kscans

Chapter 224 - Put a ‘-san’ on It, You Little Punk!

Now that I had said everything I needed to, all that was left was to drink lazily. I was planning to stay the night, so I had already completely shifted into at-home relaxation mode.

"I don't mind you staying over, but are you sure about two nights in a row?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Saku-chan told me to go spread my wings since entertaining the aliens was a lot of work."

"When do you ever have your wings folded?"

"There's a theory that Hiro-kun's wings aren't structurally capable of folding."

How rude can you get.

"But anyway. If Sakuya-kun... Sakuya-chan is a girl, does that mean..."

"Huh?"

"Is there any chance of a sweet, romantic development with her fun, kind uncle figure?" asked Suzuki. His eyes were teasing, yet held a hint of seriousness. The other two looked the same. I guess as adults, it was an issue they could not just ignore.

"Unfortunately, she says I'm not her type. I was hoping for a development like that, though."

"...Hah, I guess life isn't that sweet."

"Well, that aside, as a man, I do take a certain pride in living under the same roof as a beautiful, currently-enrolled high school girl."

"Is this something I don't get because I became a woman?"

With a wry smile, Suzuki, who was lying next to me, brought a vegetable stick to my mouth. I felt a bit like a rabbit. Man, this dip is good. Is this mayo with... garlic and miso? I need a beer. I need a beer now. Chika-san must have read my mind. With a flick of her fingers...

"Oh, thanks."

The contents of my beer, which was on the table, floated up and flowed automatically into my mouth.

"There's a limit to how lazy you can be."

"It's a private drinking session at home, so it's fine."

If we were out, I would be more considerate.

"Still..."

The TV screen was playing a constant stream of educational programs and children's anime that Takahashi had recorded. It was probably less a hobby and more for his job. He was a childcare worker, after all. I figured he did it for various reasons, like keeping up with what the kids were talking about or finding good things to show at the daycare. I had been too tense earlier to pay much attention, but...

"Man, this is super nostalgic."

I should not have known these shows, but they felt familiar, probably because the formats were so similar. I'm sure the perception of what constitutes "education" has changed a lot since the old days, but some things never change.

"Now that you mention it. I can't remember exactly when I stopped watching them, though."

"If we watched them until the first few years of elementary school... has it been almost thirty years?"

Suzuki and I nodded at each other, feeling a wave of old memories coming back.

"For me, it's been about ten years. They weren't around when I was a child, but I used to watch them with Rika when she was little."

It probably just came up naturally in conversation, but I got a little excited. About what? How should I put it? It was a fresh reminder that she was a mother of one... you know?

"Shows like Anpanman were on heavy rotation."

"Anpanman! Man, that takes me back!!"

I knew it was still airing. It's a national, long-running anime. But how many chances does an adult get to watch it? Probably none.

"I remember watching it too... Takahashi-kun, is it still popular with kids today?"

"It's one of the absolute standards. I can't see that ever changing. It's as much of a sure thing as ordering a draft beer at an izakaya."

Yeah, it's not going anywhere unless civilization collapses.

"Rika used to like Baikin-kun."

"Oh, is she the type to empathize with the villain?"

Chika-san gave a wry smile at Suzuki's words.

"No, it's not like that... It's, um, how do I put it? She likes the part where Baikin-kun gets beaten to a pulp by Anpanman."

"That's not a ‘poetic justice’ thing, is it? If it were, she wouldn't be a Baikin-kun fan."

"So she likes seeing the cocky guy get beat up and start blubbering?"

"She's not Satou-kun, you know."

What's that supposed to mean?

"It's not that kind of satisfying, ‘serves him right’ feeling either."

This is my own interpretation of what a small child said, so I'm not sure if it's correct, she said, prefacing her explanation of Rika-chan's reasons for being a Baikin-kun fan.

"I think she probably just likes petty villains who commit minor misdeeds. And for her, the ‘getting beaten up’ part is included in the package. It's not like she gets a thrill from seeing him defeated. It's more like she's watching from the sidelines thinking, ‘Yes, yes, this is you, this is how you should be.’"

That's why, Chika-san said, the Baikin-kun in some of the movies was a misinterpretation for her. What did she mean, the movie version of Baikin-kun was a misinterpretation? Suzuki and I tilted our heads.

"You guys think Anpanman is just an anime for little kids, don't you."

"I mean, it is, isn't it?"

"Yeah. You just naturally grow out of it."

It was not that we were looking down on it or thought it was bad. In fact, from a marketing perspective, it was a good thing that it was made with a specific age group in mind.

"What a shallow perspective. You're not wrong, but I can only give you fifty points for that."

Takahashi shrugged his shoulders dramatically. What was with this guy? What high horse was this idiot speaking from?

"Saionji, you get it, right?"

"I do. Hiro-kun, Suzuki-kun, try to remember when you were little."

"I was a very cute child."

"I was probably a cheeky kid."

"Not that. Did you watch Anpanman alone? You didn't, right?"

""Ah.""

"I'd sometimes put on anime to keep her quiet while I did housework, but..."

That did not mean she let her watch alone the whole time. When it was over, she would go back to Rika-chan and watch with her, Chika-san said.

"It's definitely for kids, and as you get older, you might think it's childish or feel embarrassed and stop watching."

"So it's not wrong to say it's for a young audience. But it's also made with the adults watching alongside them in mind."

Young children would not get it, and even slightly more precocious kids would find it hard to understand. But if you watched it carefully with an adult perspective, there were apparently many stories that made you think.

"The movies are a perfect example. Can a five or six-year-old go to the cinema by themselves?"

No way. They probably could not even buy a ticket. If you saw a kid like that at a movie theater, you would naturally wonder what their parents were doing.

"I see, I get it now. With a movie, the adults are stuck there for a decent amount of time too."

"That's why the movies especially have storylines that can hold an adult's attention."

"Exactly. So, to get back to the point, the Baikin-kun in the movies can be pretty serious about cornering Anpanman."

And that, for Rika-chan, was apparently a "this isn't it!" moment.

"In fact, Baikin-kun's villainy in one of the movies was worse than Yanagi's or Onisaki's."

"Seriously? Next time I see those guys, I'll compare them to Baikin-kun and lecture them on their pettiness."

""Give them a break.""

"And for the record, you two who used to be henchmen for small-fry villains are even lower than Baikin-kun."

Who do you think you are, calling him "Baikin-kun" so casually? It's Baikin-san, or maybe Baikin-senpai. Know your place. Unbelievable. This was the sad existence that got brainwashed by a shady cult and had his junk ripped off by his best friend.

"Don't you ever get arrogant enough to use ‘-kun’ on him again."

""This guy...!!""

But still. After hearing all that, I was getting curious.

"Takahashi, can I borrow your laptop?"

"Sure, but what for?"

"Well, I was wondering if we could watch the movies on a streaming service."

"Oh, I'm curious too."

"I feel like watching them again after all this time. I'm in."

And so, we spent the rest of the night engaged in an Anpanman marathon.