Blackout

Well, here's the promised special chapter based on the popularity poll result. I'm sorry that it took so long. I was waiting for a tie-breaking vote since Sakuya, Ichika and Mashiro had the same number of votes

   ‘Welcome home. Would you like a bath? Would you like to eat? Or, would you rather have me~?’

   The moment I open the door, I got greeted by Ichika who’s wearing an apron over her clothes.

   ‘Hmm, I’ll give you a 60 this time. Your expression’s less stiff, but you’re not cutesy enough. Plus, you forgot the naked apron. Again.’

   ‘Easy for you to say! Do you know how embarrassing it is to wear that outfit?’

   ‘...So you’ve tried to wear it?’

   ‘Well,’ she starts twiddling her fingers in embarrassment. ‘I am your girlfriend, after all. I should try to do this kind of thing every once in while to please you.’

   ‘OH GOD! MY GIRLFRIEND’S SO CUTE!’ I couldn’t help but rush forward and hug her tightly.

   ‘Hey, you are being too loud, Hajime! You will disturb the neighbours!’ Sakuya says while struggling.

   ‘I DON’T CARE! ’

   That’s right. I’m no longer Kagenashi Akira. I’m back at the real world and once again go by the name and body of Takashi Hajime.

   Honestly, I don’t know what had happened. One night, I was lying down on my bed back at the dorm next to the Academy. When I open my eyes again, I was back at the real world, just like how I woke up and found myself inside Akira’s body all those months ago.

   The thing is, I was not the only one who got teleported from that world back to this one. Somehow, Ichika is here with me.

   She was very confused when she first opened her eyes and found herself to be in a totally different environment, and next to a man whose face she doesn’t recognize, at that.

   ‘Who are you? Why have you brought me here?’ Ichika asked while glaring at me.

   ‘Hey, Ichika, calm down, okay?’ I said in a soothing voice.

   ‘You vermin! Do not call my given name so casually!’

   Ichika reached her hand forward, probably to bring out Masamune. Naturally, since this isn’t the alternate world she was born and grew up in, so she failed.

   ‘What? Why isn’t Masamune coming out?’ she glared at me again. ‘You! What did you do?’

   ‘I didn’t do anything, okay? Just calm down and listen.’

   I told her about how I’m Akira, but she interrupted me straight away.

   ‘What lie! You are not Akira! Do not sully his name by pretending to be him!’

   ‘But I-’

   ‘Akira is much cooler than you are! He is brave, kind, observant, strong, an excellent strategist, and above all, he is very good at cooking! He is the best man there is!’

   …Goodness, was that a confession?

   Anyway, the part about the cooking gave me an idea.

   ‘Look, you might believe me if you ate some food I cook. How about it?’

   She thought it over.

   ‘...Yes, I suppose I would never mistake his cooking with that of someone else.’

   ‘Great. Just wait there, then.’

   I quickly searched for some food inside the refrigerator. Luckily, the food are not spoilt yet. That reminds me, how long was I gone?

   I looked at the digital clock placed on top of the drawer right next to my old bed. The date showed is one day after I finished watching the anime. It’s way past morning, which meant I already missed my exam, but I have bigger worries than that right now.

   I gathered up the ingredients and started to cook. Ichika looked quite surprised when I hold my knife using my left hand, the same as Akira did.

   It was not long before I was done. I cooked some beef stir-fry, heavy in scallion and light in salt, just the way she liked it.

   I passed her a pair of chopsticks, she took them gingerly and use them to picked up a piece of beef. She then put it in her mouth.

   Her eyes widened.

   ‘This is…indeed Akira’s cooking. Only he would know how I like my beef stir-fry. Well, aside from my parents, that is.’

   I let out a sigh of relief. I’m glad my time at that world did not diminish my cooking skills in this one.

   ‘Do you believe me now?’

   She nodded.

   Since she was willing to listen to me now, I told her everything. How I was originally was from this world, and how I somehow got teleported into her world one morning and occupied Akira’s body. Also, I told her that she is actually an anime character, just like everyone else we know were.

   After I was done, everything was too much for her and she had to sit down and thought things over. I didn’t blame her. This is a lot to take in at one go.

   After a while, she finally pieced everything together.

   ‘So let me get this straight. I am a fictional character created by the people of your world. The same goes for president, Fuyukaze, Kiryuu, even the Destroyers.’

   ‘Yup.’

   ‘And you were using the body of Kagenashi Akira to move about while you were at my world.’

   ‘Yup.’

   To further reinforce my statement, I took out my phone and showed Ichika clips of the anime posted on the internet. She was quite surprised to learn that Yuuji is its main character.

