6

Sometimes you conquer a dungeon only to find a strong boss back in your village

Today, one of our classes was in another room. Which meant that when I went to the library before that class, I’d come face-to-face with Kikuchi-san.

I’d been talking to Izumi since morning about Atafami, and now it was time for the break before we moved to the other classroom. I headed for the library as usual, but not in my usual state of mind.

When I opened the door to the library, Kikuchi-san was already there. She noticed me and gave me a smile like a soothing spring breeze. She’s beautiful. Then her gaze swept back down to the book she was reading. It would have been easier if she’d started talking to me about Andi-whatever again, but it looked like this time I’d have to make the first move. So as not to startle her, I intentionally made some noise as I walked over. When I was very close, she turned toward me with an impossibly graceful movement, like some sort of sacred dragon.

“Hey… Is something wrong…?”

As it always did, her voice entered my ears like the splash of an angel’s tear.

“Uh, I wanted to talk…,” I said, pulling over the chair next to her so it was an appropriate distance away before sitting down. If the sacred aura of a beautiful girl envelopes a genuine social outcast like me at close range, his body will dissolve in the light and evaporate.

“What’s the matter…?” she said.

“Um…”

I know her eyes are pure black, but for some reason they appeared to be a deep green imbued with elf magic. Before them, my resolve wavered.

“It’s about that writer we were talking about the other day, Andi?”

“Oh, yeah…!”

Her eyes lit up. But I’d made up my mind.

“Actually…” I was determined to tell her point blank. “I lied when I said I liked that author. I mean…I haven’t even read those books!”

“What…?”

To my surprise, Kikuchi-san was able to produce not only the aura of a fairy or an angel, but also that of an innocent young child.

Still I soldiered on. “It’s true.”

“What…? But I saw you reading…”

It was a natural question. If you saw someone sitting in the library with a book open in front of them on a regular basis, it was a normal conclusion to draw. But you would be wrong.

I told her how much I love Atafami, and how I spend my free time on it, and that the reason I come to the library is because I don’t like the atmosphere when I get to the other classroom early…that I was just pretending to read books while I was actually planning out strategies for Atafami.

“So the truth is…I don’t have any particular interest in that Andi person, and I haven’t read any of their books. But I didn’t know how to explain all that, so I just went along with what you were saying.”

Kikuchi-san’s expression was not condemning or forgiving—purely disappointed.

“Really? But what about the secret greeting…?”

“The secret greeting…? Oh! Ebi-whatever?”

“Yeah, it comes up a lot in the book you were reading that day… It’s what they say instead of ‘good-bye,’ or ‘let’s meet again…’”

“Oh, they say it a lot? That makes sense, because it was written on the page I opened to. I blurted it out to keep from letting you know.”

“Oh, I see…”

“Yeah, so it seems wrong to me—letting me read the book you wrote. Your offer was based on a misunderstanding…well, on my lie, really… I’m sorry.”

“Oh…yes, I guess that’s true.” She let out a long breath. “Please don’t worry about it.”

She smiled forgivingly, washing clean my guilty conscience. I might have been getting ahead of myself, but I’d say she looked a little lonely, too.

I had to decide what to do next. I hadn’t made up my mind until right before I got to the library. Now that I’d apologized, should I invite her to the movie or not? I brushed my hand over the tickets to the premiere in my inner pocket.

“…But,” I added, conscious of my heart pounding. “I’m sure I’ll come to the library again, so…next time, I thought maybe we could have a normal conversation about something else. Maybe not our favorite authors or anything. Also, I want to try reading some of Michelle Andi’s books… What do you say?”

Kikuchi-san responded to my proposal with a few blinks her long eyelashes. Then she giggled cheerfully, like an ordinary girl our age instead of her usual fantasy-story self.

“…Ha-ha-ha! Tomozaki-kun. It’s not Michelle—it’s Michael! …You really haven’t read his books, have you?”

“Oh… Michael. Uh, ha-ha.”

“He-he.”

“B-but, um, is it still okay…for me to come here?”

Kikuchi-san smiled a warm, heartfelt smile, like sun filtering through trees.

“…Of course it’s okay!”

Her smile made me feel shy all of a sudden. “Good, okay, bye,” I said quickly, leaving the library behind.

From there, I headed quickly to the home-ec classroom.

I thought it would have been unfair to invite her to the movie right then. I’d only just told her I’d lied, and she might still have some lingering excitement from thinking we shared a favorite author. It wouldn’t be fair to ask her out until that excitement had completely disappeared and we were on even ground again. It would have been an insincere thing to do, and I’m glad I didn’t.

