Fate/Infinity Shuffle: Reshuffled
Chapter 17 – Top Pair:
It didn't take long for the following day to come.
Mongami and Lizzie aside, who went to a different school and just didn't go to school altogether, the members of the team 'Conquerors of Deva' met up on their way over to the destination they had in common.
"It still surprises me you two are of the same class." Sayuri admitted.
"I wasn't expecting it either." Edward confessed. "You didn't recognize me on the stream, Isemi?"
"Your outfit when Installed made you almost unrecognizable." The boy with white hair admitted in a chuckle.
"I-I can't blame you for that…" Edward admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. It was true that the Heroic Spirit within his Class Card sported a rather 'unique' and colourful set of clothes. "It could be worse, I guess. For a demonic clown, I could've gotten an even shorter end of the stick."
As they approached the school entrance, their eyes caught something. And not just theirs, pretty much everybody's. However, no one really decided to question it out loud. Amongst themselves, sure, in small whispers.
"Hey, who's that?"
"What's up with that girl? Is she camping in front of the school or something?"
"She made a fort out of bags?"
The four of them took notice of the presence, but figured it would be rather rude to say anything. But they couldn't help but wonder about it.
A girl around their age had made her own stronghold made out of travelling bags. She even had a coat serving as a ceiling of some sort. The young woman seemed solely focused on whatever the screen f her phone was displaying, ignoring everything else, especially the people, around her. Clothes wise, it was a simple, neat outfit. Whitish-blue jeans and a yellow shirt underneath a black knitted coat. Her eyes were as brown as her long, unkempt hair. The red bow on the side was a cute touch. The bags she built a fortress with weren't out of the ordinary by any means, but with three bags total, one would wonder if she's travelling for a long period of time.
Her face suggested she didn't want anyone bothering her. Somewhat unfriendly, to be honest.
Even if curious, Mizuki decided not to ask her anything, and simply continue her way to school amongst her classmates.
The number of students subsided. Shortly after, there wasn't a person in sight on the streets.
She had waited for quite a while now. She didn't mind waiting some more.
Little did she know that, five minutes later, the person she was waiting for was just about to arrive.
"…" Hakuno wasn't in the best of places. His head kept rambling to itself over and over about two specific topics. The first would be, to no surprise, the matter regarding the girl Mary. And the other was personal, but just as frustrating. To take his mind off things, he went out for what started as a simple jog. Then, it became a jog. Shortly after, he was practicing with his Cards in a secluded area. It didn't distract him as much as he hoped. Maybe just taking some sort of day off and drown his sorrow in an anime series or two could help him out.
And that's when he noticed. The second topic that bothered him was staring him right in the face, standing in front of the school entrance, just a few metres away from him.
It was a sight he never expected to see, for various reasons. So it was no wonder that the words he first let out were…
"Jinako? Is that… is that you?"
The girl that had been camping until she noticed his presence had eyes that were hard to read. Mainly because she didn't know how to express what she felt.
"Do you know anyone else that looks like this?"
Hakuno was speechless at first. He would've pinched himself to check if this wasn't some sort of dream, but he thought that if it weren't, it would come across as a little rude.
"…I…" He was at a loss for words initially. "…I guess I screwed up so bad that you came here in person to scold me, huh?" He let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head while having his eyes shut. "Noob move on my part, I know, I know, I should've guessed. I guess I pissed you off enough for you to want to slap me across the face in person, huh?"
His ears caught the sound of running steps. He instinctively opened his eyes. It was like a missile was headed straight at him. He let out a small yelp of surprise expecting some sort of pain to course through his body.
So it was a little bit surprising when the closest thing to pain he felt was his body being mildly budged back as the girl hug-tackled him.
"Gah! J-Jinako, what…?"
"…Stupid head."
"Huh?"
Her arms were tightly wrapped around his frame. Any tighter wasn't possible for her. She wasn't all that physically tough to begin with, so there wasn't much pressure to start off with. And yet…
"Even though I knew that you weren't hurt… I'm so glad you're okay."
It exerted an amazing force on Hakuno.
"…Jinako, you…?"
"I kept telling myself 'He's fine, the Cards kept him safe', but… but…" Slight whimpers escaped from her. "I couldn't shake off that feeling…"
Hakuno's shock eventually ceased away. Nervous, he placed his arms around the girl that clung to him so powerfully. "I thought you were mad."
"I was a little… But… I don't care about that."
Hakuno couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that, Jinako. I'm glad you're here."
