“YUKARIIIII!” Marisa shouted. “LEMME IIIIIN! I JUS’ WANNA TALK T’ HER! YUKARIIIII!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” a voice spoke. Marisa whipped her broomstick around to the woman behind her. The gap youkai was sitting on one of her rifts with her fan hiding half her face.

“Why not?!”

“Because she has not yet fulfilled her obligation.”

“What obl’gation? I didn’ hear anything ‘bout ‘n obl’gation!”

“Hm. How curious. I wonder why.”

“Don’ ac’ dumb with me!”

“The word you’re looking for is ‘coy.’”

“Whatever! Where’s Reimu?! What’d you do t’ her?! Why aren’ you letting me ge’ t’ the shrine?!”

“So many questions from such a little girl,” the youkai murmured to herself. She closed her fan and rested it on her lap. “Reimu is at the shrine.” She continued before Marisa spoke again. “I haven’t done anything to her. And the reason I’m not letting you near the shrine is because I don’t want her to be distracted right now.”

Marisa crossed her arms. “So she can f’fil her obl’gation…?”

“Precisely,” Yukari spoke with a nod.

“An’ jus’ what is this obl’gation?”

“That’s not something for you to worry about.”

“Like hell it is!” The witch whipped out her mini-hakkero and started firing.

Yukari fell backward into her gap and reappeared right behind the girl. “If you ever find out what’s going on,”—Marisa threw her elbow back, trying to hit the woman in the face, but the youkai caught it with a hand—“I promise you that it will be from Reimu herself. For now, I suggest you turn around and go play with another one of your little friends, alright?”

“No... way!” Marisa wrenched her arm away from her and fired a laser that the youkai dodged easily.

“Fine then. But don’t blame me for the beating you’re about to receive.”

---

Reimu didn’t know what she was supposed to do. The only thing she could think of was to apologize to Aya, but… well, that tengu deserved what she got! So… what?

She looked up at the sound of giggling and stomping feet. She moved to the door and slid it open. Outside, Chen was chasing a blue butterfly. She chased it as it zig-zagged, then in a circle, until finally, it flew higher than she could reach. The bakeneko jumped at it, but not high enough to be able to damage the fragile creature. Despite her failure, she continued to chase the insect into the surrounding woods. She disappeared into the trees, and then, after a few moments, her head popped out of a bush. When she spotted Reimu, she bolted towards the shrine maiden, calling out her name.

“…Chen. What are you doing here?”

“Lady Yukari sent me here to come check on you because you looked sad!” the cat said, chipper as ever.

“Did she now…”

“So she said to try to cheer you up, but try not to… uh… ‘let on that…’ ummm…”

“She didn’t want me to find out she sent you here, you mean.”

“Yeah!”

“Uh-huuuh…” Reimu frowned at the thought of Yukari being sympathetic. And why did she herself make her food? Wasn’t it always Ran that did the cooking? And everything else, for that matter? Wait, did that mean that Yukari lived in a house? Reimu always thought that she lived in that gap-dimension-thing-place.

Suddenly, she remembered that there was a guest in front of her. “I’ll go put on some tea,” she said, stepping back into the shrine.

“Okay!” the cat chirped.

Once the tea had been brewed, she put two cups on a tray and set them down next to Chen. Reimu sat beside her as the bakeneko grabbed her drink and brought it to her lips. “NYOW!”

“It just came off the stove, you know,” Reimu deadpanned before she blew on her own tea.

“It’s hot!”

“Uh-huh.”

The two sat there sipping their tea. It was just like before, the shrine maiden reflected. The perfect amount of chaos and calm.

“Hey!” Chen spoke. “Lady Yukari said you called her ‘mom.’ Is that true?”

Reimu’s grip tightened on her cup. “…Y-yes. …I did.”

“Why?”

“I… don’t know.”

“You don’t? Humans are weird…”

“…They sure are.” The shrine maiden took a sip of her tea. “Hey…” When the bakeneko made a curious sound, she continued. “What’s Yukari to you?” The cat cocked her head at the question. “Like… Is she more than just your master? Do you consider her a friend?”

“Lady Yukari is like a granny!” Chen spoke happily.

A puff of air slipped out from Reimu’s lips before she sealed them again. “‘A granny,’ huh? And how about Ran?”

“Ummm… Another granny!”

Reimu started chuckling until it grew into full-on joyous laughter. “H-her, too?! Ah-HAH!” She snorted. “Ah! I don’t—! I don’t usually do that!” she defended.

Chen, giggling along with her, asked, “Do what?”


“N-nevermind that!” the shrine maiden explained, covering her smile with a hand.

---

Like anything else good, the day had to come to an end. Reimu bid Chen farewell and returned to her duties. As she swept, she pondered who’d come to visit next, a smile on her face. The day continued on as it had since she had wounded Aya, but the sun shone just a little bit brighter, and the breeze blew just a little warmer. When dusk turned to night, she retired to her bed, thoughts of Marisa walking up the shrine steps in her head.

Marisa did not come that day. Or the next. No one did. Yukari, however, showed up at the end of the week. And she brought with her an out-of-place dish: A steak, mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

Reimu’s eyes flicked from the plate to the youkai. “Doesn’t this seem a little… heavy for breakfast?”

“I thought you liked free food,” Yukari said before sipping her tea.

The shrine maiden sighed before sitting down and beginning to eat.

“Ah, I was right!” Yukari spoke quietly and playfully. “More importantly, did you consider what you were going to do to fix your mistakes?

Reimu’s next bite stopped just short of her mouth. “Ah… That…”

“Yes. That.”

“Uh…” The shrine maiden’s eyes drifted away. She set Yukari’s fork down and let a long breath escape from her nose. “The only thing I could think to do was apologize to Aya, but…”

“‘But…?’” Yukari pressed when the silence grew a little too long.

“But is that really… it? That’s not going to work. …Right?”

The youkai let the girl sit in suspense as she took a drink. “No, of course it won’t.”

“Oh…” Another silence filled the room.

“Truth be told…” Reimu looked up at those words. “I couldn’t think of anything either.” The shrine maiden’s eyes widened, and her head tilted slightly. Yukari closed her eyes and smiled. “I think this a wound only time can heal.”

“You’re serious…? Wait, wait, wait! What about Keine?! Can’t she erase history or something?! Or any other youkai?! We can just make it so that night never happened!”

“It’s not that simple, Reimu,” Yukari spoke.

“How?! It’s dead simple!”

“No, it isn’t.” It was. But it wasn’t. The problem was that they were both right. But Yukari, being older and wiser, was more right. “Reimu, please… just… trust me…”

“What? You said we need to fix the spell card system! …Or something.”

“No. What needs to be fixed is something else entirely; I just…” Yukari closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nevermind that; you’re free to go.”

“‘Free to go? What does that mean?”

“That I’m no longer holding you captive. Anyone and everyone may come and go as they please to and from the shrine once more.”

“Since when were you holding me captive?”

Yukari cocked her head. “Since Marisa tried to rescue you, I suppose.”

Reimu cocked her own in turn. “Marisa tried to rescue me?”

“Oh yes. And she failed. Not that you needed rescuing, of course.” The woman took another sip, and the shrine maiden blinked at her.

“…I’m so confused.”

“By what?”

“By everything!”

“Ah, I see. Well, none of it’s really important, so don’t think about it and eat.”

Reimu stared at the woman for a while before sighing. “Fine…”

---

“So then I said, ‘Nex’ time ya wanna tussle with me, ya better rethink it!’”

“Really…” Reimu drawled.

“Yep!” Marisa lied. “‘Course, I still couldn’ ge’ close for some reason.”

The shrine maiden rolled her eyes. “I wonder why…”

“But anyways…!” the witch started as she plopped herself down beside her friend. “How’ve you been? As Yukari’s prisoner, I mean.”

“Fine, I guess? Nothing really happened. Chen stopped by once, but that’s about it.”

“Chen did? I thought Yukari said you weren’ taking visitors…”

Reimu shrugged a shoulder. “She said she was giving me time to think or something.”

“Oh yeah! An’ she said you’d tell me what that was all about.”

The shrine maiden closed her eyes. “She wanted me to think about ‘the consequences of my actions.’”

“You mean stabbing Aya.”

She winced. “Yeah…”

“Wha’ was with that, anyway?”

“It’s… nothing.”

“Didn’ seem like nothin’. Ya sure y're okay?”

“I’m fine!” Reimu snapped. When she realized that her friend had jumped back slightly, she turned away and mumbled, “Sorry… But I’m fine. Really.”

“Uh… Okay.” Marisa slowly tapped her finger against the wooden porch. “Hey! We shoul’ go do somethin’!”

“N-no, that’s… alright.”

“Why? Y’know, y’re acting real weird lately…”

“I just… don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“Wha’s not a good idea?”

