This segment is longer than most. Please take note of line breaks!

Chapter Text

Faces of all different shapes, sizes and colors stare the same young man down. Every one of these faces know that the man before them is beneath the rest because what they know about him is unforgivable. Perhaps if they stare long enough, he will go away. No. The persistent outcast seeks to beg with everyone individually. The others are left with no choice but to turn their backs until he goes away - until he sinks into the dark void in which he belongs.

What a terrific way to wake up in the morning...

[BGM - "June Mermaid"]

Louis Starsky wakes up in an environment that immediately reminds him that such an environment fills his existence with joy and excitement. But the fact that he remembers every detail from his slumber helped to detract from his appreciation. ‘This kind of mindset is no good!’ he thought as he used faucet tap water to splash away as many chaotic thoughts that welled up inside of him. Lather, rinse, repeat. The process goes on for several minutes until Louis Starsky starts to realize that water can only clean what can be seen on the surface. It is at this point that his shadow bends and gains a three-dimensional shape. A familiar light-skinned girl with a pink tanktop and denim overalls develops and rests her chin on Louis’s right shoulder.

“Someone looks like a wreck!”

“I woke up from a nightmare because of you,” Louis replies as he lightly assesses the kind of relationship he and Lyra has. “You made me think about what would happen if everyone found out the truth about me.”

“You know Louis, it probably wouldn’t be that bad. A dream is just a dream in the end.” Louis overthought the latter statement for a brief moment before confirming that Lyra really is aware of the nature behind his nightmare. “Anyways, do you really plan to keep it a secret forever? From everyone? From Patchouli?”

Louis fails to produce an answer with words. Instead, he fills his mind with the memories of the times he spent with Patchouli Knowledge...

It began as a nonsensical encounter - an instance where he appeared in the library buried underneath a mountain of books. Once Flandre Scarlet entered the fray for the first time, the library inhabitant feared for his life and protected him until an opportunity presented itself for Louis to escape. Their time together could have ended the moment he left, but Patchouli decided to keep a random promise and trail Louis until his requested apple was delivered. Her determination also wound up causing her to become involved with people like Annie Hastur, Mami Tomoe, Miku Hatsune, and so on. Dull days between the two individuals became a relic of the past as they both learned things about each other and distant worlds.. If the two could learn so many wondrous things together, then why must he keep hiding the truth from Patchouli?

[Fade BGM]

Louis asked himself this as he pushed open the bathroom door to return to the Scarlet Devil Mansion’s guest room. The other door leading to the thick of the mansion opened simultaneously, revealing a timid beauty with long red hair on the other side. Koakuma’s humble appearance was enough to sedate Louis’s conflicting thoughts in nearly an instant. Once the lady with two pairs of bat wings scans Louis and discovers that he is appropriately dressed with a red cotton pajama top & bottom and a white undershirt, she lets herself in a bit more.

“Good morning, Louis!” she starts while shifting her attention to the unfamiliar face of the two. “I thought I heard you talking to somebody in here. You’re one of Louis’s maidens aren’t you?”

The subject nods in confirmation with a pleasant smile. “Hello, my name is Lyra.”

Koakuma walks over to Lyra with slightly increased speed and shakes her hand. “Ah yes, Patchouli was just talking about you. My name is Koakuma. It’s nice to meet you.”

The two of them immediately began to exchange miscellaneous information about each other - how Koakuma is Patchouli’s personal maid, and how Lyra is a being that began as merely concept art. Both of them were quick to accept their differences with minor admiration to boot.

“You two have been at it for quite some time. Aren’t you afraid that your magic will run out like this?”

Koakuma has been especially enthusiastic towards meeting the contracts that Louis has gathered in his 21 Maidens roster, so it is natural that she knows a fair deal about the mechanics. Louis considers this as he realizes that Koakuma has brought up a good point.

“Now that you mention it, most people would have to recall by now.”

But Lyra’s opaqueness remains as solid as it did from the beginning. She closes her eyes, seemingly sorting through all of the valid reasoning. A dominant theory soon develops.

“I’m starting to think that maybe I have no time limit. That would make up for me being so useless on the field compared to the others.”

“What can you do anyways? I don’t think I ever really gave you any superpowers.”

Louis asks the question in a jokingly tone. However, his eyes show hints of a genuine curiosity.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Don’t expect anything too spectacular though!”

“It better not be that ostrich thing with the balls.”

Lyra smirks, indicating that she understood Louis’s strange reference in a heartbeat. She responds while whistling a mock tune in hopes to trigger a specific response from Louis.

“Man, it’s the ostrich thing with the balls!” And her efforts were a success. Naturally, Koakuma is lost within the exchange of words. “Everything okay, Koakuma?”

Koakuma gently closes her eyes and tactfully shakes her head while reorganizing her expression to a less suspicious one. “You two are really close. It must be nice getting people like her to join you.”

“What about you?” says Lyra, still keeping Koakuma’s older expression in photographic memory. “Why don’t you join the harem?”

Koakuma’s eyes widen, along with Louis’s, whose expression quickly turns into a defensive frown.

“What harem, Lyra? Stop messing with her!”

In truth, Lyra’s tease curbed Koakuma’s troubling thoughts that were only starting to develop. Once those thoughts lift, a small blush develops on her cheeks.

“I never thought about that.. That’s right, you never commissioned a maiden to join you from this world yet, have you..?”

“Koakuma..?”

Koakuma quickly decides to seize this opportunity to test her feminine wiles and approaches Louis slowly. The latter instinctively steps backwards until the guest bed clips him. Koakuma rolls a charisma check and manages a highly favorable result. She continues her pursuit by climbing aboard and leaving Louis with no escape.

“If it’s with you Louis, that means that.. maybe I could...”

“Ah..” Several strands of Koakuma’s long hair falls to the side of Louis’s face, each wiping away any quick response that came to mind. Noticing this, Koakuma makes the next move and gently presses an index finger in-between his lips.

“Just kidding~!”

“Haha! Well played!” Lyra cheers.

Louis only manages to recover from the shock once Koakuma gets up and frees him. “S-So evil!”

Koakuma cups a hand to her face and giggles. “Teehee, sorry..! To tell you the truth, I really did think about it once or twice. But in the end, there’s no way that I could conflict with the bond that I have with Lady Knowledge.”

“That’s right, you two already have a contract together, don’t you?” Louis darkens slightly. His expression does little to hide the fact that the confirmed impossibility disappoints him. Koakuma reads this and sends him a sympathetic smile.

[BGM - "Louis's Theme"]

“On the bright side, Gensokyo is filled with interesting people. And today, you’re probably going to meet a few of them. If you keep your eyes open, perhaps you will find a maiden from this world along the way!” Koakuma heads to the room exit to continue her errands, but not before turning back to send Louis an alluring expression to remember her by. “Then again... you might not have to look very far at all.”

With Koakuma out of the picture, the guest room falls silent for what felt like a good minute.

“Well Louis, I’m gonna start your shower and then head off to see Valerie. What temperature do you want it?”

Again, Lyra’s words were configured in a way that was intended for Louis to respond in a specific way. “Cold please.”

And then Louis chose to obey.

...

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Louis Starsky. A strange twist of fate has placed him inside of a large mansion located in the mythical land of Gensokyo. Also hidden within the depths of the mansion’s magical library are one of many gateways that lead to other mythical dimensions. As you may know, this is a very strange journey for anyone to be going through. However, many mysteries to this strange world have yet to be discovered. As for one of the mysteries... how does one simply leave their own dimension to begin such an adventure? Louis Starsky seems to have kept the answer to himself since the very beginning. Will anyone else, in any dimension, unravel the mystery behind Louis Starsky? Stay tuned in order to follow the road.

The Road Paved in Concepts: (Season 2 Milestone) The Gensokyo Tour

[BGM - "A Boy and His Dog"]

...

“It looks like the time has finally come. I should be getting ready soon.”

“What’s so special about that boy anyway?”

“That boy is no more special than you or me, or anyone else in this world.”

“Then let me rephrase the question. What is your interest in this boy?”

“...Think of it like watching a game of Othello. The board starts off plain and rather vacant. Eventually the scene expands to a much more interesting sight. Things fall into place for a player, other things become lost and/or regained - then one way or another, the players count their earnings, and then the game ends."

“Spending so much time watching games seem like such a waste.”

“Watching games or playing games can be as much of a waste of time as life itself if you’re not having fun... And I just so happen to know someone who would agree with me one-hundred percent.”

“Master...”

[Fade BGM]

After an impressionably large breakfast concludes, the huge front door to the Scarlet Devil Mansion sprouts open, revealing the early morning light. Once Louis absorbed enough of the dawn’s warmth, he trusted the cells of his chocolate skin and decided that it is warm enough for him to take down the lid of his sky-blue sleeveless hoodie and expose his neatly cut flat-top for this occasion. For the same reason, he thanked himself for selecting a white-colored long-sleeve shirt to wear underneath. This long anticipated day decided to give him the most favorable temperature possible.

Remilia Scarlet also chose to take down her bright pink parasol and pass it to Sakuya Izayoi for safekeeping. The Head Maid then attaches it to the side of a picnic basket that she is also carrying. Patchouli Knowledge’s attention is centered around the small novel that she decided to take with her, but even her eyes dilated pleasingly at the beautiful weather. And Koakuma stands behind everyone, waving goodbye. As much as she desired to tag along, she ultimately decided to hold the fort and keep Flandre company in the end. And so the party of four ventures down the smooth road until they reach the front gate. Louis anxiously awaits getting to the other side of the barrier, not only because of the large world waiting for him outside, but for a certain someone that is all but guaranteed to be standing in wait nearby.

{Scarlet Devil Mansion: Front Gate}

There she stood; a robust figure who is equal to Louis’s height. The green chinese-style vest, slitted dress and cap with a gold star was everything that Louis was expecting to see...

