東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Chapter 8:Mountain of Faith

—22—


And so, this time, the battle between Reimu and Sanae was the only one we happened to witness. We were not privy to any of the fights that occurred as Reimu and Marisa made their way up the mountain or either of the incident resolver's matches against Kanako.

For the three of us, we were much too busy with other matters to watch the fight.

—

"Ummm, is Miss Renko really okay?"

"She's fine. She just decided to rush in without thinking and self-destruct by saying something idiotic. I apologize for the disturbance."

"It was a bit surprising to hear something like that out of her. 'Oh just switch shrines, it'll be fine' is uh... a little out there."

"Don't worry too much about it, Renko's always saying ridiculous things like that. Once you get to know her you'll realize she's just always like this."

"That’s me," Renko groaned without looking up. "Always just spouting pointless nonsense."

Sanae and I were sitting at the table in the living room in the back half of the main shrine, watching Renko who was crouched in the corner in the dark, morosely drawing tiny swirls on the tatami with her fingertip. Honestly, it was too annoying for me to feel much pity for her.

"Besides, I'm more concerned about you, Sanae. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just need to mend these robes later." As she said this she poked a finger through one of the holes in her vest and wiggled it at me with a faint smile. After a moment though she tilted her head and looked me over with an uncertain expression. "How about you though? Are you okay? With me, I mean?"

"With you?"

"Well you saw what I could do... and even what it's like when I wield the power of a god..."

Ah, this must have been why she had been surprised when I reached out a hand to help her up just now as well. It wasn’t so hard for me to imagine what she must be feeling right now. Still, I wondered what sort of expression I should put on my face in response to a statement like that and eventually settled on doing my best to give her a reassuring smile. I must have looked much the same as she now did just after I first told Renko about my eyes.

"Ah, I see why you might be worried. We've been in Gensokyo for a while now though and that sort of thing is pretty normal here."

"Normal? Really?"

"Well, for a human to be able to go toe-to-toe with Reimu is actually pretty rare, but we probably know more people who can fly and use danmaku than people who can't. From the moment we first saw you fly, I figured your abilities would have been at about this level. I mean you’ve already been flying Renko and I all over the place, it would be a bit odd for us to be surprised by seeing you fight in a danmaku match at this point."

Hearing myself say it, I caught myself thinking 'I sound like Renko right now' and immediately clammed up. Renko's undoubtedly been a bad influence on me. I shouldn't be making value judgments about what might be 'real' or 'normal', but instead allowing each individual to define those terms for themselves. That was the role of a Relativistic Noologist. Trying to make Sanae feel like she fit within the bounds of a singular window of acceptable humanity was the sort of thing my objectivist partner might have done.

"Is that really true? I guess I don't have much of an understanding of what the common sense of Gensokyo is like." Sanae looked down, nervously re-arranging her hands in her lap. I searched for the right words to say. How was it that Renko always had such an easy time with moments like this, knowing just the right thing to say to deal with any situation, no matter how bizarre?

I felt like I could at least understand her position. Sanae had a power that other people didn't know about. One they wouldn't be able to understand, or comprehend the burdens of. Most people would have no idea what it was like to live with such a power, and those who she told would treat her differently for it. Maybe they wouldn't believe her. Maybe they would shun her. Maybe they would see her as a useful tool, or an inconvenience or an abomination. There were any number of possible outcomes, but acceptance for who she was wouldn't seem like one of them.

It was something I was all too familiar with. How many childhood friends had I lost for thinking that just maybe they might be the one who I could safely confide in? The only thing I had learned was that no matter how well you knew someone, you couldn't predict their reaction to such a revelation. Someone you had thought of as your friend for years could turn on you in an instant.

"I think that I should tell you both the truth," Sanae said, still looking down, but with determination in her voice.

"The truth?"

While I had been trying to find words of comfort, Sanae appeared to have come to a decision. She looked up, staring me straight in the eyes.

"I am also a god."

"uh... what?"

"A living god. That's... what I am. Back in the Outside World I was also the subject of worship by many."

We kneeled at the table in the dark as Sanae told me her story. Behind her, Renko was moping in the corner of the living room, but about halfway through, her curiosity got the better of her self-pity and I saw her straighten up to listen more actively. By the time the story was done, she had stood up and was walking over to us. I've recorded everything Sanae said to us below:

　＊　＊　＊

For untold generations my family has been descended from a long line of priests who have dedicated their lives to the service of the goddess Moriya. The practice of serving the goddess has faded over time though, as the number of worshippers inducted into her cult declined and the power of the goddess dwindled. My mother decided shortly after my birth that she would be the last of the wind priestesses and I wouldn't be trained. She and my father died in a traffic accident when I was just a baby though. I don't remember them, but my grandmother raised me. She was a wind priestess too, but like my mother she had no intention of raising me to follow in her footsteps and when I was placed in her care there was a disagreement between her and some of my other family as to what should be done with me, but she decided to raise me as a normal girl. Although we still lived at the shrine, she never taught me about the gods.

