Shou Toramaru
Shou Toramaru's Fantasy Rebirth Story
I'm here, Miss Shou.
Shou
Thanks for coming.
Shou
Sorry I couldn't make time to see you when you were here visiting Nue... But I knew we'd meet like this another time.
Shou
The world around us grows ever more dangerous. I'm glad you made it here safely.
It's only 'cause I had everyone protecting me...!
Have you been out and about, too?
Shou
Yes. Our strategy meeting with the Divine Spirit Mausoleum is ongoing, but I left briefly to check on the evacuees.
Shou
I gave our followers from the village a few sermons to help put them at ease.
Shou
I'm not an expert on sermons as Hijiri is, but I thought simply standing before them might give them some hope...
Shou
The old ladies seemed to particularly enjoy listening to me!
It's strange, but maybe they see you as a grandchild.
Shou
I'd like that very much. I'm not a fan of simply being treated as "divine."
Shou
I'm sure I've told you this before, but I'm similar to divine spirits like Miss Kanako.
Shou
I'm an avatar of Bishamonten, so my powers are different from those of a god. That said, I was originally a tiger youkai.
Shou
I wasn't a real tiger. Rather, I was what fear-stricken humans imagine a tiger to be.
Shou
Then, thanks to Hijiri's wish and under Nazrin's watch, the great Bishamonten granted me his power.
Shou
Which makes me remarkably similar to divine spirits, who are created by human prayers.
Why are you telling me all this...?
Shou
Because it has a strong connection to the reason I was waiting for you here.
Shou
Miss PLAYER.
Shou
I heard that you've been collecting magic items since the owner of Kourindou instructed you to do so.
That's right!
Shou
Hijiri's asked me to fully cooperate with you on this matter. Are these magic items the key to some new strategy?
I think so.
Shou
Well then, I'd be remiss not to offer you this...
Shou
Hehe, did you think I'd lost it?
No, I know you don't actually lose it that often!
Shou
Is that so?
But, I can't take your Jeweled Pagoda...!
Shou
Indeed, you can't. I could never let anyone else have it. It was a gift from Bishamonten.
Shou
But I can give you a replica.
A r-replica?!
Shou
As I said, I'm the fearsome beast that humans imagine tigers to be, and something similar to a divine spirit.
Shou
My Jeweled Pagoda is also an imaginary item imbued with power. Like a statue of Buddha, I can make replicas of it.
Shou
It requires a great deal of training and is done entirely by hand. In a way, it's a form of statue-making.
Shou
The replicas' powers are limited, but having one is better than not.
Shou
It'll take me some time to carve one, so I'll tell you an old story while I work.
Shou
If we strengthen the bond between us, I'm sure the replica will be more powerful.
I-I can't believe you're going through all this trouble!
Thank you so much!
Shou
Hehe. You're starting to sound like the old ladies from the village.
Shou
...Hijiri wanted to summon Bishamonten, and I was chosen to be his avatar from among all the mountain youkai.
Shou
And since Bishamonten is so busy, it fell to me to reside in the temple Hijiri had founded...
Shou
...Nazrin watches over me even though we're both disciples of Bishamonten...
Shou
...But because I'm worshipped as Bishamonten's avatar at the temple, Nazrin's also kind of my subordinate...
(I can see why the old ladies like her.)
(She sounds like a kid talking about her day at school!)
Shou
It was pretty fun living in a mountain temple.
Shou
I used to be terrified Bishamonten would exterminate me, but then one day, me and the other youkai were offered salvation.
Shou
Hijiri said it was to gain magical power, but she's always been kind... Strong, too.
Shou
The mountain youkai often disguised themselves as humans and came to listen to her sermons and worship me.
Shou
Since she brought Minamitsu, Ichirin, Unzan, and the others to the temple, life became all the more wonderful.
Shou
At first, some of them rejected our teachings, but looking back now, even those memories seem pleasant.
Shou
That's why I still can't forgive myself for the person I used to be.
Shou
Hijiri herself noticed that the human worshippers were suspicious of her.
