Fuaaa... I was feeling really wakuwaku about this...

Today was the day of Shouko-san's birthday party. She had booked out a small venue in Drachma Red to host it, and me and Takayuki-kun were preparing to go to it this evening.

"D-do you have everything, Kou-san...?"

Knowing how forgetful I am, Takayuki-kun gently reminded me to check all my pockets twice. Phone, check... wallet, check... keys, check...

"Yup, I've got it all!"

Yay, I didn't forget anything this time! Go me!

"Um... are you sure?"

I patted my pockets and rummaged through my bag two more times. Phone, check... wallet, check... keys, check...

"Absolutely, positively, 100%, I am not missing anything!"

Takayuki-kun sighed and slowly took out a small box covered in wrapping paper.

"Y-you left this on your desk..."

"Oh, crap!"

That was my present for Shouko-san! How could I forget to bring that?!

"A ha ha ha... thanks Takayuki-kun, you're a lifesaver..."

It would've been really bad if I forgot that...

"Don't forget the card too."

Takayuki-kun smiled slightly and presented me with the card I wrote for Shouko-san yesterday.

"Oh, right, right! What would I do without you and your big brain..."

I wept, but it was true... I need to stop being so air headed all the time. It's not fair to Takayuki-kun, who's always cleaning up after my mistakes.

"Umm... I-I think that should be it..."

For some reason, he sounded anxious himself. There's no way Takayuki-kun would forget something.

"Do you have your presents and birthday card?"

"Y-yeah, they're in my handbag... um... let's see..."

Takayuki-kun thought for a few seconds and shook his head.

"N-never mind, I'm being paranoid... let's go."

"Yay! I can't wait!"

While I'm excited to celebrate Shouko-san's birthday, what I was honestly looking forward to more was seeing Mikitaka-san again...

Uwaaaaa, just thinking about him makes my face feel all hot and bothered! It should be illegal for a man to be so strong and cool and good-looking!

Earlier, I called my wingman Takanori-kun asking for advice, and he said I should take any opportunity I can to speak with him during the party, since a lot of people were going to be there.

I can't let my nervousness get the better of me... there's no way I can get close to him if I don't take a step forward and talk to him...!

C'mon Katsumi Kou, you can do this! You can talk to Mikitaka-san without devolving into a gibberish mess!

I slapped my cheeks twice and pumped my fists. Takayuki-kun looked at me strangely, but I laughed it off.

"I-I had no clue this sort of place existed in Drachma Red..."

When we arrived at the venue, Takayuki-kun stared at the building in awe. It wasn't anything too special though. It was probably smaller than most venues, but that was to be expected living out in the boonies.

"We're a little early... do you want to go in?"

"U-um... y-yeah, we should."

Takayuki-kun nodded and we entered inside, busting through the front doors loudly.

"Yo, yo! Happy birthday, Shouko-san!"

"H-happy birthday, S-Shouko-chan!"

The girl of the hour, Shouko-san, turned to both of us with wide smiles.

"Kyaaa! Yuki-chan, Kou-san, welcome! Thank you both for coming!!"

She clapped her hands together and happily accepted our presents. She set them aside on the table where there was more presents, a large birthday cake, various snacks, and a soda fountain.

It must've cost a lot to set this all up... I kind of feel bad for Shouko-san, since she had little money left as it is, and it looked like she spent a small fortune on this extravagant party.

Other than me and Takayuki-kun, only a handful of other people had arrived before us. Of course, there was Shouko-san's bestie, Mayuri-san, but there was also Alice-chan, Ria-chan, and Matsushita-san too!

"Takayuki-kun, isn't this amazing?!"

As I turned to speak to him, Takayuki-kun had mysteriously vanished. I blinked and looked around, only to find him being pulled away by Shouko-san.

"Come on Yuki-chan, I want to show you around! There's an arcade upstairs we can play games on!"

"A-an arcade?"

"Mhm! I said I'd bring you to one sometime, didn't I?"

Shouko-san grinned. Takayuki-kun looked away shyly, his lips forming a small smile.

"Y-you did..."

