei or the delivery girl can ask what the satori means, ice breaks and scatters from the frozen Cirno. Or, what was the frozen Cirno.

Hovering in front of the five, the ice fairy looks down at them. Her eyes don't seem to focus on anyone particular, rather staring at a spot in the middle of them. As if she's staring at the ground.

The lack of emotion on Cirno's face prompts Daiyousei to speak.

“Cirno...? Are you okay...?”

“Cirno!”

The delivery girl steps forward as Daiyousei flies over the ground.

“It's...cold.”

“What?”

The delivery girl only manages that word as she and Daiyousei stop moving.

“Cold.” Cirno repeats. “Everything is...cold.”

This isn't Cirno.

“What? Cirno, talk to us!” The delivery girl speaks again. This time, Daiyousei also calls out to her friend.

“Cirno! What's wrong? Tell us!”

“My head is cold.” The ice fairy goes on. “My arms are cold. My body is cold. My legs are cold. Everything. Everything is cold. Everything. Everything. Everything!” She shouts.

“Ugh...!”

“Ah...!”

A cold wind pushes back Daiyousei and knocks the delivery girl to the ground. Tumbling back upright, Daiyousei looks up at her friend. The delivery girl also gets back onto her feet.

“You two, get back.” Satori shakes her head. “It seems the shrine maiden is almost here. Let's wait until everyone is here before we decide on what to do.”

The delivery girl and Daiyousei look at each other, worry in their eyes. Cirno needs their help. That's the only thing that matters. How can they leave her like that and wait?

She's my friend. My best friend. I don't want to run away! She's always protecting me, she's worries about me when I'm hurt. I want to save her. I want to protect Cirno! Even if I have to stop her!

She's like this because of me. I brought the pizza to Gensokyo. I got selfish and thought I'd come in for fun. Sure I came along and only got to know her for a little while, but she's...she's pretty damn important to me. I won't let Cirno or her friend get hurt!

Girls are preparing. Character select.
[] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy
[] Riho – Pizza Delivery Girl

[X] Riho – Pizza Delivery Girl

[x] Reimu - Rampaging Shrine Maiden

[X] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy

[X] Delivery girl

Oh snap. Guess being stronger for Ice fairies mean getting colder... to everyone you like

[X] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy

[X] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy

[X] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy

Calling it in.

[X] Daiyousei – Great Little Fairy

Things happened. Writing again.

====

I didn't want this. I don't want to believe it. But I have to. To save Cirno!

The delivery girl stares up at the ice fairy. “So what now? Are we going to have to fight?”

“I don't know.” The cold air seeps into her mouth as Daiyousei speaks.

Fight Cirno? Sure, every now and then we'd play around. But this....

“Well, we've got to do something.” The delivery girl clenches her fist.

“If...If we don't fight,” Daiyousei swallows, “we need to snap her out of it. Somehow.” She adds with a stuttering breath.

Somewhere behind them, the two hear someone calling to stay back. A cold wind whips around Daiyousei and the delivery girl, drowning the voice out. A whirlwind of ice and cold trap the two.

“I'm the strongest.” Cirno drones. “The cold. A strong cold. Power.”

Extending her arms to her sides, she rises as the wind howls around Daiyousei's ears. The back of the fairy's clothes flap from a stray shard of ice.

“G-Get away!” Daiyousei hops a step forward.

The delivery girl shields her eyes with an arm as she also takes a step forward away from the approaching wind. The whirlwind trapping them closes in.

“Cirno!” Says Daiyousei. “Stop it!”

“Come on!” The delivery girl chimes in. “What's wrong with you? Look at what you're about to do!”

Daiyousei zooms to the side. An icicle passes by where she was hovering, crashing into the wall of cold.

The fairy's skin begins to numb. Cirno's not listening. She really is out of control. But somewhere, she has to know that somehow. Right? Daiyousei purses her lips together.

“Hey, what—”

The delivery girl watches as Daiyousei charges forward. Cirno stays in place, eyes as vacant as they were seconds ago.

“Cirno!”

A freezing cold stabs into Daiyousei's shoulder. She had barreled into her friend with all her might.

