Itâs 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 during the weekend. âŠAfter hearing that, Uehara-kun, Aguri-san, and Chiaki seemed way more shocked than I expected.
Tendou-san and I canât 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.
âI have reached a conclusion. WeâŠwent to the same amusement park on that day, yet, miraculously, we didnât bump into each other.â
âEh, is that even possible?â
Aguri-san looked clearly unconvinced to Tendou-sanâs conclusion. However, Chiaki retorted. âBut.â
âEven though Agu-nee said itâs impossible, we didnât actually meet each other, rightâŠâ
âTck, âŠy-yeah.â
Uehara-kun also scratched his cheeks and mumbled.
âItâs hard to accept this, âŠbut thatâs what happened. It canât be helped.â
âWellâŠâ
Aguri-san still didnât want to accept it. I looked at herâŠand slightly grasped the silhouette of the truth.
(Main-san, âŠno, it must be Main-san and our friends, right.)
I realized something after hearing everyoneâs story. Even though we didnât meet each other, we saw everyone around us. âŠIt 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 weâre on the Ferris wheel.
In summary, Main-san was likely pulling strings behind the scenes with other people. HoweverâŠ
âHey, Amanocchi, do you agree with me?â Itâs just a coincidence for us to not bump into each other.â
âEh? WellâŠâ
Aguri-san asked for my opinion. âŠI answered with a bitter smile.
âYeah, itâs probably just a coincidence. Think about it. We always bump into each other at weird times. Itâs not that strange for the opposite to happen sometimes, right?â
âSigh, I guess thatâs possibleâŠâ
Aguri-san backed down reluctantly. I apologized to her in my heart, but I still donât plan to reveal the truth. If Main-san did give us a push, âŠthe 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.
âWell, letâs forget whether itâs a coincidence or not. Why did everyone go to ?â
âNo, no, thatâs my line, Karen-san. Forget about Konoha and me. To Karen-san and Uehara-kun, thatâs a place filled with shocking memories of each of your partners. Why did you twoâŠâ
âEh? AhâŠâ
Uehara-kun and Tendou-san looked at each other awkwardly. âŠWell, you canât say, âItâs because I donât want to see anyone in the Game Hobby Club.â 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.
âSorry, Chiaki. Well, we, âŠno, I want to go on a date with Tendou-san alone sometimes. But, when you think about it, there arenât that many dating spots here, right? Weâll basically bump into each other, right? Thatâs whyâŠâ
âOh, I see. Thatâs why you chose a place where everyone in the Hobby Club will avoid, right. I can understand, even though I donât know how I should feel about this.â
Chiaki understood. Uehara-kun carefully added as well.
âIâm sorry, Hoshinomori. We, âŠno, I have the same motive as Amano.â
âNo, no, thereâs no need to apologize. Ah, also, I only went there because Konoha had extra tickets. SoâŠâ
After hearing Chiakiâs explanation, I smiled and answered.
âIndeed, Chiaki has no reason to avoid .â
âWell, u-uhâŠâ
âEh?â
For some reason, Chiaki looked away embarrassedly. âŠHmm? I mean, Chiaki didnât see her lover kissing someone else, rightâŠ? âŠOh, I see. Chiaki already, uh, fell in love with meâŠ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
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.
âB-By the way, did everyone see it? That dayâs fireworks were amazing. Hiya, it was romantic to watch the fireworks on the Ferris wheel with your lover.â
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.
âItâs 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.â
âAh, uh, wellâŠâ
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.
âRight, right, especially when the fireworks started, we were totally out of it. Donât even say romantic. The two of us were just wiping saliva off with our handsâŠâ
âN-No, it was romantic, Tasuku! Right, Tasuku!? Right!?â
ââŠO-OhâŠ? It wasâŠromantic?â
Aguri-san finally forced her boyfriend to say what she wanted to hear. âŠHow should I say this? As her disciple, I feel bad about my masterâŠ
I didnât look at my masterâs miserable shape. Instead, I threw the conversation to Chiaki.
