[-]Persuading Alice.

Predictability is often considered a weakness. And in some ways that's true. A predictable foe is easier to predict, easier to avoid, and easier to counter than one that's capable of surprising you.

But there's another side to that. When others see you as predictable, it becomes far easier for you to surprise them. Deviations from that norm become noteworthy, even shocking. It would be like Yuyuko refusing a meal, Chen not being cute, or Reimu having money.

Your pattern was decorum, upholding Yukari's dignity as her servant. (Even when, or perhaps especially when she herself seemed to care little for that dignity.)

You sat down heavily, grimacing as you squished a couple of your tails under you. You pulled them out with a groan as Alice sat down across from you, taking a more formal posture.

"I suppose I should start with the original plan," you said. "Are you aware of what Sumireko was doing with the occult balls?"

"Not the details."

You waved your hand aimlessly. "It was the magical equivalent of throwing stones in a lake to see what you'd stir up. The occult balls scatter in Gensokyo, changing hands to the victors of fights, and eventually get collected by a strong youkai."

"Or someone like Marisa."

"Indeed. That lucky winner is then transported to the outside world for exactly one hour to satisfy Sumireko's curiosity."

Alice tilted her head. "Wasn't there something about a wish for collecting seven of them?"

"That was just a fabrication. Sumireko wanted the occult balls to change hands, after all." You paused for effect. "Sumireko handled their disappointment with her customary grace."

"You say that like you know her."

You sighed. "Yukari has ordered me not to engage with Sumireko directly. By necessity, the vast majority of my information is secondhand." You paused, let a hint of uncertainty leak into your expression. "Is that inconsistent with your experience?"

Alice smirked slightly. "No, she shows all the contrition of Marisa after a theft."

You nodded with faint relief. "Regardless, some egos were upset, and when she arrived in Gensokyo, it was decided to teach her a lesson."

Alice stared you down. "Decided by who?"

"The initial idea was Kasen's, but I helped refine it. Essentially, youkai would chase her from danmaku duel to danmaku duel, allowing her no rest and giving the impression her life was in constant danger. After an evening of this, we'd allow her to escape back to the outside world, now with a healthy respect of the youkai she was provoking."

Alice stared, though this time in disbelief. "Your plan was to continually chase a teleporter working with an illusionist?"

You winced. "The illusionist was an unforseen detail. He-"

"Greg," Alice interrupted.

"Greg," you amended, "had not shown himself before Sumireko came to Gensokyo. As such, his skills were not and could not have been accounted for."

"Except, perhaps, by someone who could travel through the barrier actually investigating Sumireko before trying to trap her..."

And had you not been specifically been forbidden from interacting with the mage, you would have done just that. You sighed. "Regardless, once they disappeared, the original plan was history. It took some time for most of the youkai involved to realize that, but it's since become a more conventional manhunt to try and find Sumireko."

"And why exactly are you the one who succeeded?"

"There have been reports of Sumireko showing up in nearly every corner of Gensokyo. However, her encounter with Marisa was unique in that it was the only one to feature someone else from the Outside World. That explained how she escaped Kasen, making it the key detail to focus on. Upon learning from Marisa that the illusi-erm, Greg was injured, a trap at Eientei was the natural next step."

"That can't be correct," Alice said. "None of them mentioned anything aside from Kasen at the shrine and the fight at the village."

"Fascinating," you said grimly. "It's almost as interesting as you not remembering Keine."

"A point that I can't help but notice Eirin didn't back you up on."

"But where she didn't contradict me, either," you said. "I would estimate a ninety-three percent chance Eirin is using her own methods to independently confirm Keine's existence. Mentioning that Keine is Mokou's friend must have caught her attention."

"That only means that judgement is yet to fall."

You shook your head. "My calculations this incident may have been flawed, but do you think me so foolish to attempt lying about a long-time friend of Mokou to Eirin of all people?"

Alice hesitated. "If you needed to distract her for an escape-"

"If I intended to run, I would have destroyed your puppets and left. You can't have thought they would be enough to subdue me."

The puppeteer hesitated, and you pressed on. "No. These contradictions, these sudden changes, they all point to one thing. There's another player here."

You slammed your fist down on the table, getting a flinch. "This incident is far more serious than you've realized, Alice."

[-]To be continued.

[-]The seriousness of the incident.

"I just saw Marisa get carried away on a stretcher," Alice replied. "I'm well aware of how serious this is."

Clenched fist, intense stare; Alice was taking you seriously. Good. "Oh, I'm sure you and Satori both grasp the potential of urban legends. But those are merely the secondary effect."

"Well, yes," Alice said, uncomprehending. "Sumireko created the occult balls to study Gensokyo-"

"Sumireko is not the mastermind here." You cut her off. "And she did not create all of them."

"The occult balls are all real landmarks that are nevertheless steeped in fantasy. That gives them a foot in both worlds, and is how Sumireko was able to send them into Gensokyo in the first place. The stories surrounding them let the balls pass through the Hakurei Barrier, into fantasy, while the actual landmark they're created from keeps them tied to the outside world. She made thirteen such artifacts, doubtless to emphasize the mystic nature of them."

You leaned forwards. "Given how Sumireko designed them, between being easily hidden, only transferred through combat, and scattering once half of them have been collected, it's understandable that very few have realized that there are fourteen occult balls spread across Gensokyo."

"So what's the odd one out?" Alice asked, unimpressed.

"The final occult ball is irrevocably tied to the Lunar Capital."

That got a reaction out of her. You'd have smiled if it wouldn't ruin the mood. "Back when this incident first began, Yukari let me see some of her calculations. The occult balls are capable of seriously damaging, or even destroying the Great Hakurei Barrier. Furthermore, the Lunar Capital is currently under siege. An ancient enemy has attacked them, in such a way that they can't respond directly. The purpose of the Lunar Capital's occult ball is to open a path between the moon and earth, for them to retreat here."

"And you're explaining this all inside Eientei?!"

"There's a reason I asked you to check for listeners," you said.

That part was a lie. Eirin's first loyalty is to Kaguya, and the Lunarians successfully invading would force them to confront the exiled princess. You wouldn't be surprised if she knew something about this, but whatever the Brain of the Moon is plotting towards, it's not for the Moon to conquer Gensokyo.

But Alice doesn't need to know that.

"Marisa told me about her trip to the moon," Alice said. "That swordswoman she ran into... was she telling the truth about her strength?"

"That would depend if she portrayed Yorihime's sequential obliteration of herself, Sakuya, Remilia, and Reimu as effortless. And the other Watatsuki sister is just as powerful. Make no mistake, the Moon would win a direct confrontation."

"If they're that strong, why would they need to plot at all? They could just have those sisters kick the door down."

"Lunarians extend their lives thanks to the moon's 'purity'," you spat. "Normal humans and youkai, with all their messy living and dying, are impure. If the Lunarians just came down and started massacring everyone, they would make themselves impure by proximity, which they consider a death sentence."

"How could they possibly retreat here, then? If being near living beings is an issue, Gensokyo should be worthless to them."

You grimaced. "They have weapons that can purify the land, making it pristine and lifeless. It would become a drawn-out ground war, and outside of emergency situations, they would leave that to the moon rabbits, the better to preserve their own lifespans."

You took a deep breath, unclenching your fists. "Regardless, it's best to avoid the situation entirely. Prevent the Lunar Capital's occult ball from being used, and deny the Lunarians any entry into Gensokyo."

Alice bit her lip as dolls buzzed around her. "Can you prove all of this?"

You considered that for a moment. "Reisen's probably the easiest source to check regarding Lunarian capabilities. Eirin and Kaguya would know, but you'd need to explain why you care about Lunarian war machines. As for the existence of the Lunar Capital's occult ball, Miko can verify that. She was the one to find it in the first place."

"Why didn't Marisa mention any of this? The only thing she brought up was the occult balls damaging the barrier."

You sighed. "Among their other capabilities, the Lunarians are excellent at spying. The precise mechanism by which they do so eludes me, but I saw no reason to reveal my hand when Sumireko was about to be apprehended in any case."

"Then why tell me this now?"

"Because Sakuya has just made ending the incident significantly more difficult." An understatement. Snatching Sumireko away from the mansion while remaining within the letter of your orders will be impossible without significant help. "I strongly suspect a Lunarian hand in her interference, and if they're already active, then further secrecy is pointless."

"You're implying the Lunarians are ultimately responsible for Marisa's injury."

"The variables fit. A party that benefits from the incident's extension, with significant information-gathering capabilities, but doesn't want their identity revealed? Who else?"

"Yukari, perhaps?"

"Don't be ridiculous," you snapped. "This is a threat to Gensokyo, and Gensokyo is everything to her."

Alice remained silent, lost in thought. You let her think. There were times when less was more, and in this case the most persuasive thing to do was to let your argument sink in. Saying more would just make you look desperate. The puppeteer closed her eyes and extended a hand to one of her dolls, seemingly communicating with it... or perhaps with the whole network? Uncertain.

"Supposing I believe all of this," she said. "What are you hoping for from me?"

[-] Damage control. If the Lunar Capital's occult ball is isolated and taken out of play, the others are significantly less threatening.
[-] Firepower. Retrieving Sumireko from the SDM is still the direct route to ending the incident, and while Alice isn't strong enough to manage the feat on her own, she's a significant step in that direction.
[-] Research. Alice is a magician of significant skill, and did spend some time with Sumireko. Perhaps there's another way to end the threat of the occult balls?
[-] Surveillance. Your instincts are telling you that whatever happened to Keine is key to all of this. The puppeteer's dolls could be a great help in searching for her.
[?] Write-in. Is there another solution?

[X] Revelation. An unknown element... Alice's meeting with Sumireko was an outlier as she was accompanied by Satori and the illusionist. Who else can be involved? Additionally, she mentioned a note earlier...

You barely needed any time to consider the question.

"First and foremost? Information." you admitted. "It's all very well for me to theorize that Lunarian influence lead to Sakuya's attack just now, but it would be foolish to make further plans without knowing precisely how that happened."

Alice smirked. "That doesn't seem to be your only miscalculation."

"Precisely why I'm being so cautious," you shot back. "Greg, Satori, and now Sakuya. My calculations aren't infallible, but for them to be wrong this often in the same incident? The third time is enemy action."

She nodded, accepting the point. "So what is it you want to know, then?"

"You mentioned a note. What were you referring to?"

