Finally, the day of the barbecue trip arrived. I wasn't waiting at Kitayono Station for long before Mimimi arrived. "You sure are early, Tomozaki! Should we get going?" "Okay!" We'd all agreed to meet at Ikebukuro Station, but earlier in the morning, Mimimi had suddenly texted me on LINE and suggested we take the train together, so we ended up doing that. It was a situation typically reserved for normies, but I wasn't too nervous. I was fairly used to hanging out with Mimimi, and at this point, I even felt slightly at home. What an incredible change that was. As usual, Mimimi was simply dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but she managed to look stylish anyway. Once again, I realized how attractive she was to pull that off. It was just like her, too, to be carrying a sporty backpack stuffed to the gills. We charged our train passes with enough money for the round-trip journey and went through the ticket gates. "Another hot day again, huh?" "Yeah." "Perfect weather for a barbecue!" "…You think so?" Mimimi snapped a finger upward. She pointed at the ceiling, but I think she meant to indicate the sky. "Obviously, Brain!! The meat awaits us!" "Oh right." I've heard people say hot days are barbecue weather before, but it never made sense to me. I'm not exactly an outdoorsy type, so personally I try to avoid the sun on hot days… It wouldn't do me much good to say that, though, so I changed the subject.
"A-anyway, I wonder how everything will go." "Me too! Hum, hum, shall our stratagem with Yuzu and Shuji meet with success or failure?" Mimimi pretended she was stroking an imaginary mustache. "Um…well, I think it all depends on Nakamura." "Ah-ha-ha-ha! True! Nakamu can be such a wimp sometimes." Mimimi energetically bounced her full backpack up and down, laughing as she placed her hands on her hips. Where'd the mustache go? Or are we past that already? "So do you have a good plan for us this time, Brain?" Mimimi leaned in close and peered cheerfully into my face. Her perfectly formed eyes and nose were right next to mine. Wow, she has really good skin. I reflexively turned my eyes away. "Um…that stuff isn't exactly my strong suit." "So modest! You were perfect during the election!" She winked and poked her finger into the air. "Oh, no, I meant anything involving romance…" "Ah yeah! You definitely have a point there!" "Ouch." "Ah-ha-ha-ha!" We were joking around as the train carried us toward Ikebukuro. Talking to Mimimi felt natural now; the conversation flowed so smoothly I didn't even have to think about it. She knew I was a gamer and adjusted how she talked to me accordingly, but most important of all, her laughter was genuine, which made me enjoy myself, too. All we were doing was standing on a train talking, but I wasn't bored at all. H-hey, is this…friendship?! "That reminds me. I had an interview the other day for a part-time job, and it turns out Mizusawa works at the same place." "No way! What a coincidence. So now you guys are gonna be work buddies?" I introduced a couple more topics, and pretty soon we were at Ikebukuro. Mimimi and I joined the huge crowd of people getting off the train. "By the way, Tomozaki…," Mimimi began a little shyly as we walked along the platform. "Yeah?" "Um, it's just…" She looked away and scratched her cheek. "I wanted to thank you for everything recently! You really…saved my butt. So thank you again!"
"Oh, uh, yeah, it was nothing." That caught me off guard. I felt my face growing hot with embarrassment. "When I thought about it, I realized you really did a lot for me! You were like…my hero! I mean it. Um, yeah! That's what I wanted to say! Let's go!" With that very uncharacteristic speech, she sped ahead of me down the platform. "Uh, yeah, okay. Wait!" As I hurried to catch up, I thought about what she'd said. No one had ever thanked me for anything so directly. A pleasant warmth spread through my chest. I'm not quite sure how to put it, but I guess I was glad I'd made the effort to involve myself in other people's lives. * * * We'd all agreed to meet a short walk from the JR Ikebukuro exit, near the Seibu Ikebukuro Line ticket gate. From there, we were going to take the Seibu Ikebukuro Line to Hanno Station and transfer to a bus that would take us to the campsite. When Mimimi and I got to the meeting place, Hinami, Mizusawa, and Nakamura were already there. "Hey." "'Sup." Nakamura and Mimimi exchanged casual normie-ish greetings. Everyone else followed their lead with brief "Heys." I rode the greeting wave by copying them. "So we're waiting for Takei and Yuzu again, huh? Both repeat offenders," Mizusawa said. "Yeah, they're always late! I know they read the LINE message I sent this morning. They probably just aren't worried about being on time…" Hinami checked her phone while she talked. After a few minutes, the two of them arrived. Izumi was first. "Geez, you guys are early! Am I the last one?!" "Nope, still waiting for Takei." "Huh?" She glanced around. "Oh yeah, no Takei…" H-had she forgotten he was coming…? He hadn't been invited to the
strategy meeting either… Oh man, Takei… A few minutes later, the man arrived. "Shit! Am I last?! Anyway, let's take a photo to get things rolling!" With that slapdash attempt to distract us from his lateness, he pulled up the camera on his phone, herded everyone together, and snapped a couple of selfies. "Okay! I'll post these on Twitter!" What planet was this guy living on? I felt sorry for him but also totally lost. We piled onto the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and headed to Hanno Station, chatting about nothing much on the way. From there, we were going to take a forty-minute bus ride to a stop near the campsite. The Nakamura-Izumi strategy was about to begin. The key here was where we all sat. The first step in our plan was to have the two of them sit next to each other. Incidentally, there were four guys (Nakamura, Mizusawa, Takei, and me) and three girls (Hinami, Izumi, and Mimimi) on the trip. That made seven of us altogether, so if we sat in pairs, one person would end up sitting alone. I figured it would be okay if that person was me. Anything for the cause! When we got on the bus, I saw the back row was already full, so we were indeed going to pair off. We'd discussed several strategies for making sure they sat together. Hinami was the first to take action. "Let's sit here, Takahiro!" With that, she breezily plopped into a window seat and gestured for Mizusawa to sit next to her. The idea was for the girls to tell the guys where to sit, leaving Nakamura until the end so he ended up with Izumi. Mimimi moved next. "Hey, Brain, mind if I take the window seat?" She sat down behind Hinami and Mizusawa. What?! She named me? Swallowing my surprise, I sat down next to her. Damn, she's close. All Izumi had to do now was tell Nakamura to sit next to her! Sorry, Takei, but you'll deal, right? You're used to this stuff. After all, you weren't even invited to the strategy meeting. "Um…," Izumi mumbled, turning red. "I guess, um…Takei."