The only problem was... I could see them. I always could. When my parents died, Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako stayed with me every moment of the day. I never felt abandoned because of them. For as long as I can remember Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako have just been part of my family. I didn’t see any difference between them and my grandmother. Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako treated me like their daughter and I treated them like my parents. They gave me all the love and care that any child could ask for from their parents.

Grandmother could see Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako too since she used to be a wind priestess too. We lived together like a family of four in most ways, but only when we were at home. Outside the house, and outside of our family no one else could see or hear the goddesses.

My grandmother told me not to tell anyone else about the gods I saw, but for a child, something like that is impossible. What child could deny the existence of their own parents? I was already being given special treatment for not having a mother and father at home like the other children, but adding in the fact that I talked about and to things the other children couldn't see was enough to make sure I was always an outcast.

That’s how things stayed for a long time. After all, I couldn't deny that I was different from the other children.

That’s why I decided early on that I wanted to become a wind priestess. I could see, hear, even touch the gods—how could I not have followed such a calling? My grandmother was against the idea, but I was insistent and eventually began training on my own. Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako were able to teach me everything that my parents couldn’t, so it was simple. As a wind priestess I learned to call upon the powers of the goddesses to control the wind or create miracles.

I always saw my power as just a way of repaying the two goddesses for everything they had done for me. They had always been like parents to me and loved and supported me even though they didn’t have to. Without faith a god will eventually fade away. I wanted to gather faith to help them like they had helped me. But instead of increasing faith to help them, I ended up being worshiped as a goddess myself.

It seems my power was much stronger than my mother’s or grandmother’s had been. I wonder if maybe my grandmother knew that, and that was why she hadn't wanted me to join the priesthood. Maybe she suspected what would happen to me if I did.

It began with my carelessness. I was thrilled with the power I had discovered, and one day one of my uncles saw me exercising it. His first thought was to turn me into a business. Lady Suwako did something to him. I don't know what, but he was convinced to abandon the attempt. It didn't stop the rumors though. Word got out that I could perform miracles, and people started to come, demanding them of me. Some of the people who showed up really needed help. Some of them were just curious about the rumors. I knew that I shouldn’t have, but I used my powers to help some of them. From there, the word spread even further. In the end, things ended up pretty much the same as they would have if my uncle's plans for me had gone through.

It got to the point where I could hardly live my own life any more. I was surrounded by believers everywhere I went. People started doing things in my name or trying to get my attention everywhere I went. They started praying for me to do things I couldn’t even do. Unless I lost my powers or disappeared, it seemed like there was no way to escape people who would follow me everywhere, begging for salvation. Day and night people were coming to our door, asking the most outlandish things of me. Grandmother never let them in to see me, but it wasn't long after that.... I went in to check on her one morning and she was cold. She was old, but I wonder sometimes if the stress and anxiety over having to deal with all of the people looking for me might have made things harder for her.

That’s why we decided to come to Gensokyo. Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako always spoke of it like it was a plan to gather more faith and increase their power and influence but... I think they did it for me. I think they wanted to bring me here so that I could escape from the Outside World.

Sometimes I think I might regret having come here, just a little. I wonder if it was right for me to make this choice. Maybe it would have been better if I had remained and become a god in the Outside World so I could help people there. But I let all of them down. I abandoned them because I didn't want to be their new god. I just wanted to be a normal human. With a life of my own... and friends... the sort I could have a sleepover with and stay up talking with past midnight. That's why I'm so happy I met you both...

I had always wanted to just be normal... and with you both, I got to be, for just a little bit...



—23—


Sanae looked down and blinked several times as she concluded her story. "Sorry," she muttered. "I guess I completely ruined the mood with that. I shouldn't have gotten either of you involved in any of this, but I was so happy to have met you that I hung around your office all day."

Sanae had come to this world without any friends to share it with, and without anyone but her unusual parental figures that she could open up to. Meeting her here, we had thought that she was a normally upbeat, excitable person, but maybe all of that had just been the thrill of finally having someone she could relate to.

Coming to this world had been a shock and a trial for me too, but I had had Renko next to me the whole way. Renko, who was worse at reading the room, who ignored more social cues, and who was capable of forcing her way into more friendships than Sanae ever could.

