[x] Don't play with her.

Tewi hopped from side to side as she waited for my answer.

"Won't you play with me~"

She had a cheerful smile, like some excited kid. But I knew that this girl was no child. I had better be careful. For some reason, I could almost smell the mischief in the air.

"What do you want the vial for? More importantly, how'd you know about the vial in my pocket?"

The little rabbit girl grinned even wider.

"It isn't that I really need it," she said. "While I have half the mind to give you a bit of good luck anyway, I thought it would be more interesting if you wagered something of value. That vial seems to be a small treasure in itself."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but it seemed that this vial was more important than I first thought.

"A treasure in exchange for a little luck? Doesn't seem too fair to me."

"A little luck? Ahahaha! You're funny, you know that?"

She narrowed her eyes as she smirked.

"Don't you look down on me, human. I could grant a person enough good fortune to make him a great warrior, a famous scholar or even a tyrant king! You could say that I could even weave new threads into the fabric of fate itself..."

I felt a faint, but powerful aura from this girl. Before I realized it, I found myself taking a step back. She chuckled a bit and suddenly winked at me.

"Or I could just be messing with your head," said Tewi. "Either way, I thought you looked like someone who could use a little luck. If you win, I can guarantee that you'll find some happiness this time~"

"And if I lose, you'll take this 'little treasure' of mine?"

"It's a great deal for you if you manage to win~"

I paused for a moment. Some good luck would be useful, but was the risk worth it?

"What kind of game is it?"

"Ahaha! It's going to be great fun, but I won't tell you unless you say that you'll play with me!"

"..."

"So then, are you going to play with cute little Tewi? She might cry if you refuse, you know?"

The little rabbit girl suddenly gave me the cutest teary eyed expression as she stepped closer. Something tugged at my heart. I suddenly had the urge to just grab her and give her a big hug. And I almost did, had I not used up every last bit of willpower and restraint that I had left.

"I.. refuse."

"Eh?"

I couldn't even look her in the eye as I answered. A bit of silence passed. Huh? She didn't seem like the type to give up so easily. I slowly glanced at her. Tewi had turned away and was watching the moon once more. She didn't push the issue any further.

"Umm.. Tewi?"

"It's alright," she whispered. "Who would play with a suspicious girl like me? Of course you wouldn't. It was foolish of me to ask. Yes, it was real silly..."

Her voice was very different this time. Even I could sense the loneliness behind her words. It pained me to even watch her like this. But I stood by my decision.

"Well, I better head back then."

"..."

I turned around and started walking away. And as I left, I had the strangest feeling that I would never see this girl again. Well, if that was true, then I guess it didn't really matter. I had a perfectly logical reason to refuse her 'game', and I had successfully done so. But despite that, it didn't make me feel any better.

"Oh, shi -"

I had almost stepped into a large puddle of water. The bright full moon reflected its light against it. Then, when I looked around, I found myself near the cave. The light of the fire illuminated the way back. I blinked in surprise.

"Huh?"

When did I return? Did I really get here that quickly? What time was it, anyway?

12:01 AM

It was a minute past midnight. I yawned loudly. There was certainly something odd about the situation, but I was starting to get too tired to deal with it. After making sure that I didn't drop anything, I just returned to the cave and sat myself down. I had better get a few hours of sleep while I still could.

"..."

Then, I noticed something else. The fire was still burning as brightly as it did when we first arrived. Both Mokou and Meiling were asleep, so how did it keep burning like that? There wasn't anyone adding wood to it. And when I took a closer look, the fire didn't seem to be consuming the wood at all. I then realized that there must be something special about the flame.

And I was tempted to take some of it with me.
[ ] Hold the vial near the fire.
[ ] Carefully wake Mokou.
[ ] Forget about it and sleep.

[X] GENUFLECT

It was total humiliation to be genuflecting before the person who had orchestrated the death of my family and broken the mind of my best friend. I couldn't die let myself get killed. Not here. Not yet. I didn't care about my own life. But I couldn't let this fucking bitch hurt anyone else. So I grit my teeth and meekly got down on my hands and knees.

"Please, I beg you! Return that update! I don't care what happens to me!"

