At 6am the next morning, Shidou, humming a song, was preparing his gear for the incoming batte.
Yes.
The Komiket was not a simple event.
It was a war, a battlefield with strict rules but merciless foes. Sweat, tears, blood were spilled every edition: the stakes were too important for one to come out clean of it.
When limited goodies and books were at stakes, every determined otaku could kill… legally, at least.
Surprisingly, if people fought fiercely inside the Komiket area, there were almost zero conflict outside.
One could think that some people could be robbed of their goods outside, yet it didn't happen: all of the participants had their pride after all.
Maybe, participating in several Komikets had prepared Shidou to his dates with the Spirit ; after all, they were wars too…
Shidou couldn't help but laugh when this thought crossed his mind.
No wonder he had survived all along: surviving a Komiket was a feat in itself.
These were good memories, although mixed with his dark past…
Shidou shook his his head and double checked his stuff.
"So… water bottles, military rations, painkillers, two charged phones, an emergency battery, a Komiket plan, two towels. All of this inside a small suitcase, the maximum size authorized by the Komiket rules. I don't think I forgot anything…"
The Komiket opened at 7:30am to the public. The day before, Shidou had received a message from Kotori indicating that she would wait for him at 7am at the train station.
They would arrive in time for the grand opening, though it was certain there would a huge mass of people ahead of them (even though camping in front of the Tenguu Stadium was not authorized, there were people determined enough to come at dawn).
"Yosh! Time to go!"
Shidou put on a casual outfit along with a parka, as winter was coming, then exited the Itsuka household.
Kotori's sudden invitation was worrying, but at the same time, Shidou felt nostalgic.
He was not the same passionate as before but mangas, anime and light novels still held a place in his heart and he still buying the Jump.
"I hope they will announce the next volume of Overlord or OreShura…" Shidou whispered to himself.
Shidou arrived at the train station just on time. Since it was a worked day, the station was quite crowded with people at that hour.
From what he understood, the train was late, which was unusual especially on a Komiket day.
On top of that, half of the people here were Komiket attendants.
They could be spotted thanks to their gear and appearance, most of them being otakus with the cliché messy hair and glasses; some of them were carrying anime merch or cosplaying anime characters, even virtual youtubers and VOCALOIDs.
Shidou found his way near the screen that displayed the next trains to arrive.
(Where is Kotori? She could've guessed that it would be difficult to meet here…wait, did she even come back yesterday's night? I didn't see her at all…)
Shidou took off his phone out of his pocket and was about to call her when his eyes met with someone he knew.
(Wait, that's…)
"Nia?!"
"Boy?!"
Chance or not, Shidou just found himself in front of Nia, who was equipped like him to attend the Komiket.
"Why are you here?!" Shidou yelled.
"No, why are you here?!" Nia replied on the same tone.
Strange fact, Nia looked flustered; she would usually immediately tease Shidou, but at this moment, she looked like a timid maiden.
Shidou was as troubled as her.
He had the feeling he had been set up; it was too much of a coincidence.
(Going with Nia at the Komiket… there is only one person who would think of that!)
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Shidou's worry grew tenfold.
All of sudden, his phone ringed.
Mechanically, Shidou answered, his eyes still fixated on Nia –who was making a strange face as if she had swallowed a lemon–.
"Yes?
"Shidou? Did you meet with Nia as planned?
"What do you mean, as planned?! No, I knew it was you! What is going on, Kotori?!"
"Huh? Don't shout like that. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to turn into a Super Sayan."
"That's not what I was trying to do!" Shidou yelled, instantly attracting the attention of several people around him.
"If you say so. That aside, you have a date to attend… or should I say, a war."
"You lied to me! You told me you wanted your Onii-chan to accompany you!" Shidou responded aloud.
He immediately regretted his words as he noticed disgusted glares from several persons.
"He calls himself Onii-chan…"
"Disgusting…"
"I'm sure he's a siscon…"
"His favorite tag is surely incest…"
Shidou wanted to cry, confronted with such animosity. However, he gulped and listened to Kotori.
"Well, let's say I gave my place to Nia. Which means you owe me one by the way."
"How?!"
Shidou was about to argue again when Kotori's tone became colder than the Mt Fuji's summit.
"If you don't go, your 3rd secret journal will be distributed to the whole city, and photos of you cosplaying the Dark Flame Master* will be displayed on Raizen Highschool main gate."
"Okayyyy! I'll go! I'll do iiiit!" Shidou screamed.
"Thanks, Onii-chan! We'll stay in contact with you as always, don't forget your earbud!"
