[x] Brandy

"So then, why did you call me out here, anyway?"

"No real reason," said Keine. "I guess that I just wanted some company while drinking."

The village guardian took her cup and finished it off in one gulp. Then, she asked for another bottle. Mokou sighed sadly.

"I probably shouldn't be the one saying this, but don't you think that you should cut down a little?"

"Cut down?"

"On the booze, I mean. You shouldn't be coming out here to drink every evening. I've heard the rumors from the villagers. Did you really come to class completely wasted the other day?"

"Ah, that. I think that the parents just overreacted a little bit."

"They said that you knocked several students out cold after they answered your questions wrong..."

"Eh? Did I, now? That must have been hilarious, ahahaha..."

"..."

Mokou slowly planted her palm upon her forehead. Her friend was officially 'on leave' until she got her act together. But ever since the incident a few weeks ago, Keine had been obsessed with her investigation. She started secluding herself in her research, only returning to the village to teach an occasional class or two before passing out. Then, she started spending her nights drinking. She claimed that the alcohol helped her sleep.

"Mokou, didn't you notice anything odd that day? You know, that time when you three joined me for breakfast?"

"You've asked me that dozens of times. But no, I didn't feel anything unusual with those two. Just like you said before, that was just another ordinary day in the village."

"Yeah, you're right. It was just supposed to be a normal day..."

"..."

The village guardian stared at her cup for a moment before emptying it all in one go. Then, she started pouring herself another shot. It was difficult to watch.

"Say, Keine? Why do you care about this incident so much? It wasn't like anyone in the village got hurt or killed, right?"

"Why do I care?" she repeated. "You want to know why I care? I'll tell you, why!"

She banged her palm loudly on the counter.

"Because everything that happened was my fault!"

"..."

"Yes... (hic)... that's right... (sob)... it was... (hic)... all... (sob)... my fault..."

Mokou sighed as Keine started to cry. She pulled out a few bills from her pocket and handed them to me.

"Sorry about this," she said. "I guess I need to take her home again. Please forgive us for troubling you so often."

And with that, the two of them left. They were my last customers for this evening, so it was time for me to close shop.

A few weeks ago, news of a great incident spread across Gensokyo. But unlike the other mysterious incidents, this one had gone completely unsolved. The first one to discover the scene was that black-white, Marisa Kirisame. While on one of her usual visits to 'borrow' books, she discovered a series of ghastly murder scenes.

Patchouli was found at the very bottom of the Voile Library, with a strange metal spike impaled upon her chest. Sakuya and Koakuma were discovered at the second floor hallway with fatal wounds on their chest and necks. Flandre Scarlet and Hong Meiling lay lifeless out in the gardens, despite having no visible wounds or scars.

Then, when Reimu and the others arrived, they swept through the mansion grounds and discovered four more bodies buried by the greenhouse. The victims were identified as Rumia, Sunny, Luna, and Star, all of whom had been thought as missing for some time. Needless to say, everyone was baffled as how they were killed, especially in the case of the three fairies.

Up till now, the remaining two bodies were never found. The first belonged to the Mistress of the mansion, Remilia Scarlet. The second belonged to their newest resident, the Outsider. Neither of them were ever seen again.

Little by little, it started to rain. The moon shone brightly, and the water droplets reflected the silver light as they fell to the ground. Just like that night...

"..."

My name is Mystia Lorelei. The last survivor and witness to the truth. And despite that, all I could do now was to sing one last song...
[ ] Dirge
[ ] Elegy
[ ] Requiem