Girls x Love

I liked Kanai, apparently, but of course—Shunto had me follow him out of the gate, away from that tangle. Glaring over at Kanai, he said, “Get out of here!”

Kanai made a face. “Ugh.”

“I really will call a teacher, you know. And there’s nothing embarrassing about that. It’s a reasonable measure to deal with rabble like you without coming to blows.”

“Sure, sure.” He stretched, long and drawn out; his silky black tank-top rode up his stomach to the point where I could see his hip-bones, the ridges of his spine. “Bye bye.”

He walked past us, swinging his arms; brushed his hand against my hip. I yelped. That sour expression left his face then; he smirked and went off down a corner.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…Yeah, I’m,” a flaming homosexual, “I’m fine.”

“That’s good. I’m surprised…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Surprised I didn’t beat Kanai up, probably. Ryoya definitely would’ve.

“Where are you going, by the way?”

Right, my job meeting! I was going to be late! “Just down to Koi Coffee—I have to get going, actually.”

“Mind if I come with?”

“Sorry, I’m doing job training.”

“You’re working…?”

“Yeah, I applied there.”

“Oh…to work with Yuu, right? Good for you. Go get em.”

He seemed oddly sad. I attempted to cheer him up. “Don’t worry. We’ll still hang. Bros before hoes, am I right?”

“Thank you. See you later.”

“You can walk me over if you want. I mean, another psycho like Ka—Konno might come after me, you never know.”

“Sure, sure.” He didn’t move to walk with me.

So I continued alone to the coffee shop.

The sign on the door said Closed. I tentatively tried the handle anyway. It was unlocked, and swung open.

They probably left it for me.

Further proving that theory, Yuu was leaning on the counter as per usual. “Hey, Miyazato-kun.”

“Chihara-san.”

“Call me Chihara-senpai.” Her face was unreadable.

“Are you messing with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. In the spirit of that, since we’re coworkers now, can I get your number?” I said with a Ryoya-style smile.

“If you bug me, I will block you,” she said, and put her hand out. I gave her my phone, and she typed her number in.

A pink popup blinked into existence in the corner of my eye. It had a cutesy cell phone on it and read ACHIEVEMENT GET!: Get her number! Power-up gained.

“Status window,” I muttered. It popped up in front of me.

Love Points: 9

Drama Points: 4

Misfortune Points: 4

Achievements: Beginner Mission, Get Her Number.

She’d been acting all friendly with me. Now I understood why a bit more. 9 love points was only like, a sixth through, but it was a great start considering I hadn’t even been here a week.

“Items.”

Ryoya’s random stuff again…then at the bottom, Powerup.

“…Details?”

Nothing came up.

“What’re you muttering?” Yuu asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. So, why is this place closed? What should I do, what’s up?”

“I’m going to train you,” Yuu said authoritatively. “Listen up.” She opened a metal door in the back wall and pointed. “This is the sink, those are the cups you will be washing.”

I nodded, trying to seem attentive.

“I’m kidding. Well, I’m not. We only have four employees—you, me, the owner, and another part-time guy who’s busy after school hours but not during. So we all have to do everything.”

“Is that okay?”

“Well, it’s a small business. We’re trying to get more people as we gather more funds. It’s been busy, though. But guess what?”

“What?”

“I just got a raise. Now I can buy the new Saba album.”

…Who is that, again? “Good for you,” I said.

“What music do you listen to?”

“Oh, you know. Smooth jazz.”

She looked at me strangely, furrowing her brow. “Um, really?”

That had been the sexiest genre of music I could think of off the top of my head. Was it not sexy enough? Too sexy? “I mean, smooth—pop—house. Deep house.”

“…Sure, whatever. But anyway, let me show you how to actually make a drink. We should probably start with espresso.”

She started showing me the basics. I’d found the systems odd and complicated even when watching videos, but as Yuu taught, I could put it together with the research I’d done previously, and started picking it up quick.

+1 Love Point.

Oh, she was impressed! I filed “competency” away as a way to get her affections.

Q: Was there anything I was especially competent at?

A: No. Aside from playing video games.

“Chihara-san, do you like games?”

“Focus, I’m showing you stuff. Also, you mean video games?”

“Sorry. Also, yes.”

“Not really. The good ones are too expensive and take too long, and the bad ones are like, why am I here? I don’t want to watch an ad for another mobile game for another life, thanks. Plus my phone battery is crap.”

“…Fair enough.”

“That’s too many grounds.”

I’d zoned out while scooping coffee. “Sorry.”

