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Cage in Lunatic Runagate/Fifth Chapter

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Chapter 5: 果てしなく低い地上から ~ From the Infinitely Low Earth


As anybody living on this Earth knows, the moon constantly shows the same side as it orbits the planet. No matter where and when on the Earth, the moon does not appear to change.

Because of this, the moon was thought of as a picture drawn on the roof of heaven. [1]Because the patterns were consistent, people drew many images from it. The rabbit is one of them.

How can the moon show the same face and orbit at the same time? Simply because the moon's rotation period and orbital period match at a very high rate. If the moon can rotate once at the same time it orbits the Earth once, it can orbit without showing its back. It's like a hammer throw, but with a ball in a net. At the same time the ball went around the thrower, the ball would have turned itself around.

Yet there are still questions, such as why the moon came to possess such an orbital period.

Did the residents of the moon make it so that they can live their gorgeous lives and not be seen by the people on Earth? Or was the Lunar Capital so heavy that centrifugal force made it face the outside...?

She, Yukari Yakumo, knew that the reason was quite scientific and lame.

Since explaining the reason using physical properties of gravity and how it operates when large planets are present would be too easy, too scientific, and so unfitting for Gensokyo, she had to think up another reason.

Gensokyo was separated from the outside world by a border of common sense, and it existed within the borders of uncommon sense. To maintain the border as the way it was, everything needed a backside.


-On the night of the new moon.


When the moon is shrouded and shadow and becomes invisible, the moon on that night is called a "new moon". But why is it called that? People like us who are more accustomed to the solar year would not know this, yet we don't think of it strangely.

I often make trips to the lake of Gensokyo to see the moon. Tonight I, too, stare at the new moon from the lake. Of course, there was nothing reflected on the lake. Yet I was able to see the bright backside of the moon that was bathed in sunlight.

“Yukari-sama.”

The fox in front of me calls. The fox in front of me - Ran Yakumo - is my loyal Shikigami.

"Yukari-sama. It looks like the vampire's rocket is finished. I went to have a look myself, but there was something that made me worry about their well-being if they were going to fly on that."

Saying that, Ran's mouth bent into a smile. Whether the smile was laughter at the vampire's rocket or an untrusting snicker at me, who knew nothing of the vampire's plans. I wished it was the latter.

"That must have been a majestic party, then. But why didn't you call me?"

I already knew Ran had secretly attended the party.

“Well, I wasn’t there because I wanted to be. I was just spying to see what it was like... should I have called you to join in?”

“Of course, if you asked me, I would’ve gladly turned you down. Anyway, do you remember the orbital period of the moon?”

“Hunh? The moon’s orbital period...? On average it’s said to be about twenty-eight days, but actually it’s only about twenty-seven and a third. But since the Earth is rotating too, if one period is starting from a new moon, going through the full moon and back to the new moon, on average this is said to be thirty days. But that too is actually shorter and is twenty-nine and a half days. But considering these things, wouldn’t you be more knowledgeable about it?”

“You’re right; the orbital period is not twenty-eight days, nor is the period of full moon and new moon thirty days. This is an important fact.”

In the lunar calendar, the new moon is the first day, as the birth of a new moon this moon of this night was called a “new moon”. In a similar manner the moon on the third day was called “mikaduki”[2] and the fifteenth night, “jyuu-goya”[3] was a full moon. In such ways the moon matched the days. The people lived around the moon much more.

“In order for the first day to be a new moon and jyuu-goya to be a full moon, a month would need to be thirty days.”

“Well, that would be so.”

“But in reality, the moon’s orbital period is not thirty days. Because of that, jyuu-goya is rarely a full moon. Don’t you think that strange?”

When I said that, the fox in front of me went into thought.

“The night of the fifteenth should be a perfect night... true. Somebody moved it on purpose?”

“That’s not it. I think you know, but the rotation period as well as the orbital period is twenty-seven days and a third... I would like you to go look for the reason for me.”

