Somehow, The Countryside is Different: Route Ran 5: Interludes (Patreon)

Somehow, The Countryside is Different: Route Ran 5: Interludes

(Fixing errors.)

…

Commissioned by Shaderic and Arksoul

Wordcount: 5000 

…

Reimu

…

Gensokyo was in tatters courtesy of Yakumo Yukari.

Again.

“You are insufferable.” I eyed the Youkai and she giggled at me whilst floating in the air. She was eating out of a plastic bag and wearing drab, winter clothes along with a hoodie. If not for her looks and her long hair, she’d look like a bum. I wished she was, because she’d be less of a problem for me… and she deserved it. “You’re getting everything you want done, while your two minders are away.”

My cousin’s arrival a few years ago was something I didn’t expect would have much impact. He was supposed to just help me out by cleaning the Shrine, and bringing along some things I needed. We got along as well as faraway cousins did, and I expected him to stop coming back sooner rather than later.

Somehow, instead, he got roped into Gensokyo and began making waves. 

At first it was nothing special. Yukari just used him as pretense to get on my good side, and fought against those she didn’t like for fun. She cultivated a persona of not looking for fights, but in the end, she was mischievous maniac who liked to mess with others. Therefore, she found a way to stay in character, and not give me a reason to deal with her, by involving Hachiman into shenanigans aplenty. 

Somehow, someway, Hachiman went from bait to one of two people capable of reigning Yukari in.

I didn’t know the details, but I could see that with both him and Ran away, Yukari was having the time of her life and that made Gensokyo horrifically unstable.

“Well, if you were me, you’d do the same. Honestly, I can’t get anything done with those two glaring at me all the time. My familiar and servant are such meanies.” Yukari pouted, complained, and finished scooping ice cream out of a small cup. She proceeded to get herself another scoop and began eating that too, whilst lazily floating around. “But they’re my meanies, and they obviously love me, so I can’t make them sad… so I figured I’d get them together and have my last hurrah before they came back permanently and hem me in forever!”

Yukari giggled.

The scarlet moon upon Gensokyo shined…

…several Danmaku battles raged in the sky…

…the bamboo forest was filled with searchlights…

…the human village was covered by an energy shield…

…there was a concert raging in the horizon….

…and Underworld was leaking into the real world. 

“Your last hurrah has turned Gensokyo into a bunch of video game stages.” My stomach hurt a little at the sight before me. I did my best to hold back the migraine threatening to settle in as I looked. Gensokyo looked like a world select screen in a video game, except instead of fun and relaxation, I was looking at several days of effort and hard work. Well, it looks like I failed in holding back that migraine, and I’ll probably be getting an ulcer from stress. “I hate this so much.”

Yukari only smiled all the more widely at my words.

“Well, Reimu-chan, you had a few years to get strong and focus on yourself, thanks to Ran and Hachiman, so all of this should be a cinch for you to solve!” Yukari finished he latest scoop with a flourish and pulled out a bag of chips. She was nice enough to offer me one, and I took it without a second thought. I had no shame. Handouts were exactly what I needed now. “Don’t you want to repay them for all their work and effort, too? They’ve done so well to make Gensokyo peaceful and stable, you know? After all of this is handled, everything should be fine in the future!”

Yukari grinned as I chomped on my dinner and sent a growl her way.

It was always about the future with Yukari, since she obviously knew what was going to happen. This was all just a way for her to prepare for it. All the little fires in Gensokyo usually led to the place getting better and better as time went on. The incidents were all simply just ways for her to convince the more bullheaded Youkai to follow her lead and shut up… because talking and diplomacy could only do so much. 

I’d just gotten so used to Hachiman handling things. He did so well that incidents petered out.

The case with these current situations was that they were probably ones that couldn’t be handled by words, and Yukari couldn’t put them all in their place without infringing on my authority and making me look weak. 

Yeah.

She definitely planned this in advance, since it was just perfect for her. 

Her familiar and servant was out of the way and safe.

