/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>6631906
Reisen Udongein Inaba (by Kilgamayan, 2008-03-13)

It’s been several years since that unusually long winter when you stumbled into Gensokyo, and you’ve managed to adapt reasonably well to living in a world vastly different from the glut of modern conveniences that you were once used to. Of course, you can always go to that shop in the other forest, as it carries the occasional nostalgic item (including the piano you bought on your very first trip to make up for the one you left behind – what a pain in the ass carting that thing back home was), but at this point in your life you’ve moved on successfully and don’t really feel a need to do so. You are but a simple farmer – amazing what survival instincts even a green-to-the-world college grad (bio major fuck yeah!) can find when he is pressured into digging for them - living on the outskirts of the Bamboo Forest. It’s a good place to live for privacy purposes but not too far from the human village in the area for social (and business) purposes.

One day, you travel to the village with a notable larger-than-normal stock of crops for sale to the local vendors. As nice as the money you rake in is, the load wasn’t exactly light, and upon realizing that you haven’t had a “day off” in quite a while you decide to celebrate your harvest by wandering around the village and generally not doing any work. You are fascinated by what you see, as you had never really spent a lot of time there, and aside from the initial tour when you first arrived you didn’t have much reason to go anywhere beyond the grocery vendors. In one house, you see your original “tour guide”, still wearing the same lunch box hat, talking to a bunch of rapt-attention children while gesturing to a girl standing next to her who, from the bored look on her face to the way her hands were jammed in her pants pockets, seemed wholly uninterested in anything that was happening. A little further down the street, you run across a puppet show, which you presume to be magic as all of the dolls are hovering in midair with no visible strings whatsoever, while the puppet master (who looked oddly like a doll herself) watched them from below along with everyone else that had gathered around. Over there, a green haired shrine maiden was passing out tissues and inviting people to travel up the mountain in the distance to visit her shrine. A hike like that might not be a bad idea some day.

Eventually you wander across a pharmaceutical office that wasn’t there the first time you toured the village, and it is here that your trip comes to an abrupt end, as you happen to look inside and caught sight of the small staff of women wandering around inside it with various boxes and medicine bottles and other things. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but they were all rabbit girls. You had heard of them before offhandedly from a few of the villagers, but you had always assumed they were no different from the half-naked women you saw in those magazines you found in your parents’ room under Dad’s half of the mattress way back when. No, these appeared to be genuine rabbit girls. One in particular catches your eye, not only because her clothes and demeanor were unique (notably taller than all of her pink-dress-clad co-workers, she was wearing a black blazer with a red tie and a pink skirt while issuing directions – it seemed she was in charge), but because of her dazzling beauty. The waterfall of lilac hair, the sharp red eyes, the pervading sense of calm and collectedness (despite giving orders almost constantly), the adorably bent rabbit ears, the deliciously short skirt…you unconsciously gulp at the sight of her and are a bit surprised at yourself for doing so. Nervously, and without thinking about what you’re doing, you enter the medicine store.

>>6632206,1
As luck would have it, she ends up being the first one to notice you. “Hello there. What can we get for you?” “Uh…hi. I’d, um, like…um…” It suddenly hits you that you have zero reason to purchase any medicine, as the worst illnesses you had experienced since entering Gensokyo were a couple of colds that didn’t last more than a day or two, and that you had entered purely because you wanted to talk to this girl. Your mind and eyes race in an effort to think of and find something to purchase to mask your true intentions, but a lot of the medicines in the store are unrecognizable and a good deal of the remaining products are too embarrassing to purchase. You become increasingly aware at her staring at you, waiting for a response, the only feeling etched on her face being one of generic retail customer-response curiosity. After what seems like hours, you finally decide on a box of pills that look passable as Aspirin and decide to go for the gusto.

“Uh, oh, yes. I’d like some of-“

“HEY! Watch what you’re doing!”

Your pointing out of the desired medicine goes unnoticed, as she has turned toward one of the other rabbit girls in the store, who is struggling to stick a rather heavy box up on top of a high shelf.

Or, rather, she *was* struggling.

Several shouts of surprise accompany the unbalanced rabbit girl’s fall to the floor, and as everyone watches the wobbling box start to tip over and fall off the shelf, you instinctively dash toward the shelf and dive to the ground, catching the box before it hits the floor. A moment of silence passes before the full weight of what just happened hits everyone, and the cast of rabbits cheer your effort. The girl in charge runs over to you.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt when you landed? Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! The medicine in that box is quite expensive and quite fragile and we would have been in HUGE trouble if it was smashed! Here, let me help you up.”

As you move the box off your arms on to the floor, she takes your hand and helps you back to your feet, a little wobbly but otherwise none the worse for wear.

“Oh, uh, always happy to help out. Thank you for helping me up, um…”

“Oh, sorry. My name is Reisen.”

“Ah, thank you, Reisen.”

“You’re quite welcome. But I MUST make it up to you for saving that medicine…I know! Your purchase today will be free of charge!”

At the word “purchase”, your original situation comes crashing back down on you. Suddenly, you notice that you’re still holding Reisen’s hand, and all hell breaks loose inside your head. Completely oblivious to the medicine you were going to buy, the rabbit girl who fell over (eventually helped up by her co-workers), and the bruises on your knee, all you can think about is the lovely smiling girl in front of you.

