Chapter 6

After the opening ceremony wrapped up smoothly, the only thing left was to prepare for tomorrow’s entrance ceremony, marking the end of the school day. With school ending at midday, voices could be heard inviting new friends to grab a bite somewhere.

In the midst of this, Akito and Emily hurriedly packed up and stood to leave. Seeing this, Kenji called out to them.

“Hey, why are you two in such a rush?”

“Nothing, it’s no big deal.”

“Akito!” Emily called impatiently from the classroom door.

“Sorry, see you later,” Akito said, waving to Kenji before letting Emily pull him by the hand.

“What’s the hurry?”

“Emily’s a big fan of video games, you know.”

“Hanamizaka… Really? She likes games?”

“Yeah, she got totally hooked after playing Sm-sh Bros. with Tatekaawa-kun for the first time.”

“Huh, that’s surprising,” Kenji thought, recalling that Akito also enjoyed games.

“So, they’re hurrying back just to play games?”

“Not exactly. Today’s the release date for the new Kirby game.”

“Kirby, huh…”

Meanwhile, Akito and Emily were walking close together, with Akito right by Emily’s side as she quickly strode ahead. Normally, Emily would cling to his arm, intertwine their fingers, and hold on tight, but today she was so eager to buy the game that she only held his hand.

After a brisk 30-minute walk from school, they arrived at the shopping center where the game was being sold and quickly headed up to the fourth floor.

“…! Letzte! (Last one!)” 

Seeing the last copy of the new Kirby game on the shelf, Emily finally let go of Akito’s hand and dashed over. She grabbed it firmly, hugged it to her chest in delight, and started bouncing up and down with joy.

“I’m glad you got it, Emily,” Akito said.

“Ja!”

“Whoa,” he muttered as Emily, unable to contain her excitement, threw herself into his arms. Akito was momentarily surprised, but since Emily often hugged him like this, he quickly steadied himself and gave her a gentle pat on the head.

Onlookers gave them mixed reactions—some gave warm, amused smiles while others muttered, “Tch,” directing envious glares mainly at Akito.

“Let’s finish up at the register so we’re not bothering everyone here.”

“Ja! I want to get home and start playing right away!”

With a grin, Emily stopped hugging him and instead clung to his arm as they walked to the checkout counter. Naturally, they split the cost evenly.

“What do you want to do for lunch? Should we eat here or grab something to go?” 

“Hmm… I’ll leave it up to you, Akito.”

“Alright… let’s grab something at the convenience store nearby so you can get home and start your game faster.”

“Hurra! Dankeschön [Yay! thank you], Akito!”

“Mach dir keine Sorge [Don’t worry about it]. It’s for you, Emily.”

Seeing Emily’s bright smile, Akito’s expression softened instinctively. However, he might have momentarily forgotten where they were.

Yes, they were still inside the shopping center.

That day, every can of black coffee from the vending machines mysteriously sold out as people sought a little relief.

“Fuhn-fuhn-fuhn♪”

After they returned home and finished lunch, they got ready to play their game. Since the console was a Sw○tch, they could play together.

While Emily took the game cartridge out of the package and set it in the console, Akito prepared the controllers. Once he turned on the console and sat down with his back against the bed, Emily settled herself between his legs, using his chest as her backrest.

Akito wrapped his arms around her waist, holding the controller with her nestled comfortably in front of him. This was their usual gaming position—only breaking during intense games like Sm○sh Bros.