Volume 3 - CH 2

The following day, the average temperature of the area rose up to above 30°, creating an oppressing heat to the point you’d think summer restarted. Returning from the extracurricular classroom, I ran into my childhood friend Nakatsugawa Nao sitting in the corner of the classroom, her expression looking melted. And then with no warning whatsoever, she began taking off her thick, black tights.

“So hooot~!” She threw them to the side like a finished can of juice.

“You’re not at home right now! Don’t let me see you do that again!” I reprimanded her without remorse and picked up the tights she threw aside.

“But it’s hot!”

“That’s on you for not checking the weather report this morning.”

She could have easily avoided wearing these thick tights otherwise, my word.

“You sound like my mom, Nanaya. Stop with the lecture.”

“Quiet. If you’re sweating that much, open up a window instead, won’t you?”

I rolled up Nao’s tights and threw them back at their owner, continuing by opening up the nearest window.

“Ah, it’s the chief.”

From our class 1-7 classroom, I could see right through to the front entrance, spotting the chief wearing our school’s fixed jersey. I guess her next class should be P.E. then? She does look cute in her jersey, though. I spent a few moments admiring her through the opened window when she caught on to my gaze. She faintly waved her hand at me, to which I nodded politely. Ah, so cute. Cute, cute, cute! She is so adorable, she is.

“What’s gotten into ya, Nanacchi. Only grinning to yourself.”

My good friend Tadokoro Onikichi appeared next to me from nothingness, smirking as he looked at my face.

“Woah, that surprised me.”

“Indeed, ‘tis I, your good friend Oni-chan! Here we! Oh, Touka in her jersey, huh? Makes sense you’d be grinning like a fish waiting to be fed.”

“I-I wasn’t grinning at all.”

“Here we, here we~!”

“Don’t use your nonsensical ‘Here we’ phrase to replace ‘Liar, liar, pants on fire,’ all right? That phrase is way too omnipotent already!”

I see he’s as nonchalant as always. During my first time as a high school student, Onikichi only turned into this playboy of a guy in our second year, but some influence must have hit him after the chief and I traveled back in time, because he’s already that way. The same goes for Nao, who was fidgeting with her tights in the corner of the room. In my original memories, her breasts were supposed to be a bit smaller than they are right now. The chief and I judged that this might be related to the so-called Butterfly Effect, but boiled down, it means that even I have the chance to get the chief as my girlfriend…Maybe…perhaps?

“It’s doable.” Onikichi tapped me on the shoulder.

“Huh?! Did you read my mind?!”

“Your face made it obvious. You were wondering if you could be a good match with Touka, right? I’m sure you can, you’re the greatest guy there is, Nanacchi.”

“Onikichi, you’re…”

“Nanacchi…”

A pleasant breeze entered the classroom through the opened window, as Onikichi and I longingly stared at each other.

“Those two are back at it again, huh.”

The noisy Ms. Cow Tits threw a complaint at us, but I skillfully ignored her. We two men were enjoying our youth when the phone in my pocket vibrated.

“Ah, a message?”

I opened up my flip phone and checked the message. It was from an unfamiliar address. I was careful to not fall for any scam as I checked through my inbox.

‘This is Maron.’

Seeing the title, something stimulated the deepest part of my memories, and I proceeded to read the whole message.

*

It’s been a while, Seven Knight-san.

This is Maron.

How are you doing?

I probably could have contacted you with the free email address of yours that I knew.

However, I was worried that maybe it could end up in your spam folder.

That’s why I sent you a message directly like this.

The leader told me this address, I’m sorry for not getting your permission first.

Our leader proposed an offline meeting, and I wanted to invite you, which is why I contacted you.

I would be happy if you participated.

I will wait for your response.

*

Right after reading the intro, I remembered everything. Maron…is one of the people I formed a party with, in the online RPG game I played back in middle school. I call it a party, but I wasn’t that passionate about the game, and skipped two years of playing, too, so our relationship isn’t particularly deep. Not to mention that all our exchanges happened online. As a result of that, we brought up the talk of meeting offline, and if memory serves right, I remember participating eleven years ago.

I had fun, of course…I think? My memories are a bit vague, but I don’t have any bad memories, at least. The problem wasn’t with the meeting in itself, but rather…

“Shimono, the chime rang already, so quickly take a seat.”

Our Japanese homeroom teacher Hayashi-sensei walked into the room, reprimanding me. Only then did I realize that I was the only one still standing.

“I’m sorry!” I apologized and quickly went to my seat.

“Hehe, clumsy Nanaya!”

“You’re not one to talk, Natsukagawa. Button up your shirt properly.”

“But it’s so hot!”

“…I don’t disagree with you there, but at least one more button, you hear me?”

“Okaaay.”

