Chapter 7 – Ayumu Kiriya and Offline Encounter
“Ah! Did I seriously just lose that!? Uwah!”
I moved away from the arcade controller on the table as I kept scratching my head angrily.
Keita’s sitting at the chair in front of the PC. He’s looking at my irritated face like he just witnessed something rare.
“Hey, it’s hard to see Kiriya-san getting this emotional in a game like this.”
“Of course, …I got slammed when I used a strong character that counters my rival on a fighting game match. It’s hard to stay calm and say nothing, right.”
“Rival?”
Keita tilted his head confusingly this time. He glanced at the battle results on the TV screen. Right there, it displayed the victory rate between this opponent and me. Yes, -I won 20% of the time only. That’s depressing.
When I’m looking away, Keita Amano is still adding insult to injury innocently.
“Eh? Basically, don’t rivals mean opponents at the same level?”
“Stop it! It doesn’t matter! In fighting games, there are many instances where you’re still a rival despite only winning 20% of the time! It’s because luck is a pretty big factor in this field too!”
“Eh? However, even if it’s luck, in summary, this player already fought you more than 300 times before, right? If you only win 20% of the time, it’s clear that you’re too far-”
“Keita, do you think Anpanman and Baikinman are rivals?”
“Why are you suddenly asking that? Hmm, I guess they count as rivals from a character’s standpoint.”
“Right? Well, now think about how many times did Baikinman win.”
“…! Huh? Isn’t his victory rate a bit too low?”
“See? In comparison, don’t you think a guy with a 20% win rate is enough to be classified to self-proclaim as a rival?”
“Ugh…! A-After your explanation, I feel like it wasn’t a problem!”
Keita Amano is convinced with a bit of excitement. Idiot. What an idiot. A 20% win rate is nothing close to being at the same level. There’s a clear skill difference, and I understand that the most.
I rechallenged the opponent while Keita watched.
…I fought with him again and again, and Keita continued watching.
…………
So, after who knows how many hours have passed…
Suddenly, Keita began moving his chair around as he mumbled.
“…Uh, Kiriya-san. Well, …even though it’s a busy end-of-the-year, … you’re willing to let me watch you play this fighting game. I appreciated that.”
z “It’s fine. This is nothing if it’s for you…”
“Yes, I’m truly grateful. Thanks to that, I can already feel what makes this game so attractive. Since I felt it already…”
Keita paused for a moment here, …and then he yelled out to me with tears in his eyes.
“Can you remove your ‘I’ll quit after winning one online match’ condition!? I was already forced to watch you lose for a whole hour!”
He pulled a long face and begged me. I smiled and comforted him. “Just you wait.”
“I’m not serious yet.”
“Honestly, I’ve already heard that 5 times!”
“I can still power up 15 times.”
“There are too many transformations! Please just head straight to your final form!”
“…Sigh. Keita, you have no idea of the rules of a weekly shonen manga at all.”
“You’re the last person I want to hear that from! Suppose the protagonist has to fight an enemy that can transform 15 times in a weekly magazine. In that case, that’s nothing but dragging the plot, right!”
“Ara, from what you said, do you think that watching me play fighting games is like reading a dragged series, Keita Amano?”
“That’s exactly what I said! If you got it already, can you please skip this?”
“Well, …what should I do? (mischievously smiling)”
“Why are you acting like a strong character!? You’re nothing but all talk! I’m going home!”
Keita said that as he stood up from the chair. I quickly tried to keep him here.
“No, no, no, K-Keita. Now that it came to this, doesn’t that mean I’m really a noob? P-Please just stay with me a bit longer…”
When we’re messing around, the opponent requested another fight.
“…Sheesh. By the way, why don’t you just fight someone else?”
“No, no, no, I want you to watch me defeat ‘her.’ It’s more satisfying than beating those mainstream sucker players…”
This is my inner live streaming attitude. I always hope to overcome a difficult challenge.
“Ah? What’s with that? …Sigh, whatever.”
Looking at Keita sitting back, I pressed my chest in relief as I accepted the fight again. We entered the next round without changing the characters. …Right, I’ll have to win this time.
…No, I’ll have to win today.
So, …in the end, I started losing again as if it’s a match replay. At the same time, I remembered something about this opponent.
