When the dimensional rift closed and the view snapped back into focus, the first thing Shin's senses picked up was the warmth and noise of the human world — the smell of woodsmoke, street food, and ordinary life.
He opened his eyes. It was early evening.
Gone was the mansion on the Witch's Island. In its place stretched a rolling expanse of lush green hills, and beneath his feet, a long cobblestone street winding along the edge of a market district.
The architecture was immediately recognisable — squat wooden buildings done in Tang-dynasty style, most of them thatched with thick layers of straw. In the distance, a few vermillion torii gates peeked out between bamboo and cherry trees, giving the whole scene a quiet, desolate atmosphere that was unmistakably Heian-period Japan.
"So this Tale of the Bamboo Cutter… it'd have to be the Touhou one, right?"
"Which means this world probably has all sorts of— ...actually, scratch that."
No, he absolutely could not say that out loud.
After all, based on what he could see in the group chat, aside from MyGo's Soyo, basically every single member was a— well. That included his own Great Witch, too.
Shin took a moment to survey the area.
Tenth-century Japan in the Human History timeline — roughly the Sui-Tang period back in the Central Plains. Japan's own distinct culture had yet to fully take shape; this was probably the era most heavily influenced by the mainland. And if this was the Touhou version of that era, it was a time when humans and extraordinary beings walked the earth together.
He let his mind drift, and the group chat interface materialised in his thoughts.
Per the Great Witch's firm insistence, the username he was operating under remained: [Spreading Witch Factors].
Oh right — he'd almost forgotten. The points Shin had earned from completing previous missions had all been transferred over to him by the Great Witch. Shin thought it was unnecessary, but she'd insisted a kid his age needed his own spending money.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: Hey everyone, I've arrived safely.
He switched on the group livestream with practiced ease.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: My arrival point is near a market district. It looks like a normal human settlement — no anomalies detected so far, and no fairies or supernatural creatures in sight either.
[Moon Princess]: Ohh! You're finally here — hurry up and get me out of this bamboo already!
[Moon Princess]: Quick quick quick, I can feel this bamboo getting tighter and tighter, if I don't get out soon I think I'm going to be squashed flat!
[Queen of Britain]: I have sent Lancelot through as well.
[Queen of Britain]: I don't know where she landed. Have you encountered her yet, boy?
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: Not yet.
Shin reached out with his senses — those of an Ultimate Being — sweeping the area for several li in every direction. Nothing but ordinary mortals. Not a shred of supernatural energy, let alone any trace of Fairy Knight Lancelot.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: I've scouted the surroundings. No sign of Lady Lancelot.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: @Queen of Britain — Lady Morgan, have there been any team missions among the special quests completed before? Were participants transported together from the start, or separately?
[Moon Princess]: I don't recall a team mission ever triggering before.
[Moon Princess]: That "Cleaving the Mountain to Save Mother" lore mission was completed solo by Lady Marika. There was a participant limit on that one.
The veteran of the group, Kaguya, answered on Morgan's behalf.
[Queen of Britain]: It should be fine. With Lancelot's abilities, linking up with the Great Witch's child is only a matter of time.
[Queen of Britain]: Hah… this is my own oversight.
[Queen of Britain]: If only I could trust my subordinates the way the Great Witch trusts her child — I should have transferred my account permissions to Lancelot temporarily so she could contact us directly.
Morgan's message had a resigned, weary quality to it — understandable, really, when you thought about it.
As the Winter Queen of Fairy Britain, she had precious few reliable assets. Her finest were those handful of Fairy Knights, and yet each of them carried her own particular flaw.
Take Fairy Knight Gawain and Fairy Knight Tristan — both formidable in their own right, but neither could be called truly loyal to Morgan herself.
As for Fairy Knight Tristan, Morgan's adopted daughter — that was a different matter. Morgan trusted her. But Baobhan Sith's temperament and raw power both fell a notch below the others. Even with chat group access, she'd probably be a liability rather than an asset on a mission.
Had Morgan obtained her place in this chat group even a few years earlier, she might have reconsidered Baobhan Sith's upbringing entirely.
As it was, she was better off sending Melusine — the strongest of the three. Let her travel to different worlds, broaden her horizons, see more of humanity and what it had to offer. Perhaps with enough experience, Melusine's faith in that fundamentally wicked fairy would erode. If possible, Morgan hoped Melusine might find true love somewhere across the many worlds — she was even prepared to personally arrange the match — anything to free her from that wretch's manipulation.
[Queen of Britain]: In any case, don't worry. Lancelot's perception is extraordinarily sharp. Make enough noise, boy, and she'll find you soon enough.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: Understood. I'll begin the investigation.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: @Moon Princess — Your Highness, do you remember where your bamboo forest is? Could you tell me your exact location?
[Spreading Witch Factors]:The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter never specifies an exact location. Do you see any landmarks nearby?
