東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Epilogue: Immaterial and Missing Power

"'𝘖𝘯𝘪' 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 '𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯,' 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘪 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵?"

—Ibara Kasen, from 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵 chapter 21.


—


On the veranda of the Hakurei Shrine, a girl's body lay sprawled out.

"Reiiimu, come on! Let's have a party tonight! Come on, it’ll be fun!! Par-ty! Par-ty! Par-ty! Par-ty!"

"Shut up. Even you have to have had your fill of partying after the last few weeks." The Hakurei miko sipped her tea and shot a sidelong glance over at where Suika was laying.

"Oh come on, those were hardly even real parties! We stopped when people fell asleep and everything. A proper oni party has a night parade of one hundred demons every night, whether those demons are onis or just drunks."

"I don't want to have to exterminate a hundred demons every night. A human party once a week is more than enough."

Suika puffed out her cheeks angrily. "You're stingy. Maybe I should just use my ability to gather everyone up again."

"If you do that again, I'll exterminate you for real this time."

"Oh? Do you think you can match an oni's strength?"

"I'll just tell Yukari that an oni is threatening the balance of Gensokyo."

"Ugh, that's not playing fair. I wonder why all of the other oni didn’t come back? If they had, not even she could have stopped us." Groaning, Suika collapsed into a sitting position on the veranda. It seems even an oni like her might not be a match for the Youkai Sage.

It was only then that Suika finally noticed our presence, though my partner and I had been sitting on the far side of Reimu, drinking our own cups for a while now.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked, blearily.

"We're here to see you, little Miss Melon."

"Me? What for this time?"

My partner looked up from her tea, grinning a Cheshire smile and poking the brim of her hat with two fingers to ease it back on her head.

"In the tradition of the human oni-hunters of old, I've figured out a new way to exterminate the oni plaguing Gensokyo is all."

In response to these words, Reimu and Suika both were left blinking in surprise.


—


Renko and I were at home after the 9th party when I next asked her about her deduction. I was writing down the main points of Renko's reasoning and recording the events of the incident from memory, to be compiled into a book later. Renko was lying flat on her back on the tatami mat, smiling faintly.

"Renko," I asked as I continued to write, "how serious were you about that theory you told Suika?"

Renko blinked and sat up, turning towards me. "Eh? Which part of it?"

"Mainly the last part. Her true identity. Do you really think she used to be Sakata Kintoki, or were you just trying to provoke a reaction?"

"Why do you ask, Merry? Did you find a hole in my theory?"

"Well, not exactly, if you follow your logic and go through a process of elimination, Sakata Kintoki seems like a reasonable conclusion. On the other hand though, there's nothing to positively tie Suika to that identity, and no evidence that supports your claim —just evidence to refute other possibilities. It's not like she carries a big axe or rides a bear everywhere like Golden Boy is supposed to have."

"Yeah, you're right."

I blinked in surprise. I had expected Renko to have some handy explanation about why her conclusion was foolproof. Instead she laughed. "I know my reasoning was totally arbitrary. It was a probable guess based on the information I had. I never claimed it was irrefutable, provable logic. It's one of many possibilities that could fill in the missing pieces in the story, but it's the one I happen to find most likely. I wouldn’t want to find a definitive, irrefutable answer anyway, it’d be boring. This way my theory is just one fascinating possibility among many. That’s a more interesting and fitting solution for a world like this, don’t you think?"

"Doesn't that mean that it's all just idle speculation in the end though?"

"Does it matter? This whole world is more or less made of fantasy and idle speculation. Your favorite mystery novelist once wrote 'In mysteries, the trick is the most important part of the story. The view that the reader can see after the trick is revealed must be even more extraordinary than the view that preceded it,' right?"

"Alice Arisugawa isn't my favorite writer, but you're right, more or less, I think."

"Merry, why do you think that we, in our sacred duty as members of the Hifuu Club, go about uncovering the secrets of the world?"

"Because that's what you like to do for fun?"

"Yes! Because it’s fun! To touch the secrets of the world and understand the hidden truths underpinning reality. Doesn't that make the whole world more fun?" She spread her arms wide exuberantly. "It's the same here in Gensokyo too. By exploring and exposing the secrets of this world, we're discovering an even more mysterious, dangerous and exciting world beneath it. The secrets of ghosts, vampires and oni conceal schemes so grandiose and convoluted they could only exist in fiction back in our world. That's what drives us forward! Whether it's a commissioned case or not, the mysteries of this world demand to be uncovered, to make the world a more interesting place for everyone!"

Shuffling on her knees over to where I was writing, she plucked the brush from my hand and twined her fingers around mine. Her eyes shone with excitement as she smiled at me. "By solving these mysteries, we're wrapping ourselves in a more exciting world, reshaping reality around us into a wonderland that I get to experience with you, Merry! What higher calling could there be for our Hifuu Club?"

