Reimu Gets Paid

by CaptainJObvious

Summary:

After a big party at the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu awakes to find her donation bin completely empty. The search is on for her stolen funds.

Chapter 1: D-Day (Donation Day) Minus One 23:53 (Local Time)

It was an unusually cool late summer night at the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu waved as the last of her guests walked under the gate and left the shrine.

Youmu walked out, followed by Sanae. Sakuya and Remilia left together. After a short delay, Shou stumbled away, supported by Ichirin. Rumia glided off after them. The shrine had really seen some unusual guests that night.

Not only had the guest list been out of the ordinary, but it had also been expansive. Reimu couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen Mamizou at the shrine. All sorts of rare visitors had shown up all at once, just for a simple summer party.

As the last few guests trickled out, Reimu finished off her cup of sake. She got up from her seat on the shrine's front porch. Her movements were sluggish and unsteady. All she wanted to do was get to bed.

Reimu stumbled her way around the building, then stopped. A familiar object had caught her eye. It was the donation bin. Surely a party this big would have resulted in a few generous guests.

After struggling for a few minutes, Reimu managed to get the donation bin open. Just as the shrine maiden had hoped, there was money in the bin. A lot of money. Moonlight glinted off of more coins than Reimu could count, at least in her inebriated state.

Reimu grinned and laughed. She stared down at the donation bin like it was her newborn baby.

Once the shrine maiden had satisfied her desire to stare at the haul, she put the bin's lid back on, and stumbled to her room.  

 

Notes:

This will be my backburner project for a while. Expect updates from time to time.

Chapter 2: D-Day 11:24 (Local Time)

Reimu walked over to the donation bin. She let out a loud yawn and lifted the lid off the top of the box. She fiddled around with the lid, still half asleep. 

It took Reimu a minute to get around to actually looking inside the bin. When she did, she froze for a second. The bin was empty, save for a single dull coin. It was a pale imitation of what she had seen last night.

Reimu reached in and picked up the coin. She stared at it, unable to comprehend what she was looking at. Where was the rest of it? It hadn't been a dream, had it?

No, the donations from the previous night were definitely real. Reimu was sure of that. They must have gotten lost somehow, or maybe she already put it away?

“Hey, Reimu!” Marisa called out.

Reimu turned away from the bin. Marisa walked towards Reimu, the magician waved, but Reimu didn't respond.

Marisa walked up onto the shrine's front porch. “Is something wrong?”

“The donations from last night are missing,” Reimu answered.

Marisa raised an eyebrow. “You got donations last night?”

“A lot of them.”

Marisa walked over to the donation bin and looked inside. “Weird. Maybe somebody hid it as a prank.”

“A prank?”

Marisa pointed to the coin. “They even left one behind for you to find.” She paused for a second. “It's funnier when you're drunk.” 

“Fairies would do something like that.”

“Definitely.”

Reimu closed the donation bin. She pondered Marisa's words for a few seconds. Someone must have taken the money. It was probably someone from the party, but there were plenty of fairies around, too.

“Marisa, you know that fairy trio, right?” Reimu asked.

“Sunny, Star, and Luna?”

“Yeah, those three.”

“I don't think they'd take money from you.”

“They're some of the biggest pranksters out there. Why wouldn’t they do something like this?”

“I mean, I think they know better than to mess with you. They're smarter than that.”

“They're fairies, I don't think they're that smart.”

“You've got a point.”

Reimu walked to the edge of the porch. “I'll go pay them a visit.”

Marisa reached out. “Wait! I'll come with you!” The magician sounded oddly desperate.

Reimu stared at Marisa. “Why are you so worried?”

“I don't want you to run in there and beat them all up before they have a chance to explain themselves.” Marisa waved her hand around. “You really like to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I do not!”

“You really do.”

“Only because everybody else starts shooting before I do!”

“Let's just head over there.”

“Yeah, before I start shooting.”

Chapter 3: D-Day 11:50 (Local Time)

Reimu and Marisa landed by a massive tree in the middle of the forest. Reimu had seen the tree a few times before, but she didn't know any fairies lived inside it.

“So, they live here?” Reimu asked.

Marisa nodded. She led the pair around the tree, to the other side. There was a door. It was small by human standards, but an excellent size for a fairy.

Reimu felt a bit stupid for never realizing the three fairies of light lived here before. It explained a few things.

“It doesn't seem that nice,” Reimu said.

“No, it actually is! It's a lot bigger and cozier than it looks,” Marisa replied.

“You've been in there before?”

Marisa nodded.

Not only do they live here, they have guests over. Reimu knocked on the door.

There was no activity inside the tree. Reimu knocked again. She got no answer.

“Let me try.” Marisa knocked on the door. “Hey, guys! It's me, Marisa!”

Reimu frowned. “You think they're scared of me, don't you?”

“I know they're scared of you.”

Reimu pouted.

Even after Marisa tried to summon the fairies, there was still no answer.

“Maybe they're not home,” Marisa suggested.

“Any idea what they do all day?”

Marisa shook her head.

“Um,” a voice said from behind the duo.

Reimu and Marisa spun around. Eternity Larva was standing a short distance away. The fairy refused to make eye contact with Reimu.

“Do you know where they went?” Reimu asked.

“Well...” Eternity stared at the ground. “Why do you want to know?”

“I think they have my money.”

“What?!” Eternity practically jumped back, then froze up.

“Why do you have to say it like a yakuza boss?!” Marisa said.

“They wouldn't do something like that! They aren't thieves!” Eternity said.

“But they are pranksters,” Reimu said.

“I guess, but that sounds too serious for them.”

Marisa stepped between Reimu and Eternity. “Look, we just want to talk to them, alright?” the magician said.

“Alright.” Eternity sighed. “They went to the big red mansion.”

“The Scarlet Devil Mansion?”

Eternity nodded.

The exchange awoke a memory in Reimu. Sakuya, Meiling, and that one redhead from the library had been at her party the previous night. Remilia had been there, too, but she didn't stay very long.

With four different witnesses, there must be some sort of lead in the mansion. Reimu couldn't imagine any of them taking money from her, but they had to have seen or heard something helpful.

“Why are they at the mansion?” Marisa asked.

“I don't know,” Eternity answered.

“We won't find out in this forest, will we?” Reimu said.

“Right, let's get over there,” Marisa said.

Eternity stared at the pair like she had something to say.

“Is there something else?” Marisa asked.

“I want to come with you,” Eternity muttered.

“Then follow us or meet us there.”

“Aren't you going to ask why?”

“No,” Reimu replied.

“I just assumed you were feeling curious,” Marisa said. “Or you wanted to make sure the big scary shrine maiden doesn't beat up your friends.”

“Both, actually,” Eternity said.

“Then let's get going,” Reimu said.

Chapter 4: D-Day 12:01 (Local Time)

Reimu and Marisa flew over the lake with Eternity lagging far behind them. The clear blue water was a blur beneath the pair, and gray clouds were moving in above.

The only sound that Reimu could hear was the wind rushing past her ears.

Eternity tried to break the silence. “It's almost time for lunch.”

“We can get snacks at the mansion,” Reimu replied.

“I don't know if they have food for me. What if there's blood in it, or something?”

Reimu started to speak up, then stopped herself. She couldn't deny the possibility of blood in the food.

“Can you wait like an hour or so?” Marisa asked.

“I skipped breakfast.”

“Figures.” Reimu scanned the lake's shores. A small wooden structure caught her gaze. There was a light blue speck by the structure. Reimu recognized her instantly.

The shrine maiden had no desire to go to the stand, but her only other option was to waste even more time searching for food inside the mansion. She sighed.

“What's up, Reimu?” Marisa asked.

“Cirno's selling shaved ice again,” Reimu said.

Eternity's eyes lit up. “That's perfect!”

“It's just sugar water.”

“I'm a butterfly!”

Reimu fell silent.

Eternity broke off from the rest of the group. Marisa followed her, and Reimu reluctantly fell in behind Marisa.

Cirno had set up a wooden stand at the very edge of the water. It faced away from the water, forcing the trio to awkwardly circle around from behind the fairy. Cirno stood behind her stand, seemingly unbothered by the surprise company.

“Why did she set it up so close to the water? Isn't she worried the tide will come in?” Eternity asked.

“It's a lake,” Reimu said.

“So?”

The trio landed in front of the stand. Eternity jogged right up to Cirno. The butterfly prepared to speak, then stopped herself. She turned back to her companions.

“Do you want anything?” Eternity asked.

Reimu shook her head. “No tha-”

“One for each of us,” Marisa said.

“Okay!” Eternity turned back to Cirno.

Reimu leaned closer to Marisa. “Did you really just ask a fairy to pay for our food?” the shrine maiden whispered.

“Watch,” Marisa replied.

“Three please!” Eternity said.

Cirno held out her hand, expecting payment. Eternity held out her hand as well, and dropped a collection of bugs into Cirno's palm. The ice fairy put the bugs into a small glass jar, alone with some twigs, rocks, and scrap paper.

The jar had no lid, so most of the bugs escaped in a matter of seconds. Cirno handed over four snow cones.

I should have known, Reimu thought.

Eternity returned to the others. She handed Marisa a snow cone, then Reimu, then starred at the two in her hands. After a short delay, she handed Marisa a second cone.

Reimu hesitated for a moment, then licked her cone. It tasted like frozen sugar water, just as predicted.

As she ate, Reimu made her way over to Cirno.

“No refunds,” Cirno said, looking at the jar.

“It's not that. Were you at my party last night?” Reimu said.

Cirno stared at Reimu. “There was a party last night?”

Reimu nodded.

“Why didn't you send me an invite?!” Cirno slammed her fists against the stand, nearly causing it to collapse.

“I don't send out invitations. It's an open thing.”

Cirno calmed down. “Oh.”

“Have you seen those three light guys today?”

“Information is extra.” Cirno rubbed her fingers together.

Reimu looked around for a second. She bent down, picked a shiny pebble up, and put it down in front of Cirno.

Cirno took the rock. “I haven't seen them.”

Reimu sighed. “Really?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I think they might have taken money from me.”

“If you're looking for them, why are you heading to the red house?”

“Eternity said they're there.”

“They are?!” Cirno nearly jumped over her stand. “I need to get over there!”

Reimu reached over and held Cirno in place. “Why?”

“She beat me in danmaku!”

“Which one?!”

Cirno squirmed in Reimu's grasp. “Sunny!”

Marisa walked over to the stand. “You're looking for the three fairies, too?”

Cirno nodded.

Marisa shot Cirno a smile. “Then come with us. We'll have a better chance together.”

Please say 'no'.

“Okay!” Cirno said.

Chapter 5: D-Day 12:06 (Local Time)

Reimu, Marisa, Eternity, and Cirno landed in front of the Scarlet Devil Mansion's front gate. Meiling was standing guard by the entrance. The gatekeeper held an umbrella under her like a cane.

Despite the dreary weather, Meiling seemed happy. “Good mor-” She turned around and looked up at the mansion's clock tower. “Good afternoon. What brings you three here?”

“Three?” Reimu asked.

“She thinks she knows why I'm here,” Marisa replied.

Meiling tilted her head. “No, that's not what I mean. There's only three of you.”

Reimu turned around. Marisa was still there, of course, and Eternity was standing right next to her.

“Where's Cirno?” Marisa asked.

“She was here a second ago. Did something happen to her?” Eternity asked.

“She probably just got bored and wandered off,” Reimu said.

“Cirno! Cirno!” Eternity called out.

Meiling waved at Eternity. “Hey, please don't yell. We have rules about noi-”

Before Meiling could finish speaking, Sakuya appeared right in front of Eternity. The fairy shrieked and shrunk away from the maid.

Sakuya looked around. “Is something wrong?”

Eternity froze up, then began to tremble. She tried to speak, but nothing coherent came out.

“Her friend wandered off somewhere,” Reimu said.

“I see.” Sakuya turned her attention to Reimu. “May I ask why you're paying us a visit?”

“We're looking for the three fairies of... What was it again?” Reimu tried to remember what they were calling themselves, then gave up. “I'm sure you know who I'm talking about.”

“I really don't.”

“Really? How many groups of fairies like that can there be?”

“Several.”

“Fairies love to stuff like that,” Marisa said. “They're always forming little clubs with their friends.”

“I can list off about a dozen,” Meiling said.

“It's the three fairies of light, by the way.”

“I know 'em.”

“Then would you please handle this, Meiling? I still have to clear out that bird's nest,” Sakuya asked.

“Gladly.”

As quickly as she'd appeared, Sakuya disappeared. Eternity continued to stare at the spot where Sakuya had stood.

Meiling walked over to the group. “I haven't seen those three around here for a while, but that doesn't mean much.”

“Eternity said they went here,” Marisa said.

“Then she's probably right.” Meiling walked over to Eternity. “Do you know anything else?”

Eternity stammered and stuttered.

“She doesn't know anything else,” Reimu said.

“Then I guess we'll just have to look around,” Meiling said.

“I'm sure they have some sort of prank in mind,” Marisa said.

“Definitely.” Meiling walked back to the gate, and motioned for the others to follow her.

While the rest of the group headed towards the mansion, Eternity remained stuck in place. The fairy refused to move.

Reimu turned and walked back to Eternity. “What's wrong?” Reimu asked.

“I'm not going in there,” Eternity whispered.

“Why?”

“I think they took Cirno.”

“She just wandered off.”

“No she didn't. That scary lady grabbed her. She probably got Sunny and Star and Luna, too.”

“Sakuya?”

Eternity nodded.

“Sakuya's not a kidnapper,” Reimu said.

“You don't know that!”

Reimu groaned. The others had already moved on, leaving the pair alone. A single drop of rain landed on her head.

“Okay, that's it.” Reimu grabbed Eternity by the arm and dragged her towards the gate. The fairy didn't resist.

“Stop!” Eternity protested, but she followed behind Reimu anyway.

“Would you prefer it if I left you here alone?”

Eternity didn't reply.

Reimu went through the gate. “That's what I thought.”

Chapter 6: D-Day 12:20 (Local Time)

Reimu and Eternity caught up to the rest of the group in the mansion's foyer. Meiling and Marisa were waiting for them.

Eternity pulled away from Reimu and headed over to Marisa. Reimu didn't mind.

“Now, they're probably with the other fairies,” Meiling said.

“And where are they?” Reimu asked.

“Some of them should be cleaning in the library today. I think they're weeding in the garden, too.”

Reimu could only imagine how tedious it would be to teach a fairy what weeds are.

“Maybe we should split up?” Marisa suggested.

Eternity shuddered. “What?!”

“That should save us some time,” Meiling replied.

Eternity stammered out a few unintelligible words, then spent a moment collecting herself. “Don't you want to keep us together? What if we cause trouble?”

“I know Reimu and Marisa won't do anything.”

“What about me?”

“They'll watch you.”

“I call dibs on the library!” Marisa said.

Marisa's words came as a surprise to absolutely no one. Meiling shot the magician a knowing glance. “I'm going with you.”

“Then I guess I'll take Eternity to the garden.” Reimu turned to the fairy. “You like flowers, right?”

Eternity didn't answer.

“At least you get to go out of the mansion,” Reimu muttered.

Marisa was already headed for the library.

“Hey, don't try to sneak away!” Meiling followed Marisa.

Reimu silently watched the pair leave, then turned to Eternity again. “Why didn't you want us to split up?”

“Because now we're easier to pick off,” Eternity replied.

“Pick off?”

“Yeah, like in one of those ghost stories.”

“We're not going to get picked off. It's not dangerous here.”

“That's easy for you to say, you could probably survive inside the sun, or on the moon, or...” Eternity paused for a second. “I think the monster is after fairies! They already got Cirno!”

“There isn't a monster, and Cirno just wandered off on her own. There are dozens of fairies who live here.”

“What if they're getting taken and replaced?”

“How many fairies do you think live in Gensokyo? They'd run out of maids in a month!”

“Maybe they supplement it with humans.”

“There aren't that many humans either!” Reimu was growing more and more annoyed. “Look, why don't you just leave when we get to the garden? You can just fly off.”

“But then I'll be abandoning Cirno.”

“I'm going to head to the garden, alright?” Reimu turned and walked away. “Do whatever you want.”

Eternity froze up for a few seconds, then followed after Reimu.

 

Chapter 7: D-Day 12:24 (Local Time)

Reimu walked out of the mansion and onto a covered porch. The garden was sprawled out in front of her, and a light rain was coming down onto it. Rows of hedges and trees filled up the space between the mansion's outer wall and the building itself.

Eternity joined Reimu outside. “Where are all the fairies?” Eternity asked.

“They're out here somewhere,” Reimu answered.

Reimu walked out into the garden. The rain lessened into a pleasant mist. Eternity remained glued to the shrine maiden.

Reimu wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes. The entire garden was so clean and well manicured that she couldn't even imagine so much as a single unauthorized seed making its way in, let alone a weed sprouting.

After navigating around a long line of hedges, Reimu came to an empty area filled with short grass. A small group of maid fairies were in the clearing, huddled around a single leafy plant that looked out of place.

“I think it's a dandelion,” a fairy said.

“It's just grass,” another replied.

Reimu inspected the fairies from a distance. She didn't recognize any of them. Unless the fairies had gotten very good at disguising themselves, they weren't the ones she was looking for.

“Do you think that's them, Eternity?” Reimu asked.

There was no answer.

Reimu looked around. “Eternity?”

Reimu kept looking around. She was alone, save for the maids. She retraced her steps, and still couldn't find her companion.

Reimu abandoned her search. She must have ran off. She was pretty scared earlier.

It would have been impossible for someone to grab the fairy, right? Eternity had been right behind Reimu the whole time.

Reimu sighed and walked back to the mansion. She needed to go find Marisa and Meiling, if something actually was wrong, she could use their help. As soon as she got back inside, she headed straight for the library.

Chapter 8: D-Day 12:30 (Local Time)

The mansion's library was annoyingly dim as always. Reimu navigated the labyrinth of giant bookshelves as she looked for Marisa and Meiling.

The library was large enough to squeeze every building in the Hakurei Shrine inside it. Reimu wasn't even sure how it fit within the mansion itself. It felt almost too big to exist within the rest of the house.

Reimu moved from one row of shelves to the next. Squeezed in between the towers of books were two figures. They weren't the ones Reimu was looking for.

A single fairy maid was talking to that red headed devil lady that was always hanging around Patchouli. What was her name again? Koa...machi? No, that didn't sound right. Oh right, it was Koakuma.

“Reimu? What are you doing here?” Koakuma asked.

The fairy maid turned to Reimu. The shrine maiden didn't recognize her.

“I'm looking for Meiling and Marisa,” Reimu answered.

“I didn't know those two were in here.”

Reimu shrugged. “Well, they're supposed to be.”

The fairy maid stepped forward. “Red lady, have you seen my hat?”

“Your hat?” Reimu asked.

The fairy pointed to her head. “It looks kinda like Ms. Patchouli's hat.”

“I haven't seen any stray hats. Where did you lose it?”

“I was outside and it flew off my head. I think someone stole it, but I was alone.”

Koakuma interjected. “I think it just blew off in the wind.”

“It has been a bit stormy,” Reimu said.

“Let me know if you see it, okay?” the fairy asked.

“I'll keep an eye out.”

“I've been looking around the library,” Koakuma said.

“Why would it be in here if it blew away in the wind?”

“I think it's in here,” the fairy said.

“Why?”

The fairy didn't answer.

“If somebody did take it, maybe they'd hide it here,” Koakuma suggested.

“If you say so.”

Koakuma knelt down so she could be at eye level with the fairy. “Why don't you go ask Sakuya if she's seen it?”

The fairy nodded. “Okay.”

Reimu watched the fairy fly off. “You know her hat's not in here, don't you?”

“Unless someone really did hide it away, it's not here,” Koakuma replied.

“By the way, have you seen the three fairies of... light?”

“I don't know who that is.”

“I'll take that as a no.”

“Why do you ask?”

Reimu briefly explained why she had come to the mansion.

“Oh, well I haven't seen any money today,” Koakuma said. “I didn't see anything at the party, either.”

“You really didn't see anything? That's a pity.” Reimu put a hand to her chin. “I was really hoping you'd remember something, since you barely had anything to drink.”

“I was mostly sober, I really can't handle sake. I just wasn't paying attention to that bin of yours.”

Reimu could remember someone from the mansion leaving a donation, but the details were foggy. “Weren't you the one who put money in the bin?”

Koakuma shuddered. “No! That was Remilia!”

“Are you sure?”

Koakuma gave a frantic nod. “Yes, I didn't go near the donation bin!”

Reimu raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so defensive all of a sudden?”

Koakuma began to stammer. “I... Well, I...”

Reimu remained silent.

Koakuma dropped to her knees. “Reimu, please, I promise I don't know anything. Please don't beat me up again!”

“I'm not going to beat you up! Why is everyone acting so afraid of me today?”

Koakuma was silent for a moment. “I... When I heard you talking about looking for money, I got worried.”

“You make me sound like I'm some sort of mob boss!” Reimu put her hands on Koakuma's shoulders, and pulled the devil back to her feet. “I believe you, alright?”

Koakuma started to relax. “Okay.”

“And what do you mean, beat you up again ? We've never fought before.”

“Yes we have!”

“When?”

“When Remilia was spreading that red mist everywhere. I attacked you in the library.”

“That doesn't ring a bell.”

“I shot a big spiral of purple danmaku at you.”

“I thought a fairy did that.”

Koakuma suddenly looked very tired.

Meiling and Marisa appeared from behind the bookshelf.

“Reimu?” Marisa asked.

“I thought I heard you two,” Meiling said.  

“What happened? Where’s Eternity?” 

Chapter 9: D-Day 12:45 (Local Time)

“So, Eternity ran away?” Marisa asked.

Reimu nodded. “That's what I think happened, anyway.”

“That sounds really suspicious,” Meiling said.

Reimu shrugged. “She was right behind me when it happened. I would have heard something if she got attacked.”

“Still,” Koakuma said.

“I'm sure she's fine.”

“But with Cirno missing, too...” Meiling said.

“That blue fairy is missing, too?” Koakuma asked.

“She's not missing, she just wandered off,” Reimu said.

“Wandered off to where? We haven't seen her since you got here,” Meiling replied.

“She probably got scared like Eternity did.”

“Cirno's braver than that,” Marisa said.

“Fairies like to act tough, but they'll all run if you spook them enough.”

Marisa shrugged. “I guess.”

“Are we going to look for them?” Koakuma asked.

“They're not in the mansion,” Reimu said.

“Did you ask Sakuya if she's seen them?”

Sakuya appeared in the middle of the group. “Seen who?”

Meiling and Koakuma both flinched. Marisa jumped back with a yelp. Reimu silently turned her attention to the maid.

“Cirno and Eternity,” Reimu said.

“No, I haven't seen either of them. I'm still busy with that bird's nest.”

“You've been working on that all day, haven't you?” Meiling asked.

Sakuya nodded. “I must admit it's giving me trouble.”

“Maybe I can help,” Reimu suggested.

“Why do you want to help?” Koakuma asked.

“I've got nothing better to do.”

“It's almost time for me to make Patchouli's afternoon snack. You're free to try to remove the nest while I'm busy,” Sakuya said.

“Where is it?”

“It's at the top of the clock tower. I can take you,” Koakuma said.

“Then let's go.”

“One moment, Reimu.” Sakuya vanished for a second, then reappeared with a set of clothes in her hands. “If you're going to serve the mistress, you must wear this.”

Sakuya held out a maid uniform. It was red with a white apron.

Reimu stared at the outfit for a moment. “Why?”

“It's the mansion's policy.”

“Since when?”

“Lady Remilia recently decreed it.”

“Nobody else is wearing them.”

“They aren't maids.”

“Neither am I.”

“But you'll be acting as one.”

“I'm just going to wear my normal clothes.” Reimu looked at the uniform again. “And why is it the same color as my outfit?”

“We have uniforms prepared for everyone.”

“What do you mean 'everyone'?”

“Everyone in Gensokyo.”

Reimu paused for a minute. “Right.”

Koakuma finally stepped in. “I'm going to take her up there.”

“Good luck.” Sakuya disappeared.

The room was silent for some time. Marisa finally spoke up. “I'm going to stay here.”

“I... I need to watch her, so I'll stay, too,” Meiling said.

“Keep a close eye on her.” Koakuma pointed to Marisa's apron. “She already took two books.”

Marisa's eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Don't worry about it.”

Marisa groaned and handed a pair of books over to Meiling.

Koakuma started to walk away. “Alright, let's go.”

 

Notes:

I really need to pick up the pace with posting chapters. I've only put up half of what I've actually written so far.

Chapter 10: D-Day 12:55 (Local Time)

Koakuma led Reimu up a narrow flight of stairs. A massive collection of gears and shafts dominated the center of the stairwell, and the stairs themselves wrapped upwards around them.

“Reimu, do you think this is worth it?” Koakuma asked.

“Yeah, it's just a bird's nest,” Reimu answered.

“No, not that. I mean, do you think getting your money back is worth all this trouble?”

“Yes.”

“How much was it?”

“I don't remember.”

Koakuma stopped and spun around. “You don't even remember?”

Reimu shrugged. “I was drunk and tired.”

Koakuma sighed, then continued up the stairs. “I'm just thinking, it couldn't have been that much money, right?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing! I'm just thinking, couldn't you make your money back at the shrine?”

“Make it back?”

“If you spent the time and energy you’re burning on this search back at your shrine, couldn't you make the stolen money back, and then some?”

Reimu scoffed. You really don't know what my shrine is like, do you?

“I'm serious.” Koakuma wagged her finger at Reimu. “You could waste hours out here just to turn up empty.”

“I guess.”

“I just don't think it's worth it to waste so much time on petty theft.”

A faint ticking sound began to fill the air. Reimu assumed it was from the clock tower.

Reimu was silent for a moment. “You're not trying to throw me off the trail, are you?”

“No! No! No! No!” Koakuma began to panic. “Why do you think that?!”

“I was just thinking out loud.”

“Am I your prime suspect or something?”

“No, the fairies are, remember?”

“What happens if you find out the fairies didn't do it?”

“Then you get to be the primary suspect.” Reimu put her hand on her chin, then smiled. “Isn't that a thing in mystery books? The criminal tries to sabotage the investigation from the inside?”

“I'm not trying to sabotage you!”

“That was a joke.”

“It didn't feel like one!”

The pair reached a wooden platform at what seemed to be the top of the clock tower. A giant set of gears took up most of the room, and the ticking sound had grown to be nearly deafening. Reimu couldn't see a bird's nest anywhere.

A large, translucent clock face was built into the wall, and a large metal cylinder led from the gears to the face.

Reimu stared at the clockwork. “You don't let fairies up here, do you?”

“No, why do you ask?” Koakuma replied.

Reimu pointed to the gears.

Koakuma chuckled. “We wouldn't want them breaking the clock, would we?”

“I was more worried about one of them getting stuck in that.”

Koakuma's smile disappeared. “That too.”

Koakuma cleared her throat, then walked over to a little door that sat close to the clock face. She undid a bolt, then opened the door. Outside was a wall of gray clouds and rain.

Koakuma motioned to the door. “You'll know it when you see it.”

Reimu walked over to the door and poked her head out. The rain had picked up since she was last outside, and a real storm had moved in. She could see the rest of the mansion's roof now, but she still couldn't find the nest.

Reimu flew out into the rain. Koakuma wasted no time shutting the door behind her. Now clear of the building itself, the shrine maiden hovered in the air and looked around.

After just a second or two, Reimu spotted the nest. It was nearly impossible for her not to.

The nest was absolutely massive. Reimu wasn't sure if a bird had made it, or some sort of dragon. It sat on the very top of the clock tower, and was almost as wide as its base. The nest was made from a huge collection of tree branches, and used the pointed roof of the tower as a central anchor.

Reimu sighed. No wonder it was causing so much trouble.

Reimu flew a bit higher. She could see the inside of the nest now. Thankfully, there weren't any eggs inside. Instead, three people were sitting inside. Reimu groaned as she realized who they were.

Cirno, Eternity, and one of the fairies of light were inside the nest. Reimu couldn't actually remember which fairy of light it was, but she wore a white outfit with black trimmings. The fairies all seemed to be unharmed.

Reimu flew down to the nest and landed inside.

“Reimu!” the fairies all called out in unison.

Eternity jumped up and ran over to Reimu. “I told you there was a monster! I told you! I told you!” the fairy yelled.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Reimu said.

Eternity jumped up and down. “It's big and scary and covered with feathers and-”

Eternity's jumping caused the nest to shake, and a few twigs and branches fell out of place.

Reimu watched a particularly large tree branch fall to the roof, then tumble down out of view. “I get it! Calm down!”

Reimu grabbed the fairy and held her in place. Once she was sure the fairy would stay still, she let go.

Cirno walked over. The nest wobbled again as the fairy's weight shifted from one side to the other. “You don't have to worry about that monster, I scared her off.”

“No you didn't!” Eternity shot back.

“Yes I did. It won't mess with me.”

Reimu turned to Cirno. “Then why are you still here?”

“Just to make sure it won't come back to its nest.”

“You could have at least come down and told us what happened!” Eternity said.

“I can only be in one place at a time!”

The two fairies started to argue. Reimu couldn't be bothered to listen to them. She locked over to the fairy of light. “Hey... uh... Star.”

“It's Luna,” Luna replied.

“Sorry, Luna, where are your two friends?” Reimu asked.

“I don't know, somewhere in the mansion.”

Cirno and Eternity continued to bicker. Their voices rose until they were shouting. 

“Have you been to my shrine lately?” Reimu asked.

Luna stood up. “What? I can't hear you.” Luna walked towards Reimu. The nest started to tip over.

Reimu raised her hands. “Wait! Wait!”

Luna continued past the point of no return. The nest tilted to a very steep angle, then slipped from its perch and fell.

 

Chapter 11: D-Day 13:02 (Local Time)

Reimu hovered in the air. She had Cirno tucked under her left arm, and Eternity tucked under her right. Luna floated next to the shrine maiden, and everyone silently stared downwards.

A giant debris field covered the mansion's roof. Thousands of branches, sticks, twigs were scattered all across the roof tiles. Plenty of wood had fallen down into the garden, crushing plenty of plants and a chunk of one of the hedges.

“At least they won't have to worry about firewood for a while,” Cirno muttered.

Reimu released Cirno and Eternity, who floated next to the shrine maiden.

“They're going to be so mad at you, Reimu,” Eternity said.

“I know,” Reimu said.

“Won't Sakuya just clean this up in a few seconds?” Luna asked.

“Those plants down there will still be crushed.”

Cirno began to gradually inch away from Reimu. “Thanks for saving us, Reimu, but maybe we should go,” the fairy said.

Eternity nodded and followed Cirno's lead. Reimu allowed the pair to escape. Luna attempted to leave as well, but Reimu reached out and stopped her.

Luna's eyes met Reimu's. “Where do you think you're going?” the shrine maiden asked.

“I don't want to run into Sakuya, or that bird,” Luna replied.

Reimu cut straight to the chase. “Did you take my money?”

“What?!”

“Did you take money from my donation bin?”

“No.”

Reimu sighed. “Did you see anyone take money from my shrine today?”

“I haven't been there in a week.”

“What about your friends?”

“Same for them.”

Reimu shook her head. If Luna was lying, it would have been obvious. Reimu's lead had completely dried up in less than a minute.

“Where are your friends, anyway?” Reimu asked.

“I don't know.” Luna stared off into space for a second. “I think they went to the basement.”

Isn't Remilia's sister down there? Is it safe for fairies to be around her? Reimu thought.

Luna's eyes locked onto something above the pair. Reimu had a feeling she already knew what the fairy was looking at. The shrine maiden craned her neck upwards.

A large bird was circling high above the pair.

“That's the one who grabbed you, right?” Reimu asked.

“What else could it be?”

“Just making sure.”

The bird circled behind Reimu. The shrine maiden tilted her head to track it. The bird slowly grew larger and larger.

“Reimu, can you beat that thing?” Luna asked.

“Well, yeah, it's just a bird.”

The bird dove towards Reimu. It was some sort of eagle, with a white head and a brown body. It was easily twice Reimu's size, if not bigger.

The eagle swooped closer and closer. Luna began to tremble.

“Stay close to me, alright?” Reimu said.

“Okay.”

Over the course of a few seconds, the eagle had closed in. It was only a stone's throw away now. Reimu continued to stare over her shoulder at the bird.

The eagle reached out with its talons. Right before it made contact, Reimu spun around and dashed to the side. The eagle continued along, grasping at the air its target had previously occupied.

Before the eagle could fly out of melee range, Reimu countered. She blasted away at the eagle with danmaku. A giant ball of bright light consumed the bird in an instant. The ball flew downwards and crashed into the garden.

A massive cloud of dust consumed the entire garden, concealing whatever damage Reimu had just caused.

Reimu stared down at the carnage. The dust gradually settled, revealing a large crater. In the hazy air, a brown and white mass sat, covered in mud.

“Did you get it?” Luna asked.

The last of the dust was beaten down by the rain. The eagle slowly pulled itself back to its feet. In addition to the field of twigs and branches, the bird's feathers had been scattered everywhere as well.

The eagle screeched at Reimu, then turned and ran away from her. It flapped its wings, and slowly rose into the air. After a moment, the eagle flew over the lake, and disappeared into the forest.

“I don't think you'll see him again,” Reimu said.

Reimu flew back to the mansion's clock tower with Luna in tow. She landed by the door she had originally come out from. There was a thin layer of debris by the door, in the blanket of twigs, a single white object sat.

