.
.
.
Perhaps as a result of Rias's guidance, Naruko bought a huge pile of doujinshi. She seemed like she was in a good mood as she held her paper bag.
"… Naruko. Don't you think you bought a bit too much? That's more than ten books you bought…"
And all of them were ero ones. We're probably way past this point already, but people under 18 really shouldn't be buying these things.
"Not really. I got a lot of them as we were going around and saying hello to people, and a lot of the people we met recommended books to me, so I couldn't just not buy them."
Scrambling to and fro, Naruko seemed just like a happy child at a festival.
Heh… well, that's a relief, even though I initially had my doubts… it seemed like this would really become a fond summer memory for her. I really have to thank Rias for this. And then… after more or less covering the entire doujinshi sales floor, we temporarily exited the building, returning back to the entrance plaza, and then headed towards the Western hall. While we walked beside the outdoor exhibition area, Rias, as usual, began to explain things to me.
"This year, the cosplay area was split into two parts, and one of those parts is the outdoor exhibition area over there."
"Hm?" I watched with a forced smile as Naruko and Kuroneko both sped up, and gave a half-hearted response. I mean, cosplay was, in short, people dressing up in costumes, and having fun becoming anime or game characters, right? Honestly, from what I could see looking at it from the side, it didn't seem like something I would be all too interested in.
Having finally arrived at the exhibition area, I looked forwards with cold eyes… but…
"Wha-!?"
"Hey, hey, what's wrong, Naruto-chi? I thought you didn't have any interest in cosplay."
Rias sent me a big smile as I stood there probably assumed that I had gotten sight of some cosplay that had attracted my interest… but that wasn't it. What I had found was much, much more outrageous.
"… T-That… that's…" I was nervously pointing at a certain white clad alien who was standing near the entrance of the plaza.
Wait wait wait wait… seriously? Seriously seriously? There was stuff like this too?
"Isn't that Frieza!? Frieza is getting his picture taken!"
"Yeah, that does appear to be Frieza. Hmm… that's quite a good costume…"
"H-How can you be so calm about it? It's Frieza!"
"… You know it's a cosplay, right?"
"Idiot! Of course I know that!"
Crap… I'm getting way too excited about this! But it's Freaza! Freaza is right there, in the real world! And in his last form no less! The coolest, most terrifying form! There are no guys in existence that could look at this and not be moved! Whoaaaaaaa! Amaaaaaaaaaazing!
Filled with an excessive amount of happy surprise, I rushed over to Frieza. Imitating the others in the crowd, I set up my cell phone camera. Click. Click click.
"Thanks a lot!" Bowing my head multiple times towards the emperor of universe, I returned back to where Rias was standing.
"Hahaha! Look! He was doing the Kamehameha pose!"
"Umm… Naruto-chi? You realize that right now, you look exactly like a natural-born otaku, right…?"
"Ah! …" Showing off my cell phone photo to Rias, I finally came to my senses, and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me.
… Well… how do I put it… I guess it isn't impossible to understand how people feel when they get really entranced by cosplay. It actually was something even ordinary people could understand… it wasn't really that strange of a feeling… and Dragonball is a special case, so this doesn't make me an otaku. Understand? While staring at my cell phone, I desperately made excuses for myself.
… Dammit… it just wasn't fair to throw Frieza at me like that…
"A-Anyways, where did the other two go?"
When I forcibly changed the subject, Rias quickly pointed with her finger. Looking where she was pointing, I saw Kuroneko expertly handling a serious-looking camera, taking pictures. The subject of her photos was a character donning a black kimono and a skull mask.
Btshh! Btshh! Swish! Every few seconds the rather impressive cosplayer chose a different super cool pose.
"… Hm? Where exactly did my little sister run off to?"
I continued to look around. Beneath the cloudy skies, the outside exhibition area had been transformed into a strange place dominated by manga and video game characters. To my left and to my right, I saw many very strange costumed people (or should I say, inhuman existences) standing about. There were also many people who, like Kuroneko, had prepared serious-looking cameras and were taking photos of the cosplayers who had donned their finest costumes. As I stared at this scene around me, soon I was able to catch sight of the restless Naruko who was wandering around the plaza.
Perhaps it was because of the trendy clothes she was wearing, but she looked like she could have been window shopping in Shibuya. Of course, my little sister was looking at cosplayers, not clothing. Naruko focused her gaze on the many many cosplayers standing around her, sincerely revealing her excitement with a "whoaaa" here and a "waaaah" there. It was an appearance that was so starkly different from her usual hateful attitude. It was cute, and stirred my brotherly instincts to life.
As I watched her, I slowly broke out into a grin. That's great, Naruko. I mumbled my sincere feelings. Rias half-ran to Naruko, and grabbed her shoulders.
"Naruru-chi. How do you like it, seeing all this genuine cosplay?"
"Well, isn't that obvi-"
Looking back with a full smile, Naruko forcibly stiffened her expression the minute she saw Rias's smile.
"… W-Well, it's o-okay…"
"I'm glad, then. Seeing you have fun is my first priority."
Shying away from Rias's knowing smile, Naruko's lips thinned and she restlessly looked around. She really wanted to show how excited she was, but she was too embarrassed. That was the complicated mental state that was being revealed by her facial expression. Honestly, my little sister wasn't a very open person.
As I tried to hold in my laughter, Naruko blushed and glared in my direction.
"Hey, what the hell are you laughing at!?"
"I'm not laughing… eheh."
As I stifled my laugh, I decided to casually change the subject. As I gazed at the costumed people walking around me…
"Anyways, cosplay seems pretty rough, doesn't it…? Today it's cloudy, so it's probably not too bad, but wearing costumes like this in summertime must be tough."
"… Hm, they're alright. They probably have cooling systems set up in their costumes."
At some point, Kuroneko had found her way back to us, and responded to my question in a shocked tone. Now that I think about it, she was also a cosplayer too, right? Indeed, that's probably why she's so knowledgeable about these things.
"People know when they can expect the weather to be really sunny, so people can at least prepare beforehand. This doesn't apply to just the cosplayers, but the photographers as well. Just look… everything moves so efficiently, right? It's so the cosplayers don't get worn down too quickly."
"Hm… I guess this is more complex than I thought. And judging by the way you haven't been sweating at all and seem pretty comfortable, you also prepared some heat countermeasures, didn't you?"
She had been wearing that really hot-looking gothic lolita costume all day.
"…Yes. There's an extremely thin layer of spiritual energy surrounding me that protects my body from the sun's rays and heat."
"… Um, what? Come again?"
"You don't understand, right? Well, please give up. There's no point in asking. Unfortunately, those who do not possess the 'eye' peculiar to we who belong to the night cannot hope to 'see' this thin layer of energy." Kuroneko gazed off into the distance. Seriously, I still had no idea what she was talking about.
"… Here she goes again with the same old chuunibyo nonsense…"
As I stood in bewilderment at Kuroneko's statement, Naruko came over with her eyes thinned in annoyance and joined in on the conversation.
"We already know all too well how much you like Rachel Alucard. So can you please spare us and not mix in anime lines when you talk to people in real life? It's really pathetic and also pretty creepy in a lot of ways."
"Stop grumbling. The likes of a mere human like you…"
I see. I couldn't make head nor tails of what she was saying, so it would make sense to think that she was imitating an anime character. Satisfied with that explanation, I watched as Naruko looked up and down at the gothic lolita's flashy outfit.
"Now that I think about it, today's outfit is also of that Rachel character, right?"
"… Where exactly are you looking? That's completely wrong. I'm not wearing a costume. These are my normal clothes."
T… Those are her… normal clothes…? Sorry… I can't tell the difference at all. Naruko lightly clicked her tongue.
"If those are your normal clothes, you should wear something cooler."
"That's up to me, isn't it?"
"I feel hot just by looking at you. Come on, just take off your outer wear."
