Ch. 4 EX5: Islands of 8 - Tenshi
Index
No Fish
Tenshi
...
Tenshi
Any bites, Shion?
Shion
Nope...
Tenshi
How about now?
Shion
Not even a nibble.
Tenshi
You know, Shion...
Shion
What is it, Miss Tenshi?
Tenshi
We've known each other for a while now, huh? We even wandered around together, trying to make new friends.
Shion
Umm, I suppose... (What is she talking about?)
Tenshi
I think of you like a sister-in-law.
Tenshi
Or a second cousin.
Tenshi
I want you to know that!
Shion
(I-Is that a good thing?!)
Shion
I didn't know you had siblings and cousins. You've never spoken of them before.
Tenshi
You're missing the point, Shion. I'm saying you're dear to me.
Shion
Oh, right.
Shion
(Wait...)
Tenshi
Don't say you don't deserve such kind words like you usually do, OK? It can be annoying when you act overly humble.
Shion
(I'm still trying to process everything!)
Tenshi
I don't look down on you, Shion. So, you looking up to me in adoration doesn't make me happy.
Tenshi
No, let me rephrase that.
Tenshi
Celestials crave adoration from those they deem "lesser." But I don't need such things. I've grown past that.
Tenshi
I hate how those old and stuffy celestials act. I much prefer the chaos down here compared to the dull and lifeless Heaven.
Tenshi
You get what I'm saying, don't you?
Shion
(Wait, hold on!)
Shion
(Is she saying what I think she's saying?!)
Shion
(Does Miss Tenshi finally recognize me as a―)
Shion
No way!
Tenshi
Huh?
Shion
No no no no no no no no no!
Tenshi
Wh-What's wrong? I didn't mean to upset you...
Shion
No, that's not― That's not what I meant!
Shion
I'm so stupid! Now I've gone and made her worry! I have to get a grip!
Tenshi
...?
Shion
(I need to calm down. Deep breaths, Shion. I'm a poverty god, for goodness' sake!)
Shion
(I don't get lucky.)
Shion
(I've only ever gotten lucky twice in my life―the day Joon was born, and the day I met Miss Tenshi. That's enough for me.)
Shion
(I can't ask for more than that...!)
Shion
Miss Tenshi, I also think of you as a dear friend―
Tenshi
That rod isn't working at all, huh?!
Shion
...What?
Tenshi
It's an artifact from Heaven, and I'm standing right here next to you, but the line hasn't even twitched!
Tenshi
You really are amazing, Shion!
Tenshi
Ahahahahah!
Shion
Haha, hahaha...
Tenshi
Anyway, I'm gonna go train some more for the tournament. I'll meet you back at Four-Eighths Island once you're done.
Shion
O-OK. See you later.
Tenshi
Wh-What was that?!
Shion
Are we being attacked?!
Red Marisa
Look! New swimsuiters!
Remilia
Yay! Eradicate the swimsuits!
Flandre
Can I destroy people today?!
Sorry, but can you please battle us?!
Tenshi
Can't you see the rod Shion's carrying?! You're gonna scare away all the fish!
Tenshi
It's not like she was getting any bites, but still!
Sea Race
Sanae
To be honest...
Sanae
It's kinda hard to believe that our parallel selves are exploring other worlds right now!
Sanae
But don't get me wrong. I'm really glad Miss Reimu invited me here. I love this massive spaceship thing!
Youmu
Does that mean you don't have many memories from those other worlds?
Sanae
No, that's not it. I have those memories. It's just...
Sanae
Hmm, how do I explain it? It's like they're memories from when I was little.
Sanae
It's like I've opened an old album and discovered past photos of my otherworldly adventures that weren't there before...
Sanae
Or something like that.
Youmu
I like the sound of that!
Youmu
It's kind of mysterious but in a good way!
Sanae
What about you, Miss Youmu? Do the parallel memories feel like they belong to you?
Youmu
Hmmm, not really. But that might just be because I'm a half-human, half-phantom.
Youmu
It's like there's a voice in my head whispering to me that new experiences are being carved into my soul.
Youmu
And these whispers don't go away. It's like I'm listening to one of those radio things the kappa make, but it's broken...
Youmu
That said, I usually just ignore them, so they don't really leave much of an impression.
Youmu
Hahaha!
Sanae
Is that really something you should be laughing about? Or is that normal for half-human, half-phantoms?
Sanae
It kinda sounds like a horror game to me.
Reisen
Seriously, Youmu? We aren't here to have fun, you know?
Reisen
We've got a job to do.
Youmu
I-I know that! Lady Yuyuko sent me here, and I'm not going to let her down!
Reisen
Oh, is that right? Then I guess you better take this more seriously, huh?
Reisen
We can't waste this opportunity. It's a shame we can't go any further, but I'm gonna bring as much data back as I can.
Sanae
What? But didn't Miss Yukari say we can't bring our memories back with us?
