Part 7: Chapter 59 (Part 1)

The intermission screen this time is a little bit special.



We give some duders some EXP and PP as per normal.



Upon hitting "Next Chapter" we're presented with this screen. If you missed in the previous update, we have a route split of sorts. We still have to complete all 3 chapters, we're just choosing the order.

The thread voted for Marisa's route in the Human Village, so that's what we're doing.



Upon so doing, we get another intermission screen. This is interesting, because...



We can use the Practice menu a second time! And since technically nobody was deployed "last time", all our units on this route are eligible.

It's an extremely minor exploit, but you might as well make use of it.



Anyway, here are our teams for today.



To complement her strengths, Utsuho gets Belief L2 to boost her Melee/Range stats by 20, and MP Save so she can use her expensive attacks more often. She also gets S.Defend L1 to give Orin a safety net.

I have to admit I've never really used Utsuho so I'm not sure if this is the right way to build her, but it feels right to me.



The only thing special Item-wise is that Aya/Hatate get Nameless Bones to boost their B on the ground to A, since that'll be relevant.

Anyway, that's it for preparations.



This scene always plays now regardless of which of the 3 chapters you do first.



BGM: Is a Transparent Enemy our Ally?

...

Oh, did I fall asleep? I'm so tired. I still lack the energy to be constantly peeking in on Gensokyo.

...Speaking of which, did Meeko successfully complete her mission? I can feel her nearby.

Meeko walks in.

I'm back, Lady Makura.

Welcome home, Meeko. That was faster than expected. Did something-

! Those wounds!

P-Please forgive me! I tried to get away as fast as I could, but Marisa and the others stopped me.

But don't worry, I did manage to stop the bazaar!

I'm glad to hear that, but to think they'd respond so quickly... I'm sorry, I made a shallow reading of the situation, and you're the one who suffered for it.

Don't say that, I could beat them if I went all out...

But by the sound of things, they're still being stubborn about it.

Yeah. Not only that, they brought that nuclear crow to the surface.

Even her...?

Seems like she's getting along with the surface-dwellers now, and they taught her how to use her power. Even though we shouldn't allow anything new here...

We have no choice then. We'll have to continue the plan, even if it's a bit forceful.

Oh right, and I kinda sorta let them know what your power is...

I'm so sorry! Actually, I even told them your name, and revealed myself!

No matter. I've been prepared for our identities to be revealed. For now, please leave things to me while you recover from your wounds.

Understood. Please charge up a lot of sleep power too, Lady Makura!

Meeko walks off.

...As expected, it seems those girls will be our greatest obstacle. However, my power is not yet complete. For now, we should lie low until another chance appears...

By the way, for those interested, "Makura" just means pillow.



BGM: Border of Regular and Irregular Days

So here we are, the human village.

Wow, it's so...

Huh, it's livelier than I expected. It might actually provide some meager entertainment.

I know it's you girls' first time here, but try not to wander off, okay?

But they don't get this chance every day. I know I'D want to go have fun. Why don't we split up while we're investigating, and let them take a look around while we're at it?

For real?! But... is it really okay...?

Wouldn't the villagers be shocked to see us Underworlders just strut in like we own the place?

You needn't worry about that. Lately there have been plenty of visitors coming and going in the village.

Apparently the current Hieda did a real thorough job letting people know about the Underworld. You'll cause less of a fuss if you just act natural instead of being all weird about it.

Even I'm basically a regular at the bars around here.

I think you're fitting in a bit TOO well, Yuugi.

Anyway, we'd be better off not worrying needlessly and expanding the range of our search. We'll handle this area, so why don't you have Sanae and Marisa show you around Main street?

Main street? That sounds fun.

If we're gonna play, that's the best place in the village!

In that case, I suppose I can have you show me what's so great about it.

I haven't been this far from home in a while either, so maybe I should join in.

This isn't just a field trip though. Try to remember to look for Koishi.

If the Eldest Daughter is going, I shall accompany-

Vetoed. I don't need a babysitter chaperoning me and ruining the mood. Plus, aren't you getting along just swimmingly with those girls over there?

That's not the issue...

Tenshi's party walks off.

...And there they go.

Well, at least splitting up the class for our little field trip is gonna shut her up for a while.

Was Tenshi like this in heaven too?

She always had eyes on her, so she was at least a little better behaved. Showing poor manners in front of others would simply invite even more disdain.

So she finds it hard to fit in? Even harder than most delinquents?

Well, with that attitude it's no surprise they're calling her that.

Please excuse her behavior.

But still, she does put a lot of effort into those lectures of hers. You can tell she's really TRYING to live up to being a celestial, at least.

That true, she does seem to be rather fixated on that. Although she isn't especially good at it, as she hasn't been able to abandon her human emotions and desires.

But that's the sort of thing you can't do just by wanting to. Must be tough.

And she doesn't have any friends she can talk about it with either...

Yes, you could say that no other celestial has been in her position.

...

What is it?

I was just thinking that for someone who always acts uninterested, you've sure been watching her closely. Why can't YOU be the person who understands her?

Meaning... what exactly?

You know, listen to her when she's feeling down, and cheer her on and all that.

Even just that could do her a lot of good.

But that's impossible for me. I don't live in heaven. I mustn't involve myself too deeply in the Hinanawi family's private matters.

So that's how it is? Of course, I do realize that everyone has their own circumstances, but-

But rules and etiquette aren't everything when people want to hang out together. If you're worried about someone, then go meddle your heart out!

