It was after school, on the bus ride home from my part-time job.

It was a short 20-minute ride from the bus stop in front of the station where I worked to the bus stop near my house.

It was a short time, but enough for a quick game.

Just as I was about to take out my game console and decide which title to play today, she suddenly appeared next to me.

“Kageyama-kun… right? From our class?”

The sound of the engine and a clear, pleasant voice came through my headphones.

She had fluffy, light-colored medium-short hair.

Her face was so small that I wondered if she was the same species, and her features were so well-defined that even the word “beautiful” seemed trite.

Her eyes sparkled like two precious gems.

A beautiful girl who would make anyone turn their head if they passed her on the street.

Normally, she’d be the type of person I’d never have any contact with, but I knew her.

Hikari Asahi—2nd year, class B, student number 1 at Shuei Private High School.

In other words, she was my classmate.

“Hey, can you hear me…?”

Asahi-san waved her hand in front of my face, as if to check if I was conscious.

My body and mind froze from this unexpected encounter.

It was like how a weak enemy would feel when suddenly encountering the hero’s party on the field.

“Asahi…san…?”

“Yep, that’s me. It hasn’t even been a month since we became classmates, and you remember me.”

“Well… yeah… Actually, I should be the one saying that…”

“Can I sit next to you for now?”

“P-please, go ahead…”

I managed to squeeze out a reply, and she calmly sat down next to me.

I didn’t know how I appeared at that moment, but from an outsider’s perspective, I must have seemed like a suspicious and awkward person.

But I’d like to say that it can’t be helped.

Because I never thought Asahi Hikari would even acknowledge my existence.

Even though we were classmates, the difference between our statuses was like heaven and earth.

I was just a gloomy game nerd who lived in the corner of the classroom.

My grades weren’t anything special, and my athletic ability was, to put it mildly, pathetic.

On the other hand, Asahi-san was always at the center of the class… no, the school. A popular, sunny, and fulfilled girl.

She was talented and beautiful, popular with both boys and girls, and trusted by the teachers.

Outside of school, she was known as a rising star in the girls’ tennis world and even worked as a model.

She was someone blessed with multiple gifts from the heavens.

Even if we were to say we were in the same game, it was like comparing a “Hero” to a “Giant Slug,” there was no comparison.

“Kageyama-kun, you’re in your school uniform at this hour… Could it be that you’re actually a delinquent?”

“No, I’m coming back from my part-time job…”

“Ah, I see. Where do you work?”

Still unable to grasp the situation, Asahi-san continued to ask questions.

A surprise attack with the ability to take two actions in one turn, she was overpowered.

“My cousin runs a western restaurant near the station, and I help out there, so it’s more like a part-time job…”

“Wow! Your cousin’s restaurant!”

Asahi-san nodded her head in a big way, as if she was impressed by something.

“By the way, I’m on my way home after this… You can tell by looking, right?”

She pointed to the long vertical bag on her left shoulder.

Every time the bus shook, I could hear the sound of hard objects colliding inside.

“Is that a tennis bag?”

“Yes, I usually go home from the club in my mom’s car. But today, I’m taking the bus home alone because of some things.”

“I see…”

I said that, but I still couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“By the way, Kageyama-kun, you like games, right?”

“Huh? Well, I do, but…”

“I thought so. You always play them during break time. And some pretty hardcore ones too.”

Apart from the shame of being recognized as such, a certain suspicion was growing within me.

++…Is this a punishment game or something?++

The classic “Go talk to that gloomy kid” kind of thing…?

I looked around the bus, but I couldn’t see anyone secretly watching us.

Besides, she wasn’t the type to tease people.

++Well, I don’t know her that well…++

As various suspicions swirled in my head, her next unexpected words blew them all away.

“Actually… I’m quite fond of games too.”

“…What?”

I asked back, unable to understand the meaning of her words.

“I said, I like games.”

++Is this a trap?++

The otaku hobby of “games” and Asahi Hikari, the most popular girl among the popular girls, didn’t connect in my head, and my doubts grew stronger.

I could only think that someone was trying to set me up.

Like the CIA, KGB, or MI6 or something.

“R-really… that’s surprising…”

“Yes… but I haven’t been able to play much lately because of various things.”

No, wait, could this be that?

The gyaru’s “I’m totally an otaku. I love One Piece and stuff.” kind of thing?

That’s it. It must be.

If that was the case, I had no choice but to fight back as the representative of the gloomy guys against the enemy who had boldly stepped into our territory.

“By the way, what kind of games do you like? What have you been playing lately that you enjoyed?”

“Well… the most interesting game I’ve played recently is…”

Asahi-san crossed her arms and began to ponder.

It’s probably a smartphone rhythm game or a puzzle game, at best a popular battle royale.

A high-caste popular girl was stepping into our world just for fashion’s sake.

Come on, bring it on.

If she mentioned some half-baked title, I would crush her head-on with my signature rapid-fire speech.

“Bio—”

I see, it was a certain survival horror game that was also made into a Hollywood movie.

It was a bit of an intense game for a sparkling high school girl to touch.

However, it was a famous series in Japan, so it was plausible that she might have dabbled in it a little if her family played it.

This was still within my expectations——

“Bio-Shock!”

++Wow, not bad.++

I barely managed to keep my smug expression from faltering at the unexpected title.

!next

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