Chapter 6

Ten days had passed, and Yugen had graduated from using crutches.

Naturally, it was to be expected... but with Arisa no longer coming to Yugen's house, things had changed.

A week had passed since he graduated from using crutches.

Yugen, who had recovered to the point where he could manage without intense physical activity, was having a meal with his friends in the cafeteria.

Yugen, who had no bento, was eating in the school cafeteria.

Sato Soichiro, a handsome man with slanted eyes, brought his bento from home.

Ryoshinji Sei, who gave off a slightly flashy vibe, also came from home, but like Yugen, he ate in the school cafeteria.

(Snow City's cooking was delicious...)

While drinking the miso soup from the school cafeteria, Yugen muttered to himself.

The daily lunch he usually ate was not bad at all... but compared to the meals Alisha made, the taste was inevitably inferior.

"Yugen, you... have started eating vegetables recently, haven't you?"

Soichiro suddenly pointed this out.

Yugen was not particularly averse to vegetables, but he was not the type to actively seek them out, so he rarely ate them.

But recently, he had been consciously trying to eat them.

"Well, I get scolded."

"By who? Your parents don't seem like the type to comment on such things. Did you get a girlfriend?"

"No, that's not it. Unfortunately."

Yugen denied the playful inquiry from Sei.

After thinking for a moment, he asked the two of them.

"Actually, I've been helped by a female friend recently. I want to thank her. What do you think would be a good way to do that?"

The word "female friend" coming from Yugen's mouth was unexpected.

The two of them widened their eyes in surprise.

"Is it not Ayaka and Chiharu?"

Soichiro asked Yugen first.

Ayaka and Chiharu were girls who attended the same school and were childhood friends with Yugen and Soichiro.

When it came to Yugen's "female friends," there were no others besides these two.

"If it's them, there's no need to worry. It's a different girl."

"What? Yugen, I thought we were friends. Is spring already here for you? Die."

"It hasn't come. It's not like that. And I have no intention of dying."

They were "engaged," so at first glance, it might seem like spring had arrived...

But it was just a facade, and in reality, it was still the dead of winter.

Yugen didn't mind the winter at all.

"Soichiro, you're used to dealing with girls, right?"

"Well, it's not like that with Ayaka and Chiharu..."

The fact that their names came out so easily was a half-acknowledgment.

However, Yugen didn't point this out, as he didn't want to make Soichiro upset.

"Let me tell you, I only have Ayaka and Chiharu as close female friends. I've given gifts to them before, but they were similar to what you would give. So I don't think my way of dealing with girls would be helpful."

"Is that so?"

"Recently, I was made to buy a Tiffany necklace. Are you going to give her something that clearly says 'I have feelings for you'?"

"…No, I won't."

Yugen realized that Alisha would definitely find it disgusting.

Though he wasn't an expert on women, he knew that it would be off-putting.

"Why don't you just ask her? You want to return a favor, right? There's no need to surprise her. It's not like you're going to barge in."

Sei said this with a look of exasperation.

Upon reflection, he was right. There was no need to surprise Alisha.

"Indeed. You're right, Sei. You are the heir to the Ryoshinji family, after all. You are a master of gratitude."

"Hey, Yugen. Are you not making a big misunderstanding about my family?"

Ignoring Sei's voice, Yugen decided to ask Alisha that day.

Good things should be done quickly.

That day, Yugen sent a message to Alisha on his smartphone: "I want to thank you for your help before. Is there anything you want me to do or give you?"

He received a quick reply.

"Can I play the games in your room?"

Yugen found this a bit unexpected but quickly agreed.

After discussing it, Alisha decided to come to Yugen's house on Saturday that week.

It was past noon.

Yugen opened the door in response to the intercom and saw a fair-skinned, beautiful girl with chestnut hair and emerald eyes standing there. It was Alisha.

"Thank you for having me today."

Alisha, dressed in a white blouse and beige pants, bowed politely to Yugen. It was the first time he had seen her in casual clothes, so it felt a bit fresh.

"Come in, then."

Yugen said this and invited Alisha into his home.

Once inside, Alisha looked around and said,

"You've been keeping your room clean. That's quite impressive."

"Well... I suppose so."

Yugen felt guilty about dirtying the room Alisha had cleaned, so he started cleaning his room every day.

He had put extra effort into cleaning today, knowing Alisha was coming.

"The kitchen is also clean. ...Are you not cooking?"

"Well, I can't cook. But I do eat vegetables now. Convenience store salads, though."

"It's good to see you're making some effort."

It seemed that Yugen's efforts to change his habits had genuinely conveyed his gratitude to Alisha.

She nodded in approval.

"Then, let's play the game as you requested. What do you want to play? As you can see, I have a variety. I can also play PC games, though they're not here."

"Hmm, let's see."

Alisha's emerald eyes were drawn to the game packages.

She picked up several cases and began to consider them carefully.

Her posture was lively and fidgety, as if she was genuinely excited.

Seeing that she was genuinely looking forward to it, Yugen felt a bit relieved.

"Then, I'll choose this one."

Alisha selected a famous fighting game where various game characters engage in a battle royale.

"Sure. Let's play, then."

Yugen inserted the game into the console and started it up.

He then handed the controller to Alisha.

"Um, how do I operate it?"

She asked, a bit confused.

She didn't even seem sure how to hold it.

"Ah, you haven't played before?"

"I played once at a classmate's house when I was in elementary school..."

"It's a bit different from back then."

Yugen touched Alisha's hand and started by teaching her how to hold the controller.

Alisha listened intently.

"Well, the basic controls are like this. You'll get used to it as you play."

"Thank you."

They moved to the character selection screen.

Alisha asked again,

"Um, Mr. Takasegawa, are there any characters I shouldn't use?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I was in elementary school, my classmate... did that kind of thing..."

"That's a common elementary school experience. I don't mind at all, so don't worry about it."

"I see... Then, which one should I choose? Are there any beginner-friendly ones?"

"Beginner-friendly... Well, how about this one?"

Yugen himself wasn't much of a gamer and was also a beginner with this game.

So he wasn't in a position to give her a lot of advice.

"By the way, Mr. Takasegawa."

"What is it?"

After selecting their characters and just before the game was about to start, Alisha said seriously,

"I won't go easy on you. Don't treat me specially."

"I'm not that good either."

Yugen shrugged.

Current Dere Level: 8% (for letting her play the game)

If you also want to enjoy a game with such a beautiful girl...

Buying a dating game will let you enjoy both the game and the beautiful girl, killing two birds with one stone (not really).

If you want a cute fiancée in real life, bookmarking and rating (changing the stars at the bottom of the table of contents from ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★) will make the author pray for you. I'm sure it will be effective.