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There are also a few fan stories that I recommend you read yourselves
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Seasonal_Dream_Vision/Comics

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A Beautiful Flower Blooming Violet Every Sixty Years


The wind at Muenzuka had just stopped. Even without any wind, it was a season that offered up no warmth. It would probably be warmer in about a month. The wind had stopped, but flower petals still scattered about in the air here.
They softly fell to the ground without a sound. Whatever could they be rushing towards, in falling like that? The day or two it would take for them to return into the earth after having fallen so quickly would be gone in the blink of an eye.

I haven't thought about the flower incident that has been raging about Gensokyo except to reflect that it would come to an end eventually. Besides, it's not as if an incident such as this where flowers bloom out of control is that unusual. I've seen it happen many times in the past. Or, rather, I've probably seen it. So, watching the humans who had never seen such an event in their short lives raising such a fuss over it was amusing and endearing.

>"Oh, what is it this time? If you've shown up... It's not my fault the flowers haven't gone back to normal, you know?"
>"Well, if it isn't Reimu. When did anyone blame you for this? Haven't you been spending your days piling up good deeds?"
Reimu replied,
>"Geez, even you're starting to sound like her now." and gazed at the cherry blossoms. Whoever could she be talking about?
>"It's certainly unusual for you to come this far to Muenzuka. The cherry blossoms at the shrine are much more beautiful and brilliant than the ones here, you know."
>"It's not like I came here to watch the cherry blossoms. I just wanted to see when they'd fall, and how long it'd take for them to turn back to normal."

Reimu watched the blossoms fall, and sighed when she realized that it would still take some time, even as fast as they were scattering. The violet cherry blossoms of Muenzuka are flowers of regret that are made to blossom by the leftover sins of the departed. It seems like there are more flowers falling now than there were at that time sixty years ago.
Yes, sixty years ago there was a flower incident just like this one. Well, that's not all, either. 120 years ago, 180 years ago, and so on into the past... This same thing has surely happened.
Sixty years ago is already so far into the past that most fragments of memory from that time have been swept away. I can only barely remember that incident from sixty years ago.

>"Have I always been this forgetful?"
>"What are you stumbling around mumbling on about, anyway? You're just like a crazy old lady."
>"Yes, maybe I am going crazy."
>"You know, I really didn't want you to agree with me."

Having said that, Reimu left without bothering to follow it up with anything more tactful. As I watched her go, I guessed she already realized what was behind this incident, and was put at ease somewhat.
As I watched the violet cherry blossoms fall silently, I became aware of my rapidly fading memories of the incident from sixty years ago. I knew what was happening because something like this had happened sixty years ago, too, but recalling the sensation as it happened made me uneasy. Still, it's not as if all memory of the incident would vanish. Any events left to "the record" would remain, but any other "memories" would begin to fade.
Events left to the record. In other words, history. Anything that passes the sixty-year boundary becomes mere history, and history is a collection of unusual events. Time grinds to a halt during these unusual events, and this is why time practically stops at points past more than sixty years ago. Or, to put it another way, what is "ordinary" has a normal lifespan of about sixty years. My memories of more than sixty years ago vanishing means that the death of their "ordinary" qualities is at hand.
But, why is that cycle sixty years? I thought about this sixty years ago and I have the feeling I came up with a theory, but perhaps due to the onset of a senility I can't remember what it was. Why do those lovable, ridiculous humans understand things in terms of sixty years?
I started wondering what some of the other humans were doing, so I decided to go take a look at the places where other humans were likely to be.

>"Whoa! Who's there? Why are you here? Oh, it's you."
>"Well, Marisa? It's been sixty years. Do you know what that means?"
>"What the heck? You show up in someone's house all of a sudden and start quizzin' them? Guess your mind really is as random as your appearances."

Marisa's house is deep within the Forest of Magic. There were no flowers blooming here, so it was blanketed in the same ominous aura of mystery. This is not a place where time could stop. In other words, it is an upside-down world where history does not exist.

>"Oh my, that's quite a bouquet you have there."
>"That's because it's so weird for flowers to bloom like this. I've just gone around gathering up the best flowers."
>"Yes, you'd think it's unusual, wouldn't you?" Humans would think an incident like this is unusual and rare. Sixty years is a little too long for them.
>"Somethin's odd about the way you're saying that... But whatever. Anyway, what's up with this sixty years thing?"
>"I was just wondering what you'll be doing in sixty years?"
>"In sixty years? I don't even know if I'll still be alive. I'm not a youkai like you."
>"Do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years?"
>"Once every sixty years? Are you talking about bamboo flowers? That's 'cos they're slacking off from blossoming the other fifty-nine years, right?"

Marisa didn't have anything else intelligent to say, so I went to visit the next human, feeling a bit dejected. There is only normal, everyday life in the forest - or, to put it into different words, nothing is unusual here. It's only natural that she'd have no idea about what's behind an incident such as this.

>"Oh, it's you. How did you get in?"
>"Well, Sakuya? It's been sixty years. Someone like you with power over time would know, right?"
>"What do you expect me to say to that...?"

