Vol. 2 Chapter 5 – Match and Punishment Game (1)

“A-Anything…?” (Reiya)

Hearing those words from a girl, I couldn’t help but gulp.

“Yep, anything. Within reason, of course. I don’t like anything painful.” (Hikaru)
“O-Of course, I get that, but…” (Reiya)

…Even as I said that, my eyes drifted to her well-proportioned figure.

Anything within reason, as long as it wasn’t painful.

Even so, the scope still seemed incredibly broad.

“Okay, let’s use rock-paper-scissors to decide who picks first. Rock… paper… scissors…—” (Hikaru)

—I lost.

Maybe I’m just bad at rock-paper-scissors, no surprise there.

“Hmm, which one should I pick first…? Kageyama-kun, you’ve played most of these, right?” (Hikaru)
“Well, it’s my library. There are some in my backlog, but I’ve probably played about ninety percent of them.” (Reiya)
“I see… Okay, I’ve decided on this one!” (Hikaru)

She stopped the cursor as she scrolled through the pages.

The chosen title was ‘the game where a naked old man in a pot swings a hammer to climb a mountain,’ which was popular a while back.

“It’s a pretty old game, but are you good at it?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, I borrowed my brother’s computer and played it a ton! I think… my personal best was around 7 minutes.” (Hikaru)
“Huh… 7 minutes is pretty fast.” (Reiya)
“Right? The ‘anything right’ is on the line, so I won’t hold back.” (Hikaru)
“Sounds like a tough opponent…” (Reiya)

…I’ve won!

Hearing her confidently state her personal best, I was certain of my victory.

It’s not like I’m bragging, but I’m quite good at this game.

When it was popular, for some reason, I got hooked and played it to death.

My personal best was in the two-minute range, and if I could achieve the theoretical limit, sub-two minutes was possible.

I stopped before reaching that point, but my body should still remember the feeling from back then.

“Okay, since I chose, Kageyama-kun goes first.” (Hikaru)
“Got it. Ahh… it’s been a while, I wonder if I can still play well…” (Reiya)

I started the game while trying to make her let her guard down.

It’s been a month since that utter defeat in air hockey.

Sorry, but I’ll use any means necessary to get my revenge.

“If I mess up, I might not even clear it…” (Reiya)

I rolled my shoulders lightly and placed my hand on the mouse.

I pressed the start button, and the moment the naked old man emerged from the pot, I moved the mouse quickly.

“Whoa, fast!!” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san, watching beside me, let out a cry of astonishment at my rapid start.

Don’t swing the hammer wildly; use minimal movements for maximum force, like rowing a boat.

Pass the first tree and use the momentum to skip the next cliff.

Good, it’s a game with unique controls, but my body clearly remembered its peak performance.

With this, even with a few mistakes, a time in the three-minute range is solid.

I smoothly passed through the long cliff section, an early difficult point, into the vertical shaft ramp area, and cleared the subsequent areas with almost no mistakes.

I ignored the shortcut from the building area to the cardboard box area, obviously.

Playing it safe, I proceeded steadily from the slide.

“Grrr… You were hiding how good you are…” (Hikaru)

Asahi-san’s frustrated groan echoed from beside me.

Too bad, but choosing this game sealed your fate.

I’ll carve this day, the day I, Kageyama Reiya, defeated Asahi Hikaru, into stone so you’ll never forget it.

“Alright, alright… good pace…” (Reiya)

I passed the furniture area in under two minutes and reached the first major hurdle, Orange Hell.

Considering Asahi-san’s personal best, I still had plenty of time.

A mistake here means a huge loss, so I climbed slowly and surely.

I operated the mouse with extreme caution, making sure never to push towards the cliff edge.

And just as I was about to reach for the safe zone—

—Fwoo…

“Eek!” (Reiya)

A ticklish breeze blew against my ear.

My body jolted at the sensation, somewhere between ticklish and pleasant.

“Ah…” (Reiya)

The hammer I was maneuvering to hook onto the edge of the building struck the side with full force.

The naked old man in the pot, helpless due to the physics engine, tumbled down the cliff.

Before I could clutch my head over the blunder, I looked beside me.

“You fell. But you can still totally recover. Keep trying.” (Hikaru)

The culprit was offering words of encouragement with an innocent face.

“Come on, hurry up! Time’s still ticking!” (Hikaru)

I had things I wanted to say, but realizing she was right, I refocused on the screen.