“Good morning, Master Remilia!”

The nature of her greeting, however, caught him off-guard. She was only able to lift her right arm up slightly because of the fact that she was wielding two water-filled buckets on each arm like a rack. Despite the strenuous looking situation, the smile she wore made her seem as content as a millionaire.

“Meiling, what on earth are you doing?” Remilia asks.

[BGM - "Oedo Town Start!"]

Hong Meiling fumbles at an attempt to salute and accidentally dips a bit of her long red hair in the water. She eventually settles for folding her right arm towards her chest, hoping it would pass off as respectable. “Sir! I’m guarding the gate while carrying out my punishment, sir!”

Hong Meiling lightly scans the unfamiliar guest, with hopes that she let off a diligent vibe as her first impression.

“Punishment..? Sakuya, I thought I told you to lift that punishment yesterday!”

Sakuya smiles uneasily as Meiling looks toward her, waiting for her explanation.

“Ah.. Well, you see... I did go out to relieve her yesterday, but when I caught her sleeping with the buckets still in her hands, I felt that it would be a shame to disturb her.”

“GA~ACK!” As Remilia shakes her head, Meiling’s heart panged at the thought of her first impression immediately getting derailed. She sighs to herself after realizing that it would not have been very good in the first place, since she admitted to being under punishment.

“What did she do anyways?”

Meiling jumps at the chance to confess her error. “A couple nights ago, an intruder managed to sneak past my keen eye. He caused a big ruckus with the Little Devil that night and I’m the one that’s paying for it! He’s so getting a piece of my mind if he ever shows up again!”

Louis thinks back to where he was a couple nights ago and comes to an unsettling realization.

“Ms. Meiling, I...”

“We have to get going to the shrine,” Remilia interrupts. “You may put those buckets down for now, but you better not slack off while we are out, got it?”

Meiling was relatively taken aback by the Scarlet Devil’s amnesty. “A-Aye-Aye master!

“We are counting on you, China,” Sakuya adds in a convincing tone.

Remilia grabs Louis by the wrist and tugs him until sight of the gate guardian is gone. Once the coast is clear, Patchouli lowers the novel from her eyes.

“Louis, before you say anything, you really do not want to deal with Hong Meiling right now unless you are willing to exhaust every shred of stamina that you have saved for this tour.”

Remilia nods in agreement. “If you absolutely must apologize, worry about it later.”

Louis decides to heed their warnings with no further questions. “Y-Yes your majesty!”

Sakuya smirks at Louis’s response while looking towards her master. “Long live the queen...”

{Outer Youkai Forest}

[BGM - "Broken Moon - SWR Ver."]

Shortly before everyone left the mansion, Patchouli once again shared a fair portion of her magical ability with Louis. He was then promptly reminded not to stray too far away from her due to the fact that the blessing would wear off if they were to separate too far. Of course, a stipulation like this is no burden to Louis Starsky. In fact, he makes a personal game to stay as close to everyone as possible, since the party’s method of travel transforms to hopping through the thickest tree branches that lead to their first destination. Keeping balance is proving to be relatively easy for a first-timer like Louis, minus the fact that various leaves often smack his face. Eventually he determined that following Patchouli’s exact path leads to the least collisions..

“Alright boy,” Remilia calls once Louis approaches her side. “Before we start this tour, we need to take a mandatory visit to the shrine just ahead.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know that you liked shrines that much.”

Patchouli slows down and positions herself parallel to Louis. “It’s not that Remy really likes shrines as much as she dislikes sunlight.”

Sakuya, who is the farthest ahead, turns around and changes her travelling method to flight. “Master Remilia seeks to pray for a cloudy day before it starts to get bright out. This is practically the only way that she can stay vigorous throughout the day.”

“Right, that’s one of the disadvantages to being a vampire, isn’t it?”

“Stahp right there!”

Sakuya suddenly peers to the right and phases to the rest of the cast. A loud blast immediately replaces the area where the Head Maid was. “Everyone, get down!”

Once everyone sinks to ground level, a small figure leaps from a hanging tree branch and raises an accusatory index finger at the party’s direction. “Where do you think you’re going with those truffoos?”

Louis takes the time to absorb the features of the new entrant’s staggering profile. Thanks to the two long bullhorns on top of her head, maximum length ginger hair and long blue dress with simple red lines at the hem, Louis is almost immediately able to identify the strange individual as Suika Ibuki .

“Truffles, like those mushroom things?”

“What truffles?” Sakuya Izayoi is just as baffled.

“You can’t hide anything from the grandmaster..” Suika smirks with the utmost confidence and manages to phase in-between Remilia and Patchouli in the blink of an eye. Suika plants one palm on the top of each of their frilly caps. “I see the truffoos right here and here!”

After an awkward moment of silence, Remilia puts forth immense effort towards staying calm. “Go home Ibuki, you’re drunk.”

“Woah!” Suika shouts with wide, glazed eyes. “Ultra rare magical talking truffoos? Hang in there, I’ll save you!”

Ibuki hop-skips backwards and pulls out several strands of her endless hair supply. They float in the wind and quickly transform into miniature versions of the drunken Oni. Several of them latch themselves onto Patchouli and Remilia.

‘Om-nom-nom-nom-nom!’ The ones that are not standing on their shoes proceed to nibble on their garments. The absurd development was enough to make Patchouli place a bookmark and store it in her mantle.

“And what part of this looks like a rescue..?”

“They’re eating her... and then they’re going to eat me!” While Louis rambles, Sakuya calmly puts down the basket in her hands and brandishes a Spell Card with a flick of her wrist. “Oh my god...!”

[BGM - "Sinister Sundown (Arranged)"]

{Opposition: Suika Ibuki - The Tiny Pandemonium}

“Trufoos like those must grow once every half a shentury! Lucky!”

Remilia sighs with obviously repressed emotions. “Try not to drag this out for long, Sakuya. We want to reach our destination before this hour’s end.”

Sakuya simply nods as several short knifes develop and orbit around her.

“You two seem pretty calm about this,” the newbie says while turning to the others.

A few mini-Suikas start to hang off of Remilia’s cap. She shakes them off and sighs. “These Oni clones are mostly harmless as long as you do not needlessly struggle.”

Patchouli takes her eyes off the active battle and looks to Louis. “Ibuki will not attack others marked with these clones, but these tiny things will throw immense weight on you when you try to make unfavorable movements. This Youkai is stubborn so the best course of action when marked is to wait it out.”

As Louis processes the information, Sakuya pulls out a different Spell Card of choice. “Time to end this. Illusion Sign: Killing Doll!”

The card dissolves and then a fairly large concentration of short knives begin to surround Sakuya. Suika grins relentlessly and whips out a card that quickly morphs into a long chain.

“Gotcha now! Drunken Oni Binding Art!”

Sakuya takes a moment to count her options, and apparently, Suika’s chain manages to reach its mark and wrap around Sakuya’s waist. Her wrists become bound.

Remilia dons an attentive expression at the battle. “She’s in a pinch now..”

Louis becomes fearful at the development and reaches forward to draw a Spell Card of his own. “Hang in there! Third Party Mediation!”

Once the card dissolves, Louis brandishes his gifted quarterstaff with a refined power. He dances in the fray and makes his presence known with a forceful double-handed vertical swing aimed towards the center of the chain that connects the two combatants together. Suika shows no sign of worry until the might of the swing manages to snap the binding chain in two. In the middle of Suika’s shock, the Killing Doll knives that Sakuya casted rush out and reach their mark with incredible speed. The attack manages to knock Suika Ibuki flat on her back.

[Fade BGM]

“Not bad Louis,” says Sakuya as she recovers the picnic basket with an parasol attached. “My Spell was already in effect, but your reaction was impressive.”

“Heh, figures you didn’t need help.”

Patchouli navigates herself next to to Louis once the last mini-Suika disintegrates. “Louis, may I see that Spell Card?”

“What, this?”

Louis passes the card and Patchouli examines it. “Temperance Sign? Interesting..”

“Say what?” Louis starts to wonder whether or not the others are forcing kind words at this point. “That was my least interesting card yet.. I shot better danmaku than that!”

The Scarlet Devil walks in on the huddle. “Boy, I dealt with that Oni more times than I have lived years.. but I never seen any Spell Card simply shatter that chain outright!”

“What..?”

Patchouli continues her explanation with enthusiasm. “Ibuki’s Oni Binding Art is a Spell Card that drains the energy of the one that is caught. The Spell itself is weak, but it can become stronger if you try to retaliate with Spells of your own while captured. In addition, the chain is really adept at absorbing other outside energies that try to break it. Since we assumed the chain to be nearly impenetrable, our most common counteraction to the Spell would be to substitute the target with a nearby inanimate object. The fact that you simply broke the Binding Chain with this card is a very interesting feat, whether it was necessary or not.”

Despite the compliment, Louis grew concerned over the earlier point - the chain’s innate ability of absorbing danmaku energy. “Wait, so I could have made that situation worse?”

“Well, yes and no,” Patchouli replies. “As Sakuya stated earlier, she managed to cast her Killing Doll spell right before Ibuki captured her, which would have defeated the Binding Art either way. In other words, Ibuki’s reaction was in poor taste this time around. I assume that the Oni had one too many.”

“Ah..”

[BGM - "Broken Moon - IaMP Ver."]

Speaking of the devil, Suika Ibuki struggles to get on her feet again with an expression that resembles the early phases of a hangover.

“C’moooon!” she pleas. “At least share one with me! Look, I’ll even give you my secret recipe for an awesome truffle wine. You’ll love it!”

Remilia’s eyes widen at that statement. “Sakuya, pen and paper now!”

“Yes, milady.” Fortunately, Sakuya Izayoi always keeps her Death Note handy. An excitable vampire turns to Suika once Sakuya finds a blank page.

“Alright, spit it out.”

