東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Chapter 5:The Revolution of Usami Sumireko

[𝐔𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐊𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐮 - 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 — 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑]

It's been about a month since the newest entry to the 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 came out and fanworks featuring the new characters are slowly increasing. Just keeping up to date on all the new developments on Niconico and Pixiv keeps me busy nearly all day, every day and I've yet to finish the light novel I picked up at summer Comiket. I have another pile of new releases beyond that to get through too. Studying? Well, I’ve done a little so far...

One of my friends said to me recently, "all you ever talk about is 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 and light novels," but honestly, those two things are plenty for me. I can barely keep up with popular anime, but when it comes to manga and video games, not only do I not have the time to keep up, I don't have the money either. There really is an oversupply of entertainment in the world, but that's the sort of problem I can hardly complain about.

—

"Hey brother, where are all those porn doujins you bought at summer Comiket?"

Unsurprisingly, that question was spoken by Sumireko, who had appeared in my room without warning to make her baseless accusation.

"I didn’t buy any of those!"

"Uh-huh, sure. You're a high school boy, what else would you blow your money on?"

"The ones I bought barely even count as ecchi. They're romances, not like those character x faceless human villager books they sell."

"So instead of any other fetish, you just buy regular yuri fetish stuff. Do you think that makes you better?"

"Shut up."

"As your sister, I guess I should be grateful that I've never had to come in here to find you humping a hug pillow or something."

"As my sister, maybe you should stop coming into my room without permission."

"You're my brother. What's yours is mine, right?"

"That sounds like something a cartoon bully would say."

"And you sound like the sort of nerd who would get shoved in a locker."

"Are you trying to be a villain or something?"

"Why have I been cursed with such an idiot for a brother, I wonder?"

"Is there a reason you're in my room, Sumi?"

"I just wanted to see if you had anything interesting to read. Are those the new releases you picked up at summer Comiket? They’re not lewd, are they?"

"They're perfectly wholesome."

Sumireko sat down on my bed without another word and began reading through the first of the volumes. It was a rather predictable Alison x Melissa book in which Alison was sulking after having a fight with Melissa, so Melissa takes her for a ride on her broom and shows her the beautiful landscape from the air and they make up. I had bought it because it was by a circle I had never seen before and had really nice cover art. Overall though, it had been a bit of a disappointment. But I did like its depictions of the natural scenery.

Since 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 has been going on for more than ten years now, the fanworks already had their own clichés and predictable tropes. Most of the clichés that were popular when I first got into the series had faded away by now. You hardly ever see a doujin depicting Melissa as a charming lady-killer nowadays. Personally, I think the best Alison x Melissa books are the ones that have them as something closer than friends but not quite anything more than that.

My drifting thoughts were interrupted as Sumireko jumped up off of the bed suddenly.

"Hey Brother, is there an official map of Gensokyo?"

"Why do you ask?"

Gensokyo of course is the world in which 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 is set. It's supposed to be somewhere in the mountains of Japan, hidden behind a barrier. It's a paradise where youkai, fairies and gods from all over the world, whether past and present, can co-exist alongside humans. It's a nice setting, as long as you don't think too much about some of the scarier parts.

"There's not an official map, but lots of fans have put together their own versions based on stage descriptions and screenshots from the games." Indeed, if you were to search for 'map of Gensokyo' on Google, you'd instantly find several different fan-made versions. None of them were completely alike and most of them left plenty of blank space for any new locations that might be added to the setting in the future. The fact that so much of the world was unknown was part of the charm of 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

I opened a new browser tab and googled a bit to find one such map, then enlarged the image so she could see.

"It should look something like this."

Sumireko looked closely at the map, then down at the MeliAli book she was holding, then back again and sighed.

"Is the scenery shown on the last page of this book faithful to canon?"

"Hmn? I’d say it’s pretty close at least. That book has pretty good art, but the story is really formulaic. What's going on though? Since when are you so interested in the details of 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛?"

Rather than answering she closed the book and knitted her brow, apparently deep in thought.