“I prepared a brief test today. I need everyone to focus!”

And thus, the class began. As much as it pains me to admit it, my head was filled with the message I had gotten, I was unable to focus on the classes. I most likely flunked the test, too.

*

I ordered the same usual sanuki udon at the cafeteria. Carrying the tray in my hands, I reminisced about the past. The first time I met Maron-san offline was at the offline meeting she invited me to. I felt awkward since I quit the game a while before that, but everyone treated me kindly. Naturally, Maron-san was no exception. Right now, she should be a year younger than me, the third year in middle school. I still remember her pleasant voice, reminding me of a voice actress. Because of her long bangs, I couldn’t properly see her face, but I remember that my heart skipped a beat since she gave me a cute impression. And now, Maron-san invited me yet again.

Since this is my second time living through these high school days, I could have expected this message to reach me eventually, but with everything else up to this point, it completely slipped my mind. Or rather, I tried my best not to remember it. After all, eleven years ago, I rejected this girl. Roughly two weeks after the offline meeting, I was invited for the first date in my life. The person who asked me out was Maron-san, taking me to the Tokyo Tower. I remember it vividly.

Fast forward another two weeks. At the cultural festival held at our school, she confessed to me. It was a true miracle. In all my 27 years of living up to this point, it was the single confession Shimono Nanaya received from a woman. And I did the unthinkable of rejecting her. When I told my university buddies about this, their reactions were about what they expected.

“This is why you’re not popular,” or “If you started dating her and learned a bit more about women, your life may have been different, you know? And yet you wasted your one and only chance,” and so on. They were relentlessly voices of complaints and rage. I know that okay! The reason I’m not popular is that I don’t understand how a woman feels! I also know that I didn’t even deserve Maron-san’s confession! Truth be told, I probably would have learned a lot if I decided to date Maron-san back then. I may not have been the lifelong virgin that I am right now. And so what?! I still like the chief! I fell in love with Kamijou Touka! But when I told my friends about that fact…

“You’re not cool chasing after a one-sided love, you’re just a stalker,” or “You read too much manga. Also, you just like older women, right?” were all comments thrown at me. Now that I think about it, were they ever really my friends…? But because of all these comments, I decided to forget about this event. For a virgin like me, who ruined the positive feelings of a girl for me, this was too much to carry.

I carried my udon to an empty seat, took out my smartphone, and checked my phone once more. If I agree to this invitation, I’ll end up hurting her again. If I say no now, she most likely won’t develop any feelings for me anymore. If anything, it doesn’t make sense that a middle school student like her would develop any feelings for me. All right, time to send her my response—Or so I decided, when the phone in my hands suddenly started floating upwards. Slender fingers with long nails acted like a crane and stole my precious phone of my own.

“Why are you glaring at your phone like that?”

I hadn’t even realized that Biwako-senpai sat down next to me. Or rather, since she apparently had progressed with her lunch quite a ways, I seemingly sat down at her table without knowing. She had her body turned towards me, her legs opened broadly. Her skirt was dangerously short, I was awfully close to spotting something I shouldn’t be seeing past her black stockings. It’s hard to tell beyond the stockings, but…purple? Wait, purple?!

“What…?”

Having stolen my phone from me, Biwako-senpai now threw me a cold glare.

“Nothing at all! I was just thinking that you actually made your choice with the upcoming weather in mind!”

“Huh? What are you on about?”

“About your stockings, to be precise!”

“Moron!”

WHAPOW, she kicked my shin with all her might.

“I’m sorry! Also, give me back my phone already!”

“Huh? Don’t wanna. Let Biwa see…the invitation to an offline meeting…Nananosuke, wazzat?”

“It’s a gathering for people that got to know each other online.”

I have…an awful feeling about this.

“Nananosuke…you’re using dating websites? Funny!”

“None of that sort! This is an offline group meeting!”

CLANK!

From the seat across ours came the heavy thud of metal hitting the ground. Looking over, I saw the chief staring at us with no emotion in her eyes, as a spoon rolled along the floor.

“Nanaya-kun…you use dating websites?”

“Chief?! Since when have you been there?!”

“Ever since you started talking about Biwako’s stockings!”

“Touka and Biwa have been eating here way before you joined us, Nananosuke. Hilarious.”

Wha…?! Are you kidding?! How much was I spacing out, seriously?

“More importantly, how dare you rely on such dating websites! I won’t allow that!”

“That’s right! Nananosuke, Biwa won’t let you do something lewd like that!”

“Again, I never once agreed to those outrageous accusations! I keep saying it’s just an offline meeting! You should know what that means, right Chief?!”

“Either way, it’s probably something lewd to do with famous YouTubers or their fans, I know it!”