"Let's go! I'll kick your ass in a fighting game!"

"P-please be easy on me, t-this is my first time..."

Uwa, those two are really cute together... I'm surprised they're not a couple yet. They'd fit each other really well!

Since Mikitaka wasn't here yet, I decided to pour myself a drink. It's probably bad to drink soda, but I'm also going to eat birthday cake later today, so... I guess today can be a cheat day.

I started filling my cup with lemonade when Mayuri-san came up to me and tapped my shoulder.

"You know there's alcohol right? You don't have to drink just soda."

"Eh? Alcohol?"

"Mhm. It's hidden under the table to keep it lowkey, but you're meant to mix it with that."

I looked under the table and saw there were various bottles and cans of beer, rum, whiskey, vodka, etc... it was any drunkard's wet dream.

"Wow... how the heck did you guys manage to buy all this? Shouko-san's only 16, and the rest of us are 15!"

"We didn't. Some senpais who were into Shouko-chan donated it to us kindly, and some straight up gave it to her as a birthday present."

"Uwa, I didn't know she was popular with the seniors!"

"We're the hot gyaru kouhai, those perv's imaginations go wild about us."

Mayuri-san snickered and poured herself some rum and coke.

"I-I see..."

Personally, I had no interest in drinking alcohol. It was bad for my body and would ruin my form, so I decided to stay far away from it.

"Maa, hope you enjoy the party anyways. I'm gonna start playing some music to set the mood, you want anything in particular?"

"Uh... not really? I like pop songs though!"

"Pop, huh? I can do that."

Mayuri-san gave a thumbs up and left to put on some music. Once the high energy beat came on, the party started feeling really alive.

People started dancing, eating, playing... and more people came into the venue, like Kazuraba-san, Kikyou-san, Yamaguchi-san, and some unexpected faces like Mitsuba-san and Kiba-san!

There was still no sign of Mikitaka-san though...

"Hey, thanks for coming to my party!"

Returning from downstairs, Shouko was greeting everyone who came in with a large smile. Takayuki-kun, his face beet red, was sitting in the corner, sipping on some cola.

"Takayuki-kun, there you are!"

"A-ah...! K-Kou-san, you scared me..."

"How were things upstairs? Was it fun?"

"O-oh... um, yeah... me and Shouko-chan only played one round though. She absolutely destroyed me..."

"Well, you're a noob, so it's to be expected. I wanna try next, wanna come with me?"

"Eh? Um... but, I'm not very good... a better match would be Shouko-chan..."

"I'm not really into fighting games though. I prefer the ball shoot ones!"

"Ah, of course you do..."

Takayuki-kun laughed slightly.

"Um... give me a moment to calm down... my heart's racing..."

Ho, his heart was racing?

"Ehh? What the heck did you two do up there?"

This was definitely the smell of romance!

"P-play a fighting game... n-nothing weird happened, don't give me that look!"

I had my doubts and suspicions.

"Why's your heart racing then, hm?"

"S-Shouko-chan kept pulling me around and running everywhere, and I couldn't k-keep up... I-I'm breathless..."

Takayuki-kun pouted and clutched his chest. A believable excuse.

"Hmm, fair enough."

I looked over my shoulder to see if Mikitaka had arrived yet. Still no dice... what's taking that guy so long? It's just making me more anxious...!

"K-Kou-san...?"

"Yeah?"

I turned my attention to Takayuki-kun as he called out to me.

"Eh... um... a-are you... having fun?"

"Huh? Of course I am!"

"T-that's good..."

"Why are you worried about that? You should be focusing on having a good time yourself, not about me."

"Eh, um, how do I put it...? I am, but... I-I haven't really seen you talk to anyone else, or play games, or anything..."

"I'm fine just hanging out with you."

"Am I not boring you though...?"

"No? If I go off and talk to the others, you'd be all by yourself. I'd feel bad."

"O-oh... um, okay..."

Takayuki-kun looked away and sipped on his cola again. What was that about?

"T-thanks... Kou-san."

"Nah, don't sweat it! Even I get nervous in a crowd full of people, ha ha."