And you still haven't told us what YOU think about all this, dumbass.

Me? What I think? Hmm...



BGM: Secret Mission!

...These fried dango aren't half bad. Two more to go, please.

Thank you, come again!

Thanks, mister!

The group walks outside.

That shop was lovely.

There are other popular places to eat too. Should we visit them all in turn?

The world of sweets sure is vast here, isn't it? I need to cover all this in an article.

...

Huh? Are you full already Marisa?

No, that's not it. It's just... are we really gonna go around eating sweets forever? There's gotta be a better way to gather intel.

Here ya go Orin, you get half!

Thanks- hey, you got some on your face again! You've gotta be careful when you're with company. You really need me taking care of you, huh?

...Earth to Orin.

Oh, sorry 'bout that. Got a little distracted there. But it's not like we're just walking around without a plan.

Miss Satori was always making snacks for her. So we thought maybe Miss Koishi would be drawn to them.

Well, I mean, I can't argue with that, I guess...

Moh inhohanry, hrets ho hry hat hand oher heer.

Don't talk with your mouth full.

It's not like you to be the straight man all the time, Marisa.

Well, we need SOMEONE to keep this ship on course. But anyway, I'll just leave the tour to Sanae. She seems pretty into it.

Yes, it's so much fun going around town with everyone!

So, what are we trying next?

How about the taiyaki stand? I hear it's the most popular place in the village.

Oh, I know that one! We'd better hurry then, they always run out.

Mysterious Old Woman posted:

Oh no～ Someone save us～

Hm?

Was that a... scream?

Pretty laid back for a call for help, if you ask me...



Boo!

My oh my!

Licky licky!

Oh my! I think my heart might have skipped a beat.

So how about it, surprised?

Thank you, Kogasa. Your little surprises always brighten my day.

And my daughter's little girl stopped crying ever since you took care of her, sweetie.

Just leave it to me, ma'am. I'm used to dealing with kids.

...Who's she? ...And is she flirting with those old ladies?

Hey, whatcha up to, lady?

Hm? New customers?

What are you talking about? Aren't you a youkai?

Oh! That characteristic umbrella! Are you the rumored bakegasa?

Oh! You know me?

We've never met in person, but I've heard talk. They say that lately there's been a karakasa doing jobs around the human village.

Yup, that's me! So I'm that famous now...?

So when I saw that eggplant-colored umbrella, I knew it was you right away.

Yeah... If it were raining and a friend offered me that umbrella, I might turn it down and take my chances with the rain.



...

*Sob* Actually, that's why I was abandoned... And I even became a youkai trying to get over it...

This LP is a strict No Bully Zone.

Oh! Uh, did- Did we hit a sore spot by accident?!

Setting aside your life story, you sure seem adaptable for a youkai.

Okay, I'm over it now. I'm Kogasa Tatara. As you can see, I'm an umbrella turned youkai!

We knew that. But what kind of jobs are there for a youkai here in the human village?

Kogasa puts on shows for us, and cradles our babies.

But... why old ladies?

C'mon, as a bakegasa I need to surprise people or I'll go hungry, and it just doesn't work on people these days.

But who'd have thought?! Both crying infants and melancholy grandmas just LOVE my surprises!

But... that's not surprising.

So if it doesn't work on adults, you target babies and the elderly? Where's your pride?

Yuck, I don't like where this is going...!

Anyway, let's get a move on, okay? I don't think she'll know anything about Miss Koishi.

You're right. And we can't let those infamous taiyaki sell out either.

Whoa there! We just met, can't you stick around just a little longer? Oh, I know! This is our first meeting, so I have a chance!

A chance? For what?

Heh heh heh. You've all been treating me like some poor washed-up youkai, but are you sure about that?

Don't you think that once you see my danmaku you might be scared out of your socks?!

Nah, we're good. We're kinda busy, actually.

Liar! Weren't you just talking about taiyaki?! Just face me already! I'm challenging you to a danmaku match!



Chapter 59: Surprised?! A Three Round Danmaku Match



C'mon girls, get out here already!

Wow, she's really into it now.

Seriously? I can't believe we're getting dragged into a danmaku battle in the middle of town...

Ooh, what's all this about?

You found Koishi? ...Eh, guess not.

I see an unfamiliar youkai. Don't tell me you're having a danmaku battle?

Sorry, but we are. She wouldn't take no for an answer.

*Sigh* Really...?

What a pain in the ass. Can we just ditch her?

You're one to talk.

But, is it really okay to do this in the middle of the market?

Hm, good point. Maybe we should take this outside somewhere...



Don't mind us, sweetie.

Huh...?

We all want to see you at your best too.

I can forget all about my aching hips when I'm watching you, Kogasa.

Aw... I'm touched...

Um, excuse me, I'm not entirely sure what's going on here...?

No clue here, but I guess those old ladies really love her?

A new rival for popularity in the village?!

I'd love to question your priorities here, but I can hardly turn down an opportunity to bask in the attention of the townsfolk, now can I? Prepare to sortie, everyone.



Here's how we're sortieing. Take note of the three white-ish squares in front of the buildings.

Hey, what's all this ruckus about?

Is it a fire?! A brawl?! What?!

It's that shrine maiden from the mountain, and she's brought a bunch of youkai I've never seen before.

Ayayaya, we've only just started and there's already a crowd out of nowhere.

