Vol. 1 Chapter 4 – The Day Of

“…Alright! This should do it.” (Reiya)

Looking at the room that is now clean, at least by my standards, I nodded in satisfaction.

It had been two days since my encounter inside the bus with the Light Attribute boss, Asahi Hikaru.

And so today, the day of the promised battle had finally arrived.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I launched the messaging app ‘PINE’ on my smartphone.

‘I’ll eat lunch first, then head over around 1 PM!’

The sender of the displayed message was ‘Asahi Hikaru’.

On my friends list, which previously contained only my parents, cousin, a few friends, and official game accounts, now shone the icon of a beautiful girl in tennis wear.

“She’s really coming… the Asahi Hikaru, to my place…” (Reiya)

I kept thinking it had to be a dream, only to look at the same message again and realize it was reality.

The clock already indicated 12:50 PM.

Ten minutes until the arrival of the Raid Boss.

No, if she was early, it wouldn’t be strange if she arrived this very second.

—Ding-dong.

Speak of the devil, she’s really here!!

My body froze from tension, as if hit by a hard CC (Crowd Control effect).

O-Okay, first, take a deep breath and calm down.

The doorbell rang, but I won’t open it immediately.

If I open it right away, it might seem like I was eagerly waiting for her.

Here, I should wait a moment, like reading a fake defuse in a tactical shooter…

—Ding-dong.

Okay, now!!

The moment the second doorbell rang, I headed towards the entrance.

What should I say first?

No, don’t overthink it.

Be normal.

Act normally, like, ‘Oh, having girls over is totally normal for me, you know?’

Finishing the mental simulation, I turned the doorknob and opened the door—

“Yo. Got a delivery here from Amozon for ya.” (Delivery Person)

Standing there was a delivery person holding a cardboard box.

“Ah, thanks…” (Reiya)

“Right here, tap-tap (while tapping the spot for the seal with a finger).” (Delivery Person)

“Yep… Thanks for your hard work, as always.” (Reiya)

“Likewise, thanks! See ya!” (Delivery Person)

After stamping my seal and receiving the box, he quickly departed.

“I see.” (Reiya)

Muttering to myself, I placed the package on the table and sat down.

…This is incredibly embarrassing.

Going out of my way to wait for the second ring, even running a mental simulation.

“What am I getting so worked up about…” (Reiya)

Realizing I had completely become ‘the guy eagerly waiting,’ I felt even more embarrassed.

“Come to think of it, what did I order again…” (Reiya)

Just as I reached for the delivered package, trying to suppress my giddy feelings even slightly—

—Ding-dong.

Once again, the doorbell echoed through the room.

“Ah… yeah, yeah, coming…” (Reiya)

Finding it too bothersome to think about anything more, I opened the door with my mind blank—

“Yahoo! I’m here!” (Hikaru)

This time, standing there was Asahi-san, beaming with a wide smile.

Since she said she’d come at 1 PM, it wasn’t strange for her to be here, naturally.

It shouldn’t be strange, and yet…

It took time to process the situation of Asahi Hikaru, in her casual clothes, standing before me.

“Hmm… Maybe you weren’t done tidying up yet? Want some help?” (Hikaru)

“It’s fine! Everything’s properly tidy!” (Reiya)

“Really…? You didn’t forget to hide anything you wouldn’t want seen?” (Hikaru)

“Nope! There was never anything like that here to begin with!” (Reiya)

I hurriedly made excuses to her mischievous grin.

“Well then, may I come in?” (Hikaru)

“O-Of course…” (Reiya)

Holding the door open, I stepped aside slightly to welcome her into the room.

Dressed in casual clothes, undeniably the private Asahi Hikaru.

Her casual attire matched her lively impression.

I understand women’s fashion even less than fluid dynamics, but I could tell it suited her extremely well.

“Coming in~! Whoa! Feels like a guy’s place living alone!” (Hikaru)

Without much hesitation, Asahi-san crossed the threshold and entered the room.

What felt like a momentous event for a Gloomy Type like me was probably just a normal occurrence for a Popular Type.

She must visit guys’ rooms at a pace of about three times a week, surely.

Heck, she might even be ordering them via Uber while at home.

Stay calm… stay calm…

I shouldn’t be the only one overly conscious, making things weird…

“Come to think of it, this might actually be my first time in a boy’s room.” (Hikaru)

“F-First time…!?” (Reiya)

My voice cracked at the suddenly dropped revelation.

You’re going to use such a legendary item on my room!?

You’re using your Master Ball on the wrong target!?

“Yeah. Ah, but if you include my older brother’s room, maybe it’s not strictly the first time.” (Hikaru)

“O-Oh… You have an older brother…” (Reiya)

“Yep~. He’s three years older, a sophomore in college now. The games were originally his too, but since he started living alone this month, he took them all with him.” (Hikaru)

“Ah, so that’s why…” (Reiya)

With that brief exchange, several mysteries were solved.

However, just for that reason, to raid the house of a classmate she’d barely spoken to… and a guy living alone at that…

She might be a higher-level gamer than I thought.

“Well then… it’s a small room, but please make yourself comfortable wherever…” (Reiya)

“Okay, then I’ll take you up on that… Oof.” (Hikaru)

Why did she immediately sit on the bed upon entering a guy’s room for the first time!?

I shuddered as she sat down on my bed without any hesitation.

I-Is this also normal in normie circles…?

Is it just my natural-born gloomy-type mind making me overthink things…?

Certainly, even if told to make herself comfortable, I understand it might be awkward to sit in the gaming chair in front of the PC desk.

But still, normally you’d sit where the floor cushion is…

No, wait…

My TV stand is set a bit higher to match the gaming chair.

Meaning, if you sit on the floor, you have to look up slightly, making the screen a bit hard to see.

On the other hand, sitting on the bed provides just the right height and distance.

Meaning, upon entering the room, she instantly deduced the optimal spot for gaming.

Terrifying, Asahi Hikaru…

“You really have a lot of games~…” (Hikaru)

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, she gazed dreamily at the consoles lined up under the TV.

“Well, I have all the current major consoles.” (Reiya)

“So lucky… We used to have them all too… My brother…” (Hikaru)

“Well then, please enjoy yourself to your heart’s content today…” (Reiya)

“Really!?” (Hikaru)

“Well, you did come all this way…” (Reiya)

“Yay! Okay, which one should I pick~” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san stared intently at the software lined up on the shelf.

“There are so many I haven’t played yet~… It’s hard to choose~…” (Hikaru)

She looked just like a normal high school girl holding tongs, carefully examining donuts lined up in a showcase.

“Besides the ones lined up there, I also have digital versions I bought over here.” (Reiya)

“Ehh~… With this many more, it’s even harder to decide~… Which one, which one~…” (Hikaru)

When I displayed my PC library screen on the TV, her expression grew even more serious.

Including downloaded versions, my ammunition count more than tripled.

Which title would Asahi Hikaru choose from among them?

She’s agonizing over it, blissfully unaware that she’s being tested by me.

However, if she chooses some weak game meant for women and children here, then unfortunately, she’s disqualified.

“Ah! This one! I’ll pick this one!” (Hikaru)

As if responding to my thoughts, she pointed to a single title in the library.

‘SEKIHYO: SHODOWS DYE TWICE’

It was a hardcore action game, the so-called Die-and-Retry Game type.

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• PINE: A messaging app, likely a parody of the popular Japanese app LINE.
• Amozon: Basically Amazon.
• SEKIHYO: SHODOWS DYE TWICE: Clearly a deliberate misspelling of the game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.