Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

13. Cosplay & Holloween

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At the weekend, Naruko, Kuroneko, and I make plan to visit Rias house. We broke from our normal habits and took an expedition out of the prefecture.

I took one step out from the shade and my eyes met with the glaring sunlight. The sunlight was strong, and it was a pleasant day to be lightly dressed. The shopping district that extended from the station had narrow streets, and was filled with an atmosphere of cleanliness.

We turned around a corner and saw an upwards slope that seemed to continue to the heavens. I couldn't see the end of it. I spoke while looking at the map I was holding.

"From the address, we can just head straight up here."

"We're seriously going up this hill?" Asked Naruko, sounding displeased.

"How saddening. I wasn't intending this to be a training trip." Following Naruko's example, Kuroneko let out a sigh, dressed in her Gothic Lolita outfit.

"Let me know if you're feeling tired. We can take a break in the middle."

"Oh my, how kind of you Big bro."

"Well, that's what a big brother are supposed to do."

When her remark didn't faze me, Kuroneko blinked with surprise and averted her eyes. On the other hand, my sister was in an awful mood. She crossed her arms and glared at me.

"Hey, don't you care about how I feel too?"

"You're wearing light clothes though."

Today, Naruko was wearing shorts so short that the base of her buttocks was almost visible. Her outfit was really revealing… and it made her stand out a lot. There was also a girl wearing a Gothic Lolita outfit next to me, so I could definitely feel people staring at us.

"Although, if you expect to train yourself, I hope you're not giving up just at the sight of a hill like this."

"Eh, of course not."

Naruko tapped the front of her shoe on the ground with a proud expression. It looked like she had cheered up a bit, but she then turned towards me.

"Bro, go buy some drinks. Some water or tea. And bring enough for everyone."

"Yeah yeah."

I headed for a vending machine then we began walking up the gently sloping hill. We were in what was obviously a residential district, and there wasn't a single store in sight. Other than houses, there was just a certain famous school, for girls from rich families, a public park, and a post office.

We were in what looked like a really high‐class district, but to a commoner like us it just all seemed a little inconvenient…

"But seriously, all these houses are just huge…"

"Well, when I heard the address, I imagined it would be something like this."

"Does that huge breast girl really live in this kind of place?"

Naruko looked back at the almost palatial mansion we just passed, expressing her doubt. Of course, by huge breast girl, she meant Rias…

"It's here?"

"Rias-san lives here?"

"Probably." I answered Naruko's question with a bit of uncertainty in my voice.

I mean, to think that a person like Rias was living in such a fashionable place like this… I just couldn't imagine it. Also, if she walked around a place like this looking like such an otaku, I'm sure she would stick out like a sore thumb!

"Anyways. Let's just go in then." Kuroneko urged me on. I could feel a silent pressure from her for me to go in first.

"A‐Alright."

Right next to the automatic gate was an intimidating black computer terminal. It was an intercom with a numeric keypad. It seemed that the mansion gate was locked, and without the host's permission we couldn't even get into the mansion grounds.

"What should we do?"

"What should we do… well, all we can do is type in the room number into that thing and ask the people in the house to let us in."

"Hmph, if it was an apartment or a normal house, we could have gone straight up to the front door and surprised her. To think that otaku girl would live in a house with this much security…"

"Why don't you just use that 'Power of Darkness' or whatever that you're so proud about?" Naruko cheerily poked fun at Kuroneko.

"Hmph. Unfortunately, that isn't a power I can just use freely in a public place like this."

"Yeah yeah, good for you Chuuni girl. Bro, punch in the room number already."

Rushed by my sister, I reached for the number key, when I stopped.

"Ah."

"What? What's wrong?"

"I don't know the room number."

"Seriously? So you don't even know where Rias-san's room is? You an idiot."

"Taking so long to realize this… you such a blockhead."

"Hey! Don't put this all on me! how do you expect me to know her room number!"

We suddenly started panicking at this new predicament and making a fuss outside the mansion. Here we were, a hopeless high school guy, a girl in a Gothic Lolita outfit, and a girl with her buttocks pretty much showing having a loud argument. No matter how you looked at it, we definitely looked suspicious.

"You three over there! What are you doing!?"

A loud, commanding voice boomed out from behind us.

"Uwah!"

Crap, did a security guard find us? We cowered and turned around, but what we found was not something as simple as a security guard. No, what we found was…

"W‐Why is there a military soldier in a rich district like this!?"

It was a soldier, covered from head to foot in camouflage. The soldier's face was hidden behind a hat and a pair of sunglasses.

He… no, from the voice it was a she… she was holding a rifle, and was pointing that glistening black gun at us.

"Freeze!"

"Uwoooooohhhh!"

We immediately threw our hands up in surrender. The riflewoman slowly set the rifle on her shoulder and aimed it at Naruko.

"I'll blow that pretty round face of yours right off!"

"Kyah!"

Naruko cowered when she was aimed at. I immediately leapt out to protect my sister.

"Stop it!"

However, no matter how long I waited, the shot never came…

"H‐Huh?"

A subdued silence stretched on and on, until…

"Pft…"

The soldier suddenly burst out laughing.

"Aha, hahahahaha! I see, I see. 'Stop it,' was it?"

"… Eh?"

We had no idea what was going on. The soldier pointed her rifle up into the sky and shot it off. Pop pop pop pop. It was the sound of a BB gun, not a real rifle.

"I was joking."

The soldier took off her hat and gave us a wry smile.

"Sorry for scaring you."

It was Rias!

"Rias-san don't suprise us like that!"

I heard Naruko sighing in relief behind me.

"H‐Hmph, I realized from the beginning that your gun was a fake. That was quite a fun show you put on."

Liar! I glanced at you for a second at the start, and you were completely surprised and close to tears.

"But my my, I was treated to the beautiful love between a brother and sister. Thank you."

"Ugh…" I suddenly realized that I was still standing in front of Naruko with my arms stretched out. Crap, this was really embarrassing… but I mean, seeing a soldier in a place like this would naturally make a man lose his sense of judgment.

"Well, in any case, thank you very much for coming all this way to visit me"

A few minutes later, Rias brought us to the the mansion. We walked down a pristine, spotless hallway, and Naruko spoke.

"I haven't seen a single room with a nameplate yet in this mansion…"

"Which rooms are yours?" I asked Rias, and she turned around.

"Hm? Well, my parents own this mansion, and I'm just using it, so…"

"So all of them!?"

"Yes, pretty much."

Well, that's pretty amazing.

"Hmm, well then you can really put a lot of goods on display. But cleaning up must be hard." Naruko spoke casually, and Rias nodded.

"Fufu, quite right Naruru-chi. Just as you said, this mansion is the place of my prized gallery. And what good timing. I can show all of you my collection! Come right in!"

Puffing out her huge chest with pride, Rias beckoned us into a room. And what we saw inside that room was…

"Uwah…"

"Oh my."

'"Hyah!?"

The room was designed like a one kitchen… well no, there wasn't a kitchen here. In any case, there was only one room, but that one room was insanely huge. I wonder how many square meters this measured. It was almost as if the room had been designed from the beginning to fulfill its current purpose. There were large glass cases along the room's walls and in the room's center. Those glass cases were filled with large numbers of plastic models from robot anime. And on the book shelves there were DVDs and books from the same anime lined up neatly in rows.

From the ceilings were hanging wires that supported a number of battleships and space colonies (I guess that's what these were called?). It was almost as if the entire room had been turned into a diorama of a battlefield. And what's more, the hallway that led up to the room was filled with the boxes for the plastic models. It was a masterpiece, even from the viewpoint of a beginner like me.

"What's up with this plastic model room!? Amazing!"

"Hahaha, isn't it?! Isn't it!?"

Naruko's eyes sparkled with admiration, and Rias nodded repeatedly, looking satisfied. She looked incredibly happy, and I recalled seeing something like this before Of course, that was in my sister's room. When she was showing off her prized collection to people who could appreciate her hobby. This must have been supreme bliss for otaku.

"I saw a special collection of otaku rooms from overseas in a book once, and this is my answer to them! Fufufu! Just because you have a bit more space and can put your collections into your huge rooms, don't think you've won against me! I'm not jealous! It's just that there are good and bad ways to use big rooms! In the end, it's all about concept! I'll show them that pure space is not enough to win this battle!"

She was seriously noisy. She was getting way too worked up over this. As Rias gave her impassioned speech, Naruko gazed at her collection with an expression of admiration.

"Wow, this is the Red Comet's helmet!"

"… And here are some sunglasses modeled after the ones worn by Quattro Vagena."

Kuroneko expressionlessly bent forwards and prodded the glass case with her finger.

"Actually, the sunglasses I'm wearing are like that too."

"Hmm…" Naruko appeared to remember something.

"Ah, right. We should give you the present while we still remember it."

"Yeah, that's true." I agreed, and I took out the presents we had bought.

"Presents?" Rias cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah, we each bought you a present."

"That's quite generous of you. But why exactly? Today isn't my birthday, nor is it any special occasion…"

"Oh my. So we have to have a special reason to bring a present?"

"Rias-san, you always brought us gift. Also, this is the first time we're visiting your house, so isn't it natural we bring a gift?"

"Yeah, exactly. And you always taking care of us… but more importantly, you're our friend.

"You guys… thank you. Words cannot express how happy I am right now."

