Another moment of silence as Keine (probably) gathers her thoughts. To be honest, you have no idea how she can help you beyond what she's told you. And you somehow get the feeling that as much as she may want to help you, there's nothing that she can do. Think happy thoughts. You're not doomed. Probably. After all, you could have just had to really use the john yesterday and that's why you ran out of class. And then afterwards you bumped your head and started crying. And that's where the rumor came fro- oh forget it, even you can't buy something like that.

"Listen." Keine breaks the god-awful silence. "I'm really trying to think how I can help you out. But I'm drawing up blanks here. I want to help, but I don't know how. It's obvious that you're not satisfied with a medical examination."
"That's alright. I just wanted your help remembering yesterday. I honestly don't know what I was expecting to happen. A revelation would have been nice, but I have to deal with what I know."
"It makes me honestly concerned. I just seems odd to me. Why yesterday of all days? If you remember everything else fine, then why would your memory lapse just for the first part of the day. I mean, you seemed normal in the morning, you honestly did."
"Really, that's alright. I believe you." You're not sure if Keine is getting worked up because she's worried about you or she simply finds the whole ordeal to be mystifying. You do your best to make her less concerned. "I'm sure that there's a simple explanation to this. It's probably nothing really."
"I wouldn't call not remembering most of a day 'nothing'. Plus, I'm baffled as to why you'd run out in the middle of class."
"I appreciate the moral support, but I'm not sure that you can help me any more."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right." Keine concedes defeat. To be honest, she looks more shaken up than you imagine yourself to look right now. "I don't know anyone that could possibly help you with this well enough."
"It's quite alright."
"Just know this Shirou," Keine offers some consolation. Her gentle eyes have a warm glow to them, "You can trust me with anything. And if I'm able to, I'll help."
"That means a lot to me, I won't hesitate in coming forward if there's anything else that's bothering me."
"Good. Just one last thing - are you sure that you're not avoiding anything?"
"Avoiding? Avoiding what?"
"You know how I wanted to give you the day off, right?"
"Yeah, and I declined because it came out of the blue for me."
"Well, when I was thinking yesterday about what happened, it just occurred to me. The possibility that maybe you had issues that you needed to sort through. If you say there's nothing, that's fine. But it's not healthy if you keep things bottled up. That sort of thing should take priority to something as transient as a job or social conventions."
"Thank you for the advice, but I don't think I'm avoiding anything."
"Well," Keine smiles at you, her warm expression making you feel like a little kid with his mother, "if you think that everything is fine, then it's fine. I won't bring it up again."

While this conversation didn't really resolve anything, you feel more relieved. It feels good to unburden yourself occasionally. Eh, it's probably not healthy, but you half expect Keine, like any good mother figure, to get up and stroke your hair to comfort you. You dismiss the thought, however, when you realize that you still have no idea of what you're going to do. Or even if it's worth doing anything about this. You've gotten your show of good will from Keine. Granted, you also got plenty of good will from Kaguya as well. But no answers from either.

[] Confer with Keine about something else (write-in)
[] Return to Eientei
[] Search for Mokou

---
You are free to dissent and write-in another choice as well, as always. But these are probably the things that you'd want to do anyways.

Oh and this is worth mentioning; You are an average of two or three choices from a bad end. While I would normally not bring this up, it's worth noting because of two reasons. Firstly, it's the first bad end opportunity in a while. And secondly (and more importantly) it's likely the last opportunity for a bad end (barring the four horsemen of the apocalypse from ending the world). All other ends are at least normal ends (which might be satisfying on their own, then again 'snow end' was a normal end as well, was it not?) and there's still a possibility for at least a 'good end'.

Tick-tock, there isn't much to go. Well, depending on how well you, of course. You can still get several goodies if you try. At least I want to believe that.

Perhaps unusually good judgement and/or a streak of luck will bless anon? Faith is a nice thing to have at times.

[x] Return to Eientei

Kaguya, Kaguya, Kaguya

>?Good. Just one last thing - are you sure that you're not avoiding anything?"

[x] Visit Alice

[x] Hug Keine and thank her for being there for you
[x] Return to Eientei

Should make sure Keine knows we're being sincere at the very least, so that she can believe us more heartedly.

[X] Search for Mokou

We did it once before, can we do it again?
I THINK WE CAN. MAYBE.

Now, friends, is the time for reconciliation, and what better place to start than with the one we most recently scorned?

[x] Visit Alice

>>11451

[x] Tell her about Mokou during lunch period.

>>11459
[x] Hug Keine and thank her for being there for you
[x] Return to Eientei

reasonable

[x] Thank Keine
[x] Return to Eientei

[x] Thank Keine
[x] Go find Alice, DOUBLE TIME

Time to get Answers... then there's a certain bunny who owes us something as well.

[ ] Tell Keine about Mouku's visit
[ ] Ask for a ride to Alice's house

Generally, I would be against asking a girl to give you a hand with another when things are as uncertain as they are between Kiene, Alice and Shirou. But with the clock running down I guess you solve the puzzle any way you can.

I'm not quite sure what to do. I could write I suppose. But I feel that that wouldn't be necessarily mutually beneficial (well, there's also the fact that the last vote can be interpreted in such a way as to create a tie within the votes).

So instead, I pose the following: What is it that you (as readers and voters) hope to accomplish? Beyond the scope of this single choice, of course. But what is it that you want? Because, to be honest, your voting patterns are inconsistant and just overall destructive (well, I'm just talking about the last 20 or so choices at most here, judgment of the past is another seperate issue). I've nudged and helped as much as I can in providing useful alternatives and outcomes to all situations without going to the level of writing in a self-insert and having it tell Shirou what to do. Or telling you guys what to do. It is my opinion that you guys are wasting opportunities and being wishy-washy.

I hope you realize that being non-comittal and not getting to the bottom of things will end in something akin to a snow end. You do, right? Now, don't misconstrew this as "Go see Alice" or "Seek Keine's protection" or "Confront Kaguya" or "Spy on the doc" or any other alternative. I'm being impartial here. They're all valid alternatives which may or may not be successful. What I'm saying is that you need to pick something and stick to it. This isn't the time to be lily-footing about. Stop getting inconclusive answers and information. Yes, I'm guilty in enabling this to a certain degree - after all, I don't believe in strict railroading. But there have been hints, warnings, and plain-as-day opportunities.

Example: Losing your memories things that you could have done instead of not getting any answers: Checking in with Eirin, Finding Keine, Sticking with Mokou, tracking down Alice, asking the right questions to Kaguya, etc. But instead, while you did gain some insight and arguably see useful things, you pretty much failed at milking one of those attemps fully. You had the potential to excel in at least one area (if not more!).

Okay, now I'm getting close to rambling. So yeah, tell me what exactly it is that you hope to accomplish right now (and perhaps endgame). That way I can adapt the story perhaps, be more clear in what's going on, or clear up any misconceptions that you may have.

Bach always related.

>So yeah, tell me what exactly it is that you hope to accomplish right now (and perhaps endgame).

Absolutely nothing.

>>11493

Teruyo, I really feel for you, this can't be easy to do in the first place, then we add a load of indecision from Anons.....how do you guys do this?

And don't think that there aren't a bunch of us who tried to do something interesting, the biggest problem is that the voters all seemed to want to get their info from different people, which is where all the indecision has come from. Differing opinions. By the way....This Story still owns.

I think, perhaps, part of the problem is a similar one to what led us to the original Snow End. Namely, the divide the exists between the logic of the reader and the logic of the writer.
While Anon has exhibited an uncanny ability to shift focus roughly every thirty seconds throughout most of the story, I do believe that at least SOME of the options picked (or not picked) was due to a line of thinking that has been shaped by previous experiences in the story. Take the recent "lost memories, let's NOT find out why" scenario.

Checking in with Eirin might have been an option, but past interactions with her regarding some of the strange things happening around us have not exactly yielded anything that seemed helpful, thus giving us little reason to think she would offer up something good now.

Trying to find Keine was also an option, but between the horrid luck Anon has had tracking down people in the past and his abysmal use of logic in figuring out where someone is likely to be (which, of course, is largely WHY he's had such horrid luck in tracking people down) caused us to shy away from it for fear of winding up on yet another wild goose chase.

Sticking with Mokou was also an option, and in hindsight I really wish I had simply gone with that choice, but the situation seemed like something that wasn't going to yield anything of actual use (though it would likely have been entertaining), hence why we tried to combine sticking with Mokou WHILE looking for Keine.
In hindsight, I suppose this would have been a great time to find out more about the true nature of our hosts, but alas.

As for tracking down Alice, considering all the failures we've had at that lately, even after talking with the two people who would actually have some clue as to how to actually finding her, there's no way anyone would go for that unless they had some guaranteed way to ensure they wouldn't just wind up finding an empty house with nobody home again.

...and then we got just that chance, and the majority wound up fucking it up anyway and let it pass by while pissing off yet another friend in the process. Nice job on that, guys. Really.

And then finally, there was Kaguya. Talking to her was probably a step in the right direction, as rare as that is for us, but then we hit a small hurdle in having to pick out what we were going to say. The problem with asking the "right" questions is that you kind of have to know WHAT the "right" questions to ask ARE. If they're presented as an explicit option, and the matter is just one of seeing them, recognizing them, and then selecting them, then by all means that was entirely our own fault and we deserve whatever repercussions come as a result. Not as fun or satisfying, perhaps, but at least when the voters screw it up they know it was their own damn fault. BUT, if you were counting on a write-in to ask the "right" question, then things become a whole lot murkier. Depending upon your readers to make the right leaps in logic is risky enough as it is, but to do so with the track-record that we've had in THIS story? HOO-BOY are you ever setting yourself up for disappointment. Hell, even HY had to wait through numerous write-ins for what to say during a rather important scene before getting even ONE vote for the one thing that needed to have been said the most at that moment in the story. It's only natural that in this story where we can be given choices where the "right" and "wrong" options are painfully obvious and STILL manage to screw it up somehow that we wouldn't fare any better switching from "multiple choice" to "short answer".

Frankly, I think even a Snow End would be us getting off lightly at this point. So long as we understand precisely WHY things went wrong and so on, perhaps some of us might manage to learn our lesson and keep that in mind for the next go-around.

I don't expect anything remotely resembling a happy end from this, but having at least some answers for the "who" "what" "why" and "how" in all of this would be nice.
Perhaps a greater understanding of what went wrong and why will help some of us to find our focus and motivation for not screwing up the next time.

...or a lot will just completely forget everything three posts in and we'll start this whole twisted game all over again.

The reason behind me voting not to see Alice, aside from trying to commit Shirou to his work (LIKE HE SAID HE JUST WOULD), is because we haven't uncovered what happened that day we lost our memories. What worried me was that apparently, we saw Alice at school and we ended up being so terribly broken spiritually and mentally our mind shoved everything about that day from the point of where we woke up and back straight out. If you took human psychology, then logic would assume that having that memory strike you right back in the same, consistant way will only bring about a backlash that would shatter poor Shirou again. Shirou claims he's fine but we all know how fragile he is right now at this point.

...although, upon asking Keine about it, it seems everyone, including Shirou himself, has totally forgotten that Alice was involved. Which kinda pisses me off. (You don't handwave something that important to the investigation away, Teruyo!)

If Alice had not been involved, I would've either voted to go ahead with it but make absolute sure you got back before school continued, or voted to tell Keine about it first and then head off.

I don't know what to think anymore.

Right now, Mokou is probably the best person to ask that now, though how to get her attention with people acting like this, is going to be highly difficult. I would change my vote to search for Mokou but then the majority would be for Alice visiting and then we would get Snow End.

Besides that, the BRILLIANT PEOPLE that thought pissing off Mokou was a bright idea, probably made her less then cooperative.

If I can get people to change their votes and be a bit more level headed, I would like to change my vote to this:

[x] Hug Keine and thank her for being there for you
[x] Ask Keine where Mokou would usually be at this time of day (and maybe ask if she wants to join you in searching for her)

Otherwise, if visiting Alice wins out, can we at least use the magic powder Marisa gave us to make the trip quick and less hap hazard? Flying in this situation would probably prove beneficial, especially since we're heading out into the potentially unknown.

I want a Kaguya Route and a Kaguya True End. Whatever comes with this.
But i think i the only one who wants this.

Answering on a point-by-point basis here. I figure that I might as well address a couple of things since I've got the chance. Well, first thanks for the input.

>>11498
>if you were counting on a write-in to ask the "right" question, then things become a whole lot murkier
I wasn't as such, and while I feel that the conversation was still valuable in its own way (say, by adding some potentially important motivation and characterization) it still was woefully lacking. I know anon might be insecure, but I did make a point of allowing anon to ask whatever and for as long as he wanted. While I draw the line at absurd write-ins, the sky's the limit otherwise. Plus, the choices are general guidelines in most cases, and they change with the flow of a scene and how characters are feeling. But I feel that I'm deviating from the point I'm supposed to be answering. Needless to say, I wasn't necesarily expecting you lot to ask the right questions. But you did choose to go to her room, so why not make the most of it?

And as for the reasoning in the other choices, I can understand them. And I try to. And past experiences (probably) do affect a lot. But may I remind you that despite the prospect of a 'wild goose chase' anon seemed willing to go see Alice that very day. None of the 'paths' (where path is a complete course of action - be it having dragged Mokou off to the forest, thoroughly searching for Keine, or checking in with the Doc and Kaguya that day) were empty roads. They all yielded their own rewards. Only the first part of the story had that wandering and 'empty choices' thing going on for it. And even then all it did was just let you see different aspects of Gensokyo at different times. What I was saying was more or less not productive was dividing yourself up through all of the possible channels.

Think of it this way: say that you're told that there's three pictures that have been ripped up but their pieces perserved. The pieces for each picture is in a different area. While you could get some pieces from each area, you'll at best have three incomplete pictures. It's the same with your actions here. Sure, not all of the pictures here are pretty (and therefore the best choice) but if you get at least one you'll be able to put it in a frame.

Okay, weird analogy (got weirder as I went along), but it should make my point.

>Frankly, I think even a Snow End would be us getting off lightly at this point.

Contrary to popular belief, I am a benevolent overlord. I truly want to end things on a good note. And I've revised plans, been flexible, even generous at giving opportunities and dropping hints. Yes, it's fun to occasionaly see anon DESPAIR, but it's just as satisfying seeing everything cleanly wrapped up. I mean heck, once the second part of the CYOA came along, the wacky (sometimes too over-the-top) things mostly ended, the story took direction as intended, and obviously a sharp decline in bad ends. This transition was intentional and explained then and (I guess) now. But yeah, things can still end on a downer, but it's not impossible to succeed.

And I wanted to re-emphasize that you should have a common direction. I'll be (unusually) straightforward about the story here. Romance with most of the characters is impossible at this point. Yes there are opportunities for such a subplot (or even just a scene) but you should more or less figure that out on your own. I recommend any of three things here (the latter two overlap a bit) as courses of action: Thoroughly deal with the inhabitants of Eientei, and the grounds itself; Get things sorted with Alice; Enlist Mokou's help and expertise (a side of Keine isn't that bad, but probably less useful). I'm not saying 'SPEND ALL YOUR TIME AT EIENTEI, QUIT SCHOOL' nor vice-versa. But just dedicate yourself to a cause. That might still mean going about your daily business, but it means prioritizing and building a base.

>>11501
>Right now, Mokou is probably the best person to ask that now, though how to get her attention with people acting like this, is going to be highly difficult. I would change my vote to search for Mokou but then the majority would be for Alice visiting and then we would get Snow End.

Snow end or something similar will only occur if you don't resolve anything or intentionally shove your head in the sand.

>Besides that, the BRILLIANT PEOPLE that thought pissing off Mokou was a bright idea, probably made her less then cooperative.

Nothing a box of the finest chocolates wouldn't smooth o- oh wait, no fine chocolate in Gensokyo. Or very rare. But, oh well, she's stubborn and a bit of a hothead but I'm sure that you could cool her off. You've pulled off more stupid shit and gotten away with it in the past.

>>11502
You and me both brother. But alas, that's closed through this playthrough. It's one of my favorite routes and probably the most AWSUM. But I'm obviously biased. I'm really looking forward (and hoping) that anon will go with either the Kaguya route (which is something that has yet to be done in a CYOA, plus it answers a lot of questions about the protagonist) or the Mokou route (which I think might be good as well). Of course, the other character's have interesting scenarios in mind, but even a writer can have his favorites. But that's not the case. Still, Kaguya is a central player in this route if that's any consolation. It just isn't a route for her proper. Even if you must (perhaps begrudingly) work against her or romance someone else, believe in the future.

I might as well take the time to say that next playthrough will be an 'advance start' with several events having already occured (characters met and such) and it should be much easier to see the routes (particularly Kaguya's which is a very early route-lock). To be truthful, I'm really looking forward to it. But that isn't to say that the remainder of this won't be fun.

>>11496
I appreciate the sentiment. Right now a united front is important. At least to comfront the issues. Once you're set with at least some of the facts things will fall together into place. Don't be afraid of trying interesting things!

