The best games make reconnaissance fun

"That's a good sign."

It was the next day, and we were in Sewing Room #2. I

was telling Hinami how I'd been able to mess with Takei

fairly easily after school at the game center.

"Yeah?"

She nodded, looking fresh as a daisy. I've mentioned it

before, but it bears repeating that she goes to morning track

practice before our meetings. She didn't look tired, and she

didn't smell sweaty—in fact, she smelled good. What planet

was she from?

"You were able to mess with him and keep up a

conversation without making a conscious effort, right?"

"Yeah."

"You've probably realized this yourself, but this just

proves my point. You couldn't tease him even if you wanted

to before, but after a little practice, you can do it now

without any conscious effort. It's virtually the definition of

skill attainment."

I nodded, savoring her words.

"…Huh. I guess you're right."

I'd sensed it myself: My skills were naturally coming out

during real-life battles.

"How is the observation going? Have you made any

discoveries?"

"Well, now that you mention it…"

I told her what I'd noticed about the mood-manipulation

war when we were deciding who would be the captains of the

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sports tournament, and how Erika Konno had reaffirmed

the hierarchy with the plain equals bad norm and her "good

at setting up" comment. Also, how Nakamura had used a

similar structure when he told me to "go outside once in a

while."

"…So I figured that was how normies did things."

For some reason, Hinami seemed happy when her eyes

met mine.

"Nice one, nanashi."

"Huh?"

Smiling with satisfaction, she nodded a couple of times.

"Mood is a pretty abstract concept, but you've been able

to analyze it to some extent because I've taught you the

definition. And now that you've learned the rules, you can

overcome your handicap as a nerd and deduce the hidden

structure behind mood all on your own… Yeah, those are

nanashi-level accomplishments."

"Really…?"

I wasn't sure why, but she'd just given me one hell of a

compliment. I did get stuck on the phrase handicap as a

nerd , but it was the truth, so I decided not to let it get to me.

Poking at that would just lead to unnecessary pain.

"Listen. That ability is the privilege of people who are

able to observe the rules from the outside and avoid getting

sucked in."

"From the outside?"

"Yes. We've been through a lot, but I think you're

essentially…"

She whispered the words on this side . Before I could

react, though, she hustled the conversation on to the next

topic. She really did run the show.

"Your analysis is generally correct. The norms state that

being boring or quiet is bad, so people establish their

position by showing off. And by labeling other people as the

opposite, they lower those people's standing and establish a

hierarchy. It happens in every group; it's just how things are

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done."

She was exposing the ugly side of daily life in the

classroom, but all in a flat, logical tone. I nodded and

replied:

"My analysis didn't go quite that far, but one reason I

became a loner to start with was because I hated that custom

so much… But I'm planning to jump into the ring now," I

said, whipping up my morale. I've come to believe that if I

want to win this game and enjoy it, I've got to fight

according to the rules of the mood. I'll decide as I go if

climbing in there is worthwhile. But until I find something

that allows me to destroy or ignore the rules of that ring, I

have to follow them. At least, if this is a good game.

"Right. If you're a true gamer, you'll engage with the

rules instead of run from them."

Hinami's words made sense.

"Yep. The rules decide the conditions, and you pick up

your controller and hack your way through."

Hinami nodded happily.

"Exactly."

Only a pair of gamers would be able to see eye to eye on

this so quickly.

"…So what's today's assignment?" I asked, changing the

subject.

Hinami looked at me suspiciously. "Did you suddenly

decide to ask about assignments yourself from now on?"

"Huh?"

Once she mentioned it, I realized I'd done the same thing

the day before, too. "Oh, no, not on purpose, but…I guess

I'm just feeling motivated."

Back when all this began, I never would have asked for

assignments so eagerly. She hadn't forced me into this, of

course, and I'd even taken the initiative to some extent, but a

part of me was still passive. Or maybe I should say I'd gotten

my butt kicked a little. And grabbed. Literally.

Now I could see more clearly, and my motivation to

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complete my daily assignments was definitely higher. When

I asked myself why, the answer was immediately obvious.

"I think…it's because of what happened between us a

little while back."

"Huh…? That gave you motivation?" she asked

skeptically.

"It's like…I really saw the value of working at this. Like I

realized what my ultimate goal was or something. I mean,

it's like getting absorbed into a game I like and having a

good time."

"You're talking about the whole 'what you really want'

thing again, aren't you?" Hinami drew her eyebrows

together suspiciously.

"Yeah. Everything clicks for me now, so there's nothing

holding me back."

Hinami looked at me with an emotionless, oddly direct

gaze.

"I really don't get you," she said softly.

"…You don't?"

The reason I got a little flustered was because she

seemed less unconvinced and more uncomprehending.

When I couldn't explain, though, she gave up and went back

to her usual self.

"Your assignment for today—for the foreseeable future—

is to do some special training on mood."

"Oh, okay."

I tried to shift my mind into assignment mode while

keeping up with what Hinami was saying. So an assignment

about mood. Thinking about the future, it seemed like a

crucial topic.

"You probably understand that if you want to be a

normie, you need to have more rights than other people and

more of an ability to speak."

"Yeah. You were talking about something similar when

we went to get a present for Nakamura, right?"

Hinami nodded.

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"I told you then that another important issue is

responsibility. Basically, your rights only extend as far as

you can take responsibility. This is an important foundation

for moving the group. And you have to level up until you can

take more responsibility for more things. It's not something

you can do overnight."

"Huh."

Made sense. If you want the right to influence other

people's actions, you've got to take responsibility. But that's

a hard thing to do.

"But there's a way to manipulate the group on the spot

and increase your rights instead of using the rights you

already have. What's needed for that is—"

"The ability to manipulate the mood," I interrupted.

Hinami glared at me. Then she sighed.

"Hexactly," she mumbled. Why so grumpy? "Groups

move based on the mood. That's why in reality, even people

who don't have the right to influence the group can seize

control when they have the ability to manipulate the mood.

And if you do that on a regular basis, you expand your rights

and slowly inch up the hierarchy."

"…Gotcha."

If you want to gain the right to manipulate the group—if

you want to approach boss level—it's important to develop

those abilities. Just like she told me before.

"That's why, starting today, your training will focus on

developing the ability to manipulate the mood."

"Okay! Bring it on."

I put up my fists like a boxer, and Hinami held up a

finger next to her face.

"As for what that is exactly… Well, the sports

tournament is coming up, right?"

"Um, yeah…"

"Your assignment starting today is…"

She paused for a few seconds.

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"…is to get Erika Konno's group motivated to participate

in the tournament."

I knew what she was saying grammatically, but I couldn't

actually parse it into a concrete image.

