♡Chapter 1: When A Princess Fights, She Goes All Out

It was a Sunday in the beginning of June and I’d come to my girlfriend’s house to hang out. If a high schooler goes over to his girlfriend’s house, sometimes the huge obstacle that is her family will be lying in wait. However, in my case, I didn’t need to worry about that stuff, since my girlfriend is twenty-seven years old and lives by herself.

Orihara-san, full name Orihara Hime. Last month, we met on a crowded train when I saved her from a train molester. At the time, she was dressing as a high school girl (she had her reasons), I fell in love with her, and on the spur of the moment I confessed my feelings. I was initially rejected, and, well... a lot happened, but we ended up dating. We’re a couple with twelve years between us, and there’s no knowing what kind of disapproval we’d face if we were found out, so we keep our relationship a secret.

We don’t know how people would view us. What’s more, we don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out. But despite all that, we’ve decided to date one another.

Today I was invited to her apartment for the second time. At the last sleepover we had, there were a lot of embarrassing mistakes, and we didn’t really get to fulfill the sleepover’s original purpose of actually playing video games. So Orihara-san invited me over to play as many games as possible this time.

Today for sure, we’ll just lay back, relax, and enjoy video games to our hearts’ content. With that mindset I’d go to her house, we’d hurry through our greeting, we’d boot up the game console, and then we’d begin our lovey-dovey game time. At least, that’s what was supposed to happen.

Three hours after I had come over for my visit, we were seriously trying to kill one another.

“...”

“...”

We were both silent as Orihara-san and I completely focused our attention on the screen. Without looking at each other or saying a word, we were focused only on how to defeat each other’s character in this fighting game. It definitely wasn’t a ‘couple happily playing games together’ kind of mood. There was nothing laid back about the air of tension that filled the room, almost as if we were at an official esports tournament.

On the screen, we battled using our character’s moves to the fullest. It was like our souls were possessed as this blood-curdling fight to the death unfolded—and finally, we could declare a victor.

“Ah, damn it...!”

“Yay! I win!” Orihara said as she announced her victory and struck a pose.

“Hehehe. What’s this, Momota-kun? You were talking some pretty big talk earlier, but you were surprisingly easy to beat.”

“...”

“Well, how about we have you take off a piece of clothing just like we agreed?” She gazed at me triumphantly and looked at me as if she had overcome something.

“A-Are you serious, Orihara-san...?”

“Of course. I’m not letting you back out now.”

“...”

“Hurry up.”

We were having a strip fighting game. Right now, we were deathly serious about a seriously stupid game where the loser must take off an article of clothing when they lose.

At first it was okay. The two of us were just enjoying video games. Regardless of who won or lost a match or who messed up when playing co-op, in the end, we would both laugh; it was my ideal “games with my girlfriend” time. What changed that were my own careless words.

After playing Kirby Super Star and Smash Bros, next we were going to play a new fighting game that Orihara-san had bought. We fought against each other, and after I won three times in a row, I finally said it. “Orihara-san... you’re not good at video games, are you?”

“Geh!”

Orihara-san had a face like she had been deeply wounded. It was just my impression after playing games together for a few hours, but... it’s like Orihara-san isn’t good at video games. Frankly speaking, she’s bad at them. Well, not terribly bad, just kind of regular bad.

During our matches she had a lot of missed inputs, and when she got frazzled she randomly button-mashed. Even when playing Kirby Super Star, I started out as the Helper but partway through I ended up controlling the main character. Also, when we played Smash Bros, she just kept killing herself with her own meteor smash.

I stared at my girlfriend, who looked as if she was trying to hold back tears with her head down, and then I elaborated on my slip of the tongue. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to criticize you... it’s just, because you said that gaming was your hobby, I totally thought that you were the type who’s so amazingly skilled your name is ranked on the internet.”

“...It sucks that there are people like that. If you tell them ‘My hobby is playing video games’ they automatically get the wrong idea that you’re good at games,” Orihara-san said with a smirk as she lifted her face.

“That’s not okay... just selfishly deciding something like that isn’t okay. I think that even if you’re an adult, or a kid, or a skilled player, or a weak player, everyone being able to have fun together is the most important thing. I believe that a truly good game is one that can even be enjoyed by someone who isn’t good at video games...” As she continued to ramble, her voice gradually became lower and lower.

“...Why, though? Why is it that just because I say that gaming is my hobby I’m arbitrarily labeled as a hardcore gamer? And then they’ll ask ‘What game are you playing now?’ and when you say the title of an RPG, they laugh at you like, ‘What, an RPG? That’s a game anyone can play.’ Why, though? What’s wrong with that? Games are fun because anybody can play them!”