Reimu bent down and collected the object. It was a little white hat. Reimu felt like there was something important about the hat, but she couldn't remember what. She set it back down where she had found it.

A tree branch had fallen in front of the door. Reimu pushed it out of the way, and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened. Patchouli was on the other side, with Koakuma standing some distance behind her. The magician looked angry.

Patchouli coughed and wheezed. “Reimu, what are you doing up here?!”  

 

Chapter 12: D-Day 13:08 (Local Time)

Patchouli sat on the floor, beneath the huge clockwork that kept the mansion's oversized timepiece running. Koakuma handed the magician an inhaler, and Patchouli wasted no time taking a few puffs from it. Luna silently hung back, watching the scene.

Once Patchouli had taken a moment to catch her breath, she repeated her earlier question. “What were you doing up there?”

“She was clearing out the bird nest,” Koakuma answered.

“What bird nest?”

“There was some eagle up there grabbing fairies,” Reimu explained.

Patchouli went into another coughing fit. “Grabbing fairies?! What does that mean?!”

“It was snatching them up like fish from a river.”

“How long has this been going on?!”

“Meiling told me about the nest this morning.” Koakuma shrugged. “I only heard about fairies going missing within the past hour. Poor little guys.”

Patchouli sighed. “Alright, I understand that, but why is Reimu here?”

“I'm looking for some stolen cash,” Reimu replied.

Patchouli stared at Reimu. The magician looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained silent.

“By the way, Reimu. Where are Eternity and Cirno?” Koakuma asked.

“They ran off,” Reimu answered.

Koakuma let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought they got eaten or something.”

Patchouli groaned. “That blue idiot is here, too?”

“She was here,” Reimu said.

“Did she mess with anything?”

“No, the bird got her as soon as we arrived.”

“Good. Maybe we should have let it stay up there.”

Koakuma looked horrified. “Lady Patchouli!”

“I'm kidding. I'm kidding.” Patchouli let out one more cough. “Why exactly do you think we have your money?”

“Well, I thought some fairies had it...” Reimu looked over to Luna, who remained silent. “...but they don't.”

“Does this have anything to do with that party last night?”

Reimu nodded. “I know you weren't there, so you're not a suspect.”

Patchouli smiled. “Are you sure? Maybe I had Koakuma steal from you on my behalf.”

Koakuma's mouth hung open. “Why is everyone incriminating me in this?!”

Reimu shot Koakuma a sly smile. “I did say you'd be my primary suspect if it wasn't the fairies.”

“Stop it! I didn't do anything!”

“Did you talk to Sakuya and Meiling? They were there,” Patchouli asked.

“I saw them, but I was too focused on the fairies to talk about it,” Reimu replied.

“What about Remilia?” Koakuma asked.

“Remilia went?” Patchouli asked.

Koakuma nodded.

“I haven't seen her yet,” Reimu said.

“If I'm being honest, I just think this is a waste of time.” Koakuma leaned closer to Patchouli. “She doesn't even remember how much money she lost.”

“Really?” Patchouli asked.

“It was more than I usually get!” Reimu said.

“As long as you don't waste the whole day on it.”

“I'll waste as much time as I have to! I'm not gonna let someone steal from me!”

“Is it really worth it?”

Reimu nodded.

Patchouli sighed. “I don't get it. You humans have so little time, and you spend it doing things like this.”

“If someone stole from you-” Reimu paused for a second. “Someone besides Marisa, I mean, you'd want to do something about it, too.”

“In Marisa's defense, she's just borrowing,” Koakuma said.

“ For life. ”

“For life.”

Patchouli rubbed the back of her head. “I guess you can't just wait eighty years to get your money back.”

“Exactly, and you're a library. You have plenty of books. I don't have that much money,” Reimu said.

“Fair enough. If I were you, I'd ask Sakuya first.”

“Ask me what?” Sakuya asked.

Reimu jumped and spun around. Sakuya was standing right behind her. The maid had placed herself between Reimu and Luna. The fairy shrunk away from Sakuya.

“When did you get here?” Reimu asked.

“Just now.” Sakuya had a neatly folded towel in her hands. “I just finished cleaning up the mess outside.”

“Thank you, Sakuya,” Patchouli said.

“I would have brought you an inhaler, but Koakuma already handled that.” Sakuya offered the towel to Reimu. “Since it's been raining.”

Reimu was still dry. “I'm fine, thanks.”

“How? It's pouring out there.”

“I just didn't get wet.”

“I see.” Sakuya offered the towel to Luna, who reluctantly took it.

“I have to ask you something... Two things, actually.”

“Yes?”

“Sakuya, did you see anything suspicious at my party last night? Did anyone mess with my donation bin?”

“No, I didn't see anything like that.”

Reimu sighed. “I figured.”

“And that second thing?”

“How did you not notice there were fairies in that eagle's nest?”

Sakuya looked completely oblivious. “There were fairies in the bird's nest? It seemed much too small for that.”

“Too small? It was huge!”

Sakuya paused for a second. “Oh, you're talking about the nest on the clock tower. I wasn't dealing with that one. You see, a few sparrows had-”

“You weren't doing anything about the giant eagle's nest?”

“I was going to get to it after I finished removing the small one.”

Reimu fell silent for a minute. “Is Meiling still in the library?”

”Most likely.”

“I'll try her next.”

“I'll ask Lady Remilia at her earliest convenience.”

“Thanks.” Reimu turned to leave. Luna silently followed along behind her. Reimu wasn't sure what the fairy was trying to achieve by sticking close to her, but she didn't really mind it.

 

Chapter 13: D-Day 13:40 (Local Time)

“So, you really didn't see anything?” Reimu asked.

Meiling shook her head. “Sorry, but I was way too drunk to watch your bin.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Reimu grabbed a sandwich and took a bite out of it. Sakuya had brought out lunch and tea for the mansion's guests. Reimu hadn't asked for the food, but she happily ate it all the same.

The group sat around a table on one of the mansion's many balconies. Rain continued to fall on the mansion's recently cleaned garden.

Marisa took a sip of tea. “I guess that just leaves Remilia.”

Reimu nodded. “Sakuya said she'd talk to her about it.”

“Should we just kill time until then?”

Luna finished off her cup of coffee, and silently read the book in front of her.

How many cups of coffee has she had? Reimu thought.

“Luna,” Reimu said.

Luna looked up from her book.

“You said you don't know where your friends are, right?” Reimu asked.

“No, I don't,” Luna answered.

“Why don't we go find them?”

Luna didn't show much of a reaction to Reimu's words. “I'm fine here. The library is really nice, and I like the coffee.”

“Aren't you worried about them?” Marisa asked.

“They're probably okay.”

“Yeah, probably.” Marisa turned to Reimu. “She reminds me of you.”

“What do you mean?” Reimu asked.

Marisa snorted. Meiling giggled.

“What?” Reimu repeated.

“We really need to go find them.” Meiling took a sip from her tea. “I don't want any intruders causing trouble in here.”

“Besides us, right?” Marisa asked.

“Besides you,” Meiling confirmed.

Reimu finished off her tea, then stuffed a sandwich into her mouth. Now, where did Luna say the other ones were... Oh, right. The basement.

“You said something about the basement earlier, right?” Reimu asked.

Luna nodded. “We were trying to get down there.”

Meiling's jaw dropped. “You went into the basement? Don't you know Flan is down there?”

“Oh yeah, we've been down there before.”

“When did this happen?!”

“Uh.”

“How many times have you snuck in here?!”

Luna stared off into space for a few seconds, then started to count on her fingers.

Meiling reached over the table and gently pushed the fairy's hands back down. “Actually, I don't want to know.” Meiling stood up. “We're going down there.”

“Can I have more coffee first?” Luna asked.

“No, but you can have some when we find them.”

Meiling walked around the table and headed back inside. As she passed by Luna, she grabbed the fairy and carried her in with one hand. Luna didn't bother to resist.

Marisa chugged her tea and got up. Reimu grabbed one more sandwich, then did the same.

Chapter 14: D-Day 13:49 (Local Time)

Meiling led the group down a narrow set of stairs. With each step, it got darker and darker. The light of the upper floors rapidly faded away behind Reimu, and her pace slowed.

“Watch your step,” Meiling said.

The group came down to a big door. The door was made of thick, heavy wooden planks. Meiling set Luna down, then fiddled with the rusty lock that kept the basement sealed off.

“How did you manage to get in there?” Marisa asked.

“We used another door,” Luna answered.

“Which one?” Meiling asked.

Luna paused for a second. “I forgot.”

“That's convenient.”

Meiling opened the door and stepped to the side. Reimu and Marisa funneled into the basement, while Luna lingered outside for a moment before finally making her way in. Meiling walked in and locked the door behind them.

It was nearly pitch black inside the basement. Reimu's eyes adjusted quickly, only to be greeted by a barren, narrow hallway.

“Do you really have to lock us in?” Marisa asked.

“It's Lady Remilia's standing orders,” Meiling said.

“To keep her sister down here?” Reimu asked.

Meiling nodded.

“I didn't think keeping Flan stuck down here was that big of a deal.” Marisa's eyes widened. “Wait, can't she just blow the lock up with her power?”

“It's not, and she can,” Meiling said.

“When did she tell you to do that?” Luna asked.

“Uh...”

“Would we have been alive when she gave that order?” Reimu asked.

“No. We really shouldn't bother, but Remilia never told us to stop doing it, so Sakuya keeps the tradition alive.”

“I see.”

“Flandre likes to stick to her room anyway, and when she does try to sneak out, she sticks to the vents.”

“The vents?” Marisa asked.

Meiling nodded.

“We should try that next time,” Luna said.

“No you shouldn't,” Meiling said.

There were several doors lined along the hallway. One at the very end of the hall had a faint light coming from underneath it. Reimu instantly knew that it was their destination.

Sure enough, Meiling led the group right up to the door with the dim glow behind it. She knocked on the door.

“Not now, I'm busy,” Flandre said, her voice muffled by the door.

“Reimu and Marisa are here,” Meiling said.

“So?”

Marisa looked to Reimu, then snorted. Reimu remained expressionless.

“Don't you like Marisa?” Meiling asked.

“She's okay, but Reimu's a drag,” Flandre answered.

Marisa started to giggle, while Reimu frowned.

“You know we can hear you, right?” Reimu called out.

“I know,” Flandre called back.

Reimu marched up to the door. “Do you at least want to talk to Luna?”

“Luna? Luna's there?”

“Yes!”

“You can let her in. I have her buddies.”

“What?”

“I have the other two.”

Reimu pushed on the door. It was locked. She banged on it for a few seconds.

“Cut it out, I'm gonna let you in!” Flandre yelled.

Reimu relented. The door opened a few seconds later.

Flandre was standing on the other side of the door. A soft red glow came from a light behind her. “I was gonna open it anyway.”

Luna ran up to Flandre. “Where's Sunny and Star?”

“In here. Were you listening?”

Luna ran into Flandre's room and quickly disappeared from view.

“Hey!” Flandre shouted at Luna.

Reimu and Marisa walked in after Luna, Flandre had already given up on trying to stop them.

“May I?” Meiling asked.

Flandre nodded. Meiling walked in.

Flandre's room was bigger than Reimu had expected. It could probably pass for some sort of apartment. It was filled with shelves and dressers, all of which were packed with toys and random knickknacks.

Even with all the storage space, the floor was still covered with toys. Reimu had to carefully step around them. She knew Flandre would tear the place apart if she stepped on one.

A small table was up against the wall, not too far from the door. Sunny and Star sat at opposite sides of the table, hunched over some kind of board game. It looked like they were playing chess, but there were countless pieces that weren't supposed to be there. Luna stood by the table, silently examining the game.

There were kings, queens, and the usual suspects, but also checkers and random toys. There was a beat up old doll in the center of the board. Sunny pushed her rook up against it, then rolled a few dice.

Reimu, Marisa, and Meiling all watched the game in stunned silence. Flandre slowly came up behind the others, stifling a laugh as she did.

After Sunny had rolled her dice, Star produced her own dice, and rolled them.

“Hey! Hey! You're supposed to roll four dice, not five!” Flandre said.

“You said it was five a minute ago!” Star shot back.

“No, I said four, you stupid fairies!”

Star groaned, collected her dice, then rolled all but one of them again. The results of this roll were significantly worse than the first. Sunny laughed, while Star grumbled to herself.

“What game are they playing?” Reimu asked.

Flandre struggled not to laugh. “Chess.”

Sunny flipped a coin. She checked the result, smiled, then grabbed a toy off of the floor and placed it onto the board. Reimu had no idea what was going on, and she didn't really care.

“Flandre, this is a little bit mean, isn't it?” Meiling said softly.

“Why? They're having fun too,” Flandre replied.

“Wouldn't they prefer a regular game?”

“Real chess is boring.”

“It doesn't have to be chess.”

“But I'm sick of all the other ones.”

“There must be something you can borrow from the library.”

“I'm not going to babysit them while I look around the library, and I'm definitely not leaving them in here alone.”

As Meiling and Flandre continued to argue, Sakuya poked her head through the door. “Reimu, I spoke to Lady Remilia,” the maid said.

“What did she say?” Reimu asked.

“She wanted to speak to you in person.”

“Did she say why?”

Sakuya shook her head.

“Did she seem upset or anything?” Reimu asked.

“She seemed quite pleased, actually.”

Reimu was starting to get confused. “Take me to her.”

Chapter 15: D-Day 13:55 (Local Time)

Remilia waited in what Reimu assumed was some sort of throne room. The vampire sat on a wooden chair that was far too large for her. The chair was covered in ornate carvings, and had a platform built beneath it to let Remilia look down on her guests.

Reimu walked up to the edge of the platform, not showing any deference to Remilia as she did so. “What is it?” Reimu asked.

If Remilia was bothered by Reimu's nonchalant behavior, she didn't show it. “Reimu, I am so proud of you,” the vampire said.

“For scaring off that bird?” Reimu asked.

“Bird? What bird?” Remilia shook her head. “Never mind that, I'm talking about your little quest.”

“You mean me looking for my money?”

Remilia nodded.

Is she going to tell me something actually useful, or? Reimu thought.

“The way you're defending your reputation nearly brings a tear to my eye. I'd do the exact same thing if I were you,” Remilia said.

“Thanks, but do you actually have any clues?”

Remilia raised an eyebrow. “Clues?”

“You know, did you see anyone suspicious at the party while you were there?”

Remilia started to shake her head, then stopped herself. “I saw... something!”

Reimu had a bad feeling about this. “And?”

“It was that ghost! She did it!”

“Yuyuko?”

Remilia nodded frantically. “She probably needed the money to buy food.”

“Isn't she loaded? You're not just doing this to feel important, are you?”

“Of course not! Just ask-” Remilia paused for a second. “Wait, don't you have a guard dog?”

“You mean Aunn? I think she was asleep during the party.”

“Ask her anyway!”

“But then I'd have to go all the way back home and-”

Remilia clapped her hands. Sakuya appeared next to her.

“Sakuya, retrieve Reimu's dog,” Remilia said.

Sakuya gave a little bow. “Yes, mistress.” The maid disappeared.

Reimu looked around. “Wait, do you mean-”

Sakuya reappeared with Aunn standing in front of her.

Aunn seemed completely unbothered by her sudden relocation. “Hi, Reimu,” she said with a smile.

“Did you see anything suspicious at your shrine last night or today?” Remilia asked.

Aunn looked to Remilia, then to Sakuya, then to Reimu. “Reimu, should I say anything? Are you in trouble?”

“It's fine, Aunn. You can tell them,” Reimu said.

“Sorry, but I didn't see anything.”

“Well then.” Remilia clapped her hands.

Sakuya disappeared again, then returned Aunnless a second later.

“Wait, shouldn't we ask her more questions?” Reimu asked.

Remilia turned red and froze up for a second. “Yes, we should.”

Sakuya once again disappeared and reappeared with Aunn.

“Please stop doing that,” Aunn said.

“Did you see anyone coming or going from the shrine after the party?” Reimu asked.

“Just you and Marisa.”

“It must have happened at the party itself then!” Remilia said.

“What happened at the party?”

“Sakuya, I think we've heard all we need to know.”

“Wait-”

Sakuya nodded, then disappeared with Aunn yet again. She returned alone once more, but with a slightly longer delay this time.

Reimu suddenly felt very tired. “Could you have waited for me to finish?”

“I can't think of any other question to ask her, can you?”

Sakuya nodded. “She did say that she didn't see anything at the party, and that nobody came after. She doesn't have anything she can tell us.”

“There has to be more that we can ask her,” Reimu said.

“Like what?” Remilia asked.

“Like if she looked inside the bin and saw anything.”

“Why would she have looked inside your donation bin?”

“It doesn't hurt to ask.”

“We're not bringing her back here again.”

“Fine, fine. I'll just ask her later.” Reimu's voice fell to a whisper. “Are you trying to throw me off Koakuma's trail?”

“What?”

Reimu looked away. “Nothing.”

“I'm telling you, it's Yuyuko who stole from you!”

“Why are you so obsessed with Yuyuko?”

“Because I know she did it.”

Reimu fell silent. She had no desire to argue with the vampire any longer.

Remilia leaned back in her chair. “It's not like you have any choice in the matter. Your fate has already been decided.”

Not this again.

The vampire leered down at Reimu. “I have manipulated destiny itself to-”

“Alright, I'll go to Yuyuko next,” Reimu said.

“Wait, let me finish.”

Reimu frowned.

“As I was saying.” Remilia cleared her throat. “You may struggle and resist, but I have changed the very threads of fate itself.”

Remilia continued to monologue, but Reimu had already zoned out. She stared off into space, her eyes glazed over. Most of the time, Remilia was pretty easy to be around, but Reimu had learned when to silently nod along with her dramatic speeches.

Remilia motioned to Sakuya. “And to thank you for assisting us, my head maid will accompany you.”

Reimu perked up. “Are you sure?”

Remilia nodded. “Of course I'm sure.”

Sakuya shot Remilia a concerned glance, but remained silent.

“Uh, thanks,” Reimu said.

Remilia waved her hand around. “Now, go forth with my blessing!”

“Right, yeah.”

Chapter 16: D-Day 14:11 (Local Time)

Reimu and Sakuya put as much distance between the throne room and themselves as they could.

“Okay, so what's the real reason she's going after Yuyuko?” Reimu asked.

“We've had food disappearing from the pantry lately,” Sakuya answered.

“Are you sure it's not just rats?”

“We've been putting traps out, but we haven't caught anything.”

“Of course not. Those little jerks never fall for anything.”

“They're such a pain.”

“Are you sure it's not just somebody grabbing snacks?”

“I asked everyone, and they all confirmed it wasn't them.”

“Are you sure it isn't the fairies?”

“I don't think fairies would take an entire bag of flour.”

Reimu could imagine a few reasons why fairies would do something like that. Didn’t that one cat have fairies who dressed up as zombies? “You never know with them.”

Sakuya nodded. “Meiling can watch them while we go to Yuyuko.”

“Is this place going to be okay while you're gone?”

Sakuya hesitated for a second. “Probably not.”

“Maybe you should stay here.”

“The mistress gave me an order, I'm going to follow it.”

Reimu shook her head. “I knew you'd say that.”

“Come now, Reimu. I'm helping you too, aren't I?”

“Fair enough.”

“Even if it weren't for Remilia, I'd still be willing to help. I would need to get permission, however.”

Reimu was surprised to hear this. “Thanks. Can you stop time and scour Gensokyo for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you stop time and search Gensokyo for my money.”

“All of Gensokyo?”

Reimu nodded.

Sakuya laughed. Reimu remained silent. The pair returned to the stairway down to the basement, where Marisa and Meiling were waiting.

“So, what's up?” Marisa asked.

“We're heading to the Netherworld,” Reimu answered.

Marisa's jaw dropped. “What?!”

“Lady Remilia believes Yuyuko is the culprit,” Sakuya explained.

“Why?!”

“I'll explain it on the way,” Reimu said.

“Meiling, I'll be going with them,” Sakuya said.

Meiling froze up. “I'm sorry, but-”

“You'll have to fill in for me while I'm gone.”

Meiling was speechless.

Reimu walked past Meiling. “Come on, we've been here long enough.”

Sakuya followed behind Reimu. “It hasn't been that long, has it?”

Marisa followed the others. “I dunno. It feels like it's been over a month to me.”

Meiling's eyes followed the trio as they left, but the gatekeeper remained frozen in place. She had a lot of work to do.

Chapter 17: D-Day 14:14 (Local Time)

Most of the rain clouds had moved on by the time the group exited the mansion. The sun was still nowhere to be seen, and Reimu could see more dark clouds on the horizon.

“Good thing we'll be over those clouds soon enough,” Marisa said.

“The garden really needed that rain,” Sakuya said.

Reimu remained silent. She had an odd feeling that the trio was being watched. She started to scan her surroundings.

In the distance, a brown speck was flying through the air. It was getting bigger and bigger.

“Not again,” Reimu said.

“What is it?” Sakuya asked.

“That stupid eagle's back.”

“I guess you didn't kick its butt enough the first time,” Marisa said.

“Surely it won't fight all three of us at once,” Sakuya said.

As the eagle got closer, more details came into view. Someone was standing on the bird's back, looking at Reimu and the others.

Reimu stared at the distant, tiny person for a few seconds. Person riding a bird... Person riding a- Kasen!

The eagle began to circle around the trio from some distance away. It gradually closed in while its rider continued to stare at the group. Reimu already knew it was Kasen, and she knew the hermit's eyes were boring into her. The shrine maiden's face began to turn red.

“Reimu, is something wrong?” Marisa asked.

“I think I'm in trouble,” Reimu said.

“What do you- Is that Kasen?”

The eagle had drawn close enough for Kasen to be clearly visible. The hermit looked upset, and her mount was covered in large white bandages.

“Reimu, what did you do to that poor bird?” Sakuya asked.

“I just hit him once! He started it!” Reimu said.

“Reimu!” Kasen yelled. “Why did you attack Kanda?!”

“Kanda?” Sakuya asked.

“The bird,” Marisa replied.

Sakuya smiled. “I didn't know it had a name. How cute.”

“Wasn't it trying to eat your fairies an hour ago?”

Reimu yelled over the pair. “He was causing trouble at the mansion!”

“Really?” Kasen looked down to Kanda. “You didn't say anything about that.”

Kanda stared downwards, refusing to look up at its rider.

“It’s true! The bird was snatching up our employees!” Sakuya added.

Kasen lifted up off of Kanda's back and flew over to Reimu under her own power. “Sorry to bother you, Reimu, but I was told you attacked Kanda for no reason,” Kasen said.

“She does like to attack people for no reason,” Marisa said.

“No I don't!” Reimu shot back.

Kasen didn't meet Reimu's gaze. “Again, I'm sorry to bother you.”

“Is there something else you need?”

Kasen hesitated for a moment. “I... I was sort of hoping you could loan me some money.”

“Do you know who you're asking?” Marisa asked.

Reimu ignored Marisa. “Why?”

“I used a lot of medicinal plants and bandages on Kanda. I'd collect more myself, but I cleaned out my patch of forest, so I have to buy some from Eientei.” Kasen paused again. “I was hoping that since you caused the injury, you'd be willing to compensate me, but since Kanda is at fault...”

“I don't have that kind of money on me, so you're out of luck either way.”

“Is there anything you can do to help?”

“We were going to head to the Netherworld. We can see if they have anything for you.” Reimu hesitated for a second. “If my money's there, I'll help you out.”

“Your money? What do you mean?”

Reimu was getting tired of expositing. “I'll explain on the way.”

“Are you really in such a hurry?”

Reimu nodded.

Kasen groaned. “Why would your money be in the Netherworld?”

Reimu turned and started to fly off. “I just told you I'd explain on the way there.” Marisa and Sakuya followed the shrine maiden’s lead.

“Yes, yes.” Kasen waved to Kanda, then flew after Reimu. The eagle trailed behind the group as they traveled, giving Reimu a wide berth. The group headed upwards, towards the gray ceiling that hovered above them.

Chapter 18: D-Day 14:24 (Local Time)

The group flew well above the gray blanket of clouds. Reimu swore she saw a single flash of lightning at one point, but she couldn't be sure. Since they were finally above the worst of the clouds, it was sunny and warm.

Reimu's eyes wandered around. Now, where was it again?

“Reimu, you do know where you're going, right?” Kasen asked. 

“Of course I know where I'm going,” Reimu replied.

“I'm glad you do, it always takes me forever to find that big wall thing,” Marisa said.

“It's easier when you can see the ground,” Sakuya said.

Marisa pointed off into the distance. “Is that it?”

There was a pink light far from the group. 

“That's it,” Sakuya said.

“Yeah,” Reimu added.

“Are you sure?” Kasen asked.

“What else could it be?” Marisa asked. 

Kasen didn't reply. 

The group headed straight towards the light. The rain clouds that floated beneath the light were bathed in pink. A series of massive pillars poked out of the clouds in front of the light source. 

The barrier that sealed off the Netherworld took the shape of a giant door with a magical shield in front of it. It towered over Reimu, and stretched downwards into the clouds until she couldn't see it anymore.

The group came to a stop right in front of the door. Everyone paused for a brief moment as they stared at the massive wall in front of them.

“Alright, let's head over it.” Reimu began to float upwards.

“Wait, are we really going to just fly over it?” Kasen asked.

“Yeah.”

“Shouldn't we... I don't know, tell them we're coming?”

Marisa floated upwards. “We've never had to do that before.”

Sakuya floated after Marisa. Kanda flew upwards ahead of them. Kasen hesitated for a few seconds, then followed the others. 

Above Reimu and the others, Kanda was circling something. It was another fairy. Reimu was starting to get tired of fairies. 

The fairy sat on top of the giant door that marked the barrier. It was that spring fairy. Reimu wasn't even going to try to remember her name. Had the fairy ever even told Reimu her name? She couldn't remember that either. 

“Hey, Lily!” Marisa called out. 

Thank you, Marisa.

Lily looked downwards. The fairy had a tired frown plastered on her face. It seemed as though she hadn't even noticed the giant eagle circling around her. 

The group reached the top of the door. Lily continued to stare downwards, and remained totally silent. 

“What's wrong?” Marisa asked. 

Lily sighed, and didn't say anything for a few seconds. “You know.”

“I don't.”

“Is it because it's not spring?” Reimu asked.

Lily nodded. “Not only that, but we're as far from spring as we can be!”

“Wouldn't that be the very start of summer?” Sakuya asked. 

Lily sniffed loudly, then tears began to well up in her eyes. “At least then it's still a little bit like spring, but fall isn't like that at all! And it isn't even really fall yet!” 

Marisa landed next to the fairy. The magician put her hand on Lily's shoulder and gently patted it.

“It'll be spring before you know it,” Kasen said.

“Yeah... but...” Lily blubbered something Reimu couldn't understand. 

Drawn in by the commotion, Kanda landed a short distance away from Lily. The fairy looked over to the bird, and suddenly stopped crying.

Reimu's eyes darted over to Kanda, then back to Lily. “Um.” 

“Is that your bird?” Lily asked. 

Kasen stared at Kanda. “Kanda is with me, yes.”

Lily sprung to her feet with a grin on her face. “He's so cute!” Lily tried to run over to Kanda, but Marisa held her in place.

“You should probably keep your distance from that one,” Marisa said. 

“Indeed,” Sakuya added.

Lily reached out at Kanda. “Why? He's awesome!”

Kanda didn't even seem to notice Lily. The bird stared down into the clouds, only looking away to preen itself. 

“He doesn't like fairies,” Marisa said.

“But I like him!”

Lily squirmed out of Marisa's grasp and ran over to Kanda. The fairy crashed into the bird's side and began to pet it. Kanda's eyes widened, but the bird otherwise seemed unbothered.

Kasen was trembling. She tried to speak, but couldn't.

Marisa ran over and stood right behind Lily. The magician reached over to the fairy, then stopped herself. 

Reimu landed and walked over to Marisa. “Aren't you going to pull her away?” Reimu whispered.

“I would, but she seems so happy,” Marisa whispered back.

Lily nuzzled Kanda's side.

Kasen landed by Kanda. “Please get away from the bird. Kanda's been going after fairies lately.”

Lily didn't seem to hear Kasen. “Does he give rides?”

“I... Well, yes. For me, anyway.”

Lily's eyes lit up. “Let me ride him! Let me ride him!”

“It's going to eat you!”

“No he won't! Look, he's friendly!” Lily pat Kanda's side. The bird didn't react.

Marisa shifted her attention over to Kasen. “Kasen, the eagle cured her seasonal depression,” Marisa whispered.

“Don't you remember what happened at the mansion?” Kasen asked.

“We can make sure Kanda doesn't try anything.”

“I guess, but we have to get to Yuyuko.”

“I'll hang back here until Lily's done, alright?”

“You might end up spending all day here,” Reimu said.

“That's alright.”

Kasen leaned closer to Marisa. “Don't let her do anything stupid, alright?” 

“Relax, it'll be fine.”

“You're starting to sound like Reimu.”

Reimu turned to Kasen. “Hey!”

Marisa snickered. Reimu groaned. 

Reimu lifted back up into the air, she joined Sakuya, who had never bothered to land. “Just catch up to us whenever you're done,” Reimu said.

Marisa gave a thumbs up. “Don't worry, I'll be back in no time!”

Kasen reluctantly flew up after Reimu and Sakuya. She turned back and stared at Kanda for a moment.

“Don't worry, Marisa will handle it,” Reimu said. 

“I hope so,” Kasen said.

Reimu led Sakuya and Kasen into the Netherworld.

Chapter 19: D-Day 14:40 (Local Time)

The Netherworld was foggy as always, and just cold enough to be uncomfortable. No matter what time of year it was when Reimu visited the Netherworld, it was always colder than she would have liked.

Reimu, Sakuya and Kasen followed the giant stairway that led up from the barrier. Much like the doorway they had passed over before, the stairway was seemingly made for giants. Reimu had once had a nightmare where she was forced to walk all the way from the barrier to Hakugyokurou. SHe couldn’t fly for some reason. She'd woken up in a cold sweat after that one.

“We should run into Youmu soon,” Reimu said.

“Do you think she's going to cause trouble?” Sakuya asked.

“I'm sure she won't be a problem.”

“What if Yuyuko really did steal your money? She'd be loyal to her mistress.”

“I really don't think Yuyuko did anything.”

“Still, we have to be prepared for any possibility.”

“If she wants to get in our way, we'll take care of her.”

“Yes. With the three of us together, we'll crush her.”

Kasen looked to Reimu, then to Sakuya. The hermit hesitated for a second, then spoke. “You make it sound like we're going to kill her.”

“We're not!” Reimu said.

“We're not?” Sakuya asked.

“Sakuya!”

Sakuya giggled.

“I can never tell with either of you,” Kasen said.

The group finally reached the top of the stairs. In the very middle of the path ahead, there was a small wooden sign. Reimu flew over and landed in front of the sign with the others in tow. The sign had a piece of paper attached to its front.

“Sorry, Hakugyokurou is not accepting any visitors at the moment. Please come back later,” the sign read.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Reimu asked.

“Isn't it obvious? They're closed,” Sakuya answered.

“It's oddly formal, isn't it?” Kasen said.

“Yeah, that's what's weird about it,” Reimu replied.

“What should we do?”

Reimu barged past the sign. “Youmu! Yuyuko! What's going on here?!” she called out.

Sakuya followed Reimu without hesitation, while Kasen lingered on the other side of the sign. After a moment, the hermit finally caved and walked past the sign.

A large building appeared in the mist ahead, Reimu headed straight for it. “Youmu! Yuyuko!”

One of the building's sliding doors had been left open. Reimu walked towards the entryway, and entered without even pausing for so much as a second. “Is anybody home?”

Sakuya and Kasen stopped outside the building. “Reimu, please wait,” Kasen said.

After Reimu had taken a few steps, she felt her foot slipping. She lost her balance, and began to stumble around. After a brief moment of helplessly flailing her arms, Reimu fell forward, only to stop right before she hit the ground.

Sakuya had appeared right next to Reimu and caught her. “Please, be more careful.” Sakuya helped Reimu right herself.

Reimu brushed herself off. “Thanks.” She looked down. Sakuya had taken her shoes off, and was standing in the only dry spot close to the shrine maiden. “You really are something else, you know that?”

“I hear that quite frequently.”

Without any warning, Youmu walked into the room from another doorway. She had a wet mop in her hands, and her ghost half had a bucket of water hanging from it.

“Reimu, Sakuya... Kasen? What are you doing here?” Youmu asked.

“Looking for you,” Reimu answered.

Youmu walked over. “Is it about last night's pa-”

Youmu slipped on a puddle and lost her balance. The mop flew from her hands, and her ghost half dropped the bucket. Reimu flinched.

Before Youmu, the mop, or the bucket could hit the floor, Sakuya appeared. The maid held Youmu in place with one hand, the bucket with the other, and had the mop tucked under her arm. Just like with Reimu, Sakuya helped Youmu right herself.

“Thank you,” Youmu said.

“Yes, it is about last night's party,” Reimu said.

“There was a situation at the party. We believe you may be involved,” Sakuya said.

“Did somebody get food poisoning?” Youmu asked.

“It's not about your cooking,” Reimu said.

Kasen hovered by the door, as if she was afraid of slipping like the others had. “They think you took Reimu's money.”

“Huh?” Youmu asked.

“Lady Remilia believed Yuyuko was responsible,” Sakuya said.

“Lady Yuyuko wouldn't steal money from anyone!”

“But it’s possible she's been stealing from our mansion.”

Youmu's voice began to crack as she spoke. “Lady Yuyuko isn't a thief, she's-”

“Youmu,” Reimu said.