SALT0519. This player’s ranked near the top in this fighting game, <Complete Zero>. The craze has already faded for this title. In reality, SALT0519’s a total expert. However, the person never ranked no.1 on the ranking. It’s because he- no, it’s because she’s not focused on always winning. After she practiced a character to the point of perfection, she’ll switch to other weaker characters. Even though there’s a strong meta, the girl will immediately work on different strategies. So, her win rate drops. That’s why I can win 20% of the time despite not as skilled as her.
So, Keita didn’t even need to say this, but I’m biting off more than I can chew by calling her a rival. Basically, I’m on the low end of the skill spectrum for professional players. Even though I’m in 45th place on the <Complete Zero> world ranking, it’s because there aren’t many players around.
I’m way worse than SALT0519. Even so, I still called her my rival. …That’s because there’s a grudge between us.
I fought her for the first time a year ago. During that time, I was trying to host my first live stream. I remembered the plan for that video is something like “ending after winning X times.” The content is standard and relaxed. Initially, I expected that although I’ll screw up a couple times, I can still finish the entire thing in an hour. To me, it’s just an experimental plan.
-Well, it’s until SALT0519 showed up.
I think you can guess this already. In the end, the live streamer went on for a torturing 4 hours. When the win streak’s about to reach its goal, SALT0519 will barge in and defeat me. I had to restart. Then, when I’m one win away from ending, SALT0519 came again and ruined the streak. The cycle goes on and on. The audience was even getting interested, so I can’t reject her match invitation. I dragged on for a long time. In the end, I never reached the goal when she went offline. …Being a person that always emphasizes progress management, that was such a bitter memory. After that, I rarely opened Twitch anymore.
Well, it’s actually quite impressive for a video. However, I’m not determined enough to remain undamaged after getting wrecked for 4 hours straight.
Of course, I’ve since held a grudge against SALT0519. …However, something expected happened on the next day.
I didn’t expect that damn SALT0519 to send me a friend request.
Initially, I thought she just wanted to insult me. However, she left down a great message. “Let’s play next time too.” My temper immediately went away, and I accepted the friend request.
After that, although it’s just within <Complete Zero>, we still interacted with each other through the matches quietly. Then, I found out that she didn’t mean to mess up my first battle with her. It’s just that she thought I’m a nice person that continued to fight despite losing, and she loved it. Therefore, she requested a match after match.
Moreover, I found out all that since I looked at her social media account. She registered it to conquer fighting game players. I knew who she is from her posts. Of course, I never get to know her actual name. Even so, I can still feel she’s a girl. At the same, she’s engaged in a variety of fighting games as well. While she’s strong, she’s only a legend that the fighting circle knows due to her match style. Also…
“Uh, you just lost again. …Kiriya-san.”
“…Yeah.”
After I snapped out from the memories, the screen displayed something that happened a few minutes ago. My character fell to the ground while SALT0519’s cheering out loud.
…Just like that, she’s still stronger than me. I should have gotten better when I played for so long, yet she’s always one step ahead of me. Although she’s practicing multiple games, unlike me, who’s focusing on one only, she’s another level above me.
What a displeasing person. In the game, nothing is harder to trust than the word “friend.” What kind of friend is this?
She’s someone that I can seemingly surpass while unable to do so. It’s because of her, I…stopped at the 45th place on the world ranking. Come to think of it, I should at least be a decent player. However, I can’t really puff up my chest and say proudly. “I’m good at this game!”
This is SALT0519. She’s a literal sting in my eye.
When I told Keita this to kill time while skipping the live streaming part, he nodded and answered. He seems interested.
“Ah, I guess I can understand what you said. Although…I don’t have a rival, since there’s not much interaction I can join online, I feel like I can participate in one with a purer mind. I can understand that…”
Then, I don’t know which person came to Keita’s mind. He’s showing quite a gentle face…
“I’m anything but close to her.”
After I swallowed another defeat on the screen, I replied angrily. Keita said this with a bitter smile.
“Kiriya-san, perhaps she’s a sting in your eye, but the girl treats you as a friend, isn’t it?”
“She thinks I’m a doofus.”
“Based on what you’ve said alone, I feel like she’s not that kind of person.”
“Well, …I guess you’re right.”
The online ranking won’t be affected when friends are battling each other in this game. Even if she thinks I’m doofus, there’s no benefit for her. Although that’s true…
During this time, my character ate a streamlined combo. When I’m mumbling “this guy really isn’t my friend” unhappily, Keita chuckled and said this.
