Chapter 12: Blame It All on Genshin

The next morning, at Sobu High:

"Big brother, I'm heading off first! Remember what Komachi told you~"

"...Sure."

Watching Komachi walk toward the first-year building, Hachiman sighed deeply, feeling a headache coming on from his sister's suggestions.

No matter what she says, there's only one sister-in-law Komachi is getting, and that's Yukinoshita.

Betraying Yukinoshita? Impossible.

Getting a backup, a fling, or even a casual partner? Also impossible. Hachiman is a righteous man.

He's devoted to Yukinoshita. Completely.

But...

Hachiman subconsciously touched his face and pulled his bangs down slightly.

"Even though I've always been handsome, I feel like I've gotten better-looking lately. Strange... Is exercising really that effective?"

As this thought crossed his mind, he walked toward the third-year building.

Still, he'd better stay low-key from now on. After all, he was now a man with a girlfriend and should avoid unnecessary interactions with other girls.

Arriving earlier than usual, Hachiman found 3-B sparsely populated. Scanning the classroom, he didn't spot Katou.

Victory!

Avoiding her for now felt like dodging a bullet. Just the thought of seeing her in the morning made Hachiman feel immense pressure, as though all his secrets were laid bare under her gaze.

The less interaction with her, the better.

As he approached his "throne," however, Hachiman noticed his territory had been occupied by two girls.

He froze.

The two culprits, a long-legged, black-stocking-wearing "onee-san" type and a feisty blonde twin-tail girl, seemed embroiled in a heated argument.

"Keqing is the strongest Electro DPS! Do you even understand her potential?"

The blonde slammed her hands on his desk, her tone fierce as a lioness defending her pride.

Meanwhile, the black-stockinged girl, perched leisurely on a desk in the back row, crossed her legs and lightly kicked Hachiman's chair. Her voice was dripping with mockery.

"Heh~ Keqing, an old launch character, and you think she's the strongest? That's delusional."

"Keqing is the Thunder Archon of Liyue! Do you get that? The Thunder Archon!"

"Liyue's Thunder Archon? Please. Raiden Shogun is the real deal."

"...!"

The debate over the strongest Electro DPS had escalated into a full-blown battle.

Hachiman rubbed his temples. From what he remembered of their introductions, the black-stockinged girl was named Kasumigaoka, while the blonde went by Sawamura.

Yep, those were their names.

But the names didn't matter.

What mattered was—

What the hell?! Genshin players?!

Hachiman couldn't believe his ears. Hearing them mention "Keqing" and "Raiden Shogun" left him utterly speechless.

He had never expected to encounter Genshin Impact fans at Sobu High, of all places. Most students here were normies who barely even knew what Genshin was.

Except for Tobe.

That guy was in a league of his own, constantly raving about marrying characters like Klee, Yaoyao, and Qiqi—essentially the ultimate lolicon.

Meanwhile, Kasumigaoka and Sawamura's argument raged on.

"My Keqing triggers reactions."

"Sorry, but raw damage is supreme."

"Hah! That's just because Raiden can't proc reactions!"

"I don't need to. I can deal hundreds of thousands in one slash. Who needs reactions?"

"Yeah, but she's a burst-and-done type. Keqing has sustain!"

"Old-fashioned thinking. While you're busy running around triggering reactions, I've already killed the boss."

"Keqing isn't old-fashioned! She's risen to glory with Dendro!"

"And she's still no match for Raiden."

"Your Raiden is just a glorified support!"

"FYI, I have a fully-crowned C6 Raiden Shogun."

"Ugh! You think you're so great? Well... Well, my Keqing is C6 too!"

"...!"

As the two hurled increasingly aggressive arguments, Hachiman silently pulled out his phone.

"Man, why isn't the update out yet? Dammit, Mihoyo, I need to pull for Clorinde, the strongest Electro DPS! Hurry up and drop the banner!"

Feigning frustration, Hachiman muttered loudly enough to draw attention, internally cringing at his own words. Another embarrassing moment added to his tally.

Sure enough, his comment redirected their firepower toward him.

Sawamura narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Hmph! Clorinde? The strongest DPS? She just came out. How do you even know she's stronger than Keqing?"

Kasumigaoka, still lounging like a queen, eyed him with intrigue. "Oh? So, you play Genshin too?"

Caught in their crosshairs, Hachiman quickly pocketed his phone and gave a nervous smile. "I, uh... played for a few days."

God, these Genshin players are terrifying.

This is going to be a long year, with these two sitting in front and behind me.

Yukinoshita, help me!

"Hah! Only played for a few days?" Sawamura puffed out her chest proudly, exuding the smugness of a seasoned player. "Do you even know what Spiral Abyss is? I'll have you know, my Keqing got me to Floor 11 this cycle. Impressive, right?"

"Floor 11? That's nothing special," Kasumigaoka retorted, flipping her hair with practiced elegance. "My Raiden cleared Floor 12 this cycle."

"?! You cleared Floor 12? No way. You've never gotten past Floor 11 before! Prove it, or I won't believe you!"

Ignoring her, Kasumigaoka smirked at Hachiman. "What about you, Mr. Invisible? How far did you get in Abyss?"

Invisible... That's me?

Hey, just because you don't know my name doesn't mean you can call me that!

Sawamura cut in, "He's a newbie. He probably doesn't even know what Abyss is. Why bother asking?"

"True. Poor guy. I suggest you pull for Raiden Shogun next time, Invisible-san."

"Or Keqing. She's way better!"

Sighing deeply to avoid another argument between the two, Hachiman finally answered quietly, "Actually... I've been clearing Abyss with full stars for two years."

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