東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Epilogue: Phantasmagoria of Flower View

From that point on, the incident began to subside bit by bit, without any outside intervention. The flowers that had been blooming in profusion began to disappear, leaving no hint they had ever existed in many cases and leaving perfectly intact plants in exactly the state you might have expected for this time of the year in others. The drifting phantoms vanished and crops that had flowered neither ripened nor went to seed. Within a week there was no trace that anything anomalous had ever happened. It was easy to see how this incident might go on to be forgotten 60 years from now.

The fact that the incident had been unnaturally created meant that its resolution had to be unnatural too, however. That's exactly what happened, though few people even noticed.

I'll record here for you everything that happened. The day after my partner told her story to Yuuka in the Garden of the Sun, all of the sunflowers which had been blooming out of season vanished without a trace. Upon hearing this, my partner came to realize that Yuuka had not acted alone, and that there had been an accessory to her acts after the fact.

—

"According to the old records, once, when the human village was a much smaller, struggling settlement, this hill is where society's unwanted were abandoned."

It was a few days after we saw her in the Garden of the Sun that Akyuu had invited us to go with her to someplace outside the village again. This time our destination was close by, southwest of the village along a track that looked like it might once have been a road long ago but had long since been overgrown. Here a series of low, rolling hills was hidden from the view of the village behind the edge of the Forest of magic, crowning their slopes with delicate white flowers that gave off a sweet scent.

"Unwanted children who couldn't be cared for would be left here before they were given a name. It was thought that the poison from these lily of the valley flowers would carry them off to a peaceful sleep, and by night youkai would come and consume what remained, leaving no trace. There were always stories that some of the children left here were cared for by those who found them and raised as youkai themselves, though."

Even in the Outside World, rumors of such unusual upbringings persisted, though they tended to involve wild animals raising a child rather than youkai. At any rate, such tales were generally presumed to be false but in a place like Gensokyo, maybe even something like that could be true.

"Even a parent who was compelled by circumstance to abandon their child would want to be able to believe that the child had survived, and having such children become youkai meant that they would both be likely to outlive the parent and never need to be checked on. For parents facing starvation, such a fate for their children might have seemed the lesser of two evils," Akyuu said, staring off into the distance.

From our point of view, whether we were looking at it from our position here in Gensokyo or from our homes in the Kyoto of the Scientific Century, it would be easy for us to condemn parents who took such measures as selfish and cruel. For the people of the time, however, such logic was probably not so clear-cut. I offered no attempt at moral judgment, merely putting my hands together and bowing my head in solemn silence with a thought for those who had been lost here long ago.

"With such a tragic history, as soon as this place was no longer needed it was abandoned by the village. Once the humans stopped coming, the youkai abandoned it too. It's been forgotten by everyone now. You should still be careful though, all of these flowers are poisonous."

Renko cringed and froze mid-step, just as she had been about to walk into the field. Gingerly, she withdrew her foot, drawing it back from its position over the flower she had been about to step on. I sighed at my partner's recklessness, looking out over the gently waving expanse of flowers.

All at once a rustle of movement in a nearby cluster of the blooms caught my eye. "Don’t be mean to the flowers!" said a girlish voice nearby. "I like it here." With a soft rustling of the underbrush, an unfamiliar figure stood up from where it had been laying amidst the white blooms. The creature that had approached was a doll. Not a doll-like girl, or something like Hina, with doll-like features and complexion, but an actual doll, with spherical joints and a body made of wood and porcelain. She was an exceptionally well made doll, with moving mouth parts and a face capable of expression, but she was unquestionably an animate object. She stood a little over a meter tall, on the larger side for a doll, and moved readily, seemingly under her own power. My immediate reaction upon seeing her was to look around to see if Miss Alice was somewhere nearby. There was no sign of her, however.

"Whoa," Renko gawked at the newcomer. "A doll youkai?"

"That's right." she confirmed. "The flowers here are nice, they help me."

"They help you? How?"

"They help me poison people who come here! Would you like to see?"

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind."

