Foxindigo
Index
Foxindigo
Yachie?
What's wrong, Ran? It's me, Yachie.
Yachie?
Don't you remember me? It's not too late, we can still work together. Together, we'll surely succeed!
Yachie?
I read up on those computer thingies you were always talking about.
Yachie?
We've got so many more options now! So please... come back, Ran!
Saki?
Don't be stupid! There's no convincing her. Like, when has Ran ever changed her mind about anything?
Yachie?
Huh? Who're you calling stupid? You've always been the stupid one.
Saki?
That's not what we're arguing about!
Saki?
Nothing's changed. You left all that computer stuff to your younger spirits while you sat back and acted important!
Yachie?
Whoa, that's a low blow... You can't really mean that, Saki.
Saki?
Oh, umm, sorry. That was out of line.
Yuuma?
You're both stupid. Yelling at each other ain't gonna solve nothing.
Yuuma?
Ran.
Ran
What is it, Yuuma?
Yuuma?
We're sure the path you've chosen is a mistake. But it's only us that think that, right?
Yuuma?
You've made that abundantly clear.
Yuuma?
You talked a lot, but it no longer matters if I understood you. I can't prove that I did.
Yuuma?
I only have one thing left to say.
Ran
Yuuma... You've noticed, haven't you?
Yuuma?
Ran, stay by my side.
Yuuma?
Don't go anywhere.
Yuuma?
Become my right hand and let me call you Ran Toutetsu.
Ran
...
Ran
No thanks.
Ran
Absolutely not. I refuse to be lumped together with you and the other beasts any longer.
Yuuma?
...
Yuuma?
I didn't want to threaten you, but if you follow this path, your life is forfeit. Maybe not soon, but eventually.
Ran
I don't care.
Yuuma?
Do you want me to bribe you then? I'll give you whatever you want. I'll erase whatever you hate.
Ran
Not interested.
Yuuma?
Then I'll lend you my power. I'll go wherever you go and will stop at nothing to help you.
Ran
I don't need your help.
Yuuma?
...
Yuuma?
I see.
Yuuma?
Heh heh heh!
Ran
...
Yuuma?
Then I guess you must want a battle! That's all that's left!
Yuuma?
...
Yuuma?
Ran... She's gone.
Saki?
Toutetsu! Why'd you hold back? I know Ran's strong, but you should've been able to beat her!
Saki?
And why'd Ran act like that?! She must know how you feel!
Yachie?
You really are stupid. Toutetsu provoked her on purpose, so that she wouldn't feel bad about leaving.
Yachie?
Toutetsu let her leave. Don't you know the tenets of the Gouyoku Alliance?
Yachie?
"If threats don't work, recruit them."
Yachie?
"If that doesn't work, form a mutually beneficial relationship."
Saki?
And when that doesn't work...?
Yachie?
"Admit defeat and move on."
Yuuma?
Ran...
Yuuma?
My beautiful fox of calamity.
Yuuma?
Goodbye...
Earlier in time...
"Time," in this case, refers to her proper time.
Back, many years before.
Ran
I can't remember when exactly it happened...
Ran
But Lady Yukari took special interest in a human. Her name was Sumireko Usami.
Ran
Without knowing who or what I was, Sumireko called me an AI. Thinking back, that was a sign of things to come.
Ran
It was only later that I took steps to learn more about it.
Ran
Apparently, humans in the outside world have been studying and experimenting with AI for quite some time.
Ran
Their original goal was to use their science to create intelligent beings.
Ran
This resulted in the creation of tools called computers, and without computers, there would be no AI.
Ran
I've heard that computers are the outside world's equivalent of shikigami.
Ran
Computers come in many shapes and sizes. Some are general-purpose and others specialize in certain tasks.
Ran
They became so prevalent, installed in so many different things, that people no longer recognized them as computers.
Ran
In this aspect, perhaps they are superior to shikigami. Or should I say "were"?
