Chapter 177: Danger! The Ninja Mansion that Summons a Storm!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Danger! The Ninja Mansion that Summons a Storm!
One of the most famous attractions in the Movie Village is the Shinsengumi barracks, which was featured in an NHK historical drama.
In front of it, staff members dressed as samurai were staging sword fights or taking photos with tourists.
And a place where people gather is also a prime spot for picking up girls.
After a quick stop at a public restroom to get fully geared up, we finally set foot on the battlefield.
"Ugh, I'm so nervous."
"Get a grip, Ryuji. You're the best-looking one among us. What are we supposed to do if you're all scared?"
Satoru, filled with a burning desire to get a girlfriend this year, encouraged Ryuji, who was tense about his first time trying to pick up a girl.
The two of them currently looked like hosts you'd see wandering the night streets of Shibuya.
Their hair, fixed with spray, was spiked in every direction, and the collars of their stylish casual clothes were sharply creased.
The finishing touch was the sunglasses perched on their heads to give off a tourist vibe, which only amplified their aura as total players.
I, on the other hand, didn't look much different from usual.
At most, I had put on some clean clothes to try and change my gloomy impression and slicked my hair back, something I never usually do.
Considering I usually walked around school with a shaggy mop of hair, it was at least a neater look.
But to Chiaki, who was standing next to me, it was apparently far from good.
「How do you manage to look like a yakuza no matter what you do?」
"...Shut up."
She had a real talent for pointing out the exact thing I was self-conscious about. So inconsiderate.
In any case, with grim determination, we set out to pick up girls for the first time.
"Alright, Ryuji. Your role is crucial now. Just find a girl who looks bored by herself, or someone who seems easy to talk to, and strike up a conversation naturally. Something like, 'Excuse me, do you have a moment?'"
Hearing Satoru's explanation, Ryuji looked troubled.
"Isn't that a little too obvious? I hear it's not easy to pick up girls these days."
"No, you can do it. It's weird to say this as another guy, but you're definitely handsome. On a percentage scale, you're in the top 20% of our school's looks ranking."
"...That is a high rank, right?"
That sounded like a pretty ambiguous number.
Though I had to admit, Ryuji was handsome.
Anyway, after another round of encouragement from Satoru, Ryuji reluctantly began the operation.
For security, we communicated via text messages instead of talking out loud.
[First off, what about that girl up ahead?]
[You mean the blonde?]
[Yeah. The blonde.]
Our first target was a female student who was on her phone by herself.
Perhaps she had gotten separated from her friends on a school trip, just like us. Her eyes were glued to her phone screen, her fingers moving nonstop.
With her dyed blonde hair, flashy manicure, and a phone case adorned with cute accessories, she was the picture-perfect image of a modern gyaru.
"Excuse me..."
The girl looked up, annoyed.
"I have a boyfriend, you know?"
It was a classic line, used by ninety-nine out of a hundred people who couldn't be bothered with being hit on.
But as soon as she saw Ryuji's face, she immediately changed her tune.
"Oh, sorry, Oppa. There are just so many annoying guys here since it's a tourist spot. How old are you? Are you older than me?"
Seeing Ryuji's handsome face, she had taken an instant liking to him.
"Yesss!"
Satoru, who was hiding a short distance away and watching the scene unfold, let out a cry of joy.
A successful pickup on the very first try. Was this the protagonist's buff?
A cold aura was radiating from Chiaki, who was watching Ryuji's moves with us, but since she knew the whole story, it seemed she was going to watch for now.
The high school girl Ryuji had successfully picked up was now taking the offensive, linking her arm with his.
"What school do you go to, Oppa? I go to Inari Technical High."
"Uh, have you heard of Ichijo Academy in Minato Ward?"
"Oh my! Isn't Ichijo Academy famous for its high academic scores? You don't look it, but you're a huge brainiac, Oppa!"
"Haha..."
Ryuji brushed off her comment with an awkward smile.
Then, glancing back at us, he cautiously got to the point.
"If you don't mind, would it be okay to call my friends over? They're actually waiting for me back there, craning their necks."
