When My Younger Brother Stole My Girlfriend, I Began Living Together with My Beautiful Childhood Friend Almost As If We Were Married - Chapter 17

Episode 17: We Came to Play

Fifteen minutes of driving.

A distinctive building with large bowling pins comes into view, and the car is parked in the adjacent multi level parking lot.

Despite the distance from the building, the lively sounds of the game center could be heard all the way here.

“Alright! We’re here!”

“Yeah~. But seriously, Reina, you’re good at driving.”

“You think so? Thanks.”

As Misaki-san said, Reina’s driving was indeed very good.

Although I have a driver’s license myself, I don’t think I could drive as well as her, even if asked to.

As I marvel at Reina’s ability to do anything, I seem to be lost in thought for a moment and Reina pulls my arm.

“They’ve already gone ahead. Come on, let’s go too.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Led by Reina, we enter the store.

Entering through the entrance directly connected to the multilevel parking lot, as expected, it’s a game center.

The BGM of arcade games and crane games blends together, playing indistinguishable music.

“Since it’s a weekday afternoon, bowling, billiards, and karaoke are probably empty, right?”

“I think so.”

“Then, should we play at the game center first? What do you think, Yu-kun?”

“I’m good. I’ll win Misaki, a stuffed animal or something.”

“Yu-kun, I love you~”
I thought we were affectionate enough, but seeing them even more affectionate makes me feel a bit sweet inside.

As we watch the two of them go to the crane game to win a rabbit stuffed animal, Reina tugs at my sleeve.

“Hey, Hayato. I want to try that.”

She points to the purikura machine as she says so.

“Taking purikura with you was something I’ve always admired.”

“I see. Then, shall we?”

“Yeah!”

With a bright smile, Reina takes me into the purikura booth.

Although I was invited by a classmate from my club during high school, I ended up declining, so this is pretty much my first experience with purikura. I only have very superficial knowledge from anime about what to do.

Since I only have a rough idea of what girls in middle school and high school put in their smartphone cases, I leave the details to Reina.

“I’m ready. What pose should we do?”

“Something safe like a peace sign?”

“Oh, that’s boring! Let me teach you the best pose!”

That got my interest.

As I eagerly wait to see what pose she’ll do, for some reason, just before the shutter clicks, a soft, wet sensation presses against my cheek.

It takes me a moment to realize that Reina kissed me.

While tracing my lips, Reina turns her face away.

“I think a kiss is the best when it comes to purikura with your lover.”

“I see. Then, one more time.”

“Huh? Wait…”

It seems we can take another picture as a bonus, so the countdown starts again, and this time, we kiss directly on the lips.

Reina had a surprised expression, but she quickly accepted the kiss, and it became even deeper and gentler, so much so that her tongue gently touches my front teeth.

After the two pictures are taken and we step outside to get the finished prints, Misaki-san, with a mischievous smile, waves the prints in her hand.

“I’ve never seen anyone get so intense with purikura! You guys are so passionate!”

“Hey, Mi-chan!”

“I’m full, thanks for the treat!”

As I see Yuma smiling wryly from a distance, I wonder if it’s weird to have a serious kiss in purikura, even if you’re lovers. Did we go too far?

Negative thoughts start to flow, like what if she hates it, but Reina gently wraps her hand around mine.

“It’s okay. I was really happy.”

As expected, there’s nothing I can hide from Reina.

I express my gratitude, and we insert the prints into the back of each other’s smartphone cases.

To my foolish past self, who wondered what was so good about these, having a couple shot with your lover makes a world of difference in feeling. Seriously.

Now then, speaking of which…

“What about the rabbit stuffed animal?”

“Wanna see it? Here it is!”

Misaki-san takes out a medium-sized white rabbit stuffed animal from the bag she’s holding.

“He got it.”

“I spent three days’ worth of lunch money on it. But seeing Misaki’s happy face makes it worth it.”

“Thank you so much, Yu-kun! I’ll make you lunch, so tell me what you like!”

For people who criticize others, you guys are quite the foolish couple yourselves.

I think so, but I hold back my words.

There are other things to enjoy in the game corner, like coin games and rhythm games, but those can wait.

It’s about time we played some bowling, so the four of us started moving.

And then, it happened.

Misaki-san, who was walking backward, collided with what seemed to be a high school girl coming from the corner of the crane game.

“Eek!”

The girl loses her balance, and Misaki-san manages to maintain her posture somehow, quickly rushing to the girl.

“I’m sorry!”

“Oh, no, it’s okay.”

Although it was clearly our fault for not paying attention, the girl smiles and forgives us. She seems like a very kind and understanding person.

Relieved that the girl isn’t injured, I take a breath—

“Are you okay?”

I hear the voice, and a feeling of constriction grips my stomach.

The person who caused the collision with Misaki-san appears from the same place the girl came from, and he too looks at me with a distinctly unfriendly expression.

“W-Why are you here…”

“That’s my line, Takumi…”

My younger brother, who stole my ex-girlfriend from me, is with a woman who isn’t Anna…