"...Hey, Brother?"

"What?"

"𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 is all created by one guy, right?"

"Yeah, but he hardly ever does any sort of interviews, so we don't really know what kind of person he is. There's a rumor that he was at summer Comiket but was wearing a kitsune mask the whole time. Even the vendors working the show floor couldn't really be sure if it was him or not. All that anyone really knows about him is that he loves beer."

She stared at me, still looking like she was mulling something over in her mind.

"What's wrong?"

Once again she ignored my questions and tossed the doujin back on the bed and went to my bookshelf, where she immediately started pulling out every volume of the official print works. As she grabbed them up she turned to me.

"I need to borrow your computer."

"What? Why—"

"Because I don't have one!"

"You have a smartphone."

"The games only run on a PC though, right?"

I was completely dumbfounded. What on earth had happened to Sumireko? She'd read the official 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 manga before, but up until now she'd never showed any interest in the games at all. I had always thought she had been trying to avoid becoming a dedicated fan of the series like me.

Had she really liked the MeliAli book that much? Perhaps the predictable, formulaic nature of that book had resonated with her. To a fan who wasn't as jaded as myself, the classics would still hold a certain charm, I supposed.

"C'mon get out of the chair, Brother."

"Hey don't shove, this is my computer!"

"You'll get it back when I'm done. Now which of these games comes first?"

"𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡. But it's one of the harder ones. I wouldn't recommend you start there if it's your first time playing this sort of thing. Try 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑒 or 𝑀𝑒𝑠𝑎 𝑂𝑓 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 instead."

"I can handle it. Now let me on there."

And with that she kicked me off of my own computer and grabbed the gamepad. I tried to watch her play over her shoulder, but before she even started the first level she spun around and glared at me.

"Hey, I can't concentrate if you're going to be looking over my shoulder the whole time. Go read a book."

"Why are you telling me what to do? That's my computer."

"If you were on here you'd just be using it to watch Niconico or look up porn on Pixiv. Why not read those novels you haven't started on yet?"

The nerve! As her brother, I'm used to this type of treatment and I knew her well enough to know that she would be dissuaded no matter what I said. She has a fickle, cat-like personality, but once she'd decided that there's something she wants to pursue, she'll throw herself into it with complete abandon, regardless of what kind of inconvenience that might cause for anyone around her. Maybe that's what it takes to be a genius.

"Alright, alright. Let me know if you get stuck, though. I'm good at this one, I can even beat Flanders."

"Brother, has there ever been anything that I haven't been better than you at? I'll be fine."

"Ah, of course. I'm just a sad older brother whose pride is nothing compared to the power of my arrogant, self-centered little sister. You must feel bad for me."

"If you want respect, become respectable."

"Don't ask the impossible, Sumi."

She ignored me, having already started playing. Oh well. I lay down on my bed, scooping up the novel I'd been meaning to finish since summer Comiket. The fifth level of 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 was the worst. It could be easy once you learned all of the patterns, but they were far from intuitive. Sumireko would no doubt get stuck there, so maybe I'd let her flounder for a bit before I helped her out. I'm her big brother, after all, she could at least respect me when it came to playing 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. I smiled to myself as I lay down and began paging through my book.

—

"Okay, all clear!" Sumireko announced with a sigh of relief.

"Are you serious!? That was your first try!"

"Don't underestimate me, I'm the great Sumireko, remember?"

I looked at the screen over her shoulder where the game's ending sequence was playing. Even this opportunity to earn a little respect as Sumireko's older brother had passed me by.

"These games are pretty fun. I guess I can see how they got to be so popular."

"Definitely. What made you suddenly decide to give them a try though?"

"That’s a secret."

"Why is it a secret? If it's because you liked that MeliAli book so much, play 𝑆𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑇𝑟𝑒𝑒 next."

"Unlike you, I'm not into this for the yuri."

"Well then why the sudden interest? Is the great Sumireko so dismayed at the stupidity of this world that you've started longing to go to Gensokyo where everything is ruled by youkai?"

