VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Epilogue
“…So then why the hell are we coming here!?”
“It can’t be helped. This was the most convenient place. It’s quiet, and we don’t have to worry about people watching.”
“Haha… sorry, Takayuki-kun.”
We headed straight to Takayuki-kun’s place afterward. Naturally, the suggestion had been Sachika’s.
We weighed our options for what to do next, but the day had left us both more drained than we’d realized. In the end, we eventually settled on a plan: “Let’s go over our midterm answers at Takayuki-kun’s place.”
Eň_û m̊ă
When we told Takayuki-kun that…
He let out an incredibly deep sigh.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“What kind of lukewarm date is that!?”
“Isn’t it very student-like?”
“Are you really satisfied with that, Amou-shounen!? Honestly!?”
“Uh… w-well, I was going to do it when I got home anyway.”
W̆е b̄n о v́.е l̃ E n ūm_а̂
“If you can do it alone at home, then all the more reason—when you’re together, do something you can only do together!”
It was a solid point—one he fired off in a single breath. Even Sachika muttered, “…That’s true.”
Honestly, it was a convincing point. Doing something alone while you’re together did seem like a waste of time.
“But it’s not like I could think of anything else…”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Who cares? Just start with some idle chatter—……No, wait, my sister isn’t exactly the type who excels at that.”
“That’s kind of irritating.”
E n̆ üm̆ а̂
“Wanna try it?”
“……….”
“See? If you’re fine with Amou just talking nonstop all by himself, I won’t stop you.”
“That… might be a little tough.”
I wouldn't call Sachika quiet, exactly, but she did give off the impression that idle conversation wasn't her forte. She was the type to get caught in a rabbit hole just trying to define what "meaningless conversation" even was.
It’s not like I was any better at it, either. I could easily see our attempt resulting in long stretches of awkward silence—in which case, reviewing the test seemed like the superior option.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“…Good grief.”
Takayuki-kun let out another sigh before crouching in front of the TV.
“Watching a movie… Sachika’s the type who goes silent while she watches, so that won’t work either. Guess we’ll go with the safe option.”
Muttering to himself, he pulled out one of those ubiquitous game controllers.
“Amou-shounen, do you play games at all?”
“Huh? Uh, not really… I don’t even own a console.”
W ë bn̆о̄ v̆ е̌ l̄ Еnù_m̀ӑ
“You’re kidding! When I was a kid, gaming was the ultimate social tool. We’d meet up at the park for local multiplayer battles and everything—”
“I, uh… I was focused on tennis.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Oniichan, forcing your ‘back in my day’ on people is how you start becoming an old man.”
“It was a genuine question! …Well, whatever. Sachika doesn’t play games at all either. Guess that makes you two evenly matched—works out just fine.”
I’d been to arcades, sure, but this was a far cry from the crane games I was used to.
While we stared blankly, Takayuki-kun booted up the console and handed us the controllers.
E nu m a . і̃d
When I finally held the controller, it was much smaller than I’d imagined—and felt completely alien in my hands.
Sachika looked the same, studying hers with a skeptical stare.
“My expert profiling tells me that if two total beginners jump straight into a fighting game, it’ll be a confusing mess. So! Try this instead—something you two amateurs can play together!”
The game he recommended had a distinct retro vibe. I vaguely recalled seeing an arcade cabinet for it in a candy shop I’d frequented as a kid.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I’d watched friends get obsessed with games like this from the sidelines, but this was my first time actually taking the controls.
“The rules are simple! Don’t get killed—blast the enemies, grab power-ups, and keep moving to the right! That’s it! Easy, right?”
W̃ еb̄ ǹо̇v̈ё l Еn umа
“It sounds rather barbaric.”
“That’s what makes it simple. Stop complaining and try it! I’m heading out for a while. I won’t be back soon, so take your sweet time~”
Takayuki-kun said it—and then he really did leave.
Maybe he just thought being the third wheel was a pain… or maybe this was his way of letting us be alone. If so, it meant he trusted me, at least to some degree.
