Lossy's Journal

The Animal Realm is a harsh place where countless animal spirits constantly compete to survive.

Several large clans exist, and the conflict between them is never-ending.

But tonight, there may well be a major shift in the balance of power!

Saki

We're finally going above ground...

Saki

To recruit new members and bolster our strength!

Yachie

At last, the time has come.

Yachie

Success will bring stability and security to the Kiketsu Family. As their leader, failure isn't an option.

Saki

I just have one condition. My new recruits have gotta be strong!

Yachie

I knew a musclehead like you wouldn't care about anything else.

Saki

Oh, yeah?! What are you looking for, then?

Yachie

I want intelligent people. The kind who know how to get things done when push comes to shove.

Saki

And what can a weakling do at a time like that?

Yachie

Whatever. There's no point talking to you when you get like this.

Yachie

But let me make one thing clear. You better not get in my way.

???

Hehehe... You guys never change.

???

I'm gonna go for someone more capable.

???

I think it's pretty obvious who.

Yachie

Do you really have to beat around the bush?

Saki

Yeah, give us a name, Yuuma!

Yuuma

It's PLAYER!

Yuuma

That's who I want on my side.

Saki

Whoa, are you for real?

Saki

I'd love to have her join my clan.

Yachie

I don't think we can ask her. The Hakurei shrine maiden and the greater youkai above ground would never allow it.

Yuuma

Hmph, who cares?

Yuuma

I'm gonna profit while cleaning up whatever mess you guys make.

Yuuma

That's what I always do.

Saki

Oh, really?

Yachie

From what I remember, you're the one who's always making a mess of things.

Yuuma

That's not important! To find our ideal recruits, first, we gotta go to...

Yuuma

Old Desire!

Yuuma

Hire us, wicked hermit!

Seiga

Huh...?

Seiga

I know spring is the season for job hunting in the outside world, but...

Seiga

Why would I hire you? You're clearly up to something.

Yachie

We came all the way from the Animal Realm simply because we want your club to do well.

Saki

Unlike these two weaklings here, you can count on me for all the physical work!

Yuuma

What she means is she's too muscleheaded to do any other kind of work.

???

Oh, wow, I didn't know you were hiring.

Seiga

Nice timing, Satori!

Satori

You want me to check them out, right?

Seiga

That would be wonderful.

Yachie

(Is that... Satori Komeiji?!)

Yuuma

(This is bad. She can read minds, right?)

Saki

(There's only one thing we can do now!)

Yuuma, Yachie & Saki

(Don't think, don't think, don't think...!)

Seiga

Satori?

Satori

They seem all right. I'm off for now.

Satori

If I find a troubled soul, I'll send them your way. Let me know if you need me again.

Satori

If I stay here, I might end up exposing their true intentions.

Seiga

Well, all of you seem to be motivated, so...

Seiga

I suppose I'll let you work here.

Yuuma

You can count on us. I could handle things alone, but with the three of us together, you have nothing to worry about.

Seiga

About that...

Yachie

What's wrong?

Seiga

There was one other person who wanted me to hire them.

Yuuma

Why don't you go ahead and introduce us, then?

Seiga

Really? OK, I'll go get her.

Yuuma

Hehehe, this is perfect.

Yuuma, Yachie & Saki

(She'll be my first new recruit!)

Seiga

Here she is.

Hello!

Yuuma, Yachie & Saki

Huh...?

I'm PLAYER!

Yachie

Yeah, we know.

Saki

Wait a minute... Is she the person you were talking about?!

Seiga

That's right. She's helped us quite a few times already.

I wanna do my best for Old Desire!

Yuuma, Yachie & Saki

HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!

Yoshika

Wow! You guys look so good in those outfits!

Seiga

I've done it again! I must be some kind of fashion genius!

Yachie

As a clan leader, I don't mind wearing different outfits from time to time to set an example for my underlings.

Saki

I pride myself on my leg strength, but these tonfas are pretty cool!

Yuuma

This outfit's comfortable AND stylish. I've got no reason to dislike it... In fact, I love it!

Seiga

I'm glad to hear that, everyone.

Seiga

The designs were mine, but I got them made at Kourindou.

Seiga

And for our other new member...

Are you talking about me?!

Seiga

Of course. Didn't you say you wanted to officially work here?

Uh-huh! I wanna give it my all!

I'm looking forward to working with everyone!

I wanna train with Miss Saki and get fit!

Saki

O-Oh...

And I wanna learn all sorts of things from Miss Yachie!

Yachie

O-OK...?

Saki

Wow, PLAYER's being so positive today.

Yoshika

Hey, PLAYER! Can you come here for a sec?

Sure! What is it?

Yoshika

Your hat looks kinda like Toutetsu's, so we got you some clothes to complete the look!

That's true! Miss Yuuma and I've got matching hats!

Yuuma

Oh, yeah. You had one on right from the start, didn't you?

Yoshika's got one, too! We're all hat buddies!

Yoshika

Aw, thanks for including me!

Seiga

Argh, I should've made one for myself so I could match with Yoshika!

Yoshika

What are you talking about? You look great in your outfit.

Yuuma

The desire to train, learn, and wear matching outfits...

Yuuma

I like the energy here. Don't you agree, PLAYER?

Yeah, I love it! It's so much fun!

Yuuma

Good. Enjoy yourself and do as you please.

Hm...?

Yuuma

And try to give Kicchou and Kurokoma a hard time while you're at it.

Saki

Hey, stop putting strange ideas in PLAYER's head!

Yachie

We won't be able to convince her to join any of us at this rate...

Yachie

Kurokoma...

Saki

What?

Yachie

Don't you remember what Toutetsu said?

Yuuma

I'm gonna profit while cleaning up whatever mess you guys make.

Saki

Yeah, I remember that.

Yachie

Since she's so confident, why don't we leave the convincing to her?

Saki

Oh, good idea.

Yuuma

I can hear you, you know?

Yachie

Hey, PLAYER. Did you know Toutetsu's taken an interest in you?

Yuuma

Hey, stop that!

Why's that?

Do you think I have potential?!

Yuuma

Why are you getting so close to me?! You're supposed to be learning from Kicchou and Kurokoma!

I wanna learn from you, too!

Yuuma

I'd heard you could be a bit over-enthusiastic, but...!

Yuuma

Hey, Kicchou, Kurokoma! Don't leave me alone with her!

Yachie

Good job, Kurokoma. It looks like PLAYER is happy sticking around with her.

Yachie

Let's use this opportunity to go find new recruits.

Saki

Yeah! It'll be easier to get things done with no one to take care of.

Yuuma

Hey, PLAYER...

Yes?

Yuuma

If you wanna learn from me, you gotta help me first. We're gonna teach those two a lesson.

OK!

Yachie

What do you mean "OK"?! You're not supposed to agree to everything she says blindly!

Saki

You wanna fight about it? Fine by me! Get your Spell Cards ready!

Seiga

Hey, stop arguing inside the club!

Okina

Why are you all fighting in the club? Surely this'll upset Seiga.

Yuuma

When did you get here?!

Yuuma

PLAYER, let's get her too!

Seiga

Thanks, Okina. I was worried they'd destroy my club.

Yuuma

How do you always appear out of nowhere? Did you use one of your back doors again?

Okina

I'm pretty sure I've explained this before, but...

Okina

I can move my back doors as and when I please so long as no one's watching.

Okina

Seiga asked me to keep an eye on you three. You know, to make sure you don't do anything reckless. But...

...?

Okina

I didn't think I'd have to keep an eye on you as well.

Okina

Hm, so PLAYER wanted to work here, huh?

Yachie

Maybe it's a little late to bring this up, but is it really OK for her to do that?

Saki

Yeah, come to think of it, isn't she a bit young to work at a social club?

Seiga

Wow, I didn't expect to hear common sense from Animal Realm clan leaders.

Yoshika

Yeah, it doesn't suit them!

So, does that mean I can't work here?

Yuuma

What's wrong with letting her if that's what she wants?

Seiga

I don't know... What do you say, Okina?

Okina

Why do you want to work here, anyway?

Okina

Can't you just help out like you did before?

I...

...wanna be a shining star like you guys!

Okina, Yoshika & Seiga

A-A shining star?!

And for that, I need to work here!

Yoshika

I didn't know you guys were stars.

Saki

Well, I've been told I look like a shooting star when I run really fast.

Yachie

Yeah, and like all shooting stars, sooner or later you're gonna crash and burn.

Saki

No way! I'm gonna keep flying high forever!

Okina

I don't know why you want to be a star, but I can see the determination in your eyes.

Okina

I can also see why Seiga and the others are worried. There's only one thing for it.

Saki

What?

Seiga

Oh, I know what you're talking about. I have the perfect people in mind for it.

Okina

I'll go get them.

Yachie

Why are they acting like we're supposed to understand what they mean without an explanation?!

Yuuma

Are hermits and sages all like this? Will someone PLEASE tell us what's going on?!

Yoshika

Good luck!

Flandre

OK, I'm here to have some fun!

Sanae

Um, Miss Flandre, I'm pretty sure that's not why they asked us to be here!

Yuuma

Sup.

Flandre

Oh, wow, Toutetsu's here! Today's gonna be fun!

Are you guys close?

Yuuma

I don't know, are we?

Flandre

Hard to say.

Seiga

Sanae and Flandre are here to help test our new staff members.

Yachie

Oh, so they were talking about the test this whole time.

Okina

Hehe, why do you look so surprised?

Saki

What are we being tested on?

Seiga

Let's start with serving. I'll let Sanae and Flandre take care of this.

Flandre

Sanae, you can explain as I give the demo!

Sanae

H-Huh?! But...

Sanae

(I'm kind of nervous doing it in front of everyone from the Animal Realm!)

Okina

(You just need to picture them as potatoes, and you'll be fine.)

Sanae

(Potatoes...?)

Sanae

(Whoa, I think this might work!)

Yuuma

Hey, what are you two whispering about?

Sanae

Ahem, listen up, little potatoes! Professor Sanae is here to give you a lesson on how to serve customers!

Saki

Did she just call us little potatoes?

Okina

Ignore that part.

Sanae

I've got fake food and the plates that we actually use for our customers.

Saki

Wow, they look so real. Are these all fake?

Seiga

Apparently, they keep fake food on display in the outside world, too.

Yachie

Hm, it makes sense to me. It doesn't rot, so it can be used for a long time to attract customers.

Yuuma

So, what do you want us to do with these plates? And why's there fake food on them?

Sanae

Hehehe, you have to use bullets to...

Break the plates?!

Flandre

That sounds fun!

Sanae

Miss Seiga's gonna be mad if you do that!

Seiga

Pretty sure she'll faint before that.

Okina

Calm down, PLAYER. You've already taken this test before.

Okina

You have to serve dishes...

Okina

On bullets!