"…Um, well, you're right that they don't seem to care

much…," I stammered.

"They sure don't. And you probably don't have any ideas

on how to motivate them, right?"

"Nope," I said, shaking my head. She'd identified my

worries perfectly.

"That's fine. Because that's the essence of this

assignment."

"Huh?"

Once again, I wasn't following.

"Okay. For all your assignments so far, I've told you

clearly what to do, such as 'talk to a girl' or 'mess with

Nakamura,' right?"

"True…"

"The goal then was to improve your basic abilities, so

completing your previous assignments would develop your

skills. I set it up that way."

"Uh-huh."

Up till now, I didn't have to think much. And since I'd

naturally improve as long as I did what she said, that was

fine.

"But this time, I want you to build your ability to

manipulate the mood, which requires more complex, flexible

thinking. And you need hands-on training to develop those

thinking skills."

"…Which is why you're telling me to motivate Erika

Konno's group to participate in the sports tournament."

Hinami nodded before replying:

"You know that motivating them is going to require

complex trial and error, right? That's your training."

"…Okay."

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I nodded, satisfied with her explanation. We were

shifting from assignments that required action over thought

to ones that focused more on application, which demanded

careful deliberation. And this would improve my

understanding of mood.

"So considering what strategies to employ is part of my

training?"

Hinami nodded again.

"Yes, but…you're already practicing one skill needed for

this assignment," she said pompously.

"I am?"

"Oh, you haven't figured it out?"

Seeing my confusion, she raised her eyebrows in

amusement.

"Observation," she said, a sadistic grin playing on her

lips. The assignment from the previous day was linking up

with today's conversation.

"…Oh. That's what you're talking about," I said with a

smirk. Looks like my previous assignment of observing the

group would be playing an important role. Which meant

Hinami had today's assignment in mind when she gave me

the one from the previous day? Damn, she's efficient.

"Right. And starting today, I want you to prepare by

observing and analyzing the situation."

"You've planned this out very carefully…"

Now that she'd laid it all out, though, it was simple. In

Atafami terms, I'd practiced combos and other refined

manipulation techniques and gotten decent at them. Now it

was time for a test battle or two to help me get better at

those techniques in the field.

"But observation alone won't always be enough, so in

those situations, you can act as you see fit… Actually, I think

this might be your most gamelike assignment so far."

"Oh yeah?"

For some reason, Hinami gave me a meaningful smile.

"Mm-hmm. Anyway, there's no rush to complete this

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assignment, and I'd like you to spend some time on it. You

can start by spending the next two weeks or so quietly

observing."

"Okay…got it."

Now that I understood the assignment, I tried to think

about what I'd need to do in order to complete it. Nothing

came to mind. I gripped my head.

"…My assignments are getting harder again."

Hinami was definitely enjoying my distress. What a jerk.

* * *

I left Sewing Room #2 and headed to class. First period

hadn't started yet. As I looked around, I noticed something

was different from usual. I walked over to Takei and

Mizusawa, who were talking by the window.

"Nakamura's not here yet, huh?"

He was always here by this time.

"Nope," Mizusawa said, turning toward me. "I think he's

out today."

"Huh."

Could be. Fall was coming, which was cold season.

"I bet you anything he's skipping!" Takei said cheerfully.

"Really?" I asked.

"Remember what we told you about Yoshiko yesterday?

That's probably why."

"Huh," I said, a little confused. He was skipping school

because he argued with his mom? Gutsy move. Or maybe

just childish.

"This is Shuji we're talking about, so I'm sure he'll come

back when he feels like it."

"R-really?"

Based on their casual tones, this was par for the course.

I'd kind of already realized he lived by his own rules. Oddly

enough, I'd never noticed him missing class before, but that

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just showed how unobservant I'd been in general. This

would be obvious if I'd paid the least bit of attention.

Another normie in our class approached us. He was a tall

guy with short black hair who looked like an athlete from the

way he moved. Uh-oh, this was an anomaly. Um, I'm fairly

sure his name is Tachibana. Not sure what club he's in, but

I'm guessing basketball.

"Shuji's out today?"

Mizusawa made a silly face.

"Yeah. I'm betting he got in a fight with his mom,"

Mizusawa replied in a jokey way.

"Again?"

Tachibana laughed. Apparently, Yoshiko was famous.

Huh, interesting. Add just one unfamiliar person to the

group, and everything gets ten times more stressful. On the

other hand, this was a good chance for me to get some EXP,

especially since I was already used to hanging out with

Nakamura, Mizusawa, and Takei. Okay, then. Time for me

to lean into this conversation. Better start by introducing a

topic. I made an effort to sound casual despite my nerves.

"Uh, does this happen a lot? I mean, Nakamura fighting

with his mom?"

Tachibana looked at me and nodded.

"Yeah. You didn't know that, Tomoyama-kun?"

"It's Tomozaki, not Tomoyama…"

"Oh, really? Ha-ha, sorry!"

My momentum was gone after a single shot, while

Mizusawa and Takei started cracking up.

I made it through another couple minutes of awkward

conversation with the normie Tachibana before the bell for

first period rang. I was beat; I needed to give myself some

kind of reward for this trial. Atafami marathon when I get

home!

Since this was still the second day of the semester, every

period was full of busywork like going over summer

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assignments and doing little quizzes. The real work would

start after the weekend, next Monday.

By the end of third period, I was struggling with my

assignment.

I was supposed to start taking steps today toward

motivating Erika Konno's group to participate in the sports

tournament. But how the hell was I supposed to do that?

I mulled it over constantly during class and breaks, but

no answer appeared. According to Hinami, observation was

essential, but I had no idea what exactly to observe, or how.

Surely the one and only Aoi Hinami would never give me

an impossible assignment.

I had the skills I needed for this. So what am I missing?

Information? And then I remembered something: Hinami

had said this was my most gamelike assignment so far.

…Hmm. What do you do in a game when you need info?

Oh!

This assignment was an RPG !

When the bell rang at the end of third period, I turned to

the seat next to me.

"…Izumi?"

"What's up?"

I waited a beat before continuing. "I wanted to ask you

about Erika Konno."

Yup. When you don't know how to advance in an RPG

quest, there's only one thing to do: collect information in a

town. If Erika Konno was the dungeon boss I had to take

down, that meant I should check out the town for intel on

her weaknesses and how to defeat her. So the first person I

should talk to was one of her close associates. Wow, this

suddenly felt like a game. Hah, it's kinda fun now.

"Huh? About Erika?"

Izumi measured me up with her glance. I guess it made

sense; I had no discernible connection to Erika Konno, and

now I was asking this. Okay, so life is a little harder than

other games. The villagers in an RPG would even randomly

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volunteer information like Speaking of which, I've never

heard of a sand dragon attack on a rainy day… And then

it's perfectly obvious the dragon's weakness is water.