   ‘Wait, Takuto Yuuji was the one who defeated the leader of the vampires and became an A Rank? But, it was thanks to your strategy that we won!’

   ‘Only because I knew what was going to happen. Granted, the assault on their lair was really my idea, but still…’

   ‘And what is this nonsense about me falling in love with Takuto Yuuji? The one I like is-’

   Ichika’s face got redder than a tomato in an instant.

   ‘T-T-T-T-T-That reminds me! Forget everything I said about Akira…about you!’

   ‘You mean the love confession just now?’

   ‘THAT WAS NOT WHAT IT WAS!’ she shouted at the top of her lungs.

   ‘Okay, okay. Just calm down. You’ll disturb the neighbours by being so loud.’

   After she calmed down, I continued my story. I told her how her and the other girls would fall in love with Yuuji, only to have their hearts broken when he rejected all of them. Seeing that I got to their world, I decided to save them from this fate by kicking Yuuji off the spotlight of the main character.

   ‘Pretty arrogant of me, huh?’ I ended by asking. ‘Here I am, declaring that I want to save you all without your permission. Maybe I should have minded my own business.’

   ‘You are not arrogant at all.’ Ichika told me. ‘You merely wanted to prevent us from getting hurt. As you said, you could have become a bystander and let events unfold as they were meant to be. But you did not. You were brave enough to change fate.’

   ‘Besides, it does not matter that you were using the body of Akira. The time we spent together was not a lie, neither was my feelings for you.’

   Okay, that was definitely a confession, and Ichika had the look of a maiden in love when she said that. We stood in silence for a while.

   ‘Well?’ Ichika demanded. ‘I just confessed to you! Are you going to give me your reply or not?’

   ‘Oh, right.’ I snapped out of it. ‘Please take care of me.’

   She gave me a million-yen smile. ‘...Likewise.’

   And so, we became a couple. That said, there were a lot of things to take care of before Ichika could settle down.

   Luckily, my contract between the landlord and I didn’t forbid me from letting another person stay at the apartment I’m renting, so there was no need for us to move.

   There was also her clothing. It took me a while to mention it but Ichika’s still wearing her bath robe that she was wearing when she sleeps. I had to go out and randomly bought her some clothes. I went to a clothes shop that was quite far away from our apartment so that it would (hopefully) be the first and last time the staff there and I ever meet.

   Also, to prevent her from being recognized by hardcore fans, I also got her a hat that could cover up some of her eyes.

   Next, Ichika’s residence card. We went to the nearest Immigration Bureau so that she could get hers. Since Ichika was never a residence here, we had to lie that she lost her old one in a fire. Ichika’s fifteen in the anime, but we’ll need the approval of a legal guardian if she’s under sixteen, so we lied that she’s nineteen just like me. The application was approved, and she got her card within a few hours.

   ‘...Why that name?’ I couldn’t help but asked her after we left the bureau.

   ‘You borrowed this name while you were at my world, did you not? I find no problem in borrowing it while I am staying at yours. Although I did modify it a bit…’

   ‘Well, it’s a guy’s name, after all.’

   Since Ichika is a character from an anime, there’s no way she could use her name here. And so, she had to pick a new name. And of all the possible names, she chose Akira’s name and changed it to Kagenashi Akiko.

   ‘I just hope you remember that new name of yours. And I’m kind of worried that I will forget it too.’

   ‘Shall we have a test?’

   ‘Fine by me.’

   We walked in silence for a while.

   ‘Kagenashi-san.’ I said quickly in an attempt to surprise her.

   ‘Yes?’ an immediate response.

   Another silence for a while.

   ‘Akiko!’

   ‘Right here.’

   ‘Give me you hand!’ I said while reaching out mine.

   ‘Got it!’ she took it without hesitation.

   It took her a few seconds to realize what had happened.

   ‘...You sly man.’ she whispered while blushing.

   ‘Hey, we’re going out, right? And couples are supposed to hold hands.’

   ‘All you needed to do was ask.’

   ‘This way is much more fun.’

   The next stop we headed for were clothes shop. This time, Ichika got to choose what she wants to wear, and she knows her size, so they were the right fit. Halfway through, she started to ask for my opinion, and I gave mine honestly. She bought a few clothes and an assortment of skirts, shorts and long pants. Naturally, I was the one who paid.

   ‘I am sorry that you had to pay.’ she said apologetically.

   ‘Don’t be. They’re all necessities, after all.’

   ‘Um, speaking of necessities…’ Ichika hesitated while looking at a lingeries shop.

