[x] Go into the kitchen

[X] Follow Tewi

[x] Follow Tewi

[] Follow Tewi
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

You put in your man-hours following Reisen's orders, showing that you're making an effort. Clinging to her too tightly before she goes back to her regular, amicable self would be counterproductive.

[x] Follow Tewi

[x] Follow Tewi

Fuck it, Tewi Route.

[Z] Follow Tewi

[x] Go into the kitchen

[X] Go into the kitchen
nonono, i feel this is a bit more decisive and influential

[x] Go into the kitchen

<sigh> Does no one remember that the LAST TIME we followed one of Tewi's suggestions, we ended up in the current mess that we have with Reisen?

C'mon, Anon.

Friends don't let friends follow Tewi.

>Does no one remember that the LAST TIME we followed one of Tewi's suggestions, we ended up in the current mess that we have with Reisen?

No, last time we followed Tewi's advice we ended up not being mindfucked or having our dick twisted off by Eirin, and instead spent the day having fun in the village.

>>13915

>or having our dick twisted off by Eirin

You make that sound like a BAD thing.

>>13917
There will never be a Eirin Route. Maybe in another year if Teruyo will write that long and we got every other Character routes finished.

Eirin is love~ <3

[x] Follow Tewi

>>13918
>>13919

Teruyo agreed. Just don't bother him about it.

I'm going to be off in four or so hours. I'm moving somewhere else. So there'll probably be at least a 24 hour period where I won't update (how is this any different than usual? I *really* won't be here), likely two days. But I'll have a lot of time to write I think. Therefore, during this time I'll take suggestions given and pick something that seems to be okay with you people. A sidestory, a nice sequence that ties in to the main plot, etc.

I should say that you shouldn't suggest Aya's Fantasies. Anything else should be okay. And I'll probably do it.

I'll also probably update before I leave, but won't be able to tally until I'm connected to the internet again.

I offer a bunch of pre-planned alternatives in case your creative centers aren't working:
[] Reisen's unexpected chocolate gift
[] Keine's special Valentine's class
[] Cooking with Kaguya
[] The finer points of discipline with Eirin and Tewi
...
[] Other

These are all standalone and won't affect the main story. You can vote on this even if I update.

>>13922

[X] Tewi's lovely dungeon.
Because you said you'd be fine with anything.

[!/] Reisen's unexpected chocolate gift

[x] Reisen's AWOL flight to Earth

[x] The finer points of discipline with Eirin

I want her to discipline me

[Z] Reisen's unexpected chocolate gift
[Z] Cooking with Kaguya
[Z] Danmaku lessons with Mokou.

[x] Kaguya's Fantasies

[x] Follow Tewi

You stare into the kitchen one last time. Ah, you can't resist the temptation. You turn around and walk to Tewi. You can tell she's smiling even though you can't see her face yet.

"So where are we going?"
?We are going to go somewhere peaceful. At this time the only place here that's not crawling with activity is my room. Just follow and behave."
"Yes ma'am." You don't care for her bossiness, but you don't mind following silently for a bit.

Reaching her room, she indicates for you to sit down. You sit next to a wall, and she sits on her bed. She swings her legs slightly in the air.

"Okay, I'm here. What is it that you want to show me?"
"Never said I wanted to show you anything." Tewi replies absentmindedly.
"Why the hell did you call me here then?"
"Because I felt like it."
"...Goodbye." You start to get up.
"Don't be like that. I didn't force you to come. You came with me out of your own free will. The least you can do is not be rude and stay a bit."
"Even though you put it nicely, I still can't bear to listen to you." You sit back down. "But I guess you do have a point. So, what now?"
"Well, I lied just now. Sorry." She tilts her head with a coy smile. "There's a lot of things I want to show you. In fact, there all sorts of stuff that we could do. But I'm still deciding whether or not to leave it for another time."
"Why not just do things now?" You ask the obvious.
"There's no pressing need to." She shrugs, "And I'm not even sure if I want to go through with some of them."
"I take it it's not pleasant then."
"I wouldn't say that."
"Unpleasant for me at least, I gather."
"That's a matter of perspective. Sure, I wouldn't like to do some of those things myself. But it's hardly the end of the world."
"So we're just going to stare at each other for now?"
"Maybe." She smiles. "We could continue where we left off if you wanted."
"Left off what?"
"In the bathroom, that." She's shameless.
"I'll pass."
"That's disappointing." She doesn't show her disappointment though.
"I bet you'll just compromise me like last time. That is, even if I wanted to."
"But both you and I know that you want to. Be honest." She talks about this as if she were talking about the weather. It doesn't sit well with you. "Besides, you compromised yourself."
"You can't be serious! You ended up getting punished by Eirin, didn't you?!"
"For obtaining the drug. Not for what we were doing." She crosses her arms, satisfied with her logic.
"..."
"Just like now, no one is forcing you to do anything. You can leave any time." She indicates the door. "It's not locked."
"That's just frustrating." You complain. "You rope me in and then act like it's no big deal. Sure I was at fault for even falling for it, but you can't be blameless."
"You're responsible for your own actions, and the intent behind them. No amount of pussyfooting around that will change the truth."
"Then I guess I just can't trust you."
"You say that." She smiles. "But yet you're here."
"Well-"
"Not only that," She interrupts, "But acting on my advice you went out all day yesterday, only coming back this morning. Are you also going to tell me that it's my responsibility?"
"In a way. Without your information I never would have left."
"But even with it you could have stayed. I am not your keeper, you know."
"Was that even true then?"
"You'll never know now, will you? You trusted me and chose to ignore a reality you could verify with your own senses."
"A simple yes or no will suffice." You smile bitterly at her. She blows you a kiss.

You get her points, but it still bothers you how bluntly she puts it. She knows she can play you and she enjoys it. And she probably would even admit that she likes messing with you. However, you don't think you'd ever get her to claim responsibility for the misfortunes that have befallen you. Well, you do realize you are solely to blame, but it's human nature to try to find fault elsewhere.

You try to get up again.

"Leaving?"
"Not yet." You stand in place.
"Then I take it you're fed up?"
"With you, yes."
"I really doubt that."
"How can you be sure?" You act dismissive. "My resentment ought to be huge I figure."
"Resentment here, bitterness there. That won't do you any good."
"Well, stop toying around with me and maybe I'll let those things go."
"But I'm not toying around with you." She motions you to come closer. "Come over here."
"What is it?" You stand in front of her.
"I understand how you feel. I really have no ill-will towards you, so I hope you don't have any ill-will towards me." She slacks her shoulders and relaxes. "You know, if you were to push me down, I wouldn't even resist."
"Wha-?" You look at her face. You don't know if she's bluffing, but she looks serious enough.
"Really, I think it might even do you good to take the initiative here. You can't be a shy little bunny forever." She looks up at you with a soft expression.
"What are you talking about...?"
"I'm not forcing you into anything here, let's be clear on that. But I want you to feel free to act on your impulses. I'll understand."

What is this girl talking about? You're too self-conscious about how she's used you to take the initiative here. Not to mention that you wonder about her true feelings, just how does she see you? You've known her for barely two weeks and she's basically propositioning you.

You back away.

"I guess that's a no then..."Tewi looks away, coming close to looking dejected. That only lasts for a moment though. "That's alright." She says with a smile, "I guess we could do something else for a while. Say, do you want to hang out with the rabbits for a bit? Over half of them are avoiding doing work today."
"What, we're just going to continue on as if nothing happened?" You're surprised. Does this mean that she was being insincere?
"The offer is open if you feel like it some other time. I understand if you have a lot you need to sort out first. But let's concentrate on the present." She gets up from the bed. "How about it then? I'll keep you company until later. Just tell me what you want to do."
"Well, that's an offer I can accept from you."

You remember something important.

"Wait, do you still have my belt? Could you give that back please?"
"What belt?" She doesn't seem to remember. "Oh, that thing. You don't want it now. Trust me." She gives you a look that tells you all that you need to know.

Rest in peace you fabulous accessory.

[] Have Tewi take you to the rabbit hangout
[] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei
[] Sit down somewhere and have a good talk with her - including asking about tonight's festival

----
voting for the other thing is still open for an hour or so.

Going going gone. Voting for the previous thing closed. Nothing really won so I guess I'll choose randomly.

[Z] Ask Tewi to take you on a "tour" of Eientei
A tour of Eientei by the person who knows it best? seems like a good opportunity.

[] Sit down somewhere and have a good talk with her - including asking about tonight's festival

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei

This is where Eirin stores the really good booze.
This is where we keep the lions.
This is the armory; feel like shooting anything?
Oh, that over there? The frozen head of Neil Armstrong.

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a "tour" of Eientei

Stupid sexy Tewi

I was expecting that last choice to end up being Tewi conning us into doing mochi hammering for the festival. On the other hand, I voted for the other bunny.

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei

But let's not talk about how we got lost the last time.

m- my... BELT!
I KILL YOU!!!

[X] I kill you
...
...
ok now...
[X] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei
do we still have that laser pointer thingy?

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of her body

>>13939

DOHOHOHOHOHO

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of her body

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei

[] Sit down somewhere and have a good talk with her - including asking about tonight's festival

>No, last time we followed Tewi's advice we ended up not being mindfucked or having our dick twisted off by Eirin, and instead spent the day having fun in the village.

Okay, yes. My mistake.

But my point still stands - we should only trust Tewi as far as we can throw Moukou (not Tewi 'cause she's a total lightweight).

>>13944

I disagree - as much as it may not have been intentional, this is Tewi route now.

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei

>>13958
fine with me. The lack of her in the first game left me in despair.

>>13958
You're doing it again, anon.

Next we're gonna run into Reisen and you're gonna say "This is Reimu route now! no regrets!"

don't be so quick to target lock.

>>13962
*Reimu. not Reisen.

I have moon bunny on the brain.

>>13963
YAF took care of the Reimu need already.
I can't get the Eirin Route, so it is Tewi.

Have we had anything close to a Tewi route in ANY of the CYOAs?

The only thing that comes to mind is TH40k and Inquisitor is being a lazy sob when it comes to updating it.

>>13969
MiG had much Tewi beside Reisen in it. She was pretty awesome in the story.

>>13970

Truth.

>>13969
I thought anon was clammoring for that in TALE.

>>13970
MiG seems like it happened an eternity ago. All I remember is her spying on you and Reisen at the shrine and not much else about her.

>>13964
I think you missed the point there (or I did?)

>>13939
>>13941
As much as I tout the validity and importance of write-ins, I must say no to schizophrenia. No sudden 180s in attitude or choices.

Also, I'll probably start writing in an hour or so. So yeah, definitely expect updates later. As for the other sidethingy, don't worry about it too much.

>>13973
hooray updates!

>>13973

That falls under the "stuff I haven't read" category, though I suppose I should if it is indeed worth a read.

[x] Ask Tewi to take you on a tour of Eientei

"A tour?" She asks. "That doesn't seem much like fun."
"Hey, you offered to keep me company. Besides, I'm sure that there's all sorts of neat stuff lying around that you can show me. Maybe even hidden passages and escape routes."
"Oh, trust me, you really don't want to find out about Eientei's dark little secrets." She shows you a devious look. "Haven't you checked out the place carefully anyways? Just two days ago I think you were doing that."
"Whatever. Stop complaining." You feel like you have no privacy here, but you don't comment on that.

You push Tewi out through the door and she begrudgingly begins to show you around.

