TL: Kagefij

TLC: learning2tl

ED: Fractal

──In summary, Izumi Yuzu’s request was this. Up until now, she got along well with Nakamura and they would often go home together after school. Though recently, everyday after school, Nakamura would bring his own game machine to an unused cla.s.sroom and either battle with his friends or practice AtaFami online using the staff room’s Wi-Fi. Even if she went to the cla.s.sroom after school and invited him to walk back with her, he’d always say 「Be quiet, don’t bother me」and pay her no further attention.

As a result, Izumi Yuzu had offered to help him practice ATAFAMI. However, after just one match, she was utterly defeated. In response to this overwhelming difference in ability, Nakamura had told her「This won’t be practicing at all. You’re a bother, so can you not follow me around?」.

「Ah, I get it now.」

Well of course. Going against this complete rookie of a girl wouldn’t even count as practice for Nakamura. I mean, it’s not like that guy’s weak.

「Yeah, hmmm, this does sound kind of severe.」

「……It’s not like I’m asking for your opinion!」Izumi told me, red faced and with a voice full of emotion.「So!? Are you teaching me or are you not!?」

How should I say this, I think because I already saw her like this she no longer cares about her embarra.s.sment showing or keeping up her image.

「Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind……」

「Eh? You will!? Really!?」

Her sparkling eyes turned towards me without hesitation. Too close! It’s the same thing with Hinami.  Why do riajuu have such small personal s.p.a.ces. To hiriajuu, this is a lethal distance.

「However, Izumi-san, do you own a copy of AtaFami?」

「Eh? I don’t have one, but can’t we just use yours? I do have a game machine, you know?」

「……Err, well, that’s fine but」If we’re going to do it like that, we have a big

problem.「……where should I teach you?」

「……!」

Izumi Yuzu opened her eyes wide and her face turned red. Huh? What’s up with such an innocent reaction? That was unexpected.

「Huh, I guess we don’t have any place to do it.」

Well, that’s that. If she’d had a copy of AtaFami, then we could have played online. Without it though, we’d have to either do it at my house or at her house. As a boy and a girl, alone together.

「……But……!」Her face was pleading me, to the point where I could see that she couldn’t simply let this opportunity pa.s.s.

「However, going to either of our houses is somewhat……」

「……It’s fine. I don’t mind.」

She made a determined face. Looking carefully, I realise she has some tears in her eyes. She’s probably forcing herself. In other words, she hates being alone with me that much. That hurts.

「……Then it’s fine, but……」I threw out the question I had in my mind.「Why are you going this far?」

Then Izumi Yuzu made a semi-angry semi-surprised expression and looked towards me.

「Ha!? You’re asking about that!? Can’t you tell from what I told you!?」

「What you told me……?」

「Are you stupid!? You’re so dense that it’s gross!」

Youngsters these day are quick to say gross.

「Dense……?」So it’s something like that, huh?「……Ah」

「Ha? What?」

I finally understood. Due to my enthusiasm at this revelation, I accidentally let my lips loose.

「So Izumi-san likes Nakamura!」

When I look at Izumi Yuzu, her face is so red that I can practically see steam coming out of her head.

「You’re really gross. Unbelievable!!」

Her necktie and skirt fluttered as she rotated her body, attacking me with her school bag. A clean hit on my face.

「……Ouch…… So, uhh……」

「Ah, s-sorry……But it’s because Tomozaki’s saying weird things!　……Are you OK?」

Izumi had a worried expression as she looked up at my face from down below. Her cutely shaped face being this close, without thinking I said something like 「I’m fine, I’m fine!」 in a strangely energetic manner.

「Really? ……but! You know what? I really don’t understand Shuuji any more! You know Erika,

Erika, right? She confessed to him and and got rejected. It’s that Erika, you know! And then, he oftens play with me.…… then, does he like me? Things like that……I…! I mean! Arrgh, isn’t it normal to think like that!? But here he is now, suddenly saying things like be quiet or don’t follow me around…. What’s with that! What do you think!?」

「W-what do I think? Eh, how should I put it? I can’t make head or tail out of it.」

「Right!? And furthermore!」

……Don’t get swayed. Don’t fall for her. If it allows her to complain, a girl will talk to anyone.

While ma.s.saging my throbbing nose, I began thinking. Even though Izumi Yuzu continued to vent her private personal complaints one after the other, none of them entered my head. This became a very serious situation. This girl is, without exaggerating, a riajuu. Just the fact that she’s close to Nakamura means that she has a level of riajuu-power she can boast about. Furthermore, her face’s cute and she has a big chests. Going to either of our houses, alone, with this girl? What’s with that. It’s strange. Hey, Hinami-san, I’m sorry I’m always speaking of you so badly, can you tell me what I should do here?

