Shin and Daiki — Video Game Shop

(Shin's PoV)

—

"So… Are you sure that—"

Daiki shook his head before I could finish asking. "Don't think about it."

"Daiki…"

"No, seriously. I don't want to talk about it right now." He rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes were still red, but at least he'd stopped holding his shoulders up around his ears. "All you need to know is that I'm done with that girl. For good. It's super over. Yeah."

He looked down at the floor.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you everything. Right now, I just want to think about something else. Anything else." A pause. "Please."

I looked at him for a moment. There were probably a hundred things I could've said. That I was sorry, that he deserved better, I was here if he needed me… But he already knew all of that.

So I put the little bat keychain back on its hook and smiled.

"Okay. Then today you're in charge."

Daiki blinked. "What?"

"You decide what we do. Where we go. Everything."

He stared at me.

"Shin, I'm terrible at deciding things. You know that."

"Then it's good training."

"Good training?"

"Yeah. We always used to go to the same three places anyway. The arcade, the noodle counter, and that stupid konbini that sells that instant ramen that it's so bad that it should be illegal. Maybe you should try choosing somewhere new."

Daiki kept staring at me, then a crooked grin appeared on his face and he punched my shoulder.

"Okay. Stop it, Takanashi. Get out of that body."

I burst out laughing. It came out louder than I'd intended, enough to make the clerk behind the counter glance in our direction.

Daiki laughed too. His was a little rough, and it ended sooner than usual, but it was genuine, at least.

That was good enough for me.

"Come on," I said. "Take your time."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't rush a man who's making important financial decisions."

And then he wandered toward the back of the shop, and I followed at a distance.

The shop where we were was one of those places that looked much smaller from the outside. The shop was narrow, but the shelves seemed to go on forever, packed with old cartridges, manga, figures, and boxes that had probably been sitting there since before we were born.

At the far end, a large banner hung above a wall of merchandise.

BORN TO END THE NIGHT. AZRAEL, THE STRONGEST SLAYER: FINAL ARC

The red letters were starting to peel at the corners.

Beneath it stood an entire row of boxed figures, all depicting the same dark-haired swordsman in a long black coat, his silver blade drawn and that familiar exhausted expression on his face.

Daiki stopped in front of the display.

"Hmm…" He studied the figures with the seriousness of someone considering a major investment. "With the little money I earned, I guess I could afford something extra."

He picked up one box, then looked at another.

"Maybe the deluxe version…" He frowned. "Although the coat variant has actual fabric. That's pretty cool." 

I watched him compare the two like a businessman compares two million dollars watches.

It was funny, I must admit. I even tried to call him, but it was useless. He was too focused on choosing something to buy.

'Guess it can't be helped…' I sighed, before beginning to wander toward the window.

An entire rack of Lilibat merchandise stood beside it.

Keychains, enamel pins, little charms, and a plush bat about the size of my hand, wearing one of those ridiculous cereal-box hats.

I smiled.

'Akane would love this place.'

I picked up the keychain I'd been looking at earlier, then noticed a small enamel pin beside it.

Lilibat was asleep in a bowl of cereal. Cute.

Then I turned it over to check the price.

Akane would probably call both of them basic merchandise, complain about how companies kept selling the same mascot in different poses, and then immediately attach them to her bag.

And God help anyone who made fun of them afterward.

I was still smiling at that thought when something crashed behind me.

Well, not exactly crashed.

More like a muffled thump, followed by a startled yelp and the unmistakable sound of a cardboard box hitting the floor.

"Ow—!"

"Watch where you're go—!"

Both voices stopped, and I turned around.

Daiki was standing at the end of an aisle with a figure box in one hand, staring at the girl in front of him, while she was holding a stack of manga against her chest.

Bright purple hair in a high ponytaly, green eyes, and a silver ring on her thumb.

Wait. I knew her.

She'd been at the arcade, cheering through the final song at the rhythm machine with both fists raised above her head.

The girl stared at Daiki, and then her eyes widened.

"DAIKI?!"

Daiki nearly dropped the figure. "S-Setsuna-san?!"

"YES! IT'S ME!"

She bounced on her heels, almost losing half her manga in the process.

"Oh my God! I can't believe it! I was trying to find you!"

Daiki looked completely lost. "Huh?" He scratched the back of his head.

"I texted you last night! Twice! And again this morning!" She laughed. "Then I stopped because I thought I was starting to look weird."

"Oh…" Daiki scratched his cheek. "S-Sorry... My phone was off."

"All this time?" She pouted.

"Yeah. Long story." His smile faltered for a second, and he moved his gaze to me for an instant before going back to her.