"It was delivered to me at my house just last night. Somehow without any of my dolls catching sight of anyone."

"What did it say?"

"It'll be faster to show you; I have it right here."

A doll flew over to you with a scrap of paper, you unfolded it and scanned it quickly. The message was quite short, saying only that Satori would be traveling with the ones responsible for the "powerful, dangerous phenomenon of urban legends", and that it would be "highly advisable" for Alice to apprehend them if she saw them.

"Q. Nira," you said flatly. "Yukari has used that alias before; it's a bilingual anagram for her name. However, this is far too clumsy to be her work."

"Because clearly neither you nor your master could intervene in a way that accomplishes the opposite of what you intended."

You glared at her. "Telling you exactly who to look for, bringing up the potential of urban legends, and implying that said potential is enough to bring Satori Komeiji out of hiding? It makes a concise, compelling case to use the urban legend incident, not to end it. Combine that with an insulting, almost threatening suggestion to arrest the culprits? This is a textbook example of reverse psychology, and you'd have to be a fool to take it at face value."

Alice's face reddened. "I should hardly think it's that cut and dry."

You scoffed. "If Yukari wrote this, she meant for you to side with Sumireko. No, this is obviously a forgery."

"I take it that means it is her handwriting."

"It's close enough to pass a casual examination," you confirmed. "But aside from the point that my master is currently asleep, she told me about the dangers of the occult ball and this incident."

"Along with an order to stay away from the main perpetrator," Alice said bluntly.

You sighed. "Yukari's calculations are significantly more complex than even mine, and she often gives orders no one else would ever think of. I don't know the purpose of that order, but I suspect I'll understand with hindsight."

"You really are her puppet, aren't you?" Alice's expression softened, and she leaned forwards, speaking softly. "Are you not even able to consider her being wrong?"

You recoil and almost snap at the puppeteer, but there are more important matters at stake than your pride. Taking a deep breath, you take a second to compose a more measured response.

[-] That's so reductive as to be insulting. A shikigami is far more than a mere puppet in both autonomy and complexity.
[-] Letting Alice draw a connection between shikigami and her dolls is an obvious way to endear you to her. And admittedly, there are some similarities.

((Finally decided on just splitting the difference for this one.))

[X] Insist a shikigami is more than just a puppet, regardless of similarities.

"There... are some similarities," you said grudgingly, "but there's a key difference. Your dolls rely entirely on you for orders; they can't function on their own. Shikigami have wills of their own. I could not function as I need to if I relied entirely on Yukari's orders."

"You and Chen might, but what about those crows of Yukari's, or those wisps you were throwing around?" Alice countered. "There's no intelligent decision-making to be found there."

You shook your head. "It's still different. You can think of the shikigami programming as software and the body it's installed on as hardware. In theory you could create a shikigami of arbitrary will and intellect from a mere wisp, it would just be a waste of effort."

"How far does that will go? Can you question Yukari's decisions? Can you believe her to be wrong? Can you act against her?"

"A direct order is absolute," you said, bristling. "But I would be a poor tool if I could only follow her orders mindlessly. With how frequently my master hibernates, I sometimes have information that my master does not, which in turn means I need to be able to adjust to new developments. Yukari's planning ability is superior to mine, but new developments can invalidate a previous plan, even one of hers."

Alice drummed her fingers against the table, glancing at her dolls. "But you do obey her orders absolutely." she said absently.

"Yes!" you growled.

"And you prioritize any previous directions she gave, even when new information arises?"

"What exactly do you think I've been doing this incident?!"

"Just checking," she said, nodding. "What kind of restrictions does the body place on the shikigami? Obviously a ninetails is a particularly powerful host, but what are the limits if you started with something lesser?"

That was an abrupt subject change, but a more comfortable topic. "The body of the shikigami is what provides its power and knowledge," you explained. "For instance, Chen is an ordinary bakeneko when I'm not possessing her."

"And the same would be true for any vessel used," Alice murmured. "What do you mean by knowledge?"

You hesitated. How to explain... wait, Alice was one of the few who might just get it. "Have you ever tried to make a doll that's anatomically correct?"

Alice glared at you. "No. And if you start any rumors along those lines, I will skin you."

Why would she- oh. You coughed, blushing a bit. "Not like that! I mean in terms of joints! A doll that imitates a human's skeletal and muscular structure, all the way down to having three joints for each finger."

"Ah." Alice looked away, taking a moment to compose herself. "I tried it once as an experiment, but abandoned it quickly. It required prohibitively complicated instruction for even the simplest of tasks."

"Exactly. Just to hold an object in your hand, you need every joint of every finger to be at a precise angle, the individual muscles exerting just enough force to maintain the grip, but not so much you damage the object, automatically adjusting to any changes from gravity, momentum, or outside forces... quite the difficult problem when you think about it. To say nothing of actually walking."

"Which no shikigami has any trouble with," Alice murmured.

"That have the necessary body parts."

"Yes, yes." She rolled her eyes. "So the shikigami retains all the skills of the underlying creature?"

"Exactly," you confirmed. "This also extends to their ability to think. Sufficiently skilled programming can navigate around this, but an intelligent creature will have an easier time interpreting instructions than a stupid one. Animals tend to react instinctively, and wisps need to be explicitly told."

Alice sighed. "So the shikigami uses the actual brain of the creature it's possessing."

"I use this body's arms, legs, eyes, ears, tails, and digestive tract," you replied. "Why would you think I didn't use its brain?"

"Recent events aside?" she asked drily.

You ignored her, as befitting one of your station. "So if that satisfies your curiosity-"

"Were you exaggerating before, then? Could you not bring a wisp up to your intelligence?" she asked.

You sighed. "That level of programming is beyond me, but Yukari almost certainly could."

"Almost certainly, as in she hasn't," Alice nitpicked. "Can a shikigami's autonomy and intelligence be separated from the creature beneath? Does your intelligence come from your programming, or from the kitsune you're possessing?"

You stopped to consider the question, not because you were unsure of the answer, but because Alice had overplayed her hand. Her real aim was obvious; could she bring a doll to life by making it a shikigami? You were almost certain the answer was no. Making one a shikigami could be possible; but without desires or memories of its own, it would only do what it was told. A far more effective tool, to be certain, but ultimately a lifeless one.

But Alice didn't need to know that.

[-] Confidently assert that a shikigami's intelligence can be made independent of the creature.
[-] Admit that an intelligent shikigami from a non-sentient creature hasn't been done, but claim that it should be possible.

[X] Admit that an intelligent shikigami from a non-sentient creature hasn't been done, but claim that it should be possible.

"My intelligence is a mix of the two. This body was by no means unintelligent, but I am capable of things she wasn't." Yukari uses all the tools available to her, after all.

"And Chen?"

"Her mind is largely unaltered from the youkai beneath. She is... not fully programmed," you admitted with a sigh. "But that's not what you care about. You want to know the limits of a shikigami made from one of your dolls."

Alice was completely unbothered by the callout. "Yes."

You could just give her the answer, say point blank that it's possible, that she should think of it as a promising line of research, but it's too obvious, and would let her doubt you. Far better to argue unconvincingly against it, and let Alice convince herself it's a promising line of research.

"Frankly, it hasn't been attempted," you replied. "It is less difficult to subdue a will than it is to create one, and a sentient youkai is a much stronger base to work with than other options in any case."

"Even if you can duplicate that programming across other shikigami?"

"Do you craft your kamikaze dolls with your most difficult techniques? Or do you give them a basic shell that's sufficient to deliver their payload? If I create a shikigami from a wisp, I intend for it to be disposable." After a moment's pause, you decided to throw in an extra jab. "Your dolls are perhaps a little sturdier, but it's a minor upgrade at best. It would be wasted effort."

"Only because you're thinking small!" Alice said. "Calculate something for me; what is the difference between making a shikigami from one of my dolls, and a shikigami from a modular, customizable magic item?"

Oh, interesting. Alice did have plenty of different varieties of doll, but they were all universally weak. "If you can make your dolls significantly stronger, why haven't you?"

"You never saw the Goliath doll, I take it." Alice smirked. "But in most circumstances, a team of three dolls is more flexible than a single doll with three times the power. A wider variety of dolls working in concert has proven to be a more elegant solution, and more fitting to danmaku. But for a purpose like this? I'd use something special."

That was enough to believably concede the point, so you gave her a slow nod. "In that case, the idea may be workable. There would still be challenges; with no memories to work from, you'd need to teach it how to walk, fly, act, and all of those other things-"

"All of my dolls are already capable of that much," the puppeteer interrupted.

"You're still combining two entirely different fields of magic. How feasible that will be is difficult to predict, but..." you hesitated for a moment, affected a thinking pose, "it's at least theoretically possible."

Alice remained silent. For most people, this would imply you'd said something wrong, somehow gone too far. But for this mark, it meant she was in deep thought. Alice simply didn't bother to observe social niceties like responding when she was sufficiently engaged. Which was a good sign, though even you found it disquieting when the dolls were livelier than their puppeteer.

"It would appear we each have something to bargain with," she finally said. "You desire my aid, and I desire a greater understanding of shikigami and their creation."

That, by contrast, was not a good sign. If Alice intended to agree, she would have come out and said so. "The logical conclusion would be an exchange of services, then."

"Perhaps," she replied. "If not for the opportunity cost. Ending the urban legends will close a different line of research, one that Sumireko offered to help with in exchange for my aid. And as you earlier pointed out, if Satori is convinced of the potential urban legends hold, they must show promise. While I could research shikigami on my own."

Not as bad as you thought, since she hadn't rejected the idea outright. Alice was looking for concessions. However, she wasn't the type to bluff. You would either need to refute her argument, or find some way to sweeten the deal.

[-] "How many centuries are you planning to spend learning that art? And from what source do you intend to learn it? There is a reason so few youkai are shikigami-users."
[-] "I take it you have something else in mind?"
[-] "What if there was a way to end the danger the incident poses without ending the urban legends? In that case, you suffer no opportunity cost at all."

[X] "What if there was a way to end the danger the incident poses without ending the urban legends? In that case, you suffer no opportunity cost at all."

Alice keeps her composure, but you can tell you've startled her. "The logic holds," she said. "Though I'll admit, I thought you would be more stubborn."

"It's triage," you admitted. "Retrieving Sumireko from the Scarlet Devil Mansion would be a difficult task, especially because I would be unable to act directly. Your aid alone would be insufficient, and convincing others it's a plan made in good faith would be difficult."

