After enjoying a few rounds of skating and feeling satisfied, the two decided to stop.
They then enjoyed various sports such as batting, badminton, table tennis, golf, and more, making the most of the large entertainment facility.
Although Haruya challenged Sara to various games every now and then, the result was that Haruya lost every single time.
Even though he gave it his all without holding back, he couldn’t win in any of them.
(…This is beyond embarrassing, isn’t it, me?)
Feeling disappointed with the results,
Haruya’s original goal was to show Sara that he wasn’t that capable of a guy after all. However…
(But being so weak… It’s a bit painful to have my evaluation lowered for not being able to do things.)
Regret and a sense of pathetic self-loathing swirl simultaneously in my chest.
“Princess Himekawa has impressive athletic skills…”
While searching for a resting spot, Haruya expressed his admiration to Sara.
In response to his words, Sara lowered the corners of her eyes and slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
“I am none other than the daughter of the Himekawa family.”
Unconsciously, she wore an expression that seemed to say, “Of course, I can do these things.”
However, it seemed that Haruya had some issues with Sara’s statement.
“…Doesn’t it have nothing to do with the family background?”
With a puzzled expression, Haruya said, causing Sara to abruptly stop in her tracks.
“……Huh?”
“If Himekawa-san can do sports and academics, I don’t see how it’s related to her family background.”
Following Haruya’s words, Sara remained silent for a moment, tightly closing her lips.
“My, my family is from a traditional and strict, prestigious background… So, um, excelling in both academics and sports is natural for me.”
“Sure, there might be some connection, but I think it’s not everything. Sorry, let me correct myself there.”
While we don’t know the exact background of the Himekawa family,
we can infer from the image that it’s a conservative and strict household, emphasizing the importance of living up to the family name.
But even if that’s the case…
“If it were me, I’d probably run away or rebel immediately. Just because it’s the family’s policy doesn’t mean it’s easy to handle.”
No matter how much the surroundings encourage and provide a good environment, ultimately, the person has to put in the effort themselves.
Of course, the environment is an important factor, but at the end of the day, the individual needs to persevere.
Haruya strongly believed in recognizing the person who had overcome challenges.
“…And also, it doesn’t sit well with me if I lost just because she’s the daughter of the Himekawa family.”
In other words…
“Well, not because she’s the daughter of the Himekawa family, but because she’s Sara Himekawa, that’s why she’s amazing. At least, that’s what I think.”
Haruya said it with conviction.
In response, Sara widened her eyes, then her expression changed suddenly.
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scene transition
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It was almost as if she was trying to cover up her embarrassment…
“Thank you…”
In a voice so soft it could barely be heard, she spoke with her eyes downcast.
“Um, would you like to try that?”
As if blatantly changing the subject, Sara pointed to something.
Instinctively, Haruya squinted his eyes.
“Is it okay if it’s scary?”
Sara pointed to a gun-shooting game full of horror.
Haruya have never played this game before,
but it was obvious from the appearance of the game cabinet that it looked scary.
“I’m okay, but are you sure, Himekawa-san? Usually, girls are not great with this kind of thing.”
“I’ve never played that kind of game, so I want to try.”
Sara said, grabbing her own chest tightly.
From her gesture, it was clear that she was nervous.
Sara seemed to have an adventurous mindset,
as Haruya had noticed during skating.
“Is it okay, really?”
“I’m fine…”
Checking once again, Haruya and Sara entered the box-shaped console together.
Sitting down and manipulating the controls for a while, Sara picked up the gun placed in front of her.
She looked closely, seemingly fascinated, then nodded to herself.
“…I see. So, we shoot zombies in this game.”
Her voice seemed to tremble, but Sara had a curious glint in her eyes.
“…Oh, this game. It measures our heart rate.”
“Meaning, we can see how scared each other gets, right?”
Sara said, looking at Haruya with anxious eyes.
If the heart rate is displayed, it means that no matter how much you pretend to be brave, it will reveal how scared you really are. Apparently, this game is designed to expose the coward within.
“I’ll take the challenge, then?”
Even so, Sara confidently suggested.
“Of course. The one with the higher heart rate loses, then.”
“Yes!”
“I’ve been losing every time so far, so I’ll make sure to win this time.”
“I hope so.”
And so, the two prepared to face the horror shooting game.
My impressions after trying this type of game were that it focused more on thrilling and scaring than actual horror.