“Aagh!” Daiyousei grits her teeth as their momentum stops. Looking up into Cirno's body, she sees that the two of them hit the edge of the whirlwind. Against Cirno's back is a plate of ice, a light blue shining where the ice fairy's body met the cold wind. Daiyousei grimaces as her hands, which hold Cirno's sides, start to freeze with blue cracks.

“H-Hey! Get away from her!”

The delivery girl's words pass somewhere in Daiyousei's mind. They pass because of the hand that's on Daiyousei's shoulder.

“D-Dai....”

Daiyousei manages to pull away from her friend far enough to look at her face, though her hands still hold the ice fairy.

“Cirno?”

“Dai...” Cirno's voice hisses through her mouth, “...get...away....”

With a push, Daiyousei feels her body propel backwards.

Daiyousei hears the delivery girl yell as a pair of arms catch her. The world spins and tumbles before Daiyousei realizes she's staring at the floor.

“Ugh.” The delivery girl crawls on all fours above the fairy. “That was close.”

Untangling herself from the girl, Daiyousei rolls into a sitting position.

The fairy's eyes blink, tears about to form. Cirno. She's in there. But, she can't control it. There are also people yelling behind them. Did someone come by?

“Don't get yourself killed.” The delivery girl puts a hand on Daiyousei's shoulder.

“I think we can save Cirno.”

“What?”

Rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand, Daiyousei stands.

“Cirno's still in there. She...stopped me from staying close to her, from freezing up.”

“So she is there, huh?”

“Yeah. I'm sure she is.” Daiyousei looks down at her hands, the warmth flowing back through them. “And maybe...just maybe....”

“We can save her? Sounds cool, even though it also sounds hard.”

But how? Is there no other way but to fight it away? If Cirno's not in control of her own power...it could be bad. Or maybe they just need to get through to her. Get close enough to her? Because we're close in that way. We're her friends. Cirno would think that way, even for this other lady. And Cirno was able to talk to me.

Cirno extends her arms again, her palms twist up. In each hand is a furious ball of cold wind, specks of ice spinning inside.

Daiyousei decides.
[] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!
[] We talk. Cirno's the strongest, she'll take back control!
[] Write-in.

[X] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!

Outsider science caused this!

We'll fix this the FANTASTIC way!

[x] We talk!

I believe in You! Just say no, Sir No!

[x] We talk. Cirno's the strongest, she'll take back control!

[X] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!

[x] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!
[x] We talk. Cirno's the strongest, she'll take back control!

TODAY, WE TAKE THIS BATTLE TO THE CENTER OF THE MIND.

[x] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!
[x] We talk. Cirno's the strongest, she'll take back control!

Calling both.

[x] We fight. We need to save Cirno before she loses control!
[x] We talk. Cirno's the strongest, she'll take back control!

I'm also disappointed with myself.

====

Okay.

Okay, if that's how it has to be.

Daiyousei slaps her cheeks twice. Cirno has to be in there somewhere. If she is, she can control herself. But we have to do something first.

“Do you,” The fairy takes a sharp breath, “do you think you can help back me up?”

“Well.” The delivery girl's eyes shift to Cirno, who swirls cold wind and ice in an upturned hand. “Like I said before, I can't danmaku. What do you need me to do?”

Daiyousei closes her eyes. Then, she opens them. “Stay behind me. We need to call out to Cirno after beating her up a bit.”

“You can do that?” The delivery girl steps sideways toward the fairy. Both of their backs brush against the other's.

“I'm...I'm going to try. We'll see what happens this one time.”

Daiyousei's heart freezes from the cold glare her friend stares down at her with. But the courage inside of the fairy, though shaking in nervousness itself, thaws her body enough to take action. The warm glow inside of Daiyousei takes the form of small balls of light. Light blue and green alternate in lines to both sides. As the fairy flies forward, the danmaku follow.

Cirno extends her hand, the swirl becoming a larger tornado of cold.

Daiyousei hears the delivery girl grunt, something tumbles across the ground below her. But she can't stop. Rolling through the air, Daiyousei spirals over the ice fairy's tornado. Her green and blue danmaku shatter the shards of ice that fling in every direction. The fairy speeds toward her friend.

Daiyousei tackles her friend from the air. A hand presses against her chest.