At this rate, we'll just cause a bigger and bigger disturbance...

Who cares? We're fine with it!

Go get 'em, Kogasa!

Beat up all those youkai! And the humans with 'em too, while you're at it!

...They're really fired up about this.

Even with us Underworld youkai, they're treating this like a festival or something...

Who can say no to a good festival? Let's give 'em their money's worth!

Okay, you said your name was Kogasa? If this is a formal challenge, then we need to set rules.

We do?

It'd be no contest if we just did this normally, and we have that whole crowd to please too.

...I don't like the way you put that, but how about a best of three then? I'll use three spellcards, and if I surprise you with two of them, I win. If not, I lose.

I call it, the Astonishing Danmaku Best of Three!

I like it! Count me in!

You like everything! Have you ever turned down a challenge of any kind?!

But still, this is the perfect chance to make ourselves known the village.

No, it's the perfect chance for ME to make MYSELF known on the surface!

Listen Sanae, in order to gather faith, you have to know how to be popular.

Right, I'll do my best!

Sounds like we're getting a bit worked up over this ourselves.

Welp, we're ready. Let's get this started already!

Hold on, I have to warm up first!

This doesn't seem very well thought out...



Victory: Defeat Kogasa.
Defeat: All allies are defeated.
Bonus WP: Visit all 3 highlighted points.

In older versions of the game, part of the Bonus was that you couldn't fight anyone in the Air, and had to remain grounded. Remember how I mentioned that Aya and Hatate have B on the Ground? Yeah, that kinda sucked, which I assume is why they changed it. The enemies are all still grounded though, so it helps to put Nameless Bones on them anyway.



First thing's first. Aya and Hatate grab the point near us.

Is this a general store?

I want to drop by later.

Sure, but why?

I want to make some new clothes, so I ordered cloth.

I just feel like a costume change!

Between getting depressed in winter and getting hyped up in spring, you're sure busy.

Looks like they've got kinds of stuff here. Like all those round, shiny disc things... I think they have something written on them... can you read that Orin?

Fantasy... something something. "Beni"...? Or maybe "Kurenai". Not sure how to pronounce that, but it's written "Scarlet".

I used to see people playing with these all the time.

It's been five or six years since they came out, so maybe they're passing into fantasy?

It really has taken a long time for Sanbondo to get all these games out, but the wait has been worth it.



Lily White acquired a new form, "Lily Black"!

You used to get this in the pre-battle phase of Chapter 62... but since it's a frame like FA Nitori, you can't equip it until chapter 62 anyway. I don't know why they bothered changing it.



The Three Fairies can handle this group of 4 fairies handily. 3 > 4 when you can GATTAI.



There's no time limit of any sort on this chapter, so we can afford to take it slow. On the other hand, I like to engage enemies on my terms as much as possible, so it's nice being able to have Orin zoom ahead and pick enemies off.



The Sanae/Kanako team works pretty well, and it means that Sanae can benefit from the improved friendship levels of both Suwako and Kanako from her Land, Sky, Human PS at the same time.



Speaking of Suwako, she's enjoying the benefits of Momiji as a partner. Momiji's Clairvoyance PS improves both units' weapon ranges by 1, so Suwako can casually bust out a 2-6 Post-Movement basic attack. It's nice.



Here's how things look at the end of Turn 1.

Since Sanbondo couldn't know exactly what units you'd be using, they tended to make the enemies on these route splits relatively weak to compensate. This stage in particular is pretty easy, and not much happens, so I'm going to be abridging a lot of it.



One kinda unique thing about Kogasa is that she moves right on turn 1. She's still too far away to attack anybody, but now she's close enough for us to attack on the Player Phase.



Even factoring in the Focus spirit, Orin's cat form is hella evasive, partly due to her size. Even these size S fairies have accuracy penalties against Orin's SS cat mode.



This is Utsuho's Team Attack btw. Surprisingly high damage!

The game actually applies different damage multipliers on Team Attacks to units with different Costs, so for the same stats/weapon power, a higher Cost unit will do more damage in the backrow than a lower Cost unit. Pretty cool!

At some point or another, Nages is planning on doing a mechanics post on more stuff we discovered while digging around the EXE, so look forward to that.



I paired up Yamame and Lily mostly because I didn't plan on doing much beyond supporting the rest of the team with them. That said, they can hold their own when stupid 877 HP fairies start picking fights.



Lily levels up and earns a new PS, Fallen Angel Mood. It only has an effect when she's Lily Black though, so I'll talk about it when I talk about her.



The only other thing of interest was Hatate getting smacked in the face on a 16%. She complains about her camera being delicate, which is cute.

At the start of turn 2...



Having a danmaku battle in front of humans? This is new.

We do do pranks though...

...Could this be a chance?!

A chance for what?

Y'know. If we show them even one super fancy danmaku, they'll HAVE to fear and respect us. And then fairies will move up in the world!

Ooh! That's a great idea Sunny!

Yeah, who needs a flashy incident if flashy danmaku will do the trick!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but do you even have a move like that?

Tee hee hee. We've got one that even you've never seen, Marisa. Time to show our trump card, our ultimate coop move!



The Three Fairies of Light learned "Fairy Overdrive"!

Much like Lily Black, they used to learn this at the start of 62. This change makes sense to happen right now, since they can actually use it.