Suika swoons to a comfortable lying position resting on one elbow. She lets out an earthy giggle. “Okay! First you take the truffoos and you put it in the thing, and then you...”

Suika pauses, seemingly for suspense.

“Yes..? Go on!”

But the heavy nasal breathing and appearance of a large snot bubble suggested something else.

“I think she’s out of service,” said Louis.

Remilia burns with rage and shakes Suika vigorously by the shoulder. “Damn it Suika, get up! Suika! The recipe!”

“Remy, we should leave her be.” Patchouli suggests. Remilia knew this too. Her mixed expression seemed to go through all five stages of grief in a matter of seconds, ending with anger.

“Bah... I’ll remember this, you useless Oni!”

[BGM - "Mount Fear"]

“I know it’s a bit late.. but my name is Louis Starsky. Nice to meet you!” As the tour party marches forward, Louis starts to wonder whether or not events like these mark an average day in Gensokyo.

{Moriya Shrine: Lower Branch}

Only minutes later the party runs into a small area of civilization. A clean and modest shrine pulls into view at the foot of a trail that leads to a fairly tall mountain.

“This is the shrine,” Remilia confirms.

“Yay! This place sort of looks different, though.”

Louis scans through his memory banks and remembers a large flight of stairs leading to a strange red arch. He starts to doubt that the place he was thinking about is related to the Touhou franchise at all. He has made similar mistakes in the past, after all.

“I wonder if the miko is present today?” Sakuya wonders aloud.

Memories of Reimu’s Shrine may be fuzzy to Louis, but his mental image of the main character is very vivid.

“Ah, good morning Remilia and company! Welcome back!”

That is why Louis is now certain that this was not the shrine that he had in mind. The maiden that stood before him had shoulder-length green hair with a section wrapped up in a snake-shaped hairband. The white detached sleeves he was expecting to see were present on this lady, but the blue color scheme of her outfit, including her long dress definitely did not belong to Reimu Hakurei.

“I remember you!” Louis exclaims. “You were the reason I couldn't beat Story Mode in that one fighting game!”

Patchouli narrows her eyes at the sound of Louis saying strange things that most average residents wouldn’t understand.

“Eh..? Fighting game? Was I.. a difficult boss?”

However Sanae Kochiya is far from an average resident. Louis pauses at the unexpected response.

“Actually you were a playable character that I had no idea how to use.”

"I see! In that case, I have just the charm for you!"

Sanae takes a moment to step back inside the small shack to pull out an oriental paper tag. Louis scans the object and realizes that instead of Japanese characters, there were several directional arrows and English letters.

"Isn't this... the Konami code?"

Sanae clasps her hands together, elated that someone was finally able to identify the symbols correctly. "If at first you don't succeed, try thirty more times!"

"But this is..." Louis is utterly baffled. Patchouli enters the conversation once Louis has been rendered speechless.

"Ms. Kochiya, I remember you telling us one day that your shrine once existed in the outside world."

"Correct!" Sanae replies. "Our current God, Kanako, decided to transfer the Moriya Shrine to Gensokyo hence why we are here today.

Patchouli sends a smirk towards the tourist. "Did you hear that Louis? Your obscure jokes won’t get past this one's head."

"Ah! You are also from outside of Gensokyo?" Sanae pounds a fist to her palm after finally understanding. "Now that you mention it, I see that your complexion is native to the country America.. or was it South America? I know it started with an A... Ah, don’t tell me, I know this one!"

The answer is Africa of course, but Louis becomes curious as to whether or not Sanae can remember.

"Take your t-"

“Ah, I give up!” Apparently not.

“That was fast!” The phrase came from Louis, Sakuya, Remilia and Patchouli simultaneously.

“I at least know the lingo! Watch this!” Sanae clears her throat with high hopes that she will redeem herself. “Ay yo, BRO! Do you do how we do with danmaku?”

“Que?” However, she only gained points for enthusiasm.“That sounded like a challenge.”

“Knock yourself out,” Remilia encourages. “We will need about ten minutes anyways.”

“I am most grateful, your honor!”

Patchouli raises an eyebrow. “Remy is a judge now?”

As Louis and Sanae occupy the gathering square, the Mansion cast heads towards the praying altar.

“Maybe after this, you will have a better understanding of how to use me in the future. By the way, I’m Sanae!”

“My name’s Louis. Wait.. are you actually taking what I said seriously?” Louis asks as he brandishes a Spell Card. Sanae follows suit shortly after.

[BGM - "Tomorrow will be Special; Yesterday was not"]

"If there’s one thing I learned about Gensokyo... you can't worry about common sense here!"

{Opposition: Sanae Kochiya - Embodiment of the Divine Wind}

Once Sakuya tosses in an offering that represents the mansion, the true icon of the Moriya Shrine decides to materialize before them. The shrine’s god is dressed in red and burgundy, with short and modest indigo hair. Kanako Yasaka bows slightly and thanks them for their patronage.

“What has all of you out and about today?”

“That tiny drizzle from the other night did not do our mansion any good,” Remilia replies with one eye open. She decides to keep a bitter suspicion to herself; one where the Moriya God purposely excludes their mansion from rainfall unless their contributions are consistent.

“They say that the Human Village got the best of that shower,” Sakuya replies.

Kanako winds up diverting her attention towards the priestess’s activity. From Kanako’s perspective, she sees a distinct difference in capability between the two combatants, as Sanae’s charm danmaku shows a higher presence than the other’s force-based projectiles. “Who is that unfamiliar soul playing with Sanae?”

“That boy is Louis,” Remilia answers. “We have decided to show him a few places throughout this land.”

“His noticeable awkwardness stems from the fact that he is not from Gensokyo,” Patchouli adds. “It is presently unknown exactly how he arrived here.”

Kanako continues to observe the duel. Louis initiates an assault with his newly acquired Temperance Spell Card. Sanae dodges the first strike and its aftermath. She meets the second strike with Esoterica, a star-shaped danmaku barrier. Louis’s attack seems to be no match for the barrier.

“He is certainly an amusing fellow,” Remilia continues. “Who knows? Perhaps we have a new errand boy in the making."

Kanako turns back to the mansion trio once Louis starts to complain about his spell not working properly. “He seems genuinely happy to be here. Of course Ms. Kochiya and I can relate to that. But still.. his existence is clearly a result of meddling with the natural order.”

Remilia’s ears perk. “Hmm..?”

“Perhaps there is much more to Mr. Starsky’s capabilities than he is letting on?” Such a suggestion comes from Sakuya. Patchouli disagrees silently as a gust of wind from Sanae throws Louis on the shrine’s roof.

“It must be interesting to think that way!” Kanako cries with a taunting smile. Sakuya feels mildly offended.

“What do you mean?” Patchouli asks. “Are you saying that you know more about him?”

“I am a God after all.”

“I see..”

A god like Kanako is not all-knowing in the slightest. She can, however, read moods with a reliable sense of perception. Patchouli Knowledge is the most involved with Louis out of the three. In addition, she is highly curious as to what kind of person Louis truly is. Kanako sees this along with another aspect about Louis that would only be obvious to a true god. An urge to leave them a small hint overwhelms her - partially because the worth of their donation was slightly above average.

“I do not have all the answers, but there is one fact that is certain. Before the one named Louis entered Gensokyo, he was most definitely an ordinary human.”

[Fade BGM]

Unfortunately that kind of information was not nearly enough to satisfy Patchouli’s curiosity. The magician hums off her urge to prod further. Instead she watches Louis slump at the sight at one of his Spell Cards shattering. Sanae throws a peace sign for her victory.

“Okay! Shake it now, baby now!"

Louis blinks twice. “Was that... your win quote?”

Sanae wears a comical face in response. “Continue? Insert Coin!”

Louis shakes his head indicating that he’s had enough. “I’ll have to rematch you some other time...”

“Game over! Kan-kan-KAAN!”

“...” Underneath Louis’s utter confusion, he suddenly wishes he knew much more about this strange maiden. Sanae suddenly becomes unnerved from the look that she received.

“Y-You’re the one making me say weird things!”

“How was any of that my fault!”

Patchouli arrives just in time to retort, “Somehow I believe her.”

“Patchouli..!” Louis began to remember that more often than not, Patchouli will take the side of another girl’s differed opinion. Once that happens, winning becomes out of reach. “Aw, here it goes!”

[BGM - "Ludibrium Party Quest"]

Before the tour party departed from the Moriya Shrine, Sakuya requested a complimentary map, in which Sanae was happy to provide. Now that clouds were sure to settle in later on, the party asked which map areas caught his eye first. His answer was found on the right side of the paper.

“The Hakurei Shrine is where Reimu lives right?”

Remilia frowns at those words. “Muh... Red-White’s Shrine? Don’t tell me that’s where you want to go first..”

Louis considers backing down from the negative response. “It does look pretty far off..”

“Distance is not really the issue. I just was not anticipating having to deal with Hakurei so early in the day.” Louis recalls that the two of them were rivals at one point, but now he is trying to piece together what their current terms are.

“To tell the truth, I only know a few people from this place. Besides the mansion, Reimu’s shrine is just about the only place that I know about in detail.”

Sakuya lets off a shrug that understands that it cannot be helped. “There are a couple areas of interest around that region, so we might as well head that way.”

“Fine."

The group ultimately decided that flight would be the best method of getting there. Louis is no stranger to being airborne, but he suspects that flying a long distance may take some getting used to. Patchouli assured him that as long as he stays in formation, she will be able to steer him in the right direction.

With that worry out of the way, the party sets out with the Hakurei Shrine as the destination. Louis spends a lot of his guided flight admiring the overhead view of Gensokyo and all of its inspired geography. He also took the time to remind himself that flying like this is the equivalent to a universal childhood dream. Louis then realizes that as long as he is in Gensokyo, moments like this may become constant. With that thought in mind, he silently hopes that he will never forget how he feels now.

