/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45195520

Embarrassing was understating it, walking into the HSE even under the cover of a disguise was hard enough but the fact was that to make an appointment she’d have to deal with that kitsune. The same kitsune that worked with that monster of a women to kidnap and imprison her father. Even if she were to take it up with the manager of the place, some kind of yamawaro from what she understood, it would still require her dealing with the fox in some manner given her status as the direct subordinate of Yukari.

She really didn’t like that fox, Ran, as she knew her from the times she visited the shrine in Yukari’s stead, was almost as emotionless and robotic from one of those manga or fiction books from Kosuzu’s shop. Her often slitted eyes and mechanical way of talking unsettled her greatly, she didn’t trust that fox at all. That lack of trust was made even worse by how it seemed to regard her as filth the last time she left the HSE. Damn fox was probably making moves on her father anyways, or at least she’d think so if it wasn’t clear about how robotic that thing was.

As it was, Hana had to do something, and as she spent that morning with Aunn in the kitchen making breakfast and rice balls stuffed with pickled plums for the both of them she could try to ask for advice. Advice that she didn’t want to ask for, after all Aunn was innocent as to the true goings on of the HSE and Hana’s own sins.

Aunn’s face, that was twisted by concentration as she molded Hana’s portion of the onigiri, was just too innocent to let her in on the truth. At the very least, Hana didn’t want to be one that told her of the truth. Instead of the direct approach Hana broached the subject in a roundabout way.

With unskilled hands Aunn formed the ball the rice into a lump vaguely resembling a triangle, with a satisfied nod she placed it onto a piece of waxed paper before gathering another lump out of the rice pot between them. Hana couldn’t help but stare at the girl she regarded as her older sister so sincerely prepare her lunch without any pretense. Hana couldn’t help but admire the slightly shorter ‘older sister’ she had, who wore her father’s old apron which was simply too large for her, as well as the awkwardly fitted headwrap that had to wrap around her horns.

A part of Hana wanted to wrap her arms around her and give her a big kiss, maybe even pay her back for last night where Aunn… Well anyways, aside from the gratitude and playful teasing that filled her heart in equal measure Hana knew that she was just dancing around the issue. She could just not ask, she could just not make the appointment, she could just ignore it entirely and train under Mima, Alice, and Yuuka before they visited Sanae for their strategy meetings.

However, that wouldn’t settle her mind in any way. She had to uncover why Yukari breeched the taboos of the village so severely, to risk her and everyone’s home on this sort of thing!

Trepidation filled the girl, and as she formed a ball of white rice in her hands she stopped; placing the half formed onigiri onto the little mat. She asked Aunn with a voice filled with unrestrainable uncertainty, “Aunn-chan, I have a kinda weird question…” Aunn let out a ‘hmm~?’ without breaking her activity as Hana continued, “It’s just, I know this is kinda heavy for the morning and all… but why do you think Yukari took father…?”