/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Hearn's Shikigami was tall. It was one of the first things I'd noticed when I'd first met her, but now that she was inside the Shrine, it was becoming blindly obvious. The tips of her hat - And I assumed that there were the ears of a fox underneath - brushed against the ceiling, and I looked at the door and realised that she'd have to crouch even more than I did to get through without hitting her head. I'd wager that she was just a little taller than me, but the ears added a lot more to her height.

"My master, the one you know as Hearn, sends me with a message." Ran told me, her voice well controlled and calm. "It is twofold: First, I am to assist in any way I can with winter maintenance for the Shrine. This includes repairs, replacements, and reconstruction." I raised an eyebrow at that, surprised that Hearn would bother going to such efforts. But then, I remembered that she had referred to Reimu as 'her Shrine Maiden' on the first occasion that I'd met her. I doubted it was as true as she implied since Reimu had never once behaved like she had a master of her own to follow, but perhaps she did have some sort of responsibility to assist Reimu, or more likely, the Hakurei Shrine as a whole. "Second, I am to inquire into the outcome of the Eientei Investigation that you and your compatriots partook in, as part of an effort to understand the events that took place, what led up to them, and how to stop them from happening again." That seemed understandable, even if Hearn hadn't had any reservations about kidnapping me to get those very answers previously. Curious, and fairly confident that Ran wasn't planning to hurt me, I asked her why Hearn hadn't come for me herself.

And here was the first crack in Ran's shields, because her eyes flickered away for a split second and she grit her teeth, before forcing impassiveness onto her face again. "Lady Y- Hearn is busy preparing for the coming winter and could not spare the time to see you today. She extends her apologies and promises to catch up with you soon." Which sounded like an excuse if I'd ever heard one, but I just nodded to indicate my understanding. Actually, not only did it sound like an excuse, it opened me up to the possibility of getting kidnapped again in the near future. "Did you have any more questions?" Ran asked me. I paused for a moment, then I asked her why she'd brought a child - Chen - along with her. "Chen is my shikigami. She is capable in these matters, though she may be young, and she must learn her place as an aide to Lady Hearn."

I decided to employ my favourite technique of Lady Kasen's and stared at Ran. She held admirably, but once I crossed my arms and tilted my head downward slightly, she began to break. Perhaps, I thought, it was because the pose was very Reimu-esque. "Chen needed some fresh air and I needed a break from...No, never mind." Ran finally muttered in an aggrieved voice, though I wondered if she'd cut herself off at the end because she'd been about to give away something to me about Hearn's true identity.

I hummed in understanding, then told her that I was happy to listen to her if she wanted to complain. I couldn't really explain why I had said it, because it had been somewhat impulsive, but I was started to get a track record of doing things like this, so I decided to just roll with it. Listening to people's problems was starting to become a hobby of mine. Ran looked at me curiously. "You are rather strange, aren't you?" I laughed a little, shook my head, then said that I was told that a lot. Still smiling, I led Ran over to the table and asked her if she would like some tea, which she agreed to.

I may not have had Reimu's supernatural skills for tea-brewing, but I did have several painful hours of it being drilled into my very soul by Lady Kasen, which I hoped would be similarly helpful. So, a few minutes later, I was returning to the table that Ran kneeled at, and I offered her a cup, which she accepted gratefully. Before I sat down, I pulled the sliding door shut, to give us some slight privacy. "My thanks." She quietly told me, taking a sip. "As I said, I am here to gather some information on the Eientei Investigation on my master's behalf." She took another sip, followed by yet another. I got the impression that she liked it. Taking the opportunity, I asked her if there was another reason that Hearn hadn't kidnapped me again. "Ah." Ran said, placing her cup on the table. As she did so, I noticed a tiny gap in reality form directly under the cup and between the table, and through it I could see a different, metallic surface. "It's only polite to avoid placing a drink directly on a table as a guest." Ran told me when she caught me looking.