"I suddenly understand why Takanashi-san doesn't want to go to school…"
"Akira-kun, I know you're super envious of Mirai-chan right now, but there's no way she stopped coming to school just because she's addicted to all this, you know?"
The Class Rep cut in with a gentle reminder from the side.
"She's been living in this kind of environment since she was little. She's long since used to it."
"Yeah… I guess that's true…"
But honestly, if you were born into a family like this, wouldn't it basically turn you into a shut-in by default?
Why would you want to go outside and deal with people when you could just stay home watching anime and playing games?
Of course, it could also swing the complete opposite way—maybe all this otaku stuff triggered a rebellious streak, making her lose interest in the culture entirely.
That was also possible. But Kuroha Akira remembered the Takanashi Mirai he'd seen before…
She liked Gothic style. Dark aesthetics. And there were strong hints of chuunibyou tendencies. That was definitely influenced by anime and games, right?
So the real reason she wasn't going to school was still linked to the conflict outside and Shinomiya's offhand comment.
Thinking this, Kuroha Akira continued his line of questioning with Takanashi Akiko.
"So, Aunt Akiko, are any of these models assembled by Takanashi-san herself?"
"Kuroha-kun, you can just call me Aunt Akiko like Hitomi-chan does. Otherwise, hearing 'Takanashi' over and over sounds a bit roundabout, don't you think?"
"Okay, got it. Aunt Akiko."
Kuroha Akira switched his address smoothly. Honestly, even from the perspective of his past life's age, Takanashi Akiko was still his elder. Calling her "Aunt" didn't feel awkward at all.
Takanashi Akiko nodded with satisfaction.
"Mmm~ Much better. Speaking of which, since Hitomi-chan asked you to come along, you and my Mirai must be friends, right? Why don't you just call her by her name too?"
Wait, we're not exactly friends… They'd only met once, and hadn't even exchanged a single word.
He needed to clear that up to avoid any misunderstandings.
"Actually, Takanashi-san and I aren't particularly close. It's because the Class Rep—I mean, Hitomi-chan thought I was decent at persuading people, so she invited me along, hoping I could help Takanashi-san come out of her shell."
To prove to Takanashi Akiko that he and the Class Rep were indeed good friends, Kuroha Akira—very uncharacteristically—called her by her first name.
This was an unexpected pleasant surprise for Asato Hitomi. The corners of her eyes and mouth curved upward, and her smile grew noticeably sweeter.
She remembered Kuroha Akira once saying he'd only use her first name when something very important happened or in a formal setting.
It seemed that when facing "outsiders," Kuroha Akira was still her person. That thought filled Asato Hitomi with quiet joy.
"I see… Then I'm really putting you through a lot this time… You even made a special trip just for my daughter. How can I ever thank you properly?"
"Well, let's talk about thank-you gifts after I actually manage to get Takanashi-san out of her room… By the way, could you please answer the question I just asked?"
Hearing that Kuroha Akira was an "expert" specifically invited by Asato Hitomi, Takanashi Akiko set aside her overly familiar "friend-of-my-daughter" attitude and replied seriously instead.
"Kuroha-kun, you were asking who assembled these models, right? The ones in the living room are all my work… Um, is it strange for a mother to have a hobby like this?"
"Not at all. Hobbies don't have rankings—high or low, noble or humble. If you like something, then it's the perfect hobby for you."
Sure, Takanashi Akiko's whole "housewife" image might seem more suited to knitting or embroidery. But a wife who enjoyed assembling and painting models… wasn't that kind of charming too?
"Actually, I wasn't interested in any of this stuff at first. It was only after I joined the voice actor agency that I got influenced by the director… She said that to get along well with my future son, I should try to understand the kind of things 'boys' like. In the end, I ended up liking them myself…"
And then she didn't even have a son—she had a daughter. So all that "pre-study" ended up being wasted effort.
By the way, no wonder she named her daughter "Mirai" (future). She started preparing for her future children this early. How badly did she want kids?
The more Kuroha Akira thought about it, the more suggestive it got…
Don't understand what's suggestive? Let Gentleman Akira briefly explain:
Wants kids → wants to get pregnant → needs a certain "fuel" → nightly activities.
This meant Takanashi Akiko was an exemplary woman, very willing to help the country boost its birth rate.
If her husband hadn't died in that accident, the Takanashi household definitely wouldn't have stopped at one child. At the very least, they'd have a basketball team. With a bit more effort, a baseball team wouldn't have been impossible either.
And now, this wife had probably been without any fun for over a decade.
Meaning, beneath that gentle, kind exterior lay a terrifying buildup of over ten years' worth of frustration.
Now that was suggestive, wasn't it?
However, Kuroha Akira wasn't there to conquer a married woman. So he just let the thought pass. He didn't have Cao Cao's special fetish anyway.
*I left it to explain the MILF thing that the dude ,Cao Cao, had going on back then.
After explaining how she'd come to love models, Takanashi Akiko rested her cheek on her hand, reminiscing.
"Speaking of which, the last ones who came to visit were Sumitomo and Mitsui, right? Those two boys weren't interested in models at all… What a shame."
Asato Hitomi explained, "Well, those two joined the soccer club. They're the outdoor type, you know."
Takanashi Akiko sighed dramatically. "I thought all boys liked models… Sigh… Looks like my understanding of boys is still too stereotypical."
Kuroha Akira chimed in, "I think everyone likes them, though. I mean, they're just so cool."
"Right?! They're super cool, aren't they!"
Takanashi Akiko beamed again. She'd taken quite a liking to Kuroha Akira—it felt like she'd finally found a cross-generational friend and fellow enthusiast.
"But whenever I talk about models with the other housewives in the neighborhood, they always give me this blank look and say it's something their sons were into when they were little…"
Kuroha Akira was a bit speechless. You actually bring that up with other housewives?
Aunt Akiko, you're a natural airhead just like Moe-chan, aren't you?
Of course they'd side-eye you. You have to pick your conversation partners wisely.
Like, if you started talking about 2D culture with those normie girls in class, you'd get roasted by the whole group. A normie gyaru who secretly loved anime? That kind of extreme contrast only existed in light novels and manga.
In reality, such contradictions were rare. Most people were exactly what they appeared to be on the surface—inside and out. Living with a mask on was exhausting, and not everyone could pull it off.
For example, the Class Rep and Shinomiya didn't know much about anime. Shirai Shiori used to read nothing but traditional literary novels. Only the introverted Aizono Moe genuinely loved manga and light novels—and that was because she had talent and interest in drawing.
Everyone had their strengths and preferred fields.
People stayed in their comfort zones, in the circles that could accommodate them. The older you got, the harder it became to "cross circles."
And that was how "generational gaps" formed.
But Takanashi Akiko didn't seem to have that problem at all.
"What you like has nothing to do with age, right?"
Her heart was still young.