/jp/ - Otaku Culture

She wore a white...Sort of skirt that was connected by a belt not unlike the kind on my own trousers, but seemed to only be held up by the belt by pressure, rather than any sort of hooks. In fact, the skirt seemed like a single large strip of cloth that she'd just wrapped around her waist before tying with the belt. Her legs were bare, but as she leaned against the wall with one leg pressed against it and the other pointed downward, I thought that the thickness of her thighs seemed to indicate some muscle underneath the skin. I could see it on her arms, too. She had them crossed, and her forearms looked strong, to say nothing of the muscle I could already see on her upper arms.

Her shoes were another curious thing, because while the shoe itself was a unique design, a blackish purple with red lacing, the more striking part was the large drum mallets attached the back of the heels, in such a way that if she kicked her leg backwards, it could impact on something, like a drum.

And next to her sat the massive drum in question, coming up to her waist while she was standing. Yes, I knew her. This was Raiko Horikawa, the drummer of the - Formerly - Prismriver Ensemble, now the Horismriver Ensemble. I'd seen Kisami talking to her earlier, as excited as I'd ever seen her. It had possibly even beaten out the moment in which I'd told her that I wanted to marry Yamame.

I must have made a noise because I saw her crack a brilliantly red eye open. "Lunasa? That you? Time to get started, huh?" I cleared my throat and said that I was not Lunasa. "Oh-ho..." She hummed. I could see her finger tapping against her bicep to a beat that I couldn't hear. "You." She said, pushing off of the wall. Her steps were measured, too, as if they too were keeping in time with something that only Raiko Horikawa could hear. "Rather more filled out than you were when I last saw you. Some solid muscle..." She didn't touch me, but her hand did hover just slightly above my shoulders and arms for a moment before she pulled back. "Happier on the inside, too." The drum tsukumogami continued. "Your eyes...They look more alive."

I frowned and asked her how she'd known what I looked like. The last time I'd been anywhere near the Horismriver Ensemble, I'd not seen them. "You ask that sort of question of us? Three poltergeists, and you think that I haven't picked up some tricks on keeping myself out of sight by now? Heh. You didn't see me, but I saw you and that other girl. Two long braids, huh? She was pretty cute, I'll give you that." No, I shook my head. Miss Narumi and I were just friends. Raiko smirked. "I'll bet it didn't feel so cute when she broke half of your body." I paused with my mouth open, then grimaced. No, it hadn't helped in plenty more ways than one. Raiko raised a hand, her index finger tapping against her thumb absentmindedly. "That one was my fault. I offer you my most serious of apologies. Couldn't quite predict that she'd get such a fright. Lightning's supposed to be awe-inspiring. I try to keep it from being hospital-delivering." I decided that it was okay, because in the end, things had worked out okay. "Still, I gotta show my sincerity somehow. Tell you what: We'll owe you a favour. Us, the Horismriver Ensemble. A performance? A meet and greet?"