Gamers!

Volume 3 Chiaki Hoshinomori and New Game of First Love, Chapter 1 – Keita Amano and Karen Tendou and Cut Connection

Translator: your_pingas

Keita Amano

I, Keita Amano, never took gaming seriously.

I neither have the tenacity to hone my skills, and I give up pretty early on when I’m playing challenging games.

However, don’t get me wrong. I never said I hate competition.

“He left again…”

I stared at the paused mobile game screen, then wiped the sweats on my forehead with a sigh of defeat.

Today is another sunny day in July, and the rain has poured until morning, which makes me feel hot and stuffy.

Under the simple awning of the bus stop, I glanced forward at the road which looks twisted due to the sheer heat, the bus that should have arrived are nowhere to be found.

To ease the heat, I grabbed the collar of my uniform and pulled it slightly outward.

I should have walked to school, well, it’s too late to regret anyway.

Trying to kill time and to move away from the awful situation, I started playing this top-ranked puzzle type MMO. It’s quite entertaining, but it would often lose connection unexpectedly to the point where it’s intolerable.

“Well, the game is refreshing after all, I guess that’s the only reason it needs for it to get No.1 in the ranking.”

To be honest, the puzzle part of this game is excellent, sometimes you need to press the numbers in order, sometimes you need to do simple calculations, and sometimes you need to find errors. Its straightforward content makes you fall into it immediately, and there are some smart designs applied in combat, put all these together and it’s more than enough to make the players enjoy it over and over again

The part where you randomly connect with players around the world is quite entertaining too, and you will enjoy the experience whether you win or not, at least you won’t be baffled by the results. All in all, 9/10 would play again.

Why didn’t I give it a 10/10, you ask?

Well, the only problem with this game is that it never accounted for players quitting during a match.

I dazed in thoughts as I restarted the app.

“I guess I can understand the feeling of not wanting to lose. The game will records your results after all. “

To a game that relies on the internet for matching, this has always been an accompanying issue. During a match, the player that was about to lose will disconnect early on or shut down the game entirely to invalidate the whole thing so that the game wouldn’t record the result.

The winning player will no doubt find it extremely unfair. For this, virtually all MMOs has some kind of measures to combat these type of behaviors, the most straightforward one being to lose a match automatically when you quit. Anyway, as long as there is some kind of punishments when you cut your connection, players will be way less likely to do so.

“Man, this game doesn’t care about that in the least part.”

Of course, not all games are competitive; there are a bunch out there that doesn’t punish you for disconnecting. However, a game doesn’t punish you for quitting early means that it’s a game that doesn’t emphasize on winning or losing. Some just grant you the rewards when you finish the match, and some are those where you don’t suffer at all upon losing.

“Yeah…being a loser isn’t fun, but…”

While I’m contemplating in my head, the bus finally showed up at the front of the road.

So, I quitted the game and put away my phone, then hopped into the bus as soon as its door opened.

“…………!”

Immediately, someone already explicitly glanced at me with an unusual look at his face, I freaked out and nearly tripped over. Still, all these glances only made me even more uncomfortable than I already am.

I sprung to the empty seat in front, sat down, and took a few deep breaths. My body, which was drenched in sweat, felt a little bit better.

The bus started moving along with the usual scenery of the street. I felt relieved, being surrounded in an environment that I am familiar with-

“Look, it’s him.”

“Really? That guy?”

They are gossiping about me in the back seats. My shoulder immediately started to shiver from the sheer fear, and then I retook a few deep breaths before looking out of the window, pretending that everything is fine. A humble, pale, and weak face looked back at me in the glass, with a dark shade beneath the eyes signaling my tiredness.

Feeling a wave of unfriendly teases haunting my ears, well, maybe this is just out of my paranoia. However, the one thing that I’m sure of is that people are glancing and commenting at me, and I don’t like it.

I let out a big sigh, a tinge of fog immediately formed on the window before disappearing just as fast, and that timid face showed up again. The sheer heat from summer made me face reality head-on.

“Man, we don’t match each other no matter how you put it.”

A shabby, doll-like face, a weak physique, a heart that lacks masculinity, unable to socialize with others. All my hobbies are indoors; I’m clumsy and impulsive, the first thought that appeared in my head when I hear celebrities marrying each other is when they will break up, and the guy that still wishes to end up in Isekai animes from time to time. That’s me, Keita Amano.

Well, maybe I’m not that shitty. Yes, that was such a self-abased description that I feel disgusted thinking about it. I’m not an asshole, I guess. However, when you compare me to the Tendou-san, something seems off, way off actually.

Karen Tendou, she is the idol of our high school. A cute JK with blonde hair and light blue eyes, her cute face is straight out of another magical world. Top grades, good in sports, elegant but caring, she is like an angel to me. Of course, all the boys are yearning after her; she must have received over 9000 confessions and rejected every single one of them, which makes her look even more like an idol.

Now that I’m done with the introduction, and I would like to announce a shocking fact here.

This idol, Karen Tendou, is my girlfriend.

WAIT, DON’T SEND ME TO THE HOSPITAL YET. I deeply understand what you are feeling right now; I’m just a loser, after all, so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if I made it to news headlines tomorrow under the title of “Creepy Otaku Claims Victim Is His Girlfriend.”

I’m petrified by this as well. After the accident, I tried confirming with others with what happened between Tendou-san and me, and their response is all the same.

Which meant that-

I guess I started dating with Tendou-san.

This feels so surreal that I’m using ‘I guess.’

“Did I really confess to Tendou-san?”

I closed my eyes before putting a hand on my forehead; this still feels unrealistic no matter how many times I think about it.

Ehm, I did invite Tendou-san to my classroom, and I planned to solemnly “confess” my feelings, that part is 100% true.

BUT! That “confession” was just a friend request. All I have wanted, from the bottom of my heart, is to chat and play games with Tendou-san light-heartedly. That’s why I invited her to my classroom.

Then, we somehow started dating when I realized what’s going on.

I, I think none of you understand what I am trying to say, but even I don’t know what’s going on, my brain is about to explode from this mess. This isn’t those friend request attempts or trying-to-make-the-other-person-trust-you-again situations. This is something far more scary and strange.

To be honest, I also felt that I messed up there as well. The reason for that is that I kept playing dating sims as a rehearsal for requesting to become a friend with Tendou-san. Then, maybe it’s because of watching the scene where the protagonist confesses too many times, I just blasted that out of my mouth to Tendou-san that I wanted to date her.

However, let’s take a hundred steps back; I can understand the part where I messed up. I am supposed to say, “Please become my friend!” instead of “Please go out with me!” BUT! What I don’t understand is that,

“Why did Tendou-san agree as well?”