Shidou, mortified, put back his phone into his pocket and sighed deeply.
"Nee, Boy…"
Shidou turned back and had the surprise to find a blushing Nia, averting her gaze.
"…is going out with me such a bother to you?..."
Her reaction, so different from her usual self –and so cute at the same time– took Shidou aback.
"Ermmm, no, that's not…"
"No, that's okay, why would Boy go out with such a disgusting otaku like me…"
"Wait, why do you sound like Natsumi here?!"
Shidou felt cold sweat dripping on his back as well as the hostility from males around him.
Nia was not what one could call a "disgusting otaku".
She had not busty curves, but her unusual hair color, her slender silhouette and beautiful face decorated with red glasses made her look like an intellectual beauty.
Plus, she herself called her an otaku, and every male otaku dreamt of a girl sharing the same passion.
Seeing Shidou apparently rejecting this kind of girl made them jealous and full of hatred.
"Die, die die…"
"Another riajuu who comes here…"
"He dares to reject such a goddess…"
"Google… How to murder someone in public without being arrested…search…"
Shidou winced.
"Okay, okay, I got it! Nia, it's fine by me! Let's go to the Komiket together!"
"For real?"
"Yes!"
At the same time, the train finally arrived.
It was later revealed that Ratatoskr had retarded the train to allow Nia and Shidou to reunite.
The train was cramped and silent.
Shidou's back was pressed against Nia's chest. Even though he didn't feel anything (he couldn't tell her that), it was quite embarrassing.
He was feeling awkward from this and the fact that none of them talked.
Inside Fraxinus' main control room, Kotori, Reine and the crewmembers were monitoring the scene thanks to a small camera placed in the wagon.
Ratatoskr had a large surveillance net, even though it basically violated every law regarding privacy.
"Maria." Kotori called.
"Yes?"
"We can't have them spending the entire trip without doing anything. Scan their mood and propose something Shidou could say to Nia to ease her."
"Roger that. Analyzing the wavelengths."
A few seconds later, three choices appeared on the screen of each crewmember.
1) Ask Nia if she has plans for the Komiket
2) Turn back and launch a surprise kiss attack
3) Take advantage of the situation to grope her
"The third one is clearly a crime!" Kotori pointed out. "All members, vote! And if anyone dares to choose the third…"
The results displayed an instant later.
"As expected, the first is the one with most of the votes. And… I think I guess who voted the third option."
Kotori glared at her second in command.
"Kannazuki."
"As expected of the Commander!"
"Do you know of Sisyphus's boulder?"**
"No?"
"Well, it's an occasion then."
Kotori called two massive guards.
"Take him at Tenguu City's park higher hill. Find him a boulder, make him roll up to the top and then, have him do it again and again. If he dares to faint, wake him up with a bucket of iced water."
"Yes!"
The two gorillas dragged Kannazuki away.
"Thank youuu, Commandeee—"
The door shut, leaving only silence in the control room.
What worried the most the crewmembers was that they were now used to this kind of commotion.
Kotori coughed then resumed her posture.
"Shidou. Choose the first option."
"Kotori?" Shidou whispered. "Did I hear something like a long, happy scream right now?..."
"Not at all. Just do as I told you."
"Yes?..."
Behind him, Nia was gazing away, doing her best to ignore Shidou's presence.
Shidou turned back and gave her a smile.
"Hemm, Nia…"
"Hm? Yes, Boy?"
"Do you have per chance some plan for the Komiket? Like… a list of the books you want to buy?"
Nia suddenly snorted.
"Huuuh?! Who do you take me for, Boy?! Are you trying to insult my otaku's soul?! Of course I have planned my entire day! My first, second, and third list of most wanted dedicated books and blurays! My escape routes and even my testament were I to die today! I have memorized the booths emplacements of all the halls! Don't underestimate me!"
Nia's furious speech attracted the attention of all the people around them.
Shidou, overwhelmed by her passion, could only smile with embarrassment and keep his mouth shut.
Even though, he heard murmurs around him.
"…going to the Komiket with an older girl…and she's cute…"
"That bastard… having such a wonderful girlfriend…"
"Curse you…"
In order not to be scared to death by the threatening whispering around him, Shidou gave Nia his full attention.
And, to his own –as well as Ratatoskr crewmembers– surprise, he found himself all flared up, contaminated by Nia's burning passion.
No, to be precise, his old chuuni otaku heart had awoken thanks to Nia love for 2D.
When he read her list, he noticed that most of the titles she wanted were ones he himself liked before or dropped. Yet, his love for them was intact.
