Even at Trinity, there was an arcade.
"Ho-how is this possible…!"
Azusa let go of the joystick, starin g at the "Insert Coin" prompt on the arcade screen, her face flushed with anger. "Unbelievable… I actually lost!?"
Watching her the whole time, I couldn't help but feel a little pity. For a first-time player, her performance was already impressive, yet she couldn't overcome the game's difficulty and the tricks of the operator.
Facing such a crushing defeat in a completely new domain, Azusa complained bitterly: "This is so unfair! How is anyone supposed to enjoy this!?"
I was about to comfort her when she took a few deep breaths and calmed down slightly: "And come to think of it, there's no reason for me to feel the sting of defeat. Doing this offers me nothing."
Yet as she spoke, her anger grew again: "No matter how I look at it, it's a waste of time! I can't accept this…!"
"Do you want to try again?" I asked. "Or call it quits?"
"Ugh…!"
Azusa's gaze became unreadable, clearly torn in an internal struggle. But she couldn't let it go:
"I'm not running away! One more time! I've devised a new strategy! This next round will be the last!"
"You think you'll win?"
"I will!"
Even before the match, she declared victory. Yet it still took her over ten coins to barely beat the game.
The moment she defeated the final boss and the ending CG appeared, Azusa's smile was radiant, brimming with the joy of success.
Though her first impression could seem cold, earning her the nickname "Ice Witch", the more one interacted with her, the more evident it became that Azusa's core was fiery.
Her intense competitiveness was clear even now.
I offered timely congratulations: "Congrats, Azusa."
Azusa realized I had noticed and quickly masked her expression, stiffening her face and haughtily saying:
"No need to congratulate me. Winning is only natural, there's nothing to celebrate. In fact, if I hadn't been distracted, I could have cleared this game long ago."
Clearly, she had been ecstatic a moment ago.
Though she was putting on a tough front, she had a point. In the noisy arcade, even the focused Azusa occasionally faltered due to unexpected sounds, dying a few times because of it.
Particularly, a player sitting in the corner, seemingly playing some versus game, occasionally let out frustrated shouts.
"Damn it! What a cheap trick! Some bug or something? Hey, what the hell are you doing now!?"
The player, a delinquent-looking girl, shouted threats at someone else angrily: "You idiot! I'm gonna beat you! No cap!"
Hearing this, Azusa frowned and rose, heading toward the potential conflict, ready to intervene.
I remembered the first time we met at the Justice Task Force, she had defended a bullied student, only for the villain to report her first, leading to a massive confrontation.
By her account, she simply couldn't stand seeing bullies act freely.
From any normal perspective, that was a clear act of courage.
Following behind Azusa, I noticed the girl who had just lost the game, furious and flustered, was dressed… uniquely.
A maid headband, a silk scarf, her signature ahoge, and a delinquent-like tone.
Combined, in all of Kiwatos, maybe only one person could match this perfectly.
Beside her, trembling, was a girl in an ordinary Millennium uniform, her long black hair trailing to the ground. Surely, there was no one else it could be.
Why had these two traveled all the way to Trinity's arcade?
Before I could ponder further, Azusa reached them, calm as ever:
"Shorty, If you don't stop fighting, I'll knock you both out."
…I could only think that sometimes, Azusa was quite confident.
Had she learned that from Saori?
"Huh?" Neru turned her head, annoyed. "Who are you calling a shorty? Mind your own business!"
Azusa's small body trembled, her eyebrows shooting up: "S-sorry, shorty is talking to who?"
"The shorty's talking to you!"
"Eek!" Arisu shivered, betraying her partner, "If you want to fight, just fight little Neru-senpai! Don't hit Arisu!"
"Don't casually add 'little' to her name again! You bastard, that was intentional, right!?"
At that moment, both Neru and Arisu noticed me watching and glanced over. They froze for a moment, then regained their energy.
"Yo, sen—"
"Ugh! Sensei!"
Neru's greeting was cut off by Arisu shouting even louder.
The android girl ran to hide behind me, tugging my sleeve and whining: "Little one's bullying me, sensei! Please stop her!"
Where did she learn that power-play tactic?
And she skipped "Neru-senpai" entirely when calling me?
Neru exploded: "You shorty! Stirring up trouble again!? I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Arisu continued tattling: "Sensei, little one acts so brazenly in front of you. Behind your back, she's even worse… Wuwah! I'm sorry! It's Arisu's fault! I shouldn't have spoken ill of senpai. Little Neru-senpai, I'm sorry!"
I just made a motion to shield Arisu in front of me, and she immediately panicked, reading the situation perfectly.
She had been spoiled… utterly spoiled.
Fortunately, Neru's anger dissipated quickly, seeing Arisu apologize, she huffed a couple of times and let it go.
After glancing around, Azusa finally found the moment to speak, asking me: "Sensei, do you know these two as well?"
"Yes." I ruffled Arisu's hair. "Let me introduce you."
The three girls acquainted themselves briefly.