Reisen
Sure, that's what she said, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
Reisen
All of us store our memories differently, and I think that's due to our different abilities.
Reisen
So, with the right ability, it should be possible to retain these memories. And my ability should be perfect for this.
Sanae
Really?!
Youmu
Wow, that's amazing!
Reisen
Shush, Youmu. You're gonna make me lose my train of thought.
Reisen
Ahem. My ability lets me manipulate wavelengths, meaning I can also manipulate phases.
Sanae
Phases... That's some complex physics thing, isn't it?!
Reisen
If I can't bring back memories through the usual route, I'll try it in different phases. They're infinite, so one's bound to work!
Reisen
(I'm really glad that I managed to get here without having to go through with my master's crazy teleport experiment.)
Reisen
(But it would be even better if I knew how to explore worlds further away. I should've brought someone along to help me!)
Sakuya
Reisen, I'm assuming you came up with this idea because of the way you store memories from parallel worlds...
Sakuya
But I don't think you've quite thought everything through.
Reisen
No way! How'd you know that?!
Reisen
I thought only me and the princess would figure out that those parallel memories are stored according to their phase!
Sakuya
Teehee, I didn't know that. But I do now.
Reisen
What?! ...Oh!
Reisen
You tricked me!
Sakuya
Don't feel too bad. I only thought to ask because my ability is also closely related to the nature of parallel worlds.
Sakuya
You notice a lot when you can manipulate time. The way I store memories is like a tree diagram of parallel worlds.
Sakuya
I might be like you and the princess of Eientei in that regard.
Reisen
I-I see...!
Sakuya
But that's also how I know that searching for the correct solution out of an infinite number of possibilities...
Sakuya
...is like looking for a specific grain of sand in a desert.
Sakuya
Do you really think you'll have enough time for that?
Reisen
Argh, you're right...!
Sanae
This has gotten pretty complicated, but I guess we just have to try our best, huh?
Sanae
Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako said I should try and one-up you guys if I get the chance.
Sakuya
I was told something similar.
Youmu
But if things continue like this, I get the feeling the Youkai Sage will send us back before we get a chance to explore...
Sanae
Yeah, I'm worried about that too. That'd be really boring.
Everyone
Hmmmm!
So you're competing in a sea race, huh?
Tenshi
Yep. It's called the Occult Bowl, supposedly named after the venue for the championship race.
Wait, that competition's called the Occult Bowl, too?
Red Marisa
I'm confused. I thought our ball sports tournament was the Occult Bowl, but then Reimu called it the Yin-Yang League...
Red Marisa
Maybe the Occult Bowl is a kind of championship game between different leagues or something.
Red Marisa
I dunno.
Remilia
Wow, you just gave up thinking about it. Aren't you interested in anything but magic?
Flandre
That's rich coming from you, Remilia. You also don't have a clue what's going on, do you? Whereas I, on the other hand...
Flandre
Am just as clueless as you!
Remilia
What?! Then why'd you have to take a jab at me for not knowing?!
Tenshi
Now that you mention it, I think there was some kind of league name for the sea races... What was it again?
Tenshi
Well, whatever, I'm sure I'll remember it eventually.
Tenshi
Anyway, now that you're here, why don't you help me practice?
Flandre
What do you think, red Marisa? Are we gonna compete in this sea race, too?
Remilia
We'd be at a severe disadvantage. Us getting splashed with water is like a human getting splashed with scolding hot tea...
Red Marisa
I'd be fine.
Tenshi
I forgot to mention that this artifact can traverse land, sea, and sky. So you can help me practice on the sand if you want.
Remilia
Oh, that's good to know. That means we'll only have to contend with the sunlight.
Flandre
Miss Hinanawi seems to really need our help, so let's give her a lesson, Remilia!
Remilia
Heh! I hope you're ready!
Flandre
Try not to break!
I'll carry the parasol for you both!
(They seem pretty up for it this time.)
Shion
M-Miss Tenshi...!
Tenshi
Don't worry, Shion. You can keep fishing.
Shion
No, um, I just had a thought about what you said and how I can't seem to catch any fish...
Shion
You're right here next to me, and I'm using a super powerful artifact, so I shouldn't be this unlucky.
Shion
Unless my poverty god powers are getting stronger...
Tenshi
What?!
Tenshi
No... Even if that's true, it wouldn't be your fault.
Tenshi
If my celestial luck can't suppress your misfortune, it's a problem with me, not you. So don't worry about it.
Tenshi
I just have to get stronger.
Red Herring
The ocean.
As far as the eye can see.
Heaven used to be high up in the sky, but now it's only a relatively short distance above the water.
It probably won't be long until Heaven's floating islands become a part of this vast ocean.
But that doesn't concern the other celestials.
They won't even think of leaving Heaven.
They'll just keep sitting on their perch, hosting their dull parties and playing board games that last days on end.
They could really do with a soak in salt water to get rid of the mold that must be growing on them right now.
