Chapter 212: The Exposed Otaku #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: The Exposed Otaku #2
“Um... excuse me. Do you happen to know where the Boy Monday Company booth is?”
“Oh! I just came from there. The Saturday Company booth is over that way... Go inside Building B, and you’ll see it right away in corner E-2.”
“Building B... Ah, I see it. Thank you so much!”
“No problem. Happy geeking!”
There was Renka, giving directions to a stranger.
Her voice was a pitch higher than usual, and she seemed incredibly excited.
Judging by the shopping bags she was carrying, it looked like she was done buying her merchandise...
If she decided to go to another booth, I wouldn't be able to follow without an admission ticket, so I had to catch her before then.
I had been following Renka from a distance. When she passed in front of a noisy building where some event was taking place, I knew this was my chance.
She would definitely be startled if I called out to her, and the loud noise would surely cover up her scream.
With that thought, I widened my stride and quickly closed the distance behind her.
Then, in a tone full of feigned curiosity, I called out to her.
“Captain?”
“.....”
It seemed she didn't hear me.
I’ll try raising my voice a little.
“Captain!”
As I got closer and spoke louder, Renka finally froze in place.
Her head, which was initially motionless, began to turn with a stiff creak, like a protagonist in a horror movie encountering a ghost.
And then, our eyes met.
“.....”
Was she genuinely, truly flustered, or was her mind just completely blank?
She just stood there staring at me for a short while, then—
“Hyaaaaaaah!?”
—she let out an incredible shriek without any warning.
Hmm... This was the most dramatic I’d ever seen Renka.
If she weren't wearing a mask, it would've been an even better sight.
She was so startled that she flailed her arms wildly, sending one of her shopping bags flying through the air.
I quickly caught it and waved a hand in front of her eyes, which had gone wide as she stood completely still.
“Are you okay?”
Renka flinched, her whole body trembling as her focus returned.
“Huh...?”
But she still seemed out of it, letting out a strange sound as she swayed on her feet.
She looked completely defenseless. I had to stop myself from laughing.
“Ah...!”
As if she’d just realized the embarrassing scene she’d made, Renka shook her head vigorously, and her eyes sharpened.
“What are you...?”
“What do you mean, what am I? It’s me.”
“What... what are you doing here?”
“I came to enjoy Comiket. Here, take this first.”
I held out the shopping bag she had almost dropped, and she reached out reflexively to take it.
Her grape-colored eyes darted around.
Was it just my imagination, or could I actually hear the gears in her head turning at lightning speed?
“That... um...”
It seemed she couldn't think of what to say.
I decided to help her out, just to tease her a little.
“Is that merchandise in the shopping bag?”
“Ah, yeah... merchandise...”
“Did you come here to buy merchandise?”
“R-right... My nephew... um... he lives out of town... so he asked me to buy it for him...”
Is a nephew the only excuse you have, Renka?
Don’t most closet fans have at least one plausible alibi ready for when they get caught by an acquaintance?
I guess running into someone so unexpected made her blurt out the nephew excuse on reflex.
In any case, the way her eyes were trembling as if hit by an earthquake was so funny I could barely stand it.
Barely suppressing a burst of laughter, I made a soft hissing sound and said, “For someone just buying a gift for their nephew, you had a bit of an otaku look on your face. You were even smiling strangely... I thought you were about to drool.”
“W-what are you talking about... You’re imagining things...?”
“And I get the feeling you use your nephew as an excuse for everything...”
“Th-that’s just because I care about my n-n-nephew a lot...!”
“Well, I suppose that’s possible... but you seem incredibly flustered.”
“That’s because you’re making a s-stupid misunderstanding...! I’m not into this kind of stuff...!”
“Your face is bright red. Is that also because of my stupid misunderstanding?”
“Yes...!”
Shouldn't she have just confessed by now?
I looked at Renka, who had one foot back, poised to run away at any moment.
She looked like a mouse cornered by a cat.
Even so, she still had a defiant air about her, a slight unwillingness to back down.
It seemed she was planning to brazen her way through the situation.
Wanting to see the expression behind her mask, I stared into her eyes and gently scratched my chin with my index finger.
“Hmm.”
“Wh-what’s with that Chinami-like sound?”
“Captain.”
“What...! What is it!”
“Was this the ‘something you had to do before work’? Buying a gift for your nephew?”
“Yes...! That’s right...!”
“Then you should have just honestly said you were going to buy a gift. Why did you just vaguely say you had ‘something to do’ when I asked? It’s not like I don’t know how much you care for your nephew.”
“That’s... well... I didn’t think I needed to tell you specifically... I-it’s true, isn’t it? It’s not like we’re that close... right?”
Renka’s ability to handle pressure was remarkably low.
Then again, that’s probably why she gets pushed around by me so easily.
A meaningful smile on my face, I continued.
“I heard you have to book tickets for this place way in advance just to get in...”
“....That’s right. It was h-hard to get one.”
“Captain, you honestly like this kind of subculture, don’t you?”
“I told you I don’t, you’re not listening to me...”
“You like it, don’t you?”
“I said no...? If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, then go...! Just go away...!”
“This is what they call being a closet fan, right? Or was it ‘normal person cosplay’?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about...? Closet fan? Normal person cosplay? You’re using strange words...”
“I saw you telling someone to ‘happy geeking’ earlier... Isn’t that short for ‘have fun with your fandom activities’? If you know a word like that, you should definitely know...”
“....You have a wild imagination. And are your ears okay? I have no memory of saying such a thing.”
“Your tone is very flat. Your speech pattern has changed, too... Are you reading from a script?”
