Chapter 1
A Sunday morning in September.
Odaiba area. In front of the Statue of Liberty.
“My name is Tanikita Akari.”
A petite girl gave a cute bow.
“Well, apart from Nishina-kun,
I know you all because we're classmates, right? After all, I was in the same class
as Nishina-kun last year.”
“Nisshi...!”
“Wha-What's going on, Nisshi!?”
Nisshi, who was next to me,
almost fell, so I reflexively supported him with one hand. Nishi managed to
stand up after Ichi grabbed his other arm.
“... to have my name called by
a girl...furthermore called twice...”
Nishi murmured as he looked up
at the blue sky.
“I know how you feel, Nisshi!”
Ischi sympathized with him as
well (?) with a face that couldn't hide its excitement.
I can really understand Nisshi's
feelings, too.
“Looks like today is going to
be hard...”
While supporting Nisshi who was
about to collapse, I looked at the girl in front of me again.
The one who introduced herself
earlier was Tanikita-san from the same class. Luna's friend is often called
“Akari”. She is the smallest girl in
the class, the most energetic girl, and the most prominent girl in the gal group.
Tanikita-san is one of Luna's
friends, she has big eyes and a cute face. She has a wavy bob hairstyle, and it
is brightly polished as if to accentuate her cheerful nature.
Her loose-fitting top, short
pants, and big bow on her head describe her girlish fashion. Even in uniform,
she has a stylish aura, and she is the type of girl I can at least feel
comfortable with.
“It's about time, right? Let's go
quickly?”
Yamana-san, who was standing
next to Tanikita-san, said so while crossing her arms.
She was wearing a shirt with
her shoulders exposed horizontally, a tight mini skirt, long boots, and a typical
gal's dress. She was wearing normal clothes, just like I imagined.
“That's right! Come on! Let's
go!”
And next to her - you could also say next to me - was
Luna. Today she wore a top that showed the sides instead of the shoulders and a
zebra print miniskirt.
I accidentally looked at the
side of her body and quickly looked away.
Ah,
how cute ... I want to touch her ... No, in a place like this, what the h*ll am
I thinking!
Even though it was early
September and the temperature was over 30 degrees, the girls were dressed in
typical fall clothes. Maybe that's what makes them fashionable.
On the other hand, the boys'
group, ...... Icchi and Nisshi were both wearing the standard summer clothes of
t-shirts and jeans. Of course, I'm just like them.
When we face each other like
this, I feel like I'm in the wrong place again.
“Come on, Ryuuto! Let's go
quickly?”
Luna wrapped her arms around me
and started walking, and somehow, we started moving.
“Uh, yeah... w-wait... Lu-no,
Shirakawa-san.”
“Eh~ why are you calling me by
my last name again?”
“That's just...”
It's
embarrassing for a guy like me to play the girlfriend of a beautiful girl who's
the center of attention in such a crowded place.
Besides, I don't want to be
hated by Ichi and Nishi for acting all lovey-dovey in front of everyone... or
so I thought as I looked back and saw the two of them following behind me with
tense faces. They were clinging to each other and looking around cautiously.
Odaiba is full of young couples
and families on Sundays. I'm one of the young people myself, but the bright
smiles that grace people's faces in the hot weather are as dazzling as the
sun's rays in the middle of summer, and just like Ichi and Nishi, I also feel a
little self-conscious.
“Hmm~ it's the perfect day to
play savage, isn't it?”
Meanwhile, Luna smiled happily
as she spread her arms as if to greet the sun. The white underarms peeking
through the short sleeves and the smooth skin on the exposed flanks looked s*xy
and enchanting.
"T-That's right...even
though the playground is indoors."
We all gathered today to play a
survival game, or Savage for short.
During the summer vacation, I
went to the summer festival while staying at Luna's grandmother's house. I took
Luna who was crying, “First thing we can
do together," and spontaneously said, Savage. Why did I say Savage?
Because I remembered my conversation with Ichi and Nishi, who wanted to try the
game.
And that's why we're here.
Speaking of Savage, generally
speaking, Savage is a game in which players equipped with air rifles are
divided into two camps and shoot each other. Today, however, we booked an
indoor range at a small group and beginner-friendly commercial facility, with a
minimum of six people and plenty of rental equipment. Even though it's an air
rifle, it's a game where you shoot people directly, so there are only a few
types of equipment and places that allow minors. We were afraid of having to
compete against experienced adults with rough equipment. This place is the only
one that fulfills our wishes.
“I prefer the one in
Akihabara... If it's Akiba, that place will accept me...”
“So what? The area in Akihabara
is specially made for professional players.”
“Normies are really scary...”
“But today, we will also be
normies, you know... because girls are playing with us.”
“That's what makes me nervous!”
Icchi and Nisshi spoke while
trembling. They were both so excited that they shouted, “What!! Girls and Savage!?” when I invited them, but the two of
them haven't spoken to the girls since we got together.
