"There are quite a few new games out recently," Suguru said, holding an exquisitely packaged box in a large shopping mall.
"Let me see."
Hearing about new games, Eichi leaned in.
"Mario has a new game again?"
Looking at the familiar red cap, big nose, and overalls on the packaging, Eichi immediately became interested.
He had loved Mario in his previous life, but unfortunately, he could only play it secretly back then.
Now it was great. He could openly play with Suguru.
Suguru's grades were excellent, so his parents were not strict with him. The two often played at Eichi's house.
"Want to come to my place and try it out?"
"Of course."
Suguru also loved games.
No boy in his childhood could refuse the joy of battling until dusk with a good friend, each holding a controller.
Playing games actually had another use for Suguru.
The strange abilities and levels in games often gave him inspiration.
He had thousands of Cursed Spirits under Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
It was impossible to remember every single one and use them flexibly.
It would be time-consuming and exhausting, and many would be useless even if remembered.
Therefore, Suguru always did a simple categorization of his Cursed Spirits.
For example, which were suitable for reconnaissance, which could serve as tanks, and which had high output. After a basic classification, he would assemble Cursed Spirits that could cooperate.
There were conventional squads, each with a front-liner, support, and damage dealer.
There were also specialized squads for specific purposes.
For instance, if the goal was to restrict enemy movement, Cursed Spirits that controlled water flow would be teamed with a Yuki-onna.
That way, when he used Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he could summon prepared lineups according to the situation.
Part of the inspiration for these collaborations came from actual combat, and another part came from games.
The bizarre abilities of monsters in games overlapped with equally bizarre Cursed Spirits.
So when Suguru played, besides the protagonist's team, he specifically studied interesting monsters and traps.
This was also why he could always summon Cursed Spirits suited to the current battle.
The pleasant shopping continued.
After checking out, they went to the restroom, and Eichi skillfully put both their shopping bags into his shadow.
"That is really convenient."
Watching the bags disappear into Eichi's shadow, Suguru felt a bit envious.
The convenience of a personal space was obvious to anyone.
"Can't your Cursed Spirit Manipulation store things?"
"No, it can only hold Cursed Spirits."
Suguru shook his head.
"Then try to find Cursed Spirits that can store things."
"Cursed Spirits that can store things, huh?"
Suguru pinched his chin, thinking.
"That is right. Some Cursed Spirits have space or time-related abilities. Their use is limited and not very helpful in combat, but for storage they would be fine."
For example, Toji's Inventory Cursed Spirit, and the Cursed Spirit that trapped Mei Mei and Utahime for a while.
"That is a good suggestion."
Suguru decided to pay attention to commissions that might involve such Cursed Spirits.
"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting."
Satoru, wearing sunglasses, appeared before them.
"You are so slow."
Eichi was merciless.
"It is those people in the Family dragging their feet. Otherwise I would have been here much earlier."
"Speaking of which, no bodyguards this time?"
Eichi looked around, not seeing the yukata-clad uncles who often followed Satoru.
"If they came along, we would not be able to have fun. I sent them back," Satoru waved.
"Oh, right, where to next?"
"The anime convention."
Eichi pulled out a flyer, advertising the event currently being held at the mall.
"Let's go."
They quickly arrived at the venue.
As soon as they passed the main door, the three felt a visual impact rare in daily life.
Novel scene arrangements, numerous exquisite hand-drawn original artworks, and various handicrafts captivated their eyes.
"Look, over there."
Satoru pointed to a booth not far from the entrance, where Naruto and Sasuke were selling artbooks together.
"It is the living Naruto and Sasuke. I am going first."
"Satoru, do not run inside the venue. You will bump into people."
Suguru hurried after him.
Eichi followed close behind.
It was a strange feeling.
They knew the people in front of them were just cosplaying, not the actual characters appearing before them.
But every time they saw cosplayers at a convention, their eyes lit up, and they subconsciously treated them as real.
"Yo, Naruto, want to eat ramen together?"
"Huh?"
Satoru suddenly invited Naruto.
"Yeah, Ichiraku Ramen is the best."
Realizing what was happening, Naruto gave a thumbs-up and a bright smile.
"Alright, let's go now."
Satoru grabbed his arm, ready to leave.
"Hey, hey, wait, I have not finished exploring the convention yet."
The boy cosplaying Naruto could not keep up the act. "I thought you were being chuunibyou, but you are serious."
"Ah, it is Hanamichi Sakuragi."
Fortunately, a new figure caught Satoru's attention.
Standing nearby, Eichi picked up an artbook and opened it.
Slap.
He immediately closed it with both hands.
His face reddened.
"What is wrong?"
Suguru, who had just pulled Satoru back, noticed Eichi's unusual reaction.
"Nothing. Satoru, were you going to see Hanamichi Sakuragi? Let's go together."
They quickly arrived at the Slam Dunk booth.
"This one, this one, and this one, wrap them all up."
Satoru bought all the main characters' figurines.
Eichi also picked a few he liked.
These were childhood memories.
Soon, several familiar figures came into Eichi's view.
Artoria, Medusa, Gilgamesh, Archer.
The cosplayers had a very high degree of accuracy.
"This one is good."
Eichi picked up an Artoria-in-dress figurine and examined it carefully.
"We also have artbooks. Would the customer like to take a look?" the booth owner promoted enthusiastically.
Eichi flipped through one. Some pages featured a single character, others had Kuzuki-sensei and Caster together.
"This drawing is well done."
"You like Medusa too? Let me tell you, Medusa is super cool. The long-haired, eye-patched older sister is amazing. Just looking at Medusa makes me want to eat three bowls of rice…"
Soon, more people gathered to discuss. Some liked Artoria, some liked Tohsaka Rin. Eichi, who had been calm at first, was quickly swept up by the atmosphere and joined the discussions and photos.
(To be continued.)