"I'm really happy too." You grasp her hand tightly.
"Say..."Alice speaks after a brief pause.
"Mm?"
"I can still feel your hot stuff inside of me. It's oozing about."
"Ah..."You feel immensely embarrassed. You can't believe that she just said that.
"It makes me real glad. It's the proof of your love for me."
"I didn't hurt you much, did I?"
"To be honest," Alice turns her head to look at you, her eyes are sparkling, "it did at first. But I forgot all about it. It's as if all of my senses just faded away. All I could think of was you and how you felt so hot."
"It was the same for me. I couldn't think of anything but you." You laugh a bit, "But looking at you now, I can't help but feel that I was maybe a bit too rough."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your hair is a mess, I think we're both sweaty, and I think that I crumpled up your underwear."
"Ah! I must look horrible." She blushes and tries to let go of your hand, trying to cover herself up.
"Not at all. You said something about proof of my love for you, right? Seeing you like this is proof of your love for me. You're absolutely beautiful." Normally you don't think that you'd say something that embarrassing, but tenderness just overwhelms you.

The two of you stay like that, exchanging intimate comments for a long time. It's strange, but you're completely comfortable lying there naked, whispering sweet nothings to each other in an abandoned house. Only after the sky outside begins to turn orange do the two of you stop cuddling and get dressed.

"You know," You comment while watching Alice get dressed, "I didn't say this before, but I think that those panties and bra are really cute."
"Geez, what are you saying all of a sudden?" Alice complains and blushes but doesn't stop getting dressed.
"Well, you know, I was more focused on you. You're beautiful."
"I had no idea that you'd change like this after making love." She buttons up her top. "It's embarrassing, but it makes me feel good. You sure are blunt at times."
"Well, it's the truth."

You're fully dressed. Alice crouches down to pick up her discarded headband on the mattress. Your eyes wonder to the red stain nearby. It reminds you of what you did earlier. You hold Alice from behind when she gets up. She's surprised but lets out a sigh.

"You know, we haven't talked about anything yet." You kiss her ear, and she continues speaking, "I feel very safe now, but I'm very worried about you."
"That again? I'm sure that everything will be fine."
"I wish it could be. But I'm not too sure."

She wriggles free from your grasp.

"Your hosts - those lunarians, they've got some sort of agenda. And I'm sure that it involves you."
"Do you know what it is?"
"That's the thing - I don't." She lets out another sigh. "All I've gotten is cryptic information about their motives. I do have a lot of notes that I've written down. But I've hidden them away. You can never be too careful."

She makes one of her dolls spring to life, bringing her a small piece of paper.

"Shirou, whatever it is, I have a bad feeling that it involves you. There's some sort of plan that they're going to carry out. And I know that they need a couple of things to do it. But I'm not sure what's the ultimate purpose."
"You don't think they'd hurt me though? I mean, they've treated me well up till now."
"I don't know, but I can't help but worry." She looks at you with a serious look. "I honestly don't want anything to happen to you."
"And nothing will." You reassure her. However unfounded your confidence may be. There's a part of you that believes that the folks at Eientei would never wish you ill. Sure, Eirin has come close to criminal negligence, but surely Kaguya - and probably Reisen- wouldn't hurt you.
"I'm still figuring how to proceed. I have some more information I could tell you right now, but..."
"But...?"

Alice turns beet-red once again.

"I'm exhausted after making love with you. I can hardly think straight."

You want to laugh at her sincere confession, but to be honest, you're feeling pretty drained yourself. It was only once, but it felt very intense.

"I'll tell you what, though." Alice proposes a plan, walking towards the door. "We could meet tomorrow when you're free and discuss things. We can meet here again. I'm sure you also have a lot of things you want to ask me."
"Why here?"
"Because I have the feeling that we're probably being watched. It might just be a bit of paranoia on my part, but the deeper I dig, the fouler everything seems. This place will probably be safe for another day at least."
"And what are you going to do now?"
"Honestly?" She gives you a shy smile, "Try to rest. And maybe organize my thoughts." She looks away for a moment, "My mind is in a daze and my heart is beating fast just being near you."

Ah, it's the same for you.

You walk her to the door. You hadn't realized that you spent all afternoon in here. The immediate surroundings look even more abandoned than in the morning. Alice begins to say goodbye, planting a quick kiss on your lips.

[] Offer to spend the night with her
[] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei
[] Say goodbye and stay in the vicinity of the village
---
There, done after an eternity of stalling after losing my first attempt to a random crash. Can't say I'm fully confident of how it turned out. But it should be fine. Worst of all, I actually was working in parallel on a certain sidestory (had gotten inspiritation). Now I'm too lazy to finish it once again.

>>11988
Well, considering the many infractions we've (as anon - not just this story) committed upon the conventions of common sense and survival, it'd say that this is just a minor one. Relatively speaking. Maybe.

Needs more coconut crab.

Nah, gj. Very endearing.

[x] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei
Instinct tells me this place is less likely to be found this way.

YES!! WE'VE WON THE GAME!!! (sort of)

[X] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei

[x] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei

Good show.

[!/] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

[] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei

Fucking Alice was the wrong choice anonymous. This was your only chance to get her info before the end, Kaguya knows what happened here.

And she is VERY upset with you.

[x] Say goodbye and stay in the vicinity of the village

I'd rather stay close to powerful friends that could protect us. (i.e. Keine and Mokou) Sticking with Alice is going to end up with a lot of vulnerability. Though, going back to Eientei is fine too.

Today's a busy day for me unfortunately. I'll only be free in a couple of hours (4-5 hours), and I'll probably use the break to sleep. So don't expect anything for a while. Sorry. As always, even though there's a clear majority, I'll keep the vote open if only as a symbolic gesture. So if you haven't had your voice heard, go ahead.

>>11994
As much as my inner-nasu and eroge scene cliches were screaming out to be used, I made the conscious choice not to include them in 'serious' h-scenes. So yeah, no mollusks, anthropods, or other denizens of the sea. As much as it breaks my heart. And I tried to avoid some of the other commonly used stereotypes while maintaining a certain degree of familiarity. Next non-important scene though, and you can expect glistening like a freshly opened oyster and other such examples of colorful language that would make an old seadog shout in excitement.

>>12002
Reminds me of that doujin/single page of Kaguya watching Mokou go take a dump because she had nothing better to do.

Also, crab related. As he's with me in spirit.

I'm torn between going back to the village and staying with Alice; somehow, going back to Eientei after basically spending most of our time befriending people outside of it seems a bad idea.

I guess I'll just have to go with
[x] Offer to spend the night with her

[X] Say goodbye and go back to Eientei

No rambling, no theories, no long-winded post.
I just want to say crustaceans are fucking awesome.

And delicious.

But mostly awesome.

[X] Offer to spend the night with her

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

Holy fuck Teruyo, you can't write H-scenes for shit, can you? Well, admittedly it wasn't that bad, but still, work on it before you do one with Kaguya or something. (Or maybe that's what you're lacking)

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

>>12014
I'm not seeing the problem here.

>>12019

Yeah, you can't see the problem with anything, can you?

It was a nice enough scene, though.

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

[x] Offer to spend the night with her
Feels safer. I worry that once we lose sight of Alice, we're not going to be seeing her again for a VERY long time.

>>12014
He was going for the nervous first-timers rather than the "OH GOD I WANT YOUR HUGE COCK IN ME" fapfapfap kinda stuff that other anons write in abundance. Personally thought he did it pretty well.

>>12023
Why so serious?

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

I realize this is useless before I even begin, but trying to spend the night with Alice really doesn't seem like a good idea.

For starters, as she is the only one currently clued-in about what's happening, and about what might be about to happen, she's currently the only one we can rely upon for help. However, as tired and worn-out a she clearly has been, there's a good chance she won't be at the top of her game without some good rest and a chance to properly compose her thoughts, things that she probably won't be able to do as well so long as we're with her.


I understand the worry that something will happen to her should we get separated, or something, but that's all the more reason we need to ensure that we're not entirely dependent upon one single life-line to get us out of trouble. If that one rope snaps, we're pretty much fucked.

Well, more-so than we are now, that is.

If we go to Eientei, it might be the last chance we get to pump even the slightest bit of information from the place before we hit the Point of No Return and returning there is no longer an option. If we stay with Alice, whoever is watching us will most certainly be tipped off that something is up, and we could wind up hitting that point much sooner. If we can still get away with acting like everything is business as usual, we should take full advantage of it while we can, since we most likely won't be able to for much longer.

Even if you don't want to go back to Eientei, I think a better way to spend your time rather than crashing with Alice for the night would be to let the dear doll-maker do what she needs to on her own, and finally get around to securing the support of your other prospective allies. We haven't told anyone else as much as we've told Alice, remember. The more people we can count on to help when the shit hits the fan, the greater our chances are of not winding up having to deal with it on our own when someone inevitably is incapacitated in some fashion. Having seen first-hand the bloody mess our hosts made of Mokou, and knowing how easily the pant-wearing immortal could kick our ass, it's clear that we don't stand a chance in hell of surviving the wrath of Eientei on our own.

[x] Offer to spend the night with her

"Wait up a bit." You stop Alice from leaving.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I was wondering if maybe... you'd like me to spend the night with you?"
"Spend the night with me?" She repeats the question, showing only the subtlest hint of bashfulness in her voice. What's the big deal anyways?
"Well... I really feel like it." You tell her the truth. "Besides, wouldn't it potentially be dangerous if we split up?"
"I don't know about danger. But don't you usually sleep at Eientei?"
"It depends. I've spent plenty of nights elsewhere, with other people."
"Oh, I didn't know that you had that many friends here already."

Somehow the subject shifted to something completely different.

"Well, it's not that many. I've just stayed the night with Keine a few times. And yeah, the other night I camped out with Mokou."
"..."Alice falls into silence.
"What's wrong?" You think that you might have upset her somehow. She usually doesn't clam up like this.

It takes you a while to realize what might have gone wrong.

"Alice? I'm only friends with them. You're my special someone." You opt out of a hug, instead gently caressing her face with your hand. "You shouldn't worry."
"I trust you." She looks straight at you, with a smile on her face. "It's just... hard to control how I feel. Whenever I think of you my heart beats fast. When I think about you with... other girls," her emphasis sounds more like rationalization than emotional discharge, "I don't know what to feel or do.."
"Well, this is kind of why I want to spend the night with you, so I can keep track of you. I feel pretty similarly to you."
"You shouldn't worry about me."
"And why is that?"
"Because," she raises her volume, "I've never ever met anyone that I've ever been interested in like you."

You laugh. A warm feeling spreads from your chest.

"I trust you then." You give her a smile. It's a genuine reflection of how you feel on the inside. "If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be worried either."
"I suppose that's right." She glows for a while with the revelation

. You feel that you can pick up on her mood and feelings without the need for words. It feels like you're synchronized. Is this a couple thing?

"Still, if you want to spend the night with me, I have no real problem with that. It's just that..."Her voice trails off, indicating some sort of complication.
"What's the complication?"
"Ah, I haven't been staying at home lately. Partially because I've been busy doing research and talking to people and also because I'm sure someone is watching my home."
"So, where are you staying?"
"For tonight, I'm staying with Marisa."
"Ah..."

Even a complete fool would see the problem here. You're a couple. And even barring any display of public affection, there's the fact that that witch would likely make a big deal out of it. And you're honestly not very sure how to deal with her, especially since you're uncertain of how Alice normally deals with her. On a more practical side, is there even room there for you? You'd likely end up sleeping in the kitchen or a closet or something.

"...Don't worry." Alice seems needlessly resolute, "If you really want to stay with me I'll make sure you can. Just do what you think is best. I'm fine with whatever you decide."

[] Go with Alice
[] On second thought.... (runner up vote; Eientei)
----
Sorry for the delay.

>>12014
>>12023
As I've always stated, I'm open to constructive criticism. And I'm continually trying to improve. Sometimes it's about knowing your readers better. Or correcting deficiencies. I'll tell you what I tried to accomplish here, and you tell me what I need to improve.

The goal of this scene wasn't to be erotic nor highly sensual. So much so that I had even considered just glossing it over (ie: 'the two of you lay in bed after showing the full extent of your love' - or something like that anyways, just a quick example). Even before I lost most of my work it was something like this. It's supposed to be much more of an emotional scene than carnal lust. Now, that said, all of my previous scenes have had a different style to them. For different reasons. Because they were a dream/daydream/badend/alternateworld/etc. And they vary in narrative style (stuff from the type of language used and even the narrator varies in each one) and objective (mindfuck, mindless sex romp, etc).

So, if possible, take all of that into consideration and tell me what's lacking. If it's reasonable or pointing out shortcomings in my writing I'll try my best to improve.

The same goes for overall writing. I try to not overuse certain words, vary dialog, keep things in-character, but if anyone has anything to say that can help me improve, go ahead. Every time you people have brought something up, I've tried to accomodate and explain things. And I always will, since we're in this together.

>>12007
Yeah, really awesome. Amazing buggers. Occasionaly can look very freakishly large and dangerous.

Oh and final note; all these choices weigh down, so choose wisely. It might be beneficial to get a full grasp on your situation and surroundings. But that should always be kept in mind, not just now.

>>12042


[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

[X] On second thought.... (runner up vote; Eientei)

[X] On second thought.... (runner up vote; Eientei)

[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

[x] On second thought.... (runner up vote; Eientei)

Seems like despite my best efforts, I can't win anyway. :

[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

Being that it appears that we've finally settled on the route, we should make up for lost time before the shit hits the fan.

[X] On second thought.... (runner up vote; Eientei)

Having to vote twice for the same choice is CLEARLY telling us we should not do it.

>>12065
>>Having to vote twice for the same choice is CLEARLY telling us we should not do it.

While it could just be an attempt to get the player to second-guess themselves, it is true that instances where a given choice is immediately followed by something to the effect of "are you SURE you want to do this?" do seem to have a tendency to not end favorably if you go through with it anyway.

Just something to keep in mind.

>>12071

>Are you SURE you want to leave Arcueid in the hotel?
yes I do stupid game leave me alone

>>12072

SHARKS ON HIGH BUILDINGS AWAY FROM THE WATER DO NOT COUNT

[x] Go with Alice
[x] "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."

RESOLVE!

Sorry about not updating. I'll get to it eventually (read: 2-3 hours from now).

>>12072
Enjoy returning to the mansion and getting killed by Chaos and his beasts.

>>12086

Hooray! But how was that end like anyways, never got it.

