/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Tomorrow, it starts.

Today was full from the moment I got up until now, with the horizon consuming the sun. Spreading the word is unnecessary—nothing travels faster than gossip, after all—but the rest of the work is still daunting: calming down youkai and humans alike, last-second prep, and making sure everything we've gathered in the last few weeks won't go to waste. Tomorrow, we'll take to the front of the Hieda Residence and proclaim the changes we so desire. They'll hear us; a way or another, things'll change.

3 days, 54 hours of almost non-stop working—the memories on that summit are dear~—Every single loose end, supposedly, taken care of…

… Still, tension lurks inside.

I rub my eyes, looking around Mystia's home: Humans and Youkai crowded it until just a few hours ago. The former in awe at seeing a youkai home, assuming that what they'd see would be like a dragon's den, with pilled bones and magical artifacts… Only to find out it was in fact a normal—if humbler—abode with regular appliances. Disagreements and fights soon broke out but were quickly settled by Mokou glaring at them or through polite conversation—in any case, it succeeded in getting them to talk to each other.

Baby steps.

Some results, though, are really interesting~

“Mystia-chan, it's vital that we marry as soon as possible! I don't think I'll survive a day without taking care of your adorable kids—but to get there, you must know how to read our wedding vows! Do your best!” The man 'encourages', holding one of the sparrow's babies—Zephyr, a girl—a surprisingly genuine smile on his face. I wonder what happened to the other two… So weird how they all have the same disposition toward Mystia.

Oh, well.

As expected, the sparrow was as flushed as sundown, gently swinging Mochi up and down to put him to sleep. “T-That's just a tad too fast, don't you think?! But you can v-visit us every day if it's so important to you…” It seems like enough for the man, and the sight of the sparrow pouting—barely hiding her smile—was welcomed, though it was dispersed when Mokou slapped each on the head, her brows creased, one hand supporting Aki on her shoulder, the little girl curiously watching the two sleeping babies by me on the couch, Mystia's one boy and second girl, Utz and Natthanielle… gladly shortened to 'Nat'.

As if Lorelei wasn't huno enough, heh~

“Stop flirting, dumbasses—now read it again.” She points at the tome on top of the table. Mystia wept or laughed; I couldn’t tell, but it made Mochi laugh; she wept, then.

Still, breathing in and out and hyped by the man, Mystia slowly began reading the printed words. Many mistakes were made and she had to pause often, yet, paragraph by paragraph, she got better; more eloquent and comprehensible—a short tale about monsters; humans and friendship; corny, but made this small smile on my face grow tenfold, eyes on her hands tenderly holding my son, as if a most precious bundle…

… Cries and pain, a harrowing night of blood flowing, of a music of death she sang to call those monsters upon us.

The day I towered over her and spilled like venom our accomplishments, our survival. Her tears, her breakdown, the things I learned…

Thoughts about never forgiving her, of never forgetting…

“—A-And zhen… With the b-barier broken, they zogether watched the sunzet, joyful z—that the probat—provation, zhe tests… Had finally come to a close, and their friendship had prevailed. Zhe end.” I stare at Mystia’s back as, for the first time, her words don’t devolve into gibberish. Mokou deeply sighs in relief; the man sitting to her side yells in commemoration, exclaiming to the world how intelligent the love of his life was; the revolutionaries that hadn't gone home yet also cheered, as invested on her triumph over illiteracy as Mystia herself…

… Yet, despite all that…

Mystia's eyes were centered on me, wide and anxious—hopeful, too—her wings gracefully fluttering up and down, a gesture I've grown used to these last months. That gaze of hers, though, goes back decades, from when I began teaching… The nostalgia is near overpowering, but all I do is smile back and, softly, nod in approval.

She beams like the sun, eyes returning to the tome. “I-I'll read it again!”

Mokou sighs loudly, scratching her hair. “Goddamn Suzu, Keine—I'm not a fucking teacher!” Laughter explodes at her words. Suzu has the Suzunaan to look after and I need to finish assembling these copies of my manifesto for tomorrow… Of course, we may already have enough copies, but it's fun to watch Mokou teach, so why not create more~?

Mystia doesn't pay attention, resuming from the start of the tome—always improving, always enunciating a word better…

… Those eyes of wonder and hope, that lovely smile…

They stay with me and, finally, crumble the already-cracked image of an unforgivable monster into dust.

Hope, responsibility…

Mr. Hieda's eyes of fury, the revolver against my body…

Circumstances…

I clench a fist.

Tomorrow, it’ll all be decided.