Volume 5 – Gamers and Annihilated Game Over, Chapter 1 – Tasuku Uehara and Fanatic Gamer

Volume 5 – Gamers and Annihilated Game Over, Chapter 1 – Tasuku Uehara and Fanatic Gamer

Translator: your_pingas

Otobuki High School, Class 2F, Keita Amano.

There’re only two things important about this person.

“Normal” and “Loves gaming.”

From these two points, …even that doesn’t sum up his entire personality, it would be 70-80% of who he is.

First, there’s the “normal.” This is precisely what the word means. As long as you have a vague idea of what those every day, weak male protagonists look like in early dating sims, you’ll know the appearance of this Keita Amano guy. Not a strong-willed person, but not to the point where he just gives up on everything. Although he’s an introvert, it’s still possible for him to at least talk to people. His abilities are like a 3-star character in mobile games. Neither does he has an outstanding attribute, nor does he has a captain’s ability. To put it simply, he’s only a character that you’ll pay attention to once or twice whenever you’re packing your inventory. The same goes for the class in the real world, people only think of him whenever they’re changing seats or in a group activity. “Right, this person exists.”

However, for a period, he was at the center of the stage of a specific reason…If we’re using the mobile game as a metaphor again, it would be like he got a slight bonus buff during plot missions. Now that the event’s over, everyone’s view for him reverted back to normal…He’s gradually turning back into a 3-star character in another sense.

He’s “normal” everywhere. This is the boy, Keita Amano.

But, a guy like him has a part where it can be barely termed as personality.

That is the element of “loving video games.”

…Uh, on the surface, this seems like a dull personality. However, in the guy’s situation, he’s comparatively…tougher, I guess.

Let’s give a more concrete example.

He rejected a path straight towards victory in rom-com. A miraculous event of being invited to the club by a cute girl. He refused that because of some stupid difference in their gaming styles.

This introverted, cowardly, teenage boy then met a girl who’s the exact replica of him. However, when they met for the first time, they immediately started fighting each other over their opinion of gaming.

…To put it simply, he’s a guy with a slightly weird temper.

But he’s definitely not those light-novel protagonist with “Amazing gaming skills!” or “He’s talented at that type of game!” or even “He’s way more experienced in gaming than others!” He has none of that.

Even so, unbelievably, when it comes to the love of gaming, he did process a part that surprised everyone.

Also, it’s because of Keita Amano having a personality like this.

That’s why he became friends with me…Tasuku Uehara.

That’s why he became the boyfriend of the school idol Karen Tendou.

That’s why he even got his so-called rival, Chiaki Hoshinomori, to fall in love with him.

Everything’s caused by Keita Amano having a love of gaming at the bottom of his heart.

That’s supposed to be true…

…That’s supposed to be true…

“However, …a guy like that gave up his favorite game because of his friend’s girl, that’s a big problem!”

Late at night, …in my bed alone, I wrapped my hands around my head and bitterly vexed.

*

I knew that Amano had a close relationship with my girlfriend Aguri a long time ago. While I’m not sure of the exact reason, but they seem to have befriended each other and started making love inquiries, thereby kept on meeting.

Of course, I’m not too comfortable with it since I’m Aguri’s boyfriend. For a period, I’m getting a burning sensation of jealousy when I’m suspecting whether they’re cheating behind me.

However, some time ago, I heard Aguri’s explanation that she only treated Amano as a little brother. With that, my suspicions ended there…But then, things immediately happened.

I was forced to witness that scene.

“Amano readily prioritized Aguri over his love of gaming, and Aguri also played with him happily…That scene.”

The events in the arcade after school, I still can’t forget them.

I’ll skip the details here. But, both of them just did that in front of us…Me, Aguri’s boyfriend, Tendou, Amano’s girlfriend, and also Chiaki Hoshinomori, who fell in love with his gaming attitude. They showed how unbreakable their bond is.

“Although the two persons in question admitted that they didn’t do anything special…”

…Honestly, they didn’t do anything that can even be remotely considered as cheating. After everything we’ve been through, no one will feel that there’s any kind of impure relationship going on between the two. Moreover, everyone can see that the two are pure, innocent, and straightforward. It’s even giving me a warm feeling when I’m watching.

However, for some reason.

The two people that cared about each other’s love. It’s because of how beautiful that scene was.

The three of us have never felt so vulnerable before, and that’s a fact as well.

“I’ve finally realized that…this is already not about cheating anymore…”

I’m shivering even though I’m covered by a warm blanket.

I think Amano and Aguri are sincere towards Tendou and me, respectively. While it’s hard to say in the past, right now, I’m definitely not going to suspect their feelings. Sigh, I do wish for a change in Amano’s relationship, though…But that was a separate matter. I’ll hold it back for now.

Anyway, there’s no point in suspecting the two’s sincere love for their respective couple.

On the other hand, …an idea showed up in my head.

“Aguri and Amano...Do they share a deeper bond than between us, who’s their boyfriend and girlfriend?”

Among them, we still considered Amano to be the source of the problem, after all.

Love video games…No, you could already say that he’s a mild fanatic gamer, Keita Amano.

A big part of his character is his love for gaming. A guy like this, he’s willing to throw away this rare chance of getting the game he wanted and rushed here for someone else.

Even when you take away the love part, in the eyes of spectators like us, that’s like…

“Actually, I prefer cream filling than red bean paste!” [Note: A famous quote by Anpanman, I think?]

It’s hard to not feel shocked when you witnessed a scene like that. If this is a light novel with Amano as the protagonist or something, commentators will definitely think that the plot is going haywire.

At least, I even felt that this Keita Amano is a different person than the one that rejected the invitation of the cutest girl in the school…Karen Tendou because of varying gaming styles…If this feeling appeared In my mind who was just merely his friend, Karen Tendou, the girl was rejected by him before, and now Amano’s girlfriend. I can’t believe how much damage she took from that scene.

Also, Chiaki Hoshinomori, the girl that linked with Amano because of their shared bond in gaming. She seems to be unable to hold back her distraught over he throwing away his games for a gal as well.

Moreover, …I felt the same way about this.

“What the hell…What do you want…”

To try and vent out my frustration, I crumpled my blanket into a ball and wrapped it with my arms.

This feeling, which hasn’t appeared for a long time, had started to grow in my heart again…The anxiety of not being able to understand the person Keita Amano.

*

The smell of the compost carried by the wind is especially pungent today.

The first Friday of September. I lazily looked at the forage rolls peppered across the rural scenery as I dragged my feet, slowly walking on the street towards Otobuki High School.

Thanks to me leaving home a bit earlier today, I can’t see any of my classmates. Basically, most of Otobuki’s students take the bus to school. However, since I need to walk for 25 minutes on foot. For such a subtle distance, I will usually either take the bus, ride the bicycle, or walk based on my mood. Today’s situation is…I accidentally woke up too early, and I wish to have time to think alone, so I decided to walk to school.