Oh, yeah! I remember now!

Yuuma

That sounds insane.

Sanae

Let the test begin!

Saki

Hey, Kicchou!

Saki

If we leave PLAYER alone, she might try to break something!

Saki

Give her a hand!

Yachie

Quit ordering me around and help her yourself!

Sanae

Well done! It looks like you guys have got the hang of serving on bullets!

Flandre

Next, you're gonna be tested on how to handle problematic customers!

Keine

I'll take over for this one. You need to know how to stay in control and not be too rough with the troublemakers.

So... we just have to knock them out, right?

Flandre

Hehe, you remind me of me when I first started here.

Okina

*sigh* What's gotten into you today, PLAYER? I'm pretty sure you've done this test before as well.

Oh, we gotta knock them out without hurting them!

Saki & Yachie

Stop trying to knock people out!

Yuuma

How are you gonna test us on this? Pretty sure we can't just wait for a troublemaker to show up.

Keine

Don't worry, I've already arranged for some.

Saki, Yachie & Yuuma

Fake troublemakers?!

Meiling

So this is the social club everyone's talking about. It looks like it's doing really well.

Urumi

What kind of service is this? We've been sitting here for ages and they haven't even bothered to get us a glass of water!

Sannyo

We need to teach 'em a lesson.

Meiling

You better bring us all the water in this club, or you're in for a beatdown!

Urumi

And if you don't bring EVERY drop you have...

Sannyo

You're gonna regret it!

Yachie

Those three are clearly the fake troublemakers.

Yuuma

They're making it kinda obvious. Causing trouble over a glass of water is ridiculous!

Keine

OK, show me how you're going to handle this.

Yuuma

How are we supposed to take this situation seriously?!

Urumi, Meiling & Sannyo

Oh noooo!

Urumi, Meiling & Sannyo

We'll get you for this!

Yoshika

Wow, incredible acting!

Yuuma

You're kidding, right?

Keine

So that's how you handle troublemakers. The trick is to not be too rough with them.

Keine

...Hello? Are you even listening?

Yachie

G-Give us a minute.

Yuuma

We're pretty drained.

Keine

(They're probably tired of dealing with all the over-the-top situations...)

Saki

Wow, I didn't know you guys were so weak.

Yachie

Look who's talking. I could hear your heavy breathing a mile away. Quit acting tough.

Saki

I-It's not an act! I got plenty more in the tank!

Seiga

Why don't we take a little break? We can talk about how to run things going forward.

Flandre

We'll go back to taking care of our customers!

Sanae

We'll see you guys later!

Keine

I'm looking forward to working with you all.

Yoshika

Seiga, I'm gonna go get some work done, too!

Saki

They're pretty impressive...

Yachie

I always heard you should respect those more experienced than you, but until now, I never understood why.

Yuuma

So, what have you decided to do about PLAYER?

(I'm kinda nervous!)

Seiga

Hm, I really liked your teamwork.

Okina

You all did brilliantly! You all passed!

Yachie

Really?

Seiga

Yes, I agree.

YAY!

Yuuma

Wait a minute, PLAYER. It's still too early to celebrate.

Okina

What's wrong? I thought we were clear enough. You all passed.

Yachie

Did you really think we wouldn't notice?

Saki

Yeah, we didn't work as a team in any of your tests, so what teamwork are you talking about?

Okina & Seiga

*surprised*

Yuuma

You're just trying to dump PLAYER on us, aren't you?

Why can't I work if we passed the test?

Yuuma

There's a difference between passing and someone simply telling you that you have.

Yuuma

Don't you wanna prove to them that you're actually capable of doing this job?

I-I do!

Okina

What are you trying to do...?

Saki

How dare you try to fool the clan leaders of the Animal Realm!

Yachie

We'll put a stop to your plans!

Okina

Gosh, you're all so hot-headed.

Seiga

I'm afraid for my club. I've heard rumors about places getting destroyed all over Gensokyo.

Yuuma

(I didn't know there were such violent people living above ground.)

Okina

Getting you all to take care of PLAYER was not our only reason for telling you you'd passed.

Yachie

(So it was ONE of the reasons, huh?)

Okina

The fact is that all of you worked together to help PLAYER.

Seiga

She dreams of being a shining star, and I'm sure that's a good thing for Old Desire.

Seiga

The shining stars of the human world help and educate the troubled members of their circle.

Seiga

They create places called salons specially for this purpose.

Seiga

Sounds rather similar to our consultation corner, don't you think?

Seiga

PLAYER's dream will inspire everyone in the team while you clan leaders watch over her.

Seiga

Your job will be to―

Seiga

Run the Beast Dream Salon!

Saki

Beast...

Yachie

Dream...

Yuuma

Salon?

The Beast Dream Salon!

Okina

It has a nice ring to it.

Yachie

I feel like giving it a name makes it official that the four of us will be working together.

Saki

It's good that it packs a punch!

Yuuma

Hehehe, you're one smooth talker. All right, I'll go along with your plan.

Yuuma

I'm kinda curious to see where PLAYER's ambitions will lead her!

Keine

Great. It sounds like everyone's on board.

Keine

And just in time because we already have a troubled customer.

What do you mean...?

Keine

I mean, it's time for the Beast Dream Salon to open!

Keine

Now, get to work.

Keine

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Keine

Our Beast Dream Salon team will help you with your problem.

Keine

Come on, don't you have an introductory pose or something?

Yuuma

Obviously not!

I bet Miss Yachie is good at striking poses!

Yachie

Why me?!

Saki

Maybe each of us should come up with one...

Yuuma

Not a chance.

Narumi

They don't seem like the helpful type.

Keine

Don't worry. They're good at what they do.

Yeah!

Narumi

PLAYER's here, and I have faith in her!

Thanks!

Keine

So, tell us. What's been bothering you?

Narumi

Well...

Narumi

I lost my favorite pot.

Saki

You mean a pot you use for cooking?

Yachie

I've heard you've been making sweets lately. Do you need it for that?

Yuuma

What are you guys talking about?! She's a magician, so it's obviously the one she uses for her experiments.

Narumi

I used it for pretty much everything. That's how much I liked it!

Narumi

But I took it outside thinking it was a nice day for outdoor experiments... and I haven't seen it since.

Yuuma

Where was this?

Narumi

The Forest of Magic!

Narumi

I left it to get the rest of my stuff, but it was gone by the time I got back!

Yachie

That means it could be literally anywhere.

Yachie

It's possible that the one who took it didn't know it belonged to you.

Saki

I'm sure we'll find it if we look together!

Yachie

We don't have enough information. We can't just go blindly looking for it.

Saki

With my legs, I can get to any corner of Gensokyo in seconds.

Yachie

Yeah, but not all of us are muscleheads like you.

Keine

I think I might know something.

Yuuma

Nice.

Keine

I heard some school kids talking about pots.

Keine

There's a game that everyone's into these days in the village. Apparently, they use a pot to play it.

Saki

A game using a pot? How does that work?

Yachie

Don't tell me someone stole it for a game.

Keine

We can't be sure.

Keine

First, it was sea urchin menko, and now this pot game. Kids sure know how to keep themselves occupied.

Yachie

Hmm...

Yuuma

OK, so where exactly should we look?

Yachie

We could start with the Forest of Magic, where it was last seen, or the Human Village, where that game's being played.

Narumi

What do you think, PLAYER?

The Human Village, of course!

Yachie

Wh-Why are you so sure?

'Cause I wanna play the pot game, too!

Yachie

We're trying to find the pot, not play with it!

Yuuma

Hehehe, let's just go to the village. It's more likely to be there than in the Forest of Magic.

Yuuma

And even if it's not Narumi's pot, she can buy another one there.

Yuuma

As long as she walks away with a pot, it's all good!

Saki

OK, what are we waiting for?! To the Human Village!

Keine

I thought you might want to go to the village, so I asked her to come.

Yachie

Who?

Okina

Me. My back doors will get you there in no time.

Yuuma

Oh, that's convenient.

Saki

Tch, and here I thought I'd get to run.

Yachie

You can if you want, you know?

Saki

Shut up!

Yuuma

OK, OK, through the door, already.

Okina

Are they really going to be OK?

Keine

Who knows?

Village Boy

My spinning top's gonna last the longest!

Village Girl

Nuh-uh! Mine's gonna knock yours off the pot!

Saki

Whoa, that looks really fun! No wonder all the kids are into it!

Yuuma

So they put the pot upside down and use it as a platform for the spinning tops, huh?

Yuuma

And if the top falls off you lose.

Yuuma

Not all pots have the same base, so it's a whole new experience every time.

Narumi

(That does look kinda fun.)

Yachie

Apparently, the game's called Tops Pot.

Yachie

Because you spin tops on a pot but also because you compete to get the top spot.

Yachie

At least, that's what the kids told me.

Yachie

By the way, they're going to have a small competition in front of the school today.

Saki

Oh, so that's why there are so many kids around.

Yuuma

Well? Do you see your pot anywhere?

Narumi

Not yet.

Saki

It's not gonna be easy spotting yours among all these pots!

Event Announcer

We've got only two spots left in the competition! Hurry up and sign up if you wanna win yourself a beautiful pot!

Saki

What was that?

Yachie

The organizers are trying to get more participants by offering a prize.

Narumi

Ah...

What's wrong, Narumi?

Narumi

That's my pot.

Yuuma

What?!

Narumi

The winning prize is my pot!

Beast Dream Salon

NO WAY!

Yachie

I spoke to the organizers, but they say they can't do anything unless you can prove it's your pot.

Yuuma

It's not like they're gonna give away their top prize after they used it to lure in so many participants.

Narumi

Grrr.

Yachie

We gotta fix this before someone wins it...

Saki

Why are you guys making it so complicated? We just gotta be the ones to win it! It's as simple as that!

Yachie

Are you serious?

Saki

I signed us up for the last two spots, but there's no way I'm gonna let you or Toutetsu participate!

Yachie

Like I care? It's a children's game. I didn't wanna be a part of it to begin with.

Saki

Oh, really? Well, I'm gonna play and win the pot back for Narumi!

Yuuma

What are you so excited about?

Saki

People will get to know I work at Old Desire, and I'll get more respect as a leader!

Saki

And the more I'm respected, the more the Keiga family will flourish.

Yachie

Hm, it's true that our work at Old Desire will have an impact on our clans.

Yachie

You do speak sense at times. I didn't know that brain of yours could actually function.

Yachie

But there are two spots. Who else is gonna participate?

Saki

Oh, right...

I wanna play!

Saki

There you go!

Round one.

Saki

Here goes my spinning top!

Event Announcer

Whoa, the top spun by our last-minute participant, Saki, is doing wonders! It's going to push off all the other tops!

Event Announcer

Did she just kick her own top to make it spin faster?!