"Well, you're doing much better than Renko. So don’t beat yourself up too much."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hmm, let's ask. Renko what do you say?"

Renko had been creeping up towards us for a little bit now, padding softly across the tatami, her previous lethargy forgotten in the face of these new and interesting details. Now she stood almost directly behind Sanae.

"Well, I have some objections about the specifics, but you're probably not wrong about the general facts." As she said this, Renko had approached Sanae from behind and wrapped her up in a gentle hug.

"Ah! Miss Renko! What are you doing back there, I didn’t see you get up!"

"Relax, Sanae. I appreciate getting to hear you open up a little, even if I have to hear it with a side of Merry's badmouthing of me. Despite what Merry might say I make a point of always considering my actions and deciding when to butt in or not."

"You, considerate? You could have fooled me."

"Give me a little credit, Merry."

"How am I supposed to give credit to someone who wakes up in the middle of the night to go prowling around a friend's home looking for hidden secrets?" I teased.

"That was a very well considered action! I considered the risks and decided the importance of revealing the truth outweighed them. You see, Sanae, this is the sort of thing I'm always having to put up with," Renko said, leaning forward and putting her weight on Sanae's shoulders. "Isn't she terrible? We've been partners for years now, and after I go to all of the trouble of drawing out a borderline hikikomori like her, this is the thanks I get."

"While I enjoy getting out of the house with you every now and then, I never asked you to take me to an entirely different world, you know. Try not to put too much faith in anything Renko tells you, Sanae. As you have seen, she gets some crazy ideas and her curiosity is just the sort to send countless cats to their deaths. She's the sort of person who would open Schrodinger's box and poke the cat to see if it was awake, thereby collapsing the waveform and dooming all of the other potential cats in the function."

"You can't blame me for what happens in other potential universes. I'm just a humble great detective. I understand the limitations of my own perceptions and limit my interpretations to what I can confirm with observation. That's why I make a point of investigating things. If I never opened the box out of fear of what might be found inside, then I'd just be stuck interpreting the world through guesses and unscientific mythologizing."

"One day you're going to open Pandora's box, Renko."

"And once I do we’ll be able to observe what’s inside! Actually I wonder if all the evils of the world could be physically measured. That’s an interesting question, don’t you think?"

I sighed and shook my head in exasperation. Sanae turned, looking blankly from me to Renko and back again as Renko continued to drape herself over Sanae's shoulders. Renko met Sanae's confused expression with her usual cat-like grin and pushed herself back up to stand straight.

"Well, putting aside Merry's uncharitable characterization of me, she's basically right. We're glad to have you as a friend, Sanae. It will be nice to have someone we can talk to about the Outside World, right, Merry?"

"...I can agree with you on that much."

"Ummm, thanks?" Sanae said, sniffing as she turned towards Renko.

"You want to know more about us and about Gensokyo and we want to know more about you and the Moriya shrine. I think the three of us will have a lot to talk about. As friends."

Sanae closed her eyes tightly as her shoulders began to shake. Renko was silent for once as she held her tightly, patting her back gently as she cried. I shuffled closer so that I could lay a hand on her shoulder as well.

The two of us could never really know all the things Sanae had had to deal with up until this point in her life. The inviolability of her own subjective experience of those events would always remain closed to us. But we didn't need to have lived through what she had in order to empathize with her, and I doubt Sanae would have wanted us to have to go through what she experienced even if we could've.

All we needed to do was be her friend. Someone who would value her as Kochiya Sanae, the person, not Kochiya Sanae the living goddess or saint Sanae, the miracle worker. Whether it was gods, wind priestesses, monsters or ghosts, Gensokyo accepted all sorts. There was enough room in this world for all kinds of people. A living god was no stranger a friend than any of the other oddballs or nonhumans we had met.

—

"Feeling better now?" Renko asked, some time later.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry about all that"

Renko turned and shot me a significant look and I nodded to her in confirmation.

"With everything you confided in us though, I'd feel bad if Merry and I didn't come clean with you as well."

"That’s true," I said, drawing close to Renko. "We’ve been keeping secrets from you too, Sanae."

"Secrets?" Sanae stared curiously at Renko, who cleared her throat and considered her words for a moment before speaking.

"Merry and I are from the Outside World, but not the same Outside World that you know."

"What do you mean?"

"We're from the year 2085." I said plainly, cutting to the chase.

"What?"

"In the world you came from the year was 2007, right? We came from almost 80 years in your future. We've been here for four years now, but it was 2085 when we left."

Sanae stared open-mouthed at Renko, seemingly at a loss for words. After a moment, she recovered and blurted out "You're a real life Ashina Mikuru! Does that mean there are aliens and espers here too?"

