NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
“U-ugh, I don’t want to.”
“Mina, isn’t it a bit harsh to say that to your mom after such a long time…?”
Mom left for a business trip on September 13th, before collaborating with Kurokami-senpai. Today is September 30th.
Seeing her after about three weeks, Mom’s words felt appropriate.
“But that doesn’t mean I have to accept a request I don’t want, right?”
“That’s true, but….”
If it weren’t for my level of resistance, no one would recognize that Mom pouted slightly like she was sulking.
But I didn’t feel guilty at all.
My refusal was justified.
“Do you really dislike shopping with me that much?”
“Yes.”
If someone saw how bluntly I just answered, they might say it’s rude.
But I really can’t say that with confidence to anyone who would say that to me.
Still, I think to myself, I’m not being rude.
“It’s been such a long time. The last time we went shopping was over a year ago, right?”
“Even so, I still don’t want to….”
I hope no one misinterprets this scene.
What I’m doing now isn’t because I don’t want to go out, but because I don’t want to go ‘shopping’ with Mom.
I’d gladly tag along if it were eating out, an amusement park, a theme park, a zoo, or an aquarium.
But shopping? Absolutely not.
“Ughh….”
“…Even if you look at me like that, I’m not going.”
“How about this? If you go shopping with me today….”
With that tempting whisper from Mom, I…
★
“Mina, try this on.”
“Yes….”
This time, Mom brought a pure white dress with a refreshing feel.
“Haah….”
I sighed upon receiving it and entered the fitting room.
…How many times is this now?
Looking at the time, it’s been over an hour.
“I want to go home soon….”
I let out a wishful thought as I changed clothes.
This is why I hate shopping with Mom.
Wearing women’s clothing?
I don’t actually feel repulsed by it.
Basically, I’m a super cute girl, so most outfits suit me just fine.
Besides, even though my mental state is much closer to that of a guy, I’ve lived as a girl for 16 years now.
It’s far past the time to feel embarrassed about wearing women’s clothes, a classic symbol of transformation stories.
Well, sure, when the memories of my previous life first returned, there was a bit of discomfort.
Regardless, my disdain for shopping with Mom comes from the fact that, when I go out, I have to be her doll for at least two hours.
As someone who prefers to stay indoors, wandering through multiple stores feels like an immense hardship.
Unlike eating out or going to amusement parks, where you have a clear purpose, shopping with Mom has no set goal.
She just wants to dress me up in all kinds of clothes.
For instance, the last time I went shopping with Mom a year ago, we didn’t even eat and just changed clothes for four hours.
That truly felt like hell…
“I should have just refused….”
Still, the reason I’m here with Mom now is that she promised to buy me a limited edition anniversary album for Natsune.
Even though I’m making some money from my VTuber activities now, it’s not like I have enough to buy every limited merchandise that comes out.
Being an otaku is an expensive hobby, after all.
…Though to be honest, I’m regretting it now.
“Excuse me….”
I stepped out of the fitting room fully dressed in the dress.
Mom once again scrutinized my whole body with a serious expression for evaluation.
“…Hmm. I think it looks good on you, but what do you think, Mina?”
“I’m indifferent….”
“Then should we buy this too?”
Mom said that and gestured for an employee.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’ll take this.”
“Understood. Would you like to wear it out?”
“Umm, what do you want to do, Mina?”
“I-I’ll just wear it out….”
“Yes. Then, about the price tag… Huh?”
Looking down and hunching my shoulders, for some reason, the employee stood still in front of me.
W-what? Is it that I look terrible in this? Should I ask to try something else…?
“Um, are you, Izumi… no, Kayanoh?”
“…Huh?”
Surprised as someone suddenly called my name, I instinctively looked up to see a female employee looking at me in shock.
W-what the heck?
How does she know my name?
I tried my best not to make eye contact while examining the employee’s appearance.
She had pink blonde hair in half twin-tails and a slightly sharp cat-like face.
She was just a bit taller than me.
J-just who is she…?
“Oh, come to think of it, last time I saw you, it was before your dye job.”
But her voice felt inexplicably familiar.
“You’ll understand right away if I say this?”
The employee leaned her face close to my ear and whispered with a giggle.
“Akakatsu.”
“Ah…! A-Akaba….”
“Hey.”
As I tried to call her name, Akabane-san immediately waved her hand to stop me.
Right, it might be dangerous to call my VTuber name outside.
So then, it must be…
“U-Um, Akasaki-san?”
“Hmm. You remembered.”
At my words, Akabane-san smiled widely.