She refused to lift her face away from his chest. She was most likely crying, and didn't want him to see her like that. "…This…"
"Hm?"
"This is our first hug, isn't it?"
"O-Oh!" Hakuno's face suddenly turned red. "I didn't even notice it…"
"So… can we stay a little bit more like this?"
"…" Hakuno quickly looked around. Not a soul in sight. "Sure. As long as you'd like."
Her lips curled into a smile. "Thank you."
Hakuno removed the 'AWAY' sign that he had hung to signify he wasn't present to whoever wanted to speak with him before class and opened the door.
"It's not exactly luxurious. Or up to what you're used to, but I hope you like it."
"I made a decision and I'm sticking to it." Jinako pointed out, carrying one bag while Hakuno pulled the other two. "You know I could've brought in all three, right?"
"You caught a last-minute flight because of me. I'm doing this mostly for me." Hakuno admitted, making Jinako giggle.
"Alright. Then how much of that debt have you paid?"
"Taking into account the money spent? This isn't even a proper start."
"Aw!" Jinako frowned. "You say that like a plane ticket costs anything to me."
It was true that Jinako came from an incredibly wealthy family, to the point she could never work a day in her life. But even then, it didn't sit right with her boyfriend.
"Anyway!" He closed the door behind him. "You brought a lot of clothes."
"Clothes?" She tilted her head. "Only one of the bags has clothes."
"Huh? What do the other two have."
"That one has everything electronic."
"Laptop?"
"Laptop, gaming consoles, chargers, games, gaming accessories, and the like."
Hakuno blinked twice. "Y-You know I have consoles here too. Handhelds would be enough."
Jinako's eyes flattened. "Who leaves their house without their games?"
"Most people, believe it or not."
"Besides, you don't have EVERY console like I do." Jinako's pride radiated a golden aura around her.
"Y-You don't need to brag." Hakuno felt like he started some sort of competition by accident. However… "Who leaves their house without their consoles, huh? I can't blame her; it's the first time she leaves her place."
"As for this one," she pointed at the one she carried herself. "Never leave the home without rations!"
"Oh, that's food?"
"Yup! Pocky, chips, gummies, instant noodles, noodle packets,"
Hakuno facepalmed. "that's not rations, that's a convenience store aisle…"
"Hey!" Jinako's forehead vein bulged out. "Your diet isn't that much better!"
"I-I guess, but I try my best to balance out my snacks."
"Hmmm!" Jinako pouted while puffing out her cheeks. "Well, fine, they're all for me then!"
"H-Hey, come on, you can share them with me."
"Oh, now you want them!"
"Oh god, what have I done…?" Hakuno let out a sigh. "I'm sorry about what I said. My stomach isn't as strong as yours."
The pride came back, radiating just as prominently as before. "Heh! This is the power of the lone hikikomori! Bow before my strength!"
"…Can you really say that now though?"
"Eh?" Jinako blinked twice. "Of course I can! Why wouldn't I?!"
"Well…" Hakuno scratched his cheek and smiled like a little kid. "You're not in your room anymore, right?"
Jinako's face turned bright red. "Sh-Shut up. I'm still a hikikomori at heart!"
"I know." Hakuno came closer.
"H-Hey, step away!"
"Nope!" His arms suddenly wrapped around her. Never mind the face, her whole body was as red as a tomato.
"H-Hey, what's the idea?!"
"I thought you liked hugs. You didn't let me go for three straight minutes outside."
"W-W-Well, that was then, and this is now!"
"How come you're snuggling closer though?"
"I did it subconsciously! Drats!" Jinako could only let out a sound of awkward frustration. But it was kind of cute for Hakuno.
"Soooo? Will you share snacks with me?"
"…Alright." Jinako moved away from Hakuno once he let go and she placed her bag on the floor. Then, she bent over to open the bag and take out a few snacks she brought for the two of them. Hakuno placed the other bags aside and then glanced over at Jinako. And his eyes nearly bulged out. He made his best not to bleed out of his nose. He did not expect to suddenly see Jinako's rear clad in the jeans in full all of a sudden. Red as a tomato, he quickly reached for a tissue and covered his nose. "Here we go!" She turned around, holding a pack of gummies and a box of pocky in either hand. "Hm? Hakuno, are you okay?"
"I am, I am…" He assured, luckily not having spilled any red liquid out of his nose.
"If you say so." She turned to the desk in order to open the packs of snacks without making any mess.
Hakuno had to let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one!"
"I have to admit,"
"Hm?"
"It's odd seeing your room from all these angles."
