The group made their way up the Hill of the Nameless.
They walked in silence for a while, surrounded by flowers swaying gently in the spring wind.
Merlin looked around, tilting her head.
"Why is this place called the Hill of the Nameless?"
Sanae slowed her steps, eyes drifting to the lilies growing between the stones.
"The lilies here are highly poisonous to humans. Long ago, people abandoned unwanted children here. They either died from the poison… or were eaten by youkai."
The air went quiet.
No one liked that answer.
Chris, however, reacted differently.
'They left their children to die.'
His chest felt tight.
'They just… left them.'
The air around them darkened.
The breeze stopped.
The ground felt heavier, like it was sinking.
Soft laughter echoed through the hill—thin, distant, wrong.
Everyone froze.
Hands went to weapons.
Instinct kicked in.
Before anyone could act, Reimu pulled Chris into her arms and held him tight.
"Ryusei," she said softly. "Stay close."
Her grip was warm. Steady.
Chris's breathing slowed.
The laughter faded.
The air lightened.
The hill returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
Everyone looked around, confused and uneasy.
Chris buried his face into Reimu's sleeve.
Inside his mind, Nidhogg hummed with interest.
'So… you really do have more power than you think.'
Chris didn't answer.
He just held on tighter.
Meanwhile, deeper within the hill—
A girl stood among the flowers.
Long, wavy green hair fell down her back, swaying slightly as she turned. Her red eyes scanned the field, sharp and focused. She wore a red plaid skirt and waistcoat over a white shirt, and in her hand rested a large pocket watch, its chain glinting in the sunlight.
Yuuka Kazami frowned.
[Insert image of Yuuka Kazami]
The flowers around her had wilted—just for a moment.
Then they stopped.
Not revived.
Not healed.
Simply… halted.
She crouched and brushed her fingers over a sunflower's petals. They felt cold, as if time itself had hesitated.
Yuuka tilted her head.
"That's odd."
She stood slowly, eyes narrowing as she followed the faint trace of power lingering in the air.
Not youkai.
Not fairy.
Not divine.
And not hostile.
"…Emotional," she muttered.
The flowers hadn't been attacked.
They had reacted.
Yuuka smiled faintly, interest sparking in her eyes.
"How curious," she said to no one in particular.
"Something small… but very loud."
Far away, the hill remained peaceful again.
But Yuuka was already walking.
Later, on the Hill of the Nameless
The group had slowed their pace.
The flowers were beautiful—too beautiful. Endless fields of color swaying gently in the wind.
Reimu frowned slightly.
"This place always gives me a bad feeling."
Marisa stretched her arms.
"Yeah, but it's quiet. Too quiet."
Chris clutched Reimu's sleeve, eyes following the flowers as if they were watching back.
Then—
"Good afternoon."
Everyone froze.
They turned.
A woman stood a short distance away, smiling pleasantly. Long green hair flowed down her back, and a sunflower rested casually over her shoulder like an accessory instead of a weapon.
Yuuka Kazami.
Reimu's hand moved instantly to her gohei.
"Yuuka."
Yuuka tilted her head, amused.
"Oh? You remember me. How flattering."
Marisa whispered, "Why do we always meet the scary ones on nice days?"
Yuuka's gaze drifted—then stopped.
On Chris.
Her smile softened. Not kindly. Curiously.
"…How interesting," she murmured.
Chris shrank slightly, wings twitching.
Reimu stepped half a step forward without thinking.
"He's with me."
Yuuka laughed lightly.
"Relax. If I wanted to hurt him, the flowers would already be screaming."
No one liked how calmly she said that.
Yuuka turned away, inspecting a nearby bloom.
"Something passed through here earlier. Something… heavy. It startled my garden."
She glanced back at Chris.
"But it didn't stay."
Chris swallowed.
'I didn't mean to…' he thought.
Yuuka's eyes narrowed for a brief second—then she smiled again.
"Well," she said, tapping her pocket watch shut,
"Do enjoy the flowers while they last."
And just like that, she walked away, vanishing into the field as if she had never been there.
Only when she was gone did everyone breathe again.
Sanae finally spoke.
"…Was that normal?"
Reimu sighed.
"For Yuuka? Yeah."
Elsewhere, among the poison lilies
A small girl sat alone.
Her pale skin contrasted sharply with the bright blue of her dress. Blonde hair framed her face, and red eyes stared blankly at the flowers around her.
Medicine Melancholy held a doll in her arms.
[Insert image of Medicine Melancholy]
The lilies nearby were wilting.
Good.
She pressed her forehead gently against the doll's.
"Humans throw us away," she whispered.
"They lock us up. Burn us. Break us."
The doll did not answer.
Medicine smiled anyway.
"If I gather enough poison," she continued softly,
"enough resentment… enough blood…"
She looked toward the distant village.
"I can free every doll in Gensokyo."
Her fingers tightened.
"They'll understand then."
A shadow passed over the flowers.
Medicine looked up.
Far away, she could feel it—
A presence that didn't belong.
Something dead.
Something scared.
Her smile widened.
"…Maybe I won't be alone."
Marisa scratched the back of her head.
"So… do we just go to Higan?"
Everyone paused.
Youmu tilted her head.
"I mean… technically, yes?"
Sakuya crossed her arms.
"Nothing feels wrong, but something is definitely… off."
Reimu looked down at Chris, who had gone quiet again.
"…If the land of the dead is reacting to him, then avoiding Higan would be stranger than going."
Chris looked up.
"Higan…?"
Reimu sighed.
"Field trip."
Marisa grinned.
"Zehaha, sounds fun."
And just like that, the decision was made.
Sanzu River
A small boat drifted lazily across the water.
The ferrygirl lay stretched out inside it, one leg dangling over the edge, hat tilted over her eyes. She nudged the river along with a half-hearted oar stroke.
[Insert image of Komachi Onozuka]
"Man…" she muttered.
"No souls today, no bosses, no lectures…"
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
A shadow loomed.
The next thing she knew—
"HEY."
Komachi shot upright as multiple figures landed on the riverbank at once.
"GYAH—?!"
She nearly fell out of the boat.
Reimu stood at the front, completely unamused.
"You're Komachi Onozuka, right?"
Komachi blinked, rubbing her eyes.
"Uh… yeah? Ferrygirl? Very busy? Appointments backed up for centuries?"
Marisa leaned over, hands on her knees.
"Cool. We need a ride."
Komachi squinted at the group… then froze.
Her eyes locked onto Chris.
The world felt… heavier.
Her grip tightened on the oar.
"…Huh."
Reimu noticed immediately.
"What?"
Komachi stared at Chris like she was seeing something that shouldn't exist.
"That kid," she said slowly.
"He's… weird."
Chris shrank slightly behind Reimu.
Komachi scratched her head.
"Not bad weird. Just… Higan-weird."
She leaned closer, eyes narrowing.
"You ever been dead before, kid?"
Reimu snapped.
"Komachi."
Komachi laughed nervously.
"Hey, hey, relax! Just doing my job!"
She hopped out of the boat and stretched.
"Alright, alright. You wanna go to Higan, I'll take you."
She paused, looking at Chris again.
"…But fair warning."
The river rippled.
"Judges will notice him."
Chris swallowed.
Inside his mind, Nidhogg hummed.
'Of course they will.'
The boat bumped gently against the shore.
Komachi gestured dramatically.
"Welcome aboard. No refunds if you get judged."
Marisa grinned.
"Sounds like Gensokyo logic to me."
And the boat pushed off, drifting toward Higan—
with one very unusual passenger aboard.
To be continued
Hope people like this ch and give me power stones and enjoy this is the last Ch for the week so enjoy