Man, it's going to be so awesome when our sleep-over at Marisa's comes to an abrupt end when fucking Jaws with bunny ears smashes through the wall like the Kool-Aid man from Hell and bites our heads off. OH YEAH!

>>12086
UPDATES FAST

"It's okay. I'll stick with you." You've made up your mind. "I think I could handle her teasing over the potential of me dying if I go back."
"Eh-?" It looks like she somehow didn't really expect you to press the point. She doesn't remain befuddled however, and issues out marching orders. "I'll think up something to tell Marisa. Let's get going, it'll be dark soon."
"Think of something? Can't we just tell her the truth? I am at risk elsewhere."
"That's yet to be seen." She starts walking. You follow at her side. "Bad feelings aside, if someone wanted to get rid of you, you'd be defenseless. It's not like you're a magician or anything, just a regular human."
"That's true..."You recall the times you've been beaten up or near death since you've arrived. Yeah, your life is a frail thing. And people die if they're killed.

You walk along with Alice, thinking maybe a bit too much about just how close to death you've come. She's silent most of the way. When you stop thinking in order to talk to her, you notice just how tired she looks. Her shoulders are slumped, steps are slightly staggered, and eyes droopy. The late afternoon light is doing her no favors either.

"Hey, you know what?" You're going to attempt to lift some of her burden - you're sure that anything at this point might be considered a burden for her. "I'll deal with Marisa, I think I can handle it."
"...You sure?" Her words come off as almost one giant yawn. "You don't have to."
"I want to. So don't worry about it."
"If you say so. We're almost there anyways."

Even though you said that, you really don't have good tact in dealing with Marisa. For the rest of the way, you go back to thinking. Ah, screw it. You'll just think of something on the spot. Well, as you conclude that, you're put on the spot. Without you noticing it, you've arrived at Marisa's place. In fact, you're face to face with the spunky girl in black right now. She lets the both of you in and then turns to you with a large grin on her face.

"So, what brings you here, dear Emi-yan?" Like a wolf circling her prey.
"I wanted to be with Alice. I'd like to stay overnight, if that's okay with you."
"Oh sure, that's, like, totally fine with me. We'll just clear a spot for you down here and off to dreamland we'll all go." She narrows her eyes, "I'm just more interested in finding out what brought all of this on."
"Nothing to it. I told you, I wanted to be with Alice."
"Is that so~?" She turns to look at Alice, who has made herself comfortable on one of the chairs. She seems to think for a moment, before turning back to you. "Well, that's okay."
"What is?"
"Your reason." She shrugs. Her predatory mannerisms all but vanish completely. "Now come on and help me fix dinner."

You thought she'd be a bit more resistant. Or maybe crack a joke or two at your expense. But... this. It's quite unexpected. Still, with the way things are, you're not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. You scuttle along to help her out in the kitchen. Alice stays behind, you don't think she'd be of much use in there anyhow.

"Could you chop that up??, ?Watch that for me.?, ?Hand me that!? - Marisa pretty much bosses you around in there. What you're making isn't terribly complicated. Unlike the last time that you ate here, tonight's dish is only mushroom-enhanced, not mushroom-based. The difference is that instead of some thick brown slop or platter full of fungi, your dishes will be graced by the presence of other vegetables and meat. Of course, it's really a technical thing. You frown as you realize that even the (what seems to be, anyways) mutton is presented with a forest of mushroom.

You don't complain and follow your instructions to the letter. Hell, you even learn something. You can now tell the difference between two very similar mushrooms. Apparently the slightly flatter top makes a world of difference. You're done by the time that the sun completely disappears from the sky.

Marisa doesn't have a table. So instead, she quickly lays out a cloth on the floor and you bring out and place the food on it. It's inelegant, but it'll do.

"Let's dig in. Come on Alice, this stuff will do you a world of good, ~ze." Marisa retrieves Alice from her seat and guides her to a spot on the floor. Alice smiles weakly, assenting to the change.
"Not to risk a lengthy explanation on the merits of mushrooms, but is it healthy to eat these all the time?" You ask the question that was begging to be asked.
"Yes it is. Very healthy." Marisa serves food for herself and Alice. And then she begins to eat.
"..."That was kind of rude. She didn't wait for you. You help yourself to some of the food.

Mealtime is strangely silent. Alice doesn't say much, just replying to the occasional smalltalk from Marisa. You are ignored. And any attempt to start a conversation is ended abruptly by Marisa. You're beginning to suspect that she might be upset with you for some reason. Nah, that couldn't be it. After all, she does answer you. It's just that her replies are unusually dull and flavorless for her. If she were a normal person, you'd be satisfied.

Ah, you think you notice what's up. By the end of mealtime you theorize that she's just doting on Alice. Even as you clean up, she doesn't stop trying to talk to Alice and keep her active. Given that they're friends, it'd be no surprise if this is just her way of watching out for her. She makes tea, a kind similar to Alice's favorite. You're offered some, but it's as an afterthought clearly.

"Shirou, I know it's early, but I think it'd be best if we called it a night." Marisa cuts the evening short some time after tea.
"Yeah, that might be for the best." Nothing else that you can say in this situation. Wait - did she just call you by your name?
"Alice and I can share my bed. It's big enough for the both of us. And Alice looks like she can use a good sleep. I'll get you a couple of sheets in a bit."
"Good night Shirou." Alice half-mumbles, getting up with the help of Marisa. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sleep well." You wish her a good night. She looks completely drained.

Marisa leads Alice towards the back and up stairs. You wait patiently alone. A few minutes later Marisa comes back with a few sheets.

"You'll have to sleep on the floor. Sorry about that." Marisa puts down the bundle.
"It's okay." A wooden floor isn't the most comfortable of surfaces to sleep on, but you'll manage.
"I've got to catch up with Alice, but she's more tired than I expected her to be." Her serious attitude evaporates. That damn grin comes back - it seems that for just this one line; ?I wonder if it has anything to do with you."
"Let her rest. Don't keep her up with your pestering." You inadvertently smile - a reflex action. Probably because you were feeling a bit self-conscious about not having Marisa kid around with you.
"Yeah, yeah." Marisa waves her hand dismissively in the air. She locks her front door, and closes a couple of curtains. "It's just hard not to say anything - it couldn't be more obvious even if there were a sign around both of your necks."
"And now what could you be talking about?" You act a bit coy, mainly to see if she's bluffing.
"That's okay, I'll definitely ask Alice about all of the details." Having finished down here, she starts to walk towards her room. "For now though, good night. And pleasant dreams. Oh," She add one final remark before she disappears, "I'm sorry about not letting you sleep together, it is my bed you know. I can't have you two doing whatever it is you lovebirds do until the small hours of morning. It'd be awkward for me to use the bed in the future."
"...I somehow doubt that." You reply, loud enough for only you to hear. She's gone.

It takes you a bit to set up your sleeping space. One sheet to lie upon and the rest as covers. There's virtually no padding in between you and the floor but it's fine. You'll eventually be able to sleep if you relax. In the stillness of the evening, you think that you can hear voices talking, ever so faintly. But it's just as likely that it's just the wind blowing outside. You couldn't tell.

Eventually the sounds fade and you feel drowsiness overtake you. You're sure that it's not that late. Maybe it's because of the monotonous plain ceiling that you've been staring at. Or the numbing effect of the hard floor. Well, it doesn't really matter. You've fallen fast asleep.
----
Yeah, that took quite a bit. And it's not even a full update! Damn me and my sudden inability to write. I'm not sure when the next part is coming, so this is to whet your appitite. Also, too friggin' lazy to look for an appropiate pic. Sorry about that.

>>12097
Three-minute difference good enough?
>>12089
Now you're just trying to tempt and/or goad me.

WALL making. I love it.

>>Now you're just trying to tempt and/or goad me.

Well, having already fought with a bear and riding a dinosaur, I would think Shirou encountering a shark in some fashion would be the next step.

This Story serious lacks Eirin and /eientei/. Not that i am disappointed, but didn't think that there would be an Alice route.
I thought that she was more of a side character that would drive the story forward.

If you ever restart again, make it like HY. Lock Shirou up in Eientei with a few events that lets you go outside.

>>12086
>Enjoy returning to the mansion and getting killed by Chaos and his beasts.
Exactly my point.

The human mind is a fascinating thing. Or so you think when you open your eyes early next morning. You rub your eyes, trying to get a grasp on the situation. There's barely any light and the house is deathly still. Your ribs are sore. You rolled over in your sleep and the hard wooden floor did its work. Still, given all this, you're still amazed at your mind. Or maybe it's just your subconscious.

You had a dream last night. It was one of 'those' dreams - it's been a while since the last one. You were there, Alice was there, and even Marisa was there. Things were interesting, to say the least. You were, well, with Alice. Something like yesterday. When all of a sudden a certain grinning mushroom-eater burst in and demanded to be a part of it. Thankfully, even in your fantasies you retain some common sense. Despite her best efforts to intrude, you denied her. Oh sure, all it took was a world-ending guitar shred-off, but you think things turned out for the best. Yeah, your escapade with Alice didn't really conclude or move past the initial stages, but you showed Marisa who's boss. And that makes you feel happy.

"Fuwaah~? You let out a yawn.

Now why is it that you've woken up so early? As far as you can tell, no one else is up. And the other usual causes, like hunger or having to go to the bathroom, don't seem to be it either. You rub your eyes, trying to figure out what it is that your body is trying to tell you. It's only when you check the time, that you realize what's wrong.

"Oh."

A bit of an understatement on your part, to be sure. You now remember that it's a normal weekday today. And that means that you've got to head on to school. Not right now, but soon enough. Even if you had forgotten about it, your body wouldn't let you. Not to mention your work ethics. If there's anything that you've come to realize these past few days, it's that you don't want to miss out on your duties any more. It's not a question of if you should go, but rather what to do before going.

Crap, you can't just barge into Marisa's room. You'll have to leave a note. You search amongst Marisa's knickknacks and 'merchandise' for pen and paper. You eventually find something that remotely resemble a writing implement and paper and leave a note.

"Have to go to school.?, ?Meet you as planned later.?, etc. You scribble down the gist of what you want to say and leave the note in a prominent place. They'll be sure to see it. And hopefully everything will be fine.

You leave the house as stealthily as possible. So as not to wake anyone up. The walk home is quick. Mostly because there's nothing to slow you down. Gensokyo at dawn is like a world in stasis. Nothing seems to be active. Approaching Eientei from the Bamboo trail, you spot something slightly out of place at the main entrance. There, huddled into a ball, is Reisen blocking the door.

"Reisen...."You call to her. She's fast asleep. "Hey, wake up... this is no place to be sleeping." You gently shake her shoulder.
"Mmm?" She rouses after a few shakes. Her eyes open and she looks at you blankly for a few moments.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you cold?"
"Ah, Shirou!" When she recognizes there's an explosion of energy within her. "You're supposed to go talk to Lady Kaguya."
"Come again?"
"She wants to talk to you. I was told to wait for your return in order to tell you that."
"Wait, so you've been waiting here for me? Since when?"
"Ah, since yesterday afternoon." She fixes her clothes. Her skirt had somehow shifted and the front was to her side. She then get up.
"Why couldn't she just leave me a note? Was it really necessary for you to be here all this time?" You kind of feel bad for making Reisen stay here all night. Not that she seems to be particularly upset about it. That in itself makes you feel worse.
"I suppose. That's why I was told to wait out here. I thought you'd be back sooner, to be honest."
"I'm sorry for this."
"Oh no, it's not your fault. Besides, the rabbits kept me company most of the night. I guess they must have gone though."
"Is Kaguya even awake at this hour?"
"I wouldn't know. I just followed instructions." She opens the door, and steps inside. "Well, now that my work is done I guess that I should start my daily routine. See you later."
"...Yeah, see you."

Just like that she leaves you alone. It's a bit of a shock. Especially given that she didn't seem to mind at all. Well, you have to do what you have to do. You go to your room and get changed, pondering what it is that Kaguya might want. And if it's important to talk to her right away. You have to go to school soon. And besides, you don't even know if she's awake.

After freshening up, eating something, and gathering the stuff needed for the day, you're ready. You can dawdle only for a bit. Otherwise you'll be late.

[] Just go to school
[] Drop by to talk to Kaguya
----
>>12102
Oh ye of little imagination. Why a shark? When you could potentially encounter massive crocodiles, dragons, Beholders, or Deep Ones? Heck, if this were D&D, I'd already have sprung a kobold encounter or two. <3 those little bastards.
>>12104
My dear good sir; As I've stated before, this isn't really an Alice route per se. Nor is she a heroine in the sense that Tohsaka or Kyou are in their respective VNs. Assuming that the main focus of this route is a relationship with Alice is a dangerous assumption indeed.

>I thought that she was more of a side character that would drive the story forward.
The story isn't about her. Although she does drive the story forward. But ideally only insofar as the main point of the story is concerned. Anything amounting to extra 'relationship' or 'ending' with her is something akin icing on the cake. Or a sideshow, a subplot if you will. Or at least it should be. And I think it's important that you (anon) damn well realize this. Hence my original intent to grossly gloss over any hscenes with her.

>If you ever restart again, make it like HY. Lock Shirou up in Eientei with a few events that lets you go outside.

Once again, my dear sir, I must clarify things yet again. The closer you are to a character, the more time you spend with them. And as such, on their routes, you end up finding yourself in situations where all significant interaction is with them and others are shut out. At one point you were oh so very close to finding yourselves on Eirin's route. I suppose I shouldn't reveal this so easily but... those hallucinations and some visions had A LOT to do with her route. Their going away is a reflection of the shift of focus of the story..

Likewise, I was planning to add this to notes before the next walkthrough, but there's no harm in it now I guess. Kaguya's primary route sees you spending a lot of time with her, a bit less with Eirin, and marginally with Reisen. The rest of the character are completely irrelevant. With Reisen's it's her, Tewi, and to a lesser extent Kaguya but other characters might be supporting characters. With Mokou it's about her and Kaguya, and Keine is there for good measure, as well as supporting characters. See where I'm going with this? I fully well know how to keep the story as focused as it need be. The most dramatic departure would be on Kaguya's route, but that's really a special case. The thing is that you've gone for the outsider route in Eientei. And as such the primary interactions are with those outside and it deals with the ambiguouity of things at Eientei. Which you guys do a phenomenal job of avoiding dealing with and hence driving yourselves perilously further and further away from the main focus (and towards the abyss?).

