056. Akihabara Adventure (Part Two)

Not long after lying down, his phone vibrated again—Aki Lunya had sent the meeting time and place on LINE.

Propping himself up, Jiang Yu turned to look at Umaru Doma, who had been watching him closely since entering the room, and smiled. “We’ll leave in half an hour. We’ll meet up with Lunya at the nearby station first, then take the train to Akihabara.”

Though she had been confident she would get to go with Jiang Yu, Umaru still couldn’t help but cheer in delight when she heard the confirmation. Excitedly, she said, “I had a feeling we’d be going to an anime goods store this morning, but it really is Akihabara, isn’t it? I haven’t been there in ages!”

Seeing his little sister’s joyful expression, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Are you really that happy? It’s just Akihabara…”

“But it’s Akihabara! Akihabara!” Umaru protested, clearly displeased with Jiang Yu’s casual tone, as if his words had struck a nerve.

“Even if it’s a holy land, there’s no need to be this excited… By the way, Umaru, haven’t you ever done a pilgrimage to those famous anime spots? After you’ve seen them enough, it’s really not that big of a deal…” Jiang Yu shrugged, trying to explain.

“Hmph! When would I have ever had the chance to go to Akihabara before? Let alone go on a pilgrimage!” she pouted, arms crossed in front of her chest, her tone aggrieved.

“Uh…”

Umaru’s complaint made Jiang Yu recall what kind of environment his little sister had lived in before.

Before middle school, their lives had basically run parallel—happy and free, but neither of them had been into ACG then, so there was never any thought of going to Akihabara or making a pilgrimage to anime meccas.

After entering middle school, Jiang Yu’s home became more relaxed due to family reasons, and as he got into anime, he started finding chances to visit Akihabara—the holy land for otaku all over the world.

But in the strictly managed Doma household, Umaru never had much free time, let alone the liberty to go out on her own. Back then, Jiang Yu hadn’t been fond of interacting with others, so he’d never taken Umaru out to play, either.

As a result, after being drawn into the ACG world by Jiang Yu in middle school, Umaru never really had the chance to wander Akihabara or visit any other anime pilgrimage spots.

It wasn’t until she entered high school and, after much assurance, finally convinced her parents to let her live with Jiang Yu that she gained such freedom.

But surely her family had heard about Jiang Yu’s recent state. Besides the trust built since childhood, maybe they also hoped that Umaru’s presence would help Jiang Yu pull himself together.

After all, they couldn’t bear to see such a talented young man—one of their own—waste away.

This trust was not only in Umaru but in Jiang Yu as well. They believed Umaru wouldn’t be easily led astray by Jiang Yu, and they trusted that, no matter how far he’d fallen, Jiang Yu would never lose that responsible big brother he’d always been.

Thinking of it this way, had Umaru also played the role of the perfect high school student back at home? Perhaps this new burst of energy was the result of too much repression for too long…

By a strange twist of fate, just a few days before Umaru’s arrival, a new consciousness—or perhaps a new soul—had taken up residence in this body, making her visit all the more significant.

At the very least, the difference between a casual fan and a dedicated otaku was quite apparent in daily life. In the eyes of Umaru and Jiang Yu’s family, he had indeed changed compared to before.

Even Jiang Yu’s father, Jiang He, was baffled by when his son had learned to cook…

Understanding the reason behind his sister’s little tantrum, Jiang Yu said apologetically, “If there’s ever a chance, I’ll take you to places like that more often.”

“Really?!”

“I promise.”

With that, Umaru leapt into Jiang Yu’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and exclaiming with delight, “Thank you, big brother! You’re the best!”

Jiang Yu, who had been sitting, was knocked onto his back by Umaru’s tackle. To keep her from getting hurt, he focused all his effort on catching her, which left his own back aching from the fall.

He sucked in a sharp breath and said helplessly, “Alright, alright, can I get up now?”

“Ah! Sorry, big brother…” Umaru apologized, her words as gentle as the scent of clove on her breath.

As she extricated herself from his arms, Umaru felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance at her own lack of restraint.

Jiang Yu, too, felt an odd sensation stir inside him after Umaru’s impulsive move.

Question: What would go through an otaku’s mind after being tackled by a high school girl like that?

Standing up and rubbing his back, Jiang Yu lightly tapped Umaru on the forehead, his smile doting. “It’s fine. Go get ready—we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Okay!” Umaru nodded enthusiastically and dashed off to her room.

While Umaru changed, Jiang Yu considered what he ought to bring.

Was there really any need to prepare for a group of otaku going shopping for anime merchandise?

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yu fetched a shoulder bag from his room and packed his wallet, power bank, and charging cable—his essentials for going out. With nothing else to do, he sat in the living room playing on his phone while waiting for Umaru.

About fifteen minutes later, Umaru emerged from her room. She wore a red jacket, her beautiful flaxen hair tied neatly up and tucked under a red beret emblazoned with the letters U.M.R. On her lower half, she had on coffee-brown shorts and black over-the-knee socks.

“Just how much do you love this outfit, Umaru?” Jiang Yu blurted out, recognizing the all-too-familiar look.

“This is my standard attire for going out to take care of important business!” Umaru shot back smartly at his teasing.

So, in your mind, buying snacks and browsing anime shops counts as important business?

“…Fine, whatever makes you happy. Do you have anything else to bring? You can put it in my bag if you want.” He shook his head, letting the topic drop, and held up his bag.

Umaru thought for a moment and shook her head. “Nothing else, I think. I’ve got my wallet, my phone’s fully charged… Nope, nothing else!”

…Do young people nowadays only worry about their wallet and phone when they go out?

But really, aside from those, what else do you need to take?

Then again, why am I even fixating on this?

Glancing at his phone’s screen, Jiang Yu saw there was still a little time left before the appointed meeting, but with nothing else to do, they might as well head out early.

And so, with Umaru practically bouncing with excitement, Jiang Yu left the house and made their way toward the agreed meeting spot at the station.