Plus, I didn't feel like talking to anyone else right now. I just wanted to talk to Mikitaka-san.

"Hey, what are you two doing shiftily in the corner? You should come join everyone else! We're about to watch Mitsuba-san try and chug a bottle of whiskey!"

Alice-chan called out to me and Takayuki-kun.

"Uwa, seriously?! I wanna see, I wanna see!"

I rushed over to the crowd of people gathered in the middle. Takayuki-kun followed me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you're about to witness the hot red superhero Mitsuba-sama down a bottle of the guu guu!"

Mitsuba-san clambered onto the table and proudly showed off the full flask of whiskey he was about to chug.

"1,000 points says he'll fail!" Yamaguchi-san exclaimed.

"Ehh, we're taking bets? I'm betting 2,000 he'll do it then!" Shouko-san said.

"Oi, that's a dangerous amount..." Mayuri-san said.

"It'll be fine, I have confidence in Mitsuba-san!"

"Damn right you should! Back me up some more Fujimura-san, I'm about to show these fools to never underestimate my ability to guzzle the guu! I've been waiting my whole life for this!"

Mitsuba-san cackled, popping open the whiskey bottle.

"Hang on, I'll raise my bet to 2,000 too. Double or nothing, right?" Yamaguchi-san smirked.

"Anyone else wanna take bets?!" Shouko-san exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'll bet 1,000 on Mitsuba-san failing!" Alice-chan exclaimed.

"Me too." Matsushita-san said.

"Why don't any of you guys have hope in me?!"

"Because this is your first time trying alcohol, duh." Alice-chan said.

"This is actually the second, the second!"

"There's a huge step up from wine to whiskey, you know!"

"Pfffft, they're both alcohol in the end, how bad could it be?"

"You know what..."

Suddenly, a new challenger appeared!

"...I believe in you, Mitsuba-san! I'm betting 2,000 on your success!"

I-it was Mikitaka-san?!?!

"Heya, Mikitaka-san! Glad you could make it!"

"Sup, Shouko-san. Happy birthday queen, you dropped this."

He then threw his present for Shouko-san to her. I wish he'd throw me like that...!

"Aww, thank you!"

"Hell yeah, thanks for your support, Mikitaka-san!" Mitsuba-san exclaimed.

"Anytime, my fellow degenerate in arms!"

Mikitaka-san grinned and went over to Takayuki-kun, slinging an arm around him.

"My best friend! How are you!"

"M-Mikitaka-san... hey..."

"Yo, is that coke? Tell me that's got some of the good stuff in it!"

"I-it doesn't..."

"Aw, what? But it tastes great!"

"I-I don't really want to drink alcohol..."

"Damn, seriously? You're missing out man, what're you gonna do when we hit up the bar when we're older?"

"Um... b-be the designated driver?"

"Oi, that's sad... there's no way I could let my best friend be treated like that!"

Even though I was captivated by Mikitaka-san right now, my attention was pulled away when everyone started shrieking in shock as Mitsuba-san began chugging the whiskey.

Uwa, Mitsuba-san was really going for it! He was about halfway through the bottle now, but his eyes were watering and he looked like he was about to spit it out any minute!

"Everyone, everyone, he's doing it! He's really doing it!"

Shouko-san had her phone out, recording the ordeal and laughing. Mitsuba-san was now about two-thirds through the bottle, with only a third left to go.

"We like to drink with Mitsuba, cuz Mitsuba's our mate! And when we drink with Mitsuba, he gets it down in 8!"

Everyone started chanting for him, as he was nearing the end of the whole bottle!

"7! 6!"

Mitsuba-san gargled, trying to keep down the whiskey that was coming back up.

"5! 4!"

He closed his bloodshot eyes and kept drinking, pushing through even though he looked like he was in agony.

"3! 2!"

There was less than a sip of whiskey left, he can do this!

"1!"

Mitsuba-san downed the last drops and coughed violently, showing everyone the empty flask victoriously with a goofy grin on his face.

"I... win!"

