"Welcome To Hyakka Girls Festival" Translation Directory
Story
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Summary
"After a series of coincidences, Toi discovers a huge truth hiding within HAMA Tours—Ushio is an otaku too!
Toi sees an opportunity for friendship and sits Ushio down to tell him all about his beloved otome games in hopes of bonding over their shared love of geeky things. Toi puts together a mountain of heart melting scenes to show Ushio, all with the goal of becoming his kyunpanion.
Ushio, on the other hand, comes from a different side of the otaku world, and though he feels somewhat at a loss, he gives Toi’s games a go nonetheless. Little by little, he begins to see the fun in the gameplay, yet he never quite comes to understand what it means to go kyun.
Eventually, Toi finds the resolve in himself to invite Ushio to a massive, upcoming otome-oriented event―Hyakka Girls Festival!"
You just need me to go to the west building and grab the exclusive “PatiBattle” handouts from the Shonen Dive booth, right?
Ushio: Yes, that would be amazing. I'll be lining up with Toi-san at the east building in the meantime.
Toi: ......
Ushio: Toi-san? Is something wrong?
Toi: No, not at all.
Ushio: I know you probably aren't familiar with events like this, Kamina-san, so I'll completely understand if you aren’t able to get any merch either…
Yukikaze: Thank you, but I intend to do everything I can not to disappoint my little brothers.
Well then, I better be getting in line now. Let’s do our best today.
Ushio: …We’ve made it in line.
Toi: Mhm.
Ushio: What’s the deal with those glasses Kamina-san was wearing…?
Toi: He calls it his trusty Chief-acclaimed disguise.
Ushio: I didn’t know whether to ask about it when he waltzed up with them on, so I just let him do his thing…people are going to be freaked out by him though…
Toi: …Um…Ushio-kun?
Ushio: What's up?
Toi: I thought we were going to ask Yukikaze-san to come with me while you go to the Shonen Dive booth…
Ushio: …That did cross my mind honestly.
Toi: So you are worried about m—
Ushio: Shopping isn’t the only way to enjoy an event, you know.
Toi: ...?
Ushio: I mean, you know…
Having someone I can talk about nerdy stuff with while we wait around in line…
It was always, kind of…something I wished I had.
Toi: ...!
Ushio: But that’ll have to wait until next time. The only thing you need to be doing right now is getting some rest…
Toi: Yeah…next time!
Ushio: I brought a folding chair with me that you could use. It looks like the line’s at a standstill so it should be fine to take it out.
Toi: Oh, I actually packed one too. Why don’t we both use them while we wait?
Ushio: Heh…it really is a must-have, huh?
Toi: Fufu, you get me!
Security Guard: Please follow the person ahead of you and keep the line moving.
Ushio: Looks like we’re nearly there.
Toi: Yeah! I’m feeling a lot better now too…
Toi & Ushio: Let’s do this!!!
Toi: Okay, let’s get started on that route I planned out!
Ushio: The first booth is the company behind TenPri, right?
Toi: Mhm. That company is a major, well-established name in the industry so they’ll have a lot of freebies to give out...
Since they won't run out, me and the other valkyries tend to save their booth for later in the day.
Ushio: (HGF attendees are called valkyries, huh…?)
Toi: But if we stop by there first, we’ll be able to avoid running into people…!
Ushio: Oh right, I told you I don’t like crowds…
(He’s a life saver. I’m impressed though, only a seasoned veteran could think of that…!)
Busy Valkyrie: Ugh, I keep getting cursed with more and more faves every year!!! Everywhere I look, I see them!!!
Anxious Valkyrie: Come on, come on…I need to see MASARU’s exclusive HGF cut-out right now…!!!
Seasoned Valkyrie: Nothing beats the air at an event!!! I can feel my lifespan extending just from breathing it in!!! Huff, huff!!!
Ushio: W-Woah..!
Toi: Are you okay, Ushio-kun!?
Ushio: ah…there’s a lot of people…
(Why’s it so much harder for me to avoid everyone? Is the flow of traffic really that different from ComiPara…!?)
Toi: (Oh no…it looks like even the emptier routes that I picked out are still too much for Ushio-kun…)
What should I do—
Victorious Valkyrie: Geez, this thing's heavy! My haul's practically bursting out of my bag! I better let my friend know that I scored the merch they wanted too!
Toi: Bag…?
…! I have an idea!
Do you mind if I change the battle plan, Ushio-kun? There's a different booth I think we should start at!
Ushio: Huh? But why…
Toi: Just trust me!
Toi: Good, they still had some left…!
Ushio: Are those…Thunderflame and RFMD mega totes…!?
Toi: Hold these over your sides, Ushio-kun. They might make it a little harder to move, but give it a try!
They should help space out the traffic—space out the valkyries, I mean—and lower the risk of bumping into people.
Ushio: Oh, I get it, they’re a shield…!
Ushio: ( Lysander, Joshua…!!! Have you come to protect me…?)
…I think I can work with this.
Toi: Ehehe, thank goodness. Let’s get back on track then!
Ushio: (...Thanks to these shopping bags shielding me, I’ve had a better chance to look around.)
(I usually skip over the corporate booths, so it’s exciting seeing how elaborate their displays are—)
Toi: Get away from that line, Ushio-kun!
Ushio: !?
Toi: That’s the meet and greet area…!
It’s where people line up if they won the chance to receive official merch directly from the hands of the characters' voice actors!
Ushio: Wh—!? C-Company booths are terrifying…!
Toi: Do you see how focused they are? If you disturb them even a little, you’ll be ripped to shreds…!
Struggling Valkyrie: It’s not right…my bangs never look right…
Time-Conscious Valkyrie: Hello, I’ve been really looking forward to today…that’s 5 seconds. Your acting for Toshiya in that one scene was amazing…that’s 10 seconds.
Ushio: (N-No kidding…there’s people touching up their look with tortured expressions and people acting out what they’ll say within their time limit…!)
I never knew a world like this existed…
Toi: We need to cut through the main corridor next, so stick close behind me. Don’t get lost, okay!
Ushio: R-Roger that.
(Who knew that little back could feel like such a lifeline…)
Yukikaze: I’m glad I could find you two.
Toi: Thank you for your help, Yukikaze-san!
Ushio: How were the crowds?
Yukikaze: Not too bad actually. Everyone was kind enough to open up a path for me, oddly enough.
Ushio: (Yeah, I knew people would be weirded out by him…it’s a good thing the staff didn’t kick him out.)
Yukikaze: Here’s all the exclusive PatiBattle merch I managed to get.
Ushio: T-Thank you…!!!
Toi: I’m so happy for you, Ushio-kun!
Yukikaze: Have you boys done everything you set out to do? I can go grab the car if you’re ready to leave.
Toi: We’ve already looked at all the otome booths we could…is there anything else you wanted to do, Ushio-kun?
Ushio: Actually…
I’m sorry, Kamina-san, but would you mind waiting in the car for us?
There’s one more place I want to go—
Toi: This is the section with all the shonen manga booths…! I don’t think I’ve ever been here before.
Ushio: Sorry for dragging you along with me.
Toi: Fufu, don’t be sorry. I already did the same to you.
Ushio: I know everything is going to be sold out already, so that’s not why I’m here. What I wanted to do is—
Ushio: See this…!!!
Toi: Wow…!!! It’s a figure of Reito-kun…!!!
You can actually get a closer look at him now that people have started going home—
Ushio: Um…is it just me, or…
Toi: What’s wrong, Ushio-kun?
Ushio: Does he looks unfairly gorgeous from every single angle…!?!?
Toi: (Oh, he’s having a moment with his oshi.)
Ushio: Is this how it feels to see the Mona Lisa…? Was my oshi carved by Da Vinci…? I mean, I should’ve known he’d be a work of art…
They translated his hairstyle to 3D perfectly too…I can tell that everything down to the tips of his hair was sculpted with love. It’s no wonder he won the popularity poll…
Wait, no way—they even textured the fabric of his clothes—
Toi: It’s amazing!—
Ushio: WHAー!?
