The Legend of Hoshiro

Sent from the heavens, wielding rainbows and lightning in the name of peace and justice, Hoshiro Nijinazuma is Gensokyo's greatest warrior. Her decision-making skills, however, leave a lot to be desired.

Joined by like-minded friends, laughed at or reluctantly put up with by heroines from throughout the series, Hoshiro will fight her way through Touhou history and get every Incident completely wrong. What hilarious mishaps await her? Will she find love? The answers ("lots of them" and "maybe") lie within...

~Chapter 10: The Titan Wore a Skin of Hopes and Dreams~

"I know I left on bad terms, but it's been a month, and I'm ready to talk to them again." Hoshiro looked solemn and determined next to Keine, hiking along a shady path in the Forest of Magic. "I also baked them a cake!"

"Well, Hoshiro... You know you can't force people to like you, or buy their forgiveness with cake. But if you're honest, humble and polite, the opposite of a normal Gensokyan woman, then at least you won't have reason to be ashamed," said Keine. "And besides, you only sat on one watering can! It's not as if Minoriko and Shizuha could hold that against you forever..."

Hoshiro blinked. "Keine, I was talking about Okuu and her mum!"

"I know, it was a joke!" Keine's smile faded. "If you insist on carrying the world on your shoulders, it's going to flatten you. I thought you should smile at least once today."

"Oh...!" Hoshiro giggled. It still sounded a bit like a chuckle, but after four hours practicing in front of the mirror she was satisfied. "Thanks, Keine. I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will."

They walked on in silence for a few more minutes until the path split in two. Keine waved goodbye and took the left path, which lead past the swamp and the radio tower to Marisa's house.

"Good luck getting your books back!" shouted Hoshiro. She turned onto the right path, squared her shoulders and set off.

Several miles went by, some more quickly than others as Hoshiro flew down through the Fantastic Blowhole. Her chest grew tight somewhere along the Deep Road, where the dark ceiling loomed overhead and damp, silty stone ran beneath her.

Hoshiro knew what her friends had taught her; to be kind to herself, try to fix her mistakes and make amends, but not hold herself in disgrace forever. She knew, and she still felt so ashamed, which made her feel more ashamed because she was ashamed when she didn't need to be ashamed, which meant she was doing it wrong, which was shameful-

All right, calm down. Breathe. Suffering shinigami, this was frustrating! She-Ra had never dealt with anything so hard. What if she blew up the sun? Well, she'd buy a new sun, or help make one! Byakuren had told her remorse was good, but self-hatred wasn't remorse...

But then Kasen said actually, self-hatred was remorse channeled the wrong way. No, Byakuren had said, self-hatred was self-indulgence! And Kasen had got angry; that sounded like an extra helping of guilt under a new coat of paint! Such fierce passion from an amazing woman...

Then Byakuren had thrown her tea in Kasen's face, and Hoshiro's first and only therapy session at Myouren Temple had turned into a food fight. Kasen had laughed all the way home. That had been a perfect day, but thinking about it, she hadn't learned anything.

Well, she had learned a bit. That heroes made mistakes, idiots got things right, trying mattered most of all, standing out was fine, being less cool than you wanted was fine- Gods above, she'd learned so much! Byakuren had even taught her how to curve a moon cake around Kasen to hit Shou!

Yet none of that stopped Hoshiro's tummy from fluttering or her heart from pounding as she trod the long pink carpet to Satori's study. She gasped when she noticed where she was; somehow she'd worried herself all the way to the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

Hoshiro stopped outside the door to catch her breath. It could go two ways, she told herself; Okuu and Satori could give her another chance, or they could tell her to stay away. And she'd still be alive in either case. But if they shunned her, that was it, she'd have to leave them alone... And if she never opened the door, never talked to them, that would never happen.

But if she never opened the door, she'd never know if they could forgive her. So Hoshiro steeled herself as if she was about to face Amaterasu in a lava-wrestling match, raised her fist and knocked.

A few seconds passed. "Come in," Satori's familiar voice said, not quite at a shout but more loudly than normal speech.

Hoshiro came in, stepping apologetically around the door. Satori was at her desk, not looking too surprised, and Utsuho was beside her, looking cheerfully confused.

"Good afternoon, Hoshiro," said Satori. "You're here to apologise for flipping out on me last time, which you view as a terrible, shameful transgression, rather than a normal transgression for most idiots in our world."

Hoshiro blinked. "I- Yes! Th-that's what I'm- What?"

"Since this is important to you, I'll let you use your own tongue rather than simply reading your mind," said Satori, trying not to smirk. "Go ahead."

"Actually, I need something clarified," Utsuho piped up. "What are you apologising for, Hoshiko? What did you do?"

Hoshiro's face reddened. "It's Hoshiro, with a ro! Don't you remember what I did?!"

Utsuho turned away, her brow creasing with confusion. "I only have vague memories. We were... Well, there was a..." She swallowed. "A pot plant? Th- this is hard!"

"N- no, it's fine! No pressure!" Hoshiro gave Utsuho a pat on the head.

"I'm sure your memories are in there somewhere. It's all about connections, Okuu. You remembered the plant, so try thinking along those lines," Satori urged Utsuho, patting her on a different part of the head.

"Pot plant... Plant pot... Plant pot... Pot pot... Plant plant... That's it!" Utsuho gasped, her face lighting up. "The plant was struck by lightning!"

"Yes! Keep going, keep going!" Satori and Hoshiro egged her on.

"The lightning came from my foot!" Utsuho pressed a hand to her forehead and remembered as hard as she could. "It was... flowing through me, I think? Because I was channeling... No, redirecting it! It came from you, Hoshiro! Because you were trying to zap Lady Satori!"

"Yes, that's exactly what happened! I knew you could do it!" Satori cheered, clapping her hands.

Utsuho and Hoshiro squealed with joy and hugged each other, then Utsuho's face darkened.

"You were trying to zap Lady Satori?!" gasped Utsuho, recoiling as if Hoshiro was a dangerous breed of mongoose. "Why would you do something like that?!"

Hoshiro screwed her eyes shut and bowed deeply. "I- I boobed terribly! I thought she was abusing you, so I attacked her to save you. I was wrong about it, Okuu, and I'm sorry! Sorry to you too, Satori!"

Hoshiro looked up hopefully. "I want to try being your friend again! I also made a cake! So... Can you forgive me?"

"Cake...?" Utsuho bit her lip. "Ooh, that is a difficult decision to make. I don't know if I can trust you after what you did! Lady Satori, you were the one Hoshiro tried to kill..."

