14 Mountain Encounters on a Rainy Day (1/2)

Editor: Crembo.

-Morning, the Great Youkai Forest-​

​

-Me POV-​

Water was pouring down from the sky.

Some people call it 'raining', some call it ”The Goddess' Tears”, but I'm just gonna call it rain because I'm a logical person and the only things in the sky are Celestials. They're not godly, they are just a bunch of arrogant and selfish pricks. ”Uhhh sorry, Nirvana's already full so we can't take any more people in, so you guys can just send those people to reincarnate or to hell instead, bye then.” *spit* I'm sorry but I'm with Yukari on Celestials. Just glorified immortal humans, their name is the only part of them that sounds divine.

Before I forget, I already gave Akyuu a birthday gift a couple days ago. Since I can't give any of my equipment to anyone, I bought an accessory from a local shop, a necklace with a small wooden flower on it. I added enchantments to it, [Vitality Up] & [Vitality Regeneration Up]. Those enchantments only cost 5,000 IP, which is cheap, and this should help with her problems for now. She looked really happy when I gave her the necklace. Well, so long as she's happy, I'm happy too.

Back on topic, this is the first rain I've experienced in Gensokyo, but it feels just like any other rain… I don't know why I expected a different kind of feeling from the rain. I think it's gonna rain more often until winter. If you guys are asking how I know that, truthfully, I don't. There are no such things as 4 seasons in my home country, so I'm only going with the logic of ”it's getting colder and windier because it's nearing winter so it's gonna rain more often because of it, right?”, that sorta thinking.

It started pouring as I was on my way along the mountain path. There're two paths there, the first one that leads to the Giant Toad Pond, and the other one, the off-road path where grass grows and tree roots occasionally jut out, leading to the Youkai forest.

Even though it was raining, there was no water on me because my armor also works as a rain coat. I just have to make the raindrops change their trajectory when they near me. The power consumption is low with my Lv.5 Vector Change, but I still need to be careful about it because… You know, it's rain, it comes continuously down from above and I was in the middle of enemy territory.

And speaking of enemies, here's one right now.

[Lv.28 Lizardman]

*Smack*

I uppercut him in his reptilian jaw with my fist.

He flew through the air, but did a backflip and landed perfectly on the ground.

He was a green reptilian with a humanoid form, wearing a brown Yukata. He narrowed his reptilian eyes while looking at me.

”Sssuch a weak attack, I wonder why thossse guysss lossst to you.” He said with hissing voice.

'After so long, I finally did a Physical Attack test on Youkai, and the result... It did shitty damage. Almost no damage, even, according to his reply. Oh well.' I thought. ”And I'm wondering why a reptile like you is battling me on a rainy day. I heard your species are not very active in cold weather, especially right now.” I replied back at him.

”Yessss, we do sssstay dormant in the cold sssseasons, but,” he moved his palm in front of him, preparing his claw as if he will strike me with it. ”It'sssss a different matter when prey walks in front of usssss.” He finished his sentence while also finishing what was apparently his battle stance.

”'Prey' is it? Didn't you hear the news?” I raised my right hand in the air, and my left hand in his direction to anticipate his actions. ”There's a human that's been kicking other Youkai's butts recently.”

”I ssssee, I can't wait to meet him someday.”

I grinned. ”Don't worry, you've already met him.”

I started gathering Cold Molecule on my right palm, and this was apparently the cue for him to start attacking me too.

”Ssssaaaa!” He leapt at me with his claws ready to strike.

I jumped backward to dodge it.

He landed where I was standing and then followed up with a hand thrust at me.

I dodged to the side and countered him with an ability-powered left palm strike.

It sent him flying but he still landed perfectly on the ground, uninjured from my attack.

'Just need to buy one more minute until I gather enough Cold Molecules.' I thought while glancing at the small white ball that kept growing in size in my right palm.

”Kssssaaaa!” The Lizardman continued to attack but I kept dodging his strikes.

I'd been exploring the Great Youkai Forest for over two weeks. Even if I hadn't explored all of it yet, I was already decent at navigating the uneven ground and tree roots here. He was a forest native too, so he was also pretty good at following me around.

Jumping around, hiding behind trees, and pushing the lizard back with my attacks, I did everything but he just kept coming at me.

'This guy really wants my ass.' I thought while dodging his attacks.

After a full minute, I sensed it was time.

”Human, for a while even though it'ssss raining, the ssssurroundingsss are warm and your white ball keepsss growing, what'ssss your plan?” he said warily.

I grinned.

”Well, how about you find out for yourself?”

I threw the white ball at him.

He tried to get out of the way but it was useless.

”BURST!” I yelled.

At my command, the ball exploded.

*BBUUUFFFFFSSSSHHHH*

White vapour burst out from the ball. I strengthened my armor to redirect the burst. It was an explosion, so it affected everything in the area. My vision was filled with white, but I could still sense the Lizardman in the same location I saw him.

After a while, the vapour cleared and I could see my surroundings again.

”Wow.” I said with amazement.