This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion on the shores of the lake, the home of the Scarlet Devil. Its gaudy appearance clashes somewhat with the rest of Gensokyo, but there aren't many places that seem so complete by themselves, either. From the inside, you can't see anything outside, and from the outside it's almost impossible to get a glimpse of the interior of the mansion. Sakuya is a human who works here as a maid.

>"It's awfully noisy here. Is it always like this?"
>"Everyone's a little excited because the flowers are blooming so splendidly."
>"But you can't see those splendid flowers from inside this building, can you?"
>"As a matter of fact, some roses we'd trimmed a while back have started blossoming again. Anyone would get excited over something like that."
>"Even the roses are coming back to life, aren't they?"
>"Even the roses? So you mean to say something else has come back to life?"

>"Incidentally, do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years?"
>"Once every sixty years? What kind of flower does that?"
>"This flower incident right now is something that repeats itself once every sixty years."
>"Oh, really? Didn't she say something like that? Well, why is it, then?"
I wonder who "she" is. I'm starting to get a little curious, but first it's time to play with the maid here before
me.
>"That's what I'm asking you."
>"I see. It must be because whoever's the culprit behind it is beaten so badly they have to sleep for the other fifty-nine years."

Sakuya didn't give any indication of knowing about this incident, either, so dejected once again I went to call on that girl. It's hard to imagine she could understand anything complicated, but she's very straightforward, and she says amusing things. That girl lives in the land where people go after they die.

>"Hmm? It's unusual to see you here in the daytime. If you're looking for Lady Yuyuko, I'm sure she's taking a nap."
>"No. Today, I wanted to see you, Youmu, so I came all the way to the Netherworld."
>"I have a bad feeling about this..."

The Netherworld. It has a totally different feeling about it, compared to the world of the living. But at the moment, there were much more readily obvious differences.

>"There aren't nearly as many flowers blooming here on the other side... Did you know that the flowers are blooming magnificently in the world of the living now?"
>"Yes, of course I did. Lady Yuyuko hasn't said anything in particular about it, but I thought it was a little odd, so I went to investigate a bit."
>"Oh, aren't you something? But didn't you wonder why Yuyuko didn't say anything about this flower incident?"
>"Well, yes... But, she never says anything about anything, so... "
>"Hm, I wonder if I should tell Yuyuko you said that?"
>"Oh, no, no, I was just kidding!"
>"Incidentally, do you know why the flowers bloom like this every sixty years in Gensokyo?"
>"That's a strange thing to ask all of a sudden... Once every sixty years... Hmm, I think I've heard that somewhere before."

A pleasant wind blew through the Netherworld, making the bare branches of the cherry trees sway back and forth. The cherry trees were colored a faint green now that their blossoms had fallen, giving the impression of a new life beginning. I suppose it's somewhat ironic that compared to Gensokyo in its current state, the Netherworld felt much more like a place of life.

>"...But I don't know much more than that. Don't tell me something like this happens once every sixty years?"
>"Oh my, you didn't know?"
>"I haven't been alive that long, so... "
>"But you're not really alive now, are you?"
>"Well, I suppose you're right. I hadn't been born sixty years ago, so I wouldn't know anything about a flower incident that happens once every sixty years."
>"Well, then I'll ask you again. Do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years in Gensokyo?"
>"I already told you I don't know anything..."

So Youmu's no help, either...? Really, humans are so... Well, Youmu's only half human, but she hasn't lived all that long, so she's somewhat lacking in knowledge and experience. Nobody said anything interesting about the question of the moment. In my faint recollection of what happened sixty years ago, I can remember asking humans the same thing at the time. I can't remember anything about how they responded. I seem to remember being more satisfied with their answers, though.
That's probably just nostalgia coloring my recollection. Time flows much more slowly for us youkai than it does for humans. Unsurprisingly, we have much fonder memories of times past. This is probably because both humans and youkai, indeed all living beings, live out their lives in a series of harsh experiences. Living creatures who can't do this become controlled by a sense of resignation since everything that has happened in the past was so much worse than the present, so they probably tend to see everything as bad. Being able to look fondly on the past is a necessity for the long of life; those who are unable to do this and always think that what's happened in the past was bad essentially have no future to look forward to.

I left Youmu to her gardening duties, but it wouldn't be any fun to go ask Yuyuko, who probably knew the answer, so I left from the Netherworld without going to see her.
I returned to Muenzuka and gazed at the violet cherry blossoms. I had the feeling they were much more beautiful when I was here before with Reimu, but this was probably just my tendency, as a living being, to glorify the past.

>"I've finally found you. Just where did you go off to?"
>"Oh, Reimu, you're here again. I thought you went back to the shrine earlier."
>"Well, I thought I'd be able to find out more about this incident if I asked you, so I came right back. But you were already gone... Where did you go, anyway?"
>"Just out for a bit of a walk."
>"A walk? You can go anywhere you want in a flash, but I wonder if that's really convenient or if it's just troublesome..." Saying this, Reimu sat beneath one of the violet cherry trees.
>"I suppose I should commend you for your hard work, but should you be so at ease in such a dangerous place? What else did you want to ask me?"
>"Well, I don't have any specific questions, but if you know anything about this flower incident I hope you'll tell me. That is, I think I understand what causes it, but... I'm not really satisfied with my answer."
>"Yes. Why don't I tell you a little about it, then? About the outside world, and about our world."

