41 The Missing Spring part 1
Editor: Katanasoul_91.
-Morning, the Skies of Gensokyo-
-My POV-
High in the sky, above the cloud, many pink petals dancing in the air.
I grab one of them to examine it.
It looks…normal, just like any other pink flower petal, I didn't even feel anything strange from it, but since I knew what's going on, I know what this thing actually is.
I start actively absorbing it into my body, just like when I cancel my magic by reabsorbing the mana back into my body.
The petal disappeared and I can feel a miniscule of power residing inside me. But a second later, I tried to draw that power out from my inside, it's a success, the petal reappeared again in my hand.
"…There's no going back after this." I said to cement my decision to participate in this incident.
I reabsorb the petal back and start gathering more of it from the sky.
Gather what you asked?
The Essence of Spring, that's the name of the item that I'm gathering right now.
Its look and feel is really tricky, it look is the same just like Sakura Petal and somehow it power can't be sense unless you actually absorbed it, that's why nobody knows that the Petal actually the Essence of Spring and not just a Sakura Petal like everyone first thought, and only realized what it is until…I actually don't know when the revelation about the Petal happened, since it's an info dump, it probably happened during Youmu's fight or Yuyuko's fight.
Back to topic, about everyone, Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya, the three of them will be the Incident Resolver for this Incident, but I guess now it makes the four of us since I'll be joining them solving this, if my method count as resolving the Incident, of course.
There's also differentiation between me and them about when each of us start moving to resolving this Incident and the method to solved it, right now I'm the only one that already start moving while all of them still thinking that this strange winter is the work of mother nature.
Now as to why I'm doing all of this despite being scared shitless of Yuyuko and Yukari, it all started when the System gave me the Quest.
[Main Story Quest: The Missing Spring]
[User needs to greatly contribute in ending the Incident that's happening in Gensokyo right now. Failing in filling user contribution quota will be met with Failure Penalty.]
[Failure Penalty: Losing 50% of User Overall Abilities.]
Before we continue, I want to complain about something.
That word, that specific key word, 'greatly' and also 'quota', why? Isn't the completion difficulty kinda increased from last time? Is it because I'm a Senior Pioneer now? If that's the case, then I have a bad feeling in the future, especially when spring arrived, yeah, especially when spring actually arrived…
…
…Whatever, let's continue, the quest appeared a couple days ago, but I just start doing the quest today because I'm thinking as to how do I 'contribute greatly' to this event.
I sit down thinking in the Living Room,
'I remember how this incident started and the majority of its detail but do I need to move now? The System didn't specify when I should move, and I could just move with everyone else at the later date. Now all I need to now is to wait for one more month to solve the incident. Easy Peasy.'
Flashback of my vow starts to appear in my mind.
'…dammit, a man has to stay true to his word, dammit all.'
"Master~, Good Morning~" Bara comes down into the room while looking happy.
I stare at her.
"??" She tilted her head in question. She looks adorably clueless as to why I'm staring at her.
"…It's all because of you, c'mere." I pull her to me using Telekinesis.
"W-wa-wait! Master?! Master??!!" Bara starts flying toward me.
I catch(hug) her.
"Eh?! EH??!!"
*pat**pat**pat*
"FUNYAAAAAAAA!!"
Ah~, there's nothing that can beat patting a Loli in the morning.
In the first place, how did Bara appear within me anyway?
She told she doesn't know either, so since both us don't know about it, we just concluded that it was the System doing. The reason that it did it? Maybe for the lulz or maybe it's part of interaction observation, I don't know and I don't care, avoid the headache by don't think too deeply of it, the mind set of greater being, I know it sound lazy but what can you do about it, it's a greater being.
Back to Bara, I will order her to stay with Akyuu since the winter gonna get worst until the incident is done, she will be fine with Bara keeping her company, like a friend, a guard and a heater.
While we're still in the topic of Akyuu, there was some funny stuff that happened when both of them truly met for the first time.
Two Loli are playing together.
"Ahahaha, Akyuuuuu-chan!!" Bara said happily.
"Wha-Bara-san?! Wai-wha-hawawawawawa!" Akyuu flustered.
"Akyuuuuuu-chaaaaaan!!" Bara still looks happy.
"D-down! Put me down! Heeeeeeelp!!" cried Akyuu.