"No, it's just…she seems pretty meh about the

tournament coming up."

"What are you talking about?" Izumi asked, but she

looked amused. I had to choose my questions better. This

was reality; there was no list to pick from. "I mean, of course

she is. She thinks it's lame to care about this stuff."

"Ha-ha…I could tell."

I laughed cynically. I already knew all this.

"What do you think would make her care?"

"Hmm, I dunno," Izumi said, thinking for a minute.

"That's a tough one."

"Yeah, I figured…"

I sighed. Lots of people in this village were suffering at

the hands of the boss, so it was unlikely they knew what her

weaknesses were. If even her close associate didn't know,

this was going to be hard.

Nevertheless, Erika Konno wasn't the kind of boss I

could take down with ordinary attacks at my level. If I didn't

find some kind of exploit, there was no way I could beat her.

"…But why are you so interested anyway? Where did this

come from?"

"Uh, um…"

Figures she would ask—but I had a good excuse ready

and waiting.

"…Well, Hirabayashi-san is gonna be captain, right?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah." Izumi tilted her head quizzically. Even

that ordinary gesture was cute coming from her—I guess her

normie power could account for that. It was like adding an

elemental charge to an ordinary attack. Light elemental, to

be specific, so it hit me extra hard.

"I mean, this isn't really her thing anyway, and I bet it's

even harder when Erika Konno is dragging her feet.

Especially if you're a girl."

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And especially, especially if you're a loner without many

friends. Believe me, I know.

"Oh…yeah," Izumi said, nodding. Maybe she'd

experienced what I was talking about. "The job is gonna be a

huge headache if Erika's not into it."

She grimaced, maybe because she was imagining the

situation. This didn't bode well.

"Y-yeah…"

Something in her reaction told me that the world of girls

was a lot harsher than I'd imagined.

"So anyway, I wanted to do something to help

Hirabayashi-san… Plus, I want to have a good time without

worrying about, like, class politics," I said, wrapping up my

prepared excuse. It wasn't a lie, though. I really did want to

make life a little easier for Hirabayashi-san, the victim of the

most recent mood attack. Plus, I honestly wanted to have

fun, considering I was enjoying school more overall lately. I

mean, as much fun as I can have when I suck at sports.

As I looked Izumi in the eye and waited for her answer, I

noticed that her round eyes were starting to glitter with

childlike excitement. Huh?

"Oh man, I get you!!"

"Yeah?"

I wasn't sure what to make of her hyperenthusiastic

agreement. What was up? Lowering her voice a little so no

one would hear us, but still in just as excited (and intense) a

tone, she continued.

"I love the sports tournament and the culture festival,

and I want them to be as much fun as possible. Otherwise, I

feel like I missed out… If nothing else, it's just more fun to

have fun, y'know?"

"Yeah, true," I said. Her passion was contagious.

"But it sucks when you don't have everyone in class on

board, right? Even for me, and I'm close with Erika. But for

someone like Hirabayashi-san…it's gotta be even harder."

"…Right."

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It would be hard to really cut loose, knowing what she

was going through.

"So I've been wondering if there was any chance Erika

would actually take this seriously."

"Oh, you have?"

If Izumi wanted to enjoy the tournament, but the queen

was acting like enthusiastic people were uncool, she'd have a

harder time enjoying it. Izumi hung out with Hinami's group

sometimes, but her main clique was Konno's. And then there

was Hirabayashi-san, at the bottom of the hierarchy. Yeah,

groups were complicated.

"Yeah, but Erika wasn't into it, and I didn't think I'd be

able to ignore her. I'd just about given up…"

That was a surprise to hear.

"You couldn't ignore her? Seems like you could just hang

out with Hinami or someone at the tournament…"

Izumi shook her head with a very sour expression.

"No way! She'd be super pissed if I ditched her to go

have fun with someone else… Girl politics are the worst!"

She hunched her shoulders and curled in on herself.

"W-wow." I nodded. I couldn't fully imagine how she was

feeling, but I had a good idea.

"So I was gonna give up, like I said, but…you're

amazing!"

"I am?"

Suddenly, she was praising me. I had no idea why. What

did I do?

"I mean, I could see someone trying to have fun behind

her back, or covering their tracks with some excuse, but who

would ever think of trying to get her into it?"

"Oh…okay."

It made sense now that she said it. People didn't usually

attack head-on like this. It probably felt refreshing to

someone who wasn't used to it—me included. I'd simply

inherited the strategy of my master, Hinami, as part of an

assignment. Izumi wasn't really praising me , because I

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hadn't actually done anything special.

"But it's gonna be hard. What would make her excited?"

She sank into thought. After a few seconds, she frowned

and got a distant look in her eyes. I think her brain might

have been overheating.

"Uh, um… Is there anything that Konno normally cares

about? That would be useful to know." I tossed her a life

preserver, and she brightened right up.

"Well, she puts a lot of effort into her appearance. I know

some good clothing stores, so she's always asking me to go

shopping with her. She tries on tons of outfits and asks me

how they look and stuff."

"Huh…"

I hadn't expected to discover this side of Erika Konno.

I'd figured she would act like any clothes she wore were

gorgeous. The veil of secrecy concealing the dragon called

Erika Konno was slowly lifting to reveal data that would

form the foundation of my strategy.

"Also, she's super picky about makeup. She tries out tons

of different brands and studies the techniques and stuff…

Don't tell anyone, but I buy the Wet n Wild–type stuff a lot

of the time. If Erika knew, she'd make fun of me for sure…"

"Wet n Wild…?"

Izumi looked confused by my question for a second.

"…Oh, I just mean the cheap brands!"

Ah, okay. I just got some experience in being the idiot.

Or not. I'm so ignorant about normie culture, I stumble over

the unimportant stuff, preventing the conversation from

moving forward. One of the downsides of being a bottomtier character, I guess.

"Sorry, go on…"

"Anyway…that's about it. She's just really into anything

related to beauty!"

Izumi nodded a few times.

"I see. Beauty, huh? That's gonna be hard to connect to a

sports tournament…"

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"True," Izumi said, smiling wryly.

"But if we start with that…"

I started to put this new information into the context of

the rules I already knew, but this was tough.

After a minute or two, Izumi made a solemn suggestion.

"How about offering some Chanel lipstick to whoever

wins?"

"I…I think that's a little too on the nose…"

It was like a tacky direct-marketing proposal. Normies

really have big imaginations…or maybe that's just Izumi.

* * *

The next day was Saturday. I didn't have school, but I did

have work. It was my first day at the karaoke place since I'd

finished training.

