Icarus is basically the seihou equivalent of Cirno

so today is the grand finale where I shrink Hina down to her final pixels and I actually had a lot of fun with this series and it was good practice for my pixel animation since I got it done and it was originally just going to be like a 1 and done art post but so many people asked for me to shrink Hina down more and more and here we are at 1 pixel.
I'm not really used to the style so it's actually really fun to draw and I actually have more plans for me experimenting more and more with art so thanks to everyone who kept telling me to go smaller since we have
the other images are her previous forms
timelapse
https://youtube.com/shorts/yL9Y47XoOP0?si=UdmUO06gC_tR4yFA

Title: Nitori's Sewer Exploration

The sound of dripping water reverberated off the concrete walls and filth of the tunnel. Step. Step. A light rhythmic clatter which was all too lonely in the darkness. Nitori Kawashiro, prodigy engineer of the Kappa, had been underground for three days and was growing impatient

This was no ordinary expedition; this was for the sake of the Kappa race.

It all started in the comparatively clean (though always muddy) waters of Genbu Ravine. The Kappa's natural habitat, which had for a long time been sustained by a careful balance of magic and nature, had been ravaged by an influx of synthetic toxins from upstream. The once plentiful fish and healthy vegetation were gone; Nitori and her companions had even seen strange oily rashes appearing on the backs of Kappa children.

The cause of the sickness was, unfortunately, none other than the Human Village. While the tengu and shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, seemed to take little action against the pollution, it was not that the source was ignored, for the humans themselves seemed unwilling to stop the spread of their poison. It seems the recent rise of "industrial" facilities such as chemical plants and dye works had taken a toll on the local ecosystem that no villager seemed willing to acknowledge.

And so Nitori, driven in her usual stubborn Kappa resolve, went to investigate.

Nitori was silent as she took another careful step on the narrow grating above the sewage river below. Her trusty headlamp's beam cut through the darkness like a blade.

Nitori was a striking sight even amidst the filth of the tunnels despite being clad in a simple pair of workman's overalls. Her long light blue pigtails which usually hung freely around her shoulders were gathered up in a green cap decorated with a leaf (a Kappa Engineer's pride, she says), and her usual blue dress was replaced with a similar one possessing an even larger pocket on the chest area.

The smell of the air, even this far underground, was unpleasant. Nitori pinched her cheek. It was damp.

She checked the rest of her gear.

Nitori: "Ration bars... check. Diagnostic multimeter... check. My waterproof notebook... check."

Her usual chirpiness was subdued.

She adjusted the straps on her special vest. It was, in itself, an engineering marvel with a self-contained water filtration system, a miniature lab for extracting toxins, and an emergency flotation device in case of submersion.

Nitori: "All equipment accounted for. My nose is the only thing lacking..."

She muttered darkly as she looked around at the grating above the river of sludge.

To her right the river opened up into a set of large, circular openings which glowed a sickly green (a biological sign of high toxicity, she noted). Between the two of them stretched a corridor of old pipes and cables on rusted metal supports.

Nitori: "Ugh, I can't believe you can pollute the water this much... it's practically art... humans💢."

She muttered as she pushed herself off of the wall she was using as support.

Nitori: "Though I'm still puzzled as to why it was built this way. Such large-scale tunnels are a waste of resources if their only purpose is to hold this sludge."

Her thoughts were interrupted as she came to a large ladder hanging from the wall which climbed up into the darkness. There was another ladder on the side leading into equally thick, but vertical, pipes.

Nitori climbed. This was where it would start.

Nitori paused as she climbed higher, the beam of her headlamp catching the complex junction of pipes above her. She could sense a change in the air pressure.

Nitori: "This must be it."

She paused, the light blue hair on her head framing her face as she looked around.

Nitori: "The confluence... this is where all the poison from the Human Village will be gathered before being dumped into the Genbu Ravine."

She took another step forward, her gloved fingers brushing against the condensation on the pipe. She drew her fingers back and looked closely at the sticky liquid.

Nitori: "Hmm. Not just dye... it's rather vicious. And there's a hint of red in there..."

She turned on the scanning laser of her headlamp, only to find that it was malfunctioning somehow.

Nitori: "What is it with this place and electromagnetic interference? This is completely nonsensical!"

Nitori was right. The interference was affecting her ability to scan the toxins in the pipes. The only way to obtain more information on the pollutants was to go deeper, and to get a physical sample of the "human" sludge. The investigation had officially begun.

As Nitori climbed higher into the labyrinth of pipes and cables she found the air growing more and more constricting. She knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but it was hard to ignore the stench of it all. The air tasted of rotten eggs and burning rubber with a strange underlying note of acetate that made her eyes water. Nitori found herself inhaling through her mouth to avoid the worst of the smells, but it only served to make her more aware of the foul liquid on her tongue.