I keep ruffling my bangs, trying to think about all this, to the point where it was all messed up.

No, no matter how I analyze this, this is the part where I don’t have a single clue. I should have been orbital struck into oblivion if I accidentally confessed to Tendou-san, it’s a bad ending, but it made sense! Why did she agree immediately!?

“Also, she accepted that in front of everyone, the class would send me to the guillotine if I dared to tell her this is not what I meant.”

Tendou-san would be embarrassed if I said that, that’s something I don’t want to see. I tried asking her how she feels, but then it seems her words are stuck in her throat as well, and none of us spoke anything.

So, to avoid all the chaos and attention that would follow soon, we bid farewell to each other in a flash. Two days went by, and we didn’t interact with each other at all, which seems unreasonable, but I don’t even know her phone number.

Also, the big news that “Karen Tendou has a boyfriend” is spreading like wildfire in school when we are in this state, because of that, we have received way too much attention that we can bear.

Moreover, I usually would call in rescue in times like this. For example, Uehara-kun, my only friend in the class, Aguri-san, my professional assistant of relationships and Chiaki, the seaweed. However, they seem to have lost their mind after what happened yesterday, which meant I can’t rely on them for now.

In conclusion, the only thing that’s left right now is the news that I’m dating with Tendou-san, spreading to everyone like a virus.

“It will be way less of a problem if it was just a rumor…”

I looked at the school that appeared outside of the window, and then I let out another sigh again.

Previously, when Tendou-san invited me to her Game Club, which caused a bit of a stir but that’s all everyone can talk about, so the rumors died down quickly.

But this is different. I confessed to Tendou-san in front of everyone, it’s a well-known fact by now. That’s why I would always feel a tinge of guilt in my heart when I get unfriendly comments, assumptions, and complaints about how I’m no match for her.

Let’s put it this way. It’s like how you will only feel slightly annoyed if someone called you an idiot without any proof. However, if you slept on the bus and didn’t give your seat to someone in need in time, you will feel a sense of guilt even if everyone yelled at you. Like, you knew you did something wrong, you just can’t flush that feeling out of your mind even if others treated you a bit too harsh.

Which is why…

“Man, I really wanted a cute blonde to be my girlfriend as well.”

“Shush! You are way too loud!”

“………….”

The boys that are gossiping about me in the back seat and the attention and comments I get from my classmates…are far more tormenting than I imagined.

“Uehara-kun, I won’t insult the normies randomly anymore.”

“Oh, even though I don’t get what are you trying to say, but at least the extremely vicious criminal regretted his actions.”

In the morning 2-F classroom, a late Uehara-kun yawned at my decisive announcement before sitting in front of me. Then, he took a look around and smiled bitterly.

“Well, can’t blame you, this whole thing has just happened for two days. You are now at the center stage. Even I can’t tolerate that much attention. That is scary.”

“Don’t act like you had nothing do with this! Uehara-kun, you are one of the culprits of this whole mess. Aren’t you the one that forced me to send a friend request in front of everyone?”

“Well, I do feel sorry about that. However, there’s no way for me to know that you would skip the tutorial and challenge the boss directly, right?”

“Sigh…If you are putting it this way, the one thing that we could’ve done is not to act unexpectedly.”

I stared at Uehara-kun’s face when I spoke. He is way out of my league, a refreshing and handsome boy.

“Tendou-san should have fallen in love with him instead…” I thought to myself.

The more I think about it, the less that this whole thing made sense. Why did Tendou-san agree? Is she merely accepting it to get Uehara-kun’s attention? No wait, that’s too bold of her.

Then, Uehara-kun let out a deep sigh as I am lost in thoughts.

“What should I even say to Aguri when things have gone off this badly?”

“Aguri-san? What’s wrong with her?”

“What’s wrong with her? The guy that she likes has chosen Tendou-“

He stopped abruptly when he suddenly seemed to regain his senses, and then he tried to cover it up.

“It-It’s nothing, everything’s fine.”

“You are saying the guy that Aguri-san’s love chose Tendou-san, right?”

“You never miss these kinds of details, don’t you!? It’s nothing! Ehm….see you later!”

“Uehara-kun…”

He sprung up from the seat, then went back to his original one and started chatting with his friends.

In an attempt to escape from the attention, I glanced outside to the window and began contemplating what Uehara-kun just said.

“Aguri-san loves Uehara-kun. Then, he chose Tendou-san…?”

Uehara-kun and Tendou-san are together. This means that he doesn’t know what he should say to his girlfriend!

“J-J-Just like my simulation! He wanted to cheat with Tendou-san!”

This is a big brain time.

“Wait, what the hell? What’s going on? Even though I suspected this before, but, it looks like Uehara-kun and Tendou-san are already going out!? What should I do!? Eh, where does this leave me?”

I-I didn’t mean that I’m jealous, I’m underqualified to date Tendou-san anyways. Hmm, yesterday, I became Tendou-san’s boyfriend publicly. So, does this mean that….right!”

“This means that Tendou-san is just pretending to date with me.”

This sudden realization of the horrible truth evaporated half of my HP away. N-No, I never thought that Tendou-san would fall for a person like me anyway, it’s weird to lose my mood because of this. I don’t know why, but I feel badly hurt right now.

“T-That’s right. If Tendou-san is pretending to date with me, she can go out with Uehara-kun naturally, and no one will suspect a thing!”

Hold on, if they fit each other perfectly, why don’t they just do it legit? Hmm, I guess it’s because Uehara-kun still has Aguri-san as his girlfriend right.

“To be honest, I feel like this is way crueler…Is it because they don’t want to hurt anyone, maybe?”

Well, I’m not that convinced with this hypothesis since both of them are so honest and kind, it’s far from solid. But, this sounds way more plausible than “Tendou-san is genuinely falling for me.”

“………..”

Wait, why am I so heartbroken right now? Something is making me sad far more than the unfriendly stares I am getting from my classmates, what’s going on?

The bell rang, indicating that it’s time for the morning assembly, while I am staring at the birch tree outside, dazed in thoughts.

“Should I ask Tendou-san to break up with me? This was all a mishap anyway. Man…”

I feel so bad for myself right now, breaking up before I even get to enjoy my first love.

“…Crap, my stomach’s hurting badly.”

After the third lesson is over, I left my seat with hands on my stomach.

I quickly glanced at Uehara-kun. He seems alright, busy chatting around with friends surrounding him.

“Right, let’s go.”

