Chapter 597: Akihabara Trip
Chapter 597: Akihabara Trip
"Ely, where are we now? The town here looks a bit too crowded with infrastructure. And, what's with the overcrowded posters and signboards. Have we come to the right place?" Sylvia muttered as she looked down.
"Uhm, I'm a little unsure. Let's land somewhere, Sylvi. I'm sure we're close to Tokyo, but let me confirm that first." Elysia looked at her smartphone with a somewhat troubled gaze. It couldn't get a signal inside the barrier.
"Okay, let's land on the top of that building. It looks a bit deserted there." Sylvia nodded and controlled the Gravy Ark.
After landing, Elysia put the Gravy Ark into her Space Bag and revoked her invisible barrier. She then opened the map to confirm their current location.
"We're in Akihabara now, three kilometers from Tokyo, hm." Elysia heaved a subtle sigh. They didn't stray too far, apparently.
"Who are we going to meet, Ely? Are you sure that the one we're about to meet is in Tokyo? Your acquaintance may have already left. You'd better tell that person first. You have a way of contacting that acquaintance of yours, right?" Sylvia scratched her head and made a suggestion.
"Uhm, the one we're going to meet is Minamoto Erina, a renowned singer and musician from a prestigious clan in this country. Allow me to ask her whereabouts first. Ah, I also need to ask if she can do us a favor." Elysia decided to send a formal and polite message to her acquaintance.
A reply came no more than two minutes later, and Elysia immediately read it.
[Morning! I'm currently in Osaka. When will you come to Japan again? I Can't wait to see you, Elysia-san! Also, please don't be too formal with me~ ^^]
"No way…" Elysia relaxed her shoulders as she looked up at the western sky.
"What did she say, Ely?" Sylvia peeked at the contents of the message, but she couldn't understand anything because of the language barrier.
Elysia checked the map for a moment before answering. "She is now in Osaka, about five hundred kilometers from this place."
"Half of a thousand kilometers from here, right? It's not that far, actually. But, shall we go there now? Shall we have breakfast and visit the town down there first? It looks lively and fun there." Sylvia clasped her hands with a pleading gaze.
"Sure, allow me to show you around Akihabara all morning." Elysia didn't mind. She didn't know much about this city, but she once visited there on business in the past.
Two girls with a cat then went for a walk through the city center with curiosity and wonder. However, their first destination was a maid cafe for breakfast.
"Welcome, goshujin-sama nyan." A cute maid with cat ears on her head greeted the guests with a warm smile and a slight bow.
"…" Elysia and Sylvia looked left and right. According to the internet, this place was one of the most popular cafes, but they were a bit confused whether this was a cafe for humans or cats. There were lots of cats and maids with cat accessories, after all.
"Excuse me, may I know whether this Neko Maid Cafe is open for humans or for cats?" Elysia asked in English so that her group would be considered foreigners or tourists.
"Ooh~ Foreigner goshujin-sama nyan. Our cafe is for humans, of course, but you can also spend your time with the cute cats here, pyon." The neko maid dropped her fist onto her open palm. She answered in English even though the pronunciation was a little messy.
"Um, fine." Elysia responded in Japanese as she nodded before going to the table at the far end. She sat on her seat, put Vanessa on the table, and Sylvia sat down next to her.
"Your cat is so beautiful and well-groomed, nyan. Is she a cat princess from a fairy tale? This is the menu book nyan. What would you like to order, goshujin-sama?" The neko maid handed over a menu book.
"Give us a pleasant surprise. We will leave our order to the best recommendation of this cafe, maid-san. Please give us two of your best breakfast set menus for us and one breakfast set menu for my cat." Elysia returned the menu book to the maid.
"Okay then, nyan. Please wait a moment as we will serve you the best breakfast dish." The neko maid gave a slight bow and walked away.
"Hey, Ely, what's with that girl? I mean, the way she talks sounds a little weird compared to the rest of the locals. What's with that nyan nyan and pyon? She's a human, not a beastkin, right?" Sylvia tugged the hem of Elysia's jacket.
"I think it has something to do with the cafe's theme. Nyan can be interpreted as a meow." Elysia gave Vanessa a head pat then asked if her cat wanted to play with other cats at the cafe.
