/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45727354
"Is it really all right to leave her to play on her own? Don't you two usually fight as a pair?" I asked the man pointing to Seija.

"Hm? Well as long as I'm in a certain proximity I have some auto-casting techniques I modeled after Hijiri." he began shaking his wrist with the bracelet. "So I don't have to fight with her directly. But, I suppose you have a point, I shouldn't leave my partner by her lonesome."

Standing up, Goro pulled from his robe what looked like a large piece of cloth, solid black on one side and white on the other. He tossed it into the air, upon which the sheet began to violently shred itself apart, first in half, then quarters, until what looked like hundreds of paper scraps floated in the air. The scraps slowly began to flock together, flowing and ebbing like a current in the ocean before they flew out into the night, as if they were a group of bats, toward Seija.

"A little technique I've been developing. The two sides of the sheet each have their own curse which targets the other side. They tear each other apart until they form a sort of equilibrium that could be mistaken for an intelligence. Each shred is weak on it's own, however, the swarm dissipates damage effectively across itself, so it's a useful defense and durable harassment tool." He said as he sat down, looking fondly on his creation.

"Ah, you all don't mind if I use curses here do you? I know some people take offense to that kind of thing." He apologized.

"It is the Scarlet DEVIL Mansion you know?" I said, taking a seat and crossing my legs. "If anything, I'm more curious as to why you wanted to single me out like this."

A satisfied smile spread over his face. "I didn't have to try to hard, given the personalities involved, it's only natural Youkai like Amanojaku and Vampires would lose interest in the more banal." He said, holding up his note book.

I stopped time and took the notebook from Goro's hand. Taking out a red pen, I perused the list of provisions, notes, and correspondences. Prudently, I made a list of all the matters we'd need to correct and noted down anything that needed attention for Takane's edification. The manifest was surprisingly well-written, lacking the chicken-scratch I had expected of a fast moving broker, a product of being raised in a religious institution I suppose.

Then I came to a section regarding his personal affairs, denoted by a red, black, and white bookmark and a few small poems. I really shouldn't use my abilities to pry into such matters, but I had my suspicions about this man and I prefer to be judicious rather then have a knife in my back while fighting alongside my mistress.

Flipping through the pages, I saw journal entries detailing tea parties with Tengu, golf sessions with Kappa, and some bits about Ran, Chen, Seiga, and some of the other members of the Yakumo alliance as well as other's like Shiki, Satori, and Kiene. Looking at an entry for Seiga, it read 'self-centered and selfish', beside which it also read 'loves to teach others'. Besides every negative comment, a positive one was written, even for the wicked hermit, whom I couldn't think a single good thing about up till this point. Perhaps this was a way for him to understand others and view them without bias for dealings? Or maybe a technique to control curses and grudges?

Beyond that section there were sketches, most of them were of Seija sleeping. She has quite a cute expression when resting it appears.

Then I came to the very end, where a poem waited.

I see a gap, within, without
Beyond a icy celebration
Curses and Blessings Shout
To a crowd that craves salvation

In a begotten egg, a disaster lies in wait
But all anyone sees is a distraction
With two hands I'll pull their fate
Out of that hellish contraption

What lies beyond, I care deeply
For all who live now are forsaken
But for the new generation that comes quickly
A love and hope we all can partake in.

How romantic. I suppose Yakumo agents are expected to be cultured as well as efficient.

As I made to shut the book, the words began to twist and contort, the characters ripped themselves off the page and began to dance around the paper until they settled down and morphed into a new message.

It's not nice to pry Miss Sakuya.

I closed the book and placed it back in Goro's hand and let time resume.

"Ah, so you're already done I see." Goro immediately said, opening the book.

He noticed? How... "You still have to produce some entropy when stopping time right? I can tell because the book suddenly changed position and these pages are just the slightest bit more worn." He said, detecting my surprise. "I hope you found my manifest readable, I know Ran-San would have probably done it better."

"Well, it's actually a comfort in a way. Ran doesn't write anything down after all and insists on repeating things aloud, it gets annoying, trying to explain to her how much easier it would be for me to just have a written record." I explained.