Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

Although he really wanted to ask why there were two extra blond idiots, and why these two idiots were trying to steal the food he cooked...

On the field, Hibiki Sakura's energetic laughter pierced the sky, intertwining with Eriri's mournful wails as she was mercilessly crushed, and Abigail's exhilarating screams of excitement.

Ah... anyway, I hope Abby had fun.

Fujimaru Ritsuka idly sipped her juice when someone approached and asked, "Is anyone here?"

"No one's here, please have a seat."

"Thank you," the visitor said simply, and sat down.

Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at the person next to her out of the corner of her eye: it was a man in his fifties, dressed decently, the materials and style of which didn't look cheap. But somehow, he managed to make it look a bit sloppy. He had gray hair, a full beard, and wore glasses, and was helplessly wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Sensing Fujimaru Ritsuka's gaze, perhaps out of boredom, he struck up a conversation: "By the way, buddy, why are you here all alone? Where are your companions?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka pointed to the six veteran drivers still speeding wildly in the bumper car area, and the uncle couldn't help but feel envious: "That's great, after all, it's youth, coming to the amusement park with beautiful girls."

"Uncle, aren't you doing pretty well too? You must be here with your family, right?"

"Yes, my wife and daughter came with me. They also wanted to ride the bumper cars and are in line. My wife has noticed I haven't been doing well lately, so she brought the whole family to the amusement park to cheer me up. My wife really loves me, doesn't she?"

The middle-aged man proudly puffed out his chest, giving off the vibe of a perpetually immature otaku talking about his girlfriend.

Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at the space above him: "You're too modest. You've had more than just bad times. The black resentment above your head is almost forming a tangible cloud."

63. Please, it's because you haven't grown up yet, it's because you haven't moved on.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's gaze kept drifting towards the old man's head, making him a little uncomfortable.

The man's real name is Hideaki Taiga, and his pen name is Min-Ku. He became famous in his youth for directing a popular national anime, and then used the profits to start his own company, dedicating himself to tokusatsu (special effects) productions. He's currently in a bit of free time because he finished the theatrical version of his early hit series.

He's been riding high lately, making a fortune with his tokusatsu dramas and getting a lot of viewers to buy into the sequels to his 14-year-old work.

Hideaki Taiga, driven by various motives, drastically altered the most popular character, who was practically the female lead, in the theatrical version, pairing her with a background character and adding his own personal interpretations.

I initially thought the audience would be furious, but considering I'd already made a killing off merchandise from older works, Hideaki Taiga didn't care. However, to my surprise, most of the fans outwardly defended him.

What does it mean to say, "My great Mingu is just that kind of man, he has the style of a Russian writer"?

The claim that "he is Ivan the Terrible, treating his characters like his own sons, hitting them hard, even to the point of death! Then he would hold his son and wail bitterly."

What kind of "Shinji, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry, I love you" is that?

Aside from the last comment about Hideaki Taiga which seemed a bit odd, the rest of the comments were quite enjoyable to read.

I am indeed a famous director and supervisor; my reputation speaks for itself! Naturally, a bunch of people will fawn over me because of my authority. What's wrong with sprinkling in some personal agendas? What's wrong with keeping fans hanging for 14 years and then feeding them sweet treats? Heisei otaku should receive the education of us Showa men!

I, a Showa man, say that you Heisei otaku are trash, and you are trash!

However, in private, he still secretly glanced at Japan's famous anonymous forum a few times.

Japan's online ecosystem is fascinating. Twitter is a public forum for them, and generally, even if they have grievances, they rarely retaliate, especially against influential public figures. But anonymous forums like 5ch are different; the grievances buried deep inside keep pouring out.

After reading several constantly updated anonymous threads, Hideaki Taiga had a general idea of ​​what was going on. There were still many fans who dared not express their opinions in public and had great opinions about him.

So before sitting down, he made a point of looking around and choosing to sit at Fujimaru Ritsuka's table.

After all, Japanese otaku rarely go out and are unlikely to appear in places like Disneyland. Furthermore, even if something were to happen, someone like Fujimaru Ritsuka, who seems like a social butterfly, wouldn't recognize him.

But what's going on with this pool surface? If it's just staring at me, that's fine, but why are my eyes constantly glancing upwards? What am I looking at?

His gaze made it seem like there was something on my head. Or was there a variety show crew filming nearby?

Hideaki Ogawa glanced around, paying particular attention to potential camera spots, but saw no sign of one. He grew increasingly impatient, adopting the air of a company president, and tapped the table with his knuckles in an unfriendly tone: "Kid, what are you looking at? Can't you even manage basic politeness like looking someone in the eye when you're talking to them? Honestly, this is what young people are like these days!"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just rarely see someone like you." Fujimaru Ritsuka finally looked away, but the look in his eyes as he stared at Taiga Hideaki sent chills down the latter's spine. "Just how many people used to fawn over you, and how much hatred do you garner now?"

