The train stopped, and he left the station.
A sign for Akihabara came into view. Chihaya Kaiser felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out; a message from Ryo had popped up on the screen.
He quickly replied, "I won't forget. I'll head over as soon as I'm done with work."
Ryo sent a sticker in reply, which he saw was marked as 'read'.
The location of the job seemed a bit out of place for Akihabara. It was a particularly plain building, and he had no idea why they'd hired a photographer.
In any case, as long as they paid, it was fine.
Following the directions in the message, he found the lecture room. After opening the door, he saw a few people sitting scattered about. The most eye-catching girl, with long red hair, was sitting in the back. The man on the stage must be Dr. Nakabachi.
"Hello, I'm Chihaya Kaiser, the photographer."
"Hello. Just stay in the back and take some pictures for me." Dr. Nakabachi seemed very impatient and waved his hand dismissively.
He held out his hand. "Please pay at least half the fee as a deposit."
"Oh?" Dr. Nakabachi frowned. "If you don't want the job, I can find someone else."
"Then goodbye."
Chihaya Kaiser wasn't about to work without a deposit. With half of it upfront, even if the client skipped out on the final payment, he'd still have earned something tangible.
If he finished the shoot and they didn't pay, he would have wasted several hours even if he withheld the photos.
He extended his hand again. "Fine, we won't shoot. But you can reimburse me for my train fare."
"Hmm?" Dr. Nakabachi's eyes widened, staring at the young man before him, stunned.
Just then, the red-haired girl from the back row came forward and grabbed his wrist.
"Come with me for a moment."
"Huh?"
Chihaya Kaiser felt the pressure on his wrist. He could have pulled away, but he decided to follow her out.
He could have turned back to demand his train fare, but he was curious about what she wanted to say.
One after the other, they stepped through the doorway and into an empty, silent, and dim corridor, illuminated only by a single light fixture.
Under the cool white light, the red-haired girl's silhouette was exceptionally clear. A few playful strands of red hair slipped into the open collar of her shirt, creating a striking yet harmonious contrast with the pure white fabric. Her yellow jacket was worn low, revealing the shoulders of her white blouse, and she wore small leather boots with black tights.
"Sorry, I overheard your conversation just now. May I ask what the fee for the photoshoot is?"
"We agreed on eight thousand yen."
Chihaya Kaiser's gaze was drawn to her legs. Her proportions were excellent, and her slender legs were a definite asset. There weren't many girls who looked this good without makeup; the combination made her a great model.
As a photography enthusiast, he almost instantly identified her best features, and a few shooting angles and lighting setups flashed through his mind.
She, meanwhile, reached into her pocket, pulled out a ten-thousand-yen bill, and handed it to Chihaya Kaiser.
"My name is Kurisu Makise. I'll pay. The extra two thousand is because I'd like a photo with Dr. Nakabachi after the lecture. Can you just give the pictures directly to me then?"
"Of course. I'm Chihaya Kaiser."
As long as someone was paying, Chihaya Kaiser didn't care who it was. None of that other messy business had anything to do with him.
He nodded, accepting the job. Combined with the money from completing Yanami's quest, he now had nearly fifty thousand yen on hand.
The corners of his mouth lifted as he prepared to go back to work.
Just then, the familiar interface popped up again. This time, the quest left Chihaya Kaiser slightly surprised.
[Quest Start]
[Please go on a date with Kurisu Makise. Rewards will be calculated based on an evaluation after the date.]
[Quest Reward: Acquire Piano Skill]
It called itself a Dating System, but it rarely issued quests directly related to romance.
Chihaya Kaiser wasn't particularly resistant to this; he was quite happy to complete quests and earn a little extra cash.
But this was the first time it had directly told him to go on a date.
He quickly recovered and began to consider whether he should complete this quest. He was resistant to romance, so naturally, he was resistant to dating as well.
A blonde figure suddenly flashed through his mind—the one who had supposedly left, only to run back, stand on her tiptoes, and whisper in his ear.
"When a guy and a girl go out alone, it's a date."
Was his arrangement for Saturday also a date?
At the time, he hadn't paid it any mind, focused only on completing the quest. Looking back now, it seemed he had agreed far too rashly.
