Chapter 4: Moe
Hikigaya Hachiman stayed in his new room and felt it was perfectly fine.
Although he wasn't sure if the people Kitakou Kanako had brought were professional in interior work, the room was indeed well-organized.
Refusing Kanako's enthusiastic recommendations for new furniture, he had the black-suited team clean out the so-called miscellaneous items and use them directly, just as he requested.
Renovation, furniture—before his transmigration, Hachiman had never been particular about these things. In his view, as long as it was functional, decent-looking, and clean, it was enough.
Now he didn't need to worry about money, but old habits die hard.
The rooms in Hinata Manor were entirely traditional Japanese style. Tatami mats covered the floor. Hachiman, being a veteran in sleeping on the floor, actually quite liked it.
Stepping out into the corridor, large sliding windows lined the opposite side, but wooden railings prevented anyone from falling.
Recalling what Kaima Maeda had said, Hachiman glanced down with mild anticipation.
Hmm, indeed, an open-air bath.
The area seemed rich in hot spring resources; the bath's water came directly from a spring. Hachiman observed carefully—this place was quite nice, surrounded by greenery, mountains, and water, with a waterfall at the back.
Hinata Manor was situated on a hillside, high enough to separate it from the neighborhood but not so high as to be isolated. From the third floor, one could overlook the entire city, giving a sense of being away from the world yet not disconnected from reality. If this were several decades ago, it could easily be described as a place with both beauty and a dreamy aura.
It was very livable, naturally relaxing.
But Komachi still had to attend school. The earlier joke about a helicopter wasn't really a joke; otherwise, Hachiman felt Komachi would never arrive on time until graduation.
Making a call, Hachiman closed the window and headed to the South Wing.
He intended to check on how Komachi and her friends were doing and also scout a location for his own shop.
Yes, he planned to open a store, and as for the name, "Yorozuya" would do. After all, he had once loved reading Gintama.
Upon arriving at the South Wing, he saw Komachi and her friends wandering around, familiarizing themselves with the environment.
The black-suited men were cleaning from the main gate, while Maeda Kaima kept thanking them with a broad smile—Hachiman could see everything with his right eye, even through the walls.
Although Kaima mentioned other residents, after walking through both the main and new buildings, Hachiman did not see anyone else besides their group.
Speaking of which, the previous generation of residents, during Hachiman's father's time, could be considered Hinata Manor's "University of Tokyo batch."
With this thought, Hachiman approached the Northwest Annex, also called the Old Building.
His memories of Lovely Complex Landlord were vivid. As his favorite harem anime from his school days—from TV series to OVA to specials—he still remembered the general storyline. In the end, Keitaro's harem all went to take entrance exams for the University of Tokyo.
If he were taking the exam at UT, Hachiman would probably cry—"You chicken wings couldn't get a man, so now you're coming to test me?"
He really couldn't recall a character named Maeda Kaima. Perhaps she was only in the manga adaptation. However, he remembered a certain doll, discovered by Keitaro in the Old Building, called "Moe."
Moe originally belonged to Keitaro's great-grandfather, Urashima Keisuke, and had long since gained sentience. When Keitaro was a child, he made a promise to marry her, and Moe left the Old Building.
Eventually, after Keitaro found his true bride, Moe, satisfied, fell into Keitaro's arms and returned to being an inanimate object, sealed back in a room in the Old Building.
That storyline had moved Hachiman deeply; the ending had left him sad, and the memory persisted to this day.
This was his final test. If the doll "Moe" really existed, then he and Komachi's father were undoubtedly Keitaro and Kanako from Lovely Complex Landlord. Their mother would indeed be Urashima Kanako.
This was not something to be casually dismissed: Why the name change? Why is Urashima Keitaro's wife his stepsister rather than Narusegawa Naru?
Hachiman's intuition told him there was a story here.
He wasn't afraid of the plot going wild; he just feared Zaimokuza would go off on a tangent and leave without explanation.
Compared to the main and new buildings, the Old Building was dimly lit, dusty in many areas, and the wooden floor creaked lightly underfoot. Hachiman walked past room by room, not even needing to open doors; he could see the interiors clearly through the doors.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a door.
The lock looked much newer than the others—clearly added later.
Through the door, Hachiman saw a doll covered with a dusty cloth, sitting on a chair.
The doll was crafted to look like a young girl, extremely delicate. Were it not for the joints' mechanical traces, one might even think it was a real person.
Currently, covered in dirt, its once lively eyes were now lifeless.
Hachiman turned the lock and pushed the door open.
Like the corridor, the room was full of dust; the only light came from the dim hallway.
Step by step, he approached and lifted the dust-covered cloth, finally gazing at the doll.
Yes. It had to be her.
Thus, Hikigaya Hachiman 's father was Urashima Keitaro, and Urashima Kanako was his mother.
The feeling was complex.
When he first watched Lovely Complex Landlord, Hachiman liked Motoko and felt regret that Keitaro couldn't be with her.
With each rewatch, he found new regrets, focusing on different characters.
After watching ten times or more, he had no objections to the ending.
The union of Urashima Keitaro and Narusegawa Naru wasn't accidental; it was inevitable. Their efforts were visible to all. If they couldn't be together, love itself would be meaningless, and youth would be a pile of garbage.
Looking at this hollow, decayed shell, Hachiman couldn't help recalling a phrase:
"Life and death come and go, the puppet on the stage, when the thread breaks, falling with dignity."
Moe, Narusegawa Naru is gone. Are you sad?
I am Keitaro's son. I have come to see you.
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