“……Hah……”

After catching a doll for everyone, I retreated to the bathroom for a breather.

When I returned to the arcade machine area, Aika was nowhere to be seen.

——Seems like this place failed too…

I sighed as I sat on the seat in front of the machine.

On the screen was the familiar logo of [ST4], short for [Strong Fighter 4].

Staring at the screen, I blanked out.——Suddenly,

……Hmm, something feels off about this though……?

“Kimito-sama, what are you doing?”

The excited girls in my cla.s.s surrounded me.

Wherever I go, they would always follow. How do I say it, it feels like I’m quite a celebrity in Sekain Academy.

“Well, what is this?”

“This is called a fighting game. You play it by pressing these b.u.t.tons to fight with your enemy in the game.”

“F-fighting?”

“It’s a game, just like shogi and chess.”

“I see!”

The Ojou-samas stared at the screen excitedly.

“Ah, they are facing each other!”

“Is the fight going to start?”

It seems like they felt excited yet scared at the same time.

“Does Kimito-sama play this game often?”

“Just a little, I guess.——Want me to try it for a bit?”

Aika is now a hopeless case.

“Yes, please!”

“Everyone, Kimito-sama said he is going to play this game!”

“Wahh!”

Wait…..

In an instant, the number of spectators increased by several times.

I’m not good at this though……The pressure is crus.h.i.+ng me.

Under the intense gazes of the Ojou-samas, I pressed the 1P b.u.t.ton.

A melody sounded out as it changed to the character selection screen.

At that moment, I noticed the difference.

RYU BECAME RYUKOOOOOO——————!!

The Karate uniformed man became a Kimono wearing beauty. Every character got a gender change!

“What is the matter?”

“Ah, nothing……”

The screen displayed Ryuko who was dancing to the music with the fan in her hand.

……W-what is this? Is this an exclusive edition for Sekain? Just for this field trip?

Choosing not to give a d.a.m.n, I picked the character I was most familiar with, Ryu…no wait, Ryuko.

The stage was set in America, with the enemy as Ryu’s rival, Kesoko.

With a catchy melody, the screen changed into the fighting screen.

“WHY IS KESOKO TRANSFORMED INTO A TUTU-WEARING BALLERINA POSING GIRL!?!?”

“W-What’s the matter, Kimito-sama?”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING CAPCO——Ah, nothing. This game looks slightly different from the one that I know of……”

I steeled myself as I prepared for the battle.

[Round 1……Fight!!]

Other than the difference of the characters, it doesn’t seem to have changed that much.

“Is it starting?”

“Keep it up, Kimito-sama!”

Just as the countdown timer reached ‘0’, Kesoko rushed towards me.

Kesoko: “ Pas de Chat¹!”

She bent her right leg towards the left as she jumped to the side. 

“……Hah?”

BANG CRASH CLANG!

Ryuko: “KYAHHH——!”

“HUHH!? I RECEIVED DAMAGE!?”

Ryuko: “Such fluttering steps!!”

She stood frozen still with her eyes upturned white in colour as if she wore a mask.

——What…the h.e.l.l is going on?

I tried to use Hadouken in a state of confusion.

But all I saw was Ryuko turning her fan.

“Why isn’t Hadouken working?!”

PAK!

Kesoko: “Oww!”

“Why did she get hit!?”

Kesoko: “I couldn’t take my eyes off those gracious hand gestures of yours

!”

Kesoko entered the state of [Maya is such a scary child…]. (TLN: Apparently some kind of an old-a.s.s shojo manga reference called Gla.s.s Mask…)

“Didn’t she only spin the fan!?”

“Kimito-sama, that is called [Kanamegaes.h.i.+²]!”

The Ojou-samas exclaimed.

“It’s one of the moves in j.a.panese traditional dance.”

“I-is that so……?”

Kesoko: “Pas de Chat!”

BANG CRASH CLANG!

Ryuko: “Such fluttering steps!!”

Ryuko: (Spins fan)

PAK!

Kesoko: “I couldn’t take my eyes off those graceful hand gestures of yours!”

Ryuko and Kesoko never approached each other and just stood there dancing gracefully.

Looking carefully, I could see the health meter increasing instead of decreasing.

It seems that the health meter is actually an ‘Impression Meter’. Whoever causes the  opponent to be touched by the dance moves first wins.

