.
.
.
The Game Research Society's clubroom was on the second floor of the Club Building. As its name might suggest, the Club Building was the building that housed all the clubrooms, whether the Drama Club, Karate club, or our Folk Music Research Club.
"Is it here?"
We stood around the end of the hallway on the second floor, and looked up at the nameplate on the door. The name "Game Research Society" was written on the plate.
"Alright then… shall we go?"
I looked over at Kuroneko, and saw her give me a nod. I pushed the door open.
When we went inside, a bizarre sight greeted our eyes. What was the best way to put this into words…? Well… the first thing that caught my attention was the bunch of black wires wriggling their way across the floor.
There were also a bunch of long tables stuck together to form a larger table. And there were around three of those in the room. On top of the tables were monitors, various gaming consoles, and laptops. The desktop CPUs were placed under the desk, probably to save space. It was spring, but the air conditioning was on, probably to offset the heat the computers likely gave off. This strange neither-hot-nor-cold atmosphere permeated the room.
There were around four or five people in the room. Everyone was male. Each person in the room was handling a keyboard, or a mouse, or a controller, and was busy doing their own things. But the few people closest to the door noticed our entrance, and turned their eyes in our direction.
The male student sitting closest to us immediately stood up and walked towards us.
"Welcome to The Game Research Society."
"Hello."
Kuroneko showed no signs of talking, so I was the one who responded.
"My name is Shion Nanashima, and I'm a second year."
"I'm Naruto Namikaze, and I'm also second year. This is Ruri Gokou, and she's in her first too."
When I said her name, Kuroneko gave a slight nod.
"It's very nice to meet you."
"It's very nice to meet you too."
Nanashima-kun definitely was a pretty good person. He has tousled blond hair, pale-amber eyes and surprisingly, for an Otaku he has a slightly muscular physique.
"Well, let me introduce our club president right away."
"Okay"
Nanashima led us inside the clubroom. And the farther we walked into the room, the more messy things became. And what's more, there were eroge boxes and figures publically displayed on top of the desks. Yet, this person was also the club president… he must be a pretty huge otaku.
And then, I saw the game sitting at the top of his mountain of eroge.
"… Isn't that Oniai…?" And, isn't this figure of Sharo, the Oniai heroine…?
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Ah, no, nothing at all…"
Why have I played the same game that this through-and-through otaku club president has? Not good. At some point, I might have honestly crossed over the bridge of no return…
"Hey Prez. Namikaze-san and Gokou-san are here."
Nanashima-kun stopped in the deepest part of the room and called out to someone. The person in question was hunched over and busily working away at something, but he sluggishly stood up.
"Ah, nice job." Giving Nanashima his thanks, this person turned to look at us.
… You know, I get the feeling that I've definitely seen this person somewhere…
I narrowed my eyes and stared at the president. His hair was pitch black, he wore glasses, and he was pretty thin… what was it…? Where have I seen him before…? I tried racking my brains, but I came up empty. He greeted us.
"I'm Miura. A third year. I'm the Game Research Society presi —"
Once he caught a glimpse of my face, he cut off his words mid-sentence. He frowned, looking puzzled… and then in the next moment, his eyes opened wide.
"Ah! Y-You! I thought I'd seen you before!"
"Huh?"
"You were the one who borrowed my Rize-tan bike at the late-night eroge sale, weren't you?!"
"Ahhh! You, you're that guy!? The one who had that otaku jacket!? It's no wonder we have the same game! I remember now! So this is what you looked like!? And you're a student!? But you look so damn old!"
"Don't call me old you bastard!"
As the president and I pointed at each other, Kuroneko stared at us as if she were looking at something dirty and spoke up.
"… A friend of yours?"
"Huh? Uhh, no, not exactly a friend…"
How exactly should I explain this to her? While I tried to find the right words, the club president came at me.
"What the hell are you playing dumb for!? Give me back my bike, asshole!"
"Aahh! Sorry!"
Clap! I clapped my two hands together in front of me and apologized.
"I went back to Akiba Station a lot of times after that to return the bike! But I couldn't find you…!"
"Ah, really?"
All signs of anger vanished from the club president's face. He began to scratch the back of his head.
"Ahh, well, if you tried to get it back to me, then it's fine. I don't know the details, but your sister was in trouble, right? And I mean, I was so busy trying to look cool back then that I forgot to even give you my name and address! So I guess it's no wonder you couldn't get my bike back to me!"
"… I'm really, really sorry." I bowed my head over and over again in shame. Ugh, a sense of guilt just filled up my chest. The only reason we'd gotten into this mess was because I promised him I would return the bike… I'm the worst.
And then, the president spoke in a tone you would expect from a newlywed husband worrying about his wife.
"It's fine, it's fine… but more importantly, my Rize-tan bike… are you treating her well? She hasn't caught a cold or anything, right?"
"Please don't worry. She's in our garage, covered with a plastic sheet."
I went all the way to a bike shop in the next town, and even got some maintenance done on her. After all, she was an important item I was entrusted with. And please, just try to imagine my dashing figure handing over this otaku bike to the girl who ran the bike shop.
"Alright. I'll come by today to grab it then."
"Got it."
The other club members occasionally glanced over at us while the president and I were talking.
"Hey… prez. How do you know Namikaze?" Nanashima-kun took the initiative and asked that question.
The club president, the same person I had met at that late-night sale wearing an otaku jacket, stood straight up, and put his arms around my shoulders without a care in the world. He gave a huge smile, his canines showing as he did.
"As a matter of fact, we're comrades who loved the same woman!"
"Don't put it in a way that might get misunderstood!"
See!? Kuroneko's stare is just getting colder and colder! Nanashima-kun glared at the president, his eyes half-lidded, and his cheek twitching in annoyance.
"Don't worry, Namikaze. The president always makes terrible jokes like this. We're all aware of it. From context, he was talking about eroge, right? That is, that Namikaze-senpai and our president both love the same 2D girl in an eroge, right?"
