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

—22—


"So let me get this straight. Prince Shotoku is actually a woman, and on top of that she was a Taoist, and on top of all of that she's 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 a hermit who's recently been resurrected by magic. Am I getting all of that right?"

It was the day after the incident. Miss Keine was listening to Renko and I explain things in one of the temple school's classrooms after the children had all been dismissed for the day. As she had heard our story, she had tilted her head to the side and was now wearing an expression that seemed to say "what in the world are you talking about?" I'm sure that if I were in her position, I likely would look much the same.

We had arrived back in town at sunrise this morning after having spent the night at the Myouren temple. By the time Sanae had flown us up out of the mausoleum, the village's gates had long since been closed. Byakuren had been gracious enough to not only lend us a pair of futons for the night, but to also accompany us into the village in the morning, where she had bowed to Keine and apologized for keeping us out all night. Through her respectability and charisma, she had managed to spare us from a lecture or a headbutt, but Keine had demanded that we explain the whole incident to her after classes were over.

As an aside, although the incident had been resolved, there were still a number of spirits drifting aimlessly through the air in the village. Reimu had made an announcement that the spirits were harmless and would eventually dissipate on their own, so now everyone was going about their day as usual, paying the disembodied spirits floating in the air no mind. It was amazing the sort of things you could get used to. That's besides the point though.

"As a historian it's a lot to swallow."

"I'd be interested to hear what you think, Keine. In the Outside World it's widely believed that Prince Shotoku is probably a fictional character, but what's your opinion on him?"

"Well to start with we have very few records from that time and what we do have doesn’t make much of a distinction between history and mythology. We can do our best to try to corroborate legendary events with archeological records, but even if we do, the historical bits are still a story written by the victors, or and some details might have been covered up. That said we can’t just assume everything written is unreliable and try to come up with our own narrative of what must have happened back then either, since we’d be seeing events and relationships through the lens of modern sensibilities which might well be inaccurate."

"So then you trust everything that's been written about Prince Shotoku?"

"No, of course not. It's important to be critical of your sources. Even the best historical records are necessarily a simplification of the actual events of the time being described. History is the result of countless people’s lives and actions coming together. It would be impossible to describe every single thing that happened. But the result of that is that the accomplishments of a great many people get simplified down to all being the work of some legendary leader when viewed through the lens of history. Proper historical research is the process of carefully collecting all the information you can before it was synthesized into a singular story then trying to verify all of the supporting details one by one until you can construct the most probable series of events."

"So for you then, it doesn't matter if Prince Shotoku ever really existed or not?"

"That's an oversimplification too. We know many of the things Prince Shotoku is said to have accomplished did actually happen—they're confirmed by Chinese historians from the same era or substantiated by archeological findings. What's not known is if these accomplishments can all really be attributed to a single individual or if they were the work of generations of people being attributed to one fictional character. Either is possible."

"So it's a bit like trying to pinpoint the location of Shambala or the fountain of youth from historical records then."

"Something like that. Sometimes there’s no consensus in the historical records in which case you have no choice but to start with an assumption. In that case it’s important that any assumption you make is based on evidence and earlier research. The Nihon Shoki is the best record we have of Prince Shotoku's deeds and while it’s certainly true that the record has been embellished, it’s also likely true that there really was a Prince Umayado at some point and that they became an important figure in the central government during Empress Suiko’s reign. In my personal opinion, Prince Umayado was probably a wise man who did accomplish many things that were celebrated long after his death. When all of his descendants were wiped out later, it would have given his legacy an air of tragedy, so over time more and more accomplishments might have been attributed to him by later writers. Exactly which parts are real and which are myths would be almost impossible to say at this point though. "

"So then you think at least some of the stories surrounding Prince Shotoku are true."

"That seems like a reasonable interpretation of the available facts to me."

"Well the prince we saw undergo resurrection yesterday claims that all of the Crown Prince's legendary accomplishments are fact."

"But what evidence do we have that she's really who she says she is? Even if she is Prince Umayado reborn, we don't know which accomplishments were actually his and which might have been added afterwards. Even if she really did witness those events in person, we can’t take the testimony of any one individual as fact."

"That’s a good mindset to have. You’d do well even in the Outside World." Renko said that with a grin, but Keine just sighed, looking us both over with her hands on her hips.

