Touhou - Impure Dreams about a Strange Land

Nobu The Outsider

I felt utterly defeated, but I clumsily took a seat in front of that woman. That made me feel like a kid taking orders from his teacher and I couldn't help but sigh. She was clearly amused, but her face changed from playful mocking to serious and somewhat scary.

"Before I tell you about this favor, answer me something." The sweet tone in her voice was gone, and her gaze was even more intense. "Do you happen to be related to Sumireko Usami?"

I shake my head. "That's the first time I hear that name, who's this person?"

Her face softened almost instantly, and her playful demeanor returned as well. She clapped her hands happily. "That's good to hear! That girl is quite the troublemaker. And please, don't make me start talking about the incident she caused, it was almost a disaster." Before I could speak to ask again who the hell this Sumireko is and why she thought I was related to her, she stopped being so theatrical and went straight to the point. "You see, the way you projected yourself into Gensokyo, was really similar to how that girl likes to poke around these parts. But then again... the way you did it, was somewhat..." She couldn't help but chuckle, so I expected even more teasing. "... somewhat rudimentary, let's just say. But nevermind that, if you're not in cahoots with her, that's good enough for me~"

I can't help but bounce my leg with impatience, I just want to go back home, but I let her stall as much as she wants, if she brought me here then she can send me back. "Oh, where are my manners, let me present myself properly. I'm Yukari Yakumo. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She offered me her hand and I reluctantly complied with her handshake.

I tried to hide the venom in my voice before speaking, but I couldn't help but answer with a bit of sarcasm. I also decided to keep my full name from her, just in case. "My name is Nobuyuki, nice to meet you too." 

She gave me a sweet smile, maybe she didn't pick the vitriol in my voice, or maybe she didn't care. "Very well Nobu, before I can talk about that favor, I have to give you a little introduction to this wonderful place!" Yukari extended her arms as much as she could, like she was showing off Gensokyo to me. "Like I told you before, this land is called Gensokyo, it is a refuge for everything humanity decides to forget."

I tilt my head, not really getting what she meant. "I'm sorry, I don't follow. Does that mean if I ever forget my keys they're going to end up here?"

Yukari giggles a bit. "That could happen, yes, but Gensokyo is home to even more than forgotten items. Goddesses, youkai, even buildings that humanity forgot, end up in here."

"Huh?! What are you talking about? Do you want me to believe that monsters and gods are..." As my voice died down, I realized that it was foolish trying to argue against that. Yukari and that horrible hell trip she gave me were proof enough that, in the very least, magic was pretty much real.

The woman in purple had a soft smile on her face as she stood up to get closer to me. She patted my head, like she was trying to comfort me as I tried to digest that bombshell of information. "Don't trouble your mind like that for now, Nobu, in time when you settle down here, all of this will become second nature to you, I'm sure of it~"

Doom. That's what I felt after hearing her words. I slapped her hand away from me and stood up from the grass. "Stop joking around, I tried to put up with your teasing but that's enough. Tell me what do you want from me and send me home." I tried to sound as serious as possible although my voice betrayed me midway.

She simply sighed at my outburst, then she turned around to look at the village. "Gensokyo is stuck in a stagnant state for quite some time now. I made some efforts to change that but they weren't enough." Yukari turned her head to look at me, it was frightening how sincere her eyes were. "Youkai and the humans living here are stuck in a loop. Youkai are friendly, a lot more friendly to humans than they used to be, but the status quo is king, and humans are almost forced to fear and loathe youkai no matter what."

I wasn't quite sure where this was going, but the honesty in her eyes and words took me by surprise. "And what do you need me to do, exactly?"

Her expression softened. She pondered the best way to answer. "There's something I wanted to try. An experiment of sorts. An influence from outside might help Gensokyo to resolve this problem. I need you to get close to them, try to demonstrate to the humans living here that you can befriend a youkai. Maybe even love one."

That second bombshell broke me. I started laughing non stop at her request. This was absurd in so many levels that I couldn't stop until I ran out of breath. I was wheezing, still cackling before I could cool off a bit. "That's a tall order lady. You're asking me to get involved with freaking monsters, for goodness's sake! Why me, exactly?"

The blonde woman simply shrugged. "Don't flatter yourself, Nobu, you're not exactly that special in comparison to most humans, you just happened to catch my attention with your involuntary but pitiful attempt at espionage. If it wasn't for that, I think I would have asked someone else~"

"H-hey! Come on, what a way to kick me while I'm down... And I already told you, I thought I was dreaming." I clear my throat, still thinking about her request. It was completely absurd, but there were a few things that intrigued me.

"Let me ask you a couple of things first. Why an outsider like me? Why not a human from here?"

"Like I told you before, humans born in Gensokyo are basically hardwired to fear and loathe youkai. My mere presence would reduce a villager to screaming and crying. An outsider lacks such fear. I think I only heard you scream once since we met." She gave me a mocking grin again. "Besides, the only humans that dare mingle with youkai, are extremely powerful figures here in Gensokyo, your regular villager can't relate to that."

Well, it was understandable. I guess is a bit difficult to relate to someone who can deal with monsters that easily. I nod to let her know I understand her words. "Yeah, that makes sense. Now for my second question, wh-"

Yukari swiftly interrupted me, like she knew I what I was going to ask. "Why I don't make an example with myself? Well, my dear outsider, I have a rather complicated and important position here in Gensokyo. If I tried to do something like that, it wouldn't go unnoticed and I would be exterminated~"

I raise my eyebrow, this was the first time she mentioned something related to violence. "Exterminated? Care to elaborate?"

"Well, I could tell you more, but I need to know I'm not wasting my breath here. Are you going to help me or not, Nobu?"

On one hand, I was curious. This world and its dynamics were strange, and the fact that I could interact with a youkai was thrilling, but... I wasn't sure what could happen if I say no to this woman. But it was finally time to decide.

[Accept: I guess I should play along until I find a way to escape.]

[Refuse: Like hell I'm going to step into this mess. Let's see what she can do about it.]