Chapter 21

I sent a message to Kiyokawa, asking her to meet me at the old school building. Even though I asked her to act normal, she clearly behaved strangely. The handshake event is a good example. After receiving Kiyokawa’s reply, “I’ll come right away,” I stood up from my chair and left the classroom. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I felt a gaze and turned around to meet Rinka’s eyes, who was sitting in the front row.

“――――”

Rinka quickly averted her eyes and started reading the book in her hands.

………Saito said that Rinka often looks at me when she gets the chance. Recalling the many times our eyes had met before, I concluded that this was nothing out of the ordinary.

I had to get back to the classroom before the break was over. I walked quickly to the old school building and arrived at an empty classroom. Kiyokawa was already waiting. It was only natural, as the first-year classrooms were closer.

“…………What is it? This time, are you going to――――”

“What was that at the handshake event? It was really embarrassing.”

“Oh, oh……that. It was an action driven by the determination to protect the seniors.”

“I asked you to act normal……! I got scolded by the staff. They even remembered my name and face. They even wrote down my address.”

“It’s fine. I explained it and helped the situation.”

“If you hadn’t done something weird, nothing would have happened……!”

“It’s wrong of you to come to the handshake event for handshakes!”

“It’s a handshake event, so it’s fine! It’s terrible……I couldn’t shake hands with Rinka……”

I had been looking forward to the handshake event for a week. The fact that I cried into my pillow was my secret. Even though I could shake hands with Rinka anytime, the handshake at the event felt special. It was too sad.

“If there’s a brainwashing technique to make Rinka-senpai think we’re married, we could at least shake hands.”

“…………Do you really think it’s brainwashing?”

“…………There was a time when I did.”

Kiyokawa, who was being stared at intently by me, let a bead of sweat roll down her cheek in anxiety.

“So you don’t think that way anymore?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you subtly over the past few days. After actually talking to you a few times, the possibility that you’re just a regular high school boy seems higher.”

“See? There’s no other possibility besides being a regular high school boy.”

“Why are you just a regular high school boy!? You fool!”

“That’s an unreasonable outburst! What kind of words are those to a senior!?”

“If you’re just a regular high school boy, it means Rinka-senpai is talking about being married based on her own thoughts! I can’t believe it!”

Kiyokawa, who was holding her head as if in despair, stumbled backward and hit the wall. She was clearly shaken. I understand her feelings, but I wish she would accept the reality.

“To Rinka, being married in an online game means being married in real life too.”

“Online game……Is it really that serious?”

“It’s not just serious, it’s……fun, I guess?”

“Actually, I started playing an online game recently. It’s called Black Plains.”

“Eh, Kiyokawa too!?”

“Yes. To gather as much information as possible, I investigated the online game you and Rinka are playing and started playing it. I played with Nana-senpai the other day.”

“How was it? Was it fun?”

“…………Well, the visuals were beautiful. But it seems like it will become monotonous and boring in the future.”

“Are you challenging me?”

“Eh!?”

I couldn’t help but release a quiet aura of anger at Kiyokawa, who was speaking so confidently. It’s unacceptable to mock online games in front of a hardcore online gamer. If Kiyokawa were a guy, I would have grabbed her by the collar.

“You’ve only been playing for a few days, right? You can’t really experience the true fun and charm with that little playtime. It’s not a social game that sells itself on convenience.”

“……You have a strange persuasiveness……. But you do have a point, Wato-senpai. To understand Rinka-senpai better, I plan to invite her to play the online game next time.”

“Invite her to play the online game?”

“Yes. Including Nana-senpai, we’ll be three. I want to see how much Rinka-senpai is into the online game and how seriously she talks about being married. Unfortunately, the possibility that Wato-senpai is just a regular person who can’t use brainwashing is high.”

“You’re still challenging me, aren’t you? It’s normal not to be able to use brainwashing.”

I think she wants to see me as the bad guy because she doesn’t want to believe Rinka’s claim of being married. It’s crazy……

“Hey, can I join too?”

“No.”

“Wha――――. C’mon! It’s fine! Just let me join the party!”

“You’re unusually persistent……”

Recently, I haven’t been playing online games with Kuriizaka or Rinka. Their schedules as popular idols don’t match up with mine. The old me wouldn’t have offered to join due to nervousness. But now, our relationship in the online game is that of good friends……I want to play with them if possible.

“Besides, I think it will be easier to understand Rinka’s thoughts if I’m there.”

“…………Now that you mention it, that might be true. Alright, I’ll allow it.”

“Thanks, Kiyokawa. I’ve never felt grateful to you before.”

“Well, I don’t really have a choice. You have a powerful and merciless weakness over me, Wato-senpai.”

“Are you still saying that!? I won’t tell anyone, and I won’t use it to threaten you!”

“I can’t believe you. It’s strange, isn’t it? To have such a weakness over such a cute popular idol and not use it for evil desires is abnormal!”

“The abnormal one is your thought process……! You call yourself cute, your thinking is twisted, and your ideas are too dark……. Actually, Kiyokawa is quite manipulative, isn’t she?”

“Wha! Listen, I’m doing this to protect the members of Star☆Mines――――”

Kiyokawa, her face red, approached me forcefully and started explaining how hard she was working. ………She must have a lot on her mind. Despite the misunderstandings, I felt a sense that they might be resolved.