The Human Village

[1st Person POV]

"Here, you look like you could use a hand," the girl with the broom says, grinning as she hovers just a bit too close.…

I blink at her outstretched hand.

"What, can't leave me hanging, you know."

I hesitate. Then, with my good arm, I reach up and take it.

Her grip is firm—calloused, warm. She pulls me up with surprising strength for someone who flies around like a cosplay witch.

"There we go!" she says. "Name's Marisa. Marisa Kirisame. You?"

"…Shiro," I mumble, brushing myself off. "Just Shiro."

"Well, Just Shiro," she says with a laugh, "you're lucky we found you before those youkai turned you into forest jerky."

"Yeah," I mutter. "That makes two near-death experiences in less than twenty-four hours. I'm starting to think this place has it out for me."

"You're not entirely wrong," says the other girl—Reimu, I think it was. She walks over, calm but with an unmistakable aura of authority.

Now that I'm not being hunted, I get a better look at her. She's composed. Balanced. Like someone who deals with insanity so often that it no longer registers as weird.

"You're an outsider," she says. Not a question—just a fact. "And you've already run into trouble. Figures."

"Yokai trouble," Marisa chimes in. "That forest's crawling with 'em lately."

I frown. "So what, do people just get randomly attacked here?"

Reimu shrugs. "Only if you're alone. Or unlucky. Or both."

"Well, I'm clearly two for two," I mutter.

"Where were you even heading?" she asks.

I dig into my bag and pull out the slightly crumpled map Rinnosuke gave me. "The Human Village. Some guy at a shop told me it was safer there."

Reimu raises an eyebrow. "Rinnosuke?"

Marisa lets out a snort. "Pfft, of course it was Kourin. That guy's got a knack for sending people off half-prepared."

"Hey, he patched me up and gave me a map," I say defensively.

"And let you walk through youkai territory alone," Reimu deadpans

.…Fair point.

"Well," she sighs, "you're lucky we were on patrol. Come on. The Human Village isn't far. We'll take you there."

I blink. "You're… just going to help me?"

"Of course," Marisa grins. "We're not monsters."

Reimu glances at me again. Her gaze lingers for a second longer than necessary.

"There's something strange about you," she murmurs. "Something familiar… but not."

"…Thanks?" I say, unsure if that's a compliment or a red flag.

"Don't overthink it," Marisa says, already floating ahead. "Let's move. Reimu gets cranky when she's hungry."

"I do not."

"Do too."

They bicker as they walk, like this is just another Tuesday.

I follow, one step behind, clutching the strap of my bag and wondering just what kind of world I've landed in.

But… for the first time since I got here, I felt safe.

At least for now.

***

We walk in relative silence for a while—well, they walk. Marisa floats just above the ground like gravity's a mild suggestion. Reimu walks with quiet, practiced steps, her gaze constantly flicking toward the trees.

Eventually, Marisa glances over her shoulder. "So, uh… not to be rude, but—" she gestures vaguely to my left side, "what happened to your arm?"

I glance down at the bandages where my arm used to be.

For a moment, I think about lying. Saying I lost it in an accident. Or some noble battle.

But… screw it.

"Youkai attack," I say. "Some girl with bat wings and glowing eyes. Looked human, but she really wasn't."

Marisa's grin fades a little. "Oof. That's rough."

"She just… lunged out of nowhere. Took it clean off like it was nothing."

Reimu frowns. "You're lucky to be alive. Most outsiders that land here don't even get a second sentence before they're—" she makes a cutting motion across her neck.

"Yeah. I noticed," I mutter.

"And you didn't come through the Hakurei Shrine?" she asks, now more curious than cautious. "That's usually the way outsiders show up."

"Nope," I shake my head. "I found a weird shrine back home. Not the one I remember seeing in books or pictures. It just… showed up. And then I made a wish."

"A wish?" Marisa asked, floating lower.

