[X] Greet Tenshi and Iku
-Bring them over towards Suika and Kogasa and get them drinks

[x] Drink more vodka

Gotta get a few bottles for new year's~

[x] Try to save Kogasa from the forced drinking; drinking is best done willingly.
[x] Greet Tenshi and Iku
[x] Drink more vodka

ALL OF THE ABOVE.

[x] Try to save Kogasa from the forced drinking; drinking is best done willingly.
[x] Greet Tenshi and Iku
[x] Drink more vodka

Works for me~!

Seriously though lets not get overboard on the vodka unless we want Ivanov to start singing karaoke along side a lush Mystia (assuming she's some what tipsy) and have the two new comers watch after introductions.

>>18800
I dont think you have ever drank with a Russian.

Also, singing karaoke with Mystia isnt a bad idea~

>>18806
Oh I have, and it can actually be quite hilarious. I just hoping a deviation from the norm so to speak.

>>18807
But that is the best thing with Russians, why give it up

[x] Meet anyone of the girls.
- [x] Talk to Eirin about Kaguya, might as well try to understand why everyone and their right hand is pairing you with her.

[x] Meet anyone of the girls.
- [x] Try to save Kogasa from the forced drinking; drinking is best done willingly.
- [x] Try to talk to Eirin about Kaguya, might as well try to understand why everyone and their right hand is pairing you with her. (If there's time)

[x] Try to save Kogasa from the forced drinking; drinking is best done willingly.
[x] Greet Tenshi and Iku

>>18799 here, add:
- [x] Talk to Eirin about Kaguya, might as well try to understand why everyone and their right hand is pairing you with her.

...after "[x] Greet Tenshi & Iku."

Writefag here, I'm ready to post the update in a few minutes.

>Try to talk to Eirin about Kaguya, might as well try to understand why everyone and their right hand is pairing you with her. (If there's time)

I like this. I'll try to include this in the next update whenever possible, so please wait patiently.

[ ] Greet Tenshi and Iku.
[ ] Try to save Kogasa from the forced drinking; drinking is best done willingly.

You get up as to greet the newly-arrived guests. “I assume you are Iku and Tenshi, yes? Welcome to the party,” you speak. “Yukari has told me everything about both of you. Yukari’s friends are also my friends.”

“Where’s Yukari?!” the girl with peach-decorated hat suddenly cries out. When the Lady of Boundaries is nowhere to be seen the girl whines and turns to the woman whose shawls are as flamboyant as the person herself. “Iku! She’s not here! What am I going to do?”

“Now, now, Tenshi,” Iku says and removes Tenshi’s hat to give her a pat. “We’re here for the party, not to look for trouble with other people. So why don’t we get down to business and enjoy the night?”

“I can’t agree with you anymore.”

“Oh, yes, before I forget. We saw Aya and Momiji passing by us on our way here,” Iku tells you. “Aya didn’t look very pleased, I think. Did something happen?”

“Nah, she’ll be alright.” You invite Iku and Tenshi to the crowd and quickly drag Kogasa to safety before Suika can do her anymore harm. “Comrade Suika, as much as you enjoy drinking, you can’t force other people to drink,” you tell Suika. “It isn’t the right thing to do.”

“Aw, come on! I just want to have fun with her~” Suika grumbles.

“For one thing, drinking is an activity one must have the willing to take part,” you speak. “I’m sure our friend here will agree to drink with you only if you ask her nicely. Right?” Kogasa just nods while she keeps her hidden from Suika’s sight by standing behind you.

“Captain is so boring! It’s just drinking, and there’s nothing wrong with overdoing it~” Taking a gulp from the gourd, Suika hiccups again before she points at your face. “What say you if I challenge you into a game of drinking?”

“Do not try me, Comrade Suika” you speak. “I must assert here that soldiers of the Red Army are not to be taken lightly. Not when it comes to drinking.”

Suika hiccups. “Really? Well, let’s see how much you can drink from this gourd before you pass out.”

“Well, let us see how many bottles you can empty before you black out,” you grin. “The first to lose has to entertain the folk for the rest of the night. Do you agree?”

“Nyahahahahahahaha~!” is her only answer as she drinks from the gourd.
-
-
You have to wonder why you would propose the challenge in the first place, or why you were proposing it to the walking drinking machine in the first place. Mystia is just too happy to have you as her singing partner, and with heavy reluctance you take the microphone the night sparrow hands over to you.

“This is just ridiculous,” you mutter under your breath.

Either way you don’t care as you have lost the challenge and now have to sing in front of the crowd, awkward at first since you aren’t used to doing such. Fortunately you aren’t the only unlucky one: for the same reason, Tenshi is also forced to join the performance, having lost miserably to Suika in the drinking contest.

“Alright, folks~ follow my lead~”

Mystia starts singing, and you and Tenshi try to follow her lead but your drunkenness doesn’t let you sing the song properly; even your steps are wobbly despite your best effort to mimic Mystia’s dance. Tenshi receives the worst reception as Cirno and Tewi continually boos at her for her bad performance, and she shouts back at them in anger for the insult. Not wanting to embarrass yourself in front of the people you step forward and sing the first song that appears in your mind.

Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

Mystia stops her performance and looks at you in surprise; so are Tenshi and the folks as they are agape by the impromptu performance. You pay them no attention and keep singing the national anthem, pouring all your heart and energy into it, despite the fact that there are mispronunciations everywhere. The night sparrow later joins you, as so are Tenshi and the audience.

The unlikely performance ends. The three of you bow to the audience. Suika is the first to applaud you, followed by Suika and Iku, and soon everybody else. “My friends! Tonight we are here not only to celebrate our victory against the enemy, but also to celebrate the triumph of life!” you declare in the loudest voice you can muster and fetch yourself a bottle of vodka. “Why must we lament over our hardship when we can forget all of them and enjoy ourselves? So come! Drink with me and say your praise for the Motherland!”

“For the Motherland? This has got to be the craziest party I’ve ever had!” You turn to the voice and can’t help grinning. “You guys are just too cruel to leave me behind! That’s not fair.”

“Why, it’s the black-white thief herself~!” you answer as you wave the bottle to Marisa. “You have missed a lot of interesting things earlier, comrade! And we’re only getting started right now!”

Marisa looks at you; obviously she’s surprised by what she’s seeing. “What the hell. Just what the hell.”

“Da, this is a party! Everybody is welcomed to enjoy this gathering, do not be shy!” you answer. “Just don’t do some property damage or steal someone’s treasure, and you will be forgiven~” You hiccup once and take a chug of alcohol from the bottle. “But it doesn’t matter~! Come, Comrade Marisa! Let us sit down and enjoy our night together!” Suika cheers, and so are the rest of the crowd.

“Oh, bother. You have fallen to Suika’s trap.” The witch smiles rather unwillingly and sits in front of the singing trio. “Oh well. I can’t say no to drinking, can I?” She takes the gourd from Suika and drinks from it. “Bring it on, captain!”
-
-
It’s well past midnight, and everyone is either too drunk to get off the floor or trying to make themselves more drunk than usual. At one corner, Tenshi is heard whining of something about Yukari while swinging the empty bottle around; she accidentally smashes the bottle on her head, and falls unconscious on Iku’s lap, who gives her hair a quick ruffle.

Not far from where you’re seated, Marisa is trying to get Alice drinking vodka, an attempt of which the puppeteer adamantly refuses but the witch manages to trick her into drinking the beverage. The result is not less amusing as Alice starts yelling at Marisa with various facial and body language, and gets laughed at by the equally drunken witch. Eventually they, too, pass out and lie on the floor, joining the rest of the tenants in their trip to the wonderland.

In the end it’s just you and Suika who are left to enjoy the passing time. You have recovered from your drunken frenzy and are enjoying the remaining night with the oni. “That was fun, captain,” Suika chuckles. “But the next time you’re going to have a party, do it at Reimu’s place. It’s more fun over there.”

“If only I don’t have to propose stupid challenges like this and losing it,” you joke.

“But that’s what makes party in Gensokyo so fun!” Suika exclaims. “You know Reimu? She’s always taking it easy during any other day, but whenever we have party over her place she always gets angry. She doesn’t have much sense of fun, and she should learn a thing or two from you.”

“I take it as a compliment, thank you,” you reply. “But I do believe the praise and honour should go to the Motherland. Mother Russia will be pleased if she has people like you.”

“I like that,” Suika grins and offers you a bowl of alcohol from the gourd. “Cheers?”

You nod and take the bowl. “Cheers.”

In the middle of the drinking session you can see a person walking past the door, seemingly in a hurry. At first you disregard the person as your alcohol-fuelled imagination until you see her halting and turning around. You then see a silhouette of Eirin approaching the person and saying something to her, in which the person seems to reluctantly nod. The person leaves, and Eirin walks into the hall with an expression that can best be described as a mixture of amusement and concern.

“Oh dear. Looks like someone has to clean up the mess.” Suika waves at Eirin and takes what appears to be the last chug because she soon falls onto your body and snores loudly. Eirin sighs in amusement and signals at the servants to clear the room so the guests can sleep in it. With the rabbits cleaning the hall and arranging the mattresses Eirin turns her attention towards you, arms folded. “As for you, Mister Ivanov.” She smiles. “It’s getting late. You should be sleeping by now.”

“Yeah, I know that. Just let me get off her first!” With a grunt you push the passed out Suika out of the way; she doesn’t even notice it as she dozes off. “My fault for accepting her challenge in the drinking contest and ending up singing with Mystia and Tenshi.”

“I know. Reisen has told me about it,” Eirin says. “I’m just surprised by your tolerance towards alcohol. Maybe you should undergo medical check-up, for safety precaution.”

“I’m looking forward for the day.”

You stand up and approach Eirin, who is looking at Marisa amusedly. “Seems you have made peace with the black-white,” she says.

“Of course; it’s for the benefit of the Red Army, too,” you answer as you head to your room with Eirin accompanying her. “Sooner or later I will have to forgive her for the crimes she has committed against the Motherland, but time will tell whenever this peace will last.”

“Touché,” Eirin comments.

“I’m just stating the obvious,” you shrug and groan as your head pulsates. “Damn. I think I won’t be awake until tomorrow night.”

You arrive at your room. Bidding Eirin goodnight you walk in and perform one last inventory check. You nod in relief after you find nothing missing from the inventory. You pack up, spread the mattress and fall onto it. It’s been a fun night, and you will surely cherish it for the rest of your stay in Eientei.

Something knocks your mind.

Wasn’t the person you saw leaving Kaguya?

[ ] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
[ ] Leave Eientei and look for her yourself.
[ ] Just forget it and go to sleep.

[X] Just forget it and go to sleep.

Does one no good to have one's senses hindered slightly by being well hammered while trying to make a search in a forest where everything looks the same.

Though it wouldn't surprise me if the other anon manages to get him out and search for the particular person at night to witness a particular eventand possibly get caught in the crossfire

[x] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.

Best way to break the ice would be to bring up the meeting that you were supposed to have with them, but of course depending on his inebriancy might (and hopefully can) be misconstrued.

[X] Just forget it and go to sleep.

[x] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
- [x] Also ask for something for hangovers, like the one you'd have tomorrow.

[x] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
HELP ME EIRIN I NEED MAH NEET

[x] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
- [x] Also ask for something for hangovers, like the one you'd have tomorrow.

Alright, I am caught UP!

[X] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
[X] Drink lots of water.
[X] Also ask for something for hangovers, like the one you'd have tomorrow.

[ ] Find Eirin and ask her where Kaguya was headed to.
[ ] Also ask for something for hangovers, like the one you’d have tomorrow.

You get up from the floor. Paying no attention to your hangover you head outside and see Eirin going for the kitchen. Struggling to keep yourself steady you approach her, who doesn’t seem to be surprised over your condition. “Looks like you need to drink lots of water right now,” the pharmacist says.

“I know,” you answer. “I’m fact I’m going to the kitchen just for that. That is, if you don’t mind some company.”

“Of course not. In fact I’m looking forward for a night session with you,” Eirin says.

“I’ll appreciate that, but first I need to ask you about Kaguya,” you speak.

Eirin’s steps halt as the two of you are about enter the kitchen. “Hmm? Do you need her for something?” she asks.

You approach the table and take a seat. Your head starts spinning uncontrollably; God, you swear to yourself this hangover is starting to kill you. Eirin gives you a bottle of plain water and you waste no time drinking it in one gulp. “You know you should watch over your drinking habit,” Eirin says even as she rubs you on the back. “Because sooner or later it’s going back to haunt you, and the consequence isn’t going to be pretty.”

“Can’t help it, really,” you cough. “But answer me this question: where can I find Kaguya?”

“The princess…” Eirin stops rubbing your back only to take seat beside you. “She’s told me to tell you that you don’t have to worry about her. She just has to take some fresh night air before going back to sleep; that is all.”

“Really? Then how come she was in a hurry? Why was she reluctant to leave when you approached her?” You drink another portion of the water, almost gagging it in the process. “I know there’s something going on in this place, and I want an answer for it.”

“Please, Mister Ivanov, it’s for your own good, too,” Eirin speaks. “She doesn’t want to see you getting hurt while you’re looking for her-”

You slam the bottom end of the bottle on the table hard, hard enough to jolt Eirin. “Do I look like someone who’s going to ignore something important just because he has a hangover?” Eirin still hesitates to give you the answer, and you respond by hitting the table with a fist. “Answer me, Eirin.”

Eirin stares at you. “Do you really want to hear the answer? Even if it will cost you your life? Even if it costs you… your relationship with her?”

You snort. “If I have to take the risk, then I will take the risk.”

A period of silence, as none of you is saying anything. Eirin coughs a couple of time, corrects her posture and breathes deeply. Then she speaks: “She’s… the princess is in the deepest portion of the Bamboo Forest. She is there to settle her score with her immortal enemy.”

You frown. Settling score with an immortal enemy; that can only mean one thing.

“I don’t know why you’re so persistent in looking for her, but I must know why.” You don’t answer, but instead finishing off the water until there is nothing left in the bottle. “Very well; if that is your answer, I cannot do anything to prevent you, but before you go.” She puts a small bottle and pushes it towards you. “You may need this for your trip.”

You take the bottle and, without the second thought, drink its content. It tastes sharp, as expected from a medicine, and you choke as the substance is flowing down your throat and entering your stomach. A few seconds you feel your body drained away off the alcoholic effect and you are now feeling sober. “Praise for the Motherland, now that’s many times better.” You groan once in satisfaction, and outstretch yourself. “Thanks, though. I need that.”

You return to your room. You open the backpack and examine the inventory, knowing that you’ll need to be equipped properly for the confrontation. There’s no way you will tell what’s going to happen to you if you ever decide to interfere.

(Note: you can only choose maximum four items to be put in the inventory slot, not including those already marked with P)

[ ] Weapons
- [ ] Mosin-Nagant Scoped^
- [ ] PPSh-41 with Extended Magazine^
- [ ] Dragunov SVU-AS Scoped
[ ] Attachments
- [P] Danmaku Refit (pre-attached on the Mosin-Nagant and the PPSh-41; not available for the Dragunov)
- [ ] Aperture Sight
- [ ] Variable-zoom Sniper Scope
- [ ] Bayonet*
- [ ] Rabbit Shield**
[ ] Perks
- [P] Suppressive Fire***

^Both weapons come with their respective default attachment.
*Can be used as regular knife if not equipped as attachment.
**With Rabbit Shield equipped all weapons lose the ability to aim down sight.
***With Danmaku Refit equipped all weapons gain automatic ammo replenishment.

While you continue checking Eirin enters the room. “Mister Ivanov,” she calls you. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean… it’s their personal feud, and you know the princess won’t like it if anyone interferes with her affair, especially you. Besides.” She pauses, seemingly reluctant to continue but she speaks up anyway. “Aren’t you disturbed by the fact that it’s going to be very similar to the dream you’ve told me about?”

You turn around. You stare into Eirin’s eyes in the deepest gaze you can muster. You answer…

[ ] “Yes.”
[ ] “No.”
[ ] “I’m not sure.”
[ ] “There’s only one way to find out.”

Well, I hope this will do for now while waiting for the year 2010 to kick in. Until then, happy early New Year to THP.

[x] “Yes.”

Wait, how much ammo do we have for the SVU?

let's assume the Mosin is equipped with a PEM scope, and the SVU with a PSO-1.

take the
[X] PPSH w/ aperture sights
[X] SVU-A w/default scope
[X] Bayonet

SVU for stopping power and range, PPSH for high ROF and unlimited ammo, bayonet for wetwork, if needed.

[X] “There’s only one way to find out.”

Assuming he is making a good call, here, then:

[x] >>18877

[X] PPSH w/ aperture sights
[X] SVU-A w/default scope
[X] Bayonet
[X] “There’s only one way to find out.”

works for me!

[X] PPSH w/ aperture sights
[X] SVU-A w/default scope
[X] Bayonet
[X] “There’s only one way to find out.”

Damn I wouldn't have voted for it if I knew it'd result in him charging out. Let's hope Tewi blessed the captain recently, otherwise we might find out selves in a bad end.

>Wait, how much ammo do we have for the SVU?
Forgot to include it in the update, but we have twenty 7.62x54R rounds for the SVU. Take note that that's the only amount of bullets we have, and the SVU hasn't been modified to fire danmaku round yet.

I'll wait for more votes to pour in, otherwise I'll proceed with the ones that have been cast.

>bayonet for wetwork
Picture related.

>>18888 Here

And while I'm not happy with the vote that's been cast, we might as well go with things in a bold fashion and hope that that dream doesn't repeat itself.

(I had no idea just asking where Kaguya was would result in the captain storming off)

It's not the usual residents of the forest I worry so much about, but the ground zero of a Kaguya vs Mokou battle.

>>18893
Mmmh, better keep it on semi then, that's only one magazine. I guess we gave our Mosin's rounds to Eirin when we refit it.

[X] Remember to get more ammo and magazines from Kourin

Addon for later.

Goddamn, we need to get that rabbit shield back. Inmunity to danmaku? Goddamn that was awesome.

[X] PPSH w/ aperture sights
[X] SVU-A w/default scope
[X] Bayonet
[X] Pick up a rabbit (shield) on your way out if possible.
[X] "Yes" -It will obviously be disturbing, but nothing can stop him now.
-[X] Remember to get more ammo and magazines from Kourin

>>18934

I don't think one would do us much good where the captain's going.

It's said that while they might fight in a danmakuish nature, there is no non-lethal part (The attacks used in this can kill someone, but considering how both combatants basically can't die, it's a moot point)

Alright, posting now.

Didn't want to post a vote because I'd already have lost the vote.

I didn't like the captain going out. *shrug*

[ ] PPSh-41 with aperture sights.
[ ] SVU-AS with default scope.
[ ] Bayonet.
[ ] “There’s only one way to find out.”
[ ] Pick up a rabbit (shield) on your way out if possible.
- [ ] Remember to get more ammo and magazines from Kourin.

There’s no time to lose.

You take the PPSh-41 and equip it with aperture sights; then you take the SVU-AS and check its scope to make sure it’s functioning properly. You have a second thought about the weapon but put it aside as you holster the SVU’s strap over your body. You reach for the bayonet and examine it thoroughly; the bloodstain from your encounter with the wild boar still sticks on its blade, a reminder of which you will have to get rid of someday. Satisfied, you put the bayonet in its scabbard and strap it on your waist.

“Mister Ivanov?”

You turn to Eirin. The concerned look on her face disturbs you for a while, but like that’s going to stop you now. You have to go, and it’s the best option for you. “There’s only one way to find out.” You pull the bolt of the PPSh-41 once and then stand up to leave the room.

“Hey, captain!” You turn around and see Tewi walking out of the hall room, her eyes half closed. “Going out at this hour? Thought you’d be sleeping by now~” She yawns and outstretches her arms, groaning in satisfaction as she does the motion. “Man, I surely could go for another round of drinking tonight. That was fun, enjoying the show the captain had pulled out.”

“You’re coming with me, comrade,” you tell the earth rabbit. “I’m going to need your help in every way possible.” Shocked at first Tewi agrees and ask you to wait for her. You nod and tell her you’ll be waiting at the front gate; there you greet the twin guards only to see them immediately backing away from you. What’s up with everyone tonight? Are they avoiding you just because you’re concerned of Kaguya?

“Okay, captain!” Tewi returns to you, carrying with her a double-barrelled shotgun and several Molotov cocktails. “I’m good to go! Where are we headed to?”

“We’re going to the Kourindou for some resupply,” you speak. “Then we’ll head to the Bamboo Forest.”

“Wherever you go, I’m right with you, captain!” Tewi exclaims. “Just lead the way.”

You give her a simple nod of acknowledgment and turn around to face the bamboo forest. “Wait for a moment, Mister Ivanov.” You look back at Eirin who is approaching you with a rabbit held in her left hand and a deck of cards in her right. “Take these, just in case you decide to take the matter into your own hand.”