Sparse clouds are floating over my head. I guess you can say today’s a sunny day. The breezes are way more refreshing than the past few days. Today’s probably the best day for walking.

Even so, there isn’t the slightest indication that the knots in my heart are unwinding.

“…What do I even want?”

I’ve finally pissed myself off since I’ve suspecting over so many things.

After all, in this situation, Aguri and Amano did nothing wrong. It’s just that I’ve one-sidedly acknowledged the two’s bond for each other and getting agitated over it. If I have to spew my anger on someone, there’s no one for me to do that aside from myself.

I don’t know if it’s related to stress or sleep deprivation, I’m feeling a headache whenever I tried to suppress my anxiety by scratching my head forcefully. I’m only getting even more irritated. This way, perhaps walking to school is a failure, my mind is going haywire at this point.

I let out a deep sigh before grabbing my phone out from my pocket. While it’s not good to walk while paying attention to your phone, but when you’re in a rural, desolate area with a straight road and wide views. Please just bear with me here.

Even so, it’s not convenient to walk while reading news online. So, I opened something that I usually won’t play, …but I installed it because of Amano’s brainless recommendation list of idle type and clicking type mobile games.

It looks like an indie mobile game with familiar sound effects and 8-bit elements. By using the resources accumulated through the passage of time or clicking (like money and experience) to level up the player, you can increase the profit efficiency before letting it go idle for a while. That’s how this game is played.

As for the actual game content, …for example, the character can earn 1 gold per minute initially. As long you level up it with money, it can make 10 gold per minute. So, the increased income can be used to strengthen the character and let it earn 100 gold per minute, then 1000…The value will increase gradually like this.

As for the things that the player can do, basically waiting for the character to make money. These types of games will usually continue to operate even after you closed the app, so you don’t need to pay attention to the screen. You can come back to check the character’s status or the amount of resources you have when you feel like it, leveling up the player in the process. Rinse and repeat.

Perhaps you will feel “where’s the fun part” just from hearing the summary alone, I didn’t find it compelling in the least bit at the beginning. However, it was surprisingly good after I tried it out. It’s like removing the tedious grinding part away in RPGs and just giving you the cheers of growth.

Of course, the price for omitting the tedious part is the emptiness that came with it. But, if we’re just talking about killing time, I guess it can be called an excellent form of entertainment.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I last checked…”

After staring at the loading screen for a long time, I realized I got a massive amount of money in stock since I didn’t check on it frequently. So, I immediately used all the money I had to level up my character. After a significant increase in strength, my character is showing a profit-earning rate that’s entirely different than it used to be.

“Nice.”

I was pleased with this situation but also feeling a bit regretful at the same time. I should have checked up on the character earlier. Even the idle time is equal, the difference in profit of 1 gold per hour and 1,000 gold per hour is vast. If there’s a trick in playing these idle-type games, it would be checking up on the status of the game frequently. …It was supposed to be an idle-type game, the trick is at not letting it idle for too long. What does this mean? Sigh, this means that it’s meaningless if you just let the resource accumulate without using it appropriately.

“…This is just like maintaining my relationship with Aguri, it’s all for nothing.”

I can’t help but mumble as I sarcastically remarked on myself. Then, I smiled bitterly.

I utterly don’t believe that…the feelings that I’ve accumulated with Aguri will lose to others that easily. However, …of the things that we’ve built up, did they convert to anything for us to step forward? Especially when we’re troubled by misunderstandings and accidents recently…No, am I just using this as an excuse to not face my lack of courage for taking that step forward?

In comparison, I don’t think I need to say anything about Amano to Tendou. Whether it’s me, Hoshinomori, and also Aguri…They didn’t accumulate a lot of feelings and memories, but they can always muster up the courage and step forward.

The reason for the “loner” guy to have earned a bunch of close friends in a couple of months isn’t just luck. It’s because the guy is already a man that will charge forward whenever he has the chance. If you think about it this way, it’s incredibly reasonable for him to quickly close off the distance with others. Although it makes sense…

“Why is Aguri on top of his list…He picked the wrong female protagonist, right…”

This classmate of mine still unconsciously chose to walk the path where no male protagonist should take even though he already had the qualities of one. Although it’s funny if you’re watching by the side, it’s overwhelming to be dragged into such an out-of-sequence event like this.

“Sigh…”

I let out a sigh before turning off the game and rudely stuffed my phone back into my pocket. Then, I rushed towards school.

Once I looked forward, I can see the back of a female classmate about 50 meters in front of me. Before I started to play on my phone, I think I didn’t acknowledge that person’s existence at all…Just as I’m feeling all that, I immediately realized the reason.

“…That’s slow.”

The girl’s walking speed is so slow that I’m suspecting whether she stopped or not. Also, her powerless walking is basically like a zombie. Her messy suit jacket is unusually wide open, her arms are sagging. Her flimsy neck is making her head shaking like a baby, and her hair is swinging chaotically.

Honestly, that person is so suspicious that I felt “not good” for a moment before wanting to distance myself from her. I thought about traversing the road to the opposite sidewalk and passing over as I shorten our distance. So…

“…Eh?”

As I’m approaching her, I’m increasing feeling familiar with her back and her temperament.

Although I hesitated in my heart, I still made up my mind and walked next to earn before mustering up my courage to see the person’s face.

“…Nina-senpai?”

“Eh? …Oh, it’s Fake Umehara…Good morning…”

The senpai that loosely looked up to me before giving a warm smile…Nina Oiso. What is this? It’s quite scary after I found out that I know this person.

Even though I felt a bit regretful trying to strike up a conversation with senpai, I still greeted her back with a stiff face.

“G-Good morning, senpai. Uh…”

Just as I’m hesitating with what I should say next, Nina-senpai stared at the sky shakingly before smiling creepily.

“…What a beautiful morning…Fake Umehara…”

“Are you really meaning that from the bottom of your heart!”

Honestly, even if I just heard that from a guy whose whole family was murdered, I would just feel slightly uncomfortable in my heart.

I freaked out this time. However, Nina-senpai tilted her head shockingly for a moment before giving me a mumble in realization.

“Ah, …that’s fine. This is just my bad habit…”

“Senpai’s whole family will be murdered once every morning!?”

“…What are you talking about, Fake Umehara? You’re still just as bafflingly disgusting as before…”

A suspicious person is suspecting me in the morning. What is this?

Nina-senpai lazily let out a sigh. Then, she gave me a look showing that her brain is finally “slightly” operational and explained to me.

“…Well, I got low blood pressure.”

“Uh, that wasn’t explainable with just a “low blood pressure,” right?”

