/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46059468 (2/3)
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She knows. She knows it's Anon's…

… Yet not an ounce of rage paints her features.

Astonished and wordless, I blinked, looking at Reimu holding the sweeping end of my broom, heart clenching, throat on fire, feet rooted… Where's the edge—the fury that coated her face seven years ago, when she completely destroyed our friendship? Where's the demonic envy—the beast of control? My heart betrayed me and pumped images of earlier today, of Yukari holding Hana as if a prize, the utter rage I felt, the hopelessness as she walked away, and the flaring revenge that was Reimu arriving, securing Hana, and then warding off the Yakumo bitch. The images of her kneeling and begging were also there.

Is this a trick? A facade…?

… I look into her eyes, the gleaming determination in there, her tall stature, and her confident motions.

Reimu wasn't like this…

It isn't a facade—I'd know that well because every day I see a perfectly trained example in the mirror.

The next question came as I pulled the broom away from her, and she just stood there, her laughter dead yet her smile remaining—though, upon closer inspection, her trembling eyelids spoke of innate fear—a question of: “… Why? Why now?” I asked, suspicious and tired. Her smile faded a tad, eyes glancing at the shrine, mouth opening—I barged in, tongue laced with venom. “Don't you dare say it's because of her—”

“I'd be lying then.” No hesitation. I almost gave a step back with how full of conviction were her words, smile all but gone and leaving behind a calm frown. “… I don't want to keep on lying, not after doing it for 20 years.” Absentmindedly, she turns and walks towards the pond. A thought crosses my mind upon seeing her back: If I'd get my mini-hakkero now…

She wouldn't be able to do anything.

… Maybe Yukari could accept that as a trade-off to leave Hana and Anon alone…?

My hand clutching my bulging belly snaps me out of the nasty thought, though the nauseating feeling persists. After everything Yukari has done, I was seriously considering dealing with her? By killing Reimu of all things…?

I glance at her as she sits on the pond's edge—the HSE even got the placement of the boulders spot on…—and I gingerly approach, rubbing my arm. Our eyes were identical as we gazed at the surface, the serene water perfectly reflected by the bright moonlight. “… I met with Ran Yakumo about two or three months ago.” She began with in a fond tone. Arms crossed, I swatted the cold away. “We had a weird encounter in the village the previous week; she fed me, but it wasn’t enough… I hadn't eaten properly for eight days. I thought that was it. I could not even walk, let alone go hunting. Under a musty blanket, in a filthy corner… A fitting end for me.” A thin smile. “Suddenly, though, she showed up, fed me, and went to tidy up the shrine. I didn't understand, but I didn't question it at first.” She laughed wistfully. The surface of the water rippled, smudging her reflection. “It turned into a routine, and as I got better, my curiosity about what she was doing—whether it was a sick form of retaliation or just a ruse by Yukari—grew… But nothing changed; she'd just drop by, give me food, lay cleaning utensils by me and go clean things up… It struck something inside of me and, before I noticed, I was helping with the cleaning.”

I look towards the shrine: fixed, as if it were built just yesterday. My reflection on the pond reflected the images of my own house inside my mind—an uncared-for mess…

Grinning, Reimu turned back to face the pond and gently held out a hand in its direction. “I don't understand what happened then, but something in her words, in her gestures, the way she'd look at me and smile—like she saw something no one else could see… It made me…” I saw it first in the reflection, my eyes bulging and my heart clenching. She was crying. “… Remember something I had lost a long, long time ago—something before the gohei… Then I told her about my life. I vehemently detested every word that I spoke, and my heart ached knowing that Ran would also despise them and l-leave me, just like everyone else, with me bearing sole responsibility…” A small ember of crimson shone on her fingertip, swirling as if a gentle current; her reflection wasn't smudged anymore, now shining with the crimson fire. “… She didn’t leave me, Marisa. She stood there with me, comforted me, and said I could do better… I chose to trust her.”

With a deep breath, she raised her burning hand and fondly gripped the red-white scarf around her neck.

“More happened after that, but that's my answer to ‘why now’…” The smile wanes, but the fire intensifies. “... I'll never look back at the awful person I was or return to that one before marrying Anon. I’ve decided to become someone better than them—for my family's sake… and for myself.” Her stalwart gaze shifts from the pond to meet mine. Another smile pops onto her face. “Heh, the 'great' Marisa Kirisame, weeping for a fool like me? I’m flattered~”