"I'm sorry."
"Ah..."
The evening sun filtering into the after-school art room had sunk low, reaching all the way out into the hallway.
"I'm really happy to hear how you feel, Senpai. Truly."
"Ah, no, I mean, yeah."
Bathed in that crimson light, her hair glowed a brilliant gold. In reality, it was just her natural color, but right now it somehow seemed like an expression of her strong, assertive personality.
"It's just that my head is completely full with the upcoming exhibition right now, so..."
"Y-Yeah, of course! You've got a second consecutive win on the line, after all. Sorry for bringing this up at such a crazy time..."
"No, please don't say that... I really am sorry."
Because I knew.
I knew there was no way this girl—she would ever be cornered by some mere student exhibition.
I knew she had the sheer audacity to casually blow past any deadline—be it for a school festival, an exhibition, or a printing press—if she wasn't satisfied with the quality of her work.
"S-So, how about we put things on hold for now?!"
"Huh...?"
"Once the exhibition is over, I'd like you to think about it again. What do you say?"
"......"
"Is that... a no?"
"......"
"S-Sawamura-san?"
And I also knew.
I knew that beneath this silent exterior, she was harboring an immense, smoldering rage.
* * *
"Ah... You were there?"
"Pretty much."
The evening sun filtering into the after-school art room had sunk completely, reaching all the way out into the hallway.
It had been five minutes since the reckless, oblivious senpai—who had ended up getting brutally ignored at the very end—slumped his shoulders in defeat and departed the art room.
During those five minutes, this girl hadn't shown an ounce of concern for the shocked upperclassman. She had efficiently packed up her paints as if nothing had happened, quickly locked up the preparation room, finished getting ready to head home, and practically skipped out of the art room humming a tune to herself.
"So, you were watching?"
"Well, just by chance."
"From where?"
"Around the part where he went, 'I have something to say, Sawamura. Something important that I just have to tell you.'"
"Oh my, for someone claiming it was 'by chance,' you certainly deigned to grace us with your voyeurism from the very beginning to the very end. Your tastes must be so incredibly refined~"
"Hey, your honorifics are starting to make zero sense."
Along with that bizarre choice of words, her golden twintails fluttered... or rather, whipped back and forth.
Since they were tied on the sides, the centrifugal force was no joke.
"So, did you need something? If you do, make it quick. Oh, what a shame, time's up. See ya."
"Just pointing out that there was no way I could say anything in 0.5 seconds already took more than 0.5 seconds!"
"I heard everything you wanted to say yesterday. And I said everything I wanted to say yesterday. What room is there left for us to keep talking?"
Yes, today was yesterday's future...
The day after that presentation where I had been brutally shut down.
"No, see, after listening to both of your opinions, I revised the proposal again. To summarize the main points this time..."
"Didn't I just say 'I said everything I wanted to say yesterday'?!"
"Oof..."
As if to show me the absolute definition of having the door slammed in one's face, those golden twintails whipped at me again with centrifugal force.
Actually, they even smacked against my cheek. It tickled, but it also kind of hurt.
"I mean, what I hate most is when some talentless hack who can't do anything on his own calls himself a 'director' and gathers members online, only to start talking about how it's unpaid—like it's the most natural thing in the world—proving he's completely out of his mind. And on top of never actually making anything and just fooling around, once he finds out you're a girl, he starts hitting on you relentlessly. I absolutely detest that kind of garbage."
"That rant was way too long and way too specific to be anything other than a personal grievance!"
Did she go through some stuff in the past too...?
"Anyway, remembering that horrible past of mine has put me in a bad mood, so I'm going home. I'm going to go home, sleep, and forget all of it."
So she did go through some stuff...
"Well then, see you next week."
"Ah, wait a second."
"What is it? There's nothing more to talk about—"
"I brought that thing—it's finished, so I brought it. How about using it to unwind over the weekend?"
"...See ya."
Whether she actually processed my last words or not...
She still gave me a sharp, parting glare before walking away, strutting right down the center of the hallway with perfect posture.
"...See ya."
Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
The ace of the art club and the school's rumored top "fake princess" was in a foul mood today as well.