I have always brought nothing but trouble to Uehara-kun, don’t make him worry about me on this. I walked away from the classroom silently and headed towards to the health room.

“Damn, I need some medicine…”

I don’t go to the health room that often because I hate people noticing me, but I am genuinely suffering now, so I had to. Well, it’s just acid reflux anyway, I will just get the potion, fix my stomach and disappear forever.

A wave of dizziness struck me as soon as I felt relieved. I looked at the ground, trying my best to walk along the hallway.

Suddenly, a clean pair of shoes appeared in front of me

“Ow!” “I’m sorry!”

I bumped into someone despite my best attempt to stay aware of my surroundings.

I raised my head as soon as I apologized, and realized who is it-

“…Ehm.” “…Ehm.”

A string of shiny blonde hair blown by the gentle breeze, I can see my reflection in her crystal-clear light blue eyes.

Karen Tendou.

The school idol that stands above all, and now my girlfriend, is standing right in front of me.

“………….”

Our brains crashed as we stared at each other, as the clock ticks on.

…I have no idea what I should say.

“G-Good morning? How are you? Art thee well enow? Wait, how did I talk to Tendou-san before? Wait, shouldn’t I focus on what happened yesterday? What am I supposed to say? No, I’ve got, a good morning is the least I can do-“

All kinds of thoughts stormed my brain. When I made up my mind and decided to say “Go-“

Suddenly, I realized the attention I’m getting from my classmates surrounding us.

‘’-!”

Everyone is waiting to hear what will I say to Tendou-san…No, I can never say anything if they are staring. Moreover-

“A-Amano-kun? Are you okay? You look very pale-“

She is worried about me after all this. H-How kind of her! I can’t even take care of myself properly, and she should be as confused and embarrassed as I am. But, she is slowly trying to put her hands on my cheek-

“Ah! I’m sorry, Tendou-san! I’m a bit in a rush right now!E-Ehm, bye!”

I pulled myself out, avoided Tendou-san’s hand, and make a beeline away from her.

While Tendou-san is confused, she still mumbled to herself lonely.

“Ehm, o-okay, b-bye…”

“I’m sorry, Tendou-san!”

This was rude. I hate myself.

“…………”

Then, I stared at a girl behind Tendou-san that was about to pull up her phone and take a photo, causing her to stop before I rushed to the health room.

The medicine worked, and my stomach no longer hurts. But seriously, this is the worst day of my high school life.

“I heard that Tendou-san has a boyfriend. I think he’s called Amano, let’s go and see! Wait, that’s him? What a letdown.”

Another wave of expectation and disappointment washed over me as I trembled again.

This isn’t the same as being stared enviously or just being taken half-heartedly. It was not until today that I realized, in a way, others’ disappointment is often the most hurting to the heart.

“I will never see the protagonist in harem comedies the same way again…”

Are they immune to these stares? Like they can just walk over them like it’s nothing!

“Did you lose weight?”

After school is over, Uehara-kun walked to me with a worried look on his face as I lay down on the table. I slowly raised my head to look at him, then squeezed out a smile.

“I should have killed all the normies after all.”

“Stop it. Also, I had to clarify; you are playing in expert difficulty even for normies. No one aside from the strongest of the normies can bail you out of this situation.”

We let out a huge sigh together. I tried to lighten the mood, so I stood up and asked him,

“Hey, the Hobby Club assembly for today…”

“We should cancel it, none of us have any energy left.”

“Us?”

Did something happen to Uehara-kun as well? Well, at least he didn’t waste his energy on worrying a loser like me.

I expressed my confusion by tilting my head sideways, but he seemly doesn’t want to talk about it at all. Still, he continued speaking, albeit unnaturally.

“Well, I texted to Hoshinomori as well, she said she wanted to speak to you in person.”

“Chiaki wanted to speak to me? That’s rare- I mean disgusting. What could it be?”

“I bet it’s about what are you going through, to be honest, I’m a bit curious to hear what you two have to talk about.”

“Why are you interested?”

“Ah, nevermind. I don’t think I can enjoy the romantic comedy from you two from the bottom of my heart right now. I am going back to base. Amano, you know how to contact Hoshinomori, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, you forced us to exchange our contacts before.”

“Then, I will leave everything to you two teenagers. Bye.”

“Huh? Well, okay. Bye.”

I waved my hands as a slightly depressed Uehara-kun turnaround and left, what’s wrong with him? It’s not that he is ruthless, but he sounded way colder than before. Does he not like the fact that I’m dating Tendou-san? Hmm, I’ll never know.

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, hesitated for a moment before I texted Chiaki.

“Where are we meeting?”

“At the library.” She immediately replied.

I let out a sigh, grabbed my backpack, and rushed to the library to avoid any attention.

No one uses the library on the campus. This school has always been a mess, and only a few students are interested in books. Moreover, the library is the home turd of the rigorous teacher who specializes in academic success; no one in their sane mind will gather there.

Aside from that, because the library only opens in a short time, it’s not suitable even for a loner trying to find solitude like me.

However, because of this, as long as the library is open, it will often be peaceful and comforting.

“I guess Chiaki had the same reasons when she picked the library…”

Come to think of it, Aguri-san, who knows every restaurant and cafe with extended opening hours and Chiaki are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

I pulled the door open. A girl with glasses that seemed like the librarian glanced at me. After realizing I won’t bring any harm to this place (because I’m a worthless loner), she went back to reading her book.

I shut the door behind me quietly, then walked into the library to search for Chiaki. There are a couple of students with their notebooks open on the table. Chiaki doesn’t seem to be among them, though.

Well, I guess I had to walk to the bookshelves.

“Wow, it’s been a long time since I came here last time. Oh, I remembered Tendou-san and Mizumi-kun agreed to meet here when we are touring in the Game Club, then I have never been here ever since.”

I don’t hate reading, though I prioritize gaming than it. That’s why I don’t use the library that often, but I loved this peaceful and quiet atmosphere.

The smell of paper and page-flipping noises filled the room. It’s an isolated chamber from the bustling world outside.

Reading here makes you feel immersed in a way that is different than playing games; this is the place where you can enjoy solitude.

“Hmm, should I read something?”

The bookshelves next to me are for light s. I grabbed a book randomly and glanced over the first few pages. It’s a classic romantic comedy, the cute girl on the cover feels quite distant, and the inner pages are already slightly browned.

As for the content, it’s a very cliché plot, a newly transferred cute girl noticed our humble protagonist, and she forced him to live with her. Then, his childhood friend showed up, and the two fight over for him. It’s not a heart-touching one, but you will enjoy it, it just gives you an incredible sense of relief, at least for a guy who fantasizes in cute girls like me. But then-

“The real problem is, is the protagonist genuinely happy with this?”