Toi: ?
Ushio: S-Sorry, I lost a hold of myself for a second…
I was so transfixed that I forgot you were there and started talking to myself…that was probably really weird, right…
Toi: Of course not! Anyone would feel the need to start worshiping if they saw a figure of their oshi as perfect as that!
Ushio: Yeah…you might be right.
Toi: I mean, everyone around us is doing the same thing, aren’t they?
PatiBattle Fan A: Oh my gosh, it’s really him! I get to pay respects to Reito in person…!!! He’s too radiant, I think it's going to burn my retinas.
PatiBattle Fan B: Wow…can someone pinch me?
Ushio: They are…
(As long as I don’t go overboard, there’s no shame in expressing my excitement here, huh?)
(Everyone here is as big of a nerd as I am…)
Toi: Events really are the best!
Ushio: …You said it.
📍 Company Van Interior
Ushio: …Alright, I have all my things. I don’t think I’m forgetting anything.
(Those massive shopping bags were a life saver inside the event, but they would’ve been a nightmare to take on the train…thank god Kamina-san is driving us.)
Yukikaze: Let’s hit the road then.
Toi: Thank you for the ride!
Ushio: Phew…that sure was fun…
Toi: We got to go everything I had planned!
(But in the end, I never was able to clear Ani-sama’s condition—)
⏱︎ Flashback
Ryui: …Y'know what, sure. I’ll accept it, but on one condition—
Toi: Condition?
Ryui: Kurama needs to love otome games as passionately as you do.
As proof of his dedication, I want to see him find an otome game character that he considers his oshi.
…If Kurama can pull that off, I’ll accept him as your kyunpanion.
Toi: (It’s too bad, but there’s only one character that Ushio-kun would ever call his oshi.)
Thank you for today, Ushio-kun.
Ushio: The pleasure was all mine.
Toi: I had so much fun! Walking around with you showed me what it might be like if I ever made a friend like me…
Ushio: …If? But…
Toi: Hm?
Ushio: ...Nevermind—
Yukikaze: Aren’t you two already friends?
Ushio: That’s—
Toi: !!!
Ushio: I don’t…know about that, but…
…If you ever invited me to another event like this…I mean…
…Look, we said we’d talk about otaku stuff in line next time, right?
Toi: Ah…!
Ushio: B-But, Ryui-san will be back soon so if you don’t need me anymore that’s fine too I mean—
Toi: No, I’ll invite you!!! I'll definitely definitely invite you! And you can ask me to go places with you too!!!
Ushio: Ah…well, maybe, if I feel like it…
Yukikaze: You’re always welcome to ask me for help too.
Toi: Yay...!
(Ani-sama is coming home tomorrow…I can’t wait to tell him all about today…)
I heard you’d be braving a war zone today so I made the perfect breakfast for your battle.
Katsudon—the food of victors.
Ushio: I don’t know if I can eat that much so early…
Toi: Um…I’ll take a small serving, please…
Yukikaze: No problem, just let me know if you want seconds.
Toi & Ushio: Thank you.
Ushio: ......
Toi: ......
Ushio: (Toi-san hasn’t invited me over to play otome games ever since we decided to do our own things at the event. We haven't really spoken either...)
(But that’s thanks in part to the random movie marathons Idiotake keeps dragging me along to…)
Yukikaze: Did you two sleep well last night?
Ushio: Pretty much. I wanted to be ready for today so I went to bed earlier than usual.
Toi: I-I…I got a bit too excited and couldn’t get to sleep…
Yukikaze: Oh dear, you should try to nap a little in the car then.
Ushio: (For someone who claims to be excited, Toi-san doesn’t seem all that happy.)
(Is he…feeling down because I didn’t want to go to the otome booths…?)
(But…he's the one who wrongly assumed I wanted to see them in the first place…)
📍 Company Van Interior
Toi: ……
Ushio: We’re here, Toi-san.
Toi: Wh, already…?
Yukikaze: Are you ready to wake up?
Toi: Mhm…thank you for driving us.
📍 Exhibition Centre
Toi: Woahー…oops.
Yukikaze: Are you alright?
Ushio: (Huh…? Is Toi-san having trouble walking…?)
Yukikaze: …I know you said you’d be splitting up here, but—
Security Guard A: Parking is not permitted here. Please keep it moving.
Yukikaze: Sorry, I’ll be on my way.
Toi: Oh no…now I’ve started worrying Yukikaze-san too…I should probably text him to let him know I’m okay.
Ushio: ……
Toi: You don’t need to worry about me either, Ushio-kun.
Ushio: …I’ve changed my mind. I’m coming to line up at the otome booths with you.
Toi: Wh…b-but you came here for PatiBattle, you can’t do that…
Ushio: It wouldn’t sit right with me to ditch you while you're unwell.
Come on, can you make it to the ticket line?
Toi: ...I appreciate it, Ushio-kun, but—
Toi: …Throwing away your dreams to keep everyone happy isn’t what kids do, is it?
Ushio: !!!
(That’s Reito’s iconic line!? The one I’d even put on my gravestone!?)
How do you know th—
Toi: Ehehe…the secret’s out—I’ve been reading PatiBattle these past few days.
I’m still not up to date yet but once I started, I couldn’t put it down…I was so immersed in it yesterday that I ended up doing another all-nighter.
Ushio: ...! That’s why you’re so sleep deprived today?
Toi: Reito-kun is your favourite, right?
Ushio: Eek!?
Toi: I remember catching a glimpse of him when you opened that blind bag at ANIME MART…
And whenever you play otome games, you usually go after the characters with brown hair and a calm demeanour like Reito-kun’s.
Ushio: Nnghya!? You’re lying!?!? I wasn’t even doing that on purpose!!!
(Still, hearing Reito referred to with ‘kun’ by someone not in the fandom…it’s kind of nice.)
Toi: This whole time, you’ve had that much love in your heart for PatiBattle and Reito-kun.
I’m really sorry that it took me until now to stop bombarding you with what I like. I never even stopped to ask what you enjoy…
Ushio: It’s not your fault…I’m the one who never brought up PatiBattle.
Toi: Why didn’t you tell me…?
Ushio: ……A long time ago, I screwed things up by trying to get someone into an interest of mine…
(When I told the Day Squad about PatiBattle, it was only so I could get them to come to ComiPara with me.)
(But telling people about the things I like without an excuse like that behind it…it’s a completely different thing.)
I didn’t want to make the same mistake again and annoy you with my interests…
Toi: I don’t think it’s annoying in the slightest!!!
Ushio: !
Toi: I mean, watching you pull Reito-kun that day is the very thing that made me want to be friends with you.
So...it makes me really happy that I know what you like now.
Ushio: ……ah.
That makes me, you know…
The fact that you read PatiBattle…it makes me happy too.
Toi: Huh…?
Ushio: B-BUT!!! You used that Reito quote wrong, you know.
When I decided to come with you instead, that wasn’t me giving up or running away.
Toi: It wasn’t…?
Ushio: …I was just trying to uphold an important belief of mine.
(I mean, there’s no way Reito would do something as lame as turning his back on someone sick.)
Toi: Really…? Thank you, Ushio-kun.
(He might be younger than me, but that doesn't make him any less kind and reliable…)
Still, if you come with me, you won’t be able to make it to the PatiBattle booth…
Ushio: Yeah…that’s too bad.
Toi: (If Liguang-san or Yodaka-san were here, I’m sure they’d come up with a way to save the day.)
I wonder if there’s anything we can do—
Security Guard B: Please line up here if you need to purchase an on-site ticket.
Toi: —And after that, Yukikaze-san offered to drive us to HGF.
