Estimated reading time: 6–8 minutes
Chapter 38
The woman who shouted 「Orange!」 looked about two years older than me with a flashy appearance. Her hair was dyed red and she wore revealing, distinctive clothes. They were probably from some brand, and her heavy makeup gave off an even more mature vibe than her looks suggested.
On the other hand, the glasses-wearing upperclassman was a tall guy with black hair and black eyes. He wore a casual jacket a bit awkwardly and had a clean-cut air about him. Seeing me, he tilts his head at the puzzled woman and addresses me.
「What is it?」
「Ah, um, I’m a new student, and…」
「Hm? …Oh, okay.」
I timidly reply to his curt question, and the glasses upperclassman makes an annoyed face. But after glancing at the girl behind him, he seems a little conflicted before turning back to me. His annoyance seems to have increased, but at least he doesn’t look like he’s going to ignore me and leave me hanging.
「Do you know her?」
「No, I don’t, but… could it be that the color of my clothes is today’s lucky color?」
「I don’t remember her being into horoscopes, but I suppose that would make sense.」
We’re vibing. Lately whenever I express my views, people give me weird looks for some reason, so it’s refreshing to be understood for once. The woman called Aika who was listening to our conversation is opening and closing her mouth like a fish. A fish with too many decorations for one that’s run out of oxygen, that is.
Anyway, I’d better not keep him too long. I open my terminal and show him the course registration page.
「I wanted to ask about course registration.」
「…I see, so that’s why you called out to me. But it’ll take a while if I explain everything. What did you want to know?」
「Well, first, the standard way to take classes over the four years…」
I barrage the glasses upperclassman, who seems to understand what I’m talking about after looking at my terminal, with questions. Apparently he also stumbled with course registration, and kindly teaches me the standard style. I see, so that’s how you read this confusing chart. The graduation requirements are right in the middle of the site, but the advancement requirements are hidden in a corner. That’s practically fraud. So that’s why I need to get the mandatory classes out of the way ASAP.
College course registration is such bullshit, the two of us gripe as we sit on a nearby bench and continue our conversation. After about 10 minutes of talking, I start to get the general idea.
「I see, there are surprisingly few options.」
「It’s a real pain in the ass. You have my sympathy.」
「I spent all of yesterday wrestling with it and still couldn’t win. I’ve been tired lately. Maybe I’ve been gaming too much.」
「…That does sound like way too much time spent on it. It’s way easier than studying for exams… is what I’d like to say, but I can’t really talk since I’ve been the same lately. Feeling constantly tired even after sleeping, thoughts not coming together when studying, half-assing things. By the way, what games have you been playing?」
「I like robot stuff, so I’m going through the backlog that piled up during exam season. Like Super Robot Wars, Armored Gear, Custom Machine, that kind of thing.」
「Those are famous titles. I want to try them too, but I don’t know where to start.」
The woman said she had to take a call and went off a short distance. Once she comes back, I’ll have the info I wanted, so maybe we should part ways… is what I’m thinking, but she’s taking a while. Honestly, I’d feel bad interrupting their date.
But will I ever get a girlfriend in my college life? Momiji and Reina are clearly close, and the distance between them is way smaller than with others. If the girlfriends I met in 「HAO」 are truly an accurate depiction of reality, then the fact that I could get close to them if I just make a hard push is proof that things could develop that way, but it’s just a game, so I shouldn’t put too much stock in it.
…Which makes me think, confess and there’s a chance? But there’s still a bit of hesitation in my heart. It’s like, a sense of sanctity towards love, you could say. Remembering my experiences in 「HAO」, I find myself balking at the idea of charging in on nothing but desire and a bit of affection. I feel like it would cheapen that parting.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, the glasses upperclassman says with a disappointed look on his face,
「I see, so you don’t play HAO.」
「I did. But it was the stuff of legends, you know? It was only playable for 7 days even though it’s been 30 days since the service started. I heard it resumed service a few days ago though.」
「It’s a real problem when the service is that unstable. In online games, sometimes all you get to do is the busywork and you finish without being able to put together the setup you were going for…」
「You’re pretty knowledgeable, huh.」
「Gaming and studying are my hobbies.」
I’m surprised at how much I have in common with the glasses upperclassman. Maybe he’s starting to enjoy himself; the annoyed look is gone from his face, and he seems to be having fun. The woman still isn’t back, so I decide to keep the conversation going.
「What kind of setup do you use in HAO?」
「I specialize in AP. I heard that APs got a major boost in the latest update, so I tried using them and got hooked. I had a match with another AP user in the arena, and man, was it intense.」
「…Arena?」
「Yeah, apparently it wasn’t in the game before. And they added more equipment, so I’ve got my machine adjusted for close-quarters combat with a mass of minus-mass guns.」
…I feel like I’m being told about another world. At the same time, I can feel my craving for 「HAO」 slowly coming back. The fact that they’re adding that much in an update means they’re probably not planning to end the service any time soon. In which case, I want to try playing as an AP while I have the chance.
I can play 「Custom Machine」 any time, but I might not be able to play 「HAO」 next month. If APs have gotten that big of an update, I should play now while I can.
「Tsu-chan, sorryyy! Did I keep you waiting~!?!?」
The woman comes back after finishing her call. I’m not really sure why her sweet voice suddenly turned to shock. Overreacting might be cuter, but her timing is clearly off.
「Then let’s play at 6 PM today. Oh, I’m Mishima Kanji. First-year in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.」
「Got it. I’m Nakamoto Tsuyoshi, a second-year in Mechanical Engineering. The one who just got back is my girlfriend, Urairo Aika. Nice to meet you.」
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