“THIS ISN’T A FIGHTING GAME ANYMOREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

“What is the matter, Kimito-sama?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

On a useless side note, Kesoko was voiced by Eri. This popular voice actress pops out everywhere, doesn’t she?

What if Sekain’s presence gets revealed by this—I had an uncomfortable thought. Well, I guess it’ll be okay, given the strictness of information security here.

Kesoko: “GRAND BATTEMENT!”

KA KA KA!! (TLN: Some kind of attack SFX)

Ryuko: “How can you raise your leg so high!?”

“She used a high-level skill!”

“This isn’t good for us…”

I had no idea about what was going on, but the Ojou-samas were very excited.

“K-Kimito-sama, let us take up the challenge!”

I pressed a series of b.u.t.tons that was the combo of Hadouken, Tornado Kick and Shoryuken.

What happened next was Ryuko spinning the fan, then walking a few small steps to the front, and ending it all with waving the fan twice.

“[Kanagaemas.h.i.+], [Okuri] and [Yuki]!” (TLN: Okuri is a farewell move in a Kabuki show, and Yuki means snow)

“That was amazing, Kimito-sama!!”

But I had no idea what they were praising me for….

At that moment, a spotlight shone down on Kesoko.

A graceful music sounded out and special visual effects appeared.

Could it be—— an EX skill?

“This is…the [Dying Swan]!!”

“Ahh! This is bad……!”

The Ojou-samas faces turned pale.

In the darkening screen, Kesoko hugged her knees and kneeled with both her hands quivering a little. A short while later, she stopped moving entirely.

KAKAKAKAKAKA!!!!

Ryuko: “What impeccable performance. It was as if I could see a swan in the throes of death practically radiating from Kesoko-sama’s movements!”

Ryuko cried exaggeratingly as her ‘Impression Meter’ increased sharply.

With that, the meter was almost filled with only a little s.p.a.ce left. (TLN: Something like last hit in Dota 2?)

My EX charge meter was full, so I also pressed the b.u.t.ton that activated it.

In an instant, the fan transformed into an umbrella. With that, Ryuko started dancing to the music.

“It is the [Sagi Musume]!!” (TLN: The Heron Maiden, a famous Kabuki t.i.tle featuring a white heron fairy]

“Isn’t it the Naugata³ whose end was influenced by [The Dying Swan]!? Is this what you call payback!? How cool of you, Kimito-sama!!”

The Ojou-samas were abnormally excited.

“Elegant [Kudoki], vivid and powerful [Kasa-dzukus.h.i.+], and the futile [Seme]…!” (TLN: See footnotes⁴)

I had no idea what they were even talking about.

Kesoko: “ …I admit my defeat!”

I’ve won.

“As expected of Kimito-sama!”

“What a superb strategy! I deeply admire your resourcefulness at the opponent’s sudden change!!”

“Haha…it’s nothing…”

Thus, the excited Ojou-samas started having PvP with each other.

Although they looked clumsy as this was their first time handling a joystick and b.u.t.tons, they still looked very excited.

“Aoi-sama, keep it up!”

“Asagi-sama, please don’t be afraid!”

The crowd had split into two teams, with one side at a machine and the other at the machine that was on its opposite side.

Their cheers and cries had caused the atmosphere in the arcade centre to be rowdier.

Aoi-san and Asagi-san looked like they were playing around as they only pressed the weak attack b.u.t.tons. But then——

Kesoko: “Pas de Chat”

Aoi-san suddenly used her ultimate move and started to gain the upper hand over Asagi-san.

For newbies, there is an iron law which is ‘whoever learns Hadouken first gains the absolute advantage’.

“Asagi-sama, we should take up the challenge!”

Although Asagi-san who was on the other side tried to retaliate,

“Pas de Chat! Pas de——Grand Battement!”

Aoi-san entered a state of where a chain of critical skills would come out by accident. When the situation comes to this, there’s nothing a beginner can do about it.

Asagi-san teared up as she randomly pressed b.u.t.tons with a panicked expression on her face, but it was all for naught.

Yogasim (A mixed blood of an Indo-Aryan and a j.a.panese, A master of flower arrangement) was so caught up in the moment that her face was stuck in an ahegao⁵. (TLN: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

Just when I thought the game was over——

“What are you doing!? Guard!!””

