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RECAP!
—
Aunn strolls happily through the kitchen, a microwave popcorn bag in her hands. It's the first time she uses the kappa device. She places the popcorn inside, following all instructions, and soon after turning it on, the corn starts to burst.

And with it, a piercing scream from the next room: “AYEEEEEEE!! THEY'RE IN THE TREES, THE HIEDA SAMURAI! GET DOWN, SANAAAE!” It was Hana's, who the Komainu found crying on the ground, curled into fetal position. Aunn learned a terrible lesson that day about, as Eirin had called it, 'PTSD.'
—
Last time in the HSE:
>Anon does nothing, suffers;
>Yukari does nothing, has a great time;
>Hana goes through the grueling effort of growing up amidst the mud, grime, blood, and sulfur of Gensokyo's Great War, battling Youkai and putting her own wellbeing on the line to save as many people as she can. She can't save all, but she tries her best. Keeps herself outside the battle either due to fear from her death and naivety or a complex of feeling like a burden to Sanae and the mob Moriyan mikos, which is exacerbated by the end when she stops Hieda's plumes of Mustard Gas from consuming most of the villagers and Youkai running towards Miko's Shikaisen shields;
>Patchouli meets one of the Kurodanis, one that looks particularly like Meiling, and they share a nice moment before the Kurodani leaves to start preparing the renovations of the Voilé. Meiling then comes, and together she and Patchy perform the alchemical procedure to create Sekai's body, sharing many good moments between themselves during the whole esoteric process that takes the assorted trinkets, their blood, and a lot of fucking magic from Sekai's book. It succeeds. Meanwhile, Remi trains her new arms before discussing with Sakuya their plans for the Solstice (to turn on Yukari after Okina is dead or sealed), and then both leave for a stroll, in which they have a nice conversation before Remi halts, sensing an entity invading the SDM and, when they try to go investigate, discovers her manip of fate had been tampered with. It does not last much, but takes her to the edge, and after destroying the Voilé's roof, she discovers the remnants of the ritual and Sekai's body. Meiling asks her to take care of her, and Remi abides. An undisclosed amount of time later, Patchy reawakens 'healthy'; discusses with Meiling a bit about Sekai—very cute moments~—before noticing Sekai's body is sick. Upon conversation, she discovers Sekai let anemia and asthma to ridden her body, which makes Patchy all types of pissed off, moments of pure emotion follow before she's calmed down by Meiling and Sekai. Shares her doubts and anxieties with Meiling and, just as they're about to share a tender gesture, Remi and Sakuya come;
>Okina has a schizo moment following the disaster that was the whole Fren's conversation -> Koutei encounter, and the world crashes upon her with the understanding that the tables have been turned now that Yukari sports Flandre, Koutei, and Kasen, who's not switching sides as she'd thought previously, and Yukari herself. That prompts a panic attack followed by psychosis, and, hallucinating, Okina kills Cirno and Naz. Upon recovering her senses with the help of Mai and noticing the disaster and trauma she's inflicted on her servants, she leaves the LoB for a while. Now in the Himalayas, Okina thinks about her life and how empty she feels after thousands of years of existence; how her vices have developed along the years and how the Solstice may be her death. All of that crashes with her ego, creating rage that's not acted upon, which frustrates the goddess. That loop continues with her smoking scene, though encountering Kokoro's silkworm eggs (???) gives her some sense of clarity that springs up with her destroying her opium pipe, but not the loop as she tries to masturbates but finds no success.
>Suzu experiences hell as she manages the pressure of leading the revolution, her weakness, and such; finding success, though, in the companionship around her, proving the blood of brotherhood is always thicker than the water of the womb. Gets 'killed' after snowballing the oni Hieda, though… rad. Some days later, she finds herself on the Hieda graveyard mourning the 10th anniversary of Akyuu's death before Keine arrives, all menacing, and tells her she knows about Suzu's double life in the Jobbers and that Yukari approached her about it. Rather than getting mad, she discloses her own anxieties and fears to the Suzu, and both have a sweet moment together before Keine leaves Hieda's revolver on top of the Kyun's gravestone, rotting it and growing a flower from it;
>Eirin watches the rabbits’ mourning their dead after Keine's Festival and ponders the effects of it on Eientei and her personal feelings towards pregnancy. Leaves then while mentally calling the rabbits and everyone else fools for not having a big fucking brain like she does;

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[All entries of the HSE here in chronological posting order!]
>>47155400 | Part 1-22
>>47065336 | Part 23
>>47210937 | Part 24
>>47380706 | Part 25
>>47515159 | Part 26

[Last thread chapters]
>>47517533 | 57-58-Kosuzu
>>47517538 |
>>47534508 | International Youth Day specials -- Gensokyo's past, present and future
>>47536916 |
>>47537761 |
>>47537539 | International Youth Day specials -- Aya's children ponder
>>47537541 |
>>47547868 | 245-247-Hana
>>47547907 |
>>47547923 |
>>47552772 | 59-67-Kosuzu
>>47552780 |
>>47552785 |
>>47552791 |
>>47552797 |
>>47552802 |
>>47552806 |
>>47552811 |
>>47552824 |
>>47569539 | 248-250-Hana
>>47569555 | (look at her trips~!)
>>47569560 |
>>47581036 | 6-Eirin
>>47587528 | 67-81-Patchouli
>>47587532 |
>>47587536 |
>>47587539 |
>>47587546 |
>>47587551 |
>>47587553 |
>>47587559 |
>>47587566 |
>>47587569 |
>>47587572 |
>>47587577 |
>>47587584 |
>>47587588 |
>>47587592 |
>>47609233 | 1-5-Remilia plays Megalovania on an organ
>>47609239 |
>>47609245 |
>>47609251 |
>>47609259 |
>>47633289 | 251-154-Hana
>>47633299 |
>>47633308 |
>>47633316 |
>>47644190 | 82-88-Patchouli
>>47644196 |
>>47644204 |
>>47644209 |
>>47644224 |
>>47644228 |
>>47644232 |
>>47674435 | 4-8-Okina
>>47674440 |
>>47708258 |
>>47708263 |
>>47708276 |
(1508 entries)

[for phoneanons that can't access the dead threads, here's the last thread. Link to all others in the 'all entries']:
https://warosu.org/jp/thread/47515133 | 32nd thread

[pastebin for the finale -- for writers, full of spoilers]
https://pastebin.com/zqS1Krp7

>>47715117
>>47715142
Man you really like those pictures, don't you?

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>>47715150
human women are the best!

>>47715146
Pastebin needs to be updated with Nazrin's death by Okina as she's still mentioned in there.
Okina is also mentioned to have multiple other people in the land of the backdoors so that should also be changed.

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>>47715177
please reroll, Anon...

>>47715190
Kazakhs aren't allowed to reroll where they were born. It would be unfair to deny Goro the experience of labour.

>>47715177
>Reisen
Grim

But more seriously, Cirno isn't some boogeyman just the target of controversy due to autism.
If a writer wants to use her in a special or non-canon way that doesn't contradict her(temporary?) death last thread then they should be able to do so if they wish.
Honestly people are getting caught up on something that doesn't matter and isn't canon anymore, just let writefags writefag and don't impose some type of silly self restraint like that when doing something silly and non canon.

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>>47715218
Anon…
… it landed dubs. It's going to be Akechi.

>>47715225
>My own reading comprehension
Grim

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>>47715213
kek, screenshotting this to post later in the Ao3 image archive

>>47715164
fixed it

>>47715213
Goro is literally built for labor

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>>47633316

A brilliant golden aura that marked hermit’s sekai shone out into the village like a beacon to all who still sought shelter. The Heida clan knew this as well any of the mobs did and let their bombs attest to that. The insane mind behind it all made sure to divert a number of shells from the merciless assault upon the shelter to target the survivors that spread out into the many alleys. That deathly whistling sound followed them everywhere as they dodged burning rubble and choking clouds of death that prodded into the alleys from the backstreets.

Those that hadn’t made it to some form of sturdy refuge were only met by the beast’s hunger, it skulked the alleys without a care for whom it devoured. Thick blankets of rolling clouds were all due to wash the refugees fleeing the man-made carnage in it’s acidic grasp. It was as if this was done by the will of the cruel northern winds that came every winter to claim the weak. Even with the clouds thinning out as they spread around the village, the constant presence ensured those that lacked the resilience of youkai were eaten alive by the ravenous clouds. Too many unfortunates couldn’t avoid the exposure of the larger fangs that probed the alleys and met the expected fate.

Hana had turned her eyes where she could, the glittering aura of the sekai shimmered against the cleansing rains which helped to contain the curse and trap its malice in the earth. She just wished the rain was merely water, the majority of the ‘storm’ was the fiery wrath of the Heida clan. She knew how many lives were claimed by tonight’s violence and senseless malice, she couldn’t help but snicker at sheer number of rites to be performed.

Chuckling as the blossoming flowers of flaming destruction dance above, Hana felt strange to consider work at a time like this. Cleansing the village alone would take months alone, this curse is potent after all; only by the blessings of a living saint was the curse expunged from all those that entered… even if the effects were not. Ah, it’d be awkward seeing her mother again so soon, she pretended to be so strong in front of her yet she couldn’t do a thing, again. At least once Sanae was finished, once this night was over, she could return home and this time she’d drag Aunn with her wherever she was…

The milling crowds watched the show above with awe, many gawked and watched the spectacle while whispering among themselves. Many more busied themselves with scanning the crowds around them looking for loved ones, or they searched among the injured dragged in with oft-dashed hopes. Those that couldn’t stand, which were too many to count as they kept flooding in, lay in various states of disarray with inaba and human nurses doing what little they could.

Hana herself had skulked away from the saint who stood proudly in front of where the injured were arrayed at her back. Hana knew of the saint, her tale, and her mission of spreading Taoism; a strange guilt compelled her to stand in the shadows. The idle miko stood the furthest from festival grounds and cowered in the shadows of a small two-level shop. The family above must surely be watching what transpires while peeking through closed storm shutters. It was quiet here; the murmur of the crowd was distant and she could rest her eyes for a moment without having to see anyone’s faces. She leaned back against the wall with aching sides and a horse voice, sliding down and squatting low to rest her legs; she paid no attention to how her dress must be getting filthy, nor the rolling laughs she just couldn’t stop.

In her mind she simply saw the bombs falling upon the masses below and buildings she was standing upon. The gasses prodding out in total darkness between narrow alleys to wash over those unaware. Intuition on where they’d fall, on where the beast would strike; would often save herself and those she protected. It was all she could do to shoot down the few bombs her fantasy seals could intercept and block the worst of the gasses. She had nearly passed out just to maintain so many powerful barriers, after she landed on the packed dirt road she almost passed out from the lightheadedness.

Even now she was feeling weak, the drain was heavy and she needed a nap. There were no beds laying about of course, nor were there cups of tea ready to perk her up. This was a joke in of itself, she mused that one of the ruined stands must have an intact pitcher of juice… her throat was so dry… She gulped down what little moisture was in her mouth now that she had her laughter under control, it did a bit to assuage the acrid taste of drifting ash that begged to be washed down.

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>>47715938

That loose train of thought was cut short by the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, eyes opening to see… Faces bearing angered eyes, eyes that intersected upon her like the danmaku that she was so used to casting. They were whispering among themselves, once too quiet to hear over the rumbling explosions above and her own heaving body.

A single word caught the alarmed miko’s ear, she could hear the word over and over again as their eyes burrowed into her. They were a few paces away from her, a bubble formed around her where she stood; a bubble comprised of whispering eyes from the damaged and walking wounded. The word ‘Hakurei’ left the lips of a scornful man’s lips into his youkai companion’s ears. A man besides him gossiped with a group of young folks and youkai, they made no efforts to hide their disgust.

Everyone had heard her words at the lively stall Mystia slung food from, words she had barely remembered as if they were spoken years ago. Among them were those she recognized as Keine’s goons, wearing matching swastika bands of blue on black. Some of the younger men and women she remembered previously keeping watch on her as she enjoyed herself. She couldn’t pin a single conversation down, but it was clear the men among were looking to blame someone. The women were just as eager to spread the word as the youkai were to dredge up all sorts of half-remembered grievances.

Were the revolutionaries holding her accountable for this and acting as if she were on the same side as the Heida…? The thought alone was a strange one that she just couldn’t wrap her brain around. The whispers grew more intense and the gazes sharper, the youkai were getting riled up as all the misdirected hatred influenced them. The massive amounts of fear and hatred in the air was palpable even for Hana, she was tense again… or maybe she had never relaxed.

It was subconscious it felt, like she was day dreaming as the light she dragged into her swiveling eyes caught the sight of a stone being thrown. The whispers of the youkai stopped first as they caught sight of the improvised danmaku, their sharp eyes focused on its arc with a laser’s accuracy. The eyes of the men and women followed next, breathe held and conversations silenced in an instant. Only a lone voice rang out, that of an armband sporting man she recognized vaguely, “You promised to kills us, didn’t you?! You helped him, you told him where we hid!”

Her body moved on its own, swaying lightly and launching off on the front of her foot to face the threat. The rock sailed past her without doing more than grazing her fluttering sleeves, she stood her ground as her mind was simply unable to fully process his words. It seemed as if it didn’t matter if they hit her or not, the murmurs turned to openly spoken accusations, “I saw her- I saw her following me and everyone I was with!”

Another soul joined in, a feminine voice this time, “The seals, I felt her seals! Every time the gas came to eat us her seals guided them to us!” causing a ripple of agreement that saw a piece of rubble thrown as they shouted at her, the fact it was dodged as easily as the first made no difference.

Her muscles were tense, her body was on a hair’s trigger as the battered mob around her focused their pointless hatred on her. Eyes darting around the claws and inhuman weapons that the youkai manifested, she could even feel magic in the air as swirling light grew in power around some. The crowd seemed to barely be held at bay by some thin thread of reasoning, their bodies were tense and even the meekest had their faces contorted in rage.

It should’ve been terrifying; it should’ve sent her mind swirling and reeling for anything to say in her defense. However, the truth was that her mind was calm as can be; it was strange to her given how terrifying things were just moments ago. She couldn’t understand why they made things up, she did everything she could and-

Another shout cut through the voices of the crowd, a youkai she vaguely recognized who supported an injured man on her shoulder… A mouse youkai from who-knows-where, both wore those black bands. She shouted in that obnoxiously squeaky tone ubiquitous to her kind, “Get out of here Hakurei! You’re a murderer!”

Her shout seemed to carry weight, Hana could see only too well as to how everyone nodded and joined in her obnoxious choir. Hana could only blink in disbelief, in the face of their shouts for her to leave she could only see those that didn’t make it. That little mouse youkai was no taller than the children who ran around in packs, the children that she simply didn’t see in the numbers she used too. The man that she supported despite their size difference scowled at her as well, ah! It finally struck her, that was the farmer’s son… It was nice to see that he was still alive.

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>>47715943

The miko felt a renewed sense of dread as she glanced around the group, she could recognize some now that she looked a little closer. Too many were the young men and women she once grew up around at temple school, too many were the sons and daughters of those she bumped shoulders with daily. How many little requests did she carry out for them and their families? That women in the crowd who chanted ‘Go home Hakurei’, her mother owned the vegetable stand she usually bought produce from; that dirty blonde hair she sported was unmistakable. Was her mother okay? Hana didn’t see any produce stands… maybe she stayed home?