Then, he collapsed on the spot, falling face first onto the floor.

"Fu~reeeeeeeeeee!"

Despite that, everyone began cheering as he managed to do the impossible and drink that entire flask of whiskey!

"U-urgh, I don't feel so well..."

Mitsuba-san covered his mouth and got up, running outside to puke the alcohol out. Poor guy...

"Damn it, I lost..." Yamaguchi-san muttered.

"Ha! Serves you right for having no faith. Now pay up." Shouko-san smiled, holding out her hand.

"Tch, fine."

"You guys too! You two need to pay Mikitaka-san!"

She pointed at Alice-chan and Matsushita-san, who were trying to sneak away from the situation.

"Ehh? C'mon, do we have to?"

"He bet 2,000 and you each bet 1,000. It's only fair."

Alice-chan sighed, ready to give away the private points. Matsushita-san laughed.

"It's fine, it's only 1,000 points each."

"But I could've gotten a really nice croissant and coffee with that many points..."

"Shouko-san, it's fine. I'd rather they keep the money and take away an important lesson."

Mikitaka-san, being the cool guy that he is, let them keep their private points... wow! He's so generous!

"Woah, you sure?"

"Yeah, Mikitaka-san. It's only fair, since we did gamble after all, ha ha..." Matsushita-san said.

"Betting is bad kids." Mayuri-san said.

"Speak for yourself! If Mikitaka-san doesn't want it, I'll happily keep my points!" Alice-chan exclaimed.

"C-can I get some points for doing that...?" Mitsuba-san groaned, returning to the venue like a zombie.

"You know what, sure. Give your points to Mitsuba-san. He needs it more than I do."

"M-Mikitaka-san...! Thank you!"

"Dude, he just called you poor..." Shouko-san deadpanned.

"I don't care! Points are points! 2,000 points is a lot, you know!"

It was also the same amount of points we got this month! Actually, saying that out loud, it's really depressing...

"Here you go Mitsuba-san. I transferred it." Matsushita-san smiled.

"Bleh... fine, only because Mikitaka-san said so." Alice-chan huffed.

"Yay! Thanks you two!"

Mitsuba-san did a happy dance, making everyone laugh. However, I was more focused on Mikitaka-san, who was talking with Takayuki-kun...

"I'm not much of a dancer, so you want to play games in the arcade?"

"S-sure, if you want... b-but I'll warn you, I'm not very good..."

"That's not a problem. I'll just go easy on you, ya ha ha!"

Together, the two of them headed upstairs...

I wanted to stretch out my hand and yell out "Wait!", but I didn't have the courage to do that... all I could do was watch as their backs became smaller and smaller as they walked further and further away from me.

Uuu... I wanted to play games with Mikitaka-san too...

I sighed a little, staring at my inward feet.

What's wrong with me...? Why am I feeling so nervous...?

If he's my crush, why am I so scared to talk to him...?

Why can't I just go up and talk to him...? Why can't I just act like a normal person around him?!

It's starting to annoy me a little... that I haven't been able to reach out to Mikitaka-san, even though he's so near.

"Kou-san, what's with the long face? Are you not enjoying yourself?"

"F-fwehwa?!"

I jumped, looking over my shoulder to see Shouko-san. She waved a little, making me breath a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Shouko-san, it's just you..."

"Oi, don't tell me you were scared from that..."

"I-I wasn't!"

She laughed slightly.

"That's good. You seemed really out of it for a moment."

"I was...?"

"Mhm. It looked like something was on your mind."

"E-eh?"

"Usually, you're the one pumping up the mood, y'know?"

"Oh... um, yeah, totally!"

Crap, I must've gotten lost in my own thoughts there for a sec... come on Kou, hold it together!

I slapped myself on the cheeks to pump myself up. Shouko-san raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded fervently.

"Yes! 100%! I'm okay, Shouko-san!"

She smiled.

"That's great to hear! But..."

"But?"

"If something's bothering you, you should say it. Aight?"

Hearing Shouko-san's words, I paused slightly.

"Ah... yeah, I will."

I smiled a little and waited for Shouko-san to turn around to stop.

