Volume 12, Finale

Volume 12, Finale

Translator: your_pingas

“Y-You guys went to < Viva Spiel Kingdom > too!?”

“Eh…? We did. …What’s wrong?”

It’s the Monday after that date. We joined the Game Hobby Club meeting today after school as well. Suddenly, it was revealed that Tendou-san and I went to < Viva Spiel Kingdom > during the weekend. …After hearing that, Uehara-kun, Aguri-san, and Chiaki seemed way more shocked than I expected.

Tendou-san and I can’t help but look at each other. We asked what happened once again. Everyone hesitated for a moment. Then, they told us about their weekend experiences.

After hearing everyone, Tendou-san crossed her arms and nodded.

“I have reached a conclusion. We…went to the same amusement park on that day, yet, miraculously, we didn’t bump into each other.”

“Eh, is that even possible?”

Aguri-san looked clearly unconvinced to Tendou-san’s conclusion. However, Chiaki retorted. “But.”

“Even though Agu-nee said it’s impossible, we didn’t actually meet each other, right…”

“Tck, …y-yeah.”

Uehara-kun also scratched his cheeks and mumbled.

“It’s hard to accept this, …but that’s what happened. It can’t be helped.”

“Well…”

Aguri-san still didn’t want to accept it. I looked at her…and slightly grasped the silhouette of the truth.

(Main-san, …no, it must be Main-san and our friends, right.)

I realized something after hearing everyone’s story. Even though we didn’t meet each other, we saw everyone around us. …It was not possible for all of our acquaintances to be there on that day. Moreover, Main-san is the only one that sent me a message while we’re on the Ferris wheel.

In summary, Main-san was likely pulling strings behind the scenes with other people. However…

“Hey, Amanocchi, do you agree with me?” It’s just a coincidence for us to not bump into each other.”

“Eh? Well…”

Aguri-san asked for my opinion. …I answered with a bitter smile.

“Yeah, it’s probably just a coincidence. Think about it. We always bump into each other at weird times. It’s not that strange for the opposite to happen sometimes, right?”

“Sigh, I guess that’s possible…”

Aguri-san backed down reluctantly. I apologized to her in my heart, but I still don’t plan to reveal the truth. If Main-san did give us a push, …the highest honor they can have is that no one noticed. Also, I bet Main-san meant it as a joke when I was the only one that received a hint.

Tendou-san cleared her throat and continued.

“Well, let’s forget whether it’s a coincidence or not. Why did everyone go to < Viva Spiel Kingdom >?”

“No, no, that’s my line, Karen-san. Forget about Konoha and me. To Karen-san and Uehara-kun, that’s a place filled with shocking memories of each of your partners. Why did you two…”

“Eh? Ah…”

Uehara-kun and Tendou-san looked at each other awkwardly. …Well, you can’t say, “It’s because I don’t want to see anyone in the Game Hobby Club.” no matter what. However, at the same time, things will get more complicated if we keep hiding the truth.

After I made up my mind, I explained and apologized to Chiaki.

“Sorry, Chiaki. Well, we, …no, I want to go on a date with Tendou-san alone sometimes. But, when you think about it, there aren’t that many dating spots here, right? We’ll basically bump into each other, right? That’s why…”

“Oh, I see. That’s why you chose a place where everyone in the Hobby Club will avoid, right. I can understand, even though I don’t know how I should feel about this.”

Chiaki understood. Uehara-kun carefully added as well.

“I’m sorry, Hoshinomori. We, …no, I have the same motive as Amano.”

“No, no, there’s no need to apologize. Ah, also, I only went there because Konoha had extra tickets. So…”

After hearing Chiaki’s explanation, I smiled and answered.

“Indeed, Chiaki has no reason to avoid < Viva Spiel Kingdom >.”

“Well, u-uh…”

“Eh?”

For some reason, Chiaki looked away embarrassedly. …Hmm? I mean, Chiaki didn’t see her lover kissing someone else, right…? …Oh, I see. Chiaki already, uh, fell in love with me…

“…………”

Chiaki and I blushed slightly. At the next moment, Tendou-san cast her ultimate explosive cough.

Our bodies trembled. Aguri-san reached out to me and changed the topic.

“B-By the way, did everyone see it? That day’s fireworks were amazing. Hiya, it was romantic to watch the fireworks on the Ferris wheel with your lover.”

Aguri-san said that intoxicatedly. Tendou-san and I nearly jumped when we remembered what happened on the Ferris wheel. During this time, Uehara-kun smiled and answered.

“It’s anything but romantic. You know, Aguri- no, I was the same. We were so sleepy when we got on it. The rides during the daytime took too much out of us. Both of us were wobbling.”