The minute she said that, Naruko began to forcibly strip off Kuroneko's clothing.
"W-Wait a second… y-you…"
Kuroneko struggled, but Naruko was surprisingly skilled, and in the blink of an eye Kuroneko was left in a no-sleeve cut and sewn shirt. She was also wearing a flared miniskirt, and long socks. Her outfit was exceedingly prim and tidy.
I looked at the now lightly dressed Kuroneko, and let out a sigh of admiration. Both at Kuroneko's very summer-like outfit, and Naruko's little performance. Briskly putting Kuroneko's clothes into order, Naruko seemed just like a professional makeup artist working on the set of a film. Perhaps this air came from the fact that during her modeling work, Naruko was always close to real makeup artists.
"Alright, much better."
Naruko seemed proud of her work, puffing out her chest. Holding the clothes she had stripped off in one hand, Naruko spoke with a strangely mature air.
"Everyone has their own tastes in clothing, but please pay attention at least to TPO. You wear summer clothes during summer. If you don't do that, even your health will suffer. Understand? Hm?"
"But as I said, I'm fine with this heat…"
"Yeah yeah, I got it I got it. But just stay like that for a little while today. Alright?"
How self-important. Even though, technically, she's the younger one. It's just that, Naruko's words and actions were… well, maybe it's better left unsaid. She seriously isn't a very open person, is she?
"Wow. If you take off all the frills, you really look pretty cute."
"… Please don't give me the type of compliment where there's a hidden 'but I still look better' implied."
Kuroneko quickly turned her back towards us. Like that, she began to walk in the other direction. I guess Naruko wasn't the only one who wasn't open with her feelings.
"What are you doing? There's nothing left to do here, is there? Hurry up and let's go."
"Idiot. Why do you look so embarrassed?"
Naruko made this statement grinningly while facing Kuroneko's back, and then thrust the clothes and paper bag she had in her hands towards me.
"Bro, here. Hold this."
"Hold it yourself!"
"Do you really want me to bring up that incident with four-eyes?"
"D-Don't be absurd."
Behaving like her efficient, obedient butler, I took the clothing and luggage from Naruko.
(◕ω◕✿)
Slipping away from the outdoor exhibition area, we arrived back at the Eastern hall, and went into the building.
"The East 3 and East 4 halls are where the corporate booths are located. Corporate booths are… well, the simplest way to put it is that it is an exhibit space used primarily by gaming companies and publishers, and other companies that deal with subculture."
"Ahh." I gave a standard response to Rias's explanation. But seriously, she's been acting just like a tour guide for some time now.
"There are also a lot of new announcements by companies made at this event… so there are also previews which debut here."
"Hmph." Looking bored, Naruko began to respond.
"New information, you say. Even if you don't come all the way over here to this event though, you have news sites like MOON PHASE that will post these things. So shouldn't you just check for news online?"
Kuroneko snorted, seeming annoyed.
"Hmph, the things you read on the internet are so full of rumors and speculation. Of course, you can still have fun with the falsified information. But, I think there is definite meaning and value in showing up at an event to be able to see and listen to their announcements with your own eyes and ears."
"What the hell. What's with that tedious little speech? Are you trying to sound cool or something?"
"… Considering you're such an imbecile, you probably can't figure it out. These news site worshippers… they should all go drown in the sea of the Internet… earlier too, you were talking about how you read an article on some site about some 'HG training broom' or something and you bought it impulsively even though you had no way of using that. Are you an idiot?"
"I-I can put that in the entranceway, and my mom can use it to clean the garden! Besides, if someone tries to burglarize our house, and someone unsheathes a sword from the broom, he might get freaked out and run away!"
Naruko and Kuroneko again began to argue. Seriously, there was never a quiet moment with these two.
As the completely useless argument began to wind down, I asked Rias a question.
"Corporate exhibits, you said… what are they exactly? There's no reason that companies themselves should be making and selling doujinshi, right?"
"Of course not." My sister interjected with a curt response, but…
"Actually, that kind of thing does happen." Rias contradicted Naruko's statement. With an "Eh?" of bewilderment, Naruko turned around as our Comiket guide, Rias, began her explanation.
"For example, if you're a game company, you might make a fanbook or an illustration collection for your game, or distribute a novel based on your game. We could call these things 'official doujinshi.'"
"Oh? And what other types of things do they do at these booths?"
"They sell character goods, or stream new game PVs, or display a huge robot model… there are a lot of things they do. At publisher booths, sometimes you can even bring them your own work for them to take a look at… of course this time, there's also that strange 'Manga and Doujinshi of the World' exhibit."
"Submitting your own work, huh…? They even do things like that? Hmm…"
As I stood there wide-mouthed in surprise, Naruko nodded next to me.
Well, of course, considering this doujinshi sales convention was a place where people very knowledgeable about manga gathered, it makes sense that there would also be scouts here. As these thoughts ran through my head, I heard Kuroneko absent-mindedly mumble.
"When such a colorless guy talks like that, it's almost as if I'm watching some Comiket informational video."
"Hey, that's a good way of putting it."
Naruko widened her eyes in admiration. Oh, shut up, damnit.
"I was just stating the truth. Stop it already with the boring question-and-answer session. You're here already, so just figure these things out as we go."
"Definitely. Can't you stop walking so slowly? I want to go to the Alice+ booth."
Hey you two, why is it that even though normally, all you do is argue with each other, whenever you start badmouthing me you fall into harmony with each other? And honestly, aren't I walking this slowly because I'm holding all your things? And why do you look so happy when you're bashing me like this?
… Dammit. Rias had also frequently said that these two are pretty compatible with each other… unexpectedly, that may really have been true. But if you ask me, all I can say is that this marked the birth of a terrible duo. As all this was going on, we arrived at the corporate booths.
It was a completely different atmosphere than that of the doujinshi sales floor. The space was also quite enormous, but it didn't feel as unrefined or disorganized, and you could say it was even a bit prim and proper. Here and there I saw a number of female cosplayers, flashing their graceful smiles. When I saw that they were all beautiful women, I knew that they were probably professionals.
Something else that caught my eye were the paper bags that people were carrying with them, on which were printed large illustrations of pretty girls.
"Those paper bags are based on a popular work that was turned into an anime."
Perhaps noticing where I was looking, Rias gave me a well-timed explanation. Afterwards, we found ourselves heading towards the Alice+ booth, which Naruko had been anxiously wanting to go to for a while.
Alice+ was the same company that made the eroge I had been playing recently, "Little Sister Wars – Siscalypse." Naturally, at their booth they would be holding Siscali related events and selling Siscali related goods. So of course, Naruko wanted to go to their booth. And because she had forced me to play the game to completion, I would be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit interested in taking a look at the booth.
"Ah, look, it's over there! Let's go, hurry! I want to get the limited edition summer Comiket disk!"
Excited, Naruko began to move quickly towards the booth. With a bitter smile, I shrugged my shoulders and turned towards Rias.
"Limited edition disk?"
"It's a data disk you can't get anywhere except at this event. If you install it, you get extra costumes, things you can dress your Siscali characters with. Well, it's not like it raises your character's defense stat or anything… you could call it a souvenir, or a collector's item… something like that."
"Hm. So that's why she's running over so quickly to buy it."
I was satisfied with her explanation, but for some reason Rias stuck out her lower lip and her expression clouded over.
"Yeah. But… probably…"
"Hm?" I tried to ask for Rias to explain, but it turned out there wasn't a need to.
"What!? Sold out!?"
Because I could hear Naruko's loud exclamation after she had gone to buy the disk. It wouldn't be a good idea to just leave my super short-tempered sister over there, so we quickly hurried over to the Alice+ booth. Naruko let out an astonished sigh.
"… It's a popular product that comes from a popular company, so it's not surprising that they're sold out by this time…"
"Wait a second… but it's only a bit after noon."