Having sorted out the situation with Kikuchi-san in my own way, I felt more at ease for the rest of the day. Izumi and I had gotten into a routine of chatting a little about Atafami between classes, after which she joined the normies by the back window and I stayed alone at my desk. My confidence was rising, and I felt like I was making progress.

Of course, that’s always when something has to go wrong.

* * *

“Tomozaki.”

“Huh?”

Class was done for the day. The voice saying my name wasn’t one I was used to hearing talk to me.

When I turned around, I saw Nakamura’s buddy Takei glaring at me with his arms crossed. Mizusawa was standing stoically next to him like an impassive observer. It was the pair who hung out with Nakamura in home ec.

“C’mere.”

“What?”

What was up? Was I being “summoned,” as they say? If these two were doing it, Nakamura was definitely involved. But why? Hinami had let the air out of the balloon when it came to the Atafami incident. Had I done something to upset Nakamura? Or maybe this wasn’t a negative summons at all? Fat chance of that, considering their tone.

“Just come with us.”

Protesting probably wouldn’t get me anywhere; following them was my only option. I glanced around the classroom to see if Hinami was watching, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found… Maybe she was already in Sewing Room #2. Guess I’d be relying on my own strength to get through this sudden boss fight.

They led me—more like dragged me, really—to an empty room across and a little down the hall from the staff lounge that used to be the principal’s office. Traces of its former identity—an old but still usable sofa and desk, a CRT TV—still remained.

Nakamura was there, along with a couple other normie guys.

“…Uh…?”

Including Takei, Mizusawa, and Nakamura, there were six of them altogether. What the hell? Am I about to be lynched or something?

“Hey, Tomozaki.”

It was Nakamura. Just hearing him say my name was intimidating. I reflexively looked away and happened to see something familiar. Huh? A console.

“Hey, wait a second. Is this about Atafami?”

I didn’t know how to react to this unexpected development. Does he want to get his revenge by playing me again?

“Sure is. Sit there.”

I sat down in front of the controller he’d gestured to. The console switched on, and the familiar start screen appeared on the TV.

“Wait a second, what’s going on?”

Nakamura’s crew ignored my confusion and lined up at a distance from us, toward the back of the room.

“Exactly what it looks like,” Nakamura growled. I see.

“So you want a rematch.”

Nakamura clicked his tongue softly. “You sure are full of yourself,” he snapped.

“Honestly, though…”

I glanced behind me. We had an audience. Meaning there would be witnesses to whatever happened. The last time we played, I’ll be honest, I beat him so bad it was embarrassing. Most likely, the only people who knew that were me, Nakamura, and Hinami. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone else thought I’d won by a narrow margin.

But this match was going to be different. There would be witnesses to every last detail.

True, Nakamura might have practiced a lot over the past few weeks. Given his existing ability, that extra practice probably meant he could easily beat every one of the guys in the back of the room without losing a stock.

But I was another story. I was just too good. No matter how much he practiced in that short period of time, it would be a drop in the bucket. Plus, I was confident I’d improved more than him since we last played. If I genuinely, truly avoided any risks and didn’t worry about how long the battle went on, I could most likely avoid damage completely. Even if I didn’t do that, beating him with four stocks would be easy.

Which meant we shouldn’t be playing each other to start with. This would be more than a little embarrassing for him. Maybe if I could hold back on purpose, but when it comes to Atafami, that’s something I just can’t do. This was not a good idea.

“You shouldn’t do this,” I said.

“Seriously? You’re that cocky?”

I’d glanced at the peanut gallery as I spoke, so he probably took my words to mean “You’ll embarrass yourself.” Once again, I’d pissed him off. Of course I had. Sugarcoating was way too advanced for me at this stage.

“No, I’m being serious. I know you’ve been practicing every day…but still…”

I stopped mid-sentence. I’d only piss him off more if I continued: …it won’t make up for the difference in our levels. I’d already implied it, though, so it was probably too late.

…But his next question surprised me.

“Who told you I was practicing?”

I’d never heard him sound this intimidating. Huh? Why’s he asking about that?

“Uh, Izumi,” I said. There wasn’t any reason for me to hide her identity.

“…Figures,” he said, frowning. “Seems like you guys are friends now.”

“Huh?”

…Wait a second. It was too soon to be sure, but wait a second. Logically, he shouldn’t want a rematch yet, so I’d been wondering if there might be some other reason he’d called me here. You don’t think he…?

