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Whew, that was an unexpected workout.

We came here for information about the moon, and ended up in a fight with Underworld youkai...

My apologies if you're exhausted, but could you begin the story right away?

Yeah, yeah. It'll be pretty rough around the edges though.

An Underworld bakeneko and bakegarasu were hanging out over there. They picked a fight, so I just kinda exterminated them.

The cat was tough, but the crow was a pushover.

Hm, so that was the scope of this disturbance.

But why could they have come to the surface? Given the agreement, it's difficult to imagine that it was merely coincidence.

They kinda tiptoed around the exact reason...

At least we know that they didn't want anyone to find out about them.

They didn't?

Yes, it sounded like they'd been planning to head home if we hadn't met them. Even as they were running, they begged us not to tell their master....

Oh yeah, didn't they also say that this had nothing to do with Satori?

...I see, so this revolves around Satori Komeiji once again.

The same as ever, I see. A youkai that never gets bothered by disturbances.

So you know her then, Yukari?

Yes, she's someone I meet for diplomatic matters. She's taken on the job of being the boss of the Underworld.

So are you going to speak with her directly about this matter too? As far as I could tell, those two didn't have any ill intent though.

Let me think about it. Normally this would be clear cut matter, but... In this case, I'll continue to observe things a bit longer.

Wow, you're never this nice, Yukari!

This is pretty unusual for you. You're overlooking it just because they meant well?

Hardly. I would never settle a matter using such a metric. Matters involving the Underworld and the Komeiji sisters demand careful attentiveness from us. I can't afford to take action based on a rash judgment.

Hmm, sounds complicated...

I think I'll just leave politics to the responsible adults...

Well, if that's what Lady Yukari says, then let's just leave this at that.

By the way, Chen, were you playing with everyone today?

Yeah, they asked me if I wanted to go to the moon, so we went around trying to find out how!

What?! You're going to the moon?!

Oh yeah, that's what you were doing. I think it's about time you gave up on that.

So anyway, do you two know how?

Wh-What are you asking? I'm not letting Chen anywhere near that dangerous plac-

The moon, was it? Yet another peculiar line of thought.

Lady Yukari, shouldn't we stop them?

Why bother? Their lives are in no real danger there, so why not let them have their fun? Of course, the biggest challenge is how you plan on getting there.

Right, there's no way they could get to the moon-

Enter Eirin.

Regarding that, I have something to say too.

!

Lady Yagokoro?! Why would you come all the way out here?

Oh, good afternoon. Is this the first time I've seen you outside the mansion?

Same to you. I hear you've done nothing but sleep.

Master, what did you mean when you said you had something to say to the humans? Come to think of it, you told us you were going to think about something...

Correct. After hearing about the current situation on the moon, I've changed my mind. I'll teach you the wisdom you'll need to safely reach the moon.

What?!

You're telling them how to get to the moon?!

Well this is sudden. I thought you were against our little trip?

I was, but now I see how it can be to our benefit. I want you to deliver a letter to the leaders of the emissaries on my behalf.

You want us to be your messengers? And to the people in charge, at that...

By all accounts, the current leaders are former disciples of mine. That being the case, I have reasonable faith that I can anticipate what they'll do.

Furthermore, I'm sure you'll take good care of her.

Who, me?

I want you to go to the moon with them.

What...?!

If you can get through to my disciples, I'm sure they'll let you off easy.

Hold on, does that mean you're sending Rabbit back to the moon?

B-But why?! I've finally gotten used to life on Earth! And now I'm going back to the moon...?

...You've been taking good care of your broken Lunar Veil, haven't you?

!

If you still have any attachment to the moon, you should return home before you regret it. If you pass up this chance, there's no telling when another one will come.

I-I mean, yeah, I've been worried about my future, but...

Well, I get what you're trying to say. In other words, you want us to hand her over along with the letter.

I don't mind, but you're really not worried about them coming after you?