For some goofy reason it's placed above their old "Three Fairies" finisher, despite being stronger. Regardless, the fact that it's 1-3 and post-movement really helps with the biggest flaw they had, their weapon ranges.



It's a bit too powerful for these chumps though, so we'll be seeing it later.



I equipped the Eternity Exceeded on them (specifically, on Sunny's first slot) so on their second turn I had them decombine, combo this fairy...



...then recombine, and finish it off. Goofy shit like this is one of the main ways the 3 Fairies and the Prismrivers can keep up with standard teams.

That and Luna's freakishly good spirit list, anyway.



The first time you attack with Utsuho, you get this conversation.

My first battle in front of the villagers, huh... There are a lot of buildings and people around, so I've gotta be careful not to scare them...

Yeah, your danamku is real flashy, so you gotta be extra careful.

Don't worry, even if you remove your limiter, your cooling systems will kick in when you start getting too hot.

But after that I'll have to fight without Lord Yatagarasu.

Without Yatagarasu? You don't mean...?

All right! It's time for the ultimate energy to fight for peace once again!

That's your heads up about how Utsuho Cooldown works.



This nuclear dive attack is ridiculously fast. Utsuho's on screen for literally 3 frames.



Marisa/Kisume grab the second point.

Sure enough, where there's food, there's sake.

Tengu! Let's drink til we drop!

Ugh, starting in the middle of the afternoon...?!

Is this the end of today's reporting then...?

Give it up Yuugi. They both just tensed up when you said that. And anyway, if we're gonna do that, you could at least choose a better place. Somewhere quiet with no one around, and a nice atmosphere...

Are you sure you're not talking about her taking YOU somewhere?

Oh, shut up! Who asked you?!

But this is a nice place. It's got both humans and youkai casually mingling.

You heard that Yamame. Wanna try coming here with everyone some time?

That doesn't sound so bad.



Most of the mooks get cleaned up without incident. Due to that unfortunate hit Hatate took, I planned on having her and Aya just spam Accel and head down to the remaining point in the south-west.



Unfortunately it didn't occur to me that Kogasa could reach them.

Well, WE'RE warmed up at least!

We're kinda in the middle of something, so can we get this started already?

But I haven't even done anything yet! Can't you hang out with me just a bit longer?

Oh geez, fiiine.

There are a lot of expectation being placed on us too, so we'd better live up to them.

Time to awaken to our entertainer's souls!

I'll never lose when it comes to entertaining humans!

All right, here we go!



BGM: Prism Parachuter

Hatate gets bopped.



Come the Player Phase, Aya is now stuck deep enough in Kogasa's danmaku that it's faster to just send Marisa. Oh well, there's no rush.



I'm not going to need all my SP anyway, so I just Accel over.

Wait, it says taiyaki on this sign. Does that mean this is...?

Right, it's the most popular place in town I mentioned earlier.

This brings back memories. I came here a long time ago, but they were sold out and I couldn't get any.

Well, you know what they say: "He who controls the taiyaki, controls the sweets."

Reimu said she wanted to eat them too. Maybe we could buy some for her?

Why not? I'll pick out the freshest ones and buy them.

How about you take your time with that AFTER we win the battle?



Bonus WP acquired



Fun fact, Orin can't have boss convos when she's transformed. Because she's a cat.

Here it is anyway:

You're a strange one, but you sure are popular in the village. I wonder if watching you mess around like this would cheer Miss Satori up... Nah.

I dunno... can't hurt to try. Should I go surprise her?

Give it up. Anyway, she can read your mind so how would you surprise her?

But when I'm surprising people I don't think anything?!

If you're not thinking, then you're the one being surprised!



I'm a fan of Kogasa's hit sprite.



If she misses you, she skids along the ground a bit. It's pretty cute.



I have to wait for Marisa to get back here, so I can take my time with low-hitrate attacks like this.

This Surprise Battle is really interesting! An oni would never have come up with it. I mean, a test of strength or a shouting contest, sure. But not something like this.

Tests of strength I can understand, but shouting contests...?

Whoever shouts the loudest wins. You compare by counting how many trees you knock over.

You knock over trees?! No way!



Seems like this kid is pretty well-known in the village.

We'd be in in trouble if she stole all our popularity. Now that it's come to this...

Ooh, challengers?

Yeah, that's right. Presenting... an umbrella the likes of which you've never seen before!

An umbrella?

First we... Open! The! Umbrella! And then we take this umbrella, put it up, and...

Yes, she spun! And what a grand revolution!

Wow! Amazing! I didn't know you could use umbrellas like that!

It's not over yet! Spin more! Spin more than you've ever spun before!

This is awesome! You gotta teach me how to do this!

...Why are they challenging her in performance?

Who cares, it's fun. Maybe we should invite them to our New Year's party.



You look mature, but that just makes it worth surprising you!

Boo!

I see.

What kind of reaction was that?!

Oh, excuse me, I looked away for a second. Would you mind repeating that?

Okay, boo!

I see...

What do you see?! You just don't want to give me a proper reaction!



Sometimes when Kogasa gets hit she has this sprite instead. I'm not really sure why.



I've never seen a youkai who's given work in the village before. I often come here on business as well, so I hope we can get along.

A-A request from the shrine maiden?! But the rumors say that you exterminate first and ask later!

Th-That's probably referring to Reimu. The Moriya Shrine is quite friendly to youkai, actually.

Oh, okay then. So that means if I threaten you you have to be scared for me, right?

