/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"Step right up, step right up! A once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Hell of Blood Pools is what we, the most trustworthy and likeable sisters, promise you! Thrills! Adventure! Excitement! You'll see it all and fall in love with the sights and smells of Former Hell!" The girl with her hair in strange drills was quite the public speaker, that much was clear. She wore a dark grey blazer with a red tie tucked behind the buttons, and a crisp, white shirt underneath. A sort of skirt I had only seen when Hearn had stolen me away to Tokyo on a dark, rainy night. It was tight, with a cut going up the front, slightly to the left. Actually, I think I had seen it before. Miss Raiko of the Horismriver Ensemble worse something similar. A pair of dark tights went all the way down to her feet, where she was wearing some sort of slip-on shoes that had no buckles. "You, Miss, wouldn't you love to see the pools of blood spreading out all around you, as far as the eye can see?"

We'd had a quiet time travelling from the mountain to the underground. It seemed that with Autumn coming to an end, people were starting to get busy with stocking up for winter, and the world had become quiet with anticipation. On the way through the village, we had run into Reisen, who had reminded me that Eirin wanted to see me at the clinic in Eientei again, though since there didn't seem to be a time constraint to this, I simply let it take a place on my increasing list of things to do. We'd passed my house, though I still hadn't tried to enter. It was something that I was still struggling to work up the strength to do. The last time I'd been there, I hadn't even known how my parents had died. Yamame had seen my face and squeezed my hand tighter, which had helped my heart settle slightly. The caves, too, had been quiet, and Yamame theorised that most of her sisters were probably either lazing around or busy in the hot springs, so we'd headed straight there. I had been amazed, staring out at the vast district from the cave we'd tried to enter from in the past, but no oni crashed into the tunnel to block our way this time.

And then, we'd caught this presentation happening. I couldn't quite see who she was talking to, but I could hear something said in return. "That voice sounds...kind of familiar." Yamame whispered to me from where we stood, up on the hills of the Old City's Hot Springs town with a view over the small crowd gathered to watch the presentation. "Maybe it's just my imagination." I looked over at her and asked her if she'd seen this happen before. "The tours? Yeah, they've been going on for a little bit. Ever since...That black water incident, I think. Or maybe just a little bit after that." I asked her if she had ever taken one. "Pfft. Not much point. I can get down to where they're going on my own, just fine. I even did, as a matter of fact." She frowned and scratched her face. "And...What are they saying now?" She indicated back toward the sisters doing the presentation.

"Excellent decision, my dear, excellent decision! I, Jo'on Yorigami, can personally guarantee your safety!" My eyes widened. So, this was Jo'on Yorigami? And that meant... "Shion?" Jo'on twisted, her hands on her hips, to look at what had to be her sister, Shion Yorigami. She had a shirt that looked poorly sized and looked ragged. It had sections sewed together with patchwork, and the material itself looked to be thick and uneven. She also wore a skirt like Miss Raiko's, but it too looked ragged and well-worn, with a few more bits of patchwork running through it. Both the bow adorning her hair and the tights covering her legs were the same. She wasn't wearing shoes, but she never seemed to touch the ground and in fact, her lower half looked strangely...immaterial. It was almost as if it was on fire. Blue fire. Shion Yorigami, I supposed. Tenshi's old friend. The one who had left her to join her sister, Jo'on, for some scheme during that black water incident. Speaking of Tenshi, I hadn't seen her since I'd left Eientei. I hoped she was doing okay.

"Yes, Jo'on..." Shion's voice was difficult to describe. The best way I could think to put it was listless. It was somewhat similar to Chiyari Tenkajin's, the youkai living in my house in the human village. She was clearly tall, too, and I imagined that if she was standing, and especially if she was standing straight, she would tower over her sister. "We, the Yorigami sisters, will do our best to keep you safe. Please be aware that all fees must be paid in advance and will not be refunded in the case of injury, attack, or death."

"Or death?" Yamame muttered. "That's a bit much, isn't it? Who's gonna sign up for a tour where you might die before the end of it? Excitement and danger is one thing, but..." She trailed off, and I saw that she was staring not at the sisters, but just down from them, at the front of the crowd. "But..."

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