Vol. 2 Chapter 24 – Light vs. Water

“What part… Hmm… Now that you ask, there are so many, it’s hard to say…” (Hikaru)
“Then, what’s the part you like the most!?” (Ichiru)
“The most… In that case, maybe… how easy it is to be with him…?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru said, sounding a little unsure.

I’d been told ‘I like you’ many times before, but hearing the reason articulated felt ticklish.

“Easy to be with…?” (Ichiru)
“Yes, like, I feel calm when I’m with Reiya-kun… or like I feel I can be myself, no matter what… Things like that.” (Hikaru)
“I see~… I think I kind of understand that feeling.” (Ichiru)
“Eh, really!?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru’s voice rose happily.

Meanwhile, I took a sip of water to suppress the heat of embarrassment welling up inside me.

“Yeah, me too… A long time ago, when I was about your age, I went through some stuff, and that side of Reiya-kun really helped me out.” (Ichiru)
“Heeh~… Could you tell me about that time?” (Hikaru)
“Um… shouldn’t we stop this soon…? There are other customers…” (Reiya)

If this continued, my emotions would undoubtedly be violated to the fullest extent.

Sensing this danger, I tried to interject into the conversation, but I was completely ignored.

“Let’s see… For example, when I was feeling down, he suddenly came into my room, held out a game console, and said, ‘I absolutely can’t do this alone, so help me’?” (Ichiru)
“Ahaha! What’s that? So cute~” (Hikaru)
“No, that was when I was like, in elementary school…” (Reiya)
“Isn’t that funny? But that kind of pace… no, that Reiya-kun-ness really saved me back then… That’s the kind of thing you mean, right?” (Ichiru)
“Yes, yes! That’s exactly it! Actually, something similar happened with me too—” (Hikaru)
“You two… Can we somehow wrap this up…” (Reiya)

I tried interjecting repeatedly, but there was no sign of them stopping.

Having found someone who understood her feelings, Hikaru’s tongue grew increasingly loose.

“What, what? Tell me more about that.” (Ichiru)
“Um, in my case, it was during tennis practice—” (Hikaru)

For a while after that, my emotions continued to be toyed with by the two-attribute pincer attack.

“Heeh~… So that happened… Ah, so when you suddenly dashed off that time, that’s what it was about…!” (Ichiru)

Even impulsive actions that had practically become dark history.

Everything was dragged out into the open and discussed thoroughly.

Is this the apex of shame…?

Just kill me already.

“But, although I was really surprised back then… I don’t think I’d be who I am now without that moment. So, I’m still really grateful to Reiya-kun… and I love him!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru said this with the biggest, brightest smile of the day.

My HP, which should have been worn down to near zero, instantly recovered to full just from that. It’s quite simple-minded of me, I have to admit.

“Right, Reiya-kun?” (Ichiru)
“Ah, yeah… um…” (Reiya)
“Happy?” (Ichiru)
“Well… of course…” (Reiya)
“I thought so. You’re a lucky guy, Reiya-kun, to be cared for so much by such a good girl.” (Ichiru)

Ichiru-san said this in a somewhat ephemeral voice.

“Mmm… Getting such a big helping of bittersweet youth has filled me right up. It’s nice to be young~” (Ichiru)
“You’re not old enough to be saying things like that, are you…?” (Reiya)

As I said that to Ichiru-san, who was leaning back in her chair—

“Does Mizumori-san have a boyfriend or anything?” (Hikaru)

Perhaps having waited for this opening all along, Hikaru now directed the question straight at Ichiru-san herself.

“Eh? Me…?” (Ichiru)

Perhaps not expecting the conversation to turn to her, Ichiru-san showed a momentary look of surprise.

“Yes, maybe… Do you actually have someone you’re dating?” (Hikaru)
“N-No, I don’t…” (Ichiru)
“Is there no one you like either?” (Hikaru)
“Not really, I guess…” (Ichiru)

Whether it was for her brother’s sake or something else, I couldn’t tell, but Hikaru unleashed a furious rush attack of questions.

Thanks to the element of surprise, she wasn’t giving Ichiru-san an opening to counterattack.

She intended to continue the combo all the way to ‘So, how about my brother?’

“What about someone you’re just a tiny bit interested in!?” (Hikaru)
“Hmm… I wonder… Right now, I can’t really think about things like that…” (Ichiru)
“Then, what’s your type!?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru was practically about to jump out of her seat with excitement.

It felt like she had a buff that increased her attack power by about 1.5 times.