"Don't be shy," she said, as her face clacked woodenly into a smile. "There's plenty for everyone." She spread her arms wide and all at once a dim haze of sweet-smelling pollen began to rise behind her, billowing toward us.

Renko turned to glance at me, actually seeming to recognize the danger we were in for once. I turned to Akyuu. A look passed between all three of us for just a moment and we turned and ran, back down the side of the hill we had come up, toward the edge of the Forest of Magic, covering our mouths with our sleeves as we sprinted down the slope.

"Don't run away!" the doll called from behind us. We were just three helpless humans though, how could we do anything else?

We half-ran, half-stumbled down the hill, not stopping until we broke through the line of trees that marked the edge of the forest, crashing our way through the undergrowth until we came to a point where we could no longer see the flowers behind us through the trees. Renko was panting heavily and rubbing Akyuu's back, as the child of Miare doubled over and wheezed.

"She must.... have been an abandoned doll... turned youkai by the poison... of the lily of the valley..." Akyuu panted. "If she's newly born, then she wouldn't know the rules yet... that makes her very dangerous, especially if she has abilities like that."

I peered through the trees, trying to see if I could see any hint of pursuit. A young youkai would be just the opposite of someone like Ran or Yuuka, and consequently wholly without the social graces that I suspected had been our savior on more than one occasion thus far. The thought sent a shiver of dread up my spine. I turned to my partner, hoping she might have some wild idea.

"A doll that became a youkai all on its own..." she was muttering to herself.

"Do you have a plan, Renko?"

"I was just wondering what Alice would make of it. Is this the sort of being she was hoping to create?"

"If we manage to survive you can ask her, Renko."

"Good point."

For the record, we did ask Alice about it later. She replied that her goal was to create a soul from scratch. A doll that became a youkai on its own was something that she was interested in researching, but ultimately it wasn't exactly the sort of thing she was after.

The sound of footsteps crunching through the forest nearby froze us both mid-conversation. Renko signaled to me to get down and ran back to Akyuu's side, concealing the both of them behind the trunk of a tree. My blood ran like ice in my veins as I huddled down in a bush, listening to the footsteps come closer, step by step. My heart resounded in my ears as the rustling in a nearby bush gave way to the snapping of twigs as something forced its way into the same space we were in. The footsteps stopped. I held my breath and willed myself to be invisible. All at once a surprising voice called out.

"Why are you all hiding in bushes?" The voice wasn't the one the doll had used, it almost sounded like... Reisen? I opened my eyes and chanced a peek through the bush to see that Renko had already come out of hiding and was talking to the rabbit girl casually, as if this were an everyday event.

"Oh Reisen, we were just here for some flower viewing."

"Flower viewing? The flowers have all gone anyway, haven't they? Even the blooms in the bamboo forest disappeared after that noisy poltergeist band came to play."

"The Prismriver Ensemble? Did they come and play at Eientei too?"

"They just set up outside of the walls and started making a racket. The princess and the inaba seemed to enjoy their music, at least."

"Huh, I would have liked to have seen that. So what brings you out so far from home, Reisen?"

"Master has a business partner out this way I’m on my way to see, so I should be going," she said, turning on her heel and walking away. I watched her go, wondering if the business partner she had spoken of might have been the same doll youkai we were fleeing.

"Do you think Miss Eirin is using poison to make medicines?" Renko mused.

I didn't know anything about pharmacology, but I have heard that many medicines could be made from plants that were normally toxic. Could the medicines Reisen sold in the village be made from the poisons of a youkai doll?

I turned to Renko. "With any luck that doll will be busy with Reisen. What should we do now, do you think?"

"Well, I suppose that's up to our client. What do you say, Miss Akyuu, do you want to try to interview that youkai, or should we head back to town?"

"I suppose I could ask that rabbit from Eientei to introduce us..." Akyuu tilted her head in consideration for a moment, then suddenly looked up. Music has suddenly begun to sound from somewhere above us. Staring up through a break in the canopy, we caught a momentary glimpse of the Prismrivers soaring overhead, playing as they flew.