(Aaah, that's true… one could never forger these feelings. Even if it's 2D… I once swore an oath of allegiance to them. I may have forgotten the words of my oath, but I didn't forget the oath itself…)
Shidou seemed to awaken himself, like he just had a revelation.
Maybe… Maybe he had lost his faith before but had found it again.
Because of that, when they arrived at Tenguu Square –the convention center where the Comico Colosseum had been held–, Nia and Shidou attracted attention.
Everyone around them stopped talking. Some people even asked themselves if this was the effect of an enemy's Stand.
Because.
Nia and Shidou were literally emitting an aura. A light mist was enveloping them, and the sun shafts reflected it, bathing them in a halo similar to ki in mangas.
An aura that showed their iron will, their determination to fight and how deep their passion was.
Even insensitive people –mere humans– could feel it and when they would gaze at the unusual couple, they would instinctively lightly bow their head, showing their respect. What else could they do?
Thanks to that, they didn't wait for long in the queue: the staff members, shocked by their confidence, confounded them with special guests and gave them priority over the common attendants.
While walking onwards, Nia and Shidou discussed strategy.
They thought of doing the Komiket together at first but quickly changed their mind.
In a convention such as the Komiket, the point was not about observing the booths or having fun.
The entire point was to get the books, blurays and goodies you were seeking for before they would run out of stock.
Nothing else mattered.
Thus, they combined the list of the goods they wanted, and thanks to Nia's preparations, traced two itineraries to get everything they wanted.
Of course, their mutual routes included mixed things: as for example Shidou would not visit only booths that interested him but booths were Nia needed stuff as well.
It was not about what they each wanted: the ultimate goal was optimization to get the best of each route, so of course they would help each other like that.
Just before separating, they looked at each other in the eyes, and hit their fists together while shouting aloud the otaku's Golden Rules.
"ONE TO STORE, ONE TO LOOK AT AND ONE TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL!"***
Their war cry echoed, provoking a commotion and then an ovation from of all of their fellow otaku.
Overflowing with fighting spirit and confidence, Nia and Shidou split up and plunged into the Komiket's battlefield.
And just like that, their (separate) date (war) began.
"What the hell are they doing?! They're supposed to be on a date and yet they split up?!" Kotori exclaimed, furiously hitting her armrest with her fist.
Much to her dismay, Shidou had taken off his earbud, solely concentrated on his current task.
Thanks to mini Yggfolium cameras, Kotori and the rest of the crew were able to follow Nia and Shidou's movements.
But that was all they could do.
Fraxinus crew was supposed to provide support to Shidou on his date… only if he was with a girl. Without a girl, it was not even a date.
On their seats, "Dimension Breaker" Nakatsugawa and "Boss" Mikimoto sighed in unison.
"Commander Itsuka… you obviously know nothing about events like the Komiket" Nakatsugawa said in a religious tone. "I personally commend Shidou's choice and praise his passion, as well as Nia's. If there was a choice to do here, it surely was the good one!"
On his seat, Mikimoto vigorously nodded.
"Agreed! Shidou's calculations are perfect. I mean, you can date your girlfriend every day if you want. But the Komiket is not open every day. Between a time-limited event and the daily quests, which one would you spend your stamina on? That's obvious!"
"Reine, remind me to cut these otaku's salary."
"Yes."
"Why?!"
"Kotori" Reine added, ignoring her coworkers pleas. "The Spirits are worried about Shin's disappearance. What should I tell them?"
Kotori sighed and changed her position in her commander seat.
"Let them come here so they can see that Shidou is fine."
"Are you sure? Seeing Shidou on a date alone with Nia could provoke some issues…"
"I'll deal with that."
"Roger."
Meanwhile, inside Tenguu Square, Komiket.
A crowd, no, an ocean of people was on the move.
All the lines and queues were perfect, no one was running, but still, the battle was raging, the cashiers' movements were blurred and many voices of ladies were heard, trying to appeal and attract more buyers.
It was common for sellers to hire cosplayers of their characters to sell more: it was an old tactic but still effective…
All the booths had set up a limit: one customer could on buy up to three copies of a book or a bluray.
This rule allowed them to respect the otaku golden rules and to cancel the risk of having someone creating a stock to sell it on the black market.
Time limited editions could sell for a tidy sum, after all.
"Here is your change! Thank you very much!"
"Thank you!"
Shidou thanked the booth seller, put his three copies in his suitcase and immediately headed to his next objective.
Time was the essence. Each minute spent on a booth counted.