“P-Please calm down.”

It seemed like a weird switch was flipped on inside Orihara-san.

“I’m sorry, I was wrong...Y-You’re right. Going all out and high-level play aren’t the only things that games are about.”

“...Yeah. I mean, I’m sorry too. I have some trauma from the past... Even after becoming an adult, if I say something like, ‘Gaming is my hobby,’ there’s a lot of people who try to take the high ground and be condescending,” she said with a sigh.

It seems my girlfriend who’s lived on this earth for twelve more years than me has picked up twelve more years of trauma to match.

“Well, frankly speaking, I am bad at video games, and I’m basically a casual gamer. That my play time doesn’t match my skill level is a well-established Orihara Hime fact.” Her self-deprecation was enough to make me sad, but she wasn’t done yet. Next she pointed a finger at me.

“But you’re not that good yourself, Momota-kun!”

“Well, yeah.”

It’s not like I’m really skilled at games either. I’m at your average student’s level when it comes to game skill, if I do say so myself.

Incidentally, Ura is pretty good at games. He’s a hardcore gamer who posts walk-through videos on the internet. He regularly streams under the username “Uranus.” He completely hides his real face, voice, and personal information, but he interacts with his fans through chat and voice software, and he’s pretty popular. I’ve watched him a few times, but... Uranus is a completely different person from Ura with how cheerful he is.

“I don’t want to be called bad at games by someone at your skill level, Momota-kun.”

“I mean, I’m still better than you, aren’t I? This was the first time I played this fighting game and I won three times in a row.”

“Th-That was just me being a good host and giving you my best hospitality. Yeah, that’s it. Today I was just buttering you up, because you’re my guest after all.”

“Buttering me up...?”

“Well, a kid like you probably won’t understand, Momota-kun, but when you become an adult, flattering your guests is pretty important.”

“Sure, let’s just go with that.”

“Hey! You’re just saying that because you think it’s annoying, aren’t you?! You’re just ignoring the issue!”

Man, this is such a pain! It looks like I poked the sleeping bear. I guess when it comes to video games there are some things Orihara-san won’t let go of, even if her opponent is her own boyfriend.

“If that’s how it’s going to be, Momota-kun, let’s settle this!” Orihara-san said, looking like she was at her wit’s end.

“No playing around. No holding back. Let’s settle this with a real battle and no excuses.”

“Why, though...?”

“We should establish the pecking order around here for the sake of our continued relationship.”

Is figuring out who’s better at video games really that important?

“...Fine. I understand.”

Since it didn’t seem like the kind of situation where she was going to back down, I went along with it for the time being.

I’ll just lose on purpose. It’ll end up making me the one who’s a ‘good host,’ but there’s no benefit for me if I just crush Orihara-san. However, it seemed like she read my thoughts because she made the first move.

“Let’s wager something so that neither of us holds back,” she said.

“Wager something... you mean like money?”

“No, that’s definitely unhealthy, so... how about a penalty? Something that’s not too intense but still actually works as a punishment... hmmm, like a forehead flick?”

That’s a pretty cute punishment, but...

“Forehead flick? That’s fine, but mine are actually deadly.”

“...What?”

Perhaps because of my large hands, my forehead flicks have always been unusually strong. They were so strong that during middle school my homeroom teacher was quick to announce the “Momota Forehead Flick Ban.”

“I once split a watermelon with it.”

“A watermelon?! With a forehead flick?!”

Of course, I couldn’t do it in one flick, but after doing it about three times it split apart. Or I should say, it was more like a crack formed. However, I really hurt my finger, so I decided to never do it again.

“Splitting a watermelon with your finger... well, it’s not like you’re Takahashi Meijin, you know.”

“Takahashi Meijin...?”

“Oh, that’s right... you wouldn’t know about Takahashi Meijin. Even among my generation he’s not that well known. For your generation, I guess Nakamura Meijin is the more famous Meijin?”

“Nakamura Meijin...?”

“...You don’t know about Nakamura Meijin either?” Orihara said as she became depressed over a generation gap I didn’t really understand.

“Okay, so no forehead flicking... I wonder what a good punishment game would be,” she continued.

“...What about something like when you lose you take off a piece of clothing? Like strip poker...” I said, and as I did Orihara-san’s face turned red like she was boiling.

“N-No... what are you even saying, Momota-kun?”