“Why are you friends with Yuzu? Sounds fishy to me.”

Yup, I was right. Hard to believe he’d said that so boldly in front of all those guys. Okay, let’s stop messing around here, Nakamura. The reason I talk to Izumi all the time is because she wants to go out with you, and that’s why she’s working so hard to get better at Atafami. I’m helping her get you. I’m Cupid’s arrow in this scenario.

And now you’re picking a fight because you’re jealous I’m friends with Izumi. Why do I have to put up with this?

“We’re not really friends.”

“What, then?”

I couldn’t tell him the truth. Only a true asshole would out a girl in love to save himself. I might be inexperienced, but even I know that much. I had to use my skills to get out of this.

“No, it’s just, we shouldn’t play here. We should play at your house or mine.”

“House…? Speaking of, you went to Yuzu’s house, didn’t you? Someone told me they saw you.”

Seriously? I’d just woken another sleeping dog? I was done for.

Think about it. Some super-geek crushes you at a video game, acts cocky as hell, then befriends the girl you like—or maybe don’t like? Anyway, they become friends and he goes to her house. Yeah, you’d be pissed. There was no getting out of this one.

“Um, it was more complicated than that…”

“Explain.”

“…Uh, sorry, I can’t talk about it…”

I couldn’t think of a lie, and he must have interpreted my answer as “It’s a secret just for Izumi and me.” He got even more upset, clamped down his grip on the controller, and snarled, “We’re playing. Now.”

But social awkwardness is my specialty, and I hemmed and hawed and wasted time saying things like “But…” and “Come on” and “No…” and “I don’t like the way you said that,” hoping something might change in the meantime. I was praying for Hinami. It should be easy enough for someone like her to get suspicious when I didn’t show up in Sewing Room #2, gather some information, and come galloping to my rescue. If I just killed enough time, I was sure she would come. I knew what she was like.

As I fervently prayed for Hinami and spun my wheels with nonsensical comments, the door to the room opened with a bang. There is a God!

“Sorry to interrupt y— Huh?! Tomozaki?!”

RIP lol, as they say. It was Izumi. I can’t believe this.

“Why are you here, Yuzu? I told you not to come around.”

“Oh sorry, Shuji. I just thought I might be ready…to play…you…”

She must have sensed the tension in the room, because the excitement suddenly drained from her voice. Sorry, Nakamura, this really is the worst situation possible for you. I’d told Izumi she might be able to play you before the week was out, and then I’d been killing time until she got here. This really is all my fault. I should have played you right off the bat. Now that Izumi’s seen you, you can’t back out, can you? Is there any way you can let me go?

“Whatever, it’s fine. You can watch us play.”

“Um, okay…!”

Damn. He’d done it. It was really over now. Izumi joined the guys lined up in the back of the room.

“Yuzu, come on. I told you it’s not gonna happen. Let’s go home.”

The door opened for a second time, and in came Erika Konno, the girl Izumi had told me about, and her crew. Even among a group with bright, bleached hair and short skirts, Erika Konno stood out.

“Huh? What’s going on?” one of the girls said.

“I’m gonna play Tomozaki right now. Watch me,” Nakamura told her.

Oh geez. Erika Konno and her battalion filed in, joining Nakamura’s crew. What was this? Super Attack Families Normie All-Star Mode or something? Why was he so intent on self-destruction? Well, he’s on his own now.

“Let’s go, Tomozaki. Can’t run now, can you?”

“Fine,” I sighed, steeling myself. Like I said, I can’t hold back when it comes to Atafami. “…But you’re the one who can’t run, Nakamura.”

In more ways than one.

* * *

Up till now, Nakamura had been the only person to experience how scathing I could be when I got cocky, but now a murmur rippled through the gallery. “Whoa!” “He doesn’t hold back!” “That is Tomozaki, right?!” “This is getting intense!”

I wish they’d all shut up. I didn’t care. If I have to do it, I’ll do it and do it right. This is my art. Hate yourself for picking a fight with me over Atafami, Nakamura. When it comes to this game, I’m A-tier.

“Still as sassy as ever, huh, Tomozaki?” Nakamura whined. He was obviously mad.

I don’t care. If you’re gonna hit me, go ahead and hit me. If that’s enough for you, great. But if we’re gonna do this, let’s do it and be done with it.

