Mentioned Characters: Yukari, Ran, Chen, Yuuma

In a cat village located somewhere in Gensokyo... Yukari Yakumo's shikigami's shikigami, Chen, was walking around when she turned to the dozens of cats following her and told them, "No way. This is my catnip. Mine!" Before long, though, it was as if a full-blown catnip party was being held on the engawa. From the biggest to the smallest, all the cats were soft and fluffy. But just as everyone was purring happily, the leader of the Gouyoku Alliance arrived from the Animal Realm.

As soon as she reached the engawa, Yuuma asked, "Where's Ran? I heard she was around here somewhere." "She's not here today. But, uhh... who are you?" replied Chen. "The name's Yuuma Toutetsu. I'm... an old friend of Ran's. And you are?" "I'm Lady Ran's shikigami, Chen!" "Oh, so that's you, huh? You're smaller than I expected." "I'm basically the same height as you!"

Soft meows and gentle purring could be heard on the engawa as the greed-filled beast and the bake-neko continued to talk. "So what's Ran doing today?" "She's performing rakugo. She practiced a ton with me and the cats as an audience." "Did you say performing?! As in, she's the one on stage? ...Sounds like she's gone funny." "Yep, her rakugo is hilarious!" "That's not quite what I meant."

Rakugo Days: Gensokyo's Fluffiest Story Tellers! "I can't believe she's performing rakugo, though. Ran might be smart, but it takes years to master, no?" "Well, she made me laugh! She told a story about how if a cat's food bowl is expensive, you can sell the cat for more gold." "Huh? Talking to you is so confusing..." "What do mean? That's what her story was about! I haven't practiced like Lady Ran, so I'm just not very good at explaining it." At the mention of the word "food," the cats all gathered around and began meowing even louder than before, begging for something to eat.

"OK, can you put the cat food in the bowls?" asked Chen as she prepared the food. However, it seems Yuuma misunderstood her. "Cat food, heh? You're right. These cats would make good food. I was actually starting to get a little peckish," she said as she began to drool every so slightly. "Wait, don't eat them! I'm talking about the cat's food. You gotta put it in their bowls!" "How am I supposed to do that when this cat's sitting in its bowl?" "Get out of there, you stupid cat! That bowl's for food, not cat naps." There they were, a beast from Hell capable of eating anything and a shikigami's shikigami getting stressed out trying to deal with selfish little creatures. "Performing rakugo with all these critters running around actually sounds kinda fun. Hehehe." "I know! Can you tell me a story about Lady Ran from when you were friends?" "...Sure, I guess I could tell you one. It ain't the least bit funny, though."