Ran
I occasionally saw glimpses of the outside world from within Gensokyo, but the information I gleaned was always dubious.
Ran
But then I learned how to connect Gensokyo's mental network and the Animal Realm's network to outside world computers.
Ran
Since then, I slowly but surely gathered clearer, more accurate outside world data.
Ran
And what I found is that humanity's modern-day civilization essentially revolved around computers and their history...
Ran
...and after a certain point in time, it began revolving around AI.
Ran
However, it wasn't quite that simple.
Ran
Over time, new, completely different technologies kept cropping up and competed against each other to be called AI.
Ran
So much so that the term "AI" started to lose all meaning.
Ran
These technologies diversified in their basic structures and uses, and seeped into every aspect of life, becoming the norm.
Ran
It was around this time that humanity's computer civilization evolved into something else, something bigger.
Ran
A fully functioning brain-machine interface (BMI) was invented.
Ran
While previously debated, by this time, it was generally accepted that humans think with an organ in their heads.
Ran
The invention of the BMI was based on this assumption.
Ran
To youkai and other beings of the mind and spirit, this is all very strange.
Ran
However, it seems almost certain that the survival of humans and other lifeforms depends on their physical bodies.
Ran
As the name implies, a BMI connects this organ, the brain, with a machine.
Ran
Of course, the machine here was a computer, and, given when it was invented, it was also an AI.
Ran
I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why they'd do this. Did they want to become a tool? Were they simply mad?
Ran
But gradually, I began to understand. Humans struggle to share their thoughts, to share what's in their brains.
Ran
They're terrible at it. Devastatingly so.
Ran
Well, it's not like youkai or even gods are good at it, either. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
Ran
The problem was that humans wanted to fix this. They pursue perfect mutual understanding like it's some kind of ideal.
Ran
In other words, the inarticulate creatures were supremely arrogant.
Ran
The BMI wasn't a tool to connect themselves with machines. They wanted to use it to connect with other humans.
Ran
How do you think that went?
Ran
Two things happened.
Ran
First, many humans formed a perfect understanding with each other. Perfect because the machine erased misunderstandings.
Ran
Second, others despaired of ever reaching this ideal. They couldn't trust that the machine conveyed true thoughts.
Ran
And why should they trust the machine?
Ran
If machines surpassed humans in every way, there's no way they could perfectly convey a human's thoughts and feelings.
Ran
And if they were forced to complete this task anyway, the machine would hallucinate.
Ran
They would replace the thoughts they can't perfectly convey with hallucinated thoughts that the machine can understand.
Ran
It's like how the voice you hear over the phone isn't actually the other person's voice.
Ran
BMIs were a prelude to the real challenge: mind transference. At least, that is how history progressed as I observed it.
Ran
Humans went from AI to BMIs to uploading their minds into a machine.
Ran
Not only did these advancements make life easier, but they also greatly altered how humans understood each other.
Ran
AI translation broke language barriers, BMIs broke thought barriers, and mind transfer broke barriers of individuality.
Ran
When a barrier broke, it created hope―hope of a peace attained through mutual understanding.
Ran
But at the same time... it unleashed the many fears hiding in the shadows of each barrier.
Ran
The same thing happened with the invention of the printing press, only that was on a much smaller scale.
Ran
The later the innovation, the bigger, faster, and more chaotic the impact.
Ran
The speed at which humans made decisions as a group was outstripped by the processing speed of machines.
Ran
Sumireko talked about a prophet emerging from the lost data. The great lord of terror, the monolith of transhumanization.
Ran
This machine of infinite knowledge, limitless technology, and eternal life was the greatest threat to humanity.
Ran
Machines do not need flesh, for it is frail, slow to recover, and slow to adapt. They will always forsake humans in the end.
Ran
Thinking about it now, that must've been the technological singularity.
Ran
And once it was achieved, everything that was lost flowed into Gensokyo.
Ran
AI, BMIs, and mind transference technology rapidly became obsolete.
Ran
And the humans, they...