“Why are you acting like this,
guys? You're both really tense today.”
And then Yamana-san called out
to them.
““De-Demon gal...!””
Icchi and Nisshi were
immediately petrified when Yamana-san called them.
“How dare she do that in an
izakaya...”
“Ca●pis soda? What bullshit...”
The two whispered to each
other. They had been discussing how they were going to slash Yamana-san with
the Nichirin Sword to avenge their drunken state, but after being in front of
the person in person, they shuddered with fear.
Yamana-san said to them in a
surprised tone when they were in such a state of fear.
“You two are surprisingly
strong too, huh?”
Ichi and Nishi just stared as
they replied, ““Eh?””
“At that time, I thought you
two would collapse. However, it turns out that you two are amazing when you are
home alone.”
After saying that, Yamana-san
winked at them.
“Today, I'm counting on you
guys.”
“”......””
Their faces suddenly turned red
as they exchanged glances, and their breathing began to become labored.
“Al-Alriiiight!”
Icchi shouted and jumped
forward, followed by Nisshi.
“Demon Gal is the best!”
“Let's protect Demon Gal from
the deadly bullets!”
They both ran in front of me
shouting. They didn't seem to mind the stares of the people around them.
“What easy guys...”
This is also the sad reality of
being a gloomy person.
◇◇◇◇
When we arrived at the shop,
the staff there taught us the basic rules. Since this was our first experience,
the staff taught us about savage etiquette, how to handle an air rifle, and so
on. Then, in separate men's and women's locker rooms, we changed into the
camouflage uniforms included in the rental package and got ready for the game.
“Ja-Jaaann!”
In response to the voice, the
three of us boys, who had finished changing and playing with our air rifles and
magazines in the safe area, stopped our hands and turned toward the source of
the sound.
Three girls emerged from the
women's locker room.
“How...? Doesn't that look
good?”
Luna, wearing a camouflage
uniform, poses with an air rifle (no magazine).
“Oh...!?”
I unconsciously wanted to
praise her, but then I realized something.
“Shi-Shirakawa-san, buttons,
your buttons!”
“Eh?”
Luna looked at her br**st.
Luna's camouflage shirt was
open at the chest area, revealing her cleavage. Taking a good look at the
person next to her, Yamana-san did the same, and Tanikita-san was wearing loose
fashionable clothes with the collar pulled out.
“I mean, it's dangerous to
expose your skin!”
Even though the ones used in
the Savage game are BB bullets, they still hurt if they hit your skin directly.
Yamana-san scowled at me.
“Eh? A gal girl will die if she
doesn't show her skin, you know~”
“I'll fix the buttons before the
game starts, so don't worry~!”
Luna chimed in with a
flirtatious voice.
“That's right, we'll wear it
properly after we're done taking pictures, right?”
Tanikita-san also joined in and
then took out her smartphone.
“Yeaayy!”
“...Gals...”
Icchi mumbled dazedly as he
looked at the safe area, which instantly turned into a selfie spot.
“It smells great...”
Nisshi took a deep breath with
his nostrils wide open as he loaded the BB bullet into the magazine.
“Oh wait, let me take a picture
from below.”
Tanikita-san was lying on the
floor with her smartphone, while Luna and Yamana-san were posing like models
with air rifles as props.
“Lunacchi's hand, move a little
to the left~”
“Like this?”
“Not that direction! I mean to
the left of my view!”
“Oh, you mean to the right!?”
“Okay! It's emo, emo”
“Akataso, thank you very much~”
“Yeaayyyy!”
I don't know what they're
talking about anymore, but the girls are laughing happily while twisting their
bodies.
“ … ”
Up until now, I've seen Luna
alone most of the time, so it was refreshing to see her up close with her
friends. I envy the excitement of Yamana-san and Tanikita-san. I can never keep
up with their pace.
While I was thinking about
that, my eyes suddenly met Luna's.
“Hei~Hei~, Ryuuto and the
others let's take a picture together.”
“Huh?”
“Then I'll get my tripod
first!”
Tanikita-san walked to the
luggage storage for a while.
“Oh, thank you, Akari”
While Yamana-san was thanking
her, Tanikita-san took out a small tripod about 10 CM long, and without
realizing it, we were about to take a group photo.
“Come on Ryuuto, come here~
come here~!”
Luna then grabbed my arm and
moved forward in front of the camera.
“Eh, Ehhhhh...!”
The arm is hot to the touch.
The smell of flowers or fruits that wafts in the air will make you fall asleep
again and again.
“Uwaa, you guys are so
lovey-dovey~!”
I feel embarrassed that
Tanikita-san, who is looking at her cell phone, is overreacting.
Suddenly, I felt a killing
intent and turned to Icchi and Nisshi, who was glaring at me with expressions
similar to the Yankee characters in the manga.
