Hours Later, Shopping District
"Hey, Mio! Any sign of Rei-kun?" Fubuki called, running up.
"Nope, nothing. No one's seen him," Mio sighed.
"And his phone's off or something. Where could he be…?" Fubuki fretted.
The Holomems had scoured the city but found no clues, and their worry was mounting.
"Fubuki-chan, Mio-chan!" AZKi and Roboco waved them over.
"What's up?" Fubuki asked.
"We talked to someone who saw Master get dragged into a van by a bunch of blindfolded people in black coats!" Roboco said.
"What?!" Fubuki and Mio gasped, their fears confirmed.
"Where'd they take him?!" Fubuki demanded.
"Sorry, that's all they knew," AZKi said. "Just that the kidnappers were blindfolded and wearing dark coats."
"Damn it, we were so close…" Mio muttered.
Then, a catchy tune blared from a giant billboard screen. HimeHina's new MV appeared, the duo dancing with a group of backup dancers.
"Oh, it's HimeHina-chan!" AZKi smiled. "New song?"
"Wait…" AZKi squinted. "Those backup dancers…"
"They're blindfolded and wearing black coats!" Fubuki yelped.
"No way… Are they the ones who took Master?!" Roboco gasped.
"Now that you mention it," Fubuki said, "a few months ago, HimeHina asked to collab with Rei-kun, but we turned them down…"
"What if they kidnapped him because we said no?!" Mio exclaimed.
"We've gotta move!" Fubuki shouted. "Call everyone and head to Tanaka Construction!"
Mio rallied the others, and the four piled into a taxi, speeding toward HimeHina's base.
Back at Tanaka Construction
"Let's get started," I said. "What are we building?"
"These!" Hime said, pulling out two kits from under the table: HG Gundam Astray Red Frame and Blue Frame. Perfectly matching their color schemes.
HG Gundam Astray Red Frame & Blue Frame
From Mobile Suit Gundam SEED ASTRAY, these Gundams are iconic variants. The Red Frame wields a katana-like Gerbera Straight, a rare weapon for a Gundam, which is just badass. (Though, personally, I'm partial to the M1 Astray.)
"The construction crew got us all the tools we need, so let's do this!" Hime said.
"Woo!" Hina cheered.
Hime took the Red Frame, Hina the Blue Frame, and they dove in.
"So, Rei-kun, where do we start?" Hina asked.
"Wait, you've never built Gunpla before?" I said, surprised.
"Nope! Total newbies!" Hina confirmed.
"Alright, then. First, grab your nippers…" I began, slipping into teacher mode. It'd been a while since I coached complete beginners—the Holomems (except Hoshimachi) are pros now—so this felt refreshing.
Several Minutes Later
"Ow!" Both girls yelped, clutching their fingers.
"Whoa, you okay?!" I rushed over. They'd both nicked themselves with their craft knives. Hina's cut was bleeding more. "Hold on, press these tissues on the cuts. I'll grab a first-aid kit."
"Th-thanks…" they mumbled, wincing.
I borrowed a kit from the crew, pulling out disinfectant and bandages. "Hina, hand first. This'll sting, but bear with it."
"Okay…" Hina braced herself. "Ouch!"
"I know, I know. Hold still." I wiped off excess disinfectant and applied a bandage. "There, you're good. Hime, your turn."
"Y-Yes!" Hime said, offering her hand nervously.
I patched them up, and we got back to building, but… the vibe shifted. They were dead silent, assembling parts mechanically. Did the cuts freak them out that bad? Are they okay? They're still filming…
(KYAAA! Rei-kun's serious face when he bandaged me was SO COOL! He was so close, so gentle—I'm losing it!) Hime thought, her heart racing.
(Hime's hand still feels warm from Rei-kun's touch and breath! This is too much! I'm so jealous of Fubuki-chan and the others getting this all the time!) Hina squealed internally.
Turns out, they weren't hurt—they were just overwhelmed from my first-aid moment, practically short-circuiting from excitement.
Hours Later
"Alright, add the weapons and shields, strike a cool pose, and…" I said.
"Done!" Hime and Hina cheered.
We kept it simple with basic assembly and panel lining, but the results were awesome. Hime's Red Frame looked fierce with its katana, and Hina's Blue Frame was badass with its bazooka.
"That was so fun, Hina!" Hime said.
"Totally! Rei-kun taught us so much. I wanna build an even cooler one next time!" Hina added.
