東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Chapter 10:Undefined Fantastic Object

—28—


"This ship is quite nostalgic," Byakuren sighed, looking around at the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛. Her eyes settled on the broken stump of the shattered mast. "Oh my. I suppose it has been a thousand years since the ship was built."

"Ah, I had fixed it, Hijiri... really, she had been looking ship-shaped until just a little while ago..." Murasa said, looking flustered.

"We collected all the broken pieces of the mast we could find..." Ichirin volunteered, stepping forward." Behind her Unzan silently drifted forward, carrying a large number of the wooden fragments.

Byakuren smiled up at him. "Oh, that's wonderful. With these I should be able to repair the ship."

"Um, we'll need to pass through a narrow cave on our way out, so if we fix the mast now, we might get stuck."

"Oh? Well I'll hold off until we're in the open air then."

"Ugh, I'm sorry about all of this, Hijiri. I've ruined the ship you made just for me..."

"This ship is yours, Captain. I think you've taken good care of it for the last thousand years."

Byakuren turned back toward Murasa as she said this, stepping closer and reaching down to gently stroke the captain's bowed head. Overcome by emotion, Murasa reached out and embraced her once again.

"Ah! No fair, Murasa!" Ichirin cried. "You're stealing another Hijiri hug!" Byakuren smiled and opened her arms in a welcoming gesture. Ichirin dashed over and Byakuren embraced them both. It was a cute, if slightly awkward, scene.

A moment passed, then Sanae, oblivious as always, approached them holding one of the larger chunks of the mast. "So are these really UFOs then?" she asked. "And what do they have to do with this ship?"

"Youeffohs?" Byakuren asked, looking toward her with a confused expression.

"These sorts of flying saucers are called UFOs. Unidentified Flying Objects."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Murasa interjected, turning toward Sanae and looking at the block she was holding.

"The mast?" Sanae asked, confused. "These things are part of the ship?"

"I realize that all broken up like this they don't look like much, but they're parts of the ship's mast. Before it was a ship, this vessel was originally a flying storehouse belonging to my younger brother."

"Well it certainly feels like wood when I touch it, but why would the mast of the ship be made of flying saucers?"

"What?"

"What?"

The two of them were clearly talking right past each other. The fact that Renko and I had never explained to her about the way the UFOs didn't appear as UFOs to me probably didn't help. Clearly, to Byakuren, the objects resembled the same chunks of wood I saw them as.

"Hey whoa, there's something inside of these UFOs," Marisa said, digging something out of one of the chunks with her fingernail.

"Is that a snake?" Renko asked, looking at it. To me it just looked like a small seed.

"Yeah, a tiny snake." Marisa rolled the seed onto her palm and stared at it. Then suddenly...

"Huh?"

"What?"

Renko and Marisa looked down at the piece of wood and both made odd, surprised noises. Then they both looked at each other, seemed to nod in agreement about something, and Marisa wedged the tiny seed back into the piece of wood. They both gasped in surprise.

"Whoooah..." they were both staring at the piece of wood with a look of awe and wonder. I couldn't imagine why.

"What's goin' on? That UFO just turned into a piece of wood but now it's a UFO again!"

"This snake must have something to do with it. Try pulling it out again."

"There it goes. What the heck?"

"That snake must have some sort of effect on our ability to recognize this object. As soon as you put it inside of something it makes that thing look like something else."

"Oi, Reimu, come take a look at this!"

"At what?"

"What are you doing?"

Reimu and Sanae both came over as with great ceremony Marisa took out and replanted the tiny seed inside of the chunk of wood. When she did, both Reimu and Sanae's eyes went wide as they stared at the spectacle in awe. Renko quickly explained her theory to them.

"So then these aren't really UFOs? They're just chunks of wood and that snake makes them look like UFOs?" Sanae asked.

"Yeah, it seems that way," Renko nodded at her.

"How disappointing!" Sanae cried, looking genuinely hurt. "I thought I had caught a real UFO, this was going to be bigger than Roswell..."

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a letdown," Renko agreed. "But I'm curious as to what these look like to you two when the snake is put in," she said, turning to Marisa and Reimu. "Still a disk-shaped little metal object with tiny windows and bumps on the bottom?"

They both nodded.