“…Leaving.”

“‘Leaving?’ What are y’ talkin’ ‘bout? Y’ve been stuck at th’ shrine fer two weeks now!” The witch pushed herself up. “Fer all you know, there’s some new youkai runnin’ around!”

“Is there a new youkai running around?”

Marisa started running away, broom in hand. “Le’s go find out!”

---

None of the humans of the village reacted to Reimu’s presence, besides the usual amount of fear and respect. The youkai, on the other hand, fled from her faster than ever. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here,” Reimu spoke.

“Whaaat? O’ course not! You bein’ here is the best thing you can be doin’!”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, where would you rather be?”

“I don’t know…”

“Then this ‘s where y’re meant t’ be!”

“I’m not so sure…”

“It’ll be fiiine,” Marisa said as she ducked into Geidontei.

“Wait—!” Reimu started as she followed the blonde girl.

“Miyoi! Two orders of tonight’s special!”

“Marisa!” the shrine maiden hissed.

“Ah, hello, Miss Marisa!” Geidontei’s centerpiece spoke. “And Miss—!” Miyoi blanched. She bowed her head until it was nearly touching the counter. “Greetings and good tidings to you, Lady Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine,” she said to the wood.

“Uh, you don’t have to…” Reimu spoke as she held her hands up.

“Please! Forgive me for my insolence!”

“Miyoi…!” Reimu hissed as politely as she could. “Stop shou…!”

“I shall now commit ritual suicide if it pleases you!”

“No! Just—!” The shrine maiden looked around the bar. Seeing all eyes on her, she turned around and hurried out the door and out of the village.

---

Reimu had another dream of a woman stroking her hair as she lay in her lap.

“You know, many would describe that as a pleasant dream,” Eirin spoke, her head resting against her propped-up fist. “In fact, I sell some villagers that dream pill.”

“Can you help me or not?” Reimu asked.

“Of course I can. If you’ll only stop being rude.”

The shrine maiden sighed. “I’m sorry. Can you please help me?”

The pharmacist nodded. “Yes, I can. What kind of dream would you like?”

“I don’t know… Normal?”

Eirin smirked. “What on earth could that possibly mean?”

“Just make me a dream pill! …Please.”

The older woman opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a purple pouch. “Here. This one will turn you into a butterfly. That should work.”

---

Reimu’s red-white wings carried far and high over the countless flowers that she couldn’t hope to name. She settled on a violet flower and began drinking its nectar. When she had her fill, she fled from it. She continued on her journey, passing through a torii gate. She flew over a river that she was unable to see the other side of. Over a bustling street filled with wisps of white. A woman with a scythe set out, banished from her post.

She stopped in a town to rest her wings. She drank from a blue flower. A young girl was writing something as a woman sitting next to her lectured her. A man set down a cup of tea for each of them. The woman picked up her cup, and the girl snatched a note from underneath it. Once she had finished reading it, she tore it in two and let the halves fall to the ground. The woman asked what it had said, and the girl replied that it was nothing of value.

She reached a giant door. A prince and a jiang shi were waiting in line to be let through. An ox managed to get loose and charged through a shrine. Something shining red danced in the sun’s light before crashing into the dirt. The shrine turned to ash on the wind as flames licked its corpse clean.

She flew underneath another torii gate and into the queen’s chamber. She landed on her finger. Peace took her as her endless journey came to a close.

---

“It didn’t work.”

Eirin frowned. “How? That drug has worked on everyone who’s ever taken it. What makes you any different?”

“That woman was still in my dreams.”

“What woman? The one you complained about last time? How do you even know it was the same woman?”

“I just do, alright?! Make her go away!”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about. Still, it’s a strange request.” The pharmacist reached into the drawer again and pulled out another pouch, this one red. “You won’t have an easy time falling asleep taking this, but you’ll wake up instantly if there’s an intruder.”

“You think there’s an intruder…?”

“If you’re dreaming of laying your head on a woman’s lap as she strokes your hair even after taking a pill that gives you a completely different dream, then it can only be caused by an external source.”

“You mean someone’s breaking in every night. …Yukari…!”

---

Every single little noise kept Reimu up. In fact, it felt like every one of her senses were heightened to some degree. Nightvision was certainly a handy thing, but not when she was trying to sleep.

There was nothing for it, though, so she decided to take a walk. As she went down the steps, some of the noises got louder than she expected them to. Whatever they were, they sure were an annoying racket. Maybe if she got rid of whatever was making that sound, she could finally fall asleep. So she started flying towards their source.

It wasn’t just sounds that revealed themselves to her; it was lights, too. Reimu squinted at the sight, trying to make sense of it. “Oh, it’s those annoying screaming girls…” she realized. She was about to turn back when she spied a shock of purple hair with a flower in it. She landed just behind the crowd and started muscling her way towards the girl. She tapped her on the shoulder.

“Reimu?!” Akyuu gasped. “What are you doing here?!”

“What?! I can’t hear you over that racket!”

The chronicler opened her mouth to try again, then closed it before rolling her eyes. She leaned in close and shouted, “This is their last song of the night; we’ll talk after!”

The shrine maiden frowned and crossed her arms but let the girl have her fun. After just a moment, that turned into her plugging her ears. A minute more, and the song ended, thankfully. She tapped her foot impatiently as the pair on stage thanked the crowd for coming.

“Phew, wasn’t that great?!” Akyuu spoke.

“Awfully noisy…” Reimu murmured in response. At the same time, they both asked, “So, what are you doing here?”

“Ah, you first,” the purple-haired girl insisted.

“I couldn’t sleep,” the brunette replied with a shrug. “How about you, Child of Miare? What are you doing outside of the village at night?”

“Oh, come on! We both know I’m protected by the rules; nothing’s gonna happen!”

“You know not every youkai follows those rules, right? Also, that doesn’t answer my question.”

Akyuu sighed. “I like their music, okay? Besides, it’s fine! Miss Keine escorted me here.”

“Hmmm. Alright, whatever.”

“So, what about you? Don’t tell me that sound nullifying spell doesn’t work.”

Sound nullifying spell…? Oh, I guess someone talked about that when I told them to knock it off. “Eirin gave me some medicine so I could… I’m trying to catch an intruder.”

“How do those things correlate?”

“They’re drugs to help me stay awake. I think they improved all my senses.”

“Oh, I see. Any idea who it is?”

“Yukari.”

“But isn’t that normal?”

“No, no, this is different! She—!” Reimu sighed before relenting. She explained what had been going on, and Akyuu nodded along thoughtfully.

“That is disturbing… Is she trying to become your mother or something?”

“You think so…?”

“It would make sense, wouldn’t it?”

Reimu thought about it for a while. “But why would she start doing that?”

Akyuu shook her head. “I don’t know, but you might want to do something about it.”

“Right. I’ll take you home, then I’m going to find Yukari.”

---

She wouldn’t be able to for the better half of a month. When she did, the youkai claimed she was “just visiting.”

“Whatever, just leave me alone.” Reimu pointed her gohei at her. “And I swear, the next time you touch me while I’m sleeping, I will kill you.”

“‘Touch you while you’re sleeping?’ Just what are you talking about?”

“The dreams I’ve had about a woman stroking my face while I sleep in her lap! The reason I’ve been having those dreams is because you’ve been doing it, haven’t you?!”

“I have not.”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“It’s the truth. I’ve been busy; ask Ran.”

“…Where is she?”

“Not here. Maybe next time, then. Listen, Reimu. I want what’s best for you. Because what’s best for you is best for Gensokyo. Best for the youkai, and best for me.”

“Then leave me alone!”

“No. I suppose your claim that I’m trying to be your mother isn’t entirely inaccurate. But of course, I’m not your mother; I’m more like… your boss. And as your boss, I need you in the best condition that you can be in. How about this? I’ll fetch that baku, and she can tell you what’s going on.”

Reimu crossed her arms. “Fine.”

For whatever reason, it took some time for Yukari to retrieve the youkai. So long, in fact, that Reimu went in to make some tea. Only after it was done did the dream-eating youkai enter the shrine. She sat down at her table and stole her teacup before taking out a small leather-bound book. She thumbed it open and murmured, “So, let’s see… Ah, here it is! Yes, mysterious woman stroking her face, she looks relaxed—at peace even… Rather odd for you to be hostile over such a thing, isn’t it?”

Reimu grabbed a new tea cup and sat down opposite of her. “Whatever. Who is she?”

“I’m a baku, Miss Hakurei, not a fortune teller.”

“Just tell me what you can about her then.”

“Well, she has dark brown hair, red clothes—kinda like yours—and a featureless face. If you ask me, she’s supposed to be your mother.”

“What? I don’t have a mother.”

“Miss Hakurei, I may not know much about humans, but I’m pretty sure they don’t appear out of nowhere.”

