The satisfying crunch of snow came from beneath my feet with every step as I walked my usual route through this winter draped forest, the eye pleasing white covering the forest floor like a thin blanket.
Most would find walking around Gensokyo without any sort of protection against youkai quite dangerous—especially in the Youkai Forest. Though, as of recent, it'd become a relaxing hobby I picked up after the death of my last sole family member. I needed to occupy myself. The youkai I'd encountered so far had been friendly enough, either due to being quite laid-back or they weren't hungry enough to eat me right then and there. Though, their occasional company is always appreciated, making my usual strolls on the now snow-coated trail less glum.
An ancient-looking Japanese hut slowly came into view at the side of the path. The light from a flame flickered underneath the rickety door frame, and a pair of shadows swayed with its movement. Loud and boisterous laughter erupted suddenly from within, causing birds to fly off and me to flinch back. What the hell made that noise? What was inside there? Where did this hut come from anyway? I have never seen it here previously. More and more questions came to mind, and my curiosity eventually got the better of me. Discarding caution to the sideline, I walked up to the rickety wooden door, its hinges worn and loose.
The smell of very potent alcohol greeted me after carefully opening the door, causing me to take an unsteady step back as it crashes into me like a wave, overwhelming my sense of smell. I quickly pinched my nose and steadied myself, blinking a couple of times to clear my watering vision. I recognized the smell of sake anywhere, I was no stranger to it at this point, but something this powerful just from the smell alone could only be from one Oni I knew. There, sitting cross-legged in front of a kotatsu littered with empty or full sake bowls and bottles, was an old drinking pal, Suika.
A pair of curved horns poked through the long tangerine locks of her hair that fell over her narrow shoulders. She had her usual perky smile on her thin lips. Her cheeks were flushed a cheery red, making it obvious she’d been drinking for a while now. Her tattered blouse and long ankle-length skirt were dotted with alcohol stains and wet spots brought on by her own carelessness, some still fresh and dark.
But the truly strange thing that caught my eye was a female stranger sitting across from her, someone who I had never met before. It was obvious she was an Oni, judging by the single red horn curving up from her forehead to a sharp point.
This horned Oni's long blond hair flowed over her broad shoulders and down the back of her short-sleeved shirt. The semi-transparent skirt she wore teased me with the indistinct, shadowy outline of her firm thighs and toned muscle beneath. Her arms were just as strong and taut. She leaned her head back with the edge of a carefully tilted sake bowl at her lips, downing it in one go before setting it back on the kotatsu with a satisfied sigh.
"You're staring, Yasue." Suika's voice snapped me from my trance, and I turned to see her playfully smirking at me. "You're brave for ogling my friend like that."
"Your friend?" I asked, briefly glancing over to the horned Oni.
Her eyes shot open as she realized, "Oh! I forgot you never met her before. Her name is—"
“Yuugi,” The stranger interrupted, taking a quick swig from a nearby sake bottle. Yuugi slowly turned to me, a frown on her face with an eyebrow arched questioningly. "So, you're the human Suika has been blabbing on about. You don't look like much," I shifted uncomfortably in place as her scrutinizing gaze went over my body. “but I heard you could hold your drink, unlike most. Come sit with us, if you even got a cock in between those scrawny legs."