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THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one’s fate remains unknown - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.
In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo, ever chased by a mysterious group.
She is not the only one exploring the mysteries of the city she now finds herself in - she is joined by Goutokuji Mike, a young maneki-neko of the modern world also on the run from home. Together, they discovered the Lunar Rainbow Market, and with the assistance of powerful benefactors managed to evade their pursuers.
Their time at the Scarlet Talent Agency ended poorly, yet not fruitlessly - not only were they joined by fellow mystery-hunter Kotohime, but a mysterious shadow of a witch managed to contact the young Houjuu, and point her on the path towards discovering her nature and purpose. This has proven to be another pain point for Mike, who feels herself falling behind the young changeling and wants to catch up. Perhaps the Vanishing Path and the prisoner of the shrine it conceals will give her a chance to prove herself…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595 >>206906 >>207202
Yester/Youmu >>207370 >>207705 >>208027 >>208337 >>208664 >>208978
Kaizou/Kosuzu >>209221 >>209492 >>209799 >>210140 >>210522 >>210832 >>211127 >>211466 >>211848 >>212143
Memoria/Marisa >>212437 >>212766 >>213061 >>213602 >>213997
Epilogues and Shorts >>/shorts/2804
Or read the story archive on Ao3:
https://archiveofourown.org/series/4062991
Outside/Omakes (Shorts from Other Writers): >>/shorts/2947
XOR/Xenologue (Speculative What-If Canon) >>/shorts/3129
“The first thing we should ask is, well, how did you get trapped here in the first place?” Marisa said. “I mean, I’m guessing you want us to free you, but-”
“But it would be foolish to open the cage unknowing of the beast within.” The woman nodded in agreement. “I can make no promises, but I will tell you what I can.”
She paused, thinking back. “My capture was the denouement of a fierce battle, if I remember correctly. Sadly, I never got the name of the one who struck me down, and nor can I divine the exact reason we were fighting. I remember more than my fair share of tumultuous places and times - battles were commonplace.”
“Is that right?” Kotohime muttered, looking at the sealed spirit. “...I swear, you seem familiar. Have we met before?”
Marisa gave the phantom a closer look. Now that she mentioned it, something about the shadowed face was familiar. It turned to an apologetic expression as the woman shook her head. “If we met in the past, I have no recollection of it. My apologies.”
“Mmmm.” Kotohime hummed in thought, still staring at the woman. “I see.”
“Maybe the sealing’s meant to make you lose your memories.” Mike’s voice was a whisper. “Are… are you okay? Those thorns look painful.”
The prisoner stared at the thorns around her wrists. “The thorns are an aftermath of the battles between me and my jailer. We have regular bouts, on nights when the moon is strongest.” The prisoner stood up, turning to survey the grounds. “I’d endure their pain for a thousand years to escape this place, but it’d be best if you kept well clear. They’d sap your strength at the touch.”
Marisa had been wondering about that. She wasn’t curious enough to try touching them, but she was glad to know enough that she’d been right to be careful. She turned her gaze to the hackjob carved through the bushes around the side building. “Even your jailer’s not immune to it, huh…?”
The prisoner managed a small chuckle. “The closest thing I have to entertainment is watching her deal with the mess. Ghastly woman. Playing at a miko while dancing to the So-called Devil’s tune, and she has the nerve to-”
She stopped, before sighing. “Apologies. I won’t waste my breath pretending a prisoner can give an uncoloured opinion on their captor. Just know- I pray you won’t meet her for yourselves.”
Kotohime nodded, doubt written plain on her face. “If you say so.” She paused, looking over the bushes. “Using thorns to drain people… what a terrible power.”
“Indeed. And even if one manages to make it through there, you have the outer seals - robust and regularly maintained.” She gave a thoughtful gaze to Kotohime. “You may be fine, milady, but your charges would not - any youkai would be blown back, almost certainly landing in the wicked thicket.”
“Even if we tried to help, we’d get hurt?” Mike’s ears folded back, looking sadly at the trapped woman. “You’re really trapped… I-I don’t know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Perhaps it’s not impossible.” The prisoner gave a small smile. “Especially with a brave young maneki-neko like yourself.”