Opening her mouth, the elusive words would stay hidden as an unmistakable sensation made her skin crawl. A shout from in front of her, a younger man suddenly snapped as he shouted, “Don’t you ignore me bitch, I’ll kill you for what you did to Fubuki!”

He advanced, shouts and cheers sounded from the mouths of those around as he hefted an iron dagger between dirty fingers. He moved quickly, thrusting the pointed blade forward between her ribs. It’s point gleamed in the golden light that shone down from all around them, his crazed eyes and sweat slicked forehead only intensified his aura. He looked desperate, he looked as worn down as she was and his yukata smelled of blood and adrenaline.

Combat weary she readied for the strike, only to find that she never relaxed in the first place. Her heart was already pounding at the anticipation of violence, yet her mind was steady. Her feet were steadier now, wider in stance as her eyes tracked his arm and shoulders. There was no trickery in his posture, it was simple as could be and it almost seemed slow. It was easy to just… to just swing her flattened hand and shatter the wrist holding the blade.

It seemed almost comical how his face distorted into pain as his body picked up on the damage. He yelled as he clutched his wrist with his other hand, the faces of the youkai and people around him turned from excitement at the prospect of righteous violence to horror. She didn’t want to hurt him further, but she knew what happened when a mob found someone they thought weak. She couldn’t afford for her plight to interfere with the battle in the sky above them, not now when the stakes were so high. It was all she could do.

It was quick and simple to duck under his arms, her smaller frame easily slipped under what passed for his guard and struck him with a sharp pointed jab under his ribs. It knocked the breath from his lungs in an instant and he went down easily, it was a move mother enjoyed using often. She remembered well how to hurt a man in body, it was a bit trickier than hurting a youkai but if you did it right…

A women screams, a youkai dashes forward with murder in her eyes and a black band on her arm. She’s much faster than the man was, the vaguely pointed ears she sported could mean she belonged to any species. It didn’t matter, she was no tengu and certainly had no legends of her. Her sharp stiletto claws, that could rend flesh from bone easily enough, slashed at the miko’s face, but the sharpest claws in the world meant nothing if they never hit.

Hana fell ‘forward’, the beast youkai’s eyes widening at the strange movements before being covered by fantasy seals. The blinding energy carbonizing the mask of flesh she wore and causing her to flail around as her claws melted from simply trying to remove it. Her shriek was loud, her blinded rampage now threatened the innocents in the crowd and enraged the others. If a riot broke out here it’d hurt the injured laid out behind the strong back of the saint, she should leave quickly and go somewhere else… but where?

There was no where she could flee, instead she once again fell into the worldlines; taking a short path to reach the things’ back, the others close to her ducked out of the way of like she was a rampaging bull. It was a simple matter to kick out her knees, letting her fall onto the dirt before the iron toe of her boot impacted the side of her skull. The berserk youkai fell silent after that, still alive but certainly wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon; Youkai were resilient like that…

They were turning now, frightened faces turned away as those still thirsty for blood faced her. It made it easy to see who the enemy was now, like a youkai borne of the scraps of the textile mills; she pushed her lover behind herself, magic flaring to life in her hands and eyes. Magic that never was to be released as flight magic propelled the miko’s fist into her neck with a sharp lunge. A shockwave of divine power ripped apart the magic she summoned forth and made her collapse in a sputtering pile.

Fangs grazed the air Hana once stood in, a youkai lunged at her with his inhumane mouth sporting massive teeth that wouldn’t look out of place on a predator. She spun on her heel, not sparing a glance at the man that desperately dragged his women away; she wouldn’t threaten the peace anymore tonight…

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>>47715945

A needle entered her hand as she backed up with a short jump she forced with a burst of magic, she threw it into the strained wordlines as the beast in human form turned to line up another pounce. He jumped, bounding the few feet between them without as much as whipping up the wind around him. His jaws opened wide as they aimed at Hana’s neck, her feet didn’t move an inch, she simply watched and waited as his jaws sped towards her neck. It was all she needed to do to allow the needle to approach from below his jaw and stich his mouth shut, the energies melting his proud fangs and long flat tongue. It’d be weeks till he’s able to eat something solid.

Hana turned to the next one as the youkai rolled on the floor with a silent scream, only to find no one around her any longer… The crowd that was baying for her blood had dispersed. Those that watched from the distance, a collection of youkai and men, watched her with mixed reaction; none approached and the newly settled peace was kept from shattering entirely.

Walking injured limped away, and those that couldn’t were dragged away by anyone who cared. Hana did not relax, there was nowhere safe to rest any longer; she couldn’t risk another incident like that going wrong! A rising feeling forced its way to the surface, making her shudder and drawing her eyes away from the those around her who either glared or watched her passively.

Soon everyone’s eyes were drawn to the top of the sekai’s golden aura just as Hana’s were, golden dust rained down like snow drifting to the surface. Deep explosions started rocking the barrier, as if the biting flowers that bloomed above finally started taking root and cracked the stone below. It was chilling to think of how badly those bombs would affect everyone so closely clustered together.

Hana took to the air then, flying along constrained world lines up into the sky above the panicking crowds. That terrible feeling hadn’t abated, there was something else, something else that was wrong. It eluded her at first, as she swam around the illusory golden dust her eyes darted this way and that. Scanning the crowd, the proud figure of the saint and those familiar that had gathered around her, the cracks on the walls…

Nothing had come to mind, nothing at first anyways. Until that feeling compulsed her to slide out of the Sekai, barrier active and eyes scanning, she dodged the shells easily while climbing above the destruction.

In the sky above the estate, a grand show of golden words spun around the dying sun that was Mokou. A seal comprising of the lore of the Moriya shrine itself was being built around the immortal, the outer shell completed as the fires that tried burning away the history of Sanae’s clan itself flagged and failed.

It wasn’t done yet, not even close. Yet suddenly Sanae went slack, she started drifting towards the ground as the seal rapidly eroded. Hana dragged the light in, she wished she didn’t. She could see it, Sayori’s strained face as her friends were cut down one after another. Torrents of red washing down their Hakama and marking her obvious fate, her eyes obviously fading even from here.

A scream left Hana’s lips, though nobody could hear with the explosions masking her voice. A sun broke out, blue and blazing hotter than anything previously seen tonight. It engulfed the girls, their bodies fading from her eyes where they flew as a massive sun incinerated all. The last face Hana spotted was Sayori’s, the terrified girl’s hasty barrier shattered in an instant against the brute force.

Thoughts were meaningless, Sanae was dead and she could see the same guns that killed so many taunting her in the blue light from above. A split second was all she needed to make her decision, she reentered the worldlines and flew towards the burning and breeched walls of the Heida estate. She left behind the shelter and promise of safety, heedless of the nature of the tall and imposing figure that sauntered the walls.

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>>47715952
>>47715945
>>47715943
>>47715938
the fabled midnight post Hana, it was nice to wake up to her~just a lil' sad I can't make an edible before going to work, so here's some words! Poor Hana, the mustard gas melted her mind and she forgot she can just dodge the people's retardment and not engage... At least she was smart enough to run the fuck away and saw the massive trauma of losing her green mother figure front row! Glad for the ana~
Hyped to see things pick up and your alternated fight! Thanks for the chapters!

>>47715768
He is pregnant afterall

>>47717550
With TWINS

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>>47718969
heh, what a pleb

>>47715938
>>47715943
>>47715945
>>47715952
>sekai

>>47721189
Shhhh... she's always watching...

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>>47721213

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>>47502286
The Moriya Shrine was quiet. Aya glanced towards the great lake and its onabashira. A red blip was flying around the great monoliths. That must be Hana! After Okina’s stunt at Mayohiga, Aya was waiting for an opportunity to see her again. Just as Aya was ready to zip through the sky, a freezing zephyr started blowing around her. The tengu didn’t need to be told who caused it. With a heavy heart, Aya headed to the main shrine, finding friendlier winds to guide her.

Standing proudly in bright red was the ever-serious goddess of the shrine. Considering her last visit to the shrine consisted of insulting Kanako behind her back and discussing the finer points of betraying their mutual ally in Okina, Aya’s expectations were tempered. No matter what Kanako’s personal feelings towards Aya were, they were both entangled in a plan to oppose Gensokyo’s greatest powers. That partnership would have to be enough to keep the goddess of winds from blowing Aya off the mountain.

Before Aya could land, the deity stepped inside, leaving the door open for the tengu to follow. Two cups were already on the table with a single bottle of sake. Junmai ginjo, fancy for a private meeting. Kanako sat across, maintaining her poker face. As Aya closed the door behind her, a stifling aura filled the room. She sat down on the empty cushion left for her and the goddess began pouring drinks. Handing Aya hers first, the tengu waited for Kanako to finish pouring her own cup. At once, both ladies downed their drinks. It was smooth, savory, and a bit fruity. For a tengu, it was just a drop in the bucket. Aya set her cup and pushed it away, leaving Kanako to break the tension. “That’s all? They say the one thing tengu and oni share in common in their love of alcohol.”

“Not for me. A mother shouldn’t act brashly in front of her children. After all, alcohol unleashed the beast growing inside of Reimu all those years ago.” The goddess raised her eyebrow, clearly displeased with the immediate direction her guest steered the conversation. “The Shrine Maiden of Paradise has been through a fraction of what any youkai or deity here has. Granted, the likes of Junko and the Lunarians are nothing to scoff at, but Reimu’s number of experiences are hundreds of times smaller than any of ours.”

Kanako scoffed. “Rich. Aren’t you and Ran the ones who brought Reimu back into Hana’s life in the first place? In fact, you’re the one that brought Reimu to her birthday party. Do you really stand to criticize the Shrine Maiden, or is there a point to this?” Seems the goddess wasn’t interested in empty words. Still, she could at least pretend she believed Aya was being genuine.

“Not much of a point, really. It’s just interesting how harshly a girl drunk on spirits can go from a hero to villain. It’s almost scary to think what kind of transformation someone already unhinged would go through.”

“Ah, you mean Yukari? I suppose you have a point. The woman’s already so volatile. If her inhibitions were completely gone, there’s no telling what kind of Gensokyo we’d be standing in right now.” Kanako took a second glance at the bottle of sake before pouring another cup. It was more comforting than if she left the bottle. If Kanako didn’t consider herself sane enough to hold her drink, then Aya’d have reason to be concerned.

“Who’s to say sake’s the only thing that can screw with your brain? The word ‘drunk’ applies perfectly to Yukari’s obsession with Anon. It’s not alcohol intoxicating her, it’s lust. And I’d dare say her ‘counterpart’ has a bad relationship with power.” Aya turned her neck slightly, looking towards her back. She hoped it was a conspicuous enough gesture to point out who she refused to name.

To her surprise, Kanako smiled. “You’re talking about Okina, right? Okina is pretty bold, isn’t she, Aya? Geez Shameimaru, if Okina were here, I’m sure Okina would tear out your guts for suggesting something so hurtful!”

Panic shot through Aya’s body when Kanako rambled off the hidden goddess’ name, before realizing the obvious. Her shoulders softened with hot shame before the tengu took an a more comfortable posture. “You’re sure she can’t hear us? I still have a portal embedded in my spine.”

“I know you can feel the wards Suwako and I set up in this room. Okina doesn’t have ears here.” Relaxing her divine mien, Kanako leaned forwards, elbows on the table, and crossed her fingers together. Staring into Aya’s eyes was neither a goddess nor a businesswoman. She was a general, sizing up the reporter while planning her victory over her enemy. “Now, explain why I should trust you not to bring anything I say back to her.”

(Part 100)

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>>47721485
“Excuse me? I already stuck my neck out by littering Okina’s realm with explosives. Do you seriously think I’d hedge my bets with her after pulling a stunt like that?” It was a miracle Okina decided to kick Aya out of the backdoors instead of interrogating her. In a way, her children saved her life that night. Since she gave birth to them, the favors evened out.

“Tenma. Yukari. Ran. Okina.” The goddess held four accusatory fingers up. “Aside from me, you’ve made yourself an ally of four different interests. The tengu are a given, though you’ve made it clear you’re willing to betray them for a single human’s sake. Bunbunmaru is still a public supporter of the HSE. You’re a member of Ran’s meetings, though it could be motivated by self-preservation. Finally, the greatest threat to tengu society and one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo literally has your back. In the grand scheme of things, a little reporter like you doesn’t have much to gain by joining me.”

Really, she counted Ran separate from Okina? Thank goodness Kanako didn’t know about Aya’s deal with Momiji, she’d never hear the end of that.

Being put on the spot was a bit annoying, but it didn’t quite intimidate Aya as much as Kanako might’ve hoped it would. “I don’t think you forgot about my discussion with Suwako, so we can already forget about Yukari and the tengu. And since you know so much about my partnership with Ran, I’m sure you heard about the meeting we had in my home the other day? Omelettes and gossip, really clandestine stuff.”

Kanako remained stoic. “Was that before or after you let Okina near Hana?” Now Aya was getting irritated.

“You… Hana told you?” No matter how much it bothered her that Hana trusted Kanako more than her, Aya knew she had to wait before jumping to any conclusions. Even if she did, it wasn’t like Hana would be wrong to. Kanako hasn’t let her down yet, while Aya can count at least 3 times she did…

“Okina’s residual energies are clinging to her. She may be powerful, but she’s sly. There’s no way she’d approach Hana unless it was through someone close to her. That leaves Aunn and you. And I’m certain Hana wouldn’t be this upset if she were with her komainu.” The tengu stared back at the judgmental goddess. There were a dozen factors she could blame: Okina was never invited, that midget came out of nowhere, Reimu wasn’t helping, etc. But none of those excuses would help, and nothing was going to make Hana feel better about her mind being invaded by some shut-in.

“So, how’s the situation with Sanae’s maidens and the village? Aren’t you going to back up your miko when Keine’s festival inevitably turns into a bloodbath?” It was provocative. Offensive? Maybe. But it put Aya in control of the conversation. Even if the vein starting to pulse on Kanako’s forehead meant it would be just for a little while.

The goddess was actually stunted for a while. Aya considered continuing her spiel, but the way Kanako tried to maintain her stoic front made her realize this wasn’t the only conversation in the Moriya Shrine she was interested in. Something was going on with Hana elsewhere on the grounds, and Kanako was evidently stressed about it. It sure was godly behavior for her to keep it to herself. Fine. If Kanako wanted to isolate Hana here, she’d have to face the consequences.

Finally, the goddess responded. “Sanae’s actions involving the Hieda family are purely within her role as a miko maintaining the balance between humans and youkai. It has nothing to do with struggles between gods. It would be improper to intervene with Sanae’s duties when I already have a responsibility to look over Hana.”

Aya laughed, exciting the vein exploring Kanako’s forehead. “Geez, what a joke! You can’t just put on such a scary facade, pulling out the sake a thug, then expect me to believe such a bold-faced lie!” The goddess made an admirable effort in controlling her temper, until Aya slapped the table in a fit of giggles.

“You’re the bold one! How dare you accuse me of lying?!” The air was calm, Kanako wasn’t going to mess up the room for a cheap tantrum. That meant Aya could keep pushing.