"Yes, I imagine 'You fight Sakuya, I'll stay back here' is always going to be a hard sell. Especially given recent events," Alice said darkly.

"Indeed. As such, it's better to leave her there for the moment and focus on limiting the harm the occult balls can cause. If the Lunar Capital's occult ball is removed from circulation, the others are merely dangerous."

"What about Sumireko?"

"She'll be enjoying Sakuya's hospitality for the forseeable future."

"I see." Alice said darkly. "Do you even know where the Lunar Capital's occult ball is?"

"I have a lead on it. Miko was the last one to have it, and nobody has collected seven occult balls to force them to scatter again. If she's still holding on to it, then great, otherwise she can point me towards whoever won it from her.

"And can you disable the occult ball once you've obtained it?"

"After a fashion," you said. "There's several options, but the simplest is to transport it outside the barrier and leave it there. For example, I could have Chen 'win' a fight against me, and tell her to stay in the Outside World until the incident is more properly resolved."

"And you want my help to... what, find the ball?

"And if necessary, in acquiring it."

Alice nodded, frowning.

"You seem dissatisfied. Is this not what you were hoping for?"

"The terms of the deal are fine. However, I dislike leaving the maid alone."

"Sakuya will receive her comeuppance in time. Marisa will recover, and between her revenge and Eirin's wrath... I don't envy the maid's future." Not to mention Kaguya, Reisen, whatever Tewi's luck accomplishes, and possibly Satori and her pets as well.

"It's not that. Or not just that. I did agree to aid Sumireko and Greg."

You sighed. Alice's sense of honor was useful at times, and an unfortunate constraint at others. "If Sakuya is willing to twist the spellcard rules, it is almost certain that she's willing to utilize Flandre. As such, any plan to rescue Sumireko and her friend would require besting Meiling, Patchouli, Flandre, and Sakuya, while dealing with them disregarding spellcard rules whenever it would yield them an advantage. In fact, with Remilia's current state, the harder you press them, the more likely they are to resort to lethal measures, especially Flandre. Furthermore, I cannot directly assist. What exactly do you suggest?"

[?] Alice: Write-in.

((Word of advice here, you are in the past a little, and we already know Alice doesn't show up at the mansion in the next day or so. So you're advised not to try planning any immediate rescues.))

[x] "What about your shikigami, Chen?"

"Absolutely not," you shut that down immediately.

"I don't mean to fight," Alice explained, "just-"

"To keep an eye on the mansion," you interrupted. "No. It's too dangerous."

"But if she's ever in danger, you could just possess her."

You shook your head. "That's wrong on several counts. I don't instantly know what my shikigami is doing at all moments; she could very well be hurt before I find out. Furthermore, even if I did possess her instantly, Sakuya or Flandre would still be a dangerous foe. In addition, Chen's possession state is fragile, and can be disrupted by water, something that can easily be wielded against her. Finally, Chen lacks the necessary discipline for a stake-out, and is likely to wander off or act out at the worst of times."

"What happened to shikigami being tools?"

"You don't break a valuable tool by using it on the wrong job! Would you use one of your dolls as a hammer?"

"Surely you see the utility of keeping an eye on Sumireko," Alice argued.

"I do. Which is why I'll use the crows instead."

Alice blinked. "Come again?"

You smiled. "Yukari doesn't always use gaps when she spies on people. Small animals frequently go unnoticed, and with their eyesight and flight, birds are among the best at information-gathering."

"Is there a reason behind the choice of crows in particular?"

"Yukari found it amusing to pick the most ominous-looking birds for her spy shikigami."

The puppeteer sighed. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"Regardless, Zenki and Goki can keep us informed of any developments at the mansion. Does that satisfy your conscience?"

"I'll need to organize something more later," she grumbled, "but it's a start."

In the end, you were able to reach an agreement. Alice would help in defanging the Lunar Capital's occult ball, and in return you would teach her about shikigami, and fully answer any questions she had on the subject. You had a feeling the puppeteer would look for additional steps to take against Sakuya at some point, but that was her problem, to deal with at a later time.

Which still left the question of what your next step should be.

[-] Wait for Eirin to come back, see whatever news she might have about Keine.
[-] ... come to think of it, Eirin's been gone a long time, hasn't she? You should investigate what she's up to.
[-] Enough delays. Slip out, set up the crows to spy on the SDM, and start looking for Miko.

((Ran has heard your plan and rejected it on the grounds that Chen is too cute to die.))

Thinking about Ran and Chen's dynamic gave me some inspiration, so today's update is the beginning of a new side-story!

https://www.thp.moe/border/res/32148.html

This story takes place in USiL's continuity, back when Gensokyo was first made. (Or to be technically accurate, when it was first separated from the outside world, so a little over 100 years ago.) It's not necessary for the main story, but considering who we're following right now, it's definitely relevant.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

So, that's officially the end of the July Nanowrimo push. 31 days, and either 30 or 31 updates depending on how I count it. Haven't bothered checking the total wordcount yet, maybe later.

I'm glad I did it again, and there's a few updates in here I'm really proud of (most notably Chen becoming Ran's shikigami), but I also definitely need a break now. It has been an exhausting month. As such, I'm going to go back to weekly updates for at least August, possibly longer.

Still, I'm sure I'll be back to nanowrimo mode in the future, probably November, and possibly even September if I've recharged by then. (No promises on that one!)

And with all that said, there's a couple other details.

First off, since I'm kicking back and taking a break, now's a good time for me to take reader questions. I reserve the right not to answer anything I judge to be too much of a spoiler, but feel free to ask regardless. Main story, side story, what-if scenarios, characterization/writing process... anything you want to know.

Secondly, and more importantly... The Fox and the Shikigami is proving to be a much longer story than I'd originally realized. Nothing approaching USiL's length, but I could see this stretching out for a full thread or two. At this point, you could argue it's USiL's arc 0, it's more or less accurate. I think the arc is compelling, and I do want to finish it, but it feels wrong to let the main thread languish for months.

As such, I'm leaving the choice to you guys.

Which story should I focus on?

[-] Finish The Fox and the Shikigami
[-] Prioritize Urban Student in Limbo
[-] Switch back and forth.

[x] ... come to think of it, Eirin's been gone a long time, hasn't she? You should investigate what she's up to.

"This seems foolish," Alice said.

"Which part?" you asked. "Spying on our gracious host, or spying on someone who already noticed me once?"

Alice looked particularly unimpressed. "Both."

You shook your head, chuckling. "Regarding the practical concern, the only advantage wisps have is the ease of finding and using them. I'm unsurprised that Eirin had tools to detect them."

"Surely their near invisibility is an advantage for staying hidden." Alice argued.

"Only when in a passive state," you said. "When I'm actively using one as a shikigami, the bond emits enough energy to be detectable."

"I take it you intend to use the crows, then?"

"Indeed." You closed your eyes and concentrated. A tiny gap opened, and a small crow popped out into your hands.

Alice startled, her dolls actively wielding their weapons as she jumped to her feet. She stared you down. "Ran should not be able to summon gaps."

You held out your hand, and the crow hopped on it, perching on your index finger. "Correct. Zenki, if you would demonstrate?"

The crow disappeared into another small gap, appearing on top of one of Alice's dolls with a soft "Caw!"

"Zenki is not a normal crow. Yukari changed a few boundaries when making him a shikigami, giving him dramatically improved eyesight, hearing, intelligence, and just enough of her power for him to gap-travel."

"With no drawbacks?" A couple of Alice's dolls were chasing the crow, which was flying around and gapping to the other side of the room whenever they drew near.

You considered the question. "No drawback to Zenki, at least. From Yukari's, she did give away some of her power. Only a tiny fraction of the whole, but enough that creating an army of such spies would be inadvisable."

Alice seemed skeptical. "Tearing a hole in reality is not a small amount of power."

"But only small gaps, only for himself." You shrugged. "My estimate is that this ability required giving the crow somewhere between a quarter of a percent and half a percent of my master's power."

Alice's eyes widened a fraction at that, and you smiled. "Indeed. Trust me when I say, you could not, as the vernacular goes, take her."

"Hmph." Alice crossed her arms, frowning. "Are all her crows similarly enhanced?"

"Not at all," you said. "Zenki and Goki are, but others are normal crows. There are times when blending in is the best defense, and others where it's best if your observer is disposable."

"As you discovered."

You ignored the barb. "Regardless, a small presence that can relay observations from hundreds of feet away will be a challenge even for Eirin to detect. Do you have a doll capable of the same?"

The puppet-master sighed, leaning back in her chair as she looked up at the ceiling. "No. My only need for stealth is startling a certain thief when she drops by unannounced. I might have a doll capable of covert observation, but she went missing after the fight with Sakuya."

That didn't exactly surprise you, and in fact made things more convenient. One spy was less likely to be caught than two. "Relaying information it is, then."

Alice wasn't exactly happy with being relegated to spectator, but she accepted the reality of the situation, and you sent out Zenki in search of your generous host. It likely helped that you were capable of possessing Zenki while simultaneously projecting an image of what the crow saw and heard, allowing the puppeteer to observe the crow's search. (Something that admittedly strained your abilities, but your skill with illusions had not decreased, even if you'd had little need to resort to them in the past century.)

Eientei was in a quiet frenzy. Rabbits were scurrying every which way, and in large enough numbers that you'd told Zenki to take to the skies immediately. With your bird's-eye view, the earth rabbits hurrying in and out of the various hallways reminded you of an overturned anthill. It wasn't all productive work, of course. Unlike poor Reisen, the earth rabbits preferred looking busy to actually being busy, and you estimated at least three-quarters of the running around was either to be seen doing something, or to find information they could gossip about. They were similar to fairies in that regard; though at least Tewi was fully capable of leading them effectively.

While you'd normally disdain such inefficiency, today it worked in your favor. Any activity of interest was all but certain to be surrounded by curious rabbits (at a distance that allowed for plausible deniability, naturally). The scene of the fight, the room where you and Alice were lodging, the infirmary, and last but not least, the foyer where Eirin was conducting business.

Some efforts had been made for privacy. The glass for this particular room was frosted, to where only sillhouettes could be seen, and the sound was similarly muffled. Significantly more than mere glass should have caused, especially with the shikigami's enhanced hearing.