"That is true, but I sense no bad intentions from her now. While it wouldn't exactly help us lead a quiet life, if you're willing to give her a second chance, I will too."

"Uuuuu, way not to put pressure on me!" groaned Utsuho. She turned and regarded Hoshiro with painful mistrust. "Here's the thing, Hoshiro. One of the decision-making frameworks I incorporate into my personal threat model is that people, when faced with challenging situations, tend to behave as they previously have done under similar circumstances!"

Hoshiro blinked.

"As in, what if Lady Satori doesn't want me to do a thing again and you try to kill her again?!"

"I promise I won't!"

"Promises are just words, Hoshiro! Actions are what engender tangible effects on the world," said Utsuho sadly. "But I really want the cake! Oh, help! What should I do?!"

"The cake's yours, Okuu! It isn't a bribe," said Hoshiro. She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a chocolate cake, crumbly and brown, as wide as a barrel and as tall as a teapot, bedecked with cherries and white icing spirals. The room shook when she plonked it down on the table.

Utsuho gasped and squealed with delight. "Hoshiro, that's so sweet of you!" So saying, she picked up the cake and skipped out of the room.

Hoshiro stood and waited, sharing an awkward silence with Satori.

"I clearly judged you much too harshly!" Utsuho said, returning a couple of minutes later with a knife and some small plates. "I thought you were just a bully, but you did me such a good turn with this cake! I think we should give you a second chance."

Hoshiro's heart leapt. "R- really?!" she gasped, her hands clasped in front of her face.

"Of course!" smiled Utsuho, cutting the cake.

"Then I do believe it's settled. For my part, I am glad Utsuho has friends willing to fight for her... Even if it's severely misdirected." Satori smiled.

"Yay!" Hoshiro ran forwards and hugged Satori, leaving her gasping for breath. Then she hugged Utsuho. "This is stupendous! Now we can have adventures together!"

"About adventures," said a muffled Utsuho with her cheek squashed against Hoshiro's, "I have an important question. Do you like nuclear physics?"

Hoshiro blinked. "No. That's your thing."

"To each their own. What about boiled eggs?"

"They're fine."

"And picnics?"

"Well, um-"

"What about sculpting with clay?"

"I've never tried!"

"Hmmm..." Utsuho frowned. "We don't have much in common. What are we going to be friends about, Hoshiro? What'll we do together?"

"Resolve Incidents! Fight for truth and justice! Watch anime! Bake pies! Go on double dates if you're seeing anyone!"

"None of those sound-"

The door flew open. Rin charged into the room, gasping for breath. "It's an emergency," she panted, bent double with exhaustion. "A giant! There's a giant rampaging on the surface!"

Satori dropped her fork. "Giant?!"

Utsuho gasped. "Where?! What giant things is she doing?!"

"It- it was stomping around near the vents! Doing things... and stuff!" explained Rin.

Hoshiro's face lit up. She grabbed Utsuho's hand. "Come on, Okuu, we have to stop it!"

"No, if it's near the vents, I've got to protect the reactor!" Utsuho pulled away and ran out of the room.

"Th-then I'll protect it with you!" declared Hoshiro, running after her.

"Do you have to?! It's poky in there, we'll be stepping on each other's toes!" complained Utsuho.

Hoshiro stopped in her tracks. "But... Aren't we friends now?"

"Friendship is characterised by separate individuals who share a mutual affection! It doesn't mean we have to do everything together, and you would perform better fighting aboveground, where your high-energy magic techniques won't damage anything important!" shouted Utsuho, her voice growing quiet as she drew further away.

Hoshiro's shoulders sagged. "That sounded like a no. Was that a no?"

"Hoshiro. Do you mind if we have a word?"

Hoshiro turned to see Satori standing impassively behind her. "Speak, Satori," she said, only to cringe when she realised how that had sounded. "I- I mean, of course! Let's have it. The word."

"Why is it, exactly, that you're so determined to have Okuu as a friend?"

Hoshiro opened her mouth, closed it again and pondered the question, her brow creasing. "Because it makes sense? Okuu's nice and very strong!"

"But you have hardly anything in common," Satori reasoned. "Aside from your exuberance, open nature and occasional bouts of poor decision-making, you have no shared interests or commonalities. So what is it that draws you to her?"

"What do you mean? She's nice! She's cool and friendly. I like her. In general, not romantically."

Satori sighed. "I know that, of course; I can read your mind. What you aren't considering is how well the two of you can mesh together-"

The ground shook like a sieve, dropping Hoshiro onto the carpet in a painful supine position. Satori flumped down top of her with a yelp.

"The caves! Is it safe down here?!" gasped Hoshiro, sitting up against the wall with Satori dragging along with her legs.

"It should be. There have been thousands of earthquakes; most pieces of stone precarious enough to fall off the ceiling have already done so." Satori's forehead was pressed against Hoshiro's breastbone, her chin perched on her yin-yang belt buckle. "But if the giant's vibrations are powerful enough to reach us down here, I think you'd better do something about it."

Rin met Hoshiro at the door with a large slice of cake wrapped in newspaper. Hoshiro stuffed the squashed package inside her bag, between her wellingtons (one rubber, one beef; the second boot had stayed at home) and her lucky Roll Caskett action figure.

"Thanks, Orin. Stay safe down here!" There was no time to lose, so Hoshiro spread her arms wide and teleported out of the cavern, leaving a shower of pink sparkles behind to make Rin sneeze.

Hoshiro flashed into existence above the Forest of Magic, her toes dangling in the patchy green canopy. She searched the surrounding countryside with darting eyes and gasped at what she saw.

A vast, towering shape stood next to Youkai Mountain, dark and broad-shouldered, rising like a skyscraper through the fog. Hoshiro couldn't make out any of their details, but only a giant could be so huge.

The giant turned with a powerful, measured slowness towards the mountain. Hoshiro watched, open-mouthed in amazement, as they leaned forwards and began to climb carefully upwards.

Didn't the tengu have a village on Youkai Mountain? What if the giant stepped on something?! Hoshiro had to stop them, but how? The giant didn't deserve a Ryujo Beam in the face; no, she should talk to them first. And to make sure they heard her...

"I must buy a megaphone!" Hoshiro turned and launched herself towards Kappa Valley. Three sonic booms shook the treetops as she accelerated overhead, her ponytail streaming out behind her.

After half a minute she stopped. What was she doing? She didn't need a megaphone, she could just shout very loudly! The mass of air Hoshiro had been dragging in her wake was now free to wash past her, rustling her sleeves and hair like a hurricane.