Ah, here I am ranting again for no good reason. Bottom line is to have confidence and think critically. For the maker's sake. I'm not about to autopilot things. You reap what you sow.

>>12108
Good.

>>Oh ye of little imagination. Why a shark? When you could potentially encounter massive crocodiles, dragons, Beholders, or Deep Ones? Heck, if this were D&D, I'd already have sprung a kobold encounter or two. <3 those little bastards.

Because, good sir, along with bears and dinosaurs, sharks make up the third part of the animal kingdom's Trinity of AWESOME. To have two and not the third would be like trying to have two Stooges instead of three, like having a BLT without the tomato, like having a day with Morning and Noon but no Night, like having a tricycle with only two wheels...

Wait, that last one actually works.

In any case, it's sort of a matter of propriety.
That, and I can't help but imagine it would end up being like the old show Flipper, if Flipper was less "underwater Lassie" and more "remorseless killing machine". It and Shirou could solve problems through the power of friendship, and violence!

[x] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

[] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

Goodbye Shirou, we hardly knew ye. I hope Kiene doesn't get snowed in under all the extra work she has to do when Shirou never shows up for school again.

[X] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

>>12116
Kaguya all the way until the end even if it kills us.

[X] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

Poor moon-bunny.

[x] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

The end of the story happens now.

>>12112
>Which you guys do a phenomenal job of avoiding dealing with and hence driving yourselves perilously further and further away from the main focus (and towards the abyss?).
Because we have no idea which options will reveal any useful information, and which will waste our time looking for people who are away or busy, or spending some completely unproductive time with someone. Alice's research is the closest thing we have to a lead and we just spent an entire day with her and learned absolutely nothing. Oh, it's not like she hasn't found out anything, but she doesn't have her notes with her (???) and she's tired from having sex (?!) and we have to wait until tomorrow. I guess to actually accomplish something, we were supposed to reject the girl we confessed our love to when she finally returns our feelings and asks to have sex because she feels like we're disappearing.

...Wait, how did we lose an entire day there anyway? We did nothing in the morning, met Alice at noon, talked for a few minutes, had sex once, went to Marisa's, cooked and ate dinner, and went right to sleep. Shouldn't it have been like 4 or 5 PM at that point?

>I'm not about to autopilot things. You reap what you sow.
Haha, autopilot? How about you start with some basic instruments and a flight plan?

>>12121
Maybe Shirou just has that kind of stamina... if you know what I mean...

>>Because we have no idea which options will reveal any useful information, and which will waste our time looking for people who are away or busy, or spending some completely unproductive time with someone.

Which is generally why you're supposed to actually take into account factors like what you know about the current situation and the people involved, what seems most likely to work (or not) in the situation, and whether or not similar choices were successful in the past, and base your choices upon that.

The entire "Find Kaguya" fiasco is the perfect example of this, from the ill-conceived attempted to catch Tewi to make her our guide despite our utterly lack of success at tracking her down up to that point, to the ever-so-brilliant idea to look for Kaguya at the one shrine that she was least likely to go to. Considering there were only two shrines to choose from, I can only think that either Anon was intentionally trying to sabotage things, or their judgment really was just THAT BAD. Either way, it's not really conductive for succeeding in getting anything productive done.

It also doesn't help matters when you can't properly focus and set yourself on one thing before moving on to something else, or writing off something as futile before you even exhausted your options regarding it. We fail to get information from Eirin, and rather then attempting a different approach we just gave up and moved on to someone else. We tried to find out about that bloody note, failed, and rather than try to ask around more we just gave up on THAT. Hell, part of the reason some became so intent on relations with Alice was purely because they had completely written off their chances with anyone else due to whatever minor mistake we made (yet made no real effort to correct) with them and she was the only one we had not in some way messed up with at that point.

That bit where we had a choice to search for Keine or stay with Mokou, attempted to do both, and failed to do either also falls under this failure to commit to an action, with the added problem of trying to do TOO MANY things at once.

For all of our failures, we did ourselves no favors by spreading our efforts so thinly. Not wanting to waste too much time on a futile effort is understandable, but when you allow that to prevent yourself from putting enough time and effort into something that potentially COULD succeed, you pretty much doom it to failure before you even begin.

>>I guess to actually accomplish something, we were supposed to reject the girl we confessed our love to when she finally returns our feelings and asks to have sex because she feels like we're disappearing.

Heaven forbid someone make a decision that places obtaining information crucial to their well-being and possibly their very survival over the prospect of getting a little hanky-panky. Getting to score takes precedence over ALL, even that nice man in the hockey mask that's waiting just outside to bury a machete in your skull.

[!/] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

Only way this story can be a GREAT SUCCESS if we get a HY Remilla True End end.

>>Only way this story can be a GREAT SUCCESS if we get a HY Remilla True End end.

But we haven't even met Remilia in this story.

>>12124
who is the dog going to be then?

>>12126

Wasn't TRUE END the ultimate despair scenario that almost could have been worse then SNOWEND?

Be odd to call that a GOOD END.

>>12127
If I recall correctly, there wasn't technically a "True" end, just "Good", "Normal", and "Sad" varieties.

"Good" and "Sad" being (obviously) good and sad, respectively, and Normal being not as sad as the "Sad" ends but still very much a depressing kick in the balls, made to sting all the more since earning it meant you had been locked-in to it and were well past the point where you could go back and fix things.

Considering how things have been going, I have a guess as to which way we're going to end up, and I'll just say this: I hope you're wearing a cup.

[x] Drop by to talk to Kaguya

A moment's pause to think the options over and a short walk later and you're in front of Kaguya's room. The door's ajar. Sounds of movement come from within. It's a safe bet to say that Kaguya is up. You knock, and step inside.

"Yes, yes. Come in." Kaguya beckons you in.

Inside is a bit of an odd sight. Well, it's odd to you since you're used to seeing Kaguya sitting, sipping tea leisurely. She's... pacing around. Hand behind her back, eyes on the floor, walking several paces, turning around, and repeating. She doesn't stop in order to address you, just turning her head a bit in your general direction.

"Ah yes, Shirou! Good to see you! Nice to see you so early. A bit too early maybe? What is it? Like six? If that? Man, that's really early. I usually get up much later. But then again, considering the circumstances, it might be 'late'.? She assaults you with a barrage of words that have you reeling to understand everything. "So yeah, sit, or stand, or walk. It doesn't matter! Did I say how nice it was to see you? I've been wanting to. But you weren't here. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And..? She stops dead in her tracks,. "...what was I talking about again?"
"How nice it was to see me?" You get the feeling that if left alone, she'll enter a loop so you try to seize the initiative, "But that doesn't matter. I heard that you wanted to talk to me?"
"Ah yes, talk. Conversation. Dialog. The exchange of ideas. Say, have you ever thought of just how weird the word 'dialog' is?" She moves her hands to just in front of her face, checking some unseen detail out, "I mean, it's like di-a-log, almost like a log of something. But then that's something in the past and not in the present. Which we're supposed to be using. Like now. Yeah. Not before. Not what has happened. Now." She starts to pace around, perhaps maybe a bit faster than before.
"I'm really not following you here. What is it that you want from me?"
"Not following? Oooh, that's a bad thing. And not good. Definitely not good. You need to follow in order for us to have a die-ah-log. It's essential. If there's anything that Eirin taught me, it's that we need to be able to express what we want in a civil and constructive manner. If not, it's chaos. Anarchy. And those aren't good. Not at all. People get hurt. And that's a bad thing. A terrible thing."
"Okay, maybe that's was a bad question to ask." Her fast-talking, all-over-the-place subject matter perplexes you to no end. "What's up with you? Why are you behaving like this?"
"Like what?" She starts swinging her arms quickly, like two swinging vines.
"Like... hyper?"
"Hyper?! Me?" Her face goes through a whole gamut of expressions. A frown, self-absorbed thinking, a shy smile, stoic determination, and back to normal.
"Agitated then? You seem to be a bit wound up."
"Oh that. I thought it was barely noticeable." She stops and shrugs her shoulders, before going back to her accelerated pacing. "I haven't slept. Since I wanted to talk to you. Not that I would have been able to anyways. But that's a whole 'nother set of issues. So I asked Eirin for an energy drink - caffeine or something. That rabbit, whatshername, argh, can't remember..."
"It's okay, go on. What happened?" It was probably Reisen anyways. It's just painful to watch her try to pick her brain like this.
"So yes." She bends down quickly. For a moment you thought she had collapsed. But she gets back up, holding a small unmarked brown can - some sort of soda? "Energy get!" She shows you the v-sign with one hand while showing off the can in the other.
"Uh... I see." You don't. You have no idea what the hell it is that she drank. Honestly, given the effects, it doesn't seem like it's very healthy. "So, could you maybe tell me why go through all of this? Why did you want to talk to me?"
"Right. I'm getting distracted." She settles down. Or maybe her gas tank is nearing empty? In any case, she sits down and invites you to do the same. "So... I wanted to talk to you about..."
"About?"
"...something. It was important... to me." Her attitude is a complete reversal from before. She now looks like she could collapse into a deep slumber at any moment. Heck, her eyelids seem to have decided to close, whether she wants to or not. You can see her trying to make an effort to keep her eyes open. "You...staying...here and...in the...future..."
"Yes? What about it?" You try to get more out of her, but it's not good. She's fallen asleep sitting. Just like that.

You try to wake her, honest to god that you try. Calling her name, gently shaking, you get nothing in return. And you're not about to do anything drastic either. As much as it looked like she wanted to talk to you, you don't think she'd appreciate her if you woke her from what can only be described as a coma-like slumber. Puts you in a spot though. You're late. Late to class. Not by that much, but you've definitely shirked your duty. You're basically damned if you do or damned if you don't. Might as well make the most of it.

[] Hang around, waiting for Kaguya to wake
[] Go to school anyways
[] Back to the Marisa's
--
First choice implies maybe deciding to do something else at Eientei while you're there, btw. Not necesarily staring absentmindedly at the sleeping princess (of course, there's no real problem with doing just that).

>>12121
Hey, real life has no clear indications on what is the ideal to do next. And for the most part, no choice has been useless. Even if you don't find anyone you almost always get some clue or meet someone else. Whether or not you make use of those leads is another point. And I've given more than enough hints and even intervened in an attempt to set your priorities straight. Hell, I've given credit to creative solutions to problems and good logic. Even if they weren't necesarily the things that I had envisioned as posibilities. If anything you've had plenty of navigational tools.

Oh and if you read carefully, you'll notice that the passage of time is marked. In fact, perhaps you may want to read a bit more carefully in general given certain gaps in your knowledge. When you left Eientei it was just before noon, arrived a while later, talked a bit with Alice, and then spent most of the afternoon doing nothing (after sex). And that has its own reasoning. Normal dialog takes considerably less time. It was relatively early at night (as in before 11) but still dark when you went to bed. As in with most of the stories here, time passes by quickly, in order to avoid getting bogged down in any particular day, important scenes notwithstanding. You'll get choices and dialog when it's pertinent.

>>12123
Also there's some of this. The spreading yourself a bit too thinly. But I've gone over it in more detail in the past, and don't feel like repeating myself.

And don't beat yourself up that much for the whole "Finding Kaguya" fiasco. While it might have potentially changed the story (by changing the route) if anon had consciously decided to go for Kaguya after spending more time with her, that event in itself wasn't really a major factor. More of like the small bits adding up to an irregular mess.

>>12125
Oh you.

Also, I bet that this update is shorter than what you expected? I guess I'm sorry for that.

[!/] Go to school anyways

Should be our last few days there, right?

[] Go to school anyways

[x] Go to school anyways.

[X] Go to school anyways

Wow, whatever it is Kaguya drank, it gave her GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.

[x] Hang around, waiting for Kaguya to wake

[x] Go to school anyways.

[x] Go to school anyways.

Best say bye to Keine before it ends.

>>12150

I see what you referenced there.

[x] Go to school anyways.

So is this playthrough close to its finale?

>>12123
I'm not going to deny that a large part of the blame falls on a few complete retards voting in this story, but having choices where it's practically a shell game of which location will result in something useful isn't helping. Although, maybe I'm just assuming there's a right answer, maybe all of the choices tend to result in nearly insubstantial "clues" or "leads" which might not even be related to the current storyline. All the hallucination stuff was related to Eirin's route which we didn't end up on, so it's all been a gigantic red herring, right? We're supposed to figure that out somehow?

>>when she finally returns our feelings and asks to have sex because she feels like we're disappearing.
>getting a little hanky-panky.
Are you a sociopath? She needed us to show that we love her and we're here for her. Telling her no would have been more fucked up than any other fucked up thing we've done to anyone in this story. And that's saying something.

>>12146
>Hey, real life has no clear indications on what is the ideal to do next.
That's not a good mindset to have when writing a story. This is a story, right?

>>12156
I'm not >>12123 (I suspect that's just the long-winded Mokou fan anon). But you're only half-right in assuming that there's a 'best' choice in every situation. There is a better/best choice in a lot of situations. But in regards to finding out information in this route, there's several potential angles you can approach it from. Hence my desperate attempts to try to open doors instead of close them even when you don't do the ideal thing (which would be one or two things that I have in mind supposedly).

As much as I'd like you to cruise into easy mode, you're failing by juggling too many things at once. Auto-pilot here would refer to virtually stripping away all choice (as if the fast-forward of a lot of scenes and independent initiative as of late weren't obvious attempts to get you re-orientated). As I've said before, I do want you to succeed. But there's only so much I can do without breaking the 4th wall even further.

> gigantic red herring, right?
Not really. I said it was mostly related and perhaps most important in that route, but it doesn't make it irrelevant. It's certainly a factor in things. Picture a VN, things from one route are alluded to in others. Or hell, sometimes you get a entirely different perspective on them. Off of the top of my head I can think of several (F/S N, YMK, Edelweiss, and more) that do this sort of thing. Abilities and events of course are touched upon in different manners in different routes. It's almost the norm, rather than the exception. Nothing new or deceptive there.

>That's not a good mindset to have when writing a story. This is a story, right?
Hyperbole, good sir. And I still think that you're too quick to panic and blow things out of proportion. There's nothing here that couldn't have been solved with a cool head and resolute heart.

It makes everything sort of pointless, y'know. This needless drawn-out despair on your part. Pointing fingers at this stage would be similar to shouting fire in a crowded movie theater. It's common enough in a role-playing game for players to simply completely avoid to solve the conflicts. Through no fault of the story teller or anything. Sometimes it's just the bad guy giving an ultimatum and the adventures backing down (thus ending the story), or they miss the point entirely. It doesn't make the journey any less valid though. In those adventures, sometimes just living (even under a world-dominating BBEG) is reward enough. Of course that line of thought doesn't really translate to here 100%.