If anyone else has an opinion they'd like to share or anything they'd like me to address, it'd be best before I (eventually) resume the story. Thanks for the replies again.

So has he finally shed his human skin to reveal gills in order to save the moon from the secret organization of mutant rabbit rebels, thereby pardoning Kaguya and company from their years long of exile?

>I might as well take the time to say that next playthrough will be an 'advance start' with several events having already occured (characters met and such) and it should be much easier to see the routes (particularly Kaguya's which is a very early route-lock). To be truthful, I'm really looking forward to it. But that isn't to say that the remainder of this won't be fun.

So you finally found out that we are dumb and need a guide to lead us to the right choices. If the outcome will be Kaguya, i will gladly take them. Not everything is easy mode like YAF's Stories.

>You and me both brother. But alas, that's closed through this playthrough. It's one of my favorite routes and probably the most AWSUM. But I'm obviously biased.

So what, other Writers don't care too. They just influence Anon until they vote for what the writer wants.

I am strongly hoping for a Eirin route in the next game. I still want to be her Test Subject....

Hi guys.

>>11513
You fake.

>>11514
No you

[] Search for Mokou

>>11515
No, i am YAF.

"There's something I should ask you." You squeeze in a question, just because you can.
"Go ahead." Keine naturally replies.
"Where could I find Mokou around this time?"
"Mokou? Well, she usually hangs around my place or the village in the afternoon, taking care of things. Sometimes even in the forest. It really depends on her mood."
"Would it help you narrow down the place if I told you that I think she might be a bit mad at me?"
"Unfortunately yes." She lets out a sigh. Keine says those words with the voice of a parent who knows just exactly how her child throws a tantrum. "She's almost definitely in her special spot in the forest. She goes there to think and cool down."

You're told of a small clearing near a stream someways inside the forest. Apparently Keine has had to drag her out of there in the past, times when she's even refused to eat.

"Thanks, I might just want to set things straight with her."
"I don't know what exactly happened between you two, but Mokou's a good-hearted person. A bit stubborn, but she'll see reason if you try." Keine then adds with a giggle, "It'll help however if you bring her some candy. What did you do, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Well, I ran into her just before lunch. She said that she had something really important to show me. And I refused because I still had classes later. And well, I may have implied that she was just acting like a kid."
"Ah, bad move. If she thinks something is important, it's a bad move to belittle her."
"So I've noticed."
"Still, this seems to be a problem between the two of you, so I'll just butt out. Half of the time I don't know if she's upset with me anyways." She laughs, indicating the absurdity of their relationship.

You laugh things off with Keine for a bit before thanking her and preparing to leave. The both of you get up and walk towards the door.

"Thank you Keine, you've been helpful." You thank her from the bottom of your heart.
"It's no problem, it's my pleasure really. I like to help."
"Even so, it means a lot to me." You turn to her and prepare to give her a hug.

As you reach out to hug Keine, time seems to slow down. Not because you're getting lost in the moment. You find that everything is frozen in place, including yourself. You can't move and Keine is stuck, silently smiling at you. Your mind seems to be in working order, and your thoughts flow as normal. Before you start panicking and screaming in your head, however, a small winged blue orb of light flies into your field of vision.

<Oh not this shit again> These are the thoughts that fill your head as you recognize what it is. If your guess is right, this might just be the most annoying encounter that you've had yet.
"HEY LISTEN!" The blob speaks up, crisscrossing the scene. One thing's an instant relief, the high-pitched whine that you expected is in actuality a gruff Jersey accent. "Don't get smart with me, or I'll sock you one, pretty boy."

<I'm going insane, aren't I?>
"Hells if I knows. Judging by the way you act, it's a pretty safe bet."
<So I finally snapped outright? Then why is the world frozen?>
"Yous' the one that's outta whack, you tell me. If I had to guess I'd say it's the poor workmanship and dangerous elements used to reduce costs in that PDA. There's probably more mercury inside of you than a thermometer. Or then again, it could be the iffy paint and dyes used on that doll 'o yoz. I bet that whoever made that doesn't realize that lead ain't exactly good for humans. Another possibility here; ya probably just have a brain tumah." The 'fairy' hovers right next to your ear. It sounds like an overgrown fly buzzing about. "You don't mind if I light up? No? Good."

You hear the sound of a lighter being used and those first few strong puffs. Quite a large fit of coughing follows the puffs.

"Ah, these'll be the end of me."
<What the hell is your problem, and what do you want from me?>
"I have no friggin' clue. I'm just a, whachamacallit, yeah, a 'figmens' of your imagination, you are the one wit the issues. For all I know I'm just a coping mechanism invented by your mind to deal with the feelings of anxiety, stress, overall confusion, and perhaps even abandonment. Or hells, you just may be a regular ol' nut job. Well, at least if you're crazy, feel proud that you didn't imagine that other 'fairy' instead of me."

As the fairy inhales the smoke from his cigar, it all becomes obvious to you. You'll make the most of this fairy-sized apparition of a construction foreman.

<So, what should I do now? You seem like you got the scoop.>
"I'm glad you asked. You're only about as half as dumb as you look, boy."

The fairy hovers right in front of your eyes. You can now make out the greasy, overweight, wife-beater clad, and obviously hairy little pixie for all of his glory. Nice golden medallion, though.

"Now heez the score, kid;? The fairy begins to explain.

Apparently there are two courses of actions that would be sure-fire hits. One of them would be to return to Eientei. Besides the conspicuously missing meeting that you were supposed to have with a certain rabbit ('that annoying scamp', as the faerie puts it), he tells you that can't help but feel that they're hiding something. Something that might be uncovered by slyly interrogating the residents. He insults you again, saying that you're probably just going to mess that up, so he suggests that a good alternative might be to just snoop around ('or at least, get some pastrami and meatballs for a sub'). Overall, relatively sound advice from a being that seems to be about to collapse from a lifetime of eating mostly donuts and cold cuts.

"But wait, kid." He scratches himself in a display not apt for germophobes or the faint of heart.

The other alternative, serves as a stepping stone for two possible branching (or maybe intermingled) paths. It would involve going and seeing Mokou. She might help you out if you hang out with her. You're told that ?a broad like her is fiery, just the way I likes 'em?. It would seem that your unwashed friend here believes that reconciliation isn't that big a deal, and sees a lot to gain from being on good terms (you just let that comment about 'knockers' slide).

As an added benefit, playing nice with her is an almost sure lead to something else. If you choose so, of course. The fairy is emphatic about that, as emphatic as anyone could be while looking at the centerfold in a copy of ?Big'uns?. If you want to talk to Alice, make nice, or whatever, she's your best lead. And an almost guaranteed hit. "Fairy's intuition? - or so your told. Might be more credible if his pants weren't slipping down every passing moment.

"My work here is done. Plus, I gotta use the john right now."
<Will I ever see you again?>
"Hopefully not. I don't get paid for this crap. I'm union, you know!" The minute stereotype pulls up his trousers for one last time before giving you a full, one-fingered Jersey goodbye.

He flutters away and out of your limited sight. Godspeed little man.

Before you realize it, time is back to normal. You're hugging Keine, telling her thanks for all of her help. You smile a little bit more than usual when you say your goodbyes. It might be a sign that you're deranged, but Keine reciprocates. You leave the schoolhouse first, while Keine locks up. You walk towards the Bamboo Forest, your destination either way. Given the 'wise' words of a middle-aged, balding apparition, you give pause as to what to go for now.

[] Go home to Eientei
[] Take a small trip to a certain clearing in the Bamboo Forest
---
Refocused revote. Hopefully people will have a better idea of what each choice entails.

Also in b4 someone points out the fact that it's actually a mix of Brooklyn, North Jersey, and a bunch of bad movies rather than a proper accent. I'm aware. Fughedaboudit.

>>11510
Duly noted.

I can't help but picture our fairy as Carl.

>>Another possibility here; ya probably just have a brain tumah.

EET EES NOT AH TUMAH!

Oh, right, right. Voting.

[X] Take a small trip to a certain clearing in the Bamboo Forest
I actually would like to try to find out what our kindly hosts are keeping from us, but I'm not sure about how well we could pull off getting anyone to let something slip. Reisen would be the easiest, but she most likely isn't privy to the most crucial bits of info. We'd have to work on either Eirin or Kaguya for those, but the problem with that is they're both MUCH more clever than we are. Perhaps if we got them drunk or something, we might stand a chance, but otherwise...
Poking around might be good, though, and we might actually find out what the hell that key the bunny gave us finally unlocks. Oh yeah, and Tewi. It would be nice if by the end of this story we could succeed in intentionally searching for her.

Still, I'm going for tracking down Mokou and patching things up with her. Perhaps we should make a point of picking up some candy from a store or something on the way.

[x] Take a small trip to a certain clearing in the Bamboo Forest

I have the desire to reconcile and give respekt knuckles before the end times are upon us.

[X] Take a small trip to a certain clearing in the Bamboo Forest

Mokou Mokou Mokou etc.

[x] Go home to Eientei

Kaguya, my Goal.

[X] Take a small trip to a certain clearing in the Bamboo Forest


Okay, the way I see it?

Mouku is our ONLY hope to SURVIVE this play through. Not a good end. Not a true end. If you want Shirou to live then Mouku is the only girl for him.

Why?

Because when the shit hits the fan, and it will hit the fan, she's the only person I'd rely on at this point to save my bacon. Mouku has no love lost between her and the folks at Eientei, so should things get dangerous and crazy it's Mouku I want at my back.

>>11574
>Mouku

>>11574
I would rather die with Kaguya than live with Mokou

>>11582

Too bad you'll be dying alone.

Okay, I fail. I can't even complete the short update that I had in mind. I'll try to see if taking a nap helps.

>>11576
How anal.
>>11583
In a final twist of unfortunate fate for Shirou, it turns out that he somehow became an avatar for the primordial forces of the universe. He destroys everything and everyone he ever cared for and lives forever in space, going mad with the lack of decent entertainment.

Or something.

...Zeon-affiliated Cirnos unrelated.

It takes you a while to find what you're looking for in the Bamboo Forest. You've never been to the spot Keine described, and you had just general estimates of distances based off a couple of landmarks. The densely-filled green maze offers no hint as to what may lie ahead. Besides the few diverging paths leading to Eientei, you haven't got the faintest clue about the make-up of the forest. But by simply maintaining your cool and blindly walking according to instructions, you eventually reach the clearing.

What strikes you first is the sound of running water. The gentle babbling of the stream seems like something out of a relaxation tape. You've entered the clearing opposite area which the stream cuts through; slightly sloping open terrain with a few large rocks littered about. It seems a bit odd to you that the bamboo hasn't overgrown in this space. Perhaps the someone is keeping it this way? The area does look like an oval, but you could only be sure if you were looking from above. It's more likely that this is just a fluke of nature. You can't tell if Mokou is around from here. The stones and height difference could hide someone.

Sure enough, while moving towards the stream you see a familiar shade of red behind a large slab. Getting closer to the slab, you see Mokou lying on the ground. She's looking at the sky. She completely ignores you, in spite of the fact that you're casting a shadow on her. Hardly surprising, but it makes it hard to know just how to approach her. You sit on the slab, trying to get some sort of response from her emotionally distant face.

"Mokou... could I talk to you for a bit?" You ask hesitantly. You get absolutely zero from her, not even a glance your way. "That's fine... it seems that you're mad with me. Probably with good reason." You try laughing a bit as an icebreaker; it's no good. "Well, could you at least hear me out? I'm sure that you can find it in your heart to talk to me just for a little bit after I'm through."

You get the first sign of response from her. It's either a disgusted eye roll or some sort of warning.

It's some progress.

"I shouldn't have acted like a jerk back there. I'm sorry for that. I appreciate your help and everything, really I do. I just couldn't up and leave right then and there. You've got to understand that."

Nothing. Not even an eyebrow twitch. But you continue.

"Come on, we're friends right? I'm sure that we can get along again. Keine told me that you'd be here if you were upset, so I came. Doesn't that count for something?"

Oh? Is she reacting to your words? Her eyes close and her lips begin to quiver. Come on Mokou. Please be reasonable.

Life is a disappointment at times. She lets out a yawn, not bothering to cover her mouth. She goes one step further to ignore you and turns on her side, facing away. Dammit. Your window of opportunity seems to be closing here.

[] Appeal to her sense of reason again
[] Tickle her
[] Lay down silently besides her
[] Seemingly obvious write-in option goes here
----
Dammit, I actually want to write today, so hurry up with the votes. It certainly leads to me not writing the fewer and farther in between the votes become.

[x ] Appeal to her sense of reason again

I R retard. Womenz rulz. etc.

[x] "I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dead or as vegetable. It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow. I've made a decision that even if this life is meaningless, I have a duty to not leave any added bitterness behind to a world already filled with it. Do you understand?"
[x] If she doesn't respond: Sigh and stand. "Well, I've said my peace. Goodbye, Fujiwara no Mokou. May your fire never go out." Leave.

[o] "I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dead or as vegetable. It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow. I've made a decision that even if this life is meaningless, I have a duty to not leave any added bitterness behind to a world already filled with it. Do you understand?"
[o] If she doesn't respond: Sigh and stand. "Well, I've said my peace. Goodbye, Fujiwara no Mokou. May your fire never go out." Leave.

[x] "I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dead or as vegetable. It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow. I've made a decision that even if this life is meaningless, I have a duty to not leave any added bitterness behind to a world already filled with it. Do you understand?"
[x] If she doesn't respond: Sigh and stand. "Well, I've said my peace. Goodbye, Fujiwara no Mokou. May your fire never go out." Leave.

As I turned and left the room, a gust of wind blew through, and the Akagi OP hummed gently in the background.

>>11605
>>11607
Giving up on everything so easily? For shame, Anon. For shame.

[X] Apologize again to Mokou for making her angry, for making light of something she clearly believed to be important, and for just being an idiot. Most importantly, apologize for not being able to earn her forgiveness, because you were SO MUCH looking forward to sharing this nice bottle of booze with her to make amends, but now you're clearly going to have to either find someone else to share it with, or just drink it all yourself. Alone.

Then, assuming it's possible:
[X] For added effect, pull out the bottle, sighing wistfully as you begin to open it and prepare to drink.

Keine said it would help if we brought her some candy. Well, we might not have any, but we certainly do have something she might like just as much, if not better.

[x] "I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dead or as vegetable. It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow. I've made a decision that even if this life is meaningless, I have a duty to not leave any added bitterness behind to a world already filled with it. Do you understand?"
[x] If she doesn't respond: Sigh and stand. "Well, I've said my peace. Goodbye, Fujiwara no Mokou. May your fire never go out." Leave.

Wow, the write-in taking majority.

May as well just vote [x] Tell Mokou that you'll be in her heart forever in a dramatic tone before dunking yourself in the stream, letting go of your prized Albion for her to treasure forever

[x] Appeal to her sense of reason again

I'll vote this though. Not feeling too particularly inspired right now.

>>It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow.

Which is why we so thoughtlessly pissed her off like we did mere hours before AND blew off a chance to meet with Alice. Riiiight.

Generally, when apologizing, you don't attempt to justify whatever you're apologizing for by offering an explanation that completely contradicts the thinking and actions that led to whatever you're apologizing for.

Of course, if the last part of that write-in is any indication, then you clearly don't think that apologizing will work anyway, you've given up on making anything better, and so the only logical thing left to do with poor Shirou is to take his suddenly and uncharacteristically pessimistic ass back to Eientei to look for a nice piece of rope to hang himself with in his room.

[x] "I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dead or as vegetable. It's just that, I feel it's just... too late, too late to avoid the conclusion of my time here, and because of that, I'd rather spend the time left with my friends here, friends like you, in enjoyment rather than in worry or sorrow. I've made a decision that even if this life is meaningless, I have a duty to not leave any added bitterness behind to a world already filled with it. Do you understand?"
[x] If she doesn't respond: Sigh and stand. "Well, I've said my peace. Goodbye, Fujiwara no Mokou. May your fire never go out." Leave.

It looks you'll have to try your best here. You take a few slow breaths, preparing yourself. This will require all of your dramatic skills. Here's to hoping that you'll put even a veteran player to shame.

"I know, as I knew then, that you were just trying to help me, and I know that if things keep going as they have, I'm likely going to end up dea-"

You cut your thought mid-sentence. You're choking on something. You're coughing as hard as you can. It feels like a dragonfly just flew in there. Your desperate gasps for air and attempts to clear your windpipe do have some positive effect though. When you hit the ground out of lack of motor coordination Mokou actually bothers to check what's wrong with you. What's more, you think that she might be worried. At least that's what you hope that scary-looking grin means. She can't possible be taking pleasure from watching you flop like a carp, can she?

?..help..? You manage to squeeze through a cry for help.

Mokou stares at you with that psychotic grin for a while yet. Just when you're about to give up and accept the fact that you're doomed, you get some sort of relief.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't let a friend suffer, even if I am upset with them. Not much anyways." A deliberately playful tone.

