Vol. 1 Chapter 3

1

And then, the day came.

I tricked Kasuga and dragged her along to the meeting spot with Soyama.

The moment she saw Soyama leaning against a thick pillar by the ticket gates, Kasuga let out a『fugege』 shriek.

“W-why is Soyama-kun here?”

“The one we’re hanging out with today.”

“I-I’m going home.”

“He’s already looking this way. You can’t just leave now.”

Soyama noticed us and gave a small wave.

“I’m going home. I have to get back and watch anime! Let’s escape reality!”

“Wait.”

I grabbed Kasuga as she seriously tried to run and half-dragged her over to Soyama.

“Oh, so it was Kasuga-san coming today. We always see each other as class reps, right?”

Soyama smiled naturally. That smile pierced straight through Kasuga, killing her instantly on the spot.

“Ah, aha… g-goo—good afternoo—wan…”

Just as Kasuga gave that dog-like, zero-point greeting, a sharp『wah!』rang out and something slammed into my back. Feeling someone collide with me, I turned around in surprise.

“Hello—wan.”

Layering right over Kasuga’s goofy greeting, Naruse said it so casually, her face suddenly right in front of mine as I turned.

“W-why?”

This time, it was my turn to freak out just as much as Kasuga.

“I figured the four of us could hang out together today.”

Since Soyama said it so casually, I had no idea how I was supposed to react and ended up completely at a loss.

“Are you close with Naruse?”

“We’re both in the tennis club. And, well… anyway.”

And, well… what? It bothered me, so I wanted him to say it, but I couldn’t ask.

“How about we go bowling?”

Naruse suggested it in an offhand way. Both Kasuga and I frowned almost at the same time. We glanced at each other, silently probing what the other was thinking. It felt like we both came to the same conclusion. This guy’s bad at bowling, huh. We understood each other through just our eyes. I’m bad at it.

『Actually, I kinda want to play table tennis』Soyama said.

Table tennis? Not just me, Kasuga probably thought the same thing too, but when someone with such high 『points』like him says it, somehow it starts to feel like that’s a valid option.

But when I searched on my phone, I couldn’t find anywhere we could play table tennis, so instead, we ended up going to a game center. It was a fairly big arcade in the downtown area, and our target, as a substitute for table tennis, was air hockey. You could say they’re similar…if you really stretch it.

After doing rock-paper-scissors, the teams ended up as me and Kasuga, and Soyama with Naruse.

“Why am I with you—”

“That’s what I want to say.”

It had been a while since I last played air hockey. Once we actually started, it turned out to be a game that brutally reflected your athletic ability.

Soyama and Naruse were clearly athletic. Against them were me and Kasuga. In other words, tennis club versus go-home club. Even before the match started, the outcome was already obvious.

Soyama kept scoring point after point at a quick, steady pace, and it was clear we weren’t even putting up a fight. On top of that, Kasuga kept going『So amaaazing』letting out impressed squeals every time Soyama scored. We lost 10–0. What the hell is that score?

Since that wasn’t fun at all, we reshuffled the teams into me and Naruse, and Soyama with Kasuga, and decided to play again.

Even as the second game started, Soyama kept firing off powerful shots one after another. But Naruse wasn’t backing down either. The two of them went back and forth in an intense rally, while Kasuga was completely left out, doing nothing. Since Kasuga was basically just a standing dummy, it was effectively a two-on-one, yet Soyama still had the upper hand. Between Soyama and Naruse, the difference between a guy and a girl made Soyama stronger no matter what. And I wasn’t able to make up that gap.

After Soyama scored another point,

“Get it together, Aoki. Don’t lose to a guy like that.”

Naruse definitely whispered that into my ear. A guy like that… what does that even mean?

In the end, Soyama was just too strong, and when it was over, Naruse and I had been completely crushed.

“Soyama can really do anything, huh.”

When I said that, Soyama smiled with a pleased look and replied,『I’m good at sports.』I don’t know if this counts as a sport, but it’s definitely a game that requires athletic ability.

“I’ll go buy drinks. What do you want?”