"Had either of you ever heard of a UFO or seen a picture of one before?"

"Not before Sanae came an’ told us about 'em."

"Same."

"I see. Sanae, when you told these two about UFOs, did you show them any pictures or diagrams?"

"They didn’t understand what I was talking about, so I scratched a little drawing into the dirt with a stick..."

"Hey Captain, what does this look like to you?" Renko asked, raising the piece of wood over her head and craning her neck around.

"A piece of the mast," Murasa answered, looking confused.

"And it's always looked like that to you, right?"

"What else would it look like?"

"Thanks, Captain."

Murasa tilted her head with a perplexed expression as Renko smiled and turned back to our group.

"That probably means that to everyone on this ship, this has always just appeared to be a piece of wood."

"Why didn't the snake make it look different for them?" Marisa asked.

"It must depend on the person. Sanae told you both that these looked like UFOs so they looked like UFOs to you. It seems like the snakes make the object they're attached to look like whatever preconceived notions you might have about the object based on your first impression."

"So if Sanae had thought that they looked like birds initially that's what they would look like to her? And if she had told people that they looked like planes, then everyone would have seen them that way?" I asked.

Renko nodded. "Probably. As long as they don’t have special eyes like yours, Merry." From the perspective of Relativistic Noology it was a fascinating phenomenon.

"Alright, that's weird, but why are they like that?" Reimu frowned suspiciously while staring at the wood in Renko's hand.

"I know why." It was Captain Murasa who answered to everyone's surprise. All eyes turned toward Murasa as she cut in and she scratched at her head, looking chagrined "The person behind these little pranks got us a lot back in the Underworld. I think she must have stowed away and come with us when we left. It's probably her fault that the mast broke too." Murasa sighed and crossed her arms.

"So all this mess with the UFOs was just a prank?" Marisa asked.

"Or maybe they were trying to stop you from reviving that nun," Reimu suggested.

"I kind of doubt it. She mainly just does things like this for fun, I think." Murasa said, tilting her head in consideration.

"Maybe she's like you, Reimu!" Sanae suggested excitedly.

"She's not 'like me!' Exterminating youkai is different from pranking them! Where is this trickster?"

Murasa sighed and shook her head. "That's what I'd like to know..."

"This youkai came out of the Underworld on their own, right? I'm exterminating her then. I'm not letting even more youkai cause trouble and get away with it," Reimu growled.

"Uh oh, Reimu's gettin' grumpy. Better stay away from her," Marisa teased. I suppose it must have been a pretty frustrating day for Reimu. Almost nothing had gone as she had planned, and she had been opposed and confounded by Renko and the others at every step while attempting to resolve this Incident. For my sake as well as Renko's, it was probably a good idea to give her some space.

After that, everyone moved with Byakuren over toward the wreckage of the aftcastle. The once-impressive structure was riddled with small holes from danmaku and larger breaches where Unzan's fists or other objects had smashed through its walls.

"Oh my, this looks rather serious," Byakuren said, looking out at the sky through a splinter-ringed hole the size of a fist.

"Sorry, ma'am. This is mostly mine and Unzan's fault," Ichirin said, bowing her head.

Byakuren didn't answer but instead walked over and laid a hand on the shattered ship's helm. Stroking it softly she murmured her thanks. "Thank you for seeing everyone here safely." She bowed her head for a moment, then raised herself up, seemingly overcome by emotion before calling out. "Shou? Bring the houtou, please."

The pagoda Shou handed to her seemed much diminished, having already lost all of its light. Holding it, Byakuren closed her eyes. A moment later the sphere began to glow once more, illuminating every bit of the room, until all the walls were radiating the same harsh light. A flood of blinding brilliance engulfed us soundlessly. When I was able to open my eyes again, the sections of the walls and ceiling that had been broken were flawlessly repaired, with no sign that they had ever been damaged.

"Oh wow! What a dramatic makeover!" Sanae cheered looking around in wonder. "It's like one of those home renovation shows."

"Thank you, Shou. This is yours now." Byakuren said, handing the newly luminous pagoda back to her. "Captain, please take the helm. It's time for us to leave Makai."