“That’s not what I mean!”

“Oh, you’re one of those orphan things, aren’t you?”

“Y—! …Yeah… I am.” It happened so quickly that she didn’t even realize what was going on. Her vision blurred, and tears slid down her cheeks. Her breaths were shaky, and her chest ached. Her heart felt hollow. She put her hands to her face, trying to stop the tears from falling.

A pair of arms wrapped around her, and lips kissed the crown of her head. Yukari’s voice spoke, “You’ve been saving your tears for so long that you’ve forgotten you’ve had them, haven’t you? Cry hard. Cry long. Cry until you can cry no more. I’ll be here for you.”

The shrine maiden’s sorrow redoubled itself as she gripped the woman back, her face pressed against her collarbone. She wanted to push her away, but she couldn’t find the strength to. When at long last she had stopped crying, she murmured, “Why are you doing this…?”

Yukari was silent for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“You’re after something,” Reimu murmured into the youkai’s clothes. “What do you want from me?”

“Your success.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You never smile. You’re indifferent towards everyone. You feel that every moment that does not bring you satisfaction is an inconvenience. Your only pleasure is drinking and making money. I’ve let you get away with that for far too long. I’m… truly sorry.”

“You’re not… You’re lying…”

“Reimu, I— I’m… terrible at this, aren’t I?

“What are you saying?”

Yukari shook her head and held the girl away from her by her shoulders. “There’s no other way to do this, so I’m just going to. Reimu, I’m adopting you.”

“WHAT?!”

Sanae had once told Reimu and Marisa a story about a family of cannibals who appeared completely normal in front of others but would knock them unconscious once they had gathered enough trust. That was exactly how the shrine maiden felt now.

Yukari’s house may not have been normal by her standards, but it did seem mostly normal, according to someone’s. She expected… Well, she didn’t know what she expected, but she didn’t expect it to be suitable for a human. There were a lot of things that the kappa would want to get their hands on, but Reimu wouldn’t know what they were or their use. The décor was… purple. And old. Probably from a country across the sea, too. There was a white bear skin, complete with open maw, on the floor instead of a rug. And a dead animal skull was sitting on a shelf.

She carefully sipped her tea.

The only thing she could do in this situation was listen to the sound of Ran’s kitchen knife working on some vegetable. The idea of something so normal happening in the other room would have been comforting, but knowing that it was a youkai holding that sharpened object changed that. Of course, they weren’t going to eat her, but… they were youkai. And she was a human.

No, the worst thing was the adoption. What the hell did that mean? Like a pet or a child? She’d probably already know if this was anyone else, but this was Yukari. …Was she facing retirement? At this age? Did shrine maidens retire? Or maybe shrine maidens had to be young? She was only… actually, how old was she again? Sixteen? Seventeen? Her mother…

Her mother… What had happened to her…? When she died, it was before the spell card system was even an idea, so the likelihood of her having been… Suddenly, she realized that she didn’t want to think about that. It was odd; the idea of someone being killed by a youkai had never bothered her before—it was a somewhat regular thing, after all. But the idea of it being her mother… disturbed her.

“I’m back!” Yukari called out, making the shrine maiden jump a little. Reimu heard her shikigami greet her before the gap youkai entered the room. “Hello, Reimu!” she greeted as she sat down to the girl’s right. “How are you today?”

“Uh… good,” the shrine maiden replied, though it sounded more like a question than a response.

“Wonderful! I have a little gift for you!” Yukari spoke as she laid a box on the table.

“Oh. Oh great! How wonderful!” Her acting skills could use way more than a bit of work, but if the gap youkai wasn’t fooled, she didn’t make any indication of it.

“…Well? Go ahead and open it!”

“S-sure…” She picked up the box and started untying the red ribbon holding it closed. The last knot, however, was giving her trouble. She gave up on trying to undo the knot and instead gripped it in her fist, trying to brute force the obstruction away. It worked, but the back of her fist slammed into the youkai’s face. Reimu’s eyes widened as Yukari clutched her nose. When she waved her off, Reimu continued opening the box. Slowly, this time.

Inside were Ran’s clothes. The tabard was red, but there was no way this was meant for her. “Uh…”

“Try it on.” Yukari’s words were gentle—sing-song, actually—for a command, but Reimu didn’t want to anger her more than she already had. That smile she still wore was disturbing. She stood up and pulled the white dress over her head, then the red tabard. Yukari stood up and began messing with it until she was satisfied. “There! It looks wonderful on you!”

“Uh, yeah… …Thanks.”

“You’re more than welcome! After all, if you’re going to be living here, you have to look the part!”

“What?! What about—?! What about the shrine? And what if I want to leave?”

“Oh, it’ll be fine! Hardly anyone ever goes there anyway, right?”

“Gee, I wonder why!”

“Don’t use that tone with me, young lady!” Yukari scolded, pointing her fan at the girl.

Reimu hesitated and relented. “S-s-sorry… ma’am…”

“So long as you understand.” The youkai turned her head to the other room and called, “Ran, could you put on some tea?” then turned back to the girl. “You don’t have to stay standing; sit back down!” The shrine maiden did as she was ordered. “And just what do you mean by leave?”

“You know. Go? Like… rent a book from Suzunaan or something?”

“Oh, you mean play with your friends! Sure, just ask, and I’ll drop you off!”

“Drop me…? Wait, no! We can’t be seen together!”

“What do you mean we can’t be seen together? What’s wrong with that?”

“I believe what she means, Lady Yukari,” Ran spoke as she set down tea before her master, “is that if someone were to see you so close to Reimu, they will become suspicious of your relationship. Particularly your motives.”

“Nonsense! They have no reason to; I’m doing this for the good of everyone! Right, Reimu?”

“Uhhh…”

“Lady Yukari, permit me to elaborate. An overwhelming majority of those living in Gensokyo believe you to be a nefarious manipulator. Some even believe that Miss Reimu is merely a soulless puppet that you yourself created to keep everyone in their place.”

“Oh, preposterous!”

“Please let me finish. From every angle, your reputation is not favorable. Miss Reimu is also feared by some. If the two of you are seen together, particularly by a village human, that will only decrease your respective reputations even further. They will jump to the conclusion that you plan to dispose of everyone in Gensokyo who does not fear you.

“That’s ridiculous, Ran! And you know it!”

“That is correct. But no less true. I will calculate the probability of my statement becoming true if it will help.”

Yukari glared up at her shikigami. “…Fine.”

“I will run the calculations three times.” Ran closed her eyes and let silence reign. “The average chance of one’s fear of the proposed conspiracy is 81.42%.”

The gap youkai shook her head as she pushed herself up. “I don’t believe you. And I’m going to prove you wrong!” she said as she left the room.

Ran sighed as she sat down where Yukari was and took a sip from her untouched tea. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess.”

Reimu’s head snapped to the shikigami.

“Oh, don’t act so surprised. If you’ve ever had the thought that Lady Yukari’s main motivation for anything is attention seeking, you’re more than correct. The only reason she has any subtlety is because she has to maintain appearances. Particularly in front of me. The infallible master with her bright-eyed student looking over her shoulder.” She took another sip of her tea. “Not Chen, though. The little tattletale is always telling me about the candy she got from ‘Auntie Yukari.’ Which reminds me! Never mention her age! Period!” The shikigami took a proper drink and then let out a bigger sigh than before.

“Er… right… Uh, hey… What do you think of Yukari?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well… like… your relationship.”

“I’m afraid I still have no idea what you’re asking.”

Reimu braced herself. “Chen called her a granny.”

The shikigami was unable to contain her laughter, so she decided to just let it all out. The shrine maiden didn’t expect it to sound so fox-like as she started laughing along with her. When they were nearly done, Ran wiped away a stray tear. “You should have seen her face when she first called her a granny.”

“Was she mad?”

“She was furious! She was so angry that she was crying! ‘Ran! You said your training was going well!’ ‘Lady Yukari, I said I had made a lot of progress, not that she was ready to be a Yakumo! It’s your fault, anyway! You came to see her when I told you not to!’” The shikigami massaged her jaw before she said, “She gave me quite the beating for that.”

“She beat you?!”

Ran chuckled. “Reimu, I’m a youkai—and a strong one, at that. There’s no reason to be worried about me. If you’re worried about getting beat yourself, don’t be; she’s always been worried about you.”

“Does… she… see me as a daughter…?”

The fox youkai nodded, but she wore a solemn look. “When she returned from that party, she talked my ear off about how happy she was. I don’t mean to imply that’s a bad thing, but she does not want her mask to crack, you know? And I hope you don’t think ill of her; she does want what’s best for you.” A beat of silence passed. “She’s mellowed out a lot over the years. She even tried to make friends with your mother, after all.”

Reimu frowned. “Were my mother and her close?”