"Huh?" Nakamura said. "Hey, Takei! Let's sit here!" "Seriously? Okay!" Seemingly oblivious to what was going on, he smiled happily at being chosen. He plopped down next to her, said something like, "Selfie time!" and snapped a picture with his phone. Was Takei genuinely an idiot? Well, I suppose since he hadn't been told about the plan… "Gonna post this on Twitter!" He started messing with his phone. What was with him? He was in his own little happy world. Meanwhile, we were all absorbed in our plan. Grimacing, Nakamura sat down alone behind Izumi and Takei. I leaned out into the aisle to look at him and caught his sharp gaze pointed at me. "What?" "N-nothing." Growing inexplicably apologetic, I shrank back into my seat. That was how Izumi's shyness caused Nakamura to sit alone, leading to the unbelievable failure of the grand bus seating strategy. This was not going well. Come on, Izumi; how about you get with the plan? As we rode along, the seating arrangement stopped mattering because everyone was talking with the people in front of them and behind them. In that sense, the collapse of the seating strategy had probably resolved itself; it would have been the same even if Nakamura and Izumi were sitting next to each other. As for me, I managed to keep up with the conversation but not to push forward the couple strategy. Two assignments at once was still beyond me. The bus pulled up at our stop. We had to walk about five minutes from there. "Ooh, we're definitely in the mountains now," Izumi said, blocking the sun with her hand. The glitter on her nails sparkled in the sun. True enough, the road was paved, but there were trees on either side. Ah, nature. "It's so hot." Nakamura's scowl alone was enough to make me feel intimidated. As he'd pointed out, the sun was high overhead and getting hotter by the minute. The trees might be providing a little relief compared to the city, but it was still superhot. "Okay, should we get going?" Holding an oddly shaped branch she'd picked up, Mimimi took the lead
and started walking. "Mimimi, wrong way!" Hinami wasted no time in scolding her. "What?! Really?" Mimimi swept her error under the rug with a giggle. Oh, Mimimi. * * * Following Hinami's directions, we made it to the campground. It was pretty big and surrounded by trees. According to the map posted up front, there were two areas: a big open field and a gravelly riverbed. The log cabins we'd be staying in were in the field. The plan was to have the barbecue by the river and then go to the cabins afterward. The guys and girls were staying in separate cabins. Totally kosher. "Okay, guys, ten thousand each!" Mizusawa collected the cash and used some of it to pay the camping fees. The rest would go toward other expenses, and we'd get back anything that was left over at the end. Very efficient. These guys were pros. Inside the campground, a bunch of groups were already putting meat on the grill. The field was basically like an enormous park without many amenities aside from benches and little shelters, so people had set up canopies and parasols to shield themselves from the sun. There were families and university students and kids our age. "Wow, it's already packed! We'd better find a spot quick!" Izumi pranced around excitedly. I almost wanted to do the same. It was exciting. Now just take that excitement and direct it toward Nakamura, Izumi. "First things first," Nakamura said, heading over to the building labeled CAMP CENTER in the middle of the field. The rest of us followed to rent a barbecue set: a grill packed with charcoal, some tongs, enough food for the seven of us, a chef's knife, and a cutting board. With the canopy, we had a lot of stuff to carry. Now this was starting to feel like a barbecue. We lugged everything down to the riverbank and started to set up. It was a little cooler down there, probably thanks to the water nearby. "All right, everyone, time for job assignments!" Hinami declared in a theatrical impression of a manager. "Yes, ma'am!" Takei chirped in response. Hinami was supposed to give
Izumi and Nakamura a job together. Knowing her, she'd probably pull it off with ease. "First, Yuzu and Shuji…I'd like you to wash and cut the vegetables." "What?!" "Gotcha." Izumi was caught off guard while Nakamura responded with imposing confidence. Hinami had boldly named the two of them right off the bat. Very like her. I figured the rest of the assignments didn't matter much—until I heard them. "Setting up the tent and table will be a lot of work, so let's have Takahiro, Takei, and Mimimi on that." "Got it." "We're on it." "Okay!" The three of them responded…which meant… Wait a second! "That leaves me and Tomozaki-kun to get the fire started. All righty, let's get to work, guys!" Looked like I was working with Hinami. Did she want to have a meeting or something? Everyone cheerfully took up their positions and started in on their tasks under the hot midsummer sun. * * * "What's this about?" I asked Hinami, using my typical meeting tone. We were working far enough away from everyone else that they couldn't hear us. The real point of having everyone spread apart, of course, was so Nakamura and Izumi could talk without being overheard. All I could tell from this far away was that Takei was monkeying around and taking a bunch of photos of the other two setting up the canopy. Like I said, he was on his own planet. "What's what about?" Hinami frowned. "I thought you paired us up because you wanted to have a meeting about something." "…Nope." "Really?"
