How could I possibly say that name out loud?!
Wait a second. Could Katsuragi have done this on purpose to embarrass me?
He really underestimated me. I wasn't that stupid.
Suzune Horikita gave a cold laugh, then held up the device in her hand for the other person to see.
"I want this one. I'm getting it for someone else..."
"We happen to have one in stock. Please wait a moment."
The clerk immediately went to rummage through a cabinet nearby.
"Good grief."
Suzune Horikita closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. All she wanted now was to buy the game and get out of there as quickly as possible.
But the instant she opened her eyes, she met Airi Sakura's gaze.
"Sakura?"
"H-H-H-Horikita?"
When Airi Sakura saw Suzune Horikita looking her way, she quickly turned her head to look elsewhere.
Why was Horikita here?
Oh, right. She'd promised Katsuragi she would deliver the game...
Airi Sakura felt a little envious of Suzune Horikita's decisive, no-nonsense way of doing things.
Suzune Horikita, meanwhile, frowned as she looked at Airi Sakura.
Why was she here?
And who was the person beside her?
Suzune Horikita's gaze settled on Shiina Hiyori.
"My name is Shiina Hiyori. I'm from Class C. It's nice to meet you."
Shiina Hiyori greeted Suzune Horikita very politely.
"Suzune Horikita. Nice to meet you."
Suzune Horikita replied rather coolly.
The girl in front of her was from Class C.
In other words, she was a future rival.
"I assume you're also friends with Katsuragi?"
Shiina Hiyori asked with a smile.
Her reasoning was simple: Suzune Horikita was here, and her gaze had been wandering around the Gala Game section.
"Friends? I'm not friends with him! I just happened to be passing by and accidentally ended up here!"
Suzune Horikita immediately prepared to turn and leave.
But just then, the game store clerk hurried over to her, carrying a boxed game.
"Hello, miss! We found the game you wanted, Youthful Love: Thoroughly Train My Tsundere Little Sister—Collector's Edition! It's a hidden gem, so most people wouldn't even know the name!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Volume One: Chapter 43: I Don't Owe You Anything Anymore, Keima Katsuragi!
An awkward silence hung around the three of them.
Suzune Horikita felt as if her teeth were chattering.
For a moment, she wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.
"I—Th-this isn't mine!"
Suzune Horikita's cheeks were bright red, as if they were about to burst into flames.
Why did a game have a name like that?
Why was Keima Katsuragi so obsessed with this kind of thing?!
Suzune Horikita felt her body temperature rising.
She didn't even have time to wonder why Airi Sakura and Shiina Hiyori were here.
"I understand~"
The clerk gave her a knowing look and nodded.
"But you're in luck. This is the last copy of Youthful Love: Thoroughly Train My Tsundere Little Sister—Collector's Edition in stock! It's a fairly obscure game, so we don't keep many copies."
Suzune Horikita had wanted to deny outright that she was buying the game.
But Keima Katsuragi's face surfaced in her mind.
You act like such a big shot every day, but in the end you can't even buy a game? And you think you can get into Class A like that?
Suzune Horikita could already tell that if she didn't get the game, Keima Katsuragi would mercilessly mock her.
That guy's mind was nothing like an ordinary person's!
"Miss? Are you buying it?"
The clerk was still waiting for Suzune Horikita's answer.
"May I ask if this game is special in some way?"
As Suzune Horikita hesitated, Shiina Hiyori asked curiously.
The clerk patiently gave Shiina Hiyori a brief introduction to the game.
That only made Suzune Horikita more confused.
What was this girl doing here?
Could it be that, like Keima Katsuragi, she was also a gamer?
That thought lasted less than a second before Suzune Horikita dismissed it.
There couldn't be anyone else in the world like Keima Katsuragi.
As much as Suzune Horikita hated to admit it, Keima Katsuragi had left a deep impression on her in the week since school began.
Strange. Why is she so interested in this game?
Why is Sakura here?
It has to be something that Katsuragi did!
Suzune Horikita immediately reached that conclusion. At the same time, she could tell that Shiina Hiyori was genuinely interested in the game.
Keima Katsuragi's mocking voice rang through her mind again.
You're even going to let your rival have the game? And you think you can get into Class A like that?
Horikita gritted her teeth, raised her head, and spoke to the clerk.
"I'll take it. Please wrap it up."
"Sure thing!"
The clerk quickly wrapped up the game cartridge for Suzune Horikita. She paid with her device as fast as she could—
Then fled the game section at a full sprint.
Airi Sakura watched Suzune Horikita's retreating figure cautiously and pressed her lips together.
Shiina Hiyori's gaze shifted to a row of handheld consoles.
After escaping from the store, Suzune Horikita let out a long breath of relief.
She had never been to a place like that before, let alone bought a game.
Suzune Horikita hardly ever played games. In her mind, they only got in the way of studying.
She had to become as outstanding as her older brother before she could recognize her own worth.
That was why she wanted to get into Class A.
Manabu Horikita was the leader of Class A in the third year.
To catch up with her brother, Suzune Horikita had always imitated him and gradually distanced herself from those around her.
That was the flaw in her personality, and why she had been assigned to Class D.
Suzune Horikita didn't return to her dorm. Instead, she waited nearby, trying to avoid drawing too much attention.
It was already evening, just after she had bought the game. Students returning to their dorms after club activities or dinner were trickling back.
Only when it grew dark and there were hardly any students outside did Suzune Horikita take out her device and message Keima Katsuragi.
A few minutes later, a light appeared on the dim road in the distance—
It was coming from the game console in Keima Katsuragi's hands.
Keima Katsuragi walked up to Suzune Horikita, playing a game as he went.
"Here. Now we're even."
Suzune Horikita handed Keima Katsuragi the wrapped game cartridge.
"Did you have to give it to me here, at this hour? It would've been more convenient to come to my dorm or give it to me before class."
Keima Katsuragi lowered his handheld console, took the cartridge, and asked.
"I don't want anyone finding out I bought something like this!"
Suzune Horikita replied immediately.
If anyone saw her holding a game cartridge—and one with such an outrageous name, at that—her heart might really give out.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. I was stupid to agree to such a ridiculous condition in the first place. By the way, what did you say to Shiina and Sakura?"
"Shiina and Sakura? I just helped Sakura study this evening. I ran into Shiina afterward and told her a little about games. Why? Why are you asking all of a sudden?"
"You introduced a student from another class to games?"
Suzune Horikita couldn't help frowning.
"Yeah. Shiina really likes reading, so I suggested she try another medium—games. They offer an immersion that books, videos, and music can't. Or you could say that games themselves are a collection of all those forms of media."
"Someone likes reading, so you introduce her to this kind of thing?"
Suzune Horikita couldn't help thinking of the game's outrageous name.
"Shiina wanted to experience stories she hadn't encountered before. She's read most of the books you usually read. For instance, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls—and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. I bet Shiina's read those several times."
"What?"
Suzune Horikita was surprised.
She was also someone who loved reading, but she usually only read in her free time after school.
How did Keima Katsuragi know?
"How do you know that?"
"I saw the records in the library's checkout log. And earlier, when you were packing your bag, I happened to see you had a book with you. I only caught a glimpse, but it looked like the new edition of Crime and Punishment."
Suzune Horikita stared at Keima Katsuragi, momentarily stunned.
This guy even knew the edition of the book?
Volume One: Chapter 44: Go Ahead and Fight. I'll Just Stand by and Quietly Watch the Show
Keima Katsuragi seemed to guess how shocked Suzune Horikita was, so he explained:
"I saw the same edition in the library. That's how I knew."
Before you continue