"Aye aye!" Murasa said with a grin. "Next stop Gensokyo, full speed ahead!" As Murasa took hold of the helm the whole of the ship slowly began to come around, then accelerate. Thus, the Holy Palanquin began its journey home, still carrying a large group of people with very different motivations.


—29—


"Thank you for all of your help and for your companionship over the years. It made my stay here far less lonely," Byakuren said, bowing deeply to Shinki as the ship pulled nearer to her mansion.

"Take care, Byakuren, stay well. Oh, and please take these souvenirs," she added, handing out an assortment of colorfully wrapped boxes. "And please let Alice know that no one here is angry and we'd love to see her soon."

The prettily decorated box of 'Makai Senbei' crackers looked like something right out of a tourist trap. I didn't see what Reimu got, but she seemed disappointed compared to Marisa who appeared overjoyed with the box of faintly glowing stones and Makai Mushrooms she had received.

It wasn't at all the sort of send off I might have expected upon leaving a world full of demons and the souvenirs were a bit confusing but I smiled as Shinki and Byakuren embraced one last time, then said goodbye. As Shinki and Yumeko flew off back toward their mansion (which was apparently called Pandemonium) with Yuki and Mai, Louise flew up to guide us back toward Gensokyo.

"Oh Louise, welcome back."

"Thank you Saraaa."

Sara had apparently moved to stand guard on the Makai side of the huge set of ornate doors that functioned as Makai’s gateway and she greeted us from beside the open doorway. We were just about to cross over the boundary separating Makai from Gensokyo when a small figure appeared floating in the air in front of the ship. Appeared, and raised one hand.

With a lurch, the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 came to a sudden halt, stopping just as surely as if it slammed into a wall. Everyone on board struggled to keep their feet and Murasa came out of the aftcastle shouting "What did we hit?"

"It's the Yama!" Marisa exclaimed. She was right. Looking down the length of the ship I could see that the bow was being held immobile by the upraised palm of none other than Eiki Shiki herself, Divine Judge of Paradise and representative of the Ministry of Right and Wrong.

A wave of tension visibly coursed through the ship's crew. It seemed like they all recognized the Yama from the time when Byakuren had been sealed away a thousand years ago. Shou and Ichirin moved to stand between the Yama and Byakuren, but she shook her head and laid a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Oh! It's the cute widdle Yama from the other day!" Sanae cried innocently. "Hiiiii." The Yama glared at her.

"Cute?" Marisa asked, turning to Sanae in surprise.

"What are you here for?" Reimu asked, stepping forward. "If you're planning on re-sealing her, go ahead," she added, waving her gohei in Byakuren's general direction and earning herself a glare from Murasa.

The Yama ignored Reimu, floating over to land on the deck of the ship before walking resolutely toward Byakuren. "Hijiri Byakuren. It has been quite some time since we last spoke."

Byakuren bowed respectfully as the Yama approached. "It has indeed, Lord Yama."

Behind her, Murasa and the rest of her disciples looked ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, but Byakuren waved her hand to dissuade them as she stepped forward to stand before the Yama alone.

The Yama seemed to notice the tension among her disciples and briefly turned her gaze toward them. "Be at peace. I've not come here to enforce any sentence on this saint today. My appearance here is merely a formality."

As Murasa and the others looked at each other in surprise, the Yama turned her attention back to Byakuren. "Do you remember my ruling a thousand years ago?" She asked simply.

"I do." Byakuren replied.

"A thousand years have passed. Now the youkai who you once saved have banded together to free you. This proves that your actions have brought good into the world, even though you have undoubtedly committed a sin."

Byakuren remained silent, her head bowed.

"The weight of that sin upon you is undeniable. However, through your actions, you have atoned for that sin and find yourself freed from your imprisonment. As the Yama, my advice to you is just this: continue to do good deeds, in atonement for the sin within your heart. Remember especially that a sin committed for the sake of one you love is still, inarguably, a sin. I will not say if I believe your goals to be correct or even possible. It is the nature of all beings living within this world to carry the potential for both right and wrong inside them. Follow your own conscience, and walk a path that will not lead you to shame. In the end the weight of judgement rests upon the shoulders of every individual."

"Thank you, Lord Yama." Byakuren replied, bowing her head and pressing her palms together. The Yama silently nodded in response, seemingly satisfied.