I then handed over the "HG 1/144 Susanoo" box I was holding to Rias, and she reacted dramatically.

"Oh, this… this is…!"

"Rias-san is always building these plastic models… so I thought it would be nice to get you one. We all went to buy presents together. I'm not too sure of it, but I tried to pick something I thought looked cool… and I thought maybe this one would make Rias-san happy."

"Ahh, it'll definitely make me happy. Thanks."

"… Alright Then, I'm glad."

After me, Kuroneko handed over her present.

"Ah, a Deathscythe! That's quite like Kuroneko-chi"

And then, finally…

"I guess I'm going last. Let me just say that those two presents were just appetizers. The plastic model I chose is definitely going to be the best."

"Ah, that's quite exciting." Rias smiled.

"You should be excited. Take a look."

Naruko looked very proud of herself as she passed over the box.

"Tadaa~! It's the one Rie Kugimiya‐chan rode in 00!"

"No, that's the one Nena rode! Not the one Rie Kugimiya‐chan rode!"

Rias vigorously corrected her. I didn't really know what was going on, but it seemed that this was one point she wasn't about to let go.

"W‐What are you getting angry for?"

"All I'm saying is you shouldn't confuse the seiyuu with the characters they voice. I can forgive the fact that you jumped the bandwagon on your choice of Gundam, but you shouldn't mess up the name of the pilot or machine. You really need more passion! Passion!"

"I really don't see what's wrong with just calling it the Kugimiya Gundam."

"Kugimiya Gundam!? T‐This is why seiyuu freaks are so… I can feel my soul being pulled down by the earth's gravity…"

"I mean, you don't have to take it so seriously…"

Naruko looked pretty bewildered, but I mean… I really didn't think she was one to talk here. After all, Rias's reaction here was exactly the same as her reaction when Kuroneko made fun of Madoka. Otaku were people who held a particularly strong conviction in their beliefs, and so even things that might appear trivial to us could elicit a strong reaction. That was one lesson I had definitely learned over the past months.

"But anyways, just open it. It's really amazing!"

"Hm? It's not just a normal plastic model?" Rias took the box from Naruko. Looking a bit confused, she opened it. And then…

"Wha‐?! T‐This is…" Rias 's body stiffened; she seemed at a loss for words.

"It's amazing, isn't it!? So? What do you think? Hm?"

"Uhh… wait… just hold on a second…"

Naruko closed in with a face beaming with pride, but Rias held Naruko back with her palm and just stood there, shaken.

"Well, first of all… umm… why is this already finished!?"

"Huh? That a bad thing?"

"Alright, Naruru-chi… I'm only going to say this once, so be sure you hear me… plastic models aren't just for decorating. The real pleasure of plastic models comes from happily building one with your own two hands! If you give me a completed model like this, you take away half the fun!"

"That's so annoying! Plastic modelers are so weird!"

I really agreed. It was hard for light users like me to understand the thoughts of otaku and other hardcore hobbyists. But at the same time, I'm sure Rias didn't want to hear that from Naruko.

"Huh… what is this…"

A vein popped out of Rias's temple as she blew up.

"What the hell are all these sparkles everywhere!?"

"That? Ehehe… I decorated the Gundam a bit! Isn't it reaaaally cute!?"

"Decorate… Gundam… that's…"

"Arghhhhh…" Rias floppily covered her face with her hands and shook back and forth.

To explain, Naruko had pasted huge amounts of the glitter and glass beads that high school girls tended to like on Gundam, to the point where it looked just like a huge colony of acorn barnacles. Why in the world did junior high school girls like such flashy, disgusting decorations like this?

"H‐Hey Rias-san… are you alright?"

"Sorry… Naruto-chi… this was just… this was just way more than I had imagined…"

"Here, sit down in this chair. Come on…"

I let Rias lean on me and slowly sat her down in a chair that looked like the captain's chair on some space battleship. And she just sat there, with her head hung sadly.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Don't act so confused! You're the one who did something horrible to a Gundam fanatic!"

Then Kuroneko whispered in my ear.

"… This is so awkward. Do something."

"I know…"

I hurriedly looked around the room, and spoke up to Rias.

"I‐I mean, this really is a pretty amazing collection of plastic models! If you have this many, maintaining all of them must be a real hassle."

"I‐I guess. But that isn't painful at all. Naruto-chi, when I am tending to my collection, it is a time of supreme bliss for me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

I see. When she agreed so vigorously like that, I couldn't really say much in response.

"Well, I'm sorry for the bother, but could you teach me? How to make a plastic model correctly."

"Hm… well, I suppose I can. I'll give you a lesson then!"

Alright, she cheered up! I sure have gotten pretty good at handling otaku. Although I was momentarily really happy about that, I had completely forgotten how long winded and annoying otaku could be when they started talking…

Thirty minutes later…

"So, after you go through all that, you assemble the parts you numbered some time ago…"

"And then… we're finally done?"

"Well, then you have to design the place you're going to use to display it."

"I‐I see."

How long would it be before we're done?! Ugh, I'm tired… this is getting really tedious… and I was the one who told her to teach me, so it's not like I can tell her to stop…

"Well, that's a bit of a different topic, so in regards to making plastic models, I suppose we can stop there."

"… Ah…" I'm relieved. I'm finally being let go…

"Hmm… I ended up talking for a long time…"

Having been cheered up after talking about her hobby at length, Rias reclined back deeply on her chair.

"Finishing with all the maintenance, sitting in this chair, and just gazing at my collection… and then suddenly, you realize the entire day's gone by."

"I know! That's soooo true!"

And there was one person in the room who passionately agreed.

"I feel that too! If all of this were Madoka figures instead, I really think I could just stay in this room my entire life staring at them!"

She seriously must be sick.

"Also! You must have other things in your collection, right!? You do, right!? Show me!"

"I know where you're coming from, but calm down, Naruko!"

I caught my sister by the arms as she tried to charge at Rias like an excited bull, and I pinned her arms behind her back.

"Idiot! How could someone like you understand where I'm coming from!?"

"Aw…! You stepped on my toes! Dammit!"

As Naruko and I bickered with each other, Kuroneko ignored us and spoke nonchalantly.

"If you do have more of this collection, I would like to see too."

"Sure. But before that…"

Rias reached her arm out and gestured towards some three‐legged chairs. She seemed to be telling us to sit.

"Can you cut it out and let me serve you tea already?"

Thirty minutes later, we were in a different room in the same mansion.

"This mansion was originally remodeled to display my father's art collection. We're being allowed to use one part of it."

It seemed that every room was a gallery based on a different concept. I had yet to find any room equipped with the normal necessities of living, but those rooms probably existed too, somewhere… right? And the room we were in right now was…

"This room is so broken down!"

"Did this used to be an arcade at some point…?"

Naruko and Kuroneko both gave their frank impressions. It was probably deliberate, but both the floor under us and the walls had the concrete bare and showing. There was a retro atmosphere filling the entire room, and the first things I noticed were the old‐fashioned arcade machine and CRT television. There was a cable extending from the television, and connected to a black game machine I did not recognize. A toy track also wove its way between all that equipment.

"This is a room meant to recreate a scene you might see during the late Shouwa or early Heisei period. Back then, they would put arcade machines in the middle of cheap sweet shops and those shops would become hangouts for local elementary and junior high schoolers. That was a time when games like Final Attack and Golden Axe were still being actively played. Well, I guess even now, you can find places where they're still being actively played too."

How old was this girl?

"What's this black game system here?" Kuroneko asked. If she didn't even know, then it must have been a pretty old system…

"It's a Neo Geo CD. From what I've heard, it's a frightening piece of hardware that takes three minutes to load a single match. The more relaxed gamers of today probably don't understand, but it was quite a groundbreaking achievement when people could play Samurai Spirits or King of Fighters in their own homes."

"T‐This is… this is the machine that some say is the symbol of the SNK Golden Age!? This is the first time I've seen one." Kuroneko leaned in close stared at the Neo Geo CD with widened eyes.

I didn't really know what was going on, but this machine was probably something special to gamers.

"Oh, what's this thing?"

What I caught sight of was a square glass case table. Inside the case were lined small rubber dolls that you would perhaps expect to find in Gashapon machines. They were all of things you would see in fantasy novels, like monsters and elves and knights.

"Fufufu, nice eye, Naruto-chi. Those are from the 'Neclos Fortress' toy line. They're not as popular as the Bikkuri Man Seals, but they're one of the representative toys of the Showa period and came packaged with certain food products. To people who collect these type of toys, they still enjoy a deeply rooted popularity, and are still very actively being sold at auction."

"Ahh…" So there was quite a history here. They were things from long ago, but they did look pretty cool. I could see how they would've been popular. Also, I didn't know about these "Golden Axe" and "Bikkuri Man" things she was using to explain herself, so I wasn't sure if I really understood what she was trying to say.

"By the way, you probably can't tell from across the glass, but if you touch them and warm them with your fingers, the Neclos dolls change color. I guess it's kind of like the secret emblems they put on the Transformers toys that were popular in the eighties. Changing colors based on temperature was a really trendy gimmick back then."

Seriously, how old was this girl? Was she a time traveler from the Shouwa era or something?

"What about this?" Naruko pointed to a racing car toy that had been casually set on top of the arcade machine.

Ah, I actually knew what that was. I took that bodiless blue racing car into my hands and spoke with a soft voice.