"Oh? And why should I?"

"Anonymous needs it to survive! They need something to read when bored at school or work that isn't porn! They need something to quench their thirst to fantasize about life in a world populated almost exclusively of young girls! They need something to ridicule and mock so that they can use whatever literary learnings they have that will never be used in their real lives! They need something to troll when taking breaks from vidya and danbooru!"

I lifted my head, eyes burning with passion.

"Anonymous needs UPDATES!"

"Pwahahaha! That's rich! Do you really believe that?"

Tewi lifted her leg and rested it on my head like a goddamn footstool.

"You pathetic piece of shit! Anonymous doesn't give a rat's ass about you or your silly stories! They don't even know your fucking name, for crying out loud! All they want is Touhou porn, plain and simple! You are no better than all those hopeless artists and writers who keep dreaming that they will make it big some day. Isn't that right, gang?"

The rest of the Inaba Gang laughed and jeered at me. They started stepping on my head and spitting on me.

"Still think we're cute? No? A goddamn faggot, aint'cha?"

"Ye shoulda stayed home! Now we're really gonna fuck up that pretty face of yours..."

"Shit! Jus' lookin at his face is pissing me off. Feel like burning this motherfucker.."

"Hey boss! Say the word and I'll slice off his balls!"

"Let's string 'em up and drag him into some man-eating plants!"

"Bullshit! We's gotta put 'im inna sack and throw him into the lake!"

"No, that isn't right. Gentlemen, we must cut open his head and feed him his own brains!"

"..."

I didn't react. I didn't say anything. I waited until they ran out of things to say. Then, I repeated my request. My voice was firm.

"Please return the update."

Tewi stepped right beside me. She leaned forward and gave me a toothy smile.

"You have guts. I'll give you that. But let me tell you something.."

The bitch suddenly punched me in the gut.

"I hate it when other people try to lie to me~"

I was curled up in pain on the ground. Fuck! Fucking youkai punches were fucking painful! Fuck! Fuck! Fucking bitch!

"So tell me the real reason. Tell me, writefag: why should I return this update?"

I glared at her angrily. I was fucking pissed. But the bitch just smiled patiently. Fuck.

"You... want to know why? Why you should return that update? I'll tell you why..."

Screw this. I'm tired of playing this game. Fuck it all.

"It's a motherfucking Reisen route! That's why!"

Tewi stopped smiling. The Inaba Gang started whispering among themselves.

"..."

Suddenly, the Gang Leader turned around and started walking away.

"Anonymous shall have their update."

"You fucking... wait, what?"

"But you made a fatal mistake this day. Isn't that right, Inaba Bancho?"

She had an evil grin on her face. And I understood why. Inaba Bancho was the largest of the Gang and served as Tewi's enforcer. I heard that the giant once ripped a grown man in half. Poor bastard missed his last payment to the sharks. Some even said that she was strong enough to beat up Oni. But they drugged her up real bad. She didn't even look like a fucking rabbit anymore.

"YA FUCKIN' LOSER! NO MAN WOULD BOW DOWN SO EASILY! Die like the dog you are!"

Inaba Bancho then raised her fist and sent it hurtling toward my chest.

"INABA PUNCH!"

It went straight through my ribcage with a disgusting crunch. Fresh blood splattered everywhere...

And I died.

[x] "I am the spoon."

At first, the girl said nothing. She stared blankly at me. Then, a small smile slowly formed on her lips. And a moment later, she broke out into laughter. Unsure of how to react, or why I answered that way in the first place, I chose to wait quietly for her to speak again. A few minutes passed before she calmed down.

"Ahahaha!" she said. "Been a while since I've gotten such a unique answer."

'Unique', said the girl. I wondered to myself if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I just said the first thing that came to mind."

"Really now? How very interesting~"

She stared at me thoughtfully. I've seen that kind of face before. This couldn't mean anything good. I swallowed nervously. Flandre looked at me with that expression in the past. I had the worst feeling that this girl was making an estimate of how much damage I could suffer before breaking.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she said. "My name is Tewi Inaba, the White Rabbit of Good Fortune."