Shou
But despite that, she believed in them as followers of the same faith.
Shou
She was a youkai and they were human, yet she believed they were all the same.
Shou
On the night Hijiri was sealed away, the humans prayed with all their hearts to Bishamonten―
Shou
Or should I say, they prayed to me.
Shou
Parents whose children had been eaten by youkai. Families whose crops had been destroyed by youkai.
Shou
Children who carried wounds from youkai attacks. Old folk who'd been inflicted with grave illnesses by youkai.
Shou
They both feared and hated youkai, and prayed for their expulsion from that land.
Shou
"This devilish creature is no priest. She's a deceiver. You must stop her," they prayed with every fiber of their beings.
Shou
They prayed for her to vanish from this world.
...
Shou
As Bishamonten's avatar, I listened to all their prayers...
Shou
And did nothing.
Shou
Hijiri was moments from being sealed away and my former youkai allies were about to be buried beneath the earth.
Shou
I watched on without so much as a flinch.
Shou
The youkai didn't resist. They were silent, having full faith in Bishamonten's divine protection.
Shou
Without Hijiri, I'm sure we mountain youkai would've vanished at some point.
Shou
The number of humans kept increasing while ours dwindled. We clung desperately to our own existence.
Shou
It was Hijiri who saved us. Of that, there is no doubt.
Shou
If I'd protected Hijiri and the others, Bishamonten's divine protection would've become a lie...
Shou
Making Hijiri a fraud and causing the humans to lose their faith... I couldn't bring myself to do that.
Shou
And so, Hijiri's sealing away began.
Shou
The youkai's howls filled the temple.
Shou
That's when I looked down and saw my own reflection in the Jeweled Pagoda.
Shou
My expression was cold... and heartless.
Shou
I wanted Hijiri to call out to me and say she had faith in me.
Shou
That she was waiting for me to save her.
Shou
But she knew those words would force me to act...
Shou
So she just smiled at me like she always did and allowed herself to be sealed away.
...
Shou
I remember it all. I've thought back on that day so many times that I couldn't forget it if I tried.
Shou
But it doesn't even feel real anymore. It's like I'm looking back on someone else's past through a foggy pane of glass.
Shou
And Hijiri looks more beautiful each time.
Miss Byakuren really is strong and kind, though.
Shou
Yes, I'm almost certain you're right.
Shou
But thinking about the past like this, something doesn't quite feel right.
Shou
It's as if the memory has lost its roots in reality and is slowly floating away.
I wonder why...
Shou
I don't know. But...
Shou
...perhaps Nazrin does.
Right. She's a disciple of Bishamonten, too!
Shou
Exactly. She's the perfect person to ask.
Shou
Right, the Jeweled Pagoda replica is finished. It turned out pretty good, so it should be able to fulfill its purpose.
It looks just like the real thing!
Shou
That was intentional on my part. However, it's not as powerful.
Thank you! Before I forget, this is for you!
Shou
I've heard about these. So it's finally my turn, huh? I must say, this is a rather strange custom.
Shou
*gasp* It's... It's...
Shou
Beautiful!
I just know you're gonna look great in it!
Shou
Thank you. And thank the sages who sent this to me, please.
Shou
At my core, I'm a beastly tiger spawned from human imagination. I also embody their thoughts and prayers.
Shou
What little compassion I have inside me believes wearing this dress will bring me great joy.
I know Bishamonten will approve of it, too.
Shou
Hehehe. You know, I think you're right.
Shou
Back then, I made a promise to myself.
Shou
That I'd never mourn another.
Shou
That I'd never refuse to act again.
Shou
That's how I feel about Gensokyo now. This is the home of Hijiri, Nazrin, and all those I hold dear.
Shou
And I'll protect it with ever fiber of my being.
Costume Presentation
Shou
I'm just an avatar, but any faith in me is faith in Bishamonten by proxy. Our followers glimpse the true words of Bishamonten through me. This might be the clue we need to uncover who's behind the big incident. ...Let's see what Hijiri thinks!
