It had been ten days since I became Yuzu’s boyfriend.

In that while, Kotani and Sakuraba had no significant progress and the others started to get used to the fact that Yuzu and I were dating; we had a bout of peaceful days. However, my after school hours were restricted to being with Yuzu, leaving me less time to play games which was a problem for me.

“…With this, the homeroom session ends. Stand up. Attention. Bow.”

While I was still in a daze and pondering about it, the homeroom had ended before I realized it. In that instant, the classroom was filled with a relaxed air peculiar after school hours. Some students went to attend their club activities, the go-home-club members immediately went home, while some others were having fun chatting with their buddies.

Until a while before, I was a student belonging to the go-home club who would quickly make my way home, but it was different now.

“Yamato-kun, let’s go.” Yuzu called out to me while I was still spacing out at my desk.

Yes, I already became the Riaju who would go home with his girlfriend in tow to have their after school date.

….Saying it by myself would only make me feel empty since we were only pretend-lovers.

“Oh, alright.” I held up my bag and went to the classroom exit with Yuzu.

At that moment, there were several piercing gazes coming our way, but I was already accustomed to them at this point. I ignored those as I exited the classroom and we headed to the building entranceway.

“Ah, Yamato-kun, wait a moment.” Yuzu tugged my sleeve to stop me while we were on our way.

“What is it?” I tilted my head and Yuzu sent a mischievous smile in return.

“I have somewhere I want to go, will you accompany me?”

“…Okay.”

I still kept being on alert, but there was no reason to refuse so I just followed Yuzu. Then, she started walking not in the direction of the entranceway, but to the building where all the clubrooms were located. I wondered if Yuzu belonged to any club as we walked and she halted her steps in front of a room.

“Ta-da! We’ve arrived at our destination.”

The room that Yuzu proudly showed to me had ‘Literature Club’ inscribed on it.

“Literature club…? Oh Yuzu, you’re a member?”

“Nope, I’m not. Or rather, the literature club had already been abolished.” She said as she inexplicably used a key to enter the literature club room.

I was surprised but I still followed in her wake. It was dusty inside the room but there were bookshelves, tables, foldable chairs, and a set of an old television; it was fully equipped contrary to my expectation.

“Why is it that you have the key to the room of an abolished club?” I asked her the obvious question.

Yuzu showed off the key and chuckled as she boasted, “Well, some connections?”

That again? I couldn’t help but think that Riajus really had their lives made easy with connections. So then, what was her purpose in bringing me here?

“You know, here used to be a famous spot to play hooky among the upperclassmen. Well, those who always hung out here graduated with the keys still in their possession, so it naturally faded in people’s memories.” Yuzu explained as she rummaged through a bookshelf.

“So you obtained that key from your connection, is it?”

“Yup. I already received the spare key, so I’ll pass it to you later…oh, it’s here.”

Yuzu removed some books and inside the shelf, a cube box appeared. No, at a closer look, it was not a box. This was a non-portable game console that was mainstream during the times before I was born. The body shape resembled a dice and it was rumoured to be durable enough not to be damaged even when run over on the railtrack that it was called a playable weapon; it was a legendary game console. Most probably, when that upperclassmen was still studying here, this console was popular back then.

“Whoa… Who would’ve thought I’d encounter this at this kind of place.”

I trembled at this unexpected meeting while Yuzu then opened her mouth in a dignified manner as if she was about to give out a speech.

“I had been thinking all these while, about our relationship that should never be found out by others. So I wanted a place that can serve as a secret base where we can talk about our secrets. In the same, I found it annoying when Yamato-kun says ‘I wanna go home and play games’ whenever we have our discussions.”

“My bad.”

That subtle complaint slightly hit my nerves but I quietly listened to what Yuzu had to say.

“There, I was concerned. So I searched for a place where we can discuss without being discovered by others, and also equipped with games. And here’s the place!” Yuzu announced her achievement proudly, I could almost hear a dazzling sound effect as she did so.

By the way, I grasped the whole situation. As she said, it was better for us to have such a place.

“How? Look at the fruit of my effort. Praise me, praise me~”

“You did great.”

“It didn’t sound sincere at all!”

“I’m not good at praising people. I’m a gloomy loner after all.”

I brushed over a discontented Yuzu and started searching for game softwares in the depths of the shelf.

“…Alright, there are some RPGs that I’ve never played before. Senpai1, you’re good, I like your taste. I’m proud to have senpais with a taste like this.”

“Hey, there your praising power is clearly higher than when you praised me.”

“What do you mean ‘praising power’?”

Yuzu protested by poking the sides of my abdomen. So annoying.

I shrank away from that spot and started wiring the cables from the game console to the old but still well functioning cathode-ray tube television.

“More importantly, now you’ve found this kind of place for us, let’s immediately hold a discussion. So, what’s the situation now with Kotani and Sakuraba?”

Yuzu pouted and expressed her disgruntlement for being brushed over and had to let go of it to move on with the current topic. She unfolded a chair to sit beside me, then started reporting the current progress.

“Apparently…no change from before. I just assumed that once I made a boyfriend, she would be influenced to be pulled into love mode as well, but there was no sign of that at all. As I thought, that kind of effect won’t be achieved when her friend’s boyfriend is not charming enough to make her jealous and wish for her own boyfriend.”

“Although that report was subtly irritating to hear, well, that’s the way it is. We’ve only dated for ten days so the influence on her is near to nil. But those two, they’re having conversations like normal, aren’t they?”

“Yup. They’re talking normally as friends, but they would never say anything beyond that line. Something like that. Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. I’d like to transfer over to them even a lil bit of those big nerves of that girl who can even say ‘With much reluctance, I’m asking you to please go out with me’ to someone she barely ever spoke to.”

“What did you say, you jerk!”

We bickered in vain as usual and I completed the setup of the game. The software I chose to play was among the series of a well-known RPG. To avoid leaking the sound outside the room, I plugged in earphones before I turned them on.

“…Urgh, we’re still in the middle of discussion here.”

“I’m listening properly. Then, what do you want to do from now onwards?” To better hear what Yuzu was talking about, I only put one side of the earphones and continued the conversation as I watched the television screen.

“For now, wait and see? In the end, even if we force it when their hearts aren’t ready yet, it probably won’t go well. Yamato-kun, what do you think?”

“I agree. If Sakuraba really likes you, there’s a big possibility that he still hasn’t been able to sort his feelings to accept the current situation yet. It would be useless to let her confess to him now, so let’s just wait for a little bit.”

Even more so when Yuzu’s boyfriend was me. For an ikemen like Sakuraba, I might look like someone he could just snatch Yuzu from if he tried hard enough. It would take time for him to forget his feelings towards Yuzu.

Therefore, the discussion for the day ended. It was time to play.

chocolala: I started by translating the SS ch which all take place in the literature club room, so yay, now we knew how they obtained their love nest. LOL

And as always, I’m uploading this with an SS chapter, here’s SS8 if you haven’t read the goodness!