“Ayaya, watch out!”

[Fade BGM]

Louis suddenly looks ahead of him and catches sight of the red eyes of a frightened face heading straight towards him. It turns out that Louis dipped lower than the formation and so he jolts upward to avoid collision. For a split second, he caught a glimpse of her short black hair and what looked like a pair of black bird wings. Before he could think about processing what he saw, he accidentally bumps into the picnic basket that Sakuya was holding. As a result, the bright pink parasol falls off the side latch and eventually out of sight.

“Sorry guys.. that was entirely my fault.”

“I’m going to need that you know,” Remilia replies calmly. “Are you prepared to take responsibility?”

Louis nods immediately while Sakuya assesses the situation. “It looks like the parasol fell somewhere inside that large sunflower patch.”

And with that statement, the next impromptu pit stop was confirmed.

[BGM - "Lilycove City (Arrangement)"

{Garden of the Sun}

As much as Louis wanted to appreciate every site in Gensokyo, including this area, the site reminds him of his father’s hometown - a place where there are not many fond memories to recall. Add that to the fact that yellow is among his least favorite colors, and Louis wants to find the mistress’s parasol as soon as possible. Everyone except for Patchouli decides to join Louis in the search, as she is either more interested in her novel or just feeling lazy.

“The sunflower field is looking healthy this morning,” says Sakuya.

Remilia lets out a small squeal from the feeling of frigid dew drops touching her dainty arms. “Honestly, it’s like every other place in Gensokyo got rain except for-”

“Wah! Flying marshmallow! Flying marshmallow!”

Louis rushes out of the flower field in a state of panic and cowers behind Patchouli. The latter lowers her novel and examines the flying marshmallow. There is indeed a white, cloudy object that is devoting itself to pestering Louis.

“It appears to be a wandering spirit.”

The spirit brushes past Patchouli and continues to veer closer to Louis. Louis responds by running circles around Patchouli. “Don't do it! I can't have any dairy products!”

“Louis, stop flailing around! Spirits like that are mostly harmless!”

Remilia tilts her head. “Marshmallows aren’t dairy products... are they?”

“No, milady.”

A series of flowers rustle in the distance and catches everyone’s attention. An attractive figure with silky white hair and a large black hairbow rises into view. The groggy expression she wears almost suggests that she woke up from a nap.

“Woah, it’s you!” Louis exclaims, distinctly remembering the face.

Sakuya also recognizes her. “So this wandering spirit is Ms. Konpaku’s?”

The girl winces and rubs a large red mark on her forehead, hidden underneath her bangs. “Konpaku is me.. right? Yes. I am Youmu Konpaku . I think...”

Youmu takes a step forward and stumbles slightly. She then looks down and picks up a long pink object from the flower bed.

“Ah, my parasol!” exclaims Remilia as she rushes to recover it. Sakuya proceeds to explain the situation and apologize for the fallen parasol that assumably struck her. Afterwards, everyone steps outside of the flower patch, revealing Youmu’s unique green uniform with spirit designs printed at the bottom of her skirt. Her attention eventually focuses on the floating spirit (which happens to be a part of Youmu) hovering around Louis.

“I apologize. It looks like my spirit half decided to trouble you.”

Louis shakes his head since his fear lifted at the sight of Youmu. “It’s fine. Although I didn’t know that your spirit half has a mind of its own. I figured that you were in control of it as much as your swords.”

“Ah... err...”

Youmu did not expect that kind of specific response from someone who she never met. Patchouli lightly taps her novel on Louis’s head.

“This unfamiliar face is Louis Starsky. You will have to excuse his awkward nature.”

“I see,” Youmu claims even though she truly does not. “At any rate, my spirit half rarely separates from me, but one function that it has is to detect odd existences such as Lady Yuyuko.

“That name sounds familiar,” Louis replies. “But aren't there a lot of strange beings in Gensokyo? If it detected someone like me then your other half must run off a lot.”

“Even if you say that...” Youmu’s voice trails off as nothing further needed to be said. Youmu’s spirit half decided to grow a translucent body identical to herself and poke Louis in random places. The victim is having trouble keeping a straight face. “Mr. Starsky, there is something we would like to confirm if you don't mind.”

“Sure, I guess.. If it helps, I’m not from Gensokyo but the outside world.”

{Opposition: Youmu Konpaku - The Half-Phantom Gardener}

“I am more interested in what you are at the moment,” Youmu says as she generates a Spell Card with her right hand.

Louis draws a Spell Card of his own in response. “Well, I'm just a human...”

“Are you sure..?”

[BGM - "Blazing Internet"]

“I’m going to use the Lightning Slash of Hell’s Gale,” Youmu declares. “The main objective is to either dodge or parry my strike when I come at you. Try to stay focused until that time comes.”

“Got it.”

As Youmu brandishes a long sword and enters a calm preparation stance, Louis enters one of his own. The latter keeps an eye on both the swordswoman and her spirit half hovering above her. The fact that there is nothing going on but stillness makes Louis think that this is more of a reflex test than a danmaku struggle.

“Now!”

At the sound of Youmu’s cry, she dashes forward and directly towards Louis.

“Temperance Sign: Third Party Mediation!”

Surprisingly enough, he was able to time his vertical swing fast enough to clash with Youmu’s assault! However, the danmaku energy stored in Louis’s attack fails him in the end and Youmu’s attack prevails. Louis is sent flying several feet! He manages to recover and the peak of his launch and land properly. His Spell Card disintegrated before landing.

“Damn, that’s the second time the card failed!” exclaims Louis. “I knew that one was a dud!”

“That Spell Card had an interesting name,” Youmu replies in a soft-spoken tone. “Temperance and mediation are both neutral terms. But the card name clashes with the current situation. In this trial, I am the prosecution and you are the defendant.”

Louis thinks back to the battle with Suika Ibuki. The Spell Card served as an intervention between two others engaged in combat! “The Spell Card’s condition requires the user to not be directly involved with the battle..? But wait.. if I’m the defendant, then what is my accusation?”

Youmu takes a moment to crouch into her preparation stance for a second time. “...Lying.”

Another moment of silence follows once the hovering spirit half aligns with Youmu from above. Louis realized from the first attack that the spirit did nothing but follow Youmu slowly. If the pattern is the same as before, the only thing he has to worry about is the half-ghost herself.

“Now!”

This time, Louis retaliates by using his staff to draw energy from the ground to launch a Passionate Squall at Youmu. The energy collides with Youmu head-on and creates a large blast. After the debris clears, Youmu stands tall where Louis’s attack collided, seemingly unscathed. Youmu recalls her Spell Card.

[Fade BGM]

“The prosecution rests,” says Youmu as Louis puts away his weapon.

“Was that really it..?” Louis abstained from asking whether or not that was an actual Spell Card battle under the fear that his question would come off as arrogant. “What did any of that prove?”

Louis looks back at his tour party only to make a strange discovery: All three of them were clearly shocked at the exchange.

“Louis...” Patchouli calls. “What was that ability just now..?”

The needless praise bothers Louis indescribably. “What was what? Patchouli, you watched me use Passionate Squall a dozen times! And all three of you guys could stop an attack like that easily! Right..? Miss Izayoi, you can manipulate time to slow Youmu down if you wanted to.. Miss Scarlet, one of your spells is a giant magical spear.. thing.. and Patchouli... I can’t even imagine how many ways you can parry a sword attack!”

Youmu positions herself next to Louis with a stoic demeanor. “I believe that everyone’s surprise had nothing to do with how you handled my sword technique.”

“But what else could it be..? Your other half wasn’t even doing anything..”

“What did you say..!” The exclamation came from Remilia. Louis falls silent, wondering if he was mistaken. Sakuya’s response dealt with the very theory.

“Louis... The phantom half was producing danmaku from the start until Youmu was ready to strike...”

Youmu decided to take over from that statement. “You have the ability to ignore attacks from my phantom half. It's as I thought. You're not normal.”

Louis frowns from that announcement and goes into a moment of deep thought. Eventually he looks to everyone with a response handy.

“Or maybe, it's because I'm normal that ghost type attacks don’t affect me!”

A timely wind causes the sunflowers to sway softly..

“Yukari told that joke once,” said Youmu. “I still don't get it.”

“What, really? That's an inside joke though.. well technically it's a joke outside of Gensokyo.”

“Yukari Yakumo is beyond that sort of restriction,” said Sakuya.

(“Putting that aside..”)

“You know Patchy, I cannot even visualize how someone like that would interact with Louis.”

Patchouli pauses at Remilia’s sentence. “Granted, nothing about that woman is predictable as-is. Do you know of her, Louis?”

(“Umm.. excuse me..”)

“You mean Ran's master?” Louis replies.”Not offhand, but I may have seen her before.”

“P-Please stop getting off-topic!” Youmu shouts.

“Sorry about that! Where were we?”

Youmu responds after taking a deep breath and then waving her arms frantically. “Please explain your immunity to my phantom-based danmaku properly! I only know of one other person capable of doing that and she’s...”

“H-Hey, aren’t you going to put away that sword?” As soon as Louis asked, her motions lopped off the tip of a sunflower petal.

[BGM - "Ghosts' Descent"]

A fierce wind howls immediately afterwards. Yet another figure emerges from the flower field - this time, with medium-length wavy green hair and a red plaid vest/dress set. Louis is unfamiliar with the lady, but something about her nature tells him that she is somehow affiliated with the sunflower field. She seems to be smiling, but its sincerity is questionable.

“The children told me of a dangerous and scary trespasser. Who is it?”

Remilia smirks in response. “Is it not obvious? Only one among us is armed and potentially dangerous. Rest assured, my parasol is not made for battle.”

The new lady peers in Youmu’s direction. She catches sight of a sunflower petal hanging off the tip of her sword. The lady’s grin darkens.

“My-my. How suspicious.”

