The Rabbits Are (Not) Invading!

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//Note: This takes place before Touhou 19.// You are Ringo. Once a military intelligence officer for the Lunarians, you've since deserted to live a quiet, peaceful life in Gensokyo. Your close friend, Seiran, was quick to meet up with you when she realized her superiors were not coming back to retrieve her. Even in spite of the two of you becoming competing dango saleswomen, you two are practically inseparable. Today, Seiran has invited you to take a day just to hang out, like the old days. You're more than happy to spend a day with your pal given how long it's been, enough that you take a day off from your stall to be ready as soon as possible. You already had your outfit picked out in advance, even though it was always going to be the same style of crop top and shorts you always wear, just to make sure they were free of wrinkles in the morning. The fact that you're so concerned with that first impression has you wondering... Oh well, you'll figure it out when you wake up. [[Start. ->Your bedroom.]] <<set $hasAwoken to false>>\ <<set $hasDango to false>>\ <<set $hasCarrots to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenKissing to false>>\ <<set $hasBook to false>>\ <<set $hasGeta to false>>\ <<set $hasFlour to false>>\ <<set $hasCutlery to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenSeiranBlush to false>>\ <<set $hasWon to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenMisumaru to false>>\ <<set $hasArrived to false>>\ <<set $hasReachedMountain to false>>\ ''SEEN ENDINGS'' <<if $hasEndingOne is true>>\ ''1: Newfound Revelation'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTwo is true>>\ ''2: Reaffirmation'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingThree is true>>\ ''3: Always Next Time.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingFour is true>>\ ''4: Need Help Finding Love? Just Use a Mallet.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingFive is true>>\ ''5: We Were Both Stupid!'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingSix is true>>\ ''6: Trying Something New Only Sometimes Hurts!'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingSeven is true>>\ ''7: Things Can Always Be Worse.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingEight is true>>\ ''8: Sorry About That.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingNine is true>>\ ''9: Sometimes, You Just Need a Nap.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTen is true>>\ ''10: A Bit of Inspiration.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingEleven is true>>\ ''11: New Aya Game When?'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTwelve is true>>\ ''12: Wait, You're Cool After All?'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\

<<if $hasAwoken is false>>\ The sun's rays shine through your window and blare down on your face, making your awakening a fair bit more uncomfortable than it needs to be. You cover your eyes with an arm even as you open them, then force yourself from a lying position to a sitting one. Today you're going to spend the entire day with your old pal Seiran, a fellow Earth-dwelling moon rabbit, so you need to get ready, and fast. You get out of bed and rush through your morning routine. Nothing important to go over, but to put it simply, you end up fully awake and wearing your best clothes. You snag your cap and stick it on, your lop ears poking out of the sides as usual. You're ready, there's no denying that. You just have one more thing you need to do before you go find Seiran, and that's talking to an old friend over at Eientei. Before you do that, you get one last good look around your room. <<else>>\ You are back in your room. <</if>>\ Furnishings are fairly limited, though it's just enough to keep you happy. A futon, a closet, a table, a few simple games and books in the corner, it's all simple but efficient. If you need anything else, you can always just go outside anyway. Your kitchen is down the hall and is where you keep your supplies for your dango stall. You can stop by there quickly for a light snack, or just head straight out. [[Your kitchen.]] [[Eientei.]]

Eientei is thankfully not a long walk from home. This old fashioned pharmacy in the middle of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost is a haven for Earth rabbits, though moon rabbits like yourself tend to have a hard time fitting in with the culture of the place. Still, it's nice getting to chat with your fellow bunnies once in a while. In fact, there's one such bunny you know all too well. A pink-haired rabbit in a white dress shirt sits on the steps leading up to the entrance, organizing some items next to her. That there is Reisen, a former soldier who defected to Earth several decades prior. Though Seiran was closer to her, you were definitely familiar, and that led to you becoming decent friends again in the modern day. You wave as you approach her spot in order to get attention, and sure enough it does, prompting a wave in response. "Good morning, Ringo." Reisen puts down a bottle she was holding to focus on you. "How are you doing?" "Hi, Reisen. I wanted to say hi before my big outing today. Seiran and I are going out on an excursion; I'm not sure where, but I trust her instincts." "Oh, good for you. You and Seiran are awful close, aren't you? I hope you're treating her well, even if her and I aren't together anymore I do still care about her." "Are you implying you don't trust me?" You chuckle. "Don't worry, I promise to be nothing but kind to her." "Good." Reisen smiles. "So, anything you want to talk about before you head out?" [["How are you doing?"]] [["Do you have any advice?"]] [["No, I'm good."]] <<set $hasAwoken to true>>\

This is your kitchen. You have two distinct segments, one for eating and one for stashing away your dango supplies. Running the dango stall is your main source of income, so you try your best to use only the best materials. You snatch some regular dango and eat a skewer-full, feeling rejuvenated by the end. <<if $hasDango is false>>\ You soon find your stash of emergency dango as well. You have the special ability to grow stronger whenever you eat dango, so you have a stash of special dango that preserves extremely well in case of, well, emergencies. <<linkreplace "Take the dango.">> \ You take the dango. Never hurts to be too safe. <<set $hasDango to true>>\ <</linkreplace>> \ <<else>>\ Your dango stash is noticeably emptier. It's okay, you can make some more later, and now you're ready for anything. <</if>>\ [[Your bedroom.]] [[Eientei.]] <<set $hasAwoken to true>>\

Your Bag: <<if $hasDango is true>>Emergency Dango<</if>> <<if $hasCarrots is true>>Reisen's Carrots<</if>> <<if $hasBook is true>>Stall Repair Guide<</if>> <<if $hasGeta is true>>New Geta<</if>> <<if $hasFlour is true>>Rice Flour<</if>> <<if $hasCutlery is true>>Repaired Cutlery<</if>>

<<set $hasDango to false>> <<set $hasCarrots to false>> <<set $hasSeenKissing to false>> <<set $hasBook to false>> <<set $hasGeta to false>> <<set $hasFlour to false>> <<set $hasCutlery to false>> <<set $hasSeenSeiranBlush to false>> <<set $hasConfidence to false>> <<set $hasSeenWistfulLady to false>> <<set $hasWon to false>> <<set $hasArrived to false>> <<set $hasReachedMountain to false>>

"I'm doing fine," Reisen says. "I'm just sorting out some medicine for Lady Eirin. I don't have to head out into the village today, so instead I'll be helping with the interior today." Oh right, she's working for Eirin isn't she? You remember Eirin being an incredibly important figure in Lunarian history, important enough that unlike Kaguya, very few people seemed particularly mad at her for deserting. It's surreal knowing that she's been living on Earth for so long, but at the very least she's not trying to impose the Moon's oppressive systems down here. "You like Eirin, don't you Reisen?" "N-not like that, Ringo, seriously, I'm already dating Youmu-" "Wait, that's not what I meant!" You rapidly shake your head in an attempt to get the point across. Whoops, that was a stupid mistake. "I just meant in a nice way, like as a friend or someone you look up to." "O-oh, right... sorry, when someone says they like someone else, sometimes they mean it was a euphemism for... you know... but uh, I respect Eirin, yes. She's stern, sometimes she gets mad at me if I screw up, but she does care about me." "That's nice. Reminds me of Seiran a little." "Ohh, I don't know, she might get grumpy but it's never with //you//. Sheesh, you two are closer now than I was with her on the moon. I'm almost a little jealous, aha." [["Do you have any advice?"]] [["No, I'm good."]]

"My advice?" Reisen shrugs. "Just take it easy. It's not like it's a date or anything. Unless... is it? //Is it//?" Reisen leans forward and winks at you. You shake your head. "N-no, we're just hanging out. I think. What separates a date from hanging out anyway?" "Oh, it's pretty simple. If you're dating, it means one or both of you want to couple up. You know, start a relationship. If not, then you're just hanging out." "Okay, okay... so I think we're just hanging out then." "Alright. I wish you luck." Reisen gives you a reassuring nod. <<if $hasCarrots is false>>\ "Oh, I just remembered I had some carrots I bought in the village yesterday. I remember Seiran absolutely loving carrots. Do you want any?" <<linkreplace "Accept the carrots.">> \ "Sure, I'll take a few. I'm sure she'll be glad to have some." Reisen nods and gives you a few carrots. "Thanks, Reisen." "You're welcome. I hope she likes them." <<set $hasCarrots to true>>\ <</linkreplace>> \ <<else>>\ Reisen smiles. "Hope she enjoys the carrots I gave you." <</if>>\ [["How are you doing?"]] [["No, I'm good."]]

"Nope, I'm ready to go." "Okay, have a safe trip!" You wave farewell to Reisen and walk through the Bamboo Forest on your way to find Seiran. You're lucky you've never gotten lost in this place, it has a tendency to send people on wild goose chases to get anywhere. Maybe it's your intuition as a rabbit that makes you handle a forest teeming with other rabbits so well, maybe not, but you're not about to go make any wild guesses. You soon find the girl of the day. Seiran, a blue haired rabbit in a rather nice dress. She's often seen carrying a mochi pounding mallet with her, the head coated in dried-on bean paste from frequent use, and today is no exception. She beckons you over, a bright smile on her face; truthfully she doesn't smile often, but seeing you seems to be an exception. "Hiya Ringo!" "Morning, Seiran. Are you ready for today?" "Sure am!" Seiran nods, at least a little excited. "Even all these years later you're still my favorite person around, so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was that we were finally able to organize this." Seeing Seiran in such a good mood is honestly infectious. You can't help but smile in turn. <<if $hasCarrots is true>>\ "Oh, right. I just remembered that Reisen gave me these." You retrieve the carrots that Reisen gave you from your bag. "Did you want some?" "Oh boy, would I? Here, how about we split them." You mod in agreement, and immediately hand half of the carrots to Seiran. Her eyes practically sparkle as she looks down at them, and you think you see a bit of saliva out of the corner of her mouth. It's odd though, she seems to be holding back on eating them. Peculiar, though since you're already hungry again, you decide to get to eating already... <<linkreplace "Eat the carrots.">>\ ...and at that first bite, she finally starts. She's a remarkably quick eater, somehow both taking small and fast bites at the same time. It's very rabbit-like, actually, quite cute if you must say so yourself. "Thanks, Ringo, those were nice." "You're welcome. Be sure to thank Reisen too, I'm sure she'll be glad to know you liked them." "Alright, I'll be sure to. I'll have to think of something to do for her in turn." You nod. With that out of the way, you start to wonder how the rest of the day will go. <<set $hasCarrots to false>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [["What did you have in mind?"]]

"Oh, I actually had a lot of things planned. I packed some lunch for us to eat over at the Misty Lake, so we can start there." Seiran reaches down and hoists up a bag that was on the ground next to her. Wait a minute, how did you not notice that? "Afterward, I know you wanted to do some shopping in the village so we can fit that in. Lastly... well, it's been a while since we were last at that mountain, right? I know there's a lot of stuff there, so I wanted to go do something before the night is over. Not sure what though, maybe we'll figure it out when we're done." Shucks, seems Seiran had your whole day planned out for you. Figures she'd be so good at planning, infiltration was a remarkably dangerous job from what you heard. Given your old cushy intel job, you never really needed to do anything so risky, and as fortunate as you were to not be vulnerable, you couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Seiran's capabilities. But enough of old military nonsense. You force those thoughts out to focus on the much happier topic of the day at hand. "So, are you ready to go, Ringo?" "Yep, I'm go. Lead the way." Seiran nods. She nabs your arm and leads you off on your journey. First stop, the Misty Lake. [[Start with lunch.]]

The Misty Lake is quite nice this time of day. Late morning means that it's not too hot, but the sun shining and the minimal cloud coverage prevents it from being too cold either. The occasional fairy flying around above the water gives the place a whimsical feel, perfect for a pleasant outing like this. "This is the place." Seiran approaches a spot underneath a tree and sits down with her bag, beckoning you to join her. You do so and she begins to unload the contents; it's a simple lunch all things considered, cooked fish with rice and vegetables, but it's all presented professionally, maybe even izakaya quality. "This looks nice," you comment. "I'd pay money for this." "Thanks," Seiran responds, a smug little grin on her face. "You may be better at making dango, but we both know who the better overall chef is." "Ain't that the truth?" You chuckle as you begin to eat. Sure enough, it tastes as good as it looks. You happily chow on your meal as you think about how to proceed with your outing. [["Anything new with you?"]] [[Look around the lake.]] [[Finish up. ->The Human Village.]]

The mention of new events causes Seiran to perk up. "Oh hey, you just reminded me! You know that gem I nabbed from the Lunar Capital before we all left for the invasion? I'm thinking I might use it for something soon." "Shoot, that thing? What did you have in mind?" Seiran has an interesting look on her face after you ask your question. You can think of only one word to describe it: Determination. "I think I want to make a paradise." "Paradise? I don't know, this place is already pretty nice." "Sure, it's nice for you," Seiran responds, "but for me? And plenty of other moon rabbits who were left here? No one wants us around. The Lunarians think we're impure, the Gensokyans think we're bigoted invaders, and nothing I can do can change their minds. So I want to make a place where folks like us can live in peace, no longer having to worry about stuff like that." You admit, it's an ambitious goal. Truthfully, you have no idea how doable it even is, but you do get it. You were quick to adjust to Gensokyo's culture, but the same can't be said for your fellow moon rabbits, and the remarks were very real, especially coming from the local youkai. As much as you enjoy working near the village, you can't help but feel like this paradise idea may not be a bad one. It's her passion and penchant for great ideas that makes her so worthy of respect. "I wish you luck with that, Seiran." You continue to eat. "If you need any help, be sure to let me know." "Thanks Ringo. I doubt I'll need your help, but thanks for the offer." [[Look around the lake.]] [[The Human Village.]]

