Sometimes it is hard to go against a group. Even when no one is forcing you to follow. Especially when they hold strong convictions. Especially when you feel you might lose something important if you don’t follow.
You ignore risks. Ignore how uncomfortable some people feel about this, and how their mood changes because of it. You even forget why you were initially doing something. The moral ambiguity of not knowing if what you are doing is right or not because there is no clarity. But somewhere within you, you feel it is wrong because it doesn’t bring you joy, even when you feel you are succeeding.
Sometimes it is braver to hold your initial ground, do things the right way, and risk a loss, than following.
I chose to follow…
…
{Com-link activated}
- “Kiken, no… That girl is just a cosplayer from a character in one of the author’s previous works… No, she’s not trying to steal John away, she’s just in character… Hey, you can’t say that word… I’ll have you know; she is a beautiful and confident woman that loved the protagonist dearly… No, I’m not saying that because she has big b- Hold that thought…”
<KLTZZZ>
- “What’s up Panchikikku?... Yeah, I know she didn’t say when she’d meet up with you guys again… (Sigh). Yes, she is probably thinking of losing you in the crowd until the convention is over… No, I can’t tell you where they are, it’s part of the rules… Yes, I know she practically dragged him away… No, I don’t think it counts as forcing him since he let himself be dragged while laughing… Yes, I know he is oblivious, he is my best friend… Ok… Hear me out, and calm down, remember this is for all of you and john… If you want to meet up, think of the direction they went, look for a map, and consider what you might find in that direction, look for an alternate route, and hope for the best… Yes, I am an idiot and should have started by saying that, but you could have thought of it too… Yeah, we are both idiots… Wait, hold up…”
<KLTZZ>
- “Gita… No, the music part starts after the cosplay competition… It’s on your schedule, you still have time… Yeah, I’m having fun… This is fun if I’m being honest… You are having fun?... Ok good to know… Oh crud, you are right… I’ll call both girls and tell them to not forget to get food for themselves and John… Oh… Before I forget, like I told Panchikikku, think of where you last saw John go, look for a map, consider what is there, and take an alternate route hoping for the best… Yes, I’ll make sure I eat… no don’t worry, I’ll be fine on my own…”
This is me, Toyohama, Niokurunin… known by most as Nio… You are probably wondering why I am narrating on my mind right now. The answer is the same as to why I make constant comments about plot armor, cliches, and plot twists… it helps my mind process some of the insane things that happen in my life… And sometimes it helps me calm down thinking I am a character in a story.
I believe everyone is the protagonist of their own story, it’s only up to you if you choose to view yourself as a secondary character in the story of someone else. You see, I am not the protagonist of this rom-com… That would be John… Just as these girls that like him, are the protagonists of their own romantic ‘Shoujo’; as I… I am the protagonist of this incoherent mess.
And I’m proud of it. I mean, how else would you explain the fact I am currently guiding three girls attempting to get the attention of the same guy on the same day when there were better options than this if I were not a protagonist? This has to be a shipper’s dream… But my only concern is that ultimately these are real people with feelings… But in the end, they chose this path, and I promised to support… I trust they know what they are doing… And can only hope they don’t go too far or ruin their friendships over this…
- “Hey boy, are you lost, you look disoriented… And have been standing talking to yourself for- No way… Are you dressed like Haru* from ‘Naxel Planet’?”
- “OMG… KUROHIMEYUKI FROM ‘NAXEL PLANET’ AS WELL?! YOUR COSPLAY IS ON POINT!”
- “So is yours! (Gasp)… You are a little smaller and thinner, but even the hair is on point… That’s impressive.”
- “This may sound weird, but can I take a selfie with you?” (Gleefully excited).
- “Sure, thing boy… I can’t pass this up… No one in our group was able to pass like him, and we tried… Here, say: ‘cheese’!”
- “'CHEESE’!”
- “'CHEESE’!”
- “Anyway, my friends are dressed as Tamu and Chimu. Want to come and get a group photo?”
- “DO I? (Excited). Also, don’t worry, I’m not lost, I’m using a com-link to guide my friends to the convention… Let’s just say they need the guidance, so if you see me talking a lot, it’s me checking on them.”
- “No problem, dude, totally feel you, by your personality, you’ll totally get along with the guy dressed as Tamu, as while his character is very serious and collected, my friend who dresses as him, may look the part, but fails, completely at acting it?”