“However, I didn’t expect this person to be a girl. How should I put it? Although this is just my super-biased opinion, I usually imagine great fighting games or FPS players as guys.”
After I heard him, I paid attention back to the game as I replied casually.
“Really? There are a lot of girls that play these games nowadays too.”
Yes, even though I ate a combo, I managed to take advantage of the mistake and counterattacked her. Right now, I’m in a perfect position. I guess…I can win this time?
“Yeah, I know girls that are good at games too.”
I’m having a challenging and intense battle now as the casual chattering continued. However, since I’m solely focused on the game, I answered Keita with this.
“Right? In reality, I love FPS and fighting games too.”
“…?”
Very well, I’m gaining the upper hand. I can win this! I can kill her with another weak blow-
…………
Suddenly, my character paused. At that moment, the opponent took the chance and returned her attacks. …My HP dropped to 0.
<YOU LOSE!>
The subtitles that I watched countless times popped up on the screen. I could’ve won this match. How unfortunate. …I would’ve won.
However, …winning or losing doesn’t matter now anymore.
My hands…are intensely sweating as I’m holding the controller. I’m trying to remember something.
(What did…I just say…to Keita?)
…I can’t remember it. No, I was lying. I knew it. Although I didn’t forget it, I don’t want to admit it.
However, …the innocent and pure boy, Keita Amano, tilted his head in shock as he put that fact in front of me.
“Hmm? Uh, I mean, I was talking about gamer girls. But, Kiriya-san, why did you talk about yourself?”
“…………”
I put out a stiff smile as I remained silent.
…W-What should I do…? No, it’s not time to freak out yet. Right, Ayumu Kiriya? There are a lot of excuses for this, right? It’s like how I can still power up for more than 15 times-
“Kiriya-san, don’t tell me- you’re actually a girl?”
(IT’S SUDDENLY THE FINAL BOSS FIGHT!)
What is this? Is this the last episode before the canceling of the series? The 15 transformation thing pissed the reader off. In the end, people filled their anger into the questionnaire, and then the series was immediately canceled?
I bulged my eyes and looked at Keita. As for the boy, …he’s giving me quite an incredibly suspicious look.
(…Don’t tell me this guy’s already questioning my gender?)
It would be bad if that’s the case. It’s horrible. This failure…can’t be saved that easily.
“W-What’s wrong, Kiriya-san? If that’s really the case, I…”
“…………”
I what? I…can’t come here anymore, right? Ay, I guess so. After all, even though they already broke up, he’s still in love with someone. If that’s the case, although he can visit a “gaming-loving onii-san’s house” to play, he can’t hang out at a lonely university girl’s room. Of course. This is a guaranteed conclusion for a teenager in love.
(Sigh, …perhaps it’s time to quit.)
In reality, Keita already contributed more than enough for the popularity of the videos. Disrupting my benefactor’s life is the last thing I want to do. If he found out that I’m a girl, I should quit this right away.
(Yes, …that’s what I should do…)
Yes, logically, that can solve everything. If I stop right now, I won’t cause any trouble for his love. This is the most reasonable solution. How could I treat him as a friend while lying to him until now?
This is an excellent opportunity. I made up my mind and took a good look at Keita.
“Yeah, Keita. Actually, I-“
…………
(H…Huh? W-What’s with this tinge in my heart? W-Why am I so…)
…Strange. Logically, I understand that what I need to say and do right now. …However, …however-
-The declaration of ending this relationship remained in my throat. I can’t say it at all.
“Ah, …uh, …ugh…”
“Hmm? Kiriya-san?”
My face turned pale since I’m having a hard time breathing. Keita looked at me, worriedly. However, …I can’t face him at this moment, and I looked away subconsciously. Why would I…
During this time, another battle invitation appeared on the screen. I can’t help but hold the game controller as I tried to press the accept button hastily. -But my fingers freaked out. In the end…
“Ah.”
…I can’t believe I just kicked her. This doesn’t mean I kicked her during the fight. Instead, I kicked her as in, “I forced her out of the match as if she’s a griefer.” In other words, it’s something that BFFs will never do. If I’m comparing this to an actual friendship-
“Hey, Isono. Do you want to play baseball at that empty place-“
“Shut up, Nakajima. I don’t want to see your ugly face ever again. Get out!”