Lunasa and her violin were taking the lead, both musically and in their flight, with support from Lyrica and her keyboard and Merlin's trumpet following well behind, adding a more muted performance than her typical accompaniment to the song. The three were flying in formation and a moment after they passed us by, we saw a large number of phantoms following along behind them, stretched out like a long tail across the sky.

"Just like the Pied Piper of Hamlin," I said to myself as they soared past.

"I wonder if they're headed to play a show in the middle of that lily of the valley field..." Renko muttered. Lily of the valley is supposed to be in bloom right now, but there had been quite a large number of flowers in that field. It's possible that some of those flowers could have been ghosts. If that was the case, then those ghosts would be attracted to the Prismrivers' music, just like the phantoms had been when we visited the Prismrivers at their house. If the Ensemble was flying all over Gensokyo for their tour right now... then the incident-within-an-incident instigated by Yuuka was being resolved by the Prismriver Ensemble's concert tour. The Prismrivers had the perfect excuse to fly all over and gather up the spirits then lead them off somewhere. I wondered where they might be taking them? They must have some sort of deal worked out with Yuuka since that's where their concerts began.

I could see Renko reaching those same conclusions just as I did. She turned to Akyuu with a look of excitement on her face. "Miss Akyuu, do you want to see them go gather up the phantoms?"

"I think it would be dangerous to encounter that doll again, so let’s just head home instead," Akyuu suggested.

Renko deflated a little, but contained her disappointment well. "I understand. This whole incident will be over without a trace soon at this rate. Do you plan to keep a record of it in the 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒 at all?"

Akyuu pondered for a moment, turning in the direction of the Garden of the Sun as she did. "It's only a small incident, and one that won't present any danger to humans of the future. Maybe I'll tuck it into a footnote in Reimu's entry."

"I see, What about Kazami Yuuka's entry?"

"I'll write about her as she requested —a terrifying youkai, and not to be trifled with," Akyuu said with a smile.

And that was the truth of Gensokyo, as you might find recorded in the 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑘𝑦𝑜 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒. What we call 'history' is just a long chain of facts that writers deemed worthy of being recorded. All of the nuance, circumstance and intention behind an act that isn't recorded fades into oblivion, like the blooms of bygone springs. Sixty years from now, this might all happen again. If it does, I wonder what, if anything, Gensokyo might remember.

Certainly not that Kazami Yuuka was the mastermind behind it all, or that the incident was resolved through her cooperation with the Prismriver Ensemble, or the possibility that the entire event was orchestrated for the benefit of the Child of Miare who might not otherwise get to enjoy a lifetime's worth of flowers.

My partner's version of events is nothing more than silly and romantic fantasy arising from a mind prone to grandiose delusions, after all. It is unworthy of inclusion in such a serious historical tome, and thus it is relegated here, to these humble stories.

—

"Huh, a fairy."

Renko and I were walking home with Akyuu as the three of us made our way back to the village. As we walked, we noticed two childlike figures cavorting above the treetops high overhead. One was the ice fairy we had seen on the lake, and the other was a fairy of similar size with green hair in a side ponytail. They were laughing as they passed overhead, rolling and weaving through the sky.

"Nah," my partner said to herself, smiling up at the pair of them. "Couldn't be. Unless..."

"What couldn't be, Renko?" I asked.

"Just an idea that popped into my head. There's no proof."

I arched an eyebrow at her, as if to say "and...?"

"I was just wondering, could Kazami Yuuka be a fairy?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Well, it's just that from what Cirno said, it sounds like the existence of fairies is a prerequisite for the existence of natural phenomena. If there were a fairy that had existed for as long as plants have been flowering on Earth, she'd be really old, and probably really strong too."

"And?"

"Well maybe Yuuka covering everything in flowers is her way of shouting 'I'm the strongest!' Just like Cirno. Maybe her asking Akyuu to describe her as a terrifyingly strong youkai is the same thing."

"Well, you could always go and ask Yuuka yourself."

"No thanks, Merry. I'm not in any particular hurry to go see the Yama again. It's just an idea that popped into my head."

My partner is prone to many such delusions popping into her head. I wonder if maybe she really might have something wrong with her.

