This is not the date I wanted.

"Forget it, it's getting late. It would be bad if I don't go back and prepare dinner for Tohka and the others."

After telling himself this, Shidou scratched his hair and turned to leave.

However, at this moment, a very insignificant detail made Shidao suddenly stop.

"Akihabara..."

The electronic sign in front of the station showed that a train to Akihabara had departed from here not long ago.

Akihabara, which Shidou had been to several times before with Tohka and the others, is an electronics town famous for its otaku culture. It is said to be a holy place within the otaku circle.

Coincidentally, Shidao knew that Ryougi Yumezuki was a fan of otaku culture.

(The train departed right after the lightning strike. Was this just a coincidence? Or...)

After hesitating for a moment, Shidou picked up the phone.

[Title: Return late.]

Content: I may have to go back late today, sorry Kotori, you guys can just order takeout for dinner. 】

Imagining Kotori's angry expression when she received this text message, Shidou pressed the send button with a guilty conscience.

Then, putting the phone back in his pocket, Shidou quickly walked to the front desk of the station and asked the ticket seller to buy a ticket to Akihabara.

07 Searching for Dream Moon (Part )

==============================

"Hello sir, Maid Cafe~ If you are interested, you can go and have a look~"

On the streets of Akihabara, a woman in a maid outfit handed a flyer to Shidou and gave him a sweet smile.

"oh oh……"

Shidou took the flyer somewhat at a loss, nodded awkwardly to the maid, and left quickly.

"Ah... How embarrassing..."

Shidou couldn't help but said to himself with a wry smile.

The previous few times he came here, he was accompanying others to shop which was fine, but now he was wandering here aimlessly alone, and Shidao couldn't help but feel that he was somewhat out of place here.

"But... no matter how many times I come here, I always think it's amazing..."

Shidou looked around.

Rows of posters of various cute characters are hung on the walls of the building, and PV advertisements of various animations are also played on the screen. Every passerby here can see some peripherals or works related to otaku culture in their hands.

Shidou admits that he is not a big fan, but thanks to his sister, he has watched a lot of anime and played a lot of gals. However, he can't name most of the characters in these works.

Of course, Shidou didn't even have dinner when he took the train to Akihabara, not to buy any game peripherals.

Strolling around Akihabara, Shidao came to various stores and described Mengyue's appearance to the store clerks.

However, to date, no one has claimed to have seen Meng Yue.

"Ah...I can't find it."

Shidou couldn't help but scratch his hair in distress.

But this is understandable. Akihabara itself is not small, and there are so many people coming and going. Trying to find someone in such a place is undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Well...if I think about it carefully, the other party is Meng Yue. It is impossible for an outsider like me to find her."

He bought a can of coffee from the vending machine at the corner of the alley. The warm and mellow taste gurgled through his throat. Shidao sighed, looked up at the night sky, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Mengyue, are you deliberately avoiding me?"

Although there was no basis for this conjecture, Shidao still felt a little uneasy.

"Da-ling-~"

At this time, a burst of cheers as pleasant as bells came from behind.

Then, Shidao felt something falling on his back. The huge, flexible and elastic touch was clearly transmitted to Shidao's brain through his spine.

"Mi, Miku?!"

"Hi~ I'm Darling's Miku~"

Miku nodded in response, and held Shidou with a little more force. The soft and comfortable touch was more firmly attached to Shidou's back, and even appeared in Shidou's mind as if it had turned into an image.

Shidou felt that his face was turning red due to congestion.

"Alright, alright! Come down, Miku. You're an idol, this isn't a good thing to do."

"Eh~ I wouldn't mind at all if the target is Darling."

"I'm so shy!"

"Hmm~ Okay."

Having said that, Miku reluctantly let go of Shidou.

"Ahem——" Shidou blushed and coughed twice before asking, "By the way, Miku, why are you here?"

"Work, work. I'm an idol." Miku winked playfully and explained, "Subaru recently brought in a new mineral water sponsor to support our agency, and I'm here to shoot a commercial."

"That's it."

Shidou nodded in realization.

"Then, when I was about to go home after work, I suddenly saw a familiar figure. I thought this person looked very similar to Darling, so I quietly followed him. Unexpectedly, it was really Darling~"

Miku looked at Shidou with some curiosity.

"But Darling is. Why is he here in Akihabara? Usually, isn't he at home making dinner for Tohka-chan and the others at this time?"

"Um... this?"

Shidou scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Could it be that he came here specially to give me a surprise?!"