She skips over the basics. You appreciate it; there's no need to see the kitchen for the millionth time. She brings you to those empty rooms you saw the other day.

"There's are meeting rooms and we occasionally store stuff here as well. Temporarily, of course."
"Without telling anyone else you mean."
"Bingo." She nods. "There's no need for them to know in most cases. Things come and go within a single day at times." The way she puts it makes you think of chop shops and other illicit locales.
"Why?" There's got to be a reason for all of this.
"Because we can." She shrugs. "No one here gets hurt, and someone ends up with a lucky acquisition. I don't see any negatives to it."

No use in arguing. You do firmly draw the line at her recruiting you though. You want no part in this. She backs off and you move on.

Next is the real storage areas. The places where you played around with all that neat junk.

"I was here the other day. Where is all of this stuff from anyways?"
"Here and there. Mostly Kaguya's personal collection."
"Doesn't sound like you care much about it."
"It's all inside a whole bunch of boxes. Or dismantled. I don't bother with them."
"...You can't figure out what most of the things are either?"
"That's pretty much it." She doesn't hide it. "No one tells me anything about this stuff. And even if I try it out, I can only get some lights and not much else."
"Same here. But they were cool as hell to mess around with. Maybe I'll ask Kaguya about the things I found."
"I don't think she would tell you."
"And why not?"
"Well, for starters..."She pauses for a moment. "No, never mind. Just ask her and see how you do."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Like I said, nothing." She smiles. "Moving on."

'Moving on' here means getting past these rooms full of stuff. And onto areas she deems more interesting. Well, you've got to hand it to her. This is more interesting. It's a disposal area. Well, kind of. It's a huge room with mountain upon mountain of magazines. And not just that, but you spot toys, games, and all sorts of other things. Tewi explains that this is where things get chucked when no one else wants them. You make a note of this place, so you know where to get something to do next time you're bored.

Walking around, you feel hopelessly lost. Tewi does explain the layout of this area, but it just doesn't sink in properly. All you know is that this place is a labyrinth.

Tewi is kind enough to share a few cool pieces of information. There's a (nearly) infinite supply of junk food kept at all times. You have to access a trapdoor in the pantry. She also keeps hinting at that the rabbits have their own private routes. You ask, of course, but she's just evasive about it. From what you assume, there are fake walls here. Some of them lead to shady storage rooms, while others connect the myriad of corridors.

"Check this out." Tewi stops in the middle of a hallway. She points to a spot on the wall.
"What's that?"
"Look closer."

You come closer cautiously. There's light coming from the spot on the wall.

"A peephole? To where?"
"Just look, okay?"

You put your eye to the hole. It's a plain room with not that much illumination. A futon lies in it and there's some junk in the corner. Oh, there's a closet too, but it's closed.

"What is this place?" You step back.
"Don't recognize it?" Tewi looks surprised. "Man, you're clueless."
"Well excuse me for not being an expert voyeur."
"It's not even about that." Although she adds quickly, "And don't give me that load of crap. Listen, take another look and think hard."

You humor her and take another look. You just don't see what's the big deal about this lame and desolate room.

"...!"
"Finally recognized it?"
"Wait, how? My room is nowhere near here!"
"Smoke and mirrors." Tewi smiles smugly. "You don't even know where we are to begin with either, so don't assume things."
"Look, could you close this up please. I don't feel comfortable with you staring at me."
"Who says that I'm the one staring? I have better things to do, like look into the one in the bathroom."
"Haha, what?"
"Nothing. Let's get a move on."
"Now wait just a moment." You grab her arm. "Really now, this is just creepy."
"Says the guy who plays with dolls."
"I do not." You shift your eyes around, trying to remember if you ever did such a thing.
"What are you going to do if I don't?"
"I don't know myself."
"Good heavens." Tewi shakes her head and places her free arm on your shoulder. "Here you have the initiative and you don't know what to do. You could easily overpower me, use physical punishment as a deterrent or any other number of things. Yet you always fail to act."
"I don't think anything would change if I trying to solve my problems with violence."
"Probably not." She admits. "But you could probably solve some problems with the threat of violence."
"Are you telling me to threaten you?"
"Now that wouldn't work in this situation, right? I mean I just told you about it. Just think of it as a life lesson. Come on, let's go."

Tewi tugs you and you go along. You'll find that hole in your room and cover it up.

The next stop is another hole, but this time much closer to the main area.

"Just look quickly. If you're lucky, you'll see something nice." Tewi urges you on.
"I don't want to."
"Be a man.."
"Fine, just a quick look." Your words make Tewi smile.

You suppress a sigh and look into the hole. Unlike last time, this is definitely not your room. There's light, furniture, and a whole bunch of other signs of habitation. You can't see why she'd want you to look into here. This isn't a room you've been to anyways. You're about to back away and ask Tewi what the deal is when you see it.

A soft-looking white texture. One in the upper area. A delicate pattern on the sides all the way to the middle. Your breathing stops as you realize what it is you're looking at. Wait, no. At just exactly who you're looking at. She's sitting down on a chair, putting on a pair of stockings. She moves meticulously and efficiently, putting on her clothes swiftly. She slows as she reaches her thighs, both letting the stocking give a 'slap' and then connecting the garter belt. She gets up and puts on the rest of her dress, wasting no time. It couldn't have lasted more than a minute or so, but it feels like an eternity to you.

"Wha-?!" You cry out in surprise. "Eirin!?"
"Shh!" Tewi shushes you. "She'll hear you!"

Her warning comes too late. When you look again, her face has clouded up. She walks away. Before completely leaving, Eirin pauses. She turns around slowly, looking towards the peephole. It's another moment that you wait with bated breath. She simply smiles and winks in your before going away. It sends shivers down your spine. That was no regular warm smile. Normally a smile is a nice thing, this one felt like it just sent an icepick through your chest. You fall back on your butt in shock.

"I guess she noticed, huh? There goes the 5th hole. Come on, we've no time to waste!."

Tewi pulls you up and tugs you along. You have no idea what's in store for you now. Did she know it was you? How did she know? Oh crap, you're dead. All you can do is nod absentmindedly as she concludes the tour. Yeah, frozen artifacts, good. Room which you're not supposed to enter, great. You don't care about that right now. It's not until she brings you to the side of Eientei that you somewhat regain your senses.

"Well, there's a lot out here. But I think that another day might be best for the outside. It's getting dark now." Looking at your face, she adds. "Plus, by the looks of it, it looks like you've sustained quite a fright. Sorry about that." It doesn't help that she's insincere.
"Thanks anyways." You reply with a sigh. Yeah, it looks like it's getting dark.
"Well, I'll leave you here. See you later then. I guess all five of us will be sitting together at some point. I'll make things fun if you want."
"No thank- wait, five?"
"Yes." She furrows her brow. "You, me, Reisen, Kaguya, and Eirin. That's all, unless you count the other rabbits. But they don't really like to sit and talk like we do."

You remember the sixth person that's supposed to be there. Uh-oh. You're supposed to meet her about now. She might already be there in fact. You try to keep yourself composed in order not to betray your thoughts to Tewi. It looks like she doesn't know.

[] Go wait for Mokou
[] Give Tewi a heads up about her
[] Go inside and try to tell Reisen about it

----
Note that all three choices lead to 'Go wait for Mokou'. So it's not like you'll leave her high and dry.

[x] Go wait for Mokou.

It'll be a surprise.

[x] Go wait for Mokou
Maybe it won't be such big a deal.

[x] Give Tewi a heads up about her

[Z] Go wait for Mokou

>?Says the guy who plays with dolls."
>?I do not." You shift your eyes around, trying to remember if you ever did such a thing.
>?What are you going to do if I don't?"
Missing dialog?

[x] Give Tewi a heads up about her
We do such a good job at not getting people pissed off at us, I see no reason to try harder.

[x] Go wait for Mokou

>?Because we can." She shrugs. "No one here gets hurt, and someone ends up with a lucky acquisition. I don't see any negatives to it.."

hahaha

[x] Give Tewi a heads up about her

Tewi is pretty much the only person who would come out and tell you just how bad an idea this might be. In which case, it would be best to make an excuse, like that she invited herself. I like Mokou, but if she's only doing this to drive a wedge between you and Kaguya, then she's not acting like your friend.

>>13962

Mokou is right - we're just going to go after whatever girl gets placed in our path.


>>13958


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

>>13982

Freaky Eirin! At long last! I was wondering when we'd get past the hard "crazy genius doctor" shell to the chewy "freaky genius who gives biology/anatomy lessons" center!


[x] Go inside and try to tell Reisen about it

Because I have a hunch that doing nothing, and arriving in the company of Kaguya's immortal enemy will lead to...

TRUCK FIGHT!

[X] Go inside and try to tell Reisen about it

I get the feeling that "try" is the operative word, here. It might be more interesting if it's a surprise, anyway, so no big loss if she won't listen to us.

[] Go wait for Mokou

[X] Go wait for Mokou

>[x] Go wait for Mokou.
>Maybe it won't be such big a deal.

THIS SHIT WILL NEVER WORK

>>13995

Well, they've been known to be pretty civil in canon outside of their death matches. Of course, that's probably unlikely with this Mokou since "civil" to her means she might not put you in an armlock and demand candy.

Well, writing now. It'll probably take me a bit since, you know, wall. But I should be alive and writing for the foreseeable future. I think anon will enjoy this.

>>13997
>I think anon will enjoy this.

I cringe every time you say this.

>>13998

You should be used to it by now.

[x] Go wait for Mokou

You leave Tewi and swing by the front of Eientei. Mokou didn't really specify exactly where you'd meet. 'Just outside' or something like that. She probably won't come all the way to the front gate by herself. You move to the edge of the brush, hoping that you'll spot her sooner or later.

The sun hasn't set yet, but you can see the full moon peeking through the cloud cover. You hear singing coming from out back. Must be part of the festival.

You hear footsteps. Some of the nearby bamboo stalks shake. You try to see if that's perhaps Mokou.

Oh, it's not. You instead run into a girl with a long ponytail wearing a yukata. She seems out of place here.

"Are you from the village?" You ask. "Maybe you got lost in the forest? I think I can lead you back home if that's the case."

She stares at you blankly for a moment.

"Can you understand me?" You wonder if she doesn't speak another language or something.
"Yes." She blinks and smiles at you, her eyes showing delight. "And I definitely don't need you to take me to the village."
"Then you're going to Eientei? I'd say you're probably headed to the clinic, but you don't look injured."
"I'm going to Eientei alright. With you."
"With me? Well, I don't mind taking you somewhere, but I'm sort of waiting for someone."
"Really?" She smiles and comes closer. You can smell perfume coming from her. "And who are you waiting for?"
"Just someone I know. She's supposed to come to a festival with me. Come to think of it, you're probably here for that, right?"
"That's correct. It's good that you're not totally clueless Shirou."
"Wait, how do you know my name?"
"Hey now." She frowns a bit. "You really don't recognize me? I thought that you were putting on a bit of an act there."

You tilt your head in confusion.