「Then……err, whose house should we do it at?」

「Err, ……is Tomozaki’s house fine? Mine’s…… a bit….」

「Ah, mine? …. Izumi-san’s house’s doesn’t work?」

「Is, isn’t it obvious!? ……I can’t explain it to my parents.……. Sorry.」

「……I understand.」

Despite having first raised her voice, she followed up and became very apologetic. It looks like she isn’t a bad person.

……Or rather, eh? ……Parents? ……Ah. At this moment I realized something very critical.

「Ah, wait! Mine’s impossible. It has to be yours.」

「Ha!? Why? Didn’t you just say it’s fine!?」

「I did but…… Izumi-san, you’re in the Badminton Club, right?」

「Eh? Me? Well, I am.」

「You see, you know there’s a first year called Tomozaki, right? Or rather, aren’t you two quite close?」

That is the story I hear from time to time.

「Eh, un,

time.

「Eh, un, you mean Zakki? I know her but……eh?『Tomozaki』?」

「Yes. She’s my sister.」

「……Ehhhhhh!?」

You didn’t have to be that surprised, is what I wanted to say before my voice was drowned out.

「Wait a minute! You’re far too different! Especially your personality! What’s with that! I don’t get it!」

「I know what you mean. Even I find it hard to believe that we’re related by blood.」

「Zakki is a very cheerful and good child, right? And Tomozaki’s so gloomy! Eh!? Unbelievable! It’s strange, right!?」

「AHHH! I said I understood! Don’t put it like that! I’ll become depressed!」

「……Ah, s-sorry」And then Izumi Yuzu, regaining her calm, realized the problem.「…… So it’s impossible.」

「……Yeah」

Indeed. It’s much harder explaining to undercla.s.smen than to parents. You wouldn’t even know where to start.

「Th-then……it has to be mine……」

「……Yeah .……Let’s sto-」

「OK! You know what. We’ll do it. Come.」

She looked at me with a calm face, as if she had made the resolve to drink poison. Yep, a girl in love is strong. If it’s for the person she loves, she can endure any tough situation. However, I wanted to ignore the fact that me visiting her house is something that needs such resolve.

「……Is that so?」

「But, are you fine with this, Tomozaki?」

She confirmed with me. She thinks about other people more than I thought. I guess refusing is also an option.

……What should I do here? Currently, the weapons I can use to a certain degree are only facial expression, posture, tone of voice and the memorized conversation topics. With only that, would it be possible to clear the super-difficult dungeon named 『Izumi Yuzu’s House』? Well, if you think about it rationally, it shouldn’t be possible. What’s waiting is only a miserable defeat. Then, it’s no use. I had better run away. Escape. That’s what I’ve always done. Run away from enemies against whom I cannot win, then challenge them again once more prepared. After all, that’s the textbook method of playing games.

「In『Life』, you gain experience not when you win battles, but when

you win battles, but when you lose them.」

Another flashback.

Ah, I finally remembered the key to this situation. Even though I don’t blindly believe in those words, the reality is that I can now hold a normal『Conversation』with Izumi Yuzu. The ‘me’ in the past could have never dealt with a situation like this. It might be too early to conclude that the the『Cause』which brought upon this『Result』is the level up from gaining experience when I lost, but it is true is that it would be only natural to think that way. Ah, fine. You don’t need to tell me. I am a gamer. Hey, Hinami. Make sure you see this. I will try to confirm whether the 『Cause』is really, as you put it, the 『Experience points you gain when losing』or not. For that, I’ll try suffering a great defeat. I don’t even care if I end up crying afterwards!

「……No, it’s fine. I’ll go.」I resolved myself and said that calmly.「So where is your house? 」

Izumi Yuzu, for some reason, looks at me somewhat dissatisfied.

「……Tomozaki why are you so calm? Wait. Have ever you been to a girl’s house before?」

「Eh, n……」I was about to say no, but then Hinami’s face popped up in my mind.「Ah, I more or less have.」

「Ha!? What’s with that! Even though you’re Tomozaki! Even for me, it’s……」

What do you mean by 「Even though you’re Tomozaki!」? Because I reek of being unpopular, I shouldn’t have had the experience of visiting a girl’s house. But I have so it’s gross. Is that what you want to say? It’s true that I’m unpopular, but I have no intention of putting up with being talked to in that manner. I told her this exactly.

「Your weird tone is gross, but…… whatever, come this way.」

「Ah, wait, I have to go get AtaFami.」

「Oh yeah.」

I went home to grab AtaFami and a few other things before quickly departing again.

「Ok, Tomozaki. Let’s go.」

And like that, I was invited to a super-difficult dungeon. Take a good look, Hinami. I’ll experience a crus.h.i.+ng defeat.