Looking away from the intensity of her gaze, I withdrew my hand from hers. "That's all well and good for the Hifuu Club, but the Hifuu Detective Agency still doesn't have any clients, and hence no income."

"Jeez, Merry! Don't be so cynical! We were having a whole moment there!"

Sometimes Renko's eyes are so captivating I have to look away, for fear that I'll be drawn into them and lose myself entirely to her unpredictable whims. Sometimes the feel of her fingers wrapped around mine is so compelling that I have to pull back, or risk falling to the temptation to follow her everywhere and never let go. It's because Renko sees things this way that she always gets us into trouble, but it's because she's so driven by these passions, this insatiable curiosity of hers, that I know she won't let anything stop her. It's because Renko is always the most Renko-like Renko she can be that I feel confident following her as she rushes head-on toward the mysteries of the world. It's because she is who she is that I always find our Hifuu Club activities so enjoyable.

But don't tell her I said that.


—


It had been a week since my partner had made her announcement to Suika at the shrine. We were sitting in our office, awaiting clients as usual, when we heard a voice outside our office door.

"Excuse me, is anyone in?"

Renko opened the door to find Miss Hieda standing before us.

"Miss Akyuu? What brings you here?"

"Good afternoon." She bowed. "Would you mind escorting me to the Hakurei Shrine for the day?"

We glanced at each other. "Are you interviewing Reimu today?" Renko asked. "Has there been an incident by chance?"

Akyuu tilted her head in consideration. At this point the Night Parade of One Hundred Oni Every Three Days Incident was still a historical footnote. The sort of event that might not even show up in Keine's meticulous recordings of everyday events, let alone something worthy of official inclusion in the 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘬𝘺𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦. "No, I don't think so." Akyuu said. "But I heard a story about an oni who’s staying at the shrine. I’d like to go meet her." In other words, she was going to see Renko's method of oni-hunting, though in all likelihood, she didn't know anything about it.

"The tengu reporter mentioned to me that you were involved with the oni, so I was hoping you could introduce us."

"I see." Renko turned briefly to grin at me. "I think I can arrange that." Secretly, behind Renko's back, I sighed.


—


By now we had become quite familiar with the path that led from the village to the Hakurei Shrine. The shrine grounds themselves, however, had undergone a significant change since we had last been here.

"Is this—" Akyuu muttered in shock as we crested the hill.

My partner and I looked at each other too. Even if this was all a result of Renko's suggestion, it was still surprising to see it in place and more surprising still to see it surrounded by villagers on all sides.

"Renko, what is that in the middle of the shrine's yard?"

"It's a ring for sumo wrestling, of course."

The ring was made of compressed dirt which had been packed, wetted and swept to create a flat, dusty surface raised above the ground. It was surrounded by several dozen villagers watching and cheering. Sitting in the center of the raised ring was a young girl, laughing hysterically as she drank from a gourd.
"Who's next?" she called to the crowd. "Come on, step up, fellas! Who wants to challenge the great Ibuki Suika?"

A large man stepped forth from the crowd ringing the raised platform, loosening up his shoulders as swaggered forward. Suika grinned maniacally and hopped to her feet, taking the wide-legged stance of a sumo wrestler. Reimu stood solemnly beside the man like a referee, raising her gohei as the two squared off. She carefully watched the two of them for a moment, making sure both participants were ready as the man stooped, lowering himself to stare Suika in the eye. A heartbeat passed, then Reimu dropped her hand and shouted the signal for the match to begin. A beefy hand reached out to Suika's shoulder, but before it could connect her slender arm snaked to grab the man by the wrist. Suika's grin grew even larger. A moment later, the man, who must have weighed at least 80 kilograms, was flying through the air to skid to a halt in a cloud of dust outside the edge of the ring.

With a bored expression, Reimu raised her arm again. "Winner~ Ibu~ki Sui~ka~!" She shouted, drawing out the vowels. Her voice sounded a little strained, likely from having already yelled the same a dozen times today.

Sumo wrestling had begun as a Shinto ritual, so holding the matches at the shrine was a reasonable enough course of action. For Reimu, the money coming in from the steady stream of challengers and spectators was no doubt a welcome change of pace.

"Oh come on, that wasn't even a challenge. You have to be more creative than that. Who's next with a bright idea on how to flip an oni?" Suika laughed uproariously and took another pull from her gourd. A murmur started to go through the crowd as the gathered humans talked among themselves. Seeing no one stepping forward, my partner raised her hand.

"Oh, is that another challenger? Let me see them —Oh, well if it isn’t Usami Renko. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just checking in to see how the oni extermination is going."

This is what Renko had proposed a week ago at the shrine. In the legends, oni had kidnapped humans, and humans had retaliated by sending warriors to trick the oni and slay them through underhanded means. Since Suika couldn’t kidnap humans to drag off and eat as oni would have in the past, Renko's proposal was to set up a new form of oni extermination. One where the oni could use her indomitable strength, some human could hopefully prove their wily cunning, and the Hakurei shrine maiden could make a tidy profit on the side.