Narumi

Isn't that against the rules?

Yuuma

The organizers and the participants are loving it, so who cares?

Saki

But this technique might make my own top fall off...

Why don't you use your tonfas?

Wrap the top's string around them!

Saki

Good idea!

Semifinals.

Saki

My top is unstoppable!

Event Announcer

Once again, Saki comes out... on top! Is there no one who can beat her?!

Event Announcer

She wrapped the string around her tonfas to release her top with maximum speed! What a move!

Yachie

I had no idea Kurokoma would be so good at this.

Yuuma

PLAYER is doing pretty well, too.

Yuuma

She's making the top land at the right spot, so it stays on the pot till the very end.

Event Announcer

Next up... the grand final!

Event Announcer

It'll be a three-way match!

Narumi

Saki and PLAYER are two of the finalists, right?!

Yachie

That means we actually stand a chance at winning the prize!

Yuuma

Who's the third finalist?

???

That'd be me!

Narumi

Marisa?! Why are you here?!

Marisa

I quite like that pot they're giving out as a prize. It'll be perfect for my experiments!

Marisa

Bumping off other tops is a piece of cake for a magician like me.

Marisa

I've decided to win!

Saki

How can you use magic to spin your top?! That's gotta be against the rules!

Yachie

Says the person using her legs and tonfas.

Event Announcer

As organizers of this competition, we're letting it slide because it's entertaining!

Narumi

So basically anything goes, huh?

Event Announcer

By the way, you're allowed to use bullets to mess up your opponents in the final round!

Narumi

There really are no rules, are there?!

Saki

Great! The moment she uses magic, I'll hit her with my bullets and slow her top down!

Narumi

Please save my pot! If Marisa gets her hands on it, she'll destroy it with her crazy experiments!

Marisa

Did you just call me crazy?!

Yuuma

Why are you so quiet, PLAYER? Is something wrong?

I'm kinda starting to like that pot.

I might keep it for myself.

Marisa

That makes you my rival!

Saki

Let's not forget that's Narumi's pot... But we can talk about this after one of us wins!

Yachie

What's there to talk about?!

I'm gonna win that pot!

Marisa

Nuh-uh! It's mine!

Narumi

No, it's MINE!

Event Announcer

The winner of the first Tops Pot Tournament is one of the last-minute entries, Saki Kurokoma!

Saki

YEAH! I won the pot!

Yachie

I didn't think you'd actually win. You were pretty close, PLAYER.

Marisa's top flicked mine out at the very end!

I wanted to win the pot, but I still had fun!

Saki

Here, Narumi, you can have your pot back!

Narumi

Thank you!

Narumi

It seems I was worried for nothing. I'm glad I asked you guys for help!

Narumi

You're not as scary as you look!

Yuuma

Is that a compliment or an insult?

Marisa

I didn't know the prize was your pot!

Marisa

Where did you find such a nice one?

Narumi

If you like it so much, I can take you to the place I bought it.

Marisa

Wow, really? That'd be awesome!

Can I join you?

Narumi

Of course! Let's all go together!

Yuuma

It looks like we have a satisfied customer. That means...

Yachie

We solved a problem!

Saki

Hah, and it's all thanks to me!

Yachie

Can't argue with you on that.

Yeah, you did really well, Miss Saki!

Saki

You did pretty good yourself!

Saki

And you're the one who gave me the idea to use my tonfas to spin the top!

Saki

You came third! That proves you're a Tops Pot pro!

Thanks!

Yuuma

Now, let's get back to Old Desire.

Yuuma

We might have a new customer waiting.

Keine

So this is the Tops Pot game that all the kids are into.

Narumi

PLAYER and the others had fun playing it. Maybe I should give it a try, too!

Keine

I heard they were allowed to use bullets to mess with their opponents in the finals.

Keine

It shouldn't bother Seiga if we use the stage to play.

Saki

I'll be your opponent.

I wanna play, too!

Narumi

Game on! The last top standing wins!

I won!

Saki

This is how pros play! Now you know why we were in the top three of the tournament!

Narumi

*sigh* I lost! This is so frustrating!

Narumi

But I had fun. What about you, Miss Keine?

Keine

How did I lose? My calculations were perfect. Maybe I got the weight of the top wrong.

Keine

I should try changing the length of the string. Wait, they used other tools to spin the top in the tournament, didn't they?

Narumi

Sh-She's totally addicted.

Seiran

A poster needs to attract attention!

Ringo

But what's the point if it doesn't get the message across?!

Yachie

Both of you have a point. Let's figure out a way to make it stand out AND have a clear message.

Aya

Wow, you guys are really taking this seriously!

I hope it turns out well.

Saki

It'll work out.

Yuuma

Yep.

Aya

What makes you so sure?

Saki

Whenever Kicchou comes up with a plan, she makes sure she follows through.

Yuuma

Getting in her way is not a good idea.

Aya

I see why you've chosen her to be your director. She's perfect for the job.

Saki

Besides, even if she does happen to fail, we'll still win either way 'cause it'll damage the Kiketsu family's reputation!

Aya

Ayayayaya.

Yuuma

I didn't know you were a photographer. I thought your job was writing articles.

Aya

Yes, but taking pictures is allowing me to be here and gather intel for my story!

Aya

I'm sure if I write an article about the new members of Old Desire, everyone's gonna want to buy my newspaper!

Yuuma

Hm, so that's the deal you've made with Kicchou, huh?

Thanks, Miss Yachie!

The shoot's gonna go well, thanks to you!

Yachie

It's all thanks to the idea you gave me.

―A little while earlier...

Seiga

Look at those two. They've been sitting there moping the whole time.

Seiran

*sob* I don't understand.

Ringo

My dango are delicious so why doesn't anyone buy them...?

Yoshika

Is it just me, or is their gloominess affecting the mood of the whole club?

Seiga

At least they're ordering food.

Saki

Yeah, but don't you think they're overeating?

Seiga

I guess.

Seiga

Maybe you should go talk to them before their stomachs burst.

Yachie

Are you sure? Don't they sell dango in the Human Village?

Yachie

Wouldn't solving their problem mean...

Yachie

...helping your rivals?

Seiga

Helping our customers means a lot to us.

Seiga

Our goal here at Old Desire is to comfort them. Making money isn't our top priority.

Yuuma

Sounds to me like you lack ambition.

Yachie

That doesn't make any sense to me.

Saki

I don't buy it!

Seiga

Just go and talk to them!

Got it!

Yachie

What's wrong, Seiran, Ringo? Why are you so upset?

Is it 'cause you don't know what dango to make next?

Seiran

That's not it. We've got plenty of new varieties.

Seiran

Ringo and I decided to make lots of new dango and see whose sells more...

Seiran

But we got zero customers.

Seiran

We thought we'd understand why if we came here, but thinking about it has only made us more upset.

Ringo

And we ended up stuffing ourselves.

Hm, I wonder why you're not getting any customers.

Yachie

The flavor's good, but your sales are bad.

Yachie

There's only one reason I can think of...

Yachie

You need better marketing.

Seiran & Ringo

B-But...!

Seiran

W-We always shout super loudly to attract customers!

Yuuma

There's a limit to how far your voice can travel.

Yachie

You gotta cover a wider area and make sure people know about your dango.

Ringo

B-But how?

Oh, I know!

Saki

Sounds like you've got an idea! Let us hear it!

Why don't you make a poster?

It was just a random thought.

Yachie

That was definitely not random.

Yachie

You heard the problem and thought about how to solve it.

Yachie

That's how you came up with the poster idea.

I'm glad you liked it.

Yuuma

Hey, Kicchou. We're almost there.

Yachie

All right, let's start the photoshoot.

Yuuma

Ugh, why are you making me walk so much? Did we really have to come all the way to the Misty Lake?

Aya

I thought we'd be going to the Human Village.

Yachie

We're here to create the ideal poster for Seiran and Ringo.

Yachie

We need water to create the dramatic effect that Seiran wants.

Yachie

Get to work, Toutetsu, Kurokoma!

Saki & Yuuma

H-Huh?!

Yachie

You gotta create a big splash in the center of the lake!

Yuuma

Oh, I get what you're trying to do now.

Saki

I don't like taking orders from you, but it sounds like fun, so all right.

Seiran

Whoa, the water's splashing all the way here!

Ringo

I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but I think it's gonna attract a lot of attention.

Yachie

OK, Seiran, Ringo, get ready to shoot bullets in front of the water.

Seiran

Huh, isn't that too much?

Ringo

OK, I'm ready!

Aya

Wow, it looks like fireworks are bursting out from the water.

Yachie

Exactly.

Yachie

And finally, we'll get PLAYER to eat some dango right in the middle. Make it look like they're delicious...

Yachie

No, wait. The bullets and the water splashing is all a bit too much. Let's tone it down a little!

Aya

I don't think they're listening...

Yachie

We'll have to do this the hard way. PLAYER, let's show them what happens when they disobey the director.

Huh?

Yachie

What's wrong?

N-Nothing. I'll do my best!

(I won't tell her I wanna play in the water, too.)

Yachie

Everyone, please don't get carried away. We gotta stay focused.

Seiran & Ringo

We're sorry.

Yuuma

You're the one who told us to go splash around in the water. Why don't you make up your mind first?

Saki

Yeah!

Yachie

Ignore the whiners. I'm gonna explain how to do this the right way...

???

STOOOOP!

Saki

H-Huh, who's there?

Cirno

Stop messing around in MY lake!

Cirno

You guys are being so noisy!

Cirno

We've opened up our own club around here, and you're disturbing us!

Cirno

This is MY lake! You gotta get our permission before doing anything!

Yuuma

It looks like we've been running rampant in someone else's territory.

Yachie

The Misty Lake doesn't belong to anyone, as far as I know...

Daiyousei

Cirnooooo, wait up!

Sunny Milk

Gosh, what's wrong with you, Cirno? Why did you suddenly fly off like that?

Cirno

Look, there are people trying to get in the way of our social club!

Luna Child

What?! Are they here to interfere with our business?!

Star Sapphire

Hmmm.

Star Sapphire

They look scary. Maybe they're really here to cause problems for us.

Yuuma

They're talking about you, Kurokoma.

Saki

It's pretty clear they mean you, not me.

Seiran & Ringo

(It's probably both of you.)

Star Sapphire

But look, PLAYER is with them.

Luna Child

And Miss Aya from the Bunbunmaru Newspaper.

Daiyousei

Seiran and Ringo are here too!

Cirno

I know what's going on here!

Cirno

Those three scary people have kidnapped them all!

Fairies

WHAT?!

Daiyousei

Oh, no! We gotta save them!

Cirno

That's right! We gotta save our friends and our club!

Cirno

And for that, we gotta stop these club-wrecking kidnappers!

Fairies

YEAH!

Saki

They keep accusing us of crimes we haven't committed!

