/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>44848916
(5/5)
—
My heart pounds and my hands sweat. It's me, Chen—hi...—and ahead of me is the door to Yukari's office. She's in there, writing on papers and sometimes drinking from a bottle on her right; I can hear it. Yet, my focus is on my heart trying to escape my chest. It was hard to talk to Ran, but I managed it... But talking to Yukari feels totally different, and I'm so—

Gah! I slapped my cheeks to dispel the creeping thoughts of fear. I promised myself I'd do something! Yukari is doing the things that make Ran and Mr. Anon sad; I need to talk to her about them!

Yeah, Yukari is nice! She'll hear me!

Feeling just composed enough, I reached for the handle and opened the door. "Excuse me, Ms. Yukari..." The inside of her office is weird; the design clashes with the rest of our home, and it can feel oppressive. She was sitting behind the table, a multitude of papers surrounding her—also, these peculiar smells... It reminded me of the meds I'd carry to Mr. Anon's room, albeit somewhat different. Stronger?

"Chen-chan, good evening." Yukari stopped writing and scratched her eyes. They seemed tense. "What is it?"

"I, uh..." I walked to her table. There was no chair, so I stood in front of it—even though she was sitting, I felt like she loomed over me. "I wanted to talk to you, Yukari."

"My, what a strange development—until recently it was 'Master's Master'."

"Mr. Anon said Ran would like to be called by the name, and it was true! She was happy! I figured it'd be the same for you." Yukari simply smiled, but it was distant.

"You and Anon have become good friends, I see," I nodded, and, before I could speak, she went first. "You have come here to talk about him, right?" She got up and walked around the table, picking up my hand and guiding me around. I let her do it, seeing no motive to struggle, and we soon were on the outside, sitting on the veranda. The moon shone upon us, a white dot floating on the cold ocean of darkness. I wish I had brought my sweater and scarf... "So?"

"Why do you make Mr. Anon sad?"

Her gentle smile died down, and her eyes faked warmth, piled curiosity not hidden "There's a motive for you to think I hurt him, Chen-chan?" In her eyes, suspicion.

"Well, before I started visiting, he was always crying and looking sad. He can't leave that place, too—why?"

"Oh, dear Chen-chan—so innocent," she brushed my hair. "Mr. Anon never told you why he's there, I suppose?" Before I could process an answer, she continued, "He broke a very important promise to me: his wife, Reimu—a person I care for a lot—is not well in the head, and Mr. Anon promised me he'd take care of her years ago. He married her, knowing about her problems, and yet he ran away from her after some time," wait a second— "That's not good, right? When people are not good, they're punished. That's why I keep Mr. Anon there—to keep him safe from Reimu's wrath but also to reform him. He'll eventually remember his love for Reimu and return to her."

It was just too much information all at once, and I barely had time to formulate anything. I just kept listening, wide-eyed.

Why did Mr. Anon never tell me anything about that? I remembered what he said about trusting things to people you care about, and I felt angry, hurt, and... sad, too, my tails and ears falling.

I could hear rustling by my side and Yukari's hand reaching to give me a hug—

Wait...

Chen is a smart girl; she notices things.

"Mr. Anon said that, sometimes, people don't talk about their problems…" Yukari's hand stopped before it reached me. I looked her in the eyes. "Because they love too much and don't want to worry others—those things he didn't tell me... How'd they worry me?" I asked, frowning. It doesn't make any sense. I'd understand if he had told me he was there because of a bad choice, and—

I recalled, for some reason, what he said after all that: 'Thank you', for no motive—maybe the motive was inside...

... But...

This feels like a blurred puzzle, the pieces are many, and it's hard to match them; if it's to keep Mr. Anon safe, then why all the meds? Is he sick like Reimu too? The Miko outfits? The weird women that come to visit? What does being 'on the clock' even mean?

Perplexed, I looked at Yukari but was met with an oddly tense stare that froze me. It lasted a moment in the real world, but I felt like it was burned for eternity in my mind. "I can't answer that, Chen-chan—I care a lot about Mr. Anon too, but his mind is still a box of surprises to me," she moved, standing up. "Don't talk about this conversation with him, okay? It'll make him very sad to know it was I that revealed his secret and not him to you—you're precious to him, and I'm sure he'll talk about it with you soon."

And then she turned, and I didn't even think and—

I held her hand on mine, firmly.

Yukari gave me a side glance. I felt like crying for some reason. Then she kneeled, planted a soft kiss on my forehead, smiled, and got back inside. I didn't see her eyes.