Chapter 119: Ishigami, a True Man
Chapter three was done, so they could relax a bit now.
Leaving the school gate, Eriri, who was already basically holding hands with Kaede outside, walked with light, joyful steps and said, "Kaede-kun, we're going to the art museum the day after tomorrow. What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, huh? Do you want to go out and play, Eriri?"
Eriri shook her head repeatedly and said, "I don't want to. The weather is already getting a bit warm. If we go out, shopping malls or similar places are fine, but I'd rather not go outside and bask in the sun. I don't want my skin to get tanned. Even if I use sunscreen, it can't be 100% avoided."
"In that case, let's stick to the original plan. Should I come to your house this week?" Kaede looked at the girl beside him and smiled, "Last time, Mr. Spencer even told me to visit more often."
"Ugh... Come if you want to. It's not like I object."
Eriri lifted her slightly flushed face, smiling brightly as she looked at Kaede.
Originally, Eriri hadn't understood how Kaede managed to hit it off with her father so quickly, and not just by discussing otaku topics like manga and games. She later learned from her mother that before his first visit, Kaede had contacted her and asked about topics Mr. Spencer enjoyed discussing, doing a lot of preparation. Furthermore, he had continuously followed various news stories afterward, just so he would have things to talk about during casual chats.
Eriri was deeply touched when she learned about this, realizing that Kaede genuinely wanted to get along better with her family. The topics he discussed with her dad were not only uninteresting to her but also to her mother, Sawamura Sayuri.
Looking at Eriri's smile, Kaede gently pinched her cheek and said, "Hmm... it's still early. Should we go check out the game store? It's been a while since we bought a new game, hasn't it?"
"Sounds great! Let's go, let's go!"
And so, the two didn't go anywhere else, heading straight to the game store where Eriri had first revealed her hobby.
Upon arrival, the boss was the same as before. Seeing the two holding hands, the boss, like a seasoned veteran, smiled and gave Kaede a thumbs-up.
Kaede returned the smile, and then Eriri dragged him into the store to look for games.
"Don't rush, Eriri."
"Ugh... I knew we shouldn't have come to this store. The boss recognizes us!"
"Hahaha, since we're already here, don't worry about it so much." Stopping in front of the NS game section, Kaede immediately picked up a box marked "NEW."
*Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night*, the game crowdfunded and produced by Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi, had now been released.
Kaede had played many games from the Castlevania series when he was young. Both the replayability and difficulty were excellent, making it one of his favorite game series.
Since this spiritual successor was now out, he definitely had to buy a copy.
"Bloodstained, huh? I'll buy a copy too. It's been a long time since I played a game like this. The last one I played was that indie game, Hollow Knight."
Seeing the game in Kaede's hand, Eriri picked up a copy as well. Although they could easily share one game and take turns playing, Eriri sometimes wanted to compete with Kaede on their progress, which required two copies.
Besides that, Eriri also grabbed a copy of *Attack on Titan 2* for the NS. Kaede had played the prequel and wasn't interested in this installment.
"Anything else... doesn't seem like it."
After looking around, Eriri said a little dejectedly, "God Eater 3 won't be released for a few more days, and Fire Emblem isn't coming out until the end of July."
"The two games you have now are enough to keep you busy, and don't forget we have final exams coming up."
"Ugh... Kaede-kun, don't say such depressing things while we're browsing the game store!"
"Alright, alright, my bad. Let's go check out the PS games over there."
After walking to the other side, the two once again saw someone they had met before: a boy whose left eye was covered by half his bangs, who was currently focused on selecting a game.
Kaede and Eriri exchanged glances. Eriri whispered, "Kaede-kun, should we say hello?"
Kaede nodded, "Let's say hi. If we didn't know him, it wouldn't matter, but we know who he is now."
Then, he led Eriri over.
"Hello, Ishigami-kun."
"?"
Ishigami Yuu, who was selecting a game, paused, turned his head, and looked at Kaede and Eriri, realizing they were not students from his school.
"And you are?"
"Hello, I am Kaede, and this is Sawamura Spencer Eriri. We are students from Toyogasaki Academy. We know your name because of Senior Shirogane."
"The President?"
Hearing Shirogane Miyuki mentioned, Ishigami Yuu finally lowered his initial guard. He looked at the two and asked, "You know the President?"
Kaede nodded and said, "Senior Shirogane works part-time at the same restaurant as one of my classmates, and we got to know each other through that. We also met Shinomiya-senpai and Fujiwara-senpai, who are also part of your Student Council. I didn't expect to meet the remaining Student Council Treasurer, Ishigami-kun, today."
"Shinomiya-senpai and Fujiwara-senpai? I see. You must be the interesting juniors Fujiwara-senpai mentioned before."
Ishigami Yuu recalled the conversation, put down the game in his hand, and said seriously, "Hello. I am Ishigami Yuu, a first-year student at Shuchiin, and I serve as the Student Council Treasurer."
After introductions, they were officially acquainted.
Ishigami Yuu looked at the two in front of him, rubbed his stomach, and said, "Are you two on a date? It's quite rare to date at a game store."
Although the two weren't holding hands right now, Ishigami Yuu immediately inferred their relationship status from the subtle interactions since they met—they were definitely dating.
"It's not exactly a date. We both really like playing games, so we came here to browse after club activities. It's been a while since we bought new games."
Saying this, Kaede showed him the game he was holding.
"Ah, Bloodstained. It's certainly a good game. Although the NS version wasn't well optimized at first, it has been patched now. I bought it and pulled an all-nighter to finish it. It's definitely worth playing."
Listening to Ishigami Yuu's explanation, Kaede smiled and said, "Just as Senior Shirogane said, you really are a heavy gamer. Ishigami-kun, aren't you busy with Student Council work today? I heard Senior Shirogane say things tend to be very hectic."
"As the Treasurer, I'm not busy every day. I occasionally manage to find some free time."
While selecting games, Ishigami Yuu boldly stated, "Since I never know when Shinomiya-senpai might assassinate me, I should play as many games as possible in the limited time I have."
"..."
The trauma Shinomiya Kaguya has inflicted on you must be truly massive.