"Wrong! You still got the most important part wrong!"
This guy… how he could misinterpret things in the worst possible light was really pretty irritating.
"Oh? I thought you were both interested in the same thing, and collect dakimakura of characters and things like that. Am I wrong? He said you were comrades, so I thought that you also seriously falls in love with 2D girls like our president does."
"I like girls with flesh and bone, thank you very much!"
What the hell are you making me say!? Also, what the hell am I saying in the middle of the damn school!? Kuroneko's sub-zero glare pierced me straight through.
"… Let's stop there, if you please. This is disgusting and an earsore. But please give us a simple explanation. Exactly how do you know this person?"
"I met him in line at a late-night eroge sale."
Finding no other way out, I just told her the truth. Kuroneko should be able to guess that I was there only because my sister asked me to be there. By which I mean, please God, I hope she guesses that.
The club president quickly nodded his agreement with my explanation.
"Ah, right, I promised myself that I would ask you if I ever met you again. What happened after that? Did you get that eroge to your hospital-ridden, terminally ill sister?"
"So suddenly I have a terminally ill sister, huh…?"
"Getting eroge to a terminally ill sister… what on earth are you two talking about?"
I had no idea how to respond to Nanashima-kun's icy-cold interruption.
And I guess if you count "little sister moe" as a terminal disease, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that my sister was terminally ill. But I can imagine how it would be incredibly confusing listening to me and the club president talk as a bystander. Also, I guess I never went into details with the president either, that night of the sale.
"Umm… it's a bit hard to explain, but… yeah I got it safely to her. Miura Senpai, please let me thank you again. I'm really grateful for what you did for me back there."
I bowed, and the president shook his head.
"Ah, no, it was nothing."
He gave me a friendly chuckle and patted me on the shoulders.
"Well, anyways, this… Namikaze, was it? We're great friends."
"You're great friends, but you didn't even know his name? Well, whatever…"
There was a feeling of resignation in each and every one of Nanashima-kun's words. I got the feeling that these two have had this type of exchange countless times before.
"Also, Namikaze. I'm sure you've had this on your mind, so please allow me to explain. This person has been held back a grade quite a few times. That's why he looks so old."
Ah, so that's why. He can throw in a snarky response when the occasion arises, but he's also good at explaining things… Nanashima-kun, you're a great mediator, you know that?
"Hey, Nana-chan, don't just go and blurt out other people's personal histories like that. You're making me blush."
"You don't have to blush. Just show some shame and graduate already."
"You know, I've always thought this, but your little retorts are always so dry. You really should learn from Naruto here."
The club president finally took his hands off my shoulders, crossed his arms, and gave out a booming laugh. He certainly laughed pretty often. Also, even though we had just met, he was already calling me by my first name only.
"Not only do we have our new star player here, but to think I would be able to meet with my comrade again… today is indeed a good day."
"I'm glad I met you again too." This was my lucky day.
The Game Research Society president, Miura Senpai, was my savior and was every bit as weird as he looked… but he was a very good person. If you trust my opinion that is. And for now, I guess I could trust him and leave my cute Kouhai in his care.
"…"
Although, the Kuroneko in question had been standing there, giving me and the club president this icy stare for this entire time.
"W-What?"
"… Nothing… you've become quite the otaku when I wasn't looking, haven't you Senpai?"
I couldn't say a word in response.
I wonder what my past self would say if he saw me today. He probably wouldn't believe that who he was looking at was the same person.
"Allllllllrighty then."
The president gave a huge, extravagant stretch and pushed his glasses up.
"Welcome to the Game Research Society, you two."
Next, the club president explained to us exactly what the Game Research Society did.
"Here, we make doujin games and participate in events. By the way, you two, do you know what we mean when we say 'doujin' and 'event'?"
He had directed the question at me, so I answered for myself and for Kuroneko.
"Yeah, we understand. More or less."
"Have you gone to any?"
"I've only been to one. This girl's been to quite a few, though."
"Ah, then I'll just skip the explanations for those. That's good. It makes the conversation easier. Umm, well, our main activity is making doujin games. Though, on paper, we're technically a club that engages in 'cultural activities.'"
The president looked around the room.
"And, in terms of making these games, it's not like every club member participates in that. Actually, we have a lot of ghost members in this club, and besides us, the only other people who come every day are the two over there."
"Hey."
"Yo."
Two chubby-looking people in the room working on their PCs looked at us and raised their hands. The club president looked back at us.
"We're going to have a welcoming reception for all the new members, and all the club members will be here. I'll definitely introduce you to everyone then."
"Sure."
They have lots of ghost members… this was a pretty half-assed club, wasn't it? Seeming to read my mind, Nanashima-kun explained further.
"You could say our club is pretty free, or flexible. But it's not like we're doing things half-heartedly. Each and every club member finds a game they want to make and tries their best to make it."
"And you can even make an eroge if you want. Right, Nana-chan?"
"Prez, please be a bit more tactful. I'm trying to get them to know a bit about our club's good points, but you're spoiling all of it. Also, don't I always tell you that playing eroge inside the clubroom isn't allowed? So why do you still have to go out of your way to play them here? Play them at home, please."
"Don't ask such tasteless questions, Nana-chan… if you have a woman you love, wouldn't you want to always be with that woman? I'm not proud of it, but sometimes I even play in the classroom during break times."
This guy was seriously crazy.
"Prez, even if you try to act cool about it, that doesn't make it any less creepy. There are girls in your class too, so please have a bit more respect."
"Ugh, shut up. You my mom or something?"
Just watching this exchange was enough to understand what roles the president and Nanashima-kun played in the club.
"Also, trying to make it sound better isn't going to work. No matter how you look at it, our club is pretty half-assed. And there's no point in trying to get someone to join without having them understand exactly what they're joining. Right?"
"… That may be true, but even then, there's something to be said about choosing the right words. Umm… Namikaze, our president might put it that way, but there are definitely people who are serious about making games here. Of course, there are also people who only talk about games, and there are also people who only show up every so often."