I stood in front of the bathroom sink at home, styling my

hair—which I'd been getting cut regularly at the place

Hinami had told me about—using the techniques Mizusawa

had taught me. Wearing the clothes Hinami had taught me

how to choose, I got ready for work. Yup, when it came to

my appearance, I just might be able to fool people.

As I was doing a final check in front of the mirror,

someone suddenly flew up behind me and shouted "Hey!"

which caused me to jump.

"Shit!" I said, turning around. "…Oh, it's you?"

"Uh, yeah, obviously," my sister said, pouting grumpily.

"What?"

She looked me up and down.

"You look…put together. What, got a date?"

I wanted to tell her it was none of her business, but since

I wasn't actually going on a date, I decided not to. But I was

happy for the compliment.

"No, work."

"No way!" she shouted, mouth gaping. "You got a job?!"

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"Yeah."

She was acting like this was the end of the world.

"My weird brother has a job?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm capable of getting a

job on my own."

Okay, that might have been a slight overstatement.

Hinami was the one who'd told me to get a job, and this felt

like a big deal to me. Even now I was super nervous, but I

was trying not to show it. I'm a big brother; we're stubborn.

"Oh, oooookaaaaaaay ."

She stared at me. What? What was with her?

"It's a karaoke place in Omiya. I can get you in for half

price if you ever wanna come," I said, raising my eyebrows.

Damn. Why am I bluffing now? I'm a big brother; it's just

how we are.

"I don't."

Shot down. She doesn't take me seriously, does she?

"Okay…," I mumbled.

"What happened with that girl from before?" she asked,

changing her tone.

"G-g-g-girl from before?"

Stuttering like a bottom-tier broken record, I feigned

ignorance.

"The one who asked you on LINE to go buy a book

together."

"You read that…?!"

"Better than letting you hole up in your room forever and

miss your chance to answer, right?"

"Uh…," I said, easily giving in to her. After all, she'd

saved my butt by reading that message from Kikuchi-san

and getting me to do something about it. If she hadn't said

all that stuff to me after Hinami and I argued, I probably

would have missed my chance to get together with Kikuchisan. This big brother is still weak.

"So did you go out after that or what? Any girl who

would ask you must be pretty special, so you'd better be

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good to her."

"Sh-shut up. It's none of your business," I bluffed, even

though I secretly agreed with her.

I'd seen Mizusawa's mask and argued with Hinami, and

I'd made up my mind not to confess any love I didn't

actually feel. I would stay true to my own feelings when I

interacted with people. After the day Kikuchi-san and I went

to the bookstore together, I hadn't talked much with her. I

felt it would be insincere of me to ask her out. But even if I

didn't want to say I liked her as part of an assignment, and

even though I still didn't know if I did like her that way, it

didn't change the fact that she was an important person in

my life. I was deeply indebted to her for teaching me

something incredibly valuable.

In which case, yeah, my sister was right.

I'd learned to use my skills of expression to convey my

genuine feelings. If someone was important to me, then it

was necessary to take steps to express that sentiment and

make sure I didn't lose that person. In this case, my sister lit

a fire under my butt and reminded me of something I should

have known.

"None of my business, huh?" she asked. Her tone was

teasing, but at the same time, she was staring into my eyes. I

felt like my soul was being examined.

"No…my little sister wins this round. I offer you my most

sincere and humble thanks."

"I'll take it."

I jokingly overacted my thank-you, but in my mind, I

thanked her a little more sincerely. Thanks, Sis.

* * *

"Good morning!"

It was a little before noon. Following the bewildering

custom of saying good morning even when it wasn't exactly

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morning anymore, I walked into the karaoke place.

"Hey, Tomozaki. Training's over now, so I'm counting on

you, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

The manager, who I'd seen a bunch of times during

training, was putting the pressure on. I took the key from

him and headed for the changing room. I quickly threw on

my uniform and returned to the front desk.

"Go scan your veins. I showed you how, right?"

Scan your veins probably sounds super weird, but

actually, it's just an electronic time card that uses the

patterns of the veins in your finger to identify employees.

People at work are always using special lingo like wipedown

and upsell and tapster and no guests , which sound like

normal words at first. It's really confusing. By the way, those

terms apparently mean cleaning a room , offering food or

drinks , the person who makes drinks , and no customers in

the building . The more you know, I guess.

"Yes, you showed me!"

"Okay, then go scan in and come back here. Today, I'll

start teaching you how to man the front desk."

"Will do!"

With a spring in my step, I got to work learning my job.

Several hours had passed.

"Morrrrning."

The extremely lethargic greeting came from my

coworker, Narita-san—Tsugumi Narita. She was the first

person I met when I came for my interview. She's a year

younger than me and goes to a different school, and all I

remember about her is that she's super laid-back about

everything.

"Hey, Tomozaki-kun. Been a while."

As a bottom-tier character, I'm incredibly grateful any

time someone I haven't seen in a while remembers my

name, but it weirds people out, so I tend to hide it. So I

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pretended to be calm.

"Morning, Narita-san."

I tried to emulate Mizusawa in my response and channel

that mature aura. Which reminds me, Mizusawa called

Narita-san "Gumi ," but I couldn't quite go that far in my

impersonation.

"Hardly anyone here calls me Narita-san. Feel free to call

me Gumi, okay?"

It was like she'd read my mind, but that's just how she

was. Last time I saw her, she told me not to speak so politely

to her, robbing me of the time I needed as a low-level

weakling to mentally prepare myself for that degree of

familiarity. I wish she'd stop bullying us weaklings.

But I'm a man, after all. And I'm a gamer who made up

his mind to beat the game of life. I'll show the world I can

walk the path of strife. The old me would have compromised

by calling her Gumi-chan instead and congratulated myself

for moving past Narita-san . Well, I'll take it a step further!

"Uh, okay. Looking forward to working together, Gumi,"

I said, playing it as cool as I could. How do you like that?

Don't I sound like a great Mizusawa knockoff?

"Me too!"

Blissfully unaware of the storm of self-examination and

determination in my heart, Narita-san—I mean, Gumi—

easily accepted my use of her nickname. Yeah, normies were

good at this kind of thing. I'd made a special effort just now,

but it would be tough to ditch the -san or -chan every time. I

felt more uncomfortable than I'd expected calling her just

Gumi. From now on, it'll be Gumi-chan.

* * *

Several more hours passed.

"Drinks are ready. Can you take them out, Tomozakisan?"

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"Be right there!"

At first, it didn't bother me.

"Can you extend the time for Room Fourteen?"

"Okay!"

But little by little, it started getting to me.

"Customer! Tomozaki-san, do you know how to sign

people in?"