There isn't much new you notice when you take an extra look around the lake. Well, there is one thing. On the bank you can see a vaguely familiar wolf youkai with brown hair and a long dress lying prone, staring at the water below. She kicks her feet back and forth and her tail swishes from side to side behind her. "Oh, that's that werewolf, right?" Seiran seems to recognize her at least. "Kagerou I think, I hear the Earth rabbits are really scared of her. She doesn't actually hurt them or anything, but you know, wolves and rabbits." "Oh, that's interesting," you comment. "I wonder what she's doing away from the forest-" Your question soon receives an answer in the form of a splash of water, and a figure rising from the waves. A blue haired lady wearing a simple green kimono jumps up and toward Kagerou, though a look at her lower half tells you she's no ordinary woman, but rather a rare and illusive mermaid. Kagerou somehow manages to get to her knees and catch her in her arms just in time. "Oh shoot, she's got the mermaid. Those are rare, I wonder what-" Suddenly, Kagerou reaches down and plants a kiss right on the mermaid's lips! It's a quick smooch, but it's clearly enough to make this mermaid happy as she smooches back right after and pulls the werewolf into a hug. You find yourself thinking this is... weirdly adorable, maybe even a little inspiring. "Aww, they're cute." Seiran then sighs quietly and rests her head in her hands. "You ever wonder what it'd be like to have something like that?" "...huh, a little," you admit. "Having someone you can just... do stuff like that with. Hugs and kisses, be cute with. I wish I had that." "Yeah..." Seiran stares at the water. "Hopefully it's soon for both of us." Romance is confusing, you have to admit. When you realized you weren't attracted to men, it was... well, it was a strange time for you. Doubly so when you realized there were so few folks out and about on the Moon. Folks would enter deeply unhappy marriages just to maintain some illusion of purity, it was downright //depressing//. And though you're so, //so// glad that Gensokyo is so open about that sort of thing, you still haven't had any luck finding a partner. And so you find yourself just nodding along, saying the first words that come to mind. "Yeah, hopefully soon." [["Anything new with you?"]] [[The Human Village.]] <<set $hasSeenKissing to true>>

<<if $hasArrived is false>>\ You and Seiran finally finish your lunch, clean up quickly, and walk off to the village. Thankfully it's not a long stroll, and the two of you arrive by early afternoon. "We're here," Seiran chimes in a sing-songy tone. "I don't need to make many stops personally, but if I do I'll tag along with you. Otherwise I can just stay out here and peruse the place. Haven't done much exploring here, I just stick to where my stall is usually." Seiran puts a hand to her hip and turns to face you. "So, lead on." <<else>>\ You are back in the village center. <</if>>\ You take this time to look around the village. You can see an assortment of humans hustling and bustling about, walking from store to store and chatting amongst themselves. It reminds you a bit of the Lunar Capital in a way, putting into perspective how few differences there actually are between the groups in the grand scheme of things no matter how superior the Lunarians may have felt. It's actually quite a peaceful place, and your reputation for selling quality dango has given yourself and Seiran a pass to show yourselves to the villagers. Certainly makes it easier to get what you need, at least. You remember you need to stop by the blacksmith anyway to get those knives you dropped off, so that may be a good stop to make. You also need some more rice flour to make your dango, so a stop at the market may be a good idea. Besides that is just some optional stuff. You'd like a new book to add to your collection, and maybe some geta in case you need to go on a more formal outing. You may not like shoes, but some establishments sure do. [[Suzunaan.]] [[The shoemaker.]] [[The open air market.]] [[The blacksmith.]] [[Leave the village.]]

Seiran deides to stay outside to look around, so you end up going into Suzunaan alone. Everything is arranged clearly and plainly, and things are remarkably easy to find. You're quite thankful, as you already had a vague idea of what you want to get before you started your search. As you approach the nonfiction section, a short lady with orange-brown hair walks up to you. Her apron identifies her as "Kosuzu." "Oh, you're one of the bunnies that runs the dango stalls, aren't you? I love visiting there, you make some good stuff." "I sure am, thank you," you respond, nodding. "Off duty today though, my rival and I are taking a day to ourselves." "Your rival?" Kosuzu seems to think for a moment, before nodding back. "Oh right, the blue one. I'll be honest, you two seem awful close for rivals. I admit, her getting so intense about her stall is kind of cute." "It's a friendly rivalry. We both know I'm on top, but..." You pause, thinking about what Kosuzu just said. Yeah, it is kind of cute, isn't it? "She's determined. It's admirable, don't you think?" "I'm kind of jealous of what you two have admittedly. Just being able to be that close with someone..." Kosuzu briefly zones out seemingly in thought, eventually coming to with a gentle slap to her own face. "But enough about me. Anything I can do for you?" <<if $hasBook is false>>\ You nod. "Do you have anything for repairing and maintaining market stalls? Mine is fine, but just in case." "Of course! It's right here." Kosuzu nabs a nearby book and shows it off, tilting it in a few different directions to get your attention. "The Marketeer's Repair Guide. This is an older copy, so we're offering it for sale instead of just as a rental. How does that sound?" <<linkreplace "Buy the book.">> \ You nod and exchange some money for the book. This seems to be exactly perfect for what you need, so why not get it? "Thank you! Hope it suits your needs!" <<set $hasBook to true>>\ <</linkreplace>> \ <<else>>\ You shake your head. "Alright. Enjoy the book, miss rabbit." <</if>>\ [[Back out. ->The Human Village.]] <<set $hasArrived to true>>\

Seiran stays outside, leaving you to step in here alone. The shoemaker's shop is small and unassuming, perfect for an owner as unassuming as this one. An elderly human lady stands behind a desk. "Oh, a rabbit youkai? Usually I'm not supposed to let youkai in, but my husband says rabbit youkai like yourself are harmless, so as long as you're a paying customer I'll give you a pass. Come on in." The youkai comment makes you grimace, but you get it. Gensokyo's youkai live in a constant state of insecurity, needing to be feared and mistrusted to live. Even though you aren't a youkai, being from the moon and all, they don't know that, nor do they care to try and differentiate, so you're not about to correct them. You walk over to the shelves and begin to browse, though you find that you're not looking too closely. "I must say, young miss, you remind me a bit of my own daughter. Prone to zoning out, that one is. Has a hard time picking out on obvious details." "O-oh, really?" You're caught off-guard by the comment as you look over at the shelves. Sheesh, are you really that obvious? "I'm sorry. I guess I just have a hard time rationalizing things. Ironic given my old job, but... well, I usually fluke my way through to the right conclusion anyway." "I see." The older lady looks down. "Well, just try your best to pay attention to any obvious cues someone is giving you. If you think you missed something, don't be afraid to take another look." <<if $hasGeta is false>>\ You soon find a rather nice looking pair of geta on a shelf, and for a cheap price. The wood is structurally sound enough that you don't have to worry about splinters either. "How much do these cost?" "Only a few yen. Not too much." That's perfectly affordable, and for such a nice design. Why not take them? <<linkreplace "Buy the geta.">> \ You exchange some money for the geta. Once the exchange is made you move over to a changing room and slip them on; wow, you're feeling taller already. You step out and offer your thanks to the storeowner. "Thank you, young lady. Have a good day." <<set $hasGeta to true>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ The lady nods at you. "I hope those new geta are working out for you, dear." <</if>>\ [[Back out. ->The Human Village.]] <<set $hasArrived to true>>\

Seiran decides to follow you over to the market, given that she has a few things she needs to get. Even then, the two of you end up splitting off once you get there once you realize the things you need are vastly different. Even with how busy and awkward the place is to navigate, it does basically have anything you could need, so you're willing to put up with it. While she looks around seemingly aimless, you have only one thing on your mind: Rice flour. You soon find your usual market stall being run not by the usual farmer, but by a red-haired girl wearing mostly black. You recognize her as something of an odd-jobber, never sticking to one profession for long. In truth, she's a youkai who sticks around the village to keep tabs on Gensokyo's human population, and the only reason you even know is that she fully admitted it to you once. Turns out not being human has its perks after all. "Hey," she says half-heartedly in a whispered tone, "how are you?" "Fine," you respond, being sure to keep your voice down as well. "Anything interesting go on in the village lately?" "Honestly? Not really." The redheaded youkai, Sekibanki, shakes her head. "Some folks are supposedly spotting youkai near that pub for old folks, but I'm not in the mood to check that out. Not much of a drinker." "Fair, fair." You nod and shrug. "Honestly, the only interesting thing I've seen lately was a mermaid kissing a werewolf-" Saying that prompts her eyes to go wide. Oh, that seemed to get her attention. "Waka and Kagerou? Man, they're close. Honestly, until I met my partner a while back I was stuck as their third wheel for ages. Still am, but at least I don't feel so awkward about it anymore. Having a partner is nice honestly, someone you can always rely on, do whatever with... it's pleasant." So she knows them? You knew Gensokyo was a small world, but not this small. Those comments about having a partner are also rather interesting. So that's what it's like to be in a relationship... "But anyway, can I get you anything?" <<if $hasFlour is false>>\ "Actually, you can. I need some new rice flour to make dango with. Do you have any?" "Sure, let me grab it for you." Sekibanki reaches down behind the stall. She eventually pulls out a sack of rice flour, exactly the kind you're looking for. "Usual price." <<linkreplace "Buy the flour.">> \ You exchange some money for the rice flour. "Thanks, I guess." <<set $hasFlour to true>>\ <</linkreplace>> \ <<else>>\ "No, I'm good." "Alright, have a good day I guess." <</if>>\ [[Back out. ->The Human Village.]] <<set $hasArrived to true>>\

"I guess I'll come with," Seiran says. "I don't think I've ever been in there before." You nod and allow Seiran to tag along. Now's the most important part of your trip. This blacksmith's shop is run by a youkai, but it's acclaimed enough that humans are largely willing to put up with the owner's eccentricities. It's remarkably silent when you enter, and also dimly lit. Even though everything is perfectly clean, the whole place just has an air of being abandoned. It's almost ominous in its atmosphere, putting you at a sense of unease. The blacksmith herself is nowhere to be seen, leaving you to look around wondering what happened to her. It's unsettling how quiet it is, actually, but it's hard to say you're scared. You stand around and wait for something to happen, until... <<if $hasCutlery is false>>\ "BOO!" [[Act surprised.]] [[Act confused.]] <<else>>\ "Hi!" Kogasa, the blacksmith, pops up from behind the counter, smiling. "Thanks for doing business! Come again!" [[Go back. ->The Human Village.]] <</if>>\ <<set $hasArrived to true>>\

"I'm ready to go, Seiran." "Good, good! Let's get going, then!" Seiran leads the way out of the village, dragging you along the way. You look back at the village behind you, everything just as busy as it was when you arrived. You can only hope that you remembered to get everything you needed as you find yourself walking off toward your next destination: Youkai Mountain. Your first impression of Earth. [[Head forward. ->Youkai Mountain.]] <<set $hasArrived to true>>\

"Ahh!" "Haha, gotcha!" Your blacksmith has arrived, prompting a jump from Seiran. A lady with cyan hair and heterochromia pops up from behind the counter, holding an oddly decorated umbrella. There's Kogasa, alright, always looking to spook even non-humans. "I'm surprised I even managed that. Hid my umbrella and everything. Oh, my partner would be proud of me for that one..." "Your partner?" "Yup!" Kogasa nods. "Sekibanki's her name. She's been giving me advice on how to be scarier. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it, don't you?" You nod. She sure got you, at least, and from the looks of it she got Seiran good too. "Good. Shucks, she makes me happy." "Haha... must be nice being with someone who can make you so happy, right?" Seiran stammers, definitely still recovering from what is undoubtedly the scariest thing she's ever seen in her life. Definitely. "Oh, absolutely, I wouldn't trade it for the world." The blacksmith's smile widens as she seems to reminisce. Her positive mood right now kind of reminds you of Seiran from this morning, actually. It's endearing. "Now, uh, can I do anything for you?" "I'm just here to get my knives back. Should be under Ringo?" "Oh, right, Ringo! Let me go get those for you." Kogasa hurries off to a side room. You hear the sound of things being tossed around and items clattering, before she returns with a box. She then hands it off to you. "Here you are, you two! Have a nice day!" "Thank you, you too." <<set $hasCutlery to true>>\ [[Go back out. ->The Human Village.]]

"Huh?" "W-wait, what? You weren't scared at all?" You blink. The blacksmith, Kogasa, rises from behind the counter gripping her signature umbrella, clearly pouting. "Aww, damn it. I thought Banki's advice was foolproof. Guess I still have a lot to figure out." She looks down and sighs, leaving you to think for a moment. Something about her demeanor right now reminds you of Seiran in a weird way. Getting worked up over failures, pouty when emotional, it's oddly familiar. And even with that sour expression, it's weirdly cute no matter who's doing it. And speaking of Seiran, she seems to be giving you a look of disapproval from the side. "Why couldn't you just pretend?" "What? I didn't realize what she was doing." Eventually, Kogasa is able to lighten up and address the both of you. "So, can I get you anything?" "I'm actually here to see if my cutlery is done. Ringo, remember?" "O-oh, right, Ringo. Sure, let me go get that for you." Kogasa walks off to a side room. You pick up on the sound of stuff being shuffled around, only for her to return soon after with a box and hand it off to you. "Here you go, you two. Have a nice day." "Thank you, you too." <<set $hasCutlery to true>>\ [[Go back out. ->The Human Village.]]