It was no issue. Such efforts at privacy, whether magical, technological, or mundane, almost always worked via a barrier of some variety, where those inside could see and hear, and those outside would be foiled. This was the other reason Zenki and Goki were given the ability to utilize gaps.

With a little mental direction, you set the crow to hide from several rooftops away, opening the smallest possible gap to spy on the Brain of the Moon's discussion. Finalizing the precise location of the interior gap took a little more thought, but eventually you decided on the shadowed area beneath Eirin's desk. A spot that would be generally hidden, completely out of the doctor's sight, and that would give you a clear view of the rest of the room.

In one sense her company wasn't too unusual. A moon rabbit standing at attention, and Princess Kaguya in her usual pink dress, sitting on an excesively luxurious couch along wall. But in another sense...

"That rabbit's not one of Eientei's," Alice noted.

The rabbit didn't look military, with the orange-yellow color scheme and brown cap that could have been stolen from a 1950's-era street urchin. Combined with the dango stick in one hand, she looked more the part of kitchen staff than an alien soldier. But you knew better. You'd be a poor shikigami if you couldn't identify the moon's minions.

"Lunarian." you growled. "Here to check up on their occult ball, no doubt."

Alice was about to reply when Eirin spoke from the image. "And how is the situation at the capital?"

Ringo startled, biting a piece of dango off her stick. "Isn't it in the letter, ma'am?"

You couldn't see the doctor, but you could visualize her stare from the way the rabbit shrunk back. "I asked for your assessment, soldier." Eirin said.

Ringo swallowed, standing up a little straighter. "Nervous. People are trying to act carefree, and there's a few that actually are, but seeing the fairies surrounding the city has everyone on edge."

"If only there was some way for people not to have to worry about impurity ever again," Kaguya said, lounging on her sofa.

The moon rabbit shuffled nervously. "Above my paygrade, princess."

"What's tying down Toyohime and Yorihime?" Eirin asked.

"Word from on high is that they're planning out a summer home for the nobles on earth."

Eirin sighed as Kaguya let out a sharp bark of laughter. "And the real answer?"

Ringo hesitated, taking another bite of dango. After a minute, Eirin spoke again. "My former students would never send a messenger if they could visit in person. And instead of the messenger being Reisen or someone expendable, they sent an intelligence officer. Someone who's aware that the official statement is less trustworthy can be trusted as far as you can throw the moon, and knows the choice between doing a little digging and digging their own grave."

Ringo sighed, putting the rest of the stick in her mouth before swallowing and straightening up. "It's all they can do to keep the city clear. Someone's fueling the fairies; no matter how many the sisters strike down, they're always back the next day. There's been no official sightings of such a foe, but there are some suggestive gaps in the surveilance. Camera records and instrument readings have been hidden, but they can't hide that half those instruments need repairs after each clash. Whatever or whoever it is, she's strong."

"Anything else?" Eirin asked.

"Nothing much," Ringo replied. "Some of the rabbits were speculating whether this is what the emissary's being prepared for, but Sagume's clamped down hard on it. Said she's not ready."

"Said?" Kaguya's voice rang out sharply.

Ringo coughed. "Wrote. Communicated in a fashion that doesn't use her ability."

"I see." Kaguya stood up, glanced to Eirin for something (a cue? Checking her reaction? You couldn't be certain), and addressed the moon rabbit. "You are dismissed. A rabbit will show you to a room; we'll have a response to send back with you come the morning."

"Princess." Ringo saluted, exiting.

Kaguya's attitude changed dramatically the moment Ringo left, flopping down on the couch as she massaged the back of her neck. "It's the same old story. The Lunar Capital is under attack, and the authorities are claiming their best fighters are planning out a summer home?"

"It is not the most effective lie they've ever told," Eirin said drily.

The princess leaned on the armrest as she glanced over at the door. "Even the moon rabbits aren't buying it any more."

"To be fair, Ringo has her position precisely because she's less gullible than most." Eirin said. "It's possible the rank and file are falling in line."

"Joy." Kaguya sighed. "So what's this letter really about?"

"Would you care to read it?" Eirin asked.

The princess rolled her eyes. "I got a glance. It's one of their standard 'return to the moon' demands, the kind they gave up on sending me centuries ago. Your former students wouldn't bother you with what's basically a threatening form letter, so there's subtext to it."

"Which is?"

Kaguya glared at her servant. "Eirin. You're a genius, and your students are almost as smart, while I am merely an immortal princess. There's a reason I have you for these things."

"Alright, then." Eirin said with a chuckle. "It's a warning. Yorihime might use official channels of her own will, but for Toyohime to do so indicates the Lunar authorities are pressuring them. And in particular, that they'd be expected to follow through on this threat if we came into close contact with them."

"And by sending it as an official demand, the moon's authorities can't fault them for sending it," the exiled princess realized. "And they sent Ringo to deliver it so you'd be able to get the full picture."

"Exactly." Eirin confirmed.

Kaguya ran a hand through her hair. "This still raises a question. Why now?"

"Your eternity manipulation is a viable means of dealing with the fairies' impurity."

"Yes, yes, I get that," Kaguya replied, "but the Lunar Capital's siege started months ago, correct? Why wait for so long to send it now?"

"There's some plausible reasons such as running out of other countermeasures, or my students stalling them for as long as they could, but Toyohime hid the main reason in with the other threats. 'As for the gap youkai's plans, I'm sure Sagume will have the final say.'" Eirin quoted. "Sagume has either already used her ability, or she's about to."

"Meaning the situation is about to invert drastically." Kaguya mused. She paused, before looking at Eirin. "Is that why the urban legend incident has spiraled out of control?"

"Unlikely. Her ability is what made the incident possible. No, between this and Ran's actions, Yukari's clearly up to something. Toyohime would prefer to know the details so Sagume's ability can be more accurately targeted."

"Ah. Should we tell her?"

"Difficult to say at the moment. Both success and failure for the Lunarians' plan would each be disastrous in their own way."

Kaguya sighed, looking down. "Is there an alternative? After everything that happened from her last slip of the tongue, there's no love lost there."

"An understatement." Eirin sighed in return. "I'll need to think about it. For the moment, I'll need to find out exactly what Yukari's planning. Another piece to this puzzle may reveal more options."

"Alright." Kaguya rose and brushed her dress off. "I'm going to track down Mokou, and find out whether she remembers Keine."

"Before or after fighting her?" Eirin asked drily.

"There's nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure," the princess called back, smirking as she slipped out the door.

You hear the scrabbling of a pen as Eirin begins writing something. After a minute or so with no other action from the doctor, it's clear you've learned all you're going to. Now what are you going to do with it?

[-] Wait for Eirin. Beyond the diplomatic angle, you wouldn't mind knowing what she found out regarding Keine.
[-] There is one more source of information available. You could track down Ringo and interrogate her for the Lunarians' plans.
[-] This has only confirmed your suspicions. You need to find the Lunar Captial's occult ball before they can use it!

[-] Wait for Eirin. Beyond the diplomatic angle, you wouldn't mind knowing what she found out regarding Keine.

Upon dismissing the illusion and sending Zenki back to your master's house, you take a moment to relax, stretch, and think upon what you've learned. It doesn't take long for you to reach a decision.

"Alice, would you be so kind as to send one of your dolls to Eirin as a messenger? We should ask her about comparing notes."

The puppeteer startled. "I was certain you'd want to sneak out after that."

You shook your head. "As Yukari's shikigami, one of my responsibilities is being an approachable intermediary for the rest of Gensokyo. Her public face, if you will."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "While I won't deny you're less off-putting than Yukari, is now the time? Public relations seems like the least of all possible concerns."

"Eientei is torn between Gensokyo and the moon. At a time like this, the right words can tear a nation apart." This body had experience with such things, after all. "But that's the secondary concern. You've forgotten about Keine."

Alice opened a window to send off a puppet. "Is that relevant to anyone's plans, Lunarian or otherwise?"

You stared up at the moon in the night sky. Almost full, but not quite yet. "Excellent question. I hope to find out."

Information can be gathered on any number of levels. Spoken language, body language, tone, subtext, context... even in something so simple as a game of a chess, a single pawn moving a single square can signal aggression, defensiveness, desperation, confidence, carelessness, uncertainty, or anything in-between. Of course, for information to become communication, both parties need to be aware of it. It's all well and good for a lady to signal irritation through her body language, but if that signal is ignored due to the spoken words of 'Nothing's wrong', then no actual communication has happened. Trying to make your point through implications that won't be understood is an excellent way to look as foolish, and as such there are some people who need to be dealt with bluntly.

Of course, there are some people where the opposite error is in play. Who ignore the plain meaning of words to desperately search for whatever pre-chosen meaning they've already decided should truly be there. Whether that's a reason to be offended or a sign that deep down their unrequitted love was totally being returned, such people were unsurpassed experts at conjuring up fantasies unrelated to, and sometimes completely opposite to the actual message spoken to them.

As such, effective communication required tailoring your speech to your audience and situation. Some days that meant letting subtext speak for you in situations where politeness was required. Other times significant effort had to go towards preparing an unwilling listener for the words they least wanted to hear.

Eirin used a different tactic. She chose to bypass pleasantries, formalities, and all of the ego-soothing that usually entailed to instead deliver information as quickly and bluntly as possible. Any who couldn't handle such treatment she dismissed as fools, and not worth her time. It was a luxury available only to one both powerful and secure in her position, and one you at times envied. (Your behavior reflecting on Yukari rarely allowed you to truly skewer the foolishness you encountered.) Alice operated much the same way, but in her case it was both preference and countermeasure. Alice was unsuited to the social game, so she wielded bluntness and danmaku as a way to avoid it.

But Eirin was a genius. She could play the game.

"I apologize for the delay, I needed to check on a few things," the Brain of the Moon said. "I hear you've used your time productively."

It wasn't a question, but Alice took it as one. "Ran has been forthcoming on her activities and why she believes the occult balls to be a threat. She does continue to insist Yukari is uninvolved."

And this was a time to return bluntness with bluntness. "She isn't. My master is currently asleep. But this is beside the point. What have you discovered regarding Keine?"

Eirin tapped her clipboard, looking at you intently. "Directly? Nothing. Not a scrap of paper in my employ refers to a person by that name. However, there are a significant number of questions that Keine's existence would answer. Most notably around Mokou's mental stability."

"Why would you be tracking Mokou's health?" Alice asked. "I thought Kaguya hated her."