“Oh, please! You’ve taken in the daughter of your shrine’s biggest competitor and in just a day she’s one of your flock. Even during a clandestine meeting you’re still watching over her. And if you’re doing that for Hana, I can’t imagine you’d let some old fogey send Sanae to her death. Goddess, miko, daughter, niece, it doesn’t matter. She’s yours. No creed or dogma will ever keep you from protecting her, even if it’s from her own mistakes.”

Kanako crossed her arms. She could tell this tirade was coming to an end, so her excited vein finally settled down. “Touching. How is that going to convince me you’re loyal to me?”

“Because Sanae’s yours, and Hana’s mine.”

(Part 101)

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>>47721489
The goddess’ anger dissipated as a look of amusement came over her face. “Really now? Of all the people in Gensokyo: Reimu, Marisa, Tewi, Yuuka, Kas- Ka-Kanako — even me, you’d say that Hana belongs to you?” Ignoring her own stuttering fit, she poured herself another cup and sipped from it, trying to figure out what exactly Aya’s angle was.

“Of course she does. Sanae is Suwako’s descendant, but she tends to take after you when she’s on the job. I think Hana has my eye for finer details. She’s such an observant girl, always eyeing the body language of whoever she speaks to. And she’s slippery, too! She knows how to pull a quick ambush.” Aya may have embellished a couple traits she notices from Hana to sound more confident, but it didn’t hurt to compliment her. After all, who could be sure if the onabashiri transmitted conversations both ways?

Kanako narrowed her eyes. “Uh huh. And how exactly does that tie Hana to you instead of every single tengu this side of Mt. Fuji?”

“Well, my eggs are all related to Hana by blood. That means I’m responsible for looking after Hana, even if she came out of Reimu instead of me.” Aya took a deep breathe. This took more effort to say then she expected. “And from how bad Hana has had it so far, I’ve been doing a terrible job.”

Aya down at her lap before reaching for her cup by instinct. She expected Kanako to judge her now, admonishing her for completely disregarding Hana in favor of attacking the HSE. She hoped she could argue for some shred of forgiveness. Snapping out of the subconcious action, she looked over to Kanako, expecting a look of judgment on her face.

Instead, Kanako was having trouble swallowing her sake. Gone were her steely eyes and pursed lips. Her divine skin turned a sinful red and her pupils quivered in confusion. Then it hit Aya.

Kanako and Suwako knew Aya was pregnant.

That didn’t mean they knew who got her pregnant.

Ran really was a great friend, keeping that little fact to herself.

Aya considered her next words carefully. All tension she felt before was gone. She could still feel the magic flowing through the room, of course, but now the cloying air around Kanako was completely dispelled. The tengu calmed herself and continued to state her case. “As I was saying, I’ve done a poor job of protecting Hana. I used her situation as a cheap headline before allowing Yukari to spread propaganda through Bunbunmaru, which only made her feel more isolated. When I brought Reimu to Hana’s birthday party, I knew it would hurt her. But it was something she needed, especially to stop Yukari from laying another finger on her.”

For the most part, Kanako had settled down. Her throat clear of expensive booze, she straightened her posture and listened intently. There was no salvaging her previous state of intimidation, and thankfully she didn’t try. “So it’s remorse motivating you. I take it your newfound motherhood is driving you too?”

“It’s stronger than remorse. It’s this frustration. I can’t stand looking at Hana from all these angles and being unable to do a single thing to help her!” Aya clenched her fists, recalling the fear and terror in Hana’s eyes when both of these sages were around her. “Okina’s stunt at our meeting was the final straw: She brought Satori from the Underground to lay bare all of Hana’s secrets! Right in front of her mother! This isn’t some little-kid shit about stealing cookies or staying up late, this her fucked-up history! We just broke Yukari’s brainwashing and Okina threatened to violate her all over again! All while I’m bent underneath her, frozen like a coward. Those two sages—A goddess and a youkai? They’re two sides of the same coin! If it weren’t Yukari sowing chaos, I can bet Okina would be doing it instead! She’s treating each and every being in Gensokyo, friend, foe or uninvolved as replaceable foot soldiers in one big game. But, she made a mistake. She let one of her little foot soldiers reach for gold and gain access to her domain.” Aya opened her palms, staring at the marks left by her nails. “Please excuse the profanity, that one cup may have loosened my tongue.”

Kanako chuckled. “Seems like it. You sure you want to take out all those grievances on Okina? I have to warn to you: If you wish hard enough to wound a god, it just might come true. Consequences and all.”

Aya thought about her words. About the words she marked down from Okina’s grandiose taunts. She’s a secret goddess, and her words cannot be trusted. Yet, her word is the only thing she can be judged on.

“I’ll do it. I’ve already put myself in far more danger than any pregnant woman should, what harm can a little more do to a mother?”

Kanako produced a solid tube from under the table and held it out to her. “Fair enough. If you’re committed, then smell this.”

(Part 102)

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>>47721493
Was this a prank? “Really? Just smell this and you’ll trust me?” Aya studied the thin container. It was smooth and painted with bright vermilion, corked with a bright green cap.

“I think you’ve proven yourself trustworthy. I just need you to understand what risks you’ll be taking before I give you your assignment.” Kanako gave Aya a rather encouraging smile. As her hand began moving towards the cork, that smile was hidden with an elbow. Aya turned her gaze to Kanako, who immediately put her hand behind her head like a child caught making faces at dinner. The tengu turned her attention back to the cork, watching Kanako ever-so-slightly shift away from the table.

Pointing the top of the tube away from her face, Aya hesitantly uncorked the tube. Turning the container enough to peer inside, a small amount of liquid, darker than black, was rolling around at the very bottom of it. Not taking any risks, Aya used her hand to fan the smell towards her. It was horrible.

Until now, Aya did not truly understand the meaning of madness. Her brain screamed as visions flashed in her mind of loneliness, disgust, emptiness, lust, anger, rage, lust, violence, apathy, delusion, lust, and utter hopelessness. Between mood swings, something felt starkly familiar about the cavalcade of sorrow and anguish assaulting her very soul. It felt like regret, shame, and unbridled obsession all stabbing her heart at once. Before she could lose herself in the reverie, the tengu corked the tube, stood up and cracked open a window. After a solid minute of breathing in fresh mountain air while definitely not trying to spot Hana, Aya felt her mind was clear enough. The tengu sat down on her cushion, poured herself a cup of sake, and slammed it down. She had one word for Kanako. “WHY?!”

“You’re missing who, when, where and how.”

“I’m being serious, why?! This goop is downright heinous. You know how standing next to Hina too long can make your whole day to go wrong? This feels like a lifetime of that.” Aya double-checked the seal on the tube, making sure the hell-in-a-capsule wouldn’t leak out.

“Oh, so you already know what this is!” Kanako was having too much fun with this. Aya’s eyes went wide as she tried to process the goddess’ implications while her brain was muddled by the echoes of non-consensual sex.

“What, did you actually juice Hina or something? Couldn’t you just use a doll like everyone else?” Aya’s head started throbbing. The memories of headaches caused by pounding against a headboard were inspiring her own headache.

Kanako crossed her arms and puffed her chest. “That’s thinking inside the box, Aya, and that’s not going to cut it. See, Okina is a goddess among goddesses. Her power goes beyond the confines of faith alone. A secretive, esoteric deity like her gains strength from the disabled and downtrodden dregs of humanity. There’s no way to stop Matarajin’s faith, but there is a source of power in Gensokyo just as potent. A center where the frustrations of youkai and humans are all vented onto one chained man. Hina was sent into the HSE to absorb as much of that misfortune as possible. After her body processed and ejected it, the kappa brought the end result back to me.”

It was Aya’s turn to be surprised. To use Anon and even Hina this way… Aya choked down her emotions. It wasn’t like she had any right to complain about using Anon for personal gain, and this wasn’t the time to let her feelings run wild.

“Even with this much misfortune, we aren’t fighting Okina directly. The fumes alone are potent, but Hina’s bile won’t be enough to win a fight with anyone. Instead, it’s going to be used a medium for a stubborn curse that counters the nature of her backdoor realm.” Aya considered how nice it must be nice to be an Outsider goddess. It must be the nature of a conqueror to overlook the absurdity of their means if it gets results.

“The curse is twofold. Not only will it allow Suwako and I to sense the location of the curse in the Land of the Backdoor, it’ll also unleash it’s bad luck on Okina’s domain. The map of the Backdoor is a blank sheet, a mystery to all but Okina herself. With this, we’ll overwrite the unknown and finally put Okina on equal footing with the rest of Gensokyo.”

Aya’s headache was finally starting to fade. The conversation made her suspect her own backdoor may have had something to do with it, but it was still dormant. Okina was still, as far as she knew, deaf to this conversation. The tengu could talk one-on-one with Kanako without fear of Okina or Yukari listening in.

Aya took a deep breathe and prepared for the inevitable argument. “No deal, Lady Kanako.”

(Part 103)

I hope none of you forgot that time Hina came into the story and threw up all over the floor, that was actually plot relevant. I've got more to add, just figured I should post what I have now. Can't tell if it's rambling on too much. Just trying to lay out on the table everything as far as what Aya actually wants to accomplish and what the Moriya goddesses are doing on the sidelines after learning about Okina's proposal to take the sword after meeting on Hana's birthday. Recent Okina developments may make Backdoor terrorism less sympathetic for readers. Aya, however, is a writer. The effects of character development are yet to be studied on tengu, especially tengu writers.

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>>47721498
>>47721493
>>47721489
>>47721485
hell yeah, Kanako mentioned~! Always have enjoyed this more tactical and strong approach to her character, makes her very distinctive from Suwako's sly mind and a fun break from the stereotype of wind being fleeting and ground strong, so I particularly like to read your writing regarding her and froggie! And a lot of content in these four chapters, noice. The conversation went better than I expected, no crying outburst from formerly retarded reporter, just incisive topics and dialogue; she did pretty well for herself~the thing with Hina, though, could generate some confusion since Cirnoanon chapters have been axed, so I will be making sure to include a mention of the poor goddess next Eirin chapter to at least make sure the connections can be made with these chapters of yours.
Just hope by crippling Okina even further doesn't come back to bite Aya in the ass, perhaps through a certain soul stealing sword tucked a fuckton of dirt below where she stands and so give Yukari an edge
that'd be tragic...
Also, prepare yourself to enter the cloaca exploration device as punishment for finishing in a cliffhanger. Fucking monster.
thanks for the chapters!!

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>>47715157
this is you

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>>47715177
Oh my God, I'm losing it.
Good luck on the special Anon! I await it warmly.

>>47721852
>Hina
Damn, forgot about the Shou chapters. I re-wrote the ending of Part 103 around 5 times and left out the explanation for Hina's Shrine Experience in at least 3 of those re-writes. I could
A) give a little more exposition later with Kanako
B) Create totally serious and definitely respectful scenario involving the kappa kidnapping Hina en route to Eientei from overworked and scared yamawaro to pump her stomach and deliver the ooze to Kanako. Nitori has yet to have her own standalone chapter and this would bridge the Tsukasa chapter to this without disrupting the HSE's workflow too much in continuity.
I may or may not take option B depending on how Aya and Kanako's conversation progresses.
>cloaca exploration device
if a tengu had 3 1/3 legs she would have 7 tubes. imagine

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Every individual Anon perceives her thoughts differently...
I think she's sad I messed up her hands. Sorry, eldritch daughter!

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>>47722499
last time someone just happened to forget a little detail about a background character, Hieda became an oni and committed genocide. Careful with option B, please.
not saying not take it, though~
>if a tengu had 3 1/3 legs she would have 7 tubes. imagine

>>47722699
>A + y
That's quite the crack ship there Sekai, not everyone can imagine Aunn + yukari working out.

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>>47724470
love always finds a way

>>47724470
Please, my sekai is a true crack shipper and rightfully ships Aya and Yuyuko

>>47722699
my sekai has a bigger pot handle hat

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>>47725084
I'm proud of her, she knows the good stuff

>>47721498
>Aya took a deep breathe and prepared for the inevitable argument. “No deal, Lady Kanako.”
we eating fried chicken tonight boys!

>>47715139
The fucking unholy schizo shit happened to Okina and Co? That shit reads as beyond bad writing.

>>47732493
Okina is a schizo now who is merely pretending to be retarded... also she hallucinated Yukari attacking and permanently killed Naz and Cirno
Yes, its as stupid it sounds and the only people that genuinely like it are the writer himself and the two thread trolls

while we wait for chapters, what's your favorite weird fact/trivia about the HSE? My favorites are how it's canonical Keine got plowed by a fire cock, Anon cosplayed once as a sad cat and Yuyuko fucking around some vents literally saved him thousands of rapes.

>>47736957
I am here to remind everyone that HSE had a "no lolis" rule that somehow stayed intact through arguements over Tewi's hag-ness, with the only exception being Koishi not realizing she was breaking tge rules. I think it was eventually rejected, but it's funny that it essentially carried through since the porn fell to the wayside for epic plot over time.
Out of all of Hana's moms, only one of them is completely pure. Everyone else has raped Anon at least once. Kanako has done it fictionally thanks to Jade Parakeet. Mystia is alluded to doing it because sex makes babies and the rabbits did what rabbits do. Only Sanae has refrained from violating Anon in any form. She is the purest.
Gengestu and Mugestu are technically part of the HSE canon as they were at the very end of one of the few HSE specials to be canonized, the irl Winter Solstice/Sekai Tree special.

>>47738083
the archive has "no loli lewding" in the tags, so guess gore, rape and torture is okay, but lolis? Far too much.

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>>47738083
Koishi is a loli? I've always pictured her in her early twenties and Satori as the child look-alike

>>47738905
I've pictured both as young teens around the same age. Satorin being the more petite.
>>47738742
>>47738083
My favorite part of the 'no loli lewding' rule is how it entirely came by accident and the Tewi stuff was a direct reaction to that old meme. The rabbit who is both milf and loli, a true paradox

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>>47740533
as expected from the lolibaba that stopped the birthday party from turning into a bloodbath, always one step ahead~

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Rain or shine, I'm getting the next chapter out tomorrow.

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>>47744871
rooting for you, Anon! Gambarena

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>>47744871
I was able to get another page up before I had get my day started, hopefully I'll beat you to the punch

>>47747518
>>47744871
Oh shit, I too am finishing some chapters, hope we three get to post tomorrow together.

I didn't write anything today!!!!

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>>47748688
it is your destiny

Is there a planned ending for the HSE?

>>47749231
yup.

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"You want to see the village? For what reason I wonder?" Yukari asked.
"To see the aftermath with my own eyes, while the ashes are still smoldering." Goro said with a small smile, Seija stood beside him, but added nothing.
'A suitable answer' Yukari thought 'but still suspect.'
With grace, she strode toward the two, her heels clacking against the wood of the office floor, and with a white-gloved hand she brought her fan to Goro's neck: an open threat. "Could it be that you want to pay a visit to your beloved former Sensei at the newly christened 'Kmaishirasawa' estate?" She asked.
"That's a given. Who else would know best of what transpired? She'd scold me for not seeing history in the making, however temporary this state of affairs is." Goro answered.
"And while you visit her, if the topic of defection should arise? If her, or that Taoist stateswoman, would happen to offer you clemency in exchange for your standing down, could you refuse such a temptation?" The fan pressed lightly to Goro's neck.
"To protect this place I am sworn as you know. Further, I won't doubt what's been foretold. We joined you because we weren't short-sighted fools and I don't plan to change that today."
The answers were clear and said as if there wasn't a fan to his neck that threatened to open a gap in his wind pipe. Yukari allowed herself to feel a small amount of satisfaction, but was not yet convinced.
"And what if I were to ask you that, while you visit the new village leader, you and Seija take the life of her son and daughter? Aki and Mochi I believe their names were, what would you do then?" Yukari questioned, the fan gently tapping on Goro's Adam's apple as she did.
"I'd refuse." He answered just as naturally as before.
"And why would you defy me?" Yukari asked, the room growing cold as she did.
"You accepted us and fostered our abilities Yukari-Sama, why would we besmirch that infinite gratitude by failing such an obvious test?" Goro asked.
"Go on."