Vanessa just lay at the end of the table, observing the cats' movements down there. Some of the cats got curious and went closer, but they just stared at Vanessa. One ventured up to the table, but Vanessa pushed the bold cat down because it was her and her master's place for breakfast.
The cats conversed in the meow language. Elysia and Sylvia could only look at each other in amazement. They then looked at the smartphone to determine where they were going next.
Not long after, the packages of breakfast dishes were brought to the table by the same neko maid. "Two special breakfast sets, and a quality cat breakfast set~ Please enjoy, nyan~"
"Mm, thank you." Elysia opened the serving lid and a puff of steam from the warm food greeted with a tantalizing aroma.
Sylvia took off her face mask and was about to eat her breakfast right away, but Elysia held her back.
"Sylvi, this maid-san seems to be waiting for us to say the spell. We should say that first. Follow me. Itadakimasu." Elysia whispered softly and put her hands together.
"Ehm, alright. Itadakimasu." Sylvia simply imitated Elysia's movements as requested, even though she didn't know what it was for.
On the other hand, the neko maid wasn't really waiting for anything. She was simply stunned to appreciate the beauty of these two foreign girls. She was a girl herself, but she was bewitched just because of these guests' stunning, beautiful faces.
Even so, the neko maid immediately returned to her senses and shook her head. She excused herself respectfully and walked away.
After breakfast, Elysia paid for everything with the requested amount. No tip or the like because that was a rule of courtesy there.
After that, Elysia and Sylvia strolled around the downtown area. Elysia didn't forget to inform Erina that she would visit Osaka this afternoon.
Two hours passed just like that for their exploration. They were able to find primarily places to shop for a fantastic variety of weird stuff. From unusual accessories to otaku favorite items, they were all available there.
"Uh, Ely, It's pretty fun, but I'm a bit tired from walking. I've bought quite a few interesting dresses and costumes, and I think this is enough for Akihabara. Let's go to- Hey, Ely, are you listening?" Sylvia leaned forward to glance at Elysia's face. She then looked at where Elysia was looking.
She ultimately had no idea what was wrong with that box in that shop, but she knew that Elysia was interested in it. "Would you like to buy that? Then what are you waiting for? It looks good enough to have as a collectible thing on display."
"En, I'll buy that, and let's end our tour in Akihabara. Osaka is waiting for us." Elysia nodded in agreement.
She and Sylvia entered the shop and headed straight for the box on the highest shelf in the display room. It was a fabulous, incredible Gundam model with a limited edition label. Despite the high price, Elysia was interested in owning one.
Just as Elysia had just grabbed the box, a sky blue-eyed man with the same colored hair was also aiming for it from the other side. Their goal was the same, but the product was only one.
"Excuse me, I'm holding this first. Can you do me a favor and let me buy this?" Elysia looked up at the tall man and greeted him in a polite, formal language.
"No, I was the one who saw this first. I've been eyeing this item since three days ago, and today is the day this special limited edition Gundam comes with me home." The tall man flatly refused. He tried to snatch the box from the masked girl, but she gripped it tightly. Thus, he did not dare to continue fearing that his Gundam model would be damaged.
"Hey, that guy over there. My friend got hold of it first, and she has the right to buy it before you." Sylvia intervened and slapped the man's hand lightly. She then gave the box to Elysia.
The tall man widened his eyes. He looked at the snow-white-haired girl in complete shock.
Elysia realized that, and so did Elena. They checked that tall man's status screen at a glance just to make sure of something. After that, Elysia ran to the cashier to finish her purchase.
After that, Elysia and Sylvia immediately left the shopping district because it was time for them to go to Osaka.
"What transportation are we going to use to get to Osaka, Ely? I can see a lot of unique transportation in this country, and some of them look really fast." Sylvia pointed at the screen of Elysia's smartphone. She just asked Elysia to check the super-fast transportation available.
"Hm, it will probably take two to three hours, even by high-speed train or plane. Let's use the same method as to how we came here. I'll take care of everything if you're still feeling tired." Elysia made a decision.
"Eh, no way. We'll share the errands. Then, let's go." Sylvia raised her hand and pulled Elysia's arm. They headed for a relatively deserted place, free from prying eyes and surveillance.
"???" Elysia felt strange because her advanced perception could detect a suspicious person behind them.. Someone was following them secretly like a stalker.