A ray of sunlight streamed through the window, causing Jingū Yō to frown slightly as he lay in bed. Blinking his drowsy eyes open, he raised his hand to shield himself from the morning light and sat up with a yawn.
Last night, after finishing his preparations, he'd fallen asleep immediately after washing up—without even bothering to draw the curtains. The spring sunlight wasn't blinding, but it was still enough to make one feel slightly irritable.
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was just past 7 a.m. He had planned to sleep in a little more, but then remembered he needed to head out today to buy essential tools for drawing manga. The fatigue on his face disappeared in an instant, and his whole demeanor sharpened.
"Woof woof!"
At some point, JOJO had wandered into his room and was now sitting on the floor beside his bed, wagging his tail with his tongue lolling out.
Yō reached out and gave the dog a pat on the head before getting up and heading to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, washing his face, and rinsing his hair, a young and handsome boy was soon staring back at him in the mirror.
"No idea what time I'll be back. Watch the house, JOJO!"
After finishing his morning routine, he poured a full day's worth of dog food into JOJO's bowl and called out to him. For someone living alone, talking to the dog was one of his rare forms of interaction.
He opened the front door and stepped out into a small courtyard. The house had a dog door installed too, and being a smart Labrador, JOJO always relieved himself on the grass and never inside. That, at least, made Yō's life easier—no need to play pooper scooper.
The early morning streets were quiet with few people about. Japanese neighborhoods, upholding their tradition of cleanliness, remained spotless even in rundown areas—so clean, in fact, it was almost hard to believe.
A fairly large convenience store stood not far from his residence. With a rumbling stomach, Yō stepped in to the welcoming smile and sing-song "Irasshaimase!" of the clerk, buying two pieces of bread and a carton of milk.
He returned to the converted garage, sat in the driver's seat of his car, and quickly wolfed down his breakfast.
After tidying his clothes in the mirror—an outfit coordinated by a professional stylist—he couldn't even name the brand, but he was sure it was one of those high-end luxury labels.
Starting up his sleek Ferrari FXX, the roar of the engine filled the air as the car glided out of the garage and into the street.
His destination: Akihabara—the sacred land of otaku.
Unfortunately, Akihabara was located in Chiyoda Ward, which meant that just like yesterday, he had to make the long drive back again...
It was the weekend. Even early in the day, the closer he got to Tokyo's central districts, the livelier things became. After quite the journey, Yō arrived once again in Chiyoda Ward. As he passed that luxurious high-rise from the day before, he glanced instinctively toward the top floor but didn't slow down—just passed by calmly.
What he didn't notice was that, at that very moment, a breathtakingly beautiful girl was leaning on the window ledge of that same top-floor apartment, watching the clean sky outside. When she saw the Ferrari FXX roll past, she furrowed her elegant brows—it was just too distinctive to miss.
Not wanting to waste time searching for a parking spot later, Yō returned the car to the same underground garage of that high-rise and hailed a taxi to take him the rest of the way.
To be honest, taxis in Japan were expensive. With its highly developed public transportation network, taxis weren't a necessity. But for the sake of comfort, Yō didn't care about spending a bit extra.
Before long, the taxi brought him to Akihabara. After paying the fare, Yō looked around. In his previous life, he'd only been to Akihabara once, so this was his first visit in this world.
And just like before, Akihabara here was bursting with otaku goods and electronics. Huge advertisements full of anime characters filled the surrounding buildings—although the characters differed from his memories, having originated from this alternate world. Otherwise, Akihabara was exactly as he remembered it.
By now, it was already 10 a.m., and the streets were in full swing. Nerdy guys in awkward clothes and thick glasses, regular tourists, and wide-eyed foreign visitors filled the area. The stores surrounding him were a dizzying array of offerings—it was overwhelming.
For a moment, Yō stood dumbfounded. He had a long list of tools to buy. Things like a drawing tablet could probably be found in electronics stores—but what about paper, pens, and other supplies?
Though he was of mixed Chinese and Japanese descent, at this moment, Yō felt completely like a foreign tourist, looking around wide-eyed with the others—and gradually, he found himself getting excited.
This was, after all, the promised land for otaku. Even though Yō himself was more of a fake otaku—bordering on a normie.
"Excuse me! Sorry to bother you!"
A girl's voice suddenly called out to him.
Turning his head, Yō saw a young girl dressed in a maid outfit beaming at him with a sweet smile.
She handed him a flyer and, striking a cute pose—one leg raised, hands on either side of her face—she said playfully, "I'm a maid at this café. Master, if you have time, please come visit us~~"
With her cutesy actions and voice, any regular otaku would've fallen instantly.
Yō sized up the girl in front of him—pretty enough, though clearly wearing makeup. Who knew what she looked like underneath? But as his gaze drifted lower, he nodded slightly in approval.
Her legs were long and well-shaped, covered in white maid stockings. Just those legs alone could entertain a man for a night. Combine that with a face above average, and it was definitely tempting.
Rumor had it some maid cafés in Akihabara offered "special services"... he wondered if this cute little maid was one of them?
But then Yō shook the thought from his head. The girl in front of him was clearly a student. Her eyes were too pure. She was definitely still innocent.
Giving a polite nod, Yō glanced at the flyer in his hand and smiled. "If I have time at lunch, I'll drop by."
"We'll be waiting for you, Master!"
The girl hopped lightly in place like a bunny, her soft voice chirping.
Parting from the maid, Yō continued to look around at the surrounding buildings and shops as he walked on.
In front of one store, a long line had formed. Curious, Yō peeked over and saw that it was a Blu-ray release event.
Looking at the snaking line of people, he shook his head and was about to leave.
At that moment, a figure suddenly dashed out of the store—and crashed straight into Yō.
Yō only staggered slightly and kept his balance, but the person who ran into him landed flat on their butt, scattering their belongings all over the ground.
"Too bad it wasn't a girl… just a guy…"
The impact hadn't come with any softness at all. Yō sighed in disappointment.