/jp/ - Otaku Culture

The Myouren Temple was abuzz with holiday activity. Ornaments where being hung, delicacies cooked, ceremonies prepared, and a minuscule amount of alcohol was being smuggled, purely for weening purposes of course! One might consider this sort of festive activity sacrilegious in a Buddhist temple, but since this was Gensokyo, a little bending of the rules was permissible.

Speaking of, the old man wearing a bright red cap with a fluffy white ball at the top was the very image of contrast.

"Kazue-Sensei, have you seen little Goro?" I asked him.

"Hmm? Ichirin-tan, don't you know if you call a man 'little' he won't come around too often?" He jeered.

Unzan nodded in solidarity.

"Of course Kazure-sensei, I will try to be more considerate in the future, but It's very important that I find 'young' Goro. I'm worried about him." I struggled out.

"Aha! Very good 'young' Ichirin! Men do love to make woman worry about them after all, although they make themselves scarce depending on the worry. Say, I hear this holiday is treated as a couples event in other lands, are you perhaps..." He snickered.

"I am worried because this is the first Christmas he'll be having since his Father passed away." I said through clenched teeth.

"Hm. Then best to leave him on his own for a bit." He said, stroking his beard. "Losing an attachment by one's own decision is one thing, forcibly having it severed leaves one vulnerable to forming a ghoulish teether."

Clever old fart, So help me if he had said something like 'then I suppose you'll need to become his wife' I would've slugged him off the deck where he sat. Still...

"But he's just a child. If we leave him alone now, won't he mistake isolation for enlightenment?" I ask.

Kazue waved his hand. "Perhaps, but whether it's your comfort or isolation, the real problem is that he'll delude himself that the attachment is gone."

I thought for a moment and asked "Isn't a forgotten attachment just as good as letting go of one?"

Kazue shook his head. "Just because you've forgotten an attachment doesn't mean it no longer exists. Stated another way: you can forsake a friend, but that friend won't necessarily forsake you. Check behind the old storehouse if you haven't already and again if you have, you'll understand when you see it."

---

As I turned the corner of the old storehouse I saw Nue with little Goro sitting squarely in her lap. Her talon-like wings were drawn around and pointed to the boy. So, the creature had fallen to her nature and was praying on a child!? I made ready to charge her, but Unzan clutched my mouth closed and pulled me back around the corner.

"UMFH" I struggled to say. Unzan merely put a finger to his cloudy mouth and pointed back at the two.

"People will really collect these?" Goro asked, holding up a small wooden doll and a chisel.

"Yeah, they'll probably take them down at the end of the celebrations and then they'll lose em', so everyone will have to buy a new set next year." Nue said "Ah, but make sure each one's taller then the last, it looks more satisfying that way."

"I know, I know." Goro said, hanging the little doll on one of Nue's wings, where it joined a family of it's peers.

"Mmhm, also don't put anything weird on them. The human families in the village don't have many Youkai children after all." Nue hummed.

"But what about Youkai? Don't they also set up decorations? Shouldn't we sell to them as well?" Goro asked.

I struggled against Unzan's grip in an attempt to launch into a lecture before Nue put any weird ideas into Goro's head.

"What a great idea you little scamp! The uncertainty of such a misbegotten business venture has me salivating." She said, rubbing the little boy's head who giggled.

Too late.

"Hey, you know it's not like you need to earn your place or anything. Hijiri's fine with you freeloading so long as you do chores and all, well, maybe that's a hell of it's own but still..." Nue asked.

"No! Hijiri-Sensei, Ichirin-San, and everyone else will be uneasy if I do that! Since I won't see Father... or Mother for a long time I'll have to show them I'm... That I can..." Goro sniffled. "It's not good to bring down others when I'll see them one day right? It's alright... I'm not..." The dam broke and Nue took the weeping boy into her arms, the shining Christmas ornaments hanging from her wings made her look like a divine spirit who watches over orphan children.

---

Late Christmas special. Since the Taoists got representation, the Buddhists, by law, have to get some too.