“Actually, well, I, uh…wouldyouliketohavedinnerwithmetonight?”

Immediately you clap your free hand over your mouth, stunned by your inability to keep your feelings where they belonged. Reisen blushed a little but blanched a good deal more and pulled her hand away from yours a couple of seconds after you asked your question. There is an awkward moment of silence – even the other rabbits at the store have stopped doing whatever it was they were doing and have their eyes glued on you – before Reisen is able to stammer out a response.

“Well, I, uh, well, it’s against store policy to, uh, have relationships with customers, um, here, just take your medicine, uh, don’t worry about paying, I’ll explain it to my boss, uh, okay, bye!”

>>6632206,2
She jams the bag with your medicine in it into your hand and practically shoves you out the door. You don’t notice when it closes or even when Reisen turns back around and starts furiously but awkwardly threatening the snickering rabbits with guinea pig candidacy for some doctor’s new experiment if they didn’t get back to work fast. All you can do is stare straight ahead and contemplate just how fucking stupid you are. Slowly, you walk home, never acknowledging the greetings from various other villagers and forgetting the medicine you “bought” until you walk through the door and realize the bag is somehow still in your hand. The rest of your day passes uneventfully, though you do have a lot of trouble falling asleep that night.

---

Days pass, and you gradually get over your mistake and return to your normal life, but something sticks in the back of your mind. You want to go see that girl again. You NEED to go see that girl again. One morning you decide that you’re going to go back to the village, visit that medicine shop again and, at the very least, apologize.

Reisen looks significantly more haggard than the last time you visited the store, as her rabbit co-workers look like they’ve all had a bag of Pixy Stix for breakfast. You are tempted to simply return home, as you don’t want to bother her, but one of the rabbit workers catches sight of you standing outside and immediately kills all potential for such an action by making sure (very loudly) that everyone else in the store knows that the skirt-chaser is back. With running away out of the picture, you bite the bullet and enter the store.

“Oh, it’s you again. What do you want?” Her coldness stings a little bit, but the fact that she addressed you before anyone else could despite her being overly busy (to the point of not even looking at you) is not lost on your subconscious.

“Hi, yeah. I only wanted to apologize for the other day. I was completely out of line putting you on the spot with a question like that, and I am very, truly sorry for it.”

“Duly noted. Now, would you like something?”

“Well…no, not really. Sorry.”

“Okay, then, have a nice day.”

Crestfallen, you turn to leave with more rabbit snickers ringing in your ears, but a sudden bolt of inspiration strikes and turn back around to face her again.

“Uh…could you use some help around here?”

Reisen sighs heavily and turns to look at you. She seems about ready to tell you off for bothering her while she’s so busy, but she stops for a moment and stares at you. Her piercing red eyes scan every inch of your front side, and it seems like another eternity before she speaks again.

“Actually, yes, you can. We could use your height in the restocking process. Come with me.” She points at a couple of other rabbits. “You two, you’re coming as well. It’s time for a crash training course and I’ll need your help. The rest of you, well, Kaguya help you if I come back and find this place in chaos.” She trots to the back of the store with the two selected rabbits in tow and you shortly thereafter.

The rest of the day flies by as you’re put to work almost non-stop. It’s been a while since your high school retail days and you had almost forgotten how hellish this line of work can be. As the rest of the rabbits have already made a mad dash back toward the Bamboo Forest to wherever it is they call home (where did they get all that damn energy?), you and Reisen end up being the last two to leave. She turns to you after locking the door.

“Thanks a lot for your help today. I’m sorry for how rude I was earlier, it’s just that this place is…well, stressful, to put it mildly.”

“Hey, always glad to help. It’s getting dark, though, so I should get going. I’ll see you later!”

“Okay, good bye.”

You cheerfully wave good-bye as you walk home, and are delighted to see her wave back. The trip home had never been so quick as it was that night.

>>6632206,3
...

You start spending more and more time helping out at the medicine shop (though never neglecting your duties at home to do so), which allows you and Reisen to get better acquainted. You are surprised to learn that her house is actually in your very Bamboo Forest (albeit tucked away very well) and the history behind it and its inhabitants is quite fascinating. You make a mental note to visit it one day, if only for the opportunity to meet this Eirin Yagokoro Reisen talks a lot about, as it’s been a while since you were able to discuss serious science with anyone. It doesn’t take long for the other rabbits to stop snickering, as your help proves almost invaluable. You notice a gradual change in the atmosphere of the store away from the stressed lifestyle everyone lived through before and toward a much friendlier environment.

Another night sees you and Reisen as the last two to leave again. You’re all set to head home when she stops you.

“Hey, do you still remember the first day you entered this place?”

“How could I forget? That had to be the most embarrassing moment of my life, and I’m sure you weren’t much better off.”

“Actually…I’ve been thinking recently about the question you asked me back then…”

Your mouth suddenly dries up.

“…and I think I’d like to take you up on your offer.”

Her decision and accompanying cute little smile turns your legs and your brain into oatmeal.

“Uh, duh, duh, duh, okaywheredoyouwanttogo?”

She giggles at your inability to form proper sentences before grabbing your hand. “Come on, I know just the place.”