Aya

Is this going to lead to a fight between the fairies and the Animal Realm clan leaders?! Where's my notepad?!

Yuuma

Stop adding fuel to the fire!

This is what I've been looking forward to!

Beast Dream Salon

What did you say?!

Cirno

Argh! You guys are tough!

Daiyousei

Cirno, we've come dangerously close to our club!

Cirno

WHAT?!

Yachie

So that's their club.

Cirno

I'm not gonna let you get in our way! I'm the STRONGEST, and I'm gonna protect our club!

Seiran

Don't overdo it!

Ringo

You're gonna end up destroying your own club!

Sunny Milk

EEK! It's raining ice!

Fairies

AAAAAAAAAAAH!

Watch out!

Saki

*kicks ice*

Yuuma

This stuff's great. It tastes like shaved ice.

Luna Child

Wh-Whoa, all the ice is gone!

Star Sapphire

Th-Thank you.

Saki

That was no big deal!

Cirno

Wh-Why did you help us...?

We aren't trying to get in your way.

Cirno

R-Really?

Seiran

We just wanted to take a picture for our poster.

Ringo

You probably misunderstood 'cause we got a bit carried away.

Yachie

We apologize for shooting here without permission.

Yachie

We really didn't know your social club was nearby.

Cirno

I-I see.

Cirno

I not only misunderstood you guys, but I also ended up destroying my own club.

Luna Child

Cirno...

Yuuma

Kicchou, do something. You're good at handling these kind of situations.

Yuuma

I like the way they did their best to try and save their club.

Yachie

Let me see what I can do...

Yachie

Cirno, I have a deal for you.

Cirno

A deal? Am I gonna make a profit?

Saki

That's a bold assumption.

Yachie

W-Well, I guess you could say that.

Yachie

I'm gonna send in my otter spirits to help you rebuild your club.

Yachie

Let me know if you wanna make any changes, and I'll have it done for you.

Sunny Milk

Are you serious?! But how is it a deal if we're the only ones getting something out of it?!

Daiyousei

Wh-What do you want from us...?

Yachie

It's simple. You just gotta allow us to take pictures here.

Saki

We may get a little loud like we did earlier, but we want you to let it slide.

Cirno

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Daiyousei

Cirno, I think you should let them do it...

Cirno

Well, it's not like they were trying to get in our way, so I'm fine with it.

Sunny Milk

If our club's gonna get an upgrade, I'll be more than happy to allow it!

Cirno

And they did help us when we were in trouble.

Yachie

OK, I'll start fixing up your club now.

Yachie

You guys will help, right?

Of course!

Ringo

We can help with that, too!

Seiran

Yeah, I'll do my best!

Cirno

You guys aren't as scary as you look!

Yuuma

That's what everyone's been saying.

Aya

Sounds like things are sorted here!

Yuuma

Yeah, now we just gotta finish fixing up their club and take pictures for the poster.

Yachie

Seiran and Ringo are confident their dango taste good. They're bound to get more customers once the poster is ready.

And that's two more satisfied customers!

Yuuma

It's still too early to say that.

Saki

But what's with you being extra nice today, Kicchou? It's kinda creepy.

Saki

Do you have an upset stomach or something?

Yachie

Hehe, don't you get it?

Yachie

Everything we've done today is gonna be extremely useful to us.

Yachie

After we make the poster for Seiran and Ringo, we'll make one for Old Desire, too.

Yachie

And we'll get Aya to print an article about us in the Bunbunmaru Newspaper.

Yachie

With the poster and the article, news about our Beast Dream Salon will spread like wildfire!

I-I see!

Saki

I knew you only thought about profit. That's why me and you will never get along.

Saki

Is that why you look so happy? Because everything went according to your plan?

Yachie

That's one of the reasons.

Yachie

Building relationships with people might come in handy for the Kiketsu family someday.

Yachie

That's why this request was beneficial to us in more than one way.

Yachie

But...

Yachie

After seeing their happy faces, I'm glad I could come up with a plan that benefited everyone.

Yachie

I truly mean that.

Seiga

Welcome back. You all did an exceptional job.

Seiga

I appreciate your efforts to promote the club. The tournament in the village, the poster, the article... everything.

Seiga

It's going to attract a lot of customers to Old Desire. Things are going to get busy around here.

Yachie

I was involved, so these results were to be expected.

Saki

I could've achieved it without anyone's help, you know?

Seiga

Hehe, that's reassuring.

...

Yuuma

What's wrong, PLAYER?

I don't know, I just feel a little down.

Yuuma

That usually happens if you're hungry or sleepy.

Yuuma

Seiga, you provide free meals for all your staff, don't you?

Seiga

That's right! We've got them ready in the break room. If you're going to take a break, you can go eat, too.

Yuuma

Great. Let's eat first, talk later.

Yuuma

This meal looks pretty delicious.

Yuuma

C'mon, eat up.

Thanks!

Yuuma

Whoa...!

Th-This is delicious!

Yuuma

Hehehe, all that work paid off.

Can I have this even though I haven't done much?

Yuuma

So that's what's bothering you, huh?

Yuuma

Have you forgotten that Kurokoma and Kicchou praised you for all your hard work?

Saki

You did pretty good yourself!

Yachie

It's all thanks to the idea you gave me.

That's true.

Yuuma

See? That proves you've been helpful.

Yuuma

You've got every right to enjoy this meal.

Thanks, Miss Yuuma!

Yuuma

Don't mention it. C'mon, eat up before it gets cold.

*nom* *nom*

Yuuma

That's the spirit.

*nom* *nom* *nom*

*nom* *nom* *nom* *nom*

*nom* *nom* *nom* *nom* *nom* *nom*

Yuuma

I probably shouldn't be the one saying this, but aren't you eating a little too much...?

I-I'm gonna stuff myself and become a shining star!

Seiga

What are you doing?

Yuuma

We're just eating the meal you prepared for us.

Yoshika

You've eaten up our stock for the customers too...

Huh...?

Seiga

Toutetsu, I heard you were a glutton, but I didn't know you were this bad.

Yuuma

C-Calm down! There's a valid reason for this!

Seiga

Silence! Yoshika, we need to teach them a lesson!

Yoshika

Yeah!

I-I'm sorrrrrryyyy!

Saki

What's going on here?

Yachie

Seiga's furious, and we're out of food.

Yachie

Toutetsu, I can't believe you did this!

U-Um, I ate most of it...

Yuuma

It's my fault for not stopping you.

Yuuma

I'm sorry, Seiga.

Seiga

Your "sorry" is not going to cut it!

Yoshika

Yeah! Fix it!

Seiga

I was thinking about letting you all take a break, but change of plans!

Seiga

The Beast Dream Salon members will go get more food!

Saki & Yachie

Why are we being dragged into this?!

Yuuma

We swim together, we sink together. You're stuck with us.

Saki & Yachie

Not funny!

Sakuya

You and PLAYER ate up all the food at Old Desire.

Sakuya

And now you're here to eat everything we have in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, huh?

Yuuma

That's not what I said.

We just need some of your food. Not all of it.

Sakuya

No offense, but...

Sakuya

You ate up everything in stock when you were offered one meal.

Sakuya

How am I to trust your definition of "some"?

Saki & Yachie

(Can't argue with that.)

Yuuma

Are you willing to listen now?

Sakuya

I understand that you aren't here to take everything we've got.

Sakuya

But I'm sorry, we don't have enough to share.

Yuuma

You could've just said that to begin with.

What do we do now...?

Sakuya

You could go to Nemunoki. They should have plenty of ingredients in stock.

Beast Dream Salon

Good idea!

Saki

So... What's a Nemunoki?

Yachie

It's a small restaurant run by a yamanba called Nemuno Sakata.

Yachie

She's very particular about every ingredient she uses, and her food is delicious.

Yuuma

If her restaurant's so good, why would she share her ingredients with us?

I'll ask her nicely!

Yachie

That's fine and all, but...

Yachie

Don't you think you need to slow down a little? You're climbing the mountain too fast...

Saki

I'm OK at this speed, but it's dangerous for PLAYER to try and keep up with me.

B-But...

Yuuma

It's OK, we don't need to rush. People often miss out on important things when they make haste.

Like what...?

???

AAAAAH!

???

HELP MEEEE!

Yachie

Sounds like someone's in trouble.

This is the kinda thing you meant, isn't it?!

Yuuma

Um, not exactly... Hey, wait! Don't go off on your own!

I gotta go help them!

I'm gonna be a shining star!

Miyoi

What are we gonna do?! We're surrounded by youkai and phantoms.

Aunn

We worked so hard, and now they're just gonna steal all our stuff from us!

Miyoi!

Aunn!

Aunn & Miyoi

PLAYER?!

What's going on here?!

Miyoi

We were out buying ingredients, and then...

Aunn

These youkai suddenly showed up to steal from us! Our hands are full, so we can't even shoot bullets!

Wait there. I'll handle this!

Miyoi

By yourself?!

Aunn

I-It's too dangerous!

Saki

Don't worry, she's not alone!

Yachie

Miyoi, Aunn, come this way! We'll clear a path for you!

You guys followed me!

Saki

Gosh, don't ever run off like that again.

Yuuma

You're such a troublemaker.

Thanks for coming...!

Saki

Watch me kick all these greedy youkai outta here!

Saki

We got rid of them all.

Miyoi

Th-Thank you so much!

Aunn

That was a close call! I thought we'd lose everything.

Yachie

You've got your hands full with bags of ingredients and huge basket on your backs. That's quite a lot of food.

Aunn

Yeah, we gotta carry this all the way up the mountain!

Aunn

I usually guard the food, but we bought too much this time and I had to help carry some of it!

Miyoi

We did our best and managed somehow.

Yuuma

Good thing all your stuff is still intact.

Aunn

It's all thanks to you guys!

Miyoi

By the way, what are you doing up here?

Saki

We had a little favor to ask at Nemunoki!

Aunn

Oh, wow! We're actually headed there right now!

Saki

Then I can help you carry the food there. Physical labor is my specialty!

Miyoi

Th-Thanks for the offer, but...

Miyoi

We gotta carry all of this by ourselves.

Aunn

If more youkai show up, we'll make a run for it before they can surround us!

Saki

Oh, OK. I like your spirit!

B-But are they really gonna be OK?

Yachie

They've got their reasons. Let's have faith in them and go on ahead.

Miyoi

Thank you!

Miyoi

We really appreciate all your help! We'll repay this kindness some time!

Yuuma

OK, now let's get back to climbing the mountain.

Hello!

Yachie

So this is Nemunoki. It's nothing fancy, but it's exceptionally tidy.

Yuuma

I could tell this is a good restaurant the moment I entered.

Saki

So, where is this Nemuno Sakata?