“…I-Isono?”
It’s something like that—a bolt from the blue from Nakajima’s perspective. Uh, I think Isono-kun’s just as freaked out since I treated him like a brutal character.
Let’s get back to the topic.
If I just accidentally kicked her, I can simply say, “Sorry, that doesn’t count.” Everything will be fine. However, the game’s making this difficult too. Kicking someone will directly blacklist that player (you won’t see the person again during matchmaking). It’s pretty serious.
“Ah! Damn you!”
I can’t help but scratch my head violently. Then, I switched from the arcade controller back to the normal one to use the menu.
For some reason, Keita spoke up with a sense of guilt.
“I-It’s okay, right? I feel like…I should apologize for saying non-sense like that.”
“Eh? Eh, r-really? It’s fine. Please don’t mind this. It’s just that I clicked the wrong buttons.”
“O-Okay? But…”
Keita stared at the screen worriedly. …His worry is justified. According to the game setting and guide, once you blacklisted someone, it’ll take a week before you can unlist him/her. …I guess this is why not many people play this game.
I scratched my head and said, “This is troublesome.” “Uh…” Keita said sheepishly.
“A-Anyway, …should you send a text to this…SALT-san first? Your relationship with her will really end if this goes on.”
“Hmm? Oh, even though we weren’t friends in the first place, …I guess so. I should do that.”
I put down the controller after thinking for a while. Then, I switched to my phone, and Keita asked me in confusion.
“Huh? Do you know how to contact her?”
“Uh, it’s not that. It’s because she uses Twitter. I’m just sending a text over there. After all, it’ll be quite annoying to type with a controller.”
“I see. Ah, can I take a look at that person’s tweets?”
“Sure, take your time.”
After I answered him casually, Keita came off from the office chair and sat next to me. Our faces are really close, and I almost freaked out. However, since that happened, I managed to keep my cool and clicked on the phone.
So, when I finally opened SALT0510’s page, Keita mumbled.
“Kiriya-san, I’m really sorry.”
“…It’s fine.”
“…Uh, please forget what I just said.”
“…Okay.”
We said all of that without even looking at each other. …I think Keita’s still not convinced with anything. No, it’s not just that. I think he’s carrying this vague sense of suspicion.
Even so, …he seemingly let this go for now, and I accepted it at face value.
I guess…we’re trying to avoid the fact by lying? …I think so.
However, if the answer was found out, this cheerful time will have to end.
There’s an “answer” to my gender. Also, that’s a cruel answer for us. It’s an answer that will stop us from enjoying games like this.
However, this ambiguity can be maintained if Keita doesn’t find out.
…It’s literally Schrodinger’s Cat.
From his perspective, the current Ayumu Kiriya is a superposition of the male Ayumu Kiriya and the female one. It’s in a twisted state. However, this way, …we can continue to play together.
This cheerful gaming time can go on.
(…Even though both of our wishes are so innocent and pure…)
We just want to play together as friends. This is the reason behind all of this. But why did this drag us into a cheating-like conflict…? I don’t get it.
During this time, Keita, who poked his head out to look at my phone, gasped. “Eh?” He pointed at SALT0519’s past tweets and continued.
“She posted this a few days ago…”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? ‘…The arcade that I always go to is under small maintenance. Where should I play until it reopens on the day after tomorrow?’ …What’s wrong with this tweet?”
“Uh, it’s nothing. …Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. The arcade that Uehara-kun and I often visit is under maintenance recently as well…”
“Huh?”
I bulged my eyes after Keita pointed out the coincidence.
“Hey, in other words, …this SALT0519 player…could be a local…?”
“Not so fast. There should be a bunch of arcades under maintenance at the same time in the nation. So, I wouldn’t be too sure. However…”
“However?”
“If this fighting game expert SALT0519 really lives here, …I do have someone in mind. …Uh, but it won’t be that coincidental…?”
Keita raised his face from the screen and started mumbling to himself. Honestly, I can barely hear the last part.
So, I can only draft up an apology to the girl for now. After that, …I somehow decided to add another text at the last part of the message.
<P.S. The arcade near my home is also under maintenance too. Perhaps we live really close to each other. If there’s a chance for us to battle in real-life, please go easy on me.>
Since the apology seems a bit too rigid, I added this to smooth things over.