“Ah, uh, well…”

Aguri-san looked at me awkwardly. I guess she wanted to show her honor as my master of love. However, Uehara-kun continued like a dense MC.

“Right, right, especially when the fireworks started, we were totally out of it. Don’t even say romantic. The two of us were just wiping saliva off with our hands…”

“N-No, it was romantic, Tasuku! Right, Tasuku!? Right!?”

“…O-Oh…? It was…romantic?”

Aguri-san finally forced her boyfriend to say what she wanted to hear. …How should I say this? As her disciple, I feel bad about my master…

I didn’t look at my master’s miserable shape. Instead, I threw the conversation to Chiaki.

“So, did Chiaki watch the fireworks too?”

“Of course, Konoha and I were on the Ferris wheel as well.”

You too? Tendou-san and I secretly glanced at each other. During this point, Uehara-kun started chatting with Chiaki.

“Oh, you two were there too, Hoshinomori. I didn’t notice at all. We should’ve gotten there at similar times if we saw the fireworks, right?”

“Yes. Oh, but even though we watched the fireworks, it started before we reached the top. …I think it was halfway through.”

“Ah, I see. Then, Aguri and I must’ve been opposite to you two. We were also halfway through, but we were descending.”

“Really? It would’ve been amazing if we watched from the top.”

“Yeah.” “You’re right.”

A couple is silent when Chiaki, Uehara-kun, and Aguri-san are having fun chatting.

…Yes, we were on the top. …However, both of us weren’t paying attention to the fireworks.

Also, by the way, even though there was some distance, I can’t believe we were between them…

I exchanged looks with Tendou-san anxiously. …Sigh, at least they didn’t see anything weird-

“Ah, come to think of it, the carriage in front of us kept leaning to one side as it reached the top-“

“Ahem, ahem!”

“Keita? What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m okay. Everything’s fine. Well, I just choked suddenly.”

“H-Ha? Glad you’re fine. …Well, let’s continue.”

“Y-You’re still going…?”

That’s why I can’t deal with otakus! She has to finish every conversation she starts, even though she doesn’t talk much normally, right!? I’m the same too!

Chiaki doesn’t look apologetic at all. She continued happily.

“After that, I, the famous love detective, understood everything. The first leaning was just the couple sitting on the same side. However, the sudden movement at the top- was probably because of a sudden development of the couple inside!”

“Ahem, ahem!”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, even Karen-san started coughing too?”

“I-I’m okay. Ah, by the way, Chiaki-san, the new RPG released a few days ago-“

“Ah, I’m halfway through that game. Well, let’s continue talking about the Ferris wheel.”

“Tck…!”

Tendou-san was struck down. An otaku will never stop talking about his or her interests once things start. I’m sorry, Tendou-san…

“So, just as the carriage started leaning, the fireworks began. I went to watch the fireworks. The latter part was unclear due to the angle. Yeah, that’s all I can talk about.”

“Phew…”

Tendou-san and I sighed in relief. Ah, if she didn’t see the last part, we’re less embarrassed-

“Well, my little sister did say it was sex.” [Success and sex sound the same.]

“We didn’t go that far!”

Tendou-san and I screamed at the same time. Chiaki was shocked for the moment. Then, …Uehara-kun and Aguri-san seemed to have noticed something and started smiling mischievously.

Chiaki continued in confusion after we realized we messed up.

“Well, I actually wanted sex too.”

“Eh, you want someone to do it to you!? Hey!? What is that!? What kind of feeling is that!?”

The girl that confessed to me started telling me her weird fetishes…!

I think something’s wrong at this point. Chiaki blinked and continued.

“It’s because if someone tries his best to shorten the distance, I want him to succeed.”

“Ah, that’s what you mean…”

Both of us sat down with our faces heavily blushing. Phew, …I can’t believe we still fell into classic wordplay like this…!

…………

No, wait, come to think of it, it shouldn’t be a misunderstanding, right? At least Konoha-san definitely meant it erotically. However, Chiaki misunderstood and switched it. Then, we changed it again. Finally, we got the correct answer in a different sense. …This is quite a messy case of misunderstanding. What’s happening? Can I have misunderstandings like this after I became year 3? Please don’t make me worry about things like this anymore…!

Tendou-san and I fell completely speechless. Aguri-san and Uehara-kun showed an incredibly evil smile and suddenly said,

“Come to think of it, Amanocchi, where did you watch the fireworks? I really want to know.”

“Tck...!”

“Oh, come to think of it, …I saw a blonde girl walking to the Ferris wheel right before I fell asleep. Hmm, what do you think, Tendou?”

“Ugh…!”

The questions kept pressuring Tendou-san and me. Chiaki’s the only one that still doesn’t understand anything. She still looks confused.