She paused at that question, seeming to think it over for a bit. "—Yeah, maybe I would," she concluded. My desk chair creaked as Sumireko leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "What about you, brother? Would you want to go to Gensokyo?"

"Me? I don't know..."

"Oh, I'm surprised, I thought you'd jump at the chance."

"Well there's a lot about Gensokyo that varies depending on which interpretation of it you're reading. Like, I wouldn't want to go to a version of Gensokyo where everyone was straight."

"Of course that's your concern."

"The yuri is absolutely essential, Sumi. If I got there and found out that all of that was just a lie it would be completely disheartening. Besides which, to go there you have to be forgotten and fall into fantasy. I’m not sure I’d want to do that. I think I'd rather just stay here and read the yuri doujins instead."

"You really are pathetic."

"Shut up."

"Why are you even into this series? None of the characters in it go gaga over boys, right?"

"Well, that’s not the issue, really…."

"Well what’s the problem then?"

"Well... My favorite ship has never even interacted in canon!"

"Wow, your life sounds like it must be hard," she said flatly, staring at me for a moment. She then turned back to the computer. It looked like she was planning to try the hidden stage of 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡. There was no way she could beat that on her first try, was there? It had taken me ages to get past Flanders. Was all of that effort meaningless?

"Hey Sumi,"

"What?"

"Whatever happened with you and that band?"

"You mean Miss Raiko? She and her band have been in the studio and preparing for a live tour lately, so she's been really busy. I haven't been able to see her much, so that means you get to see more of me. You should be grateful."

"Right, of course." I snorted and rested my chin on my hands as I watched Sumireko make her way through the hidden stage. Well, if Raiko was too busy to see Sumireko, I suppose that meant I had nothing to worry about, at least at the moment.

"I wish I could just..." she muttered to herself.

"You wish you could just what?"

"Nothing. I'm trying to concentrate. Stop watching me, Brother."

I glanced over her shoulder at the screen. She was having trouble with the midboss. I smirked and continued to watch her play, and for a moment all of my worries were forgotten.


—


[𝐔𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐤𝐨'𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 — 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟒]

<Memo>

It's been almost a year now since I first met Raiko. I'm writing this memo to summarize and record everything I've learned about the vision I had while playing her drums.

Since last fall, Raiko has been really busy with her band, so I haven't had any chances to go back to her place and see the strange world her drums had shown me again.

I also went to a music store and tried playing the drums there using telekinesis, but nothing happened. The key to seeing those visions has to either be Raiko's drums or Raiko herself.

Raiko and I have been texting back and forth and she's confirmed for me that she is still having visions. Additionally, her clairvoyance has started manifesting whenever she uses her telekinesis to play any drums now, even the drums she’s been using to record her music in the studio. This means that she has had to stop cheating and using telekinesis during her live performances so she doesn't space out in the middle of a show. I imagine having psychic visions in the middle of a song would make it hard to coordinate with the other members of the band.

She also confirmed that she only has the visions when using her telekinesis to play the drums. That seems to be the key. The only reason I was able to see the vision alongside her back then is because I was using telekinesis at the same time she was. That's my assumption, anyway. At any rate, it seems like I can't induce clairvoyant visions on my own.

That's as much as I had been able to determine from that particular line of inquiry.

—

<Gensokyo>

That's the name of the setting for 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, the yuri series my brother is obsessed with.

The scene I saw during the visions I shared with Raiko was of a world very similar to this so-called 'Gensokyo' I’ve seen drawn in my brother’s doujins.

Both settings featured a human village, a deep magical forest, and a huge sacred mountain. The official geography of Gensokyo has never been concretely confirmed, but the maps I've seen drawn by fans are more or less like what I could remember from my visions. What could these similarities mean?

I will offer a bold hypothesis:

I think the creator of the 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 series must have seen this world as well.

