“And that makes another win for me.”
Even Arisa, it seemed, was happy to win a game.
Her usual cool expression softened just a little.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and the ends of her eyes relaxed.
Those emerald eyes of hers… still held no light, as always.
Yuzuru felt a bit frustrated at losing—but seeing Arisa’s adorable expression made him think losing wasn’t so bad.
It wasn’t like he liked her or anything, but a beautiful girl’s smile was still pleasant to look at.
“Is there something on my face?”
“N-no… I was just thinking you’re pretty good for a beginner.”
Arisa tilted her head curiously, and Yuzuru hurriedly gave that excuse.
He couldn’t exactly say he had been staring because he thought she looked cute.
“You really don’t play normally? Don’t you have games at home?”
“I don’t have many chances to play. My adoptive mother is rather against games, and… well… if she catches me playing, she scolds me. She says if I have time to play, I should be studying.”
“I see…”
He had sensed it during their meeting before, but Arisa’s position within the Amagi family didn’t seem very good.
Maybe there were games in the house.
But at the very least, it didn’t seem like Arisa often played games together with the other children in the Amagi household.
Which was probably why she had come all the way to Yuzuru’s house just to play.
“Takasegawa-san… you’re quite unskilled.”
“You don’t need to add quite.”
“You’re very unskilled.”
“Stop emphasizing it every time. …So you can make jokes like that.”
“Did you think I was someone incapable of making even a single joke?”
Arisa lightly glared at him with a look that said she was offended.
When Yuzuru shrugged, she corrected herself.
“You’re not particularly skilled. Do you not usually play this game?”
“Mm… I don’t really play games much in the first place.”
“Even though you own so many?”
Arisa said that while glancing at the game collection Yuzuru had set out.
Including both new and old titles, there were around fifty.
Anyone looking at it would assume he was a big gamer.
“I get bored easily…”
“So you’re the type who buys things and feels satisfied just owning them?”
“So I’m that type?”
“The kitchen had unnecessarily well-equipped tools. A cast-iron pan, a pressure cooker…”
For someone who hardly cooked, Yuzuru owned an impressive amount of cooking equipment.
Arisa had apparently concluded from that that he was the type who bought things but rarely used them.
…She wasn’t wrong, so he couldn’t deny it.
“I also saw a lot of workout equipment in the living room.”
“Ah… well, I do use it sometimes. I do work out, you know? I even go to the gym with friends occasionally.”
“Really?”
“I wouldn’t lie about something that pointless. Want proof?”
Yuzuru grabbed the hem of his shirt as he said that.
Arisa’s face immediately flushed red.
Then she hurriedly looked away.
“N-no… that won’t be necessary.”
Apparently she didn’t have much resistance to men.
Yuzuru decided that this was probably another reason people called her cute—not just her looks, but also these kinds of reactions and mannerisms.
“Hey, Yukishiro. Aren’t you thirsty?”
She was cute, sure—but if she stayed embarrassed forever, things would get awkward.
So Yuzuru changed the subject.
It was around two-thirty.
A perfect time for a snack.
“Oh, then I’ll take you up on that.”
“Alright… coffee okay?”
“If you have milk and sugar.”
“I do. I’ll make it now.”
Of course, “make” just meant placing mugs under the coffee maker in the kitchen and pressing a button.
Carrying two mugs back to the living room, he set them on the table.
Arisa raised her eyebrows slightly.
“That was quick.”
“I’ve got a coffee maker.”
“I see. So that machine noise earlier was that.”
“Exactly. …I’ll grab the milk and sugar.”
Yuzuru returned to the kitchen to get them.
While he was there, he also pulled out a cake box he had bought earlier from the refrigerator.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back. …Takasegawa-san, that’s from that famous shop nearby, isn’t it?”
She must have noticed the cake box.
Her expression remained composed… but her eyes kept drifting toward it.
“Oh, you know it? You can eat sweets, right?”
“Yes. I like sweets about as much as anyone.”
“That’s good.”
Reassured, Yuzuru opened the box.
Inside were two slices of shortcake and two slices of chocolate cake.
“Which one do you want?”
“U-um… please wait.”
Arisa stared at them with intense seriousness, murmuring to herself as she struggled to decide.
Her jade-colored gaze moved back and forth repeatedly.
After much deliberation, she chose the shortcake.
By process of elimination, Yuzuru took the chocolate cake.
They placed the slices on plates and started eating.
Since the shop was fairly well-known, the cake was indeed delicious.
After confirming the taste, Yuzuru glanced at Arisa’s expression.
He didn’t even need to ask for her opinion.
(I’m glad she likes it.)
Her expression softened as she carried the cake to her mouth, cheeks faintly flushed.
The moment she tasted it, her eyes narrowed happily and her lips curved into a small smile.
The corners of her eyes drooped as if she were in a dream.
Then she took a sip of coffee—and immediately frowned.
Apparently there hadn’t been enough milk and sugar.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“Sorry. It was just funny.”
“How rude.”
She frowned in irritation.
Yet even while saying that, she kept adding milk and sugar cubes to her coffee in an almost comical way.
“Sorry, sorry… but I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
When Yuzuru said that with a small laugh, Arisa looked slightly dissatisfied.
Still, the fork in her hand never stopped moving.
And every time she took another bite of cake, her expression softened again.
“Well, I suppose I’ll forgive you. But… Takasegawa-san, you know places like this too?”
“Know them? I actually go pretty often. With friends.”
The moment he said that—
Arisa’s eyes flew wide open in shock.
She froze, fork still in hand.
“Hey now, that reaction is a bit much.”
“A-ah… sorry. These friends of yours—are they from your class?”
“No. Satake Soichiro and Ryozenji Hijiri… do you know them?”
“I’ve heard the names. Whether I could match the names to their faces is another matter.”
It hadn’t even been two months since school started.
Remembering the faces of people in your own class was one thing—but students from other classes were harder.
If anything, it was surprising she knew their names at all.
“What, are those guys famous or something?”
“The girls in my class… mention them sometimes. They say they’re quite handsome.”
“Well, they do have good faces.”
Though whether they were good men—or good as people—was another matter entirely.
Especially Soichiro.
“…You too, though.”
Arisa muttered something quietly.
Her voice was too soft for him to catch.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
When Yuzuru asked, she answered calmly as if nothing had happened.
Current Dere Level: 8%
Yuzuru: “No wonder they’re popular.” (Speaking as if it has nothing to do with him)
Arisa: “They certainly seem popular.” (Also speaking as if it has nothing to do with him)