Chapter 46: I was obsessed playing games with my childhood friend

I was obsessed playing games with my childhood friend

Walking alone along the usual route to school.

A car was approaching from the opposite direction, and I realized that I was walking somewhere in the middle of the road. It feels a bit lonely on my left side, probably because I’ve been with Aya recently.

The day before yesterday, I introduced myself to Aya’s family as her ‘boyfriend’. I also mentioned that I’m thinking about marriage in the future. It’s strange how things feel more real when someone else acknowledges them. Is this what they call being officially in a relationship?

Aya stayed over at a friend’s house yesterday and is apparently coming to school directly from there today.

I headed to school a bit faster than usual.

“Hey, Boyan, good morning!”

As I took my seat, I heard her voice, soft like a cat’s meow.

“Ah, good morning, Aya.”

She approached with a cheerful expression, breaking away from her group of friends. Perhaps due to the slight chill in the air, Aya was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and a beige cardigan today. Soft colors definitely suit her.

“Bo-Boyan, you’re early today.”

Her slightly awkward smile seemed like she was in high spirits. It seems I’m not the only one feeling conscious now that we’re officially a couple.

“You’re early too, Aya. Did you get carried here while still asleep?”

Teasingly, I tried to ease Aya’s nervousness.

“I woke up properly, you know.”

She pouted slightly, but her lips soon curled into a smile. She gazed at me with warmth in her eyes, so I couldn’t help but smile back.

“You look good in autumn attire. The outfit from the day before yesterday suited you really well too.”

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“Huh…?! Uh, thank you…”

Blushing, Aya’s lips formed a cute frown as she shyly averted her gaze. I sensed that some of the guys in the class were stealing glances at her.

I messed up. I didn’t want to show this face to anyone in class.

Aya must have noticed those glances too, as her cheeks turned even redder.

Maybe I should make a joke to lighten the mood. Just as I was thinking that, Aya squeezed her hand in front of her chest.

“Um, Boyan… Would you like to go to Spochi today?”

“Sure, but why?”

“Um… You see, one of my friends got confessed to and they’re going on a trial date. But since it’s awkward just the two of them, we’re joining them to make it less embarrassing. So…”

She seemed to be trying hard to convey something embarrassing. With her clenched hand pressing against her chest, her ample cleavage was accentuated. I nodded gently and encouraged her to continue.

“Since couples feel less nervous when they’re with other couples… My friend suggested we tag along. So, I thought maybe you could come too?” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

The volume of her voice resonated throughout the still-silent classroom due to the low number of students present.

Before I knew it, the classroom had fallen eerily quiet. It felt as I was being confessed to.

“…Is that okay?”

I gazed into Aya’s eyes and asked. Just like on the rooftop, it was a simple confirmation.

“Yeah… It’s okay.”

To the world, it might be just a commonplace emotional wound, but for her, it could be an incredibly heavy trauma.

Despite that, she pushed herself forward and crossed another threshold, exposing herself to curious and possibly malicious eyes.

So, I will welcome her with open arms.

“Alright then, let’s go. After all, we’re a couple now.”

I stated it as if it were the most natural thing.

“Yeah, thank you.”

Her eyes were so moist that it seemed she might burst into tears any moment.

“And well, I’m your guardian too.”

“Well, that’s more like… me being the guardian…”

Her shoulders relaxed. It seemed like the familiar interaction of childhood friends relieved her tension.

Then, one of Aya’s female friends approached. Energetic and with characteristic straight, black, long hair – I believe her name was Kanappe, as Aya always called her.

“So, Aya and Boyan are a thing now, huh? And we’re just gonna tag along, right?”

Kanappe rubbed Aya’s shoulder and guided her back to the group of friends. It was clear that Aya was being cherished. Perhaps it’s thanks to the support of these friends that Aya managed to become this strong.

In secret, I felt grateful to Aya’s precious friends.

- - -

A group of students headed towards the station, and Aya and I walked slightly behind them.

Leading the front was Kanappe with her group of female friends and a few guys, sparkling and laughing joyfully. They exuded an atmosphere of sparkling positivity. I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with half of their conversations.

At the tail end were two pairs of guys and Aya’s friend’s couple, who glanced at us from time to time.

“What’s up?”

I asked the two pairs of guys.

“Well, you know… seeing you two together makes me realize you were actually a couple.”

Their words didn’t sound malicious. They must have genuinely been surprised.

“You two are really a couple, right? Right, Aya?”

Aya’s friend smiled playfully.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Aya answered nonchalantly, but her cheerful expression was a bit forced.

Then the two pairs of guys chimed in again.

