Chapter 7: I Lost

Chapter 7: I Lost

"Two out of three?"

"No, one game decides it."

"Alright, you said it."

Just ten minutes later...

"I lost."

Sakayanagi Arisu calmly accepted her defeat; whether it was the speed of her moves or their precision, she was completely outmatched.

"After all, I am a genius who is more of a genius than anyone else! It's perfectly normal for you to lose to me."

Miyano Makoto comforted her.

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

Ichinose Honami felt a little sorry for her. Although she didn't quite understand, she knew that Miyano Makoto had just completely defeated Sakayanagi Arisu.

"It's fine, Miyano was telling the truth. His talent in this field is indeed something I cannot match."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't mind this temporary setback.

The other party was not an artificial genius, but a genuine, natural-born genius. For her, that was enough.

"There's still plenty more to surprise you with in the future."

Miyano Makoto's nose was already pointed skyward.

"Makoto, don't be like that."

Ichinose Honami pulled Miyano Makoto's head back. She didn't like Miyano Makoto looking like that.

"Sorry, sorry, I won't be like this again."

Miyano Makoto quickly calmed down.

It was strange; he had been very calm when he was challenging others before, but as soon as he was in front of Sakayanagi Arisu, he lost his composure.

She really was Sakayanagi Arisu, easily capable of provoking others' desire to attack.

She was practically a max-level mischievous girl.

"So, in your opinion, what am I lacking?"

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

"Didn't I already say it? You, you arrogant mischievous girl."

"I see, I will seriously think about this."

Sakayanagi Arisu lowered her head in thought, seemingly genuinely pondering her shortcomings, which in turn made Miyano Makoto feel a little embarrassed.

"Ahem... this can also be considered a unique charm, perhaps it can attract those who have a special fondness for particular preferences."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Sakayanagi Arisu stood up, preparing to leave.

"Should Honami and I walk you back?"

"No need."

Sakayanagi Arisu stubbornly prepared to walk back to her dormitory by herself.

"Sometimes, learning to rely on others can make you seem cuter~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Miyano Makoto felt a dangerous aura coming from Ichinose Honami's direction.

"In that case, I'll trouble you two."

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

"Alright, Makoto, you can confess now."

Back in 301 Dormitory, Ichinose Honami unceremoniously plopped down on Miyano Makoto's bed.

"There's a lot, can Honami give me a hint?"

Miyano Makoto said weakly, what was with this confession-like atmosphere!

"Okay, first, what did you mean by the class division thing you mentioned earlier? Like Class A and Class B."

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

"If that's really the case, I agree, it's too unreasonable."

Ichinose Honami nodded. She also thought Miyano Makoto should be in Class A, not Class B.

"How did Makoto know?"

"I guessed."

Miyano Makoto would only have this one answer.

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

Ichinose Honami finally understood the true value of Miyano Makoto, who had amassed 6.1 million individual points on the first day.

"Second question, why did Sakayanagi-san initially think there would be problems with our relationship?"

"The classes in this school compete with each other, so cross-class relationships are very difficult."

"..."

"Makoto doesn't really want me to ask him like this, does he?"

Ichinose Honami, upon hearing the answer, did not continue to ask other questions. She gazed into Miyano Makoto's eyes, intently catching every subtle change in his gaze.

"If Honami wants to know, I'll tell her."

"Does Makoto dislike me like this?"

"How could I dislike Honami?"

"Because I'm cute?"

"Yes, and Honami also has a great figure, curvaceous, practically dancing on my XP."

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

"Yes."

After a series of question-and-answer-like conversations, Ichinose Honami fell into a pensive silence.

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

"Why would Honami think that?"

"Because I'm scared."

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

"Makoto, can you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes."

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

"So we're a couple now?"

"Yes."

"Can't you look a little happier?"

Ichinose Honami pouted her red lips.

"Actually, I'm very happy right now, my little heart is pounding nonstop."

Miyano Makoto took Ichinose Honami's left hand and placed it on his left chest.

"Do you feel it?"

"Mm..."

Ichinose Honami's cheeks flushed a faint red, and her other free hand continuously twirled her hair.

"Does Honami have anything else to worry about?"

"Makoto, can you kiss me?"

"Next time for sure."

"?"

"Think about it, doesn't everything need a process? I feel like it's progressing a bit too fast, skipping the prerequisite steps and all, it's like playing a single-player game and suddenly reaching the ending, it doesn't feel real."

"...Alright."

What kind of romance counts as puppy love?

The university environment is completely different from high school. If one doesn't learn how to interact with girls before then...

Their future would surely be bleak, wouldn't it?

Miyano Makoto let his thoughts wander.

"Honami can be more confident in her charm. Actually, I want to kiss you so badly!"

"Thank you, I'm very happy."

Ichinose Honami chuckled, still with that sunny smile.

"I will work hard to make Honami happy."

"I'm already very happy now."

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

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

"?"

"Mmm--"

Miyano Makoto's eyes widened. Was it an illusion? When did this happen...

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

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

He nodded.

Ichinose Honami finally released her hand that had been covering Miyano Makoto's mouth.

"Honami..."

"See you tomorrow, Makoto."

Ichinose Honami left.