Gensokyo and the Special Treat in Kyoto

Gensokyo, the Human Village. Inside a tea house at dusk, Keine, a teacher of the Human Village, and Sanae, a miko from the Moriya Shrine, sat across from one another. As Sanae listened to the secrets of the Dragon God of Gensokyo recounted by Keine, she couldn't help but look on in stunned silence.

"...Are you saying that this Gensokyo is a product of the sages' act of defying heaven?" With a startled expression, Sanae spoke to Keine.

"Yes. Since you are from the outside world, Ms. Sanae, you must have a corresponding understanding of the situation there. Have you noticed that among the various secret realms in this world, Gensokyo is relatively unique? It is not a secluded home for a single yokai species, nor is it a dedicated training ground for powerful practitioners, nor is it a yokai market where spirits gather for pleasure. It is everything..." Keine took a sip of tea and continued.

"Gensokyo has everything: yokai, celestials, gods... it even contains a human settlement that maintains the developmental level of the past. Moreover, it is quite large. To be honest, I often feel that Gensokyo is a fragment—a piece detached from an era moving forward, standing independent of the world.

"Gensokyo still maintains the environment of ancient times, where boundaries are chaotic. Humans and yokai, humans and gods, can interact directly. Humans still live in fear, and ignorance and backwardness still swirl over their heads. Powerful yokai are the absolute masters here. This place is like a small remnant of the old world, the final sanctuary for those who refuse to evolve with the times." As Keine finished her explanation, Sanae remained silent for a long time. After a moment to process and understand Keine's words, she finally spoke.

"S-So, according to you, Ms. Keine... Gensokyo is essentially a paradise created by many yokai who disliked or couldn't adapt to the evolution of the era? And to maintain that ancient environment, they even cordoned off many humans inside?"

"Mhm, something like that. After all, a complete environment from the past is required," Keine nodded. Hearing this, Sanae's lips twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but comment, "It feels a bit like a nursing home."

"That's not an inaccurate way to put it," Keine continued to affirm Sanae's assessment, while Sanae let out a sigh of relief before continuing.

"Then, following your logic, Ms. Keine... if Gensokyo is essentially a portion separated from the progress of the era, then does that mean the act of separation itself violated the will of the heavens and brought down the Dragon God?"

"Yes. After all, the heavens are the ones who drive the era forward. Though the scale of the yokai sages' actions wasn't massive, it was undoubtedly an act of defying heaven. The descent of the Dragon God was inevitable. It is said that at that time, the sages of Gensokyo staked their collective existence as a guarantee, promising that Gensokyo would be permanently peaceful and stable, never expanding and never influencing the outside world. Only then did the Dragon God finally acquiesce to their actions and allow the existence of Gensokyo," Keine continued. After hearing this, Sanae nodded in realization.

"I see... Is that why the Dragon God is so widely worshipped in Gensokyo?"

"Indeed. Though if you ask me... rather than saying everyone worships the Dragon God, it's more accurate to say they worship the heavens. After all, the Dragon God is merely the agent of the heavens."

Sanae looked up at the darkening sky as the sun set and sighed in her heart. 'So even the heavens can be negotiated with? It sounds like they aren't completely devoid of emotion.'

Kyoto, nighttime.

The moon rose and night fell. During the Inari Festival, Kyoto at night remained exceptionally lively. Prosperous lights flowed between the streets, and dazzling neon signs flashed. Various events held only in the evening were now unfolding in sequence. The people's celebration continued, with no one realizing that the undercurrents surging beneath the city had not yet ceased.

On a broad street, traffic had been cleared. The sidewalks on both sides were packed with pedestrians holding phones and cameras. On the clean, wide avenue, dozens of real foxes were neatly lined up in a well-trained formation, marching forward in unison. These foxes each had a sturdy rope tied to them, extending backward to a massive eight-wheeled Mikoshi that looked like an elongated sports car. This giant Mikoshi was built from dark wood, decorated with gold leaf, and inlaid with gold and silver carvings—it was incredibly luxurious. Its massive volume occupied two lanes, and the towering pavilion was as high as two stories. Following the Mikoshi was a long procession of countless people dressed as shinkan and miko, carrying various ceremonial instruments.

This was the Mikoshi Procession of the Inari Festival. Legend had it that Inari Okami would personally sit within the Mikoshi to patrol the streets and spread divine grace. Therefore, it was one of the most important items of the Inari Festival, attracting countless tourists to watch from the roadsides.

