Renko's Story [Touhou]

[Nolrai2]

[X] No, this is a bad idea. If Keine has secrets, she'll share them with you on her own time.

 

[enthalpy]

[X] No, this is a bad idea. If Keine has secrets, she'll share them with you on her own time.

As soon as you open the door, the argumently suddenly stops, both voices abruptly cutting off to an uncomfortable silence. You step outside and glance up at the sun - it's almost two hours since you left. Did your preparations really take all that long? Or was it your encounter with that kitsune that ate up the time? Well, it's hard to say for sure either way. You've always relied on your ability to tell the time by the sun and stars, to the point where you'd never bothered to get a timepiece of any kind. You've always thought of it as a boon, but it can be a curse as well, it seems.

"Your guest has returned safely, as promised," Reimu announces loudly. "If you have no other complaints, then perhaps we can continue with the rest of the ceremony?"

Keine huffs, but doesn't reply. Instead, she walks over and claps you on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece," she says, nudging you softly in the direction of the shrine. "I trust nothing strange occurred during your return?"

"It's hard to tell what I should or shouldn't expect out of this place," you mutter. "I had a bit of a run in with some fox woman, who had a colorful name. Not Yukari.. Oh yes! Ran. Well at any rate, she said something about an error and gave me a cup of tea, and then dumped me back here." Keine nods at that, looking troubled. "Is there something wrong?" you ask.

She shakes her head. "No, nothing important. I'm just surprised you even met her in the first place. Yakumo Ran is not known for taking the time to meet with people who fall into the space between here and Outside, and it's rare for her to ever show up." Keine frowns. "These past few years especially, now that I think about it. In the past she could be counted on to show up at least once a year to the annual festival here in the village, but in the last decade, if she's made more than one or two appearances, I certainly know nothing of them."

"Who is this Ran?" you ask.

Keine just shakes her head again, and nudges you towards Reimu. "I'll explain later," she says. "Let's just get this over with before Reimu explodes, and I'll answer whatever questions you have after
we get back to the village. Go on, I'll look after your luggage."

You nod and walk over to where Reimu has been idly standing, a hand perched on her hip. "Anything else you want to take care of?" she asks sourly. "No last-minute tearful farewells? Good. Follow me, then."

Reimu leads you around the back of the shrine building to a small paved courtyard. The grounds here are far less well-kept than the ones at the entrance of the shrine - grass sprouts from between the stone tiles, and from this angle, the shrine building looks much more dilapidated, the fresh red paint on the wood trim around the front conspicuously absent, replaced by a dull rusty brown slowly peeling away to reveal the worn wood beneath.

There's a raised dais with a low stone table in the middle of the courtyard, a large white ceramic cistern placed prominently by its side. Reimu gestures for you to seat yourself there, and you comply, watching idly as she hurries back into the shrine building and returns with a bottle of sake and a dish.

She walks up to the table and sits down across from you. With a flourish, she pours out some of the liquor into the dish and scatters a handful some sort of brown powder into the liquid with her other hand. That done, she sets the dish down in the middle of the table and produces a scroll from the inside of one of her sleeves, rolling the thing open and holding it at eye level. "Read this," she says brusquely. You nod mutely, mouth suddenly devoid of moisture. "Do you understand what this means?" You nod again. "Then repeat the contents back to me."

It's an old scroll, the ink faded and the paper split in places, but the words are still perfectly legible.

"This..." You shake your head, trying to clear your thoughts. "The flower blossoms swiftly," you read hoarsely, "withers before being forgotten." You frown. "Isn't this a dea-"

Reimu ignores your comment and nudges the dish towards your hand. "Drink," she says firmly.

You hesitate for a moment. Well, too late to back out now. You drain the entire thing in one pull.

The sake burns your throat as it goes down, starting with a soft tingling that intensifies to a searing pain that slowly slides down from your mouth into your body. You groan and double over, clutching at your stomach. It feels like you've swallowed fire. Your vision swims, and you slump forward onto the table, the side of your face meeting the stone surface with a soft thump. Through it all, Reimu watches you dispassionately.

"What did you do to me?" you gasp. It's hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to do anything through the haze of pain.