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>>47749835
"Firstly, you leave us our wills for your plans. If you wanted the children slain without question, Ran-San would be a far better choice. You would only chose us because we'd question such a direct and violent act, questions that you'd account for in your calculations. Second, if Keine-Sensei is truly neutral, as I've heard your negotiation has made her, then calling down her wrath has no meaning, which is all killing the infant children would do." Goro took a small breath and said the next words with care.
"Finally, they're Anon's children by blood. And I ask your forgiveness, Yukari-Sama, I lied just now. I would do anything you asked me, even if I might have the will not to or I may not see the wisdom in it, but the one exception I make is in betraying the Yakumo and forsaking you. Don't they have his air about them? Isn't that part of the purpose of this place, to give Anon a true, all-encompassing family? And could I live, knowing that this family, whom I'm sworn to serve, had two of it's happy faces dashed by myself? Faces that will one day look upon you with love and admiration?"
Goro shook his head, as if to shake off the grim thought.
"No. I would never betray you, even if you asked it of me."
Yukari paused. She had expected the logical deduction, even the romantic rhetoric, but even still, the words had painted a tapestry in her head. Children all across Gensokyo looking up at her with affection in their eyes, all genuine, all so beautiful.
She smiled. "So you've learned to plant vivid scenes in the minds of others hmm?" She asked, before delivering a light blow to his nose with the fan.
"That's a good step. You already understood how to discern the interest of others and act accordingly, yet you never considered how you could 'adjust' others wants to meet your purpose, until now that is. However..." Yukari explained before placing her fan on his forehead and pushing it lightly, which produced a disproportionately powerful force that would have knocked Goro on his ass, had it not been for Seija catching him. "...Take care you're not discovered doing so. Other's may not be so forgiving."
Goro looked up as Seija put him back on his feet and briefly saw Yukari's split eyes, Youkai predatory instincts embodied, and felt a pang of frustration. It had been a small gamble to soften Yukari's cruelty, one that he'd knew she'd likely forgive, but it was still dis-heartening, since he'd put the genuine emotion behind it, visions of his own children who, in a sense, were her godchildren. Yet, Yukari's convictions had no weak points it seemed, a bulwark that even truth couldn't assail for now.
"My key concern isn't your loyalties you know?" Yukari lied. "It's your meditations, the process is incomplete. Outside interference now may hurt your progress to where you won't be ready by the solstice."
"It's because of that training that we want gander out at the ruins." Seija spoke now, plainly. "We can see things differently now and if we wait until the program is complete to go outside, we'll be overwhelmed."
"And it isn't that our little Jaku wants to bask in a successful revolutions afterglow?" Yukari happily hummed.
"It's just a prelude isn't it? All the better so I'm ready for the real thing." She answered.
Yukari exhaled and let the world fall away. Looking at Seija, she saw what she had expected: an Amanojaku who longed for the future and put the past and present aside. The boundaries between her convictions were motionless. But this had been easy since the girl, being an earnest Youkai, was far too easy for her to figure out.
Goro, likewise, was as she had planned: A Broker who can adjust all circumstances for his benefit, even the mold the minds of others, except for one tiny flaw: the boundary between his hope and despair murmured ever so slightly.
The Yakumo couldn't be sure that the discrepancy was a problem, her ability to discern the soul's true intention with her boundary manipulation was an imprecise art after all, but it annoyed her.
'Oh, what am I doing?' She thought with a small shrug.

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>>47749843
"Go on then, you've been working hard around the HSE haven't you? Take a little vacation, make some notes for me, and do let Keine know I've sent you." The Yakumo said with a flourish of her hand.
The duo nodded and both turned to leave, with Seija not turning away until Goro was safely out of the room. Yukari watched the Amanojaku eyes, little rubies trained on her being, before she left as well. Secretly, she had hoped Seija would object to her threats, so she could properly discipline her, or at the very least put on an interesting expression for her entertainment.
"Hugh, children grow up so fast, you even miss their tantrums" The Yakumo mused.
But they weren't her children, they were merely an experiment a fancy to see if a Great Youkai could be manufactured from two imperfect parts. Seija being the monstrous, pure, and deceitful evil nature, Goro being the calculating, cunning, and noble standing, could the two be melded into something greater? It was a unique opportunity, that was all, and if nothing were to come of it, that would be fine as well. Even then, that mummer in the Brokers heart, like a wrinkle in a bed sheet, if it was pulled taught, Yukari would know some satisfaction.

>>47749849
>>47749843
>>47749835
silly Yukari, doesn't she know hitting your children is child abuse? Very upsetting actions from the gap hag, she needs correction!

>>47749835
I look forward to the tension when Gror and Seiga visit Kenei Kmaishirasawa and her partner Mookou Fujowario

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>>47750911
>the tension in question

>>47751134
It's funny, because this could refer to the village war-crimes or Mokou immolating the two.

>>47733110
The worst part about that is that the writeanon didn't wait until 9/9 to kill Cirno.

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She doesn’t look particularly altered, at least when compared to the last time she laid on that stretcher and watched as a small egg inside of her had to survive a minefield of unexplained phenomena—what exactly prompted the Gaps…? Such mystery—displaying crushing fear and anxiety rooted so deep that trying to pull it out could taint the water table with the salt of her tears. But then it was all over; conception had happened, and it shone on her face a light so bright I had to convince myself that that woman was Yukari Yakumo still. A week has passed since then, and in a rather unsettling way, not a trace of that emotional woman is visible as I write down on my clipboard the observations I made after four hours of intense study of the egg etched to the uterine lining—after finding it, of course, which was a beast of its own accord—, to make sure there were no leftover Gaps trying to destroy it, deform it, or something similar; no, my perfect children are to be resilient to all but the acts of gods beyond the cosmic veil… And, perhaps, environmental influence—if that goop Hina had poured all over the place on her visitation and its utter rejection of making part of the primordial soup that is my perfect children is any indication.

Matter of fact, Yukari seems completely unbothered by the possibilities the child inside of her may have been evaporated by a stray Gap in this idle week—she didn’t even make questions about it… “You don’t look very concerned,” I say, attracting her attention from her belly back to me with that characteristic smile on her face. “Have you forgotten conception and pregnancy are two different things?” Shifting my position, I lay one leg on top of the other and rest my arms on the knee, leaning forward. “For all you know, the process after conception was a failure and so you haven’t been impregnated, and I am about to give you bad news.”

She doesn’t even flinch, and Udongein behind me, redesigning Yukari’s prenatal plan according to the health of the zygote, shivers with the words about pregnancy. “So adorable, Eirin~you always put shows like these for your most fragile patients? The shock of losing my dear daughter could kill me, you know~?” Yukari hums, hand tapping her belly… Daughter? There were no ways for me to guarantee the baby’s gender when I implanted the semen inside of her, but the way she says those words—certainty, conviction—is beyond the nurses’ gossips and betting of litter sizes and individual genders. “And why would I fear, when my child has traveled through the valley of the shadows of death before taking its first breath? A champion she is, blood of mine and Anon’s; to worry about failure after such a feat is a foolish endeavor.” A shrug and she returns to humming and cuddling her belly, yet the seed remains, one that makes me queasy.

The sureness of her words, the arrogant smug… My insides churn with an idea that, somehow, corrodes my very spine and makes me lean back, frowning as I clutch to my clipboard. “Yukari, have you… used your Gaps to modify the egg?” It’s a hushed question and that, shamefully, bears more emotion than what I wanted, gathering from the laying pregnant a weird look. “I need to know of any alterations to it, and it’d be impossible to be 100% correct about them if an outside factor like you meddling with my work were to happen—so please, answer the question.” Udongein is staring at my back with utter confusion, and Yukari’s eyes narrow for a fleeting moment before she turns them to the roof.

There is sweat running down my nape, and my leg rocks slightly.

“No, I haven’t taken the opportunity to possibly destroy my offspring, doctor.” She sounds offended, but I couldn’t care less—my perfect children are protected.

Good… good. “I see,” a simple nod is all I let out, though I wouldn’t know if she saw it, staring at the roof with a puzzled expression; thinking. “Because congratulations: you are pregnant indeed, Yukari—it’s been the first week already of your EDD, so we have between 37 and 41 weeks before the baby is delivered, around the 29th of September of next year.” There’s no fanfare, no outburst of crying. Yukari nods in satisfaction, clutching to her pregnant belly as if to protect it. “… As your doctor, I would recommend you seek a stress-free environment to develop your children, chiefly with people that can care for you and your needs—but knowing you, I doubt that’d be the case.”

“You should trust me more, Eirin~of course I’ll find respite for me and my Sekai—I already have something in mind: a calm place, with a glutton friend and a tree with a big shade to rest underneath. I’m sure Anon would love that place, especially considering his love for the creepy crawlers and such… But I need to rid my land of pests first; what type of mother would I be if I let my children be born into a den of the filthy and degenerate?”

‘A responsible one: not fighting,’ is said in thought, my head nodding while inside frustrations bud and writhe.

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I have to thread carefully around Yukari; that emotional blunder almost brought peculiar questions in my direction, which I’m sure I’d be able to answer in exquisite form and disperse the doubt… Though that’s never a fully feasible option with her.

… Still, just thinking about her recklessly taking my perfect creation to such pointless warfare against monsters makes me shudder.

Hm… ‘Sekai’, as she called it.

I taste it, yet find myself disconnected from its meaning or whatever story hides behind it… I prefer my one, but that’s no immediate concern. “Am I free to leave now, Eirin? I need to tell my man the good news~” Oh, there it was: joy just like the one I saw a week ago on her face.

“Not yet,” I send Udongein a side-eye, and pick briefly a certain sorrow on her features behind the surgical mask. “Have our patient checked and finish her prenatal plan, Udongein—you’re in need of exercise and a better diet, Yukari, so be honest with my assistant.” Those words make Yukari jump slightly, joy replaced by bewilderment as I stand up from my chair, handling the clipboard to the moon rabbit. “What? Do you think I wouldn’t notice the pockets of fat and the unstrained muscles? Sedentariness is a terrible way of living, and relying too much on your Gaps has consequences for your body.”

Flushed and gazing at the wide-eyed rabbit trying her best to hold off her laughter, she stammers, “I-I’ll fix all that with my Gap—”

“No, you will not. You’ll actually diet and do exercise; we have no idea how the use of Gaps in your body correlates to the baby’s diet, and you especially aren’t using your Gaps to either alter the baby’s ingested nutrients or its composition, and exercising always generates a healthier child.” It’s a stretch, mainly because of my perfection of the ovum, but Yukari doesn’t know that, and making sure she thinks the child is totally hers to CARE and nurture contributes to my cause.

And… Just to be safe, hm? You never know.

An intonation away from hissing and uncomfortable in her own skin, hands clutching to her belly as if to comfort herself, Yukari thinks, groans, gulps down her pride and says, trying to recapture a smidgen of her composure, “… F-Fine! Although I think it's unnecessary, if it means the wellbeing of my Sekai, I’ll follow the, uh… plan.” It doesn’t work, the crimson of her cheeks telling and those hands on her belly anxiously pinching a bit of flesh. Sure, using particular sets of drugs and stimulants I could remedy her body in no time, but the present possibility of it interfering with the growth of my perfect children is more than enough to dissuade my mind from it, so I merely exchange a nod with Udongein before strolling outside, ache of bones and mind nothing compared to the unfathomed hours poured into the project of mine, yet dealing with Yukari always demands some sort of rest

A simple sterilization of my body later, and the grayed-out corridors welcome me, not one conversation exchanged as the nurses come and go, closer than ever to the patients—children and such. Said patients seemed to understand what was happening, either through word of mouth or guessing work, and let the nurses be as close to their bellies and babies as they wanted.

If anything, it appeared to help.

But the ‘full’ corridors change when I blink, and the path forward is rather infinite and non-euclidean—I wonder how the Hakurei daughter is doing; she hasn’t returned to another session—empty aside from me and the smiling princess to my side. “Yukarin is weird, don’t you think?”

“Weird is an understatement,” I sigh, walking the infinite corridor anyway, about to ask Kaguya what she wants to talk about—

“—Guess that’s what happens when a woman like her becomes a mother. Suddenly, you have something you care about, and nothing is the same anymore.” I lift an eyebrow, staring at her. “There’s nothing worse than stagnant eternity, a feeling that only grows with the unrelenting passage of time… But it’s also something people like her only notice when a bamboo shoot of value truly enters their lives, and then come to appreciate it when it disappears before their very eyes.” She eyes me, giggling for whatever reason. “But I at least commend her on her habits; doing work is such a hassle~resting and eating good food is the elixir of godhood.”

I sigh. “Thank your estrogen for your lack of gout, Kaguya.”

She chuckles, likely meaning she didn’t understand my words, before asking, “So… now that it’s clear her building has its days counted, can I go visit Anon?”

“No.”

“Bleeeh, you’re so boring, Eirin~” then she’s walking in front of me, the infinity of the corridor a mere suggestion to its master, and there’s something… disorienting in her eyes as she glances at me, humming a little song whose origins escape me: ‘maware, maware, maware yo…’

Soon she’s gone, and I walk alone the infinite corridor for a few more seconds.

There was pity in Kaguya’s eyes.

… A blink and the door to my office stands before me.

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>>47756096
>>47756087
that last part with Yukari was a simple nod to the other Yukarianon, who wrote Yukari as having a nasty habit of eating chips, drinking cola and cutting buses' break pedals because they were annoying~

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>>47756087
>>47756096
Eirin's authority as a doctor sways Yukari, Aya, and who-knows how many mothers after the pregnancy waves, Kaguya has close ties to Mokou, and Tewi forcibly aligned herself with the Jobbers, Anon and Hana. Everyone in Eientei has a good angle to control Gensokyo from behind the scenes once the fires of war die down.
Except Reisen, who's good for nothing.

>>47756096
Hag on hag combat spotted. Yukari weight shamed into being healthier after having a whole show of charisma, what a fall from grace!

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>>47756659
it is NOT a fall from grace! She just needs to lose some pounds and all will be good, those are doctor's orders, not her fault for being too cool for peasant life

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>>47756420
Gensokyo will welcome its true leader in time
and don't slander Reisen, the poor girl is a victim

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>>47715952

Tall walls stood ignited and illuminated the gloom of the night with its brilliant yellow hues, the remains of the Heida estate made an eerie backdrop to the sounds of sporadic gunfire that still fired off the walls. The shouts of dying men filled the air in equal measure as did the echos of mortar and gunfire, ceaseless volleys fired at any that could be spotted on air or ground. Those that still stood upon the walls looked on in horror as they raised their weapons at-will, desperate to survive for only a moment longer.

