/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>24331853
>Before I saw her again, two weeks passed. But they were unusually eventful week. Three incidents occurred that would hint at what happened then.
>the first incident, several days after I saw her last, the rancher who owned the houlstar farm in the valley came in and grumbled to me about cougars harassing them. Which kind didn’t matter, both sorts of cougars were a problem. I asked, nervous, if the mantis girl was causing an issue as well. He blinked at me until he realized something, then just laughed. No, she wasn’t an issue. In fact she had spoken lately to his daughter.
>I admitted I was surprised. She had always ever just stared at me, never said a word.
>He just shook his head and changed the subject. I frowned but continued on, more sure than ever she hated me. Why get so red with annoyance when I handed her the money last time?

>A week later, the goblins raided our facility. This same migrating tribe knew by now this was a boys camp, and hit in several locations, raiding the hanging laundry and the food storage.
>While another person got the fireworks ready to scare them off (imported from the mist continent; small fireworks without fancy colors were surprisingly cheap, even several hundred miles from the great port city!), I charged in on the ones sniffing the boys’ dirty clothes with a blunt sword. Wasn’t going to hurt them, just run them off. That is, until one tackled me from behind!
>”Wait, is that- oh no, it’s him. It’s him!” “The mantis’s target?! Yipes!” “Yuppers! Mana would slice us to bits if we took him, we should probably run!” Soon, the goblins had all abandoned the raid. We didn’t even need to fire off the little rockets.
>I was pretty freaked out by this... her target?! She hated me that much?! I was done for...

>The next night, one of my coworkers found me at work barricading the cabin I was sleeping in. He stared at me in confusion.
>”What on earth are you doing? There isn’t anything that dangerous here, nothing that would attack anyway.”
>”No, you don’t get it!” I replied, “the mantis... she hates me! And the goblins were afraid of her. They said I was her target. I’m not gonna let her hurt me!”
>”...are you an idiot?”
>“Hey! Less talking, more helping me barricade this place!”
>“Fine... don’t think it’ll help you, though.”
>Needless to say, I was getting very worried. What had I done to anger her so much?! Had I trespassed too often in her territory?!

>The events of the last few weeks had made me ever more paranoid. From the start she bothered me. She creeped me out a bit, and her staring, emotionless eyes had drilled into my soul. But it was my seventh meeting with her that sealed my terror.
>I was alone and safe at night, but that morning I had to go run an errand. My boss just smiled when I protested that I really didn’t feel safe going. But in the end, how could I argue? I left with the wagon on a trip up further along the isolated mountain road, to fetch the honey that the small bee colony up on the mountain sold. The honeybees were friendly, and I got a few catcalls, but the one I met with was surprisingly professional. She adjusted her glasses and her eyes brightened upon realizing who I was. Did everyone truly know?
>Upon asking that, she grinned. “Of course. Maya has spoken a great deal about you when she visited last week. Is something wrong?”
>I explained my worry, and she nodded solemnly. “Of course, I understand... here, for you.” She handed me a quite small jar of honey. “This is a different kind, made from... unique ingredients. If you throw it at her or get it on her, I am sure she will be too distracted to ‘attack’ you... at least for a little while.” Little did I know what cruel prank she pulled on me.
>On the way back, the horse stopped, spooked. And there she was, slipping into view from behind a tree.
>”Oh... is something the matter?” I asked. She shook her head, but didn’t leave the road. I thought about using the honey, but she wasn’t in the right position, I couldn’t escape.
>”I heard from other people. Your name is Mana, right? Well, whatever I did, I’m sorry. I get that you don’t like me, so-“ I stopped immediately when her eyes widened. She shook her head violently before speaking.
>”No! I... don’t dislike you. At all. In fact I... like you a great deal. I...” she turned red and ran off there and then. She may have covered her face as she flittered into the distance.
>I turned cold. I realized the truth now, and knew for once just how in danger I was. She, a mantis girl, had a crush on me. I knew then, that I was going to die. After all, like scholars said, when a female mantis is done with her mate... they ate their heads. Surely, a mantis girl would be the same?!