You take both items from the pharmacist. While you immediately recognize the rabbit as the danmaku shield (she doesn’t appear to be terrified by her less-than-fortunate faith, in fact she assures you of her durability with a confident grin) you are slightly puzzled by the cards. “Err… I don’t mind if you already know that I’ll need a shield anyway, but why are you giving me these cards?”

“Those are spellcards, and they are how people resolve each other’s problem in Gensokyo,” Eirin answers. “Tewi will provide some explanation of the spellcard battle on the way; is it alright with you, Tewi?”

“You can count on me, doc!” Tewi answers.

Eirin turns your attention to you. “…if you insist, then I can do nothing to stop you.” She takes a deep breath, probably regretting over the decision, but you can’t tell if she really is. “Now go. I suppose the princess is shouting your name right now.”

You stand firm and give the pharmacist a salute.
-
-
Along the trip to Kourindou Tewi helps you with the mechanic of spellcard battle and the reason it was created in the first place. It doesn’t help you in many ways, but from what you can grasp the system is established to limit the powers of the combatants during a danmaku battle, and that the system itself is divided into two subcategories, mainly to cover closed quarter and mid-long range combat.

“So that means everyone who can use danmaku is capable of using spellcards?” you ask.

“Well, not all,” Tewi answers. “Most creatures can only shoot danmaku, but theirs can be hard to come over if you don’t know how to dodge them. But hey! If you can shoot danmaku, you can use spellcards! Right?”

“Can’t say anything until I get a firsthand taste of it,” you shrug.

You and Tewi arrive at Kourindou. “Here we are. I suppose we can ask Kourin for supply before he closes his shop,” you say and approach the door. You bump across a weird silver-haired girl with wings on her back and head who is surprised to see someone visiting the shop; her clothes share the same black/blue colour scheme as Rinnosuke’s, and you assume she is his assistant.

“Uhh… you aren’t here to steal the books from me, right?!” the girl barks.

“I don’t have time for stealing somebody’s book. I’m in a hurry here, so can you call Kourin over?” you ask.

“Who might that be?” You turn around and see Rinnosuke coming from the backroom. “Oh, hello, Mister Ivanov. Didn’t expect to see you visiting at this hour. What can I do?”

“I need to find some ammo and magazines for the SVU. Does your shop happen to have them?” you say. “And make it quick. I have to look for Kaguya in the bamboo forest after this.”

“You sound urgent. Alright, I see what I can do.” He tells you to wait as he heads to the storage room, leaving you and Tewi with the strange winged girl who is staring at you suspiciously due to your appearance. A few minutes later the shopkeeper returns to the lobby with a crate in his arms. A loud thud is heard as he places the crate on the counter, of which both Tewi and the girl jump off their feet in surprise. “Shouldn’t take that long to look for. So, here they are.”

You approach the crate and examine its content. You can spot several more equipments inside it, apart from the SVU’s magazine and some 7.62x54R cartridges, including a pair of goggles that look awfully out-of-the-world. You ask Rinnosuke for the goggles’ function. “Night vision goggle,” he answers. “Very useful in modern combat, but not so if your battlefield happens to be in Gensokyo. Take it; you may need to use it.”

You take the goggle, along with some extra magazines and a couple of stun grenades. “These should do it.” Thanking Rinnosuke for the help you leave the shop and head back to the bamboo forest, running as fast as you can to make up for the time loss. You pay no attention to Tewi’s ranting as she explains more of the spellcard battle; all you can think of is Kaguya and how to stop her before her conflict with Mokou turns bloody.

You halt. Someone is standing in your way. You can’t see anything a hundred feet or so before you so you equip the night-vision goggle to aid your sighting. You cringe; just when you least expect it.

“Venturing out in the middle of the night? You should know that youkai are most active in this hour,” Yukari’s voice sounds inauspiciously threatening as she states the fact. “Or is it because you’re searching for your dear princess? Hmm~ I wonder~”

“I have no time for your bickering, Yukari,” you state. “Now step aside.”

“Not so fast, little soldier.” Yukari waves her hand, therefore locking you and her inside a bluish rectangular barrier; Tewi gets separated during the creation of the barrier and is trying to kick in, only to be bounced off by the almost invisible wall. You punch the barrier and get pushed away from it.

“What the hell did you do?” you demand.

Yukari hides her giggle behind her sleeve. “You’re not that foolish to charge into the raging inferno blindly. You see, a good and obedient soldier isn’t supposed to put his life on the line for some foolish and unneeded reasons.” She narrows her eyes. “And I expect you to obey your order to the fullest.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say here, but if you don’t let me go, I’m afraid I have to ask you to do that by force,” you reply. “And I’m not afraid to do that to you.”

The woman grins, even as she takes out a card out of her other sleeve and let it float in midair. The card dissipates, and immediately you are surrounded by gaps from all directions san underneath you. You can hear Tewi shouting a warning at you, saying that you are engaged in a spellcard battle with the Lady of Boundaries, but you are unprepared for such occasion.

Then you hear Yukari’s giggle becoming sinister.

“Are you now?”

[ ] Your action? (Write-in)

--------

I assure you, dear Anons, while we will survive this course of action, that doesn't mean we won't get ourselves hurt in the process. Especially since we are now engaged in our very first spellcard battle, with Yukari of all people.

Your survival depends on how well you handle this unforeseen crisis. Good luck.

>While you immediately recognize the rabbit as the danmaku shield (she doesn’t appear to be terrified by her less-than-fortunate faith, in fact she assures you of her durability with a confident grin)
Masochist Rabbit~

Equipment check:
-PPsH-71rd Danmaku Refit
-SVU-AS-couple of 10rd 7.62x54mmR magazines
-Bayonet
-Rabbit shield (she needs a name)
-NVG set
-Stun Grenades-(couple)

I think we're at the edge of the forest, so minimal cover(if at all, aside from the rabbit shield), and wide open. I'm also gonna assume the gaps are just to keep us in, and not a multifaceted attack or something.

[X] Keep evading the first barrages, using the rabbit shield where you cannot.
[X] Try some suppressing fire with the PPSh
[X] Lob a stun grenade or two, making sure to look away
[X] Gather intel on her tactics, You were able to escape from Kiev by observing the German movements.

[x]I dont think she can outsmart a bullet, 7.52 makes clean work of youkai head.

[x] She asked a question, let the gun do the answer: quickly fire three shots from the SVU, one to her left, other to her current position and a third one to her right.
[X] Keep evading the first barrages, using the rabbit shield (Now called Tesla) where you cannot.
[X] While throwing some suppressing fire with the PPSh, try to study her tactics. After all, you were able to escape from Kiev by observing the German movements.
-[X] That bitch hag pretty young lady just can't stop talking: while she explains why she's being a pain in the ass this time try to get a clean shot to her head.

I love you Yukarin, but you're really getting on my nerves.

[ℤℯ] >>18984

I like it.

[x] She asked a question, let the gun do the answer: quickly fire three shots from the SVU, one to her left, other to her current position and a third one to her right.
[X] Keep evading the first barrages, using the rabbit shield (Now called Tesla) where you cannot.
[X] While throwing some suppressing fire with the PPSh, try to study her tactics. After all, you were able to escape from Kiev by observing the German movements.
-[X] That pretty (yet confounding) young lady just can't stop talking: while she explains why she's being a pain in the ass this time try to get a clean shot to her head.

[x] She asked a question, let the gun do the answer: quickly fire three shots from the SVU, one to her left, other to her current position and a third one to her right.
[X] Keep evading the first barrages, using the rabbit shield (Now called Tesla) where you cannot.
[X] While throwing some suppressing fire with the PPSh, try to study her tactics. After all, you were able to escape from Kiev by observing the German movements.
-[X] That pretty (yet confounding) young lady just can't stop talking: while she explains why she's being a pain in the ass this time try to get a clean shot to her head.

Curiously if it's a full moon, and Ivanov manages to 'pass' Yukari, would Keine be next? I do wonder...

Alright. The vote has been called. Commencing update.

Writefag here, here's an afterthought about the karaoke session with Mystia. It would've been better (and awesome, too) if the captain had sung the song "Katyusha" instead of the national anthem of the Soviet Union, but I didn't know what song that would fit his mood for the night. Maybe later, when we have another party with the Gensokyo residents.

The song in question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHlq_P5CI18

Picture because it's related, somehow.

>>19014
Better: Smuglyanka Moldavanka.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8jXxnBsDc

And here is the update.

----------------

[c] She asked a question, let the gun do the answer: quickly fire three shots from the SVU, one to her left, other to her current position and a third one to the right.
[c] Keep evading the first barrages, using the rabbit shield (Now called Tesla) where you cannot.
[c] While throwing some suppressing fire with the PPSh, try to study her tactics. After all, you were able to escape from Kiev by observing the German movements.
- [c] That pretty (yet confounding) young lady just can’t stop talking: while she explains why she’s being a pain in the ass this time try to get a clean shot to her head.

You? Afraid? She has to be kidding. Soldier of the Red Army have no reason to be afraid of, not when you have cheated death for so many times throughout your struggles for the Motherland. You stare at Yukari deeply, who return the gesture with a grin that is as ominous as her gaze. Goddamn it, Yukari. If only she stops making fun of you once and for all.

“Well?”

You pull the SVU’s bolt. “You want an answer?” You take aim. “I’ll give you some!” Quickly a volley of three shots is delivered: one to her left, other to her current position and a third one to the right. That one bullet whizzes pass her face, just missing her cheek by an inch or less. You manage to scrub the smile off her face, but in doing so you have invoked the woman’s anger.

“Looks like little soldier wants to play it rough.” Yukari waves her hand once and the gaps to the front fires a barrage of red/white bullets at your position. Immediately you evade the initial attack, weaving through bullet streams while using the rabbit shield to deflect those you cannot dodge in time. “Beautiful. I see you have grasped the essence of danmaku battle pretty well.”

You switch weapon to the PPSh-41 and put the rabbit on its barrel. “Tesla, do your best.” The rabbit salutes and stays in position as you rush Yukari’s position, using the night-vision goggle to locate her and Tesla as indicator. Every time you think you’ve have her in sight, she’d teleport to other location, leaving decoys to keep you at bay. Then she’d track you and slow your movement with daggers and light beams, keeping you in one place while she moves about the arena freely, taunting you with her antics. You’ve seen this tactic before; it was during your escape from Kiev, and you were surrounded by German dog squads inside a building. The only time you were able to outsmart your pursuers was to study their movements, and it was a nerve-wracking task to start; those dogs were no pussycats and they were just as ruthless as their handler. They were trying to wear you down physically and mentally, and so is Yukari.

You dodge a barrage of daggers shot from Yukari. She disappears as you toss a stun grenade in retaliation and emerges in front of you, too close for you to fire the Papasha. “Boo.” She swings her umbrella at your head, and you are forced to parry the attack with your arm. “I like it when simple matter like this can anger you easily~”

“For Pete’s sake! What do you really want from me, Yukari?!” you shout and push Yukari out of the way. “You’ve been nothing but pure annoyance ever since we met, you know that?!”

“What do I want from you? Hmm, let me see~” Yukari giggles and disappears as you open fire. She reappears above you and sits on a gap that is supporting her in midair. “First, you owed me for throwing me into the hot water, and that was my most expensive dress to boot. Secondly I don’t see a reason on not being concerned about your welfare in Gensokyo, since you still need to learn a lot about this place.” Her eyes narrow. “Or what happens to the outside world.”

“What happens to the outside world?” The woman merely smiles, and this irritates you to the point it’d be better if she doesn’t exist at all. “Hey! You aren’t answering! What happens to the outside world?!”

“Not until we’re done with this duel, dear.” She smiles again. “Thirdly, you haven’t learned of the fate of all men who have fallen into, or let themselves be ensnared by, the moon princess’ majesty. That’s too bad, because I’m thinking of giving you the seal of approval for winning her.”

“What the hell, Yukari? Do not involve her with this!” you scream.

“Little soldier is too shy to admit his feeling? Boo-hoo! Trust your feeling; you know it to be true~ and finally.” She hides the smile behind the fan. “You’re quite a fun person to tease. That said, I haven’t had excitement doing this to somebody else than Reimu. Hmm~ maybe I can have myself worked up like this often~”

You tremble. She’s making fun of you. She is definitely making fun of you. You have no time for her playtime, and you have no time to waste with her! You fire the PPSh-41 again, and the gaps react by bombarding your position. Your reflex is a second delayed, and one of the bullets hits your arm; the pain is excruciating, almost as if a thousand needles are punctured through your skin and onto your bone. You ignore the pain; it’s nothing compared to the insults Yukari’s throwing at you.

“Ah~ the beauty of the full moon~” Yukari begins her speech as she looks up. “Look at it. That silvery globe has been Earth’s faithful companion ever since its creation, and yet humans always find a way to forsake its beauty. Pity, because both of us could sit down and drink together while enjoying the night.”

You don’t give her the chance to finish her speech. You throw the last stun grenade at her position, and as you have anticipated, she deflects the ordnance with the fan almost effortlessly. She looks back at you, and this is what you have wanted her to do.

“Gotcha.”

The trigger is pulled, and one 7.62x54R bullet finds its way onto her head. At that instant Yukari is knocked off the gap and falls into the ground; the gaps along with the barrier dissipate, freeing you and Tewi from the restrictive cage. You approach her and carefully prod her with the muzzle of the SVU. She isn’t responding; is she…

“Ow…” You back off. “Owowowowowowow!!! What was that for, little soldier?!” Yukari gets up and rubs a bump on her forehead; a clear mark can be seen on it, and she’s clearly upset over it. “Jeez, you sniper always like to take a headshot whenever you see fit. Sob; my head hurts, you know~”

You are aghast; that was supposed to be a perfect shot into her cranium, and yet she survived?! This is beyond unbelievable!!

“Well, that was certainly a surprise.” Yukari cranks her head sideways and stands back. “You even broke my spell, on top of that. Amazing; I should applause you for that.”

“What does that suppose to mean?”

“That means I can tell you where the princess is and what she’s doing.” About damn time; at this point you want to approach her and give her a punch in the face and then hugging her, but you refrain for now. “But under one condition: let me see if you can handle yourself a spellcard.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be taking a piss!!” Tewi screams. “You put the captain in a life-or-death situation moments ago, and you want him to declare spellcard battle against you?!”

“Silence, rabbit.” With a wave of her fingers Tewi is ensnared in magically-appearing chains, and Yukari leaves the rabbit dangling for life. “So, Captain Ivanov,” Yukari says and turns towards you. “I just want to make sure you are truly ready to live in Gensokyo. And you can’t say no this time; I won’t let you go until you’ve shown me.”

You glower at the lady of boundaries. This woman; you can, and will, never understand, whatever is inside her head. “Fine, but I’ll use only one and I’ll make it quick,” you answer.

Yukari smiles. “I’m fine with it. Oh, before I forget; you have to declare the name of the spellcard, otherwise it won’t work.”

You shrug and take out the cards from your coat pocket. There are two of them: one of them has the name ‘curse of the heavens’ super-imposed upon silhouette of a space-bound vehicle and the Moon. The other contains no description or name but has the several precision sight symbols stacked upon each other, super-imposed by silhouette of two sniper rifles in crossbones position. At first, you’re hesitant of pulling out a spellcard battle, or even one of the spellcards, but you have to do this or Yukari will stall you for too long and you won’t be able to find Kaguya.

You take a deep breath. “Here goes.”

Your card of choice…

[ ] The named card with the silhouette of the space vehicle and the Moon.
[ ] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.

[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.

This one we will be able to use. The other one has already been claimed.

And I really want to punch Yukari in the face.

[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.

“Oh, you’ve got to be taking a piss!!” Tewi screams.
GAZ? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN GENSOKYO?

[X] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

[x] The named card with the silhouette of the space vehicle and the Moon.

[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

Works for me~!

[X] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

I like the way you think.

[X] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

Let's finish the exhibition and help Tewi ASAP. I don't want to leave her hanging out to dry

[X] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

Hell, I don't even know what that first line means.

>>19055
Me neither. I suppose it's something in the lines of 'Die demon, you don't belong to this world!'

>>19055
>I don't even know what that first line means
>>19057

I believe it translates to "Damned gap demon!"

[X] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[X] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[X] "Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!"

[x] "проклятый разрыв демона!"
[x] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.

Are we naming the cards, or do you already have some names in mind?

>Are we naming the cards, or do you already have some names in mind?

Writefag here. I do have some ideas about our card's name, but I'll leave the naming to Anon's creativity.

Either way, the unnamed card option wins, so I can start with the update.

Can we punch Yukari in the face afterwords?

>>19063
[X] Punch in snout to establish superiority

>>19063

That might be a little hard, seeing as we're a human with a gun that won't hurt her (much), while she's the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo so trying to get her to think your superior is out. We can still punch her though (hopefully).

Bonus points for referencing Problem Sleuth.

>>19063

I don't think we want to get on her bad side, she's just messing around with us, yet if we keep on taking things so seriously, she might decide to do so herself.

And the best way to counter teasing is NOT TO REALLY REACT TO IT. So if the Captain responds in a mellow manner to Yukari's teasing, she'd be stunned.

I think we should slap the bitch around a bit afterwards to show where her place is.

[X] Punch in snout to establish superiority

"Sniper's Sign 「Precision Shots」!" sounds like a good name to me anyway.

>>19071

And smash our hand? Remember how much damage Yukari did by playfully kicking him? (I say playfully since if she was striking full force, she'd kill him if not send him flying through a wall with an obliterated kidney), or how she shrugged off a sniper round to the head?

Last time we checked, the captain wasn't an Oni.

>>19073
It's a JOKE, Luigi. You didn't get it.
http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Punch_in_snout_to_establish_superiority
I made that option for kicks, and to reperesent the best CYOA ever.

I really need to learn on how to describe spellcard properly.

-----------------

[c] The unnamed card with the precision sight symbols and the ‘crossbones’ sniper rifles.
[c] “Проклятый разрыв демона!”
[c] “Sniper’s Sign [Precision Shots]!”

The decision has been made. Tonight you will put the money on the unnamed card and you are going to risk everything upon it. Returning the Moon-silhouetted card into your pocket you hold the card of choice firmly between your fingers and look at Yukari.

“Проклятый разрыв демона!”

And you declare the first name that comes in mind.

“Sniper’s Sign [Precision Shots]!”

The card glows in your hand before it disperses into many pieces that are later fused into you the Dragunov, which starts glowing in golden yellowish light. You concentrate, and the light dissipates only to be replaced by an orb of similar colour materializing at the muzzle of the sniper rifle. You take aim and open fire; the orb splits into five clusters that fly towards Yukari, each aiming at the arm, the leg, the torso, the neck and the head.

The woman grins.

She steps aside, and all bullets fly into the ground harmlessly. “Nice, but I know you can do better than that,” she comments.

You concentrate, and the golden orb reappears on the muzzle just as it did. You open fire, and again the orb explodes into bullet clusters that fly towards Yukari, aiming for the same targets. Like the last time Yukari steps aside to allow the bullets to fly past her without leaving a scratch.

“Is that it? Hmm, hmm~”

Again, you aim the SVU at the parasol lady, but instead of letting the bullet clusters strike her on three locations you focus on having them hit the woman on one specific target. You pull the trigger, and as you have wanted, the bullets fly in tight formation and head straight for the head. If one headshot is already fatal, you can imagine what will happen if all five bullets land on the same spot.

And once again Yukari has you frustrated: she skids across the ground just when the bullets almost hits their intended target and grazes through their flight path. “Oh, come on~! Are you even trying?” she taunts as she taps the fan lightly on her forehead.

Fuck it; you can still do this! Getting ready for another attack you take aim and-

You shudder. Everything around you becomes hazy, and you begin to lose focus before you fall onto your knees. You feel nauseate, and you stomach begins to turn up before you throw up. Gasping, your mind tries to figure out what has happened.

“Oh, dear,” Yukari gasps. “I almost forgot; your body isn’t used to magic combat. It must have taken the toll of the spellcard combat.” Covering her mouth with her fan she stares at you in intrigue before she hums. “That was nasty, too.”

“Goddamn it!” you curse.

“You were doing really good, for a beginner,” Yukari says and waves her hand at Tewi. “I’ll let you go this time. Be grateful for that.” You look to the rabbit who has been released from the chains, and then back at Yukari who is later greeted by Ran. “Good timing, Ran. Let’s go home. I’m tired; I could go for some peaceful sleep tonight,” you hear Yukari telling the fox lady.

“You… you aren’t leaving!” you bark. “You must tell me… what happened… to the outside world!”

“Oh? Oh, that’s right,” Yukari giggles. “If that is the case, why don’t you ask the princess yourself? I bet she can answer your questions willingly, right?”

You take a breath and sigh.

[ ] Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing. You still need to find Kaguya, so leave her and head deep into the bamboo forest.
[ ] Retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.
[ ] CLENCH THOSE TEETH, YUKARIN!!