I'm a youkai with the ability to control the boundaries between any and all things. This power allows me to remove the boundary between anything: Gensokyo and the outside world, the worlds of the living and the dead, humans and youkai, even day and night. I decided to tell Reimu about this incident because I thought I'd probably never have the chance to do so again. Sixty years is a long time for a human. Most people will only experience an event like this once in their lifetime. If I let this chance get away, I probably won't get another chance to explain this to the Hakurei shrine maiden sitting before my eyes now. This isn't something a youkai such as myself would generally do, but I thought it might be fun, and anyway, it gave me a chance to tease the shrine maiden a little bit, so I told her about the outside world, and the incident that was occurring now.

>"Hmm. I don't really understand what's going on, but it seems pretty important. Same for the people of the outside world."
>"This was a special year for the people of the outside world. Why is that? Because it's the sixtieth year, of course."
>"What do you mean? Something special happens there every sixty years?"
>"It is. Or rather, it's in the middle of happening now."
>"Somehow I just can't trust what you're saying. Is there a huge earthquake outside, or something? We can't feel it in Gensokyo. Is everything going to be destroyed by a huge tsunami? Not likely without an earthquake. What about a typhoon or a huge flood? Those are just about as common as rain here in Japan. What about a war, or some other man-made disaster? I can't imagine what other disaster could happen, but it seems unusual to think a war would happen right on schedule like that... So, it's not something the humans outside are doing now, right? But... They say that society outside has progressed far beyond us here in Gensokyo. Can't we even see that from the sorts of tools that fall into shops here?"
>"Come now, it's not like that. They aren't fallen, they've simply been dropped."
Reimu didn't seem to take it seriously though. Does she really trust me that little...?

>"So then, why does the flower incident happen once every sixty years?"
Blast. I was careless. Maybe I was distracted by the sinful violet spectacle of the cherry blossoms. I can't believe that Reimu had asked me the question I'd been looking forward to asking her.
>"W-Well... It's not as if the flowers are slacking off or asleep for the other fifty-nine years..."
>"Of course not, that's silly."
>"Yes, you see..."

>"Oh. A rendezvous in a place like this? Or is this some sort of secret meeting?"

I immediately recognized the voice that had suddenly interrupted us by its gentle demeanor.

"We're playing imaginary shogi. Still, it's so unusual for you to come here alone to the graveyard of the living, Yuyuko."
Reimu asked,
>"What's imaginary shogi?",
her concern that someone who's really trouble had shown up clearly written on her face as she sat down again beneath the violet cherry trees.
>"In shogi, you try to imagine what moves your opponent will make and pick the very best one, right? So, why not just play the entire game in your head? You don't have to worry about losing pieces, and if you can imagine any move your opponent will make, it gives you a lot of self-confidence."
>"What are you talking about? If you just play it all out in your head, of course you're going to win."

Reimu lost all of her fighting spirit and began to face the next battle. And here I'd thought I'd be able to tell her why this flower incident happens every sixty years.

>"By the way, you. Gensokyo's all full of flowers now. Why is that?"
>"You're not seriously asking me that, are you, Yuyuko?"
>"No. Only a little."
>"Oh my, you're quite serious, aren't you? Do you remember sixty years ago?"
>"I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday."
>"There's not that much difference between yesterday and sixty years ago, is there? Well, if you can't remember yesterday, I guess it doesn't matter."

>"Well, what happened sixty years ago?"
>"Essentially the same thing happened sixty years ago that's happening now."
>"Oh, really? I can't remember at all."
Of course. I was aware of my own memories of sixty years ago fading away even as we spoke.

>"Why does the flower incident repeat itself once every sixty years..."
As I said that, I gave everything I could to remembering what had happened. Why was it? Just what had happened sixty years ago? I wracked my brain for my faint memories of sixty years past. Once every sixty years...
>"Sixty years ago... Oh, I remember! It was terrible. The Netherworld was full of spirits, thousands and thousands more than usual. And the flowers were blooming then too, I think? I can only vaguely remember it... Hm, it seems like there are lots of spirits here this year, too."

That's right... I've finally remembered. Why the flower incident happens every sixty years! And why I'd keep forgetting.
>"Sixty years. That's the time it takes for the natural cycles of Gensokyo to run their course one full time. I don't know if there's any point to explaining it to someone who can't even remember what she had for breakfast yesterday, though."
I was speaking quickly and excitedly. I wanted to say it before I forgot again.
You can't remember anything uninteresting. That's why you forget. Any knowledge that doesn't distinguish itself from what's normal isn't something you'd hang on to. There's no way you'd remember something so uninteresting after sixty years.
I looked at Reimu. She'd already seemed to lose interest in our high-level conversation, and was looking on in a daze beneath the cherry trees. These violet cherry blossoms weren't normal cherry blossoms, but were made to bloom by their awareness of sin. I was a little concerned about her spacing out in such a dangerous place, but it would be her own fault if something happened to her, so I left it alone.

