Vol. 2 Chapter 28 – A Girl’s Room

Had she been stretching or training until I arrived?

Maybe because it was her own home, she was dressed even more casually than when she came over to my place.

“Come on, come in, come in!” (Hikaru)
“E-Excuse me…” (Reiya)

Invited inside, I crossed the threshold, took off my shoes, and stepped up into the entryway.

Numerous cardboard boxes were lined up in the entryway, which featured beautiful solid wood flooring.

“Are these the parts for the computer we bought before?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, actually these just arrived a little while ago too.” (Hikaru)
“Then I got here at just the right time. Where should I take them?” (Reiya)

I had already entered her territory, and dungeon-style BGM was playing in my head, but I was managing to act calmer than expected.

I realized my own level had gone up quite a bit.

“To my room on the second floor! I’ll show you, follow me!” (Hikaru)
“Roger.” (Reiya)

I picked up the largest box among those lined up.

Following Hikaru’s lead, I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

“Watch your step, okay?” (Hikaru)
“I-I’m fine…” (Reiya)

The large cardboard box contained the wide monitor.

In addition to its weight, its size made it quite difficult to carry.

Still, showing some manly pride, I somehow managed to carry it all the way to the front of her room on the second floor.

“This is my room!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru put her hand on the knob and opened the door.

To put it simply, it was ‘a girl’s room.’

The furniture arranged in the white-themed space was simple yet had a stylish feel.

Unlike my room, everything was tidy down to the last corner, and cute little knick-knacks, typical of a girl, were placed on the desk and shelves.

There was nothing particularly unusual, but just the fact that Hikaru lived her daily life here made it feel special somehow.

“…What’s wrong?” (Hikaru)

As I stood frozen outside, Hikaru looked at me quizzically from inside.

“Ah… No, it’s nothing…” (Reiya)

I replied, but I couldn’t quite take the next step.

Only now did the event of ‘entering a girl’s room’ begin to feel profoundly significant.

Conversely, I wondered how Hikaru had managed to enter my room without any hesitation…

“Come on, don’t worry about it!” (Hikaru)

She grabbed my arm and half-dragged me inside.

The moment I stepped from the hardwood floor onto the carpeted floor, the BGM in my head switched to a calm piano melody.

Achievement Unlocked: ‘Enter a Girl’s Room’.

“Just put it there for now! There’s still a lot more, we have to carry everything!” (Hikaru)
“R-Right.” (Reiya)

Without a moment to let it sink in, I followed Hikaru, who had already left the room.

And so, the two of us made several trips up and down the stairs until we finally finished carrying all the boxes.

“Phew… Is that everything…? Hey, are you okay?” (Hikaru)
“I-I’m fine… Totally… this is nothing…” (Reiya)

Compared to Hikaru, who hadn’t broken a sweat, I was drenched and gasping for breath.

Even though I had taken the initiative to carry the larger items, I keenly felt the overwhelming difference in our physical strength.

I should exercise a bit more starting tomorrow…

“Alright then, next up is finally assembly time!” (Hikaru)
“Right. Do you have the tools ready?” (Reiya)
“Of course!” (Hikaru)

Taking the toolbox Hikaru held up with a smile, I finally began assembling the computer.

Taking deep breaths to steady myself, I psyched myself up again and got to work.

First, I took the case out of the cardboard box and roughly planned the wiring layout.

Next, I took out the motherboard and installed the necessary parts in order.

First the CPU, carefully inserting it into the socket since bending even one pin would ruin it.

Then the memory, SSD, and cooling system, one after another.

It was my first time installing a Custom Water Cooling kit, so I struggled quite a bit, phone in hand.

Somehow, I managed to combine the completed motherboard with the case.

After confirming it was securely mounted to prevent vibration, I installed the power supply unit and the Graphics Card.

I carefully routed the cables so they wouldn’t interfere with the tubes carrying the cooling liquid.

“…Alright, once the case is closed, it’s pretty much done. Can you grab me that screw in the middle there?” (Reiya)
“Okay! Middle, middle~…” (Hikaru)

With completion drawing near, neither Hikaru nor I could hide our excitement.

Perhaps because of that, or maybe she was just overly unguarded from the start—

“—!?”

Hikaru leaned forward to grab a screw from the case on the floor.

The fabric of her loose tank top drooped down, and her chest was exposed, jumping into my line of sight.

Twin mounds forming a distinct valley, supported by a light blue sports bra.

I saw it. I got a clear look.

Clear enough to distinctly recognize the “large” size Ogata-san had mentioned.

“Here, this is the one, right?” (Hikaru)
“Eh, ah, uh… yeah, that one…” (Reiya)

Unable to hide my agitation, I stammered awkwardly.

Hikaru, on the other hand, seemed unaware she’d been seen and looked curiously at my suspicious behavior.

Because I usually felt guilty for looking at Hikaru in that way, the raw impact of the direct visual information burned itself into my brain.

While my heart was still pounding wildly, I somehow managed to shake off the wicked thoughts and close the case.