Although I said to look for the reason, I wanted her to think of it herself. If it’s just research work a computer[4] would suffice. In the outside world there are increasingly many people who rely on Shikigamis[5] and turn into empty shells. By asking for something more from a Shikigami than a Shikigami, I am trying to better my days filled with boredom.

“Hunh, well, sure, I guess. Anyway, back to the vampire’s rocket…”


-The night of Mikaduki.


The moon of Mikaduki is also called a sword. It probably comes from somebody picturing those sharp points as a sword.

As if to rival that, a very large shooting star was shooting up the night sky. I hear that a shooting star burns out because of poison in the atmosphere, but if that is shooting upwards, is the dust of the earth burning out?

“Yukari-sama, can you see?”

“No need to come so close, I can see.”

“No, not me... I mean the glint of light shooting up the sky. It looks like the vampire’s rocket finally made a lift-off. That light must be the rocket.”

“Yes, I can see without you needing to come so close.”

“Okay, anyway, from the speed of that rocket I’m guessing that it is calculated to reach the moon by the full moon.”

“Is that so? That’s quite a slow voyage there. If they’re that slow maybe we’ll be there before them..."

“Well, our plans for going to the moon are on the day of the full moon, and since we’ll be there in a second we should be there at roughly the same time. I’ve been thinking, Yukari-sama. Why did you make the vampire go to the moon?”

“I didn’t say a word about wanting them to go to the moon, did I?”

“That’s true, but if you wanted to stop them you had more than enough chances to do so. Yet you didn’t do that. The heart of the rocket’s power is Reimu’s ability, but that’s because you made Reimu train. On top of that you brought the topic up to the vampire and even gave them all that time. During all that time you just watched them at it. Knowing this, how can one say that you didn’t want them to go to the moon?"

“That crescent of the mikaduki is said to be a sword. Seeing that sharp look, it is very understandable. Wouldn’t it be cliché to choose that sword of a moon and shoot a bullet at it?”

In the Lunar Capital there is one that can wield the sword of the gods. On the Earth there is one that can shoot the bullet of the gods. It’s as simple as that.

“Ran, you only need to listen to my orders. On the night of the full moon we will go to the moon through the moon that reflects on this lake. Remember to prepare well.”


-On the night of the half moon.


Snow was falling. The weather was not too good this night, but by the time of the full moon it would surely clear.

The moon had changed from a sword to a bow. The half moon was also called the “Yumi-hari duki”(Bow spreading moon)[6] for its bow-like shape.

When it was a sword the weather had been fine, but unfortunately the bow was not visible. Are there none who wield a bow on the moon?

“Yukari-sama. It’s cold, so why not go back to the house? It seems the moon is not visible today anyway.”

“Oh, but moon watching is so much more fun when there is no moon. Maybe the bow-spreading moon is hidden in the basement of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

“Really? Anyway, the orbital period that we were talking about the other day-“

Ran changed topics. If she let me talk a bit more maybe she would’ve understood it.[7]

“It seems that it is highly likely that the orbital period was changed afterwards.”

“What do you mean by that?”

"Originally, the moon was meant to go through its rotation in exactly twenty-eight days. But the strange rotation period slightly interfered with the orbital period."

Ran started to explain the properties of gravity as it works on a rotating planet. The moon changes itself to an oval shape due to Earth’s gravity and its own gravity’s work. That slight change in shape changes the gravity that works on it and accelerates the orbital period. When the rotation period is shorter than the orbital period it slows its rotation period, and when the rotation period is longer it speeds up the rotation period.

Ran explained the work of gravity on two points using actual numbers.

“For such reasons, there is a high possibility that someone tampered with the rotation period and slowed down its orbital period. When the rate of this is two thirds of a day, it goes beyond the usual margin of error."

“And your conclusion?”

"The only reason why one would do such a thing is to constantly observe the Earth by pointing the same side towards it and erasing days of complete opposition.[8]In this way, one would be able to observe the Earth throughout the entire year... though, this would be quite some time ago."