She turned around. “If I’m careful and take my time, I can make a small tunnel through the thorn bushes. Small enough for a little kitten to slip through, without the hole being noticed by my jailer. The seals, though…” She sighed. “They’re made entirely for the purpose of containing me, so I can offer no aid in breaking through them. You’ll need to find your own way past.”
The catgirl hesitated. “But… even if I get past that, what can I hope to do? If this is only the second line of defense-”
“It’s the last line of defense,” the spirit corrected. “The seals within the building have decayed greatly, and would offer no real resistance to any enterprising soul. If you can manage to open the door, freeing me from there would be trivial - and once unbound, I’ll be able to clear a proper path for escape, so we can all leave this broken temple far behind.”
“That’s if we decide to help.” Kotohime reminded. “We still know basically nothing about you, after all. If we go digging and we find out you were lying to us… we won’t be freeing you from this.”
“But I want to help!”
Marisa looked at her friend. Mike was clutching at her chest. “I-I don’t know if I can promise that I’ll be able to free you…” the nekomata turned her head up, determined. “But I promise, I’ll do everything I can!”
After a moment, the islander nodded in agreement. “Yeah. We can’t promise anything, but we’ll go digging, look for some information. Maybe we can tell you some of those things you forgot or at least make things more comfortable for you. We can do that much, right?”
The prisoner sagged, slightly. “It has been years since I’ve had even this much hope. The thought of you turning me away is -” She paused, before regathering herself. “No… before this night, even the slightest bit of aid seemed impossible. I will just have to trust that you will be able to keep your faith - that this meeting is fate, not fortune. And if you decide that simple aid is all you can or should do, then I will just have to accept it. Regardless, thank you for giving me a chance.”
She paused, before looking out into the distance. The faintest hint of light could be seen, down by the road. “I suspect our time has run out, and my power is very much spent. Be safe, all three of you… and I hope to see you again soon.”
The phantasmal woman became even more translucent, smiling at the trio. Even as her body faded, she managed to tousle Mike’s ears one more time… and then she was gone.
Marisa gave a small grin to her friend. “Sounds like you’ve got some work to do, Mike.”
The catgirl nodded, her gaze locked on the shrine - once again back to it’s inert state. “Mmm. Miss Goddess… I’ll find a way to free you, I promise.”
Her focus was only broken when the policewoman’s hand landed on her shoulder. “You kids…” Kotohime sighed. “Let’s get to the car. We need to have a talk.”
...Thorns?
Although Mima, you might be fooling the kids, you ain't fooling us!
Even the Capcha knows who imprisoned you!
...Although I do gotta wonder if Mima will actually do something bad, considering despite being an evil spirit, she's basically nothing but a petty troublemaker after Reimu gives her some smacks.
Since everything this so-called "spirit/goddess" tells us could either be a total lie or the full truth about her situation and her jailer "Miko," there are a few suspects on the list:
- Mima (the most obvious suspect and who most people believe it is, myself included)
- Yuuka (she was supposedly defeated during her incident, and there's been no mention of what happened to her)
- Byakuren (not too likely, since she's supposedly sealed in Makai)
- Eternity (because of her backstory, she could fit into the goddess category)
This is probably not Mima, actually. Unless I'm missing something critical.
See, I'm still banking on Mima because this "goddess" doesn't have a lower body, which is a trait shared by...literally just Mima and Tojiko.
I don't think it's Yuuka, because she was fended away by the Moriyas, rather than the Hakurei...who is the only Miko around, since Sanae is MIA.
It also definitely isn't Byakuren, she's busy chilling in Makai and has not left.
Might be Eternity, though.
Eternity’s hair is blue, the hair of the mysterious goddess is green.
>>214382
I don't think her hair color is mentioned though, in the drawing those seem to be plant vines more than anything?
My guess if it really is green hair would be Yuuka but if she was sealed it wouldn't have been a long time ago, unless she's lying about that? Then again she would have sunflowers and not roses or whatever these flowers are.
All the plant vine stuff makes me think it's Hisami but I really doubt this is her here? Or maybe Zanmu freed her in the original timeline and so she got a stalker loyal follower for herself?
Oops, didn’t realize those were vines.
Hisami has eggplant motifs, so it probably isn’t her. Don’t know much about Hisami tho.
My bets are on either Mima—hasn't appeared yet, had a relationship of some sort with the previous Marisa—or maybe Yuuka—overly mysterious and suspicious, plus an association with plants. Or it could be an original character.