That’s offline banging, not an offline meeting! How does she even know the idea of that? Apologize to all YouTubers out there!

“But what about that Akahito person that uploaded a video which blew up?”

“That was a staged video! No YouTuber out there would upload a genuine offline banging video, ya hear me! Also, I’m shocked you even know enough about internet culture to understand that!”

“Hilarious. Biwa’s been out of the loop for a hot minute here. So what’s an offline meeting?”

I just explained it, yet you still don’t get it? Fine, then. I guess I should bring about a more extensive explanation, then…

“Back in middle school, there’s this online game I played, and the people I played with all said we should meet up in person.”

“So it’s like a mixer?”

“You really don’t bother listening to me, huh!”

Get me out of here. See, the chief is already back to glaring at me.

“Seems fun. Biwa’s gonna come with you, then.”

“What?”

“You’re coming as well, right Touka?”

“Now hold on a second, what?”

Terrified, I looked at the chief.

“……..”

Why are you actually considering it so earnestly?!

“This isn’t something you should be considering, Chief. And please stop joking around, Biwako-senpai, give me back my phone.”

I worked my hardest to steal back the phone from the girl, when the chief opened her mouth, seemingly filled with determination.

“I’m going.”

“What?”

“Let’s go to this offline meeting!”

Now hol’ up. Wat? That’s not how a damn offline meeting works!!

*

The weekend has arrived. It was currently 1 pm on this Saturday afternoon. After roughly an hour on the train, I arrived at the station in question and made sure to check for the location again in the message I received. Just as eleven years ago, it happened at a karaoke box near the train station. I don’t remember the minor details of its location, I checked the details given to me and looked for the place.

“Oh man…”

In the end, I was forced to participate. In other words, I’ll have to meet Maron-san again.

“Nananosuke, why are you sighing like that? This is supposed to be a party, so cheer up.”

“Biwako, I’m only questioning us now, but are we actually allowed to participate in this meeting?”

The only difference to the previous history is that I have the top two beauties of Amakusa South High with me.

“Totally fine. We got permission from their party leader or whoever.”

The leader she mentioned was the organizer of this meeting and the person getting everyone together. A few days ago, Biwako-senpai showed a bit of common sense at least, asking me to get the leader’s permission for them to participate. With some crazy communication skills, during a phone call on the spot, she got along with the leader and got permission to join us. Sakonji Biwako-senpai’s a monster, ya hear me.

We reached the karaoke box in question roughly five minutes after we started walking from the train station. We entered the box and told the employee at the reception of our business. The other members seemingly arrived beforehand, and all we had to do was board the elevator and go up to the room in question.

“This is Biwa’s first time at a mixer, this is going to be exciting.”

“Again, this isn’t a mixer. Also, you never participated in one, Biwako-senpai?”

“Well, people from university invited Biwa here and there, but she’s not really into older guys, you know?”

“How would I know that? First time you ever mentioned something like that.”

And as expected, she gets regular invitations. Popular girls really are stronger than the military.

“But this time around, they’re your friends, and this party leader guy seems nice, too.”

“Really now. Just make sure not to invite the chief to any future mixers. She isn’t particularly fond of them, see.”

Not to mention that they’d completely steal the show if they attended a mixer. I can see all the guys being excited and going full offense. I can’t forgive that no matter what.

“Huh? Are you trying to show off how well you know Touka or something? Biwa already knew that.”

“Good, then.”

“I don’t dislike mixers. Rather, I actively participate in them.”

““What?!””

“I’ve loved singing ever since I was young, right. And mixers are when you go to choir competitions, no?”

““………””

“Ahaha, just kidding! Did I get you?”

“…Don’t scare Biwa like that. So annoying. You’re not good at pulling pranks at that, so never do that again.”

“Huh, really?! But you can do it at karaoke as well, right? And we’re at a karaoke box, so this could be another mixer!”

“Your joke isn’t landing, Chief. Leave that to Nao or Biwako-senpai.”

“Nothing but complaints today! I just wanted to show off some jokes of my own!”

“Jokes for Ms. Earnest mix as well as water and oil, Touka.”

“You don’t have to be so harsh, Biwako!”

“Ah, we’ve arrived. Just forget about that already, Chief, and have fun.”

“Hey, why are you being so kind all of a sudden?! Was it that bad?!”

The door of the elevator opened, with Biwako-senpai and me pulling the chief outside.

“Um, room number 404, right.”

“Hilarious. That’s just a weird number. Well, we had something even more sinister already.”

“You can say that again.” I agreed to Biwako-senpai’s tease.

“You two are horrible!” The chief howled.

