Chapter 41: Shiina and Sakura, The Taciturn Duo
"Eh?"
Shiina Hiyori was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Katsuragi Keima to take the initiative to invite her. Meanwhile, Keima looked at her with a meaningful gaze.
If she could join his study group, it would save him a lot of trouble—
On one hand, Keima would have more opportunities to spend time with Shiina Hiyori to increase her affection level. On the other hand... during the study group sessions, Keima wouldn't have to tutor everyone every single second. By having Shiina Hiyori help out occasionally, he might actually find some spare time to play his games.
Most importantly, it would prevent Elsie from stumbling upon some strange books in the library and learning "weird" knowledge. For Keima, this was a move with a hundred benefits and zero drawbacks. Of course, this was all predicated on Shiina Hiyori being willing to help.
"I don't have any experience with tutoring... and I've never participated in things like study groups before. However, I am a bit curious," Shiina Hiyori said with a smile and a nod. "If I can be of help to Katsuragi-kun, that would be wonderful!"
"Thank you very much, Shiina-san."
"No, no, it is I who should thank you. I usually don't have anyone to chat with, but Elsie has talked to me quite a lot—and I really like your stories, Katsuragi-kun."
Shiina Hiyori's gaze shifted to the handheld console Keima had just pulled out. What she was referring to were the game walkthroughs Keima had written. Although she usually read mystery novels, she wasn't opposed to other genres of stories.
After learning from Elsie that Keima was serializing walkthroughs on a blog, Shiina Hiyori had clicked on them out of curiosity. Previously, she hadn't even bothered to create an account on that social media platform. Keima's incredibly detailed walkthroughs had captivated her, especially the way he vividly described the in-game narratives; the experience was no different from reading a short story. This was the first time Shiina Hiyori had felt interested in gaming as a medium.
Beside them, Sakura Airi kept her head buried low, trying her best to diminish her presence, yet she couldn't help but tilt her head slightly to listen to their conversation.
'Shiina-san seems very close with Katsuragi-kun... Does the 'story' she mentioned refer to the walkthroughs Katsuragi-kun posts on his blog? Katsuragi-kun didn't seem to take the initiative to tell others about his writing... I only found it by chance through a website recommendation... Does this mean Katsuragi-kun told Shiina-san about it himself?'
Airi's mind was racing. Meanwhile, Keima's expression turned very serious as he addressed Shiina Hiyori:
"No, those aren't my stories. I'm merely describing the in-game plots in simple terms. In fact, the brilliance of my writing isn't even a tenth of the game itself! You can only truly feel it if you experience it firsthand! For a beginner, I recommend this... but if you like puzzle-solving elements, then you must try..."
The moment games were mentioned, Keima seemed like a completely different person. Shiina Hiyori watched his serious expression, and the slight curve of her smile seemed to broaden a bit.
The boy in front of her was indeed very similar to herself. When talking about a topic they loved, they both became incredibly earnest.
"If there's an opportunity, I truly would like to try it myself," Shiina Hiyori nodded.
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After a brief chat, the group prepared to leave the library. Keima, playing his handheld, walked briskly back toward the dorms. Sakura Airi, however, did not follow them.
"In the end... I just ended up causing trouble for Katsuragi-kun again..." Airi sighed, whispering to herself.
To repay him, she had wanted to treat him to a meal, but that failed due to Horikita Suzune's intervention. Then she proactively joined his study group to help make up the numbers, but because she struggled to concentrate, it turned into a one-on-one tutoring session. She felt like she was doing nothing but bothering him, and she felt she owed him more and more favors.
But after seeing Shiina Hiyori talk with Keima, an idea suddenly sparked in Airi's mind.
'Since Katsuragi-kun loves games so much, why don't I just buy him a game!'
The idea grew stronger in her heart, but it was immediately followed by a wave of inner cowardice. She would have to go to the supermarket alone again... Last time, Keima was with her, so it wasn't that painful. But this time, she certainly couldn't ask him to accompany her. After all, you don't ask someone to go with you when you're buying them a gift.
At that thought, Airi became conflicted again.
"What should I do... I thought I had grown a little bit... If I just keep my head down, maybe I can..."
Just as Airi was trying to convince herself, Shiina Hiyori's gentle voice rang out from behind her.
"Um... Sakura-san, are you heading toward the supermarket?"
Airi jumped, her body instinctively shrinking back, but she quickly realized her rudeness and lowered her head. "I, I... yes."
"I was planning to go to the supermarket too. Shall we go together?" Shiina Hiyori asked politely.
"Um... okay..." Airi nodded with an imperceptible movement.
If she went with Shiina Hiyori... maybe it would be okay. Airi's intuition was quite sharp; although Kushida Kikyou was always enthusiastic and friendly, for some reason, Airi didn't feel comfortable around her. With Shiina Hiyori, however, she didn't feel that pressure.
The two set off together toward the supermarket. Along the way, as if by some unspoken agreement, they didn't say a single word. Airi was intensely socially anxious; saying even a few words to someone could leave her feeling "burnt out." And while Shiina Hiyori's personality was slightly better, she was usually aloof and rarely interacted with others; she had only invited Airi because she was a friend of Keima and Elsie.
They walked in silence all the way to the supermarket, first arriving at the daily necessities section.
'Shiina-san must be buying household items, right? Airi thought, but Shiina Hiyori didn't stop, walking forward silently.
Shiina-san isn't buying daily necessities?'
Just as Airi was feeling puzzled, the two arrived at the electronics section and stopped almost simultaneously in front of a storefront.
A game store.
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