“.....”
Renka clamped her mouth shut like she’d been struck dumb.
I wanted to keep teasing her, but her breathing had become ragged, like someone hyperventilating.
I could even see her mask puffing up and deflating with each breath.
It was proof that she was in an extremely agitated state.
Just this much was enough to make Renka kick her blankets in frustration when she got home.
She was playing innocent, but she must be thinking her true self had been exposed.
So, I’ll stop teasing her for now. I’ve pushed her too far.
“I understand.”
“Wh-what...? What do you understand?”
“I just said I understand. Here, have some water.”
“Water...?”
“I thought you might need it.”
I held out the small bottle of water I was carrying. After a moment of hesitation, Renka snatched it from my hand, pulled down her mask, and started chugging it down.
After emptying the small bottle in an instant, she let out a refreshing sigh and asked, “So... why are you here?”
“There was an anime I was interested in, so I was going to check out the company booth, but I couldn't get in because there were no same-day tickets. They said you have to book in advance, no on-site purchases.”
“....So you came all this way for nothing? You should have looked it up properly... If my nephew hadn't told me in advance, I would have just shown up, too.”
“You’re right about that. Are you all done here?”
“Done...? Well, I bought everything my nephew asked for... so I guess you could say I’m done.”
It was cute how she kept mentioning her nephew to emphasize that she had no interest in this stuff herself.
It felt like a last-ditch effort.
Suddenly, I had the urge to install a camera in Renka’s house.
I wanted to see how she’d react when she got back.
“Really? Then let’s head back. Since we ran into each other like this, I’ll give you a ride.”
“What do you mean, ‘ran into each other’... Ugh... so annoying... Why do I always run into him...”
She muttered it very, very quietly, but I heard it.
A voice tinged with dismay and exasperation.
If anyone else spoke in that tone, I’d be worried, but why did it sound so good coming from Renka?
“What was that?”
“N-nothing... I’ll go by myself.”
“You’re going to carry all that?”
“I can just put it in my bag...”
“Why does it feel like you’re avoiding me?”
“....Hey...! Hey! Go! You can just take your car...! This is perfect...! I wanted to clear up your misunderstanding anyway...!”
Why does Renka look so pretty today?
If anyone saw us, they’d probably think we were a couple fighting over something silly.
I grinned at her as she sighed in resignation and held out my hand.
“Shall we go? Give me your bags. I’ll carry them.”
“No...”
“Then follow me.”
“....Fine.”
With slumped shoulders and eyes fixed on the ground, Renka silently followed behind me like a convict. I let out a small chuckle and headed to the parking lot with her.
* * *
Renka, who had claimed she wanted to clear up my misunderstanding, didn't say a single word the entire ride home.
It seemed she couldn't figure out how to organize her thoughts.
It must be complicated, having her long-held secret hobby exposed.
Well, you should have been more careful about hiding it. How could you be so careless about being a closet fan?
Even if it wasn't me, someone else would have figured out your secret sooner or later.
“We’re here. We’ve arrived.”
I parked the car a short distance from Renka’s house. At my words, her face twitched, and she turned to look out the window.
Was she relieved to see her cozy little home right in front of her?
Her expression softened slightly as she gathered her bag and shopping bags.
“I’m leaving...”
“Your greeting.”
“What greeting? Ah... thanks... Thanks so much I could cry. I’m so genuinely grateful I don’t know what to do with myself...!”
Her voice rose in a crescendo.
I bit my lower lip and turned my head away.
If I didn't, I was afraid I’d burst out laughing.
After taking a moment to compose myself, I looked back at Renka.
“Did you find a part-time job?”
“I did.”
“What kind?”
“Waiting tables. It’s a gyudon place.”
“Do they have any openings?”
“Openings?”
“I’m looking for a part-time job, too. It’d be nice to have someone to work with.”
“You’re getting a part-time job?”
Why? Is it strange that I, who don’t look like I’m short on cash, would get a part-time job?
It’s all because I like you. I’m allowed to like you, aren’t I?
My original plan was to start working at Renka’s restaurant by chance, as if it were fate.
But I’d already used the excuse of ‘coincidence’ to run into her too many times. If I kept it up, she might think I was stalking her.
So, I’ll be upfront about it and get her consent to work there.
Although, thanks to today’s incident, there’s a bit of coercion involved.
“Yes. I’m thinking of trying it out during the break.”
“Well then... you can look somewhere else.”
“I want to work with you, Captain. It sounds like it would be fun.”
“You work for fun...? You work to earn money.”
“I meant it would be relatively more fun than working alone. Don’t you think?”
“I think working with you would be hell.”
“That’s harsh. Was it like that at my uncle’s store?”
“That was different. That was something I wished for.”
“Is that so? Anyway, could you ask the manager there if they’re hiring more people?”
“No.”
“Really? Hmm.”
When I let out that signature sound, Renka flinched and her eyes widened.
“What was that...? What was that just now?”
“What was what?”
“You just went ‘hmm’...!”
“Yes. What about it?”
“You’re doing something you don’t normally do...”
“I did it without thinking. Anyway, aren’t you getting out?”
“.....”
Renka looked like she wanted to say more, but perhaps deciding that continuing the conversation would only be to her disadvantage, she opened the passenger door.
Then, holding her bag and shopping bags as carefully as if they were sacred relics, she glanced at me over her shoulder.
“Y-you should head home safely, or whatever...”
She’s still thanking me even in a situation like this. She has strong tsundere tendencies, but it’s admirable.
I waved at a blushing Renka and watched her retreating figure as she trudged away listlessly before heading home myself.