Tee hee hee, boo!

Huh? Um... how was this supposed to go again...?

Eeek! A ghost!

Suuuurprise!

Eeek! Someone save me!

...This is harder than it looks.

Ah ha ha! This is fun! One more time!

I-I just can't!



I heard you were a karakasa, but I smell iron on you too.

What? You can tell?! Actually, I'm kinda a blacksmith too.

In that case, could you forge me some metal rings? I've got some pesky vines I wanna cut to ribbons.

...What are talking about, Suwako?

Kogasa being a blacksmith is actually canon, by the way. There's a chapter of WaHH where she forges Reimu a new set of Persuasion Needles to replace her old and busted ones.



I did this purely as screenshot fodder for the LP.

I've heard of you, Kogasa. Actually, I'd been thinking of interviewing you.

An interview! Sure thing!

So, I hear that you work as a babysitter in in the village, but how did that start?

I dunno why, but apparently babysitters in the outside world fly through the sky with an umbrella, so I got the idea from that.

I see. I was sure there was some connection between nannies and parasols. But flying babysitters? So there are magic-users in the outside world too.

This interview is also basically canon, per SoPM.

By the way, since she's dead, here's Hatate's convo:

*sob* *sob*

Wait, hold on. Why'd you start crying when you saw me?

C'mon, didn't you just say I looked like an eggplant? And that you wouldn't use me even if I was offered by a friend...?

The eggplant thing was Sanae. Although that IS an ugly color...

Wah! See?!

Geez, just stop crying, okay? There's been a big boom for traditional Japanese stuff these days, so you'll be fine. Probably.



In the middle of this, Yamame and Lily took down this furball...



Which netted Lily a level and a new spirit: Prayer. When cast on a unit, it doubles the PP they gain from the next battle, much like Cheer for EXP and Bless for Money. At this point in the series, I'd honestly say PP is the most important resource of the 3, so it's really nice to have.



Anyway, then I spent like 5 turns moving everyone into position. No time limits means I can take as much time as I want.
_{And that's why movement is a worthless stat in strategy RPGs like SRW and FE sans time-sensitive objectives}

A karakasa, a youkai that lives to surprise people... Not to brag, but I'm pretty confident in shocking people myself.

Liar! You're no match for-

What do you think after seeing these eight legs?!

Gyaaah!

It took work to get here, but I'm finally the idol of the Underworld. Just keep that in mind if you're aiming to be popular in the village.

But... I don't have eight legs...

Here's Lily's while I'm here:

You're popular in the village, but I wouldn't lose in spring!

What're you implying? I work all year round!

...You're right. I'm just a no-good fairy who's only good for spring...

Wait, huh?! That's not what I meant!

No, it's fine... I'm just feeling the winter today. I guess even with a change of clothes, I have to change my attitude too...



One nice thing about not having time limits is that Sanae gets Faith just for moving (about 1.5%, I believe). If you were patient enough, you could get her all the way to 100% just by moving her back and forth for a million turns, but I don't need to, so I won't bother.



Anyway, by the start of turn 8, we're finally in position to begin the assault. The fairies three start us off:

Since she's a classic youkai, maybe we can get some kind of hint for a prank.

Yeah, like when we did noppera-bo?

We did Oiwa-san too.

That sounds fun, you three. So how'd it go?

Pretty well... no, wait, wasn't it awful?!

There's a human shrine maiden who'll kick you back for surprising her, so, uh, watch out.

Eeek! Humans are scary!



Depleting a boss's healthbar counts as "killing an enemy" for activating the EE, so they can double up on their turns like that.



They get hella EXP for it too.

Oof, ow ow ow...

So are you warmed up yet?

My joints are still a bit stiff, but if you're asking for a surprise then I'm good to go!

Then allow me, Aya Shameimaru, to cover the outcome of this match. I'll be publishing a special edition as early as tomorrow, so look forward to it being distibuted in the-

Forget the advertising, just get started already!

...

Incidentally, how do we determine if we were surprised or not?

Can't you just tell me when the spellcard is done or something?

Are you even taking this seriously? C'mon!

It's easy to get though. Just say what you think.

On the other hand, maybe it'd be better to tell her we were surprised to encourage her?

Wouldn't a closer contest be more exciting though?

Geez, stop talking like I've already lost! You won't be able to ignore my danmaku THAT easily!

Surprise, everyone!





Enemy Spellcard
Ｒａｉｎｂｏｗ Ｓｉｇｎ 「Ｏｖｅｒ Ｔｈｅ Ｒａｉｎｂｏｗ」

code:

Allies: Surprised?
-No Entry

The danmaku spells out "peropero... baa!!!!", which is the "lickylicky" sound effect Kogasa's been making in her conversations. It's hard to make out, but the 4 tiles around her have danmaku on them (from the markings on バ), which is the only place the No Entry effect is relevant.

Basically the field is worthless and is mostly there as a joke. But it's an extremely surprising joke and I won't stand anyone making fun of Kogasa's efforts!



You're a weak youkai, but you seem to be popular among the humans. So when gathering faith, charm is important too?

Yeah, exactly. These days you've gotta seem easy to get along with.

So, you wanna work together to get the hang of it?

Hmm, should I pass that on to Sanae? I'd rather she not be TOO influenced though...



Kogasa gets Guncannon'd.



Wow a rainbow! How surprising!



