After leaving the game center, Momoi stretched her arms wide, let out a long breath, then rubbed her stomach.
"Phew∼ after making the rounds at the arcade, I'm hungry now..."
After saying that, Momoi deliberately shot me a meaningful look.
I understood immediately. "So, it's time for lunch, right?"
"Bingo∼"
Momoi laughed happily and handed the choice back to me. "So then, the heroine is very hungry right now. What kind of food should we go eat?"
I pretended to ponder. "If we go by dating conventions..."
"D-dating conventions...!" Momoi widened her eyes and murmured the words, seeming a little shaken.
Watching her reaction closely, I instantly saw through it all.
First, I ruled out the possibility that Momoi was feeling shy.
Making this game obsessed, completely unawakened girl show any hint of being romantic was obviously a wrong option that could not be chosen.
If anything, it was a good thing I tested the waters again. Conventional approaches really did not apply to a heroine modeled after Momoi.
Looking around again, given Momoi's hardcore gamer disposition, the street she chose as the simulated dating simulation location was naturally one with an overwhelmingly strong gaming atmosphere visible at a glance.
Starting from this point, among the restaurants nearby, there should be at least one absolutely correct option that would satisfy Momoi...
Without spending much effort, I found a suitable target.
"But Momoi, look over there. There's a collaboration with The Legend of Sarna."
"Huh, it really is!"
Looking in the direction I pointed, Momoi's eyes sparkled as she read the signboard. "As long as you finish the special extra spicy curry, you can get a [Master Blade] balloon from The Legend of Sarna as a reward... let's go, Sensei!"
As she spoke, she grabbed my sleeve and hurried toward the shop.
Very good. Judging from her expression and actions, this option was very likely the right choice.
Keeping up with the eager girl, I smiled and asked, "How much affection did that add this time?"
Momoi did not even turn her head. "One hundred million points! Ah, the set is limited daily, hurry hurry!"
This value system was completely broken already, wasn't it?
I shook my head helplessly and said nothing.
As a series that had maintained its popularity in Kivotos for decades, The Legend of Sarna collaboration event naturally attracted plenty of fans. Although there were still available sets and empty seats when Momoi and I entered the shop, there were quite a few orders ahead of us.
"So then, the heroine is very bored while waiting, you know?"
As soon as she sat down, Momoi looked at me with expectant eyes.
If it were a normal couple, going by dating conventions, they would probably chat for a bit.
However, the other party was the unawakened Momoi.
I answered matter of factly, "Of course we play games."
"Exactly!" Momoi, whose hand had already gone into her bag, pulled out a game console. "Hehe∼ but it's a shame you missed one detail, so affection only increases by fifty. Since it's a Sarna series collaboration, of course we should play a Sarna series game!"
After that earlier hundred million spike, two digit changes were basically meaningless.
Just in time, while she played, I could reply to some other students' momotalks.
But the next moment, Momoi unexpectedly stood up, ran over to my side, set up the console, and handed me one of the controllers.
"Sensei, let's play Sarna Warriors All Stars together! This one supports two player co-op!"
Another game I had never played.
"I see. Then I'll be counting on you to carry me."
Momoi confidently patted her chest. "Don't worry∼ I'm a veteran∼"
As for Momoi's gaming skill, I still remained skeptical.
That said, playing together with her was guaranteed to be fun no matter what.
Who could resist a teammate who was bad but loved playing, looked incredibly cute, and would throw herself into my arms for comfort after failing?
Even getting dragged down every time was completely worth it.
Immersed in the world of games, time always passed quickly. Before we knew it, the waiter had already brought over two plates of steaming hot curry rice.
From the bright, oily crimson color alone, it was obvious that the spiciness was no joke.
I realized that even with free ice water provided, today would probably be a hard fought battle.
Momoi saved the game, reluctantly put down the controller, put away the console, pulled her curry in front of her, her expression turning solemn as she pressed her palms together.
"I'm going to eat!"
After saying that, she looked over at me beside her.