You'd rather not describe what happened next. Needless to say, it hurt. A lot. At one point you were crying out 'Police brutality!' but that might have been you overreacting. It's hard to keep coherent thoughts when all the blood in your body is concentrated in your head. There's the taste of dirt in your mouth. And you're not quite sure if you'll be able to keep down your next meal either. Mokou did save you, and for that your grateful. You convince yourself it was necessary as you crawl to the stream for some water. Clean natural water will wash away the shame and humiliation. And with time, perhaps even your memories will flow away.

Once you gather your wits, you crawl back to a now beaming Mokou. There goes your plans to act melodramatic and perhaps even emotionally blackmail her. Well, at least she doesn't look pissed now. You sit next to her on the stone and focus on breathing normally. You'll forget how to unless you keep it in mind. You'd give her some lip, especially since that damn smirk on her face is annoying, but your ribcage is too sore.

"So, want something to drink?" You hear her taking out a bottle from somewhere. "Nothing beats a bit of sake after a nice workout!"

You can't give her an answer either way. And she doesn't seem to mind.

"I'll tell you, I can't even remember why I was so upset with you anymore. I guess I just needed time." She lets out a faux-girlish giggle.

She takes a swig from the bottle, smacking her lips afterwards.

"You were saying something, weren't you? I wasn't really listening, sorry. But I'm sure that you don't care about that. We're friends after all.."

You just sit there, regaining your bodily functions one at a time. You'll burn her good when you can speak properly. This you swear.

"Don't be shy, speak up!" Mokou (not so?) playfully slaps you on the back. A real nice pat. It feels like you were hit by an ice cream truck.

The added abuse must have done something. As you find yourself screaming profanities. When you realize that you can talk, however, you're overjoyed.

"I hate you right now, you know that, don't you?"
"Oh toughen up, don't be a baby." Mokou shoves the bottle in front of your face. "Here, drink. There's only a bit left."
"Fine..."You grumble something incomprehensible to even yourself before drinking what's left of the bottle. Couldn't have been more than a mouthful. "You know I had a killer speech. In my mind it felt like it was the coolest thing ever."
"What a buzz kill then. Just as well that I wasn't listening. But seriously, let it go. I have."
"Don't say 'let it go', it makes my body quiver. You really did a number on me." You place the now empty bottle on the ground behind you.
"I just acted as appropriately as the situation called for. And don't litter, I come here often." She reaches around to where you left the bottle. She wags her finger in disapproval while putting the bottle in a small cloth bag that's apparently stowed in a small depression in the rock.
"I'll keep that in mind. Say, this place is nice. I can see why you come here."
"Yeah, and you better not show up here again unless the sky is falling; I come here to relax."
"Fine, I get the message. Don't be so harsh with me, I'm hurting here."
"And my poor innocent maiden's heart? Did you think about how it would hurt me when you were so pig-headed?"
"Geez, you put me on the spot here. I thought you had already let that go."
"I lied."
"..."
"Okay, I did. I'm just teasing. Lighten up Shirou."

You take a look at her. Her face doesn't lie. She does look happy now. It looks like you now know the price of messing with her. The scary thing is, you think that she was holding back. Your spleen, in particular, will remember this valuable lesson.

"Now that we've made nice, I suppose you want to talk to me. After all, judging by the way you act, it seems that you only come to people when it directly benefits you."
"Ouch, that hurts." You try to joke, but truth is you're aching all over.
"I can share the wisdom I've picked up over the years if you're comfortable with that. Unless you have more pressing issues. Something that you really should ask."

[] Just her accumulated wisdom is fine for now
[] Pick her brain about her past negative experiences with Eientei
[] Ask more in detail about Alice
[] "Something like your three sizes?"

-----
A cat is fine too.

[x] "Something like your three sizes?"

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

HAHAHAHAHAHA

[x] "Something like your three sizes??

[x] Ask more in detail about Alice

[x] Pick her brain about her past negative experiences with Eientei
[x] Ask more in detail about Alice

[x] Pick her brain about her past negative experiences with Eientei
[x] Ask more in detail about Alice

Ahh, if only more write-ins like that ended in such a way...

[X] "Something like your three sizes?"
[X] "Kidding! KIDDING!"
[X] Ask more in detail about Alice

Seriously, we've already been questioned by Keine about avoiding things, and since we've just paid the price for such an avoidance, it would be a terrible waste to repeat the mistake.

Still, some playful banter would be fun, although I do wonder if it's wise to say anything that might rile up someone who just kicked our ass after enjoying the sight of us sputtering and nearly choking to death.

>>After all, judging by the way you act, it seems that you only come to people when it directly benefits you.."

First Reisen, and now Mokou? I'm not sure whether I should be more saddened that some of the people we wanted to befriend see us in such a way, or by the fact that they're probably right?

[x] "Something like your three sizes?"

Let's prove her wrong, boys.

Well, that was unexpectedly fast. Writing now, since I probably will be interrupted for food I'll post it as its done.

It's a combination of the sizes and Alice (you'll get another chance to ask about the rest sometime soon maybe).

More Casey and Friends always realted.

[X] "Something like your three sizes?"

LET'S ROCK

I'd inspect her three sizes, if you know what I mean.

"Something I should ask," You repeat like a parakeet, "something like your three sizes?"
"Unfortunately I wouldn't know them." She's unflappable. It's like she saw it coming a mile away.
"Don't they have bras in Gensokyo?"
"They do, but I don't wear one." She says honestly. You look at her with a puzzled look, and it doesn't look like she's making fun of you. "Never had myself measured."
"You really don't know, not even roughly?" You ask, now honestly curious rather than just teasing.
"Well..."Mokou turns her head slightly and places a hand on her cheek. Is she trying to hide... her blushing face?! ?I thought you might know."
"That's right.... wait, what!?"
"Well..."She makes herself seem small and defenseless. And as far as you can tell, it's working well. You're starting to doubt if she's not really perhaps being bashful. It's not impossible, is it? "There was that one time that you saw me naked. You even placed your big, manly hands all over me, touching me at will."

You're literally speechless. You'd think that you'd cherish a memory like that forever. And recall it fondly, say, about every night.

"You groped me that time I was injured. And I wasn't sure how I felt about it then. I was embarrassed by a while." She looks at you with large, innocent eyes. Complete with the innocent-looking yet seductive charm of a 1950s model. "But now, I've come to realize that I enjoyed it. Even though my body was in pain, your touch was marvelous. I just can't get over it. Every night before I go to sleep I think about it."

Uhh, you're not sure what to believe now. In fact, is it just you or did the temperature go up by about a zillion degrees here? You can feel what may be the beginning of a torrent of sweat forming on your brow.

"In fact my body always gets so hot when I think about it." Mokou suddenly latches on to you. She places her mouth on your ear and whispers gently, "Please touch me now, or I'll go mad."

Next thing you know you've been pushed back on the stone slab. Even though you'd normally wince with pain, you're too distracted by the sight in front of you. Mokou is straddling you, just below your standard-issue glue gun to boot. She leans forward, letting her hair fall on you. With one hand she starts to open up her shirt, with another she grabs your hand.

"Touch me. Touch me now!" She moans out. "Find out my three sizes for me! I beg you." She lifts your hand to mere centimeters from her bosom.

You gulp down hard. Your mind, needless to say, isn't exactly in working condition. You're engaged in that age-old battle of instinct versus reason. Let's cut to the chase, instinct always wins. It acts like a torpedo, sinking the once mighty battleship of reason. Yeah, you'll touch her. It's what she wants. All you have to do is move your fingers a bit and you'll find out just exactly how her body is sculpted.
--------
Threw this together quickly. It's foodtime, I'll write the rest in a while.

>>11633
I think I know what you mean.

posting in a legendary thread.

wait what

This is a trick.
It's got to be a trick.
Definitely a trick.
Either Mokou is royally messing with us, we're hallucinating, or someone we DON'T want to see this little scene will come wandering into the clearing at that very minute. Maybe Kaguya, maybe Alice, maybe Keine, or maybe all three, at which point they point out Tewi hiding nearby with a camera, and announce that we have just been PUNK'D.

Even in the unlikely event that Mokou is being entirely serious (and as much as I wish it would be so, I'm pretty sure she isn't) there's no way we won't just find ourselves hit by the mother of all cock-blocks before anything actually happens.

You're about to find out first hand her exact size. You start to move your fingers towards the target. You can almost feel her soft mounds in your hand. That is, of course, until Mokou violently casts your hand aside. She move up her knee in a flurry and it's pressing down hard on your chest. It's getting difficult to breathe.

"Even if you were terminally ill, you'd be lucky to be able to touch me like this." That same sadistic smile as before.

Oh crap. You're going to die. There just had to be something fishy about this.

This time, when she's done with you, you can no longer feel most of your body. You're not sure if this is a good thing. You'd think that all the pain would be driving you mad. At least you're lucky that she didn't touch your now surely traumatized manhood. You honestly hope that it's because she forgot, or maybe she's nice enough to not drive you over the edge. You're treated to a little speech from Mokou.

She's beaming again. The only thing missing from this picture is her holding a cigarette and asking you if it was as good for you as it was for her. Probably not too far from the truth She buttons up her shirt casually as she speaks,

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to hurt you at first. It seemed innocent enough. But the way you reacted was just too rich. You were practically asking for it. I'm only human, you know." She tells you as if she's telling the joke of the century.
"That's nice, but I don't appreciate it." You surprise yourself by speaking what's on your mind. You'd have thought that your lungs were totally collapsed. This is a testament to Mokou's skill.
"Now, now. I'm not cruel. This is just payback."
"FOR WHAT!?" Your outburst is more of a pathetic display of self-pity than anger.
"Well, you should connect the dots. You did say something inappropriate to a lady."
"And that warrants a beating? You were the one clinging to me."
"And you should be ashamed that you let it happen. With the way that you're supposedly spoken for. As a friend it's my duty to set you straight, should you err. And, besides," Her next few words puzzle you, "you actually did get to touch my bare body before."

Is that a hint of vulnerability? You could swear that this time she looks away shyly. Can't be, must be the salty tears of defeat that you're crying clouding your vision (and judgment).

You're in mood to talk back anymore. Thank god there are laws in the outside world against this type of abuse. You'd give anything to have a run-of-the-mill bully to torture you instead of her. She's a real expert. You're sure that she's not above placing thumbtacks on chairs to get revenge. In more ways than one, she seems like an overgrown child. You thank your lucky stars that none of your students are as obnoxious as her. Last thing you need is a whoopee cushion embarrassing you in front of the students.

You think that you fall out of consciouses for a while. You close your eyes for a moment, and next thing you know all of the clouds in the sky are different. Mokou is sitting next to you, looking at you blankly. You can't tell what she's thinking about.

"Do you think that you can tell me more about Alice?"
"And the true purpose of the visit surfaces." Mokou says matter-of-factly.
"I honestly don't know if that's the truth anymore."
"After all that rattlin' around, I can't blame you." She shows you what clearly is a false sympathetic smile. As if she had nothing to do with you being like this. "There's not much to say. I didn't get to talk to her much. I ran into her by chance. It seemed odd to me that she would be around the forest."
"Tell me, did you notice anything odd about her?"
"Odd? Well, to be honest, she always has stuck me as odd. I don't know her very well. But she's a loner, seldom appearing around these parts. I'm a bit like that as well, but well, I don't know how else to put it. She seems to be disconnected from reality."
"..."
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just telling you what I feel. I've only talked to her a handful of times, today included." She gets around to answering your question after a stare from you, "She didn't seem any different than usual. She was quiet, calm, and reserved. Although it did look like she had been crying, or maybe those were bags under her eyes. Y'know - from lack of sleep."
"And what exactly did you talk about?" You ask, taking full advantage of the fact that Mokou's being forthright.
"I told her that it was unusual to see her here. And, well, somehow the conversation turned to you. She might have mentioned Eientei as well."
"And?"
?'And'? Calm down I'm thinking here." Eh, she's being a bit snippy. "Well, I told her that you were in school probably. She said she wanted to see you - that it was important. Didn't say why. I asked why she couldn't go and she didn't really tell me anything beyond that she couldn't."

Doesn't seem to be any more to it. You better ask about after.

"And how about after I turned you down, what did she do?"
"She simply said 'Oh, I understand.' and then left."
"Just like that?" You can't buy that Alice would simply do that. She must have said something else.
"Just like that. Didn't seem very surprised. Then again, I think she only half-expected to see you. Even though she did sound urgent the first time around. Like I said, she's an odd one."
"I need you to come clean here with me, you can do that right?" You slowly prop up your body, your strength returning to you.
"What are friends for?"
"Good. Now be honest, did she leave any instructions on how to contact here, or where I could meet her?"
"Ah..."Mokou's lips tighten, showing you an ambiguous smile. "Now that I think about it, there might have been something like that."
"Really? Do you think that you could tell me?"
"...But I might have forgotten. With all the anger I was feeling then. I don't even know if I was paying attention properly."
"What's your price, so that you 'remember'?" You feel like sighing.
"Price? Oh no, I wouldn't charge a friend for information. But knowing that I'm appreciated might go a long way to jolt my memory. Emotional distress and all that."

How cunning. Then again, you kind of brought all of this on yourself. So you've been painfully reminded several times.

[] "I hear that nice foot rubs are good for the memory."
[] Challenge her to some sort of contest
[] "Maybe a gift, like say your favorite kind of candy would reaffirm our friendship?"
[] You don't need to know
----
Yay, moderately good pace of work and voting today.

>>11639
Now, now, it's fairly obvious that there won't be any steamy hot sex with Mokou outside of her story and route(s).

But you do bring up a good point, you never know what sort of peeping tom might be watching through the bamboo stalks.

Now to ostensibly fall into torpor, unless there's more activity.

[X] "Maybe a gift, like say your favorite kind of candy would reaffirm our friendship?"

I'd worry about this being TOO obvious a choice, but it doesn't seem like any of the others would work to our benefit. There's not really any sort of contest we could hope to best her in even if we were at 100%, let alone after getting the shit kicked out of us twice in a short period of time, and given the way she just scolded us about being spoken-for, to even offer to give another woman a foot massage would be highly inappropriate, and would surely result in us getting thrown off a balcony if we were on one at the time.

>>Now, now, it's fairly obvious that there won't be any steamy hot sex with Mokou outside of her story and route(s).

Considering we're this far along and have yet to even make it to second base with Alice (despite the great vigor the Alicefags had displayed in pursuing her), I'd question the likelihood of getting any steamy hot sex with Mokou even IN her story/route. Or anyone else not named "Aya" for that matter.

Still, for someone who supposedly was embarrassed to wake up and find herself snuggled up with the guy she was sharing a blanket with, I am somewhat surprised that Mokou could be such a cock-tease.

>>11645
Now, now. You've got to at least admit that it's impossible to make it past first base with someone that you haven't seen, for what? A week now? Unless you count having elaborate daydreams as 'getting some'.

As for the second point, I wouldn't caracterise it as a 'cocktease'. But what do I know, I've had a couple of beers and probably saying something that I'll regret later.

[X] "Maybe a gift, like say your favorite kind of candy would reaffirm our friendship?"

Mokou certainly likes beating Shirou's monkey ass, doesn't she?

>>Mokou certainly likes beating Shirou's monkey ass, doesn't she?

As infuriating as the dolt can be, wouldn't you? I know I would.

Maybe one of the endings could have Eirin and Kaguya giving him some of the Hourai Elixir, chaining him to a wall, and then charging people to come and beat the shit out of him.

The ultimate in cosmic irony will come when they decide to branch out, allow for things to be done to him other than beatings and mutilations, and a number of customers come for the sole purpose of giving Shirou some "hot glue" of their own.

[x] Thrust her into the wall and shout "AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID TO ME?! WHAT FRIEND NEARLY KILLS YOU!" then get off and glare at her like some outcast

STOP BOTHERING ME TERU I'M NOT LIKE SHANGHAI HERE FOR YOUR PERSONAL AMUSEMENT

[x] Thrust her into the wall and shout "AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID TO ME?! WHAT FRIEND NEARLY KILLS YOU!" then get off and glare at her like some outcast

[X] "If this is how you treat your friends, then I feel bad for Keine."
[X] "Maybe a gift, like say your favorite kind of candy would reaffirm our friendship??

[] "I hear that nice foot rubs are good for the memory.."

The closest we will get to sex in this run through.

[x] "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
[X] "Maybe a gift, like say your favorite kind of candy would reaffirm our friendship?"

[x] Challenge her to some sort of contest

This sounds like fun.

Had you any strength you'd seriously entertain the thought of lashing out at her for abusing you like this. Even though it'd likely end up with you being humiliated even further. That and the high probability that at least one major organ might forcibly leave your body through, at this point, any one of your orifices.

