/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45752961
the progression is truly fascinating, and I personally like it a lot.
>I can't even remember the last time we had a simple "2hu sexes Anon" entree.
probably because writeranons decided to not introduce any more characters since there's already a shitton to keep track of

>>45033088
(3/5)
—
We have a new member in Anon's Frens, although it was one of the last person I, Chen—hi…—expected: Reimu. It's been some time since I last saw her, but what I remember is her looking dead and sad, violent too, stopping anyone from getting close. She scared me, even more than twenty years ago, and Yukari's words about her mental illness roamed my head… Why did Ran let her in?

I feel a bit anxious as we go through the gap, fixing my repaired scarf as the cold of the open forest hits us. Toutetsu greeted us first, followed by a raspy voice that sent shivers down my spine. "Good evening." Turning, I expected to see those same dead eyes, low posture, and aura of violence, but what I saw halted my thoughts: her hair didn't look as disheveled as before, and her clothes, although the colors were faded, seemed clean and smelled nice—but the biggest change had to be her eyes. There was… life in there. "Long time no see, Chen." I jump a bit with the sudden attention from the miko, a bit red.

"H-Hello, Ms. Hakurei!"

Reimu giggles a little, and it sounds like Mr. Anon's giggles, "Reimu is good enough, Chen—Ms. Hakurei makes me feel old!" Freaked out by the confusing change, I look at Ran, but she simply taps the top of my head before hugging Reimu and Tetsu.

"Aya couldn't come; Yukari is keeping her paper busy, but I talked with Eirin about my problem and—" Ran starts talking after we form a small circle, Toutetsu squatting by my side, Ran to the other and, in front of me, Reimu, who smiles calmly—until she notices my scarf and that smile fades, eyes closing, and despite the cold, I sweat with fear… But then, her eyes open, and there's just warmth; the whiplash muffling the world around me.

It's not the warmth I saw in Mr. Anon's eyes, of gratitude tinged by sad—it was… resolute, lonely. It made my heart ache.

"Chen," Ran calls me, and all eyes are over me—mine bulge and I stutter, and that's all Ran needs to notice I wasn't listening, sighing. "I asked you to stay away from Orin—Okina's connections say she's been suspicious recently, and we must tread carefully." I frown and want to dispute that: Orin is my friend! Sure, we haven't seen each other in ages, but there's no way she's… suspicious!

Yet, even if I try to think about any incisive argument to back that up, all that returns is that she's my friend…

… Yukari was also my friend.

I gulped down my words, ears and tails drooping, a bit deflated as the meeting went on. Why are things like this? I remember Ms. Kogasa's words about her creator, how he turned his back on her, and the wrath Ms. Kogasa felt. There's rage against Yukari, but there's love in equal measure—she's Yukari, after all—but Orin is just my friend… If she turns against me too, will I feel such blinding rage too?

I remember Yukari's cold gaze when I asked about Mr. Anon… I don't want to look at someone I love like that.

As the meeting ends, members scatter. Toutetsu messes up my hair and flies away; Ran opens a gap and… Reimu kneels down under the moonlight, breathes deeply, and closes her eyes; and I watch perplexed—what is she doing?

"Do you want to talk to her, Chen?" Ran asks, eyes calm, sleeves conjoined. I think for a moment, remembering that lone warmth of hers… Ran, smiling, turns. "I'll keep the gap open; it'll lead to your room. Don't take too long, okay?" I nod frantically, and Ran leaves—it's just me and Reimu on the cleaning now…

Anxious with her image of calm, I do the best I can to walk up to her respectfully, my tails puffy with tension—

"Don't be shy, Chen—I won't bite," Reimu says, her body unmoved. Red, I go to her side, mimicking her kneeling on the ground, one eye opening to look at me with a smile. "So?"

"Um, sorry for disturbing you, I… was curious about something." Unconsciously, I clutch my scarf, and her eye narrows with understanding.

"… Anon knitted that, right?" I stared at her, puzzled at how she knew it. She merely laughs. "The circle patterns with wavy lines—it's his favorite pattern, and it looks lovely on you." There's sad in her voice, yet also fond love and memories, as well as regret. It was a different sad compared to Mr. Anon's, Ran's, and Yukari's—why so many of them…?

Looking down, I see her arms, hairs upstanding, and skin shivering. "You're cold, Reimu?" She opens her other eye to look at me. "You can have my scarf—for now—if you're cold."

Her eyes shine with a weird hope, but something holds it off. "That's gentle of you, Chen—but I'll have to refuse it."

"Huh?… But why?"

"Anon knitted it for you, not for me." I stare at her, blink… Then I get up, pull out my scarf, and, ignoring her confused stuttering 'H-huh?!', wrap it around her head. She was about to say something—probably stupid—so I butted in:

"Baka! Why are adults like this? You need it, so just take it—for now.”

Reimu clutches the scarf, unsure… Then snuggles in it with a smile, eyes warm; "Thank you, Chen—I'll take good care of it."

… I feel fuzzy inside.