I would also like to remind everyone that there is also a horned creature that appears on nights of the full moon, that we haven’t seen yet.
Maybe it's Kasen's arm? Both Kasen and her oni side on her tabard have a flower. Plus, besides looking for the Hakurei heir, Kasen also said she'd be busy with something dangerous.
>>213362
>>“But while I was out here… there’s something I have to deal with. It’s very dangerous, and it’s proving elusive, but I could have it any night now. So I’m sorry to say that I can’t go escorting any kids until I’ve got that matter sorted.”
That’s a cool idea! The mystery goddess mentioned a “Demon” that the Miko was working for…given that “demon” is sometimes used to refer to Oni, she being Kasen’s Arm isn’t impossible.
Oh, huh, "Devil" is capitalised as a proper noun there, isn't it? So it's probably a name of some kind. So if we're limiting speculation to canon characters...
... is that idiot the Scarlet Devil at it again somehow? Remi...
Yeah, when it comes to so-called devils, Remi is the first one to come to mind. The question then becomes why she'd have a miko on her payroll, even a fake one. Kind of goes against her aesthetic.
>>214397
The other option is maybe Shinki? "Goddess of Devil's World," after all. Also a lot more likely to have a shrine maiden serving her.
Though Ms. Prisoner here sounds to me like she thinks that working for a "Devil" conflicts with being a miko. That sounds like a westerner's involved. For Shinto, usually a devil is still a god and still ought to be worshipped. Wasn't there (buried somewhere in the print works, maybe?) a scene where Remilia is bemused by that cultural difference? Genuine question, I distinctly remember it but can't find it anywhere, canon or fanon. So either our Devil is European and positioned against the gods, or Ms. Prisoner thinks like a European that they ought to be ... maybe, I think, possibly.
Maybe Remi just wants to try out being revered as a divinity who merely happens to be evil and dangerous, instead of reviled as antithetical to holiness? Yeah, I don't know.
Out of curiosity, who else were fightable in Dim Dream? Something about Kotohime saying that the girl looks "familiar" is giving me some weird hint that she looks like someone Kotohime met before, which as far as the timeline Gooboi has given us, was in PoDD minus the Hakurei Miko (in this case, Haru) and Mima. Unless winning PoDD gave Kotohime the ability to see the previous timelines (the canon timeline and the one that happened before Redo), then it could've only been someone in PoDD for Kotohime to be familiar with her look but not know it in the first place, right?
Well, Chiyuri and Yumemi have already been introduced, so it’s not them.
Gensokyo!Chiyuri is more of a gag character. She hasn’t shown up yet, however, so who knows what she’s doing?
Ellen is pretty much out of the question, as she is an eternal child with memory problems.
Kana isn’t much of a threat to anything, so I don’t think it’s her.
Rikako is the most likely, being a powerful human magician, and a direct threat to Gensokyo’s safety due to her interest in science.
Unfortunately, none of these characters’ personalities line up with our supposed goddess.
Thank you, I guess I was just grasping at straws. Here's to hoping that it's Mima, then.
Yuuka should still be in Gensokyo, if I remember correctly. Since the Moriyas were the ones who dealt with her in this timeline.
“Look, all I’m saying is you need to be cautious about these things,” Kotohime said, as she lead the two girls down the stairs. “You can’t just be trusting anyone you meet.”
Marisa gave her a cheeky grin. “Awwww, why not?”
“Because you can’t just go walking up to tandom strangers and going along with whatever they say.” The police officer raised a finger. “Now-”
“You sure about that?” The changeling’s grin only got wider. “Iunno, it’s worked pretty well for me so far.”
Kotohime gave her a flat look. “I’m being serious, Marisa. If you see something suspicious, you should keep a safe distance.”
“Miss Kotohime?” Mike leant around the officer’s other side, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Well… I’d like to point out that the last time we saw something suspicious… it was a red-headed woman with a grappling hook. Back at the STA.”
The red-headed woman in question opened her mouth long before she actually had a reply to the catgirl’s comment. After all, she’d already confirmed how valuable the girl’s reckless assistance had been. Marisa chuckled, jumping in before Kotohime found her words.
“Well, that’s different, Mike. Of course it is.” The islander nodded sagely, being careful to watch her footing as they started a second flight. “After all, we met Little_Bunny online.”