“Right, I’m sending it.”
After I wrote the message, I didn’t have to mood to continue playing anymore. So, I turned off the PC and started switching between TV channels.
As for Keita, he’s still mumbling something by himself.
“SALT, …s…salt? Hmm, …it’s really unrelated, right? …Salt, …it’s pronounced as Osio. …If I read it in reverse-“
During this time, the cartoon for kids in the evening started playing. Keita immediately stopped thinking and snapped out of it.
“Crap, it’s already this late. Well, I’ll be leaving.”
Keita hastily got his coat on while I answered him as I stared at the cartoon’s OP dazedly.
“Hey, I’m sorry for today. I think you were just watching me fighting the others all along.”
“It’s fine. Although I did complain about it, it’s actually pretty fun to watch you battling someone else. I have thought about this before, and I think your gaming style is quite nice, Kiriya-san.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. It’s almost like I’m watching an experienced live streamer’s gameplay.”
“…PFFT! Cough!”
I nearly choked. …What the hell, Keita Amano? Are you smart or dense? Seriously, can you just please pick a side? My heart can’t take it.
Keita quickly walked to the entrance after he got everything done. …Then, he bid farewell to me with a slightly perplexed smile.
“Well, Kiriya-san. Uh, …see you.”
“Okay, …I’ll see you next time, Keita.”
So, after he opened the door and left, I locked it…before sighing deeply.
“I’ll see you next time, …right?”
…We can still play games together. Although our relationship remains unchanged, …is this really for the best? At least, for a guy in love like Keita, this is-
“Hmm?”
-When I’m lost in thought, the phone in my hands vibrated.
I unlocked the screen and checked the notifications. Then, I found out…
“SALT0519 replied to me. …Let’s see.”
I don’t know whether she understood I was trying to say sorry, so I confirmed the message a bit nervously. She simply said that she doesn’t mind being kicked.
I pressed my chest in relief as I scrolled the screen. After that, …I realized there’s another “P.S.” under her message. I looked at it without considering it too much…
“Eh?”
I can’t help but gasp, and my body turned stiff as I stood still in the corridor. It’s because of what the girl wrote-
<Also, the arcade that I was talking about is the one near XXX street.>
It’s precisely the arcade near my house. Aside from that-
<If we really do live close to each other, please come to the arcade and battle me.>
-I didn’t expect the girl to invite me for an offline battle.
*
“So, why must I accompany you to a ‘secret meeting’ with her?”
A couple days after I received her message, …it’s just a few days before the end of the year.
“It’s not a secret meeting, you…”
I sighed at Ao, who’s pouting while nagging at me. Then, I questioned her.
“Did you even listen to what I said?”
“Yeah. Soon, you’ll be meeting someone you knew on the internet, right? …This is dubious.”
The lady covered her mouth with a handkerchief as she gave me a contempt look. I sighed a bit angrily on the road to the arcade.
“Please, didn’t I explain this a couple times since we left the university? I’m just battling the person in the arcade.”
“…You’re using those ‘codewords’ again. You’re just trying to confuse an innocent lady like me…”
“Hey, this isn’t codeword or anything! Battling the person in the arcade means that we’re playing fighting games together!”
“Even if that’s true, you two will end up ‘fighting on a bed at night’ as a conclusion, right?”
“How did you even come up with that!? This lady’s really twisted. Your imagination is too wild…”
I gave her an extremely dumbfounded look. So, Ao calmed down for a bit and cleared her throat.
“Let say that you’re really just playing games. Why did you ask me to go with you then? Shouldn’t you just bring Keita Amano-kun to a date like this?”
“Ay, it’s because that guy’s busy after school today. He said that he can’t reject his family restaurant invitation…”
“Then why don’t you just go alone?”
Ao’s reasoning is sound. I scratched my cheeks and answered.
“…I’m a bit afraid of meeting someone I knew online…”
“You’re scared. …Why did you promise the person then?”
“…Uh, …well, …I should say I do hope to play with her offline…”
After I gave a way too childish reason, I stopped, and my face flared up from embarrassment.
As for Ao’s reaction…
“…Sheesh. That’s what a gamer looks like…”
Although she said this dumbfoundedly, she still gently smiled and grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go. We’ll be late if you keep dragging things around, Ayumu-san.”