>Best say bye to Keine before it ends.
That's not exactly the best of logic, you know. It might give you a sense of closure, but doesn't do anything for poor ol' Shirou.

>>12147
Yes, it should be. Something which was worth remembering.

>>12155
It's looking like that. The exact length will vary, but it looks that way.

And, uh, well... why bother to write all this? Because I'm not updating for a while yet (busy and whatnot). Or maybe it's just a case of me sticking my head in the sand as my surroundings turn into a hellish inferno. I wouldn't be the first one around to do that. No but seriously, joking aside, will update later due to stuff.

Kaguya and Mokou's lovechild (sorely) not related.

>>Are you a sociopath? She needed us to show that we love her and we're here for her. Telling her no would have been more fucked up than any other fucked up thing we've done to anyone in this story. And that's saying something.

Because sex is the only possible way to show you love someone, that you're there for them, to deal their fear that you're disappearing, and any attempt to do otherwise means you're a callous sociopath rather than someone who thinks there's a time and place for everything and that if there ever is a time to make sweet, sweet love to the doll-maker, that being in the midst of a situation where you're apparently at great risk from some unidentified threat is NOT one of those times.

And of course, there's no possible way we could have refused Alice in any other way than essentially ripping out her little youkai heart, throwing it on the ground, and doing the Mexican Hat Dance upon it, right? Nevermind that despite not being explicitly asked for, that write-ins were (and still are) supposedly perfectly valid options. Nevermind that there ARE ways to let someone down gently, to refuse them while still being mindful of their feelings, and let them know it's not a matter of not wanting to do it with them, but wanting them to do it with them under much more favorable circumstances. Namely, when you're not in danger, and forced to hide and meet in secret like you were doing something wrong. If she was as concerned for our safety and well-being as she says, I would THINK she would understand. You know, wanting to protect someone she loves and cares about from whatever danger she believes he's in, and all.

I might have suggested such a thing myself, but unfortunately I wasn't around when that particular vote was going on. Not that it really would have had a chance in hell, anyway. As if Anon would ever refuse a sex scene with someone they've been waiting so long for.

>if there ever is a time to make sweet, sweet love to the doll-maker, that being in the midst of a situation where you're apparently at great risk
You mean, at a time when we might die before she ever gets to make love to us? Yeah, how selfish of us to grant her that request, that "heartfelt wish" as she put it.

>Nevermind that there ARE ways to let someone down gently, to refuse them while still being mindful of their feelings
Not easily, especially not when she asked so sincerely and desperately. I wouldn't trust Shirou to come anywhere near pulling that off.

Besides, this was all before we knew that having sex one time in the afternoon would make Alice too tired to do anything else the entire day. There was no reason to think we couldn't make love and THEN, with clearer heads, talk about what she found out. Well, besides the fact that Teruyo loves to make choices mutually exclusive.

>>12170
>>Besides, this was all before we knew that having sex one time in the afternoon would make Alice too tired to do anything else the entire day. There was no reason to think we couldn't make love and THEN, with clearer heads, talk about what she found out. Well, besides the fact that Teruyo loves to make choices mutually exclusive.

Except for the part about how Alice was already fatigued prior to the lovemaking, and so was likely to continue to be that way afterward.

You DID notice the signs of just how tired she was BEFORE her making her request, right?

>>She looks about the same as usual, save for a dark lines under her eyes.
>>Her tired eyes show you a sympathetic look.

She clearly had not been getting much sleep if the lines under her eyes were any indication, and whatever benefits might be had from sex, fixing whatever sleep debt someone has racked up is not one of them. Perhaps she "needed" that from an emotional standpoint, but what she REALLY needed was sleep, for both her mind and body.

Sure, if you wanted to find out what she knew badly enough, you could probably have pressed her about it after the sex was over, but in doing so you would be basically continuing to disregard her fatigued state, and the potential negative effects it could be having on her physical and mental well-being. You would be ignoring the wellfare and health of someone you supposedly care about to serve your own purposes.

And somehow, I'm the sociopath for suggesting that our time together would have been better spent doing something other than the Horizontal Polka. Funny how that works.

Still, considering the state she clearly was in both before and after the deed was done, it should have been pretty obvious that she wasn't going to be up for much that day, at least not until she could get some actual rest. Which is precisely what she would have gotten at Marisa's house, whether we tagged along with her or not. Perfect time to go and attempt to do SOMETHING productive elsewhere, but instead we wound up putzing around Marisa's and accomplishing exactly jack-squat.

Still, I can't be too bothered by it. Staying out did allow us to have that interesting scene with Kaguya and the creation of what I can only think of as "Caffeinated Moe".

>>12172
>And somehow, I'm the sociopath for suggesting that our time together would have been better spent doing something other than the Horizontal Polka. Funny how that works.
After the way she asked? Yes. Go back and read everything she said there, and tell me she was emotionally ready for us to reject her request, no matter how sweetly and well-argued, no matter how much you think you know her needs better than she does.

You realize what you're saying boils down to, "We have more important things to do than consummating our love", right? Saying that to a girl who just finished crying on your shoulder because she's afraid they might kill you? As if she didn't realize how serious things were, and she was just making some silly, unimportant request?

What the fuck, man. Can't you think about her side of this?

>>12174
Oh, but I am thinking of her side in this.
Yes, she needed this little consummation of love between her and Shirou. Likely on multiple levels.

HOWEVER, I am quite certain that was not the only need or desire she would have been feeling at that moment, and certainly not the most important one, even if she believed it was at that moment.

You said yourself, she's afraid Shirou might be killed. To go along with that, I would assume she would be feeling a very strong desire to do something, anything, to help him NOT die. If you care about someone, it's only natural to want to protect them, after all.

Of course, that's almost certainly why she was in such a fatigued and sleep-deprived state. Like I said, she needed that little bit with Shirou on multiple levels, and one of them was probably to give her at least some respite from the stress of what she's been learning and the sleepless nights she's spent learning it.

The problem is, that only provides some very short-term relief for herself, and ultimately does nothing to help the larger problem that the two of them face. Her beloved's life is still in as much danger after their lovemaking as it was before, he has no more information that could help his chances of survival at the end of the day than he had at the beginning of it, and he doesn't even know anything of what Alice found out to cause her to worry so much about his life.

Sure, Alice probably understands the severity of the situation, but Shirou still clearly does not. SHE might know something about the folks at Eientei that makes her fear for Shirou's life, but whatever it might be, HE does not. Considering she was in a perfect position to use what little energy she had left for that day to share with him at least enough information to help him even slightly comprehend the situation he was in, I'd say that's a pretty big failing on her part to protect the guy she supposedly loves.

You ask about thinking about her side of things, right? Well, thinking about her side, how do you suppose she will feel if her lover either goes missing or turns up dead, and she realizes that she had NOT done absolutely everything she could to help prevent it because she just HAD to have her one little wish (which she, herself, admitted was a selfish one) fulfilled instead of sitting him down and telling him exactly WHY she's as worried for him as she is? Even without all of her notes, you would think she'd at least have SOMETHING she could tell him from memory.

A human's lifespan might be but a moment compared to that of a youkai, but that moment of passion they shared is certainly less than even a fraction of an instant by comparison. You think she won't realize what she basically gave up in exchange for what she received? That she won't grieve for not only the loss of him, but for all the decades of happiness they could have had together, time that will never have now because of that one moment where she placed her desire to have sex with the one she loved over her desire to protect that same loved one from a threat she knew about?

There won't be much chance of her rebounding from such a thing very well, if at all. As Alice said, she generally did not socialize much with others, and Shirou was quite possibly the first and only person she's truly opened herself up to like this. To lose him in such a way that she could place any blame at all on herself will certainly cause her to become even more withdrawn from others than she already was, possibly even from her closest friends. Basically, it could destroy her. She'll retreat to a state of total solitude, just her and her dolls, and have nothing at all but her feelings of grief and guilt, which she may very well carry with her until the day she dies.

Like I said, I can and am thinking of Alice's side in all of this, and I believe that her long-term happiness should take take priority over her more short-term urges. To that end, her happiness and Shirou's survival are not mutually exclusive, and if you want one, you had damn well better do what you can to ensure the other. A relative moment of hurt feelings over being refused sex should be nothing compared to a centuries-long lifetime of regret.

...well, "centuries" is assuming she doesn't decide to cut things short rather than go on living, of course. That's always a possibility, too.

M'kay. Writing in a bit more, finally gathered enough willpower/clarity of mind to do so. Lack of sleep, worldly problems and the usual will do that to you. So maybe in an hour or two since I have to finish one last pending issue.

And hell's bells, that's a lot of text.

>>12179
hooray!

[x] Go to school anyways

It's empty. Absolutely vacated.

You check one last time, for mental comfort. The door is locked and peeking through the windows reveal an empty classroom. You check the time just to make sure that it's still morning. Yup, it is. And the sun corroborates this fact. So why the hell isn't anyone here?

You scratch your head and try circling do the back door. Despite everything going on at Eientei or with Alice you basically dropped everything to come here. And you're rewarded with this. As you find that the rear door is locked as well, you console yourself with the fact that you mostly followed your sense of ethics.

But the question remains. What now?

You sit by the low picket fence, pondering your next move. Voices of dissent had returned to you as of late. Some warning of impending doom, others shaping your actions, and others still suggesting that you team up with a shark and go around solving problems. Well, it makes your mental process interesting, you've got to admit. It sure isn't helping you figure out what's happening here, that's for sure. Maybe these thoughts will someday be the end of you.

However, before the many inhabitants in your mind fall into a tantrum spiral, you're rescued. Well, as much as anyone could consider a rock impacting their side and knocking the wind out of them as 'rescuing'. Flopping around like a fish out of water, you try your best to regain the precious oxygen that you've just lost. A shadow looms over you. When you regain control, you look up to see your assailant and friend.

"Yo." Mokou's casual greeting makes what just happened even more painful.
"Yo?! That really hurt, you know! How can you just greet me like that!?"
"Geez, no need to snap at me." She crouches down, coming to your eye level. "Sorry about that, I was trying to get your attention. I tried calling out to you, but that didn't work, you didn't seem to hear me. So..."
"...so you decided that throwing a rock at me was the best way to do that? What ever happened to coming closer and tapping on the shoulder if need be?"
"Hey, I said I'm sorry!" She shows you a very forced set of puppy eyes. "I only meant to throw the rock right next to you, hoping that you'd snap out of it."
"Oh, cut that out."
"Ah, it's only the truth." She ditches the eyes for a half-grin.
"Right, seeing as I have no way of getting even, I think we should just move on." It's only the truth. If you try anything it'll just end with you kissing the dirt. "What's up? Do you have any idea why there isn't any one here?"
"Eh~ you've grown wise, young Shirou." You can just tell by her expression that she loves playing around with you. "And yeah, I have a fair idea as to why there's no one here." She springs back up, offering you a hand. "Come on, we'll take a little walk. And we'll discuss how you'll make it up to me after I'm done."
"Sure, I guess that I might as well." You take her hand and pull yourself up. "Although I'd really rather not be coerced out of any more candy."
"Now, now, the great and magnanimous Mokou would never do something as base as coercing a friend." She squeezes your hand to the point of cutting off blood flow before letting go. You suppress a whimper and just follow her silently.

She leads you on a leisurely stroll away from the village center, towards the outlying fields.

"I bet you're confused as to why there's no one at school."
"That's the main reason I followed you." You answer a bit annoyed, venting the pain from your throbbing hand.
"And not to be with a good friend? I'm shocked." She is quick to move on, despite her 'best' efforts to show vulnerability. "Well, it's quite simple. I told Keine that you'd likely not show up a school today. That's why. She decided instead of covering your classes that it'd be a good idea to take the class on an improvised excursion. I may have suggested that as well. So she's showing the children the wonders of nature through the lens of an intellectual. Or something like that."
"And why would you suggest something like that?"
"Well, you did show up late, didn't you. I'm surprised you came at all."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"I assumed you'd be indisposed." She stops. It's right under a lone tree adjacent to an uncultivated field.
"Again, why?"
"And here I was going to let you have your sense of privacy." She sighs. "I saw you yesterday."
"Saw... me?"
"Yes you and her. Together. At the house."
"..."Mokou saw that? What the hell are you supposed to say now? Somehow neither brushing it off nor getting flustered seem like good ideas.
"Hey, say something." She places the palm of her hand on her forehead. Another sigh. "Maybe it's less awkward if you don't say anything. If it makes you feel any better, I was only concerned about you."
"...Concerned? And that entitles you to peep?"
"Hey, it wasn't like that at all!" She gets a bit riled up defending herself. "I wasn't sure if your meeting was going smoothly. I was worried that you might miss each other or something. And so I went to check up on you. I... went to the window to see if I could spot you without rudely dropping in, just in case, and well..."While not quite a blush, her face does seem to acquire some color, "well, I saw the two of you, uhh, not missing each other. You could say that you were finding one another."
"..."You don't say anything. In part because you can't help but want to listen to her account. It's like she keeps exacerbating the situation just because.
"And well... I found myself unable to look away. It's not like I was enjoying myself or anything!" She shakes her head. "But well, seeing you and her, so close. You were practically next to me and yet you didn't see me. I couldn't help but watch the way you moved and the expressions on your faces."
"And what did those look like?"
"They looked like..."Her eyes narrow just before answering. "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you? How can you ask something like that?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who was peeping on a couple."
"It wasn't peeping!" Her exclamation is teetering on anger. And you know what happens when she's angry.
"Okay, okay. Fine. So why assume that I wouldn't come in today?"
"Ah... that's because I also saw you leave together."
"That's it?"
"Well, I thought that you'd spend all night and day together. You know. Stuff."
"..."

What a jump in logic. But in any case, you're sort of grateful for her call. Regardless of the gross violation for your privacy. You don't think that you mind that much, but you wonder how Alice would feel about being watched. Hmm, best not bring it up. Heaven forbid you have yet another distraction to deal with.

"Okay. So, why were you waiting for me?" Ah, a great question. You amaze yourself at times.
"I wasn't waiting." She answers in a huff. "The world doesn't revolve around you, you know."
"Right. So why were you waiting for me?"
"I wasn't. I just happened to have business to take care of in the vicinity."
"I'm sure."
"I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're really annoying." She complains, but nevertheless gives you the satisfaction of explaining herself further, "I was going to a store in the village. It's purely a coincidence that we ran into each other. I expected you to be away in the first place. There's no way I could have known if you were going to show up."
"Lucky thing I did then." You show her a grin. "So, why are we all the way out here?"

