東方プロジェクト二次小説・オリジナル小説サイト
Epilogue: The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

Epilogue

And that was the story of the "Scarlet Mist Incident," as we witnessed it. Whether or not Renko's supposition as to the nature of the mansion, or Patchouli's subsequent additions to that story were true, only the residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion can ever really know. As a reader, you too will sadly never know the truth with any certainty. You may choose to believe my retelling of events, or treat this book as a joke rather than a mystery. Absolute faith in any detective's deductions is another fantasy that was considered outdated by the end of the 20th century, after all.

Still, I think of my partner as a great detective. Perhaps as the sort of great detective who can only exist in fantasy. What if the all-encompassing conspiracy my partner envisioned really is the truth? What if the already mysterious members of the Scarlet Devil Mansion had an even more mysterious origin story in their past? Wouldn't that be very interesting?

I think so. But ultimately the choice of whether or not to accept such a tale, which differs quite substantially from the ones most anyone else would tell you about the place, is up to you. In the world Renko and I come from, the acceptance of subjectivity ironically led to the death of comfortable illusions like objective certainty and instead incorporated the things that used to be called fantasies as just another part of mundane, scientific understanding. Our Hifuu Club is a circle that seeks out impossible illusions in that world, and seeks to return the wonder of discovery to a mechanistic world already thought to be fully understood.

After all, wouldn't a world devoid of any unknowns simply be too boring?



We still do not know how or why we came to be in this world. We don't know why Usami Sumireko's room was connected to Gensokyo or to this time period. Nor do we know why she called herself a member of the 'Hifuu Club' or whether there's any connection between the name she picked and the one Renko chose.

If it is the year 2003 in the Outside World, however, it must be right around the time when Sumireko was born. What that connection could mean though, we couldn't begin to guess.

At any rate, it seems inevitable that Renko and I will have to go on living in this fantasyland for a while. This mysterious, dangerous, easygoing and joyful world of contrasts and wonder.



But before I say anymore of how Renko and I adapted to our lives here, let me say a little more about the events that directly followed the end of our second meeting with the young Miss Flandre.

A few days after I had finished reading 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 to Flandre, Renko finally snapped out of the funk she had been in. She had been quiet and withdrawn for days. A result, I had thought, of Patchouli's dismissal of her confident, if seemingly delusional deductions. That all ended when Sakuya showed up unexpectedly one day while the two of us were helping Keine at her temple school.

"Hello Miss Usami, Miss Hearn." She had greeted us with a formal bow.

"Miss Sakuya? What are you doing here in the village?"

"I've come to deliver your invitations. You are to be our honored guests."

The invitations Sakuya presented to us were written in English, for some reason. It said, simply '[Your attendance is required at a party to be held tomorrow at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. So be there. This is an order.]' It seemed more like a joke to me than an invitation, but if it was penned by Remilia, refusing seemed like a poor decision.

"Miss Remilia is throwing a party?" I asked.

"Yes. She thought it would behoove her to greet the people of Gensokyo once again, in a more amicable manner."

I glanced over at Renko, who nodded eagerly.



The next evening we arrived at the Scarlet Devil Mansion with Keine and Akyuu, who had also received invites. Keine in particular had been surprised by this, as she had had nothing to do with the incident at the time it occurred. Although to the both of them their invitations might seem frivolous, if you subscribed to Renko's interpretation of the facts, Gensokyo's official Chronicler and its best-known historian were absolute must-haves for the purpose of spreading the story of the vampire sisters.

From the front doors of the mansion to the heavy iron gate, now thrown wide to admit visitors, the whole of the expansive front yard of the mansion had been transformed into a party venue, with numerous tables, colorful plates and opulent decorations all beautifully set out. Along with the many maid fairies flitting about, numerous other fairy children in a variety of different outfits were flying overhead, uninvited, but drawn to the scene by the clamor and excitement. Lamps had been fastened to the walls of the mansion as well as to the roof of a gazebo that arched over the path between the flowerbeds, illuminating the gardens with a soft light that seemed to stretch much further than the light of an oil lamp should, perhaps as a result of one of Patchouli's spells.

"Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, everyone. Please come this way" Meiling had greeted us, then led us to a table where two familiar faces were already present. Reimu and Marisa smiled back at us. It seems all of the humans in attendance had been seated together.

"Oooh you two got invited too? And Keine is here as well!" Marisa exclaimed.

"Yes." Keine had smiled "I'm here as these girls' guardian and chaperone. I could be your guardian too, if you like."

"If that means having to go back to living in the village, forget it." Marisa retorted. "I'd rather never have to see my father's face again." Marisa glowered and Keine sighed. It seemed her family situation might be a bit complicated.

"Marifffaaa!" called an unfamiliar voice and a small girl appeared, descending from the sky and seeming to balance precariously as she hovered in place, from the way she kept her arms outstretched. She had golden hair cut in a short bob with a red ribbon tied on one side. Her eyes were bright red and she had almost half of a roasted chicken sticking out of her mouth, held in by a drumstick pressed against the inside of her cheek. Dressed in a one piece black frock, she might have been mistaken for Marisa's little sister if not for the inhuman aura she exuded and the faint dimness that seemed to surround her. Looking at her, her face seemed somehow to be less well lit than anything around her, but still bright with excitement.

"Hey, be careful there, kiddo. If the maid sees you eatin' the food here, she'll stab you with a knife."

"Is that so?" the hovering child asked, pulling the bird out of her mouth with an air of wonder. "If I eat it before she sees though, I should be fine."

"Well that's one way of lookin' at it."

"Marisa, what are you doing taming that youkai?" Reimu cut in with a disapproving glare.

"I had a run-in with this rugrat in the road the other day durin' the Incident, and she's been followin' me around ever since."

"Do you want some, Marisa?" the child asked.

"Sure." Marisa grinned, pulling a wing from the bird dangling from the girl's grip. I wondered briefly if this is what it meant to live in a world where humans and youkai co-exist.

"Oh dear. Do the low-class rabble here not even wait for the hostess to arrive before eating?" The voice asking this was Remilia's, spoken with a twist of cruel mirth as she strode down the garden path toward us, a fancy parasol in hand, tilted against the last afterglow of dusk. Whether or not she truly was a vampire, calling herself one before everyone gathered here and being recognized by them would reinforce her nature as one, according to the precepts of Relativistic Noology. I wondered if the rays of the sun would actually hurt her, at this point.

"Thank you for graciously inviting us, miss," said Renko, nodding her head.

"But of course. See to it that you all have a good time. And spread word of the prestige and glory of the Scarlet Devil throughout Gensokyo!" Remilia gestured pompously at the elaborate decorations and refreshments surrounding us.

Akyuu looked about and nodded demurely. "I suppose I will have to add this to the chronicles, won't I?"

"That explains why we were invited, I assume." Keine grumbled beside her.

Then Remilia turned unexpectedly to regard me. "You. Maéreverie, wasn't it? How did you enjoy those cookies from Sakuya?"

"What?" I blurted, flabbergasted.

"I heard from Sakuya that you stopped by the mansion three days ago. She said she gave you a bag of cookies and sent you home."

It was absurd. How could she claim to have seen me three days ago? Unless...

"Oh. Uh, they were delicious."

"I'm sure they were. Everything Sakuya does is always flawless."

Remilia nodded to herself in satisfaction. Could she have been talking about the events that occurred in my dream? The note that had been found in the bamboo grove hundreds of years ago. The cookies three days ago. Had I really been hopping not just across the border separating our world from Gensokyo but through countless different eras in this world as well? If that dream had brought me to this world from only three days ago, then Sakuya would have already known me at that time, but would never have seen me before when we encountered each other in the library.

"Please excuse me."

Sakuya appeared without a sound along with a fine crystal glass for each of us at the table all carried on a silver tray. As she proceeded to pour us drinks, music began to play suddenly, melodic and tasteful, but strangely warbling and with an eerie sadness. I looked over to see three girls floating in the air, playing an ensemble of violin, trumpet and electronic keyboard, a most unusual combination. I wondered if they might be youkai of some kind.