<<if $hasReachedMountain is false>>\ ''This is the checkpoint. From here on out you can choose to start any future playthroughs from this point.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ "Here we are," Seiran says, arms stretched out as she stares up at the mountain before you. "The place where our lives here started. Yeesh, even thinking about those creepy robots irks me now." By the time you hear Seiran's voice, it's already evening. The sky takes on a hint of an orange hue and the air is notably cooler and crisper than it was in the afternoon. The sheer size of the mountain before you is awe-inspiring on its own, even as you nearly hurt your neck trying to look all the way up. It's actually quite a nice view for this time of year. "Well, we have time to make one more stop before it's night-time. Did you have anywhere in mind, Ringo?" "Hmm... I'd have to think about it." Seiran gives a sympathetic nod in return. "Alright. If you can't think of anything, I know a quiet place we can spend the evening." [[Moriya Shrine.]] [[Untrodden Valley.]] [[Komakusa Gambling Den.]] [[Seiran's Spot.]]

"How about Moriya Shrine?" You suggest. "I remember staying near there during the invasion, the nearby lake is beautiful." "Weren't we just at a lake?" "Come on, trust me on this. This lake is //extra// beautiful, and we can even stop by the shrine beforehand." "Well... alright. I trust you to know about good spots." You lead Seiran over to an area nearby, some sort of fancy hi-tech spot; well, hi-tech comparatively to everything else in Gensokyo, when compared to the moon it's outright archaic. It's an aerial tram, an enclosed cart attached to wires which take it and several other carts up and down the mountain, specifically leading to the Moriya Shrine in this case. They were designed with the aid of the kappa to help humans reach the shrine, and though the local youkai are wary of its existence, it's at the very least convenient. "Come on, it'll be fun, trust me." "W-well, alright..." [[Ride the aerial tram.]] <<set $hasReachedMountain to true>>\

"You know that river that runs through the valley nearby? Usually there's kappa around, but if we're lucky we might find a spot where we can just sit and watch the fish swim through." The idea seems to intrigue Seiran, and she stops to think about it for a minute. She eventually comes up with a response. "Sure, that could be interesting. Just sitting, staring at the water... sounds peaceful. And hell, I think we might //need// some peace once in a while." "Well come on then," you tell her, "let's get over there." The two of you make your way over to the valley, a walk that at this point is starting to get a little painful for the both of you. It gets to the point where the both of you have to pull out a spell card so you can justify floating the rest of the way there. At least the scenery is nice, the grass is lush and rustles with the wind blowing against it and the leaves on the trees create a pleasant shade. It almost makes the tiredness worth it. Eventually the both of you find a decent looking spot. Close to the water, grassy, not too much dirt, far enough from any possible kappa settlements. Seems like this should work. You can get a good luck at the river water rushing through and brushing against the rocks; it's awfully serene, a nice place to rest. "This looks good. Come on over, let's, uh... let's get comfy." [[Sit by the river.]] <<set $hasReachedMountain to true>>\

"You know, I think I'm feeling funny," you tell Seiran with a hint of a smirk. "Remember the gambling parlor a bit further up?" The mention of a gambling parlor seems to invigorate something in Seiran. She nods and grins. "Aha! You know exactly how to get someone excited! Of course I'd love to go up there!" Yep, there's Seiran for you. You remember she used to be big into the Lunarian gambling halls; the purest form of vice, some folks would call them. Granted, she was always a horrible gambler, she was //always// losing, but that didn't stop her from having fun. And thankfully, she has you around to keep things fiscally responsible. The trip there is uneventful, thankfully, even if the two of you did have to fly up as opposed to walking. Upon arriving you can see a slow trickle of folks entering and leaving the establishment, mostly the usual suspects for mountain youkai: The tengu, the kappa, and the yamawaro. Upon approaching the building, a small wooden sign catches your attention, leading you to kneel down to read it. ''NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE.'' "Oh great, it's one of these." "I think it's mostly for formality's sake," Seiran says. "You know, to make the place seem higher-class than it is. I noticed that most Gensokyans count socks as being equivalent to shoes, so I should be good. How about yourself?" You look down at your get-up. Well, you have the shirt part, as you should, but you usually go barefoot. That could be an issue. <<if $hasGeta is true>>\ Oh wait, right. You're wearing those new geta you got. Thank goodness for that. "Looks like we're good to go, Seiran. Ready?" "Ready as I'll ever be!" [[Head inside.]] <<else>> Nope. Usually going barefoot works out fine for you, but today is clearly not meant to be usual. "...Seiran? You said you had a different spot, right? I don't think they'll let me in." "Ah, shoot. That's a shame, but... well, hopefully it'll be fine. We should be able to get there pretty fast hopefully. Come on." Seiran grabs your hand and takes you elsewhere. You start to wonder what exactly this place she has in mind is. Is it something fancy? Something simpler? You suppose you'll find out soon enough. [[Leave for elsewhere (Seiran's Spot). ->Seiran's Spot.]] <</if>>\ <<set $hasReachedMountain to true>>\

"So, tell me about this spot of yours." "Oh, it's nothing fancy. Look, it's just over here." Seiran leads you a bit further along, though thankfully the resulting walk isn't much longer. Once she finally stops, you take a moment to inspect the surrounding area. It's... just a field of flowers, surrounded by trees. Nothing remarkable about it, as far as you can tell. "It's... it's a clearing," you say, admittedly a little apprehensive. "Sure is," Seiran says with a nod. "Not just any clearing either. This is the spot where I first made camp on Earth, where I got to experience my first full day on impure soil. It's... a little sentimental for me, to be honest." "O-oh. That... that makes sense." Seiran walks over to a spot near some yellow flowers and sits down, crossing her legs. She pats the area next to her, beckoning you to sit down. [[Sit down.]] <<set $hasReachedMountain to true>>\

You climb into the tram car and help Seiran inside soon after. The both of you sit down on the same side and wait a second before the car makes the trip up. You find yourself looking outside the window. Oh dear, the height's starting to set in now. An uneasy thought creeps its way into your head, something about the cart somehow falling off the tram, and you're frankly not a fan. You turn back around to look over at Seiran; as it turns out, given her insistence on looking at the floor. she's not enjoying the heights either. "...sorry." "It's okay," Seiran says. "It was either this or we walk... or fly up, but we'd still be dealing with the heights in that case. Honestly, this is probably for the best." You join in staring at the floor and think. You weren't expecting the ride up to make you so... anxious. Almost everyone in Gensokyo can fly, why would this bother you? But alas, you //are// bothered, and it's driving you up the wall. You eye Seiran and wonder what exactly you should do in this situation. [[Sit still and deal with it.]] [[Scoot closer for comfort.]]

You and Seiran sit down in your newly designated spot. Indeed, it works just fine for the purpose of just sitting down and looking at fish, as you can see plenty swimming down the river just below. "Well, this is nice," you comment. "Quiet, peaceful, a perfectly good place to spend an evening." "Yeah..." Seiran nods as she scoots a little closer. "Especially with a friend like this." You nod at her, and resume watching the fish. You have to admit, this is awfully cozy, just looking down and seeing them either struggle one way or let themselves get shoved the other. All seems to be going well, until... ''BRRRRRRRRRRR!'' You suddenly hear a loud noise. You turn toward the source and see some sort of large machine going off a few meters away, along with a small group of kappa standing around it and hitting it with tools. You always found kappa funny, just a group of little guys who build stuff, but right now the inherent funniness of their existence is undercut by a feeling of annoyance. "Come on, faster, faster!" You hear one cheer. "If we don't get this done by tomorrow, miss Nitori's gonna have us beat, and //bad//." "No doubt about that," another replies. "We could make a name for ourselves if we did that." You grip the grass next to you and take a deep breath. Seiran looks at you with concern, then over at the kappa with contempt. "Urgh, stupid noise... Ringo, you want to just get up and leave?" "Seiran, we already decided this spot..." "I know, but if this is bothering you, we can just go somewhere else. I know a spot not far from here, we'd have just enough time to get there before sundown. How about it?" [[Confront the kappa.]] [[Leave.]]

The moment you enter, you're instantly hit with the suffocating scent of tobacco. The intensity forces you to cough and prompts a few stares in your general direction; clearly the regulars are far, far more used to it than you. It admittedly makes you feel incredibly out-of-place, like someone's going to ask you to leave for not being "one of us". Still, this is what Seiran wanted, so you're willing to put up with it for her sake. "Well, we're here," you say half-heartedly. "Ready to, uh... uhh..." "...Ringo? Do you need a minute?" "...yeah." You nod. "Give me a minute." You see several groups of people sitting on mats and around tables. A few of them are just playing games by themselves, though one has a dealer nearby, a rather elegant looking woman in a jacket and skirt. You can only take a guess and assume that this is either Komakusa herself, or just an employee. It seems she's rotating around different spots, so more than likely you don't have to worry about approaching her. "Well, when you're up to it, how about you play a game?" "W-what? Me, play?" "Yeah, you play. I think you'd be really good at it, you're always really good at dealing with information, right?" "Seiran, if I'll be honest, I don't know if military intelligence and gambling really go hand in hand." "Come on, Ringo, it'll be fun. It's not like you brought your entire life's savings with you." It's true, you only have a little bit of money left on your person right now, the rest of it is stashed away back home. You suppose you really don't have anything to lose. You let out a tiny groan as you work on gaining your composure. [[Look around.]] [[Find a spot and sit.]]

Of course, who are you to turn your friend down like that? You happily stroll over and plop down onto the grass below, being sure to avoid any of the flowers as you do so. Seiran seems more than happy to have you alongside her as she leans back to look up at the setting sun. "Made it just in time," she says with a smile. "Great thing is, it's just close enough to home that we can stick around a bit longer and see the stars before we leave. The sky's so clear, so pristine... it's nice, isn't it?" You can't help but nod in agreement. It's a pretty sight, what with the flowers and the darkening sky and all. Really just makes you want to sit and relax, enjoy your pal's company. Yeah, you could probably just sit here and enjoy this atmosphere for a while... "Aha! Just what I'm looking for!" A gust of wind and a nearby voice completely break your concentration. You furrow your brow and attempt to pick out the source, Seiran next to you doing the same. "Who was that?" "Yeah, I have to wonder-" "Who? //Who//? Don't you recognize this voice?" You look up to see a winged woman descending from above, landing in front of you with grace. She's dressed in what some might call a newsboy outfit, the mostly brown get-up making her look very professional. Actually, you think you may recognize her. "Hey, aren't you the reporter? You interviewed us that one time, right?" "Sure did!" The woman pulls an object out from behind her and holds it up to her face. It's... oh, it's a camera! And the ensuing flash indicates that she just took a photo of you! "It's yours truly, Aya Shameimaru. Owner and sole journalist of the Bunbunmaru newspaper, and a proud seeker of truth. And boy, I think you've got a real juicy story going on here. Lemme get your story, come on, lemme hear it, Gensokyo //needs// to know." You look over at Seiran, unsure of what to do here. "...do we have to?" "I don't know. I feel like she'll be really persistent if we try to get her to leave." Seiran sighs. "Up to you, Ringo." [[Agree to the interview.]] [[Ask her to leave.]]

You remain still, deciding that things are only going to get better if you just grin and bear it. Seiran retains her awkward expression on the ride up, and the both of you struggle to think of good conversation topics. May as well distract yourselves to avoid thinking about... well, any of this. "...so..." You twiddle your thumbs. "Have you tried any god worship lately?" "Honestly, given that most Lunarians are gods by technicality? No, I, uh... I haven't been in the mood for it." "Fair, fair..." You make a face. "Sagume didn't seem like that bad a god to worship honestly. She only really started the invasion out of obligation." "She was still totally ready to commit mass murder if it failed." "...oh, uh... well, maybe she would have said something then? Her ability could have just stopped it from happening, right?" "I guess, I just have no idea if she really would have." Well, that was painfully awkward. Thankfully the ride must come to an end eventually, and so when you near your destination, you both get up and prepare to exit. "Oh, thank goodness, we're here," Seiran says with a groan, "no more heights." "You can say that again..." [[Exit the car and approach the shrine.]]

You're not sure what compels you to do this, but for some reason it feels lik. You look down and scoot slightly closer to Seiran; not close enough to touch mind you, but still fairly close. You normally prefer to be alone, but as it stands you just need safety in numbers. "Sorry if this is too close Seiran, just let me know..." "N-not at all, this is perfectly fine." Seiran smiles a tiny bit. "Anything to help you be comfy." "Thanks, pal... really." You look up at Seiran and notice something interesting: Her face is a fair bit redder than usual. You place a hand to your cheek and notice that it's a bit warm... are you blushing too? It is a little chilly at these higher altitudes, but that can't be the only reason. Is there something you're missing? Before you can figure it out, the car comes to a stop. You've reached your destination, and thank goodness. "Oh heck, finally, let's get going." "Right behind you." <<set $hasSeenSeiranBlush to true>>\ [[Exit the car and approach the shrine.]]