She then turned to address Reimu. "Hakurei Reimu..." she began.

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture," Reimu interrupted, "if that's what you have planned, do it some other time."

"I will indeed. Expect my visit at your shrine someday soon. For now though, you must stand in judgement of Byakuren's actions. Your beliefs and those of Hijiri Byakuren are almost certainly incompatible. For this reason the Hakurei shrine maiden of a thousand years ago left the decision about whether or not to condemn Byakuren up to me. You must do more than that and watch over Byakuren’s actions yourself. Through exercising your judgement on her, you shall learn how best to judge your own actions as well. This is the burden you have chosen for yourself."

"I don’t need to judge her actions or mine. I know what I’m doing here. Mind your own business."

"It is my business to judge others. That said, I have done that which is required of me. You are all free to go." Saying that, the Yama turned and flew away, through the gate between worlds and out of the cave. The abrupt departure was a little shocking and it was a few moments before anyone spoke.

Murasa was the first to break the silence. "What was that about?" she asked, looking at Ichirin, who could only shrug in response.

"Murasa?" Byakuren asked, turning to address her with her eyes closed and her hands still clasped together. "Please proceed through the gate."

"Uh, of course! Right away!" At Byakuren's command she dashed back to the aftcastle. Slowly the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 accelerated back into Gensokyo.

—

A short while later we emerged from the caves, back into the light of the world. Byakuren stood near the fore of the ship, eyes closed, shielding her face from the light. After a millennium sealed in Makai, I’m sure the sunset must have seemed very bright to her.

"Oh yes, I should repair the mast," she said, opening her eyes and smiling as she walked back toward where Unzan had deposited the gathered fragments near the mast's stump. Byakuren looked the various materials over, inspecting them for a moment or two, then held her hand over the pile. A soft glow radiated from her palm as one by one the shattered wooden fragments lifted into the air. Within a minute nearly everything was back in place, the wood flawlessly re-knitted without any trace of a seam.

"There were still a fair number of pieces missing," Byakuren said, opening her eyes. My magic will keep the mast strong enough to function for now, but we'll want to find all that we can. Ichirin, can you set the sail?"

"Right away!"

She waved to Unzan, who assisted her in unfurling and rigging the sail. As it caught the wind and billowed outward it revealed that there was now a symbol emblazoned on it, a bold red 寶 —the kanji meaning 'treasure', stark against the brilliant white of the sail.

"So this really is a treasure ship," Marisa said, staring up at it. "Speakin' of which," Marisa said, grinning greedily. "Where's my treasure for lettin' you go?

"We'll have to retrieve it," Nazrin answered immediately. "We don't have it here."

"Then I'm keepin' this for now," she said, removing her hat and producing a single chunk of glowing wood from within it. "You can have it back when I get paid." Saying that, she climbed onto her broom and placed her hat back on her head. "Don't forget about your promise!" she called as she sped away into the skies leaving a broad streak of stardust behind her.

Reimu watched her go then turned to Byakuren. "What are you planning to do now?"

"For now... I think we'll just fly around for a bit. I’ll figure out what to do next afterwards."

"Alright then I'm heading home. Keep yourselves out of trouble, I'm warning you. If I see anything I don't like, I'm coming back and exterminating you."

Then she turned to us. "That goes for you too, Renko and Merry. I don't exterminate villagers, but if you keep this up you won't be human for much longer."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Renko said, grinning toothily.

"Do more than that! You’re supposed to be the sort of people I protect, so make yourselves protectable already!"

"Reimu, have you been taking lessons from the Yama? You're getting good at lecturing people."

"Shut up! I'm going home to sleep. Goodnight." Reimu scowled, then flew off without another word.

"How about you, Sanae?" Renko asked, turning to her.

"I should really go tell Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako about this. I can take you both back to the village first though, if you like."

"Oh, we can bring them home for you," Byakuren interrupted. "It's the very least we can do to repay them for all of their help."

"Oh. Would that be okay?"

"I'm fine with it," Renko responded. "How about you, Merry?"

"I don't see any issues with it."

"Okay then. Nice to meet you all." With that Sanae floated into the air and waved her goodbyes before turning to fly off toward Youkai Mountain leaving just my partner and I along with the crew of the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 aboard the ship.

