Vol. 2 Chapter 21 – Invincibility Buff

We walked side-by-side, silently.

We had been walking steadily without speaking for a long time now.

It wasn’t that we had a destination; we were just wandering aimlessly to distract ourselves from the awkwardness.

Even though several tens of minutes had passed since then, the sensation on my cheek remained vivid.

We’d had plenty of playful contact before, but that touch carried a significance that set it apart from all the others.

Perhaps Hikaru was embarrassed too, as she kept walking with her head down, as if hiding her face from me the whole time.

If this continued, we might keep going like this until sunset.

“…Where should we go next?” (Reiya)

Putting a lid on the embarrassment still welling up inside me, I managed to speak.

“Nn… Where should we go… Is there anywhere you want to go, Reiya-kun…?” (Hikaru)
“Well, how about we go eat donuts, today’s lucky item…?” (Reiya)
“Okay… Yeah, let’s do that…” (Hikaru)
“Got it. I’ll look it up, so wait a sec.” (Reiya)

Receiving an unusually passive agreement from Hikaru, I took my smartphone out of my pocket.

I launched the map app and checked our current location and surroundings.

It seemed that while wandering aimlessly, we had ended up in just the right place.

There was a certain donut chain within walking distance.

“It’s that way.” (Reiya)

I pointed to indicate the direction and started walking, leading her.

We left the shopping mall and moved into the adjacent covered shopping arcade.

“Wha… abou…” (Hikaru)

As we walked silently down the wide arcade, Hikaru mumbled something under her breath.

“Hm? Did you say something?” (Reiya)
“Ah, um… I was just wondering what the ‘obstacle’ the fortune teller mentioned for us could be…” (Hikaru)

When I asked again, Hikaru spoke with a hint of anxiety.

“Who knows? I don’t know the specifics either… Does it bother you that much?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, it really bothers me. Like, what happens if we can’t overcome it…?” (Hikaru)

Apparently, she was taking the fortune teller’s results—both the good and the bad parts—more seriously than I was.

“An obstacle, huh… Even if there is one, I don’t think you need to worry about it so seriously.” (Reiya)
“…Why?” (Hikaru)
“Because that kind of thing isn’t unique to us, right? Isn’t it something everyone faces?” (Reiya)
“Everyone…? Like what, for example?” (Hikaru)
“…Like getting into fights? Just generally speaking.” (Reiya)
“Fights… I wonder if we will… I don’t want to…” (Hikaru)

Hikaru let out another anxious murmur.

“Of course, it’s better if we don’t, but I don’t think you need to worry so much.” (Reiya)
“…Why?” (Hikaru)
“Because if we do fight, I’ll probably be the one to give in right away.” (Reiya)
“Pfft… What’s that?” (Hikaru)

When I answered like that, Hikaru let out a small chuckle.

“So, whatever the cause, I’d appreciate it if you could forgive me quickly then.” (Reiya)
“Oh, in that case! How about we decide right now how we’ll make up if we fight?” (Hikaru)
“What’s that… Wouldn’t it be better to think about how not to fight in the first place…?” (Reiya)
“Ehh… Then let’s think about both! Okay, me first! How about we tell each other our favorite things beforehand, and if we fight, we both have to buy that thing for the other person!?” (Hikaru)
“Then, I guess mine is a ZTX 4090. If you buy me one every time we fight, maybe running two… no, even three of them isn’t just a dream…?” (Reiya)
“Mooom~! Be serious…!” (Hikaru)

Dispelling the strange atmosphere that had settled between us, we laughed together.

And so, after walking for a while longer, the donut chain came into view.

Just as I thought I was getting tired from walking and wanted to go inside and sit down quickly—

“Huh? Hikaru?”

Someone passing by suddenly called out Hikaru’s name.

Following Hikaru, who reacted first, I turned towards the voice…

“Ah, Kyo.” (Hikaru)

Our classmate, Sakuramiya Kyo, stood there with a somewhat surprised expression.

“It really is Hikaru. What an amazing coincidence running into you here.” (Kyo)

She said this with a smile, her gaze shifting between my face and Hikaru’s.

“Ah, maybe… were you on a date?” (Kyo)
“Yeah. We were shopping together, and just now decided to take a break there.” (Hikaru)
“Ehh… Nice. You’re totally living the springtime of youth.” (Kyo)
“Hehe~ Right~? So, what were you doing, Kyo?” (Hikaru)
“Me too, kind of a date… I was just shopping with someone I got close to recently.” (Kyo)

As she spoke, Sakuramiya-san ostentatiously held up a paper bag.