“Ay, I guess you’re right…Even my parents begged me, “my daughter, please don’t act like you just got raped every morning…” Yep.”

“That’s severe if your parents used such strong words!”

“But, to me, being woken up is basically the same as being raped. So perhaps my parents are right…”

“How can your parents tolerate waking you up every morning!”

“…I always glared at my parents from the bottom of my heart whenever I’m eating breakfast…”

“No one can stand with you!”

Being treated as the perpetrator by the daughter every morning, what a poor family.

“Even so, …I can’t keep this attitude while entering school…”

“I would’ve called the cops if I’m a teacher.”

“So, that’s why I’ll be like this in the morning, …going out my way and walk to school…so I can wake up…Zzz.”

“Eh, you just dozed off there! Walking isn’t working for you!”

“It’s okay…I’ll immediately boost myself up when I’m near the school gate, and people start looking at me…Think about it…I’m quite knowledgeable about how our society works…”

“No, senpai. I’m looking at you right now…”

“…Uh, so?”

I feel like she’s genuinely tilting her head to express her confusion. Hmm, …it seems that…with such a reaction…

“N-No, Nina-senpai. I completely understand that you were falling for me a while ago, …but you shouldn’t express your feelings so sincerely in front of a guy.”

I showed my white and bright teen as I turned on my handsome boy mode. So, I think Nina-senpai seems unable to look at such a charming person directly. So, she put her arms on her forehead and mumbled.

“Ah, …I feel that there’s a suitable amount of agitation waking me up. Right, you’re a prick like this, Fake Umehara.”

“Yes, Nina-senpai. It’s good to know that you’re reminding yourself by calling me a prick.”

Nina-senpai is an attractive person, but I already have Aguri as my girlfriend. I don’t wish for senpai to be in a relationship where she can’t gain anything.

Nina-senpai glanced at me silently.

“…Yep, not bad, Fake Umehara. Your words are quite refreshing, my blood’s flowing all over my body at once.”

“The power of love is terrible.”

“Oh, my blood’s boiling.”

Nina-senpai seemed to have woken up completely, even groomed herself for a moment. (although her uniform is still a mess)

So, senpai increased her walking speed to normal levels. She walked by me and asked.

“Fake Umehara, then what are you doing in the morning? Looking for girls?”

“Uh, why are all girls treating me as a chatty boy recently?”

“It’s because you’re literally trying to strike up a conversation.”

“No, I’m not-“

I realized this is how I met Nina-senpai in the middle of my sentence. So I stopped.

After I cleared my throat, I brought the topic back to her question forcefully.

“Sometimes, I like to walk while thinking.”

“Uwah, it feels like you’re a weird normie that doesn’t put up a stinky air. I can never understand your reason.”

“There’s should be a limit for being unreasonable, right.”

“Fake Umehara, you should like that Village Vanguard book store, right?”

“…………”

I like it. Sigh, what’s wrong with me loving Village Vanguard! Isn’t it great!

“Ay, I do appreciate Village Vanguard. It got a nice style.”

“Can I ask what do you want from me!”

“No, it’s just that you’re pissing me off no matter what you do.”

“Are you going through your rebellious period or what!”

“Ah, …sorry. Actually, what were you thinking? Is the exam coming soon?”

“Uh, …no. It’s not about that…”

“Then what? Are you thinking about fighting games?”

“N-No, how should I put it…I’m troubled by l-love…”

“…Uwah…”

Nina-senpai is despising me with a cold stare. I can’t help but yell!

“I’ve expected this reaction already! Yes, you’re correct! A guy walking to school in the morning because he’s troubled by love is terrible, right!”

“…Fake Umehara, it’s like you’re in those romantic reality show like Terrace House: Boys x Girls Next Door…” [Note: Terrace House: Boys x Girls Next Door, the first installment of Terrace House, a Japanese reality show.]

“I’ve been watching that! What’s wrong!”

“Ay, I even watched the movie version.”

“You watched that as well!”

While I still don’t understand this person’s hobbies, I didn’t expect that fighting games aren’t all she interested in.

Just as I’m catching my breath from all that yelling, perhaps Nina-senpai was a bit sympathetic towards me. Her attitude softens.

“But, I didn’t know that you’ll be troubled by love as well.”

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

“A ruffian boy.”

“That’s hurtful.”

It’s such a realistically cheap comment. A ruffian boy.

Nina-senpai’s still looking at me loosely. She even continued while yawning.

“Then, how did it go? Don’t tell me it’s those cliché love rivals plot…”

“Hmm…”

“…Fake Umehara, let me ask you this-“

“You don’t need to ask me! What do you want! I’m sorry for being such a shabby person! Yes, I’m so shabby! I’m the type of “I think no one has heard of it, but I quite like X recently,” with X being a mainstream title! What’s wrong!”

“I’m not trying to imply anything…Sigh, i-it should be fine even when a rival in love appeared.”

“Please don’t mention “rival in love” with such a faint smile on your face! Let me tell you, this is not as simple as you think…”

“Oh, really. Ah, …I’m sorry. I just imagined a bunch of shabby plots…For example, a guy and the female protagonist who was supposed to be rivals in love. While they claimed that they don’t have any feelings for each other, they’re pretty close in actuality. I just imagined this kind of shojo manga plot development. You’re right, such a shabby frustration can’t happen in real life…”

“…………”

I looked away and fell silent. Nina-senpai then stared at me with a “Really?” look.

“…Hey, Fake Umehara…”

“…What?”

“…Don’t mind it too much.”

She put her hand on my shoulder. This reaction should be one of the most upsetting ever. Why can’t she just keep up her humorous responses to the last?”

It’s not possible to just explain everything to her. I decided to ask for Nina-senpai’s opinion vaguely.

“For example, Nina-senpai, what would you do when you’re in a situation like this?”

“Eh? But I’ve never encountered a rival in love. Whenever I heard that, I just feel the character will only appear in a retarded romantic comedy…”

“I-It doesn’t have to be a rival in love! Let me think…It would be alright to use gaming as an example. Let’s use fighting games, where senpai’s the most confident at. If you were suddenly and brutally defeated by a close friend that you used to look down upon someday…What would you think?”

“Ah, …for example, like when I suddenly lost to a person like Keita Amano?”

“W-Why are you using Amano for your metaphor!”

Although I’m confused at the precise character selection, Nina-senpai really doesn’t seem to be implying anything more.

“Uh, it’s because the only ones that I’m both familiar and look down upon with are you and Keita Amano…”

“R-Really? Alright. So, what do you think? Well, …Nina-senpai, if you lose to Amano suddenly in a fighting game, how would you cheer yourself up…”

“Ay, it’s not about cheering up or not. I fundamentally don’t feel I’ll be depressed with that.”