Once again she was referencing media from the early part of the 21st century. This time though, I was familiar with the property she was referring to.

"Well, you're the outgoing one, so you'd be the psychic," Renko responded before I could comment. "Merry's a bookworm, so she'd be the alien."

"Who are you calling an alien? You'd be Haruhi in this analogy for sure. Especially the part where she's incredibly annoying."

"𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑖 still exists eighty years in the future?" Sanae asked with a gleeful expression.

"It's a fairly important work among those interested in Relativistic Noology..."

"Hey Merry, what would you think of renaming our detective agency the 'SOS Brigade?' It could be Sanae's Organization to make the world Sufficiently interesting."

"Wait, why would you name your agency for me? More importantly, we'd need two more people to join to use that name. There's so much I should ask you though! What happens in the future? Is 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑖 still being published?"

"Classified information!" Renko responded.

Sanae clapped her hands and laughed, the earlier feelings of grief and sadness forgotten in a wave of relief as the three of us went on talking and laughing for quite a while, in just the way that three girls might be expected to in any era.

Thinking back on it now, I would say that it was then that Renko and I truly became friends with Sanae.


—24—


"Well, you three certainly seem to be having a good time!"

At that moment, as the three of us had been laughing together around a bowl of snacks, Lady Kanako had suddenly appeared. Not by simply popping into existence this time, as she had done before, but by coming unexpectedly into the living room where we were gathered around the glowing lantern. Sanae wiped the tears from her eyes and rose to greet her, though the tears there now were from laughing so hard with the two of us rather than her earlier lamentations.

"Lady Kanako! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. We had quite the amusing match. Danmaku is a game worthy of the gods, I'd say."

"Don't try to be all coy about it," a familiar voice called out from behind Kanako. "I beat you fair and square."

"With a little help," another familiar voice added.

As Kanako stepped into the room, Reimu and Marisa filed in behind her, looking around at the room and its furnishings. Upon seeing Reimu, Sanae took a step back, withering slightly under Reimu's unhappy glare. After a moment though, Reimu's eyes turned to Renko and myself.

"I suppose at this point I shouldn't be surprised to find you here," she said with a sigh of exasperation. "Checking in on what you're up to and warning you to stop poking your nose into incidents doesn't seem to accomplish much, so I'm going to assume that's just how things are going to keep going."

"Thank you Reimu, I'm happy to hear you acknowledge our right to investigate these anomalies."

"I didn't intend it as any sort of compliment."

"Have a seat," Kanako said, waving towards the table. "We have many important matters to discuss."

We scooted to the side as Sanae laid out additional cushions for the three of them to join us.

"Ah, so now you're going to negotiate the takeover of the Hakurei Shrine? Why is Marisa here then?"

"I can be a witness or somethin'."

"You can be a spectator. Now, since I won the match I’d like you to keep out of my business. I don't need your help in restoring faith in my shrine," Reimu said, staring across the table at Kanako.

"Ah, I’m glad to see that we were at least able to convince you that something needs to be done about your shrine."

"What?"

"A shrine that has lost its faith is nothing more than a building. I was worried that you were a shrine maiden in name only, but you seem to at least understand the crisis you are in. That's a good place to start."

"Wait a minute. Did you only send that girl to provoke me so that I would feel like the shrine was in danger?" Reimu shot Sanae a threatening look, to which Sanae responded by tilting her own head inquisitively.

"No, of course not. It was a nice bonus though. We are newcomers to Gensokyo and are only looking for a means of gathering faith in Gensokyo. Who better to talk to about such things than a local shrine maiden?"

"Get to the point. Tell me what you're intending to do."

"I'll do that. If you're willing and able to defend your shrine there's no need for me to take it over. What I propose instead is that we set up a branch shrine on the grounds of the Hakurei Shrine. We could use that as a seat of faith at the foot of the mountain for humans to visit."

"What do you mean by a 'branch shrine?'"

"Just a small reliquary altar somewhere in a corner of your shrine's grounds dedicated to me. It would be one of many I plan to set up. Constructing one at the Hakurei Shrine first is important though. It would be a first step toward getting faith from the humans of the village."

"That sounds suspicious. How do I know you wouldn't use it as a base from which to take over the Hakurei Shrine?"

"I have no reason to do so. Visitors to your shrine will be visitors to mine if a branch shrine is in place, and there would be nothing for me to gain by trying to force you out. It's a mutually beneficial agreement that we can both enjoy.. Neither of us is left wanting. Besides, the alternative to such a plan would be that the two of us compete for faith. Neither of us would benefit from that."

Reimu crossed her arms and pondered, a sour expression on her face.