Bara lifted Akyuu up by hugging her, she also spin with her while doing it, they look so happy.
"Arah-saaaaaaaaaan!"
Yep, they look really happy.
I look away from them to take out a bunch of sweet and cookie out of my pouch.
This moment, if I paid even a little bit of attention to them at that moment, I might find a clue as to what happened.
"...s...o…e.…as.er…..e..h…r."
"Hm?" I look back at them with a bowl of sweet in hand.
I expect them to still hugging and spinning.
I expect them to be still looked happy.
I expect nothing else.
But then the unexpected happened.
They are holding each other hands, Bara is still smiling, but it's not a happy smile, Akyuu look surprised, her mouth is slightly opened while her eyes opened wide.
…
I MISS IT!
I TOTALLY MISS SOMETHING IMPORTANT JUST NOW!!
FUCK ME!!
Until this day, I still didn't know what they were talking about back then, they're being really secretive, and it's not like I could asked them about it. That's just rude.
Now, what else, oh yeah, the Skill Seed. I already used it.
[1st Stage: Tiny Luck]
[Small boosts of User's Luck. Luck will always be on User's favor.]
I guess that the skill is some kind of evolution skill since it has '1st Stage' in its name. I have no comment about the skill since I never noticed its effect until now. Moreover 'Luck' worked in a mysterious way, it's the same as something like 'Fate', I've to become Omniscient enough to noticed the different result, Logic and Calculation never gonna cut it.
As for the new item and abilities, seems like since I've become a Senior Pioneer, the System raised my User Privilege. Now I could buy or upgrade something that I can't upgrade in the past, said the System.
For example, I could upgrade my Vector Change from Lv.5(Max) to Lv.EX is 1.000.000 AP.
…
…Like…ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! IS THE PRICE KINDA GO WAY THE FUCK UP FROM THE PREVIOUS UPGRADE?! SYSTEM!! HOW?! HOW THE FUCK DO I GET THAT MUCH POINT?!
[For the first User's question, since the upgraded abilities will have a power spike from its previous form, we justified the new ability power by increasing its upgrade price and left the traditional doubling the price in each of its upgrade.]
[For the second question, now that the User already has the status of Senior Pioneer, the leading figure of the Pioneer, we will give you more difficult quest with matching reward.]
…Let's ignore the fact that the System actually gave me the answer for it and continue.
Since I don't have the point for it, and I want to test how powerful the abilities that got the Lv EX, so I upgraded my other skills.
[Swordsmanship Lv MAX] into [Swordsmanship Lv EX] for 100.000 AP.
[User level increased from 71 to 75]
At that time, I'm wondering as to why my level went up that much, after all it's just Swordsmanship, my level shouldn't went up when I'm already in the upper level.
And then I tried using it, pure Swordsmanship without my other active abilities.
It was bullshit. The skill could make me do some bullshit thing.
You know the scene in a samurai anime, where some samurai guy sitting with his eye close and his sword beside him, and then there's a leaf falling in front of him but a butterfly or a bird suddenly fly between them, the guy immediately grab his sword and slash in front him, the leaf is cut but the thing between them didn't.
Yeah, I did exactly that type of bullshit.
It all started when I was in the simulation room. I look to the side and noticed that there's a bunch of flower surrounded by weed.
'It will be nice if the weed is gone.' I thought.
My body moved, drawing my blade, I lowered my body to do a sword sweep the weed.
"Done." I said while smiling.
The weeds are cut down and the flower still standing, looking healthy. Just like what I wanted.
I nod in satisfaction.
…
'…Satisfaction?' I tilted my head in confusion.
I looked at the ground.
'…What the fu-.' I remembered what I just did.
After that I tested it several time, the results were always the same, I think the perfect word to described what I did is that "I only cut what I wanted to cut", not matter how I many time I did it, it still feels kinda bullshit.
As for any new item, none, I think I should save it in case something happened.
…
'Flying in the sky alone is pretty boring. Maybe I should bring something, is my phone still working? I did kinda leave it inside my pouch for more than half a year.'
Turned out its still okay, I started to feel curious after seeing my phone, since I can't do it in the middle of the sky. I decided to do it when I get home.
Adding Infinitely Charged (100 IP) into my phone and pick my music folder in it.
Now all I need is just plug the earphone into my ear, but of course, something distracted before I do it.