No. You can't let them win. You were already here, and by goodness, you're going to enjoy your own damn spot. "I'm gonna go talk to them. Wish me luck." Before Seiran can say anything, you're already to your feet and strolling over. Looking back though, you can tell she's silently rooting for you. You press your ears against your head as you get closer, but once when you're standing right next to them the noise is still almost deafening. "E-Excuse me...!" One of the kappa, a glasses-wearing sort, turns to look at you. She seems to scowl at your presence. "Oh, a rabbit. Nice //ear tag//. Anything I can do for you?" "Yeah, can you please leave?" You reach and touch the tag in question: A sign of your old lunar heritage that you have yet to figure out how to remove. "My friend and I were here first, and we were hoping for some quiet, so could you..." "You? Here //first//?" The kappa laughs. "Miss, this valley is our //home//. And last I checked, squatters don't get rights if they're only around for, what, a few minutes?" You grumble at her choice of words. You heard the kappa weren't exactly nice folk, but sheesh, you didn't expect it to be this bad. And it doesn't look like she's going to budge, either... "But hey, I'll be nice. If you have something you're willing to part with, I //might// consider moving my stuff elsewhere. Depends on how good it is though." <<if $hasBook is true>>\ The kappa's eyes start to wander, and soon they stop at your bag. She seems excited about something; when you go to check, you notice she's eying the book you bought. "Oh, I see that book! It's the best repair manual not made by a kappa on the market! That's exactly the sort of something I'm talking about. We'll move if you give it up." You think about her offer for a brief moment. And it is, indeed, a brief moment. <<linkreplace "Give up the book.">> \ "Here, fine. Take it." You retrieve the book and hand it off to the kappa. She grins at you and gives you a thumbs-up. "Thanks, miss. We'll get going now. Alright girls, pack it up and move it!" And so the kappa leave. Thank goodness. Now you can return to Seiran and let her know how it went. <<set $hasBook to false>>\ [[Return to your spot.]] <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ Seeing as you have nothing you think they'd like, you give Seiran a sigh and offer to leave. She nods and decides to take you up on your offer. [[Leave.]] <</if>>\

You hurry back over to your spot. You're ready to tell Seiran that everything is taken care of and that you'll finally have some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, things don't quite work out that way. Seiran isn't sitting in her spot at all. It seems she's gone and wandered off. "Shoot, Seiran, where'd you go..." You pick your head up, seeing that, thankfully, she didn't wander too far. Unfortunately, it seems she's caught in the middle of an incredibly heated conversation with another kappa. "You're not taking our spot, we already //claimed// it-" "You didn't claim anything, you're just freeloading-" Seiran very abruptly pulls out her mallet, looking just about ready to swing it. You're absolutely stunned, you haven't seen her like that in a //long// time. You didn't think she still had it in her, but it's clear you were wrong... and //man// are you glad you were wrong, this is some impressive stuff. "We're trying to have a nice evening together! You're incredibly rude! Please leave or I'll smash your stuff!" You have to admit, Seiran's really cool when she gets serious like this. Makes you a little jealous actually, the fact that she was lower ranked than you in the military was a damn crime given how much more driven she was. //Man// does she deserve way more credit than she ever got, you think to yourself as she manages to stare down the kappa in front of her. It seems like it's going to work out after all. The kappa seems intimidated and is grabbing her belongings. It has you straight-up hopeful! At least, until... [[Splash!]] <<set $hasBook to false>>

"...yeah, it's not worth it." You sigh. "I'll let you lead the way Seiran, I think I need a minute to breathe." "Okay, Ringo. Come on now." Seiran takes your hand and leads you off to another area back near the foothills. As the sight of the kappa starts to get blurrier and blurrier, you start to feel a little bit better, though not by much. At the very least, your scowl is starting to fade. "Ringo? Are you, uh... are you okay?" "...fine, I'm fine." "That doesn't sound fine to me. Tell me about it." Well, she's got you there. You take a deep breath and try your best to come up with an explanation that doesn't make you sound like a total baby. "I was just annoyed that our quiet got ruined by... //that//. A bunch of stubborn kappa. I was so happy with that spot too, it was //perfect//, if it weren't for..." Your rant is interrupted by a hand on your shoulder. It's Seiran, having stopped in her tracks. "Hey, it's fine," she reassures you. "You could see my face, I was annoyed as all Hell. Sometimes you just have to know when to fold, you know? When I was left on Earth and no one came back to get me, I realized, you know, maybe I should just accept I'm going to be here for a while." Seiran has a point, you admit. As much as you wish things could just go your way... well, that can't always be the case. May as well make the best of the current situation, right? [[The backup plan (Seiran's Spot). ->Seiran's Spot.]]

You help Seiran out of the car and hop out onto solid land. Thankfully the shrine itself is not a long walk from here, just a simple dirt and stone path upward; heck, the shrine itself is fairly decently visible from here. "You ready to head up?" "Ready as ever, Ringo." The two of you take a brisk walk up the path toward the shrine. It's a thankfully quiet evening, as besides a single wolf tengu patrolling the place you don't see any visitors whatsoever besides yourselves. What a blessing, you //hate// standing out. You eventually both make it up in one piece. The shrine itself is well-lit, the offering box is rather gorgeous and the whole place reeks of professionalism. Maybe it's a little commercial, which could be seen as detrimental, but it seems to help with attracting faith at least based on what you've heard. You eventually spot a green-haired shrine maiden cleaning up the grounds, and soon enough she spots you as well. "Oh, it's the Lunarians? I should... oh wait, right! No more war! Y-you must be those deserter rabbits I heard about, right? I'm so sorry, the war was a stressful time for all of us." You make a face at the maiden's comments, but nod. Getting lumped in with the Lunarians still sucks even now, but it's something you've just accepted you need to get used to. "We don't support those guys, just so you're aware," you say, nodding. "I //did// desert, remember?" "O-oh, right, sorry. But anyway! What brings you here?" [["I wanted to make an offering."]] [["I wanted to visit the lake."]]

"We're here for the lake, but I'd like to make an offering real quick before we head over." "Me too," Seiran responds. "I think I'll need some good luck in the future." "Well you've come to the right place! The box is always open for donations, just step up, make a wish and slot your donations right in." You nod and walk up to the offering box. You reach into your bag for some money, looking at Seiran as she does the same. "Do you know what you'll wish for?" "I think so," Seiran responds with a nod. "I, uh... I'll let you go first though. Just so I'm totally sure." You shrug and walk up to the box. You look down at the slot and take a deep breath. You think about what you could ask for, and only one thing comes to mind. Understanding. You place the money in the box. You feel like you have a lot of newfound confidence that you'll figure out what exactly these thoughts you're dealing with mean. With that done, you step away from the box and give Seiran some room. "I'm done." Seiran rushes over to the box and slips her money in without so much as a pause. It seemed that in the time you were thinking, she'd firmly solidified her wish. "I'm all set. Ready to go?" You nod. "Sure am. Let's go to that lake." <<set $hasConfidence to true>>\ [[Visit the lake. ->"I wanted to visit the lake."]]

<<if $hasCourage is false>>\ "We're just here for the lake, actually," you tell the shrine maiden. "Could you please point us in the right direction?" <<else>>\ <</if>>\ "The Wind God's Lake?" The shrine maiden points in a direction. "Just go down that path to my right. Just don't litter, okay? That wind god //will// find out." "Wasn't planning on it, but thank you." You and your bunny companion wave farewell and walk in the direction of the lake. The walk is remarkably peaceful, the only real noise being the wind and occasional chirping of birds. It's nice being able to see and hear this place in a nicer light than your first arrival, when you and your fellow intelligence officers set up camp here. You soon make it to the waterfront. The setting sun creates a beautiful shimmering effect on the surface of the lake, unlike anything you've had the pleasure of seeing. It's the perfect place to just sit down with your thoughts, with or without a friend; and thankfully you have the perfect friend right here to share it with. "Come on, Seiran." "Coming!" You plop down near the bank, Seiran joining soon after. She looks up at the sky, a hint of a sparkle in her eyes. Seems she's just as in-love with the sights as you were. "This is nice, don't you think?" <<if $hasSeenSeiranBlush is true>>\ You think about how to respond. She has an interesting look on her face that makes you curious. You consider asking, but also worry that you're overthinking it. Hmm, what to do... [["Something on your mind?"]] <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [[Nod.]]

"Huh?" Seiran looks at you ask you ask her that question. She seems a tad perplexed. "Why do you ask?" "Oh, you know, you had a look on your face. I wanted to make sure everything was okay, you know? Did I do something wrong?" "N-no, no. Thanks for, uh... thanks for clarifying." Seiran tilts her head as she seems to think. "Well... I'm happy. I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to be with you... yes, both specifically. This is a very nice place, and... well, you're a very nice person. And, well, I have to thank you for agreeing to this day out. I appreciate it." Seiran smiles at you. There it is, that smile that made your morning. It's so damn charming it makes you blush. It also forces you to think about your next course of action. What's the best choice given what you know? Is this where you finally figure your own thoughts out? <<if $hasConfidence is true>>\ [[Think extra hard.]] <<elseif $hasDango is true>>\ [[Eat your dango.]]\ <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [[Nod.]]

You take a slow, deep inhale, followed by a proportionate exhale. You think you're finally ready to come to a conclusion, to get it out there, and to face the consequences of your friend's reaction. How will this go? Only way to find out is to just do it. "I admit it. Seiran, I..." "...you... come on, you can say it..." Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this Ringo, just get it out, aaaand... "...''I think I like you, Seiran''." It made too much sense. It was in the adjectives you used in your own head: Cute, endearing, charming. It was in her blushing face, or the way you felt more comfortable being next to her back in the tram car. You //liked// Seiran, in //that// way. It was just a matter of figuring out how Seiran would react. "...you like me? Like... //like// me?" "Yeah, Seiran. //Like// like. I could go into a long spiel about how perfect you are, but that might be a little much for me right now. I-I hope this isn't going to ruin anything with us, I just realized this and wanted to get it off my-" Before you could finish your sentence, the blue bunny had already launched herself at you and threw her arms around your torso. You've never seen her so eager to do something in... well, //ever//. It's such an abrupt development that all you can think to do is... [[Hug her back.]]

You take a deep breath. No, you can't do this, not right now. You need some more time... or maybe... some thing? "...I've got it." "Got what, Rin-" You reach into your bag and yoink out your emergency dango. You hoist it above your head in triumph. "Voila!" "Ringo, why did you-" "Trust me, Seiran, I need this." Not bothering to respond, you take a bite of each piece on the skewer. Pink goes down first, then white and finally the green at the bottom. You can immediately feel a boost in both physical and mental strength as a result of your ability. It's these three little balls of rice flour that give you the strength and energy to figure things out. "Seiran, I..." <<set $hasCourage to true>>\ <<set $hasDango to false>>\ [[Think extra hard.]]

You nod. "Agreed. It's nice being able to spend time with a friend like this. Just some peace and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of work. It makes me content." "...yep. Just a couple of friends." Seiran looks over at you and smiles after a pause. "I just have to say, if I'm going to be friends with anyone, I'm glad it's you." The two of you look down at the water a bit longer. A few bugs and small fish skim along the surface, a small little ecosystem all their own. Focusing on small things like that helps you appreciate the bigger things like this, this friendship of yours. Maybe this is what you were looking for all this time, just a reaffirmation of your friendship. This answer satisfies you for now, and you can finally smile. "Well... we should probably get going back. It was nice talking to you Ringo, hope we can do this again soon." You nod again, and along with Seiran you stand up. "Agreed. Same place, or somewhere else?" "We'll figure it out when we get there. Now come on, let's get going." And with that, the two of you make your way back. Overall, you had a nice day. You got to spend time with your best pal, and the both of you are going home feeling fulfilled. You even planned a repeat! Still, you have a feeling deep down that maybe something is missing. Like some lingering thought is still at the back of your mind, totally unacted on. It's confusing, but... there's always next time. Hopefully you figure it out by then. ''End: Reaffirmation'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingTwo to true>>\

Your arms soon find themselves draped around Seiran, a content look growing on both of your faces. You look her in the eyes and smile. "So you feel the same way?" "Take a guess. I think I've felt that way a long time, it just took you saying something to finally get me to fully realize and act on it." You nod, finally getting it. In hindsight it made a lot of sense actually, she'd exhibited a lot of the same behaviors as you did when you think about it. And the fact that you didn't even notice... sheesh, maybe that intelligence job was more pointless than you realized if you're not even //that// intelligent. Whatever, it doesn't matter. You're happy. "Well, it's night. Ready to head back?" "Sure," Seiran says with a nod. "I have a spare futon if you want to head back to my place for the night. It's a shorter walk." "You know what? Sure, I can do that." And with that, the two of you begin your journey back down the mountain toward Seiran's domain, hands locked together along the way. Folks were right, it really does feel good to finally be able to do something like this with someone you like. You have no idea how the future will look for the two of you, but hopefully your newfound knowledge will help you figure that out. ''End: Newfound Revelation'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingOne to true>>\

