Chapter 211: The Exposed Otaku
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: The Exposed Otaku
“This is for today’s work.”
Big Uncle handed Renka and me each a white envelope.
Taking it with both hands, I said, “I guess I can’t refuse this time.”
“If you had, I would’ve forcibly stuffed it in your pocket.”
Don’t say it so menacingly. You actually scared me for a second.
“Sorry to ask, but could you come help again sometime?” Small Uncle added.
I gave a slow nod in response.
But I wouldn’t be coming alone.
I’d definitely come with Renka, and if possible, only when we could stay the night.
“I’m showering first, okay?”
Renka said as she slipped into the changing room and locked the door behind her.
Couldn’t there be an event where I accidentally get a peek at Renka’s naked body while she’s showering? I’m tempted to make one happen myself.
After some small talk with my uncles, Renka emerged, drying her wet hair with a towel. I then headed into the changing room.
A purplish scent wafted from the shower inside as I peeked into the envelope.
It contained a hefty sum for a day’s work.
It looked like they’d calculated in the gas money and the pay I didn’t accept last time.
My uncles may look rough, but they’re pretty conscientious.
The small shower room was surprisingly clean for having just been used by Renka.
The floor was wiped down and only slightly damp, and there were even signs that the mirror had been wiped.
She’s so meticulous.
She didn’t do this to preemptively block any perverted thoughts I might have, right? It’s just her being considerate, isn’t it?
Let’s think positively.
After a refreshing shower with steaming hot water, I changed my clothes and slung my bag over my shoulder.
When I came out of the changing room, my uncles were chatting with Renka.
The two men were chuckling, while Renka shook her head as if to say they were hopeless.
It looked like my uncles had been teasing her.
“Ah, you’re out. We packed this for you two, so take it with you.”
Big Uncle presented us with a packaged set of the most expensive sushi from the menu.
It wouldn’t be polite to refuse. I’ll have to share this with Miyuki.
I picked up the bag and grinned, showing my teeth.
“Thank you, we’ll enjoy it.”
“Yeah. You heading back now?”
“We should. Take care.”
“You got it. You take care, too. Thanks again for today.”
“You should probably hand out some flyers when you have time. It’s vacation season for everyone from middle school to university, right? And since you uncles look intimidating, you should probably hire a part-timer to hand them out.”
“This punk… Alright, I get it.”
I’ve never run a business, and my only serving experience was helping out here last time and today.
In short, I’m a total amateur.
My uncles, on the other hand, have been in this business for a long time.
They have pride in their skills and a philosophy for management.
For people like them to so readily accept and act on the advice of a novice—advice that could easily be seen as meddling—is not something just anyone could do.
With such an open mindset, they’ll surely run this place well.
But wait, didn’t I have a similar thought last time?
Deciding to give Renka more time to talk with her uncles, I told her I’d wait in the car.
After saying my goodbyes, I went back to the car, carefully placed the packaged sushi on the back seat, and started the engine to get the heater running.
Not long after, Renka got into the passenger seat.
She fastened her seatbelt with a deadpan expression.
After placing her own sushi next to mine in the back, she held out a small bottle to me.
“Drink.”
“What is it?”
“Galgeun-tang. It’s for when you have a cold, but they say it’s good for a sore throat, too.”
So thoughtful. It makes me want to kiss her.
I took the warm bottle of Galgeun-tang, twisted off the cap, and downed it in one go.
“It’s sweet, but bitter.”
“It’s medicine. You should be grateful it’s sweet at all. Hey, and say it.”
“Say what?”
“I did you a favor. What are you supposed to say?”
Renka threw the words I often used right back at me.
I smirked and, as I pulled the car out, offered my thanks.
“Thank you.”
“Right. Thank you, too.”
“For what?”
“For helping my uncles.”
“It was one of your wishes, wasn’t it?”
I shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“Ken! Take care! Come visit if you’re bored!”
My uncles were seeing me off from the front of the store. I smiled and waved at them.
Then, I looked at Renka through the rearview mirror and said, “Well, all the wishes are done now.”
“…Right. They’re done.”
“Aren’t you sad?”
“No, I’m just relieved.”
“Then shall we compromise and say you’re feeling bittersweet?”
“There’s no ‘bitter’ part, so why would I?”
“None at all? Really? Not even a little?”
“None. All I feel is a sense of liberation. It’s such a relief. It was a very, very long time. Your wishes were an absolute nightmare.”
“You’re making me feel hurt.”
“You called me out just to make me stand still, locked me in a cage, and even made me cosplay in a maid outfit. You call that not a nightmare?”
“I made a lot of concessions for you, though.”
At that, Renka let out a small sigh.
“For that one thing, I guess I’m a teeny-tiny bit grateful.”
“Did you hate it that much? I was so happy that you granted those wishes for me. Should we do it more?”
“No…!”
“Let’s do it one more time.”
“I said no.”
“Just once. The very last time.”
“No.”
“Why? Let’s do it.”
“…Stop talking to me so casually. You wanna die?”
This is why I can’t stop bickering with Renka.