She also gets cursed. So now she has only half her health left on this spell, and is taking +10% damage to boot.



The first time you use the 3 Fairies new finisher, you get this:

You ready Luna? Star?

Of course!

One sec, my slipper just-

Hey, what's going on over there?

Is that some kind of performance too?

Tee hee hee, this is great, they're looking at us.

Time to flip their opinion of fairies!

Shining sunlight!

Silent moonlight!

Pouring starlight!

Three lights become one!

Here we go! The ultimate final co-op attack!


(peep the vid)

BGM: Three Hearts Blazing Like a Morning Star

Oho, so that was...

A fierce charging attack enveloped in three lights as one!

Wha?! That was awesome?!

What good does it do you to be surprised yourself?

But still, I can't believe those three had it in 'em.

The three natures they possess... in other words the sun, the moon, and the stars, together represent the foundation of nature itself. By controlling those three things, they possess a particularly great amount of symbolic power, even for fairies.

But it's only because they're perfectly in sync that they can use that special move.

Heh heh heh. Now we're winning both the danmaku battle AND the surprise battle!

All that training to step on the pedal at the same time really paid off.

Gah... I feel like they just got one up on us on the whole nature thing.

Shizuha, Lily! Can't we do some kind of Season Alliance combo thing?! We've gotta keep up!

You're right, we'll need even BETTER party tricks!

Uh, shouldn't we be practicing danmaku instead?

Nah, it's perfect. Just have a move in the space between performance and danmaku.

It feels like they just had Yuugi say that because Yukari isn't here.



LIMITER RELEASE



A surprise battle, huh? Does that mean I can surprise you too?

That's fine with me, but I'm not expecting much from an amateur.

We'll see about that. Bleeeeeh!

Boo!

Ha Hi Hu He Ho!

Rerere no re!

Look up!

Nooooo, you got me!

Yay, I won! Did you see me, Orin?

I saw. Not sure WHAT you won, but I saw.



Kogasa gets Chaos Dunked.



SPELL BREAK

So that's it for round one then?

We broke the spell, so does that mean we won?

Doesn't matter! You need to tell me if you were surprised! So, were you?!

Hmm...



>A little, I guess.
>Not even close.

There's 3 variations here. Either Marisa, Sanae, or Orin can respond, decided at random. Factoring both responses, there's 6 possible ways this conversation can go.

Obviously, there's only one real choice here.



A little, I guess. You can have the first point.

Yay! I'm on a roll!

The form wasn't half-bad. Have you ever thought about performing at parties?

Sounds good, invite me next time!



Kogasa gets pumped up, gaining 10 Power (irrelevant since she was at max anyway). If you tell her she's bad, she Daunts herself to lose 10 instead.

If you say she's bad, then you're a bad person, so don't do that.

Sounds like you're really into it, but are you really okay with being a sideshow?

Not only were you surprised, you also think I'm useful! This is the best day ever!

Anyway, that was just round one. We won't lose next time!

Tee hee hee, I've just gotta ride this wave all the way to victory.

This next one is real popular with the kids and grannies. Prepare for a powering-up battle!

She really sounds like a street performer, doesn't she?

Here we go, the Surprising...

Karakasa Flash!





Enemy Spellcard
Ｈａｌｏ 「Ｋａｒａｋａｓａ Ｓｕｒｐｒｉｓｉｎｇ Ｆｌａｓｈ」

code:

Kogasa: Accuracy +100000%
-...Surprised?

That effect



That isn't a lie, by the way. She seriously does have +100000% Accuracy. Of course it doesn't matter when you have Alert, but it is surprising.





You could have infinite accuracy for all I care, as long as I have Alert.



This is a waste of time; she's no match for us. Let's just get back to looking for Koishi.

Licky licky!

Bwuh?!

Ah ha ha! Surprise! I surprised you, right?!

Wh-what are you doing?! Don't just make weird noises all of a sudden!

She acts like an airhead, but managed to find the perfect opening... Fine, I'll let you have this Surprise Battle or whatever else!



We've gathered the attention of the humans. This is where I'll make my Celestial dignity known to-

Do your best Kogasa! And you too, little missy!

L-Little missy?! Who do you think I-

If they're suddenly cheering you on, they must think you're easy to get along with. When I first got here they were treating me with suspicion...

I could do without "getting along" with them. I'm a celestial, they should be looking upon me in awe.



Rocks fall, everyone dies.



She actually lived by just enough to counter.



When she actually hits, Kogasa strikes a pose.



She is summarily kicked in the face with the Akis' Support Attack.



SPELL BREAK

Aaaah! It broke!

Even with just this little crew, what'd you expect?

C'mon, we've fought real aliens. The classics are a bit...

Are you calling my danmaku old fashioned?! Lil ol' me?!

Um, are you trying to change your character now...?

Anyway, if you were surprised, then I get the point.

I just KNOW that one shocked you!

*Sigh*



>It was fine, wasn't it?
>I'll have to give a low score.

Same deal as before, either Iku, Utsuho, or Parsee, can do the rating for this spell.

If you say you weren't surprised, then you're a dirty liar.



It was fine, wasn't it?

What's with that? Sounds like you're not being straight with me.

The people of heaven are rarely exposed to such, uh, buffoonery. So, in that sense, it was quite a novel experience for me.

All right! So my danmaku is even popular in heaven?!



...That wasn't much of a compliment, you know.

