Nowa exited the rift and found himself standing on the stone stairs of a pathway that led to a shrine atop a hill. He looks around as the place is no longer desert he traversed, but a living peaceful land with magical energy unlike the desert is, however Yukari Yakumo is nowhere to be found. He clicks his tongue in frustration and mumbled. "For fuck sake."
He turned around to see the full landscape of Gensokyo: a vast, misty forest carpeting the earth, a distant, impossibly red mansion peeking above the treeline, and a sun that felt gentler than the one that had baked him in the desert.
A weary sigh. "Angas naman, sa bagay.(Cool, I guess.)"
He sniffed the air twice.
6̴͔͝8̴̜͊7̶͓͆4̴̼̀7̷͓͑4̵͚̚7̶̡̈́0̸̠͗7̴͔͋3̸͓͛3̶̰̔(̵̼͌a̸͌͜)̸̧̈́2̸̩̈(̷̭̒f̸̥̈́)̴͓͛2̶͖̌(̴̦́f̷͍͘)̶̖̏7̸͈̏7̶͚̈́7̸͈̽7̶̻̇7̴̱̈́7̶̟̅2̷̤͊(̴̞̑e̸̡͠)̵̹̄6̷̡͌(̵̣͛d̴̗̽)̶̯̉6̷͙́5̶͇̂6̴̝͝4̷͈̑6̸̝͌9̴̦̂6̷̥̓1̷̺͗6̶͖̓6̵͚͋6̸͎̇9̶͎̍7̷̨̓2̶͔̂6̶̨̋5̸͚̾2̴̨̕(̵͖̈e̴̠͠)̸̧́6̸̱̒3̷͎͌6̴̹̅(̵̻̋f̶̹̉)̵̩́6̷̭͗(̵̨̕d̵͎͂)̶̭̀2̶͉͋(̶̩͋f̵̜̉)̴̣̒6̵̟̀6̶̜̚6̷͉̄9̸͙̂6̷̟͌(̷̺̇c̷̥̉)̶̣̓6̴̩́5̶̠̒2̵̧͋(̴̞͋f̸̹͆)̶͑ͅ6̸͔͒7̶̳̃3̸͚̑
The unseen text was a familiar power that he experienced throughout his life. 'This world is fucked, there is already a narrative distruption leaking in before i arrive. Dang the owner is sleepin this one cuh?, too fucking bad this ain't my fucking problem. I won't solve this for now.'
He turned to look atop the stairs where the tori gate was and started walking towards it. "Can't stand here, not while I've left to find out for myself, I guess this is part of this 'helping' you said Yukari, really helpful you know. Tanginang yan.(Whore that.)" His expression returned to neutral as he climbed in the center of the stairs, hands shoved in the pocket of his jacket.
Finally he arrived atop and beneath the center of the Tori gate, before him stood the Shrine of this realm. His eyes swept over: an overgrown grass to the side of a stone path, cracks in the wooden building, a rundown shrine. 'What a fucking mess.'
He sighed and stepped onto the shrine ground, His scan continued until it landed on a young woman wearing shrine maiden clothes, sweeping the ground looking hella annoyed. He stared at her for a bit, noting her lazy posture and the unawareness of the problem Yukari had told him about. Finally the Girl noticed him.
"え?あなたは誰ですか?(Huh? Who are you?)" her eyes slightly narrowing as she looks at Nowa.
'ああ,また問題だ.静かな一日を過ごせないか?(Ugh, another problem. Can't I have one quiet day?)' he was suspicious already as her eyes scanned him. '彼の服装は地元の人にとって異質だ.部外者?どうやって入ってきたんだ?(His clothing is foreign to the locals. An outsider? How did he get in?)'
A sudden chill ran through her spine. '...なのに,なぜか背筋がゾッとする.彼には邪悪な気配が一切感じられないのに...(...And why do I get a chill on my spine? I don't sense any evil spirit readings on him..)' But her instinct screams this man is dangerous, her knuckles whitening on gripping the broom she had.
Nowa didn't hear nor pay much attention to her, and looked away scanning around until he spotted a box that looked like a donation box, 'Hmm? A donation box? Is she a beggar or is this a religious thing? Fine, but whatever. paying taxes for barging in, I guess.' he walks towards the donation box in front of the shrine completely ignoring the shrine maiden.