Aika had stepped up and held Asagi-sama’s hand which was holding the joystick.

Yogasim closed her eyes as she guarded against Kesoko’s skills.

“You should use a skill to counterattack too!”

“Eh? Eh……?”

Aika’s presence made Asagi-san surprised.

“Hey, look closely at how I am playing!”

Aika stretched her hands from Asagi-san’s back and took control of the b.u.t.tons and joystick.

“Push the lever to the left, turn it halfway, and then punch!”

Yogasim: “A supporting branch!” (TLN: Some kind of flower arrangement technique I think?)

PAK!!

Kesoko: “Those angles are simply exquisite!”

“You got it?”

“S-sort of……”

“Then I will be in charge of the joystick. Asagi-san, could you press the punch b.u.t.ton when I say ‘Go’?”

“Y-yes.”

“Turn half a circle——Go!”

Asagi-san pressed the b.u.t.ton.

Yogasim: “A supporting branch!”

“! I-it worked!”

“Let’s go, one more time!”

The spectators were stunned by Aika’s performance.

But Aika was completely absorbed in supporting Asagi-san so much that she hadn’t noticed what kind of situation she was in at the moment.

Just like that, with Aika’s support, Yogasim turned the tables with the EX skill [Heaven-Earth-Man].

“We won!”

Aika patted Asagi-san’s back.

“Yogasim isn’t for beginners. This character is so unique,that it’s very hard to handle him. It would be best for you to start with Ryu, but he’s a little less interesting. Taking that into account, I suggest you to use……”

Aika suddenly felt stunned.

Seems like she had realised what kind of situation she was in.

Surrounding her were people with surprised faces.

Looking at her who was holding Asagi-san’s back while blabbering about her game knowledge.

She who couldn’t take Asagi-san’s poor gaming skills and had interjected to instruct her, and had even patted her back while praising her.

“……Th-Thank you very much.”

Hearing Asagi-san’s voice, Aika jumped in shock.

“Aika-sama, it appears that you are very good at this.”

Asagi-san gave a smile to Aika.

“……………..”

Aika’s nervousness was at its maximum.

The spectators held their breath as they waited for her reply.

——Do your best!!

I clenched my fists.

This is the crucial moment! Rarely in life does one get to consciously choose the route which will shape one’s destiny!

Aika glanced at me.

I nodded in response.

And then…

“………S-sort of.”

Aika gave a clumsy yet affable smile in return.

——YES!

The Ojou-samas around her breathed a sigh of relief.

“Aika-sama, please teach me too!”

“Teach me too!”

Everyone approached Aika.

Standing here were the pure and naive Ojou-samas who received the strict education of Sekain Academy.

Everyone of them wished to dispel the barriers between each other and get along well.

Aika lowered her head as she blushed with her lips quivering. Suddenly, she raised her head.

And said:

“S-sure!”

You did it!!

1.Pas de Chat: A ballet leap from one foot to the other in which the feet are drawn up and the knees are bent so that the legs form a diamond.

2.A basic dance technique involving the manual revolution of a fan.

Kaname indicates the pivot at the lower end of a fan which holds the slats together and allows it to be opened and closed. Kaname also means “the most important part.” Kanjin kaname, which means “a core point,” is derived from this.To do kaname gaes.h.i.+, put your thumb a bit off the pivot on a slat of the upper surface of an open fan, your index finger on the opposite surface to support the fan, and the remaining three fingers on the upper surface. Make the fan turn 360 degrees by giving your wrist a half-turn.  Only your middle finger should come in contact with the upper  surface.  Then lift the fan up, make it turn 360 degrees clockwise again, and put it down.

3.Naugata is literally called ‘long song’. Wiki it.

4.Kudoki: A scene where the female character expresses her love or jealousy in Sagi Musume

Kasa-dzukus.h.i.+:  A scene where the dancer spins an open umbrella with both of her hands.

Seme: A scene where the female character faces the cruelness and harshness of reality.

5. Ahegao:  A facial expression of unbearable ecstasy or pain. For more info click here

TLN: Whew… This chapter was a headache…Also, if you guys still didn’t realise it yet, Ryuko=Ryu, Kesoko=Ken and Yogasim=Dhalsim.