Setsuna seemed to notice, because she immediately waved it off. "Hey, it's fine! Seriously! I just thought you were ghosting me or something." She laughed again, a bright, cheerful sound that carried halfway across the shop, and then she looked past him. Straight at me.

"OH! AND YOU!"

I blinked as she pointed excitedly.

"You're his friend! The calm one who was about to pass out! Haha!" 

I smiled. "Y-yeah. Hello."

"Uhm… did we introduce each other? Because I don't remember your name…"

"Uh no. But let's do it now. My name is Shin Ishikawa. Nice to meet you." I gave her a small bow.

Setsuna grinned. "Setsuna Sakishiro! Pleasure's mine!" She said, returning the bow. Then she stared at me for a few instants before speaking. "Uhm… Where's the scary girl?"

I hesitated. "The… scary girl?"

"Yeah! The one who practically forced us to exchange contacts like she was negotiating a hostage release!"

Ah. Akane. Of course. Should've known that.

"She's spending the evening with her friends."

"Aww, that's too bad!" Setsuna looked around the shop anyway, almost as though Akane might suddenly emerge from behind a shelf. "Well, tell her she's amazing! And that I'm still a little scared of her!"

She sounded genuinely enthusiastic about both, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'll tell her."

Akane would probably take that as a compliment. Actually, she'd definitely take it as a compliment.

Before I could say anything else, another girl appeared at the end of the aisle.

She had straight brown hair reaching her shoulders and wore a neat gray cardigan. A plastic shopping bag rested in her arms.

She stopped a little behind Setsuna, watching us with a quiet, curious expression.

"Oh! Right!" Setsuna reached back and caught her by the sleeve. "Come here, Kazuha!"

The girl stumbled forward a step. "Sis…"

"This is my little sister! Kazuha!" Setsuna grinned proudly. "I dragged her here to carry everything."

"I volunteered," Kazuha corrected softly, and then she bowed to Daiki. "Nice to meet you."

She turned toward me and bowed again. "Nice to meet you too."

I returned the gesture.

"The pleasure's mine. I'm Shin Ishikawa."

Setsuna looked between us, apparently delighted that introductions had gone so smoothly.

Daiki, meanwhile, was still trying to recover from the surprise.

"So, uh…" He glanced at the manga in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Shopping?"

"No, I mean…" He scratched the back of his head. "I didn't think you were into this kind of stuff."

"Into what?"

"You know. Games. Manga…"

Setsuna stared at him, and then slowly grinned. "Daiki."

"Yeah?"

"I have a confession."

He looked worried.

"I'm a huge nerd."

I laughed.

Setsuna continued proudly.

"Gamer, otaku, collector. The whole package. I've even got an entire shelf of figures at home. My mother calls it 'the shrine.'" She giggled. "Well, guess I've spent too much time and money on that…"

Daiki blinked. "…Seriously?"

"Dead serious!" She adjusted the manga in her arms and tilted the stack toward us. "Look!"

I leaned closer. The spines were familiar. Very familiar.

"Azrael, the Strongest Slayer?"

Setsuna nodded eagerly.

"YES! The final volumes! They got a first-day display here, and I've been waiting an entire month!"

I looked at the books, and then at her. "That's one my favorite mangas."

Setsuna froze, and for a second she just stared.

Then she gasped so loudly that the clerk behind the counter looked up again.

"NO WAY!"

I laughed.

"Really."

"YOU LIKE AZRAEL?!"

"Of course!"

"Shin's read it four times," Daiki said casually. "Me too, but he's the real expert of that story, you know? He even told me that he was about to cry when Freya confessed to Azrael."

I turned toward him. "That's not—"

"Oh, and he also cried at volume five. In that scene, when you find out why Azrael is Azrael."

I stared. "Daiki."

"What?"

"I didn't cry."

"You cried on the train. I was sitting right next to you."

"My eyes were dry."

"Like hell they were! You looked like a broken faucet!"

Setsuna burst out laughing while I sighed. That was the only thing that could come out from my mouth.

Wonderful. My best friend, ladies and gentlemen.

"I loved it too." The voice came from beside Setsuna.

Kazuha had finally looked up. Her eyes were on me, and she was smiling a little. "Especially the quieter chapters."

I turned toward her. "The quieter ones?"

She nodded.

"When Azrael doesn't really say anything. He just keeps walking, even when you can tell he's exhausted." I smiled. "And when he said 'I'm only a man. Nothing else.'"

"Those are my favorite parts too."