“Seeing you two, it’s like we feel a sense of intimacy… it’s heartwarming, you know?”

“Yeah, I kind of get it. It’s just… reassuring.”

“That’s it, exactly. Like, you two drinking tea together on a veranda or something, peaceful, you know?”

I’ve thought this before, but it seems that Aya and I appear to others like an elderly couple… or maybe even an innocent grade school couple.

Except for Aya’s friends who might have heard some details from her, probably no one would expect that we’ve been getting close at school multiple times.

When I look at Aya, I find myself staring at the two people walking ahead, who have somehow intertwined their hands.

“Boyan, should we hold hands too?”

While looking ahead, Aya extends her palm toward me, like inviting me to dance. Her profile looks relaxed, but this is the expression she has when she’s pushing herself.

“It’s okay if we don’t do it right now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I noticed that the two people in front were stealing sidelong glances at Aya and me. Their gaze is like that of someone observing an endearing creature.

Aya and I have been engaging in much more daring activities than just holding hands, but it’s amusing how she still gets bashful in moments like these. It reminds me that she’s truly someone I need to cherish.

“Okay then, we’ll just hang out randomly. You couples can go off on your own.”

As soon as we arrive at Spochi, Kanappe waves her hand and shoos us away. She’s probably trying to be considerate in her own way.

“Randomly, huh… Geez.”

Aya seems exasperated, but her face is slightly delighted. I’m also happy for this opportunity, as Aya and I haven’t been on an arcade date before. The last time we were at Spochi, we ended up not really doing anything together.

“Aya, what do you want to do?”

Aya suddenly burst into laughter.

“Aya?”

“Hehe, sorry, Boyan. I just remembered something from when we were kids.”

“When we were kids, like back in elementary school?”

“Yeah, that’s right… It’s when we first met. You used to invite me like this to play after school every day.”

Oh right, I remember now. Back then, Aya wasn’t as energetic as she is now. I couldn’t leave her alone. She used to go straight home after classes, so I’d either take her out to play or spend time playing at her place. It felt like my mission was to make her smile.

Looking back, I guess I just wanted to be around Aya.

“… So, how about we take turns suggesting things we want to do together?”

“Sounds good! You can go first, Boyan.”

“Sure… How about that?”

I pointed at a game console with a creepy zombie illustration.

“Oh, a shooting game? Sounds awesome! Let’s do it!”

Aya’s eyes shimmered. Surprisingly, she enjoys this kind of thing. Although she doesn’t generally love splatter or action games, Aya’s preferences can be quite complex.

I entered the dimly lit box-shaped gaming console. Sitting side by side, we inserted coins, and the game title was loudly announced, filling the box.

“Hey, where’s the weapon switch button?”

Aya held a unique-shaped gun controller and peered at her hands.

“Isn’t it here?”

I said, touching Aya’s slender fingers and guiding them to the switch button.

“Oh, is it this?”

“Yeah. And I think this is probably the most comfortable way to hold and aim.”

As I wrapped my hand around Aya’s and positioned her fingers for easy shooting, I also adjusted the positioning of her elbow to prevent her arm from getting tired. Alright, that should be perfect.

In response to my lecture, Aya murmured a quiet “thank you.”

“… Boyan, have you played this game before?”

“Nah, first time. Actually, it’s my first time touching this thing too.”

Saying that, I held up my own gun controller to show her.

“Both first-timers, huh… Well, let’s do our best.”

Aya nodded as she aimed her gun. Tension crept across her face.

The game started. In front of the two investigators who had infiltrated a suspicious mansion, zombies appeared one after another, attacking them. At first, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake, but that didn’t last long. We encountered hordes of zombies, and even monsters that must have been around eight meters tall were dropping down. The gameplay was intense and had me gripping the controller tightly.

“Hey, Boyan, I’ll leave the axe guy over there to you!”

“Oh, Aya, they’re coming from your side.”

“Got it! Ah, nooo!”

From Aya’s side, I heard something like a cat’s wail. When I looked, her health bar was completely red. It seemed she had fallen midway.

Lost in thought, I, too, became a victim of the flying axe. The screen displayed “You’re Dead” in bloody letters.

“Looks like we got taken out. How about we do something you want next, Aya?”

“… It can’t end like this.”

“Huh?”

“We can’t let it end like this, Boyan. Let’s continue.”

Unbeknownst to me, Aya had rolled up her cardigan sleeves and blouse and was inserting coins.

“Sure, but are you sure?”

“Yeah, as long as I can take a Purikura photo.”

(TLN Purikura=Photo booth)

Purikura? It’s an unexpected suggestion from Aya, who’s usually uncomfortable with having her picture taken.