The inside of the establishment was quite large, offering four separate floors, so it took us a moment to find room 404. It was a room specifically designed for larger gatherings. Slowly but surely, my memories from eleven years are coming back. I’m pretty sure it happened in the same place last time. Feeling a bit tense, I carefully opened the door leading to my encounter with the girl. Looking at the center of the room, I spotted two boys who glanced at us. It’s the party leader and…I think our oldest member is Hechima-san.

“Hello~”

I called out to everyone, when another person, a rather small-statured girl trotted towards me.

“N-Nice to meet you, Seven Knight-san! I’m Maron!” The girl showed a bashful smile with reddened cheeks.

Hm? Who? I mean, I know it’s Maron-san, I remember her vividly since she confessed to me and everything. However, she’s different from the Maron-san in my memories…Something feels off, and I immediately realized what that was. Her hair’s a lot shorter now. Or rather, she’s keeping her previously long bangs in proper check, only reaching to the tip of her eyebrows. She showed off a clean and proper bob cut, probably cut in shape by a professional. Just that simple change of hairstyle completely changed the impression she gave me. I guess hair really is a crucial part of a person’s image.

Since we had Nao and her size-up in a cup and Onikichi who had his playboy debut a year earlier, the change in hairstyle itself isn’t that shocking of a revelation, but it also changed my impression of hers the most. Is this also a result of the butterfly effect? I couldn’t help but think of her as cute for a moment. However, the person inside still seemed to be the Maron-san I knew, healing my exhausted heart just by looking at her. Said Maron-san continued as she looked at me.

“U-U-Um, I was really looking forward to meeting you Seven Knight-san, so…”

Speaking that far, Maron-san’s gaze wandered towards the two girls behind me.

“W-Who might these two be…?”

Well, this is supposed to be a meeting for our party members only, so it makes sense she’d be confused at two other girls entering the room. In fact, her eyes were wide open in shock.

“Heyo, name’s Biwa! Nice to meet you.”

Maron-san staggered backward. Yeah, I knew she’d be bad with this type of person. I was the same, really. And at that moment, the party leader got up from the sofa.

“Biwako-san, glad you made it. I actually didn’t mention it to the others, but Seven Knight-san’s friends will be participating in this meeting. She’s really fun to have around, and we’re getting along quite well.”

“Sup, sup, that’s it.”

Leader, you didn’t tell the other two about this?

“U-Um…My name is Kamijou Touka. Would it be okay if I participated as well?”

The chief probably realized that this was now or never, and showed herself from the shadow behind Biwako-senpai with an apologetic expression.

“Of course! I already heard about you from Biwako-san,” said the Leader.

Is it really okay to just decide on all of that? Maron-san’s face is as pale as a cloud, even.

“I-I didn’t hear about this, Leader! I thought it was just people from our party! Isn’t that how an offline meeting works?! This is already our first meeting, so…”

Yeah, I really get it. It’s like you invited a friend only for them to bring along someone else. This kind of normie mentality is tough for us.

“It’s fine, no? This is a first-time meeting for all of us, so it doesn’t matter how many people we are as long as we’re having fun.”

Yep, that’s the kind of person the Leader was. I remember it now. Zero sympathy but not on purpose, and he’s more of an outgoing person than the rest of us. What does Hechima-san think about this? I think his personality is closer to Maron-san’s…

“Wait…that’s Kamijou-san and Sakonji-san from Amakusa, no? Holy smokes, I can brag to the people from my university game club with this.”

Hey, what is he muttering about there? Or rather, we can all hear it.

“Good job, Leader!”

He’s not even trying to hide it, just throwing the Leader a thumbs-up. He’s clearly happy. Also, the chief and Biwako-senpai are famous even with universities outside our district? I can’t help but admire that. I guess Amakusa is something of a paradise in that sense. Maybe that’s why Leader agreed for them to participate in the first place? Maron-san still seemed bewildered but found herself resigning at the mercy of everyone else, sitting down on the sofa. I got a really bad feeling about this. And with nothing but apologetic feelings filling me, Shimono Nanaya’s second offline meeting began.

*

“Cheers!”

After all the drinks we ordered arrived, the Leader hit the party off with a toast. Surrounding the table, we separated into two sofas. The one to the right started with me, Leader, and Hechima-san. To the left it was Maron-san across from me, then Biwako-senpai, and finished by the chief. The girls sat at the entrance. To think the chief and I would sit on opposite ends, we urged her to basically do all the ordering just now. I want to switch seats with her and provide a written apology.

“Let’s all introduce ourselves first.”

“And we’ll be able to switch seats after this, right Leader?”

“Of course, Hechima-san. But for now, introduce yourself. Doesn’t matter what.”

This turned into an actual mixer now! We split up between boys and girls, too! And why is Hechima-san dry-heaving like that! You should be older than the Leader, right? I held my head in despair when I felt a cold aura tickling my spine. I knew immediately who this aura belonged to. I looked at the diagonal end of the other sofa, spotting the chief who glared at me with the gaze of a cold-hearted killer.