Her expression brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. Everyone talks about the fights, but I think some of the best moments happen between them." I thought about it for a second. "Sometimes he doesn't even need dialogue. You can tell what he's feeling just by the way he keeps going."

Kazuha nodded quickly. "Exactly!"

She took a small step toward me, then seemed to notice she'd moved and stopped.

"I always thought that was what made the story special," she added.

"I agree," I said.

She smiled. A surprisingly bright smile for someone who'd barely spoken since arriving.

Behind her, Setsuna was watching us, and Daiki was watching us too. For some reason, he had one eyebrow raised.

I looked at him, but he looked away.

Weird...

"Anyway!" Setsuna announced, apparently deciding it was time to reclaim the conversation. "Volume seven! The cathedral! Ah… that scene… so dramatic…." She put a hand over her heart. "Oh my God. I cried on the train. Like, actually cried. People were staring at me!"

"Wait!" I raised both hands. "Please don't spoil it!"

Setsuna blinked. "Huh?"

"I haven't read volume seven yet."

Her eyes widened. "YOU HAVEN'T?!"

"No… Let's just say that so many things happened to me recently that I even forgot that I used to like mangas…" I sighed.

Setsuna pressed the manga against her chest. "Okay! Okay! I won't say anything!" Then she made a solemn expression. "I am a professional. I respect spoilers."

"Thank you."

"But you HAVE to read it!"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good!" She turned toward her sister. "And afterward, Kazuha can tell you what she thinks about the ending!"

Kazuha's cheeks turned pink. "Sis…"

"She cried too, by the way."

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did!"

"I was tired!"

Daiki sighed. "Apparently everyone cries while reading this manga. Great."

"Except me," I said.

He gave me a look, and I gave him one back.

Setsuna laughed, and for the next few minutes, we all ended up talking about Azrael.

Well, Setsuna and Daiki did most of the talking.

They argued over their favorite arcs with the enthusiasm of two people who'd been waiting years to find someone equally obsessed.

Kazuha stayed closer to me, asking which chapters I preferred and whether I liked the earlier volumes better than the newer ones.

She spoke quietly, but she seemed genuinely interested in my answers.

I was happy to talk about it. It wasn't often I met someone who liked the same parts of the story I did. Well, Hoshiko is an exception.

Still, I wasn't entirely used to being looked at with that much attention. Whenever I answered, Kazuha listened so closely that I started wondering whether I'd accidentally said something embarrassing. Then the clerk called out from behind the counter.

"SAKURAI-SAMA!"

Daiki stopped talking, and I turned.

The clerk was a tall man with a thin mustache and the kind of voice that could probably announce a sale during an earthquake.

He was holding an enormous glossy box above the counter.

"Sakurai-sama! Your reserved item has arrived!"

I looked at the box.

Oh. Oh, no.

On the cover was a smiling girl dressed in an elaborate pink-and-white maid outfit, standing against a background covered in sparkles and hearts.

The title was printed in enormous, decorative letters.

Maid Café Romance: Forever Sparkle Deluxe Edition, with Acrylic Stand. An ero game.

I slowly turned toward Daiki, and saw that he wasn't moving, but his mouth was slightly open.

The color drained from his face before rushing straight back, turning his ears bright red.

Setsuna looked at the box and then back at Daiki. Her eyebrows rose, while Kazuha tilted her head.

And the clerk, completely unaware of the disaster unfolding in front of him, continued holding the box above his head like a prize.

Daiki leaned toward me. Very, very slowly.

"Shin."

I kept my face straight. Barely. A big laugh was about to come out. "Yes?"

His lips hardly moved. "Ultra-tactical retreat."

I closed my eyes.

'Oh, God.'

"I cannot," he whispered, "pick up my order in front of these two young ladies."

I pressed my lips together.

I understood. I understood perfectly. This idiot…

"Daiki?" Setsuna asked sweetly.

He stiffened. "Y-yes?"

She pointed toward the counter.

"Is that yours?"

Daiki looked at the box, then at her, and then back at the box.

"It's…" He swallowed. "A gift."

Setsuna smiled. "A gift?"

"For my cousin."

"Your cousin?"

"Yes."

She nodded thoughtfully. "What a lovely cousin."

Beside her, Kazuha covered her mouth, but her shoulders were shaking.

Daiki looked as though he wanted the floor to open beneath his feet and swallow him.

I was trying very hard not to laugh. Very, very hard.

Then Setsuna suddenly clapped her hands.

"HEY!"

All three of us looked at her.

"I've got an idea!"

Daiki immediately straightened.

"Oh?"

"Let's go get coffee!"

I blinked. "Coffee?"

"Yeah! All of us!"

She gestured excitedly toward the street.