Soyama said, and we answered,『Cola!』,『Oolong tea is fine.』,『I’ll have Seven Up.』

“Aoki gets water.”

Soyama said that with a blank expression.

For some reason, the way he said it felt almost like he was glaring at me and I flinched a little.

“Just kidding.”

Laughing, Soyama went off to look for a vending machine.

“If you want, Kasuga, you could go with him.”

When I prompted her, Kasuga blinked in surprise.『It’d be tough for one person to carry drinks for all four of us, and besides…you know, various things.』Like getting a chance to talk with Soyama.『Ah, I see.』Kasuga obediently ran after him, and her small figure disappeared into the dim arcade. And just like that, it was just Naruse and me.

“That earlier attitude of yours was way too self-deprecating.”

For some reason, Naruse said that to me like she was angry.

Did I mess something up? I panicked a little. Maybe she had a point, but was it really something worth getting mad about?

“Hey, I wanted to ask. Is there something going on between you and Soyama?”

“There’s nothing.”

Naruse’s voice was loud, and for a moment, the surrounding noise seemed to fall silent. The way she said it made it sound like there actually was something, and it left me feeling uneasy.

“Aoki, you’re kind of… spineless.”

“Am I really that bad?”

I tried to somehow pull Naruse’s strange anger back into joking territory, so I laughed for no real reason.

“Why are you laughing?”

Even when she asked that, I couldn’t come up with a good answer.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Just then, Soyama and the others came back surprisingly quickly.

“Next, let’s do that?”

What Soyama pointed at was a well-known fighting game.『I’ll pass. I don’t get it』Naruse said, and Kasuga added,『I’m bad at fighting games too.』As if he had expected that from the start, Soyama looked at me. 『Aoki, you’ll play, right?』

To be honest, I had actually put a lot of time into that game in the past. It’s one I’m good at. With games like this, the outcome is often decided by how much you’ve practiced. If I fought Soyama, it might be the reverse of earlier. I could end up winning one-sidedly.

But I didn’t say that.

“So, you wanna play?”

I accepted Soyama’s invitation.

After losing at air hockey and, for some reason, getting scolded by Naruse, I kind of wanted to show at least a little of what I could do.

“Since we’re at it, why don’t we bet something?”

Soyama suddenly said something outrageous, and I was caught off guard.

“Huh? Then… we haven’t settled the drinks from earlier, so how about we bet that? If I lose, I’ll pay for everything.”

“No, that’s boring. Not that. Oh, I know.”

Soyama grinned and looked at Naruse.

“The winner gets a kiss from Naruse.”

At that, Naruse spat out the oolong tea she had been drinking. A faint stain spread across the white summer knit she was wearing.

“Are you stupid? No way.”

“Don’t say such boring things. You’re killing the mood.”

“You’re the one ruining it.”

Why are those two so on edge? Neither Kasuga nor I could step in between them, so all we could do was stand there, stunned, watching their exchange.

“Wait a second, Aoki.”

Suddenly, Naruse came closer to me and leaned in toward my ear. In a low voice, she asked,

“Aoki, are you good at this game?”

“Huh? I guess.”

“What are you two whispering about?”

When Soyama said that, Naruse clicked her tongue in irritation, cut off the conversation with me, and turned back to him.

“Fine, just play already.”

“Oh, Naruse, you’re in a good mood.”

Saying that, Soyama inserted a coin into the fighting game.

“Let’s go, Aoki.”

What the hell is this, I thought, as I put in my own coin.

I focused on the game screen. Can I win? I should be fine… probably.

The moment the match started, I felt a light sense of despair.

Soyama’s play was that of someone experienced.

It was a close match, but Soyama turned out to be stronger than me. The difference in skill showed as it was, nothing unexpected happening, and I got completely beaten down in the game.

“Alright. Aoki, hit me for a bit. Go on.”

Saying that, Soyama took his hands off the controls and started drinking his juice.

Honestly, that pissed me off a little, but I went in for the attack. I got his health down to about half before he suddenly got serious and counterattacked, and in the end, I still lost.

“Ugh…”

“Yesss!”