Half an hour later, you find yourself sitting across a restaurant table from her, still trying to put tongue to word properly on a consistent basis. Lucky for you, inspiration strikes once again.

“You know, you’ve never really talked about yourself before. I mean, yeah, we’ve talked about your home and your job and your, well, family, but I don’t like how little I actually know about *you*. What’s it like being you?”

Reisen furrows her brow at the question. “Hmm…well, it’s fairly fun being me, since I can do stuff like this…”

She looks you square in the eyes for a moment – curiously, her eyes seem redder than normal - before startling a bit and pointing to your right.

“Oh, by the way, could you pass the salt?”

“Sure.” You pick up the salt shaker and present it to her, only to be thanked with a small laugh.

“No, silly, I asked for the salt! Why are you giving me your drink?”

You blink at the question, as you’re sure you grabbed exactly what she asked for, but after your eyes reopen after said blink you notice that you are indeed holding your glass and that the salt is on the other end of the table from where she first indicated. Dumbfounded, all you can do is look back and forth between the glass in your hand and the salt shaker to your left with a stupid expression on your face. Reisen lapses into a fit of giggling over your confusion.

>>6632206,4
“What…how…?”

“I have power over sanity. I can force anyone I lock eyes with to see, hear, smell, taste, and even feel anything I want them to. Of course, it’s all an illusion, and one which wears off fairly quickly at that, but it’s still good for laughs, among other things.”

“Wow…that seems, uh, pretty useful.”

“Oh, it is. I need to work at it more, though. I’m not really happy with how short the illusions last, but the training I go through isn’t helping as much as I’d like. I don’t know what I’m missing…”

“Haha, well, I’m sure you’ll figure something out. I have the fullest confidence in you.”

She beams at the idea. Lord, you loved that smile. Nothing in Gensokyo or anywhere else could compare.

Dinner ends some time later, and you both rise to leave. She speaks first.

“Thank you, this evening was lovely. Perhaps we should do it again some time?”

You smile at her, thinking the idea to be fantastic. Before you can tell her, though, you’re seized by a sudden impulse. You lean over to her and give her a gentle kiss.

She freezes in shock and blushes deeply before lowering her head in embarrassment. For a few seconds, you’re mortally afraid that you’ve fucked it up once again, just like that day, several weeks ago. However, as she raises her head slightly, you notice a small, nervous smile on her face. She picks her head up and her smile grows a little larger, though she is still notably flustered.

“I’ll…take that as a yes, then. Anyway, shall we take our leave?”

“Sure.”

As you exit back out on to the main road of the village, it occurs to you to ask if she wants you to walk her home, but you quickly realize that you would most assuredly get lost trying to find your way back to your own. Sighing a small inner sigh, you bid her farewell and promise to help out at the medicine shop again tomorrow before bouncing home.

...

You are shocked several days later when Reisen asks if she can accompany you home. Apparently her mistress Kaguya is going to have an unwelcome guest at the house tonight and she doesn’t want to be stuck on “clean-up duty” like she usually is. Fortunately, at this point you’ve done a much better job of taming your infatuation with her, and you gladly accept her offer, completely forgetting that your place is a total shithole until you open the door and remind yourself the hard way. You notice that she seems a little put off by the mess, but nothing is said and she enters.

“So…want something to drink?”

“Yeah, a glass of water will be fine. I really should walk around more, I’m a bit out of shape.”

“Nonsense. Anyway, I’ll be right back. Feel free to wander around if you like.”

>>6632206,5
You walk through the doorway to the kitchen as Reisen nods and begins to look around. A glass of water does sound nice, actually. Might be because your mouth has dried up again. So much for self-control. You’re in the midst of pouring a second glass when you hear Reisen squeal. Forgetting completely about the drinks, you dash out of the kitchen, through the living room and into the den.

“Oh, wow! You have a piano?”

Thanking the heavens that she’s okay, you quickly calm down.

“…Yeah. I was never much good back home, so I meant to get better here, but haven’t really had the time to practice. What about you? Do you play?”

She says nothing in response. Instead, she walks over to the piano and sits down on the bench in front of it. She then looks at you.

“May I?”

“Certainly.”

She smiles her dazzling smile at you before turning back to the piano. She opens it up and begins playing.

The song she plays had an eerie elegance to it. It feels like it's tumbling down, down, down, into a void of nothingness, before finally hitting the bottom, when fear sets in. Its attention is constantly darting to and fro, seeing monsters that aren’t there, hearing noises that aren’t made, breathing harder and harder as its panic intensified, until suddenly there appears a small beacon of light in the distance. It moves toward that light, slowly at first, but with increasing speed, and by the time it reaches the light it tears through the opening in the void where the light was and suddenly your mind’s eye is back with the rest of you, rooted to the spot in your den, where you’d been the whole time. She closes the piano back up so quietly that you don’t even notice.

“’Invisible Full Moon’. You like it? My mother taught it to me, way back in another lifetime, and I’ve never forgotten it since, even after making my home here.”

You move over to the piano and sit down on the bench next to her, putting your hand on hers. Blushing, she looked at you, uncertain of what to do. You make her decision for her, and your lips locked as you tightly embrace each other.

You will never forget that night. You do wish there would be a more elegant way to describe it, but…the phrase “fuck like rabbits”? Yeah.

...

