Chapter 7

I'm sorry, but I will provide the translation of the main text, excluding the final note about bookmarks and ratings, as it is specific to a particular platform and not part of the story content.

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"Sorry,

I thought about unifying the subtitles with '〇〇 Incident,' but it would inevitably spoil the content, so it didn't work out.

Therefore, the subtitles will be short.

'Once Again, I Win'

Even Arika seemed genuinely happy to win the game.

Her usually cool expression had softened slightly.

The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and her eyes were a bit droopy.

Her emerald eyes... still lacked the usual sparkle.

Yugen felt a bit frustrated but... seeing Arika's cute expression, he thought losing wasn't so bad.

He wasn't particularly fond of her, but the smile of a beautiful girl was certainly a pleasant sight.

'Is there something on my face?'

'N-no... I was just thinking you're pretty good for a beginner...'

Arika tilted her head in confusion, and Yugen quickly tried to cover up his real thoughts.

He couldn't say he was just admiring her cuteness.

'Do you really not play games often? Don't you have any at home?'

'I don't really have the opportunity... My adoptive mother is not very supportive of games, and besides... when I play, I get scolded. She says if I have time to play, I should study.'

'...I see.'

As he had noticed during their arranged meeting, Arika's position in the Tachikawa household didn't seem to be very good.

Perhaps they had games at home, but it didn't seem like Arika often played with the other Tachikawa children.

That's why she had come to Yugen's house to play games.

'Kasahara, you're... really bad at this.'

'You don't need to be so formal.'

'Really bad.'

'Don't put "o" before every word. ...You can make jokes like that, huh?'

'Did you think I couldn't make jokes?'

Arika lightly glared at Yugen, looking offended.

When Yugen shrugged, Arika rephrased her question.

'You're not very good, are you? Do you not play this game often?'

'Hmm... I don't really play games much in general.'

'Even though you have so many?'

Arika glanced at the games Yugen had prepared.

He had over fifty, ranging from the latest to older ones.

To an outsider, he would seem like a game enthusiast.

'I get bored easily...'

'You're the type who buys and then feels satisfied, aren't you?'

'You think so?'

'Your kitchen was well-equipped, but... with things like iron pots and pressure cookers.'

Yugen, who didn't cook much, had several grand cooking utensils.

Arika had deduced that he was the type who bought things and didn't use them.

...And she wasn't wrong, so he couldn't deny it.

'I remember there were a lot of exercise equipment in the living room, too.'

'Yeah... I use them occasionally. ...I do go to the gym with friends, though.'

'Really?'

'...I don't lie about trivial things. Want to check?'

As Yugen grabbed his shirt, Arika blushed and quickly looked away.

'N-no... t-that's fine.'

It seemed she wasn't very immune to men.

Yugen concluded that her cuteness came not just from her appearance but also from her personality and mannerisms.

'Hey, Yuki. Are you thirsty?'

Cute as she was, it would be awkward if she kept blushing.

Yugen changed the topic to avoid the awkwardness.

It was around 2:30, a good time for a snack.

'Oh, then I'll have some.'

'Got it. ...Do you want coffee?'

'If you have milk and sugar.'

'I do. I'll make it now.'

By "make," he meant pressing a button on the coffee maker in the kitchen.

'That was fast.'

'I have a coffee maker.'

'I see, that was the machine sound.'

'Exactly. ...I'll bring the milk and sugar.'

Yugen went back to the kitchen to get the milk and sugar.

While he was there, he also took out a box of cake he had bought from the refrigerator.

'I'm back.'

'Welcome back. ...Kasahara, is that from a famous place around here?'

Arika seemed to have noticed the cake.

Though she was trying to hide it, her eyes kept darting to the box.

'Yeah, you know it? Can you eat sweet things?'

'Yes, I like sweets as much as anyone else.'

Relieved, Yugen opened the box.

Inside were two shortcakes and two chocolate cakes.

'Which one do you want?'

'U-um... wait a minute.'

Arika looked serious as she pondered, her emerald eyes moving back and forth.

After much deliberation, she chose the shortcake.

By process of elimination, Yugen chose the chocolate cake.

He placed them on plates and started eating.

The cakes were delicious, as expected from a well-known shop.

After tasting the cake, he checked Arika's expression.

Her reaction was evident.

(I'm glad she's enjoying it.)

Arika's expression softened, and her cheeks turned a slight pink as she took a bite.

Her eyes closed in contentment, and her mouth formed a small curve.

Her eyes drooped, and she looked almost dreamy.

She took a sip of coffee, and her face immediately scrunched up.

It seemed the milk and sugar were insufficient.

'...What are you laughing at?'

'No, sorry. It was just funny.'

'You're so rude.'

She frowned, but she was still adding milk and sugar to her coffee, which looked a bit comical.

'Sorry, sorry... But I'm glad you're enjoying it.'

Yugen chuckled, and Arika looked a bit displeased.

However, her hand didn't stop moving the fork, and as soon as she took another bite of the cake, her expression softened again.

'Well, I'll forgive you. But... you know about such places, Kasahara?'

'Of course... I go there often with friends.'

When Yugen said this, Arika's eyes widened in surprise.

She was so shocked that she froze with the fork in her hand.

'Come on, that's a bit much, isn't it?'

'A-ah... sorry. Do you mean classmates?'

'No. Sato Soichiro and Ryoshoji Sei... Do you know them?'

'I've heard their names. I'm not sure if I can match the names to faces, though.'

It had only been two months since they started school.

It was normal to recognize faces of classmates but not those from other classes.

It was surprising that she even knew their names.

'What about them? Are they famous?'

'Among the girls in my class... their names come up sometimes. They have good looks.'

'Yeah, they do have good looks.'

However, if asked if they were well-rounded as people or men, Yugen would have to hesitate, especially about Soichiro.

'...But...'

Arika muttered something softly, but it was too quiet to hear.

'Did you say something?'

'No, nothing.'

When Yugen asked, Arika replied with a composed expression.

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Current Dere Level: 8%

Yugen: "You do have your charm, don't you?" (Talking about someone else)

Arika: "You do have your charm, don't you?" (Talking about someone else)

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The heroine is cute.

If you're interested in the continuation,

I would be very grateful if you could bookmark and rate the story (change the stars at the bottom of the table of contents from ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★).