R2 Yuyuko
R2 Yuyuko's Fantasy Rebirth Story
Mmm, that smells amazing!
Yuyuko
Heave-ho, heave-ho!
(I wanna help, but I can't interrupt a pro at work!)
Yuyuko
Heave...
(Just a little further!)
Yuyuko
Ho!
Yuyuko
Phew!
Yuyuko
Sorry for the wait. Let the feast begin!
Yippee!
Yuyuko
An array of fresh phantom veggies just for you! ...Well, they're as fresh as phantom veggies can be!
Whoa!
Yuyuko
They're delicious, and totally not poisonous. But if you eat too much, you MIGHT feel a chill...
Yuyuko
That's why I threw in some vengeful spirit veggies, too! They'll warm you right back up!
I dunno about all that. But everything looks SO GOOD!
Yuyuko
I know, right? You're setting off today. That's worth celebrating.
Yuyuko
I beg you, Miss PLAYER...
Yuyuko
Take good care of my dear Youmu.
Y-You don't have to bow like that!
Yuyuko
Youmu's faced one hardship after another. And it's my fault for getting her mixed up in my fate.
Yuyuko
Even if the Lost Word Incident started it all, I alone chose this path.
Yuyuko
I haven't done right by Youmu. I'm sure she wanted to live a more carefree life.
...
Yuyuko
Now this world's recovered from its Lost Word, I can look back and see how dark and isolated my life once was.
Yuyuko
It didn't feel that way at the time. I just thought I was living according to my own nature.
Yuyuko
I'm sure Youmu feels the same. Only now can we look back and see ourselves for what we were.
Yuyuko
That's why I want you to take her with you on your journey to end the Lost Word Incident.
What about you, Yuyu? Are you gonna be OK?
Yuyuko
Me?
Yuyuko
I'll be fine! These days, I get plenty of visitors from other worlds.
Yuyuko
When I fill their bellies with delicious food, they tell me all kinds of fun stories.
Yuyuko
Even without Youmu, I won't get bored.
Yuyuko
...
Yuyuko
Miss PLAYER, do you mind if we step outside?
Yuyuko
Don't worry about the banquet. Phantom food doesn't get cold.
Yuyuko
...So like I said, Youmu and I have spent an absurdly long time together.
Yuyuko
Each day was totally normal. This world got more and more isolated, but it didn't feel strange.
Yuyuko
But thinking back now, it WAS strange. I've been here far too long.
Yuyuko
Am I Yuyuko Saigyouji, the human-turned-ghost? Or am I the fictional daughter of Fujimi from that poet's tale?
Yuyuko
Perhaps I'm something else entirely, born in a far older age? After all these years, it's hard to recall.
Yuyuko
No, I've never really known. At least now I know that I don't know.
Yuyuko
I'm sure it's the same for Youmu. It could even be worse. She's a stray from another world, after all.
???
Her forced displacement from her ecumenical niche is likely what caused the chain reaction of other displacements.
Marisa
One misstep and bodies and souls could've gotten mixed up across space and time.
Marisa
If you ask me, she got lucky. Did you forget to explain that, PLAYER?
We hadn't gotten that far yet.
Yuyuko
It wasn't luck. Youmu... both Youmus transferred niches with the utmost care so that wouldn't happen.
Marisa
A dance between the native Youmu and a stray Youmu over eons, huh? I suppose if they were mid-switch...
Marisa
They could suppress any contradictions and exist in the same world long-term.
Marisa
Sounds like a hack... but in the end, it's nothing more than two people sharing the same seat.
Marisa
It sure sounds like something Youmu's capable of. ...Well, did I get that all right?
Yuyuko
I believe so. By the way, who exactly are you?
Marisa
Me? I'm Marisa Kirisame, the Witch of Scarlet Dreams. At least, that's the name I've chosen.
Yuyuko
The Witch of Scarlet Dreams?
Yuyuko
Wait, Youmu told me about you over dinner once. She said the Saigyou Ayakashi talked about you in some fairy tale!
Marisa
That's... quite the way to be remembered.
Yuyuko
No, forgive me. This is your first time here, isn't it?
Marisa
Yep. I've never been here in this L1 Singular World before.
Yuyuko
(Huh?) ...W-Welcome to Hakugyoku Arena!
Marisa
Thanks. First time or not, I actually know this place pretty well.
Marisa
The Scarlet Devil Tower's basically turned into an antenna array. Nothing gathers info quite like it.
Yuyuko
(Double huh?!)
Marisa
The Saigyou Ayakashi wasn't the only thing stolen from this world. There's another crucial piece missing.
