/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45066190

The top of the youkai mountain was as always, cooler than the valley below it, it didn't help that the clouds grayed out the sun's light today making the wind bite despite the fact that it wasn't true winter just yet. The shrine wasn't always busy with foot traffic differing by the hour but during the mid afternoon like now there should be a sizable amount of faithful, romantics, and sightseers wondering about and shopping at the small market.

However, as the leaves turned red and drifted away during this moody day so did all but the more faithful goers and stubborn merchants. Though it seemed even their faith had limits, and instead of the usual ceremony by the lake of splashing the faithful with purifying waters; the priest was giving service around a smoky 'ceremonial' fire where he preached to the listeners about this and that.

On such a deeply gray day Hana found herself alone as she walked into the shrine grounds following the trail up to the shrine where the bells hung in solemn melancholy. Hana knew showing up at people's home without permission was a nuisance, one of the few lessons her mother taught her that was worthy of being listened too, but there was a problem that she couldn't turn to anyone else for.

That problem wore black and white.

Hana was usually fine with leaving well enough alone when it came to the eccentricities of her seniors and peers. Just about all of them were full of it after all and if it wasn't for her father she wouldn't even know what 'normal' meant. Marisa was the definition of strange if she compared her to her father or even other villagers, yet she somehow changed personality-wise in a way that Hana was having a hard time coming to terms with.

Normally the witch she happily called her mentor was at best cranky and irritable for only short bursts, the rest of the time she was the outgoing kleptomaniac with a penchant for trickery if it suited her and the energy Hana had come to adore was fading.

The changes seemed to start a few weeks after Hana had spotted her sneaking into the HSE, Marisa seemed more irritable as of late and even sometimes seemed a bit sick. She'd insist she was fine but when it came time for their sparring matches she seemed to be reluctant to let Hana get close enough to line up shots on her that would force her to dodge.

When Hana did hit her she'd be unreasonably moody afterwards, this one time she even kicked Hana out of her house before the tea was brewed. Hana could even hear her sobbing after through the door as she left, but not knowing what to do she overthought it and left. Hana regretted it but Marisa seemed to going through something deep, Hana didn't even know how to broach whatever was wrong without Marisa confiding in her.

Hana made it up to the main shrine and knocked on the private residence of her allies and friends she got no response. She waited for a bit longer before knocking again, no response this time either. Sighing she was just about to leave, fighting down the tinge of panic that somehow they found out about her own sins and were avoiding her.

It was a stupid worry of course and as she walked away from the door she felt a presence approach from the sky! She turned her face towards the clouds above and she saw a flash of red before someone landed next to her with barely a spec of dust being churned. There was no mistaking this divine aura and powerful presence as anyone but Kanako Yasaka.


Kanako and Hana were hovering in the sky above the mountain, the air was a little thin up here but Hana wasn't doing anything extraneous so it wasn't a huge issue. Kanako had supposedly been 'working' and that meant watching her domain and listening to all the prayers directed at her, Hana didn't really understand but it wasn't her station too so she didn't probe.

Despite Kanako's distant stare as she watched the limitless skies she seemed to grow quiet after the initial pleasantries. Hana never saw this side of Kanako before and she was majestic as she sat crosslegged in the sky. Normally the breeze this up high was unbearable but it must have been because of Kanako that it was gentler than it was when she was walking the village streets.

Hana was a bit nervous disturbing such a majestic scene but as surely as the wind caused the goddess's hair to flow in a constant flutter Hana had to say something. Swallowing her nervousness and knowing that she could trust Kanako just as much as Sanae, she spoke.

With a quiet voice, as if unsure where to begin Hana spoke, "I wanted to talk to you because... Well I saw Marisa sneaking in to meet my father a few weeks ago and now she seems all strange and moody! I'm worried she's in trouble with Yukari!"

Kanako's lotus pose faltered for a moment and a faint redness spread to her cheeks as she turned to Hana, her attention snapping too her as if that majestic god Hana spoke too never existed, "S-she what?!"

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