"It's me, Mokou." She spins around. Her blue costume flaps slightly.
"Really?" You use your imagination for a bit. "So it is you!" You feel like an idiot about now. "I totally did not expect to see you dressed like this. What gives?"
"It's a festival right? I just picked something I thought appropriate. The fact that it's hot also helped me choose."
"I guess that's a good enough explanation. But you really threw me off with that ponytail. Not just that, but are you wearing makeup?"
"That's all Keine. Since she couldn't make it, she insisted to do her best at dressing me up. This dress is hers as well." She smacks her lips. "This is really not me."
"Aha, I see." Well, it's fitting you suppose. A lighter blue might suit her better though.
"Just to be clear, I had no choice in the matter."
"Well, you look fine." You tell her the truth.
"Thanks." You can't tell if she is saying that sarcastically or just simply embarrassed or something. Eh, the latter is not very likely.
"Right. Well, you hear the singing, right? I suppose that the festival has already begun. Let's go."
"Gimmie a moment." She lags behind. "These sandals are a bit tricky to walk in."

You act nice. You wait for her to get her footing right and walk slowly by her side.

"Say, do you mind if you show me where you live first?" She asks once through the gate. "The festival can wait a bit, right?"
"Fine, there's no harm in that."

You show her around a bit. She's well-behaved and doesn't say anything bad about your plain room. You try not to dawdle too long. So after that and showing off the courtyard you head on out outside.

A large number of rabbits are all lined up with hammers and and working on pounding rice cakes. They're not synchronized, not by a long shot. But they do seem happy enough, singing along in a (relatively) harmonious tune.

You look around for Kaguya and the others. They're sitting out on the porch, drinking tea and talking. They're dressed up as well, wearing patterned dresses. You go towards them. Tewi is the first to spot you. She says something and all four of them turn to your direction. You wonder what they're thinking. It must be a surprise for you to just turn up with a guest. Kaguya certainly didn't expect you to bring someone you think.

"Good evening." You greet them. "I'm sorry if I'm a bit late."
"Good evening." Kaguya replies. "You haven't missed out on much." She smiles and turns her head to your guest. "Good evening to you too. I must say it's a bit of a surprise to see you here of all places."
"Good evening." Mokou smiles and nods. "I came because Shirou invited me. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
"I can't imagine so. Shirou did the right thing in showing initiative. The more the merrier, eh?"
"Well, you did say I could bring whomever I wanted." You add.
"That's right I did. Now won't you please sit? The sun has just gone down and we can see the full quite clearly between the clouds."

You sit next to Kaguya. Mokou sits next to you.

"Tea?" Reisen offers the two of you a cup.
"Please."

With the teacup in your hand you watch as the moon reveals itself through the cloud cover. It's hauntingly beautiful

"It's nice to be together like this." Eirin speaks. "Eientei can feel so empty at times."
"True that. I sometimes feel like I could walk these hallways and never run into anybody else." You chip in.
"Have you explored this place any? Or have you been spending more time outside perhaps?" You look away from the moon to look at Eirin. She's got an unusually cheery smile on her face.
"I've been doing a little bit of both.? Oh good heavens, does she know? You find yourself wondering if Eirin is planning to do something to you. "I sometimes can't find you guys though."
"I spend most of my time at the clinic. So you really can't miss me. Whenever I'm not there, Undonge here knows where I'm at. So just ask her. If you want to see me of course."

Mokou whispers into you ear, "Whoah, is it just me or is something going on between you and her?"
"Huh, what do you mean?" You whisper back.
"Like something... nevermind."

"...We're a bit boring in that regard I'm afraid." Eirin finishes her thought.
"Nonsense! We're plenty exciting!" Kaguya offers her opinion. "It's just that to the untrained eye it might seem that way. We do have our little rituals and lots of fun. Outsiders just can't be expected to understand that from the get-go."
"Really?" Tewi pipes up, "Is that why Shirou has been spending so much time away from here? You'd think that he wouldn't mind staying here all day long."

God damn it. You look at Tewi. She blows you a kiss and gets up.

"I think I'm going to join the rabbits for a bit. A bit of exercise might do me good." She leaves before she's witness to the aftermath of her comment.

It starts off a bit subtle at first.

"You've been gone a lot lately?" Kaguya asks. "So that's why I couldn't find you earlier. I spent an awful long time wondering if you had gotten lost, you know. What were you doing anyways?"
"Sorry about that. I was just, you know, walking for a bit. Getting to know the surrounding area, if you will." Yeah, you won't tell her that you left yesterday because of what Tewi told you.
"And spending time with me. We were together all day, until morning today." Mokou leans up against you, placing her arm on yours.
"Oh? That's interesting!" Eirin speaks up. "And what were you doing with your friend here?"
"We spent a fun afternoon and evening joking, drinking, playing games. It couldn't have been any more fun." Mokou answers for you. "Frankly, to me, it feels like Shirou is an old friend of mine. Ain't that right?" She pats your arm.
"I'm glad!" Kaguya exclaims with a smile on her face. "Shirou making friends is always a good thing!" She gets up and takes a few steps towards the rabbits. The moonlight makes her dark hair shimmer. "Reisen, would you be so kind as to get us something to eat. Rice cakes if they're done please.."

Reisen wordlessly gets up and does as she's asked.

"You don't mind if I talk to Kaguya a bit, do you?" Mokou lets go of your arm and stands up. She walks stands next to Kaguya. They start to talk, but you can't hear what about.

"It's just the two of us for now." Eirin reminds you that she's still there.
"That's fine." You turn around to sit facing her.
"Don't you think the moon looks absolutely stunning from here?"
"Absolutely. It's surrounded by stars as well, it looks like a giant patchwork of light in the sky.."
"Well put. The clouds are all moving quickly away, so it's only going to be nicer later.."

There's something about seeing her out of her usual garments. You can't help but stare at the constellations stamped onto her fine dark silken clothes. It's not the usual patterns as on her normal wear either.

"It's rude to stare you know.."
"Sorry about that. I was just thinking about how you're all dressed up differently." You apologize.
"Quite all right. I do suppose that I look odd dressed like this. This kind of dress probably suits the princess much more than it does me, eh?"
"I don't know about that. It's different from the usual, but that doesn't mean it's not nice." Yeah, the contrast between her light hair and the dark dress makes it interesting. She's not wearing her usual cap either.
"I'll presume that's a compliment. Thank you. It makes dressing up like this worth it." She smiles.
"Now you're just humoring me.."
"Quite the contrary. I'm telling the truth." She looks up at the moon. "It's a waste dressing up just because it's the right thing to do. I'd much rather get a compliment as a reward.."

Reisen arrives. She's holding a tray.

"Please help yourselves to these snacks." She offers the rice cakes. You take one and she moves on to offer them to Kaguya. Neither Kaguya nor Mokou take one. Reisen comes back with the tray and sits down.
"These are good." Eirin says after a bite.
"I'm glad you think so. You usually don't eat these when we make them.."
"Oh? Why not?" You ask, swallowing a mouthful.
"Normally Kaguya and I just sit inside and have a drink or two while peeking at the moon." Eirin answers for her.
"Ah, I see. Seems like a waste though. These are quite good.."
"The rabbits eat them all up in the end." Reisen tells you, "So it doesn't matter that much. I just think it's nicer to share these with everyone.."

Yeah, it is nice to share a moment like this with everyone. Speaking of sharing, those two seem to have concluded their talk. They shamble towards you with disproportionately large grins on their faces. Is this a good thing?

"Hey there, what's up?" You ask innocently enough.
"Oh nothing too big, Shirou." Mokou speaks.
"That's right, dearest buddy. Just a little something we decided upon." Kaguya 'reassures' you.
"And what might that be?"
"Entertainment." Mokou explains, "This can't be called a proper festival unless there's at least a game or a competition.."
"That's why we decided we would split into teams and play something fun." Kaguya smiles, "The winner, of course, will win a prize.."
"And that would be?"
"Being able to ask the losers to do something, anything, no strings attached." Mokou replies casually.
"Most perfect, eh?" Kaguya narrows her eyes. "It's just three games to be chosen by our judge. After which we can all share a drink to celebrate good sportsmanship.."
"Ah, perfect." You stand up, seeing where this is going.
"So come on, take my hand and let's plan what we're going to do." Mokou extends her hand.
"What she means, of course, is that she's going to team up with good Reisen there while we plan our own strategy." Kaguya 'corrects' Mokou's 'mistake'.
"Ahaha..."You laugh nervously. This is making you uncomfortable. "I see." You get the feeling that they'd both kill you if you went for Reisen.
"If yo u understand, let's go!."
"Come on Shirou!."

[] Take Kaguya's hand
[] Take Mokou's hand
[] Help me Eirin!
----
>>13998
It's like I'm Pavlov and that phrase is my bell! This comparison works on many levels.

Also it took me forever to write this even though it isn't that long or anything. Sorry about that.

[x] Take Kaguya's hand.

On one hand, I normally like Mokou an order of magnitude more than any other Touhoe. On the other, Kaguya has been our friend for far longer in the story and I was aiming for a Kaguya route anyway.

[x] Take Kaguya's hand

[x] Take Mokou's hand

[X] Help me Eirin!

Best team ever. Outsmart both of them.

[x] Fuck this. Go find Tewi then make Kaguya and Mokou team up against the two of you.

Given options A, B, and C, I choose Z. Of course if we end up losing with this setup, then it'll bite us in the ass harshly, but eh. If we win, it's even better.

[x] Fuck this. Go find Tewi then make Kaguya and Mokou team up against the two of you.

>>14013
"Take Eirin's hand" is basically "Help me Eirin!" but put less stylstically (well, also because she doesn't have her hand extended, but eh it was mostly for the imagery). Thought I should maybe clear that up.

>>14014
Well then, in that case...

[X] Help me Eirin!

>>14015
Deleting your post wasn't necessary, especially given how you used reasoning there that might have persuaded some anons to your side.

[X] Take Mokou's hand

[x] Take Kaguya's hand.

>>14016
Well, it's not like the reasons for picking Eirin aren't already somewhat obvious, really.

Kaguya and Mokou want Shirou to basically pick between them. Going with Eirin counters that plan by refusing to go along with either, and likely forcing them to team up themselves.
It eliminates the need to choose between the old buddy and the new, treats them both equally and fairly, and has the added bonus of having both Mokou and Kaguya have to do something should we win.

That's my rationale, anyway. Whether or not anyone else goes along with it is, of course, an entirely different matter.

[X] Help me Eirin!

[!/] Take Kaguya's hand.

Staying On Target 101- By TakoKeine.

[Z] Take Kaguya's hand.

[x] Call out for Tewi

[] Help me Eirin!

[] Help me Eirin!

[] Help me Eirin!

[x] Fuck this. Go find Tewi then make Kaguya and Mokou team up against the two of you.

[x] Fuck this. Go find Tewi then make Kaguya and Mokou team up against the two of you.

>>14019

[X] Help me Eirin!

Makes sense man.

[X] Take Mokou's hand

[x] Take Kaguya's hand.

[X] Help me Eirin!

[x] Call out for Tewi.
[x] When she doesn't answer after a few seconds, give Eirin the doe eyes.
[x] If either express misgivings, ply them with letting them choose the prize.

[x] Take Kaguya's hand
This kind of situation shouldn't warrant a write-in. So, I flipped a few coins.

[X] Have them fight it out over you.

[x] Help me Eirin!

Because...because...because!

Why do I need any other reason?

[x] Call for Tewi

If this is to be a mistake, may as well gamble on Tewi. Also, the lucky rabbit is someone you want to team up with if there is a game of chance. Of course, Tewi being an ass will screw us over spectacularly, but hey, Tewi route...

>>14043

I think it's more to the point that Tewi will definitely have some use for the prize, whereas Eirin probably couldn't care less.

>>14044
But if Eirin doesn't care about the prize, then would that not mean that should we win, we would get it all to ourselves?

