Chapter 7
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 7 – The Tsundere’s First Defeat
—–CROW—–
Nintendo Switch.
Made in a neighboring country, but quite popular and in demand in our country as well.
Especially when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world.
Back then, the game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” boasted immense popularity.
Since people couldn’t go outside, everyone rushed to buy it, hoping to find healing within the game.
Of course, Han Seo-ah and I already had one.
We were serious gamers, owning every generation of consoles before the Switch.
Anyway.
That wasn’t important right now.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and bring it.”
“…Do you really have to get revenge in such a violent way?”
The important thing was that the look in Han Seo-ah’s eyes had completely changed.
“You called me an idiot. So I have to show you. Whether I’m really an idiot or not.”
“What kind of crazy person proves they’re not an idiot through a game…”
“Well, I’m that crazy person, so hurry up and bring it.”
[Sorry, Si-woo. Even though I like you, I can’t stand this.]
She only got like this when her pride was on the line.
She called me an idiot all the time without a second thought.
I felt incredibly wronged, but I had no choice but to comply.
I knew better than anyone how scary Han Seo-ah could be when her pride was wounded.
The most memorable incident was this:
We went to a PC cafe together, and some guy next to us gave her unsolicited advice. Han Seo-ah proceeded to torment him in 1v1 matches for an hour.
‘…I don’t think I ever saw that guy at the PC cafe again.’
Like this, Han Seo-ah was more serious than anyone when it came to games.
And once she was riled up, no one in the world could stop this runaway train named Han Seo-ah.
Feeling like a prisoner being led to the execution ground, I brought the game console, and Han Seo-ah smiled brightly.
“You brought it so easily. Why did you complain so much?”
“Maybe you should reconsider…”
“Now, since it’s a rare gaming occasion, we should have a bet, right?”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t you think so? Games are always more fun with something at stake.”
[The Si-woo I know definitely won’t try his best. I need to have some insurance.]
“…”
How did she know I wouldn’t try my best?
I was planning to lose on purpose if I got the chance and end the game quickly.
Was this the intuition of a childhood friend who’d known me for over ten years?
But why didn’t I know Han Seo-ah this well?
Anyway.
That wasn’t important right now either.
Han Seo-ah, still smiling, said,
“Hmm… Okay, let’s do that.”
“Do what, you nerd?”
“A wish! The loser grants the winner one wish.”
“…”
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“Of course not. I’ve barely ever beaten you. Why would I agree to a wish bet?”
“It’s okay, your opinion wasn’t important anyway.”
Here you go.
Han Seo-ah, boldly declaring ‘Since when did you have the upper hand?’, threw the controller at me.
“What game do you want to play?”
“Is there an option not to…”
“Okay, let’s play Super Smash Bros.!”
Han Seo-ah ignored me and took out the game cartridge.
‘Whirr’
The sound of the cartridge being inserted filled the air, and the TV screen turned black.
‘Click’
Han Seo-ah pressed a button, and the “Super Smash Bros.” game screen appeared.
A very familiar screen.
We used to play this game often before college, back in high school.
The reason we played less after graduating wasn’t because the game wasn’t fun, but simply because we didn’t have the time.
College assignments, classes, studying for certifications, and so on.
Countless responsibilities we couldn’t have imagined as minors had piled up on us.
It was only natural that our gaming time decreased.
And this was good news for me.
“…What were the controls again?”
I was generally worse at games than Han Seo-ah.
But since it had been so long, I had a decent chance.
In this respect, games were similar to riding a bicycle.
Just as bicycles needed regular oiling to run smoothly, games required regular playing to maintain one’s skills.
But as I just mentioned, our skills were rusty.
Assuming we’d lost the same percentage of skill, Han Seo-ah would have declined more than me.
If someone with a skill level of 80 lost half, they’d drop to 40.
But if someone with a skill level of 100 lost half, they’d drop to 50.
And my assumption soon proved to be correct.
“Eek!”