“I said pay attention. Let’s wrap this up, I’m—” she coughed into her elbow. “I’m kinda tired.”

“Getting sick? Guess I’ll work hard then, so I can take over if you have to be absent!”

+1 Love Point. “You should be working hard anyway.”

That line had sounded artificial even to me, but it had worked. I grinned at her.

“Don’t smile. I didn’t even say anything nice to you.”

“Your existence is nice.”

“Okay, shut up,” Yuu said, a smile twitching at the edges of her mouth. “You can just pour the grounds back into the top, if you didn’t touch them.”

I did as she told me, and she walked me through the last couple basic drinks and brewing machines.

“Alright, that should be good for now…” She coughed again. “Augh. Actually, in case I really am gone, I should teach you how to make more of our gimmick drinks…” Meaning, the cute and expensive ones that I’d bought for Sae and Mae.

“I can ask the shop owner, right?”

“She gave me the job of training you, though.” Yuu’s words were fairly clear, but she was swaying on her feet a little.

“Sit down,” I suggested. “You can tell me from a chair, maybe?”

“I have to show you where things are.” Despite her words, she took a seat and rested her chin on her arms. “Hey you, you think you can make me a coffee? Test your skills and reboot my brain?”

“Sure. What would you like to order?”

“Iced americano.”

“Okay, got it. That’ll be right up, ma’am.”

“Wow, you’ve got a nice employee attitude already. I thought you might be too delinquent-playboy for this job.”

“I have a good teacher,” I said, tactfully not mentioning that she consistently acted familiar with and talked in slang and dialect to her customers, then had to turn my full attention to running the espresso machine. Got an espresso shot, poured it over ice, mixed it with cold water, and handed it over.

Yuu sipped it. “7 out of 10.”

“Only 7?”

“Yeah, it’s like…well, I like drip coffee better, really, but didn’t want you to have to make a whole pot. And I reserve my 10s for lifechanging shit.”

“…Have you ever had a lifechanging coffee?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe one day,” I said.

“Yeah. I’m going to need it soonish.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind.” Her voice had gone hoarse; she coughed again, then blinked several times. “I can talk you through those fancy drinks. You see the big tall glasses on that high shelf?”

“Um…”

“Behind you.”

I saw them now, grabbed one down. Yuu continued to talk me through making the drink—when I was about halfway through, she finished her espresso and came over. That sped up the process and the understanding a lot, and in the end, I successfully made a milkshake with whipped cream, little marshmallow animals, and little fruit flowers.

“Well, you’re no artist but you’re pretty good in the kitchen.” Yuu coughed. “Good job. Genuinely. You can have that drink—I’m going home.”

“Do you want me to walk you—”

“No, I’m good. I can get there.” Even though she was still unsteady. “Texted the owner to come. She’s gonna have you fill out some employee forms and get her number. She’ll be here in five, or…”

The door opened.

“Or now. See you later.” Yuu pushed out past the owner, waving goodbye to me as she did; a small, restrained gesture.

I filled out the forms, and about an hour later, arrived home and flopped on my bed. (When had I started thinking of it as my home? My bed? …I was too tired to get all contemplative over that.)

I had a job now. I’d made progress with Yuu, and was in a position to make a lot more. At the same time, Kanai openly liked me and I knew I liked him. If I just contacted him—

—for one, I could lose my V card, and I hated how much that concept was taking over my brain. “Think with your head, not your dick, Matsuda!” I said aloud. “Status window!”

Mission: Gain the heroine’s affections. Failure or stalling will be punished.

As far as cold showers went, that status window was a pretty good one. But I still kept thinking about it. Kanai’s voice, his smile, his stupid cologne. His smile…he hadn’t smiled much in the game, had he? I’d considered him a yandere trope, but he was more cruel than obsessive. Maybe it was just because I hadn’t played his route, but I felt like his vibe changed when he was around me—Ryoya.

Yuu was interesting. I felt like if I was going to categorize Ryoya as his own person, not a game character, I had to categorize Yuu the same way. She was too unique; had too much of her own character and opinions beyond what appeared in the game.

If “going beyond the game” meant they weren’t a character but rather a person—which made sense, right?—that meant I had to consider Mae and Sae as people too. They had the most added information out of everyone.

Man… I hadn’t wanted to consider them as people in the same way because the fan-club situation had the potential to become really fraught. Yuu didn’t like it and I didn’t really like it either. At the same time, I didn’t want to outright call for its disbandment. Aside from my disavowal probably making the girls sad, I would have probably been a member—or a closet member—if I went to Sakura Academy. I understood the “Ryoya is so amazing!” feeling.

