The Beautiful Senpai from the Archery Club Is Sleeping in My Room with Her Stomach Exposed. - Chapter 33: A Slightly Special Eve of the Battle

A Slightly Special Eve of the Battle

It was Tuesday night, just before 8 PM.

“I think there are two of them in the building I pinged. Let’s push and finish this.”

“Roger that!”

I was playing an FPS game with my classmates for the first time in a while. It was the type of battle royale we used to get really into, where teams are made up of three players.

My aging gaming PC, which I barely turned on anymore, was whirring loudly as it ran. The WASD keys on my well-worn keyboard felt more like extensions of my body than buttons.

I pushed forward and engaged the enemy team first. Maybe I was having a good aim day—my shots landed cleanly on their heads like they were magnetized. I managed to take out two enemies almost unharmed.

“Got both of them. Let’s camp here for a bit.”

“Nice one, Amemoto! Seriously, you could sound a bit more excited, though—that was insane.”

“Well… I’m keeping it low-key. Just… a few things going on.”

I replied to the curious voice of a classmate coming through my right earbud.

During matches, I’ve trained myself not to let emotions get the better of me.

“Hey hey, Amemoto-kun, what does ‘camp’ mean? Are we roasting sweet potatoes in this building or something? It is autumn, after all.”

At the same time, I made a conscious effort not to respond to the quiet, whispering voice of Watanuki-senpai in my left ear.

I must not react. Her presence can’t be discovered. Please stop saying such adorable things that make it hard to stay silent…

After our “contract” ended, I planned to reconnect with my classmates.

Senpai wouldn’t be coming over much anymore, so I had immediately agreed to a game session.

However, Watanuki-senpai continued visiting my house as if nothing had changed. She messaged me right after school: “I’m coming over today—club’s off.”

I tried to politely decline, saying, “Sorry, I’ve got a gaming session planned today and won’t be available.” But—

“Amemoto-kun, even an amateur can tell—you’re really good. Hehe, you’re killing it. My dependable junior is just so impressive.”

So here she is, spectating from my room.

Apparently, her first impression of me—via Urushibara—was that I was a classmate who was good at FPS games. I guess that stuck with her.

…Which means my worries a few days ago really were just pointless overthinking. She’s been coming over for no particular reason after all.

Still, no matter how close Senpai is, my well-trained gameplay remains unaffected. That’s why I agreed to let her watch.

I just asked her to keep her commentary quiet so it wouldn’t pick up on the mic.

Turns out, I was naive.

“Oh wow, it’s a bow! Even though it’s a shooting game, there are bows? Amemoto-kun, this has to be strong, right?”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll pick up the bow.”

“Seriously? You good with that weapon?”

“Well… sort of.”

Not really, no. But I was trying to keep Senpai entertained, and the result was some pretty awkward gameplay.

“Wait… did he switch weapons for my sake? Amemoto-kun really is a showman…”

FPS games rely heavily on sound, but I’d given her one of my earbuds. Her whispering voice filled my left ear.

Thank goodness I suggested a casual match instead of ranked—there’s no way I can focus right now.

Even now, I find myself wanting to glance at her instead of the screen.

She’s dressed in that soft, stylish outfit she bought during our recent date—uh, I mean graduation exam trip. She doesn’t usually play games, so the way she earnestly watches the screen is really cute—

“Whoa—! Enemy incoming!!”

“They’re good! I got wrecked! Amemoto, you’re up!”

Because I got distracted, half the team got wiped. That’s on me, huh?

I scrambled to cover my teammates, but with the odds stacked against us and my skills rustier than before, I couldn’t turn the 1v3 fight around.

We lost after a close battle. Team eliminated. Game over.

“Ahhh…! So close! That was really close!”

Instead of my classmates’ “GG”s, it was Senpai’s disappointed voice in my left ear that caught my attention. I appreciate the emotional investment, really.

“Hey, did anyone else just hear a girl’s voice just now?”

“Yeah, same here. Amemoto, that wasn’t from you, right?”

Her enthusiastic reaction nearly exposed her.

Well, no worries—I had a contingency plan in place.

“My sister’s nearby—probably her voice. Mei, sorry. I’m on a call, could you keep it down?”

I quietly clapped my hands together in apology and asked Watanuki-senpai beside me to hold back her voice.

She nodded confidently, like she’d been entrusted with a critical mission, and winked at me.

Then she cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and—

“Sooorry! He was playing sooo well, I couldn’t help but react~☆”

She gave a terribly unconvincing impersonation. That’s not what I meant by “pretend to be Mei”…! Why are you going all in on this!?

“Ehh!? A voice like mine came from Touya’s room! A doppelgänger!?”

And then the actual Mei burst in, having just gotten home.

…This situation is completely out of control.

I felt bad for my classmates who invited me, but there was no way I could concentrate in that mess. I promised myself I’d initiate the next session—when I’m alone.

It’s been about 30 minutes since my emergency log-off—

“Oooh, you’re adorable, Rino-chan! My camera’s finally seeing some action again!”

“T-thank you, Mei-san…”

Senpai, dressed in a fluffy white outfit, was now being photographed by Mei.

This was the photoshoot we’d promised during our outing. So much going on for a weekday, huh?

“Ugh… being a model is harder than I thought…”

Senpai, clearly still embarrassed after Mei saw her impersonation earlier, was nervously clutching her skirt.