Despite the beast that stalked the fields some still persisted, ones who could mitigate the worst of the effects with some form of trick or ability. The damage done to them was set in stone by this point, that was the only thing one could think when they saw their decrepit forms. A rusted shout left their lungs as they stormed the breech one last time, their determination solidified by the knowledge there was no future for them. Tools of labor and natural weapons were raised high as their horse voices rang out; the dead made their final assault to end the hell they were trapped in.

Beyond the final skirmish at the breeched walls and blood-soaked courtyard, where the soldiers fought with their backs to the burning estate, a flash of red and white approached. A masked faced with long spiked horns adorning his helmet followed the flash as his honor guard distantly supported the melee and fired below at those that still rushed the walls. The walls they stood on burned at the base, smoke rising but flame abated by the powerful blessings that fortified the slapdash thing. They held their ground at an observation post that afforded good view of the courtyard-turned-battlefield and the burning village below.

Heavy booted feet hit the thick wooden panels that made up the observation deck of the tower, a thick thud resounded and drew the attention of those armor-clad killers. Men in heavy black armor and wielding long-treasured blades zealously guarded the walkways leading to their lord, and fought the deranged able to push through. Their weapons were well maintained and gripped with precision, even the firearms rested naturally in their arms as they watched the melee occurring just a few meters from them and fired off the raised platform with pin-point accuracy.

Their attention turned to the girl that appeared before without much more than a gust of displaced wind that affected the pressure in their ears. Discipline, and seeing the neutrality of their patriarch at the intrusion of the desperate miko, held their weapons firmly at the ready; they had the girl in their sights before they caught up with the situation. Many of them were almost deafened from the constant gunfire, but watched the miko for any movement that would betray her as much as they watched for signal from their master.

A few terse words kept their peace despite the sudden intrusion, they couldn’t help but eye the long needles between the fingers of her white-knuckled fist that stuck out like claws. The shide that adorned her sacred gohei practically hummed with power and fluttered independently of the breeze. The danmaku surrounded her like the rising sun, black and white seals flew around her in ways that made the eyes spin and embodied the seal of her clan. With a brilliant yin-yang orb hovering behind her, crackling with energy between the flowing seals, the future Hakurei miko had descended with vengeance painting her face.

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>>47763867

Hana was surprised at how fast the bastard was, her gohei had hummed with power as the living wood narrowly missed the back of his helmet. The outraged thing practically vibrated in her hand as the energy stored inside had no where to go, begging to fulfill the purpose of her patron god. His indifference at her presence enraged her as much as the deep timber of his voice as he spoke some nonsense to one of the men with the more ornate sets of armor.

Rage was all she felt as her world narrowed to the man in front of her, like tunnel vision her eyes narrowed to encompass the entirety of the man. He stood tall, maybe it was just the effects of the boots and the helmet? The two black horns that stood in imitation of those scummy oni stood for everything Hana resented about tonight, this massacre was truly something only an oni could conceive. It had to be avenged, all of those deaths… Sanae…! She had to kill the bastard!

Those black horns connected to the smooth and lustrous black helmet that reminded her of an insect’s carapace. The deep red face that made up the scowling visage of death itself was charred and cracked in places like baking clay under the summer sun. The rust spattered chestplate and pauldrons bore the symbols of his clans. Its quiet power was obvious in the pockmarks and soot that adorned it, a testament to the battles faced till now. His boots were caked in bloody mud, despite the heavy armor on them he moved with a deceptive grace that could only be borne from training and grace.

It was obvious to the miko that he was the only real threat, the men around her held their weapons at the ready. Firearms were aimed, swords and polearms drawn, a mix of nervous and dead eyes all had her within only a few paces of it’s deadly bite. Yet she knew they would never land, the barrier behind her that radiated the essence of the Hakurei god was not for show.

Heart pumped and adrenaline made her body shake with the anticipation of violence, she wanted this man dead and wouldn’t, couldn’t, hesitate. The rage in her voice made it tremble as she laid her accusation for any to hear, “You- you k-killed Sanae!”

Deep eyes hidden by shadow seemed to regard her like a pebble on the side of the road, a sideshow to dealt with quickly. His voice spoke of a different story as he bowed respectfully and deeply, “Hakurei-sama, good evening…” His voice grated on her ears, it was as if his lungs were raw and throat bleed, “Yes, Sanae-sama was conspiring with the youkai to take me down- this village’s last hope. So I exterminated her.”

His tone was grave and there was something off, Hana had only met the man on occasion before and always for business. His aura was wrong, he was always so calm and collected before even if he was prone to delusion; never did she feel this radiating cold rage seep from him. This feeling wasn’t right, the rage she felt didn’t belong to the patriarch of the Heida clan she dealt with, yet it was potent in how it rang alarms in her mind.

She couldn’t rationalize the feeling; it was familiar in its danger yet foreign in how it felt like death exuded from behind his mask. Her mind scrambled as she processed his words and this strange aura that pervaded the man, “W-what?! You expect me to believe such a lie!? Sanae was fighting the youkai! You killed her in cold blood, you-!”

A voice as rusted as the blood upon his chestplate met her defense and made her skin crawl as he rose fully, “It is true, Hakurei-sama. She was intending on destroying my clan when all I’ve done is fight for this village.” Heida looked off to the side, into the vacant air beyond the battlement, towards the burning estate, “Isn’t that true, Aky- Akyuu-chan…?”

This damn old man, did this delusional old bastard really kill Sanae for nothing?! She cared little for his words yet the fury poured from her throat, “We are shrine maidens! We- we maintain the balance! We don’t kill people!” Her voice reached a pitch as she screamed aloud, “Sanae was a human!!”

Hot tears pooled around her eyes and threatened to cloud her vision, she blinked them away as the bastard refocused on her. His voice was absolute as it was chilling, “We do.” His words punctuated by the boom of another volley of explosives, “Hakurei-sama, It’s our job to protect the village of monsters, you should know…” the eyes of the oni he wears drift to the estate, “Ha! Me, a shrine maiden? No, no- liquidation of abominations, however, is our pride.”

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>>47763890

One of his gauntleted hands rose, from where they were joined in front of him, as if that gesture was enough to disarm her. Weary eyes watched his fingers gingerly grasp at the leather ties holding the mask up, with dexterous and familiar motions he undid the straps quickly and let the mask loose. Yet the heavy wooden plate held firmly in place, it didn’t fall and a curious sound emanated from the mouth of the mask that sounded like a labored sigh.

His fingers skirted the edge of the mask as he got a grip on it and tugged it gently, it didn’t give at all. As if the distant explosions were like a distant scream of terror on a cold night, that unsettling feeling of mounting dread inspired a cold sweat on her nape; she peered behind the mask to where the man’s eyes. She saw… nothing, it was dark as if the shadows were thick and cloying, gathered there as if…

Heida’s heavy armored hand dug in behind the mask, as if grabbing a hat about to fly off in the breeze, the darkness that gathered behind the mask… that seemed to gather under his helmet and armor itself… It was like-!

Like a cold block of ice was dumped into the rage that boiled inside, she watched as a wet, disgusting crunching sound rang out and the charred scowling visage fractured along a deep fissure. A mass of blackened flesh and rancid puss was thrown to the floor at his feet, infecting the area with a noxious scent that threatened to make one sick to their stomach. His groping fingers grabbed another piece of the mask, tearing off the section where his right eye should be with a sickening crack and the sight of dark brown fluid pouring down onto the floor below him. Where his eye was, a deep and violent orange flame burned inside, it drew her in entirely as if it demanded attention. W-what in the two hells? Was this really?! She’d never even heard a rumor of this happening to the Heida himself!

As if bringing her out of that small disgusting reality, the sounds of a man retching next to her snapped her out of her trance. For the first time, as the Heida’s other hand reached the final sections of that fractured scowl she saw the others around her. A glance was all she needed to see one of the men on his hands and knees, vomiting on the floor his last meal; another, the man Heida spoke to earlier wearing the ornate armor, trembled openly as his blade faltered for the time this night.

That fell feeling of wrongness overcame her again as the sounds of the rotten mass of what was once his brain slopped onto the floor. The remains of the necrotic fluids that made up a man’s head splattered out onto the wooden paneling below him. Those eyes, like wills-of-the-whisps in the night, drifted silently and in the endless cavern that made up the man’s eye sockets. His entire face was gone already, only bits of skin and creamy flesh clung to the charred skull that made up his visage. His bloated and black lips clung to his jaw by virtue of a cruel joke, they were cracked open like he was gasping for his last breath.

His helmet dropped next, the violent action snapping its straps and it clattered to the ground. His hair was thin and white, like mangy fur that clung in matted lumps, they clung to the skin that hadn’t sloughed off just yet and was joined behind him in a tie. On the crown on his head still stood two tall charred horns, they towered two feet tall. Cracked and blackened, the horns seemed to emanate a heat of its own as it boiled the air between it with visible waves of heat.

A dry and horse voice contrasted the wet and raw sound from earlier, as if he’d been scoured of something fundamental and replaced with the inhuman, “We are much the same in that regard, Hakruei-sama!”

>>47763867
>>47763890
>>47763911
everytime I read it Heida's body horror becomes nastier, poor Hana having to watch that and hear she's similar to the walking sewage spill. Though it does make me interested in what type of crazy deformations we'll see during the solstice.

>>47764109
The mask scene was fun to make, the big reveal was nicr even if its the second time told. Poor girl is not recovering without a loooot of Eirin's special "mindfucks-be-gone" pills

>>47763911
Hakruei-sama

>>47766475
Heida and Hakruei enter a bar, there they find Kiene and Kanko having a nice talk about Senkai.

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>>47766475
I hate that I always miss something stupid

>>47766484
they can meet up with patchiouli since she's senkai's mother after all

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>>47763911
>>47763890
>>47763867
she's not recovering from that one so soon, but at least she'll get to see Mr. Hieda get pummeled AND will participate in his downfall. That should offset the massive trauma at least by a little~
great descriptions and handling of the scene from a proper Hana POV, thanks for the chapters!

>>47766631
>>47766484
I love these silly misspelled names like you wouldn't believe

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was visited by a Kurodani today while writing some chapters. Seems she's a distant cousin by size and coloration, either a Nesticodes rufipes or a male brown recluse. Undoubtedly cute~, though I think it's upset at me for putting it in a cup, hoping Yams doesn't get mad too… will try to hand led it, praying for no bites.

>>47770513
you have upset the spoood, yams has dispatched agents to intercept

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>>47773149
gomen, it had to be done. I swear there'll be lots of coffee and head pats when everyone calms down. The cousin was freed after some headpats~, and he's happily prowling outside. No spood was harmed in the process!
all's well ends well!

Would Yukari be classified as a yandere for anon?

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>>47779042
going by her thoughts in the love-hate little arc after she came back from Yuyuko's, I'd say she kinda is, but not fully fledged: every ounce of genuine love she might've had towards him has been twisted by her traumas, and more she loves the feelings of having something real in a life of lies, deception and such. Same with Sekai and Flandre, she is infatuated with adoration and a feeling of not being alone in a world that hates her to the point she needs to create family in the form of her shikigamis.
Abandonment issues, loss that twice aggravated the worn-out nerve of inaptitude and delusion towards the cruel world created that mess of a woman whereas a yandere is twisted by love

>>47779148
h-haha, such a silly gappy....

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interesting, was organizing the archived text for next postings, and found out the 1 millionth word of the HSE falls around Keine's and Hana's conversation in the former's last chapter before her epilogue.
feels oddly ominous.

>>47780018
Damn Sekai and her crackships

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flowchart of the last thread coming through!
https://files.catbox.moe/7sq1gy.png
for writeanons to guide themselves and readeranons to do something, because I can't predict what comes next.

>>47786163
So many roots and trees. Yuuka's having a fucking field day while Nitori wonders if she'll ever get a chapter that isn't a Soku commercial

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>>47786793
>Yukari's traumas were cemented when she buried Yuyuko's body under a tree
>Sekai and her tree mean the end of Yukari's life of suffering
trees are very cool, after all.

>>47786163
>Shub-niggurath can't tell the difference.
Makes sense since there isn't any, shit is shit.

>>47785668
it's not a crackship and more of Hana's ultimate test in the future when she grows older and wiser. The setup and investment is there already, and the likelihood of sexual abuse is zero, so the Hana won't face her biggest weakness.

>>47788601
Nope, Hana WILL defeat the flame cock!
She WILL touch the cowe!
She WILL baste the bird!
She WILL read the suzu!
She WILL turn into the pink slasher!

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>>47749849
When the two exited Yukari's office, the first one upon them was Takane.
"I'm sorry." She told Goro as they all walked through the halls together. "I should of asked Yuarki-Sama to retrieve Seija and yourself, but the situation-"
Goro stopped and put up his hand. "You did the right thing putting the place on lock-down and even if our ladyship had said yes, to both letting us out and for us intervening, there's no guarantee we wouldn't make the situation worse. Old man Hieda certainly would see us as an enemy, the Moyians just as well, and Makou, if the stories I heard about Keine-Sensei taking a bullet are true, would probably jump at us in a rage. At best, we'd delay the fighting by being pincushions."
Takane sighed and placed a hand on her hip. "But still, the village is your home isn't it?"
For a moment there was an uneasy quiet as the implication settled in, before Seija shattered it.
"Right, doubly so then. You think this dainty flower of a man could keep his cool while his old friends are getting shredded all around him?" She asked, slapping him on the back.
"Aghh, you know, anyone else saying that and I'd look at them funny." Goro complained.
"Right I was silly to second-guess myself. Manager of the HSE, biggest business in all the land, my commands forthright and my authority second to only the great Yakumo herself." Takane waved as they continued down the halls.
"So, things are running ship-shape around here? And have you heard anything about the village?" Goro inquired.
"Things have been running as well as can be expected. Everyone here is a little rattled from the revolution, some employees have even asked for leave, probably to see their secret honeies, I've granted it to those bold enough to ask in either case; better that they're motivated to act accordingly when the other shoe drops. As for the village, it's a mess. Everyone has the broad strokes: Hieda went nuts, shelled the village, killed that teacher, died, came back as an Oni, but was slain when that same teacher came back from the dead. As for specifics, there's suspiciously little. I've sent out feelers trying to get some ground truth, but they're all coming back with conflicting accounts." She shook her head.
Goro nodded. That things weren't clear immediately following such a tragedy wasn't unusual, but he could see the squint in Takane's eye when she mentioned 'conflicting accounts'. Chaotic times muddled much and that ambiguity could just as easily be used by the victor to write the 'true' history.
"What about the other factions? I heard it happened fast, but the Moriyan's were there right?"
"They were, plus that 'Crown Prince', Hana, and Reimu showed up later. The Myouren's did open their doors to those that fled."
"Small number of suspects, well that's good. And what about Anon?"
Takane shook her head. "Yukari-Sama dutifully informed him of events. He's been a little more distraught then usual after that, asking all sorts of questions I can't answer. Best I've been able to do is some assurances that his daughter's a big girl, he just has to hold out a little longer, and some hot coco, for all the good it'll do." She remarked bitterly.
"You're there for him and that's what's important. Corny as it's sounds." Goro shrugged.
"Well then you should see him, properly I mean, not as a Yukari-lookalike. He hasn't seen another man in more then a year you know, might be good for him."
"We'll see." Goro answered.
"Goro-San, a moment." The White Wolf Captain made herself known to the group. "We've shut down operations of the HSE and called for a market closing during reconstruction and mourning, as per Takane-San's instructions, but now that you are awake, I humbly request your own guidance."
"Meaning you find Takane's instructions insufficient?" Goro asked.
"No, I merely note that in terms of counter-intelligence you have caught one more-" She began.
"What you meant doesn't matter to me, what you do does. I want you to take this opportunity to fortify our surroundings. Start by expelling businesses who aren't complying with the market shutdown request as well as any other storefront with known connections to our adversaries. You'll need to be quick and coordinated before they can realize what's going on and be ready for any runners. You will work with the Yamawaro on this, am I clear?" He asked.
"Perfectly." The White Wolf Captain saluted, before turning to do her duty.
Takane saw all this and shook her head.
"I will never understand how you learned to deal with those wolfen girlies so easily." She said.
"Oh, it's the same as commerce don't you know? Just figure out what people want and give it to them. The White Wolves want a firm, un-compromising hand, and I give it to them." Goro explained, as he idly rubbed that one spot below Seija's horn she so enjoyed having massaged before the Jaku swatted his hand away.

