So-called Happiness

"Best of three?"

"No, one game decides it all."

"Fine, you said it yourself."

A mere ten minutes later...

"I lost."

Sakayanagi Arisu accepted her defeat with a calm expression; whether it was the speed of the moves or their sheer ingenuity, she had been completely outclassed in every aspect.

"After all, I'm a genius who surpasses all other geniuses! It's only natural that you'd lose to me."

Miyano Makoto offered his consolation.

"Makoto, really... Classmate Sakayanagi, please don't mind what he says."

Ichinose Honami couldn't bear to watch; although she didn't fully understand the game, she knew that Miyano Makoto had just achieved a crushing victory over Sakayanagi Arisu.

"It's fine. What Miyano-kun said just now is a fact. His talent in this field is indeed something I cannot match."

Sakayanagi Arisu did not mind this momentary setback.

The person before her was not an artificial genius, but a genuine, natural-born prodigy. For her, that was enough.

"There will be plenty more things to surprise you with in the future."

Miyano Makoto's nose was already pointed toward the ceiling.

"Makoto, don't be like that."

Ichinose Honami pulled Miyano Makoto's head back down; she didn't like seeing him act this way.

"Sorry, sorry. I won't do it again."

Miyano Makoto quickly calmed down.

It was strange, really. Even when he was challenging other clubs earlier, his heart had been perfectly calm, yet the moment he stood before Sakayanagi Arisu, he lost his composure.

She was truly worthy of being Sakayanagi Arisu; she could easily provoke a desire to attack in others.

She was practically a max-level bratty girl.

"So, in your opinion, what is it that I am lacking?"

Having lost the match, Sakayanagi Arisu decided to listen to Miyano Makoto's perspective on her.

"Didn't I already say it? You arrogant little brat."

"I see. I will reflect on that aspect properly."

Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her head in contemplation. She appeared to be genuinely thinking about her own shortcomings, which actually made Miyano Makoto feel a bit embarrassed.

"Ahem... that can also be considered a unique charm. Perhaps it could attract those with a penchant for specific preferences."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Sakayanagi Arisu stood up, preparing to leave.

"Should Honami and I walk you back?"

"There is no need."

Sakayanagi Arisu stubbornly prepared to walk back to her dormitory on her own.

"Sometimes, learning to rely on others makes you seem quite cute, you know~"

The moment the words left his mouth, Miyano Makoto felt a dangerous aura emanating from Ichinose Honami's direction.

"In that case, I shall trouble the two of you."

Miyano Makoto, trembling with fear, accompanied Ichinose Honami to escort Sakayanagi Arisu back to her dormitory.

"Alright, Makoto, you can come clean now."

Back in Room 301, Ichinose Honami sat down unceremoniously on Miyano Makoto's bed.

"There's quite a lot, Honami... could you give me a hint?"

Miyano Makoto said weakly. What was with this atmosphere that felt like a confession session?

"Fine. First, what did you mean by the class division you mentioned earlier? About Class A and Class B and so on."

"This school divides classes based on ability. Class A is the strongest, and Class D is the weakest. That's why I felt it was unreasonable for Sakayanagi Arisu to be in Class A while I am in Class B."

"If that's really the case, then I agree. It is too unreasonable."

Ichinose Honami nodded. She also felt that Miyano Makoto should be in Class A rather than Class B.

"How did you know about that, Makoto?"

"I guessed."

Miyano Makoto only ever had this one answer.

"Alright, Makoto really is much more outstanding than I imagined!"

Ichinose Honami finally grasped the true value of Miyano Makoto, who had managed to rake in 6.1 million private points on his very first day.

"Second question: what was the reason Classmate Sakayanagi thought our relationship would run into problems at the beginning?"

"The classes in this school compete against each other, so romance across class lines is very difficult."

"..."

"Makoto, you actually don't want to be questioned like this, do you?"

After hearing the answer, Ichinose Honami did not continue to ask other questions; she stared into Miyano Makoto's eyes, intently capturing every subtle change in his gaze.

"If Honami wants to know, I will tell you."

"Does Makoto hate it when I'm like this?"

"How could I ever hate Honami?"

"Because I'm cute?"

"Yes, and Honami has a great figure too, with curves in all the right places; it's practically dancing on my fetishes."

"Does that mean if another girl were as cute as me, Makoto would be attracted to her too?"

"Yes."

After a series of exchanges that felt like a question-and-answer game, Ichinose Honami fell into a contemplative silence.

"...You won't abandon me, right?"

"Why would Honami think that?"

"Because I'm afraid."

Ichinose Honami took a deep breath, as if summoning her courage.

"Can Makoto be my boyfriend?"

"I can."

Although Ichinose Honami's confession came suddenly, Miyano Makoto's tone remained calm; this was something that would happen sooner or later.

"So we're a couple now?"

"Yes."

"Can't you act a little happier?"

Ichinose Honami pouted her red lips.

"Actually, I'm very happy right now; my little heart is thumping non-stop."

Miyano Makoto took Ichinose Honami's left hand and pressed it against his left chest.

"Can you feel it?"

"Mm..."

A faint blush appeared on Ichinose Honami's cheeks, and her other free hand kept twirling a strand of her hair.

"Is there anything else Honami is worried about?"

"Can Makoto kiss me?"

"Definitely next time."

"?"

"Think about it, doesn't everything need a process? I feel like things are moving a bit too fast, skipping all the preliminary steps. It's like playing a single-player game and suddenly reaching the grand finale; it doesn't feel real."

"...Fine."

What kind of romance counts as puppy love?

The university environment is completely different from high school; if one hasn't learned how to communicate with girls before this.

The future would surely be bleak, right?

Miyano Makoto let his thoughts wander.

"Honami can be more confident in her own charm; actually, I've been dying to kiss you!"

"Thank you, I'm very happy to hear that."

Ichinose Honami giggled, her smile as sunny as ever.

"I will work hard to make Honami happy."

"I'm already very happy right now."

Ichinose Honami covered Miyano Makoto's mouth with her hand and suddenly pulled the distance between them to zero.

"It's a promise, then; we'll get married after graduation."

"?"

"Mmph—"

Miyano Makoto widened his eyes. Is this an illusion? When did she...

"I'm serious, Makoto's wife can only be me."

Ichinose Honami's expression was extremely serious, and Miyano Makoto could feel her heart rate was incredibly high.

He nodded.

Ichinose Honami finally let go of the hand she had been using to cover Miyano Makoto's mouth.

"Honami..."

"See you tomorrow, Makoto."

Ichinose Honami left.

I've actually already written up to chapter 19 by now, but after some thought, I came back to tweak the earlier parts a bit.

:-(

Writing in a vacuum.

I feel like this is how authors are these days; you don't even know if you've flopped until you hit 80,000 words.

I also don't know if I've actually made any progress.

Couldn't help but vent a little.

(´-ι_-｀