“Come on. Are we playing or not?” I coldly shot back, not looking at Nakamura as I picked up the controller. I’d had enough. Once we started, I’d let the sum of all my experience take over. I’d jump on the barrel at the headwaters and ride the river all the way to the ocean. I didn’t need logic. My experience would automatically draw out the possibilities and carry me to the right one.

“Of course we’re playing. Hurry up and choose your character.”

Before he even finished talking, I’d chosen my usual character, as if this was just another match.

Tch. From my position near Nakamura, I heard him give an angry click of his tongue. Right. He was choosing his character. Foxy, as usual. Let’s go.

I dashed toward Nakamura the instant the battle started. He started with a short hop and hit me with two long-distance projectile shots. Pairing the landing from a short hop with a ranged attack is a technique for eliminating the vulnerability after firing. Last time we played, Nakamura wasn’t able to use such a subtle technique. He really had been practicing. But it was nowhere near enough to stop my flow. Without hesitation, distress, or any loss of focus, I let the current of my own knowledge sweep Found along. It was time to style on him.

I don’t care if you can do a little more now that you’ve practiced, Nakamura. It’s irrelevant. For you, it may be an earthshaking development, but from my perspective, you might as well have done nothing. It’s like telling me, “Hey, I heard a species of ant in some African country evolved wings and now it can fly.” Really? Huh.

You might have tried a new strategy on Found when he rushed toward Foxy, but it’s about to be destroyed by my skill and experience.

As he approached, I wavedashed away with perfect timing five times. Gachachachachacha. There was no way he’d be able to respond to a move this insane and beyond his range of knowledge. I grabbed Nakamura, who was wide open, and comboed him all the way to KO. One stock down.

“What the hell was that?”

“His moves are so freaky.”

“No way!”

“Huh?!”

The peanut gallery was in chaos. Sorry to tell you, guys, but that’s gonna happen three more times, and then this match will be over. Of course, I wouldn’t do five wavedashes in a row again—that only worked as a surprise attack with some extra flair.

The paths I could take next came into view of their own accord. There were seven or eight of them, like flashing channels of light. Which one should I choose? Guess I’ll go with this one.

I intentionally started my dash attack slightly late, continuing the tiniest bit past Nakamura’s block before stopping. He’d stepped forward, totally exposed, and he reached out to grab me right there. Too bad. I passed you, so I’m right behind you now. The grab left him wide open, so I turned and grabbed him instead. Then I threw him. Another combo. Second stock down.

“What?”

“He couldn’t escape?”

“Is it just over once he grabs you?”

“That was sneaky.”

“No way.”

No, you can escape. If you’re good enough. Nakamura was rattled now, and he wasn’t using his controller well. Which left me with an infinite number of options. Flash, flash, flash.

They were so bright, and so many of them, too. Guess I’ll go straight ahead. If I take time choosing one, my eyes are gonna start hurting, and Nakamura’s going down no matter which one I choose.

I launched a simple dash attack. He blocked and grabbed me.

“Oooh!”

“He grabbed him!”

The peanut gallery was buzzing. It was the first time one of Nakamura’s attacks had succeeded. He was probably planning to do a combo—guess he didn’t know better. Yes, Foxy can start a combo from a throw when Found hasn’t taken any damage, but only if the Found player sucks at DI—directional influence: the control that a player has over their character’s knockback trajectory once they’ve been hit. If the Found player can use DI well, then the opposite thing happens—Foxy becomes vulnerable to a combo from Found. I guess you wouldn’t realize that unless you’d practiced with someone who did it to you. Blame the situation, man.

Boom. Third stock down.

“…” “…” “…”

The peanut gallery was silent. No surprise there. The first two times, I took Nakamura’s lives by starting with a throw and killing him with one combo. Finally, this time around, they think, “Wow, he grabbed Tomozaki!” But the very next instant Nakamura’s getting stomped. At this point, the only thing left was cleanup. Easy. Routine stuff. The channels flashing in front of me were spread across a wide-open field. No matter which direction I walked in, I’d reach my destination. I leaped upward, and it felt like I was flying as my body floated and danced through the air. When I looked down, I saw an extraordinarily complex path stretching off toward the right of the field. Since I’d end up in the same place no matter what direction I went in, I figured I might as well get some practice in. Why not take that one?

I ran toward Nakamura and did a short hop. Back air. Right wavedash. Neutral attack. Short hop. Up air. Land. Jump. Slight neutral B charge, fire in midair. Land. Dash to where Nakamura just landed and grab him. Down throw. Jump. Forward air. Forward air. Double jump. Down B. Land. Neutral B charge. Jump. Double jump. Down B. Up B. Land. Short hop. Fire the neutral B. Dash. Run off the ledge. Forward air. Double jump. Down B spike.

