Vol. 1 Chapter 15 – Wood vs. Water

“Are you okay? Maybe you suddenly started feeling unwell?” (Ichiru)

Perhaps worried about Taiju-san, who still hadn’t come inside, Ichiru-san also approached.

“No!! I’m fine!! No problem at all!!” (Taiju)
“O-Oh… well, that’s good… Please, have a seat.” (Ichiru)
“Yes!! Excuse me!!” (Taiju)

With jerky movements, like a machine needing oil, Taiju-san moved to a seat in the back.
Asahi-san, perhaps sensing her brother’s strangeness, wore an awkward expression.

“Hey, Onii-chan… This is embarrassing, act normal…” (Hikaru)
“I-I am normal!!” (Taiju)

He’s acting super weird…

“Come to think of it, Reiya-kun, you haven’t had lunch yet either, right? Since we’re all here, why don’t you eat together?” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san suggested, signaling intensely with her eyes for me to do so.
I didn’t know what she was thinking, but refusing now would surely be unnatural…

“Um… Well, if I’m not bothering you two…” (Reiya)
“You’re not bothering us at all, let’s eat together! Here, sit, sit.” (Hikaru)

Consent was given instantly, and it was decided the three of us would eat together.
Ichiru-san kept signaling with her eyes for me to ‘Sit next to her,’ but I ignored that, naturally, and sat next to Taiju-san.

“Hmm~… Which one should I get~… It’s hard to decide~…” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san stared intently at the menu written in a retro calligraphy-style font across from me.
Just playing games together was an abnormal situation, and now we were eating side-by-side.
Just a few dozen minutes ago, I never would have imagined things would turn out like this.

“Which one do you recommend, Kageyama-kun?” (Hikaru)
“Hmm~… Let’s see…” (Reiya)

Setting aside family bias, all of Ichiru-san’s cooking is exquisite.
Choosing just one from among them was as difficult as picking the single best game from a library.

“Carbonara… no, the beef stew is hard to pass up too… But, maybe the omurice after all.” (Reiya)
“Omurice! That does sound delicious! Okay, I’ll have that!” (Hikaru)
“Okay, omurice for Hikaru-chan… Um…” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san, having taken Asahi-san’s order, next looked towards Taiju-san.

“What will you have, Onii-san?” (Ichiru)
“Then, I’ll have the omurice as well, please!” (Taiju)

Taiju-san spoke clearly and forcefully, like a politician giving a policy speech.

“Okay, omurice for Onii-san too… Is the same okay for you, Reiya-kun?” (Ichiru)
“Yeah, it’ll probably be easier to make them all together.” (Reiya)
“Alright, three omurices then. I’ll make them right away, so please chat amongst yourselves while you wait~” (Ichiru)

Perhaps happy that I had brought a classmate… and a girl at that… she returned to the kitchen with skipping steps.
I hope she doesn’t trip spectacularly from being too giddy…

“Your cousin seems really nice and kind. I wonder if I could trade my Onii-chan for her.” (Hikaru)
“Haha…” (Reiya)

I responded with a wry smile to the rather difficult-to-answer joke.
Meanwhile, despite being spoken of like that, Taiju-san, completely changed from moments before, made no attempt to retort.
He just stared blankly towards the kitchen, from where the faint sounds of cooking could be heard.

And so, after the two + alpha chatted for a while, the ordered food was ready.

“Reiya-ku~n, it’s ready, so bring them out one by one, plea~se!” (Ichiru)

I carried the plates Ichiru-san had lined up on the kitchen counter one by one.
Three plates of omurice, generously covered in homemade demi-glace sauce, were lined up on the table, and I returned to my now fully prepared seat.

“Wow~… Looks delicious~…! Well then, time to dig in~!” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san, spoon in hand, brought a bite-sized piece of omurice to her mouth.

“~~!”

Wordless emotion overflowed from her entire being.

“S-So good~…!!” (Hikaru)

Her eyes sparkled as if filled with stars, and the simplest, yet highest, praise was uttered.

“Did you like it?” (Ichiru)
“Yes! It’s so fluffy and creamy, like heaven in my mouth… It’s truly delicious!” (Hikaru)

At that unreserved compliment, Ichiru-san, who had come out from the kitchen, also smiled contentedly.
Even I, who had recommended it, felt a little happy, as if I myself had been praised.

“Right? Don’t you think so too, Onii-chan? Onii-chan…?” (Hikaru)

Across from Asahi-san, who sought agreement, Taiju-san was frozen with the first spoonful still in his mouth.
Wondering if perhaps he didn’t like it, I peeked at his face from the side.

“Delicious…!!” (Taiju)

Ta-da!
As Taiju-san’s voice trembled as if such a sound effect should play, faint tears welled up in his eyes.

“I’ve never eaten such delicious omurice…!! This is the single best dish of my entire life, including the past, present, and future!!” (Taiju)
“Th-That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it…? I’m happy you praise it, but…” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san also showed great bewilderment at his over-the-top reaction.

“No, first, this demi-glace sauce… The perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, further enhanced by mixing in fresh cream for mellowness, creates harmony with the exquisitely cooked egg! Of course, the chicken rice inside is also wonderful! Each ingredient is carefully seasoned beforehand, and the ketchup flavor is deliberately restrained to further accentuate them! These elements intertwine intimately, descending before my eyes now as a work of art named omurice… Truly, it can only be called the work of God…!” (Taiju)

A cloying critique, the kind even a veteran food reporter might hesitate to utter, flowed smoothly from his mouth.
Could it be this person is several levels crazier than I thought…?

