A teammate pressed one button to use a skill; press two, and you got their family tree.
Nagasaki Sose pulled the blanket up over half her face and looked at Riki.
"Riki."
"Hmm?" Riki turned around at the doorway.
"...Never mind."
Were you trying to summon a skill here or something?
The bedroom door was half open, and through the gap, Nagasaki Sose could see Riki in the living room.
All she had to do was call out, and he would come over.
That was what he'd said.
Nagasaki Sose had heard her parents say those words to her countless times: "Sorry, I'll definitely take you out next time." "Soyo, sorry, I won't be home tonight." "Something urgent came up at work. You'll be all right by yourself tonight, won't you, Soyo?"
Every time, Nagasaki Sose had smiled as she answered, but no one ever responded to what she said next.
But as long as she called out, Riki would come over.
Nagasaki Sose closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. A faint smile curved her lips as she slept soundly.
Early morning.
"Soyo, are you awake?"
Riki pushed open the door and walked into Nagasaki Sose's bedroom. She was unbuttoning her pajamas, revealing her delicate collarbones and fair skin. The second button was undone, and the narrow cleft between her breasts was just visible. Her full, rounded curves hardly seemed those of a high school student.
Nagasaki Sose stared blankly at Riki, who had barged in without warning.
Riki realized at once.
This was a topic he absolutely couldn't touch.
Without changing his expression, Riki turned around, walked out, and closed the door. He heard the rustle of clothes from inside. A little while later, the door opened, and Nagasaki Sose, her face flushed with embarrassment, narrowed her eyes at him.
She really thinks I'm that kind of guy... Riki almost said, but Nagasaki Sose's spiritual pressure was so terrifying that even he had to retreat.
To his surprise, though, Nagasaki Sose said nothing. She just gave a quiet huff and walked right past him.
"?" Riki.
What's going on? Is she already too good to talk to me?
"You said lots of people watch the video. Where can I find it?" Nagasaki Sose asked.
She wound a strand of hair around her finger, tucking her embarrassment away in her heart.
Riki really does like them big, doesn't he?
What a pervert.
"Oh, right, it's here." Riki brought over the computer, glancing at Nagasaki Sose cautiously.
Her complexion was rosy, and she seemed to have recovered from her cold. But why was she so much less aggressive today?
Nagasaki Sose's aggression lost to the illness. Why would I dream something like that?
When Nagasaki Sose saw that Riki's Bilibili homepage was recommending dance videos, she immediately gave him a look of disdain. "At least hide this stuff when you're around a girl, would you?"
Her aggression was back.
"Can't blame me. It's my uncle's recommendation algorithm. I don't know why he keeps recommending all these dance videos with bodhisattvas in them," Riki explained.
I only like and save them, that's all.
Nagasaki Sose watched the video of herself and Riki. She was holding her cello, while Riki sat at the piano. The sunlight was just right, and she couldn't help getting lost in the scene.
But the comments below were a little strange, and she furrowed her brows.
"Is this episode vegetarian, Soyo-san? Love~"
"Lao Lu, where'd you find a girl who's just like the original and knows music, too?"
"If this episode's about Soyo, can I have Sakiko since you don't want her?"
"Seriously, you animal, how many girlfriends do you have?"
Damn it, they see short sleeves and think of pale arms; they see a girl and decide she's my girlfriend?
"Doesn't it make you mad?" Riki asked Nagasaki Sose. "You can block them if you want."
"It's your account, and it doesn't matter if they say a few more things." Nagasaki Sose glanced at Riki. "Or do you really think of me as your girlfriend?"
Riki's mind flashed to the pale skin he'd just seen and Nagasaki Sose's flushed face.
"Of course not," Riki said.
"...Is that so?"
Nagasaki Sose's expression was calm, but something felt off to Riki. She was acting a little strange today.
"You wrote 'Wedding,' didn't you?" Nagasaki Sose asked, looking at Riki. "It has the same style as your previous pieces, so you deliberately wrote it to distract me back then?"
N-no, no, no... I didn't!
"Why did you call it 'Wedding'?" Nagasaki Sose asked directly, ignoring Riki's awkward expression.
Riki thought for a moment. "You've missed having your family around, haven't you? Your... father's gone somewhere, and your mother's busy all the time, so you barely get to see her. But if you meet someone you love in the future, he'll always be there for you. I wrote this piece with that kind of beautiful wish for you in mind."
Nagasaki Sose looked at Riki, then suddenly asked, "Why do you say I'll find someone I love in the future?"
Riki froze for a moment.
"You've noticed, haven't you? The person I like so much right now..."
Nagasaki Sose suddenly leaned closer to Riki, their cheeks nearly touching.
Riki could almost see her delicate, fair skin. Her sweet breath made his thoughts wander, and her beautiful eyes gazed directly at him, seemingly filled with an unexpected affection.