Yachie

Yeah, I don't see her around. But the place wasn't locked up. She must be here somewhere...

Yuuma

There she is.

Nemuno

I dunno what to do...

I-I wonder what's wrong.

Yuuma

She's clearly worried about something.

Saki

It doesn't look like this is the right time to ask her for a favor.

Yachie

Why don't we help her first?

That's a good idea!

Nemuno

Maybe it's better if I do everythin' on my own...

What's wrong, Nemuno?

Nemuno

Huh, when did ya guys get in 'ere?!

Saki

We've been here for a while already.

Nemuno

Oh, are ya 'ere to eat? Sorry, but we ain't ready to open yet.

Yuuma

Actually, we're here to ask you a favor.

Nemuno

Whaddya mean?

Nemuno

Hmm...

Nemuno

So ya want ter help me in exchange for some ingredients?

Nemuno

Is that right?

Yuuma

It's not a bad deal, is it?

Nemuno

Hmm...

Nemuno

Don't tell me yer from Seiga's club.

Yachie

Yeah, we run the Beast Dream Salon there.

Nemuno

I didn't know ye offered a delivery service for advice.

Nemuno

The kappa and the yamawaro have a food delivery service. The youkai these days are so advanced.

Saki

That's not exactly what we do.

Nemuno

But...

Nemuno

I was thinking 'bout whether or not I oughta rely on someone else to run me restaurant.

Nemuno

And taking advice from someone is a lot like relying on 'em.

Nemuno

Gah, I dunno what to do anymore!

Yachie

Why don't you start by telling us what exactly is bothering you?

Saki

Why do you feel like you shouldn't rely on others?

Nemuno

I've been runnin' this restaurant by myself.

Nemuno

But Yukari told me I oughta accept help sometimes.

Nemuno

So lately, I've been asking Miyoi and Aunn to do the grocery shopping for me.

Yuuma

I see.

Nemuno

But I can't help but find mistakes with everythin' they do.

Nemuno

I keep tellin' them how to do every little thing.

Nemuno

I was actually on my way to go see how they were doin'.

Nemuno

But if I'm gonna keep botherin' them, I might as well do it myself.

Nemuno

That's what I've been thinkin' all this time.

Saki

Hm, I see.

Yachie

It's a classic restaurant owner problem.

Yuuma

This problem's not gonna be easy to solve. You're gonna have to make some sacrifices.

Yachie

What are you talking about?

Nemuno

Y-Yeah, whaddya mean?

Yuuma

You may have to hand over your restaurant to someone... Like me, for example.

N-No way!

Nemuno

Are ya sayin' I'm not fit to be a restaurant owner?

Yuuma

Who even comes to this tiny little restaurant high up on the mountain?

Yuuma

If I was running the place, my customers would be much more satisfied, and I'd be making bags of cash.

Yuuma

At least...

Yuuma

I'd be better than someone who keeps micromanaging their helpers.

Yachie

Think before you talk, Toutetsu!

Yuuma

Just shut up and watch.

Nemuno

I thought ya said you were 'ere to solve my problem. I can't believe yer talkin' to me like that.

Nemuno

Yuuma Toutetsu, I challenge ya to a battle!

Nemuno

I'll show ya who's capable of running this restaurant!

Saki

Whoa.

Yuuma

Kicchou, Kurokoma, you guys better stay outta this.

Yuuma

Get your Spell Cards ready! Let me see what a yamanba is capable of!

Nemuno

Yer a tough one.

Yuuma

You're not bad either. So, do you feel better now?

Nemuno

Yeah, I dun feel gloomy anymore.

Saki

So she intentionally made her mad to help her blow off steam?!

Yachie

Isn't that taking it too far?!

Nemuno

Nah, that's just what I needed.

Nemuno?

Nemuno

I ain't good at leadin' people. I suck as a restaurant owner.

Yuuma

Why don't you let them decide that?

Nemuno

Who?

Miyoi

Miss Nemunoooo! Sorry we took so long!

Aunn

We bought a lot of fresh vegetables and all your favorite spices!

Nemuno

Aunn, Miyoi!

Miyoi

We got into a little trouble, though. It would've been bad if the Beast Dream Salon guys hadn't shown up!

Saki

Nah, we didn't do much. Right, PLAYER?!

Yeah, they did most of the work!

Yachie

They wouldn't even let us help them carry all this stuff. They said they had to do it themselves.

Yachie

They see how hard you work, Nemuno.

Yachie

And that's exactly why they wanted to do the same for you.

Nemuno

H-Hey, Toutetsu!

Yuuma

What?

Nemuno

I think I know what you were doin'!

Nemuno

You were tryin' to buy time till they got 'ere, weren't ya?! That's why you were sayin' all those mean things!

Yuuma

You're giving me too much credit. I just wanted to fight you.

Nemuno

Haha, ya got me.

Yuuma

Stop wasting time and get those two inside. Their bags are pretty heavy.

Nemuno

Right, right!

Nemuno

I'm gonna make food for you guys with these ingredients, so just wait around a bit!

Miyoi

Wow, really?!

Aunn

Yay! We get to taste Nemunoki's dishes made with fresh ingredients!

Yuuma

Thanks.

Yuuma

I've heard a lot about your food, so I kinda wanted to try it.

I-I want some, too!

Yachie

Didn't you guys already stuff yourselves earlier?!

Yoshika

Whoa, that's a lot of food!

Seiga

Where did you get all of this from?!

Yachie

Nemuno wanted to thank us for solving her problem, so she gave it to us.

Seiga

B-But does she still have enough for herself?

Yuuma

Yeah, thanks to the bulk load of groceries Miyoi and Aunn bought.

Seiga

That's great! Thanks!

Nah, it was my fault for eating so much before.

Nah, it's my fault for not contributing much.

Yuuma

C'mon, don't tell me you're feeling low again.

I ran off and caused you guys trouble earlier.

We're a team. I shouldn't have acted alone.

Saki

But everything worked out well!

Yachie

It's no problem as long as you've realized your mistake.

Yeah, I won't do it again.

Yuuma

That's good.

Seiga

(They make a nice team.)

Sanae

M-Miss Seiga!

Seiga

What's wrong, Sanae?

Sanae

We've got a huge problem! Everyone's been talking about the Beast Dream Salon and...

Sanae

Miss Satori said that we might see a flood of customers soon!

Yoshika

We're gonna get busy!

Yachie

And we'll probably have to help a lot of troubled customers.

Seiga

That won't work.

Yuuma

What do you mean?

Seiga

Everyone's heard about you guys, and they're probably coming because they're curious.

Seiga

So they're not necessarily going to come looking for advice. That's why you'll have to handle them differently.

Yachie

How do mean?

Seiga

You'll have to handle them... with a show!

Seiga

I'm going to make you all go on stage and jump rope as you shoot bullets at each other!

Beast Dream Salon

Y-You've gotta be kidding!

Yoshika

That sounds fun!

Seiga

It's not going to be easy. Are you up for it, PLAYER?

(I wanna be more useful this time!)

(We gotta work together and put on the best show!)

Saki

Well?

Of course! You can count on me!

Seiga

I'm glad to hear that!

Yuuma

If PLAYER's ready to do it, then we all are.

Seiga

Great. I'll go get the other members who usually put on a show here!

Seiga

You can practice together!

Seiga

Everyone's got a part to play in the show!

Seiga

Yoshika and Yachie will be in charge of swinging the rope!

Yoshika

Let's do this!

Yachie

We got this.

Seiga

PLAYER will jump the rope in the middle!

I-I'll do my best!

Seiga

And Yuuma and Saki will jump either side of PLAYER while shooting bullets at each other!

Yuuma

Go easy on me.

Saki

As if!

Seiga

That's what you'll all be doing in the show.

Seiga

But don't worry, I don't expect you to perform without practice. It's going to be hard, so...

Seiga

I've asked our experienced members to help you out.

Letty

I'm Letty Whiterock.

Letty

You can think of me as your older sister. I'll teach you how to dance on stage.

Junko

Junko here. Putting on this show is going to be a bit tricky for you rookies.

Junko

But with me as your teacher, it's going to be fine.

Seiga

OK, watch closely. These two will demonstrate how it's supposed to look.

Yachie

Are you expecting them to jump rope all of a sudden?! Have they done this before?

Junko

No, this will be my first time.

Saki

C-Can you do it?

Letty

Of course. We've put on much more difficult shows.

Junko

Go on and swing the rope.

Yoshika

Let's start, Yachie.

Yachie

O-OK.

I-I gotta pay attention!

Yuuma

Whoa, they're in perfect sync.

Saki

And look at them shoot bullets with ease.

It looks so pretty!

Junko

You need to do more than just stare in awe.

Saki

Eek! I almost got hit by one of the bullets!

Yuuma

Did you lose control or something?

Junko

No, that was intentional. Your practice starts by dodging our bullets!

Letty

I like that. It'll train them well.

Saki

That's true. If we can't dodge the bullets now, it'll be impossible to do it while jumping rope.

Saki

C'mon, PLAYER. Are you ready?

Yeah!

Junko

Well done. You managed to dodge them all.

Letty

So, how did you like our show? Did you learn anything?

It was like you guys were shooting bullets in midair!

Yachie

Yeah, they were jumping so effortlessly.

Saki

Now we gotta recreate the same thing, right?!

Seiga

Correct! Go on and try it before you forget what you've learned.

―A few hours later.

(35, 36, 37...)

Yoshika

Jump, jump, jump, jump.

(Miss Yuuma and Miss Saki are so cool!)

(They haven't let even a single bullet hit me.)

(I just gotta make sure I don't trip...!)

Oops...!

Saki

That was close!

Th-Thanks, Miss Saki.

Saki

Don't sweat it!

But I messed things up again.

Yachie

It's OK, nobody's perfect.

That's true, but...

Seiga

Why don't you take a small break? A little rest can make a big difference.

No, I'm fine! I can keep going!

Junko

You'll only hurt yourself if you try to force it.

Letty

It's important to rest.

We gotta make this show a success!

Yuuma

Aren't you forgetting something important?

Ah...

I-I'll go drink some water.

Seiga

PLAYER!

You

The show's going to be a flop because of me.

You

All I do is get impatient and mess things up.

You

I...

You

...really wanna be a shining star!

Sanae

Miss PLAYER! Here, have some Yamawaro Up soda. It'll give you a boost!

Thanks, Sanae!

Sanae

Miss Takane made this drink to compete with Miss Nitori! You can tell her what you think about it later.

OK, I will.

Sanae

I heard about the show.

Sanae

Sometimes things don't go well. It's natural to feel low about it.

Maybe I should accept that I'll never be a shining star.

Sanae

You're really taking this to heart, aren't you?

Sanae

Why don't you ask your friends for advice?

Hm...

Sanae

The members of the Beast Dream Salon have solved many problems.