Soyama threw both arms up in the air in celebration. The somewhat theatrical gesture quickly faded as he walked over to Naruse.

“Naruse, my victory kiss.”

“No.”

With a sullen look on her face, Naruse was pulled in half by force as Soyama tried to kiss her.

Huh? He’s seriously going to do it?

Both Kasuga and I were so shocked by what was happening right in front of us that we froze. Kasuga covered her face with her hands, peeking fearfully through the gaps between her fingers.

Soyama wrapped one arm around Naruse’s waist and the other behind her head, trying to force a kiss on her as she resisted.

Then, just like that, he stopped moving.

“Just kidding.”

The smile on Soyama’s face was strange, almost cold.

“I told you to stop.”

Naruse’s eyes were almost filled with tears.

“I’m going home first.”

Saying that, Naruse ran out of the arcade.

“Hey, wait.”

For some reason, Soyama chased after her, disappearing from in front of us.

“…What was that just now… what even was that…”

Kasuga muttered in a daze, her face drained of life under the purple lights of the arcade as she looked at me.

“Hey, what was that just now!?”

Kasuga grabbed my body and shook me back and forth.

“Stop, stop, my neck’s gonna get a hernia!”

“Can your neck even get a hernia?”

“I don’t know, just calm down for now.”

I mean, I was pretty shaken myself.

Swaying unsteadily, Kasuga called out to a nearby arcade staff member.

“I want to play a game where I can kill people.”

The staff member looked confused.『Um… like shooting zombies? Or…』

“Zombies used to be people, so that’s fine.”

In the end, dragged along by Kasuga, we ended up playing one of those typical games where you shoot zombies with a gun.

As I kept firing my handgun at the waves of zombies rushing toward us, somehow, they gradually started to look like Soyama, and I muttered

“Soyama, die… Soyama, die…”

“Don’t kill the person I like.”

In a voice with no warmth or emotion, Kasuga said that, then rapidly shot down the approaching zombies one after another, saving me.

“Ah… sorry.”

“Naruse-san, die.” Gunshots echoed cheaply.

“Don’t kill the person I like either, okay?”

“Beg all you want, I won’t forgive you.”

Kasuga got devoured by zombies but she brushed it off with, 『This isn’t about money, right?』then immediately continued, inserting more coins to revive. She made me stick with that game until she had wiped out every last zombie.

2

And with all that, the two of us finished off a massive number of zombies, saving the virtual world, and by evening, I dragged myself home completely exhausted. Both my body and mind felt kind of dead.

I was heading straight to my room, walking down the hallway, when I heard voices coming from the living room. Unusually, my sister was home at this hour. It sounded like she was on the phone, chatting away cheerfully by herself.

“That’s pretty high points, you know~”

Hearing that caught my attention, so I opened the door. My sister looked at me in surprise.

“Huh? Naoto, you’re back already?”

“Yeah. Just got home.”

As I grabbed some barley tea from the fridge and rehydrated, I listened in on her conversation.『That guy’s got low points』she was saying, talking about points again. It honestly kind of scared me.

When she hung up, I decided to probe a little.

“Hey, sis… you can see them?”

“See what?”

“Just now, you said『points』…”

“Huh? Oh, that. I was just talking about whether someone’s a good or bad match for marriage. People say stuff like high points or low points all the time, don’t they?”

From what she said, it seemed she’d recently gotten into using marriage matchmaking sites. Oh. That’s what it was. Kind of misleading, I thought, but then I asked, 『So, are you getting married?』

“I am.”

My sister’s points were 62. Not ridiculously high, but decent. At the very least, higher than mine. Since she has fairly good looks and decent communication skills, I guess that’s how it turned out.

“Hey, Naoto. If you had to choose, which would it be: a guy with average income but weak-willed, a guy with a good personality but no money, or a rich, refreshing guy?”

“If you ask it like that, obviously the rich, refreshing guy, right?”

“Right? No need to hesitate.”

As soon as she said that, my sister looked down at her phone and started tapping away at something. I figured she was probably messing with some matchmaking app and sending messages or something.

“Isn’t it fine not to rush into marriage like that?”