“Damn it Kasshi...!”
“Normies got to explode!!”
“Hey!”
I
mean no harm, please forgive me!
Yamana-san then approached the
two of them.
“Hey, you two, are you still
unhappy with me?”
Then she stepped between them
and put her arm around Nisshi's shoulder, who was almost the same height as
her as if the two of them were close friends. While the other hand rested on
Icchi's shoulder like a posing model.
““…!””
Ichi and Nishi instantly froze
at the unexpected skinship of a girl.
"Alright~ the angle is
okay!"
Tanikita-san, making sure her
smartphone was mounted on a tripod, came running a little and posed.
“I took a picture, okay~!”
It seemed to be remote-controlled, and the smartphone beeped automatically when Tanikita-san said
that.
I don't know what kind of
expression I made, but at least the photo session was over.
“The warmth of Demon Gal...”
“Demon Gal's scent... it smells
good...”
When Icchi and Nisshi were in a
state of euphoria, Luna pulled my sleeve.
“Hei~Hei~, how about my outfit?
Looks good, doesn't it?”
“Eh...?”
That's right, I still haven't
said anything about her appearance.
I wonder if she feels uncomfortable
in this outfit because it's completely different from her usual outfit. Luna
looked up at me with a slightly worried look on her face.
“Umm...”
Once again, I saw her appear in
camouflage. At the same time, my eyes fell on her bare chest and I hastily
turned my gaze back to her face.
“I-It looks good. ...Y-You look
so cute.”
When I replied hesitantly, Luna
smiled in relief.
“Really? I'm glad!”
Then she switched from holding
the gun in one hand to both hands and pointed the muzzle at me.
“Today, I will deal a critical
blow to Ryuuto's heart with my appearance!”
After saying “bang”, Luna smiled shyly and laughed
“ehehe”.
The cuteness of her figure made
my ears burn.
“.... Sh-Shouldn't we have been
warned by the store staff that we shouldn't point a gun at someone?”
“Oh, you're right!”
Hearing my slightly
embarrassing joke, Luna covered her mouth with her hand and blushed.
“Sorry, Ryuuto~”
“It's okay...”
I replied with a shy smile, my
heart still pounding at the memory of what she had said earlier.
Today,
I will deal a critical blow to Ryuuto's heart with my appearance!
...... Even though my heart was
shot a long time ago.
“What is it, Ryuuto? Grinning
like that.”
Luna looked at me in surprise.
“Ah! Could it be... you saw
it?”
She then lifted her br**st
where her cleavage was showing.
“N-No, I didn't!”
If I'm being misunderstood
here, my continued attempts to be manly so as not to come across as a lecherous
guy will be in vain.
“If you tell me honestly: I can
show you more, though?”
“I told you, I didn't see it!”
With a mischievous look on her
face, Luna tried to show me her cleavage. I managed to dodge her and went back
to getting ready for Savage.
◇◇◇◇
After getting ready, we went out of the safe
area and into the game area to start the savage.
“Wowww!”
“Awesome!”
Icchi and Nisshi were impressed when they saw
the game area.
“Isn't this a lot like Apax?”
“No, this is more like POPG!”
They called the famous FPS game and had the
most lively debate of the day.
Of course, the area we rented is not as big as
an outdoor game area. In terms of size, it was probably about the size of a
small conference room, but this size seemed perfect for the six of us due to
the labyrinthine walls and barricades placed everywhere and the lack of
visibility.
The inside of the room was decorated with
fake vines and what looked like a police line with [KEEP OUT] written on it, giving it a digital battle royale-like
feel, so I was secretly excited. The reason I started talking to Icchi and Nisshi
about Savage was because I admired the atmosphere in the game world and wanted
to experience it in real life.
We didn't hire a game master (a kind of referee) because it would
cost money, so we started with just 2 teams divided into several people.
The red team consists of myself, Luna and
Tanikita-san. Meanwhile, the yellow team consists of Yamana-san, Icchi, and Nisshi.
The members were somehow disconnected during the photo session earlier. To
avoid accidentally shooting the allies, each of us wrapped the team's color
ribbon around the sleeves of our camouflage uniforms.
“Let's start!!”
With a signal from all of us, the game began.
For the time being, we are still looking at
the situation first. This is an open-ended battle of destroying enemies, but
since the number of people is small, we might be able to finish it quickly.
“I want to see the enemy's position first.”
We in the red team were watching the
situation first, but suddenly Tanikita-san used her small body to move forward
while hiding behind the barricade.
“Akari, be careful, okay?”
Luna and I followed her as well. And then...
“Normies go to dieeeeeeeeeee!”
Along with this scream, the BB grazed the
side of my ear.
“Uwaa!”
I turned to the source of the sound and saw
that Nisshi was standing diagonally in front of us, half of his body sticking
out from behind the barricade and pointing at us.
