Please accept my offer.

The Tokyo Dome. The home of professional baseball tournaments and idol concerts. Performance artists, both popular in Japan and from around the globe, have performed here once or many times. Today was the 9th of November, and the schedule for the tour featured the popular faceless artist; Eto.

Like the other faceless artist, Fumiyo, Eto was also widely known globally and across Japan. She made her name by working alongside popular anime studios, creating different types of music for them. Eto had a unique taste in music that enchanted plenty of people. It always had the best rhythm, beat, and good use of instruments. She was a rare kind of talent.

Outside the Tokyo Dome, many people walked around waiting for the concert, amongst them being Naorin, who wore casual winter clothing and the average red scarf for the tour. He was on the phone with Ayaka because she kept begging him to record inside the concert via call.

“Like I said, the rules state here that you absolutely CANNOT record before, during, or after the concert. How long are you gonna try to bribe me with your stinky P2W gacha account just for me to commit an offense?”

“COME ON! It can’t be that bad. Can’t it just be a tad bit? Like just a picture or a split second! Please??” Ayaka begged Naorin with a cry for help and a dramatic prolonged sob on the call. It can’t be helped that this woman is the reincarnation of the Demon Queen.

“…I’m hanging up,” Naorin’s low and sharp tone was the last thing Ayaka heard from the phone. Fed up with her shenanigans, he clenched his fist and raised his arm, declaring his victory against the Demon Queen. Many passersby gazed at him, questioning whether he had some kind of mental illness. Must be a normal thing around these parts.

Now, with that out of the way. Time to enjoy Eto’s concert! I’m super excited and I can’t hide it. Let’s go enjoy hours worth of peak. The Naorin engine is running at maximum RPM. He’ll release all of it during the concert, then the next day his body will act like a rag that’s been freshly dried and somehow he’ll still blame his homework.

After double-checking his list, everything was going smoothly for him. Ayaka-tan? Sealed and captured. His studies? Unfinished. His ticket? In his hands. He knew nothing could go wrong today, he was positive for sure.

Not again! Uh, where is this place?? A woman whimpered.

Naorin’s ears picked it up. The sound was oddly familiar, and he knew he had heard it somewhere during Fumiyo’s concert. He was certain it was her. Without wasting time, he looked around to find her.

ーAnd there she was; the black-haired woman with purple highlights, a mole under her left lip, wearing casual winter clothes. He approached, not quickly, but at a slow, almost nonchalant pace.

ーLike a coincidental meetup.

“If you’re looking for the entrance again, it’s over there.” Naorin pointed to the staircase of the dome.

“Ah, thank you! Oh~ You must be Naorin Reo, right!? If I’m not mistaken? I remember we met 3 days ago?”

“Yes! That’s me. Though I forgot your name, I apologize. Everything lately has been buggin’ me, and only J-pop concerts are able to hype me up and restore my energy…”

“Ehh?? What’s happening? Don’t worry about it. It’s Eimi Yui, I don’t mind. I understand how you feel! You mentioned you’re currently in college, yes? Pretty much they’re giving you the hassle because you’re close to graduating, which is 2 months from now.”

“My goodness, that is very real. Yes, it has been a mindbreak from the amount of work and tests I’ve been doing. Ah, that’s right. Does Eimi-san go to college too?”

“Eh? Me? Well… I’ve graduated already. My occupation is an office worker! Not my choice, but it’s what I signed up for!”

“Is that so? To be fair, Eimi-san is older than me by 3 years. I hope the schedule and pay at your workplace are manageable enough for you to have time to attend concerts.”

“Well! Thankfully it is! My schedules are Tuesdays and Fridays, but luckily I can ask for a specific day off as long as I work from home, of course! I can buy tickets and request day-offs prior to concerts,” Eimi let out an awkward laugh.

“I see, Eimi-san truly is a devoted J-pop enthusiast.” Naorin took his phone from his pocket to check the time; 2:48 PM. One hour and twelve minutes before the concert started at 4:00. With that much time, he planned to wander around Tokyo Dome City. He wanted to make his ticket worth it, plus kill time.

Naorin turned to Eimi, and already his mind was on high alert. Should he invite her to eat out?

Should I? Maybe, but wouldn’t it be strange for someone she just met 3 days ago to invite her? Arghh!! Oh well.

He raised his hand, his body shivering and voice slightly stammering.

“Eimi-san, would you like to explore and eat out in Tokyo Dome City? I figured, since we’re here early and have an hour on our hands, we can maybe kill some time?”

