/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"Kasen? Er...Not really?" Reimu said slowly. I didn't try to catch her attention, because I was worried that doing so would break the spell and Marisa would realise that we were trying to communicate something. "I mean...Maybe? If you squint a little. Kasen doesn't have horns, though, so it can't be her." Oh, I thought. We'd fallen down so far that we were using Lady Kasen's common-sense plan, now.

Instead of trying to speak to Reimu, I edged over to Tenshi and pulled her back slightly so I could whisper to her without Marisa overhearing it. "We're supposed to be keeping that a secret, right?" I nodded, though I wasn't sure it would stay much of a secret for long. At some point, Lady Kasen would simply have to reconcile with her past, because the current situation limited what Raki could do and where she could go, and I couldn't imagine that Lady Kasen much liked restraining her like this anymore, either. "Alright, so...Oni hate lies." Tenshi whispered to me. "Guess I'll just have to keep Marisa from talking to her? I mean, she does miss the obvious sometimes, so maybe it would be okay." I supposed that was the best we could do. "Hey, where's Yamame gotten to?" Tenshi whispered, casting her eye over at Marisa, who was still trying to prove to Reimu that Lady Kasen and Raki looked more or less identical and had the same voice. Awkwardly, I explained the little accident that I'd had with Komachi, and then had to slap a hand over Tenshi's mouth before she could start laughing. "Oh...That lazy Shinigami's always causing problems like that. I wonder where she ended up?" I wasn't sure, but considering she hadn't managed to come back yet, I figured that it was probably at least halfway to the Sanzu River. "Probably landed on her head and decided to have a little snooze." Tenshi shook her head in exasperation.

"Seriously? You're telling me that Kasen Ibara just happens to have an evil doppelganger twin that dressed up and decided to come to my New Year's Party? Even though that makes no sense at all? Are you feeling alright?" Reimu crossed her arms and frowned heavily. If I didn't know better, I'd probably have believed her. "I think you're seeing things, Marisa. It’s starting to make you sound a little bit crazy. In fact, I’m starting to get worried about you. You should get some rest."

"Hey, don't try and turn this back on me! You're just ignoring it because it's easier than actually dealing with the problem!" That started a new set of arguments, so I turned back to Tenshi, who seemed perfectly happy to watch it all take place without intervening.

Suddenly, I heard noise. The echoing vibrato of a violin. Blinking, I turned to look even as I felt a sort of melancholy grip my heart. The year was coming to an end and with it, the cold and dark of the new year was all that remained. "Huh, that's..." Tenshi murmured, looking out over the torii gate. I followed her gaze. There, against the darkness but with a faint glow surrounding her, was the figure of Lunasa Prismriver. I knew her right away, with her blonde hair and dark outfit, as well as the violin in her arms. She threw her head toward the sky as she continued playing. Belatedly, I noticed that a hush had fallen over the crowds. Even the shop vendors had turned to watch. It was enough that the violin could be heard from everywhere, despite the fact that it should have been barely audible from this distance. "She's...Not actually playing it. No, it's playing itself?" Tenshi murmured, but even her voice had become subdued. "Poltergeists...The music comes from her body, but the violin is...Involved, somehow..."

She almost continued, but a second sound was starting to join into the violin. A thumping. Quiet, discrete, but you could feel it in your heart. A drum. A continued kick. "Well," Reimu said quietly, stepping over to join Tenshi and I. Marisa followed a moment later. "We're closer to midnight than I thought, if they're starting things up now." The drum was starting to grow slightly louder in volume, and the tempo of the violin was beginning to increase. "It's good, isn't it? These guys have been a mainstay since the Spring Snow Incident. And since Raiko joined them..." Something else had joined. A horn, sounding at intervals. Slowly, a light began emanating from the body of the silver-haired Merlin Prismriver. She was spaced on the other side from Lunasa, leaving a wide space between them. "Let's just say they've got a much bigger flair for the dramatic now."