/jp/ - Otaku Culture

It's funny, the things you don't realise until they've ended. As I sat there in the steaming water, Reimu now stretched out next to me with her arms resting over the edge of the ofuro, I suddenly felt like I could breathe. My whole body felt lighter, like I'd been struggling under immense pressure, yet completely unable to see it. I could still hear the storm raging outside, clearly not at all close to abating, but for this moment, in the water, I felt completely relaxed.

"The last big typhoon we had lasted for days." Reimu said, noticing that I was staring at the ceiling. I actually remembered that. I'd had to evacuate to the Moriya Shrine when it looked like the canal was threatening to overflow, since I didn't much fancy living in a lake. The rain had finally come to an end a day or two later, and that had been the end of that. I'd heard something about Reimu having something to do with it, but I'd not had much interest in the rumours at the time, so I hadn't bothered pursuing it. I'd spoken to some of the farmers out in the fields and they'd all told me that the Moriya Shrine had arranged for experts to drain the rice paddies. I had no idea what kind of experts they could possibly have called in, but that had sounded good enough for me.

I figured that this one would end in a day or so. We had enough supplies to last, either way. Once the storm was over and the world had dried out, Marisa and Miss Tenshi could come back and explain what they had learnt that had led to Marisa getting injured. I was a little worried about that, and all my troubles recently had kept me from thinking too much about Doctor Yagokoro and Eientei. I wondered if they were still watching for me in the village. Surely they'd given up by now? I'd like to return there at some point, even if things had changed.

Reimu was poking at my scars. "I guess I didn't do much of a great job with protecting you, huh?" I told her that she'd saved my life in both cases that had scarred me, so as far as I was concerned, she'd done more than enough. Reimu didn't look all that convinced, but I took that opportunity to pat her head and tell her that I was just happy that she was doing her best. She slapped my hand away, but laughed. "Right. Sure. See if I save you the next time some youkai decides that you look particularly tasty."

I wasn't sure how long we were in the ofuro for, but it felt like it had been some time. Reimu looked like she was about to fall asleep as she leaned against my arm, sighing contently. I was staring forward. It had just occurred to me that Lady Kasen might be none too pleased with the direction my relationship with Reimu had taken. I got the impression that she had been pushing particularly hard in a certain direction, and I wasn't sure how she would take it. She was a nice person, though, so I hoped that she wouldn't have many problems. I decided to ask Reimu for her opinion. "Kasen? Hm, she's probably going to lecture me. After that, she'll probably lecture you. Then, she might lecture both of us together." I could handle that, I supposed. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Most of the worst things had already happened to me.

Eventually, I felt my fingers beginning to prune, so I decided that it was time to get out. Reimu looked sleepy already and I felt very emotionally drained, which I took as my body telling me that it was time to wrap up warm and eat some rice crackers. I asked Reimu if she wanted to get out first, and she raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I guess." I didn't have a chance to look away before Reimu stood, sending water streaming off of her body and splashing me in the process. I looked away as she stepped over me, before I felt her flick me in the forehead. "You're not going to get all weird now, are you?" She asked me. I shook my head, but still elected to stare straight ahead as I heard her climb out of the ofuro, then straight into the water as I heard her wet feet pad across the bathroom floor. I heard the rustling of a towel, and when I looked, I found that she had wrapped it around herself and was looking at me. "You know, we already sleep together. You really don't need to act like you're on needles just because I'm wearing slightly less than I usually am when we're sleeping."