~ Day 2- Stutter ~

Takane was slowly breaking into a nervous sweat. Next to her, Haruka was laughing in embarrassment, for he had lost a long time ago. And, while he may have been a good loser and could admit defeat, Takane could not- would not- accept a failure under any circumstances. Her ego wasn't able to handle that blow.

Currently, she was at level 98 out of 100. The game they were playing was fairly simple- it had no plot and the goal was to kill every enemy- demonic creatures- on the level in three minutes. Haruka had lost his last life on level 49, almost halfway through, but Takane was still going strong and was aiming for the leader board.

The counter said she had nineteen seconds remaining and there were still seven more demons to shoot. Takane bit her lip and pretty much threw the mouse across her desk. She could do that. She still had three lives to go, so if she lost now, she could try again. But she wasn't going to lose, so it didn't matter.

Her last shot hit the seventh demon one second before the end of the round. Takane sighed in relief. Haruka cheered next to her, scooting his chair closer to see the two final rounds of the game up close. Takane went rigid as she felt Haruka's arm brush her own, but did not pull away, instead choosing to proceed to the second-to-last level. Why was her heart beating so fast? Was the game really getting to her that much?

"Takane, you're getting red", Haruka said and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye as the level was loading. He was pretty much leaning into her now, trying to examine her flushed face, and she thought she might faint from the amout of blood rushing from her brain to her cheeks.

"I- I'm fine!", she responded defiantly and focused her eyes back on the screen. "And don't lean into my arm that much. I need my space to move!" Haruka just smiled at that and sat back in his chair. Thank God, Takane thought as the countdown started.

The next wave went by quickly and easily. Even Takane herself was impressed with how nonchalantly she had finished level 99, even though 98 had given her such troubles. Haruka had edged closer again and stared at her with wide-eyed wonder as she smirked in accomplishment and went on to level 100, now fully confident.

Three minutes later, she sat slumped in her seat with wide eyes. Had she just... lost? At a game? A shooting game? Something she was good at? Had the unsurpassed Lightning Dancer Ene just... really lost at that? Takane felt tears well up in her eyes. What was that? Why would she-?

"Takane, you did so good!" Ah? Takane looked at the boy next to her. Haruka sat there with that bright smile of his and gave her a tumbs-up. But hadn't she lost? She didn't make the last level. Yet Haruka, that idiot, thought it was good? Her heart jumped into her throat, disabling her speech. "You're so good at these games! I'm totally jealous. I didn't even make it halfway", Haruka continued and a wavering little grin made it to Takane's face.

"I didn't beat it, though", she told him as she choked back her tears and he, air-headed as he was, reached forwards to wipe a stray drop away without thinking too much into it. Takane stiffened and went red. Haruka looked at her with a worried expression.

"It doesn't matter, does it?", he asked and wiped his dampened hand on his pants. "I like seeing you concentrated and serious when you play these games. You're the coolest person I know, Ene."

Takane's face went even redder than before, partly because of the use of the nickname she wanted to stay on the net. "Ha- You- I...", she stammered and slid a bit backwards in her seat to avoid Haruka. "Are you- I mean- I'm not and- um..."

"Are you feeling alright, Takane? Do you have a fever?", the boy asked and Takane jumped up in her seat and hid her face in her hands. She muttered a quick apology before dashing off to the next bathroom.

"You're such an idiot, Enomoto", Takane muttered bitterly as she looked at her blushing face in the mirror.