The sky was a flawless blue, and for once, I had a day off to myself. Wandering the city in search of a new Gunpla, I savored the rare solitude. Lately, I'd been surrounded by Hololive's chaos, so this quiet felt… nice.
"What to get today?" I muttered, catching myself. "Been a while since I built an MG. That shop had a Wing Zero, right?"
Ugh, too much time with the girls, and now I'm talking to myself. Guess I've gotten used to their company. Shaking it off, I headed for the store. "Alright, Wing Zero, then home—"
"Aniki!"
A familiar voice cut through. Turning, I saw Oozora Subaru, her red-and-white cap bouncing as she sprinted toward me, all boyish energy.
"Yo, Subaru. As lively as ever," I said, grinning.
"Hey, Aniki! Out alone?" she asked, waving enthusiastically.
"Yeah, rare day off. You too?"
"Yup! Got a long weekend, so I'm hunting for new games. What's Aniki up to?"
"Gunpla shopping. Haven't built one for myself in a while."
Between Fubuki and the others dragging me into group builds, my own projects had taken a backseat. Subaru's eyes lit up. "Gunpla? I wanna build one too!"
"You? Sure, but what about your games?"
"Already got 'em! Let's go shop!" She grabbed my hand, tugging me along—except in the wrong direction. Typical Subaru, not listening. I sighed as she led me on a detour.
At the electronics store, Subaru panted, "Finally made it!"
"Would've been faster if you'd listened," I grumbled. The summer heat had us trudging thirty minutes instead of ten. Whatever. I beelined for the MG Wing Zero.
"Whoa, Aniki, that's cool!" Subaru said, eyeing my pick.
"Yeah, it sold out fast back in the day. But MG's too much for a beginner like you. Check the HG section and pick something. I'll cover it."
"For real? Aniki, I love you!"
This kid. I scanned for other kits—maybe an MG Musha Gundam, since I'd never built one.
"Hey, Aniki! I found mine!" Subaru called, holding up… an SD Sergeant Verde Buster Gundam.
"Nice choice," I said, surprised. SD Gundams—Super Deformed—were chibi versions of the real deal, often styled as warriors, knights, or Three Kingdoms heroes. With fewer parts and snap-off gates, they were kid-friendly and wildly popular.
"It's perfect for my Subaru Police shtick!" she grinned.
"True. Just that one? SDs are cheap and easy. I can grab you another."
"Sweet!" She snagged an SD Nobunaga Gundam Epyon. "This one's just cool."
Fair enough. With my Wing Zero, Musha Gundam, and her picks, we checked out and headed home.
Back at my place, I lugged in our haul. "Bit much, huh?"
"You bought a ton, Aniki!" Subaru laughed.
Four MGs might've been overkill, but I rarely splurged. Subaru unlocked the door, and we stepped inside—
"Welcome back, nora!"
"…What?" we said in unison.
No one should've been home, yet a voice echoed from the living room. Peering in, I found Himeshima Luna, pink hair flowing, lounging in frilly clothes, watching TV like she owned the place.
"Luna, how'd you get in? I locked the door!" I demanded.
"Picked the lock, nora!" she said, all innocence.
"You what? How do you have my key?"
"YAGOO gave it to me. All the Holomems have one, nora."
YAGOO! What kind of boss hands out my house keys? "Even you, Subaru?"
"Uh, yeah, I've got one," she mumbled. "But I never used it, I swear!"
"Having it's bad enough!" I snapped. "And Coco returned hers crying when she left Hololive?"
"Didn't know, nora!" Luna chirped.
No wonder my room's been oddly tidy, food restocked, and—wait—underwear missing? My privacy's a wreck. Maybe it's time to move…
"Calm down, Niicha," Luna said. "No one's misusing them, nora."
"Missing underwear says otherwise," I muttered. I had suspects to grill later.
"Why're you here, Luna?" Subaru asked, frowning.
"Oh, right!" Luna pulled out a box. "Got this from Lunaito to build with Niicha. SD Gundam Legend BB Knight Gundam!"
The black-boxed kit, styled like a knight's armor, suited Luna perfectly. "Nice pick," I said. "But Subaru, you've been quiet. What's up?"
Luna tilted her head. "Yeah, why're you with Niicha, Subaru-senpai?"