“Hm? I don’t mind, we do have plenty of time. And I’ll be honest with you, it’s embarrassing but my stomach’s been growling since earlier hehe~ I’ll go with you to eat.”

I felt like my knees were giving out when she said “I don’t.” I thought she was going to reject my offer…

Relieved, Naorin let out an exhausted, gloomy sigh before shaking his head to refresh his emotions. He felt slightly embarrassed asking Eimi to go along with him, but in his reasoning, she looked like the type of person to get lost all the time. It was more his gentleman instincts wanting to lend a helping hand.

☆

“Cute!!!!! I think I want to get this!” Eimi pointed to the chubby long-eared plushie with a red scarf inside the claw machine. She approached the machine with a clear intent to gamble, normal instincts for gambling addicts. That was a joke.

“Huh, Eimi-san is into cute things? Well, it seems normal for everyone I guess.”

“Of course! Every girl and woman likes cute things! We will move to the next location after I get it!” Eimi took out her purse and aggressively slotted in a coin.

First attempt. Failed.

Second attempt. Failed again.

The next. Failed again.

“WHY DO THEY KEEP MOVING!!!!????” Eimi cried out, jumping around in frustration.

“…Eimi-san, those are inanimate objects. If this was Japan where mana exists, then maybe it would’ve moved. Maybe even go as far as resenting humans and summoning a fireball or something.”

“But!! I swear they’re moving on purpose! I always catch it on the first try! Why??!” She pouted.

What a hassle…

Forced to help the poor little thing, Naorin took his wallet from his jacket and slotted it in a coin. On his first attempt, he caught the plushie. Eimi’s eyes glistened as she jumped in joy. He took the plushie from the prize chute and handed it over to her.

“Naorin! Thank you!! I swear, I must be cursed or something. Today’s not the day for me… In addition, the next hour will be another tiring session… I can’t relax at all!!” Eimi dramatically shook her head while hugging the plushie tightly.

Quite the first time Naorin had met a woman with this kind of behavior. The type who wouldn’t destroy your soul just because she wasn’t in the mood. And even if she was in the mood, she’d still dropkick you regardless.

“It is gonna be tiring singing along later in the concert. It’s more tiring for Eimi-san, I’m guessing? For me, I’m gonna be screaming Eto’s name loudly until I can’t speak tomorrow. So, with that out of the way, is Eimi-san still hungry? We could head directly to the food court.”

“Nope, I’m okay with my hunger so far. I want to explore the arcade more, maybe if there’s a racing simulator here?”

“A racing simulator? You’re into racing? Like JDMs or drifting? Sorry if I’m wrong, I don’t know much about racing myself,” he scratched his cheek.

“Ah no, not certainly that. Motorsport racing! I’m into Formula One cars, GT3s, Hypercars, and endurance racing. It’s two different worlds. I get that drifting looks cooler, but driving at full speed, extracting hundreds of tenths, managing pace, tires, and doing all that consistently for 3 hours is SUPER awesome.”

“Uhm, I guess so. I don’t understand a single thing, but it must be cool judging by how Eimi-san describes it.”

“IT ABSOLUTELY IS! Oh, that’s right. Rather than calling me by name, I’d prefer if you called me Yui or simply referred to me like that, if that’s fine by you of course.”

“Huh? Are you sure? ….If you say so. So uhm, Yui? Could you tell me more about motorsport and endurance racing? Who knows, I might get hooked. Trying new things doesn’t hurt.”

“First, I don’t think there’s a race sim anywhere here. How boring~~ So many arcades and games, yet they can’t even put a single racing simulator. Hmph, I’m hungry now, let’s hit the food court, Naorin.”

Naorin nodded and obeyed her. They exited the game center, walked through the countless shops, and made their way inside the Tokyo Dome City food court. The entire time, Naorin couldn’t help but notice that Eimi had been hugging the plushie he got for her. It looked like she didn’t want to let go, which he found oddly embarrassing…

They stopped by a ramen stall. Before Eimi could pull out her purse, Naorin stepped in front of the cashier and ordered two bowls of ramen for the two of them.

“Naorin?”

When Eimi went to grab her purse, Naorin had already handed over his cash. He beat her to it, strategically using the plushie in her arms to his advantage, which worked. This was the result of his enhanced gamer skills honed to perfection.

“Yui, you’ve got your hands full. Since I invited you, it is my duty to handle this.”