"How nostalgic… it's a mini four‐wheeler, isn't it?"

"Ohh, so you already know, Naruto-chi?"

"They were pretty popular at one point when I was a kid. But I've never really seen something quite like this…"

"Haha, I'm not surprised. That's an Avante Jr., and it's the fastest, best car in the first generation of these four‐wheelers. This toy was based on the model that they really used in the Japan Cup back then, I think. The fanatics who got into this culture from the second generation might burn me alive for saying this, but I still think that an Avante that's perfectly tuned up is the fastest car."

Why the hell was she telling me this… I mean, at this point, the only people who would actually understand what she was saying were probably all middle‐aged men. There was no way Rias could know what I was thinking, but she curled her mouth up into a ω shape and summed up.

"In anime, in games, and in all these other genres, it's just amazing how much the technology has improved. Things that people could only dream of in the Shouwa period are completely commonplace today. However, I still think that it would be a shame if we just forgot about all the things that kept us so engrossed back then, and wrote them off as 'relics.' I'm not saying we should obsess over the olden days, but in the end, fun things are fun, and worthwhile things are worthwhile. Being in this room drives that point home for me. That's why I like this place."

(◕ω◕✿)

They say that everyone has an internal vision for their own paradise. But right now, what stretched before my eyes was certainly Naruko's Garden of Eden.

"Wuaaaaa… what's with this place… this is such a paradise…"

My sister was clinging to a glass case and seemed to have lost her mind. She was staring fixedly at a collection that had shot her right through the heart. It was seriously a bit disgusting. This girl's fans would have a heart attack if they saw her like this.

Yes, this was the "Magical girl Figure Room." Starting from Madoka, various characters of magical girl figures such Nanoha Takamichi, Usagi Tsukino, Sakura Kinomoto and etc were crammed in display cases. I couldn't really blame Naruko for getting like this.

"Hey, you, cut it out. We've been here for more than ten minutes already. Let's move to another room, okay?"

"I‐I'm going to stay here a bit longer! You guys can go on ahead!"

Naruko said that and showed no signs of moving from the front of the glass case. Her palm and nose were pressed firmly against the glass, and I could almost see her drooling. She was like a kid in a toy store.

"Geez… this girl is just…"

"Naruru-chi, Kuroneko‐chi, Naruto‐chi. You know, I have something that's more interesting than the collection I've shown you so far."

"Huh… e‐even more interesting that these Madoka figures?" Naruko interest seemed to have been piqued by Rias's words. Rias slowly nodded.

"Yes… I feel like it's something you all would enjoy."

"Sounds interesting. What is it?"

"Let's all go… cosplay together!"

"Cosplay!?"

We all uttered in unison.

"Yes. To tell you the truth, I had some costumes made that I was planning on asking everyone to wear next time. There's a costume room next door. Fufu, Naruru-chi… you said you had an interest in cosplay, didn't you?"

"I do!" Naruko answered instantly and energetically.

I remembered seeing her eyes gleam when she was looking at cosplay at Summer Comiket.

"Kuroneko‐chi, don't you also ever want to wear a different outfit?"

"That's… well, I'll wear something for you, I suppose." Kuroneko suddenly blushed.

"Yes, I really want to try," is what one could translate her words to.

Rias clapped her hands, almost as if things had been settled.

"Well then, isn't this a good opportunity? Let's all cosplay together and take a photo to commemorate the occasion."

"Ehh? We're having a photo shoot here? What should I do~~? I'm a pro after all~~."

Naruko waved from side to side and looked pretty proud of herself. Even though she obviously wanted to go and take those cosplay photos.

"… Hmph, so these are costumes that Rias-san picked out? That worries me a bit."

In true Kuroneko fashion, even though she said that, she was obviously pretty excited for this. I mean, she was already loosening some of her ribbons. Hey hey, I'm in the room, so please don't strip right here…

The subject had been changed and we had all returned to our usual selves.

"Also, it's been a while, but perhaps I will also take this opportunity to show you my own cosplay."

"But you're cosplaying right now, aren't you?"

"Haha, Naruto‐chi, if you say that, don't blame me when you're knocked to the floor by my beauty."

"Hah, just keep talking."

But I definitely was looking forward to seeing what kind of outfits those three would change into.

I spoke cheerfully, "Well then, I'll wait here for you three."

"Whatever are you saying, Naruto-chi?"

"Eh?"

Rias took a look at my bewildered expression and gave me an ominous smile.

"Of course I've also prepared a costume for Naruto-chi."

"…"

… You've got to be kidding me.

The girls would change in the costume room, and then come back to the figure room. And in the meantime, I would change in this room.

"Well then… maybe I should suck it up and just change."

Man, this is my first cosplay.

"… This uniform… how do I put it on?"

After a struggle, I managed to put things on, and looked at myself in the full‐length mirror in the corner of the room.

"Wow."

It feels a little weird for me personally to be saying this… but this costume suited me really well. I felt my cheeks suddenly burning. What was up with this hard‐to‐describe feeling… and this sense of excitement? As I looked at myself cosplaying in the mirror, I could feel my excitement quickly rise. I look so awesome! Huh? Is this real? Is it just me, or do I just look really awesome?

"Engrave into your body… Yukianesa's power!"

And then, right then…

Creak. I heard the sound of the door opening, and a chill ran right down my spine!

D‐Dammit, I hope they didn't hear me just now! Is it kill myself time!? Do I have to commit suicide now!? My entire body went stiff as a board and I turned around with tears in my eyes, when…

"…!"

Both of us were at a loss for words.

"You… Kurone… is that you, Kuroneko!?"

The outfit Kuroneko was wearing also belonged to a character I knew well. Homura Akemi… the character that often appeared in Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

"Eh… Ah… J-J-J-Ji… Jin…?"

I couldn't blame Kuroneko for being surprised when she saw me either. The costume I was wearing was that of Jin Kisaragi, one of the protagonist of Kuroneko's favorite game, Blazblue. But I mean, and saying this myself is rather strange, I looked exactly like him. If they made a live action version of Blazblue, maybe they should give me a call. Ah, but really, what was more important right now was…

We both stared at each other's cosplays. At that point, Kuroneko seemed to snap out of it.

"P‐Please… don't look at me so much… it's embarrassing…"

She blushed from ear to ear and hugged herself, trying to hide herself from view. She was wearing a white, long-sleeve coat with a silver collar over a black, long-sleeve dress. The skirt is silver with a white trim. She also wears black leggings with dark-gray diamonds that cover the sides of the legs, and black heels. The coat appears to have a flower-like pattern with 3 petals, and has 2 ribbons attached to it.

"… I told you not to look at me. D‐Do you want me to poke out your eyes?"

"S‐Sorry."

I hurriedly covered my eyes with both hands. If she was this embarrassed about it, maybe she should have just not worn the outfit… maybe this was just the stubbornness of cosplayers…

"B‐But more importantly… you… that costume…"

"A‐Ahh. This costume is…" I was a bit embarrassed, but I asked for her impressions, "H‐How is it? Kuroneko, what do you… what do you think about this costume…"

"E… Eh?"

Perhaps she was not expecting me to ask that question at all, but Kuroneko stiffened. Homura's costume was probably incredibly embarrassing for her to wear. Her face flushed even redder than it was before.

"I‐It's okay, I guess."

Even as she said that, she glanced at me now and then. Kuroneko really liked this character, so even if it was me wearing it, she probably couldn't help looking at the costume. To be honest, it felt nice.

"Hmph, don't look so much at me. You're making me blush."

"Y‐You idiot… it's not like I'm… what in the world are you saying…?"

Kuroneko looked incredibly cute when she was annoyed like that. And then…

"What's with those outfits!? You two look really nice!"

Naruko came into the room in high spirits. And her outfit surprised me even more.

"Well, either way, you're still no match for me!"

Naruko picked up the hem of her skirt and twirled. The character that Naruko was cosplaying was the Vampire Princess Rachel Alucard, another character from Blazblue. Naruko was wearing the costume that Kuroneko usually wore. And also with her hair arranged into twin tail style, Naruko looked extremely similar to Rachel Alucard.

"…"

Both Kuroneko and I were suddenly unable to speak.

"What is it? Do I entrance you?"

It's not like I'm one to talk… but what a bloated sense of confidence. It really did seem that cosplaying made people into narcissists. Although this girl was always like this.

Kuroneko asked a question, round‐eyed, "You, didn't you hate Blazblue?

"Hm? That doesn't have to do anything with the clothes. I wanted to wear a Gothic Lolita outfit once to try it out."

I see. If it meant wearing a cute cosplay, she didn't care where the character was from.

"You…just wanted to…" Kuroneko showed an incredibly unpleasant scowl.

"Just cosplaying so casually like that… even though the true thrill of cosplay is completely transforming into a character you like… you just don't understand at all, do you?"

"Is it? Hm, completely transforming, huh…? Umm, like this?"

Naruko made a peace sign over one of her eyes and winked. And she said the following in an innocent voice, almost like you would expect from a magical girl anime character.

"Kyahaa~~. I'm the cute Vampire Princess Rachel Alucard~! I came here to suck your blood, Kapuchuu~."

"Rachel would never say something like that!"

Kuroneko exploded. When it came to Rachel Alucard, she really had a short fuse. She was like a child here.

