/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Blankly, I nodded. "I never specified who I was looking for, and she still said yes immediately." Oh, that was...Weird. "How'd she already know?" Maybe she'd seen Murasa? "No, I recognized that tone. That's the one I hear from my younger sisters when they've done something they shouldn't. I always catch them out by asking them about something that they shouldn't know about, and nearly every time, they'll reply before realising that they shouldn't." That was a pretty good trick, actually. I'd have to remember that one.

Either way, we still did need to go and deliver the package, so I suggested that we keep going. Yamame nodded, and we headed further down the veranda around the side of the Myouren Temple, until we were somewhere near the back. Looking out, I blinked in confusion. There, standing out in the middle of the back courtyard and practicing some kicks that put her feet above her head, was Minamitsu Murasa. And...She had the coat. "That you, Ichi?" She called, looking over her shoulder. "Oh, there's a surprise. It's you two." She stopped kicking, hopped up and down in place a few times, then wandered over. I blurted out a question, asking if she'd found her coat that fast. "Fast...? Er, I never lost it. What are you talking about?" I looked over at Yamame, who gave me a look like she was asking me to continue. So, I vaguely indicated the back courtyards and asked if she was back here. I didn't mention Mamizou's name, either. "Uh...What? Who? I think old Mami's back there, but I'm not sure." Well, now I felt very confused. She'd been the one to tell us where to go, hadn't she? "Uh...Are you feeling alright? Have you got a fever or something?"

"He doesn't." Yamame replied for me. "Um, just to double check...You haven't seen us today?"

"Not...Apart from right now..." Murasa paused, rubbing her chin. "Ah." She finally said. "Oh..." She looked like she understood something. "Yeah, I think you'd better go back there." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "Not the cemetery, but the end of the courtyard." What would that do? "You'll probably figure it out by the time you come back." She finally said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "'Bout time I had a break, anyway..." Murasa said out loud as she walked past us and toward the edge of the veranda. "Oh - By the way, I saw Reimu a moment ago. She looked annoyed about something, and she was wandering around like she was planning to hit something, in case that's something to worry about."

Looking at each other slightly nervously, Yamame and I carried on. "So, Reimu's not actually in with Byakuren." Yamame muttered. "Things just get weirder..." It was actually making me feel a little worried, I muttered back. "Yeah...I think I know what's happening, though. Maybe. Possibly."

We headed further back. The back courtyard of the Myouren Temple was a wide space filled with gravel and some larger rocks to break up the gravel. As a result, it was mostly one colour, which made Reimu easy to pick out at the other end, pacing back and forth by the back gates. I looked back at Yamame, then cautiously headed forward. Tentatively, I called out her name, and she looked up at me like she was startled. "There y'are." She finally said. She had a funny sort of smile on her face, like she was trying and failing to hold it back, as well as yet another leaf tangled in her hair. It was starting to become a trend, I thought.

"Reimu." Yamame said cautiously. "How was your meeting?"

"Swell, little mi- Er, good, Yamame. Did'ya find yer tanuki?" Mamizou was a tanuki? I hadn't even asked. No, I replied. We hadn't found her yet.

"I'm not sure about that..." Yamame muttered. "Reimu, you've got a leaf in your hair. Where's your gohei?"

Reimu blinked, then stammered slightly. "E-Er, s'around. I er, put it down when I went to talk to Hijiri." Hijiri? Didn't Reimu call her Byakuren? "Either's fine!" She replied quickly.

Hmm...Even I was starting to think that I understood what was happening. Murasa...She'd not recognized us, even though she'd led us in. Kyouko Kasodani, who'd seen Murasa barely a minute before she'd seen her leading us in. Ichirin, who'd known exactly who Yamame was talking about before she'd mentioned a name...And now Reimu, who's gohei had mysteriously disappeared. She'd called her Hijiri, even though she'd always called her Byakuren.

Oh yeah, it was all coming together.

Reimu, I said. Had she seen Mamizou anywhere? Reimu, I continued, I know you're always saying that she smells like tobacco and old people, but- "She said what!?" Reimu snapped, her fists clenched. Ah, there it was. The funny thing was that I hadn't been lying. Reimu had said that once, as part of a half-drunk rant about the 'annoying people in Gensokyo that beating up doesn't fix.' "A-Ah, er..." 'Reimu' froze.

じゃああ。。。

>>23097772
Post disguised Mamizous