I can't see what use Tewi would have for any favor from Mokou, and while she might have use of something from Kaguya, it's just as likely she would find whatever those two would force Shirou to do should he lose to be far more entertaining. Tewi might have a reason to want to win, but I can easily see how she wouldn't have any reason not to lose, either.

>>14044
Sometimes it just isn't about the prize. Alternatively, it's not about winning or losing to some either.

Cryptic message delivered - will write after I run a few brief errands.

>>14032>>14033
Same university network, 5 minutes apart.

>>14028>>14039
Same IP. If you want to update your vote, delete the old one.

[x] Help me Eirin!

Ah, this isn't good. Choosing one over the other doesn't seem to be the right thing to do. Even if they're smiling now, you get the feeling that won't be the case if you pick between them. Then what's the solution?

"Hurry up already!"

You ignore the demand and turn your head to the side. Right there, just over your shoulder, Eirin is calmly observing the situation. Your eyes meet hers. You can see her amusement for your plight. You beg as best you can for her to intervene. She tells you she can't with her smile. You put on the saddest, most lovable puppy eyes that you can. She's got to help you. Both of the girls are already tugging at a different arm. You mouth with your lips a simple 'please'. Eirin retains her poker face.

"What, are we going to have to make you flip a coin or something?" Mokou tugs at you from the left. "Just come with me already."
"I do believe that Shirou will be coming with me, Fujiwara." Kaguya tugs from the right. You feel like a you're the rope in a game of tug of war.
"Let the man decide for himself!" Mokou nearly dislocates your arm.
"Indeed!" Kaguya ain't cutting your joints any slack either.

"Alright! Alright! I'll choose! Just let go, please." You can take no more. They both let go with a 'humf!' and look at you. Even though you said that, you still haven't made up your mind. You don't want to snub you're long-time buddy Kaguya but you don't want to endanger your new friendship with Mokou either. Plus, they're both giving you 'that' look. You close your eyes; ?The one that I'll be partnering up... is-!"
"-None other than me."
"Yes. Her." Huh? You open your eyes. You realize that Eirin just said that; she's standing next to you with a hand on her shoulder.
"What, Eirin?!" Kaguya looks at her old acquaintance in confusion. "You're supposed to be our judge!"
"Undonge can take care of that. It doesn't have to be me."
"Hey, that doesn't work." Mokou objects, "This is supposed to be a competition between Kaguya and I, who are we supposed to partner up with?!"
"Easy." Eirin squeeze your shoulder as if telling you to pay attention, "You can partner up with Kaguya. There's no rule saying that Shirou has to partner up with one of you. And we can still compete in the same fashion. It'll be fine like this. After all, this is just for fun, right?"
"But we had something else in mind!" Kaguya pouts.
"Now now princess, we should play a game that the majority finds fun. Let's have a quick show of hands to see who finds this fun. All in favor..."

You raise your hand and Eirin raises her hand. Reisen, who's been observing quietly also raises her hand.

"Good." You put down your hand. "All against?" Kaguya and Mokou raise their hands. "Well, that settles it, three versus two. It looks like we'll be doing it this way."
"Hold on a minute there Eirin! Can you give us a moment to talk something over?" Kaguya signals Mokou to come with her.
"Take your time." Eirin replies.

They move away from you and huddle close together. They've got serious expressions on their faces.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue. I wasn't sure that you were going to help." You thank Eirin.
"Now who could say no to those lovely eyes begging for help?" Eirin giggles. She enjoys her role in this. "I could see how you were conflicted in this situation."
"There didn't seem to be a better option."
"It's good that you understand that. However, you must also understand that you owe me for this."
"Yes, of course."
"I'm not interested in the prize for winning either, so you can have that as well. All I ask in return is that you come do me a favor. Either later tonight or sometime tomorrow, depending on how the night goes. Does that sound fair?"
"It does. Can I know what kind of favor you want from me?"
"Oh, I just need a little help at the clinic and I thought that you would be the right person to assist me." She smiles at you. "And don't worry, we won't lose this one."

Kaguya and Mokou finish their little talk, exchanging their serious faces for confident ones. They come back to where you are.

"Well?" You ask.
"We would like to change a rule. About the prize." Mokou speaks. "We'd like to make it so that each member of the winning team gets to ask a member of the losing team of their choosing for their prize. The prize, of course, still remains asking them to do whatever they want."
"Sounds fine to me." Eirin says. You know that her prize will go to you.
"It's also okay with me." If you lose, they'll probably both ask something from you instead of Eirin.
"Then it's settled!" Kaguya claps her hands. "Let's begin!"

Reisen explains the first event.

"Since tonight we're making rice cakes under the full moon, why not make a competition out of it? One person will place the mochi-to-be, while the other pounds and shapes it with these wooden mallets." She nods to a pair of bunnies and they give a demonstration. One places the mass while the other strikes it until it's flat and well shaped. "Then the first member takes the cake out and replaces it with a new one. Until you have made enough. This requires some coordination between partners. Umm, be careful that you don't smash your partner's fingers with the mallet."

"Got that Shirou? Easy, huh?" Eirin says. "You'll be doing the pounding while I'll be placing and removing the rice cakes."
"Sounds good to me." You'll be extra careful not to smash her hand by accident. That would definitely be a bad thing for you.

You move into position as the other team does. Kaguya will do the placing while Mokou does the pounding. They still look confident and seem to be focused on winning.

"First team to make twenty wins." You pick up the mallet as Reisen gets ready to start. "On your marks... ready.... go!"

You try to focus wholly on this. Eirin places the rice mound. You swing down the mallet. Pound. Smash. Pound. It takes a few swings to get it nice and round. Eirin signals you that that's enough and removes the first one. She's quick at removing and placing. The slow part is you. It's not about brute strength, it's more about technique. You try your best to make the cakes in as few swings as possible. You think you've got a good rhythm.

Smash. Pound. Smash.

You've done about six or seven now. It's harder work than you thought and you're just about to begin sweating.

"Hurry up. They're doing better than us." Eirin warns you to do better. You steal a glance and see a big pile of rice cakes next to the opposing team. You redouble your efforts.

Pound pound. Smash. Pound.

You're working as fast as you can. Almost twice as fast as before. You think that you just might win if you keep it up. You almost smash into Eirin once or twice, but manage to avoid disaster every time. Just two more by your counts. You try your hardest to finish these last two. One. Done. Just a couple swings more and you're home free.

"And we've got a winner!" Reisen announces just as you're finishing.

It's not you. You haven't quite finished the last rice cake. You apologize to Eirin with your eyes as Reisen calls the win for the other team.

"Don't worry about it. I'm confident that they'll lose the next two events." Eirin reassures you, but you wonder if she really means it. After all, she knows that it's not her that's on the line here.
---
Halfdate. Rest coming very soon.

Now for something related....

>>14049
if Shirou doesn't win this he is fucked.

>>14052

>if Shirou doesn't win this he is fucked.
>fucked

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

>>14054
Timid Rabbit finally getting somewhere? Nowai.

Sorry there, by 'soon' I mean 'later'. I've got the worst cold I've had in recent memory and can't concentrate for shit. The room literally seems to spin if I unfocus. I'll probably be fine after sleeping some. Hopefully.

In the meanwhile have... something.

>>14057
get better soon

>>14057

Taskete, motherErin!

Finally caught up with this story.

From what was said so far in this story, there has been absolutely no mention of the Beer God, so it seems like we never got around to meeting him and acquired his pendant. This means we weren't prepared to "handle" Aya's first appearance... so our relationship with her this time around has become completely indifferent. If this much was retconned, do we still have our one month infinite supply of free beer from the tavern? Did we experience Keine's "world's comfiest pillow" this time around?

Looking back at thread 7 of the first run, these things directly relate to the Beer God's existance. They also all should have happened during the period that was described in the abridged intro scene for this playthrough, so they may as well have been retconned out of this story now. Naturally, some of us might be inclined to redo these things despite what happened last time - the buttpillow incident can't possibly have been the catalyst for the previous Shirou to enter his path to lifelong despair... right?

Whenever it's convenient, I'd like to get a review of our inventory and such. I don't imagine anything was carried over like that pendant or the laser pointer or other things, but this is technically a new game+ and we have already passed those events if we follow the same timeline of the previous playthrough. I know that at least the PDA and Albion have been retained, so...

And if I might say so, from that personality test in the beginning, the "Build a simple internal combustion engine from spare parts" answer seriously made me think this was hinting at a possible Nitori path... perish the thought. The lack of non-Eientei related characters this time around seems to help anon focus at least a bit more, and mentioning other hypothetical scenarios might distract anon again.

In fact, that's one of the major flaws from the first time, the revealing of other situations or OOC metaknowledge that cause some to vote for one way to make sure it does (or doesn't) happen. I'm sure everyone has noticed how much we're trying to avoid Eirin nearly at all costs this time due to that. This favor that Eirin wants now is a very good way to get back at those who want to stay far away from her.

But out of curiousity, has the "Unlimited Doll Works" route been reopened? It's probably third or fourth playthrough material at this point. I believe we were promised a "fabulous" route for Shirou at some point as well.

>>14062
>>14063
Let's see... answering in order:

Booze God and unlimited ale has probably I guess been retconned. The former is humorous device that may come into play if needed and the latter isn't that relevant to story progression. As for the Tengu Writer, the base relationship is definitely different. And you might see how as she is a minor character in a route and makes sporadic appearancs in others. At least for the time being and under the current plan. This isn't to say that I might not write someting (or finish certain fantasies) but that's really secondary at this stage.

The buttpillow hasn't happened either I would have to say since that whole evening was a subset of being drunk with Keine and blah blah pendant. The interaction with Keine has basically become, for 'equal footing' purposes, first meeting, talk over a drink, and then what appears in this run.

As for inventory. I really plan to only have useful items in the inventory this time around (or ones with more obvious uses at least). So it's just the PDA and Albion. Other possession you may have, but don't count as 'usable' inventory. At least, not right now.

Metaknowledge and out of character votes/replies do remain a bit of a problem, but it's nothing that can't be worked out somehow. At least I'm hopeful for that. Also, I'd encourage anon to check the list on the PDA some time after the festival. That might help out a bit.

As for the final point; Well, that looks like something for the future. Or a secondary, shorter story. Although the latter is unlikely for now.

As for updates: I'm feeling a bit better. Drugs have definitely helped me cope with feeling like crap. Although they've left me drowsy. I'll definitely update in a while come hell or high water, even if it's just a 'part 2 out of 3' or something like that.

She doesn't do much to put you at ease at the next event either.

Those rice cakes that you made just now - they're to be consumed. The objective here is to finish them all up before the other side does. It's a one on one match up; Eirin pushes the responsibility on you claiming that ?It's just not me to do something like eating food competitively.?. You assure her that it's not really 'you' either, but she just stonewalls you with a hint of subterfuge in her eyes. You begin to question whether or not she's really committed to winning. For now you settle for her assurances that you'll win this one easily.

On the other side, you're matched up against Mokou. The other team doesn't spend much time arguing about who is going to do the eating, despite the fact that Mokou does seem a bit reluctant. That's good though, it means that she might not have the stomach for it. Kaguya seems to think so as well, frowning at her behind her back. She notices your gaze upon her and puts on a skeleton of a smile to no avail. This boosts your confidence a bit.

You stare at the large pile in front of you as Reisen explains the simple rules for this.