"You bitch… I think I'm really going to kill you this time…"

"But seriously, you're also not Homu‐chan at all! Homu‐chan would never say something like 'You bitch.'"

"I‐I'm… I never intended to become this character in the first place!"

"But wasn't it that if you don't become the character, you can't experience the 'true thrill' of cosplay?"

"Ooo… t‐that's…"

It was as if her argument had returned like a boomerang and hit herself instead.

Once she saw Kuroneko at a loss for words, Naruko gave a small smile, "Come on, become the character and say something. You saw how Homu‐chan acts at that DVD, right?"

"I‐I don't want to… why does someone like me have to… have to say such embarrassing things…?"

Snap. Snap. As Kuroneko teared up, Naruko took out her cell phone camera and began to snap pictures.

"When did you take out that cell phone… w‐why are you taking photos?"

"Well, it's a rare chance."

"P‐Please stop…"

Snap. Snap.

"D‐Didn't I tell you not to take pictures…? Are you not listening?"

"If I make a photo collection of you in that cosplay, I'm sure it'll be a huge hit at Comiket."

She wasn't listening at all. I found Kuroneko's reaction pretty cute, so even though I pitied her I didn't really feel like stopping Naruko. Naruko just continued to ecstatically snap photos of Kuroneko in her cosplay. I guess after all was said and done, Naruko really liked Kuroneko.

"Ahh… I'm satisfied now." Naruko wiped the sweat off her forehead, apparently finished with her task.

On the other hand, having had her picture taken so many times, Kuroneko was now huddled on the floor, hugging her knees. Her face was completely red. Being shy and a cosplayer at the same time… how exactly was that supposed to work?

"Hey, Naruko."

"What?"

"How's my cosplay? Don't I look really cool? You can call me Onii-sama if you want."

Cosplaying had made me fearless, so I asked a question I would never ask normally.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, it looks super good on you."

But Naruko's response was very apathetic.

"Hey, you're not even looking, and you say that? Come on, take a proper look at me. Don't just fuss over Kuroneko… praise me too!"

"Ugh, geez… you're like a typical noisy cosplayer… narcissists like you are just beyond saving."

"You are the last person on Earth I want to hear calling me a narcissist!"

"Anyways, what happened to Rias-san?"

"Eh? She was saying that she would start changing when I went out."

"Hmm."

"And remember, she was the one who suddenly told us we were going to cosplay… something feels funny."

Certainly, Rias was acting a bit weird. But I had some idea of what she had been thinking behind that "smile" of hers. When I saw Rias in her sunglasses and survival gear, I realized it. She… was probably quite a beauty.

She was always saying things like "my beauty" with so much confidence, but she was probably being serious. So, I was certain that she smiled like that because she was going to try to surprise us with her "real" look… that must have been her plan. But if that's the case, then it would be frustrating for me to take the bait and act surprised. Naruko and Kuroneko might be surprised, but I would be firm and wouldn't waver. No matter what outfit Rias showed up in. Fufu, how disappointed she's going to be.

"Ah, Rias-san, you're here?" I heard Naruko's voice. Next I heard the door opening.

Alright… show me what you've got! Show me what you've got, Rias! No matter what, I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me surprised!

"!"

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

What the hell? Was this Rias? This girl was Rias? This refined‐looking woman in a uniform was Rias? Craaaaaap~! Not good, Rias… this was seriously not good… she was really beautiful. Insanely beautiful! And at a glance, it wasn't even enough to call her a woman! She exuded the aura of a grandly elegant young lady! Amazing! Her crimson hair was silky, and her breasts and behind looked like a supermodel's! This was seriously crazy. There wasn't a trace of her old self. Her voice was even different. This was seriously too crazy. Whatever else happens, you all should try and understand how crazy this was, seeing this incredibly beautiful lady suddenly appear in front of my eyes.

"… All things considered, aren't you a bit too surprised?" My sister was shocked at my reaction.

… But come on. I was surprised half to death there… I was expecting someone beautiful to appear, but I still thought that she would have the same ω face on when she showed up. T‐To think that she would change so much…

"T‐This isn't even a costume anymore… this is a complete metamorphosis…" Kuroneko had also stiffened in shock, and stared at this transformed Rias.

Seeing our reactions, noblewoman Rias put a hand up to her mouth and gave us a graceful chuckle, "Watching you act so surprised makes me quite happy. It was worth revealing myself like this." And then she grabbed the hem of her skirt and gave us an old‐fashioned curtsey.

"Naruto‐san, Naruko‐san, Kuroneko‐san. My name is Rias Gremori. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Rias bow elegantly. She performed that little action masterfully, and even though she was putting on an act for us, it seemed very natural. I really wouldn't be surprised if this were her real form.

"That's… your real name?"

"Yes."

"Also, that's the uniform from the famous rich school Kuoh Academy… right?"

"… That look… is that really a cosplay? Or is it…"

Naruko and Kuroneko both spoke with slightly trembling voices.

"Fufu… " Rias just gave us a mysterious smile, but didn't say another word. Naruko and Kuroneko also didn't press any further.

Rias looked around at us in our costumes.

"Everyone, those costumes look splendid on you."

"Not as great as yours though."

"… Thank you."

T‐This is so crazy… don't smile at me like that… it's just too much.

Rias showed us a small blush.

"Dressing up like this and showing each other… it really is pretty embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Really? I don't feel embarrassed at all. I'm getting pretty excited though. Because unlike you, I'm super cute."

Yeah yeah, Naruko. After all, you don't have an ounce of shame in that body of yours. However, and I would never say this out loud, but I still thought my costume was the best. I still thought that I was the coolest person in the room. Nobody would agree with me, but this was definitely my victory. Hmph, serves you all right.

Right then, Rias said something that made me think she could read my mind.

"Naruto‐san's Jin cosplay looks just like the real thing too. That's pretty great. I almost want to be taken prisoner by him."

"Eh? I‐Is that so? Ahaha."

Crap, I'm getting really happy. Finally… finally someone complimented me!

"Naruko‐san with that twin tail feels almost like a clone of Rachel."

"Hmph. It can't be help she looked like me"

"Fufu, as expected from Naruru‐chi. "

There were still some traces of the otaku version of Rias in her vocabulary.

"And then, of course there's Kuroneko‐san…"

"W‐What do you want? Don't look at me too much please."

Rias looked Kuroneko up and down, and Kuroneko blushed.

"… A perverted-cat Homu‐chan… what an incredible outfit."

What was she, some pervy grandpa?

Kuroneko muttered in shock, "You're still the exact same person at the base of it, aren't you?"

"Hmm, perhaps." Rias put a hand to her mouth and chuckled.

In my view… the fun of cosplay came from seeing yourself transform into someone different, like when I saw myself in the mirror back there and got all excited. And if that someone happened to be a character that you liked, it was even more fun.

Just like making doujin games and doujin manga, cosplaying in front of people and getting your photo taken was a form of self expression. And that's why, just like it had been in the club, instead of cosplaying alone…

"Everyone, let's also take a photo together, alright?"

"Ah, yes, let's."

"Sure. I'll be really nice today and let you take a photo for free even."

"Well, I guess there's no reason for me to refuse."

Instead of cosplaying alone, it was much more fun to do it with everyone together. All of us cosplayed and enjoyed ourselves. We were embarrassed now, and when we looked at these photos later I'm sure we would be embarrassed as well. And then, every time we brought this experience up in the future we would feel the same way. That's what a shared memory was.

Cosplaying together… it really sounded like something only children did. And it was embarrassing. That was probably a normal reaction. I didn't intend on denying that. But, when I did it for real… I couldn't help but think that this didn't feel too bad. This wasn't an experience you could get by just living conventionally.

(◕ω◕✿)

"Halloween?"

It was after school on a Friday, a week after that cosplay event in Rias house and sometime halfway into October. Coming home from school with Karin, I ended up visiting the Uzumaki Store on my way back. Right now, we were walking beside each other, headed towards that place.

"Yeah, Halloween. There's going to be a 'fair' at our house starting tomorrow."

"Hmm…Halloween, huh…?"

In other words, just like the department store in front of the train station, it seemed that the Uzumaki household would also be putting on a Halloween fair.

"You're a traditional sweets shop, and you're celebrating Halloween? What's up with that?"

"Ah, you're making fun of me. We definitely make candy that's meant for Halloween too. To be honest, I called you to come with me today so we could maybe taste-test some of them."

"Hm."

"They're pretty amazing, so look forward to it!"

"I see, Halloween, huh?"

I paused for a moment, and stared at the decorations I was not used to seeing. There were many ghosts and Jack-O-Lanterns hanging in front of the store.

A contrast of orange and black. It was a marriage of Japanese and Western styles. The words "Uzumaki Store" were skillfully carved into a conspicuous wooden sign. If nothing other than the wooden sign were there, the shop would look everything like a respectable, well-established store, but with the department-store-like banner that declared "Uzumaki Store Halloween Fair, Starting Tomorrow!" right next to it, the entire spectacle seemed strangely mismatched and surreal.

I was a bit worried, so I asked her directly,"Are people actually going to come for this?"

"T-They will… definitely. We're also holding events on the first day too."

"Events?"

"We'll call all the neighborhood elementary school students over and hold candy making demonstrations, and we'll hand out candy, and all the shop employees will be in costumes."