"Yes, and she wants to continue to do so for a long time," Eirin replied, the corner of her mouth tilting upwards. "There was a period of a couple hundred years where Mokou was throwing herself against the princess and any other foe capable of laying her low continuously."

Alice considered the doctor. "Why would that be your concern? It's not as if Mokou can die, you know that better than anyone. You sent me and Marisa after Mokou to see it for ourselves!"

"And she would have never done it if there was a chance you could actually kill the phoenix," Eirin admitted. "The problem is, Mokou wasn't the intended recipient of the Hourai Elixir. She was never prepared for what living forever actually means. Watching everyone you know die and slowly forgetting what they were like... it takes a toll on the human psyche. Enough for her to potentially do something desperate, and there are any number of grim fates that could still leave her alive."

"Gensokyo was good for Mokou," you remembered, ignoring Alice's gaze. "Being able to coexist with youkai who likewise persisted through the ages stabilized her significantly."

"Not through the ages. Your existence may be orders of magnitude longer than the humans, but it is a heartbeat compared to eternity." Eirin admonished. "But, yes, it helped. Some. Mokou was still a loner, and still had phases where she would withdraw into herself, or actively seek out conflict with Kaguya. Up until two decades ago, when she started interacting with people more frequently, smiling outside of battle, and generally showing fewer signs of depression. As it so happens, this coincides with her regularly visiting the human village, particularly the school. A school with, curiously, no teacher on record."

"I see your point," Alice said, nodding. "But why can Ran remember Keine?"

You hesitated, but removing cause for doubt was worth revealing a small secret. "This body's mind is heavily resistant to outside interference."

"Interference like being made a shikigami?" Alice interrupted.

"The shikigami ritual requires both parties to agree to it. That's what gives it its power." you reminded her. "As such, it naturally bypasses mental defenses, as the shikigami must choose to accept it in any case. But as I was saying, my mind is heavily defended. It's not perfect, few things are, but I am unsurprised it withstood Ms. Kamishirasawa's tricks."

Alice brightened. "If it's a spell, just show me the formulas. A little study and I could cast it on myself."

"That's not feasible. It's a kitsune trait," you admitted. "The power to charm others is a common ability for my kind. Had we no resistance to such effects, every group of kitsune would be under the charming domination of whichever fox was strongest."

It wasn't exactly true. There were spells that could permanently enhance your body, mind, or soul with a measure of any given youkai's power. It's just that those rituals functioned by killing or capturing the youkai in question and stealing the ability from them directly. Needless to say, there were several reasons not to bring that possibility up.

You realized you'd missed part of the conversation. "Sorry, come again?"

If she was irritated, Eirin masked it. "I said Keine's disappearance is something we'll be looking into. But since your goal is to safely end the incident, Eientei would be happy to assist with that."

With the unspoken threat that if you weren't actually ending the incident, the 'assistance' would become something else entirely. You didn't bother claiming it wouldn't be necessary. "Oh?"

"Reisen has already shown her eagerness to be involved in this matter." Eirin replied. "As such, I see no reason why she shouldn't accompany you to help end the incident."

Ah. You'd wondered what consequences the moon rabbit would face for showing initiative.

"I was under the impression she'd been injured." Alice said. "Is she well enough to come along?"

"Sakuya kept her attacks on Reisen within the realm of danmaku, so she's merely battered." Eirin dismissed the concern. "I've given her some stimulants. She won't slow you down."

"Out of curiosity," you mused, "would these stimulants leave her suffering something of a crash once the effect wears off?"

"She's been provided with enough to last her through the remainder of the incident," Eirin replied. "It won't be an issue."

You suppressed a wince. That wasn't a no. "I assume she'll be reporting to you whatever we discover?"

"I have some technology that will allow her to do just that," Eirin replied. "Will you trust Reisen to relay what we learn about Keine, or do you intend to watch via crow?"

There was a pause as you digested the implications of that statement. "I take it this room was bugged?" you asked.

"Naturally," Eirin confirmed. "Though your crow would have been caught independently of that."

Alice "Wait. If you knew all along, then why allow-"

"It's simple, really," Eirin interrupted, addressing you directly. "Regardless of your history with the moon, we are not your enemies."

And revealing your presence to the Lunarian messenger would have caused more complications than letting you listen in, particularly since Ringo hadn't known any real secrets. But there was no reason to break the offered olive branch. "Gensokyo's enemies are my enemies. No less, no more."

Eirin nodded contemplatively, making a note on her clipboard.

"Usually we establish such things by politely having tea," Alice snipped.

Eirin chuckled. "In a happier time, perhaps. I'm afraid there's too much to do."

"Are we free to get going, then?" the puppeteer asked.

"Reisen will meet you by the front gate," Eirin confirmed. "However, there is one other detail I would like to check. Ran, what are the exact commands of your shikigami programming?"

[-] Answer.
[-] Refuse to answer.

[x] Refuse to answer.

You weren't sure what Eirin would do with a detailed description of how your mind works, but none of the possibilities were good. Especially the obvious one.

"Why would you even ask such a thing?" you asked. "Do you expect me to relate to you the flaws within my programming, that you might better work around me?"

Eirin laughed. "I'll admit to some curiosity on your security protocols, but those aren't the details I'm fishing for."

"This level of security is one I can tell you about. Your request for information is denied."

"On what grounds?" Eirin asked mildly.

You gave her a blank, emotionless look. "Unauthorized access to classified information."

"Interesting," Eirin said. "And on what grounds were you able to tell us about your order regarding avoiding Sumireko?"

That's easy enough to justify. "Higher priority orders override lower priority ones. The choice was to release the information or fail the order, and satisfying the order was the higher priority."

"Well, one of your orders is to do what's best for Gensokyo, isn't it?" Alice asked. "Or something functionally equivalent?"

That... was remarkably accurate. It was your second-highest priority directive.

The purpose of Gensokyo is to be a sanctuary where all manner of youkai can both survive and grow. You are to maintain - and where possible increase - the diversity, power, and numbers of the youkai in this land, and to ensure it is always capable of sustaining them.

"Close enough," you said, a little unnerved. "Why?"

"Well, if Eirin has a reason to need this information," Alice said thoughtfully, "if it would help her figure something out about the incident, then giving her the information would assist in ending the incident. And since, by your own words, this incident is a threat to Gensokyo, therefore giving her the information is what's best for Gensokyo, and the higher priority order should override the lower."

An accurate summary of a way to work around lower-priority orders, had that been the true problem. But no. Eirin might not be your enemy, but neither was she the Lunarians' enemy. Anything you told her could eventually reach the Watatsuki sisters, and I was not about to lay myself bare before them! You took some deep breaths, holding yourself as still as a statue. It took effort to keep your face impassive and your voice steady. "That chain of logic could hold, but the key word within is 'if'. I would need to know the reason, and agree that it represents a meaningful step towards that end."

You looked towards Eirin, and the doctor was in deep thought. "That's understandable," she finally said. "I am trying to understand why Yukari is having you avoid Sumireko. I suspect this order is meant to tie your hands regarding the incident and prevent you from resolving it."

You stared at her in disbelief, shocked at the Brain of the Moon reaching such an absurd conclusion. Alice was one thing, but Eirin? "That's ridiculous! What could she possibly have to gain?"

"An urban legend, perhaps?" Alice unhelpfully supplied.

"The vast majority of which are effectively meaningless." you responded. "She might find gimmicks like Marisa's school secrets amusing, but they don't even register on the scale my master works at."

"Have you seen what Remilia's urban legend has done to her?" Eirin asked.

"Not in person, but I'm aware of it," you said.

"Then you should also be aware that an urban legend capable of driving Remilia mad contains real power." the doctor replied.

Wait. Driven mad? You were aware she was suffering, but not- "Furthermore," Eirin continued, "Yukari's power could alter the boundaries of what the urban legends themselves are. You cannot deny she could create something she would find useful from them."

Frustratingly, her logic wasn't obviously wrong. Part of your mind was going through possibilities, trying to see what Yukari might actually find useful from the myriad legends you were aware of. A training program for Reimu? A power boost for one of the other incident resolvers? A way to tie in the Moriya Shrine to the barrier, to prevent the Hakurei one from being a single point of failure? You shook your head. Not relevant. "Nevertheless, such a purpose could never be worth the upheaval this incident is bringing to Gensokyo. Besides. Even if she wanted to stop me from ending the incident, all she would need to do is order me away. There's no shortage of other tasks I could be attending to, and my master is the one who alerted me to the severity of the problem in the first place."

"That's... true," Eirin said, looking pensively down at her clipboard. "No, it's clear she wants you deeply involved. But then why sabotage you?"

"Yukari's ability to plan exceeds mine, and even yours. This is far from the first time she's given me orders I was unable to understand, and those frequently proved to be of critical importance. Had I followed the spirit of her order, this incident would in all probability be resolved." It was tiresome to be covering this ground again, and you made a point of glaring at the slanderer. "Rather than making baseless assumptions, you would be better served recognizing that she knows what she's doing."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that," Eirin said darkly. "It would be far more comfort if I could know what she's doing."

There it was. You took a deep breath, and affected a tone of icy politeness. "Perhaps. But I'm afraid your comfort is no reason to risk exposing my master's secrets, whether I myself know them or not."

The refusal was final, and you could see the moment Eirin realized that. Her face betrayed only a flicker of disapproval, but you could see her knuckles whiten as she tightened her grip on her clipboard. "Very well, then. I suppose we're done here."

Eirin did in fact escort you and Alice to the front gate, the brief flight passing in tense silence. Several times Alice looked as if she intended to speak, before thinking better of it at the last moment. Upon landing, you saw Reisen there, sitting against a tree. The moment she saw your group she jumped up, wincing as she saluted.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" you asked, looking the moon rabbit over. She was... not limping, exactly, but moving gingerly, and her cuts and bruises stood out clearly, even if she'd switched to a fresh change of clothes.

"Never better," Reisen claimed. "Besides, this is important."

You eyed her skeptically. "Don't you consider anything Eirin tells you to do important?"

"Well... yes," Reisen admitted, rubbing the back of her neck, "but this is particularly big."

It always was. Still, you couldn't deny the importance of this incident. "Very well. But tell us if there's an issue, understood?"

Reisen gave you a smile. It looked forced. "Eirin gave me some medicine already, I won't slow you down!"

"See that you don't," Eirin said. "I'm counting on you to perform well this time."