Fourth stock down.

Game over.

* * *

Whew. Now I’d done it. To get through that high-pressure situation, I genuinely focused on the game, and as a result I completely destroyed him.

“…Shit,” Nakamura muttered, like he was holding back his anger and distress. The peanut gallery watched in utter silence. With good reason. He’d been defeated in a four-stock game without taking a single one of mine. There was no way to explain it except that I was just that much better.

When I took his first life, people were saying things like it was creepy how good I was, but probably because Nakamura looked so deadly serious, they had fallen silent now.

I glanced toward the back of the room. Aside from Erika Konno, no one was looking at us. They were either exchanging awkward looks with one another, smiling in an attempt to ease the tension, or staring at the floor. Sorry, Nakamura. But I didn’t have a choice. I really didn’t want to do it!

“Well, I guess I’ll be going,” I said, hoping to escape the incredibly uncomfortable room. But three unexpected words stopped me in my tracks.

“One more game.”

The person who spoke was none other than Nakamura.

What the hell was he saying? One more game? After what just happened? He couldn’t be serious. It was impossible. No exaggeration, if we played a hundred times, he wouldn’t win once. There was absolutely no reason for him to play me again.

“Uh, but…”

“I said, ‘one more game.’ Pick up your controller already.”

“…Um, I want to change characters.”

“No, it’s fine like this. I’ll keep mine, too. I’m not blaming it on the characters, so don’t make fun of me.”

“…Fine.”

Nakamura didn’t so much as glance at the peanut gallery. He kept his eyes fixed on the screen as he spoke. Everyone behind us was staring at the back of Nakamura’s head in shock, and just a slight hint of fear.

I had no choice but to pick up the controller.

My brain wasn’t on fast-forward like it was in the first match, so I took a little more damage, but once again, I beat him without losing a single stock.

Of course I did. I looked back at the audience. Among all the downturned faces, I saw Hinami’s. Shit. She must’ve slipped in during our second game. She and Izumi were whispering to each other, probably getting Hinami up to speed.

But I doubted that even Hinami could fix this situation. I didn’t see it blowing over unless either Nakamura or I became the villain condemned to die.

When Izumi finished talking, Hinami seemed extremely troubled. Then she looked at me and shook her head.

I don’t know exactly what she meant, but it certainly wasn’t anything good. My situation probably wasn’t going to improve much.

“One more time.”

…I couldn’t believe it.

He’d announced in front of practically every important member of the normie group that he wanted revenge, and then he’d lost two games in a row. Why hadn’t he lost heart yet? What is going through your mind, Nakamura? Why do you still want to fight?

“Hurry up.”

Apparently, my own opinions didn’t matter.

“…Fine.”

For the third time, I won without losing any stocks.

The mood was getting heavier by the second. If even I could feel it, those sensitive normies must be ready to suffocate. I looked back. Everyone except Erika Konno and Hinami was looking down. Under normal circumstances, I’d say they were being melodramatic. Hinami’s face was blank. Erika Konno was glaring at us harshly.

“…I’ve got cram school today…,” one of her crew said, attempting to leave.

“Oh, me too…,” another one chimed in.

“Stop lying. You two have cram school on Wednesdays.” Nakamura hadn’t turned around, but his tone was still intimidating.

“Uh, well…”

“Ha-ha…”

And then—

“One more game.”

You’re lying, right Nakamura? Why are you doing this?

But there was no way I could talk him out of it.

“…Fine.”

Again I full-stocked him.

Nevertheless.

One more game, one more game, one more game—three more times. The mood was like lead weighing us down, but Nakamura didn’t change his attitude at all. Finally, in the last game, I lost one life before winning. And I swear I didn’t hold back.

Great! That should satisfy Nakamura’s thirst for revenge somewhat. Failing to KO your opponent even once over the course of so many games would cause more than a little damage to your pride; I get it. So…

“Nakamura, let’s…”

“One more.” He was staring fixedly at the screen.

“No, I’m done.”

“Did you think I’d be satisfied with one life? I told you not to make fun of me. One more round.”

For the first time since we started playing, he moved his gaze away from the screen and looked at me. There wasn’t the slightest glimmer of self-doubt in his eyes; he was ready to fight. Apparently, this was more than mere stubbornness.

“…Fi—”

“Hey Shuji, give it up already, okay? I’m starting to think you’re a geeky weirdo yourself.”