* * *
"Well then, it’s a Friday afternoon overflowing with dreams and hope! How is everyone doing today!?"
"Don’t you think that’s a bit much for someone who showed up late?"
By the time I reached our meeting spot at the audiovisual room, Kato had already finished locking the door and was about to head to the faculty office to return the key.
"My bad, my bad! Just as I was leaving the classroom, the feisty class rep started chasing me, yelling, 'Wait right there, you’re on cleaning duty!'"
"Setting that aside, I’ve already locked up, so we’re done with circle activities for the day, right?"
"...I’m sorry I was late."
Kato coolly brushed off my greeting—the kind a galge protagonist might use, someone who’s a bit of a flirt and a pervert but is ultimately lovable.
Then again, maybe it was the wrong approach for an "anti-galge heroine" who tries to leave without the protagonist after he’s only ten minutes late.
"Ah, but look, since the whole circle’s actually here, why don’t we talk a bit more about how we’re going to move forward?"
"Saying the 'whole' circle’s here sounds a bit like sophistry... but sure. Should we stop by that cafe we went to the other day?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Reusing the same shop means we can save on the background asset count."
"...I have no idea what you’re talking about, but let’s go."
"Oh, I need to stop by my locker first."
"To the classroom, then."
Kato accepted my invitation as if it were the most natural thing in the world and started walking down the hallway with a casual, cheerful stride.
It had only been a week since we met, but from an outsider’s perspective, I think it would look like we were building a pretty steady relationship.
Being in the same class, talking every now and then, starting a circle together, spending every day together...
"So, did you come up with anything for how to move forward? Any leads on other members?"
"...Well then, it’s a Friday afternoon with dreams and hopes crushed, and every last resort exhausted. How is everyone doing today?"
"I’m pretty sure you’ve only tried one thing so far, though?"
"If you consider that the first step dictates all that follow, then you could say one resort is the same as all resorts."
"You’re trying to sound logical, but that doesn’t make any sense at all, does it?"
And overcoming the hardships before us together... is something she didn't seem likely to do.
It had been almost a week since we met, but from the inside, I felt like we were perfectly solidifying our stance as nothing more than "just friends."
"Well, anyway, I’ve just got to be persistent."
"Wait, you haven’t given up yet? On Sawamura-san and Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
"Well, I didn’t think I’d get a 'yes' in just one day to begin with."
Yesterday’s presentation had been a disaster, no matter how charitably you looked at it.
After all, it was a quadruple struggle of denial, verbal abuse, skepticism, and pity.
A wall so high it made my head spin stood in the way of the two of us.
"Anyway, nothing can start until we get those two on board."
"That’s the thing, Aki-kun."
"What thing, Kato-kun?"
"The hurdle was too high from the very beginning."
"But the two of us can’t make a game on our own."
I mean, sure, there are people who make doujin games solo, but those are people who can at least handle the scenario, the art, and the scripting. There was no way that condition applied to two people who, at most, couldn't do the scenario, the art, or the scripting.
Is this project really reckless after all?
"But even so, why did the first people you asked have to be those two?"
"Is that strange? I mean, in terms of skill..."
"They’re from a completely different world to begin with."
"Different world?"
"I mean, Sawamura-san is the ace of the art club, and Kasumigaoka-senpai is the top student in her year."
"...Ah, I see."
Right, if you change your perspective, that’s how people would evaluate those two...
"I’m sure they’re good at drawing and writing, but why would celebrities like them—celebrities in a different sense than you, Aki-kun—ever participate in an otaku circle like this?"
"Well, they certainly are famous, but..."
It seemed there was a severe gap in perception between Kato and me regarding those two.
Well, if you didn’t know their "true natures," I suppose that conclusion was a self-evident truth.
Seriously, those girls are such a pain.
"Even before that, there’s the fact that you only reached out to girls..."
"............"
When we reached the hallway in front of the classroom, I discreetly opened my locker, shielding it from Kato’s view.
"You really are that, aren’t you? What’s the word... 'galge-brained'?"
"............"