I guess it’s fine just to give the joyous part to the readers when you are writing. However, I think if the protagonist has to sacrifice a lot for cute girls to like him. For example, the plot for this chapter is the boy worked for a month to get back something the girl treasured, but she pawned it for numerous reasons. While this certainly put a smile on the readers’ faces, the boy lost a lot, just hidden in the four words “worked for a month.”

“If I were him, this means that I lost a month to play games that I love, and enjoying my time in the Game Hobby Club…”

I’ve never considered this before. Well, this is just a fictional story anyway. These are the contents that the readers have sought after, there’s nothing wrong with it.

But, I am dating the school idol, this kind of situation is supposed to only exist in the world of light s. I had to reconsider all of this.

Should I continue like this?

There’s no way for a date to last if it started with an error, it’s just too painful if you lack the determination.

“Is it sincere for me to admit that I messed up and ask her to forget everything? No, no matter how you put it, taking back a confession is like the opposite of being sincere. But…”

It’s the same situation when I rejected the invitation to be in the Game Club, choosing whether to give up my daily life for an unusual experience. Should I just act the same way as I have always had and reject-

“Keita?”

“!”

I immediately turned my head around when I heard someone is calling me. Then, I saw a seaweed otaku looking at me weirdly, Chiaki Hoshinomori.

She glanced at my face and what I am holding in my hand suspiciously.

“Ehm, this is the first time I saw someone staring at romantic comedy light with such a serious look on his face..”

“Eh? No, i-it’s nothing..”

“Keita, did you just imagine yourself as the protagonist of that romantic comedy and then got disgustingly hurt because you don’t resemble him in the least bit at all?”

“T-That's impossible!”

I whistled as I put the back onto the bookshelves, Chiaki’s cold stare is stabbing my back right now, I have to change the topic quickly!

“S-So, what did you want to talk about?”

“About you pretending to be the protagonist of romantic comedies.”

“You’re lying! Why did you just have to keep bringing that up!? You are still as bad as the day I met you!”

“How rude of you! I never mistreated anyone aside from Keita, especially when I’m in front of Uehara-kun. I’m always in my innocent mode when I see him!”

“Isn’t that lying?”

“Don’t take me as one of those tsundere girls that only tells the truth when I see you! It’s the exact opposite! I’m an innocent and honest girl all along, and I will only wear a tigress costume and act like one in front of you! Rawr!”

“Why the hell are you wearing that? Take it off!”

“You should be the one to take my costume off!”

“No no no, you should take the initiative and-“

We heard a loud cough from the reception in the middle of our fight. Then, we realized how indecent this whole conservation is if the costume part is all the librarian had heard. We curled up and squatted down on the floor with our face as red as a tomato before silently apologizing to the librarian, even if she can’t see it. Wait, didn’t we just yell at each other? How coward are we?

We were depressed, but then that made us calm enough to walk to the corner and begin proper conservation.

“So, what’s going on? I can’t believe you wish to speak to me in person.”

“Eh? Ehm, so, well…”

Chiaki looked away from me with a blush on her face, why is she feeling embarrassed when she is the one who invited me?

“What’s wrong? Oh, do you want to talk about how you should develop your game?”

“N-No, i-it’s not about that. It’s about relationships…”

“Ah, so is it about Tendou-san and me? Wait, why are you interested? You have nothing to do this…”

“I DO!”

“Woah!”

Chiaki rushed in front of me. Her face is so close to mine that my heart is pounding quicker than before. N-No, wait! I will freak out even if someone was that close to my face no matter who he/she is. S-So, I am definitely not falling for Chiaki. Still, we blushed and distanced ourselves. Why is this so embarrassing?

Chiaki cleared her throat, and then she went straight into the crux.

“Keita, did you understand what all of this means to you?”

“Eh? Of course, I’ve been there.”

Even though I’m not sure what Chiaki is trying to say, but I don’t want her to tease at me. So I gave her a powerful glare while I nodded. Then, she mumbled to herself: “I guess so…” before continuing.

“You know, you should treasure the kindness that Tendou-san gave you.”

“Eh? It’s nothing, W-Well, of course, I appreciate her affectionateness towards me, b-but you don’t have to be that blunt.” (The pronunciation for “kindness” and “fondness” are the same in Japanese. Hence, the misunderstanding between them below.)

It’s hard for me not to feel embarrassed when someone explicitly mentioned “fondness” even when this whole situation is a mess.

For some reason, maybe it’s because she has nothing to do with the situation, Chiaki immediately switched to a more serious tone and replied.

“No, no, no, you have to be clear in times like this to avoid misunderstandings. Keita, the only reason that Tendou-san accepted your confession is due to her kindness.”

“Y-You don’t have to say that again! I know that this is out of her fondness!”

She is just insulting me by now! Is this what she does to every couple?

Just when I feel annoyed by this, Chiaki seems to have picked up my emotions and backed down.

“Really? Well, I guess you will feel annoyed when someone keeps mentioning something that’s up in the air at this point. Sorry, my bad, maybe I’m a bit inconsiderate.”

“N-No, it’s fine…”

What’s with this girl? Oh, is she just trying to mess with me? Yeah, I guess so.

I’m relieved. But then, somehow, Chiaki’s mood also lightens as she continued.

“By the way, that was such a smart move from Tendou-san.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess? Even though that was such a bold move.”

“Thanks to her, the girl that took advantage of you are now pinned down. Man, that was an outstanding move. I almost fell for Tendou-san.

Chiaki’s eyes are shining as she expressed her admiration towards Tendou-san. Well, I guess that’s fine with me. Wait!

“The girl that took advantage of me are now pinned down?”

What’s that supposed to mean? Just when I expressed my confusion, Chiaki’s face tightened up again suddenly.

“Eh? Ahhhhh! I-It’s nothing. S-Sorry. K-Keita, even though I hated you, I won’t spray salt on your wound. You can trust me on that part!”

“Oh. Ehm, but then why did you mention I was taken advantage of?”

“T-Take it with a grain of salt! Ehm, as long as you enjoyed the relationship you were once in, everything’s fine! Yes! I don’t think I need to mention the bitter memories here! What does that have to do with the current situation anyway?! Aguri-san is an excellent girl! B-But, she isn’t your girlfriend! It’s good once you figured that out!”

“Y-Yeah, but Aguri-san isn’t my girlfriend.”

“Right! Keita, you made it very clear between you and her!”

“Of course. Aguri-san isn’t my girlfriend at all.”

“Yes! Hey, you can move on quickly!”