...She was not going back to sit across from me?
That doubt only lingered in my mind for a moment. Under the girl's expectant gaze, I also pressed my palms together.
"I'm going to eat."
Then, the two of us began a grueling battle.
"Hahm... hahm..."
Momoi scooped up a heaping spoonful of curry and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing vigorously. Although her face turned bright red from the heat, panting repeatedly, even on the verge of tears, her expression was one of enjoyment.
After several spoonfuls, she gulped down half a cup of ice water, then smiled brightly. "So tasty∼"
Dayum! Kivotos residents are something else, relying on physical physique and halo protection to do whatever they want.
Enduring the burning sensation that ran from my mouth all the way to my stomach, I ate another spoonful with tears in my eyes.
It really was delicious. Even though it was spicy to an uncomfortable degree, it did not completely overpower the other seasonings. But...
If they said extra spicy, they really meant extra spicy!? No wonder the milk based drinks here were so expensive. They already had a collaboration going, could they not at least water it down a bit? This shop was seriously heartless!
Not wanting to waste food, and not wanting to ruin the mood of the person beside me, I could only continue fighting on.
After a great deal of effort, I finally forced it all down, successfully earning the [Master Blade] balloon prize.
Stepping out of the shop, I looked up at the sky, feeling as though I had returned from another world.
"Heh∼ ha!"
Momoi, on the other hand, swung the sword shaped balloon enthusiastically through the air like a child who had gotten her favorite toy, or rather, exactly like one.
In any case, she asked me happily, "Sensei Sensei, look! It's really accurate, right?"
How should I put it.
Seeing Momoi's smile made all my efforts feel worth it.
That said, after eating something this spicy, my stomach would not end up having problems, right... to the point that from now on I could only eat soft food?
"Alright, next stop, go go!"
Just as mentioned earlier, the street Momoi deliberately chose was deeply connected to games.
That afternoon, Momoi and I visited many more places, merchandise shops for various popular titles, exhibition halls displaying game consoles through the ages, and bookstores specializing in game information... in the blink of an eye, night had fully fallen.
Colorful neon lights gradually lit up, making the street scene as bright as day.
Walking beside me with a shopping bag in hand, Momoi sighed with emotion.
"Mmm.... we went to so many places today∼ Being with Sensei all day was really fun!"
Unlike her, my biggest takeaway from the day was that even Momoi was, in fact, a girl.
At least when it came to exhausting people by shopping, it was truly something she was born good at.
Combined with her excessive energy, even I had been worn down to the point of exhaustion.
That aside though, overall, I did have quite a bit of fun on this date.
So I smiled and said, "I had a great time with you too, Momoi."
"Mm, yeah..." Momoi scratched her cheek. "Ehehe∼ that's really great then∼"
The atmosphere had now reached the end of the date.
Remembering that the fundamental goal of this outing was simulated romance simulation, I was more concerned about another question.
"So, what's the ending?"
However, upon hearing that, Momoi looked confused.
"...Ending? What do you mean?"
This girl had gotten so carried away that she forgot what she came here to do, huh. Honestly, that fit perfectly with my impression of her being unreliable.
I could only remind her. "The ending of today's simulation. Didn't you say it would change based on affection?"
"...Ah, right! That's true!"
Momoi hurriedly tried to salvage things, then muttered softly to herself. "I got too absorbed and forgot everything..."
I heard that. So that really was the case. She was hopeless.
I discreetly curled my lip.
I truly wondered how long it would take before Momoi could genuinely mature.
Still, even this part of her, being playful and easily forgetting important things and constantly causing headaches, felt like one of Momoi's charms when I looked back on it.
At the very least, I did not mind too much.
"So, today's final affection toward Sensei is, um..."
After hesitating for a long while, Momoi gave a dry laugh. "I-it's Happy Ending∼ clap clap, congratulations!"
She definitely did not calculate anything. Completely as expected.
As long as I did not expect anything from Momoi, Momoi would never disappoint me.