I looked over my shoulder. The voice belonged to Erika Konno.

“I mean, come on. Why are you getting so serious about a game? It’s dumb.”

Nakamura turned his piercing gaze on Konno. “…What’s it got to do with you?”

“What? You stop me when I’m trying to go home and tell me to watch, then say it’s none of my business? Seriously? I don’t actually think you’re insane, but you’re sure as hell acting like a creep,” she scoffed with a mocking laugh. Nakamura’s big show of intimidation hadn’t had the slightest effect on her.

“I don’t remember stopping you. Why are you following me around anyway, Erika? That’s what’s creepy.”

Her face contorted.

“Wow. You sure are full of yourself. You think you’re hot shit ’cause I said I liked you the other day? God, what a freak. Congratulations on misinterpreting everything. I only said it because I thought I’d be lucky to go out with the guy at the top of the pecking order. I’d never, ever have said it if I knew you were such a weirdo.”

She sounded giddy, but her words cut like a sword.

“I couldn’t care less what you think. Doesn’t change the fact I don’t like you,” Nakamura said.

Erika Konno scratched her head with her pointer finger uncomfortablly.

“I mean, you can play him a million times; you’re not gonna win. He’s so much better than you it’s hilarious to watch. If even I can see that, you must be pretty bad, huh, Shuji?”

“…”

For the first time, Nakamura hesitated. Swooping in for the kill, Konno turned to one of her crew for confirmation.

“Right, Miho?” Her timing was cruel.

“Uh, yeah, it’s so weird. Like, I wish he’d just go home.” The girl’s contempt sounded completely heartfelt.

“Right? …Anything else?” Erika Konno was fanning the flames. I could hardly believe the techniques she was using.

“Uh, yeah, I mean, Nakamura’s so lame to start with. Seriously, I wish he’d die.”

“Right?!” Erika Konno crowed.

That was the cue for the rest of her crew to lay into Nakamura. Izumi was silent.

“He told us to watch him get his revenge, remember? What an idiot.”

“Totally! Now look at him. It’s insane. I want my time back!”

“Hear that, Shuji? You’re lame and weak, and you always have been. You. Lost. Get it?”

Erika Konno’s abuse was one level harsher than all the rest.

“What’s it to you? Go home, then. Hurry up, get out of here.”

Even Nakamura’s verbal arsenal was withering under her force.

“What’s it to me? That’s funny. Hey, wait a second, is that a tear I see in your eye, Nakamura?”

“Oh my god, it is! What? He’s crying? How old are you?”

“You’re crying because you lost a video game? Are you kidding? You’re not in preschool! I mean, I heard you’ve been practicing in here every day after school lately. Ha-ha-ha, you idiot. This is the best you could do? All your work was pointless. I’d be so embarrassed if I was you. This game is bullshit.”

With that, Konno gathered her crew and made for the door. Hinami watched, moving her lips so slightly only I could have noticed.

But just a second before that, the voice of a furious boy echoed through the room.

“Hey! What did you just say?”

Hinami’s blank mask turned to surprise, more shocked than I’d ever seen her. With good reason.

After all, it wasn’t Nakamura or one of his crew who had just spoken. It was me.

“Huh?”

Konno glared at me, enraged that one of the rabble had dared to snap at her.

“…What? Tomozaki? Did I say something that offended you? Huh, freak?” she said in the kind of light tone you reserve for the smallest small fry.

“Is ‘freak’ the only word you people know?” I retorted caustically, forcing myself to return her glare.

“What? Obviously not! Why are you talking to me like that? Ugh, gross!”

“You sure are cocky all of a sudden, Tomozaki. I can barely handle how much of a freak you are right now.”

“I mean, why are you protecting him? Come on, it makes zero sense.”

“Right? He’s not even saying anything! It’s hilarious.”

“Freaks hang out with freaks, huh? I’ll stay away, thanks.”

The malice in every one of their words cut through me. I’d lashed out before, but this time, my hands were shaking.

“This is stupid. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

“Huh?”

All that tone training, facial expression training, posture training, speech training…for the first time since I started, I understood the point of it. I was nothing compared to these girls when it came to those skills. They’d polished their abilities day in and day out. They could deploy them at will, so much better than me it wasn’t even worth comparing us. They knew full well I was nowhere near their level, and they scoffed at me for it. Whatever I said probably wouldn’t matter—they weren’t going to pay attention to me.

“You know,” I began slowly, making my voice as loud and earnest as I could, “there’s nothing I hate more than a person who loses and then blames it on the circumstances or the character or something like that instead of making any effort to improve.”

