SCIAW: Chapter 321/322

Chapter 321: Upstairs, Right?

The streets of Shinjuku were lined with towering buildings on both sides, giving off a distinctly modern feel.

But on this street filled with high-rises, there was one store that stood out like a sore thumb.

A two-story video rental shop.

It looked noticeably shabby, and with two buildings several tens of meters tall rising on either side, the entire scene felt surreal and oddly unbalanced.

It was easy to imagine people having strange thoughts about why this small shop still existed in such a location.

Despite how out of place it looked, this was still a bustling city. So, surprisingly, the video shop still had some business.

But the videotape and disc rental business was undeniably outdated. With how fast technology was evolving these days, this kind of store was inevitably headed downhill.

Ren stood outside, holding Sanzenin Nagi's hand.

"Yeah, this store doesn't look like it has much value. And to still be running a video and disc rental business in this era… As technology progresses, businesses like this are bound to be phased out."

Nagi shared the same thoughts.

"I've said the same thing, but that guy doesn't seem to care at all. He still wants to rely on this store to turn things around. Honestly, he has zero business sense."

"Instead of trying to revive this outdated store, he'd be better off selling the land at a high price and investing that capital into a growing industry. Once foreign tech starts flooding the market, businesses like this will be crushed."

"Exactly."

Ren completely agreed.

With smartphones rapidly evolving, the technological wave was about to crash into the island nation. Once that happened, local industries would struggle to keep up.

"The future belongs to the internet. Life will become even more simplified."

"Phones, tablets, and laptops will become mainstream. As tech advances, rare and limited physical items will start spreading online, and their exclusivity will quickly vanish."

"If he had the drive, he should pivot toward mobile and internet-related ventures. Getting in early could let him take the first bite of the pie and maybe turn things around."

"Ah, but it's pointless."

Nagi waved her hand dismissively. The idea was nice in theory, but unrealistic in practice.

"That guy doesn't have the vision, courage, or even the spare funds to pull it off."

"Unless he has the guts to sell this plot of land and raise some real capital, he's just going to be stuck with this dead-end video rental business."

"Tsk. He's still young, but his mindset is completely outdated. Seriously hopeless."

With that complaint, Nagi took Ren's hand and walked into the store.

Inside were rows of rare videotapes and discs, but there were only a few customers browsing. It was clear the business was barely hanging on.

Considering that the full brunt of the digital age hadn't hit the country yet, this store might survive a few more years—but not much longer.

"Miss Nagi!"

From the direction of the cashier on the left, a maid in a traditional black-and-white uniform suddenly stood up like she'd been shocked.

It wasn't a flashy or sexy outfit, but rather a formal maid uniform like the kind Maria wore. However, the maid's frantic demeanor lacked Maria's calmness and gave her a slightly unreliable vibe.

"Long time no see, Saki."

"Long time no see, Miss Nagi."

"Has that loser, Wataru, been holed up in his room for the past month?"

Nagi got straight to the point, no hesitation.

Kijima Saki looked extremely uncomfortable but nodded.

"Yes. Recently, the young master has barely left his room except to go to school. He seems pretty shaken up."

"I've asked him about it, but aside from hiding in his room, he hasn't said a word."

Nagi didn't even flinch.

"That idiot's reaction is exactly what I expected."

Kijima Saki looked worried and asked,

"Miss Nagi, what exactly happened to the young master?"

"He had a secret crush, and she transferred to another school. Now he's depressed and acting like the world's ended. A normal person would've moved on by now, found a new crush or something. But him? He's like a soulless puppet."

"Secret crush… Ah!"

Saki gasped and covered her mouth, suddenly realizing why Wataru had been in such a slump lately.

"I see. So this whole month, he's been heartbroken over Miss Isumi…"

"But isn't Miss Isumi still attending Hakuo Academy with him? Did something happen?"

"Nothing major."

Nagi shut down Saki's speculation.

"Transferring schools is just a change of scenery. No one said you had to stay at Hakuo forever."

"That loser knows where Isumi lives, but he doesn't even have the guts to go ask her what happened. Is he expecting someone to just show up at his door and explain it all to him?"

From any angle, Nagi couldn't see Wataru and Isumi ever working out. Isumi didn't see any redeeming qualities in him, and their personalities were totally different. The idea of them being a couple was just ridiculous.

It wasn't hard to tell that Isumi and Wataru were on completely different levels. That's why Nagi often ignored him.

If he had even a sliver of courage, he would've visited Isumi's house to get answers himself.

But he didn't. And that's the core of it—without courage, a secret crush stays a secret. With courage, it becomes real love.

Nagi believed that if Tachibana Wataru had the guts to pursue Isumi directly, she might at least acknowledge him.

Unfortunately, now it was probably too late.

Thinking back on all this had led her here today. She was ready to step on Wataru's ego hard enough to wake him up. If he kept going like this, he'd spiral into total depression.

"Saki, is that loser still upstairs in his room?"

"Yes."

"Alright! I'm going to talk to him myself. Maybe that'll snap him out of it. And it'll save you the trouble of taking care of him."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 322: Suddenly Unexpected

After Nagi went upstairs, only the shopkeeper, Saki, and Ren remained on the first floor. The two stood apart, facing each other.