“That’s true, actually. I hadn’t seen considered that…” Mike hummed, deep in mock thought. She hopped a few steps forward, spinning around in front of the other two. “Though we should check, to be safe. Officer Kotohime, is it okay to approach strangers if you meet them online first?”
The look the policewoman gave her in response was enough for both of the kids to crack up laughing. “Good to see you two are in better spirits, but this is serious, all right?”
She paused, turning to look back up the hill. “This isn’t some random passerby on the street. She was locked up in a prison almost impossible to find, and actively guarded.”
The nekomata puffed out her cheeks. “But that doesn’t mean she did anything wrong, does it?”
“Not necessarily,” Kotohime conceded, “but whether it’s the prisoner or the guard, what it does mean is that someone here is very dangerous. And if that person saw two kids wandering in, and decided to have catgirl with a side of calamari, it’s quite possible you’d never be found again.”
The younger mystery-hunters shared a nervous glance at that, as the policewoman watched to make sure her message hit home. “Look, until we know who she is, we have to be cautious. And we can afford to be - for better or worse, if she’s been trapped here this long, that’s where she’s gonna stay - her captors . So we can take our time and find out the full truth before we act.”
“...Yeah, okay.” Marisa gave a nervous chuckle. “We’ll be cautious, I promise. Don’t wanna go planning things out like we know her already, after all.”
A thought occurred to her. “Although… you said something about meeting her before, right? Do you recognise her?”
Kotohime hummed. “Mmmmm… vaguely. I’d swear I’ve seen her before, but I meet a lot of people in a lot of places, here and in Gensokyo. …I could just be mistaken.”
The trio walked through the shimmering barrier, Marisa feeling more than a bit relieved to see that nothing kept them locked in. Mike started to respond, but her ears perked up. “Another car’s parking. Just a bit up the road.”
“A car stopping here?” The changeling paused. “Wait, the prisoner said-”
“That we were running out of time,” the officer finished. “This must be why. Her jailer’s come back.”
She stopped the two girls, a cloud pooling under her feet. “Let’s be careful here, alright? See if we can get a good view of this jailer of hers from a safe distance.”
Marisa nodded, kneeling down as the cloud began to lift them up. What was the cloud made of, anyways? It was obviously solid enough for the whole thing to lift them up, but it didn’t even feel wet, so it clearly wasn’t made of water. Was it just pure magic, shaped like a cloud? Maybe something danmaku-adjacent?
The cloud flew regardless, because it clearly didn’t care about explaining itself to a young changeling. She had no choice but to leave that question for later, and fish out some more of the Seed of Unknown Form cards. Kotohime raised an eyebrow as Marisa dropped a seed on each of them, but seemed to figure out it was part of her magic without asking. Soon, the trio found themselves looking down at a fancy-looking car, one the islander could only guess was some exotic imported model.
Especially when she saw the familiar redhead climbing out of the driver’s seat.
“Like I said,” Kokoa started, as she shut the car door, “there’s nobody else we could’ve reached tonight to clean up that mess. Saved us a lot of frantically pulling up tarps and the like.”
“I’m always happy to repay my debts to Lady Remilia, even in this indirect way.” It took Marisa a moment to realise that whoever spoke was leaning into the open boot of the car. “Just remember that my efforts can only go so far. Make sure Minnie’s booked a proper renovation team by the time you get back, alright?”
“Trust me, as soon as she hung up on you, she called for repairs.” Kokoa gave a small chuckle. “We’re not Lady Patchouli’s familiars for no reason.”
“Right… ‘the supernatural and naturally superb’,” her passenger replied. “...do you think that kid you mentioned will be okay?”
“Who knows…” The imp sighed, joining the woman at the back. “Never thought I’d be hoping to see that lunatic again, but she’s the only person I’ve got contact details for.”
The officer hummed, leaning over and whispering to herself as she pulled the cloud over to the treeline. “I’m hoping to speak to you too… quite curious how the STA’s wrapped up in all this.” She made a small smirk. “And you’re not gonna catch me off guard this time.”
