Chapter 549: The Dawning Love Jolt Counter

Author's Preface
To those of you who tried to name your Zacian "Sif," you've got good taste. [*1]

As for the author, it's either "Dogiragon" or "Dogibasu." Though based on demand, maybe I should've bought Shield instead. [*2]

---

◇

With a clatter, Iwamaki practically threw herself back into the Aeron chair placed deep behind the counter, leaning her weight onto the armrests and supporting her tilted head with the arm she had propped on the armrest.

"...So?"

"N-No... well, as a situation, utilizing this place, you see?"

"Hoooh?"

Rei slowly backed away as if trying to escape Iwamaki's half-lidded glare, but it was an undeniable fact that she had chosen this place as the venue to hand over the ticket.

If she simply tried to hand it over out of nowhere, Rei's mental fortitude wouldn't hold up. Her plan was to strictly raise the banner of "This is about video games," and seamlessly pass the ticket over in the natural flow of conversation...

"Iwamaki-san, is it true that Duck Games is setting up a booth at JGE?"

"Jeije!?"

"Huh!!?"

Rakuro glanced over to see what was going on as Rei, trembling violently with a sudden jolt, let out a bizarre shriek. But he quickly brushed it off as just another one of her usual seizures and turned his gaze back to Iwamaki.

"Duck Games is a pretty established company, right? It seems they messed up pretty spectacularly recently... Are they out of their minds?"

"TitaHar was rough, yeah〜. I heard a rumor that it was because they were developing it parallel to a co-developed game, though."

"I haven't bought it yet, honestly... Lately, ShanFro has pretty much been my main, so a survival game looks like it would blatantly eat up all my time..."

"You played Galaxy Traveler, so wouldn't it be right up your alley?"

"GalTra was an absolute time-sink in its own way—or rather, a game for hardcore completionists—but from what I hear, this one is just straight-up void, isn't it?"

"The 'map stretching' theory is basically confirmed at this point, yeah〜. They're trying to pass it off with the excuse of it being a 'Giant World'."

Rei, leaving Iwamaki and Rakuro to enthusiastically discuss a topic she knew absolutely nothing about, had already started the eighteenth variation of her mental simulation. However, upon catching a fleeting glance of eye contact from Iwamaki, she realized that this was her chance.

"U-Umm!"

"Hm?"

"Ah〜, come to think of it, I completely forgot. Actually, there was something I asked Rei-chan to hand over to you, Rakuro-kun〜."

If one trained in martial arts to a certain degree, there were times when one could instinctively sense the perfect moment for a critical strike. And she felt that moment right now.

"A-Actually!! I was holding onto this for you from Iwa- Iwamaki-san!"

"Hmm? ...Seriously? Speak of the devil."

"See, I plan on speedrunning the new release the moment it drops that day, so I had extras I didn't know what to do with."

"The fact that it's not a ring type means... Whoa, seriously? A premium ticket? You could easily resell this for 100k, you know."

"You've got some nerve declaring your intent to scalp right in front of the people involved in the Pay and Buy."

"My apologies, it was a dark joke. Death to all scalpers!!"

"Good."

The topic had nearly derailed into something Rei didn't quite understand, but now was the time to press the attack. Borrowing in advance from the future the courage gauge that she had sluggishly failed to accumulate, Rei steeled her resolve. As if to manifest that determination, she took a single step forward and opened her mouth.

"U-Umm, well... If you'd like, would you... l-like to go together?"

"Eh? Ah, there's a ShanFro booth there too, huh..."

While continuing the conversation, Rakuro had been operating his mobile device. Upon hearing Rei's words, he seemed to reach some sort of mysterious understanding. And then, a brief silence......... In terms of actual time, it was only a few seconds, but to Rei, it felt like several hours.

"Yeah, well, I don't mind."

In that moment, Rei's life reached its absolute climax (according to her own personal estimation).

"But........."

"Heh?"

"This is kind of going to end up like a date, are you okay with that, Saiga-san?"

"Nhyuh."

The absolute climax of her life performed three and a half mid-air spins, shattered straight through the upper limit, and detonated.

"...! .........!!"

"Saiga-san?"

"Ah〜......... A surprise attack from a blushing sprite is absolutely fatal, isn't it〜........."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing at all〜. Looks like she's going to turn into a pair of pliers instead of a player."

Her auditory senses were picking something up, but Rei was far beyond the point of comprehending it. Indescribable emotions were swirling, violently shaking, and repeatedly splitting and merging within her, and she was doing everything in her power just to maintain her sense of equilibrium.