When she had gone Byakuren turned to us. "Now you said there's a village of humans living here?"

"Yes, southwest of here."

"Understood." Byakuren turned and called into a speaking tube on the deck. "Murasa? Set a course to the southwest. No need to hurry though, I'd like to ask these girls some questions while we make our way there."

"Aye-aye, hard to starboard!" came the reply.

She nodded happily and we were soon underway, flying toward the village.


—30—


As we drew nearer to the village, it became clear that the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛'𝑠 arrival had not gone unnoticed. A crowd had gathered in the streets of the village, with some people sitting on their rooftops to get a look at the ship. Among the crowd some even appeared to be praying. I suppose it's not surprising that if a huge treasure ship were to be seen sailing through the air people would gather up or pray for riches.

"I suppose there's no hope of us going undetected now," I said, sighing and turning to Renko.

"That's fine, Merry. The ship has completed its mission already. I always figured it would be discovered sooner or later."

"That’s not the problem. What do we do if Keine finds out where we’ve been?"

Before we had gone to Makai I seem to remember Renko herself worrying about what might happen if the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 was spotted by a villager. We had both agreed that the worst case scenario would be if Keine found out about any of this.

"Well, we'll figure something out, I'm sure. We have a powerful ally now. Miss Keine can't possibly think we were up to no good, right?"

Byakuren rested her cheek on an upturned hand. "Oh my. Who is this Keine person to you, exactly?"

"Kamishirasawa Keine, she's our employer," Renko answered.

"Oh, I should go and thank her then." Seeing Byakuren smile at us, somehow I felt like just maybe everything would work out in the end.

The ship slowly drifted to a halt and hovered in place still a ways off from the eastern wall of the village. Byakuren offered us her hands, and as we took them she floated up off of the deck with us, lifting us weightlessly through the air in much the same way that Alice might. We floated off of the ship and began to descend toward the ground.

We began to walk forward and saw Keine step away from the crowd of people gathered at the entrance of the village to come meet us. Her posture was stiff and her expression dour until we got close enough for her to see our faces. "Renko? Merry? That 𝑖𝑠 you! What on earth is going on here?"

Renko raised her hand and smiled lightly. "Hello Miss Keine. Sorry for the disruption."

Keine stopped walking and put her hands on her hips, looking at Renko with an incredulous expression. "Let's put aside the question of what you were even doing outside of the village. There will be time to discuss that later. For now, what is that flying ship and why have you brought it here?"

"I can answer that, if I may," said Byakuren, stepping forward as Keine looked up at the underside of the 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 with distrust. "I take it you are Kamishirasawa Keine?"

Y-yes, that's right. Who are you?"

"My name is Hijiri Byakuren. I am a humble nun, here to spread the teachings of the Buddha. I apologize for any trouble my appearance may have caused. This ship belongs to one of my disciples, all of whom are aboard it now and travelling with me. I have no intention of doing any harm to your village, I assure you."

"A Buddhist nun? Have you arrived from the Outside World then?"

"No, I have not. It is with the deepest shame that I must admit that I have just arrived in this world after having been imprisoned in Makai for a thousand years. I have just now left that place with the blessing of both the Yama and the Administrator of that world and come here."

"Wait, you were sealed in Makai?" Her expression had become even more grim.

"Miss Keine I should also mention that Reimu is aware of all this as well. She sailed out of Makai with us and approved of Byakuren's release," Renko quickly interjected.

"What? Reimu allowed this?"

Keine looked genuinely surprised by that, turning her eyes from Renko back to Byakuren who was smiling calmly, with the warmth of a Bodhisattva. "I'm shocked to hear that Reimu would be alright with someone from Makai coming to this world. I'll go ask her about that later. For now though, what's your intention here? You said you wanted to spread the teachings of the Buddha, right?"

"We have only just arrived in this world. My intention is merely to look around for the moment, but I hope to eventually build a temple somewhere where I may train along with my disciples and teach to those with an interest in hearing the Buddha's wisdom."

"I assume by that you mean that you wish to preach to the humans of this village?

"The doors of my temple will be open to anyone whose heart is moved by the light of the Dharma, be they human or youkai. It is my belief that Buddhism is of benefit to all beings."