Meanwhile, I felt a strange, subtle unease. I had just assumed she wouldn’t be getting married anytime soon, so suddenly hearing that she was seriously thinking about it made me feel oddly lonely. It’s not like we’re super close or that I’m some kind of siscon. But if she actually got married, it felt like she’d suddenly become an adult, like she’d move into a completely different world from mine. It left me with mixed feelings.

“You’d want to get married by twenty-four, right? After that, your value drops, and the level of men drops too. That’s what I’ve seen from people at work.”

My sister looked up from her phone and said that while staring straight at me.

“This is my big project.”

“Oh… I see.”

I didn’t really get it, but she had a determined look on her face. So I guess she was serious about it.

I couldn’t really understand wanting to get married that badly, but whatever. Still, when I actually imagined my sister getting married, it suddenly felt like a huge hassle. The wedding and all that. I really didn’t want to go. Seriously.

I made it to my room and, drained of energy, flopped face-first onto my bed. I didn’t feel like doing anything, but I could at least mess around with my phone. That was about all the energy I had left, so without any particular purpose, I absentmindedly opened LINE.

【Recently updated profile: Miyauchi Kou】

Looking at it, there was a cool-looking photo set as the icon, showing Kou wearing some oddly shaped hat.

Haven’t seen Kou’s face in a while, I thought.

A grown man taking selfies is kind of gross.

Feeling like saying something snarky, I opened the message screen, but I couldn’t think of anything clever to say, so in the end, I just sent:

“Apparently my sister’s getting married.”

It was marked as read right away, but even after waiting a while, no reply came.

3

Ever since that arcade incident, this weird, awkward atmosphere had been lingering between me and Naruse, and even during lunch in the usual audiovisual room, our conversation just didn’t flow.

“At that time… what did you think, Aoki?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I knew exactly which『that time』she meant, but I played dumb anyway.

“I mean, when Soyama—”

“Oh… that time.”

To be honest, I thought the two of them were well-matched. If Naruse and Soyama got together, it would make perfect sense. The guy and girl with the highest points in the class, there’d be nothing to complain about.

“Well… I just thought Soyama was pretty bold.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, or rather… nothing really. I mean, it was a joke, right?”

Naruse stayed silent, looking angry. Say something, I thought. The awkwardness was unbearable.

“Hey…”

Naruse looked up at me with an upward glance, pouting her lips like she was protesting.

“Aoki, that was lame.”

Her words pierced deep into me. It was the kind of thorn that wouldn’t come out anytime soon.

“It can’t be helped. I mean, compared to Soyama… well, you know…”

Our points are different.

“As people…our level, our specs, our rank… they’re just way too different, right? Between Soyama and me, it’s not even a fair match.”

“Aoki, you’re way too self-deprecating. Why?”

Why, she asks…It’s just the truth. It’s obvious. Since my points aren’t anything special, there’s no way I can have any confidence.

Looking at Naruse’s dazzling 74 points, I continued.

“You get it, don’t you? Everyone does. They just don’t say it out loud. We’re all high school students, sure. But we’re completely different. You know it too, right, Naruse? People like Soyama and you are amazing. Really. Compared to me, it’s like we’re on totally different levels as people. I’m just… no good at all.”

As I said all that in one breath, Naruse’s face suddenly turned pale.

“Naruse…?”

Crap, did I mess up? I got scared. But either way, there was no taking it back now.

“Aoki… so that’s how you see me.”

Then Naruse stood up abruptly. Even though there was still plenty of time left in lunch break.

“Whatever.”

With that, she left.

A sharp pain pricked at my chest.

After that, Naruse stopped coming to the audiovisual room during lunch altogether.

***

“You’re the one in the wrong.”

“Why?”

Kasuga looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“This is all your fault.”

Unlike usual, today we were in Kasuga’s room.

“So why? I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

“No, I get that, okay? I’m not an idiot either.”

As we talked, for some reason, I was busy cleaning up Kasuga’s room nonstop.

“Remember what I said earlier about an exchange? I’d clean your room and in return, you’d let me take my frustration out on you.”