If he was going to complete the quest, how was he supposed to get closer to a strange girl and even go on a date with her?
Chihaya Kaiser had no idea. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and looked at the girl opposite him again.
Kurisu Makise, completely unaware that he had spaced out, was also lost in thought, pinching her chin with her thumb and forefinger.
"Hmm?"
"We can go back and start working now."
"Okay," she nodded.
As they were heading back the way they came, the light overhead suddenly went out. Chihaya Kaiser's vision went black, and he shivered.
He instinctively grabbed Kurisu Makise's wrist and held on until the light came back on.
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion as she looked down at her captured wrist.
"I was thinking... we should probably exchange contact information. I can't just give you my memory card. Once I've organized the photos, I'll send them all to you directly."
Chihaya Kaiser hesitated for a moment before asking.
He had a feeling that if he didn't ask for her contact info now, he'd never be able to complete this quest.
Whether he would actually do it was one thing, but whether he *could* do it was another.
Kurisu Makise didn't hesitate much. Seeing him let go of her wrist, she took out her phone, and they exchanged contact information.
It was the perfect excuse.
They went back the way they came. There were still only a few scattered people in the room. A man and a woman had appeared in the back row. The man had his hair slicked back, wore a white lab coat, and had stubble on his chin. The woman looked like a high school student and was wearing a blue dress.
Kurisu Makise went straight to the back row and sat down, while Chihaya Kaiser opened his camera bag and started setting up his tripod.
He was in a good mood. It was supposed to be a good job, but the guys in his group chat hadn't believed it. And he had, in fact, almost gotten ripped off. Thankfully, someone had paid.
He set up the camera and took out his phone.
His chat group members were still discussing the job. Chihaya Kaiser took a picture with his phone and sent it to the group.
"Someone really went?"
"Did they pay?"
"Isn't it a total scam? That so-called doctor was never going to pay. You were gonna get ripped off."
"..."
"I got ten thousand yen."
After sending the message, Chihaya Kaiser turned off his screen, ignoring the chatter in the group.
He watched Kurisu Makise out of the corner of his eye, wondering why she had paid. She seemed to have a rather cold personality.
Without her, it probably would have been just as the group said—a complete and utter labor scam.
The lecture began. Chihaya Kaiser started shooting, documenting the entire event and snapping a few photos from time to time.
Suddenly, the man in the lab coat slammed his hand on the table, making a loud noise that made Kurisu Makise jump.
"Doctor! Dr. Nakabachi! What is the meaning of this! Isn't all of your so-called research just borrowing from—"
"Are you here to cause trouble?" Dr. Nakabachi immediately retorted, his tone turning angry.
The rest of the audience was just there to watch the show, observing the two of them argue. Kurisu Makise stood up, and Chihaya Kaiser noticed her movement.
But just then, the girl in the dress stopped him, holding onto his chest.
"Now, now, Okari~n, since it's already been published, let's not fight anymore.
Fighting is no good."
"Mayuri, this guy... he's a total fraud, using research that's already been published."
The man called Okari~n added, still agitated and holding the distributed materials.
"I told you, I am Hououin Kyouma, not Okari~n! How many times do I have to say it before you remember, Mayuri?"
"Okay, okay, fighting is no good. Let's go outside and cool off."
Mayuri Shiina pushed him, leading the man out of the lecture, leaving behind a particularly embarrassed Dr. Nakabachi.
Kurisu Makise left as well. Seeing his client leave, Chihaya Kaiser wasn't sure what to do.
He looked at the footage he'd taken with his camera.
It should be enough.
In that case, asking for the client's opinion was more important. Following her was the right choice.
Chihaya Kaiser followed close behind. All four of them ended up in the corridor, creating a rather strange scene.
The lights in the corridor were still flickering. Mayuri Shiina was comforting Rintaro Okabe, while Kurisu Makise and he stood a little farther away.
Suddenly, he seemed to recognize Kurisu Makise and said her name out loud. Then he frantically pulled out his phone and started spouting nonsense about "the Organization," "investigation," and "tracking."
"That's right, I've been tracked down by Kurisu Makise! You know, the supposed genius of brain science?!"
In that instant, an undeniable conclusion popped into Chihaya Kaiser's head.
This guy... he couldn't be a chuunibyou, could he?
______
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