If it were only simple calculations, there would be nothing that can rival a shikigami. But in the outside world the calculation of gravity is said to be very difficult when there are more than three points affecting it. The calculation of gravity is said to be out of one’s reach even with the shikigami of today.

But in reality, it is not the shikigami themselves, but the programs of these shikigami that cannot process it. If one orders a shikigami, it will always give an answer with simple calculation methods.

Needless to say, what I wanted was not such a boring thing.

“Ah, thank you. But the bad thing about shikigami..."

“Yes?”

“You get an answer instantly.”

“That’s true. I thought you wanted me to research something else, but unfortunately I’m a shikigami and can only do things under your command.”

“You're depressing me and the vampire going to the moon. Oh, this is so boring.”

“...It’s about a week until a full moon, and there’s nobody who will lend us their hand.”

“You're making it sound as if people don’t like me, but there are people willing to help out. Just by counting, seven, eight... about nine will.”

“That many? Hmm… I wonder if something happened without me knowing?”

“You can do calculations on astronomical levels and yet it seems like you can’t do addition of single digits.”


-The day before the full moon.


A moon that was almost as big as a full moon had risen in the night sky. Although on Earth the moon is very bright, on a full moon it means that night falls on the backside of the moon. Around now it's probably dusk on the moon's backside.

“Our second trip to the moon is, at long last, tomorrow.“

“Yukari-sama, although I trust you I can’t help but be worried when I know nothing about tomorrow. Can you inform me about what we are going to do once we’re there?”

“I guess I should order you to debug[9] this now.”

“That would be helpful. But it seems so different from the last time you made an attack on the moon. I hear that in the past you gathered an army of the strongest youkai around and the attack was full of enthusiasm. Even then you were not victorious and this time... excuse me for the way I say this, but it's very easy-going. You lack numbers, you have no plan, and I’m sorry to say this but I doubt you’re going to have any chance against them.”

“I’ll tell you one very important thing.”

I looked at the moon with its slightly dim edge. When that dim bit becomes lit the moon will be accessible from the Earth. It was not long ago that this became possible, only about a thousand years ago.

“The residents of Earth can never beat the residents of the moon.”

Ran had a puzzled look on her face.

“Huh? Can never beat…?”

“The Lunarians possess highly advanced technology, unyielding stamina, and abilities that are far out of reach of the youkai. The ones living on Earth can never beat those on the moon, especially in the Lunar Capital.”

“Th-then why have you, now of all times, decided to attack the moon!? It’s unreasonable, you really don’t believe what you just said, right?”

“No, I really do not think that we stand a chance against them.”

“...Then what are we doing tomorrow?”

“A new resident of Gensokyo has arrived from the moon. We must receive something in return. Residential tax, so to speak.”

“Yes? What is that?”

Gensokyo is full of inhabitants that do as they like, but such freedom is not something that is promised. For everybody to live their lives with the least bit of freedom there needs to be a certain extent of rule. That rule will create a certain extent of hindrance to freedom, but that hindrance is necessary for freedom.

For example, humans of Gensokyo are constantly under the threat of being attacked by youkai, but they need to live with that threat to live in Gensokyo.

Youkai need to attack people because if they don’t do so, the meaning of their existence will be at risk, so youkai will attack humans.

The lives of those who live in Gensokyo are maintained by the youkai, and if there were no youkai in Gensokyo, Gensokyo would collapse. Thus, humans will not forget the fear that they have for the youkai and yet will not exterminate the youkai that might attack them, since doing so would destroy Gensokyo.

The opposite is also true, and if youkai didn’t have any humans to attack, the youkai would lose their meaning of existence. Thus youkai may attack humans but do not eat them for no apparent reason. Humans from the town are generally not for their eating under the contract.

“The new residents that are from the moon chose to live as human and not as youkai. Thus the ones of Eientei chose to be humans.”