“You are the one who’s moving quickly…”

I mumbled at Chiaki whose giving me a thumb up while having her tongue out. Huh? Has she always act like this? No, my relationship with Chiaki kept changing from time to time, it’s too late to complain about it anyway.

By the way, what are we even talking about? Isn’t the topic about me being taken advantage of by some girl? Ah, right. I guess we’re in this situation because both of us lost hope at ever being able to communicate with others properly. For example, I talk as fast as possible when we are discussing our favorite game because there is so much content, which ended up causing Chiaki not to understand what I’m trying to say at all.

“Well, even though I hated Chiaki. She does care about me, albeit, in her way, I guess I’m the same. For now, the least I can do is appreciate her for doing this.”

I made up my mind, then beamed a rare but bright smile at Chiaki.

“Thank you, Chiaki. (even though I’m baffled by this)”

“Eh? Ah, i-it’s nothing. You don’t need to thank me for anything…”

For some reason, Chiaki blushed and started to fiddle her bangs nervously, just like when she is facing Uehara-kun.

“Ehm, Keita, i-it’s not like I care about you. Crap, I sounded way too cute. I-I do care about you, but- Eww, I’m just hurting myself this way.”

“C-Calm down, Chiaki.”

Chiaki kept rolling her eyes, how should I put it? I do hate her, but after I discovered this side of her, I felt more natural speaking to her; perhaps it’s because she sounded a lot more human this way.

She took a few deep breaths rapidly, looked at me in the eyes while still recovering from her blush.

“Anyway, everything’s okay as long as you get it.”

“Yes, I get it, I understand what you are saying completely.”

“Please, don’t make your rival worry about you.”

“Alright, alright, I will be more careful from now all. Sorry about that.”

“You better do. Anyway, don’t you just waste Tendou-san’s kindness!”

“O-Okay! Ehm, I won’t waste her fondness towards me!”

I felt ashamed for mentioning the word “fondness” on myself, but I felt like this topic will never end if I don’t say it this way, so I had to play along with her. Huh, this is the first time that I saw Chiaki giving people suggestions about their relationships. Wait, I got to first base before she does, so shouldn’t I be the one who’s giving advice? Maybe I should be more caring for her, even though I am not totally sure what’s going on.

“S-So, that’s all for today.”

“Eh? A-Ah, okay. See you later. Thanks for everything, Chiaki!”

“Huh? I-It’s fine!”

Chiaki made a beeline out of the library after she said goodbye while I stare blankly at her back. I just realized something.

“I didn’t talk about games with her this whole time…”

Aren’t we both loners who play games only? Aren’t gaming the only thing we had in common?

Well, I guess this doesn’t mean anything, that’s right.

*

“Go off yourself, Amanocchi.”

Aguri-san gave me a death glare while she is holding an unknown drink in her hand.

“I’m sorry.”

I quickly apologized as I sat in front of her.

As usual, this is where Aguri-san and I hang out after school to chat.

However, seemingly out of nowhere, Aguri-san just texted me abruptly and told me to be here when I’m almost home. So, I just rushed to this cheap restaurant, and I don’t know whether I should complain or casually pretends everything’s fine. To be honest, Aguri-san’s mood is way worse than she usually is.

I didn’t order a drink. Instead, I just sat there with a stiff expression facing her. A gal with bright pink hair, wheat-colored skin, and perfect facial features, basically a beautiful girl. The type that shouldn’t have the slightest relation to an otaku like me. Incredibly, I don’t ever feel honored when I can hang out with her alone.

The reason? I think I don’t need to explain if you knew how did we talk to each other before.

After we fell silent for a while, I decided to try my best and engage in conversation with her.

“Ehm, it’s a hot day isn’t it-“

“Huh? What could be hotter than our boiling new couple? Unlike me, who is in the break-up stage with Tasuku, right?”

“………….”

I had to shut my mouth after that burn, don’t I have a girlfriend already? Why can’t I still talk properly to girls? Things got bad at this point; I think the best option when I’m up against a girl in a bad mood is to flee.

However, it’s too late for that right now when I’m already seated. If I dare to stand up and leave, it’ll like turning my back to a starving bear. I have to face her even though this is tormenting.

Facing the weird gal whose drink is a bizarre mixture of colors (I’m guessing she mixed a lot of stuff into it), I’m racking my brain to try and talk to her.

“I-It’s true that this is the first date in my life, but there’s a lot that I don’t know. So, please don’t hesitate to guide me, I-I can take the insults!”

“Ha! We have an innocent, loving couple right here, while I have made nearly no progress with my boyfriend for half a year. Then, I realized he is cheating behind me before I even get to say he treasures me. It’s an honor for a loser like me to give suggestions to the king of normies who scored a kill on the cutest girl in our school, right?!”

“I’M SORRY!”

I smacked my head on the table. Well, to be honest, I should take up some responsibility when I said I am supporting Aguri-san and Uehara-kun.

Aguri-san’s temper finally cooled down. “Hey, that’s enough.” She gave me a bitter smile.

“Sorry, Amanocchi. I’m just 20% kidding.”

“That’s a low percentage if you ask me!”

“For sure, I can’t be happy when I have confirmed that Tasuku is cheating…”

“Y-You’re right. Ehm, but what do you mean by confirmed?

“Right, I didn’t talk about this before. Well, I am observing Tasuku’s during your confession. Then…”

Aguri-san than reported what did she see yesterday and her analysis. It’s confusing because she keeps beating around the bush. But, to put it simply, she felt that Uehara-kun would pay attention to the girl he’s cheating with when Tendou-san and Chiaki were present. However, Uehara-kun stared at Aguri-san instead.

It seemed like a good ending, but then Aguri-san kept on theorizing. She insisted that the only reason that Uehara-kun is staring at his girlfriend while showing an embarrassed face is that if he is cheating with so many girls, rather than worrying about anyone in particular, he should pay attention to his girlfriend’s feelings. Only a sleazeball who flirt with girls will have a mindset like that.

It’s skipping too many details if you ask me, but…

“I had thought about that also! But, Tasuku wasn’t even looking at me directly. He was clearly scared, and I can’t think of any other reason aside from him cheating on me!”

“T-That’s true…”

Well, I accepted her explanation since it made a lot of sense, but partly it’s because she sounds scary.

“It seems probable, the only reason for Uehara-kun to freak out when he made eye contact with her girlfriend is really…”

I fell silent. Aguri-san then held her mysterious drink and let out a big sigh.

“Man, I feel like everything’s going downhill ever since I met you, Amanocchi.”

“Hey, that hurts!”