“Get...away.”

The chilling whisper has none of the affection from earlier. Ice forms on Daiyousei's chest.

“Cirno, no!” Daiyousei hears the delivery girl running toward them. “Don't do this! She's supposed to be your friend, isn't she?!”

Daiyousei winces as the chill shoots into her chest. She plummets to the ground with her friend in her arms, The fairy hears her friend cough at the impact, but the ice doesn't stop spreading.

For a moment, Daiyousei stares into her friend's eyes. The ice fairy doesn't blink.

Then, the ice on her chest bursts.

Daiyousei screams as she soars away from her friend. Flipping backwards twice, she regains her balance in the air. The delivery girl runs over to her.

“You okay?”

The fairy groans once, her chest numb from the attack. “I feel okay. But what about Cirno?”

“It kinda looked like she stopped for a second.” The delivery girl watches with Daiyousei as Cirno floats back into the air. “But I got worried when she sent you flying.”

“I don't think that was coincidence.” Daiyousei sniffs, the cold numbing her nose. “Maybe she is in there, fighting.”

“Well, if she is, then we've gotta get to her, don't we?”

Yes. But how? Trying to survive Cirno's attacks would be difficult, if not impossible. Unless her current form isn't as accurate as it looks? That was assuming they never hit, or that whatever was coming out next could be matched with something just as strong....

“If you want me to help,” The delivery girl turns her head toward Daiyousei, “just say the word.”

Daiyousei's heart beats. There was one secret. Something Cirno didn't know about. It wasn't anything special, just a copy of something Cirno did a while ago. But would it be enough? If not, then maybe the pizza lady did need to help fight. Or maybe, she could appeal to Cirno somehow? In any case, protecting the pizza lady was important, too.

The walls of cold wind and ice whir around the three.

Daiyousei clenches her fist.
[] I have to keep charging forward. I don't think I can avoid everything forever.
[] We'll settle this with danmaku. I can keep up with Cirno!
[] Let's try it. This one spell card...!

She turns to the delivery girl.
[] Stay back. Let me handle the fighting and focus on calling out to Cirno!
[] Help me take care of Cirno. She'll listen to both of us while we're fighting!

[x] Let's try it. This one spell card...!
[x] Stay back. Let me handle the fighting and focus on calling out to Cirno!

It's time to use...that move!

[X] Let's try it. This one spell card...!
[X] Stay back. Let me handle the fighting and focus on calling out to Cirno!

[X] Let's try it. This one spell card...!
[X] Stay back. Let me handle the fighting and focus on calling out to Cirno!

Hello? It's me. I'm calling. It's overused, but get over it.

[X] Let's try it. This one spell card...!
[X] Stay back. Let me handle the fighting and focus on calling out to Cirno!

====

The delivery girl nods to Daiyousei. Daiyousei stares back up at her friend.

Just why did Cirno have to pick up that phone, anyway? Aaah, but that's her nature, isn't it?

“Cirno, listen! You need to stop!”

Daiyousei flies forward while the delivery girl attempts to speak to the ice fairy. Cirno's eyes flick to the girl for a moment, but return to the fairy charging at her. She shoots several ice shards. More than a few dozen zoom past Daiyousei, but a few cut into her cheek and arms. The fairy cuts left and right before charging forward again.

But friends want to be useful, too. No, that much is already true!

“Spell card....” Daiyousei whispers to the hand in front of her mouth.

“Are you going to hurt your friend?! Cirno!”

Cirno's eyes flick a second time. It is a fraction of a split second, but it happens. Enough for Daiyousei to come within a meter from Cirno. Icicles form behind the ice fairy, pointed to strike.

Didn't I help Cirno before? When we were up against that Marisa?

“Ice Wielding.”

The ice fairy's eyes open wider by a millimeter. A blade of ice forms on Daiyousei's hand. The fairy winces, the cold piercing through her hand.

“You don't remember fighting with your friend?!” The delivery girl doesn't want to ruin Daiyousei's attack. But the pale white of the fairy's hand shocks her.

Back then, all I could do is run away. But right now, I'm going to run forward.

Daiyousei raises her hand, a blade as long as her body towering over her head. Cirno's icicles stay in the air, as though frozen from the chill of the attack before them.