Hoshiro adjusted her sailor hat, wheeled around and shot back towards Youkai Mountain, where the grey slopes wreathed in fog and seemed almost lonely...

Peering ahead, Hoshiro wrinkled her nose. The mountain was still there, but with no giant. That was odd. At that size, they wouldn't have a lot of hiding places to choose from.

Maybe she could follow their tracks. Hoshiro flew down until her feet were brushing the treetops and soared over the gentle foothills, scanning for footprints and flattened trees.

Flashes of colour caught her eye on the forest floor. Hoshiro crashed down through the canopy and landed in a shower of leaves outside a tiny market stall.

"Hm?" A dark-haired woman in a pink kimono turned around, holding a shell-shaped purse. "Why, Hoshiro, how nice of you to drop in!"

"Kaguya! Good to see you!" declared Hoshiro. She noticed a woman standing beside her with soft white rabbit ears and a laden shopping bag. "That means you're Reisen."

Reisen blinked. "I suppose I am!"

A cat-eared woman with tousled white, red and orange hair was standing behind the stall, holding a receipt. "Hi there, tall, pink and statuesque!" she declared, smiling at Hoshiro. "I'm selling modern festival supplies from the Outside World. I've got inflatable rubber lanterns, ceremonial headgear, multicoloured shimenawa and even some sacred donkey statues...!"

Hoshiro took in the balloons, party hats, bunting and pinatas on display around the woman's stall. "Wow, colourful...! I'll take two rolls of bunting! I mean Outside World shimenawa!"

"Certainly! That'll be..." Mike sniffed the air. "Is that a beef wellington I can smell?"

Hoshiro unshouldered her bag and retrieved the beef wellington. "Here you are. It's gone cold, but still delicious!" she said, handing her foil-wrapped pastry parcel to Mike.

"Thank you!" Mike sequestered the package somewhere inside her stall, then turned to the shelves at the back and took down two heavy spools of bunting. "Here you are, two rolls, and I'll throw in a free balloon since it's beef."

"You're the best!" Hoshiro stuffed the rolled-up paper triangle strings into her bag.

Kaguya cleared her throat. "So... You haven't been around for a while, Hoshiro. Not since Eirin tried to run Witch Girl Adventures." She giggled. "And you got a little bit carried away...!"

"Don't remind me," said Hoshiro, accepting a purple balloon from Mike. It wasn't inflated, so she put it in her pocket. "I was emotionally invested in the plot."

"You ate the dice!"

"Don't remind me!" Hoshiro groaned, her cheeks reddening. "I couldn't just let Mr Hardcastle put us all in detention and have the baby chimera sent off to be dissected. A- anyway, I was going to say there's a real Incident, a giant near the mountain!"

"I know, we heard her stomping around," said Kaguya nonchalantly. "But as long as she doesn't come near the Bamboo Forest, Eirin's party should be all right."

"Par... Party?" Hoshiro parroted her in confusion.

"Eirin's birthday party! She's two hundred million, five hundred and seventy-six thousand, four hundred and thirty years young today," Kaguya explained.

"That's wonderful, but we need to stop the giant! Reisen, you can control sound waves!" Hoshiro grabbed Reisen's shoulders, making her flinch. "Your power could make the giant hear us! And Kaguya, with your abilities-"

"No, Hoshiro, I don't think you understand. We can't waste time with a giant today," said Kaguya patiently. "Eirin's party is much more important! It might be the most important social event of the year, aside from Hinamatsuri."

Hoshiro released Reisen's shoulders and appealed to her friend. "But Kaguya, the giant might step on the Tengu Village or knock Youkai Mountain's point off! The point could fall on Alice's house! It'd be disastrous!"

Kaguya sighed. "You have to understand, Eirin means the world to me. She's kind, strong, wise and beautiful, and she's done so much for me and countless other Lunarian exiles..." She placed a hand over her heart and continued, her voice wavering. "Eirin is a person for whom love and loyalty are practically a religion, and I'm the one to whom she pledged her soul!"

"I know what people say about me, Hoshiro!" Kaguya continued, fighting back tears. "That I'm the ultimate pillow princess, Eirin takes care of everything for me and I don't deserve even a tenth of her... And in some ways it's true, I couldn't manage a household or a hospital the way she does, but I can sure as bloomers organise a sparking party!"

"I... I didn't know. I can only dream of being loved that way!" Hoshiro swallowed and took Kaguya's hands. "Go to her, Kaguya-Hime, Eternal Princess of the Lunarians! Give Eirin the party she deserves!"

"I will, Hoshiro-Hime. I swear to it, Forever Champion of Gensokyo!" Kaguya wiped her eyes and put on a brave smile. "Let's go, Reisen. And don't squash the caterpillar cake!"

Kaguya turned and strode away with her bunny of burden in tow. Reisen sighed heavily, waved to Hoshiro and Mike, and then they were gone.

"Love is beautiful..." whimpered Hoshiro, dabbing her eyes with her lacy handkerchief. She sniffed a deep breath and sighed. "I wish she could've come, though. Don't suppose you want to fight a giant?"

Mike laughed nervously. "Not really my jam, but, um. I can sell you a peach and a needle!"

Once she'd finished crying, Hoshiro took to the air once again and flew towards Youkai Mountain, soaring up over the foothills the little rivers streaking through them, always with an eye out for hidden giants. She ate her peach as she went, spilling juice onto the trees below, and stuffed the stone in her bag once she'd finished.

An icicle whizzed past Hoshiro's cheek. She gasped delightedly and flew down to where Cirno was locked in combat with Kyouko, a short way down the road from a painted wooden building.

"Cirno! Yoo-hoo!" Hoshiro called out, landing with a heavy thump in the grass verge. "You must be after the giant! What did Kyouko do?"

Kyouko scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, don't ask for my side of the story! I'm just here to look pretty."

Cirno ignored Kyouko. "Oh, hi, Hoshiro! She was babbling a load of nonsense about a rock concert-"

"PUNK concert!" snapped Kyouko.

"-and she was in my way, so I went for her. Anyway, good thing you got here to help slay the giant!"

"Um, we should talk and find out what they want first!"

"Suit yourself," Cirno said with a nonchalant shrug. "But don't get in my way."

"Well, I'll try not to," Hoshiro said charitably. "Kyouko, are we finished?"

Kyouko turned her back on the two friends and flounced off down the road without another word.

"She's satisfied." Hoshiro smiled and turned back to Cirno. "Right! We must find the giant before they endanger anyone else, so let's look from the mountaintop and find out-"

"The mountaintop? You want to climb the mountain?!" Cirno cut in, looking shocked. "Hoshiro, you've forgotten the key principle of giants! They're tall! She'll see us if we're up high! We need to get the drop on her, so to avoid being seen..." Cirno tapped her nose, beaming with pride. "We'll sneak round the mountain. She'll never see it coming!"

