/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>44966321
(3/6—p2)
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"The purple tiny hat was crafted by skilled hands inside a tiny house, under the Sun and the Moon," Her two-colored eyes shine a bit. "It wasn't made to be used by its creator, but rather by the person he loved so much. The purple tiny hat, of course, was overjoyed: her existence was expertly made to make someone else happy—" a silent pause, a thousand words. A smile, anyway. "—and when the maker gifted the purple tiny hat, the loved one was exhilarated! The purple tiny hat thought her life would be just that: smiles, happiness… But then time passed, and like all things, the hat started to wither. Its vibrant color faded a single tone; its edges became rough—and the wearer, who grew with time, felt the hat was too tiny to be comfortable."

I don't know why, but I reached for her hand, enthralled by the weird story. Kogasa smiled at me, yet it felt grievous.

"The hat, of course, understood that. She understood the wearer was getting too big, and she was too worn-out—so what she thought would happen next is that the maker would repair her, like he did to many other hats in his workshop, and then she'd be passed onto someone else to keep on making people happy… But he didn't repair her. He crafted another hat, threw the purple hat away, and she couldn't do anything to stop him. The hat felt rage, loneliness, sadness, and, above all, guilt. She thought she wasn't good enough—that the fault was hers for whitering and deteriorating, which then fed her anger, like a cycle. All those bad emotions gave her a body, which she'd use for so many years to pursue vengeance against the race that betrayed her."

Sighing, Kogasa relaxed, the words appearing to have taken a toll on her. "What happens next?" I ask; my tears forgotten.

Ms. Kogasa smiled, despite the sad words. "The hat met some people. People that helped her see her worth; to find a passion for herself—" Ms. Kogasa hand pats my head. It feels nice. "These people helped the hat and made her understand that worrying about things out of her control, like the mistakes of others, was just not worth it. The thing that had given her life—vengeance—attenuated, and the hat focused on the people she loves and doing the things she loves—at that moment, the hat felt happy with her life."

I… deflate a bit. Chen is a smart girl; she notices things—even though sometimes she'd like not to.

We exchanged a look in the silence, and she appeared perplexed for a moment before giggling, petting my head. "Heh, guess I was too on the nose—sorry for the lengthy story!" Softly, her other hand brought the scarf and wrapped it around my neck, holding my shoulders when she was done. "There, much better…" Her smile fades a little. "I don't know your situation, Chen, nor do I think you should be going through it—but I'd like you to understand: others’ mistakes are not yours. Don't fear stepping back if it's hurting you—stay close to those that won't give up on you."

"But I love her…" I whispered, clutching my torn scarf.

Even though we know each other for such a short time, Ms. Kogasa looked at me with affection, caressing my cheek. "If you leave, and she loves you like you love her, when the time is right… She'll reach for you, and she'll apologize—if you accept it, though," she cleans a tear I hadn't even noticed had fallen. "It's up to you."

I feel hollow. Leaving, walking away… The thought is just too much. I want to stay by Yukari's side, offer all the love I have as she pays for the bad things she did—Ran said it'd be the way we'd get something good out of this situation…

But then why are we walking away from Yukari? Why are we leaving her alone? I think about Ms. Kogasa's words about love—would this work? Yukari would really reach out to us, and apologize for what she has done to Mr. Anon, Ran, and me…?

I moisten my lips, looking into her eyes. My heart is frantic. "Would you… forgive your maker?"

Kogasa pauses, smiles, huffs, and says: "Yes."

I feel no lie.

The rain soon ceases, and Ms. Kogasa helps me fly back to the Human Village, the mantle of the night over our heads. She accompanies me only to the village's gate, hugs me, and then leaves, promising we'd see each other again.

I tiredly walk towards the HSE, but not two minutes after entering the village, a gap opens close to me, and two people rush out of it.

Yukari is talking something to me, looking mad but relieved, and behind her, seeming like she had just nearly avoided death, Ran stares with expectation and great fear, analyzing my wounds with a glare promising death. But she doesn't move: she's patiently awaiting her turn, which always comes after Yukari's…

"Chen!" Yukari yells in front of me. "Won't you say anything about all the worry you've put us through?" She towers over me.

I stare into her eyes… And run past her.

I'm in Ran's arms, the fox kneeling to my height and hugging me so warmly and cuddly. I'm crying and holding her for dear life.

I ignore piercing eyes on my back.