I haven't the slightest doubt about that. Sending this letter is just another means of ensuring our lives on the Earth.

It's almost as if you're making it clear that you're planning to remain on the Earth.

Why don't we just say I'm making efforts?

...

Sure, "making efforts", whatever you say. We'll just be taking advantage of those efforts then.

And you, Rabbit. Take your time and think over whether you wanna join us.

Yeah, I'll do that...

So what exactly are you gonna do for us?

Let's see, first I'll provide you with one of our Lunar Veils. As long as you have this, your course will reliably take you to the moon.

Wow, that sounds great!

But we still need to find whatever's gonna propel our rocket.

I don't think one of those veils is gonna give us enough output...

That IS a problem. You wouldn't happen to have anything in mind?

Well, I believe we could fly if we had the power of a three-staged cylinder. Or to be more precise, we need a three-staged cylindrical container, and a power source suited for it

A power source suited for the container... Would, for example, faith or a spell suffice?

Yes. Even enshrining some kind of divine spirit into the three-staged cylinder could work...

A divine spirit? Is that the same thing as a god?

Did you think of something, Youmu?

Yes. Actually, I heard something from Lady Yuyuko earlier. She said: "if you're going to cross the sea of stars, then pray for a safe voyage"...

...! Yuyuko said that?

...I see, so that's another way to approach the problem.

What are you talking about? I don't get it.

Ah! I get it now, the three-staged cylinder!

What is it? Explain, Reimu.

It's probably the triangle of Uwatsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto, Nakatsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto, and Sokotsutsu-no-O-no-Mikoto. Together, they're the Sumiyoshi Sanjin, the three gods of the voyage and our three-staged cylinder!

The joke here is that the kanji for cylinder (筒) is in the name of all three of those gods.

Oh, that's like what we were talking about!

On the contrary, you could even call that perfect. Now we need only make the preparations, and your rocket will reach the moon.

Does that mean we have the approval of the sage of the moon? Then we'd better get started on a three-staged rocket that can house the gods. It might be cutting it close, but if we start now and do our best, we could get it done by winte-

Why do we need to do that when we've already got a boat built for the gods?

Wait, are you talking about-

You want to take the Palanquin Ship to the moon?!

...Interesting. It's certainly an optimal container for enshrining the gods of voyage.

But it's a temple, so it isn't three-staged.

We just have to think of it like one of those outside world space shuttles. Two of the stages are auxillary boosters, and the Palaquin Ship is the third stage.

...Well, that's certainly three-staged, anyway. And on top of that, syncretic.

I didn't know syncretic was a word, but it's perfect.

As long as the boosters are cylinders, I bet the gods would be satisfied.

Then we'll go talk to Murasa and Ichirin about this. If they agree to it, then we can begin outfitting it immediately.

I'm gonna go draw up blueprints with my kappa buddies!

Nitori, Nazrin, and Shou leave.

...And they're off. We're not even done talking here.

I can see why they're pumped. Our whole path just got cleared in minutes. Maybe we should head to the Scarlet Devil Mansion and let Remilia and her sister know.

Yes, I'm sure they'll be overjoyed.

...Oh, I had been wondering who came up with all this. So it was the vampires.

That's right. And then they got everyone else interested in it...

Don't tell me you're worried because this was their idea?

No, I have something to discuss with the moon team.

In order to ensure a pleasant trip, I'll have to give you some more training, Reimu.

Yeah, yeah, I'll train with yo-

Wait, what does that have to do with anything?!

Oh, but don't you need someone to provide the invocations necessary to receive the Sumiyoshi Sanjin's aid?

Well yeah, I guess, but you being so cooperative about this gives me the creeps... And why can't we just get Sanae to handle it?

She'd have some compatibility issues, given that she's been living with gods.

Yukari, the way you phrased that was a bit...

Anyway, now there's nothing stopping this trip to the moon!

The moon, huh? Up until now I've only admired it from afar. I'm touched to be able to actually visit it.

We should go pack and stuff.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to this!