/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Marisa finally showed up at my door today. She looked a bit beaten up; her hat was singed and it she smelled vaguely of smoke. I didn't tell her that I'd met Miss Tenshi yesterday. Not for any particular reason, but I felt like keeping this one to myself for now. Anyway, Marisa told me that she had a girl for me to meet. She then muttered something under her breath about killing two birds with one stone. I hope she didn't mean that literally. I like birds.
After I'd gotten ready, (which went fine apart from the strong dizzy spell I felt when I'd stood up. Maybe the physical therapy session with Doctor Yagokoro was a little more strenuous today) Marisa told me that the girl I was meeting was definitely the delicate sort. I asked her if that meant she couldn't punt me through a wall if she felt like it, and she got a little evasive at that. Hopefully that doesn't spell out disaster and a trip back to Eientei for me. We left, and Marisa offered to fly me to our destination, but I asked if we could walk instead. I typically find that my post-physical therapy light-headedness fades slightly when I get some fresh air, and rushing past it all at speed would probably have me pass out halfway there. On the way, I mentioned that I'd tried to come to Marisa's house the other day, but she wasn't home. She told me she had been at the Shrine that day because Miss Hakurei had wanted her input on an ongoing investigation. When I asked her what the investigation was about, she just told me that she couldn't reveal anything at the moment because "Reimu would have my head as well as yours.". I just nodded, wondering whether that was why she was staring at my head the other day. I then noticed that we had rounded the Misty Lake and were now on the approach to the Scarlet Devil's Mansion. I felt sweat drops begin to beat on the back of my neck. Lots of bad stories surrounding this place, from strange weather to scary noises coming from hidden passageways that spiral down to the depths of the mansion. I only hope that I'm not going to be their next victim.
At the front gate, there was a sleeping girl with long red hair and a cap with the character for 'dragon' on it., leaning against the faded red brick with her arms crossed. I almost spoke, but Marisa clamped a hand over my mouth before I could. Then, she whispered into my ear. "She's not actually asleep. You can't tell, but her awareness is spread out in every direction. Get too close and she'll be on you before you can blink." I could only nod at that, and Marisa then silently lifted herself into the air before directing me to grab onto her broom. With no noise, we rose into the air, over the gate, and dropped back down into the Scarlet Devil Mansion's gardens.
From there, Marisa took me through the front door and into the impressively large foyer of the mansion. It was at this point, watching Marisa tiptoe forward and clearly with every sense straining for footsteps, that I began to wonder if she had some less-than-savoury intensions here. Before I could ask, she ushered me forward, and I followed her down a twisting path of hallways that seemed to go on far longer than the building I had seen from outside allowed. Finally, we reached an impressive-looking ornate door, and Marisa stopped me. "The girl I've got for you is straight ahead. You just go and talk to her for a while. Er, at least an hour. Possibly two." She opened the door and slipped inside before I could ask what she meant, so I simply followed with a bemused look on my face.
Inside was easily the most impressive library I've ever seen. Bookshelves stretched out so far into the distance that they receded into the gloom. I wondered where Marisa was, because I hadn't seen her once I was inside. Confused, I followed the bookcases through, noting that they seemed to converge on a central point somewhere ahead. After some walking, I found myself in the middle, where a large table shaped like a crescent moon sat. There was a girl there, dressed in robes (They may have just been pyjamas) with a big floppy cap on her head adorned with another crescent moon. I hesitantly called out, which prompted her to whirl around with surprise in her face and, most concerningly, a fireball on her fingertips. I raised my hands to show that I was unarmed, and asked her for her name.