[X] CLENCH THOSE TEETH, YUKARIN!!

Screw that!

The longer you folks insist on being so angry, the harder things will be in the long run. I'm no saying let's all be buddy buddy all of a sudden, but at least try to keep things civil and not look like some raging buffoon.

[x] Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing. You still need to find Kaguya, so leave her and head deep into the bamboo forest.

>>19096
True. We also may need her help later.

[X] Stand down. A true soldier knows when to pick his battles.
[X] But be wary, remember Operation Barbarossa.
[X] You are STILL a soldier, you went months in Stalingrad without a major source of food, this is nothing. Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing. You still need to find Kaguya, so leave her and head deep into the bamboo forest.


[X] Remember to get a blank spellcard later and code it: "Soldier's Sign [Machine Gun Supression]"

[X] Retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.

As much as he may hate it, losing the battle does not mean losing the war. Besides going in blindly on a mission only to find yourself largely inadequate due to blind bravado rather than poor resources would shame the Red Army in my opinion.

Another note

Soviet theorists emphasized both the political and 'military-technical' sides of military doctrine, while from the Soviet point of view, Westerners ignored the political side. However the political side of Soviet military doctrine, Western commentators Harriet F Scott and William Scott said, 'best explained Soviet moves in the international arena'

I have no doubt he may believe himself to have the militaristic side down locked and loaded; but he knows he's generally shaky on the political arena. This he must recognize considering he most likely wishes to avoid making a mistake in future campaigns.

tl;dr - Focus your efforts where it matters most for the good of the motherland, for your newhomeland~!

[X] Stand down. A true soldier knows when to pick his battles.
[X] But be wary, remember Operation Barbarossa.
[X] You are STILL a soldier, you went months in Stalingrad without a major source of food, this is nothing. Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing. You still need to find Kaguya, so leave her and head deep into the bamboo forest.


[X] Remember to get a blank spellcard later and code it: "Soldier's Sign [Machine Gun Supression]"

[X] Retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.

I think we should really head back since we might not be in much of a shape to really fight at this point. And it's better to run and live another day than to die a stupid death due to too much bravado.

>>19101
I agree, carrying on stupid grudges won't do any good in the long run.

Writefag here.

Judging from the votes, I can see that we don't want to prolong our conflict with Yukari, which is good IMO because I myself don't want to have too much grudge against our lovely lady of boundaries.

And I'll leave the voting open for another couple of days as I won't be around this weekend for personal reason.

[X] Retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.

[X] Retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.

This isn't like the times when we had been facing the Nazi war machine, he didn't suddenly become tired when he faced them, No this is beyond anything the Nazis could have ever done in a short span of time. Time to face the reality of what kind of land, if not world, he is currently in.

[X] Stand down. A true soldier knows when to pick his battles.
[X] But be wary, remember Operation Barbarossa.
[X] You are STILL a soldier, you went months in Stalingrad without a major source of food, this is nothing. Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing. You still need to find Kaguya, so leave her and head deep into the bamboo forest.


[X] Remember to get a blank spellcard later and code it: "Soldier's Sign [Machine Gun Supression]"

I still feel like we should headshot her if we get the drop on her again.

>>19110

He's now badly worn out on top of being drunk or buzzed.

>>19108
Usually stories get better after the stupid grudge against Yukari ends (see Gensokyo Land Saga)

In the end though anon loves Yukari no matter how much she trolls/abuses/terrorizes/forcibly keeps anon in the dark.

>>19115

Well, it's not really that, more like...

An infantryman with a handgun up against a tank. You can't fight it well, and even if you can, you won't do much. On the other hand, that tank could give you suppressing fire and fire support, in addition to cover and radio communication ability as well.

>>19116

More like a mix, and in Yukari's tank, it's more like a Mammoth tank from Command and Conquer.

Though a nice Yukari can actually charm people (See AoS in /shrine/ when the lead got to seriously talk with Yukari, they basically fell for her)

>>19119

*Sigh*

If only that logic could be put towards EX Nine's story.

>>19121

Problem with Nine's story is that Yukari is actively being a bitch in it, unlike misguided fun having like in GLS, Harker's story and this story.

I'm not sure if that Yukari could be talked out of it, for one since Nine made her highly evil in it.

Vote combination time, just because I had fun (and misery) writing it~

[c] Stand down. A true soldier knows when to pick his battles.
[c] But be wary; remember Operation Barbarossa.
[c] You are STILL a soldier; you went months in Stalingrad without a major source of food, this is nothing.
[c] Don’t respond to Yukari’s teasing, but retreat to Eientei. The condition of your body is going to be detrimental in your search for the princess.

You gag again. You force yourself to throw up every piece of whatever thing that is stuffed inside of your guts. You groan in discomfort; the side-effect of the spellcard execution is beginning to take its toll on you, and at such you have to reconsider your mission to seek the princess.

“Isn’t that a bit too much for him, to commence himself a spellcard battle when he isn’t even prepared for it?” you hear Ran asking Yukari. “I mean, he’s just been around here for a couple of days, and yet you have somehow convinced him to do a spellcard battle.”

“I merely gave him the suggestion, Ran. It was his choice in the end,” Yukari answers rather philosophically.

“Useless wanker! You were the one who forced him in the first place!” Tewi barks. “I swear I’ll kick your face and shove this shotgun into your ass if you ever do that again!”

Yukari gives the earth rabbit an annoyed glare. “Oh, I’d be more than happy to have that stuffed deep inside me,” she answers. “And I prefer it hard, too~”

“Why you-”

You lift a hand just as Tewi is about to pounce at Yukari. You give her a couple of reprimands for her lack of discipline and respect before telling her to stand back. Forcing yourself to stand up, you make yourself facing the magnificent lady and her familiar. Your legs are wobbly, and your posture is shaky but you keep yourself as firm as possible.

“Easy there, little soldier. Don’t want to see you blacking out in the middle of nowhere,” she reminds. “Although I kind of like that idea. Maybe I can get Ran to carry you back to Eientei if you pass out, if you will~”

“What are you implying here, Miss Yukari?” the exasperated Ran asks.

You close your eyes. You shake your head in disappointment; there is nothing else you can do except to make a retreat. You have to stand down. A true soldier, as your late father had taught you, knows when to pick his fights and respond to one wisely. More often than not have you faced countless battles in every event you come across, and no other event was as significant as Operation Barbarossa.

That’s right.

Those bloody Nazis thought they could demoralize citizens of the great Motherland, and they thought they could crush the might of the Red Army with their blitzkrieg tactic. They were totally wrong, for they had prodded into the hornet’s nest, stepped into a hungry and grumpy lion’s den, and picked the wrong people to fight with.

“Well? What your mind has to say, little soldier?” Yukari asks.

“We will return to Eientei and have my injuries treated soon,” you answer. “As much as I want to seek for Kaguya and bring her safely back to Eientei, I’m afraid my current condition is going to be detrimental.”

“Good decision, little soldier. Very good~” Yukari hums. “It’s better to run and live another day than to die a stupid death, isn’t it?” She chuckles afterwards, although she covers her giggles behind her fan as usual. . “Say, Ran, who was quoted ‘we are not retreating; we are advancing from another direction’? Was it Montgomery?”

“Wasn’t it MacArthur, Miss Yukari?” Ran suggests.

“Yeah, I think it was that old man,” Yukari agrees. “I should give him a visit sometimes.”

“But remember this, Yukari Yakumo:” you interrupt. “I am STILL a soldier. I have gone for months in Stalingrad without a major source of food - while outrunning German dog patrols and dodging artillery barrages - so this trial of yours is nothing compared to that.”

Yukari giggles again. “You know, you could learn the art of diplomacy. I can have Ran teach you about it if you like~” she suggests, earning her a tired look from the fox lady.

You pay her no attention. No more teasing from her, and no more anger towards her, not right here, not right now. You are tired, you are beaten up and you need to get back to Eientei. “Come, Tewi, Tesla. Let us go home together,” you speak and head to Eientei’s direction. “I better get some-”

Your knees weaken. Your eyelids flutter. You feel yourself wavering on your feet before you descend to the ground.

“-sleep.”

A loud thud. And the world around you goes black.
-
-
“Is he going to be alright?”

“Well, from what Yukari’s familiar has explained, full recovery will take a few days, so he won’t be awake for a day or two. It’s nothing to be worried about; a few broken bones here and there, diluted eyeballs, swollen lips, pale face, but he will be fine.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“I have to be surprised, though; to be able to pull out spellcard duel with very little knowledge of the consequences behind it. And to think that he’d do it because he was worried of you. His determination must have driven him to that level.”

“For me? But Eirin, hadn’t I told you to keep him out of this? It’s my affair with Mokou, and I do not wish to involve him in it.”

“Say whatever you wish, princess, for this man has subjected himself towards you. Now, I understand that he’s unconsciously listening to our conversation, so I’ll give him some sleeping dose to help him rest properly. Until then he will not be allowed to perform heavy duty tasks, and that means no volunteer training camp.”

“What? Then who’s going to look after him? Not me, though.”

“Oh, ho? Denying her role as a man’s wife, already? So much to expect from a princess who had begged me to let him stay with puppy-watery eyes.”

“H-hey, stop that!”

“Silly princess, I was just teasing~ now, if you please stand back…”

You try to pry open your eyelids when a stinging pain is inserted into your arm. Your head becomes heavy, and it doesn’t take long before blackness shrouds over your eyes. You hear a soft ‘goodnight’ whispered into your ear, followed with a pat on your head and a poke on your ear. You can faintly hear the princess shouting at the pharmacist for what she claims to be an ‘indecent gesture’ but you can hear no more as the world shuts down around you.

Damn it. At least they should let you wake up first…
-
-
You open your eyes. Again you find yourself standing in the middle of nothingness, like you have been for several nights. Another visit to the dreamland, you guess. Still, suspicion on this being Yukari’s plan rises, so you focus your ears, expecting to hear the lady of boundaries’ echoing giggles in the dark. You hear nothing; maybe she isn’t coming, or maybe she has grown tired of sneaking into you dream. You aren’t so sure, but what you do know is that you are alone.

The darkness slowly dissipates and starts to be replaced by the scene of a garden. You look to the front and spot a Japanese-styled mansion at the end of the road that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see. Everywhere you can see cherry trees, which never seem to wither even with the changing season; there’s also a huge cherry tree not far from the mansion, but you have an uneasy feeling just from looking at its half-bloomed state.

You don’t see any rabbits around, only butterflies and translucent blobs that seem to be excited by your presence. You realize something: this isn’t Eientei, so where are you now?

A dream is a dream…
[ ] …but let’s walk around anyway.
[ ] …and let the cherry tree allure you with its enigmatic beauty.
[ ] …and you don’t have time for this nonsense. Force yourself to wake up and find yourself sleeping in the comfortable warmth of Kaguya and Tatyana’s arms.

Pending:
[c] Remember to get a blank spellcard later and code it: “Soldier’s Sign [Machine Gun Suppression]”

Well, another two or three updates and we’ll be closing in towards the end of Day Four. And take note that I may not be around for a week, so you are free to discuss this CYOA in my absence.

[x] …and let the cherry tree allure you with its enigmatic beauty.

IC: It'll help take the mind of Yukari; Sakura petals tend to be softening to the heart.

OOC: Seriously, we need someone like Yuyu~ to soften the animosity he has towards Yukari.

[x] …and you don’t have time for this nonsense. Force yourself to wake up

>>19143

True, but I don't think going near THAT tree is going to help. Wandering about say the area on the other hand is okay.

I heard a rumor that two of the choices will result in running into Yuyuko. Nothing else sadly.

[x] …and you don’t have time for this nonsense. Force yourself to wake up

[X] ...but let's walk around anyway. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

[X] Remember to get ANOTHER card, this time coded "Artillery Sign 「Curtains of Flak」"
Flak, by design, is made to shoot down or at least harass incoming flying objects. It is one of the most danmaku-like human actions.
Th' fuck didn't I think of this the first time

[X] …but let’s walk around anyway.

>>19146
Good point.

Changing my (>>19143) vote to:

[x] …but let’s walk around anyway.

Can't abandon my favorite character~

[X] …and you don’t have time for this nonsense. Force yourself to wake up.

[X] …but let’s walk around anyway.

No shame in enjoying a dream, right?

[X] …but let’s walk around anyway.

[x] …but let’s walk around anyway.

>>19116
>An infantryman with a handgun up against a tank.
Except in Pumpkin Scissors.

[x] …and let the cherry tree allure you with its enigmatic beauty

>>19143

I figured that encountering Yuyuko would soften some of his harsh edges. (Kaguya's still the target)

Back from absence. My god, you people actually opted for the first choice? In any case, the vote has been called, so update will be ready in seven minutes.

...and here we go.

--------

A dream is a dream…
[c] …but let’s walk around anyway.

Your mind recollects your conversation with Yukari and Reimu regarding a certain netherworld at the edge of the boundary that seals Gensokyo from the outside world, and the name Hakugyokurou emerges. You shudder. The place where only the dead can reach its location. Where you are now is not the problem; it’s why you are in such place that puzzles you. You look around where you are now and see nothing more than cherry trees, butterflies and ghostly orbs; for a while their mere existence traces fear deep inside of you and you feel like you want to leave this place as soon as possible.

You shrug. You decide that it’s best that you walk around and enjoy the scenery as much as you can. Yukari had told you that being within the vicinity of the cherry trees is enough to make one never want to leave Hakugyokurou and wants to stay there before time. You snicker; you have already ended up here, so why waste the opportunity?

You begin your trip down the lane that heads straight toward the mansion. Everywhere you can see butterflies and ghostly orbs following your lead, as if they are welcoming you to this garden of eternal peace. Their presence doesn’t scare you even a little; enjoyed by their company you even allow one of the butterflies to land upon your palm. It feels warm in your touch, and it feels strangely right, too. The butterfly lingers for a while before it leaves, only to return with its many companions that start swarming you en masse. You laugh lightly; you are indeed welcomed in Hakugyokurou, and the otherworldly beings are equally excited to accept you as one of them.

“Oh, hello there. May I ask you of what are you doing here?”

You turn around, and at the same time the butterflies dissipate. It’s a woman roughly at the same height as Yukari. A closer inspection reveals to you that she was the elegant kimono lady from the party. You salute and speak up, only to find in horror that your vocal cord isn’t functioning. Damn, just when you want to have a proper introduction with the woman. She doesn’t seem to notice the trouble as she stares at you in intrigue.

“I remember you!” The woman giggles. “You’re the soldier who held the party at the moon princess’ mansion!” She corrects her posture and makes herself as tidy as she can, an attempt that makes you giggle in silent. “On behalf of the Hakugyokurou, I thank you for inviting us to the party. My name is Yuyuko, princess of the Saigyouji Clan. Pleased to meet you.” She bows to you, and you respond with a light nod. “You are Captain Yuri Ivanov, am I correct?” You nod, and she laughs happily at the response. “Of course! You even delivered the awe-inspiring speech in front of the crowd, too! That was the best speech I’ve ever heard in my life, sir captain, and I really like it.” You smile appreciatively. “But I have to wonder~”

Yuyuko approaches you and stares into your eyes. You gulp in unease as those soft maroon gazes are examining you thoroughly. You recall Yukari’s story of Yuyuko’s ungodly power, where she can invoke death to the mortal just by thinking of the person. You can only pray that she doesn’t use that power right now.

“It’s somehow strange that a wandering soul can find itself a way into the Hakugyokurou,” she speaks. “Only dead souls can reach this place, and yet you aren’t. Tell me, has something happened?”

You know you can’t explain properly with your vocal cord disabled, and the lovely ghost princess wants an honest answer. That is, until you remember one of the theatre classes you had attended back at the university. You ask her to stand back and watch, so with your best effort, you begin your one-man performance, re-enacting the battle between you and Yukari and the mood of it as much as you can. The act continues with you falling onto the ground and playing unconscious before you play the role of Eirin as she administered sleeping medicine into your arm. Finally the act ends with you playing asleep and waking up in your current state.

“Ooo~ that’s nice~” Yuyuko claps her hands cheerfully. “You have talent in acting. I suppose you can make yourself a good actor someday.” You laugh embarrassedly over the praise.

“So you’re telling me that you’re visiting this place in your dream and want to go back to your place?” You nod and Yuyuko hums in curiosity, her eyelids half-closed dreamily. “I think I know what kind of phenomenon it is, but why you want to leave this early? I was going to ask about the fight you had with Yukari, you know.”

You blink in surprise at the polite question, and she presses on while giving your trembling hand a light squeeze. “I’m her close friend. Is it not right for me to know the reason?” You don’t know how to answer the question. Had you been in the dream with your vocal cord unrestrained you would have spoken the reason, but you don’t know how to tell her.

“Hmm…” The woman releases your hand and covers her mouth with her elongated sleeve. “I suppose we both can talk about Yukari better if you can speak properly, right?” You can only nod. “That’s right; instead of having to rely on trans-dreamland trip, why don’t you visit me in this place as a person? You are more than welcomed to Hakugyokurou.”

She, then, blushes a bit. “Besides I find it a bit unsettling when the person I’ve been looking forward to talk to is… translucent.” You look all over yourself. She’s right; although not completely transparent you can see the ground through your body. You can’t help laughing over the matter. It is indeed unsettling to be here in this status.

“Winter is fast approaching,” Yuyuko later speaks. “It’s a little unfortunate that our meeting will have to be held in the cold season, because honestly speaking, I’d prefer us to see each other when the cherry trees are fully blooming.” You nod in agreement, even as a cherry petal finds its way onto your palm and lands on it comfortably. You stare at it for a second or two before the wind picks up, and you let it fly deep into the blue yonder.

“Anyway.” Yuyuko coughs. “I bet you are going to wake up by now, so why don’t we end our conversation here for now? Besides~” She giggles and grins rather playfully. “I’m very certain the moon princess is worried if you don’t come back from your dreamland soon.” Your eyes widen but before you can show any sign of protest the woman blows a couple of butterflies into your face. You vision becomes blurred and you try to open your mouth but she only smiles as she waves her hand at you.

”I’ll be seeing you…”
-
-
Your eyes open. For a second or two you stay still on the mattress, wondering whether the encounter with the ghost princess is real or just a fragment of the dream. It feels too real to be true, and for a while you have to slap yourself on the face a couple of times to make sure you have returned to the real world. You are, thank goodness. At least you know you are back in Eientei.

“Bad Mokou! Why are you stealing my truck?”

“Master! Don’t eat me roughly~”

You look to left and right. You are astounded; lying beside you are Kaguya and Tatyana, both of whom are looking tired from doing chores you can’t tell. A closer examination reveals why: they have attended you in your vegetative state, with damp clothes and medicines scattering around. You never thought to see such dedication in your life in Eientei.

Oh, what the hell. Let it be. You’re too tired to even think of it. Leaning forward you plant two light kisses, each on Tatyana’s forehead and Kaguya’s scalp. Then you return to your sleeping posture and close your eyes. You wonder what lies ahead when the sun of tomorrow rises…
-
-
Day: Four
Route: Kaguya Houraisan
Route Status: LOCKED

---------

Congratulations, you have survived Day Four. Mother Russia will be pleased by your achievement, comrade, so sit down, take a deep breath and relax.

>[x] Artillery Sign [Curtains of Flak]

Awesome. I like this one, too. Adding it in Status Check.

>“Master! Don’t eat me roughly~”

HUH!?

>>19223

Dunno it sounds kinda kinky (As in the little rabit wouldn't mind the captain 'eating' her)

>“Bad Mokou! Why are you stealing my truck?”

Walfas fan?

What would have happened with the other two choices?

>Route: Kaguya Houraisan
>Route Status: LOCKED

I don't mind at all.

>Route: Kaguya Houraisan
Route Status: LOCKED


I don't remember this what is going on aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

>>“Master! Don’t eat me roughly~”

Well Ivanov did at one point think of her as a ration, however it didn't seem to take long till she started to consider being eaten in an entirely different way; eh who's to say

awesome

>>“Master! Don’t eat me roughly~”
Yes
>“Bad Mokou! Why are you stealing my truck?”
Yes!
>Route: Kaguya Houraisan LOCKED
YES

>>19229

Serial ATA mentions the route and status at the end of each day.

>What would have happened with the other two choices?

One of them would lead us to a BUTTERFLY END, while the other would just end up with us waking up from the dream without meeting anything.

Anyway, people, Day Five will commence shortly.