“Retreat...!”
With Luna behind me, I hid half of my body
behind the barricade and readied my weapon.
“D*mn you! I will send you both to h*ll
together!”
I felt an obsession similar to a grudge from
Nisshi, who wouldn't let us off the hook even if the shot missed. Luckily, the
BB he shot missed, so I pulled the trigger a few times as well.
“D*mn, I got hit!”
It seems that one of my shots hit the target
by accident. Nisshi raised both hands in frustration. Those who are hit by
bullets must leave the playing area immediately.
“For now, one person has fallen...”
When I felt relieved that I had knocked out
one person....
“Nisshi! I will avenge you!”
I heard screams at close range and the sound
of another BB gun firing next to me.
“Uwa!”
That was close.
As soon as I hid behind the barricade and
looked through the gap, I saw Icchi pointing his rifle at me.
“Ryuuto, are you okay?”
Luna, who was behind me, called out
worriedly.
“I'm fine. Just stay alert.”
After saying that, half of my body stepped
out of the barricade again and readied my weapon.
“Taste this bullet, Kasshiiiiiii!!”
Icchi shoots blindly at me.
“Uwaah!”
I felt that I would be shot before I could
aim and had to hide behind the barricade again.
“Destroy the normiesssss!"
Amazing. What a powerful crushing force.
To be honest, I lost my nerve.
That's what I thought, and I started to rush.
“Eii!”
From the direction of the third party, I
heard the sound of BB bullets being fired.
It turned out to be Tanikita-san.
Tanikita-san, who was in front of us, shot Ichi at close range.
“Uwoohh!?”
Icchi then stopped shooting at me.
After Icchi confirmed that Tanikita-san's
position was in sight, he retreated behind the barricade and repositioned
himself.
“Ah~ I didn't hit it~!”
On the other hand, Tanikita-san, having
failed in her melee surprise attack, hastily tried to retreat behind the
barricades. I was hiding behind a knee-high crate myself, so I was in danger of
being attacked right now.
However, the muzzle of Icchi's rifle was
pointed behind her as she headed for the barricade.
“Tanikita-san, be careful...!?”
“Akari, watch out!”
That's when Luna, who was behind me, jumped
out from behind the barricade.
“...Shi-Shirakawa-san!?”
“...!?”
I wasn't the only one who was surprised. Icchi
also looked confused as the target suddenly exposed her entire body, and the
gun's aim wavered from hesitation.
Now is the perfect time...!
I stepped out from behind the barricade and
aimed at Ichi.
My bullet hit Ichi's shoulder faster than
Ichi's weapon, which was aimed at Luna.
“...tt!? ... Damn it~ whaaa~...!”
Icchi, who was previously unprotected,
immediately fell easily.
“Quickly hide again!”
I called to Luna and Tanikita-san
immediately. We've already defeated Icchi and Nisshi, but there's still one
person left in the yellow team, namely Yamana-san.
While I was thinking that, a figure appeared
in my field of vision.
“...!?”
Just as Luna had given the next hiding place
to Tanikita-san and was about to return to me, Yamana-san appeared from behind
her with a gun.
“...”
Yamana-san secretly raised the gun and tried
to shoot at Luna.
She will be shot first even if I call her. Thinking so, I jumped out from behind the barricade.....
Then I stood up to protect Luna's back.
“……!”
And then, I got hit by a bullet.
“Sh*t…!”
Luna, who was hiding behind the barricade
again, saw me leaving the game area as I raised both my hands.
“Ryuuto......!”
Before she could finish muttering, Yamana-san
started moving again.
“Ah~! I got shot!”
Tanikita-san's voice was heard coming from
the barricade. It looks like she was shot first while trying to sneakily shoot
Yamana-san.
“... All right, you're all that's left,
Luna.”
Yamana-san, who hadn't said a word until now,
laughed behind the barricade.
“Nikoru...”
Luna grabbed the gun and mumbled while
putting on a complicated expression. Then she looked at me, who was heading for
the exit, and her face changed with determination.
“I won't lose! Even for Ryuuto's sake...!”
Since then, the decisive round of this game
was over in a short time.
Luna took out half of her body from where she
was hiding and aimed her weapon at Yamana-san. But instead, she jumped out of
the barricade and hid behind an obstacle that was very close to Luna.
Yamana-san shoots out from behind the obstacle with half her body at the moment
Luna shoots, and Luna shoots back without holding back.
The sound of BB bullets being fired back and
forth between the two girls could be heard several times.
“.... Ah!”
But not long after, it was Yamana-san who
raised her voice first.
“Tch... I got hit first, huh!”
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and
raised both hands.
With that, the victor of this savage had already been
determined.
◇◇◇◇
“Damn it!!! I failed to beat those normies?!”
