/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Suddenly, I was falling. Before I could even shout out, I'd slammed into a chair somewhat painfully, though the pain was dulled and felt more like a suggestion of pain rather than actual pain. Perk of a dream, I supposed. Looking up, I saw that I was in...A classroom, apparently. And at the front, now dressed in a very tight shirt with a button undone, a skirt that went down to about midway on her thighs, and dark tights. Her hat was, of course, still present, but I could see an animal ear sticking out from underneath it. In her hand was a long stick, and a pair of round glasses sat over her eyes. I almost asked her if the outfit had come from my head, but decided that I didn't want an answer to that, so I resolved to just look at her face. No matter how hard she was making it.

"There, that's more fitting. Now, pay attention!" She rapped a long cane in her hand against the wall behind her. "Your dear girlfriend is a spider. Specifically, a kogane-gumo. She, like all spiders, moults." I opened my mouth, and Doremy smacked the cane against the edge of the desk that I was suddenly sitting at. "Raise your hand if you want to ask questions!" She shouted. I raised both hands, then tentatively asked her how she knew all of this. "Chen has very detailed dreams." She replied, smacking the cane against her hand. "Now, all spiders moult. That, of course, includes youkai spiders. Yes, youkai spiders like the one you want to marry." I decided that asking her how she knew that was a lost cause. "This means that they grow out of their old skin and need to moult so they can grow properly. I'll leave the details of how such a moult occurs to your imagination. It's a stressful experience, and one that can be dangerous if they are interrupted." So...That was why she'd blocked off her home, I muttered. "No-!" She began, already raising the cane, but she paused. "Actually, I'll give you that one. Yes, full marks."

Thanks, I replied dryly. At her raised eyebrow and poised cane, I raised both hands in surrender again. "What you've come across was her old skin. Your spider, as you call her in your dreams, is perfectly alright. In fact, she's probably feeling better than she has in a good while. It's probably already gone while you've been drooling on the floor, unconscious." I don't drool, I replied indignantly. "Of course not, dear." She said in a voice that told me she didn't believe me in the slightest. Where would it have gone, though? I was a little worried that I'd stumble across a secret room full of empty Yamame shells some day. "It'd be best if you just don't think about it." She replied. I stared at her for a moment, but she didn't seem ready to budge, so I resolved to ask Yamame later.

Doremy blinked, then looked at the edges of the classroom. "Oh, it appears that our time is about to be up." She said, poking the cane against the desk, which was starting to look a little distinct. "You're probably in for a skull-splitting headache, but hopefully a few less issues." I supposed that was true. I did feel a little better about the whole thing. I decided to get up from the chair before it could disappear on me, then had a sudden question. Why, I asked Doremy, was she willing to spend time talking to me in my dreams? I would have thought that she had plenty more interesting things to do. "Hmm..." She hummed, that smug smile still present.

Stepping closer, she poked me in the chest with the cane. "Interesting dreams can be so hard to come by. Interesting conversation, even more so. Dream World residents are so highly-strung, and so intense about their thoughts and feelings, so when you show up, you're nice and simple." I felt like there was a bit of an unintentional insult there. "Plus, you're just so perpetually confused that I get to explain anything to you and feel like I've just solved an ancient mystery." Well, that - for sure - was a backhand compliment. Doremy smiled some more, but she usually did that, so I'd gotten used to it. "And, you do what I say, which is great compared to the other Dream World residents, so-" I raised my hands and said that I didn't need to know, actually. "Really? Er, okay." Doremy looked entirely unaware of what she'd been saying. "I had a lot more, though. Like-" No, I replied. It was really okay.