This way, you won’t have to worry about running into crowds on the way there and back!
Ushio: But that means Kamina-san will find out I’m an otaku…
What am I saying, he wouldn’t leak something like that to everyone else…it should be fine.
Toi: Now, the event doesn’t start until 9am but usually if you line up first thing in the morning, you’ll be able to get through ticketing in about half an hour, so it’ll be 9:40 at the latest by the time we make it inside the east building…
Ushio: (Wow, it’s insane how much research he’s done…he’s basically covered the whole map with all the sticky notes and annotations he’s added.)
(But…I can’t help but notice the things that aren’t highlighted…)
Toi: …And as long as we follow this pathing, we should be able to conquer all the official booths for the otome games we played…!
Ushio: Um…I don’t know how to bring this up after seeing all the work you’ve done, but—
It looks like this plan only accounts for otome booths?
Toi: Oh…um, yes…?
—Oh, don’t worry! I remembered to allot time for us to grab lunch and take a break!
Ushio: That’s not what I mean…
Ushio: The booth I wanted to see is the Shonen Dive one. In fact, I wanted to go there first thing, if possible…
Toi: …You did?
But…the otome game merch will be sold out if we go there first. The shonen-related booths are in the west building, so we’d need to line up at a completely different entrance…
I thought you wanted to go to HGF because you really liked otome games…?
Ushio: Oh…
(I’m realising now that I never told him the whole deal…)
…Of course I’ve grown to enjoy otome games too, Toi-san. I can definitely see why you like them so much.
But my loyalty lies with PatiBattleーan unprecedented patisserie battle manga where sweet treats meet burning passions, brought to you in weekly installments of one of Shonen Dive’s most acclaimed serialisations.
Toi: …!!!
(A quick and easy explanation that flows out as smoothly as a running river…!)
Ushio: PatiBattle is special to me. No other series could ever come close to it…
So there’s no world where I miss out on the exclusive handouts or leave HGF without seeing the new figure on display at Shonen Dive’s booth. I will be there.
Toi: (Ushio-kun looks really serious about this…)
I see…I didn’t realise it was like that…
Ushio: I’m really sorry about this. I know you put a lot of work into planning out our day…
Toi: It’s okay…I got ahead of myself…
(...Now that I think about it—)
⏱︎ Flashback
Ushio: …!!! I...!
…got him.
Toi: (He did a little fist pump…! He must’ve gotten the one he wanted.)
Toi: (...Of course.)
(It should’ve been obvious from the start that Ushio-kun has a favourite series…)
(How did I misunderstand this badly…)
📍 Dining Room
Liguang: …In short, you’re saying that because you've been pushing your preferences onto Kurama without any regard for his own, you’ve ended up misreading his intentions?
Netaro: Wha~? I can still use my inventions to make him love your interests, y'know?
Toi: It’s okay, you don’t need to do that. It’s my fault for getting so ahead of myself in the first place.
(I had so much fun talking to Ushio-kun once I realised he was an otaku too…)
(But I was so focused on clearing Ani-sama's condition that I never stopped to consider how Ushio-kun felt.)
I'm sorry for wasting all the advice you gave me.
Yodaka: Don’t let this discourage you. From what it sounds, this doesn’t seem to be as deep of a rift as you might be imagining.
Liguang: He’s right. Going your separate ways during the event doesn’t mean your preparations were for naught either.
Toi: …You’re right.
Netaro: If you rea~lly want to walk around with Shio, I could make a clone out of your somatic cells?
We don’t have to stop at 1 or 2 clones, I’d gladly go up 50, or 60…
Liguang: …Why is that where your mind immediately goes.
Toi: (...There must be something else I can do.)
(If Ushio-kun poured his heart into playing otome games with me…)
(Then I should return the favour—)
📍 Living Room
⏱︎ The next day
Toi: I’m sorry I wasn’t able to have a proper conversation with you yesterday, Ushio-kun.
Ushio: It’s okay, I’m sorry too…
Toi: I was meaning to give you this…ta-da!
Ushio: Wait, a HGF ticket…? Are you sure I can have this?
Toi: Of course! Oh, and about the event day…
Since Yukikaze-san is driving us there, I thought maybe we could arrive at the exhibition centre together and then go our separate ways from there?
Ushio: Yeah…I'd really appreciate that.
Toi: I’ve never been to the shonen booths before, but I think my tricks for getting around will still work just fine over there. If you’d like, I even have an annotated map of the event that you can use.
Ushio: Thanks…
Toi: You’re welcome...well then, I’ll see you on Saturday!
Ushio: ……
📍 Pig Room
Toi: …Phew.
(I hope my smile didn’t falter while I was giving him the ticket.)
Anyway, my main focus right now needs to be on cramming in as much as I can before Saturday...
Akuta: You aren’t gonna believe the extra lunch box Yukikaze-san just dropped off! Look at the SIZE of this thing!
Nanaki: He said he ended up with a huge delivery of peas and minced meat this morning as compensation for paying hometown tax, so he decided to make 180 pieces of shumai with it all.
Akuta: Umm? Hellooo? Anybody there?
Kiroku: He’s…a husk. Did something…happen to him…?
Ushio: ……
Nanaki: I bet Muneuji would know what’s wrong…too bad he’s on that trip with the student council.
Akuta: Man, study trips sure sound niiiice. You get to skip out on a bunch of lessons too, huh? I wonder if I can convince them to let me take my club out on a videography trip too…
Nanaki: It comes with a lot of homework attached, you know.
Akuta: I say we pave up that hole in his heart with one of Director Isotake’s all-night movie marathons after school.
Kiroku: I’ll bring the shumai…
ーAkuta, Nanaki & Kiroku leave
Ushio: ……
HAH!!! O-Okay, wait…let me check one more time…
(Who’s to say it wasn’t all a dream? I mean, there’s no way the notification from the HGF account said that…)
⏱︎ Flashback
Ushio: ーOkay no seriously, what’s the deal with this “New PatiBattle Information Coming Soon” announcement they posted…!?
Ushio: (Of all the things they could've announced—)
(There's no way it's actually an early viewing for Reito’s new figure!?!?)
Gghhg…it’s there, it really says it…I wasn’t dreaming…!!!!!!
(The audacity to have event-exclusive freebies up for grabs too…!!! They’re forcing me to go—!)
(But...I’ve never been to an event of this scale before, minus the dojinshi ones. I wouldn’t have any idea of how to get around or where to avoid the crowds.)
…At times like this, I regret never having interacted with that side of the internet before. Maybe if I had, I'd know someone I could message and see if they'd go on my behalf...
(I mean, there was that one internet friend I had, but…)
⏱︎ Flashback
Follower: “Can’t you take a hint? It’s so annoying how you keep pushing your interests onto me. ”
Ushio: (I was so overbearing about my interests that they eventually got sick of it and soft-blocked me…)
(Whatever, that account is deleted now anyway. It wasn’t worth it anymore after all the drama and fandom mess I ended up in.)
Now I've wound up without any friends to go wi—
……
Wait a second…
📍 HAMA House ・Entryway
Toi: Deep breaths…
Okay, I’m going to do it. I’m going to ask him…!
Ushio: ……
Toi: Oh!!! Ushio-kun, you’re back!!!
Ushio: Pyah!? Were you waiting to ambush me!?
Toi: Are you free this weekend? On Saturday specifically!?
Ushio: Saturday…? But that’s…
Toi: WILL YOU GO TO HYAKKA GIRLS FESTIVAL WITH ME!?!?
Ushio: !!!
Ten: I’m baaack. Hey, what’re you guys talking about out here?
Ushio: WH—MASARU!?
Ten: No? Who’s that.
Ushio: Nevermind!!!
Toi-san…come with me!
📍 Common Area
Ushio: That was close…
Toi: Oh…I’m sorry. Does that mean you're not interested? I don’t think I ever even explained HGF to you, did I…?