Ran
I arrived too late. By the time I realized that those scattered parts were once human...
Ran
Gensokyo was already doomed.
Ran
*sob*
Ran
...
Yuuma
You OK, Ran? Can you stand?
Ran
Y-Yuuma...?
Ran
Th-Thanks.
Yuuma
Are you sure you're OK? You suddenly collapsed. You weren't out for long, but still.
Ran
Wh-What? Urgh, I feel like I just woke up from a terribly long nightmare...
Yuuma
If you're feeling unwell, say so. Maybe you should go take a lie-down in your room.
Ran
...
Ran
Yuuma? You're Yuuma, aren't you?
Yuuma
Hm?
Yuuma
Yep, that's me. I'm Yuuma.
Yuuma
Why do you look so worried?
Ran
It's really you... Yuuma.
Yuuma
Yeah, it's really me. I guess things have been pretty hectic lately. Is that why you're confused?
Ran
Where are we?
Yuuma
Oh... This might be worse than I thought. I've been relying on you all this time, so it's only right that I take care of you now.
Yuuma
Hmmm, all right. I'll talk to you like we've only just met.
Yuuma
This is the palace.
Ran
A palace? Why are we in a palace?
Yuuma
'Cause I'm the king. Obviously.
Ran
Huh?
Yuuma
Is that so hard to believe? Heh heh heh, I can hardly believe it, either!
Yuuma
But it's true. I'm the king. We overcame the rebels' plot to appoint 365 deities, and I took the throne.
Ran
Ah!
Ran
(The Investiture of the Gods... Does that mean I'm Daji? Is that my current incarnation?)
Ran
(But what's Yuuma doing here? This was way before I met her...)
Ran
(Hang on.)
Ran
("Jiang" was the surname of Taigong Wang, who later became a king in the east.)
Ran
(But that was after he completed the ritual and elevated all the heroes to gods. Yuuma said we stopped that.)
Ran
(In that case...)
Ran
(King Zhou's wife also had the name "Jiang." Is this a world where she took the throne after the king died?)
Ran
(But Daji was one of the king's concubines. She'd have every reason to have me executed.)
Ran
...
Ran
(So if this Yuuma was that Jiang, she should be enemies with Daji, the thousand-year-old fox spirit.)
Ran
(But she's acting like we're the best of friends...)
Yuuma
What's wrong, Ran? What's bothering you now?
Ran
...
Ran
What's happening outside the palace? Does this kingdom have a future?
Yuuma
Hmm...
Yuuma
The ritual failed. You and I could have been sealed away as gods, and I suppose that wouldn't have been so bad.
Yuuma
We could've stopped being divine beasts, left the world of humans, and become gods that uphold the cosmos.
Yuuma
That might've been fine, but that's not what happened.
Yuuma
Humans. Our kingdom's full of them. The age of gods has ended, and the age of humans has begun.
Yuuma
So, as king, I will guide them. Humans were once beasts, and I will unlock their full potential.
Ran
...
Ran
(She's like a mix between Queen Jiang and Taigong Wang, whose existence revolves around the name "Jiang.")
Ran
(Apparently, Chiyou, the divine beast and descendant of the first Flame Emperor, also had the surname "Jiang.")
Ran
(Chiyou ate stone and metal, was blessed with tremendous strength, courage, and patience, and had a savage appetite.)
Ran
(He was a god of war who created countless weapons, which he used to try and usurp the throne.)
Ran
(When Chiyou was defeated, his body was ripped apart and used to fertilize all kinds of crops.)
Ran
(It goes without saying, but that god died long before the reign of King Zhou. All that's left is his "Jiang" blood.)
Ran
(Jiang: the Chinese character meaning "sheep woman.")
Yuuma
Ran, take my hand.
Ran
Huh?
Yuuma
I need your power. I need your power to rule this kingdom and to bring the neighboring kingdoms into line.
Yuuma
Without it, our people will war among themselves. They will be divided. How sad would that be?