>"There are three classes of attributes in the natural order of Gensokyo that absolutely can't be interfered with. All natural things can be explained in terms of these three classes."
>"Really? And what are those? Cherry blossoms, cherry blossom rice cakes, and oak leaf rice cakes?"
>"Good guess. The first of these classes is made up by the sun, the moon, and the stars. The sun hopelessly fascinates everyone to it, and has so much pride that its presence makes the moon and stars disappear. The way the moon changes its shape throughout its phases indicates a cooperative, indecisive personality. And the stars show a very uncooperative nature with all their different forms, from the unmoving north star, to the wandering planets, to comets that disappear in the blink of an eye. Together, the sun, the moon, and the stars are known as the three lights, and they indicate general disposition."
>"Hmmm. It looks like this might take a while, so do you mind if we sit?"
>"We can't. If I don't say this quickly, I feel like I'll forget it."
>"That's too bad, I'm already sitting. Please continue. What are the other two?"
>"After the three lights come the well known 'four seasons'. These are Spring, which symbolizes birth, Summer, which symbolizes growth, Autumn, which symbolizes maturity and decline, and finally Winter, which symbolizes death. The four seasons symbolize the flow of life. Even you should know that much, Yuyuko."
>"Ta-da, cherry blossom rice cakes! They were placed in a cupboard at home, so I snuck some out with me."
>"Yes and the final class of attributes are material attributes. Fire, shapeless and passionate. Water, returning everything to nothingness. Wood, strong yet gentle. Metal, cold and silent. And finally, the earth, to which all things must eventually return. These five are the third class of attributes."
>"Oh no, I forgot to bring the tea."
>"So, these three classes of attributes represent personality, life, and material, and you can represent all of nature in terms of combinations of them. And, when you take the number of combinations of the three lights, the four seasons, and the five phases, it comes to sixty."
>"Ah, that's just like you. You're so good at math."
>"Anyone could do simple arithmetic like that, right? Or are you saying it's hard for you, Yuyuko?"
>"Yes, it is~."
>"Well, that's not the end of the story. Nature maintains its balance by alternating through each sequence separately. In other words, each year we go from sun, to moon, to stars, to sun, to moon, and so on. At the same time, we go from spring, to summer, to fall, to winter... From fire, to water, to wood... Each class changes its attribute. What do you think happens then? You see the same combination once every sixty years."
>"So why do the flowers bloom like this every sixty years?"
>"This year represents the combination of the sun, spring, and earth. That only happens once every sixty years. And together, they represent the rebirth of all living things."

As I finished my explanation, I could feel the activity of a very strong presence. The violet cherry blossoms scattered before my eyes almost as if they were frightened of something. Reimu stood, having probably not listened to any of my explanation at all, but she could probably feel that presence too, and was looking around.

>"Yuyuko. This atmosphere... It's that person, isn't it?" I whispered to Yuyuko.
>"That person? Umm... Who do you mean? I think I know who you mean, though, somehow."
>"They must have come to watch the sinful violet cherry blossoms. You can't oppose them, so we'd better retreat, okay?"
>"I've been thinking this for a while, but I think the violet cherry blossoms seem like they're your flower. I wonder what that says about the sinfulness of your character, Yukari?"
>"My, how rude. I haven't done anything as bad as [the sinfulness of] those violet cherry blossoms."
And so, casting a sideways glance at Reimu, who was still surveying the area, I gathered my wisdom and left Muenzuka with Yuyuko.


(To be continued in Phantasmagoria of Flower View's Extra stage, perhaps.)

>>50995717
What happened in 2005? Hurricane Katrina? Wuxing seems like some wack bullshit Chinese courtiers used to hand-wave their way into the emperor's good graces. The coolest thing happening here is Yukari pissing herself over Eiki. I'm trying not to grass-is-greener myself into wanting more Underworld exploration instead of all this moonie shit.

>>50995698
Nice to read you again Anon!
I'm still over at the BAiJR archived thread.
How foul of you to skip the illusionary music bits but I digress!
Hope I can make it to the end this time.
Cheers!

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To start off PMiSS, we will be going through Memorizable Gensokyo. It released a month before PMiSS and was drawn by Aki Eda, also written by ZUN
You can read it here: https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Memento_in_Strict_Sense/Memorizable_Gensokyo

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>>50998461
whoops i missed a page before this

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Comic Edition
Remarks on "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense"

Greetings, it's ZUN.
This time, the comic was released through Ichijinsha Publishing and is an introductory comic to "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense".

"Gensokyo Chronicles" is something that came about from and is included as a part of the "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense". Or maybe I should say that the contents of "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense" just about all comes from the "Gensokyo Chronicles".
And so, "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense", Touhou's first information compilation, does not include information concerning the author of the "Gensokyo Chronicles", Hieda Akyuu. This is a case of "can`t see the forest for the trees".
Well, with regards to the introduction of Akyuu, I'm relieved that it happened with this comic. To be honest, while working on "Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red", I thought about including a comic like that book, but because this time the "Gensokyo Chronicles" was supposed to perfectly render an actual book from the world of Gensokyo, I once again avoided including a comic with the work itself.