Ushio: It’s not that, I just don't want anyone finding out that I'm an otaku…aside from you and the Day Squad, I mean.
But about HGF…I was actually thinking about going too…
Toi: Really!? I'm so excited to hear that…!
(I underestimated how much Ushio-kun loves otome games now…!)
Ushio: It'll be my first time going, so it’d mean a lot if you could give me a run down on everything I should know, like the etiquette and whatnot.
Oh, and I don’t do well with crowds, so I’d appreciate it if we could go when it's emptiest and avoid the busy walkways when we can help it.
Toi: Leave it to me! I go every year so you’re in good hands!
Ushio: Then…I’ll be counting on you.
Toi: I better use what's left of the week to put together a schedule for us!
📍 Game Room
Toi: Let me see, I should start by looking at a map of the event…
(Usually Ani-sama is the one who makes these kinds of schedules for me, but since I’m the older and more experienced one this time, I need to take this seriously…!)
Hmm, which booth should we start with…?
⏱︎ Flashback
Toi: Ehehe…do you have a favourite yet?
Ushio: Do I have a favourite……?
…No, I wouldn’t say so.
Toi: He says he doesn't have a favourite, but—
Yodaka: Oh…good evening, Toi.
Liguang: It’s different seeing you in here.
Toi: Good evening. Are you three here to play mahjong?
Yukikaze: Yes. I’ll be taking notes from the sidelines though.
Yodaka: Kinari and Sakujiro will be joining us too. Would you care to play with us, Toi?
Toi: No thank you, I'm busy working on a battle plan…!
Yukikaze: A battle plan…?
Yodaka: You seem very passionate about it…is this for a date, by chance?
Toi: Hmm...I wouldn't really call it a date, it's more of a trip to a war zone, I'd say...
Liguang: …For vocabulary like that to leave your mouth, it must be quite the place.
Toi: Mhm, absolutely. It's a big annual event happening this weekend and I'm hoping to bring Ushio-kun with me, so I’m putting together a schedule for us to follow while we're there.
Yukikaze: You are? You might be my sweet little brother, Toi, but it’s amazing to see you striving to be a dependable older brother too.
Toi: Ehehe…thank you. If it isn’t any trouble, could I ask for some tips on what you three would do in a similar situation?
Yodaka: I think the most important thing is to enjoy yourself, but if you’re planning to step foot in a war zone, it may pay to be a little more mentally prepared.
Toi: That makes sense…I better make sure I have a concrete order for us to do everything in. The event always has a really big turnout, so we'll be racing against the clock too...!
Liguang: Preparing a schedule beforehand is a no-brainer, in that case…
But as an elder, sometimes the best way to show off your strength is to put yourself on the front line and lead the way.
Toi: It’d be really cool if I could do something that impressive…! Thank you, everyone. I’ll try to do my best with all the help you’ve given me!
Yukikaze: Don’t hold back that big brother power of yours, Toi.
Toi: Ah, I forgot that I still need to figure out how we’re even getting to the event…
Yodaka: Is the train not an option?
Toi: I want to avoid any routes that’ll be busy on the event day…but I don’t know how doable that is with public transport.
Yukikaze: In that case, I’ll ask if I can use the company van and drive you there myself. I’m free this weekend, so it works out perfectly.
Toi: Are you sure you want to give up your day off for that…?
Yukikaze: Of course. As an older brother, I’d love the chance to give my little brothers a warm send-off as they embark on a grand adventure.
Toi: Yay…that really takes a weight off my shoulders!
Yukikaze: I’ll make breakfast for you boys too.
Toi: (Everything is coming together thanks to them.)
(Now I remember, I was in the middle of trying to unlock the super rare CG Toi-san wanted me to see.)
You know, the CGs are nice and all, but the story is what's really pushing me to progress. I need to know how this all ends...
⏱︎ Flashback
Kris: “Moririn…I finally found you. May I have this dance?”
Ushio: (In that first game I playedーTenPriーyou find out that Kris is the MC’s childhood friend who's stuck in a time loop, trying to prevent the end of the world…)
(After that big reveal, his fondness for the MC when they first met made complete sense. Watching her grow out of her indecisiveness as the story progressed really hooked me too.)
(Still, I can’t say I understand that heart-racing stuff Toi-san talks about yet…)
Muu-chan might be right, maybe I really am having fun.
Toi: Nn…
Ushio: Huh…? Why didn't the scene activate? Maybe I should take a peak at a walk-through…
Toi: (Huh…? Ushio-kun turned the game back on…but—)
Ushio-kun…is that…
Ushio: Oh, you’re awake, Toi-san.
Toi: Good morning…um, you’re playing the route to unlock the CG I told you about yesterday, right?
I think I forgot to warn you about how tedious it is to get. You can skip right to the ending without even seeing it…
Ushio: Don’t worry, you mentioned it to me.
But from what you told me, it sounds like I’m going to be left with a different impression of the story depending on whether I’ve seen that scene or not.
Besides, otakus are collectors by nature, so I won’t be satisfied until I have all the CGs anyway…
Toi: You mean it…?
Netaro: Zzz, Zzz.
Toi: (Ushio-kun isn't tied down with any of Netaro-kun’s inventions anymore.)
(He’s choosing to play of his own free will…)
…ah.
Ushio: Toi-san, about this dialogue option—
Toi: I-I need to go wash my face! I’ll bring us some breakfast on my way back!
Ushio: Oh uh, sure.
…Is there something wrong with the bathroom attached to his room?
📍 Changing Room
Toi: …Phew.
(I was scared I was going to cry a little from how happy I was. I just hope Ushio-kun didn’t notice.)
I’ll head over to the kitchen next, but…I should check if Aa-chama wrote in our exchange diary first.
Aa-chama, guess what!
I think I’m going to make my first ever otaku friend!
Are you now.
I wish you and I could play otome games together too.
I have no interest in the dull children’s games you enjoy.
Toi: Fufu, they’re as cold as ever…
More importantly, if I can keep this up—
⏱︎ Flashback
Ryui: …If Kurama can pull that off, I’ll accept him as your kyunpanion.
Toi: (I think Ushio-kun will clear the condition Ani-sama set…)
Netaro: *Grumble grumble*......
HAH!? My debilitating hunger has thrown me out of bed!
Ushio: Christ, he woke up out of nowhere.
Toi: I’m back…oh, you’re up too, Netaro-san.
Netaro: Toi, you’ve found a pile of glistening carbohydrates!
Toi: I ran into Yukikaze-san in the kitchen and he made some rice balls for us.
Netaro: Yuki’s making rice balls!? Gimme!!!
—Netaro runs off.
Toi: N-Netaro-san!? …Why’d he leave when I have some for him right here?
Ushio: No time to think when he’s still half asleep.
Toi: We’ll share these between the two of us then.
Ushio: Thanks. I’ll put the text on autoplay for a bit.
Toi: *Munch*…did you end up unlocking that CG? …Oh wait, I can tell that you haven't made it that far yet.
Ushio: Yeah, I still need to play some more. *Chewing*...
You know, for a game that’s designed to be played multiple times, this save menu is a mess to navigate.
Toi: Aah…I know right!
Ushio: I won't be too fussy though. The game came out 6 years ago, so a bit of inconvenience is kind of a given…
Toi: Right! Thankfully they improved the UI when the sequel fan disk came out…
(Wow…it’s so exciting being able to talk about things that only another otaku would understand…!)
Ushio: Oh.
Toi: Hmm?
Ushio: That character’s your favourite, right?
Toi: ! How’d you know?
Ushio: Well, y’know…he looks just like Ryui-san.
Toi: Ehehe…do you have a favourite yet?
Ushio: Do I have a favourite……?
…No, I wouldn’t say so.
Toi: Really…well, if you let me know what type of characters you’re drawn to, I could show you some that you might like!!!