“But, you are the reason that Tasuku started meeting with Karen Tendou and Chiaki Hoshinomori!”

“Eh? But, it’s Uehara-kun who pushed me to interact with those two in the first place…”

Wait, this means that Uehara-kun is really using me as his cover for cheating on his girlfriend. My mood falls as soon as the realization hits me.

Aguri-san noticed my sudden mood change, she stared blankly at me then asked what’s wrong. I explained this to her, and she started to freak out.

“Ah! But I think that Tasuku sees you as a real friend. T-That’s right!”

“Really? I feel like it’s because I am useful to him only…”

“N-No, i-it’s not like that. You are not the type that Tasuku would befriend anyway!”

“Ouch.”

“Ah! Oh, it’s not like that! I-It’s because if Tasuku befriended you even if he weren’t supposed to, this means that he treasures you as a real friend!”

“But, I’m like the best option for him to cover his cheating…”

“Huh? Well, maybe you’re right…”

“…………”

We fell silent again. It’s like Uehara-kun cheated on both of us.

Then, Aguri-san slammed her hand on the table and yelled at me impatiently.

“STOP THINKING NEGATIVELY!”

“Like you were the one to talk!”

“Y-You will be fine! You are a nice guy! You really are, Amanocchi! Tasuku really sees you as a real friend. Trust me!

“Y-You are the same! You are the perfect girlfriend in my eyes! You are cute, charming, gentle, and dedicated to Uehara-kun only! That’s why he will put all of his heart of you! Please believe me!”

We stared at each other with our eyes filled with a fury of determination. Then, we broke into laughter after a while.

“Bruh, we should stop licking each other’s wounds. Well, as long as we are happy.”

“Exactly. The world is cruel. It’s fine to do that when two losers are gathering.”

“You just started dating the cutest girl in school yesterday, and yet you call yourself a loser!? You deserve to die!”

“Well, it’s true…”

I let out a sigh, then talked about what I went through today, which seemed to have gained Aguri-san’s pity.

“Yeah, it makes sense, perhaps you can’t match Karen Tendou at all.”

“By the way, did you face something like you when you first started dating Uehara-kun?”

“Yeah, but it’s really among my friends only while you are under the eyes of the entire school. However, I guess it’s not that special when you see two strangers started dating each other even though it’s a beauty and a beast.”

“Yeah, it’s special to have Tendou-san as my girlfriend…”

“Hey, beauty isn’t the only reason why people are going after Karen Tendou.”

Then, she took a sip of the mysterious drink.

“Yikes!”

“You didn’t realize that until now!?”

“Y-Yeah, I can’t even taste it earlier. It’s scary to see what love can do to you.”

“E-Exactly…”

She could have eaten the spiciest dish in the world with that ability.

Aguri-san took a deep breath and chugged the drink. Then, she rushed to the drink corner and poured two glasses of oolong tea. She even got one for me.

We took a sip, then let out a huge sigh again.

“So?” Aguri-san asked me.

“What are you going to do, Amanocchi? Do you want to stop dating Karen Tendou?”

“W-Well…”

I don’t know the answer. But then, Aguri-san continued.

“To you, this relationship started with a mistake, Tendou-san likes Tasuku, and you interpreted her accepting your confession as a cover of them cheating, right?”

“Should I be sincere and just clear the misunderstanding then break up with her?”

I went straight into the core issue.

Then, Aguri-san laid her back on the sofa, holding her oolong and took a sip before replying.

“Who knows? I never encountered this situation before. I don’t know what I shall do either.”

‘’Y-Yeah…”

That’s right! By the way, no one in this world can mess up as badly as I do anyway. Man, why am I expecting someone to give me a solution?

I fell silent again, Aguri-san continued mumbling.

“But, I don’t think it’s sincere for you to break up with her.”

“Eh? W-What do you mean?”

I felt like she mentioned something important, so I immediately asked her.

Then, Aguri-san just said, “Who knows?” and shook her hand unreasonably.

“This is just a thought appeared in my head. I can’t explain it to you clearly. You might get a different answer if you asked me 10 minutes later.

“That’s irresponsible…”

“Hey, I am not responsible for your relationship! You can discuss that with me, but are you going to let someone decide something so important to you?”

“!”

My heart skipped a beat. Right, what did I expect? I shouldn’t put all my burden on Aguri-san.

I looked her in the eyes and gave her a sincere bow.

“I’m sorry, please pretend you didn’t hear any of that.”

“Good, that’s a pass.”

We smiled at each other.

After that, we chatted with each other for a while. Ten minutes later, we said goodbye to each other with a satisfied heart before going home.

After I went back, I started playing against my little brother in fighting games to kill time before dinner.

I emptied my mind and focused on gaming.

I kept on losing, losing, and losing again, for nearly an hour.

“I think I got it.”

“What’s going on, bro?”

“Eh? It’s nothing. Everything’s okay. I won’t lose next time!”

“Ha, big talk from the guy who lost seven times in a row.”

“Shut your mouth and play!”

That’s strange, even though it’s just a gaming session with my brother, but I somehow managed to decide what I should do with Tendou-san.

Karen Tendou

“Amano-kun is asking me to meet him…after school?”

I shockingly replied, and Hoshinomori-san, who is walking next to me, nodded her head nervously.

In the morning, on the second floor of the high school. Hoshinomori-san wanted to talk to me abruptly. To avoid attention, I left the classroom with her, and then we headed to somewhere quiet. While it’s good to know that we can talk in peace…

My heart skipped a beat because what Hoshinomori-san said was too surprising. Being the introvert, she fiddled with the tip of her hair with a finger, and stiffly replied.

“Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes. Ehm, Keita said he doesn’t know how to contact you, so he sent me a message and asked me to tell you.”

“A-Alright. It’s inconvenient for him to show up right now, after all.”

I still remembered his pale face when I accidentally bumped into him yesterday.

A tinge of pain surrounded my chest. I continued so that I can cover that up.

“So, what does Amano-kun wish to speak to me…”

“Ehm, I’m not sure about that part. Ehm, but I guess it’s related to you two dating?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess so.”

I replied with an uneasy tone. It’s been two days since we announced that we are dating. There’s a lot we wanted to talk about, but I used not knowing his contacts and me being busy as an excuse and avoided speaking to him.

There are two reasons. The first one, maybe he saw that I am too embarrassed as well. My face will become as red as a tomato if I am talking to him about our date. Like right now, I can feel my cheeks are heating up when I think about him. I’m quite sure about this.

Another reason is…

“Does Amano-kun wish to break up with me?”

“W-What? Ehm, Why did you ask that?