When she mentioned the words, 'good fortune', a chill ran down my spine. But I felt like the situation would become much more dangerous if I didn't answer. I introduced myself uneasily.

"That's an interesting name. Very interesting, indeed~"

Tewi took a couple of steps closer. She was certainly much shorter, but I felt a dangerous aura about her. It was different from Flandre. I felt that this person didn't have to rely on power to get what she wanted.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Huh? Well, alright then."

She took another step closer. Then, she lowered her voice and whispered.

"Do you like young girls?"

"W-w-what?"

"Answer carefully now," said Tewi. "If you say the wrong thing, I'll get very angry~"

"Er... how do I say this?"

Her voice certainly had a seductive tone, but the way she said 'angry' made me shiver. I couldn't look her in the eye as I spoke.

"I-I guess that I don't dislike them, or something."

She folded her arms and pouted at me.

"That's no good! Don't give me such an indecisive answer!"

"Ahaha.."

Tewi sighed and looked up at the moon.

"Well, it isn't like I hadn't heard that before," she said. "That person was the same way. I still don't know if he was being kind or cruel."

She seemed to be staring at something in the distance that only she could see. A minute passed in silence.

"Tewi?"

"Ah! Sorry about that!"

The little rabbit girl gave me a big cheerful grin. She started hopping a bit from side to side.

"Since I still have some time, why don't we play a little game?"

"A game?"

"If you win, I'll give you a special charm that grants good fortune. Sound good, doesn't it~"

"And if I lose?"

"It wouldn't be interesting if there wasn't any risk involved. So let's see..."

Something glinted in her eye. I felt very uneasy.

"If you lose, then I'll take that empty crystal vial in your pocket."

Huh? How did she know I was carrying that?
[ ] Play with her.
[ ] Don't play with her.
[ ] Negotiate the stakes. (Specify)

[x] Investigate. What was that?

Very slowly, I opened my eyes. To my left, Meiling was sleeping peacefully. I didn't want to disturb her, so I quietly stood myself up. Across the fire to the right, Mokou was sitting silently with her arms folded. At first glance, I thought that she was still watching the flames. But when I looked carefully, her eyes were closed and her head was tilted slightly forward. Seemed like she was asleep as well.

That was strange. Both of the girls were asleep, and there wasn't anyone else inside the cave. Was I imagining things? If this were an ordinary evening, I would have thought so. But I wasn't in the mood to take chances after what happened earlier. I paused to examine my rifle, making sure that it was loaded. Then, I replaced it in the holster and took it with me.

".. again..."

Huh? I thought I heard a voice. It was very faint, but it seemed to come from nearby. I stepped outside. The rain had stopped, and not far from here was a large puddle of water. I could see the reflection of the bright full moon within it. As I approached, I saw myself as well, standing in the bamboo forest. But there was something off. I rubbed the dust from my eyes. But it was still there. In the water's reflection, I saw a small girl behind me. She faced the moon, while I faced the water.

"Here I am again," said a voice. "Standing alone at the end of the world."

I turned around, and sure enough, there was someone standing nearby. The girl had black shoulder-length black hair and a pair of white rabbit ears. She was dressed in a pink dress full of frills. Even as I stood only a few feet from here, she didn't turn around. She just kept watching the moon as she talked to herself.

"This isn't lucky at all, is it? The days pass by again and again, everyone trying their hardest. But still, nothing changes in the end."

The girl sighed loudly to herself. There was much melancholy in her voice.

"I never thought that I'd start to tire of someone else's tricks.."

Strange. I had no idea who this person was, or what she was talking about. But I felt something tug at my heart as she spoke.

"The same moon again," she said. "It was the same one as yesterday, wasn't it? And the day before yesterday? Or was it a week ago? A month ago? A year ago? A decade? A century? A millenium? The same damn moon! Again and again.."

I couldn't explain it, but there was something this stranger and I shared. Perhaps it was a similar experience?

"Why won't it change?"

Or perhaps, it was the same pain. I didn't know at the time. All I knew was that something deep within pushed me to speak out.

"Then why don't you change the moon yourself?" I said.

"Eh?" she said. "Change the moon myself?"