“It’s starting, Boyan. You don’t have to worry about anything on this side, just focus on yourself.”

“Yeah, got it.”

I agreed while also intending to support Aya. After all, she frequently lends me a hand too.

In the end, we reached the final boss, supporting each other along the way. Apparently, cooperative play was the key strategy for this game. It’s quite remarkable that we made it this far with just three continues. Considering that we were able to beat the final boss, I think that’s pretty impressive.

“Boyan, we’ve finally made it here.”

“Yeah, we have.”

“If we defeat it, let’s have a celebration.”

“Sounds good.”

Aya, excited and in a weird mood, was amusing. I must admit, I was also wrapped up in an odd sense of exhilaration.

And then—

“We did it! We won, Boyan!”

Aya’s shoulder leaned against mine.

“Yeah, it seems like we’re invincible.”

Our arms were both polished through the ordeal we went through. In the end, we managed to defeat the final boss with just one continue. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. It really felt like the old times when I used to play with Aya.

“Congratulations to the invincible couple~!”

From the side, Kanappe’s voice sounded, causing my body to twitch. I realized it wasn’t just Kanappe – all our female and male friends were peeking at us from the outside.

“Kanappe!? How long were you watching?”

Aya concealed the guns in her arms.

“Hmm? We’ve been watching since around the ‘Let’s have a party’ part.”

“Well, we got kind of lost in it… Wait, is it time to leave already!?”

Aya looked surprised and checked her phone. It seemed we had been inside this booth for more than two hours. No wonder my butt felt sore.

“We were just talking about heading back soon… Wait, have you guys been doing this the whole time?”

“… Yeah, we have.”

“Haha, the mood, hahaha… Well, I think it’s nice that way for you guys… hahaha…”

It seemed like they were saying, “It’s a shame to get so absorbed in a game like kids and even clear it all”, killing the mood.

From a little further away, two pairs of male couples were smiling as they watched us, like they were looking at something cute.

“Kanappe, you’re teasing us, aren’t you?”

“I’m not, I’m not! Besides, we got engrossed in watching too. You guys are amazing, so in sync!”

“Haha, well yeah.”

Aya looked proud and adorable. I’m sure Kanappe, with her narrowed eyes, was thinking the same.

“So, Aya, what are you guys going to do? We’re going to take some Purikura photos and then disperse.”

“Ah… I’ll take some with Boyan.”

“Oh right, you mentioned that, Aya. Then, how about we meet at the entrance in thirty minutes?”

“Yeah, see you later.”

Kanappe showed her palm, and Aya did the same.

Watching the departing group, I shifted my gaze back to the screen. The protagonists, the investigators, were being kissed by the village beauties. It looked like a scene from a celebration party.

“Aya, are we going to do the Purikura now?”

I asked Aya, who was contentedly gazing at the ending.

“Nah, I want to watch a little more.”

I agreed with her.

I put my arm around Aya’s shoulder and gently pulled her closer. Perhaps due to being engrossed in the game, her body was warm. The head that bumped softly into my chest was also warm.

“Hey, Boyan.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want a reward too, Boyan?”

“I do.”

I answered immediately.

Aya’s chest moved slightly, and she brought her face close to my cheek.

“I owe you one, partner.”

Despite her manly words, Aya’s voice was seductive as it tickled my ear along with her breath.

“Mmm…”

It was a quiet, gentle kiss, with her lips pressing softly against mine. The moist elasticity made my cheek tingle.

As if returning the favor, I placed a kiss on Aya’s slightly sweaty forehead.

“Thanks for everything, investigator.”

In that moment, Aya closed her eyes tightly, then slowly opened her eyelids, looking up at me. Her flirtatious gaze from below was downright unfair.

Due to the intensity of the game, both Aya and I were quite sweaty. The smell that always excited me filled the dim space, and I felt a little lightheaded.

At this rate, we might end up getting carried away here. That would be far too conspicuous.

“Aya, how about we go for the Purikura?”

“Ah, uhm, yeah… that sounds good.”

We exited the gaming booth together. The inside of the booth seemed to have gotten quite warm, making the outside feel refreshingly cool. Like stepping out of a sauna, my heated body gradually cooled down. But that was just on the outside.

I leaned close to Aya’s ear.

“Aya, do you have a change of underwear?”

“Huh…”

Aya twitched and froze.

Admittedly, even I felt that line was a bit too risqué. But I felt like Aya probably wouldn’t be weirded out by it at the moment.

“…Yeah.”

She nodded slightly with her head lowered.

Without wasting any time, I took Aya’s hand and headed quickly to the Purikura corner.