"After-party?"
"If it's like just now, I'm not going..." Ruri sighed.
"No, it's slightly different. This is me, in my personal capacity, inviting friends I didn't get to talk to much just now." Saori patted her chest.
You know, even though her clothes were lame, her figure was surprisingly well-endowed.
"Will there be many other people?" Ruri asked.
She wasn't used to crowded atmospheres.
"No, counting Black Cat and Tenya, there are only five of us." Saori held up five fingers.
— — —
A certain coffee shop.
The brown-haired girl and the ordinary guy were waiting.
"Sorry for the wait, Kirino and Kōsaka. This is Black Cat and her boyfriend, Tenya." Saori introduced the two parties.
"Boyfriend? He's super handsome!" Kirino's eyes lit up.
"No, just a contractual partner." Ruri explained shyly.
"Uh... I'm Kōsaka Kyousuke, her older brother. Sorry for joining in midway." Kyousuke looked at his sister, who was excitedly staring at Tenya, with a slightly jealous expression.
"Hello everyone, I'm Tenya. Although you might not look like it, you seem like a very loving brother and sister." Tenya smiled.
"Really?" Kyousuke's face lit up.
As a hardcore siscon, there was no better praise than hearing about his close relationship with his sister.
"Not at all..."
A complex look flashed in Kirino's eyes.
"Online name, Black Cat. I wonder what the administrator's plan is for gathering us?" Ruri asked.
"Didn't I say? Because we didn't talk much just now, I wanted to take this opportunity to have a good chat. That's how it is, Black Cat."
"Also, you don't have to be so formal when addressing me."
"Just call me Saori, everyone can be more casual."
Saori was very talkative and good at lifting a dull atmosphere.
You said to be casual, right? Then I won't be polite.
"Calling yourself Saori with that height, how dare you use that name? You're really thick-skinned."
"This isn't how you make a shocking entrance."
"Go home and change your name to Psychic Gundam or Big Zam."
"And the way you talk, and your clothes..."
Ruri's voice wasn't loud, but her words were sharp.
"How many years ago is this disgusting otaku from?" Kirino couldn't help but join in the sharp remarks.
As a part-time cover model, she had very high standards for clothing and couldn't stand Saori's terribly unfashionable attire.
"Stop!"
"Both of you, please be mindful."
"Casually attacking someone's appearance is uncivilized behavior." Tenya lectured seriously.
"Uh..."
"My, my apologies."
"I'm sorry, Saori-san."
Ruri and Kirino, hearing this, instinctively lowered their heads and admitted their mistake.
"Hey? Is this for real?" Kyousuke was astonished.
That extremely tsundere sister of his actually obediently listened to a stranger?
"Besides, from my personal perspective, Saori is very cute." Tenya carefully observed Saori.
She was 1.8 meters tall, taller than many boys, with a pair of excellent long legs.
Beneath her old-fashioned round glasses was a standard beauty with an exceptional face.
Her clothes were unfashionable, but her skin was fair with a rosy glow.
A typical beauty deliberately making herself look plain.
"Oh my!"
"Tenya saying that makes me shy."
Saori awkwardly scratched her head, then quickly changed the subject, "Speaking of dressing up, please forgive me for being blunt, but Kirino's outfit is what's out of place."
"Indeed, coming to Akihabara for an offline meeting dressed so flamboyantly is ridiculous." Ruri joined the complaining.
"Huh? What's wrong with it? This is my style." Kirino retorted.
A black inner shirt with a blue waistcoat, paired with a mini-skirt, black knee-high socks, and beige ankle boots, sunglasses on her head, and exquisite peach-colored earrings.
Her entire outfit exuded a sense of fashion, making her a complete 'normie' and creating a natural distance between her and most otaku girls.
"You too!"
"What's wrong? I'm all ears."
"What kind of skirt is that? Are you cosplaying Suigintou?"
"This is Maschera's Nightmare Queen."
"What anime is Maschera?"
"The full name is Maschera: Lament of a Fallen Beasts. The plot and animation are contenders for the best anime of the season. It airs every Thursday at 5:30 PM, you must watch it."
"Oh? Isn't that a niche anime that airs at the same time as Meruru? That flashy, delusional chuunibyou anime."
"Huh?! I can't pretend I didn't hear that! Meruru? Are you talking about Stardust Witch Meruru? That piece of crap that only little kids, older fans, niche enthusiasts, and unemployed freeloaders watch?"
"What did you say?!"
"Battle-type magical girls are already outdated. Besides, judging by the viewership comparison, yours is even more niche, isn't it?"
"What does viewership have to do with it? Meruru's action sequences are smooth and fluid, don't underestimate children's anime."
"Don't use children's anime as a shield. Without plot and depth, it's just a low-IQ work."
"Mindlessly piling on plot and settings is the root of chuunibyou, isn't it? Should I call you Queen Chuuni?"
"Ah! Unable to even understand human language, it seems you are a pig. Oink for me?"
Ruri and Kirino's sharp-tongued exchange lasted for a full ten minutes.
They went from sitting and verbally sparring to standing up and spitting in each other's faces.
"Stop, don't get so worked up, both of you. Talk things out properly, it's just an anime, isn't it?"
Kyousuke tried to play mediator, but ended up getting glared at angrily by both of them.
"It's just an anime?"
Ruri and Kirino simultaneously cast a death glare.
"Sorry! I said the wrong thing..."
Kyousuke instantly fell silent.
"Your personality is really something, no wonder no one paid attention to you just now..." Ruri launched another sharp attack.
Kirino retorted, "You have the nerve to talk about me? Weren't you also playing on your phone the whole time?"
"Staying in the corner by yourself without saying anything, that's way too gloomy."
"That was... I suddenly wanted to check a news website." Ruri stammered.
"It seems they've warmed up to each other." Tenya calmly drank his coffee.
"Mm-hmm. I feel the same way." Saori crossed her arms and showed a satisfied smile.
"We're not close at all!"
"Hmph! Who wants to be friends with this gloomy person?"