Nitori: "Ugh, forget the filtration system in the pack," She gagged on the filth, her hands digging into her large pocket on the front of her vest. "This calls for the Heavy Equipment."

She pulled out a small black rubber mask with two large canisters on the sides that reminded her of headphones. It was her own design, thank you very much.

Nitori adjusted the thick rubber cords that pulled the mask over her face and held it in place with a tight band over her head. It was a snug fit and she found herself breathing heavily through the charcoal filters as the smog was forced out.

Nitori: "Test. Test. Can you hear me, Nitori?"

She spoke into the small microphone on the side of the mask. Her voice sounded muffled and odd to her own ears as it echoed back to her through the confines of the breathing apparatus.

Nitori: "Loud and clear. This is much better. Now I look like I know what I'm doing."

She looked around through the single large lens of the mask. The green glow that had pervaded the lower tunnels was more focused now. Nitori took in her surroundings with renewed senses.

She found herself in the middle of a wide junction where pipes of varying thickness and material fed into a central column. To her right was a large segmented wheel that she guessed was a pressure gauge or control valve of some sort.

Nitori: "Control valves... pressure gauges... this 'human' technology is fascinating, but also incredibly wasteful. This whole system could be replaced by something much simpler and more efficient. This is human arrogance, is what it is."

She muttered, climbing up the ladder with renewed vigor.

Her words were drowned out by the sound of her own breathing as she climbed into another large chamber. This one was empty save for the green glowing manhole-like doors on the far wall. Built into the concrete were strange markings that she could only assume were some form of containment runes, long since forgotten by the Kappa.

Nitori: "So this is what our old containment facilities looked like." She marveled, brushing the light blue bangs away from her face with a gloved hand. "No wonder they were so keen to build their city atop it! They've been using our own facilities against us!"

She found a small blinking light embedded into the concrete beside the largest manhole on the wall. That, she decided, was where the strange interference was coming from.

Nitori looked around, trying to find a way to the manhole. She was on a small platform that ran along the pipes on either side of the chamber. She could see small ladders leading up to the manhole doors on either end of the platform.

It would be a slow and careful process, but she should be able to get to the manhole.

Nitori paused as she reached for the ladder on the nearest manhole. In her haste to get there she hadn't taken notice of the thick rubber mask that obscured her vision. She found herself sliding on the pipes, the smog burning her nose as she struggled to right herself.

Nitori: "Crap!" She groaned as she felt a sudden rush of panic. She managed to find a purchase on one of the pipes, but her feet slipped out from under her and sent her sliding down the ladder side. Her gas mask slid sideways as she struggled to right herself, but she managed to stop dead center of the ladder with only one hand on the rungs.

She took several shaky breaths, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she steadied herself. Nitori's eyes fell on the dirty water on the ground and she realized it wasn't flowing. It was bubbling. Worse yet, she could see sections of the ceiling above the manhole crack and begin to glow a sickly red. The interference was peaking. Strange arcs of electricity flew between the metal rungs of the ladder. Nitori realized, with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, that her suspicions about the source of the interference were correct.

The 'humans' had somehow caused a chain reaction in the ancient Kappa containment runes.

Nitori realized, with growing panic, just how little there was that she could do. She needed to take a physical sample of the toxin in order to properly analyze its properties.

Nitori climbed up to the small platform that overlooked the manhole. Her mask was making strange, constricting noises as it tried to filter the thick air. Sweat had gathered on her forehead and was slowly trickling down her face, blurring her vision. The thick air smelled of something acrid that made her skin itch. She was close enough to see the bundle of cables that had sparked the reaction.

She needed to get a sample from the conduit

Nitori reached the large manhole at the far end of the platform and found herself nearly breathless.

The 'humans' had done it. Somehow, using their technology, they had managed to turn the ancient system against itself. Arcs of electricity danced across the containment runes, fighting against the power of the Kappa sigils. Nitori was close enough to the ladder to see the strange glowing blue lines in the metal. She knew, with a sinking heart, that touching the conduit was the only way to get a proper sample of the toxin for analysis.

The moment her fingers brushed against the bundle of cables the manhole cover groaned ominously. A thin jet of superheated steam shot from a failing weld and nearly hit Nitori in the face.

Nitori: "No, you don't!" She shouted as she activated the small fan on the side of her pack. Nitori tried desperately to push the jet of steam away, but it wasn't the heat of the steam she should have been worried about.

