My Childhood Friend Seems to be the Main Heroine. - Chapter 24

“Plug this cable in here, and we’re good to go. Hmm? “

　Thump- thump- thump!

　Just as he finished preparing to play with Riri, he heard someone coming up the stairs quickly.

　Probably, Riri is coming after her lunch.

“Good timing. Let’s play right away, shall we? …Uh, you look a little red. Did something happen? “

　Saito opens the door and welcomes Riri.

　But Riri’s face is bright red for some reason, and he tilts his head.

“N-noo, I’m fine. It’s nothing. What are we going to play? “

“Ah, I brought that out today to play a nostalgic game.”

　Saying that. Saito pointed at Nintendo Wii.

　It’s not even a U, just a Wii.

　It was released more than ten years ago, so it’s a very old game console.

　When they were in elementary school, she used to play with this with Saito.

“Wow, this brings back memories. I don’t know how you still have it.”

“I don’t sell game consoles. I put them in the back of the closet. Anyway, what game do you want to play? “

“Of course, it’s that one! “

　When Saito asked Riri what game they would play, Riri declared loudly.

“Wii Sports Resort! “

　This is the name of the first game that Saito and Riri played together.

* * *

　It was about six years ago.

　Riri visited Minazuki’s house the day after Christmas for the first time.

[ I-I’m sorry to bother you. ]

　Riri was very nervous because she had only played with Saito outside.

　The thought of going to a boy’s house again traumatized her, but with her mother’s encouragement, she managed to enter the house.

[ Welcome! Welcome, Riri and Lucy-san ]

　The first person to greet them was Saito.

　He was shorter than Riri and very cute.

　He had a sincere and open smile on his face and was really happy to see them.

　Seeing his childhood friend like this, Riri felt foolish and wondered what she had been worried about.

　She had been nervous about entering the man’s house, but he was still a child in the early grades of elementary school.

　Unlike the men before her time leap, he would not do anything evil to her just because they were alone.

　Relieved by this fact, Riri gives a small smile.

[ Let’s play quickly! Santa brought me some awesome stuff! ]

[ Ah, wait! ]

　Saito, who had apparently received something very nice from Santa for Christmas, wanted to show it to Riri as soon as possible.

　As soon as Riri takes off her shoes, he grabs her hand and pulls her with him.

[ Saito. I know you want to play quickly, but shouldn’t you wash your hands first? ]

[ Right! Okay, let’s go this way. ]

　Saito was about to go into the living room first, but his mother, Yabane, reminded him of that, and he took Riri to the washroom.

[ Quickly! Hurry up! ]

[ Don’t be in such a hurry. ]

　Impatient, Saito urges Riri to wash her hands quickly, causing her to giggle.

　How much do you want to show me?

　After Riri finishes washing her hands, they come into the living room and sit in front of the big TV set.

[ Ta-da! It’s Nintendo Wii. Cool, isn’t it?! What’s more, it comes with a free copy of the game! ]

[ Ohh, amazing. ]

　It’s been 3 years since it was released, but Wiit is still going strong and costs a little over 20,000 yen. The game costs almost 5,000 yen a piece.

　Riri had never received a Christmas present from Santa Claus that cost more than 10,000 yen, so she praised it.

　Saito, who was in a good mood, looked happy and puffed his chest out.

　Riri’s parents are very sweet to their daughter and can give her a present like this if she asks.

　However, Riri was not the type to be greedy before and after the time leap, so she had been trying to keep her Christmas present within 10,000 yen.

[ Now, okay, here’s the remote control. ]

[ Thank you. How does this work? ]

　Riri had heard about the Wii game console from the commercials.

　However, Riri has never been exposed to games and has always been a bookworm, probably because of his father, who is a novelist.

　So this was her first time using a game console like this, and she asked Saito how to use it.

[ Well, you know, if you point it at that black controller over here… ]

[ Ah, the cursor appears. ]

[ The A button here is for decision. The B button on the back is for canceling. To move sideways, use the cross button. It’s different depending on the game. I’ll explain it at that time. ]

[ Okay, I get it. This is awesome. ]

　The first game she played felt very innovative for her, and Riri was impressed.

