/jp/ - Otaku Culture

The flowers, while sleeping, had opened their eyes just a tad to inform me of an intruder.

'Visitor. South side. Brought something for you. Yakumo. He's almost alone.'

Their words had been sparse, but enough to warn me of the danger that lied in wait on the cold winter afternoon, and just as they had said, there was a singular man waiting on one of the paths where two benches had been placed. His sash bore Yakumo sigils and I could tell he'd noticed me before I'd seen him.

It would be a simple matter to destroy him from here and leave my fields unharmed, however three questions halted me: he knew I had noticed me, so why wasn't he running or engaging a plan? Where was his cohort, the Amanojaku? And if Yukari did mean to send me a message, why not send someone who could challenge me like Ran?

It could be several things with a mastermind like Yukari. She could be testing me with this half of a team that was effortlessly beaten by Reimu, assuming that newspaper wasn't exaggerating. He could be bait for a larger scheme, like a plot to paint me as a crazed murderer in the village and poise Hana against me. Or, perhaps he'd come here of his own accord? The flowers rarely have visitors, especially in the winter, so that might almost be welcome, but he could just as well be hatching his own schemes.

It didn't do to dawdle too long on 'if's, I'd thought about it for more then a few seconds, so I may as well see what he wants. I leisurely descended to the ground and walked to the south side of my fields.

"Huuuohhhhhh!" A hound bayed before waddling over to me.

The creature was a strange breed. It's drooping face giving him a look of perpetual sadness, but the way the pup pawed at the air in front of me implied a sort of excitement at the prospect of affection. I resisted, now wasn't the time for such pleasantries.

"My apologizes, I was heading to these fields and since he's never been I thought I'd bring him along as well. My name is Goro." The man said, bowing to me.

"Why have you come here?" I ask in a cordial manner.

"I wanted to give you a small gift in exchange for some information." He said, gliding his fingers along one of the benches.

"Benches?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking on what to get you that wouldn't be frivolous and I supposed you might like a place to relax while flower gazing. As for their being two, well, it would be nice if you have visitors right?" He explained.

"And what is it that you want to know?" I asked, tapping a finger on the metal of one of the benches, punctuating my point with a metallic ring.

"Tenshi-tan says she helped smuggle you into Heaven recently. I'm curious as to why." he stated.

I looked Goro over. His demeanor was dissonant. I'd liken it to Yukari's smug self-assuredness, but he had a strange kindness in his speech that she lacked, although not like Anon's infinitely understanding posture, no, more of an empathetic courtesy. Underneath it was something vile, some restrained cursed shadow that a human shouldn't be able to cast. I see, it was that bracelet.

Had Yukari discovered her way into the Youkai Hunter Vault or did Okina, sensing the threat to Gensokyo's balance, loose one of the Youkai Hunting Tools? And if it was the later, why that abdominal thing and not the holy chains capable of restraining anything, the spear which gorged trauma, or the shovel that could plant all things as seeds? Why the sterile curse which can patiently target anything?

How much simpler this would have all been if she'd sent Ran instead.

"Call your other dog, then we'll talk." I ordered.

At the inflection of 'dog' his eye twitched for a moment. "There is another, private matter I should ask you alone."

"Then, if I merit it worth my time, you may send her away later. Call her." I ordered a second time.

He exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment. "She'll be here in a moment."

Wordlessly, I took a seat on the bench and crossed my legs. Eventually, Seija arrived, walking with her hands behind her head and also wearing a Yakumo uniform. It was a tad formal for her, but the pattern was tastefully interwoven into her arrow motif. She scowled at me and stopped slightly in front of Goro before taking a seat with him on the other bench. An Amanojaku acting as a guard? How queer.

There were many mysteries between these two, that much was certain. But those queries could be placed aside. What was important was what they knew about Yukari's plans, if they were a threat to Anon's freedom or Hana's safety, and how quickly I could bury them beneath one of these benches.

"I had the Celestial guide me to heaven in order to locate a suitable gift for an upcoming occasion. You'll forgive me if I don't detail what, it wouldn't be proper if you knew before the gift's recipient." I spoke first, stealing the initiative.

"You go to parties?" Seija asked, dumbfounded. Probably because the only events she gets to attend are the ones she crashes.