This time, AkiEda was satisfied to draw Akyuu in a cute and lovely child-like style. So delightful!
Finally, with regards to the release of "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense", I offer my sincerest apologies for all the dallying and delays. Well, the delays themselves are like leisurely sipping poison so...
Team Shanghai Alice, ZUN (Hakurei Kannushi)

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To pay a visit
Oni and youkai
Fearful dread
Is it a tsurube-otoshi monster?
IS IT A TSURUBE-OTOSHI MONSTER?


Hi there, it's ZUN.
It's quickly becoming the case that youkai aren't so scary or dreadful anymore. Like an autumn sunset, so goes the tsurube-otoshi monster.
But the tsurube-otoshi monster does still exist in Gensokyo, and it as simple as that.
Speaking of which, just as a picture of Akyuu is finally complete, something like Akyuu composing a poem has now also been included, what's going on?! Well, it's kind of like an autumn sunset.
2006/11, ZUN (Hakurei Kannushi)

With regards to this cherished work of mine and its illustrations, all possible effort was made to remain faithful to the original work.
Lady Yukari is becoming so aware of everything relating to youkai that it's kind of becoming not so frightening anymore... (Bitter Smile)
There's color, there's two-paged illustrations, and all kinds of other extremely difficult to produce qualities in this work which I illustrated.
It was fun and enjoyable to put together, and to hold it in my hands is simply happiness.
2006 November, AkiEda

>>50997694
I wanted to do the music corner as well but the sheer amount of it as well as people's lack of interest in it detered me, it's always there for people to read
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Music_Columns
It's kinda like extra ZUN comments on existing songs.
I did forget to do the Notable Locations but its 4 short reads so I can just lead people to read them themselves.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Scarlet_Devil_Mansion
There's also an Interview with ZUN on the last few pages on "Game Design" that's a good read.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Interview

>>50998500
It's weird to see him complain about Circus Reverie being too dark for Touhou when he went on to compose other boss theme with a similar dark feeling like Reminiscence of the Hunt in newer entries.
Guess it's worth mentioning the og Seihou track's comment had ZUN saying it felt like a really touhou-esque theme so it's probably just ZUN changing opinion since he was referring to the PC98 games back then and he's referring to early windows in the BAiJR column.

Foreword:
A closed world, without any humans to create history.
Youkai remember distorted versions of past events, and Gensokyo is not facing the fact.
Because of that, the humans could not know the reality of the youkai, and only could cower in fear of them.
You might be thinking that if humans knew more about the abilities and the countermeasures of the youkai, if we knew beforehand what parts of Gensokyo were dangerous, if we knew more about those humans who specialize in defeating youkai, then we wouldn't have to live in fear.

We, the Hieda family, decided to collect information about Gensokyo's most prominent youkai every one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty years in order to ensure humans live in safety.
The result is this. The "Gensokyo Chronicles".
It started more than a thousand years ago, in Aichi's age. And with me, this is already the ninth generation.
The Gensokyo Chronicles are divided into a youkai encyclopedia, heroic legends, a guide to dangerous areas, various unresolved matters and a monologue, thus painting a picture of contemporary Gensokyo.

The youkai encyclopedia describes each type of youkai's characteristics and countermeasures to take against them; furthermore, youkai that are known to be active today are each treated separately in detail.
This encyclopedia should serve as a guide to avoid fearing youkai more than necessary, or the opposite, to prevent provoking particularly strong youkai.
It starts with commonly encountered youkai, such as fairies and phantoms, proceeding to powerful youkai such as vampires and tengu, providing a list of abilities, threat levels, the places and times at which they most commonly appear, and how often they're seen.
All of them are illustrated.
It should be a most useful item to the human villagers.

The heroic legends are introductions to humans not living in the Human Village who engage in youkai extermination and incident resolution.
They are essentially allies of humans, so if you're being harassed by youkai, you may be well served by consulting with one of the humans described here.
There are many mysteries about most of these humans, but I have tried to shed some light on the mysterious points as well.

The dangerous areas guide is a list of key locations in Gensokyo, describing each and giving a sense of how dangerous they are.
If you want to know what kind of preparations are needed in order to go to one of those places, please read this guide beforehand.
When an occasion asks for you to leave the Human Village, please read it carefully.

The unresolved matters are articles with incomplete information, articles that appear incompatible with Gensokyo, newspaper articles, and other inserts.
I intend to start gathering material and finish writing those.

The monologue consists of thoughts that I, Akyuu of the ninth generation, had when compiling this book, as well as my written thoughts about Gensokyo.
It is fine either if you read it or not, but I would be glad if you did.