"Sneak round the...?" Hoshiro blinked. "I don't get it. If we climb the mountain, we'll be able to see everywhere-"

"Noooo, if we do that she'll be able to see us from wherever she is!" Cirno explained patiently. "Don't worry, I've thought of everything. We'll go behind the mountain, very very very supremely slowly, and take the giant by surprise!"

"But how do you know she's- er, they're- How do you know the giant's behind the mountain?"

"Where else could she be? It's the only thing big enough for a giant to hide behind! I've never heard of a disappearing giant before."

"She could be underground, lying down, shrunk or even invisible!"

Cirno smacked her head. "Kynareth's leg hair! Do I have to explain everything all over again?!" She sighed heavily. "Giants are big! Mountains are big! So one big thing must be hiding behind the other! It's the only logical explanation."

"Who's Kynareth?" Hoshiro sighed. "Doesn't matter. Let's split up. You sneak around and I'll climb the mountain!"

Cirno pouted. "You're being very childish. If you had any brains under that sailor hat, you'd know my plan makes sense!"

"I'm being childish?!" Hoshiro puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "If you convinced me, I'd gladly sneak around, but you haven't! So rather than arguing, let's both go our way and see what happens. What's childish about that?"

"Only wanting to do what you want is childish! If you wanted to do what I want, then you'd be showing some maturity," said Cirno severely. "And you have to be mature if you want to be my sidekick!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to be your sidekick!" Hoshiro snapped. "Go jump in a lake!"

Cirno gasped affrontedly. "I-! Everyone wants to be my sidekick! It's a privilege preciously few have earned."

"Aaargh! If you weren't a local girl, you'd be such a Mary-Sue!" Hoshiro stomped her foot in anger. "I DON'T want to be your sidekick and I don't have to! End of story."

Hoshiro turned and stormed away, wearing a ferocious scowl. If being pig-headed made you a Mary-Sue, Cirno was an entire Maribel-Crepe-Suzette. They could patch things up later, but at that moment she wanted nothing more to do with-

"Don't want to be... sidekick?" Hoshiro froze, looking like she'd been struck by lightning. "Oh, gods... Amaterasu, Konohana-Sakuyahime, Susano-o, Benzaiten, Raijin and Fuujin, help me!" She fell slowly to her knees among the clovers.

"Um," said Cirno. "Are you all right there?"

"Forever Champion Hoshiro Nijinazuma thinks Okuu needs rescuing from Satori, so she beats up Satori, takes Okuu on adventures and everything's perfect." Hoshiro stared off into the horizon, her voice rising from a whisper to a panicked squeak. "And Okuu, Cirno and Kaguya want to play with Hoshiro every day because that's how it works and everything's perfect, right?!"

Hoshiro put her head in her hands. "I'm a Cirno! I mean Cirno's an idiot! No, I'm the idiot! Cirno is me! EVERYONE is the main character of their own legend... And I've had my head up my caboose for years."

"Caboose?" Cirno tittered into her hand. "That means bum! Wow, what a performance!"

There was no response. Cirno bit her lip. "Um, hey, Hoshiro? Are you all right? You're being weird..."

"You just do your thing, don't you? Be the Strongest Fairy, say what you want and fight who you want. You don't worry about it. And some people love you!" Hoshiro laughed shakily. "But I'm not a fairy... Not a child forever."

Cirno shifted nervously. "I didn't know you were a candle... Do you want a drink? You sound like you need one."

"I wouldn't mind two glasses of something violently alcoholic," sighed Hoshiro. "Then I think... I might cut my hair and spend a week in Indonesia."

"I don't know about Indonesia, but they have booze at the pub in the Tengu Village or that shady dive bar-"

A long, low creak filled the air, then a colossal metal-clad foot swung over Cirno and Hoshiro's heads. At the end of a long step it ploughed through Sannyo's bar, kicking up a wave of splintered wood and torn paper, and finally touched down in her garden.

"Oooh... Maybe not the dive bar, then," said Cirno worriedly.

"The giant! Wh- why didn't we hear them coming?!" Hoshiro scrambled to her feet, staring up at the towering being above them. She was relieved they seemed to be wearing trousers.

As slowly and inexorably as a landslide, the giant wheeled around and started to climb the mountain, placing their armoured feet with care.

Cirno let out a gasp when she realised what was happening. "Of course! It's Daidarabotchi, he wants to weigh the mountain!" she squeaked, her eyes sparkling. "We have to stop him! Charge!"

"Wait! Was anyone in the bar?!"

"Don't think so!"

"Then..." Hoshiro watched Cirno sprint off in a long arc around the foot of the mountain. She shrugged wearily. "I'm going up! Good luck down there!" Her plans for a sightseeing tour in Jakarta already forgotten, Hoshiro posed awkwardly a few times and leapt into to the air.

"You'll have to tell me sooner or later, Suwako. I'm only going to find out some other way if you don't." Kanako was storming up and down in front of the ornate Moriya Shrine kotatsu, a dangerous look on her face. "Now for pity's sake, tell me! What did you need twenty thousand tonnes of scrap metal for?!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Kanako, it's just a fun surprise! Stop worrying, it isn't good for your blood pressure," giggled Suwako. "Why don't you have some another broccoli samosa and maybe you'll calm down?"

"Aargh!" Kanako stomped her foot, shaking the entire room and launching the plate of samosas into the air.

"Whoopsie!" Suwako dove to catch the savoury Indian pastries in her mouth as they fell. She sat back on the floor to chew them, smiling happily.

"Of all the goddesses in all the world, you truly are..." Kanako exhaled in a manner somewhere between a sigh and a growl. Rain started drumming on the roof overhead. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, you hear me? I'm going to-"

The door slid open. "You're never gonna believe this! The monster's a giant robot!" Sanae declared, shaking herself dry over the doormat.

Kanako blinked. "Ah, welcome back, Sanae. How did your search go? What's that you say, a giant robot? I thought you'd grown out of those."

The wind seemed to drop from Sanae's sails. "Wha-? No, I... Well, a bit, but I still like them, it's just that I'm doing a lot of new things."

Wearing a sheepish grimace, Suwako scampered out of the room with frog-like tread before anyone noticed.

"But does it matter what I'm 'into' right now?! There's a giant robot! Here! In Gensokyo! And the pilot's clearly drunk!" Sanae gushed, taking Kanako's hands. "You have to see it, Lady Kanako, Lady Suwak... Where'd she go?"