Marisa
Yukari Yakumo. The hole she left is way too big.
Marisa
The ecumenical niche switch between the two Youmus needed time.
Marisa
Slicing out the damaged parts of the world, sewing up the wound and letting it heal... Mere millennia wouldn't cut it.
Marisa
Thanks to her swordsmanship, things weren't so bad in this world. You were right before―it wasn't all luck.
Yuyuko
Hrrm. Sadly, I have to agree.
Marisa
But?
Yuyuko
But you're talking as if this is a sci-fi adventure. You speak so differently from Youmu that I doubt we could talk normally.
Yuyuko
This isn't one of those whimsical tales buried deep below the lower world.
Yuyuko
The world Youmu and I have seen can't be expressed with theories and fancy logic. It's far too chaotic.
Yuyuko
Youmu prayed for me to keep existing. And I tried to stay exactly as I was.
Yuyuko
In the end, those with strong attachments changed this world. Everyone else was just a bystander.
Yuyuko
Attachment is a sign of immaturity. But sometimes, it can be the thing that saves you.
Yuyuko
That's all there was to it.
Marisa
I see.
Marisa
Yuyuko Saigyouji. They say you're a difficult ghost to handle, no matter the world.
Marisa
And you seem extra difficult to handle. But the way you talk... I can tell you're Yukari Yakumo's friend.
Marisa
Yukari's friend being a handful is kind of ironic. Not that I've seen your friendship with my own eyes.
Marisa
But the Scarlet Devil Tower's Magic Millennium Eye has shown me everything.
Yuyuko
...
Yuyuko
You're right. Yukari was my friend.
Yuyuko
I'm sure Youmu still blames herself for what happened.
Marisa
Yeah, yeah, we've all got a sob story.
Yuyuko
You're awfully rude for a guest! If you want to see me angry, you're going the right way about it!
Marisa
Haha, my bad. Maybe if you DO get angry, you'll start telling me the truth.
Marisa
Youmu said she's leaving to discover her connection to Lady Mortal Phantasm and the truth behind the Saigyou Ayakashi.
Yuyuko
I... I admire her courage.
Marisa
She also said she's going to bring Yukari back.
Yuyuko
She did?!
Marisa
Yep. You're gonna be alone without her, yet all you've got to say is "Goodbye, good luck on your trip"?
Yuyuko
Th-That's...
Youmu
Lady Yuyuko.
Yuyuko
Youmu.
Youmu
A half-youkai man who's good with tools made this. And... I thought it would suit you.
Yuyuko
*gasp*
Youmu
He needed a lot of details to make it. I told him everything I know about you.
Youmu
Maybe that's why he was able to finish so quickly. That's when I realized...
Youmu
I want to bring Lady Yukari back.
Yuyuko
Youmu...
Youmu
I know I wouldn't be your first choice for this job. And it'll be tricky for you here without me.
Youmu
But I WILL see this through―
Yuyuko
You've got it all wrong, Youmu! Well, not ALL wrong...
Youmu
Huh?
Yuyuko
Thank you. I can't think of anyone I'd trust more with this.
Yuyuko
It's just...
C'mon, Miss Yuyuko!
Marisa
Say it. Who knows when you'll get another chance?
Yuyuko
...
Youmu
Say what?
Yuyuko
I want to go with you on your journey. I want to rescue Yukari myself.
Yuyuko
She's MY friend, after all.
Youmu
Lady Yuyuko!
Yuyuko
But I can't just leave this place unattended...
Marisa
THAT'S the problem? I already talked it over with the other worlds' Yuyukos.
Marisa
You being here is important. So staying with us the whole time might be tricky.
Marisa
But checking in every now and then is totally doable.
Marisa
You can leave your guests in charge while you're away. You haven't got a problem with that, right?
Marisa
They all say they wanna help out, anyway.
Yuyuko
...!
Yuyuko
Th-Thank you, everyone! Especially you, Youmu!
Youmu
Thank YOU, Lady Yuyuko!
Marisa
Geez, I can't tell which of them's soppier.
Says the soppiest magician I know.
Marisa
Hm? You say something?
Marisa
Anyway, before we head out, we feast. Can't let all that food go to waste.
Yuyuko
Splendid idea.
Yuyuko
Then I'll pack Youmu the biggest bento she's ever seen!
Costume Presentation
Yuyuko
You're right. I think someone taught me how to handle kitchen knives. But that was so long ago that I... No, I shouldn't say that. I haven't forgotten. I was taught how to use knives, not for cooking, but for combat. Of that, I'm certain.
