"Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm♪" Fubuki hummed, practically bouncing with glee.
"Wow, someone's in a great mood," I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I am! It's been forever since we went on a date, Rei-kun. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!" Fubuki chirped, her fox tail swishing back and forth.
Under a clear blue sky, Fubuki and I were strolling through a bustling shopping district. She'd insisted on hanging out, and since I had no plans, here we were on a sunny date. Fubuki was clearly over the moon, her tail wagging like a metronome.
"So, where to first?" she mused. "Maybe check out some new clothes? Or hit up the anime merch stores? Oh, so many options!"
"Easy, Fubuki, don't go overboard," I teased.
Truth be told, I hadn't spent much time with her lately, so I figured I'd indulge her today. Let her have her fun.
"…Target acquired. Ready to move."
"[OK, make sure Fubuki-chan doesn't spot you and bring him in quick.]"
"Roger that."
"Alright, since we're here, mind if I swing by the bookstore—" THWUMP! "—Mmph?!"
Out of nowhere, someone grabbed me from behind, clamping a hand over my mouth and dragging me into an alley where a van was waiting. Before I could react, I was shoved inside.
"Target secured," a voice said.
"[Nice! Bring him straight here!]" came a reply through a radio.
"Roger."
"Mmph! Mrrgh!" I struggled, but the van roared to life and sped off with me inside. Who the hell are these blindfolded goons?! And how are they driving with those on?!
"And then, maybe we could grab some tea at HoneyStrap—oh!" Fubuki turned to me, mid-sentence, only to freeze. "…Rei-kun? Where'd you go?"
Her date plans fizzled as she realized I'd vanished without a trace.
Several Minutes Later
SCREECH!
"We're here. This way," one of the blindfolded figures said, pulling me out of the van. They peeled the duct tape off my mouth and nudged me toward a building.
"Ow, damn it! What is this place? 'Tanaka Construction'… sounds familiar…" I muttered, rubbing my face.
"Inside, please. They're waiting," the figure said, now oddly polite despite the rough kidnapping.
They? Who's 'they'?
"You're here!" a voice called as I entered a room. The blindfolded group was dismissed, leaving me with two girls.
"Let's do this properly. Ready? One, two—"
"Hao! We're HimeHina!" they announced in unison.
"…Of all the people, it's you two?!" I blurted, floored.
There stood Hime Tanaka, in a red cheongsam with pink hair, and Hina Suzuki, in blue with a matching cap, the dynamic duo known as HimeHina. What the hell am I in for?
Meanwhile, at Hololive HQ
"What?! Rei-san got kidnapped?!" Lamy's voice echoed through the office.
"WHAAAAAAT?!" The other Holomems' collective shriek was so loud it shattered every window in the building.
Fubuki had rushed back to HQ to report my disappearance, and the news sent everyone into a frenzy.
"So, I was with Rei-kun on our date, and then he was just… gone!" Fubuki explained, her voice trembling.
"Hold on, Fubuki-senpai," Lamy interjected. "A date? With my husband?"
"Lamy, Rei-kun's not your husband," AZKi sighed. "But seriously, Fubuki-senpai, are you sure he was kidnapped? Maybe he just wandered off?"
"No way Rei-kun would ditch me without a word!" Fubuki snapped. "Plus, I found this in an alley!" She held up my employee ID, which I always wear around my neck.
"That's Reiji-kun's ID!" Mio gasped.
"Reiji-sama would never lose something so important!" Yuzuki declared.
"Then Rei-kun really was…!" Sora trailed off, horrified.
The possibility of my kidnapping hit them hard, fueling their panic. What if I'd been dragged into something dangerous? They couldn't just sit there.
"We have to split up and search for Reiji-kun!" Sora declared. "Someone in town might've seen something!"
"Right! Let's hit the streets!" Mio rallied.
"Yeah!" the Holomems roared, charging out to scour the city.
Back at Tanaka Construction
"So, what's the deal? Why'd you drag me here?" I demanded, eyeing Hime and Hina warily.
"Haha, sorry about that!" Hime giggled. "We just really wanted to hang out with you, so we got the construction crew to help us bring you here!"
"…You know who I am?" I asked, suspicious.
"Of course!" Hina chirped. "You're Sasaki Reiji, Hololive's staff leader, Fubuki-chan's childhood friend, and a huge Gunpla nerd who's been building with the Holomems lately, right?"
"How the hell do you know all that?!" I exclaimed.
"Why? Hehe~" Hime grinned mischievously. "Because…"
"We're your biggest, biggest, BIGGEST fans!" they squealed, blushing furiously.
"…Huh?" I blinked, dumbfounded. Fans? Of me? A random staff guy? Why?!
"Ever since you popped up in Fubuki-chan's streams, we thought you were so cool!" Hime gushed. "We've watched every stream you're in, no matter how last-minute!"
"Like that time you dominated Mario Kart with the Gamers, winning race after race!" Hina added. "Or when you nailed that impossible question at the Holomem quiz contest, flashing that huge grin and fist-pumping? My heart went boom!"
"And don't forget the Among Us collab six months ago!" Hime continued. "When we met you, you gave us such kind advice from behind the scenes. I was over the moon!"
"And you bought donuts and drinks for everyone out of your own pocket!" Hina swooned. "I practically fell for you right there!"
"…Seriously?" I muttered, overwhelmed. They'd watched every stream? Even the random collabs? And they remembered the Among Us event, where I just did basic staff stuff? Also, Hina, you're an idol—don't say you "fell" for someone! That's a PR nightmare!
"So, we spotted you and Fubuki-chan buying Gunpla one day, and since then, we've been… well, kinda looking for you whenever we had free time!" Hime admitted, blushing.
"And today, we couldn't wait anymore, so we got the crew to bring you here!" Hina added gleefully.
"…You guys are insane," I said, half in awe, half in horror. I'd felt weird stares while shopping before, but I thought it was just the Holomems or my imagination. Turns out, it was these two stalking me?! I loved HimeHina's music, MVs, and videos, but this was gonna change how I saw them.
"Alright, I get that, but why bring me here? You didn't kidnap me just because you 'couldn't wait,' right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Hehe~ Good question!" Hime said. "We brought you here because…"
"…we want to build Gunpla with you!" Hina finished.
"Introducing the HimeHina-Reiji Gunpla Build Party!" they announced, complete with dramatic sound effects—BOOM! BOOM! PAF! PAF!—like they were filming a video.
"Gunpla? You went through all this just to build Gunpla?" I asked, incredulous. "And are you recording this?!"
"Well, we tried going through Hololive, but Fubuki-chan and the others shot us down," Hime admitted sheepishly.
Of course they did. The Holomems get jealous when I even talk to other idols. I hadn't realized they were gatekeeping me from other agencies, though. Talk about possessive.
"Fine, whatever," I sighed. "If you want to build Gunpla, I'll help. But next time, go through the proper channels, okay?"
"Yay! We did it, Hina!" Hime cheered.
"This is the best day ever!" Hina squealed.
They were that excited? Well, as a Gunpla nerd, I couldn't say no to sharing the hobby. My first time building with non-Holomems—let's do this.