"Um, yes, I learned it today."

"Great, then can you do it? If you have any questions, ask

the boss!"

"Will do!"

This first-year, Gumi-chan…

"Have you checked the bathrooms?"

"No."

"Then since you're free now, can you do it?"

…didn't lift a finger.

"Also, the dishes are piling up, so go ahead and wash

them when you get a chance."

"…Um…"

"Yes, what is it?"

Thinking about how Mizusawa would tease someone in a

situation like this, I'd come up with my complaint in

advance.

"Do your job."

I delivered my line in a slightly theatrical tone. D-did

that come out okay?

"…You got me, huh?"

"At least pretend to be sorry."

Her response was so quick, it was almost refreshing. I

had to smile, but I still tried to make my own comeback as

stern as possible. O-okay, she isn't being weird about it,

which must mean I didn't screw up. She didn't laugh, so it

wasn't a complete success, but practice makes perfect. She

reminded me of Takei, actually. It felt okay to talk to her

more harshly than I would with other people, which made

interacting with her slightly easier.

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"Well, I do try to work as little as possible," she said

nonchalantly.

"…Sheesh."

I couldn't help sighing. No way was I ready for an

opponent of this caliber.

"What? What's wrong, Tomozaki-san? Do you have to

use the bathroom? Go whenever you need to; that's what I

do. Also, don't tell anyone, but when the boss isn't around, I

help myself to the drink bar in the kitch—"

"No, I'm fine."

I just couldn't keep up; she was too lazy for me.

An hour later, I was in one of the karaoke rooms.

"Whew…"

I put my phone in my pocket and took a deep breath. It

was five o'clock, and I was exhausted from my first day of

posttraining work. The boss had told me to take a break, so

I'd slipped into this room about thirty minutes earlier and

collapsed onto the sofa to recharge. My exhaustion was

about 20 percent physical and 80 percent mental. I had an

hour for break. Work would start again in half an hour.

Having a job was surprisingly tiring. There wasn't all

that much to do—I probably had more downtime than busy

time—but interacting with strangers as an employee was

tough for a bottom-tier character. The biggest source of

stress was easily Gumi-chan's behavior.

As I was chugging down my free drink and trying to

relax, the door suddenly opened.

"Nice work out there, Tomozaki-san."

"Huh? Oh, uh, you too."

Recovering from my shock, I managed a reply. Gumichan waltzed in, plopped down next to me on the sofa, and

melted into the cushions.

"Wh-what?"

"I just got off. Was gettin' kinda tired, so I wanted to sit

for a little before I got changed," she said listlessly, resting

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her full weight, including her head, against the back of the

sofa and the wall. She looked like a snake. I didn't know a

person could let go of their energy that fully.

"Oh…okay."

I'd witnessed her whining about exhaustion multiple

times today when literally all she had been doing was

standing. It's rare to find someone with less energy than me,

the scrawny, indoor beanpole. Or maybe the issue was

mental, not physical?

"Wait…you're done already?" I asked, suddenly realizing

she'd arrived at work after me.

"Yeah. I usually don't work more than three hours. I'm a

rare character!"

She sat up slightly and fluttered her hands back and

forth.

"What's that about? Is it because you get tired?" I asked,

smiling cynically.

"Exactly!" she said, smiling and sticking her pointer

finger in the air. I couldn't figure out what was so good about

that, so I decided to ask her, in as teasing a tone as possible.

"Why do you sound so happy?"

"I mean, aren't you tired? I don't wanna bust my butt to

make money."

"Yes, I get that, but…"

Once again, I wasn't sure if I'd succeeded or failed, but I

supposed it was fine because what mattered was effort.

"Right? My creed in life is to avoid work whenever I can!

Thanks in advance for your help!"

"Oh, uh…huh."

What was that supposed to mean, "thanks in advance"?

More important, her approach was the polar opposite of my

current attempt to beat the game of life, which gave me

pause. Avoiding work whenever you can, huh?

"What? You don't agree?"

Gumi-chan looked at me with her round, innocently

questioning, but somehow still listless eyes, waiting for my

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answer. It was a tiny pause, but the way she caught it was

another sign of her normie status.

Since she asked, I might as well tell her what I was

thinking.

"Well, in my opinion, life is more fun when you put your

whole heart into it and move forward…," I said a little shyly

and hesitantly.

Gumi-chan looked surprised. "Huh. So you're one of

those people."

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

She crossed her arms. "You know! The people who are

super into the chorus festival or the culture festival or the

sports festival."

"…Ah."

Now I got her point. Up till last year, I wasn't that type at

all, but now I absolutely was. I was even trying to get the

girls in my class to be more excited about the tournament.

"You may be right," I said.

"Plus, I can tell you made a real effort to learn the job

here. I'm proud of you."

"What are you, my mom?"

"I'm proud of you"? Really?

"Like I said, I just don't want to bust my butt over that

sort of thing. I want to relax, y'know, not let people burn me

out. Soooo—thanks in advance!"

That seemed to be her catchphrase, delivered at a

mysteriously pleasant tempo. She offered so many

opportunities for comebacks that I'd definitely be able to get

some practice in. I found my joking tone again and said:

"You're a hopeless case, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Ha-ha."

Once again, I was unsure if I'd succeeded or failed. Was

her key trait the ability to absorb all teasing? Or maybe my

teasing was just ineffective? In either case, this was tough.

She wasn't simple like Takei.

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"The culture festival is coming up at my school.

Everyone in my class is so excited about it—it's exhausting."

"That so?"

I realized something. Here was a girl who had no interest

in class events… This could be the perfect opportunity to

gather some intel. I thought about what I should ask her.

Okay, time for round two of RPG reconnaissance!

"You don't have any interest in participating?" I asked,

searching for the right words to draw out the answer I

wanted. Wish I could just pick from a list.

"Nope."

"Yeah, but…isn't there anything that would make you

want to join in?"

I was collecting information in the village to take down a

unique superboss—that is, to get Erika Konno excited about

the tournament. From what I could tell after talking to

Gumi-chan, she had attributes similar to those of a boss. On

the surface, she and Erika Konno were completely different,

but they sure knew how not to give a damn. This was like

asking a lizardman how to take down a dragon.

"Wait, why are you asking me? Are you trying to make

me try harder? Ugh, just don't," Gumi-chan said, for some

reason covering her chest with her arms. Come on, you don't

have to act like I'm harassing you! I just asked a normal

question.

"Oh, no, it's not that…"

"Then what is it?"

She glared at me sullenly. What was her deal?

"Um…," I floundered. Ultimately, I decided to go with

the truth. "We've got this sports thing coming up at my

school, and some of the girls are really dragging their feet."

"…Oh. Gotcha."

