I Confessed My Sexual Preferences to My Online Game Best Friend, and the Person Who Showed Up at the Offline Meetup Was the Cute Girl from My Class - 16-17

Chapter 16: I Won’t Let You Sleep Tonight

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Late Thursday night, in my room. Bathed in the pale blue glow of the monitor, I finished grinding levels in Eternal Legend and absentmindedly picked up my smartphone. That was when a single, heart-stopping notification appeared on the screen.

【Saki: Kazucchi-kun! Make sure you keep next Monday after school free! Let’s meet at the family restaurant in front of the station in the next town! I’m really looking forward to our consultation! (๑>◡<๑)】

“…………”

I quietly turned the phone face down. I wanted to pretend I hadn’t seen it. But the blinking notification light mercilessly shoved “reality” in my face. Saki Ichinose. One of the top two students in the school, and Rin Shinonome’s best friend. And currently, a walking bomb of a girl who had blackmailed me with the false charge—no, half-true charge—of “lewd gazes” and appointed me as her exclusive love advice consultant.

Of all days, Monday…?

Monday was the day when all club activities at our school were simultaneously off. That meant Rin Shinonome from the girls’ basketball team, and Kaito from the boys’ basketball team, were both free after school. It was also the day Haru (Rin) and I logged in early and went all-out on progression. Monday was the day of our regular “meeting.”

If I didn’t log in on Monday, Haru would absolutely press me with a “What were you doing?” interrogation. But if I turned down Ichinose-san’s invitation, I could already see the future where she ran crying to Shinonome-san, wailing, “Kazucchi-kun was so mean to me!”

“…I’m screwed. Completely screwed.”

Clutching my head, I reached Friday night, the last login time before the weekend.

『Kazu, your movements are really stiff tonight. Not enough sleep again?』

Haru’s voice came through the headset. Her unaltered voice still threw my heartbeat into chaos. But tonight, I didn’t have the luxury of reacting to that.

“…Yeah. I’ve got some stuff on my mind.”

『Hmm, stuff, huh. …Oh, right, about Monday. Clubs are off, so you can log in by 4 p.m., right? I want to really dig into prep for the new raid』

There it was. An unavoidable dead-ball pitch. I muted my mic and took a deep breath. …Alright. I had no choice.

“…Sorry, Haru. I’m gonna be late logging in on Monday.”

『Huh? Why? You always say Mondays are free for you』

Her voice dropped just a little. Haru’s interrogation mode was far more relentless than Shinonome-san at school. I decided to play the “card” I’d gained from Saturday’s home visit.

“…It’s Futaba. You know how she’s been pretty harsh on me lately, right? So I got dragged along to the shopping mall in the next town to keep her in a good mood.”

Using my sister as an excuse. I was the worst kind of brother, but it was all I could think of. Shinonome-san had met Futaba last Saturday. She’d seen firsthand how cold Futaba was toward me. With that context, this excuse should sound convincing.

『…Shopping with Futaba-chan?』

“Yeah. Apparently there’s some limited-edition stationery she wants. She’s totally planning to use me as a pack mule. …Sorry, but could you wait until around 7 p.m.?”

A faint clink came through the voice chat. Shinonome-san fell silent.

…This was bad. Had she seen through the lie? She had her nuclear weapon, which was my “cringe fetish poetry,” but I also held her “chuunibyou dark poetry.” If we both pressed the button, it’d be mutual destruction. That was exactly why she should trust me…

『………Huh. It’s rare to see Kazuma (Kazu) go that far for Futaba-chan』

“…Well… it’s for peace at home. You saw the look she was giving me too, didn’t you?”

『Ahaha, true. …Alright, I get it. Then Monday from 7:30. …But in exchange, I’m not letting you sleep Sunday night. I’m going to make you stick with me for a full-on grinding session』

“…Roger that.”

Even knowing she meant “not letting me sleep” in the gaming sense, hearing her say it in that voice was bad for my heart. I’d somehow cleared the first hurdle. But there was still one huge problem left. The fact that I’d be meeting Saki Ichinose alone at a family restaurant in the next town.

If… Just if! If Rin Shinonome happened to see us there… Or if some other classmate happened to spot us.

…No. The next town will be fine. It’s off our school’s commuting routes, and Shinonome-san’s house is in the opposite direction.

Telling myself that, I spent a sleepless weekend.

And then came the fateful Monday. The moment the after-school bell rang, I shook off Kaito’s invitation by shouting, “I’m my little sister’s errand boy today!” and sprinted toward the station at full speed.

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Chapter 17: The Secret Consultation Session

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Two train stops away from school.

This family restaurant in front of the station was just far enough from my house to feel inconvenient, but reasonably crowded in the evenings with students from other schools coming back from club activities and housewives returning from shopping.  At a booth seat by the window, I poked at the ice in my melon soda with my straw and let out a sigh. At this point, I’d lost count of how many times I’d done that today.

…What am I even doing?

On my phone screen remained the message I’d sent a few hours earlier to Shinonome-san (Haru).

『Futaba (my little sister) keeps nagging me about wanting a limited-edition notebook. She’s dragging me to the mall in the next town now』

Haru had replied, 『Wow, still getting treated like a pack mule (lol). Hang in there, big brother!』It was a message that half-cheered me on, half-mocked me. It was a lie. All of it was a lie. My sister Futaba was probably at home right now, messing around on her phone. There was only one reason I was in the next town.

“Kazucchi-kun! Sorry to keep you waiting! I’m lateeee! Sorryyy!”