I fell, but with my skills, this setback cost less than a minute.

My overwhelming advantage wasn’t lost yet. I started moving the naked old man again.

I reached Orange Hell again at a pace that could rival my personal best, proceeding cautiously, determined not to mess up this time—

“I like you…” (Hikaru)

A whisper, sweeter than the smoothie I drank today, echoed in my ear.

An unknown shiver ran down my spine.

Naturally, I fell again.

“…Asahi-san, aren’t off-board tactics unfair?” (Reiya)
“Unfair…? Kageyama-kun, this is a serious match… a world without rules, right? This isn’t the time to be picky about methods to win! After all, the ‘anything right’ is at stake!” (Hikaru)

She said it with an expression as serious as when she stood on the tennis court.

Hearing it from someone who has lived her life in the world of competition, it felt somewhat persuasive… maybe…

No, it’s still definitely unfair.

However, time was passing while I argued here.

For now, I just needed to reach the goal as fast as possible.

If off-board tactics were allowed, I just had to retaliate during her turn.

My third attempt at Orange Hell.

“I liiike you…” (Hikaru)

She whispered sweetly in my ear again midway, but what happens twice won’t happen thrice.

“Asahi-san, too bad… but the same trick won’t work anymore.” (Reiya)

This time, I calmly broke through and finally reached the snow mountain area.

“Grrr…” (Hikaru)

Ignoring Asahi-san’s groans, I nailed the anvil jump in one go and lightly traversed the triple aerial platforms.

Using the bucket’s centrifugal force, I hooked the hammer onto the slope of the snow mountain all at once.

Once here, the rest was a victory lap.

It took a little longer, but a time in the five-minute range was guaranteed.

“Aww… I guess I lost…” (Hikaru)

Already giving up on victory, Asahi-san sounded regretful.

“What am I gonna be forced to do… Maybe that… or maybe that…” (Hikaru)

W-What is ‘that’…? W-What is she imagining…?

…No, stop it, stop it.

Don’t think unnecessary thoughts.

Focus on the match.

I mindlessly swung the hammer, climbing the snowy slope.

“No way… what if he makes me do that… But, maybe if it’s Kageyama-kun, it’s okay…” (Hikaru)

Be mindless, do it mindlessly…

If I fall for those off-board tactics any further—

“…Be gentle, okay?” (Hikaru)

When I came to, my hammer was hooked on the snake statue.

‘Ooh… My condolences.’

The creator’s taunting voice played as the naked old man in the pot landed back at the starting point.

I don’t remember much of what happened after that.

All I know is that my clear screen displayed a disastrous time of 18 minutes and 42 seconds.

“Okay, next is my turn!” (Hikaru)

I stood up from the chair, stunned, and swapped places with her, who wore an expression of utter innocence.

“Alright, let’s do this! Aiming for a personal best!” (Hikaru)

Full of fighting spirit, she placed her white hand on the mouse, and the game began.

“Hup… hup… It’s been a while, but I can surprisingly still do this.” (Hikaru)

Though not as good as me at my peak, she progressed at a good tempo, fitting for someone who chose the game herself.

At this rate, I would undoubtedly lose.

If it’s come to this, I have no choice.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, off-board tactics for off-board tactics.

From behind her, I stealthily approached, trying not to be noticed…

Approached…

Approached… and what should I do?

Should I also whisper sweet nothings in her ear…?

There’s no way I could do that.

Then, a physical attack… touch her body?

Even less possible.

Against the invincible her, the skills I possessed were far too weak.

And so, unable to do anything, her pot reached outer space.

“Goal! Time is 6 minutes 28 seconds! New personal best! Yay!” (Hikaru)

As the clear screen appeared, she released the mouse and threw her hands up high.

Simultaneously, my defeat was confirmed.

“…And so, the ‘anything right’ for the first match goes to me!” (Hikaru)

Spinning the chair around halfway, Asahi-san faced me, that smile back on her face.

Then, as if she had decided from the start what she would ask, she stated her demand with incredible speed.

“Kageyama Reiya-kun, from today onwards, you will call me ‘Hikaru’ without any honorifics!” (Hikaru)

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Pot Hammer Climbing Game: Likely referring to “Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy.” as the story explain it by “the game where a naked old man in a pot swings a hammer to climb a mountain”.