Day Four Overview:
Yuri Ivanov, a captain in the Soviet Red Army, had the chance to learn the history between Kaguya and her archrival Mokou, as well as brandishing his survival skill in danmaku skirmish with Rumia and Wriggle. As the day was approaching its end he found himself immersed in hot water as he was forced to confront Yukari during his search for Kaguya, a confrontation that had shown him that Gensokyo was unlike anything the Eastern Front had thrown at him. Frustrated, he tried to find a way to make peace with the Lady of Boundaries until a chance meeting with the princess of the Hakugyokurou paved him a way…

// loading… //

You wake up. Your entire body feels drained out of energy, and you can barely manage to lift yourself from the mattress. You force yourself to rise, groaning when you feel your head reeling. Ignoring the setback you look around and spot a calendar; markings on it suggest that you have been sleeping for at least a week. Wow, you have missed a lot of important events along the time. You should catch up with everyone before you get left behind in the march.

You shiver; how come the temperature is unusually cold? Throwing your sight to the outside you can see snow settling in the courtyard. Is it winter already? The season cycle in this region is surely hard to apprehend, and the quiet morning you’ve woken up into only increases the level of solitude you’re experiencing.

You shrug. You could use this silent hour to do something, at least.

[ ] Just sit and enjoy the silence.
[ ] Take your diary. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[ ] Lie back and go to sleep.
[ ] Go to the kitchen and make yourself a quick meal.
[ ] Take a quick stroll around Eientei.

Also, obligatory Status Check, because I forgot to include it with the update:

-------------

[STATUS, as of Day Four]
Name: Yuri Ivanov
Rank: Captain
Unit: Third Guards Rifle Division
Allegiance: Soviet Union (may change if situation dictates)

Health: 80%
Magic: limited
Stamina: very low

Basic Skills:
+ Basic Machinery I
+ Basic Outback Cooking I
+ Basic Danmaku I
+ Basic Leadership I
+ Weapons Identification I
+ Spellcard Battle I
+ Night Warfare I

Intermediate Skills:
+ Firearms II
+ Urban Warfare II
+ Sniping II
+ Hand-to-Hand Combat II
+ Closed Quarter Combat II

Advanced Skills:
+ None.

Inventory:
+ A water bottle.
+ A pair of boots.
+ Clean clothes.
+ Pilotka hat.
+ Lucky charm carved from a Bf109’s 30mm shell.
+ A photograph of your regiment.
+ A bayonet.
+ A small diary.
+ Winter uniform.

Primary Weapons:
+ Mosin-Nagant with PEM scope. Bruises on its stock indicate past, violent melees.
+ PPSh-41 with extended magazine.
+ Dragunov SVU-AS with PSO-1 scope.

Secondary Weapons:
+ None (feel free to suggest any sidearm)

Equipments:
+ Stun grenade.
+ Flash bang.
+ Smoke grenade.
+ Molotov cocktail.
+ Vodka.
+ Night vision goggles.

Spellcards:
+ Sniper’s Sign [Precision Shots]
+ (Pending) Soldier’s Sign [Machine Gun Suppression]
+ (Pending) Artillery Sign [Curtain of Flak]

Attachments:
+ Danmaku Refit (Weapon with this attachment equipped now fires danmaku ammunition, regardless of type. Unlocks the Suppressive Fire perk for the particular weapon).
+ Aperture Sight.
+ Variable-zoom Sniper Scope.
+ Bayonet.
+ Extended Magazine (default attachment for the PPSh-41 as Round Drum).
+ Rabbit Shield (frontal protection from danmaku attack. Takes up an attachment slot and cannot be combined with other attachments, with the exception of Extended Magazine. With Rabbit Shield equipped all weapons lose the ability to aim down sight).

Perks:
+ Suppressive Fire (weapons equipped with the Danmaku Refit attachment gains automatic ammunition replenishment for prolonged suppressing fire. Weapons must go through cooling period between each firing and may overheat if overused. Bolt cycling still applies for all bolt-action rifles).

[X] Take your diary. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[X] Check your items

[X] Take your diary. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[X] Check your items.
[x] Try to call out to someone, since you are feeling a bit hungry and want to catch up on events.

[X] Take your diary. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[X] Check your items.
-[x] Go to the kitchen and make yourself a quick meal.

[x] Take your diary. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[x] Check your items.
[x] Clean and maintain your guns as soon as possible.

Addendum to >>19258
Very Low Stamina? What. In comparison to...?

>+ Lucky charm carved from a Bf109’s 30mm shell.
Unless it's a fragment of the shell, it should be "lucky charm made from a BF109's 30mm shell"

About the Equipment, just one of each, or multiple hand grenades and whatnot?


Sidearm suggestion: Either a PP-2000 machinepistol, or a midmodel M1911A1.

PP-2000: compact submachinegun, folding stock, chambered in 9mm Parabellum, 600rd/min ROF, designed to work with all 9mm para ammo, 20/30rd magazines, 1/4 of the weight of the PPSh, "in beta", "light" (harder to control on an automatic weapon)

midmodel (~1940-~1960) M1911A1: powerful handgun, chambered in .45ACP, reliable, "loose" (can be abused and still work), 7rd magazines, "heavy" (easier to control when firing quickly)

You could also argue revolvers, but I think they would take too long to reload (unless DR'ed, of course.)

>>19260

Not sure if that's a good idea, the captain might collapse on the way there.

>>19262
Well, I kind of forgot to fix it, so here goes:

Health: 80%
Magic: limited
Stamina: very low, as in not able to perform heavy tasks, as mentioned by Eirin:
>“Until then he will not be allowed to perform heavy duty tasks, and that means no volunteer training camp.”

Equipments (and current amount):
+ Fragmentation grenade x1
+ Stun grenade x0
+ Flash bang x0
+ Smoke grenade x0
+ Molotov cocktail x1
+ Vodka x1
+ Night vision goggles.

>Unless it's a fragment of the shell, it should be "lucky charm made from a BF109's 30mm shell"
Fixing that, too. Thanks.

>PP-2000
>M1911A1
That means another visit to the Kourindou, then.

I get the feeling that we'll be having a winter tour around Gensokyo with Kaguya as our guide.

>>19266

Ah so he can go about walking around without problem just as long as he doesn't try to run around or life heavy things.

>I get the feeling that we'll be having a winter tour around Gensokyo with Kaguya as our guide.

That's not such a bad thing at all, especially if she needs warming up in way that doesn't involve vodka (And I'm talking in a clean fashion like a hug)

[x] Update your journal. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[x] Check your items.
[x] Clean and maintain your guns as soon as possible.

[x] Update your journal. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[x] Check your items.
[x] Clean and maintain your guns as soon as possible.

>>19275
Cleaning guns before getting food? How strange.

>>19276
Not strange, in Stalingrad, there was sometimes no food at all.

But plenty of oil.

>>19289

But he's not there anymore, but in Eientei, where chances are there's more food than oil. I don't think Lunarian science relies on fossil fuels.

Hey if the captain is looking for a sidearm, why doesn't he just get a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TT-33]TT-33[/url] as the sidearm? It'd be a pistol he's familiar with, and the ammunition is more powerful than a 9mm Parabellum or .45 ACP.

>>19294

>>19294

7.62 Tokarev has ballistics fairly similar to 9mm parabellum. 9mm Parabellum is also a lot easier to come across (this may hold the same in Gensokyo, more would tend to come through the border, it's widely used in many pistols, SMGs, and carbines).

.45ACP has better expansion properties, which we'll need, considering most(if not all) of our targets will be unarmored.

But I guess both the M1911A1 and TT-33 would both be numerous.

I was thinking of a Luger and/or a pair Colt .45 like "B.J" Blazkowicz used, but never mind that.

Have the captain use a GSH-18. It's made in Russia, can use 9mm Parabellum and can hold 18 rounds.

Lots of discussion going on about the captain's sidearm of choice, which is interesting in my point of view. I'll consider it in future updates.

>especially if she needs warming up in way that doesn't involve vodka (And I'm talking in a clean fashion like a hug)

interesting.jpg

[c] Update your journal. Time to write an entry and outline your plan for the day.
[c] Check your items.
[c] Maintain your guns as soon as possible.

You realize something. Along your stay in Eientei, you have never written even a single entry in your diary until now since you were busy training the future soldiers to serve the Motherland. Thinking that you may not be allowed to conduct training routine due to your condition you’re going to need to do something to keep yourself busy while you recuperate.

You pull your backpack towards you and unpack it. You scuffle through the cloth-made bag and take out a worn book. It’s a gift from your parents to celebrate your graduation yet you never consider it an important item, mostly because you never had the chance to write anything in it along your deployment on the field.

You open a page. It’s empty, just as you would expect from an unused diary. Nothing written on it except for marks and wears caused by weather effect. Searching the bag for writing utensil, you end up scattering all your items on the floor. You shake your head; what kind of nonsense you just made? Well, at least you know you’re running out of explosives and special grenades from what you’ve seen.

You check the items again, focusing on the weapons themselves. You have long-range shooting covered by the Mosin-Nagant and the Dragunov, and the PPSh-41 for closed quarter combat, as well as spellcards for spellcard battle. Everything about the weaponry seems to be in working order, especially the sub-machinegun that has been modified to shoot danmaku. Not that you want to complain, since you don't have to worry about running out of ammunition in prolonged shootout.

You ponder; what if you’re stuck in a situation where you have none of the weapons but you still have to defend yourself? You know you'll have to rely on sidearm as backup weapon in tight situation; a handgun is an obvious choice, it's quick to draw, it's relatively maintenance-friendly, and it's concealable.

You shrug. Apart from the lack of grenades and the obvious need for proper sidearm, there isn’t anything you can do about the rest of the items. Putting the issue aside, you focus on writing more journal entries, and you wonder if you should outline your activity for the day, preferably those that won’t strip you out of strength. You want to consider visiting Gensokyo’s other places, but you’ll have to discuss with Eirin about it, or maybe you can organize fun activities like snowball fight. You cackle: the very thought of you leading rabbit army as you mow down the defenders with snowballs is enough to lighten up the mood.

You throw your sight to the outside. Somehow seeing the snow make you feel melancholic. You have lost track of the days when you could sit down and enjoy the snow without ever having to worry about the war surrounding you. The feeling of peace that you had hoped would last was cruelly taken away once you joined the Red Army, and you never thought you’d have to fight the war in brutal Russian winter. You sigh. Is there anything you can do to restore the feeling of peace?

You turn your attention to the diary. You begin writing names of cities you have liberated and fought in: Moscow, Stalingrad, Kiev and Kurland, to name a few. You also write down names of your comrades, most of whom had fallen to the German bullets, along with short description of their personality. And that leaves you, the strange zaichata, who had been forced to flee the battlefield to survive for another day. Your mind wanders, recollecting every piece of memory of the occasion that eventually led you to this place.

Come to think about it, you haven’t had the chance to appreciate your stay in Eientei up till now. Maybe you should do so starting now.

“But princess! Isn’t this a bit too excessive for a remedy?”

“Silly Inaba, this is my responsibility! Isn’t this what a princess supposed to do? Looking after her guest of honour? Cooking is just a part of it.”

“Oh? Even after he’s been with us for almost two months already? You should’ve reconsidered calling him as your significant other, Lady Kaguya~”

“Cut that out, Eirin! You always to tease me whenever I mention his name, jeez.”

“But that’s because you pay so much attention to your dear soldier. So much that you actually stop locking yourself indoor. Isn’t that right, Marie?”

“Of course, Miss Eirin. I mean, how adorable can that be to see our princess insisting that she makes him soup this morning?”

“Hey, Marie, stop that!”

You turn to the source of the ruckus. Sure enough, you identify the commotion is nothing more than the main residents of Eientei. “Good morning, Mister Ivanov!” a cheerful Kaguya greets, accompanied by a distressed Reisen and somewhat sly Eirin and Marie. “I was hoping you’d had enough sleep. How are you doing?”

“Freezing,” you nonchalantly reply, “but only because this house doesn’t have proper heating. So I take it that you are here to serve me breakfast?”

“You bet!” Kaguya sits beside you and gestures Reisen to put down the tray next to her. “As a matter of fact, I just cooked chicken soup mixed with chopped mushroom for you.” She takes the bowl and hands it over to you. “It’s good to restore your lost strength and keep your body warm, especially during this winter.”

You take the bowl and take a deep sniff. The smell does suggest that it contains chicken and mushroom as its main ingredients, but as you peer into the bowl you can’t help wondering if it’s been added with other, questionable substances. “You can’t be serious when you said you cooked this soup,” you say.

“Of course I am!” Kaguya boasts. “What? You don’t have trust on my cooking skill? Come on! I’ve trained myself for weeks just for this!”

You stare at the soup. Then at the expectant princess, and the three audiences: Reisen tries to keep her face as straight as she can before she fails miserably at the attempt, while Eirin and Marie merely cover their laughs behind their palms. Oh, boy. This can’t be good.

[ ] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.
[ ] Put the soup aside. Tell her you’ll be just as fine without it, and that you’ll have something else for breakfast.
[ ] …DOMESTIC VIOLENCE! Flip the table and rampage around the mansion.

[x] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

I doubt the safety of eating this soup, but we can't simply refuse to eat it and risk making Kaguya sad.

[X] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

Got to have something inside, not to mention it'll stave off the cold for a while.

>>19316
That's because a sidearm can save your life when you get into a pickle.


[X] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.
[X] It sure can't be worse than eating boiled leather shoes and briefcases, like in Stalingrad...

[x] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

>>19321
After Stalingrad, any food is a feast.

[X] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooki-
[X] …DOMESTIC VIOLENCE! Flip the table and rampage around the mansion.

>>19321
Goddamnit, you reminded me of all that I've read on the Sven Hassel novels: at the russian front, cannibalism is a crime, but it's not unheard from, a common dish is shoes and boots, people die from hunger every day and, when some food is found on the battlefield, a guy always dies because he ate too much. And that was on the German side. I shiver to imagine the atrocities that happened to the Russian soldiers.

[x] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

She tried so we should at least try it, and we do have a doctor and her assistant in her room.

[x] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

[X] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooki-
[X] …DOMESTIC VIOLENCE! Flip the table and rampage around the mansion.

PTSD and all that, total war isnt good for your psyche.

>>19325
I dunno about the cannabalism part, but it was fairly commmon for soldiers to eat their leather boots and for civilians to eat leather briefcases because that's all they had.

But, I think the principle of Communism and Commisars helped to keep the soldiers in line when they would find food and to pass it all around to the surrounding area when possible.

Reading up on political commissars, it's mentioned that despite all orders having to be approved by them, many of them never had any military training or talent. Would Ivanov have a low opinion of them, being a soldier himself?

>>19334

I'd imagine so, since such sloppy management could results in deaths and/or defeats.

[x] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

[c] Try to enjoy the soup. Don’t forget to compliment her for the cooking.

As if on cue your stomach grumbles, and at once Kaguya’s smiles broadens. “Ah-ha!” she exclaims. “Your mouth is all ‘no’ but your tummy is all ‘yes’! Hmm! Hmm!” Her act is confusing but you pay her no attention as you focus on the soup. Then you look up at Eirin; something about her gaze is telling you that you won’t die from enjoying the soup.

You take a deep breath. Here goes.

You take a sip. It tastes weird - a combination of spicy, sour, sweet and bitter mixed together in a cocktail of rainbow-coloured flavour, and she calls this a soup? Either this is a terrible recipe or her cooking skill is poor, and you’re inclined to say both. You can’t, because that will certainly upset Kaguya.

“So how does it taste?” Kaguya inquires.

You take a sip. Hmm, it doesn’t taste that bad at all. “Honestly…” Then another sip; at least, it tastes better than boiled leather shoes and briefcases you had to eat back in Stalingrad. “I don’t care how it tastes.” A piece of chicken; it melts in your mouth as you chew on it. “I just want something to eat.” Then some mushroom. Marvellous; you haven’t had mushroom in a long time. “Simply put.” Another bite of the chicken; this meal is perfect. “It’s splendid.”

“Good~! I was worried whether you’d reject the soup straight away.” Kaguya clasps her hands, seemingly satisfied. “Eat up while you can. Today we’re going out for sightseeing!”

You drop the spoon you’re holding. “What?”

“I said we’re going out for sightseeing today! Together! You know, just the two of us?” Kaguya repeats the statement, her stern voice failing to hide her excitement. You swear to yourself you can see Eirin and Marie hiding their laughs, while Reisen isn’t looking amused. “I mean, you’ll bore yourself to death if you just stay in your house doing nothing.”

“That’s an understatement,” you hear Eirin commenting.

“True that,” Marie agrees.

“And I already have planned it in advance, so you don’t have to worry about us getting lost,” Kaguya continues.

“I know that, but what do you mean by ‘the two of us’?” Her face twitches slightly, and she forces herself to laugh. So she just blurted it out? Huh, you expect her to come up with better reason.

“Well, I guess we’ll leave you to her highness’ watch, so… good luck?” Eirin smiles, as so is Marie and Reisen (although hers is obviously strained), and before you know it the three women leave you alone with Kaguya. There’s nothing to talk of between both of you, except for your occasional praise for the soup and Kaguya’s over-the-top excitement about the winter.

“Oh, that’s right. This is your first winter in Eientei,” Kaguya says. “I wonder if I can take you for holiday trip around Gensokyo. That sounds fun.”

You beam at her. “Meaning?”

“Hmm? What do you mean- oh! Can it be…?” Kaguya inches forward until she’s facing you. “That you never have winter holiday before?”

“Who, me?” You cough. “Excuse me, Lady Kaguya. How am I supposed to have holiday when I had two winter wars in my sleeves? And that didn’t include Germans who kept knocking on my door, too.”

“Of course! My mistake for not realizing it,” Kaguya laughs. “But hey! This is Gensokyo, the land of harmony and pleasure - well, except when incident takes place, but that’s what makes Gensokyo unique. Believe me: you’ll enjoy your stay here.” You glare at her. Somehow you wish she’s just kidding, because the statement hurts you a little.

“So!” She claps her hands, completely unaware of your feeling. “Want to hear what I have planned, Yuri?”

You bat an eyebrow. “Yuri?”

Kaguya giggles. “Sorry for being so rude, but I thought by calling you with your first name we’d become friendlier,” she says. “At least that’s what Eirin told me.”

You sigh. Not the best way to start your day; at this point you also can’t help getting the feeling that you’re being stalked. Whatever; you’ll deal with the culprit later.

[ ] Listen to her plan.
[ ] Lay out your plan.

And while we’re at it:
[ ] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”
[ ] “Yuri sounds alright, but my family had a nickname for me. They used to call me…”
[ ] “…just call me whatever you see fit…”

[x] Listen to her plan.
And analyze.

[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

[x] Listen to her plan.

[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

Works for me.

[X] Listen to her plan.
-[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

hmm...

[x] Listen to her plan.
[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you... Teruyo?”

>Feeling of being Stalked
Goddamnit Tewi.

[X] Listen to her plan.
-[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

>>19365
She's training her stalking skills like a good little soldier and if we catch her mucking things up, well we'll just have to have her do 200 sit ups.

[X] Listen to her plan.
-[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

IT'S TATYANA THAT'S STALKING YURI YOU INSENSITIVE CLODS!

Tatyana may have the hots for Yuri and he doesn't even know it, or recognize it for that matter

>>19369

Well in that case, we'd have to find a way to set her down nicely, since I don't think Yuri is a lolicon.

[X] Listen to her plan.
-[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

Oh boy Yuri still got to deal with the reality of his formerMotherland eventually; makes me wonder how Kaguya would be able to help him considering how Yuri takes her offer rather lightly.

[X] Listen to her plan.
[X] “Yuri sounds alright, but my family had a nickname for me. They used to call me… Tim.”
[X] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

[x] Listen to her plan.
-[x] “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

Updates?

I think the writer said he might be away for a bit, but I'm sure he'll be back before long.

>>19381
We'll get there, eventually.

>>19441
Here it is, comrade.

Also, testing tripcode.

-----------

[c] Listen to her plan.
[c]“If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?”

The soup is beginning to warm you up, and that’s a good sign. Maybe you could have more of this ‘intriguing’ recipe but for now you want to listen to Kaguya’s plan. “Go ahead and lay it out,” you say as you put the empty bowl. “Assuming you aren’t going to raid somebody’s place out of boredom.”

“Why, yes we are! And we shall pillage the village and induce fear to the unfortunate!” Your eyes narrow, and seeing the reaction only prompts Kaguya to laugh. “Actually, that’s a joke. Why would we spoil this peaceful season with such activity?”

“I just hope you aren’t serious about the pillaging idea,” you shrug.

“I won’t,” Kaguya chuckles. “Anyway, before I can proceed, do you have anything to do today?” You tell her you’re planning to replenish your ammunition supply, as well as getting yourself a sidearm. “Alright. Maybe we can go there and do your errands before we visit Reimu’s shrine.”

“Reimu’s place, huh?” You don’t really know what you will do there, but you recall Yukari’s saying that all visitors to her shrine are expected to offer her some donation. You can remember Reimu complaining over the lack of donation during the party, and you can’t help feeling sorry for the shrine maiden. Maybe you should lessen her misery.

Kaguya smiles. “That’s just for starter. From there, we’ll visit the Old Capital of the Underworld. I heard that there’s a restaurant that makes special delicacies out of fugu whale; I’ve wanted to try one of those.”