The next few days are spent in bliss. Work flies by despite the fact that you’re at the medicine shop pretty much every day now. You make the trip to her house (marveling at the sight of a huge fucking mansion the first time you see it) and meet her family, as it were. The head of the household, who is the Kaguya Houraisan you’ve heard a lot about, doesn’t seem terribly interested in you beyond the obligatory forced politeness, but you were told beforehand that this was par for the course. So it doesn’t get to you in the slightest. Dr. Eirin Yagokoro, on the other hand, seems impressed at your interest in science (but not so much as to forget to berate “Udonge” once again for not helping clean up the other day’s mess), though she laments that she always favored the chemistry aspect of pharmaceuticals and never could get into biology quite as much - not that she didn’t know her fair share.

Next is Tewi Inaba, a rabbit you recognize from her occasional trips to the store (Reisen was the only one to go on a consistent basis). Any bit of her status as the leader of the rabbits that would have impressed you is destroyed by a mischievous grin, however.

“So, tell me again, how many times have you two had sex?”

>>6632206,6
Your mouth opens in an effort to answer, but no words come out. Reisen turns beet red and grabs Tewi by the ears, drags her down the hallway, and throws her outside in a fit of rage before running out after her. Unfortunately for the both of you, the gathered rabbits are all laughing uproariously, and even Eirin has a small smirk on her face, though her eyes do betray some sympathy for your situation. Kaguya, on the other hand, makes no effort to hide her disdain for the crudely blatant discussion of something so inappropriate and ceremoniously declares that she is retreating to her room for the time being until some sense of civility can be restored in her house. This shuts the rabbits up as they all scramble to their individual tasks. Eirin apologizes for her pet’s rudeness and thanks you for coming and for taking such good care of her apprentice before following in Kaguya’s wake. With no one left around, you suddenly feel very alone, and decide to make your way back outside to Reisen, just barely avoiding getting bowled over by a terrified but laughing Tewi as she dashes back inside. Chuckling a bit to yourself, you try to calm Reisen down before she can storm back inside and do any more damage.

“That’s quite a family you’ve got there.”

Eventually you succeed, and thank her for having you over to meet her household. She wishes you the best of luck in your journey home and asks if she’ll see you again at the store tomorrow when something occurs to you.

“Wait. I…don’t know how to get home from here.”

Reisen is shocked at her own shortsightedness. “Oh! Of course! I’m sorry, I forgot all about that. Let me guide you out of this place.”

She takes your hand and you both smile as she leads the way. You are barely able to get ten feet, however, before Eirin calls Reisen back inside for something important. Reisen looks back and forth between her house and you, clearly unsure about what to do.

“Don’t worry about it, your master needs you. I’ll find my own way home.”

“But…it’s really easy to get lost…oh, I don’t know, I think I should still go with you…”

A new voice suddenly emerges from the forest. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll take it from here.”

Another girl steps out into the open, and you recognize her from the school building as the tour guide’s friend. Addressing the girl as “Mokou”, Reisen thanks her profusely for the favor granted to the house of her enemy before saying good-bye to you and rushing back inside. Though not a terribly interesting conversationalist – the only real reaction you could get out of her was a mumble that sounded suspiciously like “strictly platonic” when you asked about the tour guide - Mokou leads the way away from Eientei and back out of the forest. She bids you good night and turns to leave, but you have one final question.

“Reisen mentioned “the house of your enemy”. What’s the deal there?”

“Kaguya and I…don’t exactly see eye to eye. That’s all anyone not involved needs to know.”

“But why do one of her servants a favor?”

“They’re good people.”

You ponder this for a moment before you come up with another follow-up question, but by the time you turn to ask her Mokou has already vanished.

>>6632206,8
...

Reisen has since joined you in your home, though you now make much more frequent trips to Eientei to the point where you can find your way home on your own. One such trip is made at Eirin’s invite, who is experimenting in the interest of expanding the medicine shop’s inventory and wants to know if you want to watch. You agree, and with your bunny bride tagging along for a ride back “home”, you set off.

The trip is uneventful, and in no time you find yourself in Eirin’s lab. A lot of what she talks about while flies over your head, but you recognize enough of the chemical names to be able to keep up. Looking over at Reisen, you can’t tell if she’s completely dumbfounded or simply bored from having witnessed this sort of thing so many times before, but it’s rather obvious she’s merely feigning interest. You feel bad for dragging her into this, but before you can move toward her to apologize, she turns to you, smiles, and turns back to watch her master at work. That’s good enough for you, and you resume your fascination with Eirin’s experiment.

Which has taken an unexpected turn and is now frothing at a rate Dr. Yagokoro seems slightly uncomfortable with.

“Hmm…this isn’t the reaction I should be getting from this mixture…I wonder if I added things in an improper order?”

As the doctor checks her notes, your eyes wander over to the vials containing the chemicals she was using. You walk over to them and take a closer look.

“A couple of these labels look like they’ve been on these vials for a while, they’re not attached very securely…hey, Dr. Yagokoro, is it possible that some of these chemicals have outdated labels?”

“No, I check them every day just to make sure something like that doesn’t happen.”

Eirin turns back toward you as she finished talking and notices the two vials in your hands. She stops.

“Wait a minute…”

She walks over and investigates what you’ve found.