"Yeah, I get the feeling that this club is pretty laid back. But there are also more motivated people who work hard?"
"Yes."
"So, that means… well, I had band, so I have to take practice. So it's alright if I join as more of a ghost member? Or rather, it's alright if I only show my face occasionally?"
"We'd welcome you with open arms. After all, if you'd allow me to speak about it from a more financial point of view, even the ghost members pay club dues."
If that's how things worked, then if Kuroneko joined the club, I'd go with that option. Kuroneko hadn't said a word for a while, and I turned to her.
"Come on…"
"…"
Kuroneko sunk deep into thought with her head facing downward. She then glanced around the clubroom, inspecting the club members, before finally looking up at the club president and muttering.
"Then… you're saying that you aren't that interested in making games?"
"Absolutely not! I'm making games with all my strength!"
The club president puffed out his chest. I could not sense any lie from his words. Kuroneko continued her questioning with her emotionless tone.
"… And what genre do you focus on? STG, am I right?"
"Nah, I'll make anything."
"What tools do you work with?"
"We should have all the necessities. We have the equipment, the software… and also the books. Technical books. All the books in that shelf over there are free to be taken out by any of our club members."
When he said that they were "free to be taken out," Kuroneko seemed slightly surprised.
"… But you couldn't have covered the cost of all of those with your club dues alone."
"Well, that's true. I paid for them all myself. I mean, think about what it's like being in junior high school or high school. You don't really have enough money to buy technical books that cost a few thousand yen, and when it comes to expensive software like Photoshop, there are plenty of people who wouldn't be able to use those programs even if they wanted to. I was like that too."
The president spoke like an adult, even though he was also a high school student. Exactly how old was he?
"I mean, if someone's really motivated, they could get a part-time job and prepare all the tools they would need to make games. But it's frustrating when you have to pay for your education too. When I was a first year, I thought about this all while I was working for a moving company. I thought, wouldn't it be nice if there could be a clubroom that had all the tools you needed to make games, and a bunch of fellow people who wanted to make and study games?"
The president showed us his teeth and gave us an eerie chuckle. And he readily made his next statement.
"So I tried to make that club."
"… I see."
Kuroneko fell into silence once again. She slowly looked around at the equipment in the room and the bookshelves. I didn't know what Kuroneko was thinking after hearing about the history of the club. But, I was pretty sure I knew what she wanted to say, so I said it in her place.
"This girl is interested in making games."
"Oh? So, what can you do? Can you code? Can you draw? Compose music? I'm assuming you're not saying that you just want to write scenarios because that's all you can do, right?"
Babble babble babble babble. The president let loose a string of words I didn't really understand. Kuroneko gave her response without hesitation.
"… All of those."
"All of those… you can do all of those things?"
"… Well, I'm not too certain what would qualify as being able to do those things… but at the very least, there's no need to teach me everything from square one."
Kuroneko spoke timidly, but the president seemed really impressed.
"Hey hey Nana-chan. She's quite a lucky find, isn't she?"
"Yeah." Nanashima-kun looked pretty proud of himself.
Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but I think I need to remind you of something.
"Hey, remember, she hasn't decided to join yet."
Kuroneko picked one of the technical books close to her up, and began flipping through it.
"… What do you think? It doesn't seem to be that strict of a club… do you want to try it out?"
"… It seems they have software and equipment I don't have here. And it seems that to some extent, I'll be free to work on what I want. It could be slightly better than working alone at home… so it may not be a bad idea to spend some of my game-making time here…"
The president and Nanashima exchanged glances and smiled broadly.
I chuckled internally. After all, I could imagine exactly how Kuroneko was going to respond in the next moment.
"Please don't look so happy. If I find that this club is no use to me, I will quit… I don't have that much free time, you know."
See? She's blushing.
(◕ω◕✿)
I began to go to the game club around twice every week. Because I had to practice with my band, so it was the very best I could do to make it to club twice a week.
And yes, the original first priority was to get Kuroneko into a club in order to find her friends who had the same hobby… but at this point, I didn't really know how well that would go.
After all, at quick glance, it seemed that the game club had no girls in it. And in the end, it would be best if she ended up making friends with people of the same gender, and in the same grade. Ideally, she would make friends with her classmates. I mean, if she didn't do that, she would just continue to be left out during PE class when people got paired off, and it was because I didn't want that to happen that I tried to help in the first place.
We left the clubroom, and we began to walk down the hall when I tried to get some information out of Kuroneko indirectly.
"Are any of your classmates in the club?"
"… Who knows? It's not as if I remember each and every one of my classmates' faces."
Just look at this. This is why she can't make friends.
Looks like I'm out of options. Well… it was time to beg others for help. In fact, the face of the person who I thought could help me out the best in this situation had already clearly appeared in my mind.
Soon, it was lunch break the following day. I began to walk to class 2-C room to meet with "that person" as soon as possible.
"Huh? You're asking me if my club has first-year girls as members…?"
"Yeah. I figured you'd know."
Yes. The person I had gone to for help was the game club member, Nanashima-kun. He cocked his head to the side and tossed me back a question.
"Why exactly are you asking, Namikaze? You looking to seduce one of them or something? Even though you already have a beautiful girlfriend."
"Huh? Girlfriend?"
"Weiss Schnee, of course. Am I wrong?"
His words threw me completely off-guard, so I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"N-No… we're not like that. but, do we look like we are?"
"Yes, you both pretty famous you know, the entire school know it."
So it seemed we did. I see. So we looked like we were like that…
"Well, that's fine then. So why exactly are you asking me that?"
"Ah, well, it's just that when Gokou's only surrounded by boys, I think it's difficult for she to be there."
Nanashima-kun seemed to be the type to want to stay on topic. Not that I didn't like that.
"Well, if that's the case, then we do have Serinuma in the club, who's a first-year girl."
"… Serinuma?"
"Yes. She prety cute girl and her full name is Kae Serinuma."