After we all returned to the safe area, Icchi
was very disappointed when he found out who the winner.
“Next round, we will retaliate in the next
round! Our focus will be on the attack on the pair of normies!”
“Eh~ Isn't that a bit cruel?”
“Eh...”
Nisshi, who was excited to join Icchi's
words, suddenly froze when Tanikita-san protested. To be honest, I was offended
as well.
Yamana-san then approached Nisshi.
“Hey, can I borrow this for a second?”
After taking Nisshi's rifle, Yamana-san
pointed it at the wall.
“...Ah, I knew this would be the easiest to
aim.”
At the suggestion of a store clerk, we rented
rifles for the boys and pistols for the girls from the weapons rental section.
The reason was that although long-barreled guns were easy to aim, they were
quite heavy, so girls with weak physical strength would lose their mobility.
“Thank you.”
After returning the rifle to Nisshi,
Yamana-san took her rifle and went to the reception desk.
“What's that called, long gun? I want to go
away for a while to get a replacement.”
Even though it was said that it was
impossible, he made an impressive statement that didn't seem to care if it was
impossible or not.
“….Nee, Ryuuto.”
While I was waiting for Yamana-san to return,
Luna came over to me.
“I'm sorry about that. When Ryuuto got shot... you were
trying to protect me, right?”
She smiled at me with lowered eyebrows, a
cute expression that made my heart skip a beat.
“Ah, yeah... it doesn't matter. Though it
would be cooler if I could defend myself...”
“No, you're wrong.”
Luna shook her head.
“... You looked cool earlier, you know?”
She mumbled and her cheeks were red.
“Thanks, Ryuuto.”
She said shyly, trying to look away from me,
and then made eye contact with me again.
“...So I will try my best to win.”
“Yes, thank you. You're good at it.”
The battle earlier was such a tense shootout
that I couldn't help but stop and watch for a moment as I made my way to a safe
area.
“Eh?”
Luna smiled happily as I praised her. Then
she suddenly looked around.
“What is it?”
When I asked, Luna just shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“...?”
While we were having such a conversation,
Yamana-san had already returned. She was carrying a long-barreled rifle in her
hands.
“Ahh, Nikoru! What happened to your nails?!”
Seeing Yamana-san's hand, Luna exclaimed in a
surprised tone.
“Hmm? I borrowed a nail clipper from the
reception and cut them. Before, I had trouble shooting because my fingernail
got stuck on the trigger of the gun.”
In retrospect, Yamana-san's beautifully
decorated nails look short. I can't remember, but I think she used to grow her
nails long.
“Although the nails were pretty cute.”
“Thanks. Well, I'll just do it again. I can
make them longer from the beginning.”
Yamana-san replied to Tanikita-san as she
practiced aiming her rifle at the wall.
“Yup. I feel like I can shoot better with
this than before.”
She said while smiling confidently after a few practice
sessions.
As she said, Yamana-san started to be like a demon in the
next game.
“Ora! Ora! ora! People who want to shoot me, get your ass
out!”
“Kyaa~, I got hit~~!”
“You are too strong, Nikoru~!”
In Team Battles, the game ends quickly and we
are not happy with that, so we try to switch to single-victor Battle Royale
battles.
However...
“Ora! Ora! Ora! Out of the way, you fucking
bastard!”
“Gyaah~ it hurts you know!”
“Ouch, I got hit by Demon Girl's bullet!”
After all, Yamana-san is still undefeated.
Still, we enjoyed the game for about 10
rounds, and after two and a half hours of ordering time, we finished the game.
As we all finished changing and were about to
leave the secure area with our luggage...
“...Eh?”
Luna rummaged through her bag for something
and muttered in a worried tone.
“One of my earrings is missing... although
I'm sure I put it in my bag when I first changed.”
“Eh, aren't the earrings in your ears?”
Tanikita checked Luna's ears and said so, but
Luna shook her head.
“I originally brought two pairs.”
“Oh, the ones in the shape of the moon and
stars? You often wear that one earring when you wear casual clothes, right?”
Luna answered Yamana-san's words with a nod.
“Yes, that one.”
“That's one of your treasures, isn't it? You said you
didn't want to bring it to school for fear of it being confiscated, didn't
you~”
“Yes…”
“Are the earrings that important?”
Worried, I started to look around around the
nearest floor.
“...Ah, found them!”
I heard Luna's cheerful voice.
“Sorry, it looks like it fell into my bag. It
looks like the earring accidentally slipped out of the bag.”
I smiled at Luna who giggled and said, “I
should have looked for my bag properly first.”
“Grateful to have found it.”
“Yes!”
“Good, good.”
While I was being watched warmly by everyone,
while I was being watched warmly by everyone, I looked at the earrings that
Luna had found.
The crescent and star motifs dangled from the
chains that swung under her ears, and that made the earrings quite striking.