Gumi-chan removed her arms from her chest,

apparently satisfied with my explanation. What the hell? Did

she equate someone suggesting she actually do something

with sexual harassment?

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"I thought you might have some ideas on how to get

people interested."

She looked at me with slight disgust. "I know your type."

"Huh?"

She scrunched up her brows.

"Working isn't enough for you. You try to drag everyone

else along with you, too. You're dangerous. Like an alien or

something."

"Don't you think that's a little much?"

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She was coming on strong, but I managed a comeback.

"Nope. I can't even imagine thinking like you, Tomozakisan. It's bizarre. But whatever. If you need to know what I

think, it's no skin off my nose."

"R-really?"

"Yep. I'm probably a total alien to you, too, so I can teach

you the ways of my planet. Think of it as a cultural

exchange," she said, winking at me.

"Um, okay…"

This was getting weird. Is this RPG set in outer space?

"Anyway, I'll be your expert on apathy," she said,

grinning. Weird. Who's that proud to be the go-to source for

apathy?

* * *

"Ohhh, that's really annoying."

I'd just given Gumi-chan a quick rundown of Erika

Konno's personality, the power structure of our class, and

the tournament captain Hirabayashi-san. She shook her

head, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah."

She looked me in the eye. "I bet Erika-san had it out for

this girl Hirabayashi-san."

"Oh…"

I'd suspected the same thing. There had to be a reason

she went straight to Hirabayashi-san after Izumi turned

down her command to be captain. I had no idea what that

reason might be, though.

"Yeah, you were screwed the minute that girl became

captain. Your queen is not gonna want to be a part of this."

"Queen…" The word fit her perfectly.

"Plus, from what you've told me, she seems to live on

Planet Apathy, too."

"Planet Apathy… Then I must live on Planet Effort?"

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"Ah-ha-ha, something like that," Gumi-chan said with a

carefree chuckle. "Anyway, you're gonna need a big shock to

the system to get her on board."

"That's what I was afraid of…" I sank into thought.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you." Gumichan laughed. Why was she suddenly so happy about my

suffering?

"But what do you mean by 'a shock to the system'?"

She thought for a moment. "Cost performance is key.

That's true for me, too."

"Um, what do you mean?"

"Okay, here's an example. You know how I feel about

work, but I have this job, right? Why do you think that is?"

Tough question. There must be something she wanted.

"Is it related to cost performance?"

"Yep! Very good!"

She gave me a round of applause. Oh boy.

"So…what's your point?"

"Compared with other jobs, the pay here isn't bad, and

it's pretty fun, right? And the schedule is super flexible."

"Oh, really?"

All I'd done was follow Hinami's instructions to apply

here, so I had no idea how this job compared with other

places, but given that Mizusawa worked here, it must not be

terrible. He had good instincts.

"The point is, you can't do nothing all the time. You have

to put in a little effort here and there. Like, you need money

in order to take it easy most of the time. And when

inhabitants of Planet Apathy do have to work, we choose the

option that requires the least effort and gives the best

results."

"Ah… That's what you mean by cost performance."

"Exactly."

So that explained why Gumi-chan was working at a fun,

well-paying job with a flexible schedule to earn the money

she needed.

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"And you think Erika Konno is similar? Because she

doesn't think it's worth the effort?"

"Yes! If you want to motivate the queen, you need to

make it worth her while."

She accompanied this original conclusion with an

unclouded smile.

"Yeah…"

"But my guess is your queen's apathy isn't nearly as

extreme as mine, so it's a worthwhile endeavor."

"You think so?"

Gumi-chan nodded in general agreement. "That's my

guess anyway. I mean, she acts all bossy in class, right? That

means she has a lot of emotional energy. Being bossy and

snobby is exhausting. If you really didn't want to waste

energy, you wouldn't bother."

"Huh… Makes sense."

Her argument was persuasive. If I imagined her in Erika

Konno's place, I could easily picture her complaining and

giving up the throne in no time.

"I'm sure she wants a lot of things, unlike me. I don't

have a selfish bone in my body. My only desire is to not do

anything," she said, flopping over onto the table. She was

practically a liquid.

"Hmm…"

"Look, people make an effort because they want things.

I'm a negative example—I don't have anything I want, so I

don't put forth any effort."

Still flopped on the table, she turned her face toward me,

smiling listlessly as she delivered her oddly convincing

argument. Maybe she really was an authority on apathy.

"But what does our queen desire?" I asked.

Gumi-chan sighed loudly. "Oh, Tomozaki-san, listen to

yourself."

"Huh?"

She looked me in the eye solemnly. "You think I'd know

what other people want? Nope, dude. Can't relate.

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Obviously."

She was being strangely forceful about this, but her

words were completely unhelpful.

"Oh, okay…"

"Welp, time for me to take off. I hope I was helpful!"

"Yeah, uh-huh."

I was powerless to stop her, and I just waved as she

slipped out the door. But okay. The end of our conversation

was unsatisfying, but hearing her unique insights had been

valuable. Payoff for effort—that was the key. Geez. She just

does whatever she wants…

* * *

It was just after six. I'd finished work and was standing in

front of the Bean Tree sculpture at Omiya Station, waiting

for someone. The station was technically indoors, but the

entrances and exits were all wide-open, so it felt like the

place couldn't decide whether to be air-conditioned or not.

Saitama in general seemed to have trouble deciding what it

wanted to be, though, so I guess that made sense. Maybe the

train company had designed the place this way on purpose.

People were streaming through the rows of ticket gates

in an unending current. I watched them absently as I waited,

breathing deeply to calm myself down. Okay, feeling better.

I gave myself a little pep talk, and when I took another look

around, I registered a mystical, saintly presence approaching

from the east exit.

Yes. Kikuchi-san had arrived.

"Oh…!"

Noticing me, she trotted over and gave me a modest

smile.

I'd been thinking about a lot of things—a lot about

Kikuchi-san in particular, partly because of what my sister

had said to me. It had been a wild couple of weeks—the stuff

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with Hinami, and about assignments, and about what I

really wanted—but that didn't change the fact that I was

indebted to Kikuchi-san. She'd taught me so much, and I

didn't want to lose her.

When I thought about it, I realized we both had jobs

near Omiya Station. If we both got off work at the same

time, we could meet fairly casually. I'd sent her a LINE

message during the first half of my break that afternoon, and

she'd written back immediately that she got off an hour after

I did.

Well then, just say it! I told myself, and I'd summoned

my courage and asked her out. And now here we were. And

yes, I did report all this to Hinami.

"Um…hi, Tomozaki-kun."

"Oh, um, hi, Kikuchi-san."