She moves out of the tree's shade and mumbles. It's clearly audible to you. "How did he learn to be such an effective prick so quickly??

"Sometimes," She turns back to you with a poker face on. "There's no deeper meaning to just going somewhere for a walk."
"That's your story and you're sticking to it?"
"Almost. Silly me, in all of the kindness and magnanimity that I possess, I seem to have brought you closer to where Keine and the kids are. You know, just in case your ungrateful behind felt too guilty about ditching classes and wanted to make some sort of empty gesture. But seeing how you're incapable of even giving a good friend thanks, I much doubt that'll be the case."

She's not going to let this go, is she? Well, you can at least give your thanks that special flair that you've cultivated by hanging around her.

"Thank you oh so very much great and wise Mokou." You bow forward, as much as possible as the stereotype of an imperial advisor to his emperor. "Your magnanimity and grace is only matched by your peerless beauty and I am truly humbled to have been considered for a favor." You sneak a peak at her. Despite your exaggerated BS, she seems to be enjoying the praise. How vain. "...even if what you did amounted to the actions of the average letch and your subsequent actions were no more than a hollow attempt to cover up your fiendish transgression."

You're a bit surprised when her retaliation merely makes you lose all feeling to the right side of your body instead of, say, passing out for hours. Her heart doesn't seem to be into the punishment. Maybe.

"You do know that I appreciate it. I don't have to tell you." You say while nursing your numb half.
"I know, but it feels good to hear it."
"Still, could you cut out the senseless violence? It really friggin' hurts."
"I'll think about it." She pats you on the back. Needless to say, breathing gets harder to do properly for a while. "Maybe if you cut out the snarky comments."
"Hey, I can't help that. I must have picked it up from a bad role model or something." You think that you said all that needed to be said with that.

Well, at least your exchanges with Mokou are lively. That's one positive thing that keeps your mind off of your suffering.

"So," After concluding the extended pleasantries Mokou moves on, "what now? I can't just stand out in the middle of nowhere all day, I've got things to do. And I guess that you do too."
"Yeah, I do have things to take care of. But, are you saying that you want to get rid of me, despite our deep bonds?"
"Yeah, cut that out. It's creepy. And no, I'm just saying that this isn't in our best interests. Or hell, maybe it is. What do I know? Time is irrelevant to me."

[] Pal around with Mokou
[] Break off and find Keine and the kids
[] Go back to Eientei
[] Check back on Alice
----
Only about half a day after I said I would write! Huzzah! Yeah, sorry about that.

>Well, besides the fact that Teruyo loves to make choices mutually exclusive.
I'll admit that it makes flowcharts easier and it's hard to not be mutually exclusive when the choices are physical locations. But there's plenty of example of the contrary - mainly in dialog - so it's not always like that. I do tend to twist things to the benefit of the readers whenever possible. Even incorporating elements from two different votes if it's feasible.

As for the Alice thing, well you guys seem to have gone at it rather intensely. So I'll just say that sleeping with her right then wasn't necesarily the worst course of action. Rather the shortcomings are in the context; the before and after. It's just wasted potential. Again, if you feel choices are too ambiguous, you're always welcome to suggest a good write-in, even if it doesn't win I'll try to incorporate elements insofar they don't conflict with the general mood or the characterization.

Try not to go into another unproductive tangent here please. Make the most out of things and get rid of that damn fatalistic mentality. There's nothing to be gained if you keep focusing on mundane things. I won't always salvage things.

Also, meant to put up a picture, but yeah.

>>12183
I wanted my bad end, Teruyo...

[X] Pal around with Mokou

Eh, Keine's not expecting us, Alice needs her rest, Kaguya will probably be virtually comatose for quite some time, Reisen will have her duties to attend to, our chances of finding Tewi are probably minimal, and there's no telling what paying the good doctor a visit would do. So, what better time than now to spend some good quality time with our other immortal buddy? We do sort of owe her, in more ways than one...

[x] Go back to Eientei

[x] Go back to Eientei

I would vote to go check on Alice, but I have a feeling we wouldn't be able to find her. May as well go see if the NEET is out of her coma.

[x] Break off and find Keine and the kids

We do kinda owe them something. It's bad karma to constantly, you know, ditch them time and time again...

Come on people vote.

[!/] Break off and find Keine and the kids.

Can't help but feel this will end, Kira-esque.
Happened atleast twice so far in this story, too.

This is what happens when I'm bored for extended periods of time. Not really a sidestory I guess. It's something I wrote just because. Vote before I go insane or start writing short bits of bad meaningless erotica. Or uhh maybe if you don't vote I won't. Whatever convinces you.

Yeah, bottom line - vote.
-

You stare at the contents of the manila envelope. Charts and graphs detailing the frequency of youkai sightings and incursions within the vicinity of the human villages. You sigh, sure that this is going to be a pain in the ass to take care of. Well, a job is a job. And given that you're almost broke, it's a welcome relief.

The walls of the shack tremble a bit, and you can hear the splashing of water coming from the small opening behind you. You don't even have to get up from your seat to know who it is. The all-too-familiar presence lets itself be known within moments.

"Hey Shirou buddy. I came as soon as I could. Sorry about being late. It's mackerel spawning season. And you know how I love those little guys."
"It doesn't matter." You pour the remnants from a liquor bottle that lies passively on your desk and into a glass. "Allen, we've got a job."
"A job? So soon?" Allen's surprised voice annoys you. You can't let it go.
"It seems the gods aren't as cruel as we thought. We have a job despite your best efforts." You down the booze in one gulp. You put the glass down hard on your desk and swivel towards Allen.
"Hey, that wasn't my fault! It was self-defense."
"Sure, self-defense. Eating a truckload of caged chicken was self-defense. Chicken we were hired to escort." You stare at the large grey predator's eyes. As usual, you can't read the two onyx circles very well.
"You weren't there man." His large mouth opens slightly, revealing the sharp rows of teeth. "They totally were out to get me."
"Enough!" You sigh again. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Do you know the kind of hell that I went through afterwards?! Mokou completely trashed me for failing the job. Not only did we fail to protect the shipment for her stand, but you actually ruined all of her stock. And we never caught the original perpetrators. I had no idea that my spine could bend that way."
"Hey, at least you're alright now."
"Can it." Sometimes you think that you'd enjoy nothing more than slapping the shark silly, but you're sure that he'd react with unreasonable and excessive force. Like always.
"Right, right. You mammals are so touchy."

Allen drags himself out of the water-filled tunnel and onto the floorboards.

"Oh, come on Allen. You're getting the floor wet."
"Cut me some slack. I just came from the lake. I can't dry myself. No hands, 'member?"
"That reminds me," If not now, you'll forget to ask later, "and this has been bothering me, how can you survive in the lake?"
"Shark, duh."
"Do tell me more." You say sarcastically. "No, really. Aren't you a saltwater shark?"
"And aren't mackerel saltwater fish?" He replies confidently, somehow expecting that to be an answer.
"Most, if not all. Which just makes it all the more confusing. The lake is definitely freshwater."
"Man, underwater, there's all sorts of stuff you wouldn't even begin to imagine to exist. The lake isn't the only body of water here." He shimmies his way closer to you, making the floorboards creak. "And besides, this is Gensokyo. I can talk and fly, and you're worried about the salinity of the water? Not to mention that I'm fine outside of water as well."
"Good point."

Allen stops with his head right next to you, looking at the papers.

"So, what's the job about?"
"We're supposed to keep watch over the villages. Lately there have been lots of sightings of youkai and the villagers are getting edgy. So Keine asked us to see if we can't get to the bottom of this."
"Your old fling, eh?" Allen always knows how to hit a sore spot.
"Things were never like that."
"Right, right. Keep telling yourself that. But I know about your past. That's how we met."
"Shut up. No use drudging up the past." You suppress that annoying nostalgic sigh coming in from within. Thinking about the past isn't going to change the present. Yeah, Keine, Kaguya, Eientei... all of that's in the past now. What matters is scrapping together enough money for food and booze. And maybe fixing the roof in this miserable little shack.
"If you say so. So what's our pay for this?"
"She didn't say. But I suspect that we can get quite a bit from the villagers."
"And the dangers?"
"Probably nothing serious. Although if some idiot youkai wants to fight... then things could get messy."
"Ah relentless violence and meaningless slaughter. I can only hope it comes to that." You can tell that he's already picturing tearing youkai from limb to limb and feasting on their flesh. Well, as long as it isn't you caught in between those teeth.
"And if it does get hairy, I'll be counting on you."
"With pleasure."

You get up and open up the double door to the shack. It's a nice afternoon. There's a breeze blowing through the trees. You smell a hint of fish in it. You've got to tell Allen to start eating further away from here. Or at the very least somewhere further downwind.

You grab an old coat from the rack by the door. It's a memento from a certain bunny you haven't seen in what seems to be in years. The fact that the coat has survived this long is a testament to her sewing skills. You don't need anything else. The rest of your tools are extensions of yourself.

"Come on Allen, we should leave now. We'll find a nice and comfortable spot before it gets dark."
"Right behind you."
"Don't fly too high up." You'd prefer if he stay below the treetops. Besides drawing too much unwanted attention, there's something inherently unsettling about a flying shark.
"Say, I've got a good feeling about this one."
"Is that a fact?"
"Yup. I think I'll have plenty of fun this time." You can hear the gnashing of his teeth.
"Just don't go overboard. I need to make a living, or I'll die."
"That'll never happen." The shark gives you a confident answer. You begin to walk towards the village.
"And why is that?" You ask, already knowing the answer.
"That's because we're partners."
"That's true." You laugh. "And I wouldn't want it to be any other way."

wat

I demand a spinoff where Allen and Shirou go around Gensokyo and solve mysteries.

[x] Go back to Eientei

[x] Break off and find Keine and the kids

in gensokyo, student ditches you!

FUCK YEAH JABBERJAW!
also
[X] Go back to Eientei
if delicious NEET is still not awake, we can do all sorts of poking till she does...

[x] Break off and find Keine and the kids

Whelp, I was drinking for most of the day yesterday and then I slept/nursed my hangover. In other words, during the voting after my post. And now I'm drained. Still, expect updates relatively soonish.

>>12229
Are you YAF? Stop this at once.

[x] Go back to Eientei

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you later.."

You and Mokou part ways. She goes off in the direction of the village and you back towards Eientei. You hear her whistle off in the distance. It's like she doesn't have a care in the world. How enviable.

Back at Eientei, you hear the musical stylings of Reisen. She's once again out front, but this time sweeping. Approaching the entrance, she stops humming and says a few words.

"Hello again."
"Hi. You weren't waiting for me again, were you?" You still feel kind of bad about last time.
"Oh not at all, just sweeping." She gives you a smile. "But master did ask about you."
"Really, what did Eirin want?"
"Oh don't worry about it. It was just an innocent question when I was in the clinic earlier. She just asked about your whereabouts and how you were doing."
"Ah, I see." It doesn't seem to you like 'just' an innocent question on her part. You've yet to see her engage in small talk with Reisen.
"Will you be having lunch here today?" You're asked before you can go inside.
"Mmm, probably." Given the fact that it's mid to late morning now, you'll probably eat here.
"Right, I'll set a place for you."
"Okay, I'll look forward to it." You give her a nod and try to step inside again.
"Umm...."
"Is something the matter?" You stop and turn to her again. She's clutching the broom close to her chest and by the look in her eyes you can tell that she wants to say something. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."
"It's not that important.."
"It's important enough for you to have stopped me."
"Ahah~? A small deflective laugh. "Well, if you don't mind. I'd like to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"When you've been out there. Around the bamboo forest. And beyond..."She makes the question needlessly complicated, "Have you seen Tewi?"
"Tewi? Can't say that I have, why?"
"Well, I haven't seen much of her around here. So I just wanted to know if she was maybe just spending more time out there." She closes off the topic. "But it doesn't matter that much. Thanks anyways. I'll see you at lunchtime."
"If you say so." You're not sure whether or not to ask her more about this. But it's clear that she's expecting to brush you off. She resumes sweeping and tries her best not to make eye contact with you.

You leave her to her task and head on in. After taking a small pit stop in the bathroom you feel refreshed. It's time to see if the comatose princess is showing signs of life.

Everything in her room is as before, including herself. Wait, not really. She's slumped over on the table, looking like she's in an even deeper sleep. You're at first not even sure if she's breathing, but you strain your ears and hear her soft breaths of air. You stare at her for a bit, waiting to see if there's any change in her condition. Surprisingly enough, there is. She moves an arm during her sleep, placing it parallel to her head. Other than that, there's not much else.

You want to talk to her. And you're sure that you'll be able to. Eventually. But you're not sure even if you tried to wake her that she'd get up. And even if she did, there's no guarantee that she'd be in a good mood. A grouchy, sleepy Kaguya sounds amusing on paper, but might not be the wisest of moves. And well, there are advantages to her being asleep. Like being able to play her games without her knowing (and having to share).

[] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out
[] Pass time by going to the clinic
[] Idle about in the mansion
--
>>12235
Hey, a man is entitled to his occasional goofing off. And I do have ever-so-inconvenient real life responsibilities and engagements as well. It's not like the vote was lightning fast nor entirely conclusive either.

Let's just see how this goes.

[x] Blow your load on Kaguya's sleeping face.

[!/] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out

[X] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out

Is she comfortable? Would it help if we placed a blanket over her or something?
Should we try to wake her? Just sit there staring?

Or should we whisper things into her ear in an attempt to influence her dreams?

Stuff like 'People die when they are killed', or the UBW chant, or maybe make up a FS/N Grail War with her with an Archer-class (Eiren), Mokou with a Bezserker (EX-Keine), so on and so forth.

Or, talk about the time this one Japanese guy wanted to name some video game protagnist after you.

[x] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out

[X] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out

[x] Blow your load on Kaguya's sleeping face.

Fuck it, can't resist.

[x] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out.

[X] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out.

POKIN TIME GAEMS

[x] Blow your load on Kaguya's sleeping face.
She'll appreciate it.

[oh/] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out.