Hmm… t-that's quite a familiar-sounding last name…
"Was that girl in the clubroom when we were there?"
"No, she wasn't."
"Hmm. Well, is there anybody else? It doesn't have to be someone in her class, but any other first-year girl would be fine."
"There aren't any more. The girls do tend to join the Drama Club more, so…"
"I see."
So, it looked like my only option was to make sure that this girl with the familiar last name and Kuroneko got along really well.
"By the way, what kind of girl is she?"
"Serinuma, you mean? Well… I guess… from just a glance, she really doesn't seem like an otaku."
"Hmm. But, I guess… in the end, she is an otaku, right? After all, you guys tried to recruit her into the game club because she was really good at games, right?"
"Yeah… I guess that's what you would expect." Nanashima-kun gave me a dry chuckle.
"That girl is amazing at games, but she never talks about them at all. Even when she comes to club, all she does is read technical books or stare at the computer screen… I haven't really even talked to her much. Honestly, I still don't know exactly why she chose to join the club."
"Is she hard to get along with?"
"Hmm… well, I mean, we barely have any other girls in the club. So I guess it's not a surprise that she feels a bit hard to talk to…"
"Ah, so it's like that. It's really pretty tough to be the only girl in a crowd of boys…"
"Yes, it really is. So it was really a godsend for Gokou to also join our club. We also have a few second-year girls in the club, but they barely ever show up."
I see. I feel like I understand a little better about why exactly they was so desperate in trying to get Kuroneko to join the club. It wasn't just because they wanted to recruit a really talented female gamer, but probably because they wanted to do something for that girl in the club who tended to isolate herself. If that's the case… then I think our goals were one and the same.
"It'd be nice if Gokou and that Serinuma girl could become friends, wouldn't it? For both of them."
"Yes, definitely."
Information gathering complete. We faced each other for a while and fell into thought. After a while, Nanashima-kun hit his fist into his open balm.
"Ah, right. In that case, how about this?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know about our new member welcome party?"
"I think the president might have mentioned something about that."
"Our club plans to have ours this weekend. So, if we can get Gokou and Serinuma to sit close to each other, that'll encourage them to start talking and they'll become friends, right?"
Probably not. I think Nanashima-kun was giving Kuroneko's communication skills way too much credit. If we used a plan like that, we would have to be close by as safety nets.
"I see… that's not a bad idea at all."
"Then let's do that."
"Yeah. Ahh, but I'm really sorry, imposing on you like this even though we've only just met."
"I don't mind Namikaze." Nanashima-kun gave me a gentle smile.
Geez. It really seems like there are a lot of reliable people around me these days.
After school that day, I plan to meet Koroneko. That girl usually tried to get back as soon as possible, so if I headed straight for the shoeboxes at the building entrance after the last homeroom, there was a good chance I would run into her.
And so, when I hurried towards the shoeboxes today, I saw Kuroneko on the landing between the first and second floors. But she didn't seem like she was on her way out of the building.
She stood there without any expression on her face, sweeping the floor with a broom.
"Ah, it's your turn to clean up today?"
"… Yes it is."
Kuroneko paid me a single glance. Even while she looked at me, her hands didn't stop moving as she swept the broom across the landing. She was pretty good at that. I imagined that she must be used to doing this at home.
"Where are all the other people who are supposed to sweep the stairs?"
Kuroneko completely ignored my question, and just continued her work.
I went down the stairs, walked right down the hallway, and headed towards the other set of stairs in this school building. I walked up those stairs to the very top, walked down the hallway on the top floor, and then headed back to the first set of stairs.
Walking down those stairs, I finished the loop and returned to where Kuroneko was.
… It was exactly as I thought.
The territory the first years had to cover for cleaning the stairs was the staircase the Kuroneko was working on, as well as the staircase on the other end of the building. I took a look at the other set of stairs too… but there was nobody there. All the other people charged with cleaning the stairs had left it all to Kuroneko alone and had all gone home.
This wasn't that uncommon of an occurrence, and it wasn't serious enough to be considered bullying.
They might have just left because they thought it was too annoying, and even if they really were doing it out of ill will, they probably just wanted to play a mean joke on their unsociable classmate who always left the earliest. Compared to the sudden death eroge and ero book traps that a certain brute had set for me, this was completely, utterly tame.
And I might be repeating myself, but Kuroneko was the one who chose to be antisocial, through that crucial period right after one enters a new school. So she was to blame for some of this, and she was reaping what she sowed. There wasn't any room for me to feel sympathy. There wasn't any room, but…
I brought brooms and dustpans Then started to sweep the stairs, starting with the staircase opposite to Kuroneko's. When I'm mostly done with the cleaning and just collecting the trash on the staircase landing, Kuroneko showed up.
The minute she found me, her eyes widened for a moment. And then her expression sharpened.
"… What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm cleaning the stairs."
I gave her a nonchalant answer, and poured the contents of my dustpan into the garbage bag. My casual attitude seemed to get on her nerves. Kuroneko's tone became even harsher.
"… This does not please me at all. Are you trying to take pity on me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. You couldn't stand watching me cleaning alone, so you went off to do this, correct? It is none of your concern. Do I really have to tell you that every time?"
No. That's exactly what I thought you would say. That's why I started on the other set of stairs.
"Well, sorry then. But, I've already pretty much finished up here. So, I guess you'll have to forgive me today."
Kuroneko fiercely bit her lower lip. Her pride made it very difficult for her to accept my kindness at a time like this. But I'd known she wouldn't like what I was doing, and I was forcing my kindness onto her even knowing that. Rias probably would've been able to figure out some better way to do this without getting her angry, but I didn't know any. I apologize for that. But… even I didn't know she would get this angry.
"Don't expect any thanks for this."
"Of course I don't. I just did this because I felt like it."
At that, Kuroneko's eyes narrowed. There was an awkward silence. Then, she spoke in a heavy tone.
"You said once before that you weren't lying when you said that you worried about me, right?"