"Milady, I believe it's time to greet everyone."

"Well then, shall we have a toast?" With that, Remilia fluttered her wings and floated up into the air, ascending to alight on the balcony of the terrace overlooking the yard. Raising a glass high and spreading her other arm wide, she spoke with an equal mix of eloquence and arrogance, greeting the assembled guests while praising herself and her mansion at length. No one much seemed to listen until the final word of her speech—

"Cheers!"

The clinking of glasses filled the air and the party roared into full swing. While I was tasting the food that Sakuya had served up, which was as exquisite as ever, a familiar voice rang out over the general din. "Ah! Marisa! And Merry is here too!" It was Flandre, who was perched atop Meiling's shoulders, peering above the heads of the crowd. Having spied us, she leapt off and floated over to where we were seated. I was surprised to see that her wings fluttered and waved as she flew, making the dangling crystals ring like a windchime, though I can't imagine the wings did anything to hold her aloft.

"Hey, smallfry," Marisa greeted her. "Are you allowed to go outside now?"

"Uh-huh! Big sister said I can go wherever I want in the mansion. Hey, Marisa, I brought a bunch of coins, can I buy a few more tries?"

"Later kid, I'm busy eating right now."

"But after? You'll let me buy a continue?"

"No matter how many lives you buy, it won't be enough. Who do you think I am, kid?" Marisa grinned wryly.

"You're awfully popular with the little ones, Miss Marisa." I smiled. "First that one in black and now Flandre. You must have the heart of a child yourself."

"It's not like that," Marisa said, pouting. "This kid's just getting out to play for the first time in 495 years. Of course she wants to do somethin' fun!"

"Like reading with Merry! Read me another story while we wait for Marisa to eat!"

"Me?" My eyebrows rose as she turned her attention to me. " I don't have a book with me this time. What would you want me to read you?"

"Hmm... something where a whole bunch of people die in a hurry and then the detective solves the mystery!"

"Is there even a book like that?" Marisa laughed around a forkful of food.

"Well the first thing to come to mind would be the writings of Seiryouin Ryuusui, but there isn't time to read him. Moreover, I didn't have any of his books here."

"Well then maybe I should make a case here and Renko can solve it! 'Murder In The Red House!' Or maybe 'The Mystery Of The Serial Dismemberments At The Scarlet Devil Mansion!' Who should my first victim be? Meiling?"

At this point Meiling had nearly waded through the crowd in pursuit of Flandre and was arriving at our table. "What? No, I'm just a regular youkai, young miss, not a victim."

"Besides," Renko interjected. "If you know the M.O., the motive and the culprit from the beginning, it wouldn't be much of a mystery, would it?"

"Awww." Flandre's wings drooped as her exuberance deflated.

"You're being far too naïve, miss detective," said Remilia, who had descended from the balcony to hover over our table. "It's never the obviously suspicious character who turns out to be the killer. A good story redirects your attention so that it can later reveal an unexpected culprit." Remilia smiled with her usual arrogance, then thrust out her arm to point at Patchouli, who had been sitting quietly, drinking tea at the table next to us. "The killer was you all along, Patchy!"

"What's this all of a sudden?" the magician asked, a bored expression on her face.

"Come on, confess. The evidence is clear. Patchy must have used magic to create a locked room and a perfect alibi, then magically dismembered the gatekeeper and framed us for her crimes! If not for Sakuya's brilliant deductions and careful sleuthing, she might even have got away with it!"

"Why am I still the victim?" pleaded Meiling.

"That just sounds like Maya Yutaka's 𝘈𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 series..." I muttered. Though come to think of it I don't think that had even come out yet in 2003.

"You don't get to be the great detective, Remi!" Flandre cried. "There's already one here and it's Usami Renko."

"Oh that's right," Remilia turned back to us. "I heard you had been telling Patchy some funny stories. Rather cheeky of you. But I'm afraid you'll have to relinquish your role to me for today."

"Well I suppose if you can prove your deductions are superior to mine, I'd be willing to give up the title. At least for today."

