The Otaku Is Booked For Sunday

“Can you believe it? He totally asked Chiaki out!”

“Heh, what a brute! He doesn’t even know the proper way to talk to a lady!”

Sipping on my canned coffee, like a true tough popular kid, I absentmindedly listen in on Mari and Chihiro gossiping all through lunch break.

“And what did you do, Chiaki?’ Riku inquired, munching on some cookies.

“Eh? I turned him down.” Nonchalantly, the cat-eared girl gave her reply.

“Really? Why?”

“He wasn’t exactly my type…”

“Then what is your type, oddball?”

“Oye, Chihiro you can’t call her an oddball like that.” I chided, before Chiaki continued.

“Someone with dog ears.”

“Pfft.”

Yeah, sorry Chihiro, she’s definitely an oddball.

Finishing my drink, I realized how foolish it was to listen to a story about Chiaki with a straight face in the first place.

“Say, boyz, how about we hit that new café downtown that Sumi discovered?”

Mari the gyaru, smirked up at us through her high eyelinered eyes.

“Is it fancy?” Chihiro scoffed, causing no shortage of sighs to erupt from me and Riku.

“I guess you can say that…” Sumi smiled, as angelic as ever, “Is Sunday a good day?”

Flashing me a soft look, the cherry blossom-haired girl before me smiled even brighter.

Ah Sumi, with you around, every day is a good day!

“Wait…” I voice instinctively, “Sunday?”

Suddenly everyone turned to stare back at me.

“Why, my dear friend, Haru? Are you busy yet again?” Chihiro raised a brow.

“Yeah, spill the beans! Are you going out with anyone or what?”

At the sound of Mari’s complete out of the blue suggestion, I can visibly see both surprise and anguish flash through Sumi’s face.

Oye, what have you done Mari!?

Despite my slight panic, I still manage to appear as composed as ever.

“Nah, you’d have already known had that been the case, guys.” With a hearty chuckle, I lean back on the courtyard bench.

“Heh, somehow I’m not convinced…”

“Yes, not convinced!”

Mari and Chiaki though, didn’t seem to buy it.

Of course, while I do happen to have a girlfriend, that relationship is far from normal. Or bluntly speaking, it’s fake. As fake as Mari-chan’s cleavage enhancing breast pads even.

The only objection I have about meeting on Sunday with everyone though, was none other than the annual summer anime convention taking place on the same day, in our humble little town! I would have loved to go despite myself, and the status I had to uphold. I had thought of using a disguise of course, but this invitation meant I wouldn’t be able to make it after all.

Ah, sucks to be popular, doesn’t it? And handsome. And tall. And ath—

Ping

Right as my monologue was fueling the narcissist within me, my phone pinged through my pocket ever so slightly.

Somehow I had a bad feeling.

Pulling it out discreetly, I looked through my notifications.

And after doing so, that hunch materialized into something concrete.

The devil herself had texted me, after all.

Anime Event. Sunday. Be there, 12 pm.

Who the hell does she think she is, ordering me around like that?!

You’re not my boss, I have a life too.

Hm, do you need me to jog your memory?

Right, I apparently don’t have a life. Fair point. Ichika-san.

“Haruhi? Earth to Haruhiii?!”

Mari cupped her palms around her mouth, as she called out at me time and again.

“Yes? You called?” Still unfazed, but barely keeping it together, I raise my gaze.

“So you coming? Sunday?”

Ah shit, here we go again.

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Despite having found myself in yet another corner so early after escaping the last one, I managed to wiggle myself out of any suspicions by playing “the big brother” card.

Oh, I’m sorry, but my parents will be away for the weekend, and I have to take care of my 10-year-old sister!

People these days don’t come much clever than that, people!