With this book, the Gensokyo Chronicles have reached their ninth volume.
A new wind of change has swept through Gensokyo since the previous volumes of the Gensokyo Chronicles; I believe that the new volume has been greatly redesigned in the contemporary style, and is much easier to read.
I wanted people who find it difficult to read handwriting by brush like classic literature, or who wouldn't read the Chronicles because of all the abstruse sentences, to read it, too.
Now, please read these Gensokyo Chronicles, and may the wonderful you have a safe life in Gensokyo.
Hieda no Akyuu, the Ninth Maiden of Are

>Embodiments of Mother Nature
Fairies

Usual threat level: Low
Frequency of encounter: Very high
Variety: High
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
The true identity of natural phenomena themselves.
Fairies live in such phenomena where it gets cold and hot, rain falls and wind blows, grass grows and flowers bloom.
They come in various shapes, but many of them are humanoid with wings like those of insects like butterflies and dragonflies.
Their height is uniformly small, from the degree where they can fit in the palm of one's hand, up to the size of a child below ten years of age. There is hardly any fairy outside of this scope.

They live wherever there is nature.
You can confirm their existence anywhere in Gensokyo.
They especially prefer active places, so when humans and youkai gather you can probably spot lots of them.
On the other hand, in gloomy places their numbers decrease.
They are a kind of youkai you frequently can see even in human villages.
Fairies are active at all hours, so you can probably encounter them both at daytime and in the night.
They don't seem to follow any manner of law or code.

Also, an individual fairy is short-lived(*1), but they immediately resurrect in the same shape.
Even if they suffer large injuries so that their bodies are in pieces, they heal immediately.
In a stricter sense, fairies can't die.
Therefore they take reckless action, without fearing death.
Since their concept of death appears to differ from that of humans, it is also said that they are simply foolish.

Fairies don't actually need to eat, but they see the way humans enjoy their meals and copy them, eating the same things.
They eat anything which humans do.
They especially like to sneak away that which humans are planning to eat.

Potential Harm:
>Pranks on a Whim
They all like pranks.
If they catch sight of a human walking somewhere, they make them lose their way.
When you´re cleaning, they´ll raise the wind to send all your gathered dust flying.
When you are not looking, they put salt in your tea.
Without thinking of the consequences, they disturb the actions of whomever they see.
There are also occasionally pranks that go too far, such as when you get pushed off a cliff, or when your back is set on fire, so it is necessary to be cautious.

Countermeasures:
When you walk down the road while thinking about something else, you lose your way.
When you´re absorbed in conversation with a friend, your bags are carried away when you're not looking.
Things like these are sometimes thought to be caused by fairies.
The people that most easily get pulled into pranks are those that are uncautious and prone to being preoccupied with other things.
Fairies won't go near cautious people.
Therefore, if you usually pay attention to your surroundings, you should be fine.

But if you were to be subjected to a prank, what should you do?
The truth is that while fairies are reckless, they don't like fighting much at all.
When a human notices the prank, the fairies will probably run away as fast as they can.
If you were to be successful in catching one, you can freely vent your anger on it since they're not very strong.
A grown human should win easily.

However, there are also the occasional exceptions where without doing any pranks, they just suddenly attack.
At such times you must be careful.
That is because there is a possibility that it is a warning for something.
Especially when fairies aggregate in large numbers or start clamoring, there is a possibility that there is an unbelievably powerful youkai lurking about nearby(*2). Therefore, you must be careful.
At such times, I think it's best if you just quietly head back home.


(*1) Fairies lives differs from that of humans, so it is a mistake to say that they are short-lived.
(*2) The number and ferocity of fairies expresses the threat level of the surrounding area.

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>Fairy of the Ice
Cirno

Ability: Manipulation of the cold
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: The Misty Lake

Close to the lake, there are times when the temperature lowers drastically even in summer.
A fairy you are likely to encounter at such times is this ice fairy.
Among the fairies around the lake she has a leader-like presence, and is stronger than the other fairies.
She belongs to the more belligerent variety of fairies, and so it is necessary to be careful.

She is quite short and dressed in blue with wings of ice.
Being able to freeze small objects instantly, she is a bit more dangerous than regular fairies.
She emits cold air constantly, so her vicinity is always chilly.
Since where she lives is totally unknown, there is no way of telling how she spends her everyday life.
Not just Cirno's, but all fairies' homes blend into nature, preventing them from being seen by humans.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw her freezing a part of the Misty Lake's surface and sleeping defenselessly(*1) on the ice."
(Hikozaemon)
>"I saw her sleeping sloppily(*2) next to the lake. The surrounding flowers were frozen."
(Anonymous)

Since there are many other sightings near the Misty Lake as well, it is presumed that is where her home is located.
It is possible that she has a house underwater.

>"I saw frozen frogs in the rice fields. I think this is the work of fairies."
(Anonymous)

An ominous prank. There's little direct harm, but still...

>"When I pulled in some fish from the Misty Lake, it was already frozen. That was a real surprise, but the fish kept a long time, and was delicious."
(Angler with a big appetite)

And here I thought that no humans fished at the Misty Lake...
There is the danger of other youkai appearing in that area, so inexperienced people would do best in not copying this example.

Countermeasures:
If it suddenly gets cold, there is a possibility that the ice fairy is nearby.
At such times you should be obedient and flee, or look for the shape of the fairy.
Fairies usually do nothing and keep their distance when they understand that they are noticed.
Since Cirno is easily noticed, I assume that as long as one is not very careless there is little risk of being injured.

Still, if you are to pass through place where she seems to be around, what's the best way of doing it?
She's weak against fire from torches and other objects too hot to touch.
Since she can freeze things she touches instantly, refrain from touching her even if she is asleep.
There is a risk of frostbite.

