Chapter 17: The game competition at the arcade.
When asked this question, Hagiwara Kenji actually thought for a while about who he preferred.
If we're talking about who gets along better, it's definitely Jinpei-chan. They've known each other longer, and their homes are close by—of course, the importance of friends can't be judged solely by such things.
So, if Jinpei-chan and Sora'aki-chan both fell into the water, he would save them... Hmm, Jinpei-chan can swim, but what about Sora'aki-chan? Can he swim?
Having noticed this blind spot, Hagiwara Kenji asked curiously, "Speaking of which, does Sora'aki-chan know how to swim?"
The topic shifted so quickly that Morofushi Sora'aki paused for a moment before answering, "Yes."
"That's great! Let's go to the swimming pool together next time!" Hagiwara Kenji immediately invited.
Morofushi Sora'aki hesitated for a moment, but still nodded.
Seeing through Hagiwara Kenji's intention to change the subject after the sudden change of topic, Matsuda Jinpei snorted, "If this continues, you'll never be able to outmaneuver Hagiwara, Lucky."
Morofushi Sora'aki puffed out his cheeks and said unhappily, "Don't call me Lucky."
That was a nickname his family would occasionally use, and it always felt strange to hear Matsuda call him that.
"I called you Raki, short for Sora'aki, not Lucky," Matsuda Jinpei casually replied. "So I didn't call you Lucky-chan."
That's clearly sophistry, okay? "Raki" and "Lucky" are homophones; nobody can tell which one you're referring to. Besides, "Lucky" is a nickname specifically because of that syllable. Even Sora'aki-chan wouldn't...
Morofushi Sora'aki was persuaded.
The cat-eyed boy took a bite of the cake and hummed, "As long as it's not Lucky, it's fine."
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
"...No, at this level, you can't even beat Jinpei-chan, Sora'aki-chan." Hagiwara Kenji propped his forehead up, wanting to retort but not knowing how.
"Hmm?" Morofushi Sora'aki didn't pay attention to Hagiwara Kenji's words. After not getting a reply, he skipped it and said, "However, Matsuda is really good at being lazy. He calls Hagiwara 'Hagi' and me 'Raki.' Don't you think those two syllables sound a lot similar?"
"Yeah—and why is Sora'aki-chan's name and mine is just my surname!" Hagiwara Kenji complained, "It feels so unfamiliar!"
"It's not as convenient as Hagi in my second year of graduate school, so I suggest declining." Matsuda Jinpei yawned. "If that's not okay, then I can call Morofushi 'Moro' from now on, alright?"
Morofushi Sora'aki frowned: "...It feels so strange."
"It's because both of your surnames have four syllables, making them too long to pronounce." Matsuda Jinpei pushed the pudding that had just been served in front of him towards Morofushi Sora'aki: "I don't want it, you can have it."
"...Who was it that said they wanted something sweet before?"
"In short, it wasn't me." Matsuda Jinpei said coolly.
Morofushi Sora'aki was about to speak when Matsuda Jinpei stopped him with a look. Looking at the pudding in front of him, Morofushi Sora'aki decided to accept the bribe and remained silent.
Hagiwara Kenji, who had originally hoped that Morofushi Sora'aki would tell the truth, immediately pushed the mille-feuille in front of him in front of Morofushi Sora'aki upon seeing this scene: "Alright, it's a draw! Sora'aki-chan, tell the truth!"
Morofushi Sora'aki, biting his fork, looked at the three desserts in front of him, including his own, and said sincerely, "Although I do need to eat dessert, I'll get tired of eating too much at once."
After rejecting Hagiwara Kenji with those words, Morofushi Sora'aki stabbed the mille-feuille with a fork.
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
Hagiwara Kenji: "If you're going to get tired of it, then give me back my mille-feuille..."
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at him with disapproval: "Since you've already given it to me, you shouldn't take it back. Hagiwara is so stingy."
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei: "...Pfft."
Hagiwara Kenji was tired. He didn't want to talk anymore. He blanked out his mind. Why should he discuss this kind of thing with these two idiots?
"But speaking of which, judging by the way you eat, Morofushi, you must have quite a lot of pocket money." Matsuda Jinpei said, looking at Morofushi Sora'aki.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "Hmm."
He has quite a lot of pocket money, after all, he doesn't go to school or go out. He saves the pocket money his mother gives him, plus the New Year's money he receives every year, so his savings are quite substantial.
However, the cost of living is different in different worlds. His expenses in this world are considered as rewards he received after completing his first ten missions.
This is one of the reasons why he always felt this place was a game. After all, the way to make money is so gamified. Whenever he wants money, he just needs to think of a keyword and a suitable amount will appear in his pocket.
Moreover, after he finishes using it, the amount he has left will decrease accordingly.
It's really a game, so it's normal for him to misunderstand.
I had several opportunities before that I didn't need to use money, but I ended up spending it all on this world.
Come to think of it, the system hasn't given him any tasks in a very, very long time. This thought flashed through Morofushi Sora'aki's mind, and then he naturally let it go.
