Interulde 1 Aira Yuzu is eagerly waiting
"…Today was fun."
After telling Eita those words, I—Yuzu Aira—headed home.
Technically, today was a school day, but I had so much fun that I completely forgot about it.
Well, in the end, after winning, Eita played like there was no tomorrow. Then, on the way back, he got a phone call on his smartphone...
"Ah, so it's the tragic news of my game passing away… It’s probably resting in peace inside its coffin—the trash can. Haha… haah…"
He let out a dry laugh as he lamented. But honestly… yeah, that's on him.
For the record, I'm not exactly an honor student or anything. But since I make about five times the salary of your average office worker through my game streams, skipping school for a day doesn't really get me in trouble at home. Money solves most problems in this world. Savings are a wonderful thing.
"Mm… this feels nice."
Setting aside those rather shallow thoughts, I hugged the cat plushie Eita had won for me.
It was the first thing I’d ever received from someone else. Just a simple crane game prize, but… I had spent 1,000 yen trying to get it and still failed, while Eita snagged it with just 100 yen.
At the time, he boasted, "Well, leave it to me. They call me ‘The Arcade’s Worst Nightmare’. Watch and learn."
A rather cringeworthy nickname, if you ask me. Though afterward, he seemed oddly restless, his eyes darting away whenever he looked at me. So, I have a feeling he was just as much of a beginner as I was.
Still, the fact remains that he won it for me.
To be honest, knowing that he put in the effort for my sake… it made me kind of happy.
"…Such a weird person."
The first time I talked to Eita was last Friday.
That was the day he confessed to me.
But—I’ve been confessed to dozens of times before, so I could tell he wasn’t being serious about it.
He seemed nervous, sure, but that was it.
There was no desperation, no real determination behind it. I brushed him off with the most half-hearted response I’d ever given, yet he just accepted it like he already knew what was coming and left without a fuss.
That threw me off a little—but at the same time, it left a strong impression.
Rumor has it that right after, he confessed to Himeno, who’s even more popular than me.
Eita doesn’t seem to have a specific person he likes. Honestly, I’m not even sure he actually wants a girlfriend.
But for me, knowing that someone doesn’t have feelings for me makes things easier.
That’s why, when I spotted him on my way to school, I decided to follow him.
And through that, I realized something—Eita is surprisingly considerate.
Like at the arcade, or when he woke me up on the train so I wouldn’t miss my stop. He also made sure I was never walking on the side closest to traffic.
At the arcade, even without me saying a word, he somehow knew exactly which games I wanted to play—because the moment my eyes landed on one, he’d immediately suggest it.
And being around him just feels good.
People always say I don’t show much emotion. Whenever I hang out with others, they tend to look either bored or uncomfortable. Seeing that makes me feel bad, and it turns into a vicious cycle.
But with Eita, while he was a little awkward at first, he quickly started speaking his mind without hesitation.
That, to me, was unforgettable. It was also the first time someone had treated me like that—and I liked it.
In other words—Eita is currently the person I like the most.
…That said, losing three rounds in a row in the game I prided myself on was absolutely humiliating. I hadn’t lost in ages, so it was a serious shock.
"Mm, I can't wait for tomorrow."
Tomorrow, I’ll make sure to spend time with Eita again.
He’ll probably be surprised—but that just makes me even more excited to see his reaction.
Maybe I’ll tease him a little as payback for my loss. I’m not sure how he’ll take it, but I have a feeling he’ll respond in an amusing way.
Oh, maybe I should be the one to invite him to the arcade this time?
Next time, I will win. As a gamer, there’s no way I can just accept defeat and let it slide.
Aside from that, I think I’ll drag him around to a bunch of different places.
Maybe I should give him a few games, too.
Right about now, he’s probably looking at his broken game in the trash and crying over it. And since I was partly responsible for that… it wouldn’t sit right with me to just do nothing. Plus, I want to repay him for the plushie.
Well, anyway—
"You better be ready, Eita."
For the first time in my life, I was actually looking forward to going to school.
——.