/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45756243
W-What?! Taken aback, I broke the hug—

Aunn's hands were on my shoulders, height difference ignored, yet reddened eyes and mouth in a straight line made her look tall. “Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault, Hana!” My breath hitched with a perplexing weight on those words, hastily making explanations inside my mind— “No buts! The others said better, and words are hard for me, but I want you to know: nothing of this is your fault!”

Silence followed as my heart hammered and lungs ached. What should I say? Think…?

The defiling of my Father, joining Yukari… I was lured into that dark path, destroyed myself because of the damage and scars others left—excuses. “My actions are mine…”

“Hana,” Aunn gently whispers. “… You didn't tell me about the things Yukari did because you were afraid, right?” I freeze, yet the question scalds my skin. As expected, no judgment paints her features. “Afraid for my safety; embarrassed…?” As with the others, my reaction was of a simple, slow nod, though the trembling of my arms and the pit growing inside my stomach were bad omens—

—Aunn kisses my cheek, and the blossoming flowers on top of the cadavers are beautiful sights. “B-Bwuh?”

“There~it was all forced onto you, Hana. Those burdens… But now that they're out, please share them—everything—with me, okay? Know that hiding those things will just make me even more worried about you.” She holds my face with two hands, nuzzling our foreheads; the screams die a bit, and, inside, I feel warmed. “I love you more than anything and would be happy to carry these burdens with you! So, please, never again blame yourself for the actions of others, okay? I'll protect you!”

A small smile rises alongside a blush as, following her words of the heart, we hug. “Okay… I'll try… T-Thanks, Aunn—thank you… I love you a lot, too.” She giggles in my hair and I can feel her heart pounding against my chest.

It's rather easy to forget I'm not alone in this mess, and reminders like these and the others make me feel giddy inside… However, some of her words are vitiating, mainly the bad things that happened to Mother. It's a feral combustion: the connotation her actions were derived out of… something—that mine and Father's suffering has roots beyond her being an irredeemable monster… But, bitterly, I think about the signs that were always there. The older—and angrier—I grew, the more obfuscated such sins became, mindless and without clear origin…

There was never a motive to think of them as anything other than her nature.

… The gleam in her eyes, her tears, the spanning, ardent wings…

—!!

Mother and Sensei!

Wide-eyed, I ran towards the veranda, heart thumbing and praying to catch at least the ending of what was happening outside—are they talking? fighting? Already finished fighting?!—Aunn behind me frowns before reaching the same conclusion, rushing to my side as I slightly open the door—

Just for it to immediately be wide open, Sensei and Mother standing there. Ugh…

The first has red, swollen eyes and quivers a little, though a wide satisfaction lights her face, a hand on her pregnant belly; the latter seems reservedly calm. Their eyes are upon me as the scare throws me stumbling onto Aunn, us both falling to the floor. “Ha, look at that-ze! She’s a pepping Tam, Reimu~!”

Mother's eyes narrowed… then were doe-like, her face flushing and hard facepalming; it was such an unexpected reaction that even Marisa-sensei looked perplexed.

She sees our curious gazes as I and Aunn get up, huffs, and stutters: “Don't worry, I just… remembered something S—omeone told me…”

H-Huh?

Sensei snickers, wiping her face. “Was it something embarrassing?” Mother, looking defeated at the intonation, nods. “Heh~tell me when we got the time,” Sensei then barges inside, still holding the bag of presents and looking around with a pout.

I ignored Mother to gawk at Sensei's display of… ease. They look way friendlier than before, though tension persists in the air like a nagging virus. What happened outside?

“Man, you really did renovate the place, huh? Mine’s still a dump-ze…”

Mother stared at me for a tad longer—we crossed eyes and, surprisingly, she turned hers away first—before gazing at Sensei. “I was sick of the state of the Shrine, and… Anon taught me to never settle for half-measures. I wanted it to be in good condition, too.” 'for what' was left unsaid, yet Sensei slowly nodded as if already knowing—agony brewed inside.

Whatever conversation they had was significant…

Putting the present bag on the kotatsu—the carelessness made some of them fall out, and, for a moment, Mother completely froze, her eyes on that green one. It was so odd and vanished so fast I doubted it even happened—Sensei came to me to say goodbye, a finger stealthily tapping the magic stone in my pocket—

—And, before any of us could understand what was happening, she pulled Aunn along, leaving the shrine with the utterly confused komainu.

Leaving me alone with Mother.