Youmu turned to Reimu. The gardener's mouth hung open, as she'd stopped speaking mid sentence.

“Yuyuko's been stealing food from them, not valuables,” Reimu explained.

Youmu hesitated for a moment, then put a finger to her chin. “She might have done that... but why do you think she has Reimu's money?”

“Remilia said so,” Reimu repeated.

“And?”

“That's it.”

“You believed her?”

Reimu shrugged. “Not really, but it was my only lead.”

“She has been taking food,” Sakuya said.

“We don't actually have much evidence for that,” Reimu admitted.

“But you came all the way out here,” Youmu said.

“It only took about half an hour to get up to the Netherworld, and that's with delays.”

“Actually, it took us exactly twenty six minutes,” Sakuya said.

“It felt longer.”

Youmu sighed, and took a moment to collect herself before speaking. “Listen, I really don't have time to deal with this right now. Hakugyokurou is a complete mess, and the garden is half dead.”

“Isn't everything around here all dead by default?”

Youmu looked like she wanted to hit Reimu with the mop. “You know what I mean.”

“May I see the garden?” Sakuya asked.

“I want to see it, too. That sounds concerning,” Kasen added.

“Sure, Reimu can talk to Yuyuko while you do that, but please don't start any trouble,” Youmu replied.

“No promises,” Reimu said.

“Youmu, Youmu!” Yuyuko called out from somewhere outside.

“I'm in here, Lady Yuyuko! We have visitors!” Youmu called back.

“Really? One moment, please.”

After a short delay, Yuyuko walked in from the same door Reimu had used. The ghost had an ornate hand fan with her, which she waved around as she walked. She didn't seem surprised to see the intruders, nor did she seem bothered by their presence. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Sakuya.

“Now, what brings you three here?” Yuyuko asked.

Reimu had a feeling Yuyuko already knew the answer. “It's about the party I had last night.”

“And some food that's been stolen from the mansion,” Sakuya added.

“Stolen food?” Yuyuko replied, completely ignoring Reimu's question.

Sakuya nodded. “We've had ingredients go missing from our kitchens.”

Yuyuko put her fan to her chin, as if lost in thought. “I haven't been down to the mansion in some time, but Yukari said something about visiting it a few days ago.”

“Really?! Where is she right now?”

Yuyuko opened her fan, and hid her smile behind it. “Oh, you know how she is. She could be anywhere.”

“Can you make her come to us?”

“I can invite her, but the place is so messy right now.”

Youmu took the mop and bucket from Sakuya. “I'll double my efforts, Lady Yuyuko!”

“No,” Yuyuko said.

“What?”

“I have a more important task for you.” Yuyuko pointed her fan at Kasen. “A hermit is here.”

Kasen frowned, and her eyes began to dart around. “Yes?”

“I think she has some important things she can teach you. I want you to train with her. Go change into some fresh clothes, then come back here.”

Youmu nodded, then set the cleaning supplies down. “Yes, Lady Yuyuko.”

Youmu ran off. Yuyuko waited for her to leave before she spoke again. “Sakuya, would you be willing to clean up for us? I would be in your debt.”

Sakuya retrieved the mop and bucket again. “Of course.”

The maid disappeared. Yuyuko walked over to Kasen, then leaned in close to the hermit. “My poor servant has been working herself half to death, but she won't stop to rest. Would you please keep her from exerting herself for a few hours?”

Isn't she already half dead? Reimu thought.

“I can try,” Kasen replied.

“That is all I ask. Have her take you to her usual training spot,” Yuyuko said.

Kasen nodded, then ran off after Youmu. The hermit slipped on the wet floor, but managed to maintain her balance. Reimu was left standing alone with Yuyuko. The room was silent for a few seconds.

“You didn't answer my question,” Reimu said.

Yuyuko covered her mouth with her fan again, feigning embarrassment. “I'm sorry, what did you ask me again?”

Reimu groaned.

Chapter 20: D-Day 14:55 (Local Time)

“No, I can't say I saw anything,” Yuyuko said.

“That's what I thought,” Reimu replied.

The pair walked through the gardens of the Netherworld. Just as Youmu had said, large numbers of plants were in various stages of decay. Some had completely withered away, while others were shedding yellow and brown leaves.

Reimu motioned to the plants. “Any idea what happened to them?”

“No. Youmu's been trying everything, but they keep dying off regardless.”

“It must be some sort of disease.”

“Perhaps, but I don't know how it would have gotten here. I also don't understand how it spreads, it seems like every few days a random plant succumbs.”

“And they aren't even near each other?”

Yuyuko shook her head. “No, not at all.”

Reimu shrugged. It was normal for her plants to drop dead without any warning, but Youmu actually knew how to prevent that.

Yuyuko knelt down and pulled a dying branch from a bush. “I can't remember this ever happening before.”

Reimu silently prayed that whatever was killing the plants would remain contained to Hakugyokurou. She didn't feel like dealing with some Gensokyowide foliage incident.

The pair came upon a small rock garden. It was beautifully arranged, with several large stones that looked as if they'd been brought in from outside Gensokyo.

At least rocks can't die. Maybe I should set one of those up, Reimu thought.

Youmu knelt down next to the garden. Her eyes were shut, and she was locked in some sort of meditation. Kasen sat next to Youmu in a similar pose. Neither seemed to notice Reimu or Yuyuko.

Yuyuko smiled. “It seems as though everything is going to plan,” she whispered.

Reimu silently looked on. After a few seconds, a realization dawned on her. “Wait, you just did all this to make Sakuya clean up the place, didn't you?”

Yuyuko chuckled. “What would make you think such a thing?”

“It's obvious. You took food from the Scarlet Devil Mansion so Sakuya would come up here, then you'd be able to talk her into cleaning while Youmu took a break.”

“You have no proof.”

“I bet I could find some. There's probably a bunch of stolen food stashed away somewhere.”

“Perhaps, but who would go to the trouble of searching my entire abode? I doubt you would.”

Reimu couldn't argue with Yuyuko on that point. “Is Yukari even coming?”

“Not that I'm aware of. The only visitor we're expecting today is a delivery from those rabbits from the bamboo forest.”

Reimu grumbled under her breath for a moment. She considered going back to the world of the living, but her love of the sunk-cost fallacy compelled her to stay. She'd already gone to the trouble of coming here, she might as well stay until Reisen arrived. The moon rabbit might know something useful.

Before Reimu could do anything besides mumble curses, Sakuya appeared right in front of Yuyuko. The maid had a scowl on her face, and a large bag of flour in her hands. She dropped the bag at Yuyuko's feet.

“I found this while cleaning out your storeroom,” Sakuya said.

“So?” Yuyuko asked.

“It's property of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

“How can you tell?”

“I remember it from our kitchen.”

“But it's just an unmarked bag of flour. How can you tell where it's from?”

“I recognize it.”

Reimu believed Sakuya, but remained silent.

Yuyuko was at a loss for words. She stopped trying to argue with the maid.

“You know this means I can't do any more cleaning for you,” Sakuya said.

“How much did you clean, exactly?” Yuyuko asked.

“I cleaned out all of the rooms in your residence, swept all the paths, took down that sign that Youmu left by the entrance, and pulled up all the dead plants in the garden.”

Reimu turned around. The dead plants she had walked past just a few minutes ago were all gone.

“I would have done the laundry as well, but I can no longer assist someone who steals from the mistress,” Sakuya said.

“Understandable,” Yuyuko said.

“Reimu, collect me when you're ready to leave.” Sakuya marched over to Youmu, and joined her in meditation.

“I suppose that's meant to be some sort of protest,” Yuyuko said.

“Probably,” Reimu said.

“Perhaps we should join them?”

“I'll pass.”

“Why? We don't have anything better to do at the moment.”

“I don't feel like sitting around right now.”

“You really are on a mission, aren't you? You must be working so hard, and you won't even take a break now.”

“Actually, it's been pretty easy so far.”

“Really now?”

Reimu nodded. “Mostly I've just been walking around and talking to people. The vampires even gave me a free lunch.”

“If you stick around long enough, you may get a free dinner here.”

“I thought you wanted Youmu to take it easy for a while.”

“Perhaps I'm going to cook for you?”

“I know you're not.”

Yuyuko feigned offense. “You're correct, but still.”

“I don't think I have that kind of time, anyway.”

“Oh please, this money hunt of yours isn't nearly that urgent. You must slow down and enjoy things like this.”

“I can't.”

“You really can't let all this go for just a few hours?”

Reimu shook her head. “Once I get a chance to talk to Reisen, and Marisa catches up, we're gone.”

“You're not even going to wait for Yukari?”

“Didn't you just say something about her having not visited for days?”

Yuyuko fell silent. Reimu silently turned her attention away from the ghost. Yuyuko looked to Reimu, then to the bag of flour Sakuya had dropped.

Yuyuko bent down and collected the bag of flour. “Excuse me, Reimu. I need to put this away.”

Reimu nodded, and Yuyuko took her leave.

For a moment, Reimu was alone. She closed her eyes and took in the silence of the garden, meditating in much the same way as the others. She felt a sense of peace wash over her, along with a nagging feeling that sat below the surface. The shrine maiden's instincts told her that something annoying would happen soon, but she had no idea what.

Chapter 21: D-Day 15:09 (Local Time)

Reimu's eyes shot open. She knew she was being watched, and it wasn't Yuyuko, Youmu, or anyone else who had been in the garden earlier. The shrine maiden knew this feeling well, and she hated it.

“Yukari, show yourself,” Reimu said.

The garden remained still and as quiet as the grave.

Reimu raised her voice. “Yukari!”

Youmu, Kasen, and Sakuya's eyes all opened. Kasen's gaze darted around, while the others looked puzzled.

“Reimu, what are you talking about?” Sakuya asked.

“I know you're here,” Reimu said.

After a few seconds, a gap opened up between Reimu and the others. The gap hovered in the air just above the shrine maiden's head. It was pointed downwards, directly towards the ground. Yukari stuck her head out from the gap.

Yukari yawned. “Good morning, Reimu.” The youkai's head hung downwards, but her hat remained in place.

“It's the middle of the afternoon,” Reimu replied.

“But I just got up.”

“I know it's early for you, but I've been running around for hours.”

Sakuya chuckled. “And I was awake before the sun even rose.”

Yukari pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “You're all so cruel.”

“I didn't say anything,” Youmu said.

“She's just being melodramatic,” Kasen said.

Yukari's attention turned to Kasen, and the hermit instantly regretted speaking. “Oh, Kasen. What brings you here?” Yukari asked.

“She's teaching me meditation,” Youmu said.

“And Sakuya?”

“I was cleaning, but no longer,” Sakuya answered.

“Oh, something actually made you stop cleaning?”

Sakuya nodded. “It involves my mistress.”

“That explains it.”

“You didn't ask me why I'm here,” Reimu said.

“Reimu, you could appear anywhere and I wouldn't question it.”

“Fair enough.”

“Besides, I already know what's going on.”

Reimu felt a bit relieved that she wouldn't have to explain herself again. That relief quickly gave way to concern as she realized the implications of Yukari's words. “Did Yuyuko tell you that?”

“Something like that. Don't worry, Reimu, I'll help you chase the wind.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“What part of that don't you understand?”

“Forget it.”

Yukari was wearing her purple dress as she spoke to Reimu. The youkai pulled herself back into the gap.

“Where are you going?” Reimu asked.

“One moment, Reimu. I need to change. This is a grim situation you're in.”

The gap closed. A moment later, it reappeared slightly closer to Reimu. Yukari was wearing her white dress now.

“See? I'm taking this seriously,” Yukari said.

“Whatever.”

“Now, before I can offer you any of my services, I need to help Yuyuko prepare dinner.” Yukari once again disappeared into the gap.

“Wait, what?”

The gap closed and disappeared once more. Reimu groaned. The garden was finally at peace again. It took a minute for anyone to speak.

“Well, I won't be able to meditate with her around,” Youmu said.

“Neither will I,” Kasen added.

“I hope they aren't using the mistress' flour to cook,” Sakuya said.

Kasen stood up. “If we're done with meditation, I'd like to look around the gardens for a while. I need a few specific plants.”

“Doing some cooking?” Youmu asked.

“No, I need to replenish my medicine cabinet.”

“Are you sure you want to use plants from this place?” Sakuya asked.

“What's wrong with our garden?” Youmu asked.

“We're in the Netherworld. This is a garden of death.”

“So?”

“If you have a problem with this garden, why don't you let me use the mansion's gardens?” Kasen asked.

“Our gardens are strictly ornamental,” Sakuya answered.

“All of them?”

“Don't you have a greenhouse?” Youmu asked.

“We only grow food, nothing medicinal,” Sakuya answered.

“How can you be so... limited?” Kasen asked.

“The mistress believes farming is for the peasantry.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Youmu got up. “Luckily for you, there's a peasant right here. I'll show you what we have.”

Sakuya got up as well. “Would you like to come along, Reimu?”

Reimu shook her head. “I'll wait for Marisa by the stairs.”

“Suit yourself,” Kasen said.  

Chapter 22: D-Day 15:26 (Local Time)

Reimu sat at the very top of the stairs, just outside of Hakugyokurou. She had grabbed a branch from one of the dead plants and now fiddled around with it. It was all she could do to keep her boredom at bay.

Reimu broke a twig off the branch and tossed it aside. Maybe I could whittle this down into a gohei. Would Sakuya let me borrow one of her knives?

“Reimu,” Yukari said from right behind Reimu.

Reimu jumped up and spun around. Yukari had gapped in just inches away from her. “What do you want?!”

“How do you like your rice? Steamed, or fried?”

“Yukari, I'm not staying until dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

Reimu nodded. “Once Marisa gets here, I'm gone.” She didn't want to mention Reisen. The more Yukari knew, the worse it would get.

“And when is Marisa going to arrive?”

Reimu couldn't answer.

Yukari didn't wait before she spoke again. “How does Marisa like her rice?”

Reimu was completely defeated. “Fried for both of us.”

“As you wish.”

“And tell Ran I said thanks for the meal.”

Yukari looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she simply smirked and retreated into her gap.

Reimu sat back down and turned her attention back to her stick. Yukari was lucky she hadn't been hit with it.

Someone was flying up the stairs, right towards Reimu. The shrine maiden briefly held out hope that it was Marisa, but she knew better. The visitor wasn't riding a broom. Yuyuko had mentioned Reisen earlier, so it was probably her.

Reisen flew closer and closer to Reimu's position. The rabbit spotted the shrine maiden, and came to a stop. Reisen hovered well below Reimu, keeping her distance. Reisen was wearing a big satchel.

“Hi, Reisen!” Reimu called out.

“Hello, Reimu.” Reisen spoke softly, and her voice was hard to make out.

Between Reisen's refusal to speak up, and Reimu's own need to yell, the conversation was quite unpleasant. “Why don't you come closer?” Reimu yelled.

Reisen hesitated for a moment, then approached Reimu. “What brings you here, Reimu?”

“I'm doing an investigation.”

Reisen shuddered, and hid her bag behind her. “What?!”

Reimu didn't react to Reisen's odd behavior. It wasn't the first time someone had freaked out around her that day. “You remember that party I had last night?”

Reisen nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“Did you see anything suspicious there?”

Reisen relaxed, then shook her head.

“Alright. I'm looking for some money I lost,” Reimu explained.

“Oh.” Reisen chuckled. “I thought something serious was going on.”

“This is serious.”

“Of course, of course. Sorry.”

“Why did you get so nervous just now?”

“Sorry, I just thought it was another big incident.”

“Right.”

Reisen started to dig through her satchel. “Reimu, could you do me a favor?”

“Depends.” It didn't actually matter what it was. Reimu had nothing better to do.

Reisen produced a small box from her bag. “This is Youmu's order. Can you take it to her, please?”

Reimu took the package. “I'll go find her.”

“I've... I've got to go deliver Yuyuko's package to her.”

“I can do that, too.”

“No... No... It'll be faster if we split up.”

Reimu raised an eyebrow. “Okay.”

Reisen flew past Reimu and disappeared into the garden.

Reimu looked down at the little box Reisen had given her. Why can't she just drop this off herself? She's already here.

Reimu groaned. Reisen was doing something weird, it probably didn't involve any stolen money, and Reimu had just lost track of her.

Reimu flew off after Reisen. Youmu was probably still in the garden somewhere, so Reimu would have to go that way anyway. She silently wondered if she'd run into the half phantom first, or the rabbit.

Okay, I'll make a bet. If I find Youmu first, I win... I don't know, some tea?

Reisen was crouched down next to a bush ahead of Reimu. The rabbit had a small bottle in her hand. She poured the contents of the bottle onto the bush. A thick black substance fell into the dirt, and seeped in.

“Reisen, what the heck are you doing?!” Reimu yelled.

Reisen froze up, and stared upwards at Reimu like a deer that had just spotted a wolf. “Reimu, what are you doing here?!”

“Youmu was out in the garden when I last saw her.”

“Oh... Uh... Well, Yuyuko's probably out here, too, right?”

“Are you killing the plants?”

“I... I...” Reisen started to tremble.

Reimu landed next to Reisen and silently glared at the rabbit.

“This is an experimental fertilizer!” Reisen blurted out. “Yuyuko told me to-”

“No she didn't. You didn't have enough time to talk to her.”

“She gave instructions when she placed the order!”

“Then why did you say you were going to her?”

Reisen fell silent. After a few seconds, Youmu, Kasen, and Sakuya wandered onto the scene. Reisen's eyes shot over to the trio.

“What's going on?” Youmu asked.

“It was all Eirin's idea!” Reisen blurted out.

Reimu actually believed that statement, but she grabbed Reisen by the arm anyway.

Chapter 23: D-Day 15:40 (Local Time)

Reisen sat by the rock garden, completely surrounded by her captors. “Eirin wants to make a panacea, but for plants.”

“And you've been using our plants as your test subjects?” Yuyuko asked.

“They were the only ones that made sense.”

“Why?” Youmu asked.

Reisen fiddled with her fingers. “We only have bamboo around our home, and that stuff is always getting blown up anyway. Messing with any of the human's crops might be disastrous. I don't want to even try to interfere with the stuff around the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

Sakuya gave a proud smile.

“The forests are all too wild and unpredictable, especially that one that Marisa lives in, and...” Reisen's voice trailed off for a moment. “I don't even want to think about what will happen if we touched those sunflowers.”

“Open season on rabbits,” Reimu said.

“I'm telling you, Eirin made me do it. She said that when we succeeded it would all be worth it.”

“'When'” Reimu scoffed.

“Trust me, she'll figure this out sooner or later.”

“She certainly has plenty of time to,” Kasen said.

Yuyuko put her hand fan to her chin as she took a moment to think. “The research does have some merit.”

“Don't you think it's a bit unrealistic to find a single cure to every possible problem plants can have?”

“Eirin's equipped for the challenge.”

“I don't think anything like that even exists.”

Yuyuko chuckled. “Oh, Kasen, you really are such a bad fit for Gensokyo.”

Kasen looked like she wanted to argue with Yuyuko, but she refrained from doing so.

“You have to admit, my master's plan might work,” Reisen said.

“Lady Yuyuko, I really don't think this is going to pan out,” Youmu said.

“Why not, Eirin unlocked the secrets of immortality, did she not?” Yuyuko replied.

“I guess, but...”

“Honestly, I have to agree with Youmu on this,” Reimu said.

“And why do you say that?” Yuyuko asked.

Reimu shrugged. “I just have a bad feeling about it.”

Yuyuko nodded, then turned back to Reisen. “I have an offer for you, rabbit. Will you hear it?”

Reisen nodded.

“We will provide you with plants for your experiments, but only at our convenience. In exchange, you will give us free medicine,” Yuyuko said.

Reisen stared at Yuyuko for a second. “Um... With all due respect, ma'am, plants aren't nearly as valuable as medicine.”

“I'm aware. I didn't specify a plant to medicine ratio for a reason.”

Reisen's ears perked up. “I see.”

Sakuya walked over and leaned in close to Yuyuko. “I know I may not be in a position to give advice, but doesn't it seem as though you're letting her off a bit lightly? You're negotiating from strength.”

Yuyuko smiled. “I appreciate your concern, but I'm pleased with this outcome.”

Sakuya nodded and stepped away.

“I have to ask Eirin what she thinks... How many plants can you give us?” Reisen asked.

“Oh, just a few a month... at most.”

Reisen's ears drooped. “Oh.”

“There's no way that'll be enough to satisfy Eirin,” Reimu said.

“They'll just have to curb their ambitions,” Yuyuko said.

“Or they'll go out and experiment on somebody else's plants.”

Reisen had begun to tremble again. She raised her hands in front of her. “No we won't!”

Reimu turned to Yuyuko. “You can't just let her off that easy! It's going to turn into an incident!”

“We won't try anything, honest!”

Yuyuko continued to smile. “I'm sure Reisen will talk her master out of causing trouble.”

“I will! I will!”

Reimu didn't believe a single word out of Reisen's mouth. The shrine maiden knew the rabbit would certainly try to keep Eirin under control, but that was easier said than done.

“Then you're free to go,” Yuyuko said.

Reimu didn't bother to argue with Yuyuko. She knew she'd have to go down to Eientei to sort things out sooner or later. At least she knew what she'd do after Yuyuko's mandatory dinner.

“Excuse me.” Kasen pulled out a piece of paper. “Do you have any medicinal herbs for sale? Youmu helped me make a list.”

Reisen took the list and read it. “We have all of these.”

“How much for an order?”

“For everything? Maybe twenty thousand yen.”

Kasen gritted her teeth. “To clear out your stock, or?”

“To get one of each.”

“I... I see...”

“Don't worry about that, Kasen. If you keep working with Youmu, I'll cover those expenses,” Yuyuko said.

I guess Youmu's gonna get an extended vacation. Reimu sighed. That probably means Kasen won't help me with Eientei, either.

“Is something wrong, Reimu?” Sakuya asked.

“I really don't trust Reisen on this,” Reimu said.

“Fear not, Reimu. We will make sure that Eientei doesn't cause any further problems,” Yuyuko said.

“I don't trust you about that either!”

“I'll help as well, Reimu,” Sakuya said.

Reimu's expression softened slightly. “Thanks.”

“Don't forget about Marisa... Whenever she comes back.”

Reimu felt herself starting to worry. “She's been gone awhile, hasn't she?”

“Only an hour or so. It's not that unreasonable to assume she's still with the fairy.”

“Is that really all it's been?”

Reisen stared at the pair, then looked to Yuyuko. “So... Can I leave now?”

“You may, but we've almost finished making dinner for everyone,” Yuyuko said.

“I... uh... just ate.”

“Please, surely you can spare some-”

Reisen had already jumped up and jogged away. Reimu watched the rabbit run off into the mist.

Yuyuko shook her head. “What a pity.”

“You're not going to hold her hostage, too?” Reimu asked.

“We're not holding you hostage. It's Marisa who's holding you here.”

“You know, maybe I should just go find her. She's probably still close to where we left her.”

Yuyuko feigned despair. “But what if your food gets cold?”

“I already told you I don't want to eat dinner here!”

“But Yukari worked so hard to make you some.”

“She just had Ran make it.”

“No, I didn't,” Yukari said from right behind Reimu.

Reimu jumped and spun around. No matter how much time she spent around the gap youkai, she could never get totally used to moments like this.

Yukari's eyes stared downwards, and her head hung low. “Reimu, after everything we've been through...”

“Oh, shut up!” Reimu said.

Yukari's voice was filled with the same faux sadness that Yuyuko loved so much. “And now you're saying such nasty things to me!”

“If you did make it yourself, you only did it for some sort of joke between you and Yuyuko!”

Now, it was Yuyuko's turn to join in on the game. “Reimu, Yukari is my guest. I will not allow you to insult her so!” Yuyuko sounded angry, but Reimu was sure it was just an act.

“Don't act all offended! You know I'm right!”

“I should have Youmu toss you out of the Netherworld!”

Youmu froze up. “Please don't make me fight her.”

“However, since your friend Marisa is expecting you to be here, so I must allow you to stay, for her sake,” Yuyuko said.

Youmu let out a relieved sigh.

“Is somebody talking about me?” Marisa called out from somewhere in the mist.

Everyone's heads turned to Marisa's voice. After a short wait, the magician appeared from the eerie fog of the netherworld. She was flying on her broom just a few feet off the ground, and she wasn't alone.

Chen was clinging to the end of Marisa's broom, and was being dragged along as she desperately fought to stand her ground.

“Chen?!” Reimu called out.

Chen's eyes shot to Reimu, then to Yukari, then to Yuyuko.

“She's been attacking me since I flew past that big door thing!” Marisa yelled.

“Just blast her away!”

“I did! She came back!”

“Do it again!”

Yukari silently withdrew into a freshly opened gap, while Yuyuko hid her face behind a hand fan. Reimu barely noticed.

“I can't!” Marisa shouted.

“Why not?!”

“She's not fighting back anymore!”

“Just do it anyway!”

Chen let go of Marisa and retreated into the fog. With the resistance removed, Marisa's broom lurched forwards, nearly dumping its rider onto the ground.

Sakuya appeared next to Marisa without warning and grabbed the broom, holding it in place. With the maid's help, Marisa was able to right herself in an instant.

“Thanks,” Marisa said.

Reimu ran over. “What happened?”

“Well, after a while Lily got tired of playing with Kanda, and I flew this way. As soon as I entered the Netherworld, Chen showed up and started shooting bullets at me.”

“And you defeated her,” Sakuya said.

Marisa nodded. “She wasn't able to hold me off for very long like that, so she changed tactics. She really wanted to mess with me for some reason.”

Reimu looked to Yuyuko, who was still hiding behind her fan. “I think I know the reason.”

“Yukari? Is she here?”

“She was until a moment ago,” Sakuya explained.

“That figures.”

“You really should've just shot Chen down,” Reimu said.

“That would've been mean.”

“Trying to drag someone away is mean!”

“Fair enough.”

Kasen ran over to the trio. “Where's Kanda? Why isn't my bird with you?”

Marisa shrugged. “He wouldn't go into the Netherworld, at least not far in.”

“What do you mean?” Reimu asked.

“He just kept turning and flying back out. I couldn't get him to follow me in.”

Kasen grabbed Marisa's shoulders. “Where is Kanda now?”

“Probably still by the big door.”

“Probably?”

“Hey, you didn't have any problem with him being unattended before,” Reimu said.

“That's because I didn't know Kanda was trying to eat fairies before!” Kasen started to walk away. “I need to go.”

“Wait! You're going to miss dinner!” Yuyuko called out.

“I'm sorry, but I simply can't afford to stay and eat!”

“I'll give you a bonus on your pay for training Youmu!”

Kasen paused for a second. She stopped and stared at the ground, then shut her eyes and shook her head. A moment later, she ran off.

Yuyuko groaned. “I thought that would surely make her stop.”

“I thought so, too, Lady Yuyuko,” Youmu said.

“Oh well, she'll be back soon enough.”

As Kasen left, Yukari returned from one of her gaps. “Dinner's ready, everyone!”

Chapter 24: D-Day 16:21 (Local Time)

Reimu flew down the stairway that led out of the Netherworld. She knew she wasn't sick, but she couldn’t shake the little bit of nausea that stuck with her. She wasn't sure if it was from the food itself, or simply because she'd eaten a full bowl of rice just a little while after lunch.

Reimu hadn't been hungry, but forcing a meal down was the path of least resistance when it came to dealing with Yukari and Yuyuko. It didn’t help that the rice tasted awful, too. Reimu was sure Yukari had indeed made it herself, because Ran was far too good at cooking to mess it up that badly.

“So, onto Eientei, then?” Sakuya asked.

Reimu nodded. “They're going to cause trouble, I just know it.”

“Aren't you gonna ask them about your money?” Marisa asked.

“Yeah, that too.”

Right as Reimu finished speaking, a gap appeared ahead of her, and Yukari poked her head out. Reimu groaned and came to a stop.

“What is it, Yukari?” Reimu asked.

Yukari produced a small box from within the gap. “I saved you some leftovers. Where should I put them?”

“You can keep it.”

“Nonsense! You'll need the extra energy if you want to have any hope of catching the culprit!”

“I have food at home.”

“Reimu, please, you barely eat enough as it is! I'm worried you'll waste away to nothing one of these days!”

“Just drop it off in my house, then!”

“There you go.” Yukari slunk back into her gap. “Ran, drop this off at the shrine.”

The gap closed and disappeared.

“Reimu, did you just give her permission to go into your house?” Marisa asked.

“She's going to do it no matter what I say,” Reimu replied.

“Yeah, but... you're giving her an inch, you know?”

“She can have that mile, I don't feel like stopping her.”

“Is she going to be bothering us the whole time?” Sakuya asked.

“Unless she finds something more fun to do.”

Sakuya groaned.

The trio continued to fly onward. The mist of the Netherworld began to fade away, and Reimu began to feel warm again. The barrier between the two worlds came into view, and the shrine maiden wasted no time getting over it.

The sun finally reappeared. It was starting to sink lower in the sky, but there were still several hours of daylight left. The unbroken carpet of gray clouds had given way to a few tall, puffy, white clouds.

“You know, it's a bit odd we aren't bringing Youmu along,” Sakuya said.

“Why? She's supposed to be taking time off,” Marisa replied.

“I don't know. I just have an odd feeling we should have brought her.”

“We'll be fine by ourselves,” Reimu said.

“Reimu, do you know how to find Eientei?” Marisa asked.

“Usually I just wander around for a bit until I find it.”

Marisa and Sakuya both stared at Reimu.

“What is it?” Reimu asked.

“You just aimlessly wander through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost ?” Sakuya asked.

“Yeah. It's not that big of a forest, so you tend to run into it after a little while.”

“I once spent half a day lost in there! I thought I was gonna be stuck in there forever!” Marisa said.

“We can always just fly up if we need to leave.”

“But that doesn't help us with actually finding Eientei,” Sakuya said.

“We can ask Mokou for help,” Marisa suggested.

“Yes, she'll show us how to get there.”

Reimu sighed. “I led us to the Netherworld, didn't I?”

“Yeah, you managed to find a giant glowing wall in the sky,” Marisa said.

“Hey, you have trouble finding it on your own, don't you?”

“I have a lot less trouble finding the Netherworld than I do Eientei.”

“But how much trouble are we gonna have finding Mokou?”

“Who knows?”

“What's your plan for getting to our guide?”

Marisa scratched the back of her head. “I'm... Well, she does like to wander around a lot, doesn't she?”

“So we're just going to hope we run into her randomly?” Sakuya asked.

“I... I guess so.”

“We really are hopeless, aren't we?” Reimu said.

Marisa and Sakuya nodded along.

While finding anything within the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was a nightmare, finding the forest itself was anything but difficult. A massive patch of green rods stood out among Gensokyo's other foliage.

Even though Reimu was still quite a ways away from the forest. She could easily see where to go next.

Something above the forest caught Reimu's attention. It was a column of light gray smoke, slowly rising up from somewhere within the labyrinth of bamboo.

Reimu sighed. This might be easier than I thought.

Chapter 25: D-Day 16:29 (Local Time)

Reimu flew towards the pillar of smoke. Below her, a massive hole had been blasted in the green carpet of bamboo. In the middle of the fresh clearing was a crater that had been blasted into the light brown dirt.

Reimu, with Marisa and Sakuya in tow, floated downwards In the very center of the crater was the crumpled form of something red and white.

Reimu landed just a few steps away from Mokou. Yeah, that's her.

Mokou was lying on her side in the soil. Reimu walked up to the immortal and poked her in the back. Mokou tossed and turned, then muttered something to herself.

Reimu grabbed Mokou by the shoulder and shook her. Mokou whispered a single word, but Reimu couldn't understand it.

“Mokou, wake up!” Reimu said.

“Cheater!” Mokou spat out.

“What?”

Mokou curled up. “Cheater...”

“What are you talking about?”

“Kaguya...”

“Oh.” Reimu didn't need to hear anymore. It had something to do with one of Mokou and Kaguya's fights.

Reimu turned back to Marisa and Sakuya. “It looks like she's out of action.”

“Perhaps we should wait for her to wake up,” Sakuya suggested.

“I don't know. It might be better if we just go with Reimu's idea,” Marisa said.

“We are not just going to wander around the forest and hope we get lucky.”

Mokou's eyes slowly opened. She rolled onto her back, then slowly sat up. “Kaguya's a dirty cheater.”

“What did she do this time? Throw sand in your eyes, or something?” Marisa asked.

Mokou banged her fists into the ground. “I wish she'd done that! She didn't even show up!”

“What do you mean?”

“She told me to come here last night.”

“To this specific spot?” Reimu asked.

Mokou nodded, then pointed directly beneath her. “Right here.”

Reimu looked around. There weren't any landmarks she could see. Everything was just flat ground and bamboo. “Was there like, a rock or something that got blown up?”

“What?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

“I come here like she wanted me to, I take a few steps forward, then I hear a little click.”

“And you blew up?” Marisa asked.

Mokou nodded. “That's a dirty trick, ain't it?”

Reimu didn't see how a bomb was any worse than what Mokou and Kaguya normally did to each other, but she wasn't going to start an argument about it.

“Yeah, that's not fair,” Marisa said.

Mokou groaned and looked up at the sky. “It's a nice morning.”

“It's almost five in the afternoon,” Sakuya said.

“Oh.” Mokou stared off into space for a moment. “So, why are you three here?”

“I think Eientei is up to something,” Reimu said.

“They're always up to something.”

“Something that will start an incident.”

“What else is new?” Mokou shook her head. “You're being pretty proactive, aren't ya?”

“I'm also looking for some stolen money.”

