/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46880625
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“What's a brothel…?”

“A place for, um, adult entertainment.” The nurse escorting us gives Yuugi a funny look over her shoulder as the oni struggles to speak. The people around also decided it was fun to stare as if we were weird animals, and if I wasn't so enthralled by the fascinating shifting bamboo forest outside the apparently infinite corridors of Eientei or our conversation, I'd be very mad—Yuugi seems so, with a weird redness painting her face.

I blink, frowning. “Adult entertainment?”

“Y-Yeah, uh…” She scratches her nape, sake plate forgotten, dodging gawks from flammable dummies. “A-Ask Satori if you wanna—”

“But why do I need to ask her? The Sun is older than Gensokyo, so it means I'm an adult too! Can I go to this 'HSE' and h—”

“No.” She turns to me, eyes wide and suddenly serious; my wings snap straight and even the eye of Yatagarasu widens at her tone. “Whatever happens, whoever asks—even if it's Satori; say, she does ask: that’s not the real Satori—you don't go to the HSE, Utsuho.” The nurse stops to stare at us, her face twisting into something hard to read and her free hand falling on top of her pregnant belly. I only pay a tenth of mind to that, eyes on Yuugi's peering at me from above… An odd feeling that’s been building inside since I met Mr. Dragon, a feeling now impossible to ignore, decays like the half-life of tellurium-128: rage.

“But why?” I demand.

“You'll know later, Utsuho; let's just—”

“—I don't want to know things later; we're here now!” For how long have things been happening right under my nose? Serious stuff—Okina's hand caressing Satori-sama's chin; the terror in her pinkish eyes—that I could've done something about; so many things I could've solved—with overwhelming power—if I was aware…

Critical mass rumbles inside, even more when Yuugi sighs. What does she know?! “Utsuho, there'll be a better—”

“Why am I so out of the loop? What's happening with Gensokyo that I don't understand?! This is ridiculous!” The nurse recoils, Yuugi tenses and the people that come and go leave, eyes on the eclipsing sun soaring above my head and eclipsing all lights around us. “I should know, well, stuff that happens—I control the outflow of energy for the surface and the Underground! HSE; Yukari and Okina, that sword—why must I remain in the dark about things happening to people I am fond of?!”

Yuugi stares, sighing, as she notices the wide-eyed nurse hiding behind her… She moves forward fearlessly and, without any warning, slaps the sun above my head, snuffing it out like a flea. My frustration is about to reach 513—

—A strong hand gently pats the top of my head.

Huh… It feels nice~

It's also the second time that it has happened today… “I know how it must feel, Utsuho. I've been in the dark for quite a while too—Koutei suddenly appears, battling Yukari after discovering the shit she's been doing to my sworn sister… It's worse than any hangover, but unlike me, it's for your protection.” She pauses, mulling over something; whatever it is, it leaves a shadow on her face. “Things are bad in Gensokyo. It's become an angry place, a mess—Gensokyo is as angry as it gets… And Satori wants to protect our little newcomer, Orin, Koishi, and you from that anger. Utsuho, do you realize what she's gone through?” Her words cut cruelly, and in my mind I see Satori-sama—the fear and strain of her frail body under the creepy hands of that despicable portal hag…

My hands clench, but no fossil fuel feeds the flames of anger, leaving residues of cold fusion behind in the form of a sigh, hands joining and wings coming forth, enveloping me as I lower my head. “… I don't want to be protected. Utsuho is a big girl!”

“You sure are, Utsuho.” She takes her hand off my head. “But we’ll deal with that later. Your master's sister has just given birth, and she needs our support—that’s what's important, okay?”

Pouting hard, I suppress the desire to coat myself in cement and hurl myself to the bottom of an ionized lake. “… Fine.”

“Good girl~” She pats my head once more before turning to the observant nurse, squatting to her height, draining her plate, and saying, “Sorry for that commotion; can you keep guiding us, please?”

The nurse giggles serenely, “It's fine, it's fine, usa~we've been experiencing a lot of meltdowns recently because of the many pregnancies around Gensokyo.” She resumes her walking, me and Yuugi following. “I'm glad Miss Nuke have you around; Dr. Eirin hates to be called during these hours… Well, all hours, actually. She's such a busy woman, usa~” I don't know why, but the sporadic gossip takes my mind away from the bad feelings lurking inside—her voice is very soothing… To deliver so many babies, though, the storks must be working nonstop. Glad I work with nuclear energy; just the thought of being responsible for the life of a child and getting them to their parents gives me the creeps…

At least Koishi-chan got hers before they ran out of babies.

Heh, hope we get a cute one~