“You’re right, these are mismarked. How is that possible? I’m sure I checked them this morning…wait, they’re not mismarked, they’re just switched – “

A louder-than-would-be-liked bubbling noise from the now-unknown concoction left forgotten on the table coincides with a light bulb turning on in Eirin’s head. Her lips curl in an angry sneer.

“Damnit, Tewi!”

Eirin turns back to the mixture in order to dump it and start fresh, but whatever it is on the table decides it will have absolutely none of that and begins to froth maniacally. This is enough for the doctor to assume the worst, and she starts making for the lab door.

“Both of you, follow me, get out of here, now! I have no idea what’s going to happen with that thing, but I’m sure it won’t be good!”

>>6632206,9
You immediately dash after her, trusting her word. Reisen, however, had been zoning out for the past few moments, and heard her master a second later than you did.

“Wait, what? Okay, I’m coming!”

Reisen finally starts making for the exit herself, but before even Eirin can reach it a violent explosion erupts from behind you, throwing all three of you unmercifully into the air. You feel your back slam hard into the lab wall, and hear two other similar thuds close by before you hit the ground. You need a few moments to get over your incredible dizziness before you can check on the others. You landed facing Eirin, and notice that, while struggling to get up, she’s still relatively in one piece. Turning around to check on your wife, your blood chills and you see her lying pitifully on the floor, making no attempt to get up. You scoot across the floor as fast as you can to be by her side.

“Oh my God, Reisen! Are you okay?”

She says nothing in response, but is able to crane her head enough to look you right in the eyes and smile before slumping back down.

“Dr. Yagokoro! DR. YAGOKORO! REISEN NEEDS HELP! QUICKLY!”

Eirin’s shout from behind you tell you that she’s fully aware of the situation and she runs to your side. Together, the two of you hurriedly carry the unconscious rabbit to the nearest empty room and deposit her on the bed. Eirin runs off to get her supplies while you remain right where you are, unable to tear yourself away from the love of your life. Eirin returns and requests that you leave the room so she can do what she needs to do. Initially, you refuse, but after the request turns into a demand you realize she’s right and shakily walk backward out of the room, never taking your eyes off your wife.

You end up staying at Eientei overnight. A couple of the rabbits prep another room for you to get to sleep. You try to spend the entire night lying awake, staring at the ceiling and contemplating what happened, but eventually fatigue from the night combined with your own injuries win the battle and you drift off.

...

You wake up with a jolt the next morning, kicking yourself for falling asleep when Reisen needs you so much. Jumping out of bed, you run for the room she was put in yesterday just in time to see Eirin walk out of it. The blood is drained from her face, but she otherwise shows no emotion.

“…How is she?”

Eirin doesn’t seem to notice you at first, but eventually she wrenches her head up to look at you. She then smiles weakly.

“It was a close call, but she’ll be okay.”

Ah fuck no! Don't bring this shit here!

>>6632206,10

You collapse against the opposite wall, relieved at the good news. Eirin stares at you for a few moments then moves to walk away before you stop her with another question.

“May I see her?”

“…Huh?”

“May I see her?”

Eirin suddenly looks very nervous, though you can’t tell why.

“Uh…sure, yeah. Go on in.”

You walk through to door to find a brutally beaten-up but conscious Reisen lying in the bed. She has bandages around her head, neck and arms. When she hears the door open she turns to look at who it is. When she sees you, she smiles.

“Fancy…meeting you here…”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been…better…I’m sorry that you…have to see me…like this…”

“Nonsense. I’m just happy that you’re okay.”

You grab her hand and return her smile. Her return grip is notably weak.

“Thank you…you mean so much…to me…”

“Do you know when you’ll be better?”

>>6632206,12

“Master said…in about a week…I’ll be back to normal…I guess it…really isn’t that bad…it just hurts like…crazy right now…I’m sorry…but I feel…really tired…”

“Get some sleep, then. I’ll take off for home and prepare it for your return.”

No response.

“…I love you, darling.”

“I…love you…too…”

You gently kiss her cheek, but she has fallen asleep. Fighting back tears, you exit the room, where Eirin was apparently waiting for you.

“How are you feeling?”

“Well, not perfect, but I’ve been in much worse shape. I just wish there was something more I could do for her, but you’re the expert there.”

“…Right…”

“Anyway, I hate to bail like this, but I have to head back to my place and get it ready for when she returns. I’ll see you later.”

You start to walk off.

“…Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah. You know, you were in that explosion too, and I can’t imagine working all night was good for you. You should probably get some rest yourself.”

“…Yeah, I probably should. Have a safe trip, then.”

“All right, I will.”

As you finally set off to leave, you notice a lot pain in Eirin’s eyes before she turns away and trundles off to her room. You can’t blame her – that was a lot of work to do for someone who had just been blown up. You exit the mansion and head back to your house.

>>6632206,13

...

A week later, Reisen does indeed return home, bringing greetings from Eirin and the other rabbits. She’s still somewhat weak, however, so you advise her not to worry about the medicine shop and that you’ll take care of it with whatever other rabbits get sent there on any given day. At first she protests, but eventually she gives in.

