Once again, Yukinoshita found herself being led, with little resistance, back to Masao's home.
They had studied together yesterday. Now, with the exams finally over, relaxation was the only item on the agenda.
With dinner still some time away, Masao connected his game console to the living room television. He booted up a fighting game and held out a controller to Yukinoshita.
"Care for a round, Yukinoshita?"
"I have no interest in video games."
"You've never played a versus game before, have you? It's okay to admit you're afraid of losing."
Yukinoshita tossed her hair over her shoulder with a dismissive flick.
"A simple and clumsy attempt at provocation, Masao-kun." Yet, her hand reached out and took the controller. "However, I accept."
A Guiding Principle for Dealing with Yukinoshita: Her competitive spirit was a blazing furnace. The bait did not need to be subtle, only present.
Masao filed that information away for future use.
—
A few minutes later, the scene had shifted dramatically.
Masao was hunched forward, his expression a mask of intense concentration. His thumbs hammered against the controller buttons, a single bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. But his frantic efforts were in vain; he could not alter the inevitable outcome.
DEFEAT
With a cry of frustration, he tossed the controller onto the rug and thumped the floor.
"It's useless! I can't do anything! I can't do anything at all!"
Yukinoshita looked down on him like a victorious queen regarding a fallen peasant.
"How truly weak you are, Masao-kun," she said, her voice laced with sweet scorn.
"One more game! I demand a rematch!"
"You could try a hundred times. The result would not change. Victory is an impossibility for you, Masao-kun."
A true genius excels at everything they touch. With her sharp intellect and unnervingly agile fingers, Yukinoshita had needed only three rounds to master the game's mechanics, swiftly progressing to a level where she could dominate him completely.
After several more humiliating losses, the last flicker of light finally vanished from Masao's eyes.
"Just give up, Masao-kun. You cannot win against the current me."
"'Cannot win'… I don't understand what that means!"
Just as a determined glow threatened to rekindle within him, a small figure interrupted his moment of potential resolve.
"Move aside. My turn."
Jahy had been watching from the sidelines, her own fingers twitching with anticipation.
"Yukinoshita! I will be your new opponent!"
Facing this fresh challenge, Yukinoshita's lips curved into a faint, regal smile. "I won't go easy on you, Jahy, even if you are my friend."
—
Ten minutes later, a cry of pure despair shattered the living room's peace.
"How can this be?! I can't win at all! It has to be these hands—they're too small for me to wield my true power!"
If Masao was outclassed, Jahy was in a league of her own—the league of the profoundly unskilled. Yukinoshita could defeat her without her character taking a single point of damage.
Masao found a strange comfort in Jahy's misery. He patted her shoulder. "Don't lose heart. Persistence is key. Here, I'll help you."
"Masao, you…"
Touched by the kindness from her usual rival, Jahy was moved.
'Masao, you're a better guy than I thought. I promise I'll stop secretly adding sugar to your vegetable juice.'
(Masao: So that's it! I thought my taste buds were just adapting. You little saboteur! You're trying to derail my diet! Don't think a moment of camaraderie will make me forget this.)
—
Five minutes after that.
Masao's triumphant laughter echoed off the walls.
"Ahahaha! Jahy, you are spectacularly bad! So this is what it feels like to crush a noob! It's intoxicating! You're a walking tutorial level, Jahy!"
"You… you jerk!" Jahy's fists were clenched, her cheeks puffed out and flushed crimson against her skin. Her furious blush was more eloquent than any insult.
'I'll do it! I'll fill your vegetable juice with so much sugar you'll be lucky to ever see your own toes again!'
Witnessing Masao's gleeful bullying, Yukinoshita intervened.
"Come, Jahy. Ignore him. You can play on my team."
Hearing this, Jahy looked up, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.
Her weakness was a fact beyond debate.
Admitting defeat in the versus mode, Masao wisely switched to a three-player cooperative game.
While Jahy was undeniably a liability, her incompetence had a certain chaotic charm. She performed actions so bizarre and illogical they looped back to being hilarious.
That was simply Jahy's nature. While Masao and Yukinoshita focused on strategy and combat, Jahy's mind was occupied with more… philosophical questions.
"Hey, Jahy, why did you just jump into that bottomless pit?"
"I had a feeling there might be a secret down there."
"Jahy! Did you just lead the entire enemy horde straight to us?!"
"I don't know how they all found me! Help! Save me!"
By some miracle, they managed to clear the stage. Jahy slumped back, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Phew… We're amazing. The three of us are truly the best."
"Yeah, amazing. We're real pros," Masao agreed, his voice dripping with such profound sarcasm that it was almost a physical entity.
After about half an hour of chaotic co-op, dinner was finally announced.
The moment the words were spoken, Jahy's controller hit the floor and she was a blur headed for the dining table.
"Wash your hands first."
"Yes, I know "
—
After sharing dinner for over a week, the five of them had settled into a comfortable familiarity. The initial polite distance had melted away entirely.
Tanaka Kazumi raised her glass.
"A toast! To our star tutor, Yukino-chan. Thank you for all your hard work, putting up with Masao's and Jahy's studies."
Yukinoshita took a graceful sip.
"You flatter me, Auntie. It was no trouble. Teaching someone else is one of the best ways to learn; it helped solidify my own understanding."
"My, you're always so formal. Please, relax around us," Kazumi said, her tone warm and slightly conspiratorial. She was playing matchmaker. "If this one," she gestured with her chin toward Masao, "has any annoying habits, or does anything stupid, or upsets you, you have my full permission to tell me all about it."
At this, Yukinoshita's eyes slid toward Masao, a glint of mischief in their depths.
A cold sweat instantly drenched Masao's back.
Under his desperate, wide-eyed stare, Yukinoshita finally delivered her verdict. "Masao-kun is… quite diligent in his studies."
Masao's entire body sagged with relief.
"Is that so?" Kazumi's eyes narrowed slightly, flicking between the two of them. 'The way they were just looking at each other… They're definitely hiding something. I hope it's exactly what I think it is.'
After dinner, Masao walked Yukinoshita home, stopping at the entrance to her apartment building.
"Well then, Yukinoshita. I'll see you tomorrow at the station."
"Yes," she replied softly. "Tomorrow."
_____
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