Sorry, I meant to say that it was nice and cheerful, but... that just slipped out.

Then just praise her honestly, geez. Luckily for you, she's an idiot so she was happy with that.

So the next one is the last, correct? Shouldn't we be on our guard?

That's right, the next one is the most surprising danmaku yet! This one doesn't just work on babies and grandmas, even cats will bristle up at this!

None of those are impressive!

When I'm serious, everyone's in for a surprise!





Enemy Spellcard
Ｒａｉｎｂｏｗ Ｓｉｇｎ 「Ｕｍｂｒｅｌｌａ Ｃｙｃｌｏｎｅ」

code:

Kogasa: Autocast (Focus)
-Automatically casts Focus at the start of every turn.
Allies: Power -50
-Reduces allied units' Power by 50 at the start of every turn.

face danmaku

The second part sounds nasty, but it is extremely unlikely that you'd ever be affected by it.



If you're an umbrella tsukumogami, then you used to be an umbrella, right?

Yeah, until my owner threw me away...

What a waste! We would've made good use of you!

Really?! I'd be useful to people as an umbrella?

You bet! See, look here-

Stick it in the field, and you can keep the crows away.

That's just a scarecrow! But maybe even that wouldn't be so bad, if I were useful...



Recoil from my danmaku, human!

We're kinda busy here. Maybe later?

*Sniffle* I just wanna surprise people...

Not that I'm not interested. I'm curious about tsukumogami. Mind if I ask about your old owner or anything?

I dunno... I mean, I guess that's a pretty normal thing to talk about... But wait, why that?

I may not look it, but I own a lot of stuff. I was thinking I should be ready for the junk around my house to become tsukumogami.

Rude. Here's Kisume's, too:

So you live to surprise people, Kogasa? As a tsurube-otoshi, I can kinda understand.

Oh? So how do you do it?

I pop out of a well and throw old bones at 'em.

Wha-?!

Just kidding! That was a bit of an exaggeration.

W-Was that really a joke? I think I've heard a rumor like that before...

That finally ends my turn (yes, that all took place on one turn).

On the enemy phase:



Kogasa invites herself to get kicked in the face, again.



Back on my turn, Kogasa's already nearly down for the count.

I can't believe we're being turned into a sideshow...

Oo, your sword and shield!

...? What about them?

I may not look it, but I'm an expert at metalworking.

I'm far better than any human blacksmith.

Is that true? I suppose standing on one leg is associated with the bellows...

You bet it is! You'll be shocked by how good I am! I'll reforge that blade for you some time!

Hmm, can I trust you? But I can't afford to have this Gansaiga reduced to metal scraps...









Momiji gets tossed around by rainbow winds. The animation for this attack is kinda limp without the Dynamic Kill, so make sure to check out the attack video at the end of the update.



Hey Kogasa, wanna see something surprising?



Surprise! You're on the moon now!



Sa...dism...





Thanks for the levels.



Parsee learned "Green-Eyed Jealousy"

This PS reduces the cost of the Pressure spirit to 30, down from 40. Pressure is a nearly worthless spirit, so this PS is similarly useless.



Uwah! I knew that wouldn't work!

That was the third one, so you're satisfied, right?

Yeah, no regrets... But we still have to settle this contest!

Very well, we'll make this result as black and white as possible.

So that last spellcard, were you surprised? You had to be suprised, right?!

Well...



>I'm surprised!
>I'm disappointed...

You can get Tenshi, Lily, or Suwako, here.

Suwako's "you're bad" response is "You want to be cursed, or what?", which is funny, but you'd have to be a bad person to pick it.



It was a worthy performance.

Really?! You looked mean, so I was sure you'd say you weren't surprised!

Sandals and Buddhas are both carved from wood. Even an abandoned umbrella can make a good effort. I can see how hard you're trying, and I refuse to mock you for it.

Yay! Thank you so much!





So in the end of the end, she's gotten even chippier than ever.

Just seeing her so joyful is enough to make me smile too though.

Anyway, we've reached a stopping point.

..Oh, is the danmaku over already?

Good work out there Kogasa, sweetie. And all of you opponents too.

Thank you for cheering for me, grandma!

No, I should be thanking you. We don't get to see that every day.

We always hear about all these incident resolutions, but it never really hit home what that was all about. So you've all been fighting like that all this time?

Even these Underworlders aren't as scary as I thought they'd be.

Y-You think? Thank you...

Well, we've gotta go. My mom'll kill me if I leave the store alone for too long.

...Well then, I suppose we should tally up this best-of-three opinion battle and get a move on?









BGM: What's the Strategy?

Good grief, I can't believe we had a danmaku battle smack dab in the middle of the village.

That was pretty fun. It's nice to get a chance to mix things up a bit.

I'd say this this Surprising Best-of-Three was an event worthy of an article.

So... how did I do? Do you think I won...?

Why are you all fidgety NOW? Were you not keeping track of the points...?

I'm sure it just slipped her mind in the heat of battle.

Well in that case, allow me to formally announce the results.

The ultimate victor of the Shock or Smiles? best-of-three is...!

A drumroll starts playing here.

Ba-bump ba-bump...

I can't wait...

Fidget fidget...

S-Stop keeping us in suspense...



She surpassed the limit of surprises?! 3-0, Kogasa's total victory!

A triumphant horn plays here. I dunno what happens when she loses (btw, there's seperate convos for 3-0, 2-1, 1-2, and 0-3), but only an IRL Bully would know about that.