His sigh came from the bottom of his heart; it's really hard to imagine.

Since acquiring Edmund's abilities, he vaguely felt that he had improved. However, the resentment above Hideaki Taiga's head was so heavy that it agitated him, allowing him to "see" even without opening his Eyes of the Realm.

If it were any other extraordinary person, they would only subconsciously sense an unpleasant aura emanating from Hideaki Taiga, but would be unable to pinpoint its source, because it is a kind of resentment that arises from the corruption of faith, which is far more powerful than ordinary curses or grudges.

Fujimaru Ritsuka pulled out all the stops to try and attract a customer: "Sir, are you aware that you are cursed?"

Hideaki Taiga gave him a suspicious look, snorted through his nose, and gave a disdainful snort.

Yes, it had been a while since the movie's release, and he had indeed had some bad luck, but it was nothing more than minor things like stepping in dog poop or catching a cold. He had even wondered if he was cursed by those otaku, but as the company president, he had some connections, and through introductions, he found some supernatural individuals to perform a purification ritual at Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo. In the end, nothing happened.

“Mr. Taiga, you may just be disturbed by the aura, and there is nothing seriously wrong with you. At least during the exorcism ritual, there was no trace of the curse. After this ritual, the aura will be cleared away, and the bad luck will not last long,” the monk said.

After the ceremony, Hideaki Ogawa did indeed feel much better and couldn't help but believe the monk even more. Out of curiosity, Ogawa also learned from him some methods for identifying fraudulent mediums who seemed to have some spiritual insight, listening with great interest and his thoughts flowing freely.

Even revered monks and virtuous masters have said so, what more do you, a young man, want? I guess you're just some shady medium trying to boost your sales figures.

Hideaki Ogawa shook his head dismissively, speaking earnestly: "Little kid, you're lying. You're trying to fool those rich people in their seventies or eighties. A successful person like me, in the prime of my life, already has my own channels to find out the truth, and I won't be fooled by those psychological tactics."

Fujimaru Ritsuka was a little amused and exasperated. She was about to try to persuade Taiga Hideaki again, but he turned around and left impatiently, not giving Fujimaru Ritsuka a chance to stop him.

Fujimaru Ritsuka could only call out from afar, "Uncle, if you need anything, come to Chaldea." This drew the attention of everyone around, while Taiga Hideaki didn't care at all, giving him the middle finger and walking away without looking back.

Ignoring the stares of those around her, Fujimaru Ritsuka sat back down in her chair and calmly took a sip of her juice—if she wasn't mistaken, this man must have contacted other superhumans, but they hadn't been able to find the root of the problem.

But it's alright, the customer will come back obediently in the future. I've already planted a seed, so I don't have to worry about not getting a meal.

On the other side, a somewhat agitated Hideaki Ogawa walked into the queue and found his wife, complaining about what had just happened to him.

He went on and on about the faults of that good-looking but rotten-hearted boy, while his wife, Yoko, held their daughter's hand and listened patiently with a smile.

Although much younger than Hideaki Taiga, Yoko has the demeanor of an older sister, always being tolerant of her husband who never seems to grow up.

While listening, she silently noted down the name [Chaldea]—better safe than sorry. Unlike her husband, who was always stubborn in daily life, it was always good to have a backup plan.

64. Today, Yukino once again enters the realm of the joyful Alterego.

"Wow! Ms. Kasumi, what's wrong with you today? Your aura is absolutely overwhelming! You've completely dominated the bumper car track!"

The noisy group of six walked out of the arena. Sakura Hibiki raised Kasumigaoka Utaha's hand and cheered, "You won the Akina Mountain battle this time, but don't be careless. I will win next time."

"Hmph, do you know why I won? Because my pain is far greater than yours!" Kasumigaoka Utaha walked up to Fujimaru Ritsuka with a gloomy face, like a great demon king, and without saying a word, raised her glass and gulped down a big mouthful of juice. "Phew~ That feels good."

Fujimaru Ritsuka hesitated, not daring to say that it was her own juice.

The lively scene drew the attention of even Hideaki Taiga's family, who were still in the queue. Ritsuka Fujimaru smiled and nodded to them.

Hideaki Ogawa snorted and turned his head away, while his wife Yoko nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Fujimaru Ritsuka's actions attracted the attention of the six people who had just finished the Akina Mountain Veteran Driver Championship. Kasumigaoka Utaha followed her gaze, her face as cold as ice: "That guy, do you know Fujimaru Ritsuka?"

"No, he was just a stubborn old man I met by chance, and he had a little trouble with him."