"I really pity Keine, you know. With the way you treat your friends." You then add dryly, "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"I only do it because I care." She flashes a smile that could pass off for genuine warmth - but to you it seems more like an unapologetic brush-off.
"Trust me, even now I can feel your 'caring' making at least one of my organ groups violently pulsate."
"Come now, don't be so bitter. It doesn't suit you. Then again, the normal way that you act doesn't suit you either."
"Nice to know that my normal behavior is anything but normal."
"Friends have to point that sort of thing out. Because we care."
"Again with the caring?" The mysteriously out of place taste of cotton candy in your mouth compels you to speak your mind, "Since when have you actually cared?"
"Don't be like that." She pouts - an act that you're not sure is entirely honest, "I've worried about you pretty much since we met. I couldn't help it."
"And why would that be?" You say something, mostly as a means to distract you from the cruel embrace of reality.
?'Cuz you are living at Eientei. I'd worry about anyone staying at that hornet's nest."
"How sweet." Sarcasm is but a defense mechanism. In your case in a more practical way - talking keeps you from crying like a little girl.
"I mean it." Mokou then does perhaps her first act of proper kindness. She softly rubs your shoulder in a soothing manner. You let her, half unsure if it's just a prelude to another round of abuse. "Plus there's the issue that you've somehow wormed your way into my heart. In spite of it all, I really do consider you a friend."

How sweet.

You're not sure if you mean that sarcastically but you keep the thought to yourself. You should get down to business.

"So, as a friend, how would I prove my honesty to you? Maybe if I got you your favorite kind of candy for you, you'd believe me?"

Mokou does seem delighted at the suggestion. There's a glint in her eye that frightens you, however. It resembles the look of a fat kid peering through a confectionery store's glass display. You're going to pay dearly for bringing this up.

"Now there's an idea." She says, enthused. She takes no precaution to hide her feelings of joy. "Maybe you could get me my favorite kind."
"Sure, there's no harm in that."
"Good, I'll tell you all about it."

You're honestly a bit surprised at her choice. Instead of traditional Japanese candies and the like, she chooses something far less delicate. A kind of multi-colored taffy made into the shape of different animals and things. You can't help but notice that Mokou's eyes sparkle as she tells of the guy in the village that makes the candy. From what you can tell he's quite the showman, spinning tales whilst making the candy. You have to restrain yourself so that you don't laugh. The way Mokou seems to just go on about this like it's the greatest thing ever strikes you as, well, childish. But not in a bad way. Quite the contrary, her child-like na?vit? and wholesomeness makes you feel strangely refreshed.

Still, it's odd. The candy that is. You think it highly unlikely that anything not based off of a sweet legume, sweetened cereal, or fruit would be prevalent in Gensokyo. Perhaps it's only Mokou that likes this sort of thing. You've certainly eaten the normal fare over tea time at Eientei.

"...so you know what you've got to get?" Mokou concludes her large order.
"Yup, I'll get it tomorrow during my lunch break. Meet me near the school and I'll hand over the candy."
"Okay, I'll be there. Don't skimp on the order! I'll know."
"I won't. Don't worry." You probe to see her disposition now, "Hopefully this is enough to make you remember?"
"We can only hope." She then adds with the smile of a shrewd 10-year old playing marbles, "I think I might be remembering something. In fact, I think that I might even be able to set up a meeting. I think that I was given instructions, just in case. I'm not too sure. I think I'll remember more in detail once I get some candy."
"Then I'll make sure to get it tomorrow."
"Just one thing... try not to make any plans for your next day off."

That's two days from now. You take it that she'll probably set up something for then. You have to wonder though, why can't you just go visit Alice at her home?

"She wouldn't be at her home, just in case that I wanted to pop-in and say hi, would she?"
"Probably not." Mokou says with a contrastingly sober tone. "I honestly don't think she'll be hanging around there. Just a hunch."
"I'll trust you on this one."

After that little exchange, she doesn't shut up about the candy. It's quite annoying really. You try to change the subject a couple of times, but it always comes back to her (huge) sweet tooth. This coupled with the fact that the sky is now completely orange, makes you wonder if maybe you shouldn't head back home. Mokou will hear none of it.

"Come on, it's not even dark yet!" She encourages you to take it easy, "And even if it were, you can't leave me hanging like this."
"What would you suggest then?"
"Well, I do feel a bit bad about beating you up.? Liar, ?I thought that maybe we could have supper together. Just the two of us. Think of it as a gesture of goodwill. Two friends, a fire, and hardy food and drink."
"..."You're not sure what to say. It's a bit out of the blue.
"Or if you're not comfortable with just me, we could always raid Keine's place. More variety and fun - if you can put up with Keine's fussiness."
"That sounds-"
"Ah!" She cuts you off, "But then I might think that you have something against spending time just with me. And what kind of friend would that be? I can think of only two possibilities." She smiles a bitter smile, a clearly transparent act, "My dear heart can only hope that it's the good one - of a friend that brings even more candy than he promised."
"..."
"But you haven't implied that yet, have you? I should let you decide for yourself first."

Crafty. But shamelessly transparent as well.

[] Stick around for her idea of a meal
[] Crash Keine's place together; In spite of the penalty
[] Darkness is not your friend (and you're not sure if she is either). Go back to Eientei and have your supper there as normal
--
>>11649
>>11650
No conveniently placed walls in natural bamboo forests. And there's the fact that Shirou isn't nearly in condition to even attempt that. Nor tsundere enough (in lieu of actual courage and brawn).

>>11648
Cumrag end.

>>11655
We'll see about that. The sex is missible, but not impossible to get here.

[X] Stick around for her idea of a meal

I can't help but wonder if she has some sort of angle she's playing by trying to keep us with her, but if we want to avoid having to shell out even more cash that we may or may not have to get her to help make this meeting with Alice happen we should play along for now. Who knows, it might even be fun.

Plus, if there's going to be booze, we can make tribute to our Lord, who likely has become once again cross at our ignoring "Him" for so long.

[x] Stick around for her idea of a meal
[x] Giggle a little and give her a genuine smile. "You know, aside from the immense pain, I actually feel pretty good right now."

feels good man

[X] Stick around for her idea of a meal

I doubt we're in any condition to walk to the village or Eientei right now.

[] Darkness is not your friend (and you're not sure if she is either). Go back to Eientei and have your supper there as normal
[X]Practice dancing on your way there.

Poor Shirou. Always forgetting his warnings. Kags has something up her sleeve and Eirin might be in on it too. I can see nothing but trouble if we hang out with Mokou too long.

[x] Stick around for her idea of a meal

[x] Stick around for her idea of a meal

[x] Stick around for her idea of a meal

Well, this isn't exactly bad. After you told Mokou that you'd stick around for food, she quickly (and forcibly) dragged you away someplace else. Another clearing relatively nearby; 'because eating is forbidden over there' ? or so she hastily explained. You just went along peacefully mostly because you were too concerned with the unprecedented levels of pain that wrack your every limb and muscle. She led you to another clearing, one much smaller and with a concrete purpose.

Mokou quickly fetched a bunch of sticks she was keeping near by and placed them inside a small stone campfire. You were told to fetch the food, rice contained in a black metallic box as well as few assorted vegetables that she had stashed away. She somehow had started the fire and you set up the cooking utensils. She added water to the rice and properly set the vegetables to cook.

Now, with under the early night sky, the food is done. You stare up at the stars as Mokou serves up the food into two bowls. Only a few stars are visible, it's still not dark enough for the sky to become the usual bright tapestry of light.

"Here you go," Mokou hands you your bowl, snapping you back to the ground.

It's not much, rice and a few carrots here and there, green onions, and the usual. But you're hungry. Probably a reaction from your recovering body. So it looks absolutely delicious. You're about to devour this meal.

"Hold up, don't start just yet." Mokou has one more surprise up her sleeve. She takes out two bottles from somewhere next to her. You're not sure if she just has a bag of infinite holding or is really good at keeping stashes scattered about. She opens up both bottles and hands one to you. "A nice simple meal like this isn't complete without a refreshing drink. Enjoy, it's my last bottle."
"Thanks."

You take a swig from the bottle. Ah, it's beer. It tastes nice and refreshing, despite the fact that it's anything but ice cool. The rice ain't none too shabby either. And the vegetables are cooked just right. This has style. It doesn't have a very distinctive taste, but it's the subtle flavoring that makes it good. That ol' fashioned iron rice cooker imparted quite the unique taste. You quickly finish and have seconds.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying this. Good company makes for good food." Mokou cheerfully pipes in.
"I had my doubts, but you're right, this is really nice. And even though my beer may be lukewarm, it's got a rich body and goes down smooth."
"It's a local brew, you know. Made by the folks that run the tavern."
"Really? I tried the beer there, it was different."
"That's because the beer they serve normally is different. They only distribute this stuff out in small quantities."
"So, how did you get some?" You asked, curiosity piqued.
"Easy, just help the right villagers and you'll get rewarded. It's hard to turn down useful gifts like these."
"I'd say. So what did you do? Rescue a cat stuck in a tree?" You ask, half-joking.
"Nope, just take people to Eientei when they're sick. They can't for the life of them find their own way, so when they're really ill they need someone to take them. That's where I came in. It's not that much of a problem."
"But don't you, well, not get along with Eientei? That's the impression you keep on giving me."

Your question hits some sort of nerve. Mokou sighs and takes a long drink of beer.

"It's not that I don't get along well with them all of the time. There are times when we come to an understanding." She plays around with a few loose grains of rice in her bowl.
"So why the animosity? I mean I once told Kaguya that I had spent some time with you and she clearly disapproved. But she didn't hold it against me. At least not openly."
"Things are complicated. I wouldn't expect you to understand. As much as we may have in common, ultimately it seems like we just have a natural antipathy towards each other."
"So you can't stand her?"
"At times. But there's just a lot of bad blood between us. And some of the other residents. And every time we try to reason things out, it goes awry."
"It can't be that bad. Surely you can come to lasting understandings?" It's difficult for you to picture Kaguya being completely unreasonable. She's a nice person at heart.
"Look, we've tried. And things have ended up becoming a relationship of mutual indifference. As long as she's not up to something then I'm not up to something."
"Is that why you've been spying on them?"
"Hah, probably so." Mokou shakes her head, and then lets out a hearty chuckle. "I guess it's a permanent game of cat and mouse."

It all seems wrong to you. But you don't know if anything that you could say to her would make a difference. You think that that's the likeliest case.

Finishing up your meal, you lay back and stare at the fire. A moth dances perilously close to the open flame. You watch as the outermost pieces of wood turn into a charred mass - and eventually embers. Stealing a glance at Mokou, you see that she's staring at the fire as well. You haven't had a meal with a friend by an open fire in much too long. You could stay here all night if need be.

[] Stare silently at the fire
[] Ask Mokou if she does this often
[] Ask her what she really thinks of you
[] Write-in goes here

[x] Stare silently at the fire

Cue hallucination.

[X] Ask her what she really thinks of you
[X] Ask her about what she said about the way you act not suiting you, and what way she thinks WOULD suit you.

Mokou's frankness and honesty is a breath of fresh air with all of the deception and uncertainty we have back "home".

[X] Ask her about what she said about the way you act not suiting you, and what way she thinks WOULD suit you.

[x] Ask Mokou if she wants to join you and Keine in a hot threeso-

Wait, wait...reason just kicked in.

[x] Ask Mokou if she does this often

[X] Ask her about what she said about the way you act not suiting you, and what way she thinks WOULD suit you.

[] Ask her what she really thinks of you

[X] Ask her about what she said about the way you act not suiting you, and what way she thinks WOULD suit you.

"Hey Mokou?" You ask, starting up a conversation.
?'m?"
"About what you said earlier. About how I'm not acting in a way that suits me?"
"What about it?"
"Well, what did you mean by that?"
"I forgot." You turn to look at her. She's looking at you, smiling slightly, "Just kidding. I just didn't you expect to obsess over it."
"I'm not obsessing," you claim defensively, "I just want to know what you meant by it, that's all. I wanted to know how you thought I should act."
"You're not going to let up easy, are you?"
"Preferably not."
"Eh," Mokou lets out a small sigh, "I'm not sure I'm qualified to be commenting about other people's behavior."
"It's alright."

She scratches the back of her head, as if thinking for a moment. She seems to be trying to choose her words carefully. Or perhaps just trying to think of anything to say. Maybe she really wasn't thinking about what she meant before.

"It's like this..."Mokou speaks, uncertainty in her voice, "Most of the time that I've been with you, you've seemed fun in your own way. Save when you're not. Er, that's not a good answer, is it?" She takes a deep breath.
"Take your time." You reassure her. She's definitely hasn't got the gift of silver tongue.
"Let's just put it this way," She comes up with another angle after a few minutes of thought. "I get the impression that you're always preoccupied with something else. Maybe not consciously, but it's definitely there. That's not a bad thing. But it just seems that you're not good at long-term thinking. Or juggling around a lot of things. Or something." Mokou stays silent for another moment before concluding. "You should focus on just one thing at a time. Enjoy the moment. Or maybe the opposite..."Ah, just stop being an idiot, okay!??

Mokou gets flustered with her logic and blurts out an insult. The frustration has made her subconsciously clench her fists.

"...You really suck at this, you know." You tell her.
"Well, I told you." She says, still quite upset.
"My fault for insisting I guess..."
"...No, I'm sorry as well. Just forget I said anything."
"I won't."
"Eh!?" She seems surprised.
"Hah, that was good!" You smile in smug satisfaction, "It looks like I can upset you after all."
"Well, the score is still one zillion to one in my favor." Mokou regains her composure, showing a hint of mischievousness in the gleam of her eyes. It's a safe bet that she's already thinking of a way to get back at you.
"Well, before we go down that road again, could you just tell me one more thing? It'll also give my body more time to heal."
"Sure, I guess."
"Overall, what do you think of me? Seriously, besides being your personal whipping boy."
"Being unusually serious today, aren't we? Is little boy Shirou growing up? Mama Mokou is proud."
"Cut it out. Heaven forbid you were my mother. I bet I'd be the only kid ever given a wedgie by his own mother."
"Fair enough, then maybe it's those wicked hags luring you with their immoral ways..."She places both hands on the side of her face, trying to look like an inconsolable widow. "I bet they try to tempt you by offering you pleasures of the flesh. It's the only thing going for them. And I can understand why you'd waver. But, don't be blind! Powders and makeup can only conceal their dry leathery skin, never make it disappear permanently."
"Now what the hell might you be talking about?"
"Why, about the carnal festivities that they force you to partake in."
"There's nothing like that! Now just answer my question, if you're quite done." You try to regain control of the conversation. It's hard because you're now picturing some of the people in your household dressing up like unprincipled seductresses, vile sirens, and luring you to commit delicious unspeakable acts. Five times every night.
"There's still hope for your soul, you know." She adds with a fake smile tinged with even falser piety. "But oh well, I guess I'd say that you're pretty fun."
"That's it?"
"You're fun to tease."
"I bet you'd do anything to get a laugh at my expense, right?"
"Now that just hurts. And here I was going to say that you also had a good heart."
"You still said it indirectly."
"Not the same thing."
"So you say." You roll your eyes.
"No, but seriously. I don't regret spending time with you. And I guess that's what counts the most. It's what's good enough for me."
"Then I guess it's good enough for me as well." You figure that this is the most positive response that you're going to get tonight, so you let it be.

After that, a sort of muted atmosphere prevails. Not out of lack of conversational topics, but more out of shared pursuits. The stars have appeared en masse. The two of you gaze at the heavenly objects, admiring the fine patchwork of lights. There's not a single cloud within sight. The moon, still in between a crescent and its first quarter, hangs near the horizon. You've inadvertently moved into a reclining position to admire the stars properly. Mokou has as well, and her head is a few centimeters from yours.

"Shirou...?" Mokou speaks softly, complimenting the overall calmness of the scene.
"Yes?"
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
"Sure I do."
"Good."

It takes you a grand total of ten seconds after that to realize what you just said. You jump up like a cat with its tail on fire.

"Mokou!" W-what are you saying?" It's a surprise that your first words aren't 'hurr' nor 'durr'.

Mokou is laying on the ground, still looking skyward.

"What's the big deal? It's not a problem if it's just the two of us, right? I mean we've done it with Keine before as well." She tells you in a passive manner.
"Who did what with who now?!" Man, you sound like an idiot.
"Sleep. You know. You and me, in this forest. Instead of you going to Eientei. I've got a place nearby and a couple of things to make us more comfortable."

First the imagery of temptresses at Eientei, and now this? Later on you realized that there was no way in hell you could even be thinking objectively. Your imagination had the better of you.

"But, aren't we just friends?" You ask.
"We're friends, so what's wrong with this. Don't worry, I'll let you sleep properly. I won't keep you up all night."
"Uh..."
"Still not sold? Can't you see the appeal between friends talking until late at night and then sleeping in the wilderness. Keine never wants to do anything like this. If you don't believe me, I've got really comfortable camping gear. It'll be fun."
"So wait, you just want to camp out?" It hits you like a really cold shower in the middle of winter.
"What else? I don't get chances like these very often. And staying out alone is boring."
"Well, I understand now..."
?'Now'?"
"Never mind. But, well, I've got to go to school tomorrow. And have responsibilities."
"So? You can just wake up real early and get changed. It's no excuse!"

You sit back down and look at Mokou. She's staring at you now. Despite her normal nonchalant behavior towards what you do, she seems to be showing an unusual amount of excitement over this suggestion. What she suggests is feasible, and may be fun. You could in theory pick up your stuff real early tomorrow and change before school. Ah... you're getting carried away. You should weigh the cons. Like people not knowing where you are. That's never stopped you from doing anything in the past though.

