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 - 50

Chapter 50: I Want to Go With You

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Late June. Outside the window, the heavy clouds typical of the rainy season covered the sky, and a steady drizzle occasionally darkened the asphalt. In my room, I launched Eternal Legend and put on my headset. With a click, I turned on the mic and at the same time, her lively voice bounced against my eardrums.

『—Yo, Kazu! Thanks for logging in today!』

No voice changer. Just Shinonome-san’s natural voice, pleasant to the ears. Since the offline meetup, she still used the voice changer for the guild as a whole, but in our private two-person channel, she spoke to me as “Haru,” with no secrets between us.

“…Yo. Good work, Haru. How’s studying for finals going?”

『…That topic’s banned! Right now, as your partner, let me fully escape reality. …Hey, more importantly, Kazu…』

Haru on the screen, Shinonome-san’s avatar, started running in restless circles around my knight avatar.

『Keep this Saturday open. Let’s go shopping together.』

“…Shopping? Another offline meetup?”

『Nope. …It’s Saki’s birthday next month, so I figured it’s about time to pick out a present. But Saki’s surprisingly picky about her taste, and I get indecisive on my own. …So I want to summon Kazu as my “male perspective advisor”!』

“…Ichinose-san’s birthday present?”

I loosened my grip on the controller and frowned. Saki Ichinose. One of the school ’s top two and practically the embodiment of feminine charm. And I, a lifelong go-home-club gamer, was supposed to pick out a gift for her?

“…Haru. There’s no way I’ve got any sense for picking girls’ presents. …Why not invite Kaito? He stares at you and Ichinose-san every day like he’s trying to burn holes through you.”

『Kaito-kun is not allowed!! If I invite him, he’ll spread it around the entire school before the day’s even over. …Besides, this is a special mission I can only entrust to Kazu, my “secret advisor”!』

Kaito… Man, he’s not exactly trusted, huh. Not that I think he’s that kind of guy. But reputations are scary things, huh…?

“…Special mission, huh. …But even if I go, the best I’ll say is something like, ‘This controller feels nice to hold.’ I doubt Ichinose-san would be thrilled.”

『That’s fine! I just want to know if it looks cute from a guy’s perspective! …Come on, partner?』

Her voice sounded unusually desperate. But something still didn’t sit right with me. Shinonome Rin and Saki Ichinose. They’d been best friends since middle school. There was no way they didn’t already know each other’s tastes. As a reason to drag me out, it felt way too thin.

“…Haru. …Do you really need my opinion? …Your sense matches Ichinose-san’s taste way better than mine ever could.”

『…Ugh. …Well, that’s true, but…』

“Right? …Sorry, but I’d rather log in on Saturday. …Either pick it yourself or ask Futaba—”

『—That’s enough already!!』

Suddenly, Shinonome-san’s sharp voice rang through the speakers.

…

Silence. Her avatar on the screen stopped moving completely. Through the mic, I could hear her slightly uneven breathing.

“…Haru?”

『…Idiot. …Idiot Kazuma. …Why do you always line everything up with logic? If you’re my partner, then figure it out.』

“…Figure it out? …Figure out what—”

『…………I want to go.』

“…Huh?”

『……The present for Saki? Honestly, I’ve already pretty much decided what to get her! The only thing I need from you is a final thumbs-up. …It’s just an excuse, you idiot…』

Haru—no, Shinonome-san’s voice quickly grew heated, then began to tremble. On the other side of the voice chat, I could vividly picture her face turning bright red, head lowered.

『…I just want to go shopping with you. …The offline meetup the other day was so much fun. …I’m already at my limit pretending to be strangers at school. …So I want to walk around town, just the two of us, as Haru and Kazu. …Don’t make me say any more, it’s embarrassing…!』

“—!!”

My heart leapt with the loudest, most violent thud of the day—no, of my entire life. I was hit with overwhelming affection. She had even thrown away the excuse of “because we’re partners” and reached for me as her own personal wish.

“…Okay.”

My throat burned, and my voice barely came out. But I tightened my trembling grip on the mic and answered with all the sincerity I could muster.

“…Sorry, Haru. …I’m looking forward to going out with you, too. Saturday, in front of the station. …I’ll definitely be there.”

『…Nihihi. …You should’ve said that from the start, partner.』

Her voice was still slightly shaky, but it carried relief and the best “Haru” smile.

…

………

After that, I honestly didn’t remember much about how we played. All I knew was that after logging out, in the silent room, I pressed a hand to my chest, desperately trying to calm the heartbeat that refused to slow down.

If she says something like that, I can’t keep using the word “best friends” anymore.

Her wish to “be alone together.” It meant that since the day we met three years ago in that sea of electrons, our relationship had finally stepped into a place from which there was no turning back.

—Saturday.

I began rummaging through my closet in preparation for our “second secret rendezvous.” Outside, the rain beat harder against the window. But inside my heart, a dazzling, blazing sun rose bright enough to blow away the gloomy air of June. The present for Saki Ichinose that served as our false alibi.  And afterward, the “front-row seats for two,” wrapped in the sound of rain. Our story, in this damp season, had begun once more to melt together. It was sweeter, deeper than ever before.

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