Although I didn’t scream, when zombies suddenly appeared in front of me, the shaking of the console made my body tremble involuntarily.
But when a large number of zombies attacked, the horror aspect became significant because the faces of the zombies were emphasized in close-up shots.
If I had been alone, I would have run away for sure. …….
[“H-Hey, I didn’t sign up for this shaking!”]
“Asai-san, zombies… I can’t… I can’t defeat the zombies.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to see the screen… I’m closing my eyes.”
Sara’s reactions, combined with her cute responses, somehow made the fear more bearable.
After finishing a playthrough, the results of both their heart rates were displayed on the screen.
Seeing the results, Haruya made a small triumphant gesture and called out to Sara.
“Himekawa-san, it looks like I won.”
(Yes, I won… in a horror game.)
Internally gloating, Haruya sighed softly,
“Haa,” feeling a bit defeated once again.
“…Uh, Himekawa-san?”
“…I-It’s… I’m fine… Uh, yes.”
Despite insisting verbally, her complexion did not look fine at all.
Her face was pale, and her lips trembled.
Once they left the game cabinet, Sara huddled on the floor, holding her legs.
Seeing her shivering, clearly terrified,
Haruya felt a pang of guilt. He had originally intended to lower her favorability, so he hesitated to speak. However, against his better judgment, he reflexively offered a comforting suggestion.
“Um, should I… lend you my hand?”
Internally, he scolded himself, thinking, “I should have refrained from offering,”
ut it seemed that Sara was feeling the same way he was.
As Haruya extended his hand, Sara tightly grabbed it. Her hand felt strangely cold.
Haruya tried to pull her up,
but something unexpected happened.
“Um, Himekawa-san, your hand?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Even after helping Sara up and releasing her hand, she showed no signs of letting go of his. Haruya was taken aback.
Immediately after called out to her, sara turned her moist eyes to haruya.
“Sorry… Can I… hold your hand for a little longer?”
She said while she was holding hand.
Even if he wanted to say no, seeing Sara’s frightened eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Haruya found himself in a dilemma, scratching the back of his head, muttering quietly.
“…Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
If he forcefully let go of her hand now, it would be too obvious that he was trying to make her dislike him. He didn’t want to behave so blatantly to be disliked.
(Sigh, I just want to make her lose interest in me without being disliked, that’s all.)
Sighing, feeling disgusted with his own convenience, Haruya was at that moment.
Just then, they unexpectedly encountered the girl from earlier.
“Oh, it’s Haruya. Haruya.
Hey, Miyu. Don’t move without permission. …… “
At the direction of Haruya and Sara’s gazes, a parent and child were approaching them.
The parent and child happened to be the lost girl and her mother, whom Haruya had talked to around noon.
“Uh, is that girl… an acquaintance?”
“No, don’t worry about it, Himekawa-san.”
With a puzzled expression, Sara tilted her head. Haruya felt a sense of impatience.
The reason for Haruya’s concern was
that the lost girl, Miyu, had called out to him as “Haruya.” The parent and child were aware of his real name, which he wanted to keep hidden.
For now, all Haruya could do was try his best not to reveal his true identity to Sara.
He involuntarily broke into a cold sweat. Miyu approached without any consideration.
Just then, Miyu’s mother’s phone rang, and she temporarily left Miyu in their care.
“Mom, Haruya is holding hand! Haru, you’re playing hide and seek!”
Innocently clinging to him, Miyu seemed to find solace in Haruya. He could only manage a wry smile in response.
Responding to Miyu’s comment, Haruya felt Sara let go of his hand, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of them holding hands.
Miyu continued, curious.
“Haruya, is this lady your wife?”
“Well, not exactly… we’re more like friends…”
“Really? Then you’re friends?”
In reality, Haruya had mistakenly assumed that he and Sara were just destined opponents.
But to convey that to the young Miyu as “destined opponents” wouldn’t make much sense.
Therefore, Haruya nodded in agreement.
“Ah, Miss over there… has a red face.”
Sara was pointed out by Miyu.
Haruya didn’t understand why Sara blushed when being called a friend. Nevertheless, seeing Sara with a red face, Haruya…
(Friend …… It seems that Asai-san and I are friends……!)
Internally, Sara seemed rather pleased with the idea.
As they lingered in the aftermath of the encounter, Sara realized something and asked Haruya.
“Um, Asai-san… by the way, what does ‘Haru-ya’ mean?”