âSo, did Chiaki watch the fireworks too?â
âOf course, Konoha and I were on the Ferris wheel as well.â
You too? Tendou-san and I secretly glanced at each other. During this point, Uehara-kun started chatting with Chiaki.
âOh, you two were there too, Hoshinomori. I didnât notice at all. We shouldâve gotten there at similar times if we saw the fireworks, right?â
âYes. Oh, but even though we watched the fireworks, it started before we reached the top. âŠI think it was halfway through.â
âAh, I see. Then, Aguri and I mustâve been opposite to you two. We were also halfway through, but we were descending.â
âReally? It wouldâve been amazing if we watched from the top.â
âYeah.â âYouâre right.â
A couple is silent when Chiaki, Uehara-kun, and Aguri-san are having fun chatting.
âŠYes, we were on the top. âŠHowever, both of us werenât paying attention to the fireworks.
Also, by the way, even though there was some distance, I canât believe we were between themâŠ
I exchanged looks with Tendou-san anxiously. âŠSigh, at least they didnât see anything weird-
âAh, come to think of it, the carriage in front of us kept leaning to one side as it reached the top-â
âAhem, ahem!â
âKeita? Whatâs wrong?â
âI-Iâm okay. Everythingâs fine. Well, I just choked suddenly.â
Thatâs why I canât deal with otakus! She has to finish every conversation she starts, even though she doesnât talk much normally, right!? Iâm the same too!
Chiaki doesnât look apologetic at all. She continued happily.
âAfter 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!â
âAhem, ahem!â
âHmm? Whatâs wrong, even Karen-san started coughing too?â
âI-Iâm okay. Ah, by the way, Chiaki-san, the new RPG released a few days ago-â
âAh, Iâm halfway through that game. Well, letâs continue talking about the Ferris wheel.â
âTckâŠ!â
Tendou-san was struck down. An otaku will never stop talking about his or her interests once things start. Iâm sorry, Tendou-sanâŠ
âSo, 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, thatâs all I can talk about.â
âPhewâŠâ
Tendou-san and I sighed in relief. Ah, if she didnât see the last part, weâre less embarrassed-
âWell, my little sister did say it was sex.â [Success and sex sound the same.]
âWe didnât go that far!â
Tendou-san and I screamed at the same time. Chiaki was shocked for the moment. Then, âŠUehara-kun and Aguri-san seemed to have noticed something and started smiling mischievously.
Chiaki continued in confusion after we realized we messed up.
âWell, I actually wanted sex too.â
âEh, you want someone to do it to you!? Hey!? What is that!? What kind of feeling is that!?â
The girl that confessed to me started telling me her weird fetishesâŠ!
I think somethingâs wrong at this point. Chiaki blinked and continued.
âItâs because if someone tries his best to shorten the distance, I want him to succeed.â
âAh, thatâs what you meanâŠâ
Both of us sat down with our faces heavily blushing. Phew, âŠI canât believe we still fell into classic wordplay like thisâŠ!
âŠâŠâŠâŠ
No, wait, come to think of it, it shouldnât 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. âŠThis is quite a messy case of misunderstanding. Whatâs happening? Can I have misunderstandings like this after I became year 3? Please donât make me worry about things like this anymoreâŠ!
Tendou-san and I fell completely speechless. Aguri-san and Uehara-kun showed an incredibly evil smile and suddenly said,
âCome to think of it, Amanocchi, where did you watch the fireworks? I really want to know.â
âTckâŠ!â
âOh, come to think of it, âŠI saw a blonde girl walking to the Ferris wheel right before I fell asleep. Hmm, what do you think, Tendou?â
âUghâŠ!â
The questions kept pressuring Tendou-san and me. Chiakiâs the only one that still doesnât understand anything. She still looks confused.
However, luckily, Uehara-kun and Aguri-san quickly stopped bullying us. I bet thatâs from their experiences as normies. These two mustâve 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?)
(âŠYour mom?)