And as I confirmed that the item weighing over a kilogram, which I’d tucked into my locker this morning, had indeed vanished without a trace...
"How should I put it? It’s like you’re trying too hard to bring 2D ideals into reality."
"Hey, Kato."
"Ah, was that a bit too much? Sor—"
"Want to come over to my house tomorrow?"
"...Huh?"
I invited Kato to a location used as a background for a flashback scene.
* * *
And so, Saturday.
"Sorry I’m late!"
"...Hey."
Kato was about three minutes late for our meeting, but she did show up.
"I’m glad the weather cleared up today. The forecast was a bit iffy, so I was worried."
"Yeah."
When I’d given her that abrupt and fairly suggestive invitation yesterday, Kato had put a hand to her cheek and looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
But then she just said, "Sure, sounds good," with a perfectly relaxed expression.
For me... no, for anyone, this was quite an achievement.
Bringing a female friend home within a week of meeting her isn’t the sort of thing an otaku does.
Normally, this would definitely be a development where a major flag is triggered, but...
"Oh, so your house is around here, Aki-kun? I pass by here sometimes."
"I know."
"You do? Oh, come to think of it, this is where my hat blew away."
"...Yeah."
She finally noticed.
Even though I’d gone out of my way to pick a spot that wasn’t even near a bus stop.
"You look kind of sleepy. Late-night anime?"
"Something like that. Then I delivered newspapers without sleeping. I got a little nap after I got back, though."
"You’re really a hard worker, despite how you look. Even if the goals you’re working toward are a bit different from everyone else’s."
"............"
She was just brushing that off.
My bike had been loaded with plenty of newspapers back then, too.
"You really do look exhausted."
"Yeah... it just hit me all of a sudden."
"Are you okay? If you want, we can just head home for today."
"No, I’m fine. More importantly, those clothes."
"Oh, these? I bought the whole set last week. It’s getting a lot warmer, so I thought it was about time to change for the season."
"I see..."
She had coordinated her cardigan and pants in light, warm colors.
It certainly was an outfit that felt like spring.
The fact that she’d dressed up normally just to hang out with someone like me was also a point in her favor.
But...
"Does it not suit me?"
"No, it does. It looks practical and active, so it’s fine."
"Thanks. You’re right, it’s pretty easy to move in, and I like it."
"I see... That’s good."
I guess that white dress was for winter.
I know it’s unreasonable to expect that much.
But I was hoping for... well, a bit of a sentimental memory.
I mean, snapping three flags in a conversation this brief is a bit much...
“...Are you really sure about this?”
“Whatever. Let’s head to my place already.”
“Oh, okay. Pardon the intrusion.”
“It’s still a ten-minute walk. To start off, we head up this hill.”
“Ehh, your house is at the top of the hill, Aki-kun? Walking up here is super tough.”
Seriously, this girl couldn’t be any less capable of tickling an otaku’s heartstrings!
I feel like I’ve gained a strange sort of confidence.
Confidence that no matter what happens today, I will definitely not pounce on Kato.
“Well, it’s a mess, but sit wherever you want.”
“Pardon the intrusion again... Whoa. It’s like a textbook otaku room.”
“Yeah, I want to become a drawn 2D character myself real soon.”
“The fact that you can say something like that with a straight face without sounding totally creepy is really a testament to your character, Aki-kun.”
“Yeah, I want to build up enough good karma so I can acquire the power to bring body pillows to life.”
“...Sorry, that last one was actually pretty creepy.”
Well, I had expected it to some extent... Even after coming up to my room, Megumi Kato remained completely her usual self.
There was zero sign of her getting nervous and unnaturally opening a window while saying, “Phew, it’s getting hot in here...” or accidentally sitting on the bed and jumping up in a panic with a “S-Sorry!” or searching for eromanga and adult videos while teasing, “Now then, where are the treasures hiding?”
Wait, scratch that last one.
“Well, for now, just play a galge to kill time. Don’t worry, there aren’t any eroge in this room.”
“I have no idea what ‘for now’ is supposed to imply, or what’s supposedly ‘okay’ about any of this.”