However, luckily, Uehara-kun and Aguri-san quickly stopped bullying us. I bet that’s from their experiences as normies. These two must’ve been bullied by their friends before, right? They know when they should stop.

So, Tendou-san, Uehara-kun, and Chiaki started talking about that new RPG. Aguri-san took the chance and whispered to my ears.

(In reality, how far did you go, Amanocchi? Report your progress to me at the next family restaurant meeting, okay?)

(Why should I? Who do you think you are?)

(…Your mom?)

(That’s all the more reason for me to remain silent. I can’t believe I have to report my love progress in detail.)

(Well, I guess you’re right. …By the way, you gave a detailed report, Amanocchi. …Hmph.)

(T-That’s just a way to put it. By the way, why are you blaming me!?)

(Hmph, it’s nothing. I was just thinking, how dare you be this arrogant? You’re just Amanocchi. I can’t help but punch you.)

(Seriously, how can you even carry that feeling for me? You sincerely don’t want me to be happy. We aren’t family, right?)

(Probably. Hmm, …even though we aren’t family, there’s some of that element in our relationship. Also, we are a little bit conscious of each other. …I’ve always felt that we’re quite suitable as a couple. ..Ah, right.)

(W-What? Do you understand your position now?)

I asked Aguri-san nervously, who seemed to have realized something. What should I do? What if it’s a weird conclusion that can deteriorate our relationship? I don’t want-

(Ex-wife.)

(Exactly.)

She’s super right. I answered excitedly to this final answer.

(This is what I’m talking about, Aguri-san! Whether it’s that subtle arrogance, familiarity, that love-hate feeling, or that feeling of cheering up your friend but don’t want them to succeed, …we’re totally ex-husband and ex-wife!)

(Exactly! I mean, the key part isn’t ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends, right? It’s because we don’t have that kind of youthful feeling between us, right?)

(Yes! Basically, we are a divorced couple that lived for 10 years together without any child!)

(I can understand that. This is it. Amanocchi gives off an ex-husband vibe. You’re a coward. However, for some reason, I can’t ignore you. You know that kind of super annoying ex-husband, right?)

(Aguri-san is the ex-wife! You don’t want to understand my hobbies at all. At the same time, you keep complaining. Yet, you always take care of me. This feeling is really from an ex-wife.)

Of course, we didn’t marry or divorce each other.

The game conversation ended after we’re throbbed with the conclusion. Tendou-san witnessed our excitement and asked, “What are you two talking about?”

After hearing that question, we…scratched our heads awkwardly and answered.

“We just divorced…”

“What are you two talking about!?”

The three kept blinking as they questioned us. Well, of course. It can’t be helped. Aguri-san and I explained the process of reaching this perfect conclusion detailedly. However, these three didn’t understand at all. Instead, all of them look pissed. Why?

Alright, that’s the end of the ex-husband and ex-wife topic. The time’s just right. The Game Hobby Club meeting of today ends here.

Just as everyone’s packing up, Uehara-kun suddenly voiced out. “Ah” He seemed to have remembered something and started searching his school bag.

When all of us were looking at him, he grabbed something out of his school bag. …For some reason, he walked and handed that to me.

After I took it confusedly, I saw the title…

“< Paradigm of Fantasia >…?”

“Oh, that’s the game I asked you for a walkthrough a year ago. …In other words, this is the game that brought us together.”

“Yeah, …of course, I remember.”

I stroked the box and remembered what happened back then.

“But, …what’s up with this?”

“Hmm? Eh, ..well, play it.”

“Hmm?”

I was shocked. Uehara-kun scratched his head awkwardly. Then, he glanced at Chiaki and looked at me again.

“Well, I heard this from another person. …You really love games. …However, most of your games are gone for some reason, right?”

“Eh? Oh, …really?”

“What do you mean by really…? Think about what happened to Kousei…”

“Hmm? Kousei? What did he do?”

“Seriously…?”

Uehara-kun looked at me dumbfoundedly. For some reason, Chiaki sighed as well. I smiled awkwardly and answered.

“Well, I did lose most of my games. However, the reason is, …I’m sorry, but I did sell them all a while ago.”

“Yeah, that’s why we said we know it. You did all of that for your little brother…”

“Well, in the end, I forgot where I spent the money.”

“Eh!?”

Uehara-kun and Chiaki gasped. After they looked at each other, …for some reason, Chiaki was the one to speak up.

“N-No, why!? That was such a cool moment…!”

“C-Cool? I mean, is a gamer selling his games really that worthy of praise? …That’s why I’ve kept it hidden…”

“N-No! I’m talking about where you spent your money!”

“Ha…? H…Hmm? Where did I spend it? Well, …I’m not a good kid that hands the money to my parents, no matter what. I just used it on my desires, okay?”