“Amemoto-kun, did you get enough shots? I wore this for you, but I’d really like to change now… someone here is a bit too enthusiastic.”

Her gaze shifted to our energetic photographer (Mei, who misread the look as a signal and fired off even more shots).

Senpai probably didn’t expect the shoot to be this serious. I wanted to admire her a little longer, but oh well.

“Yeah, I’ve got plenty. You can change now.”

I had taken hundreds in burst mode—no regrets. When I signaled the end of the shoot, Mei let out a disappointed groan.

“But I wanted more Rino-chan cuteness… Oh! You should totally sleep over tonight!”

“Eh? Would that be alright? In that case, I’ll call my mom and go grab—”

“No need! I’ve got a spare sleepover kit for friends—with super fluffy pajamas! And we can take a bath together later! Let’s gooo!”

Mei practically pushed Senpai out of the room with her.

“…Guess I’ll get changed too.”

I never thought the day would come when Senpai stayed over.

And if Mei was fine showing her bare face to Senpai, that was basically her way of recognizing her as a true friend.

It seemed the two of them were growing closer. As long as these two older girls got along, I couldn’t ask for more.

It was nearly midnight, still technically Tuesday.

Tomorrow’s a weekday, so we should be heading to bed soon—but—

“So then Mina finally snagged that guy from the archery club—”

“Wait, seriously!? Who is it? …As captain, it’s my duty to know these behind-the-scenes stories.”

“But what do you really feel~?”

“I’m dying of curiosity here. Just tell me already!”

They were still in my room—Mei and Senpai—chatting away.

A sleepover like this is supposed to be girls giggling in a girl’s room, right? Why is my room the setting for their gossip?

Senpai had changed into the fuzzy pajamas Mei lent her. They were, indeed, extremely fluffy.

Fresh out of the bath, she was slumped against my usual beanbag in a way that made it really hard to look at her directly.

But… I had something important I needed to say. Something that couldn’t wait. I couldn’t look away now.

Once the hype around Mina’s boyfriend story died down, I finally spoke.

“Senpai, about Shion-san—I was able to gather some information during our interaction.”

“Oh. …How was my sister doing?”

“She was just like always. No issues. I got a good read on her stance, and I’ve already thought of a countermeasure.”

I tried hard to deliver my report without looking away, but oddly enough, she was the one who averted her gaze. Huh? She’s more anxious than I expected.

“Touya, what’re you talking about? Tell your big sis toooo!”

“Ah, no, it’s just something that’s been bothering me. You could say… it’s about a rough patch with my dear little sister. Not exactly a fight, but we haven’t spoken properly in years.”

“Oh no. Hmm… If I couldn’t talk to Touya for years… I think I’d seriously break down. Isn’t that kinda bad, Rino-chan? I’ll always be here to help, okay?”

Mei, trying to put herself in the situation, lowered her voice and responded with surprising sincerity. It felt like one of those deep conversations during a sleepover. Honestly, it would’ve been perfect—if only it hadn’t been happening in my room.

“In that case, a question. Mei, how would you apologize if you had a fight with your little brother?”

“I’d just tell him honestly that I want to make up! Touya forgives fast, so that’s always been my go-to move!”

Surprisingly solid advice. I mean, if someone clung to you crying their heart out and sobbed, “I’m soooorrrrry!” like that… yeah, you’d forgive them too.

“She’s right. From what I’ve seen, being honest and straightforward is the most effective approach with Shion-san.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. If you interact with her just like you do here in my room—casual, sincere, and natural—it should yield positive results.”

Shion-san’s image of her sister, Watanuki-senpai, is still frozen in time.

To her, Senpai is still the “ideal older sister” she once chased but eventually gave up on—someone who pushed herself too hard to meet everyone’s expectations. They haven’t spoken in years, so those assumptions have only grown stronger.

To break through that, what she needs to see is a different side of her sister—something unfamiliar. That might open the door for reconciliation.

“It may sound like a strange proposal… but I want you to trust me.”

“…I’ve trusted you ever since the day we met. I’ll do my best to be honest with her.”

She nodded. Good. Now all that’s left is to set the stage.

“Thank you. Now that we’ve decided on a direction, let’s go through with it tomorrow.”

“Whoa, faster than I expected. Fufufu, Amemoto-kun, I’m actually kinda scared of my sister… Do I get some time to mentally prepare?”

“You don’t need it. This is Shion-san we’re talking about. Just be yourself. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go early and wait for her.”

“Still as decisive as ever…”

Mei said something in the background, but I was too focused on typing to really hear her. I messaged Shion-san with the contact info we exchanged earlier, telling her, “Please come early tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow, huh… I’m already getting nervous. Amemoto-kun, I’m counting on you to back me up, okay?”

“Of course. I’ve got experience dealing with Shion-san, after all.”

I’m confident. I’ll get a good night’s sleep and be ready to play mediator.

This time, I will get to school before Shion-san does. (Rematch.)

“Oh, speaking of fights—Rino-chan, the latest volume of that delinquent manga I lent you just came out!”

“No way. I need to read it. Like, right now.”

“Knew you’d say that! I’ll go grab it from my room, so hang tight!”

…By the way, when exactly are these older girls planning to sleep?

Seems like the real sleepover is only just beginning.

I hope Senpai will be in decent shape tomorrow…