The place was transformed from a rainy forest to an icy forest. I couldn't really feel the cold because of my armor, but my breath was visible. The grass and trees were covered in icy white frost. There was a giant lump of ice on the ground where I sensed the Lizardman.

I got close to it and reexamined it.

It was a frozen Lizardman.

”Damn, son. Now that's what I call chilling out in the open.” I said.

Heh-heh-heh-heh... I'm such a little shit. 10 out of 10 would make that joke again.

I still saw his status on top of his body, which meant he was still alive while being frozen. As expected from a Youkai.

”Now then, let's go collect more stuff.” I said while walking deeper into the forest.

-Afternoon, the Great Youkai Forest-​

I was resting under a big tree in the forest, leaning my back against it.

I set the armor to the lowest setting, just enough to ward off the rainwater that occasionally fell on top of my head. I still had the energy to use my ability, but I didn't want to risk it in this forest. That's why I was resting, under this tree.

The frequency of Youkai encounters in the rain is significantly lower than normal, and you see different types too. Usually I can sense Youkai approaching when I'm gathering stuff, but now there were almost no reactions whatsoever, and the only Youkai I encounterd were spirit types, the ones that don't have a solid body and get completely wrecked by my laser.

I don't know where the usual ones go when it's raining, but I'm not complaining. If those guys don't want to appear on rainy days, then let them be, because it's just gonna make my job easier… And I might start to like rainy weather.

I looked at the cloudy sky.

”… Should I sing to pass the time?”

'But if I'm singing, then let's make it sound good too. System, buy a skill that can make my singing skills good.' I ordered the system in my mind.

[Buying 'Vocal Master' for 4,000 AP, please confirm skill purchase.]

'Yes.'

[Implanting Skill.]

Suddenly my throat felt ticklish, but it was only for a moment. It was back to normal a second later.

[Detecting Possible Skill Combination]

[Dancing Master + Vocal Master]

[Combining Skills]

[Obtained ”Stage Star”]

[Lets the user master the ways of Dancing and Singing.]

'… Neat, but let's sing first.' I thought without excitement, because it wasn't a skill worth being excited for.

”A-A-Test-Test.” I tested my voice.

It was my voice, but…. Something felt different, like my voice was clearer and felt good on the ears. But who cares, that's a plus. LET'S SING!

”*Hmp-Hmp**Hmp-Hmp-Hmp-Hmp**Hmp-Hmp*” I hummed and thumped my foot to the beat.

I was planning to sing the most iconic song in the Touhou community, the infamous 'Bad Apple'.

”Nagareteku toki no naka de demo kedarusa ga hora guruguru mawatte.

Watashi kara hanareru kokoro mo mienai wa sou shiranai”

It's the remix version of the original ”Bad Apple”, one of the character themes in PC98 touhou. The music video suddenly became very popular back then, though the only reason I can guess for why it did are the lyrics. Somehow it's very addicting song.

But let's be real, everything from those years is very addicting. For example, that ”McRonald Ran-Ran-Ru” bullshit. I'm still questioning why that video was so addicting back then, the addiction lasted like a month until I was finally free from the curse.

”Konna jibun ni mirai wa aru no? Konna sekai ni watashi wa iru no?

Ima setsunai no? Ima kanashii no? Jibun no koto mo wakaranai mama”

”Bad Apple” had both a good and a bad effect on the Touhou community. The good one was that there were more newcomers, as the ”Bad Apple” video worked as an introduction to the series and its fanbase. As for the bad one, it was the newcomers themselves. Some of the newcomers never read any further about the series' universe and started shit up.

For example, there was this video about a high school orchestra that was playing a popular song from the internet, and guess which song it was - correct, ”Bad Apple”, the original one at that.

”Yume miteru? Nani mo mitenai? Kataru mo muda na jibun no kotoba

Kanashimu nante tsukareru dake yo nani mo kanjizu sugoseba ii no”

I don't know if they intentionally played the original instead of the remix, but the point was, it was on the internet. Which meant people saw it, and guess what happened next: ”This is not Bad Apple, Imma dislike the video”… And that comment got many Likes….

”Muda na jikan ni mirai wa aru no? Konna tokoro ni watashi wa iru no?

Watashi no koto o iitai naraba kotoba ni suru no nara ”roku de nashi””

… I was just speechless about the sheer stupidity that I could visually see in that one comment, but naturally, someone else had already commented ”They are playing the original version.” And that comment also had many Likes. So… yeah, bless that guy.

”Tomadou kotoba ataerarete mo jibun no kokoro tada uwa no sora

Moshi watashi kara ugoku no naraba subete kaeru no nara kuro ni suru”

And bless this parallel thinking ability for letting me have an internal monologue while sensing for enemies and singing at the same time, it's very helpful.

”Ugoku no naraba ugoku no naraba subete kowasu wa subete kowasu wa

Kanashimu naraba kanashimu naraba watashi no kokoro shiroku kawareru?”

As I was doing all that, I sensed an enemy approaching on my right, moving in the rain.

'Let's beat them while singing. I miss my Touhou music.' I thought while singing.

The bushes to my right started moving as I prepared myself.

*Zuun* purple-bluish fog billowed from that direction.