“Yourself? No, no, no, Keita, you-“

“Hoshinomori.”

For some reason, Uehara-kun stopped Chiaki from asking more questions.

He looked at me very warmly. …Then, he bitterly smiled at Chiaki again.

“Amano has always been Amano. After getting involved with this guy, those things became ‘normal’ and ‘selfish’ to him.”

“…Sigh, what are we going to do with you? That’s why Kousei-kun is like that. …In the end, everything’s Keita’s fault.”

Chiaki looks truly dumbfounded. W-What’s wrong with Kousei? By the way, what’s even with this little drama here? I don’t understand at all.

Also, even Tendou-san and Aguri-san joined the conversation despite having nothing to do with it.

“Although I’m not sure of the reasons, when Amano-kun said, ‘It’s for my own sake.’ It’s usually not for his sake at all. I’ve experienced that first-hand.”

“Yeah, by the way, Amanocchi always says that his life is normal. In the end, that ‘normal’ standard isn’t normal at all. You based that on MCs in games, right? You’re an idiot.”

I thought everyone was praising me. In the end, they are treating me like an idiot. What’s happening? Is this bullying? Am I getting bullied?

I can’t help but cry since I can’t follow up. Uehara-kun cleared his throat and got us back on track.

“Anyway, I’m giving you this < Paradigm of Fantasia >. I’ll only play this kind of RPGs once, after all. …Also, this game should be happy when you are its owner.”

“Thank you, Uehara-kun.”

“Oh.”

“…I probably won’t sell it.”

“Don’t you dare! Why did you hint that you may sell it!?”

“W-Well, I would never sell my games in the past. However, subconsciously, people think that I’m a weakling whenever they see me selling my stuff…”

This is why I’m never confident in myself. In the end, I don’t have faith in myself. Well, I’m just a small-time passerby, after all.

“…Ha.”

…For some reason, everyone sighed at me again. What’s happening today?

Even though I said that, I’m sincerely happy that Uehara-kun gave me a game filled with memories.

I hugged the game in my chest and showed my best smile to Uehara-kun.’

“I’m really happy. I’ll treasure this forever!”

“Eh, ah, o-oh…”

Uehara-kun blushed and scratched his head. At the next moment, all of the girls mumbled together.

“This route has potential…” Hmm? This route? What are they talking about? Sigh, whatever, let’s go home.

I carefully put the game into my school bag. During this time, Aguri-san yelled as if she’s bringing a conclusion.

“Ahaha, Amanocchi can never leave games now.”

“Ha? Why did you suddenly say that?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just thinking that right now, games are what brought Amanocchi all of the ‘connections’ here, right? In other words, games have become even more irreplaceable in your life.”

“Ah, I see. That’s true.”

I agreed with Aguri-san as I looked at the game in my school bag that’s filled with memories. …Hmm.

“No, …it’s a bit different, Aguri-san.”

“Oh?”

I thought of something and retorted.

Everyone turned around and looked at me.

I…said the brand-new conclusion I’ve reached this year out loud.

“I love games the most, whether I have connections or not. Also, I love everyone here the most regardless of my opinion of games.”

“…………”

Everyone in the Hobby Club stood still for a moment after hearing that. However, they glanced at each other. …At the next second, all of them answered.

“I also love you and games the most, Amano-kun.”

“I-I-I’m not talking about my connection with a certain person. However, I’m truly grateful that games are what brought us together! Yes!”

“I still don’t think I love games that much. …Well, whatever.”

“I hate both Amanocchi and games as always.”

After ignoring someone, I’m so touched that I cried a little bit.

…I really want to show off to myself a year ago.

I didn’t just get a girlfriend and friends. Also, the one thing that I want to show off the most is-

The best companions that I could’ve ever asked for are right next to me.

“Alright, let’s leave.”

“Sure.”

Uehara-kun led everyone out of the 2F classroom.

I wiped my tears, chased after them, and took a step forward.

*

I love games. I sincerely love games.

There are no special reasons. I just love all of them unconditionally without realizing it.

It’s a blissful moment when I get to play an interesting game. I can forget most of the sadness in my life as long as games exist.

Even though this is a boring world without swords, magic, and dragons.

However.

This is the only world where I can play games filled with swords, magic, dragons, and dreams.

Sharing your dreams with others and laughing with them together is a daily aspect in this world too.

So.

So, I want to continue this story.

A story filled with dreams like this isn’t my favorite. I’m truly sorry for that.

In the end, after blabbering so much-

After encountering all the connections that his games offered him, this teenager finally found something worth loving other than games.

-That’s why he fell in love with games even more than in the past.

Finally, this is a plain, boring, yet lovable-

-story about gaming.