"It sold out that quickly…? Wow." Suddenly, I began to understand the feelings of the people rushing into the building at opening hours.
"Mmm. If you want to buy something like that, right after coming in you have to head straight for the booth and stand in line…"
Rias, who had planned out schedule to be much more leisurely than that, looked slightly depressed over this, so I told her "Don't worry about it." She had already been such a great help, there was no reason to place blame on her for something like this.
With a gloomy air, Naruko had her shoulders dropped. Facing her from behind, I slowly approached. While she was probably glaring at the surrounding staff, I placed my palm on top of her head.
"That's too bad. Oh well, there's nothing we could have done about it."
"Shut up. Don't touch me. Everything's your fault." She quickly brushed my hand away.
"Hey, why the hell is this my fault?!" Even though you looked so happy up until a few seconds ago, you really can fall into a bad mood in an instant, can't you? Geez, there really isn't anything we could have done about this.
As I scratched my head, a staff member timidly spoke up. "Umm… the limited edition disk… the portion for sale is gone, but you can still get one as a prize from one of our events… so if you would like, please try participating in one of those."
"E-Event?!" When Naruko asked with an immense amount of expectation, the staff member shrunk back a little, but still began to explain.
"It's the debut of the arcade version of 'Little Sister Wars – Siscalypse,' which will be available to the public this fall. We will gift a copy of the limited edition disk to the first person who can perform the feat of defeating one of the staff at the game."
The staff member pointed to the side.
"To participate, please stand in line here! But be warned that the staff members participating are masters at the arcade version of the game. Winning will not be that easy!"
There was only one winner… the fact that they had only prepared one prize made it pretty clear that they weren't bluffing when they said it wouldn't be that easy to win. But without even listening to Naruko's response, I already knew what she was going to say.
"Hmm, interesting. Let's give it a go then."
Yeah, that's what I thought… ah, she's so competitive. Well, she can do what she wants. At any rate, it's not like she would listen to me if I tried to stop her.
(◕ω◕✿)
Going around to the side of the Alice+ shop, we saw a small stage constructed for the purposes of the event. There was a set of arcade machines, and one computer unit that people could get experience with, along with a few large display screens that showed the gameplay. Naruko and Rias stood in line, while Kuroneko and I stood off to the side with the spectators. I tried sending a light question Kuroneko's way.
"You're not participating?"
"…"
Kuroneko completely ignored my words. She stood there, stock still, while looking up at the screen expressionlessly.
… What an unsociable person. Being alone with her is so awkward…
Not being able to do anything else, I imitated my neighbor and looked up at the screen. Until Naruko's turn came up, I watched the other participants' battles with the staff members. And… as I watched, I gradually came to understand the differences between the arcade and PC versions of the game.
In the arcade version of Siscali, unlike the PC version, you did not create a custom character and use her to fight. Like a normal fighting game, you had to select your character from a number of premade characters. And then, you can further choose your character's weapons, special moves, and costumes.
In short, they got rid of the training part of the game, and just simply left the fighting part. I really wished they had added a mode like that in the PC version too… but that's probably an unreasonable demand. As I tried to listen closely to the noisy chatter around me, I heard the following conversation.
"Geez, in three days, that guy's won fifty straight times… the staff seriously isn't going easy on the players… the line of challengers is also thinning out."
"By the way, that staff member is a high ranking player for the PC version, isn't he? Going in blind against a player like that, who's using a new character… how can you win? And without even having gotten used to the new strategies…"
No, the character the staff was using… that wasn't a new character. It was one of the mid-bosses from the PC version, wasn't it? The costume was a bit different, but I definitely recognized that character's special moves.
"…"
How the hell did it get to be that I could correct people who were talking about eroge? Not good. This was seriously bad… and just because the arcade version wasn't 18+, that didn't make me feel any better.
I began to sweat profusely, and it wasn't from any kind of excitement. Kuroneko, in normal Kuroneko fashion, continued to stare at the screen without moving an inch. The staff member continued to rack up consecutive victories… and then, it was number 77's turn. Naruko's number had come up.
The character Naruko selected was a lightning user that had also been available in the PC version. The character was adept at both long-range and close-range attacks, and was very easy to use. It was a character that beginners often used, according to the wiki.
At the costume select screen, she chose the fairy outfit (it was an outfit that stressed speed, it seemed), and Naruko arrived at the battle style selection screen.
A large number of weapons and special abilities groupings were shown, and the players had to choose one at their discretion. For example, in terms of special skills… You can completely deplete your energy gauge and bombard the enemy with the "Super Railgun" attack. You could also shake the joystick and charge your energy, and depending on the charge time you can perform close-range attacks that multiply your power like "God's Rumbling Fist."
Having finished selecting her character, Naruko swung one arm around and her entire body seemed filled to the brim with fighting spirit. It was pretty clear that she fully intended to win. Even she should understand that her opponent was the formidable enemy (although the character looked like a childish brat) who had defeated 76 challengers in a row. Her attitude was seriously something else. If you try, you should try to win. That was my little sister's stance.
When it came to competition, playing to win was an extremely fundamental element of mental preparation, but when you try to put this rule into action, you would find that there is nothing more difficult in the world. Pros and beginners were separated not only by skill level, but also by this level of determination, were they not? Lately, as I watched the way Naruko presented herself, these things came to mind.
"Ah!?" She was beaten in a second.
Hey. Even though I had led you in with such a glowing introduction as if you were going to pull out a come-from-behind victory… there wasn't even enough time to give commentary on the battle. The time it took for her to select her character was much longer than the actual battle.
"… Tch. What the hell is with this bullshit game? It's not like you can expect me to win at this. That was screwed up."
Sulking, my sister's excuse seemed like something a delinquent who had just gotten beaten down at an arcade would say. Sadly hanging her head and walking slowly, my sister's form truly inspired sympathy.
"I mean… you're not that great at Siscali in the first place. There was no way you were going to beat someone like that."
"Saying things like that is what makes you so boring. That's something only a loser would say."
"What's with that arrogant attitude, even though you had just lost!?"
"Shut up!"
I understood what she was trying to say, but she was clearly just lashing out in anger. And come on, the one who's making excuses is the loser, right!? As I put up with my sister's abuse, Rias also lost and came back. Bopping herself on the back of her head with one hand, she timidly looked downwards.
"Ahh, I'm really sorry. I made it pretty far, but…"
"Ah, don't worry about it. There's no helping it. You can't win against that."
If Rias couldn't win, and Rias was much much better at the game than Naruko was, then there really was no helping it. There was nothing we could do but give up on getting Naruko the limited edition disk she wanted.
"Hey Naruko. Don't worry, cheer up. You can go buy any of the other goods that you like."
I tried to speak as kindly as possible. Naruko grumbled about being treated like a child, but it seemed she was satisfied with my statement.
"Hmph. I couldn't win, huh…? Haah… Big Bro, go buy that then. The life-size Siscali cutout over there, the one of sorceress Reika."
Naruko was pointing at a life-size cutout of sorceress Reika, a little sister that appeared as a mid-boss in the game but was a useable character in the arcade version of the game. She had blonde hair, was clothed in black, and looked like a magic-user, sprouting a devil's tail. Underneath her mantle, she was wearing nothing at all. From her mantle, several tentacles sprouted to make an attack, so she was often called the "tentacle sister."
"… I don't think that's for sale, Naruko."
And even if they were selling that, there was no mistaking that I would be the one holding it. And with that pose with her mantle fluttering… can I really walk around with that? Does she want to kill me or something? For argument's sake, if I had to carry that around, then it would be fine if we stayed in this area. After all, everyone around here is carrying ero goods. But it would be impossible to do the same in my hometown. I would absolutely be against doing that. If I met someone I knew in the middle of going home like that, what would happen? For example, if I met Chiaki…
"… W-What the hell is this!? Naruto you stupid pervert, DIE!"
I'm sure she going to kick my ass if she see me having such indecent thing like this.
