In an alley less than a hundred meters from Starry, there was a ramen shop with a sign that read "Hakata Tenryu." The two of them sat at the innermost part of the counter. They each ordered a bowl of ramen, and the owner behind the counter deftly got to work.
At the moment, there were no other customers. The owner was bustling about, unlikely to be eavesdropping, making it a decent environment for a conversation.
Besides, Fumiya Jin had used his superpower to check the owner's countdown—it was an exceedingly long ten-digit number. This indicated the owner likely had no connection to the Samsara Game. Even if he overheard their conversation, he would probably assume they were just talking about an online game.
Nijika Ijichi glanced at Fumiya Jin beside her, slightly bothered by how close they were sitting, but she didn't say anything about it.
Scratching her chin, she asked, "How... did you find me? I mean, I told you my full name, but Tokyo is so huge. Just with a name..."
"Of course, a name alone wouldn't be enough, but you were wearing your school uniform, weren't you?" Fumiya Jin pointed to her clothes.
"Granted, the emblem on your Shimokitazawa High School uniform isn't very distinct, and it was hard for me to see clearly in that dim light, which was a bit of a hassle. But I could still make out the general style."
"Using that as a starting point, I searched for all the high school uniforms in Tokyo online. A quick comparison eliminated most of them. For the rest, I factored in your accent and demeanor to do some simple filtering..."
"Then, using a few little tricks, I searched the databases of the few remaining target schools to find your name. It wasn't too difficult."
Nijika Ijichi's eyes widened. "You make it sound so easy, but... there's no way it was that simple..."
"Well, it wasn't exactly simple. It still took me several hours to find you, didn't it?" Fumiya Jin said with a shrug.
"Just a few hours... That's already incredible!" Nijika looked at Fumiya Jin with a hint of admiration. "If it were me... I definitely couldn't have done that."
As she said this, she was reminded of her own performance during the trial.
Her face fell, and she felt a sense of inadequacy. "It was the same back then... I was just dragging you down. If you hadn't been willing to carry me, I probably would have..."
"That's perfectly normal," Fumiya Jin said calmly. "No one expects to suddenly encounter something like this. The education you've received wasn't meant to prepare you for it. I was just lucky enough to have experienced a bit more and happen to possess some of the necessary qualities."
"But now that it's happened, I can't stay this weak," Nijika said anxiously. "If I can't become stronger, like you, then next time I probably..."
Fumiya Jin smiled. "That's some good resolve. But honestly, in your current state, it's pretty much impossible for you to suddenly become mature, calm, and self-reliant. There's not enough time."
Nijika stiffened slightly. "Well... I'm aware of my own shortcomings..."
"Instead of that... perhaps there's a more realistic option," Fumiya Jin added.
"Huh? What option?" the girl asked, looking at him blankly.
Fumiya Jin's smile faded.
He looked into the girl's eyes.
And said with a resolute expression:
"Miss Ijichi, entrust the rest of your life to me."
He seemed to recall seeing this line in a meme featuring some "blue-haired, twin-tailed girl who exhales mist," sent by a friend from a meme-loving group chat. For some reason, it felt appropriate at this moment, so he used it.
"Huh? The rest of... my life??"
The girl froze.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Her glistening eyes widened.
Her fair, delicate cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
"Wh-wh-wh-what??? Th-this... this is... so sudden! You didn't give me any time to prepare... Besides, we've only just met, and we don't even know each other that well..."
"Why are you reacting so strongly all of a sudden?" Fumiya Jin asked with calm confusion.
"You... You're the one who said something like that out of the blue! How could any girl not have a strong reaction?!" Nijika protested, flustered and annoyed.
"Wait, have you misunderstood something?" Fumiya Jin said with a perfectly straight face. "I was asking you to be my teammate, to form a team with me. Where did your mind go?"
"Huh?"
Nijika was stunned. "Be... your teammate?"
"Yeah, to team up and play the 'game' together," Fumiya Jin said, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't happen to... take it some other way, did you?"
"O-Of course not!" How could Nijika admit it? "I was talking about being teammates too!"
Fumiya Jin looked at her again with a teasing smile.
