Seven Short Tales of the Semester [Vol. 1 Extra]

A Concert of Blushes

The shift of songs to a slower tempo was greeted with applause from the crowd as they recognized the performer’s more popular ballads. Lafon, sitting to the left of Sato, swayed to the beat of the song, observing the lively crowd and the stage below. She turned to her friends, watching how they enjoyed the concert as well.

They seem to be enjoying it well, she thought. Especially Serina, though she’s been looking to her right quite often, I think Iwasaki is sitting there.

At that moment, Sato turned her head to the left, her cheeks pink, as if she were almost caught. That was close! Sato thought, her thoughts racing. If he saw me staring at him like that, that’d be super embarrassing…gotta be more careful.

Lafon, noticing this sudden change in Sato’s demeanor, formed a tiny smile on her lips. Well, this is quite interesting.

***

Hot Mic

Watson was locked in, her cat-ear headphones plugged in, her mouse clicking away in a party game with some of her streamer friends.

“Choco…stop targeting me!!”

“Of course I am, you’re in the lead, it’s only natural!”

She glanced between the several windows on her monitors. This dual-monitor setup is perfect for streaming…I can see chat over there and have the game full screen here. Now… a dual-PC setup? That might be a bit extra…

A notification popped up on her monitor. Ryuhiro has gifted 5 subs. Ryuhiro? Like Iwasaki-kun?

“Ah, Ryuhiro, thanks for the five gift subs!” she spoke into her mic.

“Yeah, thanks for the subs!”

“Thanks, Ryuhiro!!”

As her streamer friends started cheering for Ryuhiro for the subscriptions, Watson’s face turned pink, realizing she forgot to unmute herself in the lobby.

“It’s an accident!! It happens!”

“C’mon, Ryuhiro, where’s my gifted subs?”

“THAT’S IT!”

In a fit of embarrassment, she started attacking everyone else in-game.

***

The Laundry Incident

Sato entered the laundry room, ready to dry her clothes. She hummed a happy tune, quickly unloading the washing machine with her clothes, and started loading the dryer. However, towards the end, she noticed an unfamiliar article of clothing among hers.

This isn’t mine…it’s several sizes larger too...

She examined the bra that had somehow ended up in her mix of clothes.

At that moment, Lafon entered the room to collect her clothes from the dryer. She noticed Sato holding up the undergarment in question, her eyebrows raised at the way she was inspecting it.

“Something the matter, Serina?”

Sato turned to see Lafon approaching. “Ah, Elise! This somehow got mixed into my laundry… Is it yours by chance?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that some kind of joke?” She took the bra, inspecting it herself. This is…irritating me for some reason.

Her fingers slipped, and one of the halves landed on her head.

Sato laughed awkwardly. “Right…so I think it’s Chloe’s.”

Lafon turned to her. “You think?”

Meanwhile, in the guys' laundry room, Iwasaki, blissfully unaware of the commotion in the other room, did his laundry in peace.

***

Broken Elevator

A sign was taped onto the elevator, annoying the dorm residents.

The elevator is currently under emergency repair. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Climbing to the seventh floor? I suppose today is leg day.

I walked over and took the stairs, each flight more difficult than the last. By the time I reached the fourth floor, it was already a struggle.

Yet at that landing, I noticed Watson sitting there, with a couple of boxes by her, also looking defeated.

“Watson-san?”

“Ah, Iwasaki-kun,” she waved. “Just taking a break.”

“More peripherals?” I asked, between breaths, eyeing the brown packages, likely containing new computer accessories to replace her...not so gently used ones. 

“Yeah…and the elevator’s broken…so it’s been a journey,” she sighed.

“Let me help,” I got one of her boxes and started taking the stairs.

“Thanks!” Several seconds later, she yelled “Iwasaki-kun!?” as she shot back up.

I stopped. “Yeah?”

“Why are you going downstairs?”

I chuckled. “Got me.”