The automatic doors flew open, and a stunningly beautiful girl, so radiant she felt out of place, came rushing toward me. Saki Ichinose-san. Standing alongside Shinonome-san at the very top of the school, the walking bomb herself. She had taken off her school cardigan and draped it over her arm, her collar slightly loosened in a casual after-school style, and plopped down across from me.

“…Ichinose-san. Your voice is too loud. And could you stop calling me ‘Kazucchi’? You’re drawing attention.”

“Ehh, it’s fine! Kazucchi-kun is Kazucchi-kun! And today is the appointment ceremony for Saki’s ‘special consultation advisor,’ so it’s gotta be at least this lively!”

She opened the menu and, without hesitation, pointed to the Limited-Time Fully Ripe Strawberry Parfait. The smooth way she called the server over and her dazzling smile when placing the order were flawless. As expected of the school’s angel. Her social skills were completely maxed out.

“…So. What’s this ‘consultation’ you needed to change locations for?”

“Mm, no rushing, no rushing. Sugar first. …But more importantly, Kazucchi-kun.”

Ichinose-san rested both elbows on the table and leaned forward. Before the parfait even arrived, her eyes narrowed slightly. Behind her innocent smile, a sharp observational glint flashed. My spine instinctively sounded the alarm: enemy.

“Honestly. …You’re hiding something with Rin-rin, aren’t you? There’s definitely something going on between you two!”

“—! …W-What are you talking about? There’s nothing between us. The idea of someone like me getting anywhere with Shinonome-san is less likely than a game-breaking bug.”

I desperately sipped my melon soda and maintained a blank expression. But Ichinose-san didn’t let me off the hook. She pulled out her phone and thrust it in front of me.

“That’s a lie. Rin-rin’s been in a super good mood lately. During club breaks, she keeps checking her phone and smiling to herself. …And that dragon sticker!”

“…What about the sticker?”

“Rin-rin’s not the type to put on ‘boyish designs’ like that herself. And yet, you and her have matching ones, right? That’s way too perfect to be a coincidence. …Come on, there’s a ‘secret’ between you two, isn’t there?”

Ichinose-san’s words hit dead center. If it got out that we were online game partners of three years, and that we’d spent last Saturday alone together in my room, my school life would end in five seconds.

“…That really was just a coincidence. I happened to notice she had that sticker and said, ‘Oh, I like that too,’ and we talked about it a bit. …Besides, how would a background mob like me even have any connection with Shinonome-san? Seriously, even Kaito would tell you the same.”

I built up a defensive wall of self-deprecation, the label as a “mob,” and even threw in my best friend’s name to reinforce it.

“…Hmmm. ………Mmm…”

Ichinose-san puffed out her cheeks and stared at me with dissatisfaction.

“…Kazucchi-kun, you’re not very good at lying.”

“…Shut up.”

“When Rin-rin looks at you, she has this… I don’t know… this look like she’s looking at a ‘partner.’ Like she feels weirdly at ease. Saki loves Rin-rin, so I’m sensitive to changes like that!”

Saying that, she took a bite of the parfait that had just arrived and fell silent for a while. This was the calm before the storm. I prepared myself for the next attack, constructing the “perfect excuse” in my head. But her next words were completely unexpected.

“…Eh. …Well, whatever! I’ll believe you for now!”

“…Huh?”

“Because it’s true that Rin-rin seems happy. If that’s thanks to Kazucchi-kun, then maybe Saki will cheer you on! …But still, having secrets just between you two is kinda unfair, right?”

She licked some cream off her spoon and smiled mischievously.

“Kazucchi-kun. About that ‘this consultation is a secret’ thing from before… I’m starting to think maybe it doesn’t have to be hidden from Rin-rin after all!”

“Wait, wait, wait!! Hold it right there!!”

I nearly shot up from my seat. Saki Ichinose. She lived by the innocent philosophy of “everyone’s friends, everyone’s happy!” If she told Shinonome-san that we were secretly meeting, all my lies would explode straight through the roof.

…Like the buttons on her school uniform blouse, for example…

“…Please…! Just for now, keep this between us. I’m begging you!”

When I bowed my head desperately, Ichinose-san burst into the most delighted laughter I’d heard from her all day.

“Nihihi! Kazucchi-kun, you’re way too desperate! Why are you that desperate? Don’t tell me you’re actually dating Rin-rin?”

“…Eh!? W-What are you even—”

I froze in shock, and Ichinose-san shook with quiet laughter. No, we absolutely were not dating.

“Ahaha! I’m kidding, I’m kidding! That was hilarious. Kazucchi-kun’s reactions are the best! Alright! This is a secret just between the two of us, okay?”

“…………A joke, huh. …Give me a break.”

She was completely toying with me. My shoulders slumped as I let out a massive sigh of relief. I thought my heart was going to stop.

“Nihihi. Okay then, for now, it’s our secret. …But in exchange, you have to properly see Saki’s ‘consultation’ through to the end, alright?”

Ichinose-san pointed her spoon at me and gave me a provocative wink.

“For now, you’re a secret consultation advisor just for me, something Rin-rin doesn’t know about. …Nihihi, it kinda makes my heart race!”

“…Ichinose-san, you’re seriously off in your own world…”

I let out a long, deep sigh. To protect Shinonome-san (Haru), I’d ended up creating another “secret” with a different queen. Ichinose-san’s curiosity hadn’t been extinguished. If anything, she was innocently trying to tear down the boundary between me and Shinonome-san.

It seemed my “more-than-friends, less-than-lovers” daily life was beginning to be wrapped in the ominous signs of a massive storm.

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