In Akihabara’s Electric Town.
Not on the main street, but in the back, on this street where maid cafes and anime-related shops are scattered, I never expected to encounter Kitamiya-chan.
“It’s really rare to see you here. I see you at work all the time, though.”
Even from my perspective, I remembered this as a place Kitamiya-chan wouldn’t frequent.
“That’s right, I didn’t expect to see you here either. Chance encounters are amazing, aren’t they?”
I, holding two large paper bags in my hands, and Kitamiya-chan, who, perhaps because it’s a holiday, was dressed more stylishly than usual.
I also made an effort to look presentable for going out, but the difference in our awareness of fashion was clearly evident.
Unlike me, who buys outfits that look like they came off a mannequin, Kitamiya-chan was clearly choosing her clothes with a keen sense of coordination. The sight of us, standing on the street talking, me with anime shops and plain paper bags hanging from both hands, and Kitamiya-chan carefully selecting her outfits, must have made people wonder what our relationship was. Well, if they looked closely, they might say we’re acquaintances who are on good terms.
“Are you shopping?”
After all, Kitamiya-chan and I are, at best, colleagues, party members, or friends of the opposite sex. We have no romantic feelings for each other whatsoever.
In the first place, I’m currently dating Amili-chan, Shiik-chan, and Miik-chan – three of them. I’m not so capable that I can pursue more women.
Most importantly, Kitamiya-chan has a crush on Katsu-kun. Even though my body has become stronger, I don’t want to be kicked by a horse.
“No, I’m not. I’m meeting someone.”
“Meeting someone?”
However, that doesn’t mean we say goodbye immediately upon meeting. We exchange pleasantries. For me, this is a familiar place, so it wasn’t unusual, but Kitamiya-chan being here was truly rare.
But she wasn’t alone. That means her companion is someone who frequents this place. Someone who knows Kitamiya-chan and comes to Akihabara.
There’s only one person who fits the bill in my mind.
“Yaaah! Even though it’s the same Tokyo, this is indeed my home turf, isn’t it? Aren’t you Kaido-senpai? Are you here shopping?”
“As I thought, it’s Min-chan.”
As expected, the person I predicted appeared, much to my satisfaction. It was Min-chan, holding a kebab in each hand and offering one to Kitamiya-chan, looking more dressed up than I’d ever seen her.
She wasn’t particularly surprised by my presence and, seeing the paper bags in my hands, seemed to guess what I was doing here.
With a fashion that could be mistaken for that of a pure-hearted young lady if she were silent, I figured out why she was here.
“You were overwhelmed by the away atmosphere, weren’t you?”
“Exactly! That’s right.”
And then it made sense why she was eating with Kitamiya-chan in such a place.
“Yes, we were looking at clothes in Harajuku and Shinjuku earlier, but this child tearfully insisted that at least the meal should be in her territory. Well, she’s treating me as thanks for choosing her clothes, so I figured it’s okay and came along.”
“So you were brought to Akihabara.”
“Well, I kind of guessed when she asked me about the direction, but…”
Kitamiya-chan shrugged and began to eat the kebab elegantly, saying that she was brought here for that reason. Min-chan, hearing her comment that it was delicious, put on a smug face.
You know, I agree it’s delicious, but it’s only because the shop owner is a good cook, not because Min-chan made it.
“Oh, so kebabs. I thought being here, you’d go into a maid cafe, Min-chan, in your style.”
“Fufufufu, you’re too trusting, Kaido-senpai. Even I know to read the room in situations like this.”
“Oh, so you do think about it, Min-chan.”
However, knowing Min-chan, I thought she would have gone into a maid cafe and enjoyed herself with all her might. But I realized she wouldn’t take Kitamiya-chan, who isn’t used to this kind of place, into one.
“If I were to go in, it would be a butler cafe. Though Kitamiya stopped me.”
I was impressed that she had some sense of normalcy, and then this happened.
“As expected, it was you, Min-chan.”
“I never thought I’d see a day where I’d want to avoid entering a place more than entering a dungeon.”
But, of course, Min-chan is still Min-chan, and there was a punchline.
“So, you brought us here to a kebab stand. Well, it was delicious, so I’m glad. If you try to take me to another weird place next time, I’ll drag you to boutiques featured in fashion magazines!”
“Gah!? A real-life person!? That aura of a real-life person!?”
“What kind of threat is that? Normally, girls would be happy about that, wouldn’t they?”
While Kitamiya-chan and Min-chan’s exchange is, in a way, a familiar sight, it still feels off in some ways, and I was smiling. Then, I suddenly noticed that gazes were converging on us from the surroundings.
“Hey, aren’t those girls cute?”
“I prefer the one next to her. She looks a little tough, but she seems like she’d take care of you.”
“I like the nerdy one next to them. She’s cute, and she has large breasts.”
“Who’s that guy talking to them? Is he their boyfriend?”
“Nah, I don’t think so. They’re at most friends, aren’t they? I was watching them; it didn’t look like they were meeting up, more like a chance encounter.”
And then I could hear the evaluations of the two of them. Indeed, they were both beautiful, and they had an atmosphere that might attract men. However, the two of them, though they could probably hear it, showed no reaction.
When my gaze met Kitamiya-chan’s, she gave a wry smile.
“It’s best not to react. If you make eye contact with those kinds of guys, they’ll try to talk to you, and it’s troublesome if they think you’re interested.”
“That’s right. I don’t think I could converse with a complete stranger, so I’m confident I’d just stay silent.”
They explained why they were pretending not to hear. I see, so beautiful women also have their own troubles.
“I see. By any chance, do you two have any plans for later?”