"Oh~~ a little trouble? I'm curious, tell me quickly so I can have a laugh."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's oppressive aura almost materialized, nearly materializing into the cursed form of the Ushi no Toki we'd seen before. Fujimaru Ritsuka had no choice but to briefly recount the information to everyone who had just sat down.

After hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka's words, Kasumigaoka Utaha slammed her hand on the table, almost standing up in excitement: "Wonderful! You old scoundrel Taiga, you've finally met your match?!"

Abigail hugged Yukinoshita with a hint of fear and said cautiously, "Kasumigaoka-neechan, I think it's wrong to gloat over someone who is suffering misfortune."

"That's because you don't know what that old scoundrel has done." Kasumigaoka Utaha gritted her teeth in hatred. "Yesterday I went to the cinema to see the final theatrical version of my childhood work, and not only did I see my favorite characters being ruthlessly paired up, but the explanations were also very vague. This guy has a history of this; he just wanted to disgust otaku with the ending he made!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka tried to defend Taiga Hideaki: "I see. He just wanted to stick to his own creative ideas. It's not worth it, it's not worth it."

"...Have you watched Aldous Season 2? How did you feel about the princess being abruptly forced into a political marriage as a background character at the end?"

Yukino, holding Abigail quietly, couldn't help but interject, "Playing such a realistic ending in an entertainment work? A political marriage sounds disgusting."

Kasumigaoka Utaha gave Yukino an understanding look, then continued to ask the bewildered Fujimaru Ritsuka, "Do you play games? Have you played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 lately?"

"I played it. My wife's Sword 2 is still pretty fun, even though it's a bit old-fashioned."

"What if the producer had changed the happy ending to one where the two female leads sacrificed themselves and didn't come back, according to their original plan?"

"Then I will kill him!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed deeply: "Yes, even a cheesy but excellent game producer knows to give a character who has been with the player for ten or twenty hours a good ending. Our old scoundrel Taiga, however, could be so ruthless as to wipe out fourteen years of everyone's memories. How can I not hate him?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka finally understood, and also guessed what was going on with Hideaki Taiga's head: it was the backlash from some die-hard fans turning from love to hate after a national masterpiece was overwhelmed by personal tastes. However...

"But I think there are quite a few people who still think his work is alright."

Kasumigaoka Utaha slumped dejectedly on the table, her ample bosom pressing out a peculiar shape on the surface: "Yeah, what's wrong with otaku these days?"

Nodding thoughtfully, Fujimaru Ritsuka stroked her chin: "So, the thing on his head shouldn't just be a backlash from his supporters. There must be some troublesome intermediary that's causing it to have such a peculiar effect. Speaking of which, Kasumigaoka, can you see or sense what's on that old man's head?"

"No." Kasumigaoka Utaha struggled to sit up, staring at Taiga Hideaki with resentful eyes for a long time, making him feel like he was being pricked. He only looked away after feeling uneasy. "Indeed, no. I can only vaguely sense an unclean aura on him."

"Alright~ let's not worry about that anymore. Abigail dragged us here today to enjoy Disneyland. Who cares about that old scoundrel?"

“But that uncle is in trouble…” Abigail said with some concern.

Kasumigaoka Utaha playfully pinched Abigail's cheek, beaming, "Don't worry, Uncle should be fine for a while. When you come to Disneyland, don't you want to ride the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, and watch the parade and fireworks show?"

Abigail swallowed hard, hesitating.

Fujimaru Ritsuka patted her head and advised, "Right now, that old man isn't willing to accept our help. He'll naturally come looking for us when he's in danger. We need to have fun first so we'll have the energy to take on more requests!"

"Okay, then I'll listen to the leader! I want to ride the drop tower and the roller coaster~~~" Abigail decided to heed the advice and pulled Fujimaru Ritsuka along the way.

"Damn it, it was my suggestion! Abby, don't run away!" Kasumigaoka Utaha chased after them.

Eriri's eyes darted around uncertainly: "The drop tower... I think I'll go first..."

"Eri, the amusement park is crowded right now, we can't get separated." Yukino grabbed her wrist, her eyes teasing, as if she'd spotted a mouse about to steal cheese. "Or are you just too scared to ride the thrilling rides?"

!

"Who, who said I'm scared to play!" Eriri's twin ponytails stood straight up, like a cat with its fur standing on end. "Ugh, roller coasters and drop towers... I, I'm not scared at all."

"Hahaha, that's right! Let's go together and catch up with them!" Sakura Hibiki, oblivious to everything, used her superhuman strength and, together with Yukino, dragged Eriri forward on either side.

Yui Yuigahama followed behind with a wry smile and a shrug—"Thank you, Eriri-kun. Ah, it's so good to have met you. If I don't go up now, Yukino probably won't even notice, right? After all, one good toy is enough."

However, we mustn't let Yukino notice, otherwise she'll pull us up too.