Nothing. You have nothing. The kappa has you and Seiran both outmatched. "...hey, uh, come on Seiran. Let's leave them be." "H-huh, that's... that's..." Seiran looks back at you, then at the kappa. She lowers her mallet, seeming defeated. "...alright. Fine. Let's go." You help Seiran away from the kappa, their leader looking rather high and mighty as you leave and giving her friends high-fives. Sheesh, if only you had something to turn the tables, maybe things would have gone better. As the two of you walk off in the direction of your homes, you begin to chat. "...I'm sorry about how that ended," Seiran suggests. "I shouldn't have nabbed my mallet, I didn't know-" "Seiran, Seiran. Come on. It's okay. Trust me." You shake your head at your friend. "I should have picked a different spot. I didn't think it was close enough to where the kappa lived to be a problem." "Y-you didn't have any way of knowing, //I'm// the one who should have known better." Seiran knocks herself on the head and groans. You try to quickly come up with something to say to reassure her. "Hey, if it's any consolation," you say, "I think you looked pretty cool back there. I think the real kicker was the boss showing up out of nowhere." "Shucks, you think so? Thanks, I think..." The pair of you soon reach the general area you both live in. Somewhere between the Human Village and the Bamboo Forest, fairly isolated all things considered. "Well, should probably split off here. Wanna try again tomorrow?" "Sure, sure, I can do that. Same time?" "Oh, definitely... uh, thanks Ringo. Have a good night." Seiran walks off toward her home, leaving you to do the same with yours. To say that today ended in a mess would be an understatement, but at least you're walking away with a renewed respect for your friend. You're just hoping that tomorrow will go better. ''End: Always Next Time.'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingThree to true>>\

<<set $hasDango to false>> Right, of course. You have just the thing. You hurriedly reach into your bag, fishing to the thing in particular... "...uhmm... miss? Rabbit? What are you doing?" "Hold on, hold on. I'm looking for something." It takes a lot of tossing stuff around before you find what you need: The small parcel full of emergency dango that you snatched from your kitchen! You open it up and immediately get to snacking, and as it turns out, you can be a very quick eater when you want to be. "Is she... is she eating?" "Yep." Seiran looks back at you with a smirk and a thumbs-up. "She made it herself." You finish off the skewer and breathe, allowing the newfound energy to travel through you. It's not a flashy process, but you feel noticeably more energized, like you can take on anything. And you're about to test that theory. "Go get 'er, Ringo, you've got this!" "W-what the heck are you doing...?" You walk up to the head kappa, who at this point just seems incredibly confused. With a deep breath, you quickly nab her by the jacket and hoist her up to eye level. Holding up a fully grown person like this still aches even with the power boost, but at least now you're strong enough to be able to get a point across. "H-hey, put me down, come on now. We can be friends here, right?" "Leave us alone, please. We'll be gone in a few hours, just //give us those few hours//. Okay?" "I'll back her up on this," you hear Seiran say. "Us former Eagle Ravi know how to fight our way out of a conflict, so how that the tide's turned against you, maybe you should just back off?" The leader gulps. "S-sure, sure. We'll get out of your way, but I swear, if you're still here in the morning, we'll shoot you straight into Hell, got it? It'll be a long drop!" You nod, before proceeding to set the kappa back down on the ground next to you. She then quickly scrambles to grab her belongings as she returns to the rest of her mob. "Urgh, Takane's gonna be laughing about this for //days//..." The kappa mob then finally leave with their stuff. At last, you have some quiet, perfect for just relaxing and looking at some funny fish. You turn back to face Seiran, who... certainly has an interesting expression. "S-Seiran?" Seiran's face is flush red, even as she's still holding her mallet for dear life. That... no, you've never seen her like this //period//. Blushing, sure, but never so intensely. You start to worry that she's suddenly come down with a cold as a result of the water, so you have no choice but to ask. [["Is something wrong?"]]

When Seiran hears your question, she rapidly shakes her head. "N-no, not at all! The opposite, even!" The opposite, huh? So this blushing is a good thing? That's a relief, though admittedly you can't figure out what exactly is going on right off the bat. Damn it, damn it, why do you have to be so oblivious? "Give me a minute, //give me a minute//... sheesh, after that you'd think I would be more prepared... //sigh//... alright. Ringo, it's healthy for us to be transparent with each other, so let me just say it outright." The blue rabbit stretches herself out, almost looking like she's preparing. What could she possibly be preparing so heavily for- "''I think I might be attracted to you''." Huh. She's attracted to you. In the "I want to smooch that rabbit" kind of way, you assume. Why? Truthfully, you're not sure you get it. You unsubtly gesture for an explanation, a gesture which causes Seiran to slightly narrow her eyes before she ultimately relents. "When you showed that kappa what for... I don't know, I was smitten, then everything started to click for me. How you've always been there for me, how you've tried to help me find a place here... that thing that just happened. You're absolutely admirable, Ringo, it's no wonder I've always been so attached to you." You think about what Seiran's saying. So she likes you after all, huh? You figure you may as well figure out your own feelings before you say or do anything, right? Don't want to screw anything up, right? "Seiran..." [[Figure it out.]]

Her confidence. Her determination. Her excellent sense of fashion. Most importantly, the fact that being around her just... makes you happy. Seiran's the full package as far as you're concerned. So why didn't you ever seek anything out? Perhaps you'd spent so much time thinking of her as a friend that you'd never even considered any other possibilities? But there's no denying it. You may as well say it outright. "...you know, Seiran? I think I feel the same way." "You do? For real?" "Mmhm." You nod, stretching your arms out for a hug. "I just wish it didn't take me until just now to realize it." Seiran pauses to ponder your words, before quickly walking into your hug. The two of you cling to each other for dear life, dearly needing some sort of peace after stressful preceding minutes. "I'm just glad it's reciprocated," Seiran admits. "I was worried you'd insist we just be friends. I guess we're on the same wavelength or something, huh?" You chuckle at Seiran's comment, and she laughs along. Just a bit of laughter, and you're both already feeling better. Thank goodness too, as you're starting to get tired, and the last thing you want is to go to sleep with regrets hanging over you. You yawn, and Seiran responds with a yawn of her own. "Sheesh, we got into that fight over the right to be here, and we're already tired? If it weren't for that confession, I'd have called it a waste." "You can say that again," you say, nodding in agreement. "I think the dango should last a few more hours. You seemed to like it when I picked her up, want me to, uh..." "Oh heck, //now// you're offering? Lead on." You give one more laugh as you hoist Seiran up into what some book you read called a "bridal carry", one hand holding up her back and the other her legs. You do your best to keep your eyes facing in front so you don't accidentally trip over anything, though you do occasionally look over to see your new partner's glee-filled face. Oh gods, that's adorable. Normally it's a rare sight to see her in such a good mood, but knowing that you might be able to help her get there more often? That's definitely something you can look forward to. ''End: Need Help Finding Love? Just Use a Mallet.'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingFour to true>>\

You don't notice much else on the second look-around. Yep, it's a gambling parlor alright. "What do you think, Seiran?" "I kind of love it here." Seiran takes a small spin around and takes a deep breath. "I don't know why, but the air here... it's strong, but I feel weirdly peaceful." Eventually, you see a peculiar woman staring at the dealer from across the room. Her hair's a sort-of dirty blonde and her outfit, though all sorts of colorful, mainly comprises of red and yellow. She's sitting against a wall with a hard to place look on her face. Curious, you decide to approach, Seiran not bothering to follow along. "Excuse me miss," you say, looking down. "Something amiss?" "Hmm? Oh, no, I'm fine." The woman looks up at you, tilting her head. "You have an odd feel about you... wait, your name is Ringo, isn't it?" You blink. How does she know your name when you don't even recognize her? It seems your surprise is apparent, because she's smirking at you. "When you're as old as me, you just sort of know things." [[Keep talking.]]

You and Seiran walk over to a table, sitting next to each other on mats. There's two yamawaro across from you, seeming rather torn up. "You two're new here?" One says, gesturing to you. You both pick your heads up. "Yeah, yeah," Seiran responds. "What's it like in here?" "Confusing," the other replies. "It feels nice when you manage to win a game, but losing feels extremely... mediocre, I guess. Something about this place's atmosphere just... dampens your mood. I just blew all my money, and I can't even bring myself to be angry, just tired. And I know I'm not the only one, no matter how angry you get it all just suddenly goes away." That's peculiar. A gambling parlor where folks just can't get angry over losses? What kind of place is this? "Ah, new arrivals." The group of you are soon greeted by the face of the dealer approaching your table. She takes a hit from a rather fancy looking tobacco pipe and smiles. "I haven't seen your faces around here before. Welcome to the Komakusa Gambling Den, I am Komakusa-dayuu herself. I take it you're new to gambling?" "No, no," you clarify, before gesturing to Seiran. "She knows all about it. I'm here for her sake, honestly." "Oh, is that so? Trust me, it's really not that bad once you know how to play. Here, I know a fairly simple game that a friend showed me." Komakusa-dayuu pulls out a small box from behind her, before opening the box and placing the contents onto the table in front of her. It's... cards? They look a lot like the card decks you'd see being used on the Moon for recreation. "I call this game 'twenty-one'. We'll play with these cards, each having a number on them. Keep in mind that 'A' can be a 1 or 11, while a 'K', 'J' or 'Q' can mean ten. The goal is simple: You start with two cards, and I'll keep drawing one card at a time until you decide to fold. I'll also be drawing, mind you. The goal is simply to get closer to 21 than me without going over." Seiran looks at you with giddiness; she seems absolutely elated you're about to try gambling. You'd think this to be uncharacteristic if you hadn't seen her in her element before. Even when you're not feeling super excited about this... well, you may as well do it for her. [[Play against Komakusa-dayuu.]]

You nod, and agree to play. "Very well, let's proceed." "Go get 'em, Ringo. You've got this." You are dealt two cards, each displaying a number. So the goal is to have the cards add up to exactly or nearly 21, right? That should be easy, right? You feel remarkably confident as you prepare to go in. "Deal the cards, Komakusa-dayuu." "Very well. Let's begin." <<linkreplace "You play a round.">>\ "Hmm. You ended with a 23. That's a shame." "Shoot, Ringo, it's fine. Did you want to try again?" You grumble, but nod. Come on, you have to try again. <<linkreplace "You play another around.">>\ You lose again. This time you ended up with a 25. You stare blankly at the result of your failure. "Uh... third time's a charm?" <<linkreplace "You play yet another round.">>\ 22. Another loss. How are you so bad at this? Seiran glances at you, seeming a bit baffled. "...Ringo? I think you should probably fold." "No, no, I can't." You shake your head. "It's not my money that's on the line right now, it's my pride. I can't let myself lose to her, not after-" "Ringo, no, no, that's not what I mean by fold. I literally just mean stop taking more cards and hope that Komakusa-dayuu goes over. You had a 20 last round, a ''20'', you could have won if you didn't go for the ace." ...oh. Right, That's something you can do. Should have probably thought of that. "...alright, sorry. I still have enough for one more, right?" "You sure do," the dealer says. "Will you...?" "Yep. I'll do one more." Komakusa-dayuu nods and hands you two more cards. It's a 9 and a 4, for a total of ''13''. "Darn," Seiran says in a somewhat whiny tone, "that's pretty low. Not fail-proof though." "Mmhm. This here gives you a ''five out of thirteen'' chance to bust, but if you fold... well, who knows what the chances of you winning are then? Even then, I could pass you and get to 21 first even if you //do// play. So what will it be?" You shake your head. You don't know, but you're going to try. "...I'l trust my own intuition," you declare. "And my intuition is telling me I should..." [[Take another card.]] [[Fold.]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\

You smile with a sort of determination you haven't had since you started. You see Seiran looking over at you, blushing. "I'll take another card." "Very well," Komakusa-dayuu says with a chuckle. "Let's see how this goes." <<set $roll to random(1, 13)>>\ <<linkreplace "See the next card.">>\ <<if $roll gte 9>>\ You soon see the next card, and your smile fades when you see how high it is. Your total now exceeds 21; you've busted out. "I'm sorry," Komakusa-dayuu says in a faux-sad tone, "but you lost. Given that you're out of money, it seems that this game is over." You can't believe it. You lost. Why didn't you listen to Seiran and just fold? You feel like such an idiot, //such a stupid, useless//... "Ringo? //Ringo//?" You feel a tap on your shoulder. It's Seiran. "It's okay, honest. You had a, what, less than fifty percent chance of that happening, the odds were in your favor. It was just bad luck." "Y-yeah, I guess it was just bad luck... just a bit disappointing, is all." "You know me, Ringo. I //suck// at gambling. Most people do. Don't beat yourself up over it." Maybe Seiran's right. You should probably stop whining about your failure, you only lost, what, four games compared to who knows how many Seiran has lost over the past several decades? "Sorry about that," you mutter. "It's okay, it's okay. Here, come on, let me help you up." Seiran takes your arms and helps hoist you to your feet. With the air in here, you were starting to get a little drowsy. <<elseif $roll is 8>>\ You soon see the next card... and lo and behold, it's an 8! You won, you've been fully vindicated! "Well, I'll be. Congratulations." You would get up and cheer, but you're a bit too mellowed out to do anything of the sort. Instead, you simply reach over and hug your pal Seiran. Though she seems surprised at first, she happily returns the hug. "Heck, Seiran, I won. You were right, winning //does// feel nice." "Congrats, Ringo, seriously. I'm glad you're finally getting it, aha." The two of you hug it out for a bit longer, before standing up and accepting your earnings from the dealer. <<set $hasWon to true>>\ <<elseif $roll is 6 or 7>>\ You soon see the next card. It's close, but not quite. Still, that's not terrible, if you're lucky Komakusa-dayuu will get a really low card and wind up below you. "Not bad. Now let's see what I got... huh?" Komakusa-dayuu's plays her next card and gasps when she looks at it. She draws another, and this prompts her to smack herself in the head with her palm. Seiran audibly, if briefly cheers next to you. "Oh, curses. It seems I've lost. Congratulations." The air in here has you feeling a little woozy, but you're still able to stagger to your feet in triumph. Seiran is thankfully there to aid your rise, and soon the two of you are standing. "Good work, Ringo," Seiran says with a smile. "That was some good luck right there." "Shoot, it really was, huh? I'm still a little poorer than I was earlier, but... well, one win's more than enough for me." <<set $hasWon to true>>\ <<else>> You soon see the next card. You grimace, seeing how low the card is. "Damn it..." "I know, right? That's just some bad luck right there." "That's a shame. Let's see what I got." Komakusa-dayuu pulls up her next card. She performs a soft smirk, and places it down on the table. "What do you know? I got a 21, exactly. What are the odds? Sorry, you lost." You groan as you stand up. Half of you wonders what would have happened if you'd just folded, but clearly it probably wouldn't have mattered. You're able to help Seiran to her feet as well. "Hey, uh... it's okay. Can't win them all." "It's fine, I'm not sad or anything," you admit. "That wasn't even my fault, I just got extremely unlucky. It's a learning experience, sometimes you're just... not lucky." You glance over at the door, seeing how dark it is outside. <</if>> "I take it that you two are done here," Komakusa-dayuu asks. The both of you nod, not saying anything. You're both just eager to leave and talk about what the heck just happened. Komakusa-dayuu nods in understanding. "Very well. Take care, I hope to see the both of you again." [[Exit the den.]] <</linkreplace>>\

