/jp/ - Otaku Culture

(2/6)
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… And I internally groan, regretting the question immediately.

What the hell was I thinking?! Has the isolation of the HSE really done that bad of a number on my mind…?

Yeah, probably that.

But it doesn't matter! I need to apologize and find a way of getting out of this situation fast—knowing Sekai's powers, she must've seen this and is absolutely laughing so badly at me right now… Though, before I can utter one word, Sakuya speaks in her very characteristic deadpan: “Are you or Lady Patchiouli pregnant, Meiling?” Hands neatly folded in front of her apron, eyes curious and incisive, her winter uniform flawlessly symmetrical and well-kept—

Ah, I just processed her question, oh no…

“No! No, no, no—I'm not, Pat—Lady Patchouli is not—n-no one is pregnant!” I exclaim with vigor and blushed cheeks, body itching in discomfort as hands pump up and down, attempting to mitigate the embarrassment. “I-It's just that…”

“You are seeking to be with baby?”

“No!”

“Then stop wasting our time and be straightforward.” The sharp intonation of those words, indeed, brought back the chills. Ugh…

“You see, it's just that I…” I stop, nearly folding under her glare. Patchy would've done much better than me… “I can't tell you why just yet—y'know, part of that secret thing me and—”

“Oh, I see. You could've started with that.” She gestures disapprovingly. “The mistress adheres by it; hence do I.” Just like that, coupled with a sigh, her violent demeanor disappears and her arms uncross, a hand rising to softly caress her chin. I watch with wide eyes, utterly perplexed… Huh, sometimes things are easy like that with Sakuya. I had forgotten this most practical side of hers in the past year, just recalling the ruthlessness and strictness amidst our bouts of camaraderie and friendship. “I already live the life I want by the mistress' side, and I have no desire to build a family or anything of the sort… But I understand that may not be the answer that’ll help you, so let's assume I do have plans to have children—what's about it?”

I moist my lips, hands untangling as the thoughts stir inside; guess it makes sense for Sakuya to be so… content with such a strict lifestyle, and it comforts me a little knowing her answer will be unbiased. “What… life would you want for your child?”

“This one. A life of servitude, thus fulfillment and contentment. Better than any other I know.” Her eyes narrow, small fluctuations in her expression and visible points of pressure indicating a certain… relief, one with a background that sobers me. Vampire hunting is more often than not a vocation, not a choice.

Leaving those thoughts aside, I sternly nodded. Sakuya is clearly anxious to end this conversation and resume her duties, likely antsy too as Patchy's orders have been on hold for a while now. Curious, too, but the ever-perfect maid would never show that… Better not stretch this too much. “H-How do you think you would be able to, y'know… Maintain that life?” Sakuya stares, her overwhelming gaze demanding more details, but I couldn't; that'd beg the reveal of Sekai's nature, which'd surely mess with her manipulation of fate, so I try to be as vague as possible. “A-Against suffering, a bunch of bad stuff…?” Mongols, plagues, famine, people desiring power, corruption by having great powers and—

“You're being nonsensical, Meiling.” She says it deftly.

B-Bwuah?! “Nonsensical…?”

“Maintaining a hypothetical person's life against that 'bad stuff'. If you mean 'protecting them', it's understandable; it's instinctive. I doubt you of all people would fail at that,” a rare smirk paints her face, small and tender. “But there are limits to that. The young mistress, you see: The mistress has recognized the mistake that was conditioning the young mistress into assuming that life in the basement was all she'd ever have—isolation and believing herself to be a danger to others and herself. That it was for her protection—and now the young mistress has an odd assortment of friends, even if unsavory, and manages to live a reasonably worry-free life as she understands how to control herself—a trait she'd never have honed without experiencing life outside the basement.” She scowls. “I will be honest: the mere thought of my made-up kids defying the mistress's wishes and forsaking the mansion, for example, makes me unreasonably angry and anxious… Yet I don't feel like I'd clash with their wishes and try stopping them without explicit orders. It’s their lives, after all…” She shakes her head, apparently wanting to say more but refraining. “Is this sufficient dialogue about fictional kids for you?” Her tone returns to its usual razor-sharpness.

I did not expect her to think so deeply about it and then give me such advice, especially given all the vague info. “I think so…? Thanks, Sakuya!” I grinned softly and nodded; it was sound advice anyway~

She stares for a long moment, curiosity latent…

“Go see Lady Patchouli right now.” And just like that, Sakuya was gone.