"Yeah. I wasn't lying."
"Ah, is that so? Yes, I understand now. That you certainly, certainly, certainly, certainly were not lying. However… I wonder, have you ever thought about where exactly those feelings come from? Or rather… have you realized it, but you're just pretending not to know?"
What exactly is she trying to say? Feeling pinned down by this pressure, all I could do was keep looking at her.
"… I thought I would spare you the pain and not say this to you, but having things like this happening so often is very troublesome, so I will tell you exactly where those feelings come from."
Standing above me on the staircase, Kuroneko looked down at me haughtily and pointed a finger right at me.
"The reason you seem to care about me is because the sister you used to go out of your way to help so much has left. And I am your junior, a girl, and seem to have my own set of problems. I seem to be the kind of person that would rely on you, and that is the only reason you care."
After that, Kuroneko turned sharply on her heels.
"I am no substitute for your sister. So do not take me for an idiot, please."
And after spitting out those final words, Kuroneko strode away and left.
(◕ω◕✿)
And then, it was Saturday. It was the day of that new member welcome party or whatever.
Right after classes ended, I went all the way to Kuroneko's classroom to meet her. After that exchange we had the other day, I was afraid she would decide not to go to the party.
Yes. For the few days since that exchange, Kuroneko and I had not looked each other in the eyes even once.
… Not a substitute for my sister, huh?
To be honest… her words hit home. They really, really hit home. I mean… was she completely right? Was the reason I wanted to meddle in Kuroneko's business because I was just using her in place of my now-gone sister?
I really believed that the first few days right after you entered school were important days that decided the direction of your entire life at that school. You would pick the club you belonged to, the social circle you belong to… it was a time where you determined your position within your school (or rather, your class). And if you failed to come out strong during those first few months of battle, then you might find that your school life has suddenly taken a turn for the worst.
School wasn't as rosy a place as adults might imagine it to be. Well, there were definitely rosy parts… and maybe even the majority of school life was rosy, but there were definitely cruel, severe parts of school life that only the students themselves were aware of. That's why I couldn't help but be concerned for my cute Kouhai. That wasn't a lie; it was the honest truth.
But was that all? Was that the only reason? No, it probably wasn't. There was a reason I went so far out of my way to interfere in Kuroneko's business… there was a reason I always wanted to do something for her, even though she didn't want me to… probably…
It was probably because seeing her standing there looking lonely made me think about a certain someone else from a certain time ago. That person was no longer here, but that feeling about being able to do something for her back then…
That feeling still remained in my heart even today. I was happy that she relied on me, but those occurrences were no more.
That's why… that's why…
"… Tch, I'm being way too gloomy today."
And what's more, I was completely found out, wasn't I? Even I could admit that I didn't look too cool back there. But, even so, that didn't change what I had to do. Just because I had found the rather tasteless motive I had for wanting to help her didn't mean I suddenly didn't want to help her. I also had that promise with Rias to think about.
Rias had entrusted me with Kuroneko. I couldn't get rid of these confused feelings in my heart, but I knew exactly what I had to do. And I knew what I myself wanted to do.
"Well, I guess I have to do what I have to do." I muttered to myself and then pulled myself back towards reality.
I found myself standing right in front of my old classroom, the first-year class 1-C. Homeroom was already over, and I saw a few students coming out on their way home. I peeked into the room, with the fear that Kuroneko had already headed straight back. She wasn't there.
"Crap…" I smacked myself on the forehead. I had to act quickly. Maybe I could catch up to her if I ran. I turned sharply on my heal, and then…
"Uwaah!" I was completely taken aback with surprise and almost jumped up. Because when I turned around, I saw Kuroneko standing right in front of me. She was as expressionless as usual, and was staring up at me from point-blank range.
"… Looking all around like that in a first-year classroom really makes you seem like a hentai."
She was still angry with me, wasn't she? Granted, she always insulted me like this, so it's not like I could tell the difference…
"Umm…" What should I say? I had gone over a lot of ways to apologize and invite her to the party in my head, but once I had her standing in front of me I couldn't remember any of it anymore…
As I struggled to find the right words to say, Kuroneko silently turned away from me. She then turned her head towards me and gave me a cold, sidelong glance.
"Hmph. Let's hurry it up, please."
Kuroneko began to walk away quickly. I chased after her while scratching my cheek.
It seemed that we were headed in the same direction as the new member welcome party. I had been under the rather arrogant belief that our friendship had grown stronger, but right now, I had no shot in hell of figuring out exactly what Kuroneko was thinking, or what she was feeling about me.
The welcoming party didn't take place in a classroom cramped with equipment and parts, but in an AV room that the club had been given permission to use by the school. It wasn't that formal of a gathering, but rather one where they provided snacks and beverages and we would have a good time while we ate and drank. Well, it was what you might expect from a high school club.
When I said "what you might expect," I mean that with a sense of disappointment. But that feeling as probably because I was so used to the flashy gatherings that Rias usually organized. So my scale of what counted as "normal" was completely out of whack.
I chased after Kuroneko as she walked away so fast that I wondered if she was trying to run away from something.
"… I'm honestly relieved. I really thought you were going to hate going to this welcome party."
"Yes… I am already very, very reluctant to go. Honestly, there isn't anything I hate going to more than parties like this."
Kuroneko faced forwards and spoke without even looking in my direction. I began to ask her why she was going to a gathering she found so unpleasant. But before I could, she spoke first.
"The tools they have in that clubroom… well, it's certainly much more convenient if I can just use them there, rather than going to a part-time job and buying them myself. So even if I find it a bit unpleasant, I thought I would come here to see everyone today. There isn't another reason."
"… Oh, I see then."
Half of what she said was probably the truth. However, that wasn't all… in fact, I believed there was "another reason."
"Hmmmm… I don't think that Kuroneko-chi is really that angry. If you just put yourself in her shoes, it's no wonder at all that she would say something nasty. It's alright, if you give her a proper apology, I'm sure she'll forgive you.
