/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45373512

Today was a day of many firsts for Hana, Yukari had seen to that. Never before had she been inside a Senkai, never before had she met a hermit, never before had she met the elusive Kasen Ibaraki.

Kasen had been a friend of the family, she supposed. Her mother had told Hana of how much of a ‘lecturing busy body who needs to mind her own damn business’ she was, as well as her nature as an oni whose caused her a bunch of trouble back when she was a teen. Her father’s account had been much softer in contrast, telling Hana all about how Kasen was an upstanding woman that did her best to help the humans of this land.

She trusted her father’s account of Kasen much better and if Hana trusted her gut, then the women standing across from her in the courtyard of the strange dojo-like building was indeed a wonderful woman. Despite never meeting her after she became aware of her surroundings, something her father put down to her ‘being very busy as a sage’, Hana wanted to like her.

It was the truth that Kasen had been one of the many that turned a blind eye to her father’s suffering despite being friends. It was the truth that Kasen never sheltered or even contacted Hana when things were dark. It was the truth that Kasen was a youkai who once upon a time did terrible things.

It was also the truth that Kasen was doing everything to help Yukari fix the mess that her mother made.

Hana remembered the words Yukari used as she gave Hana ‘a small task she could only entrust her too’. Yukari spoke about how Kasen and her had some disagreements recently about how to fix Genoskyo in order to make sure something like what happened to Hana and her father never happened again. Hana did ask about the details, but Yukari liked to be playfully mysterious about things as always, and merely informed her that ‘the details aren’t important Hana dear~ simply meet with Kasen and keep her company’.

Bedraggled was the only word to describe to the women standing before her, and Hana didn’t think it was because of her intruding upon her senkai unannounced that caused her condition. Despite not knowing the hermit it was clear that her hair must not usually be so frizzled, nor did her outfit seem like it was designed to be so disheveled.


After heading up through the mountain while the noon-time sun beat down on her, sticking along an almost faded trail and reaching a false peak of the Moriyan mountain Hana had found what she’d been looking for. What Yukari told her to look for, an obscure path with traces of magic lingering. Hana had followed her instructions exactly, cutting through a field, taking a right at the 12th tree, circling back around to the large boulder, following an animal trail for 25 paces, then finally following the whisps of a barrier till it vanished.

By the time Hana had found her way through that seemingly nonsensical path, one that she was warned wouldn’t work a second time, she had been shocked to find the temperature of the air and shade of the sky turn into the picture-perfect spring day. Even more startling was how the trees regained their life and transformed from the oranges and reds of autumn to the deep greens of a verdant growing season.

Perhaps one of the reasons she looked so troubled was because right as Hana was taking off her scarf and mittens she was ambushed. Thankfully her senses detected her enemies first and her intuition told her that she needed to move quick. Hana had let the world lines relax, jumping ahead the small trail she was on right as she heard the air being cut around her. Her instincts activated she whipped around just in time to see a flash of orange and blur of black speed away from where she once was.

Her heart started pounding and fear wasn’t far behind from grasping her heart, thankfully she knew of the existence of these guards. Old stories her father told of his own journeys here in happier times, she didn’t remember the names of these sentinels, nor did she have time to remember as she felt danger beyond the brush that surrounded her.

She contracted the lines of the world around her instead now, heading ‘towards’ the danger instead which took her diagonally upwards and to the back of her current position placing her firmly in the air where again two blurs of orange and black attacked from the land and the air. If she could get further in the air she was confident that she could keep avoiding her avian adversary and travel fast as she pleased to Kasen’s dojo. Which seemed to be the large building off in the distance if she was any judge.

Despite the severity of your wounds it wasn't long till you were healed physically not more then a few days after being admitted as the once long and deep gash under your forearm healed completely without even a scar which you figured was a testament to Eirin's mastery of the human body. During the healing process if it wasn't Reimu then it was Marisa or Kasen who were watching over you, or chewing out and eventually pointedly ignoring Reimu. You weren't surprised to learn in the brief conversation that you were coaxed into here and there that you were on suicide watch hence the only time you were let out of your bindings was for monitored exercise or restroom use and if it wasn't for the girls then you'd have the breathy inaba monitoring you. Going in front of Marisa on her shift was a challenge honestly as you had no privacy but it was something you got through, despite already giving up your life it was still something of a challenge to say the least but eventually nature's call won out.
As far as your suicide attempt none of the girls made an attempt to get answers out of you as you lay there healing but you knew that was about to change after you got released into their custody. As is typical Eirin didn't make a fuss over your plight as you were dealing with the discharge papers, likely having dealt with cases like yours before and remained the cold beauty she reserved for those she didn't care to know further. However instead of the silent discharges you've had in the past she spoke as you finished the small stack of paperwork, "Its not often I get a case like yours, but you should look to those girls who care for you for your emotional recovery and learn to value yourself again.". If you had to say it was mostly surprise that Eirin deemed fit to speak to you on a non-business manner and while thrown off guard you found it in yourself to reply, "Am I supposed to take that as advice from a doctor?". Eirin fixed you with a stare you couldn't quite decipher and replied in the same tone, "The Hakurei household has become a good customer ever since you joined it and you personally made yourself an asset in your frequent sales of foraged materials.". The graceful doctor punctuated her statement by glancing over the paperwork and sorting it into a rack on her desk before continuing on, "I'm advising you as a business associate since no other human cares to do the work you do. Recover and don't let the ties you have here die with you. Your insistence on dying would hamper things for me and the Inaba that have grown fond of your treats." A subtle but unmistakable smile grew for a second before snubbing itself out, "Its more than those girls you've courted that would be affected by your untimely death.". With a nod to Reisen who was standing in the corner pretending not to show much interest in your conversation and failing she opened the door to the hall and showed you out with soft urgings and for the first time in a long while you felt a pang of regret.
Unlike the time you left here to get your casts off when you found yourself at the start of the dirt trails that would lead you home the mood was not one of farewell. Reimu tried ignoring it but the eyes that bore into her back were too much and she tried and failed at maintaining eye contact with the two girls, "You'll be living at the shrine for now... is that right?". This was the first you heard of it as ever since you awoke the girls tended to keep anything like chewing out Reimu or discussion of any serious nature outside of your earshot and recovery room. Both of the girls nodded and it was the ever outgoing and straightforward Marisa that replied to Reimu's question, "Thats right" Marisa turned to you, "We don't believe Reimu can help you nor watch you like she should so we're going to keep an eye on you instead ze! That means no going out without telling us understood?!". You could tell Reimu was silently frustrated but couldn't come up with anything in response and with a defeated expression simply stared at you as the last one that could put a stop to this.
However you were as resisting as the snow drifting down around you and didn't feel the need to object to anything at this point and simply nodded in the way of the long defeated, "Very well, do as you please...". Kasen nodded in satisfaction of things going her way as Reimu looked into your face then seeing the lack of any expression turned her gaze and quietly said, "then lets go..." and as she walked to you reaching for your hand as to get you to fly with her Kasen instead stepped forward with almost indecent haste and intercepted your hand like a raptor to its prey. Reimu was looking clearly flustered as Marisa watched the exchange with a dispassionate interest and your own interest in the exchange was nonexistent much to Reimu's dismay.
Before you knew it you were already in the air as Reimu simply kept up and to your side with a vengeance not letting you far as Marisa trailed behind.