“Eh?? Thank you, Naorin. I’m so sorry if that was your savings that you spent! I’ll make it up someday…”

Embarrassingly, yes it was. But I’m doing this to increase my aura levels. I shouldn’t be caught lacking.

He coughed, playing it off like he never said anything in his mind. Naorin’s gentlemanliness was at fault, but he didn’t wish for anything in return. He just wanted to be nice to her, because if he ever did this to Ayaka, she’d milk his wallet dry and ask for even more. They didn’t call her the Terror of Death for nothing.

“Here you go, sir,” the chef handed over the tray with their ramen.

Before Naorin could even touch it, the chef asked him a question, waving his hand to signal him closer.

Naorin leaned forward, lining up his ear as the chef covered the side of his mouth with his hand.

“What a beautiful girlfriend you have, sir. All I have to say is I wish good fortune for the two of you,” he whispered.

“HUH?! Wait wait, you’re misunderstanding!” Naorin jolted, which caught Eimi’s attention.

“Aha, the typical fake-it-till-you-make-it, I see. Just grab the tray and find your seat already. Don’t make your girlfriend wait. She’s looking at you right now with a confused face.”

The chef returned to his work like nothing happened. Naorin facepalmed, then turned to face Eimi. She tilted her head.

I can’t be caught lacking, bro. I have to lock in.

He turned around and lightly slapped both sides of his cheeks before grabbing the tray. Both headed to a seat near the windows. Naorin placed the tray on the table, and both of them sat down. Eimi placed the plushie next to her seat.

After the incident with the chef, it was clear he didn’t want to give her the wrong idea of people mistaking them for a couple. He needed to start paying attention to whatever he did…

Naorin picked up the chopsticks before his gaze lined up with Eimi’s face, who seemed to be staring at the ramen with a worried look. He knew she was probably feeling guilty about not paying instead of him.

“Yui-san! Please eat your ramen before it goes soggy! Don’t be concerned about it, I can earn it back after a few shifts since I’m working part-time anyways.”

“But, you could’ve asked me and I would’ve ordered it myself. I have a job, you know? So why didn’t you ask me!” she leaned closer, furrowed brows showing slight frustration.

Naorin leaned back from the sudden change in atmosphere, stammering and trying to assure her that he could really handle it.

“Yui-san, I will manage, I promise. My life savings were spent on Eto’s tickets anyway, this kind of thing wouldn’t make me scream for help! At least not yet! On the bright side, I spent it on Yui-san instead of THAT goblin.”

“…Goblin? Really? Thank you, Naorin. Really…”

“It’s no problem,” Naorin sipped his ramen.

“…Uh, Naorin. If it’s fine with you, can I ask your opinion on… Eto?” Eimi asked out of nowhere.

“Hmm? I remember telling you about it during Fumiyo’s concert.”

Eimi shook her head, her lips trying to form the right words.

“Not that!! Like, you know… How you truly feel about her. I know Naorin doesn’t know her personally, but after going to her concerts, what do you think of her? Like what kind of person do you think she is?”

“…?” He set his chopsticks aside.

“Well, if I had to say, she sounds really kind. Speaking out to her fans despite being behind the scrim, energetic, and sounding fun to be around. Eto’s music is catchy and addicting. Judging by the quality of her songs, I know she puts a lot of effort into them for her fans. And those are the reasons why she’s my oshi.”

“Really… So that’s how you feel?” Eimi muttered to herself, her tone so soft it blended with the ambience of the food court that Naorin couldn’t pick it up. She covered her face with her hands, her blue eyes holding a hint of embarrassment as she grabbed her chopsticks.

“Thank you, Naorin. I was just curious because you’re willing to spend the savings from your salary on her concerts. So I wanted to know the reason!”

“Mhm! Then, can I also ask what Yui-san feels? Well, it’s not mandatory, so it’s okay to keep it a secret.”

“It’s the same as Naorin! I love her albums and music. Thank you for telling me regardless.”

Finishing her sentence, Eimi continued feasting on her noodles. Naorin couldn’t help but stare at her black hair, which complimented the blue sky, and her sapphire-blue eyes behind her red glasses. He felt a sort of ease.

As Naorin continued to gaze, he could feel his cheeks heating up.

What am I thinking? Out of all the places, you choose to scream now? I can’t bring myself to think of those thoughts in front of her.

Naorin quickly looked down to avert his attention away from her. He didn’t want to admit it yet, but this little hummingbird was yearning to find a flower.

He rolled up his sleeve to check his watch as an excuse to act like he was concerned about the time.