I can hear it. Hear the roaring sound of the chief’s inner voice. So this is a mixer after all? Is this what you were aiming for from the very beginning? That’s what she’s saying. I just know it. She may have been joking about this stuff before, but now she’s back to proper strict superior mode. You’re wrong, okay? I didn’t wish for this to happen and this wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Eleven years ago, we peacefully disbanded after two hours of casual talking and fun. And yet…you and Biwako-senpai messed it all up!

“So then, could you start with self-introductions, Hechima-san?”

“Yes, of course! I’m known as Hechima online, but my real name is Nishi Hikaru. I’m a second-year in university, currently 19 years old. People always tell me that my name is wasted on me, but I am proud to be an otaku! I-If you’re interested in manga and the like, feel free to ask me!” He said and kept on glancing at Biwako-senpai.

So he’s fallen for her at first glance, huh? Hechima-san is wearing glasses, looking somewhat of a rich kid, oddly slim on the waist. He does look like a classic otaku with his shirt and long pants, but he’s confident in himself, which I really respect. I figured he’d be annoyed at the arrival of a gal like Biwako-senpai…but I guess I’m a bad judge of character, after all.

Also, could you make your intentions any more obvious? Not to mention that I didn’t even get to hear his name the last time, which shows how serious he is. After him, the Leader got up. Just like Hechima-san, he was wearing glasses, but modern round glasses. He was wearing stylish clothes, fitting his slim stature. He crossed his arms and introduced himself.

“Everybody here calls me Leader, but my real name is Yashiki Takahiro. I’m a second-year in high school. You can keep calling me Leader if you’d like, of course. My hobbies are playing games, of course, and reading. Lately, I’ve been getting into self-improvement books.” Leader said with a confident grin.

His gaze was glued to the chief. So she’s his type, aye? Well, the person in question was sipping her oolong tea with a gloomy face as ever, so I doubt she’s even catching on to his gaze. I guess this whole self-improvement stick most likely was meant to impress her. Well, the chief likes people who improve upon themselves, so it’s not wasted by any means. Leader sat down again, and since my turn up, I stood up.

“In-game I was Seven Knight, and my real name is Shimono Nanaya. I’m a first-year at Amakusa South High. My interests are…”

“Older women, right?” Biwako-senpai interrupted me.

“Wha?! How would that be an interest I’d follow?! Don’t make me sound like some womanizer!”

“Biwa heard about it from Naopon. And Onikichi said the same thing.”

These guys again…

“Well, I do like older women, that’s a fact, but my hobbies are playing fighting games! As well as being a weekend carpenter.”

In order to hide my embarrassment, I just blurted out the next best thing.

“Weekend carpenter? You’re not some old guy, Nananosuke. Hilarious.”

Shut it. If I acted cool and called it DIY, everybody else would just make fun of me. Also, I’d get outed as an old man. Anyway, the boys finished introducing themselves, and now it was the girls’ turn. And since we went with the same order as the boys, it was the chief’s turn first. Don’t tell me, will I get to finally hear about the chief’s hobbies? Before, she talked about doing hot yoga at the gym and whatever, but that’s gotta be her hobby before the time leap. In other words, this might be the best possible chance for me to listen in on her hobbies. Ohhh, offline meetings are the best! Mixers banzai!

“Touka, it’s your turn. What’re you spacing out for?”

“Ah, oh, me, yeah?”

“Lol.”

The chief seemed to have been lost in thought, only pulled back to reality thanks to Biwako-senpai.

“Once again, nice to meet you all, my name is Kamijou Touka. I’m a student at Amakusa South High like Shimono Nanaya-kun but in my second year. I’m sorry for suddenly barging in on this party despite not being a member of your party. I hope we get along.”

Such a stiff greeting! Also, what’s your hobby, oi?!

“Touka~! What about your hobbies? Read the mood, oi!”

Yeah, tell her, Biwako-senpai! Great second-years we got here! So reliable! Off you go, Chief! Just tell me your hobby, I’ll join you tomorrow!

“Err…do I really have to say that? So embarrassing…”

Okay, cute. A bashful chief is too much for my heart. But that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven for every small sin of yours. So hurry up and tell us about your hobby, Kamijou Touka!

“Why’re you so embarrassed about your hobby? Out with it!”

Yeah, yeah!

“Ehm…Well…I like putting together my favorite love songs in a playlist? Getting that perfect mix together that symphonizes with my heart really gets me excited.”

“Yuck, gross.”

“Excuse me?! After urging me on, you have the nerve to act so disgustedly?!”

