/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45692501
(22)

The gifts were a welcome reprieve. All eyes were on Hana and we could ignore a certain purple clad presence in the room, even if her gift dwarfed all of the others, almost demanding attention.

After Hana was pulled to a chair by her two rabbit friends-so nice to see her be friendly to new people- she began opening her gifts. First was Marisa’s horn she had acquired from somewhere. As long as someone’s collection somewhere hadn’t lost a piece, I wasn’t too bothered. Hana tried to blow into it, only for no sound to appear. After Marisa explained it was enchanted so only the person you wanted to would hear it, Hana blew into it again. Judging by how she cringed and cried out, it worked. Next Hana’s hand reached for my gift. I held my breath, eager to see where this went. She removed the wrapping and opened it up, skimming past the introduction and turning to the pages chronicling the articles about her birth. I had debated whether to include them or not, reading about her parents which be the last thing she would want on a day like this. But I figured she had the right to know about how things used to be. Hana was silent at first, fingers hovering over the headline “Hakurei Heir Born!” Below it, a photo of Reimu and Anon beaming with joy-I’m still surprised how young they looked, how things change-and nestled Reimu’s arms was a newborn baby. That day was certainly one to remember. The quiet shrine had bustled with activity, everyone eager to see this as a turning point for the couple. Reimu was overwhelmed with the attention, nodding along with advice given by mothers and muttering out thanks for the gifts that piled up. She was so occupied that Aya was allowed to roam around unopposed, even letting her take multiple photos without even a harsh word. Marisa was ecstatic the entire time, that is until Hana was passed into her arms where she lost all confidence upon holding something so delicate in her arms, struggling to maintain her composure. Anon was as proud as a father could be, taking the time to stay close to his wife and dote on his daughter, like how things should have been.

But as Hana read on, a smile appeared on her face. I let the nervousness leave my heart and let pride come in as I walked her through the rest of the book. Spellcard knowledge, some of her favorite recipes, and the last story Akyuu ever wrote, never published. When she hugged me, I’d admit that I was very full of myself. This was what it should be like. No thoughts of enslavement, of certain death during the solstice, or evil lurking right over my shoulder. Just a teenage girl just happy to live in the moment.

The next gift was from those two rabbits that Hana had befriended, so good to see that all those rumors about her harnessing youkai weren’t true. Hana unwrapped the silly wrapping paper and opened the wooden box within. They excitedly announced the contents to the whole room, and I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. Eientei’s beauty products were pricey and hard to get, and Hana got the whole set. But Tewi had a gift of her own, and Hana pulled it out of the package to reveal-oh my goodness. A revealing piece of lacy lingerie. Even I had never worn something like this before-not like I was against it- so Tewi had some real nerve gifting this to a teenager. By the time everyone started to look around for her, Tewi was already gone.

Wanting to clear the air, Hana grabbed the next gift. It had a lovely quilted cloth case, very excellent quality. Hana pulled out a small leather-bound book. Huh, must be a professional job, is that hand stitching I see? Oh nice. I heard Sanae explained she had written all the prayers herself. So hand written as well? Very nice.

After that, Hana picked up a small envelope. When Alice mentioned it was from her father, Hana’s face turned contemplative. Nobody spoke a word as she opened the letter and read it. The silence continued on until Hana lowered the letter, staring ahead . Aunn had already nuzzled herself up to the young shrine maiden. Fishing around in my pocket, I handed her a handkerchief, because she just had some cake on her face, that was all. Just after the girl was done wiping her eyes, Yukari butted in, forcing me away from the girl as she moved closer. She was so sickeningly sweet at her, calling herself “Mama” Something was definitely wrong, and it only took a few seconds for me to find out when Yukari revealed her gift.