The passenger took a few steps back from the boot, carrying a massive straw hat in her hands, and letting the skybound onlookers see her more fully. She had on the standard red hakama, with a white robe on top, marking her unmistakably as the Miko the prisoner had been talking about. Her hair was a silvery grey, and in the light of the boot, Marisa could see her face-
Kotohime went rigid, cursing under her breath. Marisa turned to look, seeing the colour drain from the policewoman’s face. Her hands were digging into the clouds, as she stared at the miko, unblinking.
“Is that…”
There was only so much that could make a police officer break into a cold sweat. As the two girls stared at their guardian, a feeling of dread settled over the group.
Marisa turned her head back, but the woman had already placed the large hat on her head. Ofuda hang off it, meaning it was likely some form of protection - but Marisa couldn’t help but notice how the hat would do a good job of hiding her face even if they were level with her.
She turned back to the luggage compartment, before pausing. “For Oroha Chizuru… wait, this box, is it-”
“You know it.” Kotohime grinned. “They finished it just a few days ago, actually. We figured we could send it all over as one.”
“And you didn’t pack this in with the general provisions?”
“We made space for it, but we thought you’d like to take a look, get a feel for it.” There was the sound of a box being clicked open. “After all, we don’t want her finding out that you’ve got something extra-special for this month’s bout.”
“...And this is outside the zone, so she won’t see a thing we do now.” The woman Marisa guessed was Chizuru nodded. “Let’s take a look, and see if the smiths truly lived up to their reputation.”
“Wouldn’t be on our contact list if they weren’t!” Kokoa pulled out a flat case, turning it to the miko. The imp fumbled around with its middle, her fingers eventually managing to flip the latch.
The two kids leaned in, over the cloud’s edge. Within the case… was a blade, glittering with an unearthly light. The miko picked it up, admiring its ethereal sheen.
“It’s incredible.” There was a small smile on her lips, as she examined the length of the blade. “An astonishing replica… and the magic’s been preserved in the reforging.”
There was a few moments of silence, as the jailer gave it a few swings. Kokoa watched her, keeping a wide berth. “...Now, it’s worth saying, we don’t think that’s gonna be enough to do her in.”
“It doesn’t need to,” was the immediate response. “If this magic was enough to kill her, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
In the reflection of the blade, Marisa saw red eyes gleaming. “All it needs to do is be a third and final lock. Come the next full moon, we’ll have our final bout… and she will never escape again.”
The eyes blinked, before focusing on the cloud’s reflection. Chizuru turned her head up, but by the time she looked, the cloud was already gone.
Mike and Marisa were in the back seat, the anxiety filling the air. The changeling had offered her hand to her friend; the catgirl was squeezing it tight, her anxiety obvious.
“Marisa…” she whispered at last. “...How long until the full moon?”
“Two weeks,” was the instant reply. “Last full moon was a few nights after the Spiral Meteor.”
She gave Mike what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out, okay? We got a whole fortnight, we can figure out a way to sneak in there-”
“No.” Kotohime’s voice was shaking, but it had a firmness to it. “You’re not going back there.”
The two kids blinked, turning to the front seat.
“If that’s who I thought it was…” The police officer hesitated, but hardened her voice. “Don’t ever go back. It’s too dangerous.”
“But the goddess-”
“Whoever she is, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to seal her permanently. There has to be a reason for that… there has to be…” Kotohime’s voice trailed off, deep in thought.
“Who is that woman, Koto?” Marisa watched as the police officer stiffened. “You recognised her, right?”
“Mmm. She’s very dangerous.” The officer’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “The prime suspect in a grim case, who disappeared before I got to the truth of the matter.”
“What case-”
“I’m not about to discuss cold cases with a pair of kids!” She slammed her fist on the inside of the door. The car fell quiet again, as she sighed. “Look, this has stopped being just… the usual mystery-hunting, alright? This is a matter of life and death, and I am not letting you go back in there.”
“But you don’t have a clue where it is!” Marisa protested. “You couldn’t see the barrier until I walked you inside!”
“Yeah, and you can’t hear her, either!” Mike’s tail was puffed out. “How do you expect to get back to the vanishing path?”
“There’s one good chance,” the police officer started, “if all else fails. The night of the full moon.”
She raised a finger. “They both made it clear they plan to fight on the full moon. Maybe… maybe that’s when the Vanishing Path normally appears, because they put all their energy into the fight. And it’s only on ‘moonlit’ nights just because of how hard it is to see from the road, through all the foliage. That’s my theory, anyways.”
