/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Junko 2

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She suspected Seiran somewhat regretted accepting their help with the stares she gave them, it’s as if she considered One was an awfully annoying overly smothering mother, and Tewi to be nuisances of sorts. Of course, their aesthetic design was also questioned, with neither of them liking the architecture of the lunar capital, so the sanctuary ended up with a mishmash of Japanese, greek, Egyptian, and ‘modern’ architecture that would occasionally cause eyes to bleed, but Tewi thought it was fine. At the very least it wasn’t the Lunar Capital.

The three masterminds of the sanctuary's creation within the bamboo forest. Tewi, Junko, and Seiran. Tewi and Junko have insisted on these meetings, but all they ever managed to do was harass Seiran while she tried to finish her paperwork.

Although Gensokyo, even their barrier within a barrier within a barrier sanctuary came with its risks. "So inaba-san I was wondering about this Anon." Junko started their conversation after several minutes of terrifying silence; they'd both arrived drunk and eaten in silence.

Seiran tripped on air and fell out of her seat with a resounding thud, Tewi nearly did a spit take. “Well, well, well, I didn't think you were one to take interest in such things Junko~" She said in a reading tone as she swallowed her carrot juice.

Junko herself was unfazed as ever, with that creepy even expression on her face and deep red eyes that gave the impression of an endless abyss of hatred. "One can only hear about one man and the amount of women he impregnated so much until they become curious." Somehow though her voice gave the impression of disinterest, but then again neither Seiran nor Tewi could be entirely sure with Junko.

"Well if you must know…" Tewi and Junko’s conversation about Anon meandered a bit, but it was clear Junko did not share the same level of interest in the supposed love-making ability of Gensokyo’s most unfortunate bachelor.

After several more minutes of Tewi’s recounting, which Seiran tried to block out as she continued to file her paperwork, Junko interrupted.“What of the man’s family?” Tewi grimaced, she could see where this was going, but Junko as always was totally unreadable, either pretending to be or earnestly oblivious to Tewi's opinion on this line of questioning.

Tewi rolls her head back in response, hand meeting her face as she speaks. “You know you can’t save everyone, Junko. You can’t save every child you run across.” She punctuates her statement by waving a wine glass in her other hand at Junko.

Junko’s response was instant, reflexive, and honest. "Just like how you-”

"Don't." Tewi said, an uncharacteristic bloodlust emanating from her as she grew serious. "you made your choices, I made mine, that's that." The atmosphere grew cool as the words left her mouth, an uneasy air of tension that forced Seiran to freeze as Junko mulled over Tewi’s words.

Junko nodded politely unfazed by the rabbit, but not continuing to press further. "It is as you say." Two didn't know exactly what she'd said that Junko was responding to, but it also didn't matter much to the old Inaba.

"Ugh, sorry, usa~" Tewi sighed, apologizing as she flopped her font half onto the table in a childish display in an attempt to return the mood to normal. “”

“I wonder why they would do that?” There was no trace of sarcasm in Junko’s voice, but it was apparent nonetheless.

Seiran almost jumped out of her seat. Distantly, they could hear a crackling sound, like straining glass as distant multicolored lights glowed from beyond the sanctuary and the bamboo forest beyond it. “So, it has begun, the great trial, this conflict that has shaken Gensokyo to its core.” The sound glass grew closer as the cracks in the barrier spread, spewing multicolored lights onto everything below as the light of the sun dimmed.

“A little over dramatic Usa~, well I have things to do Junko-chan.” Tewi hopped off the rooftop, disappearing into the streets below as Seiran could only stare at the certain doom above her. Eientei would be busy these coming days, no matter the outcome of this conflict.

The cracking sounds stopped for a moment, before a deafening shattering sound took its place, shaking the sanctuary and bamboo forest as the sky shattered into a million glass-like shards as space bent and broke. The previous sky, was now replaced with a blackened void filled with multicolored trails of energy, hateful-looking eyes, and floating doors. Seiran fell to the floor, somehow more terrified than ever.

Junko flexes her fingertip as a barrier materializes around the sanctuary, blocking out the destroyed sky with a false one of her own creation. Seiran lay on the floor, unable to scream or do anything as she processed what she’d just seen.

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Does this count as an endgame chapter? probably, but the imagine I had in my mind of the cracking space as Okina and Yukari clash was too tempting for me.