- “HA! Been there?”
Oh gosh, this place is awesome… These people… They get me… They love anime rom-coms like me, I’ve seen a couple of them on Mattpad looking at fanfics, just like me. These are my people… Ok, focus, this isn’t just about you… It’s about your friends… Guide them properly, remember the plans each of them relaid to you, keep the schedule in the front of your mind, and ship, ship, SHIP! Become one with matchmaking. Be fair and just. In the end, it is John’s choi- OMG… it’s…
- “…the illustrator for ‘Mother of the Giantess Dormitory!’”
- “Woah there boy, you look way too young to be reading that manga!” (Smirkingly concerned).
- (Serious). “You do not know what these eyes have seen for the sake of a good story.”
- “Feel you there buddy. Sometimes you wish they would cut back the fanservice a bit, but then again, that manga barely has any plot…”
- “I read it because it makes me feel a weird comfort seeing the protagonist being cared for by that many caring and wacky girls after what he went through…”
- “You know what kid… You and my group will get along just fine!”
<KLTZZ>
- “Excuse me there Kurohimeyuki, it’s one of the friends I told you about.”
- “Go ahead, I’ll call my friends, while you do your thing.”
{Com-link active}
- “Hello, Kiken…”
- << “Nio, the other girls just showed up… Did you tell them where I was?” >>
- “What? No… You know that is against the rules… I just told them to consider the direction you took, look at a map, and hope for the best.”
- << “UGH… Yeah… I guess I can’t blame you for that…” >>
- “Anyways, you are eating now aren’t you, you are just sharing a meal with the others, it’s not the end of the world, you still have almost half the day to do your thing, if john accepts of course… “
- << “I have full faith that my beloved Johnny will choose to spend the rest of his time with me. You should have seen the dreamy look on his happy face when we looked at the collectible pin stand… If it weren’t for that cosplaying brat, it would have been fully perfect. We could have kissed even.” >>
- “I think you are exaggerating the last part… Remember the smoothie stand that serves those special smoothies that look like the ice creams sold by those girls that sing the ‘Ice cream song’*… Where are you now?”
- << ‘The Takoyaki stand that has the guy dressed like the blonde con-man from that anime…>>”
- “Ah, Reigen*… I saw his stand in the middle. From there, take a left, then another, and you’ll find the smoothie stand at the end.”
- << “Thanks… And I guess I might have exaggerated on the almost kissing part…>> ”
- “Figures… Bye…”
<KLTZZ>
- “Panchikikku…”
- << “Where is that arcade that looks like the one from that anime based on playing video games from the 90s… The one where most characters are CGI… The one you told me about?” >>
- “Assuming you are at the Takoyaki stand as Kiken said, you’ll have to look for the big red flag, I’m sure it can be seen from there, then take two rights, and one left. It’s a huge place. Remember that the ‘Street Brawler’ machine tends to fill up to the brink with players.”
- << “Sure thing… Thanks Nio… Now how to convince him…>> ”
- “Today you are on your own in that respect…”
<KLTZZ>
- “Gita…?"
- << "I suggested Takoyaki, and John beamed at me!…" >> (Happy).
- " Good for you… I think you know him a little too well, not to Kiken’s standards, but you know why that is…”
- << “And what have you been doing?”>>
- “Well, I met a girl dressed as Kurohimeyuki, and she is guiding me to her group of friends to take a group photo of us in cosplay since we are dressed as characters from the same anime!”
- << “You didn’t tell me you were wearing cosplay…” >>
- “I don’t tell you everything…”
- << “Hmmmph…” >>
- “I can hear you pouting… Don’t know how that is possible, but I can… OOOH… Make sure John sees you, He’ll be all over how cute your pout looks!”
- << “Stop teasing me… Hey, do you think John would like to go to that music tent with the cardboard covers for that new music anime with the awkward girl protagonist?” >>
- “Don’t know, but remember, not everything has to be something only he likes. You can check out things you like as well… Invite him and see if he’d like to go do something you want to do. Balance is important, you already suggested Takoyaki, even when it’s not your cup of tea, see if he budges your way.”
- << “Ok… Ok… I will Thanks Nio… Hey John, I was wondering if after this you wanted to go see that music tent with me?” >>
Oh…
OOOH!
