Episode 360: Thinking Back

Our fun time at the pet shop ended, we finished a lunch that doubled as a break, and for some reason our fulfilling shopping date had still failed to achieve its primary goal. We spent the afternoon peeking into various promising shops, but there weren’t any particularly noteworthy discoveries.

And so, we decided to drop by a famous big-box electronics store just in case, even though I was torn on whether we really needed to go in.

「I’m sorry, Sara-san…」

「Kazunari-san, you haven’t done anything wrong. So, saying you’re sorry is a no-no… okay?」

「Ugh… I-I’m sorr… mmph.」

「Hehe… no-no!♪」

Sara-san lightly blocked my mouth with her finger and playfully made a「no-no」gesture.

It was nothing but a reward at this point. I was completely mesmerized by her kindness and that smile.

「…Kazunari-san, don’t you think you’re overthinking this just a little?」

「Overthinking it?」

「Yes. A sense of duty, perhaps. You feel like you absolutely have to find ‘something satisfying’…」

「……」

Sara-san’s words hit the nail right on the head.

It was true that I was letting the feeling of「I have to find something satisfying anyway」take the lead, and I was just searching aimlessly.

If I couldn’t find what I wanted to do or what I wanted to buy, I should have started by re-examining myself first.

「…I am so sorry. Perhaps your situation is because Mother and I made such a big fuss about it…」

「N-No, that’s not it!! This is just me… it’s my fault…」

「No, these sorts of things aren’t meant to be found by force. And yet, because we pushed it on you so strongly, Kazunari-san… it resulted in making you worry even more…」

「………」

What should I do? I wanted to deny that it was absolutely not the case, but the right words wouldn’t come to me.

It was true that this whole thing started with something Mayumi-san said… but both Mayumi-san and Sara-san said it because they were thinking of me, so it was never a matter of being forced or pushed…

「Kazunari-san, I’d like to ask for reference, but before… setting aside last year, what did you usually do before then?」

「Before last year… you mean?」

「Yes. It doesn’t matter if it was a hobby or just playing around. Was there anything you were absorbed in or played with in your daily life? I’m certain there must have been something…」

「Playing…」

When asked about how I played back then, the first thing that came to mind was…

The game centers I used to go to with my classmates, or the console games I played at home with Yuji and the others. Then there were the darts I tried as an extension of target practice, or the survival games I participated in just to be social… wait?

Wow, if I really think about it, it was all just games.

「Haha…」

「Hehe… did you think of something?」

「Yeah… now that I’m remembering it again, I realize I was all about games.」

「Games?」

「Yes. Well, there are all sorts of games, but if I had to say, the ones I played at home with Yuji and the guys were the most common.」

「I see. So that means home video game consoles, is that correct?」

「That’s right. They’re what people call consoles!」

Come to think of it, the console I used back then was still in the back of the closet at my parents’ house. After that incident, I completely lost the will to play games and just shoved it in the closet and forgot about it.

Well… it was already an old model even when I was using it, so there probably isn’t anything I’d want to do with it now anyway.

「Are you good at games, Kazunari-san?」

「I wonder… I’m fairly confident I can still play reasonably well… oh, but there are definitely genres I’m confident in!」

I’ve played all sorts of games in general, but the ones I’m especially confident in are racing games and action games. On the other hand, fighting games are the one thing I could almost never beat Yuji at… that guy is just way too specialized in fighting games.

「Hehe…」

「Sara-san?」

Sara-san, who had been watching me the whole time, suddenly let out a laugh… and for some reason, she playfully poked my cheek.

What was that about all of a sudden?

「Did you notice? Just now, you were talking with such a happy expression, Kazunari-san.」

「Eh? I was…?」

「Yes. While you were talking about games, you looked so incredibly happy.」

「Um… really?」

I wasn’t particularly conscious of it, but if Sara-san says so, it must be true. But if you ask me, I think Sara-san looks way happier right now.

「Kazunari-san… would you please teach me how to play games?」

「Eh?」

「The truth is, we once held a game tournament at Natsumi’s house… but since I had absolutely no experience with such things, it ended with a disastrous result. And every time it happened, Natsumi laughed at me over and over… I was just so, so frustrated.」

「I-I see. That definitely sounds frustrating.」

It’s already torture to keep losing helplessly in a field you’re bad at, but to be laughed at directly for it makes it beyond frustrating.

「Yes. So, so that I can eventually get my revenge on Natsumi, would you please teach me games?」

「That’s… but games take up time…」

Once I start a game, I’m afraid I’ll get too absorbed and end up wasting time I should be using for other things. Besides, I feel like if I have time to play games, I should be studying no matter what.