That was a surprise. She didn't want to talk about anything special? Then why were we working together? "Um, then why?" I asked, feeling a little shy now. "Well, I put Nakamura and Yuzu together according to our strategy, correct?" Hinami answered coldly. "And then, since the canopy is a tough job, I chose Mizusawa for his leadership skills, Takei for his physical strength, and Mimimi because she would fit in easily. I wanted to do the fire myself because if you mess that up, we can't do anything at all. You were left over, so you naturally ended up with me." "…Oh." I sighed at her cold logic. Typical. "Also, I get tired of putting on an act all the time," she added in a barely audible voice. "Huh." "…What?" She shot me a disgruntled glance. "Nothing… I'm just surprised to hear you get tired of anything." "Obviously. I'm only human." "Now that you mention it, I guess you are…" I nodded. I'd almost forgotten. "But it is a good idea to have a meeting. I still haven't told you today's assignment, after all." Hinami stared at the piece of charcoal she was twirling around with the fire tongs. "An assignment? The general goal is for me to make some guy friends, right?" "Yes. That it is. Also, I want you to get more conversation EXP. Don't forget that Fuka-chan said you're hard to talk to." "Oh…right." As I reflected on that particular comment again, my mood fell a little. I really had thought I was doing a good job making conversation. "That said, just staying here overnight is gonna net you a lot of EXP, and it'll be a confidence booster, too. I think you'll be able to complete the assignment just by acting naturally." "Huh… So as long as I actively try to make conversation, I don't have any other assignments?" "Gaining EXP is the biggest thing. But while you're doing that, I also want you to do something else." "Like what…?" "Mess with the person you're talking to or contradict them, same as Page 85 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com
before." "…Oof." I shrank at the thought of repeating an assignment I'd struggled with. Hinami snorted. "Three times—with Nakamura." For a moment I was struck dumb. "With Nakamura ?!" I barely managed to keep the volume of my voice down. Hinami nodded with satisfaction. "If I don't make your assignments progressively harder, what's the point?" She sounded like she was baiting me. "I—I get that, but…going up against Nakamura three times…" I shivered as I imagined it. I—I mean…I could just see him glaring at me and giving some retort that would tear me apart… This was not a guy I should be messing with… "Well, you've got plenty of time, so make sure you choose the right moment. I don't think you'd lie to me, so you can do it when I'm not watching if you want." "I—I understand." I was happy to have her trust, but that feeling was rapidly disappearing under my terror of what was to come. "Aside from that…this isn't even really an assignment, but…" Hinami looked over at Takei, Mizusawa, and Mimimi setting up the canopy in the distance. "It would be great if you could actively try to become better friends with Mizusawa." "…With Mizusawa? As part of my goal to make male friends?" Hinami nodded. "Mizusawa is currently your most likely candidate for a friend, and he'll also be the most beneficial in the future when it comes to conquering the game of life." I smiled cynically at the words most beneficial . Hinami would think of it that way. "You mean I can steal conversational skills from him, and he'll make it easier for me to join the Mizusawa-Nakamura group?"
Hinami nodded. It made sense that she was pushing this angle, given the fact that she'd already strong-armed me into a job at the same place where he worked. "Yeah, that's the general idea. The closer you get with Mizusawa, the easier it will be for you to mess with Nakamura, too. Plus, you need to reach a point where no one will say you're hard to talk to." Hinami sounded a little irritated. I wasn't totally sure why, but I had an idea. The character she'd developed herself wasn't getting the reviews she'd hoped for, and that was frustrating. After all, for her, this was practically a digital-pet game with me as the pet. "Now that we've got that covered, let's get this fire started. It's not a glamorous job, but it's the most important one." "Huh? Oh right." For some reason, she seemed excited as she set what I think was a fire starter in the grill and piled charcoal around it. Her expression was focused, but I could tell she was having fun. Not necessarily about the barbecue itself, though—I think her gamer's spirit was on fire at the question of how she would clear the difficult and high-stakes puzzle of building a fire. Mizusawa called me weird, but I think this girl is way weirder than me. She piled the charcoal like a chimney. "W-wait, I don't think there's going to be enough pathways for the oxygen if you do it like that." "Don't be stupid. If we leave the top open, an ascending current will form and create airflow." "Really? But oxygen flow is so crucial…" "I know that. Combustion is ultimately just a chemical reaction between carbon and oxygen." "That's true. If you think about it, charcoal and air are the most basic form of combustion." "Right. The primary component of charcoal is carbon. When the oxygen in the air reacts with that carbon, combustion occurs. And charcoal especially has lots of tiny holes for the air to flow through—another reason why it's the simplest, most effective, and most beautifully structured fuel." "In that sense, the game of fire starting with charcoal is actually a very easy one once you figure out how to do it." "Exactly." "…So are you sure there are enough pathways for the air in that formation?" "You're very persistent."
When we'd argued as we usually did up to this point, something occurred to me. I really had no right to get on a high horse talking about other people. "Like I said before, this is perfect. An ascending current will form and draw air in from the base. Just watch." "I will." With that, Hinami's technique scored her a nice win in the game of fire starting. I had nothing more to say. You've done it again, NO NAME. * * * "…Nice. Got the pic. It's done!" Takei cheerfully snapped a picture of the grilled meat with his phone before distributing it to the rest of us. Maybe this is a case of that "social media addiction" people like to say kids have. "Yay, meat!!" Mimimi exclaimed. There was still plenty more on the grill. Every time a dribble of fat melted off the thick slices of marbled beef, the charcoal made a pleasant crackling sound. The onions, peppers, and corn had grill marks and gave off an appetizing aroma. I could hardly wait any longer. "Hey, this onion looks weird. Who cut this?" "Shut up and eat, Shuji!" It was obvious from this little exchange that Izumi and Nakamura had a good time cutting up the vegetables together. Everyone aside from those two and Takei grinned, then dodged suspicion by complimenting the food instead or something. But seriously, the casual way Nakamura teased Izumi remined me of his top-tier status. "Hey, Takei. You took the one I wanted." "Wait, wait, wait, Shuji! That's mine!" "You've been pigging out on the meat this whole time. Eat some veggies already." "Aww, c'mon, Shuji. Yuzu, save me!" "What?!" Izumi yelped. "Don't stress, Takei! You can handle this!" "You're no help at all! Mimimi, save me!" "Leave it to me! Hey, Nakamu, I don't see you eating any veggies, either!"