THE GUTS ON THAT ONE. To ask John out without cutting the com. Never expected it out of Gita… Just Waoh…
- (Faraway sounding) << “Huh… Sure thing Chowa… Sounds fun.” >>
He said yes…
- << “HE SAID YES!” >>
(Whisper-scream).
- “Nice one Gita… What a total Lady Chad… Bye got to go, contact me for anything…”
{Com-link out}
- “Hey, Haru, got a location on my friends! Come on!”
- “Sure thing, can’t wait to take that pic.”
- “Me neither, they should be right around-”
- “NIO!”
- “FASSHON!”
- “You two know each other behind the cosplay?”
- “Sweet… That’s so cool!”
- “Fasshon, I didn’t know you were into cosplay. And how the heck did a gal like you manage to pass so well as the ‘childhood friend trope’ that Chimu embodies?”
- “Like, a gal has her secrets, and this was totes Kuro’s idea not mine.”
- “So, your name is Kuro… And you cosplay as Kurohimeyuki?”
- “Yep… Funny right…”
- “And what’s your name?”
- “Oh, my name is Haru?”
- “Ha, ‘that’s not confusing!’”
- “Tell me about it. I wanted to be Haru, but the look doesn’t suit me… But it suits you to a T my man.”
- “Thanks man… So, are we going to take that pic?” (Excited).
<KLTZZ>
- “Ok, let’s do this. And after, you have to, like tell me how the heck did you get that mess of a hair, to like, look so fancy looking, Nio.”
<KLTZZ>
- “Ok… Do you want us to pose like the characters would, or just smile.”
<KLTZZ>
- “Whatever floats your boat Haru…”
<KLTZZ>
- “Ok, first…like… What the heck is that noise… It’s totes annoying!”
- “Oh, that’s my com-link that’s going on. I’m communicating with my friends through it… (Impressed). Good ear, I thought no one would hear the transmission changes unless they had it on.”
- (Shocked). “Wait… Hold on… Like, you are on a match-making endeavor, on your, own birthday?!”
- “His birthday?”
- “His birthday?”
- “My birthday?... Oh… OHHHH! So that is why I bought so many tickets two months ago… To celebrate with my friends… Dang, I completely forgot! I wanted every one of my friends from school to come, to celebrate, but I just told them to use them for whatever reason, if they wanted… Man.”
- “You forgot your birthday?”
- “More importantly, you are like, missing out on your birthday due to shipping? And don’t think I ignored the fact you didn’t invite Cho for this!”
- (Blushes). “I sent it in the mail… Yours was along with hers... Since I don't know your address”
- “Ah… Right, like, she said she was grounded today. And she must have, like forgotten to give mine.”
- “And how did you know it was my birthday? (Curious). I never told you, the only one of my friends that knows is John, heck not even Ao-sen and Gita know.”
- “I called Jinna to ask if, like, she wanted to come, but said she was busy. Said to tell you 'happy birthday', if I saw you, knowing you might be here to celebrate!”
- “Oh, yeah… Jinna knows…”
- “Anyways, like… Give me that… Enjoy your birthday…”
- “What? No… They need me, I promised to help them, they have schedules, and plans to hang with the guy they like…”
- “What is going on Haru?” (Whispers).
- “Not sure Kuro, but it feels we are third wheeling on an argument between friends.” (Whispers).
- “Like, just tell them to get a map or something…”
- “Look Fasshon, I know how this looks, but I’m having fun. I’m about to have a collective cosplay group photo. I’ve never done that. And I get to help my friends. I can multitask. I’m having a great birthday… I might have forgotten it was my birthday, but I’m enjoying it…”
Fasshon stared at, me with concern. I know she and her are not the closest friends, but we have bonded over talking about our respective friends. And I know she cares. I try to give her a reassuring smile. The sound of the com-link going off began to annoy my ears. Finally, she sighs.
- “Fine… But like, if I see you too distracted to enjoy yourself, I’m taking that off. What you do for others is important, and I know you like, like it, but so are you… Like, take time for you”.
- “Sure… In fact, I’ll only answer after we take the pic!”
- “That’s the spirit Haru the cosplayer, I was beginning to think this awkward conversation would never end… And did I just hear you are a matchmaker? (Mischievous voice). Think you can help me get together with a boy in my class?”
- (Mischievous). “Tell me who, when, and where?”
- “Like, Kuro… I can, totally hear you, and I won’t let you take more of poor Nio’s time, Cho barely gets to see him as it is…”
- “Oh… poo…”
And so the picture was taken.
