Ch.8989. Peach Blossom and Vine (2)

[YOU WIN!!]

Cheerful background music played as the two characters from earlier were running with different expressions.

The match was already decided.

The character smiling brightly in victory was Yuri’s, while the cute mushroom-shaped character I had been controlling was waving its hand with an expression of relief at barely finishing the race.

“Argh… Why… Why can’t I win a single Grand Prix race…”

“Well… I have quite a lot of playtime in this game, you know?”

“Again, let’s go again. I’m sure I can definitely win the next round…!”

“Hmm. That’ll be difficult. Putting aside the rankings… you came in quite a while after I did, didn’t you?”

“No, I can reduce that gap! My item luck was just bad! If only I had gotten better items…!”

“What are you talking about? With that distance between us… there were plenty of blue shells… and tons of bullet bills, weren’t there?”

“Ugh… T-that… Wait, how do you know about that…?”

“I could see it on the screen right next to me…? And I can tell by intuition. I’m experienced at games. Hehe… Now you have to fulfill my request, Bine?”

“Ugh… What do you want…”

“Since we competed over what to call each other… you have to call me ‘unnie’?”

“…Next round.”

“Nope. You’ll lose again, so let’s just wrap it up here?”

“Ugh… Fine. Then another game, okay? You must have one, right? A gaming enthusiast like Yuri must have more games…!”

“Yep, I have games. But not for ‘Yuri’…”

“…Hah. Are you serious? Do you really want me to call you by that title that badly?”

“Hehe… Come on? It’s not that hard? Say ‘unnie’~”

“……”

“Come on?”

Yuri asked me with a teasing expression.

She was subtly poking my cheek while urging me to call her unnie.

Even though we made a bet… how am I supposed to call a magical girl weaker than me “unnie”…

I really felt like I could win if we played just one more round…

“Hey… Unnie only focused on this, right? Come on, Bine? Say un.nie?”

“…Un…”

“Nie?”

“…Unnie.”

“What? I can’t hear you, it’s too quiet?”

“…Unnie.”

“Huh? Which unnie?”

“Yuri… unnie…”

This is humiliating.

It’s embarrassing.

So embarrassing that I can feel my face heating up in real time.

“That’s right. I’m Bine’s good unnie, Yuri unnie. Hehe…”

“Ugh… What’s so great about it that you’re giggling and smirking like that…”

“Do you have any idea how happy it makes me to have a cute little sister call me ‘unnie’? Hehe… That’s right, Bine little sister! This unnie… will adore you this much?”

Saying that, she started pinching and poking my cheeks, playing around mischievously.

“Oww… That hurts… Let go, Yuri…”

“Not Yuri, but unnie!”

“Unnie…! Let go!”

“Tsk… Fine. So today… you have to call me unnie all day?”

“Ugh… What will the others think when they come back… Can’t you let me off until they return…?”

“Nope. Not possible. I need to show everyone that I’m Bine’s unnie. Unnie wants to show off her Bine little sister!”

“Tch… Stubborn…”

“We promised, didn’t we? Now, let’s stop with the competitive games… Want to try something more relaxing? How about a farming simulation game?”

“You mean the one with animal villagers?”

At my question, Yuri set me aside for a moment and pulled out a game from the box of game cartridges to show me.

“This one. Do you know this game, Bine?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I remember playing the version from two generations ago.”

“Huh? If it’s that old, isn’t that quite some time ago?”

“I wasn’t in this body back then. Didn’t I tell you that playing games with you is almost my first experience in this body?”

“Ah… I see? Then, Bine… your age?”

“That’s even less reason to call you ‘unnie,’ isn’t it?”

“No. Bine is completely a little kid now. When we first met, you had a very childlike mentality? This unnie still thinks you’re a little kid. That solves everything.”

“…Talking more about this will only disadvantage me. Fine, fine, I’m a young… child. Yes… Hah. Are you satisfied now…”

“Yep. Bine is a child. Those memories are from your past life.”

“Well… I’m still about the same age as Blanc, though…”

“But you’re still unnie’s little sister Bine. Yep. That’s how it should be.”

“Sigh… Really. Even though my body is like this, my mind is already mature. It’s state-certified. I went to a real prison, not a juvenile detention center.”

“Well. That’s because you did something wrong, right?”

“That’s true, but… Anyway, that’s not what we’re talking about.”

“Right, right. Unnie understands everything. Now… will you call me ‘unnie’ again? It feels so good. Hehehe…”

Even while inserting the game cartridge, Yuri persistently tormented me, enjoying making me call her unnie. She returned to the sofa and sat me on her lap again.