You stepped between them, giving Reisen's master a quick nod. "You have no cause for worry. I am certain her performance will be exemplary."

Eirin said nothing, but there was a slight smirk on her face you found irritating. You turned back to your new traveling companion. "Has Eirin told you what we're doing?"

"It was a quick briefing," Reisen said. "You're after the Lunar Capital's occult ball?"

"Yes." you confirmed. "We can fill you in on the way."

"Wait!" a voice rang out, and you turned to see Tewi running in your direction. "You're not gonna just leave without saying good-bye, are you?"

"I always 'just leave'," Reisen said, confused. "Why would now be any different?"

Tewi scampered in and gave Reisen a hug, looking up at the moon rabbit. "This could be dangerous! What am I gonna do if you get hurt?"

You blinked. That was surprisingly sweet, considering-

"Who am I gonna test my pitfall traps on?" Tewi continued.

There it was. You sighed.

Reisen seemed amused, returning the hug. "I suppose you'll have to catch Mokou."

"Are you kidding?" Tewi looked aghast. "She'd set me on fire!"

Reisen raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you telling me all I need to do to not get pranked is set you on fire?"

"Of course not! You, I can kill." Tewi said, smiling cheerfully all the while.

Reisen laughed, and Tewi gave her one last pat on the back before disengaging and losing the smile. "Seriously though. Stay safe, and good luck."

Reisen saluted. "You know me. I'll do what I can."

Once Ran, Alice, and Reisen flew off, Eirin walked back inside, with Tewi following close behind.

“Did you really just give her stimulants?” Tewi asked.

“I’ve fully treated the wounds hidden by her dress, and she has the full first-aid kit,” the doctor replied. “Including more painkillers, should her first dose run out. Though in truth, her wounds aren’t that bad.”

The earth rabbit let out an exhale that few would dare call a sigh of relief. “Really selling the abused servant bit, I see. Isn’t the sympathy a wasted effort with those two?”

Eirin shook her head. “Alice is blunt, but more caring than she first appears. And I suspect Ran is rather more emotional than usual.”

“Huh.” Tewi bit her lip. “Should I have really pranked her then?”

Eirin shook her head. “A light touch is better here. Ran will be more convinced if the evidence is sparse and Reisen insists she isn’t used harshly. If we’d gone too far, she’d sense a setup.”

The conversation paused for a minute as Tewi gave the matter some thought. “You know, Ran did seem pretty out of sorts.”

It was an invitation to explain. Eirin declined it. “You think so?”

“Yeah. Normally she’s like a living statue.” Tewi twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. “Like, if her next task required input from you, you could ask her to wait, leave to eat lunch, and find her in the same spot when you got back, doing her paperwork or something. Nothing gets to her. But instead she was arguing with you. She was even mad for a minute! And if I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was being protective of Reisen at the end. It felt weirdly familiar, actually.”

Eirin smiled. “She stepped in-between us when I was implying Reisen usually did a bad job. And defended her. Protective indeed.”

Tewi skipped around to in front of her. “Fine, I’ll bite. How’d you predict that kind of a reaction out of a shikigami?”

“It’s sympathy borne of shared pain,” Eirin said. “Yukari’s shikigami is not quite abused, but she’s certainly ill-used. There were none of the signs of positive reinforcement that accompany a shikigami successfully fulfilling orders, and when talking about Yukari, her tone was largely defensive.”

Tewi grinned at that. “Meaning a cute moon rabbit who absolutely doesn’t deserve the ‘torment’ she gets put through might get confided in?”

“It’s probably not that successful.” Eirin admitted. “But her guard will be lower, and perhaps Reisen can use that to drive in the idea that Yukari may be less than benevolent.”

“I don’t think you can get a shikigami to turn on its master.”

“Of course not. But a shikigami draws strength from being on the same page as their master. If Ran doubts Yukari, she’ll be slower. Weaker.”

Tewi frowned, deep in thought. “Is that what we want, though? I figured the incident ending would be for the best. It probably stops whatever Yukari’s up to as well.”

“It’s a fine line to walk,” Eirin conceded. “It is better than the Lunar Capital invading Gensokyo, or Yukari pulling off whatever plan she has, but merely ending the incident leaves my former students under siege. At the moment, our best move is to strengthen our position relative to Yukari’s, and Reisen’s in position to help with that.”

Tewi snorted. “Pity you can’t just negotiate with Yukari and get her onboard.”

“And wouldn’t that have made my life easier?” Really, Yukari would have been perfect for driving back the fairies. With how active she was right now, a deal would have been easy to negotiate… if the gap youkai wasn’t perfectly happy to see the moon burn.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think either of them will ever forget the whole murdering Ran’s kids thing. Really, it’s a surprise Ran smiles at all.”

“Thank you, Inaba, your insight is appreciated.” She side-eyed the rabbit, expecting the look that usually accompanied Tewi’s most sarcastic and useless advice.

Instead, she found a pensive expression. “Tewi?”

The rabbit snapped her fingers. “That’s it! Ran’s smile! I knew I’d seen that expression before.”

It was the rare moment where Eirin was completely baffled. “Could you elaborate?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important,” Tewi said casually. “Just that moment at the end? When Ran was being all protective of Reisen and smiled at her? She looked a lot like Greg did, when he was offering to protect me. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it a family resemblance.”

It was an idle comment. Small, easily overlooked, even trivial. But like a test-tube falling through the air, the potential consequences set Eirin’s instincts screaming. The Brain of the Moon stopped dead, her mind racing.

Greg. Sumireko’s mysterious companion from the outside world. Someone Ran had been completely unaware of, and unable to approach thanks to that mysterious order to avoid Sumireko. Someone who was reported to be charismatic, and who specialized in illusions, both notable strengths of kitsune. And according to Tewi, he even looked like Ran!

Eirin felt a laugh building deep within her, and strangled it down to a mere chuckle. “Oh, Yukari. You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Tewi looked up at her in concern. “Eirin?”

“Tewi!” The rabbit jumped. “I want every drop of blood from the scene of the fight bottled and moved to the high-security lab. I have DNA tests to run.”

Tewi blinked at her. “You realize that was a joke, right? I wasn’t seriously suggesting-”

Eirin laughed, striding off towards said lab. “Then you may have just gotten extremely lucky, for all our sakes.”

The shorter rabbit had to run to keep up. “It’s been over a century!”

Reaching a heavily reinforced metal door, Eirin punched in her code, and leaned down for the retinal scan. “It’s Yukari,” she reminded Tewi, as her authorization went through. “That means nothing.”

[x] Leaving Eientei

The flight through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was uneventful. Typically finding your way through required your complete focus and possibly a spellcard or two, but Reisen knew the path out by heart, and the forest’s lesser youkai knew to avoid her. Granted, such small fry should know to avoid you too (even if they’d been living under a rock, your nine tails were clearly visible), but there was no shortage of fools in any age.

The only point of mild interest was when a gust of wind blew Reisen’s hair aside, revealing the “Headpat me” sign taped to her back. Once pointed out, the servant’s only reaction (after tearing it off) was a rueful chuckle and a comment that Tewi must really be worried.

“And what do normal pranks look like?” you asked.

“Pitfalls are a favorite. Then there’s tripwires, glue on various items, unexpectedly spicy food - oh, if she ever offers to split russian roulette stuffed peppers, don’t do it; there’s one survivable one, and she always gets it - there was the glow-in-the-dark bedsheets, that prank candle that changed scents halfway down, that other prank candle that turned out to be a roman candle…”

You stared at her. “How do you not spend half of your time hospitalized?”

Reisen gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head. “See, it’s one thing if I get myself hurt in a danmaku duel or something, then I have to handle everything once I’m better. But if Tewi puts me down for a couple days, she has to do the work in my stead, and she hates that.”

Alice looked at her askance. “Is that why you volunteered for the incident?”

“As I recall, Eirin volunteered her,” you pointed out. “As punishment.”

“And she was voluntarily working with Marisa to end it before that,” Alice replied. “The question stands.”

For her part, Reisen sighed as she flew a bit higher. “It’s not that I want to volunteer,” she admitted. “It’s just work that needs to be done. Like, if it’s just divine spirits or UFO’s floating around, who cares?”

Yukari. Yourself. Reimu and Marisa, Sanae and her two gods. Probably Sakuya, Remilia too if it happens at night. And those were just the near certainties. For the right incident, you could add in Youmu and Yuyuko, Alice, Kasen, and then there were Miko and Byakuren with their respective underlings… all told, the average incident would be of interest to around ten to twenty people outside of the culprits, even if the resolution is typically handled by a small fraction of that number.

You held your tongue. Why Reisen cared now was more important than convincing her she should care at other times.

“But.. well, I saw Remilia.” Reisen continued. “This incident’s causing real damage, the kind that can’t be fixed by Reimu smacking someone with a Fantasy Seal. How could I look away?”

“How indeed?” you asked, glancing over to Alice. She looked away. “It’s an admirable attitude, and a pity that it seems to have gotten you in trouble.”

“What, these?” Reisen touched a bruise along her upper arm. “These are nothing. I’ve had a lot worse. Heck, Alice gave me worse during the incident we caused.”

“You did hide the moon.” Alice said defensively.

“No, sorry, didn’t mean to accuse you of anything!” Reisen waved her hands. “I just meant this isn’t too big of a deal. It’s Gensokyo; losing danmaku duels is a fact of life.”

Unless you were Yukari, that is. “While you have a point, I meant more getting you in trouble with Eirin.”

“It’s fine,” Reisen waved you off. “She’s not really angry, just making a point.”

You veered to the side to avoid a cluster of bamboo, forcing you to raise your voice a bit. “Does she usually make her points this way?”

The moon rabbit rolled her eyes. “No, she usually whacks me with an umbrella.”

For not the first time, you curse that stupid article. “That’s completely different. That’s discipline for failing.”

“And this isn’t?” Reisen snaps back, folding her arms.

No, it is not. It’s clear to you that the problem wasn’t her being out-fought (It’s Gensokyo, it’s Sakuya, it happens), but rather a punishment for showing initiative. But both the rabbit’s tone and body language indicate that she’s unlikely to accept the idea at present. Maybe you can ease her into it. You modulate your tone to something more conciliatory as you fly closer.

“I suppose I lack the necessary context to know for certain.” Technically true, though you’d put the odds of your interpretation being correct at 88%, “But it’s always rough to attempt a good deed and be punished for it.”