[Moon Princess]: …Hold on. I'm inside the bamboo right now. I can only peek through the gaps between the stalks.
Shin was genuinely curious about Kaguya's current state. Was she the size of a baby? Or like Thumbelina — tiny as a finger?
[Moon Princess]: Alright, visibility is terrible. All I can see is bamboo, bamboo, and more bamboo.
[Moon Princess]: But there's something odd — the bamboo I'm sealed inside is supposed to glow. How come it isn't glowing this time?
[Moon Princess]: I can hear running water, though… there might be a stream or river nearby?
"Running water…"
Kaguya's answer was vague to say the least. If Shin hadn't evolved into an Ultimate Being with the ability to fly, he'd have been reduced to turning over every inch of ground by hand — and even so, it was going to be incredibly difficult to find her. He figured he might as well start by asking around for where the bamboo cutter Taketori no Okina actually lived; at least that would give him some kind of lead.
It looked like the useless NEET princess was no help at all.
But just as Shin was about to set off, something snagged at his perception — a faint, wrongness.
From the direction of the market behind him, the sound of shuffling, hurried, disorganised footsteps.
Shin stopped and looked back.
The market, which had been perfectly calm moments ago, was suddenly boiling over with activity.
Streams of villagers were pouring out of their thatched-roof homes —
Old women with shaky steps. Barefoot children. Farmers in the prime of their years. Every single one of them, as though their souls had left their bodies, was marching in perfect lockstep, all in the same direction.
That direction was a distant walled city — by the stars and his internal compass, Shin was fairly certain it was Heian-kyo.
He also noticed, sharp-eyed as he was, that as the residents filed out from their homes and alleyways, the hazy moon was just cresting the dusky sky for the first time.
"This is…"
Shin's first instinct was to shoot up into the air for a better look, but with so many eyes around, he reined in the impulse.
The wrongness in these residents was obvious at a glance.
Heads bowed. Eyes vacant. Mouths curved in smiles — or rather, in a smile that didn't belong on a human face at all.
Shin probed the air for supernatural energy and found nothing. It was as though they were all acting of their own free will — walking toward Heian-kyo as though on a pilgrimage.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: Everyone, I've found an anomaly.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: [Image]
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: @Moon Princess — Your Highness, is this actually in the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?
The image showed a crowd of differently-dressed residents walking in a daze, all in the same direction, murmuring something under their breath.
[Moon Princess]: ???
[Moon Princess]: Where did this come from? I thought we had a zombie apocalypse on our hands. Or maybe the Lunarians dropped a virus on the human world?
[Moon Princess]: Hold on — those people aren't actually heading for me, are they? I haven't even come out of the bamboo yet — I didn't know my arrival could cause this kind of commotion.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: …
Right. Shin had known Kaguya would be useless.
He sighed, composed himself, and in the blink of an eye reappeared beside a middle-aged man at the tail end of the procession. He reached out a hand and rested it lightly on the man's shoulder.
"Excuse me, friend. A moment of your time."
The man lurched to a halt, turning slowly.
It was a face that told a story all by itself.
His pupils were dilated nearly to the edge of his irises, reflecting nothing — certainly not Shin. What filled them instead was a fervent, bone-deep longing that made the skin crawl.
Even being forcibly stopped didn't seem to anger him. He spoke in a hoarse, trembling murmur:
"Don't… don't stop me… I have to go and see her…"
"See who?" Shin asked, his voice level.
"Kaguya-hime…! It's Kaguya-hime!"
The man's voice cracked and sharpened, as though he'd seized a lifeline.
"She's the most beautiful woman in the world — a divine being descended from the heavens itself… Even just one glimpse from a distance, even dying on the road on the way to see her — it would all be worth it!"
"Today is the day she holds her bridal selection again. Every noble in the land is heading for the capital, and I'm going too, I'm going!"
With that, he shook Shin off and stumbled onward down the road.
Shin stood there watching the dark mass of people surge toward the horizon, like iron filings yanked by a magnet, wave after wave of them.
His expression had gone rather strange. He stopped a few more people in succession — men, women, young and old — and got essentially the same answer from every single one of them.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: @Moon Princess
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: Your Highness, I've just finished questioning a few passersby, and I believe I've found a lead on your whereabouts.
[Moon Princess]: Then what are you waiting for, hurry up and come find me! Do you think I enjoy sitting inside a bamboo stalk?
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: No, hold on — let me finish.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: These people say they're on their way to attend a bridal selection for "Kaguya-hime." The event appears to be taking place somewhere in Heian-kyo.
[Spreading Witch Factors (temp account)]: And apparently this isn't the first time. Do you have any idea what's going on?
[Moon Princess]: ???
Inside the bamboo, the exquisitely beautiful girl with her long black hair — now no larger than a thumb — sprouted a giant question mark over her head.
What does this mean — has someone stolen my identity?
To be continued…
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