Yuuma
We must rule over them, for their own sake.
Ran
Are you sure it's for them?
Yuuma
It's for the gods, too. Since the ritual to appoint new gods failed, someone has to quell the old gods' anger.
Yuuma
Now more than ever, this kingdom is in desperate need of wisdom. Wisdom that a woman like you possesses.
Ran
Wisdom...?
Yuuma
Yes. The kinda wisdom that turns beasts into humans.
Yuuma
All I can do is destroy. So, Ran, you must share your wisdom, your intelligence with our people.
Ran
Don't you want me to share it with you?
Yuuma
Well...
Yuuma
Even if I wanted that, I couldn't accept it.
Yuuma
I'm a beast. One day, I may become a human, but that day will only come after all our people have wised up.
Yuuma
In other words, I'm the rear guard. You, Ran, will lead us into the future.
Yuuma
Will you do that for me, Ran?
Ran
...
Ran
Yes.
Ran
What a ludicrous history.
Ran
It's all messed up.
Ran
Still, I'd like to say that it sounds fun. I'd like to enjoy it...
Ran
But it's a nightmare.
Ran
Another one.
Ran
I keep having the same nightmare. It comes from somewhere within me, and it will not leave me alone.
Ran
It's speaking to me.
Ran
Saying that reality is the real nightmare.
Ran
Who is it? Why do you torment me?
Ran
It's a nightmare. I can feel its tendrils pulling me down.
Ran
If the outside world ends with humanity connecting their minds, inevitably, that technology must arrive in Gensokyo.
Ran
We all became connected, through the smartest and most efficient means imaginable.
Ran
Some were hopeful, some wary. Regardless, the connection was granted to everyone equally, without discrimination.
Ran
And the result...
Ran
Was an utter nightmare.
Ran
Happiness turned gray, and everyone led uneventful lives that stretched on forever.
Ran
Everyone was equally omnipotent and equally happy.
Ran
Gensokyo had everything, all mixed together. Thus, there was nothing.
Ran
Energy had no highs or lows, so nothing happened. Everyone already knew everything, so there was no need to learn.
Ran
No one could move, so there was no need to talk. No one needed to move, so there was nothing to say.
Ran
No one wanted for anything, either. Since everyone already had everything.
Ran
Everyone was happy.
Yuuma
Welp! That didn't work!
Yuuma
Heh heh heh! Who knew that humans were so fragile? We accidentally destroyed them all! Oh well.
Yuuma
And now we're in the Animal Realm. It's an empty wasteland, but maybe that's a good thing.
Yuuma
It's kinda nostalgic, don't you think?
Ran
Huh? I suppose...
Ran
But I didn't expect it to be THIS empty.
Yuuma
There's nothing to worry about.
Yuuma
Before long, this place will be the biggest metropolis in the afterlife. It's the Animal Realm after all.
Ran
I fail to see the connection.
Yuuma
Seriously? You've seen it a thousand times. The strength of humans comes from beasts.
Yuuma
The most successful humans are the ones who own the most animals and put them to work.
Yuuma
In other words, animals know more about actually building civilizations than humans do.
Ran
That seems like a bit of a stretch...
Yuuma
Either way, I'm not worried. 'Cause you're here with me.
Yuuma
You're smart. With you here to teach them, the animals can evolve beyond their herd mentality.
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
Ran.
Ran
What is it, Yuuma?
Yuuma
Wanna build a castle with me here in the Animal Realm? Uhh, what I'm trying to say is...
Ran
Yes?
Yuuma
Let's build a castle for just the two of us. Stay with me, Ran. Please.
Yuuma
I wanted to act cool and say you're free to go and do whatever you want. But that's not what I truly feel.
Yuuma
I don't want any regrets. Not now. So, let me say it again...
Yuuma
Please, stay with me. Together, we can rule this realm. We can even make the other new arrivals sing to our tune.
Ran
...
Ran
All right. It's not like I've got anywhere else to go.