In the shrine maiden's frustration of being ignored, her free hand swung in front and sent an ofuda streaking through the air, the paper charm detonating against the stone path in a warning blast shot beside him. From the watching boundary, two women held their breath as if an existential event was going to happen.
He stopped. And he just glanced at the scorched ground. Either through sheer desensitization or ignorance. He continued walking anyway. The watching boundary exhaled in relief.
'はあ!?この人...!威嚇射撃したばかりなのに,部外者なのに無知すぎる!私が巫女で,この場所で権力者だって知ってるの?!本当に...!(Ha?! This guy..! I just fired a warning shot and he is ignorant for an outsider! Does he know I'm the shrine maiden and have authority in this place?! He is so—!)' Her thoughts were abruptly stopped when Nowa was heading towards her shrine's donation box. '彼は何をしているのでしょうか..?(What is he doing..?)'
Nowa is now in front of the donation box and staring at it. The donation box is empty. He let out a weary sigh and raised his left palm hovering at the top of the donation box. "Let there be wealth." He chanted in English.
'彼は何語を話しているのでしょうか?(What language is he speaking..?)' She thought as a conjured local currency of this world showers below his palm, his hand finally winced slightly, becoming pale for a brief moment, as coins fell one by one.
The metallic clink sounds as they fell, the shrine maiden's reaction was speechless and mouth partially open, her eyes widened in shock until the donation box was filled.
Nowa lowered his hand back to his side, she momentarily lowered her guard for a moment and rushed over and took a look in the box, and yes it was truly filled for the first time for how long it had been since.
She couldn't believe her eyes, it seems like her dreams came true. 'ああ,なんてことだ!私は金持ちだ!(OH. MY. HEAVENS! I'M RICH!)' She drooled over the idea of being rich. '「やった!これでしばらくは飯の心配ない!」(Alright! Now I don't have to worry about food for a while!)'
But then the sudden familiar fortune trickery hit her. '待って,待って,待って.(Wait, wait, wait.)'
She looked at the tall mysterious man who just gave her wealth with suspicion. But she cleared her throat, then arms crossed recomposing herself. "一体何者なんだ? 現れて何も言わず,私を無視して,何もないところからコインを出現させる.君も何か問題を起こしたのか?(What are you really? Showing up, not saying anything, ignoring me and conjuring coins out of thin air. Are you another problem or what?)" Her voice was firm.
'Japanese na naman? Bruh, mukhang na padpad ako sa weeb island. Shet.(Japanese again? Bruh, looks like I've landed on weeb island. Shit)' He spoke, matching her native language. "あなたはこの場所の所有者ですか,それとも崇拝者ですか?(Are you the owner or worshipper of this place?)"
She was annoyed and baffled, both of her hands flew to her hips in an instant. "Ha?! Are you kidding me?! I'm Reimu Hakurei!"
She then pointed the broom at him like a weapon. "The caretaker of this shrine and the exterminator of problematic yokai! This is my place and I have authority in this realm!"
Nowa gestured his hand to a stop. "Chillax, chillax. I'm new here and have been dropped off by this Yukari."
Reimu's expression falters after hearing a familiar name as he lowered his hand, then walked to the side of the shrine building. She then lowered the broom. '..He knows her? Or is this another one of her tests? That gap yokai just dropped an outsider on my doorstep.' She kept a steady gaze at him as he sat on the wooden porch.
"Do you know where she is?" His thoughts are different. 'Leaving me here and not telling me what to do next is stupid.. or are you testing me? In our time deal? Cool, I guess, that means I get to waste more time by chatting with this girl.'
Reimu's voice was low enough to hear. "...I don't know, she's usually vague and manipulative, but lately she's not showing herself. Why? And how did you know her?"
'She doesn't know? Great.' He paused as he realized just now that Yukari once said "No one knew this yet" and it clicked. 'Oh right, I wasn't listening to that bitch. Now I get what she's doing, she is indeed testing me and placed me here to protect these clueless clients, all while the narrative disruption has been seeping in since way before I even arrived. Or she thought of not telling this existential problem to avoid mass panic. great. Fan-fucking-tastic Yukari, you infinitely made my day worse.' he clicks his tongue in frustration and let out a weary sigh.