"By the way, Naruto-chi, where did Kuroneko-chi go off to?"
"Hm? She should be right next to… ah, she's not here."
At some point, she had gone off somewhere. She didn't have a large presence, so I didn't even notice. Searching for any sign of the Gothic Lolita girl, we looked around. Suddenly, I heard a cheer.
It appeared that someone had defeated the staff member who had racked up so many consecutive victories. All the eyes in the area, mine included, turned towards the victor standing at the arcade machine. Somehow, the person sitting there was precisely the person we were currently looking for.
"H-Huh? W-what is she doing over there…?"
Naruko widened her mouth in bewilderment, and her voice was in complete disarray. With pretty much the same expression, I looked up at the display which was replaying the match.
On that screen, the previously mentioned new character "sorceress Reika" was shown being used by both players in a high speed battle. It was a match between two of the same characters.
Sorceress Reika was more or less one-sidedly destroying the other Reika. How should I put it… that is… I had also cleared the game once, so I understood this all a bit, but that Reika who was one-sidedly beating up on the other one… her movements were just something else. With seemingly impossible reaction times, she completely countered each and every one of her opponent's attacks. And then…
Whooooooooooooooaaaa! A cheer even louder than the one I heard before erupted.
As shown on the replay screen, the Reika Kuroneko was using had won in a perfect match against her opponent in less than thirty seconds. Afterwards, the losing staff member, with great respect, began to applaud for Kuroneko.
"How cruel, Kuroneko-chi! I never knew you were so amazing at that game!"
Returning in silence, Kuroneko was hugged by a pleasantly surprised Rias.
"… Mrgh… W-Wait… Y-Your breast… I-I cant breath… p-please stop."
"What are you saying, you… you… ahaha!"
Kuroneko looked seriously annoyed, but for some reason, Rias might have interpreted her annoyance as embarrassment or something, and intensified the pressure of her hands. This continued for a short while… finally, Rias released Kuroneko, and Kuroneko muttered, seeming completely exhausted.
"… Y-You're human, yet you don't seem to understand human speech at all… go get cursed, please…"
I could only wholeheartedly agree that oftentimes, Rias didn't seem to understand Japanese.
Rias didn't seem to mind that Kuroneko had just told her to go get cursed, and just continued to clap Kuroneko on the back excitedly.
"Ahaaah, but seriously, you're so amazing! What was with that unreasonably fast reaction speed!? It was like fighting a Level 8 Goenitz, Kuroneko-chi!"
Who the hell is Goenitz? Use comparisons I can understand, damnit. Why is it that otaku always assume that other people understand all the references they're making? There aren't many people who would respond to these things as calmly and kindly as I would, you know. Well, certainly, for people who know what she's talking about, it's probably a pretty easy analogy to understand.
"In any case, how exactly do you know how to use the special attacks of a new character? The normal skills are one thing, but there's no reason you should be able to so easily bring out the super special skills."
Naruko seemed flustered. It also sounded like there was some implicit accusation in her question… she probably couldn't swallow the fact that Kuroneko, the girl she always argued with, had won against the opponent she couldn't win against. This was what people called "narrow-mindedness." Well, anyways, I was honestly a bit curious to as to how Kuroneko knew how to use the special skills for the new characters (that is, characters that became useable just now).
Kuroneko responded expressionlessly.
"… When they were inputting their commands, the characters lean one way or the other, right? From how the characters lean, from how the player's hand is moving, from the sounds of the buttons being pushed and the timing, I can make out how to command the character."
Wait, what? Just by watching how the staff member was moving, she could see all of that? Even how to use the character's special moves, in such a short time? What kind of crazy power of observation was that…? Was she a freak of nature? "What kind of crazy power of observation is that…? Are you a freak of nature?"
"Crap! Why did I say that out loud!?"
All eyes were on me. Even though I had tried so very, very hard to keep my comment from slipping out through my lips, I couldn't keep my mouth shut. Dammit, why did I have to go and light a powder keg!? Kuroneko was already the center of attention right now, so if an argument started it would be way too conspicuous.
A bit slow on the uptake, Naruko tried to smooth things over.
"… He means freak of nature as a compliment."
"That's not helping!"
Argh, it's too late. This is definitely going to get ugly… I covered my head with my hands, and wearily prepared myself… but after waiting for a while, the counterattack I was expecting form Kuroneko never came. Puzzled, I raised my head, and saw Kuroneko staring fixedly at Naruko. I have no idea what she was thinking. As usual, she had no expression whatsoever on her face.
"W-What…? D-Do you have a problem or something?"
"…"
Seemingly engulfed in the tense atmosphere, Naruko responded with an inflammatory remark, but quite expectedly Kuroneko didn't even budge. She continued to just stare at Naruko with her red eyes.
At long last… without lowering her gaze, she began to pace. Next, she firmly grasped her own arm. Light creases wrinkled her brow, and it seemed like she was very troubled by something.
Standing there, it seemed that Naruko couldn't stay silent anymore, and threw some more dangerous words Kuroneko's way.
"Hey… stop with the silence. Say something."
And then… facing Naruko, Kuroneko held something out to her. It was the limited edition disk she had just received as a price.
"… I'll give this to you."
"Huh?"
My sister's face at this point was truly a sight to behold. Opening her eyes incredibly widely, her jaw dropped to the floor, and it seemed she was severely confused as to what had just happened.
"Eh? Ehh? What? What do you mean?"
"… What? Do you not want it? Or do you just not understand human speech?" Kuroneko spoke in a moody way, just like she would when she was arguing with Naruko.
Probably… probably, Kuroneko had won the limited edition disk for Naruko's sake. Of course, I wasn't confident in that assertion at all, considering this girl was so socially awkward that I could not even begin to guess what she was thinking. Her speech and actions, her expression, and her attitude were all utterly disconnected. She was absurdly difficult to understand. And Naruko… why is it that when I was holding that box of yours, you were so quick to understand your own motives and try to snatch it away from me, but you're so slow here to respond to your friend's goodwill?
The problem in communication here was not completely the fault of either one of them; both of them were somewhat to blame.
"Um… if you want, would you like to have this?"
"Hm? Can I? Thank you."
Why couldn't they just do something as simple and straightforward as that? In reality…
"… Hmph. If you don't need it just throw it away for me."
"I-I never said I didn't want it!"
"So, why don't you just stop messing around and take it? Heh… could it be that you're too arrogant to do even that? If that's the case, that's pretty pitiful. What a worthless person."
"What the hell is up with those irritating remarks…? Why the hell do you have to go that far!?"
Well, there you go… in the end, they started arguing again. I couldn't stand to watch anymore, and averted my eyes. And my line of sight settled onto Rias, who was holding her stomach and trying not to laugh.
Wiping tears from her eyes with a handkerchief, Rias turned and faced me.
"… Fufu. Well well, well. I apologize, Naruto-chi. Ahh, how interesting. It might be a bit difficult to understand, but they're bonding in their own style right now."
"I know." Naruko had wanted to make good summer memories. That's what I had told them. First to Rias, and then… to Kuroneko as well. And that's why I'm sure that this Gothic Lolita girl had, even though she knew she was acting out of character, done something for Naruko. I knew that.
"Tch! If you put it like that, I'll take it off your hands then. Be grateful!" Naruko's words were filled with fury.
Mixed with a sigh, I translated for Rias while pointing at my sister. "'Thanks! I'm reaaaally happy !' is what she's saying."
"Bwuhahaha! You're definitely right! As expected from her brother you understand her all too well!"
"Hey! What the hell are you saying?!"
Faced with my sharp-eared little sister's remark, I shrugged my shoulders and played dumb.
Rias exploded in laughter, and for a long time her mirth rang through the room.
