/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45414310
Meeting Hana went… worse than expected. It was bad enough that one of Okina’s creations (even if she was a good girl) lived with Hana, now she wanted to confront Yukari directly? Still, Hana did manage to get the jump on her and coordinated with Aunn to subdue her. Hopefully, she inherited enough of Reimu’s intuition and common sense from her father to have a plan. That’s it! She didn’t tell Aya her plan to make sure she didn’t squeal to Yukari!

…No, probably not. The tengu trudged to the HSE. Since Momiji hasn’t found her yet, she must still be arguing inside the brothel. Might as meet Ran and pass on the responsibility for letting Hana into the lion’s den.

Entering the establishment, the tengu’s leg was assaulted by a brown flash. It was a light, fluffy feeling. The shikigami wasn’t at her desk, but the shikigami’s shikigami was holding down the fort. Chen’s face was smooshed into Aya’s body, the only part of her head visible being her two drooped ears. “AYAYAPLEASEDONTDIEEE!”

The reporter knelt down to the bakeneko and hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry Chen, a little cut isn’t enough to bring me down. I’m fine, I’m fine, you don’t have to cry anymore—come on, you’re getting my skirt wet!” The kitten reluctantly let go of her leg, took a look at the crow lady’s face, and wrapped her arms around her neck instead. Aya swung the girl’s body around to her back, standing up with a furry backpack. “If you really that worried, then you’re coming with me! Come on, Momiji and Ran aren’t going to find themselves!”

Using the shikigami as a pass, Aya talked to the tengu guards, asking for the petty patrol dog. It seemed that Momiji was committed to interrogating every guard she came across, leading to multiple crows and wolves complaining to Aya. It wasn’t hard to pick up on their vitriol, even when they censored their insults for the sake of Chen’s innocent ears. Either way, Anon’s Frens were nowhere closer to finding either of their goals.

Instead of wasting her energy, Aya took a seat in the waiting room, buying a drink from the vending machine for herself and Chen. The Kappa Water Z was too fizzy for Chen, causing her to let out a little burp. Maybe she’d get a little dirt on Ran’s attempts at Anon while killing time. “So Chen, how’s Ran been doing these days?”

“Miss Ayaya, did you know lying is bad?” This conversation was off to a great start.

“Of course lying is bad. That’s why I only write about facts in my newspaper!”

“But Ran said your newspaper is full of lies. And when the guards were speaking, they were lying too.”

This little— Bunbunmaru was the most honest—! Deep breaths, she’s just asking a question. “Well, sometimes adults don’t say things plainly. They say things in a way that people will be happy to hear. Other times, they stop themselves from saying things that will make people mad. It’s a game of people-pleasing.”

“But people get angry when they find out they’re lied to. Then you have to ask them to forgive you for two things instead of just one thing. Now you have have to say ‘please’ twice!”

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. Sometimes people don’t want to know the truth—they want to believe in a lie.” More than a few names came to mind. More than she cared to admit.

“That sounds kinda sad.”

The tengu rose from her seat. “You’re right. I’ll tell you all about why people lie later — a full interview! Until then, just know there’s one person you should absolutely never, ever lie to once in your whole life. Can you guess who?”

The kitten started rubbing her chin, pondering deeply. “Ooh, it is Ran? Mister Anon?”

“Nope.” The tengu poked the top of Chen’s nose. “The one person you should never lie to is you.”

The tengu let her friend sip the rest of her carbonated drink until the door to the reception area creaked. In less than a second she snatched the can, crushed it, and tossed it into a bin before Ran could see her giving the kid sugar so late. “Cheeeeen, are you there?”

The kitten ran over to the door, her master engulfing her in a big hug before noticing her companion. “The yamawaro said you were with her. Did something come up?” Ah, this was rough. Well, better to say ‘please’ just once.

“Hana wants to meet Yukari. I think we should discuss this when Toutetsu’s here, but I don’t think we should deny her outright. She’s Anon’s daughter, but she’s still a Hakurei: She’s got the potential and reason to see her father free. We need to nurture that.”

The kitsune was silent for a minute. “...I’ll need to see her resolve firsthand. I’ll arrange a meeting at Mayohiga.”

After a few tense minutes, Momiji finally came to the exit. Aya was impatient “Hurry up and let’s go, I’m ready to drop dead.”

Chen ran at her and protested. “AYAYANODONTDIEEE!”

(Part 59)

UXNN2

CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

>>17441465