Yodaka: You look a tad unsteady on your feet there, Ushio. You haven’t caught a fever, have you?
Ushio: —NO, NO, NOOOO!!!
I’ve started hallucinating dialogue option boxes…it’s over for me…it’s so over…!!!
Liguang: You’re hallucinating…? I can get you in touch with a doctor.
Yukikaze: I can go with you if you’d like. No need to be shy, just say the word.
Ushio: AAAAAAGGHHH!!!
Toi: It’s okay, Ushio-kun! It’s normal for people around the dorm to look like they’ve escaped an otome game…!
Yodaka: Otome game…?
Liguang: I think I'm familiar...you're referring to those games where the main character romances a cast of characters, no?
Toi: Yes, that’s right. The games we’ve been playing lately happen to be full of characters that look like people we know.
Yukikaze: I see, no wonder Ushio thought we were video game characters.
Ushio: H-How could this happen…
Yodaka: Fufu…I’m curious what kind of sweet nothings those characters were saying.
Toi: Oh, my heart could've melted from how cute their lines were!
Yodaka: Do you hear that, Liguang?
Liguang: …Don’t confuse that with reality.
Ushio: Welp anyway, we only came downstairs to grab a drink, that’s all…!
Yukikaze: I suggest starting your day with a glass of milk. The more you drink, the bigger you'll grow up to be.
📍 Kitchen
Toi: Fufu…other than those three, there’s a lot of people around here who remind me of different characters.
Teruomi from SILVERromanesque, for example. Don't you think he looks like Muneuji-kun?
Ushio: Not even close. Muu-chan always takes the initiative with hot pot dishes, he’d never wait around for the MC to feed him.
If I had to compare anyone it’d be Murakumo-san and MASARU from BOYZ BE ANXIOUS. Both have that uneasy feeling where you can tell there’s something going on underneath their shiny surface…
Toi: …!
Fufufu…
Ushio: Why’re you laughing…?
Toi: It’s just that I noticed you've been remembering the character and game names…!
Ushio: That’s it…? I feel like it’s normal to remember the names from something you’ve played.
Toi: Yeah, that’s true…but it still makes me happy. I can’t believe I can talk about otome games with someone other than Ani-sama or Netaro-san…
Ushio: ……
…We should get back if we’re finished up here. Yowa-san is going to use us as test subjects for some weird invention of his if we don’t hurry up…
Reito’s special outfit for this acrylic stand set is so good…
Who am I kidding, it’s not just this one outfit of his that’s good—it’s his expressions, his personality, his hair style, his voice, his quotes, his poses, his aura…it’d be quicker to call his entire existence perfect.
(Nothing feels better than knowing I pulled his stand myself. Granted, when the set only features the 5 most popular fan-voted characters, that did give me a 20% chance of getting him.)
Now, about that…
They gave me this flyer advertising this year’s “Hyakka Girls Festival” while I was paying.
(It’s a huge annual event that takes place at the same venue ComiPara is held…tons of companies get involved to set up official booths for series that're geared towards girls.)
I don't have any interest in that type of stuff, but there’s going to be a PatiBattle display at the Shonen Dive booth this year…
Whenever new merch comes out, I usually just order it online, but...
ーOkay no seriously, what’s the deal with this “New PatiBattle Information Coming Soon” announcement they posted…!?
Man, whatever…I think I need to rant about this on my priv if I ever want to get it out of my system.
Private Account (don’t frq): “I might be screwed if there's event-exclusive merch. Compared to ComiPara, an otome event is uncharted territory for me. I don’t wanna think of all the hoops I’d have to jump through.”
“What about people who live far away or can’t make it to the event? Did they even think of those people when they decided to release new information this way? Not that I think being considerate ever crossed their minds to begin with.”
Ushio: Ugh…
(Obviously I wrote that all out knowing no one would be replying to me.)
(I mean how could they when I’ve posted it to my own private garbage dump?)
……
“HGF” “PatiBattle”...
Hang on, I should use “ptbt” or cake and sword emojis if I want better search results.
Random Account (Rant & Trading Acct): “sooo about ptbt…hgf is only a week away and they’re *still* withholding information? Literally who is this helping?”
Random Account (Busy writing! On semi hiatus): “The only fans that company cares about are the ones living in Kanto who have the freedom to take the weekend off. Seriously, I’m so over this.”
Ushio: (It’s nice seeing people share my frustrations, but I don’t know where they find the audacity to publicly post something so negative for the whole world to see. At least do it in private with your friends.)
(....But dammit, I’m the one who went out of my way to find these posts. I'm not any better, but that doesn’t mean I want to end up being the type of fan people see as a public nuisance…)
(...Not like before…)
*Knock knock*
Ushio: !!!
(Under the bed, hide everything under the bed—!)
Who is it?
Toi: H-Hello…
Ushio: Huh? Toi-san…?
Toi: Do you have a moment, Ushio-kun…?
Ushio: Wait…you want to talk to me…?
(I wonder what he wants? It’s not like me and him ever talk much.)
Toi: I was out the other day, and um, I happened to see you…
Toi: AT ANIME MART!!!
Ushio: ……
………………………………
T-T-T-That must’ve been someone else?
Toi: No, it was definitely you…it was in the afternoon, the day before yesterday…
Ushio: Oooooh, that’s what you’re talking about. Yes, yes, of course. I had never seen such a store in my life so I just popped in to see what it was all about.
Toi: You bought a blind bag.
Ushio: Bghh—
Toi: And I watched you open it…
Ushio: Kghah…!!
Toi: You looked really happy about it too…
Ushio: H-Hahh…
(You’re kidding…someone outside of Chief and the Day Squad found out about my secret…!?)
(I’ve been letting my guard down ever since I stopped having to hide it from them…! I don’t want to think about how much sweat must be coating my back right now…!!!)
(Wait a sec, why is he telling me all this? Is this blackmail? A threat? Was there a criminal hiding behind that harmless face all along—)
Toi: Since then, I’ve been wanting to ask you to play this…!!!
Ushio: …Huh?
Is this…an otome game…?
Toi: I thought maybe you’d enjoy it too…!
Ushio: …Wait, so you mean…
You’re an otaku too…?
Toi: Mhm, I'm a complete sucker for otome games!
Ushio: Oh…so that’s what's happening…
(I don’t need to freak out then. Still though, he wants me to play this…?)
…No thank you. The genre isn’t for me.
Toi: Oh, if you don’t enjoy fantasy, I could find one with a school-setting if you’d like that better? I have some with darker stories too, if that’s what you prefer…
Ushio: That’s not what I mean…
Toi: I even have a console in my room so you can come and play whenever you like…!
Ushio: …You know, being this pushy is seriously—
⏱︎ Flashback
Follower: “Can’t you take a hint? It’s so annoying how you keep pushing your interests onto me. ”
Ushio: —......
Ryui: KURAMAAA!!! Were you trying to REJECT Toi’s offer!?
Ushio: BYAH!? WHAT THE—!?
Ryui: The whole time I've been listening in, all I’ve heard outta you is a load of half-assed bullshit…
Ushio: Listening in? That’s called eavesdropping you know!!! And it’s an invasion of privacy!!!
Ryui: That’s enough outta you. Get him, Yowa
Netaro: Ya~y! Wee woo wee woo, permission to capture has been granted ♪
Ushio: Mgh—
(What the—something’s dragging me away…!?)
📍 Pig Room
Netaro: And no~w to tie you to a chair ♪ Time to be bundled up in rope ♪
Ushio: Hey…what do you think you’re doing…!
Netaro: Worry not, I already guaranteed the safety by testing it on Ryui’s body. Pull and pull, and leave no wriggle room!!!
Toi: You don’t need to go that far, Netaro-san…
Ryui: Alright Kurama, you have 18 seconds to pick which game you’re starting with.
Ushio: T-This is tyranny…!