I also turned around, facing away from everyone else so I could let a long sigh escape my lips.

"Why'd you have to go and say that...?"

I muttered to myself, clenching my fists. Ah...

...honestly, I'm kind of jealous.

To be able to act so easygoing and casually... I wish I had the confidence to do that, like Shouko-san.

She can say or do whatever she wants without fear... I really admire that part of her. It's unlike me, who's too much of an airhead to say or do anything if something was bothering me.

Just a little, I was reminded of my middle school self.

"Kou-chan, it's your turn."

"Eh?"

"Don't "eh" me. It's your turn to pour water on him."

I looked down from the balcony, and at Nora-san below.

"O-oh..."

"Hey, don't be so mean to her. You know she's an airhead, he he!"

"Can't believe you spaced out while doing this."

"Guess it shows how much she cares about that creep."

Why are they being so mean towards him...? What did Nora-san ever do to them...?

"Well? You gonna do it?"

Fuyukichi-chan shoved the bottle in my hands.

I stared down at Nora-san.

Why does he just sit there and take it...? Why doesn't he just get up and move to stop this?

Even though four of them have poured water on him, Nora-san is still sitting there, completely motionless.

Please, hurry up and move, so I don't have to do this...

"Kou-chan, is something wrong? You're not acting like your usual self."

"Eh? No, I'm completely fine!"

I clenched my jaw.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

Please move, Nora-san...

"Good. For a moment, I thought you were feeling bad for him."

"...huh? Wh-why would I ever do that?"

I laughed, and so did Fuyukichi-chan.

"Right? That guy is such a weird loner."

"Yeah... I know right?"

I'm sorry for talking about you like this behind your back, Nora-san...

"Mhm. Whenever someone tries talking to him, he just ignores them."

"That's so lame!"

"Right? It's like he doesn't want any friends. Plus, he's such a teacher's pet... it's so cringe."

"Yeah... it's definitely the worst part about that guy, ha ha..."

To try and get away from this conversation, I held the bottle out.

"Go on, soak the nerd. He's too much of a bitch to tell on anyone."

Fuyukichi-chan snickered. I gulped.

I didn't want to... I really didn't want to...

But seeing everyone staring at me so intensely...

My hand started moving on its own.

The water from the bottle rushed out like a waterfall.

All of it was dumped down on the Nora-san below.

Finally, he looked up at us.

I dropped the bottle and staggered back.

There was a small clunk as it landed on his face.

"Wow, talk about overkill!"

"Nice one!"

"Do you think he'll pick up the bottle and keep it?"

"That nerd is so desperate, I bet he would!"

I'm so sorry, Nora-san...

Somehow, I became disgusted with myself again...

I looked over my shoulder to see everyone else enjoy the party.

Then I looked at myself, pathetic and miserable.

I didn't want to ruin the mood, so I went to go upstairs and hide from everyone else.

As I did...

"Take this! And this! Takayuki-san, I want you to take it all!"

"Ahhhhn! Mikitaka-san, it's so big!"

"How do you like it? It's my special attack, boxer smash rod!"

"I-I can't defend against it at all...!"

...ah?

Ahhhhhhh, Mikitaka-san is here!!!

What do I do, what do I do?!

I completely forgot he and Takayuki-kun went up here to play games!

As I was about to rush downstairs again however...

"Yo, Katsumi-san! Nice to see you here!"

"K-Kou-san?"

Mikitaka-san talked to me?!

"Eh, uh, a-ano...."

"Well, don't just stand there. Come join us!"

"A-ah?!"

D-did, did Mikitaka-san just invite me...?! I think my heart is about to explode...!

Oh my god, what am I doing?! This is my chance to talk to him! Yet I'm panicking so much, I'm not even speaking properly!

Kou, get yourself togetherrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

"I'm kicking Takayuki-san's butt right now in Title Master, ya ha ha!"

"I-I'm not really good at this game..."

"If you're not careful, I'll hit you with another Boxer Smash Rod!"

"P-please don't! I've lost too many times to it...!"