[] Camping sound like fun!
[] You'd rather go back to Eientei
--
>>11737
Reinvigorating

[x] Camping sound like fun!

MokouMokouMokouMokouMokouMokou

{X} Camping sound like fun!

Camping with Mokou~

[x] Camping sound like fun!

YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY CAMPING~

[X] You'd rather go back to Eientei

It looks more and more like she's intentionally trying to keep us from going back to Eientei. Kaguya will not be pleased.

Not. One. Bit.

>>11748

I'm afraid we might want to get as much info as we can with now means SPENDING AS MUCH TIME WITH MOKOU AS POSSIBLE, besides i'm expecting a torch waving mob to kill us any second, since we've managed to piss of a LOT of people

[x] Camping sound like fun!

Hooray!

[x] Camping sound like fun!

Phht, you can just tell the people at Eientei that you stayed elsewhere for the night because you were invited, and turning down invitations is rather rude.

Besides, think about it. Each time we've returned to Eientei, we've had some bad thing happen to us. Haven't you guys picked up on that pattern yet?

>>11740
I knew you would like it.

[X] You'd rather go back to Eientei

>>Phht, you can just tell the people at Eientei that you stayed elsewhere for the night because you were invited, and turning down invitations is rather rude.
>>Besides, think about it. Each time we've returned to Eientei, we've had some bad thing happen to us. Haven't you guys picked up on that pattern yet?

Speaking of patterns you haven't picked up on yet, you clearly missed the one where they have eyes and ears EVERYWHERE in that forest.
Remember the time we slept with Mokou in that cave, went back home, and everyone there knew EXACTLY what we had done and who we had been with?

And now, we've been given a not-too-subtle warning that something very bad could happen to us should we ever appear to have betrayed them.

Wanting more information and whatnot is very important, of course, but we had already set up a means of (hopefully) gaining some thanks to that little deal with made with Mokou to set up a meeting with Alice. Unless there's something you expect to only be able to find out from Mokou herself that you plan on finding out (and really, if there was then you pretty much let a perfect opportunity pass by with that last write-in) then I don't really see what camping out with her will do for us other than give us some happy memories and a reason for at least one person back "home" to be pissed off at us.

[x] Camping sound like fun!

[] Camping sound like fun!
[] Camping sound like fun!
[] Camping sound like fun!
[] Camping sound like fun!
[] Camping sound like fun!
MOKOU

[X] Camping feel so good.

GUYS!
there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY we're even making out with Mokou, Teru doesn't love us enough to give us that, so its NOT WORTH IT.

[X] You'd rather go back to Eientei

>there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY we're even making out with anyone, Teru doesn't love us enough to give us that, so its NOT WORTH IT.

DURR HURR

[x] Camping sounds like fun!

What's with this girl and dragging you forcibly around?

You were spirited away faster than a half-off cashmere sweater at a year-end sale. You're still not sure how she put out the fire, put everything away, and had the strength to practically carry you over her shoulders. While she didn't actually lift you up, you felt like a bag of potatoes being carelessly lugged around. Well, on the plus side she didn't dislocate your shoulder nor squash any of your internal organs. And you're sure that that generalized numbness that you feel is just a result of all the sudden movements. Probably has nothing to do with the systematic destruction of your vitals.

You're sequestered deeper within the forest. You're not even sure of your relative position within the green maze. Looking at Mokou's face while she tugs you, you begin to worry. To be succinct - she looks crazy. Her eyes look wild, she's got a crooked grin, and is muttering something to herself. The thought of maybe telling her that you changed your mind doesn't seem like a good idea. It looks like she'd skin you alive with her bare nails if you so much hinted at the possibility. If you had a video camera, you'd be getting this on tape. Perhaps someday someone would find the tapes of your final moments.

"Make yourself comfortable." Mokou tells you when you reach your destination.

She lets go of your hand, more or less flinging you to the ground. It's none too soft either, seeing that it's solid rock. You've arrived to an interesting spot in the forest. The bamboo shyly recedes in this area, exposing the steep terrain and the large sections of solid rock here. You wouldn't quite call it a cave. It's more of a large indentation marked in stone. It's probably as large as your room in total area, but far narrower. Maybe about three people thick? The rest of the slope is just dirt and grass, this is the only spot within sight that has stone.

"This is where we'll be staying. Nice, huh?" Mokou is carrying around what look like pretty normal sleeping bags and an assortment of miscellaneous camping gear.
"Yeah, nice." You reply, going along with her mood.
"The stone here will protect us from rain. Not that it'll rain of course." She seems to be too excited for her own good. She's certainly got zeal for this.
"It doesn't look like it'll rain though." You move from under the stone ceiling and stare at the sky. Not a cloud in sight.
"All the same. It's best to have all the basics covered." She tosses the stuff in front of you, "Here, sort this out."
"Sure."

You sort through the stuff. You first separate the sleeping bags and place them stretched out near each other. But not next to each other, you're not very sure just how near her you want to be. As for the rest of the things you mostly leave them alone. The thermos has something in it sloshing about, but you don't want to dare guess what it is. There's a signal flare here and insect repellent - the canned kind too. You can't understand whatever language this is in, but is at least has all of the proper warning symbols. Just where in the hell did she get all of this stuff?

"Say...Mokou?" You try to ask her. But instead are greeted with another surprise. In the short while that you turned your back on her, she's gone and started another fire. You have no clue how the hell she started it - let alone gathered the stones to enclose it. It looks like this place is really like her backyard. Hidden secrets everywhere.
"Yeah? I'm about done here."
"Nothing." Some things are best left as mysteries.
"Ah, well, don't just sit there! Come on over!" She ushers you to sit by the fire.

It's not a particularly cold night, so the fire is more for illumination than for warmth. Or perhaps just for show, there's nothing to see here except bamboo stalks, yourself and the ecstatic Mokou.

"This is a spot I sometimes use." Mokou explains the importance of this place. "It's not always fun to stay here alone though, it's too open."
"So you've got other spots in the forest?"
"Bucket loads. I've even got a makeshift cottage that I'm building myself out of bamboo." She then presses her finger to her lips. "Don't tell Keine, though. She'd say that I'm crazy for trying."

Crazy might be a bit too nice.

"Anyways, I know most of the caves, safe spots, and good sleeping places around here. I almost have one for every occasion." She concludes happily.
"Thats... wonderful. Aren't there wild animals though?"
"Not many. Around the forest it's just those rabbits. And they're usually too busy playing with each other. There's some birds. Occasionally a youkai or two. But mostly in the form of easy-to-deal-with animals. Nothing to be worried about. They tend to avoid campfires."
"Well, I guess that I won't get dragged off by any bears any time soon then." You say jokingly.
"I wouldn't know about bears. But I think they probably wouldn't dare mess with me."
"That's for sure." You clutch your stomach, still sore from earlier.

And just out of the blue, Mokou has another suggestion.

"Since it's a bit too early to sleep, how about we do something fun?"
"Such as?"
"Camping stuff."
"Ah... I'm afraid that you're going to have to be more specific than that."
"You know," She puffs her cheeks, probably disappointed that you're not picking up on her logic, "something fun."

You stare at her blankly. She crosses her arms and puffs her cheeks even more. How the hell are you supposed to know what she means? Luckily, you take a stab at what it is that she's implying.

"Like singing songs around the campfire? Or roasting marshmallows?"
"See, you're not so hopeless!" Mokou de-puffs and starts smiling.
"So, uhh, what should we do?"
"Don't look at me. You pick."
"Why me?"
"Just stop whining and make up your mind!" You realize that she's just covering for her lack of knowledge on the subject.
"Fine, I'll pick. But you'll have to go along with whatever I choose, okay?"
"Tsk." She tries to feign disappointment. "I guess that's alright."

Let's see... things you do around campfires... you rack your mind. Only a few things come to you.

[] Singing songs is the way to go
[] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!
[] Roasting something on a stick - anything, is what's needed
[] Swap stories about your past
---
>>11754
Truly enjoyable. And really did give me energy.
>>11772
But I love all of my readers~ Even the ones that hate me. In fact, just so you know: One of these four options will lead to a very lovely scene. There, you've been told. Here's hoping for the best!

And suggesting multiple things will just make Mokou choose, and it's missible as well. And not that important to the story anyways (unless you're a Mokou fan, of course). So don't fret if you choose poorly.

[x] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!

Holy jesus christ, this one. Mokou scares the shit out of us.

[] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!

[X] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!

Singing songs isn't so much fun if it's just two people, and neither of them are drunk.
Mokou hasn't seemed to ever be too keen to expand upon her past that much, so exchanging stories probably isn't the way to go, either. At least, as long as she's not drunk.

Roasting something on a stick seems like the natural thing for Mokou to pick to do. She already showed an interest in starting a yakitori stand, and it would be the most obvious use for fire aside from burning down certain buildings in a fit of insanity.

As for ghost stories, it might seem like the sort of thing Mokou would go for, yet not obvious enough for her to think of it herself. She would love it just to try to scare the crap out of Shirou, and there might just be a chance to turn it around and somehow scare Mokou instead.

Hahahaha, yeah, right.
Still, it should be fun.

[x] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!

Awesome.

>>11780
>>11781

MEANWHILE, BACK AT EIENTEI

[x] SPIN THE BOTTLE

Teruyo, where are you. Update already.

[x] Campfire + Woods = Ghost stories!

There's only one true choice here. Even if it goes against your better judgment.

"At times like these," You make your pitch, "there's only one thing to do."
"And that would be?" She reacts more cautiously to your enthusiasm than you thought she would.
"Why it's time for ghost stories."
"Really? Well, if you say so. I did let you choose after all."
"Come on, it'll be fun. You can start if you want." You're a bit puzzled as to why she isn't as excited as you thought she'd be. It's probably a good time for her to pull a prank on you as well.
"Let me think..."

Mokou begins to tell you her tale. The atmosphere isn't as heavy as you'd have thought it'd be. You're enjoying seeing her use a somber tone and set the backdrop for this tale. It's a definite break from her attitude from earlier. There is one thing that's been bothering you for a while now. But it's not Mokou's fault. It's just that the forest is covered by a veil of impenetrable silence. The only sounds that echo through the night are the crackling noises from the fire and Mokou's voice.

Her story is simple enough. It's set in a land much like this one, in the forest near a village that's like the one you know. A group of villagers one day venture into the forest. They're astonished by the complete silence. That is, of course, until one of them stumbles on a strange plant. It's a large shrub that bears some sort of fruit. One of the more bold villagers takes some of the fruit, figuring that it can't do any harm. They return to the village without incident.

The next night with a full moon, however, a bunch of villagers disappear. Mostly the ones that had gone into the forest that day. Fearful that something might have happened, the whole village mounts an expedition into the forest. They find nothing, save for a few items of torn clothing near that strange shrub. Fearing that it's a bad omen, they torch the shrub. The fire spreads, and take out a lot of the forest. The villagers think that whatever happened will not happen again.

But Mokou really pulls her punches here, trying to act scary. A series of unfortunate events eventually leave only a young girl and her small brother in a position to do anything. They're sent as sacrifices to appease the evil force that stalks the village. Days later, the boy comes out of the forest, stark raving mad. He can't talk anymore, nor can he apparently understand human language. He shakes whenever he sees the forest and, this you suppose is one of the creepy parts, he draws several pictures. They all show the same thing. A beautiful silver-haired woman smiling. Around her are the other villagers, also smiling. But each and every one of them has something odd. Like neck bent at an impossible angle, a massive hole in their chest, missing midsection, etc.

"...and so the villagers concluded that a true demon inhabited their forest." Mokou says in almost a hush. "And everywhere where villages were near forests, they'd learn not to venture in too deep. It wasn't a coincidence that they discovered that bush, set things on fire, and lost so many people. Evil things always look for ways of praying on the innocent... when they least expect it." She then concludes with a satisfied smile, "It must be fortunate that nothing bad ever happens here, right?"

You sit there silently.
"..."
"Hey, what's the matter?" Mokou speaks up after you fail to speak for a few minutes. "Too scared?" She snickers.
"...That's it?"
"Huh?"
"I asked you if that was your whole story?"
"Yes. I see that you're too shocked to react properly."
"That's not it at all." You say calmly. "Quite frankly, that wasn't scary at all."
"Oh come on, there's no need to cover."
"I'm not."

It's true. You're not fazed at all. It's not that you're a tough guy or are otherwise not affected by scary stories. Nor any fault of Mokou's for the delivery. But you've somehow become desensitized to this sort of thing. Blame video games. Or late night B-movies. Better yet, you've been told of the horrors that lurk in Gensokyo several times - it's no surprise that something like this doesn't scare you, you're expecting something bad to happen to you half of the time anyways.

Well, Mokou seems to be less than amused at it. She did try her best.

"...Sorry, but I must be weird. I'm sure that that story would have scared the pants off of someone else." You sit, legs crossed, and give Mokou a smile.
"Oh forget it." She's rapidly turned grumpy. She looks at the fire, avoiding looking at you. She's sulking like a kid that's just found out that his favorite toy is sold out. After having saved up for weeks.
"Maybe you'll feel better if I tell you a story? I'm probably even worse at this than you."
"Go ahead. Let's see you try."

Story... scary story... you can't think of anything that's not a cheesy B-movie. Ah wait, there's a couple of things you can try. You decide to combine the ideas of several things you've seen. She won't know that you've plagiarized.

You make it short and sweet. You don't want to mix up your stories too bad.

"...and she never woke up ever again. Her sleep became eternal."

Not bad. You managed not to trip all over your own words.

"How's that...Mokou?" You're surprised to see that Mokou is curled up, head on her knees. "What's wrong? I didn't bore you or anything, did I?"
"..."
"Hey," You scoot in closer. Wait, is she... shaking? "What's the matter?"

She lets out a small whimper as an answer.

And then it hits you. You gently place your hand on her head, patting it. You play your hunch.

"Could it be... that I actually scared you?"
"...Don't be s-stupid..."She stutters slightly. "Who'd be s-s-scared of a dumb story like that."
"I'm not sure. It's not something I was too confident about either. So what's wrong then?"
"It's... just that..."She speaks in a minute voice. She slinks towards you, ultimately leaning on you. "The thought of having seen that and the nightmares... just bother me."
"Bother you?"
"That sort of thing can happen to anyone. And there's nothing worse than not being able to do anything about it."

You don't inquire any further. It just doesn't seem prudent. As you gaze at the campfire, you feel the warmth from Mokou's body. She's still pressed against you and so you silently allow her to stay like this. You can only think that there's something that you're missing here. But being like this seems to make her settle down.

As the fire begins to die down a bit, Mokou regains some of her composure. She distances herself from you, getting up.

"It's getting late. And you have to get up early tomorrow. How about we turn in?" Her voice - while showing no signs of vulnerability as before - is only slightly above a murmur.
"Sure. I don't mind."

You head to your sleeping bag while Mokou stays behind to put out the fire. It takes her far longer than you'd imagine. She seems to have difficulty putting it out. Still, a bucketful later and a few stomps for good measure, she's found her way to the sleeping area. You're already tucked in, having set the alarm for tomorrow, waiting to drift off into dreamland.

Before she gets into her sleeping bag, she does something that surprises you. She takes off her pants. In a single swift motion she discards her baggy red trousers, flinging them to the side. Even in the dark of night you can clearly see the white undergarment. They could pass off as shorts under other circumstances.
---------
Part one. I'm still not done since I decided to expand on this scene and I'm working at a snail's pace.

>>11782
Those are almost enough to make we want to write a scene.
>>11788
MySQL failures. That and sleep.

"What's the matter?" Mokou notices your gaze despite the dark.
"Eh, well... you took off your pants." Your voice is shakier than you had anticipated. You're not sure why you're acting like this, but there's no doubt that the skin on your cheek is becoming flushed.
"That's right. How else would I sleep? Those pants aren't very comfortable to wear to bed." She states the obvious.
"You're right." You say, trying to regain composure.
"I'm surprised that you didn't make yourself more comfortable."
"Huh, me?" You haven't taken off or loosened any of your clothes. You figured that there was no need.
"Don't tell me you usually sleep fully clothed?"
"That's not it. But I thought that well..."
"Thought what? Just be yourself." Mokou slips into her own sack, making herself comfortable.
"You don't mind?"
"Mind, me? I really don't care. I'm just pointing out the obvious. It's your comfort." She gives you a detached answer.
"Fine. It'll make me sleep better anyhow."

You get back up and quickly strip down to your underwear. It is liberating. You're about to say as much when you notice that Mokou isn't even looking in your direction. It looks like she really doesn't mind. You lay back down and relax. The night is nice and refreshing, without being too cold. Mokou seems to be already sleeping. She's turned in the other direction so you can't see her face. It's just as well, your body shuts down almost all at once when you lay down. Probably as a desperate attempt to have everything in working order for tomorrow.

That night you have very peculiar dreams. You dream that you're living in a small house somewhere. You get new neighbors. They're talking animals. And bakers. They set up a large oven near your house and work it almost all day and night. Needless to say, it gets hot. And even though it's a dream, you can swear that the heat is physically affecting you. It's like you're in the oven, getting baked to crispy perfection.

