/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45668910 (part1)
Humans told many legends about the intelligence of crows. Some claimed they were messengers of the rulers over death. Others believed they were just as smart as humans, creating and brandishing simple tools just like them. For Aya, there was no greater confirmation of her intellect than choosing to stay the fuck out of the way when Yukari appeared. Okina’s observation was no joke: Yukari seemed oblivious to the tengu’s presence, and the darkness of Alice’s room kept her out of eyesight. A few clever dolls seemed to pick up on the situation, creating small amounts of white noise to cover the sound of Aya’s breaths. All the while, Aya carefully documented each and every moment Yukari stayed with a camera and notepad. Every action, every word, every glance.

Yukari’s lies and deception stung, the pain enhanced whenever Hana agreed with her. Seeing it written in Bunbunmaru was bad enough, but hearing it firsthand was excruciating. Aya wanted nothing more than to rush in and tackle Yukari before she could even think about gapping away, but the extra weight on her tummy reminded her just how bad of an idea it was… Even if another child was in danger. The tengu gritted her teeth and kept taking pictures, no matter how disgusted she felt.

Until she heard the words that nearly made her puke.

“Hana tastes so sweet~”

This woman… This monster! She wasn’t satisfied with Anon alone, she had to take his daughter too? When? How… Could it have been… This wasn’t the time. Aya had to act now. She wrote down Yukari’s every word and expression on muscle memory, her eyes scanning for an egress. Two helpful dolls pulled apart the curtains and opened Alice’s window. Without the slightest squeak, Aya shot out of the window like a bullet, just as the Flower Master fell to her knees. Locating a backdoor embedded into a drifting cloud, Aya entered Okina’s realm.

The Land of the Backdoor looked the same as always, save for one crucial detail: It’s master was nowhere to be seen. Bah, she wouldn’t be any help anyways. That woman was still hedging her bets on the Solstice. All she was interested in was watching. By extension, Toutetsu was just as useless; Two of the few people in Gensokyo that could oppose Yukari were indisposed because Matarajin just wanted to watch and wait to see how big this bonfire would grow. Aya needed someone strong, but impulsive. Someone that had the strength and concern to help without an arbitrary dogma holding her back.

And there was no greater candidate than the most scorned woman in Gensokyo.

Finding the closest backdoor to the Hakurei Shrine, Aya started running before she stumbled on something cylindrical — shitshitshitshitshit— Oh thank goodness. It was just one of her duds. She dropped way too many of these things in the Land of the Backdoor and had no way to tell which ones were live. The threat of evaporting into a fine red mist avoided, Aya readjusted to the ever-shifting doors and found another to lead her closer to Anon’s first home.

I have been empowered by coffee to write. Except shorter-form posts, I might just get this done today.