"Oh?" Hakuno was a bit surprised, but it made sense, since he always had the camera placed in the same position for their videocalls.
Jinako had a little smile on. "I like it."
Hakuno's confusion was replaced with a sense of happiness. "Glad you do."
The two set up their working stations. After all, they still had a Game to manage. While Hakuno had his usual working desk, Jinako simply made herself comfortable after a futon had been laid down on the floor. Lying down on it and taking care of her work with no issues.
"You okay there?" Hakuno wondered if the conditions were pleasant enough.
"I am, don't worry." Jinako pointed out, munching down on a stick of pocky. "I have so many emails to take care of…"
"It's probably because you left all of a sudden without warning."
"Probably." Jinako let out a sigh. "Why did we think two people would be enough to take care of the whole Game?"
"W-Well, we're not completely alone on this. The Rulers of your area can help you out, no?"
"Maybe. I'll ask them to do so."
Before any keystrokes could ensue, there was a knock on the door.
"Hm? Come in." Hakuno let them open the door.
"Ranker!" The ones behind it were a trio of female Players, much to his confusion. He wasn't overly familiar with any of them. He recognized them as part of the Game, but little else.
"Ranker, I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Are you sure you're in shape to work?"
"That battle must've been tiring! I could make you some tea."
"I brought an extra lunchbox by mistake, please accept it."
"How does one bring an extra lunchbox by mistake?!" Hakuno scratched his cheek. "W-Well, I appreciate the worry and the offers, but-"
Before he could say anything, the girlfriend he was about to point out suddenly, in a flash, stood by his side, held his head, and it closer to her.
"KHHHHH! KHHHHH!" With a glare, Jinako hissed like a cat at them, driving them away. "Mine! Mine! He's my boyfriend! Hands off!"
"Eek!" The three fled rather fast. It was probably, partially because of the surprise. While Ranker always said he had a girlfriend, they had never really seen evidence of it, so seeing her in the flesh was a bit of a scare.
Hakuno lushed a little. "I was about to say-"
"I know, but mine!" Jinako pointed out, tightening her hold. "I finally get to be in the same place as you, I'm not letting anyone pretend I'm not here."
Hakuno was a little astonished at first, but then couldn't help but smile. "Fair enough."
After a few hours of work, and some gaming between the two, the night sky covered the school, with the moon high above. The two agreed to head to bed once midnight hit.
"Where do I sleep?"
"Huh? In the futon, obviously."
Jinako was confused. "Wait, then where do you sleep?"
"I'm used to sleeping in the locker."
"What?!" Jinako was flabbergasted. "Why?!"
"Well, for starters, the safe is underneath it."
"The safe?" She took a glance. It took a couple seconds, but she remembered what Hakuno was referring to. "Oh. That safe."
"Yeah. Figured sleeping directly on top of it was a good line of defence."
"Still… Isn't it uncomfortable or anything?"
"I got weirdly used to it, actually." Hakuno admitted with an awkward laugh.
Jinako's eyes narrowed. "Alright. But first, let's do something."
"Hm?" He was curious.
Jinako guided Hakuno for him to sit against the wall and joined him with the futon's cover after turning off the lights. The electronics emitted faint glows that impeded for total darkness to settle in, but they didn't irritate the eyes.
Side by side, wrapped in the cover, it looked like some sort of romance scene from an anime. It felt nice though, so there was no reason to complain.
But his curiosity was still unsatisfied. "Jinako, what exactly is this?"
"Talk."
"Huh?"
"I wanna talk."
"About what?"
"What do you think?"
"O-Oh…"
"And no dodging questions, you hear?"
"A-Alright…"
"So… Even though I know you wanted to protect lower Ranked Players, why didn't you ask A Rankers to help you? Even if you didn't expect her to be so strong, you'd figure that if she were that dangerous, you should bring two or three people to help, no? I mean, you're smart, so I doubt you didn't think of that."
"…It's a dumb reason."
"And I don't care if it's dumb. I want to hear it, no matter how stupid it might be."
"…" Hakuno took a deep breath. "Alright. I have this… nagging feeling constantly on the back of my brain. And it keeps saying that the moment I show weakness… it's the moment everybody figures I'm useless."
"Useless?"
"Yeah. Like I can't handle things. Like I can't be depended on. That I… not good for anything."
"Hakuno…"
"And I don't want to risk losing respect, or even friendships, just because I…" His voice was cut.
Jinako didn't know what to say. She knew just saying 'you're not useless' wouldn't be enough, regardless of how true it was. With saddened eyes, her hand reached over and grasped his.