(◕ω◕✿)
After we had seen Summer Comiket from one end to the other, we headed towards Kokusaitenjijo Station. Raindrops had already started pitter pattering down, so by the time we got to the station it might start seriously raining. When we reach the other side, I wonder if we should hail a taxi… neither I nor Naruko had the courage to walk home carrying these two heavy, dangerous paper bags with us.
"Hey Naruko. By the way, I noticed you bought quite a lot from the corporate booths…"
"… What, you got a problem with that?"
Naruko's ears twitched. It was unavoidable that she would likely want to show off her purchases. Of course, I didn't really want to see her stuff at all, but it was at least better than getting into an argument, so I told her what she wanted to hear.
"I was just wondering what you bought."
"… Hmph, well I guess I can show you then."
Naruko responded in an outrageously arrogant way, and with a "tadaa~~!" showed off a piece of cloth wrapped in vinyl.
"Fufu, isn't it amazing?"
"… Umm… what is it exactly?"
"It's Homura Akemi Summer Comiket limited edition hug pillow cover. On the front you have Homu-chan in her glasses moe appearence, and on the back there's Homu-chan in her usual cold appearence. Cute, isn't it?"
She was really happy. I had never seen my sister smiling in such an entranced way before. But, seriously… to think that I would hear the words "hug pillow cover" again here… I had seen the word when I was shopping online, had dealt with the word when I gave Karin her present… it seems like lately, there's been a strange connection of fate between me and this word…
I had an idea that you would use such a thing while you were in bed… but if that's the case, exactly what would you do with it? I mean, no matter how much you love Homura, it's not like you would want to sleep with her, right…?
"How exactly are you going to use that? To decorate your room or something?"
"Eh? It's a hug pillow, so obviously I would sleep while hugging it. Well, sometimes I'll rub my face into it and smell it as well…"
"…!"
I shouldn't have asked! And she's looking at me, puzzled, as if that was the most natural answer in the world!
Don't make such an explosive announcement so casually! I was gripped with an overwhelming sense of fear, and barely managed to get my next words out.
"…W-Well… I mean… wouldn't it just smell like polyester?"
"Huh? It smells like a girl."
… That's your own smell! Or, to be exact, that's the smell of the brand of shampoo you use! …what the hell is up with this!? This… this little sister of mine! She calls me a hentai over and over, but isn't she the one who's much more of a hentai!? But I already knew that, you know? From the beginning, I already knew that! Like that…
In the midst of tears and chaos, the curtain dropped on our first experience with Summer Comiket. From the start, my goal in planning this trip and coming to the Big Sight convention center was to allow Naruko to make some fond summer memories, but personally, I didn't have fun at all. It was just as Rias and Kuroneko said. To the end, this event was a place where otaku gathered and actively had fun. Normal people like me were not welcome.
I had to wait hours upon hours before even getting in, the crowd was terrible, and it was absurdly humid. My sister was constantly flowing with complaints, I was forced by that maid to buy an hentai book, I had to carry a huge amount of luggage… it was terrible. Other than that Frieza, there was nothing I was really pleased to see. But well… even though the event didn't agree with me, Naruko seemed to have an increeeedible amount of fun.
She had been all complaints at the beginning… but she was able to meet with authors she liked, and was able to buy a lot of doujinshi. She bought a lot, played games, saw cosplay. And because of that, was able to deepen the bonds between her and some of her friends. That… should become… a good memory, right? I'm not her, though, so I can't say for sure.
"… Geez… my feet really hurt…"
Ahhh I'm beat. When I get home, I'm going to take a bath and then promptly fall asleep. Yeah, and I'm never coming back to this event again. But, I'll have to properly thank those two who helped in making fond memories for Naruko.
Slackening my walking speed, I casually left Naruko's side. Behind us, Kuroneko and Rias were talking with each other. I soon was walking beside them, and first spoke up to Rias.
"Rias-san. Thanks for today… you were an immense help. Seriously."
"Hahaha, no need to thank me. You did the same thing this morning, didn't you? Fufu, honestly, you're so polite, Naruto-chi. You're just a bit too conscientious, don't you think?"
"… No, I don't think so."
"Well, shall I pick different words and say you're a siscon instead?"
"I'm not! You're just dodging the issue again. Can't you just simply accept my thanks?"
… It couldn't be that this huge thing was embarrassed every time I praised her or thanked her, right? Kuroneko was hard to read since she never showed emotion, but Rias was always smiling, so it was difficult to figure out the subtleties of her mood as well. Her speech and costume were all linked to this character she had created… so I had a feeling that what I saw in front of me was not the real Rias. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that she was a good person.
"Ah, I apologize. But, honestly, I'm the one who should be thanking you. I was able to have a lot of fun today. Letting me meddle in your lives and deriving pleasure from that… that gives me pleasure as well. Out of all people, you should understand what I mean, Naruto-chi."
"… As if I would know."
Dammit, talking as if she could see right through me. She's really hard to deal with, this one.
Kuroneko suddenly approached me from Rias's side.
"… Could you please give me back my clothes?"
"Hm? Oh." I passed back the clothes I had been holding onto for a long time, and Kuroneko lightly put the clothes on.
"Oh, also… thank you too. From Naruko, also…"
"For what? I don't happen to recall doing anything for you that would require gratitude. Please stop. Being thanked for something I didn't do is the epitome of unpleasantness."
… In contrast, this one was easy to understand. She was of the same ilk as Naruko, after all.
As Kuroneko swiftly distanced herself from me, I nimbly tried to lead her into the next topic.
"Hey, come over to our house sometimes. After all, we don't live far from each other."
"… I'll think about it."
Just by that response, I somehow felt that I understood how she felt about Naruko.
(◕ω◕✿)
It seemed that everything had gone splendidly. There were plenty of bumps on the way, but I felt that Naruko's desire to make good summer memories had been successfully fulfilled. But there was always the dread that things wouldn't continue to go as planned. Naruko and I remembered all too well the last time something like this had happened. A pitfall could suddenly appear out of nowhere in front of us. I didn't think it was possible that such a thing could happen again.
We were on the way back from the Big Sight convention center. Descending down a wide set of stairs, we went through the main street towards the station. The sky was getting more and more cloudy, and was filled with grey. It was an atmosphere quite unbefitting of such a trip's conclusion. And then… just as we were about to reach the station, I heard a familiar voice.
"Naruko? Is that you?"
"!?"
In front of me, Naruko suddenly stiffened, and faced the direction the voice came from. I also moved my gaze that way.
Somehow, the person who was standing there was none other than Naruko's classmate and friend, Ayase Aragaki. She was wearing a snug black tanktop, a short-sleeve white jacket, sunglasses, a silver accessory… etc. etc. I was familiar with her figure already, but her outfit exposed her belly button, which startled me as I looked at her. But perhaps it was just the atmosphere she exuded, but I didn't feel even a shred of indecency in her outfit.
She stood on the shoulder of the road, with her hands still holding onto the door handle of a station wagon with tinted back windows. It seemed like she had just gotten out of the car.
"Ahah, it really is you! Haha, ohh, what's up?"
"… A-Ayase… !?" Completely stiff and shocked, Naruko mumbled. Naturally, she was still holding in both hands the paper bags filled with doujinshi and other goods. For Ayase, she was simply just surprised at this chance meeting. It seemed that being able to meet with a close friend in an unexpected place genuinely made her happy.
"Oh, I'm so happy! I can't believe it! Even though we didn't plan it, to be able to meet like this… that's amazing! It's like invisible strings bind us together or something, don't you think? Ahh, haha, that made it sound like I'm you're stalker or something! Even though I'm not."
She really seemed excited about this. Under normal circumstances, Naruko probably would have joined her in the festivities, but of course these circumstances were far from normal.
"… Y-Yeah… pretty amazing! What a coincidence…!" In front of her close friend who had suddenly appeared, Naruko's face seemed to cramp.
"This screwed up coincidence… this isn't good…! This has to be my imagination…! A dream… a mistake…!" is what she seemed like she wanted to say.