But even if it wasn't for them...
I'm sure this beautiful ocean would still call to me.
Haha!
Hahahaha!
I'm finally free!
I bet they're still shouting at me back in Heaven, but I can't hear them over the roar of this engine!
This is so much fun! I don't think I've ever felt so excited before!
Let's do this, Universe Ring! It's not fair that only Iku gets to travel from island to island, so it's time for us to join her!
It would be boring to go to the Moon right off the bat, so our first stop has gotta be―
―Gensokyo.
Tenshi
...
Tenshi
(That artifact I lent to Shion is the real deal. I managed to use it to catch bucketloads of fish.)
Tenshi
(Shion may be a poverty god, but she's still a god, meaning she can definitely use artifacts from Heaven.)
Tenshi
(It's really strange that she hasn't even caught a single fish yet.)
Tenshi
(Was Shion right? Are her powers of misfortune getting stronger?)
Tenshi
(Or maybe I'm getting weaker.)
Tenshi
(Is this what happens to celestials who leave Heaven? Or is it just me 'cause I'm a so-called "upstart" celestial?)
Tenshi
...
Tenshi
Tch!
Red Marisa
Sorry, Tenshi.
Red Marisa
I know a lot about magic items, but I can't for the life of me figure out why she can't catch fish with that rod.
Remilia
I thought it might be because of her poverty god powers, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Remilia
I can't see any unnatural distortions in her fate. Your good luck and her bad luck completely cancel each other out.
Flandre
Yeah, it's really strange. You'd think she'd at least catch an inedible fish or something.
Red Marisa
We don't really know enough about fishing to be much help. There's no ocean where I'm from, and you're both vampires...
Sorry. I don't know much about fishing either...
Tenshi
No, that's OK. Thanks for trying.
Tenshi
I can still fix this even if I don't know the cause.
Tenshi
I just have to be a better celestial. I have to become stronger.
Tenshi
Initially, I was planning to train so I could better enjoy the sea race tournament.
Tenshi
But now I have another goal.
Tenshi
Doing well in the tournament will earn me lots of praise and attention, increasing my status as a celestial.
Tenshi
If my status as a celestial increases, so will Shion's luck. Things will return to how they were before.
Tenshi
There's no time to waste.
Tenshi
Please help me train some more!
Remilia
Sure, I'll lend you a hand.
Flandre
I'll help if you don't mind me going all out.
Red Marisa
Wow, you're really passionate about this. I like it.
I'll help however I can!
Shion
Miss Tenshi! Miss Tenshiiii!
Tenshi
Huh?! Sorry, Shion! I'm kinda training right now!
Tenshi
Just give me a sec, OK?!
Shion
Miss Tenshiiiii!
Tenshi
Wh-What is it?!
Shion
Look! I caught one!
Shion
I caught a little fish!
Tenshi
Really?!
Tenshi
Holy mackerel! You caught a fish!
Shion
Yeah, I know! WOOHOO!
Marisa
Sup, you guys?
Oh, it's this world's Marisa! Sup!
Marisa
Hey, PLAYER, Scarlet sisters, red me.
Marisa
I heard about you guys from Yukari.
Marisa
It looks like you already know, but a sea race tournament is gonna be held on this island.
Marisa
The organizers told me that the qualifiers are starting soon, so I'm out spreading the word. You guys are competing, right?
Remilia
We haven't really talked about it yet, but I'm sure that's going to be our fate...
Flandre
Yeah, I've pretty much resigned myself to that now.
Marisa
Right... Well, I signed you guys up to save you the hassle, but you can always pull out if you want.
Marisa
If you don't wanna risk some scoundrel winning the Wishing Ball, that is. You haven't forgotten your mission, have you?
Oh, right! We have to compete.
Red Marisa
I didn't forget.
Marisa
Never said you did.
Marisa
Also, if you're wondering why Shion hadn't caught any fish until now...
Marisa
It hasn't got much to do with luck.
Marisa
As I'm sure you all know, Tenshi's good luck cancels out Shion's misfortune.
Marisa
So, effectively, her luck is neutral.
Marisa
And when someone with ordinary luck goes fishing, it's perfectly normal not to catch any fish. That's part of the fun.
Marisa
The only thing unlucky about all this is the fact that none of you know much about fishing.
Red Marisa
Tch! I should've figured that out!
Marisa
Haha.
Marisa
Well, I do have the advantage of living next to the beach and being an expert on items, so don't feel too bad.
Marisa
Anyway, I'll see you at the tournament. If we end up competing against each other...
Marisa
You better give me a good race!
Miko
A sea race and Wishing Balls, huh?
Miko
That sounds right up my alley!
Kokoro
I'm more interested in those artifacts from Heaven...
Kokoro
I can feel their power from here.
Miko
You thinking what I'm thinking, Kokoro?
Kokoro
Yeah...
Kokoro & Miko
We gotta sign up!
