7

I always want a sequel when the final credits end

It was Saturday, three days after the incident.

Hinami and I were at an Italian place in Kitayono, eating the most delicious salad in the world.

“This is insanely good…”

“Ha-ha. Right?”

Okay, I might’ve expected the pasta or pizza to blow me away, but not the appetizer salad. An attack from an unexpected angle. Very sneaky. Too sneaky. But I was happy about it.

As I reveled in the perfect harmony of the dressing and the natural sweetness of the vegetables, we began our usual meeting. I’d have preferred to talk to her right away, but she had been concentrating on getting the situation back under control, and this was the first time she was able to make time for a real conversation.

“But anyway, it really was terrible…”

The scene that unfolded in the former principal’s office was so dramatic and had been witnessed by so many people that tons of kids at school had heard every last detail. They knew about Nakamura’s string of losses, my cocky comments, my freakishly high level of play, my heartfelt tirade, my…huh? Pretty much everything was a criticism of me. Ha-ha-ha.

But the impact on the class power structure had been…surprisingly minor.

As always, Nakamura reigned at the top of the hierarchy, and no visible battle occurred between his group and Erika Konno’s. Of course, the groups didn’t hang out as often anymore, but on Friday, I saw Izumi mediating in a slightly awkward conversation between Nakamura and Konno. They really were ridiculously good at repairing interpersonal relationships. Seemed they were just seeing how things progressed and waiting for a full recovery.

While all that was going on, two major changes took place.

The first had to do with Izumi. Practically the whole class figured out that she’d been practicing Atafami so that Nakamura would pay attention to her, and the general attitude was that her efforts were heartwarming. Nakamura might have been the only person in class who didn’t realize how she felt. “Dense” was becoming his class nickname, and his obliviousness to that, too, became a joke in itself. He was too wrapped up in Atafami. If he was that competitive, he just might have a gift for gaming.

The second change had to do with Nakamura. After the incident, he got even more into Atafami, maybe because he hated losing to me. That alone would have been fine, but he didn’t care at all if people thought it was weird. Seems he’d taken to using even short breaks and lunchtime to practice like a man possessed.

In other words, it was like…I was supposed to serve as Cupid’s arrow, but as it turned out, I actually caused him to pay more attention to Atafami than to Izumi… Nakamura, you used to pay a fair amount of attention to Izumi, didn’t you? Um, sorry. Guess my plan backfired.

“Well, all in all, I’m glad the damage to you was limited.”

“…Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

It’s true. The impact of all this on me was smaller than I imagined.

The incident took place on Wednesday, which meant I had two days of school between then and now. A handful of my classmates were born-and-bred rubberneckers, and they asked me a lot of questions, but most of them did it out of simple curiosity rather than good or bad intentions. When I answered with the truth, they’d say something like “Wow!” and walk off, satisfied. The whole confrontation didn’t make me any new enemies. Then again, it didn’t make me any new friends, either.

But I think the main reason Nakamura and I didn’t suffer more damage was because Hinami was running interference for us behind the scenes.

She missed both of our after-school meetings. All she said by way of explanation was that she had “some stuff to do,” but I witnessed her spreading good PR for Nakamura several times during that period. The time I remember best was when she cheerfully announced to the class, “Wow! But if Shuji is that crazy about Atafami, it must be fun!” Guess that’s what they call “stealth marketing.” She was sneakily manipulating the impression people had of Nakamura and Atafami.

I’m fairly sure she was doing the same for me…and for that I was grateful.

Also, this may have been happening before, or I may have just noticed it because of that conversation we had, but one time I heard her enthusiastically say “Hexactly!” in front of a classmate. She really does like that phrase.

“Anyway, what else do you want to hear about?” I asked.

“Aside from that whole mess before…there’s Fuka-chan.”

“Right. Well, a bunch of stuff happened.”

I told her about admitting the truth and not inviting her to the movie. Hinami sighed with exasperation.

“You mean to tell me you had two good prospects, and you let both of them slip away? Honestly, do you even want to do this?”

“Of course I do!”

“…Well, no use crying over spilled milk. Let’s think about what to do next.” With that, she began cooking up a plan.

“…Right,” I said, once again appreciating her powers.

This was where she excelled. For some reason, I had taken it for granted that she was amazing and never thought about why she was so amazing.

The answer was actually simple. She was amazing because she made a huge effort to be that way. She faced reality and buckled down to work, moving forward one step at a time, propelled by her own will.

And it was incredible.

I’d fully realized it after I’d heard the file on the voice recorder. Ever since, I’m not sure how to put it, but I’d felt something like respect or awe for her.

And that made me want to start taking initiative beyond her instructions.

“Hey…this is off topic, but…”

“What?”

I brushed my hand over my inner pocket and tried to make my comment as innocently as possible.

“You know that premiere of the Mari Joan film tomorrow? Well, how about we go together?”

Hinami looked confused for a second. Then she smirked and said, just as innocently, “Oh, I’m sorry. I have plans tomorrow. I can’t go.”

I made an effort to brush it off with a laugh, but then I genuinely crumpled. I didn’t stand a chance.

“But, well…,” she said.

“…What?”

She gave me a kind but playful smile, like a parent watching over her dull child.

“I’m free after this. Do you want to go to a different movie?”

For a second, my mind went blank.

After that, a feeling of excitement that was almost like elation or accomplishment overtook me. I’m not exactly sure why I felt that way, but I don’t think it had to do with getting close to a normie or going out with a girl. I think it was the primal elation that comes from working hard and getting the results you want in the real world, plain and simple. I’m not positive, but that’s what I suspect.

“…Hexactly!” I said, trying out Hinami’s favorite phrase for myself. She pointed out that I wasn’t quite using it correctly. Huh. Guess that’s another area for improvement.

But that’s what life’s all about, right? Well, I’ll show her a thing or two.

I may be a beginner at this game, but I’m about to get serious.

—By bottom-tier character nanashi, the best noob gamer in Japan