"One must first die to be reborn," Reimu intones. "Without endings, there can be no beginnings." Those words are the last things you hear.

Bad End?

You dream.

[ ] An austere courtroom greets your eyes, a green-haired judge presiding over the proceedings.
[ ] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.
[ ] A modern-looking city sits on a plain of violet grass, illuminated by a bloodred sky.

 

[UrsaTempest]

[X] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.

Man. I want Renko to meet Yukari.

 

[khang36]

[X] An austere courtroom greets your eyes, a green-haired judge presiding over the proceedings.

 

[Nolrai2]

[X] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.

Yuyuko could be interesting.

 

[Lement]

[X] A modern-looking city sits on a plain of violet grass, illuminated by a bloodred sky.

Hm, not sure who...Kanako? Remilia?

 

[Nolrai2]

Makai I think.

Only Modern looking city around.

 

[MobiusOneDT]

Yes it returns.

[x] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.

It's either this, the demon realm, or being judged for our sins.

 

[Olive]

Well that suicider forest is right there. Makes sense that they'd get some use out of it.

[X] A modern-looking city sits on a plain of violet grass, illuminated by a bloodred sky.

 

[Redon]

[X] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.

 

[Frakir's brother]

[X] A modern-looking city sits on a plain of violet grass, illuminated by a bloodred sky.

 

[Pensive Rumination]

[X] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of fluorescent butterflies.

 

[enthalpy]

Do people still care about this?
[X] You find yourself in an immaculately trimmed garden, surrounded by a swarm of flourescent butterflies.

The butterflies flutter around you, iridescent wings glinting as they pinwheel about, swarming around you for a brief moment before scattering and disappearing into the distance. For a while, there is a complete and utter silence, punctuated only by the soft crunch of your feet on the gravel paving.

The gardens stretch as far as the eye can see, flowers and trees of all types and descriptions reaching to the horizon in every direction. And when you look up to gauge your bearings, you realize with a sudden chill that the dark skies have no moon or stars. Not underground, no - you've been in enough caves to recognize the distinctive scent of stone and earth and the quiet, everpresent chill. Wherever you are, it's certainly not on Earth.

For a while, you stare up at the seemingly endless darkness, feeling almost as if the ground could turn beneath at any moment, sending you falling into a bottomless abyss. A chill runs down your spine, and you jerk your gaze back down to the ground. Strangely enough, despite the complete lack of a light source, you can still somehow still see just fine.

With nothing better to do, you slowly start wandering your way towards the giant, withered cherry tree that towers above the rest of the gardens.

You walk. Perhaps for mere minutes, perhaps for whole hours. The pristine garden seems to stretch on infinitely in every direction, and after an indeterminate amount of time, your surroundings have yet to change, the cherry tree you've been using as your guidepost seemingly no closer than it had been before. Maybe this place truly is infinite? No, that isn't possible. It can't be possible.

You've no choice, though. You continue onwards.

Step by step, you stumble onwards. You stare down at your feet as you walk, listening to the rhythmic crunching of your footsteps. You don't dare look up, not when you can't be sure you've made any progress, not when looking up only to see the same, unchanged cherry tree will accomplish nothing beside completely killing your motivation to continue moving.

The gardens are beautiful. It has the austere beauty common to all Zen gardens, except writ large. Various ornaments dot the landscape, stones and bonsai and flowers all separated by calm swirls in the sandy gravel. As you make your way through the garden, your footsteps drag deep furrows through the neat lines. You feel a little guilty. The gardeners here have obviously worked hard making sure that everything is in order, and you've just ruined hours - maybe even days - of work.

And then just as you're about to give up-

There's a girl standing in front of you in the middle of the garden, with silvery hair, all dressed in green. No, not just a girl. The twin swords hanging at her waist mark her indelibly as a samurai of some kind. Is she the one who owns this garden? Or one of their retainers?

Unbidden, you think back to your vague memories from your old history classes. She steps forward, and, despite yourself, you take a half-step backwards.

"Are you lost?" she asks.

"I... Yes," you say weakly.

"I assume you cannot fly?"

