After I Confessed to My Childhood Friend and Got Rejected, I Threw a Game Offline Meetup to Cheer Myself Up, Only to Find Out My Long-Time Gaming Buddy Was Actually the Quiet, Silver-Haired Swedish Beauty Who's the Cutest Girl in School

Chapter 17.2: Memories and Lap Pillow, And—

Was it group psychology? The guildmates started piling on the master one after another.

It was a scene like forcing someone to do what they didn’t want, resembling a bullying spot.

<…>

Amamiya felt sympathy for Dragon Head, who fell silent.

In the game, you couldn’t read real expressions or emotions.

But it was clear she hated it.

<U-um, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself to talk in voice chat… it’s not a big deal, right…?>

With his voice trembling, Rain—Amamiya shielded Dragon Head.

“Ah, yeah, there was that time…”

It was from quite a while ago, a memory he wouldn’t recall unless reminded, and Amamiya murmured it with a nostalgic air.

“After that, the master went berserk, right? Maybe he couldn’t forgive a student defying him as a working adult.”

That incident became the trigger, and Dragon Head started actively talking to Rain.

As they leveled up and did boss rounds together, they gradually learned about each other, and before they knew it, they were friends.

If Amamiya hadn’t shielded her, they probably would have ended as strangers.

“Takaaki-kun back then had such a pathetic voice.”

Karina said it with a little chuckle.

“Because the other guy was an adult, you know. It’s normal to be scared…”

Amamiya replied in a sulky way, like it was a shame since he had tried to shield her.

Even in a game, an overbearing adult’s voice carried intimidation.

But Karina must have been even more scared.

The image floated in his mind of small Karina cowering in front of her computer as voice chat was forced on her.

Just imagining it made his chest tighten.

“You know, I had a complex about my voice and the way I talked. The boys in class made fun of me, saying ‘anime voice.’ And my Japanese pronunciation was bad, so my words often didn’t get across… that’s why I didn’t want to turn on voice chat.”

Karina spoke with a slightly clouded voice as she looked up at the ceiling.

Amamiya was surprised that the usually laid-back girl had such a heavy past.

At the same time, it confirmed the impression he had of her as someone who had been through a lot.

“At that time, Rain-san—Takaaki-kun helped me. It was pathetic, but more than that…”

Karina leaned her face closer, whispering at a distance where her breath tickled his ear.

“You were cool… cool enough to make me fall for you.”

“Eh!?”

Amamiya, startled by the sudden words, tumbled off the gaming chair.

His head hit the floor, and a dull thud echoed in the room.

“S-sorry! Takaaki-kun! I didn’t mean to…”

Karina rushed over with a worried look and supported his head with her hand on the back.

It wasn’t a hard hit, so he didn’t want to burden her and tried to sit up, but

(Nn… what’s this soft feeling…?)

Something more springy than a pillow enveloped the back of his head.

When he opened his eyes, there was Karina’s face looking down at him with a relieved expression.

(Wait, could this be…!?)

The moment he understood the situation, Amamiya’s eyes widened hugely.

The source of the softness against the back of his head was a girl’s thigh.

“K-Karina!?”

“Hey, you know they taught us in health class that if you hit your head, you shouldn’t move it, right? Just stay still like that.”

“Eh, no, but…”

“Uh-uh, no, moving, no.”

She gave his head a light chop.

No, you can’t do that to someone who hit their head.

“…Okay.”

Amamiya gave up and entrusted himself to her.

He never dreamed the day would come when a silver-haired beauty would give him a lap pillow; it felt like a dream.

A resident of another world, a flower on a high peak.

He had admired her but given up on reaching her, and now that unattainable existence looked down at him with a face full of loving kindness, gently stroking his head as if caring for someone precious.

“You know, when I found out you were Rain, I was so happy. The person I admired had actually been within reach all along…”

She had said she had a complex about her own voice, but that voice was so comfortable it stirred Amamiya’s possessiveness.

“That day, thank you for helping me. Thank you for becoming my friend. Thank you for being my partner…”

Karina’s face flushed red, her cheeks relaxing in delight as she voiced her thanks.

(The one who should be thankful is me…)

The one who unmistakably healed his heartbroken soul after being rejected by his childhood friend was her.

The one who vividly repainted his lonely days was her too.

It might be a fleeting dream, but Amamiya secretly wished that someday they could become more than friends.

It was still too soon to confess his feelings. He had decided to wait until he became a man worthy of her.

But for now, he just wanted to savor this happy time.

He wanted to drown in her kindness.

With those thoughts, Amamiya gently closed his eyelids.