"First to eat all of their rice cakes wins. The other partner may only assist by providing drinks. Other than that they are to sit out of this one." She acts like the impartial judge, but from her barely concealed smile, you can see that she's enjoying this. Whether it's because you're participating, or simply because she's caught the festive bug you're not sure.

The already relaxed rabbits also take this little competition as a chance to not work. They were all watching last game, and this time they've gone as far as completely dropping work to watch. They keep their distance, watching from the sidelines. If you didn't know any better, however, you could swear that they're placing bets. Not that you'd blame them. You feel like you could make a killing if you bet on the outcome of this.

"Get ready-!" It's almost time, you breathe deep and prepare to eat.
"Just keep focused on finishing and we'll win." Eirin imparts some final advice. Something about the way she looks at the other team makes you think that she might have something up her sleeve.
"Go!"

You stuff your mouth and try to eat as fast as you can. It's sticky and when trying to swallow large quantities it gets hard to breath at the same time. You're lucky these aren't very big though; they disappear easily and it looks like you'll be able to fit all of these into your stomach with no problem. It's a bit disgusting to eat food so fast that you can't taste it, but you excuse yourself for the sake of winning the competition.

Eirin has to intervene when your mouth gets too full for you to effectively move your jaw. Pouring in a water-like substance she commands you to chew. It's simply a mess in your mouth but you manage to hold your own. It's when you're done with about two-thirds of the rice cakes that you cement your victory. It's not by your own merit. A loud commotion comes from the other team. You look up, chewing and swallowing in order not to waste any time.

Mokou is choking. More than that, she can't seem to decide whether to stuff more food into her mouth or spit it all out. Kaguya, noticing that her comrade is in danger of losing, steps up to help her. Well, it's not help in the traditional sense of the word; it's purely to make sure they can still win. She violently smacks Mokou's back, causing a loud thud and making Mokou cough harder. Both girls get more desperate and the physical abuse increases. Mokou punches herself and Kaguya gladly assists.

"If one contestant can't finish the food, he or she forfeits." Reisen reminds, all the while moving closer to Mokou in case she needs to intervene.

That doesn't prove to be necessary however. Kaguya gives Mokou a powerful kick to the chest (you could have sworn you heard ribs cracking). This allows Mokou to free her air tract and get back to eating. It's too late though, you finish eating the last rice cake as they struggle to pick up the pace. Reisen announces you as the winner.

"I told you we'd win." Eirin congratulates you by mussing up your hair. It comes off as more patronizing than anything.

It all comes down to the third and final event. You only hope that it doesn't somehow involve more mochi as Reisen explains it.

"The third, and final event will be rope pulling." She indicates a thick piece of rope that the rabbits have brought from storage. "I don't think that I have to explain much here. Both sides pull, and the first to let go or fall loses."

You look at the opposing team. You wonder if you can beat them. You can't imagine Eirin being of much use here.

"Don't worry." Eirin seems to read your thoughts. "It may not look like it, but I've got plenty of upper body strength." She takes a pair of gloves (that she had god-knows-where - her dress doesn't have pockets) and slips them on her hands. "You won't have to do much, just hold out for a bit and we'll win."
"Well, there's no point in not trusting you now." You nod and then add, loud enough for the other team to hear, "We'll win this one with no problem."
"That's the spirit." Eirin replies in the sincerest tone you've heard her use all night. If you weren't cautious about her personality you might even mistake that for honest enthusiasm. And it may very well be that, considering how she's going to be making a large effort this time.

The other side looks a bit shaken, but still confident. Mokou is still obviously sore from the punishment she suffered just a little bit ago and you wonder if maybe Kaguya doubts her own strength. Not to put your dear friend down, but you wouldn't count physical strength amongst her many lovely attributes. You pick up your part of the rope and wait while everyone else gets into position. Reisen counts down and the tug of war match begins.

You give it your best. It's a surprisingly close competition, with neither side edging in on the other. This heated battle makes you wish you had gloves like Eirin. But it's not so bad since you know that your opponents are under the same situation. The real shock comes when you realize that Eirin isn't trying very hard at all. Oh she's pulling alright, but not nearly with her full strength. She's just pulling hard enough to maintain the status quo.

It's about five minutes into the war of attrition that the first cracks begin to appear. On your side, you begin to sweat. On their side, You notice that Kaguya's knee shakes a bit. This gives you the incentive to hold on.

"Looks like it's time." That's the only comment you hear from Eirin. All of a sudden the rope starts slacking towards your end and the opposition is being dragged towards you. Mokou seems to try twice as hard to regain her footing. But it's no use, she trips almost at the same instant that Kaguya's knee gives way. They fall on top of each other, leaving your team as the victor.

"And I do believe we've won." Eirin observes with a plain smile. She takes off her gloves and goes to see if the opposing team is alright. She has to break up the struggle caused by the complete and utter collapse of the would-be allies. If Eirin weren't there, you could easily see the annoyed name calling and hair pulling turn nastier quickly.

"As the judge of this, I declare this team the winner! Congratulations!" Reisen points out the obvious after the fact. You smile and wave at your 'adoring crowd' of rabbit fans. You get the impression that they really were betting against you. They disperse like it's nobody's business.

The five of you walk back to the porch where a grinning Tewi is waiting.

"Well, if it isn't our fine athletes!" You can immediately tell that she's pleased with herself. "I watched the whole thing from afar. Commendable. Truly.."
"Glad you enjoyed it. Maybe you wanted to participate as well?" You suggest.
"Not at all. I'm not the athletic kind. Besides, I had plenty fun just being with the rabbits." Her glimmering eyes tell you she made some sort of personal profit from this. "So, what are the winners going to ask from the losers?"
"Well, Eirin forfeited her prize to me, so I have to think up of something." You scratch your head. Clearly the idea of losing had not crossed the mind of either Kaguya or Mokou. They visibly flinch when you mention the prize.
"I do believe the prize was asking the loser to do whatever the winner wanter?" Tewi adds fuel to the fire. You see that the confident faces are replaced by doubtfulness. They only thought greedily to exploit you and not much else.
"I was thinking maybe having them act as my maids for a day might be a nice enough reward?" You say jokingly, much to the horror of the girls.
"A fine choice. Although I don't know if I wouldn't ask for something longer term. After all the conditions were pretty ambiguous. Maybe you should consider more personalized tasks, if you know what I mean.."
"That's enough you two." Eirin intercedes. "Think about that later, will you? Let's enjoy the evening together while we still can." She nods to Reisen, who opens up a small bottle and pours the contents into cups.

You all sit on the porch and take a cup. It looks like those two took their defeat hard. Infighting was quelled by Eirin, but you really should ask for your prize privately. And you're probably not going to ask for much either, you had fun, and that's all that counts. Even though it may be dysfunctional at best, you think that you could form something like a familial tie to these people.

"Cheers!" You raise your cup. "To a weird, yet fun festival!."
"Cheers!" They all reply, some staggering slightly.

Eirin positions herself between Mokou and Kaguya and begins to talk to Mokou. Their conversation seems strained at first, but Eirin eventually breaks the ice. Kaguya, on the other hand, starts to listen in to the conversation Reisen and Tewi have. You find yourself trying to listen to both at once, only to find yourself getting lost. It's not important anyways, it's just small talk.

More rice cakes are offered, but you politely decline. You'll definitely not touch those for quite some time. You join into some of the conversations, adding a few words here and there about your own opinions. It's all very relaxed. To you, the novelty of a moonlit festival is at its zenith.

[] Write-in
[] Keep yourself relaxed and aloof (skip to next choice)
---
Who you want to talk to and what about should go here. I recommend not being to mechanical in planning (ie: say x to y, and v to z) or being socially retarded (including bringing up private talk in a group enviroment). Sky's the limit as long as you don't treat people as npcs in a crpg.

[x]talk to tewi
[x]find out what odds she placed

[X] Talk to Kaguya. Ask her to tell a story.

>They only thought greedily to exploit you and not much else.

not sure if i am happy Shirou lost. It would have been fun to see him struggle.
But maybe due that we won we could try to mend their relationship and get them be friends. After all the years of fighting and hate maybe we can fix something finally.
Too bad i suck at write ins. But now would be the best time to try this. Make them both talk to each other.

[x] "Tewi, I believe I recieve a cut of the profits."
[x] "I don't know if I ever want to eat another ball of mochi again. And you people do this every full moon?"
[x] "Eirin, what exactly did you want me to help you with? If it's cerebral, I wouldn't want to drink so much I have a hangover or oversleep."


Eirin sometimes puts amphetamines in the mochi, so I wouldn't be surprised if you and Mokou are up all night.

>>14078
>>It's either a great idea, or a horrible idea.

I'm going to have to go with "horrible" in this case.

>>you really should ask for your prize privately.

>>I recommend not being to mechanical in planning (ie: say x to y, and v to z) or being socially retarded (including bringing up private talk in a group enviroment).

>>14078
I would say don't do it right here. Talk to them both in private and try to mend their relationship. If they are not willing you can always make them meet each other.

[x] "Tewi, I believe I recieve a cut of the profits."
[x] "I don't know if I ever want to eat another ball of mochi again. And you people do this every full moon?"
[x] "Eirin, what exactly did you want me to help you with? If it's cerebral, I wouldn't want to drink so much I have a hangover or oversleep."

[X] Keep yourself relaxed and aloof.

Why not just sit back, relax, and take it easy for now?

[X] Keep yourself relaxed and aloof.

I can't think of anything good for now. So rather than risk putting our foot in our mouth lets just take it easy.

[!/] "Tewi, I believe I recieve a cut of the profits."
[!/] "Eirin, what exactly did you want me to help you with? If it's cerebral, I wouldn't want to drink so much I have a hangover or oversleep."

[X] Keep yourself relaxed and aloof

taking it easy, Erin shall know when she wants to tell us what she wants to do.

>keep yourself... aloof

That is not something you do at a party.

[x] "Tewi, I believe I recieve a cut of the profits."
[x] "I don't know if I ever want to eat another ball of mochi again. And you people do this every full moon?"
[x] "Eirin, what exactly did you want me to help you with? If it's cerebral, I wouldn't want to drink so much I have a hangover or oversleep."

Fine, I had wanted to bring it up publicly so there was less of a chance of violence from them for proposing the idea, but eh

[X] Keep yourself relaxed and aloof.
[X] Just enjoy the happy atmosphere.

Let's enjoy this while it last.

[Z] Listen to Tewi and Reisen.

Intermission from the only true Touhou canon.

>>14116
I love this comic.

>>14117

That is the comic that made me start liking Kaguya. Then her CiLR chapter made me like her even more. She's such a ditzy sweetheart in canon.

>>14118

But clearly Reisen is the bestest, with Kaguya in 2nd.

Rabbits have red eyes because they cry a lot.

Man, I love Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth. It's made me 'DAAWWWWW' more times than I care to admit. Even if it's just a gag comic I like the characterization and style better than some other choices made by other artists (which reminds me, canon Tewi has a noticeable bosom - Aki Eda agreed, don't bother her about it). All of the characters are just pure love there. When I picture the rabbits in my story, I like to imagine them as the cute little critters that appear there and in CLiR (well, the non-humanoid ones anyways).

But I'm losing sight of the point I was going to make; Update in either an hour or two or not until another half day or so.

It's during a lull in the conversation that you bring up an issue with Tewi.