“I’m s-sorry, it just suddenly came to me.”

“Of course, th-that kind of kinky punishment game is no good.”

“I’m sorry, you’re right... if we did do that it would be totally unfair to you.”

I was trying to be gentlemanly and only meant that it isn’t the type of penalty you use with a woman. However, it seemed like it was a poor choice of words.

“...Hmm, so you’re only thinking about me losing, Momota-kun? You must be pretty sure of yourself if you have time to worry about winning before the battle has even begun...” she said as she sulked.

“No, um... that’s not what I meant, Orihara-san.”

“...All right! Let’s do this!” Orihara-san said, like she had just made up her mind after being really indecisive.

“Let’s fight, Momota-kun! The first one unable to take off any more clothes is the loser!”

Thus, our strip fighting game began. It was a hardcore fight to the death between two people who aren’t that good at games to begin with.

Orihara-san’s ‘flattery’ turned out to be a lie after all, as she didn’t get particularly stronger during this serious competition. Despite that, she was pretty focused and a little stronger than she was before. The intimidating air about her was something... It was like the thought of “There’s no way I’m losing to some teenage brat” was driving her forward.

Though, it wasn’t so much that Orihara-san was getting stronger as it was that I was getting weaker, because... I just couldn’t focus. No matter what type of game I’d try to immerse myself in, my mind was shaken up by worldly thoughts. That’s because... if I won, Orihara-san would take her clothes off. The more I win, the more clothes she’ll take off until finally she’s completely naked. Just what kind of awesome reward is that?

The image of Orihara-san’s first-rate naked body that I accidentally got a look at at our sleepover had resurfaced in my mind and wouldn’t go away. Man, what should I do? If I’m being honest, I want to see it. Of course I do. However, as her boyfriend, I don’t want to do anything to shame her. Having said that, if I were to hold back and lose on purpose, Orihara-san would probably complain.

As I was tormented by my worldly desires and inner conflict, I couldn’t really focus on the game and as a result our skill level was completely evenly matched.

After four rounds it was two wins and two losses for each of us. We both had taken off both our socks, thus ending the boring part of our strip battle. We were finally getting to the good stuff. Also, while it’s a bit of a digression, Orihara-san had a pedicure and painted toenails. Why does she do that if she’s just gonna wear socks? I wondered, but it seems like it’s just something that working women around her age like to do to treat themselves. So cute.

The following fifth round was close and ended with my defeat; with no choice, I took off my polo shirt. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t wearing anything underneath, so my upper body was suddenly completely naked. In a strip battle, dressing light is a total disadvantage... is what I thought, but an unexpected development reared its head.

“...Oh... ah... Momota-kun is naked...” Orihara-san said, embarrassed.

She was fixated on my naked upper body, but she immediately turned her eyes away, and her face was bright red like a tomato.

“Are you okay, Orihara-san?”

“I’m f-fine! I’m totally fine, so let’s move on to the next round!”

She forcibly began the sixth round, but she wasn’t focused on the game at all and kept sneaking peeks at me. This is my lucky day.

For me it was no big deal, but for my girlfriend who’s never had a boyfriend her whole life, a guy’s naked upper body still made her feel embarrassed and nervous. It could be that, just like me, she was remembering our sleepover. Of course, there was no way she could win being this distracted, so the sixth round went to me.

“Ah... I lost...” she cried, sounding like the world had come to an end.

That’s understandable because today she was wearing her supposed usual loungewear, a sweater and jeans. She had already taken off her socks, so her only choices were top or bottom. In other words, she had to expose either her bra or her underwear. When it comes to showing off your undergarments, I think the height of the difficulty hurdle is different for men and women, so for her, this sixth round was a turning point in our match.

She placed her hands on her sweater and pulled while in anguish from her embarrassment... But I was feeling more guilty than aroused. I felt so bad for her I just couldn’t bear to watch.

“Um... Orihara-san. Let’s stop and call it a draw...”

“I’ve got it!”

She wasn’t listening. Orihara-san completely ignored my kind suggestion as she seemed to realize something. She then pulled her arms inside of her sweater.

“What... huh?”

“Momota-kun, look over there for a second.”

“O-Okay,” I panicked and turned around.

I could hear the rustling of fabric... Wait. Wait a second. I have a really bad feeling about this.

“All right, it’s okay now.”

