Part 2
HAMA House – Dining room
Are you… an otaku…?
Indeed, I am.
I suppose, I am… what one would call a fashion otaku.
Huh?
I make a variety of clothes, from the stage outfits you all wore for the HosLives, to something more practical… for example, the young master’s suit.
Cosplays like the one this time, are usually commissions from acquaintances. I am an otaku that consumes all types of fashion.
Ahh… so that’s what you mean. Like you aren’t part of any fandoms in particular, but you’re very invested in your hobbies… type of otaku?
Precisely.
(I mean, he’s an otaku alright. He might be different from people like me… but his devotion is the real deal. You can tell just from a glance at his creations.)
(Up until now, I’ve only ever thought of him as that one weirdo teacher, but he’s pretty interesting in other aspects… I’m feeling a sense of familiarity with him, somehow.)
…
Are you interested in these sorts of things, Kurama-kun?
Um, no, well… I mean, I’m not not interested…
OHOHO! So you are not NOT interested!!
Yes yes, I was just thinking from our little exchange earlier, that you have the budding potential for this hobby!
Huh? What…?
Would you like to try a hand at sewing? Or perhaps, modeling? Hm, yes indeed, if it's Kurama-kun, the outfit I found while organizing my closet the other day would suit you perfectly. However, if you have have design requests, please let me know, we can have a meeting to discuss the details—
W-Wait. How did it come to this exactly?
There is no need to hold back. It is good to be selfish when you are young.
Yeah right, you just want to make something! I get it now, those weird clothes Fuefuki-san wears sometimes are ‘cause of you, yeah? I don’t want any part in this.
Oh my, I understand… It is quite late already, so I suppose we should continue in the morning…
And just what did you understand exactly!? Maybe you should prioritize getting your ears checked rather than finishing this commission.
ARRRGH WHATEVER… I think I finally understand why staying up late is bad for your health. Thank you for teaching me, I’m gonna go to sleep now!!
*Ushio leaves*
…My my, it’s a shame I was rejected.
HAMA House – Horse room
*panting* ...The hell’s wrong with that guy? He’s so goddamn pushy… I mean, I guess the outfit was really high quality…
And he was going on about requests and stuff, but it’s not like I have anything I want made……
(...Wait, I could’ve asked him just now, to make my oshi’s clothes.)
He did say that cosplay was a commission from someone… which means I could make my oshi appear in reality—
—Then again, there’s no one to wear it, even if it gets made. And I can’t hang it up either ‘cause then I’ll be outed.
…
I’m definitely… not regretting right now…
The term otaku refers to a person with consuming interests. Otakus can be categorized into two types:
① Someone that likes anime, manga, etc. such as Ushio (the more well known otaku)
② In recent years, the term has been adopted to mean anyone that is passionate about a particular hobby with more specific categorization based on said hobbies. For example, fans of idols can be referred to as “idol otakus,” people who really like trains and railways can be referred to as “train otakus,” and in Sakujiro’s case, as someone who is really into fashion and making clothes, he can be referred to as a “fashion otaku.”