Vol. 2 Chapter 18 – Holiday Date (1)

I was thinking maybe it’s about time I bought my own computer.

That single sentence she uttered drove us out into the city.

Rocking along with the train, we headed towards the bustling downtown area five stations away.

“~~♪” (Hikaru)

Hikaru hummed faintly, swaying her body left and right with the train’s movement.

Like sailors drawn by a beautiful mermaid’s song, the gazes of the other male passengers were fixed solely on her.

“By the way, what’s your budget roughly? If you want enough power to run the latest AAA titles comfortably, it’s going to cost a fair bit…” (Reiya)

I asked, looking down at her sitting in the seat in front of me.

The demand from cryptocurrency mining had passed, and semiconductor prices had stabilized for a while, but now demand for generative AI was starting to push them up again.

To buy a so-called gaming PC, you’d want at least 200,000 yen.

That’s a pretty expensive purchase for a high school student.

“Hmm… budget-wise, I guess I have about two or three million yen I can spend freely…?” (Hikaru)
“Are you sure you didn’t mistake the digit or the currency…?” (Reiya)

Such a figure, far beyond what a high schooler would normally handle, came out so casually that I had to ask again.

“Nope. I haven’t really spent much money, so my allowance and New Year’s money just keep piling up. Plus, I was told I could use half the money I got from my modeling work however I liked.” (Hikaru)
“I see… Well, I doubt you’ll actually spend two or three million yen, though…” (Reiya)

In any case, it seemed safe to assume there was effectively no upper limit to the budget.

Even though it wasn’t my own computer, the freedom to choose any parts I wanted stirred the otaku blood within me.

While I was mentally planning what configuration to recommend, we arrived at our destination station.

We got off the train, passed through the ticket gates, and after a short walk, reached the commercial facility that was our destination for the day.

Since the last time we came was right in the middle of a major holiday week, although it was still a weekend, the streets were less crowded than back then.

“Ta-da, we’re here! We came here during Golden Week before, but it feels like such a long time ago now~” (Hikaru)
“I never thought we’d end up coming here together again.” (Reiya)
“Really? I had a feeling we’d come back together again, though.” (Hikaru)
“…Seriously?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, just a feeling. Because it was fun.” (Hikaru)

Saying that, Hikaru smiled so innocently that her brightness nearly made me melt.

We got on the escalator and headed towards the upper floor where the PC shop was located.

“So, does that mean you were actually… conscious of me as… you know, a guy… back then?” (Reiya)

As we switched to the escalator going up to the third floor, I mustered the courage to ask.

“Hmm… I wonder… I only clearly realized it during that match… But if I realized it then, maybe it was actually true even earlier… Could it be, like my brother, it was love at first sight?” (Hikaru)
“You mean… back when we met on that bus?” (Reiya)
“Who knows~?” (Hikaru)

She evaded the question with a grin.

The truth was, I had seen her on the tennis court several months before that and fallen for her at first sight…

While we were chatting idly, we arrived on the third floor where the PC shop was.

The renovation work on the entrance where Hikaru had tripped before was finished, and the storefront looked a little grander.

“Alright, where should we start looking?” (Reiya)
“Hmm… What should we do?” (Hikaru)
“By the way, have you decided whether you want a BTO or a custom build?” (Reiya)

There are two main ways to get a high-spec gaming PC.

One is BTO—short for Build To Order—where you order your desired parts configuration from a retailer, and they build it for you.

Its biggest advantage is the combination of ease and customizability, allowing even beginners to easily assemble their own dedicated PC.

Furthermore, individual shops offer comprehensive support and warranty systems, making it the choice for many gaming PC buyers today.

There are no major downsides, but if I had to name one, it would be the limited choice of parts.

In particular, cases and motherboards are often restricted to the retailer’s own brands.

Those who also want to pursue design and expandability might find it a bit lacking.

The other option is what’s known as a custom-built PC, where you literally assemble the parts with your own hands.

The biggest advantage is limitless customizability.

From the manufacturer of the internal components to the design of the exterior case.

You can choose each and every part and assemble them, creating a truly one-of-a-kind PC just for you.

However, having to assemble everything yourself is naturally a major disadvantage as well.

