Part 45: The Summer Villa - Part 1a

...Zzz...

The screen fades to black.



Mm... Ooh...

Mari... sa.... Marisa...

Ohh? This is...

Marisa, you have done well to resolve the mist abnormality. Humans such as you and that person known as Reimu possess fantastic power, indeed.

Something to take away from this line is that Mysterious Voice didn't know who either Reimu or Marisa were. Assuming it's not just another Sanbondo Original, this restricts who the voice can be to characters in games past Touhou 6.

This feeling... It's the same as the dream I had before the incident...



I could not simply do nothing and watch that scarlet mist cause pain to the humans.

And here's another "clue" to the voice's identity: they actually care about humans.

...

I am now slowly starting to understand the curiosities of this land... The land known as Gensokyo. Rest well, and be in good health...

The final clue: the voice has only recently entered Gensokyo.

W-Wait! I've still got tons of things I wanna...

Marisa wakes up.

...!

...That dream... again. The heck is going on? I can't be cursed or something, can I? Or maybe some evil spirit is haunting me... Well, it doesn't seem to be causing any harm, so I won't take it too seriously.

The screen shakes.

Ohh, what's up now?

...

...You're one of Remilia's bats. What are you doing here?

...

A letter? From Remilia, I take it. Lessee...





Rock, paper, scissors!

Ahh, I lost...

You're the seeker, then! Count to one hundred then shout whether we're ready!

Bah, I want to be one of the hiders too... Huh? Isn't that Daiyousei heading this way?



...That's odd. Where did she go off to?

Daiyousei, are you looking for Cirno?

Ah, yeah. I can't find her anywhere...

I saw her just now. She was flying that way with that trio.

Huh...? She was with someone else?

Yeah. They were heading to that really red house.

Oh yeah, remember how Cirno said that she beat up a devil in that house? She came up with a really weird lie this time.

Told you nobody would believe Cirno.

Yeah~. Cirno would never go to some creepy place like that.

Err, it actually was true... But why did she go off without me...?

...Are you lonely, Daiyousei? I guess you would be, you're always with Cirno.

...N-No! That's not true! I was just thinking that going to that red house isn't the best idea...

Just let her be, she'll be fine.

Yeah, come and play hide-and-seek with us!

...Yeah, okay. I won't be able to catch up with her now anyway...

...

(So she was going to the red house... I hope she's not doing anything dangerous.)

Of course she is.



Ohh, there's a nice smell around here. We came out in a good place.

Yeah, this is the kitchen~. It was worth it to come along~.

We've been doing a lot of sneaking around recently. We won't feel out of place in a Thieves' Guild now.

Look who's back to screw everything up again!

We might as well live here. This place is so big, as long as we're careful, we won't ever be caught. And if anything happens, I'll just make us disappear.

Your power is really amazing. That gatekeeper didn't notice us at all.

Yep, we're the ultimate fairies for hide-and-seek.



Ehh? Why?

I brought you along because your power should be amazing in hide-and-seek... But darkness in the afternoon stands out too much. It ends up revealing your position to everyone.

...So wait till night?

And you're supposed to be a youkai, but you don't feel like one.

That's so rude~. I can let you all cool off in my darkness, you know.

It's true that it's cooling inside that darkness, but the area is so small anyway.

Besides, with Cirno around, it's cooling to begin with.

You all complain too much~.



We brought this grass with us for that purpose, after all.

Ahh, that's one of the ingredients for bitter dumplings. What are you going to do with that?

Hehe... We'll use that bread there to make a bitter grass sandwich. Once it's done, we'll place it on the floor over there.

Place it on the floor...? Would that really count as a prank?

Yep. Someone greedy will eat a tasty-looking sandwich that's just sitting there.

Ahh, I see.

Hmhm, so it's a decoy operation!

...Wait, someone's coming!



You have woken up early today. It is still the evening, you know.

Yes. All those afternoon outings have messed up my sleeping patterns... Are you feeling better now?

Yes, thank you.



I will be resuming my duties from today onwards. Please let me know if you need anything.

It's good that you're healthy again. It was rather inconvenient around here without you around. Oh yes, let's hold a party tonight to celebrate your recovery.

Since Marisa already got an invite, Remilia apparently just decided to throw a party and think of a good reason later.

...Huh?

It'll provide a break for the mades as well. They must rest every now and then to preserve their mental health.

Surely a maid who has neglected her duties does not deserve a party in her honor... Furthermore, there is no need to worry. The maids are all happily performing their work.

My, does that apply to you too?

...? Yes, of course it does...

...Whatever the case, we're having a party. I've decided already. Ready the preperations, if you would.

...Very well. It will soon be colder in the autumn, so an outdoors party would be best.



We're used to it. Don't make too much of a fuss, though There's limits to what I can do with optical illusions in a building.

Ehh, but there's so much tasty-looking meat right in front of me... Well, whatever. *chomp*



...Oh?

She's noticed it! This is bad!

Hide somewhere before she finds us out completely!

Rumia and the fairies skedaddle.

What's the matter, Sakuya?

I thought I saw that pork over there mysteriously disappear...

It must be your imagination. Maybe you need some more rest?

...No, I am fine. I shall begin preparations for the party at once.



And now for the actual plot.

...Whew, she didn't find us. That's the maid and the devil of the mansion.