Keine's expression grew rather complicated. After a moment's consideration she reasserted her stoic expression and spoke.

"Alright, I understand. As long as you don’t do anything to harm the village or its people, I have no right to prevent you from doing whatever it is you’re planning. If you were to try to build your temple within the village, that would cause some problems of course, but it’s not my place as a member of the neighborhood watch or a historian to forbid you from doing that." She extended her hand to Byakuren. who took it, nodding in thanks as she shook it.

"With that said," Keine continued, "the presence of that ship is making people nervous. I'll go back and let people know that you mean no harm, but I would appreciate it if you could move it out of sight. I would also like to know what Renko and Merry were doing aboard it."

"Miss Renko and Miss Merry have been of very great help to me and my disciples, and I merely wished to offer them a more convenient means of returning home. We'll take our leave now and cause you no more disruption."

"Huh. They've been helping you, you say?"

"They have indeed been of tremendous help. I hope to be able to thank them properly some day once we have settled in. For now though, I will simply offer my gratitude, both to them and to you for your understanding." Saying this, Byakuren clasped her hands together and bowed deeply.

Looking somewhat flustered, Keine bowed slightly in return. Truly, Byakuren possessed a wondrous charisma befitting a religious leader. To see Keine be so easily swayed by Byakuren’s words was impressive.

"Once again, I’m sorry for causing you trouble," Byakuren said, bowing once more before turning to address us.

"Renko, Merry, thank you both once again. I hope to see you again once our temple has been established." She bowed to us each in turn, then turned and floated away, slowly ascending back toward the deck of the ship. As soon as she alighted, the ship began moving again, rising and turning. The slow curve of its turn carried it over one corner of the village, and we could hear a chorus of awed murmurs rising up from the houses that fell momentarily under its shadow.

As the ship came around and began to move away, ascending and departing to the distance, Keine turned her attention to us.

"...Now then, Renko, Merry."

The narrow-eyed glare she directed at us was enough to make us both flinch away. "Um, yes?"

"Would you mind explaining what it means when a nun from Makai tells me that you were very helpful in releasing her from a millennia-long imprisonment?"

"Ah, I'm afraid that's a bit more than I could relate in a single sentence, Miss Keine. There's a lot of detail and nuance to that story that would require in-depth explanation."

"I see," Keine said, gripping Renko's shoulder. Her eyes were closed and she had a smile plastered across her face, but there was no kindness in it. "Well then, I'll have to listen very carefully. Make sure to explain every detail to me in depth."

"Ah! That hurts Keine! Go easy!"

"Hmm? What was that?" Keine asked, tilting her head.

"Well, I wouldn't want to keep you tied up listening to us. You must be very busy, Keine."

"On the contrary, I can't do any of my other work until I can be sure that the danger has in fact passed and no one is under any further threat. Now, how exactly did you both end up acquainted with a nun who was sealed in Makai? Certainly you don’t mean to tell me that two of the teachers at my school, who are supposed to be role models for all of the children, decided on their own that it would be a good idea to leave the village and visit Makai on a whim, do you?"

Keine grabbed my shoulder as well and marched us down the street and toward the neighborhood watch office bordering the village square. I couldn't help but think that we must look like two suspects being led to jail in handcuffs. I turned to glare at Renko, willing my gaze to impart the most emphatic 'I told you so' I could muster. Renko refused to meet my eyes though, pulling the brim of her hat down and turning away from me. The coward.

"Let's begin with what you two have been doing all day today?"

I'll spare you the long and mortifying details of that evening, dear reader. Suffice to say that we were compelled to reveal the entire story of all of our exploits, from the winter spent assisting with the project of preparing the 𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑛 for its disinterment to the escape from Makai that had brought us back to the village, and we were made to deliver our answers while kneeling on the hard floor. At the end of the story, there was a two hour scolding from Keine before we were allowed to leave, but not before we were each gifted with a headbutt that knocked us nearly senseless as a souvenir.

Whatever hope Renko might have harbored that Byakuren's authority, kindness or power might have shielded us from Keine's wrath had been utterly dashed. No matter how crafty my partner's words might be or how many disasters her tongue had saved us from, it seemed she was entirely outmatched against the familiarity and savvy of Kamishirasawa Keine.