—— You often wear that one earring when you wear casual clothes, don't
you?
I remembered Yamana-san's words again. I was
embarrassed because no matter how uninterested I was in fashion, I didn't even
know about her precious earrings. I didn't pay much attention to them because
the earrings are usually covered by her hair.
But why only one? Aren't earrings usually
sold in pairs?
I was a little curious, but thought it might be a trend
among girls, and didn't really care at the time.
◇◇◇◇
“Even so, how could demon gal wipe out the enemy alone…”
After we sat down in the restaurant where we were going
after we finished playing Savage, Icchi muttered to Nisshi.
“After all, the nickname Demon Girl isn't just for
show...”
“She approaches at three times normal speed.”
“She fights while thinking two or three steps ahead.”
“We .... are no match for her.”
“Because we are still children.”
As I listened to their conversation, I decided to take my
lunch as soon as possible.
We rented a game of Savage in the morning, so by the time
the games were over, it was lunchtime. Since no one wanted to go home yet, the
six of us went straight to an Italian restaurant in the same strip mall.
The table layout is similar to that of a family
restaurant, and there are a lot of underage or family customers, but the
interior atmosphere and lighting are so cozy that I probably wouldn't have
chosen this restaurant if it was just the boys' group.
At a table for six, we were divided into men and women
and sat across from each other, which was a bit awkward, as if we were on a ‘blind date’. Coincidentally,
Tanikita-san and Icchi, Yamana-san and Nisshi, and Luna and I sat opposite each
other.
“But playing Savage is really fun, isn't it~”
Tanikita-san smiles and mumbles while drinking iced
chocolate from the after-dinner drink bar.
“Right!? Right!? I invited you knowing that Akari would
say that! I'm grateful!”
Luna laughed happily.
“Yes. The way the bullets fly depends on the type of air
rifle, right? Like distance, speed and so on. It might be interesting to buy
different guns and try them out yourself.”
“Agreed!”
Icchi suddenly chimed in excitedly.
“Maybe the air rifle was the predecessor of the Savage. I
found that quite interesting. So I wanted to try shooting with different
weapons. The gun I borrowed today is a battery-operated stun gun, you know?
It's easy to shoot because all you have to do is pull the trigger, but there
are also gas guns and air guns, each with different controls, so I thought it
would be cool if I could master them all!”
Today was the first time Icchi talked to a girl. I was
secretly surprised.
“Hee~ So that's how it is~?”
However, as expected from Luna's friend, the cheerful
girl group, Tanikita-san wasn't upset and responded to Icchi normally.
“But air rifles are expensive, right?”
“Hmm, it depends on the type, but it's more or less
around 5,000 yen.”
“There are also ones that cost around 3,000 yen.”
Nisshi joined the conversation, taking advantage of Icchi's
topic of conversation. Maybe he doesn't want to be left behind.
“Then what about the best kind?”
“Maybe 50,000 yen?”
“No, I think there are also around 100,000 yen.”
“Really? Well, I can't afford that anyway, and I haven't
checked for a higher price.”
“Exactly. It sounds interesting, but I can't increase the
number of hobby items anymore.”
“Akari's a bit of an otaku, isn't she~. I'm the same way,
though.”
Icchi and Nisshi's eyes immediately lit up when they
heard Yamana-san's words.
“Eh, seriously!?”
“What kind otaku!?”
Icchi and Nisshi immediately felt a sense of familiarity
because they hadn't expected the word ‘otaku’
to come out of the girl's mouth.
Tanikita-san immediately replied happily, as if she had
been waiting for the question.
“VTS! Every time they release a new CD, I have to buy
multiple copies to get the bonus, and it's a bottomless pit! I also learned
Hangul!”
“Vi, Vi...?”
When they looked confused, Luna was the one to explain.
“It's the name of a male K-POP group. We were force-fed
it by Akari. Now that they're really popular, haven't you heard of them?”
All the boy groups, including me, couldn't help but look
at each other.
Maybe the otaku mode switch is on, and Tanikita-san keeps
talking excitedly.
“I used to be a D-otaku, and I got a free pass for a year
and traveled a lot. I still do social games. I also like to make accessories
with resin! I also like clothes and fashion in general, so I want to study that
field after graduation~”
“I'm a nail polish otaku. The price of the gel and its
parts is pretty cheap, so without realizing it, I've accumulated so much that I
don't know what else to do with it.”
After Tanikita-san, Yamana-san also talked about her
preferences.
““......””
Icchi and Nisshi fell silent when they heard a list of
things they weren't interested in appearing one after another. If there is a
normies guy, he might be able to talk about his hobbies, but this is the limit
of a gloomy virgin guy. As a comrade, I understand this very well.
“It's amazing to see that you two are addicted to
something.”
I'm glad that Luna joined in and brought the atmosphere
back to life.
Yamana-san then smiled at Luna, who replied.