“Eh?”

I let out a shocking sound at the unexpected answer, but Nina-senpai is giving me the same confused look as well. Eh, eh…? Is it because of the issue of me switching the subject from love to fighting games? My emotion right now doesn’t align with Nina-senpai’s answer at all.

I was shaken as I questioned her.

“Um, well, after all, senpai is the most confident at her skills with fighting games. Then, …if you lose to a guy that doesn’t seem to have any experience suddenly, won’t you find it hard to just let it go?”

“Well, I think I’ll never forget about it. But, if the reason for that is because of not being able to see my opponent’s experience. I won’t agree with that in the slightest.”

“W-What does that mean?”

“After all, in reality, I lost to the guy, right?”

“Ugh…”

An arrow just pierced into my chest. I-In reality, I lost…I…lost to Amano…

I plopped my head down depressingly as I mumbled with a pale face.

“Y-You’re right. I…really did lose…I should re-evaluate my actions…”

The reality is in front of me. I was a bit dispirited.

However, Nina-senpai was dumbfounded with my reaction as she responded.

“Like I’ve said before, I’m different from you. I won’t let myself to be that depressed. By the way, before you re-evaluate your actions, perhaps you should find the guy and talk it-“

Just as Nina-senpai naggingly told me her suggestion.

She seems to have suddenly realized something and exhaled disappointingly.

“…Nevermind. I’m an idiot.”

“Eh, why did you stop? P-Please, give me a suggestion.”

“Ah, …no, I’m not trying to leave you hanging…”

Nina-senpai troublesomely scratched her head before turning her hand and facing me again…Her eyes are full of sympathy, frustration, and also a bit of warmth.

“I’ll be fine if we’re just entirely talking about fighting games. But, in reality, you’re talking about your serious relationship issues, right? If I have to give you a precise suggestion with my standards for gaming, …I feel like I’m not suited to do so. It’s because I don’t want to take up responsibility for your relationship at all.

“Don’t say that! I could really reference on senpai’s style of doing things. Please-“

Yet, just as I’m sincerely begging Nina-senpai.

She persuadingly poked my forehead with her finger.

It’s like a mother scolding her child, senpai gave me both a stern and warm look as she continued.

“Fake Umehara, do you want to look for answers from another person even though it’s about the core issues of your relationship?”

“Ah…”

Suddenly, for some reason-

To me, Nina-senpai overlapped with Aguri for a second…just for a short second.

I guess it’s because that sounds like a suggestion Aguri would give to Amano.

While I was a bit shocked, …I immediately pondered on the meaning of the words.

So, in the next moment, I immediately tuned down my expression and looked at Nina-senpai directly.

“…You’re right. I understood. I will try to think about the conclusion of what we’ve just talked about, even though the answer might be different than the one that senpai had in mind.”

“That’s fine. I should say, that’s the correct answer to you.”

Nina-senpai smiled at me, warmly. I responded with the same smile as well.

Then, Nina-senpai let out a cute “Phew…” yawn.

“Ah, …I wanted to walk slower. As for you, Fake Umehara…”

“Yes, I understood. Well then, …please fight me again next time!”

“Alright, I got it. I’ll be expecting that.”

“Okay!”

I dashed towards the school after I answered her energetically.

Once I snapped out of it, I found out there’re fewer clouds in the sky.

*

“W-W-Well, Uehara-kun, I would like to ask for your opinion!”

“Yes, Uehara-kun. It looks like we had to go after you about you not taking care of your own girlfriend.”

“…Ah…”

The two cute girls with dark circles around their eyes intimidated me aggressively.

I really don’t know how to respond, so I looked away from them while letting out a “Hmm…” as I tried to buy time.

Game Club clubroom, after school.

A couple of modern consoles and monitors are chaotically placed onto the long table in the center. The steel frame at the walls was stuffed with plastic boxes full of controllers and cables. Yet, the amount of game software boxes is surprisingly few. I guess this shows that the club believed that it’s better to be proficient in a few games than to be average in a bunch of games.

Also, currently, three people are sitting around the table.

I, Tasuku Uehara, with my back facing the empty wall. Then, Karen Tendou and Chiaki Hoshinomori’s on the steel frame side. It seems that the Game Club is taking a break today, Nina-senpai and other members are nowhere to be seen.

So, right now, …while there’s nothing wrong with Tendou, why are Hoshinomori and I gathered here as well?

All of this is because…

“Alright. Please explain Amano-kun (Keita)’s relationship with Aguri-san!”

“…………”

That’s what going on. Perhaps you can already tell the situation? The only place and time where no one can hear us three discussing this matter…Tendou eventually came up with this place, that’s where we ended up with.

I let out a sigh before pressing my shoulders…Honestly, I also wish that someone could explain to me…However, these two girls look way worse than me, so I really can’t say anything. The thing that makes them different than me is that Tendou and Hoshinomori are especially proud and aloof. They look so miserable, perhaps it’s because they’re hiding all of their thoughts inside their mind.

Facing the two girls staring me forcefully while pressing their hands on the table, I decided to respond with a solid argument.

“Then you two should be asking the guy in question instead of me-“

“We wouldn’t look so worn out if we dared to ask!”

“…Right.”

…Yep, this is my fault. The two are right, even I wouldn’t dare to confirm this with Amano or Aguri directly. Especially Aguri, I already mentioned to her about how she feels towards Amano. I don’t think I can bite the bullet and ask for the second time. Moreover, even if I asked…

So, just as I’m lost in thoughts, Hoshinomori brought up my concern.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-047NClth7kY/Xto6d81PF-I/AAAAAAAAO5U/R8DYyEp2Wg4Ik4LOb-HyTEpnBAbhBMbugCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/DLraw.net_0033.jpg

“…Also, from that situation, even if we managed to ask the two people directly. I think they’ll just reasonably deny our accusation…”

Hoshinomori’s hit the nail. Right, here’s the problem. No matter it’s Amano or Aguri, when we ask them about their feelings for each other, they’ll probably just answer “consultor” or “little brother.” Also, to them, they would be telling the truth.

However, even so, ….these are not what we wanted to know.

“…………”

The mood died down ultimately. Tendou and Hoshinomori slightly calmed down before sitting.

To vent out her anxiety, Tendou leaned back before crossing her arms and legs.

“Uehara-kun, where’s Amano-kun and Aguri-san today…”

“Ah, Amano did mention this. He said that he’ll be looking for the game he missed yesterday. Aguri said that she wanted to chat with her classmates and stayed in her classroom.”

“Really…”

Tendou gave us a relived look…She’s probably worrying over the two meeting each other again. Next to Tendou, Hoshinomori also secretly pressed her chest.

Then, during this time, …Tendou suddenly brought up a simple question.