“No. She was just the first Hakurei shrine maiden she had revealed to be so closely involved in the running of Gensokyo, is all. Your mother, just like you, tried to shoot first and ask questions after, but Lady Yukari just slipped away instead.”

“How… similar am I to my mother?”

Ran stared at the girl for a while. “Very. If the world had been as kind to her as it’s been to you, I think the two of you would have been nearly identical.”

“And… And what happened to her?”

“I don’t know… Yukari wouldn’t say.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Only Yukari knows what happened. I’m sorry I can’t tell you any more.”

“…It’s… It’s alright…” Reimu took a sip of her tea. “You know… you’re surprisingly easy to talk to.”

“Because Lady Yukari isn’t here.” Ran lifted her cup and said before she took a drink, “I can never relax with her around.”

“Neither can I,” Reimu chuckled, and the shikigami joined her. “That reminds me, you never answered my question.”

“About our relationship?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you’re asking if I see her as a mother, I don’t. Though I wouldn’t say our relationship is always a master-servant one. In fact, I more think of it as a mentor-student relationship at times, particularly when she’s helping me train Chen. And I don’t see Chen as a daughter, either, merely a particularly rowdy apprentice.”

“I see…” Reimu spoke. For some reason, it felt like her hopes had been dashed somewhat. Ran must have realized this as she put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“I understand that your lack of a family has been causing you a great deal of issues, but also that you’re suspicious of Lady Yukari. If you ever need refuge that you cannot find anywhere else, come find me, and we’ll escape for a while.” Ran smiled mischievously. “We can just tell Lady Yukari we’re picking up ingredients in the village.”

“A-alright. Thanks.”

The fox’s smile turned into a more honest one. “You’re more than welcome, Reimu.”

This chapter was a pain to write because I didn't want the story to go here and where it will next chapter.

---

Reimu slept better than she expected to. Maybe the ceiling of vines, leaves, and flowers had helped. Whatever those glowing blue lights were had also disappeared. She stepped out of her plush mushroom bed and cringed at the touch of the cold moss floor. She sat there adapting to it before she stood up properly and moved to leave the room.

She found Chen in the main sitting room, drawing something. The cat turned to her and said, “Hi, Reimu!”

“Good morning, Chen.”

“Good morning!” the cat spoke again. Then she pushed herself up, grabbed her paper, and presented it to the shrine maiden, face beaming proudly all the while.

Reimu was no stranger to situations like this, thanks to Keine dragging her to the temple school, but usually, the kids would show her a picture of something resembling an animal or how much their characters had improved. “Oh…! This is… really good! Good job, Chen!”

“Sanskrit!” the cat said smugly, rolling back and forth on her feet.

The human nodded slowly. “…Wow! That’s… impressive!” She handed the paper back to the youkai. “I’ll let you get back to that then.” Chen’s smile somehow widened even further before she brought it back to the table. Reimu moved into the kitchen and sat down at the high table sitting in the middle.

Ran set down a cup of tea, a bowl of rice, and a plate of eggs in front of the shrine maiden, saying, “Good morning. It is currently 10:13:28 AM.”

“Huh?”

“The time,” the shikigami spoke as if it explained anything. She put her hands in her sleeves before continuing. “Was the quality of your sleep adequate?”

“I guess. I think that room you gave me is better suited for Marisa, though.”

“I agree, but I have no say in the interior decorating beyond, ‘get rid of everything that proves too much of a hassle to bother keeping.’”

“Like what?”

“It depends. It could be something dangerous, hard to clean… Stuff like that.”

“Ah.” Ran watched the girl eat until she paused. “What?”

“For how much you seem to dislike Yukari, does it not bother you being so similar to her?”

“She and I are nothing alike!”

“To err is human,” Ran spoke before leaving Reimu to her breakfast.

“Where are you going?”

“Some minor tears have appeared in the border, so I’m leaving to repair them before they grow larger.”

“Take me with you!” Reimu cried out with more desperation than she wished.

“What for?”

“B-b-because of the shrine! Somebody has to clean it! Right?”

“Ah, you already wish to escape.” The shikigami opened a gap and gestured for her to follow. “Alright, then, but please understand that if you do not return with me willingly, Yukari is just going to come for you instead. Finish your breakfast quickly.” As the shrine maiden tossed aside her inhibitions, the fox added, “But don’t choke!”

---

When Reimu arrived at her shrine, she found leaves scattered everywhere and money in the donation box. “Stupid Yukari,” she grumbled. “This is why I’m supposed to be here!” She grabbed her broom. “But no, her and her stupid fascination with me—” She paused and looked around before forcing her monologue into her brain. Her stupid fascination with me is ruining the shrine! Doesn’t she care?! Isn’t this the one place she actually wants to stay the same until the end of time?

“Yo, Reimu!” a voice called out.

The girl in red sighed. “Hello, Marisa…”

“Now tha’s way t’ greet th’ friend who saved yer life!”

“Who?”

“That’s cold, Reimu!” When the shrine maiden only shook her head and went back to sweeping, she asked, “Are you feelin’ ‘lright; ya look grumpier than usual.”

The shrine maiden sighed. “No, actually…”

“W’ll, wha’s th’ matter? ‘S it th’ Yukari thing? Look, ‘m really sorry about laughin’ atchu—we all are. ‘S jus’— Ya gotta admit tha’ was pretty funny.” Reimu glared at the witch, and she looked away ashamedly.

“It’s not about that.”

“‘Snot?”

“No, it isn’t.” Reimu sighed again then began rubbing her temples slowly. Her mind was jumping from one thought to another, never staying still for more than a moment like a butterfly. All those ideas, however, surrounded one thing: Yukari. “Marisa, have I ever been wrong about anything? My intuition, I mean.”

The black-white girl let out a puff of air that inspired her bangs to dance in time. “No, I don’ think so, much ‘s I wish that wasn’ the case…”

Yukari doesn’t feel like she’s going to kill me or anything like that… But what’s with the adoption thing? Is she just playing around or is she actually trying to— Reimu shuddered, opting to push that thought away. She said this was for the good of Gensokyo, but what does that mean? She couldn’t have meant herself, could she? So then… Reimu groaned, already tired of trying to think like Yukari. If she could have, she would have come up with a much better plan. “Marisa. Do you have any money?”

---

“I know that you’ve explained this plan to me, what, four times now, but… you want to make Yukari chocolate…”

“Uh-huh…”

“Give ‘er… lots of attention…”

“Yep.”

“An’… B— Because o’ th’ phrase ‘kill ‘em with kindness.’”

“That’s correct.”

“An’ yer sure this’ll work?”

“It’s got to! Fight fire with fire, after all!”

“Why?”

“It’s got to. If it doesn’t… It’ll work.” Marisa just stared at her, skepticism scrawled across her face like a child's scribbles all over the pages of an expensive novel. She shook her head, then reached for one of the chocolates, receiving a harsh slap on the hand. “GO MAKE YOUR OWN!”

“Fine, fine!” the witch gave up after licking her skin clean. “See ya tomorrow; hope this works!”

“You better do more than hope!”

“Okaaaay!” Marisa called back as she took off.

“Why didn’t she close the stupid door?” Reimu grumbled to herself as she moved to fix it. She yelped as Ran appeared. “What are you doing here?!”

“I came to collect you. You’re making chocolate?”

“Er…” the girl shifted her weight from one foot to another. “Yes. I am.”

The kitsune put a hand over her mouth in thought. Then her brow furrowed. “If they’re for a boy, then I pray Lady Yukari does not find out…”

Reimu’s face grew red. “They’re not!”

“I have neither interest nor concern for your love life, so I will leave the matter alone. Are you ready to return to Lady Yukari’s home?”

“Uh…” the shrine maiden looked back to her work. “Could you give me a hand finishing these and cleaning up?”

“Certainly.” Once the sweets were in Reimu’s ice box, Ran opened a gap, and they appeared in the kitchen. “I must start preparing dinner; do as you like.”

“You don’t want help?”

“You are a guest; you shouldn’t feel obligated to help me.” Ran glanced towards the other room where someone whose voice Reimu didn’t recognized was talking. “Though I didn’t formally object, nor do I,” the fox continued in a low voice.

“Raaan?” Yukari called as she entered the kitchen. “Oh good, you are here! And Reimu! Are you helping my dear shikigami? That’s so sweet of you! But you really don’t need to do that.”

“I, uh…” the girl stammered.

“In fact, what do you say we go to a nice restaurant, instead?”

“‘Res…?’” both yonger women began to protest for different reasons.

Ran, finding her courage, coughed into her fist. “Lady Yukari, I don’t… Rather, I’m uncertain that taking the Hakurei shrine maiden to the outside world is such a good idea.”