For some reason, there were tears in Takayuki-kun's eyes as he said that...

"I-if... if it's okay, I'll join you two..."

"Sure thing! Why don't you play in Takayuki-san's place, eh?"

"P-please... please take the wheel for me, Kou-san..."

"E-eh? Y-you want me to fight M-Mikitaka-san?"

"I-if you can...! At this rate, I'll lose this match..."

"E-eh... um, I'll try my best! But no guarantees!"

Takayuki-kun got up and I sat down in his place. Let's see...

Uwa, this is bad... they're on the second game and Takayuki-kun's character, Angie, was hanging on by a thread of life... how did this happen, she's a healer character!

Meanwhile, Mikitaka-san's character, Tora, was still at near full health and was moments away from charging up another special attack. How am I gonna win this...?!

I took a deep breath, analysing Angie's skills... before realising I'm not much of a strategist and throwing any semblance of thinking out of the window.

Who needs tactics when you have guts?

I'll go by pure instincts and button mash my way to victory!

Even though I was shaking in nervousness because I was sitting across from Mikitaka-san, I couldn't let Takayuki-kun down in this situation...!

I had to win this fight so he could progress to the final round!

I rolled up my sleeves and cracked my knuckles, smoke billowing out my nose as I prepared to fight.

"I'll take you down, Mikitaka-san!"

"That's the spirit, Katsumi-san!"

As soon as he shouted that, Mikitaka-san suddenly went on the offensive!

"Uwa! No fair!"

I grabbed the joystick and started smashing on the buttons as quick as possible, hoping some combination of moves would beat Mikitaka-san's super strong character.

Lights and effects and attacks flashed across the screen, and my palms were beginning to get sweaty from how intense it was. My character was switching between attacking and healing, letting me survive against his brutal assault just by the skin of my teeth.

I wasn't do much against him though... even though his character had weak defence, my attacks weren't doing much damage. He was super good at blocking!

"Hey, you're not half bad at this."

"Eh?!"

D-d-did Mikitaka-san just compliment me?!

Mikitaka-san peeked over the arcade box, grinning at me.

Uwa, he's so hot... yet somehow, so cute...!

"But clearly, not good enough!"

"Ehhh?!"

N-n-now he was insulting me?!

"K-Kou-san, watch out!"

"—hawahawa?!"

Takayuki-kun, seeing that I had stopped moving, jumped in and moved the joystick for me, barely dodging Mikitaka-san's next attack.

"Fuwaaaa, you saved me! Thank you so much, Takayuki-kun!"

"D-don't let your guard down! M-Mikitaka-san is super strong!"

"Damn right I am! Now watch this! Oraora, special attack, unleash—!"

Oh no, his bar meter is full! He can use another Boxer Smash Rod!

"Kou-san, press up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A-start!"

"S-Shouko-san?!"

Appearing behind me and Takayuki-kun was Shouko-san, throwing up a peace sign with a grin.

"There's no time to waste! Hurry!"

"O-okay!"

I started following Shouko-san's instructions! Wait, what did she tell me to press again...?

"U-um, Shouko-san, could you r-repeat that...?"

"What?! You dummy, get out of the way!"

"—take this, Boxer Smash Roooooooodddddddddd!"

The moment I got out of the seat, Mikitaka-san used his special attack. At the same time, Shouko-san hopped on, and punched in that complicated code.

"So fast!"

"I-it was like I didn't even see it..."

Me and Takayuki-kun were in awe at how fast Shouko-san was with her fingers. So graceful, so nimble, so quick!

"Yosh... the real battle starts now, Mikitaka-san!"

"Another switch in? You guys are desperate to win!"

Suddenly, the screen warped, and Angie had avoided the special attack, as well as filled her own bar meter to max.

"Wait, how did you—?!"

"Didn't you know? In Title Master, if you manage to punch in the Konami Code, you can negate an incoming special attack and gain meter equal used for its cost! It's the ultimate reversal technique!"

"Ah crap, all I've been doing is spamming special attacks!"

"W-wow... if only I knew that sooner..."