This hypothesis, which arguably can be supported by the evidence collected, gives rise to an even bolder claim:

This 'Gensokyo' is a real place. It's clearly not the same as our world, but it's one that can occasionally be glimpsed from here. The creator of 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 must have used his visions of this world as the basis for his games.

This also explains why after a decade there continue to be more 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 games coming out at a regular pace.

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 is, ultimately, a series made by one man. If its creator were ever to get bored of it or run out of ideas the series would end. After a decade of games, manga and novels, one might have expected that to happen by now. It hasn't though. You might argue that this is simply because its creator continues to make a living from the series, but really how could anyone maintain the level of creative output needed to make games while also writing manuscripts for multiple manga and novels at the same time?

My theory is simple. The creator of 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 isn't a rare creative genius. They’re just someone capable of observing the events occurring in this secret, hidden world and turning them into games, manga and novels.

Therefore, Gensokyo actually exists! It might not be exactly like it appears in the manga though. It’s likely that 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛’s creator changed a few details.

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛'𝑠 creator is famously reclusive. Could this be because they don't want people to find out about the truth? Perhaps they even know where Gensokyo can be found or how to travel there. Or maybe they’re just in the same category as Raiko, able to have visions of this world at will.

If that were the case though, why would they create the 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 series to begin with?

What is the purpose of creating works based on this real but concealed other world?

I've been searching the internet for information on 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛'𝑠 creator, but no matter what I google, there's not much to find. It's as if they were an urban legend or they existed in some limbo between fantasy and reality as something you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

And wherever you find a situation like this, with so much information missing, there’s sure to be some sort of conspiracy at play. Wherever there is conspicuous ignorance there must be a conspiracy!

More investigation is definitely required.


—


[𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟒]

IT'S HERE! It's here! It's here, it's here, it's here!

I'm so excited I want to scream with emoticons, but I'll have to make do with just writing "It's here!!!"

This is the beginning of a historical event!

𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄!!!!

Ever since I first saw the other world through Raiko's drums, I have been searching.

For a way to contact that world from our side.

If we can see it, we must be able to affect it.

For the past year, I've tried numerous different methods to contact the world of my visions, including séances, visiting so-called 'power spots' and the sites of purported hauntings.

Now, my diligence has finally paid off.

No, I should start at the beginning. Everything's about to change, but I need to explain things logically. Calm down, Sumireko.

This is how it all started.

—

The method by which I was finally able to contact the world of Gensokyo was surprisingly simple, childish even.

Specifically, I was using an extremely simple form of seance: playing Kokkuri-san by myself in my room.

It's a technique I had tried several times, but never had any noteworthy results. I made a point of not discarding any method after a failed attempt however. It was my 73rd such divining session when I finally met with success.

I slid open the window to my room, drew the grid of characters on the paper and finished by drawing a torii between the words 'YES' and 'NO' at the top of the page. I laid a 10-yen coin on top of the page and chanted dismally, without much hope for success.

"Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come in."

I laid a fingertip on the coin in the same way any kid at a sleepover might, but then I went one step farther. I focused my mind on the tip of my finger, willing my telekinesis to take hold of the digit. Telekinesis had been the key to the connection Raiko and I had shared through the drum, and I hoped it might work here. Several minutes passed with no reply. The coin and my finger remained immobile.

Then the coin began to move, slowly.

I held my breath and watched carefully. There was no doubt about it, the coin was sliding across the paper, tracing a path from letter to letter.

W-H-O-A-R-E-Y-O-U

I answered with a trembling voice.

"M-my name is Usami Sumireko. I'm a psychic and a third-year student in junior high. Are you Kokkuri-san? Does that mean you're a tanuki spirit or something?"

I-A-M-A-N-A-P-R-E-N-T-I-C-E-F-O-R-T-U-N-E-T-E-L-L-E-R

It took me a moment to puzzle out. "A fortune teller?"

A-R-E-Y-O-U-A-H-U-M-A-N-F-R-O-M-T-H-E-W-O-R-L-D-O-U-T-S-I-D-E

That took me longer to figure out. "I don't know what you mean by 'the world outside.' Where are you?"