Well, "alone together" didn't carry much weight with Sachika. It wasn't as if the mood was suddenly going to shift into something romantic…
“…For now, want to try it?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“Sure. But if it’s boring, you’re going to hear about it later.”
Giving a wry smile at Sachika’s prickly response, I started the game.
◇
An hour later—.
“Amou, don’t pick up that weapon. It’ll only make you weaker.”
“R-roger!”
Е nu̇m̊ а
“Timing-wise, a big enemy should be coming soon… Amou, be careful.”
“You can even predict that?—wait, it really showed up!?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Sachika was improving at an unbelievable speed.
Her character moved with such fluidity compared to mine that it felt like we were playing two different games—she was just mowing down enemies left and right.
You’d respawn after a few seconds if you were taken out, but Sachika rarely needed it.
“This is… surprisingly fun.”
Ē nů m а . іd̃
Excitement was clearly dancing in Sachika’s eyes.
It was obvious she was getting totally hooked.
“People say playing games melts your brain—maybe that way of thinking is outdated, but somehow I always felt it wasn’t a good thing, so I avoided it.”
Even as she dropped a large boss on-screen, Sachika suddenly started talking.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“But it’s fun… and if it’s fun, then that alone is its own kind of justice.”
She sounded a little smug… even her word choice was cool. There was no denying she’d been sucked in and was riding the high.
Ŵ еb̂ñо v e l̄ Ӗ ñ u m̌.а
I was absorbed in the game too, in my own way, but I didn't have anywhere near her skill or passion—I’d ended up being carried almost the entire time.
And then, another hour later—
“…! Did we do it!?”
We cleared a few more stages, and when we finally took down a gigantic alien, an overblown track started up and the staff credits began to roll.
Naturally, Sachika dealt the final blow. I felt like some background NPC standing behind the hero who’d ended the war… no, I guess an NPC wouldn't even be there.
“Amou!”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Sachika turned to me with a snap, eyes sparkling.
I got the feeling she wanted a high-five, and I reflexively raised my hand, but—
“We did it!!”
“Wah!?”
Overjoyed, Sachika suddenly lunged at my chest!?
Caught off guard by the force of her tackle, I was sent sprawling onto my back.
W еb̆ ňo v еl̈ Е̃ ň_u ṁа
“S-Sachika!?”
“This is… such an incredible feeling…! Fufufu, we seized this victory together!”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The excitement she’d built up had reached a fever pitch, and she beamed at me with an innocent smile that made her look years younger.
That smile alone was a lethal weapon, but the way she kept clinging to me, completely swept up in the moment, was even more intense. I had no idea what to do or where to put my hands…!
(And we’re the only ones in this room… Seriously, what am I even thinking!?)
On top of all that, my useless anxieties decided to rear their heads with a vengeance.
Ѐ_n̂ ûḿа̊ .ǐd̊
What should I do? What do I even want? No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't find an answer—I could only freeze in place.
“Ah…! S-sorry!”
It only ended when Sachika realized what she was doing and pulled away. If it had lasted even a few seconds longer...
No—I can't go there.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“I-I got a little too carried away…! You didn’t hurt yourself, did you!?”
Е̃n ũ m̊ а́
“Ah—y-yeah. I’m fine…!”
I managed to scramble into a sitting position, but the atmosphere had grown thick with an awkward tension.
If Takayuki-kun had been here, he would’ve shattered the mood… or more likely, he would’ve just killed me on the spot.
“W-well, maybe I was a little shameless too, but Amou, don’t you think you’re not happy enough? We cleared it, you know?”
“O-of course I was happy. It’s just… I was basically dead weight toward the end.”
“Dead weight? That’s not true. We cleared it because you were with me. If I were alone, I probably wouldn’t have even gotten past the first stage… Just having you by my side makes all the difference.”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
After saying that, Sachika seemed to recall something. She fixed me with a heavy-lidded, skeptical glare, her cheeks tinged with a faint flush.