[ It’s good, isn’t it ! ? ]

[ Yeah. ]

[ Mufufu, let’s start the game. ]

　Saito is happy, complimented on his belongings, twitches his nose, and moves his cursor to select the game. Then he starts the game.

　After a short loading time, the screen switches, and the next thing they see is a beautiful sea in the background with the title [ Wii Sports Resort. ]

　At first glance, they don’t feel any sports elements in the game.

　But when he pressed the A button, the screen changed to a view looking down on the resort from above.

　Then, several sports were displayed on the screen.

　They ranged from cycling and ping pong to unexpected sports like Chambara and Air Sports.

　What on earth would we play?

　She can’t imagine much at this stage.

[ What do you want to do? ]

[ Well, let’s start with a simple one, okay? ]

[ In that case, let’s go, Bowling. ]

　Riri, who is new to the game, can’t play anything too difficult immediately.

　So she told him to start with an easy one, and Saito chose Bowling.

[Bowling is just holding down the B button and shaking the controller. Easy, right? ]

[ Wow〜, it’s just like real Bowling. ]

　 From the explanation, it seems very easy.

　She can do it right away, she thought.

　But then…

[ Huh? What? Why can’t I throw properly? ]

　It is harder than she expected, and she can’t throw well.

　Seeing this, Saito said [ Let’s try it together. ] and went behind and took Riri’s hand.

[ Huh? ]

　 They got closer than ever before.

　Riri reacted pitifully as she was suddenly hugged from behind.

　Riri’s heart beats faster, shudders, and her body stiffens.

[ Here, like this… ]

　Saito is explaining something to me, but there is no way I can understand it in this situation.

[ Okay, you threw it like that. Got it? ]

[ Uh, err, yes. ]

　She nods, not understanding but managing to squeeze that word out of her.

　As Saito moves away, Riri finally lets out a sigh of relief.

　Saito suddenly hugs her from behind, and she is startled. She’s only ever been hugged like that by her ex-boyfriend.

　She had never thought anything about holding hands with him because he was a child, but it was still a bit of a shock to be hugged.

　But this one.

[ …Not as bad as I thought. ]

　Riri is not very good with men.

　She doesn’t like to be looked at or talked to.

　Especially when it comes to touching.

　But she was not very uncomfortable even though she was hugged without any permission.

　Before she could think deeply about the meaning of this, her turn came, and her thoughts were interrupted, and she stopped thinking about this from then on.

　Then, after Bowling, the two of them played a game of Chambara.

[ Hey, there’s a gap! ]

[ Ah, I lost again! ]

　Saito beat Riri and encouraged her to keep playing until she won.

　However, it was difficult for Riri, who was new to playing the game, to beat Saito, and the day ended without a win.

[ I’ll definitely win next time I come back! ]

[ Heh, I’ll beat you next time, too. ]

　The two agreed to play again at his house, and they played the game repeatedly.

[ Yes! All strikes! Saito, on the other hand, only had a spare. What a small fry! ]

[ You jerk! Only because it’s been a while. My arm’s just a little rusty. Let’s try again! ]

　This remains the case today.

　Unexpectedly, Riri had more talent in the game than she thought, and she got better as she repeated the game over and over again.

　So, recently, Riri has been winning more games than Saito, and the situation is reversed.

　Riri is usually quiet, but when playing games, she gets excited and becomes more outspoken than usual.

　It is a new side of her that she herself would not have known if she had not met Saito.

　But she doesn’t mind it.

　Playing games with him while cursing each other without hesitation is fun.

(But now I think that the only reason I didn’t hate it then was…)

　At random moments, she thinks about the continuation of that day.

　In the past, no matter how much she thought about it, she wouldn’t have been able to understand it. But now that she’s in high school, she finally understands.

　ーI already found the answer.

　ーBut I’m still too afraid to say it out loud.

　ーThis is good for now.

　ーThis distance is just right.

“Yes! I win. You have until tomorrow to figure out why you lost! “

“Huh!? Don’t get carried away just because you won once, okay? Let’s do it again! “

　The two of them play the game in a good atmosphere, making a lot of noise until dinner is ready.