"Ran into Aniki in town, so we're building Gunpla together," Subaru said, a bit sharp. "Why're you here? You've built Gunpla before. Make that one yourself."
Whoa, Subaru's got an edge today.
"It's fine, nora!" Luna shot back. "Niicha and I are Gunpla buddies from way back. I came to build with him, so I get priority. You can come another day, Subaru-senpai."
Now Luna's bristling? These two are usually tight—what's with the tension?
"Quiet, you snuck in without asking!" Subaru snapped. "And stop calling him Niicha. He's not your brother!"
"You're not his sister either!" Luna retorted, dropping her "nora" tic. "Niicha asked me to call him that!"
"I've been calling him Aniki longer! I'm the real sister figure!"
"You're just pulling senpai rank now?"
"Enough!" I roared. "Stop fighting over nicknames! You're both my little sisters, and we can build together, got it?"
I ruffled their heads, and they melted like scolded puppies, looking sheepish.
"Now, apologize," I said.
"Sorry, Luna," Subaru mumbled. "I was immature."
"Sorry, Subaru-senpai, nora…" Luna added.
The air cleared. "Alright, let's build."
Tools ready, the mood lightened. Subaru and Luna unpacked their SDs, back to their usual cheer. Subaru's Sergeant Verde Buster Gundam was a police-themed hero from SD Gundam World Heroes, a unique captain with no historical motif. Luna's Legend BB Knight Gundam was a remastered classic, taller and sharper than its old-school version, a fan-favorite reissue.
"Start by pulling parts from the bags," I said. "Follow the manual."
"Aniki, no nippers?" Subaru asked.
"SDs use touch gates—snap off by hand, like this." I tugged a part free, and their eyes sparkled as they copied me.
"So cool, nora!" Luna said. "My first SD!"
"They're made for kids, but the quality's insane now," I said. "Still easy to build."
"I can do this!" Subaru cheered, snapping parts off. Luna worked quietly, focused.
"Touch gates can leave residue," I added. "Shave with a design knife and sand lightly. SDs need less cleanup than others, so it's quick."
"Got it!" they chimed, assembling smoothly.
An hour later, Subaru whooped, "Done! My Gundam's ready!"
"Mine too, nora!" Luna beamed.
SDs were a breeze, even for beginners. "Good job, but you're not finished," I said. "Subaru, your Sergeant's missing colors compared to the box art."
"Huh? Yeah, it's kinda plain," she admitted.
"SDs skimp on color parts," I explained. "If it bugs you, we'll paint. Luna's Knight looks fine, so let's focus on yours."
"Yay!" they cheered.
"Use metallic Gundam Markers," I said. "Match the box art and paint. Don't worry about small overruns."
They painted carefully, trying not to mess up. Subaru winced. "Oops, I went over."
"No biggie. Use this correction pen—shake it, dab some on a cotton swab, and tap the overrun."
"Wow, it's gone, nora!" Luna gasped.
"Keep at it," I said. "It's tedious, but worth it."
Three hours later, we sprayed a semi-gloss topcoat, reassembled, and stood back. "Done!"
"Finally!" Subaru cheered. "My Gundam's perfect!"
"So tired, nora…" Luna sighed.
The painting took longer than the build, but the result was stunning. "It's evening," I said. "Fridge is empty. Wanna grab food?"
"D○nky!" Subaru shouted.
"Hamburgers, nora!" Luna added.
"Alright, get ready."
"Yay!" they chorused, and we headed to B○ck D○nky. Spending the day with my "little sisters" wasn't half bad.
Next morning, I walked into the office to a wail. "Aniki, that's not fair!" Momosuzu Nene, her cream-colored hair bouncing, was half-crying. "I'm your sister too! Why didn't you invite me?"
"Where'd you hear about yesterday?" I groaned.
"Suba-Suba-Suba!" Subaru taunted. "Nenechi's not a true sister yet, shuba!"
"You're not Niicha's real sister either, nora!" Luna piled on.
"I wanted to build Gunpla and eat with Aniki!" Nene sobbed.
"Calm down," I said. "Nene, we'll build next time. And what's this 'true sister' nonsense?"
As they bickered, I turned to YAGOO. "About my house keys…"
He flinched. Apparently, some Holomems coerced him into making copies. Reclaiming them was impossible, so I called a locksmith that day. The girls griped later, but I'm the one with complaints!