"Hey, what's wrong, Naruko? That's quite a strange expression! Come on, you're meeting here with a good friend, you should be happier! Ah, right right, why exactly are you here anyways? I heard that right after Obon, track would get so busy that you would have to stop working too. Maybe you're shopping… no that's not it. So, what are you doing then?"
It seemed that when Ayase got worked up about something, she tended to go on and on without letting anyone get a word in edgewise. My mother was the same way, and every time she did that I would get irritated, but for some reason when this girl did it she seemed cute instead. Something was different. Or maybe, everything was.
"… U-Umm… T-That is…."
Faced with her friend who was bubbling with joy, Naruko clearly seemed at a loss for words.
Now that I think about it, this situation felt similar to that offline meeting when Naruko was excluded from the group. No matter how almighty she might be, Naruko seemed to be unexpectedly bad at dealing with situations like this… but man… this really was noooooot good…
Well, seriously though. If I were in her position, this would be like meeting Karin on the way back from Comiket in front of Kokusaitenjijo Station… haha.
Well, to be honest, though… right now, faced with this situation that my sister was freaking out about, even though I was completely shocked, I also found it slightly hilarious. I mean, come on. Meeting a friend here with this timing… is pretty insane, right? As I thought, her behavior was just too unacceptable in the past. Karma is a bitch, you could say.
… What are you doing to do, Naruko? How are you going to squeeze your way out of this predicament? Eagerly to see how she would skillfully handle the situation, I watched intently, when…
" …!"
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but Naruko looked towards me desperately for help. "Do something!" she seemed to be saying.
… Me? Even if you ask me to do something… also, is this really a time to be turning to me for help!? I mean, aren't you the one who believes that Ayase thinks I'm a hentai of a brother who pushed down his little sister!?
Argh, damnit! Geez… I guess I have no choice… reluctantly, I faced Ayase and walked towards her, giving her a "yo" in greeting. Of course, I was still holding onto those dangerous paper bags in both hands.
Having been completely focused on Naruko up until now, Ayase seemed to have finally noticed my presence. Her eyes widened and she blinked in surprise.
"Wah, if it isn't Naruto-kun! It's certainly been a while! Hm!? Hmmm!? … Could it be, could it be… you two are on a date right now!?"
Why did she jump suddenly to that conclusion…? Could it be that she still hasn't been able to get over that accident that happened before?
I really wanted to scream "Hell no!" at the top of my lungs, but if I did that the conversation would just get more jumbled, so I steeled myself and went the safe route.
"… Well… something like that."
"Wha-!? What the hell are you saying!?"
Blushing, Naruko raised a protest (she probably was also surprised that I seemed to be strangely friendly with Ayase), but I quickly regained control the conversation and talked to Ayase in Naruko's place.
"You too. What are you doing around here?"
"Ah, I was doing some model work."
Ah, that's why you're wearing such a revealing outfit. I'll definitely buy that magazine when it comes out.
"I was working right over there, but we had to suspend the shoot because of the rain… I was talking with my managers and taking a break in the car."
After saying that, Ayase looked up at the sky. It was as cloudy as ever, and the rain was pitter-pattering down.
I see, it was probably difficult to take photos outside in this weather.
"Ahh… I see…"
Well, it's good that I was able to steer the conversation somewhere else for a bit, but where do I go from here? Ayase probably didn't know anything about otaku… so she shouldn't know anything about Comiket, or that there was an otaku festival going on at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center today. So let's just wrap this up quickly and without incident, and go our separate ways. That would definitely suffice.
But, I mean… wouldn't it be alright just to tell this girl the truth? Of course, it would still be best to just be able to get out of this situation skillfully without exposing Naruko's secret. They're close friends, so if she really did find out that Naruko was an otaku, would she really be that disgusted and go spreading rumors about it? She wouldn't, right?
At the very least, if I came out to Karin that I was an otaku, nothing would change about our relationship with each other… in fact, she wouldn't care what types of hobbies I had and would still continue to keep me company like she's been doing up until now. And I couldn't ask for anything more. But, I couldn't say that my relationship with Karin was the same as Naruko's relationship with Ayase. But, the only person Naruko, with all her attitude, could sincerely and proudly identify as a close friend was Ayase. And I've also met with her before, if only just for a bit, and I've been able to talk to her and get a decent reading of her disposition. She was absurdly softhearted, a bit quick to jump to conclusions, kind, and sincere…
So I mean… no matter how she manages to trip up, in the end they'll just end up laughing about this, right? But most of all, just like I had almost wanted to cry when I imagined what it would be like to be exposed like this to Karin, for Naruko, this was a life or death situation.
Well, let's see if we can't lie our way out of this safely.
"Umm, Aragaki…"
"You can call me Ayase."
"Ah, well, Ayase… sorry, but we're a bit busy right now…"
Looking very apologetic, when I signaled our intention to leave… perhaps Ayase had misunderstood something, but with a worried expression she closely examined Naruko's face.
"… Hey, Naruko, are you not feeling well? You haven't really talked at all this entire conversation… you don't look good…"
Well, that's just because you've sort of driven her into a corner and she's about to blow her fuse. She's really relatively bad at dealing with adversity, this one.
"Y-Yeah, that's right… I'm not feeling that well… so… sorry, we have to go."
What a liar… a child could lie better than she could…
Naruko spoke in that weird tone of voice she used with her school friends and put on a forced smile, but that excuse seemed to backfire with Ayase.
"If you want… you can ride in the car with me. Should I take those heavy looking bags for you?"
"T-Thanks…! E-hehe! But really, I'm fine!"
Naruko wildly refused Ayase's offer. Each time she fervently waved both hands back and forth, the dangerous paper bags waved in the air.
… H-Hey, Naruko… those bags look really filled to the brim… if the bottoms of the bag rip and everything falls out, no matter how you spin it this situation is going to turn serious, you know…?
Completely ignoring my concerns, Naruko continued to deny Ayase's persistent invitations. At last, the good-natured Ayase seemed to admit defeat.
"I see, alright, Naruko… I shouldn't interfere with your date with Naruto-kun."
"Y-Yeah…"
Naruko nodded, an amazingly complicated expression showing on her face. "Ugh… I guess I have no choice but to say that now…" she seemed to be screaming while she tried to justify her words. Was it really that bad? Although, it's not like I wanted her to say something like that…
"By the way, Naruko… there's been something on my mind since I saw you…"
"W-What is it now!?"
Naruko seemed to be halfway to tears as she yelled. Ayase stretched her neck, and tried to peak behind Naruko.
"… Crap."
The same word issued forth from both my mouth and Naruko's mouth as we turned around. Because right there stood the two people who had been left in the dark up until now, Rias and Kuroneko.
Dammit, I had completely forgotten about those two…! I'm sure Naruko felt the same way. Ayase seemed to be somewhat drawn to those two otaku behind us, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Umm… those two… are they your acquaintances…?"
"Eh, a-ahh… ummm…!?"
Naruko seemed even more at a loss. I understood how she felt all too well. I mean, take Rias who was dressed in that gross otaku fashion, or the Gothic Lolita Kuroneko. The more you looked at them, the stranger and more suspicious they seemed. And when I inevitably compared them to Ayase, they really stood out way too much.
"U-Umm, umm, ummm….." As Naruko looked over her shoulder at her otaku friends, cold sweat flowed down her face.
"Crap! I'm going to get exposed because of those two!" That's probably what she was thinking. Her distress was completely visible on her face.
Rias seemed to be unusually stiff, a forced smile on her face. Being as perceptive as she was, she probably was thinking carefully about whether or not she should introduce herself as Naruko's friend. And Kuroneko was the only one here that maintained no expression on her face. With eyes that betrayed none of her thoughts, she watched as the events unfolded before her… and before long…
"… You must be mistaken… shall we go? If we don't hurry back, we won't make it in time to catch the anime at 5:30. And I do want to see today's episode."