She was dressed a little more casually than usual, and

around her was a feather mantle protecting her from the

evils of the human world—I mean, no, a lightweight black

cardigan that she wore to keep off the sun. She wore a shortsleeved, white button-down with a collar, as well as a skirt

the deep-green color of leaves from a billion-year-old tree. A

single scrap of that fabric could cure all disease. Well,

probably.

"Thank you…for inviting me to meet up," she said,

wrapping her arms around herself and looking away from

me. My heart quivered at her solemn words, which echoed

like gospel.

"Um, uh-huh," I said, suddenly extremely aware of my

own heartbeat. "…Are you hungry?"

"Oh, yes, I am, I think."

"Then…"

I racked my brain for a good place to go, figuring I

should take the lead. Um, what's near Omiya Station…? I

started to panic. Shit. My mind was a blank. Knowing

Kikuchi-san, even if I suggested Tenya, she'd probably say

something like Oh, tempura is so delicious , but what would

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that say about me as a man? The phantom Hinami-san in

my mind was eyeing me with disdain. "You're kidding,

right? Only a real loser would take a girl to Tenya on a

date." But this isn't a date!!

Why didn't I look something up beforehand? I'd decided

to stop wearing a mask of confidence or whatever, but right

now, I think it would have been better to have a restaurant

in mind. There was the place Hinami and I had gone for

lunch that time, but I vaguely remember glancing at the

dinner menu and thinking the prices were insanely high, so

that was out. What about the café Kikuchi-san and I had

gone to after buying books? Could you go to the same place

twice in a row? What's your verdict, Hinami-san? I decided

to save that as my backup.

A random diner or something would be okay, too, if I

knew of one, but there weren't many around the station. Or

maybe there were, but a high school loner like me wouldn't

know where to find them. Was there one in that building

that had a Loft in it when I was in junior high? Loft was neat.

I liked the Sakuraya by the east exit, too. Okay, snap out of

it! I was freaking out.

Hoping I might be able to recover with a map app or

something, I opened my phone and noticed a LINE message

from Hinami. There was a URL attached. Hmm? I clicked on

it, and it led to the website of an affordable café a few

minutes' walk from Omiya Station's east exit.

"Damn…"

"…? What's the matter?"

"Nothing…"

Unable to explain my surprise to Kikuchi-san, who was

looking at me with confusion, I led her to the café Hinami

had suggested. This was getting close to telepathy.

* * *

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We arrived at the café, and the interior turned out to be a

quirky blend of nostalgia and attention-grabbing Westernstyle decor. It had a big potted plant sitting next to an

antique-looking, red sofa. The cluster of stone sculptures of

nude women, the colorful bottles on the table by the register,

and the replica Mona Lisa on the wall were trademarks of

typical Western showiness, but they lent a certain retro feel

at the same time. It wasn't so much a Western place as an

old-fashioned Japanese café decorated to vaguely resemble

one.

"This café has such…unusual energy."

"…Yeah."

Kikuchi-san herself had way more unusual energy than

this café, but I knew better than to say it aloud and make her

think I was a creep.

"The atmosphere is wonderful," she said with a smile

that made me feel like I'd been touched by the breath of an

archangel.

"Um, yeah…it is."

I felt a little shy and out of place here, but I silently

thanked Hinami for her choice. You saved my butt…

We sat down across from each other at a table and stared

at our menus.

"They sure have a lot to choose from."

"Wow, you're right…"

Kikuchi-san flipped through the menu excitedly, her face

relaxing into a smile.

"I think I'll get…the Napolitan pasta," I said.

"I'm going to have the omurice ."

I remembered that she picked the same thing the last

time we ate out.

"You really like omurice , don't you?"

Kikuchi-san giggled happily at my slightly teasing tone,

which I could manage smoothly now thanks to repeated

practice. The move was like my uppercut now.

"I didn't even notice!"

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"Oh, so you're on autopilot until you've ordered?"

"Pretty much!"

We shared a laugh. As always, the time I spent with

Kikuchi- san was quiet and natural, but warm. Enjoying this

comfortable mood, I called the waiter over and ordered for

both of us. I was trying hard to take the lead. Once that was

over, I drank some water and took a breath. Kikuchi-san was

gazing at me with an affectionate smile more beautiful than

Mona Lisa' s on the wall.

"Thank you so much for coming with me to buy that

book last time."

"Oh, no, thank you…for everything."

"…It was nothing."

"…Yeah."

The atmosphere was peaceful and solemn, like the early

morning over a silent, frozen fairy lake deep in the woods

where all the animals were hibernating.

"It's so quiet in here," I said, glancing around at the

decor. "I like how calm it is."

Kikuchi-san smiled. "You've been working hard, haven't

you, Tomozaki-kun?"

"Wait, what?" I asked. This conversation had taken a

turn.

"You have so much energy these days," she said gently,

her fingers laced together on top of the table. She was right.

Two days had passed since the semester started. I'd been

talking with Nakamura's group, whispering with Izumi, and

messing around with Mimimi and Tama-chan. Life was

happening all around me. I guess it was obvious to outside

observers, too. All the more so because Kikuchi-san sat

diagonally behind me in class. It was also possible she was

blessed with the ancient gift of clairvoyance.

"Yeah, you could be right. Or maybe I'm just louder." I

smiled awkwardly.

"You think so?" she asked simply, looking at me with her

startlingly honest eyes.

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I looked inside myself once again. There was a part of me

that had a tendency to run into self-deprecation and selfflagellation…but I couldn't do that. I had to be honest.

"Lately…I've been enjoying it," I said. Kikuchi-san

smiled happily.

"That's wonderful."

She always stripped my heart bare, but it felt warm and

comfortable. Once again, I realized how at home I felt with

her.

Our food arrived, and we chatted about nothing at all as

we ate. After a while, I decided to ask Kikuchi-san something

I'd been wondering about.

"Um…"

"Yes, what is it?" she asked calmly, after taking her time

to chew and swallow the bite of food in her mouth. Very like

her. If she'd asked me something midbite, I'd gulp it down in

a panic and start stuttering.

"Um, you know Erika Konno in our class?"

"Konno-san?"

I nodded. "What do you make of her?"

I still hadn't collected enough information on Erika

Konno. Izumi had told me what interested her, and Gumichan had told me about her desires—which meant she would

act based on cost performance or opportunities. But I

needed more to complete my assignment.

That was why I wanted to get Kikuchi-san's input.

Asking as many people as possible for information about a

boss was an ironclad rule of RPGs. Kikuchi-san saw straight

into people's hearts, and besides, I had a feeling that fairies

living deep in the woods knew a lot about how to take down

dragons.