Takayuki-kun sniffled, realising all those times Mikitaka-san attacked him were actually chances to turn the game around.

"If you want to get past me, you'll need to go hand to hand. But first, Angie's special attack!"

Shouko-san unleashed Angie's special attack. Mikitaka-san tried to counter, but he was too slow inputting the commands, and Shouko-san successfully managed to restore all of Angie's health and deal damage to Tora equal to half the amount healed!

"Another reversal?!" I screamed.

"All that damage I done... backfired?"

Now it was Mikitaka-san who was on the backend, his character reduced to less than half its life!

Mikitaka-san and Shouko-san continued to duke it out, using their fists and weapons opposed to any fancy attacks. Even so, it was clear Shouko-san had the upper edge, as her character was dealing more damage and guarding more efficiently.

"T-this is way too tense..."

"I-I agree, Kou-san..."

The two of them went silent, completely immersed and focused on their intense arcade game battle!

"Crap, my bar is full... I can't use special attacks, or else she'll deflect it back at me...!"

"Angie is a tank. Even if Tora is an aggressive character, you'll soon start feeling the aftereffects of fighting so long."

Indeed, Tora's stamina was steadily decreasing, while Angie's stamina remained stable throughout. The longer this game drew out, the more likely Mikitaka-san would lose steam and be defeated...!

"Then I'll just have to crush that defence with everything I have! Let's go for broke, Boxer Smash Roooooooood!"

Shouko-san easily intercepted this, using her special code to stop the attack and redirect it back to Mikitaka-san!

"Oh, damn..."

He was at less than 5% health! He was in the killing range!

"You shouldn't be using those attacks willy nilly, you know? Time it better."

Shouko-san sighed, smiling a little as she breezed through whittling Mikitaka-san down to 1% health.

"Alright, I'm gonna stop there. Yuki-chan~ you can finish him off."

"E-eh...? M-me?"

Takayuki-kun pointed at himself in surprise.

"Yes, you! Go, go! You've got this! I'll be cheering for you~!"

"W-wait, but I'm no good at this! A-all your hard work, it'll be for nothing..."

"Don't be like that! You'll do just fine, I promise."

Shouko-san smiled and gave him an encouraging push, making Takayuki-kun the new player for Angie. (How many switch ins has this been now...?) However, Mikitaka-san stared dumbfounded at her.

"Hey, come back here! Don't run from a fight! I'm still not finished with you!"

"I'm stepping away cuz it's not my fight to begin with, dummy. It was Yuki-chan's fight, so I'll let him finish it."

"I-it's okay Mikitaka-san... I-I'll do my best to win!"

There it is! There it is!

After hearing that, Mikitaka-san did his signature ferocious grin seeing Takayuki-kun's declaration of war and nodded satisfactorily.

"Heh, fine then! Don't wuss out on me, Takayuki-san. Give me everything you've got, I'll take it all!"

Takayuki-kun nodded and started pressing buttons!

...in the end, Mikitaka-san still made a comeback victory from 1% health and beat Takayuki-kun.

Shouko-san was comforting him after that embarrassing loss while Mikitaka-san rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe I went a bit too far..."

"Y-you killed him with your special attack, what do you think?!"

Somehow, that Boxer Smash Rod was very powerful... a bit too powerful, even...

"Eh, he'll be fine. Takayuki-san is a true man, this loss won't set him back."

I looked over to Takayuki-kun, who was curled up, rocking back and forth in embarrassment. Poor thing...

"Seriously though, you were pretty good. Do you like games too?"

"Ahh? Um, not really... I just played this one before since it's super popular."

"Makes sense. Title Master is a really classic arcade game, ha ha."

Mikitaka-san grabbed a drink and sipped on it.

"Are you more into the sports type ones then?"

"Of course! The basketball throw challenge is super fun! Even if it's a bit easy for me now."

"I prefer the strength test. Punching the target with all your might is strangely satisfying."

"Ooh, that one is good too! My record is 949!"

Mikitaka-san's jaw dropped.

"What are you, a gorilla monster?! My highest is 876!"