"Still though, I do wish that I could have talked to this prince you met. If she was indeed the reincarnation of Prince Umayado, I'd love to hear what she could tell me about all sorts of historical events."

"Oh, that's no problem. Feel free to ask me anything you like."

This last statement had come from the corner of the classroom and we all whirled in surprise to see who had spoken. There, The Crown Prince’s face was poking up from under the floor, one of the classroom’s tatami mats raised up over her head as if it were part of a trap door.

"My apologies for interrupting, but it seemed you were talking about me. Hello there Madame Usami, Madame Hearn. Thank you both for your help last night. I hope that you don't mind me paying you a visit again so soon."

"C-Crown Prince? What are you doing underneath the classroom floor?"

"We've successfully completed the process of moving the Hall of Dreams into a senkai. Now I can connect it to any part of Gensokyo I want. I was intending to come up in the garden of the school, but it looks like my aim is a bit off."

So The Crown Prince now had a door to anywhere? It seemed a bit like Seiga's ability to open holes in walls, but not quite the same.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but it seemed to me like her manner of address and way seemed even more formal and polite than it had been yesterday.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you. You must be Madame Kamishirasawa Keine, the local history teacher here at the temple school. I see you also consider yourself to be these two girls' guardian," the Crown Prince pronounced. "I'm Toyosatomimi no Miko. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

With that, the prince hoisted herself up onto the classroom floor moving with grace and dignity. She settled the tatami mat back into its original position then sat down on top of it, taking a seat just opposite Keine.

Keine stared at the prince with a stunned expression for just a moment then cleared her throat. "...Thank you very much. I am indeed Kamishirasawa Keine." She said, bowing her head.

The prince flashed her a charismatic smile. "Please forgive me for eavesdropping, but I thought what you were saying earlier about the nature of history as a narrative was very interesting. Your dedication to the truth is very commendable. I was actually hoping that I might be able to find someone with your mindset to assist me in compiling a new and authoritative history of my past deeds. If you'd like to know anything about life in the ancient past from someone who witnessed it first-hand, please feel free to ask me about anything."

"Oh, um. That's...."

"No need to be shy, you can ask me as many questions as you like."

"Well, actually, there is something I had been wondering about—" Keine said, settling herself back down into a seated position across from the prince.

From there, Keine began a long, complex and detailed interview with the prince. The Crown Prince answered her every question with a tone that was both cheerful and knowledgeable and seemed to find a way to sneak a bit of praise in for Keine's dedication at every turn. It wasn't long before Keine was leaning forward, completely enthralled in the conversation, her eyes shining with excitement as she took the opportunity to peel back the veil of centuries. Without a doubt she had been completely and effortlessly seduced by the prince's charismatic demeanor.

As they talked animatedly I sat politely by for the most part but eventually I leaned over toward Renko to whisper a question.

"Renko, did you ever tell the Crown Prince about Keine or the temple school?"

"Not as far as I recall. Do you think she could have learned all that just by reading our desires?"

I shrugged at her and leaned back, resigned to observing the long historical conversation before us.


—23—


All told, the historical conversation between Keine and the prince went on for more than two hours. After that long, the prince rather abruptly changed the topic.

"If you don't mind," she had said, "I actually have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"Ah, of course," Keine said, a little guiltily.

"Before I came here I had a quick look around this village, observing its people and reading their desires. In all it seems like a fairly safe and peaceful place. That seems to be at least partially due to your actions as a member of the neighborhood watch. Would that be accurate?"

"Oh, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that."

"I see. Reading your desires, you seem more attached to this place than most of its residents. If I may ask you, what do you think are the most pressing concerns facing the village nowadays? Although it has been a long time since I led this country, I would like to see if there's anything I could do to help the people living here."

Was the Crown Prince really planning to use the human village as a stepping stone to take over Gensokyo? If so I would have thought it would be easier for her to simply walk about and use her abilities to learn the desires of the villagers directly. Asking Keine like this was almost certainly a sign of some ulterior motive.

To her credit, Keine seemed to be a bit suspicious of the question as well. Her eyebrows shot up when the Crown Prince had first posed the question, but now she folded her arms and leaned back thoughtfully.

