/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Twice more, I found indications that someone was inside my home while I was not there. I didn't know what they wanted nor why they were so careful, but every time I returned, there was always some slight shift in my possessions. Nothing was ever missing, but things did move around. I mentioned it to Marisa once when she visited and told me that Miss Seiga wanted to meet me again, but I remembered how our last meeting had ended and politely declined. Marisa said that it was probably just my imagination, but I may want to "Stick to where people can see you. Just in case.". I asked her if there was something happening and she was very quick to tell me that it was nothing.
I would have liked to believe her, but it just felt off. I hadn't spotted any sign of Miss Hakurei in the last few days. I should have been glad, but now, I felt like I was even more exposed. Once, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was all but certain that Doctor Yagokoro was standing over me, but when I blinked, she disappeared. I also heard a knock on my door once, but found no one there when I answered. It was making me extremely paranoid.
Finally, I left my house. I decided that I would try and walk to the Garden of the Sun and see if Miss Yuuka could tell me how my peach tree was doing. I hadn't seen her in the village recently, but I suspect that the bad weather had driven most people to ground. The sunlight had disappeared for several days, to be replaced with heavy rain and miserable moods. The streets remained near deserted, a fact that didn't make me feel any less watched.
Once I had left the village, I felt like I could relax a little. Out on the roads, there was mostly fields that the farmers who lived on the outskirts tended regardless of the weather, so I saw some more people than I did inside the village. I waved to a few of the farmers who somehow remained cheerful in the middle of the rain, and hurried on further toward the Garden of the Sun, where I hoped that the name was accurate and the sun still shone.
I didn't make it there, though. As I rounded a corner, I heard the slightest sound of someone behind me. I whirled around, and there Miss Hakurei stood, her gohei raised between my eyes. After a moment, her narrowed eyes relaxed slightly and she lowered her arm. "You shouldn't be out here." She murmured. I could tell that this wasn't just a simple admonishment, and somehow, I just knew it was to do with what Marisa had staunchly denied to be anything at all. I asked Miss Hakurei what exactly the problem was, and she remained silent for a moment, her dark eyes boring into my own. "You already know, don't you?" She said. "You just don't want to admit it."
For a split second, Doctor Yagokoro's face flashed in my mind, along with some other nonsensical images of bottles filed with red liquid, and the beds in Eientei. I shook my head and tried asking Miss Hakurei what she meant. "I thought as much. You can't remember, can you?" I looked up at her in confusion. "Can you even remember me asking you if you were having memory problems?" I cast my mind back, though it felt like I was wading through a raging torrent. After a few moments, I was forced to concede that I was struggling. "You brushed it off at the time too." Miss Hakurei told me. "This could be bad." She whispered, more to herself than to me. "Listen, I need to look more into this. There's a hole in your memory. I've got my theories on why, but you need to figure out how to find out what's hidden there." She rubbed her chin in thought. "I have a suggestion. Marisa told me that she took you to meet Patchouli Knowledge once, yes?" I nodded. "Good. Go back to her. If anyone other than Eirin knows how to fix this gap, it'll be her." She nodded. "Get going. Your luck has been extraordinary lately. I don't think anyone caught you leaving." I was speechless for a few seconds, but slowly I agreed to go. As I began to turn and change my route to reach the Vampire's Mansion, I heard Miss Hakurei. "Hey." I stopped and looked back at her. "We're going to resolve this."
I breathed in deeply and slowly. Then, I thanked her and turned. I was walking before I heard her leave.