The girl slowly turned around and jumped slightly at me. Her eyes widened in surprise. Seemed like she did not realize that I was here until this moment. She quickly turned around, pretending to fix her hair and dress. But in that short moment, I noticed it. Her eyes had been damp.

"This is new," she said. "How curious."

She faced me again. This time, she had a smile upon her face. It looked a bit strained, but I noticed a hint of mischief and excitement.

"I didn't expect someone else here. Have you also come to watch as this world ends?"

"Watch the world end? What are you talking about?"

I glanced around me. The cave entrance was nowhere in sight, and the scenery had changed. The two of us were standing in a large clearing in the bamboo forest, with a clear view of the moon above. The bamboo grew much taller in this place, surrounding the area like a great wall. This place felt like a well-hidden secret.

"Ah! Now this is interesting~"

The girl's smile widened as she looked at me.

"Shall we start with a simple riddle, then?"

"A riddle? Wait, what?"

"Tell me now," she said. "Do you believe that you are real?"

[ ] "..."
[ ] "I am real."
[ ] "I am not real."
[ ] "I am the spoon."

[x] Don't answer. Ask her a question, instead.

Patchouli told me before that it was rare for Outsiders to become residents of Gensokyo. Most of them died out in the wilderness soon after they arrived. And if they were lucky enough to meet a friendly resident, they were led back to where they came from. She said that I shouldn't mention my origin to strangers. There were some youkai and even a few humans that looked at Outsiders with suspicion and anger.

I looked at Mokou carefully. She didn't seem to have any evil intentions. In fact, I was getting the impression that she was probably a nice person deep inside. But despite that, I didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her my story. The last thing I wanted was to risk making her an enemy.

"It's a long, complicated story. I'd rather not discuss it."

"I see."

Mokou nodded to herself and started staring back into the fire. She didn't ask anything else. Several minutes passed quietly. I glanced outside and saw that the rain wasn't stopping. We might be forced to stay the night in here. I sighed to myself as I looked back at the fire.

"..."

It was only for a moment, but I thought I saw her staring at my face. But when I checked, she was already watching the fire again. I had a feeling that she wanted to say something.

"Why did you ask about me?" I said.

She glanced at me for a moment before facing the fire again.

"I thought I recognized your face," said Mokou. "But I guess I was mistaken. You clearly aren't one of the villagers."

Eh? What was that feeling just now? Deja vu?

"..."

I waited a bit, but she didn't say anything more. Mokou didn't seem to be the type to poke into others' business and that relieved me. Still, there was something about her that made me curious.

"Sorry to ask," I said. "But you mentioned the name 'Keine' earlier. Did you mean the village guardian, Keine Kamishirasawa?"

Mokou nodded slowly.

"She is an old friend of mine," said Mokou. "I pass by the village once in a while. We haven't seen each other lately, though. I've been keeping busy."

"Busy?"

She looked at me carefully for a moment.

"The area has been growing more dangerous recently. Youkai attacks have been increasing, and several villagers have gone missing. You two were lucky that I was on patrol earlier."

"Sorry for troubling you."

Mokou turned back to the fire. She stared at it in deep thought. Then, when I had thought that the conversation was over, she spoke.

"Don't go anywhere near Eientei," she whispered. "Something strange is happening there. The lunarians are hiding the truth."

"Huh?"

Then, she glanced at the outside of the cave.

"The rain doesn't look like it's going to stop," she said. "We should get some rest."

She didn't seem like a bad person. And she was right. I was tired and exhausted. But before I went to sleep, there was something I needed to tell her.

"Hey Mokou," I said.

"Mm?"

"Nice pants."

"... idiot."

As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt my troubles melt away. Sweet slumber indeed. And I had almost dropped off completely when I heard something moving. It sounded like it was coming from nearby.
[ ] Too tired. Just get back to sleep.
[ ] Investigate. Was that Mokou?
[ ] Investigate. Was that Meiling?
[ ] Investigate. What was that?

[x] "We need a place to stay."

"Doesn't matter to me," said the strange girl. "But I guess I can let you follow if you like."

