/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46303494
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I'll do what I can for them. Protect, be there…

The inside is cozy, unlike the sheer cold that was outside—though I cannot feel the cold, there's just something about the warmth a house produces that no flame can mimic.

The twins play inside their cradle, moved to the living room so Keine has easier access to them during the day; their wings draped in warmers and bodies almost comically stiff with the amount of clothing—a massive pile of papers and folders litters the dining and coffee tables, pens, and a lot of discarded papers. Plans, routes, what to do when the revolution either takes power, crashes and burns, or something else entirely…

But my eyes are not on that; rather, on the platinum beauty holding a knife that slowly cuts vegetables. Her smile lifts as she shoots me a side-eye look. “Good evening, Mokou!” Her eyes never leave the knife, her voice full of joy. I stop by the cradle, playing and petting the twins' wings, who tenderly flap them up and down. Love—if not, the gleam in their eyes as they relished in the caressing through the many cloth layers would've said it.

“… I'm home.” I move towards her in the kitchen. “How was the day?”

“Full to the brim. The other Youkai representatives had much to say about the news that came out of the meeting yesterday—good and bad. A lot of good, yet the bad struck deep.” She sighs, her eyes always on the knife, as I'd taught her. “I did clear up the misconceptions, though; Mystia was a saving grace… Ah, it was so stressful—hey, I'm cooking~” She mewls as I place myself behind her and gently hug her waist, resting my chin on top of her head after plating a kiss there… Keine's smile turns a little thoughtful as she reaches for my cheek, putting the knife to the side. “The meeting with Kaguya didn't go so well?”

Live like every moment is the last.

It'll come that single moment where, indeed, it'll be the last…

“Keine.”

“Hm?” She turns in the hug, hands against my chest, eyes staring at mine from below… They soften, seeing something I cannot fathom… “Mo—”

“Wanna go have a picnic on the moon?”

She blinks. “… H-Huh?”

A surge of adrenaline, sudden like the atomic bomb. “Get some sandwiches, baby bottles, orange juice, or anything you like!”

“M-Mokou?! What're you talking about—”

I catch Keine's shoulders and pull her up like a doll, kissing her so passionately I could feel the moment she started to melt. “You have no FUCKING idea how much I love you, Keine! I love my kids!!” I laugh, holding my forehead for some reason. “I want to show you so many pretty sights—our kids beautiful landscapes! Take you everywhere, give you the world—make you three the happiest people on Earth!”

So little time, so much to do; so much love to show.

So many regrets I don't wanna bear when the last star burns away.

Keine blinks, searching something in my wild eyes for a moment, silence spreading… Then a reluctant smile grows there: “Kaguya-san helped a lot, I see; your smile is so genuine~” I blink, confused, but she comes first. “Okay! Let's have a picnic on the moon; I’ll prepare the twins.”

My smile grows to oceanic proportions.

—

The cold winter night in Gensokyo was calm, silent. Dark as all winters are…

… Then a thin beam of pure fire erupted towards the sky around the area of the Forest of the Lost, all the way up, disappearing amidst the clouds. Those who saw it didn't question; Danmaku duels, after all, don't know night or day.

—

“… I-I'm sorry…”

It turns out flying from the Earth to the Moon with nothing but fire is a very tall request, so we had to settle for something somewhat tamer.

Mt. Fuji’s summit, of course.

In the middle of a winter night, there were no people around, so Mokou lit a circle of fire around us, cozy like the inside of our home, and we set the blanket on the snow, placed the basket full of food much heartier than sandwiches—tempura, ginkgo sweets, very spicy fish cuisine, both meat and vegetarian rice balls and sake for ourselves, and, ‘course, baby bottles for the twins—, and…

We just basked in the view together.

The clutching darkness and blazing neon lights stunned Aki; Mochi tried munching on snow. Mokou mumbled non-stop apologies for not flying us to the moon~

My stress vanished like a marshmallow above flames as I rested my head on her chest, enjoying the soft wind inside the fire ring. “Don't be sorry. It's a beautiful view.” I nearly sang, petting Mochi's wings as I ate my rice ball~so much cultural heritage…

“Could've been the moon… but I'm a dumbass!” Her head falls with a sigh. Aki takes hold of her hair, pulling on it while giggling. “Oy, stop it, brat!” She quarrels with the laughing baby; seeing fun things ensuing, Mochi flies to participate, and I can't resist laughing as Mokou—harmlessly—pulls on Aki's wings, calling it revenge; the babies laugh in joy~

I don’t know what happened to Mokou…

… But whatever it was, I’m glad our family makes her—us~—so happy.

Memories like these are to be cherished.