“「Destruction Blade」 !!!”

Daiyousei pours as much energy as she can into the attack.

She screams, slamming the blade down.

Ice cracks and shatters.

A body of ice formed on Cirno's chest before the attack hit. But the ice fairy's body and mind shook from the impact. The force of the blow lowered her, with Daiyousei leaning over her flinching body. A light returns to her eyes.

“D-Dai...?”

At the same time, the blade and remaining ice shards that shot out from the spell card had cut through the wall of cold and ice. Like a flower whose petals had been peeled, the wall collapsed. The three inside the tornado of ice hear the voices that had been arguing, even yelling.

“Look, look! They did something interesting!”

“I told you we had nothing to do with it!”

“Shut up! Suspicious people are suspicious!”

“Hmm. How interesting.”

----

Everything was a blur. Cirno could remember hearing voices.

...But it was scary. I couldn't move my body. I...! Cirno blinks, snapping herself from her moment.

“Dai!”

The ice fairy hovers down toward her friend, who had dropped to the ground clutching a hand.

“So...that did it....” Daiyousei laughs to herself.

“Dai, don't move!”

The delivery girl also runs over, kneeling to inspect the fairy. From the wrist up, Daiyousei's hand hardens from a pale white to a deepening blue.

“Why'd you do that?!” Cirno asks the question she knows the answer to. “You didn't need to go all out! I'm strong enough, remember?”

“I know.” Daiyousei giggles, eyes drooping. “But don't worry. I'll be fine.”

“No, you won't!”

If Dai got hit during a fight, it'd be fine. Really! Even if she went pi-chuun! But then she thought she could do what I do. And that's...that's not good. Cirno's eyes sharpen as she wraps an arm around her friend's back.

“Hey, you three!”

Cirno doesn't turn to face the shrine maiden who said that. Instead, the delivery girl stands.

“Yeah, what do you guys want?”

“I have business with the ice fairy over there.” Reimu points. “Could you mind getting out of the way?”

Normally, getting hot would be uncomfortable to Cirno.

But this is different.

Cirno whips her head to the red-white human.

“You want something from me?”

“Yeah, I do.” Reimu's eyebrows lower, sensing the ice fairy's hostility. “You've been going around causing trouble. I just want to bring you over to that hag so I can wrap this up.”

Cirno's hands don't leave Daiyousei's body. But the heat refuses to die down inside of her head.

However, instead of her, something else happens.

Daiyousei groans. Placing her feet on the ground, gently pushing her friend from her body, the fairy stands by herself.

“Dai...?” The ice fairy's shock stops her from helping her friend. “What are you doing?”

Breathing once, Cirno watches as her friend spreads her arms.

“You're not taking Cirno anywhere.”

Everyone's eyes are on the fairy, who stands on shaking legs. A trickle of blood falls from the corner of her mouth, as well as her arms, cheeks, and even a gash along her leg.

“So, Reimu?” Satori opens an eye toward the shrine maiden. “What are you going to do?”

“My job, of course.” Reimu spits out. Her gaze fixes on the injured fairy. “You think you're in any condition to fight? You two sent me on a wild chase all over, you know.”

“Dai, no!” Cirno says. She feels a deep cold churn inside of her body. “I'll take care of it!”

“No, Cirno. We'll take care of it.” Daiyousei turns her head and smiles. “Didn't you see how fast I won? Now we might even be able to fight each other more often. You know, practice, like you always like to do.”

What's she talking about? I don't get it! Cirno shakes her head.

“Dai, get behind me. You're hurt!”

“You worry about me, too. You did that a lot today. You're a great person, Cirno.”

“Stop. Just stop!”

Reimu readies her gohei and seals. She prepares to fly toward the two.

“Hey,” The delivery girl takes a step back toward the two fairies, “she's really coming at us!”

I need to take care of stupid Reimu!

But...I can't just...!

Cirno rises to her feet, running forward.
[] Fire a shot at Reimu.
[] Step in front of Dai.

[X] Step in front of Dai.

[X] Step in front of Dai.

[x] Step in front of Dai.

[X] Step in front of Dai.

Shit gets real.

[X] Step in front of Dai.

>>197229
You're retarded.