/jp/ - Otaku Culture

While I was happy that Yamame had decided to come after all, I wasn't all that sure about where to go from here. In my mind, I'd imagined that maybe Reimu and Yamame would have barged into whatever room I was in at some point during Byakuren's attempts to convince me about moving the wedding here, but now that Reimu was distracted having a fight with Shou Toramaru, I didn't know how things would progress. Reimu seemed to be enjoying the fight, though, if the grin on her face with every blocked strike or parried blow was any indication. It seemed as though the Avatar of Bishamonten was enjoying herself to much the same degree, though in her case the smile was a little toothier, and a lot sharper besides.

I cast a glance to my side, over to Byakuren Hijiri, who was watching the fight with a little bit of annoyance.

"Huh." I blinked and looked over my shoulder to find Minamitsu squatting on the veranda railing next to the stairs, one arm wrapped around the post going up to the elaborately designed ceiling, and the other over her brow so that she could get a better look. I wasn't entirely sure how her coat was staying on her shoulders, but I also wasn't sure how it worked for ship phantoms, so I didn't think it was particularly my business. "Looks like Shou's finally got a clue."

Byakuren looked over at Minamitsu too. "Whatever are you referring to?" She asked, frowning. "And - Don't stand on the railing like that. Think of the impression it leaves for the villagers." She looked back to the fight as Reimu flipped over Shou's head and struck downward, only for Shou to release one hand on her spear, grab hold of the gohei as it swung down, then slam it down against the floor. This seemed like it would be the end, but Reimu suddenly disappeared through another gap, emerging above Shou again and landing a solid kick to her back. "Oh, the washing..." Byakuren muttered to herself, crossing her arms. I wondered if she was planning to actually stop the fight any time soon.

"What I mean," Minamitsu was saying, "Is that our dear Avatar of Bishamonten's got a hot streak a mile long and loves a good fight, no matter how much she tries to pretend she doesn't." She scratched her chin, nearly lost her balance on the railing, then righted herself. "Saw it during that, uh...Fight. That one that you and her had with the-"

"Yes, I remember." Byakuren cut her off, raising a hand. I wondered if the details were supposed to be a secret. "Much as I remember that you, Minamitsu, were not present." She cast a sharp eye at the ship phantom.

The ship phantom who was currently present rolled her eyes, said something which was drowned out by the loud clang of Shou's spear being forced to the floor, and then tried again. "'Course I was there, boss. Just because you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't around. Hey, did you know that-" And this time, whatever she'd been about to say was lost to the annals of time thanks to the whining sound of something charging, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. I looked over to see that Shou, her spear held tightly in one hand, was raising something in her other hand to the sky. A small object, ornate with a large sphere secured by the fixings of a pagoda on the top and bottom. And the sphere was beginning to glow, brighter by the second. Reimu looked plenty excited to take it on, though.

At this time, Byakuren decided that it was her limit. "Shou! Stop, stop!" Shou either didn't, or couldn't hear her, so Byakuren growled and retrieved a small set of keys from her pocket. "Alright, fine." She almost growled, turning and disappearing around a corner. I looked back at Shou, wondering what she was planning.

"Uh, you might want to cover your ears." Minamitsu told me. Blinking, I did as she asked, placing my palms over my ears just in time for what sounded like an all-encompassing roar to emerge from around the side of the temple. The roar intensified, growing in volume, before something rocketed out from the side of the temple.

I had just enough time to make out Byakuren atop the strange, roaring metal thing before she slammed into Shou's back, knocking her down, before continuing and crashing into Reimu before she had a chance to dodge. The pagoda thing dropped to the floor, the glow emanating from it dimming back into nothing. After hitting both of the combatants, Byakuren turned the metal thing into something like a spin, bringing it to a halt between the two. Incredulous was my stare as I realised that she'd somehow changed her clothes in that time, trading in the dress for...Leather. It was all leather, actually, and tight. Tight enough to make out every contour and every curve of her body, with a zip running up from the groin to the neck, though it was very much not zipped all the way up right now.