Also, walking in a convention was not an easy feat. If you followed the masses, you'd advance at a snail pace.
No, one had to constantly analyze the crowd movements, anticipate the others paces, avoid the obstacles and determine in a fraction of seconds the best path.
Shidou, on his side, considered the whole thing like an arcade game, like the ones where you had to avoid enemies coming at you.
With his keen vision and senses, Shidou kept an accurate control on his movements and saw every movement in a 10m radius around him, allowing him to move with perfect ease while monitoring several escape routes.
Even in a crowd, Shidou could move easily through: one who would look at him from afar would think he was a ninja.
It was one of his secret otaku skills, that one in a million could develop.
Ghost Walker (Perfect Contrast).
Of course, the name was 100% Shidou © (he just put together words he found cool).
Nia and him had prepared their routes by priority; the goods that were not at risk were the last ones to be bought.
However, it was only probabilities and calculations; the reality was different.
Shidou almost missed several books because of that.
Almost, because when the situations were dire, he used the powers of the Angels he had access to.
As for example, when a seller could only give him two books (as he ran out of stock), Shidou used Gabriel to persuade someone to give him the third copy he needed.
When while waiting in a line, he noticed that when his turn would come, the blurays would be sold out, he used Michael to create a gate and take three copies, leaving money in their place.
He even used Haniel to turn himself into a staff member and shamelessly cut the lines when he needed to.
In normal times, Shidou would feel guilty about using his power like this… but Komiket was a war, and all is fair in love and war.
And so, a Boy using Angels acquired by kissing girls was rampaging through an otaku event to get the books and blurays he wanted at all cost.
Seeing his behavior, Kotori was literally howling in Fraxinus' control room, in vain; Shidou was obsessed with his task.
Nia, on her side, did not need superpowers to get her list. As a veteran of the Komiket (she had seen the first edition after all), she knew all the tricks helpful in such an event.
An urban legend would be born from that Komiket after Nia, under her pen name, would post a picture of their catch of the day: "The Insane Couple that Managed to Achieve the Komiket Pilgrimage Within One Day".
The Komiket Pilgrimage was a sacred achievement known only by connoiseurs.
To achieve it, one should visit the top 100 booths of the convention and get copies from all of them.
Because of the crowd densities and all the random factors, achieving such a feat was almost impossible even with a crew of people acting together; a few chosen ones would do it within the four days of the even.
Eventually, the Komiket came to an end and after salves of ap
plauses from all the attendants, closed its gates for the night.
It would reopen the next day at the same hour, but for Nia and Shidou, it was over as they had achieved all their goals –on top of the Komiket Pilgrimage–.
Nia and Shidou were patiently waiting in front of the train station, overflowing with people.
As always at the rush hour, the trains were full at the point train employees would have to gently pack and squeeze them so they could close the gates.
"Eeehh… I'm so tired…" Shidou sighed, stretching his arms.
"That's what happens when you use your powers recklessly" Nia replied.
She was surprised and somewhat disappointed by Shidou's behavior, but at the same time, impressed by the passion he had shown.
He was willing to go that far to get the books she wanted (Shidou fighting spirit had been awoken by her but still, most of the things of the list were her wishes).
Knowing that he would do such a thing for her made her happy.
"Boy…"
"Yes, Nia?"
"Thank you for today."
"No, thank you.
"Hm?"
Shidou made an embarrassed face.
"I mean… it was fun. Even if we were not together the whole time…"
"Eh, wait for Kotori's scolding. After all, may I remind you that you used your powers to get blurays and books?"
"… but it was for a good cause."
"Yes, but it's cheating. It's a no-no."
"… it was for you…" Shidou whispered.
Nia's heart went doki for a second.
"What?"
"Forget it."
"Did you cast an Illusion spell on my ears or did you just say…"
"I didn't say anything" Shidou mumbled.
"You look like Origamin, you know?"
"…"
"You know what, Boy? I'll let it slide if you come to my home and enjoy with me the fruits of our victory. Buying books is good, reading them is better!"
Shidou smiled wryly.
It seemed he would not sleep much this night.
"Deal."
Kotori, Fraxinus' crew and the other Spirits where watching Nia and Shidou's doing on the giant screen inside the main control room.
"…"
Kotori was making a strange face, as if her Chupa-Chups had turned into a lemon flavor one all of sudden.
"Reine" she called.
"Yes?"
"Do you think it's…safe to let Shidou and Nia together an entire night?..." Kotori asked after a silence.
At this moment, two girls stepped forward.
"I think it would be better for me to join them and watch over them" Origami said. "From under the sheets and with lots of love potions."