That was scary. From what I just saw, the Scarlet Devil Mansion's devil seems really powerful too...

Where are we anyway? It seems we ended up hiding in a strange place...

This door is weird. It's like it leads to a sealed room and must never be opened... Through this door is the remains of the wife that the devil killed...

H-Hey... stop that. Besides, the devil here is a girl.



...Ah, we should investigate it a bit further...

Huh, it won't open.

What a strange door... How does it open to begin with? There's no handle.

The jewels on the front of the door are pretty though. I want to bring one back.

...Yeah, that'll work!

Wah, don't frighten me! Why did you shout like that!

Everyone at the lake doesn't believe anything about the adventure I went on. So I'm gonna bring one of these jewels back and prove it to them!

You want to... bring back those jewels? Don't whine to me if you get cursed by it.

My, it should be fine. There's so many of them, taking 1 shouldn't change anything.

Yep yep. I've got this one!

The screen flashes since Sunny just broke what was very obviously a seal. God damn it Sunny.

Ahh, I called dibs first! How dare you jump ahead of me!

The fastest hand wins here. You can just take your own share.

Hmph hmph... I'm gonna take the blue and green one then. It'll make a set with Dai!

Would it really be okay to take so many...?

...Ah, I smell something good. The party may have started.

Good timing. Let's go grab a bite!



...?

Hm? What's up?

Oh, I thought I felt something moving for a split second...

Huh? There can't be any living things around here. More importantly, I'm hungry! We're going directly to the party!



The sound of people chattering plays in the background.

Heh heh heh, I see preparations have been completed quickly. Excellent work as usual, Sakuya.

I am honored to recieve your praise. Please feel free to begin eating.

In that case, I would like to make a toast... But what shall we toast to?

Wasn't it supposed to be for her recovery?

She rejected that notion herself.



You get a perfect excuse to have a drink, and you don't want to take it? You're really a weird one.

Thank you for having us.

We were invited here by Reimu, and weren't busy, so...

...I do not recall sending invitations to any of you. Would you mind leaving?

Don't be so stiff. Your master's always coming to my place for parties anyway.

The Hakurei Shrine will very quickly become the biggest youkai party spot in Gensokyo. Which of course scares off even more human worshippers, as if Reimu's situation wasn't bad enough.

Yeah, we've been having lots of trouble with her selfishness.

She is always going to human parties...? ...Milady, is that true?

Indeed. The food was plain, but it was better than having Chinese every day.

...

Speaking of which, I suppose that's why there isn't food specifically for us. We've taken a bit of the rest.

No need to complain with all the strange food around to eat. I'm putting vinegar and lemon in mine.

I hope she's eating a salad.

Good grief, how vulgar. You'll stand out if you pour so much like that.

Oh? The way I see it, you're the one standing out.



O-Oh, be quiet... One should always wear a dress to a party!

My, so there's someone here with class. I didn't enforce a dress code as I figured no one would follow it anyway.

You see? If there was a dress code, I would've prepared a dress for Keine too.

W-W-Why me!? I'm fine, that's not in my character.

My, I think the style would fit very well.

Now that mention it, Keine would fill something like that out nicely...





Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any human guests besides us. It's all fairy maids.

Sorry about that, but I don't know that many humans to invite to my parties.

This is actually a pretty important line if you're looking at the big picture. Prior to the Scarlet Mist incident, the SDM was almost totally cut off from the rest of Gensokyo. But now that Reimu's swept through, Remilia's willing to open up.

On a related note, something like this probably could have never happened prior to Reimu's generation since I doubt any of the previous representatives of the Hakurei Shrine would have spared Remilia after what she did. There's a reason why Sakuya was so desperate last chapter.

It's fine. We'll just make up for it. Our own portions of food increase that way.

You know, you could be more polite about things. Quietly enjoying the food isn't bad either...

...Hm?

Run away!

That is so~!

Waaait! You're not getting away!

That voice...!?

Hey, aren't they...



It's the shrine maiden and magician we met before!

You're not getting away~! I'll definitely catch you, then I'll make you...

Lady Kurumi, what is the fuss all about?

Ahh, listen Sakuya! They made me eat a sandwich that was reaaaaally bitter! It was about as bitter as persimmon or bittermelon! It was horible!

If you've never tried it, bittermelon is just the worst thing ever. The name doesn't do it justice, and the taste stays in your mouth for like an hour.

What's your problem? We just left it on the floor! You're the one who picked it up and ate it! You greedy pig!

It was left on the floor...?

...Things dropped on the floor normally shouldn't be eaten.

Ooh... But I was hungry, you see...

You shouldn't be eating it even then...

Oh, shut up! Whatever the case, I'm not letting those fairies escape!

------

Ooh, oww...

Dai, what's wrong?

Ah, nothing... I just got grazed a bit in that last battle. But this isn't anything major, so there's no need to worry.

Geez, you're always trying to protect me with your Support Defense. If you get shot down because of that... I won't forgive whoever did it!

Thank you, Cirno. I'll do my best to not be defeated!

...Ahh, they're always so friendly with each other. We should be more like that, Marisa!

Hm, like that...? You mean I charge on ahead while you Support Defend me? Yeah, you've got decent movement range. It could be doable if you equip a Tengu's Fan too.

...Never mind, I shouldn't have expected anything from you to begin with. I wish there's some secret where her attack power increases if I get shot down...