Chapter 42: Horikita Suzune, Shattered Silently
???
Countless question marks surfaced in Sakura Airi's mind.
Why did Shiina Hiyori come to a game store? Wait, wait, wait? Could it be... because of Katsuragi-kun?! Is Shiina going to give Katsuragi-kun a gift?
Airi's brain began to spin at high speed. However, this time, it was Shiina Hiyori who spoke first:
"Sakura-san, is your destination also here?"
Shiina Hiyori was equally curious about Sakura Airi. She had initially thought Airi was going to buy daily necessities, but the girl had followed her all the way to the gaming section before stopping.
"I, I, I..." The words got stuck in Airi's throat. After struggling for a while without being able to speak, she could only nod.
"I see. I suppose Sakura-san has the same idea as I do."
"The same idea?" Airi's speech system seemed to have been successfully repaired; her words suddenly became fluent.
"I chatted a lot with Katsuragi-kun and became very interested in the stories he told... I want to understand those stories further, so I planned to experience the games firsthand. Perhaps it is somewhat similar to reading," Shiina Hiyori said with a smile.
After seeing Katsuragi Keima's "stories," Hiyori had become curious about games as a medium. Much like books, games were carriers of stories, though she had never encountered them before. During their previous chat, Keima told her that games could provide a sense of immersion that surpassed books, which piqued her interest.
Similarly... she was also curious about Katsuragi Keima himself.
She could sense that Keima was the same type of person as her. Moreover, through Elsie's description, Keima seemed very knowledgeable about mystery novels as well, which gave Hiyori the feeling of having found a kindred spirit. Curious about games and wishing to understand Keima better, she had come here.
"Sakura-san is here for the same reason, I assume."
"Mm... mm..." At this moment, Airi had no idea how to respond. She was too embarrassed to say she actually wanted to buy a game to give to Keima as a gift. So, she could only brace herself and nod.
"Let's go in, then."
"Mm..."
Airi and Hiyori walked inside together. Just then, a somewhat familiar voice came from within.
"Honestly, what are these names? I can't find it at all!"
Airi heard the voice and her eyes widened slightly. She knew exactly who the owner of that voice was.
Horikita Suzune.
Right now, Horikita was scanning the rows of game cases with an impatient look. She had come here specifically to fulfill her previous promise to give Keima a game. The formation of her study group had failed today, and Horikita was feeling extremely irritable, but she was not the type of person to go back on her word.
She had previously thought about asking Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to help her buy the game, but she didn't want anyone to know about this—she had only told Ayanokouji about the bet with Keima, not the part about promising him a game. So, in the end, she came to buy it herself.
"That guy, Katsuragi..."
Frowning, Horikita looked down at her terminal, specifically the messages Keima had sent earlier.
[Katsuragi Keima]: Don't forget about the game!
[Katsuragi Keima]: That's the reward for me agreeing to have lunch with you. You can't welsh on it.
[Katsuragi Keima]: Since you're gifting it, don't buy a duplicate. I want "Youthful Love: Ruthlessly Discipline My Tsundere Little Sister (Collector's Edition)."
After arriving in this world, Keima had immediately searched for various Galgame titles and even made himself a "clearance list."
"That guy actually had the nerve to set conditions! And how can he type out that title so nonchalantly?!" Horikita said through gritted teeth.
She had intended to just buy the game and leave, but after searching for several rounds, she couldn't find it.
"Hello, may I help you with something?" A shop assistant walked up to Horikita and asked. "Are you looking for a game? Some of our physical cartridges aren't on display. If you give us the title, we can check the inventory for you."
"I want—" The words reached Horikita's lips and stopped abruptly.
'How could I possibly say that name out loud! Wait, that guy Katsuragi isn't trying to embarrass me on purpose, is he? He really underestimates me; I'm not that stupid.'
Horikita gave a cold laugh and then displayed her terminal screen to the assistant. "I want this. I'm helping someone else..."
"We happen to have that in stock! Please wait a moment." The assistant immediately went to search through the cabinets.
"Honestly." Horikita closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. Now, she just wanted to buy the game and get out of there as quickly as possible.
The moment she opened her eyes, she made eye contact with Sakura Airi.
"Sakura?"
"Ho-ho-ho-Horikita-san?" Seeing Horikita's gaze turn toward her, Airi hurriedly looked elsewhere.
'Why is Horikita-san here? Oh, right, it's because she promised Katsuragi-kun a game...' Airi felt a twinge of envy toward Horikita's decisive way of doing things.
Horikita, meanwhile, frowned as she looked at Airi. Why was she here? And who was the person next to her? Her gaze focused on Shiina Hiyori.
"I am Shiina Hiyori from Class C. Nice to meet you." Hiyori greeted Horikita very politely.
"Horikita Suzune. Nice to meet you," Horikita replied somewhat coldly. The girl in front of her was from Class C. In other words, a future rival.
"I assume Horikita-san is also a friend of Katsuragi-kun?" Hiyori asked with a smile. Her reasoning was simple: Horikita was here, and her gaze had been wandering around the Galgame section.
"Friend? I am definitely not his friend! I just happened to be passing by and accidentally walked into this place!"
Horikita prepared to turn and leave immediately. But at that exact moment, the shop assistant came rushing back clutching a game box and hurried over to Horikita.
"Hello, customer! I found the 'Youthful Love: Ruthlessly Discipline My Tsundere Little Sister (Collector's Edition)' you wanted! This is an obscure masterpiece; most people don't even know the name!"
Horikita: "..."
Hiyori: "..."
Sakura: "..."
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