"Of course there are some problems here, that's to be expected. In fact I think it would be reasonable to say that our society has a mountain of problems it’s facing. There are still parts of the village that are poorly educated and there is a great disparity between the rich and the poor. There are also constant labor shortages in every industry. Worse still is the sense of isolation and stagnation infecting the younger generations due to a lack of any human community outside of the village. And all of that is exacerbated by our village’s complicated relationship with youkai…"

Keine lowered her head, retreating into her thoughts for a moment before raising her face and looking straight into the prince's eyes. "These are all human problems, however, and must be solved by humans. You may well have been a great ruler of men at one point, but this village isn’t facing any crisis severe enough that it needs to be saved by a legendary saint. This is the only place in all of Gensokyo where humans can live in safety, and the humans who live must practice self-determination and live free of the influence of non-humans like yourself. That’s how I see it, at least."

Hearing this, the Crown Prince merely smiled her charming, friendly smile and spoke in a disarming tone. "I thought you might feel that way. You really do love the people of this village. Well that's commendable, Miss Kamishirasawa." Met with kindness rather than opposition, Keine seemed a little embarrassed, shifting uncomfortably on her cushion and clearing her throat. "I gave up my humanity and became an immortal shikaisen to act as leader and guide this country through a time of great turmoil and chaos when it needed me most. And I intend to take up leadership once the time comes when my powers are truly needed. It seems, however, that the time in which I am needed has not yet arrived. At least not here in this human village."

Saying that, the prince climbed to her feet and walked to the door of the classroom that opened to the outside, opening it and standing in the doorway to look out over the low wall surrounding the schoolyard toward the streets of the village's market district. There the village was bustling as usual. Only a small number of desire spirits could still be seen floating in the air and the people went about their daily business.

"Madame Kamishirasawa, thank you for your counsel," the prince said without turning around. "I think that now that I have become a shikaisen, it is only fitting that I should live in isolation and focus on spiritual refinement until my abilities are needed."

"...Oh?"

"The people of this village seem to be in good hands. If ever you should lose your faith in humanity though, come seek me out. When the time comes, I will be this village's savior."

—Ah, so that's what was going on. Basically, the Crown Prince must have awakened in this peaceful period of Gensokyo's history and realized that there was no need for a leader here, despite the grandiose promises she had made to Reimu and the others. Effectively, her appearance here at the temple school was so that she could end her campaign for the leadership of this world. By making this announcement to Keine, who had contact with both the humans and youkai of Gensokyo, she was not only ensuring that her announcement got out, but doing her best to ingratiate herself to the neighborhood watch so that she could move freely about the village. I wondered if her every action was always so thoroughly strategic.

"Thank you for that, I suppose, but we here in the village will do our best to avoid ever needing to ask that of you."

"I hope that you can," the prince said, turning back towards us. "Thank you all for your time and hospitality." Saying that, the Crown Prince nodded with a satisfied look on her face then walked back over to the corner of the classroom and lifted up the tatami mat. Was that how she was going to leave? The door to the yard was already open!

The Crown Prince tucked her body under the mat, still smiling calmly. Just before she disappeared into the floor we heard her say "I'll see you all later," then she was gone. I could see Keine's shoulders visibly lower as she let out a breath following the prince's departure.

"Well, Keine, you just got to meet Prince Shotoku in person. What do you think of her?" Renko asked after a bit.

"I can't say whether everything she was telling me was true or not, but there were no contradictions between what she said and what we know to be true from historical records. Her being a woman now is apparently just a result of her being able to choose what form she takes upon being reborn as a shikaisen. Ultimately there's no way to prove whether or not she was ever Prince Umayado, unless we happen to find a youkai who was alive back then and whose testimony we can trust. All that aside, I think it's clear that whoever she might be, she doesn't hold any malice towards humans. I'd think we can trust her as far as that goes, at least. If possible though I'd like to talk to the other people who you mentioned meeting. They were Tojiko no Iratsume and Futohime, right?"

"Futohime?" I asked, "Do you mean Futo? That's what she introduced herself to us as. Mononobe no Futo."

"Futohime was the name of the younger sister of Mononobe no Moriya , who is said in the 𝑁𝑖ℎ𝑜𝑛 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑘𝑖 to be the wife of Soga no Umako and the mother of Soga no Emishi. Supposedly she was a traitor to the Mononobe clan and largely responsible for their destruction at the hands of the Soga. There are other contemporary sources that corroborate her name."