Kasuga’s room was what you’d call a total disaster. And not just a little messy, it was seriously bad. As I picked up trash with my hands, I felt like I might just lose all hope.

＊＊

Going back… thirty minutes earlier.

“Want to come over to my place for once?”

On the way home from school, Kasuga said that. At my place that day, my sister had said she was bringing her boyfriend over and I didn’t want to run into them.

Even so, at first, I wasn’t too keen on going to Kasuga’s house.

“Could it be, Aoki, you’re worried about that thing?”

“What thing?”

“That my mom might go,『Oh my, welcome. This is the first time my daughter’s brought a boy home. Honestly, you should’ve told me from the start. And a boyfriend, no less. I’m so happy』or something like that?”

“Yeah… to some extent.”

“Well, sure, my mom’s just a normal middle-aged lady you’d find anywhere. But I don’t think she’d say something that cliché these days, so don’t worry… besides, she should be at her part-time job around now.”

Saying that, Kasuga opened the front door, and right there in front of us was her mother.

“Oh my, your boyfriend?”

With a bright, beaming smile, Kasuga’s mother greeted me. I gave an awkward smile and a slight bow in return.

“I’m so happy.”

“Haha…” Kasuga let out a dry laugh.

***

Kasuga’s mom quickly brought over some juice and snacks on a tray for us, then left with a smile.

“Feels kind of bad getting her hopes up like that”

I said, but Kasuga didn’t seem bothered.

“By the way, how many points does my mom have?”

She had 47 but saying it outright felt kind of mean, so I vaguely dodged the question. For the record, she looks exactly like Kasuga.

“It’s a bit messy, though.”

That’s what she said as she led me into her room, but—

“This… is what you call a bit messy…?”

I was completely dumbfounded.

You know how people say『so messy there’s no place to step』? This was my first time seeing it in real life. You genuinely couldn’t see the floor. It was beyond abnormal.

“Kasuga, how did you think it was okay to invite someone into a room like this…?”

I felt like I was going to lose my mind at her complete lack of shame.

“Really? Well, I guess it is my first time having a guy over.”

Kasuga casually pushed things aside on the floor and sat down as if nothing was wrong.

“Why don’t you sit?”

“Where am I supposed to sit!?”

I shouted quietly, standing frozen in the middle of her chaotic room.

“…What?”

“Let me clean this.”

“I feel comfortable like this, though.”

“I don’t feel comfortable!”

Kasuga stared at me for a moment, then said,『Hey, if you take a deep breath, you’ll calm down.』

“Alright, slowly breathe in… and out… relax your whole body… let all the tension go… come on, reeelax.”

If I seriously got irritated every single time, it felt like my lifespan would shorten by a few hours each time, so I decided to just tune out Kasuga’s nonsense.

“I can’t believe you actually live in a room like this.”

“But this is what makes me feel comfortable.”

That was Kasuga’s take on it. There are fish that can only live in dirty water and others that can only survive in clean water. Maybe Kasuga and I just live in completely different kinds of water…

“Stop letting your inner thoughts spill out nonstop.”

And with that, I ended up cleaning Kasuga’s room.

＊＊

In exchange, I had managed to get Kasuga to agree to this weird condition that I could take my frustrations out on her.

“Anyway…while I’ve been so fixated on your points, Kasuga, I’ve been completely neglecting my own love life and my own points. In other words, all things considered, this whole situation is entirely, absolutely, perfectly, flawlessly, a complete-game, no-hit, no-run-level kind of your fault.”

“You got carried away and ended up walking someone.”

And finally, after stuffing all the scattered trash into plastic bags and finishing up the cleaning, I turned to face Kasuga.

She was flipping through a magazine, frowning, with a troubled expression.

“What’s up?” I asked, just in case.

“I’m thinking maybe the last resort is plastic surgery.”

Kasuga suddenly leaned her face in close to mine.

“Don’t you think I could become Suzu Hirose if I just got my eyes, nose, cheeks, and mouth done?”

At that point, nothing of the original would be left.

“Also, where would you even get the money for that?”

“Yeah, true.”

“You’re fine as you are. You’re already plenty cute.”

