/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46270574 (4/4—p6)
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The question also comes with a harrowing feeling pulsating inside—felt like a bad omen…

Satori stares a hole into the ground, biting her lower lip.

Heartbeat spry as lightning, mouth dry as desert and a buzzing distortion heighten the sudden headache I'm feeling. What's happening? Kasen-nee is a slave to Yukari? B-Because Mother committed a mistake during the sealing of 'Douji'? Who even is that?! What's happening?! It is like an information avalanche—nothing makes sense, and the overwhelming sense of dread only intensifies. “Kill Koutei…?” Mother parrots, the cat by her side looking as if about to cry— “Absolutely not! He's Kasen's family; I won't be killing him!” She yells with conviction, Aya's eyes wide yet analytical, looking like gears turning—until Tetsu elbowed her side, the reporter yelping from pain, her face between miffed and shamed.

Okina didn't seem amused, eyes narrowing. “I'm not asking a favor here, Hakurei miko. It's a necessity that'll change the tides of battle—Yukari will be putting him against us, and from Satori's readings—” the satori seems revolted, her eyes falling on me for a moment; a cold rage that made me shiver swam in there. “He has all intentions of fighting us to lessen Kasen’s punishments, but he also likely wouldn’t mind dying to lessen Kasen's burden. If you'd explain it to him, he'd gladly choose death.”

That only makes Mother angrier, fists closed and flames threatening to rise… But she remains composed and, with a little tap on her shoulder, Ran intervenes. “How come this is not you asking for a favor, Matarajin? The way you word it, you or anyone else remotely powerful enough could carry it off—otherwise, fighting a dragon would be stupid.” The cat frowns, and Toutetsu moves closer to her, kneeling before whispering words that grow a look of pure shock on the Youkai's face… One I mirrored in the past when I learned why dragons were revered as the most powerful species to walk this plane: they're immune to spiritual and magical attacks.

Danmaku, The Gap, the Backdoor, our Hakurei seals…

Fighting a dragon face-to-face is not only stupid, but also suicide.

“Me not doing so is obvious; I won't be attacking Yukari's assets or causing harm to her before the Solstice—same goes for vice versa—and others like Sanae and Marisa are simply not as close to Kasen as you once were, Reimu. I don’t see him denying you.” Ran frowns, sharing a glance with Mother. I unconsciously touch my heart, and the quickness with which it beats scares me. What is all this? Dealing with wild and rabid Youkai; blessing markets and lifting curses…

That's been my job as shrine maiden since forever…

Why am I witnessing a plot to kill a dragon? And why doesn't Mother seem slightly surprised? Is this her world—the caliber of the incidents she solved? What is common for her—

“But why is it not a favor? Because of information, of course. It goes both ways in this world,” her hand falls on Satori's shoulder, who winces. The last drop of good humor melted away from the goddess' face, and the atmosphere was cold as the grave; Mother's flames, however, acted as a beacon, and I found myself coming closer to her, as did Aya— “Satori, how many?”

The princess sighs, looks directly at me and then mumbles. “… Three major ones that I can see and would make her fold.”

S-She read…?!

“Three? Good,” Okina said, lifting three fingers. “Yukari's pregnant.” One was lowered.

I blink, heart feeling like a frozen rock, legs made out of jelly and concrete at the same time…

P-Pregnant…?

Mother stared, wide-eyed and quiet; neither Ran nor the cat tried to comfort her now, the former pale and the second… Her hand holding Mother's trembled, mouth slightly agape, horrified. Okina didn't wait before continuing. “The mistake you committed during Douji's sealment was that you didn't seal her oni lust. Yukari used it to enslave her through mental control, threats, and blackmail. The mere stimulus makes her mind go blank as if she were under mind control, yet she feels everything. She hates it.” Another one was lowered…

… But I stopped paying attention, mind inhibiting all senses in face of a chain of thoughts: Kasen-nee has her mind blanked when provoked with lust; that got her enslaved by Yukari… That day she sent me to Senkai with winter clothes; the sadness Kasen-nee displayed… And the things we did—the sudden shift in disposition, the lust pink staring at me, drinking of me, lips eating me out…

… K-Kasen-nee couldn't consent to any of that?!It was all mind-control…?

An eruption of tiredness threatens to pull me to the ground, but I—barely—maintain myself, eyes rushing to Satori… Venom of impossible mortality stares back.

I gulp; the realization tastes bitter.

“—That’s three of Yukari’s secrets,” I-I missed the third?! “Now, to repay me, you'll go to the Underworld and you’ll kill that dragon, Hakurei miko… Otherwise, you’ll be hearing three secrets you don’t want to hear—right, Hana-chan?”