Costumes, huh…? The word "cosplay" came to mind even though I had just learned that word not long ago, but I shook my head and dismissed the image.

"The shop employees, you said… you mean Ojii-chan and Obaa-chan, right?"

I could imagine that it would be a pleasant spectacle, but it really just seemed way too simple of a setup. They were also rounding up elementary school students… would that honestly work if they were trying to use this as a sales promotion?

"Ahh, tomorrow everyone in the family is helping out with the shop. So I'll also be in a costume. As a w-witch…"

"Witch!?"

I couldn't stop myself from spurting that out. I mean, her as a witch… the image didn't fit at all. The nerd looking Karin as a witch… the only image that came to mind was a pitiful one of her trying to cast a spell and failing. A smile leaked out onto my face, and Karin, seemingly embarrassed, began to get angry.

"You're so meaaan… don't laugh like that… and also, you're imagining something strange, aren't you?"

"I'm definitely not."

As she began hitting me with her book bag, I headed around towards the back entrance. Heading inside, I walked towards the living room as I always did, but the exact moment I opened the sliding door, the blood froze in my veins.

"Uwaah!?"

Standing in the entranceway leading to the living room, Karin and I froze with fear. Lying on top of the tatami, Grandpa Hashirama was collapsed onto his face.

"Ojiichan!" Flustered, I rushed up to him.

Dammit! What exactly do you do at a time like this…!? Let's try calling out to him first.

"Jiichan, are you alright!? Hey!"

No response. And what's more, his skin was terribly cold to the touch. A shiver ran up my spine. Hesitating for only a moment, I tried taking his pulse.

… I really can't remember how. At the very least, the strong, steady rhythm I could feel when I took my own pulse… it wasn't there. His's body was drained of all its strength.

"Karin, an ambulance! Call an ambulance!"

"Y-Yeah! A-Alright…!"

Karin stumbled away and ran out of the room. I took Grandpa Hashirama body into my arms. That moment, I could barely stifle a shriek from coming out of my mouth. he's exposed face was ashen, and his cold, white eyes were opened wide.

"Jiichan…"

My grief won over my fear, and tears welled up in my eyes. Feeling a presence behind me, I turned around and saw Grandma Mito standing behind me.

"Ah, Naruto-chan. Welcome."

Her gentle smile reminded me of Karin.

"Baachan… look at jiichan…!"

As I called out to her, half in tears, Grandma Mito took a good look at Grandpa Hashirama corpse, and gave a response of "ah, I see."

"Ah, I see"?

What was up with that light response!? This wasn't a situation in which she should be responding like that!

"The idiot is playing dead, isn't he?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeehhh!?"

Opening my eyes wide, I quickly looked back and forth between Grandpa Hashirama's corpse and Grandma Mito. Playing dead… but, this…he really seems completely dead here.

"What are you talking about!? his body is so cold!"

"Ah, that old fool was just in the store's refrigerator nude for a while, so I thought his time had finally come… hmph, to think he was doing that just for the sake of pulling off this kind of prank…"

'What a troubling man,' she seemed to be thinking as she smiled. But I was still not convinced.

"B-But he has no pulse!"

"He's always had a weak pulse, this man."

"B-But! Even then, this dead body stench… what about that?!"

"That's just the smell of old age. Naruto-chan, try to remember. Your grandfather has always smelled like this, right?"

"… Ugh, yes, certainly… but…"

Maybe it was because she saw that I was not going to budge from my position, but Grandma Mito put one hand to her cheek and seemed troubled.

"Well, I'll just have to show you some proof, right?"

Saying that, she put her mouth to Grandpa Hashirama's ear.

"If you don't get up immediately, I'm going to burn all of your entire Icha Icha books one by one, alright?"

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The response was dramatic. Grandpa Hashirama jumped to his feet, obviously revived. Taken aback from seeing a dead body suddenly jumping up like that.

"You scary witch of a woman! What are you planning to do with my precious art!?"

Grandpa Hashirama shouted with his white eyes opened wide. H-He really was alive… I'm the one who should be asking you what you were planning to do! I thought my heart was going to stop! Grandma Mito ignored his complaint, and looked at me with one eye closed.

"See? Like I said."

Next, Grandpa Hashirama faced me. He's cheerfully raised one of his hands.

"Naruto, happy Halloween! Trick or… what was it?"

"How should I know!? Have your brains rotted away or something, you stupid old man!?" I couldn't help but retort like that with all my strength.

(◕ω◕✿)

"T-Thank god… haah… Ojii-chan was alive…"

As soon as Karin returned to the living room, she repeated the same words over and over again, stroking down her chest in relief. Karin had gone to call an ambulance, but right after what had happened I had chased after her and had explained the situation to her. And we had both returned to the living room, which is where we were now.

"Ahaha… sorry sorry, I was a bit too convincing back there ."

With a teehee, he stuck out his tongue. It was very difficult for me to resist the urge to smack him. Geez, don't make your grandchildrens cry like that…

"Well… Jiichan, why exactly were you playing dead like that?"

"Eh? Oh, that? I was practicing my disguise for tomorrow's Halloween fair. Fufu… wasn't it amazing? My zombie costume."

"Amazing… rather, it was a bit too real…"

If he played dead like that in the shop, I have no doubt that a customer would call the police or an ambulance! And what's more, he would come back to life after that right? The little kids they tried so hard to attract might honestly die from the shock. And generally speaking, there aren't any zombies in stores that sell food.

"At any rate, I think that it's probably not a good idea to put on that little act in the shop."

"… Do you really think so?"

Grandpa Hashirama's looked pretty disappointed. Swish. He quickly turned his gaze on Grandma Mito sitting next to him, as if to ask for her opinion, but when she cut him down quickly with a "it's just as Naruto-chan says," he looked truly crestfallen. In the end, he went and lay down in the corner.

"Alright then. Whatever, it's not like I care… heh, whatever…"

And he started sulking. He's just like a child, isn't he?

"Naruto-chan, don't mind him, alright? If you go over and try to cheer him up he's just going to get cocky about it."

"Roger."

She was usually a kind person, but it seemed that she treated gramps pretty strictly. Karin watched our grandparents' exchange with a wry smile, but she soon stood up as if she had just thought of something.

"Ah, right. Naruto, let me go and quickly get the Halloween candy."

"Ah, sure."

"Fufu, then let me help as well…"

Karin and Grandma Mito left the room. Grandpa Hashirama, having watched everything out of the corner of his eye, slowly got up and bitterly spoke.

"Hmph! Naruto you're pretty popular with the lady, isn't!?"

"Shut up old man!"

"Hahaha!"

And, after we had that little exchange, a new person came into the room.

"Oh! Naruto you here!"

"Yo Menma, What's up."

I faced him and raised a hand in greeting. It was Karin brother, Menma.

"Well… umm… do your best, alright?"

"We just saw each other and you're already giving me sympathy!? Well! I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll do my best bro!"

"By the way, what exactly do you have there?" I pointed to the musical instrument Menma was carrying in his hand.

When I said "what," what I meant was "why do you have that instrument there?" Menma responded thusly:

"This? Heheeh, at tomorrow's event I'm going to give a musical performance! Well, what do you think? It seems like I was put in charge of the music for tomorrow. In a word, I'm going to fire up Halloween with my live performance! I'll put my soul into my music… or something like that! Haha, doesn't that sound cool?"

Brrnggg. Menma strummed the instrument he was holding. Even if you say something like you're going to put your soul into your music… and putting aside whether you look cool or not…

I asked him the question that had been on my mind ever since I caught sight of him, "But, isn't what you have there a shamisen?"

"Hmph, a sharp retort, as expected from you bro."

Menma gazed off into the distance, and let out a self-derisive sigh. And then he appealed to me, half in tears.

"I can be completely honest with you… I don't have money so I can't buy a guitar! So… so! So anything was fine, I just wanted to play an instrument! So I begged my dad, you see. And then, he told me that Obaa-chan knew how to play a shamisen so I should learn from her."

And that's how it got to this, it seemed. It was a situation very befitting of a middle school student. Also, Uncle Nagato… even if he said any instrument is fine, he obviously didn't mean that he wanted to play the shamisen, right? Also, to think that having been told that, Menma actually went off and practiced playing the shamisen… that's also pretty amazing. What a strange father and son. Is everyone here just a huge airhead?

Grinning, I asked a question, "Well? Can you play it now? Play a song for me."

"Ooohh! Listen and be surprised!"

Menma set up the shamisen so nimbly that I could almost hear it ring. It really seemed like he had practiced quite a bit. He decided on a pose that made it look like he was playing the guitar.

Bnbnnn. Bnbnbnbnbnn… with a stiff expression, Menma played the shamisen. It was really quite a surreal scene.

O-Ohh… amazing. That sounds pretty good…! I didn't have an ounce of knowledge when it came to shamisen music, but he definitely wasn't just playing around here… I could see that he was consciously and precisely producing sound from the instrument. It was a song that made me envision the Heian period, with its nostalgic, sad, and gentle melody. And somewhere, I could hear a hint of a flute… certainly, this was an appropriate tone for a traditional sweets shop. But it didn't sound very Halloween-ey at all.

"Heh, how was it bro!? Didn't I just sound like John Frusciante!?"

"You sounded more like a Biwa priest."

"Argh, Jiichan told me the same thing! I'm seriously hurt, you know!"