"I don't think asking for help is a sign of weakness. Everybody needs help in something, you know? Just because we need assistance in one thing, doesn't mean we can't do anything else at all. I don't think that's a good way of thinking. But I know that's not enough for you, so…" Her hand gripped harder. "You can ask me for help, you know?"
"Huh?" Hakuno turned to Jinako. Even the darkness, he could see some blushing on her face.
"You could've asked me for help… right from the start, you know?"
"W-Wait, what?"
"I'm not joking. If you had asked for my help from the start, I would've come. Or do you think I'd stop liking you because you asked me?"
"W-Well…"
Her eyes narrowed. "Did you? Really?"
"N-Not in that sense. But… I don't think I would like to disturb you the most."
"Because?"
"…Because you don't want to leave your room."
She couldn't pretend she didn't understand what he meant. "Yeah. I lead the life of a hikikomori. I shut myself in and never wanted to come out unless necessary. But after getting to know you for two years, and dating you long-distance for eight months… I don't think I would've had a problem if you asked for my help."
Hakuno was aken aback. It was his turn to blush. "Really?"
"B-But it has to be an emergency of this scale, obviously! You know how busy I am drowning myself in otaku pleasures?" Jinako blushed strongly. She felt like she said something rude without meaning to. "B-But… I guess I would let that slide. If you asked nicely enough."
Hakuno couldn't help but chuckle. While the two have shared affection through the internet, doing it in real life, next to each other, it was probably too much for Jinako to handle it cool. He figured that whatever she said that could be misunderstood as something else was just an accident of some sort.
"Next time."
"Eh?"
"Next time, I'll ask for your help in a heartbeat." His hand grasped hers just as tightly. "Because I can trust you."
"…" Jinako suddenly turned away. "…Jerk."
"I-I thought you wanted to hear that though."
"…I don't want to cry in front of you." Jinako used her free hand to clean her tears with a sleeve. "Makes me look even uglier than I already am."
Hakuno was a little speechless for a moment. Eventually he let go of her hand and slid his arm behind her back in order to wrap it around her and pull her close, even if still turned away from him.
"You're not ugly. I know it's hard to let go of the past, but…"
Jinako sniffled. "Yup, yu sure do, mister 'I'm afraid to be useless."
"H-Hey…" Hakuno felt a little attacked but could understand why. "I guess that's a little bit double-standards, yeah…"
"Guess I shouldn't be playing psychologist either…"
Hakuno let out a slight chuckle. "I appreciate it though. I really do. I'm… I was so surprised to see you this morning, you know?"
"I figured…"
"I think you being here is more than enough to show that I can ask you for help. And maybe… Maybe I'll get over this issue one day. So, would you mind if I helped in yours?"
"…I'm not against it." Jinako turned back, with tears cleared, but with still clear signs that she had been crying a little.
Amidst the darkness, the two spent a moment of silence, simply looking at each other. Jinako seemed to go back and forth for whatever reason though.
"Is something wrong?"
"…Kiss."
"Huh?"
"I want to kiss. But…"
"Nervous?"
"Yeah…"
"The thought makes me nervous too. I never kissed anyone before."
Jinako's eyes shot glares. "God damn it, they make it look so natural in anime!"
"I mean… it is anime."
"They lied to me." Jinako cross her arms within the bundle. She then took glance and noticed the box of pocky she had opened before, with a couple biscuit sticks leftover. "…Let's take away the tension."
"How?"
"Pocky Game."
"W-What?"
She reached over for the box and took one of the treats and placed it in between her teeth before pointing to Hakuno. The young men couldn't help but let out a short laugh.
"You're going to chicken out."
"No, I'm not!"
"You sure?"
"My pride as an otaku is at stake!"
"Mighty words…" Hakuno took the other end in his mouth.
Munch, munch, munch.
And suddenly stop. Jinako had frozen up, her eyelids trembling as she expected for a touch to her lips. But nothing was coming. She narrowly opened one of her eyes. They suddenly widened when she found a Hakuno with a joking expression.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"Why did you stop?!"
"Because you did."
"Damn it, Hakuno, I'm being serious here!"
Without warning… munch. Hakuno's lips suddenly pressed onto Jinako's.
The girl was utterly stunned. However… her eyes eventually shut like his. It last a few seconds, then they separated.
"So?"
"…Meanie."
"Hey, I thought my heart was about to explode there for a second too."
Jinako's eyes narrowed with a blush across her cheeks. "My turn."
"Huh? Hm!?" The following kiss was more sudden than he expected…
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