Vol. 1 Chapter 14 – Love at First Sight Constitution

Asahi-san’s older brother.

His existence had certainly been mentioned in a previous conversation.

However, I also recalled hearing online from people who monitor voice actors and Vtubers around Christmas that “older brother” or “younger brother” can be code words for “boyfriend.”

“And this is my classmate, Kageyama-kun. Did I mention him before? My gaming friend.” (Hikaru)
“Ah, so this is him…” (Taiju)

Now Asahi-san introduced me to her older brother.

She tells this person about her relationship with me, something she doesn’t seem to have told her classmates?
Does that mean they really are siblings…?
Now that she mentions it, I feel like their general vibe is somewhat similar.

As I compared the two, the tall figure, easily exceeding 180cm, took a step forward.

“…Asahi Taiju.” (Taiju)

The name, sharing the Asahi surname, was uttered in a blunt tone.

“N-Nice to meet you… I’m Kageyama Reiya…” (Reiya)

I lowered my head, looking up at his head, which was a good 10cm or more higher than mine, like a great tree.
His gaze wasn’t exactly intimidating like a glare, but I felt a sizing-up look.
Does he think I’m some bad bug getting close to his sister?
No, surely there aren’t any typical sis-con older brother characters like that nowadays…
But, come to think of it, if he’s Asahi-san’s older brother—

“You… Your hobby is gaming, right?” (Taiju)
“Yes… well, to some extent…” (Reiya)
“So, what titles do you like?” (Taiju)
“Eh?” (Reiya)

A bewildered sound escaped me at the sudden question.

“I’m asking what games you like. You must have something you played recently that was fun, right?” (Taiju)

Right, Asahi-san’s interest in gaming originally came from her older brother.
I hadn’t heard the details, but she’d mentioned something about him having all the current consoles and even a gaming PC.
And now, such a person was intently observing how I would respond, his eyes sharp like knives.

…Could it be, I’m being tested?
This was exactly the same situation as when I tried to test Asahi-san.

“Umm, let’s see… Titles I like are…” (Reiya)

How should I answer?
What’s the correct response here?
Should I go orthodox with a Souls-like Die-and-Retry Game?
Or should I aim for something more core, mentioning an indie game masterpiece?
A large-scale, profound SLG… like a Paradox game, would that be trying too hard…?
Trendy PvP games also have many fans, so that’s a possible correct answer.
No, maybe playing it safe and choosing a nationally popular game is the way to go.

My thoughts spun around in circles, like wandering through a poorly designed dungeon.

“M-Most recently… I thought the game ‘Ruleless Dungeon’ was interesting…” (Reiya)

In the end, what came out was a title neither particularly famous nor particularly niche.
A domestically produced roguelike dungeon exploration game sold on Stream for about 2000 yen.
It was the debut work of a small independent developer I’d never even heard the name of, and while it wasn’t a massive hit, it was a work that had strangely stuck in my memory.

Perhaps her brother also knew the title; his eyebrows twitched slightly.

“…What did you find interesting about it?” (Taiju)

He asked in a slightly different tone than before, the edges softened a bit.

“Well, it’s a bit hard to explain specifically, but…” (Reiya)
“Just try saying it.” (Taiju)
“Umm… The rough balance adjustment typical of a new studio actually worked in a good way, I guess you could say.” (Reiya)
“…Specifically?” (Taiju)
“Just when you think you’ve obtained an incredibly strong weapon early on, an even more insane enemy suddenly appears… It’s basically that kind of jack-in-the-box game, but it’s actually built on an exquisite balance where you can increase your win rate if you think properly… It really reaffirmed for me that that kind of thing is what makes roguelikes interesting… Also—” (Reiya)

I continued to verbalize the impressions I had when I played that game.

“—so yeah, overall, it was a good game.” (Reiya)

After talking for several minutes straight, I finished and looked up to gauge his reaction, thinking, ‘How was that?’—
Only to find the handsome face staring blankly ahead.
A moment later, I realized my mistake.

…I completely blew it.
I let out 100% of my bad otaku tendencies.
Just as regret began to set in, wishing desperately for a do-over—

“Pfft… Wahahahaha!!” (Taiju)

Asahi-san’s older brother (tentative) burst out laughing loudly.

“H-Hey… Onii-chan…! This is embarrassing…!” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san admonished her brother, who had suddenly started laughing loudly in the middle of the commercial facility, looking embarrassed.
Other shoppers passing by also stopped, turning their eyes towards us, wondering what was going on.

“My bad, my bad… Just thought, this guy’s pretty interesting. Yeah, I like him.” (Taiju)

Just when I thought he was done laughing heartily, he started slapping my back while saying that.

“What was your name again?” (Taiju)
“K-Kageyama… Kageyama Reiya…” (Reiya)
“Reiya, huh. Alright, let’s change locations for now.” (Taiju)
“Eh? Ch-Change locations?” (Reiya)
“Hey, Onii-chan… Don’t just decide things on your own…” (Hikaru)
“Shopping’s done, so it’s fine, right? If you don’t like it, hurry up and go home alone. I’m gonna chat with this guy for a good five hours starting now.” (Taiju)

He shooed Asahi-san away with his hand.
Did someone who could treat her so casually actually exist in this world…?

“Five hours… but I’m in the middle of my shift…” (Reiya)
“Shift? Just skip it.” (Taiju)
“No, I really can’t…” (Reiya)

What a forceful person… I thought, while also conceding that he was indeed Asahi-san’s older brother.