After receiving permission, I turned around and caught sight of her smug face. Briefly, it seemed like nothing had changed... however, I knew. I, who had perhaps observed her chest more than anyone else on the planet, knew. The position of her splendid breasts, with their overwhelming presence that normally pushed up her sweater, was three centimeters lower than before. Despite that, their size appeared to have increased a little. It was as if they had been released from some kind of restraints. This means—

“I-It can’t be.”

“That’s right. I only took off my bra!” she said with a smug face for some reason.

She stuck out her chest... her braless chest, and said, “Hehehe. With this, my appearance doesn’t change. I came up with a pretty good idea, if I do say so myself.”

“...”

“That’s too bad, Momota-kun. The game is far from over!”

“...”

Orihara-san was gloating to me, but my mind was completely elsewhere. What, what, what? Wait. Stop. Just hold on... Right now, Orihara-san isn’t wearing a bra? For real?

Astounded, I lowered my gaze, and I could see something that looked like a string protruding from the shadow of the cushion that Orihara-san was sitting on. I knew instantly that it was the strap of her bra. It seemed that she hid it so her underwear wouldn’t be seen, but... hold on. She’s totally embarrassed about the wrong thing! It’s okay for her that she’s not wearing a bra?! That’s not embarrassing?!

Orihara-san simply not wearing a bra is practically a sex crime all by itself. It’s bad for a young person’s education, and you could say its very existence is only okay for an eighteen-and-over rating. I unconsciously gulped.

Certainly, the way she looked wasn’t very different from normal. However, thinking about how just underneath that sweater were her recently released twin peaks made me see things in a different light. A sweater with no bra. Like... isn’t that way more arousing than being completely naked?! Oh man, just what is her deal? She’s just so unguarded and careless. It’s like she has no understanding of just how much her body can drive men crazy.

“Okay, we’re going to continue, Momota-kun,” Orihara-san said, trying to move on to the next match while being completely oblivious to my anguish.

The seventh round was just about to begin, but my head wasn’t in the game and was packed with only worldly desires. Just like how Orihara-san had freaked out earlier because of my naked upper body, I was losing sanity... probably even more so than she had.

So, a strip battle is a game where you strip your opponent, and the more you corner them, the more you’re simultaneously put at a disadvantage. Damn it. Considering it has such stupid rules, this game is unnecessarily deep.

Sucked into looking sideways, I saw a braless Orihara-san focused on the screen. When she mashed buttons even a little, that slight movement would cause her breasts to jiggle. Those forbidden fruits, now unleashed from their restraints, simply could not be stopped. I felt like I could hear them go ‘boing-boing.’

Man... what can I say? I’ve transcended trivial things like sexual and worldly desires and come to know holiness. I had gone past wanting to fondle them and now wanted to pray to them. Ever since humanity was born to this planet, it has been entrusted with the preciousness, weight, and transience of life... I felt the truth of the natural world that words could never describe, and though not sad, felt as though I would cry. Amazing. Boobs are amazing. Why do people hate and fight each other when something so wonderful exists?

While I was feeling like I would have a trip into some dangerous new world, the match had ended. Of course, it was my total loss.

“I did it! Okay, Momota-kun. Take off an article of clothing. Next is your pants!”

“...I can’t take them off,” I sighed deeply as Orihara-san was shouting for joy. “I can’t take off any more than this, so it’s my loss.”

“...Huh? What... no way! Well... it’s my victory? Y-Yay...”

Orihara-san seemed a little unsatisfied with her unexpected victory, but she made a little victory pose that was enough to make her chest boing-boing and jiggle-jiggle.

“Hmmm. I’m surprised, though. I thought boys were fine with showing off their underwear.”

“Hahaha. Well, even though I’m a guy, it’s embarrassing being in nothing but my underwear,” I half-heartedly lied.

It’s not like I gave her the win. I was just in a state where I really couldn’t take off any more than this. Due to Orihara-san’s lack of a bra... I was a little excited down there. If I had lost the restraint of my jeans, it would’ve been pretty bad.

“A-Anyway... it’s my total defeat. I’ll never call you bad at video games again. Orihara-san, you’re really good at video games.”

“Hehehe. You’re making me embarrassed. Well, as long as you know better,” she said, placing her hands on her cheeks and twisting her body. Then her knees touched her breasts, and you could see them jiggle and change shape even through her sweater. How should I put it... I felt full.

I lost the game, but I was given a sight of something wonderful. This must be what it means to lose the battle but win the war.

♡

Well, that’s how my weekend date at my girlfriend’s apartment, while hectic, ended enjoyably. Or, well, it was supposed to end that way. If only I hadn’t done that at the very end...