When Touhou met the Avengers | Book 3

Chapter 3

"Well, I'd better get going," Parsee declared, standing up.

It was now late in the evening, the sun began to set down.

"You sure you don't want to stay for the night?" Koishi asked.

"No, I'll be fine," She muttered.

She stood up from the log, and walked deeper in the forest. Satori knew what she was doing. Yukari's gaps seemed to be scattered all around the world, yet the outside world humans are oblivious to them. Somehow, there was never ever been a human who accidentally breached the border, somehow.

It was just logic, after all. The border between the logical and the illogical. What really is there to say about it? 

As Parsee's figure vanished in the forest, Satori went back to her disguise. She knew that Seiga was out there. Sure, Koishi said her name and probably provoked her, but... it's her subconscious that's speaking. Yet... if her subconscious really is what's controlling her, than isn't that really her mind? As her actual conscious mind has been closed? But then, if the subconscious mind is her conscious mind, then what is Koishi's subconscious mind?

Her thoughts began to spiral. As a mind youkai, sometimes she had to make sure to reign her own thoughts as well. Koishi went inside the tent they had set up, although Satori decided to linger outside for awhile longer. She stared up, the sky darkening quickly. Stars gradually emerged once again.

She began to stand up before her third-eye sensed something behind her. A presence. A non-human presence.

Somehow, she felt that this mind was familiar, but she was sure she had never encountered this person.

"Well, enjoying the stars?" The person said.

Satori didn't turn around. She didn't need to. She heard the sound of rustling before the person sat beside her. Before the mind youkai could prevent this, her third-eye instinctively glanced at the person... and she didn't recognize her.

"Don't know me? We've never met after all," The person, or rather, tengu, said.

The tengu stared at the starry sky as well.

"Megumu Iizunamaru," She drawled, "But I guess you already know that,"

Satori made sure to keep her face blank as she felt Megumu's scarlet eyes bore into her side. The tengu tilted her head to the side.

"No response? How impolite," She chuckled, "I s'pose it's normal, after all, don't most of the known youkai are known for being part of incidents? Which of them are you part of?"

Satori still didn't reply. Instead, she was subtly copying Megumu's spellcards, in case if she ends up in a fight. Manipulating the Starry Sky... what an interesting ability. The tengu would have a full advantage if they were to fight immediately.

"I've seen you use a nice camera once..." The tengu continued.

Satori tensed as she remembered that lingering mind. It was her. Megumu's eyes caught her tense, as a tengu has a way better vision than most youkai.

"So you do remember..." She trailed off, "Now then, how about we fight?"

"This is the outside world," Satori spoke to her for the first time.

"And? Why don't you use powers of yours?" She raised an eyebrow.

Satori bit her lower lip.

"Oh, yes. I do know," Megumu said, "C'mon, it's be fine,"

She flew to the sky, her wings nearly invisible in the night sky. Satori had no choice but to remove her disguise and rise up to the sky as well. It's been such a long time since she last had a danmaku battle, but she'll still have to try.

You don't get a choice but to accept a danmaku battle, after all.