“Then, Chuusuke was given to Yuu by your late father, right?”

“Who’s Chuusuke?”

“The name of this child.”

As Kotomi presented the stuffed toy or Chuusuke, she carried it on her back. She answered.

“Wasn’t that character’s name something else? I think it was different in the game…”

“It doesn’t matter! Since Yuu gave him to me, he’s my child, so I have to give him a proper name.”

“Hmm… It’s unrelated, but ‘Chuusuke’ and ‘Yuu’ look similar when written out, don’t they?”

“Why do you notice things like that when you’re usually so oblivious!”

Kotomi pressed Chuusuke against my face. It’s suffocating.

Having escaped the lovey-dovey atmosphere of President Domon and Vice President Nase, Kotomi and I had moved to a different game center.

It was fortunate that there were other large game centers around since this was a major terminal station.

“But then, Chuusuke must have been a memento from your father…”

“Since Kotomi cherishes him, I’m sure Dad would be happy.”

“I’ll make sure he’s happy.”

Kotomi hugged Chuusuke tightly.

It feels like seeing off a child as they get married and leave the nest.

“Now, the purpose of coming to the game center this time was to welcome a new child. Hmm, I’d like a character from the same game as Chuusuke…”

While looking at the crane game machine, I couldn’t find a child that caught my eye.

The game that Chuusuke originated from is a long-running series, but since I was conscripted, I haven’t played any of the later series, so I only know characters from the early series where Chuusuke appeared.

“Oh!”

I stopped before a certain machine, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

“This is nostalgic! I know this character.”

It was a character modeled after a fox.

I think it was of the fire attribute.

“This one’s cute. And the size is just like Chuusuke’s. Alright! I’ll adopt this one.”

Saying that, Kotomi rolled up her sleeves.

“Eh, Kotomi, you’re going to get it?”

“Since I got Chuusuke from you, I want to give this one to Yuu as a present.”

Before waiting for my approval, Kotomi inserted a 1000 yen bill into the change machine and exchanged it for a pile of 100 yen coins.

“Thank you.”

“Yuu, cheer me on from there. Like Vice President Nanase did earlier.”

“Go for it♪”

While cheering Kotomi on, I felt warm watching her enthusiasm.

“Hey, Yuu. I’ve already exchanged 1000 yen.”

“What number exchange is this already… Kotomi, maybe you should give up and try something else…”

“That’s absolutely not happening! I’ve decided to welcome this one!”

“R-right…”

With bloodshot eyes, Kotomi, with an intense aura, attacked the UFO catcher machine like a gambler.

“This is strange… We’ve played so many times. The odds should be in our favor by now…”

Muttering to herself, Kotomi kept putting in 100 yen coins.

She was trapped.

Since she was in a position where she received a salary and even a small amount of summer bonus was provided per grade, she didn’t have the restraint in spending money like an ordinary high school student’s allowance.

All I could do for Kotomi was to handle the exchanges.

And finally,

“I-I got it~! Here, Yuu. A present.”

Kotomi finally managed to get the fox plushie she wanted and handed it to me immediately.

In the end, feeling sorry for her, the game center staff rearranged the plushie to its initial position, and she finally got it.

“Congratulations, Kotomi! And thank you! I’ll cherish it!”

Holding the fox plushie, I conveyed my utmost gratitude to Kotomi.

“It was worth it to see Yuu smile and know I did my best.”

Inside, I couldn’t bear Kotomi’s triumphant smile.

How much money had she put into this plushie, I didn’t want to count.

Although the plushie should be light, seeing the number of 100 yen coins she put in front of me to get this child made it feel oddly heavy.

That’s why I didn’t touch on that point deliberately and returned Kotomi’s radiant smile and thanks at least.

It’s okay like this…

Kotomi is happy with me, it’s a win. The store profits, it’s a win. I get the plushie I wanted, it’s a win.

Yeah, it’s a win-win situation. Nobody’s losing! If nobody’s losing, then nobody’s losing!

“What should we name this child?”

“You can be the godparent, Kotomi.”

“Eh, me?”

“Because this child’s mom is like Kotomi.”

Wallets becoming empty can feel like going through the pains of childbirth, huh? Kotomi spent so much money, so it’s only natural she has the right to name the plushie.

“I’m this child’s mama… the fruit of love from our joint effort with Yuu…”

I’ve only been cheering Kotomi on and handling the change, but you could call it a joint effort.

“Do you have any good names?”

“Well… I have a name that came to mind, but it might be too simple…”

“Nah, these things are better decided on the spot, with a name that pops into your head!”