"Say, looks like placing bets just now was profitable." You probe with a smile.
"That's right - made a regular killing." She smirks and shakes the front of her dress, making coins jingle.
"Oh? Is that so?" There's a smile on your face as you ask the specifics. "What were the odds?"
"I won't say. Don't want any of the participants to get upset on me now."
"Fair enough." Her reply makes you wonder just how well she expected you to do. Kaguya's listening in on to the conversation. She looks a bit amused, but you wonder if she's not really just still sore about losing. "Where's my cut then?"
"Your cut?" She keeps a straight face, but her eyes are laughing. "Watch your words there. The judge is right here! I can't have her, much less the people who placed bets, think I rigged the contest now."
"I'm not claiming that." You shrug, making sure Reisen sees that. "Just being a contestant entitles me to some of the earnings, no?"
"I don't know what kind of bookies you've dealt with in the past," She's absolutely unflappable, "but you have to place a bet to potentially see any earnings." And then with a business face, "If you have the receipt from your bet I'd be more than happy to oblige you and hand out your payout." For added effect, she stretches out an open palm.
"Alright, alright. I get it." You laugh it off as a big joke. "There's no negotiating with you, is there?"
"Rules are rules." She too laughs it off as a joke, but you can tell there's some truth to her words, "Maybe next time you'll want to sign a contract with me if you want to earn money."
"That'll be the day!"

The other two, who have just been politely smiling, add their own thoughts.

"I only wish that I could find this sort of attitude acceptable." Reisen states with an over-embellished sigh. "Really now, there's no real point in placing bets now is there? It's not like you actually need money."
"True." Tewi replies. "But then again not all bets were money. Some were food and responsibilities. Some rabbits just earned themselves cleaning duty for the next month."
"So it's all just a power game to you, is it?" You observe.
"Close enough. It's also a nice way to spend my time. Just eating and sleeping all day gets old after a while."
"If it's eating and sleeping that's got you bored, why not try giving me a hand sometime. I'm always busy doing something." Reisen smiles bitterly. She knows full well the reply that's coming.
"If I'm ever desperate from doing nothing at all, I'll give it a thought." She shrugs which causes you to shake your head. She's really a free spirit, isn't she? Well, that might just be a nice way of putting it.
"Aren't yo u forgetting something though?" Kaguya speaks up. The three of you turn and look at her. "This is my house. Which means that you owe me a share. For conducting business on my property. Think of it as a license."
"Woah, woah ,woah! Let's not get carried away here! I was just placing friendly bets with the other rabbits and most definitely was doing it for the fun." Tewi backpedals.
"Lady Kaguya is right Tewi." Reisen agrees. It's obvious to you that it's payback for her earlier statements. So you join in on the lynching.
"It's only fair after all. The even was both organized and hosted by her. So any profit-making enterprises ought to pay a tax."
"That about sums it up." The princess stretches out her hand, making a sign that you equate to 'gimme gimme' in your mind.
"Eh, well..."She's mentally cornered. Tewi knows she's got no where to run. "Can we at least discuss it in private afterwards? This is a festival after all! No place to talk about money!"

The three of you burst out in a synchronized laugh, spurred on by Tewi's desperate attempts to save face. It causes the other two elements of your group to join the conversation. The excitement dies down somewhat after a while and you're offered yet another rice cake.

"I don't think I want to eat another ball of mochi again." You add after declining the current round. "It's nice, but this is a bit too much for a single person." Mokou shoots you a sympathetic gaze. "And you people do this every month?"
"That's correct." Eirin replies.
"Well, we don't always come outside and sit like this though." Kaguya recalls previous times. "Nor do we eat the mochi either. It's usually just the rabbits."
"We just thought that it'd be nice for you to experience this this time. Next month we might just moon gaze a bit and keep ourselves inside."
"Thank you then." You nod to the others. "This is a pretty enjoyable way to spend an evening though, so I don't think I'd mind doing this every month."
"This is alright, I suppose." Mokou passes her own judgment. "I don't think I would come here month though."
"The more the merrier." Reisen affirms. "It's been a while since things were so lively."
"Indeed." Kaguya agrees. "It's also so rare to spend time with you, my dear Fujiwara. So do appear more often for social calls. Maybe if you're lucky Shirou will invite you again."
"I'll think about it. It certainly doesn't sound like a bad idea." Mokou transforms the beginning of a pout to a broad grin. Kaguya matches the expression. You think you're missing something here.

You notice that your cup is empty and get a refill.

"Eirin?" You take a gulp. "Just exactly do you need me to do? I hope it isn't too cerebral since I've been drinking. I don't think I'd be much use to you with a hangover or if I oversleep."
"It's nothing like that." She answers, taking a drink herself. She makes it seem like it's the most trivial task in the world. "I just need an assistant. And I fear that Undonge here just won't do for this one."
"Oh, you're helping Eirin, Shirou? Isn't that nice?" Kaguya smiles approvingly. "I fear that she overworks herself for no good reason."
"Even wit h what little I do, there's too many things to do at the clinic." Reisen confesses. "It is nice that you are helping out."
"Ah..."You scratch your head, embarrassed. There's no way you're telling them that you're only doing this as your end of the bargain for the competition. You get the feeling that Tewi knows what's going on, given the way she winks at you silently.
"So, do you help out often?" Mokou asks dryly.
"No, not really. I suppose this would be my first time."
"If you wanted to, you could help as well." Eirin extends an offer.
"I'll pass, thank you." She replies flatly. Furthermore when her eyes meet yours, you feel like she's trying to tell you not to do it either.
"That's a shame. But It's not the end of the world. It's an open offer though, if you ever feel like changing your mind."
"I don't think I will." Mokou shrugs.

You take things from then off slowly. It's hard to emphasize just how serene this whole thing is. It feels like the radiant moonlight is gently covering everything in a soothing blanket of light. The rabbits finish their work and, to no surprise to you, start to slack off and play. In a space of a little more of an hour things die down a bit and the group separates a bit. Eirin goes to the clinic, inviting you to come if you want now or leave it until later. Kaguya spends time talking to Tewi for a while, presumably about money, but the fact that they're laughing makes you doubt that. That only lasts for a while before Tewi goes off towards where the rabbits are. Both Mokou and Reisen step out and lie on different patches of grass, and they both gaze at the full moon.

[] Sit by Kaguya
[] Moon gaze with Mokou
[] Moon gaze with Reisen
[] Go after Tewi
[] Go to the clinic now

[x] Moon gaze with Mokou
[x] "You seemed pretty certain with turning down Eirin's offer just now. You mind telling me what that's about?"
[x] Tell her if she enjoyed herself that you'd be happy to invite her to the next festival.

[X] Moon gaze with Reisen

[X] Try to convince either Mokou or Reisen to go to the other's patch of grass to moonwatch. More the merrier, after all!

[] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi

Tewi~

[x] Sit by Kaguya
We need to give our best friend more attention. Mokou and Reisen wouldn't have wandered off on their own if they didn't want to be on their own.

[x] Go after Tewi

Sorry Kaguya

[X] Sit by Kaguya

I think it's clear we're heading into the "time to choose" part of our program, and as I've waited one whole NEET-less playthrough already, I am NOT waiting for yet another one to pass before another chance. Not again.

THE NEET ROUTE WILL NOT BE DENIED.

[x] Go after Tewi

[x] Sit by Kaguya

[z] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi
huh my vote is gone

[x] Go after Tewi

[x] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi

[] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi

[x] Go after Tewi

[x] Go after Tewi

the battle rages on...
[x] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi.

Usa~ usa~

Sorry Kaguya.

[x] Sit by Kaguya

[x] Go after Tewi.

[x] Go after Tewi.

SURE IS VOTESPAM IN HERE

Teruyo, close the votes

[x] Moon gaze with Reisen


I smell votespammage...

I guess I should hava mentioned that I started writing a while ago. I haven't updated due to an active and busy schedule on my part though.

This would be a good time to general guidelines I've been using for votes for a while now:

In general, first seven votes for an option. If there aren't seven votes for a single option (common enough), five is more than sufficient (especially if it's a clear majority). When there's no voting for over a day or longer, I squeeze by with 4. Usually write ins and variants of votes are counted in the same field, unless there's some outstanding contradiction. In the case that I'm away or deliberately waiting for more votes since it's an important choice, it might still be first to seven, but cumulative votes may be more important. So if it's a vital choice and 2 options reached seven almost at the same time I might still count later votes. This is probably rare though. And, the thing to keep in mind, is that I technically reserve the right to chose an option in a heated debate if I feel it's better for anon/the story. I haven't excercised that one much (at all? can't recall) for obvious reasons though.

To all of you crying votespam; well, just recently there was a vote that had 20+ votes with minimal votespam (mod checked and posted). I like to believe that there's no reason to spam votes. I mean, really, at the end of the day there's not much to be gained by that. I think that trust is important here, I mean, what's there to keep me from arguing with myself (as many of you have claimed)? Sure there are mods to check, but it all comes down to an honor system. Just like I guarantee that I will always post in my own story with my tripcode, I can guarantee that I don't vote in other stories with my tripcode and that I avoid any discussion in other threads about this story. It just wouldn't be fair. Anyways, one of you contact a mod if you want to che<k for votespam. I got my results anyways. Maybe in the future anon could always try to write a sentence or two behind his reasoning? I always enjoy that (and you get the added bonus that you might sway other voters). But I know that it's tedious so it's alright if you don't.

Anyways, I'm rambling on about something pretty inconsequential. Sorry about that. I will post an update later. In just a bit perhaps, if I can get things sorted on my end. But definitely before the end of the day.

>>14162
No. You are right man. I agree with you.

...or not. No update for now. Sorry, still adjusting to a crappy schedule.

>>14170
no luck today either

You gravitate towards Kaguya. She's silently sipping the remnants of her cup's contents, with a pensive look on her face.

"Anything the matter?" You sit down beside her.
"Oh?" She didn't notice you approaching her. She looks at your face with a look of slight confusion.
"You look lost in thought."
"It's nothing. Just got carried away thinking about something." She meekly replies. Her normal expression returns. "So, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yeah. It's been fun."
"That's good." She nods and smiles. "So I trust that you've come here for your prize?"
"Eh... not really." You'd almost forgotten about that. "I'm not even sure what I want to begin with."
"You'll think of something."
"Any suggestions?"
"Not really. It would be strange of me to suggest what I'll do for you. It would be like cheating."
"I guess you're right." You scratch your head. "Can I put that on hold then?"
"I don't mind. You should, however, ask for the prize from Mokou while she's around."
"Why do you figure?"
"Because it's rare enough to see her here, let alone to have her just lying around like that." She nods slightly in the direction of Mokou. You look to see her absentmindedly looking up at the sky. "See what I mean?"
"You know her better than I do," you add a 'I think' just under your breath, "but I don't feel like it now."
"I guess you're right in delaying." She leans back slightly. "It's a nice night, and it feels like we should all just relax, right?"
"I'd say that sounds about right."
"Well, then I'm glad you chose to spend some time relaxing with me. Despite the whole backstabbing me earlier and going against me."
"Sorry about that. It seemed like the best option at the time." You emit a small nervous laugh.
"I can't blame you, Eirin is better than me at most things."
"Eirin's Eirin. It had nothing to do with her being better than you at something or not. I wouldn't choose her over you to spend time relaxing like this."
"Really? Even though we live in the same house, I feel like I've rarely seen you."
"That can't be true." You lie down with your back on the floor. "We have our moments."
"Is that so?" She asks, with no hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Yeah... I think." A yawn inadvertently escapes you. "Sorry, I felt like I didn't sleep at all last night."
"Insomnia?"
"No, not quite." You recall the drinking last night.
"If you want, I can help you if you're feeling tired. You can take a nap right now."
"Ah, that's not really necessary. It's night and I'll just tough it out until bedtime."
"You're hardly functioning now though." There's a soft edge to her words. "There's nothing wrong with sleeping for a few minutes, right?"

