As I drank the soda, I explained the subculture that had been popular in Japan before my reincarnation as simply as I could.
“But anime is for kids,” Shingo said, looking doubtful. “You can’t just suddenly start making anime that’s aimed at everyone.”
“I know. That’s why the first step is character art. We can start by selling posters.”
“Art? But if no one understands the art style, then who’s going to draw it? Don’t tell me you’re going to draw it all yourself?”
“That’s right. I’ll draw it myself. What I’d like you to do is take my art and sell it in online auctions. If it actually sells, I’d like you to invest when we take it to the next level.”
Shingo’s right. If I don’t make the initial images myself, I won’t be able to express the art style to other people. I’ll just have to try my best. I’ve gotten pretty good at drawing after being involved in the Creation Program that Mom started. I’ve made some simple design sketches. I think this is going to work out.
The problem is what to draw on. Drawing on ordinary paper would be a little boring. I could make a painting on canvas, but then I’d have to stretch and wet the canvas first. I’d also have to get ahold of specialist painting tools.
What I need is something unusual that’s easy to get hold of here in the Hakone base. A front armor plate from a powered suit could work. If I take a scrap armor plate from the scrap heap, paint it white, paint an image over the white background, and then spray a protective coating over the finished painting, I could easily throw together a highly durable poster.
“Buh hee! Okay. I’ll decide whether to invest after seeing how well it does in the auction.”
“All right,” I said. “First we need to try making something. Let’s go get a suit’s front armor plate to use as a canvas! We’ll also need to borrow some paint and tools for working with armor.”
“Ah... You’re going to paint on an armor plate?! Won’t we get in trouble?” Shingo still looked doubtful.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to use scrap parts. This sort of fancy material is going to grab people’s attention. Hey, Kon! Come with us.”
Kon came running over with a half-eaten chocolate bar held in her mouth. I picked her up and was about to leave, but then we heard the doorbell again.
It was too early for Alice and Megumi to be back, and Macho Man and Mom were on Noa Island. I can’t think of anyone else who’d visit my room.
Unsure what to expect, I opened the door to find Baldy standing outside and looking as stern as always.
“Oh. Long time no see,” I said. “Did something happen?”
Baldy smiled at me wryly and said, “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just making the rounds. Mrs. Arakawa asked me to drop in on you once in a while. It looks as though you’re about to head out somewhere?”
The sight of us in our jackets and preparing to leave seemed to have made him curious. I wasn’t sure whether I should be honest and tell him we were going to the scrap heap. He’d ask why we were going there, and it’d be hard to explain. On the other hand, I felt like there’d be trouble if we didn’t tell him and he found out later.
Before I could make a decision, Shingo went ahead and answered the question himself.
“Buh hee! We’re about to go to the scrap heap on the third level. We need to find a powered suit’s front armor plate so Kouki can paint a picture on it.”
“Huh, he wants to use an armor plate for a painting? That sounds just like Kouki. But what kind of picture do you want to paint?”
“We’ll explain while we walk there,” I told him. “It’ll take a long time to explain everything. It’ll be quicker just to show you the painting.”
“Then I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind.”
Now I’m going to have to explain things to Baldy on the way there, I thought with a sigh. On the plus side, having a responsible adult with us should make it easier to borrow the tools.
I was a little annoyed about having to repeat the explanation I’d just given to Shingo as I picked up Kon again and stepped out of the room.
As we walked along the corridor, I explained to Baldy that this world didn’t just lack the concept of anime and manga, but was lacking a subculture like that altogether.
Baldy knitted his brow and asked, “Is this the kind of thing you’re talking about?”
He showed us the personal terminal he was carrying. I was speechless when I saw the image he was using for his desktop. To me, it looked a little old-fashioned. In my previous life, his desktop image could have been described as a 1980s style loli bunny girl.
Has this sort of thing been gaining popularity without me realizing?
Feeling concerned, I asked him, “What is this? Is there some kind of specialist website where you can find this sort of image?”
“No, it’s... Well... I drew it.”
“Huhhh?!”
Wait just a minute! This old guy who looks like the sort who’d erase anyone who gets in his way drew a picture like that? He’s got to be lying. I can’t even believe someone like him would have any interest in something like this.
He noticed how shocked Shingo and I looked and threw his hands up in front of his face. “Wait! I don’t know what the two of you are thinking, but I’m not into little girls or even young girls! I mean, I don’t exactly hate them. I like them in the sense that I find them cute. And I don’t mean that in a weird way.”
“We get it! Calm down! Shouting about ‘little girls’ in the middle of this corridor just makes you sound like a pervert.”
“Ahh. Sorry. It’s not like me to lose my cool like that. Anyway, I can explain this, so you can stop looking at me as if I’m some sort of criminal, Shingo.”
I looked over at Shingo and saw that he really was staring at Baldy as if he was a criminal. And he was doing something with his terminal...
That’s the emergency report screen for making reports directly to the security department!
“Whoa, Shingo! Let’s at least hear him out. You can decide whether to report him afterward.”
“Buh hee?! Sorry. I reacted on instinct.”
Now that Shingo had come to his senses, he stopped making the report to the security department.
This feels awkward. We’d better let him give us his excu— his explanation. I glanced at Baldy to urge him to continue.
“I used to be in the Russian armed forces,” he explained. “Toward the end of my service, I was in a special forces unit attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I started out in the air force. I painted aircraft nose art. My job was to paint a personalized image on each plane to suit the aircraft or the pilot’s personality. That’s how I learned to draw.”
“I see. I understand how you learned to draw, but why is the image of a little girl on your desktop?”
“Oh? Ah... Just like now, there weren’t many women in the armed forces back then. I got a lot of requests for sexy girls when I was painting. But I’m into cute girls more than sexy girls, so I still use a picture of a little girl as my personalized image.”
So it is what you’re into! I don’t mean to judge, but maybe we really should report him to the security department. I had no idea how to deal with Baldy after hearing him passionately explain his interests to us while continuing to act like a perfect gentleman.
“Different people are into different things,” Shingo said, sounding tired. “I don’t want to judge. Since you can draw, will you help Kouki with his work?”
That’s not a bad idea, I decided. The image that he drew is a little different from what I had in mind, so it’ll help us determine what’s popular with the people of this world. And it seems as though he likes making this sort of art and has some understanding of subculture. He might actually be a useful ally.
With that in mind, I decided to repeat the same request I’d made to Shingo in my room.