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"Oh, right, about that thing you asked me before." With a bit of cream still on his lips, Morofushi Sora'aki said in his usual tone, "I'm going to study high school here with you."
School was too boring for him, and he wanted to play with Hagiwara and Matsuda, but he couldn't explain it to his mother. So, even if it was troublesome, it was just going through high school twice, which wasn't a big deal for him.
Since he doesn't have much elementary or middle school experience anyway, he can just treat it as a high school experience to make up for it.
Upon hearing Morofushi Sora'aki's words, both Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei's eyes lit up: "Great!"
"Wow, then we should start thinking about which school to attend!"
"There's still a year left, what's the rush?"
"There's only one year left—our choice concerns Sora'aki-chan!"
"...No, Morofushi obviously doesn't care what he reads, right?"
"Jinpei-chan, you're still the same old you, not giving me any face. At least we need to show a warm enough welcome so that Sora'aki-chan can feel truly at home!"
"...Are you a waiter or waitress?"
Morofushi Sora'aki watched them fool around, wiped the cream off his face with his fingers, licked his fingertips, and asked, "Want to go to the arcade?"
"Go!"
After finalizing their plans, Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei became noticeably more active, clearly both quite happy about attending the same high school.
The arcade environment was always noisy, with eyes and ears constantly bombarded with information. Morofushi Sora'aki put on noise-canceling earplugs and stood next to Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei. The two were holding a rather exquisite-looking toy gun, aiming it at the blurry zombie on the screen.
After finishing the game, Hagiwara Kenji brandished his gun, then tossed his hair and asked Morofushi Sora'aki, "Still not playing?"
"Yes, I promised my brother I can't play yet." Morofushi Sora'aki replied.
...Even though the older brother is a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer, he doesn't allow his younger brother to play with guns—so did he realize he was leading his younger brother astray, and decided to correct this? Hagiwara Kenji thought to himself.
"There's more to the arcade than just this." Matsuda Jinpei's blue eyes shone brightly under the arcade lights. "We hadn't decided a winner yet!"
Hagiwara Kenji rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "Ha—you mean racing? That's my forte!"
Morofushi Sora'aki took out game coins: "Let's begin."
The three people chose a racing game device that could be linked with the game, and after entering their accounts, the expressions on their faces changed.
Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei need no further introduction, and even Morofushi Sora'aki, who usually appears well-behaved and quiet, revealed a sharp and piercing aura in his upturned blue cat eyes this time.
The three people gripped the steering wheel, chose their preferred car model, and stepped on the accelerator. At the very moment the game started, the three cars of different colors sped forward from the screen.
Before long, their car overtook the other NPC vehicles, as well as several other linked accounts!
There were no shortcuts on this track, so the three people and three cars were squeezed together. Morofushi Sora'aki had memorized the route before the start and was ready at a bend, blocking the other two cars' chance to sprint! With a whoosh, he drifted past them!
Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei became even more excited at that moment. The two of them adjusted their direction and track in perfect unison. Although they did not communicate at all, they surrounded Morofushi Sora'aki's car from the left and right! The collision of the vehicles made a piercing sound. After Morofushi Sora'aki's car was unable to break free, the other two cars immediately accelerated!
Morofushi Sora'aki pursed his lips, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and all other thoughts disappeared from his mind, leaving only the three cars colliding on the screen!
As a result, just as one player was trying to take a shortcut, the three players who had been hindering each other immediately rammed into the outgoing car, overturning it—
"Damn it! I lost to Hagi again!"
"Haha! I told you, you guys can't beat me at driving!"
"..." Morofushi Sora'aki looked at his third-place ranking and puffed out his cheeks unhappily.
Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei noticed their friend's frustration and put their arms around Morofushi Sora'aki's shoulders: "Alright, it's not the first time you've lost to Hagiwara anyway."
"Haha, after all, Sora'aki-chan used to be a good boy, he hasn't been exposed to these things much—"
"It's because the games here are so outdated that I can't practice my skills in my own world!" Morofushi Sora'aki thought to himself, frustrated.
However, a game like this, with its wins and losses, isn't boring. Morofushi Sora'aki's lips, which had been pursed, subtly curled upwards slightly.
The arcade's lights were glaring, and the equipment hadn't been updated much.
Morofushi Sora'aki's raised the black sniper rifle connected to the arcade equipment, aimed it at the enemies appearing on the screen, and shot one after another in the direction the scope was pointing, hitting their foreheads and hearts. The red color lingered on the screen for a few seconds before suddenly flashing and disappearing.
After the round ended, Morofushi Sora'aki held the sniper rifle in his hand, his eyes slightly lowered, a strand of black bangs falling from his ear, his blue cat-like eyes slanted upwards, exuding a calm yet sharp quality.
Morofushi Sora'aki, 16 years old.
"You're old enough to play with guns now," Hagiwara Kenji, a middle school graduate, joked with a smile. Matsuda Jinpei stood to the side, leaning against the railing, a smirk playing on his lips.
Morofushi Sora'aki lowered the sniper rifle connected to the device, and raised his blue cat-eye camera, reflecting the words "Game Victory" on the game screen.
"Um."