“By the way, I understand that Uehara-kun and Aguri-san are dating, so it’s reasonable for Uehara-kun to have the same reaction as I do.”

“Yep.”

“…Uh, …well, but then why would Hoshinomori-san…be irritated over this as well?

“!”

Hoshinomori and I were suddenly alerted with the situation…She’s right. Although we’ve put our hearts on Aguri and Amano, we didn’t take care of this one at all…However, we can’t keep this up! If this goes on, Tendou will realize that Hoshinomori loves Amano!

The two of us fell silent at the sudden question. Then, Tendou looked at me Hoshinomori repeatedly with her face turning increasingly confused.

“Don’t tell me…Hoshinomori-san…is still falling for Amano-kun…”

“!”

Hoshinomori and I started to sweat furiously…Uh, but…

“Wait, to me, the Captain of the Hoshinomori Love Solidarity Group, isn’t this a good chance? If I make Hoshinomori declare war right now, the situation will more or less change, right…”

With that, I glanced at Hoshinomori. So, …Hoshinomori proceeded to…

“…Well…!”

She seems to be looking away from me embarrassingly. Those eyes are clearly showing the guilty of stomping on someone’s kindness! I guess she can’t bring herself to look at Tendou directly, and she doesn’t know why she’s getting that sympathetic look…Anyway, this person is so kind!

Just as my determination to support Hoshinomori’s relationship is getting stronger, Hoshinomori stood up abruptly and turned to Tendou like she already made up her mind.

“T-Tendou-san! Uh, the reason why I’m irritated over Keita and Aguri…is…well…is because…because…I…!”

“O-Ohhhh!”

Is she finally making a declaration of war? Hoshinomori’s imposing manner made both Tendou and I swallowed.

So, at the next moment, …Hoshinomori came up with an unexpected line.

“I-It’s because my sister is both NOBE and Mono!”

“…W-What?”

This explanation was too unexpected, Tendou and I were shocked by it.

However, Hoshinomori let out a “Hmph” from her nose and sat down elegantly with an “I finally got it” attitude-

“No, no, no, no, no! We didn’t understand at all!”

Tendou and I immediately commented. During this time, Hoshinomori stopped us with a “please wait for a moment,” then she closed her eyes for almost 20 seconds…before mumbling.

“I sorted it out.”

“You sorted it out?”

Sorted out what! Eh, is it the settings? You just sorted out the setting for this bluffing, Hoshinomori!

Just as I’m starting to sweat on my own, Hoshinomori casually started to cover up her lies.

“Actually, my sister has a fateful relationship with Keita on the internet.”

“Eh? A fateful relationship…on the internet?”

“Yes, allow me to skip the details. However, that’s basically fate. Moreover, it’s a very, very deep spiritual connection! Their relationship is ridiculously ideal! Yes!”

“R-Really.”

Hoshinomori is somehow very energetic about this and shocked Tendou. Just as I’m observing this scene with a “which movie are we in” tone, Hoshinomori cleared her throat before continuing.

“Then, …forget about Keita for a second, after my little sister Konoha knows that it’s Keita…She…basically…how should I put it…uh…she was so attracted by Keita…”

“Very old-fashioned choice of words!”

From here, we can clearly see that Hoshinomori doesn’t have any experience when it comes to talking about relationships. So, Tendou and I left our complaints at our hearts just to show her some care.

However, Hoshinomori didn’t seem to realize this and kept on talking.

“Ah, but, please relax, Tendou-sama.”

“Why is she so excited about this?”

Hoshinomori’s ability as an unobservant otaku is starting to let loose. We don’t know to respond, so we just sat there quietly.

“I’m obviously not letting my little sister take your love away. After all, we’re talking about Keita. No sane person will hope her little sister to go on a date with a bean sprout boy like him!”

“Ehm, well, Hoshinomori-san. Currently, I’m the girlfriend of that bean sprout boy-“

“Absolutely impossible! Really! Although she’s my sister, I can’t believe she’ll fall in love with a guy like that, even I felt that was tasteless for her! I bet I didn’t care for her enough when she’s little! Think about it, it’s like those anime adaptations of original light novels that play at midnight. Don’t you feel that you’re losing your appetite when you saw the female protagonist falling in love with the male one in chapter 1!”

“Moe-selling works like that are always getting scolded for their personality-lacking yet hugely popular male protagonist. However, I always felt that the female protagonist falling for the male one so quickly is just as bull-“

“Hoshinomori. That’s enough. You’re now basically shooting Tendou with a machine gun!”

“Ah.”

Hoshinomori was alerted before looking at the girl’s face next to her. Then, …the idol of our school…is sitting there with a smile plastered on her face while clearly not meaning it…Yep, I figured it out. Hoshinomori, …no wonder you can’t befriend anyone.

Hoshinomori cleared her throat with an “A-Ahem!” Then, she continued.

“S-So, I’m not going to let my little sister take away Keita from Tendou-san. It’s more like, I wanted to make her witness how strong Tendou-san and Keita’s relationship really is!”

“Make her witness…the relationship between Amano-kun and me?”

Tendou tilted her head while Hoshinomori gave her a warm smile.

“Yes. After all, …when my little sister gives up after seeing how loving you two are…Isn’t that a clean way to end a relationship?”

“Hoshinomori-san…”

Tendou replied with the same smile. A warm aura is radiating off the two of them…However, I was watching them with a tinge of pain in my heart.

“Hoshinomori…you…”

Her words are full of ridiculous lies. Even so, …on the other hand, her true feelings are always so explicit that no one can bear to see it.

After a while, Hoshinomori let out a “so” to bring us back to the topic.

“Just as my little sister’s love is about to end spectacularly, a weird character for romantic movies named Aguri-san showed up. This hurts my brain!”

“Ah, that’s why.”

Tendou and I mumbled at the same time. Especially me, I was very convinced of this explanation.

“…I didn’t expect this to work as well!”

Chiaki Hoshinomori…Although her communication skill as a whole is hopeless, she’s still a creator. I can’t believe she’s especially outstanding at fabricating fictional settings.

Hoshinomori, the Master of Imagination, continued.

“After a competition like Aguri-san appeared, it’ll make my little sister feel like “perhaps I have a chance as well! I’ll have to give it everything!” This will be quite bothering.”

“Yep.”

“Even so, if she found out that “Uwah, I didn’t know that the lover that I met on the internet, Keita Amano, is a filthy cheater…” Thus ending her first love poorly. I’ll feel terrible for her as well.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why…After all, as a girl that’s worrying her little sister’s coming-to-an-end relationship, I’m just feeling terrible for the suddenly appearing female protagonist, Aguri!”

“T-That’s why…”

This explanation is so next-level that I find compelling. What the hell? You’re incredible, Chiaki Hoshinomori. Also, that’s the exact reason why I feel so empty for you, Chiaki Hoshinomori! How subtle do you have to express your feelings just then!