You lift your head to look at her. Her warm and affectionate expression completely disarms you.

"I... guess it wouldn't hurt." You yield. "So, I guess I'll be going to my room."
"There's no need for that." She grabs you gently as you try to sit up. "Here." She pats her lap.
"Ah, I couldn't." You're way too self-conscious to do that.
"Oh, don't be shy." She applies a gentle force to your shoulder. You softly collapse with your head on her lap. "That's right. Just stay like that for a while. I'll wake you up in a bit.."

You protest a bit but, truth be told, this is rather comfortable. The fabric of her dress is soft to the touch. Kaguya's faint perfumed smell fills your nostrils and eases your body into a state of relaxation. You start not even to care that others may be watching. You definitely see that Mokou has lazily turned her eyes in your direction, but you close your eyes to shut off the outside world. The death blow here is Kaguya stroking your head; It makes you almost want to purr in satisfaction, or turn belly-up in submission.

When you next open your eyes, everything looks hazy. You turn your head upwards, enjoying the warmness. Kaguya is staring down at you, with an absolutely radiant smile on her lips. "Sleep well? She mouths the words. You nod.

"H-how long was I out for?" Your voice is raspy. You clear your throat and rub your eyes.
"A little less than an hour. I'm surprised at how quickly you fell asleep."
"I see..."Your mind is still groggy. "Aren't you tired?" You try to get up.
"Not at all." She keeps you in position with a touch of her hand. "You're so adorable when sleeping that I wouldn't mind having you like this all day." Wait, is she teasing you?
"Heh, well I couldn't possibly have my buddy do that..."You're feeling self-conscious again.
"It's not just my opinion. Reisen came over a few minutes ago and said the exact same thing." She grins, "I thought I would have to fight her off for a moment there. Seeing you like a defenseless baby triggered my maternal instincts."
"Now you're definitely playing with me." You get up. True or not, you're blushing from embarrassment.
"I'm just saying - don't be surprised if next time you're sleeping you get woken up by a lunarian rabbit tugging on your cheeks."
"There are worse ways to wake up." You try to play it cool. Her exaggerated claims are probably fabrications but just to be safe you look around. "Wait, why are we alone?"
"We are?" She smiles obviously.
"Did everyone leave already?"
"No, they didn't. They've just gone inside to clean up a bit now."
"Even Mokou?"
"She practically insisted."
"That doesn't seem like her."
"Maybe."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Oh nothing." She smiles again. "She probably saw our close bond in action and decided not to interfere."
"..."While remotely plausible, you doubt that's true.
"Hey, no need to clam up like that. I'm just having a little fun..."She latches on to you suddenly, almost throwing you to the floor, "...with mai bwestest bwuddy in da whole wide world!"
"Cut that out." You push her with a smile. "It wasn't cute online, and it's not cute in the real world either."
"Bwut I wuv mai buddy!" She giggles and messes up your hair. "Do you wuv me too?" She asks with puppy dog eyes.
"..."You stay silent purpose. Kaguya pouts and nudges you with her head.
"Maybe my bwuddy doesn't wuv me?" She looks at you sadly. This is too much.

You sigh.

"I love my buddy too." You say flatly.
"Whuzzat?" She obviously wants you to play along.
"I'm not doing the voice." You look at her face resolutely.
"...That makes me very sad..."She sniffles for added effect. "Maybe bwuddy would be better off on his own, away from this foul and selfish friend." You get the feeling that she might just go on into a soliloquy here, so you cut her off.
"Okay, okay fine. I'll say it." You roll your eyes. "I wuv mai bwuddy."
"Yay!" She springs on you with reckless abandon. "I knew it!"
"There, there buddy." You try patting her head to stop her from knocking you off balance. This surely must look strange to any onlookers. But to you it feels nice and causes a warmness to permeate throughout your body.

Kaguya laughs while having fun with you. She takes it upon herself to tickle you. You obviously retaliate. By the time that Reisen comes along, you're both laughing like idiots with not a care in the world.

"Ehem." Reisen clears her throat. "Tea."
"Hehe, thank you. Just leave it there." Kaguya ceases her attack to deal with the outsider. Reisen puts a small tray down to the side. "Want to join us? We can team up against Shirou if you want."
"Hey no fair!" You protest. Four hands would have you completely overwhelmed.
"I'll pass..? Reisen replies with a hint of a smile on her face.
"You sure?"
"Positively."
"Your loss." Kaguya dismisses her with a wave of her hand.

You take a break to drink the tea.

"It is pretty, isn't it?"
"The moon?" You ask, looking up at the sky.
"Yes."
"Yeah, the view of the full moon is breathtaking." You add without thinking, "I wonder what it's like up there."
"Not much that isn't static, plain, and boring."
"Really?"
"Probably."
"Huh?"
"I haven't been there in an eternity. But I suspect they haven't changed much." She pokes your side, nearly causing you to choke on your tea.
"Watch it. I don't want to die a pointless death because of a poke." You poke her back.
"See? This is why it's better on Earth. I get to play around with an awesome buddy such as you."
"I'm flattered." You tip your invisible hat at her in a gentlemanly fashion. She respond by opening up her invisible fan and covering her smiling mouth.
"You should be, sir."
"So, what now?"
"We sit back, drink our tea and complain about how whippersnappers upset our social order."
"I don't think I'm old enough to appreciate the value in that. Tea sounds good though."
"I figured. Well, there's no reason for us to stay here. The moon is nice, but it won't suddenly change in one night. I think it's safe to say that we can spend some time playing games."
"That sounds better.."
"What about your guest though?"
"Oh yeah, Mokou." You'd forgotten that she was here at all. "I guess we should invite her along."
"Well... if that's what you want.."
"Got a problem with that?" You try to find out what she's getting at.
"No, not really. I just expected to spend time with just you, that's all." She closes her eyes momentarily. "It would be rude to just suddenly ignore her. She's a guest here."
"Well, that can wait a bit. I still need to finish my tea." You take another sip. You're halfway done.
"So it's plan A for a little while." She winks at you and takes a sip.

[] "Say, care to tell me a little bit more about what it's like on the moon?"
[] "I'm a bit confused about you and Mokou. If you don't like her, you can just tell me. We don't have to spend time together if you don't want to."
[] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."
[] "Do you have no idea what Eirin wants with me? I mean, there's times that I wonder just exactly what goes through her mind."
[] Finish up your tea and go see Mokou

Nice post, though I expected Kaguya to use her eternity manipulation powers to make him power nap... then again, ti seems funner without it.

[X] "Say, care to tell me a little bit more about what it's like on the moon?"
[X] "I'm a bit confused about you and Mokou. If you don't like her, you can just tell me. We don't have to spend time together if you don't want to."
[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

These three seem more pertinent in the guy's mind, so... I chose all three! If not, then assume I voted for the first one.

[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement.."

I'm thinking that asking about the relationship between our bwestest bwuddy and our new pal might make for something of a mood-killer, getting either a non-answer, a sort-of-vague answer, and basically kill whatever good vibes we have going on.

Then again, it seems like it would be interesting to find out about, and if we are then we're going to have to ask someone eventually.

[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

Kaguya obviously doesn't like talking about her life on the moon. The same goes for her relationship with Mokou. Let's not be insensitive jerks here...

[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

[] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

[Z] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

>>14193
[X] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

I'll ride this bandwagon. That aside, that was a great post. Didn't expect Kaguya to offer a lap pillow, but it was delightful. I'd be tempted to just enjoy our tea and a little more quiet time with our bwest bwuddy, but if we're talking about Mokou, this is a nice little chance. Probably get teased about it, but it'd be nice to know what the general expectations for the 'prize' are.

Alright, those are enough votes I reckon. That said, I'll only be able to write in approximately two hours and a half when I get back. But it shouldn't take me very long once I start.

>>14203
hooray

[x] "What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."

In between sips, you decide to ask Kaguya about the contest.

"What were you planning to do to me if you had won earlier? It seemed like you and Mokou had some sort of agreement."
"Is that the way it seemed?" She's nonchalant with her answer. "There wasn't any sort of conspiracy or anything of that ilk."
"Glad to hear that. I don't think I'd enjoy being trapped in a vast conspiracy involving you and Mokou." You laugh, "Heavens knows that I'd be trapped between a rock and a hard place."
"That's right." Kaguya reciprocates with a throaty laugh. "I don't think you've got the aptitude for intrigue. And I say that as your friend." She pats your leg reassuringly.
"It's alright. We can't be good at everything." You conclude. It's not that much of a blow to your ego if you had no delusions to begin with. "So let me put it this way: what would you have asked for if you had won?"
"Ideally I wouldn't have asked anything of you." She smiles; ?In an ideal scenario I would have been teamed up with you to begin with."
"Sorry about that." You shrug your shoulders.
"Right. I would have consulted with you to see what it was that we would have made Mokou do."
"And after I teamed up with Eirin?"
"That would solely depend on what Mokou would have asked." She grins. It's obvious to you that she would have made her request as a form of opposition to Mokou. You don't know if that would have meant her monopolizing you or simply letting you off the hook. It doesn't seem like your feelings mattered all that much.
"So, I'm just a gorgeous piece of meat to you? To be sliced up and devoured as needed?"
"That's... a weird metaphor." She furrows her brows. "And I have to question there just how justifiable the size of your ego is."
"Nothing wrong with a healthy ego. At least when in the confidence of a good friend." You let your face contort into a goofy half-smile.
"Glad to hear it. That my bestest buddy Shirou here is relaxed around me." You brace for the tackle.
"..."But it doesn't come. Instead, she just carries on with her answer.
"I certainly have your interests at heart. I naturally would have safeguarded against the heinous exploitation that that character would have submitted you to."
"Doesn't sound like you think much of Mokou motives here."
"Well," She puts it simply, "I wouldn't put it past her to mess with you to annoy me."
"...I don't think I would allow myself to be messed around with. So you shouldn't worry."
"Maybe not consciously or willingly. But given all the many different possible scenarios out there, you could be inevitable strung along." She then adds, again with the annoying voice. "I wouldn't want that to happen with my bwestest bwuddy!"

Now she's just being patronizing. She pats you on the head and coos you like a mother would a child. You deal with this by trying to act as cute as possible. After all, even if she's being annoying, there's nothing fundamentally wrong with a woman fawning over you. It's hard not to giggle along with her.

"Now there's something I could have done without." A voice cuts from behind.
"Yo Mokou, what's up?" You try to regain your composure. "Heard you were cleaning up."
"I was. Thought I could do my part instead of lying around and napping."
"Good for you." You ignore the implied insult. "We were going to go inside now. Going to play games and other things. We were going to invite you to join us."
"I'll pass." Mokou points out towards the forest. "It's a bit late now and I think I should get going."
"Already, Fujiwara?" Kaguya acts the friendly host, getting up to see her off.
"I'm afraid so. I hope you won't feel too offended. I did have a lot of fun."
"Not at all, it was refreshing to see you here."
"We didn't spend that much time together tonight." You observe. "And it's not even midnight yet."
"Well, we could make up for that now." Mokou proposes a plan, "How about you walk me out of the forest? It won't take long."
"That's a nice idea." Kaguya nods her head in assent. "Why don't you go with her Shirou? You can take all the time that you want. We can put off playing until tomorrow if you wish."
"Eh, really?" You're a bit surprised.
"Why not?" Kaguya adds, "It's dangerous for a lady to be out alone this late at night."
"Whatever you wish is fine. I don't mind if you stay here. I've crossed the woods alone at night a million times before. So don't worry about that. There's even a nice full moon out for illumination." Mokou, too, is extremely diplomatic.
"Well..."