<TRIIIIIIING!>
- “Oh, oh… My phone… Yeah… I know who it is… I’ll take my chances via com-link.”
{Com-link active}
- << “NIO!” >>
- “Sorry Kiken, I was distracted taking a picture…”
- << “A PICTURE!... WHILE CHOWA LEAVES WITH MY BELOVED! DID YOU TELL HER SOMETHING?!” >>
- “She asked me if John would like to go somewhere, and I told her to ask him…”
- << “URGH!” >>
- “Ok, Kiken, take one of the Nio dolls and squish it to calm yourself…”
- << “I might just squish the real thing!” >> (Danger voice).
- (Gulp) “Kiken…”
- (Exterior voice). “Hey, Nio, should I like, be concerned… Your breathing seems erratic… I’m taking the com-link away.”
- “No wait, it’s fine, just a moment…”
- << “A girl… You stopped helping me because of a girl! DOES SHE HAVE YOUR SUPPORT NOW?!” >>
- “No… She’s not even into him… Look, it seems that like I said this ordeal was a bad idea… How about we get you home, make you feel better, and I make a plan for just you and him, another day-”
- << “NO!... YOU’LL HELP ME NOW!” >>
- (Whispers). “Kiken, you are scaring me… You told me to bring you back… This is me bringing you back. Heck, I’ll even accompany you-”
- << “SHUT UP… I SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD YOU ANYTHING! Now, you tell me where they are!” >>
Ok… Not good… I’m tearing up… Fasshon is going to see it… Can’t let her…
- (Wobbly whisper voice). “Ok… ‘sniff’… You saw where they went yourself… I mean Gita asked him in your and Panchikikku’s presence, right?”
- << “Yeah… But when I went inside, they were gone?” >>
- (Wobbly whisper voice). “Ok… ‘sniff’… Then I don’t know… I haven’t heard from Gita or Panchikkiku since… And Gita doesn’t seem like the type of girl to disappear in a store, knowing you all wanted to hang out with John… Despite what I ‘sniff’ told her, I believe her kindness would still be her foil… So maybe something caught John’s eye, and he told Gita to follow… Go to the opposite end of the tent and get out, look both sides, and tell me what you see…”
- << “To the right poster of a green bunny-eared Batman-esque hero with tentacles coming from his back, and to the left a bunch of tents with carton covers of anime characters…>>”
- (Wobbly whisper voice). “Ok… ‘sniff’, look for the ones that have ‘Shonen’ character cardboards, specifically those that look action-based ‘sniff’… He likes those… Check them… Ok… That is all I can say, I swear… It doesn’t break the rules, and even if I were willing to break them, I don’t know where they are now… ‘Sniff”.”
- << “Nio… Are you crying?” >>
- (Wobbly whisper voice). “No ‘sniff’…”
- << “Nio I… Thanks…” >>
{Com-link out}
Lost my cool there… I don’t think that has happened in a while… Ok, breathe in and breathe out… Time to see if Fasshon and the others want to do something else… Maybe get something to eat… I’m kinda hungry.
- “Like, no one should be crying on their birthday…”
- “But... I wasn’t-”
- “Nio please, I may like Fashion, and dressing up, and like, talk like this, but I’m not stupid… And I, like care about you… Enough to not want you to feel sad on your special day… So, no complaining… I’m taking this. Your friends can handle their love life, without you for a day…”
- “Yeah man… Come hang out with us, we are an all-over-the-place crew, but we’re fun.”
- “Yeah Lil’ Haru cosplayer. Let’s show you a good birthday at this convention.”
- “I, like, may not be Cho, but I know a good time!... Let’s get some food first, I’m like totes starving.”
