Is there a gal who's kind to otakus?
It's one of the world's largest challenges, an unsolved mystery of the 21st century that, if solved, is said to earn a Nobel Prize.
Gal.
It's an attractive word, one of my favorites.
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.
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Note: This A dialog between Mori Matsuri (Gal Girl) and Otaku man
"Ah..."
"Aah, did it break..."
Was it my plan that broke, or my mob life, or the monster in the secret room? I was exasperated, giving off an air like that of a cruel child character who had committed the slaughter of human toys.
Of course, that was directed at myself.
My pride and joy, my brand-name wristwatch, was completely broken.
The second hand kept ticking, the glass had cracks, but the internal structure seemed to be okay. It was truly a luxury item... but that's not what matters now. Looking at the broken watch, I chuckled to myself.
I had ridiculed myself in every situation.
My schedule was over.
I laughed.
"The plan failed"
I didn't make it to the social gathering (temporary).
I don't know why, but my sense of time and actual time don't match up.
It feels like repeating "just five more minutes" when waking up, and suddenly it's like it's already noon.
My watch's second hand had already struck 11 p.m.
"Why?"
"What's up? You look pretty intense," said the gal who had transformed into a ragged-looking dress, standing next to me.
"Well, I'm planning to make a record from now on," I replied, taking out my smartphone.
"Oh!? That's abrupt," she replied.
For now, I need to make evidence of why I couldn't go to the social gathering (laughs).
I got involved in an unavoidable pinch... let's just say that.
I decided to leave a dying message.
They're probably gossiping about me now.
"They're all talking about me behind my back," "I hope that trash dies, kyahaha," "Seriously, he's so uncool, I'm not hanging out with him," and so on.
Whether it's from a previous life or this one, women love talking behind people's backs.
A memory from a past life flashed back.
Whoa!? My head!?
I'm feeling weighed down.
"Well, it can't be helped. Life is sudden. And I'm weak to sudden accidents," I said, as the gal peered into my face, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Oh, you look so troubled... Are you okay?" she asked.
My face must be really serious.
That's only natural. There's no coherence in the context of the conversation.
I'm not conveying any clear requirements, and it doesn't seem to be well understood.
Even Einstein couldn't understand my intentions with just one sentence.
But it doesn't matter.
I've already given up.
"It's okay. Here, can you please take this?" I said, handing the smartphone that I had started up for video recording to the gal.
"Am I supposed to take a video?" she asked.
"Yes. That's right. Please leave... proof of my... existence," I said.
"I can do it alone, right? Besides, I don't even understand what you mean," she replied.
"Yeah, that's right. It doesn't work with just one person talking... you know, what do you call it? It's like an actor's spirit. It doesn't function," I said, chuckling at myself.
When humans settle into the state of "oh well, it can't be helped," they start laughing at themselves to console their self-mockery and pity.
"Creepy face, Bookie-kun," she said, covering her leopard-print underwear and holding down her skirt, which had opened at the chest with her hand.
Once she hesitated, but then the elf-like pseudo-gal reluctantly agreed with a murmured "ryo."
"Mori Mamoru" reluctantly pointed her smartphone at me.
"Thank you. It's proof that there are gals who are kind to otaku...just knowing that gives hope to people who need it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Matsuri replied with exasperation.
I intentionally acted as if I were hyperventilating and spoke to the lens, "If you're watching this, then I'm no longer in this world...," playing the role of a man with a flag of imminent death.
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.
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/Matsuri's perspective/
--- We go back in time just a little ---
I was out for a walk when El and Jude invited me, reluctantly, to investigate a location that seemed to be under reconnaissance by a large-scale magic circle called the Thousand Li Eye, according to Jude.
That's when two shadows suddenly appeared in front of me.
One of them was human.
The other was a giant shadow resembling a centipede, with countless hands growing from its body, and numerous eyeballs all over it. They twitched and rolled around, scanning the surroundings. Our eyes met.
What was even more bizarre about the human part was its massive circular oral cavity located around the navel area, resembling a worm. Inside the cavity, teeth of humans and animals grew in a disorderly manner.
A lot of teeth.
Bite teeth. Crush teeth.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw a monster of grotesque appearance, about five meters long, with gray skin.
A terrifying appearance that made anyone who saw it shudder. Looking at it was enough to make one's body stiffen with its abnormality.
An unknown, hideous, grotesque form.
Although it did not appear particularly strong, I was paralyzed with fear, as if my body had turned to stone.
My ears rang, and my body was numb, unable to move.
What was going on!?
The arms, resembling tentacles growing from its body, extended towards a small shadow and attacked.
The creature's arms had sharp claws like those of a bird of prey, and they easily felled the trees in their path.
The trees were reduced to dust like in a storm.
The trees that became prey to the claws were twisted and gouged in a distorted, crumpled way, like squeezing tofu.
I took a sharp breath. Countless hands closed in from all directions, enveloping small shadows.
Small shadows... I thought someone had been crushed to death.
I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst possible outcome.
A loud thud as something large fell.
Someone wielding a sword cut through countless arms approaching from behind with a single thin blade.
That was the only result left.
A gulp echoed in my skull as I calmly analyzed the situation. Green liquid dripped and sizzled like burning flesh, dissolving the surroundings.
"Acid...," I whispered.
The person continued to cut off arms with ease, without flinching at the sight of the grotesque shapes. The smooth swordplay left afterimages in its wake.
Vanilla-san, who also belonged to the student council, was an excellent swordsman, but the swordsmanship displayed before me now was completely different. It was like reading the future...
"No, that's not it. Do you know?" It was as if the person had gained experience and knowledge.
Such a fluid movement. The swordsmanship that lay at the end of countless studies and strategies.
Although it was a technique, it seemed to be closer to the level of a sage or a hermit than that of a swordsman or martial artist.
The person displaying the ultimate technique gradually became clearer.
"Who is that person?"
I couldn't move or speak, so I was left with only questions.
A stylish young man with Silver-black hair was facing a monster.
The young man seemed to be shouting something provocatively, but the sound of ringing in my ears made it impossible to hear the content.
The grotesque attacks were nullified in front of the young man who seemed to have reached the realm of the gods. He fought while sensing the presence, sound, and vibration of the air with his eyes closed.
"He's fighting without looking... What an interesting person!"
That was the feeling of admiration mixed with ridicule.
I had discovered a weird person and my heart was pounding with excitement.