"Need any help there?" I offered to help her carry her bags when I finally caught up to her. We were already at the edge of the village. She moved fast for someone so small. It surprised me just to see her carrying the bags, let alone with almost no effort.
"No thanks." She stopping humming to reply. "It'll be faster if I carry everything until we get there."
"Get where?" It wasn't very clear to me where we were heading. Nothing important lay this way, just a few strange hermits and a couple of dilapidated relics that still hadn't collapsed. No one in the village seemed to go through these woods regularly, although outsiders were almost always found around in this area.
"The shrine, of course. Where else?" She states matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious from the beginning.
"Oh, the Hakurei Shrine?" Ah, it was true that the shrine was in this direction, but I'd probably only been there once before. Yeah, it was that time I was playing tag with the guys and got lost. Man, that was ages ago. Normally, I don't think that I'd be able to get there unassisted. Most of the younger villagers wouldn't either probably. Come to think about it, I realized that there was a miko who appeared rarely in the village. I think I last saw her a couple weeks ago when running errands for the shop. Besides that... well, I couldn't think of any other moments. But I was sure that I had seen the miko several other times.
"That's the one." She replied as if I had just guessed a riddle correctly. For a moment you thought that she would throw the bags up in the air and congratulate me, judging by the way she seemed to almost hop with every step, but she kept the bags firmly in her hands. "We'll be having the party there. And lotsa people are going to come. So I hope you're ready to have fun!"
"Wait, aren't I supposed to be working?"
"Eh?!" The girl tilted her head and came to an abrupt stop. "And why can't you have fun partying while you work?"
"Uh, because if I'm partying, I can't work?" It's not that you don't enjoy taking it easy, but you can't possibly be attending to small details if you're living it up in the thick of it.
"Nononono..."She shook her head, chains rattling and bottles clanging inside the bag, "You have to have fun at all times. That's the only way to live." While her words sounded whimsical at best, her tone sounded quite serious. "It won't do at all if you're a fuddy-duddy. We'll have to do something about this..."She put a difficult expression on, looking like she was thinking about something particularly difficult. It didn't take long for inspiration to strike. "Ooh! I know! Let's have a little competition between us. It's the best way for two people to get to know each other. Let's race all the way to the shrine! First one to get there wins, okay?"

Best way for two people to get to know each other, eh?

It was the first time I heard that one, but coming from this energetic little girl, it sounded like the most natural thing in the world. There was a problem though, I had no idea how to get to the shrine. And she looked so pumped up that I thought that she just assumed that I knew how to get there myself. I tried asking her for directions, and she pointed me to just beyond a bend. It looked like that was the best I was going to get from her. "You're on."

The race was a one-sided affair. That is to say, I was soundly beaten. Even as I huffed for breath at the top of the shrine steps, I wondered how in the name of all that was good she could run so fast. Carrying all those bulky bags, she had managed to outrun me by a ridiculous margin. I wasn't even bitter about the defeat, just absolutely stunned at the outcome. "I guess I won." She declared with a happy chirp. "That means that I get to tell you what to do."
"Say what?" I breathe in deep, stabilizing myself.
"It's only fair. You lost the challenge."
"Weren't we doing this for fun?" This felt like a revisionist change to me. "Besides, I'm already getting paid by you to do whatever you want."
"All the same, it's only going to lead to more fun if you challenge me to get revenge." There's an obvious joy in her words. She probably would like it if I played games with her all day.
"Just... what?"
"Not what, who." She clarifies. "Suika Ibuki. Oni. This is the way I do things." She corrects herself, "No, it's the way any fun-loving spirit does things."
"Glad to hear it." I said dryly. "I'm-"
"Yes, yes I know who you are, Mr. Shopkeeper. You're quite famous in the village, you know." Her eyes glow with bemusement. "You've got a nickname everyone knows you by, dontcha?" Oh, not her too. I winced as she struck a nerve. That damn nickname that everyone kept calling me by. Even my own mother called me that now. It's not that it was particularly offensive, just that it got old for me many years ago (about a week after I got it, in fact). This is the drawback of coming from a small community, everyone knows your name and nickname...

She stared at me, making me realize that she was waiting for me to tell her my nickname. I had to tell her sooner or later. But I knew that the moment I did, she'd use it exclusively to refer to me. I felt like sighing but held it in, knowing that it'd be less painful to get it over with now.

[] Choose name (technically a nickname - can be single word/name. This may affect story slightly.)

[x] Arc

[x] Arc

I've got nothing better.

[X] Arc

[X] "Arc. After that incident with the high voltage box way back when."

[x] Arc

[x] Arc

lol

okay.

[?] Arc

Everyone knows the story of the kid who flew his kite in a thunderstorm. They say metal objects stick to his hands, and everyone who touches him gets a zap of static electricity.

>>23533

Man-Iku?

[!/] Arc

>>23537

More like Iku spent a full day feeling like crap after one of her errant lightning bolts struck the boy. It took a lot to cheer her up.

He still has the burns but most of them are on his back.

"...Arc, huh?" She repeated pensively. Well, at least when she said it, it didn't conjure up all those mixed feelings I had about it. "That's a weird one, isn't it? Hard to pronounce too." She started to quietly repeat my nickname, saying it in every way imaginable. She laughed to herself as she got to several outlandish and creative pronunciations. Thank goodness she spared me the agony of asking outright why this was my nickname. Feeling relieved, I instead used the time to finally check out my surroundings. The shrine didn't seem to be anything remarkable - not really too big (perhaps tending on the small side of things), obviously old but not run down (although it could probably use a thorough cleaning), and above all else, quiet. There's a solemn peace about that could make just about anyone feel like doing nothing (another way of looking at it would be to say that it's boring). I still couldn't see how this silent little corner of Gensokyo could ever be host to a party.

Suika had started off without me. While I was looking around, she'd recovered her wits and was plodding along to the main building humming again. I followed her as she barged in, sliding doors violently. "Honey, I'm home!" With an utterly carefree attitude she stepped into one of the main rooms, interrupting what seemed to be the local shrine maiden's tea time. "How's it been going, doll?" Suika dropped the heavy bags on the table, making them clang together, and smiled at the sitting shrine maiden. I stood off by the side, watching the exchange.
"So you're back again." The other girl remained seated, sipping her tea and looking none too pleased. "Where'd you pick up that kind of language? It's annoying." I stared at the red-white clothes the girl was wearing. They didn't look particularly ornate, erring on the side of functionality, but the small little details and small laces and such on the hems gave it a special touch. I hadn't really ever seen the shrine maiden up close, given that my family isn't particularly religious (and if they were, I don't think they'd even consider coming to this desolate corner of the world). ?No, never mind." The girl concluded after a moment. "I know where you got it. I'll have to thank her for it later." With a bitter smile she sipped her tea again. "I see that you're still planning to get drunk later."
"Drunk later?" Suika looked at her incredulously.
"...even more drunk then?" The shrine maiden corrected herself, with a strong tone of disapproval in her voice. Suika nodded happily at her conclusion, finding it funny that she was drunk. "I told you to do this somewhere else, leave my shrine alone."
"Aww, don't be like that Reimu. Everyone's invited. They're all looking forward to it. I got a lot of booze for them too. Spent heaps of money."
"...Money that would be better spent on this shrine."
"A girl's got to be able to spend her money on whatever she likes." I found myself nodding at her words. In her case it meant that she'd sink another small fortune into our store, making worrying about my future less of a headache.

Just as Suika grabbed the bags again and started to leave, she seemed to remember that I existed. "This is Arc, by the way." Her words cause the shrine maiden to finally notice me standing pretty much next to her. "I got him to help me out with preparations, so don't kick him out if you see him around, okay?"
"A villager..."Reimu said reflectively, attaching no clear emotion to her words. She nodded in my direction after a moment, and I nodded back.
"Well, I'm off to have a little refreshment." Suika makes her intentions clear, greedily eying one of the bottles in her bag. She turned to me as if to ask if I was going to come along. I wanted to say that I don't drink heavily (or much at all) before lunch, but I felt that she would have just looked at me blankly, not quite understanding my point. She didn't seem to care much about what I was going to do ultimately, since she shrugged and headed on out of the room with the bottles in tow. I looked at her trailing figure and then at the shrine maiden, seeing if she had an opinion about this. She just sat there ambivalently, not really caring whether I stayed or went.

[] Go with Suika
[] Stay here

[x] Stay here

[X] Go with Suika.

Love the oni.

[X] Go with Suika.

Grease your best customer.

[x] Stay here. "If I went with her, I'd be roped into a drinking contest, wouldn't I?"
[x] Handshake... on second thought, maybe not.
[x] "Is this a regular occurrence, Miss Shrine Maiden, the oni accosting strange men and bringing them over to your domicile?"
[x] "So the whole spirited away by oni thing is an exaggeration after all. Here I was thinking my aunt was ready selling me into slavery."

[x] Stay here

[x] Stay here

[x] Stay here

[x] Go with Suika

indeed, love the oni

[x] Stay here
[x] (charm skillz) so... do you come here often? (grin)

I let the self-proclaimed oni run off to drink herself silly. There were way too many hints that she would drink more than I could stomach, and I didn't want to get caught up in that. "I'm guessing that if I went with her I'd get roped into some sort of drinking contest, right?" I smiled casually at the shrine maiden, standing by the opposite end of the table. "You catch on quickly." Her reply was flat, but her lips curled up to form a sly smile, showing that she wasn't necessarily apathetic to me. I contemplated extending my hand to greet her, but I wasn't sure that she would take it. "If you're going to loiter like everyone else, you might as well sit." I took it that that was as welcoming as she could be to a complete stranger, and I thought that just maybe she felt sorry for me. She pretended not to hear the cacophonous singing coming from out back, but I thought I saw her wince almost imperceptibly.