★
When she asked if I could wait a little because her break was starting soon, I ended up sitting with Mom on a bench in the department store aisle.
After about five minutes, a uniformed Akabane-san quietly approached and sat down beside me.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“It’s okay. It’s no trouble if you’re a friend of Mina’s.”
“I-it’s fine, really….”
“You don’t seem fine at all….”
At my words, Akabane-san chuckled softly.
She was now sitting next to Mom, not me.
Initially, she tried to sit next to me but then shifted to Mom when she saw me flinch.
…Akabane-san is such a sweet person.
“Well, I didn’t have anything in particular to do, but I thought it was fate to run into you like this, so I asked to wait.”
“Ah, uh, yes….”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“N-no! Just my pe-personality is like this….”
“Then I’m glad.”
“….”
After that, silence hung between me and Akabane-san, which was unexpectedly broken by Mom.
“You said your name is Akasaki, right? When do you finish work?”
“Ah, I finish at 5 o’clock, so there’s about two hours left now.”
“Two hours, huh… How about we come back in two hours and have dinner together? I’ll treat.”
“…Mom?”
“Yes? That would be too rude….”
“It’s not rude at all, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Uh….”
“Can I assume that’s okay with you?”
“Ah, understood.”
“Then I’ll come back in two hours. Let’s go, Mina.”
Hey, Mom. What about my opinion…?
★
Mom dragged me around shopping for two hours, and just as promised, at 5 o’clock, we walked to the store where Akabane-san worked to bring her along.
“Is there anything you both want to eat?”
“Ah, I’m okay with anything.”
“I-I am too….”
At our responses, Mom headed to a pasta place, where I picked Aglio e Olio, Mom chose Carbonara, and Akabane-san went for Neapolitan spaghetti.
“Alright, I’ll enjoy this….”
“Let’s eat well.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
The Aglio e Olio I hadn’t eaten in a while tasted pretty good.
The balance of the garlic aroma and smooth olive oil was excellent, allowing me to eat without any barriers, and the savory taste of the bacon finished it off nicely.
And to wash it down, I had cola.
Hmm.
…I want some chicken.
After finishing about half of my plate and casually glancing around, I noticed that Mom and Akabane-san had already eaten all their food and were wiping their mouths with napkins.
“Mina, you can take your time eating. After all, I wanted to chat with Akasaki-san.”
“Is Kayanoh usually a slow eater?”
“Hmm, isn’t she?”
How unfair.
In my previous life, I was known for being a fast eater…
But now, if I eat quickly, I feel a bit uncomfortable. So I’ve started taking my time instead.
Well, they say it’s healthier this way, so good is good.
“Are you doing well, Mina? I’m so busy that I hardly get to watch live broadcasts. But from the clips, it looks like you’re doing quite well, which makes me worry given what I know about your personality.”
“No need to worry. Between our group, Kayanoh is the most popular.”
“But I’ve heard rumors about being an ‘influential VTuber’….”
“Well, since I’m popular, there are good and bad stories. I mean, being an influential VTuber isn’t wrong….”
I wish they would deny that part a bit more….
“Then I’m really glad to hear that.”
“Yes.”
“Akasaki-san, could I ask you for a favor?”
With that, Mom took Akabane-san’s hand and, with a gentle smile, opened her mouth.
…Well, to outsiders, it would just look like her usual expression.
“Please continue to be friends with Mina. Given her personality, she barely has any friends. I’ve heard that since she started her VTuber career, she made a friend in Koga, but as a mother, I wish for her to build more human relationships.”
“Uh, Mom! I’m not a kid anymore….”
“Yes, I actually want to get closer to Kayanoh as well.”
“Right. I’ll depend on you.”
“Yes!”
My objection went unanswered, and Akabane-san smiled brightly and nodded.
Hey, what about my opinion…?
★
[【Membership Limited】 Major Announcement #KainohIzumi #Star’s Flow]
“Uh, so, it became like this, on October 7th. A-ah, I’ll be doing a collaboration with Akabane-san….”
-I don’t quite get it.
“…Right?”
I’m still a bit bewildered…
After dinner, when I checked Miscode, I found a stack of DMs from Akabane-san.
It was obviously a collaboration proposal that required no explanation.
There was no justification to decline, and, frankly, no reason to decline either, so accepting was the only way forward.
…I hope it goes well.
★
[Akabane Yukari: I wanted a collab with Izumi like Suzuha too]
[Kainoh Izumi: Yes…]
[Akabane Yukari: By the way, you’re not uncomfortable or anything, right?]
[Kainoh Izumi: No.]
[Akabane Yukari: Then let’s go with the collaboration on October 7th!]