(Thatâs all the more reason for me to remain silent. I canât believe I have to report my love progress in detail.)
(Well, I guess youâre right. âŠBy the way, you gave a detailed report, Amanocchi. âŠHmph.)
(T-Thatâs just a way to put it. By the way, why are you blaming me!?)
(Hmph, itâs nothing. I was just thinking, how dare you be this arrogant? Youâre just Amanocchi. I canât help but punch you.)
(Seriously, how can you even carry that feeling for me? You sincerely donât want me to be happy. We arenât family, right?)
(Probably. Hmm, âŠeven though we arenât family, thereâs some of that element in our relationship. Also, we are a little bit conscious of each other. âŠIâve always felt that weâre quite suitable as a couple. âŠAh, 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 itâs a weird conclusion that can deteriorate our relationship? I donât want-
(Ex-wife.)
(Exactly.)
Sheâs super right. I answered excitedly to this final answer.
(This is what Iâm talking about, Aguri-san! Whether itâs that subtle arrogance, familiarity, that love-hate feeling, or that feeling of cheering up your friend but donât want them to succeed, âŠweâre totally ex-husband and ex-wife!)
(Exactly! I mean, the key part isnât ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends, right? Itâs because we donât 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. Youâre a coward. However, for some reason, I canât ignore you. You know that kind of super annoying ex-husband, right?)
(Aguri-san is the ex-wife! You donât 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 didnât marry or divorce each other.
The game conversation ended after weâre throbbed with the conclusion. Tendou-san witnessed our excitement and asked, âWhat are you two talking about?â
After hearing that question, weâŠscratched our heads awkwardly and answered.
âWe just divorcedâŠâ
âWhat are you two talking about!?â
The three kept blinking as they questioned us. Well, of course. It canât be helped. Aguri-san and I explained the process of reaching this perfect conclusion detailedly. However, these three didnât understand at all. Instead, all of them look pissed. Why?
Alright, thatâs the end of the ex-husband and ex-wife topic. The timeâs just right. The Game Hobby Club meeting of today ends here.
Just as everyoneâs packing up, Uehara-kun suddenly voiced out. âAhâ 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. âŠFor some reason, he walked and handed that to me.
After I took it confusedly, I saw the titleâŠ
ââŠ?â
âOh, thatâs the game I asked you for a walkthrough a year ago. âŠIn other words, this is the game that brought us together.â
âYeah, âŠof course, I remember.â
I stroked the box and remembered what happened back then.
âBut, âŠwhatâs up with this?â
âHmm? Eh, âŠwell, play it.â
âHmm?â
I was shocked. Uehara-kun scratched his head awkwardly. Then, he glanced at Chiaki and looked at me again.
âWell, I heard this from another person. âŠYou really love games. âŠHowever, most of your games are gone for some reason, right?â
âEh? Oh, âŠreally?â
âWhat do you mean by reallyâŠ? Think about what happened to KouseiâŠâ
âHmm? Kousei? What did he do?â
âSeriouslyâŠ?â
Uehara-kun looked at me dumbfoundedly. For some reason, Chiaki sighed as well. I smiled awkwardly and answered.
âWell, I did lose most of my games. However, the reason is, âŠIâm sorry, but I did sell them all a while ago.â
âYeah, thatâs why we said we know it. You did all of that for your little brotherâŠâ
âWell, in the end, I forgot where I spent the money.â
âEh!?â
Uehara-kun and Chiaki gasped. After they looked at each other, âŠfor some reason, Chiaki was the one to speak up.
âN-No, why!? That was such a cool momentâŠ!â
âC-Cool? I mean, is a gamer selling his games really that worthy of praise? âŠThatâs why Iâve kept it hiddenâŠâ
âN-No! Iâm talking about where you spent your money!â
âHaâŠ? HâŠHmm? Where did I spend it? Well, âŠIâm not a good kid that hands the money to my parents, no matter what. I just used it on my desires, okay?â
âYourself? No, no, no, Keita, you-â
âHoshinomori.â
For some reason, Uehara-kun stopped Chiaki from asking more questions.