I saw a Loli flying closer to my position.
It's a fairy.
"IT'S SPRING!! SPRING HAS COME!!"
[Lv.19 Lily White, the Spring Herald]
She has green eyes, long blond hair and a pair of white feathered wings. She wears a hat, a dress, and a chaplet. They are white, with a red wave pattern outlining the edges.
In normal case, I probably just gonna called her cute and be done with it, but now, all I can say is that she's kinda creeping me out.
Her eyes are glosses over, void of life, and she smile, it's as if right now is the happiest day of her life.
'Fairies and their ties with nature, I probably gonna seeing them more like this from now on.' I thought.
"SPRING!!" she throws a cloud of Danmaku to me.
Counter Armor.
Her Danmaku bounced back to her with more velocity, with more power.
"Spring??" she tilted her head.
With confused look, she's showered with her own Danmaku.
*PI-CHUN* and she's gone, leaving behind some pink petal in the sky.
I fly toward the petal to collect them.
'Based on the Strange and Bright Nature Deity, the fairies won't remember what happened to themselves when they're like this. Hope they don't just suddenly remember what happened and get traumatized.' I hoped.
I put my phone's earphone into my ears, I start the music.
"Hope my music library enough until the end of this." I said.
I start going into random direction in the sky.
-After some petal grabbing and fairy killing, much time have passes-
"Well, isn't this ominous looking giant door?" I said as I pull out one of my earplug.
There's a giant door with four wooden pillars emerging from the clouds. The giant door also has a big magic rotating circle thingy in front of it.
Below the cloud, from this position, it's the Hakurei Shrine.
If my memory is correct, this place is the Barrier of Life and Death.
The 4th stage of PCB, the place where the main heroine fought with the stage boss, the Prismriver Sister, and the sisters…obviously not here right now.
I can see the pink petal flew in above the giant door.
"…Let's hope I don't get instant killed once I went inside."
I pack in my phone and take out my Katana instead.
Steel Katana
Doujigiri Yasutsuna
I tied both of them to my left hip.
"…Let's do this, shall we." I said to no one, but something unexpectedly response to me.
Doujigiri Yasutsuna giving me a response by giving me a purple sparks.
'There's no doubt about it, this thing's definitely alive.' I thought.
I start following the pink petal by flying over the huge gate.
-??, Netherworld-
The Netherworld is the land where ghosts and phantoms reside after death. After the dead has been judged by the Yama, depending on the severity of their crimes, they'll either go to Hell, Heaven or here in the Netherworld. If they are guiltless, then they will end up in here, spending their time leisurely as a phantom until they achieve nirvana or reincarnate.
This place's actually not that different like the other side.
There is a ground, vegetation, cloud, sun and a blue sky.
I think the only different between here and there are the resident of this world.
[Lv.1 Human Phantom]
[Lv.1 Human Phantom]
[Lv.1 Animal Phantom]
A soul-like thingy that floats around on the ground or just floating lazily in the sky. Even though there are different name like Animal Phantom and such, all of them look just like the other, floating soul thingy.
But enough talking about this place, let's talk about me now.
Right now, I'm sitting on the ground for a while.
After I went inside, I noticed that there's a slight problem.
I don't know the way of this place.
'It can't be helped since this is the first time I went to this place, even thought I knew the name of the place, it doesn't mean I know how to get there,…oh well, YOLO.'
I get up and walk toward the nearest Human Phantom.
"Um, excuse me." I call out to the Phantom.
I think it heard me because it stopped floating around.
It facing toward me, I don't know why I could say that, but I definitely think it facing toward me.
"Sorry for taking your time, but can you help me with something?" I asked.
The Phantom flicker for a moment but it didn't go away from me.
'I guess that's a yes then?'
"Thank you, do you know the way to the Hakugyokurou?"
The Phantom thinking for a moment, again, don't ask me how I know that.
It suddenly flew toward a direction before coming back to me, it repeat that movement again for a second time.
"Is that the way to the Hakugyokurou?"
The Phantom bobs its body.
"I see, thank you." I gratefully bow to it.
The Phantom bobs its body again before continuing floating around.
…Interacting with a WereLion is one thing, but interacting with a Soul Ball definitely feels stranger, but there's a saying in my country, 'If you're ashamed of asking question, you will astray from your path.', so kick away your pride and asked around for the way, you won't regret it.