The coin moved slowly, but I'll never forget watching the path it traced among the characters:

G-E-N-S-O-K-Y-O

Can you imagine my surprise at that moment???

Gensokyo! It was real! People lived there! The scene I had witnessed through Raiko's drums had been of a real place!

I calmed my racing heart, took a deep breath, then asked another question.

"Is Gensokyo where you're from?"

The coin jerked towards YES. Then it stopped for a moment, hesitating before beginning to spell something else out.

I had done it. Whoever this person was, they were a resident of Gensokyo. This might even be the first contact between here and Gensokyo!

"Mr. Kokkuri, or rather, Mr. Fortune Teller, please tell me everything you can!"

A-B-O-U-T-W-H-A-T

"About Gensokyo. About the world you live in. Anything!"

The coin slid readily up to 'YES', indicating agreement. This is perhaps the moment that words like 'Eureka!' are invented for.

H-O-W-E-V-E-R

There was, of course, a price. I expected that there would have to be some sort of compensation paid to contact another world. I steeled myself for whatever he might request, but it wasn’t anything I had expected.

T-E-L-L-M-E-A-B-O-U-T-T-H-E-W-O-R-L-D-O-U-T-S-I-D-E

"That's easy! Ask me anything."

—

That's how the contract between myself and Mr. Fortune Teller was formed.

I would give Mr. Fortune Teller information about my world.

And Mr. Fortune Teller would give me information about Gensokyo.

It was a time-consuming process to communicate through the Kokkuri board, but it was worth the effort.

I won't go into detail here about all of the information I gained from speaking to Mr. Fortune Teller.

The secrets he told me are my most prized possessions. I can't risk writing them down.

After spending so much time using my telekinesis I was tired by this point so we had to cut our conversation short. We both promised to meet up again tomorrow to exchange more questions.

I'm looking forward to it! My time after school is going to be interesting for once!

After all, I've finally learned something that could never be Googled!


—


[𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟒]

I am writing this diary entry from memory.

The events I have recalled here are what motivated me to revolutionize the world.

My exchange of information with Mr. Fortune Teller through the Kokkuri board had turned out to be very fruitful.

I offered to tell him about various different topics, but the only thing he seemed interested in was the state of humans in this world.

Oh, by the way, it would be a pain to write out all of Mr. Fortune Teller's comments letter by letter, so I'm going to write them all normally from now on.

—

"So then in the Outside world, people are free?" had been his question one day.

After talking to him many times, I had begun to sense a bit of emotion in the movement of the coin across the paper. Its meandering pace seemed somehow lonely to me.

"I suppose you could say that. We're free, but the future is bleak. The economy is stagnant, social welfare programs are on the verge of collapse and there's no hope for the future to be seen anywhere."

"Things are the same in Gensokyo."

"Really?"

"We are livestock. We fear youkai and are kept penned in the village by them. Everything is decided by power. Powerless humans cannot defeat youkai and so the social system here will never change."

"Our world is much the same. The only way to survive is to become a slave to capitalism. No individual person can change anything either as everything is decided by majority rule. So really it's like we're ruled by monsters too. Ours are just named 'Capitalism' and 'Democracy.'"

"But if you are pained, you are free to leave. We cannot. I have lived my whole life in this village. I will see the same faces day in and day out, as I always have, until I am dead."

The conversation, such as it was, lapsed into silence. After a few moments, the coin started moving again. "I wish I could travel to your world."

"Why don't you? You were powerful enough to contact me. You could probably travel here just as easily."

"I do not have that power. It is your power that is contacting me."

"Really?"

"You're using a magic spell to speak with me, are you not?"

"Ummm, hmm. It's divination, but it's not a spell. I'm a psychic."

"That is simply the magic of the Outside World. Whatever you call it, your power is resonating with my own, even across the Great Hakurei Barrier."

"So then you can't leave your village, Mr. Fortune Teller?"

"It is both forbidden and impossible for a human to cross the Barrier."

"Why?"