"Oh! Is this the Mikoshi Procession of Lady Inari? What a huge Mikoshi... It's much bigger than the ones I saw in my hometown. And just like the rumors said, it really is pulled by foxes! These foxes are not only cute but so obedient. I really want to take one home to raise."

On one side of the street, at a window seat in a second-floor restaurant, Rin Hayakawa leaned against the glass and spoke excitedly as she watched the long procession below. At her side, she nudged the girl next to her. "Hey, hey, Inaba, aren't you going to look? This is Lady Inari's Mikoshi Procession! Lady Inari is sitting on that Mikoshi right now! They say prayers made at this time are especially effective! It's rare to see this, so hurry up and try it!"

Watching the girl, Miketsu slowly wiped her mouth before answering calmly.

"I'll pass for now. I've seen it many times before."

As she wiped her mouth with a napkin, Miketsu glanced at the Mikoshi below. Thinking back, a thousand years ago, during the Inari Festival, the Mikoshi was still carried by people. Now it had grown so large and was even pulled by foxes. Though, probably only the foxes in Kyoto would be willing to do the sort of thing a Husky would do; the ones in other places were who-knows-how wild.

Seeing the foxes pulling the Mikoshi, Miketsu felt a spark of interest. She wondered if she should get a group of Inari foxes to go to a ski resort in the winter so she could personally experience a fox-drawn sleigh...

"Ah, Inaba, look, the Mikoshi is almost gone! Let's hurry up and pay the bill so we can follow it!" Seeing the Mikoshi distancing itself, Rin suddenly shouted in a panic. Hearing Rin's words, Miketsu waved her hand slightly.

"Let it go. A glimpse is enough. There's an even better show coming up next. Where we're sitting right now is the best viewing spot. If we leave now, it would be a waste~"

"Eh? An even better show? But I read in the travel guide that tonight's highlight is Lady Inari's Mikoshi Procession?" Rin looked at Miketsu with a strange expression. She had flipped through her travel guide completely before coming to Kyoto.

Facing the confused Rin, Miketsu smiled and said easily, "That... is a special treat that only exists this year~"

"A special treat? What special treat?" Hearing Miketsu's words, Rin became even more perplexed. Miketsu continued to smile as she turned her head toward the window, looking at the towering Inari Tower amidst the intersecting searchlights in the distance. "You'll find out in a moment."

Kyoto, nighttime.

In the center of the New Fushimi District, the towering Inari Tower was nearly empty. The high-rise that was incredibly busy during the day was now deathly silent, with almost no lights on in the windows. Following the orders issued by the Tenko God, almost all Inari staff members who had been busy all day were given a holiday. For a time, the people who had suffered from overtime work cheered and celebrated. After finishing work in the afternoon, they quickly dove into the rare annual festival.

To suddenly cancel overtime and give everyone a holiday just after a crisis had been resolved made many Inari high-rank officials feel uneasy. They advised the Tenko God that it would be better to remain cautious and not relax their guard just yet. However, Inari's Tenko God felt it was unnecessary and insisted on issuing the announcement. For a moment, the entire Inari welcomed the holiday amidst a mix of cheers and worry.

Inside the operations room on the upper levels of the Inari Tower, everything was pitch black. Within the darkness, a shadow wriggled. This shadow slowly rose under the moonlight streaming in from outside the glass, finally condensing into a cloaked figure wearing a tall hat.

"Hmph, is everyone gone? You truly think everything is over," the shadow clone of Dark Seimei said as he looked at the empty room, letting out a cold snort. He then slowly floated off the ground, and more black shadows split off from his body. "In that case, regret your contempt!"

As he spoke, some black shadows dove into the computers and electrical wires in the room. Suddenly, the lights around him lit up one after another. Various instruments powered on with a hum, and the large screen in the room began to glow, showing a map of Kyoto after a flash of distortion.

Currently, the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array in Kyoto had been sealed by Inari. The spiritual power within the Four Symbols Altars could not be accessed by others except for Inari. Inari would periodically use a limited amount of spiritual power from the Four Symbols Array to generate electricity, provided the ley lines were not damaged. Because of this, several fewer power plants were built in Kyoto. Inari's headquarters primarily used clean energy from the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array.

However, because the ley line jutsu-shiki of the Four Symbols Array came from the hands of ancient celestials, its depths were difficult to grasp or replicate. Therefore, Inari had not yet been able to build power-generating Four Symbols Arrays elsewhere. The ley line power generation method had not yet been popularized.