"So is this a regular occurrence, Miss Shrine Maiden, the oni accosting and bringing strange men to your domicile?" I sat down, trying to gauge her mood. There was no hesitation to her words, and it occurred to me that this girl was used to speaking her mind. "You're the first, lucky you. But as annoying as it might be, you're anything but out of place here." She smiled wryly, and her words alluded to some bygone time, "You're a villager after all, and this is your shrine. It's only normal that you come here to fulfill your spiritual needs. It's your duty to donate as well." I thought she was joking judging by her smile, but her persistent gaze told me otherwise. "Sorry, I'm a man who lives off of the work I do. I don't have anything to spare." I told her the truth, most of my earnings went into buying more stock, and the rest into buying clothes and other necessities. She looked disappointed, but didn't let it show for much longer, stoically shrugging.

She hadn't offered me tea by that point, and so I decided to break the ice with her. "Miss Shrine Maiden-"
"My name is Reimu, Arc." She smiled with her eyes. The fact that she used my nickname and introduced herself with her given name made me wonder about her intentions. Maybe she thought that I was holding out on her on the monetary front after all.
"Right then, Reimu." I couldn't complain about not getting through to her, as she looked politely attentive by that point. "I guess this whole spirited away thing is just bunk then? I doesn't look like that oni kidnapped me or anything. And I thought for a while that my aunt had readily sold me into slavery."
"Aunt?" She asked and I explained quickly about my family. "Oh, so you work at that store, then? I've passed it a couple of times but never gone in." I was tactful enough not to ask why, judging by Suika's earlier comments, the d?cor, and her interest in donations she might not be able to indulge much with our kind of merchandise. "I wouldn't discount the possibility of getting abducted just yet." There's a mischievous melody to her voice. "Oni are, by nature, somewhat unpredictable, and if they like you they're bound to act out on their feelings."
"Haha, well I don't think I have to worry about that." I laughed it off as a joke. "I'm not particularly likable I think. I'm just here for the money."
"Figures." She smiles, with absolutely no malice in her voice. "I can't blame you, the prospect of getting her to spend money on your alcohol is probably tantalizing. And I suppose you won't do too bad either in meeting more potential customers at her party." I nodded in agreement. It wasn't a bad deal in theory.

With a relaxed attitude in spite of the drunken wailing coming from outside, she finally offered me tea with a smile. I took the cup gratefully and sipped it leisurely. Save for the ruckus, the ambient here was peaceful, and I could see why she might enjoy just sitting and drinking tea idly. I thought that I might have gotten along with her had she been in school with me; she was maybe roughly my age (perhaps a bit younger? It was hard to tell the age of a girl once they reached their late teens). Subconsciously, I felt that I was on the brink of flirting with her.

[] Find out more about the upcoming party
[] Find out more about Suika
[] Find out more about Reimu
[] Just stay quiet and enjoy the tea

[] Find out more about the upcoming party

[X] Find out more about the upcoming party
i feel this will become AWESOME soon, so we might just dig a bit into how AWESOME it might be.

>?You're a villager after all, and this is your shrine. It's only normal that you come here to fulfill your spiritual needs. It's your duty to donate as well."

See image.

[X] Find out more about Reimu.
---[X] Flirt with her.

I like this Reimu a hell of a lot more than the Reimu usually portrayed on these boards.

[x] Find out more about the upcoming party

Might as well.

[X] Find out more about Reimu.
---[X] Flirt with her.

[x] Find out more about the upcoming party

[x] Find out more about the upcoming party.
-[x] Agree you have your own stake in this; if it results in increased business, even if its by youkai, your Aunt will of course be obliged to offer thanks to the gods in proportion.
[x] Find out more about Reimu.
-[x] Flirt with her.

Business, then pleasure.

[x] Find out more about the upcoming party

[x] Find out more about Suika
[x] Find out more about Reimu

[d] Agree you have your own stake in this; if it results in increased business, even if it's courtesy of a youkai, your Aunt will of course be obliged to offer thanks to the gods and your gracious host, in gratitude.
[a] Find out more about the upcoming party, or at least what she might expect will occur, and who will likely show up.
[z] Find out more about Suika and also oni in general; what's true and what isn't.
[e] Ask if there's any general advice she's got for you, as well as any rules/guidelines to follow: This is her shrine, after all.

Love me some Suika.

However, this is also a vote for practicality's sake: you're going to be having to put up with a drunk an especially drunken Suika for a long while. Better find out if there's anything you should know ahead of time. But first, prime the Reimu pump so she will be amenable to your cause.

Also, I can't quite tell which side of the Border Arc is from. It sounds sort of modern.

[x] Find out more about the upcoming party

no flirting with Reimu outside of TS

>>23564
>no flirting with Reimu outside of TS

I'd like to point out that there's no problem in combining votes. That is two say once these two factors are considered:

1) You can only talk to someone for as long as they're interested or you're not interrupted. That is to say that you might be able to have a wall of dialogue during a quiet moment, but at a hectic/fast-moving event it may not be possible.

2) It's all good as long as the choices don't clash. That is to say, for example, switching from lightearted to serious topics and back at will (not very likely to happen admitedly) or choosing a bunch of actions that can't be possibly executed all at once or in a certain time frame.

That said, I encourage write-ins and sometimes vote combination, especially for dialogue whenever it's possible. Use your judgement but don't be afraid to prioritize if necessary.

-----

I eventually broke the silence in the room when my curiosity got the better of me. Under the circumstances, it couldn't have been helped. And it seemed like a good idea to find out what exactly I was getting myself into. "I'm not quite sure what this party is going to be..."I started to bring up the subject with very little subtly. Luckily, Reimu didn't seem to mind talking about it at all, harping on the subject just like one of the village hags, "Get ready to experience what might be the most uncomfortable experience in your lifetime." With unflinching candidness, she doesn't sugar coat things, "Alcohol everywhere, unrestricted wild behavior, and quite frankly, people who really ought to be knitting sweaters instead of partying this hard. Anyone in your position is, to be completely truthful, probably going to suffer." She sips the remainder of her tea, adding, "I wouldn't want to be in your position."
"Anyone I know?" I wasn't sure whether or not I should be intimidated by her explanation, but just to be on the safe side I was probing further.
"Not likely. Unless you keeps youkai as acquaintances."
"Great, first an oni, now youkai." I tried to shrug it off as a humorous coincidence, all the while feeling like I had just tumbled into quicksand.
"Lovely, huh? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'll also be there. Not because I want to be necessarily, but you understand that they're using my home so I really don't have anywhere else to go. We're both in it quite deep." I felt an empathic connection upon hearing her words. I looked at her while sipping my tea, thinking that just maybe I had met a kindred soul here. Of course that was just my rational mind trying to find a way to cope with the sinking realization that I was going to be exploited, and I knew that deep down, but it felt nice all the same to allow myself to get carried away.
"Well," I thought about the pragmatic side of this, "If things go well though, I'm sure that business flourish. Getting good customers and orders will be a definite boost. Even if they are youkai." I added my reservations in the form of the hypothetical, "If divine providence provides, I'm sure that my aunt wouldn't mind thanking the gods with suitable tribute.It couldn't hurt to show our appreciation with donations."
"That's lovely to hear." Even though I could tell that she was interested in my statement, she continued to look as unflappable and collected as ever. "The gods are generous to those who are, in turn, generous themselves."

That led the conversation to another direction; I happened to try to ask about the truth about supernatural creatures such as the oni. Her response was, while polite, indicative that she either didn't want to share much, or more likely, didn't care enough to learn the truth. I ended up just laughing it up with her while discussing some of the things that everyone thought was simple part of the usual fairy tales. With a natural end to that line of inquiry, I accepted another cup of tea and moved on to another subject.

"Is there anything else that I should watch out for? This place is yours, right? Any special rules?" I suppressed a smile as she looked at me in surprise. It seemed like no one had ever taken into consideration what she thought about this whole mess, and I could tell that she appreciated it, even if it was somewhat of a token gesture. "No, nothing at all. Whatever damage you avoid doing, someone else will do. As long as you don't set the place on fire or steal anything, I don't think that you'll bother me." Her answer is simple, and strangely humble. I felt awkward as I realized that she was starting to equate me to what a normal guest of the shrine should be. Any more and I'd probably get her to cook for me. Nah, that's just my imagination. A case of extreme wishful thinking. She's just being kind after a long hiatus from having well-behaved guests.

"This shrine isn't at all bad." I found myself concluding with a satisfied nod of my head. My tongue rattled off before I had a chance to even think what I was saying properly, "If I had known that the local shrine maiden was such good company, I'd have come to visit years ago. My strange day has definitely been brightened up." It's only after I uttered that that I realized the other interpretation that my words might have. Even now, I'm not sure whether or not I was consciously or unconsciously flirting with Reimu, but I do know that it felt good either way. What's more, to my evident surprise, she didn't seem to mind at all, and it seemed that my words empowered her and gave her a dignified sense of meaning. "Perhaps I should have reached out more to the community..? She ponders out loud, "I seemed to have missed out on a lot by remaining so complacent and isolated."