   ‘Oh, right.’ I felt my cheeks heating up. ‘You need those too.’

   I handed her my debit card and told her to get some underwears while I wait for her right here.

   She took a while, but eventually came out with another shopping bag in her hand. I offered to take it from her, but she refused.

   ‘You will definitely take a peek!’

   ‘What’s the harm? I’ll see them sooner or later, whether you’re wearing them or not.’

   ‘A no is a no! And what do you mean by “whether I am wearing them or not?” ’

   ‘Don’t worry about it.’

   ‘You pervert!’

   She also shopped for more hats, and a few hair accessories so that she is harder to be recognized. She wanted to get a haircut too, but I stopped her. It’s too much of a waste to cut those beautiful hair of hers.

   Just in case for emergencies, I also got her a phone. I don’t mind buying a smartphone, but she got considerate and bought a simple one instead.

   Lastly, I brought her to a grocery store to get some simple daily necessities like toothbrush, toothpaste and towel.

   After we got everything she needed, we went back to our apartment. All her things dug deeply into my wallet, but I didn’t mind one bit. I was just glad that I saved up quite a bit of money after I started college.

   ‘I swear, I will pay back everything you paid for me in full.’ Ichika told me.

   ‘It’s fine. You don’t have to.’

   ‘But-’

   ‘Look, if you want to repay me, just take care of the place while I’m gone, alright?’

   ‘...Very well.’ she agreed reluctantly.

   I also requested her to dress up in naked apron every once in a while when welcoming me home. Let’s just say her embarrassed shrieks got us some noise complaints from the neighbours.

   Now that I have another mouth to feed, I quit my job at delivering newspaper and tried my luck at a fine dining restaurant. Miraculously, I got hired after they tried my cooking, even though I’m still a student and only work part-time.

   There’s also the problem of my college course. I did failed to go for the exam, after all. Luckily, my lecturer is an easygoing person, and he lets me retake the exam on the very next day without asking me any questions.

   And now, back to the present. It’s been a week ever since Ichika lived with me. She pretty much got accustomed to living at this world that doesn’t have a single Destroyer.

   There’s a few hours left until it’s time for my part-time job. After we ate lunch, we are just sitting next to each other at the couch and enjoying the company of each other while holding hands.

   ‘How was college?’ Ichika asks me.

   ‘Eh, it was alright.’

   Honestly, I got along better with my classmates now. It all started when we had to split into groups to deal with a group assignment.

   The old me would have kept quiet and do whatever my groupmates handed to me. After I went to the anime world, I decided to change myself, so I took initiative and gave them opinions on how to split up the job. That both surprised and impressed them, and they took my advice seriously. In the end, we got an excellent score for the assignment.

   ‘You are not looking at other girls while you are at the college, are you?’ Ichika asks while puffing up her cheeks.

   Man, I love it when she does that. She’s very cute to begin with, and now she’s even cuter.

   ‘Don’t worry, you’re the only one I’ll ever see.’ I assure her while stroking her head.

   ‘...That is fine, then.’

   We keep on having small talks like this until it’s time for me to work. The restaurant is busy as usual, but nonetheless I enjoy my work quite a lot.

   When the place is finally closed for the night, the head chef and the owner of the restaurant, Horie Shichirou, came and talked to me.

   ‘Takashi-kun, you have a girlfriend, right? I saw you walking around the shopping district with her the other day.’ he says.

   ‘Yes. Is something wrong?’

   Crap. Did he recognize Ichika from the anime? He didn’t look like someone who watches anime.

   ‘Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that you can bring her here to dine in one night.’

   ‘Huh, is it really alright?’

   ‘Of course it’s alright. It’s just the two of you. No harm done.’

   Occasionally, Ichika has a lonely look on her face. She never brings it up, but I know she misses everyone from the anime, especially her parents. This is a good chance to let her forget her loneliness, even if it’s only for a while.

   And so, we shopped for a dress for Ichika and a suit for myself and had a meal at the fine dining restaurant. I’ve cooked most of the food we ate quite a number of times, but it’s much better when I’m only in charge of eating them.

   The only bummer is that both of us are underage, so no wine or something for us. Still, the food are nice, and that makes up for the lack of alcohol.

   After we are done with our dessert, one of the service crew takes out a violin and plays a tune. Upon hearing it, most patrons from other tables stand up and go to the middle of the restaurant, where it’s emptied out so that people could dance.

   I look at Ichika. ‘Shall we?’

   She looks surprised. ‘Do you know how to dance?’

   ‘Not at all, so I’ll just be embarrassing myself.’