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

Hoshinomori-san tilted her head to express her confusion, to which I immediately looked away from her.

I have been suspecting, did Amano-kun confess to me out of some kind of mistake?

“After all, this is too weird. Why is Amano-kun interested in…”

Ehm, let’s take a hundred steps back, forget my reply for a second. I heard what did the owner of the bar on the street say to greet his customers earlier, and that just become stuck in my head; then, there’s also Mizumi-kun’s suggestion. Well, even though I replied stupidly due to numerous reasons, but I meant that when I said it. *Cough* Ugh! My feelings are not important, anyway!

The problem is with Amano-kun, he confessed to me in front of everyone, something just seems off.

“To be honest, I feel like it made more sense if he simply messed up. Also…”

I took a glance at Hoshinomori-san, she is very nervous and walking stiffly beside me. To be honest, she is cute and quite similar to Amano-kun in this aspect.

“I feel like, she suits Amano-kun far more than I do.”

I stared at her restlessly, and she squeezed a soft smile towards me despite being nervous and all. I have no idea what she is thinking.

“E-Ehm, it’s okay, Tendou-san! I feel like Amano-kun has already understood how you feel! That’s right!”

“Ehhhhh?!”

A-Amano-kun understands how I feel? D-Does that mean…

I can feel my face is flaring up. So, I looked away from Hoshinomori-san before clearing my throat. Then, I walked ahead of her to prevent her from seeing my face. I’m ending the discussion.

“A-Alright, I will meet him after school…”

“He suggested meeting at the game shop. Keita said you knew which one…”

“Yeah, that’s right. There’s only one game shop we know.”

That was where I met Amano-kun for the first time. To be honest, I looked down on him at that time, so I started talking to him with the shallowness of “Karen Tendou.” A tinge of bitterness appeared in my heart when I think about that place.

“Ah, you knew where to go, that’s great. Ehm, he said because you will be in the Game Club after school, so he wanted to know if 5:30 PM will do…”

“Fine by me. Excellent timing.”

“Ah, then I will reply to him. By the way, shouldn’t I tell you how to contact him?”

“Thanks…but you don’t need to.”

Although that should be more efficient, I feel like I shouldn’t ask her for Amano-kun’s contacts.

Hoshinomori-san doesn’t seem to mind, though, and just replied, “Alright.” Then, she continued.

“Also, Keita mentioned the reason why he picked the game shop is that he doesn’t want everyone to stare at him; he wanted to talk to you alone.”

“…Really? Talk to me alone…”

I felt more solid after hearing what she said.

“It’s Amano-kun after all…”

I feel like I know him quite well, even though we first met each other not long ago.

I realized what Amano-kun wanted to say to me, and then I looked back at Hoshinomori-san.

“I understand. I will talk to him alone after school about our date.”

“Yes, that’s the right thing to do!”

I’m not sure if Hoshinomori-san understands the situation or not. For me, her innocent smile is so charming.

After the Club activity is over, I rushed to the game shop.

Usually, this is the time for rejecting confessions aside from the one during lunch break. However, maybe it’s because they wanted to observe the situation, no one showed up anymore after I announced that I’m dating Amano-kun.

“Well, in a sense, this is also the time for rejecting confessions…”

Is this the revenge for turning down all the boys earlier? I dashed forward as this pops up in my head.

There’s still some time, but I’m already so anxious about this. In a way, I’m more nervous than I was during lunch break. I am conscious of what’s going to happen, but the feeling of being rejected is just eroding my heart.

“Why…I am supposed to be conscious of all this, why does my chest hurt so badly?”

I can manage myself pretty well in the past. This is something that is never supposed to happen on Karen Tendou. I should be able to tame down the nervousness in my heart with the experience I had from all the e-Sports tournaments I joined. But then…why am I freaking out here?

“Phew…”

Together with the stifling hot of the summer, I am running out of breaths and sweating. This is weird. I am not supposed to be like this. This isn’t Karen Tendou.

“No, stay calm. I don’t want Amano-kun to see me freaking out.”

After I arrived at the game shop, I took out the portable mirror from my pocket and started to fiddle my bangs. However, it just won’t behave liked it used to be every morning, no matter what I do. I feel like I’m not as cute as before. Are people too hyped up for me? Am I just overestimating myself? Maybe the reason why people stopped confessing to me has nothing to do with Amano-kun, but it’s because I’m less attractive than I used to be.

I’ve never doubted myself this hard before; it’s like I am not myself anymore. I don’t know I had such a feeble side!

“…………”

After a while, even if I am finished with my bangs and stopped sweating, I don’t think I can take a step forward anymore.

The bugs are calling, the heat is radiating from the asphalt road, and the dirty cars are flashing across the empty highway. I can smell the pungent exhaust gas along the way.

It’s almost time for the meeting. But, I don’t want to walk towards to the game shop. I’m scared.

“I’m…scared?”

I froze from my emotion. At the same time, I feel like my trust for myself finally disintegrated utterly.

“I feel that…I feel that…I can no longer face Amano-kun anymore-“

“Hey, Tendou-san?”

“!”

I’m frightened by the sound calling for me. I should be surprised, why am I panicking right now? That was the voice the boy I loved…the voice of Amano-kun. Why am I…why am I…

I can hear the footsteps are approaching me from behind.

“Tendou-san? What’s wrong? Why are you bending down there? Are you not feeling well-“

“I’M FINE!”

“!”

I screamed to the point where I freaked out of my voice. Luckily, no one is around, but the noise of Amano-kun’s footsteps suddenly paused seemingly out of sheer shock.

I wanted to cover this up, and I started twisting my tongue to try and make words.

“No-it’s fine. I’m not…sick. Don’t mind me. But, ehm, the thing is…”

“…Tendou-san?”

Amano-kun seems to be trying to go around to see my face. My shoulders are shivering, and I turned my back to him once again. His footsteps paused again, and there’s no excuse this time. At this point, I’m acting like I am repulsing him.

Even so, Amano-kun asked me with his gentle voice, but this time he sounded a bit worried.

“Tendou-san…do you hate me?”

“N-No! It’s not that! It’s not like that…”

“But then, why won’t you turn back to me?”

“That’s because…y-you are the same!”

“What?”

“You wanted to break up with me, right?”

“…………”

Amano-kun fell silent. No, I didn’t mean to say anything like this, but I…I just can’t control myself anymore.

I didn’t even bother to wait for his reply, and I continued blasting.

“I-It’s okay. I understand. Amano-kun, these two days must be like hell for you, right? I knew it when I see your pale face earlier.”

