"Wh-who dares to... How dare you..."
The man, evidently enraged, clenched his fist and scanned the store for the clerk.
"Bring the bidding documents here!!"
"Yes~!! Please wait a moment, sir~!!"
The man, perhaps a regular customer of this figure shop, impatiently awaited as the clerk rushed towards him with the bidding documents.
After contemplating for a moment, he finally signed the documents while holding the pen the clerk handed over.
"Now, a new bid amount has emerged for the Kimono-type Miyuki figure!!"
"Wow!! Another bidder breaking through 250,000 yen~!!"
"Damn!! Even though I don't know who this newcomer is, they've got some guts. They've got guts!!"
"How much!? How much did it go up to?"
"3... 350,000 yen..."
"This is insane. Added another 100,000 yen!!"
"What? 100,000 yen!? Now it's a price that we can't even think twice about. 350,000 yen for one figure..."
Oh my, seriously? Adding a crisp 100,000 yen like that...
The middle-aged man, perhaps feeling relieved, once again tapped the glass case and looked content as if saying, 'That gesture... really suits my taste.'
I observed him for a moment and made eye contact with the clerk who had been watching me. In the gaze that seemed to ask if I would bid higher, I nodded slowly.
"Fine. Accept it."
"Please give me the bidding documents."
As soon as I mentioned bidding, the lively atmosphere inside the shop turned chilly.
Taking advantage of the sudden silence, I stopped the clerk who was about to hand me the documents.
"Don't bother scribbling on the documents; let's just announce the bid amount orally."
"H-how much...?"
"500,000 yen."
"Wowww!!!! Insane!! A figure displayed for just a day is worth 500,000 yen!!"
Whether you raise it by just a few thousand or a few million yen, it only fuels unnecessary competition with the other party.
It's better to dismiss it with a sum that they can't easily follow.
"500,000 yen... Are you sure, sir?"
As I slightly nodded, the clerk, this time, turned to the middle-aged man and spoke.
"Will you top the bid?"
"……."
The middle-aged man alternated his gaze between me and the clerk with a vacant expression.
"Um... wait a moment. I'll make a quick call and come back."
Judging by the slightly trembling voice, is this the end for him? The man glanced at me for a moment, then hastily left the store. But where is he going?
Miyazaki, who was next to me, wore an expression of amazement watching the figure's price fluctuating more than expected.
"Is this getting too big?"
"Manager, are you okay? 500,000 yen, right..."
"I've never spent so much on a doll before; it feels awkward. 500,000 yen... haha..."
I approached the figure to examine it closely while the shop was quiet. I confirmed it resembled Yuki, and although the amount was outrageous, I became curious about its worth.
However, the details of the figure up close were astonishing.
The kimono, giving off an elegant vibe, seemed to be made of genuine silk.
From a distance, it looked like she was wearing only one layer of 'yukata,' but that was not the case. The kimono, meticulously crafted in three layers, faithfully reproduced the traditional attire.
'What has he done to the figure?'
Especially on the outermost layer, he used a thin brush to delicately draw cherry blossom patterns, giving the feeling of an ink painting on silk.
In short, it was undoubtedly a work that required an immense amount of effort.
'Looking at it this way, I can develop some desires as well... Ah, is this why enthusiasts collect figures for this kind of fun?'
Glancing around, I noticed envious eyes from people. If Morita saw this, he would be fainting from the detail.
At that moment, Miyazaki, behind me, peeked inside the store and exclaimed.
"Uchimura-san..?"
Huh? Uchimura? Why is that name popping up here?
Turning my head at Miyazaki's voice, I saw Uchimura standing in a corner of the store.
Making eye contact with us, Uchimura awkwardly smiled, raised his hand in greeting, and said, "Ah... Hello."
"Are you the man we met at the 'Empty Streets' event?"
"Ah!! The man Yuki brought!!"
Is this fate too? How can we coincidentally meet three times?
The old saying crossed my mind: "Meeting someone three times without making any plans means you're meant to share your life with them." Well, it means we might meet again wherever we go. It's better to be friends than enemies...
But this time, he knows Miyazaki too. The fear of that person's identity gradually grew.
"Uchimura-san, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, well... uh..."
At that moment, the proud clerk next to us introduced him.
"This is the creator of the Kimono-type Miyuki figure."
"Really!? Is that true?"
To Miyazaki's question, Uchimura awkwardly smiled and quietly nodded. I gently rubbed my throbbing forehead and took a moment to organize my thoughts.
'So... after meeting Yuki at the event, going through the suicide incident, and being moved by Yuki's voice, Uchimura created this figure?'
If that's the case, it makes sense why the figure resembles Yuki so much.
Though the excessive detail irritates me, the figure he modified is undeniably a piece of art.
If Uchimura collaborates with Morita, it might have a tremendous collaboration effect, right? Anyway, I need to get my hands on that Yuki figure and have a separate conversation with him.
At that moment, the middle-aged man who had left the store earlier came back, holding a bag, and announced a new bidding amount.
"8... 800,000 yen!!"
800,000 yen? Is that man really in his right mind? Even though bidding 500,000 yen made me look like a madman to others...
Witnessing the tremendous amount he called out, the people in the figure shop were astonished.