I had gone to Rias for advice about what had happened that other day, and that was her response. I didn't really know how I was supposed to put myself in Kuroneko's shoes, and it's not like Rias told me how, but in short… when it came to girls, and not just Kuroneko, there was always "another reason." That's how it probably worked.
The minute Kuroneko arrived in front of the door, she stopped, and gave me an emotionless order.
"Go in first."
"Alright."
Kuroneko took a step back and I took her place in front of the door. And then, I pushed the door open.
There were already club members inside the room, preparing for the party. The preparations themselves weren't that fancy; they were just lining up a bunch of long desks in a circle and pouring drinks into cups. We gave a light bow and entered, and even though they were already halfway done, we started helping them out. And because this was a new member's welcoming party, I saw a few faces I hadn't seen before. The ghost members of the club were also here. The preparations were soon finished, and people began to sit down wherever they pleased.
I sat in one corner where there were quite a few empty seats, and Kuroneko plopped herself down right next to me.
"… What?"
"Ah, nothing…"
Kuroneko was a shy person, so I had counted on my prediction that no matter how unpleasant she might find it, she would sit next to me, a person she was already familiar with. Now then… where was Kae-chan, the other crucial half of this plan?
I looked all around me, when I saw a pretty girl who might be her. She was a bit on the tall side. She is an eye-catching figure and have large breasts, blue-green eyes, and damn she extremely beautiful too.
However, she had a stern frown on her face, and with the way she was carrying herself, she might as well have stamped a huge "Bad Mood. Stay Away" in boldface on her forehead.
She seemed like she still couldn't decide where to sit, and Nanashima-kun smartly took that opportunity to call out to her.
"Serinuma, this seat over here is open."
"… Ahh." Kae took a quick glance in this direction.
"Yes, you're right. I suppose that would be the best option for me."
She wiped the chair with a handkerchief, and took a seat between Nanashima-kun and myself. In other words, going around the circle from the left, it was Kuroneko, me, Kae, Nanashima-kun, some fatso, the president, some other fatso, and I'll omit the rest.
I was unexpectedly squeezed in the middle. Granted, this was pretty convenient, I suppose. If I wanted to serve as a mediator to help get these two's friendship going, this was probably the best position from which to do that. I honestly wasn't that confident that I could be of much help, but I would do what I could do.
"Well, it seems everyone's found their seat… so let's begin."
Nanashima-kun looked around at everyone as he spoke. Voices of agreement sounded here and there, and then the room became quiet.
"Alright, prez, you're up."
"Got it. Let's have a great time and be a great club this year too. Kanpai."
"Kanpai."
Everyone raised their glass after the president's incredibly concise toast.
The minute the welcoming party began, the room filled with noisy revelry. I looked around at the people gathered. These were all supposed to be game-loving otaku, but from the point of view of someone who was more used to the kind of otaku at Comiket or cosplay exhibitions, they really didn't seem like that.
This probably goes without saying, but it was probably because everyone was young, and everyone was wearing a uniform. However, the pieces of conversation I overheard here and there were definitely those of otaku. It felt like they had gathered a bunch of game-lovers into a room and just let them talk freely.
However, Kuroneko was…
"…"
She was completely silent and staring forwards, without even making a move to pick up her food. This girl… she really was terrible when it came to situations like this.
To be honest, I was worried about this ever since I heard that this would be a party. It's just that this wasn't the only time this has happened; even though this girl did really poorly when it came to places with lots of people, she never learned and always went to those events anyways. So, even though I would never say this to her out loud… Kuroneko might be pretty hard to get along with, but that doesn't mean she didn't want to make friends.
As proof, just think about how important Naruko was to Kuroneko, and think about how lonely she looked when Naruko disappeared. She might appear emotionless, but she really had quite a deep well of emotions.
"Alright then…" What should I do here?
I turned to look at Kae on my right. No matter what this girl's personality was, she probably wouldn't initiate a conversation with Kuroneko just based on how much of a stand-offish aura Kuroneko was giving out. It seemed like I would have to be the one to approach her and lead her in.
"… Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto Namikaze, a second year."
"Nice to meet you, Senpai. I'm a first year. Kae Serinuma."
Seeing her up close like this reaffirmed what Nanashima-kun had told me. She really didn't seem like an otaku at all. She really seemed refined… but at the same time, she seemed different from Naruko and Naruko's friends.
Leaving her appearance aside for now, if I used eroge as an analogy, she was the very picture of the "student committee chair" type of character. I didn't mean she was a warm, serious type. Rather, she felt more like that faultless, intelligent beauty of a student committee chair who you would never be able to get. Compare everything to eroge. Best way to make friends.
"What?"
"Ah, nothing, it's just that you didn't seem like you were having a good time. I was wondering if you were just not in the best mood… or something."
"That's how my face has always looked."
"A-Ah, I see." Geez, this was hard.
When she saw me at a loss, Kae seemed a bit displeased and scratched her cheek. Unlike Kuroneko, she didn't seem to be the emotionless type.
"Ahh, well, I guess I am in somewhat of a bad mood. I just have a hard time with this club."
"And why is that?"
"Hmmm. Well, first off, it feels dirty being surrounded by all these gross boys. Second, everything feels like it's done sloppily, considering all the games the club members make are so weird and otherwise, all they do is chat with each other. Third, they don't even have the common sense to know that it's not appropriate to display figures in a classroom and to play adult games out in the open."
Kae faced a person she had never met before and, counting on her fingers, went through all the things that were making her unhappy. But everything she said was absolutely correct. When she puts it like that, I doubt any member of the game club would be able to say anything to defend himself.
"Then, why did you join the club?"
I asked that question out of the blue. If she didn't want to join, she could have just refused they invitation. And considering all the harsh things she said about the club, I doubt it was because she was too meek to refuse. To my question, Kae responded thusly:
"Because I wanted to study programming. Even leaving aside the terrible contents of that STG the president made, from a design standpoint it was really solid, so I asked him how he made the game. And then, it really seemed like they were using some expensive software and equipment to make the game. So, that got me interested, and I came to take a look around."
