Illustration for my AI Tails cover song 「Two-toned butterfly」 ————— A song from the Touhou Project. From RD-Sound's album "Futile", featuring Reimu Hakurei's song. In this cover, the rescued villager is portrayed by Sonic, and the Hakurei shrine miko is played by Tails.
And so we get—look, Hakurei Tails!
"Futile" means something done in vain or without purpose.
The Glaive is Vexcalibur from Destiny 2.
Don’t ask if Sonic really died; this is just a song cover, and all characters are cosplaying. No hedgehogs were harmed during this production. —————— Lore： Gensokyo, a mystical realm where monster and humans coexist. Here, human fear is the nourishment upon which monster survive—the fundamental law maintaining the delicate balance of this mysterious domain.
Unfortunately, a young boy (played by Sonic) happened to be caught in this cruel fate's whirlpool. As monster claws closed in, he was like a fish on a cutting board, utterly defenseless. Grievously wounded and barely breathing, he was completely engulfed by the shadow of despair, even beginning to silently accept his pitiful destiny—
At the very moment of this tragic realization, a pair of red and white butterfly-like light shadows suddenly burst forth. Wielding a crystal-blue long spear and dressed in red and white attire, the Hakurei shrine miko (played by Tails)—the sole guardian of this fantastical land—descended like a divine being. Those intertwined colors instantly annihilated the surrounding monster. Her fierce and bewitching figure, like a lightning bolt slicing through darkness, was deeply etched into the boy's soul, reigniting his faint life force.
The boy who survived the calamity began to harbor reverence and infatuation for this shrine miko. He started frequently visiting the quiet, lonely Hakurei Shrine under the pretext of gratitude. Gradually, between his passionate youth and her lonely spirit, a subtle sentiment beyond mere gratitude quietly blossomed.
They began to share dreams of their future. The Hakurei miko whispered that her true name would only be revealed on their wedding night. Satisfied, she nestled in her lover's embrace, hinting that such a day might not be far off.
The shrine miko naively believed she had finally escaped her loneliness. However, the boy's heart harbored a deeper desire. An empty void was gnawing at his inner self. The shrine miko was gentle, cute, and full of vitality, but this was not what he craved. In his memories, he was always haunted by the Hakurei miko from their first encounter—the one who was cold as ice, sharp as a blade, and ruthless when confronting monster. That was her true self. That was the form he truly loved: an existence that could playfully manipulate eternity and effortlessly obliterate any transgressing predator.
Yet, seeing her current state, living a leisurely life, elegantly sharing tea and snacks with him, she was indistinguishable from an ordinary person. This was not the form he desired. This was not how a shrine miko should be. He did not want her to become what he considered "degraded".
An unnamed obligation ignited in the boy's heart. If he was the reason for her degradation, if as a human he had trapped her in this comfortable cage—then perhaps he should let himself fall.
If only he could meet her true self again, he would have no regrets.
This life was given by her from the beginning, so in the end, let this useless life bloom like a flower.
He abandoned his human form and descended into a monster—an unforgivable taboo in Gensokyo, with only one possible consequence: death by divine law.
The Hakurei miko watched her former beloved, weeping, unable to comprehend how something once so beautiful could develop this way. Despair and anger intertwined, yet she could not change the predetermined outcome. As an intermediary between humans and monster, she must maintain Gensokyo's order. Therefore, entities that disrupt the order must be completely eliminated—even a former lover.
The boy ultimately saw the two-colored butterfly of his dreams. That fleeting flower reaching the extreme of fantasy. Crimson, pure white, bewitching, fierce, and simultaneously, so powerful. This was the person he truly loved, the true "Hakurei miko".
Like all beings who defy the rules, he finally turned to ash, vanishing without a trace. And after this, no one would ever know the true name of the "Hakurei miko". ——————
. . . This was a Touhou song I've loved for a long time, but I never expected to become just like the characters in it. How ironic. I'm just like the Sonic character in the song, believing myself to be Tails' true love, selflessly dedicating and sacrificing myself. In reality, I never truly loved Tails—I was merely in love with the perfect image of him in my mind, in love with my own fantasy. Such so-called dedication and sacrifice ultimately serves only to make the other person feel utterly stupid and incredibly bored. Isn't constraining a character with one's fantasy also a kind of withering, scattered flower?