To Hoshinomori’s explanation, Tendou nodded in agreement.

“Yep, I understand now, Hoshinomori-san. Uh, …also, I wanted to apologize! R-Really. I thought that you’re the one who’s falling for Amano-kun…”

“No, no, no! Like I’ve said before, I’ll never fall in love with a sluggish bug like him-“

“Ah, okay. You don’t need to say anything anymore!”

Tendou rescued her boyfriend just in time, who was about to be scolded like a pig-head.

She coughed before leading us back to the discussion.

“Back to the thing about Amano-kun and Aguri-san. The real question is…In the eyes of you two, how do you guys feel about Amano-kun and Aguri-san?”

To Tendou’s question, Hoshinomori and I looked at each other…before staring at her with the eyes of a dead fish.

“If this is a romantic comedy, the two of them will end up as a couple.”

“…………”

Karen Tendou pressed her elbows onto the table as she’s holding her head. It looks like she got the exact same impression as we do.

Hoshinomori explained with a lifeless face.

“To be honest, I was sure even though I’m not familiar with rom-com. We can often see a plot like this with childhood sweethearts who’re always in an argument.”

“I should say it’s basically like that. The two’s relationship is so good that they’re like the protagonists of a rom-com that’s developed from them supporting each other’s relationship.”

We continued adding. However, Tendou, who still doesn’t want to admit, retorted hopelessly.

“B-But, what evidence do you guys have…”

“It’s based on your boyfriend’s preferences on things! (Oh!)”

“…I guess so.”

Perhaps she still can’t take in her emotions, Tendou’s already answering us like she’s a robot.

We three let out a big sigh at the same time. Silence soon fell onto us. The first one to break it is Hoshinomori, who looks tired from the bottom of her heart.

“In reality, what’s up with that? I can’t believe that the guy’s prioritizing a girl over gaming…When did Keita become a boy who’ll make correct choices like that!”

I can’t help but comment at Hoshonomori’s angry question.

“Ay, but usually, that means that he’s growing, right…”

“That’s not growing at all! That’s just losing personality! I knew it! It’s like a certain straw hat-wearing pirate yelling, “It’s better to get a secure job than to be the king of pirates!” Words like that!”

“N-No. Let’s think about this calmly, that was a correct choice for one’s life…”

“Taking the right route doesn’t mean it’s right! Uehara-kun, if that’s the case, how about this. Do you want to see a Dragon Ball episode where Goku sincerely begs his enemies and says it’s bad to use violence!”

“I’m kind of interested.”

“You’re so stubborn! B-But, there should be the main story first! It works as a secondary creation, but no one wants to watch that if it got turned into the main plot!”

“Y-You’re right.”

“Also, from my perspective, Keita is precisely like that! Even though I’ve mentioned that before, …the reason why Keita Amano is Keita Amano, isn’t it because he’s stupid enough to reject Tendou-san’s rare invitation!”

“R-Right…”

Hoshinomori’s especially excited. Tendou and I backed down for a bit. Tendou even complained to her confusingly.

“Uh, Hoshinomori-san? Well, …if we’re just talking about your little sister’s love, you seem to have a pretty solid “Keita Amano Theory” in your head…”

“N-No! Uh, it’s because…Right, this is from the emotional side of a creator! I can never accept my character losing his personality, yes!”

“R-Right…T-That’s why.”

Tendou was frozen at Hoshinomori’s excitement, so she barely accepted it. To help Hoshinomori out, I decided to quickly move on.

“Anyway, the crux of this problem is with Keita Amano prioritizing Aguri over gaming, right.”

Tendou nodded at what I just said.

“Although I’m not willing to admit, you’re right. Actually, …I don’t think it’s that problematic for Aguri-san to be that close to Amano-kun. After all, she has always been a straightforward person.”

“Yeah, Aguri’s always more unfettered than anyone else.”

Even so, if I, who’s familiar with Aguri was talking. Although she looks flighty, this girl, in reality, will keep a subtle distance with every male aside from me…Sigh, now’s not the time for that, it’ll just make things even more complicated.

So, Tendou lowered her head lonelily.

“Amano-kun rejected my invitation to the Game Club…Yet, he accepted Aguri-san’s request right away…After all, …no matter how you think of it, it means that Amano-kun’s already…”

“…………”

Hoshinomori and I can’t say anything to smooth things over. It’s a fact that Keita Amano rejected the Game Club and rushed next to Aguri-san for her.

This is different than pure accidents and misunderstandings in the past, the overwhelming “fact” is right there. It’s not helping even if you try to describe it optimistically.

Another wave of imposing silence fell onto us. We lost count of how many times that this has occurred.

Hoshinomori started mumbling.

“I feel like…this gathering is pretty pointless as well. Even if we managed to discuss something, …the bond between the two wouldn’t change because of that…”

“………….”

Her words stabbed into our hearts deeply…Everyone in this room understood that before we came in. But even if we do, …we still had to look for comfort somewhere.

However, this time we can’t even lick our wounds.

“…Let’s dismiss.”

Tendou murmured this out. In reality, I guess that means we’ll dismiss here…However, to us right now, it’s hard to not feel that there’s another meaning for that.

Is it right to just let it end this way?

This thought is on everyone’s head…Unfortunately, we don’t have a way to break us out of this situation.

We stood up silently from our seats as we started preparing to go home-

“Knock, knock!”

-During this time, the door to the clubroom was suddenly knocked. We stared at each other. The shy Hoshinomori then asked Tendou nervously.

“A-Are the members of the Game Club coming?”

“No…Strange, I’ve already told them that we’re having a break today…”

Tendou mumbled as she answered. “Okay, come in!”

“Excuse me.”

The door was pushed open, following a girl’s slow answering. The voice is familiar.

Then, the person that’s standing there…

“Ah, you’re really here! Tasuku, really, you’re secretly in a closed room with a bunch of cute girls again…”

“W-Why are you…”

The main subject of our discussion and my girlfriend – Aguri is here.

*

“Huh? Amano has changed recently?”

Aguri seemingly gave us a “c’mon” from the bottom of her heart as she tilted her head. However, the three of us weren’t convinced, and we stared at her full of resolute as we nodded.

…It’s been 10 minutes since Aguri’s in the Game Club clubroom.

Initially, she was pissed with her boyfriend secretly meeting with other girls behind her. But after we tried our best to explain to her, she finally barely forgave us.

Even so, we skipped the part where we’re getting jealous of how intimate Amano and Aguri is. In our words, we’re only discussing how Keita Amano’s values have changed.

Although Aguri’s temper cooled down, …comparatively, she questioned our topic.