Right. Been unreasonably busy as of late. If it'll make you rage less, it's more due to actual people than my usual vices - video games and the like. That said, after I rest my head a bit I'll resume writing at full force in the a- uhh at full force. No empty promises this time, and this will last throughout the weekend and perhaps beyond.

tl;dr Writing at 110% efficiency in around 12 more hours (a liberal projection). Perhaps sooner.

x] Stay here and try to wake her or at the very least wait her out

It's a wonder how she can sleep like that. It doesn't look very comfortable. What with the fact that she's basically slumped forward while sitting at the table. You circle around, gaging how deeply asleep she might be. Her body seems to be relaxed, and what little you can see in between the strands of hair that cover her face, indicate a peaceful expression. It feels like a shame to wake her.

"Ka-gu-ya~ rise and shine~? The first step is a verbal attempt. "Wake up, lazybones~"

As expected. That does nothing. You don't even register a stir from her. You squat down next to her and gently shake her shoulder.

"Come on, get up. You shouldn't sleep away the whole day."

You at least get a reaction from the shaking. While she doesn't get up, she emits a couple of grumbles that could pass off as purrs. Seeing that she at least shows signs of life like this, you step it up a notch.

"You said that you wanted to talk to me." You shake her harder. "Now get up."

It's no use though. You try other things such as clapping your hands, allowing more light into the room, and in general creating a uncomfortable sleeping atmosphere. All of it to no avail. At one point she does seem to mumble something. She even raises an arm and swats away some imaginary thing, but she doesn't wake up. This is all that you have. Anything else is too startling or inappropriate. You're not about to subject Kaguya to something like that. You'll just have to wait her out.

This actually the much easier course of action. Kaguya's room is a goldmine of entertainment. While the sleeping princess lays on her table, you help yourself to her extensive magazine collection. It's like a taste of home. Well, if you were both rich and obsessive-compulsive enough. You're flipping through the pages and reading the odd article or comic before you even realize it.

"Ow..."A painful paper cut jostles you out of your trance. You suck the small drop of blood before it falls and press your finger against your leg. You don't have a band-aid or anything like that, so you'll just have to wait it out. It's only then that you realize that you've gone through quite a bit of magazines. Like half of the big pile. You look around to see Kaguya still sprawled on the table. Crap, you've been at this for several hours. It's just past lunchtime. Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like you're hungry anyways. And you're waiting for her to get up.

After you get the bleeding under control, you continue looking for ways to keep you busy. The only thing hard about that is narrowing down your choices. You ditch the magazines and go for electronic media. Venturing forth into the room in the back, you commandeer her TV and game consoles. You don't even care to switch out the game disc. It's surprisingly addictive. You thought to give it a whirl and then switch off to something that you know, but you find yourself enjoying it.

It does get frustrating though. You reach a point that you can't pass. Damn difficulty hit a brick wall here. You try and you try, and each time you fail. Different strategies, endurance and willpower don't make a difference. Your grip on the controller tightens, and you feel like you're going to snap it in half at any moment. Then, after the rage, comes the despair. You come close to sobbing tears of bitter defeat. And the bargaining. Oh yes, then the bargaining. You try to reason with some higher being for them to deliver you from this predicament. And then the rage returns.

"Stupid, broken game!" You're about to lose it.
"Try pressing up then down and b."
"That won't do anything, I've trie-" You try it just for the heck of it. "Oh, it worked."

You watch in joy as you make it past that point. The joy is short-lived though. Just beyond it you die and it's game over. You let out a sigh. Ah well, you gave it your best.

"Don't take it too hard, I was stuck there as well."
"But you figured it out. I didn't." You turn off the TV and put everything away.
"Then I guess I'm just the better gamer."
"Hardly."
"I'd wager on it, but now is not the time."
"You're probably right." You turn around to face Kaguya. "So, did you sleep well?"
"It felt like an eternity." Her eyes still look drowsy. She looks like she could easily go back to sleep at any moment. "That table isn't very comfortable." She puts her hand on her back, rubbing it. "A massage would be bliss."

You get up and leave the rear room. You couldn't tell because of the perpetual darkness there, but it's already mid-afternoon. You didn't even feel the hours pass by.
---
Here, posting the first bit to prove that I'm actually working. And trying. And not succumbing to distractions. The rest will follow soonish.

"You don't mind if we stand for a bit, do you?" Kaguya tries her best to suppress a yawn coming from within. Her jaw trembles a bit. "I'm a bit tired of sitting at the table."
"That's alright, I've been parked down for a long time as well."
"Good then, then we can finally get down to business." She leans against the wall. "I'm sorry for falling apart like that earlier. I had hoped that I could have talked to you before I crashed."

You hold back a smile welling up inside. It strikes you as amusing the sharp contrast between the hyperactive Kaguya and the more sober Kaguya of the present.

"That's alright. I didn't know that you wanted to talk to me. So I suppose that it's partially my fault." You lean up against a wall as well. "So what is this all about?"
"You should know."
"I don't."
"Evidently." Kaguya takes a pause to rub the back of her hand on one of her cheeks. "And I'd really love to play guessing games and fool around, but now is not really the moment."
"We've never done that sort of stuff in the past."
"True. But there's always a first time for everything. But that's right, let's not get sidetracked." She shows you a vague smile. "It's been a while since you've come here. And I'm sure that you recall the talks we've had in the past. I'm, of course, talking in particular about the talk we had a little over two weeks ago. Scratch that, it's almost been three weeks. Do you remember that?"
"Sure." It's not something that you've been actively thinking about, but it's still fresh on your mind. The talk you had about fitting in.
"Then you remember how it affected you, correct?"
"I'm not being kicked out am I? I think that I've fit in quite nicely."
"That's up for debate." Kaguya engages you in a monotone. The smile is gone and it's replaced by a dour look. "They're a non-factor now."
"A non-factor? But you insinuated that this was really out of your control."
"It was. But now it's not. I've regained control over this."
"So what does that mean?" Honestly you don't see where she's going with this.
"It means that you should stop wandering about. You'll be fine here, but I can't guarantee your safety beyond the immediate vicinity."
"Just like that? I can't do that. I've got responsibilities now." Not to mention it'd mean not seeing Alice.
"A substitute teacher? That's hardly a permanent job, and you know it." You're taken aback by her tone. It's harsh.
"It's not just that."
"It doesn't matter. The bottom line is that you shouldn't be out and about anymore."
"Now listen here," you don't appreciate getting stonewalled, "I have no idea why you're being so insistent with this. The very least that you could do is explain."
"There's nothing to explain." She walks around the room, slowly circling the table. "It's just in your best interests to do this. The past doesn't matter. Just the present. No one is going to meticulously hunt you down. You can forget all of the complicated details. The simple truth is that Gensokyo isn't safe. I am asking this of you." She stops and stares at you. "Just stay here. Everything else will fall into place."
"That's no explanation at all!" You're feeling a bit exasperated.
"That's because it isn't one. It's a petition. No one will mind much if you're gone out there. And it's for the best."

You sigh. You definitely know she's being serious, but you still haven't heard a single shred of logical reasoning.

"...Why now? Why not a month ago?"
"Because things were different." Maybe you're reading too much into her look, but you can swear that her eyes are trying to show you some sort of hidden meaning. "Everything in this world is made up of different paths - countless possibilities. Even by starting off at the same point, things can end up drastically different if you diverge off a given path. But it isn't impossible to go back to that central path."
"..."
"I'm asking you, even though there is no tangible foe out there. Stay here. It's not that bad, anyways." She shows you a smile, but her eyes are unchanging.
"It's still unreasonable. I can't just simply drop everything and say that I'll stay here all of the time."
"I understand. But I can still hope that you'll come to see the wisdom behind my proposition. The world is merciless. It can make people grow distrustful of themselves, let alone others."
"That's part of living." As generic as your reply may be, it's still true. "It's something we must all deal with."
"I'm not going to force anything on you. But I do hope that you'll see that this is for the best."
"I can't promise anything more than taking it into consideration."
"That's fine." She tries to show you a warm smile, but it ends up coming off as forced. "I hope that you don't mind, but I'd like to be left alone now."
"..."You hesitate, worried about her.
"I'm just going to nap a bit more. It seems that I didn't sleep enough."
"Okay. See you later."

You leave her room, still confused as to what she was really trying to tell you. Screw this. You plop on your room's floor and try not to think. It's useless, but at least you're making an effort. She didn't seem to be lying, but you think she wasn't straightforward either. It's not fair. You know her, from the hundreds of hours logged chatting. Pressing her further won't yield anything. Still, she had been there for you in the past, watching out for your best interests. Like that time you went to stand in line for the release of that game. She meticulously planned your route and gear so as to limit your exposure to the harsh winter.

You smile. You've really missed out on having fun with her during your time here. And instead seem to be caught up in an web totally opposite her. Just what is she thinking?

[] See if there's still food from lunch and idle time away
[] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking
[] Sleep, wake, go back to Kaguya later
[] Head out to see Alice
--
There. Now I can go back to other stuff for a bit while you vote.

[x] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking

[X] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking.

Eirin asking Reisen where we were, and now Kaguya asking us to return to our shut-in lifestyle here? They're certainly making their interest in our activities more obvious now.

I still can't help but wonder what the point of all of this was. Kaguya brings her best friend from the outside to come live with her so she can finally have someone she can relate with as an equal, I can understand. Setting it up so we have to leave and take up some occupation in an attempt to acclimate and better "fit in"...not so much. And now, she wants us to go back to not having to do anything but stay there with her, as if nothing in the past couple weeks ever happened?

Maybe she saw what was happening and became afraid that her friend was drifting away from her, and this is some attempt to get him back. Maybe she just wants to see if she can have any influence over us at all anymore. Or perhaps the "task" we had been given wasn't just some load of bull, whatever third party insisted we do this was either satisfied by our progress or placated in some other fashion, and now that Kaguya is back in control she wants to go back to the way things were. Like she said:

>>?Everything in this world is made up of different paths - countless possibilities. Even by starting off at the same point, things can end up drastically different if you diverge off a given path. But it isn't impossible to go back to that central path.."

In a way, I almost hope this really is a part of some insidious and malicious scheme, because the alternative of it all just being due to a lonely girl trying to not lose her best friend after she unwittingly set him on the very path that caused them to drift apart is just kinda...sad.

[X] SET EVERYTHING ON FIRE!!!!
nah, we'll save that for later.

and given we're not in the mood to improve our dancing skillz...
[X] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking.

>She meticulously planned your route and gear so as to limit your exposure to the harsh winter.

It's as if Kaguya KNOWS Shirou is going to stick his dick in the wrong woman.

SNOW END, indeed.

[x] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking

Bandwagon because while I have a feeling I know exactly what's going on, Shirou doesn't.

[x] Sleep, wake, go back to Kaguya later
Spending more time with the princess just might prevent more stupid things from happening...

>>Bandwagon because while I have a feeling I know exactly what's going on, Shirou doesn't.

Really? Because I have no clue what's going on.
Well, aside from suspecting that our lost day, our coincidental traumatic meeting with Alice that very same day, and following confiding in Kaguya that we also don't remember might have been a set-up in an attempt to sever our connections outside and thus remove any incentive we might have for leaving Eientei anymore.

If that were the case, though, it seems strange that they would go from such a level of manipulation to something as simple and up-front as outright asking us to not go out anymore.

Of course, part of their problem could be that they believe Shirou actually NEEDS reasons to go out. Considering this is a guy who just after collapsing and forced to rest in the clinic, decided to hop outside a nearby window just to investigate some noise he heard, I think they're giving Shirou a little too much credit.

For crying out loud, if Kaguya really didn't want Shirou to go outside anymore, all she'd really need to do is have Eirin and the others rig up some flashing lights and noisemakers to start up from inside Eientei any time Shirou set foot outside. Entranced by the pretty lights and noises, he would immediately forget about whatever he was going outside to do, turn right back around, and go back inside. If they could rig up the defense network they have, something like that should be a piece of cake.

[x] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking

hmmmmm, this one.

Even though I voted to go see Eirin, I honestly am wondering about why the rest of you are leaning this way, too.

We finally consummated our love with Alice, partly due to her fear that we were going to disappear. Fearing either something would happen to her or us should we go back to Eientei for the night, we wound up spending the night at Marisa's.

Then, when the chance presented itself, we wound up going BACK to Eientei despite fearing something might happen to us earlier, and now that we've met with Kaguya without incident and have a perfect opportunity to go back and report to Alice about what Kaguya said, we're NOT doing that and sticking around to chat up the good doctor, instead.

If we're going to stick around, can we at least try to find out what happened to Tewi?

Writing now. Though it might take a bit since I've been hit by disco fever. It'll probably clear with a couple of aspirins and a sunny disposition.

...

No Iku here, move along.

>>12290

Think about our past experiences with going outside. We've had one too many weird happenings going on where Eientei is the main culprit. Going out alone during a time where ye olde princess is troubled is probably asking to be snowed in.

[x] Eirin, Kaguya's confidant, might shed some light into what she's thinking

"And just what do you want me to say?" Eirin lets out a sigh. she picks her mug up from near the stack of papers on her desk and takes a sip.
"You know her best, so I thought that you might help me." You're sitting opposite her, in a stool. Eirin seemed open enough until now, offering you tea and a seat when you knocked. With the pleasantries out of the way, you hit another snag when you brought up Kaguya.
"I don't think I can. This is an issue between the two of you. I gave up on you a long time ago."
"Wait- 'gave up'? What am I, some sort of project you had?"
"In a way." She shows you a bewitching smile. It's obvious that your word choice pleased her. "But we're talking about Kaguya and yourself here."
"No, I insist." You've had enough vague answers for today. You'll get the most out of this.
"Well, well, this not getting pushed around and carried away thing sure is refreshing." Again with the same damn smile. The mysterious nature of it would make even a dying man forget that he's dying and think about it. "It doesn't look like I'll be able to wave this away. So be it."

A dramatic pause. Well, not really. She just takes a small sip from the mug again. Given what you've heard today, it does feel needlessly dramatic though.