Sanae

I'm sure they'll be able to help you with yours!

Sanae

Sorry to disturb you guys during your break...!

Hello.

Yachie

How many times do I need to tell you to jump in sync?!

Saki

Are you seriously asking me to get along with Toutetsu?

Saki & Yuuma

No way that's happening!

Yachie

Stop acting like kids!

Yuuma

You can just watch our speed and swing the rope slower.

Yachie

No, that'll ruin the beauty of the show.

Saki

There she goes again! She hates it when someone strays even the slightest bit from her plan.

Saki

I heard one time her otter spirits accidentally messed up a puzzle she'd done, and she gave them hell for it!

Yachie

That puzzle took me ages! Of course, I was upset!

Yuuma

But I guess if the show doesn't go well, it'll get in the way of our main goal.

Yuuma

We can't recruit people if they don't show up.

Saki

Whose side are you on?!

Yuuma

Mine, obviously!

Th-They're fighting...

Sanae

Gosh, they're hopeless!

Sanae

Miss PLAYER, I think I can take them on.

What are you talking about?

Sanae

Let's beat them up together and knock some sense into them!

C-Calm down, Sanae!

Sanae

Have you guys calmed down now?! This isn't the time to be fighting!

Yachie

Y-Yeah, but...

Yuuma

You were even rougher than us.

Saki

Yeah, you wouldn't have any problem keeping spirits in line in the Animal Realm.

Sanae

A-Ahem! Enough about me...

Sanae

Please listen to what Miss PLAYER has to say.

Saki

Why, what's wrong?

Um...

How can I be a shining star?

I wanna be cool like you guys!

Saki

Oh, right. I forgot that's why you're here.

Yachie

Hm, I don't really know what to tell you...

At this rate, I'm gonna ruin the show!

I wanna do more to make it a success!

Please tell me how to shine like a star!

Yachie

Go on, Toutetsu. Answer her.

Saki

Yeah, aren't you supposed to look after her?

Yuuma

Stop passing the buck to me every time you don't know what to do!

Please tell me how, Miss Yuuma!

Yuuma

Hm.

Yuuma

What exactly is your definition of a "shining star" anyway?

Well...

You

It's someone who's always ready to face things head-on.

You

Someone who can come up with awesome plans to fix problems.

You

Someone who can make bold decisions.

Someone who everyone looks up to.

Yuuma

And? Do you think you can become someone like that in an instant?

I guess not...

Yuuma

That means you gotta work on it bit by bit.

...That makes sense.

Yachie

Or are you worried that even if you work at it you still won't succeed?

Saki

I find it funny that someone who likes shortcuts is telling people to take things slow.

Yuuma

Tch.

Yuuma

As I recall, you gave up already. Let me handle this.

Yuuma

Oh, I have an idea! If you can't express yourself in words, I've got another way!

What are you talking about?

Sanae

Huh, where are you going?

Yuuma

On stage.

Yuuma

To figure out what PLAYER's feeling.

Seiga

You want to do the show right now?! Are you serious?!

Yuuma

Yeah, we've had enough practice. Now it's all about getting in the zone.

Seiga

What about you, PLAYER? Are you comfortable with this?

I-I'm a little nervous...

Yuuma

Thinking about how it'll go will only make you nervous. Just focus on what you're supposed to do.

Yuuma

You came here 'cause you felt like you could do this, right? You just gotta express that feeling.

Yachie

You've been doing your best to achieve your goal all along.

Saki

No one's more determined than you are.

I just gotta express how I feel?

This might be my only chance...

Saki

Hm? What are you talking about?

Letty

You need to decide quick. Do you want to perform right now or not? We can't keep the customers waiting.

Junko

Are you ready?

Yoshika

I am!

Yachie

We're good to go, too. We've talked it out.

Saki

It felt more like an argument, though.

Yuuma

It's showtime. You guys better not mess this up.

Yachie

Who do you think you're talking to?

Saki

No way we're gonna mess up!

Sanae

Miss Seiga, you need to decide!

Seiga

All right, fine.

Seiga

It's the Beast Dream Salon's time to shine!

Yuuma

C'mon, PLAYER! It's time to show us how bad you want to be a shining star!

Yuuma

Show time!

(101, 102, 103...)

(I just gotta trust them and focus on jumping!)

Sanae

Wh-Whoa, they're amazing! They're jumping nonstop!

Junko

The bullets are pretty, too. Yuuma is flawlessly absorbing Saki's shots.

Letty

The customers love it!

Yuuma

It's time to end with a bang! Do something, Kicchou!

Yachie

That's so random!

Yachie

Miss Yoshika, match the speed of the rope with me. Toutetsu and Kurokoma, start doing double jumps.

Yoshika

Got it!

Whoa, this is fast!

Yuuma

PLAYER, come over here!

O-OK!

Huh?!

Seiga

(They nailed it! How are the customers reacting?!)

Okina

Toutetsu launched PLAYER into the air, and Saki caught her.

Okina

I can't believe they did all of that above a fast-swinging jump rope... They're good.

Keine

I'm glad I came to watch this show.

Flandre

Wow, I wanna try doing that, too!

Yachie

We managed to pull it off.

Saki

Good thing we had cool poses ready!

Yuuma

Even after I said I wasn't gonna do any of that.

Yoshika

But it was fun!

Yeah, it was!

The audience enjoyed it!

Yuuma

It's all thanks to you focusing on what you were asked to do.

Yuuma

The effort you put in shows your determination.

Seiga

Good job, everyone. The Beast Dream Salon performance was incredible!

I finally did well...

That's... awesome...!

Yuuma

Are you crying?

You

―Before I knew it, I was telling them everything that had been on my mind.

You

I've been anxious ever since I arrived in Gensokyo.

You

Even though I'm surrounded by people, it wasn't easy to open up to them.

You

No matter how hard I try to be useful, I always end up doing nothing.

I'm just a weakling with a dream to make it big.

You?

It's always been this way... even in the Animal Realm!

Saki

Huh?!

Yuuma

In the Animal Realm...? What are you talking about?

Yoshika

PLAYER's not acting like her usual herself!

Okina

Something's not right here.

???

Can I say something?

Yuuma

Y-You?!

Seiga

Welcome back, Satori.

Satori

I wanted to see the Beast Dream Salon show, so I decided to come back.

Satori

But let's focus on PLAYER...

Satori

That hat of hers is possessed by some kind of animal spirit.

Yachie, Saki & Yuuma

...

Yachie, Saki & Yuuma

WHAT?!

―The Animal Realm.

Animal Spirit

I failed again...

Animal Spirit

Will I never be a shining star?

Animal Spirit

What's this? A path...

Animal Spirit

It looks like it leads to the upper world.

Animal Spirit

This might be the legendary secret path the clan leaders use.

Animal Spirit

Wh-Whoa, I'm actually standing above ground!

Animal Spirit

Maybe now I can finally be a shining star!

Animal Spirit

But where should I go?

???

Gosh, you're all talk.

Animal Spirit

Who's that?

Animal Spirit

It's the red and white shrine maiden, the magician with a black hat, and the swordswoman with two swords!

Animal Spirit

I know them! They're the incident-resolving pros who defeated the clan leaders and the evil god!

Animal Spirit

I gotta get outta here! Who knows what they'll do if they see me!

Animal Spirit

Whoa... there's all sorts of stuff in here. I can't tell what kind of shop this is supposed to be.

Helloooooo!

Animal Spirit

Someone's here! I better hide.

Animal Spirit

That hat looks a good a place as any!

Maybe I'll look around while I wait.

Hm, what a cute hat.

Yuuma

And when PLAYER put on that hat, you took over her body.

Animal Spirit

Yeah, but it's not like I chose to do it!

Animal Spirit

I just came up to the surface thinking I might finally be able to achieve my dream!

Yachie

I had a feeling PLAYER was acting strange.

Saki

Yeah, the real PLAYER would never enjoy breaking plates.

Yuuma

I know I can be dense, but what took you guys so long to figure it out?! Surely the back door sage should've known!

Okina

(I did feel like she was livelier than usual, but I didn't see this coming.)

Animal Spirit

Um, I'm sorry.

Satori

She can only take control when PLAYER has the hat on. She doesn't have the power to take over completely.

Satori

And it's not like she had bad intentions. Maybe we should let this slide.

Yachie

What do you think, Seiga?

Seiga

Well, my club has been doing great because of her, so I don't mind.

Seiga

In fact, I want to thank her for working so hard for Old Desire.

Animal Spirit

Seiiiiiiigaaaaaaaa!

Seiga

Now, now. Stop clinging to me.

Okina

OK, now we need to think about what to do next.

Sanae

(I feel like Miss Okina is trying to make up for not noticing what was going on.)

Okina

That hat's possessed by an animal spirit, right? So doesn't this fall under the Animal Realm's jurisdiction?

Yachie

Yeah, I guess.

Saki

But how do we decide?

Yuuma

What do you want to do?

Animal Spirit

Today...

Animal Spirit

We managed to make the show a success together.

Animal Spirit

We even helped a lot of people.

Animal Spirit

I still don't think it's likely I'll ever become a shining star...

Animal Spirit

But it's not impossible, either!

Animal Spirit

I'll work even harder from now on!

Animal Spirit

And one day... I'm sure I'll make my dream come true.

Animal Spirit

So...

Animal Spirit

Please let me join one of your clans!

Yuuma

That's the spirit.

Yachie

I believe in you. You're capable of achieving your goal.

Saki

Maybe you'll even be faster than me someday!

Yuuma

Great. Now, let's go back to the Animal Realm.

Yuuma

I'll take you under my wing for now. You'll be a member of the Gouyoku Alliance.

Animal Spirit

R-Really?

Yuuma

Of course. I already see you as one of us.

Yachie

That's where you're wrong.

Yuuma

Huh?

Yachie

She's gonna be a part of the Kiketsu Family.

Saki

HUH?! She's clearly more suitable for the Keiga Family!

Yuuma

Oh, please! You made me take care of her all this time! You can't steal her away now!

Yachie

I was the director for the poster photo shoot. It's obvious she'll join the Kiketsu Family.

Saki

As if! It was decided she'd join the Keiga Family when we entered the Tops Pot tournament together!

Animal Spirit

Who should I join...?

Seiga

You can take your time to decide once you're back in the Animal Realm.

Okina

That's a good idea. I don't think it'll take long for bullets to start flying with them arguing like that.

Yoshika

Did you guys come up here 'cause you wanted new clan members?

Satori

They did.

Sanae

If they're fighting over you, it must mean they really like you.

Animal Spirit

How nice of them.

Seiga

Do your best to make them proud.

Animal Spirit

I will!

Yachie

If you join the Keiga Family, you'll be tired all day 'cause of all the physical labor!

Saki

What do you mean?! Only someone who doesn't understand the beauty of muscle training would say something like that!