"Wow, Mimimi, bold words from someone who hasn't even touched the shrimp." "Sorry, guys! I'll eat anything but shrimp!!" "Okay, okay, I'll eat the shrimp and the meat for you," Hinami offered. "The shrimp are all yours… Wait—are you after my meat, too?! By the way, why do you never gain weight, Aoi…?" "My little secret ." "Aoi loves to eat…" "Takahiro, did you say something?" And so the normie conversation unfolded. Watching them, I realized again how strong Nakamura was. One of his techniques was to store up little factoids like Mimimi's hatred for shrimp and deploy them in situations like this. Comebacks were flying as everyone enjoyed themselves in the roasting heat. I'd never experienced a meal this wild before. This must be the true pleasure of barbecue. I'd always rejected this kind of vibe, but once I tried it out with an open mind, I realized it was actually pretty cool; the smiles and the sunshine and the heat of the charcoal all blended together into one dazzling scene. Finally, the feast ended. "Ugh, I ate too much…" Izumi rubbed her stomach, her face a sickly shade of white. Nakamura watched with a frown. "I warned you not to overdo it!" "B-but…it was so good…" "What kind of stupid excuse is that?" "Sh-shut up!" They seemed to be getting along great, which was the main goal. By all appearances, at least, our strategy to get them together was succeeding. On the other hand, my terror of messing with the all-powerful Nakamura was growing by the minute. We broke into groups to get rid of the charcoal, break down the tent, clean the grill, and other stuff like that. Mimimi scolded Takei for slacking off in the middle to mess around on his phone. Apparently, he was posting pictures of the meat on Twitter. He was hopeless. Page 89 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com
We finished cleaning up in twenty or thirty minutes and returned the rented equipment. It was time to launch our next strategy. This one was extremely simple. We were all going to hang out by the river. We didn't know what to expect, so we couldn't make much of a plan, but since the two of them liked each other, something good would happen as long as we gave them the opportunity to hang out on their own. If the vegetable cutting was any indication, the outlook was promising. "Okay, everything's been returned!" Mizusawa said as he and Takei came back. Surprisingly, he was wearing swim trunks. Hey, wait, are you that serious about hanging out by the river? I didn't even bring anything to wear in the water. "Hey, hey, looks like Takahiro is getting serious! In that case, I'll follow his lead!" Mimimi competitively pulled off her T-shirt and jeans. Hey, now… I couldn't tear my eyes away, but as it turned out, she was all suited up. Oh right, I guess she'd worn her swimsuit under her clothes. That was a surprise. I instinctively looked away from her flat, white stomach. "Tomozaki, what are you looking at her like that for?! Gross!" Izumi teased. "I-I'm not looking at anyone…" My eyes turned involuntarily in Mimimi's direction again. She was wearing a blue patterned swimsuit, the kind with a sort of cloth that wraps around the hips. I already knew she had a nice figure from seeing her in clothes, but in a swimsuit, her slender waist and large chest completely knocked me out. Her legs and arms were long and slim but toned, with a faint tan that reminded you she was making the most of her youth. I didn't usually think about how pretty her face was because she was always so cheerful and her expression changed by the second, but during the brief moment of quiet, her doll-like features made a striking image with the summery scenery and the swimsuit she was wearing. "Me, too!" Hinami started pulling her clothes off, too. So she was wearing her suit, too, huh? She took off the T-shirt-like thing she was wearing but left her denim shorts on. Without her shirt on, she brought to mind the word perfect . She had the perfect amount of feminine fleshiness, but I could still see the outlines of muscles on her flat stomach. Her belly button was weirdly sexy. Her chest was really hot even though I think hers was smaller than Mimimi's
—probably her posture. She was a hybrid of vibrant athleticism and feminine attractiveness. Wait, what the hell am I talking about? "I wore my suit, too…but I think I'll just take off my shorts for now!" Izumi said. She must have been feeling shy, because she slipped out of her shorts but left her T-shirt on. The clear outline of her obviously huge chest under her shirt together with the unusual combination of clothes on top but not on the bottom got my imagination working overtime. I'm sure she decided on that option because she was self-conscious, but the result was an even more erotic impression than if she had revealed more skin. Argh, what the hell am I talking about? Someone please shut me up. I expected to end up watching the stuff by myself while everyone else swam, but it turned out that Nakamura and Takei hadn't brought their trunks, either. Okay, so I wasn't the only one who didn't immediately think swimsuit when I heard our plan of a barbecue followed by river time. At first, I'd thought I was just failing to keep up with the normies, as per usual, so it was a relief to know that wasn't the case. But how were we going to get Nakamura and Izumi alone? "So none of the guys except Takahiro brought their suits? I should have told you to bring them!" Mimimi laughed self-consciously. "What are we, little kids?" Nakamura scoffed. "No worries! We can still get in the water!" Takei, who had been standing next to Nakamura, thrashed into the river fully clothed. It wasn't that deep, and he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, but I was sure if he played around like that, he'd get soaked through to his boxers. Wonder if he brought a change of clothes. Guess so, since we're spending the night. "Okay, guys, let's take our stuff up to the lockers first!" We all followed Hinami's suggestion, then came back down to the river. * * * As I'd predicted, Takei was soaked through in minutes. He didn't seem to care, though, since he was splashing around with Mizusawa, Hinami, and Mimimi. Hinami's shorts (or should I say bottoms?) got wet, too, but knowing her, I figured she'd prepared for that.
I'm pretty sure the eyes of every guy on shore were glued to Mimimi and Hinami as they splashed around with girlish smiles among the water droplets glittering like jewels in the sunlight. A couple of guys in a nearby group of what looked like university students were watching them and whispering to each other. When the two of them got together, it was a real show. Meanwhile, Nakamura, Izumi, and I were splashing around at the edge of the water. Sorry, guys… You'll have to tolerate the trio since I didn't bring my trunks… Izumi kept splashing Nakamura, and she seemed to be having fun messing with him. He acted scornful but was still taking the bait. They were getting along super well, and I could tell how perfect they were for each other. Better figure out how to slip away. For the moment, I focused on making myself invisible so they'd forget I was there. My long years as a bottom-tier character had helped me to hone this skill, so you could say I was in the perfect position. Everyone was probably already thinking, Well, they're not alone, but it's just Tomozaki, so… , and I had to meet their expectations. Leave it to me! Unfortunately, the hopelessly dense Takei came over just then. "Hey, Yuzucchi! If you have your suit on, why don't you come out in the deep water with us?" Man, just stay away. The only people allowed over here are Izumi, Nakamura, and nearly transparent people. "I don't want to get wet!" "Oh, come on! Look, a little crab!" Takei pulled his hand from behind his back and thrust it in front of Izumi's face. A little black crab was pinched between his fingers. "Eek!" In her surprise, Izumi stumbled and slipped. "Careful…!!" Nakamura reacted in a flash. Kneeling down, he caught her like a knight carrying a princess. But even though he broke her fall, she still ended up in the water. Her T-shirt was soaked, and her hair got wet up to her ears. The ensuing splash got Nakamura fairly wet, too. There they were, the beautiful girl and the handsome guy, dripping with water.
