Today's assignment called me to a special meeting of "young journalists" at the Bunbunmaru News editors' office. It's rather outrageous how those scabby commoners going by the names of Toritori and Kiba consider me among their ilk, but I must swallow my pride and accept their insults. I yet saw no sign of the ringleader and my temporary employer, Aya Shameimaru, and I waited patiently at a bench in the ramshackle office as they gathered materials and pored over the day's updates.
Isn't it ironic how a worthless Copper Coin and Packet of Tissues are among the most hard-to-acquire items in the game? Luckily I've already got them.
"Oh, she did put a few good words up about Gensokyo Island. Just like she said she would."
"She? You mean Rebecca?" Toritori paused for a moment as she considered both her words and the document in her hand, "Was it something like 'they didn't kill me and sacrifice me to some dark god on first sight, so it's a good place' or so?"
"Sort of, haha... but it's something positive nonetheless. Not to mention that card Layla left despite having dragged her across the time-space continuum and left her with the haggardness of an old grandma. She's still got manners, that one."
"Indeed, Kiba. Much unlike a certain pretty-faced rich boy over there. Too rich even to say thanks."
I gulped nervously. Based on what I'd heard from the other islanders so far, this island's dictator Okuu's Look-alike was known to be a rather vengeful person... but I didn't know that when I first arrived! I tried to deflect their accusatory stares by asking as to the purpose of today's briefing. Even so, the girl, Toritori, seemed to be unusually tetchy, more so than when I saw her last.
"Well, Eugene, the first thing to...
It's Yugen, I politely corrected.
"Eugene sounds like it fits better. I bet your parents were so rich they had you genetically modified to be the perfect child." Well, excuse me!
"Whatever. Yugen. The first thing to do is wait for your new colleague to show up, when she does show up. She's a bit... relaxed, as far as we've seen,"
"It must be that foreign upbringing. They bring up kids differently in those parts, but at least it's due to culture. Not to a surfeit of money."
New colleague? Surely, they could only mean...
We have an investigative reporter in the making, folks!
'eyo. Ah... you're like that weirdo who was peeping in on me the other day, huh? Gave you a good wallop, I did. Didya get yer nose fixed... ah, lucky for you it healed just in the right place.
Oh, that girl. The one from the strange foreign part of the world. Her accent was just so obtuse it was impossible to remember it from one day to another, especially since I recall having been knocked out cold for ten minutes or so, then having to search for my wallet in the dark after that.
Rebecca here. Or Becky. Whatever. And you're the perverted rich man's son Eugene, aren't you? Nice to meet'cha!
I'm gaining a wholly unjustified reputation around here, and it's all thanks to those two plebs...
"So, is that all? You didn't invite Layla along as well, did you?"
"Nah, she's a grey shirt, didn't you see? I don't know if it was from the effects of the time travel or whatever, but Aya said getting a grey shirt involved could lead to trouble. They have connections, you see, so it's best not to 'ask' them to do us 'favours'."
"Not just rich parents, but connections... I see, I'll take a note of it."
So why did you call us here today, I interrupted, trying to change the subject. Taking random snipes at someone simply because they were brought up in a much better household was simply underhanded, although not completely unexpected from these common peasant folk.
"Ah yes, continuing with that," Toritori gathered her notes and turned to address Rebecca and I, "Apart from introducing the two of you to each other, we also have an official word from Okuu's Look-alike regarding the time-space distortion and the impact it's had on the community here at Gensokyo Island. And the immediate future plans to deal with the situation."
I didn't really get all of it, but I nodded in an attempt to demonstrate understanding. Surprisingly, Rebecca sitting next to me whipped out a small notebook and began scribbling away in some arcane, indecipherable scrawl. She might be a natural at this note-taking, but her penmanship could certainly use some work.
:"Now look here," said Kiba, whirling his laptop about, displaying a line graph that showed a distinct negative trend, "This is the data I got from Okuu's Look-alike's office, demonstrating that activity on this island has significantly decreased over the past week. Its cause..."
The, um, time-space distortion? I tried to make an educated guess.
"In fact, no! It's because of babies!"
Babies?! The barely-disguised venom with which he said that word made me think he was only jesting, but seeing Toritori's unmoving expression I accepted that it was the true explanation.