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>>47789114
"Well anyway, here we are." Takane said as she opened the thick, rug-like curtain that had replaced the HSE door, revealing a frigid and dreary mid-morning scene.
The market was quiet, almost vacant, but beyond it one didn't have to have Tengu sight to see the scars left by the revolution. Black specs in the distance were burned down buildings, carts full of debris rolled up and down roads, and the rolling white clouds above that kept the sun out painted the war-torn scene in a de-saturated gray.
Seija shivered, getting her first taste of the up turning that had occurred and upon Goro's face Takane saw a glimpse of something dreadful before he shut his eyes and turned to her. "Well shouldn't you be going then?" He asked her.
"What?! I'm supposed to be seeing you two off!" The Yamawaro yelled, a little flabbergasted.
"Idiot." Seija jeered, slapping her on the back. "She means the man you've been seeing."
"I've already done so as a matter of fact." She stated, crossing her arms. "Some of us have relationships that respect our professional lives."
"You might not have another chance 'before the other shoe drops'." Goro said, giving the girl another slap on the back. "Things will work themselves out over here, go make some trouble for once."
"Damned lecherous busybodies." Takane murmured before she made for the bakery, but stopped short and turned back to the two.
"You should be wary of that former teacher of yours. A lot has happened and she may not be the person you remember anymore, she might even attack the two of you. I know, I know, you're soft on old ladies in general, but don't go getting killed tragically before the solstice alright?" Takane asked, before she turned and made her leave in the direction of the bakery.

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>>47788843
>threatens to tell everyone Hana masturbated over the festival crowd minutes before a massacre
this is how you defuse a Hana forever. Keine should be grateful Miko is with her

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>>47789114
>>47789116
Goro will be in for a surprise when he gets there and Keine is just as affable and welcoming as ever. Sensei might be turning evil, but her good manners and kindness are still up-to-date.

>>47788843
Hana WILL job like her green mothers Yuuka and Sanae!

man, I know it's a good thing we're basically at the end of Arc 2 with just Hana left to finish, but I'm starting to realize how much I miss waking up to a bunch of new chapters and developments... Ah, guess that's life.

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Rubbing my eyes doesn’t ward off my latent tiredness, a task not even the drink Sanae has presented us manages to accomplish—a brown-black type of slurry, mixed with a bit of white sugar and cream called ‘coffee’; seemingly meant to help fight drowsiness, but all I got from it was a faster heartbeat and pain on the base of my horns… Maybe because I decided to go for only half a teaspoon of sugar whereas the shrine maiden had gone for multiple full tablespoons? Probably so, but it works satisfactorily as it is—the sleepy gesture gathering an amused stare from Miko across the table. “Tired already? Don’t expect things to get any easier with time; rather, they’ll only get more complicated, 'Lady' Kamishirasawa~!” In that, I fully believe the saint, sighing and moving my eyes away, right hand supporting my chin and blue tail wagging sluggishly.

It’s a calm afternoon in the estate, though tensions between the old and new staff remain just beneath the surface where Mokou’s strict demeanor and violent visage cannot reach, but that’ll die down with time and gentle pulling of strings—I refrain from outright rearranging their minds. Suppressing their rage and resentment is one thing; whatever they do with their feelings is up to the individual—; Aki and Mochi sleep in the crib a bit behind me, the room mostly empty—before, Mr. Hieda’s office—, shoji doors giving view of the snow-coated backyard and letting sunlight illuminate the kotatsu we sit around, an overhead map of Gensokyo with the village in focus laid on the wood, scribbled on with tact and cohesion, as it was expected from someone like Miko.

“I know, but I haven’t slept in two days…” My mumblings only gather a laugh from the saint before she slurps on her milkshake. Doesn’t she feel any cold? That purple scarf does seem comfortable…

“Suck it up, Lady Kamishirasawa. That’s the nature of the beast.”

“Sheesh, I’m not complaining—I understand and welcome my responsibilities,” I pout and Miko merely hums, those golden analytical eyes all over me. She got a hook and won’t release it until an answer comes forward; that’s one of the many things I’ve learned about her in the week we’ve been working together. “Just… It feels overwhelming,” my eyes shift to Mochi and Aki. They’re safe, alive. Good. “And quite surreal, too. Like a flight that’s suddenly stopped, yet the sensation of momentum is still there.” Same eyes move, now towards the white world outside, and in the distance the silhouette of the HSE lurks like a ghost in the mist, shivers creeping up my spine with the memory of a bonfire of thunderstorms. Suzu’s words echo before the fright grows, and I ignore the lingering fear, like a whispering serpent, that spoke of Hana's failure.

A nagging question comes with that fear, one that whispers, ‘Should I tell Miko these things…?’

Miko notices my physical reactions, as she always does, and her smile turns serene. “Like it isn’t real, hm?” I glanced at her, her milkshake left on the kotatsu. “I’ve been there too, and… Don’t worry, Kamishirasawa: this is very much real. Everything we’re doing for the Human Village—Gensokyo at large—will leave a mark, whatever shape it might take, and we must strive to be as smart as possible to make sure it takes a good one. Heh, one of the reasons I’ve joined you is that I‘m confident we can find the shortest and least violent path to that end—or do you believe the implementation of printed money wasn’t bloody?” There’s a moment of silence as she chugs her milkshake, though not internally. Her words will be ruminated over during the incoming drowsy night. “There are still problems and doubts about the future, of course,” Her gaze shifting to the HSE is steadfast. “But, as government, that’s a given. Smooth sailing is what we provide, not what we bask in—just be glad you aren’t alone for the shitstorm; after all, you have your best friend~” The prideful intonation and her next gesture of both hands supporting her chin almost make me laugh.

Still…

I can’t help but recall the start of the festival and how she approached me and gave words of advice; then, upon my death, helped in my resurrection; how she protected my flock and guided Suzu to make sure the revolution wouldn’t collapse; her bravery alongside me and even before that, against all odds with an enemy no one had total understanding of.

Now, her Taoists spread religious words, help the people affected by the war, assist in the rebirth of the village and aid with food and medicine.

Toyosatomimi no Miko stands with me against a world that hasn’t fully understood my beliefs nor seen them in practice, and together with others we raise something Gensokyo has never, ever experienced before: a true peace. Not a thin-veiled concept, a poor rationalization used by the strong to justify the suffering of the weak that either lived sheltered in fear, died alone in the forests or were pursued for a lie out of control—to justify a mother having to choose between her children.

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With me stands Toyosatomimi no Miko, and she stares, confused at my silence and the growing smile on my face, about to say something. I am quicker, talking over her: “… I’d like to thank you for everything, Miko.” She freezes mid-sentence, her face losing the sheer pride it was presenting amidst the surprise. “I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish… any of this without you. My children would've had one less mother, leaving a grieving Mokou alone to care for them; my revolution and its followers would’ve perished in Hieda’s inferno; and even if it’d have been a success, it’d have crumbled without your guidance… And, heh, I guess I wouldn’t have resurrected either,” I giggle a little, tail wafting somewhat energetically. It's embarrassing, but it's from the heart, so I can't help it. Outside, the winter wind blows softly, and the light gleams elegantly in her broad, golden eyes. Even the ever-casual saint can be caught with her pants down~ “Every contribution you've made is invaluable to me and my people, to our dreams and to the peaceful era I aim to bring forward—so, in the name of everyone under my authority,” a bow comes, hands on my knees. “I say with confidence: I cherish and thank you for everything, Toyosatomimi no Miko.”

Every word rings true, and despite the notion the saint ought to have ulterior motives with my government, it’s just that: a pestering sentiment. When juxtaposed to the thunderous glee that is having her to my side, it’s easily ignorable.

The bowing remains for a moment longer, no words coming from the saint, and when I raise my face, a surprise is welcomed: the strong and cunning mascara had broken, and the saint’s cheeks are flush red, a nonchalant laughter echoing as she scratches her nape, the weird triangular shapes following the movements: “C-C’mon, Kamishirasawa—what gives? Speaking all fancy all of a sudden with me?”

“I thought it’d be nice to show you gratitude~” I laugh, a hand covering my mouth.

“Are you trying to get me to cover for you again so you and Moko—”

“For the Dragon God’s sake, it’s nothing like that!” If I had a piece of chalk now, it’d have hit her square on the forehead—with a lot of force to shut up her annoying laughter. “Just accept the compliments already.”

“I accept your words, sensei, and am happy that I am of so great importance to you, as if I already didn’t know the obvious piece of common knowledge~just remember it's my job as a hermit and saint to make sure the material world is as free from suffering as possible… It's not that impressive, really,” Fixing her headphones and taking a moment to drain her milkshake after ineffectively downplaying herself, which I mirror with my cup of coffee, she finally continues, the red on her cheeks dying to something more… dignified. “Heh, you caught me off guard there, I must say. Employ such underhand tactics against, say, Tenma, and we may have a chance of knocking the Tengu down a peg… But that’s for future us—’now us’ have different problems.” The unmistakable deflection warms my heart. Compliments are often a double-edged sword for the type of Toyosatomimi no Miko, so accustomed to being showered with them and discerning their true meanings through people’s desires that when they unexpectedly get one that is genuine, they easily fold. She recovered well, at least, likely through years of court experience, and I can only wonder what truly goes inside her head.…

Well, doesn’t matter: I have faith in her, and, sometimes, a small smile can say more than words.

I trust her.

“Returning to where we left off before you decided to be extra purple, I’d like to briefly sum up my solution for our biggest problem in the incoming years.” Following her hand movements, I watch as she draws on the map, many notes and markings all over it, remnants of our strategies towards the rest of Gensokyo that may or may not abide by our government; it’s a point of great debate how we’re going to be dealing with them. Bestial Youkai without minds will be easily disposed of, but the thinking ones will be much more nuanced undertakings. We’ve agreed to at least try peace. “While the situation with Youkai Mountain, Underground and Myouren is moot for now, what is not, though; It’s how the Human Village is a product of hundreds of years of fear with its walls and relatively small habitable area. The festival and our victory have attracted much more attention than you were expecting at first, and we aren’t equipped to deal with that in the long term… Not within the tiny boundaries of the village, at least: so, rather than integrating the Youkai that want to participate in our government in the narrow confines of the village,” I frown as she draws red lines over the walls of the village, then proceeds to encapsulate the whole expanse of the Youkai Trail and a good chunk of the Forest of Magic in a red area, nearly bordering Youkai Mountain as it chomps at the entrance of the Great Youkai Forest. “I plan expansion.”

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>>47803011
>>47803009
just two brief chapters for Takaneanon to have more ways to gauge Keine's emotional state after the war and portray it, and a bit of Miko too~
was saving it for the future, but it works well here too.

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>>47803009
>>47803011
>>47803013
Nice, future expansionist plans! Will put it too good use!

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>>47804109
good luck~

>>47803009
>>47803011
Our heroes! Soon Keine will become one of the most powerful leaders in Gensokyo, and the youkai breeding plan will expand. She won't rest until every youkai has a warm home filled with food and a loving husband.

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>>47808214
>She won't rest until every youkai has a warm home filled with food and a loving husband.
hopebros are so fucking back!

>>47808214
>>47809608
She's going to get everybody killed like the idiot she is, Hana needs to put the cowe in her place.

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>>47809638
Hana would be too swamped by her endless therapy sessions and fucking her dog sister(s) to do something about it!

>>47810149
Then Gensokyo is doomed.

>>47803009
>>47803011
cute lesbians!

'Ana chapters today? It's been the pattern for the last few weeks.

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>>47815575
guess that's a not, such is life

It's less than 2 weeks until a very important day. 'Ananon probably needs time to appreciate the eternal effect that going on vacation has had on this story.

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>>47820238
I'm eagerly awaiting the birthday, have been preparing a special something for quite a while now~

>>47820264
Lucky you, the 28th just had to fall on a Saturday, meaning Kazakhstani Labor Day happens the day after. Gotta get two specials prepared when I've only been hammering out a single sentence per day on the actual Aya stuff...
Lookin' forward to what you write. I'm probably just going to do something silly.

>>47820297
I'm entrusting you with all of Kazakhstan hopes, Ayaanon! Don't let us down! But damn, that seems like one stressing plate you've got yourself, maybe rest a bit from Aya's story and focus on the silly stuff before getting back on board? I know if I focused on Keine's 2nd book script; Okina chapters; Marisa chapters; the anniversary special and the extra surprise I have for it I'd go insane...
>I'm probably just going to do something silly.
I enjoy when you take it easy and write some silly stuff. The Valentine's special, 4th of July and thanksgiving all come to mind, mainly the last one as it also happened during our Obi wan episode
good memories~

>>47820297
I'd like me some silliness to offset the post-Kiene drought

>>47829015
>silliness
Writeanons are busy enough as if, how about we give them a break instead of demanding things from them.

>>47820237
>no hana pin
>no green ascot
Not hana.

>>47831702
>no pin
check the zipper

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>>47831885
thanks for the support~
>>47831702
finding the Hana can be challenging sometimes.

>>47810676
Nah, Gensokyo will be just fine

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I'm starting to hoard a surplus of Hana edits…

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>>47786163
You forgot something

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>>47845495
Shub-niggurath hungers…

>>47845615
Shub's already gotten to Anon. He's probably at least 1/10th of the way to rivaling her moniker and thus becoming a worthy consort.

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>>47851822
please don't fuck the obvious eldritch monstrosity.

wrote four pages today, planning 6 tomorrow, update likely Monday~ Have a great weekend, Anons!

Nice, we got 10k hits on the Ao3 archive a week before the anniversary~

>8 days without chapters
That's the longest we went without anything...