He looked at me very warmly. âŠThen, he bitterly smiled at Chiaki again.
âAmano has always been Amano. After getting involved with this guy, those things became ânormalâ and âselfishâ to him.â
ââŠSigh, what are we going to do with you? Thatâs why Kousei-kun is like that. âŠIn the end, everythingâs Keitaâs fault.â
Chiaki looks truly dumbfounded. W-Whatâs wrong with Kousei? By the way, whatâs even with this little drama here? I donât understand at all.
Also, even Tendou-san and Aguri-san joined the conversation despite having nothing to do with it.
âAlthough Iâm not sure of the reasons, when Amano-kun said, âItâs for my own sake.â Itâs usually not for his sake at all. Iâve experienced that first-hand.â
âYeah, by the way, Amanocchi always says that his life is normal. In the end, that ânormalâ standard isnât normal at all. You based that on MCs in games, right? Youâre an idiot.â
I thought everyone was praising me. In the end, they are treating me like an idiot. Whatâs happening? Is this bullying? Am I getting bullied?
I canât help but cry since I canât follow up. Uehara-kun cleared his throat and got us back on track.
âAnyway, Iâm giving you this . Iâll only play this kind of RPGs once, after all. âŠAlso, this game should be happy when you are its owner.â
âThank you, Uehara-kun.â
âOh.â
ââŠI probably wonât sell it.â
âDonât you dare! Why did you hint that you may sell it!?â
âW-Well, I would never sell my games in the past. However, subconsciously, people think that Iâm a weakling whenever they see me selling my stuffâŠâ
This is why Iâm never confident in myself. In the end, I donât have faith in myself. Well, Iâm just a small-time passerby, after all.
ââŠHa.â
âŠFor some reason, everyone sighed at me again. Whatâs happening today?
Even though I said that, Iâm 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.â
âIâm really happy. Iâll treasure this forever!â
âEh, ah, o-ohâŠâ
Uehara-kun blushed and scratched his head. At the next moment, all of the girls mumbled together.
âThis route has potentialâŠâ Hmm? This route? What are they talking about? Sigh, whatever, letâs go home.
I carefully put the game into my school bag. During this time, Aguri-san yelled as if sheâs bringing a conclusion.
âAhaha, Amanocchi can never leave games now.â
âHa? Why did you suddenly say that?â
âItâs nothing. Iâm just thinking that right now, games are what brought Amanocchi all of the âconnectionsâ here, right? In other words, games have become even more irreplaceable in your life.â
âAh, I see. Thatâs true.â
I agreed with Aguri-san as I looked at the game in my school bag thatâs filled with memories. âŠHmm.
âNo, âŠitâs a bit different, Aguri-san.â
âOh?â
I thought of something and retorted.
Everyone turned around and looked at me.
IâŠsaid the brand-new conclusion Iâve reached this year out loud.
âI love games the most, whether I have connections or not. Also, I love everyone here the most regardless of my opinion of games.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâ
Everyone in the Hobby Club stood still for a moment after hearing that. However, they glanced at each other. âŠAt the next second, all of them answered.
âI also love you and games the most, Amano-kun.â
âI-I-Iâm not talking about my connection with a certain person. However, Iâm truly grateful that games are what brought us together! Yes!â
âI still donât think I love games that much. âŠWell, whatever.â
âI hate both Amanocchi and games as always.â
After ignoring someone, Iâm so touched that I cried a little bit.
âŠI really want to show off to myself a year ago.
I didnât just get a girlfriend and friends. Also, the one thing that I want to show off the most is-
The best companions that I couldâve ever asked for are right next to me.
âAlright, letâs leave.â
âSure.â
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.
Itâs 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 isnât my favorite. Iâm 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.
-Thatâs why he fell in love with games even more than in the past.
Finally, this is a plain, boring, yet lovable-
-story about gaming.
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