"What are you two talking about?" Akyuu asked.

"Ah, don't pay me any mind," Renko said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just another theory of mine. This one's a secret between maidens, though, I can't tell you about it."

Akyuu gave her a strange look but didn't press any further. Renko flashed me another of her toothy smiles and we continued walking toward the village, enjoying the sweet smells and sounds of birdsong in the air.

　　　　　　◇

That would be a beautiful place to end this story, but I'm afraid there is one more event to relate. As we drew towards the village, we encountered a face we would not have expected to see at all.

"Three humans with no ability to defend themselves walking alone this far from the village? Do you all hold your lives in so little regard as that?"

The voice had called out suddenly from behind us, and the three of us whirled around.

"It’s the Yama!" Renko gasped.

"Lord Yama, It's a rare pleasure to see you again on this side of the river," Akyuu said with a formal bow. I remembered that Akyuu had mentioned that she worked for the Yama between reincarnations, but what was the Yama doing here, so far from the Sanzu River?

"Indeed, it has been a while, Miss Hieda. You look well."

Akyuu smiled and self-consciously brushed dirt from her kimono. "As do you. Are you working at the moment?"

"Not at the moment, no. Another of the Yama is on duty for the time being, but as I have some rare free time, I thought I might come to this side and check up on the people that I had recently spoken to. I find that mortals have short memories, and repetition can be a useful tool when performing the important work of trying to save a soul from damnation." The moment she said this I saw Renko grimace unconsciously. "Speaking of which..." she began, turning to my partner. I could see she was again looking into her hand mirror, having angled it at Renko.

"Usami Renko!" she said in her small, but commanding voice.

"Y-Yes!" Renko snapped to attention.

"Despite all that I have said you still lack an understanding of your own weakness and your place in this world. Just moments ago you were attacked by a newborn youkai. What will it take for you to realize the peril your actions put those around you in? Do you intend to continue walking this tightrope until someone close to you falls to their demise merely for your own enjoyment?"

"This time we were invited out by Miss Akyuu, that has to—"

"No excuses! Your sin is a willful disregard for the danger surrounding you and those who follow you. Repent, or be condemned!"

In a flash, the Yama was directly in front of her, swinging her stick down on Renko's forehead, where it stuck with a dull thwack.

"Ow! My gray matter!" Renko moaned.

"Humans are highly adaptable creatures, Miss Usami. Your adaptability can be your downfall though. Humans have within them the ability to become accustomed to anything when exposed to it on a regular basis, even lethal danger. This leads to the sin of pride, and often a life cut short for a simple lack of care. Many are the carpenters who have stood before me after falling from a roof, as are the fishermen who have drowned in calm waters. It is only through constant vigilance and the use of appropriate care that one can hope to live a long life. If you must leave the village to satisfy your intellectual curiosity, then you are free to do so, but do not be so prideful as to assume that doing so is safe. Lacking humility is also a sin worthy of condemnation. Repent!"

The thwack of the Yama's stick against Renko's forehead resounded thrice more. As Renko cringed away, the Yama exhaled a single breath and turned to face me.

"Maéreverie Hearn!" she called stridently.

I took a breath to compose myself and nodded, my hands clasped in front of me.

"You are also complicit in Renko's sin. Your admiration for her abilities only serves to fuel her pride, leading both of you toward your destruction. I think that you know this. If you wish to stay by her side, then you have a role to play in containing her behavior. So long as you continue to unquestioningly accept her demands of you, you are guilty of encouraging her to sin, and corrupting the soul of another is also worthy of contempt. Repent!"

Her blow landed directly in between my eyebrows. It hurt, with a sting that almost felt like I could feel the indentation of the kanji written on her stick as she stamped the mark across my forehead.

"Unlike your partner, you have a well-developed sense of danger. You should use that talent to act as a brake on her or else you are squandering your gifts when they could be protecting those you love. You should be more assertive toward Renko, she is neither your superior nor your parent. She is your equal. Remember that, and envision yourself on equal terms. Your relationship with her could be a blessing in your life. But it could equally well be the thing that ends it. If you wish for that relationship to continue, then you must realize that it is you, Maéreverie Hearn, and not any other human or youkai who is responsible for protecting such a reckless person."