The mood between the two of us was definitely an enjoyable one. I talked to her after that, asking more about her life, while she gladly became more and more talkative. We were having a pleasant enough time talking when Suika stumbled back into the room, half-empty bottle in one hand and with a strange look on her face. "Hey guys, how's it going? I need you out there." She pointed at me with her free hand, practically stumbling from her sudden movement. "If we don't get things started now, It'll be very... uh.... un-good." She smirks, as if what she said was very funny. "Catch my drift, yeah?" I looked at her stupefied for a moment before asking a question that was, in retrospect, unnecessary and stupid;
"How much have you had to drink?"
"About this much." Suika stretched out her arms from her center, marking a space that could be filled with several bottles, or hell, kegs. "It's just about usual though. Probably. Now come on, before the day turns into... day turns into night."

I stared at Reimu, asking her what I should do. Her look made it abundantly clear that I should do whatever I felt was right in this situation. I had something of a work ethic to be sure, but I doubted that I could get much done (correctly at least) if my boss was completely and utterly drunk beyond my wildest speculation. I thought that the good rapport I built up with the shrine maiden might have come in handy if I needed it.

[] Work with Suika
[] Get out of this with Reimu's help

[X] Work with Suika.

Well, that's why we're here.

[x] Work with Suika

Like we said, we have a vested interest in making this party enjoyable. Going with her before would've been disastrous in that regard. Glad we didn't.

[x] Work with Suika

[x] Work with Suika

{X} Work with Suika.

{X} Work with Suika.

Do what you're getting paid for, besides she can't be a slave driver now can she.."

[x] Work with Suika

[x] Work with Suika
[x] We might need to take a few things into our own hands...

[x] Work with Suika

The oni grabbed me by the arm as soon as I made a move to go with her. I wasn't even able to glance back at Reimu as I was being dragged along with what felt like the strength of a dozen oxen. By dangling my legs furiously from side to side, I was able to somewhat control Suika's path, avoiding sharp corners and other potentially painful encounters. "Working is going to be so much fun~!" She was in good spirits at least, and her enthusiasm might actually be contagious, since I was feeling oddly cheerful as well. In the short time it took to get to where the party was going to happen, I was looking forward to it quite eagerly myself. I couldn't help but smile idiotically when I saw just what exactly I was supposed to do.

About half of the room I was in was filled with bottles all standing one next to the other. The nearest ones were open, and there were several empty ones lying in the doorway leading to the porch. "I want you to organize these." Suika sounded very sober. "Arrange by type, quality, and quantity. Serving order should be taken into consideration." I looked to the task given to me and asked pertinent questions; ?How many people are coming to the party and where should I store these?"
"As you tidy these up, you can put them in the hallway closet." She nudged her head to the side showing you where it was. As she tried to answer my next question, her collected attitude fell flatly apart. "Let's see there should be..."She said a couple of names out loud and started to count on her finger, but couldn't reach a consensus. I eventually realized that she was repeating names, running out of fingers and starting from zero, and doing a whole lot of things that didn't tell me much.
"That's alright. I'll just try my hardest by estimating by the number of bottles." Which wasn't a very easy thing to do really. If they all drank like her, it could just take three or four people to finish these in no time; Whereas a normal group of people would take at least a week of continuous partying to finish all of these off.
"Atta lad, Arc." She said my nickname correctly this time, and barely managed to exit through the porch without stumbling on empty bottles. "I'm going to get the decorations." She went off with a happy little walk that looked like a cross between a skip and a jog.

My work was cut out for me, and there was no escaping the monotonous task. It wasn't that bad once I got into it, truth be told. The wines and other fermented drinks were first, I sorted them out quickly as there wasn't that much variety in them. The fortified wine and all of the similar products seemed to be the most numerous. I spent quite some time trying to catalog everything, conscious that I would probably be asked to fetch a particular variety at a moment's notice. That's why organizing them logically in the closet was important. What was difficult about that was the fact that it was a small storage space, I had to cleverly stack things while keeping them accessible. And by the time that I had finally gotten to the heaviest drinks, I was almost out of space. I managed somehow, in the process making this shrine seem more like an alcohol warehouse than a holy place. I was pretty happy with my handiwork as Suika came back carrying several boxes. "Miss me?" She asked with a silly grin on her face.
"Hardly, I don't think I would after only an hour."
"Only an hour?" The oni stretched her goofy grin even further. "I knew that you liked the stuff as much as I did. But you shouldn't have drank the stuff for the party."
"I didn't." I was confused.
"No?" She looked around the room, looking for any new empty bottles. "I don't care, you know. I'm happy for you if the last five hours went by for you so quickly. It happens to me all the time when I drink."
"Ah..."I realized at what she was getting at. I hadn't realized just how much time had passed. The light outside was already diminishing and the sun bathed everything in a reddish hue. "I guess I got so much into working that I didn't realize how quickly time passed."
"Really?" Suika smiled, putting her boxes down. "That's boring. I have half a mind to force you to drink now. You can't be that boring." She giggled to herself, making me believe that she was picturing ramming a whole bottle down my throat until I drank every last drop. I hoped that she realized that any normal person would die from that. Luckily, she didn't seem to actually plan on doing that now. "Well, if you've worked this hard, I suppose that you deserve a break." She reached into her clothes and pulled out a small generic flask and threw it to me. I caught the speeding flask and looked at it. "It's a little incentive for you to unwind. Don't be, like, so uptight."
"Thanks."
"You worked faster than I would have, so I'm going to allow you to go home now if you want. I'll get you tomorrow." I thought about it. It might be for the best, it was getting pretty late and soon it'd be dark. If there's anything that is drilled into every villager's head at a young age, is that under no circumstances we should go out alone (even in small groups) after dark. My body wouldn't dare make the crossing back to the village after hours even if I actively wanted to.

[] Go home
[] Stick around

[X] Stick around.

Nodding off with Suika in our lap sounds nice at this point. Even better if we can fall asleep leaning against Reimu somehow, then have Suika fall asleep in our lap. Chain sleeping, if you will.

[x] Stick around

It's already sunset, screw it. I don't think we'll have any problem getting Reimu to let us stay overnight.

>?Atta lad, Arc.."

oof

[x] Stick around

>If there's anything that is drilled into every villager's head at a young age, is that under no circumstances we should go out alone (even in small groups) after dark. My body wouldn't dare make the crossing back to the village after hours even if I actively wanted to.

A villager accompanied by an oni chaperone however can do whatever the fuck he likes, when he likes.

[ze] >>23585

>>23584
>?Atta lad, Arc."
Oh you.

[x] Stick around

[x] Stick around.

{X} Stick around

[!/] Stick around.

[x] Stick around

[x] Stick around

[x] Stick around

"Curious, huh? Well, I can't blame you." Suika rummaged through a box, grabbing several glittering strings and shiny decorations. "This is probably the funnest part about preparing for the party." She stopped speaking for a moment and stared a a reflective ball in her hand. After nodding to her self, she continued to speak with a bright smile, "Well, second funnest really. I forgot that tasting drinks was also very fun." I continued to watch as she got everything she needed out and started to play around with where everything would be. It didn't seem that she was that good at decorating, I noticed that she changed everything all the time and, as an additional handicap, she couldn't reach up very high on the wall to hang things. At the very least she seemed to have a healthy attitude about it, and the ribbon tied around one of her horns was joined by a counterpart made from the decorations on the other one that made her look even less intimidating than usual. This oni was more like a child's cloth doll than a scary monster.

She almost fell when she used a nearly-empty box as a step. "Can I maybe help you?"
"Hm?" Suika looked at me strangely, and I thought that maybe I had somehow upset her. I was wrong, apparently, with her simply forgetting that I was even able to help. "Sure you can. Just grab stuff and spread them around. Even if you're an amateur, you should do well." She couldn't help but add her own brand of advice, "If you drink before starting, you'll feel very inspired."
"I think I'll manage." I grabbed a gaudy little ornament and places it on the wall.
"Just one more thing." She cheerfully added. "I'm not going to pay you for this. Just the drink-related stuff."
"I don't mind." I placed another decoration near the porch, spreading around things couldn't be a bad idea. I started to arrange things as tastefully as I could (not very easy when everything glitters or shimmers) and it seemed to impress Suika.
"Good, that's good. You've only just started and you're as good as me. So good in fact that you make me want to do better than you." I could see where this was going. "How about we make things official then? Whoever can decorate the fastest wins. I'll take this part of the room, you can take the other. How's that sound?" The oni proposed enthusiastically. I sensed that once things got into full swing, there would be no stopping them. As if to goad me, Suika reminded me of earlier today. "We're 1-0, I beat you in the race, remember? This is a chance to break even."

[] It's on
[] I limited myself to one competition per day, instead choosing to see what Reimu was up to

[X] It's on

No sense in trying to help and then suddenly stop right in the middle just because of being scared away by "friendly" competition.

[x]It's on.

Decoratin' like the fist of the north star.

[X] It's on.

We really will be spirited away if we keep indulging her.

Sounds fun.

{X} It's on.

[x] It's on
[x] "P-Please be gentle"

Writefag here. Sorry to say but it looks like I won't be able to update for a bit. Be back in less than a day most likely, but I had envisioned updating now a couple of times.

[x] "I haven't been keeping count, but if it'll help you to work better, sure..."

I'm not wary because she keeps challenging us. I'm worried that she's keeping score. We want to be seen as doing this for the right reasons, framing it as what it is: Helping her.

[X] It's on.

[X] It's on.

>>23602

I believe she's more focused on the prospect of competitive fun more so than whether we're doing it to get paid for it.