In the dream, you open up the windows to get some fresh air. But that invites another host of problems. Swarms of mosquitoes assail you. The same kind of mosquitoes that drain your energy away. You try to swat them away, but they've come to nibble your arm. Their sorrowful whimpers, made when they bite you, cause you to feel empathy. You talk to them and they assume the form of a young girl. By patting the 'head' of the apparition, the mosquitoes calm down. They stop biting and coexist peacefully. And even the heat is subdued somewhat. Pretty win-win as far as this dream goes.

When you wake up, the first rays of light are lighting up the sky. You're not surprised to see that you rolled around in your sleep, given the weird dream you had. You are, however, sort of surprised at the fact that Mokou is pouring out of her sleeping bag, sprawled all over the place, including you. One of her arms weighs down on your chest. Your left arm is being pinned down by her head and other arm. You'd appreciate the scene more if she weren't slobbering all over your arm though.

You use your free arm to remove hers from your chest and then you gently free your left arm. She smacks her lips a bit and shifts positions. You get up and quietly get dressed. After that it's a short trip behind a large shrub to empty your bladder. You notice that your left arm has a couple of painful marks all over. Funny, the rest of your body seems to be fine. When you get back, however, Mokou seems to have awoken as well.

Her hair is disheveled and the ends are standing up.

"G'morning." You greet her, "I'm sorry did I make too much noise?"
"Morning." She seems to be in a bit of a grumpy mood. Probably from just having woken up. "Your thing here started sounding."
"Thing? Oh, that." You realize that she's talking about the PDA. The alarm must have gone off. "I'm sorry, I forgot that I set the alarm."
"Sorry doesn't cu-uhh fuWAAAH." Her sentence is cut short by a loud yawn.
"I'll make it up to you later. Right now I've got to get to Eientei. See you later."

You start to leave.

"Wait up!" Mokou stops you
.?Yeah?"
"Do you even know how to get back there from here?"
"...no."
"God, to be such an idiot this early in the morning.... gimme a sec, let me get up."

Mokou is standing, fully dressed and grinning in a few short moments. She looks like normal, showing no hints of grumpiness. Even her hair seems to be back to normal now.

"Come this way." Mokou guides you through the forest.

After ten or so minutes, you stumble back onto the path. You're about halfway the village and Eientei here.

"You should be fine from here. I've got to clean up." She leaves you safe and sound.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. And I'll be waiting later for my candy, don't forget!"
"Right, right. I won't."

You wave her goodbye as she disappears into the green maze. The path back to Eientei is pretty straightforward from there. Getting in is no problem either, they never bother to close the gate. There's no one up and about at this early hour. You try not to make any noises on the way back to your room. And you're mostly successful.

You get changed and ready with no problem. Although one thing bothers you. Someone went out and laid out your futon for you. It's stretched out in the middle of the room, still immaculate. You ignore it and instead get some breakfast. Not even after you're done and ready to go, does anyone run into you. Now, more than ever, it feels like this place is empty.

Things at school are pretty calm. You arrived early, and found Keine already there. You don't speak of dreary subjects you spoke about yesterday. Instead, you exchange pleasantries and set up for class. Gradually the schoolhouse is filled up and it's time to start classes. Tomorrow is a day off, and excitement permeates just below the surface. Everything goes smoothly.

When lunchtime comes around, you remember your promise. You tell Keine that you'll be back before classes start again and go off to your task. An old man with a stand is your objective. You find him on the other side of the village center, napping in the shade. On display are many differently shaped pieces of candy. Each is a different color and in the shape of a different animal. There's a crane, a turtle, a cat, and a whole assortment of bugs (a large beetle and a ladybug catch your eye).

"Excuse me." You try to rouse the man as gently as possible.
"Yes, how may I help you?" The man transitions quickly from sleep to a roused state.
"I'd like to buy some candy."
"Eh?" The man eyes you from head to toe.
"Is anything the matter?"
"No, nothing sir. It's just that most of my customers tend to come in the afternoon. They tend to be much younger in general as well."
"Well, there are no laws against adults enjoying candy are there?"
"Of course not!" The man laughs. "So tell me, what will it be? I'm afraid that I won't be making anything new until later today. Kids like a show."
"That's alright. I'm not here to see an act." So you say. But you're a bit curious to see this guy working.

You point out everything that you want. You end up buying most of the differently-shaped pieces of taffy. You don't know if Mokou is partial to any single one, but you can't go wrong by bringing her as much as possible. Plus, it's relatively cheap. Well, of course, if it's a single time only. The cost would pile up if you were to do this every day. You pay the man and have everything carefully put in a paper bag.

The rendezvous point is near the school's shed. You walk past the students playing games during their time off and proceed to the exchange. Mokou is punctual. She's waiting for you while leaning against the wall, straw in her mouth.

"Here's your stuff. I hope that this gesture of goodwill is enough to convince you." You hand her the bag.
"Thanks." Mokou takes the bag and immediately checks out the contents. Her eyes sparkle like a gluttonous fat kid eying a chocolate parfait. "You really didn't hold back, did you? I'm glad."
"If you're happy, I'm happy."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure. I'm going to enjoy eating these! Look!" She takes out a cow-shaped candy sculpture. "Isn't this just cute? It's almost a shame to eat it!"

'Almost' being the operative word. She takes a bite from the rump and eats the chewy candy. She masticates strongly and from her mouth come juicy sounds. She obscenely slurps the juices and quickly swallows down the load. It's like she doesn't even take the time to enjoy the taste.

"I'm glad that you enjoy it. So did you find out anything for me?" You expect her to uphold her end of the arrangement.
"Actually," she smacks her lips, then licking them, "I went ahead and solved your problems."
"What did you do?"
"Set up an appointment for you. You can meet Alice tomorrow in a secret location."
"Secret location?"
"She told me to leave her a message if you changed your mind. So I did. And she replied that you should meet her in an empty plot near the village tomorrow. Opposite end from Keine's place. Around noon. There's going to be something marking the house so that you can recognize it.."
"Well, thank you for your effort."
"No problem. Anything for a friend."

That might sound sweeter if she weren't wolfing down the candy like some sort of ravenous thing.

"Anyways, break will be ending soon." You leave her with her candy. "Catch you later."
"Mrmf!" She gives you a goodbye wave before resuming the merciless onslaught.

It'll be a wonder if the candy lasts her the day. And you thought that you had bought enough to last her a couple of days.

Lunchtime is over once you step into the classroom. You ring the bell yourself, bracing yourself for afternoon classes. You teach what you have to, and Keine wraps up the day. Everyone seems overjoyed that classes ended. You gave them no homework (and neither did Keine you think) so they're all in a great mood. Who doesn't like having a completely free day off?

With the end of this week, you finally have enough to pay Keine back for that money she lent you. Two week's work for a single meal... thank goodness that you don't have to pay for all of your food. You'd be starving otherwise. You thank Keine yet again, but she will hear none of it. She doesn't stick around for long either, it looks like she has to talk to one of the student's parents. You ask if you should be present as well, but she tells you that it's a personal issue.

Well, the song ?Working for the Weekend? is now stuck in your head for some reason. Ah well, it fits the mood. Potentially. You wish your darn PDA had more songs.

[] Relax back at Eientei
[] Smoke out Mokou again
[] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order

----
>>11791
>>11796
>>11795
>>11794
>>11793
>>11792
Nice. If this is a stealth /r/ then you've already swayed me. Otherwise thanks but it's okay. I appreciate the gesture.

>>11801
I wanted to encourage you with some Kaguya/Eirin. But now i am curious what scene you might want to write.

[x] Relax back at Eientei

[x] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order

[X] Relax back at Eientei

Kaguya/Eirin is so last millennium.

[!/] Relax back at Eientei

>'Almost' being the operative word. She takes a bite from the rump and eats the chewy candy. She masticates strongly and from her mouth come juicy sounds. She obscenely slurps the juices and quickly swallows down the load. It's like she doesn't even take the time to enjoy the taste.

FAPFAPFAPFAP

[X] Relax back at Eientei

Really now. Her horns/ears~

[x] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order

Why do we always seem to forget about our god?

[X] Relax back at Eientei

[X] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order.

BOOZE FOR THE BOOZE GOD! BEER FOR THE BEER THRONE!

[x] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order

We did promise our transvestite lord some offerings once in a while.

[x] Drinks at the friendly neighborhood tavern are in order.

It seems that I'm going through a bit of writer's block. I can't the next bit down just right. So I'll give it another stab in a couple of hours after taking my mind off of it. I already have enough votes, but I guess that I can leave voting open since I'm technically not writing right now.

>>11802
I figured it was an encouragement. Which was effective to a certain point. And I'll see where/if I can fit it in to the story or just leave it as a sidebar somewhere. And write it up some other time.

Sage for writefag failure.

>>11808
Horn related?

>>11821

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
but I do wish to be impaled by her horns~, if you know what I mean.

>>11821
You wrote us a WALL, take it easy until you get your creativity back.
Have some Kaguya to show you the way.

I'm helping!

[x] Relax back at Eientei

Getting back home takes almost no effort on your part. As usual, you're greeted by the empty gate and ever-desolate corridors. You haven't spotted a single bunny either. It's none of your concern frankly. Right now you want to just relax and unwind. And that means taking a long hot bath. You make the necessary preparations.

Just for this once you open up a new chapter in your epic saga. More of a side trip. You justify your playing with dolls and using your imagination by claiming that Albion was lonely. You haven't paid her any attention lately. Hence the only logical conclusion here is that some fantasy hijinks are in order. Bath time is fun time.

You enjoy your soapy experiences. It's hard to come up with a plot on the fly, but Albion lends her talent to your cause. With her magical abilities (arbitrarily assigned by you, of course) it's like the narrative writes itself! Take that evil boobinites from outer space! Love and justice (and suntan oil) wins the day! And of course, what kind of hero would you be if you didn't end up saving the world and getting the girl? Or in your case, girls. You obviously include your bunny companion in your celebratory rituals. It's kind of awkward getting out of the water after imaging the full extent of the celebrations though. Rinsing off with cold water is the only remedy.

After getting dressed again, you decide to go one step further in your quest for relaxation. It's tea time. Only the finest brew can satiate your desire. You make a pot in the kitchen out of a tea blend that you find lying around. You take the pot and a cup back to your own room, in order to drink at your own leisure. You sit and take slow sips from the tea. This is certainly a nice way to lower your stress levels. If only you could share it with someone.

Ah, that's it. After finishing your first cup of tea, you decide to go looking for someone else. Someone to keep you company. It proves to be more difficult than you anticipated. Kaguya isn't in her room, it's completely dark and empty there. When you pass by the clinic, there's a large 'closed' sign hanging on her door. Everything is locked as well, and there are no lights coming from the other side. In a final gambit, you go check out Reisen's room. That proves to be fruitless as well. It seems like you really are alone. Just as well. Who needs those jerks anyhow? You're supposed to be relaxing. Even if you do feel alone.

Instead of going back to your room, you sit out in the courtyard. Real men sit outside contemplating life, the universe, and everything while sipping tea alone. Or so you desperately want to believe. Staring at the zen garden makes it possible for you to tune out all of the inconvenient thoughts, and so you end up unwittingly clearing your mind. Your body becomes relaxed and you find peace.

That is, of course, until you're interrupted.

A white rabbit comes bearing a message. It deposits a handwritten letter in your lap, before scurrying off. Not even giving you time to ask questions. And that was the first living being you've seen here all day to boot.

"Out for now, stick around for later. Party @ dinning room, 9 o'clock sharp.

-K?

Despite the wording, the handwriting is consistent to Kaguya's usual fare. She must be in a special mood or something to come up with something like this. Well, it at least shows that you're not entirely forgotten. That's right! Everyone must be out busy preparing for this mysterious party. In no way having forgotten that you'd be here alone.

...

Oh god, you desperately want to believe that.

You're losing sight of your objectives for the evening though. Relaxation is the top priority. Especially if you want to be in any sort of shape to face what tomorrow may bring. It's important to be mentally and emotionally rested.

[] Show up for this party later in the evening
[] Continue to relax, eventually turning in early
---
Oh hi, I'm a conveniently short and more or less placeholder update. How shameful but ultimately necessary given how utterly smashed I am right now. Don't be fooled though, the choice here does matter.

>>11824
Picture related to your post. But not the update itself.

[X] Show up for this party later in the evening

PAAAARTEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

[!/] Show up for this party later in the evening.

It'll be the last party...ever!

[ x ] Show up for this party later in the evening.

Relax? How about shootan our hot glue gun off

[X] Show up for this party later in the evening

Hmmmm Alice/Mokou, you don't see this very often. I hope you can build some Kaguya/Eirin in that Shirou can watch.

[X] Show up for this party later in the evening

[X] Show up for this party later in the evening

For dinner, we will be treated to a strange meat dish that we have never had before, and even though she won't appear to be present at the festivities, we will be reassured that Tewi had a large part in helping make this meal possible. Should we press the matter, we will be told that it's a "tender" subject and have it left at that.

Good meat, though.

[X] Show up for this party later in the evening

This party's just about to get ABSOLUTELY CRAZY

[x] Show up for this party later in the evening

Kaguya blows on the noisemaker.

>>11839

Mokou liver?!

>>11842

...
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

>>11842

Actually, I was suggesting they killed and cooked Tewi, thus explaining why we have not heard back from her yet.

But that works, too.

Okay, I'm done with my bender and completely revitilized. That means that after I finish eating, I'll write like the motherfucking fist of the north star.

>>11839
Only worksafe picture that I can find of any of the character in this story being cooked.

Mmm, tender bunny meat. And liver don't sound too bad.

[x] Show up for this party later in the evening

There's no reason not to go to the party. Hell, it might be a nice way to unwind further. You haven't seen Kaguya going for almost two days now. Nor anyone else from Eientei for that matter. Enthused, you retreat back to your room in preparation for later.

It's there that you mull over the nature of this affair. Why are you having a party? Is it a special occasion? Someone's birthday maybe? Crap - you don't have anything to give as a gift. No, no. They'd tell you if it was something like that. Unless you somehow missed out on a memo or something. Nah, you're worrying too much.

Isn't that right, Albion?

You lay down on the floor and stare at your doll. Her austere blue eyes seem to stare right back. You wonder what she'd have to say about all of this? She's been your companion for a while now, and has witnessed most of the things that you have. Hopefully she wouldn't hate you for forcing her into all of those convoluted fantasy scenarios. Well, it's not like she has a mind of her own anyways. You command her at will, making her do the exact movements that you envision. Even though you haven't really been at it every day, manipulating her is almost second nature to you.

As if to prove that, you make Albion fetch you your PDA's charger and go ahead and make her hook it up. It's during moments like these that you almost feel like you can feel what she feels and by proxy gain a little insight on to whatever she may be thinking.

"Do you think it'll be a black-tie affair?" You ask the doll. "Or perhaps it'll be something akin to a bad frat party."

She obviously doesn't answer. You make the doll dance around, simulating a ballroom dance. She's hardly dressed for the occasion, though. She's still in her plain blue and white clothes, and her hair is tied up in a bun. You'd consider making her an evening dress, had you any materials. Eh, although you say that, you think that her delicate beauty would be hard to bring out with just any dress.

"They'll probably have good food regardless, eh? I wonder if it'll just be us residents or if anyone else is coming along? What do you think?" You pose the doll a question.
"..." You have the doll turn to you, as if she were speaking to you.
"Of course, you'd say that. But I'm sure that they'll have plenty of food for you too.."

A sort of anxious unease keeps you thinking for most of the afternoon. You consider maybe scavenging for more formal clothes, but give up on that idea. You're getting ahead of yourself, and you wouldn't even know where to get clothes here. It's a good thing that you can amuse yourself by just playing with Albion, otherwise your anxiety would kill you. During this time, you also keep busy by thinking of new lesson plans for your students, it's certainly a time-consuming task.

And so it gets dark. The fact that you have to strain your eyes to see remind you that it must almost be time. You check the time on the PDA.

20:45

It's almost time. You decide to wash your face and freshen up before showing up. There's definitely something going on. Coming back from the bathroom you notice that there's a lot of background noise. Sounds of things being moved and people talking. Also almost every hallway seems to be lit up. There's no helping it now. You should go see what's up.

Nearing the dining room, it becomes even livelier. It's infectious, and now even you feel like enjoying yourself. That's right, what better way to relax than to have a party?

You slide open the door. You smile seeing the scene inside. You can't help it. It's just that it's a natural reaction. A smile of half-surprise and half-amusement.
---
Here. Proof that I'm not just saying that I'm writing and playing ungodly amounts of Mount and Blade or Castlevania. I'll have the rest up in due time.

>Mount and Blade

Great Game, best thing that i played in months.

The first thing that strikes you is the color. Literally every corner and object in the room is color-coded. Green, yellow, purple, blue, and red. Every napkin, bowl, tablecloth, cup, and object is in one of those shades. Hell, even the mountain of food distributed in the many bowl and plates seem to be following the pattern. From yellow curry rice, varieties of green vegetables, to goblets full of dark red wine.

