Looking at the flustered Masao Tanaka, Eriri stood proudly with her hands on her hips, her expression full of arrogance.
"Well? Did you see how amazing I am? Ah ha ha~"
The classic game screen settled the match: the winner laughed in triumph while the loser sulked in defeat.
Masao Tanaka curled his lips and muttered, "You just got lucky and hit the finishing move."
"Eh? Luck?" Eriri lifted her chin proudly.
"What luck? That was pure skill. You can do it too if you want, I won't stop you."
Even though she had triggered the finishing move by chance, Eriri still basked in her victory.
In fact, it was precisely because it happened unintentionally that it felt even better.
"I'm not convinced. I want a rematch!"
Masao Tanaka issued his challenge.
Eriri struck a classic JOJO pose, one hand over her face and the other propping up her elbow.
"I accept your challenge."
The second round began!
This time, instead of cautiously testing each other like before, the two exchanged simple punches and kicks, experimenting with combos.
"Ah, I just launched a Ki blast—look at my Hadouken, Hadouken!"
"What a cheat! Teach me how to do that!"
"What's the big deal? Just a little combo. Pretty strong though, huh?"
"How did you pull off the finishing move earlier?"
"I don't know… was it like this? No, maybe like this?"
"I tried too, but it didn't work."
They looked up the combo guide and began practicing.
Tanaka Masao was the first to unleash a finishing move, and less than a minute later, Eriri managed one too.
"Success!" ×2
Both cheered at once, clapping their hands together in excitement.
At that moment, they forgot about winning or losing—just thrilled that they both mastered the move.
Still buzzing with excitement, Eriri glanced at Tanaka Masao's smiling face, then quickly collected herself.
She put away her smile and crossed her arms.
"It's just a finishing move. No big deal.
Alright, I've completely mastered this game. Let's go play something else."
"Sure."
Tanaka Masao stood up, ready to switch to a different game.
······
They headed over to the racing area.
The huge simulation seats recreated the feel of real driving, minus the risk of crashing—perfect for reckless drivers.
Eriri sat down, grabbed the wheel, and spun it a few times to test the handling.
"Ready? I can't wait for a real race."
Tanaka Masao stretched his wrists and rolled his neck.
"Alright, let me show you the skills of a ten-year veteran driver."
He wasn't exaggerating. In his previous life, he really had been a licensed driver for nearly a decade.
[3, 2, 1, START!]
As the countdown ended, Eriri slammed the accelerator to the floor.
"Go!"
The racing chair jolted with realism, and Eriri instantly felt the push of acceleration.
Her blood rushed with excitement.
Meanwhile, Tanaka Masao pressed the accelerator slowly, as if driving on an actual road.
Once the car reached 60 km/h, he leveled it out and maintained the pace.
Perfectly normal in real life—absolutely snail-like in a racing game.
While he concentrated calmly, Eriri suddenly screamed.
"Ahhh~!"
She had taken the turn too fast and completely lost control, frantically spinning the wheel.
If this had been real life, she would have been done for.
Thankfully, it was only a game. Still, the seat shook violently, making her dizzy.
Masao Tanaka gave her a glance and laughed.
"That's what you get for speeding. Of course you'd crash."
He quickly focused back on the screen. Driving required attention.
The chair finally steadied, and just as Eriri relaxed, she caught his mocking words.
"I don't need to hear that from someone who crawls around in a racing game. Hmph, coward."
She called him a coward, but in truth, she didn't dare floor the accelerator again.
Tanaka Masao reached the first corner.
He let go of the accelerator, tapped the brake, and glided through the turn smoothly.
As for drifting? No way.
That was dangerous—even in a game.
Didn't Eriri's earlier screaming prove it?
The camera cut to her side.
Even slowed down, her car was still fast.
She clipped the guardrails on every turn, making her seat shake like a rollercoaster.
Her cries filled the air as she bounced around.
Meanwhile, Tanaka Masao, steady and mistake-free, slowly caught up.
Eriri finally regained control, only to see his "turtle-speed" car about to overtake her. The humiliation burned.
She slammed the accelerator and aimed straight for his rear bumper.
"Take this, bastard!"
Bang! The two cars collided hard.
Tanaka Masao, focused on his driving, was jolted violently. He almost flew out of his seat and instinctively cursed.
"Fuck!"
Regaining balance, he glared at Eriri.
"Eri, why did you crash into me?!"
Prepared for impact, Eriri hardly flinched. Instead of guilt, she wore a smug grin.
"It's normal to bump into things while driving. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being so slow and blocking me."
"You—!"
Her arrogant face stoked his temper.
"Fine, I'll show you what I can really do!"
He floored the accelerator and pulled up beside her.
Seeing his car closing in, Eriri's stomach sank.
"What are you doing? Don't come near me!"
She tried to speed up and escape, but it was too late.
Masao Tanaka slammed into her car.
The collision forced her vehicle into the wall, scraping along with a harsh screech.
Her chair rattled violently in response, nearly throwing her off. She gripped the wheel with both hands for dear life.
"What the hell are you doing?! You've really pissed me off! Ahhh!"