She can just sit back and watch, while I did all the heavy lifting. 

Well… at the very least… I wasn’t doing this just for Yukari.

“Fine. But this is for Hachiman and Ran. This sure as hell isn’t for you.” Yukari and Hachiman lightened my workload to the point that I was able to start training again and get a better handle on my powers. I was still far from being a fully-fledged Miko, but I was far closer now than before. In fact, I was strong enough to be able to attend to my duties, attend school, and get some free time nowadays. Thanks to those two, I had a life beyond the Shrine and Gensokyo, and getting rid of a few problems they couldn’t solve through words was the least I could do. “Now, shoo. I need to get to work, and I can’t have you making a mess of things while I help.”

After a moment of silence, I looked up from my bag of chips, and found the spot occupied by Yukari no longer inhabited.

And, of course, she didn’t leave anything else behind. 

She could’ve at least left a proper offering to the Shrine… nah.

Given how close I was to figuring out who my patron was, and with how much power I was already getting, she couldn’t do that without risk.

It’d be nice to get her in line… but that wasn’t happening for a few more years at least.

…

Marisa

…

Yukari popped up and scared the heck out of me by crunching a chip right next to my ear.

Did I say scared?

I meant startled. 

The Youkai lazily floated until she cast a shadow on my workbench and I scrambled to get my tools out of the way before she got crumbs on them.

The last time she did, something short-circuited when I needed it, and I nearly lost a match.

“Hello. How are things, Marisa-chan?” I shivered when she spoke to me. The sweetness of her voice reminded me a lot of the day after I… borrowed… something Hachiman’s. It had just been a little book from the Outside, yet the Youkai of the Gap had chased me down, tracked me, and beat me without a word. It wasn’t something I was interested in repeating. “It looks like you’re making something interesting.”

The Danmaku battle hadn’t been enough, as was returning whatever it was that I borrowed, so now I worked to help the Human Village. It’d been a pain for a while, especially since the village was filled with jerks, but with a few friends it became bearable. 

Bearable enough for me to work towards making sure it didn’t get rolled over my all the incidents going on at once.

Which I planned to solve by making a trinket that would force Yukari to help by locking her down for a bit. 

Naturally, even though I kept the project a secret from everyone, she knew about it… despite all my magical and non-magical precautions. 

I thought about lying, remembered where that got me the last time I did, and I decided to… lie just in case it worked this time. 

You don’t get far in Gensokyo without being a little brave and/or crazy.

Mostly both.

“Well, I was having a nice time trying to make something that’ll get you to help us instead of just getting fat off snacks, until you came along.” I did my best to not sound nervous, but from Yukari’s smile, I knew I wasn’t succeeding. C’mon, Marisa, get that pep in your step back. You’re the gal who “borrowed” books from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Give this Youkai a big, cheeky smile, even if you’re nervously sweating! “Is there any way I can convince you to leave and come back in a day right on top of my little trap?”

Yukari pretended to mull my proposal over with a big smile, while chomping down a red bean bun, before shrugging and shaking her head.

“Nah.”

And, with a gesture, the beginnings of my project disappeared along with the blueprints and materials. 

“I’ll give it back to you later, so you can work on it if you want to challenge me in a Danmaku fight, but chaining me up now would just be terrible. I need to keep an eye on everything, after all.” Yukari chewed thoughtfully on her snack, finished it, and purloined some croquettes. She sighed with a smile as she munched. She offered me one, and I took it, since I obviously didn’t have anything better to do for the rest of the night. “But, for now, I want you to go and help out the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. She’ll be coming down shortly to deal with things.”

Those words made me blink.

“Huh, so she really does exist.” The Shrine Maiden was a bit of a myth in Gensokyo. Apparently, a while back, there used to be a whole temple’s worth of human users of magic watching over the Shrine. But something happened, they disappeared, and contact with the outside world became very limited. Danmaku was apparently made by the current maiden, and she forced it on everyone before disappearing, but since then most thought Gensokyo was truly abandoned by the Shrine… until now. “Wait, aren’t those gals supposed to be super strong? Why does she need my help?”

