Mentioned Characters: Yukari, Ran, Mamizou

All over Gensokyo, humans and youkai had lost their laughter and were craving relief. Wanting to do all they could to help, a fox and a tanuki opened a rakugo theater and were about to take to the stage. Once there, they would recount whimsical yet humorous tales with the goal of making their audience laugh.

One of today's story tellers was to be Mamikura Rokkaya, although she's more commonly known as Mamizou Futatsuiwa, the bake-danuki chief. You might think she's simply using her ability to disguise herself as a story teller, but that isn't the case. She's actually extremely talented and has already garnered the attention of the Human Village's rakugo experts.

The other story teller was Inari Yakumotei, who's also known as Yukari Yakumo's youkai fox shikigami, Ran Yakumo. You might think she's simply used her ability to gather an audience of shikigami, but that isn't the case. The reason every seat in the theater was full was because of her popularity and skill as a story teller.

Rakugo Days: Gensokyo's Fluffiest Story Tellers! Brimming with confidence, Mamikura Rokkaya continued to make the audience laugh in ever more unexpected ways. Her presence as the bake-danuki chief added to the weight of her performance, which she punctuated with improvised jokes poking fun at those who had come to see her. On the other hand, Inari Yakumotei's rakugo was simply spellbinding, and the effort she'd put into her training was clear to all. She softly retold classic rakugo tales with precision before sending the audience into fits of laughter with each punchline. The fox and tanuki's styles were both well within the scope of rakugo, and each of them was a true story teller.

On this day, even more people than usual came to watch the two story tellers and their varied styles. The reason was obvious: today, they'd be competing to see whose rakugo was best. "Our star story teller is about to appear!" Mamikura Rokkaya and Inari Yakumotei made their way on stage to the sound of the audience's cheers. "I wonder who they meant by 'star story teller?' Actually, now that I think about it, it's obvious," said Mamikura, turning coolly to Inari. "If you were really confident in your abilities, surely you wouldn't even have to think," replied Inari, sending waves of laughter through the audience. The two story tellers grinned at each other. "We're here today to decide once and for all who's the better story teller. We ask for your undivided attention..." With that, Mamikura and Inari stepped down from the stage. It wouldn't be long before they each performed, and a winner was chosen.