“That explains it.” Mokou put her hand to her chin. “Kaguya would probably do something like that.”

“It's physically impossible. She wasn't at the party.”

“You had a party? Why didn't anybody tell me?”

“You live in the middle of nowhere,” Sakuya replied.

Mokou shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“The money disappeared from my donation bin after I had a party last night,” Reimu explained.

“Maybe Kaguya did steal that cash. Maybe that's why she had to use a bomb on me. She was too busy stealing from you.”

“I don't think she did it.”

“What about Eirin?”

“Why would she steal from me?”

“Maybe she needed the money?”

“She’s a doctor. I don’t think she needs to steal from me.”

“Tewi! It must have been Tewi!”

That suggestion actually did make some sense to Reimu. That rabbit was a menace. “You might be onto something.”

“You know what? I bet Tewi built that bomb, too! I think she took your money to buy supplies for more!”

“She would do something like that, wouldn't she?”

Marisa stepped in between Reimu and Mokou. “Don't you two think you're making a few too many assumptions right now?”

“That kind of thinking has gotten you into a lot of trouble in the past, Reimu,” Sakuya said.

“Hey, we're just theorizing,” Reimu said.

“Still. You sound like you've made a mountain out of a... not even a molehill, a tiny speck of dirt,” Marisa said.

“When you're hunting a criminal, sometimes you need a crazy theory.”

“If you keep this up, you'll be hunting whoever wronged you forever,” Sakuya said.

Mokou casually rose to her feet. “Reminds me of Kaguya.”

Sakuya nodded. “Except you have a lot more time to pursue your nemesis.”

“It's a lot different for Reimu,” Marisa said.

“I mean, yeah, Reimu is mortal. She's not gonna live forever,” Mokou said.

“It changes things, doesn't it? Our lives aren't all that long when your really think about it.”

“It makes you wonder what really matters,” Sakuya added.

“It really does.” Mokou turned to Reimu.

Reimu gave Mokou a dispassionate stare. Is she going to tell me I'm wasting my time like the others did?

Mokou put a hand on Reimu's shoulder. “Reimu, you have to show that thief who's boss, no matter what!”

Reimu started to smile. “Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I mean that! You can't waste your life letting other people push you around!”

Marisa and Sakuya's mouths were hanging open.

“That's what I told them,” Reimu said.

“And there's another key difference between you and me, whoever stole from you isn't unkillable like Kaguya!”

“Um...”

“I don't think Reimu wants to hurt them, Mokou,” Marisa said.

Reimu was going to say that they couldn't rule out the thief being immortal, but she let Marisa speak.

“I didn't mean it like that,” Mokou clarified.

“What else could you mean?” Sakuya asked.

“I meant this guy won't just laugh it off if you attack them.”

“I see.”

Reimu wasn't sure if Mokou was telling the truth about that, but it didn't matter. “Let's get over to Eientei!”

Mokou pumped her fist. “Yeah! Let's burn that place to the ground!”

Marisa and Sakuya both looked horrified.

Chapter 26: D-Day 16:42 (Local Time)

“How much farther do we have to go?” Marisa asked.

“It's just another hundred bamboo stalks or so away,” Mokou said.

Marisa's voice was filled with exasperation. “What?”

Mokou raised an eyebrow. “Do you not know how to count, or something?”

“You've been out here a long time, haven't you?” Reimu asked.

Mokou nodded. “You start to learn your way around after a few decades or so.”

“I feel like we've been in here for decades already. Everything looks exactly the same,” Marisa said.

“I guess it is kinda boring.”

“We've been walking around for like an hour.”

“Well...” Sakuya said.

“I don't want to hear it.”

“Don't worry, we should spot it in a minute,” Mokou said.

After just a few more steps, Reimu noticed something lurking in the bamboo ahead. It was a stone wall, about a head taller than Reimu herself. She almost blurted out “Is that it?”, but  knew it couldn't be anything but Eientei.

“See? I took you right to the front gate,” Mokou said.

“I didn't say we weren't gonna find it eventually,” Marisa said.

The group walked right up to the wall. Reimu looked around. There wasn't a way through the barrier in sight.

“Where’s the front gate?” Reimu asked.

Mokou looked side to side with her mouth hanging open. “I... thought it was on this side.”

“We'll just walk around,” Sakuya said.

The party did just that, following the wall until they found the front gate. Eirin and Reisen were standing by the entrance. They spotted Reimu instantly, and didn't look surprised to see her.

Reimu froze up under the pair's gaze. The people she'd come looking for were right there in front of her. Usually she'd have to fight her way through waves of fairies and other chaff to get to this point.

“Reimu?” Eirin asked.

“Yes?” Reimu replied.

“On behalf of Eientei, I've come to offer our unconditional surrender.”

Reimu couldn't believe her ears. “Really?”

Eirin nodded. “It's pointless to resist. My experiment isn't worth dealing with you over.”

“I... thanks?”

Mokou stepped forward. “Reimu I don't think you should trust her.”

Reisen looked to Mokou, then back to Reimu. There was a quiet desperation in the rabbit's eyes.

Reimu shrugged. “I usually don't, but...”

“But what?” Mokou asked.

“I think she's being genuine this time.”

“What do... Wait a second, you're just saying that because it's convenient for you!”

“It's not just that.”

“What else is it?”

“I just have a good feeling about her.”

“That's stupid!”

Eirin walked over to Reimu and Mokou. “Please, Mokou, Reimu can make her own judgments. We're trying to be peaceful and reasonable in this endeavor.”

Mokou reached over and shoved Eirin away. “Don't try to manipulate her.”

Eirin stumbled back a step, but kept her footing. To say the lunarian was uninjured would be a massive understatement. “How dare you!”

Reisen jumped into action and put herself between Mokou and Eirin. Before the rabbit could do anything more, Eirin pulled her subordinate to the side and marched towards Mokou.

Reisen rushed in and grabbed Eirin from behind. “I thought you wanted to negotiate!” Reisen shouted.

“I did originally!” Eirin said through gritted teeth.

Reisen grabbed both of Eirin's arms. “Stop!”

Mokou started to wind up a punch. “Keep her there, Reisen!”

Marisa grabbed Mokou's arm. “What was all that stuff about fighting fair earlier?!” The magician said.

“That was about me and Kaguya, and they started it with that bomb!”

“I have no idea what she's talking about!” Eirin said, still struggling with Reisen.

Mokou began to pull free of Marisa's grip. As the magician started to falter, Sakuya stepped in and grabbed Mokou from the other side.

“Come on, I earned this one!” Mokou said.

Reimu looked to Eirin, then to Mokou. Should I just go ask Kaguya what's going on?

Marisa and Sakuya managed to lift Mokou off the ground. The immortal flailed around and kicked at the air.

I mean, Kaguya's not really the type to keep tabs on her buddies, is she?

Reisen dug her feet into the ground as Eirin slowly pulled herself closer to Mokou.

Reimu continued to fall deeper into thought. It wouldn't hurt to try, right?

“How strange. Usually Mokou and I are the ones doing things like this,” Kaguya said from right next to Reimu.

Reimu nearly jumped out of her skin. The sudden activity briefly distracted Eirin and Mokou from their feud. The pair both froze up for a second, before backing away from each other.

“Don't back away now, I've already seen everything,” Kaguya said.

Mokou's anger was instantly redirected to Kaguya. “Kaguya, you've got some nerve pulling a trick like that!”

“What are you talking about? Eirin came out on her own accord.”

“Not that!”

“Then what?”

“The bomb!”

“What bomb?”

“The one that you buried, and I stepped on!”

“I believe they call that a 'mine'.”

“Shut up!”

Now it was Reimu's turn to step between a bickering pair. “Can you save this for later? I have some questions to ask.”

“Like what?” Kaguya asked.

“For starters, where's Tewi?”

“Tewi? She's...” Kaguya looked around. “That's an excellent question, really.”

Chapter 27: D-Day 17:00 (Local Time)

“I haven't seen Tewi since yesterday,” Eirin said.

Reisen set down several cups of piping hot tea on the table that sat between Reimu and the lunarians. Marisa and Sakuya were in a different room, keeping watch over Mokou. With her task complete, Reisen left the room.

“The last time I saw her was just past midnight,” Kaguya added.

“So she's been missing for like sixteen hours?” Reimu asked.

“I'm not sure I'd use the word 'missing'.”

“It doesn't matter. Do you think she had anything to do with Mokou blowing up?”

“Probably. Did Mokou describe the bomb to you?”

“She just said it blew up when she stepped on it. It sounded kind of advanced. Does Tewi have stuff like that?”

Eirin and Kaguya both nodded without any hesitation. “She probably made it herself,” Eirin said.

“Where would she find the stuff to make a landmine?” Reimu asked.

“She has her ways,” Eirin said.

Kaguya nodded along. “Tewi can get pretty much anything she wants.”

“That's scary.” Reimu picked up her tea. “Can I hire her?”

“She'd probably charge more than you have,” Kaguya said.

“Hey!”

“Don't be offended. You know how she is.”

“She wasn't calling you poor, Reimu,” Eirin clarified.

“Do you have any idea where she might be?” Reimu asked.

“Probably out in the forest somewhere.”

“That's not very helpful.”

Kaguya took a sip of her tea. “Do you really think we can keep track of her? If she's not here, she's probably with the rabbits out there.”

“Fair enough.” Reimu sipped her tea. “I guess I'll have to search the forest.”

“Stop by here before you go out tomorrow. We'll let you know if we've seen anything.”

“Tomorrow?”

Kaguya and Eirin both looked at each other. “Yes, tomorrow,” Kaguya repeated.

“What are you talking about? I'm going outside right now.”

“I don't think that's a good idea. We're running out of daylight,” Eirin said.

“I'm sure it'll be fine. I can take Marisa and Sakuya with me, plus Mokou if she's willing to come.”

“Please take Mokou,” Kaguya said.

Reimu wasn't sure if Kaguya really meant that. “I'm sure she'll take it over hanging around here.”

“Shouldn't you at least eat dinner first?” Eirin asked.

Reimu shuddered. “No, I've already eaten.”

“We can give you some leftovers to take with-”

“I'm fine!”

Eirin blinked. “If you insist.”

“Don't you want to come look for her, too? Tewi's your friend.”

“I'm sure she's fine,” Kaguya said.

Erin nodded in agreement.

Reimu shook her head. “Don't you care that she's blowing up Mokou?”

Kaguya stifled a laugh.

Reimu groaned. “Alright, that was a stupid question.”

Kaguya snorted, then let out a loud, almost hysterical laugh.

“Are you guys talking about me?!” Mokou yelled, her voice muffled by a thin wall.

“No,” Reimu yelled back.

“Yes,” Kaguya yelled, almost simultaneously.

Reimu and Eirin glared at Kaguya, who giggled to herself.

“What?!” Mokou shouted.

“Nothing!” Eirin yelled.

“Whatever!”

The room fell silent. Reimu took another sip of tea. Kaguya fidgeted with her cup.

“Is something wrong?” Eirin asked.

“Don't you feel like we're being watched?” Kaguya asked.

Reimu let out another groan. Not her.

Eirin nodded. “I do.”

“Yukari!” Reimu called out.

Eirin buried her face in her hands. “Don't tell me she's here.”

A gap appeared in the middle of the table. Reimu considered pouring her remaining tea into it.

“Guess who,” Yukari said from within the gap.

“We know it's you,” Reimu said.

Yukari poked her head out from inside the gap. “You're no fun, Reimu. Do you know that?”

“I pride myself on it, actually.”

“You’re just saying that for my sake, aren’t you?”

Reimu remained silent.

Eirin leaned over to Kaguya and whispered something.

“Come now, Reimu. We've known each other for so long,” Yukari said.

“That's why I'm no fun around you. Why are you here?”

“I said I was going to help you, remember?”

“How is this helpful?”

Yukari simply smiled at Reimu. It was as if the answer to the shrine maiden's question was obvious, but Reimu had no idea what that answer was supposed to be.

Eirin stood up. “May I be excused for a moment?”

“Oh, of course,” Yukari answered.

Eirin walked out of the room. Reimu heard the lunarian's footsteps turn into a noisy run as she slipped out of sight.

“How long have you been eavesdropping on us?” Kaguya asked.

Yukari dismissively waved her hand around “Not long,”

“I want an exact time.”

Yukari pointed upwards. “I believe it says the time somewhere up there.”

“What are you speaking of?”

“Can't you read?”

Kaguya groaned. “You know we don't have any patience for intruders here.”

“I'm sorry. I just thought that if Reimu was allowed to barge in with her friends, then I could come in, too.”

Kaguya turned to Reimu. “Do you have to deal with this every single day?”

Reimu nodded. “Not every day, but enough days.”

“I'm going to assume you only arrived when Reimu did.”

Yukari nodded along. “That's a fair assumption.”

“I must ask you to leave.”

“But I just got here.”

“Leave this instant, or be removed.”

Yukari silently stared at Kaguya for a few seconds, then opened her mouth to speak again. Before a single syllable could leave the youkai's mouth, Reisen barged into the room.

Reisen fired off a laser directly at Yukari's head. The youkai ducked back into her gap, narrowly avoiding the attack.

“How rude!” Yukari called out.

Reisen charged up to the gap, prompting Yukari to retreat even further in. The rabbit stood just outside of the gap and fired danmaku into it. Half a dozen rabbits followed behind Reisen, and all joined in on the barrage. After a brief delay, the gap closed.

“She's gone,” Reisen said.

Eirin walked into the room. “Excellent work, everyone.”

“How long until she returns?” Kaguya asked.

“Not long,” Reimu said.

“Reimu, I must ask you to leave at once.”

“What happened to giving me food and stuff?”

“If you leave, Yukari will most likely follow,” Eirin said.

“Oh, I get it.” Reimu stood up without a second of hesitation.

Chapter 28: D-Day 17:23 (Local Time)

“Tewi!” Reimu called out. “Tewi!”

“Reimu, you're kinda treating her like a lost dog,” Marisa said.

“There's a good chance she doesn't want to be found,” Sakuya said.

“I mean, she's definitely not going to respond if you yell like that.”

Reimu looked to Mokou. “What do you do when you want to find Tewi?”

Mokou looked at Reimu like the shrine maiden was insane. “Why would I want to find Tewi?”

“Haven't you known each other for... like longer than Gensokyo has been around? You have to have done this at least once before.”

“Do you know how impossible it is to look for Tewi here? She's a rabbit. In a forest this thick we could be looking for her for longer than Gensokyo's been around.”

“If she's a rabbit, why don't we just hunt her like one?” Sakuya suggested.

“We don't know how to hunt rabbits,” Reimu said.

“Oh, it's easy.” Sakuya stuck out two fingers and pressed them against the palm of her other hand. It looked a bit like a little figure standing in a field. “First, we fill the forest with traps, then we flush the rabbit out.” Sakuya cupped her hand around the little figure she had made.

“Right into the traps,” Reimu said.

Sakuya nodded.

“Um, Sakuya, what sort of traps do you have in mind?” Marisa asked.

“Tewi's bigger than a normal rabbit, so the usual equipment won't work. We need bear traps,” Sakuya explained.

“B-Bear traps?”

“She won't fall for that,” Mokou said.

“Not normally, of course, but if we smoke her out. She'll stumble into just about anything.” Sakuya had an upbeat smile. “I suggest we have Mokou burn down a portion of the forest.”

The others stared at Sakuya in stunned silence.

Reimu broke the silence. “We're not doing that.”

“Why not? Mokou and Kaguya destroy the forest regularly,” Sakuya asked.

“This is different,” Mokou said.

“How so?”

“We can handle blowing up. Tewi's annoying, but I don't want to turn her into a stain on the ground.”

“Tewi can probably handle it, too.”

“I'm not going to do that! Kaguya'll kill me!”

“I was under the impression you didn't like Kaguya.”

“I'm not gonna incinerate her pet bunny!”

“I don't think that Tewi is Kaguya's pet.”

“Are you sure?”

“She wouldn't be somebody's pet.”

Marisa cut in. “I don't know. I think she might be lazy enough to play the part. Free food and no rent, ya know?”

That idea resonated with Reimu, burning down the bamboo forest did not. “What if we accidentally burned down Eientei?”

“I hadn't considered that,” Sakuya said.

“Oh, Kaguya really gets mad when you burn her house down,” Mokou said.

Marisa scoffed. “What if you incinerated Eientei and Tewi. We'd really be doomed then.”

“ I'd be the one taking the fall, so let's not even think about trying that.”

“Does anyone have a better idea?” Sakuya asked.

“I'm just gonna stick with what we've been doing.” Mokou turned around. “Let's try this direction.”

Mokou took a few steps, then suddenly disappeared from Reimu's vision. A hole opened up beneath the immortal's feet, and she fell inside.

“I think we found a clue,” Marisa said.

Mokou slowly floated up and out of the hole. She landed right at the pit's rim, grumbling to herself the entire time.

“I don't think that means much. Doesn't Tewi put those pits wherever she feels like?” Sakuya asked.

“At least we know she's been here recently,” Reimu said.

“I don't know if we can do much with that info,” Marisa said.

Sakuya raised her hand. “I just had another idea.”

“This should be good.”

“Why don't we use one of the earth rabbits? Tewi might be elusive, but I'm sure she has friends who aren't.”

“Hey, that's actually pretty good.”

“Yeah, let's just ask around,” Reimu added.

“Ask around?” Sakuya said. “I was suggesting we take one of them hostage.”

“Let's... Let's just try asking first,” Marisa said.

“And pray that Tewi's friends really aren't like her,” Reimu said.

Mokou finished sulking and returned to the group. “Before you ask, I don't know anything about Tewi's social life, either.”

“How do you not know her better?” Marisa asked.

Mokou was instantly agitated again. “I told you guys I don't like her!”

“Let's just go back to Eientei, the bunnies usually hang out around there,” Reimu said.

“Didn't they just ask us to leave?” Marisa asked.

“If we stay outside the wall, it should be fine.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Let's keep it quick,” Mokou said.

Chapter 29: D-Day 17:52 (Local Time)

The earth rabbit fiddled with the toothpick in her mouth. “Yeah, I can tell you where to find Tewi, but it's gonna cost ya.”

“How many?” Reimu asked.

The rabbit was lying on top of Eientei's outer wall, forcing the others to arch their necks up to look at her. “‘Many’? What do you mean ‘how many’?”

“You know, how many carrots?”

The rabbit tossed her toothpick aside and sat up. “Carrots?”

“We can bring you other vegetables, if you prefer,” Sakuya said.

The rabbit silently stared down at the group.

“Why not some mochi?” Marisa suggested.

“We're the ones selling the mochi, not buying it,” the rabbit said.

“It's not like we have vegetables or mochi, anyway,” Reimu said.

The rabbit crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“I'm sorry, but we weren't expecting bribery today,” Sakuya said.

“It's not that.”

Mokou began to speak. “Then what-”

“Hey!” Youmu called out from some distance away.

“Youmu?” Reimu said.

Youmu was walking towards the group. She had a basket in her arms. “I wasn't expecting to see you out here.”

“Why? I told everybody I was going here.”

“I just thought you'd be done by now.”

“I appreciate the optimism.”

“Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?” Marisa asked.

Youmu stopped a short distance away, but refused to meet Marisa's gaze. “I... Well I decided to take a walk.”

“All the way over here?”

“Okay, fine, you got me.” Youmu held up her basket. “I decided to bring some plants over to Eirin like we talked about earlier.”

Reimu raised an eyebrow. “What kind of plants?”

“Oh, just some vegetables. I picked them, so I'm not sure how useful they'll be. I think Eirin needs-”

Reimu snatched the basket away from Youmu, then walked over to the rabbit.

“Hey!”

Reimu held up the basket so the rabbit could see its contents. “Will these work?”

The rabbit stared down at Reimu like the shrine maiden was insane. “What are you idiots talking about? I don't want carrots, or any other kind of food. I want money, you morons!”

Reimu lowered the basket. “Oh.”

Youmu marched over and retrieved her basket.

“Don't you have any cash on ya?” the rabbit asked.

“I-”

“I know you don't. What about you four?”

“I'm not carrying cash when Tewi's running around,” Mokou said.

“I just got here. I don't even know what's going on,” Youmu said.

Marisa patted herself down. “I thought I had some coins on me. Gimme a second.”

“Sakuya?” Reimu asked.

“I left my money back at the mansion. We left on such short notice so I’m traveling light,” Sakuya replied.

“What do you mean 'short notice'? You can stop time.”

“It's the principle of it.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Marisa continued to dig through her pockets. “I think I found- Wait, it's just a bottle cap. When did I pick up a bottle cap?” Marisa examined the bottle cap for a second.

“I can go back to my place and get some cash. You guys can pay me back, right?” Mokou suggested.

Reimu remained fixed on Sakuya. “Why don't you just stop time and get your wallet, or your purse, or...” Reimu actually had no idea how the maid carried things around. Sakuya just seemed to always have whatever she needed on her. She didn't even know if her dress had pockets.

“I'd have to ask Lady Remilia if I can spend the mansion's funds,” Sakuya replied.

“Don't you have your own money?”

“Don't you?”

Reimu fell silent.

Youmu silently slipped away from the others and headed towards Eientei's front gate. Her ghost half remained behind. It felt as if the specter was watching everyone judgmentally.

While the others continued to bicker and fumble around, the rabbit silently watched the confused display. The rabbit balled her hands into fists, and started to grind her teeth. “Hey,” she said, breaking her silence.

No one acknowledged the rabbit. She grumbled under her breath, then fired off a single bullet. The rabbit wasn't aiming at anything in particular, so the bullet simply flew over everyone's heads.

At least, the bullet almost flew over everyone's heads. At the last possible second, Youmu's ghost half flew into the danmaku's path, and caught the projectile. The little poltergeist recoiled from the impact, and Youmu yelped from somewhere out of sight.

The entire group froze up, and all eyes were on the rabbit. “Five grown women, and none of you have any money?” the rabbit asked.

“I wouldn't even be out here if I had money,” Reimu admitted.

The rabbit put her hands to her temples. “What is wrong with you people?”

“Too much,” Mokou said.

“Alright, if this was a trick, it worked. Tewi's gotta hideout under Eientei.”

“Where's the entrance?” Reimu asked.

“Just follow the wall, it's behind some shrubs or something.”

“You're not just saying that to get rid of us, are you?”

“Shut up and go.”

Chapter 30: D-Day 18:02 (Local Time)

Reimu pulled the shrubbery aside, and peeked into the hole beneath her. It was definitely wide enough for Tewi to fit through, but that was the only connection to the rabbit Reimu could find.

“Is that it?” Sakuya asked.

“Probably,” Reimu answered.

Youmu stepped forward and unsheathed her sword. "Alright, stand back, then."

Reimu followed Youmu's instructions. As soon as the shrine maiden was clear, Youmu slashed the foliage away in one stroke. Twigs and leaves filled the air for a few seconds.

Reimu returned to her original position and peered down into the hole. It was bigger than she'd originally thought. Much bigger.

The hole was more than wide enough for Reimu to jump directly into it, and tall enough for her to stand up straight inside of it. It led off under Eientei's outer wall, and disappeared into total darkness.

Marisa, Sakuya, and Mokou fell in behind Reimu and Youmu.

Marisa knelt down and stared into the pit. Daylight was starting to fade, so getting closer didn't help anyone’s vision much.

Youmu turned to the others. "So, what are we going to do for ligh-"

Marisa had already created a little white star in her hand, while Mokou had a small fire in hers.

Youmu sighed. "Right."

Marisa stood up and kicked a pebble into the hole. “I guess we should draw straws.”

“For what?” Sakuya asked.

“To see who goes in first, duh,” Mokou said.

Reimu walked right up to the hole and jumped in without even a second's pause. No one seemed fazed by her initiative. It was surprisingly dry inside, and noticeably cooler than the surface. Right ahead of her was a long tunnel. There was only enough room for one person at a time.

“Everything alright down there?” Youmu asked.

“It could use a rug, maybe some lanterns,” Reimu answered.

“A duckboard might be better,” Marisa said.

“It's actually not muddy down here.”

“Think she set up some sort of drainage?”

“She must have.”

“Is there enough room for all of us?” Sakuya asked.

“If we go single file.”

“It's not gonna flood, is it?” Youmu asked.

“Why would it flood?”

“From all the rain.”

“It'll be fine.”

Reimu took a few steps further into the tunnel, and Marisa jumped in after her. The light from Marisa's tiny star entered with her, and Reimu could see the passageway veering off to the right in front of her.

Reimu and Marisa shuffled forward, once there was enough space, Sakuya entered the tunnel, then Mokou jumped in after the trio, adding her light to Marisa's. Even as Mokou moved out of the way, Youmu continued to hesitate.

“Come on,” Mokou said.

Youmu jumped into the tunnel. As the group pressed forward, she lagged behind, barely keeping up with the others. “How far does this go?”

“Why would any of us know?” Reimu replied.

After a minute or so of walking, the tunnel split off in two different directions. Reimu instinctively paused right before the split.

“Well?” Marisa asked.

Reimu turned to the left. “Let's try left.”

The group continued on, and passed under a wooden arch built into the ceiling. There were more of the supports ahead.

“Tewi must have been here for some time,” Sakuya said.

“See, Youmu? There's not gonna be a cave in,” Marisa said.

There was no answer.

Marisa looked over her shoulder. “Youmu?”

The entire group turned around. Youmu wasn't there.

Reimu groaned. “Not again.”

“'Not again'?” Mokou repeated.

“Alright, what do you think happened this time?” Marisa asked.

“Think that big bird found a shovel?” Sakuya asked.

“She must've gotten scared and headed back out,” Reimu said.

Marisa stared at Reimu like the shrine maiden was insane. “Reimu, that's what you said last time!”

“What do you mean... Oh, right, I did say that back at the mansion.”

“We need to go back and make sure she's okay.”

“What else could have happened to her?”

“Yeah, she was behind me the whole time, and I didn't notice anything wrong,” Mokou said.

“I'm sure it wasn't the bird this time,” Sakuya said.

“Yeah, Youmu's short, but she's a lot bigger than a fairy,” Reimu said.

Mokou looked to Sakuya, then to Reimu, she paused for a moment, then spoke. “Actually, let's go back.”

Everyone else nodded along.

Mokou spun around, becoming the leader of the group. She led the others back the way they'd came. The group didn't get very far before Mokou came to a stop. Reimu glanced over the immortal's shoulder from behind Marisa.

Ahead of Mokou, the tunnel split off in three separate directions. Reimu hadn't noticed any of the branching tunnels on the way in.

Mokou had frozen up. “Guys...”

“We see them,” Sakuya said.

“Does anybody remember which one we came through?”

No one spoke for a minute. Marisa finally broke the silence. “Even if Youmu did just go back, she'd still be in trouble.”

“Yeah, just like we are now,” Reimu said.

“Youmu!” Marisa yelled, then waited for an answer, which she didn't get. “Alright, we need to find the exit.”

“What about Youmu?” Mokou asked.

“We can't help her much if we don't know where we are.”

Mokou motioned to the path ahead. “Pick a tunnel, then.”

Marisa squeezed around Sakuya, who moved to the back of the line, and fell in behind Reimu. Marisa paused for a minute. “Let's just go with the center one.”

Marisa led the group through the center tunnel. After a minute or two of walking, another fork appeared, with two tunnels to choose from. Reimu was starting to feel like she was in some sort of giant anthill.

“Now what?” Mokou said.

Marisa perked up. “I know!” She turned around. “Let's have Sakuya scou-” Marisa's voice trailed off.

Reimu and Mokou spun around. Sakuya was nowhere to be seen. The maid had simply vanished without any fanfare.

“Sakuya!” Reimu yelled.

“Don't bother,” Mokou said.

“But what if she got lost in the dark?” Marisa asked.

“She didn't just get lost. This whole place is a trap.”

“But isn't this Tewi's main hideout or something? I wouldn't put traps inside my shrine,” Reimu said.

“It's not Tewi's tunnel. Kaguya's gotta be behind this.”

Reimu was stunned for a few seconds. “What?”

“She set all of this up! Everything! It was all a scheme to get me down here!”

“That's crazy. I mean, how much effort would it take to safely dig out a tunnel beneath her own house?”

Mokou's eyes began to dart around. “It goes back farther than that. Eirin probably wanted you in here, too. They probably took your money just to make this moment happen.”

“Why would Eirin-” Reimu instantly answered her own question. It was about the plants. Eirin didn't want Reimu getting in the way of her experiments.

Mokou stared into Reimu's eyes. “You get it, don't you?”

Reimu nodded. “I do.”

“Think about it. Marisa, Sakuya, and Youmu are all down here, too. It's perfect. Everyone who's given her trouble before is sealed away underground.”

Marisa watched the exchange with a blank stare. “What about Alice, Yukari, Yuyuko, Remilia...” Marisa stopped and put a hand to her chin. “Who else?”

Mokou hesitated for a second. “Getting everyone down here at once was probably too much.”

“But planning this out isn't? If Reimu hadn't acted exactly how she had for the past few hours, the entire plan would have fallen apart.”

“It's not too complex for Kaguya or Eirin.”

“It's so convoluted. There's no way somebody as smart as Eirin would-”

Mokou grabbed Marisa by the shoulders. “Marisa, they've done stuff like this before. You don't want to know what someone will come up with when they have infinite time.”

“I've never seen them do anything that crazy before.”

“They don't do it too often. The really big, complicated plans are only a once in a century type thing.”

“Are you saying they needed a century to come up with the idea of putting everyone in a big hole?”

Mokou shook her head. “That's not what I mean.”

“Look, it doesn't matter if there's a big conspiracy. We need to get out of here either way,” Reimu said.

“Maybe we should just blast our way out. There's still only just a bit of dirt over us, right?”

“You'll bury us alive!” Marisa said.

“That's not so bad.”

“We'll suffocate!”

“Oh... Oh right.”

“Did you forget about that?” Reimu asked.

Mokou didn't answer.

“Where do we go from here?” Marisa asked.

Reimu stepped past Marisa. “Might as well just keep heading this way.”

After Reimu took just a few steps, she put her forward like she had countless times before, then felt the ground give way beneath her.

Chapter 31: D-Day 18:24 (Local Time)

Reimu stood at the edge of a pitch black abyss. Her left foot was dangling out over the darkness, while her right was still planted on the ground. By all accounts, she should have fallen into the hole, but she held her position anyway.

“Reimu!” Marisa called out.

Reimu yanked her foot back onto solid ground. “I'm fine.”

Mokou walked up to the hole in the floor. She dropped the little fire in her hand and watched as it fell in. The light was snuffed out after just a second. Mokou replaced her light with a new one.

“I think I know where Youmu and Sakuya went,” Reimu said.

“Looks like all we have to do is find two that are sitting open,” Marisa said.

As soon as the words left Marisa's mouth, the hole closed back up. One moment there was a hole, the next it was gone.

Mokou stared at the hole. “What the...”

Reimu put her foot where it had been a minute ago. After a second, the hole reappeared. A door swung downwards and disappeared into the shadows. After the trap door had been opened for a minute or so, it swung back up, closing the trap off.

“How sophisticated has Tewi gotten?!” Marisa asked.

Mokou knelt down next to the trap. “I've never seen her make anything like this. Usually it's just a pit with some sticks over it.”

“This tunnel really is important to her,” Reimu said.

“So, where does it lead?” Marisa asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Reimu stepped on the trap door again. It opened just like it was supposed to.

“Are you crazy?” Mokou asked.

“What? If I get stuck down there, just blast the door off its hinges.”

“Alright, but don't start crying if you end up singed.”

Reimu stepped out onto the trapdoor with both feet. It opened again, but the shrine maiden continued to hover in place. When she was ready, Reimu slowly drifted down into the hole. She hadn't gotten too far by the time the door shut above her.

With Marisa and Mokou's lights cut off, the tunnel was now pitch black. Reimu was unfazed. Even with the lights right next to her she could barely see anything. After a few seconds of floating downwards, she felt her feet hit solid ground.

The ground beneath Reimu's feet was uneven. It sloped downwards like some sort of slide. Reimu followed the downward slope, and kept her arms stretched out in front of her. After walking a short distance, she spotted a dim light ahead of her.

The light was barely perceptible, and Reimu wasn't sure if it was just her eyes adjusting at first. It took a minute of stumbling around for her to fully realize that the darkness was slipping away.

Eventually, Reimu spotted the source of the light. A dim glow came up from the end of the tunnel. The tunnel terminated in some massive chamber. Reimu couldn't make out much detail from her current position. It was still too dark.

Reimu came up to the tunnel's exit. The cavern on the other side totally dwarfed all of the passages Reimu had seen up until that point. It was large enough to fit a small building within it. A flickering fire light illuminated the ceiling, revealing dozens of other tunnels dug into it.

How many pitfalls does Tewi need? Reimu thought.

Before Reimu could waste too much time pondering holes in the ground, a small white mass appeared in the air in front of her. It was Youmu's ghost half, and it was very hard to see in the dark.

The ball of ectoplasm floated in circles for a moment as if it was doing some sort of excited little dance. Once it had finished celebrating, it turned and flew downwards. Reimu's eyes tracked it until it came to a stop right next to Youmu.

Youmu was standing next to a small fire, which was managed by Sakuya. The maid gently prodded the struggling fire with a stick.

Youmu jumped in place. “Reimu!”

Reimu flew down to the bottom of the cavern. Youmu sprinted over to Reimu and hugged her.

“Reimu, thank goodness you're here!” Youmu squeezed Reimu tighter. “I thought we were gonna be stuck down here forever!”

Reimu squirmed under Youmu's grip. It was starting to hurt. “We haven't been down here that long.”

