At four in the afternoon, Kobayashi Tetsu headed out alone.
Nakamura Yuji had decided he would spend the night in the garage. According to him—the table's so big it would be a waste not to sleep on it, the chair is soft, transportation is convenient, the computer specs are amazing, and there's even a game console to play.
Why go home! He had brought his own bag, volunteered to work overtime, and volunteered to "contribute to the boss."
Kobayashi Tetsu was deeply moved, and so he went out to buy Yuji a katsudon, lest the man starve to death.
DIXIES Family Restaurant.
Before he even stepped inside, Tetsu noticed through the glass that the place was unusually crowded. And everyone was young—boys and girls in high-school uniforms gathering in lively groups, the atmosphere practically overflowing with youthful energy.
Though, truth be told, Tetsu himself was still that age.
"That's the emblem of Tohano High."
He didn't think much of it. He pushed the door open and sat down.
A slightly languid yet mature voice spoke. Tetsu lifted his head and saw a young woman with tea-colored hair standing before him.
Jezaki Nene bowed with her tray in hand.
"Welcome. What would you like today?"
"Two katsudon. One here, one to go."
She quickly jotted it down.
Tetsu rested his chin on his hand, then lifted a finger toward the table across the room.
"What's going on over there? Looks lively."
"Ah… those are students from Tohano High. They're preparing props for their school festival—paintings, boards, decorations, that sort of thing."
Tetsu let out a long, knowing "Ohhh."
A school festival—of course he knew all about that. It was an intrinsic part of Japanese high-school culture.
Some schools back home had similar events, but they were never this formal.
They usually took place between September and October. As for why… Tetsu honestly didn't know.
"Youth is a wonderful thing," he sighed from the heart.
That actually made Jezaki Nene laugh. "But you look the same age as everyone else—like a high-schooler."
"Impossible." Tetsu suddenly removed his baseball cap, straightened up, and looked her square in the eyes.
"Jezaki-san, haven't you heard? Some people just look young. In reality I'm much older. I'm already twenty-eight. I work at SEGA. I only look young."
The cute expression vanished from Nene's face. She went from surprised, to confused, to nervous, to helpless—all in an instant. She bit her lip, clearly struggling to figure out whether he was joking. But no matter how she studied him, Tetsu looked perfectly serious.
He even nodded solemnly.
"I'm telling the truth."
"I—I see. My apologies! I thought you were the same age as the others… I never imagined you were an adult…"
Seeing her bow over and over, Tetsu finally couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Alright, alright, just kidding. I'm only seventeen. I just think you're being too formal. Relax a little. Always speaking in polite language must be exhausting."
Nene bit her lip again, cheeks flushed with the sort of indignation that came from being thoroughly teased.
But before she could speak, Tetsu put on a serious face again.
"I even told you my age, but Jezaki-san, you're the sly one—not telling me yours. If I had to guess… maybe twenty-four?"
"No!" she shot back instantly, both annoyed and amused. "I'm… eighteen. I work part-time here on weekends."
She imitated his stern expression, her tone faintly coquettish. "So you should be calling me big sister."
Just as Tetsu had said—some people looked young but were older, while others looked mature but were still young.
She was clearly the latter type—calm, dependable, the kind everyone naturally relied on.
Before either could speak again, voices came from the students' table.
"Jezaki-san! We're out of paint—can you bring more?"
"Jezaki-san, over here!"
She bowed quickly to Tetsu, apologized, then hurried off with her tray.
Tetsu clicked his tongue in admiration.
She really was the type everyone depended on.
While waiting for his order, he rested his chin on his hand, watching the busy group of high-schoolers preparing for the festival.
He could even hear their conversation clearly.
"Kitagawa-kun, your drawing is terrible!"
"No way! I learned from my father! His art is amazing!"
"Liar, last time you said your father worked at an e-commerce company!"
"I wasn't lying! My father does graphic design! He designed the giant GG billboard on Electric Street!"
"We've never even seen your dad!"
"He'll come! He promised he'll come to the school festival!"
Tetsu raised his eyebrows.
Electric Street—surely they meant Akihabara.
At this time, Akihabara wasn't yet the otaku haven it would one day become. It was just an ordinary electronics district—a Tokyo Zhongguancun, a Sannomiya Street.
It would take a few more years for it to transform into a holy land of subculture.
"The GG billboard in Akihabara, huh…"
Tetsu tapped his fingers thoughtfully.
The student—Kitagawa—wasn't wrong. Graphic design and commercial illustration were closely tied; designers often worked for companies like GG.
"In that case, after I eat, I might as well go have a look."
He made up his mind quietly.
After finishing his meal, Tetsu took the boxed katsudon and, after asking for directions, headed for Akihabara.
Akihabara was in Chiyoda Ward—essentially central Tokyo. Tetsu lived in Setagaya, not too far. Passing through Shibuya and Shinjuku, a hundred-yen train ticket was enough to reach Akihabara.
By early evening, he stood on the street before the GG billboard.
Sure enough—a massive sign. The GG logo was done in a pixelated style, and the ad featured "Plumber Mario," the first Mario Bros. game.
Mario and Luigi practically leapt out of the sign, creating a striking sense of depth. Behind them were green pipes and classic enemies like the shell-creatures.
"Not bad. This designer's got skill."
Tetsu thought again of the high-schoolers' conversation.
If what they said was true, he might be able to meet the designer at the upcoming festival.
He had nothing better to do, so why not?
Only… it wasn't yet September 15th. He would have to wait several more days.
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