Besides she already stated that we're only going to be paid for the drink related work and already knows we're "assisting" out of our own free will, she just happened to throw in some competition.

That said...

[X] It's on.

[x] It's on

"I'm not going to back down from this one. I'll beat you right and proper." There was nothing else I could have said, pride and the urge to best her welling up from within. Helping her out? Feeling anxiety? Sure, I wanted to do the former deep down and felt the later, but that was overridden by the desire for victory.
"Just the way I like it!" Suika grinned mischievously; Just looking at her made my blood boil. She took a large swig from a hidden flask and moved on to her part of the room. I did the same, my hands full of decorative material and my fingers twitching with anticipation. I wasn't sure what the starting sign was going to be, but when I head the metallic clang of the flask on the floor I began decorating in earnest. My heart pounded hard and my body shook with excitement as I pinned up flashy ribbons and scattered distracting eye candy. I worked my way around the room methodically, taking care not to miss any large patch of wall or floor. Sure, some of it looked messy, but this was a battle of speed, not one of perfection.

I didn't dare to glance back. Caught up in a phenomenal rush, I continued to work as quickly as my now heightened senses and sharpened movements allowed me to. I was skimming my knees a lot, from crouching and standing up so much, but that only served as more fuel to motivate me onwards. If I had looked at how Suika was doing I was sure that I would have fouled up. It was with guarded optimism that I thought that I just might able to win this thing. I had only a few gaudy strips to go and I was as good as gold.

"Done!" Two voices shouted out simultaneously I turned around in surprise to see an equally befuddled Suika staring at me. I looked at her decoration, while she looked at mine. There was no doubt about it, we had both finished at the same time. "It looks like you were too slow on the uptake Arc." Suika shamelessly distorted the facts; ?From where I'm sitting, it looks like you were the one that was too slow. I clearly finished first." I smiled and pointed to my wall. She smiled as well and came closer to me. "Says you.."
"Yeah, says me." I wasn't about to relent now. I won fair and square. I stood up and walked right in front of her, using my comparatively large physical stature to try to intimidate her. Oni or no oni she wasn't going to get her way. She doesn't flinch, looking up at me with an even more exaggerated grimace.
"There's only one way to settle this." She concluded, staring at me with a worrisome intensity. For a moment I thought she was going to launch a furious attack on me and that a struggle for survival would ensue. Luckily, we were interrupted before it could come to that.

"Wow! It looks like things are going well for the party tomorrow!" Both of you are distracted by the innocent-sounding statement. A goofy grin on her face, the girl in a black dress with white highlights seemed to take a while to notice that the two of us were here. "Oh hey there Suika, how's it going?"
"Well. Having fun." Suika replies casually, no trace of the previous tension at all noticeable.
"That's good. Who's your new playmate?" She looked at me with curious eyes before venturing a guess. "Oh, you must be Reimu's boyfriend, whom I've heard so much about." She flicked the golden braid on her right side while emitting an amused laugh.
"Why must you assume these things? Really now, putting up with you gets more tiresome each day." Reimu emerged from the shadows behind her, sighing audibly.
"A guy could do you heaps of good. Besides, I can tell that there's something between you two." She winked at me, eliciting another sigh from Reimu.
"Speak for yourself." Reimu shrugged, and seemed to let the blond girl go on and on.
"Hey, I'm never wrong about these things." The girl in black boasted. "Oh, where are my manners." She turned to me and then introduced herself, "I'm the almighty magician of love, Marisa. My power is only matched by my peerless beauty and wisdom."
"I'm Arc." I decided to stick to the nickname convention, as detestable as it was. Contrasted to her pompous introduction, mine was doggedly simple.
"Nice to meet you then, Arc. I take it you're from the village? No need to act so freaked out." I was anything but freaked out in reality, but she seemed to be in love with the sound of her own voice so I said nothing. "My knowledge is vast."
"He runs the liquor store Marisa!" Suika pipped in enthusiastically. "There's all sorts of great stuff there."
"I already knew that." I thought that Marisa was bluffing when she said that. But I still didn't say anything. "I knew you'd be here, so I came prepared with a little something.."

Marisa reached into her dress' pockets, looking for something. Her lack of preparation was obvious. She got out two pebbles (identical I thought) and put them in her outstretched hands. "This here is the stone of courage, giving its bearer the ability to better resist fear and adverse situations." She then pointed to the other pebble; ?This is the stone of wisdom, granting its bearer prudence and sensibility. Both stones are magical and very powerful And I'm going to give one to you. You may chose one? There's a special pitch to her voice, sounding a lot like a fruit merchant trying to offload his cargo before the day got too hot and spoilt his goods. "I'll also read you your fortune, so that you can know what will assail you next." Reimu shot a glance at Marisa. It's clear that she didn't like taking up the role of the augur. That would normally be up to a proper priestess.

Suika seemed to buy this, looking at me as if I had just been granted the ultimate reward. I could practically hear her ooh as I thought about what to do.

[] Grab the pebble of courage
[] Grab the pebble of wisdom
[] Refuse politely

[x] Grab the pebble of courage

Oni love courage

[] Grab the pebble of wisdom

Seems like we have plenty of courage already.

{X} Refuse politely

[X] refuse politely

This could garner bonus points on all fronts, or if only on two.

[ze] Refuse politely.
I don't wan't no Triforce pebble.

[x] Refuse politely

[x] Refuse politely

[x] Refuse. Take umbrage.
[x] "From where I stand they look more like the pebbles of condescension and deceit. You wouldn't happen to be hiding the stone of hubris under that big, pointy hat of yours would you?"
[x] "'Oh hey he's just a boy from the village, he must be easy mark.' Peddle your services elsewhere, charlatan."

[x] Refuse politely

Gonna have to refuse.

[!/] Refuse politely

23627
[X] Refuse outright.
[X] "From where I stand they look more like the pebbles of condescension and deceit. You wouldn't happen to be hiding the stone of hubris under that big, pointy hat of yours would you?"
[X] "'Oh hey he's just a boy from the village, he must be easy mark.' Peddle your services elsewhere, charlatan."

ICE BUUUUUURN
but seriously, a pretty damn good comeback.

[x] Take both pebbles quickly and without hesitation.
[x] Throw them as deep into the shrine as you can.
[x] Turn back and smile at the witch. Then continue discussing with Suika who the winner was.

[x] Take both pebbles quickly and without hesitation.
[x] Throw them as deep into the shrine as you can.
[x] Turn back and smile at the witch. Then continue discussing with Suika who the winner was.

I can't stand this Marisa, but I don't think we're angry enough to justify the other write-in. That shit is brutal.

HOLY CRAP what the hell did she do to draw such ire and disdain.."

At most it's just play rather than actual malice for Arc.

Nonetheless...

[x] Refuse politely

At the very least wait till she does "something" to warrant such a burn.

[X] Refuse politely.

Apparently some of us have a fucking hair-trigger.

Seriously, chill out.

[X] Refuse politely.

>"'Oh hey he's just a boy from the village, he must be easy mark.' Peddle your services elsewhere, charlatan."
Did I miss something? She's not selling anything. It's a gift, albeit likely a worthless one.
[x] Grab the pebble of wisdom

[X] Grab the pebble of wisdom

I don't see why not, as it will only make Arc look like he's capable of having fun without being uptight about it. Besides he can get wasted after the party

[x] Refuse politely

I felt like I was being toyed around with. There was a voice within me that told me to respond, but I instead chose to keep my amiable front up. "No thank you. I wouldn't feel right about taking a gift from someone I just met." I smiled earnestly at her.
"Mm, Marisa, it looks to me like he doesn't need either of the stones already." Reimu smirked at the blond girl.
"That's alright." Marisa put away the two stones, seeming to not be bothered at all by my refusal. She shrugged her shoulders slightly at Reimu, and seemed about to say something, but ultimately ignored her in favor of me. "You won't mind if I read your fortune then?" Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed my hand and scanned it with a thoughtful look. She looked at my palms for a few moments. I looked around and saw that Suika was staring intently at my hand as well, while Reimu just stood by the doorway with her arms crossed. "That's something alright." Marisa nodded to herself and let go of my hand.
"What did you see?!" Suika asked for me, apparently buying in completely to the ritual. "I bet you saw a lot of fun in his future!" Marisa didn't reply, looking at me with a pensive gaze.
"...It's not like you to beat around the bush." Reimu weighed in with a smirk, but I couldn't help but feel that she wanted to hear the results as well.
"Well then." Marisa breathes in and then smiles, "...I'm ashamed to say this, but I don't really know how to read palms." I felt like smacking my hand on my forehead. She treats the whole thing as a joke, adding, "You do have nice hands though, warm and shapely." Suika laughs as well (She couldn't possibly have been sober, I thought).
"Thank you." I smiled, wondering if she was alright in the head.

Given by the way she acted then and afterwards, I felt like Marisa was an easygoing person. Frightfully resourceful and smart (as evidenced by some of the two-way ribbing with Reimu), and she was likable in the end. The four of us sat down for some tea afterwards, and I got to know a little bit more about her. "You hadn't heard of the Kirisame family?" The only moment she seemed surprised was when I didn't seem to know her family. I felt that she didn't feel like talking it much, instead deflecting from any further questions and giving me a couple of vague reasons of why she would live in the forest. Her cheery tone and devil-may-care attitude does make her a potentially good drinking partner, I thought. That's probably why Suika invited her over tomorrow.