You blink, and slowly nod. Before you can react, she rushes up to you and lifts you up in a princess carry. Then the world drops out from under your feet.

For a moment, you're too busy staring in awe at the plants in the garden slowly growing smaller and smaller to think of anything else. There's always been something romantic in the idea of flight. As you watch, the earth slowly shrinks beaneath you. The wind blowing through your hair, the feeling of someone by your side...

Something warm and soft presses into your side, and you feel your cheeks grow hot.

How long has it been since you've had someone this close to you? Months? Years?

You look up at the girl. She doesn't seem to have noticed your discomfort. There's a look of concentration on her face, and her gaze is fixed on the horizon. No, not on the horizon. On the withered cherry tree that you'd been making your way towards, which steadily grows larger and larger as you watch.

You turn away, trying to hide your discomfort. From your vantage point high above the ground, you have a much better appreciation for just how large the gardens are. They stretch from horizon to horizon, continuing on into the distance until they disappear into the unnatural darkness of the sky.

Soon enough, the girl lands by the tree and ever-so-gently sets you on your feet, right in front of someone else, sitting by a small, low table set up at the roots of the tree. From her regal demeanor, you have no doubt that she's the girl's superior in some capacity.

"Milady," the girl says, gently nudging you towards teh table. "We have a visitor."

For the first time, 'milady' looks up at you.

"Welcome," she says, gesturing for you to sit down. "I am Saigyouji Yuyuko. Konpaku Youmu here is my retainer."

"Usami Renko," you say, in turn.

Awkwardly, you sit down on the other side of the table, feeling completely inadequate in the face of Yuyuko's serene elegance.

"Some tea for our guest, Youmu," she says. Youmu bows and heads off, leaving the two of you alone.

You swallow thickly, waiting for Yuyuko to make the first move. She seems content to wait in silence, though, deciding to stare intently at you in lieu of having a converation.

You fidget awkwardly, unused to the close attention. What does she want from you? Reparations for the damage to her garden? Or something else?

"You should not be here," she finally tells you, evidently content with whatever she's managed to discover.

"If I've intruded, I apologize," you say. "But I'm afraid I truly do not know where I am."

"This is Hakugyokuro", she says. "The White Jade Palace of the Netherworld, a domain belonging to the dead." You suck in a sharp breath. The Netherworld? Wouldn't that mean...

Some part of your unease must have shown through. "One must be dead to be reborn, no?" Yuyuko tells you. She gives you an enigmatic smile. "But still, you should not be here."

Before you can ask her what she means, Youmu returns, bearing a tray with a teapot and china in one hand and what looks to be a large plastic cup of bubble tea in the other. She sets a cup in front of you and pours out the steaming liquid before turning to Yuyuko. She produces a thick straw and punches it through the sealed lid before handing it to Yuyuko.

Yuyuko pouts. "I wanted to do that myself, Youmu~" she says. "I thought I told you to let me do it myself last time!"

"My apologies," Youmu says, not sounding particularly contrite. "If there was nothing else, then I will be returning to my duties."

Yuyuko waves her off, and Youmu quickly leaves the two of you to your conversation.

"What do you mean?" you ask. "Am I dead or not?"

"You are, at the moment. If Hakurei Reimu did her job correctly, you will not be for long." Yuyuko sips at her tea, and a few of the tapioca pearls in the bottom of her cup shoot up the straw and into her mouth. Somehow, she makes it look dignified. "But that is not what I meant. You... You should not be in Gensokyo. Your presence here has awoken things long forgotten."

"How?" you ask incredulously. "I've never been here before in my life!"

"Your fate is tied to this land more than you know," Yuyuko tells you softly. "Worry not - all will become clear in time." She sets her drink down and waits for you to finish drinking before continuing. "You have been looking for a lost friend, have you not?"

You stare at her. "I didn't-"

"News travels quickly here. In a land this small, anyone new will garner attention." She sighs. "I... advise you to give up your quest. You will find nothing but misery and hardship should you continue down this path."

"It's not the ending that matters," you reply, "but the path we take."

Yuyuko shakes her head slowly. "If that is what you truly believe," she says. "I cannot bar your way. But I fear... Well. Perhaps it will not come to pass. In any case, I wish you all the best, Usami Renko. It seems our time together has come to an end."

