/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"Well, you can always give it a trial run, right? Get a feel for it? I think that sort of thing is popular nowadays. Especially in the Outside World. Y'know, back in my day, you'd have a son, and they'd spend their whole life training in one thing. Now, you can do whatever you want." I supposed it was fairly nice, and the idea of a trial run sounded good, too. "What do you say? Want to give it a go?" I thought for a few moments. Finally, I said that there was a certain something that would be happening soon, and I'd give her my final answer then. "A certain...?" I reached into my pocket and pulled the all-important box out. "Is - Is that...?" Lady Hecatia murmured. I opened it. "...Ah. For Yamame?" Well, lovely as she was, I wasn't exactly aiming to marry her. Lady Hecatia smiled and laughed just slightly, her eyes still examining the ring. "No, I shouldn't think so. So, that event...A wedding. Your wedding." A wedding. "Well...I can't deny you that. Alright, I'll definitely be at your wedding, and I'll ask you once more then." I thanked her profusely for her patience. "I think I've got a good eye for this sort of thing, and I'm sure you'll be worth the wait." That was a very kind thing to say.

"It's funny, you know?" Lady Hecatia said as I placed the box back into my pocket. "Junko introduced me to you by telling me that you were looking for love, and here you are, telling me that you're marrying someone else." I wondered if Lady Hecatia had been looking for something too. "Me? Oh, I think not. Not then, not like that. I was just interested in what sort of person could have caught Junko's eye." She leaned in a little closer. "And you didn't disappoint."

Finally, Lady Hecatia hopped to her feet, stretching. "Ah~" She sighed. "We should get back before Junko, Clownpiece, Reimu, and Yamame come looking for us." That was a good point, and there were probably a few more names that could be added to the list. Lady Hecatia turned and offered me a hand, which I took. She pulled me to my feet, and we headed around to the front side of the Shrine again.

There, Yamame rushed into me, knocking the breath out of me. She wrapped her arms around me, so I mumbled something and petted her head until she let go. "I hated that." She muttered. "Leaving you there, even if you were still on the Shrine grounds." I thanked her for getting Reimu so quickly. She'd arrived just in time. "...Thanks." She mumbled. "And - Um, thank you, Miss Hecatia. For your help on the dress and for not getting into a fight just there."

"Oh, I thought about it, Yamame. It was a close thing. Luckily, Reimu arrived right in time." Lady Hecatia said cheerfully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to find Junko and Piece. They'd better not be wandering around without me!" She waved, looking very upbeat, then turned and disappeared into the crowd, though she was still very much visible thanks to her height.

"Can we, um, go and have a drink? I think Reimu's feeling a bit..." I thought so too, I replied. It was just the way she'd been so determined to have that sake. It had gotten to me slightly. "It's a good thing she's got you around to look after her." Yamame told me. And she looked after me more than enough. It was the same trade-off that Yamame and I managed. "I guess it's just that good, huh?"

We found Reimu in her room, half a bottle of sake left in front of her and Kuro the cat sitting on her lap. "Oh, there you two are." Reimu frowned, then got to her feet to hug both of us. That, in itself, was strange, because Reimu wasn't a very touch-starved person. She usually accepted it if it was offered, but she rarely offered hugs like that. "Want a drink? Or just, uh, talking?" Yamame and I looked at each other, then decided that we'd best not waste any time, so we sat on either side of her. "Hey, what're you-" And promptly tackled her with hugs.

It just seemed the right thing to do.