Kae seemed to be remembering back to that time, and blushed just slightly for a moment.
"When I went, I saw that they were much better equipped than I had thought… although everything was just scattered around and such a mess. So even taking into account some of the inconveniences I would have to tolerate, I decided that it would be worth it to join the club."
Her reason was similar to the reason Kuroneko had given me. It seemed that this girl also joined the club to make use of the game-making tools that the club president had bought with his own money.
Kuroneko had definitely just used that reason as an excuse to hide her embarrassment.
But, in the end, was the same true for Kae? The fact that she cleared that game meant that she was definitely a gamer. But her appearance and actions just weren't otaku-like at all.
"That being said, I'm just at my limit."
"Why?"
"Because I hate, hate, hate things that aren't neat and tidy."
There was quite an amount of force behind those words. Kae once again began to count on her fingers.
"Rooms being a mess or being dirty. People talking in the middle of class, or people who forget to do their homework, who skip out on cleaning duty, who can't read the tone of a conversation, who forget to take out their trash on the right day, who are dirty and filthy, who cheese moves in 1-on-1 fighters, who cheat… I hate each and every one of these people who just go against the rules like that."
I have a feeling that there were a few words in there that I had no idea about…
Hahaha… just as her appearance would suggest, she was a neurotic "student committee chair" type character. Calling her a diligent person would be an understatement. She might honestly be a full-blown clean freak.
"… That's quite admirable of you."
"Thank you. But that's why I just can't take it anymore. Why do the people in this club seem so unmotivated? They went through all that trouble to join this club, but only a handful of them are serious about it. And then this room is so dirty. And I'm sure the president doesn't shower."
She used her handkerchief to pick up her cup, and took a drink of her soda. And then, she spoke in an incredibly glum tone.
"I… I really just can't let it go on."
Hm. In other words, this girl wasn't just a high-strung student-committee-chair character, but she was also a fussy-wife character. When she saw something a bit off, she would get the sudden urge to fix it. What a horribly troublesome woman.
Back in elementary school, she was probably that girl who yelled at all the boys to clean up when she saw them slacking during their cleaning duties.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
It's not like I could just tell her what I was thinking. So I made up something in the moment.
"I was just thinking how you really don't look like an otaku. How do I put it… you just don't seem like the type of person to join the Game Research Society. You seem like you'd fit in more if you joined the student council."
"Is that so?"
Kae turned her gaze away from me, looking not altogether displeased.
"Hearing you say that puts me at ease. After all, I wouldn't want to be grouped with the others in this club."
Her words did annoy me a bit. Was it because I was already leaning a little bit towards the otaku side myself? Also, I had heard something quite similar in the past. From none other than my own sister. And that's what prompted my next question.
"Do your classmates know that you're in the game club?"
"It's not like I'm trying to hide it. Granted, it's not like I go around bragging about it either… well, in my case, I really don't think it would make a big difference if it were found out."
"Really?" How could she be so confident?
"But if they know you joined the game club, wouldn't that be enough to make them think you're an otaku?"
"I don't think that's true. If people ask me why I joined the club, I can just tell them that I wanted to study programming, and I feel they would understand that. Also, I might have said that I don't want to be grouped with the other members, but to the very end, that's just a personal feeling. And if you're just worried about your public image, I don't think getting seen as an otaku is something to be afraid about."
"That's quite a surprising thing to hear you say."
I thought she was an otaku-hating clean-freak, but was I wrong? At least, the situation seemed more complicated than I had first thought. Well, in any case, I won't forget the rather rude thing she had said.
Kae seemed to fall quite deeply into thought, and then spoke in a somewhat cheerful tone.
"For example, there have been a lot of anime recently about girls who are actually closet otaku, but those stories are all just exaggerated. In reality, it's very unlikely for someone to get persecuted just because they like anime or games. After all, we live in a time where people normally go to watch anime films, right?"
So in other words, she was saying that quite unexpectedly, society had already accepted the otaku culture, so you didn't have to try so hard to hide the fact that you're an otaku. When she put it like that, I guess I could see where she was coming from. I mean, there were definitely people in my class who didn't seem like otaku but still talked about things like Dragon Ball and One Piece. But still…
"But eroge and doujinshi are bad, right?"
"Yes, they really, really are." She half-lidded her eyes and seemed flustered.
"Because, I mean, you have to know your boundaries! It's fine and good that you like what you like, but there's a proper time and place for everything, and it's really important for you to be able to figure that out. Really, really important."
Naruko had said something similar. That was actually the exact reason why Naruko had hidden her hobby from her classmates. Kae wasn't hiding as much as Naruko was, but she still was tactful in how, where, and when she told people about her hobby. She drew a clear boundary line in the sand and didn't show anybody anything beyond that line.
Indeed, her attitude as an otaku was pretty admirable.
Depending on who she was talking to, she would behave accordingly. And this wasn't dishonest of her. Rather, everyone behaved in similar ways in order to avoid conflict with other people.
"If you ask me, otaku aren't avoided because they are otaku. They are avoided or persecuted because they do things that make other people uncomfortable. Yes, for example…"
She continued, but with her attention clearly on the person sitting on my other side.
"For example, people who just act so pathetically regardless of the time or occasion are the worst."
"…"
She probably heard Kae, but Kuroneko didn't move an inch and just continued staring straight ahead.
T-This silence was suffocating.
Hmm…? Was this… was this my fault? Just maybe… juuuuuuust maybe… just maybe.
"Oh? I could have sworn I just heard a little animal who lives only by the approval of others say something."
"… Ah, Gokou-san, were you here? Your presence is so light that I didn't even notice~~."
"And who may you be talking about? Please call me by my real name, my real name."
"As always, I just have no idea what you're talking about. What's this useless nonsense about your real name? Hey, Gokou-san, how many times do you plan to force me to tell you that you should be more serious about things?"