Youmu starts to grow pale. “W-Wait a second, I only came here to observe!”

The green-haired lady brandishes a Spell Card in response. “In that case, have a closer look.”

[Fade BGM]

Before Youmu could react, giant magical cornstalk leaves surround her and trap her inside. The leaves then disintegrate along with the unidentified woman. An awkward moment of silence follows.

"Nice timing!” Remilia shouts out of the blue. “Let us move on, shall we?"

“But what about Youmu...?” Louis realized just has he asked that there is most likely nothing that can be done at this point.

Remilia places a hand on her hip and emits a sassy frown. “Louis, if you want to see red-white, we might as well get it out of the way quickly.”

"Yes ma'am!

The latter half of the flight to the Hakurei Shrine was much quieter than the first. Louis Starsky and Patchouli Knowledge kept to themselves in particular, as their minds swarmed with various thoughts. The recent events with Youmu Konpaku has made Patchouli Knowledge more curious about Louis Starsky than ever before. Louis knows this, and after spending some time thinking about those recent events, he may even know why everything happened the way it did. This realization filled Louis with a climbing uneasiness up until the party reaches the base steps of the Hakurei Shrine. ‘Perhaps I should tell them what I think,’ Louis wonders as he watches his escorts walk up the stairs. He contemplates all of the outcomes that he can conceive, and neither of them tip in his favor.

“I figured that someone like you would enjoy climbing these pesky stairs since you have never been here before.” The little vampire halts on the fifth step from the bottom and turns to Louis. “Is something the matter, boy?”

Louis answers with much hesitation. “It’s about what Youmu was talking about earlier..”

“You do not really want to talk about it, right? I’m not the type of person to pry into others’ secrets. After all, a good portion of who we are as individuals are the things that nobody else knows.” Louis was very stunned at such a response. Patchouli’s eyes widened as well. “For example there is still so little that I know about Sakuya to this day. Regardless, Sakuya will always be Sakuya no matter what new things I learn about her.”

“Milady..” Sakuya’s voice quivers as if she wants to shed a tear.

“Miss Scarlet,” Louis calls with slightly lifted spirits. “You really are the head of your mansion.”

For once, one of Louis’s constant praises nudged her a little. “..Of course I am! Anyway, just calling me Remilia will do if I may call you Louis.”

Louis accepted the offer instantly since he preferred his name over ‘boy’. On that note, Louis’s enthusiasm returns and he starts to race up the stairs. Patchouli, on the other hand, needs more time to sort out her thoughts.

[BGM - "Hakurei Shrine 2 (LoT)"]

{Hakurei Shrine}

Well there she is, the Red-White Shrine Maiden doing what she does best - nothing at all.

Much to Louis's fortune, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden lied before everyone once the party crossed the border. She is evidently enjoying a peaceful day to the fullest with her dressed arms sprawled out on her porch and an empty teacup sitting next to her. As Reimu Hakurei slept blissfully in her traditional red miko, Sakuya examined several piles of leaves and a couple half-empty bags.

"She could have at least completed her chores before napping so shamelessly!"

"We might wake her if we're too loud."

Patchouli peers in Louis's direction. "Why are you worried about that? Are you fine with leaving her like this?"

"Well I was hoping that she'd be awake.. On the bright side, I can see her divine armpits, so I feel blessed already!"

"Who said that..!"

“Ah...”

Remilia laughed heartily at Reimu’s undefined expression. The Shrine Maiden was not as fast asleep as Louis had anticipated.

“Who's this bozo..?”

Louis got to meet who he wanted, but the chance at a first impression went down the drain. Sakuya manages enough composure to answer.

“This is Louis Starsky. We are visiting upon his request.”

“I see,” Reimu replies. “Now take him back home upon my request.”

Remilia grins mockingly. “How rude. You'll never get any donations if that’s how you respond to a compliment!”

“Who would feel happy from that!”

"You humans are so picky!"

A familiar figure with several fox tails and a picnic basket approaches Louis from behind. Ran Yakumo seemingly appeared out of nowhere! As Louis instinctively looks behind him to see where she came from, another figure suddenly wraps its arms around his abdomen. At that moment, he lays eyes on a very mature looking woman with long blonde hair, deep purple eyes, and a white cap with a red ribbon.

"We caught a big one, Yuyu!” cries the captor. “Don't let him escape!"

"I’ve got your back! It doesn’t look like he is struggling, though."

And just when one gorgeous sight started to captivate Louis, yet another visitor approached him from his left side. She was a serene maiden with medium-length strawberry colored hair, a hazy blue kimono with a matching hat and a white triangular tag with a strange marking. The atmosphere suddenly intensified without warning, and for a brief moment, he feared the whimsical duo sought to immediately carry him towards heaven.

“You seem to fit Ran's description well enough. You’re Louis, correct?”

“Yeah.. Are you Yukari Yakumo? ”

As Yukari nods in confirmation, the other waves.

“Hello! I’m Yuyuko Saigyouji! ”

Yukari still held onto Louis, triggering varied looks from everyone. ‘Nothing that Yukari does is ever predictable,’ is what most people made of the scene. Reimu decided to shift her attention to the item in Ran’s hands.

“What’s with the picnic baskets? Did you guys make plans on my Shrine again?”

“Good thinking, Hakurei!” Remilia cheers. “We should eat here.”

“Hey!”

“There's takoyaki in our basket,” says Yuyuko.

“Feel free to help yourself to our sandwiches,” Sakuya adds.

“That's besides the point!”

Suddenly, Reimu’s stomach spoke up in protest against any further argument. It was an utter defeat to the bundle of individuals that she has beaten in the past. The Shrine Maiden sighs.

“The weather looks like it might rain though..”

Yukari reveals a giant bottle of sake in response. “We should be fine for another hour or so.”

[Fade BGM]

The combined lunch spreads managed to nearly turn a picnic into a feast that was more than enough to feed the entire cast. As everyone sets up, Louis finds himself trying to read the moods of everyone present:

Reimu clearly feels uneasy towards the entire cast, Ran seems to be annoyed by Louis’s presence, Yukari, Yuyuko and Sakuya seem content enough, Remilia seems to be in an even better mood and Patchouli seems to be deep in troubling thoughts. In the end, Louis has no idea what to make of this mixed mood. Shortly after he gives up, Yukari initiates the toast.

“Here is a toast to just another day in Gensokyo!”

“Cheers!”

The lot of them drink simultaneously. Louis realized a bit too late that his taste buds had no idea of what sake tastes like, and the explosion of bitter flavor causes him to choke a bit. Reimu snickers at his misfortune.

“Haha! Lightweight detected~!”

“Ugh..” Louis never was much of a drinker, but he had no intention of passing up this occasion. With that much being said, Louis ran into an unsettling realization nearly an hour after eating.

[BGM - "June Mermaid"]

Even in an admirable land like Gensokyo, even when surrounded by particularly beautiful and unique women, Louis finds himself unable to be around so many of them at once. ‘Seriously? Here too..?’ Even when he has admiration for everyone as individuals, the workings of Louis’s mind forces him to keep a fair distance from the large group against his will, even after two extra helpings of sake. Fortunately Reimu and Remilia migrated from the porch corner to the middle of the square grounds to settle some incomprehensible argument. At least this way, Louis can stay relatively close. Soon enough, Patchouli requests to share some of the area with him. This development is in stark contrast from the usual outcome of having to spend the remainder of a gathering alone.

“I wonder where Suika is at a time like this,” says Louis.

“She is likely still recovering from her last binge,” Patchouli answers simply.

“Heh, yeah.”

Louis internally counts his fortunes as he looks up into the cloudy skies that the Moriya Shrine supposedly delivered. The sight looks like rain is very likely to occur soon. Patchouli stirs enough to regain his attention.

“Louis, do you have a moment?”

“Sure.”

Patchouli scans herself in search for the way she wanted to start. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately.. and I’ve decided to stop trying to delve into your secrets from now on.”

Louis knew a topic like this was coming eventually, but not in this fashion.

“How would that even work though? Without the whole mystery thing, there’s almost nothing more to me. Isn’t that just about the whole reason you stayed with me in the first place?”

Patchouli quickly turns to face Louis, startling him. The latter immediately tries to recollect what he just said in hopes that nothing offensive came out of his intoxicated words. There is clear uncertainty written all over their pupils and both of them manage to read that mood easily.

“I get it.. Now I finally understand.. Louis... After all this time, you were never afraid of me finding out what your secret was. You feared that far too many things would change afterwards...” Patchouli did declare that she had interest in finding out what brought Louis to Gensokyo. That same curiosity has lead to one fun adventure after another. But what if Patchouli wound up solving the mystery one way or another? What further reason would there be to continue if there was nothing more to discover? And if the answer is ‘nothing,’ what would that mean for him..? This is what Patchouli has realized. “I did not think about your feelings at all.. I’m sorry Louis. Really I am.”

All fell silent minus the bickering in the background.

“You really didn’t need to apologize. Your curiosity is just a big part of who you are.. and it’s a part of you that I always liked.”

“Louis...” Patchouli was never particularly fond of such warm words as she flusters very easily, and losing control is the worst feeling for her - whether it is from an asthma attack or an emotional flare.

“Maybe I really should get around to keeping that promise...”

Patchouli’s analysis was only incorrect about one thing. The actual truth that she sought is something that Louis would rather keep to himself. But once he realizes the true nature of what was on Patchouli’s mind, Louis finds himself wondering why he was really sent to this land again. Why was he specifically sent to a celebrity that showed this much concern? Is he the one being selfish? Is telling the truth really the right thing to do, no matter how ugly it might be..?

“My my, it looks like there is action going on all over the place!”

A dimensional tear forms next to the two engaged in conversation. Yukari Yakumo and Yuyuko Saigyouji has apparently gotten bored of the heated skirmish between Reimu and Remilia. and decided to warp to Patchouli and Louis.