A visit to the underground? Interesting, but with the current condition of your body, you’ll have to take extra measures in order to avoid unnecessary conflict with the inhabitants. “I’m looking forward for our trip there, but I’m curious,” you say. “How are we going to reach the place?”

“That’s why our tour starts at Hakurei Shrine,” Kaguya answers. “Reimu knows the way, so we can just ask her for direction.” You’re not sure if that’s a good idea to begin with, but you don’t mind about it for now.

Ah. You remember something.

“Do you happen to know Yuyuko?”

“Yuyuko? Oh, that ghost? Yes, I do. She’s among the guests, right? Why do you ask?”

You’re hesitant for a while before you speak. “I’m thinking of paying her a visit.” Maybe this is the best chance to clear your animosity towards Yukari; plus you owe her a proper conversation. “Well, Yukari introduced me to her, and I want to learn more of her.”

“Cool! Didn’t expect to hear that from you, but I like that idea,” Kaguya says. “It’s good to try to befriend the powerhouses, you know. Diplomacy is very reliable in time of peace.”

“I’m not good with diplomacy, though,” you tell her.

“Then let me teach you,” the princess answers. “Under my guidance, you’ll master the art of mediation in no time!”

You smile. “I’ll be looking forward for your class.”

The conversation continues. It turns out that Kaguya has planned the winter trip in advance and you’re impressed by her enthusiasm while laying out the details. You’re also amazed by the tactician-level knowledge she’s showing during the briefing; from the weather she claims to be perfect for such occasion to the fact that everyone’s in the brightest of mood today. You’re only bothered by how it’s going to be just you and Kaguya, so you suggest bringing along a friend.

“So… are you sure we can visit all six places in one day?” you ask at the end of the briefing.

“What? You’re not confident of my planning ability?” Kaguya asks. “I’ll assure you this is going to be a trip you will NOT forget in your entire life!” Oh, boy, she’s just too excited about it; even the glitters in her eyes (along with the fist she’s clenching) serve to enforce the keenness.

“That reminds me.” You finally move out of the comfort of the mattress and sit in front of Kaguya. “If you call me Yuri, how should I address you?” The question earns you a surprised look from her, and you’re intrigued. “I don’t really mind if you try to get the two of us more comfortable with each other, and I appreciate that. It’s just that-”

“Why, captain, you can call her Teruyo if you like!!” Both you and Kaguya almost jump off the floor when Tewi appears out of nowhere and groan in annoyance as she titters at your response. What the hell, Tewi? Don’t just jump out and startles people whenever- wait. Has she been stalking you beforehand?

“Inaba, just what is that for?” Kaguya demands. “That’s rude, and you should feel bad for that.”

“What? No freedom of speech? Too bad, because I was thinking of cheering the captain up,” Tewi answers. “But forget about that and take a look at this, instead.” So saying she tosses a roll of newspaper in front of you and tells you to read the headline. You unroll the newspaper and read it, and instantly you feel blood drained out of your face.

“Soviet Sniper And Boundary Lady Entangled in Life-or-Death Situation: Reimu Denied Involvement.”

Below the caption is a picture that clearly depicts the spellcard battle between you and Yukari. You read the article that follows, and it’s become clear to you that the writer had exaggerated the duel and turned it into a ‘larger-than-life’ event. “What the hell is this?” You cannot believe the level of absurdity and bias printed in the article; so much that you crush the newspaper between your hands and toss it across the room in anger.

“Aya printed that not a moment too soon after the spellcard duel you hand with Yukari,” Tewi speaks. “And thanks to that, more and more people are getting interested in you; in fact, the underground and the Palanquin folks visited us for that reason last week, though that birdbrain of Okuu demanded a fight with you.” She points at Kaguya. “The princess should know about it, too.”

You turn to Kaguya. She apologizes while trying to maintain her smile. “Well… yeah, we tried not to wake you up, but she persisted. In the end we had to ask her master to return to their place.” Her smiles drops, replaced by a gloomy look on her face. “Sorry. I just wanted to keep you out of trouble.”

You turn to Tewi and ask for explanation behind the article. “Aya wanted to blackmail you, but it backfired on her instead. If anything, the article only makes you more popular among the population.”

“I never ask for popularity, for Pete’s sake,” you snarl.

“That’s how Bunbunmaru works, captain.” Tewi folds her arms and nods sagely. “Regardless, you better watch your back from now on. It’s for your own good, too.”

“Inaba, could you… leave us for a while?” Kaguya speaks to Tewi.

“Sure thing.” Tewi makes her way to the door, and just as she’s about to leave she turns to you and sports a good-luck sign. You stare at the earth rabbit who just smiles at you before your attention is diverted towards Kaguya. In fact, your entire focus of the hour is the moon princess. You wait for her to speak up, disregarding the fact that you can see several pair of eyes peeking through the sliding door gap.

“I know it’s not right to keep you in the dark, but the affair between Mokou and me… is… well, complicated for the commoners to understand. It’s just that…” She falters, and is struggling to open her mouth. “It’s just that I don’t want you to get hurt or killed because you’re worried of me.” She lifts her face; the moment you look into her eyes, you can see the glitter of hope coming from her eyes, a hope that you will forgive her for what has happened.

“Are you angry, Yuri?”

You aren’t sure of how to respond to this.

[ ] “…you owe me an explanation.”
[ ] “Angry? I should direct my resentment towards Yukari or Aya myself, not you.”
[ ] “You are forgiven. Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

[x]"Angry? Tell me, have you forced me into a magic duel and left me bedridden for several days lately? Because that's the absolute minimum for entering into my packed hate schedule lately...heh"
[x] “That I'm not angry you doesn't change the fact that you owe me an explanation though.”

[X] “As far as not telling me goes, You are forgiven. I was rather worried about you going off alone." Make a note to ask for a deeper explanation for a later day.
[X] "As far as the article and fight, the blame rests on Aya and That Woman's shoulders." Make a note to talk to Aya about it later.
[X] "Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

Yukari should really get her ass kicked across Gensokyo, figuratively and literally.

>>19460

Well do remember Yukari only fought him because he was insistent on getting through and not listening. I'm hoping meeting with Yuyuko would stop the massive grudge he has, since it's quite pointless and detrimental in the long run. If a more cool headed fellow was in that scene, He'd have been able to walk away with some information, not layed out for a few days and on the front page.

[X] “As far as not telling me goes, You are forgiven. I was rather worried about you going off alone." Make a note to ask for a deeper explanation for a later day.
[X] "As far as the article and fight, the blame rests on Aya and That Woman's shoulders." Make a note to talk to Aya about it later.
[X] "Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

works for me~!

[X] “As far as not telling me goes, You are forgiven. I was rather worried about you going off alone." Make a note to ask for a deeper explanation for a later day.
[X] "As far as the article and fight, the blame rests on Aya and That Woman's shoulders." Make a note to talk to Aya about it later.
[X] "Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

>>19462

Still her fault for almost killing him.

>>19471
Most of the damage was caused by him overexerting himself too soon. She was never trying to kill us, if anything she was hoping we'd give up before she hurt us too badly. Too bad Yuri was just that stubborn and he pressed himself that hard despite recoving from being drunk. If she wanted us dead, it would be much too easy to even make it look like an accident. We do need to sit down and talk in a civilized manner to clear the air.

>>19471
The fault that there was an article printed about the fight is Yukari's fault... because she almost killed him in the fight?

What?

Tell me I missed something.

No, Just frustrated

[x] “Angry? I should direct my resentment towards Yukari or Aya myself, not you.”

Show remorse for your mistake. In Yuri's mind, he has unduly embarrassed the Princess by acting on an assumption, and to pry further about something she admits as sensitive would only cause her further embarrassment.

>>19483

Nice points.

[x] “As far as not telling me goes, You are forgiven. I was rather worried about you going off alone." Make a note to ask for a deeper explanation for a later day.
[x] "As far as the article and fight, the blame rests on Aya and That Woman's shoulders... as well as my own for my stubbornness." Make a note to talk to Aya about it later.
[x] "Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

Writefag here.

Was gonna update this week, but with the death in my family being the top priority I'll have to put all works on hold (yeah, it was sad when I woke up in Tuesday morning only to be notified that my great-grandfather had passed away, and my heart sank when I was involved in his funeral, too). I'll compensate for the lack for real update by bumping the side story thread after this.

Picture very much related.

>>19522

Take your time writefag, sorry for your loss and condolences to you and your family.

>>19522
Sorry for your loss.
Although, if you think about it, you were kind of lucky. My grand grandfather was long death when I was born.

>>19524
>>19527
Thanks for the supports, guys. I feel better now.

------------

[c] “As far as not telling me goes, you are forgiven. I was rather worried about you going off alone.” Make a note to ask for a deeper explanation for a later day.
[c] “As far as the article and the fight go, the blame rests on Aya and That Woman’s shoulders… as well as my own for my stubbornness.” Make a note to talk to Aya about it later.
[c] “Now, instead of allowing the article (and the war correspondent) to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?”

You sigh. This isn’t going anywhere. If you spill your anger at Kaguya, chances are you’ll ruin your relationship with her and make yourself less popular among the population. You don’t want that to happen. You’ll have to resort to diplomacy, despite being the weakest of your skills.

“As far as not telling me goes, you are forgiven.” Kaguya lets out a sigh of relief, massaging her chest at the same time, and you can say that it pleases you. “I was rather… worried about you going off alone.” You make a mental note to ask her for a deeper explanation for a later day, that you will.

“Gosh, I was afraid you’d snap at me,” she utters, rubbing her chest again to emphasize her delight. “Hah~ thank goodness…”

“I’m afraid I have to direct the anger towards somebody else,” you answer. “Like… Aya and That Woman, because as far as the article and the fight go, they will have to carry the blame on their shoulders.”

“Yeah, we’ll get to them, eventually,” Kaguya says. “Especially that Aya; I was going to have a talk with her about the article. Maybe you should do the same.”

“I guess.” You sigh. “…and I should carry some for my stubbornness, too.”

Kaguya becomes disturbed, the look of which on her face is telling you she doesn’t like what you’ve said. “But why must you? You didn’t do anything wrong, as far as I can tell,” she insists. “Right?”

“I had.” You pause again. “…well, I did it on pure impulse, to be exact. I mean, would anyone let a high-valued individual risk herself for senseless reason? Surely that someone wouldn’t have enough balls to take on That Woman in a spellcard duel only to get through-”

“Stop saying anything.” So saying Kaguya moves towards you and takes your hand in a tight clench. “I appreciate your intention - and I really do - but really, you don’t have to overdo do. Putting your life over the line just because you are concerned of this sweet princess when she has begun to grasp the essence of independence? We are no longer in the Middle Age, Yuri.” She pauses. “Plus, you are my guest. Am I supposed to let my guest go around and put himself in danger?”

You return the clench. “A thousand apologies, milady, but I believe I have my stay overdue, haven’t I? Where else should I go?”

“Well, you don’t have anywhere else to go if you leave… and that you probably aren’t going to like what happened to your Motherland.” Kaguya gulps, although she tightens the grip.

“The Motherland?” You return the grasp. “Has something happened to her?” She nods. “It… isn’t good, is it?”

She lifts her face and stares into your eyes. “What am I trying to say here is-” You hear the door collapsing, followed with a squeal. It appears the eavesdroppers have applied too much pressure on the barrier and are falling onto the floor with a thud. Both of you turn to the direction, surprised to see Tewi, Marie and Tatyana piled upon Reisen, with the young rabbit on top of the mound. Oh, bugger. What now?

“Aw, jeez! Just when we thought we could get to the most interesting part!” Tewi moans. “Damn. Forgot the camera, too.”

“I told you this is a bad idea,” Reisen grumbles. “Hey! Get off me, Tewi! You’re heavy. And you, too, Marie!”

“But I was the victim here~” nonchalantly Marie replies. “So, sorry~”

“Whee! Squishing people is surely fun!” Tatyana declares, seemingly unaware of the mood of the atmosphere. “Let’s do this again!”

You shake your head and turn yourself to face the interrupters. “Get out of here. All of you. Shoo. Scram. Go somewhere else.” With a mixture of excited and agitated yelps, the quartet makes their way out of the room, leaving only you and Kaguya to settle down. It doesn’t take long before both of you laugh.

“Ah, ha~ sorry for the lack of manners,” she apologizes with a silly titter. “I was surprised they’d go as far as eavesdropping us.”

“Cheeky stalkers,” you grumble to yourself. “Now, instead of allowing the article - and the war correspondent - to ruin our mood, why don’t we get the plan started?” Hearing this the moon princess smiles as well and she nods understandingly.

“So, more soup?” she asks.

You smile. “Sure, why not?”
-
-
With the soup finished and the conversation done you head to the bathroom for the ritual of self-cleaning, a ritual that you have no difficulty completing. The only problem you encounter during the rite is those various bruises and marks riddling your body, but you’re certain they won’t pose you much trouble for the day.

After the shower, you return to your room and begin examining your item. Since this is a tour you’ll be taking you won’t have to overload your inventory, and chances are you aren’t going to be involved in heavy workout (except under emergency) during the trip.

Pick three more:
[P] Winter uniform (courtesy of Yukari; mandatory for the outing).
[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
[ ] Pilotka hat (not only for show, this is a symbol of your status as a member of the Red Army.)
[ ] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat).
[ ] Flask filled with vodka (huh? You didn’t remember having this in your inventory before).
[ ] Diary (you may need to kill some time writing in it).
[ ] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

With the inventory done you leave your room and head to the courtyard where Kaguya is waiting. You take a look at her. Together with her are Reisen, Tewi and Tatyana; good thing your lieutenants are here, because you begin to wonder of who you should ask to carry the supply back to base.

“So, you ready for our tour, Yuri?” Kaguya asks as you approach her.

You smile. “Ready as you’ll ever think. Lead the way.”

[ ] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).
[ ] Take the short path (i.e. “airborne all the way!”).

I like
[x] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).

[P] Winter uniform (courtesy of Yukari; mandatory for the outing).
[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
[x] Pilotka hat (not only for show, this is a symbol of your status as a member of the Red Army.)
[x] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat).
[x] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

I think we don't have a need for Vodka on our trip, and we have company so it'd be rude to write in the diary. There's no way we're going without the lucky charm. Though to be honest, I don't think we'd need the bayonet much at all considering how Kaguya's with us.

[x] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).
Smell the roses and all that jazz.

>[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
Only three people come to mind: Kaguya (It's part of her hobby), Reisen, and Eirin. I think it's the first, since it's more of a princess hobby, and Kaguya would go so far as to fix it for him.

[x] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat).
[x] Flask filled with vodka (huh? You didn’t remember having this in your inventory before).
[x] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

[x] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).

[X] Flask filled with vodka (huh? You didn’t remember having this in your inventory before).
[X] Diary (you may need to kill some time writing in it).
[X] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

[X] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).

Never hurts to have some vodka on the side, if only to help ease tensions between the various meetings; wouldn't over do it though. The Diary merely serving to not only kill time but also perhaps be used to take notes about certain things that may require further questioning either from Kaguya or the source itself later on. Lastly it never hurts to have some extra good luck...

[P] Winter uniform (courtesy of Yukari; mandatory for the outing).
[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
[X] Pilotka hat (not only for show, this is a symbol of your status as a member of the Red Army.)
[X] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat).
[X] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

[X] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).

[P] Winter uniform (courtesy of Yukari; mandatory for the outing).
[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
[X] Pilotka hat (not only for show, this is a symbol of your status as a member of the Red Army.)
[X] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat).
[X] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).

[X] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).

[x] >>19600

[X] Pilotka hat
[X] Sidearm Bayonet
[X] 30mm Lucky Charm

[X] Long path "Because you're not air cav."

[P] Winter uniform (courtesy of Yukari; mandatory for the outing).
[P] Trench coat (its tears and wears seem to have gone. Wonder who fixed it…)
[c] Your 30mm lucky charm (returned to you by Kaguya).
[c] Bayonet (could come in handy should the situation dictates; also, it’s concealable underneath the coat)
[c] Pilotka hat (not only for show, this is a symbol of your status as a member of the Red Army).

[c] Take the long path (i.e. “walk the walk and talk the talk”).
-
-
Everything is set. You have the uniform and the trench coat to protect you from the cold, the 30mm bullet for extra amount of luck and bayonet that you keep inside the coat (who knows if it may come in handy in tight situation, although the presence of Kaguya and Reisen may make it unnecessary). The Pilotka hat is also comfortably keeping your head warm, although it doesn’t stay with you for long as Tatyana is quick to snatch it from you. “Tatyana! Give it back to the captain!” Reisen shouts.

“Come and get it, Big Sis!” Tatyana taunts and runs as Reisen starts chasing her.

“Well, then!” Tewi swings her fist and marches forward. “Let’s walk the walk and talk the talk!”
-
-
Walk the walk and talk the talk.

In the end it’s just you and Kaguya spending the trip having conversation with one another. Tewi is too busy annoying Reisen with her antics and her team-up with Tatyana only serves to infuriate the moon rabbit as they bombard her with snowball attacks.

“Eat this Tundra Rabbit Smash!” Tewi tosses a handful of snow at Reisen; she deftly grazes the projectile only to have a snowball thrown onto her face. “Good job, Tatyana!” she compliments.

“Aaaaaa! Motherland!!” Tatyana pounces at Reisen and tackles her into the snow; Tewi follows her lead and soon they begin wrestling with the moon rabbit.

“Get off me!!” Reisen moans and yelps when Tatyana gropes her. “No groping!!”

“No fair! Big Sis has bigger size than mine!!” Tatyana squeezes the mound again, causing Reisen to cry out in distress. “I’m so going to steal some and add it to mine!”

You smile; it feels rather good to see the girls having fun with one another. And it seems to you that Kaguya is smiling, too. “It’s good to be outdoor, right?” she asks.

“…yeah, it is.” You rub your hands against each other. “At least it isn’t as bad as the one I had back in my place.” You lightly blow onto the heated-up palms. “War is brutal, but when it’s fought in winter… it’s a different story entirely.”

“Come on, Yuri! Don’t be so gloomy,” Kaguya says. “We’ll talk about the war after we’re done with this trip, okay?”

You chuckle. “Sorry about that.”

The party continues the trip until you arrive at Kourindou. You enter the shop and… “Well, if it isn’t the Soviet sniper!” Marisa waves at you from the counter while Alice is just giving you a simple nod. “Thought you wouldn’t show up for the rest of the winter. What’s up?”

“Feeling down,” you shrug. “But then again, if it isn’t for her majesty requesting me to be her escort, I’d have turned into a hermit.” You meant it as a fact but it seems none of the girls are taking it seriously as they chuckle. “So what brought you here to this shop?”

“Who, me? I’m just escorting Alice here,” Marisa answers and points at Alice. “She has to do some resupplying, I think, but don’t ask me what for.”

“In that case we are on the same boat.” Both Marisa and Alice are looking at you in intrigue, and you explain to them the purpose of your visit to Kourindou. “And that’s it.”

Just then you hear a gunshot. “If you want to look for Kourin, he’s testing the weapons at the shooting range,” Marisa says. “And don’t ask me about that, too. Not my kind of taste.”

“But what’s the fun from not looking at how it operates?” Kaguya asks. “You can learn a thing or two from Yuri if you like.”

Marisa stares at you, as if she’s surprised by the name she’s heard. Your response is to shrug your shoulders and point back at Kaguya for further explanation. The witch shakes her head in amusement. “Fine. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to give it a go. Want to go and see, Alice?”

The puppeteer shakes her head. “I’ll stay here for a while.”

“Can I stay with Alice, captain?” Tatyana asks. “I won’t do anything stupid, promise!”

“Just make sure you don’t wear her out,” you remind her.

“Hooray!!”

With that settled you leave Tatyana and Alice behind as you head to the backyard; one quick glance at them and you can see the zaichata fetching a beret from a cabinet and asking Alice about it. You turn your attention to Marisa as she asks you a question. “Why would you go for such an extent?” From the tone of the question, she isn’t buying the whole ‘supplying’ stuff. “I mean, look. You had been toe-to-toe with that border youkai, and that was quite a feat for you as an outsider.”

“She asked for it,” you shrug.

“Hell, I’ve got to admit - though I hate to say it - you have the potential to reach our power level,” Marisa continues. “Once you do, you don’t have to worry about the mumbo jumbo anymore.”

You arrive at the backyard. “Easy, Marisa,” you tell her. “If that means you’re requesting for a challenge, I’m afraid I have to decline. The doctor told me I can’t do heavy workout until I recover.”

“Huh, how disappointing, because I heard you’d created a spellcard during the fight. I want to see it in action,” Marisa shrugs. “Hey! While we’re at it, you’re sure you aren’t serious about having relationship with Kaguya? Because that article said you and the princess are lovers!”