“Come on~ Let’s play a fun game with unnie?”

“Ugh… Are you putting me on your lap again?”

“It’s comfortable, isn’t it? You’re at the age where you should miss unnie’s embrace. Right?”

“…Yuri is some—”

“Unnie.”

“…Hah. Unnie is sometimes obsessive in strange ways…”

“Really? Hmm… Is that so? Me?”

“…When your desires were amplified, or anyway, it was quite serious in many ways.”

“Me…? Hmm… Thinking about it, I guess I do have that side? But… the reason it got worse… wasn’t it because of you, Bine?”

“What? How is it my fault?”

“Well… After ‘that incident’… there was a change in my heart? I became too honest with my feelings?”

“How is that my fault?”

“…The one who was closest to me then… if not the machine, it was you, Bine…?”

“That’s not a valid reason to blame me… The changes after the corruption was lifted… I don’t think that’s our responsibility.”

“No… After making someone’s heart like that… shouldn’t you take responsibility? It took quite some effort to undo the corruption and brainwashing… and even after that…”

“Hah. Fine, fine. Yes, yes. It’s all my fault. Villain, bad guy, of course Bine is the bad one. Yuri.”

“Yuri?”

“…Unnie.”

“That’s right. Don’t forget to call me unnie? Because you owe me? Wait a minute, Bine. You owe me and you lost? Then, shouldn’t you keep calling me unnie from now on?”

Yuri’s melted expression changed slightly to one of expectation.

Does she want the title of “unnie” so badly that she’s willing to burden me like this?

“That’s a bit much. If I give you special treatment, it’s obvious the other magical girls will object.”

“Why? Isn’t ‘unnie’ a bit different from the nicknames you call me?”

“Well… I think they’re similar.”

“Eh? But… couldn’t we use both? Unnie… is different from a name? It describes our relationship, so isn’t it okay?”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it… Though I don’t see why you need to be so stubborn about it. By that logic, how unfair would it be for Crybaby? Don’t you think? I think it’s right to ask others too. Of course, I personally prefer the nicknames as before. Unemployed Unnie.”

“Hmm… Unemployed Unnie… I prefer just unnie, but… Unemployed Unnie… Okay, shall we compromise on that?”

“Didn’t I just say this isn’t just between us… It’s not something we can resolve with a compromise.”

“Tsk… Then if I get permission from the others, will you call me that?”

“No, that’s not going to happen…”

I wonder why she wants to be called unnie so badly.

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand why.

I should probably just go along with Yuri’s stubbornness.

Sigh.

For today at least… humiliating as it is, I should call her unnie.

Somehow, if Yuri succeeds in convincing the others and still wants me to call her unnie after today.

Hmm… I’ll think about it when the time comes.

“…So, anyway. …Unnie, are you really going to just play games all day?”

After barely managing to call her unnie, Yuri answered with happy eyes.

“Unnie… hehehe… Hmm… Is there something you want to do? Isn’t it bothersome?”

“Why are you asking me that…”

“But… I really don’t feel like moving…”

“…Unemployed Unnie.”

“Hmm… Unemployed… I’m a freelancer though… I do earn money…”

“Your behavior isn’t any different.”

“W-well… Let’s play games a little more… then go out to eat?”

“Hmm… Unnie has a place in mind, right?”

“…Not really?”

“What do you mean ‘not really’?”

“Hmm… Really anything. I don’t have any cravings…”

“…Hah. Do I have to choose this for you too?”

“I’d be happy if you did… Well, I’m done. Shall we think about it while playing?”

“…Asking someone like you, who’s such a mess, to be called ‘unnie’ is too much, don’t you think?”

Despite my weak complaint, Yuri just grinned and handed me the controller again.

“Come on… It’s nice to choose together, isn’t it?”

The game started with warm, sunny background music.

A peaceful island scene with animal villagers strolling leisurely.

“Let’s decide while fishing together?”

“Well… fishing, huh.”

“Real fishing is just hot, cold, and tiring, right? This has quite a good feel to it, I tell you?”

“Fine, I understand. You still don’t have anything you want to eat, right?”

“Hmm… We just ate not long ago, right? So, we also need to think about what to do when we go out… Should we fish for a while…?”

“Why just fish? We can play other parts of the game too.”

“That’s true? Considering dinner time… and preparation time… it should work out… Yeah, let’s start.”

Yuri pressed the button on her controller to begin the game.