/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46877436
Sanae didn't answer my prayers for ultradubs..

>>46723592
—
A man who's lost everything…?

My back straightens and my eyes on Suzu are a bit more expectant. The woman shifts a little on her seat to get comfortable before she puts aside the booklet, moistens her lips, gathers herself and, to finally quell my anxiety, starts. “The man had a job he loved, friends around him and, all of which we seek, a small measure of peace in his life.” Suzu's quaint smile shrinks. “But then something happened—things he couldn't have foreseen, nor that he could've prepared himself for and that made all of those around him see him differently. The situation, unknown and confusing, led the man to the path of lying; he lied and lied, trying to keep the charade up because if it were to fall, it'd hurt the woman he deeply cared for. A friendly bell-ringer tried to warn him, but he didn't listen, and the lie continued…” A sigh, the woman fiddling with her hands, gathering strength before continuing. I cannot help but glance at the bells in her hair. “It was for nothing in the end. No lie dies a lie, only a bitter truth, and when the woman came to know about his lies, their friendship utterly shattered. Then others knew too, especially a… suffering king.” She scowls. “He trusted the man, and he broke that trust, so the king retaliated and made sure that, one by one, the man would lose all that he'd painstakingly built—his job, his friends, reputation. He was shunned from his village and became a pariah. Everyone misunderstood him but the bell-ringer.” She suddenly giggles. “Want to guess how he and the bell-ringer met again?” I raise one eyebrow, and Suzu seems nostalgic. “… He was cradling two birds she had never seen before, covered in bruises and blood and about to die. The poor bell-ringer almost had a heart-attack, and when he healed, the first thing he promised the bell-ringer was that he'd give those two birds—cast away from their nest—the best life he could provide…” Suzu looks in my eyes, giggling again; she knows I already know.

I find myself laughing a bit too, a soothing silence settling for now as I soak up the bulk of the story. So that's what has led Keine to bring forth this revolution? I know that there was a letter of some kind containing a less personal version of that history, but I never got to read… Would I still be here if I had indeed read it? Those tengu papers make sense now, too. “Why tell her history like that?”

Suzu chimes sweetly, “Well, it's how I intend to write the book about our little group's history—I always wondered what's like to ring massive bells, after all~”

… Part of history indeed.

Draining the tea she'd just poured for herself and me—I warmed myself with a gulp. Tasty~—, Suzu resumed with a tone of finality. “… It's been a long journey since that day at Eientei, and much has changed for the man and the bell-ringer. But the only thing that's never changed is that determination the bell-ringer saw in the man's eyes. He, who had failed so thoroughly and hurt so deeply those he loved, instead of remaining down and letting things outside his control guide his life, decided to change his and those two little birds fates, to rebuild their lives and better the village he loves so much… And I wholeheartedly trust that he'll succeed.”

… So that's why she's told me. I feel my heart clenching, the words swarming my mind and buzzing so loudly that it's hard to form a coherent thought, eyes wandering to the closed door.

Behind that lies a festival of nearly a thousand souls—laughs and talk, curiosity palpable as people explored a world they'd for long feared and, while doing so, eating good food…

A festival born not as a means to destroy the balance of Gensokyo but to somehow reestablish it.

Beauty built on top of rubble.

… Man, I need to make that into a prayer. Sounds so cool~

“Sanae-san…” Suzu calls me again, her smile reborn, eyes squinting a little as if appreciating whatever is in front of her. “It can seem impossible to rise from that hole—one you feel you dug it yourself—but it's not impossible! You're not a failure as long as you irrevocably reject the bottom of the hole… And the Sanae I know would never settle for less than stardom.”

I… don't think I can talk. Not with this heart so fast and body so tense, my mind rushing like crazy. Suzu notices and, kindly, moves to the door and opens it.

“You said you didn't know what you were doing anymore, right?” I nod silently, getting up; my legs feel wobbly. “Don't worry about that kind of stuff too much; hardly anyone does…” I stop at her side; the festival outside looks as crowded as before. “… Just don't ever forget why you are still here. Hana will need any help she can get when it all ends—and she looks up to you, hm?”

I stare at her, then towards the Hieda State and, to the tune of the Primsrivers playing in the background, empty my lungs. “Dude… I'm a terrible adult.” Suzu snickers, but I ignore, marching outside. I pause, then smile. “… I'll keep that in mind—thanks, Suzu~”