This hinted at a hidden rift between the Takanashi mother and daughter—something that might be directly connected to why Takanashi Mirai had locked herself in her room and refused to go to school.
Kuroha Akira mentally filed that note away for later, but didn't press the topic. Instead, he pointed to the cabinet behind the sofa and asked, "Aunt Takanashi, could I take a closer look at those model kits?"
It was an abrupt subject change, and both Takanashi Akiko and Asato Hitomi knew exactly what he was doing—casually fishing for a new topic to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
"Hehe, of course you can. When I heard Kuroha-kun liked anime, I just knew you'd also be interested in models."
"Yeah, definitely interested."
Truth be told, Kuroha Akira wasn't some hardcore Gunpla enthusiast. What he really enjoyed was the act of assembling things. He'd put together Gundam models, jigsaw puzzles, even those ship-in-a-bottle kits. Whenever he had free time back in his previous life, he'd buy them and build them.
The main appeal was that the assembly process helped calm his restless mind. And seeing the finished product? That brought a wave of satisfaction and genuine accomplishment.
Though, he did prefer following step-by-step instructions. If you handed him a pile of free-form LEGO bricks, he'd freeze up and have no clue where to start. Same with video games—he liked sandbox-style levels over open-world exploration.
Speaking of which, the last time he'd built a model felt like ages ago… He hadn't touched one since he started working overtime, really.
Now, staring at the cabinet overflowing with models, he could only appreciate how cool they looked. But he didn't feel that spark of excitement. Because they were all unfamiliar mecha.
Are these still called Gundam? Maybe Transformers? Could it be Beast Wars?
Looking at unfamiliar models was meaningless. Only when you understood the series and its grand world-building could you truly appreciate these plastic warriors—because those mecha carried the "history within the works." That sense of vicissitude and epicness bestowed by the era was what gave assembled models their soul.
Kuroha Akira hadn't yet dived into this world's mecha-combat series. Franchises that spanned decades, with dozens of mainline entries and countless spin-offs, had a sheer volume that was enough to scare off any newcomer. Even in his original world, he'd only finished a few of the newer Gundam series and a handful of classic old ones. For the rest, he just watched plot summaries online.
Honestly, how many people have truly watched every single entry?
If someone actually did, they'd be a certified core loyal fan.
Still, Kuroha Akira felt no need to force himself to catch up on ancient history—every generation had its own iconic works. Looking at the models in the cabinet, he noticed that the ones on the top shelves were relatively simple, like the original RX-78-2 Gundam—no flashy weapons. But as his eyes moved down, the mecha grew increasingly "sleek" and loaded with more and more gear.
He still remembered watching Gundam as a kid. He didn't understand the plot at all back then, but the Freedom Gundam spreading its wings and firing its rainbow cannons? That was undeniably cool. It awakened his inner chuunibyou way earlier than it should have.
If someone had watched everything and collected all the models along the way, that collection would practically be a part of their life, wouldn't it?
Takanashi Akiko walked over to the model cabinet, tilted her head, and asked, "Do you want me to take some out for you to see, Kuroha-kun?"
"No need. The most interesting part of models is the assembly process. Once they're built, they're mostly for display."
Takanashi Akiko's eyes immediately lit up with delight.
This kid gets it!
Kuroha Akira continued, "Besides, the poses of these models are carefully arranged, right? So it's better not to disturb them… Also, these models should be your husband's hobby, right? It wouldn't be good to mess with someone else's collection."
This, actually, was the real topic Kuroha Akira wanted to introduce: the head of the Takanashi household, Uncle Takanashi. Probably not home from work yet. These models should be the hobby of a man with a "steel soul." His wife probably didn't understand their true value, which was why she'd casually let visiting kids play with them.
And to avoid any marital arguments, it was definitely best not to touch another man's models.
But then—for the fourth time since arriving at the Takanashi house—Kuroha Akira got blindsided.
"No, these models were all assembled by me. They have nothing to do with my husband."
"Huh?!"
Mrs. Takanashi assembled them?!
No, ma'am, your hobbies are way too unconventional!
As a voice actress, collecting anime BDs made perfect sense. But why would she also like building model kits?!
Before Kuroha Akira could recover from that shock, Takanashi Akiko calmly dropped another bombshell.
"And, Kuroha-kun… my husband is no longer with us."
"Ah?! Uh—I'm so sorry…"
So she really is a widowed wife?!
Kuroha Akira stumbled over his words. Because Takanashi Akiko's "married woman" aura was so overwhelming—the almost overflowing scent of a housewife, combined with all these anime and model collections—that he'd mistakenly assumed the Takanashi family was a happy, intact household.
He never expected it to be a single-parent family!
The main thing was, Takanashi Akiko's demeanor didn't resemble someone who'd lost her husband at all. Her spirit was way too full. It was similar to Granny Kobayashi's state—Granny had also lost her husband, but she didn't fall into depression. She still lived every day freely.
Still, during the Obon festival in summer, when they visited Grandpa Kobayashi's grave, Kuroha Akira had caught a rare glimpse of loneliness on Granny's face…
She's also very sad inside. She just doesn't usually show those emotions.
And perhaps it was precisely because she'd lost her husband that some of her "bad habits" had resurfaced—because no one was around to rein her in anymore.
Takanashi Akiko kept smiling, her tone light and indifferent. "It's okay, don't worry about it, Kuroha-kun. That was an accident shortly after Mirai was born. It's been a long time now."
"I see… So those games are also…"
"Yes, those are also my hobbies. Everything displayed in this living room is part of my private collection."
No wonder she'd looked a little smug earlier…
Kuroha Akira's mind spun. Do you like a mom who enjoys watching anime, assembling models, and playing video games, and is also a professional voice actress?
Why don't I have a mom like that?!
Parents always talked about "other people's children." But this time the roles were reversed—and Kuroha Akira wanted to shout: "This is someone else's mom!"
He was genuinely, deeply envious.
If he ever became rich in the future, he would definitely turn his own home into such a nerd's paradise!
Speaking of which—if he could become Takanashi Mirai's friend, then he could share all these resources in the name of friendship, right?
Originally, Kuroha Akira had only tagged along because of the Class Rep's request. He figured if it didn't work out, he'd just shrug and give up.
But now, seeing these resources…
Kuroha Akira felt a surge of motivation.
I absolutely have to become friends with Takanashi Mirai right now!