"There's hardly anything nefarious about it. I just meant that I gave up on you helping me out. You do remember I asked you all those weeks ago?"
"Ah... I do recall something of the sort." Truth be told, it was almost completely forgotten. Come to think about it, there was supposedly a point to all of those lessons.
"I discounted the possibility of your participation in that endeavor."
"You never did ask me. You said you would." You're acting a bit defensively here.
"That's because it became glaringly obvious that your participation would be unlikely. And of course, I dislike having too many unknown variables in my line of work. So I simply wrote you off."
"Just like that? Wasn't I important?"
"Every player has his part." Her bewitching smile changes into something hinting of insidiousness. "But that isn't to say that there are no possible substitutes. Or even alternatives."
"I understand." You feel like you're better off not over analyzing the meaning of what she just said. "At the very least, could you tell me what it was? I mean, I did have to undertake all of those lessons. It seems silly to have them amount to nothing."
"They hardly amounted to 'nothing'. You grew as a person; broadened your horizons. And as for the nature of the task - well, let's just say that it's pointless to talk about. It's no longer of any concern whatsoever to you, nor will it ever be again."
"Great." You say as flatly as humanely possible. Though she is smiling, her glare is that of a vicious predator. It warns you to drop the subject. Whatever it was, it's really none of your concern now.
"Come now, drink some tea, before it gets cold."

You haven't drank any tea since you were handed your cup. Too busy paying attention to Eirin's every gesture and word. You drink the now lukewarm liquid, barely feeling the taste as you gulp down.

"In any case..."You try to steer the conversation back into its original direction.
"In any case?"
"I'm sure that you can give me insight into all of this. I'd like to understand where Kaguya is coming from with all of this. Please.."
"My answer won't change just because you ask extra nicely, you know." She wags her finger at you slightly. "As I've told you, this is a matter between you and her. No matter how close I might be with her, our relationship is different to yours on a fundamental level. All I can say with certainty is that she holds you in high esteem." She lets out a small laugh, and finishes the contents of her mug. "It's peculiar. I must confess that I was slightly partial to you as well. But, like with all people, the reasons are oh so very different."
"Was?" You pick up on the usage of the past tense.
"Don't think anything of it. I can ramble on too - at times. All I'm saying is that each mind is a universe unto itself. And I'm sure that you'd know that from experience." She nods in self-satisfaction, hair sliding over her dress.

You get what she's saying. You don't know half of the time what you're thinking, let alone what others could be thinking. Hell, you routinely surprise yourself. You're no stranger to acting in an almost schizophrenic manner. And for what? Reflection after the deed yields little.

There is a part of you that's satisfied with this conversation. But another part knows that you can get something more concrete and demands it. Despite her usually unflappable demeanor, you still walk away from every encounter with Eirin learning something new about her. And hopefully, you can walk away from this one finding the answers that you seek.

[] write-in dialog/questions go here
[] It's getting late - suggest you eat together
[] You've heard enough from her for now
---
I know anon is shy about write-ins at times, but it doesn't have to be a darn good one. Just a simple question might do. Or heck, it can be as long-winded and complicated as you want it to be. Anything goes as long as it's in-character and natural (ie: not switching topics from serious to lighthearted on the drop of a hat nor acts of violence).

Took longer than expected. Got stuck a little over halfway. Next update will be several hours away (if there are enough votes anyways). I have to rest a bit.

[!/] Bring up that story Kaguya told you.

[x] Bring up that story Kaguya told you.

If Shirou keeps talking long enough I'm hoping eventually he can maneuver her into a corner where she will not be able to respond with the requisite amount of (barely) concealed contempt and make sense at the same time, resulting in a break down--a torrent of epithets, going through every language she knows, until eventually degenerating into repetitive, monosyllabic gibbering, while smacking him with a brass ruler.

And then the hatesex.

[x] Bring up that story Kaguya told you.

This will have to do.

[x] Bring up that story Kaguya told you.

[x] Bring up that story Kaguya told you.

>>12301
I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

>>12301
I don't even read this story, and I have to say your ideas intrigue me as well.

[X] Ask Eirin about her own relationship/friendship with Kaguya.

I'm kind of curious about these fundamental differences between her relationship with the NEET and our own, from Eirin's point of view. It might provide not only some insight into the universe of Kaguya's mind from a different angle, but from Eirin's as well. Hopefully.
Besides, we know Eirin as a housemate, a mentor, our doctor, and as someone we do NOT want to accept sexual favors if there is no guarantee of interruption. But, how much do we know her as a friend of our friend beyond what observations we've made during the few times everyone has been together?

"So?" Her reply shows a complete lack of interest.
"But is there anything to it? I mean, you've got to admit, under the circumstances..."
"I'm no storyteller, rich with lore on silly tales." This is the first time you see her acting so haughty. At least with you. "What do you expect me to say? She told you a story just as you drifted off to sleep. Hardly out of this world. Isn't it the sort of thing that you'd feel privileged about?"
"It's not about privilege or feeling ungrateful..."You try to defend yourself. It's not easy dealing with her. She does an excellent job of imposing a sense of natural superiority over you. "Is there any particular reason she told me this story? I can't help but wonder about that."
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Hey, that almost came out as a sneer. "Kaguya always has loved to talk. She knows countless stories and can make conversation about almost anything. I am more focused on non-fantastical knowledge."
"Yes, doctor, there's no doubt about that." While you don't try to antagonize her directly, you subtly hint at your discontent.

She listened quietly enough to your whole story. Even the otherwise frivolous details in the story. You don't get why only know she's being difficult.

"What I do know," You don't know if she pities you or has had a change of heart, but she gives you lip service, "is that our beloved princess has a special talent. She'll bring up an appropriate anecdote or story to the right person. If you do want to overanalyze things, then start with that basic assumption." She exaggeratedly shrugs her shoulders and turns her hands palm up, "Why you'd want to thoroughly analyze something as fickle and unpredictable as the human heart instead of cold hard science, I'll never know."
"You can't really mean that. Isn't it important to understand other people?"
"Perhaps. I don't know myself." She admits casually, like one might admit to misplacing a pair of socks. "Is understanding others really that important when most of the time one is hard pressed to understand oneself? You know what? Don't even answer that. Let's not go down that path."
"Right." You feel a bit of relief at not having to take a solid position here.

Just like that, she cracks a broad smile. It comes out of, seemingly, nowhere.

"Am I that amusing?" You ask.
"In more ways than you can imagine."
"Well, I'm glad at least one of us is having a blast right now."
"And am I to feel sorry for you? I'm sure that you know that a stunt like that won't work on me. You would know that all too well."
"I don't follow." Might as well take a break from the good old 'you lost me'.
"Oh no!" She prods at your obliviousness with a smug expression. "As your physician I'd have to recommend you undergo various strenuous psychiatric examinations. The level of emotional and intellectual repression occurring inside of you is completely unhealthy."
"Well, I guess only a horse doctor could tell at just a glance." Words fly out of your mouth before you even realize it. You're not even sure if that qualifies as wit.
"Is that some sort of derogatory comment attesting to my medical proficiency?" She makes several slow, deliberate gestures. She crosses her legs, lifting one leg much higher than it need be moved in order to complete the maneuver. Then she places an elbow on an armrest, and leans forward, placing her chin on her upturned palm.
"And... what if it is?"
"Oh, I don't know..."She rolls her eyes slowly, all the while maintaining a confident smile. "I guess I'd just have to do something to prove my aptitude."
"Something? Like?"
"Like something." You don't get a straight answer from her.

It's obvious she's toying with you. You're not sure if this is a good thing. You've certainly gotten off-message here. Other lines of inquiry occur to you.

[] Egg her on
[] Try to get her to spell out the significance of the story for you
[] Complete 180/Ask her about her own frienship with Kaguya
[] Bolt outta here

----
I apologize for the late update. My internet was out for over a damn day. It was scary anon. Did you know that there's bright yellow disc in the sky during the day? Apparently it comes out every day too. Didn't catch the name. Livin' and learnin' I guess.

Also the picture isn't really related to the update beyond featuring Eirin, but it's just too fucking awesome not to post.

[X] Egg her on

Oh, you don't know the half of it. That thing in the sky? It's made of fire. No shit, fucking FIRE, man.

[x] Complete 180/Ask her about her own frienship with Kaguya

Sounds like a good option.

[] Egg her on

[x] Egg her on
Hm, didn't think I'd be able to choose this without making an egg joke.

[X] Egg her on

BRING IT ON!!! i wanna see her doin "something"

[X] Egg on her

[o] Egg her on

"So what do you really think about me?"

[!/] Egg her on.

In during a mandatory Cooking with Shirou or YWUiG reference.

[x] Bolt outta here

I don't see anything good coming from Eirin right now.

>>12345
I think that's the idea.

As close as we're getting to the endgame, it's high time that someone here finally shows their true colors, if they have not already. If there's any validity to Alice's fears, now's the time to get some first-hand confirmation.

>>12346

And an early grave? I doubt Eirin showing her true colors would do ANYTHING for us other then impede actual progress. Our focus should be Kaguya right now. And egging Eirin on about her when she's clearly stated SEVERAL TIMES that there's nothing she knows is honestly just beating a dead horse.

inb4cockbreakin'2:electricboogaloo

>>12347
I don't think it's that Eirin doesn't know, so much as she doesn't care. With us not being required for whatever project she had been working on, she no longer has any personal stake in us, and she's of no help regarding Kaguya because she either has no interest in the NEET's particular brand of manipulation (what with all of that messy and unpredictable heart and mind nonsense it involves) or she genuinely believes that this is a matter between us and Kaguya and so should remain a matter between us and Kaguya.

I don't disagree that the NEET should be the focus now, but with Eirin's current attitude it's just too hard to pass up a chance to mess around with her. A last little exchange between master and ex-student, in a way.

That said, I don't think we have to worry about Eirin doing anything to us that would be permanently harmful. As uninvolved as she seems to want to remain in this matter, it should be clear to her that Kaguya is attempting to get us to choose to remain there willingly, for whatever reason. If Eirin did anything too rough to us, it might inadvertently sabotage Kaguya's efforts.

...then again, this is a guy who forgave her for temporarily breaking his dick. There's probably quite a lot of unpleasant things she could get away with doing to him.

[X] Egg her on

"You know what?" What the hell, you've opened this can of worms, you might as well go with it. "I think I am questioning your judgment. You always seem so detached and impartial but I have to wonder if it's just to protect your own interests more than your patients."
"And is that what you truly think?" She seems to be unaffected by your comment. If anything she looks like she's enjoying herself even more.
"Yes. I respect your academic knowledge, but I have to question your motives."
"That's alright."
"I'm sorry, but it's just how I-" Wait did you hear that right? "Come again?"
"I said it's alright. I don't mind if you find fault in my actions or methodology. And it's hardly a surprise." With her head still supported by her palm, you can't perceive anything remotely like hostility from her. Quite the opposite. It's a strange kind of warmth.
"...and so?" You ask, trying to see where this is going.
"And so, you should be able to solve this."

And you are able to solve this. Hardly like dividing by zero. Eirin's head is tilted slight off to the side. She looks at you with a secretive smile.

<Tell me what I want to hear>

Her eyes seem to be telling you that. From the time you spent learning under her, you think that you have a pretty good clue.

"You..."You hesitate a bit. "You already have the answer for this?"

Eirin surprises you with the swiftness of her movements. In what seems to be a fraction of a second she sits up and leans back in her chair. With her now free hands, she claps. A slow, deliberate clap.

"Almost!" She congratulates you and tells you the correct answer. "I wouldn't be much of a thinker if I just reached assumptions or truths without first trying things out. And and such, I've already decided on a method to let you appreciate the complexity of the situation. It just isn't right that you stick with your pessimistic way of thinking."
"Oh, I'd like to see you try to convince me otherwise." Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! "If you'd be so kind to waste time teaching me otherwise, I'd be delighted to try to see things your way."
"Glad to hear it, my boy." She can't conceal the smirk on her face. The part of your brain that warns you and otherwise issues out bad feelings is too caught up in your confrontational bravado to object.
"Shall we get started then?" You try to say with the best devil-may-care mask that you have.
"With pleasure."

All that's missing is a fufufu from Eirin. She stands up, and places her hand on your shoulder. She leans forward, bringing her mouth close to your ear. Her scent is overpowering, it's all that you can feel right now. That sweet unmistakable aroma. You're only vaguely aware of her large bosom that's almost touching your right side.

"Well then." She whispers suggestively, "Let's go. I think we'll be having a lot of fun together. I'll certainly enjoy this a whole lot."
---
First part because I'm so awesome that I'm writing at a snail's pace. I might as well show what I have. I'm trying! Rest will follow eventually. Writing up will pick up speed once my headache subsides.

>>12337
That's like saying "no pun intended". As soon as you point out that there is a pun, it's like sort of intentional in a way. This is serious, it's no yolking matter.

>>12342
Ah, keep the dream alive.

>>12350

Light.Fapping.Of.Speed.At.The.
NEEDLE TIME

>>12349
This will get interesting.

Heloooooooo nurse!

"Umm.... just when is this supposed to get fun? Or convince me that you care?" An inopportune gust of wind, coming from seemingly nowhere, makes you feel all the more vulnerable. "I'm not even sure why I played along thus far."

Truth is you're really exposed. You can't remember what exactly happened after Eirin came near you. You just remember that intoxicating smell and nodding your head to everything she said. And you ended up like this. Standing in the middle of a barren white room, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown. For Pete's sake, it ends high up on your thigh, barely covering your crotch. And the material is almost see-through. You're going to catch a cold like this. You'd sit down on the metallic examination table, the only furniture in the room, but you gather that it's really cold.

"Patience, my precious pupil." Eirin jots down a couple of things on a chart, standing by the door. She's still smiling like before. "Now... you understand what I'm doing here, right?"
"Methodology. Something about showing me your care first-hand."
"That's right. You're quick to get the point." She winks at you. "Now be a good sport and sit on the table."

You do as she says. As expected, it's extremely cold to the touch. You shudder. Eirin walks over to you and puts her chart down.

"Now, I'm going to give you extra special treatment. You're lucky, you know that. It's not every patient that gets this level of care from a dedicated professional like me. Now lie down."
"Is this fine?" You lie down, your feet hanging off the table. With the way that gravity works, you're sure that Eirin can see everything. More than embarrassment, what haunts you the most is the fact that it's cold. You're not getting fair representation.
"Good. Good." Eirin quickly eyes you up and down several times, not pausing at any particular part of your body. You're not sure whether or not to be relieved or insulted. "It's time for the hands on segment."
"Hands on?"
"Yes, now shush and relax."

Eirin places her hands on your arm. As you wonder about what she's about to do, she begins to vigorously massage your arm. In fact, she moves quickly, moving up to your shoulder, chest, and the other arm. She wastes no time as she rubs, gropes, and otherwise has her way with you. You're powerless to resist. In part because it feels so good. Her hands deftly work on your body, making you feel like you're in a state of deep ecstasy. You don't even object when she works her way down, tending to the zones below the belt. Your mind is blank.