Yukari gave a hum and stopped eating for a second, or so I thought before she took a steaming cup of noodles from somewhere, and pried it open to begin eating it after it was ready. The woman was really eating something to pass the time before eating something else. I rarely felt jealous about anything, but Yukari’s stomach and ability to not get fat really, really bothered me more than I’d like to admit. 

“Reimu-chan’s strong, but she can’t be everywhere at once, and even though she’d like to do everything herself… she can’t. Since she’ll never ask for help, I figured forcing help on her would be for the best.” Yukari eyed me whilst slurping up noodles. She proceeded to point her chopsticks at me. It was rude, but since when did she care about being rude? “You’re a human, you’re strong, and you can deal with an incident or two to lighten her workload. Therefore, it’s a win for both of you, since Gensokyo stops being weird, you both get to train, and neither of you need to work yourselves to death.”

It sounded like a perfect, good idea from Yakumo Yukari.

Therefore, naturally, I didn’t trust the words one bit and just crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

“Okay, fiiiinnneeee. I’ll sweeten the pot so you’ll get something you really want.” At Yukari’s words, I nodded. I needed something concrete before I went out, fought against Youkai, and got a lot more eyes on me than I cared to have. “How does a little upgrade to your broom sound? A little charm that’ll let it fly in every direction instead of just straight and side to side.”

 “Deal” 

I didn’t hesitate to take the deal.

Mobility was key to Danmaku battles, and being able to move in any direction in a three-dimensional axis was a massive boon.

Still, as much of an advantage as it was, I couldn’t help but sweat a little as Yukari’s smile became a little menacing.

“Okay, Marisa-chan, I’ll be sending you to the Underworld in ten minutes, so you best hurry up and pack your things!”

Did I say I little menacing?

I meant terrifying!

I scrambled in my workshop before giving up and heading straight to my stash.

Over the years I borrowed a lot of things, made use of them, and worked hard to get ready for any situation. After my first, terrible interaction with Yukari, I was determined to get better, stronger, and be a better hunter of Youkai for Gensokyo’ s sake. 

The shield protecting the village probably wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t stolen Hachiman’s book all those years ago, and the same would be for a lot of my other charms and trinkets. 

Now… if only I organized them all properly, instead of just packing them up after I finished making them!

“Five minutes left, Marisa-chan!”

It wasn’t enough time, not nearly enough, but after a few breaths I focused on getting the essentials.

My staff, my attending, floating Hakkeros, my mushrooms, and my broom.

The moment I got my hands on all of them, Yukari popped up in my vision, and promptly opened a Gap in reality right where I was going to be.

I quite literally tripped into the Underworld.

…

Chen

…

“I’m telling Hachiman what you’re doing in Chiba.”

“Please noooooooooo.” Yukari-sama cried a little while she washed my back. I was still stinky thanks to what she told me to put on to avoid Ran-sama’s nose. I’d gone to visit and look at Hachiman in Ran in Chiba. It had been fun at first, but every day I came back Gensokyo was getting weird and strange because of Yukari-sama. I didn’t like it and my friends didn’t like it. “I still need to get lots of work done, Chen-chaaaaannnnn!”

“Liar. Yukari-sama just eats and watches stuff.” Yukari-sama was good when Hachiman and Ran-sama were around. She dressed properly, ate properly, and did her duties properly. Without them, Yukari-sama dressed like a bum, ate only snacks, and played around instead of working. I did not believe that she saw the future. I believed that she was just having fun. Yukari-sama would never work, unless she was forced. “Yukari-sama doesn’t even share food.”

“Ah! Oh, I’m sorry about that! What do you want? Sushi? I can get you a lot of Sushi.” Yukari-sama offered with a smile, while taking my place on the bath stool. Her back was smooth, clean, and easy to wash. Ran-sama’s tails usually got in the way. Hachiman said it was inappropriate for men and women to bathe together, but Yukari-sama said they always bathed together now. It was confusing. “Please tell me if they’re anything you want, Chen-chan.”