3:28 PM.

34 minutes before the concert started.

Time went on fast, an hour that felt like a minute to them. However, when he was with her, time slowed down for him.

Reluctantly, Naorin’s lips tried to form the words.

“Yui-san, if possible… Could I have your cellphone number? I know it’s not what you think! I just thought that if you get lost again, you can call me and ask for directions,” he stammered out before looking away and closing his eyes in embarrassment.

“Sure!! Don’t worry about it, but… Does that mean we’re friends now, right?”

“…Ah! Yes! I mean, technically speaking we already are…”

At least he mustered the courage to do that. Normally, most people don’t have the courage to speak to anyone, let alone a woman like her. Now he was one step closer to increasing his aura levels. He knew he was already farming aura.

I cooked. Hopefully I didn’t lose my aura for this chat.

Naorin scratched the back of his head, acting like your most typical MC after a woman gives the most obvious sign imaginable while still being dense enough to stay clueless.

♢♢♢

“Are you sure you’re okay around here, Yui-san?”

“Mhm. I’ll head out now, thank you so much for taking me around Tokyo Dome City. Maybe we can do these types of outings again during my days off hehe~”

“I see. I will be going to my seat on the next floor. Yui will be doing the same, yes?” Naorin stared at the plushie still tucked under Eimi’s graceful arms.

“Yep! Then, I’ll be heading out. See you after the concert, Naorin!” She sprinted up the opposite staircase from where he was.

Naorin watched her disappear, and just like that, Eimi was gone. At least his only concern now was finding his seat before the concert started.

Then he remembered something, feeling guilty as he took his phone off Do Not Disturb mode.

Naorin checked how many times Ayaka-tan had called him.

TWENTY???!!! THIS LITTLE—

Ayaka had been calling him for an hour, crying and acting like he had died after he hung up during his arrival. Naorin couldn’t help but put a hand over his forehead. Because of this woman, the Demon Queen didn’t want to rest until she had prevailed against the hero of heroes.

This woman will be the end of me.

Can’t help it, Ayaka only acts like this around the two of them. She wouldn’t waste her energy if they weren’t close, or if they weren’t people she genuinely considered good friends. Two and a half hours later after the concert, crowds exited the stadium. As expected, Eto delivered an amazing concert once more with fans being very satisfied.

That was awesome. I lost my voice, but that was amazing.

Outside the Tokyo Dome, it was flooded with people. To Naorin’s ears, everything was filled with positive feedback. Two hours of nonstop singing and talking with Eto and her fans. He was satisfied and probably one of the happiest amongst the crowd, Eto had heard his question and answered it during one of her talks.

“I’m happy. Now I have something to boast about. Get this, Ayaka. I have something to flex. Get ready for my aura.”

Something was odd, though. He couldn’t shake the thought from his mind.

Naorin took a second to search for Eimi amongst the passersby. Since her seat was located on the opposite side from his, she should’ve been here by now, but she wasn’t. And he was right to worry. Looking left and right, he couldn’t find her amongst the crowd.

Until a familiar voice surprised him, a tone that immediately reassured him.

“Naorin! I found you, there’s so many people here! I was struggling to squeeze through!” Eimi panted, still hugging the plushie.

He exhaled. He was wrong to doubt her. While scratching the back of his head, he approached her, brows twitching from the slight embarrassment he felt.

“That’s good to know you made it out! And you’re still holding onto the plushie?”

“I gave her a name! Molly!”

“M-Molly? An interesting name choice… In any case, how was the concert? For me, it was SUBERB!”

“Eh? Ah yes! It was great hehe, I really enjoyed it too. I was surprised when I heard you scream a question to Eto, I was laughing!”

Naorin cleared his throat and nonchalantly shrugged it off, farming his aura. Trying not to disappoint the huzz, he wanted to stick around longer, but the college dormitory would be on his tail if he came back late. He didn’t want to risk getting scolded, so unfortunately fate demanded he leave.

It’s getting late. I want to stay a bit longer, but curse the dormitory timings!

He mentally clenched his teeth.

“Sorry, Yui-san. I have to get going or else my college dormitory will kill me!”

“Hmm.. That’s unfortunate… Then I’ll see you soon! I’m thankful for earlier!”

“It’s my pleasure.”

And they parted ways.

Maybe the tickets really were worth it.

He did win the 50/50.

As Naorin walked along the pathway, he felt like he forgot something.

Oh wait, I forgot to call Ayaka. Whoops.