/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Deciding that the crowded streets weren’t the best of places, I approached the quarreling sisters and, as gently as possible, placed my hands on their shoulders, silencing the abysmal display of emotions right in the heart of the Capital. Their faces had lost all color; no amount of good fortune or learning how ridiculous their little squabble was in my eyes could soften the stare I gave them. “Follow.”

“She started it—”; “She's been a bully—”

Deadpan, I stare at both sisters. “Follow.” Without saying anything more, they followed, and before long, we were standing on an ordinary rooftop, the night high with Gaia painting the skies in green and blue, surrounded by millions of stars, the backdrop to my disappointment on full display—arms crossed—both sisters kneeling on the ground, each bearing an expression from one extreme of the pendulum: the abrasive Yorihime pouted, seemingly feeling justified by her arms also crossed; Toyohime, on the other hand, stared back at me with calm righteousness, her hands on her thighs. Princesses, heirs to the throne of the Lunar Kingdom… Quarreling and using their influences as royalty and protectors to change the distribution of their favorite soap opera.

Pinching my nose, I sigh—just what Yorihime needed. “What?”

“She's disappointed in you, sister.”

“At us! Don't try to dump all the blame on me!” Toyohime was about to follow, but I beat my foot down, stopping the more… casual princess.

“Why?” I ask, careful to watch the lines of fate. “Why does it matter so much to you?” ‘To the point of fighting like two bratty little children’, but refrained from adding that part. Yorihime seemed to be preparing an answer but stopped herself… “Irresponsible.” I finish.

“I-I didn't do much; I just… Y'know, asked them to stop transmitting that trash about fairies and irrelevants; I want the good stuff, gore and drama, the storylines—main and side—that matter!” Yorihime explained herself, much to her sister's visible chagrin.

“You're being unreasonable; some of us like to see the trivialities in between the more heavy subjects. Some even add context to certain events—” Yorihime was about to say something, but I signed a 'no' with my hand and she bit her tongue. “Thank you; that's why I decided that our dear media should be getting a substantial sum of peaches should they put more emphasis on the little things. They breathe life into the world instead of presenting it as a closed race of events.” Toyohime pouts. “Besides, you could've simply not read or watched what you don't like, sister.”

“We don’t need to know every second of every person in the HSE; that’s just bloat and filler for the sake of filler—I’m not letting that slop taint my daughter’s history!” Wait, what…?

“The future of MY daughter-to-be will be an odyssey with all its ups and downs, no stone unturned. Simply trying to delete everything you have no fondness for shall make it a sorrowfully uncompleted atlas.” That emphasis in the word 'daughter', the death stare Yorihime throws at her sister, coupled then with the challenge offered by the often unassuming and calm Toyohime, each ready to jump at the other's throat…

I can already feel the migraine coming.

These two idiots really do care a lot about the HSE, huh? So much, they've been tampering with it to garner what results they think befit better their views and personal likings…

“Shut up! Sekai would never choose someone as boring as you—maybe to pick on you, but even that has its limits~” Yorihime bites.

Toyohime returned the obvious bite. “Your personality would render the girl insane in mere days; you're just the gatekeeper, but much lamer~I am like the librarian, but far more adequate to fill the role of mother.”

It's not often I curse the inability of Lunarians to produce offspring like humans and Youkai can—pure beings must go through a process much longer to have children, and even then, it takes centuries for a pure Lunarian to be born. The existence of the HSE has exacerbated jealousy of the relatively simple process of human reproduction tenfold.

The little quarrel would've continued if I hadn't beaten my foot down, their eyes turning to me. “Enough. Your discussion has fair points.” I pause. Nothing…? Nothing. Good. “But your way of doing it has caused damage to your relationship and reputation. It's embarrassing and unfit for two Lunarian princesses.” Eyebrows lowering and frowns show that they're listening, my expression calming a little, conscious about my next words. “If you love the HSE so much, discuss it politely and know when it's useless to pursue a discussion.” The reverse of that would be 'if you don't love the HSE…', so things are okay. I look between them, both squirming in their own ways, before, together, uttering:

“Fine.”

Ugh, it's done… For now, that's it.

… Still, better keep my eyes peeled; I doubt the sisters would try it, but nerves are getting really high. Must keep the Lunarians from interfering with the events on Gaia.