“It's been long enough!”

“Tewi would've gotten you out-” Reimu realized how stupid that statement was before she finished saying it.

With those few words, tears began to well up in Youmu's eyes.

Reimu pat Youmu on the shoulder. Oh no.

Youmu started to sob uncontrollably. She squeezed Reimu so hard it became hard to breathe. Her arms, which were caught in Youmu's grip, started to tingle.

“It's okay,” Reimu whispered hoarsely.

“No it's not!” Youmu shouted.

Sakuya finally abandoned the fire and approached the pair. She offered Youmu a handkerchief. Youmu took a moment to notice the gesture. She blinked, then finally released Reimu and took the handkerchief.

Reimu needed a moment to recover. Meanwhile, Youmu wiped her tears away and blew her nose.

“Did they catch you, too?” Sakuya asked.

“They almost did, but I stopped myself,” Reimu answered.

“Then... why did you come down through the hole, and why did you come alone?”

Reimu shrugged. “I just figured it was the best way to see where it went.”

“Really?”

“Marisa and Mokou know where I am, so it's fine.”

“They know what hole you jumped into, you mean.”

“Well, it's close enough.”

“Is it?”

“You know, I have to ask. Why are you still here?”

Sakuya cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“Couldn't you stop time and find a way out?”

“I could...”

“Why didn't you?”

Sakuya refused to meet Reimu's gaze. “Youmu wanted me to stay with her.”

Youmu nodded, having recovered some of his composure.

“But time would’ve been stopped. Youmu doesn't have to be alone for more than... than any time at all,” Reimu said.

“What if I got lost?” Sakuya asked.

“You can stop time for as long as you want. It doesn't matter how lost you get, and that's if you got lost to begin with.”

“You know Reimu, just because I can spend hours and hours in frozen time, doesn't mean I want to. Besides, it isn't really all that bad in this little holding area.”

“But you...” Something clicked in Reimu's mind. “Wait a second, are you using this whole thing as a vacation?”

Sakuya raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“This whole thing about getting my money back. You're using it as an excuse to take it easy.”

Sakuya nodded. “I supposed I am. This is much easier than watching the mansion.”

Reimu groaned. She wasn't really bothered by Sakuya's confession, but it wasn't exactly an encouraging revelation.

“I'm sorry, Reimu, but I don't think we should take this too seriously,” Sakuya said.

Reimu hesitated for a moment. “I guess you've got a point.”

“The journey is more important than the destination. If we enjoy this little misadventure, then it doesn't really matter if we find the money or not.”

Reimu shook her head. “No, it still matters. I want closure.”

“I knew you'd say something like that.”

Reimu grumbled to herself, and the cavern fell silent.

Sakuya looked up. “Reimu, how long did you tell Marisa and Mokou to wait before destroying the door?”

“You know, I don't think I gave them a time. I-” Before Reimu could finish speaking, there was an explosion above them.

Chapter 32: D-Day 18:35 (Local Time)

Dust and dirt showered Reimu, Sakuya, and Youmu. The entire ceiling shook for several seconds. A single clump of soil fell directly onto Sakuya's fire, snuffing it out. The shaking stopped, and the dust settled.

Light came down from a new, massive hole in the ceiling. It was Marisa and Mokou's improvised lights. Reimu and Youmu both coughed and sneezed.

“Reimu, are you down there?” Marisa called out.

Reimu opened her mouth, but Youmu spoke first. “Are you trying to kill us?!” the gardener yelled.

“Sorry!” Marisa shouted.

“What do you mean 'sorry'? We're saving them!” Mokou said.

Sakuya stood in place, completely unfazed by the collapse, and the loss of her campfire. “You've caused a bit of collateral damage.”

“Are you dead?”

“No.”

“Hurt?”

“No.”

“Then we did our job.”

Marisa and Mokou flew down to the bottom of the cavern. The pair's lights were much brighter than Sakuya's pitiful fire.

The extra light revealed a few more details of the cavern. There was a dirty old couch shoved up against the wall. A ditch had been dug some distance away from the couch, Reimu didn't even want to think about what it was for, and there were some strange rocks near the ditch, along with a single large stone.

Youmu shrieked and shrunk behind the others. “Bones!”

Reimu squinted. The strange rocks were indeed a skeleton.

Sakuya chuckled. “Are you being serious, Youmu?”

Youmu hid behind Marisa. “You bet I am!”

“Don't you live in the afterlife?” Mokou asked.

“This is different!”

“No it's not!”

Sakuya's laughter grew. “Youmu, those aren't real bones. They're clearly plastic.”

Marisa turned to Sakuya. “How can you tell?”

Sakuya shrugged. “Isn't it obvious?”

“No.”

“You're just saying that, Sakuya,” Youmu said.

Reimu broke off from the others and headed for the bones. She marched right up to the pile and picked up a random piece of the skeleton. She assumed it was a femur, or something like that.

Reimu picked up the “bone” and tested its weight. “I'm not a doctor, but this seems pretty fake to me.”

“Are you sure?” Youmu asked.

Reimu tossed the bone in Youmu's general direction. It landed with a hollow thud. “Pretty sure.”

Youmu remained frozen in place as her ghost half floated over and inspected the bone. After a few seconds of poking and prodding, the specter retreated, and Youmu calmed down.

Sakuya smiled. “See? It's just as I said.”

Mokou walked over to the couch and sat down, making sure to keep her fire away from the fabric as she did so. While the immortal rested, Marisa collected the plastic skull and tossed it in the air, then caught it as it fell back down.

Marisa looked over to the lone big rock. “Hey, guys.” Marisa jogged over to the big rock and sat down on it. She stretched out one of her legs, while pulling the other up in front of her. She put her right hand on the knee in front of her, then sat the skull down and put her left hand on top of it.

Marisa stared at Reimu with a tilted head and a blank smile. Reimu cocked her head in response. “What are you doing?”

Marisa grinned. “Hey, Reimu, who am I?”

“A knucklehead?”

“Right now, I mean.”

“Marisa, I don't know what the joke is.”

“Don't you remember?” Marisa held up the skull.

Reimu looked to the skull, then back to Marisa. “When did Orin do that?”

“The other one with a skull.”

“Zanmu?”

“Don't you remember?”

“Why would I remember how she was sitting?”

Marisa sighed.

“I don't get it either,” Youmu said.

“Neither do I,” Sakuya added.

“You weren't there,” Marisa said.

“Can we just stop messing around?” Reimu asked.

“But that's all we ever do.”

“I agree with Reimu. We should keep moving,” Sakuya said.

“Can't we rest for a minute? We've been running around all day,” Mokou said.

“Weren't you asleep just two hours ago?”

“Yeah, and I had a bomb go off under me before I went to bed.”

“ I've been running around all day. I could use a break,” Marisa said.

“So have I, but I don't want to spend any more time in this stupid tunnel!” Youmu said.

“We'll probably be here for hours. What difference does a little break make?” Mokou asked.

Youmu started to tremble. “Don't say that!”

“Unless you want to start digging, it's gonna take a while.”

“Maybe there's an exit in this chamber somewhere,” Reimu suggested.

“You look for it, I'm gonna take five,” Mokou said.

Reimu looked at Mokou, then Marisa, who was now lounging on her rock. “I need one of you to give me your light.”

“Wait, Reimu. Let me try something,” Youmu said.

Reimu turned to Youmu. The gardener's ghost half flew over to the shrine maiden. Youmu shut her eyes, held her breath, and clenched her muscles for a moment.

“What are you doing?” Reimu asked.

“I'm half ghost, remember? How do ghosts often appear?” Youmu replied.

Youmu's ghost half shrunk and began to glow. It turned into a small, bright ball of light. Youmu opened her eyes and gasped for air. “Think that'll be enough?”

Reimu nodded. Youmu's ghost half lit up more space than it had any right to. It would be more than enough.

Reimu, Youmu and Sakuya began to search the chamber. They started with the ditch, which yielded nothing but more dirt, then started combing the walls.

“Tewi likes hidden passages, right?” Reimu asked.

“I think so,” Sakuya replied.

“It's right up her alley,” Youmu said.

“Youmu, can I see your sword for a minute?” Reimu asked.

“Which one?”

“Either's fine.”

Youmu hesitated for a moment, then handed Reimu the shorter of her two swords. Reimu took the sword, and started to poke the wall with it.

“Hey!” Youmu grabbed Reimu's arm and yanked the sword away from the dirt wall.

“What? Aren't you always saying these swords are indestructible or something?”

“I said they can cut anything. That's not the same, and it doesn't mean I want them covered in dirt.”

Reimu and Youmu struggled for a moment before the gardener finally managed to get her shortsword back. Youmu shook the dirt of the blade, then sheathed it. “What are you even trying to do?”

“See if there's a door or something hidden behind all the dirt.”

“Why don't you use a stick, or one of Sakuya's knives, or anything besides my sword?”

Sakuya took a step away from Reimu. “I don't want you to use my things either.”

“Reimu, why don't you just use your gohei?” Youmu asked.

Reimu shrugged. “I didn't bring it with me today. I thought you would've noticed by now.”

“Why didn't you bring it?”

“Didn't think I'd need it to deal with a few fairies. Besides, I'm not sure the gohei I'm using right now would even fit down here.”

“A few fairies? What does...” Youmu's eyes widened. “How many people have you sucked into this money hunt thing so far?”

Reimu bent down and searched the floor for anything she could use to prod at the wall. “Not sure, I'm not counting.”

Sakuya tapped Reimu's shoulder and offered her a triangular stone. The shrine maiden took the rock and started to poke and prod at the dirt wall again.

“This is never gonna work,” Youmu said.

“Hey, I'm just killing time until those two freeloaders get off their butts,” Reimu said.

“We can hear you!” Mokou shouted.

“I know!”

Reimu's incessant probing went on for a few minutes. Right as she was about to finally admit defeat, her stone struck something other than dirt. Reimu paused for a second, then used the rock to scrape some of the soil away.

A thick line of something solid and black was buried in the dirt. Reimu scraped a bit more soil away. Is that some kind of wire?

Reimu dug her rock underneath the wire, and tugged it towards her. The wire came loose ever so slightly, and without any warning, a blinding white light filled the entire cavern.

Chapter 33: D-Day 18:58 (Local Time)

A bright, electric light that had been embedded into the cavern's ceiling illuminated the entire chamber. Reimu hadn't noticed the light fixture before now, but that wasn’t particularly surprising to her.

Before Reimu's eyes could even begin to adjust to the miniature supernova that had just turned on above her, a loud rumbling sound filled her ears. She turned to face the sound, but couldn't make out any detail in the blinding light.

“The cave's collapsing! The cave's collapsing!” Youmu shrieked.

Reimu felt something brush past her. She guessed it was Youmu.

“Calm down, Youmu!” Sakuya yelled.

Reimu blinked, then blinked again. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the light. The rumbling sound faded away, and she glanced around. A new passageway had appeared at ground level, and Tewi was standing inside it.

Youmu stopped running and silently stared at Tewi. Sakuya had grabbed the gardener by her arm. Marisa and Mokou had both jumped to their feet.

Tewi's arms were crossed, and she stood her ground by the new tunnel's entrance. “What are you doing down here?!”

“Looking for you,” Reimu replied.

“Why?”

Mokou sat back down. “We think you have Reimu's money.”

“What?” Tewi replied. “Since when does Reimu-”

“Marisa already made that joke,” Reimu said.

“I don't have it!” Tewi walked into the chamber and looked around. “What was that explosion earlier? What did you do?”

“We blew a hole in the ceiling,” Marisa said.

Tewi's gaze shot upwards. “Where... Wait, there! Is that the only one?!”

“Yeah, it's the only one.”

Tewi let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, good. I was worried you actually destroyed something important.”

“You don't seem very bothered,” Sakuya said.

“It's all just dirt over there. I can have it patched up in a day. Things like this happen all the time.”

“What do you mean by that? Does this place just collapse sometimes?” Youmu asked.

“Oh yeah, all the time.”

Youmu shook like a chihuahua. “See?! See?! I told you there were cave-ins! I told you! We have to get out of here!”

“Just relax, we're not done talking,” Reimu said.

Tewi wandered around the cavern, seemingly unbothered by Youmu's outburst. “What did you do with my skele-” She looked over to Marisa.

Marisa had the fake skull cradled in her arms. She shot Tewi a forced smile.

Tewi pointed to the skeleton's original position. “Put it back.”

Marisa followed Tewi's orders. The rabbit walked over to the couch and sat down as far away from Mokou as she could. For her part, Mokou glared at Tewi from her spot.

“Alright, so a bit of dirt getting blown around is fine, but won't us knowing about this place be a problem?” Mokou asked.

Tewi leaned back and put her hands behind her head. “Eh, I'll just collapse the entrance you used.”

“You don't think very highly of us, do you?” Sakuya said.

“How could you find this place from the surface otherwise? How could anyone find...” Tewi's voice trailed off, and she looked around.

“What's wrong?” Mokou asked.

Tewi took a moment to respond. “I... It's nothing.”

“So you don't have my money, right?” Reimu asked.

“No! If you don't believe me you can search the whole tunnel network.”

Reimu paused and considered Tewi's words for a moment. “I'll pass.”

Tewi's jaw dropped. “You thought about it, didn't you?!”

“I did.”

Marisa returned from her task. “Well do you at least have any ideas about where it might be?”

Tewi put her hand to her chin, then smiled. “Since you're such a good youkai exterminator, your shrine must be pretty popular with the humans, right?”

“Shut up!” Reimu said.

Tewi snickered. “So you don't want me to help?”

“It's the human village. You want me to go there.”

“Bingo.”

Reimu sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense. We'll head right over.”

“Great. Now, if you want to get out of here-”

“Wait,” Mokou said.

Tewi slowly looked over to Mokou. “Yes?”

“Did you plant that bomb that blew me up a few hours back?”

“I... might have.”

“It was either you or Kaguya.”

“What would you do if it was me? We're underground, and I'm the only one who knows the way out.”

“Nothing, honestly.”

Tewi was totally stunned for a few seconds. “Wait, really?”

Mokou shrugged. “I just kind of got over it.”

“Are you going to do something after you get out of here?”

“Probably not.”

“You're not even a little bit mad?”

“Maybe a bit, but you can't really blame the snake for biting ya, I guess.”

Marisa and Sakuya walked over to Reimu. “See Reimu, doesn't letting go have its benefits?” Sakuya said.

“What do you mean?” Reimu asked.

“Even though Mokou got blown up, she's forgiving Tewi,” Marisa answered.

“I didn't say anything about forgiving her!” Mokou shouted.

“I mean, she got over it.”

“I see what you mean, but I'm not giving up on getting my money back,” Reimu said.

Marisa and Sakuya silently stared at Reimu for a moment. “You're not even gonna consider it?” Marisa asked.

“What happened to Mokou and what happened to me are completely different.”

“Yeah! What happened to Mokou was way worse!”

“Was it?”

“She got blown up!”

“She's immortal.”

“It still hurts!”

“I'm over it!” Mokou shouted.

“Stay out of this, please!” Sakuya called back.

“But you're talking about me!”

Marisa groaned. “At least the human village is fun at night.”

Tewi stood up and looked around.

“What is it this time?” Mokou asked.

Tewi sniffed the air, and her ears twitched. “Stand up for a second.”

Mokou did as she was instructed, and Tewi started to push the couch to the side. The rabbit struggled, until Mokou joined in. In just a matter of seconds, the furniture was out of the way, and the ground underneath it was visible. Right where the couch had been, sat one of Yukari's gaps.

Tewi stomped her foot. “I knew it!”

Reimu rushed over to the gap. “Yukari?! How long have you been listening to us?!”

There was no response.

“We know you're in there!” Tewi yelled.

Finally, something stirred inside the gap. After a short delay, Yukari stuck her head out and let out a loud yawn. “Excuse me, I seem to have drifted off to sleep.”

“No one's falling for that.”

Yukari pushed her way further out of the gap. She pulled her entire torso up, then sat at the edge of the gap with her legs still inside. “It's the truth.”

“Then why's there a gap in here?”

“I don't know. I must have opened it by mistake, or perhaps I did it while I was half asleep.”

Reimu shut her eyes and rubbed her temples. “If you did it by accident then why don't you just close it?”

“Don't you need a way out of these tunnels?”

“We did earlier, but now Tewi's here.”

Yukari pulled on the edge of her gap, making it a bit wider. “Are you sure you don't want to use it? You'll get to surface much faster than-”

Youmu sprinted past Reimu. Without a word, the gardener ran right up to the gap, then jumped inside as if she were jumping into water on a hot summer's day.

Before Reimu could so much as stretch a hand out or open her mouth to speak, Youmu had disappeared into the gap.

Yukari smiled. “Any other takers?”

“I'll take Tewi's route, thanks,” Mokou said.

“Where's Youmu going?” Reimu asked.

“What ever do you mean?” Yukari asked.

“You know what she means,” Marisa said.

“I really don't know where the gap goes. Weren't you listening? It was an accident.”

“Looks like we're going, too,” Reimu said.

Sakuya nodded, then silently walked past Reimu and Marisa, into the gap. Marisa shook her head, then followed the maid.

“You guys have fun, I have to destroy this chamber,” Tewi said.

“Because of little old me?” Yukari asked.

“No, because I don't like the wallpaper. Of course I can't have you knowing about this!”

“You really think I didn't know already?”

“It doesn't matter. Mokou, can you help me get my explosives?”

Reimu decided she'd heard enough of this. She walked over to the gap and jumped in.

Chapter 34: D-Day 28:33 (Gap Time)

Reimu fell through the gap for a few brief seconds. Once she was sure she was clear of the real world, she began to float around under her own power. She looked around, and realized she'd already lost track of the gap she'd entered from.

In every possible direction, there was nothing but eyes. Reimu couldn't judge the exact distance, but they seemed to be far away. The sight of all the strange observers should have been unnerving, but for whatever reason, the shrine maiden had never been bothered by them. She didn't know why.

“Alright, Yukari, where's the exit?” Reimu asked.

The gap remained totally, utterly silent. The only response Reimu got was the inaudible thump of her own heartbeat.

“Yukari?!” Reimu repeated.

Typical, absolutely typical, Reimu thought.

“Marisa? Sakuya? Youmu?” Reimu called out.

“Over here!” Marisa yelled back.

Reimu looked around. After a quick search, she spotted a black and white splotch in the distance. It was Marisa. Reimu flew towards her.

Marisa had Sakuya and Youmu with her. The maid held onto the gardener's hand. Youmu for her part, kept her eyes shut and trembled in place.

Reimu drew close to the trio. “What's the matter, Youmu?”

“It's the gap,” Sakuya answered.

“What, is it your first time in one?”

“It's my first time in one that doesn't have an exit!” Youmu said.

“Yeah, what gives? Usually she just dumps you out on the other end,” Marisa said.

“She's messing with us again,” Reimu said.

“Obviously.”

“What if we're in here for days? Or weeks? Or longer?” Youmu asked.

“We won't be here for days. Why have you been such a scaredy cat? First the cave, now this,” Reimu said.

“I don't like problems I can't cut with my sword.”

Reimu paused for a moment, then smiled. “Maybe you can cut this one, too.”

Youmu shot Reimu a horrified glance. “I'm not going to attack Lady Yukari! Lady Yuyuko would never forgive me!”

“Not like that! Your sword can cut anything, right?”

“Almost anything.”

“Cut a way out of here.”

Marisa and Sakuya both perked up.

Youmu shuddered. “I'm not going to do that!”

“Why not?”

“What if something bad happens?!”

Sakuya floated in between Reimu and Youmu. “Reimu, we can't risk doing something so brash here. We could be stranded, either here, or somewhere far outside of Gensokyo.”

Reimu floated towards Youmu. “Let me try it! I'll have us out of here in no time!”

Youmu froze up. Right as Reimu was about to reach the gardener, a new gap appeared between them. Reimu came to a stop, and turned her attention to the gap. She could make out darkened stalks of bamboo on the other side.

The entire group stared at the gap. “Do you think Yukari did that?” Marisa asked.

“How else could it have happened?” Sakuya replied.

“I don't know. Maybe gaps just spring up on their own in here?”

“I don't care where it came from! I'm taking it!” Youmu pushed past Marisa, then flew right into the new exit.

“You can't accuse her of wasting time,” Sakuya said.

“I don't blame her, let's get out of here!” Marisa said.

Sakuya nodded, then followed Youmu into the gap.

“Thanks, Yukari!” Marisa yelled as she flew into the gap.

Reimu flew after Marisa. “Don't thank her! She only let us out because of that sword!”

Chapter 35: D-Day 18:56 (Local Time)

Reimu emerged from the gap and back into the bamboo forest. The humid air hit her like a wall. Gensokyo wasn't particularly muggy, but compared to how impossibly dry the air inside the gap was, any moisture felt like a jungle.

Reimu's companions had already spread out around the gap. Marisa was looking up at the orange sky, trying to find the sun. Sakuya was fiddling around with her pocket watch, as if resetting it. Finally, Youmu was kneeling on the ground, catching her breath with tears in her eyes and a grin on her face.

“Gaps always feel weird, but that one really sucked,” Marisa said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“So, the human village, then?” Sakuya asked.

“You can go without me. I need to get home,” Youmu said.

“Just because of that little misadventure?”

“No, I promised Lady Yuyuko I'd be back for dinner.”

Reimu didn't completely believe Youmu, but she didn't want to question it. “Need any help getting back?”

“I'm fine, thanks!” Without waiting another moment, Youmu flew up into the air, and quickly disappeared into the evening sky.

Marisa waved at Youmu, then turned back to the others. “Do we have any leads in the village?”

“There's Mamizou,” Reimu said.

“Perhaps we should try the temple then?” Sakuya asked.

“Eh, it's a fifty-fifty chance on where she'll be. Let's do the village first.”

Marisa smiled. “Wanna bet on it?”

“I might, if I had any money.”

Marisa snorted. “Sorry.”

“Marisa, you don't have any money with you either,” Sakuya said.

“And neither do you,” Marisa said.

“What will we do if we can't find Mamizou?”

“Then we'll try Akyuu or Kosuzu. Maybe Keine could know something, too,” Reimu replied.

The trio rose into the air. Once she was clear of the bamboo, Reimu looked around. The entire landscape was bathed in golden light as the sun sank lower on the horizon. She actually wished it was a bit later. Then she could use the village's lights as a beacon.

There were some lights Reimu could see, but they weren't on the ground. They were fireflies, buzzing through the air.

Reimu squinted at a particularly close insect. They're out early tonight, aren't they?

There were at least a few dozen fireflies floating around Reimu. It was a bit distracting. She finally spotted the cluster of brown and gray and black boxes in the distance.

“Alright, let's go,” Reimu said.

Marisa swatted at something near her face. “There are a lot of bugs out tonight.”

“It's from having such a rainy summer,” Sakuya said.

“More plants, more bugs,” Reimu added.

Marisa stared at one of the fireflies. “I guess so.”

Chapter 36: D-Day 19:22 (Local Time)

Reimu led the trio over the wall that surrounded the human village. She rarely bothered with any of the gates. It was still early in the evening, and the village was packed with workers wrapping up their jobs, and farmers coming in from the surrounding fields.

“Where does Mamizou go when she's in the village?” Sakuya asked.

“She gets around,” Marisa said.

“Is that a nice way of saying you have no idea where to find her?”

“Yep.”

“Let's start with Akyuu, while she's still up,” Reimu said.

“'While she's still up'? It's only seven,” Marisa said.

“I don't know when she goes to bed.”

“Akyuu is getting older. It wouldn't surprise me if she's going to bed early,” Sakuya said.

“'Older'? What's that supposed to mean? She's not old,” Marisa replied.

“Well, with her shortened lifespan, age is a bit relative for her.”

“She still has the energy of a young person. It’s not like she has super aging or anything.”

“For all I know she could be at death’s door at the moment. She must be getting close by now.”

“She's not dying! Stop talking about her like she's your friend's geriatric dog!”

“You know, the last time I saw Akyuu she was very alert, and her coat had a wonderful sheen to it,” Reimu said.

“Shut up!”

The trio approached the Hieda Mansion. It was one of, if not the largest structure in the village. It dominated the surrounding area, towering over the more modest houses that had been built near it.

“Alright, let's just land in the courtyard,” Reimu said.

“Is that allowed?” Sakuya asked.

“They've never stopped me before.”

“Could they if they wanted to?”

The group touched down in the middle of the mansion's courtyard. They weren't challenged by any guard, but Sakuya and Marisa both still looked uneasy.

Reimu walked towards a sliding door. The door had a flickering light on the other side. “Now, Akyuu's study should be this one.”

Reimu stopped right in front of the door. “Akyuu, are you in there?” she called out.

“I'm a bit busy right now,” Akyuu replied from within the room. Her voice was badly muffled.

“I just need to ask you a few questions.”

“Ask through the door.”

“Really?”

“I'm sick. I don't want to give it to you.”

“I'll stand far away.”

“It's really contagious.”

“Just let me open the door.”

“Fine.”

Reimu slid the door open. She was greeted by a simple room dominated by a large table. The table was covered with scrolls, ink wells, brushes, empty plates, and dried out tea cups. Akyuu sat at the table, hunched over a scroll.

Akyuu’s face was bright red. “Sorry about the mess. I've been busy.”

“I've seen worse.”

“Marisa?”

“Marisa.”

“I'm right here!” Marisa said from behind Reimu.

“But you don't deny it,” Sakuya said.

“Of course I don't!”

“So, what are these questions you have, Reimu?” Akyuu asked.

“First off, someone stole money from my shrine. Do you know anything about that? Have you seen anything suspicious?” Reimu asked.

Akyuu shook her head. “Can't say I have, but if you need money badly the Hieda family can easily reimburse you.”

“If you want to make a donation that's great, but I need to get the money back from the thief.”

“Oh, it's personal, then.”

Reimu nodded. “If you haven't seen anything, do you know where I can find Mamizou? She was at the party last night, so she might be involved.”

“I don't know where she is right now, sorry. All I can tell you is the usual suspects, like the temple.”

“I feel like we're still about three steps away from checking the temple,” Sakuya said.

“What's that mean?” Marisa asked.

Sakuya simply smiled.

“Well, thanks anyway,” Reimu said.

“Sorry I couldn't do more.” Akyuu wrote something down on the scroll.

“Whatcha writing about?” Marisa asked.

“Just another detective story. Kosuzu's in one of the other rooms, proofreading it as I work.”

“Looks like it's pretty long,” Reimu said.

“I'd guess a few dozen pages by this point.” Akyuu sighed. “It's really not turning out the way I hoped.”

“I'm sure it's great,” Marisa said.

Akyuu dipped her brush in the inkwell again. “Kosuzu will help me sort it out. It'll probably keep her busy for quite awhile, if she even finishes it at-”

“Oh, Akyuu!” Kosuzu was approaching Reimu and the others from behind. She had a stack of papers in her arms. “I just finished your story! It's amazing!”

Akyuu smiled and shrugged at Reimu.

“I really loved the part where...” Kosuzu's voice trailed off. “Reimu? What brings you here?”

“Looking for some missing money,” Reimu explained.

Kosuzu's jaw dropped. “Someone robbed you?”

“They stole from my donation bin.”

“How could they?! Don't they know how much you sacrifice for us?!”

“I know, right?”

“You protect the village like it's your own shrine!”

Reimu hesitated for a second. “I... I mean sometimes. Mostly I just deal with-”

“You guard us every day and night with your very life.”

“I think Keine does more than-”

“You're a hero to-”

“Kosuzu, stay focused, please,” Akyuu said.

“Right.” A bit of red seeped into Kosuzu's cheeks. “I don't think I've seen anything that can help you.”

“What about Mamizou?” Reimu asked.

“I've been here all day. I haven't seen her.”

“Then I guess we're back to square one.”

“You're trying to track down a tanuki. If she doesn't want you to find her, you won't,” Akyuu said.

“Hopefully she doesn't feel the need to lay low,” Reimu said.

Marisa shrugged. “It's not like we can do anything if she does.”

“I'm sure Reimu could find her no matter what!” Kosuzu said.

Sakuya chuckled. “She does have a habit of-”

“Doing the impossible!”

“...getting exceptionally lucky.”

Kosuzu's shoulders slumped as the wind was completely knocked out of her sails. Truth be told, Reimu felt more inclined to agree with Sakuya.

“Hey, it's not all luck,” Marisa said.

Sakuya shrugged. “I didn't say it was.”

“I wouldn't call it luck at all,” Akyuu said.

“What would you call it then? Destiny?” Reimu asked.

Akyuu shook her head. “No, not that either... It's... I don't know.”

“Let's just stay focused, like you said.”

While the others spoke, Kosuzu had managed to rally some of her enthusiasm. “I can help you find Mamizou. I've got a feeling she's in the village somewhere.”

“Sure thing, I-” Reimu felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. Without a second of hesitation, she smacked the affected area. She pulled her hand away, but saw no sign of the insect that had bit her.

“The mosquitoes have been bad lately,” Akyuu said.

“Really? Seems like that's the only one we've seen here so far,” Marisa said.

Akyuu smiled. “That's because I have this.” She reached over and grabbed a small bamboo tube that had been sitting a short distance from her.

Reimu stepped closer, and was struck by a fruity, sickeningly sweet odor. It was completely overwhelming, and she had no idea how Akyuu could stand it. “Is that some kinda bug repellent?”

“Quite the opposite, actually.” Akyuu held the bamboo tube up so Reimu could see it better. The tube had several small openings cut into its top.

Reimu pinched her nose and leaned in closer. “They go in there and get trapped?”

Akyuu nodded. “That market goddess was selling them.”

“Miss rainbow cards?”

Akyuu paused for a moment. “Yes... her.”

“I have one, too. They're a big hit right now,” Kosuzu said.

“I swear, even though they're everywhere. It seems like we're just seeing more and more bugs in the village. The traps are the only things that keep them tolerable.”

“That's weird,” Marisa said.

“Maybe the smell is drawing them in?” Reimu suggested.

“If they can smell it, they'll head right into the trap,” Akyuu said.

“Seems a bit fishy, doesn't it?” Marisa asked.

“I smell a scam,” Reimu added.

“Nonsense. Chimata has visited our mansion many times, and she's never run any sort of scam,” Sakuya said.

“They really do work, though. Are you implying she's bringing in more bugs just to drive up demand?” Kosuzu said.

“That's absurd,” Sakuya said.

Reimu shrugged. “I've just got a feeling something weird is going on.”

“I’m sure you’ll sort it out like you always do,” Akyuu said.

“Assuming there even is anything to ‘sort out’,” Sakuya said.

Reimu shrugged. “We’ll see. Anyway, I-” 

Before Reimu could say anything else, a man walked up behind her. He was dressed in expensive looking clothes. The man gave a little bow, then spoke. “Excuse me, I'm looking for Sakuya.”

Sakuya turned and looked to the man. “You've found her. What is it?”

“Someone's come here looking for you. One of your friends from the mansion. She said it was an emergency.”

Sakuya frowned, then sighed. “Bring her here, please.”

Chapter 37: D-Day 19:34 (Local Time)

Koakuma huffed and puffed as she caught her breath. “And then, the fairies refused to do any work.”

“Like they went on strike?” Reimu asked.

Koakuma nodded, then continued to catch her breath. She was sitting up against a wall, just inside Akyuu's work room. She was sweating profusely, her hair was tangled, and her clothes were a mess.

Kosuzu walked into the room with a cup of water. She knelt down and handed it to Koakuma, who emptied it in one sip.

“Why are the fairies on strike?” Sakuya asked.

“Is it because Remilia was letting a giant bird attack them?” Marisa asked.

“No, it was something about them not being fed correctly. I don't know all the details,” Koakuma answered.

“Meiling wouldn't forget to give them dinner, right?” Reimu asked.

“No, she must have made a mistake while preparing their afternoon snack,” Sakuya said.

“While Meiling was trying to sort that out, the fire started,” Koakuma said.

Everyone was stunned, save for Sakuya. “Where did it happen?”

“In the kitchen. Remilia and Flandre tried to make dinner for themselves. I think it was pasta.”

“Did they forget the water again?”

Koakuma nodded.

Sakuya shook her head. “How much damage did it do before they put it out?”

“It was still going when I left.”

Sakuya shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “I see.” She turned to Reimu. “Reimu, I'm afraid I'm going to have to abandon your mission. I think this emergency has superseded Lady Remilia's orders.”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Reimu said.

Sakuya stepped outside. “Farewell, and good luck.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate you-”

Sakuya was already gone. Reimu sighed.

Koakuma rose to her feet. “I need to get back, too.”

“I'm surprised she didn't take you with her,” Akyuu said.

“It's... probably for the best.”

“Yeah, you look exhausted,” Kosuzu said.

“How did you manage to find us?” Reimu asked.

“I assumed you'd be in the human village somewhere. I mean, where else would three humans go?”

Reimu and Marisa looked at each other, but didn't say anything.

“I saw something red flying down this way, so I ran over,” Koakuma explained.

“You didn't run all the way here from the mansion, did you?” Kosuzu asked.

Koakuma shot Kosuzu a confused look. “I can fly.”

“Then why didn't you just fly in through the courtyard like we did?” Reimu asked.

“I can't just fly in here without announcing myself. I'm not you.”

“The guards do know Reimu and Marisa better than you,” Akyuu said.

“No, I mean the guards aren't afraid of me.”

Marisa chuckled. Reimu frowned.

“I'm sure they're actually just scared of Sakuya, right?” Kosuzu said.

“Sakuya can be a bit frightening,” Akyuu added.

“For some reason I don't think that's it,” Reimu said.

