At 9:30 in the evening, Amamiya was quietly reading a book when a sweet fragrance filled the air.
"Amamiya-kun, Hanamori-chan just sent me a message." Umi approached, holding her phone out to him. "She said she wants to ask me something and wondered if I could go out for a bit."
Amamiya glanced at the phone and replied, "Couldn't you just talk over the phone?"
"Well, yes, but she's bringing some homemade snacks as a thank-you." Umi swiped the screen, her rose-tinted nails gleaming in the soft light. "Hanamori-chan works part-time at a nearby café, and we used to be teammates at the convenience store. It's not far. Shouldn't be a big deal if we head out for a bit."
"You flipped a coin just a few minutes ago," Amamiya reminded her. "You shouldn't go out."
Earlier, the two girls had been taking turns flipping a coin.
Umi and Chika had been plagued with bad luck while playing with the coin, trying in vain to acquire characters with max life stats, weapons, and artifacts with explosive attributes. Neither had backed down in their pursuit of victory, even in the face of bad fortune.
Umi had just stepped out of the shower—barely three minutes had passed since she flipped the coin. It had landed on tails, and she now sat patiently on the sofa, waiting for the bad luck to subside.
"If you're going to have bad luck, you'll face it anywhere. You can't avoid it," Umi said confidently, placing a hand on her hip. "So, let's go out."
Amamiya closed his book, looking at her seriously. "I just thought of a way that might make you immune to bad luck."
"Really?" Umi blinked, surprised. "There's actually a way?"
Amamiya smiled and said, "It's actually pretty simple. Have you heard of a safe house?"
Umi eyed him suspiciously, stepping back and clutching her chest. "You mean like in the movies? Those European and American ones where they hide witnesses?"
"That's right," Amamiya nodded. "Safe houses have two main features: they're concealed and secure."
"But even in a safe house, we could still have bad luck, right?" Umi asked, confused.
Amamiya leaned forward. "What if you narrowed down the safe house and removed all unnecessary elements, leaving it completely empty? That way, the chances of bad luck would be reduced to things like 'choking on your own saliva,' 'biting your tongue,' or 'sneezing from an itchy nose.' Essentially, by eliminating most other factors, you limit the possibilities for bad luck to occur."
"That sounds good in theory," Umi mused. "But where would we even find a safe house like that?"
Amamiya smiled again, pointing to a nearby object. "It's right over there."
Umi followed his gaze and froze, staring at the cage sitting in the corner of the room.
"..."
The cage was small, well-sealed, and completely devoid of any clutter. It perfectly met the criteria for his so-called "safe house"—a confined space where she could wait out her bad luck.
"Stupid Amamiya!" Umi's cheeks puffed up in annoyance. She tossed her phone onto the sofa, clenched her fists, and started lightly hitting Amamiya's shoulders with both hands.
"You actually want to lock me in a dog cage? That's too much!"
"..."
After a moment of frustration, Umi finally decided to go out and meet Hanamori.
"She's been through so much with me. It would be rude not to go just because of bad luck." Umi took a deep breath, determination in her eyes. "Let's go."
"Fine, but change your clothes first," Amamiya agreed reluctantly. "I'll let Chika know."
Chika was still in the bathroom, taking a long shower. As always, girls took their time, and this one would probably be at it for at least another half hour. Amamiya figured he wouldn't bother bringing the pink-haired troublemaker along this time.
He walked over to the bathroom door and briefly explained their plan.
"Got it!" Chika's voice rang out from behind the door. "I'll stay and look after the house."
"..."
A little while later, Umi emerged from her room, having changed into new clothes. "Alright, let's go."
Amamiya tucked his phone away, noticing something. "You're wearing colored contact lenses again?"
"Of course," Umi said, tilting her chin up with a playful grin. She made a scissors gesture near her eyes, showing off her stylish look. "If I go out without these, I'll be doomed."
"Excuse me, what planet are you even from?"
"M78 Nebula."
"..."
The night air was cool, and the dim streetlights gave the residential streets a quiet, deserted feel as the two ventured out.
"There aren't many evil spirits out tonight," Umi remarked, stretching her arms slightly, her graceful figure outlined under the dim streetlights. "The air feels so fresh... and I'm really—oh!"
Before she could finish her thought, the blonde girl stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground.
Amamiya reacted quickly, grabbing her right hand and stopping her from face-planting onto the pavement. "You need to watch where you're stepping."
"I 'was' careful! I wasn't even playing with my phone," Umi pouted, puffing her cheeks in frustration. "Now my mood's completely ruined."
"I'll buy you some takoyaki later," Amamiya offered, trying to lift her spirits.
"I'm not a child, Amamiya-kun! Takoyaki isn't going to fix everything..." She paused for a moment, then added with a sly grin, "Unless I get two servings."
"…" Amamiya remained silent, unsure how to respond.
They continued walking for a few moments when suddenly a stray dog appeared ahead of them on the quiet street.
"Look, it's a stray dog!" Umi's voice trembled with unease as she quickly latched onto Amamiya's arm.
Normally, a stray dog wouldn't be much of a concern, but given her current streak of bad luck, she couldn't help but imagine the worst. What if it attacked? Or worse, what if she got bitten and contracted rabies? She needed to be cautious.
As if sensing her anxiety, the stray dog slowly began approaching the two of them.
"Amamiya-kun..." Umi whispered nervously, "Do you think it's going to bite us?"
"Relax," Amamiya reassured her, his tone serious. "You're the one with the bad luck. 'I' shouldn't get bitten."
"...That's so mean!" Umi exclaimed, looking at him incredulously.
But before she could say more, Amamiya acted. With a quick flick of his hand, he conjured a bamboo sword out of thin air.
The bamboo sword was an ordinary practice weapon, a reward he'd once earned from a blind box. It had no special powers or attribute bonuses, but its main perk was that it could be stored in his game inventory and summoned at will.
Despite being just a practice weapon, the sight of it was enough to maximize its deterrence.
Amamiya calmly swung the bamboo sword through the air. The stray dog, which had been inching closer moments ago, immediately stopped in its tracks. With its tail tucked between its legs, it scurried off without a sound.
'We agreed to fight bare-handed, and you pull out a weapon? Humans really have no sense of martial ethics!' the dog seemed to convey with its hasty retreat.
"It ran off," Umi exhaled with relief, her tension melting away.
In that moment, she remembered a comic she had read a couple of days ago, 'My Girlfriend is More Than Cute'. The situation before her now felt oddly similar, only this time, the roles and genders were reversed.
Murmuring under her breath, Umi found herself saying softly, "My boyfriend's not just cute... he's handsome too?"
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