Marisa growled. “Even if that’s true, that’s leaving things to the literal last minute-”
“-which gives me time to spend investigating.” Kotohime nodded to herself, buoyed by her own logic. “Find a countermeasure of my own - and grill a few of the Scarlets on what the hell they’re doing.
“Regardless,” she said, “that doesn’t change that this isn’t anything I want either of you near, alright? End of discussion.”
Mike tried to climb out of her seat. “But-”
Marisa’s hand stopped her. “Mike… we’re not gonna win this.”
She turned back to the driver. “Kotohime… we’re staying at the Lunar Rainbow Market right now, like I said earlier. If you’re going to be looking for a way in, they might have something that can help.”
The policewoman raised an eyebrow as she continued. “Just promise us two things. One, if you find a way in early, go in as soon as you can, and two… tell us if the jailbird is innocent in all this, as soon as you know. Please?”
Kotohime sighed. “...As long as you promise that, no matter what, neither of you are gonna try and get to the Vanishing Path again.”
“I promise,” Marisa said, nodding solemnly. “You promise too, right Mike?”
“Wh-” Mike started, but faltered when she saw her friend’s expression. “If… you’re sure…” Kotohime looked doubtful, but took that as confirmation enough to nod and keep driving.
After all, in the darkness of the car, she’d have needed night vision to see Marisa wink.
[ ] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
[ ] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
[ ] Keep any investigation under wraps. Claim trust in Kotohime and leave it at that. Probably was gonna be a tough sell, but if it did work there was unlikely to be anyone else they knew trying to stop them.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
If Marisa is anything, she's a trickster not afraid to play underhanded. As the kind of youkai she is... eh
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
You had me at gamble.
But anyways, now we have some extra info about who this goddess is, and something powerful enough to need *three* seals from Patchy's familiars is definitely not something to be messed with. Kotohime sudden snap was definitely not expected, but it adds to the gravity of the situation. Now, I *would* say trust the stranger you just met a few hours ago to pull through with what you two promised, except Kotohime just said *not* to do that, so I guess that's what we're doing.
[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
So, that might be...
Sakuya (Possible, but it doesn't match from how she's talking)
Nemuno (Might be possible, But I don't see why she'd be present...and also how she talks.)
Or Keine, the (formerly) wanted woman responsible for the "vanishing" of "4" babies. Now that would be a case that Kotohime wouldn't want to talk to some kids about.
Because, despite the capcha, I don't think that's Momiji, and I honestly can't see any of the other silver/grey haired characters. Might be Sariel, but why the heck would she be up here?
No, I'd bet on Keine. Full Moon, after all, and her powers would be perfect for a temporary fix.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
Fuck the police! Okay, Kotohime's actually exactly right here, getting a pair of idiot kids involved in whatever this is is stupidly dangerous. But first of all that's not much of a story, second not doing that isn't actually an option, and third of all I genuinely think she'll fuck it up one way or another if it's just her, so let's at least get a more competent authority figure involved. As opposed to someone we've already seen engage in "it's okay if I break the the law, I am the law!" behaviour. I love Kotohime, but the woman who repeatedly attempted to break and enter without a warrant because she wanted to play with her toys is not a responsible investigator. Not that adding vigilantism on top of badge-wearing-borderline-vigilantism usually improves things, but...
Anyway, let's take stock of the situation again. Shrine maiden with silver hair - a Miyadeguchi? "For Oroha Chizuru," though... we haven't come across that name before, have we? Is it the shrine maiden's name? Is it the pseudonym the Scarlets used to order the sword? And there's probably something important about her face, just because it's hidden. Not to say she's hiding it for an important reason, just that narratively since it was blocked from sight, there's reasonably good odds of it being important (to Marisa, or us) somehow. She's also the prime suspect in "a grim case" who disappeared, and Kotohime think's she's dangerous. That's spectacularly unhelpful.
I assume the smiths aren't people we should know, since the only canonical blacksmith I can recall is Kogasa, and it seems fairly unlikely that a nebulous group of smiths on the Outside is a single Gensokyo resident. Could still be other Ippon-Datara, or considering how highly rated they are, some sword god like Futsunushi or a metalworker god like... goddamnit, is it the Moriya Shrine again? The sword is apparently one with some history behind it, which may point back at Ibaraki-Douji, like some people were speculating earlier - the famous Onikiri was important in sealing her, in canon. And then the default suspect for magical Japanese swords are Masamune and Muramasa... Muramasa's swords have a reputation for being devilish, which on the one hand, Scarlets, and on the other, being used in a sealing ritual.