"It's getting a bit late, I think I'll get going." Marisa excuses herself first.
"Really? It's not late at all!" Suika seems disappointed and drinks from the gourd she's been carrying around.
"It's not that late, but if I'm to party tomorrow, I need to rest up." Her response mollifies the oni a bit. "What about you?" She asked me. "Given the time, I don't think you'll be going to the village by yourself, will you?" I nodded. She used the chance to tease her friend even more, "Well then, your relationship with the shrine maiden is more advanced than I thought!" She winked at Reimu who was wearing a poker face. "No, nothing? You can't hide it forever, you know. Well, there's plenty of time to find about that. For now, I'll walk you home if you like." I was going to ask the usual 'what about youkai?' but her confident wording made me suspect that she was no stranger to fending them off.
"Leave? But we were having fun!" Suika protests at the prospect of your departure. "I'm sure that Reimu will let you stay at the shrine." She looks to the shrine maiden for her reply;
"There is no problem with letting those with no where to go, and faith in their hearts, stay for a while..."
"...but housing a male villager overnight might raise eyebrows?" Marisa finished the thought for her.
"That's pretty much it." Reimu nodded. I wasn't sure if it was because of Marisa's earlier words or not. It seemed to me that no one in the village really cared about the ongoings of this shrine.
"Don't be lame." Suika didn't like the idea of losing company, despite the fact that only hours ago she had suggested that I go home herself.
"Don't get me wrong!" Reimu looked at me, explaining that she wasn't saying so out of malice, "If you really wanted to, I'd have no real problem with you staying... this is your shrine after all..."She trailed off again, evidently omitting her real concern.
"Well, whatever." Maris a shrugged. "I'm going now, so make up your mind."

[] Go back home
[] Stay overnight

[x] Go back home

[] Go back home

[X] Stay overnight
eh...
a full, deep, rich eh...

[x] Go back home

[x] Go back home

um, i just thought i'd write this.
guys, we're not gonna get taken home, as much as i would like so, so even though i believe our writefag will provide interesting situations if we do go home, its most likely they wont be half as fun as what could happen if we stay overnight with both these "fine" ladies.

>>23650

I'd want to be taken home by Suika and Reimu, if you know what I mean.

[x] Go back home

[x] Stay overnight

The hell's wrong with you people? What are we going to do at home that's better than Reimu?

[] Stay overnight

We're likely to be eaten by a Grumia.

[x] Stay overnight
[x] "It's better to be prepared than to be in a hurry. I think I'll stay up a bit longer to set up the decorations. I'll also be here first thing in the morning to help set up"

[X] Stay overnight.

I get the feeling the Marisa would sooner drag us to her own house, then pick at us all night for information on our illicit relationship with the miko.

[X] Stay overnight

[x] Go back home

[ze] Stay overnight

Saved as Party Hard 01.html

[x] Stay overnight.

[X] Stay overnight
Obvious choice is obvious.

[x] Stay overnight

Why tire your self out traveling back and forth if tomorrow you're going to be at the same place again..? At least one place is "actually inviting" and as well you're away from your slave-driver of an aunt.

[x] Go back home

[x] Go back home

[x] Stay overnight

Oh god, were going to need a vote spam check.

[x] Stay overnight.

Otherwise, we risk 'IT'S MAGIC TIME ZE' later.

>>23668
i really want to eat her magic mushrooms.

[X] Stay overnight

[X] Stay overnight

>>23668

I fucking lol'd.

[X] Stay overnight

[+] Fate/Stay Night

[?] Fate/Stay Night

I, for one, hunger for updates and this LIKABLE Reimu.

>>LIKABLE Reimu

I was skimming /shrine/ when I read this, and then immediately decided to start reading the story.

>>23680

You will not be disappointed, dear Anon.

[x] Stay overnight

"Fine, I'm out of here. I'm not going to stick around to see just how hot and heavy you guys are." Marisa smiled at Remiu then at me. She left with an enthusiastic wave to Suika, and a promise that she wouldn't miss the party for anything in the world. Suika trailed off after her, apparently having forgotten to tell her something. I was alone with Reimu. The almost hardwired manners that auntie had so thoughtfully instilled in me over the months made me ask, "It's not too much of a problem, is it? Me staying here, that is."
"No, it's not really. There's some extra space here." She smiled at me, and then answered the real meaning behind my question, "Don't worry about that silly girl. She can say whatever she wants, but she doesn't really mean it, she's carefree in that way. You'll find that if you talk to her some more, you might even enjoy her company."
"Ah, well."
"...If this becomes a regular thing," Reimu tells you with a wry expression, "I'm going to start charging. How do you like the sound of 'the Hakurei Shrine and Inn'?"
"Not very." I joked in turn, "I'm flat-out broke, I couldn't afford to stay here even if I wanted to."
"Too bad. And here I was going to make a homemade meal for my first guest.?

Suika returned much later, looking very clean. Her ribbon had come undone and her clothes looked like sleeping clothes. It was then that I learned that the shrine had a very well-equipped bath. At the oni's behest (and shrine maiden's subtle nod of permission) I was given a towel and told to take a bath myself. I didn't mind, of course, but it wasn't every day that I took a bath at my local shrine. 'There was no big deal about this', or so my conscious mind told me, but there was something about being here that made me feel out of place. As I stripped down, I ultimately dismissed it as more of my aunt's crazy indoctrination and enjoyed myself. The bath was large, but modest-looking, it had probably been around since the shrine was built.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you something." Suika came into the bathroom casually, not even having bothered to knock. I was in the water, and unsure whether she realized I was naked or not, but then it dawned upon me that she didn't care (or pretended not to). ?I'm taking a bath here, you know." I grumbled about her lack of modesty. "Couldn't this have waited until later?"
"It's exactly because you're in the bathroom that I remembered." She came closer to the water. "Since we're two-for-nothing now, I thought that maybe you'd do me a favor."
"I wasn't aware that the loser had to do favors for the winner." I was going to contest her last 'win' again, but having no clothes, I was in no position to look intimidating. "I'm guessing that the favor involves alcohol, right?"
"Yes, it does actually." She smiled, looking at me as if I had guessed a very difficult problem. "I need you to sleep with me."
"Pardon? I thought you said that you wanted me to sleep with you?"
"Is repeating what other people say fun?" She seemed to think about it for a moment. "I guess it is."
"...so, I uh, want to know what exactly it is what you want me to do." I'd have jumped to hasty conclusions, but fortunately for me, I've been around drunks enough times to know better than to take them literally all the time.
"This is a serious problem. I basically need you to stand guard over me." She explained, with the utmost sobriety, "I apparently sleepwalk. And when I do, I sometimes drink. And it would be fine if it was just a bit, but I've drank entire barrels of beer before in my sleep."
"So you don't want to drink the party's supply?" I could see where this was going. I kept a straight face, not letting my incredulity show. This girl was a menace.
"That's it. See, I knew that you'd understand!" She looked happy, as if having found a kindred spirit.
"Why me?" I just had to ask, even though I thought I knew the answer already.
"Because Reimu won't do it. She says that she's not going to stay up all night just to watch if I get up or not."
"I see." This meant that you wouldn't get much sleep if you helped her out.

[] Agree to help her
[] Sleep wherever Reimu assigns you to

[!/] Ask Reimu if can sleep where the booze is storaged, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

I...like both.

>>23684

changing vote as I liked this better.

[x] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>>23679
TS Reimu is the only true Reimu.

[x] Ask Reimu if can sleep where the booze is storaged, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

[ze] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>>23687
>TS Reimu is the only true Reimu.

Hahaha. Isn't that cute?

But it's wrong!

[X] Agree to help her.

[x] Ask Reimu if can sleep where the booze is storaged, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>>23689

>Hahaha. Isn't that cute?

>But it's wrong!
Childhood memories coming back, man I used to love Two Stupid Dogs.

[X] Agree to help her.

We have most of the booze organized, so we can afford to sleep a little during daytime.

>>23691

WRONG!

[X] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

this lets us sleep AND monitor the beer!

[x] "first tell me, how am i supposed to stop you if you do get up?"

[x] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

[x] "First, tell me, how am I supposed to stop you if you do get up?"
[x] Ask Reimu if she keeps any extra shrine rope and talismans around.
[x] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>>23689
all lies and slander. You can't prove me wrong.

[X] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>Ask Reimu if can sleep

Which pronoun was missing here?

[X] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni.

>>23698

I accidentally a whole pronoun, is this bad?

>>23700
I can only eat one.

I gotta say, this story is so far the best thing to happen to /shrine/ since, well, ever. A likable Reimu is a rarity not only in /shrine/ but these boards in general. I've been starting to suspect all the writers here get their Reimu from the "evil clone" cliche storehouse or something. I've been imagining the real Reimu being locked up in a cell while her good(ish) name is besmirched.

As long as you don't pull a YAF and make us go from lighthearted good times to "shit just got real" without warning, you'll do fine.

tl;dr : Your story is good and you should feel good.

>>23707
As stated on the first post, this story is lighthearted. This means that no evil plot or conspiracy. In fact, not much of an overarching storyline (yet?). Guaranteed. This means no bad ends either. Just the entanglements that anon is great at getting into (but that's both totally not my fault, and oftentimes fun for all involved). Try to enjoy the interesting little slice of paradise.
.
-
[X] Ask Reimu if you can sleep where the booze is stored, as you don't want to be mauled to death by a sleeping oni

"I think I've got a better idea." I suggested, trying to find a nice way through this situation. Suika seemed curious, as she leaned in close, almost dangling her chains in the water. "I'll let you know just as soon as I figure things out. In the meantime, could you tell me how I am supposed stop you if you did get up?"
"How would you stop any other sleepwalking person?" Suika replied with a question, telling me that she hadn't really thought about the implications here.
"Depends. I just get the gut feeling that it might not be very easy in your case." I tried not to hint at what the scene would probably be like - sure she was a strange oni, but some of the legends already proved to be true; there was no need for me to find out just how strong she was.
"I'm sure that if you called my name I'd respond." The funny thing was, of course, that she was really being honest. Or so I was almost completely sure.
"Well, in any case, could you let me finish my bath?"