“You're just as addicted, aren't you?”
“... Eh?”
I felt Yamana-san's eyes on me and I gasped.
Luna noticed as well and her face immediately turned red.
“Eh~ You mean Ryuuto!? What does that mean~~!”
“Today, I'm really excited to see you two. Honestly, it
feels too hard for a single girl like me.”
When Yamana-san said that ironically, Tanikita-san also
laughed.
"You guys are so loving to the point of envy~!"
Then I heard Nisshi mumbling something next to me and
overheard it.
“... Seriously? Demon gal doesn't have a boyfriend...?”
“Yes. That's right. I don't expect it too.”
Luna once told me that at the summer festival. Then
Nisshi looked at me with a surprised face.
“Kasshi, you know about that!? Why didn't you tell me
earlier.”
“Eh? Could it be Nisshi, to Yamana-san…”
“No, that's not what I meant!”
I was told something I might or might not understand. By
the way, this conversation was not overheard by anyone except me and Nisshi.
“Both Nikoru and Akari, you two can have boyfriends if
you want, right?”
When Luna said that, Tanikita-san just replied “Hmm~”.
“Well, my head is full of Jemi right now, so I don't need
a boyfriend.”
Who? When
I asked Luna who was in front of me, she told me that Jemi was a member of VTS.
“I have a lot of things I want to do, and I enjoy doing
it myself. If I want to do a hobby activity with someone, it's better if I'm
with someone of the same gender, right?”
I think we can agree with that sentences, Nisshi and Ichi
who are next to me also nodded.
“...Do you guys have certain criteria when you want to
find a boyfriend?”
For the sake of continuing the conversation, I tried to
ask a scary question. Even though I'm used to it thanks to Luna, I still need
some courage to talk to the gal girl, but I think this is a form of help for
Icchi and Nisshi.
Then, a hint of gloom appeared on Yamana-san's face.
“…I can't think of that right now.”
It's the first time I've seen Yamana-san's expression
like that. She looked lonely and bitter.
“... Do you still have feelings for your ex?”
Yamana-san nodded when asked by Taniyama-san.
“He's a cool guy after all.”
“You mean cool, his face?”
“Yes, or his way of life? Because he always uses
earphones, I often ask what song are you listening to? He replied Sutra. Isn't
that really bad?"
“...That one is really bad...”
For a moment, I looked around and saw Tanikita-san with a
dumbfounded expression, while Nisshi shouted.
“Isn’t just chuunibyou...!”
But, Yamana-san immediately glared at him “Haa?!” and immediately silenced him.
Yamana-san seems to think that her chuunibyou
ex-boyfriend is cool, and she's blown away by it, losing her cool a bit. Then,
she suddenly came back to his senses and smiled slightly.
“...This is stupid, isn't it? It's unbelievable that I
still can't get over the guy I dated for two weeks in 2nd grade of middle
school. But what can I do, he is the first guy I like. ......"
……How unexpected.
“Two weeks…”
Nisshi who was next to me also let out a surprised voice.
Of course. I was surprised too.
From the looks of it, I don't think she's been in a
relationship since then until now.
I never thought that her feelings would go that far even
though they only dated for two weeks in 2nd grade of middle school.
That means, even though Yamana-san looks like a gal girl,
she's actually...?
“O... Ouch ouch!”
Nisshi who was trying to say something suddenly grabbed
one of his legs and winced in pain.
“Haaa? Dude, what were you going to say earlier, huh?”
Yamana-san glared at Nisshi with a gaze that was sharper
than before. The scary expression on her face and voice was similar to
delinquent.
“You said ‘punishment’,
right? Do you want to be punished? Or will it be executed? Hah??”
“Hiiii! No, it's nothing!!”
Nikoru-sensei spoke such a frightening rhyme, and Nisshi
withdrew with tears in his eyes.
“A-Are you okay, Nisshi…?”
I asked him while he was still holding his aching leg,
and Nisshi smiled brightly at me.
“I got stepped on 10 cm of plain demon gal heels… Thank
you very much…!”
Apparently, his foot was stepped under the table.
Well, as long as the person being stepped on is happy, I
guess there's no problem
“...Just so you know, I already did it.”
Then Yamana-san looked at us boy group with a threatening
look. She said this in a more sullen tone of voice as if she was holding back
her embarrassment.
“Already did it...”
I see. So that's how it looks.
Gaining a lot of experience
with her first boyfriend despite only dating for two weeks, Yamana-san is
really great…. Or so I thought.
“... until the kiss.”
Yamana-san muttered so, her cheeks immediately turned
red, and she immediately turned her face away from us.
“……”
Ya-Yamana-san, maybe she's a slightly cute girl.
Feelings of fear and gentle warmth came and went, and my
emotions were already a mess.