Kanako glared at the patch of floor where Suwako had been sitting. "I have no idea, but we're probably going to find out before the chapter ends..."

Sanae wasn't really listening. "It's really started pouring out there," she observed, slipping into her coat. "Are you planning a climactic battle?!"

"It's more that Suwako was driving me up the wall..."

Hoshiro soared up Youkai Mountain, cliffs and crags streaking past as she ascended. Thick grey clouds were gathering overhead, spreading out from the mountain's peak, and a light rain soon began to fall. Up ahead she could see flashes of light, hear the creaking of metal and crumbling of stone.

She soon flew close enough to see the giant in all their glory. A titanic human-shaped being stood in front of the Tengu Village, towering over the winding rows of wooden houses and well-kept gardens, clad in black and gold plate armour. Tengu soldiers and Incident-Resolvers were swarming around them like a crowd of fireflies, pelting them with bullets to little effect.

The giant had red eyes that shone through the rain, the rest of their face hidden behind a smooth metal mask topped with crescent-shaped spikes. They held a morning star bigger than a lighthouse. Wisps of steam poured off their arms every time they swung at their attackers, who could only scatter like flecks of dust from its spikes.

Hoshiro sped towards them. "Everyone! I'm here to help!" she shouted, screeching to a halt where Alice and Patchouli were floating.

Alice heard her and turned around. "Oh, good morning! Miss Nijinazuma, wasn't it?" she shouted, ducking under a beam of red fire from the giant's eyes. "How nice of you to join us!"

"Any time!" It was hard to make details out with everyone in motion, but Hoshiro counted Aya, Nitori and about thirty more tengu in the swarm. "Do we know what the giant wants?!"

"Does that matter? She'll crush the city at this rate!" said Kasen, drawing in beside them. "Nice to see you, Hoshiro."

"Kasen! Er, do we know the giant's pronouns? I've been using they/them provisionally!" said Hoshiro.

"Really? Not even a month ago you were a she/her!"

"No, not me, the giant! Provisionally!"

"Oh, right. I must've assumed she was a woman, like normal people are," said Kasen.

"What we'd really need to do is ask them," said Patchouli. "But before we can manage that, it isn't unreasonable to use whichever pronouns seem most likely."

"You think so? Just assuming from how they look feels cheap," Hoshiro pointed out.

"Hence using she/her for such a huge, masculine-looking entity is subversive!" Kasen said triumphantly.

"And I'm sure that's fascinating from a sociological perspective, but can we please concentrate?!" snapped Alice.

Kasen stuck out her tongue. Hoshiro's gaze lingered on the tongue for a moment, admiring its healthy sheen and vibrant reddish-pink colour, then she heard the creak of heavy metal. The Incident-Resolvers scattered moments before the mace could plough through them.

"Point taken, Alice!" Hoshiro gathered multicoloured energy into a ball between her hands and took aim at the giant. "Nijinazuma: Seven Coloured Strike!"

Hoshiro cast a blindingly bright barrage of lightning. The giant recoiled in pain when the bolts crackled over their chestplate, then they turned to face Hoshiro and ignited their eyes.

Hoshiro went pale. She swung over one red eye beam and dove beneath the other, wincing as it singed her ponytail.

"I admire your spirit, but none of our attacks work on it!" Alice said urgently. "It's as if the monster's invulnerable! Magic just glances off its armour and no amount of force is enough."

"Not even lightning...?" Hoshiro looked at the giant and despaired. Their chestplate was a little charred, but otherwise they were completely fine and also coming right at her with a flying kick. "Yikes! Dive, you two!"

Alice, Patchouli and Hoshiro dove. The giant's foot passed by overhead, buffeting their clothes with the wind of its passage, and swung down. The giant's momentum carried them forwards, into the midst of village.

A chorus of screams rose from below, followed by a tremendous crash and a roar of breaking wood. The giant's foot had gone right through Megumu's house.

"Oh, gods, what are we doing?! Lead it away from the town! Lead it away!" screamed Aya.

The tengu had been evacuating as fast as they could, but the column of evacuees was still forming in the village. Panicking, weeping tengu were carrying children, pushing wagons and printing presses, trailing behind in the town square. The giant was off-balance. Their next step was going to come down right in top of the crowd.

Hoshiro's heart froze. Without another thought she shot towards the foot, braced her arms against the giant's boat-sized ankle and pushed upwards with all her strength.

The giant creaked and groaned angrily, putting their weight on their downgoing leg. Hoshiro's muscles began to ache from the effort, her soul burned from holding several thousand tonnes in the air.

"I choose to fight... For peace, for love... And children's precious smiles..." Hoshiro groaned. "To be a force for good... Protecting people from harm wherever they need me... The Forever Champion... Hoshiro Nijinazuma!"

Although those words set a light in her heart, Hoshiro's strength wasn't limitless. Her vision was going dark. She wavered in the air, sweat pouring down her face, and slowly began to fall.

"Don't give up, lady!"

On the edge of consciousness, Hoshiro heard a voice. The immense weight bearing down on her slackened.

"It's all right! We've got it!"

"No need to worry, the Strongest Fairy is here!"

All of a sudden, the weight felt bearable. Hoshiro opened her eyes and saw Kasen, Cirno, Aya, Kaguya, Eirin and some people she didn't recognise holding up the leg alongside her. There was a tengu in a purple chess-board skirt, a tall woman with blue hair and...

"Okuu!" yelped Hoshiro, almost dropping the giant's leg in shock. "W-weren't you looking after the reactor?!"

"I was!" said Utsuho, her voice strained with effort. "Then this blue fairy fell down the vent, so I had to carry her somewhere cooler before she melted!"

"I was winning," growled Cirno, her wings flapping in a blur as she pushed. "I was."

"So you must be the dragon I keep hearing about," said the woman with blue hair. She had the confident tones of a woman who thought she was a woman who was used to getting what she wanted. "I'm Kanako, goddess of the Moriya Shrine. I'd offer to shake your hand, but..."

"Don't worry about it! Let's focus on pushing!"

"Even with all of us, it's going to take some serious effort," the tengu in the chessboard skirt gravely.

"For once in your life you're right, Hatate," growled Aya. "Let's all push at once, on the count of three! One... Two... THREE!"

Drawing on their last reserves of strength, screaming with exertion, the women gave a tremendous shove. The giant whirled their arms helplessly as their leg ascended, then toppled backwards onto the mountainside with an almighty crash.

