Touhou Oneshots

(Keiki) A Sculpting Lesson

(Art Credits: Onikobe Rin / @onikobe on Twitter)

I.. I actually haven't written Keiki before, so this was my first attempt at her. I'm so sorry if this seems out of character! I'm so sorry that this took a while, I've been busy with school so it can get hard to find free time. The reader's species and gender are not specified. Please remember that I'm not very skilled at writing yet... :sweat:

This was requested by @Ner68678643

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"Hm, a guest?" The god mused to herself, setting her various supplies aside so that she could walk over and properly greet you, "Well, you are certainly dressed quite differently from the typical spirit in this realm. I've seen stranger things, of course, but do you mind if I ask who you are?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I am," You replied, offering a smile after you got your head wrapped around the concept of meeting a new person, "I'm (name), and it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss... Haniyasushin? Your sculpture work is quite impressive."

You have the feeling that she's giving you a once-over, sizing you up.

"I'd say the pleasure is all mine- Hm. You are a spirit, yes?" Her smile stays, but the intensity in her eyes grows, "I haven't seen you before, so I'm assuming you aren't from this place."

"Am I correct in this? A new addition to the Garden is always welcome, especially one with such striking features."

Striking features? "Ah, well-" You were shortly cut off.

"Actually, scratch that, you don't need to answer." Keiki paused momentarily, "(Name), huh? You seem well adjusted yet you don't look like you've been here for very long..." She continued to ramble on, which fell on deaf ears.

Despite being able to stand up for yourself and handle yourself, the sheer confidence that this woman oozed still made you feel as though you were shrinking in her presence. Keiki suddenly stopped talking and just... stared. It was a little... unsettling, the way her eyes locked onto you, scanning your entire body.

Actually, now that you realized it, her eyes were actually pretty to stare at.

"Are you listening?" She finally spoke again, taking a few steps toward you, causing the tension to rise again.

"Ah, of course I am!" You quickly agreed, hoping that it would calm the god down, as her gaze was certainly starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I was, um, going to say that your eyes are very striking." This was a fact that was hard to deny- her eyes were a gorgeous pink shade, but there was something off about them, as if they were too vibrant to be natural, or as if there was something else going on behind them.

"I'm surprised that you haven't taken a modeling job or something," You added.

That caught her attention alright.

"A model?!" Keiki exclaimed, her gaze finally leaving your face, "Well, I have to say that I haven't been complimented like that before, especially about something that isn't a sculpture that I've made."

"I don't mean to brag, of course!" She quickly said, a tiny bit of annoyance slipping out as she clasped her hands together, "But uh, I'm glad you think my eyes look nice... I suppose." The goddess' face softened, this time with a touch of amusement in her gaze- she found your praise intriguing to say the least.

"So, um- what brings you here?" There was a bit of concern evident in Keiki's voice, although she was doing her best to hide it.

"Not to pry, of course!" She quickly added. It was quite easy to gauge your mood with those sharp ears of hers.

"Actually, that shouldn't be any of my business..." She quickly shifted her attention elsewhere to save face, or at the very least, to put you at ease. Wow. This woman really enjoyed changing the direction of conversations so much. It was actually kind of worrying. How many conversations had gotten a bit awkward whenever she would randomly switch the topic?

Keiki giggled nervously. "Sorry, sorry, my apologies- Uh, how about we start off with talking about something else a bit?" She took a few steps back to the area where her sculpting tools had been left behind.

She took a seat next to the various boxes and bags that contained her supplies and started going through them, which was probably her way of showing that she was comfortable and not really going anywhere, since she was taking the time to rummage through all of her tools.

"So, hm... Do you sculpt?" Keiki quickly asked, a smile appearing on her face as she grabbed a few tools, probably planning to get to work soon.

A question about sculpting? That's a first.

"Oh, ah, I don't." You took a look at the assortment of tools laid out in front of her. "I don't have the aptitude or patience for it, and besides, I... I prefer to do other things with my time."

"Can I ask what you prefer to do in your free time then?" Keiki asked.

You shrugged. "I... uh, I don't really do anything." Well, that was blunt.

"I just relax, talk with friends." You said vaguely, not entirely sure how to talk about your life. "You don't really make time to do... much, once you have a job." You didn't really have a job, but it wasn't really anyone's business, so you just hoped that the goddess didn't dig deeper into that.

Keiki hummed, looking at you with her head cocked to the side, an expression that was seemingly intrigued. "Ah, I understand then." She said, and you could hear the smile in her voice.

Keiki then picked up another sculpting tool and began looking over it, her eyes wandering back to you as she did so. "So, um, you don't like making things?" She asked, trying to find a way to shift the conversation back to something more about you.

Of course, that was an awfully vague question, you think she knew that, but for some reason, there was that voice in the back of your mind that told you she was up to something.

"Ah, no, I... it's not really something I'm interested in." You said, thinking that was enough. However, Keiki had different plans.

"Would you like me to show you a thing or two?" She asked quickly, seemingly determined to at least try and get you interested.

Your words were cut off by a question you weren't expecting. Your mind froze for a few seconds as it processed Keiki's offer.

"I, um- I don't..." How could you possibly say no?!

"Sure, I would love to learn." You finally said, even though you were a little worried that Keiki still had ulterior motives beyond just sharing a hobby.

"Oh, wow- that was easier than I expected." Keiki smiled, her expression becoming more serene than usual. "Well, alright then!" She said, placing a few of the items back into boxes, but making sure she kept the most important ones by her side.

This time, she was laying out a couple blocks of clay, as well as some sculpting implements. "Do you feel ready to start?" She asked, as she took a seat across you, her legs crossed and her eyes locked on you.