Little did my friends know though, that this brat of a sister was actually a 30-year-old shut-in trapped in the body of a primary schooler. She didn't need a babysitter or anyone else, for that matter. Heck, even If a zombie apocalypse were to break out, I doubted even the zombies would attack her. She would probably criticize their stinking breath and cause them to lose all their will to fight. Some might even consider a career change.

Zombie, the salesman!

Shaking away my silly train of thoughts, I fixed my hair back. Sunday was upon us, and I spared no expense on getting ready.

“Hm, hm…”

I hummed a song to myself, staring at the mirror.

The song in question? Lillia-chan the Magical Girl, opening 2!

“Wow, a creepo!”

Passing by my room, and hurling a very rude comment my way was none other than the little rascal living rent-free in our apartment, Kotone.

“Now, now, onii-chan is not a creepo, is he?” I smirked, placing a pair of lens-free eye glasses on.

“Haaah….” With a sigh only someone who pays the bills has the right to use, Kotone crossed her arms over her chest. “Why do you always dress up like a fool whenever you’re going out?”

“A fool?” I look back at the mirror, prompted by my sister’s words.

With my usually ruffled wavy hair pressed back with some sort of gel I found on my dad’s bathroom cabinet, and a pair of very nerdy frames, it seemed to me that my “dress up like a nerd” scheme seemed to be going smoothly.

After Ichika gave me no choice but to actually go with her in the anime convention, I had to figure out a way to look as inconspicuous as possible. Thus, this fit was the idea I came up with.

“I guess I do look like a fool…” I slowly nodded to myself, as a grin parted my lips slightly. “Thanks, Kotone!”

That meant my disguise worked! There was no way someone could mistake Naruse Haruhi with a fool, right?

“I shall never understand your bird-brain antics, Onii-chan.”

And with that, the little brat withdrew back to her quarters.

With renewed vigor in my mission, I stepped out of my room and towards the front door.

My dad, a man with clear framed glasses, and short black hair looked up at me through his sports magazine.

“Going out, Haru—“

“What?”

“Has puberty finally hit you?” My father voiced, almost too fed up to elaborate further.

Was my look really that off-putting?

“Oh dear, what did you do to your hair?” A tall, lean, silver-haired woman donning an apron around her waist, came waltzing in from the kitchen, her gentle eyes looking at me in concern.

With a soft tug, she tried to fix my hair.

“Hey!” I stepped back, slicking it back in place. “I just killed their swag, no reason to be so concerned.”

“You killed who?!”

“Who’s swag?”

“…”

Wow, parents these days…

After making a mental note of getting them a slang dictionary, I made my way out the house.

“I’ll be going out, I won’t be needing lunch, but I’ll be back for dinner.” I voiced, as I slipped on my dad’s trainers. Can’t be too careful with my fashion choices today.

“Okay. Are you going out with your friends, or…?” My mum chimed, while my father withdrew back to his magazine.

“That’s confidential. See ya!”

With that vague reply. I made my escape.

The location of the event wasn’t that far off from my house, and after 3-4 bus stops and a tad bit of walking I made it to the place where Ichika had designated.

The only drawback though was how, due to the wind, the heat, and tad bit of sweat my slicked back hair jumped back forward over my forehead, like the breathing living being that it was.

It seemed gel really couldn’t contain it.

“…”

As I waited around, a thought occurred to me.

I wonder why Ichika needs me here. It’s not like her dad is around to see us, right? She also said something about some of her friends coming along too, although I doubt it. Does she even have friends to begin with?

As if on cue with my thoughts, the short, nerdy girl in glasses, emerged from down the road, donning an oversized anime themed hoodie, with two other people in tow.

One was a similarly short, lean guy, with dark brown hair and a pair of thin glasses, and the other was a girl of average height, with shoulder length greenish hair, a yellow ribbon that matched her eye color perfectly, and sporting a very flashy pink cardigan.

Their whole appearance and demeanor suggested one thing:

Otakus the lot of them.

I scoffed.

Somehow I had a feeling, that today was bound to be eventful.