“What a beautiful sight it was, like a reflection in water ever still, yet so fantastical it sent trickles of fear coursing down the spine.”

In a time past, there was an incident pertaining to Occult Balls, where a girl claiming to have superhuman powers attempted to break the Great Hakurei Barrier and link Gensokyo and the outside world. As the incident unfolded, what was the crow tengu reporter Aya Shameimaru up to?

What follows are her records from the event. Whether they are true or false is unknown. Perhaps they are fantasies. That is for you to discover for yourself.

Aya Shameimaru’s Reporter Notes - Part 1
I was heading to investigate a story like I do every day, and as I flew over Hakurei Shrine, it happened. There was a great roar, and I was overcome by a strange sensation. Without thinking, I looked down and saw… something that shouldn’t have been possible to see.

If I had to describe it, I’d say it was like staring into a beautiful abyss. It may read as disingenuous, but that is what I saw. It was a vision of what lies beyond common sense and absurdity.

Aya Shameimaru’s Reporter Notes - Part 2
The ground beneath Hakurei Shrine slowly began to crumble and fall, and beneath it, a new world opened up. I felt as if it may swallow me whole. Sights and smells that I knew not to occur in nature burst upward and overloaded my senses. There was beauty, but the depths of the unfamiliarity inspired a dreadful fear.

…That’s right. It was the outside world.

The space that appeared where Hakurei Shrine had crumbled was filled with the outside world. What a beautiful sight it was, like a reflection in water ever still, yet so fantastical it sent trickles of fear coursing down the spine. But the most terrifying thing of all, was knowing what it meant to see what I was seeing.

Aya Shameimaru’s Reporter Notes - Part 3
I was witnessing the outside world. That could only mean the Great Hakurei barrier had been broken. This was an incident like none before it. I wondered if the Hakurei shrine maiden, the one charged with maintaining the barrier, or the sages of Gensokyo were already working to resolve the incident. Or maybe they meant to let it continue? I wanted to report on what was unfolding before my eyes, but a thought struck me…

“This is my chance. If I let myself fall into the beautiful abyss below me, I can travel to the outside world, and report on all its goings on.”

I’m loathed to admit it, but the Great Hakurei Barrier being broken and the sight of the world cracking open in front of my eyes began to overwhelm me. I couldn’t decide what to do…

Thus concludes Aya Shameimaru’s notes. No further records or documentation have been found. It’s unknown which parallel world her notes originate from, and whether they are really hers from the time of the incident in question.

Assuming the above notes depict real events, one can only wonder what Aya did next. Did she fly around Gensokyo reporting on the incident? Did she aid those who sought to resolve it? Or did she go to the outside world, reporter’s notepad in hand?

So, what do you think she did?