“Eh? Ah, …oh. Uh, …thank you, Ao. I’m giving you troubles every time…”
“…It’s not like I mind it too much, anyway.”
Even though Ao acted calm, I can see her ears getting red from behind.
We didn’t leave too many details when we want to meet each other for an offline battle. After we entered the fighting game area, I found a person that looks like SALT0519 right away.
“This is the girl, right. …It must be her.”
I mumbled. Ao nodded and answered, even though she never heard what she looks like from me.
“Y-Yeah. … a person is releasing a unique aura in here.”
“You can see it?”
“Yep. While I’m not sure how skilled she is, …but even I can see that one person’s not trying to have ‘fun’ here.”
Yes, it’s what she said exactly.
In the fighting game area, …a person with a hoodie is sitting there alone while holding a controller silently in the desolate section.
Her grey hoodie hid her face, and she even wears an extra baseball cap. There’s a neon-colored headphone on her neck. I think she’s a high school girl based on her checkered skirt and the pair of beautiful legs within it. However, that just reinforced the unusual aura radiated by her.
In reality, if there’s an expert gamer girl in the fighting game area, it’s not weird for her to attract a bunch of challengers and observers. However, there’s no one besides her. I can even see those other students purposely trying to avoid her.
Ao’s face turned stiff, and she mumbled.
“…W-What’s with that thorny atmosphere? Are all serious fighting game players like that?”
“Uh, uh, …come to think of it, some people do give off that feeling., but a girl like her is too…”
I played with a lot of rude gamers, but she’s different than those guys. How should I put it…? …It’s like she has an unsheathed sword right in front of her.
Ao poked my arm.
“…Ayumu-san, are you really trying to talk to her…?”
“Ugh, …I’m here because of that, after all…”
Even though I answered like that, I lacked the courage to step out and talk to her. After a moment of hesitation, I…
“…Hmm? Ayumu-san?”
I didn’t strike up a conversation with her directly. …Instead, I went around to the seat opposite of her.
Ao gave me a confused look, so I pulled the chair and explained.
“You can fight someone from the opposite side on a machine like this.”
“Ah, really? However, doesn’t that mean you should greet her first?”
Ao gave an elegant and lady-like idea. I bitterly smiled and said, “You’re right.” Then, I inserted a coin into the machine.
“It would be faster if I talk to her with my fists.”
“What’s with that violent conclusion?”
“It’s alright.”
I started clicking the buttons and casually entered the battle after saying that. So, she glanced at me from the opposite seat. Both of us only gave a simple nod, but I still can’t see her face due to the hoodie and the cap. …What kind of expert feeling is this? I’m scared.
Anyway, let’s fight first.
“G-Give it everything you got, Ayumu-san.”
Ao cheered me up from behind as if she’s in a real-life wrestling event. I answered her with an “okay” as I prepared for the match.
…How good is she at an offline battle-
-Skipping to the conclusion, I was steamrolled, of course.”
Well, if you’re saying how badly did I lose, after 5 rounds, even though lady university student that knows little about the rules was-
“Uh, even though I don’t really understand, …anyway. Ayumu-san, …don’t mind it too much.”
-She said stuff like that. I lost so bad and was totally destroyed.
Then, I lost another 5 rounds in a roll. The machine just swallowed all 500 yen at an impressive speed, which is a lot for a poor student.
The game asked whether I wanted to fight again. I held a 100 yen coin with my hand as I hesitated for a long while…
“…No, I lost fair and square here. I’ll quit for today!”
I held the 100 yen coin tightly as I stood up from the chair a bit forcefully.
Ao asked me this with a tinge of regret.
“Is this okay? You won’t feel good if you didn’t even win a single round, right…”
Being an honest girl, Ao expressed her sincere thoughts. However, after I heard her, …I answered with a refreshing smile.
“Of course, I would be lying if I said I was willing to admit defeat. However, it’s okay. More importantly, …I had fun today.”
“Hmm? You mean you’re satisfied since you gave it everything you got?”
“Uhh? Oh, I mean that too, of course…”
I pondered for a moment. …For some reason, Keita suddenly appeared in my mind. However, I still smiled at Ao.
“It’s because I’m thrilled to fight someone good at this game seriously. That’s all.”
Yes, that’s why I continued to practice despite this game’s not popular anymore.
