little bell.

As she glances at the buildings that line the streets of Cotes, she’s quickly coming to the realization that maybe she should take cover -- at least, until the hottest part of the day passes. It isn’t any good if she were to melt into a puddle!

Cue a slightly disheveled Kosuzu crossing the threshold into the nearest shop. It’s not fancy by any means, but what she finds lining the shelves piques her interest. Perhaps there are some books? Maybe a youkai shopkeeper?

She advances around a shelf tentatively, unsure of what exactly she’d find on the other side. “Excuse me... I was wondering if you kept any--” 

An unexpected but familiar sight comes into her view. Is the heat playing tricks on her? Or maybe it really is...

“M-Marisa?” 

Lined with old shops and unassuming window displays, the Cotes Ward street branching off from a more popular area didn’t get much foot traffic. He was only here out of curiosity, following a desire to find something more interesting than the libraries carried. More bookstore-filled than not, this area had some value for now.

He stopped to read what signs weren’t too faded to decipher, and the first other person he’d seen appeared. A girl had followed the route he’d come in through. She looked even more curious than could be seen on his face, and Dune set his original plan back for a moment. Might as well see if he could make this more worthwhile.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted her with a smile. “Are you also here to see if the rumor is true?”

@decipheringbell

Despite her momentary bout of negative feelings that addled her on her arrival back, such feelings were just that -- momentary. It’s at present that Kosuzu’s mostly forgotten about why she had been upset to be back here, with her attention aimed toward exploring the myriad shops in Cotes. There’s something universally comforting about bookstores; to her, though the Suzunaan was less like a bookstore and more like a lending library, such shops were a familiar sight in a mostly unfamiliar town. Though it isn’t home -- rather it’s nothing like home -- she’s satisfied with popping in and out of the shops for the time being. 

After a brief while of having done so, she winds down a different path, curious to see where this heads. She’d have been just as content to continue, were it not for a stranger’s sudden address stopping her in her tracks. 

“Oh, good afternoon!” With a light bounce in her step, Kosuzu turns to greet him back. But wait -- what’s this about a rumor? 

 “This kind of talk isn’t appropriate.”

“Hmm...”

KOSUZU MOTOORI (touhou project)

protagonist of the forbidden scrollery manga

an ordinary human girl who just loves books

works in the book renter shop Suzunaan, which her family owns

beautiful cinnamon roll too good for gensokyo, too pure

curious and interested in all things occult-related as a result of the kinds of books that land in her shop

this often gets her into a fair bit of trouble

this always gets her into trouble

can decipher any text, whether foreign or in an ancient language, though the context is often lost on her

prone to fainting when frightened

symbol / headcanon meme // accepting!!

☥  -- i can only imagine she would have continued going to school, or have continued her education in some capacity! kosuzu’s love of learning and unbridled curiosity wouldn’t have faded, and i can also see her imparting her learning to others in some aspect, whether it is as a teacher or perhaps an author or scholar. she’d be just as satisfied -- she’s very driven and determined to achieve what she wants, even if it means getting herself in some sort of trouble.

☢  -- oogh. on one hand, she wouldn’t heck up too badly -- from what she’s heard, the Yama is a very scary individual and having to face her is quite the ordeal. best not to make it even more painful than she has to. but on the other hand, she’d likely spend that time either with her close friends or trying to figure out how to transform herself into a youkai so that she wouldn’t end up facing the inevitable.