She held her hands around the back of her head, and even swinging the chair with the back chair leg as balance as she continued.

“What’s going on? Is that really serious enough for three people to go out of their way and gather here to discuss?”

The content’s really weak when we’re just talking about this topic. This misunderstanding only occurs because we can’t mention our suspicion of Amano and Aguri’s relationship.

Just as we’re scrambling our brains for an excuse. Suddenly, Tendou exhaled from her nose as she started yelling.

“This is already serious enough! It’s more like, as long as it’s related to Amano-kun, everything in this world matters!”

“Yep, I don’t want to hear a super biased opinion from one of the idiotic couple.”

“L-Let us forget about me being Amano-kun’s girlfriend first. In reality, he’s the central figure of the Game Hobby Club. Don’t you think it’s a big issue for the Hobby Club when a person like this started to neglect video games?”

“No, …I don’t think it’s that much of a big issue…”

Aguri let out a “hey” before switching back to her usual seating pose. Then, she looked at us before asking.

“I was already a bit suspicious with the choices of words of you guys. Put it bluntly, it’s because of that, right? Yesterday, Amanocchi gave up the newly-released game for me, and it made all of you felt uncomfortable, right?”

“Ugh…”

We didn’t even mention this directly, yet, we still got caught. Ay, it’s hard to blame the girl. We gathered here to discuss not even a day after that, anyone can realize the real reason.

After Aguri let out a dumbfounded sigh, she popped a large mint into her mouth from her bag. She tried to give us, but we all refused. Aguri doesn’t seem to mind as she withdrew her hand. “Really.” Then, she just chewed the mint candy by herself for a while…before speaking to us with an unusually relaxed tone.

“Uh, …what the hell, are you guys idiots?”

“Eh?”

Aguri’s tone was like she’s baffled from the bottom of her heart, it scared us. Since she’s not that close to Hoshinomori and Tendou, she tried to suppress her emotion down. Even so, she continued like she wanted to vent out her anger.

“Well, …I just want to confirm, all of you are really bothered with this, right? Like, none of you is trying to prank or anything, right?”

“O-Of course! No one’s pranking you!”

Hoshinomori answered quite angrily. To that, Aguri apologized with a simple smile. “Sorry, I’m just trying to confirm.” …Then, she scratched her head like all of this is bothering her.

“Sigh, you guys are boring…I can’t take this…”

To that airy attitude, even Tendou and I got pissed off.

Tendou started to deepen her voice and said.

“A-Aguri-san, I respect your opinion. However, Amano-kun was a person…that initially rejected my invitation to the Game Club. Then, when we saw him giving up his favorite game for you…It’s hard for us to not feel shocked or suspicious, right?”

“Uh, so, just as all of you’re starting to get suspicious…Ah, really…”

Aguri gave up explaining in the middle. Then, she shrugged helplessly as she grabbed her phone out of her pocket, seemingly trying to pull off something.

Under the glare of all of us, she slid and poked the screen quickly with her fingers before speaking tartly.

“…I decided to do this because it’s useless to explain this verbally…But, honestly, this isn’t something I would usually do since it’s quite terrible. So, please remember to apologize afterward.”

“?”

Aguri continued on her phone as she said something that neither of us can really understand.

After a minute. Aguri finished confirming the screen, …then she looked at us and let out a sigh.

“…Sigh…I can’t help it. Here goes.”

“?”

From this sentence, we guessed that she just sent a message or e-mail to someone. However, we still don’t really understand the situation.

Aguri grabbed another mint and popped it into her mouth casually. Then, she looked at her phone, depressingly before speaking to us like it’s nothing.

“About Amanocchi, I’ve actually met him in the main building just then.”

“Eh? Isn’t the guy looking for his game today…”

“Yes, it seems to be true. However, it’s said that the guy realized his phone is still in the drawer, so he unwillingly headed back here. Also, unfortunately, the phone was taken away by the janitor. He has to go to the office to deal with some annoying formalities before getting his phone back…”

“It feels like that’s exactly the thing Amano-kun will encounter.”

Tendou smiled faintly. Conversely, Aguri’s unexpected not too thrilled with this. She even stared at her phone, boringly.

“Sigh, it’s quite like his style…But, what I wanted to say is that it looks like Amanocchi’s probably still around here.”

“Uh, so?”

“Ay, so.”

Aguri deeply sighed as she said that…Then, she seemed to have made up her mind and put her phone on the table for us to see.

Although we three were quite pissed at her bafflingly casual attitude, we still stood up and leaned forward to see the screen.

Then, it showed…the interface of a texting app. Aguri’s icon sent two messages to Amano, who’s still hasn’t got his own image and is using the default one.

We got our faces together as we read the content of the messages.

“Amanocchi. This is just what I heard from my classmate. It seems that the game you were looking for still has one copy left in the game store nearest to the school. You should be able to make it if you rush there right now!”

“!”

We don’t understand the meaning of the message, so we unconsciously looked at Aguri. Aguri’s still giving us a depressed look. She moved her chin and urged us to continue reading.

We can only look at the following message she typed.

“Right. Also, actually, my boyfriend had a big argument with his pals. He’s super depressed right now. He even asked Tendou-san, who he bumped into with, to borrow him the key to the Game Club clubroom before locking himself up and said he wanted to calm down alone. So, you should call him when you got the time.”

“This is…”

Tendou and Hoshinomori looked at me. I shook my head…Uh, it said that I had a big argument with my boys, but I didn’t remember any of that at all…

After we looked back at Aguri, she played with her nails as she casually spoke without glancing at us.

“The game and the argument are a complete lie. I just made that all up.”

“Huh!”

We’re completely baffled. A strange silence fell onto the room. Suddenly, …a noise of someone rushing through the halls can be heard. Just as I’m thinking what’s going on, …that wave of footsteps is getting closer and closer.

So, unexpectedly, at the next moment, the door was forcefully knocked open by someone.

“U-U-U-Uehara-kun! It’s fine! I-I-I’m on your side, s-s-s-so please don’t b-be too depressed…!”

A boy with severe stuttering to the point where people are getting embarrassed appeared. That’s a young boy that’s as thin as a bean sprout and got himself just as sweaty as he did yesterday. In other words…

“..A-Amano?”

“Ah, Uehara-kun! Well, while I’m not sure what’s going on, but you still got me as your friend…Eh? S-Strange…Aguri-san and Tendou-san are here as well…Even Chiaki’s here…?”

Amano wiped the sweat that’s dripping down his chin away as he stepped into the clubroom. So, perhaps even he realized that this is a similar situation to yesterday’s, so he was alerted as he looked at Aguri.

Then, Aguri immediately slammed her hands together as she apologized to Amano with one eye closed.