You halt as you’re about to approach the makeshift shooting range you earlier saw. You stare at the black-white magician, as so do Kaguya, Reisen and Tewi. You are offended by the statement, and you’re sure Kaguya is feeling the same. What the hell, Marisa?

“Wow! Either you are too dense, or you haven’t read that news yet!” Marisa exclaims. “Think about it, captain. The whole Palanquin Ship crews and the underground folks got interested in you because of that article! And Reimu had to intervene and tell them to leave you until you recover, too.”

“Hey, didn’t the article backfire on Aya?” Tewi interjects. “Now shut your mouth before the captain does nasty stuffs on you.”

“Is that so, rabbit?” Marisa scoffs. “Come on. Make my day.”

“Tewi, Marisa, I’m not in the mood here. Do me some favour and argue somewhere else, okay?” Seeing that Tewi and Marisa are too eager to start their quarrel right away, you leave them and approach Rinnosuke with Reisen accompanying you. You grumble; when can you finally take a break from this nonsense?

“Ah, good to see you, Mister Ivanov,” Rinnosuke greets you as he puts down a gun. “I was thinking of asking my assistant to call you over, but since you’re here I guess we can get down to business.” He guides you to the canopy where you can see arrays of weapon neatly arranged on a table. “As you can see, I have spent two weeks preparing the shooting range, and with the help of Yukari I managed to get hold of the weapons, too. Go on; try them. You may find some that appeal you.”

Well?

[ ] Test the weapons.
-- [ ] PP-2000.
-- [ ] TT-33.
-- [ ] M1911A1.
-- [ ] Colt .44 Magnum.
-- [ ] Winchester 1887 (this is the gun Rinnosuke had used earlier).
-- [ ] MG42.
[ ] Ask Rinnosuke if he can have the ammunition supply ready.
[ ] Talk with Reisen.
-- [ ] Ask her if Kaguya has harboured any feeling towards you.
-- [ ] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
-- [ ] Ask her why everyone and their right hand is (trying to) pair you with Kaguya.
[ ] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

System:
> Time: 0840 hours
> Date: November 2nd

Note: I’m not sure about the exact timeline, so this is just an estimate.

[x] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

Well That is curious how she vanished like that when she's the main one we're keeping company. I think we should try to check on where she is and why she's there. But if there's still time for the stop.

[x] Test the weapons.
-- [x] M1911A1.
-- [x] Colt .44 Magnum.
[x] Talk with Reisen.
-- [x] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.

Reisen wouldn't be in that high of a confidence as say Eirin. The doctor would easily know about such a thing. And I think it'd be too out of character to sound too eager.

[X] Test the weapons.
-- [X] All of them.
[X] Ask Rinnosuke if he can have the ammunition supply ready.
[X] Talk with Reisen.
-- [X] Ask her if Kaguya has harboured any feeling towards you.
-- [X] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
-- [X] Ask her why everyone and their right hand is (trying to) pair you with Kaguya.
[X] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?
[X] Wait a minute, Yukari supplied these? How?

[x] Test the weapons.
-- [x] TT-33.
[x] Talk with Reisen.
-- [x] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
[x] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

[x] Test the weapons
-- [x] PP-2000.
-- [x] M1911A1.
[x] Talk with Reisen.
-- [x] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
[x] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

We need some bullet curtain. The faster, the better.

>Winchester 1887
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[X] Test the weapons.
-- [X] All of them.
[X] Ask Rinnosuke if he can have the ammunition supply ready.
[X] Talk with Reisen.
-- [X] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.

[x] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

[x] Test the weapons.
-- [x] M1911A1.
-- [x] TT-33
-- [x] Colt .44 Magnum.
[x] Talk with Reisen.
-- [x] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.

>>19625
>“Aaaaaa! Motherland!!”
Awesome.

[x] Test the weapons
-- [x] PP-2000.
-- [x] M1911A1.
-- [X] Colt .44 Magnum.
[x] Talk with Reisen.
-- [x] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
[x] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?

[X] Test the weapons.
-- [X] All of them.
[X] Ask Rinnosuke if he can have the ammunition supply ready.
[X] Talk with Reisen.
-- [X] Ask her if Kaguya has harboured any feeling towards you.
-- [X] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
-- [X] Ask her why everyone and their right hand is (trying to) pair you with Kaguya.
[X] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?
[X] Wait a minute, Yukari supplied these? How?

[X] Test the weapons.
-- [X] All of them.
[X] Ask Rinnosuke if he can have the ammunition supply ready.
[X] Talk with Reisen.
-- [X] Ask her if Kaguya has harboured any feeling towards you.
-- [X] Ask her for an honest opinion about you and Kaguya.
-- [X] Ask her why everyone and their right hand is (trying to) pair you with Kaguya.
[X] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?
[X] Wait a minute, Yukari supplied these? How?

[c] Test the weapons:
- [c] M1911A1.
- [c] Colt .44 Magnum.
[c] Talk with Reisen.
[c] Kaguya is nowhere to be seen. Where is she?
[c] Wait a minute, Yukari supplied these? How?
-
-
You examine the weapon stash. Good lord; with the amount of arsenal you’re seeing you can’t help wondering if Rinnosuke is turning himself into arms dealer or something. And these are just the firearm part; you don’t want to think of how many explosives he has in store-

Wait. Did he just say Yukari supplied these? How? And why? Now you can’t stop picturing Yukari and Ran breaking into a weapon depot and running away from the security guards while carrying ammunition-filled boxes in cartoonish manners.

In cartoonish manners.

With flowers and bubbles.

Shit, your common sense must be faltering.

“You alright, sir?”

You turn to Reisen and notice a worried look on her face. You smile at the moon rabbit and approach the table, gesturing her to follow your lead. “You know, while I pick up my sidearm of choice, both of us can use this time to talk with each other,” you say and take a handgun at the right corner of the table. It’s an M1911A1; you don’t see this weapon a lot in the battlefield, although one of your Commissars once brandished this American-made handgun to your squad (and even allowed you to borrow it). From your experience with it, it’s powerful, reliable, and easily controlled when firing quickly.

“I think it’s a good idea, but what are we going to talk of?” Reisen asks and fetches a revolver; you can’t help noticing the amazed look on her face as she brandishes the handgun. “I remember seeing this in Mistress’ office, but it’s been out of use.” She takes aim and- bloody hell. That thing kicks and screams like a mad donkey, and poor rabbit has to steady herself after firing that gun, too.

“You like that?” Reisen just nods. “Thought so. Hey, Rinnosuke, we’ll take these. What do you think?”

Rinnosuke puts down the shotgun and approaches you. “M1911 and Magnum? Excellent choice, sir, and I can have the ammunition prepared. They don’t come cheap, though; how much are you willing to pay?”

“Leave the payment to Eientei, Mister Rinnosuke,” Reisen tells him. “You still need the medicine, right? We’ll send it as soon as it’s done.”

Right, you almost forgot about the other arsenal. You tell Rinnosuke that you need to resupply the grenades, and he agrees to send the stock to Eientei later today. “While we’re at the topic of grenade,” he said and takes a peculiar-looking weapon from under the table. “May I recommend this?”

“What on earth is that?” you ask.

“It’s a grenade launcher*,” the shopkeeper answers. “Like its namesake, it shoots grenade, and it extends your weapon range by considerable amount. Pretty good if you have a room to clear. Here’s the best part: it’s been reconfigured for anti-air combat.”

“Anti-air? Why the hell should someone need that?”

“Having extra firepower doesn’t hurt, does it? Let me show you.” You and Reisen clear the way for the shopkeeper to demonstrate its usefulness, and true enough, one shot from it turns the target (a doll dangling on a mast) into debris. He turns to you. “What do you say?”

Well, that’s an impressive demonstration, but you aren’t here for anything else yet. “We’re here just for the handguns and the grenades,” you say. “The grenade launcher will have to wait.”

Rinnosuke smiles in acknowledgment. “I understand. Feel free to test the rest of the weapons; who knows that you’ll change your mind?” He excuses himself to return to the shop; by now Tewi and Marisa have given up their argument and decide to give the weapons a try.

“So, umm… what are we going to talk about, sir?” Reisen asks.

“It’s about Kaguya.” The answer causes Reisen to stare at you; there’s something about those red eyes that piques your curiosity, but what is it? “I appreciate it if you don’t misunderstand me. I’m just…”

“Of course not! I won’t,” she assures. “But why the princess, if I may ask?”

“I’m only troubled by the fact that everyone and their right hand are trying to pair me up with her,” you begin. “First, the war correspondent and her assistant. Then, it’s Yuyuko. After that, it’s Yukari. Goddamn that woman; if I could, I wanted to throw a shoe into her face.”

Reisen can only smile. “I don’t know, sir. Truth to be told, I want to understand why the princess has such admiration towards you, too,” she speaks. “Maybe it’s because she’s been sheltered for… I don’t know, hundreds of years?”

“Oh? So the rumour is indeed true!” Marisa exclaims. “See? That’s why you should be serious about her.” She gives your shoulder a pat. “I’m right behind you, captain.”

“What the hell is that supposed to be?” you demand.

Marisa throws you a wink. “What? You don’t believe the power of love? I can show you right here, if you like.” You shake your head; seriously, is there anyone who’s willing to say the otherwise about your relationship with the princess? Speaking of which…

“Did anyone see Kaguya?”

“I thought she’s here with us,” Reisen says. “Tewi, did you see her?”

“Silence, or I’ll kill your dog,” Tewi snorts while quick-firing the Winchester at a pile of bottles.

“Looking for me, Yuri?” You turn to the voice and see Kaguya walking out of the shop. What a relief; you thought she’d disappear somewhere. “Sorry if I scared you; I had to talk with that guy about my monthly supply.” Accompanying her are Alice and Tatyana, the latter is donning the beret you’d seen earlier. She looks good with the headgear.

“Assuming you aren’t running away, that is,” you speak.

“Hey~ why would I leave my subject to the coldness?” Kaguya retorts, earning her an intrigued stare from you and chuckles from Alice and Marisa. “Anyway, are you done with the bargaining?” You nod and point her to the M1911 you’re holding, and the Magnum Reisen’s using. “Good. So that means we can continue our trip now.”

“Where are you going to?” Marisa asks.

“To the Hakurei Shrine,” you speak. “Her majesty said our trip will actually start from there.”

“Cool! Can we come with you?” By ‘we’ she obviously refers to herself and Alice. “The more the merrier! If the princess doesn’t mind, that is.”

“Sure, why not,” Kaguya answers. “But we’re going to walk.”

“Aweso- what?! Don’t tell me the captain hasn’t learnt how to fly yet?” the witch exclaims in shock.

The urge to bring your palm onto your face is rising.
-
-
The trip to Hakurei Shrine is anything but typical. Along the way Marisa doesn’t stop telling you to take her advice on love, something that Alice strongly (and cynically) points as unnecessary and meaningless. Again, the rabbits are caught in their antics, throwing snowballs in attempt to dominate one another, and again it’s Reisen who has to take the punishment as she’s unwillingly tackled and molested by Tatyana.

“Aaaaaaand here we are!” Kaguya proudly bolsters as your party arrives at the destination- well, not quite, as it’s just the stairways. “There’s the Hakurei Shrine; we can reach it if we use these stairs.”

You look upward. Hopefully with your recovering stamina you can make it to the peak, so you just follow Kaguya’s lead. “Good thing you decided to come here, because that’s the thing every outsider should do,” Tewi says. “She’s always nice towards people who need her help.”

“Except that she’ll always ask people for donation,” Marisa interjects. “Poor Reimu getting poorer and poorer by each day. Sigh, if only she becomes less lazy…”

Your party arrives at the end of the stairs. Immediately you can spot the Yakumo Family and the ghostly duo at the front courtyard of the shrine: Yukari is seen putting up her effort to get Reimu’s attention (and getting ignored in the process as the shrine maiden is busying herself with tea); Chen and Youmu are making snowman, while the latter is distracted by an unhappy Yuyuko; Ran can be seen lying flat in the snow, and- is that blood flowing out of her face? You can also see Suika throwing snowballs at a distraught Kogasa, and from the look of it the oni isn’t even sober. Tatyana wastes no time and jumps off your shoulders to join Suika with the snowball war, followed shortly after by Tewi.

“Looks like our stay here is going to be more interesting,” you comment. “They don’t seem to have noticed my presence yet.”

“It surely is,” Kaguya agrees. “What do you say, Yuri, if we announce our presence loud and clear?”

You’re about to answer when a familiar voice calls out for you from the above. You look up and see Aya descending from the sky. “Hey! Didn’t know the captain would join the gathering, too,” the tengu utters.

[ ] Ignore the war correspondent.
[ ] Flip at Aya. Fuck you, nosy paparazzi.
[ ] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.

After that…
[ ] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [ ] Donate?
- [ ] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
[ ] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [ ] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[ ] Enter the snowball war.
- [ ] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!
- [ ] Join the trio anyway. Snowball is fun~
- [ ] Play safe and be the referee.

Current inventory:
[c] M1911A1 (preloaded with seven .45 ACP rounds)
[c] Colt Anaconda (preloaded with six .44 Magnum rounds)
Note: none of these handguns have the Danmaku Refit attachment installed. Yet.

Touhou Sighted (party members don’t count):
Reimu
Yukari
Chen
Ran
Youmu
Yuyuko
Suika
Kogasa
Aya

System:
> Time: 0910 hours
> Date: November 2nd
> Location: Hakurei Shrine

*Milkor MGL, for the curious. I’d have picked the M79 or the FN40GL, but Anon would require some sleight-of-hand skill to make use of it.

Also, the place I’m at right now has severe Internet limitation, meaning that how frequent this story is updated depends on how able I can get myself to be online, although that doesn’t mean I’m abandoning this story entirely. I’ve had fun writing this (and discussing it with you people), and I’m not going to stop anytime soon.

Anyway， should I edit the timeline and maybe time-skip?

[x] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.

Never hurts to be polite, that and it might get her to lower her guard.

After that…
[x] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [x] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[x] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [x] Donate?
- [x] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
[x] Enter the snowball war.
- [x] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

Sounds like a plan to me. And a donation goes a long way with Reimu.

[x] Greet her politely, and then punch her in the face but be cautious of her intention.

In her defense, we did promise Aya an interview.

After that…
[x] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [x] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[x] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [x] Donate? (That reminds me, what do we have to donate?)
- [x] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
[x] Enter the snowball war.
- [x] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

[x] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.
Yukari is enough as far as enemies go. Specially for an outsider.
[x] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [x] Donate?
- [x] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
I think we were supposed to choose one.

>>19828
He'd have said that then, the last choice was rather free form as well.

[X] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.
- [X] When she isn't looking, flip off Aya. Fuck you, nosy paparazzi.

[X] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [X] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and meet her.
[X] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [X] Donate?
- [X] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
- [X] When she isn't looking, flip off Yukari. Fuck you, gap hag.
[X] Enter the snowball war.
- [X] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

>> “I’m only troubled by the fact that everyone and their right hand are trying to pair me up with her,” you begin.

Ah. My first post ever comes to fruition~

[ ] Flip at Aya. Fuck you, nosy paparazzi.

AND

[ ] Enter the snowball war.
- [ ] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

>>19823
Time skip how? since I don't see a real need for it how things are going.

[X] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.
After that…
[X] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [X] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[X] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [X] Donate?
- [X] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
[X] Enter the snowball war.
- [X] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

[X] Greet Aya cautiously.

After that…
[X] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [X] Donate, if we have some money
- [X] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
[X] Enter the snowball war.
- [X] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

>*Milkor MGL, for the curious. I’d have picked the M79 or the FN40GL, but Anon would require some sleight-of-hand skill to make use of it.

What?
The M79 is far simpler to use, and it can even use more varieties of odd 40mm ammunition, because it's basically a bigass boomstick. (Some rounds can't make the cylinder rotate because of their lower pressure)

And don't say the china lake launcher, because that had feed problems for non HE ammunition.

[x] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.
After that…
[x] Enter the snowball war.
- [x] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!
[x] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [x] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[x] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [x] Donate?
- [x] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.

Rearranged slightly so the priority is on aiding Kogasa.

>>19854
>China Lake Launcher
But all that does is drown outsiders.

[X] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.
- [X] When she isn't looking, flip off Aya. Fuck you, nosy paparazzi.

[X] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [X] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and meet her.
[X] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [X] Donate?
- [X] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
- [X] When she isn't looking, flip off Yukari. Fuck you, gap hag.
[X] Enter the snowball war.
- [X] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!

Works for me~!

>>19861
Ha, I just got that.
Why didn't I notice it earlier?

FUCK YOU LAKE, FUCK YOU.

>The M79 is far simpler to use, and it can even use more varieties of odd 40mm ammunition, because it's basically a bigass boomstick.
Good idea. Adding it to list of weapon to purchase (after we head back to Kourindou, that is).

>Time skip how? since I don't see a real need for it how things are going.
I don't know, unless Anon wants to fast forward to certain dates (i.e. Thanksgiving).

>China Lake Launcher
>drown outsiders

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

No update for now, though, but I'll have it ready as soon as possible. In the meantime, have a tiny and clever tank commander.

[c] Greet her, but be cautious of her intention.

Then…
After that…
[c] Greet Reimu and Yukari.
- [c] Ask them about the gathering Aya mentioned.
- [c] Donate?
[c] Join Chen and Youmu.
- [c] A Yuyu is sighted. Go and catch meet her.
[c] Enter the snowball war.
- [c] Team up with Kogasa. Three against one? That poor umbrella needs a strong ally!
-
-
“Good grief, Aya, never thought to see you, either!” You wave dismissively at the tengu. “What has brought this nosy tengu reporter here, I wonder?”

“Aw, I was just trying to be nice with you!” Aya replies as she touches down next to you. “Or is it because I can smell the delicious aroma of progress between both of you?” she asks, all while winking and nudging at you.

“A what?”

“Come on, captain! There has to be a reason why you and the princess are going out, hasn’t it?” Aya asks. “Like, a date?”

You aren’t buying it. She’ll make the situation even worse on your side if you react to it, and chances are she’ll probably just print it in her newspaper. “I’m not in the mood to argue with you or anyone here,” you shrug. “But yes; you are indeed correct on the date part. If you need me, you know where to look at.” Aya looks as if she’s stunned by the reply, and she’s scratching her head in bewilderment. “Come, Kaguya. We should meet the shrine maiden.”

Together with Kaguya and Reisen, you head to the shrine and greet Reimu and Yukari, the later still bugging the shrine maiden before she notices you and waves. You remember something, so you turn around and flip at Aya; the moment you do that the crow tengu yells at you in anger, and you smirk at the response. “Why must you mistreat me?! I’m but a humble tengu journalist-” Her attention is short-lived when a snowball lands on her face. “What was that for?!”

“Sorry for being playful!” Suika and Tatyana reply in unison before they escape Aya’s wrath.

“What kind of reply you did just give Aya, hmm~” the blonde woman asks now that you’re back at the duo.

“Not today, Yukari, not today,” you tell her. “Besides, I’m more curious of this gathering she just mentioned.”

“Oh? You mean the Halloween party we had thrown here yesterday?” Yukari giggles, much to the ire of Reimu. “You missed it, little soldier! We had LOTS of fun back here, you know! You should come, too; Suika told me you had the talent in singing, and I wanted to hear~”

“And leaving the mess behind after the party? You call THAT fun?” Reimu grumbles. “This is why I don’t like people having party without my permission.” She takes a sip of tea. “You should learn a thing or two from the captain.”

“Aw! Cutie Reimu is all grumpy~” Yukari rubs herself against Reimu in a gesture so affectionate you can’t help wondering if she’s trolling the poor shrine maiden. “Reimu’s scary~ maybe I should make her less scary, if you know what I mean~”

“Stop rubbing me! You’re giving me the creeps!” Reimu pushes the lady of boundaries away, but Yukari’s adamant on buggering her with her antics.

You look at Kaguya. “Halloween party?”

The princess laughs. “Yeah. Yukari had invited everyone here; I would’ve joined them but I had you to look after.” The answer causes Yukari to whistle foxily at Kaguya. “Stop that. Who else would take care after Yuri if I accepted the invitation?”

“And here I thought the soldier’s the one who’s denying the relationship,” the lady of boundaries says. “Don’t worry, Yuri~ you can come see me for love advice; I’ll be more than grateful to show you ♥”

Now that’s creepy. You don’t want to imagine Yukari sharing you some of her experience in love, so you change the topic. “So I heard every visitor to this shrine is obliged to donate.”

Reimu’s face changes in an instant, and she pushes Yukari with might before she jumps off the balcony. Oh, God; is it you, or are her eyes just sparkling in anticipation? “Yes! I mean- it isn’t necessary, but anyone can donate.” So saying she points towards the offertory box. “Please. Don’t be shy.”

You bring your hand into the pocket, only to realize you don’t even bring anything to offer. “I must have left the money at Eientei,” you utter.

Reimu’s smiles drop. “Oh. I guess it can be done another day, then,” she sighs.