[] Walk with Mokou
[] Stay with Kaguya
-
That wasn't so long, now was it?

[!/] Walk with Mokou

CHECK DAT PDA, soon.

[x] Walk with Mokou

You invited her, you should see her off.

[x] Walk with Mokou
[x] Upon returning, go see Tewi

Avoid any sort of voting regarding Mokou while walking her out~ Alternatively, I'd deny her request on the grounds of how the hell is Shirou supposed to get back to Eientei without something to guide him, but my memory is failing me in regards to whether anything has happened to fix that. So yeah... If we don't have a way to get back easily, escorting her would be a bad idea, and the most diplomatic thing to do would be to turn her down on the grouds of you'd have a hard time getting back through the forest afterwards.

[x] Walk with Mokou.

As the one who invited her it's our duty to walk her out.

This will still bite us in the ass, however.

[X] Walk with Mokou

It seems only right, I suppose, although I can't help but wonder if this is one of those things where even though someone says something is okay with them it really isn't.

Then again, if she did have a problem with it, I would think someone like Kaguya would easily come up with some other reason to object to us going out.

Besides, it would be interesting if we had a chance encounter with a certain someone while the moon was still out. Not that I have my hopes up for that or anything.

[X] Walk with Mokou
[X] brace for impact

Well, that was pretty quick and unanimous. I unfortunately have to go in like 10 minutes. Luckily I'll be back soonish. So writing in a bit in an hour, hour and a half? A bit less Maybe? Motivation is relatively high, so it shouldn't take that long.

In the meanwhile, have some working Reisen.

>>14213

Stoppu! Needle time!

[x] Stay with Kaguya

Wind is -->
I am <--

I know I'm late, but...

[X] Invite Kaguya along and walk with Mokou

That way we'll be protected both ways!

[x] Walk with Mokou

Kaguya told you to. Listen to Kaguya.

[x] Walk with Mokou

"...There's no harm in walking Mokou back." You nod to Mokou. "I'm ready when you are."
"Then let's go." She starts to walk off. Before following her, you stop to say a few more words to Kaguya.
"We'll play later, okay?"
"Tomorrow probably." She replies solemnly. "I think I'll be asleep by the time you get back."
"I don't think I'll be long. But if that's fine with you."
"Take care." She sees you off with those dry words.

You leave Eientei by circling around the side of the mansion. Kaguya looks at you with an unflinching gaze and a undefined look as you walk away. You lose sight of her as you go behind a wall.

Mokou's silent for most of the time. Her steps are measured and deliberate, showing off a not-quite relaxed pace. You keep up, asking her the usual questions; she half-answers the small talk with noncommittal and vague answers. Asking if she had fun gives you a ?It was okay." and probing further leads to monosyllable answers. That's alright though. There's already something more than satisfying about this walk. The pale moonlight illuminates the surroundings with a otherworldly tint. You enjoy seeing just how different the world looks covered by the lunar veil.

At about halfway towards the edge of the forest, Mokou takes a detour. She grins and tells you to simply come along with her. You don't really stray far from the path. Mokou sits down in a small nearby clearing and asks you to do the same.

"You don't mind taking a small break, do you?" She doesn't wait for a reply, instead carrying on, "I prefer talking to you with relative ease. That's impossible when we're near Eientei."
"Right." At the current time, you think that she's maybe a bit too paranoid for her own good. You just came from a nice evening there for Pete's sake.
"It was a nice change of pace for me."
"You mean cleaning up?" You tease. "Keine would probably appreciate it if you did that more often."
"Har har har. Very funny. This is why we can't have nice things."
"You know deep down that you like it."
"Probably." She grins. "Otherwise I would have already pummeled you into submission."
"Bring it on." Fighting barehanded under the moonlight sky certainly does have a romantic appeal to it; At the very least the appeal is not unlike that of charging a machine nest across an open field.
"We'll stick to words for now. I don't want to upset my stomach. Stupid rice cakes."
"I know what you mean." Your stomach isn't going to forgive you anytime soon for all that abuse.
"Even saying that, you seemed to be able to sleep just fine."
"You mean with Kaguya?" It's embarrassing to have her bring that up. It might have just been a bit too out of place.
"I've got to hand it to you though - you're closer to her than I had imagined." She mutters something under her breath. You can't make out anything. But you get the feeling it's about your relationship.
"What was that?"
"Nervous tick. Comes and goes." Mokou lies to your face. She carries on as if nothing, "That's definitely something that looks solid that you've got there."
"I did tell you she was my friend, didn't I?"
"Friend, lapdog, imnotexactlysure, whatever. Some of that talk was really embarrassing, you know?"
"You heard some of that?"
"It was hard not to." She shakes her head. "Don't you have any self-consciousness."
"A bit too much, I think."
"It doesn't show. But really, I don't think I've seen her be so forthcoming with someone like that before."
"She's always been nice to me. So it's not that big a deal. I mean, it's a bit embarrassing to sleep with my head on her lap, especially with everyone watching." Just admitting to the deed is enough to make vivid memories resurge. "But friends do that, right? I mean, you and Keine are like that as well, aren't you?" The other day was a perfect example. They seem to be completely at ease with one another despite some minor hiccups.
"It doesn't seem to me like its the same thing." She rests her head on her palm.
"Well, how about us? Do you think you'd really mind that much if I took a nap like that? Or if you took a nap with your head on my lap?" You follow the logical train of thought. "We haven't know each other for that long, but it can't be that big a deal."
"I honestly don't see any situation where we would end up like that."
"...Yet we've fallen asleep shirtless together."
"That was different."
"Doesn't seem like it."

You don't know if it's because she has a difficulty with semantics or something else altogether, but she gets worked up. Her replies become sharper and she almost preempts your observations. You don't really agree on anything right now. You keep your cool until she changes topics. You connect again.

"I suppose I should ask you about what you want."
"Oh, because I won earlier? And here I thought you might have forgotten."
"I don't forget that sort of thing." She looks at you with, perhaps, needless confidence in her eyes. "My word is gold."
"Out of curiosity. What would you have asked me to do if you had won?"
"Well, firstly, we should have won as a team. And secondly," She smiles enigmatically, "you won't ever know; there's no point in telling you."
"Are trying to make me guess?"
"Can't have you using 'could haves' as leverage, you understand."
"You're doing this to annoy me, aren't you?" You sigh. This girl doesn't realize that she can be just like Kaguya sometimes. Is that a good thing?
"Well, just say the word, and I'll do whatever. Provided I can do it."
"I'll make it good then."
"I'll make it even better." She raises the stakes. "I offer you a 'mystery option'. If you pick that I may or may not do something extra special for you. Something you probably wouldn't come up with."
"Intriguing." Is this a trick?
"Either way, make the most out of it. You probably won't get another chance to have me at your beck and call like this."
"Duly noted."

[] Something interesting - have her hang out at Eientei in the coming days a bit
[] Something simple - have Mokou dress up in very feminine clothes some time
[] Mystery option
[] "Just spending time with you is enough - I wouldn't ask anything more?
---
>>14216
Fight the establishment anon! I approve of your rugged individualism.

That took longer than expected. The mind was willing but the flesh was weak. I really did start writing hours ago - albeit at a snail's pace. Also in b4 catastrophic write-in.

[X] Mystery option

Well, crap. It WAS one of those things, wasn't it? Blasted female reverse-speak!

Oh well, there's always the new day, I guess.

>[] Something simple - have Mokou dress up in very feminine clothes some time

This needs a little more spice.

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

Now it covers Kaguya as well.

in b4 THE MYSTERY OPTION COULD BE ANYTHING

>>14224

Actually, probably not. As she admits herself, Shirou has "no aptitude for intrigue", though implicitly she doesn't see this as a fault. She knows subtleties like that would fly right over Shirou's head, so there's no reason for her to speak to him in any manner but candor.

However, she did say that he could be easily used by people, without him ever knowing it. If there's some subtext to her remarks here, it's likely directed at Mokou, not Shirou.

>>14225
I'm gonna go with this

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

Never trust the mystery option!

[x] Mystery option

[] Mystery option

Why does this sound sketchy?

[x] Mystery option

>>Mokou: Now, you can either have the washer and dryer where the lovely Keine is standing, or you can trade it all in for what's in this box.
>>Anonymous: The box! The box!

Be clever or be fiendishly clever? Nah.
[x] Something simple - have Mokou dress up in very feminine clothes some time.

[x] Something simple - have Mokou dress up in very feminine clothes some time.

Keine wins too! Mokou learns to appreciate the other aspects of a fine wardrobe.

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

I'm half-tempted, however, to change it into something patently -silly- like Mokou and Kaguya swapping -roles- for a week.

[x] Something simple - Shirou an... oh wait..
Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

[x] Mystery option

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

This sounds hilarious.

>>14226

Well, I'm thinking since she had explicitly said she was looking forward to hanging out together, and the rather dry and solemn response to our choice to see Mokou out despite her saying we should, I can't help but think there was some connection.

Just because you know your long-time friend can be downright oblivious at times won't necessarily stop you from hoping they can take a hint at least once in a while.

As for the prize, I'm disappointed by Anon's lacking sense of adventure, here. Fine if you're too scared to try your luck with the Mystery Prize, but having the two enemies swap clothes for a week? I mean, really? You've got a favor each from those two, and you're going to throw it away on something like that?

Nevermind the various ways it could wind up coming back to bite you somehow, particularly when it becomes apparent that their wardrobes not only differ if style, but in functionality.

I hope Kaguya has something she can lend out that's fire-proof...

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

hahaha, this one. Too bad the mystery option won already.

[x] Something simple - Mokou and Kaguya swap wardrobes for a week

>>14238
Kaguya does have a Robe of Fire Rat pelt tucked away somewhere.

Alright writing in a little while more. ETA? Possibly within 2 hours. New thread because of autosage.

>>14239
No, it didn't actually.

Hmmm, Keine and gameshows eh?

... Considering what the mystery option was that made me laugh. Pic not at all related.

>>14241
>Robe of Fire Rat

...Get out.

>>14243

If there's something about that that's working you up, I'm not seeing it.

>>Considering what the mystery option was that made me laugh.

>>Keine and gameshows

>>mystery option
>>Keine

...goddamn it, Anon. There was a WERECOW in that thar box!

>>14245

NO! NO! NO!

I'm now in despair.

>>14244

Sorry you don't.

>>14247

No, really. Quit posting reaction faces and acting like a condescending faggot for one second and humor me. What's your problem?

>>14243
That was her fourth impossible task, if I remember correctly. Polite sage.

>>14248

Different anon here, he's most likely raging due to the fact that Inu-Yasha had said robe in the show.

At least that's what I think.

>>14251

That's what I was thinking too. And I was hoping he'd answer differently, because that's a really dumb reason.

>>14251
I've been using Robe since before Inu-Yasha was even on the shelves as a manga. Besides, that's what the wiki says is the translation of Imperishable Night's spellcards 160 and 161.

It sounded more like someone was insecure about their anime ...