I added “save that rabbit” at the end, as that was not able to become human no matter how hard it tried.

“Human...? That family of aliens? ... Uuuh, I cannot see them as humans no matter how hard I try...”

“Oh, but it’s not a matter of looks. Those ones do not follow the rule of youkai and are trying to enter the human society, are they not?”

They sell medicine and they also look after the sick. Such actions are “work” in human society and differ from that in youkai society.

“True, they do not go well with youkai like us. The people of the town seem to think of them as strange humans too...”

“Yet they do not fulfill the role of humans.”

The humans in the outside world have roles they must fulfill too; to learn, to work, and to become a part of society, such as in the case of taxes. Gensokyo also has the manners of dealing with youkai.

“The roles of humans... Ah. Come to think about it, that’s right. Those ones do not fear youkai, and their existence can destroy the power balance between the humans and the youkai. ...But what does that have to do with the invasion of the moon?”

“I already told you that, didn’t I? I want residential tax. Even if it does strengthen the humans, if it was to the extent of curing the humans and caring for their wounds, I wouldn’t mind. But they are not fulfilling their roles in paying tax, and thus cannot be a part of human society.

“... Then do you plan to steal something from the capital as tax payment, because those ones are the moon’s residents?”

Ran asked lightly, as it seems her question as answered. I was content because my answer was understood for once.

“Well, that’s the idea. It would be impossible to invade the Lunar Capital, but it would be easy enough to sneak in, no? I would like you to carry out that task.”


-The long awaited night of the full moon finally came.


The third night a sword, the half moon a bow. What does the full moon become?
The answer is a mirror.

A large mirror that reflects the sunlight, and at the same time shines into the darkness of the Earth. The light of the moon is to shine through the darkness; although that statement might seem as if it was the worst night for the youkai, why is it that the youkai are the most powerful under the light of the moon?

The reason for that is because the light not only shines on objects. The light also creates shadows.

Under the dim light of the moon shadows are formed in all sorts of places; grasses, trees, mountains, rocks and buildings. One cannot hope to shine the Earth full of such complex shapes without creating shadows. Such shadows in various places create the human's fear and at times become legends of youkai. In a manner of speaking, the moon is the birth mother of the youkai.

I was looking down on the moon that showed itself as a reflection on the lake. The moon on the lake seemed as if it was floating, far more than its other self in the night sky. Come to think of it, the moon in the sky seemed as if it was just a picture.

As I was sitting on the surface of the lake, Ran came to my side.

“It seems that the sun set completely.”

“You’re late. I almost thought you weren’t coming until the break of night."

“Oh no, night has yet to begin.”

The reflection of the moon was an illusion that could be reached; the far away moon in the sky was a picture on the parasol of heaven. The basics of both were the same.

I fiddled with the borders of the illusionary moon and the picture of the moon in the sky to create a passage between the moon and Earth.

“Yukari-sama, isn’t it about time that the vampire’s rocket got to the moon?”

“I’m guessing that the moon is in quite the racket, then. Perhaps they’re learning their lesson by now?”

“I’m guessing the vampires were only decoys for us?”

“Well... I suppose that interpretation wouldn’t be a mistake.”

“?”

I closed my umbrella and stabbed it into the illusionary moon floating on the lake. Strangely, the umbrella stood on the point where it was stabbed and didn’t show signs of sinking.

The moon on the surface of the lake wavered and, after shrinking once, became larger. By the time the moon has reached its maximum size, it began to shatter starting from the point where the umbrella was stabbed in.

The cracks in the center of the moon were of a few centimeters in thickness. As the moon shattered with the water which it was in, an opening to another place was starting to show. A crispy scent was coming from the other side.

On the other side of this crack was the surface of the moon that the vampires had gotten to. By entering this fissure one could instantaneously arrive on the moon.
The vampires had spent months to create their poorly-made rocket and spent more than ten days in a tightly squished space to go to the moon.
It was idiotic. If going to the moon was one's purpose, one need not copy the magic of the outside world in Gensokyo.