Was the shock coming from the fact that Rakuro was actually conscious of the concept of a "date"? Or was it the shock of the reality that she was the direct participant in that exact situation? Without even knowing the answer to those questions... Rei scraped together whatever fragments of rationality she had left, constructed a frail, paper-thin MaskExpression, and floated an incredibly normal smile.

"Itsh no poblem so it's no poblem."

"I-Is that so? Then I guess it's fine, but... I'm going to head home soon, so,"

"I thwink I'll shtay and twalk with Iwamaki-shan a wittle wonger."

"I see. I'll excuse myself first, then."

"Yeeees."

One minute passed.

"............"

Two minutes passed.

".........U, ku, fuguu!!"

"There, there, you endured it well! You did great, Rei-chan! You didn't completely blow your cover! Tonight, we celebrate with Krug!!"

Iwamaki caught Rei as she vigorously collapsed to her knees. The gaze she directed at Rei was a mixture of mercy and profound sympathy.

"W-What, what do I... what do I wear to..."

"It's fine! It's a magnificent leap forward!! Iwamaki-san will help you with absolutely everything!!"

"H-Hizutome-kun, Hizutome-kun...!!"

"I know, right? I totally understand, Rei-chan! Who would have thought there was still any humanity left inside that trash-game brain!! Yep, yep, that was completely outside my calculations too!!"

In the end, it took Rei an entire hour to recover. And Rock Roll closed for business unusually early that day.

Four hours remained until Tsukuyogi's exhausted stomach would be startled and suffer magnificently from the sudden influx of ultra-premium champagne.

---

◆

"Hmm〜..."

"That's rare. My dear brother is actually looking at something other than a gaming article... Eh, what? Did you awaken to fashion? Are you getting a part-time job?"

"Don't smoothly try to lock me into a fate of wasting money. I just need some clothes for going out."

"Hmm〜... Oh, here's some prosciutto I got as a share from my part-time job."

"Prosciutto as in dry-cured ham......... Eh? Undiced? A whole leg??"

"Yep. They said they made too much for a prototype run."

"That's something that costs at least 15k minimum... Your connections are terrifying..."

That's a blunt weapon. You could absolutely bludgeon a person to death with this thing. What the hell kind of part-time job do you work where you get this as your share? We haven't even finished the solid block of Katsuobushi Dad brought home as a souvenir yet, you know?

"Maybe I'll just buy whatever the mannequin is wearing..."

"Uwa〜, are you underestimating fashion? Buying the mannequin's outfit might look fine on the outside, but your heart is lame!"

"I'm not seeking beauty of mentality here."

With the exception of my younger sister, the majority of our household is completely indifferent to fashion. As the sole Fashionable Sukeban of our family, Rumi apparently couldn't overlook my brain-dead mannequin purchasing strategy.

She snatched my mobile device out of my hand and began swiftly operating it. It seemed she had also pulled out her own phone and was navigating both in parallel...

"Hmm〜, black skinny jeans are fine... A black top would be lame though... Any specific requests for a coat, brother?"

"An Inverness coat."

"You only remember that because the name sounds cool, right? Rejected. Chester coat it is."

What the heck is that, it sounds cool.

"Here, this should do."

"Oh, thank y... How much?"

"There is no room for the word 'compromise' when it comes to fashion, dear brother."

"My wallet is going to be completely barren, dear sister."

"It's Cool Biz!!" [*3]

I don't need the shoes or the muffler!!

---

Author's Afterword

By the way, the author has zero points allocated to the fashion sense parameter, so this is all just random.


Hizutome Family Fashion Sense:
Dad: Mostly suits or fishing clothes.
Mom: Bought a beekeeper's protective suit online.
Eldest Son: Tracksuits are the strongest.
Eldest Daughter: "How many clothes have you bought in your life?" [*4]

---

Translator's Notes

• [1] A reference to the legendary Great Grey Wolf Sif from Dark Souls, who famously wields a giant sword in its mouth, much like the Pokémon Zacian.
• [2] A reference to the creatures "Dogiragon" and "Dogiragon Buster" from the Duel Masters trading card game. The author jokes about whether they should have purchased Pokémon Shield instead to avoid the Zacian/Sword similarities.
• [3] Hey guys, Peter Griffin here to explain the joke: Cool Biz is a Japanese government campaign promoting lighter summer clothing (shedding ties/jackets) to reduce air conditioning usage. Rumi is joking that Rakuro's wallet is shedding its "layers" (money) to stay cool. Rakuro fires back that if it's supposed to be a summer campaign, he shouldn't be buying a winter item like a muffler.
• [4] A parody of Dio Brando's famous line from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: "How many breads have you eaten in your life?"