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 - 44

Chapter 44: EEEEEEEEEEEHHHH?!?!?!

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And so the day finally came. Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

The humid June breeze swayed the young leaves of the roadside trees. Beneath the clock tower in front of the station, I kept adjusting the collar of the pale gray summer knit I had bought specifically for today.

(…… …… Calm down. …… Today is just an offline meetup. …… I’m just bringing Shinonome-san from school and my guild partner, Haru.)

I told myself that, but the back of my throat felt completely dry. Suddenly, Futaba’s words from last night crossed my mind: “It’s her first time, so she’s probably nervous. Make sure you lead properly, Onii.”

(…Yeah, I know.)

I knew that, but the heart rate of the one who was supposed to be leading was already skyrocketing like a raid boss’s final phase.

“—Kazu!”

Suddenly, a familiar unaltered voice rang out from behind me. The moment I turned around, my thoughts quite literally stopped.

“…Huh?”

Standing there was the “real” her and the “real” her was many times, tens of times more dazzling than the photo she had sent on LINE last night.

A modest white sleeveless dress. Draped lightly over it was a sheer, pale blue cardigan.

Her smooth black hair flowed neatly, braided to the side, making the whiteness of her neck stand out even more. Not the perfect smile of “Shinonome-san” she showed at school, but eyes tinged with anxiety and relief at finding me. The eyes of a young girl.

“…Um… how is it? …Is it weird after all?”

Shinonome-san lightly pinched the hem of her dress and asked timidly.

“…There’s no way it’s weird. You’re really beautiful.”

When I let my true feelings slip, Shinonome-san’s cheeks quickly flushed red, and her gaze darted away.

“…Nihihi. …Pass. …Your outfit looks good too, Kazu. …It’s mature, and it made my heart skip a little.”

“…D-Don’t tease me. …Come on, let’s go. …Genzo-san and the others are already in the lobby.”

I started walking, trying to hide my burning face. Shinonome-san followed half a step behind me. In the crowd, she gently grabbed the sleeve of my shirt with her fingertips.

“…Kazu. …Meeting everyone without the voice changer is really nerve-wracking. …If they hear my voice and think, ‘That’s not Haru-kun’…”

“Your voice is your voice. Even if you look like a girl, even without the voice changer, they’ll realize right away that you’re ‘Haru.’ …We’ve been together for three years.”

When I answered bluntly but with conviction, I felt a little more warmth put into the hand gripping my sleeve.

“…Yeah. …Thank you, Kazu. …Alright! …Let’s go surprise everyone!”

Shinonome-san smiled. It was the best smile of “Haru,” just like always, and stepped up beside me.

The place of our offline meeting was a long-established city hotel a short walk from the station. Passing through the heavy revolving door, a refined space spread out before us, completely detached from the noise of school. The light sound of her sandals echoed across the marble floor. Just as planned, we headed toward the large sofa set in the center of the lobby.

There, a group was radiating an unnaturally intense “energy.”

“Aaaah! Jeez! That pair still isn’t here!? If Kazu-kun and Haru-kun don’t show up, I’m eating all the roast beef at today’s buffet!!”

A scream so loud you could almost hear the full-width characters cutting through the lobby’s silence. A woman in a flashy orange dress, gripping her smartphone and snorting impatiently. …No doubt about it. That person must be Marie-san. Next to her…

A man in a well-tailored navy jacket, pushing up his silver-rimmed glasses with a finger while smiling awkwardly. …Guild Master, Genzo-san.

Then, a broad-built, bold-looking older guy in an aloha shirt, Tetsu-san. And a big, quiet-looking man silently reading a lobby pamphlet, Kuma-san. Finally, a model-like college student with light brown hair, restlessly glancing around, Shin-kun.

(…What can I say. …They look exactly like they did through the screen.)

As I nodded to myself, Shinonome-san leaned even closer into my arm. I could feel her fingertips trembling slightly.

“…Kazu. …Let’s go.”

“…Yeah. …Leave it to me, Haru.”

Step by step, we moved toward the center. The first to notice us was Shin-kun.

“H-Hey… Look. …There’s a ridiculously good-looking couple coming this way.”

“Huh? I don’t care about that! More importantly, Haru-kun—”

Marie-san turned toward us irritably. And then she saw me and Rin standing there, clutching my sleeve… Head-on.

“…”

Marie-san’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. Genzo-san froze with his glasses slipping out of place. Tetsu-san dropped the smartphone he was holding onto the floor. It was as if a vacuum zone had formed in one corner of the lobby.

I took a deep breath. Then, gently supporting Rin who looked ready to bolt at any moment by resting her shoulder against mine, I opened my mouth.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. …I’m Kazu from Azure Sky Brigade. …And this is…”

I looked at Rin. Her face bright red, Rin steeled herself, straightened—not a cap, but her cardigan collar—and spoke in her natural voice, clear as a ringing bell.

“…I’m Haru. …For three years, I pretended to be a boy… I’m sorry…!”

…

…………

““““——EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!!???””””

A massive scream unbefitting a hotel lobby (with due consideration for those around us) echoed against the high ceiling. Marie-san collapsed to her knees shouting “No waaay!?” Shin-kun clutched his head yelling, “This has to be an admin setup!” and Genzo-san hurriedly fixed his glasses, blinking over and over.

“H-Haru-kun!? That foul-mouthed Haru-kun!? And she’s… She’s such a doll-like girl!?”

Marie-san lunged toward Shinonome-san with crawling momentum. Overwhelmed, Shinonome-san let out a short “Hyah!?” and hid behind my back.

“…M-Master. …What exactly is going on here?”

When I looked to Genzo-san for help, he seemed to finally regain his composure and stepped forward with a wry smile.

“…Well… honestly, this got me. …I imagined Kazu-kun as a decent young man, but… I never expected Haru-chan to be this much of a beauty. …For three years, we were completely blind.”

Genzo-san looked gently at Rin, then gave my shoulder a light pat.

“…Kazu-kun. …So this is the face of the lucky man who captured Haru-chan’s heart. …Today, you’ll tell us everything, won’t you?”

“W-What!? It’s not like I captured her or anything! We’re just close friends—”

“Alright, alright! I’ll interrogate that excuse thoroughly later! …Ahh, geez! They’re too precious, I’m going to die! Auntie’s lost all motivation for marriage hunting!”

Wrapped in Marie-san’s shrieking voice, our offline meetup began with turbulence just five minutes in. At school, we pretended to be strangers. But here, in this adult social venue, it seemed we had been officially recognized as “the most perfectly matched partners in the world.” Behind my back, Shinonome-san let out a small “nihihi…” and gripped my shirt tightly.

(…… Kazu. …… I’m really glad we came after all.)

Her unspoken feelings flowed straight into my heart through the warmth in my hand. The words “just close friends” that described her and me… Under the brilliant lights of a first-class hotel, they had begun to shine too brightly for anyone to ever deny again.

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