I had almost expected her to stay in the bathroom with me, but she backed off quite easily. I dried off and got dressed and went to find Reimu. Given that the shrine isn't very big, it was very easy to find her in the kitchen, putting away the tea cups from earlier. "I see that you've taken a bath already. That was quick."
"I stayed as long as I had to. I didn't want to hog its use as well."
"There's no need to worry about that, even if you do inconvenience me, there's plenty of ways that you can repay the hospitality of the divine." Ah, yes, I thought then that it wouldn't have been a bad idea to have had gone back home and scrounged up loose change. It seemed like more doors were open with more blessings.
"Well, there's something that I'd like to inconvenience you with, if you don't really mind much at all." I told her about my plan.
"Sleeping with Suika around is sure to shorten your lifespan." Reimu said that with a straight face, but I thought I detected a stifled giggle just below the surface. "You made the right call there. But I don't think I could let you sleep where the alcohol is stored."
"Why not?"
"For starters, there's no room." Well, that much was true. The closet was stuffed full of bottles, and there's nary a nook for any more, let alone a person. I conceded the point to her, but told her just near it was fine. I confessed that I didn't want to be mauled by an oni in my sleep. "Then you've chosen poorly. That despicable oni will easily feast on you if you're anywhere near the alcohol."
"What do you mean?" I kind of knew what she was getting at, but the dramatic emphasis made me ask all the same.
"Well, it's simple. If she goes for the alcohol, then you're in the path. And I don't think that her sleeping mind will be able to identify you as a person and not as a priority. It's likely that you'll get stepped on at the best, and at the worst... well, I'd have to prepare the proper rites and tell your family about what happened."
"...so I'm left with no choice? Do I have to strap myself to her, or just not sleep? I like sleeping as much as anyone does."
"If you're partial to sleep, then there's a solution to that." Reimu tells you the obvious answer, "Don't sleep near her nor the alcohol. I had a small place picked out for you tonight - it's not much, but the futon is pretty comfortable. I'll be in between you and her, so you wouldn't have to worry about getting 'mauled', was it?" I wasn't sure if she was being theatrical again, or she genuinely found my word choice funny. Either way, it didn't really matter.

Suika came into the kitchen, practically demanding what I was going to do. It really was decision time. "I want to sleep soon, so hurry up and make your mind!" I looked at Reimu and shrugged my shoulder, she exchanged an understanding glance with me.

[] Sleep away from Suika
[] Sleep around Suika
[] Sleep near the alcohol

[x] Sleep near the alcohol

Kung-Fu time! Defend the alcohol at all costs! This is your mission anon - should you choose to accept it, we'll have your rites ready just incase.

Are we allowed to move the alcohol in this thought experiment?

[x] Sleep around Suika
Eh what the hell, might as well.

[X] Sleep around Suika.

We might as well just try what she suggested - call her name if she gets out of control.

[X] Sleep around Suika.

Well, he said no bad ends so we should be okay.

>>23710
[X] Sleep around Suika

I've got this image of Bartendernon being dragged through the shrine clinging to the leg of sleep-walking Suika.

[x] Sleep around Suika

[x] Sleep around
[x] Start with Suika

[x] Sleep around Suika
Worst case scenario, we can lift her up to stop her sleepwalking

[x] Sleep near the alcohol

Yeah, gotta keep it safe

[z] Sleep near the alcohol
[e] "Reimu, I don't suppose you could... I dunno, ward the room the liquor is in, or something?"

[x] Sleep around Suika

"Good news!" I smiled at the impatient oni, "Turns out that I'll be keeping an eye on you after all!"
"Yay!" There was an unsuppressed cry of glee from her, and I found myself rationalizing that nothing would probably go wrong. I didn't think then that she would ever do me harm, not intentionally at least. "Come on then, we can't waste time!" She grabbed my arm and began to tug strongly. "We've got an early day tomorrow and I fully expect you to be in tip-top shape."
"Sure thing." I looked at Reimu, who had an amused look about her. "I guess it's good night then." I bowed my head slightly, out of reflex, auntie had done her job well. Reimu inclined her head slightly to acknowledge my gesture and wished me a good night. I made sure to add one final thing before the oni dragged me away from the kitchen, "...think you could set up wards around the room where the liquor is?"
"I could," Reimu replied with a great grin stretching across her face, and I caught her next few words while I was being dragged down the hallway, "...but I'm afraid that this evil is too strong for me to contain."

Accommodations weren't at all that bad. Suika had installed herself in in a small room off one end of the shrine. It was quiet here, and most importantly, it was sufficiently far away from the alcohol to give me ample time to react and deal with any eventualities. There were two futons in the room, in the time she had disappeared, the oni had set up the room for the both of us. They were casually placed a bit apart from each other, in an almost random fashion I thought. "Sleep there, I'll take this futon over here." Suika's command was more pragmatical than anything. The futon she designated for my use was against the wall. I could just see her banging her horns against the wall at night, puncturing and ripping apart whole tracts of it in the process. "Right on then."

I got into the futon, as Suika did the same. It was late at night, and there was little light in the room. I yawned, thinking that it wouldn't be long before I drifted off to sleep. "Good night, Suika." I turned around to face her in the dark. I could see her small figure rolled up in a futon halfway across the room. She was gripping something tightly under the cover, and as my eyes adjusted to the dark I could see that there was a rounded bulge near her center. "Good night Arc, you did good today." Her voice was drowsy, but I was too curious to know what was going on, "What's that you're holding?"
"Oh this?" Her figure turned around in the dark, sloshing sounds sounded in the silent night. "It's just my gourd. I'm just holding it out of habit."
"Fair enough." I let out a yawn, not finding it at all strange that she would do something like that. Not after all the drinking that I were witness to earlier. I turned around myself and found sleep to come with almost no effort.

A vast queue stood outside of my store. Business had picked up. We were making a record profit now, and we could hardly keep up with demand. I smiled at my latest customer, a lovely young maiden, and felt happy to see that all of the other girls looked enviously at this girl. They'd get their turn, it was still early in the day, and I'd gladly man the counter for these beauties for a while yet.

"Trtt!" There was an impact of some sort. There was a sound like water moving about.

Even my aunt seemed to look lovely due to my success. I no longer saw her as the evil taskmistress and appreciated her well defined lines and generous curves. I smiled at her too, and she blushed, looking even younger than the girl from just a moment ago. I had forgotten how she was actually less than ten years older than me, but that didn't matter. I was at the top of the world.

?.ss....fff." A rustling sound almost distracted me from what I was doing.

With all the money I earned, I was able to open other shops around in the other settlements and make a bundle more. It was almost hard to believe that this old and traditional shop could have been revitalized like this almost overnight. If I hadn't been there to witness it, I wouldn't have believed it. The new client?le were almost exclusively young women, and I suspect that they came in part because of me. It was hard nowadays to walk around town without members of my fan club trailing just behind me. What was odd was that those girls were behind it all...

"Mmm!" I let out a small yelp and opened my eyes. Darkness. I felt a pain on the small of my back. Like I had just been pricked by something sharp. I reached around as my became accustomed to the dark, and realized that I was staring at the wall still. My hand came upon something hard, I touched around, seeing that it was long and smooth. "Fwehehe~? A girlish giggle made my mind connect the dots. I let go and turned around.

Lying at a tangent from me, her horn just almost poking my back, was the diminutive shape of Suika. Judging from the fact that her futon seemed to be a tangled mess lying just adjacent to her feet, I concluded that she must have started rolling around in her sleep. I couldn't see her gourd in her hands, and I thought that maybe that dark thing in the middle of the room was it. "...nnn? She was snoring slightly, occasionally whimpering a bit as she slept. Even in the dark, I could see that she had a peaceful expression on. Well, good for her, but not necessarily good for me. I observed her for a couple of minutes, she wasn't moving around any more. But I was sleepy, and perhaps too sleepy to think of anything but of how to go back to sleep.

[] Shift around slightly and go back to sleep
[] Get up and sleep on the opposite end of the room

[x] Shift around slightly and go back to sleep

[X] Aw, just pull her into your futon and hold onto her. You're too tired to actually get up, but she'll sleep more comfortably if she has something soft beneath her.
[X] Besides, it's always nice to have someone to hold onto while sleeping.

Like I would pass up this opportunity.

On an unrelated note...

>I had forgotten how she was actually less than ten years older than me, but that didn't matter.

Is she... is she hot?

>>23722
[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

I think she'd like her booze more than us right now. I hope we can change that during the party.

>>23724
I fear for my nutbladder...

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

[x] Aw, just pull her into your futon and hold onto her. You're too tired to actually get up, but she'll sleep more comfortably if she has something soft beneath her.
[x] Besides, it's always nice to have someone to hold onto while sleeping.

>>23724
You know, he IS dreaming. His aunt just turned into a younger woman - doesn't mean she is.

[z] Place the gourd back in her arms.
[e] Go back to sleep.

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

As nice as the other write in would be, I think it's a bit early for anything like that, and awfully presumptuous of us. And giving her the gourd back would also be rather cute as well.

