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 - 9

Chapter 9: My Super Excited Mom and Little Sister

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That bomb was dropped on Tuesday night, when we were—as usual—discussing the raid event for the following week over voice chat.

『Hey, Kazu. Is it okay if I come over to your place this Saturday?』

At the sound of Shinonome-san’s—no, Haru’s—voice coming through the headset, my fingers froze in place. On the screen, my character came to a surreal stop right at the edge of a cliff.

“…Huh? What did you just say?”

『I said, your house! It’d be more efficient to meet in person and have a strategy meeting… and, well, I kind of want to see my partner’s room at least once. …Is that a no?』

A slightly teasing, almost coaxing nuance crept into the end of her sentence. The image of the most beautiful girl in the school sitting on the edge of my bed flashed through my mind, and my heart started pounding like it was about to explode.

Wait, wait, wait! Rin Shinonome, in my room!? That’s a closed space! Just the two of us!?

“N-no… that’s not a good idea. Don’t you realize you’re a girl? If someone saw us…”

『Nihihi. It’s fine~ I’ll come in disguise. Besides, we’re “best friends,” right? Friends going over to each other’s houses to play games is totally normal. …Or what, Kazuma (Kazu)? Are you really that conscious of me as a “woman”?』

“…………!!”

That provocative laugh was Haru’s trademark. Annoyingly enough, she was right. If I hadn’t known her true identity, I probably would’ve answered without hesitation, “Yeah, come on over.” Refusing here would just be admitting that I was seeing her as a woman.

“…Alright. …If it’s as best friends, I don’t really mind. …But seriously, come in disguise. And my room’s a mess, just so you know.”

『Yay! Negotiations successful, partner! I’m really looking forward to it』

Listening to her cheerful voice as she logged out, I buried my face in my hands. I’d agreed in the heat of the moment, but no matter how I thought about it, the hurdle was way too high.

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—The next morning. At the breakfast table, I ran straight into the second major obstacle.

“…Onii, you look awful this early in the morning. Gross.”

Sitting across from me, chewing on toast and glaring coldly, was my little sister, Futaba. A third-year middle schooler, Futaba was right in the middle of her rebellious phase.

Well…She did have her cute sides, at least.

“…Calling your brother ‘gross’ first thing in the morning is harsh. I’m still your older brother, you know.”

“I’m just stating facts. You were talking until late last night again with that person called ‘Haru,’ right?”

“Oh. You heard that?”

“Your voice was way too loud. Why don’t you switch to thicker soundproofing panels?”

Futaba snorted. She knew I was hooked on online games, but she didn’t know who I was playing with. Of course, there was no way I could tell her that Haru was actually Shinonome-san.

“…Hey, Mom. Futaba. About this Saturday…”

I called out to my mother, who was bustling around the kitchen.

“Hm? What is it, Kazuma?”

“Well… one of my online game friends is coming over to hang out. …So, um, could you two maybe go out somewhere on Saturday afternoon? I want to focus on talking about the game…”

I tried to ask as naturally as possible for them to leave the house. But contrary to my expectations, my mother’s eyes lit up.

“What!? You’re having a friend over, Kazuma!? Is it that Haru-kun you’ve been talking to nonstop for the past three years?”

“…Y-yeah. Something like that.”

“Oh my! That’s a big deal! We have to entertain him properly. Futaba, help me clean! We should get a cake too.”

“Ugh… why do I have to clean for my brother’s otaku friend? …He’s just going to show up in a tracksuit, eat potato chips, and drink cola anyway.”

Futaba pulled a face of pure disgust.

…Right. As far as my family was concerned, Haru was “an unremarkable gamer guy, just like Kazuma.”

“No, it’s fine, Mom! Seriously, we don’t need any hospitality! You can just ignore us or better yet, not be here at all—”

“What are you saying, Kazuma?! This is your best friend of three years coming over for the first time! Your mother has to greet him properly. Right, Futaba? Maybe we should order some pizza they’d like.”

“…If it’s extra cheese, I might help.”

“That’s not the point! That’s not what I mean…!”

My desperate resistance was in vain. In my mother’s and sister’s minds, plans for a “Welcome Party for Kazuma’s Best Friend (Male)” were steadily moving forward. The truth was, I had to say it. That the one coming wasn’t a guy. That the one coming was Rin Shinonome, the most beautiful girl in the school.

…But there was no way I could say that. The moment I said, “Haru is actually a girl,” my mother would start interrogating me about every detail, and Futaba’s look of contempt would only sharpen. Or maybe I should say it now since it’d come out eventually anyway?

…I thought that, but I couldn’t muster the courage to say it now.

“…Haah.”

I let out a deep sigh and drained the rest of my coffee. On Saturday, Shinonome-san would be arriving at my house, where my mother and sister would be waiting in the living room.

She had said—

『I’ll come in disguise.』

I had no idea how perfect that disguise would be. But I couldn’t imagine my sharp-eyed little sister letting that overwhelming “Rin Shinonome” aura slide.

…I’m screwed. I really feel like I’m completely screwed.

At school, we pretended to be strangers. In games and messages, we were partners. And at home, an absolute life-or-death battlefield. My day was already turning heavy again, in an entirely different sense.

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The next day. When we passed each other in the school hallway, Shinonome-san silently mouthed, “I’m looking forward to it,” with a smile. Right now, that smile looked to me like nothing less than the grim reaper’s grin.

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