I start flying toward the direction the Phantom shows me.
I fly over the tree to better viewing.
Not long after that, I found a stone pavement.
After that I follow the stone pavement until I found the stair.
'It's the Hakugyokurou's Stairway, a very long and wide stairway to the Hakugyokurou, the final stage of PCB.'
I start climbing the stair by flying.
Usually when a main character climbed up the stair to the final boss, they all hoping that they didn't get stopped to fight in the middle of the stairway to preserve their strength, but not in my case, I'm hoping for someone to stop me from going up.
'Please, for the love of god, please found me before I reach the top of the stairway, please do your job properly and found me already. I don't want to fight her at all.' I'm prayed in my mind.
Thankfully, my prayer has been answered.
"Hold it!"
A girl suddenly arrives from the sky and blocking my path.
[Lv.46 Konpaku Youmu, Phantom-Human Gardener]
'SHE DID IT! SHE STOPPED ME!! GOOD GIRL!! THANK YOU!!' I celebrate Youmu appearance in my heart.
Youmu is a half-human half-phantom. She has short silver hair worn in a bob cut, and dark blue eyes. She wears a dark green and white short-sleeve dress with several ghost insignias along the edges and a ghost insignia as well on her breast pocket, and a black ribbon tied off-center in her hair. She carries the Roukanken; a long katana with a cherry blossom insignia and a flower attached to it scabbard on her back, and the Hakurouken; a wakizashi (Short Japanese sword) behind her waist. Her ghostly half is a formless white phantom as large as her human self.
"Living being is forbidden from entering the Netherworld! State your business or you will be joining in with the dead!" she said with stern expression.
"If I said I come here because the spring didn't come, would that help?"I said with a smile.
"I see, the incident resolver are working faster than my master expected." she slowly unsheathe her long katana from her back. "But my master wish is my wishes too." her Katana fully out from its scabbard. "If killing you is what it takes to fulfill her wish." She goes to her stance with her katana. "Then I will end you right here."
The trees are rustling from the wind, the leaves are scattered, making this situation looks quite dramatic.
But of course, I'll ruin it just because it will be funny for me.
I do my thinking pose.
"…Somehow I got a feeling that you're hoping to fight instead of using Danmaku or I'm the one who's mistaken." I said still with a smile.
She flinched.
"W-well?! P-prepare yourself!!" she look flustered but still holding her stance.
A cute fellow.
I grab my katana with my left hand.
'I think it should be okay if I use Doujigiri Yasutsuna since she's not a Youkai or an Oni, plus she might be happier if I fight her with a named sword.'
"Then I better prepare myself." I said.
I landed on the stair before I unsheathed my katana.
I erase my smile.
"My name is Arah and here's my katana, Doujigiri Yasutsuna, forged from lightning, killer of Oni and Youkai." I said with serious expression while the katana creating a purple spark around itself.
Youmu landed on the stair as well.
"My name is Konpaku Youmu, Roukanken is my katana, forged by Youkai, ten Phantom will perish with a slice, and its sharpness is second to none!!" She tried to play it serious but her mouth threatening to break into a smile. …She looks happy.
The winds blows again, leave are scattered, we still standing with our sword in own stance.
'…Dammit, of course she wears bloomer, no one in Gensokyo wears any modern panties, all of them still wear bloomers.' I think without breaking my serious expression.
Since her position is higher than mine, and because she wears a dress, I could see her underwear, but just like I said, she wears bloomer.
'Should I bring panties to Gensokyo? I don't think it will be popular because people probably still gonna prefer being warm over looking good, moreover people aesthetic is different between here and the modern world, Gensokyo people that look at a girl that showing her leg probably think that she's a-'
Youmu moved, seems like a slash to my body.
I took a step back as she swing.
I dodge it by a nick, I reply with a thrust.
She dodged it and countered with a slash to my head.
Moving my head not gonna do it so I jump to my left.
She follows with another slash, I dodge again.
She follows again with a thrust, too greedy.
I go forward as I dodge her thrust between my arm pit, punish.
Lock her arm between my arm pit and trip her leg.
"Uwah!" she fell.
I bring the blade to her neck.
"Looks like I won." I said.
She look perplex.