You open your mouth to protest, but before you can say a single word, the butterflies from before suddenly appear again. Just a few a first, but then more and more start gathering in the air, fluttering around you, surrounding you in iridescent wings.

"I look forward to our next meeting," Yuyuko says, and then-

=====

"Good, you're awake," someone says. You groan softly, trying to will away your throbbing headache. There's a strange, bitter taste in your mouth. Tea? You blink a few times, squinting against the harsh glare of sunlight and prop yourself up with one arm. There's someone you don't recognize in the room. Wait, no. You know who they are, even if the name can't quite come to mind.

"Who..."

"I am Kamishirasawa Keine," she says slowly. "Today is the fourth day of Taisho. Two days ago, you visited the Hakurei Shrine to formally sever your ties to the Outside. You've been asleep since then."

You groan softly. "I..." You can't remember anything after you set out for the shrine. You sit bolt upright as the panic hits. "What happened?"

Keine lays a gentle hand on your shoulder. "Your memory should return in time. Until then, you should try to rest as much as you can. You've been through quite the trial." She smiles. "You're free to stay with me for as long as you need."

"I understand. Thank you for your kindness."

"Let me know if you wish to leave the confines of the village, so I can arrange for an escort. Other than that, you're free to do as you wish."

[ ] Just go and wander the Village for a while. You need some time to collect your thoughts.
[ ] You still owe Akyuu a story, don't you?
[ ] Go somewhere else. (Visit Sanae? Aya?)

 

[Redon]

[X] Go somewhere else. (Aya)

My vote for the year. Hah. Someone who shares Renko's investigative streak, and can lead her onward to her goal. Also, investigative journalism is something she's well suited for when it comes to work, so might as well start laying down the groundwork for that.

 

[Happerry]

[X] You still owe Akyuu a story, don't you?

 

[MobiusOneDT]

It's back!!

[x] Just go and wander the Village for a while. You need some time to collect your thoughts.

Let's just take a moment, we have time (I think).

So next update in 2017 then?

 

[Nolrai2]

[X] Go somewhere else. Aya (Hatate?)

 

[Lement]

[X] Just go and wander the Village for a while. You need some time to collect your thoughts.

It's less that I am curious about the village, the population, layout, functioning....and more that I don't want to appear incoherent before the Child of Miare or Pure and Honest Reporter - either way, our ..dishevelled state would be recorded.

However, Sanae might make a good pick to visit, given her nature. Out of all the people in Gensokyo, I believe her to be the best to inform Renko.

 

[UrsaTempest]

[X] You still owe Akyuu a story, don't you?

 

[Omegastar]

who are you and what is this?.....

 

[Biigoh]

[X] You still owe Akyuu a story, don't you?

 

[enthalpy]

[X] You still owe Akyuu a story, don't you?

You head to Akyuu's after eating. This time, you go alone. Now that you know where it her manor is, there's no need to impose on Keine to guide you there. With your skills, it's all but impossible for you to get lost along the way.

Maybe it's just a trick of the afternoon light, but the villagers seem noticeably friendlier today than they had been the last time you went to Akyuu's. A few even smile at you and give you a sort of half-wave as you walk past, before returning to their work on the festival stalls that are quickly springing up all across the village. Before you have time to contemplate this development, however, you've arrived.

Almost as soon as you announce your presence at the gates of the mansion, you're led inside. The last time you were here, you met Akyuu in a sitting room of some kind. This time, you're led to what looks to be her study instead. A single low table sits in the center of the room, behind which Akyuu sits, slowly grinding an inkstone into a small dish of water. A long scroll hangs from one wall, filled with what looks to be examples of calligraphy; a small red seal in the bottom right corner marks it as having been written by one Hieda no Aya. The other walls are lined with scroll racks and bookshelves, all of which are filled to various extents.

"Miss Usami!" Akyuu says brightly, as soon as you step inside. "Please, sit down. I didn't expect you to arrive so early!"

Gingerly, you sit down on the provided cushion. "I still owe you a story, don't I?"