"No extra growths, normal tissue density." She pauses, content with the analysis. "Superlative blood flood and capillary dilation. Manual elongation of auxiliary parts - unnecessary."

You're not very sure what she's trying to accomplish with this. But you're in a state of bliss. Even Eirin's sharp fixated stare on your lower torso is just shrugged off as standard procedure.

"Now that that's out of the way." Eirin runs a hand quickly up your side, tickling you. "To really get started. All will become clear with this."

You're only vaguely aware of the sharp pain on your arm. She's pricked you with a needle. You have no idea where she got a syringe, but it doesn't matter. Your body is too relaxed to even mount the slightest of protests.

Hey that's neat! You've got thermal vision! Everything is some sort of shade of red with the occasional orange. Eirin is a glowing active mass while the walls are a dark backdrop. Your sense of hearing is amplified. You can hear even the slight rustling of Eirin's dress as she breathes. When she speaks, her voice is the only sound that you can focus on.

"Everything I've done for you has been in your best interest." Even your vision is tenuous at best when she speaks. It flickers like a TV with bad reception. The only sense that you can count on is your hearing. "As you know, the basic tenets of the universe are ruled by the four Epsilon laws. As such, if you would be so kind to recall..."

Her every word seems to echo in your skull. It's all information that you've heard before. But somehow, it's as if it's getting seared onto your brain. You try to raise an arm to touch your burning forehead, but find that it's impossible. It doesn't matter. All of this makes perfect sense. You're beginning to understand how the seemingly callous and arbitrary nature of her treatment was the best course of action. You are the star player. You try to raise a fist in victory.

"Now don't just try that. It's bad for you to try such strenuous actions at this stage. Perhaps it's time to move on to the next stage."

Something dreadfully cold invades your mouth. The red hues become colder. And you see Eirin leaning just about you, bringing a handful of something to your mouth.

"Say 'ahh'."
"Ahh." You're a good boy. You swallow everything she gives you, almost greedily.
"Good, good. You're awfully well-behaved. Now to just give it a few moments so that it works."

Energy. It's like an atomic bomb exploded inside of you. You can feel raw power coursing through your whole body, seeking somewhere it can escape from. You start to shake.

"Now to begin the intrusive procedure. Just like we discussed, eh Shirou?"
"Y-yes ma'am. Please do as you will with my body."
"That's a good boy.."

You can't really lift your head more than a couple of centimeters. You just stare blankly as Eirin gets a series of tubes and tools from seemingly nowhere. In order to use them, she climbs onto the table herself, lurching over your bottom half. With a hose in one hand and some sort of metallic sphere in another she gets to it.

The sound of flesh contracting and fluids spraying fill the room. Eirin is into it, her dress a complete mess within mere minutes. As for yourself, you're assaulted by a dozen new sensations. You tense up, unable to relax. Whole muscle groups start to act independently, relaxing and contracting as Eirin pleases. She's in complete control of your body. Even your shallow breathing and occasional gasps seem to be determined by how she moves. The lack of control and intense stimulation is enough to drive you mad. Logic abandons you and you're soon unable to mount even a mental objection to the good doctor.

And she knows just exactly you feel. She's also doing strenuous physical work, beads of sweat clearly visible on her brow. Her hair has broken free from her elaborate braids and is drooping forward like a fine silver tassel. Her eyes are upon her task, but you can still the unmistakable signs of enjoyment. That glimmer that's only accentuated by her smile of pleasure. There's no doubt that she's enjoying this.

You gasp out loud, letting out a croak that surprises the both of you.

"Oh, not yet, my dear Shirou." She quickly moves her hands, rearranging the position of everything. It keeps you from passing out. "The night is still young," Her breathing is strained by now as well, "and we have much to accomplish. You asked for this, so I won't let you go until the very end."
"Mrmmf..."That's the best you can do.
"Oh, you'll know when that is. Even if you have a couple of false alarms, you'll definitely know when the end is here. I'll make sure to drive the point across. This is a night that you won't forget anytime soon."
"Ahh..."
"And you'll thank me when it's all over. Never again you'll doubt my dedication and intent."

She squeezes something just out of your line of sight. An even more overwhelming sensation sweeps through your body. It's unlike anything you've ever experienced. And you want more.
----
Part 2 out of 3. Rest coming whenever. Probably soon since it's shorter (likely).

>>12363
>>12366
My thoughts exactly.

I do believe I am aroused. Jolly good.

>>12369

FUCK YEAH
YOU'RE THE BEST DOCTOR EVER!

Uh... what the hell is going on here?

>>12375
I don't know, man. I don't know.
Something with a hose and a ball and things being moved about and skin retracting and fluids spraying and WHY IS IT SPRAYING.

I think she's turning us into a cyborg or something.

We should have become her test subject from the beginning on like i said.

Eirin~

>>12375

Good news!

It's a suppository!

I get the feeling Alice is in for a surprise the next time we see her.

Assuming, of course, there even is a next time.

>>12382
Giant augmented prehensile penis.

>>12383
With lasers attached to the head!

I'm expecting three breasts and a vagina dentana myself.

>>12387
Three is such an uneven number. You'd think that a doctor mad with ambition and full of vigor would at least settle for 8. You know, to beat the number that rabbits have and at least equal the average dog. But maybe that's just what I'd do if I were playing God during a procedure.

>>12376
Someone, sometime suggested a cyborg or COMPUTER end a long time ago. Can't for the life of me remember who or when it was.

Yeah, update in an hour give or take a few minutes or your update is free*.


*If Time=Money, then the appropiate amount of time will be refunded in a parallel universe by one of our many alternate selves.

>Three is such an uneven number. You'd think that a doctor mad with ambition and full of vigor would at least settle for 8. You know, to beat the number that rabbits have and at least equal the average dog. But maybe that's just what I'd do if I were playing God during a procedure.

How about 96? Since 96 is the maximum number below 100 that can be divided in half twice or even thrice, it is convenient.

"That was exhausting." Eirin's words are very understated. But it's understandable. All you can do is watch as she lays her head on your chest. She's a complete mess - flushed skin, dirty dress, hair disheveled and spread around like an old mop. It's a surprise she had enough energy to kneel on the floor and collapse on you. Then again, if there's anything that you learned today, it's that she has dedication that goes above and beyond the call of regular duty. It's almost inhuman. Then again this whole ordeal was inhuman. Despite the lack of energy in her eyes, you can still see what must be the smuggest, most satisfied smile on her lips. She puffs up her lips before asking you a final question, "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"
"..."
"Oh, that's right. You're... probably... too tired to say anything. I hope you just know... that you did good." After flashing yet another sensual smile, the good doctor closes her eyes and enters a peaceful slumber.

Although you're way beyond the normal point of utter collapse, you can't yet go to sleep. Your mind is still processing the evening. It felt like forever but it was only a couple of hours at most. Eirin worked you relentlessly. As she said, it's a night that you won't forget any time soon. Her expert hands deftly did what they had to do. At one point, it seemed like her entire body was into it. You thought you were going to break. Or she would. With all those fluids being released, the thrusting, the perfect synchronization between the two of you. It was beautiful. And you can't forget her face - that was pure bliss right there. You're sure that yours was something like it as well.

You're now completely convinced of the doctor's dedication to your well-being. Not a doubt clouds your mind. To be sure, this doesn't mean that you trust her on all matters. But you would be willing to ask her to treat you no matter the circumstances. Even if she herself had inflicted harm on you. She was just that dedicated and into it. Her ripped dress and stretched out, and otherwise destroyed, stockings are a testament to this. Hell, you're not even sure if the many stains on her clothes are exclusively yours. You did a lot of the work, but at least half should be hers. It was inevitable at the intensity things went on.

Just like she said, she wouldn't let you finish until the very end. At times she seemed lost in the moment, but she always knew what to do to prolong the experience. You didn't think you'd last. It was so tight. And you were sure that when you switched midway through that there was no way that would fit in there. But it did, and Eirin somehow made sure of that. It boggles the mind. You wonder if you'll even be in a somewhat lucid state tomorrow. You let your head drop on the table and your eyes roll back. Your nerves by this point should still be overstimulated, so it surprises you that you can acutely feel Eirin's head on your chest. You think about her one more time before you completely and utterly collapse.

A couple of hours later you wake up. Eirin is gone. And you're surprised to find that you can move as if nothing ever happened. You sit up, finding your clothes by the tableside. On top is a piece of paper. It simply states 'Thanks' and has what seems to be an impression of her lips in lipstick. The note smells like her as well. Seeing that the door is open, you slip out of your poor excuse for a hospital gown and into your clothes. Then, taking baby steps at first, you wonder out of the room and back into the real world.

The clinic is empty. At this hour, it's no wonder. It's still twilight, with little to go to dawn. It feels like you're the only person awake in the whole of Gensokyo. You stumble into your room and onto the floor. It's sleep time again.

The next time that you wake up, it's light out. Your body demands more, but those damn kids and their games woke you up. Wait, kids? You shake your head and try to identify the cause of the disturbance.

"IS IT THIS WAY~?!" A loud and familiar voice violates the sanctity of your morning. There's another voice, but it's much more subdued. You can only hear with clarity this inconsiderate jerk. "OH NO, I'M LOST... I THINK I'LL GO BACK TO THE ENTRANCE."

Several hurried steps and what might be psychotic chuckling later, the door to your room violently slides open. A golden-haired demon with a big floppy hat stands there, grinning like mad.

"Come on, ~ze. Let's go!" She wastes no time in ordering you around.
"Huh, what, Marisa!" What are you doing here?" This is the best that your tired mind can come up with.
"I'm here to bust you out, of course! Now get up and let's vamoose."
"What did you say? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh come on. I gave the bunny the slip, but she'll find me soon enough. We don't have much time."

You sit up, trying to process all of this.

"Could you at least tell me why you're here before I run for god-know-how-long to god-knows-where?"
"I told you - bust you outta here. I figured you were tied up, unable to leave so I came to get you."
"But-"
"This is no time to argue! Are ya coming or not?" She pauses for a moment, listening carefully. You hear it too, someone is calling out, probably searching for her. And they're nearby. "Just make up your mind!"

She extends her hand, offering to lead you. Goddammit, why must you always be put on the spot like this? You're fine and you're not even remotely sure as to why she's really here.

[] Take her hand and go with her
[] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please
---
>>12389
Perhaps as an extended project.

>>12377

Chill~ We'll have our DILF...
Next playthrough.

>>12390

[] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please

>was that a sex scene? I'm so confused

[!/] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please.

shit, fan. it hits it

[x] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please

Did...did we get laid? Do we have some sort of Bionic Man thing going on? Should Alice know?

[x] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please

[x] Take her hand and go with her

"Did we just do it?"

>>12398

FFFFFFFFFFFFFF. Nostalgiabomb

[x] Decline - you don't need to be 'busted out'. You can move about as you please

"I'll pass."
"Wha- pass?" She shows a bit of confusion on her face for an instant before returning to her usual confident expression. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Suit yourself then. Can't say that I didn't try.."

Without even even saying goodbye, she turns tail and leaves just as quickly as she came.

"Wait! It's over this way!" Reisen yells at Marisa, while chasing after her. She stops in front of your room. "Oh, Shirou. I'm sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it."
"She came, claiming that she wanted to go to the clinic. And so I was escorting her. Even though master doesn't seem to be in this morning. But she just ran off for some reason. I apologize if she woke you up."
"It's not your fault. She's like that. Can't be helped." You smile at her.
"Well, I should make sure she gets out alright." She smiles back at you. "So if you'll excuse me.."
"Go ahead."

Reisen closes the door and gives chase. You listen to the ruckus for a bit, before it abrutly ends. Marisa definitely got away. Even though she probably had no reason to even flee like that. That's just the way she does business. That crazy girl.

Once the silence sets in again, you feel ready to nap for a little bit more. Truth be told, you can't really think of anything besides sleeping. So it's not like you have a choice. You lie sprawled on the floor, napping ever so peacefully.

You wake up probably only because you're feeling slightly hungry. According to your PDA it's past noon now. You lazily get up and start wake-up procedure. Washing up followed by raiding the kitchen for food. You'll settle with a conveniently placed colored rectangle. It's pink and tastes like tropical fruits. Bless those crazy lunarians. Satisfied, you sit outside in the courtyard for a bit. The day is nice and despite the nagging feeling that you're forgetting something, you're at peace.

[] Time for a follow-up in the clinic
[] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya
[] You have business outside of Eientei
_
Short update is short. And I thought it would take longer for votes.

[] You have business outside of Eientei

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

Screw you Kaguya, you don't control me.

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

conservativeness just kicked in yo

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

[!/] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

Didn't we say we'd talk to her again yesterday? Oh boy.

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

[x] You have business outside of Eientei

[X] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

Surely if we had any important business elsewhere, we would have remembered it. It's fine to take it easy like this once in a while.

{X} You have business outside of Eientei

Well, life once again rears its ugly head. Got things to do now but they won't last for more than an hour or two. And I don't think I'll take very long writing, so expect an update maybe in three hours? Hopefully less. As always votes remain open until I actually start writing (even if we already have enough votes as it stands).

Tewi with a firearm and exhibiting lack of trigger discipline - always related.

Guys...if you wanted out of Eientei, why the hell did you just decline Marisa? Seriously, get around to thinking, choosing what we're choosing now is very likely going to just have the same exact outcome as leaving with Marisa.

>>12417

>Guys...if you wanted out of Eientei, why the hell did you just decline Marisa? Seriously, get around to thinking, choosing what we're choosing now is very likely going to just have the same exact outcome as leaving with Marisa.

tl;dr Intellectually banging Eirin was not worth it.

>>12417
Not true. Even if the action is technically the same, the outcome will be different by virtue of the fact that we WON'T be with Marisa. With her out of the way, we would naturally have more freedom than if she was dragging us along.

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

{X} You have business outside of Eientei

>>12419

What you're probably going to do is likely to end with you being with Marisa anyway. You guys have become very distant with Keine, and somehow, I doubt the majority of voters here voting to go outside want to see Mokou.

>>I doubt the majority of voters here voting to go outside want to see Mokou.

As much as I would love for you to be wrong, I am afraid you're probably right.

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

[q] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

Dammit, are we just going to leave Kaguya with what she said last time? I want my fucking answers.

[X] You have business outside of Eientei

[X] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya

The conversation with Kaguya got me interested. we got questions to ask, people.

[x] A nice day like this is better with company; spend time with Kaguya