"…Yuyuko-sama, I'm sorry." she said with resigned tone.
"…Don't talk as if I'm gonna end you." I frowned.
I sheathed my katana.
"I also never said anything about ending what your Master is doing."
"…Wait, what?" she look shocked.
She got up her body to sitting position.
I opened up my palm.
I bring out the pink petal into my hand.
"That's!!"
"Here, take'em." I offered them to Youmu.
"…" she looked confused.
"You want it or not?" I asked.
"Y-yes!" she finally takes it.
"I'll come back with the petal again tomorrow. Just meet me at the base of the stair." I said before I turn around and leaving the ground with Flight.
"W-wait!"
I turned around.
"Why? Why did Arah-dono help us even though we're currently stealing the Gensokyo's spring?" confused Youmu.
I smile.
"Stealing the spring? I think not, you people only borrow the Spring."
She looked surprised.
"I only want to see the cherry flower bloom. After all, I heard that it's a beautiful sight to see, so I want to help your master to fulfill her objective faster, to see the spring faster." I smile as I sincerely say those words.
"Besides, I don't want to offend your master by ruining her plan." I said that parting word before I start flying toward the exit.
Did I ever explain my method to stop this incident at the start? I think not.
If I just explained the source of this incident to Reimu then she's the one that probably gonna have the biggest contribution, and since the incident probably gonna end after that, my contribution probably not gonna be enough, resulting me getting the failure penalty.
So Gensokyo people, please endure just a little.
Endure the cold a little more for the sake of me not losing part of my power.
For me losing power means the death of me.
-The Missing Spring Interlude-
-The Maid–
The Devil took a sip at her tea.
"Great job Sakuya, delicious as always." she praised.
"Thank you for your praise, Mistress." the maid bowed.
The Devil turned her head to look at the outside scenery.
"I've grown bored of this white scenery, how long would this winter overstay its welcomed?" the Devil irritated.
The Maid hesitated for a moment but she also knew that the issue needs to be addressed right now, or her Mistress will be in even more foul mood.
"Mistress, if I may, there's an issue that you have to know right away." the Maid comes forward.
"Hm? Is the issue more important than the strange season outside?"
"Yes, it's about our food stock, it's almost empty."
"How about the reserve?"
"It's already empty."
"How about the reserve of the reserve?"
"It's almost empty, I've already calculated that if the winter stays this way for another month, we're gonna totally out of food."
"I see, that is indeed more important that the winter outside."
The Devil is thinking for a moment before turning back to the Maid.
"Sakuya, I order you to solve this incident, solved it before out food stock runs out." the Devil ordered.
"Your wish is my command, Mistress. " The Maid obeyed.
-The Magician-
The Magician are standing in front of her house, she's looking at the piled snow around her house.
"*sigh* another day with another piled up snow. Let's cleaned it up-ze." she bring out her shovel.
After she cleaned up the snow above her house and around her house, a pink petal falls in front of her.
"Hm? A Sakura Petal?"
She picked it up to take a closer look.
Based on her knowledge, this petal definitely looks like a Sakura Petal, a flower that bloomed in spring.
She looked around, searching for another petal, but she didn't find any.
This makes her think.
"If there's a Sakura Petal, which mean there's a spring somewhere in Gensokyo right-ze? If I found that place that mean I probably could get a clue to solve this incident right-ze?"
And so the Magician moved, she moved hoping that she'll be the first one who solved the incident first before her friend.
-The Shrine Maiden-
The Shrine Maiden is lying around in her home.
"So peaceful, its a little cold but the trade off is that I don't have to do my work with this weather."
Lazy Shrine Maiden is lazy.
"Time to eat my sweet~"
She opened the place where she put her sweet but unfortunately, the sweet are frozen solid.
"…"
She grabbed her Gohei and wears her muffler.
"It's time to end this incident!!" shouted the Shrine Maiden.
And then she flies, with vengeance.
Author note:
Heyo, Author here. For the people that haven't heard the news, the reason as to why I haven't post anything for months is that because work, preparing for my graduation ceremony, settling in my new house and I kinda binged reading 800+ chapter of a novel. So yeah, now I'm free now, the chapter gonna come out weekly like the usual.
For people that probably gonna whine that this is gonna be a harem story, fuck you, this is my story and this is gonna be a harem story.