I really said the same thing gramps did!? That seriously hurts. But really, he's playing the shamisen… so he doesn't look like anything except the Marukome priest.

"Tch, this is why people with old sensibilities can't understand the soul of the youth! It's troubling, you know!"

Bnbnbnbnbnnn… Menma once again began his tasteful performance.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Karin set the tea and sweets down on the low dining table. Today's theme seemed to be Halloween candy… as was expected.

"Oh. These look great."

"Heheh, right?" Karin smiled broadly and I nodded.

There were a few types of sweets lined up on the table… but they all seemed like types of Halloween-themed traditional Japanese candy. For instance, there was a bite-sized Jack-o- Lantern. It seemed to be a candy that was made with Nerikiri red bean paste. I don't know the exact name for it, but it's probably something everyone has eaten.

Skilled Japanese confectionary artisans could make this Nerikiri paste into anything, so it was used often in decorative pieces… by the way, this is just personal experience, but working with the stuff was absurdly difficult. Using a spatula and mold to get them into the shape you want was pretty hard, but even making the Nerikiri properly was difficult for novices. From the point of view of an apprentice like me, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that how to handle bean paste was a trade secret.

Heh, I guess I got just a bit fired up there in my explanation… hm, I guess I can't complain about Naruko doing the same thing anymore…

"Naruto, p-please… try one."

"Ah, alright, then I won't hold back…"

I took one of the Nerikiri Jack-o-Lanterns and popped it into my mouth.

"This is great!"

"Really!?"

Karin's expression suddenly brightened, and she joined her hands together in front of her chest. I took a mouthful of tea.

"Really really! And it's filled with pumpkin bean paste, right!? This is quite a piece of art! And then, what's that? Seeds?"

"Yeah… pumpkin seeds."

"Using seeds to decorate the head… pretty amazing."

I was seriously impressed. And what's more, each and every Jack-o-Lantern had a different facial expression. Only hand-made things could taste like this. Besides that, there were various ghosts, witches, bats, black cats…etc. etc.

They were all small and cute, so they would probably be very popular with the young girls that formed the majority of the Uzumaki Shop's customer base. They were indeed quite intricate, and I'm sure a lot of thought went into them.

I looked at Karin and asked, "Did you make this?"

"U-Umm…why?"

I mean, because you were so interested in my opinion about them earlier… and I was the first one you tried to feed one of these to, and when I said how good they were, you seemed really happy. And your facial muscles all softened like that… anyone would be able to guess that you had made these.

For a while, Karin squirmed around as if she were embarrassed and didn't know what to do. Finally, she gave me a deep nod.

"… Yeah. I made them. I'm glad… that you like them."

"Ah Thanks Karin, It's really delicious."

The atmosphere in the room strangely took a turn for the awkward, so I also began to squirm bashfully. If Naruko were here, she probably would think this was pretty "gross"… but it's not like I can help it…

Grandpa Hashirama, staring at us all this while, spoke through a mouthful of pumpkin bean paste dorayaki.

"You two, hurry up and get married."

"Mrrphhhh…!?" I almost spurted out my tea.

"O-Ojiichan!" Karin raised her voice, but she got no sympathy from the people around her.

"Ojii-chan does occasionally speak sensibly, doesn't he?" Grandma Mito chuckled and sipped her tea.

It's troubling to say that these two would try to get me and Karin together whenever they had a chance. This is how it's been for quite a few years now, so it's not like I get annoyed about it anymore… but getting ambushed like this about it, I couldn't help but be affected…

Geez… I'm really not good with this kind of atmosphere… Karin seemed to feel the same way, and appeared to have decided on escaping from the living room.

"U-Ughh…! I don't care what you two say anymore! Naruto… let's go to my room."

"A-Ahh." I gave a response and stood up. Hearing the mocking chuckles of Grandpa Hashirama behind me, I followed Karin and left the room.

Walking a bit down the hallway, we ascended a narrow, steep set of stairs. I have to say, I didn't dislike these creaky old stairs. I wonder why… I guess the sound of the creaking put my mind at ease for some strange reason. Right after going up the stairs, we arrived at a sliding screen door that led to Karin's room.

"H-Hold on a second…"

"Alright."

Karin slid the door open a teeny bit, and slipped inside through the crack. She probably wanted to tidy up a bit before letting me in. Putting away ero books that might be lying out in the open… well, that would be my case, but I'm sure Karin also had things that she wasn't keen on me seeing.

I really don't think she actually was hiding something dreadful from me like Naruko had been. But… now that I think about it, it's certainly been a while since I've gone into Karin's room. Nevertheless, it's not like I feel nervous about this or anything. Right then, the sliding door opened, and Karin poked her head out.

"P-Please come in."

"Ahh… sorry for intruding."

With that, I stepped foot into Karin's room. The room smelled like grass and incense, had tatami for flooring, and was six tatami large. There were large windows not only in the room, but also on the side of the hallway, so there was great sun exposure in here. Almost-dazzling sunlight flooded the room, warming both my body and soul. Even though this was also a girl's room, it felt completely different from my sister's room.

There wasn't much furniture; it was basically empty. There were a few drawers and cabinets, a three-sided mirror I guess in the West you would call this a "dresser", and a low dining table… that's all there really was. Lined up in the corner of the room were the only somewhat girl-like things in the room: a collection of colorful cushions and stuffed animals. But, what left the strongest impression on me about the room were things like the jar that she used for God knows what, the hanging scroll style calendar, the framed ukiyo-e-like painting…

"Well, this place sure hasn't changed."

"Don't look so closely around like thaat… it's embarrassiiing…"

What exactly about this jar or this hanging scroll was there to be embarrassed about? I don't understand women at all. Casually sitting down, I stretched out my legs and made myself comfortable. Around a foot away from me, Karin also sat down. She spoke with a strangely impatient tone of voice.

"U-Umm…what should we do?"

"Sleep."

"Ehhh?!"

"S-Sleep…!?"

… What is she surprised about?

"Lately I've been staying up late quite often practicing my bass… well… and I just wanted to lie down and take it easy for a bit. At least now that I'm here."

"A-Ahh… hah."

When Karin cleared up whatever misunderstanding she had fallen into, she sighed and for some reason seemed relieved. What just happened? I really don't understand this girl…

I lay back and stared up at the ceiling.

"By the way, I left all my reference books at school, so I'm definitely not going to study."

"I wasn't going to suggest that… ugh." For a little while, Karin glared at me, but soon she let out a smile.

"You're right… let's just take it easy."

"Mm."

And that's why… we ended up just lazing around. I don't know what that means to other people, but for us, "lazing around" meant just what it sounded like.

"Ah, right… do you want some tea?"

"Mm."

And we drank some tea.

"…"

"…"

Time passed hazily.

"… Aaahh."

And we yawned some.

"By the way, don't you have to prepare for Halloween?"

"I do… but after the shop closes."

"Hm."

"Tonight, we're all going to try our best."

"Well, I'll help then."

"Really? You might be able to help out a lot… there's a lot of physical work to be done. And lately Ojii-chan's back has been hurting… but, are you sure? You're tired, aren't you?"

"I already said it was fine, didn't I? Don't worry about it."

"Thanks… "

And we talked idly. We weren't trying to do anything in particular, but just spent our time relaxed.

"…"

Kneeling and relaxed, Karin poured out some tea. For no particular reason, I found myself staring at her from the side.

"Ah, the tea stalk is floating."

"Ooh, wow."

(◕ω◕✿)

A few hours later… while the women prepared dinner, I cleaned up the shop with Menma and also helped prepare for the following day. We had already pretty much finished cleaning the store, so there was only one thing left to do.

"Gwahh… heavy…!"

From the back of a truck, we had to take some materials to a separate refrigerated room located at the back side of the store. People who have worked part-time for a sweets store can probably empathize, but the bags they used for business were all excessively heavy.

… My arms are probably going to be feeling this tomorrow. Uncle Nagato had already gladly accepted my offer to help. Or should I rather say, the minute he saw me his face lit up, as if he was planning on getting me to help out even if I hadn't asked in the first place. As far as I could remember, Uncle Nagato never had any reservations about putting me to work. Well, that's fine. This way, I don't have to worry either.

"That was the last one… phew."

I wiped off my sweat with the towel I had around my neck. I was inside the refrigerated room, so I could see my breath in front of me. Leaving the refrigerated room and going out into the yard, I saw an apron-wearing Karin waiting for me.

"Thanks for your hard work today, Naruto."

"I'm really tired."

Karin chuckled at my frank confession.

"You really helped us out by being here today. Seriously, thank you… I worked really hard on making dinner, so be sure to eat a lot, alright?"

"Thanks."

"Do you want to eat first? Or do you want to take a bath first?"

"You went through all that trouble of making the meal, so I think I'll eat first. Umm, by the way, bath?"

"Yeah… umm… Dad said that because Naruto came all the way to visit today, he should spend the night… i-it's because dad said so!"

"You don't need to clarify like that… I understand."

She wasn't Naruko, but this girl also occasionally took an attitude I couldn't comprehend.

I responded without hesitation, "Alright, I'll stay the night then."

"Ahh… are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure… I'm fine with it. I'll call Mom and tell her."

Even though she had been the one who asked me… when I agreed to her proposal matter-of-factly, Karin gave me a broad grin. Her expression softened to a point that was difficult to describe.

"Hehe… That makes me happy. It's been such a long time since you've stayed over."

