Trash is a Kusoge-hunter; a freelancer who dives through the dozens of used electronics shops in the Japanese geek capitol of Akihabara, looking for rare items to flip. Kusoge, or shitty-games, can fetch a good price, especially over internet auctions, and Trash knows all the secret shops.

He has reluctantly agreed to meet in person with one of his best customers, an American otaku entrepreneur. He needs Trash to help negotiate a new kind of deal, something he has never done before. Meetings IRL are not something Trash is comfortable with, but the payday could really help him out of a jam.

A twist in the deal will drag Trash into an adventure far outside of his comfort zone and very much against his will, but it might give him a chance at a reward far beyond his expectations.

You are invited to join Trash on on a journey from the used game shops of Akihabara to the fashion trendmakers of Shibuya. More real than travel books and YouTube videos; an immersive dive into the real streets of a Tokyo most people never knew existed.

A new chapter every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

[Winner in the April 2024 Royal Road Writathon challenge]

Original book cover includes composited works under CC Attribution licenseAttribution to Sarah (ditch oh echo), (Flickr)Attribution to Guilhem Vellut, (Flickr)

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