"Fufufu, I too want to sleep with Darling alone! ~" Miku smiled (she was back from her idol tour, but seeing that Shidou was not home, had contacted Kotori). "But I'm sure a four person experience is great too!"
"Shut it, you two. Don't forget there are children here!" Kotori scolded, pointing at Yoshino and Tohka –fortunately for these two's purity, Yuzuru and Natsumi had blocked their ears so they would not hear the perv talk–.
Reine played with the stuffed bear in her breast pocket.
"Kotori, you should not worry about Shin's innocence. He is way too pure to have such corrupted thoughts."
"That's right, that baka Onii-chan is so dense…" Kotori murmured.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"… it's nothing. Fine, let them do as they want to. This is their date, after all, but let's watch them closely. I don't want things to escalate further!"
Her commander and loving sister personalities mixed for a moment.
Shidou and Nia first ordered pizzas to replenish their energy.
Because of that, Tohka almost drown Fraxinus' bridge with her saliva and Kotori had to deactivate the teleporter as Mukuro wanted to serve as Shidou's personal maid.
After that, Nia and Shidou began an anime marathon, followed by a relaxation time where they read their hard acquired books.
They exchanged their favorites quotes and moments, the scenes that gave them chills or made them cry, and anecdotes concerning the upcoming anime and their adored seiyuu.
The alchemy between these two was truly a sight for otakus, but aboard Fraxinus, only Nakatsugawa would nod and comment at Nia and Shidou's interactions.
Shidou could finally show his "dark side" to someone and talk freely of his passions without being called a gross otaku.
Nia was happy to share all the knowledge she had gathered before with Rasiel concerning her passions.
She disliked spoilers, of course, but using Rasiel, she had learnt valuable secrets and anecdotes about that manga or that light novel; anecdotes that seemed tasteless to normies but precious to those in love with the 2D culture.
"Hey, Boy. Do you know of ZHIEND?"****
"Of course! The post-rock group with the band vocalist is the same seiyuu as Iwasawa in Angel Beats! And the songs are covered by the same real singer in the two anime!"
"Huhuu, not bad, Boy. But do you know what ZHIEND means?"
"…no?"
"Spell it aloud.
"ZHIEND… I don't see…"
"Boy, your Engrish is terrible. ZHIEND can also be spelled… The End. Do you get it now?"
"OOOOOOOH!"
Yes, that was that kind of stuff they shared.
However, when the two of them attacked their R18 doujin bag, Kotori had to find a way to quickly get Yoshino, Yoshinon and Tohka away from the control room so their innocence would not be shattered.
Hours later, late in the night.
All the Spirits, excepted Kotori, had gone back to the Itsuka household to sleep. Seeing Nia and Shidou reading different books and mangas and occasionally exchanging otaku talks was not so exciting to watch.
Even the crewmembers had taken their leave.
Kotori and Reine, however were still watching the giant screen.
According to Kotori's plan –even if Shidou using his Angels to get books was not part of it–, Nia and Shidou's date was going smoothly.
It was true that they did not have much time together, and these shared moments was heartwarming even to Kotori.
Kotori then noticed that Nia was sleeping in her bed covered with books and blurays, her light novel still in her hands.
Her face was peaceful and smiling.
Shidou, who was reading a manga, raised his head and smirked when he saw Nia.
He get up and approached her bed.
During an infamous second, Kotori thought that Shidou would do something that would label him as a criminal, but much to her relief, he just took Nia's blanket and covered her.
At that moment.
Nia grumbled and in her sleep, rolled on the side.
Her arm accidentally moved her pillow, revealing a book.
It was not weird for Nia to have a book even under her pillow, but it was indeed intriguing.
Shidou's eyes, following Nia's sudden movement, fell on the book.
Shidou himself made a curious face and his hands slowly reached the book.
Kotori, however, was not paying attention to the scene.
"I suppose that when Shidou will be done with his stalking doing, he will go home. With that, it should be okay…"
She reported her attention to the screen.
The book Shidou was holding was quite a light one, but it was indeed a manga.
Suddenly.
"Kotori. Shin's values are… conflicted. I've never seen that."
One glance at the datas sufficed to Kotori.
Shidou's mood level was very strange. It was like… he was happy but trying to restrain his happiness. His emotions were as Reine said, conflicted.
"What does…"
On the screen, Shidou suddenly dropped the book and ran out of Nia's apartment; fortunately, he did not wake her up.
Kotori would never forget Shidou's face from that moment.
Painful and resigned at the same time.