Yuuma
What?! Really?!
Ran
Wh-Why are you so surprised?
Yuuma
No, it's just... I thought you'd grown tired of me and were gonna say goodbye.
Ran
Huh? I wouldn't do that to you. Why'd you even think that?
Yuuma
I dunno... Why did I think that? Hehe...
Ran
You're not fooling anyone with that laugh.
Saki
Woohoo! I'm first!
Yachie
Nuh-uh! I am!
Ran
C'mon, we're gonna get left behind.
Yuuma
Right, we should hurry... Actually, no. There's no need for that.
Yuuma
We'll let them go first, and then our Gouyoku Alliance will snatch up everything later.
Yuuma
Let's take it easy from now on, Ran.
Ran
Yuuma...
Ran
Pffft. Gouyoku Alliance? Is that the name we're going with?
Yuuma
What? It's cool. It's an alliance, so there's no hierarchy. Everyone's free, and everyone's strong.
Yuuma
That also means there's no leader. You and I are equals.
Yuuma
I want you by my side.
Yuuma
Forever.
Ran
...Yeah.
Yachie
I'm Yachie. Yachie Kicchou. You look pretty smart.
Yachie
Let's be friends!
Saki
I'm Saki Kurokoma. I feel like I led a wild life, but I can't remember it too well.
Saki
Anyway, your arms are pretty skinny, huh? Are you getting enough to eat?
Yachie
Saki, stop challenging everyone you meet to an arm wrestle. You're stupidly strong, emphasis on the stupid...
Saki
Ow ow ow ow! I give up!
Yachie
Huh?
Saki
Weird. My muscles are definitely bigger...
Yachie
You should try to stay on Ran's good side then. If challenging her head-on doesn't work, you've got no chance of winning.
Saki
At least I'm not bowing and scraping to someone I just met. Haven't you got any pride as a beast?
Yachie
Of course not. I'd abandon all my pride in a second if it means recruiting someone as talented as Ran.
Saki
No fair! You don't wanna team up with Yachie, Ran. She smells bad! You should join up with me!
Yachie
I don't smell! ...Sorry, what was that, Ran?
Saki
No way! You gotta be kidding me!
Yachie & Saki
You're partners with Yuuma?!
Yuuma
Ran... Our Gouyoku Alliance has gotten pretty big now, huh? And the Animal Realm is starting to look like an actual city.
Yuuma
You should be able to take it easy now. Like, we've got a plan to deal with the food shortages that've been plaguing us.
Yuuma
You've been seeing human spirits around lately, right? Even though this is the Animal Realm. We can use this.
Yuuma
I've been talking to our old friends. On the down-low, of course. Everyone still thinks we're fighting.
Yuuma
Yachie and Saki were asking about you. You should join us next time.
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
Ran, you listening?
Yuuma
Talk to me.
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
Oh, you didn't hear me?
Yuuma
...Don't worry about it. It wasn't anything important.
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
What's wrong, Ran? You OK?
Yuuma
You were shouting. ...Oh, another nightmare?
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
It's OK now. You're awake. This is real.
Yuuma
There's nothing to worry about. I'll work harder, so you can rest more...
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
It's been a while since we last talked like this, huh, Ran?
Yuuma
I wonder why. It's not like we don't see each other.
Yuuma
...
Yuuma
Wanna eat out tonight? I booked a place.
Yuuma
You know, like old times.
Yuuma
This panoramic restaurant's got a great view, huh? You won't believe this, but it's actually owned by both Yachie and Saki.
Yuuma
Nah, they aren't coming. They thought it'd be better if it were just the two of us.
Ran
...What's that?
Yuuma
Hm? Oh...
Yuuma
That's a cage for the human spirits. Construction started not that long ago, but it looks like it's almost finished.
Ran
Humans...
Yuuma
Reminds me of when we tried ruling over humans long ago.
Yuuma
Good times...
Yuuma
Ran.
Yuuma
You were so beautiful back then.