But I already knew that the vampires would not agree with my ideas.

Those vampires had the spirit that I forgotten. The feeling that the humans outside had begun to forget about, and the feeling that shikigami whose thoughts centered around efficiency despised. The fun that would come from travelling in a poorly-built rocket and feeling miserable. Something that came from an easy and short method had no meaning to it.

It was the spirit of enjoying hard work.

Long-living humans and youkai often forgot that soul, but the vampires still had a strong memory of it. That was why they neglected to go to the moon using my powers and insisted on going to the moon by their own hand.

“Finally, it’s time for payback for the residents of the moon.”

“Indeed. However, Ran, before we say goodbye to Earth I’ll give you a hint of what to do once we get there.”

“A hint? If you could order me that would be better.”

“Even if it was an order, one would have more fun to think about it, right?”

“Well, I won’t mind.”

“We spoke about the orbital period a few days ago. The orbital period is shorter than planned. I’ll tell you the reason for that.”

“That’s very interesting... but that’s the hint?”

“The reason why the moon’s orbital period is shorter than twenty-eight days is because that is the mousetrap that was set a long, long time ago.”

“?”

“I’ll tell you a make-believe story. Let’s say there was a youkai that was able to connect the Earth and the moon using the full moon.”

“That’s Yukari-sama, right?”

“It’s a make-believe story. The youkai who knew that she could easily make a pathway naturally thought about sneaking into the Lunar Capital and playing around.”

The pathway at our foot was just about big enough for a person to go in. I jumped into the pathway and the first thing to come was the blinding light of the daytime moon. A sky full of stars and an endlessly spreading water surface was visible. It was the sea of the moon.

Ran arrived after I did.

For a while we’d been here every month, so Ran wasn’t surprised. From here I placed a shikigami on to a crow to see the Earth. Needless to say, I was mimicking the doings of the Lunarians.

“...That youkai opened a path to the moon on the fifteenth night as the paths of the sky showed, and decided to sneak in. ...Although this is a make-believe story.”

“Right.”

“There was little information about the Lunar Capital and one couldn’t start without going there first. The long awaited fifteenth night had come and that youkai jumped into the moon on the lake surface... What do you think she saw there?”

“A sea as far as the eye can see?”

“Correct, well done. The moon was covered with a very beautiful sea and the youkai knew instantaneously that the way to go back would be to go through the planet that showed in the sea.”

I jammed my umbrealla into the cracks that we just took so it wouldn’t close, and bent the umbrella into the way that we would take from here. The umbrella became a deformed shape after being bent a few times.

“Yukari-sama, what are you doing? Bending your umbrella like that...”

“A secret. It’s like a curse. Anyway, back to the make-believe story. After preparing a way back, the youkai felt assured and traveled to the Lunar Capital.”

“This is a make-believe story... right?”

“I won’t say the same thing that many times. That youkai looked for a way to break the barrier that surrounds the moon. The barrier was stronger than she expected and would take her a long time.”

I started on the way towards the moon’s capital. Ran quickly followed.

“Finally, finding a key to breaking the barrier, the youkai tried to enter the capital. However, the capital was well protected and the youkai came to the conclusion that she didn’t have enough power at that time, or it would take too much time. The smart youkai thought to retreat for the moment being and think of a plan.”

“...”

“Easily brushing off the Lunarian pursuers, the youkai made her way back to the path that she'd taken to come to the moon. Only to be shocked at what she saw.”
Ran remained silent, she was probably too interested in my story.

“The path was slowly closing and was no longer a size that the youkai could go through. The youkai was shocked, 'Why was the pathway closing? If today was the fifteenth night there should be no way that it would close.'”

“And then what happened? Oh, I mean what happened in that story?”

“The youkai who had no way to return had to surrender. Since she was up against those that she could not win against.”

“I-Is that so... Um and why was I listening to that story?