I winced, expecting another blow, but none came. Blinking rapidly, I looked down at the Yama.

She expected me to protect Renko? Was such a thing even possible?

"You have both chosen to burden yourselves with responsibilities toward the other. Do you understand this?"

"Y-yes"

"...Yes."

"Good. I hope for your sakes that the day I stand before you in judgment is far off. Good day, to the both of you. And to you, Miss Hieda." With that and a brief nod, the Yama departed.I let out a sigh of relief while Renko stooped to retrieve her hat from the ground. Beside us, Akyuu was laughing happily.

Renko sighed, rubbing her forehead. "That's my second near-death experience."

"Well, my near-condolences on your near-loss then. You should listen to what Lord Yama says though. She’s never wrong and what she says is out of consideration for others. If you take her warnings to heart, it's a rare opportunity to know your fate in the afterlife before it befalls you. It's not often she has free time, and she chose to spend it coming here to check up on you two."

"If you're saying she's a blessing in disguise then it's a very good disguise," Renko grumbled as she rubbed at her forehead.

I reached out and grabbed my partner by the cheek. "You heard the Yama, Renko. You need to learn to be more humble." Renko cried out in pain and I sighed to myself, hearing the Yama’s words echo in my mind. I had no doubt whatsoever that if I hadn’t intervened she would have been about to say something disparaging about the Yama. This is the duty that falls to me, not any other human or youkai.

"Now let's get back to the village before something eats us." I said as I released my grip and turned to face her.

My partner blinked in surprise as I released her then turned to look at me with a slight smile on her face. "Yeah, alright," she said.

What really was the nature of the relationship I had with Renko? Was it really anything more than mutual dependency? Renko was my polestar, my one connection to humanity. That was just as true here in Gensokyo as it had been back in Kyoto. Whether I was to live out my days here or somehow return home, I couldn't see that changing.

I didn't want it to. I wanted to stay by her side forever.

The sound of the Prismrivers' music echoed from somewhere far off, carried by the wind. Somewhere, I supposed, ghosts would be following that sound. Rising from the temporary forms they had taken to become mere phantoms, streaking through the skies on their journey toward the endless cycle of rebirth, to be reincarnated, know the joys and sorrows of life once more, to die and then begin again.

This cycle was the destiny of all living things, Renko and I included. On some far off day, even if nothing else separated us first, our lives would eventually end. In time we would stand before the Yama, separately or together and then we would be parted, our ultimate fates unknown and unknowable.

For now though, I could be close to Renko. I could feel the warmth of her hand as the wind teased my hair and whispered through the grasses. Petals blew in from somewhere, decorating the brilliant blue of the sky with a splash of color for a moment before twisting away and vanishing in a gust.

Perhaps, like those petals, you have some destination in mind, but no way to reach it, relying upon the wind and blind luck to see you through safely. Sometimes that's good enough. But if, in your journeys through life, you should ever find that the winds of fate drive you up against an obstacle you have no way to surmount, then might I suggest you take a temporary detour and find your way to the storage shed behind Keine's temple school. There, if you reach out and knock, you may find two souls within who can help you to find a way past the obstacles you are facing, waiting to hear your story and say to you "Welcome to the Hifuu Detective Agency."

[End of Book 5: Phantasmagoria of Flower View]

-.-.-.-.-

Author's Afterword:
Thank you for reading this far. I am Asagihara Shinobu, the author.

Regarding this Incident, much of the information about it comes from Seasonal Dream Vision, which was hard to find. I was worried about how much setting information and background I should include and so in the end I ended up with an unusual story like this one.

It might be a bit different than what you expected, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

Regarding the relationship between Yuuka and Akyuu, those of you who have read my other works may find it familiar but I don't intend for this story to be part of those. YuuAkyuu is great.

Next up is 𝑇𝑜𝑢ℎ𝑜𝑢 𝐹𝑢𝑢𝑗𝑖𝑛𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑢: Mountain of Faith. I look forward to seeing you all then.