/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45944626 (3/3—p3)
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The following silence was piercing.

Such admission would've guaranteed horrible things in a different life, different world… But here, said with such ravenous eyes and stalwart posture, a stockpile so deep and pronounced of hatred born from two years of continuous punishment, it shamelessly made my heart thump like crazy. His words—always sweet, supportive, and caring—lies upon more lies. So many women experience that same fake love he'd show me; a few that I'm aware felt shards of a love that, a long time ago, was Reimu's, tainted by time and her deeds. They all drink from a dried-up well, fighting for scraps…

… But his hatred and my love, together—this resonance…

It's ours alone~

Still, those eyes lose confidence egregiously fast; fears and doubts settle as the silence grows into a mighty beast. I gently place a hand on his chest, my smile welcoming. “Why do you hate me, Anon? Tell me every facet of that hatred—I want to know a side of you no other woman knows~”

His stare transmutes into jagged knives, throat swollen with a block of ice and body tense, all hairs up. He knows that was an order; the consequences of disobedience still echoing inside his mind… But, oh, it was good, wasn't it, Anon? To finally let an ounce of that pressure out, to stop pretending and just lash out against the world that has been pushing you down for two decades now—a mere bucketful, taken from a sea of hidden feelings. “… I hate everything about you.” Despite his rational mind screaming about that being a bad idea—the consequences of playing that kind of game with someone like me—, the allure of freedom to a caged bird was simply too much. I brushed his strong chest, my core trembling with necessity. “I hate what you've done to my family, to my Hana… You've twisted a sweet and diligent girl, my daughter, into a lustful monster that doesn't consider the desires of her father anymore! And I… I still love her so much, despite everything she has done to me! Every day, I curse you for defiling my little girl… And I hate my powerlessness to change anything.” Each word is like a snowball, growing as he speaks with ferocity, physical reactions visible in contracting muscles, exaggerated expressions of utter pain, tears welling behind those beautiful mirrors…

My heart screams, my body is lit afire. I caress the bend of his neck, his body begging for him to move away, but the struggle against deep-seated threats is futile. “I prefer her like that~so gullible.” He bares his teeth as his tears fall, his physique reflecting that of a caged beast. “What more, Anon?”

“… E-Everything you've done to me, to the people I love… What did we do to deserve this?! Was I a monster in my past life? Is maintaining a failed marriage a sin?” Building and building, like a volcano about to erupt. “… I despise myself for creating wonderful things in this hellhole.” Oh? My heart leaped at the unexpected turn of events and the intense emotion—exclusivity~ “Takane-san brings me back to a time when I had no worries; Ran, Aya, Alice, Marisa, Yuuka… They were like Reimu when we married, with that gleam in her eye and a certainty that the future would be very bright and full of joy…” The man is sobbing with pure, unadulterated rage; I wonder if my arms around his neck feel like chains. “C-Chen brings me back to when Hana wouldn't look at me and see a man, but a father—she'd show me things she thought were neat; ask about what there’d be for dinner; and…”

I press my chest against his, our hearts connected, both furiously beating for opposite—yet so equal—motives…

Our eyes met, the second of silence long…

For a split second, wrath became uncontrollable, hands circling my neck like my arms circled his.

His hold, however, is a choke.

… Though there's no strength behind it, no grip, his eyes narrowed and mine widened, but not because of the 'attack'. No, that meant nothing.

“I hate you with every fiber of my being…” He mutters as a conclusion comes from the depths of his heart with a tone of, surprisingly, relief. “You're a monster through and through, like Reimu—the way you harmed Chen… Just like Reimu, you destroyed me. You've shattered my peace and my being.” He tries to strengthen the grip around my neck; he tries hard, but nothing comes. “… And I hate myself for thinking there's still hope for you.” Everything comes to a full halt.

What…?

Something deep inside, a voice from a thousand years ago: “Stop this. Change… Last chance.”

… It sounded exactly like Yuyuko…

I remember her eyes under that cherry blossom tree. Full of life, gleaming, smiling at me—

Her lifeless eyes, her slit throat, the rain above, and blood everywhere. So much blood, isn't it so, Renko…? The Gap can prolong the future but never unmake the past.

Weakness…

… Not again. Never again…

I gently take one of his hands and move it to my cheek, his thumb catching a small, stranded tear; my other hand creates a Gap over my body.

The next moment, I’m fully nude.