The girl said that her name was 'Mokou', but she didn't say much else. I sensed immediately that she wasn't the talkative type, so I didn't pry any further. But she did seem to be familiar with the area. With no better option, I decided to take a chance and accept the girl's offer. She just gave me a disinterested shrug.

"I don't really care, either way."

A short while later, we found ourselves walking along the bamboo forest. Mokou led the way while I hurried behind her. Meiling slept soundly as I carried her on my back. I still held my rifle in my hand, comfortable in the thought that it was fully loaded. This place was very dangerous. And I didn't exactly have much reason to trust the newcomer.

"..."

Neither of us spoke as we moved onward (the gate guard's snoring didn't count). I couldn't think of anything to talk about. And even if I did, I felt that it was a bad idea to make too much noise. Mokou probably thought the same. She didn't speak at all, though she did pause a few times to let us catch up with her.

Hmm. Now that I thought about it, she never mentioned where she was taking us. Were we headed to Eientei? While there were many strange rumors about that place, I heard that they weren't so unkind as to refuse lost travellers. Or perhaps we were headed to the Human Village? That would probably be the safest place in the area. In fact, I should have headed there in the first place. I knew Keine well, and she would probably let us stay the night.

"We can stay here," said Mokou.

I glanced at the opening behind the oddly dressed girl. Then, I raised an eyebrow at her.

"... huh? But that's just a cave, isn't it?"

"What do you expect? An inn?"

"No, it isn't that..."

What I said next probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.

"I guess I didn't expect a girl like you to be living in a cave."

"...what?"

"D-don't misunderstand! I don't have anything against girls who were raised in caves or what not. And I am absolutely sure that you were brought up just as well as any other respectable inhabitant of Gensokyo. In no way do I judge a person by their manner of dress or where they live."

Mokou just stared at me, her mouth half-open. She blinked. Then, she covered her face with her palm and sighed.

"Why do I always meet the really idiotic ones?" she muttered to herself.

"Ahahaha.."

"I don't live here, you damn fool. This is the closest shelter we can reach before it rains."

With that, our conversation was over. The girl walked straight into the cave. And just as she entered, I felt a few water droplets hit my face. Rain? I quickly hurried after her. And as soon as we were all in the cave, a sudden rain shower hit the area. It was just as she said. Rain.

Was it raining at the mansion?

Mokou gave me a slight nod as she sat herself before a small fire. Eh? How did she build a fire so quickly? Not that I was complaining, of course. Well, it probably didn't mattered. I shrugged the question away and put down the unconscious gate guard. She was still sleeping soundly. Then, I took off my jacket and placed it over her.

"..."

Until Meiling woke up, I had to prepare for the worst. I put the rifle down beside me, making sure that it was within reach. Then, I glanced at the longer haired girl. She stared back silently. We sat quietly in front of the fire, waiting for the rain to stop. We must have sat like that for quite some time. I was beginning to nod off when Mokou finally spoke. And what she said surprised me.

"That girl you carried," she said. "She works at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, does she not? Keine told me about her before."

"Ah, is that so."

This girl knows Keine?

"That's odd. I heard all about the red mist incident and the mansion by the lake."

Mokou looked at me with interest.

"But I have never heard of you."

[ ] Don't answer. It isn't any of her business.
[ ] Don't answer. Just try to get some sleep.
[ ] Don't answer. Ask her a question, instead. (Specify)

[x] The Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

"This was a really bad idea."

Here I was, exhausted and tired. I had been carrying an unconscious girl on my back, and while it was pleasant for a short while, the novelty soon wore off. I had been walking for what had been almost an hour, and I was well aware that the footpath had vanished several minutes ago. Backtracking was useless. The bamboo forest looked the same from every direction. I couldn't find anything that I could use as a landmark.

"Stupid bamboo forest," I grumbled "How am I supposed to get through this place without getting lost!?"

Oh, right. This place was named the 'Bamboo Forest of the Lost', wasn't it? Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen any clearings ever since I set foot in this place. To make things worse, the bamboo seemed to grow in strange directions, making it impossible to navigate. Even if I tried heading straight back where I came from, I only ended up making several twists and turns. And that wasn't the worst part.