"In a time where disputes are settled with non-lethal games like danmaku, why not replace oni-hunting with something similar?"

Suika’s expression upon hearing that had been a little puzzled. Eventually though, Renko had talked her into it. Personally, I wondered if that meant that the little oni liked the idea of establishing a relationship with humans that wasn’t limited to violence. Whether she was really a human who had become an oni or she had always been an oni, there was no rule that said that living in harmony with humans would be impossible for her. Thus, the sumo ring had been set up and a challenge had been proclaimed in the village. It was the dawning of a new relationship between humans and oni.

"We should have just held a big party and had a drinking contest." Suika groused from the center of the ring.

"No one can beat an oni at a drinking contest." Reimu had retorted.

"Doesn't seem like anyone can beat me at sumo either." Suika grinned. She seemed to enjoy taunting the crowd.

"Sumo is about more than strength though, you know? Do you hear that everyone? Is there no one brave enough to knock this boasting oni down? With the power of the Hakurei god at your back, maybe you could be the one to do it! Just be sure to donate to earn the god's favor first!" Reimu was shouting to be heard over Suika, who had now taken to stomping around the edge of the ring, roaring at the assembled crowd between gulps from her gourd.

"Come on! I'll take a dozen of you at once! Give me a challenge!"

Among the gathered throng, several eager hands shot up.


—


When we left the noisy ring behind, we found Akyuu sitting on the edge of the shrine's veranda, watching the proceedings with keen interest. Beside her, Shameimaru Aya had appeared at some point, camera at the ready.

"So that’s an oni…" Akyuu muttered to herself as she watched. "To think that we’re the first humans in a century to see one."

"Not just any oni. The dreaded Lady Ibuki has really returned. Ayayaya, what a headache…." Aya sighed from behind the viewfinder of her camera. The shutter clicked and whirred to punctuate her sentence.

"Oh, do you know Miss Shameimaru, Miss Akyuu?"

Akyuu smiled at me. "Indeed, she’s one of the most valuable sources of material for the 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘬𝘺𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦."

Aya leaned forward, tilting her camera for a better shot. "That’s right. Though I suspect you won’t be seeing me for a while. Once I bring these reports back to the mountain, there will be no end of inquiries and countermeasure meetings, I’m sure."

"Is having a single oni back above ground really such a big deal that the whole mountain is concerned?"

"Ayayayaya. You don't know the half of it. They’ve got all of us doing—"

"Hey! crow tengu! I can hear you, you know! If you hate oni so much then get in this ring already!" Suika was shouting from across the yard.

"Ayayaya, I've been spotted!" In less than the space of a breath she was gone, not even a speck against the clear sky, leaving only a whirl of spinning feathers and leaves where she had been.

"Oh, I scared her off. It’s not like I'm not planning on heading back to the mountain though" Suika grinned at us and shrugged.


—


For some time after that, the Hakurei Shrine was crowded with people coming to challenge the oni, cheer for a champion or just watch the matches. I never heard whether Suika eventually admitted defeat or not, but either way, her legend became known in the village. Ibuki Suika —the drunken oni who wrestles humans, but doesn't kidnap and eat them.

Watching her perform in front of the shrine that afternoon, I was struck by a thought. Perhaps the reason that Suika had caused all the parties really had just been loneliness and shyness after all. She had gathered everyone together for all of the parties, but she had then stood by the side and never joined in. Maybe seeing so many people joyously gathered together was intimidating for someone who had been alone for so long. Perhaps that’s why she had held the parties at the usually-deserted Hakurei Shrine. A lonely place like this would be far removed from the bustle of the village, just the place for someone too shy to charge into a crowd of new faces to dip their toes in the water. Maybe in the end, there was no more to this Incident than that.

Or maybe that idea too is just another fiction in this land of fantasy.

Ibuki Suika, of the terrifying and legendary people known as oni. If ever you are having a long and drunken party and mist begins to appear, you can be sure that she is there. If you call out her name, she might even show herself.

Once again, this has been a record of the Hifuu Detective Agency, solvers of mysteries great and small, whether dangerous or benign. If ever a baffling and inexplicable Incident should happen to affect you, then my partner and I stand ready in the room behind the temple school. Just come knock on our door one day and we’ll be happy to say ‘Welcome to the Hifuu Detective Agency’

[𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟑: 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫]


—


𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝:

Thank you for everything. I am Asagihara Shinobu, the author. I hope you enjoyed the Immaterial and Missing Power arc.

My idea for the truth of this incident came from Kasen's line at the beginning of the Setsubun story in Volume 5 of 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵.

Given Kasen’s words there, I wonder if that can be taken to mean that Suika, Yuugi and Kasen are all officially former humans.

At any rate, I hope you enjoyed Renko's questionable deductive leaps in interpreting Gensokyo's oni.

Next time will be the Imperishable Night arc. Thank you very much for reading up until now.