“Anyway, Biwa’s next! Sakonji Biwako here, second year in high school. Hobbies are karaoke, or playing futsal.”

“Don’t ignore me, Biwako!”

Good choice, Biwako-senpai. Even I was unsure how to react to that. I’ll just give up on talking about her hobby, yep. Well, hearing about Biwako-senpai playing futsal is so normie that it scared me, too. Either way, both their self-introductions are done now, meaning we’re moving on to Maron-san.

“I was called Maron in-game, playing as a healer. My name is Ushiki Oguri, I’m a…ehm…third-year in middle school. My hobby is…drawing manga.”

Maron-san, or Ushiki-chan as I’ll call her, stood up and introduced herself. Naturally, I remember her real name, and I’ve been calling her Oguri-chan back then. I didn’t know she was drawing manga, but she did mention that she was a skilled artist eleven years ago. Oguri-chan let out a sigh and sat back down again. Since all of our introductions were done, Leader spoke up.

“Then let’s play the king’s game.”

““Again, this isn’t a mixer!””

Oguri-chan and I shot up at the same time, slamming our hands on the table. And even if this was a mixer, you still wouldn’t move on to playing a round of king’s game right after introductions…right?

“Biwa’s in! She always wanted to play the king’s game!”

“And who are you, again?!”

Oguri-chan glared at Biwako-senpai with a stern face. I don’t ever remember her being this aggressive. Then again, this kind of development sure is something abnormal.

“Biwa’s just Biwa. Just introduced herself, no? Lol.”

And Biwako-senpai was as much of a gal as always. The chief watched over this, raised one eyebrow, and spoke up.

“Playing such an obscene game is something children shouldn’t be doing.”

She spoke with the tone of a legal guardian, to which Biwako-senpai calmed down instantly.

“Huh? Biwa doesn’t agree to any lewd stuff either, you know!”

The king’s game is basically the pinnacle of a boy’s ulterior motive, and yet Biwako-senpai never even thought about that. The more I observe her, the more it becomes apparent how pure she actually is. At the same time, Oguri-chan showed an awfully complicated expression. She probably is annoyed at Biwako-senpai jumping ships at every given second. Either way, right as basically everybody showed clear disinterest in the king’s game, Leader spoke up.

“We won’t do anything extreme like that. Aiming for somebody in particular or using actual names is not part of the rules. This is our first time meeting, so if we keep these rules in mind, we’ll get to know each other better. For example, you could ask about a person’s preferred type of the opposite sex.”

““Preferred type?!””

The chief and Oguri-chan responded at the exact same time. Not to mention them screaming.

“Oh really? Biwa’s totally A-okay with that. Let’s do it~”

Will you shut up already, woman? With nobody else against the king’s game, it was too late. I mean, I am more than curious about the chief’s preferred type, but there’s no guarantee the king’s game will end up this mild. Especially since Leader was clearly gunning for this. I took my chance to seek allies.

“Oguri-chan, telling these people about our preferred type is way too embarrassing, right? Especially when it’s our first meeting.”

“I can ask for Shimono-senpai’s favorite type…I can ask for Shimono-senpai’s favorite type…”

“Hm? Oguri-chan, what are you mumbling about?”

She was whispering to herself, which made it impossible for me to hear what she was saying. She was probably complaining about this situation as much as I am. Yeah, I don’t wanna play this damn king’s game either.

“I want to play the king’s game, after all!”

“Oguri-chan?!”

Why?! What caused this abrupt change of motion?! My crucial ally betrayed me…However, I still have the chief at my disposal.

“No no no, we’ve come to a karaoke box, so we should be singing, right? Don’t you agree, Chief?”

“…You’re right.”

“That’s what I was expecting.”

“If everyone is so adamant on it, then let’s play the king’s game!”

“Chieeef?!”

I guess I have to accept it now. This isn’t an offline meeting…it’s a mixer, after all.

*

“““Who’s the king~?”””

“Ohhh! It’s me!”

Hechima-san shot up, seeming delighted from the bottom of his heart. Restrain yourself, you dang university student. Standing still, he put one hand on his chin, looking up at the ceiling. If my memory serves me right, he always had plenty of common sense, so he wouldn’t order us, high school students, to do anything weird. I can be relieved with him, at least.

“Then, I’d like to have number 3 sing Shinryaku no Susume!”

Is it still related to karaoke? I can’t tell if that’s a choice reflecting common sense or not! Also, what kind of choice is that? The two from Amakusa won’t know what song that is!

“I’m number 3, but…I’m sorry, I don’t know that song.”

The chief showed a complicated expression. See, just as I suspected!

“I-I know it.”

Oguri-chan spoke up. She was grinning at the same time as she was embarrassed. Is there any reason for her to act so arrogant?