So I could stay completely my usual self, just like whenever I invite an otaku friend over.
“I had fun today. Invite me out again sometime, okay?”
“Well then, let’s head home.”
“Look, I get that you want to gather members. Even I understand that making a game takes a lot of people.”
“Not necessarily for PC galge, though. Even in commercial releases, smaller studios sometimes make games with just two or three people.”
“Still, they say the right person for the right job, so picking people based solely on your personal taste...”
“Then let me turn it around—what kind of person do you think would be good?”
“Let’s see... someone with a big frame, sweating even in winter, who never takes off their bandana, addresses people with ‘-dono,’ and adds weird verbal tics like ‘dao’ or ‘dyufu’...”
“No way, I’d hate that! Besides, Kato, are you okay with someone like that?”
“Ehh, I’d hate it, but what can you do? I heard that generally speaking, your industry is made up of people like that.”
“I really can’t tell if you’re being mean or nice.”
“I had so much fun today! Make sure to invite me out again, okay? Promise me?”
“Well then, let’s head home together.”
“Still, the most important thing first is whether they have motivation, right?”
“What’s required is motivation and ability. And if anything, the latter is more important. What good is gathering a useless rabble?”
“Even if you say that...”
“Besides, appearance, personality, and gender don’t matter. You’re the only one I picked using those criteria.”
“I kind of feel like it’s a bit unfair if the people who weren’t chosen based on those criteria rank higher than someone like me who was.”
“You really don’t react to lines like that at all, do you?”
“Anyway, the art style in this game feels a little old.”
“Because it is old. It’s what you’d call a classic masterpiece.”
“We got tired today, didn’t we?”
“Well then, I’m heading home. Bye-bye.”
“Still, both of them are total novices when it comes to otaku stuff, so isn’t it going to be impossible after all...?”
“Since when did you think those two were amateurs?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“...You’re trapped in stereotypes, Kato.”
“W-What is...?”
“You picked the wrong choice just now.”
“Wait, when did we switch back to talking about the game?”
“The gift you picked actually subtracts one affection point.”
“Ehh?! If it’s a girl, shouldn’t giving her an accessory be a safe bet?!”
“Refrain from making statements that demean a woman’s worth on your own like that.”
“Well, she’s a game heroine, so I figured that’s how it worked.”
“......”
“Aki-kun?”
“Alright, time to pause the game for a break and a lecture.”
“A break is fine, but why a lecture?”
“Kato, you don’t understand galge heroines at all. They aren’t mere tropes, nor are they machines that yield the exact same response whenever you press a specific button! They must be real human beings with warm blood running through their veins, even more charming than actual girls! How can you hope to become a galge heroine yourself if you don’t even understand a fundamental truth like that?!”
“...At least pour some tea before starting.”
“See? It’s not cold like this, right?”
“Wow, how wonderful... A white Christmas.”
“Aki-kun, the fact that you aren’t intimidated by anyone is one of your good points, but I still think you should choose your targets a bit more carefully.”
“......”
“No matter how you look at it, Sawamura-san is a no-go. You know what kind of person she is, right?”
“......”
“Aki-kun?”
“Ah, sorry, I’d drifted off to the other side of the monitor for a second.”
“...Ah, okay.”
“So, what were we talking about?”
“Sawamura-san. Eriri Sawamura-san from Class 2-G.”
“Eriri Spencer Sawamura. Technically, she’s still got the British surname.”
“She’s the art club ace, you know? Did you know she won an award at the city exhibition right after entering school last year and became the talk of the entire school?”
“Given her level of skill, city level is a given.”
“? Plus, there are rumors that her family is rich and her dad is a diplomat.”
“Her dad being a British diplomat is true, but her image is probably completely different from what you’re imagining, Kato.”
“?? And yet she never acts stuck-up about it and is kind to everyone. Above all, with her looks being what they are, she’s super popular not just with our classmates but with upperclassmen too, and apparently there’s an endless stream of freshmen coming by her classroom just to catch a glimpse after hearing the rumors.”
“Seriously, her cover-up job since entering high school has been flawless.”
“??? Um, Aki-kun?”
