Under the scorching sun, Hololive Production was, as usual, a whirlwind of chaos—thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, always bustling with activity. Today, I was supposed to be sweating it out at work in this unbearable heat… or so I thought.
Silence.
More silence.
(…This is awkward as hell.)
The air in front of me was so frigid it could've fooled me into thinking the room was a walk-in freezer. No, it wasn't the air conditioning. The chill was entirely due to the two figures locked in a silent, piercing stare-down right in front of me.
"…Hey, Okayu, can you just give the ticket back to Korone already?" Korone finally broke the silence, her voice sharp.
"No way, Korone. I'm not budging on this one, even for you," Okayu replied coolly. "This ticket's for me and Rei-kun to use."
"Whoa, whoa, both of you, calm down!" I interjected, desperate to defuse the situation. "If it's that big a deal, I'll just give you the ticket, and you two can go—""Reiji, stay out of this!" they snapped in unison, shutting me down instantly. …Ouch.
How did it even come to this? Why are Korone and Okayu, of all people, glaring daggers at each other over a single ticket? Let's rewind about thirty minutes…
Thirty Minutes Earlier
"Man, who would've thought I'd hit the jackpot in a raffle? It's been ages since something this good happened!" I couldn't help but grin.
Yup, that's right. I'd popped into a nearby supermarket where they were holding a raffle—spend two thousand yen, get one ticket. On a whim, I tried my luck, and boom! I won the grand prize! And what a prize it was: a two-night, three-day pair ticket to a luxury hotel in Yokohama. Yokohama! The holy land for any Gundam fan, home to the Gundam Factory Yokohama. Limited-edition Gunpla, a moving Gundam—what's not to love? I was practically vibrating with excitement. Whoa, calm down, Reiji, don't get carried away.
But then came the real question: Who do I take with me? If the Hololive crew caught wind of this, it'd be a bloodbath. Those girls would start a war over who gets to go. I've known them long enough to see it coming a mile away. Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered they're so fond of me, but sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth. Some people say they're jealous of me—ha, try living my life. It's a hassle, trust me.
"…Wait a sec, didn't Takakura-san say he was into Gundam?" I mused. "Maybe I'll invite him. We could geek out together."
"Takakura-san? You mean that middle-aged stylist guy?" a voice piped up.
"Yeah, yeah, the kinda goofy one," I said without thinking.
"And where are you going with him?"
"Well, I got this hotel pair ticket, so we were gonna hit up Yokohama for some Gundam stuff, and—wait." I froze. Who am I even talking to? There shouldn't be anyone else in this room. Heart pounding, I slowly turned toward the voice.
"Why?! Why would you go on a trip with some stylist instead of inviting me?!" The voice belonged to none other than Korone Inugami, the brown-haired dog beastman, her eyes devoid of their usual sparkle. Those adorable, round eyes were now cold enough to freeze me solid.
"Korone, don't scare me like that!" I yelped. "And when did you even sneak in here?!"
"Who cares about that!" she snapped. "Why aren't you inviting me?"
Who cares?! I thought, panicking. I had to calm her down somehow. "L-Look, Takakura-san's a big Gundam fan too, so I figured it'd be a good chance to bond, you know?"
"Bond?!" Korone's eyes narrowed. "You barely even know the guy! Why would you go on a trip with him? You'd have way more fun with me!"
"B-But you're an idol, and I'm just staff. What if it causes a scandal or—"
"Scandal? Reiji, we've all crashed at your place before. If that didn't spark a scandal, this won't either. Besides, everyone already knows about you and us Holomems."
She wasn't wrong, but how did she have an answer for everything? And why does the public just accept my weirdly close relationship with the Hololive idols? I vaguely recall some ridiculous rumor years ago about me marrying Flare—completely fake, but the internet was flooded with "congratulations" comments. (Flare was a bit bummed when I cleared it up, though.)
"So there's no reason you can't go with me, right?" Korone pressed, her voice softening but her eyes unrelenting. "Forget the stylist. Let's go together, okay?"
"W-Well, it's not that simple…" I stammered, my back against the wall—figuratively and almost literally. If I gave in, and the others found out, it'd be chaos. But what could I even say to get out of this?
"Hey, Korone, what's going on here?" Another voice cut through the tension. I whipped around, and there stood Okayu Nekomata, the purple-haired cat beastman, smirking like she'd just walked in on a crime scene. When did she get here?!
"Oh, hiii, Okayu!" Korone chirped, instantly switching to her cheerful persona. "Just chattin' with Reiji, you know, passing the time!" Wow, she flips moods fast.
"Hmm, really?" Okayu's eyes gleamed mischievously. "So, Rei-kun, what's this about a hotel pair ticket?"
What?! Korone and I both froze as Okayu dangled the ticket in front of us, waving it like a trophy. When did she swipe that?!
"You're terrible at hiding things, Korone," Okayu teased. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"Okayu, what are you planning with that ticket?" Korone's voice dropped, her cheer replaced by a steely edge.
"Well, I wanna see the moving Gundam too," Okayu said, her tone deceptively casual. "And, y'know, a little date with Rei-kun sounds pretty nice."
"You eavesdropped on us?!" Korone growled. "I already called dibs on going with Reiji, so hand it over!"
"Dibs? You were just bullying him into it," Okayu shot back. "If anything, I've got just as much right to go with him."
The air crackled with tension. These two are usually thick as thieves—why are they turning a single ticket into a battlefield? And for the record, I never agreed to go with either of them!
Back to the Present
And that's how we got here. All because of that stupid hotel ticket I brought to the office. I should've known better. Even if I'd hidden it, these two probably would've sniffed it out somehow. Why did I even bother with that raffle?
"Okayu, that's low!" Korone snapped. "Stealing the ticket to hog Reiji all to yourself!"
"Says the one who was strong-arming him into going with you!" Okayu retorted. "Don't act like you're innocent!"
This was going nowhere. They'd been bickering like this for ages, and if the other Holomems showed up, it'd only get worse. I had to do something, but what?
"…Hey, Korone, I've got an idea," Okayu said suddenly, her tone shifting.
"What?" Korone asked warily.
"We're not getting anywhere like this, and if the others catch wind, it'll turn into a full-on war for the ticket. So how about we settle this with a contest? Winner gets to go on the overnight date with Rei-kun."
"A contest? Like what?" Korone's ears perked up.
"Hmm, a game could work, but…" Okayu's eyes gleamed. "Since this is for Rei-kun, how about a Gunpla showdown?"
Wait, what? They're just steamrolling ahead without me! But Okayu's got a point—if they keep this up, it'll only escalate. A contest might actually settle things… or will it?
"Fine," Korone agreed, her voice firm. "Let's do it tomorrow at Reiji's place, since we're all free. That way, no one else finds out."
Tomorrow? I was planning to hit the sauna alone, but I guess that's out the window. These two don't take no for an answer. Sigh. Whatever, I give up.
And so, the stage was set for Okayu and Korone's no-holds-barred Okakoro Gunpla showdown, with a trip with me as the prize.