"There's no need to make a decision right now. Take some time to consider my proposal. Before I can set about improving a branch shrine I need to solidify my base of operations here on the mountain anyway."

"Now you sound like you're plannin' some nefarious scheme involvin' the tengu or the kappa" Marisa interjected.

"I merely hope to recruit the tengu and their servants as followers. The tengu are a proud people, and it will take time to bring them around to my side. We can take things slowly."

Both Marisa and Reimu fixed Kanako with a distrusting stare.

"I see we're in for a long discussion. Allow me to at least be a good host then," Kanako said, then clapped her hands. "Sanae. Bring us some sake."

"Ah? What? Oh, sure." Sanae scooted out from under the table and made her way into the kitchen.

"Wait a minute, don’t change the topic like that, I’m still thinking this over."

"I see no reason we can't drink and think at the same time. There's nothing in my proposal that requires complex reasoning to figure out. Besides, Renko told us that newcomers to Gensokyo are often welcomed at banquets, so let us dispense with formalities and partake of this sacrament. "

"Sounds good to me. Don’t be a stick in the mud, Reimu."

"You'll take any excuse to drink, Marisa. But I suppose we may as well," Reimu said grumpily.

Marisa threw her arm around Reimu's shoulder and laughed. "That’s the spirit! It'd be rude to reject a loser's hospitality after beatin' 'em at danmaku, wouldn't it?"

Sanae came back holding a bottle just then and tilted her head in confusion. "Oh, are we all drinking?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean? If this is supposed to be a party, how're six people gonna share one bottle of sake? You're gonna need a lot more than that."

"Ah, I guess the laws of the Outside World don't apply here. In that case, Miss Merry, Miss Renko, should I get some for you too?"

"Who would turn down free sake?" Renko asked with a grin.

"I'll have a little, if you don't mind."

"Ah, um, okay then. I’ll go grab some more."

"Here, let me help you bring it in," I said, standing up to join her.

Sanae nodded her head and headed back to the kitchen as I followed her. As soon as we were through the door, I asked the question that had just occurred to me.

"Sanae, have you ever had alcohol before?"

"I’m not old enough to drink. In your time, is the legal drinking age still 20?"

"Classified information."

Sanae chuckled at that then looked at me with concern. "Actually, how old are those girls anyway?"

"This is Gensokyo. You shouldn’t worry about trying to stick to the common sense of the Outside World here..."

Somehow my train of thought completely stopped.

"Miss Merry?"

"Huh? What?"

"You okay? You’re spacing out."

I blinked twice. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about that. Hand me those two bottles." What had I been thinking about again? Had I really been here so long I was beginning to feel the effects of age on my mind already? Senility was a scary thought at the best of times, and I was still in my twenties. I resolved not to think about it. I had plenty of more pressing concerns to busy myself with at the moment.

"Will the other goddess get mad at being left out again?"

"Lady Suwako? Hmmm. I'll cook her favorite dish tomorrow."

Personally I couldn't imagine being so nonchalant about the idea of so blatantly stiffing a curse god, but Sanae knew Suwako better than I did.

"Alright then. Do we have any snacks we can bring out? People are going to want something to go with the drinks."

"I think we have some peanuts left over..."

"Hmmm, maybe I can throw something together really quick if you don't mind me using your stove."

"Oh, sure. Are you a good cook, Merry?"

"Absolutely not. But I've learned a few things since coming here."

"Oh, teach me a recipe next time!"

"You probably have more that you could teach me. I only know the basics." Certainly, I had never cooked for anything that might be called a 'banquet' before. That was the sort of thing normally trusted to Sakuya or even Youmu when people gathered up. Somehow though, I'd have to make do. "With what you've got here," I began, looking around at ingredients and rolling up my sleeves "...I think I can do something. Let's get to work."

—

After that, the so-called banquet continued well into the night. Sanae proved herself to be a real lightweight, beyond even what her inexperience might suggest, and fell asleep early on. Kanako held herself well, spending the evening in good spirits and digging up plenty of information from Reimu and Marisa. Every now and then, Renko would join animatedly into this conversation with a question or observation, but these were always met with glares from Reimu and looks of utter bafflement from Marisa.

I spent the evening quietly watching the interplay between humans and gods and tending to Sanae who was snoring softly with her head on my lap.

—

Everyone ended up staying the night. Sanae was far too hungover in the morning to fly us back, so we ended up hitching a ride on Marisa's broom. But with the three of us all crowded together we ended up being late regardless.

We arrived after the first bell had run with Renko still smelling of alcohol. Earning us both a grand lecture and a fearsome headbutt from Keine after classes were over.