“A-Also, all of our party members should know that song. Right, Shimono-senpai?”

Meee?!

“Well, our party members surely are checking the recent anime, that’s for sure…”

“That’s right! Because we share the same interests!”

I guess Oguri-chan really is annoyed that the offline meeting got ruined, huh? This is supposed to be a gathering of people with similar interests. Hechima-san’s choice of song wasn’t weird.

“Then…I guess I can have Maron-san sing it.” Hechima-san said, sounding slightly disappointed.

Oi! What about the real meaning of the king’s game?

“Yes, of course. I am regularly watching anime, after all. Naturally, I can sing it.” Oguri-chan kept her arrogant smirk as she exclaimed.

Do you even understand how the king’s game works?

“Are you sure, Ushiki-san? Sorry that you have to take over.” The chief seemed genuinely apologetic as she looked at Oguri-chan.

Am I the only one who thinks that things don’t match up in the slightest? Amidst this scene, Biwako-senpai joined the conversation with more than just a bit of excitement.

“Ohhh, great zeal you got there, Smallie! Then Biwa will sing with you!”

“Biwako-senpai, you don’t have to act cool, you clearly don’t know this song.”

“Huh? Biwa knows it, though.”

“No no, I don’t buy that for one second.”

“It’s from IkaMusume, right? Biwa’s gonna slaughter you, Nananosuke.”

“No need to get so violent there…Wait, the heck did you just say?!”

“Biwa’s gonna use her connections to get all second and third-years in the district to get you beaten up, Nananosuke.”

“That’s not what I meant! Please don’t tell me the detailed procedure of your murder plan! It sounds totally doable, which is terrifying me!”

“Did you forget that Biwa is older than you?”

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude!”

“All right. Smallie, let’s sing the IkaMusume opening together!”

“But hold on, how do you know about that anime, Biwako-senpai?!”

Why would she, of all people, watch anime?

“Leader told Biwa that all members participating are into anime, so she asked for recent recommendations.”

There it is! She’s such a nice person if she really wants to be! Biwako-senpai put on the song and grabbed a microphone. The intro played, and she immediately responded at the perfect moment. Oguri-chan struggled to follow up but managed to join in in time. In the end, they both got into it, whereas the chief simply stared at one point in the corner of the room, muttering something to herself.

“Biwako can sing along just fine, and yet here I am…”

It seems like her pride’s hurt. She may be strict at her work, but the same goes for herself. There’s clearly nothing to be hurt about, and yet this is the personality she has. After we finished the first song with the invasion of a certain octopus girl, we moved to the next round.

“““Who’s the king?”””

I looked at the stick I pulled—Number 1. I’m a bit scared to think when Leader becomes the king, but who is it this time…

“Wooo! Biwa’s the king! Sorry ‘bout this, everyone!”

So this time, it’s Biwako-senpai, huh? Well, she dislikes anything lewd, so she probably won’t ask for anything too crazy.

“Number 1 will…”

Tsk…had to be me, of course. Now I’m worried. Please don’t make it anything weird.

“…will slap number 4 on the wrist!”

Ohhh! A typical command! It’s not too far, not too boring. As expected of normie Biwako-senpai! But that brings up the question, who do I have to slap?

“Ah, that’s me.” The chief raised one hand.

All my relief was blown away in an instant, with all my blood freezing. No way…I forgot that this pattern was possible. I’m supposed to slap that white and slim wrist of hers? No way, no way. This may be an order during the king’s game, but I can’t do something so disrespectful to my superior. However, the rules of the King are absolute.

“Hey, who’s number 1? Come on out.”

“…I-It’s me.”

“Nananosuke~?”

Naturally, there won’t be any miracle of the game being canceled. The chief probably read the mood of the room, offering her arm to me while cramping up her shirt, pushing her body over the table.

“Here, Nanaya-kun.”

Her slender and beautiful arm was right in front of me. Everybody looked at me. What is this mood? Delaying it will still result in the inevitable. Seeing no other option, I made up my resolve and grabbed her arm. The moment I did, her body twitched ever so slightly. Her silky smooth skin felt comfortably chilly, much more slim and fragile than I could have imagined. Slowly but steadily, I readied my hand and prepared it for the slap, index and middle fingers ready.

“Nanaya-kun…please be gentle.”

“…!”

W-What is this…sensation? An unfamiliar sense of guilt and arousal filled my body. Unable to hold myself back, I looked at the King Biwako-senpai. She was glaring at me. I guess she’s jealous of me holding the chief’s arm like this. You gave me this order, don’t hold any grudges now. Hm…No, she’s not angry at me. Her eyes are reddened, and so are her cheeks. There’s no mistaking it. She’s between guilt and arousal. In other words, just like me, she’s…excited!