The next day, Mae was the one to offer me a bento again. This time, a group of other members were watching her with suspicion. Huddled together, muttering under their breath.

Mae noticed, looked at Sae with helpless eyes—reached out a hand towards her, then drew it back.

“Heyy, guys,” Sae said to the group, “I’m going to talk to you all in a minute, ‘kay?”

“Are you jealous?” I said to them. “Don’t worry, I love you all even if only one of you makes me lunch. You all came together to arrange this, right? But I don’t like people who gossip or infight.”

“How about people who show favoritism?” one of them said. “Kobayashi-san’s just into you more now because you made her lunch—and she’s Sanada-san’s favorite, too, always getting the best spot to talk to you when she wants it!”

“Heyy hey hey now,” Sae said, “you can’t talk like that in front of Miyazato-senpai, and shouldn’t talk like that anyway!”

Mae shoved the bento at another club member and ran out the door.

“Wait, Kobayashi-chan!” I chased after her.

In the hall, she was sitting lonely up against a white-painted wall, arms wrapped around her knees. I knelt down across from her.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” Mae mumbled.

“Miya,” Yasutoki said, appearing.

“Leave us alone for a bit,” I told him. “Can you stop the rest of the group from coming out here for a bit?”

“Sure, I can try. Though a lot of them kind of hate me.”

“You don’t have to, then.”

“No, don’t worry about it.” He disappeared back into the room.

I turned back to Mae. “I wanted to—talk to you.”

“Oh,” she said, fiddling with her hair, a blush shading her cheeks. “About what?”

“I…need to put this bluntly. I don’t want you, nor any of the fan club, to get too attached.”

Mae laughed, high and weird. “Yeah, you—you said that when we had sex. I’m fine with it.”

My—Ryoya’s—whatever’s—V card was already gone?!

I must have been making some kind of expression, because Mae said, “Are you okay?”

“Um,” I said, trying to recover, “my question is, are you okay?”

She curled into herself a bit, shoulders hitching up a centimeter closer to her ears. “…What do you mean?”

“Are you okay with a shallow relationship like that?”

Mae giggled awkwardly, turning away. “That’s a kinda deep question, Miyazato-senpai.”

“I want to make sure you’re okay.” Since you’re a person, and I’ll ditch you for Yuu. And, taking care of Mae, felt a little like repentance for playing with Yuu’s heart. Continuing to play with it. (What was I supposed to do, though?). “I don’t want you unhappy, acting like you’re fine with how I treat you but you’re not.”

Still turned away: “Um…well, I never really talked about this, but…I’m okay with it because I never really managed to find love.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sure, but…I’m Black and Japanese, right? A lot of people aren’t interested in me because of how I look, or because I’m a foreigner—they think I’m a foreigner—or they are interested, but for the same reason of my race, like they’re not really seeing me…or maybe it’s not to do with that and I’m just unlucky. I don’t know. But every guy I liked never liked me back.

“Except Sae—not that Sae is a guy. When we were in kindergarten, the other students interacted differently with me than they did with each other, kind of…except for her. She ran up to me, asked me if my name was really Mae, and when I said yes, she said ‘We’re almost name twins! Let’s be best friends!’

“We did everything together, liked the same songs, the same celebs, both got really into shopping and alt fashion. It was her who had the idea of starting a fanclub for you. I thought she was kinda crazy, but I went with it, and it was really fun. As we—me and you—interacted more and more…well, you’re really a cool, hot, guy, so I fell for you. Too.”

After saying all that, she let out a breath and let her shoulders fall a little. Turned a little back towards me, gaze nervous.

“I’m genuinely sorry,” I said, trying to formulate a good response, “that I don’t like you back. I don’t want to be one of those guys and I really played with your affections.”

“You told me. I keep saying I don’t mind.”

“What you really care about, right, is Sae? You like her best?”

“Well—!” Mae said, “I don’t even know if she likes girls!”

What.

What.

Why was everyone bisexual! Since when! Real life wasn’t like this, right?? That’s what Mae meant, right?

Hang on, wasn’t this a perfect place to tell her why exactly I didn’t have feelings for her?

“I’m—”

“You’re?” Mae asked.

“Nothing.”

“I—Miyazato-senpai—can you be…a little less shallow with me?”

“Ah. Okay.” I scratched at my face nervously, an old habit from when I had acne instead of Ryoya’s flawless skin. “You mean you like Sae romantically, right?”

“…Yeah. I know, it’s just another thing that makes me weird.” She said that with another awkward smile.

“I’m—I’m kind of like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s get out of this public hallway,” I said.