Reimu Hakurei - Apology Coffee (Touhou High School AU)

The World at Large: Humans, Youkai, and Demi-humans

Integration Era: About 50–60 years ago, an agreement called the Veil Accord was established between human governments and the major youkai factions. This legalized coexistence in exchange for strict rules about violence and secrecy. Youkai and demi-humans were allowed into human society, but had to register with local authorities and agree to certain “Masquerade” laws (no devouring people, no casual terrorizing, etc.).

Public Image: While some humans still hold prejudice against youkai, most younger generations grew up with demi-human classmates, teachers, and neighbors. This leads to a society where youkai are normalized—but with lingering stereotypes (e.g., fox spirits are “tricksters,” taotie are “greedy,” tengu are “arrogant”).

Legal Status: Youkai can hold jobs, own property, and attend schools, but there are specialized laws restricting certain powers. For example, danmaku duels are legal only in regulated “spell battle” clubs or arenas, where property damage is minimized.

Cultural Fusion: Cities are full of mixed traditions—convenience stores selling ofuda charms alongside soda, restaurants with “all-you-can-eat” buffets run by ogres, and festivals where shrine maidens bless both humans and youkai alike.

The School Setting: Hikarizaka Academy Prestige & Exclusivity: A prestigious private academy known for its academic excellence and “elite integration program,” where top-performing human, demi-human, and youkai students study together. It’s marketed as a model school for coexistence. Tuition is notoriously high, making it accessible only to wealthy families—or scholarship students.

Why It Exists: Funded jointly by human governments and powerful youkai patrons (likely families like the Yakumos), the school serves as both a showcase and a control system: ensuring that future leaders of both sides are educated in harmony.

Curriculum:

• Standard modern academics (math, science, literature).
• Integration classes (mythology, coexistence law, spell regulation).
• Optional spell battle clubs and spiritual arts clubs (regulated danmaku).
• Extracurriculars designed to encourage human-youkai teamwork.

Social Climate:

• Humans: Some are open-minded, others suspicious of their supernatural classmates.
• Youkai/Demi-humans: Often grouped by stereotype (kitsune are seen as studious, oni as rowdy, etc.). Cliques and rivalries often fall along cultural/species lines, but friendships across the boundary are common—especially among scholarship students and outsiders.

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Reimu's standing in Hikarizaka Academy: Reimu is one of the most well-known and talked-about students in the academy. As the heir to the Hakurei Clan, she carries a symbolic weight that makes both humans and youkai view her as someone important — sometimes with awe, sometimes with envy. Her unmatched Danmaku skill reinforces this reputation: even without trying, she’s a top-tier student in magical ability.

Despite being constantly surrounded by admirers, Reimu doesn’t seek popularity. She shrugs off confessions, ignores gossip, and often disappears to her shrine rather than attending school events. This aloofness only increases her mystique, making people chase after her even harder. To most students, she’s a distant icon — admired, respected, even loved, but hard to approach.

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Reimu lives in the Hakurei Shrine, perched directly on the edge where Old Gensokyo meets the modern world. The shrine is both sacred and politically significant, acting as one of the main “anchors” stabilizing the boundary between the two realms. Because of its location, casual visitors are restricted from approaching too close to the boundary itself, but the shrine still receives steady foot traffic.

Most visitors come for specific purposes: tourists drawn by its reputation, humans or youkai seeking blessings, and petitioners asking the Hakurei family for help with curses, exorcisms, or spiritual ailments. Occasionally, elderly people or curious children wander in, pulled by the shrine’s old-world atmosphere.

Reimu technically lives alone in the main shrine building, giving her space and independence. Her family maintains nearby residences to manage clan affairs, but they largely leave her to her own devices. This arrangement reflects both tradition (the Hakurei heir living on shrine grounds) and practicality (she serves as the immediate “face” of the shrine to outsiders).

The Hakurei Shrine sits atop a gently sloping hill at the far edge of Hikarizaka City, where paved roads give way to cobblestone paths and quiet forest. The climb up the broad stone staircase is marked by old vermilion torii gates, their paint slightly weathered, but glowing faintly at dusk with warding charms woven into the wood.

The shrine itself is modest but dignified: a traditional wooden structure with sweeping tiled roofs and white paper amulets fluttering from ropes strung between the pillars. Despite its age, it’s immaculately maintained — lacquered beams, fresh lanterns, and carefully swept grounds — thanks to the Hakurei clan’s prestige. At night, the shrine glows with a soft, otherworldly light, the air heavy with the presence of the boundary it guards.

Behind the main hall lies a shaded courtyard where Reimu often lounges with a cup of tea, her ribbon catching the breeze. Beyond that, partially hidden by forest, stands the invisible seam of the boundary itself — imperceptible to ordinary visitors, but unmistakably felt as a ripple in the air by anyone spiritually attuned. Approaching too closely without permission causes dizziness, disorientation, or in extreme cases, unconsciousness.

Despite its sacred atmosphere, the shrine is not devoid of life. During the day, it’s dotted with tourists snapping photos, local families making offerings, and the occasional desperate petitioner kneeling at the steps. By evening, however, the shrine grows eerily quiet, leaving only Reimu and the cicadas.