/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>44574876
Shizuha is welcoming enough to those who approach her. She just wants to be recognized and beloved for the hard work she does shaping Fall's colors as they are.
Of course, you might catch her a little grumpy on your 1st encounter, since every Autumn's the same for her: Rejoices at least a little that Summer's over, although she probably thinks its still too hot for her taste, starts getting to work and so does her sister. In the distance, she can hear all the villagers coming to Minoriko, begging her for blessings of plentiful crops, offering many gifts, part of what they've harvested, or whatever skills the villagers' specialize in. Minoriko's hardly ever needed to dip into the village if she's ever felt like changing clothes, she has a wardrobe full of tailor made clothes. Shizuha's little leaf dress is handcrafted by herself and she really doesnt have that much else. She got out to buy tights for rainy, colder days and the shopkeeper didn't even recognize her as a Goddess.
So yeah, she's developed quite a bit of a depressed personality. Instead of appreciating Autumn, she goes on about her work, subconsciously happy to be fulfilling her work that she is still very proud of, but the more overwhelming thoughts on her head are the ticking time before Fall is over, or all these times people come over to Minoriko and won't even pay attention to her. One of the villagers even had the guts to come to Shizuha only to tell her she should eat more because her sister looks welcoming than her. It's such a shame because Shizuha's got a lot of subtle strength, from the way she tends to gather leaves to paint. Given that she kicks trees, her legs are very well toned, even if she doesn't eat that much and the rest of her constitution is rather modest, it would be best to not underestimate her in that forefront. She's probably got one of the mightiest kicks out of anyone without superhuman strength, like Onis, Saki or Meiling. Later when the Akis dinned together, Shizuha was so pent up from that remark, she ended up calling Minoriko a pig and lashed out at her. Minoriko immediately ran to her bedroom and cried. Thankfully, Shizuha is not quite to the point where she actively seeks out to be a bad person, and she loves her sister, so she came to apologize, that she didn't mean it, and so on, but yeah, you can see how Shizuha's life isn't all sunshine and roses.
All that to say that if you are to approach Shizuha, exercise some patience. She might not give you a smile as bright as Minoriko, perhaps even dismiss you as another one of these villagers who's got nothing but shitty advice for her, but there's a heart of gold hidden behind the autumnal leaves. Don't expect to change her ways right away, she'll be quite thankful of any graces you express towards her hard work, but given how hard that is, and her relative isolation, she'll take a mile once you've given her that inch. Did you know that she wrote a 500-something pages encyclopedia on leaf painting? Well, you're about to get an extract of it, because she knows everything there is to know about that by heart, and she won't let go of an opportunity to share her passion with someone who's shown even so much as a hint of interest towards it. If you're brave enough to sit through all of that, then congratulations, you may now wtiness another one of Shizuha's favorite past time: Doomtalking about the end of Autumn.
"Oh, it's still too hot today? Must be that nasty flower youkai or the swallowtail butterfly enjoying themselves a little too much. A little too cold? That stupid fatty's hardly got any respect for her and just wants to make herself at home quicker. Oh well, it's bound to happen anyway since no one loves good old Shizuha. What? It's only the beginning of September? It doesn't matter, shut your mouth, you don't know shit and you wouldn't understand. Why don't you go run off to that fatty or that green lady? I'm sure you'd be much happier in their company than with the scrawny loser nobody loves"
That's just the way someoene who's had Shizuha's life defends herself. Don't take it personally. Cynicism is often done as a means to pre-emptively shield yourself from further disappointment, as you've been broken in the past. Can't be all that disappointed if you make so little or a joke out of every opportunity. But again, that doesn't mean she's completely hopeless. Persevere, and you've got a wonderful woman ahead of you. The couple encounters you'll have with her might have her look at you with this disinterested look, but make no mistake, the fact that someone is regularly coming to visit and spend time is a delight for her, it's just that, as stated above, her mentality doesn't let her believe that it can last. I'm not quite sure that much can be changed about her, even, but you could at least provide her with an overpowering sense of fulfillment and business that'll overshadow her gloominess if you stay by her side, having fun with her.