"...yeah, I'll take Seiran's advice." You decide to fold. You don't have confidence in your hand, so you decide not to risk anything silly. "I get it. Not everyone can be confident with money. Now, if I get a high enough card, I'll bank out and you'll win anyway, but don't get your hopes up." You nod in anticipation. You can only hope that Seiran's advice works out for you; after all, who knows how much more you would have fumbled if you'd stuck to your initial strategy? "Alright, let's see how this goes." <<set $roll to random(1, 13)>>\ <<linkreplace "Sannyo draws a card.">>\ <<if $roll gte 9>>\ "Let's see... we have... oh?" Sannyo stares at the card in front of her. She closes her eyes and exhales, before placing it down on the table along with the rest of her hand. The total hand exceeds 21, meaning that you win by default. "Well, what do you know? I went over. Congratulations." Shoot, you did it. You actually won. And all because Seiran finally reminded you you could fold. You reach over and give your friend a hug; though initially surprised, she's perfectly happy to reciprocate. "You won Ringo! You actually did it!" "All thanks to you for correcting my stupid mistake, Seiran. You practically deserve all the credit here." "Nah, not at all." Seiran shakes her head. "You were still the one who made the decision to fold at all. It was a risky play with that low a value honestly, but it worked out!" Both of you help each other up, patting each other on the back and smiling. With this win, you feel like the trip was finally worth it, and you can leave happy. <<set $hasWon to true>>\ <<else>>\ You see a smile creep up on the dealer's face. "Well, what do you know? I passed you, turns out we were roughly even when you folded. Sorry, you lost." Well, damn it. Even taking the safe route couldn't save you, and now you're left with no money in your bag. "Shoot, sorry Seiran. I for sure thought it'd work." "So did I. But maybe my constant losses weren't all just bad luck after all." The both of you chuckle as you help each other up. Truth be told you can't even be mad at yourself for that, it was just a really silly error. But, well, life is full of those, isn't it? At least you can leave with a silly story, and maybe a greater appreciating for gambling as a whole. <</if>>\ "So I assume you two are done here?" "Sure am," you say. "Yup," Seiran adds. "Well, alright. Have a safe trip back you two." [[Exit the den.]] <</linkreplace>>\

<<if $hasWon is true>>\ "Sheesh, I still can't believe I managed a win." "You'd better start believing!" Seiran pats you on the back and smiles. "I knew you had it in you. Think you'll give it another go sometime?" "Who knows? Maybe." <<else>>\ "Well... that was something else." "Bad luck happens to everyone, Ringo." Seiran pats you on the back and nods. "Think you'll give it another go sometime?" "Probably not, honestly." <</if>>\ You and Seiran make your ways out of the den and look up at the sky. The stars are already out, and it's cleary from Seiran's half-lidded expression that it's time to get out of here. "Well, uh... are you ready to go?" "Sure am, Ringo... lead the way, I promise I won't lag behind." Nodding, you lead the way down the mountain and back toward your homes. As you walk though, your mind starts to wander toward today's events. Sure, it was fun, but something about it is giving you pause. "...Ringo?" Seems that Seiran's noticed your change in tone. Shoot, what do you even tell her that you're thinking about? <<if $hasSeenMisumaru is true>>\ [[The lady from earlier.]] <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [[Today.]]

"...you know," you begin to say as you slowly figure something out, "I was a bit reluctant to even suggest that gambling den at first. Sure, I knew you enjoyed those sorts of places, but... well, I typically don't. They feel, I don't know, exploitative?" "That's kind of the thing about gambling, Ringo. You accept that you're more than likely going to be screwed out of your earnings and just have fun anyway. You did have fun, right?" You don't have to think about that one for long. You nod, entirely sincere. "Yeah, I guess so. Even when I was losing, there was always that bit of thrill. I think I get why you like those sorts of places now. It's the drive, it's... it's riveting. I don't think I'll risk all my pocket change again anytime soon, but it's something to consider." "That's great to hear, I'm glad you had fun!" Seiran seems utterly relieved that you didn't totally hate today's trip. "So, how about next time we hang out we go somewhere else? Don't want you losing //all// of your earnings, I wanna beat your stall fair and square, not with bankruptcy." "Aha, sure, sure. Don't get your hopes up, though." You two of you laugh as you agree to go on another trip some other day. Today was a good time, and you're looking forward to doing it again sometime. For now though, you both really need some sleep. ''End: Trying Something New Only Sometimes Hurts!'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingSix to true>>\

"...shoot, this //was// a date, wasn't it? We really were dating the whole time, and //neither// of us realized it." It really did make sense. There was no one in the world who made you feel the same way Seiran did, just that feeling of safety and security that gave you the courage to get up and do things instead of lazing about at home all day. Or in this case, get out of your comfort zone and just try to have some fun. "Oh no, we're both idiots, aren't we?" "I think we are, Seiran, I think we are. But, shoot, what do we do now that we know we're idiots?" Seiran looks down at your hand when you ask that. You think you know what she's implying here, and you soon walk a bit closer and hold it out to her. She's quick to take advantage of this opportunity, and takes the hand in her own. "...thanks." "Mmmhm." You look away from Seiran, a little embarrased still, but you can't deny that this realization wasn't a positive one. "So... hmm, did you want to do a proper date sometime?" "But didn't we agree that..." "I mean a date where we both knew it was a date, you know? Like, maybe we can check out that, uh... Geidontei, I think it's called. Maybe we wait 'til night so we don't stick out like sore thumbs." "...oh, aren't //you// clever." Seiran looks back up at you with a smirk. "Of course, that'd be great. Besides, with how old the folks that go there are, maybe we'd fit right in." That little joke prompts a hearty laugh from the both of you, even as your exhaustion makes it harder to focus on walking. You're both extremely thankful to make it back to your homes, and thus split off to go get some sleep. Even with sleep on the brain, you're already looking forward to that next date. It's the start of something new, why not be excited? Besides, maybe you'll both be aware of what's going on next time. ''End: We Were Both Stupid!'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingFive to true>>\

Well, there's no point in trying to fight this. You know how Aya can be, persistent as all Hell with power to match. "Sorry Seiran, uh... I think it's probably for the better we just do this?" "Urgh, //fine//." Seiran whines. "I'm just gonna hope this doesn't get too intrusive." "Ayaya! Don't worry, I only get as intrusive as I need to be!" Aya reaches into one of her pockets and yoinks out a notebook. She writes something and smiles at you. "Okay, first question. So tell me, are you on a date?" You blink as Seiran looks at you with a knowing stare. That was... certainly abrupt. "What did I //just// say?" "I know," you mumble. You knew this probably wasn't going to be totally innocent, but you didn't expect something //that// frank. You pick your head up to look at Aya. "We're not on a date, Aya..." Aya tilts her head at you, seemingly in disbelief. What could be so hard to understand about 'we're not on a date'? "But you two are practically right next to each other, doing nothing in particular! You have that look in your eyes, I just know it! What could you do possibly be doing right now?" [["We're just hanging out."]] [["We're discussing dango recipes."]]

"...//sigh//... miss Aya? We just wanted some privacy. Could you please leave?" "Oh?" Aya looks down at you, seeming disappointed. She seems to shake out of it rather quickly however, and is quickly back to her normally inquisitive self. "Are you sure? Are you really sure? Because I insist that I'll //only// be a few minutes of your time. Trust me, I see the scoop of the century right here and I //want// it, I want it //badly//." What the heck could Aya possibly want from a couple of dango saleswomen? You're starting to feel a little peeved at the invasion of privacy, but are unsure of how to go about getting her to leave. Can you really afford to take drastic measures with someone as powerful as Aya, after all? Maybe if you had some dango with you you could manage it, but... <<if $hasDango is true>>\ [[Challenge her with your dango.]] <<else>> <</if>> [[Ask again, politely.]]

Seiran nods at your answer so as to back you up on it. As bland as it was, it was true. "Yup, we're just hanging out. We haven't had a chance to do so outside of work in a long time, so I suggested it." "Oh, //you// suggested it? That's interesting." Aya continues writing. "Dango rivals seen 'hanging out' on mountain. Perhaps the rivalry isn't as strong as I'd anticipated?" "It was never that strong," you admit. "We both know who the better dango maker is. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to encourage her to do her best with a bit of, you know, gentle ribbing." You nudge Seiran with your elbow to get the point across, which prompts a wince. "I see, I see." Aya continues writing. You can practically see the gears in her head turning. "So, you're //definitely// just hanging out, //not dating//..." "Why do you care if we're dating or not, anyway?" You find yourself asking, just plain confused. "Two women dating isn't exactly scandalous here like it is on the moon." Aya responds with a shrug. "Of course it doesn't matter; heck, //I'm// into women. But people love enemies-to-lovers, it makes for great drama and intrigue, and I'm sure the story will do wonders for your sales," she says. "And yet... well, from what I'm hearing, neither of you were really enemies to begin with, just pals. That's not //nearly// as exciting." She takes a break from writing and sighs. "Well, uh, can't actually do much with this. Sorry for bothering you two, I am //so// desperate for news after the card trade mellowed out. This will have to make the paper anyway, but I'll be sure to buy some lunch from you two sometime." She says bye and flies off, leaving you two in the dust and leaving you specifically coughing as a result of said dust. Seiran pats you on the back in an effort to help you breathe. "So Ringo, how do you think that story is going to turn out?" "I don't know. Maybe she'll try to make it sound like we're dating anyway?" "Hmm..." Seiran looks down at the ground when you say that. "Well... shoot, does it really matter? Like... what's it matter if folks assume we're dating?" [["But it's not true."]] [["Maybe it doesn't."]]

"Sure. Dango recipes." Aya seems particularly unimpressed with your claim. "There has to be more to this, you can't just be talking about //dango//. What is there to talk about? It's //rice flour//." As close as you are to being offended by Aya's dismissal of your favorite food, you realize you need to figure out a way to sell this story. If you don't... sheesh, imagine the rumors she could spread about you two. You turn to face Seiran, whispering to her. "Seiran, please help me out here. How do I convince her?" "I-I don't know," Seiran sheepishly admits. "Don't you have anything for making dango in there? That could help." Hmm, that may be a good idea. See if you have anything in your bag. You turn to look inside and rustle through it, hoping to find something relevant. "Come on, come on..." <<if $hasFlour is true and $hasCutlery is true>>\ Oh right, you have a few things in there you got recently. There's the sack of dango flour and the newly fixed cutlery. This should be perfect for what you need. [[Show dango supplies.]] <<elseif $hasDango is true>>\ ...hmm, maybe you can use this emergency dango in your bag? Maybe that can help... [[Show emergency dango.]] <<else>>\ ...nope. Nothing. "Shoot... I don't know. What do I do?" "Urgh, that stinks. Maybe we should just admit we were just hanging out and hope she accepts it." It's a fairly banal idea, but... maybe it could work? [["We're just hanging out."]] <</if>>\

"Yeah, I guess it's not. I don't really think it matters what she writes, you know how Aya is. Taking her at her word is always a risk, so even if she goes around telling people we were kissing each other here, folks probably won't believe it fully anyway." Seiran's explanation seems to reassure you. It's not like the thought of kissing anyone offends you, you're just not a fan of misinformation being spread just generally. After your stint in information, you were pretty damn aware of the power of lying; it was a good chunk of the reason you became disillusioned and deserted, actually. "Jeez, we're fortunate she has the reputation she does," you say with a sigh. "Helps me feel a lot more comfortable with this whole thing. Thanks for the reminder." "Sure thing, Ringo. Always glad to... to help a friend in need." Seiran then climbs to her feet and holds a hand out to you. You nod and accept it. "Thank you, Seiran. I take it you're ready to go home?" "No doubt about that. Here, let me lead." With that, Seiran leads the way back to her home, and you follow until you eventually have to split off to make it back to your own place. You think about today's events and look back in a fairly middling tone. That last conversation was nice, but you feel like not much was really accomplished. Maybe if things had gone a little differently, you'd have had a nicer, more relaxed night to yourselves. Oh well. As they say... ''End: Things Can Always Be Worse.'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingSeven to true>>\

"I mean, we're still what we are at the end of the day, right?" You shrug. "We're still Seiran and Ringo, military veterans turned merchant extraordinaires. Nothing's gonna change that." Seiran pats you on the back and smiles. "See, you get the idea. Whether we're friends or some variety of lovers, we're still just a couple of dumb bunnies trying to find a place for ourselves. And heck, if I'm gonna be lost and confused with //anyone//, I'm sure as Hell glad it's you." You find yourself looking at Seiran's expression for a good minute, even after you nod in approval. The same part of your brain causing this also forces you to think about what she just said. No matter how the two of you chose to represent your relationship, it was still going to be as strong as ever. This forces you to think about, well, what sort of relationship you //do// want. Do you want to just be friends? Something else? You think about Seiran. How she makes you feel on a personal level; specifically, how no one else has ever managed to make you feel the same way. Even past friends and old crushes haven't quite made you this comfortable getting out there and experiencing life. You start to wonder if you were just stupid for thinking you were just friends... no, that's not stupid, you don't stop being friends just because of some outer perception. You stop just being friends when you take a step toward making something happen. Oh no, is that what you're about to do right now? [[Just say something.]]