“Don’t be like that.” Kaguya gestures at you to follow her to the offertory box. “I haven’t done this in a long time, you see.” She puts her hand in one of her elongated sleeves and pulls out a couple of currencies from it. “So I put them in this, yes?” She inserts the money through the slit of the box; you pay attention to Reimu, whose face and eyes are lighting up in excitement as the money falls into the box.

“And it’s done!” She turns to you, smiling. “You don’t have to thank me, Yuri. Consider it a sign of gratitude.”

“Umm, thanks, whatever your intention is,” you reply. “But where did you get the money?”

Kaguya places a finger in front of her lips, almost invitingly. “That would be… her majesty’s secret,” she says with a wink.

“Oh, whatever.” You look around and can see the activities that are going on. By now, Tatyana, Suika and Tewi are engaged in snowball fight with Aya, leaving Kogasa with a lot to spare. Poor umbrella needs a strong ally, you ponder, but you doubt you’ll be able to keep up with the snowball fighters. “Lieutenant Reisen.”

The moon bunny turns to you. “Yes, sir?”

“Do me a favour and keep Kogasa out of trouble,” you say. “Tell her she’ll get a strong ally. And I mean it.”

“Of course, sir.” Giving you a quick salute Reisen approaches Kogasa and gives her some words of comfort while pointing back at you. The umbrella looks at you, and then at the rabbit, before she cheers and gives Reisen a big hug.

“Assigning your right-hand to protect the umbrella? Clever move, Yuri,” Kaguya says. “I thought you want to join the snowball fight right away.”

“I would, but I have something important to do first. What about you?”

Kaguya points at Reimu, who has returned from her blissful stupor. “I have to discuss with Reimu about the destination. I’ll catch up with you later.”

You nod and make your way towards Chen and Youmu. The cat-girl is the first to notice your arrival as she stands firmly in the snow and gives you a rigid salute; Youmu is hesitant to do the same until Yuyuko gives you a word of encouragement, and she half-heartedly mimics Chen’s action.

“Private First Class Chen Yakumo reporting!”

“Private First Class Youmu Konpaku reporting… in…”

You can’t help smiling and return the salute. “At ease, soldiers. I’m just looking around.” You turn to Yuyuko. “Hello, Miss Yuyuko. We meet again.”

“Yes, yes, we meet again~” the ghost princess replies, much to Youmu’s surprise. “I see you have brought the princess for a date. That’s so sweet of you~”

“It’s the other way around,” you correct her.

“Oh, please. Don’t be shy with me~ it’s not that I want to kidnap you or anything.” She covers her mouth with her sleeve and giggles behind it, her eyes fluttering at you in interest. “So I believe we’d end up meeting over here instead of my place, yes?”

“I don’t know, really,” you answer. “Though I feel sorry for you to come out in winter.”

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Yuyuko giggles. “I just wanted to make some snowman, after all. It’s been many years since I last made one together with Youmu.”

“But Miss Yuyuko, you aren’t supposed to venture out in the forest alone!” Youmu protests. “You won’t find anything to eat there! Everything’s frozen.”

“Aw, Youmu! You’re embarrassing me in front of the captain!” The ghost princess hurls herself towards the swordswoman, smothering her in an embrace that’s almost choking her. “What am I supposed to do if he starts asking me?”

“Mmf!” is all Youmu manages to say as her face is pressed beneath Yuyuko’s finely developed chest. It’s only after she’s released from Yuyuko’s deathly hug that Youmu is able to take a deep breath. “Now it’s YOU who’s embarrassing me in front of the captain!”

Dismissing Youmu’s protest, Yuyuko turns back at you. In contrast to the bone-chilling weather, her presence is making you feel warm and good, and it’s forcing your common sense out of you (ghosts are supposed to scare people, not making them warm!). The moment you stare into her maroon eyes you feel like you’re being drawn into the gaze, it’s as if you’re…

“Captain~ you still here? Hello~”

“Uhh… yes, yes! I’m still here,” you say, hurriedly trying to correct your posture. “Sorry; I was spacing out.” The reply earns you a confused look from Yuyuko, and you’re quick to realize the atmosphere you’re creating. “Oh, yes. About Yukari, she… is there anything I can do about her?”

Yuyuko giggles. “As far as I’m concerned, you just have play along with her.” It’s such simple, but it’s the kind of answer that only begets more curiosity. “Eventually she’ll grow tired of bothering you and leave you alone, but don’t make a bet on it. The last time I talked with her, she said she’s interested in you because of what you are.”

“Why would she? All I know is that she’s been making fun of me and the Motherland,” you scoff. “I mean, if she does the same thing to you, what would you do?” Yuyuko giggles. You want to protest, and yet you can’t. Somehow she’s just too honest to be angry at.

“Just relax, Captain,” she says. “If she has a reason, she won’t say it until she finds the perfect opportunity. Once she does, you won’t be angry at her, right?”

You can only sigh. “I… guess.”

“Captain! Help!!”

You turn to the source of the cry. Oh, for Pete’s sake, the table’s turned against Reisen as she is now taking the beating instead, and it’s Kogasa who’s trying to save her from the pitchers. Shaking your head in disbelief, you turn back to the awaiting privates. “I was thinking of avoiding the meaningless fight, but it seems my comrade is in distress,” you say. “Would you kindly lend your strength to the Motherland?”

“Awesome! Oh, can I go ask Miss Ran’s permission first, sir?” You nod, and she wastes no time approaching the still-unconscious Ran and giving the fox a poke on the face; to your amusement, it only serves to make the blood pouring into the snow in vast quantity.

“I guess she’s fine if you join the captain, Chen,” Yuyuko says. “Oh, Youmu. You’ll be joining the opposing force.”

“Miss Yuyuko, let me help the captain!” Youmu insists.

“No, Youmu, you can’t,” Yuyuko replies.

“Why not?!”

“Because I know you can’t stand being verbally abused from a soldier~”

“But Miss Yuyuko!”

“No buts, Youmu. That’s an order.”

“Aw…”

You give Chen the signal, and in the confusion that takes place as Chen distracts Team Tatyana-Shameimaru with danmaku (and invokes Reimu’s sudden wrath) you rush in and aid Reisen retreating to your position. “I told you to look after Kogasa’s safety, didn’t I?” you reprimand and duck when a giant snowball misses its mark.

“I tried, but I can’t keep up with their attack!” Reisen whines.

So much for being a trusty right hand. “We’ll talk about it later, Lieutenant, but right now.” You make a handful of snowball and toss it at Suika, hitting it on the face. “And that is for teaming up against Kogasa. Three against one? This poor umbrella needs a strong ally, not an enemy!”

By now Marisa and Alice have teamed up with you, causing the opposing side to protest at the imbalance. “Hey! Like the captain said, someone needs a strong ally,” Marisa says with a smirk. “And that means: Alice, you go join Youmu.”

“What the hell, Marisa?” Alice jeers.

“Oh, cool! Can I join?” To your surprise, Kaguya is joining the opposing force. “Surprised, Yuri? Well, let’s see if you can face the wrath of Team Monster!” she bolsters.
-
-
“Come on, Youmu~ I bet you can toss snowball more accurately than before~”

“Shut up, Miss Yuyuko! For forcing me to team up with the enemy, I shall not give you mercy- not the snowman!!”

“Nice! Your bullet-dodging skill is remarkable.”

“Thanks, Aya, but I don’t have time for compliments!”

“Aaaaaaaa! Motherland!!!”

“Tatyana, wrong battle cry! Watch out!”

“I’m coming, Miss Ran! Take this! HIYARGH!!”

“Chen? Chen! CHEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!”

“Bloody hell, I didn’t even allow snowball fight in my place!”

“Too late, Reimu, because you are mine~ ♥”

“I’m sorry, Miss Alice, but this is for the Motherland!”

“Goddamn it, Marisa. Just goddamn it.”

“It’s SMASHING TIME!!”

“Eep!!”
-
-
In the end, only you and Kaguya are the last fighters standing. Everyone else has been knocked out of the fight, and the courtyard is full of spectators who are very eager to see the outcome of the battle. With the exception of Reimu, who can be seen lamenting over Team Monster’s loss to yours (and in her case, to Yukari), all of the people are cheering for both of you, and they don’t seem to care.

“Never thought to overwork myself just because of this,” you utter as you take a deep breath. “Miss Eirin is going to be angry at me after this, I know.”

“Why worry about Eirin lecturing us later when we can enjoy our time now?” Kaguya replies while gathering some snow in your hand. “So, fight until your enemy submits to defeat?”

You smile. “Good idea, but make it quick. We aren’t here to end up in a duel.”

“Good, because here I come!” Kaguya rushes at you, throwing the snowball she’s made at you as distraction. You easily dodge the projectile, but you aren’t prepared for what’s coming when Kaguya delivers a flying kick that’s executed rather easily despite the skirt’s length. You parry the attack and push her out of the way, and watch as she lands diligently on the snow.

“I see you have improved your bare-hand techniques tremendously, Kaguya,” you speak.

Kaguya smirks as she readjusts her posture. “Thanks, but action speaks louder than words, right?”

She’s right. Words are indeed useless to describe the intensity and passion of this fight.

[ ] Offence is the best defence. Apply the knowledge and tank snowball rush the princess, comrade.
[ ] Go for the defensive and study Kaguya’s attacks carefully.
[ ] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.
[ ] Fuck it. Declare your spellcard.

System:
> Date: 2nd November
> Time: 09:50 hours
> Location: Hakurei Shrine

Destinations:
[X] Hakurei Shrine.
[ ] Human Village.
[X] Kourindou.
[ ] Makai
[ ] River Sanzu
[ ] Scarlet Devil Mansion
[ ] Temple of Myouren
[ ] Underground
[ ] Youkai Mountains
-
-
Yeah, I forgot to mention it during the last update, but you are free to pick more than one vote if the situation dictates (not in this update, though). And don’t worry about the outcome that may come from the votes; after all is done, we all can take it easy~ sit down and enjoy our tea time.

Regarding the destinations, Anon can freely choose which place to go first, and which place to go later in the story. Several places are omitted from the list, however, (Hakugyokurou: I just realized Kaguya can’t enter the place, being an immortal and all; Forest of Magic: we just went there; Mayohiga: the Yakumo Family is already at Hakurei Shrine, so why bother?).

Also, I’ll be adding the Allies System, just because our captain needs strong and reliable allies for his mission to adapt in Gensokyo. It won’t be implemented until next updates, though, so please wait warmly.

[x] Go for the defensive and study Kaguya’s attacks carefully.
-[x] After observing her style, go all out taking advantage of the openings.

[x] Human Village.

[x] Take out a spellcard, but don't declare it. Once she starts doing the same throw a few snowballs through her opening in her face. Use the ensuing distraction to...
-[x] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.
She needs to learn to expect the unexpected in battle. By now, I assume that getting a hold on one's spellcards once someone (seems to) declares one is a conditioned reflex in Gensokyo.

>>19902
[x] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.

Let's see just how good she is.

[x] Youkai Mountains

Allies huh? Nitori would be a pretty useful Ally(If she doesn't run away from the good ol' Captain first). So the Youkai Mountains would be a good place to visit sometime.

There and also the Scarlet Devil mansion, China would be a great CQC teacher and potential soldier. In fact, the whole SDM reeks of powerful and potential soldiers.

That is, if our Captain has dreams of dominating all of Gensokyo in the name of the Motherland.

[x] Take out a spellcard, but don't declare it. Once she starts doing the same throw a few snowballs through her opening in her face. Use the ensuing distraction to...
-[x] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.

Okay, seems reasonable.

[X] Go for the defensive and study Kaguya’s attacks carefully.

[X] Human Village

Lunch~
Also, gather intel, and act accordingly.

[x] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.

[x] Youkai Mountains

Works for me~!

[x] Take out a spellcard, but don't declare it. Once she starts doing the same throw a few snowballs through her opening in her face. Use the ensuing distraction to...
-[x] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.

[X] Scarlet Devil Mansion

>>19904
this

[c] Take out a spellcard, but don’t declare it. Once she starts doing the same throw a few snowballs through her opening in her face. Use the ensuing distraction to…
- [c] Close the distance between you and Kaguya, and wrestle her to the snow use your Sambo on her.
-
-
Kaguya starts collecting snowballs and throws one of them at your position. You dodge and duck every projectile she’s throwing while trying to get close to her. As if anticipating it she jumps into the air and laughs at you profusely. “I have the higher ground!” she declares and bombards you from the position.

Now what? You obviously can’t fly, and there’s no way you can aim at her from your position. Fumbling your way across the arena (while avoiding getting hit by the snow danmaku at the same time) your hand finds its way towards the inner part of the trench coat. You take out the first item you can find; it’s a spellcard (what a pleasant surprise), the same item you had used during the Yukari confrontation.

The snowball barrage stops. “I didn’t remember anything about spellcard battle!” Kaguya shouts, obviously in surprise. You say nothing, opting to stay in position, but then you slowly crouch and start collecting snowballs in discreet. “Fine! Guess I’ll have to do the same, then.”

“Hey! No spellcard battle over my place!” Reimu shouts.

“Sorry, Reimu, but I have to do what I must do!” Kaguya replies and whips out a spellcard. “Impossible Request: Dragon Re-”

Several snowballs find their way through the opening, and land straight on her face. At that instant Kaguya is knocked off her spellcard declaration and drifts back to the ground. You seize the opportunity and pounce at her. “That’s cheating!”

“What do you mean it’s cheating?” You get behind the dumbstruck princess and lock your arms around her in hemlock manoeuvre. “Always be prepared for the unexpected, milady.” You tighten the grip, although not to the point of choking your subject. “I think I had taught you on this during the training, hadn’t I?”

“How about this?” Kaguya jabs you in the eye, and your arm-lock loosens to allow her to slip away. “Bet you didn’t see that coming did you?”

“Bloody nice, Kaguya,” you smirk. “Now it’s getting more interesting.”

“Go for it, captain!!”

“Fight, Princess! Fight!”

“Ah! I, umm… I believe in you, sir! You can do it!” (This is Kogasa, in case you haven't figured out.)

Judging from the cheers the crowd is getting more agitated by the progress, but you pay them no attention as you pounce back at Kaguya. A kick is delivered, and Kaguya deftly parries it before it lands on the left side of her head. Before you can recover from the swing she grabs the leg and attempts a roundhouse defence; it’s poorly executed, and you’re able to escape before she can push you into the snow.

“Victory is mine, Yuri!”

Kaguya rushes at you this time, performing every kick and punch move she can to keep you busy. You can’t help thinking if Kaguya’s using her flamboyance as a distraction, because she keeps waving the sleeves in front of your face as you try getting keeping the distance between both of you.

You manage to grab one of the sleeves. In quick succession you yank Kaguya towards you and perform another hemlock manoeuvre, holding her closer and tighter than before. At the same time you can hear gasps, presumably from Yukari or Yuyuko, but you aren’t sure of which. “I believe victory goes to the Motherland, yes?” you speak, keeping her steady as she struggles to get free.

And then it happens.

Kaguya’s hair brushing against your face, its scent seeping into your nostrils and disrupting your concentration. For a minute your attention lapses as you’re mesmerized by her natural, almost womanly fragrance, and you can’t maintain proper hold on your subject.

You feel your trench coat grabbed and pulled forward. Before you know it, you are lifted off the snow and- no, you are being brought to the air and held by the neck. Everything is happening too fast for you, but in the split second before you descend into the ground you can see Kaguya smiling.

“Gotcha.”

And then you see whiteness.

…

“Ayayaya, he’s just lost!”

“Damn. That must hurt a lot.”

“Aw~ when I thought I could see him holding her like that for a bit longer~”

“Miss Yuyuko, why would you want to see that?”

“Dominating the princess? I wish he had dominated me instead~ ♥”

“Stop it, Miss Yukari. It’s creepy.”

…

You open your eyes. You find yourself lying in the snow, a defeated and sore man. You certainly didn’t see that coming, the airborne judo throw, and you can’t make your hand move out of the snow. You begin to laugh miserably as you mind recollects the events that eventually lead to this.

“You alright?” You look at the voice and see Kaguya kneeling beside your head. “Sorry for doing that move, but I guess that makes me the winner, right?”

“You’ve improved,” you utter.

The princess giggles. “Of course I am! I didn’t train myself in close-quarter combat for nothing, did I?”

“One thing, though,” you say, groaning once as you get up from the snow. “Tie your hair. I could’ve used it against you back there.”

“What? You don’t like my beautiful hair?” Kaguya puffs. “I’ve fought hard to keep it this pristine, you know.”

“At least I didn’t ask you to cut it,” you reply.

“Hey, that’s not nice,” she growls.

Both of you return to the shrine and are greeted with a loud applause. “Congratulations on getting Choke Slammed, captain,” Tewi utters. “You deserved it.”

“Is that a compliment or what?” you ask the earth rabbit.

“That was awesome!!” Suika exclaims. “Well, yeah, you did lose to the princess, but damn! You have some wicked moves. What about sparring with me next time, captain?”

“Now, now, Suika, you’re only making him more miserable,” Yukari says. “Give him time to take it easy; maybe he’ll accept the offer.”

You take an empty seat on the balcony, groaning again as you feel your shoulders and upper back aching from the impact. Kaguya sits beside you and immediately gives you a comforting massage, and you don’t even do anything to stop her. “You like it?” Kaguya asks.

“That’s a lot better,” you groan in satisfaction.

“Alright, soldier, are you done with the wrestling nonsense?” Both of you turn around and see Reimu and a green-haired woman clad in blue-white dress that resembles a maid uniform of sort, the latter carrying a tray in her hand. “Good, because I’d have kicked you out of this shrine if you kept doing that.”

“Aw, come on Reimu~ be reasonable and let him stay here before he goes wherever he wants~” Yukari says and rubs herself against the red-white. “Or is it because you want to have a taste of Soviet Russia for yourself, hmm~?” You have to admit, the old gap hag lady of boundaries’ antics are giving you the creeps, especially how questionable her affection towards Reimu is.

“She should stop creeping people with her antics, that Yukari.” You turn around again, and see Ran settling down next to you; you ask her of Chen’s whereabouts and she points to a direction. “Seems your rabbit is quick to befriend people,” she says, referring to Tatyana and Chen making a snowman together with Youmu.

“My rabbit?” you ask.

“At least that’s what Tatyana said to me,” Ran says. “And while we’re at it: at first we thought you’d have used the spellcard, but it turned out that it was a distraction. Very impressive.”

“Nice observation,” you shrug. “It had to be done, though. Don’t want to delay our trip any longer.”

Finally Reimu pushes Yukari away from her. “Do that again, and I’ll seal you in the face,” the red-white grumbles. “What am I? Your living teddy bear?”

“Yuyuko~!” Yukari whines as she jumps into the ghost princess’ chest. “Reimu is mean at me~”

“Now, now, Yukari,” Yuyuko says as she pats the blonde on the back.

Ignoring the lady of boundaries Reimu approaches you, the blue-white maid closely following her lead. “You can’t just sit here and do nothing, can you?” she asks.

“I don’t know; you tell me,” you answer.

“Well, I was going to serve tea to my guests, but if you have anything else to do, I won’t complain,” she continues.

[ ] There’s always time for tea. Sit down, enjoy your stay, and take it easy~
[ ] Thanks, but maybe later? Our destination awaits no one.
[ ] Let’s have tea - with vodka! Huzzah!

>“Dominating the princess? I wish he had dominated me instead~ ♥”

Don't worry you have a line full of folks willing to give and recieve domination from you.

[x] There’s always time for tea. [spoiler]Sit down, enjoy your stay, and take it easy~ [spoiler]
-[x] Ask if Kaguya would mind.

A bit of tea to warm up isn't a bad idea.

[x] There’s always time for tea.
-[x] Ask if Kaguya would mind.

Save that vodka for later~!

[x] There’s always time for tea. yukkuri shiteitte ne!
-[x] Ask if Kaguya would mind.

[x] There’s always time for tea.
-[x] Ask if Kaguya would mind.

Theres always time for Чай

[X] Thanks, but maybe later. Our destination awaits no one.

WE NEED KAGUYA POINTS!

And we can have our Чай and Водки later.

Maybe drink our Водки off of Kaguya, eh?

>>19979
What if Kaguya would rather have Tea first? And we are on her route already. Take it easy already.

[x] There's always room for T-E-A
- [x] Ask Kaguya if she would mind joining you.

>a green-haired woman clad in blue-white dress
At first I wondered if this was Maid Sanae from Gatau's "Faith is for the Transient Family Budget."

...But then I wondered if that might not be Ruukoto. If so, then you are awesome, SATA.

>>19979
The proper way to drink vodka off her would be drink it from her boot.

>>19986
Well, what if the maid is really Ruukoto? Also, link for the said doujin.

>>19980
I see what you did there already.

---------------

[c] There’s always time for tea.
- [c] Ask if Kaguya would mind.