“Hey, Kato.”
“Huh, what?”
“In that game you’re playing right now, there are all sorts of heroines, right?”
“Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”
“Humanities type, science type, art type, athletic type, going-home-club type... It’s quite a wide variety.”
“W-Well, yeah, there are a lot of them.”
“Among them, there are heroines who are easy to conquer, and heroines who are extremely difficult.”
“That’s true. I had a hard time until I figured out the connection to the protagonist’s stats.”
“However, there is one thing I can say for sure...”
“Um, what’s that?”
“It’s that... every single one of them is conquerable!”
“E-Eh?”
“That childhood friend, that club manager, and even that art club girl!”
“I mean, sure, the heroine in this game is in the art club too, but...”
“And that’s not all! That girl you thought was just a sarcastic male friend! That girl who did nothing but bump into you in the hallway for three whole years!”
“Once you go that far, aren’t you starting to lose the plot a bit?”
“No, it’s fine! Because what I’m trying to say is that as long as a human being has motivation and passion, they can achieve anything!”
“Well, there’s always a right answer in a galge, but reality isn’t that simple.”
“And so, my three years came to an end.”
“In those three years, nothing good ever happened...”
“...”
“...”
“...Forget reality, things didn’t even go well in the game.”
“I knew it. That date choice in the spring of sophomore year was a mistake.”
“It feels even worse because it lines up so well with the actual season...”
As we listened to the sorrowful male vocals flowing from the display, Kato and I basked in the afterglow of finishing a fierce three-year battle of high school life.
I happened to look outside and saw that the view through the window had already been swallowed by darkness.
In other words, we had spent almost five or six hours straight alone together.
“Is it that late already? Well, I should probably...”
“Ah...”
With that, Kato stood up.
For an otaku virgin high school protagonist, the monumental event of inviting a girl over and spending time alone together for the first time had gone better than I could have ever hoped. Our hands had brushed against each other countless times as we wrestled over the controller, we’d had heated discussions about strategy and heroine archetypes, and we had shared a truly precious time together.
“Thanks for today. It was way more fun than I expected.”
So, this was enough for today...
“Well then.”
“Wait.”
“Eh?”
“I told you I wouldn’t let you leave until you cleared at least one heroine, didn’t I?”
“But I did see the ending...”
“That was a Bad End. It doesn’t count.”
No, that’s not it.
To begin with, nothing had even started yet.
“But it’s almost seven. It’s pitch black outside.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Neither of my parents will be back until late tonight.”
“That is not even remotely fine?!”
This was necessary for the sake of our circle. This was a steep path that could not be avoided.
“It’s a promise, Kato... Don’t leave yet.”
“A-Aki-kun...”
“I’m begging you!”
I stared intently at Kato. I knew I was being unreasonable. I understood how suggestive this sounded. Even so, I...
“Well, I did tell my family I might be late today, so a little longer is okay, I guess.”
“It’s okay?!”
I had to wonder about Kato’s state of mind, staying at a guy’s house this late without being the least bit intimidated. If I begged her to let me do it, would she not only not get mad, but maybe I’d actually have a shot...
You’ve got guts! Let’s aim for Koshien together!
“So, back to what we were talking about earlier.”
“Hm? What was it again?”
For the second playthrough, it seemed Kato had given up on the main heroine and switched her target to the girl with the blue bob cut.
“You say you’re going to win her over, but how?”
“Oh, for now, just join a sports club and do nothing but club activities. She’ll start falling for you on her own.”
“Not her. I’m talking about Sawamura-san.”
“...Oh!”
It seemed the topic Kato had brought up wasn’t the game heroine whose difficulty was identical to hers, but rather the real-life heroine whose difficulty would make even Shi-ri Fuji-saki turn pale.
“She turned you down so flatly the other day. Don’t you think she’ll refuse to even listen to you ever again?”
“Well, she probably intends to. She’s even blocked my number.”
“Eh...”
And that was the thirty-sixth time.
“So, I’ve laid the foundation. Now all I can do is wait.”
She was the type who never learned, even though I knew she’d definitely unblock me once she couldn’t stand the inconvenience anymore.