>>47864421
We're too busy making plans for the VN adaptation. Currently, no one is in agreement over how many Steam achievements we should have. I say we need at least 50, including one that insults the player for activating SFW mode.
Everyone's saving up for the anniversary or just taking a break

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>>47871414
the already agreed upon ones are as follows:
>"Full House!", unlock all special NPCs
>"85% of them are useless, some would say", reach LVL MAX on all NPC questlines
>"The House always wins", get the Yakumo Empire ending
>"Lol, lmao even", get the Jobbers ending
>"Time's a cirlce", get the OG!AbusedFic ending
>[this achievement is secret] "Beyond plot-armor", get Hana Hakurei killed during the Battle of the Solstice
>"Yamawaro specialty", reach LVL MAX on the [HSE upgrades] tab
>"How did it happened this many times?!", unlock all 4 Fertility Booster incidents
>"Localization will be hard...", reach LVL MAX on the Keine questline and get the Revolutionary ending
>"Tennoheikabanzai", side with Old Man Hieda at the Festival's Tribunal
>[this achievement is secret] "Hello, father~", reach heart LVL MAX with Sekai and unlock the secret ending
>"You monster", get your savefile deleted for refusing to pet Chen three times
>"Seiga's plaything", get the Cat Ears
>"There's many of them", find 10 references to Elden Ring and Shingeki no Kyojin
>"… How?", complete the game without ever witnessing a sexual act outside SFW mode
>"Cannon or not?", find a fairy
>"wait, Touhou isn't just fumos?", start a playthrough on SFW mode
>"Easy mode", on SFW mode, get blocked from procceding past Act 2
many more to come, keep an eye on the devlog!
>spoiler
true, but personally I'll be posting tomorrow 6 chapters since I'm already done with what I'll be posting in the anniversary~

>>47864421
Guess I should thank Hata no Sekai for such semi-fortuitous timing, the lull in story posting is giving me just the time I need to create some decent artwork for you all before this nightmare of an epic finally wraps up.
Wanted to get it out there in time for the Equinox but circumstances arose, as they often do. Trying not to let my lack of decent timing get to me though even though I started typing this at the same time as that last post FUCK., these things usually shape out as they do for a reason and we all need our own breaks.
>>47860183
>10k hits on the Ao3 archive
Christ Almighty, the impact this must've had on so many others...
You people still mostly scare me, I hope you all realize that. I really do want to theoretically enjoy your company but I'm far too worried over what might occur if I was trapped in a room with any one of you for too long.

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>>47871534
>Guess I should thank Hata no Sekai for such semi-fortuitous timing, the lull in story posting is giving me just the time I need to create some decent artwork for you all before this nightmare of an epic finally wraps up.
waiting eagerly, but never forget to take it easy~!
>You people still mostly scare me, I hope you all realize that. I really do want to theoretically enjoy your company but I'm far too worried over what might occur if I was trapped in a room with any one of you for too long.
you have no idea how many spider facts you'd get to know if we got trapped in a room together...
eh, don't be, the people of the thread are just very protective of the project considering the dark times we had and all the strife we went to get here -- can you believe the project almost got axed once because of the Obi-wan 'she was a good friend' copypasta? --, but aside from that and your occasional asshole, we're just your good ol' autistic little community with a passion for the mother of all literary dichotomies. If you ever feel comfortable doing so, show up sometime for glorious shitposting and review the chapters with other anons -- those are always appreciated!

>>47871534
I cannot help but wonder if there's some poor secondary on AO3 that reads Touhoufics and stumbles upon the HSE by some sort of unholy providence as one of their first explicit fan works. SHoP would probably be first, but it's hilarious to think they saw the gap rape, incest, and wingplay first.
There's some poor fool here on the jay who thought we made up 'tene and a zoomer leaving emojis on my side story. It's more possible than you think.

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Culmination is a fascinating process: like the cycle of life and the light of stars in the sky, it has a beginning and an ending even though, sometimes, it doesn’t seem so. Building, building, increasing and growing—bloating, maybe—to unfathomable degrees, life reaches its thousands of years, and the stars, ever shining, accompany it… Then the culmination of, say, feelings pent-up throughout all that process achieves their zenith, a point of progress impossible, and all that the horizon presents is a crashing and sudden downfall that, despite its unexpected nature, is bound to happen to everything.

Stars collapse, lives end, and goddesses find themselves at rock bottom, their hands tainted with innocent blood and minds so drained it’s almost like they are on the ocean floor…

… A fish swims by my face and, instinctively, I sneeze with the brisk contact, hand moving and so displacing some sediment and the heavy petrol-colored water of about 200m into the Atlantic, the sunlight dimming with the coming of evening, my golden hair swaying around me and brushing the ocean floor as other curious creatures flock or just glide aimlessly, some trying to explore places they shouldn’t—I probably should put on some clothes—and so being backdoor’d away from me. The hand I’ve used to rub my nose, confusedly, remains in front of my eyes, blocking the sparse rays of sunlight that were bathing me, and I stare at my trembling digits—the reaction not born from the freezing cold or of twenty atmospheres exerted upon me, but reckless actions of a psyche worn-down by thousands of years and propelled by the most terrible of circumstances.

Rock bottom, that’s what yesterday was.

But anywhere was better than that shack, preferably with some silence—so many whispers, so many futile pursuits…

The hand falls, cloaking my eyes as the water muffles a sigh. I woke up this morning—or a few hours ago; I can’t bother to do the exact conversion of time zones—haunted by the memories of Mai’s cries and the terror in Satono’s eyes and by the blood that I’ve spilled… By vices and consequences of a life far too long. I couldn’t remain in that place, not with the threatening memory of a fire capable of burning magic down to the thread; to destruction incarnate; to the piercing eyes of a true dragon.

To Kasen’s unmatched strength and Yukari’s abhorrent cunning. To the looming Solstice.

To death led by my mistakes.

Ah, what a shitstorm you’ve gotten yourself into, Okina…

Yet, amidst all the fear and terror that plagues my mind, the lusting for something—anything—to silence these agonizing thoughts and recall the taste of aloof tranquility, a question arises—one that leaves together with bubbles: “What should I do…?” A shoal of fish surrounding me get scared by my voice and scatter, the ocean rumbles its attempt at a shrug, and the algae and other plants squashed under my back harbor hidden secrets I could pry from them should I desire to give them life.

I tsk: no answer.

Yukari won’t stop pursuing me should I run away from the Solstice, not with that sword she’s constructing in the Underground—I cannot access it and its mysteries, so frustrating—; trying to commune with the Dragon God now would be meaningless since I have forgone my job as a sage and, rather than doing right at the beginning, decided to accompany Yukari in her madness, searching another high in this boring life: we both would be punished with demise. Trying to communicate with Lunarians…? No, they’d see the weakness and wedge between all of us and perceive it as an opportunity against all the sages.

I roll back and forth in the sediment, bitter with the understanding: this is the bed I’ve made for myself, one with many allies yet against an opponent that’s suddenly changed the fundamental landscape of combat. Together with mistakes abound, there’s no more leeway.

Fight or not fight, I don’t have that choice anymore.

… So what is a goddess to do when without choice, yet shivering at the thought of a coming loss, with her heart beating for a glimmer of hope that can still be? Am I really so torn up that I’m letting fear of the inevitable and guilt of taking two innocent lives dictate how I function? Or is the rot much more profound, as old as that opium pipe I broke yesterday…?

How paralyzing is the notion that I, a goddess, have fallen so low?

Like the atmospheric pressure, the struggle is crushing—

—the looping thoughts echoing on the underbelly of the vast and visually empty ocean come to a screeching halt, however, when… Something reaches me.

Something that makes my arm shift away from my eyes, golden irises staring at the water’s surface and noticing the lack of rays of gold as the rolling clouds cover the entire sky; it falls immaterial from that expansive grayish canvas of gloom like a meteor, ramming onto the water and trudging the crush depth to, gently, nestle firmly into a hallowed yet hollowed corner of my heart.

A heartfelt prayer to my guiding stars.

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Prayers are heard, always. Some unconsciously, like those for good fortune or the safety of a loved one—prayers answered and never dismissed—yet some come onto you like a particularly annoying fly, demanding your attention. Long ago, those prayers were plentiful, but after humans decided that a needle on water was more reliable than their gods, not so much. Hand rests over my heart, and the prayer clashes with the words of a goddess that’s fallen from grace: ‘Help me…’

And the goddess answers.

Flying through the water like a missile, many fish and microorganisms perish in my ascent, the nature of life incarnated as I break the surface like a geyser, eyes wide tracking the direction the prayer came from, and, when it’s done so, the backdoor beckons me through half-thousand kilometers of pure blue emptiness below and gray vastness above, an exponentially growing thrill with the feelings that encompasses all my being: when was the last time I’ve answered a prayer outside Gensokyo? So preoccupied I was with esoteric affairs before the crushing tidal wave that is the Solstice, ever on the horizon and threatening to consume me whole… Even before that, a hundred years of silence.

A hundred years away from what a true goddess is.

In time, I arrive at the birthplace of the prayer, water that’d soaked me evaporated by the backdoors, auric hair framing my all as I float about before my feet gracefully land on the untreated, rotting boards; a poorly made raft with four pieces of brittle, repurposed wood—decayed and jagged—that served as pylons for a makeshift tarp to shield the inside of the raft from the unforgiving sun; poorly so, seen by the many holes. The stench is unbearable, like a dog that has learned to live underwater but never lost its hair. Half-eaten carcasses and cans spread around, along with alien pieces of technology and tools to tinker with said tech. But nothing matters as my eyes met the sole human on this raft, the origin of both stench and prayer. One trembled and nearly skeletal hand clutches a golden crucifix—a Christian… praying to stars?—his eyes wide and mouth agape, dumbfounded. “W-Who… Who are… you?” The man asks, his voice raspy and thorny from infrequent use, sore throat and dejected stomach, bare-chested and barefoot, a single leather boot to his side ripped to shreds, each one chewed upon.

His question, however, is what I pay attention to.

It’s doubtful he was praying to me. No, it’s likely he’s desperate enough to plead to any gods for help; I just happened to be nearby to hear it… I wonder if others have listened too.

Perhaps they did, but by the state of the raft, it’s been weeks.

Only I answered.

I could use many names; present myself boisterous or try to persuade faith from him with an imposing and rather peacock-like presentation… Looking at the crucifix he clutches to, there’s only one answer I can muster: “I am Death, and I’ve come to take your soul.” And it’s said with a smile, sitting my ass on the edge of his raft while looking at him.

He remains confused, tense, as if about to cry in the silence, the hum of the sea together with the occasional bird the only signs of life…

… But soon, blossoms relief. “Finally,” he mumbles, releasing his crucifix and going through a small sack to his side and fetching a sealed bottle of booze. With a mild smile and a notch of concentration, he opens the cock with a screwdriver and drinks from the bottle with gusto. I lift an eyebrow, watching as he scarfs a third of it down. “… I’m glad they don’t teach at catechesis that the grim reaper is a smoking hot, naked blonde lady. The surprise is delightful.” His voice comes off more naturally.

“It differs from person to person.” I support my chin on the right palm, legs crossed. He seemed dazed yet calm. Understanding. “So… What a situation, huh?” Around us, nothing but water and a cloudy sky, but the man nods anyway, sipping the booze and looking longly at the tech spread around us.

“Doubt it’s the first you’ve seen, Ms. Reaper.” It’s nostalgic, indeed. “It was a mess. From beginning to end: I was just some amateur mechanic on this mercenary boat—really old stuff, around 45 years old, so from around the 2000s—that got in a scuffle with pirates and, and, heh, hear this… They had these really old bazookas, ‘RPGs’,” he laughs to hide a pinch of pain. “Just where did they get those? And it gets worse: our captain wasn’t ‘intimidated’ by it. Old military guy who fought in the last World War, you know? Thought we could fend off some filthy pirates. Well, he steered us right into one of their missiles quick enough. Even the pirates looked freaked out before they fucked off since most of the valuable stuff was already sinking and the water was freezing…” The note of sadness returns but vanishes amidst starvation. I listen anyway. “I couldn’t look at it with the absolute chaos, the frigid water, and the night, but… Am I the only survivor, Ms. Reaper? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

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Somewhere across here, a new metal carcass rests on the ocean floor, a playground for animals to form habitats as life feasts on bloated bodies—a similar phenomenon to whale cadavers that, rather than rot, nurse life for decades—and, as always, life goes on… My eyes shoot to the crucifix he holds dearly. “No, you’re not.” He releases a breath of relief, rapidly sharking another gulp from the bottle and, before I can say anything, throws it to me, gesturing with frayed features, ‘Take it, please'.

I pay no mind to analyze it; the taste already says it all: dogwater.

Doesn’t mean I won’t drink it.

“That’s nice to know—what about you, Ms. Reaper?” I lift an eyebrow, and through the grime and fatigue, a note of harmless smug paints his face, the man shifting his posture. “Before I became a mechanic, I was a doctor of the mind… a more or less failed one in that matter, had these—” Hesitation, but just briefly; an eagerness born from pride of the craft but tainted, words mumbled: ‘I'll die anyway, might as well’. “ —these problems with too much alcohol. Brought out the worst of me and took a lot of what I considered my best; lost my license, too…” His hold of the crucifix is tighter. “Point is—and I mean no harm; please don’t send me straight to hell!—you look just like some of my clients used to, with this conflict that exudes and follows you like ball and chain. Fake smiles are a particularly valuable class,” his stomach rumbles, and his entire body protests… “Is everything okay, Ms. Reaper?”

I blink, shivers running up my spine like the breaking of waves against rotten wood. In my mind’s eye echoes the stare of purplish eyes and many, many notions; from the torn strategies to the sudden bloodbath conducted at my lowest point ever, all the bad thoughts culminating in a pinching pain around my heart, digits tightening around the bottle—

—nursed words in this same heart, however, ward off growing anxieties and exhaustion of bearing such fear. Misplaced faith, but faith anyway that I can help him.

Even after falling so low…

“… Everything is fucked up, and it’s all my fault.” It’s said with a weak try at jest, eyes gazing towards the vast emptiness of the Atlantic, singing waves below and gathering clouds above, booze moistening my lips and weaving theatrics. “Belial decided to pull a Hades and kidnapped Lilith for, uh, reasons? God is away doing his thing, and Lucifer messed up big time by letting herself become a slave and… And now, everything has turned into a mess—a mess that’ll lead to a bloodbath.” I wanted to stop there, but I couldn’t; the pinching pain returned in great measure. The man listened intently, and that somehow compelled me; shallow intentions of playing it for laughs drained like a hose. “A preventable one, and it’d only have taken some quick action by me, putting everyone back in their places and stopping the madness before it developed, and… And nothing of this would be happening.”

“I… I-I see,” he nods, face trying to morph into understanding, but it was locked between confusion and exasperation; suddenly, my heartbeat is immense and I itch to leave, a desire most silent—exactly how I felt as I left the Land of Backdoors, leaving behind two traumatized girls—and all I want is to get up and fly away, to go do something else, think, prepare, anything to get my head off those purplish eyes; the dragon scales; the consuming fire and scarlet destruction— “Ms. Reaper!” I turn to him, snapped out of thoughts but an inch away from going through them, and am met with a man who, though starving and exhausted, looked composed. “… Could I drink some of that booze?”

… Huh?

It takes a moment of confusion before, scowling, I throw the bottle to him. He catches it with struggle, spilling some onto the already soaking wet wood. “Thank you, Ms. Reaper,” and he drinks it without skipping a beat, words forming on the tip of my tongue— “Would you like it back?” He gestures with the bottle.