Seriously, is he going too far...
Amidst the silence, only Uchimura's gasp was audible, revealing his astonishment at the imagined astronomical figure.
Even the clerk announcing the bid amount seemed to mutter in a shocked voice.
"He... higher bid is out..."
Then it happened.
"Yeobot!!!"
Outside the store, an incredibly sharp voice of a woman could be heard.
Startled by the voice, everyone turned their eyes outside the store, where an angry middle-aged woman stood.
It seemed like she was calling someone 'dear'... perhaps a couple?
Glancing at her husband for a moment, the determined woman briskly entered the store and began vehemently smacking her husband's back.
"Are you insane? Seriously!! Hey, why did you buy this? Why did you buy it?! Did you take out a loan because the interest was low? Do you know 800,000 yen is our dog's name!?"
Wait, did this guy go to the bank to take out a loan just to buy that action figure?
While recent economic conditions suggested taking advantage of low-interest loans to stimulate the deflating economy, this might be a bit much...
"Honey!? Just wait a moment and listen to me. Huh?"
"What is there to wait for?! Hurry up and follow me!"
"You're clueless... You know, this figure will supposedly skyrocket in value later. Trust me!! Huh? Miyuki!! Miyukiiiii!"
Well, even if it might increase in value from the initial bid, it's doubtful it would reach the amount we bid.
Eventually, guided by his wife, the man's voice faded away, leaving only occasional sounds of harsh smacks on his back.
"So... am I the final bidder?"
"Oh... yes. That's correct, Mr. Uchimura. You mentioned earlier that you wanted to beat the seller. Is that acceptable?"
"Huh? Uh... well..."
At that moment, Mr. Miyazaki spoke, looking at Mr. Uchimura.
"Mr. Uchimura, let's have a brief chat."
"Yes?"
A while later, we stopped by a coffee shop near the figure shop.
Dragged along by Miyazaki, Uchimura was giving us wary glances in the awkward atmosphere.
"First of all, since fate brought us together, let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Kang Junhyuk."
"I'm Uchimura Hiroki."
After Uchimura delivered a simple self-introduction, he turned his gaze away from me, avoiding eye contact.
"By any chance, what do you do?"
"I'm a student. Currently on a leave of absence."
"Oh, I see."
After exchanging basic information, Miyazaki, who was sitting next to me, got straight to the point.
"Mr. Uchimura, do you happen to know someone named Ishikawa Yuki?"
"Huh? Uh, yes. I know her."
"Actually, the reason we came to the figure shop today is because of her."
"Y-Yuki? Why...?"
"Because the figure you made looks strikingly similar to Yuki, whom we know."
Uchimura wore a perplexed expression, seemingly never having considered the situation from Yuki's perspective.
"That could be possible. I didn't think it might be uncomfortable for Yuki, looking exactly like her as a doll. Do you understand what I mean?"
Miyazaki spoke calmly, addressing Uchimura.
Uchimura, with a surprised expression, looked at Miyazaki. It seemed he had never thought about it from Yuki's point of view.
"I might have been a bit thoughtless. I didn't realize..."
"Now that you know, thank you. So, if possible, how about canceling the auction?"
"Actually... I wanted to cancel it from the beginning, but..."
"Why...?"
"I can't afford the 10% cancellation fee..."
Watching Uchimura sigh with his head lowered, I tapped the table for a moment to organize my thoughts. And then...
"Mr. Uchimura. How about we do it this way?"
"Yes?"
The method was simple.
If I just pay the cancellation fee, that should be enough.
Although 50,000 yen was going down the drain, it was better than losing 500,000 yen, so I concluded.
A little later, Uchimura, who had returned with Yuki's figure, hesitated for a moment and handed the figure to me.
"Can you please give this to Yuki?"
"Yes? Why this?"
"After hearing Miyazaki's story, I felt embarrassed because it might be unpleasant for Yuki. I only gained a favor from her, and yet, I made her a spectacle for others. Do you understand what I mean?"
Well, for other people, it's fine. They'd probably think of her as 'Hasagawa Miyuki', but...
At that moment, Miyazaki, who was sitting next to me, smiled at Uchimura.
"As expected, Mr. Uchimura is kind."
"I'll be more careful when making figures next time."
After apologizing again to us, Uchimura left his seat.
"Excuse me, hold on a moment."
The one who stopped him from leaving was me. I took out 200,000 yen from my wallet and handed it to Uchimura.
"Consider this money as the value I paid for the artwork you made. Think of it as my purchase price. You deserve it for creating such an excellent piece."
"T-Thank you."
"Oh, and by the way, do you happen to like games?"
"Y-Yes! I'm a huge fan of Pentagon Soft!"
In response to Uchimura's enthusiastic answer, I took out a business card and a game cartridge from my bag and handed them to him.
"I'm Kang Junhyuk, the head of the second development team at Pentagon Soft. The game on this cartridge is a demo of a game we're aiming to release in the first half of next year. There may be some bugs, but try playing it once, and please contact me."
Accepting the new game from me, Uchimura asked, "Is it a romantic game like 'The Streets Without Me'?"
In response to Uchimura's question, I smiled and replied, "No."
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