I was pretty damn sure that we were being followed. It was only for a second, but I saw something move from the side of my eye. No, that wasn't right. I saw several things moving behind us. This couldn't possibly mean anything good. I swallowed nervously as I stepped through the thicket.

"Hey," I whispered. "A little help here?"

"T-that tickles, Sakuya-nyan! Ehehe..."

"Umm, Meiling?"

"...zzzzz...."

Ugh, damn. Meiling was completely out of it. I nudged her several more times, but she just continued mumbling stupid things in her sleep. The gate guard was completely unaware of our current predicament. And during the worst time, too. I sighed loudly.

After finding the closest thing to a small clearing, I gently put the gate guard down. She continued sleeping soundly, as if the hard ground was a comfy bed. I tried shaking her and calling out loudly, but it was no use. Meiling must have drank too much. Clearly, I couldn't count on her tonight.

"..."

Well, I didn't have the heart to blame this on her. After all, it was my 'brilliant' idea to seek shelter in the Bamboo Forest. Now that I thought about it, I never visited Eientei by foot before. And we were travelling at night time. Yep, this must rank pretty high among the 'Top ways to get yourself killed in Gensokyo'.

Too bad I didn't plan on dying tonight.

Very slowly, I pulled out my rifle from the shoulder holster. Then, I turned around and aimed carefully into the bamboo stalks behind us. It was very faint, but I saw the tiniest glow of red eyes in the distance. 'Good thing I kept this gun loaded,' I thought.

"BANG!"

A loud screech echoed in the forest. The silhouette of the creature became clear as it flapped its wings. A giant beast crow? I quickly prepared to take another shot. The creature was soaring straight for my head with its claws.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

The fourth shot connected with the creatures head, and it finally fell down and stopped moving. I kept the gun on the crow until I was sure that it was a corpse. Then, I sighed in relief. Looking at it closer, the bird was large enough to swoop down and carry away a full-grown cow from the Human Village. A damn dangerous beast indeed.

"Zzzz... Munya~"

"..."

I glanced at Meiling. She managed to sleep through all of that? Unbelievable! This was getting ridiculous. If more of those things came and attacked, we'd be in real trouble -

"Caw! Caw! Caw!"

Like right now, apparently. I looked up to see several giant crows circling us from above. None of them looked any smaller than the one I just killed.

"Ah, shit."

I reloaded the rifle as quickly as I could. And as I raised it up at them, I saw that they were already swooping down at us. There were too many. I knew that at heart. But still, I didn't run. Instead, I aimed at the closest one and fired.

"BANG! BANG!"

Got one in the wing. It swerved and crashed into the bamboo stalks.

"BANG!"

Hit another one in the beak. That looked painful.

"BANG! BANG!"

And with that, I was out of ammo. There wasn't enough time to reload, so I changed my grip on the rifle to swing it like a club. It was probably a futile effort, but I wasn't going to die here without a fight.

"Damn," I muttered.

Just then, I felt like giving Gensokyo the finger and a big 'fuck you'. Facing a bad end like this without warning? Well, shit! I closed my eyes, tightened my grip on the rifle and rushed forward, hoping that I could club the brains out of one of those things before they tore me apart.

"... wait, what?"

It took me a couple of minutes to realize that something was off. First, I wasn't dead or in extreme pain. Second, I didn't hit anything as I swung the rifle. Third, something smelled like grilled chicken. I slowly opened my eyes.

"You have guts, facing those beast crows like that."

A girl stood before me with fiery red eyes and light violet hair that reached her ankles. She wore a discolored brown shirt and a pair of red overalls that had a number of paper charms on them. Her hair was tied with those same charms. 'Such an odd costume', I thought.

Then, I looked around the area. Several charred crow corpses littered the area. Some bamboo stalks looked burnt as well, though none were on fire. I immediately realized that this girl was very dangerous.

"So then," she said. "Where are you two idiots headed this late at night?"

I frowned at the newcomer.
[ ] "We are heading to Eientei."
[ ] "We need a place to stay."
[ ] "We got lost in the forest."
[ ] "We aren't telling you."
[ ] "We don't need your help."
[ ] "We are here to murder you."