Part 69: The face of Akihabara changes dramatically

The door opens halfway, and an aging man appears. It's not that real butler.





"Ah, Papa."

Faris quickly gets up and leaves the room.







"Faris's dad is a company president, right? Amazing!"

Faris soon returns. Then, she turns to us, apologetically putting her hands together.



"Well then, this is bye bye for us, then."

"Ehh? Faris, what about my match? Didn't you promise me you'd lecture me about RaiNet in detail?"

"I don't think anyone promised that, nya?"

"Ehh, yeah, you did..."

"Daru, you shouldn't trouble Faris like that!"
"Come on, Okarin, let's go home."

"Yeah."

"Now that you mention it, Kyouma's been quiet nya. What's wrong nyan?"

"Nothing. I was just satisfied with looking down on Akiba from above."

"That's Okarin for you... ambiguous..."

We go with Faris to the entryway, and her dad and the butler see us off. Her dandy dad tells us to come visit again.



He doesn't have the atmosphere of a pompous rich man.

The sun is setting, but there are still many people in front of Akiba station. Foreigners stand out more than usual. Akiba Town is known throughout the world, so much so that people come from abroad just to buy consume electronics and moe goods.

But it's so hot outside. Just walking is enough to open up every sweat gland. The air conditioning as Faris's house was indeed comfortable. I want some in the lab, too, but unfortunately, we don't have that kind of money.

Anyway, how about we go eat somewhere? Thinking that, I look back at Daru and Mayuri behind m--



"Mm...? Where'd Mayuri go?"

"Hm? Huh? Now that you mention it, she disappeared."

Did Stardust Shakehand activate again? I check my surroundings, and see Mayuri from behind, casually walking toward the station.







I chase after her.

"Mayuri, where are you going?!"

"Ah, Okarin! You know, Mayushii's going home after this, but she's thinking about going to drop by Nakano."

"If you're going home, then why didn't you say so?"

"Eheheh, sorry. But you know, whenever I think I gotta go to Nakano, that's all I can think about."

"Mayushii's ability to erase her presence is abnormal."

Mayuri does this a lot. She staggers off somewhere without saying anything, and, just like Daru said, we really can't sense her presence at those times. That's why she always surprises me with the illusion that she disappears.

Stardust Shakehand and Sneaking Fadeout. Truly troublesome abilities.

"What business do you have in Nakano, anyway?"

"Well, a Sorrow Sword doujinshi came out yesterday..."

"Porn?"

"No, but the artist is Kouka Yui. Mayushii thinks it's time to get serious!"

"Heh, Kouka Yui, huh. The character designer for last year's Gunbam, right?"

"Yup, that's right."

"Buy me one too."

"Okidokey♪"

"Hey, hey, what are you guys saying? If you want doujinshi, why not go to Toranoana right there?"



"There, where?"

No, by there, I mean there. Right over--"

I point my finger..





"Wh...at...?"

I rub my eyes and blink several times. I stare at it again. I think maybe I got the wrong place, but I can't find it no matter how much I search.

Toranoana's neighbor, Animate, disappeared too. In their place are electronic stores. Furthermore, those electronic stores are unfamiliar, Daiichi Kaden and T-2ONE Minami.

No, wait...



Several shops have already closed. I think Daiichi Kaden and T-2ONE Miname were among them...

"Toranoana and Animate - where did they go?!"

"Are you telling a joke by any chance?"

"Huh?"



"...What do you mean, there aren't any?! They were just there yesterday, right?!"

What about today? When we went to Faris's house, I didn't clearly see them, though...



(Episode 9 cleared.)