If by any chance Cirno should attack, just start calmly talking about anything, and ask her a riddle when she shows interest.
When you do that, she will start to think of the answer, giving you an opportunity to escape.
No matter how simple the question, she can certainly not answer it.

(*1) Really defenselessly.
(*2) Really sloppily.

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>Fairy Herald of Spring
Lilywhite

Ability: Announcing the arrival of spring
Threat level: Very low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Varies

When it is spring, humans, youkai and ghosts suddenly become more active. In fact, there are few who do not.
The fairy who symbolizes this activity is the fairy who bears spring, Lily White.
Lily White notices the trivial changes that normal humans don't notice, and tells all living things(*1) that have been in deep hibernation during the winter that the season of awakening has come.
After the passing of this fairy, everything becomes wrapped in the joy of spring.

Her height is quite low, and she has many thin wings(*2).
She is not aggressive, and even if you come across her, her threat level is low.
However, disturbing her while she is conveying her message would not be wise.
This is when this fairy is at her strongest

Like other fairies, where she lives is unknown.
And she has rarely been seen during any season other than spring.
Because of that, Lily has become synonymous with the season of spring.

>The snow falls
>Is she here yet?
>The white mountain
>Searching for signs of
>The Fairy Herald of Spring

The Fairy Herald of Spring referred to in this poem is Lily White.

>She always appears from the west and disappears toward the mountain(*3), but there is no instance in which she has been seen going back the other way. Where in the world does she live?
(Reported by many sources)

Perhaps the reason that she's never seen returning from the mountain is that, each year, she's eaten by the mountain youkai and stops announcing spring.

>My child caught her. Perhaps because she immediately said "Let me go!" and my child promptly let her go, there fortunately wasn't any damage.
(Anonymous Parent)

This fairy isn't the sort that would usually injure humans, but it's generally safer not to get involved with non-humans.

Countermeasures:
If you don't do anything to her, there's no real danger.
In fact, catching sight of her is a good omen.
She simply wants to celebrate the fact that spring has come.

If she happens to attack, it's possible that she's just excited, so the best course of action is to leave the area.
This fairy won't be able to leave any place that is turning to spring.
If you get away from her, there's no need to worry that she might chase after you.

In fact, it could be interesting to set out bait in order to tame her.
If you prepare some flower seeds for her, she'll gladly make any nearby flowers bloom.
Because of this, she's a fairy who's very popular with florists.


(*1) Including phantoms and ghosts.
(*2) It may appear that she has a great number of thin, bird-like wings, but in fact, she has two large wings.
(*3) Youkai Mountain. Mentioned later

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>Mischievous Sunlight
Sunnymilk

Ability: Ability to refract light
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

There are times when you get lost even on roads that are not particularly long.
And in some severe cases, you return back to where you came from.
When this happens, eight or nine times out of ten, you would be right to think that it is the work of a fairy. (*1)

Sunny Milk, in particular, is a fairy whose specialty is making people lose their way.
Since it is possible to change how the environment looks from reality through refracting light, it can fool humans.
Also, as she can hide herself behind this diffraction, it can be difficult to capture her.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses thin, insect-like wings.
She's the type of fairy who plays terrible pranks on humans but gets away at full speed when they notice her.
Fairies like this won't approach humans that are highly cautious.
If you don't want to get involved with them, you must behave as if always thinking of the possibility that a fairy is lurking nearby.
Also, she rarely acts alone. She usually moves with a group of three. (*2)

It's said that she lives inside a huge tree in the Forest of Magic, but the precise location is unknown.
Basically, a fairy's dwelling area can't be spotted by humans.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw her basking in the sun on top of my roof. When I poked her, she ran away in a hurry."
(Yumeta)
>"She was sleeping at the side of the road. She looked like she was hurt, but when I poked her, she ran away in a hurry."
(Anonymous)

She has been seen basking in the sun a great number of times.
And, as at many of these times she looked injured, it can be thought that, for a fairy of sunlight, exposure to the sun is the equivalent of medical treatment for injuries.

>"I was walking, when suddenly the ground disappeared, and I fell off a cliff. I thought I was going to die."
(Bamboo-shoot-hunter)

Occasionally, the pranks become dangerous. Be careful.

>"I saw the rain bending in front of me as it fell."
(Anonymous)

It can become easier to spot the light diffraction when it's raining.
It's less likely for you to lose your way when it's raining than when it's sunny.

Countermeasures:
In any case, you have to be careful when you walk.
There is the danger of the road in front of you suddenly turning into a river.
Fairies will avoid attentive humans, and dogs with acute senses.
If you are in a hurry, you should bring a dog with you.

There is no danger in confronting her, as she will immediately run away. However, even if you want to punish her, it's almost impossible to catch her.
If you fall victim of a prank, you can only curse your carelessness.(*3)

She's extremely curious (*4), so an experienced person may be able to successfully set a trap for her.
She's also apparently very fond of delicious foods, and she frequently tries to slip into feasts by hiding herself with optical illusions.
If you happen to spot her when she's distracted by the food, you have a chance to vent your anger on her.