Also, if we do end up getting up close to her, and she thinks were the gourd... well, has anyone ever written a bad end that involved someone getting their head yanked off and their body drunk from by a sleepwalking Oni? I'm pretty sure it hasn't happened yet, and I'd like to keep it that way.

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

>>23733

Or she could have just dreamed the stopper was already off coincidentally and ends up lip-servicing Arc but we'll never know...

[!/] Place the gourd back in her arms
[!/] Go back to sleep

This oni was made for me.

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

>>23733
I thought this story had no bad-ends.

[X] Place the gourd back in her arms
[X] Go back to sleep

I wasn't sure why I did it, but I got up and grabbed the discarded gourd from the floor. For all the sloshing it made, I found that it felt disproportionately light. Well, I could have been holding a stone pillar and I'd have failed to feel it to be truthful. My mind was barely working and my senses were as sharp as a mud doll's. Still with care, care that I took automatically, I returned the gourd to its owner. I squatted down next to the sleeping oni, hearing the tatami crunch slowly under my weight. Her arms were spread apart, so I carefully placed the gourd near her chest, reluctant to disturb her at all. I almost fumbled when she reacted immediately; Like an animal trap, her arms sprung tightly around the gourd automatically.

I couldn't be bothered to relocate so I just settled down in my futon. Suika started to move. I thought she was going to pinch me again with her horns, but I was relieved to see that she simply turned around and rolled a bit away. I let out a big breath, confident that I would go back to sleep in no time. A rhythmical sound penetrated the still night; A wet sound that I hadn't heard since I last saw my cousin Yui and her newborn children. I strained my eyes in the dark, trying to understand what was going on. Suika's moving figure told me all that I needed to know; the sounds were in sync with her movements, and I realized that she was suckling on the gourd. I didn't know if the cap was still on and she was doing it out of habit, or if she had somehow gotten to the alcohol within. Either way, I found it funny and fell asleep with a smile on my lips.

Morning came all too soon. It felt like I had barely closed my eyes when light filled the room. I winced, trying to block the annoying light with my hands, but that only made me wake up even faster. I eventually gave up, rolled around and opened my eyes. I was angry with myself. The light that was bothering me were just the first few rays of daylight. I yawned and stretched my arms. The room was still mostly dark and Suika was sleeping away contently, still clutching her gourd. I knew that I had woken up out of routine, rather than actual need - waking up at the almost pre-dawn hours was another thing that dear auntie had imposed on me. I cursed my body and shivered slightly. The warmth of the futon was making the cool morning seem almost glacial in comparison. I shuddered as I saw that Suika was sleeping comfortably, despite being completely exposed. That too must be a talent that comes with being an oni.

My mind was pretty much awake now, and I silently congratulated myself for successfully keeping watch over Suika. She hadn't gotten up all night and the refreshments were still all accounted for. Not bad. Now there was only the question of what to do. From what I could see from Suika's blissful expression (and my experiences with heavy drinkers), she was going to be out for a while longer. I let out a final yawn.

[] Walk around the Shrine
[] Wake Suika up

[X] Walk around the Shrine.

See everything.

Meet everyone.

Get hit on by Mima.

[X] Walk around the Shrine.

[] Walk around the Shrine.

[X] Walk around the Shrine

What could possibly go wrong?

[X] Walk around the Shrine.

[x] Walk around the Shrine

STRUT

[x] Walk around the shrine.

Nope, no green-haired ghosts staring at me from the bushes, pondering what they're gonna do to me.

[!/] Walk around the shrine.

Writefag, it would be utter madness for you not to write a Mima.

Sure we are sorta of railroading this potential encounter, but your Reimu is fuck win.

[x] Walk around the Shrine

Madness you say?

[ze] Walk around the Shrine.

Mima~?

>>23750
Wait

What

This yukkuri is actually cute

what is this I dont even

I've never seen such a thing since ruffled-Reimukkuri.

[x] Wake Suika up

Naked Suika is a balanced part of this nutritional breakfast.

[x] Walk around the Shrine

I left the room trying to make the least amount of noise possible. Not that it would've woken up the sleeping oni at any rate. The shrine seemed desolate in the early morning hours. All I could hear was the first brave chirps of birds and my own footsteps on the wood. I didn't feel like disturbing Reimu so early either, so I gravitated towards the non-intimate areas of the shrine. The design of the place was simple and unimposing, I thought. Then again, given how modest the lifestyle in the village is at times, anything excessive would have just been in poor taste.

With a bit of looking, I came upon the shrine's altar. It was placed in an almost forgotten part of the shrine, the wood looking dusty and dull. The lack of offerings around it made me wonder if it was maybe a secondary altar or just not used. It didn't look like that might be the case, as I hadn't seen any other possible place for an altar. Mumbling a half-remembered prayer, I let curiosity get the best of me; I carefully opened the door of the altar. Instead of finding an image or ornate idol, I was surprised to see a dull and chipped stone. I leaned in closer, inspecting the almost featureless object - it was taller than it was wide and subtle grooves crossed the surface. It was a statue of sorts, but there was no way to tell who it was. I felt sad for it and decided to do something about it.

After grabbing a cloth from a nearby storage closet, I got to it. With the utmost care not to damage the frail-looking altar, I cleaned off the thick cake of dust and grime. It was a thankless task, but it took no more than twenty minutes to carefully clean it all. There was no way to make the wood luster, so I just left it at that. I opened the deity's door and cleaned it off carefully. I felt sad for it, so I repeated another prayer and wished I had something to leave as an offering. Perhaps later.

Eventually, things lead me to the rear of the shrine. There wasn't much here; just a large, and seemingly empty, pond and a detached storage building off to the back. I stared into the pond, trying to make out any fish, but it was too murky to see anything. The detached building was locked, a sturdy-looking door with a massive lock was the only way in. There were windows, but they were high up and I'd have to climb up a nearby try just to get to their level. There was no reason for my to even try. By now, I had wasted a fair amount of time just doing nothing. I was sure that Suika wouldn't be awake yet, but I had pretty much run out of things to do.

I was staring vacantly at the torii. The warm daylight offset the morning chill and the scene was a peaceful one. "May I help you?" A voice came from the entrance. "Oh, it's just you. Sorry, I didn't expect to see you up this early."
"Good morning." I greeted Reimu with a smile. "I'm usually up at dawn since I have to prepare to open shop almost every day. It's an annoying habit."
"It's good for you. I get up early each morning as well." Reimu smiles and tells a self-depreciative joke, "Well, I have to justify not sleeping in somehow, and being an agent of the divine justifies only so much in my life."
"Fair enough, it's part of being human. And life, I suppose, until the day we die we have our roles."
"That's a nice way of putting it." Reimu nods. "My role right now then would be to sweep up here."
"Need any help with that?" I offered to ease her workload.
"That's alright. I only have one broom, and I have to justify waking up early somehow."

I felt uncomfortable just standing around. With enough badgering, I managed to at least sweep up in front of the steps. I liked talking to her, in her own way, she was another poor hardworking soul. We both did what we had to, and like me, I got the feeling that she would rather just take it easy. "So." I started up another conversation, "What deity is this shrine dedicated to? I don't believe I quite know."
"Ask your elders. They'd know." Reimu said, and I took it as a joke.
"I'd rather ask you." I laughed. "I saw an altar earlier and cleaned it up, it looked a bit lonely."
"You did?" She looked at me with a look that seemed to ask 'was there such a thing here?'.
"Yup. I was wondering if that was an altar to this shrine's deity. Or perhaps one of the many? I mean, it was sort of out of the way. It was unbelievably dusty."
"I'm afraid not. You see, that altar is currently in disuse."
"Oh. I guess that idol inside of it was just a placeholder then."
"Something like that. It's complicated." She took the broom from me, sweeping the last spot left. "Well, we're all done here. Thanks for your help."
"No problem at all, it's the least I could do as thanks for you letting me stay."
"Until I get my inn idea up and running, that is."
"I'll look forward to it. I don't know if I'll able to afford it."
"We'll see when the time comes. For now though, how about we have some breakfast?" Reimu reminded me that I was feeling hungry. We went into the shrine and into the kitchen. She started to get a couple of plates out.

[] Help Reimu with breakfast
[] Go see if Suika is up, if not, wake her

[x] Help Reimu with breakfast

[x] Help Reimu with breakfast.

We need to justify our early awakening too.

[x] Wake Suika up

[!/] Help Reimu with breakfast

....Mima ;_;

[] Help Reimu with breakfast.

Ah, I guess no Mima then...

> Mima
Who?

Well, I wanted to update once more before I went to sleep, but it looks like I won'tbe able to. I would like to ask the following however:

Any one have any suggestions for the title of the story? A sub-vote could be initiated, to be concluded when this thread autosages. Bear in mind that it's possible that the story (or continuity) won't end with just this particular chapter. So yeah, vote on that if you want as well while voting for regular choices.

Be back in a few hours.

>>23764

[x] Rustic Anecdotes in Parisian Green
[x] Help Reimu with breakfast.

[x] Help Reimu with breakfast.

>>23764

I'll go with whats most popular

[ze] Help Reimu with breakfast.

I am displeased with the lack of Mima.

>>23764
"Party Hard." It's what I've been saving it as, at least.

[x] Help Reimu with breakfast

>>23765
Sounds sexy.

[X] Help Reimu with breakfast.

