The girl who approached was slender and of average height, standing around 160 centimeters. Her most striking feature was the bright red, octagonal-shaped cap perched on her head. Her hair was mostly tied up, but stray golden strands escaped to frame her face, and her bangs—a dazzling, sun-kissed blonde visible even in the arcade's fluorescent light—swept across her forehead.
Her outfit was a chaotic but oddly stylish mix. A crimson bomber jacket was worn over a simple black T-shirt. Below that were snug, brown short shorts, and a pair of brown leather ankle boots. The most eye-catching detail, however, was the stretch of smooth, pale skin between the hem of her shorts and the tops of her boots—a perfect, dazzling "absolute territory" created by sheer black over-the-knee stockings. By her figure alone, she was undoubtedly a beautiful girl.
But the finishing touch was… bizarre. A disposable blue surgical mask covered the lower half of her face, and a pair of large, non-prescription glasses with tinted lenses obscured her eyes. The overall effect was that of someone desperately trying not to be recognized, which naturally had the opposite effect, drawing curious and confused glances from everyone nearby.
"This is UMR. She's… a bit of a secret otaku. She prefers to keep a low profile when she's out, you see." Kani Nayuta gave a light, apologetic cough, introducing her friend to Kasumigaoka Touji while offering a whispered explanation for the incognito getup.
Then, she turned to her masked companion, her voice brightening with undisguised pride. "And this, UMR, is my most, most, most, MOST favorite Winter-sensei!"
The golden-haired girl, UMR, tilted her head, her obscured gaze studying Kasumigaoka Touji with open curiosity.
"…Boyfriend-to-be?" she asked, her voice muffled slightly by the mask but carrying a clear, teasing lilt.
The question made Kani Nayuta pause. She blinked, the reality of the situation dawning on her. Thinking about it… they hadn't actually put a formal label on it yet, had they? He'd suddenly invited her out today, mentioned a hotel stay… she'd gotten so swept up in the thrill of it all—the shower, the decisive lingerie, the anticipation—that she'd raced out the door. She turned her face up to look at Kasumigaoka Touji, her sky-blue eyes wide and shimmering with hopeful, vulnerable anticipation.
Kasumigaoka Touji didn't keep her waiting. He met her gaze, a warm, affirming smile clear in his own eyes.
"Girlfriend-to-be," he stated, his voice firm and gentle.
"Ehehe~." A wave of pure, unadulterated joy bubbled up from her chest, escaping as a soft, delighted giggle. Kani Nayuta's lips curved into a radiant, heart-shaped smile that seemed to light up the space around them.
Doma Umaru—UMR—watched the exchange, a genuine sense of happiness for her friend warming her own heart behind her disguise.
"Omedetou, Crab-chan!" she chirped, using her online nickname for Kani Nayuta.
She then turned her attention fully to Kasumigaoka Touji, the curiosity in her brown eyes (visible through the tinted lenses) intensifying. "Winter-sensei… I'll call you that, too. It's finally nice to meet you in person. I hear about you all the time from Crab-chan."
"The feeling's mutual. I've heard a lot about you as well," Kasumigaoka Touji replied with a friendly smile.
As he spoke, his eyes briefly flickered upward. There it was—the soft, golden glow of an exclamation mark hovering above UMR's red cap. Her dream unfolded in his mind's eye:
[Doma Umaru's Dream]
1. Himouto!
Dream Level: ★★★★☆
Dream Description: She aspires to be a himouto (beautiful, lazy little sister) for life! To live happily, carefree, and be provided for by others until the end of her days!
Dream Reward: 50,000 Dream Points.
[Accept] or [Decline]
"..."
This is truly… It really is you.
This kind of dream… and it's four-and-a-half stars? Just how deep is your obsession with the slacker life?!
Kasumigaoka Touji felt like Doma Umaru's dream had just slapped him across the face with the full, salty weight of a dried fish. It was utterly unexpected, yet somehow completely expected. It's not strange for a professional himouto to dream of being a professional himouto, I suppose…
"..."
He kept his internal snark to himself.his outward expression remaining perfectly polite and calm.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries—"Nice to finally meet the legendary UMR," "Crab-chan talks about your gaming skills non-stop"—his gaze fell on the large, bulging bag of plushies slung over her shoulder. They were all variations of an ugly-cute, grumpy-faced cat.
"Did you… catch all of these yourself?" he asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it.