Quickly turning around and heading towards the station in a route that went far around us, Kuroneko walked away. Next, standing between us and Kuroneko and looking back and forth a number of times, Rias in the end also followed after Kuroneko.
"…"
Lately, one thing I've come to understand about Kuroneko is that what she does on the surface is almost completely independent of her actual inner motivations. So here, it may well have been that she wanted to go watch the anime, or it may have done that for our sake… I'm not sure which was the case. But…
Sorry about that… thank you. I muttered these words under my breath, inaudibly. Naruko also looked uncomfortable, and silently watched as the two of them left.
With Rias and Kuroneko having somewhat unexpectedly withdrawn from that place, only Naruko, Ayase, and I were left.
"… W-What was up with that...? Those two… those were some really strange outfits… weren't they?" Ayase mumbled a bit timidly while making sure that the two otaku had left the area.
Well, I guess for her, the outfits those two were wearing would be quite a shock… but honestly, despite their appearances, they were both honestly good people, you know…? I tried very hard to prevent myself from saying this out loud.
"B-But, yeah! I definitely don't know gross people like that!"
Hey Naruko… in the unlikely case that you're actually saying that sincerely, I would definitely smack you. I don't think that's the case though.
"A-Ahh…" Ayase looked around her, looking uncomfortable.
Of course, all around us there were otaku who were headed towards the station on their way back from Comiket. There were also ones who were holding the same paper bags as we were, so I was really nervous… I really hope she doesn't notice…
"Hey Naruko… for a while now I've been seeing a lot of strangely dressed people… and buses with anime art drawn on them… is there something going on around here today?"
"I-I don't know! M-Maybe it's because Comiket is today?"
What the hell!? I-Is she an idiot!? No matter how flustered you are, isn't it clear that to someone like Ayase with no knowledge of otaku culture, those words don't make any sense!? If you say something like that…
"Comiket… what's that?"
See, now look what you've done! What are you going to do now!?
"C-Comiket… it's that event that's going on over there, right? I really don't know though… they sell d-doujinshi, and stuff."
"… Doujinshi… what's that?"
"Eeehhh…"
Arrrrghhhhh! This isn't good at all! You're digging your own grave here, Naruko… even though those two had so thoughtfully left the area for us… what exactly are you trying to doing here? I looked up at the sky in disbelief. Giving out so many hints like that would give Ayase plenty of reasons to get suspicious.
Ayase put on a mildly distrusting gaze, and began to pry further.
"… Naruko? Umm… are you hiding something?"
"N-No, I'm really not…?"
Naruko denied her accusation with a terribly weird tone of voice. But Ayase's gaze had already turned to the paper bags that Naruko was carrying, and seemed to be reading the words that were printed… on them… next… Ayase began to alternate her gaze between the flustered Naruko and the paper bags.
Well, this is it, isn't it? The countdown to Naruko's otaku exposure has begun… having realized the situation, I then…
"We really are very busy! Sorry, we'll see you later!"
Forcibly pulling Naruko by the hand, I tried to get away from that place. The situation had already gotten this bad, so I couldn't think of any other way to resolve it other than getting away from here and just persist in playing dumb from here on out.
"L-Let's go, Naruko."
"Eh, ahh, yeah… see you, Ayase…"
Even though she was still completely bewildered, Naruko obediently took my hand and allowed herself to be dragged away. I really hate to say it, but if you looked at us at just that second, we really may have looked like a good couple. But…
"Wait!" Ayase's thunderous voice boomed out behind me.
I was completely prepared to run away, but I was forced to a stop. The atmosphere became incredibly charged. To think such a thing could come out of a docile-looking creature like this…
When I turned around, I saw that Ayase had grasped Naruko's wrist tightly, as if trying to tell her that she wouldn't be allowed to run away.
"A-Ayase…?"
"Naruko, why are you running away?"
"Umm… uhh… I'm not running a—"
" — Liar."
And that's that. Ayase crushed Naruko's denial in an instant.
"You're lying… lying lying lying lying lying… don't lie to me… you were running away, weren't you? You were running away, right? Running away? Why are you lying to me?"
… Huh? W-What was up with this strange forcefulness all of a sudden…?
Still gripping Naruko's wrist tightly, Ayase continued to accuse Naruko of lying to her and trying to run away. In the face of this eerily threatening atmosphere, Naruko and I were both completely taken aback. And since the words were directly intended for her, Naruko seemed especially shocked.
With my hands still holding onto Naruko's, I began to speak timidly.
"…A-Ayase…? Umm…"
"Shut up!"
Huh!? H-Hey, wait wait wait… who exactly was this person?
"Naruto-kun, please stay quiet, won't you? I'm speaking with Naruko right now."
"…"
What the hell was up with this scaaaaaaaaaary girl!? That was an intense glare! Clearly, she was not the same person she was a few minutes ago! Multiple personality disorder!? Spiritual possession!? If you just took her words out of context, you could feel that she was a bit angry… but it was way more than that. Seriously.
What a ferocious intensity. The rain that had started falling mixed in with Ayase's long black hair… a terrifying atmosphere drifted about in front of the Kokusaitenjijo Station. It was almost like a scene out of a horror movie.
My mother was also pretty terrifying, but fear on a whole different plane of existence now attacked me and my sister. What the hell was up with this sudden chant…? Did we really do something to anger this girl?
"I'm sorry for shouting so suddenly… but, I'm… just worried about you, Naruko."
Changing her tone, Ayase went with something more gentle and apologetic this time. It was a tone of voice that made me feel like feathers were tickling me in my ears.
"So Naruko… please don't run away. Won't you answer my questions? You're hiding something, right? "
She went right back to being scary there at the end! The gap between that tone and her gentle whisper is so startling!
This is why pretty woman are so… t-t-this is why…! Give me a break! Naruko, my mother, Chiaki, Kuroneko, even Rias! Why is it that this always happened, that there wasn't a single pretty woman I knew with an upfront and honest personality?
Was there a wire loose somewhere!? What the hell was up with my luck with women!? Dammit, as I thought, normal girls are the best! Somehow, I suddenly felt an intense desire to see my bespectacled cousin! And also, Naruko! Y-You, did you know that she was… that she was like this? Having drifted off from reality for a second, I returned to my senses and turned my gaze to my sister, goosebumps rising all over my body. And then…
"U-Uhhh…" Naruko seemed much more scared out of her wits than I was.
U-Uwaah… she didn't know this side of Ayase existed either, did she…
"… N-No, that's not it. Ayase… that's not it. So uhh… please don't get angry?"
"You too, Naruko, please stop making excuses, won't you? I'm being serious, alright?"
"Uhh…"
"Right now, you were running away, right? You were trying to run away from me, right? Please don't give me excuses… if this really is a misunderstanding though, just tell me, alright? If you can, that is."
"U-Uhh…" Groaning, Naruko looked down at the floor. I mean, if I had something said at me with such intensity, I would probably do the same. Honestly, she really was just making excuses… there's no way she can refute that.
Staring at her friend with an empty expression like that, Ayase snarled and bore her teeth.
"See, you can't say anything! Don't you know? You know, don't you Naruko? I absolutely hate being lied to. I absolutely hate people who lie to me! But even then, why would you do something like that? Why would you lie to me? Come on, tell me. I thought we were close friends?"
… S-Scaaary… and what's more, how she's getting angry is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. What's up with her unpleasant accusations? See, look, the otaku around us are getting scared as well and are starting to glance over here… and I mean, in the first place… why did this girl suddenly get so hysterica!? Sure, it wasn't right for us to try to trick her and run away… but no matter how you looked at it, this was an overreaction, wasn't it? She really doesn't have to get so charged up about this.
"…"
Naruko did not offer a single response, and continued looking downwards. I couldn't see her face from where I was standing, but I could feel her hands tightly holding onto mine. Her palm was hot, her hands were wet with sweat, and she was trembling.