Akyuu nods. "It doesn't have to be now," she tells you. "Sooner rather than later is still preferable, of course, but anytime within..." She trails off, a frown settling on her face. "Within the next few months would be sufficient."

You shake your head firmly. "I don't like owing debts," you say.

She smiles at that. "I understand perfectly," she says, before spreading out a blank scroll onto the table. "You never know when you might find yourself unable to pay them back, right?" Akyuu hums a bit to herself as she grinds a half-used inkstick into her inkwell. "In that case..." She pauses for a moment and sits straight up. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Akyuu asks, her tone suddenly markedly different from what it was before. It's more refined. Professional, perhaps. It's clear she's done this kind of thing many times before. "Your name, your background, that sort of thing."

You nod. It seems like she's treating this as an interview. "Usami Renko," you say. "Twenty-five. I am... was a doctoral student at the University of Kyoto, studying particle physics."

Akyuu hums softly, writing your responses down with a quick, practiced hand. "Particle physics?" she asks, sounding confused, mouthing the words slowly. The familiar term somehow manages to sound foreign on her lips.

"Ah." Gensokyo - your new home - does seem to have been more or less cut off from the rest of the world for quite some time. You really shouldn't be surprised that your chosen field of study would not be commonly known the way it was when you still lived in Kyoto. "It's..." How do you explain it to someone who maybe hasn't even know about modern science? "It's the study of the principles of the physical world," you decide. "Everything - you and I, as well of the rest of the world - is fundamentally made up of tiny particles, and I study to learn how they interact to cause physical phenomena." It's not the best explanation. Still, it's simple enough, even if it is somewhat incomplete. Hopefully it's understandable enough.

Akyuu nods, jotting down your brief explanation. "How did you arrive here in Gensokyo? There are only a few places where the Border is thin enough that it can be breached from Outside, and from what I've heard, you certainly didn't arrive by way of the Hakurei Shrine."

"Aokigahara," you reply.

Akyuu's brush freezes in its tracks, and she gives you a pitying look.

"I was hiking!" you protest weakly. "Hiking!"

"Of course," Akyuu says, not sounding convinced in the slightest.

You sigh softly. You didn't really expect your explanation to be believed, no matter how true it is, but it still stings a bit.

Akyuu evidently interprets your gesture as a lack of desire to speak on the topic. She marks over some of what she'd written before and quickly moves on from the topic.

The interview covers all kinds of topics - everything from what your college life was like to your reason for staying in Gensokyo. Even though you're there answering questions for only a few hours, it still feels like you've related enough of your life for Akyuu to write your memoirs. Strangely, the more you tell her about yourself, the easier it becomes to delve into painful memories that you've thought long buried.

How much time has passed since you last were able to speak so candidly to someone else about your own life?

You've never been a very social person. Large gatherings have always been tiresome - it is in solitude that you find your solace. Now that you look back on it, you haven't been particularly close to anyone over the last few years. Not since... your friend disappeared.

Maybe that's why you're so willing to throw your old life away, chasing a dream and a memory.

It's a surprisingly good feeling, to be able to tell someone else your story, to relate to someone just how you got here and where you plan to go. For the most part, Akyuu seems to be making a conscious effort to avoid expressing an opinion on the things you've done. She simply accepts the things you say without reservation, only asking questions to clarify some points or go into others with more detail, not once questioning the truth of your words.

When you ask her about it, she gives you an enigmatic smile. "A chronicler's job is to relate the facts as they were told to her, is it not?" she asks. "And besides, it would be presumptuous for me to pass judgment - it is the Yama who judges us all, in the end."

After a last couple of questions, Akyuu sets down her brush. "Thank you," she says. "You've been very helpful."

You shake your head. "No, I should be the one thanking you. I do appreciate that you've been willing to sit here and listen."

For the first time in a long time, you feel like you're at peace. It's not like during your travels, when you would seek out deserted wilderness or crumbling structures, hoping to borrow from the tranquility of the environment. No, the calmness you feel right now is one that comes from within. If Akyuu can accept your story for what it is, than surely you can as well. That's not to say that you shouldn't attempt to change yourself or your circumstances, of course, but rather that there's no meaning in being overly dissatisfied with things that cannot be changed. It's a valuable lesson.