“You guys must not like walking very much,” Louis smirks. “You were like ten feet away! Then again, I’d probably do the same thing..”

Yukari responds with a calm smile. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Louis. What do you think of Gensokyo? In comparison to where you came from, that is.”

“In comparison to my old world?” Louis repeated as he realized that it was the easiest and least embarrassing question she asked him yet. “I like Gensokyo a lot. It's like a paradise. The people here are also very amazing in comparison.”

Yuyuko smiles brightly at the answer. “That’s nice, I feel the same way! Gensokyo has always been a place where I feel truly alive. You could say that a place like this is to die for! Teehee.. get it?”

Louis paused for a good moment before his response. “That's.. a really cruel joke..”

[Fade BGM]

Yuyuko blinks. “Eh? It was..?”

“Louis..?” Patchouli was also not expecting that sort of response - nor the pained expression that came with it.

“What the heck was that anyway... it was a threat right...? And in public too..!”

Louis’s strained voice was just audible enough to interrupt the battle and gather everyone’s attention - much to Louis’s dismay. Yuyuko’s expression grows increasingly worried.

“But Louis I...”

“Why would you do that! Just because you know doesn't give you the right to do that!”

“Louis, what’s the matter with you!”

There was no way that Louis was willing to answer - not under this condition. Escaping is all that seems viable to him, and thus escape was his decision.. through the red arch, down the large flight of stairs, and somewhere far away from everyone.. and the only thought that followed him down the unknown path was the feeling of deja vu.

{?}

Louis ran and ran until his legs started to beg for rest. By the time he came to, he had already lost himself in the darkness. Gensokyo seemed to be the home of many forests, which is convenient for those that want to get lost. Once Louis finally cooled down, he took a seat at a nearby tree trunk and recalled the last event. Louis concluded that the whole scene played out in that manner because Yuyuko and Yukari decided not to be more discreet with their threats, despite both of them having potentially tactful demeanors. ‘Perhaps what was said was not meant to be a threat..? Well then, what was it?’ Just as Louis began to think it over, an odd sight caught his eye. Specifically...

“Glowing red eyes in a bush...”

Louis cannot help but chuckle at the possibility of his time in Gensokyo ending in such a cookie-cutter manner.

“S-Stop laughing! You're supposed to be afraid!”

The horror that leered at him leapt out to reveal itself.. only to prove that what cannot be seen is often more terrifying than what can be seen. The source turned out to be a innocent-looking little girl with short blonde hair, a small red hair ribbon, and a modest black dress befitting of a grade-schooler.

“You really did have me going until you spoke and came out,” Louis confessed.

“Aww! That means I messed up! Sorry!”

“Now you’re apologizing?” Louis never expected the source of the eerie eyes to actually lighten the mood! “Anyways, it's not too late, you know.”

“For real?”

Louis nods. “You can do other things right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!”

“Don’t forget something like that...”

The noir-themed Goldilocks sticks out her tongue and raps herself on the head. “Yeah, yeah, give me a sec!”

Moments later, the girl levitates from the ground and the atmosphere around them darkens until the whole area surrounding them morphed into a giant ominous shadow. Louis briefly thought of the feeling of getting fatality button inputs correct..

“Wow, now it’s pitch black around us! This is pretty scary!” Louis downplayed his level of fear due to the strange youkai’s admirable charm and his belief that he brought this situation upon himself.

“Thank you, mister!” beams the youkai. “My name is Rumia! I can manipulate the darkness of the shade, and the night and the darkness in peoples hearts! The reason that I got this darkness so perfect is because of you... It's making my mouth water!”

[BGM - "Demystify Feast"]

The girl’s lips are indeed moistening.. but the drool’s deep red color suggest that it is not quite saliva. It is at this point that Louis realizes that he senses a bigger threat from this individual than both Flandre Scarlet and Ran Yakumo combined. As Louis brandishes his staff weapon to defend himself, the tense atmosphere seems to thicken.

{Opposition: Rumia - Youkai Hiding in the Darkness}

(“I don’t think I want to know what will happen if I lose in this place...”)

Louis assumes that escape was only an option before darkness enveloped the area and so the only option is to fight back. He can only hope that everything that he learned up to this point was enough to help him get through this trial.

Louis starts off the battle by generating silver danmaku from with horizontal swings from his arm extension. Rumia childishly sways through the attacks and launches danmaku of her own, in the form of thin laserbeams imbued with the color of moonlight. Louis barely manages to avoid the laser by evading to the right and retaliating with a vertical gale of his own. The quick action catches Rumia off-guard as her laser danmaku limits her mobility while firing. Rumia crosses her arms over her face and takes the hit! Once she shows her face again, her grin deepens and one of her arms become covered in a deep purple mist. The arm’s new shape quickly mutates into the image of a huge, sinister serpent with an off-black color scheme and tiny tentacles wriggling all over its surface. The creature brandishes razor sharp teeth and lunges at Louis! He runs as far away from its path as possible, but the creature managed to strike him hard on his shoulder and knock him down. He rolls around to face Rumia again, only to discover that her previous arm returned to normal, and now her other arm is brimming with the same energy from before. And to make matters worse, the last attack managed to disarm Louis of his weapon.

Louis still has a hard time believing straying so far away from the group got this kind of result - all because he panicked from fear and ran off blindly. The second serpent arm rears its ugly head, and there is no one around that can save him. As the creature lunges at Louis, the desire to be able to see the cast of Gensokyo again became much more apparent...

“Expanding Inner Circle!” Louis activates a Spell Card, and then a hazy figure immediately comes out to confront the nightmare-inducing serpent. The figure ducks under it and lifts up the serpent with one superhuman arm. The replica of Hong Meiling suspends the creature in the air and prevents it from moving any further!

The ‘Expanding Inner Circle’ Spell Card summons up to six convincing replicas of people that Louis Starsky desires to see in a given world. However, even though the replicas look nearly identical to the real people, their offensive capabilities are both very limited and homogenous. The Patchouli and Remilia replicas launch fire and brimstone projectiles to tame the captive serpent. The Reimu and Marisa replicas manage to lift Rumia off the ground by one arm each, and the Sakuya replica launches a series of danmaku knives directly at Rumia. The attack connects and Rumia is knocked down! A bit of her intimidating purple aura starts to separate from her body.

[BGM - "Water Ruins (JFG)"]

As Rumia slowly picks herself off the ground, Louis realizes that the black background hasn’t changed since Rumia transformed it. A wave of dread surges through Louis as he realizes that the battle may not be over.

“Hey, you’re not weak!” says Rumia as she generates a Spell Card from a dark flame. “That means I can put some of your excess darkness to use! Shadow Sign: Black Reflection!”

Directly after the Spell Card activation, an aura of black smoke surrounds Louis Starsky. The smoke starts to collect several feet in front of him and give birth to an all-too-familiar shape with a color-scheme of countless shades of gray..

“First the red glowy eyes and now this...”

Rumia lets off a sad expression. “Not frightening enough?”

“Again, that's not the issue..”

“Clichéd or not, this is convenient, isn’t it?” The creepy voice of two entities speaking at once came from the newly formed creation - a shadow replica of Louis Starsky. “Now you can literally embrace the darkness just like how you wanted to from the very beginning. You remember, don't you?”

“...I remember.”

Louis’s shadow approaches the real Louis while the latter instinctively keeps a safe distance. In the end, the two wind up circling each other. “Now there are two ways that we can handle this scene. We can throw down Zelda-style, or you can stop this charade and cut to the chase. Either way is fine with me.”

Louis grins at the fact that yet another childhood fantasy is unfolding right before his very eyes. But somehow, Louis does not truly feel up to the challenge.

“You know, I've been wanting to fight my shadow ever since Cecil became a Paladin... But what good will it do trying to win now? Even if I beat you and go back to Gensokyo, everyone is going to find out the truth about me because of how I acted earlier..”

As Louis stops pacing around, the shadow stops as well. The latter nods in understanding. “It could wind up being total isolation all over again. If you take my hand now, you can keep your secret indefinitely... unless you really want someone to find out.”

“It wouldn't do anyone any good if they knew, so I...” Louis starts to walk closer to his shadow and then suddenly remembers the promise that he made with Patchouli Knowledge - the promise to tell her the truth about himself that he hid from the start. Louis’s shadow promised to relieve him of that burden. And even though darker halves are stereotypically untrustworthy, Louis cannot see why it would lie in this situation. “That means that I...”

SHING!

[Fade BGM]

A piercing light shoots from behind Louis to directly above the top of Rumia’s head. Once the beam reaches its destination, the black scenery shatters and the colors of the forest are restored once again. Louis’s shadow cowers at the change and begins to disintegrate.

“Someone just filled my dark soul with LIGHT!”

And with that strange reference, the shadow was no more..

Somebody evidently saved Louis and Rumia catches sight of the savior first. Her reaction is pure fear, as she quickly starts to run away deeper into the forest. It is now Louis’s turn to face the hero. As it turns out, the hero’s face is most definitely familiar.

“It’s you.. Youmu Konpaku!”

Before any further words were exchanged, Youmu signaled for Louis to leave the woods with her. A trick of the faint light made it seem like she was more unnerved by the setting than Louis was.

...

“Sorry about ditching you earlier. Remilia suggested it and it didn’t look like-”

“Please..” Youmu suddenly grows melancholic. “Let’s.. not talk about that.”

“Er.. right. In that case, thanks for the save...” Louis gets on all fours and bows. “Now we have to marry, right? I may be inexperienced, but please take care of me!”

“So I’m Prince Charming..!” Youmu cries. (Drawing interesting expressions from her was much easier than Louis anticipated.) “At any rate, there is something that you should know about what Lady Yuyuko said to you earlier. Did she upset you?”

Louis thinks back to that instance where he took off running. He didn’t remember Youmu ever being there.

