If one day I am no longer a Mob?

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    Shimotsuki follows me around a bit.?

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    “Ufufu, I’ve never been to a friend’s room before. Do you know the rules of etiquette for this kind of situation, Nakayama-kun?　When you go to your boy friend’s house for the first time, there is a certain etiquette that you must follow, you know? I’ve been wanting to try it ever since I saw it in an anime.”?

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    She was eager to see my room, so I had no choice but to show her around.?

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    Shimotsuki is a strange girl, and she thinks I’m special. So when she asked to see my room, I couldn’t refuse.?

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    She really seemed to be looking forward to seeing my room, and her steps were light and fluffy. She looked as if she was almost dancing.?

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    “Etiquette? I don’t know. …… I don’t watch a lot of anime.”?

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    “Eh? Nakayama-kun, are you insane? I don’t see the point of living if you don’t watch anime. …… Could Nakayama-kun be dead? That’s terrible, you’re my friend, you have to come back to life.”?

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    “No, I’m not dead.”?

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    When I answered with a chuckle, she let out a happy giggle.?

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    “Of course I know. That was just a joke. If it were possible, I would have liked Nakayama-kun to make a comeback saying, `I’m not dead yet,’ but I’ll give you a pass. I also like comedy shows, so I know a lot about them.”?

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    This girl has quite a lot of interests.?

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    And she is the type of person who mistakenly thinks she is an expert in a field just because she has heard about it.?

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    Yeah, …… Well, it wasn’t very interesting, whether it was the comedy or the jokes. Shimotsuki is pretty clumsy, so the quality of everything she does is surprisingly low.?

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    And so, we arrive at my room.?

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    The reason why we’ve been talking so idly is because I’ve been slowing down.?

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    I was hoping that maybe Shimotsuki would change her mind, but she was still determined to get into my room.?

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    “So this is it, huh? Okay, I’m coming in! Now, I’ll give you the answer …… The first thing you should do when you first go to a boy’s room is to look for a naughty book! I’ve been wanting to try this since it’s a standard anime rule!”?

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    Shimotsuki enters the room with great enthusiasm.?

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    Perhaps she’s getting excited, but her voice has been loud since a while ago.?

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    Since we were in a situation where it was just the two of us, of course her shyness was not triggered.?

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    Maybe it was because she was so shy, but now she was also loud.?

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    “Now, where could it be! Under the bed? Or in the back of a drawer? Maybe in a closet? I saw a movie about a treasure hunter the other day, so I’m probably pretty good at treasure hunting. There’s nothing I can’t find!”?

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    With that, Shimotsuki starts rummaging through my room.?

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    I watched her absentmindedly.?

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    Normally, I might be in a panic, but …… unfortunately, no such interesting events happen to me.?

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    Because I don’t have any hobbies.?

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    In the first place, I don’t like anything.?

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    The truth is that I don’t really know much about naughty books either.?

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    Perhaps it is the nature of a sad mob character, but …… I have no personality.?

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    It’s like I don’t have a set of principles or assertions that can be called a personality…… It’s a bit meta, but that’s how it is.?

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    So, I’m sorry to disappoint her, but …… no matter how hard she looked, there was nothing interesting in this room.?

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    “Um, Shimotsuki? I’m sorry, but I don’t have any naughty books, okay?”?

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    Sorry, but I’ll make sure to let her know.?

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    “I don’t have any hobbies or preferences, so I don’t …… have any of those tastes or entertainment items.”?

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    As I said this, I felt a little ashamed of myself.?

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    I can’t even be normal, I’m just a mob character, I thought.?

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    Looking at this room from a bird’s eye view, I can clearly see that I have no personality.?

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    The only furniture in the room is a bed, a study desk, a closet, and a shelf.?

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    The room was equipped with a set of study tools, a change of clothes, bedding, a few things for later use, and no entertainment items.?

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    I don’t think a plain room is an appropriate place for Shimotsuki to be.?

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    Somehow, I wanted to leave the room. I felt that it was not appropriate for a nice girl like Shimotsuki to be in such a place.?

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    However, Shimotsuki laughed at me for being so sneaky.?

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    “Mmm, I see. …… I’m sorry, but I cannot make any promises. I was looking forward to it, but it can’t be helped. Nakayama-kun is a very strange boy, not having any hobbies. I’m getting more and more curious and excited.”?

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    In front of me, Shimotsuki never lets her expression fade.?

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    She affirmed the parts of me that I thought were bad, as if they were part of my charm.?

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    She was like an angel.?

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    “Then I’ll teach you lots of ‘fun’. I’ll be your hobby teacher……. Wow, that’s great. I’ve been playing by myself for so long that I’m starving for a friend to play with, and I think it’s a win-win for both of us!”?

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    Teaching your hobbies ……, doesn’t that mean you just want to play together??

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    For a moment, I thought so, but I was very grateful for the offer.?

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    I wondered if even a colorless mob character like me could be colored.?

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    If I, a mob character, could have a personality, …… I thought, that would be a very, very good thing.?

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    If I could establish my own existence and stand on the stage of the story in a position where I am not a mob character.?

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    Maybe then I’ll be able to look at …… Shimotsuki in a much different light.?

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    To be honest, I’m afraid to be in the position of being her friend right now.?

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    I wish I could be brave enough to say “I like you” to her more as an equal, for example……