“Huh?”

“So what?”

“What’s he talking about?”

“Shut the hell up!” I shouted at the top of my voice. “…When I beat Nakamura before, he made excuses. He said it was the character’s fault. I thought he was worthless. But what about this time? He lost so bad, in front of all these people, but he didn’t make a single excuse! He just kept fighting and fighting! And eventually he took one of my stocks! You people probably have no idea how amazing that is! Not just anyone can do that!”

There are things even I can’t overlook.

And what Eriko Konno had said are among them. There was no way I was letting that slide.

“Huh?”

“What’s he talking about?”

“I mean, what’s the point if you don’t win, right?”

“Nakamura doesn’t make excuses anymore!”

I took a long breath and screamed my next words.

“But that doesn’t matter right now!”

My totally nonsensical words rendered Konno’s crew speechless.

I looked Erika Konno straight in the eye. She glared back at me. I was scared, but I refused to look away.

When it came to this, I had guts.

“Konno. You said something a minute ago. You said this game is bullshit.”

My level and my equipment were both inadequate for this battle, and I had no way of making up for that. Defeat was staring me in the face, but I refused to give in on this point. These people probably didn’t know about story battles, where players don’t collapse even when their HP drops to zero. It happens a lot in RPGs.

Of course, even I didn’t know if this was one of those!!

“Listen! I hate people who lose and make excuses instead of trying to improve! …But!”

I poured as much of my genuine personal hatred as possible into the words I screamed next.

“…But I hate people who make fun of Atafami even more!!”

Konno’s crew had gone completely blank. This was a glaring contest between Konno and me.

“Listen! This is an incredible game! The balance is good. If you practice, there’s no limit to how good you can get, and there’s no move you can’t escape. If you practice enough, there’s no combo that can instantly kill you. The characters are all unique and full of ideas. Every one of them could be a main character in another game! The game has plenty of secrets and plenty to do as a solo player, enough to compete with the online mode. And the online environment is outstanding, so you can fight stress-free! The user support is good, too! And! You have normal techniques, but the specials and super-attacks are flashy and fun even if you’re not hardcore. Atafami combines consideration for hard-core players with the showy effects that casuals like. The two opposites exist in perfect balance. It’s an immortal masterpiece!!”

“Huh? You freak. Is that all you wanted to sa—?”

“But absolutely none of that matters right now!!”

I screamed so loud my voice started to get hoarse. Even Eriko Konno looked shocked.

“You’re so full of shit! What the hell do you mean, ‘All your work was pointless’? Don’t even try with that BS! You’re being a huge bitch, and you don’t even know what you’re talking about! And I’m not just talking about right now! It’s been weeks!! Nakamura’s been working his ass off!!”

Nakamura threw me a surprised glance.

“I know what I’m talking about!! Listen to me! That move he used to get out of my combo on the second stock of the second game? It’s insanely hard!! Normally, it takes months to master!! And it’s even harder to do under pressure like today!! It’s not something you do by accident, do you hear me?! And that’s not all! The move he used in the last match to spike me? That’s a super-hard combo; not even I can nail it every time! It’s called MLJ! Moonlight Jail! It’s a crazy-hard combo!! He’s incredible! Nakamura is incredible, okay?! Clean out your damn ears and listen to me!! You probably wouldn’t understand, but Nakamura? He has a goal! Every damn day! He didn’t run! He kept going and going and going and going even when he didn’t want to! And he achieved this! Maybe it’s not the biggest deal! But he got results!!”

I was practically shrieking.

“So stop laughing at him!! Stop laughing at people’s hard work!! People who actually work for things? They’re doing it right! What they do is something beautiful! More than anyone else, without question!!”

My field of vision was turning white—or black, I couldn’t tell.

“I hate people who lose and then make excuses instead of working to improve!! And I hate people who make fun of Atafami!! But more than any of that!!”

I kept shouting with everything I had.

“The thing I hate most, in the whole damn world, is idiots like you who don’t know how to do anything but then have the nerve to laugh at other people’s hard work!!”

* * *

Silence. Erika Konno didn’t say a word. Her crew watched her. Nakamura stared at me, frozen with surprise. Nakamura’s crew fidgeted uncomfortably. Hinami’s eyes were moist. Seriously? Come on. Hinami was a master actress. Incredible.

The first one to move was Erika Konno.

“…God, what are you even talking about, freak?”

That was the signal for the girls in her crew to come back to life.