As Naruko stood like that, Ayase closely examined her. Her eyes were narrowed, and she spoke coldly.
"Come on, say something for yourself."
"…"
"Not being able to say something means that you have something to be guilty about, yes? Or maybe, there's something you don't want to talk to me about? How shocking, considering I thought we were close friends. I must have been mistaken."
"N-No, that's…"
"No? Did I say something wrong? What did I say that was wrong? And you aren't talking again. Cut it out."
Ayase brought her face close to Naruko's face. All while she still had a firm lock on Naruko's wrist. And then, suddenly, she did a complete about face and put on a painful expression. Her pretty eyes became wet with tears, and she raised an appeal.
"This isn't you at all, Naruko… what in the world has gotten into you? Hey, did I say something wrong? Was I mistaken? Am I wrong to want to know why you were running away from me, why you were trying to lie to me?"
Not being able to bear watching this scene anymore, I pulled Naruko's hand and interposed myself between the two girls.
"Hey… let's leave it at that. Even close friends can keep one or two secrets from each other, can't they? Come on, let go of her hand. If you grab it that hard, it'll bruise."
At my words, Ayase seemed a bit ashamed. A bit later, she put on a smile and let go of Naruko's hand.
"… I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" She sincerely apologized in a sympathetic manner.
"Yeah… I-I'm fine…" Saying that, Naruko put on a weak smile, but as I feared, there was a red hand mark left on her wrist… exactly how hard was she holding onto Naruko's wrist, that girl…? With rather gloomy thoughts, I gazed at the swollen red mark.
"I guess that's true… even close friends can have one or two secrets, right?"
Ayase was by no means speaking in a joking tone of voice, but her expression and words were both very serious.
"… But, I want to help support you. I mean… you've been such a help to me… it's always been like that. With the modeling job, as my senpai, as my classmate… for many years, you've always supported me in everything I do."
To me, you're a very, very important friend.
I could not feel any semblance of artificiality or ulterior motive in her words. She was speaking from the bottom of the heart, and she truly was fond of Naruko. That's why she wanted to help Naruko in any way possible. Even if Naruko refused her help, she couldn't just stand by and watch, pretending everything was alright. It was a line of reasoning I feel like I've heard before. It was a line of reasoning I understood all too well. I could almost see her next words coming.
"Just by how you've been acting, I can tell that you're hiding something from me, that there's something you don't want to tell me. But, this time, for some reason, I felt like I just couldn't let it go. You could call it a woman's intuition… although that might be a bit too grand. I just had a bad feeling about this… so I couldn't leave it alone."
"A-Ah…" Naruko awkwardly looked down at the floor while Ayase gave her a worried expression. Her hand trembled nervously.
Ayase followed Naruko's line of sight.
"Is there something in those paper bags?" Giving the paper bags a piercing, ferocious glare, Ayase spoke in what was probably the scariest tone she had used up until now.
Of course, we couldn't respond to that question at all. Both Naruko and I could do nothing but stay silent.
This time, without urging us on or insulting us… Ayase soon appeared by our side and stared into our eyes. It was incredibly unnerving.
"… Comic Market… hm?" Ayase read the event name printed on the paper bags in an annoyed tone of voice.
A period of silence once again elapsed… Plop, plop… only the sound of the rain around us slowly increasing in intensity could be heard in my ears. And then, finally… the rain began to come down in torrents. It was an unadulterated downpour. Naruko suddenly became worried that the paper bags would get wet. She promptly tried to move somewhere with a roof hanging overhead… but once again her wrists were caught.
"Where are you going!? Is that really more important than this conversation right now!?"
"…"
Naruko must really feel driven into a corner at this point. I should probably act now and there would be plenty of ways to deal with the consequences later, so I had already begun to move to help, but…
"Let go!" Naruko forcibly tried to shake off her friend's hand.
I really don't think she meant to make it look that way, but there was no way to view the situation other than that Naruko was rejecting Ayase. There was no mistaking that Ayase felt that way. Her face flushed red hot.
"Naruko…!?" Not wanting to lose her grip, Ayase's hand that was being shaken grabbed onto the paper bag…
Riiiip! By the time the hollow sound reverberated in my ears, it was already too late.
"Ah-"
As Naruko looked back, she made a soft exclamation. In the midst of the present tussle, the paper bag's bottom had torn. The doujinshi that Naruko had bought all spilled nakedly onto the ground. Watching them getting cruelly soaked in the rain, even someone like me, who had very little emotional attachment to them, felt heart-stopping shivers go down my spine. Even though she was so happy to have bought them earlier… that's… pretty terrible…
Naruko seemed to have fallen into a state of complete and utter shock, and stood stock still while going ghastly pale. Ayase looked down at the doujinshi which had dropped at her feet with cold, frightening eyes…
"!"
Slowly, she picked up one of the Siscali doujinshi. Her facial expression didn't change, but her eyes widened.
Flip flip, flip flip… she turned through the wet pages, speaking with a tremble in her voice.
"Don't… worry. I won't tell anyone about this. To think someone like you would be into these… kinds of things… that you would go so far to lie about it, to try to hide it… I don't think anybody would believe that kind of ridiculous story even if I told them… but."
Right then, the trembling in her voice ceased. She spoke in an unfeeling tone of voice, sending a chill down my spine.
"… I'm sorry. I cannot be friends with someone like that… Namikaze-san. Please don't try to talk to me at school from now on either."
(◕ω◕✿)
It was three hours later. The minute I arrived home, I plopped down the paper bags in the entranceway.
"… Ahh… I'm so beat…."
Falling into an exhausted squat, I was too tired to even move. High level otaku would do this three days in a row, but it would be a terrible mistake to think they were in the same class of people…
Well then. This isn't the time to be doing this. These dangerous things have to first be quickly put away. If Mom found these, it really wouldn't be pleasant…
… But, my sister who should have taken the initiative and put those things away had shakily walked up the stairs right after coming home. It wasn't an atmosphere in which I felt comfortable talking with her. On the way back, in the train and the taxi, it had been like this. Geez… what to do about this situation…?
Taking off my shoes, I rubbed my heel which was throbbing in pain. I then once again took up the five damn heavy paper bags, and slowly went up the stairs. Once I arrived at my sister's room, I put the paper bags down for the moment, and began to knock… but there was no response.
"Hey Naruko. At the very least, let me put the things you bought in your room."
She didn't respond, but I heard a bit of noise coming from within. Without anything to lose, I tried twisting the knob, and found that the door wasn't locked. She probably didn't even have the energy to lock the door. Opening the door slightly, I saw that the room interior was completely dark.
"Naruko… I'll just leave these here then."
Through the crack that had opened up, I slid the five paper bags through as gently as possible.
"I'm going to heat up the bath, so come in after a bit."
After washing off my light sweat in the shower, I decided to prepare the bath. Soaking in the tub put the body at ease much more than a shower alone. And if nobody else came in, then I would just go in myself. I wouldn't let it go to waste.
After I finished my shower, I checked my cell phone, and saw that I had missed a call from Rias. As I thought, when I returned her call, she seemed concerned about what had happened after they had left.
"Honestly, thank you for today. Thankfully, we made do, so don't worry about it. Sorry that you had to worry about us."
I didn't mention that the girl that was there was Naruko's close friend, that her otaku hobby had been exposed, that their relationship had been broken off, that she was now depressed… Rias had done a lot for us today, and had planned out our day for us, and had accompanied us the entire time. I definitely didn't want to give her some strange reason to worry about us further.
"I also tried to call Naruru-chi, but she didn't answer, so…"
"Haha, she's also tired, I suppose. Right when she got back she fell asleep."
"Ah, so it was like that? I'm relieved. Honestly relieved."
Rias seemed to have regained her peace of mind. Even though she had done so much for us… I'm really sorry.
.
.
.