“So, is it mostly finished now?” (Hikaru)
“Pretty much. All that’s left is connecting the monitor, mouse, keyboard, and installing the OS… assuming it works properly, that is.” (Reiya)

I said, looking inside the case, which had a transparent side panel.

I didn’t think there were any issues, but you never know if it’ll work until the moment you turn it on.

Nervously, I connected the external devices, until finally, all that remained was pressing the power button.

“…Alright, go ahead!” (Reiya)

I stepped aside, yielding the final task to Hikaru.

“Are you sure?” (Hikaru)
“Of course, it’s your computer.” (Reiya)
“Okay then, allow me…!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru stepped forward and placed her index finger on the power button.

I think I’d managed to look good so far within my area of expertise, but if it failed at the very last moment, everything would be for naught.

“Heave ho!” (Hikaru)

Simultaneously with my fervent mental prayer, the button was pressed.

A click sounded, and the exhaust fans began to spin.

The case lit up, flashing in seven colors, illuminating the white wallpaper covering the room’s four walls.

“…Yes!” (Reiya)

The moment the BIOS boot screen appeared on the monitor, I clenched both fists tightly.

“Is it working properly?” (Hikaru)
“Yeah, once it gets this far, it’s mostly okay. Now just… install the OS…” (Reiya)

I inserted the OS installation USB drive I had prepared beforehand into a port.

Confirming that the installation started without issue, I held up my right hand towards Hikaru.

She looked confused for a split second, then immediately understood my intention and raised her hand too.

We shared a powerful high-five, celebrating the completion.

“Yay! Now I can play games at home too!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru grinned happily, showing her white teeth.

“So, what’ll be the momentous first title?” (Reiya)
“The one based on the anime we watched before!” (Hikaru)
“…Figured you’d say that, so I actually made it possible to watch the rest while we were waiting… How about it?” (Reiya)

I took the tablet out of my bag and showed her.

“That’s a genius idea! Let’s watch, let’s watch!” (Hikaru)

With that, Hikaru practically dove onto the bed to sit down.

…Which meant, since we were watching on the tablet, I inevitably had to sit next to her.

Letting a girl sit on my bed versus sitting on a girl’s bed felt like hurdles two or three levels higher.

However, not wanting her to think I was being weirdly conscious about it, I went with the flow and sat down next to Hikaru.

“N-Nice bed…” (Reiya)

Trying to act natural, I ended up blurting out a strange compliment in my flustered state.

“Right? I can’t afford to wake up with a stiff neck, so the pillow and mattress are special custom-made ones!” (Hikaru)
“Hoh~… Then maybe it’s not great for you to sleep on my bed either…?” (Reiya)
“That’s that, this is this.” (Hikaru)

She steamrolled me with a mysterious power that didn’t even qualify as logic.

“Come on, come on, play it already?” (Hikaru)
“Ah, yeah… just a sec…” (Reiya)

I operated the tablet and started playing the video I had downloaded beforehand using my home Wi-Fi.

“…By the way, how’s Taiju-san doing lately?” (Reiya)

As the opening started, I suddenly thought to ask.

“My brother? Hmm… I haven’t really contacted him this week, so I don’t know. Is something wrong?” (Hikaru)
“N-No, it’s nothing major… Just thought it was unusual he didn’t come by the restaurant this week.” (Reiya)
“Oh, really? Maybe he’s busy with university then?” (Hikaru)
“I see… Now that you mention it, he is a university student, so there must be times he’s busy with reports and stuff…” (Reiya)

It had been six days since I sent that to Taiju-san, but there was still no response.

I couldn’t exactly press him for it, so I’d been spending my days anxiously fidgeting.

It would be fine if he was just busy, but I worried about what I’d do if he was angry.

Still, overthinking wouldn’t help, so I refocused my attention on the screen.

“Well, it’s finally the climax…” (Reiya)

Oblivious to my anxiety, the story on the screen was reaching its climax.

The tense scene where the protagonists went to rescue the captured heroine unfolded rapidly with flashy animation full of theatrical flair.

“This protagonist, Davis-kun, kinda resembles you, Reiya.” (Hikaru)

Amidst all that, Hikaru suddenly spoke up again.

“…Resemble? In what way?” (Reiya)

Appearance-wise, we looked nothing alike, to say the least.

Especially now that he was in his final form, looking like a giant robot.

“Not his looks, but the part where he always rushes in when the heroine is in a pinch.” (Hikaru)
“…Even if you say that, it doesn’t really ring a bell yet.” (Reiya)
“Ehh… But you rushed over when I was having the hardest time, didn’t you…?” (Hikaru)

She said this softly, placing her hand on my knee.

“Rushed over… Ah, oh… that time… Back then…” (Reiya)
“Yeah, I was so happy then… It felt like you were the protagonist and I was the heroine in our own story.” (Hikaru)
“I-I see… Well, then it was worth going…” (Reiya)

Just remembering it made my face flush with embarrassment, and as I tried to look away—

“Hey…” (Hikaru)

Her left hand covered my right hand, which rested on the bed.

“Back then… why did you come?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru looked up at me with moist eyes and asked.