After she heard my answer, ...Ao gave me a gentle look that even the same gender finds attractive and lovable. “Really?”
“…………”
Right now, I can feel someone looking at me from the opposite seat. When I turned to the girl, she glanced at me under the hoodie. Unbelievably, I don’t feel the vicious aura at the beginning.
I smiled and thanked her.
“Thanks for today. Uh, it’s been fun today.”
“…………”
“Well, we’ll be leaving…”
I greeted her again before getting out of there directly. So, after we left the arcade, Ao spoke up to me in confusion.
“Hey, Ayumu-san, is this okay? You should’ve chatted with her a bit longer when you got the chance…”
Even though she opposed to me meeting that person, this girl’s strange. I bitterly smiled at the ever kind-hearted Ao and answered.
“It’s okay. Didn’t I say this before? Gamers use fists to talk about everything.”
“That’s why I asked what’s with the mysterious theory that shouldn’t come out from a girl’s mouth?”
“…Ah, well, if I had to say it. Perhaps she feels a bit different today.”
“Hmm? Where?”
“Hmm, …although she’s still very skilled, I feel she’s strong in a different sense. I should say her desire for victory is more solid…”
“…It’s really a puzzling world for me. Talking with fists, I’m confused.”
I surrendered- Ao shrugged and said that. I gave her another bitter smile. Then, we turned to an alleyway since it’s faster to get home this way.
So, after Ao and I walked for a while…
“Wait.”
“?”
…Someone suddenly called us from behind. We turned around. So, right there-
“…Eh?”
-The high school girl with a hoodie that just finished battling with me chased after us.
We were shocked as we stopped and remained still. As for the girl, she took a big step towards us aggressively. …Her face’s still hidden under the shadow as she told us quietly.
“Uh, …allow me to apologize for two things.”
“Eh?”
She said something unexpected. Ao and I looked at each other stiffly.
The girl that’s wearing a hoodie, seemingly-to-be SALT0519, lowered her head and continued.
“The first thing…is that I think I misunderstood you.”
“Misunderstood?”
“I was too stubborn about things like this recently. I should understand it won’t do me good…”
“Eh? Uh, can I ask…what are you talking about?”
I asked her again, and she fell silent for a moment. …Then, she mumbled.
“I saw the kicking incident and that flippant apology from the side. That’s why I thought you weren’t a serious gamer.”
“Eh? Ah, ah…”
Come to think of it, this whole thing started after I kicked her. I finally remembered.
(..Hmm? From the side?)
Although I wasn’t totally convinced, she continued on her own.
“So, …initially, I wanted to take this chance and rout you fair and square.”
Ah, that’s why she gave off that thorny vibe? I understand now.
I bitterly smiled at her confession that almost sounds a bit adorable. “No, I made a mistake in the first place…” I even tried to comfort her.
However, …she interrupted me and continued.
“Yes, I wanted to help her- defeat you at first.”
“…Eh?”
Ao and my gasp overlapped each other. …She just said she’s trying to help her?
For a moment, I don’t understand what did she say. But…
“…Eh, don’t tell me, you…”
Then, I slowly figured out the situation.
She -the high school girl that “impersonated” SALT01519, answered. “Yes.” After that, she reached her hand toward her cap and hoodie.
“Yes. I’m not SALT0519. …The account SALT01519-“
After the shadow covering her face disappeared when she took the cap and hoodie away, I can see…her gorgeous blue eyes below.
“-It belonged to Nina-senpai. It wasn’t mine.”
Her beautiful eyes and look that doesn’t resemble a Japanese made Ao and I gasped.
In front of our shockingly stiff body as if we were frozen, she continued her “transformation” all the way to the climax.
“Yes. …Actually, I’m her kouhai from the same club-“
After she said that, when the cap and the hoodie were entirely removed-
-A golden wave of blonde hair is sparkling under the sunset.
Her blonde hair was blown by the breeze. Then, she introduced herself respectfully with an angelic and slightly shy smile.
“-My name is Karen Tendou. Nice to meet you.”
…For some reason, at that moment, when I gasped at her overwhelmingly strong sense of existence-
“…………”
-I’m unusually aware that my sweat is flowing from my neck to my chest.
<Time until Keita Amano’s girlfriend enters Ayumu Kiriya’s apartment: 4 months>
[End of DLC]
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