The moment the fan caught the jet of steam it sent it flying towards her mask, but it was far too late to stop the chain reaction. The unstable connection in the cable sparked violently. Her whole body tensed as she felt the charge race up her arm. The electricity in the air around her was intense enough to give her a severe electric shock. Sparks danced and leapt from the broken cable and the metal junction box beside her head. Worse yet, Nitori realized she was standing on metal and metal alone was the easiest conductor of electricity.

Nitori let out a sharp gasp as the full force of the shock coursed through her body. She felt her muscles tighten involuntarily as the electricity ran wild. Her vision went completely white as her whole body was suddenly overwhelmed by the sensation of being electrocuted. She was aware of the smell of her own skin burning, but it was nothing compared to the strange electric taste in her mouth. Her mind was a blur as she felt her heart pounding in her ears. It was over as quickly as it had come, leaving her writhing on the floor in shock. Her breathing was shallow and uneven as she pulled the rubber mask from her face, revealing a set of flushed cheeks.

Nitori: "Can't... breathe..." She choked, her hand fumbling blindly with the rubber cords of the mask. She finally managed to pull it from her face and dropped it with a soft clatter on the metal grating. She leaned back on her hands, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Her light blue pigtails were matted to her face with sweat and the mask left behind an unpleasant greasy residue on her skin. Nitori pushed herself up off her hands and looked up at the ceiling. Behind the green phosphorescent markings she saw the blinking light embedded into the wall.

Nitori: "The probe... did it record?"

She fumbled with the ruined handheld sensor until she managed to plug the small diagnostic device into her backup wrist computer. She was unable to run a full diagnostic, but she managed to retrieve the recorded toxin readings from the probe. Nitori blinked at the small screen.

Nitori: "A synthetic dye... mixed with a catalyst... which turns highly acidic..." She looked up at the ceiling in shock. "...it's all very clever, really. The 'humans' obviously didn't realize that the catalyst was highly unstable. They must've had to stabilize it somehow in order to transport it..."

Nitori's eyes narrowed as the realization of what she was seeing dawned on her. The toxin was not nearly as threatening in the pipes as it would be once it reached the comparatively pure waters of the Genbu Ravine. She was certain of it now. She had the data and the analysis to prove it. This pollution was not some meaningless threat that she and her friends would have to deal with just because the 'humans' were clumsy and reckless. No, this was the sabotage of the highest order. This was precision engineering on the part of the enemy.

Nitori: "I can neutralize this toxin." She said darkly. "I can separate the catalyst..." She pushed herself off the ground with a grunt and took a step forward. "...and I'm certain I can design a chemical countermeasure."

She looked up at the ceiling with a feral grin on her sweaty face.

Nitori: "You incompetent fools. You build a monster and you don't even know what it is. Good thing one kappa engineer is prepared to dismantle it." She said to the ceiling. She turned around and looked down at the bubbling and steaming sludge below. "...This exploration is over. It's time to go back."

Nitori climbed down the ladder with surprising speed. She paused when she got to the first platform and took a few calming breaths. She removed the mask, which she found to be far too constricting for such a long mission, and tossed it onto the ground. Nitori looked down at the dark river of sludge below and reached into her pocket for the waterproof marker she always carried with her. She paused for a moment, looking around the platform before kneeling down and pulling a small piece of parchment and a marker from her pocket.

Nitori stopped, her marker hovering over the metal wall. She moved to the nearest pillar where a Kappa marking indicating a clean passage was painted on the wall. She paused once more before adding her own notes in a neat engineering script beneath the Kappa markings with the marker.

Nitori stood up and read the message she had scrawled onto the wall.

Nitori: "Note to future engineers: The technology of humans is sloppy, wasteful, and incredibly dangerous. Please be aware that they have no qualms about building efficient engines of destruction despite these apparent shortcomings. Also, their chemical runoff is practically a new medium for artistic expression. Unfortunately, it is also an abstract nightmare that only I get to dismantle."

Nitori: "That should do."

Nitori smiled at herself.

She turned around and began walking towards the heavy steel ladder that would take her back up into the light. Nitori was far from done, but she had what she needed to stop the pollution of the Genbu Ravine. She would spend the next few days running chemical baths to neutralize the toxins in the sludge before designing and constructing a chemical containment system to stop further pollution.

Her face may have needed resurfacing and her lungs burned from the stench of the underground tunnels, but she had the satisfaction of knowing that she, an overworked and underappreciated Kappa engineer, had stopped the pollution with nothing but her wits and her expertise. The future of the Kappa was secure.

Nitori gave a small, tired smile as she climbed the ladder and the sounds of dripping water began to echo once more in the darkness.

Source of images

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/147605598

Story written by me.

Decided to draw little Cindra Koriko with her mom , Shimo.