All right! My time has finally come!

Splendid! The best part about a battle is not knowing who will emerge the victor.

My long years of suffering, of struggling to do my best while being called a disappointment... It was all worth it for this...

So? You're all seeing me in a new light now, right? Right?

Welp, good work everyone!

Harmony should be valued. But surely preserving the peace requires some refreshments?

If only Miss Koishi were here too...

Excuse me? Weren't you listening? I won, right? Total victory and all that?

Boo! See, look at me! Boo!

Okay, who wants soba? There's a place right here.

Yup, it's going to her head all right. Better than having her be depressed though.

But still, I never thought we'd get dragged into... whatevever that was. A spectacle? A farce?

But the villagers had fun with it, and it was an interesting experience, dontcha think? Just a little while ago, even just seeing you here would cause an uproar, and here you are just blending in.

True. And if that whole thing hadn't happened, we wouldn't have known.

See? Aren't you glad you fought me?

Ah, I guess she's still all pumped up...

But, well, I'm sure things got heated up quick because there were humans with a bunch of new youkai. So, uh, what'd you say you do here in town?

Mainly babysitting. But I also just hang out with people and... stuff? I just try out things that seem like they might make me useful.

Useful, huh? How human of you.

But won't that make you lose something as a youkai? Karakasa are mainly supposed to threaten humans, but here you are buttering them up instead.

You're right, she's not really how you picture them, maybe...

I get what you're trying to say, but I think this is what fits me best. As a tsukumogami living in a tool.

As a tsukumogami?

Humans these days aren't gonna be scared of someone like me, or even flinch, really, so I stopped focusing on that. If I've been a victim of casual human cruelty, then that just forces me to pay close attention to how people think of me. I'm a tool, but I'm not an OBJECT, so I like to think tsukumogami should be good at that.

So you're ignoring what people think karakasa are supposed to be, and searching for what you can do on your own? I find that admirable.

But is it really to just give up on? Just like that? I'm not just talking about karakasa here. Isn't it... shameful to not live up to what you are?

I don't think so. Even if things turn out badly, there's no shame in struggling desperately.

Not to mention that what Kogasa's looking for is a place to be herself, the tsukumogami. She hasn't given up anything. There's nothing wrong with setting high standards for yourself, but in the end you're still you. It can't hurt to approach things from another perspective now and then.

You're still you, huh...

...

Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask. What's the with the crowd? Why'd you all come to the village?

They didn't tell you? We're looking for a youkai who ran away from home. She looks like a girl. Young. Uh, she's got a hat.

We don't have much to go on, so I don't think we'll find her that easily but...

A runaway girl? I might know something about that.

!

R-Really?! Please don't say you just wanted to surprise us.

I know, I know. One of the kids of a customer told me he plays with her sometimes. She wears nice clothes, but they're getting dirty, and she seems lonely... Also, something about how she's there before you know it, and gone before you know it.

...That's definitely Miss Koishi. What's she doing in a place like this?

So, where's hat girl now?

I don't know where she lives or anything, but they told me that they see her a lot on the north edge of town.

North of here is... towards the mountain.

Now that we know, we all just have to search and I think we can find her!

If this is true, then I'd like to go right away, but...

It's already twilight. Let's meet up with the others tomorrow, as promised. You and Okuu should report this to Satori first.

Yeah, okay!

The Underworlders leave.



So I guess we're done for today? Be ready for tomorrow.

Okay. Akyu's house again, right?

Man, that feels good. Looks like what I said was useful then? But are you really gonna be okay by yourselves? Don't you need a guide when you're looking for someone? And I happen to be free tomorrow...

...So what do we do? She's getting all fidgety again.

...I understand. So would you give us a hand tomorrow, Kogasa?

Really?! Someone needs me?!

Okay, so I'll see you here tomorrow, Sanae!

It's like she feels everything at one hundred percent...

Now then, shall we get headed back to heaven, eldest daughter? If you'd like to continue this conservation, you could always come back at some point.

...



True... but I'll be coming back tomorrow.

What...?

Still aren't satisfied or something?

No, that's not why. I just want to see this thing I've gotten wrapped up in through to the end.

Well, we don't mind, but won't they get mad if you leave Heaven for too long?

I don't care. Going back with things half-finished will leave a bad taste in my mouth. No matter what I do, I'm still me. Didn't you just say that?

I did, but...

Well, the more the merrier, right?

Oh yeah, we never got any of that famous taiyaki.

You're right! There might some still left, let's hurry!

They run off.

...

Well this is a surprise. She used to be so fixated on acting like a Celestial.

Indeed. Perhaps being around you all made her realize something.

We know SHE's coming back tomorrow, but what about you?

Depending on what orders they give me, I may be coming back to pick her up again. Although it's a bit of a shame, after seeing how lively she was today.

...If that's how you feel, then why not just come join us normally?

Yeah. If the idea of taking her home makes you feel bad, then just think of it as keeping an eye on her. Sympathy is contagious, you know.

Sympathy...? I've never once thought of it like that.

Well, whatever you feel, show up if you can. Maybe having you around will help calm her down. She's a feisty one.

...I'll take it into consideration.



That's it for this time.



We've still got Reimu and Alice's chapters left (at Muenzuka and the Nameless Hill, respectively), so make sure to vote for the one you want to see next.


-Fairy Overdrive
-Kogasa's Attacks