Chapter 70

After that, Yui sent a message to Rin to invite her to come over and play the next day. Although it was a sudden invitation from one day to the next, Rin happily agreed, and things proceeded as Yui had declared.

The next day, on a Saturday afternoon, Rin said she would come to the nearest station, so Yui took her up on the offer and met her there. They walked together to Yui's house.

Yui's house is a single-story home in a residential area about a fifteen-minute walk from a somewhat desolate station. It's a bit small, but it has a well-kept garden.

While chatting about trivial matters, they arrived at the front door of Yui's house, where Yui opened the door first and invited Rin in. Her sister had gone out early in the morning with friends, and her parents had left by car, so no one was home, but Rin politely greeted, "I'm intruding."

Then they went to Yui's room on the second floor. Just as Yui was about to turn the doorknob, she suddenly stopped and said,

"Just so you know, it's not an otaku room. It says 'Yui's room' on it, and only the chosen ones can enter this forbidden holy ground."

"Chosen ones...?"

"It's not because I didn't want to reveal my otaku side or anything. I'm not an otaku, to be honest."

Upon reflection, Yui realized she had never invited a friend to her house before. It wasn't that she had a specific reason to avoid it, but it just never happened. Perhaps it was because she subconsciously carried the feeling of not wanting to invite people to her house from when she was younger.

(Inviting a girl into my room feels like this. I'm getting a bit nervous.)

Yui was suddenly hit by a strange sense of tension. She remembered that Yuki had casually invited her to his place before, and maybe he felt the same way inside.

(No, he probably just came out half-asleep...)

Thinking of Yuki's dazed and silly face, Yui felt a bit more relaxed and pushed the door open in one go. Rin, who followed her into the room, looked around curiously at the room's layout and the posters on the walls, standing there for a moment.

She seemed a bit uneasy, but she had been acting that way since they met earlier.

Rin was wearing a bright, cute dress and bare legs, just like before. Whether consciously or unconsciously, it was a look that required confidence.

"That dress is cute. Is it your favorite?"

"Yeah, actually, this is the only dress I have for going out."

"Huh...?"

"Well, I usually wear my school uniform, don't I?"

"Oh, right..."

Yui wasn't sure if Rin was joking or being serious, but it might not be a good idea to press the issue, so she let it go. Yui, on the other hand, was dressed casually in a thin hoodie and short shorts, thinking it was just at home.

"Please, please, have a seat."

Rin sat down with her legs bent in a typical girl's pose. Yui, sitting on the edge of the bed, couldn't help but glance at Rin's knees.

"I get it. I understand how boys feel."

"…What do you mean?"

Rin was an unintentional flirt. It wasn't really that sexy, but Yui found it endearing. Rin was fidgeting and looking around nervously, but then her eyes landed on the bookshelf packed with books.

"There are so many... Can I look?"

"Sure, go ahead..."

Rin knelt and leaned forward, staring intently at the bookshelf. This pose, with her butt sticking out, was unintentionally suggestive, making Yui feel a bit embarrassed.

"Actually, I'm more of an indoor person. You might be surprised."

But Rin didn't seem to be listening, completely absorbed in the bookshelf.

"You have comedy DVDs too. And over here..."

"Ah, don't look too closely. It's embarrassing."

Thinking of this possibility, Yui had hidden the really questionable items in the back row of the shelf. She was a generalist, and it wasn't unusual to have a few BL manga among the many books. With Rin's sharp gaze, it felt like she might uncover something dangerous at any moment.

"Hey, let's play a game! Over here, over here."

Yui, not wanting to let it go any further, forcibly pulled Rin's hand and sat her down on the cushion in front of the TV, turning on the game console.

The game they chose was, of course, the infamous Masubura. According to Yuki, Rin had practiced because she wanted to play with Yui, which was quite touching.

"This is the only one, so Rin, you take this one."

Yui sat right next to Rin and casually handed her the small, less comfortable controller. However, in the world of competition, mercy is unnecessary. The battle had already begun.

"I feel a bit nervous... I wonder if I can do it."

Rin, seemingly oblivious to Yui's thoughts, held the controller and looked at the screen with a smile. Yui waited for Rin to choose her character and then selected a character that would match well with hers.

In fact, Yui had heard from Mizuna about Rin's skill level, but she had also practiced hard. She had already surpassed Mizuna and could easily beat Rin, but she wanted to be cautious.

The battle began. Immediately after the start, Yui took a step back from Rin's character and moved around aimlessly, trying to gauge her opponent's moves.

"By the way, Narioto-kun is a good person, isn't he?"

"Huh? Is he?"

"Yes, he is."

Suddenly, Yuki's name came up, and Yui's hands stopped moving.

"He may seem like he's not thinking about anything, but he actually thinks a lot about things."

(Could it be... She might have fallen for him while listening to his problems?)

Yui almost argued that she knew he was kind, but she didn't want to unnecessarily praise Yuki and raise Rin's opinion of him, so she said,

"Is that so? Sometimes he says things that make me wonder if he's even human."

"That's not true. He's very worried about you, Yui."

"Huh?"

Taking advantage of Yui's momentary pause, Rin's character launched a powerful attack, sending Yui's character flying. Yui, taken aback, stared at Rin and quickly returned her attention to the screen.

"But... I understand that you're going through a tough time. I understand, but..."

"Hmm, is that so?"

But during this time, Yui's character was being beaten up mercilessly. Rin kept glancing at Yui, seemingly more interested in the conversation than the game. Despite her hard practice, Yui was being overwhelmingly defeated, and just as she was about to be KOed, she said,

"Wait, wait! The buttons might not be working! The battery light is blinking too!"

"Maybe... Yui, why don't you stop? Stop being the 'killer of the seat next to you.'"

This work will be published by Futabasha Monster Bunko! It is scheduled to be released around the end of January next year!

Thanks to everyone who pressed the "publish" button when it was available! Thank you!