/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45237431

The first thing I see is Yuuka's face looking down on me. My best guess was that she was trying to convey concern with her expression, but her face was ill equipped to do so. My heart tries to save me by dragging me back to the Sanzu, but I calm myself and sit up. "Usually people have that reaction to me. I never expected you could do it, Marisa" Yuuka says as she gives me a hand. Seeing no trap and wanting to be on her good side, I take it and get yanked up in the air.

"Come on" Marisa scoffs as she adjusted her position on the chair so she could lean forward a bit. "Are you okay Kosuzu? You can sit down and rest while I get you something. Maybe you should see a doctor we can talk about this later?"

"I just fainted, that's all. I'm fine" I pant out as I wait for the strength to return to my body. My heart steadily returns to a normal rhythm and my legs begin to steadily support my weight, but my mind still races. Almost dying was lucky for me in a way, it allowed me an excuse to figure things out.

So Anon was the father. The grannies in the village would wag their tongues over that. They'd gossip back and forth about how she waited her chance until he left his wife to make her move, and it would soon become something so exaggerated that it would be more ridiculous than even the tawdiest romance novel. But that wasn't the issue. Marisa couldn't be more then a few months along in her pregnancy. So that meant there was only one way it could have happened. But here she was, saying she wanted to free him with a straight face. This wasn't the Marisa I knew. Sure she would lie and never pay her debts but this was heinous, and she admitted it with only some hesitation and talked about how she wanted to save him. With the present company it wouldn't do good blowing up at her, so I tried to ask in the nicest way I could. "So. It happened while he was in there?"

Mima shifted a bit closer to me, her face moody. Marisa in contrast crumpled. Body slumped, face downcast, she took a few moments to respond. "It's not like that, just hear me out, okay? I visited him to try to break him out, but I couldn't do it. He offered himself and I accepted, okay! I didn't know if it was right or not, but I said yes anyways, and then I did it again and again until it happened." Her voice warbled and her shoulders slumped down.

I felt a pang of guilt for being so accusatory towards her. Marisa really wasn't the type of person to take advantage of another person in that sort of way. As she tried to compose herself after her confession, body slumped sniffling and on the verge of tears I saw her in a different light.

This wasn't the powerful and confident hero who faced down the various threats in Gensokyo. It wasn't the freewheeling and eccentric witch that lived her own way. It wasn't even the friend I had known for decades. She was an expectant mother with everything that came with it. The days that seem to go on forever where the pregnancy taxes your body. Excitement and pride for carrying something so precious and important. But also nervousness, wondering if everything will go right and the fragile life inside of you will go right, if you can take on the task of raising and caring for them as they grow. I remember Keine. If things continued like this Marisa would have to do everything on her own. Nobody around to share the burdens and joys of being a parent with. Always knowing the father of her child would never be in their life. Being a wife and a mother will change in, I knew that. Decades ago, everyone babied me. Marisa, Reimu, Akyuu. If they weren't running around to protect me they were using me like Mamizou and Aya. But so much has changed and I was not longer the naive girl I used to be. In some ways kids will get you to wise up better than a dozen youksi

Once again I found myself in a position to help guide a friend and use my experience that my own mundane life gave me. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was just surprised. You're not the type to use him like that. Marisa, I will help you in anyway I can. If you need help bring a mother or with the HSE, I'll be there. We're going to make this work out, you got that?"


Marisa shifted upright, her usual confidence starting to return. "Thank you"


"Now, who else knows about you and Anon?" I ask.

"Everyone working with me knows. I already told Hana and she accepted it. Anon's aware, I think we'll be able to discuss my-our future when he's free. I haven't told Reimu yet. I haven't figured out what to say to her"

I understood that. Announcing you've been successfully creampied by someone's ex husband would be awkward at best. But with the aspect of forced prostitution and Marisa being Reimu's lifelong friend, I could tell it be be a very difficult thing to confess even if Reimu's improved mood held.

"Don't worry about that for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's focus on your future, alright?"

Marisa smiled genuinely.