"We... We did it..." breathed Hoshiro. She smiled through ragged breaths. "We did it!"

"Banzai!" yelled Aya, punching the air.

"Kanpai!" agreed Utsuho.

"Most of our city is saved!" squealed Hatate.

"A fine afternoon's work, if I do say so myself," said Kanako, dusting her hands. "Oof!" she added, being abruptly hugged by Sanae.

"You were amazing! Wow, I wish I was that strong!" squealed Sanae, giving Kanako a squeeze.

Before Cirno could contribute anything, Hoshiro grabbed her up. "I knew you'd come through for us!" she laughed, whirling the ice fairy around in the air. "Wheeeee!"

Cirno laughed joyfully. "Just as well you softened him up for me!"

"You're incorrigible," sighed Hoshiro, putting Cirno down. "And Kaguya... You came after all!"

Kaguya nodded. "Eirin didn't think it was right to ignore something as big as this, no pun intended."

"Reisen's looking after the party at home. But I have to say, this is the most exciting birthday I've had in years!" said Eirin, her eyes sparkling.

"Good thing you came! And Kasen, you were amazing..." Hoshiro sighed. "I've had a strange day. I don't know where to start."

Kasen nodded sympathetically. "More character development? I know it's hard, but every step through the valley is a step forwards."

"Er, valley? I don't know that metaphor."

"Oh, of course. Well, if you picture a dark, overgrown valley between you and-"

Kasen's words were lost when a deep metallic roar sounded across the mountainside. A gasp rippled through the flock of hovering ladies as they turned around in horror.

Slowly but inexorably, the giant was rising again, their armour creaking and their eyes blazing with anger. In a burst of speed they twirled their mace and snapped into a martial arts stance.

"You're joking," groaned Kanako.

"So cool!" squealed Sanae, dancing around with glee.

"Not banzai," breathed Aya, shaking her head. "Not banzai at all."

The giant surged forwards, swiping at the Incident-Resolvers with their mace. The crowd scattered from the terrible weapon like a swarm of bees.

Aya got her balance and rotated Hatate into an upright position. "This isn't working! We aren't strong enough to slay a giant," she said gravely. "If every tengu on the mountain worked together to call a mighty wind, the dragon and the mountain goddesses too..."

"The giant'll be glad she didn't wear a skirt? This is beyond what wind can solve, Aya!" said Hatate.

"Then... What can we do?!" screamed Aya.

"We might have something."

Patchouli was hovering next to Aya with a book in her hands. All eyes turned to them.

"This giant is a fierce one, it's true, but if any of you had been paying attention you might have realised it is not a living creature. It is more like a doll, brought to a semblance of life by some strange magic. And with that in mind..." Patchouli turned to Alice. "Alice? I think it's time to use That."

Alice pursed her lips. "I was hoping you wouldn't say so, Patchouli. 'That' has hardly been tested yet in combat, and there is one small detail about her which... Perhaps you should see for yourself. We have nothing yet to lose."

Alice turned to the side and shouted. "Goliath Doll!" She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled. "Fweeeyooo-fweep! Goliath Doll, I call on you to face the armoured giant!"

For a few seconds, all was quiet, then a gust of wind blew over the mountaintop. A huge doll descended from above, shaking the ground beneath her immense buckle shoes. She carried two sharp swords, wore a flowy black and white dress and a floppy red bow, and barely came up to the armoured giant's ankles.

The giant peered down at Goliath Doll for ten whole seconds, then they burst out laughing, doubled over with their gauntlets over their chest. Goliath Doll folded her arms and sulked.

"The giant can laugh?" said Kasen.

"The doll's tiny! I mean, the huge kind of tiny!" squealed Sanae, her hands over her mouth. "I love her!"

"As you can see," said Alice heavily, "Goliath Doll is in a slightly lower weight category than that monstrosity."

"Stuff and nonsense," declared Patchouli. "You, with the log attached to your arm. You have power over nuclear fusion, correct?"

Utsuho blinked. "Er, yes, it's my speciality!"

"And you, the tall dragon. I believe you're able to produce lightning."

"Of course! Lightning made of rainbows!" said Hoshiro proudly.

Patchouli smiled. "Perfect. Between you, we should have all the energy we need to power a doll the size of a mountain!"

"Of a mountain?" Alice gasped. "Patchouli, you're planning to enlarge Goliath Doll?! I only built her with somewhat-huge materials, not extremely-huge materials! The stress of growing to the giant's size would tear her apart."

"Not if we had some way to preserve her body," said Patchouli, looking at Kaguya. "Such as by blessing it with the power of eternity. And to keep her cool, perhaps some ice?"

"Now you're speaking my area of expertise! But hang on..." Cirno's brow furrowed. "Eternity isn't here! Should someone go and get her?"

"The other kind of eternity, Cirno. The other kind," sighed Kaguya. "I do think it could work, though. It'll be just like Power Rangers!"

"You mean like Super Sentai!" Hoshiro could barely contain her excitement. Her gaze darted between Kaguya, Cirno and Utsuho. "It really needs to be us four?"

"It seems that way. What's wrong?" asked Patchouli.

Hoshiro smiled and shook her head. "I suppose it's a coincidence. Let's do this!"

Sakuya was kneeling on the gravel path in front of a sedentary Meiling, who was snoring softly with her back against the wall. Sakuya poked her on the shoulder, gently at first then with a little more force, and sighed when she got no response.

"Meiling's still asleep, then?"

Sakuya looked up and saw Remilia watching her from on top of the gate. "It certainly seems that way. I don't know why, but nothing I do can wake her! I can only assume she's having a very important dream."

Remilia was about to say something when a faint glow caught her eye. She looked up and saw a multicoloured column of whirling light tearing up into the sky from Youkai Mountain. "What's happening up there?" she muttered. "Sakuya, is there a festival on the mountain today?"

"I don't believe so, Milady. Unless some of Meiling's grandiose dream is bleeding out into the real world."

The light faded and the smoke drifted away to reveal a colossal warrior, her well-muscled body stretching up into the clouds like a skyscraper. Her dress had grown with the rest of her, now white and shimmering blue, and seven colours shone in her glass eyes.

Behind Goliath Doll were Alice, Hoshiro, Cirno, Kaguya and Utsuho, each holding a long piece of string that disappeared into the back of her neck. They blinked the last of the glare out of their eyes, looked down at the massive doll they'd wrought and celebrated.

"I... I did it! She's enormous! You're a genius, Patchouli!" squeaked Alice, clapping her hands.

"I know," smiled Patchouli, hovering at a safe distance with Sanae, Kanako and the journalists. "It isn't often I get to put theoretical magic into practice, so I should thank you for giving me the chance."