"That's a hard question to answer…"

"Oh yeah, sorry, um…" Yeah, that was too abstract. I

thought about how to reword it. "What I meant was, when

do you think she decides to care about something? Like right

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now, we're getting close to the sports tournament, but she

seems to have zero interest in taking part, right? So I was

wondering when she would be interested."

Kikuchi-san nodded with understanding.

"Oh, so you want to know what motivates her."

"Yeah… Yeah, that's what I mean."

Motives—that was a good way to put it. Which reminded

me, Kikuchi-san had asked me before what motivated

Hinami to work so hard, saying she was a writer and wanted

to understand.

"Well…hmm. This may not sound very kind, but…"

"Yeah?"

Kikuchi-san rested her cheek on her hand and looked

down slightly, like she was unsure how to phrase this. After a

few seconds, she peered up at me. Her enchanting eyes, like

two lakes dappled with magical, sparkling flower petals,

melted my thoughts completely away. Finally, she parted her

delicate lips.

"She doesn't want people to look down on her—I think

that's a big motive for her."

She was being careful and unassertive, but she'd cut

right to the core of Erika Konna. She doesn't want people to

look down on her. Harsh, but not impossible to understand.

"She doesn't, huh?"

"Yes…"

Maybe because Kikuchi-san realized she'd said

something kind of mean, she was slumped more dejectedly

in her seat than usual. Right now, she was as adorable as a

squirrel.

"I can see that…" I was convinced.

For instance, you could say that by creating and

enforcing the boring is bad rule, Erika Konno was protecting

herself from being at the bottom of the hierarchy. Izumi had

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said her interest in makeup and clothes was a sign that she

cared what other people thought about her, and that fit, too.

Even her massive attitude and the way she pressured others

was a part of it. In that light, all her actions appeared to

come from a single source: not wanting to be looked down

on. I just had one question.

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"So…why would that make her act this way about the

sports tournament?"

The tournament created a clear ranking between classes.

If she was so concerned with how people saw her, wouldn't it

be more natural for her to try to reach the top?

Kikuchi-san hesitated again.

"It must be…because if she acts like the tournament is

already stupid, it won't matter if we win or lose… People still

won't look down on her."

"…Oh."

Once again, she cut straight to the heart of things. I was

convinced. If you made fun of the tournament, no one would

laugh at you when you didn't win. After all, trying was

uncool to begin with. I was following her logic now.

Given how quickly Kikuchi-san had responded, I realized

she must watch our classmates on a regular basis, her

careful analysis allowing her to sum them up perfectly. She

was doing the group observation assignment Hinami had

given me. Huh. I was learning a lot by asking so many

questions. This really was like an RPG.

"But Konno-san does care about her friends, and I think

she can be more honest than she realizes, so I don't think

she's a completely horrible person…"

"Yeah."

Kikuchi-san seemed to feel guilty for what she'd said, but

the way she was frantically trying to walk it back was a little

funny to me.

Anyway, I kept thinking about her original point.

"So she heads off the problem by acting like it's stupid…

Interesting."

"Yes…"

I was connecting the dots with Gumi-chan's comments

about desire and the cost performance of effort. Erika Konno

wanted to avoid effort whenever possible. At the same time,

she didn't want people to look down on her. But as long as

she belonged to our class, she had to be at the top in

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controlling the mood or else she risked being looked down

on. That must be why she put so much effort into her

appearance and actions.

Because she had to.

If she didn't, she wouldn't get what she wanted. On the

other hand, the sports tournament was another story. True,

putting in real effort and winning a top spot was one way to

fulfill her desire. But most likely, the cost performance of

that option was poor .

That was because she could simply create a norm that

said caring about the games is uncool instead and gain a

superior position that way. The cost performance of that

option was much better. And that's why she didn't make an

effort. From that perspective, I could put the principles

behind Erika Konno's actions into simple words.

She was fulfilling her desire to save face by using her

effort efficiently.

That formula included some speculation on my part, but

I suspected it wasn't far off the mark. I'd taken information

from Izumi, Gumi-chan, and Kikuchi-san, and assembled it

the best I could to put Erika Konno's principles for action

into words.

"…Okay, got it," I muttered, softly enough so only I could

hear.

I hadn't been able to figure it out alone, but by gathering

some missing information, I'd arrived at a conclusion of

sorts. Before, I didn't even know what I should be aiming

for. Now a goal had come into view.

If Erika Konno had manipulated the mood so that she

could avoid putting any effort into the sports tournament—

then all I had to do was somehow alter that mood. In other

words, in order to take down the dragon, Erika Konno…

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…I needed an item to make Erika Konno believe she'd

lose face if our class didn't win the sports tournament.

By striking at the boss's weakness, I could provide the

key to completing my assignment. Of course, I had no idea

where to find that item, or whether there was some magic

spell or weapon that could produce the same results. But if I

knew the conditions I needed to fulfill, my general direction

would become clear.

I'd collected information about this distinctive, normally

unbeatable boss and finally discovered her weakness. Now

to search for the key item that would get at that weakness!

Yeah, now that I was putting in some real effort, it was

becoming clear. This game can be really fun sometimes.

Suddenly returning to Earth from my own little world, I

met Kikuchi-san's eyes with my own, and she was smiling at

me like she was watching over a child.

"Tomozaki-kun, you seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Uh…I—I do?"

Probably because I was thinking about games. Kikuchisan laughed teasingly, but the sound was also genuinely

happy.

"It's very you."

"Um, uh-huh…"

I was getting shy again—she always made me feel

completely accepted.

* * *

After that, Kikuchi-san and I chatted calmly and quietly

about Andi books, what we did over summer vacation, the

kids in our class, and our plans after high school. It felt very

natural to me, not talking about anything we didn't want to

talk about and not having to wear masks in front of each

other. When it was about time for us to leave, Kikuchi-san

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let something slip.

"I…should try harder, too."

"Huh? How so?" I asked. She smiled teasingly.

"Not that much time has passed since the day we went to

buy books together, but…you've already changed so much."

Her smile looked warmer than usual, and her reply

seemed more…girlish, somehow.

"H-have I really?"

Around two weeks had passed since that day. And from

her perspective, I seemed different?

She nodded slowly.

"I think…you're facing the future more straightforwardly

than you were before."

I thought back to what had happened with Hinami.

Maybe Kikuchi-san was right—I had changed.

"…Huh."

Kikuchi-san's words touched something deep in my

heart. I understood what she meant, and I realized she had

the power to see through people. Quietly, she placed her

supple, white, delicate palm on her chest.

"So…I'm going to try to do the same. A little at a time,"

she declared.

"…Yeah."

I didn't know where she wanted to go, or how she

planned to get there. But if she'd made up her mind to start

on a journey, then I wanted to be there to help her.