Ahh, what a sinful person she is. And these emotions can’t be stopped anymore. Biwako-senpai nodded, signaling me to start.

‘Do it.’

Heh…what a bad person, truly.

“Chief, here I come!”

SLAP! I used my full momentum. I did it as strongly as I could.

“Eeep!”

She let out a faint but distinct shriek. I could see a small red space on her wrist. Ah, I gave in to the devil’s temptation. Curse this king’s game. I looked at Biwako-senpai, and she seemingly barely managed to hold herself back by biting her lip. I got my breathing under control and called out to the chief while hiding my excitement.

“I’m sorry, Chief, are you okay?”

“That hurt. I told you to be gentle…” The chief showed a sulking attitude.

Not good. Any more than this, and I’ll open a door that should forever stay closed. To regain my composure, I urged Leader to continue.

“Okay, next round. Everyone pull your sticks.”

Leader listened to my suggestions, offered the lottery sticks to us, and we all pulled one. It should really be my turn to be the king soon. And then, I’ll ask for another slap…Wait no! Don’t give in to temptation, me!

“““Who’s the king?!”””

The pulling of the lottery ended, and our new king was crowned.

“That’s me, all right.” Leader said while grinning.

I figured we’d reach this result eventually, but to think it happened now…I don’t think I’m ready yet. Didn’t help that Hechima-san seemed to be begging the Leader for something.

“Counting on you, Leader.”

Leader responded in grace, flashing a grin.

“Then let’s have the girls tell us about their favorite type ‘a guy.”

Immediately after becoming king, Leader broke the laws he created.

“Hey now, Leader-san, that’s against the rules, no?”

“Not quite, Kamijou-san. I said that we can’t order individual people, but not towards an entire group.”

“Wha…that’s messed up logic.” The chief argued, and I couldn’t agree more.

However, I had no intention of supporting her in this case. After all, I still have much to gain from joining Leader in his quest. After all, I get to hear about the chief’s preferred type of guy through this. Last summer break, it sure seemed like she and Onikichi got along quite well, so the doubt of her having a thing for flashy guys has yet to fully clear up. I’d really like to get things straight here. Leader, I’m both thankful and disgusted.

“Now now, Touka, it’s fine. Your preferred type isn’t that big of a deal. Once we get the King, we can just ask them instead.”

“A-Ask them instead…! You’re right, I guess it’s not that big of a deal, after all.”

Through Biwako-senpai’s skillful persuasion, the chief’s reaction changed, and the grande revelation began.

“First up is Biwa, then! Biwa likes men who are interesting. And definitely not older than her, acting all respectful sounds like a pain!”

Stop lying. You never act respectfully towards anybody. That being said, this really sounds like Biwako-senpai. However, to find someone who she considers interesting and fun is one hell of a hurdle. Also, look at Hechima-san, all shocked because she’s not into older guys. He got rejected without even having been given a chance. Poor guy.

“Next up is Touka!”

“Wait, me?”

“Yap, yap! On with it!”

All right, here it is. What’s it gonna be? Flashy guys? Or another type?

“I don’t have a preferred type. I’m not interested in this sort of thing.”

Yep, I expected as much. It’s the same pattern as always. Honestly, I expected as much, and I can’t help but feel relieved at that for some reason. I guess her liking flashy guys was just my misunderstanding. She really has no interest in love. Looking at Leader…yep, he’s out cold. Hehe, this is what you get. Unlike you, I genuinely admire her, you damn amateur.

“Hilarious. Just last summer, you talked about some prince…”

Biwako-senpai was about to mention something when she hurriedly stopped herself. She looks frozen stiff for some reason. The chief sat next to her, smiling at Biwako-senpai with a cold gaze. She probably stepped on a landmine or something. I’m very curious, but I’m also too scared to ask. Anyway, the chief’s turn ended (with her answer being debatably devoid of anything), and we moved on to Oguri-chan. Up to this point, she showed no reaction at all, only to suddenly form a fist with her hand.

However, I had hopes that this wouldn’t blow up too much. We’re talking about Oguri-chan, after all. There’s no way she could declare her type in front of everyone like this. I’m starting to feel a bit bad for her. I have a great share of responsibility after letting things escalate to such a degree. I should tell her to not force herself. However, right as I opened my mouth to do so, Oguri-chan pushed her body forward and began.

“My preferred type of boy…No, my ideal partner…is a person like Shimono-senpai!”

It all happened so quickly. All of us froze up in perfect unison. The chief, and even Biwako-senpai, stared at Oguri-chan with their mouths open in shock. I stared at the wildly blushing girl in shock, as I felt my heart racing loudly. And then, she kept her gaze glued to me, speaking up once more.

“—Do you dislike younger girls?”