“If it’s a plan to go eat Edo-mae sushi with Kaido-senpai treating, then yes!”
“Oh, if that’s the case, wouldn’t Ginza be better? There’s something I’ve actually wanted to eat over there.”
“Don’t just casually ask senpai to treat you. I’ve spent quite a bit today myself. Well, sushi is within my budget, though.”
It’s fine to treat a kouhai who always has my back to a meal, but I wish they’d show a little restraint. I mentally jabbed that they probably earn about the same salary as me.
“I’m just kidding. After this, I’ll take you to another boutique to polish Min’s fashion sense and then head home.”
“Ugh… I never thought I’d feel more tired from shopping than from dungeons. Why do I have to look at so many similar clothes?”
“This is why…”
However, this kind of conversation is also typical. If things went according to plan, we wouldn’t be treating them to a meal and would just part ways.
“Speaking of which, Kaido-san, have you bought Jiro-san’s promotion gift yet?”
“Senpai’s, you mean? Yeah, actually, I haven’t yet. It’s just… I haven’t found anything really good.”
Today seems to be a bit of an extension. The decision for senpai’s promotion to General. Senpai is currently rushing around to become a General and is in the midst of a busy period. Not only paperwork, but recently, there are supposedly many people trying to make connections. I recall hearing him complain that contact from nobles of the continent’s Demon Race, the Japanese Government, and organizations from outside Japan related to the mystical side are ceaseless. Despite being so busy, he’ll be participating in a party organized by us, the members of the First Division of Dungeon Testers, to celebrate his promotion. So, we decided to prepare a celebratory gift. We, as members of his party, have also been indebted to him, so we are each buying individual gifts.
“Kitamiya-chan, have you decided on yours?”
“Well, I have an idea. It’s not that expensive, and I believe it’s the thought that counts, right?”
“Fufu, I’ll blow your mind!”
“Please, don’t send a statue.”
“Why would you think that!?”
“You were thinking of sending one? You didn’t order it, did you?”
Knowing Kitamiya-chan, she’d probably buy something genuinely nice. Min-chan, in the “gag” category, on the other hand, might do something unbelievably outrageous. I think doing something like a flashy YouTuber, even as a joke, for someone who’s taken care of us is questionable. Well, knowing senpai, he’d probably laugh it off and forgive us.
“Well, actually…”
“Did you perhaps order it?”
I couldn’t believe it and was about to retort, but Min-chan, sweating profusely, averted her gaze. Did she actually order it?
“Actually, I was joking about it with a Giant acquaintance of mine, and they got surprisingly enthusiastic.”
“Enthusiastic?”
“It’s not a statue, but it seems like a Mithril statue is almost complete, or not.”
“I’m stopping you right now!? A statue, fine, but Mithril!? Do you know how much that costs!?”
“Well, they gave me a loan as celebration money from the people of the shopping street who owe a favor to the leader, so the amount I put in wasn’t that high. The only real problem is…”
However, as expected of someone with a thinking process that always goes beyond our expectations, it’s something we lesser mortals can’t keep up with. I would never have thought of making a statue out of Mithril instead of bronze.
“The statue itself is the core of a barrier device, making it a highly functional barrier generator. You see, the leader has twin children, right? So, we decided that investing in safety was a good idea.”
“Even so, why a statue? You could have made it a more normal shape!”
Kitamiya-chan is right. Why not make it a more ordinary shape? Even senpai would be embarrassed to have a statue of himself erected. I might not be able to get out of bed from sheer embarrassment.
“Incidentally, the main investor is Memoria-san.”
“Memoria-san.”
“Ugh, one of his wives got motivated.”
But here, the difference between modern and otherworldly common sense became apparent. Kitamiya-chan put her hand on her forehead and let out a big sigh. My mouth must have been twitching. Well, even Min-chan, I didn’t think she’d do something like this alone. If she were to do it, Katsu-kun would definitely stop her. However, if Memoria-san, a merchant, got involved, the situation would change.
“Well, I suggested to Memoria-san that since you accomplished the great feat of defeating Instructor Kio, it would be fitting to make a statue or two. I never expected it to escalate this much!”
“IT’S YOUR FAULT THIS ESCALATED SO MUCH!!”
“Ouch!? Ouch!? That hurts, Kitamiya!? Please don’t be so rough; I’m a fragile woman in public!”
“SHUT UP!”
Moreover, the reason given is defeating the instructor. Isn’t that problematic? At worst, the instructor might get angry, and the Ogre Tribe under his command might turn against us.
“It’s fine! The instructor himself agreed with a laugh! And the President is even sponsoring it!”
“It’s gotten that big!?”
Earlier, she mentioned a high-performance barrier device. Perhaps a super-colossal barrier generator is about to be born? Even if it’s a gag, there are limits, Min-chan. Min-chan, whose exposé was delivered while her face was being grasped in an iron claw, revealed a fact that involved the company’s upper management.
“Speaking of which, Amili-chan was working on a Golem design the other day, saying it was a present. Could it be…”
At this point, I wondered if the humanoid Golem design Amili-chan was working on her PC at home as a present was related. When I asked Min-chan about it, she gave me a thumbs-up while being held in an iron claw by Kitamiya-chan.
“Of course, it has an operating function to move in intercept mode using the power source of the barrier when it’s breached. This way, you can rest assured even if children are playing in the courtyard!”
“Rest assured about what!?”
Yeah, Min-chan. We usually have fun together, but I can say this: you’ve gone too far.
Today’s saying: Encounters in the city can be surprisingly unexpected.
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I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic. The Pandora’s Box has been reopened, but we’re fighting back with various activities like secret bases!! Please check that out as well!!