Then Neru examined Azusa with interest: "Hey, just now you thought I was picking on this little one? Not bad, showing courage. Small, but brave."
Azusa looked confused but returned the scrutiny.
Though their sizes weren't drastically different, one thing was clear, Neru was the tallest-grade, shortest in stature... unless you counted her ahoge.
Still curious, Azusa didn't press it, returning to the topic: "Did I misunderstand something?"
Arisu replied: "I don't think it's a misunderstanding…"
"You dare say that!?"
Seeing the two at an impasse and conflict about to erupt, I intervened:
"Stop arguing for now. Can you explain the whole situation to me from the beginning?"
Neru and Arisu glanced at each other, then began recounting the incident together.
That sunny day, Arisu had been strolling through the Millennium campus, leveling up as a hero.
Suddenly, she was caught by Neru and dragged to this arcade for a battle.
This had apparently happened several times before.
"Since Neru-senpai's skills are weak, she always loses to Arisu. But she refuses to admit defeat, won't give in, and easily gets frustrated…"
Arisu spoke timidly. If true, it explained why she subtly criticized Neru in conversation.
"Ha!? I wasn't mad about that just now!?"
Neru growled: "You won, fine! But why keep squatting beside me!?"
…Ah, this.
Arisu countered seriously: "Wasn't that me signaling friendliness to Neru-senpai?"
"Oh, I see… so I misjudged you? You think I'd say that? You're treating me like a fool! I checked! That was clearly mockery, wasn't it!?"
"Ah? No, Arisu doesn't know! This was taught by Momoi. Arisu is a robot, so she can't lie. If there's a grievance, Momoi's the one responsible. Let Neru-senpai take it up with Momoi."
I finally couldn't help myself: "Arisu, where on earth did you learn all this?"
She'd barely been online a short while yet managed to inherit Kivotos traditions, with subtle innovations too.
It was still playful childishness, but if left unchecked, she could turn into someone like Kei, lying freely to achieve her goals.
I hinted at it, and Arisu looked thoughtful and ashamed, promising to behave.
…Though I suspected this was partly a ploy to get my attention.
I asked Neru: "By the way, why did you come all the way from Millennium to Trinity just to game?"
"Ah, well…" Neru faltered, "It's a… personal reaso—"
"Ah, so that's why, Director."
A gentle yet sharp female voice startled Neru: "Wha—A-Akane!?"
Adjusting her glasses, the girl with flaxen hair smiled: "Neru-sama, didn't we agree, one hour of gaming per day? Excluding travel, you've exceeded that. Hiding in another school's territory, did you think I wouldn't find you?"
The reason became clear.
Usually fearless Neru forced a guilty smile, raising a finger: "There was traffic… I just arrived… one more game, just one."
Akane decisively said: "No. You have other responsibilities. Time to return."
Neru immediately slumped: "H-how can this be…"
Akane turned to me, her expression softening: "Master, long time no see. How have you been?"
"Pretty good. You?"
"Hehe~ Thank you for asking. I wish I could chat more, but I must take this foolish lady back to school before anyone notices."
"Thanks for your trouble," I said, then pulled Arisu close. "Could you take Arisu back with you as well?"
"Eh!? Arisu too!?"
The android's mischievous expression collapsed into a tearful plea.
I naturally ignored her.
Akane nodded: "Of course. It's no trouble. I'll take Arisu back to Millennium safely too."
Neru's lips twitched wildly with a mix of envy and frustration.
Having lost the chance to be with me, Neru and Arisu, like defeated roosters, were dragged out by Akane.
Azusa commented: "Just with presence alone, she made them freeze. That girl is impressive."
Though I thought it had little to do with combat ability.
"By the way," Azusa asked, "why does she call sensei 'Master'?"
"You saw she's wearing a maid outfit. Just think of it as roleplay."
"Uhh… I don't quite get it. But…" Azusa hesitated, then asked, "Does sensei like being called that?"
I was momentarily speechless, sensing something off about this white-haired girl.
"…Never mind, forget I asked."
Azusa shook her head and met my gaze: "Then, sensei, please give me instructions. Where to for the next training location?"
I smiled and asked: "Azusa, where would you like to go next?"
After a brief pause, she quietly expressed her thoughts.
Afterwards, we visited the food street, karaoke, cinema, and nearly every facility in the mall.
At first, Azusa resisted new experiences, but gradually became absorbed in them. This cycle repeated several times.
"We've been to so many places…" she murmured, as usual seeking guidance. "Where to next…?"
I encouraged her to think for herself: "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"
This time, she genuinely struggled: "Uhh… feels like we've been everywhere…"
Her statement was slightly off.
I smirked, knowing it was finally time for me to suggest something.
"How about over there?" I pointed to a nearby shop.
"Wh-what…?" Azusa hesitated, then nodded. "If sensei wants to go… okay."
We approached the store.
Seeing the sign and interior, Azusa's pupils dilated: "This is…!"
"That's right," I added. "It's the Momofriends merchandise shop."
The white-haired girl's pupils practically trembled.