“Stop saying things you don’t mean in that completely empty, half-hearted tone.”

Then suddenly, Kasuga’s expression turned serious, and she asked me,

“By the way, how did you end up talking with Naruse-san?”

“Well… that’s kind of a secret just between the two of us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Now I’m curious.”

Saying that, Kasuga tugged at my sleeve.

“Come on, tell me.”

When I kept a straight face and stayed silent, she glared at me and said,『Cheapskate.』

Then, suddenly looking like she’d thought of something mischievous, I had a bad feeling and took a step back. 『What?』

“Take this!”

Kasuga started tickling my sides.『Are you a kid or what—』I resisted and tickled her back. Giggling, Kasuga rolled around on the floor, laughing happily, and we kept going like idiots until her mom’s voice came from the hallway,『Hey, quiet down!』

As I laughed along, I found myself thinking… it’s not like I can tell Kasuga everything.

4

Just like that, my after-school rambling session with Kasuga ended without any real substance or momentum, and on the way home, I stopped by a 7-Eleven that caught my eye.

“Hey, are you Aoki-kun?”

When I looked up, there was a face I didn’t recognize. The cashier lady somehow knew me and was calling my name. It was strange. If I found six more things like this, I could probably make a『Seven Mysteries of the Convenience Store.』

“Um… who are you?”

The older girl was really beautiful, and her points were as high as 68. She was clearly from a different world than me or Kasuga. I wasn’t even sure if we spoke the same language. I figured someone like her must be enjoying life.

“I’m Cocoa’s older sister.”

Cocoa’s older sister? Chocolate latte? I was momentarily confused before realizing she meant Naruse.

Looking closer, her name tag said『Naruse.』

“Naruse’s older sister? But…”

I took out my wallet to pay for my cola and chips while continuing the conversation. But why? How did she know what I looked like? There was no one lining up behind me, so it felt like I could just keep chatting.

“I always hear about you from my little sister. I’ve seen your LINE icon before.”

“Is it about that weird classmate you’ve got?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

She gave a small, wry smile and looked like she wanted to say more, but just as we were about to continue, the next customer lined up behind me.

“Aoki-kun, do you live nearby?”

“About a three-minute walk.”

“My shift ends in an hour. Could you come back and talk for a bit after that?”

It was hard to refuse, so I went home first, then returned to the convenience store an hour later.

I brought along the shojo manga I had borrowed from Naruse, packed in an Isetan paper bag. At one point, I had collected stylish paper bags just for exchanging manga with her. The fact that my peak sense of aesthetics was Isetan really showed my level. Thinking that even this strange little effort might come to an end made me feel oddly sentimental.

Naruse’s sister had finished her shift, changed into casual clothes, and was waiting for me in the eat-in area of the convenience store. She treated me to iced coffee, and we sat side by side. Knowing she was the sister of the person I liked made my heart race a little.

“Ah, I heard you recently got a boyfriend. Congratulations.”

“We already broke up.”

I had just stepped on a landmine right at the start.

“So, Aoki-kun, what’s that?”

“Oh, it’s the manga I borrowed. We kind of shared that as a common interest.”

When I handed it to her, she let out a sigh for some reason.

“I heard you had a fight?”

“Well, I wouldn’t really call it a fight. To begin with, we didn’t have that many points of contact. I’m not even sure we really got along. It’s more like she just interacted with me out of kindness or maybe just on a whim. The only real thing we had in common was liking shojo manga.”

When I said that, her sister looked like she wanted to say something for a moment. But I kept going anyway.

“But in the end, we live in different worlds.”

At that, Naruse’s sister let out a deep sigh, hesitated as if deciding whether to speak, and then finally said it.

“I think my little sister only started reading shojo manga recently because she began talking to you, Aoki-kun.”

“That can’t be… right?”

Even as I said it, I realized I couldn’t say it with certainty. I didn’t actually know that much about Naruse to begin with.

It threw me off a little. Still… that couldn’t be true.

“So, you should really think more carefully about what that means.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around what Naruse’s sister meant by that at all and I found myself at a loss.