"Is there anything you'd like to ask me?" Akyuu says, busying herself with rolling up the scroll with your interview notes. "If there's something you need help understanding, ask away. Just think of it as a welcoming present for your arrival to Gensokyo and the Human Village."

You think back to the first time you met Akyuu, back to your desperate, futile, search through the Hieda family's archives, and one question instantly comes to mind.

"Who is," you ask sharply, "Yakumo Yukari?"

Akyuu freezes at your question. After a moment, she sighs and shakes her head. "I suppose I should have expected you to ask about her," she says.

"If you don't want to answer..."

She shakes her head. "No, no. You deserve an answer. It's just that it's hard for me to know where to begin." She frowns for a moment, running her hands through her hair, idly fingering the petals of the flower pinned on the side of her head.

"I suppose it would be for the best if I filled in the broad strokes first. Yakumo Yukari is in many ways the person who founded Gensokyo. Despite its name, she is the primary architect and maintainer of the Great Hakurei Barrier."

"So, a founding figure then?" you ask. "Or a deity?"

Akyuu lets out a sharp bark of laughter. "No, she is no god, no matter how much it may seem the case at times. But even still, she is a youkai of immense knowledge and power, and thus should be afforded the respect and distance that she deserves."

"You said she matched the description of my missing friend?"

"Blonde hair, violet eyes, even a penchant for wearing the color purple - although that may just relate to her name..." She shrugs. "Although I believe a youkai who oversaw Gensokyo's creation would have very little to do with a young woman from Outside. Assuming, of course, that this friend of yours is a similar age to you."

She's right, of course. It would be absurd to expect otherwise. But somehow, you still can't escape that niggling suspicion there's some kind of connection here. "I'd still like to meet her though," you say idly. "No doubt I'd have a lot to learn from someone like her. And maybe she'd have some idea of who I should be looking for."

"Perhaps," Akyuu says. "But you must not forget: she is a youkai. Do not expect her to share your values or your common sense. However, it is a moot point regardless. Yakumo Yukari has not been seen in public in over a decade. Even her shikigami has been less and less active as of late."

You frown. "Illness? Or something else?"

Akyuu shrugs halfheartedly. "Nobody here in the village knows. Perhaps the Hakurei Shrine Maiden might - she's worked closely with Yukari in the past. But it's best not to pry, in my opinion. The the less attention you bring on yourself, the better off you are. She has a... reputation."

You let out a heavy sigh. "I see," you say quietly. "Is there anything else you know about her?"

"We know-" Akyuu seems to choke on her own words. She coughs into a handkerchief, and you catch a brief glimpse of red before the square of white cloth disappears back into her sleeve. "We have very little information about her," she wheezes. "The Human Village is not the greatest authority when it comes to knowledge of youkai."

"Are you all right?" you ask, concerned.

Akyuu nods, her lips pressed thinly into a pained grimace. She produces a paper packet filled with some kind of white powder and tips it into her mouth. She closes her eyes for a moment and visibly swallows. "I will be fine," she manages hoarsely. "I apologize, but I'm afraid I will be cutting our meeting short. If you wish to speak with me some more, I would be happy to host you tomorrow."

You nod silently, and allow one of the servants to show you out.

Although the sun sits low in the sky as you step outside, you still have a fair few hours of daylight left at your disposal. You could spend the rest of your day elsewhere in the village or somewhere nearby, or you could head back to Keine's for now and try to settle in to your new life here in Gensokyo.

[ ] Head back to Keine's. You have a lot to think about.
[ ] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)

 

[Plotvitalnpc]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine

 

[Arcomage]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine

 

[MobiusOneDT]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine

The most interesting choice, though I feel like this might come back to bite us. This is doing more or less the exact opposite of Akyuu's advice.

 

[Redon]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine

We won't get anywhere by avoiding the issue, going straight to the heart of the issue via Renko style is the best way to deal with it.

 

[sassafras]

[X] Go somewhere else with the remaining daylight. You want to take your mind off things for a while. (The Hakurei Shrine? Suzunaan? Or just go wandering?)
-[X] Hakurei Shrine