Saki

I'd be bored out of my mind if I had to work for some lousy schemer!

Yuuma

She'll have the most freedom in my Gouyoku Alliance! It'll be easy for her to achieve her dream!

Yachie

Didn't you say you'd take her under your wing "for now"? Doesn't that mean you're gonna ditch her later?

Saki

Can you even call that true freedom?

Yuuma

Grrrr! Stop twisting my words!

Okina

Someone needs to stop them, or they'll never stop.

Seiga

Um, can you remind them that they need to go back now?

Animal Spirit

O-OK...

Yoshika

It was chaotic, but I had fun!

Yoshika

You should visit again sometime.

Animal Spirit

Yeah, sure!

Saki, Yachie & Yuuma

SHUT UP!

Saki, Yachie & Yuuma

She's joining MY clan!

Yuuma

...That's everything that happened. You really don't remember anything?

Not really.

It's as if I was asleep the whole time.

Saki

It looked like Reimu and the others were conscious when they were possessed by animal spirits in the past.

Saki

But possession does tend to pull a number on most people.

Yachie

The animal spirit can even mistake the memories of the person they've possessed as their own.

Yachie

The whole phenomenon is quite interesting.

Seiga

Can you all come help me after you're done eating?

Sure!

Saki

How long are we gonna continue working here?

Yachie

Why are you in such a hurry to go back? The Keiga Family is already too powerful.

Saki

Of course you'd say that 'cause it gives the Kiketsu Family a chance to put their useless plans to use.

Yuuma

Stop it, you guys! You're spilling soup everywhere!

Satori

There they go again.

Satori

(They're fighting, but I know how they truly feel. I guess I'll keep that to myself.)

Satori

Maybe if I hadn't left, I would've noticed PLAYER was possessed.

Satori

I kind of feel bad about it now.

Saki

We all had an interesting day, so it's no problem.

I don't remember it, but it sounded like fun!

Yoshika

I wanna jump rope with the real you this time!

Yeah, we can do that!

Seiga

So what did you all decide? Which clan is that animal spirit going to join?

I wanna know, too!

Yachie

Well...

Yuuma

Stop.

Yuuma

Simply telling them would be boring.

Yuuma

If you wanna know...

Yuuma

You gotta come visit us in the Animal Realm someday.

Yuuma

We'll be waiting for you. And so will a future shining star!

Yuuma

The goal was to work at Old Desire to recruit members for our clans...

Yachie

But instead, we spent time helping customers with their problems, bringing in tons of business to the club.

Yachie

And all we got out of it was one new recruit.

Saki

You mean the animal spirit possessing the hat worn by PLAYER, right?

Yuuma

We told PLAYER that she'd get to see which clan the spirit joined if she came to visit us in the Animal Realm.

Yuuma

But...

You still don't know whose clan she's joining, do you?

Yuuma

Nope...

Yachie

We gotta decide, or she's gonna stay a hat spirit forever.

I feel like she's trying to say something...

Satori

"I wanna be part of a clan, but I don't know which one's the best fit for me."

Satori

...Is pretty much the gist of it.

Saki

Whoa, I didn't know you could read the mind of an animal spirit possessing an object!

Satori

To an extent, I can. I'm a satori youkai, after all.

Seiga

You three said you'd handle it, so handle it.

Yachie

I'm determined to get her to join the Kiketsu Family, but...

Yachie

As you can see, these two don't want that to happen.

Saki

Hey, stop acting like I'm the problem here! Toutetsu's the selfish one.

Yuuma

You wanna go?!

Seiga

If you want to fight, go back to the Animal Realm.

Seiga

I'm only allowing you to use my club because PLAYER said she wanted to help the animal spirit.

Yuuma

All right, all right. We'll behave.

Saki

But how are we gonna decide without fighting?

Yachie

Of course, a musclehead like you wouldn't know any other way.

Saki

Why don't you suggest something then?

Yachie

How about we decide with a game of shogi?

Saki

No way! You'd win for sure!

Yuuma

Hehehe, and you'd definitely lose.

Saki

No fair!

Seiga

If you don't stop arguing, you're never going to settle this.

Oh, I know!

Seiga

I knew we could count on you! What's your idea?

Why don't you do the same thing Old Desire does?

Test the animal spirit.

Yachie

That's a good idea. The three of us can test her separately, and she can join the clan she's best suited for.

Saki

Then I'll just make my test super easy...

Yuuma

Are you sure you wanna do that?

Saki

What do you mean?

Yuuma

You'll have a new member, but 'cause your test was easy, you won't know what she's capable of.

Yuuma

And you won't know what jobs to give her.

Saki

Ugh...

Seiga

So, it's decided. The leaders will conduct separate tests for the animal spirit.

I'll help!

Satori

You'll need me to relay what the animal spirit is thinking, so I'm coming whether you like it or not.

Seiga

(Sounds like she's still bothered about not being a part of everything that happened earlier.)

Yuuma

All right, let's begin...

Yuuma

The Animal Realm Initiation Test!

Yeah!

Saki

I'll go first!

Way to go, Miss Saki!

Satori

I thought you'd take more time to prepare your test.

Satori

Oh, now I get it.

Wh-What?

Saki

Well...

Saki

I'm not good at coming up with tests and stuff.

Seiga

What's so difficult? You don't need to overthink it.

Seiga

Just decide what you expect from a new recruit and design your test accordingly.

Saki

Hm, the things that matter to me the most are strength, speed, and stamina!

Seiga

I actually need someone to do some heavy lifting for me.

Seiga

Why don't you incorporate that into your test?

Saki

That's a good idea! So, what do you need done?

Nemuno

Lemme explain!

Saki

Oh, hey, Nemuno! Let me guess. It's actually you who wants this job done, isn't it?

Seiga

That's right.

Nemuno

The furniture I've been using at Nemunoki is gettin' old.

Nemuno

I was thinkin' 'bout gettin' some new stuff.

Nemuno

Miyoi said Geidontei would be happy to take any old furniture that's still usable off my hands.

Nemuno

But it ain't easy luggin' heavy furniture down a mountain alone. And I'm probably gonna be busy, so I can't help her.

Saki

That's why you're looking for someone who can, huh?

Saki

OK, I'll ask the animal spirit to help you!

Saki

So, the test is to carry furniture from Nemunoki to the foot of the mountain!

Sounds good to me!

Saki

Nemuno's already handed everything over!

Wow, that's a lot of furniture!

Saki

I know, right? It's not gonna be easy!

Satori

We need to get the animal spirit out of the hat before we can begin.

Saki

Oh, yeah! C'mon out!

Th-There she is!

Saki

Oh, wow...

Satori

I have no idea what type of animal spirit she is.

Saki

She's kinda small, so she'll probably have to stick to carrying the chairs.

Satori

"Leave it to me!"

Saki

C-Come again?

Satori

That's what the spirit's saying.

Saki

You could've made that clear!

Satori

"I'm gonna carry it all on my back, Miss Saki!"

What?!

Saki

But you'll be crushed under all that weight!

Saki

Halfway there!

How are you so fast with that huge desk on your back?!

Saki

Haha! I'm the leader of the Keiga Family. This is a piece of cake for me.

Saki

How's the animal spirit doing?

Satori

"I-I can do this!"

Satori

She says that, but she's panting pretty heavily...

Satori's doing a good job interpreting!

Saki

Don't push yourself so hard. If everything goes well, we should make it to the bottom by midday.

Satori

It looks like things aren't going to go well, though.

Saki

Huh?

Wh-When did all these youkai get here?!

Saki

Aren't they the same ones who attacked Miyoi and Aunn before?!

But we aren't carrying food, so why are they here?!

Saki

I may be strong, but dealing with them is gonna be tough with this desk slowing me down.

Saki

I don't wanna end up damaging it!

Satori

"Is this also part of the test?!"

Saki

Save the interpretation!

Wh-What now?!

???

Raaaaaaaawr! Let me handle this!

Saki

It's you!

Aunn!

Aunn

It's time to pay you back for your kindness! I'll protect you guys!

Saki

Great! We managed to scare the youkai away!

Satori

The animal spirit's happy she protected the chair she's carrying.

Saki

Yeah, well done! And thanks, Aunn!

Aunn

No worries! Guarding things is what I do, after all!

We're almost there! We can do this!

Miyoi

Good job, everyone! You really helped me out!

Saki

Are you sure you don't want us to carry all of this to the Human Village for you?

Miyoi

Yeah, don't worry about it. I've got a cart with me. I'll be fine!

Aunn

I'll be your guard!

Saki

All right! We're gonna head back to the club...

Miyoi

Wait a minute! I wanted to thank you all, so I brought you lots of food!

Satori

Wow, that's a lot.

It'd take me a whole month to eat all of that.

Miyoi

I-Is it too much?

Saki

Nah, not at all! Right, guys?

What's wrong, Satori?

Satori

The animal spirits just said, "I can't lift anymore," and fainted. I was simply reenacting it.

Miyoi

She must've exhausted herself carrying all that furniture.

Saki

So much for "I can do this."

Yachie

OK, it's time for the real test now.

Wh-What do you mean?

Yachie

That idiot musclehead's test only checks how physically fit someone is.

Yachie

It's stupid 'cause you'd pass even if you end up fainting after the test.

Yachie

Cunning is what truly matters! Even if you're not physically fit, you can think your way out of tricky situations!

Satori

The animal spirit is asking why we're at Cirno's social club for a test of cunning.

Satori

I already know of course. It's because she's here.

Keine

Hello, everyone.

Hey, it's Miss Keine! Hello!

Keine

You're so well-mannered, PLAYER. You never forget to greet people.

How come you're at Cirno's social club?

Keine

Just look at them...

Keine

They spend all their time here and have barely been studying as a result.

Keine

I had to do something about it, so I decided to come and give them extra lessons.

Is taking one of the lessons the next test?

Yachie

You're a sharp one.

Yachie

The animal spirit's gonna have to answer Keine's questions.

Satori

So, you're just using Keine to make your life easier.

Yachie

Work smart, not hard.

Keine

Not so fast. I've prepared a special test for you, Yachie.

Yachie

Huh?

I wanna take a test, too!

Keine

Of course. I've got one for you as well.

Keine

It'd be horribly embarrassing if the leader of the Kiketsu Family doesn't get the best score. Don't you think?

Yachie

But you said the test is specially made for me. How can we compare scores if the tests are different?

Keine

Sounds like someone's scared of losing. Why don't we see what the animal spirit thinks?

Satori

"I might be able to beat Miss Yachie!" She's getting pretty fired up.

Yachie

Hmph...!

Keine

I've asked Kosuzu to write down the animal spirit's answers.

Kosuzu

I'll do my best!

I didn't know you could understand animal spirits.

Kosuzu

I can't, but I can read what she writes!