"Oh! Th-thank you…Shuji." "…Are you okay?" "Um, yeah… I'm not hurt." "…Sheesh, don't fall over. Not cool." "Shut up! …But thanks." They looked very glamorous gazing at each other at close range with their hair and clothes all wet. Perfect setup for a kiss. I guess if you want to keep your position at the top of the class, you have to remember to say, "Not cool," even when the moment's perfect? Better take some notes. "…S-sorry, Yuzu!! Are you okay? What's wrong with me?!!" And then came Takei, who began apologizing profusely as he shook Izumi's shoulder. He seemed so regretful I half expected him to start crying at any moment. He totally destroyed the movie-perfect atmosphere, but he didn't seem to do it intentionally, so I forgave him. Based on his reaction, I could only guess that he hadn't considered how dangerous it would be to scare Izumi while she was standing in the river and had shown her the crab on a moment's impulse. Seriously, though, who has a sudden impulse to show someone a crab? "Are you okay?" Hinami shouted from a distance. She must have guessed what had happened. "I-I'm fine! Everything worked out!" Izumi stood back up with Nakamura's help and waved at Hinami. Honestly speaking, Takei's behavior just now wasn't exactly the smartest or smoothest, but the end result was to bring Nakamura and Izumi even closer together than they'd been before… Oblivious idiots really are scary. I glanced at Izumi. Her soaked T-shirt was clinging to her chest and stomach, outlining her body in unbelievable detail. I could see the outline of her black swimsuit and even the color of her skin through the white fabric pasted to her form. The most suggestive part of it all was the way it clung to the two huge mounds on her chest, revealing every detail of their shape. The transparent, clingy fabric made me feel like I was seeing something I shouldn't be seeing, something raw and sensational that affected my male sentiments even more than if I'd seen her bare skin. Yup, Izumi definitely has big boobs. All the young guys in the vicinity were staring at her. "…?!" She must have felt all the stares, because she suddenly hid her chest with both arms.
This had the ironic effect of pushing her boobs together and emphasizing their size. If I saw any more than this, I'd be in trouble. I turned in the other direction. "Y-you should go change," I said. The image I'd just seen seemed to be permanently displayed in my head: The clingy, thin fabric. The two large swells. The translucent shade of her skin. Her flushed cheeks and moist eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest in embarrassment. So a wet, see-through T-shirt was sexier than a swimsuit. Interesting. I'd just learned another important lesson in the game of life. God, what the hell am I talking about? * * * "That was so fun!" Mimimi sounded thoroughly satisfied. She had changed from her swimsuit back into a T-shirt. The sun was setting, and the sky outside was turning shades of pink. "Yeah. I feel like a kid again!" Mizusawa said, nodding as he took his stuff out of the locker. "Takei didn't just feel like one, he literally turned into one," Nakamura teased. Takei promptly offered a pitiful apology. That was all it took to reaffirm Nakamura's superior status over Takei. I couldn't even imagine Takei teasing Nakamura. It was even harder for me to imagine myself doing it in the coming hours, but do it I must. After Izumi fell in the water, she went to change right away and then came back to play around in the shallow area with Nakamura again. I poured all my energy into fading into the shadows, which earned me some approving glances from Mimimi. I'm happy that my lowly self could be of service. "What should we do now? Head over to the cabins and chill for a while?" "Sounds good!" Our next plans efficiently fell into place thanks to Mizusawa's and Hinami's leadership. We would go drop off our stuff at the cabins where we'd be staying that night. "Okay then, let's go." With those words from Mizusawa, we split into guys and girls. Which meant that from this point on,
I'd be on my own with Nakamura, Mizusawa, and Takei. Seriously? This was terrifying… Still, it could be a chance to complete my assignment. The cabin was about the size of a large bedroom made of wood. "Wow! Nothing in here!" The cabin had nothing but a floor, windows, a door, and a ceiling—and that was apparently exciting to Takei. He buzzed around checking it out until he got bored and sat down. I envy a guy who can get excited over literally nothing. "Think we can use those cards?" Nakamura asked, sitting down listlessly. "Yeah, looks like we can borrow them for free," Mizusawa answered energetically. "We're going to the hot spring later, right? Guess we'll kill some time till then… Hey, Tomozaki." "What?" "Hey," Mizusawa interrupted. "I've been wanting to ask you, how are things with Shimano-senpai lately?" As soon as Nakamura said my name, Mizusawa changed the topic. I think Nakamura was about to make me bring him the cards. You are one scary guy, Nakamura. B-but just you wait, I'm gonna mess with you! And this Shimano-senpai who Mizusawa had mentioned… I remember that name! That time in home-ec class when Hinami told Nakamura, "That's why Shimano-senpai dumped you!"…Mizusawa must be talking about the same older girl at our school who broke up with Nakamura last semester. Nice one, Mizusawa. Gathering a little intel for the Izumi-Nakamura strategy. Information gathering is definitely crucial for beating a game. I always follow the top Atafami players on Twitter and 2channel threads to look for new info. "…Why're you asking all of a sudden? Nothing's been going on whatsoever." "Nothing?" Mizusawa and Hinami are probably the only two people who could get away with pushing Nakamura that hard. I, on the other hand, have an internal rule that says, Do not push Nakamura , which is definitely a hierarchy thing. And today I had to overturn that rule three times. "We talk on LINE sometimes." "So you're talking again, huh? You trying to get back together or something?"
Mizusawa sat down next to Nakamura and started asking him all the questions everyone else wanted to but couldn't. Impressive. Would I ever be able to do this kind of thing? I listened to their conversation, waiting for my chance to get in a jab. "She's with someone right now…but seriously, why'd you bring it up all of a sudden?" "No real reason. Everyone talks about romance on an overnight trip, right?" Mizusawa looked at me. I needed to help out however I could with the information gathering and imitate his aggressive questioning, at least on a surface level; I sat down across from the two of them and gave a thumbs-up. "True that." "Don't get carried away, Tomozaki." Nakamura's superiority hit me hard. Damn, he was scary. And I'd done such a smooth job of answering! It was like he was really saying, Someone like you has no right to answer smoothly . He was too far above me in the pecking order. Still, he sighed and mumbled, "It's complicated." The information was trickling out. "Complicated how?" Mizusawa asked. "She's dating someone, but she still texts me on LINE. She'll be like, We're not getting along , like she wants my advice. I'm not trying to get back with her, but like I said, it's complicated." "Hmm," Mizusawa said, frowning. "That is complicated." "Basically, I want to move on, but it's hard." "If you feel like you still have a chance with Shimano-senpai, it'd be hard to date someone else." "And I mean, come on, look at her boobs." The two of them laughed. Ooh, guy talk. Anyway, to summarize what Nakamura just said, it sounded like they'd been dating until she dumped him, and she'd recently started sending him messages about problems with her current boyfriend. Which made him feel like he had a chance with her again, so he was having trouble dating anyone else. To me, that sounded like… "What's that look for, Tomozaki?" My thoughts must have shown on my face, because Nakamura glared at me.