Netaro: Oh, and I bet you’ll need help focusing on the game, so I’ll grab an invention per~fect for keeping your eyes open!
I call them the Blink-Banner Stopwatch Clips! They even release eye-drops in 30 second intervals to stop your eyes from drying out! Impressive, right!
Ushio: GAAAAHHH!!! Please, that’s enough!!! All you’re doing is making me not want to play!!!
Ryui: Hmph, so you were considering it. Should’ve said so earlier.
Ushio: You dragged me away before I had the chance!
Toi: Sorry, we might’ve forced you into this a bit…
Ushio: (A BIT!?)
Toi: I just really wanted to play with you…
Ushio: Yeah, yeah, I give in, okay? Honestly, I don’t know how I survive living under the same roof as such rabid beasts…
Ryui: Don’t lump me in with Yowa.
Ushio: Alright then, which one do you suggest I play?
Toi: I think you should start with this one! Tenkomori☆Prince 8I
Ushio: (Start with…?)
Netaro: Hoho, TenPri, hm? Toi’s been playing that a~ll the time lately.
Toi: This game has 8 charming princes that you can choose to romance, all with their own unique personalities…
Ushio: (Romance, huh…?)
Toi: Aaaah…it’s too hard to explain with words…! You’ll know what I mean once you meet them!
Here’s the controller!
Ushio: Huff...
Toi: Before you can start, you’ll need to name the main character!
Ushio: (I guess this’ll do…)
Kris: “Moririn…I finally found you. May I have this dance?”
Ushio: (This Prince Kris guy must be one of the love interests. He kind of looks like Kamina-san…)
Moririn: “Prince Kris…? You’re missing the ball."
“What’re you doing out in the courtyard, asking me of all people to dance with you…?”
Ushio: (Huh…? I guess we’re dancing now…?)
Kris: “I’m sorry to take up your time, but there’s nowhere I'd rather be than dancing in this courtyard with you.”
“Just for this moment, won’t you forget my title and take my hand?”
Moririn: “Prince Kris…that’s…”
Kris: “I wish we could stay like this forever.”
“My dear—”
Toi: Uuu…knowing what happens next makes it extra hard to stop my heart from going kyun…!!!
Ushio: Kyu…kyun…?
(But I haven’t even made it past the prologue yet…?)
(For someone he only just met, that prince guy is weirdly obsessed with the MC. She isn't exactly jumping to reciprocate either…)
(Something tells me this is going to be a slog to get through…)
(You’ve caught me in the middle of unfolding a groundbreaking potential.)
Ushio: ……
Toi: (I caught wind of this case after witnessing a series of coincidences that were too suspicious to ignore.)
(The first incident took place one quiet night—)
⏱︎ Flashback
Toi: (Oh, it’s Ushio-kun.)
Ushio: ………
Toi: (He’s hidden away in the corner reading something. It kind of looks like…)
Ushio: Man, who do I need to thank for all the OTP content this chapter...I’m going to be fed for months…the full-colour centre page of them standing back-to-back might be the death of me…
Toi: (...A manga?)
Toi: (I could tell from the look of pure joy on his face that something was up.)
(But it wasn’t enough proof for me to be certain.)
(Until one peaceful afternoon when I saw it—)
⏱︎ Flashback
Toi: (Something smells good…)
Ushio: Give these to your little sis, Buddha Statue. I was making some for Princess and ended up with too many.
Kiroku: Th…thank you…
Ushio: They’re just extras by the way. I didn’t make too many on purpose or anything.
Kiroki: ? Okay…I understand.
Ushio: …Great.
Kiroku: Um, is there…a bag I could… carry them home in…?
Ushio: Oh…right, yeah.
Here, you can use this shopping bag I got the other day.
Toi: (...! That unmistakable blue bag…)
Toi: (—It has to be from the very place I suspect he’s going right now.)
📍 Anime Store
Toi: (ANIME MART! The otaku paradise for all things anime…!)
Ushio: ……
Toi: (He took a moment to check his surroundings and then went right in…! I think it’s safe to say this case is closed.)
(Said case being…)
(Finding out if Ushio-kun is an otaku too…!)
Ushio: Just this one today, thanks.
Toi: (!!! Is he buying one of those…!?)
(The one thing that can rattle any fan, in any fandom, from casuals to die-hards, on good days, on bad days—)
(A blind bag…!!)
Ushio: …Whew, here I go.
Toi: (Ah, he moved over to an empty spot and took a deep breath...)
(He’s unboxing it…! Oh, I know exactly how he feels…! It’s always so hard to wait until you get home..!)
Ushio: ………
…!!! I...!
…got him.
Toi: (He did a little fist pump…! He must’ve gotten the one he wanted.)
(Fufu, that really warms my heart. His happiness is contagious.)
📍 Pig Room
Toi: —And that’s what I found out.
Netaro: Well, well, well.
Ryui: ......
Toi: I thought maybe me and Ushio-kun could play otome games together and become good friends…
What do you think, Ani-sama…?
Ryui: Does it have to be him…?
Netaro: Huuh? You don’t like Shio?
Ryui: I can't stand how he treats Kiro.
Toi: I didn’t notice any ill-will between them when Ushio-kun gave him those treats though…?
Ryui: …How do we know Kiro didn't feel threatened into taking them? He's too nice to say no, anyway…
And don’t get me started on how much’ve a jerk that guy is all the time—
Netaro: Woo! Woosh woosh woosh!
Ryui: What?
Netaro: That’s the sound of a boomerang flying out of your mouth.
Ryui: Do you want me to hit you?
Netaro: Shio's simply one of those people who say a bunch of prickly spikey things to protect themselves.
He’s like a pufferfish. I don’t see any reason to believe his intention is to put himself above everyone else.
Toi: Y-You know! When I saw Ushio-kun open that blind bag at ANIME MART…he looked super duper happy.
I really really relate to him, so…I thought, maybe…
Ryui: …Aren’t I good enough?
Toi: Huh?
Ryui: You can always ask me…no matter the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, or how many times the earth rotates, I’m always happy to do your hobbies with you.
Be it playing an otome game, going to ANIME MART, or buying a bunch of drinks ‘till you score the ultra rare love fortune…isn’t that good enough?
Toi: Kyu…KYUUUUN ♡ It’s good enough! It’s more than good enough…!
Netaro: And me! Keep helping me with my experiments until Betelgeuse explodes into a supernova too~!
Ryui: You can do ‘em alone.
Toi: …Thank you, Ani-sama.
But…I think it’d be nice to have friends that can play otome games without getting itchy too…
Ryui: ah…that's…
Netaro: Want me to make an automatic backscratcher that releases the hearty taste of skin oils with every itch?
Ryui: Why the hell would I want that. I’ll just go to the dermatologist and deal with it myself.
Toi: You’d have to go see the doctor seven days a week…! I couldn’t do that to you, Ani-sama…
So…maybe Ushio-kun could be my kyunpanion…that way, I might even have a friend who's as big of an otaku as I am…!
Netaro: Kyunpanions! Friends that kyun together at otome games!
Neither of us really hit the mark, do we? Sure, Ryui does sit down to play otome games with you, but he never gets wooed by any of the characters. As for me, I don’t live the lifestyle needed to be classified as an otaku.
Ryui: As if anyone other than Toi could touch my heart.
Toi: Haa…♡ You know an infinite amount of ways to make my heart-race, Ani-sama…!
But, um…if you really don’t think I should be friends with Ushio-kun, then I won't push it…
Ryui: ......
…Anything you could ever wish for, Toi, I want to make it happen. But…
…Y'know what, sure. I’ll accept it, but on one condition—
Ryui: …If Kurama can pull that off, I’ll accept him as your kyunpanion.
Toi: I understand, I’ll do my best to help him get there!
Netaro: This is the first time I've ever seen someone needing to get permission and meet conditions before making friends.