"Glad you enjoyed it," I said, smiling. "Well, that's a wrap. Thanks, and—"
"Gokigenyo~!" they chimed, ending the video. They sat back, admiring their Astrays. Time for me to head out.
"Alright, Gunpla's done, so I'll get going. Next time, go through the office—"
"Rei-kun, can we talk?" Hime interrupted, her playful tone gone, replaced by a serious one.
"What's up?" I asked, caught off guard.
"…Sasaki Reiji-san," Hina began, equally solemn. "We have a request. Would you consider joining Tanaka Construction as our staff?"
"…You mean quit Hololive and work for you?" I clarified.
"Yes," Hime said. "Spending today with you confirmed it. To grow as HimeHina, we need you."
"The pay might be lower than Hololive's, but we'll offer a better work environment and hours," Hina added.
"So, please, walk this path with us," they said, bowing deeply.
I wasn't expecting that. Their sincerity was clear—they genuinely believed I was essential to their success. As an idol staff, that meant a lot. But…
"Sorry, I can't," I said gently.
"Why not?!" Hime asked, panicked. "Is it the pay? We can work on that—"
"It's not about money," I cut in. "It's about not betraying them."
The Holomems—Fubuki, Okayu, Korone, all of them—are why I've pushed so hard. Their smiles on stage drive me to make them shine. Leaving Hololive would mean abandoning their dreams, and I can't do that. Plus, if I left them alone, they'd probably cause a catastrophe.
"…You really care about Fubuki-chan and the others, don't you?" Hime said softly.
"Yeah. They nearly fell apart when I was gone for just a month. They still need me, and as long as they do, I'm sticking with them. That's non-negotiable."
Though, honestly, I'm also terrified of what chaos they'd unleash without me.
"…Okay," Hina said. "We'll back off for now. Sorry for springing this on you—"
"But," I interrupted, "I'm cool with helping you out sometimes."
"Really?!" they gasped.
"Yup, but on one condition."
"What's that?" Hime asked.
"Drop the formal act," I said. "It feels forced, and you're not smiling. The HimeHina I know are fun, cheerful girls who light up a room."
"?!" Their faces turned beet red, trembling with emotion.
"WAAAH! Rei-kun, you're too kind and cool!" Hime cried, launching herself at me.
"I love you, Rei-kun!" Hina wailed, tackling me too.
"WHOA!" I yelped, crashing to the floor under their combined weight. Love?! You barely know me! You're idols—have some restraint! If someone saw this—
CRASH!
"Rei-kun, we're here to save—!" Fubuki burst through the door, freezing. "…Rei-kun, what exactly are you doing?"
"…I'm so screwed," I muttered.
Three hours of interrogation later, I smoothed things over by promising to take everyone—including HimeHina—to an all-you-can-eat yakiniku dinner. My wallet had just recovered from the last group date, and now it's crying again.
Four Days Later
"Come on, Fubuki, cheer up already," I pleaded.
"Hmph! I don't know any Rei-kun who ditches me to flirt with HimeHina!" she huffed, puffing out her cheeks.
Fubuki was still sulking. Her date got ruined, and now I'm helping HimeHina weekly, so I couldn't blame her. But this was starting to affect work.
"Look, Fubuki, I know I messed up your date. How about a day trip to an onsen next weekend? Just us, to make up for it."
"…Really?" she asked, her eyes softening.
"Promise. We'll relax and catch up."
"Fiiiine~ But you better keep it this time!" she said, her tail wagging again.
Phew. Crisis averted. Back to work—
"Sasaki-san, a moment?" A-chan called.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Well… we've been getting a flood of collab requests for you."
"Collabs? With who?"
"Um… Nijisanji, HoneyStrap, .LIVE, Noripro, and individuals like O-neeto, Nekomiya Hinata, and Fuji Aoi," A-chan listed.
"…Why? I barely know most of them! And O-neeto's definitely just messing around!" I groaned.
Apparently, HimeHina's video with me went viral, sparking a wave of idols wanting to collab. I glanced back and saw Fubuki, who'd been smiling moments ago, now trembling with puffed cheeks again.
"F-Fubuki, I'm sure it's fine—"
"Shut up, you big dummy! I'm done with you!" she wailed, storming out of the office.
"Fubuki, wait!" I called, but she was gone. It took a few days and a promise of that onsen trip to get her back to her cheerful self. Man, dealing with these girls is exhausting…