"There's this café around the corner with the best cheesecake in the district. Seriously, it's amazing!" She turned toward Daiki. "We can celebrate running into each other again! And you can tell me about that arcade record!"

Daiki stared while Setsuna grinned.

"I've replayed that moment in my head about forty times. I still can't believe you pulled it off!"

Daiki's expression changed. "Coffee?"

"Yep!"

"At the café?"

"Yep!"

"Right now?"

"Right now!"

He nodded so quickly I thought he'd hurt his neck. "Yes. Absolutely. Let's go."

I looked at him. 'Wow. That was fast.'

Setsuna seemed delighted.

"Perfect!"

She turned toward Kazuha.

"Come on, let's get going!"

Kazuha nodded and followed her toward the entrance.

I hesitated.

Then looked at my phone.

I needed to tell Akane as soon as possible, but she was probably having fun with Hoshiko and Sora, and a message saying that I was about to go to a coffee with two girls I just met... well… certain death.

I'd told Akane I was spending the afternoon with Daiki.

Which I was. Technically.

But I hadn't exactly expected things to end up like this.

"I should probably get going," I said. "I have to…"

A hand closed around my arm. Daiki. He pulled me half a step aside and leaned close enough to whisper into my ear.

"Shin."

"Yes?"

"If you care about me at all…"

I stared at him.

'Oh, come on.'

"…you'll make this sacrifice."

"Daiki…"

"Please." His voice dropped even lower. "Akane will forgive you anyway. She loves you too much to hold it against you."

I looked at him. His face was still bright red, but he was smiling.

And there was something about that smile I hadn't seen all day.

He came here looking like he'd cried every tear he had.

Now he was standing in front of me, embarrassed out of his mind over a maid romance game, practically begging me to accompany him to a café.

All because he'd run into a girl who seemed genuinely happy to see him. Classic Daiki.

I sighed.

Honestly… How was I supposed to say no?

If an hour of cheesecake and manga discussions could help him forget what happened with Izumi, even for a little while, I wasn't going to ruin it.

"Okay," I said.

Daiki's face lit up. "YES!"

"But… give me a second, please…" 

"Of course! Absolutely, my best friend!" He grabbed my sleeve and started pulling me toward the counter. "Come on, let's go!"

"Daiki, wait."

"What?!"

"I haven't paid for these." I raised the Lilibat keychain and pin.

He stared at them, and then waved a hand.

"I'll pay! Just hurry!"

"No, it's fine. I'll—"

"And your reservation, Sakurai-sama?"

The clerk's voice carried across the entire shop, and Daiki froze again.

Oh, right. The reservation. The maid game.

The enormous pink box still sitting behind the counter.

Setsuna turned at the sound of his name, and even Kazuha looked back too.

Daiki smiled. It was the most painfully forced smile I'd ever seen.

"TOMORROW!"

The clerk blinked.

"Sir?"

"I'LL PICK IT UP TOMORROW!"

Daiki bowed slightly.

"Please keep it safe!"

"Of course, Sakurai-sama!"

"THANK YOU!"

I bit the inside of my cheek.

‘Don't laugh. Don't laugh.’

I paid for the keychain and pin as quickly as I could.

By the time I finished, Setsuna and Kazuha were waiting near the entrance.

Setsuna waved enthusiastically.

"Come on, boys!"

Kazuha stood beside her with the shopping bag held against her chest, watching us with a small, unreadable smile.

The bell above the door chimed as Setsuna stepped outside, and the cold evening air slipped into the shop.

Daiki immediately headed after her.

I followed, tucking the little Lilibat items safely into my bag.

Outside, the sun was already sinking behind the rooftops, turning the sky a deep reddish orange.

Setsuna and Kazuha walked a few steps ahead of us.

Setsuna was talking animatedly about something, occasionally turning around to make sure we were following while Kazuha nodded along.

Beside me, Daiki had his hands in his pockets and his chin raised. He looked almost proud of himself.

I smiled.

It was good seeing him like that again.

Then, when I was about to pick up my phone to message Akane, he leaned toward me. "Hey, Shin."

"Yeah?"

He glanced at the two girls ahead of us, then lowered his voice. "Akane doesn't need to know everything."

I turned toward him. "…What?"

He gave me a crooked smile. "You know?"

…

—

Authors note: Currently in hospital🥀 hope I’ll get better soon. Heh. 

P.S. I’ve finished rewriting the entire volume 1. If any of you can read it and tell me how it is now, it would be a great help. Thank you for reading, sorry for the slow updates. I’m also rewriting vol. 2 until chapter 60. Currently at 18.