/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45265634
>Chen upon seeing Yams

(1/4)
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My hat is busted. It happened yesterday before Flan's funeral; it fell off from my head onto the forest floor—small animals nibbled on it; some stomped it, and it must've tossed around, fraying on sharp sticks and stones… But that's nothing: Ran can just fix it in a second with a gap—yet…

I approached Ran, sat with Mr. Anon—calmly knitting our last batch of warm clothes before winter—on the kotatsu, her tails lazily hanging around them—it should be so warm and fuzzy in there… No! Cuddling comes later!—, eyes focused on a paper with a bunch of math on it; "Ran." I call and, with two pairs of eyes on me, show my ruined hat and the remaining of Flan's golden silk, cleaned and rolled into a beautiful yarn—a work done by me and Mr. Anon yesterday. His eyes flare with love. "I wanted to repair my hat with this silk—b-but not with the gap! It'll ruin Flan's silk!" It probably wouldn't… The thought made me uneasy anyway. "So I wanted to ask if you know someone who knows how to fix hats, specifically with spider silk."

Ran's ears perk, and she looks at Mr. Anon for knowledge; "Spider silk is very sturdy and fine; it starts as liquid, after all—so it takes tremendous skill to repair something like Chen's hat with it… Sadly, my experience with hats is lackluster at best—not like Hana or Reimu needed knitted hats with those outrageously big bows they use!" Pain flashed in his eyes, but it lasted only a moment before being replaced with something that filled my heart with joy.

"So there is something you're not good at~" Ran remarks with a giggle, and Mr. Anon pokes her ear in revenge. They play fight, and though it's endearing, it aggravates my mood—I make sure to make it clear with a pout. Composing herself as if she's not blushing and hiding laughter, Ran resumes, "Well, hm… I do know someone with capable hands. I'll think you'll like her a lot—just a moment, I'll check if her atelier is open." In a whim, she pecks Mr. Anon's lips and disappears into a gap.

I stare at him, tails bobbing, and he signs for me to get close. I do it, confused—

—and then he pets my head, "Thanks." His voice is soft. Huh?

"For what?"

He glances at the yarn we three made together, and I understand— "For being you." —… because it's fresh, raw, and many fears and doubts persist. Still, I think it makes him happy to see that these wounds won't remain only wounds but will close and turn into scars and, like the books I'll write for each star, another story to tell—in a different way, but a story all the same.

… It scares me, though, how the wounds of his departure may feel—would they ever truly close? It feels like a hole too big to be filled…

My eyes squint, and I pull him into a tight hug, the man reciprocating it, unaware of the sad thoughts crossing my mind. I store them away, to think more, elaborate them—and enjoy the now… On my hands, a little spider threads—

Ran returns a moment later, and I think Mr. Anon communicates something to her with his eyes because Ran soon joins the hug, her nine tails like a protective cocoon around us. Two sets of kisses are planted on my scalp, and any remaining bad thoughts vanish.

A quiet moment of love, only ours…

—and the 'now' feels that much more precious.

—

Some minutes later, I and Ran go through a gap and end up in what appears to be deep inside a cave with the ceiling obscured by rocks and stalactites, though as we walk a beautifully paved path with many colored, shining stones, it may also have been a different world full of wonders: the walls were covered in artisanal spider webs, which serve no purpose but were breathtaking to look at—the patterns, hm… It can't be the doing of a spider like Flan, who was an orb weaver; one would think then 'tangled webs', but I doubt a Black widow or such would live under these conditions—oh, so probably—

My eyes go wide, and I gasp as we reach our destination; a cozy home nestled in the walls, a hole in the cave-ceiling showering the house with natural light and flora.

But the most impressive had to be the layout: a massive funnel of bonny, sturdy web, strong enough to withstand storms.

With big, glimmering eyes, I turn to Ran and point at the house. "A tunnel weaver did that!" I said, and Ran giggled. "Ran! A tunnel waver! I've always wanted to see a tunnel weaver, but there are none back at the HSE, and I found none in my expeditions throughout Gensokyo! RAN…!" I yell, then excitedly whisper: "… a tunnel weaver built that house—how big do you think it is?"

"I fear to disappoint, but only 4'11," the voice says as the door opens—a beautiful blonde lady stands there, draped in warm browns and golds, making her warm smile an invitation by itself—then I see the idle, thick limbs hovering behind her and immediately recognize: SPIDER LEGS! I look at her with adoration as she turns to Ran with a nervous smile. "Wow… y-you didn't lie."

I'm beet-red embarrassed. Ran laughs.

"Well… Welcome to my humble atelier! The name's Yamame Kurodani!"