Nijika instantly realized he was definitely doing this on purpose.
She turned slightly and resentfully kicked him in the shin.
Then, her voice softened as she mumbled, "Why... ask me to be your teammate? I'm so weak, and I'm a coward. My mind goes blank in dangerous situations. I probably can't help at all and will only hold you back..."
"Your self-assessment... is pretty accurate," Fumiya Jin said, rubbing his chin.
"Huh?"
Nijika was dumbfounded.
She looked at Fumiya Jin, feeling wronged.
Even though she was speaking the truth, shouldn't the other person offer a few words of comfort at a time like this?
"Just as you said, you're timid, your reflexes are slow, you don't stay calm under pressure, your brain tends to shut down, you lack follow-through, and you can't be ruthless to yourself. On top of that, you're soft-hearted and easily deceived..." Fumiya Jin rattled off her flaws as if listing treasures.
"Stop it, stop it... *sob*..." The girl hugged her head, deeply hurt, and mumbled, "Then why did you even look for me?"
"Because what I need isn't someone strong, but someone trustworthy," Fumiya Jin said with a shrug, his expression relaxed.
"Huh?" Nijika paused, looking up blankly. "Trustworthy?"
"I might not be able to boast about other things, but when it comes to playing games, I'm completely confident." Fumiya Jin looked at her frankly. "So, rather than a strong player who might betray me, a teammate who lacks skill but whom I can mutually trust is more important. Besides, the game gives out rewards. Skills can be improved, and people can grow."
Hearing this, Nijika recalled the rewards she received at the end of the trial, and a spark of fighting spirit ignited within her.
"Oh right, I almost forgot to tell you, I also got... Mmph—"
She was halfway through her sentence when a long, slender index finger suddenly pressed against her lips.
"Let's not talk about that right now," Fumiya Jin advised, then withdrew his finger. "Today's Thursday. Tomorrow, go to school and live your day normally. Don't let anyone notice anything is off. Wait until Saturday, then come to my place, and we can talk about this properly."
Nijika wasn't stupid; she understood immediately and nodded. "Okay... Saturday... Yeah, I should be free."
"So now, it's time to choose," Fumiya Jin said with a slight smile, holding out his hand to her. "Are you willing to entrust the rest of your life to me?"
Nijika looked at his fair palm.
This was the third time he had extended his hand to her.
But it was also the most significant.
People really died in the Samsara Game.
So his words weren't actually an exaggeration—choosing to be teammates was, to a certain extent, binding their lives, the rest of their lives, together.
"Let me lay down the ground rules first," Fumiya Jin added. "I have very strict requirements for my teammates."
"What kind of requirements?" Nijika asked.
"On important matters, you have to follow my lead and trust me completely," Fumiya Jin said with a shrug. "It sounds simple, but it's much harder than just improving your skills."
"So those are the requirements..."
Nijika was taken aback for a moment.
She lowered her head, thinking for several seconds.
Then... she suddenly let out a breath and smiled.
She looked up at Fumiya Jin, full of energy.
She raised her fair hand and placed it in Fumiya Jin's palm.
"That's the one requirement... I'm confident I can meet. After all, I've already done it before," Nijika said with a smile. "So... I accept."
"*Pop!*—"
A party popper suddenly went off above their heads.
A shower of colorful streamers and confetti fluttered down.
Both Fumiya Jin and Nijika were stunned.
They turned to look at the shop owner, who was holding a pull-string party popper with a doting grin. "Congratulations to our Nijika-chan for finding a wonderful boyfriend! Ah, Nijika-chan, you've been coming to my shop for ramen for over half a year now. Seeing you find such a gentle and handsome boyfriend really makes this old man happy!"
"Huh? No... Mister Shopkeeper, don't say things like that! It's not what you think!" Nijika's face instantly turned beet red again, more vibrant than the sunset outside. "And besides, why would a ramen shop owner have a party popper on hand?! That's just weird!!!"
"Oh, come on, little Nijika, don't be shy. I heard you talking about entrusting the rest of your life to him..."
"I told you, it's not what you think! Hey, Fumiya-san, what are you laughing at? Help me explain! Hey, you're still laughing!!!!"
_____
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