Ah, wait, I just noticed. “If this magic was enough to kill her, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.” Which means this sword was used against her before. Which leds some strong odds to this being The Arm.
Hmm. The mythical Nue was finished off with a sword, but it's usually Yorimasa's bow that shot it out of the air that's considered the important bit. And it would raise so many questions if this was somehow Nue. Other than that, have we seen Suika recently? There's another one that was supposed to have been killed with a sword. But no, I think encountering Kasen earlier was foreshadowing/set-up, and this is her arm.
[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
If anyone in the world should know if someone’s deal is sus, it’s Chimata. Besides, we need a third opinion on this. Chimata is a god of special markets, places where people buy and sell odd goods. Like maybe, a certain dangerous sword?
Write In Section
-[X] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
Crack Theory
The purple text from the end of Kosozu’s arc was Rikako Asakura from PoDD.
I’d explain, but it would take too long.
[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
-[X] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered.
Marisa's been suppressing her "hide all the things" instinct a bit too much recently, and should probably indulge in that a bit. However, her past self would absolutely demand that she get all the backup she can.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
-[X] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area.
This should be a fairly decent option for keeping both of her Shadow Selves happy.
Also: The people at the Scarlet Talent Agency were mean to bestgirl Mike-tan! They need to suffer.
-[X] Make sure to leave a "perfectly honest" (read: cripplingly degrading) review of the STA's talent hiring "skills" with Chimata, and ask her to spread it around.
...Guys, I'm really starting to think the "Miko" is Keine.
Think about it:
1. Has a power capable of making temporary "repairs". Keine's powers would work wonders at undoing damage for a short time, as she was able to hide the entire Human Village once.
2. Was able to tell the replica magic blade was damn near identical to the original, and that as a result it wouldn't be enough to kill the "goddess". Keine is both a learned history teacher and also a Were-hakutaku, if someone were to be able to compare an original that is not there to a replica, it would be her.
3. White hair, not a lot of 2hus out there with White/Silver/Gray, and she's hiding her identity.
4. A decent combatant, as shown by being an EX midboss and (former) guardian for the Village.
5. The "horned demon" is in this area, and Keine grows horns and gains her full power...when? During the full moon, where the next battle, and apparently this sealing, is set to begin.
6. Kotohime recognized her on sight! Keine is perhaps the most infamous criminal in Gensokyo right now. Of course Kotohime, Police Princess, would seek to capture her to try and save the Immaterial Children! Even if she thinks Keine is innocent, she would want to investigate...and with her age, Kotohime would have been too young to do anything when Keine got chased out. And of course, as a Police officer, keeping a pair of children near a "known kidnapper" is a big fat NO.
>>214440
Hm. "Prime suspect" in a "cold case" pretty much fits with Keine, doesn't it?
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
-[X] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area.
This should be a fairly decent option for keeping both of her Shadow Selves happy.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
for now, I’ll just vote and share my opinion later
[X] Keep any investigation under wraps. Claim trust in Kotohime and leave it at that. Probably was gonna be a tough sell, but if it did work there was unlikely to be anyone else they knew trying to stop them.
I know it's not either of the majority opinions, but think of the tantalizing reward if we pull it off: if we sneak out after asking pointed questions they have a trail to follow. If we sneak out without a trail, we're completely anonymous to their radar. Keep our secrets secret.
... I've been trying to think of who our mystery duo could possibly be, but I've got nothing that is reasonable.
Ok, so my vote got eaten by the void or something. If it returns somehow make sure not to count me twice.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
[X] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
I don't think Marisa is very believable, but I'll admit to being more interested in keeping Kasen from stumbling upon Keine, who as I've said I am 100% convinced is our mystery "miko".
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
this will definitely probably maybe work
[x] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
Hm.
Counting to >>214451:
Main Choice:
[5] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything, including (once Kotohime had left) their plans to go back to the Vanishing Path. They might have some ideas of what to do, and honest eagerness might encourage honest responses, even if they were hard opposition.