The girl, who had introduced herself as Kobayashi Sanae, grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"Sure. Then I'll call my friends too. It's better to have even numbers when we're hanging out, right?"
Is this really happening? This easily?
Having watched the entire process from start to finish, I found it hard to believe.
Satoru, who had failed countless times, probably felt the same way.
I glanced at him for confirmation, but it seemed like he was just happy to hang out with a girl, no matter what.
He already had a dazed look on his face, which wasn't very reassuring.
I guess I'll have to be the one to keep my head on straight.
With that resolve, I checked the message on my phone.
It was the signal from Ryuji, who had single-handedly set the entire table for us.
*
"Wow! You're so pretty! Rika! You look just like a Hina doll!"
"Hehe, thanks, Karen-chan."
Rika, who had rented a kimono from a costume studio since it was a special occasion, blushed at Karen's compliment.
"This outfit feels a bit drafty at the bottom."
Following behind them, Sasha appeared, also dressed in a gorgeous kimono. As she did, the people passing by the studio let out gasps of admiration.
And for good reason. A blonde and a silver-haired beauty, both with exotic looks, were standing side by side.
It wasn't a common sight in Japan, so naturally, it drew everyone's attention.
"Alright, we've rented the clothes. Where should we go now?"
Hattori's hand shot up in response to the class president's question, who was holding a map.
"The haunted house! Or the Shinsengumi barracks, or the ninja mansion would be cool too!"
"What does everyone else think?"
"How about the ninja mansion? I heard you can try throwing shuriken there."
"A NINJA mansion. That has a nice ring to it."
"I'm fine with anywhere."
The five of them quickly came to a consensus.
"Okay. Then it's decided. We're going to the ninja mansion first."
Karen watched the class president fold the guide book in her hand and put it back in her bag.
"Class President, aren't you going to look at the map?"
"Ah, it's fine. I've already memorized the way."
With a nonchalant expression, the class president said something incredible and then began to lead the way toward the ninja mansion at the corner of the movie village.
*
"Heeey!"
"Whoa! Damn! Oppa, look at those muscles!"
Thanks to Ryuji's heroic efforts, a 3-on-3 impromptu group date was underway.
To be honest, I felt incredibly out of place.
In my past life and this one, I had lived a life far removed from group dates.
If Satoru hadn't been there to act as the mood-maker with his smooth talking, we probably would have parted ways without me saying a single word.
In that sense, Satoru was playing his part well.
It was something I, being very shy, could never do.
"Are you really a high school student? Maybe you were held back a few years?"
"...Should I show you my student ID?"
"Ahahaha! I'm just kidding!"
After briefly exchanging information and introducing ourselves, we decided to start exploring the attractions in the movie village.
After all, our primary purpose here was sightseeing.
"What do you think would be fun?"
"Hmm, we already went to the haunted house, and it was nothing special. How about we go to that ninja mansion up there?"
"That's a great idea!"
"Right? Right?"
Satoru, who had max-level friendliness, was already hitting it off with the girl he was paired with.
As for Ryuji, he didn't even have to try; the girl named Kobayashi was actively making moves on him.
I, on the other hand, hadn't had any real conversation with the girl in the mask I'd been awkwardly paired with.
At least she doesn't seem to hate me.
Given her immense interest in my muscles, which most people found intimidating at first, I guessed she probably had a similar taste to my junior, Minato.
Anyway, we started walking toward our destination.
High school girls of this age possess the ability to chatter endlessly while walking, so it wasn't particularly boring even though I was just walking silently.
My usual role was bodyguard and part of the scenery anyway, so if anything, it felt familiar.
Starting from the Shinsengumi barracks on the west side of the movie village, it was about a ten-minute walk to the ninja mansion.
It was a place where you could enjoy various ninja-related attractions, and naturally, it was popular with most tourists.
Following the guidance of a staff member in a ninja costume, we got in line behind the crowd entering the mansion.
"Huh?"
And then I realized.
Standing less than a meter away from me was the line of girls we had parted with in front of the bus earlier.