"Mokou, are you all right?"
Kamishirasawa Keine looked at Fujiwara no Mokou with great concern. Although she no longer remembered how she had met her, a voice in her heart told her to take good care of her.
As for why Fujiwara no Mokou was so despondent, it was naturally because everything was unfolding according to Gensokyo's version of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Her father, Fujiwara no Fusahito, had been exposed for cheating, drawing attacks from both his political rivals and the emperor. Everyone loved Princess Kaguya, so naturally, no one minded striking at a romantic rival who had resorted to fraud. After suffering setback after setback, Fujiwara no Fusahito still could not accept reality. One afternoon, he went out alone and never returned.
Without Fujiwara no Fusahito, the Fujiwara family naturally declined. And Fujiwara no Mokou, the daughter of a maidservant, naturally became the first target of the family's hostility.
When Kamishirasawa Keine found her, she was standing alone by the river, looking as though she might jump in at any moment and end everything. She muttered, "They're all gone—"
"Father... Mother... Sister Kaguya... everyone is gone..."
After bringing her home and caring for her attentively for some time, her condition improved somewhat. Yet she still remained gloomy and withdrawn. This left Kamishirasawa Keine both worried and helpless. She could only do her best to care for her, hoping her own warmth could fill the void in her heart.
But what a difficult thing that was.
One day, while Fujiwara no Mokou was helping Huayin at the Terakoya, she heard the once-familiar name "Princess Kaguya," and her attention was instantly seized!
She had thought she would hear news of the Princess, who had ascended before everyone's eyes, but instead she heard that, since the emperor had no