Mai Teireida
Mai Teireida's Fantasy Rebirth Story
Mai
Hello, emissary of Gensokyo!
Mai
Hey, c'mon. You gotta at least pretend to be scared.
But I recognized your voice.
Mai
So? Pretty sure that entrance woulda even made a tengu jump.
Mai
...You look different to before. Have you toughened up?
Mai
Normally, I'd be giving you a hundred-and-one head pats right around now.
Mai
But not today. From the sounds of it, you've been battling hard lately. Reimu and Marisa, too.
Mai
The Lost Word Incident is like nothing we've ever faced. Master was right about how bad things would get.
Mai
The problem is, we can't do anything to stop it. Even if we had a plan, we'd have no means of carrying it out.
Mai
I hate to say it... but we need you to be more like Reimu or Marisa.
I am who I am. You understand that feeling, don't you?
Mai
...!
Mai
Hehehe! There's no teasing you anymore, is there?!
Mai
Get ready for a super serious conversation. I'd rather not have it, but there's no choice.
Wh-What are you talking about?!
Mai
I need to send you on a special errand. But first, you have to see Master.
Mai
The problem is, I'm not sure you're ready. This isn't a game anymore.
I... I know that.
But, I don't feel very confident.
Mai
That's good.
Mai
If you told me you were full of confidence, I was planning to forcibly lock you away until all of this was over.
(She was gonna what?!)
Mai
But everything has basically gone as I predicted. Even against tough odds, you always find a way to pull through.
Mai
You don't avoid issues or make excuses. You face problems head-on, and accept the situation for what it is.
Mai
That's why you get hurt so often. Like when you took a good look at the children in the village...
Mai
I saw them too... albeit through a back door.
(Mai...!)
Mai
But let's not dwell on that. We have to be vigilant. We can't afford to let any amount of hope slip through our fingers.
Mai
The kind, caring Mai who would dance with you, and give you hugs and piggybacks when you were tired is gone.
She is?! ...Who are you, then?
Mai
Haha! I'm...
Mai
Teireita-Douji the...
...The what?
Mai
I wanted to say my generation. You know, like, "the fourth" or "the tenth," but I forgot it. If you figure it out, let me know.
Mai
Anyway, we have important matters to discuss.
Mai
You're going to be initiated with a dance that releases a person's lifeforce. If you fail, you won't get to see Master.
Mai
First, you'll have to perform the dance. Then, you'll sit through a detailed lecture. There's no getting around this.
Mai
All the fun days we've spent together were all in service of today. We're not so much friends as we are business partners!
Mai
Now, let's begin...
Mai
Your lifeforce dance initiation!
(I can't wait!)
(Once we started, she turned back to her normal self.)
Mai
...And that just about does it. There's not much else to go over.
Mai
Life isn't just animals and plants. Rocks, water, and stars are alive too... Just look at the fairies, and you'll understand.
Mai
In the outside world, it seems they think life only refers to things with DNA... whatever that is.
Mai
But surely some life forms don't have DNA. I dunno, but that doesn't seem like a good definition of life to me.
Mai
Life exists wherever you can find it.
But procreation and evolution are important, right?
Mai
That's your opinion as a human, isn't it?
Mai
On a timescale far beyond one human lifetime, the land itself shifts and evolves.
Mai
Those changes occur slowly and on a large scale, but life isn't bound by what can and can't be perceived by humans.
I feel like I've heard that a few times now.
Mai
Life is both a cycle and an assortment of boundaries. The whole changes and the smaller components struggle to adapt.
Mai
No matter how you fight it, bloodlines cross, and language evolves. Cultures are reinterpreted, and civilizations collapse.
Mai
If cells are the carriers of genes, then life is the vector of the spirit. Let's forget about memes for the time being, though.
Can you make it all a little simpler for me?!
Mai
If things don't pan out, this could be our last lesson. Quit giving up so easy!
Mai
Your dancing was as good as ever. I had a great laugh. To tell you the truth, your basics are on point.
Mai
You've got a good sense of rhythm from playing music. And I'm sure adrenaline will help when it comes to the real thing.
Mai
Even if they're way, wayyy more powerful than you, I wanna say you'll be able to defeat the final boss...
Mai
But who knows?!
No way!
Don't say that!
Mai
I'm only joking. I know you'll defeat them. Congratulations, your initiation is complete.
Already?!
Mai
Unfortunately, yes.
Mai
I didn't really want to let you go... but I decided not to hold you back.
Actually... I have something for you.
Mai
You do?!
Mai
This has gotta be from Master, right? I just know it.
Mai
These are memories of life that exist in the endless flow of change!
Mai
...Actually, I just wanted to say something cool. But they definitely feel familiar!
(It's weird giving Mai a present from Miss Okina―
―since I'm literally about to go see her.)
(I guess there's no point overthinking it.)
Mai
I don't know what Master's thinking, but thanks for this, PLAYER.
Mai
There's only one way to let you see her. As the current Teireita-Douji, I name you an emissary of Gensokyo.
Mai
...
Mai
Yep, that about does it.
Mai
Feel free to learn more about "life" for yourself. I'm tired. I think I'll have a lie-down.
Mai
I'll think of them as I do...
Mai
The children in the village.
...
I don't know what I can do to help.
But I'll keep them in my heart.
And do everything I can for them.
Mai
...Good.
Mai
...
M-Mai?
Mai
I figured doing this might transfer my prayers for those children from my heart to yours.
Mai
But it looks like I was wrong...
Mai
Your heart's just as full as mine.
Yeah... Yeah, it is.
Costume Presentation
Mai
I got an earful from Master, but now Satono and I can watch over you together. I also told her about your dance and how Gensokyo's culture might've leaked into the outside world. Phew, I can rest easy now! OK, show me that dance again!