It requires knowledge, and if any trouble occurs, you have to handle it all yourself.

Warranties and support are only provided on a per-part basis, and repairs can end up being more expensive than BTO or pre-built manufacturer PCs.

Overall, it can be considered an option for intermediate to advanced users.

“A custom build, of course! I want to make it light up super sparkly!” (Hikaru)
“Figured as much… Well then, let’s start from the front and follow the path.” (Reiya)
“Okay!” (Hikaru)

And so, the first place we visited was the graphics card section.

As the most progressive component in the gaming PC market, the sales floor was also spacious.

“Oooh~! There are so many~!” (Hikaru)

Inside the glass cases were products from the Taiwanese company starting with A, whose pronunciation is endlessly debated, and packages featuring a suspicious-looking expert man wearing sunglasses.

Prices ranged from tens of thousands of yen to hundreds of thousands.

For gamers like us, it was like seeing rows of equivalent jewels, and Hikaru’s eyes were sparkling brightly too.

“Graphics cards… or ‘gurabo’ as they’re often called. They handle the processing for rendering images onto the monitor. If you’re building a gaming PC, this is undoubtedly one of the most crucial parts, so it’s definitely something you don’t want to compromise on.” (Reiya)

Trying to show off as a reliable guy, I explained rapidly.

“Right~? Hmm, which one should I get…?” (Hikaru)
“For now, if you want to play current games comfortably, you’ll want at least a 4060. If you want it to be comfortable for the next few years too, I think splurging on something around a 4070 Ti is also an option.” (Reiya)

The most important factor when choosing a graphics card is probably ‘which GPU it has.’

The GPU is the processing unit installed on the graphics card, and globally, Nazohan Corp holds a dominant monopoly.

In their latest brand, the ZTX series, the first two digits of the four-digit number represent the model number, and the last two digits represent the grade.

Higher numbers indicate later, higher-performance models for both, and there are also higher-tier versions with suffixes like Ti or SUPER.

Which one to choose depends on cost, performance, the games you want to play, and so on…

It requires consideration from various angles, and I would normally agonize over it for at least three days, but—

“Alright! Then I’ll go with the 4090!” (Hikaru)

Without hesitation, Hikaru picked up the product card for the most expensive item among them.

“F-Four thousand nine… S-Seriously!?” (Reiya)

I was astonished by her Thatcher-like decisiveness.

“Seriously! Since this is the most important part, it’s only natural to get the best one, right!” (Hikaru)
“Well, if you put it that way… But cost-performance-wise, the 4070 Ti is about…” (Reiya)
“Nope, nope. It’s the part you absolutely don’t want to compromise on… right? That means the top model is the only choice!!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru declared, holding the tag with a price close to 400,000 yen between two fingers like a catchphrase.

“Well, if you’re okay with it, Hikaru… Are you really sure about the budget?” (Reiya)
“Totally fine! Okay, let’s go to the next section! Yay!” (Hikaru)

Having decided on a high-end model right off the bat, Hikaru’s excitement was already reaching its peak. I followed her to the next sales area.

“Next up is the CPU, I guess.” (Reiya)
“The CPU is that thing, right? Like the computer’s brain.” (Hikaru)
“Yeah, unlike the GPU which specializes in screen rendering, this part handles general-purpose processing for the entire computer. There was a time when it tended to be neglected compared to the GPU, but if this becomes a bottleneck, the overall processing slows down, preventing other parts from performing optimally, so I think it’s still an important component.” (Reiya)

As I rattled off my explanation in front of the shelf lined with CPUs, thermal grease, and coolers—

“Then, let’s get the most expensive one of these too!” (Hikaru)

Once again, without any hesitation, Hikaru picked up the product card for the highest-grade model.

“Th-Then what about the cooler…? If the cooling performance isn’t sufficient, the PC’s overall performance drops, and more importantly, heat can easily cause malfunctions, so this is also a super important part… There are broadly two types: air cooling and water cooling… If you’re pursuing performance, it takes a bit more effort, but custom water cooling is the best—” (Reiya)
“Then, I’ll take that one!” (Hikaru)

Before I could finish, swish, the card was snatched up as if a duelist had just top-decked the winning card.

H-Her shopping style is insane…