"Here, Aya, look at these." You pull out a few supplies from your bag. More importantly is the rice flour, but you also retrieve your newly fixed cutlery as well. Thank goodness for that trip into the village earlier. "Ayaya?" Aya flies over and looks down at the supplies you retrieved. "What's that you've got here?" "See? I'm discussing what I use in my dango making with Seiran here. See, this rice flour is bought directly from the Human Village; since we're selling our goods there, they let us buy there as well, no disguise needed." "Lucky you, lucky you..." Aya glances off to the side and sighs. "Oh, why must the balance be so fickle... but anyway! You explained the flour, but what's with the knives?" You hand the flour off to Seiran for her to hold, allowing you to show off the cutlery personally. "It's just because I like cutting up and measuring my other ingredients myself," you admit. "It's a quirk of mine. Using an incredibly fine knife to chop up the matcha for the green ones, then using a bigger one to measure out portions." "Oh, so that explains why your stuff is so precise." Aya finishes writing and wipes her brow. You hope this means she's just about done. "So, you're sharing your secrets with your rival in the hopes that she can catch up with you! I get it! It's boring, but I get it!" "Well, I'm a boring person," you admit with a shrug. "Point taken. Well, I'll leave you two to it. Later!" Aya zooms off; at last, you and Seiran have some actual privacy. The both of you look at each other and grin. This is certainly cause for celebration. [[Celebrate.]]

"...Seiran? Did you hear the conversation I had with that woman earlier?" "Huh? Do you mean the dealer?" "No, there was another woman. Brown-blonde hair?" "...no, I can't say I was paying attention. I was too excited to get you to try gambling. What did she say?" You recite a few of the things that the lady told you. You put extra emphasis on the very last thing she said, though. "A-A date? Is that what we were doing?" "I don't know, really, but she seemed to think so..." You pause and look down at the grass as you keep walking. "She even knew my name, so who knows what else she knows for sure?" "She... she //knew your name//? What was she, some kind of god? That..." Seiran speeds up a tad to keep up with you. She seems incredibly indecisive. "Let's talk through this and figure it out, okay? Just to see if it's really a date." "Good idea," you nod. "So, let's think about this. We were... spending all day together. We ate lunch together by the lake. We went shopping together. We went gambling together. And... really, besides the shopping, we were stuck to each other the whole time like glue. Honestly, if someone didn't know better, I can see why they'd think we're dating." "Hmm... what if..." You turn to Seiran, tilting your head. Where is she going with this? "...what if //we// were the ones who didn't know better? What if it was obvious to everyone else but us? I mean, the way you describe it... that sounded like a date to me." Does it? Maybe you need a moment longer to think about it; you're not the quickest thinker. Or maybe it's just struggling to register that maybe, just maybe... [[She was right.]]

"Seiran? Can I totally be honest with you?" Seiran's expression turns to one of inquisitiveness. "Huh? Sure, go ahead." "Okay... so, after you said that, my mind started to, I guess wander a bit. I started to think about how I actually //felt//. And to clarify, yes, I am glad I'm with you too. I just... huh." "Huh?" Oh no, doubt is starting to creep in. You start to wonder if you know what you really want. You've done this to yourself, you start to think, you can't just back out of it. But shoot, what //do// you want? Do you want to be friends? Something else? You can't keep thinking about this, you can't leave Seiran hanging, she's looking at you and waiting, come on, say something, //just say something//, just... <<linkreplace "Say Something.">>\ "''I-I like... I like...''" Shit. Shit, that's not what you meant to say. Or was it? You honestly don't know what you were going to say anymore, you're so caught off-guard by your own words that your mind just absolutely scatters. The doubt and regret are starting to set in already. Oh no, oh no, what are you doing, what's she gonna think, you know she said whatever happens isn't going to ruin what you have, but is it really, is it //really//... "Ringo, Ringo. Slow down, calm down. Deep breaths, Ringo, deep breaths." You try to do as her voice says and focus on slowing down. Your eyes shut so you can focus on your own breathing and nothing else around you. This technique seems to work as you come down from... whatever that was. The come-down was slow, sure, but within a few minutes, you're back to a relatively stable state. "There we go, there we go, that's it, there we are. Are you all good now, Ringo?" "Huh... huh... I-I think so..." You finally open your eyes. Seiran's right next to you, clearly doing her best to try and keep you calm though still visibly concerned. "...oh, oh... I'm sorry Seiran, I think I may have just had a meltdown or something." "A meltdown? Shoot, Ringo, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that." "I-it's okay, it's okay..." You grab your own arm and sigh. "...so, you heard what I said. How do you feel?" "How do I feel? W-well..." Seiran looks up at the sky for a brief moment. "I wouldn't be opposed to trying to date, or anything. We should probably wait until tomorrow to talk about this though, just so your head's a bit clearer." "...alright. And thanks." Seiran nods, before helping you away from the mountain and back to your house. //Man// that was awkward, but at least she doesn't hate you for it. Plus, it gives you something to talk about in the morning. Maybe you embarrassing yourself via meltdown will lead to something positive after all. Oh well. For now, you just really need to sleep. ''End: Sorry About That.'' <<set $hasEndingEight to true>>\ [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <</linkreplace>>\

"Finally, we have some privacy. Did you have anything we could like... use to celebrate?" "I'm glad you ask. Let me see if I got anything..." Seiran looks through her bag and starts to dig through it. Oh right, she did have one of those, you're starting to wonder what she even got. Did she get some booze? Maybe some snacks the two of you can share? oh, you could sure go for some... "Here it is." Seiran's hand retreats from the bag, now holding a few carrots. Ah, her and her carrots, hard to think of a more inseparable pair. She's already getting to eating one when she holds about half the total to you in her free hand. You nods and reach for the carrots. "Thanks..." There's a pause. Seiran eventually looks up at you with a confused look. "Ringo?" "Huh?" You look down, and blink in confusion when you realize your hand's been stuck in Seiran's for about a minute. Well, not really stuck, it's not like her hand is clasped around yours or anything. You've just sort-of... had your hand there for way longer than anticipated. Flustered, you pull your hand away and begin eating one of the carrots. "Everything okay, pal? You looked pretty blushy." This makes you wonder... is there something going on? Maybe you have some previous knowledge you can invoke here... well, otherwise, there's always the tried and true explanation for any weird behavior of yours. <<if $hasSeenKissing is true>>\ [[Recall the lake.]] <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [[You're just tired.]]

"...say, Seiran. Remember back at the lake?" "Oh, right, the lake! We saw a really cute couple back there. What..." Seiran looks up at you with intrigue. "Why did you just remember that now?" Hmm, that's a good question, why are you only thinking about that couple now? The big scary werewolf, the pretty fish, they seemed so... happy. So comfortable with each other. It made your heart skip a beat... sort of like how you feel now, actually. "...''I think I'm starting to get how they felt''." "R-Ringo?" You finish eating a carrot, then reach out for Seiran's hand. Though she hesitates, she eventually reaches out for yours. And sure enough, that feeling returns, confirming your thoughts. "Uh, yeah, I think I get what you mean now." Seiran looks to the side, breaking eye contact. "So you think you feel the same way one of those romantic types felt? That'd make this, uh... pretty romantic, don't you think?" "I-I guess so." You stammer a little; for some reason, even though you're talking about romance right now, saying the quiet part out loud surprises you. Maybe you're still a little clueless about this whole thing. "S-so I guess this is romance, huh... I know this is kind of embarrassing, but uh... did you wanna, uh... do the thing they were doing?" "Depends, Seiran, do I have to pick you up and carry you?" "Aha, no. Just wanted to know how that all feels. The... the rest of it." Never hurts to try, you suppose. You pull the blue bunny into a hug, then do your best to attempt a kiss... oh God, you've never done this before, but you've gotta try it. You take a deep breath, lean forward, and plant the briefest, most awkward kiss on her cheek that you can muster. And despite how thoroughly mediocre it was, it's somehow enough to prompt a smile. "...we can work on that later. Come on, let's get going, it's getting to be night out." And so you break from the hug and both head back to your respective homes together, finishing the rest of the carrots along the way. Overall, today didn't go so bad. Sure, it was annoying how somethings went, but, well, the kiss at the end, the realization that you really liked someone and she liked you back... that was more than worth it. And you didn't even have to hook up with a fish to do it. ''End: A Bit of Inspiration.'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingTen to true>>\

<<set $hasDango to false>>\ "Miss, seriously." You reach into your bag and shuffle around in there a bit before pulling out your emergency dango. "If you don't leave... heck, how about I challenge you to a fight?" Truth be told, you're completely winging it and have no idea if you can even fight off someone like Aya. Still, it's worth a try, right? And it seems Seiran's getting the right idea, as her expression turns from confusion to excitement. Aya, meanwhile, just remains confused. "Huh? You're... challenging me? Why?" "I just want you to leave," you admit. "I was hoping that on the off-chance I won, you'd leave us alone." "...huh. It's bold, I'll give you that. Buuuut..." The tengu reporter looks down at you with a smile. This seemed to do the trick. "I respect it. Sure, I accept your challenge, Ringo-" "Hey, hold on." You're both interrupted by a suddenly audible Seiran. She steps over next to you; you notice that she's gripping her mallet with both hands. It's pretty clear to you what she wants. "I want a two-on-one. I know how tough you can be, I just want us to have a fair shot." "Seiran, I-" "Ringo, even with your dango, do you know who you're dealing with? The fastest woman in Gensokyo? If you're gonna challenge her to a fight..." She waves her mallet in front of her, her face suddenly turning to a grin. "By hell, I want in!" "...hmm." You nod at her, then turn to Aya. As much as you wanted a one on one, maybe this will give you the advantage after all. "Alright. Guess this is your opportunity to see the Eagle Ravi at work, so you'd better cherish it." This development prompts a grin from the tengu. Looks like you're giving her exactly what she wants. "Aha, this is perfect! Alright, two on one. If you win, I'll leave you alone, okay?" You nod, then eat your emergency dango. Everyone nods in unison, clearly ready. "Alright, Eagle Ravi. Give it your all!" Bullets fly in almost every direction imagineable. Your spherical ones, Seiran's more oblong ones, an assortment from Aya, it's almost impossible to keep track of anything. And heck, it's fun. Fun enough in fact that you completely lose yourself in the chaos, unable to recognize who's winning and who's losing. At least, until it's all over. [[The aftermath.]]

No, you shouldn't risk it. Even if you were to eat some dango, you're a fairly low-class youkai in terms of strength, and you're not sure getting beaten up is worth the risk. So, you try your best to be polite about it. "Pretty please? I'll let you interview me some other time. I'm sure Seiran will agree to the same, //right//?" You pull Seiran to your side and nod, hoping that your pal picks up on the hint. Though she scowls at you, she eventually relents and goes along with it. "Y-yeah, sure I will. If you have any questions about my plans to dominate the world of dango, I'm your bunny." "Hmm..." Aya scratches her chin, seeming to consider your offer. Shoot, is this going to work out after all? "Okay. Fine. But on the condition that you let me shoot some photos of your danmaku first. I haven't shot any good bullets lately." Shooting photos of your spell cards, huh? That should be a pretty doable request. "Sure, I can do that," you say with a nod. "Count me in too if it helps you get done quicker," Seiran responds. "I've been cooking up some patterns in my spare time, hope they're serviceable." Aya soon smirks at the both of you. That seems to have satisfied her, as she's already backing up to get her camera ready. "Alright then. Get to it!" [[Shoot the bullet.]]