"I guess so. We used to go back and forth between each other's houses so often a long time ago too… but at some point we stopped. I wonder why?"

"Eh? Hmmm… I wonder why…"

We exchanged glances. Thinking about it once again, I couldn't come up with a reason.

… I guess that's just how it was. That's generally how to describe it when people's relationships changed.

"Yeah. Could it be… Naruto is in high school and an adult now, so he gets nervous when he stays over at a girl's house?"

"Why would I get nervous going over to your house at this point?"

"Eh? You're not?"

"I'm not."

Why does she seem a bit unsatisfied with that answer?

"In fact, I feel like I can relax more here than in my own home." At any rate, my little sister wasn't here…

At my words, the previously unsatisfied Karin reversed her attitude. "…I see," she said with a smile.

"Hm? Do you have something you want to say or something?"

"Hmm…? I was just thinking if it would be better that way…"

In the end, I really had no idea what she was talking about.

On our way to the living room, Karin and I bumped into Grandpa Hashirama who had just gotten out of the bathtub.

"Thanks for your hard work! As a reward, you have the privilege of taking a bath with Karin!"

"Shut up, gramps! And don't be wandering around with just a towel on you! You pervert old man!"

"S-Sorry… Naruto. Ugh… everyone is just so…"

"Nah, no problem. I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me at all."

When I responded curtly, Karin for some reason seemed to pout a little. "Hmph, it doesn't bother you at all…?" She went, her lips thinning.

And then… a not particularly eventful dinner passed by. Right now, everyone was resting after their meal. A variety show was on television, and every time the comedian on screen told a joke, Menma guffawed and clapped his hands. It seemed to be pretty easy to get him to laugh.

If everyone were like him, performers would probably have a much more fun time with their jobs. Sitting next to him and watching the same show, I almost wanted to smack him on the back of the head and tell him to shut it. Menma was being loud and seemed to be completely focused on the program, so I lost interest in the television, when suddenly I felt someone's stare on the side of my face.

"Hm?"

Turning in that direction, I happened to make eye contact with Karin, who had been looking at me. We stared at each other with a table between us.

"… Jiii."

Speaking only in mimetic words, Karin stared at me as if she wanted to say something.

"… What is it?"

Faltering a bit, I questioned her. But Karin seemed to be signaling "you should know what!" and didn't break her silence.

"…Jiiii."

"…"

We began our little staring contest. The first person to avert their gaze would be the loser. But I couldn't think of one instance when I had won a competition like this before.

"…"

In just a few moments, I couldn't take it anymore and averted my gaze. I had announced my surrender. But I probably could guess from the very beginning what she was trying to get me to say. Umm… it's probably… I had complimented her on her Halloween candies earlier… so she's hoping for more?

"Ah… about the meal tonight… it was great."

"Hehe… thanks. That makes me happy."

Even though she all but forced me to say it, Karin seemed very happy and her eyes sparkled. To me, there was nothing more awkward than situations like this. And to my great annoyance, she seemed to take pleasure in making me blush like this. Then again, I also took pleasure in annoying Karin… so I really shouldn't be talking here…

"H-Hey, isn't it about time your father got out of the tub?"

"Mm, I guess so."

When I tried to change the subject, Karin glanced up at the clock in the room and put a finger to her lips. As always, her posture was almost perfect. Almost to the point where I was fascinated by her.

"Do you want to go next?"

"I'm fine with going last."

"I'm fine with going after Naruto, you know?"

Karin encouraged me to go take a bath.

"Nah, you go first."

"You don't have to be so restrained here, you know? Naruto, please, go first, go."

These types of exchanges were repeated several more times… at last, Karin seemed to suddenly have thought of something. She clapped her hands lightly.

"Well then."

"… What?"

She quickly leaned forwards, and her head drew near to mine. With a mischievous expression, she softly whispered into my ear.

"I guess we really should go in together?"

"…!?"

It was a trick to make me feel embarrassed… I knew that it was a joke! But, in my carelessness, I was disturbed by her statement.

"Ugh…"

After I bit my bottom lip and calmed my heart, Menma swung his head in our direction from his position lying on the floor watching the TV. Traces of his laughter were still lingering on his face.

"Hey, hey. What kind of secret talk are you two doing?"

"Shut up! Go watch the damn television!"

"Ahaha, Naruto, your face, it's completely red."

"Gngg…!"

This was so frustrating. Dammit, even though it was Karin… she was getting pretty cocky. She seemed strangely confident when she was in her own house. "Home Field Advantage Karin," I should call her. Keh, whoever ends up marrying you, after the marriage is official and he understands what the reality of the situation is, he's going to be tortured day after day by your embarrassing statements. Don't be surprised when he dies in agony from embarrassment.

Hmph… don't think that I'm the same person I used to be though. These few months, I've come into contact with my sister and her otaku friends, and I've contracted a nasty disease. You don't know, do you, the ultimate power that idiots can summon when they're cornered…!? Well, listen up…!

"Alrighty then, let's go in together Karin-chan!"

"H-Hueeeeeeeeehhh!?"

My do-or-die counterattack took its effect, and the triumphant Karin's face suddenly boiled red.

"S-Seriously?"

"Absolutely seriously! You're the one who invited me, so don't back out now!"

Standing up vigorously, I made my declaration with my fists clenched. Seeing me do that, Menma also became extremely excited.

"Uooh! Naruto's acting so cool?! As expected from a man like you bro!"

Indeed, indeed. I'd certainly expect you to understand. After all, you're an idiot.

Having transformed into the manliest of men, I grabbed two bath towels and two changes of clothes, and made a further declaration.

"Come now, Karin! Let us go quickly! To the place where we will take our bath! I will show you my hyper weapon!"

It seemed to be a bad habit of mine lately to not be able to stop once I really got going like this.

"W-Wah…"

With both her eyes as wide as dinner plates, Karin flushed a brilliant red and fiddled with her hands. Hah… serves you right! Now you regret saying that, don't you! But I really might have gone too far. Feeling a bit embarrassed myself, I began to tell Karin that it was all a joke, but… At that time, Karin's quivering lips began to move purposefully…

"Dad! What should I do!? Naruto asked me to take a bath with him!"

"Don't go telling you father idiot!"

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_ஜ57ஜ_

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I was expecting to die once I returned to my senses, but in the end, I took a bath after Uncle Nagato finished. I should probably mention this just in case, but of course, I went in alone.

The Uzumaki household's bathroom was an incredibly average bathroom, and had both a bathtub and a place to rinse off. In the bathtub floated some Japanese iris. The Japanese iris season had already passed long ago, but considering how the bath water felt like it had a lot of things added to it, it was clear that this family customarily threw lots of things into the bath. This was a Japanese iris bath. They had used high quality Japanese iris, and it was a bath that relaxed my nerves and lower back.

Although… I was probably a little too young to appreciate that relaxation… hmm… but just the pleasant smell alone was good enough. The refreshing fragrance and the steam… it wasn't bad at all. It was a rather cramped bath in a rather average household, but it had a certain air of elegance to it. I quickly washed my body, and rinsed the bubbles off in the shower. And then finally, with great anticipation, I stuck a leg into the Japanese iris bath…

"Agh, Hooooooott!" Plunging into the bathtub in one go up to my shoulder, I shut my eyes tightly. The tingling, burning sensation on my skin slowly subsided, and then gradually turned into pleasure.

"Ooooohh…" I was warmed right down to my core. Soaking slowly in warm water was good, but this type of hot bath had its own appeal. I rested the back of my head on the edge of the bathtub, and let out a long sigh.

"Alright… so, what's going to happen tomorrow?"

Karin had said that she was going to help with the Halloween event or whatever. So I guess I would do that too. For the time being, I would see this event through to the end. I was also looking forward to seeing what kind of witch that girl would make. Also, it's not like I hated helping out here at this store. How do I put it… working hard and dripping with sweat was just an activity that seemed to agree with me. Finishing work and soaking in a hot tub like this gave me a feeling of satisfaction that was difficult to replace with anything else… also, it seemed that this weekend was shaping up to be not bad at all.

"And I won't have to come face to face with a certain annoying sister either."

A smile spontaneously broke out across my face. Like that, as I soaked pleasantly in the tub…

Rustle rustle. I heard the rustling of clothes. Hm? Is someone in the changing room? I could see a silhouette on the other side of the steam-obscured glass. The person… seemed to be undressing… Huh? Wha-eh…?

"W-Wah…don't tell me she seriously is…!"

Rustle rustle rustle. As I became more and more disturbed, I stared at the changing room. Is she an idiot!? Did she really take the joke that seriously!? Uwaah…what should I do? I-If this were an eroge, this would probably lead to an event CG…!

I tightly grasped the edge of the tub. I-I mean, it's not like I'm nervous or something. F-For now, I should probably wrap myself in a towel at least. The instant I began to move to do that, the door to the changing room opened.

"Yooo! Naruto, let me wash your back!"

"It was you!?" I threw the wash basin at the intruder.

Bang! It hit the Marukome priest right on.

"Agh, ow!"

It's probably not necessary to mention that the boy who had bent backwards from taking my attack was Menma. Hah, so that's how it is… that's how it is… I had thought it would turn out to be something like this…

"D-Don't screw with me! You… you… do you have any idea what you did!?"

"Bro, why are you half-crying and getting so angry so suddenly!?"