“That’s because…”

“It’s alright! I knew this about myself. I used to turn down a lot of people. It must be rough for you to go out on a date with me, right? To put it this way, you are suffering from attention far more than I do. I-It’s natural for you to reject it. I understand.

“Well…”

“That’s enough. You don’t have to say anything anymore. You want to break up with me, right? Sure thing. Yes. You don’t need to mind my reply. Well, m-my reply i-is sincere, b-but I was caught up in the moment too, so it doesn’t mean anything. You don’t have to take it seriously.”

No, no, no! That’s not what I wanted to say at all. Why are you distancing yourself away from him when you don’t mean that at all. You are actually…actually…

My tears are already forming on my eyes. No, I can’t break down right now. I restrained myself with the rational part of my brain that is about to collapse.

“………….”

Amano-kun wanted to go around and see my facial expression once again. I looked at the ground out of the sheer fear. His shoes appeared in front of my eyes. It’s neither modest nor dirty, the size is too small for him, and it wasn’t something expensive, but it fits perfectly with his style.

Amano-kun’s feet are shaking slightly from his anxiety, but he still managed to say his word.

“Um, firstly, I’m glad.”

“…Glad to know what?”

“Ah, I mean, at least you don’t seem to hate me or anything. I’m glad to know that.”

“O-Of course, how could I possibly hate you?”

“T-Thank you.”

His feet are shivering once again; maybe it’s because he is embarrassed? It’s effortless to guess how he feels, which is why I love-

Just when I’m thinking about all this-

“With that said, Tendou-san, I sincerely ask you for something imposing…”

After he said that, his legs stopped shivering and are now firmly in place. Then, I realized…

“Ahhhhh, here it comes.”

When you have to face reality, the horror you once had will die down. It’s like when you are on the guillotine waiting for execution, no point of struggling anymore. All I wish right now is that I won’t break into tears.

I made up my mind and raised my head.

Then, I can finally see Amano-kun’s face, bathed in the sunset. His face…

-is decorated with an innocent and shy smile.

“Um, if you don’t mind, can you please go out on a date with me?”

“-Huh?”

I tilted my head dumbfoundedly, what did he just say to me?

Amano-kun seemingly felt uneasy with my response and promptly continued.

“Ah, no, I mean, we can go whenever you are free. You can go anywhere and do whatever you wish. I can do anything for you, it’s fine!”

“Um…what is…happening right now?”

“Eh? What else is happening? I wanted to ask you to go out for a date with me…”

“I-I understand, but why did you pick me…”

“Oh? W-well, i-it’s because…”

Amano-kun scratched his slightly blushed cheeks, and then sheepishly and embarrassingly said,

“We started dating each other, right?”

“──────”

My eyes bulged slightly. I can’t believe this. After all, this means that…

While I am still baffled by the situation, Amano-kun kept his smile on his face.

“Well, you are right, this relationship is going to be rough for me, I don’t like people noticing me, and someone may even mess with us explicitly.”

“Yeah…”

“Moreover, Uehara-Um, I mean, I’m guaranteed to lose when I’m up against him. He is way out of my league when it comes to the high school food chain. The odds are definitely not in my favor…”

“Him?”

I was confused at what Amano-kun just told me, but then he continued so I can’t interrupt.

For the first time, Amano-kun looked at me directly with his eyes.

With a smile, he told his decision to me firmly.

“But even if that’s the case, I don’t think it’s right for gamers to disconnect before the winner is clear.”

“Disconnect…”

I immediately knew that he is talking about MMOs. Also, I understand what he is trying to compare that with…

I can see my reflection clearly in his eyes; they seem embarrassed but have the same determination when he rejected my invitation to the Game Club. Suddenly-

“Ah…”

-I realized it now. I finally realized what I’ve been feeling now.

“I can’t take it anymore! I’m crazily in love with this person!”

And this person has just announced that: he wishes to keep dating me.

…………

…………!

“…Aw.”

“Tendou-san?”

This was one hell of a rollercoaster ride. It’s like I never felt depressed at all; I am just so happy and excited. No! Wait! My heart is blooming right now! C-Crap! I won’t be able to hold back anymore if this continues!

I abruptly turned away from Amano-kun, and then tried my absolute best to face him with what little rationality I have left.

“Y-Yes! Let's go out! Yes! You are right! We should go out if we are dating! Man, I was supposed to stay home and hone my gaming skills during the holidays, b-but it’s my responsibility to go out with you if we are dating! I-It’s not like I have a choice!”

“Your responsibility….you don’t have a choice….”

No! Wait! Amano-kun seems depressed right now! No! T-That’s not what I meant! But….sorry, Amano-kun! I feel like I can’t hold my feelings back anymore if I take a step towards you! I will go insane if I get any closer to you!

Amano-kun seemingly understood how I am feeling right now. Although he smiled bitterly for a while, he switched back to a serious face and bow down to me sincerely.

“Um, well, it’s a bit late to say this. I am a newbie at this, but I still wish to maintain a long and loving relationship with you.”

“Eh? Oh! No! It’s fine! How polite of you, I-I also wish for a long relationship-“

I felt like I did my part, so I bowed down sincerely…

Right, now that we got that out of the way, I need to-

I quickly raised my head, pointed at Amano-kun forcefully, and yelled at him!

“S-Still, you’d better not go overboard! There are steps when it comes to relationships! That’s right!”

It’s more like; I won’t be able to withstand your attack if you are leveling up too quickly! Yes!

Amano-kun doesn’t seem to realize what I’m thinking, and he nervously straightened his back.

“Y-You are right! Yes, I will remember it with my heart! I will remind myself not to go overboard every day! I-I won’t think highly of myself just because I’m dating you! I-I swear to the God of Gaming!”

“Y-Yes! That’s appropriate, yep. (That’s too much of you!)”

I raised my arm and nodded at him, satisfied. Then, I quickly said farewell to him with a chic look on my face.

“T-Then, we will disband for today!”

“Yes, sir! Stay safe, Tendou-san!”

Amano-kun is even saluting me! Well…

“Y-You as well!”

I don’t know how I should even reply, so I did the same thing. Wait! Something’s not right! This is different than the relationship I had in mind! I am his girlfriend, not his general! But then, it’s not like I can ask him to change his tone or anything because…

“I CAN’T HOLD BACK ANYMORE IF HE GETS ANY CLOSER TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

I walked forward as Amano-kun said goodbye to me. But then, halfway through, I just can’t take it anymore and started dashing aimlessly towards the sunset. W-What the hell am I doing?

W-Well,

To summarize-

I, Karen Tendou, has begun dating with Keita Amano today, once again.