This is a story of three girls in a faraway land that may very well have taken place. A fresh summer breeze blew as the sea twinkled in the sun like a sky full of stars. Turquoise waves rolled one by one to shore. The girls' smiles were as fresh as the first cool breath in the shade after a long day in the sun. The secrets in their hearts were shrouded in summer's haze. The distant horizon settled and all was calm. Each wave that crashed softly to shore brought with it cool sea air, taming summer's heat. This Gensokyo had a sea, and its sage, Yukari Yakumo, lay on the shore, quenching her thirst. The soothing percussion of waves went on as Yukari heard two girls' voices carried to her by the sea breeze.

"Hey, give me a hand already!" scorned the shrine maiden as she tried desperately to inflate her swimming ring. "Why don't you ask her?" replied Yukari, pointing to the magician, whose inflatable boat, beach ball, and other beach toys were ready and waiting. With a smug grin spread across her face, the magician said, "So... Do you want my help? Poor shrine maiden, stuck in paradise with all the time in the world." "Urk! I don't need help from a magician on vacation!" retorted the shrine maiden defiantly, puffing up her peach-colored cheeks. Watching the girls bicker as she knew they would, Yukari giggled and called out to them with a smile, "Sorry, relaxing is the only thing on my mind today."

The sea breeze was as cool as ever, but now the beach was filled with echoes of splashes and laughter as the maiden and the magician played to their hearts' content. As the sun finished its climb high into the sky, the once soothing crash of waves now frolicked and frenzied. Indeed, nothing lasts forever. Great rays of sunshine poured down from above as if to light up the whole world. Water splashed and danced through the air, twinkling with delight. Yukari drew her gaze from the carefree girls up to the clear blue sky that stretched above her and the sun that shone there. Perhaps her eyes began to close because of the brightness, but only she knows for sure.

Her days were filled with peace and fun and the laughter of good friends playing together. And yet... she felt enveloped in thick spring fog... Like there was a blanket of dark clouds blocking out the sun. Darkness oft befell her heart... and she knew exactly why. The wondrous days that seemed so obvious in this world may be a thing unknown to those who reside elsewhere. Or perhaps they were known but now have been lost, like time or patterns in the clouds. Just as feelings and the crash of waves must fade, nothing lasts forever. With that thought lingering in her mind, the sage closed her eyes as if to lock away the cold winter rains that approached.

Droplets of condensation trickled down the sides of the now-empty glass like teardrops shed in silence. "Not a drop left..." muttered Yukari as she placed the glass by her side and stood up. The sea shone up at the girls' smiling faces, and the waves and splashes sang an even brighter melody than before. Droplets of sea leaped up from the surface and shone like crystals as they arced freely through blue sky. "I think it's about time I got in on the fun." thought Yukari as she set foot toward the shoreline. "Should I float out to them on the boat and call out to them? Or maybe just give them a good splash?" Both seemed as though they'd garner a satisfactory reaction... "That's right," she thought, "I'm this world's Yukari Yakumo. It's my duty to have the absolute most fun I can...!" And so that's exactly what she did.