I'm not lonely with LOVEPLUS! 2009 X'mas @ Akiba Souken (part1 of 2)

Hello again, it's me AS (Akiba Souken Staff).  It's that holy night once again called "Christmas Eve".



Christmas Eve and Christmas is an annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, but here in Japan it has been presented from a lover's point of view becoming a day for couples to walk around around the town cheerfully.

This event has nothing to do for people like Akiba Souken staff where we scrabble around Akihabara chasing PC parts and otaku related items only to find ourselves mumbling "I'm too busy organizing a Christmas event for my net-game party ^^; "   "I guess it's watching Akashiya Santa Special on TV alone again..." or  "I'll be having cake with my  (2D) wife" .

But that is now behind us. Thanks to "LOVEPLUS" , the dating sim video game released this September we have finally gotten ourselves "girlfriends"! Now that we have become "Rea-jyu (Japanese net-slang meaning people having a fulfilled "real" life)s with girlfriends:

AS: "Having a girlfriend of my own, I don't feel anything against couples in town"
Z:  "Me too!  I feel like cheering for guys trying hard to pick up girls in bars"
H:  "That's the mental cushion of the "Rea-jyu ", huh"
AS: "And as Christmas just around the corner, dou you 2 have any plans?"
Z:  "Well...was thinking of just chillin' with my girlfriend at home"
H:  "I'm thinkin' of dressing up and going to a nice restaurant. And going to a place to see a nice night view...heh heh"
AS＆Z: "Whoa! But isn't going to a restaurant a bit out of our league?"
H:  "You think?"
AS: "Why not having a party together?"
H＆Z:  "That's a great idea"
AS: "Then to commemorate us becoming couples, let's hold a christmas party with our girlfriends ^^ "
H&Z:   "Yeah ^^ "

So that's how we got to hold a Christmas party together.

Christmas party calls for chicken (or turkey), champagne and Christmas cake. Wondering which cake to prepare, H, who checks out the official website everyday told us that "There will be a limited sales of Manaka, Rinko and Nene version Christmas cakes on December 23rd". Checking out the official website, we found out that there will be sold at 3 different shops but the shops will be kept secret until 8 am of that day.

"We've got to buy it !" for our girlfriends, we gathered at our office at 7:30, checked the official website at 8 and headed to the shops.

At last 8am has arrived. The cake shops "Merveille" at Koenji (Rinko version), "SNOB'S HEART CAFE" at Harajuku (Manaka version) and "gooddayforyou" at Roppongi (Nene version), were uploaded on the official website.

All shops were located 20 to 40 minutes away by train from the office and knowing we didn't have a good start compared to people who were on stand by at Shinjuku and Shibuya, still we rushed to the shops. Having 100 cakes at each shops, we were sure to be there in time. I, Rinko guy rushed to Koenji while checking 2ch BBS's "LOVEPLUS" thread, Manaka guy H to Harajuku and Nene's love Z headed to Roppongi.

Checking 2ch's "LOVEPLUS" thread while waiting for the train, the line was about 60 at 8:27, relieved thinking "I just might make  it"

But what awaited me was the cruel reality...

Getting off Shin Koenji Station, a long line of people holding their Nintendo DS vertically straight to the small cake shop. Undoubtedly, LOVEPLUS gents. Headed to the end of the line blown away of the line in just under an hour, a staff holding up a "Sold out" sign was standing there....

According to the staff holding the sign, I was very close rats.  There was even a gentleman that came by taxi right before selling out, showing the drive for the 100 cakes.

The other other shops were sold out before they could line up, meaning we had to face Christmas eve without a single cake....

What awaits our first Christmas party together with our girlfriends....(to be continued)