"Oh, n-nothing." "Ugh, why are you being so weird?" Nakamura was grumpy and merciless. Mizusawa smiled at me. "Fumiya, you must have some thoughts on this situation." "Uh, well…" "What? Tell us!" He looked at me, excited. What was he expecting? But I had had a hunch that now was the time to go after Nakamura. O-okay, time to gather my courage…! I took a breath and put my hunch into words. "I-it's just, what Shimano-senpai is doing…" "Yeah?" "Isn't she stringing you along?" The second I said it, Mizusawa burst out laughing. It spread to Takei next, and he started cracking up. I cautiously glanced in Nakamura's direction. He was scowling fiercely at me. Y-yikes! Of course, that was unavoidable. I'd just called him the benchwarmer equivalent of a boyfriend. "You're pushing your luck," he said. But he didn't sound as intimidating as usual, and finally he seemed to give in. "Yeah, I'm her backup," he groaned, shrugging hopelessly. Mizusawa and Takei laughed even harder. This seemed to be a pattern of his: Nakamura-being-laughed-at had turned into Nakamura-making-the-guyslaugh. Was that a technique related to messing with people and being messed with? If it was, it was way too advanced for me. Anyway, my heart was pounding, but I'd safely cleared my first attack. Finally, Mizusawa managed to catch his breath, wipe away his tears, and continue collecting information. "Okay, that aside, do you have your eye on someone else?" Nakamura clucked his tongue in a very revealing way, then answered with some resignation. "That's a tough one. There is someone, but she's asked me for advice about her romantic situation, too." "…Seriously?" Mizusawa's tone changed. I jumped a little myself. If our assessment was right and he was interested in Izumi, that would mean Izumi had asked Nakamura for advice about another guy. What the hell? Izumi liked Nakamura, right?
So did Nakamura like someone else? If so, we'd made a major miscalculation. "What kind of advice?" "She was like, 'I have a crush on someone, but I don't think they've noticed me. What do you think I should do?'" "…Ah…hah…" Sounding very concerned, Mizusawa pressed his hand to his mouth. Was it just my imagination, or was he trying to hold back laughter? Anyway, the story was getting very weird. If Nakamura was after Izumi, that meant Izumi had gone to him with that line about having a crush on someone— Ohhhhh. I get it. My little aha moment gave me quite a shock. In other words, Izumi had asked her crush for advice on what to do about her crush! She was asking Nakamura for advice about Nakamura! No way! What bittersweet tactics! Suddenly, Mizusawa's laughter made sense. "So your chances there are weak, too, huh?" Takei said innocently. C'mon, are you okay? Even I figured this one out. Still, I was a little surprised that Izumi had come up with such a solid plan. Or maybe this was typical for normies in their mysterious world. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a message from Mizusawa to the Nakamura-Izumi strategy group Hinami had set up. [Apparently, Shimano-senpai's been telling Shuji she's having problems with her bf, ha-ha. That's keeping him from moving on ], it read. When did he type that? I saw him messing with his phone, but I didn't notice him typing, even though he was right in front of me. Mimimi wrote back. Mimimi: yeah, she does stuff like that i don't like her! Mizusawa: Yeah, she's bad news Hinami: Is she stringing Shuji along? lol Mizusawa: Fumiya said exactly that, right to his face. We freakin lost it [srsly? go tomozaki go! ] Mimimi wrote, along with a GIF of a rabbit cracking up. This conversation was on fire. So this is what group conversations were like?
I'd better join in. I glanced at Nakamura and Takei to make sure they wouldn't think it was weird that I was on my phone, but both of them were on theirs. What the heck. In the turn-based battles of normie land, apparently there was a round devoted to phone time. Anyway, now was my chance. Incidentally, when I glanced at Takei, I saw he had Twitter pulled up on his phone. So predictable. [He was glaring so hard at me when I said it ], I wrote, and pressed SEND . Mimimi: lolololol Hinami: Tomozaki-kun is getting aggressive, I see. Mizusawa: He's today's behind-the-scenes MVP Wow, that message went over well. We were having a wild conversation, while being completely silent. Hinami: Hey! We heard a bombshell from Yuzu, too! Might as well try out a LINE comeback. Me: Bombshell? Hinami: Yeah. Yuzu said she actually told Shuji she has a crush on someone! LOL Mizusawa sent a GIF of a pretty boy with his hand up saying, "Wait a second!" [lol Shuji told us the girl he likes asked him for advice about her crush ] Mimimi: oh shit lmao they're totally into each other Hinami: Get together already! Meanwhile, as the four of us were having a party on LINE, Takei and Nakamura had formed a little club of their own and were getting excited about something else. "We've gotta go soon. No other options." "Yeah. Come on, Takahiro. You too, Tomozaki." "What's this about?" Mizusawa said, standing up.