'Hmph, restricted use of spiritual power? The seal is quite thorough. But before me, who has deconstructed the Azure Dragon Seal, it's still not enough. Come, the power to reach heaven requires sufficient energy. In this world, the only one who can mobilize the power of the Four Symbols is you, Inari!'

Thinking this, Dark Seimei's shadow clones flew upward. After passing through countless floors, they finally reached the roof of the Inari Tower. On the rooftop where the wind howled, Dark Seimei's shadow clones formed a circle. Each shadow began to extend its arms and form hand seals.

"Begin."

Amidst a murmur, the shadows began to chant incantations simultaneously. For a moment, a complex magical array slowly emerged on the forehead of the shadow leading the ritual. Suddenly, a massive flow of spiritual power surged from the underground to the east, pouring into the base of the Inari Tower. It then flowed upward along the tower's outer glass, injecting into the magical array at the tower's peak. In an instant, the array operated by Dark Seimei emitted a blinding radiance.

Seeing this torrent of blue spiritual power flowing in reverse, many Inari staff members who were enjoying their holiday felt their hearts jump. What was happening! What was with this terrifying flow of spiritual power? What was going on at the Inari Tower?

Though spiritual power could not be seen by ordinary people, when it gathered in such high density, abnormal phenomena would appear. For example, in the eyes of an average person, the Inari Tower was now shrouded in an ethereal blue light.

"Eh! Inaba, look, look! The light on the Inari Tower over there is quite beautiful! Why would that happen?" Inside the restaurant, Rin Hayakawa looked excitedly through the glass at the distant Inari Tower, which was shrouded in the strange spectacle. At that moment, Miketsu smiled slightly and pointed to the television hanging in the restaurant.

"I think it's because of that."

Hearing Miketsu's words, Rin turned her gaze to the television and found a special news bulletin playing.

"According to reports just received, there is a new additional program for tonight's Inari Festival. Everyone, please look toward the Inari Tower. A grand light and firework show is about to begin! This is a surprise prepared for everyone by this year's Inari Festival project team. We hope you like it."

The host on the news spoke with a smile to all the viewers in front of their televisions. Hearing this, Rin couldn't help but clap her hands on the table excitedly.

"Ah! A light and firework show! And it's a special surprise for this year! Inaba, is this the special treat you mentioned?"

"Mhm~ and our seat here is just right. Come, let's watch."

Miketsu said with a smile as she crossed her legs and looked at the distant, radiant Inari Tower. Looking on with her were millions of people across the city participating in the festival.

At this moment, atop the Inari Tower, the shining magical array shot a beam of blue light straight into the dark night sky. Instantly, layers of clouds gathered around the blue light, spiraling into a giant vortex cloud around the pillar of light. The moment that heaven-reaching beam of light shot out, the viewers across the city let out a cry of surprise and began to talk excitedly among themselves.

"Look, look! What a cool light!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect such an amazing program this year. We didn't see anything like it in previous years."

"Oh no! I didn't think there would be a light and firework show, so I didn't bring my lens! I thought I was only going to photograph the Mikoshi today!? Why did they only notify us now!"

Watching the anomaly at the Inari Tower, the citizens throughout the city were talking excitedly. Naturally, the Dark Seimei clones atop the Inari Tower couldn't hear any of this. With focused expressions, they continued to expand the heaven-reaching jutsu-shiki, attempting to pry open the gates of the Celestial Realm.

That heaven-reaching blue light caused the surrounding space to ripple slightly. Amidst those ripples, a scene of another world—with pavilions, terraces, and a rolling sea of clouds—began to flicker in and out of existence.

'The Celestial Gate is being opened from the mortal world... Watchdog of the Heavenly Dao, hurry up and respond!'

At that moment, a dragon's roar like a thunderclap echoed from the distant horizon. An unassailable and massive pressure emerged from the sky.

"It's here!"

Hearing that dragon's roar, the main shadow clone of Dark Seimei was startled. Then, after a burst of black mist dissipated, his form rapidly shifted. Once the mist cleared, the cloaked black shadow had already turned into a beautiful maiden in a miko outfit with fox ears. Following the transformation of the main clone, the other clones also began to change. In the blink of any eye, they all transformed into fox-eared girls.

Looking at the group of transformed fox-eared women before her, 'Tsuruha' smiled slightly and then spoke loudly.

"Keep it up, sisters! We are about to open the Celestial Gate! The time to welcome Lady Uka back to the mortal world is now! During this Inari Festival, let Lady Uka break free from the Heavenly Dao's confinement and return to the world!"