Chapter 5: It All Makes Sense Now
“Oh Shanghai, I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try! There is just too much to think about to even consider resting.” Talking to a doll is such a kid thing, but I do so anyways.
Awoken by the sound of the tap dripping, I lay in bed pondering about the events of today. There’s more to Nitori than meets the eye…Patchy stalking Marisa…Am I really not good enough to beat Patchy in a danmaku fight? My main concern was Nitori, since the other problems can be more easily remedied. What did Aya mean when she said that?
All these questions cycled through my mind as the sun rose. With the birds chirping and the beautiful sight of the waking dawn, I headed to Moriya. At school, I caught a glimpse of Patchy talking with Nitori. When Patchy sat back at her desk, I went over to confirm something.
“Patchy, how long have you known Nitori?” I questioned.
“Since the beginning of the year.” Patchy answered. “Although I don’t think we could be considered friends until around February.”
“I see.” I retorted. February… That was the month of the movie fiend trip as well as Valentine’s Day. It was also when Aya intimidated me with Valentine’s questions and when Aya informed Nitori of my supposed weakness…It all makes sense now! With my newly acquired knowledge on the situation, I paid a visit to my favorite Tengu during lunch break.
“Ello Marga-” but I dragged her and told her to come with me before she could finish her trademark welcome. I ignored any other statements from her as we went to find a secluded location.
When we finally arrived at our destination, Aya demanded to know what in Gensokyo was going on. I took a deep breath as I prepared to explain my hypothesis.
“Ok Aya, I’m going to say this once so pay attention.” I declared. Without any further interruptions from her, I began.
“Patchy wants to get her hands on Marisa. However, the only thing stopping her from doing so is me. Therefore, Patchy wants to eliminate me from the equation. Nitori hates my guts, and therefore would side with Patchy no matter the circumstance. After hearing about my supposed weakness from you, Nitori decided to befriend Patchy to extract more information from her. This was a perfect opportunity for Patchy, as in exchange for information, she could request Nitori to assist in any devilish plot against me. I’ve concluded that they are planning my downfall as I speak.”
“Margatroid.” Aya said.
“Yes?” I vainly answered.
“I’m impressed you thought this out so thoroughly, when I just said that there was more than meets the eye. I didn’t even give you any leads. I’m not saying your hypothesis is wrong, but…”
“Hmm?” I waited for her to finish.
“But I think you have too much time on your hands to be thinking up conspiracy theories.” She muttered.
“I talk to dolls, what do you think?”
“Good point.”
After that bit of awkwardness, I revived the conversation. “So will you help me?”
“Why ask me?”
“Because you play for both fields, Patchy and Nitori would never expect that you would secretly be my inside guy.” I assured her.
“Alright, but what do I get in return?”
“I don’t know…How about I give you permissions to write some crazy fan fiction about what happens at the end of all this?”
I silently waited for a reply, and after a few moments, she said “Margatroid, how about you write the fan fiction, and I publish it in the Bunbunmaru?”
“Very well Shameimaru.” Times were tough and I was desperate for some assistance countering whatever those two could concoct.
“There’s just one question left unanswered.” Aya said.
“And what’s that?” I curiously asked.
“How about we have a danmaku fight? That way, you can try to blow my brains out like you said on the movie field trip.” Before I could say anything, she demanded we had a spell card battle. With nothing better to do, I agreed to the battle.
“Alright Margatroid, we only have time for 1 card each before the break is over. You can go first.”
I was thinking about which card to use when Aya yelled at me. “How about using your Hourai Dolls?”
“You aren’t worth my best spell card.” I arrogantly told her. With a card in mind, I summoned my strength and declared.
“Spy Sign, Seeker Dolls!” A simple spell card in which I bring out 7 of my dolls. Then they each fire a laser. The trick here is that not all of the dolls aim for my opponent, only a few will. This card requires them to have good prediction skills. This was always my style of danmaku play, to incorporate mind games into the battle.
“Margatroid, you think a couple of dolls are going to beat me? I’m the fastest girl in the school; your lasers are just a minor inconvenience at most!”
She was right, Aya managed to block the 3 lasers that were aiming for her.
“Your dolls pack quite a punch Alice, but they leave you defenceless!” What she said was true. My main weakness in a danmaku fight is that I’m so busy controlling my dolls to attack, I can’t properly defend myself. This is why I try to outsmart the opponent.
“Now it’s my turn Margatroid! Breeze Sign, Opening Winds of Tengu Road!” I was still pulling my dolls back when I was hit by a powerful gust of wind. The sound on impact was loud enough to create a sonic boom.
The force from the attack was strong enough to lift me several feet into the air. Finally, as the school bell rang, I came crashing down onto the dirt.
“Looks like I win Margatroid. Danmaku is about speed, if you hit your opponent quicker than they can react, then you’ve basically won half the battle. Remember that fact. You’ll never beat Patchy if you play the way you did today.” With that being said, Aya raced back to school. I got up from the ground, brushed off debris from my dress, and followed suit. What she had told me also made sense to me.