“…Well… SWOOOOSH.”
Haruya unintentionally broke into a cold sweat and panicked.
(You shouldn’t notice it, you shouldn’t notice it…)
Trying not to lose composure, he reassured himself internally.
“See, I’m a cheerful guy, right? That’s why they call me ‘Haruya’ from the nickname ‘Bright Man,'” he explained.
“Oh, I see. I actually thought Yu Asai might be a fake name…”
“…”
It was indeed the truth, but Haruya could only desperately cover it up.
He couldn’t afford to reveal his real name; his identity would be compromised.
“No, it’s not like that at all. Yeah… really, it’s not like that,”
Haruya nodded repeatedly to himself.
“Alright, it’s about time, Himekawa-san, let’s go.”
He thought he could still manage.
Just as he was about to make a hasty exit, Miyu’s mother, returning from the phone call, added an unnecessary comment.
“Sorry about earlier, and for keeping my daughter company. Thank you so much, Mr. Akasaki, for being with her.”
” ………… “
With Miyu’s mother’s words, Haruya’s mind went blank.
Seeing Haruya in this state, Sara didn’t press further; she mumbled, “Akasaki? …Akasaki?” repeatedly, as if confirming.
(…I’m done for. I can’t possibly cover this up…)
If Miyu’s words were still manageable, the appearance of her mother changed the game.
The opponent was now an adult.
Haruya couldn’t afford to be suspected of using a fake name, as it would breed distrust.
Thus, in this situation, the only thing Haruya could do was to ensure that nothing more embarrassing would be revealed.
That is the only thing he can do.
“Himekawa-san, it’s about time for us to go…”
Haruya tried to guide Sara, but she didn’t seem willing to move.
“Haruya, don’t be mean to the lady,”
Miyu, the little girl, pointed out, which made Haruya say, “I’m sorry,” and lower his gaze, but this innocent remark became the catalyst for Haruya’s tragedy.
“Hey, Miyu. Haruya is a big brother, right?”
Miyu’s mother, rightfully as a parent, spoke the correct words to Miyu.
“Yes, Haruya oniichan.”
Normally, being called “big brother” might have been heartwarming, but Haruya was not in a state to appreciate it.
Inwardly, he was holding his head in despair, letting out a sigh repeatedly.
(…What do I do? It’s impossible already…)
Recalling his earlier casual excuse,
“See, I’m a cheerful guy, right? That’s why they call me ‘Haruya’ from the nickname ‘Bright Man,'”
he realized how this careless reasoning led to being called “Haruya oniichan.”
The main culprit should be Miyu’s mother, but… he couldn’t blame her. He couldn’t.
This is bad, dangerous, and these three words echoed in his mind repeatedly.
“Ah, it seems we’re running out of time, so we’ll excuse ourselves now.”
“Bye-bye, Haruya. I mean, Haruya oniichan.”
Checking the time, it seemed urgent, so Miyu and her mother quickly left the scene.
Left behind were only Haruya and Sara.
(Well, today was enjoyable, so let’s head home!)
While convincing himself inwardly, as he was about to start walking, Haruya felt a tug at the hem of his clothes.
“W-Wait… Asai-san. I mean, Akasaki san.”
” ……… “
The awkward atmosphere filled the air because his real name had been revealed.
Simultaneously, the fact that it was a fake name had also come to light.
Sara seemed to have several questions, but she first touched on the topic of his lateness.
“Um… I was thinking as I listened to your story, but was your tardiness today really because you got lost, not because you helped Miyu-chan who got lost?”
“Huh? Ah, well, yeah, that’s true.”
“You should have just said that…”
After confirming just that, Sara seemed satisfied, and she smiled as she walked ahead.
(…Huh?)
Haruya involuntarily let out a dumbfounded voice.
He thought she might inquire about more, considering the circumstances.
“It was an unexpected, but I’m not angry about you using a fake name. “
” …… Sorry, it’s complicated.”
(I don’t want to stand out in class. I don’t want to get into trouble with the school.)
These feelings are dominating Haruya’s mind.
“Yes, I understand, don’t worry. …… “
Sara said with a warm, humane smile. Haruya, on the other hand, had no reason to feel reassured.
He could only hope for one thing
– that he wouldn’t encounter Sara in school and that there wouldn’t be any opportunity for awkward interactions.
(…Please, God, I really hope for that.)
Haruya could only rely on divine intervention in his heart.
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