"You..." Riki couldn't help saying.
"I really like everyone in Crychic." Nagasaki Sose sat back down, her tone calm. "You didn't think I liked you, did you? I'm terribly sorry, but I don't have those kinds of feelings for you. Don't flatter yourself."
Someone get me a clown nose. Get me a clown nose!
Riki secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Nagasaki Sose had been confessing just then, he really wouldn't have known what to do.
Nagasaki Sose saw Riki's relieved expression and tightened her grip on her arm a little, lowering her eyes.
This is the person Sakiko likes.
So in her heart, Riki should stay someone she dislikes.
Nagasaki Sose would always dislike Riki. Even if she fell for him, she had to keep disliking him.
But... why does it hurt so much?
I want someone I can love, too.
Riki felt his crotch vibrating.
It was his phone. His advisor was calling.
"Riki, I've seen your new piece. It's called 'Wedding,' right? It's quite good. I've submitted it for this year's Best Score award. Based on my estimate, it should have no trouble winning."
"What if someone rigs the judging and sabotages me?" Riki thought of the classic urban-novel plot. The Dragon King Riki would probably get mocked by some fool who didn't know his place, and then he'd have no choice but to slap them in the face...
"What are you talking about, rigging the judging? Our principal is the biggest schemer of them all. Of course, we've never done anything like that ourselves. We've always been fair and impartial."
Damn, so I'm not the Dragon King Riki. I'm the Overlord Riki, huh?
If I were a dragon, that'd be good, too.
"There's one more thing. That Miss Nagasaki, who came to the school to perform with you and made a video with you—is she your girlfriend?"
"Uh... no."
"Then what about Miss Toyokawa?"
"Well... we haven't sorted things out yet."
"I see. It's fine if you get stabbed to death someday, but remember to leave behind a few masterpieces for posterity. Then I'll be able to rest easy even after you're gone."
Why are we taking it as a given that I'll get stabbed to death?
Hoshino Riki was confused. He decided he'd check whether anyone outside was carrying a knife before opening the door from now on.
His advisor hung up, and Riki looked at Nagasaki Sose beside him.
Did he like Sakiko? Definitely.
But what about Nagasaki Sose?
Riki wasn't sure. Still, he'd felt his heart stir when he saw Nagasaki Sose smile. The girl teased him and made fun of him, but she also cared about him. And when her face flushed, she was stunning.
"My advisor said my piece's been submitted for judging. It's 'Wedding,'" Riki said.
"I hope it wins," Nagasaki Sose offered a simple congratulations.
"It'll definitely win. After all, we wrote it together," Riki said with a shrug.
Nagasaki Sose froze, pressing her lips together. "I didn't do anything. You wrote it yourself. What does it have to do with me?"
Riki opened the competition page on the computer. "It's a major competition. The winners get to accept their awards and perform in a grand concert hall. Every year, the audience is full of big names from the music world."
Nagasaki Sose looked at the magnificent concert hall.
It would be nice if 'Wedding' could be performed there, with me and Riki playing together.
On the third day of his time in the Real World, Riki suddenly crossed over again. This time, he was at Nagasaki Sose's house, too.
"The band's performing tomorrow. Remember to come," Nagasaki Sose said, leaning against the door.
"Got it."
Nagasaki Sose was about to head home when she suddenly heard Riki's voice.
"If anything comes up, just call me. As long as it's not a spam call," Riki said, waving.
The corners of Nagasaki Sose's mouth lifted, and she felt much happier.
When Riki reached his rented apartment, he saw that the light next door was already off.
Had Sakiko gone to sleep?
Riki really wanted to see Sakiko, but he wouldn't bother someone in the middle of the night. He opened the door to his room and froze at what he saw.
Toyokawa Sakiko was lying asleep at the desk, schoolwork beside her hand.
Was she here while I was away, too?
Riki smiled and draped his jacket over her so she wouldn't catch a cold.
When Toyokawa Sakiko woke up, she found a jacket over her and caught a familiar scent from it: Riki's... and Nagasaki Sose's.
"You're awake. Are you going to school?" Riki asked.
Toyokawa Sakiko nodded. "Did you just come back from the other side? Did anything happen?"
Riki briefly told her everything that had happened in the Real World, leaving out the part where he'd barged into the bedroom and seen Nagasaki Sose with her pajamas half undone.
It's such a little thing. I'm sure Sakiko wouldn't want to know.
"I see. Congratulations on your piece being submitted for the award." Toyokawa Sakiko clasped her hands together and smiled. "Looks like we'll have to prepare something delicious to celebrate today."
"We can celebrate when it wins," Riki said.
"But I can't wait until later to feel happy. I'm proud of you, Riki, so I want to celebrate with you now," Toyokawa Sakiko said with a soft laugh.
That's Toyokawa Sakiko!
The perfect embodiment of my White Moonlight!
Before you continue