Just like how I was drawn to this child and stopped in front of this machine. Well, thanks to my gut feeling, Kotomi’s wallet ended up lighter.

“Then, let’s name this child… Kon!”

“Yeah, that’s a good name. Let’s go with that.”

I meant to reply with the prepared answer, but I ended up falling silent.

“Huh… you don’t like the name?”

Kotomi grew anxious at my lack of reaction to her announcement.

“N-no, it’s a good name. Then, your name will be Kon.”

I hastily agreed with Kotomi’s naming while lifting the fox plushie she managed to get.

Was this just a coincidence?

“Since it’s a fox type, I named it after the sound foxes make.”

Yeah, just a coincidence.

So, calm down.

[Are you cheating, Master?]

[What do you mean by cheating?]

As expected, the Kon from my soul gear began speaking to my inner thoughts.

It seemed like it was going to be a hassle, and I felt like sighing.

[So, now that a new Kon has arrived, am I being replaced with the old model?]

[What do you mean by ‘old model’? And hey, you’ve always said you didn’t like the name Kon. Why are you sulking now?]

[I’m not such a merciful god to silently stand by while someone takes away what’s mine.]

[Then, should I start calling you by your real name from now on?]

[What do you mean ‘then’?! I refuse to have my name changed due to the arrival of this newcomer!]

[Ugh… come on… I mean, Kotomi spent so much money just to get this plushie. It’s only right to let her decide the name, right?]

[She spent exactly 12,500 yen.]

[Stop giving exact figures, Kon, I was trying not to look!]

The plushie I held felt even heavier.

[Tsk… I knew this would happen, so I tried to interfere…]

[Huh? Hold on, Kon. Are you saying you interfered with this UFO catcher somehow?]

[…No.]

[Then what were you doing?]

[Nothing… I just applied silent pressure to the lower god of this game center, a native god. I didn’t give any instructions.]

[That sounds like blatant harassment! Sorry! Game center god!]

Poor thing, the native god might have been caught in a dilemma between Kotomi’s persistence and couldn’t bear the guilt, allowing the plushie to be won.

I wonder if Game Center gods have stomachs.

“Yuu? What’s wrong? You’re spacing out.”

“N-nothing. By the way, speaking of something else, what are your plans for the summer vacation, Kotomi?”

“I’m free! Super free!”

When I tried to change the subject, Kotomi surprisingly eagerly answered.

“I see. I might be busy with some stuff and might have trouble keeping in touch during the summer vacation.”

“Oh… I see… well…”

Visibly dejected, Kotomi’s ears drooped as if she were sulking.

“But, Yuu is a lieutenant after all… work must be tough, so it can’t be helped, right?”

“Yeah, sorry… huh? How do you know my rank, Kotomi?”

Caught off guard, I forgot to play dumb and asked Kotomi back.

She shouldn’t have known my rank or anything like that.

“I saw it when I taught you how to use the bank app on your phone. I saw your salary transfer amount. By calculating the tax rate, social insurance premiums, and allowance rate, I could figure out your salary grade by looking at the pay table.”

Oh no…

Even though it’s a special position, public servant pay tables are accessible to the general public. It’s not that hard to guess a salary range from the net pay.

“You knew all along and didn’t say anything. Thanks, Kotomi.”

“No problem. But I’m stupid too… I never thought I’d end up declaring you as my rival, Lieutenant-sama.”

Embarrassed, Kotomi buried her face in Chuusuke’s head.

“No, I want you to stay the same, with your stubbornly diligent attitude, forever, Kotomi.”

“Ugh, thanks to you, my diligent character has been exposed. Everyone looks at me strangely now that I’m always with Chuusuke. It’s all your fault.”

“Huh, is that my fault?”

“It is! Oh, but weirdly enough, my soul gear works better when I’m with Chuusuke.”

Kotomi said in wonder.

[Oh, this is an interesting conversation, isn’t it?]

[Hey, Kon. Weren’t you hating on plushies just a while ago?]

[No… it’s still in the hypothesis stage, so let’s not talk about it now.]

[Stop being so dramatic.]

Today’s Kon is really a hassle.

“So, Yuu, you’ll be busy during the summer vacation? It’s okay, I have Chuusuke.”

Kotomi’s youthful and fragile appearance brought about a mysterious guilt that made me feel like I was leaving her alone and making her lonely by keeping her at home all the time.

People often make wrong moves when their hearts are troubled.

“Well, I’m planning to go to Okinawa with Kohou-senpai… just the two of you?”

Ah… I messed up…