(*1) You can avoid being humiliated if you blame fairies.
(*2) The other two are Luna Child and Star Sapphire.
(*3) It would be best to ignore them, because it would feel awful to think that fairies are laughing somewhere.
(*4) A general trait of fairies.

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>Silent Moonlight
Lunarchild

Ability: Ability to muffle sound
Threat level: Extremely low
Human friendship level: Average
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

I believe you might have had an experience in which, during a windy day, the wind's sound suddenly vanished, even though the wind hadn't stopped, and then soon after the sound came back again.
When this happens, eight or nine times out of ten, you would be right to think that it is the work of a fairy(*1).

Fairies are beings that can't harm nor benefit humans.
Their pranks don't necessarily cause direct harm to people.
Luna Child has the ability to silence the sounds around herself.
This in itself can't cause much harm, but she often joins up with other fairies, particularly Sunny Milk and Star Sapphire, carrying out their pranks as a trio.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses thin, insect-like wings.
Out of the red, white and blue trio of fairies, the white one (*2) is Luna Child.
Out of the three fairies, she might be the dumbest one, or maybe she just relies too much in her ability to make sound vanish that she's often the only one who fails to escape.
It seems that when her ability is used along with Sunny Milk's light diffraction, it can hide both form and sound, producing a truly fearsome stealthiness. But even so, they are still fairies, after all.
They are not very smart.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I often see her tripping while walking down the road. She's kinda dull."
(West side woodcutter.)
>"Even though she could walk without a sound, she was tip-toeing."
(Anonymous)

One of the characteristics of stupidity.
Frankly, you might not even feel like punishing her any more.

>"I saw her flying around by herself in the middle of the night."
(Star-watching poet)

She's more active at night, so that's when she's most frequently sighted.
On top of that, she will begin to move independently of the others.
Maybe she's in a particularly unusual class of fairies.

>"She steals a lot of coffee beans (*3). I wonder what I could do about it."
(Teahouse owner)

With no sounds to expose them, it's difficult to guard your belongings from sneaking thieves.
But a countermeasure will be mentioned ahead.

Countermeasures:
Even though she can cause little real damage, she basically acts with the other two, so the same countermeasures mentioned for Sunny Milk can be employed.
Also, out of her solitary pranks, sneak thievery is often reported.

To counteract this, the most reliable method is to be always making sound.
When this fairy gets close to anywhere there is noise, you will know she is there because it will become silent.
That means she won't get caught if she doesn't use her ability, but being a fairy, she will be unable to realize this.
She has associated silencing her surroundings with her thefts. She won't think of doing it any other way.


(*1) You can avoid worrying about your hearing if you blame fairies.
(*2) Sunny Milk is red, and Star Sapphire is blue. These are the colors of their clothes.
(*3) Fairies who love coffee are rare. The preferences of fairies are often the same as that of human children.

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>Showering Starlight
Starsaphire

Ability: Ability to detect movement
Threat level: Extremely low
Human friendship level: Average
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

When looking at the stars covering the night sky, it may sometimes seem that one is surrounded by the eyes of countless beasts or youkai.
And there is a fairy with eyes that can survey as far as the light that falls down from the stars.
That is the starlight fairy, Star Sapphire.
She rarely attacks or disturbs humans, but she mostly causes trouble by helping with other fairies' (*1) pranks.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses large, butterfly-like wings.
As this fairy is very attentive to movements, you will soon be found if you try to approach her.

Capturing her is extremely difficult, and she is rarely sighted alone.
Normally, she is seen in the company of Sunny Milk and Luna Child.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I caught this huge butterfly in the bird-warding nets."
(Vegetable farmer)

She probably can't notice things that don't move.
Since she has butterfly wings, you could imagine her looking as if caught in a spider's web.

>"I saw the ice fairy and the light fairies having a fight.(*2) The blue one was just looking and laughing from below."
(Anonymous)

Fairies are very self-centered, so they easily come into conflict with each other.
In this case, as the ice fairy is used to fighting, she would likely win by herself even against 3.
In addition, Star Sapphire always keeps calm and avoids fighting so much it can be hard to tell what side she is on.

Countermeasures:
Even though she cannot do a great amount of direct damage, she basically acts with the other two fairies, so the same counter-measure mentioned for Sunny Milk can be employed.
However, when she is on observation duty for the other fairies, she can be a threat.
Because even if you try, you can't elude her ability.

The best and most reliable counter-measure against it is to use a separate creature.
Star Sapphire's ability can't distinguish between a human and a similarly-sized animal.
So, if you slip into a herd of animals and move along with them, she might not even notice you.

In fact, this could be an interesting game as well.
By using animals as decoys, you can lure out Star Sapphire and the others, and catch them at that time.
In other words, this would be fairy-fishing(*3).


(*1) The sunlight and the moonlight ones. The three troublesome Fairies of Light.
(*2) When fairies start something, they can't think of anything else. If they start to fight, they won't pay any attention to their surroundings. So, if you find them in the middle of a fight, you can place bets on which one will win if you wish.
(*3) Catch-and-release is good manners.

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>>51001418