I showed her the keychain that was hanging on my phone
"You mean this one?"
Her eyes were suddenly gleaming and she was looking at it as if it was some long lost artifact. She was super excited and looked like she wanted to grab it out of my hand. She then told in an excited manner
"That's the limited edition KuroNeko keychain!!!"
"Oh, so you know about this mascot character"
"Know it!? I love KuroNeko!"
Judging by her reaction she must be a fan girl of this mascot character. Well that's normal since it was pretty popular last year and everyone adored it. Although a lot of people loved it, I never really understood why everyone liked it so much. It's just a creepy looking cat with big eyes. I can't find the appeal in it
Rena looked liked she liked this mascot more than anyone else
"I love this cute little cat so much! Those adorable eyes, those small paws and that derpy smile, who wouldn't love this cute thing!? I even have all the merchandise they sold of KuroNeko and have them neatly arranged in my room!"
All the merchandise?! That's a lot of stuff. Back then they added this mascot character to everything they can think of, from pencils to pillowcases they branded it all. Just how much did she buy?
"The only thing I don't have in my collection is this keychain. It was the final item they decided to make of KuroNeko when they ended the production of it. To commemorate the end event they only made 50 pairs of this keychain and distributed it in Akihabara. How on earth, did you manage to get your hands on this?!"
She looked like she was desperate for the answer, so I said
"As you said I went to Akihabara for the event and got it there"
She jumped a little in shock
"No way! I heard that all the people who got the keychain camped outside the event for 2 days!"
"Yeah I did"
"WHAT!"
She was getting a really excited
"I put up a tent outside the event venue and waited for 36 hours until they started distributing them"
"No way! You've got to be kidding me! 36 hours!? I can't even stand in line for a few minutes"
It was pretty fun seeing her get all hyped up like a child
"How did you get food while standing in a line!?"
"I brought some instant food and water with me. When I got bored of that I got food delivered to me"
"Then what about going to the toilet and bathing!?"
"The other campers next to me would watch my place when I needed to go to the toilet and I would do the same for them"
It was actually pretty fun being with those guys. At first they were scared of me but started opening up when I chased of some people who wanted to cut the line, when they were too scared to do so
They shared their games and manga with me and included me in their discussions. We even had a barbecue party using an electric barbecue and partied all night. It was because of them I didn't feel bored at all during my long wait
I wonder what those guys are doing now. It would be cool if I could meet them again in another product release. Good memories...
"As for bathing, I just toughed it out"
She looked really impressed and was looking at me with admiration
"You actually did all those stuff just for a keychain. I'm really impressed! You must also be a hardcore 'KuroNeko' fan like me!"
No, not at all. I'd rather spend that time lazily at home.The only reason I went through all that trouble was because Kaede loved the mascot and really wanted it. You might think I'm spoiling her, giving her whatever she wants. But that's not why I got her the keychain
A week before Kaede's 12th birthday party, our father called and told her that he won't be able to make it to her party because of his work. She was really sad when she heard and looked really depressed for the next two days. I didn't want to see her like that so I immediately went to Akihabara while she was staying at a friend's house and got it without her knowing about it
She was really surprised and happy when I gave it to her on her birthday. All of her sadness went away in a second and she was elated for the rest of the day
The best part is that a simple keychain was able to replace my father's absence. He was down in the dumps when I told him that a keychain had easily replaced him. I wish I could've seen that sight
The keychain came in pairs and Kaede said she didn't need the other one, so she gave it to me. And that's what Akatsuki-san is looking at right now. After admiring the keychain she said
"Even I wanted to go for the event but I was too busy at that time and the ones they resold online were already bought by other people. I thought I would never get to see one but was surprised when I saw you having it when you entered class"
Huh?
"Wait, so you saw when I entered the class?"
"Yeah, it was hanging from your bag. I didn't believe it at first but after looking at it closely, I knew it was the limited edition KuroNeko keychain"
Hmm? She saw it in the class? Hanging from my bag? Closely looking? Don't tell me….
I looked at her firmly and asked
"Were you staring at me in class today because you wanted to see this keychain?"
She was shocked and exclaimed in a surprised manner
"Ho-How did you find out I was looking at you!?"