I nod. "I wished for something interesting to happen. Something new. And the next thing I knew… boom. I woke up in a forest with no shrine, no way back, and a monster gnawing on my future."

Marisa whistles. "Well, if that's not classic Gensokyo, I don't know what is."

Reimu, meanwhile, stays quiet for a few seconds. Then she mutters something under her breath.

"…That damn gap hag."

"What was that?" I ask.

"Nothing," she says quickly. "We're almost there."

I follow her gaze and finally see something—stone walls rising in the distance, the silhouettes of wooden rooftops beyond the treeline.

The Human Village.

Even from here, I can hear faint voices. Laughter. Footsteps. Life.

Real life.

After everything—the shrine, the forest, the blood, the screaming—this feels… surreal.

"There it is," Reimu says. "You'll be safe here."

"Safer," Marisa corrects. "Mostly. It depends."

"On what?"

"On how well you keep your head down," Reimu says, leading the way toward the village gate.

I nod, swallowing back a dozen questions.

One step at a time.

For now, I've made it to civilization.

And I'm still breathing.

That's enough.

***

We pass under the wooden gate and step into the Human Village.

It's... peaceful.

Houses with curved tile roofs line narrow stone paths. Merchants call out in the distance, children dart between alleyways, and elderly folks lounge under shaded trees sipping tea like the world hasn't gone insane outside these walls.

It almost feels normal. Almost.

A few villagers glance at me, eyes lingering a little too long on the sling across my chest and the unfamiliar clothes. I lower my gaze. I'm already used to stares.

"This is the Human Village," Reimu says, gesturing around. "Gensokyo's largest settlement—and the only one where you're mostly safe from youkai."

"Mostly," Marisa adds with a smirk. "Depends on the day."

I nod slowly, trying to take it all in. "It's… quieter than I expected."

"We work hard to keep it that way," Reimu says.

"And by 'we,' she mostly means her," Marisa chuckles. "You're lucky she likes saving strays."

"I didn't do it for him," Reimu mutters. "It's just easier to keep outsiders alive than to deal with the chaos when they die."

"Right," I say, pretending not to take it personally.

As we walk, I catch glimpses of daily life—blacksmiths hammering iron, farmers hauling produce, kids playing pretend fights with wooden swords. It's so different from the sterile, grey routines of my old world. Somehow, even the air feels warmer.

"This place… it's strange," I say quietly. "But I think I like it."

Marisa grins. "Give it a week. You'll be running from another monster in no time."

"Thanks for the warning."

"We're not babysitting you forever," Reimu adds. "Which is why we're handing you off to someone who actually has patience."

"Oh?" I ask.

They lead me toward a modest schoolhouse near the village center. A small wooden building, neat and well-kept, with an old bell hanging from a post outside.

Reimu knocks on the door once before pushing it open.

Inside, a woman looks up from a stack of papers. She's dressed in blue and white, with a neat hat perched on her head. Her gaze is calm but sharp, the kind of look teachers give when they've seen everything and survived it with grace.

"This is Keine Kamishirasawa," Reimu says. "She's the village's guardian and teacher. If anyone can help you settle in, it's her."

Keine stands up and approaches us, her tone gentle but firm. "So, you're the outsider."

"Uh… yeah. Name's Shiro."

She looks at me carefully—at the sling, the exhaustion in my eyes, the weight in my posture.

"You've been through a lot already, haven't you?"

I nod once.

She smiles. "Then let's start simple. You're safe here. I'll help you get your bearings, introduce you to people, and—if you're staying—find work."

"…Thank you," I say, genuinely this time.

"No trouble," she replies. "We don't turn people away. Not in this village."

Reimu turns to leave. "Try not to get into more trouble."

Marisa waves lazily. "We'll check in later, Shiro. If you're still breathing, maybe we'll even be friends.

"And just like that, they're gone.

Keine watches them leave, then turns back to me.

"Come," she says. "You've had enough chaos. Let's give you a quiet place to sit for once."