/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46575492
“Mistake #98: Not taking advantage of my non-negotiable maternity leave.”

As of the latest update to their employee benefits, ‘maternity’ was defined as “the moment implantation begins until the very second (inclusive to one-thousandth) the last egg leaves the employee’s body, including one 24-hour grace period.” As Aya spent many of those hours passed out and covered in birthing fluids, it wasn’t long until she had to report to Megumu for her next story. The optimistic side of her hoped it would be another article for her motherhood column. The sensible side of her knew it wouldn’t.

Before she could unfurl her wings, the smell of stale beer and wet mud hit the tengu’s nose like a bullet. The small excuse for a lawn Aya had was densely packed with as many empty bottles and half-eaten scraps of discount sushi as it could fit. Not a single crumb fell out of what constituted a property line on Youkai Mountain. Aya, still legally considered retarded by society for another hour or so, walked around the perimeter of her lawn before planting herself at an angle facing the sheer side of the mountain. A maple leaf in her right hand, the tengu closed her eyes and let it flap; She felt every slight twist from the wind running from each vein down to the stem. The flow imprinted clearly in her mind, Aya swirled her fan through the air, drawing the current around as she turned about her left leg, building pressure around until it was fit to burst, then accumulating even more. She planted her right foot firmly in front of her then thrust her arm forwards, guiding the zephyr towards her house. The powerful gust sent shimmering glass and dull refuse careening into the trees below, no longer the responsibility of the Shameimaru household.

A quick check around her home revealed a ruined shirt covered in food and who-knows how many layers of vomit and a few other party favors still tucked away near a trunk for gardening tools. With a sigh, Aya picked up the rest and threw it into a garbage bag for later. Damn. She still couldn’t get everything in one blow. If Anon saw this sorry sight, or her kids hatched…

-who cares what Anon would think?! It’s not like he can manipulate wind! Controlling the flow of the all-encompassing atmosphere would be nothing less than a miracle to humans like him! Aya didn’t even need to impress him in the first place! She wasn’t some lovestruck loon, she was a beautiful tengu Anon would be lucky to call his wife and lover! A-And it’d be years before her kids would have any right to judge her skills, and she’ll be blowing only the third leaf off every tree in a mile radius by next week!

… Why was she still fighting with herself over nothing in her backyard when her vacation ends in an hour? Snapping out of her delusions, the tengu finally went to work, making a mental note to put an end to these stupid mental battles forevermore. She was a tengu, dammnit, she was above these silly mental reassurances!

Walking right into Megumu’s office, Aya saw the boss she knew and loved? Respected? No, that was still too much praise, even for a midwife. Shuffling through papers without a single glance thrown her way was the daitengu Aya knew and approved of, not a trace of her baby-crazy behavior to be seen.

“You’re right on time, Shameimaru. You’ve heard about the trouble brewing between the Hieda clan and the schoolteacher, right? You’ll be investigating Kamishirasawa. I’ve already assigned Himekaido to gather information on Hieda himself, considering how well she did in incriminating the hermit.”

Right down to business, then? Fine by Aya, the sooner she could get this done, the sooner she could do anything other than standing on her feet. “Sounds simple enough. Anything else I should know?”

“Fujiwara no Moukou and one of those night sparrows —the one that sells grilled lampreys, tasty ones — have been seen around her as well. Someone also reported Kamishirasawa wearing a cape with a symbol of peace on it, so we probably have a fully proselytized cult on our hands.” A smirk started to crack on Megumu’s face, the kind she wore when a good story was developing. “Now go get that scoop before this powder keg blows. Anyone making a firebrand out of that walking bonfire is just begging for an article.”

Geez, dealing with Mokou too? Might as well throw hot coals in her face now and get it over with. Maybe just a quick papparazi shot would be enough, especially if she got one with Keine wearing her cape. “You got, Iizunamaru-sama. I’ll have the pictures and a transcript ready by tonight.”

Of course, Aya had one more impediment. “Oh, and Aya? Could you give your oldest a little pet for me? I want little Takezo to know his daitengu will look out for him.”

(Part 91)