“Sorry.” Koakuma stood up. “Maybe I should just go.”

“You can't go! You've barely even caught your breath,” Kosuzu said.

“But the mansion's on fire. I can't just sit here and do nothing.”

“You came out here and got Sakuya, she'll sort it out,” Akyuu said.

“I guess so.”

“I'll have tea and snacks ready for you in no time.”

Koakuma was still conflicted. “That would be pretty nice... Is there a catch?”

“You work at a library, right?”

“I do.”

Akyuu reached over and grabbed a stack of papers. “I need another proofreader. Kosuzu just finished these.”

“Oh, I can help you with that.”

“Um, Koakuma,” Marisa said.

“Yes?”

“If there's a fire, won't all the smoke set off Patchouli's asthma?”

Koakuma's eyes widened. “I didn't even think of that! I was only thinking about Sakuya!” She jumped to her feet. “I need to make sure she has her inhaler!”

“I'm sure she's alright,” Reimu said.

Koakuma didn't acknowledge Reimu's words. She ran right for the door.

“Wait!” Akyuu shouted.

Koakuma skidded to a halt. She ran over to Akyuu, snatched the papers from her hands, then ran out the door and flew up into the air.

Everyone silently watched Koakuma disappear into the evening sky. “At least she took that manuscript,” Reimu said.

“That was the only copy I had,” Akyuu said.

“She'll bring it back,” Marisa said.

“You know she's bringing it towards a fire, right?”

Marisa gave a forced smile. “I'm sure that'll be sorted out by the time she gets there.”

“It better be.”

The room fell silent for a moment. “So, where does Mamizou usually go at night?” Reimu asked.

“She has a few taverns she likes to visit,” Akyuu answered.

“I can take you to them!” Kosuzu said.

“Please do,” Reimu said.

Kosuzu headed for the door with Reimu and Marisa in tow. “You know, maybe this trip won't be so bad,” Marisa said.

Reimu scoffed. “We don't have any money for drinks, remember?”

“Didn’t Kosuzu say you’re a hero? Maybe they’ll let us have some on the house.”

“Yeah, right.”

Chapter 38: D-Day 19:50 (Local Time)

Kosuzu led Reimu and Marisa through the crowded streets. The strings of lanterns above their heads were almost as bright as daylight. If the swarms of people had thinned out at all since they’d arrived, Reimu couldn’t tell.

“I think we should start at one of the smaller places,” Kosuzu said.

“You're our guide. It's up to you,” Reimu said.

Kosuzu beamed. “I don't think we'll see her there, but I think it's better if we check there early.” Kosuzu's smile faltered slightly. “It's kinda deserted around there late at night.”

Marisa laughed. “Worried we'll run into a youkai over there?”

Kosuzu giggled. “You're right. What do we have to be scared of?”

Kosuzu turned onto a side street, and the others followed her. In an instant, most of the crowds were gone, and only a few scattered individuals roamed from building to building. After a few minutes of walking, the trio was alone, and the lights had long since faded away.

The party reached an intersection. Three different roads stretched out in front of them. Kosuzu paused in front of the split. “I think it was... Sorry, I'm a little bit lost.”

“Don't worry about it,” Marisa said.

“Now, it should be-”

There was a loud crunch behind the trio. Everyone spun around to face it, only to be greeted by a dark, empty street.

“Stray cat, I guess,” Reimu said.

Kosuzu gulped. “Yeah... just a cat.” She turned back to the intersection. “Anyway...”

A sort of faint muttering sound filled the air. It sounded like distant whispering.

“Is someone there?” Reimu asked.

The sound stopped.

“I heard that.”

The whispering returned, just a little bit quieter this time.

“I still hear you!”

The sound stopped again.

Kosuzu looked more confused than scared now. “Should we just go? I think I know the right way.”

“Yes,” Reimu and Marisa both said.

Kosuzu led the group to the left. It was more of the same; empty, darkened streets. Reimu was pretty sure this was a residential area. The only artificial light was whatever managed to seep out of the house's windows.

One of the homes the trio walked by had an old table set up in front of it. The table was covered with random junk in a tall pile. Reimu assumed the homeowner was giving away some old knickknacks. She made a mental note to come back later.

“It must be a pretty small tavern,” Marisa said.

“Yeah, it's pretty much just some old house they renovated,” Kosuzu replied.

“As long as-”

Something crashed down behind the trio. Just as they had before, everyone spun around to face the direction of the noise. The table had been knocked over, and the pile of junk with it. Whoever had caused the mess was already gone.

“Alright, cut it out!” Reimu yelled.

“Hey, we're not gonna hurt you,” Marisa called out.

There was no answer. The pile of junk that had fallen out into the street settled with a soft rumbling sound.

“This is getting silly,” Kosuzu said.

Reimu groaned. Whoever it is must be an idiot... Wait... Oh, there's no way they'd fall for that... Might as well try it anyway.

Reimu put a hand on Marisa's shoulder, and another on Kosuzu's. She gently held each one in place. Both of them looked as if they had something to say on the matter, but both ultimately remained silent.

Reimu spoke loudly. Her voice had an exaggerated, singsong tone to it. “Well, I guess nobody's there! Let's keep moving, guys!”

The trio remained fixed in place, still watching the direction they'd come from. Marisa's eyes met Reimu's. The magician frowned in disappointment.

After a moment, there was a rustling sound from the pile of junk. A few loose items fell to the side, and a head popped out. It was Mystia. She desperately gulped in air as she shoveled junk away from her face.

Marisa sighed and shook her head. She looked even more sullen than she did a moment before. “She really fell for that?”

Reimu marched towards the night sparrow. “Mystia!”

Mystia's head shot towards Reimu. The bird's eyes widened in terror, and she tried to tuck her head back into the ruble pile. Too much trash had already been removed to cover Mystia fully, and she succeeded only in making the mess even worse.

After a few seconds of thrashing about, the pile suffered another tiny avalanche, and Mystia tumbled out of it. She finally accepted defeat, and simply lay where she fell.

Reimu stood over Mystia. “Why are you following us around?” the shrine maiden asked.

Mystia squirmed. “I... I was just curious as to why you three were here.”

“I live here!” Kosuzu said.

“But Reimu and Marisa don't. I was just wondering why you're here right now.”

Marisa joined Reimu by Mystia's side. “We could ask you the same thing. Doesn't your food stall get most of its business at night?”

“I... uh... needed to take a break from serving lamprey tonight... because we've been over fishing them! They need time for their numbers to recover. It's for the environment.”

“They're going to recover their numbers, over the course of just one night,” Reimu said.

“Don't you serve other food, too?” Marisa added.

Mystia's voice was barely more than a whisper now. “I...”

Reimu reached down and pulled Mystia to her feet. “Just tell us what's going on.”

“I can't!”

“Listen, if you just-” Reimu's voice trailed off. Something was moving in the corner of her vision. She looked away from Mystia, and spotted a dark mass slowly drifting down the street towards her.

Reimu gritted her teeth. “Not her again.”

Marisa waved. “Hey, Rumia!”

The black mass stopped moving.

“We can see you!” Reimu shouted.

The mass started to slowly back away.

“We have food!” Marisa called out.

The mass stopped moving for a moment, then continued to back away.

Reimu shook her head. She raised a hand in Rumia's direction, and a single danmaku flew out of it. The bullet blasted through the upper corner of the dark mass, and it dissipated. Rumia was left standing in the middle of the road.

“You're lucky I didn't bring my ofuda along. What are you doing?” Reimu asked.

“We're supposed to kidnap you,” Rumia said, not missing a beat.

Reimu, Marisa, and Kosuzu were all stunned for a few seconds.

“Are you gonna come with us?” Rumia asked.

“Are... you gonna eat us?” Kosuzu asked.

Rumia shook her head. “She said she wouldn't give me any meat if I ate you.”

“Who?” Reimu asked.

“Rumia, stop!” Mystia said.

Rumia didn’t even glance in Mystia’s direction. “Our boss.”

“Who is?” Reimu asked.

“The commander.”

“What?”

“The commander,” Rumia repeated, seemingly not understanding Reimu's confusion.

“What's your commander's name? And why do they think it's a good idea to send two people to fight three opponents who are all stronger than them?”

Marisa looked at Reimu, then to Kosuzu. The magician remained silent.

“She just wants to be called the commander.”

Reimu sighed. “Just take us to her.”

“Okay.”

“Rumia!” Mystia said.

Reimu looked to Mystia, and the sparrow fell silent.

Chapter 39: D-Day 20:15 (Local Time)

Rumia stopped right in front of the tea house. “This is it.”

Reimu walked up behind Rumia. “Really?”

The tea house was tucked in a garden between two homes. It was about the size of a single room, and Reimu guessed that only a handful of people could fit inside it comfortably at a time.

Regardless of its size, the tea house was in almost perfect condition. It was clean, and covered in a coat of yellow paint. The only problem was a tiny hole in one of the screen doors. A faint green light emanated from the thin paper that made up said doors.

“It's pretty small for an HQ, don't you think?” Marisa asked.

“It's not the HQ, it's a forward... a forward... I forgot what she called it,” Rumia said.

“As far as I know, there isn't a 'real' headquarters,” Mystia admitted.

“And your boss is here right now?” Reimu asked.

Mystia and Rumia both nodded. Reimu strolled right up to the screen door and grabbed it.

“Be careful, Reimu,” Kosuzu said.

Reimu pulled the door open, leaving only enough room for her to look through it. Inside was a barren room, with only a few mats covering the floor boards. Swarms of fireflies flew around roughly the room's center, providing a bit of dim green light.

Wriggle sat on the floor next to a big map. The map was a collection of squares and rectangles laid out in an orderly fashion. Reimu realized it was a map of the village. She had no idea how accurate it was, as she barely knew the town's layout, but it was the only thing it could be.

The map was covered in toy bugs. Some were plastic insects from the outside world, others were locally sourced wooden and paper cutouts. There were all sorts of critters. Ants, spiders, even a scorpion. As far as Reimu knew, there weren't even any real scorpions in Japan.

Wriggle reached over and pushed a tiny spider down a street. Each street had been labeled, though Wriggle didn't seem to pay any attention to the writing.

Wriggle pushed a big bee up behind the spider. The toy, despite depicting a tiny honey bee, was much larger than the spider it was following behind. “So, the Hakurei shrine maiden, and the magician have both been captured.”

Reimu paused for a moment before speaking. “Is this a joke?”

“What?”

“Is this some sort of prank?”

“No! It's serious!” Wriggle grabbed another bug and shoved it forward. “There's an incident in the village.”

“Yeah, and you're causing it! I knew there was something weird with all the bugs.”

“It's an invasion. We're losing too many bugs, so we had to take action.”

“So you invaded the entire village without even knowing what was going on? That's a bit hasty.”

“Really, Reimu?” Marisa said.

Reimu looked back at Marisa.“What?”

“Nothing.”

Wriggle jumped up and stomped her foot. “I'm only here because hundreds of insects have gone missing!”

Marisa squeezed her head over Reimu's shoulder. “You don't know?”

“I know this village is turning into a bug death trap!” Wriggle slapped one of the bug toys away.

Reimu shook her head. “They're using catcher traps.”

Wriggle was stunned for a moment. “What?”

“They're putting out traps, that’s what’s making the bugs disappear.”

Kosuzu squeezed her head in on Reimu's other shoulder. The shrine maiden was starting to feel suffocated.

Kosuzu spoke right next to Reimu's ear. “They're little tubes. Bugs fly into them, and they don't come out.”

Wriggle fell silent for a moment. “I've led us all right where they want us!” she shrieked. “Rumia! Mystia!”

Reimu started to pull the door further open. “Wait, let me just-”

Before Reimu could do anything, she felt something smash into her from behind. Without looking, she knew it was Rumia. The youkai's arms must have caught Marisa and Kosuzu on the way in, as the two humans also jolted forward.

In a matter of seconds, Reimu was shoved to the floor, with the weight of three people bearing down on her from behind. All she could do was let out a grunt.

“Get everyone back here! We can't afford to lose anyone else to these traps! Recall the guards, too!” Wriggle shouted.

Rumia nodded, then flew up and off of Reimu. Once Rumia was gone, Marisa and Kosuzu rolled off to the side, and Reimu was able to slowly rise back to her feet. “You're pulling all your bugs back here?”

Wriggle nodded. “This is our staging area, after all.”

Reimu was surprised Wriggle knew what that meant. “So this place is going to be crawling with bugs in a few minutes at most?”

“Yep, literally.”

“I think we should go,” Kosuzu suggested.

“I agree,” Reimu said.

“Ditto,” Marisa said.

“That's perfect, because I need your help,” Wriggle said.

“I'm not sure we should be helping you with this,” Reimu said.

“It'll resolve the incident faster.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“I need you to find out what's in these traps. I want to know how they work.”

“I'm pretty sure it's just a tube filled with fruit juice,” Kosuzu said.

“It can't be that simple.”

“It can be, and it probably is,” Reimu said.

“Can you please find out anyway?” Wriggle asked.

Reimu hesitated for a few seconds. She didn't want to argue with Wriggle. The shrine had enough annoying bugs flying around it already, and any excuse to get out of the tea house before the swarm arrived was a good one. “Fine.”

“Go get one, then break it open,” Wriggle said.

“We can't do that.”

“Why?”

“We can't afford to buy one, we didn't bring any cash.”

“What about Kosuzu's?” Marisa turned to Kosuzu. “Would you be willing to donate it to the cause?”

Kosuzu looked to the floor. “I'd love to, but... but it technically belongs to my dad, and he'd be pretty mad if I broke it.”

“You have one of these things?!” Wriggle said.

“Yeah, pretty much everyone around here does.”

Wriggle marched right up to Kosuzu. “You need to get rid of it right now!”

“I told you, it belongs to my dad, and-”

Wriggle grabbed Kosuzu by the collar of her shirt. “You need to shut it down as soon as you can! Even right now poor bugs are falling into its grasp!”

“I... I...”

Reimu stepped in and pulled Wriggle away from Kosuzu. She grabbed the bug youkai by the back of her own shirt. “Look, Chimata is selling these things, right? Can we just ask her about them?”

Wriggle trembled slightly as she tried to tug away from Reimu. “Um, yes, that would work.”

Reimu released Wriggle. “Do you know where she's selling them from?”

Wriggle stumbled away, then came to a stop well out of reach. “Yes, I've been keeping tabs on her.” Wriggle walked over to her map, and pointed to a location near the center of the village. “She's on this street. It's called...”

Reimu walked over to the map. The street's name was clearly labeled. “What's wrong?”

“I just have trouble with some kanji is all.”

“Didn't you draw this map yourself? I've never seen anybody else with one like it.”

“I… did.”

“Then how did you write it down the first time if you don't know the kanji?”

“I just copied it off of a street sign.”

“I see.”

Before Reimu could ask anymore questions, a small collection of moths flew in and landed on the map.

“Good, they're back,” Wriggle said.

“That can't be all the bugs you brought.”

“Of course it's not! These are just the guards for this building.”

“Right.”

Marisa and Kosuzu joined Reimu by the map. “I think Chimata will still be around there if we hurry,” Kosuzu said.

“If she's running a business, she's bound to stay after hours at least a little while,” Marisa added.

“Alright, let's get moving. We'll come back here if we find out anything,” Reimu said.

“Good luck... I might not be here when you come back,” Wriggle said.

“Why?”

“I have something to do. It might take a while.”

“Just don't cause any trouble, okay?”

“I won't.”

Chapter 40: D-Day 20:34 (Local Time)

Reimu, Marisa, and Kosuzu walked down a wide street. There were a few other people milling around, but nothing even close to a crowd. The road was lined with stalls, though most of them had been deserted for hours by this point.

“I guess we're giving up on Mamizou, then?” Marisa asked.

“We're still keeping an eye out for her. It's multitasking,” Reimu answered.

“I'd say this is more important anyway,” Kosuzu said.

Reimu wasn't sure if she'd go that far. “Do you remember where Chimata's stand was?”

“Just a little ways ahead.”

After just another minute or two of walking, Reimu spotted it. There was a single stall by an intersection. A sign was attached to the top of the stall. “Super Bug Killer” it read. The stall was surrounded by sealed wooden crates. Chimata was crouched down next to one of the boxes, loading bamboo tubes into it.

“Looks like we're in luck,” Kosuzu said.

The trio headed straight for the stand. Chimata spotted them walking towards her, and dropped what she was doing. She rose to her feet, and moved to the counter of her stall.

Once the trio had stopped just in front of her, Chimata smiled and spoke. “We're closed, but I can make an exception for you, if you're buying.”

“Chimata, I need to know what's in those bug traps,” Reimu said.

Chimata's smile disappeared. “Why?”

“Wriggle thinks there's something wrong with them.”

“That insect youkai? What does she think is wrong?”

“She thinks the traps work too well.”

Chimata stared at Reimu for a moment, then the goddess cracked up, and finally began to laugh uncontrollably. “She thinks they're too good?”

Reimu nodded. “She called it an incident.”

“You know you're just giving me marketing slogans, don't you?”

“I'm aware.”

“Regardless, I can't just let you know how these traps work. What if you try to copy it and sell it?”

“I'm not trying to copy it. I don't even think I could copy it.”

“And where would she sell it? It's not like her shrine's very busy,” Marisa added.

“Marisa...” Kosuzu said.

Chimata shrugged. “Even if I wanted to tell you how it worked, I'd have to clear it with the manufacturer.”

“Which is?” Reimu asked.

“Megumu, of course.”

“She won't find out, I promise.”

Chimata turned back to the open crate. “I doubt that.”

Marisa tapped Reimu's shoulder. “Reimu, I know her better than you. Let me try,” Marisa whispered.

Reimu nodded.

Marisa stepped forward. “Chimata, maybe you and I can work something out.”

“Look, if you just buy one you can do whatever you want with it. I'm not liable once I sell it,” Chimata replied.

Marisa gave a forced smile. “I don't have any money on me. None of us do.”

Chimata groaned. “Really?”

“Really.”

“What about Kosuzu?” Reimu asked.

“Why would I bring money to Akyuu's house?” Kosuzu replied.

“I don't have any money now, but I can cut you a deal,” Marisa said.

Chimata turned back to Marisa. “I'm listening.”

“You know I own my own shop. Why don't I open up a new market for you in the Forest of Magic?”

“Marisa, you run a magic shop in the middle of nowhere. I don't believe it's worth souring my business relationships over.”

Marisa frowned and sighed.

Chimata pulled out a bag of coins and started to count them. “And with how messy that store of yours is, you'd probably overload all the traps I sent you before they could be sold.”

“Can't argue with that part,” Reimu said.

“Reimu!” Kosuzu said.

Reimu walked right up to Chimata. “Look, can you just give me something to get Wriggle to stop? She's filled the entire village with bugs because she's trying to figure out what's going on.”

“Oh, so that's why we've been making so many sales,” Chimata said.

“Yeah, and she's going to keep making a nuisance of herself until I do something.”

Chimata hesitated for a moment. “But if the traps are taking care of all the insects she's bringing in, doesn't the problem solve itself?”

“You're not turning this into a business model.”

Chimata stopped counting her coins. “Alright, fine.” She bent down and collected something from behind the stall. She placed a bamboo tube on the counter. One of its ends had broken off, allowing Reimu to look inside.

The tube was filled with a smelly red and yellow paste. It was ground up apples. Even now there was a single fly crawling across the mushy substance.

“So, it's just rotting fruit? That's it?” Reimu asked.

“That's it.”

“How does it catch them, then?” Marisa asked.

“This one's broken, but you know the little holes on the top?” Chimata replied.

“Yeah?” Reimu said.

“Each one has a tiny trapdoor behind it.”

“A tiny... trapdoor?” Reimu tried to picture Chimata's words. “What do you mean?”

“It's exactly what it sounds like, every single hole in the top of the trap, the ones the bugs go through, has a tiny, one way door behind it. That's how they get stuck in there.”

There was a moment of silence. Reimu spoke softly. “How...”

“Why did you design them like that?” Marisa asked.

“How are you even making trapdoors that small?” Kosuzu asked.

“We're not making them, we have this kappa who does it for us,” Chimata explained.

“Why are they making tiny trap doors?”

“It was an invention of hers. She called it the super micro valve.”

“And they did it to catch bugs?” Reimu asked.

“No. They're light enough for a bug to open, but that's not what they're for.”

“Then what are they for?” Marisa asked.

Chimata chuckled. “That's the thing. She didn't actually know what to do with them. She just had the idea for the mechanism and made it real. She pumped out a lot of them, and there weren't any buyers.”

“So you swooped in and bought them all,” Reimu said.

“Megumu did, and she partnered with a harvest goddess who had a bunch of extra fruit to turn them into bug traps, then they made their way to me for sale.”

“If it's just a tube with bait at the bottom, and doors to keep the bugs in, then what actually kills the insects?”

Chimata shrugged again. “Starvation, other insects that got sucked in, old age, it doesn't really matter, they're trapped in there.”

“But they have fruit to eat in there. Won't they be able to survive for weeks?”

“Most likely, but as long as the trap is intact, it's fine.”

Reimu leaned back. “So it's just-”

“A tube filled with fruit juice, yes.”

Chapter 41: D-Day 20:47 (Local Time)

Reimu kicked a piece of trash down the road. “What a waste of time!”

“At least Wriggle will get what she wants,” Kosuzu said.

“Yeah, maybe she'll just take all the bugs and leave,” Marisa said.

The trio walked down the same empty street that had first taken them to the tea house. It felt even emptier than it had the first time. The whole village was gradually starting to tire out. The lights were a bit dimmer, the bars a bit quieter. Most people would be asleep in another hour or two.

“Let's hope so.” Reimu wasn't feeling very optimistic. “Or, Wriggle will just ask us to do some other stupid-”

Reimu felt a hundred tiny objects strike her face. A few flew into her open mouth, others her nose, and some her eyes. The shrine maiden stepped back, swatting at the air and spitting out the tiny intruders as best as she could.

Marisa and Kosuzu froze. “Reimu?” Kosuzu asked.

“Gnats,” Reimu said, before spitting into the dirt again.

“Oh.”

Reimu squinted into the moonlight ahead of her. There were tiny insects flying in circles  everywhere she looked. They formed a cloud of bugs from one side of the street to the other, and stretched up above the buildings. There must have been thousands of them.

“Looks like Wriggle brought all her bugs back,” Kosuzu said.

“And then some,” Marisa added.

“Maybe we should just let Wriggle figure things out on her own,” Reimu suggested.

“Wait, look,” Kosuzu said.

Down the street, in the middle of the gnat swarm, Mystia was walking down the road, towards the trio. Her eyes were shut, and she waved her hand around in front of her in a futile attempt to keep the bugs away.

“Mystia! Is Wriggle still at the tea house?” Reimu called out.

Mystia opened her eyes and looked at Reimu. “No, she left to-” Mystia started coughing and spitting. “They're in my mouth.”

Reimu nodded. I'm really starting to hate these things.

Mystia finally cleared the wall of gnats. After taking a minute to collect herself, she spoke. “Wriggle left to go talk to her... uh... she called them her advisor. She came back a little bit later, then she headed out again.”

“She has an advisor?” Marisa asked.

“It took two people to come up with all that?!” Reimu said.

“Who is she talking to?” Kosuzu asked.

“I don't know, I never met them,” Mystia answered.

“Why are you even working with her?” Reimu asked.

“I... She promised me she'd keep the bugs away from my food stall.”

Reimu sighed. “You're a real mercenary, you know that?”

“Sorry.”

“Do you know where she went?”

“No.”

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

Mystia stared at the ground. “No.”

Reimu shook her head. She thought about what Wriggle had said to her, and her mind locked on one possibility. “She's going to try to destroy as many of those bug traps as she can.”

“She's going to get mine, isn't she? Remember how mad she got when I mentioned it?” Kosuzu said.

“That's if she hasn't smashed it already,” Marisa said.

“If she hasn’t gotten it yet, it's at Suzunaan.”

“Then let's get over there!”

The trio spun around and ran away from the swarm of gnats. Mystia hesitated for a few seconds, then followed the others.

Chapter 42: D-Day 20:56 (Local Time)

Kosuzu threw the door to Suzunaan open. The book store was dark, quiet, and seemed to be undisturbed. Books sat neatly on their shelves, and Reimu felt as if the shop was empty, save for her group.

“It looks like we beat her here,” Kosuzu said.

“Where were you keeping your trap?” Reimu asked.

“By the counter.” Kosuzu led Reimu and Marisa inside. Mystia followed the trio at a distance, and reluctantly entered the room once the others had cleared the door. Reimu wasn't sure if she wanted the night sparrow with them or not.

Kosuzu grabbed a lamp and lit it. The group walked over to the counter. A bamboo tube hung high on the wall behind the counter.

“Still here,” Kosuzu said.

“And that's the only one?” Reimu asked.

Kosuzu nodded. “That's it. Dad just wanted one for the store.”

“Think we should just wait here?”

“Let's do it.”

“Keep the lights off, just in case we scare Wriggle off.”

“Right.” Kosuzu shut off the lamp, and Suzunaan was cloaked in darkness again. Only a few slivers of moonlight entered the room.

Reimu's eyes began to slowly adjust, but she could still barely see anything. “Mystia, are you still with us?”

“I'm right next to you,” Mystia replied.

“This is your time to shine. Wait by the door and let us know if you see her outside.”

“Okay.”

Reimu heard footsteps head over to the open door, and Mystia appeared in the moonlight a moment later. There were more footsteps after that, one set went to the counter, and the other to a chair by the wall.

Reimu wandered towards Mystia. The shrine maiden's steps were clumsy and slow, and she kept her hands stretched out in front of her. Once she was just outside of the moonlight's reach, she stopped.

After a few minutes of standing around, Reimu's eyes had adjusted enough for her to make out some detail.

Marisa was sitting on the chair by the wall. She'd grabbed a seemingly random book off the shelves, and was now holding it up to a beam of moonlight. She squinted at the text in a futile attempt to read it.

While Marisa tried to read, Kosuzu simply sat behind the counter, staring off into darkness. She leaned on the counter in front of her with her hand on her cheek, clearly lost in thought.

“Reimu,” Mystia said.

“Keep it down,” Reimu whispered.

Mystia lowered her voice. “Sorry. I just think this is really boring.”

Reimu couldn't agree more. “If she doesn't get here soon, we'll go out hunting for her.”

“Are you sure she's coming?”

“I think she has to come here. It's either this, or she goes door to door looking for bug traps to break.”

“I'm pretty sure she can sniff them out if she needs to. She's a bug, too, you know?”

Reimu fell silent for a moment. “This may have been a bad idea.”

“You don't think Wriggle would fall for one of those traps, do you?”

“How could she 'fall for' a trap like that? She's way too big to fit inside one of those things.”

“I don't know. Maybe she was hypnotized or something, and she's just staring at one somewhere.”

“I think she deserves more credit than that.”

Mystia fell silent.

Okay, maybe she doesn't deserve that much credit. I guess we'll see, Reimu thought.

A few minutes passed in quiet darkness. Reimu's mind began to wander, and her stomach let out a growl. Yukari's awful cooking had made its way out of her stomach, and now all she could think about was an actually edible dinner.

Maybe Akyuu will feed us. She probably has plenty to spare. It's either that or flying all the way home. That beats going hungry. What about-

"Someone's coming," Mystia whispered.

Reimu perked up. She peeked out the doorway, and spotted a short figure walking towards Suzunaan. It had to be Wriggle, no one else made sense.

Reimu reached over and tapped Mystia's shoulder. The sparrow looked over to Reimu, who motioned away from the door, and slowly backed into the shadows. The youkai followed the shrine maiden's lead.

Marisa put her book down, then got up and crept in between two bookshelves, while Kosuzu ducked down behind the counter. After just a few seconds, the store looked as if it was totally deserted.

Just a few seconds after everyone had gone into hiding, Reimu heard footsteps from outside, which steadily grew louder as they closed in on the front door. Without much delay, Wriggle stepped into the store.

Wriggle was totally unbothered by the open door. She seemingly had no suspicions about why it had been left ajar, and walked directly towards the counter. There was a small, rusty hammer in her hands.

Wriggle sniffed the air, then adjusted her course and walked right at the bamboo tube hanging from the wall.

Once Wriggle was far enough along, Reimu stepped in behind her, blocking the front door. “Wriggle!”

Wriggle spun around and locked eyes with Reimu. The youkai hid the hammer behind her back, then looked away. 

“Oh, Reimu, what are you doing here?” Wriggle said, sounding like a child who had just gotten caught by their parents.

“Looking for you.”

“I see.” Wriggle tossed the hammer into the darkness as subtly as she could manage.

“Ow!” Marisa yelped from the shadows. “You hit me!” The magician limped into view.

Wriggle continued to stare at Reimu. The youkai had a forced smile, and was sweating profusely already. “Did you find out how the traps-”

“Yes, and it looks like you did, too,” Reimu said.

Kosuzu and Mystia emerged from the shadows.

“Mystia?!” Wriggle said.

“Sorry, but I really can't go along with this anymore,” Mystia said.

“But I still need to break all the traps!”

“No, you don't!” Reimu said.

“But she told me that I can still save the bugs inside!”

“Well...”

“Well, what?”

The room fell silent.

“It's true, isn't it?!” Wriggle asked.

“Yeah,” Marisa admitted.

Reimu walked over and put a hand on Wriggle's shoulder. “Look, Wriggle, I know you care about bugs a lot, but-”

Wriggle looked to Reimu. Tears were welling up in the youkai's eyes. “But they're my friends.”

Reimu hesitated. “Please don't do that.”

“Reimu!” Kosuzu said.

“What? I can't just let her run around the village smashing things with a hammer!”

“But her friends are going to die!”

“Her friends are bugs! They die all the time! Most of them only live a few months anyway!”

Wriggle began to sob and wail. Reimu was sure Kosuzu’s neighbors would start waking up soon. 

Mystia stepped forward. “Let her help her friends!”

“Who's side are you on?!”

“Reimu, she's crying,” Marisa said.

“I noticed, but what are we supposed to do?!”

“She can break mine if she has to,” Kosuzu said.

Wriggle sniffed. “Really?”

“Wait!” Reimu said.

“I want to negotiate.” Wriggle turned to Reimu.

“Don't negotiate with me! I don't live here!”

Wriggle looked at Marisa, who shook her head in response.

Wriggle turned to Kosuzu, who began to squirm under the youkai's gaze. “If I tell all the bugs to leave, can I destroy all the traps?”

Kosuzu froze up. “I... I don't really represent the whole-”

“Please!”

“O-Okay!”

Wriggle grabbed Kosuzu by the wrists. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Wriggle released Kosuzu, then retrieved her hammer. Without pausing for even a moment, she sprinted over to the bug trap and tore it down. She placed the trap on the counter and began to tap away at its side.

“Kosuzu, you don't speak for the whole village,” Reimu whispered.

“Sorry... I panicked,” Kosuzu replied.

“Wait, didn't she just solve everything? If the bugs are gone, who cares if the traps are smashed?”

“That's right!”

“Still, won't everyone get mad in the short term? How much do these things cost anyway?” Reimu asked.

“Three hundred yen each.”

“That's it?” Marisa asked.

“That's it.”

“I guess it makes sense. They're simple and the fruit must rot away after a little while.”

“I'd still be mad,” Reimu said.

“Not everyone's a cheapskate, Reimu.”

“Marisa, Reimu doesn't have that much money to toss around,” Kosuzu said.

Reimu frowned. “I'm well aware.”

Wriggle broke the bamboo tube open, and a dozen tiny scattering shapes disappeared into the darkness. “Be free!”

Reimu looked over to Wriggle. “Wriggle, you said you had an advisor. Who was it?”

“Oh, she told me not to tell you.”

“She wanted to keep it a secret from me specifically?”

“Yeah, you exactly.”

Reimu paused for a second. “Is it Yukari?”

“The mean purple lady? No.”

“Then who is it?”

“I can't tell you.”

“Weren't you negotiating with us? Aren't I allowed to make demands?”

“No, we're done now.”

Reimu silently looked around. Mystia had wandered over to one of the bookshelves and was examining its contents. Reimu walked over and grabbed the sparrow by the arm.

“Wriggle, I have a hostage. You have to negotiate with me now,” Reimu said.

Mystia had a puzzled look on her face. “What?”

Wriggle didn't look away from the bug trap. “You can keep her. She betrayed me.”

“Wriggle!”

“Okay fine.” Wriggle fished a rolled up piece of paper from her pocket. “Our meeting spot is marked on this map she gave me.”

Reimu took the map and examined it. It was very familiar.  A red circle was drawn around an alleyway.

“Wriggle, how much advice were you getting from this guy?” Marisa asked.

“Pretty much everything. When I told her bugs were going missing, she told me to invade the village.”

“You're just acting as her puppet?” Kosuzu asked.

“Yeah. She had some good ideas.”

Reimu tucked the map away. “Alright, let's go see her.”

Chapter 43: D-Day 21:20 (Local Time)

Reimu, Marisa, and Kosuzu walked from one building to the next. Reimu held the map up to her chest, and her eyes shot back and forth from the paper to the buildings around her. “How many alleys have we passed so far?”

“Four,” Kosuzu answered.

“Five,” Marisa answered.

Marisa and Kosuzu looked at each other for a second, then turned back and started counting buildings.

“It's five,” Kosuzu confirmed.

Reimu looked around. “Okay, I think it's this one.” She pointed to an alleyway to her right.

The alley was tucked in between some sort of inn and a storage building. It was filled with trash from both. There was rotten food, scrap paper, shards of both pottery and glass, every piece of garbage one could imagine.