What I want…

“I want things to be normal.” Hachiman said it best. Things were best when everything was normal. People weren’t angry. There were no fights. Everyone just did whatever they wanted without interrupting each other. When everything was normal, I could lead my stray cats to Mayohiga and take care of my friends until they found good homes to go to. That didn’t happen when everything was strange and weird. “Make it more normal, Yukari-sama.”

Yukari-sama didn’t reply for a long time.

When she did… she did it while she was washing me.

“I’m sorry, Chen-chan, for forcing all of this to happen. But I’ve seen a lot of things that I want to prevent. All of this… is for the sake of making sure everything is normal in the future.” Ran explained things softly and carefully. I appreciated it. It was a little difficult to understand everything, but I was able to when others helped.  “Gensokyo was normal and peaceful thanks to Hachiman and Ran for a while, but there are many problems that they can’t solve… so I got them out of the way, so that I could solve them myself.”

Yukari-sama finished washing my hair and gave me a smile, but it was a sad one.

I knew why.

“Hachiman says that making yourself the villain is just trying to be the hero with less effort.” I said what I thought and Yukari-sama’s eyes widened… and then she laughed while shaking her head. I frowned. “I’m not joking, Yukari-sama. If you worked harder, if you let us help, I’m sure that things wouldn’t need to be this way.”

Yukari-sama, Ran-sama, Hachiman, and I worked together. We did our best to make sure that Gensokyo was good, safe, and stable without getting hurt ourselves.

I was sure that Yukari-sama wouldn’t need to make everyone angry at her, if she just trusted us to help her. 

“…I wasn’t laughing because I thought you were joking, Ran. I was laughing because Hachiman’s words sound a lot better coming from someone else.” Yukari-sama smiled and sighed. She looked into the distance for a second, just a second, like she was playing with a fond memory before putting it away. Her smile was still sad. “You’re right. I should’ve trusted the two of them… but something else I could never allow would’ve happened if I didn’t throw themselves at one another.”

I couldn’t find the words to reply to Yukari-sama while she tussled my hair and led me to the tub.

“In the end, I’m not trying to be the worst hero by being a villain, I’m just being selfish for my own sake… so that I don’t do anything that I’d regret.”

Yukari-sama’s words hurt my chest a little… and I decided to just nod and follow her for now. 

I didn’t think it would be right to argue with her anymore. 

I’ll wait until she was happier.

…

Yukinoshita

…

Yuigahama stuck close to me, while we walked through the old library.

“Yukinon… this place is scary!” She whispered to me, whilst clinging to my arm. Her bright, positive attitude was greatly diminished and she looked fretfully in every direction. “It’s too dark for a library!”

“It can’t be helped. This is the sort of place where the supernatural resides, Yui-chan.” I whispered back to her, while repressing my own nerves. We walked together through the cramped shelves filled with worn books whose titles sported ancient letterings I could barely recognize. “Be brave.”

“O-okay.”

The old library was worse than a haunted house. It was in a cramped, almost crooked building, which creaked and groaned as we walked upon its floor. I estimated it to be at least a hundred years old, yet it was in the middle of Tokyo, which had been ravaged by war and earthquakes many times over in the past century. 

It was, without a doubt, an impossible place… making it the perfect place to look for information in regards to the occult.

So, Yuigahama and I entered it in search of something, anything to protect our friends and family from the dangers posed by Youkai.

“Ne, Yukinon, why do you think some Youkai don’t just head over to Gensokyo? That’s where they can be free, right?” Yuigahama whispered to me as we walked through hall after hall of shelves. I was counting my steps, and I took heart in the fact that the halls weren’t endless. The other side of the wall was in sight. “If I were them… I’d want to go to a place where I could live freely, you know?”

