Touhou - Impure Dreams about a Strange Land

A Date with a Witch

"Amazing! Despite living in a world where magic is denied almost completely, you still have it in you!" Patchouli sounds extremely excited with this breakthrough. I wish I felt the same excitement, but I can't shake that slimy, nasty feeling from my stomach. "Although that tool barely reacted to you, that means we have to keep trying."

The mere idea of having to taste that awful thing again makes me shudder. "Please, tell me I don't have to drink that stuff again. I can't do it!"

She sighs, and looks annoyed, but I can tell she's still overjoyed. "Well, I suppose I should look after compatibility rather than potency. Forcing you to use what I use doesn't look optimal if you can barely stand it. I have a few more options to see if you can revitalize your mana." She takes a look at her notepad, checking what she wrote. "After all, magic is like a muscle. If you get careless and stop using it, it atrophies and becomes useless." She closes her notepad, looking satisfied. "It'll take some time. But, if we keep looking for the correct ingredients, and see which ones are compatible with your body, then we might have speedy progress towards fixing this weakness of yours."

Well, at least I don't have to put up with drinking raw, mashed liver again, but I dread the idea of eating and drinking stuff blindly. I have to admit, seeing how this box glows whenever I touch it... Makes me feel excited, too. "What's next? And please, don't say liver and mandragora again."

She chuckles and shakes her head. "No, forcing you to keep going wouldn't do much for any of us. You should take it easy for now. Eat some dinner, take a bath and rest. You have bags under your eyes." With a satisfied sigh, she pats my shoulder. "You did well today. Tomorrow you probably have to stay at the gate with Meiling. Nothing really happens at this time of the year so, enjoy the nice weather."

"Well, that sounds like a plan, why don't you join me for dinner, though? I didn't expect you to be so much fun after last night's dinner."

For the look on her face, it seems she likes the compliment, and after pondering a bit, she shakes her head. "Maybe next time. I have to sort my materials, do some calculations now that I have some data to work with."

Eh, what can you do, she's still a bookworm at heart. I put the artifact on her table before moving towards the door. "Alright then, but it is a promise. See you later, miss librarian."

"Hold on." She stops me before opening her wardrobe, pulling a small satchel decorated with a crescent moon on its cover. Then she grabs the artifact and puts it inside. "This is for you. You should keep it with you at all times, or at least, whenever you come here."

The bag is a little too feminine for me. But I won't refuse it. "Are you sure? I think this goes well with that moon on your hat."

"Don't worry about it, think of it as a welcome gift from me." She puts the bag on my shoulder, and I'm surprised how light it feels. I need to be careful whenever I take it off.

"Thank you, now I believe I owe you a gift." Damn it, how am I supposed to know what she likes? And giving a book to a librarian sounds more like a prank than anything. "Well, see you later, Patchouli. Remember to rest you too."

I go back to the main floor. I feel slightly beat up, and I don't think I should eat something right now. Maybe I should go to bed early before Meiling decides to sleep on my bed again. And after a quick bath, I fell asleep almost immediately.

It's been a while since I had a dream. I don't know if Patchouli's concoction had something to do with it, but now I can see my apartment again. I think it is happening again. I can't move, but I can see. Everything is in disarray and there's police tape all over the place. Damn it... If this isn't just a dream, there's a huge chance my family is aware of my sudden disappearance. I wonder how they are now.