Engraved on it was the name of a luxury brand even I had heard of.

I couldn’t see this ‘someone she got close to’, but seeing her expensive clothes, the same type I’d seen in magazines, I could tell her companion was some high-society person beyond my imagination.

“Recently? You mean the guys from Aoba Minami we met when we all went to karaoke?” (Hikaru)
“Nope, someone different. I dated that guy for a little while too, but guys my age are just too childish for me, you know? So, the person I’m seeing now is a university student… Oh, he’s a med student at Keiyo, but older guys are just so reliable, you know? I was just waiting for him to bring the car around.” (Kyo)

Ugh…

I inwardly recoiled at her blatant, undisguised competitiveness.

I’d heard about it, but I never thought it was this bad…

“Ehh… Amaazing… Kyo, you really are mature…” (Hikaru)
“Not at all. Actually, I’m envious of you, Hikaru; yours feels more like high school romance.” (Kyo)
“Ehehe, you think so…?” (Hikaru)
“Yeah, Kageyama-kun seems calm and kind, too. I think he’s the perfect person for you, Hikaru.” (Kyo)

Having heard it often enough, I knew these words weren’t meant as a compliment either.

“Yeah! I think so too!” (Hikaru)

However, that roundabout attack didn’t seem to faze Hikaru in the slightest.

If anything, every time Hikaru beamed happily, I could sense Kyo getting reflexively irritated, taking damage herself.

There’s probably nothing more painful than such one-sided rivalry… I felt a slight pang of sympathy for Sakuramiya-san.

“But, while I’m happy to hear someone praise the person I like… please make sure you don’t try to take him, okay?” (Hikaru)
“Don’t worry, I won’t. Besides, I just told you I have a boyfriend too, right? From Keiyo Medical School.” (Kyo)
“Ahaha, that’s right.” (Hikaru)

Come to think of it, Sakuramiya-san hadn’t shown any particular aversion to my relationship with Hikaru at school either.

But witnessing this competitiveness firsthand, it all made sense.

She must be genuinely delighted that Asahi Hikaru chose a guy like me.

“Kageyama-kun, you must be pretty proud too, getting a cute girlfriend like Hikaru, right?” (Kyo)

As I was blankly listening to their conversation, the spearhead suddenly turned towards me.

“Ah… yeah, I guess so.” (Reiya)
“Take good care of her, okay? She’s my precious friend.” (Kyo)
“…Of course, I will.” (Reiya)

Her words were just laden with hidden meanings; she wasn’t attacking openly.

She probably knew that doing so would mean she’d ‘lost’.

“Are you two going for donuts after this?” (Kyo)
“Yup! And coffee with lots of milk! Apparently, it’s our lucky item for today!” (Hikaru)
“Haaah… Nice… I wish I could go on a down-to-earth, high-school-like date like that too…” (Kyo)
“Where are you going next in the car, Kyo?” (Hikaru)
“His relative runs a creative sweets shop, so he’s taking me there. It’s inside a fancy hotel, so a place where people dressed casually like you two couldn’t get in… It’s really tough, you know.” (Kyo)

Sakuramiya-san said this with a smile that couldn’t quite hide its spitefulness.

It’s true, I’m not a reliable older med student with a car, nor do I have relatives running creative sweets shops in luxury hotels.

By her standards, I’m probably not much of a man.

It wasn’t treatment that particularly hurt me anymore.

“Ah, looks like he’s here, so I should get going. Foreign cars are easy to spot, which is nice, but they stand out so much~…” (Kyo)

However, her words seemed to disparage Hikaru for liking me, and it made me unreasonably angry.

‘Believe in the future that should be realized, and if you maintain firm resolve in those moments, the path will naturally open for you.’

The incomparably powerful buff I had just received from Hikaru spurred my body into action.

“Okay, Hikaru… shall we get going too?” (Reiya)

I reached out my arm, taking Hikaru’s hand without any hesitation.

As if returning fire for the volley of words thrown at us… like a high schooler in the throes of youth, I squeezed her hand tightly, heedless of onlookers.

Hikaru showed a flicker of confusion for just a moment, then—

“Yeah! Okay, see you at school! Bye-bye!” (Hikaru)

—she beamed the happiest smile of the day and squeezed my hand back tightly.

We turned together and started walking towards the donut shop.

Just before that, for a split second, I saw Sakuramiya-san’s face, unable to maintain her forced smile, contorted as if she’d bitten into a bitter bug.