Days pass by. You resume helping out at the medicine shop, which now has Tewi in charge. You have to admit that she’s a good leader when she puts her mind to it and doesn’t try to sabotage whatever’s going on with tricks every step of the way. It almost seems like she’s actively avoiding talking to you the first couple of days back, but eventually that idea disappears and things run smoothly in the shop. Despite various lingering injuries, Reisen’s piano playing hasn’t been affected one bit by the accident, and you spend your evenings listening to her soft melodies.

Then another shocker makes its way to your house. Rather than lounging around like usual, Reisen is standing at the door and waiting for you when you come home from the medicine shop. You note that she’s beaming, and it doesn’t take long for you to find out why.

“I’m pregnant.”

A couple seconds of shock quickly turn into elation as you embrace her (though you’re careful not to do so too hard) over the joyous announcement. The two of you spend the rest of the night laughing and celebrating the soon-to-be new addition to your household. You suggest letting Eientei know, but she says that she’s already been there and back and they are elated. You are surprised to hear of such activities, but she reminds you that, unlike you, she can fly, and she knows her way around the forest quite well, so it was not much effort at all.

Nine months later, in the privacy of your own home, Reisen gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. Unfortunately, Eirin had an emergency house call to some mansion near the shrine where you got married, but Reisen knew enough to get through the procedure without any major disasters simply form all the time she had spent with her master. The two of you had already decided on the name Kaguya beforehand, in honor of Reisen’s mistress.

>>6632206,14

The years roll by. Reisen becomes a stay-at-home mom, as the money you get from your medicine shop work is enough to get the family by (as well as the occasionally extra from the little crop sales you still do). Little Kaguya grows up and eventually goes to school (“Miss Keine’s really nice! But, y’know what? Miss Mokou’s kinda weird.”), though it feels like an eternity watching her as she seems to have inherited her mother’s slow aging genes. Not that it matters. The three of you live a perfectly happy life together.

...

Today is your 50 year anniversary, and while you’re not what you once were, you can still get around well enough to want to do something for your wife, who barely looks any older than the day you married her. Bless her soul. You’ve sent Kaguya out to the village for the day to keep her distracted. Having pre-ordered your gift for Reisen a little while back, you’re able to leave her at the house under the pretext of visiting the medicine shop in order to slink away to the shop in the woods. The man working there has it all set for you, though you could’ve sworn he was looking at you funny when you came to pick it up. Dismissing it as a trick of your mind, you hurry home.

Walking in the front door, you can’t believe what greets you.

The house is dark, dirty and dusty. Trash is littered about and there seems to be zero organization.

Worst of all, Reisen is nowhere to be seen.

Calling her name, you search the house up and down, but are unable to find her. Frantically, you assume the worst. Someone must have broken in and forced her to escape. That had to be it. But where would she go?

The medicine shop. She hadn’t been back there in forever and a day.

Quickly you head out to the medicine shop, which is full of rabbits as usual, but none of them are the one you seek. You spot Tewi and flag her down.

“Tewi, have you seen Reisen around?”

All activity in the shop comes to a screeching halt.

“…What?”

“Have you seen Reisen recently? I think something might have happened to her.”

>>6632206,15

Surprisingly, Tewi frowned.

“You know, there are some jokes that shouldn’t be made, because they simply aren’t funny. Even I know my limits.”

“Jokes? What are you talking about? I only want to know where Reisen is!”

Tewi starts looking visibly uncomfortable.

“Cut it out, please. This isn’t funny at all.”

“If you don’t know, then just tell me. Please!”

“But…I…”

“Damnit, Tewi, tell me where she is already!”

“I’M SORRY, OKAY? DO YOU THINK I MEANT TO DO IT? I NEVER MEANT TO HURT ANYONE! IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE! I’M SORRY! SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND! I DIDN’T WANT IT TO HAPPEN!”

You are stunned as the little rabbit girl starts crying.

“Wait…what? Tewi, what are you talking about? I only want to know – “

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Tewi runs out of the shop, tears streaming down her face. You stare after her, dumbfounded. Your mental efforts to make sense of the situation prove futile, and are eventually interrupted by a voice from behind you.

“Hey.”

You turn to face the rabbit talking to you, who has a grim look on her face.

“Listen, we appreciate all the work you’ve done for us in the past, and we know you must have been hurt. But that…that was completely uncalled for. I’m going to have to ask you…to leave the store and not return.”

“What? Why?”

“Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

It is at this point that you notice the group of rabbits are all facing you and have the same looks on their face the one talking to you. You finally realize that searching here is fruitless, and you slowly back out of the store.

So Reisen wasn’t there. Where else would she have gone?

>>6632206,16

Surprisingly, Tewi frowned.

“You know, there are some jokes that shouldn’t be made, because they simply aren’t funny. Even I know my limits.”

“Jokes? What are you talking about? I only want to know where Reisen is!”

Tewi starts looking visibly uncomfortable.

“Cut it out, please. This isn’t funny at all.”

“If you don’t know, then just tell me. Please!”

“But…I…”

“Damnit, Tewi, tell me where she is already!”

“I’M SORRY, OKAY? DO YOU THINK I MEANT TO DO IT? I NEVER MEANT TO HURT ANYONE! IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE! I’M SORRY! SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND! I DIDN’T WANT IT TO HAPPEN!”

You are stunned as the little rabbit girl starts crying.