I hesitated, confused. "Is that even a question?" Takei said, giving us a thumbs-up. "Breaking into the girls' cabin, obvs!" I was pulled into the normie wave of excitement, and we all headed toward the cabin where the girls were resting. * * * "Hey, hey," Nakamura called, knocking on their door. "What's up?" someone answered from inside, and an instant later, he barged right in. "Bet you girls are bored," he said. "Let's do something." What was this power? "I knew you would come over, Nakamu!" Mimimi said, sitting with her legs stretched out. I nervously followed Mizusawa and Takei into the cabin. The three beautiful girls were sprawled casually on the floor among halffinished soda bottles and little bags of snacks. The outlets stuffed with chargers gave the room an oddly homey feeling, and there was an artificial smell in the air, maybe perfume or clothes, that was different from the guys' cabin. The odd combination of carelessness and girliness made me feel like I didn't really belong here. "Something like what?" Izumi sounded slightly excited. "How about a game? Like UNO or cards or something?" A game. I wasn't the only one whose eyes glittered at that word. "Sure. Which one should we do first?" Hinami's tone was smooth and gentle, but I could detect the competitive spirit underneath. "How about Millionaire?" "Okay! Millionaire it is!" Hinami's cheerful announcement was the starting bell for a fight to the death. * * * "C-can you do that?" Izumi was starting to sound scared. Since there were seven of us, we
decided to play with three Commoners, a Grand Millionaire, a Millionaire, a Pauper, and an Extreme Pauper. Banishing had been outlawed, per Nakamura's claim that it was "boring." As a result, we were now on round nine, and aside from the second and fourth rounds when someone aside from Hinami and I had been Millionaire, the two of us had been monopolizing the top two positions. I wouldn't expect anything less from NO NAME. She was really good, and I bet she'd probably practiced online. Incidentally, we'd both been Grand Millionaire four times. This was going to be our last round, and afterward we'd all go to the hot spring. In other words, whoever became Grand Millionaire this round would break the tie and become champion. I was determined not to lose. I looked at the cards in my hand and thought over the best strategy. Should I play a sequence…or keep back a pair? If I played the sequence, I'd reduce my hand by four cards in a single turn. Since we weren't playing with sequence revolutions, the strength of the cards wouldn't be reversed, but I'd still be at a big advantage with four fewer cards. On the other hand, those four cards included half of three pairs, which was a major concern. Playing the sequence would mean losing three pairs. You were forced to play a pair fairly often, so losing cards I could play at those times would be a big hit. In which case, I'd be conservative and play a pair now instead of the sequence. A good decision as it turned out, because after that turn, I was able to quietly but steadily reduce my hand. When everyone else still had six or more cards left, I had two. A fairly strong position. Plus, those two cards were an eight of hearts and a three of spades. When my turn came around, if any single card lower than a seven was on top of the pile, I'd be able to play an eight ender and go out. Or if a revolution took place and three became the strongest card or if a joker was played, I could counter and go out that way. My preference was for a card lower than seven. I waited quietly for my opportunity. But my opportunity didn't come. The problem was the seating order. Hinami was immediately before me. Of course, I didn't expect her to casually play such a favorable card. But while I had two cards left, Hinami had six. With so many cards, it was highly likely that she'd have to play a weak single card at some point. That's why
I'd held back my eight. I watched vigilantly for my chance. Several turns passed. Hinami cleared the old pile and started a new one on her turn. This should be it. Since the pile was empty, she could play whatever card she wanted. A standard move in this situation was to play a single weak card. By getting rid of a weak card that would be hard to discard in other situations, the player took a big step toward going out. In the last round, Hinami had been Millionaire. Even though she'd passed one weak card to Mimimi, a Pauper, she could be expected to have one more weak card. And she hadn't yet played any single weak cards. In other words, the outlook was decent. If she played a single seven or lower now, I would win. "All right, I think I'll…" She paused, thinking over her move, and finally pulled several cards from her hand to place on the new pile. Well, that was a surprise. She'd played a pair made up of a five of hearts and a joker. "Uh…" The joker could turn into any card. If it was played by itself, it was practically the strongest card in the pack, and if it was played with an ace or a two, it made an extremely strong pair. Plus, if it was played with three or four of a kind, it could be used to cause a revolution. But she'd played it with a five of hearts, which had no advantage whatsoever… I was surprised by her failure to obey common sense, but…I was also admiring how thorough her logic was. She'd read me like a book. She knew I had an eight in my hand. My guess is that the five of hearts was a weak card in her hand, not part of any pair or sequence. She had to play it at some point, or she wouldn't be able to go out. It was a lousy inheritance. If the player after her was waiting for a chance to go out on an eight, like I was, she'd be setting them up perfectly. That's why she'd decided to play that lousy inheritance together with a joker, forcing it into a pair. But a pair of fives was not strong at all. In fact, Izumi easily played a pair of nines on it.
In other words, she'd wasted her joker. Everyone had looked confused when she played the five with the joker; it was a genuinely baffling move. Someone might even have called it a bad one. But I wasn't able to play my cards. In the game of Millionaire, there's no best move that works in all situations, aside from going out. What's important is to choose the tactics that match the situation. Hinami had just vividly demonstrated that principle. Ultimately, she became Grand Millionaire without letting me play either of my cards. I went out right after she did. That meant she'd won five rounds, and I'd won four. "No way! You're kidding!" "Looks like I just won!" Hinami was grinning triumphantly at me. "Aw…shit." I pouted dramatically, and I didn't even care that everyone was watching. "What, you thought I wouldn't guess your hand?" Hinami was half playing her perfect-heroine role, half sneering at me with the tone she used in our meetings. "Okay, you two. Why are you getting so competitive with each other? Millionaire isn't really that kind of game," Mizusawa scolded in a joking tone. Hinami gave a fake giggle and pointed at Mizusawa. "At least I didn't lose!" she said. "Can't argue with that!" Mizusawa said brightly, apparently satisfied. Everyone laughed. As I was gazing at him in admiration, our eyes suddenly met. For some reason, he smiled in an almost lonely way, shifted his eyes away, and looked at his cards. "Gotta hand it to people who take this stuff seriously," he said with a cynical smirk. His words were almost lost among the meaningless chatter, but I couldn't get the sound out of my ears. With that, the Millionaire tournament ended, and at Mizusawa's suggestion, we started to put away the cards and other stuff to get ready to head to the hot spring. * * *
"How about you, Hiro? Anything going on lately?" Izumi grinned as she squinted suspiciously at Mizusawa and poked him with her elbow. "Oh, here and there…" Nakamura peered into Mizusawa's face. "Come on, dude? Aren't you going to tell 'em about the thing with Misaki-chan from Nishi High?" "Hey, Shuji!" "What?! Tell us, tell us!!" Mimimi squealed. "Well, actually…" Twenty or thirty minutes had passed since the Millionaire tournament ended. We had planned to go to the hot spring, but we'd started talking as we cleaned up the cards, and now the heated normie conversation was dragging on forever. "R-really?!" According to Nakamura, Mizusawa had been hitting on a girl at another school, and they were on the verge of dating. Izumi latched on excitedly to this news. I'd already heard a bunch of girls at the karaoke place had a crush on him, too… He really was a lady-killer. "I swear, it's true. Right, Takahiro?" "Okay, I'll admit we're friends, but…" "But you asked her out, right?" "Yeah, but…" "Yes! Confession recorded at six fifty-two PM !" Mimimi looked at an imaginary wristwatch as she jokingly noted the time. "What? Well, if I'm going to confess…there's this girl I met at the West High culture festival last year, and lately we've been exchanging messages on LINE, so sometimes I ask her to do stuff on the weekends…" "One-on-one, you mean?" Mimimi asked suggestively. "Yeah, just the two of us." "Second confession recorded at six forty-eight PM !" "Mimimi, that's earlier than the last confession," Hinami retorted shrewdly. Takei laughed loudly. "Anyway! What did she say? Are you guys going to get together?!" Izumi leaned toward Mizusawa. She really liked this kind of gossip. "Honestly speaking…yeah, seems that way."