Reimu and Marisa walked into the alleyway without hesitation, while Kosuzu loitered by the entrance.

“Coming?” Reimu asked.

Kosuzu looked at the piles of trash. “I'll just stand guard out here.”

“Suit yourself.”

Reimu and Marisa walked deep into the alley, then rounded a corner. They spotted a figure waiting for them. 

Reimu recognized the figure instantly and let out a loud groan. “Not her...”

Seija was at the end of the alley, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. Her eyes were shut, and she seemingly hadn't spotted Reimu or Marisa yet. 

“Back already?” Seija asked, not opening her eyes.

“Seija,” Reimu said.

Seija's eyes shot open. She looked at the two humans, and froze up. “Oh, it's you.”

“We already dealt with Wriggle, and we know what you've been up to,” Marisa said.

“This is one of your stupid revolutions, isn't it?” Reimu asked.

Seija smiled. “It sure is. I already tried a weakling youkai uprising, so why not go even weaker than that!”

“You really thought that would work?”

“Of course not, but it sure made for a pretty good prank!”

“That's debatable,” Marisa said.

Seija laughed. “You're just saying that because you were on the receiving end.”

“Whatever, are we done here, or do you have more nonsense for us?” Reimu asked.

Seija gave a wicked smile. “I just had one thing to say.”

“What?”

“That party last night was awesome! I loved it.”

Reimu's jaw dropped. “When were you at my party?!”

“You didn't see me? Well, I guess I was a bit busy.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“I think you know.”

Reimu marched towards Seija. “You'd better elaborate.”

Seija's smile turned more mischievous. “Sorry, but there's not a man alive who could make me.” She pulled a little purple umbrella out from behind her. “Remember this?”

Reimu recognized the item. Her march turned into a sprint, and Marisa started to run towards the amanojaku as well. Before either of them could get anywhere near Seija, the youkai disappeared into a gap, which itself vanished a second later.

Without missing a beat, Reimu flew up into the air, and Marisa followed close behind. 

Reimu pointed to the building Seija had presumably just gapped into. “Did you see this place's front door?” Reimu asked.

“No!” Marisa answered.

Reimu flew over the building's roof and circled around. After a few agonizing seconds, she spotted the entrance beneath her. As far as she could tell, Seija had disappeared into the inn. Reimu knew that the umbrella Seija had used had a limited range.

Reimu dived down towards the inn's front door. She ran right up to the entrance, and tried to throw the door open, only for it to remain firmly shut. She tried to pull it open again, only to be met with the same result. A heavy lock had been placed on the door, and the room behind it seemed to be pitch black. Reimu knocked on the door anyway, but there was no answer.

Marisa landed next to Reimu. “It's no use, she's probably already gapped into another building,” the magician said.

“We can't just let her get away,” Reimu said.

Marisa shrugged. “I hate to say it, but in a place this densely packed, she could be anywhere. It's not like we can go house to house looking for her.”

Reimu backed away from the door. “Well...”

“Reimu.”

“A girl can dream, okay?”

Kosuzu ran up to the pair, then stopped to catch her breath. “What was that about?” she asked between inhales.

“I think I know who took my money,” Reimu said.

“Hey, I wouldn't be so sure about that. You know what Seija's like,” Marisa said.

“She's our prime suspect, at least.”

“So yeah, we're definitely ditching Mamizou.”

“Then let's chase her down!” Kosuzu said.

“In this town, that's a bit of a lost cause.”

“I'm sure Reimu can find her.”

Reimu's stomach growled. “I think I'd rather call it a night.”

Kosuzu sighed. “Let's get back to Akyuu, then.”

“You don't have to go far,” Akyuu said from a short distance away.

Reimu turned her head. Akyuu was walking down the street towards the trio. 

“Akyuu, why did you come here?” Marisa asked.

“To ask Kosuzu why Wriggle Nightbug of all people burst into my room, smashed the only thing keeping me from being eaten alive by mosquitoes, and then told me that my best friend gave her permission to do it.”

Kosuzu turned bright red, and her mouth hung open. “I... I can explain.”

“I'd love to hear this one.”

“Akyuu, you won't need that bug trap for much longer,” Reimu said.

Akyuu's attention turned to Reimu. “What do you mean?”

“We dealt with the bugs,” Marisa said.

“Wait, so it was an incident?”

“Sort of.”

“Alright, I definitely need to hear all of this.”

“How about over dinner?” Reimu asked.

“You're free to stay the whole night.”

“Sounds good to me,” Marisa said.

Chapter 44: D+1 08:00 (Local Time)

“Lady Reimu, it's time for you to wake up,” a woman's voice said.

Reimu's eyelids slowly opened. The sun was shining down directly onto her face. She let out a grunt as the light hit her eyes. 

A woman was bending over to speak to Reimu face to face. “Good morning, Lady Reimu,” the woman said.

“Don't call me 'lady', I work for a living,” Reimu muttered.

“I'm sorry, but all guests of the Hieda household will receive their due respect, whether they like it or not.” The voice came from a female servant. Reimu had seen her the night before, but she didn't know her personally.

Reimu and Marisa had spent the night at the Hieda Mansion, just as Akyuu had offered. They'd been served the best food the village could provide, and even been given a bit of sake. It was all standard operating procedure for the Hieda clan.

“Why are you waking me up so early? Are you kicking us out already?” Reimu asked.

The servant laughed softly. “You asked to be woken up when Lady Akyuu rises, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Reimu sat up. She hadn't even stayed up very late. She was wearing a borrowed sleeping kimono. The mansion had plenty of those on hand as well.

“We've taken the liberty of washing your clothes. They're waiting for you on top of the cabinet.”

“Thanks.”

“Breakfast is also waiting for you in the same room dinner was served, and we left a copy of this morning's newspaper by the door, if you'd like to read it.”

“You guys sure do think of everything, don't you? It's Bunbunmaru, right?”

The servant nodded. “It is indeed.”

“I'm surprised you let Aya drop that rag off in here.”

“Well... Lady Akyuu likes to keep up to date, and Bunbunmaru is at least... an affordable and reliable option.”

“I'll take a look at it once I'm dressed, and tell Marisa and Akyuu I'll be over for breakfast soon.”

The servant nodded, gave a little bow, then walked away. Reimu wasted no time getting changed, then stepped out of her room. Just as the servant had promised, a newspaper was waiting for her by the door.

Reimu picked the newspaper up. I wonder if there's a story about me getting robbed in here, or something about Wriggle.

The newspaper was thin. It was a slow news day. Reimu read the headline. “Fire Risk: Lightning Strikes Moriya Shrine Roof. Will This Threaten Upcoming Festival?” it said. The picture displayed a tiny black mark on the roof of one of Moriya Shrine's storage buildings.

Even now Sanae's getting more attention.

Reimu opened up the paper and read the other stories. “Fairy Test Scores Continue To Drop. Will They Even Be Able To Read For Much Longer?” another story read.

Reimu skimmed. There was an advertisement for the bug traps Wriggle had been so determined to destroy, a “study” claiming that the Scarlet Devil Mansion would some day fall into Misty Lake due to seismic activity, a blurry picture of one of Nue's UFOs, and an article claiming that it was healthier for youkai to consume laughter rather than fear.

She didn't even mention us! Reimu tossed the newspaper aside and shook her head. She continued on through the courtyard and headed over to the dining room.

Marisa was waiting for Reimu by the table. The magician had a grilled fish sticking out of her mouth, and several dirty dishes sitting in front of her.

When Marisa spotted Reimu, she gulped down the rest of her meal. “Morning, Reimu,” she said, still chewing on the fish.

“Good morning. Where's Akyuu?” Reimu replied.

“Oh, she went to something at Keine's school.”

“Keine's school? Is it like a book club or something?”

“No, some sort of presentation. She was in a hurry.”

Reimu sat down next to Marisa. “You know, maybe we should go to the school and ask if anybody saw Seija.”

“Definitely, but don't you think you should eat something first?”

“What makes you think I'd skip a free breakfast?”

Chapter 45: D+1 08:32 (Local Time)

Reimu and Marisa walked up to the temple school. As far as Reimu could tell, class had already started for the day. All the doors were closed, and she could hear muffled voices coming from inside.

“Will Keine be okay with it if we interrupt her lesson?” Marisa asked.

“I'm sure if we just knock before walking in she won't mind,” Reimu answered.

The muffled voices continued. One of them stopped the others from speaking, and went on some sort of long monologue. It sounded familiar.

“Is that who I think it is?” Marisa asked.

Reimu knocked on the door to Keine's classroom.

“Come in,” Keine said from inside.

Reimu pushed the door open. Class was indeed in session, and they had two guest speakers. One was Akyuu, and the other was Eiki. Eiki was dressed normally, but Akyuu was wearing a white kimono, and had white, corpse-like makeup on her skin. It resembled some sort of Halloween costume.

Keine watched the two speakers with a calm expression on her face. Reimu got the feeling that this was not the first time she'd seen this demonstration. The teacher gave Reimu and Marisa a little wave without speaking, then put a finger to her lips.

If Eiki had noticed Reimu enter, she didn't show it. She pointed to a drawing on the chalkboard with a stick. The drawing was some sort of flow chart. Reimu saw that one of the boxes was labeled “Hell” and instantly understood what Eiki was talking about.

“Now, if you're a bad person you go here. Can anyone tell me what happens in this one?” Eiki said.

Reimu looked over the classroom. The students' faces were a mix of terror and dread. She could only imagine what Eiki had told them already.

Eiki's question got no answer. “These are the blood pools. I don't think I need to explain them in great detail. The name gives you a good idea. Akyuu?”

Right on cue, Akyuu let out a blood curdling wail. She flailed her arms above her head as if she was drowning. The students jolted up in their seats, and gripped their desks for dear life.

As Akyuu finished up her banshee impression, Eiki spoke again. “Now, it's a common misconception that women who die in childbirth go here, but the truth is it's reserved for sinners.”

“But mothers can go there, too!” Akyuu said with a cheerful grin.

“Of course.”

Marisa watched the presentation with growing discomfort. “Should she really be talking about this here?” she whispered.

“Probably not, but I guess it's Keine's class,” Reimu whispered back.

Eiki pointed to another part of the flow chart. “Now, this is the place you go if you kill without remorse. Can anyone tell us what happens here?”

Of course, no one spoke up.

Eiki tapped the chalkboard. “You're forced to fight to the death, and when you do die, you'll be revived right away to do it again. That's not the only thing you need to worry about, either.”

Akyuu produced a toy mallet and hit the palm of her hand with it. “Oni wander with giant clubs, crushing humans whenever they can.”

“This punishment lasts five hundred years, but because the flow of time is different there, it's more like two trillion years.”

While the idea of constant fights to the death certainly bothered some of the students, those final words caused a mild panic to erupt throughout the room. Children turned and whispered to each other, if not out of fear, than of sheer disbelief.

“Alright, that's it.” Marisa marched past Reimu. “Eiki, cut it out!”

Eiki turned to Marisa. The children seemed relieved by the distraction. “Marisa?” Eiki shook her head. “Why should I stop?”

“You're scaring the kids!”

“I'm aware, but it's necessary for their own good.”

“Own good? Can't they wait until they're adults?”

“Death can come at any time, Marisa.”

These words did little to comfort the frightened students. Reimu decided to sit out the argument.

Keine stood up. “Please, take this outside.”

“I thought kids were innocent,” Marisa said.

“You need to teach them young. It's better than risking two trillion years of torture,” Eiki replied.

“It's closer to one and a half trillion, to be fair,” Akyuu said.

“It will at least feel like two trillion.”

Keine marched over to the bickering trio and lightly pushed them towards the door. “Take it outside!”

With this urging, Marisa and Eiki retreated to the doorway. Akyuu slid to the side, and Keine ignored her. After a moment, Eiki and Marisa were both outside with Reimu, and the door had slammed shut behind them.

Eiki took a deep breath and collected herself. “Marisa, I assure you this lesson is for their own benefit. One hour of discomfort and distress is a small price to pay when the stakes are so high.”

Marisa shook her head. “Whatever.”

Silence fell over the trio, and Keine's muffled voice emanated from behind the door, too quiet to make out.

Eiki turned to Reimu. “May I ask what brings you here?”

“I was going to ask if anyone had seen Seija,” Reimu answered.

“Seija? What has she done this time?”

“Shouldn't you be the one telling me?”

“I don't keep tabs on everyone at all times, Reimu.”

“Well, she caused an incident in the village last night, and she robbed my shrine.”

“Really? I read the paper while I was waiting for class to start and I didn't see anything about that.”

Reimu scowled. “I know.”

“I did catch wind of you being on the hunt for some sort of thief, but I wasn't privy to all the details. I still feel as though I should speak to you about it.”

“Is this going to be a lecture?”

“Why would it be a lecture? You're in the right here, Reimu,” Marisa said.

“Actually,” Eiki began.

Reimu and Marisa both groaned. Here we go, Reimu thought.

Eiki's expression remained stoic. “This is not going to be a 'lecture', I merely want to give you a few pieces of advice.”

“Should we time you?” Marisa asked.

“Making quips will not speed up the process.”

Marisa gave a silent frown.

“Just get it over with,” Reimu said.

Eiki took a deep breath. “Reimu, while your cause may be righteous, at least at its core, you must exercise restraint. I feel as though you're prone to overreaction.”

“What do you mean? I've only been after this robber for like a day.”

“Reimu, can you really count on yourself to give up when the time comes?”

“I'm sure we'll have this sorted out soon.”

“And if you don't?”

“I'm sure something will come along and force me to stop.”

Eiki sighed. “Don't you think you may take this too far in time? You may be in the right for now, but what if you do something even worse in your mission? If someone throws an egg on you as a joke, and you beat them in response, is that really the morally correct action?”

Reimu hesitated for a moment. “It depends on how hard you hit them.”

“Reimu!”

“I'd just use danmaku in that situation, personally.”

“That's absolutely not the point!”

Marisa gave a forced smile. “Eiki, I had talked to her about something like this yesterday. I used Mokou forgiving Tewi as an example when I did it.”

“You used Mokou as a positive example when talking about grudges?!” Eiki replied.

“Yeah, because it really happened.”

Eiki was speechless for a moment. “Alright.” She turned back to Reimu. “Reimu, you said something would force you to stop eventually, correct?”

Reimu nodded. “I did.”

“I think I should let you know that we have a problem on the Sanzu River. The spirits are piling up again.”

“You aren't just making this up to make me stop, are you?”

Eiki shook her head. “That would be extremely hypocritical of me.”

“Has Komachi really been slacking off that badly? I thought serious traffic jams over there were supposed to be rare,” Marisa said.

“Komachi claims she hasn't had many spirits coming to her, but when I set out this morning I could already see at least two dozen of them on the opposite bank.”

“Only two dozen? That's not so bad,” Reimu said.

“It's just concerning to hear Komachi claim that she's had few passengers, then to see a small crowd of them where they shouldn't be.”

“Komachi lied.”

“No, I don't think she did. She's not one to lie to my face when confronted like that.”

“Look, I don't think it's worth trudging out to the afterlife over a minor backup.”

“Maybe not, but will you at least keep it in mind? We may need you soon.”

“Sure, you know where to find me.”

“Are you sure about that, Reimu? We've been running around a lot lately,” Marisa said.

“We'll make it work,” Eiki said.

Before anything else could be said, the door to Keine's classroom opened. Keine poked her head out and looked right at Reimu. “Reimu, Akyuu told me why you were here.”

“And all that stuff about bugs?” Reimu asked.

Keine nodded. “I'm embarrassed that all that happened right under my nose, but it does explain why I found bamboo shards on my desk this morning.”

“Sorry.”

Keine shrugged. “The bugs are gone either way.”

“So have you seen Seija anywhere?”

“I haven't, but Daiyousei came by here earlier, and she said she spotted Seija heading out of the village in a hurry around dawn.”

“At least we know she's not around town anymore,” Marisa said.

Something clicked within Reimu's mind. “Wait... Marisa, do you remember what Seija said last night?”

“Not exactly, just the gist of it.”

“She said 'not a man alive', remember?”

“You can remember that, but not Koakuma's name?”

“You see what she meant by that, right? There's no one alive at the Sanzu River.”

“Seija would try to lead you along, wouldn't she?” Keine said.

“I'm not sure we should follow a lead like that. She could be trying to send us on a wild goose chase, and that's assuming it means anything at all,” Marisa said.

“Maybe, but it could be connected to the spirits backing up,” Reimu said.

“Marisa had a point. Seija may be attempting to mislead you,” Eiki said.

“It's the best lead we have right now, so I say we use it while the trail's still hot.”

Eiki hung her head in disappointment. “You really didn't learn anything from what I said earlier, did you?”

Chapter 46: D+1 09:13 (Local Time)

Reimu, Marisa, and Eiki flew over the shores of the Sanzu River. The landscape was exactly how Reimu remembered it, uncannily so. It was just a field of grass with patches of red spider lilies blooming throughout it.

Reimu felt unbothered by the sight of the river. She'd been through here enough times to be somewhat familiar with it. If you weren't dead, and you could fly over the water, you could travel without being bothered most of the time.

Eiki led the pair down the river. “I think we'll find them soon enough.”

Reimu squinted at the landscape beneath her. Everything looked the same. It was just more fields and the river. No structures, no trees. She resorted to trying to count the big stones under the river for entertainment.

“We should see a crossing point soon,” Eiki said.

“How soon?” Reimu asked.

“I'm not sure. Sorry, I don't know the river as well as you might expect.”

“Don't you live here?” Marisa asked.

“Not close to the river, no. Even if I did, I'm always at work or in Gensokyo.”

“Or at work in Gensokyo.”

Reimu scanned the horizon. After a moment, she spotted a few wooden structures up ahead, along with tiny red, blue, and green specks on the ground. “I think I see it.”

Not too far down the river, a wooden dock stretched out over the Sanzu. It had two boats docked at it. One boat was a rowboat, only large enough for maybe two or three people at a time, while the other was larger, and seemingly empty, save for a bunch of nets and fishing rods.

The smaller boat had a single figure standing in it. The figure was waving their hands above their head, yelling at something. Where the dock met the shore, two other figures stood on land. A handful of danmaku appeared, and sailed out over the water before dissipating.

“Something's going on down there,” Reimu said.

Eiki sighed. “I was hoping today would be easy.”

As the trio neared the dock, Reimu began to make out more and more details. Komachi was the one standing in the boat, and she was very upset about something, while the ones at the end of the dock were that youkai with the stone baby, and that one that looked a bit like a jellyfish. Reimu couldn't remember either of their names.

“Who's that down there?” Reimu asked.

“How could you forget Komachi?” Marisa asked.

“Not her, the other two.”

“Oh, that's Urumi and Eika.”

“Oh...” Marisa's words jogged Reimu's memory, and she could remember the pair now.

Reimu still couldn't see what all the commotion was about. She continued to fly lower and closer, until she spotted what appeared to be a cloud of mist hanging over the dock. It was a gray mass, but something was off. She swore she could see something moving inside the cloud.

“Let's avoid that fog,” Reimu said.

“That's not fog,” Eiki replied.

The trio grew closer. Reimu could see the mist in more detail. It wasn't mist at all, it was a swarm of ghosts. The ghosts, each one taking the form of a light gray orb, hovered together in a densely packed cluster. The mob sat over the dock, blocking everything from one end to the next.

“So, who are we gonna talk to first?” Marisa asked.

“Komachi. We need to speak to Komachi,” Eiki said.

“Can we land on the boat? Will it hold all of us?”

“It has to.”

Komachi spotted the group flying towards her, and she shuddered. “This isn't my fault! I've been doing my job!” she screamed.

Eiki landed on the boat, causing it to rock from side to side. Reimu landed right next to Eiki, and Marisa landed next to her. The boat rolled to a steep angle, forcing everyone to stumble around to keep their footing. After a few seconds, the boat rolled back and gradually righted itself.

Komachi stared down at the water. “Do you know how dangerous that was?”

“Why? We can swim,” Reimu said.

“Drowning's the least of your worries in there.”

Eiki marched up to Komachi, causing the boat to rock again. “Komachi, what is going on? You said you'd barely seen any spirits.”

“I've only had a few people show up this morning, and I didn't see anybody last night.” Komachi twiddled her thumbs. “I was just sitting in my boat for hours.”

Eiki motioned to the swarm of ghosts. “Then what's this?!”

“I don't know. They just showed up and started saying they weren't going to let anyone cross. They said something about a revolution.”

Reimu groaned. “She has been here.”

“Who?”

“Seija.”

Komachi leaned closer. “Who?”

“You don't know her, do you?”

Komachi shook her head.

“Be thankful,” Reimu said.

“I must say that's a bit extreme, Reimu,” Eiki said.

“Really?”

“Seija may be obnoxious, but she's not as wicked as she claims.”

“I mean, I guess I get it. She's not a murderer or anything,” Marisa said.

“Indeed. She's an amanojaku, it's part of her nature.”

“She's still in control of her own actions,” Reimu said.

“Of course, but you must remember there are people far worse than her in the world. There are far worse amanojaku, too. You need only to compare her relationship with her inchling friend to other amanojaku's dealings with them to see her true nature.”

“I don't follow.”

“Look into it, it's a famous legend.”

“The point is, it's not Komachi's fault,” Marisa said.

“Yeah, I didn't do it this time!” Komachi said.

“Is there really nothing you can do?” Eiki asked.

“I tried to make them leave with danmaku, but they just dodged it.”

“Dodged it? Since when are ghosts skilled at danmaku?”

“Don't get the wrong idea, I hit a few of them, but just look.”

There were so many ghosts that Reimu couldn't even see through them. It was a near impenetrable wall.

Komachi tossed out a few purple danmaku. The projectiles entered the cloud of ghosts, and were engulfed in seconds. A single spirit broke off from the pack, only to quickly return once the shock of the attack had worn off.

“Why don't you let me try? Master Spark's perfect for this,” Marisa said.

“Knock yourself out,” Komachi said.

Marisa flew up into the air. “You might want to stand back, guys.”

“Way back,” Reimu added.

“Please don't destroy our boat, or the fishing vessel,” Eiki said.

Reimu, Eiki, and Komachi flew away from the dock, while Marisa lined herself up so that she could fire down the structure's length.

Reimu looked to the shore. “Wait, what about Urumi and-”

“Love Sign: Master Spark!” Marisa yelled.

A bright white light filled the air, and a deafening hum blasted through Reimu's ears. The beam struck the wall of ghosts directly, engulfing dozens of them in a matter of seconds. It made good progress, consuming roughly half of the ghosts in a few moments. Then, the beam stopped.

For a few more seconds, the laser stopped where it initially hit, before sputtering out. Everyone watched the mob of ghosts, dumbstruck. Roughly two thirds of the ghosts had been either sent packing, or knocked down to the dock itself.

Before anyone could celebrate, the ghosts started to rally. They returned to their positions, and within a minute, almost all of the ghosts were back.

“Good hit, but they're just not giving up!” Reimu shouted.

“Reimu, why don't you get up here and help me?” Marisa replied.

“Right, I'll be-”

A single yellow ball of danmaku shot past Reimu. It grew in size as it flew through the air. Reimu didn't have to say anything. Marisa shot out of the way, not even allowing the bullet to get close to her.

Urumi flew right up to Marisa. The youkai was fuming. “Are you trying to kill me, kill Eika, sink my boat, or all three?!”

Chapter 47: D+1 09:24 (Local Time)

“I'm sorry! I was just trying to get rid of the ghosts!” Marisa said.

“You're real surgical, you know that? Maybe you should become a sniper,” Urumi said.

“We needed a lot of firepower to get through,” Reimu said.

“You didn't get through.”

The group floated well above the Sanzu River. Reimu, Urumi, and Marisa were clustered around each other, while Eika, Komachi, and Eiki watched from a safe distance. The swarm of ghosts looked even bigger than before.

“Why do you even need to clear the ghosts? You can fly over to your boat,” Reimu asked.

Urumi turned her frustration to Reimu. “You think I keep all of my equipment onboard? There's still loads of stuff sitting on the dock. You know, the place you just blasted. Plus whenever I go to untie my boat, the ghosts all shove me away.”

“It was just danmaku, your stuff should be fine,” Reimu said.

“It better be! If even one hook is bent, I'm charging you for it!”

“That's fair,” Marisa said.

Urumi grumbled to herself. Without saying another word, she spun around and fired danmaku into the ghost swarm. The bullets all grew in size as they traveled, but all were ultimately absorbed by the ghosts, save for a few that splashed into the river.

Urumi sighed, then turned back to Reimu and Marisa. “Look, I know you were trying to help, but you can't just blast this away.”

“Yeah, Seija really got them riled up,” Marisa said.

“There's a ringleader?”

Reimu nodded. “We know her well. She probably told them the fee to cross the river was wrong, or something.”

“Do you know what she told them to make them act like this?” Marisa asked.

“Eika talked to them.” Urumi motioned for Eika to come over.

Eika flew over to the trio. “Yes?”

“What did the ghosts tell you?” Reimu asked.

“They said they wanted to stop death.”

“Stop... death?” Marisa asked.

Eika nodded. “Stop death.”

“Like... the whole concept?” Reimu asked.

“Yep. No more dying for anyone or anything.”

Reimu and Marisa both looked at each other, then back to Urumi.

“Don't look at me, I don't understand it either,” Urumi said.

“That's insane,” Marisa said.

Eiki and Komachi flew over. “I'm sorry, but did she just say something about stopping death?” Eiki asked.

“They want everything to stop dying,” Eika said.

Eiki's jaw dropped. Komachi had a vacant smile.

“Hey, it would make your jobs easier,” Reimu said.

“That's... that would change the very fabric of our world,” Eiki said.

“It's not like we were planning on negotiating with them anyway.”

“What can we even do about that?” Marisa asked.

“I guess we could just wait for them to realize they're already dead,” Komachi suggested.

“We absolutely cannot do that,” Eiki said.

“But what else are we supposed to do?”

“Any other option we can find. The longer this goes on, the more these phantoms will pile up, and the bigger the cleanup job will become.”

Komachi shuddered. “We could have thousands of ghosts all come in at once.”

“May I remind you your ferry's only allowed to transport five people at a time.”

Really? It seemed like four almost sank it, Reimu thought.

Komachi looked down at the dock. “We need to stop this right now.”

“Maybe if we beat up Seija they'll stop,” Reimu suggested.

“I suppose it's our only option. Unless someone else has a better plan,” Eiki said.

“What if we tried to explain to them how much trouble they're causing and how death is an unstoppable force of nature?” Eika suggested.

“That'll just make them double down,” Reimu said.

“Are you sure?”

“I think they understand the trouble they're causing,” Eiki said.

“But not the death part.”

“If you want to talk to them you can, but we're going to hunt down Seija,” Reimu said.

“Okay.” Eika turned and flew down towards the dock.

“I'd be willing to bet Seija's still on the living side of the river,” Marisa said.

“She wouldn't dare risk a crossing,” Eiki said.

“Plus she's probably still looking for recruits,” Urumi added.

“There's a place down the river where you can access Gensokyo. There's a bunch of trees and other cover over there,” Komachi said.

“Let's clear it out then,” Reimu said.

Chapter 48: D+1 09:38 (Local Time)

The group flew along the Sanzu River. Reimu was already sick and tired of the river. She eagerly scanned the horizon for a change of scenery, but she still had yet to spot the trees Komachi had promised.

“Just to be clear, this isn't the same place we came in from, right?” Marisa asked.

“Aren't we going in the opposite direction we came from?” Eiki asked.

“Right... It's just, I can't tell one part of this place from any other.”

Urumi laughed. “You remind me of myself when I first came here. I was only about as big as Eika back then.”

“Honestly, I hope I never learn my way around this place,” Reimu said.

“What's so bad about the river?” Komachi asked.

“Komachi, this place was not meant for the living,” Eiki said.

“I know, but how can you not like all the flowers?”

“There's only one kind,” Reimu said.

“But it's a good kind!”

“I do find the river quite peaceful,” Eiki said.

“Yeah, and it's got all those ancient fish in it. How can you not like that?” Marisa added.

“Those are more creepy than anything else,” Reimu replied.

“Now you're just being a killjoy!”

“I mean it! I hate when you can only see the big shadows in the water.”

“That just makes it more mysterious!”

“Hey, I think I see the spot,” Urumi said.

“Oh yeah, that's it,” Komachi replied.

Down the river, the dull grass and spider lilies gave way to lush foliage. There were thriving trees and clusters of bushes and shrubs. Saplings sprouted on the edges of the green, and Reimu briefly wondered if the plants could keep spreading.

Reimu's hopes were dashed when she noticed the swaths of brown and yellow that marked the furthest extent of the plants. There were big patches of dead grass, and dozens of wilted bushes. Gensokyo might briefly force its way into Higan, but it could not hold territory here for long.

“She could've slipped back into Gensokyo,” Marisa said.

“We'll see,” Reimu said.

“Won't she run if she sees all of us at once?” Komachi asked.

“Almost certainly. We'll have to catch her when she retreats,” Eiki answered.

The group landed just outside of the green area. From the ground, the foliage looked much denser than it had from above.

“Let's split up and perform a search pattern,” Eiki said.

“How do we do that?” Marisa asked.

Eiki paused for a second. “We'll just spread out and keep it simple. Return here after you've walked for... fifteen minutes, we'll say.”

The group fanned out across the foliage. Within just a minute or so, Reimu lost sight of all of her companions. She trudged forward around trees and through bushes. The skies in Higan had been gray and dreary, but now they were blue. The border with Gensokyo was thin here.

There were hundreds of good hiding spots. Reimu had no idea how she'd ever find Seija, if the amanojaku was even here. The shrine maiden kept her head on a swivel, and then she heard something crunch beneath her feet.

Reimu looked down. She was standing in a pile of black ash and scorched sticks. She grimaced and stepped out of the campfire.

Reimu looked around. Someone was camping around here.

A few steps away from the campfire was a large shrub. Reimu stepped towards it. She could probably squeeze in there somewhere, right? She's like a rat.

Reimu bent down and started to pull branches to the side. She could make out a bit of room inside the plant, but nothing substantial.

Reimu stood back up and let out a sigh. Right as she was about to move on, something landed on her head with a thump.

Reimu flinched and grumbled to herself. On the ground next to her was a tiny, green, underdeveloped acorn. She instinctively looked up, and was greeted by something in the tree above her.

It was something white. Reimu had to squint through the branches to see it clearly. It was Seija. She was lying on a tree branch, with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Seija!” Reimu yelled out without thinking. She regretted speaking as soon as her lips stopped moving.

Seija shot awake. She looked around, then looked down to where Reimu stood. The amanojaku started to flail around, all while reaching for something on her stomach. Reimu couldn't see what.

Reimu flew up into the air, right at Seija. The amanojaku screamed and lost her balance. She leaned to one side, pulled herself back, over corrected, and finally fell off the branch.

Seija fell a short distance, while Reimu continued to rise to meet her. The amanojaku's descent slowed as she attempted to fly away, but not before Reimu intercepted her. The pair collided in the air, bounced off of each other, then tumbled off in opposite directions.

Seija managed to recover just before hitting another tree, while Reimu landed on her feet down below.

The pair didn't bother to exchange words, danmaku sufficed. Seija fired off a spread of rice shaped danmaku, while Reimu launched her own homing bullets. Most of the bullets slammed into trees or shrubs, so each combatant only had to worry about a handful of projectiles.

Seija grinned and raised a hand to the sky. “Watch out for this one!”

Reimu heard the trees behind her shake and shudder as a hailstorm struck them. She looked over her shoulder, and saw nothing but waving branches.

Seija shook her head, then flew upwards. Reimu pursued her. The pair were above the canopy in seconds. Now free of the obstructions, danmaku flew freely. Reimu launched a cluster of yin yang orbs, which quickly fanned out in every direction. The orbs bounced off the trees, and began to fly in every conceivable direction.

Seija flew out of the way of one of the orbs, only for another to nearly strike her. Before the amanojaku could recover, Reimu unleashed another round of homing attacks. The danmaku shot directly towards their target.

Before the attack could connect, Seija disappeared behind a wall of purple and black checkers. The danmaku passed by harmlessly. After a second or two, the amanojaku reappeared unharmed.

As annoying as it was, Reimu didn't falter. She knew Seija could only keep this up for a few minutes at most. She simply kept flinging out danmaku.

Seija retreated, continuing to throw out basic danmaku patterns as she focused on avoiding Reimu's attacks.

“Reimu!” Marisa yelled.

Reimu looked to her right. Marisa was closing in. Seija spotted Marisa as well, and muttered something under her breath.

Before Marisa could join the battle, Urumi appeared far behind Seija, and Eiki was to the amanojaku's right. Seija was surrounded on four sides.

Seija froze up. She spun in place, trying to figure out what to do next before it was too late.

“Let her have it!” Marisa yelled.

Four different spell cards all went off at once, and the air became an incomprehensible storm of colors. Seija was instantly engulfed in the maelstrom, and Reimu lost sight of her.

The barrage only lasted for a brief moment, anything else would have been a waste of effort. After a few seconds, the air cleared, and Seija was nowhere to be seen.

A single stone jizo statue hung in the air. It had a leaf on its head, and a tanuki tail. As soon as Reimu spotted the decoy, it fell to the earth, smashing down with an audible thud.

Urumi stared at the empty air with her mouth hanging open. “What happened? I didn't know danmaku could obliterate someone!”

“It didn't obliterate her. It's a trick,” Reimu explained.

“Where'd she go?!” Marisa asked.

“I couldn't see a thing during that,” Urumi said.

“You're not the only one,” Eiki replied.

Komachi flew up to the group. “What was that?! It was like the whole world was blowing up.”