“Yeah, I hear that,” Reisen said with a nod. “Does yours ever do that to you?”

You paused, swerving around a particularly thick tangle of bamboo. “There have been times when I have received punishment after attempting something I thought sensible. But that was invariably for either poor judgement or poor execution on my end, never for attempting to do the right thing in and of itself.”

“What counts as poor judgement for a shikigami?” Alice asked. “Doesn’t it come down to whatever orders you were given?”

“For a non-sentient shikigami, yes, but sentient shikigami are capable of interpreting their own orders to a limited extent. This can be either encouraged or locked down depending on what the master desires, but Yukari has chosen to give me a wide range of freedom.” You shrugged. “It’s the only sensible choice with how autonomous I am required to be. Regardless, there is an element of judgement in how I interpret orders, and a poor decision there is likely to cascade into a poor outcome for the mission in question.”

Alice paused, her dolls flying around her. “So, hypothetically, if I were to make a living doll shikigami, carefully getting the exact words correct for each order would be less important than it would for a shikigami made from a normal doll?”

“Less important, but not unimportant,” you clarified. “The smarter the soul your sentient shikigami has, the better it will be at dealing with ambiguity, but your command still needs to be understandable. If you tell a shikigami to ‘do something useful’, and then complain that it failed to read your mind, the fault is your own.”

“Interesting,” the puppeteer said, humming thoughtfully. “So how would you set about programming a sentient shikigami?”

Never create or change the programming of any sentient shikigami.

“I wouldn’t,” you said reflexively.

Alice was in your face in an instant. “And why is that?”

You put your hands up in a placating gesture as you spoke hurriedly. “It’s an order! Such a thing is specifically forbidden to me!”

“And what’s the reasoning behind this one? Or is it another mystery?”

“Do you realize what the shikigami ritual is?” you demanded. “As used on wisps or dumb animals, it’s an incredibly useful tool, but when inflicted on an actual person, it is a weapon of enslavement. Youkai or human, whoever that person used to be gets bent to their masters’ will. Whether the shikigami’s can be said to be the original or whether it replaces it entirely, the youkai that remains is completely subservient to their master. It is a crime that violates the spirit of Gensokyo in every possible way. ”

Alice backed off a little, but remained right next to you. “Then why do you have Chen?”

You sighed, this time fondly. “Chen is more pet than slave, and her creation was largely accidental. She had been severely injured in a fight, and as Yukari was unavailable at the time, I needed to make her my shikigami to heal her. Because I had been newly remade as a shikigami, the ritual went awry, and her programming was… I supposed bugged is the right word.”

“Bugged how?” the puppeteer pressed.

“Chen does not obey my orders,” you admitted. “Among shikigami, this is unique. At the time, I was both confused and frustrated over the matter, but Yukari proved to be extremely fond of her, and desired that I not change her.”

Reisen looked over curiously. “Huh. Any particular reason for that?”

You took a moment to make sure your voice and manner were as serious as possible. “It would appear, as independently observed by multiple ancient youkai, that Chen is extremely cute. The full extent of this cuteness has yet to be discovered, but an anonymous expert on the matter assures me that this particular boundary is limitless.”

Alice snorted. “I suppose you’ve got Reisen beat on that one.”

“I don’t know, some of the earth rabbits are pretty cute.” the moon rabbit tried. “Particularly the babies.”

You knew the answer to that one. “But can you have one at your side all day? Will it make the bunny’s day to see you, will she delight in telling you what she’s been doing, and look forwards to spending each moment with you? Will your earth rabbit curl up next to you in bed, or can you wake holding her in your arms? These earth rabbits you know may be cute, but they aren’t yours.”

You sighed. With everything going on with this incident, it had been a few days since you had last made time for Chen. It was for the best - you did not want her involved with this mess - but you resolved to make up the difference once Sumireko was dealt with.

Looking up, you realized the others were both looking at you now, with expressions that were difficult to watch. “That… no.” Reisen said softly. “No, it would never be like that.”

It was further than you had intended to go. Seeing a level of closeness you didn’t personally possess could only ever hurt, and you hadn’t meant to wield your bond with Chen against her. “Kaguya could probably find one for you, if you desired it?” you asked gently.

She shook her head. “That’s a prank setup.”

“From Kaguya?”

“Kaguya can barely tell the earth rabbits apart. She would ask Tewi, and I know how that ends.”

That was unlikely to be the real reason, but you didn’t press. Procuring a pet for Reisen was not your role… if a pet was even what she desired.

“But getting back to the original question,” Alice interrupted, flying between the two of you, “You can’t program a sentient shikigami yourself. Fine. Hypothetically, how would you recommend someone else go about it?”

“Sidestepping my orders isn’t that easy, Alice.” You shook your head. “But fortunately, it’s not necessary. You’re asking the wrong question.”

Alice’s gaze lost none of its intensity, but it became a touch more curious, a touch less stern. “Explain.”

“Your goal… or rather, the current path to your goal is not to take a sentient creature and enslave it with the shikigami ritual. It’s to use the shikigami ritual to build a non-sentient doll up to a living, thinking being.”

“Yes?” she prompted.

“By the strict wording of the relevant order, you’re already in the clear.” you explained. “Yukari ordered me to never create or program a sentient shikigami myself. But the purpose behind the order is also important, and this order’s purpose is both obvious and agreeable. No more enslaving souls.”

“But you want to learn about sentient shikigami for a different reason. A unique one, in fact. Instead of looking to enslave life, you’re trying to create it. And the pursuit of that knowledge is something I can help you with. Assuming you ask the right questions, at least.”

Alice rolled her eyes. “If it’s not against your orders, couldn’t you just tell me?”

“I could,” you admitted. “But if we are to work together, it’s important you understand this point.”

The puppeteer glanced back at her dolls flying all around her. “How can the shikigami ritual build up the intelligence of the shikigami itself?”

There it was. You smiled, starting your explanation. “When starting from an inanimate object, the first component of intelligence is the ability to make your own decisions, and that needs a soul. And as it so happens, the key mechanism of the shikigami ritual, and one of the reasons the bond it creates is so strong is that a part of the master’s soul is given to the shikigami.”

Reisen startled. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

You flicked her ear, drawing a wince out of her. “In bedtime stories, perhaps. It is a small piece of the soul, and recovers quickly - the spiritual equivalent to losing a little blood. There is no practical danger.”

Alice was still intent on her goal. “And what are the effects on the shikigami?” she asked.

“Essentially, the given piece of the master’s soul combines with the relevant piece of the shikigami’s soul, and is what the shikigami’s decisions are all made through. This is why the master’s orders cannot be disobeyed, because even in the shikigami’s own mind, the master has final authority.” It also served as the mechanism through which the master can possess the shikigami, but that wasn’t the point at present.

“Understandable for a living creature. But what if the shikigami lacks its own mind to even give context to any decisions?” Alice asked.

“That’s the difficulty,” you agreed. “It’s why wisps need such careful programming to achieve everything; you need to tell them exactly what everything is. Hypothetically, more and more advanced programming could bring them closer and closer to sentience. The theory is that there exists some critical mass where all the context has finally been gathered, and the shikigami is comparable to one that started out sentient.”

“‘Hypothetically’, ‘theory’, ‘comparable’...” Alice eyed you. “Not the most convincing turns of phrase.”

You shrugged. “It is only a theory, and what you desire is breaking new ground. If I had something more concrete, I would have led with it. The alternative is finding some other way to provide the doll with the necessary context and understanding required for a mind.”

Had you been completely honest, you would have admitted that you doubted this approach could yield a sentient doll in the end. No matter how advanced the programming became, it would still ultimately be just programming. The doll would never be able to surprise her with a new insight or draw a conclusion she disagreed with, because its insights were all drawn from her insights, and it’s conclusions would likewise be the same as hers.
Alice was deep in thought, her only movement being the occasional adjustments necessary to avoid flying into anything. “What if I gave the shikigami more of my soul?”

“That’s a dangerous idea,” you said bluntly. “The shikigami ritual was designed to work with the minimum possible soul transfer, precisely because giving up larger portions of your soul is so dangerous.”

“Oh, so now damaging your own soul is dangerous?” Reisen needled.

“You of all people should know the difference between medicine and poison is dosage.” you snapped.

“How much is an acceptable risk?” Alice asked.

“I don’t know the precise limit. It’s something I have never experimented with, due to the extreme consequences of getting it wrong.” you stressed. “But if you insist on this course of action, I would not risk more than a twentieth.”

“I understand that!” she pressed on. “What happens to the shikigami?”

Making it easier to possess the shikigami and wield more of your power was one consequence. Stronger control of the shikigami and making it easier to reshape their personality was another. But neither of those was what Alice truly cared about, she wanted to know if it would help in making her doll live.

And theoretically… it could. Your past self had never experimented with this, but if a small fraction of the soul changed the shikigami’s decision-making, a larger fraction of the soul could give it better decision making, perhaps even emotions or memories if it was large enough.

Except… much like blood, losing a little soul may be barely noticeable, but losing too much would be dangerous, even fatal. And if the usual shikigami ritual was like cutting your finger, giving away enough of your soul to make an inanimate object sentient was likely comparable to slitting your wrists.

[-]Tell her the truth. Alice is both an adult and a magician by trade, and she should be well familiar with how to do magical research properly.
[-]Claim ignorance, but stress the danger. She doesn’t need your encouragement to explore any further, but a bit of restraint might save her a lot of pain.
[-]Lie, say there’s no benefit to the shikigami’s mind. Creating a living doll is bordering on an obsession for Alice, and you’ve got a bad feeling about how far she’d be willing to push herself for it.

[X]Tell her the truth. Alice is both an adult and a magician by trade, and she should be well familiar with how to do magical research properly.

“With the caveat that this line of research is both untested and dangerous,” you paused to see how this was playing, saw Alice’s eager look and sighed, “logically, it should be possible. Depending on how much of the master’s soul was given over, there’s the potential for increased decision-making capabilities, and possibly even the transferring of memories or emotions.”

“I knew it.” Alice smiled hungrily, flying that much closer to you. “How would you go about transferring specific emotions?”

Did she intend to build a particular personality? “I suspect the emotions delivered would be a either a reflection of the master’s psyche, or inspired by the set of memories involved.”

Alice paused, some of her eagerness fading into intense focus. “Hm. If you’re correct, then that makes things more difficult.”

“Are you trying to make something in particular?” Reisen asked idly.