"Hai!" UMR nodded, a hint of unmistakable pride inflecting her muffled voice. Her 'God-tier Claw Machine Mastery' was a point of personal honor. Her highest achievement, she'd once boasted online, was clearing out an entire arcade's stock of prizes in one sitting. (The subsequent lifetime ban from that establishment was a badge of honor she wore just as proudly.)
Hearing the topic return to claw machines, Kani Nayuta couldn't contain her awe. "UMR's skills are really on another level! She never misses! And she can even catch three prizes with a single token sometimes! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it!"
"That's not just impressive, that's supernaturally impressive," Kasumigaoka Touji commented, his tone a mix of admiration and sheer disbelief. It felt completely unscientific. To never miss with those notoriously loose claws was one thing, but to orchestrate a triple capture… It felt akin to Kato Megumi's impossibly serene presence—a gentle defiance of reality's rules.
"It's just luck, really. I don't always get three," UMR waved a hand in a display of false modesty, her tone the very definition of humble-bragging.
"That's definitely not just luck…" Kani Nayuta shook her head, looking at her friend thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, you're always carrying the team as an assassin in our games, too."
Kasumigaoka Touji summed it up succinctly: "Gaming prodigy."
"No argument here!" UMR agreed cheerfully.
"Ehehe! It's not as amazing as you both make it sound~." UMR scratched the back of her head through her cap, visibly pleased by the praise.
They chatted for a few more minutes about games and arcades before UMR pulled out her phone, checking the time with a slight start. "Ara… I should probably start heading back soon…"
If she waited any longer, she'd hit the dreaded evening rush hour on the trains. Now was the perfect, relatively calm window.
"Heading home already? Okay then, see you later!" Kani Nayuta said, offering a warm wave.
"Ja ne~!" UMR gave a two-fingered salute, hoisted her bag of cat plushies higher, and turned to melt back into the arcade's crowd, her disguised figure quickly becoming just another part of the vibrant scenery.
Kasumigaoka Touji checked his own phone. It was already past four in the afternoon. He looked at Kani Nayuta, who was now carrying two very full bags. "How about we head back to the hotel first to drop these off? We can rest until around five, then go up the Tokyo Skytree for the evening view."
"Hmm, sounds good… I am actually feeling a bit tired after all that," Kani Nayuta admitted, stretching her arms with a lazy, cat-like motion. The emotional rollercoaster of the afternoon—the confrontation, the confessions, the arcade battle—had left a genuine, pleasant fatigue in its wake.
"Then rest well. We've got Tokyo's sunset and nightscape to enjoy later!" he said, injecting enthusiasm into his voice.
His eyes then fell on the two large, cumbersome bags in her hands. He reached out. "Here, let me carry those for you."
"Hmm… you can take this one," Kani Nayuta said after a brief consideration, handing him the slightly lighter of the two sacks.
Kasumigaoka Touji took it, then unceremoniously dumped the few prizes from his own meager haul—the hamster and the blind box figures—inside before slinging the combined bag over his shoulder. Thus laden with their plushie plunder, they made their way out of the arcade and the annex building, stepping back onto the streets of Sumida.
The sight of two teenagers, each hauling a giant, stuffed-to-the-bursting bag of clearly won arcade prizes, was an unusual one. They drew amused smiles, envious glances, and outright stares of disbelief from nearly everyone they passed on the short walk back to the hotel.
"Speaking of which," Kasumigaoka Touji began, shifting the bag on his shoulder as they walked on the wide sidewalk, "what are you planning to do with this… army of plushies?"
Thinking he might be interested in some, Kani Nayuta turned her head, her expression generous. "Does Winter-sensei want some? You can have all of them except for my Crab-chan!" The 'Crab-chan' was a cute crab plushie she'd managed to snag herself, which she was particularly fond of.
"No need, I'll just take the ones I caught back and maybe give a couple to Utaha-nee," Kasumigaoka Touji shook his head.
Hearing that, Kani Nayuta let out a soft "Ah!" "Then I'll give you two of mine to give to her as well!" she offered immediately, wanting to contribute.
Kasumigaoka Touji looked at her and gave a small, appreciative nod.
"As for the rest…" Kani Nayuta thought for a moment, her face brightening. "I'll give them to everyone in the Light Music Club!" It was perfect. She'd eaten Kato Megumi's homemade cookies, received a wonderfully comfortable pillow from Kumin Tsuyuri… this was a great way to return the kindness.
"Sounds like a plan," Kasumigaoka Touji said, fully supportive of her thoughtful distribution. Their plushie caravan continued its journey back to the hotel, a tangible, fluffy testament to a very strange and eventful afternoon.