The slightest poke makes her react as sensitively as a cat, which just makes me want to tease her more and more.
“I’ll take that as a yes. That’s what we originally agreed on, right? For doing well at the tournament.”
“There you go, forcing your logic on me again. How many times do I have to tell you we never agreed to that?”
It’s fun how she retorts to every little thing, even when she could just ignore me.
“Shall we just drive quietly then?”
“I would really appreciate that.”
“Alright. Get some sleep.”
“…Okay. If you get bored, you can wake me up.”
Renka tossed the words out and turned her body away from me.
Why does “wake me up if you get bored” sound so cute?
It’s funny because I can feel her consideration for me having to drive a long distance, even though she’s annoyed.
* * *
“Captain.”
“……”
“Captain.”
No matter how many times I called, Renka wouldn’t wake up.
Her mouth was even hanging slightly open. She must have been more exhausted than she let on.
But still, isn’t she sleeping a little too defenselessly?
Resisting the urge to slip my tongue between those crimson lips, I poked her arm.
“Captain. We’re here.”
“Umm…”
Renka finally groaned and opened her eyes. She looked at me, then…
“Ah…”
She let out a drained sigh and looked around.
“We’re here…?”
“Yes. We’ve arrived.”
“Okay…? I’ll give you fare money. For gas.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just count the cosplay as payment instead.”
“I guess that’s fine… Ah, wait… Are you crazy…?”
She almost agreed before coming to her senses, her drowsy eyes widening.
I clicked my tongue in disappointment and grabbed her bag and sushi set from the back seat, placing them on her lap.
“What a shame. Want some water?”
“…No. I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry about the gas money, just go inside and rest. You look really tired.”
“Then I’ll give it to you later. Thanks for the ride.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“I said I’ll pay you… Anyway, I’m going.”
Renka weakly opened the door, told me to get home safe, and moved her long legs out of the car.
She walked forward, looking straight ahead, but I saw her head turn slightly as she reached her front gate.
Is she looking at my car? What could she be thinking?
Is she wondering why I haven’t left yet?
Or could she be feeling a strange sense of disappointment?
I think I’ll ask her when we run into each other at Comiket tomorrow.
The moment Renka opened her door and went inside, I took my foot off the brake and headed home.
Through a large window, I could see the very faint glow of an orange mood lamp.
It seemed Miyuki was here.
After parking, I walked quickly into the house and carefully slid open the window.
From upstairs, Miyuki, who was lying under the covers, let out a tired groan and sat up.
I tried to be quiet, but she must have heard me.
“You’re back…?”
I sat down in front of Miyuki, who was rubbing her eyes as she greeted me. I placed the sushi on the tatami floor and gently pressed under her eyes.
“I’m back. Eat some sushi and go back to sleep.”
“Sushi…? Did you get it from work?”
“Yeah. It’s tuna sushi. They gave it to me for working hard.”
“Oh, really? That sounds delicious… Was work tough?”
“It was manageable.”
“Your voice sounds a little different…”
She mumbled in a voice thick with sleep, examining my face from different angles.
The situation felt so much like a wife worrying about her husband after a long day at work that it made me happy.
I let her fuss over me for a while, then, just as Miyuki stretched her arms out wide, I lifted her T-shirt.
Then I buried my face in her pale, surprised belly.
Since she’s awake, I might as well have a quick round.
* * *
Why are there so many people…
The next evening, I was at the venue for the Comic Market, one of the biggest events for otaku.
When I arrived, I was stunned by the enormous crowd.
There were just too many people. You could truly call it a sea of humanity.
I felt lost, wondering how I was supposed to find Renka in such a vast place, but I knew which booths she liked.
If I wandered around that area, I was bound to spot the tall and slender Renka.
Since I didn’t have an admission ticket, I stuck to the outside of the building, scanning my surroundings with maximum concentration.
I noticed that among the people lined up to enter the booths, the very last person in line was holding a picket sign.
When someone new got in line behind them, they would hand it over, and the next person would take it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Is that some kind of custom? It’s fascinating.
Fortunately for me, the vast majority of people at Comiket were men.
That made looking for a woman much easier.
The problem was that there was no sign of Renka anywhere.
A long time passed, and then some more.
I climbed up on a low wall and kept scanning, and my head started to ache.
Did Renka already go home? Just as I was thinking that and tilting my head from side to side to loosen my stiff neck…
Huh…?
In the distance, I spotted a slender person walking somewhere, wearing a black hooded puffer jacket and a mask.
Their face was almost completely covered, but there was no mistaking that confident stride and those long legs.
Convinced it was Renka, I blended into the crowd and moved closer to her.
Not only was the backpack she wore stuffed full, but she was also carrying a mountain of shopping bags.
On top of that, her shoulders were bouncing slightly and the corners of her eyes were crinkled upwards; she looked overjoyed.
Did she get an autograph from a favorite artist? Even with the mask on, I could almost see the smile on her lips.
She’s really dedicated to her secret otaku life.
With that thought, I followed behind her, deeply contemplating how to call out to her naturally.