“Why, yeah, sure, I don’t mind having tea once in a while,” you say. “Assuming Kaguya won’t mind staying here for a while.”

“Actually, I’d like to take a break for a while,” Kaguya says as she outstretches her arms. “All these workouts are tiring me already, you know.” She giggles. “But it’s good; maybe we should spar some more next time. Inaba, could you give my shoulders a massage?” Reisen obliges and sits behind the princess before she proceeds to squeeze her shoulders; Kaguya lets out a satisfied moan and urges Reisen to give her shoulders some pounding.

“Of course it’s good,” Marisa says as she appears near the maid. “You don’t want to be locked up for the rest of your life, do you?”

“Patchouli’s not going to like that comment, Marisa,” Reimu says dryly. “And I don’t care if these two are going to fight to the death, just don’t do it here.”

“Come on, Reimu! If anything happens, you can always step in and stop it before it goes out of control, right?” Aya exclaims.

Reimu shoots the tengu reporter an annoyed glare. “The last time I did that, Patchouli got bedridden for days and I had to explain to Remi about the argument she and Marisa had,” she mumbles before she takes a seat near you. “I’m not a peace broker, you know.”

“Ayayaya~” Aya sighs.

“Ruukoto, if you please.” The maid nods and places the tray neatly between you and Kaguya. “The least I can do to appeal my honoured guests,” the shrine maiden shrugs as Ruukoto is passing the glasses.

“Wonder what kind of tea Reimu has to offer…” Kaguya takes a sip of the beverage, even as Reisen continues massaging her shoulders. A moment of pause, as everyone in the vicinity pays attention to the princess. Then, dramatically, she slams the bottom end of the glass on the tray - hard enough to startle Reisen - stands up and throws her arms upward.

“TEA FOR THE TEA GODDESS!!!”

After a while she sits back and continues sipping the tea, apparently oblivious of everyone’s reaction. Reisen is too stunned at the antic, and so are you. Reimu doesn’t say anything about it, though, and neither is Marisa.

What in the name of Mother Russia was that about?
-
-
The rest of the hour passes by rather uneventfully. Eventually Marisa and Alice leave the shrine, saying they have business with the Scarlet Devil Mansion librarian to finish off. Yuyuko and Youmu also take their leave, as so is the Yakumo Family, although the ghost princess doesn’t forget to invite you to Hakugyokurou (and playfully, on top of that, much to Kaguya’s chagrin). Suika heads off to somewhere only God knows, and Aya returns to the mountains.

And that leaves you with your party members, Kogasa, Reimu and Ruukoto. All that’s left for you to do is to enjoy the scenery and warm tea together, and everyone is having fun chattering about the season. Eventually the idleness is getting to the nerve, and Kaguya suggests that your party make snowman to kill the time. Tewi, Tatyana and Kogasa are all too eager to play, with the only exception being Reisen who wants to use the toilet and gets jeered by the earth rabbit for chickening out.

“So, I heard from Yukari you had a fight with her after the party,” Reimu says. “She mentioned that you had made yourself a spellcard and used it against her. Care to spill out the details?”

“Don’t want to talk about it, but if you insist,” you say and put down the glass, only to have Ruukoto refilling it. “The spellcard duel was one thing, and taking me away from the battlefield is another. But insulting the Motherland and making fun of her?” You sigh. “Honestly, what she has done to me so far never pleases me at all. Has she no sense of respect?”

“Huh, always the kind of response from people she kidnaps.” The red-white takes a bite of the bun. “Get used to it. She won’t stop bothering people she likes until either they’re dead or she’s bored, and I’m sure you don’t have the time for both.”

“What do you know about Yukari?” you ask.

“Everything, if that’s the answer you want?” Reimu says. “Of course I know her, because both of us have to keep Gensokyo in one piece. It’s just that I have to do the work for the most of the time, and teaming up with Marisa is the only thing I can do to keep this place trouble-free.” She sighs. “If only she can get her ass moving often…”

Your attention drifts to the snowy sky, then at the snowman-making activity. You never know what the future holds for you or your destiny as soldier of the Red Army, and you’re afraid such guessing will only complicate the situation.

“You know what? Being an outsider you are, you ought to learn more about this place, so how about visiting Keine or Akyuu?” Reimu later suggests. “Of course, you can do the same if you go to Remi’s place and visit its library. Just don’t steal anything there, unless you want to be thrown into the lake.”

“I like the idea, but Kaguya insists on going to the underground after this,” you say as you eat a bun. “I see if I can get her to change her mind.”

Reimu snickers. “I see. No wonder everyone’s rooting for the lunatic princess and you.”

You glare at her. “What’s the meaning of that?”

“You can call it.” A pause, then Reimu puts down the empty glass. “A maiden’s intuition.”

You shrug. “Well, I suppose we don’t want to waste more time here, so I think we better get going,” you say and set the glass aside. “Thanks for the tea, though. It was worth it. I see if I can repay you for it.”

Reimu nods. “It’s my pleasure as well.”

You jump onto the snow and make way towards the crowd. “Squad! We’re leaving.”

“Aw! But we haven’t finished Mister Buran yet!” Tatyana whines.

“No buts, soldiers. Leave that snowman behind and let him melt to oblivion.” The answer causes both the rabbits protest, but you don’t care. “Lieutenant! Stop playing yourself and get your ass out of there! Private! Stop molesting the umbrella! Kaguya! Tie up your hair in ponytail!”

“What? You’re still at it, Yuri?!”

“I accept no question, soldiers! Now move.”

The squad is assembled, and you begin inspecting the line, all while Reimu’s watching from the sideline. You can’t help noticing Kogasa looking at you nervously as you walk pass her, and you halt to examine her carefully. “Is there a problem, private?” you ask the girl.

“I, uhh…” She’s struggling to spill out the words out of her mouth to no avail. Nervously she tightens the grip on the wooden handle of the purple umbrella while avoiding eye contact with you; it’s obvious to you that she isn’t used to this military discipline.

Finally she lifts her head and allows herself to look at you. “Can I come with you… sir?”

Kogasa wants to join. Accept her admission?
[ ] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
[ ] No. You already have enough members in the squad.

With that done…
[ ] Scarlet Devil Mansion (Meiling, Patchouli, Sakuya, Scarlet Sisters)
[ ] Human Village (Keine, Akyuu)
[ ] Youkai Mountains (Aki Sisters, Hina, Nitori, Momiji, Moriya Folks)
[ ] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)
[ ] Misty Lake (Letty, Cirno, ????)

What to do in the future:
[c] Create more spellcards and name them Soldier's Sign 「Machinegun Suppression」 and Artillery Sign 「Curtains of Flak」, respectively.
[c] Get yourself a grenade launcher and master that sleight-of-hand skill. Ask Eirin to help while you’re at it, too.
[c] Arrange an interview with Aya (and satisfy her hunger for information).
[c] Make peace with Yukari.

Current inventory:
[c] Winter uniform.
[c] Trench coat (slightly damp).
[c] 30mm lucky charm.
[c] Bayonet (concealed underneath the coat).
[c] Pilotka hat.
[c] M1911A1 (preloaded with seven .45 ACP rounds)
[c] Colt Anaconda (preloaded with six .44 Magnum rounds)

System:
> Time: 1030 hours
> Date: November 2nd
> Location: Hakurei Shrine
-
-
Alright, people, I’d like to hear your opinion about my depiction on the Touhou characters that have shown up until now; it doesn’t have to be restricted to the Eientei folks, though I kind of screwed it up with Kogasa, but who am I to complain? And yes, I forgot to introduce Mima, so I’ll amend it in the next time we visit the shrine maiden.

Also, for those who are curious…

Team Monster
Kaguya
Youmu
Aya
Tatyana
Tewi
Ran
Reimu
Alice
Suika

Team Behemoth
Yuri
Yuyuko
Marisa
Chen
Yukari
Reisen
Kogasa

For now, have a Shanghai-flavoured tea.

Kogasa wants to join. Accept her admission?
[X] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
Always room for more troops!

With that done…
[X] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)
Kaguya wanted to go there anyway and I see no reason to make a change of plans.

[x] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
[x] Scarlet Devil Mansion (Meiling, Patchouli, Sakuya, Scarlet Sisters)
[x] Create more spellcards and name them Soldier's Sign 「Machinegun Suppression」 and Artillery Sign 「Curtains of Flak」, respectively.
The characterizations seem okay (with the exception you mentioned) you choose one of the main theories and stuck with it so... 's good enough for me.

>>20007
I just realized what I did there.

>“TEA FOR THE TEA GODDESS!!!”
For a VERY 'humble' Shrine Maiden, Reimu must have great tea. No wonder everyone drops by.

>“You can call it.” A pause, then Reimu puts down the empty glass. “A maiden’s intuition.”

YYYYEEEEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!

>>20009
I think the "Things to do in the future" aren't votable, otherwise they'd be blank.

Now for my votes:
[x] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.

Hey, who can refuse and if she's planning on sticking around, we can train her in stealth, as to give maximum surprise.

[X] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)

Let's meet some of the newer kids on the block, and it's what she wants.

As for characters?

I like the job you've been doing so far, though I wonder how you screwed up on Kogasa? On the bright side you have more leeway since she doesn't have much canon side material.

But I LOVE your Kaguya, close to canon. She's supportive yet kinda fiesty. (Not a bitchy NEET like fanon Kaguya is)

Nice Reimu and Yukari too. (Reimu's actually nice, and Yukari is benignly playful. (only time she remotely lashed out was when Yuri attacked her those few times)

Hmm, I wonder how Shanghai tastes~
The tea, of course. Although I wouldn't mind having Shanghai too~

[X] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
[X] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)

>Just don’t steal anything there, unless you want to be thrown into the lake.
LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE

[X] Misty Lake (Letty, Cirno, ????)
While at the lake, you curiously spot a plate of scrambled eggs near the shore, as if it was left there for someone...

[X] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
[X] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)

Did we take that flask of vodka? If we did, we better show yuugi how russians drink.

Seriously, you drink it from her boot

[X] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
Always room for more troops!
-[X] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)
--[c] Create more spellcards and name them Soldier's Sign 「Machinegun Suppression」 and Artillery Sign 「Curtains of Flak」, respectively.
Spelunking ahoy~!
--[c] Make peace with Yukari.

>>20010
>For a VERY 'humble' Shrine Maiden, Reimu must have great tea. No wonder everyone drops by.
And that's just the green tea. Who knows if there are more expensive brands Reimu's keeping in the kitchen.

>I think the "Things to do in the future" aren't votable, otherwise they'd be blank.
I put them there, in case we need to do something to kill the time during our overstay in Eientei. Of course, there are always more to come.

And thanks for the feedback about the characters portrayal.

>>20011
>While at the lake, you curiously spot a plate of scrambled eggs near the shore, as if it was left there for someone...
I don't get this. Or maybe I'm missing something.

>>20012
We didn't bring any, unless we want to backtrack to Kourindou to fetch ourselves a bottle.

Also, have some Secret Agent Hong Meiling (wonder if Yuri and Meiling can become great comrades).

>>20014
WUiG Reference.

I think it's possible, Meiling is among the nicest characters in Touhou.

>>20014
Aww shucks, perhaps Yukari can gap us some...

[c] Yes. And heartily welcome her to the Red Army, too. Mother Russia will be pleased, comrade.
[c] Underground (Yamame, Kisume, Parsee, Yuugi, Komeiji Sisters, Rin, Utsuho)

“Da! You are more than welcomed to the Red Army, Comrade,” you say, a huge smile plastered upon your battle-scarred face. Mother Russia will be pleased to see another child willing to fight for her cause. “Another member in the party is never going to hurt at all. Do you have anything else to do today?”

She shakes her head. “I was going to visit the green-white miko after this, but you bunch of people look fun,” she says.

“Good. Then consider yourself drafted.” You swear you can see the umbrella…girl smiling widely at the invitation? With the way her face’s tinted with faint colour of the rose, oh God, that’s just adorable. It’s like you want to drop your guard and give the girl a hug, ruffling her hair and-

You cough. “Anyway, we’re done over this place. Let’s get out of here.” You can hear Reimu snorting in amusement over the remark, but you don’t pay her any attention for now.

“Alright!” Tewi exclaims. “Underground, here we come!”

“And Before I forget.” You turn back at the umbrella-girl. “State your name and your occupation, comrade.”

“Kogasa Tatara!” she pronounces her name in full energy. “I surprise people for a living, though…” She trails off before she giggles miserably, apparently feeling guilty over herself. “I always get beaten instead. Ah, I’m not really good at it…”

This poor thing. This poor thing! You feel the urge to shape her properly into a soldier of the Red Army, the pride of the Motherland. You should share some skills you’ve honed back at the ruined streets of Stalingrad, of how to stalk the enemy, land a shot and retreat into obscurity, all before anyone knows she’s there. You can see it now, Kogasa lurking in the dark corner, sniper rifle in hand, scope aimed at her enemy, finger ready to pull the trigger, her chest moving with each breath-

Fucking distraction. Go away, before this bayonet of mine and your guts have a date.
-
-
“Aaaaaaand here it is!” Kaguya says as the party is standing in front of a cave. “The entrance to the underground, full of surprises and the unexpected! And beyond that…” She makes a dramatic pose, points her finger forward and shouts: “It’s the Ancient City!” together with Tewi and Tatyana.

“Oh! Oh!” Kogasa seems to be excited. “I often go there, so I know a lot about it! Can I help?”

“Awesome! The more the merrier!” Kaguya exclaims. “I’m sure Yuri doesn’t mind, does he?” You don’t have anything else to say about this, so you notion at your troops to follow you as you walk through the entrance and into the cave. There’s nothing particular about this part of the trip, except for minor confrontation with the fairies and underground creatures that is quickly taken care of by Reisen.

Eventually you reach a bridge, and across it you can see the faint light of streets. That must b the Ancient City, and that means you’re almost there. It’s just the matter of crossing the bridge, right?

“Who’s there?”

You turn around and see a girl standing at the opposite side of the bridge, and she doesn’t seem to be pleased with the presence of your party. A challenger appears?

“Do you have any business here?” the girl asks coldly as she approaches your group. “If you don’t, then please- wait a second.” She squints at you. “You’re a human. What business you have in the underground?”

[ ] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
[ ] Pacifist run. Avoid the girl and continue your trip.
[ ] “You’re just jealous, aren’t you Parsee? Now step aside.”
[ ] Tank-rush the bridge princess. FOR THE MOTHERLAND!!

Current squad line-up:
+ Yuri
+ Kaguya
+ Reisen
+ Tewi
+ Tatyana
+ Kogasa

System:
> Time: 1050 hours
> Date: November 2nd
> Location: Bridge to the Underground World

Picture related to the “captain training Kogasa to become a sniper” affair. Too bad our character isn’t Scottish, nor does he have a ghillie suit.

[x] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
-[x] Ask Kaguya to assist.

The last thing we need is to get into unneeded fights or cause any incidents between Eientei and the underground.

>nor does he have a ghillie suit.
Ahaha.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHA!

Back in Yuri's time, when MEN were MEN, they made their OWN ghillie suits by HAND, custom-made to the vegetation of the area!

>It’s like you want to drop your guard and give the girl a hug, ruffling her hair and-
Ruffle End.


[X] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
- [X] Use all the resources available (IE: the squad) to assist.

[x] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
- [x] Use all the resources available (IE: the squad) to assist.

>>20007
>link for said doujin
Link for said doujin, please.
http://danbooru.donmai.us/pool/show/179
Remember your manners.

>[ ] Misty Lake (Letty, Cirno, ????)
>????
...Can you folks tell me why you all decided to pass up a chance to meet Anne?

[x] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
- [x] Use all the resources available (IE: the squad) to assist.
>>20021
Because I preferred a trip to the underground?
's kinda weird to demand explanations for personal tastes.

>>20021
Who's to say we won't be getting another chance at this later, hmm?

[X] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.

Firing guns = last resort.

>>20021
Because Kaguya prefered to go there, and it's her trip as much as it is ours. But perhaps we can make the lake the next stop.

[X] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.

>>20019
What? Now you make me to give Yuri a ghillie suit. Awesome.

>>20021
Well, yeah. Sorry for the lack of proper manner.

Saging for not having real update.

[c] Diplomacy. State your reason to the girl and try not to provoke her.
- [c] Ask Kaguya to assist.

“Well, we…” You trail off, choosing instead to examine the girl. Curly blond hair and green eyes that seem to penetrate deep into your soul; her dress is odd, too, with the top part donned with purple borders and pink sash, and the bottom is decorated in blue, purple and black with criss-crossed red strings hanging on the bottom edge. The pink scarf, the pink puffy arm socks and those pointy elflike ears, all are adding to this girl’s mysterious aura.

“Are you going to talk or what?” the girl speaks. “I don’t know what your intention is, but please leave this place. Humans aren’t supposed to be in the underground.”

“Can’t we talk for a while?” you ask, yet the girl gives you a sharp glare; it’s as if your presence is unwanted within the vicinity of the bridge. “I think I suck at convincing the girl,” you whisper at Kaguya. “Maybe you’re better at this.”

“Leave it to me.” Kaguya steps forward, corrects her attire and throws Parsee a friendly smile. “I’m very sorry if our interference towards your privacy is the concern of our meeting here, Miss Mizuhashi, but I’d like to maintain here that our presence in the underground is on behalf of the Eientei. At such, I wish that neither one of us will be involved in crisis.”

“Speak for as much as you like,” the Miss Mizuhashi utters. “Your mere presence irks me, representative or not.”

She grins, one sleeve covering her mouth as she does. “Don’t you like having someone visiting you?” At the mention of ‘visiting’, the girl’s ears twitch, and you can tell that Kaguya has managed to poke the girl’s interest. “Please. If you like, you can come with us. I assure you, you’ll have fun like nothing before.”

“Oi, Parsee! What are you up to?!” The moment the girl turns to the voice a loud slap echoes through the cavern, as a single-horned girl appears and gives the girl’s back a hard smack. “Whining over your loneliness again? Don’t be! You always have this chap to look after you! Ahahahahahaha!”

“Yuugi, that’s so rude of you,” the girl murmurs.

“Rude? Hah!” The oni takes a little sip from the sake bowl and throws another slap onto the girl’s back. “Always trying to deny an oni’s party spirit, eh Parsee? I like it when you stop being an emo-” She pauses when she spots you. “My, do we have visitors or what?”

“Captain Yuri Ivanov, Third Guards Rifle Division, Soviet Red Army,” you speak with a salute. “We are from the Eientei, and we’re heading to the Ancient City for a tour.” You gesture the two girls towards Kaguya. “Her Majesty has expressed her desire to dine in at the underground’s best restaurant, hence.”

Kaguya bows at the oni regally. “Kaguya Houraisan; pleased to meet you.” Tewi is first to introduce herself, followed by Reisen, Tatyana and Kogasa.

“Yuugi Hoshiguma at your service,” the oni speaks. “And this mellow-looking fellow here is my long-time drinking buddy Parsee. Don’t mind her; she’s always like this.” You can see the girl pouting over the remark, which looks kind of cute.

“As Mister Ivanov has stated earlier, we are in a dining tour to the underground,” Kaguya speaks. “None of us here has the intention of causing trouble everywhere. If we do, then I deeply apologize.”

“Dining tour? You guys remind me of that ghostly duo, especially the fugue whale lover,” Yuugi says and takes another sip of the sake. “But whatever! I know just what to do about you guys!” So saying she prods her well-built chest to emphasize her presence, grinning widely as she does. “Let this old-timer of the ancient city be your tour guide! I’ll show you the best tourist spots in the underground! What do you say?”

[ ] Accept Yuugi’s offer.
[ ] Decline. You can manage this on your own.
-
-
Well, another two or three updates and we'll be heading to a new thread. For now, Yuugi wants you to drink with her. Y/N?

[x] Accept Yuugi’s offer.

For glory and honor.

[x] Accept Yuugi’s offer.

[X] Accept Yuugi’s offer.

Lets see if we can drink Yuugi under the table.

>“Dining tour? You guys remind me of that ghostly duo, especially the fugue whale lover,” Yuugi says and takes another sip of the sake.

XD

Cannot forget that doujin and the CtV RP I made last year.

Anyways...

[X] Accept Yuugi’s offer.

[x] Accept Yuugi’s offer.

I'm sure Kaguya would have no problems with this.

[X] Accept Yuugi’s offer.
Sure, why not?

Well, I think the vote has been called, and with this thread reaching its autosage status I'll have a new thread ready.

>>20056
Looking sort of Miki there, Yuugi.

>the fugue whale lover,
The what now?

>>20069
Image related.

Said doujin is by Sayataka Tea Mansion and DL link is provided.

>>20071
Oh, not fugue, fugu. I was really confused about a whale that sings at funerals.

And could you stick the link in the message instead of the email field next time? The board should automatically turn it into a link.

>>20072
sure thing.