CH 18

Chapter 18 – Getting Hot and Sweaty

I finished the lunch that Kotone-chan made for me. It was an accomplishment for me to eat that entire oversized omurice. For the first time in a long time, I felt like praising myself.

“Thanks for the food. It was delicious.”

“Ehehe, I was confident because my sister had praised me before.”

Kotone-chan declared while we were taking a break from eating, patting our bellies.

“Once the meal is finished, the next step is to clean the dishes!” She said.

Just for the record. I never asked Kotone-chan to clean up.

She said she wanted to serve her boyfriend, but this is the wrong direction, isn’t it? Since she’s wearing a maid outfit, she might be restless if she doesn’t do housework. Is this what it means to wear that maid outfit? No, it shouldn’t…

I got up from my seat.

“Yuji-sama?”

I went behind Kotone-chan, who seemed curious. She didn’t even show any sign of running away even though I’m this close.

I still think she’s not being careful enough.

“Kyah!?”

I put my hands on Kotone-chan’s shoulders. She let out a surprised sound and her body jumped. I’m her boyfriend, so I’m not sexually harassing her.

Maid play is fun. I honestly like being respected. But she’s not a real maid. She’s my girlfriend, and today is a date at home under the guise of getting a haircut.

“I’ll clean up. And you don’t have to clean the house.”

“B-But…”

I put strength into the hands on her shoulders. Kotone-chan tried to push through my reason, but gave up and relaxed.

“Just wait and watch TV until I’ve finished washing up. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

I was washing dishes in the kitchen, and Kotone-chan was sitting on the sofa looking at the TV. The positions were reversed.

“……”

“……”

It’s just that the positions were reversed. But why does it feel awkward to be silent?

The program on TV seems to be a rerun, with comedians saying funny things. Kotone-chan is watching, but she’s not reacting. From here, I can’t even see what face she’s making.

“Kotone-chan, Kotone-chan.”

“What is it?”

I finished washing up, so I called out to her. Kotone-chan turned around, her expression smiling.

“Let’s play games.”

※※※

My games are basically for one person.

It’s not something you invite your friends over to play. Nowadays you can play online. Can I count the people I connect with as friends? If so, I would have so many friends.

I once invited my only friend Ide. But he’s banned because he kept beating me. Games are a test of friendship. No, you can’t bring friendship into gaming.

“What would be good…”

“S-Something easy to play, please.”

She reacted with a lack of confidence. It doesn’t seem that she has much experience.

Well, she is a girl. If you’re not a hardcore gamer, you shouldn’t get riled up over a game. The whole point of games is to have fun.

Now, what shall we play?

Most of the ones I have are for single players. Fighting games are out of the question. I don’t know how to communicate with my girlfriend when I’m beating her up, even if it’s just a game.

“Whoa, how about something like this?”

“Ah, I’ve played that before.”

I chose a game in which the world’s most famous video game characters play in racing karts. The controls are simple, and if you’ve played it before it will be easy to get to grips with.

I held the controller alongside Kotone-chan.

Ohoo, isn’t this very lover-like? A man and a woman peacefully enjoying a game. There seems to be an aura of happiness.

The game started. I’m the guy with the red hat. Kotone-chan chose the mushroom-headed character and the race began.

Each character starts at the same time.

I couldn’t get a rocket start and I’m hovering in the middle. Kotone-chan is right behind me.

“I took the item! Erm, I’m pretty sure this is the button to activate it…”

Kotone-chan moved her fingers in a flicking motion while saying this. I saw something disturbing on the screen where her character was running.

“Ah…”

Kotone-chan’s character produced green shells. And there were three of them.

The green shells were fired in full without pause. I was in the line of fire. I couldn’t dodge them and they all hit me.

Kotone-chan’s character ran past me with ease.

“Erm…I-I’m sorry.”

“Ahaha… It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s a game. Alright, I’m not going to lose!”

Kotone-chan bowed her head apologetically. Despite doing so, she kept running without going off the course.

I’m not offended by this. Because that’s what this game is about. It’s common sense to use items to disturb your opponents.

I didn’t mind it, but I’ve dropped in ranking. I’m going for the items to turn it around.

I got the red shells. I fired all the bullets as I was about to get the next item.

“Ah…”

The red shells I fired landed on a mushroom head. I guess the gap between Kotone-chan and me wasn’t as wide as I thought.

“S-Sorry… I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Ahaha… It’s a game, I don’t mind… Ahaha…”

The rankings shifted again. My hands were starting to sweat a bit.

Don’t worry about it, just aim for the top. This is a racing game, but I don’t want to fight with Kotone-chan.

However, the more Kotone-chan and I used the items, the more we hurt each other. It went on so many times that I wondered if it was an inescapable fate.

“……”

“……”

As a result, we were silent and focused on the race. The air was already tense.

It’s not just a game anymore. It’s a game, but it’s not for fun. This is a serious match.

We entered the last lap.

“Star Target!”

“Don’t do that!”

It was just before the finish line. Kotone-chan, now in invincible mode, is catching up. I have a banana peel, but it’s useless against her invincibility.

“Here I come~~~!!!”

“Don’t come near~~~!!!”

With the finish line in front of us, we soared through the air.

“……”

“……”

It was silent. I could hear the background music of the game, but at this moment it felt silent. I’m sure it’s the same for Kotone-chan.

We were silent to each other for a while. But not awkward or tense.

We were filled with a sense of fulfillment. This exhausted feeling, it feels great…

“Kotone-chan.”

“Yuji-senpai.”

Kotone-chan and I looked at each other. She must have gone all out to the point that her maid mode collapsed. I want to praise her.

“Thank you. It was a good race.”

“Thank you too.”

Kotone-chan and I shook hands. The heat and sweat on our hands said it all.

By the way, I was fourth and Kotone-chan was third in the overall ranking. Computers are strong.