That genealogy more or less matched up with what Seiga had told us about Futo, but Soga no Umako was a figure who would have been much older than Prince Shotoku at the time they were both alive. If Futo had been Umako's wife then she should be older than the Crown Prince. She certainly didn't look it, though. Had she decided to take a more youthful body upon being reborn, perhaps?

Wait, putting that aside for a moment, that would lead to an ever stranger conclusion. Tojiko no Iratsume was supposed to be the daughter of Soga no Umako and his wife. If that was the case then....

"...Wait, Futo is Tojiko's mother? Am I getting that right, Renko?"

"Step-mother," Keine corrected me. "Futohime was Soga no Umako's second wife. But yes, that's right. They should be related."

I thought back to the interactions between Futo and Tojiko we had seen in the Hall of Dreams. If anything, I might have believed their relationship was the other way around. For Futo to be Tojiko's mother though seemed nigh-unthinkable, even if the two weren't blood relations. Could being reborn as a hermit cause someone to regress in age like that?

Sitting beside me, Renko grunted and began fiddling with the brim of her hat. I could almost feel some strange new delusion being born in her head as she sat.

"While we're on the topic, Miss Keine, do you know of anyone living around Prince Shotoku's time called 'Yoshika?'"

"'Yoshika?' No one comes to mind. There was a famous poet by the name Miyako no Yoshika, but they were born about two hundred years after Prince Shotoku's death. Were they another of the prince's subordinates?"

"No, whoever she is, she doesn’t really seem to be related to the Crown Prince." Renko replied, shaking her head.

Keine looked questioningly at Renko, but continued. "Well at any rate, I think I'll tell the rest of the watch to keep an eye out for that prince. I don't think she'd attack anyone directly, but we'll want to make sure she's not trying to swindle anyone or stir up any sort of discontent. I don't like the idea that she could just pop up anywhere and talk to anyone she wants. As much as she knows about history and politics, she seems to lack basic human common sense."

Keine nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with that conclusion. Just like Reimu and Byakuren, she seemed content to take a wait-and-see approach. While it’s a common way of thinking in Japan, it’s especially common here in this world of Gensokyo, which accepts all manner of creatures without discrimination.

"Hmm... I wonder if that senkai of hers really can connect to anywhere..." Keine muttered to herself.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Renko prodded.

Keine smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing important. I'm just thinking of something strange that happened last night."

"Oh? What was it?"

"Nothing serious, it's just that yesterday evening I had made a big bento that I was going to take over to Mokou's house, but it disappeared from the kitchen when I went to get a bottle of plum wine to bring with it. I had figured it must have been a fairy's prank, but if they can get anywhere... Do you think Prince Shotoku stole my bento?"

—I swallowed guiltily. There was no way that Seiga could have... No, it was definitely possible. Maybe even likely.

I glanced over at Renko who quickly met my eyes. Better not to say anything about the possible whereabouts of that bento.


—24—


After that Keine left, and Renko and I returned to the combination storage shed / detective agency / birdhouse where we spend so much of our time.

"So what's the story this time, Renko? What do you think is really going on here?"

Renko, who was laying flat on her back with her hat resting on her face, shifted slightly and groaned without moving it. "Hmm. There are a lot of possibilities but there's too much information missing for me to even come up with a coherent theory at this point. I think our next step will have to be to talk to the two people we haven't been able to have proper conversations with yet."

"You mean Futo and Yoshika, I assume?"

"That's right. We need to gather information and compare what they tell us to what we've heard from the others will at least let us identify where the blanks in our knowledge are. I’m sure once we’ve done that I’ll be able to figure something out."

Saying that, Renko sat up and put her hat properly onto her head. I stared at her from my writing desk, slumping over it and resting my chin on its surface.

"Renko, would it really hurt to tell me what avenue of questioning you're hoping to pursue? I don’t like putting my life on the line if I don’t even know what it’s for."

"Great detectives are creatures who like to play hard to get with their deductions, Merry. You know that."

"If anyone was foolish enough to try that in real life, they'd just be adding to the body count."

"You know in fiction there are some detectives who actually let the body count rise so they can get more clues, right? For your sake though let's see if we can't be methodical. Want to make a list of questions?"