“Sorry, Amanocchi! Uh, it’s because of a certain situation…”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes! It’s just like what you think. This is a trick that I’ve been practicing…Calling Amanocchi Randomly! Da-da!”

“What trick is this! Eh? This means that the game and the thing about Uehara-kun getting depressed are all…”

“That message was purely fictional. It has nothing to do with the individuals and groups in reality.”

“Eh? What’s that? An easy-to-pull-off yet extremely fatal act?”

Amano immediately deflated as soon as he heard the truth. Aguri opened the foldable chair right away and let him sit next to her.

“…………”

As for us three, …we stared at this process as we fell into a whirl of emotions that’s different than yesterday. All we can do is to open our mouth, speechless.

My chest is throbbing unusually. It’s the same as yesterday…However, this kind of throbbing is decisively different than yesterday, it’s not a throbbing of jealousy and suspicion.

“…Ahem.”

Then, maybe it’s because he rushed here too quickly, Amano started coughing since he’s out of his breath. We can’t help but express our worries. He then embarrassingly put his hand out and stopped us. “S-Sorry, I’ll go get some water.” Then, he stood up quickly from his seat and dashed out of the clubroom to the nearest toilet.

“…………”

As for Tendou, Hoshinomori, and me, we stared at the door where he just left with pale faces…During this time, we’re finally starting to understand.

We understood why Aguri’s so impatient with us today.

Aguri still stared at us dumbfoundedly…Then, she looked at the door where Amano just left as she mumbled, seemingly not trying to blame us.

“Right, where were we? You guys were talking about who changed his personality? Continue.”

“…………”

We plopped our head down…It was not until now that an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and regret flushed in our hearts. Aguri looked at us before exhaling slightly and relaxed her face.

“I felt a bit sorry if you guys think that I’m especially close to Amanocchi. But, after seeing that scene, …I think all of you understood, right?”

To Aguri’s words, I lowered my voice and answered. “Yeah…”

“Amano’s just coincidentally rushing for me this time…However, the result will probably be the same even if you switch me for Tendou or Hoshinomori…”

“Ay, that’s right.”

Aguri smiled at me before persuading Tendou.

“Also, about Amanocchi reject your club invitation, that’s because…”

Just as Aguri’s in the middle of her sentence, Amano opened the door.

“…!”

The three of us looked away from him out of our guilt and plopped our heads down.

“?”

Amano froze at the creepy atmosphere in the room. Just as he’s sitting down sheepishly, …Aguri gave him her usual devilish smile as she spoke to Amano.

“Ehhhh, Amanocchi!”

“W-What, Aguri-san?”

“Let me ask you this, Amanocchi. You’re so stupid that you prioritized your own gaming style over the invitation to enjoy your youth with Tendou-san in the Game Club, right?”

“Huh? W-Why are you suddenly bringing this up? It’s more like all of you’re gathering here to…”

“Just answer me, Amanocchi. You’re an idiot, right?”

Aguri looked up at Amano seriously. While Amano, who doesn’t understand what’s going on at all, was shocked for a moment, he still looked away before answering.

“Ay, …you’re right. I’m an idiot. Sorry.”

“Yep, but an idiot like you just threw your game away because of Tasuku and me today and yesterday, respectively, right? Why did you do that? Are you pretending to be a total normie now? You’re not a gamer anymore?”

Aguri pretended a series of core questions. We were a bit nervous.

However, Amano just tilted his head like he’s unable to comprehend the importance of these questions.

“Uh, I’m really a “fanatic gamer” that wasted my youth away because of video games…”

Then, he continued naturally.

“But, I think I’m not a prick that uses gaming as a reason to leave my friends alone when they’re in trouble.”

“…………”

“…Please don’t disrespect gamers that much, Aguri-san.”

“S-Sorry, Amanocchi.”

This interaction finally made us unable to look at Amano’s face directly…We’re embarrassed from the bottom of our hearts since we just despised him on our own.

However, Amano doesn’t seem to have noticed the mood, and he glared at Aguri.

“Aguri-san, by the way, why are you trying to put on airs since we met?”

Of course, Amano will question this because he doesn’t know our conversation. However, Aguri can’t answer his question, so she looked away.

“H-Hiya? Uh, y-you do care after all?”

“Yeah, I do care! After I was tricked, you just went especially lofty and asked me several questions like you’re testing me for something, …even I would be pissed as well!”

“A-Amanocchi! I feel like it counts as a prick if you act rudely to a girl!”

“Please relax, I’m not going to hit you. However, …I’m using my sweaty hands to touch your personal belongings!”

“Uwah, don’t touch my phone! Hentai!”

They started chasing each other in the cramped clubroom, as they argued.

We looked at the two and deeply reflected on our miserable suspicion.

“…………”

We apologized to Amano again and again in our hearts. We even made up our mind to apologize to him legitimately after this. Just as we’re dragging this, the two of them continued yelling.

“There’s no escape, Aguri-san! Today, …I’ll touch what I’ve said no matter what! With my sweaty hands! I’m touching your stuff or the corner of your uniform!”

“Ha, big talk…That’s quite imposing, actually. Amanocchi, onee-san is proud to see your growth!”

“You can only keep your cool now…Hiya!”

“No sweat! What about this!”

“U-Uwah, s-stop moving! I almost touched your chest!”

“Hmph, Amanocchi, see? This is one of my specialized tactics, exclusive to Amanocchi! A Horrible, Mandatory Sexual Harassment! If my move hit, the opponent’s social life is over!”

“Ugh, how despicable…! But, …even so, I’ve said that I’m going to do that no matter what…!”

“Hehe, I know a virgin like Amanocchi can never conquer his fear of this tactic! Come, you’ll be touching my breasts!”

“Ugh, you’ll be ashamed if I touched them as well!”

“It’s not going to happen. It’s because even you touched my breasts, I wouldn’t care at all!”

“T-The same goes for me. While it’s hard to say for other girls, but it’s not a problem for me to touch your chest! So, I’m not scared of you!”

“Ugh, it looks like you’re really risking your life here. Amanocchi. Well, …it’s time for me to reveal my final measure…”

“T-There’s an even more powerful defense move than your breasts? W-What’s that…”

“There’s a gap! I’m leaving!”

“Ah, stand right there, Aguri-san! Uh, I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving too!”

Aguri grabbed her bag and left the clubroom. Keita Amano apologized to us before immediately chasing after her.

The corridor is echoing the loud footsteps of them chasing each other. As for the three of us, we first profoundly apologized to Amano…Since he’s not here, we prayed silently to make up for it.

Once the apology is over.

After all.

Even if things went this way.

We had to shout at the top of our lungs no matter what.

“EVEN SO, YOU TWO ARE WAY TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER!!!”

Keita Amano and Aguri.

It seems that there would still be a long time before people completely stop suspecting them.