"As if I know!"

After getting out of the bath and getting comfy again in the living room, I saw Grandma Mito coming into the room.

"Naruto-chan, I laid out your futon for you in the usual room."

"Mmm, thanks."

The "usual room" was my mother old room when she was still lived here. I used it whenever I came over to this house to stay over.

"Ah, is it already this late…?"

Looking up at the clock, I saw that it was around ten. Perhaps it was because they had to worry about the shop, but the Uzumaki household went to bed early. I should probably also retire to my room soon.

"I'm going to go to sleep soon."

"Ah, well, then I'll go back to my room too…"

Following me, Karin also stood up. By the way, at this point we had both already changed into our pajamas. A little while ago, Karin had just gotten out of the tub. She didn't have her glasses on and her hair was still slightly wet.

"Hehe… being together here with each other just before going to sleep… how long has it been?"

"Hmm. Probably around four years, I would say."

We talked as we walked down the hallway. Karin took the lead and went up the stairs.

"You look a bit unsteady there. You alright?"

"Ah, yeah… I just got out of the bath and I don't have my glasses on…"

"Hm, I see."

This was sort of dangerous. Preparing myself to support her just in case she fell, I ascended to the second floor. The closest sliding door led to Karin's room.

"Well… good night."

"Ah, g'night."

Seeing Karin off into her room, I slid open the door to my own room.

"W-wha!" Suddenly, the breath caught in my throat.

The futon that Grandma Mito had laid out for me was there. Except, there were two. A pair of futons were very neatly laid out next to each other. A so-called "husband and wife" arrangement.

"W-What the hell is this?! W-What-"

"What's wrong?"

"Ehh!?"

When I looked back, Karin was right behind me.

"W-Why are you here!?"

"Y-You don't have to be that surprise. Uhh, well, for some reason, my futon disappeared… I went back into the hallway to figure out what was going on and I saw you standing so stiffly over here… umm, is there something interesting in the room?"

"Don't look! Don't look in the room!"

My warning didn't seem to make it to her in time, and behind me, Karin also peeked into the room.

"Eeehhh!?"

And she also stiffened. Her body seeming to convulse, Karin pointed at the two futons.

"W-What is that supposed to be!? T-That… that's my futon, isn't it!?"

"… That… appears to be the case." I nodded solemnly. Karin raised her voice.

"Did you lay these out!? You wanted to sleep next to me!?"

"N-N-N-N-Nooo! What the hell are you saying!? A-Are you an idiot!? Who would do something like… don't come to such a strange misunderstanding!"

Having been completely shaken, we began to act rather dodgily. We had even forgotten the events from a few minutes ago.

"B-But but! Look at how they're right next to each other! It looks like something a newlywed couple would use!"

"F-For now let's just calm down! C-C-Calm down and let's figure out what's going on! Mm, yes, there's no mistaking it, this is my doing…!"

"Naruto, calm down! There's so much that doesn't make sense with that!"

"Ugh! To think that the day would come when you would be the one retorting against me!"

I mean… it's not like I had to calm down and think about it calmly to realize that Grandma Mito's doing. That old hag… with her "Naruto, I laid out your futon for you in the usual room" …putting on such a kind expression but then going and doing something so unnecessary like this…!

"Hah. Well, for now, shall we put the futon back where it belongs?"

"Eh? We're putting it back?"

"That's obvious, isn't it!? What's up with that surprised expression!?"

"I don't mind… even like this… it's fine…"

"We're putting it back!"

Flatly cutting down that inappropriate line of thought, I began to pick up Karin's futon. However, at that time, I heard an anguished "Guooh!" from behind me.

"W-What?!"

When I turned around, I saw Grandpa Hashirama crouching in the hallway, grasping his chest. He was mumbling something like "the futon… the futon…" Karin hurriedly rushed to his side.

"Ojii-chan! Are you alright?!"

"A-Ahh… I'm alright. No need to worry… it's just that when I saw Naruto trying to carry the futon, it triggered some wartime trauma for me and I had a few heart spasms."

"…"

What the hell was up with that outrageously specific trigger? He's joking, right? Exactly what in the world happened to him during the war? Also, gramps, you were hiding and watching us, weren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to time this so well. As I thought, you're an accomplice to this crime.

Grandpa Hashirama spoke with an exaggerated expression, "If you don't line those two futons up by each other, I will be killed by the pumpkin's curse."

He's just saying whatever the hell he wants. My eyes half closed, I glanced at him, and once again picked up the futon.

"Ugooh!? Gyoeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhh…!?"

… Let's try putting the futon down then.

"… Haah, haah, haah… T-That was close. I barely escaped death that time. I saw baa-chan on the other side of the Sanzu River."

"Obaa-chan is downstairs watching television, isn't she!?"

Hey gramps, there's a limit to how bad your acting can be, you know… feeling blood vessels popping on my forehead, I once again picked up the futon. As expected, he once again grabbed his chest.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh…! Uwaaaaaaah…?!"

"Alright! Alright, I got it, so cut it out!"

"Cough, cough… Really?"

Don't look at me with upturned eyes like that! Completely stunned, I could do nothing but nod. He was a terrible actor, but if I made him go through that act a few more times, he seriously might die.

"Ah, ahh… she can sleep here. It's not like it's a bit deal… right?"

Looking to Karin for confirmation, I saw her gently return a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it… if even Naruto is fine with it…"

How should I put it… it was an incredibly ordinary response. W-Well…it's not like I didn't know she would respond that way…

Hey, Karin. If you make such lackadaisical responses to other guys, I'm absolutely certain they would misunderstand. And for that reason… in the end, I ended up sleeping lined up with Karin in the same room. Of course, we jerked the futons apart so they wouldn't look like they had been arranged for a married couple.

"It feels like… we're kids again, doesn't it…?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that we always slept like this next to each other back when we used to stay over at each other's houses."

"Yeah… to think that we would be sleeping together like this again even though we're much older… I never would have guessed something like this would happen."

Both lying down, we exchanged glances and smiled wryly. If I gave her the benefit of the doubt, Grandpa Hashirama might have laid these futons out like this for no other reason than because we used to sleep like this. Although, there was no room to doubt that he was not nearly as innocent. Well, it's not a big deal. If it were any other girl, there would be a lot more to be concerned about, but this is Karin we're talking about.

"… I'm going to sleep now. Good night."

"Mm… Good night, Naruto."

I turned off the lights and shut my eyes. In the silence, only the regular ticks of the clock echoed through the room. One minute, ten minutes… probably more than that passed. My consciousness of the time passing faded away…

"… Naruto. Are you…still awake?" Karin muttered into the silent room.

"… I'm still awake." After I responded like that, there was a period of silence, and then…

"Umm… it would be nice if we could go to the same college, wouldn't it?"

Hey hey. Why are you bringing that up now…? It's too early talking about that. …I managed to keep myself from responding in an overly surprised manner.

"… Yeah, it would be." I responded. It didn't matter if we were talking about unnecessary or meaningless things right now. That's what I thought. So I also started speaking aimlessly.

"If after we graduate from high school, we go to the same college… I wonder what would happen then."

It was a very vague question. But at the same time, it was also something I always thought about. It's not like I was expecting an answer. It wasn't a question that had any particular aim, after all. Karin seemed to be thinking about it for a little while.

"Probably… not much would change, I think."

On one hand, her response was noncommittal and vague… it was a carefree response I would expect from her. But, in a way, it was also the response I was looking for.

"Ah, maybe."

When she told me that, "yeah, maybe" is what came to mind. After we graduate from high school, start attending college, many things would change. But at the same time, there would be many things that would not change.

"Heh, I feel that even when we're graduating from college, you would say the same thing."

I smiled wryly. Glancing next to me, I saw Karin blinking with surprise. But then, she smiled.

"Mm… I guess so… I'll be saying the same thing forever, won't I…?"

I wonder how far into the future she's envisioning… but her tone of voice was soft. For some reason, her words left a strong impression on me. They were reassuring, I think.

"…"

"…"

We both once again fell into silence. Karin was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"Back in the day, we used to always go to each other's houses, and stay over… like this, didn't we?"

"…?"

I felt like we had talked about a similar topic already.

"But recently we haven't… I mean… so…"

What exactly is so hard for her to say here? Karin seemed to be searching for the right words for a while, but at last…

"… Sorry. It was nothing."

And she pulled her blanket up to her mouth. I watched the situation in front of my eyes…

"Well, next time, want to come over to my house?"

I suddenly said that. I remembered that it had been quite a while since Karin had been over to my house. Girls were creatures that never directly said what they wanted. That was a fact that I had come to have quite a bit of first-hand experience with lately. Thanks to a certain girls I've deal recently.

So this was something that the old me would never have said. Do you want to come over to my house next time? Having been asked that, Karin seemed very surprised and opened her eyes wide, blinking rapidly. Next, with her mouth still hidden under her blanket, she nodded.

"Umm… yeah… I'd like to go."

I couldn't see the look on her face because it was hidden under the futon. But just by the happily thinned shape of her eyes, I didn't need to see the rest of her to know.

"Ah, alright. Then… sooner or later, we'll do it."

And the night advanced exceedingly lazily. By the way, I definitely have to say this, but just because we were sleeping lined up next to each other, doesn't mean we did what you were hoping we did. Sorry to burst your bubble.

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