'Guess i need to install my smile again. For fuck sake.' For a moment the neutrality of his face now gone in an instant, replaced with a dismissive smirk. 'Smile for the camera Nowa, and be sarcastic to everyone, like how you always have been all this time, and for their own good.' he began. "It's nothing, Yukari is just toying with me by dropping me here." He said it coolly unlike his previous direct tone.
Reimu however notices the sudden shift in his demeanor, 'This guy.. Is he serious or what? Moments ago he's serious, now he is using that face? Yukari, what are you planning?' she thought and she then groaned. "Be direct to me and don't ignore my question. What are you doing here, why are you here and why.." she glanced at the filled donation box briefly. "Why did you fill my donation box with coins? Is this a prank?" She leaves no room for argument.
"Woah, woah, easy there, I'm just a guy with poor life choices." He waved one hand dismissively in the air. Reimu glared.
"Alright, alright, shrine-Maiden-that-glares." In a mocking tone. "It's Hakurei." she corrects.
He just smirked. "First answer, I'm here whether you like it or not, Yukari just pluck me up to some dreamhellscape desert and plop me here for shit and giggles." He smirked and shrugged. "Language." She commented and frowned. "Okay, okay, got it, Miss Ribbon, no swearing." he smirked dismissively. For a brief moment, he crossed two fingers behind him, which means he's never acknowledging that.
"Why you? What does she want with you? If this is one of her schemes, I want no part in it." She frowned.
"Aba ewan ko jan sa gagong yan.(Well, I don't know about that stupid.)" His smirking falter for a moment.
"What in the world of language is that? Say it in Japanese." she arched her eyebrow unaware it was a curse for Yukari.
He scoffed. "I said, I donut know what she planned to do." He continued returning to the smirking face as Reimu could only glare at his questionable demeanor. "Second answer, I conjured the coins, and they're real. I know I cheated the system. But your shrine does need a little bit of funding." he said casually like he didn't just violate reality earlier.
"Huh. And why would you do that? I don't sense you're the type of guy who worships something." She crossed her arms.
Nowa trailed off slightly then looked back at Reimu. "I respect someone who still believes in something, I guess?"
Reimu was momentarily stunned silently. "...I see." She muttered.
Nowa added. "And I'm Nowa. Nowa Beckitzer." He lazily gave a two finger salute. "Nowa Beckitzer?" Reimu repeats. "Yeah? What's up Miko Ribbon?" He replied.
Reimu gave Nowa an annoyed eyeroll. "I have a name you know.." she mutters, then continued. "What are you trying to do now?"
Nowa looks around one eyebrow arch, unfamiliar with the land. "Me? Heh. Nothing, just sticking to the first person I saw, maybe Miko Ribbon here, might translate whatever written in Japanese language thingy, or what culture I am stepping into currently." He looked back at Reimu with that plastered smirk and a shrug, spreading his hands wide briefly before resting them on the porch.
"...what? You don't know Japanese symbols? How are you able to talk to me, when I'm speaking Japanese?" She gave him a confused look.
"Well, you see Miko. Being a traveler across the multiverse, there's bound to be someone blessing me with, automatic translation language, very handy when I'm talking to someone, not my usual language, but that doesn't mean I can read it." Tilting his head slightly, as he put his hands in his pocket and he leaned back into the wooden pillar. "Try giving someone a translator, but force them to read the symbols. You'll see why."
Reimu fell silent, her gaze sharpening. Automatic translation? A multiverse traveler? Every answer he gave was more outlandish than the last, yet nothing about him added up. He was a stack of contradictions wrapped in an infuriatingly casual demeanor. A deep, pragmatic suspicion settled in her gut. Yukari or not, a mystery like this landing on her doorstep wasn't a coincidence; it was a problem waiting to happen. And it was her job to get to the bottom of it. "Right," she said, her voice low and deliberate. "A problem."
CHARACTERS IMAGE:
Reimu Hakurei - https://pin.it/2rjq9vbS7