Yuigahama and I spoke often about the supernatural. It was a good topic for us to explore, which we both stumbled upon due to our coincidental meeting with Hikigaya Hachiman. I’d thought nothing of it at first, and feared it when I learned better, but now I took heart in the fact there was more to the world than I thought… and that there was something after the end. Yuigahama frequently agreed with me… but our stances on the supernatural when it was within reach was very different.

Hachiman and I were alike in that we wanted to explore it, meet it, and involve it into our lives.

Yuigahama wanted to protect herself from it. 

It was a difference between us that I fully accepted.

“Gensokyo is quite large and allows for Youkai to live freely, but you must remember that it already has strong inhabitants. Here the Youkai is strong, whereas in Gensokyo it is weak. In fact, it might be freer amongst us than its own kind.”

“Ah. That makes sense!” Yuigahama nodded for a moment, until suddenly growing silent and tensing. I… I did my best to ignore my feelings of unease as my arm disappeared into her chest. Someday… someday I’ll be able to do the same. “But… wait… doesn’t that mean whoever we’re looking for wants to be the strongest around?”

Yuigahama’s words made me go still for a second.

“…yes, that might be the case.” It was a disturbing thought to consider. I’d thought on the matter as it pertained to freedom outside of an established social structure, but Yuigahama’s position was startlingly sounder. Youkai understood strength and power. They coveted it. Why wouldn’t they go out of their way to create a land all their own? A place where they were the strongest? “The Youkai might even go out of their way to try and make folklore about themselves, no?”

“Right! What if they do that and get lots stronger? They can use loads of things to make a lot of people scared of them really quickly!” Yuigahama’s voice contained an edge of panic, but I could not blame her for it. The modern world had many methods of spreading folklore around and about. To my understanding, that could lead to certain Youkai growing stronger, especially if they became a legend. “Shouldn’t we be calling the Hakurei Shrine maiden or something? Hikki-kun’s cousin?”

Yuigahama made a good point, but the thought of calling for help right away… didn’t sit well with me.

“Let’s keep that in mind, but do our best to not have to do that. We’ve trained and worked hard enough, and we have Ran-sama helping us.” Hachiman’s connection with a powerful Youkai should be enough to help us here. “I admit that we should ask Hachiman for her number, so that we can call upon her if needed, but I would feel better knowing that I can take care of myself.”

I wanted to prove to myself that I can protect myself in the future.

Yuigahama didn’t reply immediately, but eventually she nodded shakily.

“Yeah. I get it. We should try first!” A look of determination spread across her features that made me smile. I knew that she would understand, even if our stances on the supernatural differed, here we were the same. I couldn’t reach out for the supernatural if I couldn’t keep myself safe, and she couldn’t protect herself from it if she couldn’t keep herself safe either. We needed to do this for our own sakes. “Ah, look, Yukinon! It’s the register!”

When I turned to look at the counter, when I first looked at the woman sitting behind it, I momentarily saw a blonde, foreign woman clad in purple and white. 

But when I blinked once again, I saw an old lady in a black kimono who sat in front of a very old television who offered me a wave and a smile.

This place was truly strange, but I was sure that it would benefit our search immensely. 

…

Ran

…

The Youkai ran from me in a panic, as I pursued it.

I could smell its fear as it desperately tried to escape.

The foul creature that intruded on my territory had the gall to not approach me the moment I arrived and declared myself. 

Now, even after I entreated it, the Youkai dared to try its luck and escape me.

The anger I felt at the creature was immense.

I had been magnanimous.

I understood that it did not know Chiba was under my protection, as Hachiman lived within it and cared for many who dwelled within it. When I had arrived, knowing what I did, I decided against hunting the creature down and making an example of it. I chose to be found, to be detected, and to be approached as a sign that I wished to render no harm, that I would be understanding, and that I would be merciful.

My offering was spat upon, the framework of talismans Hachiman and his peers erected were trespassed upon, and the Youkai continued to plague and dwell in Chiba.

It took everything I had to not hunt it down when the first broken talisman appeared before me. I

If it had seen the talismans and chosen to run and avoid them, then I would’ve allowed it to escape, as it heeded the warning.