“Oh, it’ll be fine! It’s not like we’re throwing her to the wolves here! Beside, it’s a wonderful opportunity, isn’t it, Reimu? After all, you didn’t get to truly experience it when you resolved the Urban Legend Incident.”

“Yeah, but—” the girl started before stopping herself.

“What is it, dear?”

The shrine maiden stayed silent, trying to think of how to put her words tactfully. “I, uh… The Outside World was… really noisy, I thought.”

Yukari chuckled. “It is, yes,but this will be a good experience for you.”

“How?”

“Because new things are always good!”

Reimu couldn’t help but pull a face at her baffling words.

“Lady Yukari,” Ran interrupted. “There’s… She doesn’t have— No amount of preparation has been put into—!”

“We’ll make a night out of it!” the gap youkai announced with finality. “First we’ll shop! Then we’ll eat! Then we’ll go bowling!”

Her shikigami didn’t react. At all. Then she put her sleeves up and lowered her face into the cloth. “Lady Yukari,” she spoke quietly and levelly. “May I be selfish and ask you to retrieve Chen in my stead?”

The older woman smiled. “You may.” She opened a gap and disappeared.

Ran seized Reimu by her upper arm. “Wh-what are you…?!” the girl stammered.

“We must prepare for a night of hell,” the fox spoke like a woman possessed. …By something other than a shikigami. When they got to Ran’s room, she dove for a nearby drawer and began muttering to herself as she dug through it.

“Ran? What’s going on?”

Her head snapped violently in Reimu’s direction. “Bowling,” she spat. “That’s what’s going on.”

“Wh-what’s bowling…?”

“A crude Outside World sport where humans throw heavy balls at high speeds down slick lanes towards pins as hard as they can…” The woman winced. “Agony. It’s agony.” She resumed her rifling before muttering, “They must be in here—they must! Reimu!” The fox pointed past the girl. “Check that drawer!”

“What am I looking for?”

“A pair of foam earplugs wrapped in plastic packaging!”

“Uh, okay…” When she found what might be it, she grabbed it and showed it to Ran. “Is this is it?”

“Yes! Thank you so much!” Reimu’s eyes widened at the sight of the hatless fox. It went without saying that she knew she was a youkai, but something about seeing the woman’s ears for the first time was rather strange. Ran took the package and then asked, “Are there any more left?”

“I don’t think so,” Reimu replied, glancing at the drawer.

“Oh dear…” The fox’s ears drooped. “Then… you’ll need these more than I do,” she said as she pressed the package back into the shrine maiden’s hand. Then, she made some gestures to ward off evil.

“Th-thanks…?”

Reimu started as a gap opened beside her. “We’re ready!” Yukari spoke as she poked her head through.

“Eh?! Ah, uh…” Ran stammered. “I, er… Y-yes! We… are.”

The elder youkai frowned. “What’s the problem now?” When the fox only shifted her weight from one foot to the other, she continued. “Come on, Ran, spit it out already.”

“I… er…” She murmured something no one could hear.

“Louder, sweetheart.”

“My… earplugs…”

“Your earplugs? What, did you run out?” The shikigami nodded, and Yukari threw her head back. “Oh, for the love of the gods…” She reached into a gap and pulled out a box full of them. “Here, take them. I swear, sometimes you’re more like an overgrown child than my shikigami.”

“Bowling hurts my ears!” Ran blurted out.

Yukari crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and shook her head.

---

I know Reimu had just received 20 bucks, but I, for one, think she’s always justified in asking Marisa for money.

Author’s Note: Merry Christmas, everybody! Now, how do I use this website again...?

---

The first thing Reimu saw as she stepped out of Yukari’s gap was a purple car. Ran pressed a button on the wall, and a large door began sliding into the ceiling. She then moved to the vehicle and opened one of its two doors before leaning the seat forward so Chen could crawl into the back. The kitsune ensured the bakeneko was… ready before she moved the seat back into position and got in herself.

“Reimu!” Yukari called out as she motioned for her to approach. The youkai moved her chair like Ran had and told her to get in. The shrine maiden took her place beside Chen and watched as Yukari trapped her in the vehicle.

“Seatbelt,” Chen spoke.

“What?”

“Your seatbelt.” The cat pointed at her body.

“It’s the law!” Yukari sing-songed with a finger pointing to the sky.

“You’ll have to show her, Chen,” Ran supplied.

The little youkai put on a wide smile and then reached across Reimu’s body. She pulled back a little metal thing stuck to a length of fabric. It clicked into place once the fabric was across her waist and chest. It was ridiculously constrictive in a ridiculously small space. The only way it could be worse was if she was in an animal-trapping cage.

Then, the car coughed and growled.

Chen snickered behind her hand at her reaction. Reimu scowled at the cat, who suddenly decided that looking out the window was a better idea. Soon, they were moving right along toward a destination the human didn’t know. After a long length of silence, Yukari spoke, “You know, Reimu, this car is called a Ford Pinto. It was infamous for bursting into flames when rear-ended.”

The shrine maiden didn’t react. At least not externally.

“I fixed that a long time ago,” Ran added.

Those words didn’t help.

More time passed, which the gap youkai once again felt the need to break up. “How about a little music?” She fiddled with a dial, producing static, talk radio, and otherworldly animal calls until music came out. It was loud, annoying, and everything in between. Yukari’s singing, too.

What felt like hours later, a city came into view. The feeling of uneasiness gripped her heart, becoming fear as they made their way in and through the impossibly tall buildings. Sure, she’d seen these buildings near the end of the Urban Legend incident, but now, being between and under them made her feel small and vulnerable. People gave them—her—odd looks as they passed. She wanted to crawl away and find a place where she could just… breathe.

After many steps, they entered a large building made of stone and steel. It was probably the largest building Reimu had ever been in. Sure, the Scarlet Devil Mansion was a maze of impossibly long hallways, but it wasn’t that big on the outside. Not to mention, she never actually entered the building that often. Between Remilia preferring hosting parties outside when she could and Sakuya always guiding her around, the fear of getting lost was never there. Here, it felt like if she stepped around one of those giant pillars or through the halls of clothes, Ran and Yukari would be gone in an instant.

She followed them to a section with a sign hanging overhead that marked women’s clothing. Yukari started rifling through the clothes and pulled out what looked like a red fabric tube with lengths of string looping over the top. “What do you think about this, Reimu?”

“What is it…?”

“It’s called a crop top.”

“Lady Yukari!” Ran gasped. “She can’t go around wearing such risqué clothing!”

“Why not? We’re not in Gensokyo anymore; it’s not like it matters.”

“Of course it matters!” The gap youkai opened her mouth, but her servant rushed forward, grabbed her wrist, and spoke something into her ear that Reimu couldn’t hear.

Yukari’s face darkened. “Your concerns are noted and very much appreciated; thank you.” She put the crop top back and moved to a different rack.

“What was that all about?” the shrine maiden asked.

“The less you know, the better,” Ran replied tersely.

Reimu put a hand on her hip, frowning. “You know, you keep saying vague things that seem scary, and then they turn out to be nothing.”

“Ah… Apologies. Perhaps that’s just in my nature as a youkai. Or something else…”

She grunted in acknowledgment. “…So?”

“So what?”

“So what’s this secret thing I’m not allowed to know about?”

“Ah… That…” Ran’s ears—and her hat by extension—flattened themselves. “Erm… Uh… Have you… ever heard a woman describe a man as… a beast…? Or an animal…? A pig, perhaps!”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, here, it’s… It can be much worse with the men of the Outside World.”

“How so?”

Ran grew even more apprehensive. “They act even worse than any other youkai you’ve met.”

“What does that mean?”

“Reimu, please just leave it be.”

The girl crossed her arms. “Ran, I’m not a kid.”

“You’re not an adult, either,” the fox bit back. She must have seen the shrine maiden’s shock because she let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, it’s just… one of my duties is to protect you from unknown and-or unseen threats—things you can’t defend yourself from for whatever reason that may be—so…” She took a deep breath. “This is a matter, I feel, that not only falls into both of those categories but also into… something else.” She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Look, Reimu—”

“Reimuuuu!” came Yukari’s trilling voice. “Look at this cute little outfit!” She held up a white t-shirt covered by a red flannel button-up and a pair of blue jeans with purposefully cut holes in the knees. Reimu frowned, unsure of what to make of the outfit. “Well, I suppose I should ask Ran first, shouldn’t I?” she asked playfully.

“It appears tomboyish.”

“Is that bad?”

“Nevermind…”

“Urr…” Reimu sounded.

Yukari hummed. “Maybe you’re right, Ran; not really her style, is it?” She lowered the clothes. “Well, don’t just stand there; go find something!”

“Yes, my lady. Frankly, I was under the impression that you wanted to choose yourself,” the shikigami spoke before departing.

“That girl…” her master murmured. “She never takes the initiative…”

“I thought you hated it when she acted on her own,” Reimu shot back.