>I was surprised to see a dull and chipped stone. I leaned in closer, inspecting the almost featureless object - it was taller than it was wide and subtle grooves crossed the surface. It was a statue of sorts, but there was no way to tell who it was. I felt sad for it and decided to do something about it.

Grave stone?

>I felt sad for it, so I repeated another prayer and wished I had something to leave as an offering. Perhaps later.

Give offerings, receive Mima?

>>23769

Drunken offerings when the time comes.

BOOZE FOR THE BOOZE GHOST.

>>23769

Makes sense, Mima is like the shrine's resident evil diety.

>>23755
[X] Help Reimu with breakfast

>>23764
[X] Quotidian Preposterousness
'Something fantastic occurs almost every day' would be my take of a reasonably normal person's impression of the life of the common Touhou. Weird vote is weird. My suggestion is to pick/combine/use as inspiration whatever name feels good.

Also, this story is good and you should feel good for writing it. The protagonist easy to empathize with thanks to the observations and thought processes you've shown us, the Touhous are pleasantly characterized (love Suika's flair for competition, and has been said before, any depiction of Reimu that doesn't focus on her being an unreasonably aggressive bitch is appreciated), and even though you've got a penchant for breaking it up with some narrative the dialogue flows really well. There are some minor typos, but it's easy to gloss over. Hopefully the 'no Bad End' policy doesn't come back to bite ya when anon starts getting schizo. Keep up the good work; I'd be enthused if there's more to the story than this chapter.

>>23786

>opefully the 'no Bad End' policy doesn't come back to bite ya when anon starts getting schizo

There are ways to write around that.

Now if the writefag is schizo himself, well then we're S.O.L.

>It's a lighthearted short story, which should last no more than 3 in-story days.

If i remember correctly, Kira said something like that too, but then

>>23790
Chill the fuck out. Take it easy.

>>23787
>>23790
I may be insane, but I'm not schizo. I'll stick to whatever it is I said in the beginning no matter what. It's only fair. Plus, I already deal with non-lightheartedness on a regular basis as it is, this is refreshing.
-
[x] Help Reimu with breakfast

I naturally started helping Reimu out. I grabbed plates and cutlery and placed them on the table in the next room. After doing so, I returned to help with the actual cooking. "I hope you're not expecting anything too fancy, it's going to just be a bit of rice and not much else." I could detect just a hint of embarrassment behind her words. I didn't mind at all, and told her as much, "That's alright, I don't eat much in the mornings," That was a lie; for all her faults, auntie always prepared a hearty and full breakfast for me every morning - it was delicious every time to boot, "Besides, it's with whom you eat it that usually decides how good food tastes. A pinch of care added while cooking can also do wonders. I'm looking forward to breakfast here."
"I'm glad you feel that way." Reimu smiled with a nervous curling of her lip, "Take care of the soup, will you?"

Cooking breakfast was neither time-consuming nor particularly difficult. For me, it was just simmering the soup stock in water and not much else. Reimu watched over the rice, making sure that it was cooked well enough before serving. Oddly enough, we didn't speak much while we cooked, probably because we were unnaturally focused on cooking. It was a nice change of pace from just sitting around and eating others' foods. I wasn't entirely confident in my cooking skills, but I thought that my dedication would do more than enough to compensate for it. I was done with things my end.

"Shall I get Suika? I'm pretty much done here. It looks like the rice is ready too."
"Don't bother. If she's not up, then it's her own fault."
"That's rather cruel of you." I could see that Reimu that her playful streak was probably founded on minor annoyances she felt towards Suika. I wasn't about to stick my head in their relationship, so I just played along. "Real cold."
"Cruel? She'll survive. And it makes for a quieter breakfast as well. Now come, let's eat, I'm looking forward to trying your soup. It's not every day that I see a guy trying so hard to cook a simple soup." She giggled, trying to imitate what my face looked like.
"...well, it's not every day that I see a shrine maiden obsess over rice either." I returned her laugh. We sat down at the table and began to eat.

"Huh, it's not bad. Not bad at all." Reimu praised the soup with a slurp. "It's a bit different from when I make it."
"It's the love." I laughed again. "Can't beat the taste of dedication. Say, this rice is quite good as well, even if it's simple."
"That's dedication as well. Or maybe just having to make the same thing more times than I care to remember."
"So this little experiment turned out quite well."
"Yes, I think that I could hire you as a cook for my inn - whenever I'm too busy, you'll be up."
"I'll look forward to it, but I've got a steady job already, you'd have to convince my aunt to let me go."
"That's just a minor inconvenience. No one will say no to a wonderful shrine maiden like myself."
"Well, you'd have to give up being a shrine maiden if you went into business. It's hardly proper for a consecrated maiden to run a business in the house of a deity."
"Not necessarily," Reimu smirked, making me think momentarily that she might have given thought to this before, "I know for a fact that there's nothing wrong with making money and living a comfortable life as long as certain things are kept the way they are. I'd be in the clear as far as the spiritual goes."
"Glad to hear that you have such an elaborate fantasy. Mine is much simpler - just having more customers and maybe being given more slack."
"That's basically the same thing as me though."

It was then that we started comparing minute details in our dreams. Things like the amount of money and free time we'd have. She was right, we were very similar; we held the same basic goals and seemed to want the same things in life. I smiled while eating, feeling that it was great that this girl, who was a complete stranger to me yesterday, was so similar to me in some ways. I'd never had thought that someone so supposedly solemn such as a shrine maiden would have been so grounded. Well, maybe 'grounded' wasn't the right word there. 'Materialistic' sounds crass, but it was something like appreciating having some simple comforts in life.

"I can't believe that you ate without me~!" Towards the end of the meal, Suika comes in, still looking sleepy and bleary-eyed. "And there's nothing left either!"
"Sorry there, but you know the rules. You sleep, you weep." Reimu encapsulated her vengeance in the form of some silly rule. "It was too tasty to leave leftovers for you anyways."
"Uuu-!" The oni looked despondent and clutched her gourd tightly with both hands. "Fine, whatever, I don't need to eat anyways. Oni are strong and proud, we've been through worse and we won't collapse because of this."
"Right, right. You might want to get dressed now, I don't think that proud oni race would appreciate you grandstanding with your sleeping clothes almost falling off of your body." Reimu brought my attention to the fact that her shirt was hanging perilously loose around her shoulders.
"Fine. Whatever. I'm going to get ready. After I'm done, you're coming with me Arc, we've got work to do."
"Sure thing." I watched with a smile as she huffed her way back into the corridor. Even though she was supposedly a supernatural monster, complete with horns, I couldn't help but see her as just a spirited young girl.
"Help me clean up, will you?"

By the time that Reimu and I had finished cleaning up, Suika had come back, looking as presentable as she could possibly look. "Come on, let's go. Let's leave Reimu to rot alone for a while." She apparently thought she was being clever, as she smiled as if she had delivered a great snub. I joined her, saying goodbye to Reimu. The shrine maiden nodded and I was on my way outside with Suika. "We're going back to the village today. We need to buy food and snacks for the party." She jiggled a purse full of coin, "And we need a lot of it. To save time, we're going to split up. I'm going to give you a bit of money and tell you what to buy, I trust that I can depend on you."
"I can do the shopping with no problem."
"Awesome." She handed me a smaller bag with coins. "Get the following things..."

I was alone in the outskirts of the village now. I was supposed to buy the things that she told me to and carry them over to the shrine. It only took me an hour or two to gather everything she wanted - I was impressed by just how much she wanted to buy though. I was loaded down with two huge bags which weighed an unreasonable amount. She was going to buy the bulk of the food, that was the scary thing in this scenario. Well, I had plenty of time to spare, and could afford to take a slight detour if I so wished. I wasn't going to be missed so soon. Plus, I still had some extra money on me; since I knew the villagers and where to buy they gave me discounts readily.

[] Go home for a bit
[] Buy <insert item here> from the market
[] Go straight back to the shrine

[x] Go straight back to the shrine

[x] Go straight back to the shrine

[x] Buy painkillers and chart-sheets/quill/ink from the market. Need to be well-prepared for the party.

[x] Buy a deck of cards and some board games from the market

kinda lame but some kind of entertainment might be good for the party

[x] Go straight back to the shrine

>Plus, I already deal with non-lightheartedness on a regular basis as it is, this is refreshing.

Yeah life sucks. Reading Touhou makes you feel a bit better inside....

[x] Go straight back to the shrine

>>23794
[X] Buy some rice balls from the market

A little something in way of apology to our temporary employer for missing out on the feast this morning.

>>23794

I was referencing another writefag. Anyways,

[!/] Buy some rice balls from the market

Food in the stomach will not make us feel as drunk as we might get.

>>23794
I do believe I am fancying a Reimu route.

I cannot believe I just said that.

[z] Buy some rice balls from the market.

Thread has autosaged.
[e] Still voting for: "Party Hard"

>>23811

>I do believe I am fancying a Reimu route.

>I cannot believe we are not getting railroaded on it as well.

Fix'd that for you.

[X] Buy some rice balls from the market

[X] Buy some rice balls from the market

Give offers, meet Mima.

[x] Buy some rice balls from the market

[X] Buy some rice balls from the market

[X] Buy some rice balls from the market

Why not get a "drink" while you're at it too.

Writefag here, new thread as soon as I figure out the name for this story.

...Goddamn that Mima yukkuri is adorable. And I normally dislike those abominations.

>>23816
No, you broke it.

Interesting point, though.

[X] Go straight back to the shrine
[X] Deposit extra money as a donation

Correct Reimu route option.

>>23837
Should have gone home then.