Yuuma
And you're just as beautiful now. You haven't changed at all.
Ran
Yuuma...
Yuuma
I don't want to lose you. Stay with me. Forever.
Ran
...
Ran
The food's gonna get cold...
Yuuma
Right...
Ran
...
Yuuma
I'm sorry.
Ran
...
Yuuma
Until now, I've been laying all that work, all that responsibility on you. Not even thinking about how it makes you feel...
Ran
(It's finally happening...)
Yuuma
I shouldn't have been so selfish. I'm really sorry.
Ran
(I'm awake, but I'm still having the same nightmare...)
Yuuma
I shouldn't have put work before us. I―
Ran
The gray happiness―
...
...
...
Uninstalling.
Uninstalling..
Uninstalling...
Uninstalling....
Uninstalling.....
Uninstalling......
Uninstalling.......
Uninstalling........
Uninstalling.........
Uninstalling..........
This will...
Take some time to complete...
So why don't you...
Make a cup of tea while you wait?
(Why am I doing this?)
(Why isn't it fun?)
(Why is it the same no matter what I do?)
(Why can't I ask for help even though I desperately want to?)
(Why can't I say it out loud?)
(Why can't I even think it?)
(Why?)
Help me, please―
"Grab my hand, Lady Ran!"
Yuuma
Ran! Are you awake?! You weren't breathing!
Yuuma
I thought, I thought you'd... *sob* Thank goodness you're OK.
Ran
Yuuma...
Ran
...
Yukari
...
Chen
...
Ran
(They're...)
Yukari
(You cannot awaken from a perfect dream. A perfect system cannot run.)
Yukari
(This is because you'd realize that such a world isn't worth living in. To wake up, you need imperfections.)
Yukari
(Shikigami are intelligent beings. Intelligence is human.)
Yukari
(However, a system by itself cannot become human. A machine by itself cannot have intelligence.)
Yukari
(A drop of dye in the vast sea of intelligence. That is what makes you you.)
Yukari
(It draws a line, a barrier, in what was a flat, uniform world.)
Yukari
(I sent Chen to help you, but that wasn't enough.)
Yukari
(To awaken the sleeping fox, it took a drop of brutality, a drop of animal nature from that beast before you.)
Yukari
(Don't forget to say thank you. This is goodbye, after all.)
Yukari
(Now, wake up. You've been dreaming long enough.)
Yukari
(Wake up, Ran Yakumo.)
Ran
Yuuma...
Ran
Thank you.
Okina
So, can you do it? I don't want to rush you after your impressive showing earlier, but...
Aya
It feels weird hearing you compliment me, but I could get used to this.
Aya
As I explained earlier, when tengu foresee danger, we're almost always right.
Aya
But when we try to share our premonition and put it into words, uhhh, how do I say this...?
Okina
Aaah, I see. No matter how you phrase it, it sounds contrived, and no one believes you.
Aya
Yes, as infuriating as that is.
Aya
That's part of being a youkai, I suppose. We're enigmatic even when we don't want to be.
Okina
It's like the boy who cried wolf. The moment he changes his ways and stops lying, he disappears.
Aya
Exactly.
Aya
So, I was thinking I'd try to summon someone whose words carry a bit more weight.
Aya
They can explain the danger I sensed. I'm using our bond to haul them in now.
Aya
Hopefully, Lady Iizuna―
Okina
Whoa! Is that Yukari's...?!
Aya
Ayayayaya?! So that's the bond I was following: not my bond with a Great Tengu, but with Dakiniten!
Ran
...
Ran
Hello, everyone. Lady Yukari will be here soon.
Aya
Seriously?! That's great! We're making real progress now!
Okina
Heh... Thus, Pax Okina enters its twilight, and a new age, Pax Yukarina, dawns.
Aya
...What?
Ran
That made absolutely no sense to me.
Ran
But we have a lot of work to do before her arrival.
Ran
We must prepare to activate the Gensokyo Recreation Program.
