After transferring trains with Rina, Kazama Haruka finally arrived at the Amanori household at exactly 5:30 PM.
"I'm home!"
Rina deliberately raised her voice much louder than necessary, all so that her older sister—who constantly looked down on her (while secretly adoring her)—would definitely hear it.
"Ah, Big Sister, you're finally back. So? Did you make any friends in your brand-new school life?"
Responding to the loud announcement, Amahiki Haruna, sporting a cute side ponytail, came out while biting on a popsicle. She wore loose, comfy loungewear with knee-length shorts, her fair and slender calves exposed to the air, radiating a lively, youthful charm.
"Let me guess, Big Sis—today you—!"
"Eek!!"
The moment Kazama Haruka stepped out from behind Rina, Haruna's lively voice instantly twisted into a high-pitched shriek. The popsicle slipped from her mouth and splattered on the floor, leaving a sticky puddle behind.
Uh… why is her reaction so extreme?
"Ah, you must be Haruna. Hello, my name is Kazama Haruka."
Although he had no idea why she was so flustered, Haruka still displayed his usual polite, gentle smile and bowed slightly to the frozen girl.
"H-hello…!"
After about ten long seconds, Haruna finally snapped out of her petrification. She looked at Rina, then back at Haruka, then drew in a deep breath—as if gathering courage.
"Um… Kazama-san, right? Please answer honestly—did my sister… do something foolish to offend you? Did she cause so much trouble that you came all the way here for revenge?"
A terrible misunderstanding had clearly taken root.
"Ow!"
Rina smacked her sister on the head without mercy.
"How little faith do you have in your Big Sister?!"
"This is Kazama-san, my classmate—and also my newly made… friend."
Although her confidence wavered as she said the word "friend," Rina still pointed at Haruka with both hands, as if proudly presenting a rare treasure.
"She actually… really made a friend. And a handsome guy of this level, too…"
Haruna stared blankly at Haruka for a few seconds before realizing how rude she must look. She immediately bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.
"I'm so sorry, Kazama-san! I said extremely rude things!"
"Although my sister is a typical good-for-nothing ordinary person," Haruna added seriously, "please take good care of her."
Rina's forehead twitched with dark lines.
Why does she always say unnecessary things…?
"It's my fault for not explaining clearly earlier," Haruka replied apologetically. "Sorry for causing the misunderstanding, Rina."
Even with an apologetic expression, his face was still dazzling. Haruna, a fellow energetic girl, fell into a brief daze again.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Rina quickly tossed her hair and took control.
"Anyway! Kazama-san is here to play the new game I bought. We're going to my room now, so don't bother us."
"Ah—Kazama-san, can we exchange contact info later?"
"Don't bother us!"
The sisters went right back into their own little world.
As Haruna retreated, Rina turned to Haruka and smiled warmly.
"Come on, Kazama-san. Don't mind that rude brat. Let's go play."
Haruka nodded and followed her upstairs to the second floor.
Rina's room was small but meticulously tidy, decorated in cool blue. A 27-inch television sat against the wall, and beneath it, a shelf neatly displayed rows of blue Sony game cases arranged by category. The air didn't carry any "girly fragrance," but it felt clean and refreshing.
Having entered his childhood friend Ajisai's room countless times growing up, Haruka certainly wasn't the type to panic like some shy virgin.
Instead, it was Rina who appeared nervous—her cheeks still faintly pink. She hurried to turn on the PS console, pretending to focus intently as she inserted the brand-new "Destiny Awakening" disc.
"Kazama-san, this game is actually pretty hard. Are you confident you won't drag me down during co-op?" she said, deliberately sounding smug to mask her own anxiety.
"Hm… the game itself shouldn't be a problem, but—"
Haruka stared helplessly at the controller she handed him.
Who plays an FPS with a controller?!
Even with aim assist, he found the idea almost sacrilegious.
Fortunately, he had the system.
Add points!
Willing to do anything to enjoy the game together with Rina, Haruka waved his hand and immediately spent 1000 wish points.
"Ding."
Skill 'Shooting Game' LV1 (Beginner) acquired.
"Ding."
Skill 'Shooting Game' has been upgraded to LV2 (Proficient).
"Ding."
Skill 'Shooting Game' has been upgraded to LV3 (Professional).
Each notification that rang in his ears filled him with confidence.
Time to show his true strength.
When the battlefield for their split-screen co-op finished rendering, Haruka felt a strange sense of immersion—as if he were truly standing inside the smoke-filled warzone. The controller became an extension of his arm, and every small movement flowed naturally, as though executed by flawless calculation.
"Kazama-san, up ahead is a war-fog section. Enemies might burst out from behind those crates at any moment. If you get hit once, the follow-up shots will chain and instantly zero your HP."
Haruka didn't respond.
Not because he wanted to act cool—he literally didn't hear her.
It's there.
The faintest footstep, barely audible under the tense background music, reached his ears as clearly as a midnight knock on a quiet door.
Gun weight, recoil—every limiting factor faded away, leaving only absolute control.
His left thumb pulled R1 to aim.
His right index finger squeezed R2 with serene precision, firing into the dense smoke.
"Bzzzt—!"
The controller vibrated with a satisfying kill confirmation.
"Oh! Nice one, Kazama-san!" Rina cheered, pumping her fist. She assumed it was just a lucky shot, but still showered him with praise.
"Rina. Left. Two."
Another faint footstep brushed against his hearing. Haruka calmly gave the warning.
"Eh?!"
Rina whipped her joystick around in a panic. Before she could even locate the enemies, a storm of bullets shredded her HP bar.
"Ahahaha… as expected, I shouldn't have chosen this difficulty for a first playthrough."
She collapsed in defeat as her screen darkened.
She had already seen countless posts online complaining about this level's brutal difficulty. Now, even with ten years of gaming experience and full knowledge of enemy spawn patterns, she had still fallen almost instantly.
This level would clearly require at least a second run.
Her gaze drifted toward Haruka, who remained completely absorbed. The slight mess of hair flattened by his headphones, the reflection of gunfire in his focused eyes—his serious expression looked exceptionally cool.
Unfortunately, she thought, handsomeness didn't equal skill.
But wait… it should've been long enough for those next two enemies to appear.
He should have died already, just like she had.
So why was he still completely fine?
Curious, Rina leaned closer, stretching her neck to peek at his screen.
Bang! Bang!
Two crisp gunshots cut through the cacophony of explosions.
On Haruka's screen, the bullets from "Burns" threaded perfectly through the thick battle smoke, each one slicing straight into the forehead of an elite enemy.
Headshot Kill: Hound!
Headshot Kill: Ghost!