“Once that girl notices the sign, she’ll definitely come to me...”
“Foundation? Sign? What do you mean?”
“Let’s see... For example, if you recommended a game to a moe-trash fan by saying, ‘The heroine is so cute you’ll die of moe!’, but it turned out to be a depressing game where the ‘cute moe heroine dies,’ they’d be pissed, right?”
“Sorry, I don’t really get what you’re saying.”
“Then... say you recommended a game to a scenario elitist by saying, ‘This will definitely make you cry!’, but it turned out to be so full of bugs it wouldn’t even run, making them cry in a completely different way. They’d be livid, right?”
“That didn’t make it any easier to understand...”
“Okay, here’s the main point... Similarly, if you tricked someone who hates horror into borrowing a horror game, they’d be angry, right?”
“How is it that the main point is the easiest one to understand?”
“And if someone did that to you, you wouldn’t be able to rest until you’d given them a piece of your mind, right?”
“Not really? If I borrowed it for free, I’d feel kind of bad getting angry.”
“They wouldn’t! Especially not an otaku!”
Thinking back, I spent three hours on the phone and six hours in person exhausting every ounce of my energy to berate the guy who gave me the source material for that first example...
“E-Err, Aki-ku—I mean, putting aside otaku in general, maybe that doesn’t apply to Sawamura-san...”
“...Are you serious?”
“Eh?”
“Kato, do you really know the real Eriri... Eriri Spencer Sawamura?”
“Well, I was actually wondering about that. You sure know a lot about Sawamura-san, don’t you, Aki-kun?”
Kato’s retort to my grandiose provocation came back with her usual light touch, but it struck an unusually sharp nerve.
“...What makes you say that?”
“I mean, like her full name, her family, stuff about her past... Am I overthinking it?”
Well, her intuition is probably pointing in a completely different direction than a typical woman’s, but still.
“Since you’re overthinking it, why don’t I tell you one more thing?”
With that, I walked over to the west window and pointed straight ahead. From my house at the top of the hill, there was an even higher plateau looking down on us.
“You said her family was rich, right?”
“Oh, but that was just a rumor.”
“It’s the truth. You can see that huge mansion from here, can’t you?”
“Oh, that mansion built on the high ground? Yeah, you can see that from the windows at school, too.”
“Yep. That’s the Sawamura residence.”
“Eh?”
“By the way, it’s in the same school district as my place. Whether you’re from that house or mine, you end up going to Shimamura Elementary and Shimamura Junior High at the bottom of the hill.”
“...Eh.”
“Well, things would have been different if she’d gone to a private school, but the Sawamura family... or rather, Mr. Spencer, isn’t the type to give her special treatment like that.”
“Eh? Uh...”
So, yeah, a lot happened back in the day.
“Besides, look. There’s a light coming down from the plateau toward us right now, isn’t there?”
“Um... Oh, you’re right. What is that, a bicycle?”
“That’s probably...”
By now, she had to be literally steaming from the ears.
“A-Aki-kun... It stopped! Right in front of this house!”
“Yeah, it did.”
She must have been in an incredible hurry; the piercing screech of brakes echoed through the neighborhood for about three seconds.
“A-Aki-kun... Someone came in! Into the house!”
“Yeah, they did.”
The sound of the door being thrown open so hard it slammed against the wall echoed through the neighborhood again. I hope she put the spare key back under the flowerpot.
“A-Aki-kun... They’re getting closer! To this room!”
“Yeah, they are.”
Thump, thump! The sound of someone sprinting up the stairs two steps at a time now echoed throughout the house.
...The spectacular sound of someone sliding all the way back down the stairs echoed through the house again.
That... had to hurt.
“A-Aki-kun... Now they’re, um...”
“Yeah, I know... Kato.”
“Eh?”
“Just in case, get down.”
Drag... drag... This time, the sound of someone crawling up the stairs one step at a time... It was just like, you know, that one thing... um...
“‘Moe battle anime’ my aaaaaasss!”
Along with that distinctly otaku scream, a DVD case came flying through the air.
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