“Eh? Well, well…”

"What? That's not the case. Darling, that's too much—"

Seeing Shidou's reaction, Miku knew that he wasn't looking at her specifically, and her cheeks puffed up slightly.

"I am so sorry!"

Shidao resolutely and honestly bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

"Well, forget it. Darling is just that kind of person."

Miku was obviously not really angry with Shidao, she smiled and shook her head, then asked,

"So Darling, what brings you here for?"

"Well, actually..."

Shidao couldn't help but hesitate. After all, telling a woman who liked him that he was looking for other women, to be honest, he looked like a scumbag no matter how you looked at it.

However, it would be very rude to give Miku a casual excuse, so Shidou thought for a moment before speaking.

“Actually, I came here to look for hackers.”

"What?! Darling is here to find Hacker-chan?!"

Suddenly, Miku's eyes lit up with excitement.

“I want to help too!”

"Eh?"

Shidou looked at Miku in confusion.

"Aren't you angry?"

"Why are you angry? I'd love to have a cute girl join me."

Miku couldn't help but clench her fists eagerly. Shidou then realized that before she met Shidou, this idol was a real yuri girl.

(Ah, that's true. She's Miku after all.)

An inexplicable admiration welled up in his heart, and Shidou couldn't help but sigh with a wry smile.

"Besides, when I first saw Hacker-chan, I didn't know why, but I was very interested in her."

As if she recalled something, a rare hint of complexity appeared on Mijiu's face.

"How should I put it... It was obviously the first time we met, but when I saw her, my first feeling was not how cute she was, but a kind of... How should I put it... Super unwilling... As if I lost something. It was like the feeling when I lost the game to Darling."

"Miku..."

Shidou looked at Miku in surprise. Miku was talking about how in the previous world, Mengyue tied with Miku at the Tianyang Festival through singing, and won over Miku in the overall score. But in this world, Mengyue appeared after Tohka was captured.

(Miku also has memories of the previous world... No... That shouldn't be the case.)

Looking at Mijiu's expression, it seems that even she herself doesn't know why she feels so unwilling.

(A sense of déjà vu?)

"So, I secretly decided that one day I would use my singing to conquer Hacker-chan and make her my fan!"

Miku said with great enthusiasm.

Hearing this, Shidou couldn't help but recall what the girl said to him when she saw Miku's concert video in his memory of the previous world.

[Shidao, you should know where to buy the latest version of Miku's CD. Remember to buy me an extra one later.]

After that, although the girl did not appear to be very enthusiastic about Miku, she would secretly attend concerts and various activities related to Miku. There was also a counter in her room that specifically housed Miku's CDs.

Most of the CDs of Meijiu that I listen to were bought by Mengyue.

Eh? Thinking about it this way, I seem to have done something too much. Shidao couldn't help sweating on his forehead.

"Darling?"

Miku looked at Shidou with a puzzled look on her face.

"No, it's nothing."

Shidou coughed dryly and said to Miku,

"Actually, Miku, Yume... Hacker has always been a big fan of your songs. She's a fanatic even more than me."

"Eh? Is that so?"

Miku couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

"But why would Darling know that?"

"It's because... my intuition. My sixth sense is always accurate! Miku's songs are so good that even someone as slow-witted as me can be addicted to them. How could a hacker not be a fan of Miku?"

Shidou nodded and said firmly.

Miku couldn't help but feel touched when she heard Shidou's words.

"Thank you Darling - I love you the most!"

"Ha ha……"

An inexplicable feeling of guilt surged in his heart, and Shidao couldn't help but turn his head with a wry smile.

"It's incredible. After hearing what Darling said, I suddenly feel very confident. Ah! That's right--" Miku seemed to have thought of something and clapped her hands excitedly, "I figured out how to find Hacker-chan!"

"Really, Miku?"

Looking at Miku in surprise, Shidou asked excitedly.

"Ok!"

Mijiu nodded confidently and said,

"Today I came to Akihabara, not just for advertising endorsements, but my new CD is about to be released, and Subaru asked me to prepare 100 copies of the album with handwritten signatures as a fan benefit. And the store is about to open soon, so if Hacker-chan is really my fan, he will definitely -"

“I will definitely go to that store!”

Shidou answered excitedly. Indeed, if that was the case, it would completely explain why Meng Yue came to Akihabara.

"Thank you, Miku, you're a great help!"

"Great. Then let's go hunt down Hacker-chan!"