"Ooh!" "Yay!" "Eeee!!" Everyone erupted at once. "But I'm still not sure what I'm gonna do." "All he has to do is say he wants to get together, and it's a done deal," Nakamura said. "Seriously?! Is she our age?! Older?! Younger?!" Izumi was practically insane with excitement. "Older…" "Older!" "He likes the mature ladies!" "Found yourself a cougar, huh?" All this just because he said she was older than him? Of course, his smile wasn't completely cheerful. "Come on, you guys! Leave me alone!" he shouted. Everyone laughed. Finally, the conversation wrapped up, and everyone calmed down. Mizusawa stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom." I took that as my chance to say something I'd been holding in for a long time. It wasn't a topic I'd memorized or anything. "M-me too." …I had to pee. I stood up. I still didn't know when to go to the bathroom when I was hanging out in a group, so my bladder was about to explode. There was no way I could say I had to go unless I was tagging on with someone else. It hadn't occurred to me to go when I wasn't so desperate. Something to remember next time. But anyway, becoming better friends with Mizusawa was one of my assignments, so I'd be killing two birds with one stone. We left the cabin and headed for the bathrooms. …Also, this was another classic normie behavior: going to the bathroom in a group! * * * Page 106 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com
The two of us walked through the dark campground together. The bathrooms were a couple minutes away in the camp center. "Well, that sure was a conversation." Mizusawa's tone was cheerful, but his smile had a bitter edge to it. True enough, instead of going to the hot spring, we'd sat around talking that whole time. I hadn't managed to participate much, but I'd had an unexpected amount of fun just listening. I was surprising myself here. Maybe it was because I'd gotten to know everyone so well. If you have time to get all mushy, then you have time to bring up a new topic with Mizusawa! I felt like I could hear Hinami scolding me. Sorry, Hinami-in-my-brain. I will try harder. "Y-yeah." As I cheerfully responded, I shifted my brain into gear. Might as well start with the cabin conversation. "So you're into a girl from another school!" "Ha-ha-ha! We're still talking about that?" Same bitter smile. The dark woods around us swallowed up the sound of our footsteps and voices. "No, it's just…I don't usually hear that kind of gossip at school…" I remembered what Narita-san had asked me about Mizusawa, and I hadn't been able to come up with anything juicy at that moment. But now that I'd seen a little more of him, his true nature as a handsome player became clear. "True, true. Some weird rumors about me and Hinami were going around there for a while, though." For some reason, my heart jumped at that. I nodded. I could feel the sand crunching under my feet. "But…are you really thinking of dating this other girl?" I was conscious of pushing along the conversation, but I was also just interested at this point. "Huh? Not sure, actually. She's cute, and I like her personality, but…I don't know." "…No?" His answer didn't quite satisfy me. I thought he was the type to do things quickly and efficiently, so this was new. Guess even Mizusawa had uncertain moments when it came to love. "Wonder what I should do." His smile was fake, and his casual tone was somehow distant. It was like he wasn't talking about himself anymore.
Something didn't feel right, and I worked my brain for a reply. "You think she'd be willing if you decided you wanted to be with her?" "You mean what Shuji said?" Mizusawa gave a short laugh. "Yeah, guess so." "Huh…wow." Why was he so naturally confident? I wanted to shiver, thinking about how much of a natural advantage he had over me. "What? There's nothing impressive about it. I'm just good at that stuff." He was apparently being honest rather than hiding behind modesty. I couldn't read his expression in the dim light, though. "…That's the amazing part. Here I am copying the way you talk and stuff, and this is as far as I've gotten. Asking a girl from another school to go out is way beyond me." One of my few talents was playing myself down, and I used it to keep the conversation flowing smoothly. "That so?" Mizusawa mumbled, looking down. After a minute, he continued. "Yeah. Everything is easy for me. I don't even have to try." I glanced at his face. There was something off about his expression. He wasn't boasting or joking around. His tone was quiet and serious, even introspective. "Th-that's, um…" I wasn't sure if I should ask him about the odd look on his face. Before I could decide, he smiled and brushed over it in a joking tone. "But even us winners can get lost when it comes to dating," he said. "Huh…" The conversation had moved on without me, and I'd missed my chance to ask about his expression a minute ago. Either way, he felt lost. About what, I wonder? "You don't like her that much?" "Ha-ha-ha… You don't beat around the bush, do you?" "Oh, no, sorry."
"You don't need to apologize… That's how you are, Fumiya." "Huh?" Mizusawa pointed in front of him with his chin. "There it is." "Oh right." The camp center had come into view, and the cold fluorescent light was seeping through the automatic doors onto the damp dirt of the campground. Mizusawa took the lead going inside, with me following. We stood next to each other at the urinals and peed. Although it was night, a damp, warm breeze drifted in from the little window in a corner of the bathroom, along with the cool sound of pine tree crickets chirping. Only August and they were already out. Must be because we were in the mountains. Their quiet voices echoed gently in my ears. "…Maybe I don't really like her." "Huh?" I turned toward Mizusawa. He was looking out the window at the slender crescent moon hanging in the night sky. Maybe it was the moonlight and the chirping crickets, but his profile struck me as faintly melancholy. "What we were talking about before?" he said, shaking off the last few drops and zipping his fly. "The girl at the other school?" There was an unnatural silence as he washed his hands. Then he answered with more of his usual cheer. "…Yep. That's the one." So he didn't like her. "But you asked her out, right? Just messing around?" "I don't know. That doesn't necessarily mean I like her." "Oh. Huh…really?" My comment was based on zero romantic experience. "I mean, there's still a chance I'll date her." Once again, I had no idea what was going on. "…Uh, um, what do you mean?" Mizusawa laughed at my confusion, then asked me in return, "About what?" "I mean…I don't really get what you're unsure about…" "…Huh?" "I'm not an expert on this stuff, but if you don't like her, seems to me