What’s with the questions? The silence swiftly grows like ants gnawing on my flesh, and my answer is a backdoor taking away the bottle back to my hand… There’s really no justification to remain here; the man needed help. I’ll help him, stop the theatrics, and go back to my affairs…

… What the hell was I doing anyway? Laying on the bottom of the ocean, hiding like a scared puppy?! Okina Matara is a goddess, through and through! A goddess that answers prayers; that should shape the world; a-and… Not lose herself like an idiot.

An idiot who stood back and watched the devil destroy everything merely because she thought it'd spark some fun.

“Ms. Reaper?” He calls again, hot fury about to be blurted out as my heart grows tired of that string of words and the aggravating questions— “What took you to not… do anything a-against, uh… Belial?” The questions seem to bother him, fingers playing with the crucifix, but his posture and steadiness remain.

There’s a professional air to it buried under all the sweat and skin oil.

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An air that lures out all the horrors tucked inside my heart.

The moment his question was understood, however, I thought anguish would flare and my entire body would crumble under pride and comprehension of my being so much above his—pure godhood cultivated for thousands of years, like the crafting of a mountain—but all that proceeded was this… void. Like something you knew the existence of until a moment ago, yet the following one that thing is gone. My eyes move down, looking into the pitch-black mouth of the bottle, the liquid stirring inside, body frozen.

A plethora of enemies—fire, dragon, destruction, sister of pink eyes, sister of purple eyes—stare me down, a Solstice to come and death more than promised.

A bloodbath.

Being overwhelmed by my fears, the sad attempts at recuperating another high for another second, the things it took me to do—the image I built for myself; a bored monster…

That consuming void compels a question before I can think about it: “Why do you even care?” It’s not a human matter, whatever disguise I’ve made it.

How possibly could a simple human provide vision of a war so beyond his—

“—Why wouldn’t I care about the mental health of someone?” He says it as if a truth of the universe. “I’ll say it: for sure I didn’t expect religious figures to, you know, have the… same—yeah, something like that—problems my patients of the past had, but that means nothing; just remember I’ve lost my license, so I’m not qualified to conduct therapy onto the Grim Reaper herself.” He laughs, one hand sneakily clutching his belly. “… Heh, it’s a pleasure having you as my last client anyway; sorry if that means we’ll only have this one meeting—that just means we must use our time as efficiently as possible, hm?”

… I inhale the last of dogwater alcohol before putting the now empty bottle to the side, hands joining and body leaning forward.

I should leave. There’s not much to be gained here; how could a man understand the struggles of a goddess? And even more, untangle the mess that they are?

Yet…

What should a goddess do in this situation?

Satono’s terrified eyes come back to me, Mai’s cries.

They await me, and I’ll need to take action regarding the trauma I’ve inflected upon them.

… Yet…

Uncomfortable and unsure, I start: “Myself, I guess.” My voice is low, but there’s no way he misses it in the growing silence of dying sunshine and darkening clouds. “… I’m not a good person. I’ve never been. But… there was someone better than this mess at some point in the past—someone that worked much better and that could… feel pride of herself.” My knee rocks, my eyes threaten to water. The man calmly listens. “I wonder what happened to that person I was before, and when did I lose her: two thousand years ago, maybe? Three—four?” A woman who’d find no need in destroying and tainting to avoid being forgotten.

The ages changed a lot; men trust their needles floating on water more than their gods; there’s no need for a god to prevent obstacles if machinery could do so, and when destruction and natural disasters go from being the wrath of the divine to scientific/geological phenomena, then…

What the hell is the purpose of a god without worshipers?

“And you miss that person, Ms. Reaper?” I nod absentmindedly, more focused on the swimming thoughts. “Because you shouldn’t,” but those words whip my gaze towards his lightning fast, body stiffening. “That person you were—and the view you have of yourself—are gone. Something happened to them, something maybe terrible.” There’s a note of experience there, and I blink with easy understanding; the man nods to himself, apparently satisfied. He kited me…? “I used to be someone like that, too. Someone good and that could feel pride in himself; now, I’m stranded on the ocean after the mercenary ship I worked on sank. What happened to the man who once had a neat office and a gpa of 4.7, a beautiful wife; a nice house and car; two sons on the way and plans, dreams?” He painfully shifts where he stands, one hand returning to grasp the crucifix as his lower body shivers in starvation. “Eventually, I found that answer—it’s just sad it was on a shady docking bay where I was begging for scraps—and though our time is short, I’d love if I could help you get to your answer, Ms. Reaper…”

“… I already know the answer,” I cut him, his eyes widening and curiosity flaring behind those frail eyes as well-oiled gears rapidly grind into understanding.

The answer to what happened to that woman, that goddess.

I look at the tech sprawled on the ground. A goddess wasn't his first choice.

Above, the sky has dimmed, and below the ocean swells: “But you can’t find a way to act upon it,” words said without judgement. “Is that right, Ms. Reaper?” His voice is accompanied by a… pang. Not material in any sense, but one that resounds anyway, throughout the abyss of backdoors and an infinite number of knobs.

So I gently nod.

I told myself that time and time again, it was never a surprise.

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Yet, the thought that I’ve lost my way as a goddess is crushing, and my hands rise to hide my face out of shame. What a sad display these scalding tears are, but I can’t contain them, not when it’s spoken so out loud and the struggle is so deep, and the consequences of it so violently pungent… “I don’t know what I should do to change things up! Everything I’ve become I hate: the distractions, the destruction my whims have caused, and how those mistakes may… may be the death of me…” Purple eyes, dragon scales. Death. Mai, Satono—crying and traumatized. “I-I just don’t know what I should do…” The words are punctuated by tears, wafting golden hair disheveled as the utter exhaustion the existence of my old persona unleashes upon me, a lashing addict to superlatives of drugs, power, and attention.

All to cloak a goddess that’s been slowly replaced and forgotten.

Moments pass as my tears fall, mind churning and hands pressing hard against my closed eyelids and reddened cheeks, my naked body quivering against the setting cold of the Atlantic, and it takes a few moments for me to understand all those thoughts were rolling out from me in form of words, the man listening as a monolith, embarrassment threatening to devour me, and the desire to spring a thousand backdoors into existence to take me away from here and all… this is nigh overwhelming.

But before that can go through, our eyes meet.

Understanding; no judgement.

… And I tell the starving human covered in layers of filthy the epic of a goddess’ life, making sure—if a bit shaky—to keep the facade. He listens to each pained and confused word, each mistake, and glorious tirade as if I were just another patient. He knows the deeds of a goddess in the zenith of her power, a shining star crowning destruction and passage, and then a ravaging abomination so vile and so hated it'd make lesser men puke.

He glimpses at a thousand facades, yet all I can see in his eyes is Okina Matara.

It comes to an end soon, mind and throat fatigued, eyes dry, and strength sapped by the volume of emotions that I had let go from my chest—from fears to addictions, lust to disappointment in self. From Okina Matara to this—but… there was a certain bliss about it all, like the removal of one particularly nasty parasite, a bliss of which I lose myself in for who knows how many moments before his voice echoes, “Have you ever heard of the Sack of Rome of 1527, Ms. Reaper?” Whatever I was expecting him to say, that took the cake. “Gee, what am I saying? Of course you have; you’re the goddamn Grim Reaper~” He laughs weakly, and I accompany the mortal man, one hand unconsciously cleaning the remaining tears away from my face, heart light, and eyes wide open as laughter faintly echoes. “But there was a particular set of people involved in that carnage that stood out: the Swiss guard, protectors of the pope…” There’s some fondness in his eyes as, gently, he cradles his crucifix. “Brave men, about 189 of them, that fought a horde of thousand to protect everything they believed in, against all odds—though I doubt most fought out of faith, no: they were people too, and fallible at that… They fought for it anyway. Do you know why, Ms. Reaper?”

Enthralled, all I can manage is a simple shake of my head.

“… Men like them don’t think about what they should or should not do. If they should run away or not; if they should stop drinking like idiots and throwing away their lives or not,” he sighs, releasing the small crucifix. “They fought because it was their calling. Because if they stopped, they’d fail not only themselves but their faith: the fear they felt—that you and I feel—wasn’t evil; for fear tells us what weakness truly is.” A pause, his tired eyes closing to gather a bit more of his energy; the man is on his last ropes… “I can see you, Ms. Reaper. I can see ghosts of my past and many other clients of mine reflecting on you—I know what’s keeping you incapacitated is that one question: should or should not… And I hope, like I did and possibly those men in this past did too, you understand: It doesn’t matter. You’re hurt and tired, yet there are things you MUST do still—things you’d never forgive yourself about should you remain like this,” he is clutching tightly to his stomach and profusely sweating, as if on the verge of passing out, a mental and physical strain that does nothing to stop his crusade. “There are things you should consider doing or not… But saving yourself is not part of that.”

The words strike like quasars.

What should I do…?

An obvious answer to a problem that’s been hounding me for centuries that was never addressed by priests and sorceresses, by other gods, nor by my sister sages, but rather a dying human clad in grime and running on booze and willpower.

A man of faith.

I almost want to laugh as I rise to my feet, the lightness that’d encompassed all my heart pounding like a thousand drums, the crashing waves jostling the rotten raft.

… What must a goddess do?

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“Save myself; save Satono and Mai,” I mumble, standing tall above the man who stares at me with an incomprehensible cocktail of feelings behind his eyes. Success, guilt, disappointment, and… “Fight off Yukari in the Solstice; do things right…” Purple eyes, dragon scales. Overwhelming power brought forward by mistakes abound—live or die, an end to the eternal winter or a blossoming spring… Without consideration, a hand shoots upwards, and the roof of the raft is yanked by a massive backdoor, dismantled and grinded to dust as the displaced air maddeningly sways my hair in every direction, new light taking over my eyes and overshadowing the crushing fear and exhaustion behind them—a fear immortal and gnawing, its questions of worth, of self—humans don't need me; what's a goddess without faith? I'm being forgotten, replaced. I've hit rock bottom—relentless, yet dethroned by a sudden and nigh transcendent understanding: “Because that’s what a goddess must do.”

The man blinks, confused and completely unperturbed by my nudity, for, with the last of his energy, he laughs—a laugh that grows to almost booming. “Oh… Oh, the guys back at university would be so fucking jealous,” those emotions lacing his eye all converge onto the one that nearly took my breath away, and, despite the small amount of time we’ve had together, I can clearly see the burning pride in his eyes. “… If only they knew my last client was a deity herself—and a rare one-session success, too!”

I chuckle, but mostly of pity; I hope he doesn’t mind that I must squander such an ostentatious smug. “Thank you.” Straightforward words, which he accepts comfortably, the rocking raft steadily being inundated by salty water and rather puzzled fish.

“The first step is the hardest, Ms. Reaper.” His eyes close peacefully, eager to welcome death, his mostly skeletal hand holding tightly to the crucifix. “Make sure it counts.”

“… Will do~”

He has completely closed his eyes, but death does not greet him; instead, a backdoor in his consciousness has drained the man of any remaining energy, putting him to sleep; another backdoor opens whole beneath him, the frail body fading into nothingness.

Somewhere in the world, an unassuming man is found by the beach shore, miraculously not dead after weeks stranded at sea, and receives treatment in a nearby hospital. Whatever that man’s name might be, I hope he survives…

… Below, the sodden raft sinks into the dark ocean, and, shifting my eyes upwards, the levity of my heart grows tenfold as a vast sky extends the full field of my vision…

A sky full of stars, galaxies, and planets, each a shining beacon that together wards off the bleakness of a cold and empty cosmos.

Light infinite, guiding light.

Crazy how one prayer made to these very stars guided me here, hm?

I fill my lungs with delicious, fresh air as if for the first time in forever, one hand gracefully rising and touching the center of my chest, eyes closing slowly—

Not everything is solved; lurking shadows exist just beneath the surface, shadows of addiction to the nectar that is overwhelming power and the grim understanding things will, inevitably, continue to lose their luster as I live. Little has changed.

‘This is just the first step.’

But…

Face that, what must a goddess do?

—Backdoors come and go, and my nudity is hidden beneath my sage robes of magnanimous elegance, the constellations imprinted on the fine silks watching carefully.

A winter to finally reach its end, or a spring to blossom.

A goddess like Okina Matara must make sure the people she is fond of are safe. A goddess like Okina Matara must fight evil and face the consequences of her actions—take responsibility no matter what.

There's a lot to do.

Okina Matara must return to Gensokyo.

May the Solstice come.

A smile most devious crosses my face, ichor pumping hot despite the quality of the enemies waiting for me. The vast luminescent skies above—the primordial culmination of trillions of years of chance and utter chaos—are testimony of a simple promise:

No matter what happens, this goddess will make sure Yukari does not win.

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>>47877775
>>47877766
>>47877764
>>47877760
>>47877758
>>47877755
2nd batch of the Okina mini-arc! Next one is the last~
first and second drafts were very different from the final product. First one it'd have been Okina and Reimu, but decided against it because of the tension between them after the disaster with the frens and Reimu's character, mainly because her recuperation of a sane mind and healing is very intimately related to Marisa's and introducing Okina could diminish that. Second draft would've involved Kokoro, but decided against it since Kokoro's character doesn't have the tools to deal with what Okina was going through, so decided to create a foil for Okina in the same vein Sayori is a minor foil to Hana. Out of the schizo part, because when you reach rock bottom, only way is up~
… if you are not Yukari, that is. She always manages to go even further beyond.
a little peer into the outside world, too, but nothing major.
And also, goddesses get free mental healthcare! Get fucked Hana and your generation debt with Eientei!

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>>47877689
>I cannot help but wonder if there's some poor secondary on AO3 that reads Touhoufics and stumbles upon the HSE by some sort of unholy providence as one of their first explicit fan works. SHoP would probably be first, but it's hilarious to think they saw the gap rape, incest, and wingplay first.
kek, it's a funny thought~

>>47877779
Sayori.

>>47877779
It's amazing how well they've all been scrubbed, you didn't even mention their names and I'm sure the others won't show up either.
In fact >>47871510 is the first person in this entire thread to type the word f*iry.

>>47871510
I separated out a bunch for the expansion packs as well. So many mini-games to work on...
>"Bro Down", get Max affection for all male characters.
>"Allegations Beaten", Unlock all five Seija/Goro romance events
>"You do WHAT with your family?!", Unlock the secret Myouren temple route
>"Just a little fireworks show...", Get the bad end as Aya
>"Secondaries welcome!", In a single playthrough, see the deaths of Hana, Sekai, Heida, and Goro
>"I love you Mom." During the Mother's day event, ensure that Reimu, Keine, Takane, and Hijiri all get gifts from their respective children.
>"A Flower Petal Plucked" use the Sekai glitch event to unlock the secret Hana/Goro route.
>"Doomed Eden" Max out the HSE garden and witness it's subsequent destruction at the solstice.
>"The Impossible Sweep" as any character, win the entire solstice event uncontested.
>"That's Unfortunate" Witness what happens when it becomes impossible for someone to comply with an Absolute Deal that's been made.
>"Bystander's Punishment" Destroy Rinnosuke's shop in the Solstice event.
>"Australia had ways of dealing with this" get the Rabbit Stampede bad end

>>47882007
You think that's bad?
>>47877758
>opens the cock with a screwdriver
Yukari would never do this, Okina has been and always will be the real villain here.

>>47885165
Okina is too shit to be the real villain.

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>>47885165
another Freudian slip…