"And I should thank you."

A collective gasp arose from the ladies. The immense doll was looking back over her shoulder, a smile on her lips; lips which now worked as well as any human's.

"The magic you wove by coming together has given me new life. By your spirit, your fire, your ice and your eternity, I am born: defender of hopes and dreams, Hyperliath Marionette!" The doll turned to face the armoured giant, her smile disappearing. "Creature of steam and steel, born from ancient power... Leave this mountain and never again tread on tengu infrastructure!"

"A doll is to be your saviour?" The giant spoke in a voice like a shipping container clearing its throat. "This is what Gensokyo's artisans are reduced to, after bringing me into this world of violence and chaos?! You have no weapon!"

Kanako slapped a hand over her face. "The swords! I knew we'd forgotten to enlarge something..."

"I need no weapon to face you," said Marionette calmly, sliding into a karate stance. "Tell me now, giant... What are your pronouns?"

"He/him," the giant snarled, raising their- er, no, HIS morning star. "I am Hisoutensoku, created by the whim of an irresponsible goddess, given life by the will of the universe, given purpose by my own will. Have at you, puppet! Steel shall rend through cloth and porcelain as if they were wisps of cloud!"

There was nothing more to say. Hisoutensoku launched himself at Marionette. She charged out to meet him, jerking her five creators along by their strings. The sky shook when her fist met Hisoutensoku's mace.

Marionette pressed her attack, pummeling Hisoutensoku with swift, powerful strikes. His armour clanged as he beat back her blows, then he came at her with a vicious mace strike.

Stepping swiftly back, Marionette swapped limbs. She came at Hisoutensoku with a lightning-fast kick, her boot slamming into his stomach to sent him stumbling backwards.

Hisoutensoku growled and surged back into the fray, his mace blurring through the air. Marionette stumbled back from a barrage of devastating swipes that ripped at her dress.

As she ducked beneath a high blow, Marionette saw her chance. She spun around and threw a mighty kick at her enemy.

Hisoutensoku grabbed Marionette's leg. She gasped, but it was too late, and in a second she was crashing down on top of a plum orchard.

The five were nearly yanked out of their skin, barely managing to avoid a painful crash landing as the strings pulled them down. Hisoutensoku dropped his mace, flattening some trees and redirecting a small stream, and loomed over Marionette.

"I didn't know why I was born," Hisoutensoku growled. "I didn't know who or what I was! All I wanted was to get my bearings, but when I trod on one wooden box you attacked me! Cruel, arrogant youkai! Watch now as I turn your doll into scraps of cloth!"

"You are the cruel, arrogant youkai, Hisoutensoku..." groaned Marionette, glaring up at him through bleary eyes. "You don't see it, but people live inside those wooden boxes! To destroy them without another thought shows only your ignorance- AUGH!"

Hisoutensoku withdrew his knuckles from Marionette's now broken nose and readied himself to give her a few more.

"It wasn't enough..." Sprawled among fallen plums and broken branches, Alice stared up in horror. "My poor doll! He'll kill her!"

"We can't let that happen! Isn't there anything we can do?!" wailed Sanae, grabbing Kanako's sleeve.

"I- I don't know! I never played with dolls..."

Aya and Hatate flew up in front of Hisoutensoku with their maple leaves raised. "Don't count us out because we're small! Everyone, follow us! This is for Youkai Mountain!"

As one, Hatate and Aya unleashed a double-sided tornado that made Hisoutensoku shift his weight slightly.

"They're right! Come on, we may not be giant dolls brought to life by magic but we can still fight." Eirin pulled a glowing blue arrow from the air and readied her bow. "Medicine Sign: Great Galaxy in a Jar!"

Eirin's spell-card exploded forwards. The rest of the flock rallied behind her and the photographers, pelting Hisoutensoku with their attacks.

"Insects! You were fools to attack me," Hisoutensoku bellowed, hardly flinching as the bullets burst into sparks on his armour. "I never desired any of this! But if the only choices I have are to die or to purge you from existence, which do you expect me to choose?!"

Aya gave Hatate a worried look. "What's he on about now?"

"Yeah, when did we attack him? He was gonna trample the village!" Hatate pointed an accusing finger at Hisoutensoku. "You would've ruined thousands of people's lives! You already have! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

"You..." Hisoutensoku wavered. "They would only have done the same! Attacked as soon as they saw me without a second thought, like you did."

"We attacked you because you were stomping right towards our village, you idiot! People tend to react strongly to that kind of thing," said Aya severely.

"Well... That's too bad." Hisoutensoku sounded weary. "I'm afraid there can be no turning back now. This fight is to the end, whichever end that may be! You will flee if you have a teaspoon of common sense!"

Hisoutensoku swiped at his enemies, scattering them on the wind. Nitori screamed as the tip of a spike raked across her backpack, letting her tools and trinkets spill out in a rusty, clanking waterfall.

"You're nothing more than a bully!" Eirin spat, nocking another arrow. "I've known hundreds of people like you, Hisoutensoku. I wasn't afraid of Orochi or Tsukiyomi, and I won't run from you! Not with somebody I love behind me!"

"You probably don't understand, since you were born so recently. In a way I pity you," said Kasen, gathering pink fire between her hands. "But Incident-Resolvers fight for the ones we care about! Sitting at home, wanting not to be trodden on, or desperately recharging their giant dolls..." Her cheeks reddened. "A-anyway, Thunder Sign: Mukou's Phantasmal Shot!"

Slumped on Marionette's neck far below, Hoshiro felt a swelling in her heart. "Kasen...?" she breathed, sitting up straight. The fight up ahead looked like a fireworks display in an armour shop. "They're all fighting so bravely. We can't just give up!"

"But Marionette's spent, Hoshiro. What more can we do?" said Alice sadly. "Normally I could give one of my dolls a cup of tea, but where would we buy a big enough cup?!"

"Use this one!" Utsuho plucked a small china cup from her top pocket and forced it into Alice's hands.

"But- but we have no tea..."

"She's a doll! Just pretend!" screamed Kaguya. "I don't want this to be Eirin's last birthday."

"A- all right!" With a trembling hand and outstretched little finger, Alice held the cup to Marionette's humungous lips. "Drink up, Marionette. You're going to need your strength. We all need your strength!"

"Please," Cirno said through gritted teeth, "think of the humans! They worked so hard to build their little village!"

"Wrong village, Cirno! But please, think of the tengu!" Hoshiro corrected her. "Think of Kasen... So brave and beautiful..."