[11] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
[1] Keep any investigation under wraps. Claim trust in Kotohime and leave it at that. Probably was gonna be a tough sell, but if it did work there was unlikely to be anyone else they knew trying to stop them.
Potential Additions:
For [x] When they got back, tell Chimata and Nio everything...:
-[2] Wasn’t that hermit Kasen looking for something in the area? Maybe we should look out for her when we get back to the Lunar Market. Perhaps even tell her about a “sealed goddess” we encountered. (>>214435, >>214438)
For [x] Ask them about the Vanishing Path:
-[2] Don't specify who exactly it is that this investigation is helping. Just say that it's someone else on the Urban Mysteries forum who's going to be looking into that area. (>>214439, >>214442)
Miscellaneous Additions:
-[1] Make sure to leave a "perfectly honest" (read: cripplingly degrading) review of the STA's talent hiring "skills" with Chimata, and ask her to spread it around. (>>214439)
Sorry for being late again, Gooboi. :/
:3
[X] Ask them about the Vanishing Path, but frame it as mere investigation to help Kotohime out. Whether they’d believe that under these circumstances was… a gamble, but it’d let them ask questions without arousing suspicion.
Given that she is a Nue now, Marisa might actually be able to pull off telling a lie.
Ok, so I did some digging into the "Oroha Chizuru" name and...
As far as my admittedly limited abilities go, it's 100% completely fake.
Now, Chizuru works, it's a known given and family name and means Thousand Cranes and references the legend of folding 1000 cranes within a year to be granted a wish.
On the other hand, Oroha is nonsense as far as I can figure out. The only thing it references is a nail + nail polish business, and it's not unheard of for businesses to have names that are strictly meaningless or nonsensical by their written symbols. Whether there is a deeper meaning, pun or reference there, I don't know.
It is, however, worth noting that Google kept spitting "Iroha" at me instead, which is another very common name/surname.
Further, the Iroha is reference to an extremely famous and important Japanese poem, the Iroha. A perfect pangram (uses each of the language's symbol only once, essentially a literary anagram) and a basis of syllabary ordering.
For the full poem, here's a translation:
Although its scent still lingers on
the form of a flower has scattered away
For whom will the glory
of this world remain unchanged?
Arriving today at the yonder side
of the deep mountains of evanescent existence
We shall never allow ourselves to drift away
intoxicated, in the world of shallow dreams.
Now, that's a pretty deep and meaningful poem that I am not able to really examine...But it's text can apply to Gensokyo somewhat, yeah? If you're being philosophical, or maybe dramatic, about it.
And I am still 100% convinced this is supposed to be Keine, who is a freaking history teacher and also kinda dramatic (look at those spellcard names) so allow me to postulate a new theory.
"Oroha" is a typo of "Iroha", with O and I being directly next to eachother on the QWERTY layout. Because "Oroha" is seemingly nonsense.
Oh, and "Iroha Chizuru" kinda seems like being named "Taylor Rose", which might as well be John Smith's in-law.
Ah, feck. I was dreading getting my own Q.Nira.
The actual intended Kanji was 織羽, meaning “woven feather”… and reading “Oriha”. While I got the initial definition from ChatGPT among a list of other names, I actually went to check an ancestry website to check if it had been used as a last name. My mistake, I assume, was checking if the name “Oroha” was valid without a qualifier if it was used in japan.
With that said, the pronunciation/romaji is actually quite important, so neither “Iroha” or “Oriha” work. So for now, we’re switching up the kanji to 尾路羽, and keeping the romaji unchanged.
Update will hopefully come soon, but I expect a lot of this weekend to be spent with Expand Dong, so we’ll see.
Well, that's embarrassing on my part, I went down a completely wrong rabbit hole. Damn Tewi...
Hello, really big fan of the series, but unfortunately, i feel anxiety to characters i get attached to, all i wanted to ask is, is marisa's arrival in gensokyo soon to come? like in 3 threads or less?
>>214465
The arc after this one will be about the Immaterial Children all finally regathering and regrouping in Gensokyo. Everyone who wasn't last seen in Gensokyo will arrive there at some point during that arc.
Marisa's arc is gonna take the whole of her 'tomorrow'. I can't say for certain how long that will be, but I would be very surprised if it was three threads.