"Oh, a contest? That sounds like it could be fun. Alright then, human, we'll begin our competing investigations of the Scarlet Devil Mansion Serial Murder Case!"

"I'll begin preparations immediately, milady."

"Enough! Stop it, all of you or I'm exterminating everyone here!" Reimu shouted.

The party was just another peaceful evening in this dreamlike world of Gensokyo.



It was quite a bit later that we were making our way home. Reimu and Marisa had flown with us as far as the gates of the village while Keine carried Akyuu home, but now we were walking, somewhat unsteadily, back toward the room we called home behind the temple school. The party had been boisterous, and Renko and I were both more accustomed to drinking new-style artificial alcohol than the old-style stuff that flowed freely at the party. Despite the bracing wind of the flight back, I could still feel a warm flush radiating across my face.

"Oh, Merry! By the way...." Renko began, out of the blue. "I think I'm going to open a detective agency."

"What? Are you serious?"

The light was sparkling like twinkling stars in her eyes, but I couldn't tell if that was the alcohol or the excitement animating her as she spoke. "It'll be just like when we first started the Hifuu Club," she said happily, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. "It would be kind of strange to call ourselves an 'occult circle' outside of an academic context, and this way we'll have a more appropriate name and position for ourselves as we uncover the secrets of this world."

The only thing crazier than Renko's regular harebrained schemes were her drunken harebrained schemes. "I can see you've given this some serious thought."

"I have, actually. I've been thinking about it for the last few days, in fact. There are mysteries in this world that exceed the scope of anything that could be discovered in our own age of science. Think what bizarre, strange and mysterious truths we might uncover in a place like Gensokyo!" Renko spun around gleefully with her arms outstretched, childishly dancing in the silvery moonlight.

"And just think," she continued. "There aren't any other detective agencies in the human village. We could become highly respected investigators performing a vital service for the humans of this world. That's exactly what the Hifuu Club should aspire to be!"

I let out a heavy sigh. That's the sort of person my partner, Usami Renko is. At one moment a calculating genius and the next an innocent child. This is exactly how my life back in Kyoto had been as well—every day was at risk of being hijacked at a moment's notice to pursue the whims and sate the curiosity of one Usami Renko. Given the circumstances and how far I had followed her date, there was only one question I could ask.

"So what's the name of our detective agency?"

Renko stopped spinning and turned to face me. The trenchcoat she had never managed to return whirled behind her as she pulled down the brim of her hat with one hand and posed with the other on her hip.

"We'll be the Hifuu Detective Agency, what else?" She excitedly declared.



—And so it was that we moved into the disused storehouse behind the temple school and opened a detective agency. Here we spend our afternoons waiting, most days. Waiting for the most extraordinary mysteries and wonders that Renko seems certain are bound to find us at any moment.

We may not have the power of the Hakurei shrine maiden, but I am certain that this land is filled with mysteries that only we could solve. If you happen to know of any such puzzling conundrums, please don't hesitate to knock on our door so that maybe, just maybe, my partner and I can reveal the dazzling truths of this world to you.

With that, I suppose that all that there is left for me to say is ‘Welcome to the Hifuu Detective Agency.'Usami Renko, Director and Chief Investigator and Maéreverie Hearn, Director's Assistant stand ready to solve your case.

[𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥]



𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅:
Thank you for reading. If you are new to my work, please look forward to the upcoming stories and thank you again for taking the time to read. If you are a regular reader, I thank you for your ongoing support. I am Shinobu Asakihara, the author.

Endless thanks to EO for providing the wonderful illustrations for each chapter.

It would be odd for an author to make a long list of excuses for every little thing, but I feel compelled to point out one issue even if no one else notices it.

The details about how one night inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion became a week outside of it were necessary to account for an inconsistency in ZUN's description of the incident. In the online manual for EoSD, Reimu is heading to the incident to stop the fog from descending into the village, however in PMiSS it mentions the village having been covered in fog. Unless you assume that Reimu tried and failed to resolve the problem several times, this is what that situation would look like.

Book 2, the story of Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom will be next. Thank you for your continued support of the Hifuu Detective Agency.