"That's great, Sensei! You successfully captured the heroine!"
I smiled. "Yeah. That's great."
"...Huh? Why are you suddenly responding like such an adult? I-is this what a dating master looks like...?"
I wished I were. I had come partly with the idea of practice, but after a whole day, aside from the enjoyment I gained, my experience bar had not moved at all.
"Rather than affection," I complained, "you were actually just deciding everything based on your own mood, right?"
"Eh? Yeah."
Momoi nodded in agreement.
So she really had not written any script beforehand. Even if she had, she probably forgot all of it because she was having too much fun.
In other words, it had no reference value at all.
I shook my head inwardly and casually said, "Then doesn't so called successfully capturing the heroine just mean capturing Momoi?"
Momoi suddenly stared at me blankly, eyes wide open.
That reaction was pretty interesting.
I joked, "What's wrong? In other words, Momoi, you just admitted that you've already come to like me, right? That interpretation is fine, isn't it?"
Making a joke like that to a girl who had not yet awakened to romance should only earn a flustered, angry denial.
At least, that was what I thought.
"Th-this... I..."
Under the surrounding lights, I clearly saw Momoi's fair cheeks rapidly dyed a deep red.
...Huh?
Was it really that embarrassing...?
And just as I noticed something was off about Momoi, before I could fully process it, a burning sensation that I was extremely familiar with, yet had never expected to appear at this moment, came from my chest pocket.
Only then did I realize what had happened.
Wait!? Momoi!? Momoi!??
No way, were you really trying to steal a march!?
"S-s-sorry Sensei, I suddenly remembered something important..."
"Wait a moment! I have something important to ask you!"
I stepped forward quickly and held Momoi by the shoulders as she stammered and backed away, seemingly trying to escape.
Momoi instinctively tried to struggle free, but hesitated and did not. Instead, the redness on her face deepened further. Her eyes darted away, refusing to meet mine, her voice carrying a strong sense of bravado masking weakness.
"W-what is it... can't we talk about it on momotalk...?"
The girl with the character for peach in her name now truly had cheeks as red as peaches, tender and ripe.
I swallowed, doing my best to calm the chaotic thoughts stirred by the sudden impact.
To be honest, Momoi was indeed a very cute girl. I had to admit that I did harbor a certain desire and possessiveness toward her...
But before now, I had always viewed her as an immature little sister.
In terms of mental maturity, was Momoi not even below Midori?
When I thought of the other girls who clearly held extremely high affection for me yet had still not been captured, a vague guess surfaced in my mind.
Could it be... that the card's so called "successful capture" condition was not actually based on romantic feelings between a man and a woman, as I had always believed?
The moment this thought appeared, it quickly took root and sprouted within me, and another important clue I had previously overlooked resurfaced in my memory.
My first meeting with Wakamo was in Schale's underground. According to Wakamo, she fell in love with me at first sight. I believed she would not lie to me, and judging from the name of the authority I obtained, that indeed seemed to be the case.
Compared to my original assumption, that the credit card appeared in my pocket for no reason and only then judged the capture...
It now seemed more logical that the capture succeeded first, which then caused the judgment card to appear.
But this was only a hypothesis.
And if I wanted to verify it, was there not a perfect test case right in front of me right now?
I took a deep breath, held Momoi's head properly, and brought my face close, forcing her to meet my eyes.
"It's too... mm, too close..."
Even Momoi, who was usually fearless, could show such a timid side?
Feeling the warmth of the girl's cheeks in my palms, I said in a low voice, "Momo, since we reached a Happy Ending, can I collect the CG now?"
"Th-this..."
Momoi hesitated for a long time, then finally clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, wearing an expression as if facing death.
Her tail behind her, however, wagged with anticipation.
...That posture alone was enough confirmation.
Momoi, oh Momoi... I really underestimated you...
Even though the seed of doubt had already been planted in my heart, right now, I still had something more important to do.
Responding to the girl's expectations was also my responsibility.