“Since when?” The shrine maiden shrugged. “Well, whatever. Come on, let’s go find you something cute. Would you like to try on shoes as well?”

“I… don’t know…”

“Was that a question or a response?”

Reimu rolled her eyes. Yukari pulled out a multitude of outfits that she rejected in her casual, lazy fashion until Ran returned with one of her own. It was a white button-up shirt with open sleeves held together with red bows and a red skirt. It looked highly similar to what she was already wearing. So much so that she actually found herself imagining it on her.

“Well, I think that settles it then,” Yukari spoke. “Reimu.”

“Huh?”

“Go try it on so you can show it off for us!” After a moment of stammering, an explanation of where to go, and a minute of waiting, the shrine maiden emerged as an ordinary high school girl. “It looks spectacular on you!” the older woman gasped.

Reimu couldn’t hide the smile threatening to spread across her face. “Th-thanks… I guess.”

“Are you sure this is the only outfit you want?”

“W-well…”

Hours later, Ran was holding four bags of clothes in each hand. At least Reimu is happy, the kitsune mused. All is according to plan. …Hmm, maybe she was right about my needlessly cryptic manner of speech.

“Ran Yakumo to the front desk, please. Ran Yakumo to the front desk. Your, uh, shikigami, Chen is here.”

The senior shikigami sighed before throwing the bags into a gap and leaving the two like a thief in the night.

---

“Gods, grant me strength…” Ran murmured. She took a deep breath and slipped in her earplugs before stepping out of the car and locking it.

“Finally ready?” her mistress asked.

“I took five-point-zero-four seconds. Leave me alone.”

Reimu pretended not to notice their spat as she turned to the bowling alley. “Aren’t alleys… the space between buildings? That’s what I always thought,” she tried to joke. Ran, in a monotone voice, proceeded to explain why bowling alleys were called that because they were once underground due to the Second World War. Reimu didn’t understand but didn’t speak up, either.

Yukari opened the door to the building, and noise exploded out of it. Voices, music, and foreign crashing sounds all made their way into the group’s ears, whether they liked it or not. The eldest of them all stepped inside. “Come on, come on! No time like the present!” They all stepped inside with mixed feelings: Reimu was cringing at the amount of chaos in the room; Chen’s eyes had sharpened and her ears twitched in anticipation of the fun to be had; and Ran… Ran was muttering to herself words that only she could hear. Yukari led the three of them (two for a moment) to a desk and greeted the man standing there before getting down to business. The shrine maiden was looking around when the gap youkai asked, “Reimu, what size shoes do you wear?”

Reimu didn’t even know that there were different sizes of shoes. “Uh, I don’t know…”

“Ran.”

The fox was still muttering to herself.

“Ran!”

“Yes, my lady!”

“What size shoe does Reimu wear?”

“26.74 Newtons… 52.89 Newtons… 74.31 Newtons…” The fox winced at a particularly loud crash. “4. 4. 4… 4… and a half…?”

“We’ll try four-and-a-halfs for this one,” Yukari said as she rested her hand on Reimu’s head. The man set the shoes on the desk and the youkai had her try them on. They fit well enough, the shrine maiden decided, so with everything done, they moved to their lane.

Reimu leaned toward Yukari and spoke lowly. “What’s up with Ran?”

“Oh, don’t worry about her; she’s just running too many processes at once; she’ll be fine in a while.” The fox winced at another crash. Yukari reached into a gap (in front of everyone) and pulled out a… sphere of darkness with one of her gap eyes in the center of it, eternally gazing directly at Reimu. Chen ran off and returned with a similarly-sized orange ball. “Ran, could you get our names on the screen?” The shikigami made no indication that she had heard, but Yukari continued on. “Come, Reimu, let’s go find you a ball.”

“What kind of ball am I looking for?”

“Oh, just one that isn’t too heavy. Light is fine, but people usually pick one the heaviest one they can handle.”

“Okay.” Reimu turned her head to the nearest ball, a lime green one, and picked it up the same way she would a pot of sake. “This one’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. You see those three holes in it?”

“Yeah.”

“Those are for your fingers. You’re middle and ring finger go in those top two, and the bottom one is for your thumb.”

“Huh.”

“So see if your fingers fit.”

“Okay.” They did.

“Huh. Good.”

“What?”

“What?”

“You just seem… disappointed in something.”

“I’m not. Just… Well, surprised isn’t the right word, but… you know.” The two returned to find Ran still standing exactly where she had been earlier and Chen spinning around on one of the chairs at their table. Their names were on the overhead screen, though. Yukari strode up to Ran and started speaking to her as though she had hypnotized her. Immediately, the shikigami shook her head and focused returned to her eyes. She left and returned with a blood-red ball. “It looks as though we’re ready to start then. Ran, show us how it’s done!”

“Chen is first.”

“Ah.”

The cat snatched her ball from the rack and used both of her hands to thunder it down the lane. Off center from the first pin, it knocked down seven pins. When she saw that three pins remained standing, she scrabbled to grab another ball and readied to hurl it after the last when Ran scolded her, telling her to be patient. Chen licked her lips as the machines prepared the lane for the next ball. With her master’s permission, she threw the second ball and got two of the remaining three pins. She let out a cat’s angry moan at her failure.

“Good job, Chen!” Yukari spoke, clapping her hands for the girl. “Alright, Ran, show your stuff!”

“It is Reimu’s turn now.”

“Oh.”

The machine next to her made a strange sound and spat out her and Chen’s bowling balls. She stood up, grabbed hers, and prepared to roll it as the bakeneko had.

“Reimu,” Yukari started.

“What now?”

“The holes, Reimu.”

“What about them?”

The gap youkai sighed amusedly. “Here, let me help you.” She stood up and moved close to the girl, practically hugging her as she guided her through the motions. “And make sure you don’t cross this line here, or else you could slip and get hurt.”

“It would also be a foul,” Ran added.

“Okay, I got it,” Reimu whined. Just as Yukari had instructed, she swung the ball back, took a step and threw it down the lane. It didn’t need to travel very far before the ball reached its directed destination: The gutter.

“Oh nooo!” Yukari cried. “That’s okay; you get another try! See if you can knock down any pins this time!” Reimu cringed at the youkai’s babying voice. Her ball popped out of the machine again and went into the gutter again, this time making it half a foot further. “Ohhh, it’s okay, Reimu! It’s your first try after all!” That didn’t make the girl pout any less. “Okay, Ran—!”

“Your turn.”

“Right. Of course.” Yukari picked up her gap ball and knocked down eight pins with the first throw and two with the second.

Reimu’s eyebrows furrowed at how mundane it was. “It doesn’t do anything?” she asked as the woman sat down beside her.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean by bowling ball? No, it just looks like that.”

“Oh.”

“Now you sound disappointed.”

“Shut up.”

As the final bowler picked up her ball, Yukari cried out, “Alright, Ran, show us how it’s done!” The shikigami knocked down nine pins, then the tenth. “You were supposed to get a strike.”

“I’m aware of how scoring works in bowling, Lady Yukari.”

“But why didn’t you get a strike?”

“My lady, I really don’t—”

“Come ooon! You’re so great at bowling, though! And I’m sure Reimu would like to see you score a perfect 300.”

“I don’t think we should attract attention.”

“Pleeease?”

“…Fine. Next game.”

Reimu had managed to knock down six pins in her first game. When Yukari offered another, she refused, but the youkai didn’t listen, saying, “I’ll put up the bumpers for you this time!” She managed to break into the double digits in the second—even getting the ball to go where she wanted it to thanks to some pointers from Ran. And she had to admit that it was pretty satisfying to get revenge. She could have done without the embarrassment brought on by Ran’s crowd of spectators, though.

During the third game, which Yukari mercifully let Reimu sit out for, Chen had tugged on the shrine maiden’s sleeve and gestured for her to follow. “What’s the matter? Need to go to the bathroom?” The bakeneko shook her head as she continued leading her. While the four of them had been bowling, there was a series of strange noises coming from a distant part of the building. Now they were growing louder as Reimu followed the youkai. She found that they were coming from bright and colorful machines of all kinds huddled together. “What are these things?”

“Arcade machines!” The shrine maiden had a vague memory of Sanae talking about them a few times before. Chen pulled out some coins. “I snuck these from Ran’s purse. Don’t tell her!” She slipped a few into one of the machines with giant twin chairs stuck to it. “Come on! Sit down!”

---

“Chen, you should have asked for money, not stolen it,” Ran admonished.

“But you were busy!” the young youkai whined. “And you always take forever when you talk to people!”

“That’s because—” The kitsune sighed. “Nevermind. We’re leaving now, so finish up quickly.”

As her master started moving away, Chen dropped her plastic gun and darted over to her, crying, “Wait!” She stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in Ran’s ear.