“Yeah... but it's complicated..”

“I have a hunch,” Youmu replies. “I think you misunderstood Yuyuko's words. In case you didn't know, the mistress is really a ghost. When Yuyuko joked about Gensokyo being a place to die for, she was referring to herself. The meaning behind the joke was a direct reference to Yuyuko being deceased.”

“What..!” Louis Starsky’s observation skills never were the sharpest. “That means that I yelled at her for no reason...”

Youmu takes a brief moment to process that statement. “If that is really why you reacted that way... then I think I understand something else about you, Mr. Starsky.”

These words manage to paralyze Louis Starsky for two reasons: It is very clear to Louis as to what Youmu Konpaku is referring to... and deep down, he knows that Youmu has more than enough evidence to back up the conclusion that she is about to make.

One water droplet streaks down Louis’s face, and then another. He looks up to the sky and realizes that the darkened clouds have the strangest timing.

"I am Youmu Konpaku and I am half-ghost," the appealing swordswoman begins. "As you remember, we first met in the Sunflower Garden not too far from here. But since I had that accident, my spirit half was the one that saw you first. It is not often that my other half wanders off, even when I am sleeping. However, when she senses someone significantly odd, she becomes attracted to them and even starts to follow them around in some cases."

There was no doubt that the spirit was following Louis. It chased him around from the start and then began poking him later on.

"Define odd though. There is everything from gods to vampires in Gensokyo."

Youmu nods at the valid point, and pauses before addressing its flaw. "The one that my other half attracts to the most is the ghost mistress, Lady Yuyuko. In other words, my spirit half is attracted to other spirits. The reason I challenged you is because I knew that and one other thing. My spirit half can perform every attack that I can, however, its properties are different from my own. While my real blades have the power to banish evil spirits with ease.. most attacks from my other half have no effect on them. During our battle, my other half launched far more attacks at you than I did, and yet you avoided them all without moving. And based on what you said afterwards-"

“I didn't even see its danmaku to begin with.." Louis completed that thought since he admitted to it earlier. It is just as he thought. Louis let off a broken sigh as his chest started to knot up. "I figured that you would find me out. The truth is that I was from a completely different universe before I wound up in this place. I still have no idea how removing myself from my world got this kind of result.. but lo and behold.”

“Removing yourself.." Those words stood out the most to Youmu despite Louis having the exact opposite intention. She scanned his eyes just to make sure that her current thoughts made sense. Still somewhat uncertain, she speaks up anyway.. "Are you implying that you took your own life?”

“Yeah.”

“Louis..!”

[BGM - "In the Town of Incessant Rain"]

The familiar voice shakes Louis up greatly. He looks behind him to find not only the voice who called him, but the faces of everyone that gathered at the Hakurei Shrine. Louis was quick to hate the fact that people in these kinds of worlds have the tendency to show up at the most inconvenient times.

"So that's why.." The voice belonged to Yuyuko, whose somber expression also seems understanding.

"I thought something was off about you.." That observation came from Reimu, who found Louis strange from the beginning.

Expression mileage varied from Remilia's utter speechlessness to Yukari, whose back was turned the entire time. The worst-case scenario for Louis is apparently becoming a reality for him, and of course, he had brought this entire situation upon himself from the beginning.

“Despicable, isn’t it? It's the ultimate sin after all. Even if I had the decency not to bother anyone else with my decision.. even if I chose a place where no one would find me for a long time, I’m still no better than the lowlives that would make others suffer in the process. Right..?" No response. At this point, Louis becomes doubtful that anyone is willing to speak to him from here. "I knew that even on the night that I decided. But compared to a place like that.. I was ready to accept an afterlife in hell. Arriving in Gensokyo like this was way too good of an outcome for someone like me!”

“So that’s the kind of person that you are,” Youmu replies.

“...”

He wanted to argue that there were more positive sides to him than what is being shown, but he quickly dismissed the belief as irrelevant. Youmu goes into deep thought over the matter. Or perhaps she is combating the difficult silence.

“Your case really is unusual. Typically, once a spirit loses connection with their body and reaches Gensokyo, they find their way to the Sanzu River. The wandering spirits are then ferried in groups towards Higan for the purpose of awaiting judgment. I understand now, Mr. Starsky. You were once a wandering spirit, but you somehow managed to develop a conscious body upon reaching Gensokyo.”

The thought never occurred to him until today - partially because he was seeking to cast aside his former identity since his arrival. “I was banking on becoming something like that - not some strange visitor in a strange world gathering all this attention.”

“It is not too late," Youmu replies. Louis naturally wants an explanation. "If you are that troubled by it, I can extract your spirit from your artificial body and then guide you to the Road of Liminality personally.”

“You can really do that..?”

[Fade BGM]

“To tell you the truth, it has been a while since I have done something like that, but the Zanmaken Ni No Tachi techniqueshould work without fail.”

“Woah, isn’t that from the Shinmeiryuu sword style?”

Louis's identification catches Youmu off-guard. “You’re the very first person I met who identified that secret style on their own...”

“I’m surprised that I still remember those terms," Louis replies. "I practically grew up with that stuff.”

“You grew up with it? That’s amazing..!”

“Ha... Thanks, but it's not what you think.”

Louis chuckles to himself, briefly forgetting the mood. Everyone's serious expressions were enough to remind him.

[BGM - "Beyond the Clouds"]

"Louis," Youmu calls. "If you truly intend to go through with this, then I suggest that you say your goodbyes beforehand."

"Yeah. Please excuse me." Louis would have requested as much. Even if it is too late for redemption, he should at least say goodbye. There are several people for Louis to address, and the first on the list is the one that he upset directly.

“Ms. Saigyouji...” Louis approaches the Ghost Princess. She is accompanied by Yukari, who is still facing the other way, and Ran, who looks like she would bite if Louis got too close. “I'm sorry for yelling at you back there. If I wasn’t a coward and faced the facts much earlier, I wouldn't have exploded like I did. Gensokyo really is a paradise like you said. But if anyone else deserves to be here, it's the mastermind who made Gensokyo known in my world... or at least people that live geographically close to it..”

After a brief moment of silence, Louis turns away and approaches the nearby Shrine Maiden next. She reflexively lowers her elbows and watches him attentively.

“Ms. Hakurei.. The time we spent was short, but it was nice finally getting to meet you. I had a lot of fun. It would be nice to spend more carefree days in this kind of place with you and everyone else, but someone like me staying here would be nothing but trouble.. and I know you get enough of that with your duties and all.”

Reimu’s hard stare did not budge only until Louis’s last phrase. She internally counted how many times people actually acknowledged her role in Gensokyo. Her counting stopped once Louis turned away and headed towards the tour trio huddled under a light pink parasol held by Sakuya.

“I feel really terrible for bringing this kind of mood all of a sudden - especially after all that you guys did for me.” Remilia’s squint indicates that it will take more than those words to be forgiven. “For the record, I wasn't joking when I said that I would pledge loyalty to you all. I'm sure mansion work would get grueling at times, but I know that I'd be crazy enough to find happiness with a cast like all of you guys. But in the end, someone like me just wouldn't cut it.”

Louis then shifts his attention to Patchouli specifically. Looking into her sharp violet eyes, he senses nearly every emotion: Anger, compassion, fear, understanding, sorrow, and much more. The muddled thoughts conveyed to Louis brings him near the verge of tears, but he quickly determines this is not the time to choke.

“The god or gods that set this whole thing up were way too generous; letting me meet the people from my wildest dreams. It's ironic that the best time I've had in my entire life was at a time where I was technically not alive. Or maybe it's just plain pathetic. Either way, thank you for everything. My only regret is that the whole mystery behind me was so lame. If only I was Batman...”

Patchouli’s tiny lips start to squirm, as if words were trying to develop. After an undefined length of time, Louis finally turns back to Youmu. Somehow, her expression is the softest out of everyone else’s.

[Fade BGM]

“That about wraps it up.”

Youmu sighs inaudibly. “Very well.”

As Youmu slowly began to draw her longer blade, he started to review everything he has accomplished in these worlds - from saving an ill-fated magical girl, to helping a future idol achieve her first performance on stage. It has been one dream scenario after another; a fulfilling fantasy afterlife fit for someone who brought about great things in their lifetime. That is why Louis Starsky believes that the gods have given such a wonderful fate to the wrong person.

“Objection!”

[BGM - "Highland"]

An aggressive voice sounds, and then a figure suddenly enters the space between Youmu and Louis. She spreads her arms in a showy fashion then about-faces to Louis. Within the girl’s light-brown eyes was ferocity and certainty - the polar opposite of her subject.

“Lyra..” Louis identifies to the lot that are unaware.

“Louis, you got to spice things up more than this!” the light-skinned stranger begins immediately after pointing towards the tourist. “Since no one said anything to you, I'm going to point out something that should’ve been obvious. No one out here will be willing to forgive you if you go out like this! You know how people communicate with each other in this world! Youmu Konpaku! I am Lyra, and I declare that this kind of ending is only going down if you defeat Louis Starsky with your best Spell Cards!”

Youmu responds to the stranger with an earnest smile.

"Lyra, this is unnecessary.."

"Actually... Based on what you said earlier, you left your world without letting anyone know your true feelings.” Youmu postpones drawing her weapon before continuing. “To put it simply, that's very dangerous when it comes to your final judgement. Louis.. If you are willing to bear your feelings in the form of danmaku, then I will bear them with you.”

[BGM - "Mystic Oriental Dream (Ancient Temple)"]

“Youmu...” Louis calls after noticing that the rainfall is starting to build up. “I can't say no after a speech like that...”

"Your way with words are nothing to sneeze at either."

As Youmu and Louis draw their weapons, Youmu’s ghost half takes the shape of Youmu and draws her weapon. Afterwards Lyra reaches to the sky and generates a pink quarterstaff with burgundy tips. Its size is equal to Louis’s.