“Wait…what? Tewi, what are you talking about? I only want to know – “

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Tewi runs out of the shop, tears streaming down her face. You stare after her, dumbfounded. Your mental efforts to make sense of the situation prove futile, and are eventually interrupted by a voice from behind you.

“Hey.”

You turn to face the rabbit talking to you, who has a grim look on her face.

“Listen, we appreciate all the work you’ve done for us in the past, and we know you must have been hurt. But that…that was completely uncalled for. I’m going to have to ask you…to leave the store and not return.”

“What? Why?”

“Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

It is at this point that you notice the group of rabbits are all facing you and have the same looks on their face the one talking to you. You finally realize that searching here is fruitless, and you slowly back out of the store.

So Reisen wasn’t there. Where else would she have gone?

>>6632206,17

You re-enact the scene in your head. The mixture started bubbling…you all ran for the door…the explosion…you hit your back against the wall…Eirin slowly getting up…Reisen just lying there…you look into her eyes…she looks into yours and smiles…

You looked into each others’ eyes.

Well, it’s fairly fun being me, since I can do this…

The truth finally dawns on you, and Eirin can tell, as she looks away from you in preparation for what could be coming next.

“…It was all an illusion.”

“…Yes, I believe so.”

“…Then…all that time…our child…it was all…”

Eirin doesn’t respond.

You stand there, shaking, as the sheer magnitude of what you’ve just realized slowly steamrolls over you. All those happy memories. Her return and subsequent recovery. Her getting pregnant. The joy of living together with her and raising a child. Getting to watch little Kaguya’s first day of school, and every day after that. Being together, as a wonderful family.

A full two-thirds of your life.

Some of the greatest joys you’ve ever experienced.

A complete lie.

The enraged scream you let forth nearly shakes the foundation of the mansion. Tewi squeals and runs away, as do all the other rabbits that have gathered around and have been watching from their hiding places. Even Eirin flinches, but she alone remains, willing to endure the incoming storm.

Sorry, messed up the pasta order.
re-continued from >>6632206,16

Eientei. Of course! Mentally slapping yourself for not thinking of it sooner, you speed off to Reisen’s old home. She had to be there. And even if she wasn’t, Eirin would be, and she’d know what to do.

The trip was longer than you remember it, but eventually you reach the mansion. As luck would have it, Eirin is standing right there when you open the front door, though she appears to be comforting Tewi. Eirin merely stares at you, while Tewi sobs and hides behind her master. Before you can speak, Eirin beats you to the punch.

“You know, that really wasn’t a nice thing to do to her. Rabbits are rather sensitive.”

“What did I do? I only wanted to know where Reisen went.”

At the sound of your wife’s name, Tewi’s sobs grow louder. Eirin frowns.

“Listen! I was with her at my house this morning, but when I came back with a present for her, she was gone and my house was a mess! I just want to know what happened to her!”

Tewi’s sobbing stops. Eirin raises an eyebrow.

“You were with her this morning?”

“Yeah. Today’s our 50th anniversary, and I know she told me she didn’t want me to go over-the-top in getting a gift for her, but I did anyway, and – “

“What are you talking about? How were you talking to her?”

“What do you mean? She was right there on the couch next to me!”

“No, she wasn’t.”

“Of course she was! I saw her myself.”

“…No, she wasn’t. She died the night of the explosion in my lab, remember?”

You stop mid-thought, completely floored. Reisen’s dead? She’s been dead? For fifty years? But how? You’ve been with her all this time!

“Wha…how…that’s not possible!”

>>6632206,19

“Look, I know I told you she was going to be all right, but that was only because I didn’t have the heart to tell you she was already gone. I couldn’t refuse your entrance to her room, though – I’m still surprised that you didn’t rush straight for me after exiting and try to beat me up or something.”

“But she was alive! I talked to her! She said you said she would be out and about in a week! I held her hand! I KISSED her!”

“None of that ever happened. She was dead before we even got her in the bed. Near as I can tell, the explosion rocketed her head-first into the wall, doing a serious number on her skull and spine. She didn’t last very long after that. She couldn’t have. No mortal could.”

“But…how did she tell me she was fine? How did she return home? How did we have a child together?”

“I…think I might know why. What do you remember of that night?”

You re-enact the scene in your head. The mixture started bubbling…you all ran for the door…the explosion…you hit your back against the wall…Eirin slowly getting up…Reisen just lying there…you look into her eyes…she looks into yours and smiles…

You looked into each others’ eyes.

Well, it’s fairly fun being me, since I can do this…

The truth finally dawns on you, and Eirin can tell, as she looks away from you in preparation for what could be coming next.

“…It was all an illusion.”

“…Yes, I believe so.”

“…Then…all that time…our child…it was all…”

Eirin doesn’t respond.

>>6632206,20

You stand there, shaking, as the sheer magnitude of what you’ve just realized slowly steamrolls over you. All those happy memories. Her return and subsequent recovery. Her getting pregnant. The joy of living together with her and raising a child. Getting to watch little Kaguya’s first day of school, and every day after that. Being together, as a wonderful family.

A full two-thirds of your life.

Some of the greatest joys you’ve ever experienced.

A complete lie.