   She chuckles. ‘That makes the two of us.’

   We go to the dance floor and try to imitate the dance moves of other couples. Thankfully, most of them are kind enough to give us pointers when they saw two awkward youngsters trying their best at dancing.

   When every other patrons left the restaurant, Horie-san comes out from the kitchen and has a small chat with us.

   ‘Did the two of you enjoy the night?’ he asks us.

   ‘Yes, thank you very much for this.’ Ichika tells him.

   ‘Don’t mention it. Your boyfriend helped us out a lot ever since he joined us, so this is just a way of repaying him.’

   We want to let them close the restaurant and rest for the night as soon as possible, so we thank him for the good time we had and left the place. The night is still young, so I propose to have a walk right beside a river near the restaurant. Ichika agrees.

   At first, we walk in silence while holding hands. Eventually, Ichika was the one who broke the silence.

   ‘This version of our world is quite peaceful, is it not?’ she asks me.

   ‘Bah, it’s too peaceful for my liking. I miss those days when we get to fight Destroyers and cultists.’

   Her expression becomes melancholy upon me mentioning things from her world.

   ‘Sorry, that was insensitive of me.’ I quickly apologize.

   She shakes her head. ‘It is fine. I have come to accept that I might not be able to return to my original world. Speaking of which, are you sure you want me around? You might wake up one day and find out that I have disappeared.’

   ‘It doesn’t matter. You’re here right now. That’s all I care. Even if you’ll disappear, I’m going to enjoy every last moment with you. So once again, please take care of me.’

   She nods, tears flowing down from her beautiful eyes. ‘…Yes. Likewise.’

   That night, we shared our first kiss. Granted, there’s plenty of other places that are much more romantic for it than next to a river, but it’ll do.

   Five years have passed since then. I’ve graduated from my college, but didn’t pursue a degree for now. Horie-san has offered me a position at his restaurant, so I’m working there. He wanted to make me a permanent staff, but I prefer to work part-time, as I want to spend more time with Ichika.

   Speaking of her, we’re getting along extremely well. Throughout all these years, we didn’t had a single quarrel. However, she read from somewhere that couples that never had arguments have a higher rates of breaking up, so we had to fake one every once in a while.

   The times I spent at my college made my social circle grow considerably. We’ve meet up a few times after we went our separate ways to catch up. I’ve never imagined that I would have friends before I got teleported to that world, so I’m extremely grateful to whoever that did it.

   I even made up with my family, even though I did it after getting continuously pressured by Ichika. Things are still kind of awkward between us, but at least I’m no longer disconnected with them. I made sure to open up my schedule to pay them a visit during New Years and their birthdays. Naturally, I brought Ichika along every single time. Surprisingly, Ichika and my sister Yukari get along very well too, and Yukari keeps on pestering me to marry Ichika so that she could call her onee-chan for real.

   Marriage, huh? I guess it’s time to consider it.

   One night, I just got back from working at the restaurant. When I got inside the apartment, Ichika is waiting for me with an angry expression.

   She probably wants to start another fake fight, but I kept quiet first, just in case she means it. After a few seconds, she gives me a ‘come on, play along!’ look that I know all too well. So I did.

   I purposely let out an exasperated sigh. ‘What is it this time?’

   ‘You are late! Have you been out drinking again?’

   ‘Like I told you at the phone, I was working!’

   ‘You lie! You were definitely out drinking!’

   ‘Listen, I’m all busted up, so can we do this another time?’

   She starts to sniffle. ‘You do not care about me anymore…’

   ‘Oh bloody hell, not this again!’

   I got this a few days ago, but I think now’s the perfect time for it. I take it out from my pocket and slam it hard on the dining table.

   ‘To think that I got this for you!’

   Ichika looks at the object. It’s a ring box. Her eyes became wider than dinner plates.

   ‘I…You…Is that…’ she couldn’t even form a complete sentence.

   I smile and open up the box, revealing a silver ring. ‘How about it? Will you marry m-’

   ‘YES!’ she shouts and gives me a tackling hug before I could finish my sentence.

   And so, we got married after a week. Honestly, it wasn’t easy. Her parents aren’t around after all, so we had to make up a story where they were supposedly lost at sea when Ichika was young, and that she still believed that they are alive, so she didn’t had gravestones made for them.

   There’s also her appearance. We’re afraid that someone from the guests we invited might recognize her from the anime, so Ichika had to do a makeover which made her a totally different looking person. Hurrah for modern makeup skills.

   This is how I got myself a 2D waifu. Not one made of projectile, but a moving one.