{Opposition: Youmu Konpaku - The Half-Phantom Gardener}

“Louis,” Lyra calls while testing the weight of her weapon. “Sorry for getting in your way, but I'm not ready to give up. That's why I don't want to watch you give up either.”

“I don't really have a choice at this point.”

The staff vs. sword skirmish begins once all four combatants raise their weapons high and then come down with a forceful diagonal swing that generates a heavy concentration of danmaku. They proceed to comparing their kata forms while occupying the space between them with massive amounts of kinetic energy. Youmu’s ghost-half manages to weave her way into a close enough proximity to launch a leaping strike at Louis’s direction. Louis meets the airborne attack with a danmaku gale. The force of it only manages to suspend her landing by a small margin. Suddenly, the ghost half takes a hit from Lyra’s identical gale and gets launched back to Youmu.

“Physical attacks from the ghost half can still affect you,” Lyra warns. Afterwards, the two of them spin their weapons in great synergy. The ghost half has a difficult time getting past their curtain, but Youmu finds an opening at ground level. She advances to melee range and gets a clean hit on Lyra. Lyra manages to guard a second vertical strike with her staff while Louis rushes to the fray with a Spell Card activated.

“Third Party Mediation!” The conditions of the Temperance Spell is met and Louis’s staff burns with an intense energy. The ghost half quickly phases into its range and takes the hit in Youmu’s place, flying far as a result.

Youmu manages to backstep to a safe distance after the attack. “The two of you are moving as if you are of the same mind.”

Lyra smirks at the keen observation. “It’s a long story that never came to be!”

Youmu grins and draws a Spell Card in response. “This will be more interesting than I thought.”

Meanwhile, on higher ground, a party of seven continues to spectate under two parasols. The wielder of the white parasol looks down upon the battle with an ambiguous smile.

“A duel between a half ghost and a wandering ghost doesn’t happen very often,” says Yukari.

Sakuya, the wielder of the pink parasol responds. “So Louis.. really is a ghost?”

“I'd better not be stuck here during my afterlife or else I'm gonna be pissed!” Reimu scowls from directly behind Yukari. “Although heaven doesn’t really seem that impressive either..”

Ran Yakumo smirks in disbelief. “Your outlook sounds so damn miserable!”

“At any rate, Louis Starsky will vanish from this world if he loses this struggle.” Yukari was quick to keep the topic within certain boundaries.

“That idiot..” murmurs Remilia.

“Isn’t that what he wanted anyway?” Reimu replies. “He even said so himself..”

Sakuya tilts her head in response to the point brought up. “That appeared to be his remorse talking more than anything else. Take a look at how hard he’s trying now.”

"Why are you laughing..?"

Louis is on one knee in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Moments ago, he lost his balance to the wet grass from launching a Passionate Squall. Louis starts to reply to the question as soon as he recovers. “I got so caught up in the moment that I almost forgot that someone like me just challenged a total badass.”

Youmu blinks rapidly. “Huh? M-Me? But that’s not..”

“Hahaha, I’m so screwed!” Louis continues. “But you know? There really is nothing left for me to lose.”

Youmu offers a helping hand in response. “Keep that thought in mind the next time you think about holding back.”

“Yeah!”

Once Louis gets up, Lyra joins Louis’s side again, and the four strike a stance that is apparently ready to start another round.

“What’s with him anyways..? He’s so flaky!” Reimu rests her hands behind her head. The Red-White Shrine Maiden never had a knack for understanding how others think, let alone someone like Louis.

“I think he’s entertaining to watch!” is Yuyuko’s simple response. “Is that why the Scarlet Devil offered to bring him out here?”

Remilia sought to avoid talking about Louis further, but the Ghost Princess’s innocent smile demanded an answer. “That idiot.. triggered my weak point by being so nice to my baby sister.”

Reimu, after recalling Flandre Scarlet and her nature, managed to convince herself that Louis is completely insane for getting along with someone like that.

“I wonder,” Yukari says to Remilia. “If you had a say towards the fate of this battle, what would you choose?”

The question irks Sakuya considerably more than Remilia for some reason. “If I had a say huh..? Why I’d drag that bastard out of there this instant, pound him myself, and force him to apologize properly!”

The answer visibly perplexed Reimu. “Apologize for what, exactly?”

Remilia lets off a light frown and answers by wrapping her arm around Patchouli’s shoulder. The warm sensation startles her slightly, as she was fully absorbed with the battle up until now. “Sorry, did you say something Remy?”

Even Reimu was able to identify the lost expression that Patchouli wore. It sent her a clear message that she is missing some important information. Yuyuko also takes note of the expression before her response.

“Now I am starting to see what you see, Yukari.”

[Fade BGM]

The struggle persisted for nearly a half an hour. Lyra eventually had to recall and Youmu’s ghost half decided to stay in spirit form due to exhaustion. Louis and Youmu stare each other down with battle stances and heavy breaths.

“No matter how I look at it,” Youmu cries. “Your motions are nothing like one that has lost the will to live. Why did you do it, Louis..? That is, if you do not mind me asking.”

Most of the frustration and embarrassment left Louis during the exchange of blows. For once, his mind feels at liberty to answer.

“I left my world when I realized that I was no longer myself...”

“Who were you before? Who are you now?”

A question that was admirably to the point as it was relative.

“I.. I used to be someone that could always bring out a positive atmosphere. I was actually someone that was fun and pleasant to be around. But as time went on, everything around me fell apart - and eventually, I lost every reason that I had to smile. Without that smile, I was nothing positive. And like nothing, I was forgotten. Sure I could have paid or even forced someone to care about my problems, but I didn’t want pity... and to me... false emotions are much worse than none.”

Of course there is much wrong with such logic, and both of them are aware. Ultimately, Youmu decided to shift the topic from the past to the present.

“Do you still feel that way, even in Gensokyo? Everyone that started watching this battle from the start are still here. Do you think that either of them feel obligated to watch us battle in this rain?”

Louis looks behind him in response. Sure enough, all seven of the people that were met at the shrine still remain. All of them most likely have their separate motives, and some are less concerned than others, but the fact remains that everyone is still there, waiting for the end. Louis turns back to Youmu once he’s seen enough. “That’s because.. this world is way too ideal... to accept someone like me.”

“With that being said.. are you willing accept.. this ideal world back?”

The voice came from a warp portal that materialized beside Louis and Youmu. Yukari, Ran, and Yuyuko emerged from the gap; the last among them approaches Louis with an expression of serenity.

“A world of humans, a world of youkai, a world of ghosts like you and me... for someone like you to exist in this land... I see no problem. So you should stop fighting for now, okay?”

[BGM - "Yoru"]

Louis took those words to heart as Yuyuko embraced Louis tightly, a warmth surged through his breast pocket, and the tears embedded inside of him began to flow. He closed his damp eyes and believed to himself that he could easily depart from this moment happy and without regrets. But deep down, he knew his eyes would eventually open again to the people that were waiting.

(The Road Paved in Concepts - A Multi-Crossover Project written by the NHK Ambassador)

“In the end, we did not go to very many places, and the rain does not look like it will be letting up anytime soon. Not to mention you’re soaking wet. Shall we call it a day?”

“Yeah.” As Louis answers Remilia, he examines the newest card to join his 21 Maidens roster. Yuyuko Saigyouji graced the card, complete with her majestic blue attire, a heavenly smile, and a holofoil background of a strange design that shifts from a violet-to-ruby gradience.

(The author owns no characters involved in this story, with the exception of Louis Starsky, Valerie, Lyra, and the Five Riders.)

“Come with me and I will bring you all to the mansion.”

After those words, a less-than-inviting dimensional tear develops next to Yukari Yakumo’s right hand. Remilia, Patchouli, Sakuya, and Louis were all hesitant, but the only other option is to brave the rain. The three ladies enter first, and Louis takes the time to wave Yukari, Ran, and Yuyuko goodbye first before entering.

“You should take it easy from here on Louis.” The suggestion rang through his ears right before the gap vanished.

(Special Thanks to: Kujo, Sakana, and Claire for the collective support~)

{Scarlet Devil Mansion: Guest Room}

“I'm sorry, Patchouli. I should have told you sooner.”

Louis did not hesitate to jump into bed after everything that happened. Louis apologizes while silently believing that there are many sore muscles in his future.

“In retrospect, I cannot imagine how one would bring up such a topic on their own,” Patchouli replies. “Regardless, I would be lying if I said that I am completely unfazed by all of this. More importantly..”

“Huh?”

Patchouli responds with a sudden angry glare. “Why would you even think about dropping everything a second time! It’s bad enough that you’ve done it once! And here I thought that I was being selfish... do you have any idea how worried everyone was!”

(And a VERY special thanks to all of my readers and reviewers!)

Louis determined that nothing he can say could make what he did any better. Patchouli eventually sighs off her vexation.

“All I am saying is that.. you’ve been very mindful towards others in the past, and you should maintain that aspect.”

As Patchouli’s eye contact wanders, Louis calls her once more. “Patchouli.. I’m going to make a new promise to you since my last one got jacked: I won’t run away ever again.”

“I will hold you to that promise. With that being said, we should get some rest.” The Unmoving Library’s expression softens as she places a hand on the top of Louis’s head. “It really is like cotton. To think that I almost missed the chance to feel for myself.”

And somehow, despite everything that’s happened, the two managed to leave each other in high spirits.

On this road filled with strange concepts, there is a young man who walks this road named Louis Starsky. He entered this road lost and without a care in the world. But now, Louis feels as though he has a purpose in this wondrous, yet guilt-ridden journey. Not only must Louis keep going forward, but he must also seek the many mysteries that this world has to offer; with the help of friends near and far, through all obstacles that will present itself, and unwaveringly towards the unknown limits...

For this is Louis Starsky's silent vow.

SEASON 2 END