"Livestock must be fenced in. You and I are merely talking over the fence. If we could roam free, we would not be livestock."

I had no response to that.

"Sumireko, was it?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"The fence keeping us in Gensokyo cannot be opened from the inside. But I think it can be broken from the outside."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling my eyes go wide with surprise.

"The fact that you are crossing the barrier to speak with me now is proof that it is possible."

This time it was my turn to be silent.

"Would you like to try to destroy the Great Hakurei Barrier?"

I was taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

Was that the sort of thing that could be done?

Destroying the barrier that separated my world from Gensokyo?

What would destroying a barrier between worlds even do?

"If I destroyed the barrier, what would happen?"

"I do not know."

"You don't know?"

"I cannot be certain. It is possible all of the youkai in this world would attack your world and go on a rampage. It is possible that the nature of your world, which they fear, would poison them. But without a doubt, the world would be changed. Either your world or mine. What do you think?"

Was he joking or serious?

I couldn't tell.

Did he really want to change his world so badly that he'd risk something like that?

Did I?

As I was pondering this the coin moved again.

"...Just kidding. Unless it's something you were really willing to consider."

"Mr. Fortune Teller..."

"Forget it. It could never be more than a joke. If I were to seriously plot something like that, I would surely be killed by the Youkai Sage."

The safe thing to do would have been to cut off contact there.

Maybe I should have.

I didn't though.

"Do you really think the barrier can be broken?" I asked. Jokingly.

"I do not think any human could completely destroy it. But I think from the outside one might be able to punch a hole large enough for them to pass through it."

"...Really?"

"Humans from your world sometimes get lost here and non-living objects cross over the barrier all the time. The Great Hakurei Barrier is a barrier of common sense. If you were to discard yours, you should be able to cross it easily."

"Common sense?"

"In your world there are no youkai, yes? No fairies, ghosts or gods either?"

"...they only exist in people's imaginations."

"And very few people have magic like yours?"

"...Yes"

"Then you are already close to belonging on this side of the barrier."

I didn’t say anything. What could I have said?

"If you want to come here, you must first find the barrier. You have magic powers, so it should not be hard. This world is a boring hell for me, but you might find yourself more at home here. I envy you that."

"Mr. Fortune Teller..."

"This will be the last time I speak with you."

"—Huh?"

"Unless the barrier between our worlds were to be completely destroyed I can never leave this place. No matter how much you tell me about your world, it is beyond my grasp. And so, I am quitting now."

"I'm sorry if… I didn’t mean to…"

"I am not blaming you. In fact, I am grateful to you for entertaining me with your stories of the Outside World. I feel like thanks to you I have learned to dream. But dreams are a curse in this world with a predetermined future. I am the one who has allowed myself to be shackled by boredom. It is fitting that I should be the one to find a way to change that. Even if I shall never cross the boundary to your world, I'm sure there's a way I could learn to cross other boundaries. To see a different world than the one I live in now."

I know that he was talking about himself, but it almost felt like he was talking about me.

Really, I wasn't much different than he was. Trapped in a boring world by the limitations I had accepted about the nature of the world.

If I wanted the world to be a more exciting place, I'd have to make it one.

The hopes, the dreams, the fantasies that had always been denied me by this boring world filled with information...

They were all waiting for me. In Gensokyo.

"Usami Sumireko. Thank you for talking with me."

"...Thank you too, Mr. Fortune Teller."

"If you can find a way through the barrier, come and visit this world. By the time that you do, perhaps I will no longer be a human living in this village."

And then he was gone. I never heard from him again.

I know now what I must do.

I must restore hope to this world.

I must destroy the despair spread by means of consensus and defeat the barbaric science that seeks to murder fantasy.

That is the quest that has fallen upon my shoulders.

These powers of mine, which defy both science and common sense are the weapons I must wield to fight the monster called rationality.

A junior high school student can't change the world.

That's the sort of common sense that I will have to destroy.

The world doesn't exist to entertain me.

I exist to make the world more interesting!