/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45844823

With an ‘ah, I see…’ her mother’s voice ceased and a silence prevailed for a short bit as Hana sipped at her drink to calm herself. She grabbed a wooden skewer, sitting on the edge of the plate bearing the dango on a rest normally reserved for chopsticks, and plucked up one of the saucy little balls. Her mother had just done the same and without a word they ate, Hana putting the little snack in her mouth and chewing it.

Hana wanted to say the flavor was fine, but she couldn’t taste it with how busy her mind was despite her attempts and collecting herself. Still, she let out an ‘its good, thank you’ after she sipped at the hot tea to wash it down. It probably wasn’t even a lie; it did look delicious after all.

Tea was sipped and snacks were nibbled at a slow pace as the warmth of the heater kept the chill out of the room the estranged mother and daughter resided in. Silence reigned as both avoided looking at each other over much, conversation came as naturally to them as fruit sprouts in the dead of winter.

Hana had to ask herself why she couldn’t broach the question, or any words for that matter. The occasional glace and word of ‘you’re not cold right?’ or ‘pass the honey’ failed to spark any conversation that would last beyond a whispered response. It made Hana feel like she was sitting before a stone wall, one that could collapse and crush her at any moment.

Hana was quickly running out of excuses, each sip and dango snacked on only exposed the plate and her thin excuse to broach the subject smoothly. Hana welled up her confidence, meditative practices learned throughout her life coming in handy for once as she focused, and focused more running over how to ask, what tone to take, and how estimating how quickly she could flee should worse come to worst.

Taking one last sip of the warm tea, her cup about halfway diminished she placed it on the table with a small clack that seemed louder than a yamabiko’s shout. It jarred her a bit, and judging by how her mother’s eyes settled onto her with manifest discomfort Hana wasn’t the only one feeling as such. Hana wanted to avoid her mother’s eyes, those deep amber eyes that terrified her for her entire life.

Not budging mentally nor physically Hana let the less-than-elegant question slip with a whisper before she could overthink it again, “I don’t get it… Why are you trying to treat me so nicely when you hated me?”

With the question asked Hana forced herself to look up at her mother’s face, it was a stone mask, a cracked one. Her breath hitched before resuming and the irritable expression on her face wavered as her brows furrowed before returning to her usual resting expression of light annoyance. Hana didn’t avoid her eyes despite the desire to flee rising up in force, reading into every movement her mother made as if she was a snake ready to sink her deadly fangs in.

Hana clutched the earthen tea cup; her grip was tight absorbing the warmth of the placid liquid within, yet ready to defend herself and make a fighting retreat at any moment. She was resolved to get her answer and find out just what happened with her mother over these last few months, and she had to find out from her own mouth why she was such a monster. Ran had intervened, that little cat shikigami was involved, was Yukari herself involved more than Hana already knew? She didn’t believe she’d ever forgive her, but if she was to move forward, she had to face her sometime. Mamizou was right all those months ago, she’d never move out of her mother’s shadow if she didn’t become stronger in every sense of the word.

Her mother never took her eyes off of Hana, they drilled into her as if she were challenging her, but they lacked the violence and rage Hana was expecting. Reimu’s hands let go of the cup she was holding and pushed it forward to make space for her elbows, she knitted her fingers together as if to restrain her posture itself. Hana tensed up in turn, despite the signs of her snapping not being there she couldn’t help but shake the dread as she went over every way she could’ve shown some kind of disrespect.

>>41469219
stfu, he was considering cheating on his 2wife with a MAN, not even a woman. i myself can't even masturbate because i consider it cheating