Chapter 1

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"Sorry, Shinji-kun. Let's break up, us."

My name is Ueda Shinji.

I'm a first-year high school student.

The season is winter, Christmas Eve.

The place is Shibuya, in front of Hachiko.

The time is almost 10 PM.

I was supposed to meet my girlfriend at 6 PM.

She didn't show up even after 4 hours.

I called her, but she didn't answer.

I sent her a LINE, but it didn't get read.

Finally, I received a call.

"Break up? What do you mean... break up!"

The person on the other end was Nakatsugawa Miko.

She goes to the same school as me, and we're in the same class...

My girlfriend.

"Because we don't match."

Her usually cute voice now felt very cold.

"Don't match!? What don't match!? Hey, Miko, what don't match!?"

Shinji and Miko were supposed to be doing really well...

Why!? Why suddenly talk about breaking up!

"Our hobbies don't match."

"My... hobbies...?"

After a pause, Miko replied.

"Otaku are creepy, so it's impossible."

...The blood rushed to my head, then quickly drained away.

"Otaku... are creepy... impossible?"

She continued with a voice full of contempt.

"The other day, I went to your house, right? The anime posters on your wall... they were really creepy."

...Indeed, our relationship started to get rocky after she came to my house.

Since then, Miko's responses to me have been delayed, and she was distracted during today's date planning.

"I didn't think you liked such creepy things. Sorry, but it's impossible."

"Wha... what...?"

Thud... my smartphone fell to the ground.

On the screen was my favorite anime, "DigiMas," and the heroine, "Chobi."

I love anime, manga, and games.

I'm what you'd call an otaku.

Ping, a LINE notification came through.

The call had ended.

"Seriously, I think it's weird to even have a creepy anime picture as your phone wallpaper."

"Are you not embarrassed to be into anime even as a high school student?"

"Why don't you study instead of watching such trivial things?"

"Hic... sniff... uuuu..."

How... how can you say such things?

Even if you mock me, I can let that slide.

But... but! I love anime.

I've loved anime and manga since I was a child.

But... to say such things... that's just too much!

"See you, Shinji-kun. Don't ever talk to me again. In class too. Goodbye, creepy otaku."

...After that, I didn't hear from her again.

I stood up shakily and turned on my phone.

I was blocked by her.

"Ugh... hic... uuuuuuuu!"

It's painful to be dumped by her.

But even more painful is being mocked for my love of anime.

"I don't want this anymore... I'll kill myself..."

Just then,

"Ueda"

"I'll drown myself in the Tama River in the winter."

"Ueda! Ueda Shinji! Don't ignore me!"

"Eh...?"

...There was a girl standing there.

She had fluffy blonde hair, half-up.

But she wasn't a foreigner, she had a completely Japanese face.

She had a very well-defined face, with slightly fierce eyes.

She had a large chest and was wearing a super-mini skirt despite the cold...

"Matsu... Matsu... Matsu-san?"

The girl standing there was my classmate.

Her name is Matsu Moto Rika.

"Why... why is Matsu-san... here?"

She glared at me.

Eek...! S-scary...

"Ueda, can I borrow your face for a moment?"

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

"Just come with me!"

I was pulled away by Matsu-san.

What's going on all of a sudden! I don't understand.

I don't have any connection with Matsu-san, yet she's coming at me...

I want to run away.

"Ah, ah! I have a meeting, so..."

But Matsu-san stopped and said to me.

"Ueda, you were dumped, right? By Nakatsugawa Miko?"

"!? H-how do you... know that...?"

Matsu-san lowered her eyes and seemed to be thinking.

She sighed and took out her phone from her pocket.

Wow, her phone case is heavily decorated.

After tapping a few times, she showed me her phone.

"LINE...?"

"Yes, the class group LINE."

"Eh!? The class group LINE!? There was one!?"

"...There was, alright."

...I didn't know...

If I didn't know, does that mean... I was left out!?

That's terrible...

"Read this."

"Um... eh? [Sad News: Creepy Otaku Ueda Gets Dumped]... Eh?"

What... is this?

"Ueda, you're being made fun of in the group LINE. About being dumped by Miko."

"Why do you know...?"

"..."

Matsu-san spoke.

"What I'm about to say will hurt you even more."

"Such... a thing?"

"Yes. Still... do you want to know the truth?"

Scary... what kind of truth? I'm already at my limit...

But... the reason everyone in the class group LINE knows I was dumped.

And the reason she's here.

I want to know.

I nodded.

"Miko Nakatsugawa was cheating on you. With another guy in the class."

...Cheating?

Cheating...?

Eh, no way... right?

Miko... with another guy?

"Eh, ah... but... I was dumped because I'm an otaku..."

Matsu-san lowered her eyes and said.

"It's just an excuse to break up with you. In reality, she's dating a handsome guy in the class. She's boasting about it in the group LINE."

"..."

"Everyone in the class already knows you were dumped and cheated on. I... couldn't bear to see it... Ueda?"

My body... was shaking.

"Hey, Ueda! Your face is pale! Ueda! Hey!"

Matsu-san shook my shoulder.

I felt... sick... so...

"Hup... ughhhhhhhh!"

I vomited everything in my stomach.

"..."

I did it...

In front of me was Matsu-san, covered in vomit.

I messed up... she'll hate me... because Matsu-san is known for being scary...

But... I'm already... in so much pain... so much distress... I can't...

"Ueda! Are you okay!? Ue... Shin-chan, wake up! Shin-chan!"

...I lost consciousness.

As I did, I thought I heard a familiar way of being called...

...

...

...

...

"Um...?"

I woke up.

I slowly lifted my head, and I was in an unfamiliar place.

A large bed.

A dimly lit room.

"Where... am I?"

Then...

Shhhhhhh...

I heard the sound of water from behind.

"Eh? Eh, eh!? Is this...!?"

I realized.

This is... a love hotel.

I'm in a love hotel.

I'm wearing a hotel-provided gown.

And...

"Ah, Ueda, you're awake?"

"Matsu... Matsu-san!?"

Coming out of the shower was the gal, Matsu Moto Rika...

What's going on!?

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