Living Honestly for What You Love

I've been into many things, from 2D to 3D, but I'm not the type to collect merchandise.
Part of it is because I have many favorites in various fields, but the biggest reason is probably that I don't want to leave any traces of being an otaku. Also, merchandise is expensive, isn't it? I tend to spend my money on things I consume, like theater performances or travel.

I've lived my whole life hiding my interests, so I only own things with conceptual designs that I can use in daily life at a glance, or items small enough to be quietly stored in the back of a shelf.
I've always thought that if my passion cools down someday, my desire for merchandise will subside too.

It happened the other day while I was eating a crepe in Osaka.
The shop was selling collaboration items with an anime, and it seemed like you would get a random character card if you bought the eligible items. Girls taking pictures of the collaboration items, boys happy that they got their favorite character from the cards. It was heartwarming, and I was envious.
I haven't enjoyed things that way before, so I felt envious of them having such a good time.

Speaking of being envious, there's one more thing.
Recently, one of my pleasures has been reading articles about pilgrimages to the sacred sites of Golden Kamuy, and I often see photos taken with acrylic stands or figures, or what is called nui-dori (plushie photography). In the midst of that, I see plushies where characters are dressed as animals. These are just plain cute. When I found out my favorite character was based on a cat,
I clicked 'buy' immediately.

I bought it on Sunday and the delivery was scheduled for Tuesday, but no matter how long I waited, the shipping notification didn't arrive. Many of the other characters were pre-order items, so I wondered if maybe this was a pre-order item too, but when I checked, there was no such indication anywhere.
“Lieutenant Cat, maybe you don't want to come to my place?” I thought, but feeling anxious that it was indeed late, I sent an inquiry email to the shop on Wednesday afternoon. The reply came on Thursday. It said, “Orders are congested, and it is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow!”

I was relieved that it would arrive safely. And then Friday came, and I safely welcomed the plushie into my home.
The moment it arrived, a terrible thunderstorm raged, and “Did you hate coming to my place that much?” is another story.

Since I went to the trouble, I decided to go out on a nice day to also enjoy some 'nui-katsu' (plushie activities).

The place I arrived at after a train ride was Maiko, a seaside town where the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge towers. It's one of my favorite places where the sea spreads out as soon as you leave the station.

I walked for about 15 minutes toward the Starbucks by the sea.

There are many cafes around here where you can have breakfast while looking at the sea, so it seems fun to explore various ones. After relaxing for about an hour, I headed to my next destination.

From the shrine grounds, you can see the Seto Inland Sea beyond the torii gate. A prayer was just taking place, so I prayed quietly so as not to disturb it.
The limited-edition goshuin (shrine seal) for days ending in 6 is a paper cutout and very beautiful, so I want to visit again on a date that matches.

If you go straight along the road in front of the torii gate, you can go close to the sea.

My first time doing 'nui-katsu' (plushie photography) was fun, but as a timid person, I think I can only do it where there are no people around. I'll continue to carry them around sneakily and enjoy it in private.

However, now I'm starting to want the ones available for pre-order too.
Ogata looks too cute, like Teto, so I want him. The Sergeant's 'mun-gao' (pouting face) dog is also cute. If I buy the Sergeant, I have to welcome Koito too, right? At this point, I have no choice but tocollect all the 'Ai-desu' members, and Horse Usami also has more charm the more I look at him, so they keep getting sucked into my shopping cart.
Also, I want Chief Kadokura; he's round and cute. It's a shame Kiraushi isn't there.

Once the purse strings loosen, they become completely wide open. At the beginning, I wrote something like'I'm not the type to collect merchandise (serious face)', but look at me now. Living surrounded by the things I love is fun.
Living honestly for what you love is the best!

If I could just gain the courage to care a little less about what others think, I think I could enjoy it even more.