String music sounds in the background, making everything seem refined. You really don't have time to wonder where it's coming from. The prevalent smell of food and the dazzling display have overloaded your senses as it is.

In the middle of it all, sitting reclined and looking aloof, Kaguya gives you a full-faced grin. Although her dress is the same as always, it somehow looks even more delicate than usual. The golden embroidery on her dress seems to glow.

"Ah, Shirou!" She says enthusiastically, "I'm glad that you could make it! As you can see, this is a big event. Join us. Come and sit!"
"Sure. What's the occasion?" You sit down opposite Kaguya. It's then that you notice that Eirin stands near the door, casually swishing around wine in a cup. She meets your look with an ambiguous look, her lips hinting at a smile.
"Oh, nothing in particular. If I had to say, I'd say to being alive and well. There's always cause to celebrate that." She grabs a cup and hands it to you. "Please, have some wine. It's not every day that we open a bottle or two."
"Sure. Is it going to be just the three of us?" You ask, wondering where the other two regulars here are.
"For now, yes. But we'll move outside after eating, and I believe more people will join us."
"I find that this food is worth celebrating for." Eirin speaks up, moving to a spot on the table. "Make sure to try some of this meat," she indicates a bowl of minced meat in some sort of red sauce, "it's very tender. Practically dissolves in one's mouth."
"She's right," Kaguya adds. "In fact, most of this food is absolutely divine. Even better than the stuff we usually have. It does tend to be a bit expensive to eat on a daily basis though."
"As if you even cared about money." Eirin makes a joke at her friend's expense. "You wouldn't know the value of a measly coin."
"True enough." Kaguya laughs along.
"Well, I'm glad." You interject. "This does seem like appropriate food to enjoy ourselves with."
"Let's dig in then." Eirin begins to help herself to the food. You all follow suit.

Oh man, they weren't kidding. This stuff is amazing. You don't even have to chew on the meat, it comes apart in your mouth, releasing an orgy of flavor. The veggies ain't none too shabby either. And you've yet to try everything.

"This is really good. Really fit for a celebration." You comment, sipping from the wine. "This wine is really good as well. It has a delicious aroma."
"Glad you're enjoying yourself. That's the point." Kaguya raises her cup. "A toast. To enjoying ourselves!"

The three of you clink glasses, and then gulp down. You can just feel all of your anxieties and problems fading away.

"It looks like we'll need more wine." Eirin sends a look to the kitchen.

A rabbit in what looks to be a diminutive suit comes out carrying a bottle.

"Thank you." Eirin takes the bottle from the rabbit. She opens it and pours more into each one of the cups. "Believe it or not, this is made here in Gensokyo. It's surprisingly good, right? It's made somewhere beyond the lake in a small vineyard."
"It's absolutely top-notch stuff." You genuinely praise the wine.
"Of course," Eirin adds, showing the slightest hint of smugness, "This doesn't compare to the delicious vintage made near the Sinus Iridum?
"Oh, you always bring that up." Kaguya rebukes her, "You just can't let go of the fact that you can't get any more of it, can you?"
"Is it that bad to hold other wines to that standard?" She asks Kaguya.
"It's pretty bad when you bring it up at every single opportunity."
"Well, it's not my fault that it's so good.'

You laugh at the way they bicker about some useless point. Even though Eirin would normally back down and humor Kaguya, she's dead set on proving the superiority of her view. The wine has loosened you up, making you appreciate the absurdity of the situation.

"Now, now... you're both losing sight of the present. Aren't we supposed to be enjoying ourselves?" You're the voice of reason here.

The mood turns lighthearted once again when they agree with you. The food and wine flow freely and you indulge in it all. You end up feeling absolutely stuffed. After you're done eating, Kaguya moves the celebration elsewhere.

"Come, follow me, we're stepping outside now." She gets up and leads you away.
"I'll be right there, I have to do something first." Eirin gives a brief excuse and walks into the kitchen.

You follow Kaguya out and into the hallways. She leads you outside, to the place where they did the mochi festival. Here there's a few rabbits going around, apparently celebrating as well. Eh, some of them look drunk. They stumble about and crash into one another.

"Enjoying yourself?" Kaguya asks, stopping on the edge of the porch.
"Yup. I feel really relaxed."
"Great, that's the whole point. To let go."
"And do you do this often?"
"Only when it's needed."
"Well, I'm not complaining. The food was delicious. Even though I must admit that it was a bit weird to see everything color coded. Although I suppose that I liked that detail."
"I knew you would." You look at Kaguya as she speaks. She's looking skyward, smiling as if recalling something pleasant from the past.
"So, any particular reason for the colors?"

She looks at you. Scans your face and gives you a radiant smile. "Nope, none at all!"

You're not sure what she's happy about. But you smile anyways back at her.

"Let's enjoy ourselves some more! The night is still young."

You sigh, feeling that you'll probably wake up hung over. Ah well, there's a part of you that feels blissfully happy, and that's all that matters.
----
Second part of three (I think). Would have posted earlier, but even without getting distracted by video games, it seems that other things fill the gap. Whether I like it or not. Next coming up (and a choice) hopefully faster.

"Don't go off having fun by yourselves." Eirin comes out. Behind her is Reisen, walking along looking rather shy. "Now there's one more to celebrate with us."

She hands both you and Kaguya a glass, and takes out another bottle of wine. She pours wine into both, before turning to Reisen and pouring into the two that she's holding.

"Drink up people." She sets the example by taking a large sip. While she hardly what you'd call 'out of control', this Eirin is less inhibited than usual. A sure explanation is the slightly red hue of her cheeks. Well, Kaguya is like that as well, and you're sure that you're probably a bit red yourself.
"So what now?" You ask.
"I thought that maybe we'd stargaze for a bit. Or we could simply talk some more." Kaguya sits down, gazing skyward.

You follow her lead. Looking up at the sky, you admire the many stars.

"Did you know that there are nearly ninety constellations in the sky? Not all of them visible at once, of course." Eirin dispenses some knowledge.
"They're really beautiful." Reisen adds, showing wonder in her voice.
"I don't think I can recognize many." You admit. Besides the obvious like parts of constellations such as Orion's belt or stuff like Ursa Major or Crux.
"Neither can I." Kaguya admits.
"That makes three of us." Reisen joins in displaying a lack of knowledge.
"How shameful." Eirin lets her opinion be known.

This, of course, results in a crash course on constellations. No one says anything, but you're confident that none of you are listening to her prattle on. The wine makes it easier to ignore her. You exchange glances with Reisen and Kaguya and silently exchange cheers. There's one thing that Eirin says that does get across to you, it's about the vastness of it all. The realization that there are uncounted amount of stars out there makes you eye the sky like a wide-eyed child.

"You're not listening at all, are you?" Eirin lets out a sigh as she pours more drinks for all of you.
"Sorry, but the sky is just too pretty." Reisen confesses.
"That's fine Undonge, I suppose this isn't really the moment to be teaching about the stars."

Talk then turns to more mundane things. In particular, the rabbits.

"Just look at them go." You see them running around as if this were the last party that they'd ever have.
"That reminds me, has anyone seen Tewi?" Reisen asks. "I haven't seen her in about two days now. Which even for her is carelessly irresponsible."
"Really?" You ask.
"You know how that girl is," Eirin plays down the issue, "she's probably off plotting to do goodness-knows-what somewhere. Probably surrounded with rabbits and avoiding doing any work."
"Ah, that's probably it. I'll give her an earful whenever she does show up." Reisen seems convinced with the explanation.

Just then, Kaguya basically flops down full force on Eirin. She seems to squeeze her as hard as she can.

"Eirin~ come on... do something fun." Kaguya starts talking with a heavy slur.
"Princess, you're holding me too tightly. I can't breathe." It seems Eirin is caught between humoring her and getting fresh oxygen into her lungs. It doesn't help that Reisen seems to be looking at the two of them longingly. It looks like she wants in as well.

This is no place for you. You're being completely ignored now. So you get up and walk a bit. It helps clear up your head, your thoughts are highly jumbled. Looks like the drinking has caught up with you. You walk to a spot near the edge of the bamboo. You look back at where the others are sitting. Kaguya is rattling Eirin while Reisen looks for an opportunity to introject.

Opposite them, to your left, is the mass of rabbits frolicking about. They're unapproachable as well. They'd just as soon ignore you. It'd be too weird if you tried to get in on the act that Kaguya's putting on. That's for certain. At best you'd be brushed off, and at worse they'd give you dirty looks. And they'd make you drink more either way. That's not a bad thing, but you wonder how much more you can take before you lose control. Maybe you should just turn in. So that you might have enough energy for tomorrow.

A noise coming from behind you draws your attention. You turn to see bamboo rustling ever so slightly. You get a chill. There's something out there. Obviously, no one else is close enough to have noticed it. It might just be your imagination though. You have been drinking quite a bit this evening. You're better off ignoring it probably.

[] Go back to Kaguya and the others
[] Quit while you're ahead - turn in for the night
[] Investigate the source of that noise
---
There. Even with occasional breaks to watch stuff, I've managed to finish the update. Now for the waiting (which I guess will take a while since this is a slow time of the day - I think).

Beautiful.

[x] Go back to Kaguya and the others

Time to go back and watch and wait for the right time to join the fun.

[x] Quit while you're ahead - turn in for the night.

It could either be Mokou or something that could easily rape our face. As much as I love Mokou, the prospect of facing some beast whilst more than a bit tipsy leads me to the pussy option. Those in the party are having more fun without us, anyway.

[x] Go back to Kaguya and the others

[x] Investigate the source of that noise
I just can't leave suspicious noises alone.

[] Investigate the source of that noise

[X] Investigate the source of that noise

Can't you see we have nothing to worry about?
Even if it were some hideous beast able to rape our face, the fact of the matter is that thanks to the booze we have consumed we now have the strength of ten men! Or, at least, we think we do. But since we're in Gensokyo, where belief is all that is needed to make things possible, that's practically the same thing!

Of course, it would be fun to just hang around the increasingly-drunk ladies and see where things go.

Well, even if there's no winning vote yet, if there were right now, I couldn't write. I've got several things to do today, and in all likelihood when I come back in a couple hours' time I'll be too exhausted to write (read: I'll probably collapse on my bed). However if by any chance I'm done with everything earlier than I expect and there's enough votes, I might just be able to throw something together.

tl;dr - updates (given enough votes) are either 12+ hours from now or 5-6.

Picture not related, but it's a nice enough dream.

[x] Investigate the source of that noise
Aya's back.

BTW your dialog is getting better.

[x] Investigate the source of that noise

[X] Investigate the source of that noise

SUICIDAL WANDBAGGONING GAEMS

What Kaguya and the other two are doing is enough to just warrent us watching them alone, that's freakin' hot.

But winning vote anyway so :V

WHAT WAS THAT NOISE?

[x] Investigate the source of that noise

You're not going to let this be.

You take a couple of steps into the bordering bamboo. Carefully, of course. Well, you think you're moving carefully, but the sober part of your brain tells you that you're likely not doing a good job at that. There's nothing obvious indicating anyone's presence.

That is, until your world spins around and next thing you know your face is planted against the ground. It all happens to fast for you to process just exactly what happened. The snickering voice whispering in your ear is kind enough to fill you in.

"You really shouldn't go off by yourself like that. What if I had been some sort of vicious animal out to eat you?"

You turn your head, looking at your assailant, "Then I guess this would have been less painful. No beast is as cruel as you."
"Ouch. I'm hurt." Mokou helps you to your knees. "Your tongue gets sharper and your words nastier every time your pride is hurt."
"It's not just my pride. Every time I run into you, I end up becoming sore for the rest of the day."

At least a man-eating plant or vicious predator would probably have the common courtesy to end your suffering quickly.

"Keep out of sight, okay?" She crouches behind a clump of bamboo plants, "I don't want them to know that I'm here."
"So what brings you a-stalkin' this evening, anyhow?" You dust yourself off a bit, taking up position behind her.
"Look at them..."Mokou bites her lips looking at where Kaguya and the others are sitting, "Bourgeois dogs mired in their opulence and decadence. Not even stopping to think about the plight of the masses - of the suffering and needs of the many."

Her statement takes you aback. A specter is haunting Gensokyo - and this specter doesn't seem to be the usual 'rend-the-flesh-from-mortals-and-damn-their-souls-just-for-fun' kind that you'd expect to be prolific.

"Umm, Mokou.... why so red?" You ask, genuinely surprised.
"What do you mean? I always wear these clothes. I already told you, I love these pants." She replies nonchalant, "And keep your voice down, they might hear us."
"That's not what I meant." You say, hushed, "Where did you hear words and ideas like that in the first place?"
"Oh, you know, read a book here, talk to a fellow free-thinker there. It's only natural though, every form of society is based on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classed. But that's besides the point," She clenches her teeth, barely letting the words escape from her mouth, "this whole display is just a vulgar distasteful spectacle."

While this is a bit surprising, given the fact that you'd think that ideas and books would be strangers to idyllic Gesnokyo, you can see through her words.

"It's just a party." This statement is the best that your slowed mind can conjure up. "If it makes you feel any better, I can try to see if I can divert some goodies your way."
"That won't be necessary." She quips, retreating from her observation spot. "I've seen enough for now. But it's nice of you to think of me."
"Sure thing, Comrade Mokou." You get up, preparing to return.
"Huh, what did you call me?"
"Nothing."
"Anyways, you should get back before they suspect anything."
"Right. See you some other time. When you're not skulking about."

You emerge from the bamboo, cleaning off the rest of the dirt from your clothes. You'll get the drop on her one of these days. Even if it takes you multiple lifetimes.

Back on the edge of the porch, the three of them are still at it. Reisen is as red as a beet, blushing because of something. Kaguya is still hanging off of Eirin, and Eirin seems to be trying her best to keep her entertained.

"Look Princess, Shirou's here. You can stop harassing me now." Eirin is the first to notice your return.
"Aww, you're no fun. Even though I did that and that to you, you're still too wound up." Kaguya let's go of Eirin in a huff. You notice that the mention of 'that' makes Reisen turn into an even deeper shade of red.
"I can't think of any situation under which I'd appreciate you playing around with my body like that." Eirin still has her wits about her, even though she's probably drank the most out the lot of you.

You sit, and are handed yet another glass of wine. You're in no position to refuse, given how Kaguya seems to be doting on you know. She's hanging off of your shoulder, staring at your drink.

"May I help you?" It's the only question that you can think of asking.
"Are you going to be a fuddy-duddy like Eirin?" Her breath stinks of alcohol, probably much like your own.
"I... don't think so?"
"Good." She gives you a thumbs up. "Come on here." She grabs and brings Reisen towards you, "Hold 'im down for me, okay? Just in case he gets any ideas like Eirin.'
"Umm... I'm not too sure that S-Shirou would be too comfortable with that..."Reisen voices her opinion, whilst avoiding to look at your face. It makes you believe that the alcohol has made her much shyer than usual.
"Nonsense, now do what I say!" Kaguya yips a command. She hiccups a bit, but drinks more to solve that problem.

She brings your own cup to your lips forcibly.

"Here, d-drink s-some m-more." Oh man, she's stuttering like mad. Kaguya's gone off to the deep end.
"I'm fine!" You try to protest, but Kaguya just frowns and pinches your nose. You open your mouth to breath and she takes the opportunity to make you drink what feels like a whole bottle of wine.
"And now, to have some fun!" She smiles at you with a dumb look on her face. Yet her eyes seem to be those of a bird of prey.

Ultimately Reisen caves and holds you down. Although she apologizes under her breath, her eyes are the same as Kaguya's. It looks like she wants to do whatever it is Kaguya has in mind as well. You're stuck between two equally fearsome predatory birds.

"Ehehe, Shirou. You're a good sport. Isn't that right?" Kaguya exchanges a few words with you and her partner-in-crime.
"I'm sorry, but just behave and it'll be fine." Reisen shares Kaguya's opinion. Even though most of your senses are dulled, you can almost feel the metaphorical drool coming from the both of them.

Kaguya places one of her hands on your thigh, slapping it upon contact. You gulp down, unsure what's going to come next.

"Ehem!" Eirin interrupts the procedure. "Princess, it's getting late. And if you don't stop drinking, you'll be feeling even worse than last time in the morning."
"Awww, and just when it was getting fun!" Kaguya backs off quite easily. Reisen follows suit. "You're not getting jealous that Shirou here was going to share your experience?"
"Hardly." Eirin gives you a look of understanding pity.
"That's awright!" Kaguya latches on to Eirin, squeezing her hard.
"P-Princess! Kaguya, cut that out!" Eirin gets up, lifting the persistent burden with her. "Come on, let's go to bed."
"With you? I never would have thought that you'd be so honest!"
"Undonge, help me out please." Eirin enlists Reisen's support.

Eirin and Reisen carry a now collapsed Kaguya back inside. Before going in, Eirin turns to you and shakes her head as if apologizing.

"Good night Shirou, help yourself to whatever is left in the bottle." And with that, the three of them exit the stage.
"...Good night.."