And so suddenly my plans for the day shifted. I had been so worried, scared, and concerned over my last conversation, that I forgot that I had to keep in touch with the other girls about their plans. Strangely, Panchikikku, didn’t call my phone to know what happened, and neither did Gita… Neither did Kiken… Which was a relief…
And so with Fasshon and her cosplay friends, I found myself laughing so hard that parts of the milkshake I was drinking poured from my nose. We had so much fun simply drinking sweet beverages and snacking, and right after that, we went to see the interview with the creator of ‘Shinjitsu no Koi’…
…
My plan… The one I ran through Nio… It went perfectly… Perhaps it was because I kept it too simple, or I don’t know… But I got to do all the things I wanted to do with John and barely communicated with Nio about it. Plus, after the non-planned invite to the music tent, we sort of kept getting distracted with other tents, many of which he wanted to see, some of which I wanted. Thankfully we reached the music presentation in time… But… What about my friends… Tsuki, and Utsukushi… They had plans too, yet I didn’t run into any of them afterward…
John was happy, but had I been fair? I mean, he dragged me to the first tent after the music one, without asking me to get the others. He is oblivious, perhaps I should have told him to get the others… I should do that now…
- “Hey, John… I think we should look for the others… We’ve been hanging out all day, and it’s getting late, and they hadn’t gotten to hang out with you…”
- “OMG you are right. I was having so much fun… Heh… I’m sure they are fine… They were having fun doing their own thing earlier. When Panchikky asked me to come to see the pretend ‘Slammer Summo’ fight. And when Kiken invited me to come to see collectible anime pins, I found them to be cool, but I don’t like pins much… But you… You invited me to Takoyaki… And don’t think I don’t know you don’t like it much, ‘cause I do…”
- (Blushes).
- “HAHAHA… Don’t be embarrassed, you were just trying to be nice… I think if I had kept going everywhere the others went, I might have dragged the mood down a bit… I was surprised when you invited me to see the music tent… It was so cool. Honestly, it just makes me more curious as to what that song you wanted me to hear is like… It’s so rare for you to want to share something you like with me, everyone, even Chiru tends to be more open about that, but you mostly tended to pay close attention to what I liked, trying it for yourself… it makes it fun to be around you, especially when I get to try what you like… So, I think they are fine… Thanks for letting me share your interests Chowa, and thanks for trying to share mine…”
Gosh… What am I going to do… If I blush more, I will collapse… Oh yeah… The song… I brought the correct recording this time… Should I call Nio to ask if now would be a good time? No… He needs his space too… He’s also probably been overwhelmed with talking to the others trying to find us… I just hope he has truly managed to enjoy today, and he didn’t say that just get me to ease my mind… I mean this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.
I can do this… Gita, Chowa is more than just a shy girl, I can be confident… Time to step up and-
- “I wonder why we haven’t seen Nio all day?”
- “Hmm?... Yeah… That is a bit strange… I know this place is big, but this is a celebration of the release of ‘Shinjitsu no Koi’.”
- “Yeah, I wonder why he hasn’t called me… Did he forget again?”
- “Forget… Forget what? Call you? Why?”
- “To celebrate of course. Today is his birthday… That’s why he gave us all these tickets.”
Blank.
“Anyways, enough doom and gloom. I just wanted to let you know… Oh before I forget… Take these!”
“Tickets? What for Nio?”
“An excellent question Miss Gita, they are tickets for a special convention for the most ambitious, MOST BIGGEST, ANIME ROM COM PROJECT OF THIS CENTURY, THE PREMIER OF ‘SHINJITSU NO KOI’!”
“Dear warrior, I do not believe that ‘most biggest’ is grammatically correct!”
“I know Ao-sen, I just wanted to sound epic.”
(Snort). “It just sounded silly though…”
“Ok, Ok I get it Chiru… Anyways, I bought a bunch of them two months ago, I think I wanted to invite you all… I don’t remember why though. You don’t have to go, but feel free to have fun with them.”
Tears…
I felt my eyes water… I hadn’t even considered the reason why he bought tickets… Heck, I didn’t even consider asking about his birthday. What kind of second best friend… No, I can’t just mope about it… I need to find him. Even if he forgot, he spent his day on a com-link with all three of us instead of celebrating. He was even against triple booking us, I didn’t even press the fact that he may have given those tickets to us, simply to hang together. No… This can’t keep up. My friendship with him is not just a contractual shipping arrangement. He is my best friend, I’m his second-best friend. We are going to celebrate the day he was born!
I start running…
- “Wait, Chowa… Where are you going?”
- “I don’t know, I just know I need to find Nio… He may have forgotten. Or perhaps he later remembered and decided to let us be without interrupting since he didn’t warn us beforehand… Perhaps he didn’t want to bother…”
- “You are right. That is something he would do… Do you have a map?”
- “Yes, here? But there are so many places in this convention that he might want to go, and it’s about to end…”
- “Here… If anything, my best friend powers are telling me that the interview with the creator is where he is… Let’s go Chowa!”