“This might be the first time I’ve seen Onii-chan react like this to eating something… He must have really liked it. Usually, he’s the type to just say ‘good,’ ‘bad,’ or ‘okay’…” (Hikaru)

Unable to watch her brother be recoiled from, Asahi-san put in the best follow-up she could manage.

“R-Really? Then I’m very happy. Um…” (Ichiru)
“Taiju! Asahi Taiju! Second year at Toutei University! Hobbies are gaming and programming! Favorite shout is ‘Fierce Force’! I’m a twenty-year-old devoted enough to his sister to accompany her shopping on holidays! Please be kind to me from now on!” (Taiju)
“T-Taiju-kun… You’re a Todai student… Th-That’s amazing… Reiya-kun, maybe you could get him to teach you—” (Ichiru)
“Yes, leave it to me!! I promise a 20-point deviation score increase!!” (Taiju)

Taiju-san shot up from his seat, almost cutting her off, while Ichiru-san looked quite taken aback.
Even I, dense about these kinds of subtleties, could finally understand the situation.
This restaurant had just gained another regular customer.

＊＊＊＊＊

After the meal, which had turned into Taiju-san’s solo stage, the two left before the evening service began.
Both said, ‘We’ll come again,’ but the implication from Taiju-san felt a little scary.
At that rate, he might really come once a week… no, possibly even once every two or three days.

And so, the dinner service hours also ended, and I returned home after ten o’clock.

“Phew… It was a busy period during the holidays, so I’m really tired…” (Reiya)

Letting my exhausted body sink into the gaming chair, I moved only my right hand to operate the mouse.
Having worked long hours, my pay for today would be a decent amount.
‘I could buy any game here,’ I thought, basking in a sense of omnipotence as I scrolled through the Stream rankings—

“Ah, a message from Itsuki-san…” (Reiya)

Lifting my body, which had slumped so much it was about to slide under the desk, I checked the message.

‘Nuruya, you there?’ (Itsuki)

A rare, short, simple address.
Incidentally, Nuruya is my handle name.

‘Just got back from work.’ (Reiya)
‘I see.’ (Itsuki)

After receiving that short reply, the conversation stopped.
He contacted me first, but maybe he didn’t have anything specific in mind?
As I thought that, the text indicating he was typing appeared again.
It was like he was writing a letter, then crumpling it up, dissatisfied with the content, and starting over from the beginning.
The ‘typing’ indicator repeatedly appeared and disappeared.
He’s acting weirder than usual… As I observed this, the main topic was finally brought up.

‘Have you ever had a moment in your life where you felt it was destiny…?’ (Itsuki)

Since when were you such a maiden?

‘Are we talking determinism?’ (Reiya)
‘No, regarding encounters between people.’ (Itsuki)

My attempt to casually deflect was corrected.
Apparently, this was a serious conversation.

‘Then probably not. I’m not equipped with that kind of maiden circuit.’ (Reiya)
*’I see… I thought I was the same. But today, I met a woman who can only be called destiny…’ (Itsuki)

The emotion mixed with joy and anguish seeped through even the text.
Apparently, he had seriously fallen for someone.

‘Huh… By the way, which heroine from what game?’ (Reiya)
‘No, it’s not a game.’ (Itsuki)
‘Then is it a Vtuber? I don’t want to see news about an acquaintance ruining themselves donating too much to a V, so please keep it moderate.’ (Reiya)
‘Wrong! It’s real life! A 3D woman!!’ (Itsuki)
‘Ah, is that so.’ (Reiya)

I was surprised, as I thought he was only interested in 2D.
However, the way he said ‘3D woman’ already carried an air thick with the feeling of impending defeat.

‘So, what do you think I should do?’ (Itsuki)
‘What should you do… Why are you asking me that?’ (Reiya)
*’Because I have no idea about romance where dialogue choices don’t appear…’ (Itsuki)

W-What a pathetic person…
Well, not that I’m in any position to talk.

‘I don’t really know much either, but I can say for sure that you’re not acting like yourself right now, Itsuki-san.’ (Reiya)
‘Not like myself…?’ (Itsuki)
‘Yes. Because the Itsuki-san I know is the type whose selling point is the aggressiveness to always aim for outplays, even as a 0/8/0 Yasuo, right?’ (Reiya)
‘…True.’ (Itsuki)
‘You can’t win winnable battles being so passive.’ (Reiya)
‘Now that you mention it, I’m starting to feel that way.’ (Itsuki)
‘Games and reality are the same. Attack, attack, attack relentlessly!!’ (Reiya)

My fingers tapping the keyboard grew lighter and lighter.
I was feeling the pleasant sensation of irresponsibly encouraging someone.

‘You’re right! Alright!! Starting after the holidays, I’m going with the full-offense chart!!’ (Itsuki)
‘That’s the spirit!! I’m rooting for you!!’ (Reiya)

For the time being, I also had to conquer the shopping event awaiting me tomorrow.
Not only did I need to plan the day’s itinerary, but I also needed to properly sort out my clothes and appearance.
However, I naturally had zero experience going out with a girl alone.
It was undoubtedly going to be a tougher battle than a first playthrough of a Die-and-Retry Game.
Perhaps my recent instigation was also a form of escapism from my own situation.

And at that moment, I still had no way of knowing what results that action would bring.

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• Shout: Likely a reference to a Dragon Shout from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
• Deviation score: A common metric in the Japanese education system.
• 3D woman: Contrasted with 2D (anime/game characters).
• 0/8/0 Yasuo: Refers to a character (Yasuo) from League of Legends with a bad score (0 kills, 8 deaths, 0 assists), implying poor performance but still playing aggressively.
• Outplay: Gaming term for skillfully defeating an opponent.