Kosuzu

So I can translate her answers into a language we all understand!

Satori

That's perfect.

Satori

If I had to answer for her, I'd probably end up writing all the answers she's unsure about, too.

Keine

Come on, Cirno, Daiyousei! It's test time!

Cirno

Eek, what are you doing here, Miss Keine?!

Daiyousei

She just told us it's test time...

Cirno

NO WAY!

Keine

It won't be that bad. If you score more than Yachie, I'll give you a present.

Yachie

Hey!

Cirno

In that case, I'm gonna do my best!

Yachie

Why do I have to do this?!

―After the test.

Keine

I'll announce the scores.

Keine

In first place with a perfect score is... Yachie!

Whoa, a perfect score?! That's amazing!

Yachie

The questions weren't that hard to be honest.

Cirno

Darn it! I thought I was gonna be first!

Daiyousei

Aw, I wanted the present.

Keine

Second place with a score of 70 goes to... PLAYER! Good job!

Yay! I'm second!

But I gotta take a look at the questions I got wrong.

Keine

That's the spirit.

Cirno

What about me?!

Kosuzu

How's the animal spirit feeling? I can't read minds, so...

Satori

She's hoping Keine announces her name next, just like Cirno.

Keine

Third place goes to... Daiyousei with a score of 30!

Daiyousei

Yay, I'm third!

Keine

I do think you tried your best, but you need to work harder to get a better score next time.

Daiyousei

OK!

Cirno

H-How is this possible?! I'm supposed to be the STRONGEST!

Keine

And in joint fourth place is...

Keine

The animal spirit and Cirno with a score of 9!

Cirno

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Daiyousei

Calm down, Cirno!

Kosuzu

U-Um...

Satori

She collapsed in despair. I think we should give her some space.

Cirno

It's not over yet!

Keine

Yes, it is. The test is over.

Cirno

I may suck at tests, but I'm a pro at battles!

Cirno

Hey, animal spirit! You're upset, right?!

Cirno

Join me, and we can turn the tables with a battle!

Cirno

If we win, we'll be first!

Yachie

She's making up her own rules...

Satori

By the way, the animal spirit's totally up for the battle.

Keine

A teacher's job is to nurture their students, but also to scold them when they need scolding.

Keine

This whole thing was your idea, Yachie. You should battle them with me.

Yachie

Gah...

Cirno

Kosuzu and PLAYER will fight on our side!

Kosuzu

Huh, why am I being dragged into this?!

But I'm not upset. I came second!

Cirno

C'mon, we gotta steal first and third place from Yachie and Dai!

Daiyousei

Why not try and steal second place from PLAYER?!

Keine

Probably because she's most upset about losing to you and Yachie.

Keine

I can understand that you wanted a battle because you were frustrated, but that's not going to change your scores.

Cirno

I'm sorry.

Satori

So is the animal spirit.

Does that mean she failed?

Yachie

Hm... It wouldn't be fair to let her pass.

Kosuzu

I feel bad for her...

Daiyousei

It's OK! Miss Keine always gives us homework after a test!

Daiyousei

It helps us answer the next test questions better!

Keine

That's right. I've got homework for everyone today as well.

Kosuzu

That's... a lot.

Cirno

You want us to do all of this?!

Th-That looks like a lot of work.

Yachie

But the animal spirit will be more cunning if she manages to get through it all.

Satori

We just have one problem.

Yachie

What?

Satori

She fainted after seeing all the homework.

Cirno

Can I ditch my homework if I faint too?!

Keine

Obviously not.

Daiyousei

Don't worry, Cirno! We can do the homework together!

What should we do about the animal spirit...?

Yachie

Let's just wait here till she wakes up.

???

No. I'm taking her with me.

Yachie

Toutetsu?! What are you doing here?!

Yuuma

You guys were taking forever to get back, so I decided to come see what you were up to.

Yuuma

I gotta say, the animal spirit looks exhausted.

Yuuma

I know what she needs...

Yuuma

Lots and lots of food!

Satori

The animal spirit was tested by the Keiga Family and the Kiketsu Family.

Satori

The harsh tests were surely stressful for her, causing her to faint.

Satori

When she woke up, she found herself in the Human Village...

Satori

With Yuuma Toutetsu waiting to begin the Gouyoku Alliance initiation test.

Yuuma

What was that...?

Just a little recap for the animal spirit.

Yuuma

I see. So everyone's all caught up, right?

Yuuma

In that case, I'll explain the test. First, take a look at that.

Ringo

Hurry and sign yourself up for the dango eating competition!

Ringo

The winner gets... this strange yet adorable jar!

Seiran

Participants will be split into pairs. The pair that eats the most dango wins!

Seiran

Don't forget to savor each and every bite!

Yuyuko

Did you hear that, Youmu? There's a dango eating competition.

Youmu

Are you going to participate?!

A dango eating competition?!

A strange yet adorable jar?!

Yuuma

You have to win this competition to pass my test.

Does she have to compete alone?

Yuuma

Nah, you're not allowed to go it alone, so you're gonna be her partner.

Yuuma

If any human asks, just say she's your pet.

I-I'm her partner?!

Yuuma

Yeah, I thought you'd want to eat dango. Or am I wrong?

I love Seiran and Ringo's dango!

But I dunno if we can win...

Satori

"I'll do my best!"

Me too!

Yuuma

Great.

Yuuma

Members of the Gouyoku Alliance do as they please and are always on the hunt for more.

Yuuma

This competition would be a walk in the park for me, but can you two handle it?

Yuuma

Can you win this competition...

Yuuma

...and prove that your greed knows no limits?!

―And so began the dango eating competition!

Seiran

Our dango eating competition is incredible!

Seiran

Everyone's eating so much!

Ringo

Who do you think's gonna win?

Seiran

Look at that team! They're killing it!

*nom* *nom* *nom* *nom*

Satori

You're so focused on eating. How do you like the taste?

All of them are so yummy!

Seiran

Thanks, PLAYER!

Yuuma

They're not the only team doing well.

Marisa

Gimme moooooooooooore!

Narumi

That jar is ours!

Marisa?!

Narumi?!

Narumi

Me and Marisa were conducting experiments with my pot, but now we want a jar.

Narumi

That's why we entered this competition!

Marisa

With my mini hakkero, we're gonna win for sure!

Satori

I don't think you're allowed to use that.

Seiran

Neither of the teams are giving up!

Ringo

They're emptying plate after plate!

Seiran

But look closely. PLAYER's team is slightly ahead.

Ringo

Time's almost up! Give it all you've got!

Marisa

Damn it! We're gonna lose! It's time to resort to plan B.

They're shooting at us!

Marisa

It's the same rule as the Tops Pot tournament! We can use bullets to trip our opponents up!

Marisa

That's an animal spirit, isn't it? Then I don't need to hold back!

Marisa

Naruko, keep eating dango while I shoot at 'em!

Narumi

Wokay! I'b godda ead a bhole lod!

Wh-What do we do?!

Yuuma

I better step in. I won't let anyone interfere with the test.

Satori

I'll help.

Satori

The animal spirit's already feeling sick. A battle right now won't do her any good.

Yuuma

Doesn't that mean she's already full? Is she gonna be OK?

Satori

"Danqs! I'm godda keeb eading!"

I guess she means "Thanks! I'm gonna keep eating!"

Yuuma

I thought you were reading her mind. Why are you speaking like your mouth's full?

Ringo

Time's up!

Seiran

The dango eating competition is over!

Seiran

And the winner is...

Ringo

Team Hakugyokurou!

Marisa & Yuuma

HUH?!

Ringo

They overtook you while you were battling.

Yuyuko

I'm so happy I got to eat all that dango.

Youmu

This jar... is rather nice.

Marisa

Argh! I thought PLAYER and the animal spirit were our only rivals!

Narumi

I can't believe we lost after I stuffed myself like that!

I-I ate so much...

The dango were yummy, though.

Yuuma

This just proves there's always someone better than you out there.

Satori

Does that mean she failed the test?

Yuuma

Rules are rules, I'm afraid. Is she upset?

Satori

She would be, but right now, she's just focused on not throwing up.

Yuuma

Hehehe, at least now I know she's a little glutton.

So, do we know which clan she'll join?

Yuuma

Well...

Yuuma

Let's head back to Old Desire first.

Seiga

In Saki's test, the animal spirit carried furniture down the mountain, but she couldn't carry the food they got in return.

Seiga

She didn't do well on Yachie's test, and she fainted after seeing the big stack of homework.

Seiga

She did her best in Yuuma's test but narrowly lost to Team Hakugyokurou.

Seiga

Basically, she failed every test.

Seiga

Is she really going to be OK living in the Animal Realm?

Satori

She's back in the hat for now, and surprisingly, she seems fine. She's happy to have found out what she's lacking.

Yuuma

Hehehe, I like her positivity.

Satori

She might suck at a lot of things right now, but...

Satori

She'll stay with you all, and one day, she'll be a shining star.

Satori

That's what she believes.

She really is one to watch out for!

Yachie

I haven't invested this much time for nothing. I'll make sure she helps the Kiketsu Family prosper.

Saki

No way! She's gonna train in the Keiga Family and get stronger!

Seiga

She failed all of your tests, but it looks like you still want to recruit her, huh?

Satori

Test results can be interpreted in many ways. It's not always as simple as pass or fail.

Yuuma

H-Hey...

Satori

The clan leaders knew that from the outset.

Wow, that's a nice way to test someone!

Yuuma

Gosh, who asked you to read our minds?

Yachie

There's no hiding anything from you.

Saki

I'm not a fan of what's going on here.

Seiga

Hehe. So, what have you decided to do with the animal spirit?

Satori

She knows exactly which organization she wants to join and what kind of life she wants to lead in the Animal Realm.

Satori

She worked hard in all three tests so she could be certain.

Who does she wanna join?!

Yuuma

We'll let you see that for yourself when you visit us in the Animal Realm.

Yuuma

That was the deal we made, right?

Yachie

"We" didn't make any deal. You just decided that for yourself.

Yuuma

No kidding?

I think it's a good idea, though!

Saki

It's not really safe there, so it may not be so easy for you to visit. But we'll be waiting!

Yuuma

Don't worry, we'll send the animal spirit to protect you.

Satori

"You can count on me!"

Thanks!

Yuuma

OK, now let's head back.

Yuuma

Thanks for everything, Seiga.

Seiga

You're always welcome here. Drop by again someday to hang out with Yoshika.

Yuuma

Yeah, sure. This place isn't all that bad!

Yachie

Farewell.

Saki

See ya, Old Desire!

See you, Beast Dream Salon!

Seiga

And that just about does it for this chapter of Old Desire's story.

Yoshika

Did you have fun?

Seiga

Hehe. I hope they did.

Old Desire

Bye for now!

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