When I looked at Luna, she was also watching Yamana-san
with a gentle smile. As expected from a good friend, she seemed to know all
about Yamana-san's unpredictable side.
"As for me, I want to find a boyfriend who is taller
than me~"
Then Tanikita-san suddenly said with a cheerful voice.
What kind of guy would you like to be friends with? Was
that the answer to my question? Even if I asked it myself, Yamana-san's story
was so shocking that I forgot what the topic was for a moment.
“Umm, you meant tall… how tall?”
Now it's Icchi's turn to take the bait. I think it's
because he's aware of his height.
“Hmm~ Because I'm small, I thought Jemi had a big body,
but I thought it would be cool if the guy was as big as Jungwoo!”
Without having to ask Luna again, I'm sure the name she mentioned
could be a member of the VTS group (?).
“Well, Ijichi-kun is pretty tall too. How tall are you?”
Tanikita-san said as if she had just noticed. I could
sense Icchi's nervousness telepathically, and Icchi nervously tried to open his
mouth.
“O-One hundred and eighty-one...”
Tanikita-san widened her eyes when she heard that.
“Ehhh! Isn’t it the same as Lee Joon! So cool!”
“...!”
I see, I understand very well, Icchi.
This is dangerous. He could probably eat three bowls of
rice every time he thought about it when he got home.
Maybe Tanikita-san was referring to “Lee Joon” when she
said “So cool”, but it's still a memorable compliment for an anti-social
virgin.
“No… that… uh… well…”
Sure enough, Icchi's face turned as red as a tomato, and
became so nervous that they couldn't talk normally anymore.
◇◇◇◇
In such a situation, where the pleasant dinner (?)
accompanied by romantic chatter and the seeds of love that grew unexpectedly
(?) had ended, we somehow left the commercial facility and headed for the station.
The time shows at 2:30, which is quite a bear time.
“Then I'll go home first because I have a part-time job
after this.”
“I also want to watch the live broadcast, so I'm going
home with Nikoru.”
“Thank you for today!”
“Today I have a lot of fun!”
Yamana-san and Tanikita-san said while waving at us who
stopped and started walking.
After that, Icchi and Nisshi also followed them and
headed towards the station.
“I want to go home too...”
“Me too… I have to participate in 600 KEN craftsmen…”
They looked dazed and still hadn't recovered from what
had just happened. It had been an overly stimulating half-day for a gloomy
virgin, so that was understandable.
Then, the only ones left were me and Luna.
“... Shira... How about you, Luna?”
I'm still a little nervous to mention her name.
In response to my question, Luna looked at my face as if
she was a little excited.
“I'm still okay. So what do you want? While we're here,
would you like to try dating in Odaiba?”
I was a little surprised to see her eyes are full of
sweetness, beautiful, and full of pampering.
“… T-That's right. Then, let's go…”
And when we were about to walk...
Tanikita-san who was already walking with Yamana-san
towards the station suddenly said “Oh yeah!” She turned and ran towards us.
“Kashima-kun!”
“W-What!?”
I thought that she still had some business with Luna, so
I was quite surprised when she stopped in front of me.
While taking turns looking at me and Luna who is next to
me, Tanikita-san starts to open her mouth.
“You know~. Previously, when I still didn't know that
Luna and Kashima-kun were dating, my friend sent me a photo of Kashima and
Nikoru drinking tea, and I said “Seriously?
It's really funny if it's true.”
“……”
After thinking for a while, I started to remember it.
______________________
Yuna: Nikoru is dating a plain guy from our class at
M*donald’s, LOL
Akari: Seriously? It's hilarious if it's true
____________________________________
Luna showed me a photo of me when Yamana-san called me to
meet her, and asked "What does this mean?", what was
that LINE message?
So that’s replied by Taniyama-san? I didn't see the
sender's name.
“Kashima-kun may not be the type to stand out, but you're
a kind-hearted guy who loves his girlfriend. After spending time with you
today, I think you and Luna are a perfect match.”
After saying this with a lowered face, Tanikita-san
raised her head.
“That's how it is. I seem to have misunderstood, so I was
a little worried. See you again!”
With a fresh look on her face, she waved at Luna and me
and then walked away.
Did she come back just to say that?
“...Tanikita-san likes to do what she likes and is quite
interesting, huh.”
When I said that, Luna, who was still waving next to me,
suddenly laughed.
“Akari really is an interesting girl. She has her own way
and is always moving forward.”
After saying this in a slightly admiring manner, Luna
lightly wrapped her arm around mine. When I saw the gleaming natural stone ring
on her right hand, I felt both embarrassed and happy.
“Then let's go.”
“Y-Yes”
The scent of flowers or fruits mixed with the smell of
the sea breeze feels soft and fragrant. In the heat of the afternoon, my skin
burns as we touch each other, and I feel as if the summer I spent in that
seaside town is still going on.
Unconsciously, my heart was beating fast.