It's the circle of life! it's the wheel of f... aw damn it! Bankrupt again!
"It is the nearly inevitable fate of all children born to Gensokyo Island's residents to be sent off to become travellers. And, thanks to Okuu's Look-alike's policy of encouraging rampant procreation, there have been many such children. Far too many. I'm sure both of you newfaces have seen how the port was full to bursting with these misshapen, grubby-faced kids."
I glanced at Rebecca and she returned a nod of acknowledgement. I suppose there were some symbols that could still be easily understood despite the barrier of her bizarre accent.
"The thing is, these records have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that the excessive numbers of children on this island are draining the life from Gensokyo Island's residents. As a result of there being so many travellers waiting to leave, nearly all activity on Gensokyo Island has ceased. The only activity which takes place are fights between islanders, and mostly futile attempts by islanders to get Okuu's Look-alike to play a silly game with them."
"This has been confirmed with reports from other owners of islands," added Toritori gravely, "It's an established fact that too many travellers cause activity on the island to cease, and Okuu's Look-alike only experienced this first-hand within the past two weeks, just before you two arrived."
So, why not just implement some sort of contraception or sterilisation programme, I asked, trying to sound aware of the situation. Beside me, Rebecca giggled immaturely at the very idea.
"Ah, that's the problem," explained Kiba, "Okuu's Look-alike wants more children to be born., even though she hates babies almost as much as I do Whether this is for her own twisted entertainment or for some vile plot for the rest of the world, who knows. She's crazy like that."
So the only way would be to remove travellers somehow? By killing them?
"It doesn't have to be that extreme. Unless you want a bullet to your head, in which case I'm sure they'll oblige."
"Okuu's Look-alike and the other mad scientist residents have determined that the anomaly in the space-time continuum is capable of facilitating communication with other islands, places too distant to be reached in a reasonable timeframe., making them accessible by transversing time itself. A wormhole in time, if you will. That's how people like Layla and Rebecca came to this island."
As Rebecca made a silly pose at the mention of her name, I was slowly beginning to understand the situation for real This island's administrators would somehow deliberately harness the power of this... time-space anomaly to solicit arriving boats from across time itself, to carry travellers from this island. But would they even reach their destination safely or even alive? What about what happened to Layla?
"If these letters are anything to go by, it is possible to pass through the time warp unscathed, but chances of success are low, and it's a risk..."
I noticed Toritori's expression reddening, her shoulders trembling, even as Kiba explained the situation.
"It's a risk that Okuu's Look-alike is going to take, whatever happens to those travellers. Whatever happens to... to us. And, should they be able to reactivate the timewarp soon. as she hopes, Toritori will be the second in line..."
From left to right, Yuuko, Toritori, Yves, Chitose, Abigail, Lewis, Chiyoko, Junpachi, Yuriko, Bruce... hmm, the order's strange...
We stared dumbly at Toritori, who was visibly shaking. Though she seemed carefree and mischievous when I first met her, she now seemed to be straddling that fine border between rage and tears.
"D... didn't any of you idiots apply for your exit permit at the port? Or was I the only stupid one?"
Exit permit? Kiba's, Rebecca's and my eyes now turned from Toritori to glance sheepishly at each other. I don't think any of the three of us had even heard of such a thing. Perhaps that's how we permitted the children of Gensokyo Island to leap ahead of us in the queue? But, given the current situation, that may have been a blessing in disguise. Raising her arm to shield her eyes, Toritori stormed out of the office at that moment when our stares were diverted from her.
She's afraid of dyin', ain't she? I ain't afraid, well, I weren't. Not when I didn't know that boat would be taking me across time and space to some whacko island just like this one. But now... being afraid? Now I am.
Rebecca's words, and the sound of her pen clattering to the floor, sent a chilld down my spine. Now I was afraid too, yes, now I was.
BUNBUNMARU UPDATES, 24th April 2015
BUNBUNMARU UPDATES, 25th April 2015
Children
Kyusuke was born to Utsuho Reiuji and Rinnosuke Morichika. It's their ninth child! He is an Independent Free Spirit.
Hibachi, son of Kyouko Kasodani and Wriggle Nightbug, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
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