“We all found Seija at roughly the same moment.”

Reimu flew down and retrieved the jizo statue. Despite everything, it looked intact.

“Did you get her?” Komachi asked.

“Not exactly,” Marisa replied.

“I'm sure something hit her,” Reimu said.

“Let's chase her down and catch her.”

“Yeah, let's-”

“Wait,” Eiki cut in.

“What is it?”

“We've done what we needed to do. We defeated Seija.”

“But she's still out there.”

“She's retreated and abandoned her followers, that should do it.”

“Really? It doesn't seem like she was supporting them much.”

“At least she shouldn't recruit anyone else,” Komachi said.

“But the ghosts still can,” Marisa said.

“Besides, we don't even have any proof that we beat her,” Reimu said.

Eiki pointed to the jizo. “Yes we do, you're holding it.”

Reimu looked to the jizo. It was a decent trophy, but had the ghosts even seen it before now? “Will they even realize it's Seija's?”

“It's something.”

Urumi flew down and examined the jizo. She smiled. “It's so cute. What even is it?”

Reimu held up the jizo so Urumi could see it better. “Seija has a bunch of weird items she can use to cheat at danmaku. This one takes hits for her.”

“Can I have it after you're done with it?”

“It's already been used. I don't think it'll work anymore.”

“I don't care about that. I just love how it looks!”

“Then it's all yours as soon as the ghosts see it.” Reimu was looking forward to dropping off the giant paperweight. Her arms were already starting to tire a bit, and she felt like she was forgetting something really obvious, but she couldn't remember what.

“Let's get it back to them, then,” Eiki said.

“But won't we lose Seija's trail?” Marisa asked.

“I think we already have. Seija will pop up again in time, she always does.”

“We can't just let her go,” Reimu said.

“You must know she wants you to follow her trail. It's better if you don't obsess over her. I'm sure she'll leave you clues soon enough.”

Reimu sighed. “I guess we should finish up here before we go.”

Chapter 49: D+1 09:45 (Local Time)

Reimu's arms ached as the group approached the dock. She'd already come dangerously close to dropping the jizo statue several times, and she was starting to worry about what would happen if the big rock slipped from her grasp at the wrong moment.

The dock looked about the same as it had when Reimu had left it. There was still a gray mass on the wood, and while the shrine maiden couldn't make out much detail at this range, she was sure the entire dock was still blocked.

“I see Eika on the shore,” Urumi said.

“We'll land next to her,” Eiki said.

Reimu got closer to the dock. As she got a better look at the swarm of ghosts, she realized they weren't really a swarm anymore. The spirits, or at least most of them, had formed up into a neat line at the side of the dock. There was now plenty of room to walk around them.

“Is it just me, or does it look clear on the dock?” Komachi asked.

“It does,” Marisa answered.

Reimu landed next to Eika, who was chatting away with a lone ghost. The shrine maiden dropped the jizo, and took a deep breath while Marisa, Eiki, Urumi, and Komachi landed around her.

“What happened while we were gone?” Reimu asked.

Eika turned away from the ghost. “I talked to them like I said I would.”

“It looks like they're all waiting to cross now.”

“They are.”

“What did you tell them?” Marisa asked.

“I started out by telling them how much trouble they were causing and how that really bothered Eiki and Komachi, who both work so hard everyday.”

Reimu gave a forced smile. “Did that work?”

“It got two or three of them to stop. Explaining to them that Seija was just using them to start trouble got a few more.”

“Then what got the rest of them to line up?”

“I just told them that death was natural and inevitable and that their bodies have already started to rot.” Eika said that last part with the same innocent smile as everything else.

“Was that all it took?” Komachi asked.

“I also promised I'd talk to them about their lives personally, and I'm doing that part now.” Eika motioned to the ghost she'd been talking to a minute ago.

Reimu sighed. “So we wasted our time going after Seija?”

“No, we didn't. We stopped this problem's source,” Eiki said.

“That's true, but I didn't convince everybody.” Eika pointed to a small group of ghosts by Komachi's boat.

There was still a cluster of spirits blocking the ferry across the river. There were only about a dozen ghosts left, but they were still trying to maintain a perimeter.

“Plus it felt good to send that jerk packing,” Urumi said.

Eiki shook her head. “You really shouldn't bother with petty vengeance, Urumi. It's not good for your soul.”

“But it did feel pretty good,” Marisa said.

“Marisa...”

Reimu kept quiet, but she felt the exact same way.

“Reimu, Komachi, you enjoyed it, too, didn't you?” Eiki said.

Reimu and Komachi both hesitated for a second, before both slowly nodding.

Eiki groaned. “My goodness, please consider what I'm saying. Revenge is not worth it!”

Reimu braced herself for a lecture.

Eiki just crossed her arms. “I won't trouble you all with moral advice right now, but I worry for all your souls.”

Reimu collected the jizo again. “Let me sort out those last few ghosts.”

Reimu walked down the dock with the heavy stone statue in her arms. The ghosts spotted her approaching and tightened up their formation.

“Are you Seija's little buddies?” Reimu set the jizo statue down. “This was hers. We sent its owner running for the hills.”

The ghosts stood their ground, and formed into a denser clump.

“There's only a handful of you left. You won't be able to absorb our danmaku with numbers this time,” Reimu said.

The ghosts continued to hold their position for another moment, then one of them floated away from the others. A second ghost followed the first, and then the entire clump scattered one by one. The dock was clear again.

Reimu turned back to the others. “Alright, we're done.”

Everyone, save for Eika and Komachi, caught up to Reimu. Urumi collected the jizo without any difficulty. “Thanks for letting me have this.”

“I'm just glad I don't have to carry it anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's heavy. My arms feel like noodles right now.”

“Why didn't you just ask me to reduce its weight?”

Reimu stared at Urumi. “You can do that?”

“Yeah, easily.”

“Why didn't you do that?”

“I thought you'd ask if you needed the help. You seemed to handle it just fine.”

Reimu slumped her shoulders. Oh, that's what I was forgetting.

“Komachi, why are you lingering back there?” Eiki said.

Komachi was still standing far from her boat. Her mouth hung open like a dead fish. She silently stared at the line of ghosts, pointing a finger at one after another as she counted them all.

“Komachi!” Eiki yelled.

Komachi snapped out of her stupor. Her horrified expression shifted to Eiki.

“They aren't going to move themselves over the river! You know what to do!” Eiki said.

Komachi took a deep breath, then slowly walked over to her boat. “This is going to take days to sort out.”

“I'm well aware. You're taking them to me, remember?”

“At least you get to work a desk job...”

“Every moment you're standing around is another moment the ghosts aren't moving.”

Komachi picked up her pace. She marched up to her boat, tossed the ropes off, and pushed a few ghosts towards it.

Eiki turned her attention back to Reimu, Marisa, and Urumi. “Thank you for your help.” She turned her focus to Reimu specifically. “I hope you heed my words.”

“You don't want me to get too obsessed with this money thing, I get it,” Reimu said.

“It will consume you if you let it.”

“Yeah, but how long can this go on for, really?”

“You never know how long anything will last.”

Urumi took her jizo statue and loaded it onto her boat. The youkai turned her attention to casting off.

“If I can find Seija, this should all go a lot faster,” Reimu said.

“Where do you think she ran off to?” Marisa asked.

Reimu thought for a moment. She remembered reading the newspaper earlier that morning. “Aren't they setting up a festival at the Moriya Shrine?”

“Yeah, but I don't think it's gonna happen for a while.”

“Still, Seija might try to do something there.”

“Youkai Mountain usually has something going on anyway. Why not try the Myouren Temple? Didn't we say something about that yesterday?”

“Eh, the mountain's closer.”

“You'd really climb a youkai infested mountain before you'd visit a temple?” Eiki asked.

“It's all the same when you can fly. You know that.”

“The youkai can fly as well.”

“It won't be a problem for us.”

“I know, it's just the principle of it all.”

Chapter 50: D+1 10:01 (Local Time)

Reimu and Marisa flew over the dense forests that surrounded Youkai Mountain. It was an endless expanse of green, only broken up by a few rivers, ponds, and the occasional large rock. The sea of leaves met the clear blue sky ahead of them.

“Was Sanae at the party the other day?” Marisa asked.

Reimu struggled to remember if she'd seen the other shrine maiden or not. “I... think so.”

“You think so?”

“Hey, we can just ask her.”

“Maybe Kanako or Suwako saw something.”

“How? They haven't been to my shrine in weeks.”

“The branch shrine, Reimu. The little one they set up there.”

Reimu nodded. “Right, right.”

“Honestly, why didn't this robber just hit Moriya Shrine? They have more cash, and assuming Seija's behind this, she'd be offending three people, not just one.”

“I don't think Seija is a very efficient person.”

“That's a bit of an understatement.”

As the pair continued on, a large, black bird whizzed past them. A few seconds later, there was another, then another, and then they were within a whole flock.

“Crows?” Reimu slowed down. Not this again.

“Yep. We're about to have company.”

“Can't they just let us pass?”

“Guess not. Who do you think it'll be? Aya, or Momiji?”

“What about Hatate and Megumu?”

“Hatate's too nice to stop us, and Megumu's too high ranking for guard duty.”

“Aya, then.”

“Alright, I'll take Momiji.”

The crows started to form into a ball ahead of the pair. It reminded Reimu of the swarm of ghosts she'd seen earlier. The flock of birds was too thick to see through. After a few seconds, the crows scattered, and Momiji was standing where the swarm had been.

“State your business,” Momiji said.

“We're just passing through on our way to the shrine,” Reimu said.

“Why don't you just use the lift like normal people?”

“Flying's faster,” Marisa said.

Momiji sighed. “It's there for a reason.”

“Yeah, people who can't fly,” Reimu said.

“It also keeps you from wandering into our territory.”

“But your turf is so nice this time of year,” Marisa said.

“Very funny.”

“Momiji, you've been on guard for awhile, right?” Reimu asked.

“All day, yes.”

“Have you seen Seija recently?”

“She was by the foot of the mountain a little while ago. I didn't watch her too closely.”

“And you didn't look into it any further than that?”

“She didn't enter our territory.”

“She knew better, I guess.”

“Unlike you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Are you gonna let us through, or not?”

Momiji hesitated for a moment. “I don't know. If Seija's running around, I should really stay here and keep everything locked down. Letting no one through is probably for the best.”

“Come on, we're just passing by,” Marisa said.

“And I have a boss who wants protocol to be enforced.”

“Can't you just escort us over? There has to be some way you can safely leave your post for a minute.” Reimu asked.

“Well can't you just go around? We don't have the entire mountain locked down.”

“Why should we go around? We'd just be flying over empty forest either way.”

“Because we have rules here, alright?”

“Maybe we should just go around,” Marisa said.

Reimu was too caught up in her argument with Momiji to pay Marisa any mind. “Don't you want to go up to the shrine and check up on it?”

“I'm fine. I saw the shrine the other day,” Momiji said.

“Do you know they're going to have a festival up there?” Marisa said.

“I did not.”

Marisa winked. “Don't you want to check it out? You know there might be some security concerns up there.”

Momiji was silent for a few long seconds. “I'm not sure that's relevant to our interests.”

“Come on, don't you want a change of scenery?”

Momiji put her hand to her chin. “I supposed I probably should look around there.”

Marisa grinned. “I knew you needed a break.”

“It's not a break. I'm just keeping you two out of trouble.”

“So can we go, then?” Reimu asked.

“Yes, we may go. Please stay close behind me.”

“Fine.”

Reimu and Marisa fell in behind Momiji. The tengu turned back to face them. “Now, we need to keep this quick. I can't abandon my post for long.”

Chapter 51: D+1 10:14 (Local Time)

Moriya Shrine was crowded as always. There were at least twenty worshipers milling around the shrine grounds, moving through the routine of their prayers. A bit of jealousy swelled up within Reimu, but she did her best to bury it.

“You know Reimu, it's a wonderful day. I'm surprised you aren't at your shrine. You must have a few visitors as well,” Momiji said.

Marisa snickered, while Reimu frowned.

Momiji's ears twitched. “What's so funny? I'm aware Reimu's shrine isn't as popular as Moriya, but surely-”

Marisa burst out laughing, and Momiji fell silent.

Without saying anything else, the trio landed at the edge of the shrine. Momiji remained close to the treeline. “Perhaps I shouldn't have come.”

“Why?” Reimu asked.

“A tengu with a sword might scare the visitors.”

“I'm sure it'll be fine.”

“Reimu, not every shrine has youkai at it every day,” Marisa said.

“Oh come on, how can you live in Gensokyo and not be used to youkai?”

“Reimu, I don't think I should risk it. I don't want to offend Lady Kanako or Lady Suwako,” Momiji said.

“You can't be the only tengu who visits this place.”

“I'm not going to chance it. I'll just go back to-”

Reimu spotted Sanae near the shrine's main building. “Wait, let's just ask Sanae.” Reimu walked over to Sanae.

Sanae glanced in Reimu’s direction, then turned to face the other shrine maiden. “Reimu? Good morning!”

“Morning, Sanae.”

“What brings you here?”

“I'm looking for Seija. Have you seen her?”

Sanae shook her head, then looked over to Marisa and Momiji. “Is she starting trouble again?”

“Of course she is.”

“It must be something big if Momiji is with you.”

“Oh, she's just tagging along to keep an eye on us. She's allowed in the shrine, right?”

“Of course. Why wouldn't she be?”

“She was worried about scaring the worshipers.”

“She won't. In fact, I could use her help.”

Marisa and Momiji walked over. “What was that about needing help?” Marisa asked.

“I was saying I could use Momiji's help, but really, I kind of need all of you.”

Momiji held up her hands in front of her. “I really can't stay here for more than a few minutes. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright before the festival.”

“It won't take more than a minute. I just need a box moved.”

“A box? It's heavy, isn't it?”

Sanae nodded. “I think we might need all four of us.”

“But it's just one?”

“Just one.”

“I'll help if the others will.”

“If Momiji's gonna do it, then I guess we all should,” Marisa said.

Reimu sighed and shrugged. “Sure, let’s do it.”

Sanae motioned for the others to follow. “Thank you. It's just in the storage building.”

“The one that got struck by lightning?”

“Yep. How did you know about that?”

“It was in the paper.”

Sanae raised an eyebrow. “Nothing was damaged, nobody was hurt. Why was that in... Oh right, Aya.”

“Bingo.”

“I haven't touched Bunbunmaru since I first got here.”

“A wise decision,” Momiji said.

Marisa scoffed. “Hey, if a lightning strike was good enough for the paper, then maybe we got in-”

“We didn't,” Reimu said.

“Oh.”

Sanae led the group to a storage building a short distance away. The front door was wide open, and light filtered into the room through it. The storage building was filled nearly to bursting with crates and boxes.

“You're sure you know which box it is?” Momiji asked.

“Don't worry, I know.” Sanae pointed to a crate sitting on top of several others. “It's that one.” The crate was bigger than Reimu. It was long, and relatively narrow, a bit like a coffin.

“What's in there? A vampire?” Reimu asked.

“It's a bunch of decorations for the festival.”

“Alright, let's get it.”

Reimu squeezed her way behind the crate, while Marisa and Momiji took position to the sides. Sanae walked up and grabbed onto the front.

“Okay, on three. One, two, three!” Sanae said.

The quartet lifted. The box was shockingly light. In a few seconds, they were able to move the crate down to the floor.

“Hey, that was really easy,” Marisa said.

Sanae started to fiddle with the crate's latch. “I guess we didn't really need four people then.” She cracked the crate open.

“Better safe than sorry,” Momiji said.

“I was just really expecting it to be way heavier than-” Sanae fell silent.

“What is it?” Reimu asked.

Sanae frowned and pushed the lid open the rest of the way. Inside of the crate was a fake, painfully out of season Christmas tree.

“That's not what we needed, is it?” Reimu asked.

“No,” Sanae answered.

The group let out a collective sigh, and Reimu looked around. There were several other big, rectangular crates scattered throughout the room. It was easy to lose track of a specific one.

“So should we just start guessing, or what?” Reimu asked.

“I really can't stay here for very long,” Momiji said.

“Hang on.” Sanae looked around, then pointed to another crate that had been placed on top of a stack. “I think it's that one.”

“You think, or you know?”

“I'm really not sure.”

“Let's just try it.”

The group repeated the process on the other crate. It was much heavier than the first, which Reimu found promising. Once the crate was on the floor, Sanae opened it as the others watched with baited breath.

Inside the crate was a giant object shaped like a cylinder and made of unpainted metal. It was some sort of machine, covered with buttons, switches, knobs, and dials. Reimu had absolutely no idea what it was or what it did.

Everyone silently stared at the whatchamacallit for a minute before Marisa finally spoke. “That's not it, is it?”

“No,” Sanae replied.

“What even is that thing?” Reimu asked.

“I don't know, I've never seen it before.”

“Looks like something the kappa would build,” Momiji said.

“Then why is it here?” Reimu asked.

“I don't know,” Sanae repeated. “Let me go get Lady Kanako.” She turned and jogged out of the room.

Reimu, Marisa, and Momiji were left with the device. Momiji was tense, and her eyes were fixed on the door.

“You can go if you want to,” Reimu said.

“I feel like I need to stay,” Momiji said.

“Why? Worried it's a bomb?” Marisa asked.

“A little.”

“I'm pretty sure Marisa has a bigger bomb in her house somewhere,” Reimu said.

Momiji laughed.

“That wasn't a joke,” Reimu added.

“Yeah, I'm not sure where that thing is right now,” Marisa said.

“I'm sure it'll turn up eventually.”

Momiji's apprehension only grew. Reimu walked over and tapped the side of the machine. There was a fine black powder on its surface. It looked like gunpowder. Before anyone else could speak, Sanae returned with Kanako in tow.

“It's in here,” Sanae said.

Kanako looked around for a moment, then walked past everyone and right up to the machine. “This old thing?”

Sanae nodded. “That's it.”

Kanako laughed. “Yes, I purchased this from the kappa some time ago.”

“What does it do?” Reimu asked.

Kanako knelt down and started fiddling with the machine. “Isn't it obvious?”

“No, it's really not.”

“I'm not surprised you don't recognize it. You don't see things of this caliber in Gensokyo very often.” Kanako pressed a button. Nothing seemed to happen.

“Can you just tell us what it is?”

“I'll show you.”

Reimu was starting to suspect Kanako didn't actually know how the machine worked. “Hurry up, then.”

Kanako flipped a switch. The end of the cylinder opened up, and a giant boxing glove shot out, smashing into the side of the crate with a loud crack. The wooden boards snapped, and the crate's side was left with a huge dent.

Kanako froze up. Her eyes were wide, and her lips had shot into a frown.

“Was that supposed to happen?” Reimu asked.

Kanako shook her head. “It's been a long time since I've used it.” She pressed a red button on the side, and a nixie tube display built into the side of the machine turned on. The display simply read thirty minutes.There were three loud beeps. After a brief pause, the display began to count down.

Sanae's eyes widened. “What is that?”

“Reimu, remember how I joked about it being a bomb?” Marisa asked.

Kanako shook her head. “Nonsense, it can’t be a… Is that gunpowder?”

Chapter 52: D+1 10:24 (Local Time)

Reimu, Marisa, and Sanae sprinted down the mountain with Momiji and Kanako directly behind them. The tengu and the goddess carried the kappa device, with Momiji in the front and Kanako in the back. The timer was at the twenty eight minute mark.

“The kappa aren't far!” Sanae shouted, her voice shrill.

“Are you sure you can't fly it?” Marisa asked.

“It's far too heavy!” Momiji answered.

“Help! Nitori, help!” Sanae screamed.

Reimu had no idea where the group was heading, except that it was away from the shrine. They'd bolted out of the storage building before she could even fully comprehend what was going on. Now they were running around the dense forests she'd flown over just a little while before.

“Nitori!” Sanae repeated.

The group continued to rush downwards. Reimu shoved a spindly tree limb out of the way. “Look, maybe if we all grab it we can get it into the air!”

“And try to fly it around with five different people? We'll drop it for sure!” Sanae replied.

Reimu looked back to Sanae. “It has to be better than running around like-” Reimu crashed into something.

That something was a person. The stranger grunted and stumbled backwards a few steps, but managed to keep both themselves and Reimu from falling to the ground.

Reimu took a step back. She'd crashed into Takane. The kappa stared at the nonsensical scene in front of her, her eyes lingering on the device specifically.

“What are you doing?” Takane asked.

“It's a bomb!” Kanako shouted.

“What?!”

“Bomb!” Marisa yelled.

“Is that why you're looking for Nitori?!”

“Yes! It's her bomb!”

Takane looked at the timer. It was down to twenty seven now. She took a deep breath, and then spoke more calmly. “I don't think you're going to be able to get something that big to her in time.”

“Then what should we do?” Reimu asked.

“I might be able to disarm it. I've seen plenty of Nitori's gadgets before.”

“I don't think that's good enough!”

“It's better than doing nothing while you try to find Nitori!”

Kanako and Momiji looked at each other, then slowly set the device down. Takane ran over and started to inspect the device.

“Do you have any tools?” Takane asked.

Kanako flew up into the air. “They're back at the shrine!”

Momiji flew after Kanako, while Sanae ran over to Reimu and Marisa.

“I can lead us to the other kappa, follow me,” Sanae said.

The trio rose into the air. As soon as they were clear of the trees, they shot off at top speed.

Chapter 53: D+1 10:32 (Local Time)

Sanae led Reimu and Marisa to a large river that flowed down Youkai Mountain's gentle slope. The river was too wide to wade through on foot, and too deep to see the bottom from the air. The water flowed at a snail's pace, making it perfect for swimming.

“They should be along this river somewhere,” Sanae said.

“Somewhere?!” Marisa asked.

“I don't know! They move around a lot, okay?!”

“The kappa wear blue most of the time,” Reimu muttered.

“Why are-” Sanae looked down at the river, which was a beautiful, dark blue color. It matched Nitori's colors almost perfectly.

“Just fly lower!” Marisa said.

The trio reduced their altitude until they were just above the water. For several minutes they followed the snaking path of the river through the forest. Reimu was starting to get a sinking feeling they'd never find any of the kappa, let alone Nitori.

“Are you sure this is the right river?” Reimu asked.

“I'm sure!” Sanae answered.

“You were pretty sure about that crate, too!”

“This is different!”

“Stop arguing or we might miss something!” Marisa said.

Reimu and Sanae both fell silent for a moment. We haven't even seen a kappa here, Reimu thought.

“Wait, I see something!” Sanae pointed in front of her.

Down the river, a strange boat was sitting on the bank. Its hull had a giant, inflated rubber cushion attached to it, which kept it well above the ground. The vessel was as big as a small house, and it had a sleek and aerodynamic exterior. The entire ship was painted blue and green, with two black dot eyes and a fake yellow beak attached to what Reimu assumed was the bridge.

“A ship?” Reimu said.

“A kappa ship!” Sanae replied.

A few kappa stood outside the boat. The group seemed to be milling around, doing nothing productive. As Reimu drew closer to the boat, the loud whir of a fan filled the air. The noise rapidly grew to a deafening volume.

The trio landed just a few steps away from the nearest kappa. Reimu sprinted right up to the confused youkai.

“Is Nitori here?” Reimu yelled.

The kappa motioned to her ear. “What?”

Reimu raised her voice as high as she could get it. “Is Nitori here?”

“She's in the hovercraft, doing repairs. We're not supposed to bother her.”

Reimu shoved past the kappa and jumped up onto the boat. She was joined by Marisa and Sanae in short order.

“Stop!” A different kappa shouted.

“We can't!” Sanae shouted back.

Reimu rushed over to the nearest door and threw it open. The trio piled into a narrow corridor.

“Where do you think she is?” Reimu asked.

“Probably the engines,” Sanae replied.

“Where are those?”

“I don't know! The back?”

“Let's just split up!”

The trio split off in different directions. Reimu ran towards what she guessed was the direction of the ship's stern. The inner halls of the ship were confusing at best. There were no windows, and no signs. After a moment, she came to a stairway leading downwards. She assumed the more technical parts of the boat would be further down, and went down the stairs.

The stairs opened up into a cavernous room. The ceilings were high enough to take up several floors on the ship, and massive pieces of machinery dominated every bit of floor space they could fit onto.

A lone kappa was standing by one of the massive pieces of machinery. She held a light up and aimed it into a crevice between two of what Reimu could only guess were engines. A pair of legs stuck out from the crevice. Someone was working on the ship in there.

“Nitori, is that you?!” Reimu shouted.

The kappa with the light spun to face Reimu, leaving her partner in the dark.

“Light!” Nitori yelled from the crevice.

The kappa aimed the light at Nitori, while keeping her eyes trained on Reimu. The shrine maiden jogged over to the concerned kappa, and stopped right next to Nitori's legs.

Nitori had jammed herself into the machinery like a particularly suicidal spelunker crawling in a cave. Nothing above her waist was visible, and it looked like pipes were pressing into her from every direction.

“Nitori, we need you now!” Reimu yelled.

“Reimu?! Can this wait?!” Nitori replied.

“It absolutely can not!”

“It has to, I need to get these thrusters running again, or-”

Reimu grabbed Nitori by the ankles and started to pull. “There's no time for this!”

“Stop! Stop!” Nitori started kicking around randomly. “Mizuki, stop her!”

The kappa, who Reimu assumed was Mizuki, froze up, and simply watched as Reimu pulled Nitori out from the crevice.

Reimu shifted her grip to Nitori's waist, and dragged the kappa back to the stairway. For her part, Nitori continued to struggle and squirm.

“Marisa, Sanae! I've got her! Let's go!” Reimu yelled.

“Marisa and Sanae?! Is it an incident?! I didn't do anything, Reimu! You're kidnapping an innocent woman!” Nitori screamed.

“It's going to be an incident in about fifteen minutes! Stop struggling!”

“What are you going on about?! Have you lost your mind?!”

Reimu picked Nitori up and slung the kappa over shoulder. That seemed to stop most of Nitori's resistance. Reimu ran up the stairs and back the way she'd came. She didn't see Marisa or Sanae on the way out, and she didn't have time to find either of them.

Once Reimu was back outside, she flew straight into the air at a sluggish pace. Nitori was weighing her down, making flying at anything faster than walking speed impossible. The kappa that were standing outside the boat looked on in stunned silence.

“Reimu, if you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going to make sure we both crash into a tree!” Nitori yelled.

“It's that bomb that you built!” Reimu replied.

“My bomb?!”

“It's gonna go off in a few minutes!”

Nitori's eyes widened, and she went limp for a second. “Let me go, I'll come with you.”

Reimu released Nitori, and the kappa floated along under her own power. “Where is it?” Nitori asked.

“It's a ways below Moriya Shrine.” Reimu wasn't completely sure she could find Takane and the others again, at least not before it was too late. 

Of course, once the bomb went off, finding out where it had been would be a lot easier, but that wouldn’t do anyone much good.

“I'll follow right behind you.”

Chapter 54: D+1 10:47 (Local Time)

Reimu and Nitori landed right next to the big machine. The display was down to five minutes now. Kanako and Momiji both stood a short distance away, and watched the timer tick down with bated breath. Takane had opened up the machine, and was working on it with shaky hands. Nobody seemed to even notice Reimu and Nitori's arrival.

“We're back!” Reimu said.

Reimu's words managed to break Kanako and Momiji out of their stupor. The pair turned their attention to Nitori, but their faces remained twisted in fear. Takane continued to work as if nothing had happened.

Nitori walked over to Takane. “Takane, let me fix this thing.”

“That won't be necessary,” Takane said.

“What?”

“I've almost got this diffused.”

“Since when are you a mechanic?!”

“I've seen enough kappa gadgets to understand them.”

“Let me help you anyway! We can't risk this thing going off!”

“Just give me a second, alright?”

“We don't have-”

“Got it.”

The countdown timer was suddenly dark and still. Kanako and Momiji both let out a loud sigh.

Nitori's jaw dropped. “You actually did it.”

Takane grinned. “See? I told you I knew what I was doing.”

Reimu walked over and squinted at the display. “Are you sure you actually stopped the explosion? You might have just turned off the timer.”

“I'm sure I got it.”

“Let me take a look,” Nitori said.

“Oh come on, let me have this.”

“It's too dangerous. I can at least check your work, can't I?”

Reimu continued to stare at the display. “I'm with Nitori on this-” Reimu fell silent. The display had turned back on.

The timer had gone down from five minutes to just one. It had not been four minutes since Takane shut it off. The kappa's efforts had actually lost them a considerable amount of time.

“What is it, Reimu?” Takane asked.

“What do you think it is?! The countdown's restarted!” Nitori shrieked.

Takane froze up. “What?!”

Nitori ran over and grabbed Takane by the collar of her shirt. “You moron, I can't turn this off in less than a minute!”

Kanako turned to Momiji, then pointed away from the machine. Momiji ran over to Nitori and Takane as the two kappa began to struggle.

Momiji tried to pull Nitori away from Takane, while Kanako ran over to Reimu. “We need to go!” Kanako shouted.

Reimu motioned to Nitori and Takane. “Not without those two idiots!”

Reimu and Kanako ran to the two kappa. They each grabbed one of Takane's arms, and tried to pull her away.

“Come on, let's go!” Reimu looked over to the display. There was only a few seconds left.

“You idiot!” Nitori yelled, completely blinded by rage.

“Stop! We need to-”

Three, two, one.

Reimu shut her eyes.

Chapter 55: D+1 10:49 (Local Time)

An electronic chirping noise filled the air. It beeped rhythmically for several seconds, but nothing else happened. Reimu slowly opened her eyes.

Kanako was standing between the group and the machine with her arms spread out. Reimu was honestly surprised to see her there. Between Kanako and the rest of the group was Momiji, who was trying to cover everyone else with her shield. Nitori and Takane were on the ground right next to Reimu, still grabbing each other.

“Is that it?” Reimu asked.

Kanako slowly lowered her arms. “I think so.”

Momiji followed Kanako's lead. “The timer's flashing.”

The display showed a blinking line of zeroes. The blinking was perfectly synced with the chirping sound.

“Is that supposed to be an alarm?” Reimu asked.

“It must be,” Kanako replied.

Nitori looked away from Takane for a moment. “Wait a second. This isn't the bomb I built.”

“Then what is it?” Reimu asked.

“It's my auto puncher. I put a timer on it so you can use it for traps.”

Reimu didn't even want to know why such a device would even exist. “Why did Kanako buy it?”

“I just wanted something high tech. I want to be a god of technology, remember?” Kanako replied.

“For once, I'm glad I wasted my time.”

“Wait, you just saw it and assumed it was a bomb?” Takane asked.

Reimu nodded. “All five of us did.”

“What's wrong with you?”

“There was gunpowder on it!” Kanako said.

“That was so that it could punch even harder. It’s like a giant gun.” Nitori explained.

“What sort of high tech bomb would still use black powder?” Takane asked.

“Hey, Nitori thought it was a bomb, too, and she created it!” Reimu said.

Nitori shrugged. “I hadn't seen it in awhile.”

“It's a good thing I live far away from all of you,” Takane said.

“Sometimes I wish I did, too,” Reimu said.

Nitori and Takane finally released one another. Reimu walked over to the auto puncher and sat down on top of it.

Momiji walked over to Kanako. “I suppose we should bring the machine back to the shrine,” the tengu said.

“I'm fine with just leaving it here,” Kanako replied.

“What if it gets stolen?”

“I can live with that.”

Nitori got up and started to walk away. “I need to get back to fixing that hovercraft. If anything else happens, don't call me.” The kappa flew off.

“Ditto.” Takane rose up into the air, and disappeared into the trees.

Reimu, Momiji, and Kanako were left alone with the machine. The trio sat in silence for a minute or two.

“I'm going to wait here for Marisa and Sanae. You guys can go if you want,” Reimu said.

“I'm fine staying here,” Momiji said.

“I'd like Sanae to see that I'm alright,” Kanako said.

“Alright,” Reimu said.

“I have to ask, Reimu; What brought you to our shrine today?”

“I was looking for Seija?”

“And why's that?”

“She robbed my shrine.”

“She robbed a shrine?!” Kanako scowled. “That's low, even for a youkai like her.”

Momiji shook her head. “Nothing is off limits for that one.”

“It's funny you say that. Eiki was actually sticking up for Seija a little bit earlier this morning,” Reimu said.

Kanako laughed. “That yama always had interesting morals.”

“What exactly did she say?” Momiji asked.

“She was just going on about how Seija isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things, about how Seija doesn't really try to hurt people,” Reimu answered.

“I suppose that's true. She's not a murderer.”

Kanako laughed again. “How low of a bar can you have?”

“I think she was just trying to convince me not to take this robbery too seriously,” Reimu said.

“Why did she do that?”

“Something about me becoming worse than Seija or wasting my time.”

“Eiki with her righteousness. So what if we get our hands a bit dirty? If Seija isn't punished for this, it'll be to the detriment of every shrine in the whole country. The sacred must be protected.”

“The whole country?” Momiji asked.

“It'll set the precedent that shrines are easy targets.”

“But how would that information get out of Gensokyo?”

“I'm sure it would find a way.”

“Even if it gets out, I don't think one robber's gonna cause a whole crime wave,” Reimu said.

“Even if it doesn't, don't you think you deserve justice?”

“I didn't say I didn't.”

Kanako grinned. “That's what I wanted to hear.”

Momiji looked up into the sky. “Your friends will be here in a moment.”

Reimu looked in the same direction as Momiji. She couldn't see anything. She stood up, and squinted. There were two specks in the air a long ways away.

Notes:

This will be my backburner project for a while. Expect updates from time to time.