“Don’t tell me you’re doubting what happened earlier.”
“D-doubting? Earlier… you mean…?”
“…What I said to Washizaki-san. About you.”
“That’s…”
Sachika had said plenty of things to her, but there was only one thing she’d be asking about now.
Ӗ nu mа
—But the reason I want to stay with him—with Amou—from here on out is because from the bottom of my heart, I see him as special, as a man.
The weight of that praise was so immense it bordered on an understatement… and it was only now, as she asked, that I realized I hadn’t doubted her words for a single second.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The sight of Sachika’s back from earlier was still seared into my mind. Perhaps it was because it only just happened, but I knew it would stay with me tomorrow, and every day after.
I don’t have a good judge of character. I couldn’t even properly understand Washizaki Karen, a girl who had been by my side for a lifetime.
And yet, the reason I never doubted Sachika’s words…
…was because her feelings in that moment mirrored exactly how I felt about her.
Е́ nŭmӓ
Of course, our feelings weren't a perfect 1:1 match, and Sachika had expressed hers far better than I ever could, but—
“I’m not doubting you. I mean, when I remember it now, it’s pretty embarrassing, but—”
“Then don’t remember it!”
She suddenly covered my mouth with her hand.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Maybe she’d gotten embarrassed remembering it too—she looked like she was getting worked up.
“Forget it if you want… but even though I lie like anyone else, when it comes to that, it wasn’t flattery or exaggeration. I just wanted you to know that much… that’s all.”
Ẇеb́n öv е ľ Е̌ ńu m̂ а
“…Yeah.”
I wasn't doubting her. She told me to forget it, but—
I nodded, pouring into it the feeling that I would never forget.
I took her sincerity and tucked it away, along with the day's happiness, in a safe, precious corner of my mind—
“That’s right, Amou! I said mine, so you should say yours too!”
“Huh? Say what…?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“My… …………what you like about me.”
“Hah!?”
“Why not!? You have to say it! It’s not fair if only you know what’s in my heart… I mean, I’m… kind of curious, too…”
Her voice trailed off at the end, yet I caught every syllable.
What I liked about Sachika…
“…You can’t say it right away. Does that mean you don’t have any?”
Еnú m ā .і̃ d̈
“N-no! I have too many, I just don’t know which one to start with…”
“Oooh? You’ve got lots, huh? Hmmm~?”
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
That heavy-lidded stare again—she didn’t believe me!
“Then start with whatever’s closest to the surface.”
“Closest to the surface… something that pops right out…”
Our eyes met. Strong, confident eyes. Long eyelashes. A straight nose. Glossy lips that looked soft—
Ė n̆ùmа̊
“You’re beautiful. Things like that.”
“So it’s just my face.”
“It’s not ‘just’! It’s just that it was the closest to the surface!”
There were so many things I liked about Sachika. It wasn't just her looks, but there was no denying her beauty was outstanding. Not just her face, but her entire silhouette, even through her school uniform—
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“…Sexy.”
“That’s not it!?”
Еṅ.u mâ .і d
I didn’t usually let my mind go there, but caught up in the conversation, I found myself tracing her figure with my eyes.
And of course, Sachika noticed. With a sulky face, she hugged herself protectively with both arms and scooted away from me!!
“So you were after my body too, Amou. Ahh, how cruel. Toying with my pure heart… My heart has been deeply wounded. Sniffle sniffle.”
“Guh…!”
She was obviously teasing me, but given the circumstances, I was at a complete disadvantage.
After that, I desperately squeezed my confused brain dry and started listing good things about Sachika, and Sachika returned them with merciless critiques… and before long, the topic drifted somewhere totally unrelated.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
We went back and forth, trading jabs and laughing, our voices rising and falling in the quiet room…
…and before we knew it, hours had slipped by, leaving us in total darkness.
“…Jeez. You two are so perfect for each other it’s annoying.”
At some point, Takayuki-kun had come back, and he said it with exasperation.