"Hmph, my real name is Kuroneko. My soul does not answer to my fake name."
"… I just don't have the words to respond to something as ridiculous as that."
T-These two…
"Do you two know each other?"
I swung my neck back and forth at high speed and asked that. And then…
"… Hmph, she's the noisiest, most annoying person in our class."
"… She's the biggest problem student in our class."
That's how they responded. All the while, they both were giving each other rather unpleasant glares.
… What the hell? I had heard that Kae was a first-year like Kuroneko, but…
Hey, Nanashima-kun, what's the meaning of this? I turned my questioning gaze towards him, but he also seemed to have not expected this and was looking bewildered.
Looks like he couldn't come through when it mattered. But I really had to stop this before it got out of hand. I took a leaf out of Rias's book and butt in to their argument.
"Stop it, you two. Don't argue."
"Hmph, we're not arguing."
"Yes, we're not. This is a one-sided lecture, not an argument."
Sparks flew in the air. It was the chuunibyou girl versus the stubborn student committee chair person.
Geez… what am I supposed to do here? It would be different if I could find some common ground and try to strike up a conversation around that, but even that might be asking too much of me. At that moment, as if sensing the tight spot I was in, Nanashima-kun added himself to the conversation.
"Gokou, Serinuma, you two are in the same club now after all, so please try to get along."
"… This may be stepping over my boundaries, but if you would allow me to speak freely, the fact that we are in the same club is all the more reason for me to say what I am saying. After all, this person has an incredibly bad reputation in our class. She talks and acts in a strange way, she's antisocial even when people from our class invite her to hang out with them, and she has no manners… I've never seen such a poor excuse for a human being in my life. There's even been a rumor going out that the reason she never eats lunch in the classroom is because she's eating it in the bathroom."
Hey, cut it out, won't you!? Hearing that just makes me want to cry!
"… Hmph, is that so? In other words, you find it distasteful that we're in the same club? Well then, I'll stop immediately. If possible, I'd like not to be in a club with the likes of you." Kuroneko stood up from her chair with a clang (a bit teary-eyed).
"Hey, wait wait wait wait." A bit flustered, I held Kuroneko's shoulders back. "Come on, calm down."
"Yes, Gokou-san. I have no idea where this misunderstanding is coming from, but when exactly did I say that being in a club with you would be distasteful?"
Huh? Wait, what exactly are you trying to say…?
Kae put her hands on her hips, and looked straight at Kuroneko on my other side with a proud expression.
"Fufu, being in a club with you is also my chance to correct your behavior. So, really, I wouldn't be happy if you quit either."
A dead silence filled the air. After ten seconds had passed, Kuroneko started to mumble.
"… And who in the world asked you to do that?"
"If I were forced to answer that, I would say that I asked myself to do it. Let me just make clear that this isn't an act of charity or kindness. I just hate and can't stand people like you. So, to me, this is just a chance for me to correct a situation I find unpleasant."
What she said was incredibly selfish, but I found that I couldn't blame her. Our motives may disagree, but in the end, Kae and I were both trying to do the same thing for Kuroneko.
"…"
This situation was just a ticking time bomb. All conversation stopped, and the atmosphere was shrouded in silence. And what broke that silence ultimately was…
Pbbttttttt. What broke that silence was a most vulgar sound. And everyone immediately turned their eyes to what had produced it.
"Ah, sorry! I farted!" The president cheerfully lifted a hand up and apologized.
"Y-You're the worst!" Kae made a scary face, and if looks could kill, the president would be long dead.
On the other hand, even though Nanashima-kun would usually make some sarcastic remark when something like this happened, he didn't say anything here at all. Just maybe, what had happened right now was the president's own way of breaking up an argument… maybe. But that really smelled pretty bad.
Swshh. Nanashima-kun-kun opened a window and spoke up to Kae.
"But this is really quite troubling. I really thought that since you two had so many common interests, it would be easy for you two to talk and get along…"
"Common interests? Gokou-san and me?"
"Yeah, both of you are really great at games. You have different styles, but from what I could tell, your skill levels are pretty much on par with each other."
At Nanashima-kun's words, Kae and Kuroneko gave each other suspicious looks. I had no idea exactly what Kae was thinking at that moment, but I could pretty much guess what Kuroneko was thinking – "Skill levels on par? With me?"
"… Shion Senpai? Are you saying that Gokou-san is as good at gaming as I am?"
"Yes. Serinuma's ability to read her opponent is amazing, but Gokou-san's reflexes are just godly. On par with the Otoshigami, really…"
"You're definitely going too far there." Kae harshly rejected his statement.
"You think so?"
"Putting that person in the same category as a high schooler is just doing him a disservice. Shion Senpai might think it's alright to exaggerate in order to be considerate of Gokou-san's feelings, but I feel that's not a good thing to do at all."
"Ahh… haha, sorry. You sure are serious about these things, Serinuma."
It seemed that Kae had quite a bit of respect for that particular gamer. And because of that, it seemed that using that gamer in a comparison with someone she hated made her angry.
"…"
Kuroneko just sat there and watched that exchange emotionlessly.
But hmm… if you wanted some common ground for these two, then in the end it probably would have to be games… that's pretty obvious considering we were in the Game Research Society right now, but shouldn't there be a way to use games as a starting point and get something going?
And it's not like getting into arguments was necessarily a bad thing. Even when Naruko and Kuroneko first met… or rather, I should say that each and every single time they saw one another, they would start fighting with each other. But when all was said and done, they would still play together and got pretty close. That was because both Naruko and Kuroneko wanted a friend with whom they could be frank about their feelings and not hide anything.
So, what about this case? Kuroneko had lost Naruko, and thus had lost her usual sparring partner. On the other hand, Kae was really stubborn, and seemed to not only have a big problem with Kuroneko's attitude, but also seemed set on fixing it herself. Call it compatibility, or call it two gears locking well, but this might not be such a bad situation after all.
.
.
.