“What, no fun… But wearin’ a uniform like that means you work at a restaurant, right? Then let’s go there. Just right, haven’t eaten lunch yet either.” (Taiju)
“Ehh…” (Reiya)
“Come to think of it, Kageyama-kun’s part-time job is at a Western-style restaurant, right!? Then I wanna go too! Actually, I’m starving.” (Hikaru)

Ah… they’re definitely siblings…
I couldn’t possibly win against double the pressure when I couldn’t even handle one of them, so I had no choice but to guide the two to the restaurant.

On the way there, her brother said something to me, just loud enough for me to hear.

“By the way, you’re the first guy she’s introduced me to this quickly since Ayaka-chan, you know? She seems pretty attached to you.” (Taiju)

＊＊＊＊＊

“Man, that really surprised me. To think they could still make something this interesting with existing combinations.” (Taiju)
“That’s what’s interesting about indie games sometimes, right? Like taking a single idea and running with it, something major developers can’t do.” (Reiya)

Walking side-by-side with Taiju-san, we discussed the games we liked.
Initially, I had been overwhelmed by his powerful aura, but by the time we neared the restaurant, we had completely hit it off.
Honestly, this might have been the first time I’d met someone whose tastes matched mine so closely.

“I-I totally can’t keep up…” (Hikaru)
“Ah, sorry… We got carried away talking…” (Reiya)

We had gotten too absorbed in our own world, neglecting Asahi-san.

“Just leave her. She needs to start by buying her own hardware first.” (Taiju)
“Even though Onii-chan took everything when I wasn’t around…!” (Hikaru)
“What’s wrong with me taking my own stuff? You earn money from modeling and whatever, so buy your own!” (Taiju)
“Hmph, it’s fine ’cause I’ll just have Kageyama-kun let me play his~… Right~?” (Hikaru)
“A-Anyway… we’re almost there, so let’s continue this inside…” (Reiya)

Just as the situation of being caught in the middle became unbearable, we arrived at the restaurant right on time.
Acting as the guide, I went ahead and opened the entrance door.
Clang clang, went the doorbell, and the faint smell of ingredients being prepped drifted out.

“Reiya-kun, you’re back? You were a little late~… Huh?” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san, who had come to greet me upon my return with the dishes, tilted her head.

“Um… Actually, I bumped into a classmate there…” (Reiya)
“Nice to meet you! I’m Asahi Hikaru, from the same Shuei Academy as Kageyama-kun!” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san slipped past me, entered the restaurant, and introduced herself clearly in a loud voice.

“Oh… Oh my, oh my… Could it be, Reiya-kun… and with such a cute…” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san’s mouth hung open as she looked back and forth between my face and Asahi-san’s.

“Ah, forgive my late greeting. I’m Reiya-kun’s cousin, Mizumori Ichiru.” (Ichiru)
“They hadn’t had lunch yet, so I suggested they definitely eat here… Her brother’s with her too.” (Reiya)

I emphasized the last part slightly to prevent any strange misunderstandings.

“Sorry to impose outside of business hours. But I’ve been wanting to come here sometime.” (Hikaru)
“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it! Here, Reiya-kun! Show them to a seat!” (Ichiru)
“Ah, yeah… Okay, this way.” (Reiya)

Just as I always did with customers, I guided Asahi-san to a table seat in the back.

“This place has a really nice atmosphere~. Is it called Western retro-modern? It has a nostalgic warmth, it’s calming… I think I might really like this kind of thing.” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san commented, looking around.
All the restaurant’s decorations were apparently things Ichiru-san had meticulously requested from an interior decorator.
The tables and chairs for the customers were all antiques made of dark wood.
The walls and ceiling were also without excessive decoration, put together with white wallpaper and wood for a chic atmosphere.
The dishes I had just picked up were also chosen to match that atmosphere.

“I’m so happy to hear you say that~. Reiya-kun has absolutely no interest in the interior design I like…” (Ichiru)
“Ehh~… What a waste~…” (Hikaru)
“I prefer things that flash brightly in seven colors.” (Reiya)

…That was a joke, of course.

“Geez~… You’re always like that… Huh? Come to think of it, wasn’t your brother here too? I don’t see him anywhere…” (Ichiru)
“Huh? You’re right. Where’d he go?” (Hikaru)
“He should have been right with us until just before the restaurant…” (Reiya)

The three of us looked around the restaurant, but Taiju-san was nowhere to be seen.
He had been talking with us so much right up until just outside the restaurant, so he shouldn’t have gotten separated.
Thinking that, I searched and found him immediately.

He was standing stock-still just one step short of crossing the restaurant’s entrance threshold, looking inexplicably dumbfounded.

“Taiju-san? What’s wrong?” (Reiya)

I walked right up to him and called out, but there was no response.
He was completely silent, a stark contrast to how annoyingly talkative he’d been just moments before.

“Taiju-sa~n… Hello~…” (Reiya)

I called out again, but still, absolutely no reaction.
His gaze was fixed high up, staring at a single point over my shoulder.
Turning around to see where his gaze was directed, I saw Ichiru-san, tilting her head curiously.

“Mizumori… Ichiru-san…” (Taiju)

He uttered my cousin’s name in a tone that sounded almost reverent.

---

• Paradox Game: Referring to grand strategy games typically published by Paradox Interactive.
• Seven colors / Rainbow: Implies RGB lighting common in gaming setups.
• SLG: Simulation Games.
• Stream: Steam