And so, with Renko's prodding, I once again put pen to paper and wrote out a list summarizing all of the mysteries currently confronting us:

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐦𝐢 𝐧𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞:
• Is she really the reincarnation of Prince Shotoku, the historical figure?
• If so, why is she a Taoist and not a Buddhist as people would expect?
• Why did she decide to become a shikaisen?
• Was it her choice to be reincarnated as a woman? If so, why?
• If she's been asleep for 1,400 years as she claims, why does she have a much better understanding of the world and speak in standard Japanese unlike Futo, who seems much more out of date?

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐨𝐠𝐚 𝐧𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐣𝐢𝐤𝐨:
• First off, is she really Tojiko no Iratsume, one of Prince Shotoku's four wives?
• Why is she a ghost? What regret or grudge ties her to this world?
• Why does she have no legs as a ghost? Lady Yuyuko is a ghost too, but has a full body, as does Murasa.
• If Futo is responsible for her becoming a ghost, why doesn’t she seem to hold any resentment for Futo?
• Why does she hate Seiga so much?

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐨:
• Is she a reincarnation of the historical Futohime? If so, why does she look much younger now?
• If she was Futohime, then she was supposedly the traitor and strategist most responsible for the defeat of the Mononobe clan at the hands of the Soga. If that's the case how has she come to be so child-like now? Was she always like this?
• If she was really the one who switched Tojiko's vessel and prevented her from resurrecting, why did she do it?

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐚𝐤𝐮 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐚:
• For what reason has she involved herself with the Crown Prince?
• What benefit does she get from turning the Crown Prince and his subordinates into shikaisen?
• Why is she still assisting Miko and her followers after 1,400 years?

𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐡𝐢, 𝐘𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐚:
• Whose corpse was used to make her?
• Does she have some relation to the Crown Prince and her followers, or is her presence merely a coincidence?
• When did Seiga make her into a jiangshi, and why?

Looking at the list of questions I had written down, I realized just how long it had been since I had done up a proper list like this for one of our cases.

"When you put it all together like this, there really are a lot of unanswered questions, especially concerning people's motivations." I mumbled.

"That's right," Renko said, padding across the room to look over my shoulder then settling into place behind me. "The four of them—the prince, Seiga, Tojiko and Futo, they all seem to be working together, but have completely different motivations. I'm hoping that if we can figure out what those motivations are, we’ll have the key to understanding this mystery."

"Different motives, eh?"

We had been told that the Crown Prince's motive was to try and become a leader for the people of Gensokyo and eventually a god. That much might or might not be reliable, but for everyone else, we had no idea at all what their motives were. Seiga was the most mysterious of all. What did she get out of ingratiating herself with the prince?

"Well, when people try to cozy up to someone in power it’s usually because they’re looking for influence or luxury, right?"

"While that may be true, Seiga's a hermit. Getting involved in politics or seeking someone out to try to teach them all the esoteric secrets you've learned kind of seems to be against the nature of someone who has gone to the trouble of leaving society behind to live a carefree existence. Especially since the purpose of a hermit is supposed to be to transcend the limitations of mundane humanity. You're a hikikomori, Merry, doesn't getting all tangled up in courtly drama sound out of character for a hermit like you?"

"I might be a bit of a hikikomori but I’m not a hermit, Renko. I do think a hermit might want to sample the finer things in life, but I get your point. Even if that was the case though, to stick with the Crown Prince for 1,400 years and go to the trouble of moving the entire mausoleum to Gensokyo suggests that she's getting something out of this."

"Exactly. It doesn't make sense otherwise." Renko pulled on her ankles, drawing herself into a cross legged position and leaning towards me, "Even if she wasn’t staying in the mausoleum constantly for the last 1,400 years, if her goal was to amass wealth and power for herself, then you'd think she would have abandoned the Crown Prince as soon as he was sealed away by the Buddhists at Horyu Temple. Surely she could have found some other powerful person to attach herself to in that time. But she didn't. Instead she went to the trouble of moving the Divine Spirit Mausoleum to Gensokyo."

"So she has to be after more than wealth and luxury."

"Maybe. It would certainly explain why Tojiko hates her so much if her husband's illicit lover was hanging around and always popping in an out despite the passage of centuries."

"An adulterer in a 1,400 year long love affair? Seiga doesn't strike me as the type to remain faithful to anyone for that long."

Given the readiness with which Seiga appeared to have been attempting to seduce Renko, I was inclined to agree. Really wouldn't the concept of a 'devoted adulterer' be an oxymoron?