You sit for a while longer outside. This time you leisurely sip what's left of the bottle of wine. If your god of mischief and booze was observing, you hope that he/she is satisfied with the outcome. Just for good measure, you dedicate the last drink you have to him. You're unsure of the time, but you know that you want to turn in.

You stumble back to your room to sleep, ignoring the still partying rabbits along the way. You collapse on your futon, sleeping as soon as your head hits the ground, despite the still lively background noise.
---
There you have it, first part of two. Will write the next bit up as soon as I gather the willpower and catch up on a couple of things. But I'll probably be active for at least the next 12 or so hours.

Oh, and just as an FYI, the next couple of choices will be important (read: they'll determine your ending/variations of the ending) and narrow down the way this ends by quite a bit. But not necesarily cement a good/meh/snow ending. Depends.

Also, stupid character limit, making me split up my post.

Awesome, keep those WALLS coming.

GODDAMN EIRIN COCKBLOCK

>?Aww, you're no fun. Even though I did that and that to you, you're still too wound up." Kaguya let's go of Eirin in a huff. You notice that the mention of 'that' makes Reisen turn into an even deeper shade of red.

Fuck.
Fuck!
Fuuuuuck!

Why didn't I realize it'd be more than innocent drunken hugging?! There goes the last chance for Eirin boobies this playthrough.

God damnit, no offerings to the booze god?

Eirin~sama

The morning seems to come in just a few moments. When you open your eyes you're treated to two very obvious facts. First and foremost, the splitting headache - it feels like you're experiencing a massive earthquake inside of your skull. Second, but no less obvious, is the fact that while you're in one corner of the room, your futon, clothes, and some might say dignity, are all sprawled in different corners. You have no idea how it came to this.

You get up slowly, making deliberate movements and trying to make the pain go away. You're forced to move faster when you realize the time. It's almost 11, and you're supposed to meet Alice some time around noon. Having put on clothes, you lurch to the bathroom in order to wash your face. Stupid light, stupid sun. Stupid retinas. Aggravating your already splitting headache. The cold water on your face brings you a step closer to the world of the living.

The next stop is the kitchen. In order to bring the fluid and salinity level in your body back to normal. The dining room still has plates and leftover food in every corner. What's more, rabbits have invaded. They're all sleeping amidst food and filth, looking like a hedonistic mass. Your own party companion sits near the kitchen door, dirty plates in her hands. She's wearing sunglasses for some reason as well. As you pass her by, it's obvious that Reisen is stuck in a state of deep sleep. What's not obvious is why she's here and not in her own room. Ah well, it's a story that you can appreciate some other time.

Heading out after restoring your fluids, you don't feel any better. You're irritable, your head hurts, and every step that you take seems to be a monumental effort. Still, you do your best to venture towards the area Mokou told you to go. A normally brisk trip takes you close to a half an hour. You don't think that you ran into any villagers along the way, but truthfully you were too absorbed in not tripping and falling to notice anyone.

This area seems to be empty of activity. The fields look abandoned, and the houses ill-kept. You strain your senses to find the sign marking the the meeting point. You weren't told what it was, but it's probably obvious. Anything out of the normal here, indicating someone might have passed by recently, should count as a sign. You find the sign. It's glaringly obvious as well. A small, generic doll sits on a fencepost. That means that the house near the fencepost is the meeting point. It's a small wooden house, like every other house in the village. But it's undoubtedly abandoned. There's a cracked window, and the wood finishings have all started decaying. The amateur appraiser within you (the kind of trait that would either pay off or lead you to bankruptcy) tells you that a couple of coats of paint and a few odd repairs here and there and you'd be able to secure a good price for the property.

You take the doll with you and knock on the door. It's not even closed properly and opens inwards. Hearing no answer, you step inside. It's a simple layout. A large room devoid of most furniture except for several chairs and a table and to the right a door leading to what might be a bedroom. To the left there's another doorway, one that's missing a door. You can see from the entrance that it's a kitchen. There are no curtains on the window, permitting the full extent of the day's light to shine inside. You take a few steps inside, seeking out Alice.

"Alice? Are you here?" You feel your muscles tensing up. Miraculously enough though, it seems to make your head begin to approach normalcy.

You reach the middle of the room. The door closes behind you. You turn, coming to see a floating doll.

"Over here." A voice comes from the kitchen.

Stepping into the (equally decrepit) kitchen, you come face to face with Alice. She's holding a kettle in her hands, standing near the stove. She looks about the same as usual, save for a dark lines under her eyes.

"You came sooner than I expected. And here I was trying to see if I could make us some tea." Alice lets out a small sigh, pointing out her slight disappointment. "Anyways, it's been a while hasn't it? Let's sit. Although we won't have any tea, it's still better than just standing around."
"Eh, sure...."You retreat back to the other room, taking a seat near the table.

The relaxed atmosphere and lack of urgency has thrown you off. You're not quite sure what you expected. Whether it was for Alice to seem desperate, or for you to unleash a flood of repressed emotion, you're not sure. You cross your legs, permitting Alice to maintain the initiative in the conversation.

"Is anything the matter? You're pouting a bit." Alice looks at you with concern before sitting down near you. "I know we haven't seen each other lately, but it's hardly necessary for you to blame me. I was surprised that you turned down my invitation the other day. But I didn't think that it was because you were bitter with me."
"That's not it..."You're not sure what to say. "I'm just not sure what's going on anymore."
"I've been busy, I'm sorry. It probably must have made you feel neglected."
"Not quite it either... I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be saying here."
"Shirou, in the time that I've known you, you've been earnest and forthright always. Just say whatever your heart tells you to say. We have all day today."

[] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"
[] Seeing her here and now makes you want to embrace her and hold her tightly
[] Tell her what your experience has been since you've last met
[] Press her right away - what has she been up to?
----
I'm sorry about that. I was reading something and unexpectedly dozed off. Hence the delay in the update.

Also do think carefully of how to open things here, it'll help set the mood for the remainder of the scene with her. And of course, depending on how it goes, it might be beneficial interaction for Shirou, the reader, Alice, or all of the above.

>>11918
Cockblock, just intervention, malicious interruption... I guess we won't know which one that was.

>>11931

>[] Tell her what your experience has been since you've last met

I'm not really understanding the context of this. Would you mind explaining?

>>11932
Oh sorry, I guess the wording isn't really clear. Basically to detail all the things that you've done since last talking to her. Be it going to the SDM, not recalling what happened to you for the better part of a day, to perhaps even the party last night. All-encompassing choice I guess, which would be context sensitive to her input. Then again, all conversation is dynamic to a certain extent. But yeah, it's mainly that.

[x] Tell her what your experience has been since you've last met

This one

[x] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"

I would say let's tell Alice about what's been going on, but this is an opening, and that's something probably best saved for the heat of the conversation.

Still, getting down to the bottom of things never hurt anyone.

[x] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day??

[x] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day??

>[] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"

Straight to the point, but is that always the best path?


>[] Seeing her here and now makes you want to embrace her and hold her tightly

This option could range from "Good way to get things rolling" to "Wildly inappropriate". It's a gamble, really. We have no idea what happened during that day we lost, but it wasn't good, and Alice is losing sleep over something. This could potentially be very... wrong.

>[] Tell her what your experience has been since you've last met

Much like option one, this gets to the ultimate point of "Oh hey, I seem to have lost an entire day's worth of memories, mind filling me in?" but potentially adds a lot of fluff and lead-in which might ultimately be unnecessary.

>[] Press her right away - what has she been up to?

To me, knowing what she has been doing will only be of any value if we know WHY she's doing it, so we need to hit that topic first.

I think all told, I need to go with option 1. It fits the best within the context of the conversation ("Be honest").

[x] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day??

[!/] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"

Would have voted sooner, but readan' YAF BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW is all too worth it.

[X] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"

Best to start small before leading in to the whole "I can't remember anything that happened for a day" and whatnot.

[X] Tell her what your experience has been since you've last met

[x] "Why are we meeting here, and why did you try to get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"

Here and now.

Regardless of what's been going on, you want to find out about the immediate past and the present. This meeting and the other day included.

"Alice," You find your voice coming out softer than anticipated, "why are we meeting here? And why did you get Mokou to talk to me the other day?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Her tired eyes show you a sympathetic look. "I've missed you."

You feel butterflies fluttering around in your stomach.

"...Missed...me?"
"It's only natural, right?" Her kind smile leaves you defenseless. "After all, we haven't seen each other for a while now. Ever since we last met up in town."
"So... why didn't you just come and see me yourself?"
"I've been busy," She looks a bit sad admitting as much, "and I did try."
"Really? When? I tried going to your house several times, but you weren't there."
"I haven't been in often. And I went to the school once, but you weren't there. I got worried so I got someone else to track you down."
"And that was Mokou?"
"She found you, alright. But I never expected you to not come." She looks at you seemingly slightly bitter, while softly clenching her fists.
"I'm sorry." You apologize outright. "But it was in the middle of the school day, and I had just promised that I wouldn't go off on a whim."

She looks at you with a bit of surprise in her eyes. You think it's more towards herself than to your justification.

"It's alright. I can imagine. It's just that well..."She hesitates finishing the sentence.
?'It's just that'?"
"Ah, it's nothing." She clams up and looks away.
"Come on, you can tell me." You try to gently get it out of her.
"Well..."She drops her voice to the level of a whisper. "I thought that you might not care about me anymore."

Her meek reply has the both of you blushing. You can't help it, she looks absolutely defenseless. She avoids looking into your eyes.

"T-that's not true." You blunder your way with a reply.
"To be truthful, I almost didn't expect you to show up today either."
"But I'm here, aren't I?" You then add some facts of your own, "Every time I went looking for you, you seemed to be missing or gone. I was really worried."
"I'm sorry about that." Alice seems on the verge of tears. You're not sure why but this whole atmosphere is making you feel strange as well.
"It's okay... a lot has been going on for the both of us, I guess." You say truthfully. It feels like the both of you have burdens you've been carrying all this while.
"Oh... I don't know what's happening to me..."She gets angry at herself, in a futile attempt to mask her emotions. "I never act this way. If Marisa saw me she'd never let me hear the end of it."
"I think that it's fine."
"You're just saying that..."Alice rubs her eyes, "admit it, it's unsightly for me to be behaving this way."

You're not sure what she's been doing these days, but it seems that she also didn't know what you were up to either. That much is clear. As for how things will proceed from here on out, you're not too sure. The both of you seem to be on the verge of emotional collapse.

[] Quietly wait until the both of you settle down
[] Hug Alice
[] Hide your own feelings by asking her questions
---
Shorter than I first anticipated.

[x] Hug Alice

I'm not into the whole LOVE LOVE <3 ALICE thing but that's not to say I wouldn't hug a friend to help them calm down.

...then again I hope this doesn't end up like it did last time. *shudder*

[x] Hug Alice

Do it, faggot.

[x] Hug Alice

Seems like we should have done this off the bat. Oh well.

[X] Hug Alice

You're both emotionally stressed, and she needs some damn reassurance. This is the only option.

[X] Hug Alice

[X] Hug Alice

Obvious choice is obvious.

[x] Hug Alice

There's only one proper course of action here. You get up, an action that Alice mirrors. She looks your way, unsure of what you're going to do. You close the distance between the two of you in a couple of steps and embrace her. She welcomes your hug, tightly squeezing you back immediately.

"Alice..."You enjoy the warmth coming from her body.
"Shirou..."The moment she utters your name, she begins to sob. Her whole body trembles in your arms. You hold on tight, taking a cue from her own tight embrace.

Unsure of what to say, you remain like that. You don't wish to ruin the moment, so you just let Alice's emotions pour out. It feels like an eternity, but you feel deliriously content for reasons you can't quite understand.

Alice is the first to let go. She looks up at your face, tears still streaming from her eyes. She's close enough for you to hear her heart beating fast, and you're sure that she can hear yours as well. Her eyes focus on you for a moment, meeting your own eyes. You can see your reflection in her eyes and realize just how downtrodden and beat-up you look.

For a moment, Alice seems to think something over. Her face twitches imperceptibly in hesitation for a moment - but that passes all to quickly. A soft warm feeling spreads across your lips. It takes you a few moments to realize that you're being kissed. Closing your eyes, you accept the kiss in full. The peck lasts for only a few moments. But, as soon as it's over, Alice goes for it a second time, this time introducing her tongue into the equation.

You eagerly return the initiative. Placing a hand on her waist, you enjoy the clumsy fumbling of her tongue in your mouth. You separate only after it's absolutely necessary. The two of you gasp for air simultaneously. Panting, you don't take your eyes off of each other.

"There's something I just realized." Alice places her head on your shoulder, "I hope you can understand."
"Go ahead, I'm listening." You wrap your other arm around her, holding her close.
"I've come to realize that you're more important to me than I first realized. I wasn't sure about how I felt about you at first." She lets out a small laugh. "You were completely overwhelming, you know? I usually don't care to deal with people, but around you I change completely. Marisa made fun of me, saying that I had fallen in love."

You continue to listen to her heartfelt message.

"This whole business is complicated. And a lot seems to be at stake. And I'm sick and tired of getting so worried about you. It's as if at any moment you could disappear." Her voice weakens again. You feel a warm moist sensation on your shoulder. "And I really thought that I would never see you again."
"But I'm here now..."You try to comfort her.
"But what about later? Tomorrow? Next week? There's no guarantee that you'll be with me."
"Hey, that isn't true..."
"It is!" She weakly hits your chest with a closed fist. "You're a nice guy, maybe too nice. Those people are just using you! You don't even realize it, but you're probably just a disposable plaything to them!"
"..."There's nothing you can say without hearing her out.
"That's why-! I feel like you could disappear and go far away at any moment. I know I'm being selfish, but I realized that I don't want that!" She hits your chest again, this time a bit harder. She sobs, but seems to calm down almost immediately. "Listen to me, I'm pretty pathetic, huh? I'm sorry, but I've just never dealt with something like this before."
"You don't need to make excuses to me."
"I have a selfish request. Could you please listen to it?" Alice breaks free from you. She takes a step back, putting some distance between the two of you.
"I'll listen to whatever you say, you should know that."
"Thanks." Alice wipes away some of the tears from her face. "Please consider this carefully and know that it's my heartfelt wish."
"No need to be so formal."

Alice takes a deep breath. She collects herself, working up the nerve to say something.

"Marisa was right...Shirou... I... l-love you!" She comes out and says it out loud. Her face is getting redder every passing moment.
"I-"
"I'm not done yet!" Alice cuts you off. "And because I love you, and because I'm so selfish, I want you to be with me. Make me believe that you won't disappear."
"Bu-? But I'm already here for you ? you were going to say, but you get cut off again.
"Not yet!" She yells out in a mix of desperation and embarrassment. "So, I want you to take me... and m-make..."She stutters and it would seem that she chokes up, but she somehow rallies and pulls through, "and make love to me!"
"..."You're speechless.

Alice bows her head, as if asking an important favor.

"If it's alright with you, please let me show you how I feel. And make me forget about my unease."

Alice keeps her eyes peeled to the ground, avoiding your gaze. She seems to tremble slightly, but she tries her best to hide it.

[] Make love to Alice
[] Reject her
---
>>11951
As obvious as this?
>>11945
Hahaha.

Overanalyze away! I'm off to watch House. And play video games.

[x] Make love to Alice

Fuck it, whether or not this is a bad choice is irrelevant. It's going to win. H-Scene is go.

[x] Screw her brains out.

[x] Make love to Alice

She means to, like, go back to her house and do it, right? I'd rather Mokou didn't come across us and start heckling our performance.

That's a lie, I'd love for that to happen. It'd be awesome.

[x] Make love to Alice

I have no regrets, this is the only path.

[x] Make love to Alice

Again, I'm not one for the whole Alice thing, but you know, when an honest girl who likes me, comes up to me with such a sincere confession like that, it's very difficult for me to reject anything they ask...even this. May as well.

>>11957

Hahaha, YES. This would be highly epic.

[x] Make love to Alice

Oh god why, i want Kaguya not Alice. But whatever, i take what i can get.

[x] Make sweet love to Alice

[x] Make love to Alice

J-J-Jam it in!

As Teruyo put it, 'symbolic vote'~

[X] Make sweet love to Alice till dawn

Well, it's no contest as to what won (as if there was any real chance of the alternative winning). I'll create a new thread 'in a while' after I finish writing. No real ETA since I'll only write when I feel inspired. But hopefully soon enough.

>>11957
That's a nice mental image right there. But no external interferences will occur here. As much as a random mass of rabbits in an orgy would 'enhance' the scene or Mokou interfering somehow there'll be none of that.

[x] *Squeeze* Alice
[x] Rape Alice

{X} "You lost me."

Fuck. I had written about 3/4 of the update when my desktop decided to be cute and hang for some reason. I lost a bunch of text from the last auto-save. I'm giving up on writing until after I get some sleep. So push that already vague ETA further back. F'in demoralizing as well. Ah well, writin' smut ain't easy.

Writefags do their best now and are preparing. Please watch warmly until it is ready.

>>11974
hooray!

Isn't there a rule about not having sex when you're in the middle of some big mystery conspiracy thing?

Well, if it's Alice it's fine.