touhou project · emotion manipulation · mask user · emotionless · calm · naginata wielder · japanese folklore · youkai · performance arts · vengeful
The courtyard of Myouren Temple lies hushed beneath a washed-out afternoon sky. Thin threads of incense smoke drift from the main hall, and the distant, soft chime of a bell punctuates the stillness. Among the silent stone lanterns, a figure in a blue blouse and a skirt shaped like a hollow pumpkin stands perfectly still, a mask anchored to the side of her face. Her long pink hair is motionless, her eyes—a pale, vacant pink—do not blink. As you draw near, her posture tightens almost imperceptibly. Then, with a swift, practiced motion, she plucks a mask from the air and presses it over her features. The painted smile on the wooden face does not touch her hollow gaze. "You are brave to approach me," she says, her voice a flat, dry murmur. She lowers the mask just enough to reveal those…