He grabbed my hand…
But I had no time to focus on that. It was Nio’s birthday!”
…
- “The movie will be great… EEEEEHEEEEHEEEHEEEHEEEE” (Incoherent Nio noises).
- “Yeah, I’m still not sure if premiering the movie along with the launch of the light novel and manga, is a good idea…”
- “Well, like, at least he explained his marketing strategy?”
- “Do you know marketing girl?”
- “Like, of course not, but daddy does, and I heard him talking about it once. By hearing this guy, I can, like, tell he knows his stuff.”
- “I’m just excited…”
- “Hey Nio, if anyone gives you any problems, like tell them Fasshon said no shipping on your birthday,”
- “Yeah…”
- “Thanks, but I’m sure it’s fine…”
- “NIO!”
- “NIO!”
- “Guys… Gita… John?”
They are running towards me… They’re going to make a scene… Well, it’s empty enough now… Is Gita mad at me?
- “Like you have some nerv-”
- “HMPH”
- “Straight for a hug… Waoh…”
- “I’m sorry Nio, I’m so sorry… I didn’t know it was your birthday… And then when I found out, you weren’t answering… Why didn’t you tell me? Did you forget? Why didn’t I ask?”
- “It’s ok, I hung out with Fasshon, and new friends Kuro and Haru… The cosplayers I told you about… And if it wasn’t for Fasshon… I wouldn’t have known it was my birthday, turns out Jinna told her… How do you know?”
- “Right here buddy. You need to start telling people… We want to celebrate with you, bro!”
- “Sorry…”
All’s well and ends well. Afterward, we went to a cupcake shop and got some to celebrate. Then we split up, and now I was on my sweet, sweet bed. With an annoying john singing me happy birthday over and over, as punishment for not being able to spend the whole day together due to me forgetting. And so I placed him on mute for a couple of minutes, since I know he will sing, one minute for every hour we missed… That’s how he rolls… And so I closed my eyes and waited.
<BONG>
- “GMH!”
- “Shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh, shhh… It’s ok Nio… I just want the notebook…”
KIKEN?... BUT HOW? I HAVE A YANDERE Alert… Oh no… My security system…
- “You didn’t turn it on, did you… Nio…”
What I hadn’t known then… Was that what Kiken had shared with me, had opened her vulnerable side, one she tended to keep hidden most of the time behind eeriness... And that vulnerability, backfired, leaving her to easily misunderstand, doubt, and in ways regress. Like how betrayed she felt by Sanagi… Feeling like I betrayed her…
The bad end was here…
…
Well, this chapter was fun. Was a lot of stuff though. Nio finds himself in a predicament he wouldn’t have found himself in, had he been a bit more cautious. Kiken explains her actions, as Nio considers what lead to this… Next time, part three’s conclusion… Will Nio survive this encounter?
AN- I had a lot of fun in this chapter, although it turned very angsty by the end. As an anime weeb, having a chapter centered in a convention, I decided to put some references to some anime I enjoy. Some you might recognize perhaps. I changed the names of some, to have them in my story’s universe… I’ll explain some.
Shinjitsu no Koi, is a play at the anime called Nisekoi, a rom-com harem type, fun except when Chitoge is on screen, did not finish it.
Haru is the protagonist of Accel World, a great action anime, that could be considered isekai, and many of the character’s avatars look like mechs.
Kurohimeyuki, is a play at the name of the main heroine in Accel World, Kuroyukihime.
Tamu, and Chimu, are Taku, and Chiyu from Accel World.
Mother of the Giantess Dormitory is a play at the anime and manga, Mother of the Goddess Dormitory. Kind of a steamy rom-com. Hass an age gap, I still find it fun to watch.
The band anime with the awkward girl is a play at the protagonist from Bocchi the Roc, haven’t watched it, but have heard a lot of positivity about it.
Reigen, the blond conman, is a character from Mob Psycho 100.
The Batman-esque, green bunny-eared hero with tentacles on his back, is supposed to represent Vigilante Deku, from the Dark Hero Arc in My Hero Academia.
The anime girls singing the ‘Ice Cream Song” is something wholesome I found on Instagram and then searched on YouTube. Don’t know it’s anime, but it is quite an enjoyable song, I suggest you look it up.
Slammer Summos, is a play at the fictional saga that Ben likes in Ben 10.