“My type, huh… I’ve barely ever thought about that kind of thing, so I don’t really know. I’ve honestly always been clueless about romance…” (Ichiru)

Meanwhile, although initially caught off guard, Ichiru-san quickly recovered and was rebuilding her usual ironclad defense mode.

Truly, a decisive battle between the ultimate offense of Light vs. the ultimate defense of Water.

On the other hand, I felt like a background character in a battle manga, completely unable to keep up with the clash between the main characters, just standing there dumbfounded.

“What about celebrities you like!? Idols, actors, athletes!” (Hikaru)
“Hmm… I’ve never really been interested in that kind of thing either, even back then~…” (Ichiru)
“Have you never seen someone on social media or TV and thought, even just for a tiny moment, ‘Oh, this person’s nice’!?” (Hikaru)
“I don’t use social media, and I barely watch TV… Ah, but there might be one person I’ve been interested in lately.” (Ichiru)
“W-Who is it!?” (Hikaru)
“Asahi Hikaru-chan. She’s amazing at tennis, and she’s super popular as a fashion model too. I really respect her.” (Ichiru)

Faced with that brilliant evasion, even Hikaru could only groan, “Muu…”

“Chef~! Got an order from new customers~!” (Kawase)

From a table near the entrance, the call of Kawase-san, who was attending to arriving guests, could be heard.

“Okay~! Coming right back~! Well then, I need to get back to work. Thanks for today, Hikaru-chan. Please feel free to come back anytime.” (Ichiru)

Returning her chair to its original position, Ichiru-san headed back to the kitchen cheerfully.

As she left, Hikaru’s murmur, ‘She’s tough…’ remained strongly impressed upon me.

---

After finishing dinner and returning home, we didn’t play games as usual… Instead, we sat side-by-side on the bed, watching something.

“Oooh… Amazing car action…!” (Hikaru)

Playing on the screen Hikaru was watching with excited cries was an animated series based on a cyberpunk blockbuster game released several years ago.

It had been released a little while ago, and though I’d meant to watch it someday, I kept missing the chance.

So tonight, since we were tired from going out, we decided it was the perfect time to watch it together.

“It has a unique kind of theatrical flair, doesn’t it?” (Reiya)

Genre-wise, I suppose you’d call it cyberpunk noir action.

On screen, in the cyber-punk night city, members of the protagonist’s gang were engaging in flashy action sequences.

“Hyaa~… This is super interesting…” (Hikaru)

During the interval between chapters.

Hikaru spoke, exhaling deeply as if she had forgotten to breathe.

“Yeah. It reproduces the atmosphere of the original game while still being properly finished as a Japanese anime… Anyway, the quality is quite high.” (Reiya)

I don’t watch much anime, but I could tell this was extremely well-made.

It made sense that it gained worldwide popularity and sparked a second boom for the original game.

“I see, this is based on a game, right? I’ll try playing it when we’re done.” (Hikaru)
“Yeah, the game itself is well-made and fun, so you definitely should. It had some issues with bugs and stuff early on that lowered its rating, but the level of detail is really amazing.” (Reiya)
“Heeh~… In that case, I shall grant it the honor of being the first game played on my glorious computer.” (Hikaru)

Hikaru spoke in a strangely haughty tone.

The original game had a lot of grotesque depictions, so I was a little worried, but I was relieved she seemed to like it.

However, there was still one more problem.

It’s not just gore; there are quite a few erotic scenes too…

First off, the main heroine is excessively erotic, and there are many scenes emphasizing that.

There are also many scenes suggesting sexual somethings, and even direct depictions of nudity.

It wasn’t that intense, but watching it together with a girl was quite awkward…

It felt like when a commercial for a pretty-girl mobile game airs on TV during family time.

Glancing sideways to check on her, Hikaru didn’t seem particularly bothered by the erotic or gory depictions, glued to the screen instead.

I hear that recent manga and dramas aimed at women also have quite suggestive scenes, so maybe this level is nothing special.

Maybe I was just overthinking it… Deciding that, I focused back on the screen.

As the story progressed, the scene arrived where the protagonist, having grown into a man, gets together with the heroine.

Just as the image of the two sharing a passionate kiss against the backdrop of the night moon appeared on screen.

…Hm?

My hand resting on the bed—I felt something touch its fingertips.

What initially touched only the tips began gradually… and feverishly… to entangle with my fingers.

On the screen was a crucial scene I shouldn’t have been able to look away from.

But I couldn’t help wondering, and when I looked next to me—

“H-Hikaru…?” (Reiya)

Hikaru, who should have been focused on the screen just moments ago, was directing a feverish gaze at me.

Her cheeks were flushed as if she’d just gotten out of a bath, and she let out troubled sighs.

I-Is she turned on…?