"Hello, what's your relationship with Miss Nagi?"

Normally, asking such a question would be considered rude, especially between strangers, but Saki subconsciously assumed the boy had a complicated relationship with Miss Nagi. Maybe they were acquaintances, so she spoke directly.

Ren didn't think anything of it. He simply smiled.

"Sanzenin and I are classmates at our new school. For certain reasons, we've gotten to know each other quite well."

"Classmates at the new school… Sorry, I didn't notice."

Realizing she may have come off as impolite, Kijima Saki bowed and apologized quickly.

"It's fine. Just from the way we walked in together, anyone could guess we have some kind of relationship."

"Amamiya Ren is not some rich guy—just an ordinary high school student."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kijima Saki, servant to Master Tachibana Wataru, and also just a regular high school student."

She quickly introduced herself in return.

After the introductions, she paused, hesitating, but eventually asked awkwardly,

"Mr. Amamiya, if you're just a regular student, how did you end up as Miss Nagi's classmate?"

In her memory, Miss Nagi was the epitome of an elite. Could someone from such a background really have ordinary friends?

Understanding the meaning behind her question, Ren chuckled.

"Miss Kijima, are you saying someone like Sanzenin can't be friends with ordinary people?"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that! I… I mean…"

Kijima Saki flailed for an explanation, but the words wouldn't come. Her flustered expression made her seem like she was about to crash from embarrassment.

"I was just teasing."

Seeing how worked up she got, Ren couldn't help but laugh. This maid was oddly entertaining in that regard.

"I really am just a regular high schooler. Sanzenin transferred to our school, and we just got to know each other by chance."

Kijima Saki finally let out a slow breath, clearly relieved. She had almost cried just now from anxiety.

She also realized how rude her question had been and felt deeply embarrassed about it.

"Miss Kijima, I wanted to ask... does a video rental shop like this actually still make money?"

"Huh?"

She blinked, startled by the sudden question. After a moment of thought, she nodded slightly.

"It still brings in some profit. Most of our customers are anime or movie lovers. We rent out rare videotapes and discs, not for sale, so we do make a small but consistent profit each month."

"However, with smartphones and computers becoming more popular, business has dropped off compared to before."

The store was still surviving, but profits had definitely been on the decline.

Kijima Saki wasn't oblivious. She understood that the business was trending downward and the future didn't look good.

Add Wataru's emotional slump on top of that, and she couldn't help but feel the store was heading toward a dangerous place.

Seeing the concern on her face, it was clear she sensed the store's crisis as well.

"As they say, it's not your competitors who will destroy you, but the people in other industries."

Ren smiled as he said it, though it was more of a grim joke than anything.

"The videotape and disc market is constantly being hit. And with how widespread electronics have become, things will only get worse for this shop."

"Yeah… I know."

Kijima Saki didn't want to admit it, but the truth was right there in front of her. The issue now was that she didn't know how to bring it up with her young master.

"Miss Kijima, maybe it's time to talk to your master about diversifying the business. This shop's current model has already hit its limit, and with tech advancing so quickly, it'll only keep declining. Find a new direction before the market forces you to."

Ren offered the suggestion kindly, though whether Wataru would accept it was another matter entirely.

If he didn't pivot now, once the era pushed him to change tracks, he'd already be too far behind to catch up.

Bang bang!

A series of loud firecracker pops rang out from outside, making Ren tilt his head toward the window.

Across the street, a crowd had gathered in front of a building. It looked like they were celebrating something.

It was hard to see clearly, as a central park filled with trees and greenery stood between them and the building on the opposite side. But the firecracker sounds were sharp and distinct.

You could hear them clearly even from here.

"Miss Kijima, do you know what they're celebrating over there?"

Kijima Saki also turned to look. She'd heard the sound but hadn't paid much attention until now. After thinking for a bit, her expression lightened.

"Oh, I remember now. It's the 20th anniversary of that museum's construction. I heard they're holding a week-long event where entry is completely free."

"The anniversary of the museum's construction…"

Ren was left a bit speechless.

In this day and age, unless a museum has real historical value, it's a joke to expect it to make money. These buildings were often just used to boost someone's public image or check a box on a political report.

Most young people wouldn't willingly step into a museum.

Especially one named after its own anniversary. The items inside were probably generic, unremarkable decorations. More than likely, the museum couldn't even break even on ticket sales, so they used promotions to draw attention.

"Miss Kijima, do people usually visit that museum?"

"Hmm… not really."

She thought for a moment, then responded in a hushed tone.

The regular visitor traffic was basically nonexistent.

She often passed by, but rarely saw anyone go in.

"Just another promotional gimmick."

In a sluggish economy, museums that flaunted 'cultural refinement' came off as completely impractical.

When people were struggling to get by, who had time for high-minded exhibits?

Unless a museum was privately operated, it was bound to run into problems. Bankruptcy was usually just a matter of time.

But right then, Ren suddenly felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows.

A wave of dread surged up in his chest. A strong premonition of danger exploded in his mind.

"Get down!"

"Eh?"

Before Kijima Saki could react, Ren jumped behind the cashier counter and shoved her to the floor.

The sky outside suddenly turned blood red.

Then, a deafening explosion rang out.

"BOOM!!!"

(To be continued.)