"Yeah, after all, you're not an otaku, so you wouldn't understand," Mochizuki said with a smile. "Otaku?" Miku hadn't heard this term before and was a bit confused. Mochizuki then explained, "An otaku is someone who..." "I see," Miku understood. It was probably similar to her own deep affection for warlords. "Let's go back," Mochizuki and Miku then walked towards the train station. This time, there was no need to rush; they could walk leisurely.
... Eri Ri, on the other hand, didn't come to this bookstore today to buy new books. In terms of distance, the bookstore Mochizuki visited was the closest to the school. However, Eri Ri recalled encountering two people from the same school here in one day last time. For her, coming here was simply too risky. Eri Ri didn't want her classmates to know her "otaku" identity. By the way, why didn't Eri Ri ask Mochizuki to buy them for him? Naturally, it was because Eri Ri didn't know yet that Mochizuki was also a light novel enthusiast; as for last time, it was likely just a coincidence.
"Speaking of which, Mom told me to invite that guy over for dinner, and I forgot again." "Damn it, I don't even have his contact information!" At this moment, Eri Ri had also successfully arrived at another bookstore. Perhaps because it was further away, the queue at this bookstore wasn't as long. Presumably, Eri Ri would be able to successfully buy the new release. However, Eri Ri still looked very impatient watching the queue. She knew that for every minute she stayed longer, the risk factor increased by one point.
Meanwhile, in different locations, several different people were also purchasing this new work... such as Kasumigaoka Utaha, Umaru, Yamada Elf, Aki Tomoya, and also Hikigaya Hachiman and Yoshiteru Zaimokuza. Even Yukino Yukinoshita, as if possessed, came to a bookstore to make a purchase. However, Yukinoshita was there to buy Love Meter; Re:zero - Starting Life in Another World was just a side purchase.
Miku and Mochizuki were already on the train. And Miku discovered something strange. "The name is the same," Miku said in surprise, pointing at Tsukiyo on the cover, then tilted her head suspiciously towards Mochizuki, asking, "By chance, is this written by Yo?" "It's a coincidence." "Really?" "Really." However, Miku looked unconvinced, and for some reason, Miku just felt that these two books had a huge connection to Mochizuki. "Liar!" This made Mochizuki feel a pang of guilt. When did Miku become so smart? Although, her grades were indeed the best among The Five Sisters.
And as the train's passenger flow continuously increased, Miku was forced to keep moving closer to Mochizuki. They arrived at the luxurious building from last time. Mochizuki thought he would just drop her off here, but Miku insisted strongly that he come up and sit for a while. Mochizuki thought, 'You just want to hear warlord stories, right?'
Entering the glass door and arriving at the elevator, Mochizuki saw a figure he shouldn't have seen this afternoon. It was Yukino Yukinoshita. She was waiting for the elevator, holding newly purchased books in her hand. Logically, Yukinoshita shouldn't have arrived as quickly as Mochizuki and Miku, but Yukino Yukinoshita had chosen to take a taxi, so she got back here faster. What a coincidence, meeting Yukinoshita at the elevator again.
There were no other passersby present, and Yukinoshita naturally noticed Mochizuki and Miku. Seeing the two of them walking together intimately, Yukino Yukinoshita remembered last time. No wonder she had met Mochizuki Yo here last time. It was also no wonder Mochizuki didn't go to the Service Club after school today; it turned out he was accompanying such a cute girl.
Seeing that Yukinoshita didn't seem to intend to greet them, Mochizuki was also planning to remain silent. Then someone spoke up. "You told me you had something important to do, and it turns out you went on a date." "Date..." Hearing this familiar term made Miku Nakano briefly lose her ability to think again. "Ahem... No, Yukinoshita, this is my cousin," Mochizuki explained irritably. "Cousin?" Yukino Yukinoshita tilted her head, looked at Miku Nakano, and was a bit curious. Also, hearing it was his cousin, Yukinoshita felt inexplicably relieved. So they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend.
"You actually have such a beautiful cousin." And Miku, hearing Mochizuki's explanation, also regained her composure. "Yo, you know each other?" Looking at the girl in front of her, who had a face so cute it was unfair, and who seemed quite familiar with Mochizuki, Miku felt a huge sense of crisis. She couldn't help but compare herself to the other girl. Miku found that, except for a certain part, she was completely defeated. Unbelievable! If Mochizuki knew Miku's thoughts, he would definitely think it wasn't that bad; Miku was just too unconfident. They should each have their own strengths.
"Yes, she's the Bucho (Club President) of the club, Yukino Yukinoshita," Mochizuki introduced to Miku. "Oh, the Bucho (Club President)..." Miku thought, 'Doesn't that mean they spend a lot of time together participating in club activities?' Fortunately, the elevator arrived at this moment. The three of them entered the elevator. Yukino Yukinoshita pressed the 10th floor, while Mochizuki pressed the top floor.
Upon reaching the tenth floor, Yukinoshita exited the elevator. Since the newly purchased books were in a bag, Mochizuki didn't notice them. Yukino Yukinoshita's departure allowed the tense Miku to relax. 'This woman is too intimidating!' Miku thought. 'It would probably take Ichika and Nino to handle her.'
"Yo! You're guilty!" Miku exclaimed. It was all Mochizuki's fault for attracting such a terrifying woman, and this person also lived here. Could Yo be going to her place? Mochizuki felt a bit bewildered. 'But I came up here with you,' he thought.
They arrived at The Five Sisters' home. Only Nino and May were home, in addition to Miku who had just returned. Seeing Mochizuki and Miku return together, the two were a little surprised. They had seen Ichika after school, but now she wasn't here. "Where are Ichika and Yotsuba?" Miku asked. "I don't know about Ichika," May replied while eating a meat bun, "Yotsuba probably went to help with club training again."
Huh, seriously? Mochizuki didn't expect someone to actively seek out club training. "That's tough work." "Yeah, it is," May said, eating her meat bun. Going to those sports activities was nowhere near as comfortable as eating at home. "If you eat anymore, you'll get fat."
"You, smelly Mochizuki, don't you dare say I'm fat!" May was very angry. Besides not teaching her, he kept cursing her to get fat. Moreover, after Mochizuki said that, she had been constantly feeling like she was genuinely gaining weight lately, and often didn't dare to eat freely. Of course, not daring to eat freely was just May's self-perception; to others, May's appetite was still as good as ever.
On the other hand, Nino was a bit curious about how the two of them came together. "Where did you go? What's in your hands?" "A bookstore, some light novels." Hearing it was light novels made Nino lose interest. She got up to prepare dinner. "Are you eating here tonight?" Nino asked. "No, I'll just sit for a bit and then leave," Mochizuki thought to himself. Shiina Mahiru was probably already preparing dinner by now; it would be better to eat at home, otherwise, it would go to waste.
"Hmph, then I can make a little less." Miku, however, looked at Mochizuki with dissatisfaction upon hearing his answer. May, who had been angry just now, also spoke up, "Aren't you living alone? You don't have anything to do when you go back!" Mochizuki made an excuse, saying, "It'll be too late if I eat here..."
'Oh right,' Miku suddenly realized that Yo lived alone, and her thoughts started to wander again. 'Then next time, I'll just go find him myself.' Miku then reached out her hand and placed it in front of Mochizuki. "Phone." "What for?" "Contact information." And so, Mochizuki added Miku's contact information, as well as May's, who was standing nearby.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
If you want to see it, then why not?