I’d lo~ve to know if there's some kind of way to manipulate another person's relationships to my own desires!
Ryui: …I don’t want to take away Toi's autonomy or anything, I just…
Toi: It’s okay, I know you’re only looking out for me so that I don’t get hurt.
Thank you for always putting me first, Ani-sama.
Ryui: Something like that’s as much of a given as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
Toi: Ani-sama…!
Ryui: Toi...
Netaro: You guys always end up back here.
Toi: (Me and Ushio-kun are going to be the best kyunpanions ever…I just know it!)
Toi Shiramistu SR "The Oblivious First Love Killer" Track 1
📍 BAR Yumejuya
Toi: Good evening—
Yodaka: Welcome in, my boy. I thought you two weren’t planning to meet up until later?
Toi: You're right! I just really wanted to see Ani-sama, so I couldn't help but show up early—
Ryui: You must’ve had a long day, Toi.
Toi: Ani-sama! You’re already here!
Ryui: Well I couldn’t leave you waiting, could I? I knocked out everything I needed done and beelined straight here.
Toi: I thought I'd be getting here early…how could I forget that you always find a way to outdo me.
Yodaka: How was work? You mentioned that you've had your hands full lately, so I hope your schedule has started to clear up.
Toi: It has, I think I’ll be able to have my first lazy day in a while tomorrow.
Ryui: It’s amazing how hard you've worked, Toi.
Toi: Ehehe, thanks, Ani-sama. Making plans to go out and reward our hard work was just the thing I needed to help me push through ♪
Yodaka: I’m honoured that you decided to hold your special get-together here.
Ryui: You’ve got the perfect place for us to properly enjoy some time together. It's nice and quiet, and we don’t have to worry about any weird shit interrupting us either.
Yodaka: Fufu, I'd like to remove as much workplace weariness from your shoulders as I can, so let me treat you two tonight.
—A drink from me to you, my dear boys. Enjoy.
Toi: Oo, it looks so good! Thank you.
Ryui: …Doesn't taste half bad either.
Ryui: Hey, Toi. Could you close your eyes and hold out your hand?
Toi: Huh? L-Like this?
Ah…! Y-You scared me!
Wait, Ani-sama, are you trying to hold my hand? You can’t just do that unprompted, it’s cheating…!
Ryui: Okay, open your eyes. I thought I’d get you something for working so hard.
Toi: …HUH!? This is the limited edition TuRyStA collab candy!? I-It’s so cu~te!
Yodaka: What an intricate design. It almost feels like a waste to eat something so lovely.
Toi: It really does! It’s been impossible to buy these because of how popular they are…how’d you even get them, Ani-sama?
Ryui: I was first in line to get ‘em this morning. You’ve been wanting them for a while, right?
Toi: Wait, you mean this is why you insisted on going out alone today—
Ryui: Yep, I wanted to go out and surprise you with ‘em. Besides, there’s no universe where I’d let you be the one waiting outside in a line for hours.
Toi: Ani-samaaa! There’s really no outdoing you!
I thought it was a little sad that you wanted to go out on your own, but the whole time you were just trying to get me a surprise…!
How’re you so good at making my heart race!? I'll never be able to do it like you!
Ryui: You don’t need to be like me, you’re captivating enough just the way you are.
Toi: You’re still not playing fair! Ah, I wish I had the skills you do…
Yodaka: Fufu. Personally, I believe that Toi has a knack for making hearts flutter too.
Toi: Huh!? Me!? You really think so…? But I wouldn’t even know where to start…
Can I ask why you think that, Yodaka-san?
Yodaka: Let me see…there was that time recently when we were on our way to the dormitory—
Netaro: Ryui’z kabedon-ing the wall with his face!
Toi: Ani-sama!? What’re you doing!? Stop that!!!
Ryui: hah, hah…it’s okay…i’m…all good now...toi…
Netaro: Ooo, he’s turned himself back to normal! Nice job, I’m impressed!
Ryui: you’re…fucking…dead…later…
*Ryui falls to the floor.*
Nagi: —And that’s why we’re going to try and remedy the meeting that fell apart the other day.
Today, I’d like to talk about the transformation that happened to me…so, I actually think it was a pretty good change, hm, yes, what if maybe, we considered eating those meat buns again—
Ryui: NOTHING ABOUT THAT WAS 'GOOD', DUMBASS!!!
Yodaka: I’m afraid I end up with a headache whenever I try to remember what happened—
Toi: (I hope Ani-sama plays a genius-type character next time.)
(I want to hear him say things like “The likelihood of you falling for me is 18000%”~!)
Nagi: Hey, where’s Netaro?
Netaro: —The wait iz over, boys!
Ryui: Fuck, he's here!
Yodaka: A bit late, aren’t you?
Netaro: I was busy working on a new meat bun flavour for you all to try! Feast your eyes on my latest work! Ta-da~!
I need to build the beds while Kamina is out for the day
Sojun: But–
Chief: Woah, that's a lot of boxes…!?
—Oh, it’s you two……are these the rabbits’ new beds?
Liguang: …Sojun just dropped them off. I’m about to move them up to my room.
Sojun: I’ll take them to your room for you, but again, I insist that you assemble them at a later date.
Liguang: …You need to get back to work.
Sojun: Boss, you need to rest soon…
Liguang: Don’t make me repeat myself.
Chief: (It sounds like Sojun-san is struggling to get Liguang-san to take a break…)
Um, I could help out if you’d like.
Liguang: Why…
Chief: Well, it sounds like Sojun-san has his hands full, and I’m free today so it works out perfectly!
Sojun: Thank you, your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Liguang: Oi, I didn’t agree to this…
Chief: Please let me help out! I love putting things together!
Liguang: ……
📍 Rabbit Room
Liguang: …Good, that’s the last of you back in the cage. Don’t give us any trouble now.
Chief: Let's get started then!
Liguang: …You’ve already helped enough. You can go.
Chief: I told you I was going to help put the beds together too, didn't I? We’ll get it done twice as fast if we work together, and then you can get some rest.
Liguang: …*Sigh*
Chief: Oh, it looks like we’re going to need a screwdriver for this. Give me a second, I’ll go and grab one!
Liguang: ……
(...I’ve barely slept these past few days thanks to that wretched job I’ve been dealing with. I need to rest—I know that better than anyone—but…)
Rabbits: *Squeak! Squeak!*
Liguang: (I don’t want them to go without beds any longer.)
……
Chief: I’m back…um, Liguang-san?
Liguang: …Let’s get on with it.
Chief: I’ll leave the tool box right here.
It looks like the first step is to attach the legs to the frame. Here, you’ll need some screws.
Liguang: Alright.
Hm………?
Chief: Um, Liguang-san…you’re using the wrong screwdriver. You won’t be able to fit the head into the screws with that size.
Liguang: ……
…Right. No wonder it felt so slippery.
Chief: (It’s weird seeing Liguang-san make such a careless mistake…)
Why don’t you take a quick nap?
Liguang: I don’t need—
Chief: I’ll keep working on the beds while you get some rest! Let me handle this!
Liguang: ………I’ll only take 5 minutes.
Chief: No problem!
Liguang: ……
Chief: (Alright, I better get as much done as I can while Liguang-san is asleep!)
Huh? What’s that sound…?
Ryanpin: *Squeak* !
Chief: …Uh.
Sanwan: *Speak* !
Chief: …The lock on their cage is broken!?
I better catch them before I do anything else…sorry guys, but I need to pick you up!
Ryanpin: *Squeak*
Chief: Hey, don’t run away…!
Sanwan: *Squeak*
Chief: I-I can't catch them…!
(Well, as long as the door is shut tight, I guess it’s fine if I just let them wander around the room. It’s not like Liguang-san would’ve left out anything that could hurt them anyway…)
Liguang: ………
Ryanpin: *Squeak! …Squeak!*
Sanwan: …*Squeak!*
Chief: (They’re crowding around Liguang-san. I think they want to get up on the bed with him…?)