"Wait... I'm stronger than you...?"

I stared at my hands in disbelief.

Oh no...

I'm stronger than Mikitaka-san...

That means... t-that means...!

H-he won't like me...

No boys like girls who are stronger than them...

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEwwwwhHATDOIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!

Actually, come to think of it...

Was I just talking to Mikitaka-san just now?

"Heh, it seems like you are. I could tell the first time I met you that you were damn strong."

"Y-you could?"

Oh no... now that I realised I'm talking to him, I'm starting to become nervous...!

Come on brain, work with me here... I was just speaking to him normally moments before, I can do it again...!

"Dude, we literally grappled each other. Of course! Still though, it's pretty impressive."

"I... I don't think so... I-I mean... a-aha... ha ha..."

Oh crap, I'm starting to lose my ability to talk! Come on mouth, work with me, wORK WITH ME—

"I more meant it was impressive that you leapt out to help Takayuki-san back then."

My internal screaming stopped as Mikitaka-san said that.

For some reason... it touched my heart deeply.

"It's pathetic that no one else was going to help him just because they were scared of a couple of eggs being pelted at them. The fact you were the only one brave enough to stand up and stop me before I could cause any trouble says a lot about what kind of person you are."

Being complimented by Mikitaka-san... it felt really nice. Like my heart went dokidoki and fuwafuwa and gyuugyuu and... it was just so warm and fuzzy, like hugging an oversized teddy bear.

"It really made me respect you, Katsumi-san."

He held out his fist with a cool smile.

Eeeeee! I think I'm gonna melt.......

"So thank you for protecting my best friend back then. The me in the future appreciates it."

"N-no problem! A-anything to help! W-wa ha ha!"

What was that laugh, Kou?!

To try and hide my embarrassment, I quickly fist bumped him and hid my beet red face between my knees. Mikitaka-san laughed.

"But If you're talking about strength... wanna try- ahem, sorry. Want to try arm wrestling?"

"A... arm wrestling?"

"Yeah. Let's see who's stronger between us through an arm wrestle!"

"Ooh! That sounds exciting! Yosh, you're on!"

We planted our elbows on a table and held out our hands to each other.

Slowly, we wrapped our fingers around each other's palms and tightly squeezed each other's hands, interlocking them into a powerful grip.

"G-goku!"

I gulped, suddenly realising what I had just done. Mikitaka-san raised an eyebrow.

"Katsumi-san, what was that noise just now?"

"N-nothing!"

I laughed awkwardly, looking away as my hand began feverishly shaking. Oh god, oh god, oh god...

"You sure? Your face is all red. Do you have another fever?"

"N-noooo, I'm fine, I'm fine! T-totally, totally!"

I'm not fine, I'm not fine at all!

I just realised that I'm holding hands with Mikitaka-san! That's a huge deal!

My arms are becoming jelly just from thinking about this...!

"In that case, let's start."

"Al... alright!"

I just have to hope arm wrestling will take my mind off holding his hand... much like how talking to him earlier without realising it made me act and feel more confident than I actually am.

"Three, two, one... start!"

And at that countdown, me and Mikitaka-san started our arm wrestle.

...needless to say, I lost. Not on purpose though!

Though, a little part of me wanted to lose on purpose so Mikitaka-san would think he's stronger than me, but... that's besides the point.

No, I lost that arm wrestle because...

B-because...

The moment I tried resisting his big strong hands... my body was overwhelmed with such nervous joy, I couldn't even last a second against him!

Boohoo... I can't tell if this was a good or bad outcome...!

"Ah... you're not that strong after all, huh?"

"A ha ha ha, I guess not..."

"No worries. Just keep training, I'm sure you'll reach your peak in no time."

"Uwa... thank you so much, Mikitaka-san! It means a lot to me!"

Mikitaka-san smiled and nodded, leaving me with those encouraging words before going to join Takayuki-kun and Shouko-san in playing more Title Master.

I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my heart beat quicker than ever before.

Fuu... I never thought talking to someone could be this hard.

Is this what Takayuki-kun feels when he talks to others, I wonder?