The older youkai smiled. “Yes, that’s just fine.” Once the two girls had finished playing their game, Chen moved to a machine with a bunch of toys inside of it. “Reimu, could you please return Chen’s bowling shoes along with yours?”

“Sure,” the girl said simply.

“Did you have a good time?” Yukari asked as the shrine maiden approached.

“It was alright, I guess.”

“Just ‘alright?’ Hmmm… We’ll have to change that.”

“Sure,” the human replied absentmindedly as she handed the pairs of shoes to the clerk. Ran and Chen arrived, and the older youkai placed their shoe on the counter. The bakenko was hugging a pink salamander plush to her chest.

As soon as they got back into the Ford Pinto, Yukari clapped her hands. “Alright, Reimu! Movie, dinner, or karaoke! Which do you want to do next? And remember! We’re not going home until you’ve had the best day of your life, got that?”

[X] Movie
[X] Dinner
[X] Karaoke

---

Author’s Note: Look at that, a choice! It’s meaningless. I’m doing all three, but I don’t know what order I wanna put them in, so you’re picking for me. I’m also doing this because I don’t want this to get any longer than it is because formatting is a pain on every single fanfiction site under the sun. ALSO! I hate this chapter because it’s the high point of my career so far, and that spot is supposed to be reserved for my Fire Emblem Heroes SI fic where I… nevermind. That spot is supposed to be reserved for my Girls und Panzer fic where Koume goes to Oarai instead of Miho! There. It’s also the longest chapter I’ve ever written which is again… Anyway. …I wonder when the next chapter is coming out…

Reimu opened her mouth to answer, but the gap youkai kept talking. “Ah! Actually, we should see a movie sometime tonight!” Her shikigami was about to speak, but she gave her no time to. “Ran, look up movie times!”

The shrine maiden leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms as she looked out the window. “Rocketman, the dramatization of the life of Elton John; 1917, the World War I movie; Color Out of Space, an adaptation of the story by HP Lovecraft; Godzilla: Ki—”

“GODZILLA!” Chen shrieked.

“Reimu, do you have any opinion?”

“I don’t care,” the girl breathed out.

“GODZILLA!” Chen shrieked again.

“Godzilla it is… That’s playing in… Actually, if we leave now, there’s a 62.8% chance of getting optimal seats 2 minutes and 17 seconds before the movie is scheduled to start.”

“GODZILLA!”

Reimu slapped her hand over the child’s mouth. “Knock it off!” The cat grabbed it and started biting her like a captured fish. “OW!”

“Hey! Chen! Stop that this instant!” Ran shouted at her.

“Oh, leave her alone,” Yukari told her. “She’s just playing!”

“You’re not helping!”

Reimu instinctively reached for her ofuda but found nothing, so she instead started trying to shove her off. Ran twisted around in her chair to pry the two girls away from each other. “Chen, if you don’t behave, we’re not going to see Godzilla!”

“GODZILLA!” the cat yowled a fourth time, finally letting go to jump around in her seat. Once they had managed to get the cat mostly calmed down, they made their way to the theater. By luck, they were 7 minutes and 38 seconds early, so they had gotten the best seats they could. They were getting consessions when they heard a voice from behind.

“Reimu?” The group turned to see Sumireko holding a giant bucket of popcorn in one arm and an almost-as-large drink in her other. She also had a massive coat on for some reason. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re here to watch a movie, of course!” Yukari told her.

“Cool! I got a ticket for Godzilla, myself.”

“G—!” A hand appeared over Chen’s mouth.

“How serendipitous! Chen was insistent that we watch Godzilla, so we got tickets for it, too!”

“Nice! We can sit together then!”

“Reimu, what do you want to drink?” Yukari asked her.

“Tea.”

“Just tea? Don’t you want anything special?”

“Sake?”

Sumireko let out a low whistle. “Now that’d be bold!”

“Sumi-chan, what are you drinking?”

“Rootbeer,” the girl said before taking a sip.

“Rootbeer it is, then.” Once Yukari had paid for the conscessions, she distributed them, and they moved to find their theater. As soon as Reimu sat down, she began wolfing down her bucket of popcorn.

“Woah, slow down, gurl!” Sumireko started. “It ain’t goin’ nowhere!”

“‘M ‘ungreh!” the shrine maiden shot back through a mouthful of popcorn.

“You’re going to choke or get sick if you’re not careful,” Ran admonished, and the girl replied by rolling her eyes.

“Here, I’ll share some of my food with you.” The Outside World resident opened up her coat and produced a candy bar.

“Where did you get that?” Yukari asked.

“From my pocket?”

The gap youkai smiled patiently. “I meant before you entered the theater.”

“I know,” Sumireko chirped. “I just felt like making a little joke.”

“I see…” A moment passed. “Well?”

“‘Well’ what?”

“Where did you get that candy bar?”

“Same place anyone else would get a candy bar.”

“The convenience store perhaps?”

“Mmm. Maybe…”

“Wouldn’t that be considered theft?” Yukari asked with her usual coy attitude. “Bringing candy in from the outside instead of paying for it here?”

“Excuse me! Is it theft when I download a music file?! Do I just suddenly have the original produced song, and the maker doesn’t?! No! He can still sell it all he wants, and—honestly—if I listen to a song or watch a movie, and it’s shit, they should be paying me for having wasted my time!” She paled at the boy her age staring at her as she spoke. He nodded slowly before opening up his coat to show off three times the snacks that she had. She pointed at him. “See, he gets it! And besides, you’re not one to talk with the way you run Gensokyo, are you.”

“Oh? And how do you know how I run Gensokyo?”

“Someone may have let it slip…” The high schooler’s eyes drifted to Reimu. The shrine maiden, of course, had no memory of that.

“I see. And what did she tell you?”

“That you’re l—” Suddenly, the room grew dark and the screen grew bright. “Ooh! It’s starting!” Sumireko said before shushing the rest of them.

“But it’s just the previews.”

“This is the best way to stay informed, now be quiet!”

---

Reimu had no idea what was happening. There was a giant lizard, and a three-headed dragon, and a big moth, and a feather-less bird-lizard thing, and guys with guns, and other humans, and… She’d rather have been drinking with Suika if she was completely honest.

“Oh, and, man! When Godzilla took out King Ghidorah?! I did not expect it like that at all!” Sumireko gushed.

“I didn’t get it,” her Gensokyo counterpart admitted. “I thought there weren’t any youkai in the Outside World anyway.”

“Silly Reimu, that was just a movie,” Yukari explained. “It was pure fantasy.”

“But it would be possible, right?” the high school girl hastily said. “Right?!”

“It could be…”

Sumireko got down on her hands and knees, pressing her head against the floor. “Yukari, pleeease! You need to make it happen!”

“That sounds like a pain, so no,” Reimu replied for her.

“No, but—! He would—! It’d be okay because—!”

“I said no, Sumireko.”

The bespectacled girl pushed herself up. “You sounded a lot like my mom just now…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Wha—?! Nothing, I just…” The high school girl shrugged. “You sounded like my mom, that’s all!”

The shrine maiden continued to glower at her. Yukari, meanwhile, said, “Well, this has been quite the treat, meeting you here, but we ought to get going.”

“Yeah, I should get home, too. My real mom’s already gonna be pissed enough that I snuck out on a school night.” She took the final few sips from her root beer as her eyes were trained on the ceiling. “Actually… Yeah, what the hell. Got room for one more?”

“Absolutely!” Yukari sang. Ran must have known better than to argue because she didn’t say anything.

---

Sumireko, after having gushed about how much she liked their car, was playing a game with Chen that involved tapping each other’s fingers until… someone won somehow while answering Yukari’s questions about her life in the Outside World. Reimu wasn’t paying attention, instead imaging all of the cuts of meat she’d never heard of until five minutes ago. “How much longer until we’re there?” she asked, toeing the line between curious mind and annoying child.

The gap youkai chuckled. “Eager, aren’t we?”

“Reimu, please don’t overeat when we get there, alright?” her shikigami spoke.

“I won’t.”

“I’m serious; you ate a whole bucket of popcorn in 2 minutes and 14 seconds!”

“I was hungry!”

“There were— a lot of calories in that, meaning… In layman’s terms, you won’t be able to eat as much as you think when we get there.” Reimu huffed and continued to stare out the window. “You also had a large root beer and plenty of chocolate. I can’t believe I let you do that to yourself…”

“Oh, don’t worry about her, Ran!”

“You too, Lady Yukari! The only reason I’m not lecturing you, too, is because I know you won’t listen!”

“And because I’m your master.”

“At this point, that’s the furthest thing from my mind! You’re setting a horrible example for Reimu if you truly intend to act as her mother!”

“‘Mother?’” Sumireko repeated. “You said ‘mother?’”

“N-no, I… meant to say mentor.”

