/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>44908592

Aya woke up covered in a nice, warm blanket. It felt a little bit familiar. Too familiar. Peeking her head up, she discovered that her surroundings were quite similar to the Hakurei Shrine. That’s right, she came to the Hakurei Shrine Experience today! She was tired when she came in, so Anon probably put her to nap for a while. But there was something else she forgot to do… She finished the work at home, she checked the incubator and the pills…

Oh fuck, the pill! Aya groped her chest wildly, searching by touch for the stupid thing. Not on the left, not on the right, goddamnit why did she have to check so much surface area?! It was nowhere on her body. She had it out when she was in the kitchen making tea, then Anon came behind her, and…

And now Aya was prepared to die. Anon must’ve found the pill and Yukari would’ve seen it. Never mind the embarrassment, Yukari would probably fucking kill her for trying to poison Anon. The real explanation would probably make her angrier. For the sake of her children, Aya bolted out of bed and rushed out the door.

The hurried tengu was greeted by Anon and Ran having tea at the table. Shit shit shit shit shit the shikigami found out. Looking them in the eyes for a single second, Aya’s fight-or-flight responses kicked in. As a proud tengu of the mountains faced with the shikigami of the woman that owned her in all but name, Aya chose flight. Unfortunately, Aya flew head-first into a barrier laid just in front of the door to to sweet, sweet freedom. Trapped and now relying on her infallible wisdom as a veteran karasu tengu, Aya chose a stance that would give her the greatest advantage in battle: Dogeza.

“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I’M SORRY I’M SORRY PLEASE LET ME EXPLAIN BEFORE YOU TELL YUKARIIIIIIII!” The tengu’s negotiations were dire, but there was a possibility she might escape alive. Maybe she should have prayed harder to the gods and visited that misfortune goddess before coming here, because divine intervention was her one true hope, and each moment diminished the chance of it happening. On the other hand, maybe Shikieiki-sama would be more lenient if she gave her dirt on Yukari…

“Aya, you can stand up. Please, take a seat at the table.” Anon accompanied his invitation with a smile that held only forgiveness, while the kitsune’s gaze had an odd mixture of emotions, but the most obvious one was disappointment. Not wanting to waste the good will she was given, Aya hurried to a seat far from both of them. Both of them were silent for a while, so the tengu talked first, hoping to get a good word in first.

“Um, I’m very sorry about trying to give Anon the pill without telling him. Please don’t tell Yukari about this.” Anon seemed like he wanted to say something, but held back. Right, this wasn’t his call. This would be the shikigami’s decision.

“Would you like to explain why, exactly, you saw fit to feed Anon a mysterious drug for three nights?” Like a teacher scolding a student, Ran asked Aya for an explanation in a condescending tone that dripped with judgment.

“I thought that since the shrine was filled with incense, and that Anon was exposed to it all day, it might be a little… unhealthy! Yes! So I gave him the pill so his body would be resistant to the incense if it would hurt him!” It wasn’t a complete lie: She really did want him to resist the incense. Maybe not purely for health reasons, but that was part of it!
“Really? How did you know that this pill would help Anon out? That it wouldn’t kill him a week after exposure to his body? That the human body was capable of handling such a unique medicine?” The kitsune was ready to admonish her, but Aya Shameimaru was always prepared, interview or interrogation!

“I asked the dealer and made sure it came from a reliable source!”

“And who, pray tell is this reliable source?” Crap, she already made a promise to Eirin. But if Ran wasn’t happy, she was toast.

“...Reisen.”

“Really, Reisen?” The kitsune was far from amused. Anon, on the other hand, was enjoying the show.

“Yes. Reisen Udongein Inaba, in the Human Village, committing treachery behind her master’s back.” It was a foolproof alibi.

“So, let me get this straight: Reisen, willingly disobeying Eirin, sold you a niche, un-marketed drug that countered the specific incense used within the Hakurei Shrine Experience, in the Human Village?”

“Yes.” Why the hell didn’t she come up with something better than the crap Eirin told her?!

“And you’re absolutely certain it was Reisen who sold this to you?” She wasn’t buying it; plausible deniability always worked!

“She was dressed like Reisen and called herself Reisen. I’m absolutely positive of that.” She was telling the truth. If she looked like Reisen was another matter…

Ran let out a sign and held her face in her hand. The tengu was just as much trouble as the reporter.

(Part 25) [2/3]