At any rate, it seemed clear that Seiga had to be the mastermind behind everything. The key to cracking the case would be to understand her motives. To that end, understanding Yoshika's role in the whole affair seemed like a reasonable next step. Was she just a convenient pawn being employed as a gate guard, or did she have some deeper connection to the prince's group?

Futo was equally mysterious. Why did she have the personality she has now, when in the past she had been the cunning strategist behind the destruction of the Mononobe clan? The detail of her being related to Tojiko also seemed unlikely, given the relationship the two had now. Could she really be Tojiko's stepmother?

Hopefully gathering some information about those two might reveal something more about the motivations of the other people involved.

"Well, let's start getting some answers." Renko said, climbing to her feet. She smiled down at me with her usual troublesome smile.

"Where exactly are you planning on going, Renko?" I asked, rising to my feet.

"Well obviously, our first stop will be—"

Before she could finish her sentence there was a loud bang as the door to our office was thrown open and someone rushed in. Given how she was shouting I would have known it was Sanae without even looking.

"Boss! Miss Merry! I've found it!"

"Sanae? What's wrong?"

"That prince we met the other day! She's a total fake! I can prove it!"

"The Crown Prince? How so?"

"Hmph, crown prince' indeed. She's a total fake! She's probably someone completely unrelated just pretending to be royalty!"

Sanae certainly seemed enthusiastic. I wondered how she could be so certain.

"What makes you say that, Sanae?"

"I have conclusive evidence! Just look at this!" Sanae reached into one of her sleeves and drew out a small wallet. Opening it and reaching in, she withdrew something and held it out to us.

"Is that a banknote?"

"Exactly. Take a look at the portrait on it! That's the real Prince Shotoku!"

Renko took the bill from Sanae and stretched it between her hands. I looked over her shoulder at the portrait. It was a 10,000 yen bill, with the face of Prince Shotoku staring impassively to the left.

"As you can see, the prince was a guy with a beard, not a cute girl with weird hair! That 'prince' we met is a fake! She must be trying to trick people!"

Wait a minute, was she just getting that now?

"Hey, Sanae… just one question"

"What?"

"Wouldn’t that be the first thing anyone would think of as soon as that woman introduced herself as Prince Shotoku? Sanae did you only realize once you got home and looked at that bill? Wouldn’t anyone immediately think of a bearded old man when they hear the name ‘Prince Shotoku?’"

Sanae froze in silence for a moment. "Would Prince Shotoku's face be the sort of thing that would be common knowledge?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

"Y-you can't be held back by common sense in Gensokyo, right?"

"Sanae, you're literally holding a picture of Prince Shotoku's face right now. You must have seen him before at some point."

"Nuh-uh! They changed it over to Yukichi Fukuzawa! This is one of the old banknotes. Besides, who looks at money? I'm sure lots of people have no idea what he looked like."

"Surely you had seen this portrait in textbooks though, right?"

"I'm a science major, okay? I never paid attention in history class."

Sanae, this is the sort of thing they would have taught you in elementary school. I didn't say that though. Sanae and Renko were all too happy to discuss scientific topics, so I had thought that she must have been a good student, but now I wonder if she was more the sort who excelled at one particular subject to the detriment of everything else. My own knowledge of Japanese history wasn't great, but hers was probably below that of a middle schooler... Well I've heard it said that people quickly lose information about subjects they aren't interested in as they grow up and stop studying, so maybe that level of historical knowledge shouldn't be surprising.

"I think we might have to enroll you in one of Keine's classes at the temple school, Sanae." Renko teased.

Sanae looked heartbroken. "I didn't come to Gensokyo to have to go back to school! I'm supposed to be free from homework and tests forever!"

"Learning isn't just something you do until you graduate, Sanae. It's a lifelong occupation."

"This from a university dropout running a detective agency in Gensokyo."

"That's bound to happen when you're transported to another world..." I mumbled.

"Well the same thing happened to me!"

Sanae puffed out her chest proudly. The fact of the matter was that the three of us were all Outsiders who had fallen out of the boundaries of the Outside World's social structure. None of us had much to be proud of. That said, enrolling Sanae in the temple school's history classes wouldn't help matters. She'd just fall asleep.

"Well putting the question of Prince Shotoku's face aside it sounds like you have a lot of the same questions we do, Sanae." Renko said, raising the brim of her hat and smiling. "So seeing as the three of us are together now, it's time for the Hifuu Detective Agency to head out!"