“Competing with Kasen, huh?” the high schooler pressed, but from her amused tone, it sounded like she didn’t believe the shikigami.

“It’s rather sweet of you to pretend that she can compete with me, but she isn’t here, dear,” Yukari spoke, and Sumireko laughed along with her.

“No, but seriously—”

“Drop it.”

“O-okay…?”

The group eventually made it to the restaurant and sat down in a nice, private booth. “Let’s get sake,” were the first words out of Reimu’s mouth.

“Unfortunately, the Outside World has these things called laws that prevent people from doing things. That includes children your age from purchasing alcohol,” Ran informed her.

“We’ll get sake, Reimu, don’t worry,” Yukari spoke.

The shikigami’s eyes pointed up at the ceiling for a while.

“Any of you ever had Korean barbeque before?” Sumireko asked.

“Of course!” the gap youkai answered. “Though never with so many people. Have you?”

“Nope.”

As Reimu wondered why the girl had even brought it up then, Chen asked, “What’s tripe?”

“Cow stomach. Apparently, it’s really good, but I just can’t imagine eating… that.”

“That sounds disgusting,” Reimu remarked.

“I know, right?!”

“Oh, don’t be like that, girls!” Yukari intervened. “It is good. In fact, I might get some…”

“Now I want to make liver and onions…” Ran murmured.

“You two aren’t going to start talking about eating people, are you?” Reimu interrogated.

“You’d be surprised how long it’s been since we’ve eaten someone,” the gap youkai said with a smile.

“Oh yeah…” Sumireko mumbled. “You guys… do that. Is, uh… Uh…”

“Whatever question you want to ask, dear, you shouldn’t; you’re ruining your appetite just thinking about it.”

“Yeah, I am… Though the tripe talk didn’t help, either.”

“This place has a bathroom, right?” Reimu asked.

“Of course,” Yukari answered. “There should be signs pointing it out if you look.”

“I’ll come, too,” the shrine maiden’s high school counterpart said. “Shoulda gone at the theater, but whatevs.” As the pair made their way through the restaurant, Sumireko leaned toward her. “Lemme know if you need help using the toilets; I’d bet anything they’re not what you’re used to.”

---

Reimu clicked her tongue as the sink once again shut itself off. “This is stupid. Why would someone make something that gives out free water just for it to stop working every five seconds?”

“That’s deliberate. It’s for saving the environment or something. Hey, what’s the deal with… Ran said Yukari want’s to be your mom or something?”

The shrine maiden froze. “…Drop it…”

“What?”

“I said ‘drop it!’” the girl snapped.

Sumireko raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay!”

The two returned to the table, carrying the tense and awkward air with them.

“Ran,” Yukari spoke. “You should take Chen to the bathroom, too—just in case.”

“Yes, Lady Yukari, I’ll do that.”

“But—”

“Come on, Chen.”

Once the kitsune and the bakeneko were gone, the gap youkai laid her hefted her crossed arms onto the table. “Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine,” Reimu told her.

Yukari shook her head, and Sumireko said, “I… may have asked about…”

“‘May have?’”

The high schooler rubbed her hands together under the table. “Did. Did ask. About something I… guess I shouldn’t have.”

The older woman smiled politely. “I don’t fault you for being curious, but I did tell you to drop it, didn’t I?”

“You did…”

“I did,” Yukari confirmed as she nodded. She turned her attention to her shrine maiden. “Reimu, please don’t be angry at her. Can we just drop the matter and continue to have a fun night?”

The girl sat there with her arms crossed over her chest for a while before she spoke again. “Why did you even bring me out here in the first place? This was your stupid idea in the first place, so why don’t you just tell me what you were thinking.”

The gap youkai sighed. “You’re right. You are right. This was my idea… …Reimu— Are you happy?”

“I was just fine before you showed up.”

“Before I brought you to the Outside World? Before the party? The Eternal Night incident?”

The shrine maiden leaned forward. “All my life I’ve been just fine being alone! I don’t need you! I don’t need any youkai! I don’t need anyone!”

“Reimu…” Sumireko started, but she couldn’t continue.

“Reimu…” Yukari tried to find her words. “…I’m sorry. It’s all my fault… I’m sorry…”

The group was frozen in the tension until the orphaned girl stood up and stormed away. The high schooler went after her, and the gap youkai remained.

---

“Reimuuu! Waaait!” Sumireko called out to the fleeing girl

“Go! Away!” the shrine maiden shouted back in a voice that was beginning to break. She made a turn down an alley and immediately tripped over a garbage can. The concrete below scraped away at her knees and palms, and she gingerly pushed herself up with her wrists.

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine!” Tears began dripping from her eyes. “Just… Just go away!”

“Reimu, I’m… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t’ve asked… I was just curious, though! I mean… that’s such a weird thing to say… Like, wouldn’t your parents—?”

“My parents are dead! Don’t you get it?! They’re dead! They’re gone! I have nobody but myself!”

“R-Reimu… I’m… I’m so sorry…!” Sumireko crouched down and hugged her. “I’m so, so sorry… I didn’t know… I just thought they were busy or… I’m so sorry…” The shrine maiden cried into her friend’s arms for a while until she had calmed down. “I know what it’s like to be alone—at least a little bit… My parents, they’re always on business trips—one or both of them, so before I got into high school, I would have to stay with my aunt in another town.” She gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Being into occultism probably never helped either…”

“…I wish I was you…” Reimu murmured.

“Sometimes I wish I was you, too… But the grass is always greener, huh?”

“…I suppose so…” A moment of silence passed. “…I’m hungry…”

Sumireko started chuckling, then it grew it into full hysterical laughter. “I’d bet. C’mon, let’s go.” She helped her friend up, and they started back towards the restaurant. It didn’t take long at all before they found Ran looking for them.

“There you two are. You’re injured.” The shikigami reached into her sleeve and pulled out a first aid kit. “Lay her down.” Sumireko did as she was instructed, and Ran immediately set to work cleaning the shrine maiden’s wounds. Reimu hissed when the alcohol was applied. “I’m sorry it hurts, but it needs to be done.”

“I’ve been injured before, you know.”

Ran nodded. “I suppose you have…”

“Youkai?” Sumireko asked.

Reimu nodded. “And Marisa dragging me around on her ‘adventures.’ Or just cutting myself with a knife while cooking or some other mundane thing.”

“Hm. Makes sense.”

Once the shikigami had finished her care, she helped the shrine maiden to her feet. “…Sorry for running out on everyone,” Reimu murmured.

“It’s alright. I don’t blame you. I’d rather be curled up at home with a good book, and I’m sure you’d rather be drinking tea.”

“I was promised good food, though!”

Ran smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

The group shared a pleasant meal before they headed out for their last stop of the night: Karaoke.

Reimu sat awkwardly as Sumireko sang catchy pop and loud rock songs, Yukari and Chen sang weird English songs, and Ran sang slow ballads of yesteryears.

Eventually, the gap youkai said, “Reimu’s tuuurn!”

“No way!”

“Come on, Reimers, we can do a duet!” Sumireko offered

“I don’t even know any songs!”

“Well now’s the perfect time to start learning some!” The highschool girl grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “We’ll do Ievan Polkka!”

“What?”

---

Sumireko stretched an arm over her head. “Haaa… Man, I’m wiped…” Reimu mumbled in agreement. The cool night air was likely the only reason she was still awake.

“Awww,” Yukari whined. “You’re sure you can’t stay up a little longer? Maybe we could get ice cream?”

“Sounds nice, but I can’t. It’s a school night, after all.” The highschooler winked at her. “Any chance I could get a gap back home?”

The youkai laughed. “Alright, here you go.” She drew her finger in the air, and a rift appeared before them.

“Thanks! See ya around!”

“Bye-bye!” Yukari turned to the rest of her group. Ran was holding Chen in an arm, and Reimu was leaning against her trying to stay awake. “Ice cream?” The shikigami’s tired look became a tired scowl. “Oh, fine…” They returned to their car and drove home, the youngest two sleeping soundly in the back seat. “Did you have a good time, Ran?”

“I told Reimu I’d rather have been reading a book. I don’t regret having come along, though. But it’s not like I had a choice, so…” She shrugged a shoulder. “Whatever…”

“Why don’t you take the day off tomorrow then?”

“Because you can’t do anything without my help.”

Yukari threw her head back, laughing loudly.

When they had finally arrived home, the two women woke the two kids. Before Reimu had entered her room, the bakeneko tugged Reimu’s sleeve. “What is it?”

The young youkai held out prize she had won earlier that day. “Here!” Chen shoved it closer to her. “A gift! For you!”

She accepted the salamander without a thought, thanked her, then fell into her bed fast asleep.

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Author’s Note: Once again, I’ve made the horrible mistake of just wanting the chapter to end…