The enraged scream you let forth nearly shakes the foundation of the mansion. Tewi squeals and runs away, as do all the other rabbits that have gathered around and have been watching from their hiding places. Even Eirin flinches, but she alone remains, willing to endure the incoming storm.

“ALL A LIE! NONE OF IT WAS REAL! HOW COULD SHE DO THAT TO ME? SHE SAID SHE LOVED ME! I LOVED HER! SHE MADE A COMPLETE MOCKERY OF ME! SHE PLAYED ME FOR A COMPLETE FOOL! SHE MADE ME LOOK STUPID IN FRONT OF EVERYONE I MET! WHY? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME, REISEN? HOW COULD YOU?!?”

Looking around in your furor, you happen to spot Eirin, who still hasn’t moved.

Jesus christ it's finally over?

>>6632206,21

“AND YOU! YOU KNEW ALL THIS TIME, DIDN’T YOU? YOU KNEW THE INSTANT I CAME OUT OF THAT ROOM! YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON! TELL ME!”

“…I had a very good hunch, yes.”

“YOU LIED TO ME, YAGOKORO! YOU LIED TO ME! AND YOU LET THIS FARCE PERSIST! FIFTY YEARS! FIFTY FUCKING YEARS! I’VE WASTED ALMOST MY ENTIRE LIFE ON A LIE! A LIE YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED! WHY DIDN’T YOU, HUH? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS! HOW COULD YOU LET HER DO THIS!”

“…Were you happy?”

“OF COURSE I WAS HAPPY! WHY DO YOU THINK I’M SO MAD, HUH? ALL THOSE HAPPY TIMES ARE LIES! NONE OF THEM WERE REAL!”

“…But as long as you were happy, does that matter?”

“OF COURSE IT MAT-“

Wait.

Does it?

“You could have lived your life without her, you know. Knowing and feeling what you do now, which would you have preferred?

“I…”

Damnit.

She’s absolutely right.

And suddenly, your voice disappears, and all you can do is fall to your hands and knees and cry. Cry for your lost loved ones. Cry for the farce of a live you have lived.

Cry for the happiness granted by the greatest gift she could possibly have ever given you.

You don’t know how long it takes before you stop crying, but, to her credit, Eirin’s still standing there when you’re finished.

>>6632206,23

“AND YOU! YOU KNEW ALL THIS TIME, DIDN’T YOU? YOU KNEW THE INSTANT I CAME OUT OF THAT ROOM! YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON! TELL ME!”

“…I had a very good hunch, yes.”

“YOU LIED TO ME, YAGOKORO! YOU LIED TO ME! AND YOU LET THIS FARCE PERSIST! FIFTY YEARS! FIFTY FUCKING YEARS! I’VE WASTED ALMOST MY ENTIRE LIFE ON A LIE! A LIE YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED! WHY DIDN’T YOU, HUH? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS! HOW COULD YOU LET HER DO THIS!”

“…Were you happy?”

“OF COURSE I WAS HAPPY! WHY DO YOU THINK I’M SO MAD, HUH? ALL THOSE HAPPY TIMES ARE LIES! NONE OF THEM WERE REAL!”

“…But as long as you were happy, does that matter?”

“OF COURSE IT MAT-“

Wait.

Does it?

“You could have lived your life without her, you know. Knowing and feeling what you do now, which would you have preferred?

“I…”

Damnit.

She’s absolutely right.

And suddenly, your voice disappears, and all you can do is fall to your hands and knees and cry. Cry for your lost loved ones. Cry for the farce of a live you have lived.

Cry for the happiness granted by the greatest gift she could possibly have ever given you.

You don’t know how long it takes before you stop crying, but, to her credit, Eirin’s still standing there when you’re finished.

>>6632206,23

“I…I’m…sorry…”

“Don’t be. Anyone else in your situation would have done the same thing.”

You don’t respond. You can’t think of anything to say. You don’t even raise your head.

“I must say, though, even I’m impressed at the quality of the illusion. Fifty years…and it was even strong enough to give you a child.”

“…Yeah…”

“…You know, Udonge was always talking about how she couldn’t find what she was missing when training her illusion skills…”

“Yeah, I remember her mentioning that to me as well.”

“…I guess she finally found it.”

You smile a little bit.

“...I suppose so.”

“So, then, after all that…are you happy?”

You look up at the question. To your great surprise, Reisen is standing behind her master with a curious look on her face, but Eirin doesn’t even seem to notice her. You quickly realize that it’s another illusion.

“…Yeah. I am.”

A small smile appears on Eirin’s face. To her side, Reisen beams her dazzling smile and then fades away.

“Then I thank you for all that you did for her.”

>>6632206,25

You stand up.

“And I thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet her.”

Eirin says nothing.

“Well then. I suppose I should go home now. I have a bit of cleaning to do.”

“As you wish. Please don’t be a stranger - Eientei’s doors will always be open to you. Never forget that, and have a safe journey.”

“Thanks.”

You walk out the main door. Somewhere, off in the distance, you can hear a familiar eerie melody. You can’t tell if the sound is coming from deep within Eientei, or elsewhere in the forest, or from your own lips, or is even merely inside your head, but it doesn’t matter to you. You simply smile and enjoy the music as you begin your slow journey home.

This is really disgusting. Keep your shit in your shitty thread in /jp/. Don't bring it here.