At the very least, until my target university is in the safe zone, I absolutely shouldn’t let my guard down…

「Hehe… I’m very happy that you’re thinking so seriously about the future. I certainly understand your feelings, Kazunari-san, and there are parts of me that think you should indeed do that.」

「Right? Besides, my original grades weren’t that high…」

「However! Regarding that point, I believe it falls within the scope of maintaining a balance. Of course, playing too many games is no good, but you’ve been working hard on your studies during class to ensure you can maintain your daily life, haven’t you?」

「Well, that’s true, but.」

It was true that I was following Sara-san’s advice and focusing on taking notes during class. That made my review at home more efficient, which resulted in securing a solid private life… and free time.

「In that case, this is part of that balance… it’s also a way to refresh yourself for further efficiency, so it’s definitely not a bad thing. And above all, you love games, don’t you, Kazunari-san?」

「Ugh…」

While asking with a soft smile, Sara-san’s eyes caught mine and wouldn’t let go. It was as if she were sincerely pleading for me to tell her my true feelings, not allowing for any evasion or lies…

So, when I’m stared at with those eyes, I just…

「…I guess I probably do like games… no, I love them. Yeah.」

「Hehe… well said!♪ You’re a good boy, aren’t you?」

Sara-san stood on her tiptoes and gently patted my head.

I couldn’t help but feel like I was being treated completely like a child, but I understood well enough that as far as Sara-san was concerned, she didn’t mean it that way at all.

「Then, today’s shopping is decided. Since we’re at an electronics store, let’s go and get the game…」

「Eh!? No way, you mean buy the whole console too!?」

「Of course. Since this is something you’re purchasing based on your true feelings, Kazunari-san, Mother will definitely be convinced. In fact, I will be the one to convince her. Please rest assured.」

「No, that’s one thing, but the money…」

I wasn’t sure which of the major game consoles she intended to buy… but normally, this wasn’t the kind of thing you’d buy on a whim.

「Ah, you’re right. I hadn’t considered the price of a game console.」

「Exactly. I don’t know the exact price either, but they’re probably both around forty to fifty thousand yen…」

「Are there two types of game consoles? In that case, let’s just buy both.」

「Eeeeeeh!?」

Sara-san said something outrageous so casually, as if it were nothing at all.

Buying both, once you think about the software too, how much would that even cost!?

「It’s not a problem. I’ve been told to use the remaining budget as I see fit… and the truth is, it seems there’s quite a bit left.」

「Ah, is that so? …Wait, no!!」

Buying two types of consoles and software, and even then the budget would still have a lot left!?

Just how much money did Mayumi-san give to Sara-san!?

「Kazunari-san… I understand your feelings very well, but when something is necessary, it’s also important to make a bold purchase at times, you know? That’s why we usually practice thriftiness.」

「Ugh… w-well, if you put it that way…」

Since I leave all the management of our daily life to Sara-san anyway…

It might actually be quite hesitant for me to meddle in our home’s financial policy.

「Please rest assured. I am fully aware that such reckless shopping isn’t something to be praised. This is strictly a special occasion, and I will continue to manage our daily life strictly in the future.」

The smile full of confidence on Sara-san’s face as she declared that so grandly…

Left no room for me to say anything more…

To be honest, given the amount of money involved, I felt hesitant to just nod honestly here.

「…Alright. I’ll make sure to train you perfectly so you can definitely beat Natsumi-senpai.」

「Yes, I’ll be in your care. Now, let’s get right to it…」

「Whoa, I definitely don’t need both of them, okay? One is plenty.」

Since I absolutely wouldn’t back down on this, I made sure to be firm with Sara-san.

Since family-oriented games would likely be the main focus, this one console alone was more than enough.

「Are you really sure?」

「I’m really sure! This is what you call a separation of game genres.」

「Hehe… understood. Since I’m a novice, I’ll leave the decision to you, Kazunari-san.」

「Please do. After that, the software…」

「Ah, in that case, please get the game where you race cars too. Um… the one with the bearded brothers and the princess…」

「Ah, was that the one Natsumi-senpai laughed at you for?」

When it comes to that world-famous racing game with the bearded brothers as protagonists, there was only one that came to mind. And even though it had been on an old model, that game was one of the ones I was best at, so this was getting interesting…

「Yes. If you could give me special training in that game, Kazunari-san, I’ll definitely make Natsumi eat her words someday!」

Sara-san’s「eat her words」was surprisingly cute…

But I just couldn’t handle the way she clenched her fists in front of her chest in that「fighting」pose, just like she did at the sports festival. Everything Sara-san does is just too cute, it’s unfair.

Well, anyway, now that it’s come to this.

「Roger that. Leave it to me!」

「Yes. I’ll be in your care… Sensei!♪」

And so, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been cleverly led by Sara-san’s words, but we’d successfully achieved our goal for today.

Though it’s possible that even the reason of wanting me to teach her games was just a convenience to push me toward a decision, and Sara-san was just being completely considerate of me…

But if that’s the case, at the very least, I’ll make sure Sara-san enjoys herself as much as possible…

And so that I can enjoy myself too…

「Hehe… we’ll start the special training right away tonight! I definitely won’t lose this time, Natsumi…」

…Wait?

Sara-san seems surprisingly positive about this?

Well… that’s fine with me then.