“Wow, she missed that. Han Seo-ah has really become a has-been.”
“…So annoying.”
Han Seo-ah made a ridiculous mistake and missed the “Smash Ball,” the most important item in the game.
I seized the opportunity, grabbed the “Smash Ball” with a skill I’d been saving, and then lightly launched her character with a finishing move.
Since we’d set the character’s lives to one from the start, I was the final victor.
“Any last words, Miss Stupid Idiot?”
“…”
“What? Proving you’re not an idiot through a game? Now, who said that?”
“…So annoying.”
Han Seo-ah threw the controller onto the blanket with a frown.
Since no inner thoughts appeared this time, her annoyance seemed genuine.
But, well.
Annoyed or not, a bet was a bet.
“So, I can make a wish now, right?”
“But this game…”
“You’re not going to back out or call it a draw now, are you? The great Han Seo-ah?”
“…Just tell me your wish.”
Han Seo-ah gave up, as if she had nothing more to say.
“A wish… what kind of wish should I make to become legendary?”
“Whatever you wish for won’t become legendary.”
“Who knows? I might ask you to do something weird and tell everyone about it.”
“…”
Han Seo-ah’s expression froze in real-time, as if she hadn’t considered that possibility.
This was it.
All my previous losses were just strategic retreats to see this expression.
Definitely not because I was utterly defeated.
Han Seo-ah was trembling slightly.
“…What are you going to wish for?”
“Well, what would be good? I haven’t thought about it specifically yet.”
“You’re not going to ask for something weird, are you?”
“Who knows? Depends on you.”
“…So annoying.”
Han Seo-ah’s cheeks puffed out with those words.
She clearly still thought she was in high school.
‘Why is she so cute?’
Of course, the weirder one here was me, finding that cute.
How did things end up like this?
Me, finding Han Seo-ah cute.
Averting my gaze from her cheeks, I asked the question I’d been most curious about regarding this bet.
“What’s the limit for the wish?”
“…Limit?”
“Yeah, there has to be a line somewhere.”
“…Pervert. What are you planning to do to me?”
[Am I really going to be taken advantage of now? Like in a typical R-18 web novel?]
[…Wait, isn’t that a good thing? I think it would be okay if it’s Si-woo.]
Han Seo-ah’s inner thoughts reappeared along with her accusation.
She was the one asking me if I was reading weird light novels earlier.
No matter how I looked at it, she was the one reading strange novels these days.
No normal person would think like that.
What kind of normal person would think being taken advantage of(?) was a good thing?
I felt like I needed to state my wish quickly to correct her terrible misunderstanding.
“Is this okay?”
“…What is?”
“Be my slave for a month.”
“…Are you serious?”
[Being Si-woo’s exclusive slave wouldn’t be so bad…]
[If that’s really his wish, I’d have to call him Master for a month? That doesn’t sound bad.]
Which tune should I dance to?
She was spewing insults, but her inner thoughts were saying she liked the idea.
Thinking about it any longer would drive me crazy with confusion.
“Forget it. I’ll postpone it.”
“…Postpone?”
“Yeah. We didn’t say I had to make my wish right away when we made the bet.”
“…Fine. But since you postponed it, lower the intensity of your wish.”
“Okay, I agree to that.”
“Good. I’m leaving now.”
Han Seo-ah got up abruptly, still seemingly upset.
[…I was honestly a little excited. Si-woo’s not that bold yet.]
[Should I take the lead next time?]
Of course, I knew her outward display was fake, seeing her inner thoughts.
“I’m going.”
“Yeah, see you. Don’t leave me behind tomorrow.”
“…Are you my alarm clock? Why are you complaining to me about you not waking up?”
[Si-woo asked me to wake him up directly. Hehe, I’ll definitely wake him up myself tomorrow.]
The first day I started seeing my childhood friend’s inner thoughts as sentences.
The dissonance between her spoken words and her inner thoughts hadn’t lessened one bit.
—–CROW—–
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