“Seriously!”

“Why’s he so worked up about a dumb game?”

“What a freak.”

It was no good. So this was “the mood.” Erika Konno’s comment had just established a new rule stating that “taking something seriously is bad.” I sensed it with my whole body.

My moment was over. I’d fired every bullet I had. Hinami, the rest is up to you. I managed to get this far.

You’d probably have done better.

I glanced at her. She was smiling slightly and nodding. Then she faced forward and opened her lips.

“Actually, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing—to be serious about something, I mean.”

The cheerful, friendly voice echoed through the room.

—Cheerful, friendly, but slightly frightened.

Huh? Frightened?

“…Huh? What do you mean? Yuzu?”

Erika Konno’s eyes flashed toward Izumi. What?! I-Izumi?!

I looked next to Izumi, where Hinami was standing. Her lips were frozen in an open circle before they had formed any words.

“No, I mean, like… It’s a beautiful thing in, like, a boyish kind of way, y’know what I mean…?”

“What? You’re defending Tomozaki instead of me?”

A visible shudder shook Izumi’s shoulders.

“No, it’s not that! But lately, I’ve been playing Atafami—is that what it’s called? I’ve been trying it out, and there’s a lot of depth to it! You should try it too, Erika!”

“What? Are you trying to change the subject?”

“N-no, of course not! I mean, he was talking about Atafami, right? So like, there’s this thing called a short hop, and it’s actually really hard. It’s hard to get it right! Oh, but I’ve been getting pretty good at it recently!”

“…Huh?”

It was painful to watch her flounder. Izumi was so good at reading the room; there was no way she didn’t know what was happening.

“Plus, it always seems like the strongest techniques take too long to start up, so it’s hard to get them right. But I figured something out! First you use one that kicks in quickly, and then you link the strong move from there! That’s a combo, right? …Is that obvious? Ha-ha…”

She was going on pure willpower. It was tough, but she was persevering. On the surface, though, it appeared pretty strange. The crowd was incredibly confused by Yuzu Izumi’s awkward struggle and the incomprehensible single-minded franticness of her words. It was like the focus of the scene had blurred.

“Right! So what I’m saying is, Found is a pretty hard character to master. I’ve got a long way to go. But Foxy is even harder, because, like, he drops faster! And that means he dies from accidents more often. No joke, Atafami is hard. I plan to work at it, though. The reason’s a secret of course, ha-ha…”

Every person in the room had their eyes on Izumi. For someone who cared so much about what people thought, this had to be excruciating for her.

“Also, when it comes to the other characters…”

Unable to stand it any longer, Hinami took a step forward. But a second before she did, Erika Konno’s hand reached Izumi’s shoulder.

“Enough already, Izumi. I’m getting bored.” She turned to her crew. “Let’s get out of here.”

The Konno battalion filed out of the room, leaving Izumi behind. Nakamura’s crew took that as their opportunity to leave, too.

The door slammed, and for a second the room was silent. Then Izumi collapsed onto the floor.

“…I…I was so scared…!”

She started crying. Really?

Nakamura walked over to her. “Hey, what was that all about? It’s not like you to push yourself like that.”

“But…but…!”

Nakamura put his hand on Izumi’s shoulder. Hey now, don’t touch my student without asking first! Oh wait, maybe it’s okay, they seem like they’re into each other. Yeah, it’s fine.

“Shhh, you don’t have to talk about it. You did a good job.”

“Ngh…! Shuji…!”

“It’s okay now. Hey, you don’t want everyone to see you crying, do you?”

Nakamura reached his hand out to Izumi.

“Nuh-uh, I’m okay…!”

Izumi rubbed her tears away fiercely with her sleeve, pulled herself together, and stood up on her own two feet. The two of them walked out of the room…or were about to, when Nakamura turned back and looked sharply at me. In a voice so quiet it barely reached beyond his own mouth, he muttered something. It definitely wasn’t loud enough to reach me, but for some reason, I heard it with extreme clarity. As far as I could tell, the will behind it was real.

“Next time, I’ll win.”

With that, Nakamura and Izumi left the room.

Um…?

“…What just happened?” I said.

“…I have no idea,” Hinami answered, gaping. For once, she was defenseless.

As I was looking at her face and trying to piece together the events myself, I realized something.

“Oh, hey…”

“…What?”

“This time…”

I consciously imitated Hinami’s favorite ironic tone.

“You didn’t do a thing.”

For the first time since I met Hinami, I could tell from her expression that my words had landed a direct hit.