It’s okay, don’t run away. I’m just going to help you up, okay? …There you go.
Ryanpin & Sanwan: *Squeak* ♪
Chief: Stay right here with Liguang-san, okay? It’s not safe to be over near me.
Liguang: nh…
Sanwan: *Nibble* …♪
Chief: S-Stop eating his hair…!
Chief: Nice, that was the last one!
Liguang: ……
Chief: (The rabbits might've all escaped in the end but thankfully they've been sound asleep this whole time. They’re so well behaved!)
(...And they’ve made Liguang-san their bed.)
Liguang: Nh…
Chief: Oh, you’re awake.
Liguang: ………
Ryanpin & Sanwan: Zzz…Zzz…
Liguang: …What’re they doing here?
Chief: The one with the floppy ears managed to break out and the others followed suit.
Liguang: You must be talking about Ryanpin…no matter what I do, he always finds a way to escape…
Chief: I ended up leaving them with you since they weren’t getting into any trouble.
Liguang: …How’re the beds?
Chief: I already finished them all!
Liguang: …Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep past the 5 minutes I promised.
You must’ve been at it for a while.
Chief: No no, it was nothing! Besides, I had the honour of seeing the bunnies acting so cute. It was therapeutic, really!
Liguang: …Heh, you really are a people-pleaser.
Thank you, I owe you for the beds…I’m sure the rabbits will be happy about them too.
Chief: You say that, but it looks like you’re their favourite bed!
Liguang: …….
Chief: (Oof, he didn’t think that was funny…)
I-I’ll be on my way now!
Liguang: If…
Chief: Huh?
Liguang: …If the rabbits like their new beds, I’ll send you some pictures of them sleeping in them.
Liguang: (None of these are up to my standards. I should’ve known that looking at ready-made products was going to leave me strapped for options…)
……
Hm, this bed might not be too bad actually…
Chief: Is he shopping for a new bed?
Liguang: …What was that?
Chief: Oh, sorry—I was just talking to myself. Are you thinking about refurnishing your room?
Liguang: …Close only counts in horseshoes, but sure, you could say I’m doing a bit of refurnishing.
Chief: (Close only counts in horseshoes…?)
(Considering he supplied the furniture for his dorm, it seems safe to assume that he’s really particular about this type of thing. Maybe he’s shopping for his room back home this time?)
A bed, huh…? You know, people often say that a good night’s sleep does wonders for maintaining your health.
Liguang: I know, that’s why I have my eyes out for something that’ll hold up to those standards. The bed I bought last time hasn't been well-received, unfortunately.
… I’ll just have to let them use my bed instead.
Chief: …Huh?
(I-Is he…is he talking about a lover!?)
Liguang: What?
Chief: N-Nothing, It's Nothing Don't Mind Me...!
Liguang: …This situation isn't ideal for either of us, so I want to do something about it as soon as possible.
Chief: (I-It’s better if I don’t pry…I should find a way to change the subject. After all, I’m the one who initiated this conversation in the first place.…)
Oh! That reminds me—I’ve actually done a lot of research into bedding before.
Liguang: …You have?
Chief: If comfort is your priority, then mattresses and bed frames are where you want to start.
Liguang: …I have some concerns with bed frames. I don’t want it to be too tall or there’s a chance they might hurt themselves, and it can’t be made from anything that could be painful on their teeth either.
Chief: (Is he the type to get overly anxious when it comes to his lover? I can see why he’d be worried about the height—it could definitely be dangerous for people that move around during their sleep…I’m confused about the teeth part though.)
In that case, why don’t you consider a platform bed with a thinner mattress? The only downside is that a mattress with less cushioning will make it easier to feel the frame underneath.
Liguang: They don’t weigh much, so I’m not worried about them sinking into the mattress.
Chief: (They must be on the more petite side then.)
Are there any other qualities that you’re looking for?
Liguang: Something that can be easily cleaned would be nice. If it can be thrown in the washing machine, that’d be ideal.
Chief: That’s a good thing to consider for the person that’ll actually be using it! If that's what you're looking for, I’d suggest a washable and breathable fiber mattress!
Liguang: …I already considered those, I’m just concerned whether it’ll be safe for the inside to be exposed when they bite into it.
Chief: …Bite into it?
Ah, ignore me! Everyone sleeps differently!
Liguang: Wait, do you think…
Liguang: (No wonder it felt like we were having two different conversations. They’ve completely misunderstood something, haven’t they?)
Chief: If you care about them this much, then I’m certain your lover must be absolutely wonderful…!
Liguang: It’s for a bunny, not a lover.
Chief: Their name’s Bonnie!? Wow, they sound like the perfect partner for you, Liguang-san.
Liguang: …Bunnies.
Chief: Huh?
Liguang: I’ve been talking about my pet bunnies. This entire time.
Chief: ……
Liguang: ……
…You’re blushing.
Chief: What I wouldn't give to disappear into a cave right now…gosh, what was I thinking…
Liguang: …I’ll keep my comments on that to myself, but all things considered, I did find your advice useful.
I’m impressed by your knowledge. Are you particular about this type of thing too?
Chief: I wouldn't say I’m overly fussed by it, it’s just that for some people bedding is a main selling point for hotels, so I've picked up a few things to help guests with stronger preferences.
Liguang: …You don't say.
Still, you should be sleeping on something decent. All that administration and field work must be taxing on your body.
Chief: Haha…you’re not wrong.
Liguang: …What about something like this? I found it just now, but I think it could be just the thing you need.
You should think about it.
Chief: Wow, that’s a really high-end brand!
(Which means it’s too expensive to buy on a whim.)
That’s enough about me…weren’t you on the hunt for some rabbit beds? Have you found anything you like?
Liguang: I’ve settled on this mattress for them. At this price point, I’m sure the manufacturer is open to customisations.
I’ll have to order the bed frames separately…for now, I’ll ask about getting 4 of these mattresses in rabbit size.
Chief: (If I still thought he was talking about a lover, I would’ve been floored at hearing the number 4…)
I hope your rabbits like the new beds, Liguang-san.
Kinari: Did you recharge my battery, Kinugawa-sama?
Kiroku: I-I did…
Kinari: I see. I am incredibly grateful.
Kiroku: You’re welcome…now, let’s find a way out of h—
*Beep beep*
Kiroku: …W-What does that noise mean…?
Kinari: I have detected a heat signature outside of the storage room.
Kiroku: Really…!?
Kinari: This is our chance to call for help. Kinugawa-sama, please be ready to yell.
Kiroku: Huh?
Kinari: On three.
Kiroku: …I-I, uh…!
Kiroku & Kinari: HEEEEEELP!!!
Kinari: It is truly da bomb that you happened to be passing by the storage room, Master.
Momiji: It’s a good thing you called for help or else I would’ve had no idea you two were trapped in there. The door on the storage closet is kind of shoddy so sometimes it ends up getting stuck, annoyingly enough.
Kiroku: Azekawa-san…is the one who got us out.
Kinari: Not at all. We would still be trapped if you hadn’t recharged me, Kinugawa-kun.
Kiroku: …That was nothing. You’re the one…who did all the hard work.
Androids…really are incredible…
Kinari: You are mistaken.
Kiroku: ?
Kinari: By now, it has surely been proven to you personally that I cannot function without another person’s assistance.
Kiroku: But still…
Momiji: Fufu, you two are so sweet.
Kiroku & Kinari: ?
Momiji: Why don’t we say you two found a way out together?
Kiroku: To…gether…?
Momiji: Yep. Things only went so smoothly because of your combined decision making. Imagine if only one of you had been trapped in there—it probably would’ve been a whole different story, right?
Kinari: Master is correct. Today, we made it out together.