But it had not.

Instead, it chose to enter my territory once again.

Even as it wept in terror and fear, I pursued it.

“Leave me alone!” It cried out with fright and terror in its voice, as it ascended the sheer side of a building with its strength. I took flight and lashed out at it, only for my hands to find purchase on rooftop. I left behind small marks, which I repaired with a gesture, as I pursued my prey. “I’m leaving! You’ll never see me again!”

To those words, I had a single answer: 

“Lies.”

If it had such intentions, then it would have chosen to do as it did when it noticed my arrival. It would’ve met with me and asked why I was present. Or, it would have left my Chiba after realizing the presence of myself and the Talismans which contained some of my power. An intelligent, wise creature would’ve done none of things it did, ignored all the signs, and continued to prowl my territory. 

In short, I had no reason to believe this creature as anything more than an opponent who had ill intentions.

I followed it as fell into an alley. It caught itself with it claws on the sides of buildings. I repaired and erased its tracks as I flew after it… and my actions slowed me just enough for it to turn into a rat and disappear into the sewers.

I considered following the miserable creature… until my alarm went off.

Hachiman was going to awaken soon, and I didn’t wish for him to prepare breakfast for me on his day off. 

So, I decided to stay me hand, took flight, and headed towards Hachiman.

Tonight, I was going to chase after the miserable creature once again and put an end to it for daring to infringe upon my territory.

So, I swore upon my own name.

…

“Thank you for the meal.” Hachiman clapped his hands once, took a bite, and nodded and smiled. “It’s delicious, Ran. Thanks.”

My heart fluttered at the words, whilst a flush travelled up my cheeks.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve had a lot of practice, and I’ve made you breakfast before.” I couldn’t stop smiling. I felt almost foolish with the grin that stretched across my face, but I couldn’t help it in the least. “Besides, you’ve been making breakfast every day for a few weeks. I figured I should do something, especially since you have the day off.”

Komachi and his parents were elsewhere for the day, and it was the weekend so there were no classes. Hachiman was adept at completing his work, so he truly had the day off.

So, I intended to truly let him enjoy it—

“So, we’re going to be at it the entire day, huh?”

I nearly chocked upon my own spit at his sudden words, and wondered why he was saying such things, until he aimed his breakfast bowl at me.

I hadn’t put much thought into the dish, just making the meal according to my heart with the finest ingredients I could locate.

The heat on my face intensified as I looked at his breakfast.

Oyster miso soup.

Grilled eel over rice.

Pineapple and strawberries for dessert.

“I-I hadn’t planned on this, I swear!” Hachiman only raised an eyebrow at my words, as I looked at my finished meal, and then recalled that I had a hearty stew on the stove simmering for… later… after we were finished… “Oh no.”

“Well, I’m not going to complain about having a beautiful girlfriend who’s into that… but I think we should actually go somewhere today. Maybe a shrine and a museum?” Hachiman offered with a sigh as he continued to eat. I nodded quickly and swiftly with each of his words. I was thankful for the reprieve in embarrassment. “Alright, here. Take a look at these. I thought about it for a bit, so just pick and choose.”

He offered me his phone and it contained a list of locations to visit on an itinerary.

As I began to look through the locations, I found my hand slipping to search for other places near the ones I liked the most—

“They’re all close to a hotel. One or two blocks away.”

“Thank you very much! I appreciate your considerate nature very much!” I stood up and bowed in defeat as Hachiman shook his head and lightly laughed. My face was burning, but from the moment I heard his chuckling, I couldn’t help but laugh a little myself. “…thanks for doing more than you should, Hachiman.”

Hachiman shook his head and laughed at my words.

“When I keep my girlfriend’s likes and dislikes in mind, I’m doing more than I should? That’s depressing as hell, Ran. You should raise your standards.”

His words made me chuckle along with him, as a familiar heat welled within my heart.

I felt so lucky to be alive that I was afraid that if someone pinched me, I’d wake up.

I didn’t want these days to ever end.