“What are you saying? The question was why the moon’s orbital period is not twenty-eight days, but twenty-seven and a third of a day. Correct?”

“Oh, right.”

“If I tell you that much, you should understand, right? The fifteenth night used to be a perfect full moon, but by somebody’s doing, probably the Lunarian sage, the rotational period was changed and orbital period was altered. Before you knew it the fifteenth night was no longer a night of the perfect full moon. Thus the full moon would close quicker than expected.”

“So what you’re saying is that it was a trap that the Lunarian sage thought of to trap the youkai that would find its way into the moon using the full moon?”
“Exactly, a trap that was set for a very long time by the much-despised Lunarian sage.”

It was from that time that one could not make a month thirty days and Earth’s calendar was in confusion. The lunarians did not care about what was happening on Earth, only about not letting the full moon be on the fifteenth, and altered the orbit of the moon. To those on the moon, Earth only existed to look down on so they did not think about Earth’s convenience.

The sea of the moon was very quiet and only the slight sound of the waves could be heard. The sound of the waves was not of mother sea but only a sound made by the water molecules bumping into each other. That was because there was no life in the seas of the moon.

“Although it was make-believe, it was very helpful. But thinking from the hint...”

“What is it?”

Ran seemed to be choosing her words carefully, not being able to respond. Although her calculation abilities were high, her language abilities seemed to need some work.

“Wouldn’t it mean that we’re right in the trap that the Lunarian sage set up? If it would take time to get to the capital of the moon, by the time we come back it wouldn’t be a full moon any more, since it would take some time to break the battier on the capital of the moon, right?”

“Oh my, I didn’t notice that.”

“No really, please don’t joke around. We’re in enemy territory and the slightest of mistakes can lead to disaster. Of course I believe that you have some kind of plan...”

“Well, if we no longer have a way back, we can ask for a ride on the vampire’s rocket. She should be on the moon by now. Or did we arrive too fast for her?”

“I have trouble understanding to what extent you’re joking. That rocket of the vampires might be stranded on the sea and broken for all we know. Although you never saw it, it was really a poorly built piece of junk.”

Ran acted as if she was angered but she had to do exactly as I said so she had to trust me.

“So, it was that badly built? If so, it might have burned up before it even came here... unless it had a trick up its sleeve.”

The moon that Ran and I got to was unthinkably silent compared to the Gensokyo that was constantly noisy from bickering between humans and youkai.

Humans sought for the city to be a cheerful place and before they knew Earth was rid of silence. If even the Gensokyo that was to be a rural area was noisy, the outside world was even more so.

Yet the capital of the moon was even more technologically advanced. If so, the capital that exists at the other side of the moon should be very noisy. If they are to be experiencing a peaceful prosperity, that would only be a sign of decay. Or perhaps it could mean an incomparably advanced civilization.
Whether it was decay or pure heaven, I hated it. I needed the noise of the city.

With that in mind, thinking that the vampires were somewhere on this quiet moon causing a racket made me feel nostalgia.

Chapter 5. From the Infinitely Low Earth.

Translation and references by Sabino, proofreading/formatting by Furienify.


  1. Originally written 天蓋. Originates from a sunshade or parasol but for easier understanding changed to "roof of heaven".
  2. Mikaduki (三日月) Written as the moon of the third day, the shape is a crescent.
  3. Jyuu-goya(十五夜) Written as the fifteenth night. The shape of the moon on this day is a perfect full moon. The impact that these days had in ancient Japan can be seen in many songs. (A famous one is the song Usagi (うさぎ))
  4. In the original text it is written as Shikigami labeled to be read as “Computer”
  5. Read as "computer".
  6. Yumi-hari duki(弓張月)- Written as bow spreading moon.
  7. Star “Bow” Break. Flandre's signature spell card.
  8. “Meaning new moon” Is what is written as a foot note for this part.
  9. “Test” is the term used, written to be read as “debug”

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