Time to take a deep breath and focus. You have your cards written down to make it easier to remember the incantations, hence why you pull two slips of paper out from your bag. You watch as Seiran does the same, then you face Aya with a smirk. "Alright, here goes..." You rise into the air as you invoke your spell card, bullets already beginning to spawn in before you call its name. You start with the sign, then call the rest out. "//Dango Influence!//" Several rows of bullets spin and spread out in front of you, occasionally being pushed away by singular, larger bullets. It's not a flashy card, but you've always admired its creativity. "//Eagle Shooting!//" Seiran follows up with a card of her own, a series of criss-crossing red bullets with a white, carrot-shaped formation passing through and beams shooting from far back. Even with the carrot it has a fair bit more of a professional look to it, fitting for her more serious old military job. Despite the both of you shooting at roughly the same time, Aya's able to do shockingly well dodging your shots and taking photos of them; remarkably, some even seem to disappear whenever she snaps a shot. "Great, great! Each of you give me one more!" The both of you give each other a smirk. It seems each of you has a very, very similar idea in mind. Time to break out //those// cards. "//Lunatic September!//" "//Lunatic Gun!//" You rain an assortment of colored bullets, each resembling those dango you're always craving, down in Aya's direction. As she begins to snap photos, Seiran in turn sends a spread of bullets in her direction, several spiraling out while others take that carrot shape she seems to enjoy. "Haha, yes, there we go! That's what I'm looking for!" Aya zooms around faster than you think you've ever seen anyone zoom around for, occasionally slowing down just to take more shots. It's almost refreshing seeing her struggle to dodge your fire, but you can't celebrate too much. After all, she's winning. "No more cards, please, I'm good, I'm good!" Thank goodness, those were the only two cards you packed. You put the papers away and quit charging, letting Aya focus on shooting her shots until the bullets dissipate. She gives you a thumbs-up and grins. "Thank you, //thank you//! I'm gonna go get these developed, you two take care, okay?" With that, Aya zooms off, leaving you and Seiran alone. You look over at your pal, who seems positively tired. [["How do you feel, Seiran?"]]

By the time you come to, you find yourself lying down face-up on the ground below you. You catch a whiff of smoke, and realize that your outer shirt's torn and somewhat singed. Damn it, this was your //good// shirt. "S-Seiran...?" "Urgh... r-right here..." You turn to see Seiran next to you. Her hair's got several split ends and her eyes are struggling to stay open; it's clear to you that she is absolutely exhausted. "D-did we win...?" "...no, Ringo. We lost. Badly." Wait, you lost? But it was a two versus one, how could that have happened? You were sure that with Seiran's help, you would have... "Yep! I didn't even need to use a spell card, I just used my normal bullets!" You see Aya shooting photos of the both of you lying next to each other, unsubtly grinning ear to ear. Damn it, it was a failure, what was the point of anything you did? "You know what? I don't even need an interview, that was enough to make an article on its own! I'll be sure to give you rabbits credit!" Aya zooms off, leaving the two of you to your own devices. You're both stuck staring at each other, unsure of what to make of what just happened. Maybe you'll figure it out if you talk it through. "...I can't believe this," you mutter out. "That was... that was entirely pointless. We lost, we're going to get written about, and I feel like a joke." "I-I don't know about that, Ringo..." Seiran blushes faintly. "I feel like it had a point, in some weird way. Sorry if I sound totally crazy for a second." What is she talking about? What positive thing could have come out of that? You suppose you should probably hear her out. [[Hear her out.]]

"...y'know, Ringo, when I saw you challenge Aya to that fight, at first I kind of thought you were crazy? But still, you know... it was riveting. That was some real courage back there, standing up to her like that. Even if it didn't work out... heck, it's spell cards, none of this matters!" She's got a point; it's not like you were ever going to be seriously hurt. The only things that really got wounded were your pride and your clothes. "Plus, uh..." Seiran glances down and presses her fingers together. To think she went from so excited to fight to being so sheepish... admittedly, it's a little funny. What isn't as funny, however, is what comes after. "...I think I might be... ''a little smitten''?" Smitten? With you? What... because you showed some courage once? What even is there to you that could be so attractive? "...why?" "Why? I-I mean... shucks, maybe it's just a crush, you are really pretty? But then again, we've been together for decades, we've been close for as long... I think that may have just been the push I needed to get out there and just say it outright." Seiran covers her face with her hands shortly after admitting this. "S-sorry if I made this awkward, I'm so sorry..." "N-no, hold on. Hold on, I want to think about it." You sit up and put on your thinking face: Do you feel the same about Seiran? Well... she's cute, regardless of the emotion. She's got a level of intensity that you envy; maybe that's what drove you to challenge Aya in the first place? She's... really, she's just about everything you could ask for in a partner. Why haven't you asked her out sooner actually? "...okay, I'm done thinking. Thinking hurts." "S-stop hurting yourself, sheesh. How did it go?" "Seiran? Uh... I think I feel the same? I think?" "Oh, thank //goodness//, //thank goodness//." You can see the relief practically plastered on her face. "So, now that we have that out of the way... want to make our next outing a date?" You find yourself nodding rapidly. You have no clue where you'd even go on a date, you simply find yourself excited at the prospect. The thing that makes you even happier is her reaching over with her hand and holding onto yours. "Good... for now... mmm... I don't think I can bring myself to get up... I think I need a nap." Seiran's eyes slowly start to close, and she begins to drift off. You're about to try and help her back to her home, only to realize that you too are far too exhausted to stand. Sighing, you lower yourself back into a lying position and do your best to fall asleep as swiftly as possible. So now you have a date planned for the future, you get what folks see in you, and... well, that's about it. Still, not a bad way to end a day, right? Just need to finally fall asleep. ''End: Wait, You're Cool After All?'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingTwelve to true>>\

"Oh, I feel fine. How are you?" "Good, but... are you sure? You seem absolutely exhausted." "That's because I am," Seiran manages to get out in the middle of a laugh. "I haven't gone //that// crazy with spell cards in a while. I almost wanted to be mad at you for suggesting she interview me later, but honestly, after that? That felt great." You have to admit, she's on the money. What started as a simple idea to get Aya off your back proved to be a short, if riverting bonding exercise. It's fun knowing that everything worked out in the end. "Yeah... I guess today was fun after all. Who'd have thought that having our moment ruined would turn out so well?" "Yup!" Seiran grins. "Still, we should probably try this spot again soon. I'd like some //actual// relaxation time sometime soon, okay?" "Sure, sure. Though with //that// journalist, who knows what luck we might have?" The two of you laugh some more as you begin to make your way back home. Given how tired the both of you are, you kind of need to hold onto each other for support. Neither of you are complaining though, you're good friends here... you think. Hmm. Maybe you need to think about that one some more. ''End: New Aya Game When?'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingEleven to true>>\

"Kappa's Pororoca!" What looks to be a cluster of water rises up from the river. Before you're able to call attention to it, it suddenly barrels toward Seiran, and though her attempts to dodge it are valiant, she's ultimately knocked off of her balance by the blast and finds herself tumbling to the ground. "S-Seiran!?" You rush over to make sure the blast didn't seriously hurt your fellow moon rabbit. Thankfully, it looks like she's just a little winded, she doesn't seem terribly pained at all. You take this time to look around and see if you can find the source of the attack. "Hey, whoever did this, you'd better get over here so I can-" "So you can what, exactly?" As you probably should have anticipated, you quickly identify the source of the voice as another kappa, one wearing twin tails. Given the level of authority and reverence the nearby kappa seem to give her, this led you to conclude that she was the boss around here. "Hey, what's that girl doing threatening people. In our //home//? I don't break into your house and threaten to smash //you// with a hammer, do I?" "This isn't even your house!" Seiran somehow seems even more upset than the kappa leader does. "I was just minding my own business when she tells me to shove off. I was making sure she didn't attack me first!" The head kappa looks over at the other, who shrugs. "I just wanted to ask her nicely to move. She's the one who got out the mallet." "Hmm... yeah, sounds about right." The leader then turns to you. Oh no, she's going to ask for your input, isn't she? "So, tell me. You're her friend, aren't you? Do the smart thing and get the both of you out of here. If not, well... I can do way worse than just //spheres//." This leaves you at a crossroads. On one hand, you do want to help Seiran out of this bind, and as far as you can tell she didn't do anything //super// wrong. On the other... well, it's clear to you that this kappa is stronger than either of you, whether in an actual fight or with spell cards. Unless you have some kind of trump card, you're not sure there's anything you can do... <<if $hasDango is true>>\ [[Try eating your dango.]] <<else>>\ <</if>>\ [[Give up and go.]]

"I guess so," you respond with a shrug. "So what's with the look?" "Oh, it's nothing big. You see the dealer over there, right? Komakusa-dayuu?" You pick your head up to look back at the dealer. "She's rather beautiful, isn't she? Regal and high-class, knows how to carry herself, it's honestly rather impressive. Of course when she's with people she doesn't like she's //really// rude, but thankfully I've had the good graces of ending up on her good side. Shame about her takes on the card trade, but well, it seems the world's not taken my side on that one." So she's either dating Komakusa-dayuu or is friendly with her, huh? That's interesting. Maybe she can tell you something about this dealer? "Well, good for you miss. Seiran over there is about to drag me over to gamble, so do you have any advice for dealing with her?" "Advice? Not really. Just play normally, don't expect cheating to add up to anything in the long run... hopefully you have fun." "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, uh..." "Misumaru. And thank //you// for the chat, miss Ringo. I hope you and your partner enjoy your date." "Partner?" You furrow your brow, but nod. "Thanks..." You step away from the smirking Misumaru and return to Seiran's side. That was... certainly peculiar. Still, that partner comment... that's something you'll need to remember for later, you bet. <<set $hasSeenMisumaru to true>>\ [[Find a spot and sit.]]

"Well, it's not proper dango-making supplies, but... I do //have// this." You reach into your bag and retrieve the emergency dango you keep around. It resembles the type often seen during flower viewings, given that that kind has always been your favorite. Aya taps her temple and approaches to look at it. "So you //do// have dango here," she says. "Tell me, what were you hoping to talk about?" "...hmm... uhh..." It takes a good minute to figure out an answer. "I was just... explaining this recipe of mine. It's a special recipe that sacrifices taste for being able to last as long as possible." "Really? Long-lasting dango? Now why would you want that?" "It's relevant to my abilities? I grow stronger whenever I eat dango, so having some available in case of emergencies is a bit of a necessity." "Oh, I see, I see. Like my wind manipulation, I get it." Aya writes it down. "So you were sharing your recipe with Seiran here. Maybe you were hoping to help her become your equal in the world of dango selling!" The both of you nod and shrug. That's about as good of an explanation as you can think of. "Okay, thank you. That's not super exciting, but I can work with that. Local dango saleswoman, sympathetic to her rival's plight, throws her a bone and shares some secrets. Thanks for your time, ladies. Still rooting for you, Seiran!" Aya bids the both of you farewell and zooms off. You and Seiran look at each other, stunned that your plot actually worked. "...we did it! We did it, she left!" "Haha, yeah, we sure did. I guess this is cause to celebrate, right?" "Sure sounds it," Seiran responds with a nod. "So let's, uh... let's figure out how we're going to do that!" [[Celebrate.]]

Maybe it's the tried and true after all. You're tired, exhausted from a lengthy day of socializing and being around other people. And the blushing? Simple embarrassment, who doesn't get embarrassed? Yeah, that sounds right. You explain your theory to Seiran, who nods seemingly satisfied. "Oh, I get it. It is pretty late, isn't it? And I know how much you don't care for Aya, dealing with her can be pretty tiring." Seiran finishes up the rest of her carrots, visibly satisfied with the taste. Man, she can be quick when she wants to be. She holds a hand out to you and helps you to your feet. "Here, want me to help you get back? Or do you need the spare futon at my place?" "...can I borrow your spare?" You rub your eyes. "I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake." "Of course! Anything for a friend in need." With that, Seiran nabs your arm and helps you back over to her home to rest today off. Man, what a tiring, overall not great day. The two of you begin chatting and making plans for a do-over in the near future, something you both agree you desperately need. At least the carrots were okay, right? ''End: Sometimes, You Just Need a Nap.'' [[Back to Start.]] [[Back to Checkpoint]] <<set $hasEndingNine to true>>\

Do you want every relevant item and event check from before the Youkai Mountain split? I only recommend this if you've already read everything and didn't skip anything before the jump to the Human Village, as otherwise you could be locked out of some endings. <<set $hasDango to false>>\ <<set $hasCarrots to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenKissing to false>>\ <<set $hasBook to false>>\ <<set $hasGeta to false>>\ <<set $hasFlour to false>>\ <<set $hasCutlery to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenSeiranBlush to false>>\ <<set $hasWon to false>>\ <<set $hasSeenMisumaru to false>>\ <<linkreplace "Turn flags on.">>\ <<set $hasDango to true>>\ <<set $hasCarrots to true>>\ <<set $hasSeenKissing to true>>\ <<set $hasBook to true>>\ <<set $hasGeta to true>>\ <<set $hasFlour to true>>\ <<set $hasCutlery to true>>\ <<set $hasSeenSeiranBlush to true>>\ <<set $hasWon to true>>\ <<set $hasSeenMisumaru to true>>\ Then proceed. <</linkreplace>>\ [[Back to the game. ->Youkai Mountain.]] ''SEEN ENDINGS'' <<if $hasEndingOne is true>>\ ''1: Newfound Revelation'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTwo is true>>\ ''2: Reaffirmation'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingThree is true>>\ ''3: Always Next Time.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingFour is true>>\ ''4: Need Help Finding Love? Just Use a Mallet.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingFive is true>>\ ''5: We Were Both Stupid!'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingSix is true>>\ ''6: Trying Something New Only Sometimes Hurts!'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingSeven is true>>\ ''7: Things Can Always Be Worse.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingEight is true>>\ ''8: Sorry About That.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingNine is true>>\ ''9: Sometimes, You Just Need a Nap.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTen is true>>\ ''10: A Bit of Inspiration.'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingEleven is true>>\ ''11: New Aya Game When?'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasEndingTwelve is true>>\ ''12: Wait, You're Cool After All?'' <<else>>\ <</if>>\