As we reached the seventh floor, the stair monster conquered, I took a deep breath of relief. Though another sight took us by surprise, and we giggled as we entered the common room. On one of the couches, well, half on the couch with her legs sprawled on the floor, was Sato.

“Guys…I’m not leaving this floor until the elevator’s fixed…”

***

A Friendly Bet

On the way to the cake shop, Lafon and Watson walked along the sidewalk, passing by other groups of people, among a few couples as well, holding hands.

Lafon sighed. “Those two dorks up in the karaoke bar, wonder what they’re doing…”

Watson looked at her friend with inquisitive eyes. “Serina and Iwasaki-kun? Probably doing more singing till we get back.”

They arrived at the shop and picked up the order, a decadent chocolate cake with birthday candles, as well as several bags of pastries that Lafon also ordered.

“I have a feeling the two are doing a bit more than just singing,” she hinted, as her mind wandered to the night she and Iwasaki talked after the festival.

Watson shook her head. “No way.”

Lafon giggled. “You want to make a small wager on that? Let’s pick up the pace back to the karaoke bar."

Watson thought of a wager. "Fine, if we catch them being lovey-dovey…I'll buy a drink right then and there.” I might need that drink anyways. 

Lafon pondered. “And if not...I’ll…see if I can get a cosplay outfit from that game you like.” Absolutely not going to happen...I can already tell. Lafon smiled to herself in anticipation of a fun night ahead.

Watson’s eyes sparkled. “You’re on!”

***

The Art of the Steal

The four of us sat on the chairs, with a board game in the center of the table. The premise was interesting, each round collecting resources to build our growing civilizations, trading, and collecting objectives.

“So, Lafon. I see you have several resources I need, and vice versa. Time for a trade?” I asked, and she tilted her head in thought.

“And what’s the offer?”

“I have stones and oil, and you have wood and cattle. How about we swap 2 of each?”

“Oil?” Sato raised her eyebrows. “I also need oil…how about I give you two wood for one oil?”

I blinked. “I mean…sure.” She has quite a lot of wood.

“Yes!” Sato exclaimed as the trade was made. I also completed the deal with Lafon. It was Sato’s turn next, and after more resources were distributed, she exclaimed in a victorious dialogue.

“Now, with that one oil I got from you, Iwasaki-kun, I can build a port here that gives me a great trade offer: a one-for-one swap of wood to any resource!”

What? That’s possible?

Watson sighed. “She got that for two wood…”

Sato beamed. “Victory is mine!”

***

Warmth

The day after the festival…was a normal day to be fair; I woke up later than usual, my eyes opening to the light of the summer morning. The sun seeped through the balcony window, inviting me to bask in the morning light before it got too humid.

I opened the door and sat out on the balcony, a gentle breeze welcoming me to relax here for a bit.

I heard another screen door open, as well as someone sitting in a chair. While the divider blocked my view, the proximity of the noise meant it was Sato. I shifted my seat, and the noise likely alerted her to my presence.

“Ah, Iwasaki-kun? You’re out here as well!”

“Yep…morning, Sato-san.”

“Mhm, good morning!” She paused. “You know…I’m still thinking a lot about yesterday.”

My cheeks burned. “R-really? Me too.”

Several moments of silence passed as we both enjoyed the summer morning.

“You want to get some food?’

She giggled. “Sure, I’m starving!”

“See you on the other side then,” I got up from my chair and headed inside to change.

We both walked into the empty hallway at the same time, our timing catching both of us off guard.

“Let’s go, Iwasaki-kun!” Sato joined up with me as we both headed to the elevator. As we waited, our hands bumped into each other. I mean…there was no one else watching, at least until we got off the elevator.

It seemed as if Sato had the same thought, as slowly our hands found their way together. As we entered the elevator, the warmth spread across my face and chest once again. 

I glanced at her, whose face was also pink. We both smiled, knowing this would take some getting used to, our hands continuing their gentle embrace.