“I’m creating a living doll, if you hadn’t gathered that.” Alice said.

That wasn’t what Reisen was asking, which suggested an answer to her real question. Yes, Alice wanted this doll to be something specific. It meant something in particular to her. You shook your head, trying to catch the moon rabbit’s eye.

Reisen missed the hint. “Yeah, but if the point’s for the doll to be alive, does it matter which emotions it has?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alice snapped.

Reisen flinched back, and the puppeteer took a deep breath, rounding on her. “I do not cobble together materials mindlessly. All of my dolls were created with care. Every joint, every stitch has been carefully chosen to bring together the whole. Each command and spellcard I use was first tirelessly researched, and then refined to maximize their potential. Do you expect me to be less precise in crafting the mind of my magnum opus?”

With the rabbit suitably cowed, Alice turned to you. “And with that in mind, let us do this right. Explain the theory behind the shikigami ritual, starting from the beginning.”

You weren’t convinced. Pride in your work was one thing, and something you had plenty of experience with yourself. But Alice was fine with having her dolls hold puppet shows, or teaching children to make their own. She was known for regularly pulling her punches in spellcard duels, losing to opponents far below her true level. This defensiveness over the idea that she’d create something lesser? It didn’t fit.

But the details of your ally’s planned creation were not your concern. Alice had been convinced of the research possibilities of shikigami, she would assist you in ending the incident, and those were the only details that mattered.

It was officially evening by the time you reached your destination, the last rays of sunlight having faded away. Still, it was a productive journey.

For all the work your past self had put into it, the shikigami ritual was less complicated than most would expect. And while mastery cannot be gained in a couple of hours, competence can be - and Alice had both substantial magical skill and no shortage of motivation. You explained the theory of shikigami as you flew, and the puppeteer all but devoured the knowledge. Each lesson was learned rapidly, with minimal questions and no repetition. With her understanding of dolls as a basis, Alice was assimilating the shikigami ritual with a speed that was almost frightening.

In short, Alice had learned enough to actually cast the ritual herself, and perhaps to even start experimenting with some of the elements. She was the sort of talent Tamamo-no-mae would have made a point of recruiting, once upon a time. (Or by killing her, if unwilling. Tamamo had not found her success by leaving powerful wildcards in play, after all.)

“So why are we at Myouren Temple again?” Reisen asked, shaking you from your reverie.

“It’s the surest way of getting to Senkai,” you explained. “Senkai works off the principle that any crack contains limitless space.”

Reisen seemed baffled. “What? Isn’t that just blatantly false?”

You smiled. “No, it’s a topological principle. Two shapes are equivalent if you can reshape one into another without needing to join or cut any part of the shape. Under this equivalence, a cup and a cube are identical to both each other, and any fully solid convex object, such as a ball. Similarly, a mug with a handle can be considered equivalent to a donut, or a tube, but not something like a sword. By applying this principle, any hidden space can be expanded to arbitrary size, and even the smallest passageway can be traversed.”

The completely blank look on their faces indicated you’d overshot the mark. You sighed. “It’s a spacial manipulation ability hermits can use. It turns a small pocket dimension into an area big enough to live in, and they can poke tiny holes in reality to expand into passageways in and out of it. It’s quite useful, allowing a hermit to access Senkai from essentially anywhere.”

“Wait. If Senkai can be accessed from anywhere, why are we here?” Reisen asked.

“A hermit can access Senkai from anywhere,” you stressed. “We lack the necessary abilities to travel through an ant-sized crack in the ground.”

“If only we knew someone who could manipulate that exact sort of boundary.” Alice said.

“If Yukari were awake, we wouldn’t even need the entrance,” you pointed out drily. “She could simply provide a gap over. As-is, we need to make do with an existing entrance, and there’s only one I could be certain would be large enough.”

With a sweeping wave of your arm, you gestured to the graveyard below. A well-tended cobblestone path snaked out from Myouren Temple, looping through the cemetery and back around towards the human village proper. Graves stretched out in somewhat irregular rows, though the tombstones themselves were all hewn to the same pattern, each one a small stone pillar inside a wider stone base. And at the end, guarded by a lone figure, was the cavern where the Divine Spirit Mausoleum had originally lain… and where the passage to Senkai was now.

“The Myouren Temple Graveyard,” you announced. “When the Taoists relocated the Divine Spirit Mausoleum to Senkai, they left a path to it here. And because they moved the entire building through this passageway, we should have no trouble slipping through.”

“Shouldn’t that be irrelevant if the size of the passage can be opened or shrunk at will?” Alice asked.

“In theory, yes, but the ability isn’t perfect,” you said. “Think of it like inflating a balloon. Even if you let the air out afterwards, the balloon doesn’t shrink all the way back down to the original size. It remains stretched, just a little bigger than it was before.”

Alice nodded. “Ah. And because they’ve transferred an entire building, even the shrunk form of the passageway should still be large enough to fit a youkai.”

“Indeed.”

You swooped down to the grass, landing gently between a pair of gravestones. This was enough to get the figure by the cave to react. Lurching in your direction, the jiang shi started yelling.

Yoshika waved her arms. “Go away! Nobody gets to come in!”

“Of course, this also makes it the one passage they need to guard,” you remarked. Turning to the zombie, you tried reasoning. “This is about the ongoing incident. I need to talk to Miko.”

Yoshika stared at you, shifting awkwardly from leg to leg. “The… incident?”

“The urban legend incident.” you said. “The one Miko is interested in?”

“Isn’t she already a legend?” she asked. “Why would she need more?”

You sighed. “She’s attempting to solve it, as am I, which is why I need to talk to her.”

Yoshika stared at you, nodding blankly. “Okay? I think?”

“Good.” You resumed walking, and made it a total of three steps before being interrupted.

“Go away!” Yoshika yelled. “Nobody gets to come in!”

“She makes an eloquent argument,” Alice remarked.

You sighed. This was why nobody liked jiang shi.

[-] Just fight her. She’s not actually a threat.
[-] Use an illusion to sneak past her.
[-] Tell her your name is nobody and ask to be let in.

[X] Tell her your name is nobody and ask to be let in.

There were any number of reasons not to use jiang shi as servants. Their general foulness being the primary one, of course, but their sheer stupidity was a close second. Yoshika needed programming almost as much as one of your wisps, and hers had to all fit on a single talisman.

“So nobody can come in?” you prodded.

“Nobody can come in!” she exclaimed.

“Are you sure nobody can come in?” you checked.

“Yes! Nobody can come in!” Yoshika nodded so violently she almost fell over, tottering on one leg.

“Okay. I’m nobody.” you said. “Can I come in?”

“You cannot be serious,” Alice muttered.

Yoshika’s two brain cells were dashing around, making frantic efforts to rub together. They just barely managed to connect. “Huh? But… nobody’s nobody, right?”

You nodded. “That’s right, and since I’m nobody, that means I’m also nobody.”

Yoshika froze, clearly puzzled, and you took a step forwards. She didn’t react, so you took kept walking. You got within a few paces before her head snapped up again.

“Nobody can-”

“I’m nobody,” you reminded her.

She hesitated, slumped back down. “Come in.”

You glanced back at Alice and Reisen, who were openly staring.

“I don’t believe it,” the puppeteer said.

Reisen recovered first, walking forwards with the same declaration. “I’m also nobody! Can I come in?”

“Eh?” The zombie looked back towards you. “Isn’t she nobody?”

“Right, but if she’s nobody and I’m nobody, then since nobody’s nobody, that means I must be nobody!” Reisen had clearly figured out how Yoshika’s mind worked. Or rather, how it didn’t work.

Yoshika’s head jerked back and forth between you and her, clearly bewildered. “But… that’s… each person has their own name?”

“More than one person can have the same name,” Reisen said. “She’s Nobody Ran, and I’m Nobody Reisen! That’s how we’re both nobody!”

“Ohhhhhh.” Yoshika tilted her head, and her gaze slid from the moon rabbit over to Alice. “So are you nobody too?”

You breathed a sigh of relief. All Alice had to do was say yes, and you’d all be-

“Nah. My name is Alice. Are you going to stop me?”

Yoshika jumped up, excited. “YES! NOBODY CAN COME IN!”

Alice smiled, floating into the air as she started up a spellcard, which the zombie matched.

“Damn it, Alice.” You facepalmed.

“That’s a Mokou move if I’ve ever seen one.” Reisen said offhand. She hesitated slightly, glancing back. “Should we wait for her?”

“No.” You turned back to Alice and raised your voice. “Make it quick! We’re not waiting for you!”

“I’ll catch up!” she called back, weaving effortlessly through Yoshika’s danmaku.

You flew into the cavern, leaving Alice to enjoy her fight with Yoshika.

“Are all jiang shi like that?” Reisen asked.

“She’s more coherent than most,” you admitted.

That was not the answer the moon rabbit was hoping to hear. “Are you serious?”

“Just like any other corpse, a jiang shi will rot over time, further degrading their body and brain. Yoshika’s already gone through some of that, but there’s an anti-degradation spell on her talisman that mostly halts the process.”

Reisen shuddered. “Being trapped in a slowly decaying body, unable to reverse it? That sounds horrifying.”

Banking around a corner in the cavern, you saw the empty space where the Hall of Dreams’ Great Mausoleum used to reside, now containing nothing more than a tear in space, shining with white light. You landed as you approached it. “Isn’t that what old age is for humans?”

“That is not the same thing!” the doctor’s assistant protested.

“Why not? Isn’t it just a pain they’ve grown used to calling normal?” You shrugged. “But to be fair, a jiang shi also has no sense of pain. Even if her muscles rot to nothingness, the most she’ll feel is annoyance that she can barely walk.”

Reisen stared at you. “You really think that jiang shi are okay?”

“Not at all,” you said. “They completely lack anything resembling grace, mobility, or intelligence, and even their unusual strength is a product of them breaking their bodies limits from being too stupid to care about hurting themselves. Really, the entire species can be considered a desecration of the dead.”

“Then why justify them?” she asked.

“It’s not justification. It’s accurate condemnation.” You sighed. “Jiang shi are distasteful, disrespectful and inefficient, but what they are not is a crime against the living. There’s not enough of the mind left for that.”

“Now that’s rather harsh,” a new voice said. “Especially coming from a living crime.”

You looked over towards the gap, where a blue-haired hermit floated out.

“Seiga,” you said.

[-] To be continued.