The Villainous Uncle in the Adult Game Gets Unusually High Praise from the Heroines - Chapter 5

I had long since sensed that something was strange from the beginning, but now things had truly taken a bizarre turn. Here I was, having tried to extort money from a man I’d just met today, and after thinking I’d escaped his lecture, I somehow found myself following him.

Though my mind recognized the strangeness of the situation and suspicion lingered within me, some inexplicable force drew me to follow in his footsteps. We walked, step after step, until finally—

“This is my house.”

We reached our destination at last, where a nameplate read “Tendo”. The name struck a familiar chord, though I quickly dismissed the thought as impossible.

“Well, come on in.”

“Ah, yes.”

Following his lead as he opened the door, I nervously stepped inside. The house was expansive—far too large for someone living alone. 

Though there might have been other residents, the complete absence of shoes in the entryway felt oddly jarring, as if everything had been recently cleared out. Still, that was his business, not something I needed to question.

I followed him deeper into the house, past the living room and up the stairs until we reached a door on the second floor. 

“Here it is, come in,” he said, opening the door and gesturing for me to enter. I timidly stepped inside and my eyes widened in surprise. Because there before me was—

“Wow…”

A computer setup that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie’s robot cockpit, with multiple monitors and what appeared to be a gaming chair that promised comfort. But what caught my eye the most was—

“Eh, a graphics tablet…”

A LCD tablet, worth hundreds of thousands of yen, the kind every artist dreamed of owning, sat prominently on the desk.

“Eh, eeh. Oji-san, eeeh!?”

“Your vocabulary seems to be deteriorating.”

“O-Oji-san, if you have something like this, are you perhaps actually an artist?”

“No, unfortunately these are just hobby items. I’m not very skilled.”

Despite saying that, the computer showed signs of use, suggesting he might actually be more experienced than me. Just knowing that made me feel somehow closer to him mentally.

“You can use these while you’re here.”

“Really!?”

“However, there are conditions.”

He addressed me with an extremely serious expression.

“First, you must attend school properly. Education is important.”

“That’s…”

“Can you promise?”

“Y-yeah. I understand.”

It was a weekday, and despite my casual clothes, he must have immediately realized I was skipping school when he saw me in that place.

“Second, when you come here, even if you need to lie to your parents, don’t just leave home without saying anything. At least tell them you’re going to a friend’s house.”

“Eh?”

“They’ll worry otherwise, your parents.”

That made sense too. I nodded once more.

Then, finally, he said, “Even if you might have to give up on your dream, promise to try your hardest until the end.”

“…”

“You might face setbacks and obstacles in the future. But even when you see that possibility, promise me you’ll see it through to the end.”

“…Yeah, I understand.” I nodded firmly. “I won’t give up until the end. I’ve decided that I’ll definitely become an illustrator.”

“In that case, yes. I can let you use these items with peace of mind.”

With a smile, he extended his hand to me. This was—for a handshake? I also reached out my hand and grasped his.

” Takeshi Tendo. Come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet, have we?”

Ah, that’s right. I’d completely forgotten. It was strange, even to myself—following someone whose name I didn’t even know, without a shred of caution. But looking at the result, this could be seen as one step forward toward my dream. He had given me a chance to fulfill it. Feeling grateful for that, I decided to introduce myself as well.

“I’m Tomoe Hinomoto. You can call me Tomoe, if you want.”

“Tomoe-chan. Nice to meet you.”

And so we firmly shook hands. That was our meeting—the moment I took my first step toward my dream.