The ground shifted, then Marionette was rising to her feet, her creators tumbling down a rapidly tilting blouse. Gasping in shock, then crying out in triumph, they soared up around her hair and watched in awe.

"Not for glory. Not for power. Not for money." Her eyes aflame in all the colours of the rainbow, Marionette straightened up to stare Hisoutensoku down. "But in the name of love, I stand eternally!"

The flock of Incident-Resolvers cheered, and scrambled out of the way when they saw Marionette charge. She ploughed her shoulder into Hisoutensoku's metal stomach and threw him to the ground.

Sanae punched the air. "Way to go, Hyperliath! Knock his block off!"

Marionette aimed a kick at Hisoutensoku's head, but his arm came up in a flash and grabbed her calf. With eyes gleaming, Hisoutensoku stood up and threw her backwards.

This time Marionette spun through it, her boots dancing across the plateau. Hisoutensoku unleashed his eye rays and raked her with fire. She screamed and patted out her dress.

Hisoutensoku lunged forwards with a tremendous punch, but Marionette grabbed his fist in mid-haymaker. They struggled against each other, locked in combat, neither gaining the upper hand.

"They're evenly matched!" Utsuho stated the obvious.

Sanae gasped. "I've got it! Let's cheer Marionette on!" She took a deep breath. "Let's go, Marionette, all right! Do your best! Do your best! Don't lose, Marionette! Let's go! Let's go! Don't lose, Marionette-"

"Or!" Kanako cut in, grabbing her by the shoulders. "What if we did something practical, such as attacking Hisoutensoku? Wouldn't that be super-duper amazingly cool?!"

"That would've been my next suggestion," said Sanae sheepishly.

Kanako nodded. "Get him!" she roared, readying an onbashira.

Sanae flew around to join Hatate and Aya. They hurled a mighty wind at Hisoutensoku, blowing him sideways. Kanako and Patchouli threw fire and onbashiras at him from the other side. Tethered to Marionette, Alice and the others spell-carded him right in the face.

Under such a withering assault, no-one could come up smelling of roses, and Hisoutensoku soon wavered. Marionette threw him onto his back and immediately dove on top of him. She hoiked him up like a clothing manequinne, spun him around and slammed him into the ground with a deafening boom.

Hisoutensoku glared up at her. "Do it," he growled. "End me, you coward!"

"How's she a..." Cirno groaned, her eyes spinning. "How's she a coward?"

"I don't know!" said a dizzy Hoshiro. "I wish she'd spin less."

Marionette ignored them. She ignited a ball of light between her hands. "I am sorry it had to be this way, Hisoutensoku, but you can't be allowed to step on another village. Karakurium Beam!"

A ray of yellow plasma lanced out from her outstreched hands and splashed out over Hisoutensoku's chest. He screamed as its glow expanded into a nebula of fire, then he exploded.

Burning embers and glowing shards of metal rained down across the mountainside. When the light faded, all that was left of Hisoutensoku was a pile of blackened armour fragments.

Marionette solemnly lowered her hands. Her immense body vanished into a warm golden glow, leaving behind a familiar twelve-foot-tall doll. The strings that had tethered her disappeared into pink sparkles.

"Marionette... Are you all right?!" cried Alice, flying down to her side.

Marionette nodded. "I feel smaller, but-" She gasped, something she hadn't been able to do before. "Golly, I still have a working mouth!"

"That's wonderful!" Alice gave her a hug, barely managing to get both arms around her waist. "I never imagined that something like this could happen. And gods save me, I don't know how we did it!"

"Then perhaps I should get used to writing five Mothers' Day cards a year," giggled Marionette.

That remark seemed to open the floodgates. Cirno, Hoshiro, Kanako and everyone else came pouring down to congratulate Marionette, hug her and kiss her on the cheeks. Eirin and Kaguya shared a long embrace and agreed that it had been a birthday to remember.

It was a huge triumph, a shared triumph, and Hoshiro would normally have been on top of the world. Yet a small nagging concern called her away from the celebration, down to the smouldering pile of metal on the mountainside.

Hoshiro soon spotted a pair of booted feet sticking out from under a dented slab of metal. She lifted the metal and chucked it away, revealing a short, spiky-haired man, battered and unconscious.

"Hisoutensoku...?" Hoshiro squatted down and pressed the tip of his nose. "Are you awake? Who are you?"

The man blinked into awakeness, took one look at Hoshiro and rolled over. "What do you want? You've defeated me already!" he groaned.

"I thought it was you!" Hoshiro sat back, regarding him sympathetically. "What were you trying to do, Hisoutensoku?"

Hisoutensoku rolled back over to glower at her. "I woke up one morning and existed for no reason I could fathom. I decided to find a high vantage point to at least get the lay of the land, but you tiny people attacked me, so I fought back... Weren't you paying attention when I explained all this to your doll friend?!"

"Do you understand how much trouble you've caused? We aren't tiny, you were huge, and our normal-sized houses take weeks to build!" said Hoshiro severely. "That's why the tengu panicked when you came stomping towards their village."

Hisoutensoku sighed. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Live differently! Make better choices! You're smaller now, so don't tread on mole hills or beehives," Hoshiro advised him. "If you help the villagers rebuild-"

"Help?! I ruined people's lives, apparently! What place is there for me in Gensokyo?!"

"Every vicious monster has a place in Gensokyo!" Hoshiro tenderly grasped his cheeks, making him flinch. "You made bad choices, but you can always make better ones, at any time! And I'm an expert bad choice maker, Hisoutensoku. I know what I'm talking about."

"What are you talking about?" Cirno touched down nearby, regarding Hisoutensoku with confusion. "Who's this? I've never seen her before."

"Him," Hoshiro corrected her. "He... Has a lot to answer for."

"Who has? What've you found?" asked Kasen, peering down at the stranger. She gasped. "Is that Hisoutensoku?! But he's so short!"

"Should we kill him?" said Cirno breezily.

Hoshiro shook her head. "He made huge mistakes, but he's a person. And he can have a second chance, right?"

"If he'll take it." Kasen smiled. "You should take it, Hisoutensoku. Don't turn your back on people."

Hisoutensoku shut his eyes and sighed. "Not even a week old and you expect me to reinvent myself. Where would I start?"

"Start here!" Hoshiro stood up and held out her hand. After a few seconds' thought, Hisoutensoku grasped it. Before he could change his mind, Hoshiro hoiked him onto her back and flew up to rejoin the other Incident-Resolvers.

"Everyone!" Hoshiro shouted, coming to a halt among them. "This is Hisoutensoku. He'll be joining us for drinks!"