These are fragments of a connection between two girls. Even if they are apart from one another, even if the other feels like a reflection distorted in the water’s surface, these fragments exist in some place at some time, proving their connection remains strong.
It was autumn in Gensokyo, and leaves of red, gold, and brown fluttered down to the Genbu Ravine before floating downstream. Amid such beautiful scenery, two youkai were sitting on opposite ends of shogi board, enjoying a game. Momiji and Nitori were their names.

They weren’t playing ordinary shogi. They were playing Tengu Dai Shogi, a variant of shogi to which the white wolf tengu (and in particular, Momiji) had added many extra pieces and rules. Supposedly, the reason Tengu Dai Shogi was invented was because regular shogi games were too short. There was once an article about it in the Bunbunmaru Newspaper titled something like “New Style of Shogi Found in Gensokyo!” However, Tengu Dai Shogi failed to gain much popularity and is almost exclusively enjoyed by white wolf tengu and kappa.
But enough about that. Momiji and Nitori’s match was taking shape, and eventually, one of them would emerge victorious.

Water flowed down the ravine, hitting rocks and sending small splashes into the cool autumn air as the hard-fought match dragged on. With every move, the tension grew, but for Momiji and Nitori, that was all part of the fun. Perhaps because, given their long lifespans, they both had plenty of time to kill, or perhaps because they simply loved shogi, but neither of them wanted this match to end. Whatever the case, it was clear neither of them was holding back and that they were both having a great time.

Autumn leaves continued to flow down the river as Momiji pondered her next move. Where the colorful leaves would end up was not yet known, just like the winner of this match. With the sound of the river echoing in the ravine, at long last, Momiji reached for one of her pieces.
Seeing what her opponent was planning, Nitori murmured to herself, “Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all…” Then, she fell silent and began thinking about how to salvage the situation.
Momiji’s move changed the whole match. It felt like time was standing still for the both of them. Droplets of water sprung up from the river as if to glimpse what had transpired. Was that it? Was it over?

The sound of the water droplets splashing back down into the river and of Momiji placing her piece onto the board resonated through the ravine. Based on the two youkai’s expressions and Nitori’s prior murmuring, it seems Momiji had taken the upper hand.
But Tengu Dai Shogi is known for its bewilderingly long matches, and this one was still far from over. Who eventually won is known only to Momiji and Nitori. The only certainty is that the two of them were friends. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been playing for so long or enjoying themselves so much.
After a short while, the sound of Nitori placing her next piece rang out through the autumn air.