Game

I walked home with Izumi again today. The two of us strolled down the almost empty street, bathed in sunlight that cast long shadows on the sidewalk. It wasn't hot, and the rays only warmed our skin a little. There were buildings on the other side of the street, and on our side, beyond the sidewalk we were walking on, was a large park full of trees and greenery.

"What did you do at the club today?" I inquired. Since I wasn't an official member, I didn't always hang out with them, and sometimes I wondered what they were doing.

"We just sat around and played video games because there wasn't much else to do," he replied, his stride matching mine, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the strap of his backpack slung over his shoulder.

Being a little shorter than him, I always had to raise my head slightly to meet his gaze, but it never bothered me.

"By the way, why did you start this club in the first place?" I inquired, realizing that I hadn't asked before.

He paused for a moment, pondering my question. "Hmm... Actually, I don't even know. Asano approached me and asked if I wanted to join, so I did."

"Ah, have you known her long?" I inquired further.

"No, she just decided to invite one of the top students in the school," he replied, a hint of pride appearing in his smile.

"Oh yeah, you're the smart one, aren't you, I almost forgot," I teased, a playful, sharp grin dancing on my lips.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" He gave me a mocking, annoyed look.

I just smiled subtly. Of course, he wasn't really upset. It was just our banter. Our conversations often jumped from topic to topic, and we often teased and played with words. It was one of those moments.

For some reason, the slightly irritated look on his face only fueled my desire to tease him further. "Well, yeah," I replied casually, tilting my head up in a mocking display of superiority.

"That doesn't sound like it," He replied with feigned dryness in his tone.

Catching his gaze, I couldn't suppress a chuckle. His fake anger was more endearing than intimidating. "Be glad I even bothered to compliment you." I said, throwing my hair back and turning away as if to assert my dominance.

"It wasn't a compliment, it was sarcasm," he interjected, disturbing my little scene.

"Yeah, like you know how to do it better!"

"Of course," he replied smugly, finally lifting the corners of his lips slightly to show that he understood the game as well.

Look how cocky he's gotten. He only dares to be so cocky because we get along so well. He wouldn't talk like that to just anyone. I didn't say that because I had a low opinion of him; I just understood him. He was only like that with me. Yeah, only with me.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked snidely.

"Pfft. I pretty much won without even saying anything," he grinned.

Oh, you? Are you saying you can actually give compliments?

I've never seen him give them to anyone... He's never flirted with anyone.

I needed to teach him a lesson. I wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.

"Yeah? Prove it!"

"How?"

"Compliment me!"

We stopped.

He fell silent, and so did I.

Honestly, I hadn't expected the conversation to take this turn so quickly.

The light wind ruffled our clothes only slightly as we stood facing each other, frozen in a silent exchange of glances that seemed like the prelude to some kind of competition.

"And why aren't you saying anything? I'm waiting!" I said, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I ..." He hesitated, his gaze shifting downward, and a sudden hint of embarrassment colored his expression.

"You can't think of anything? What? I don't have anything to be complimented for? Nothing comes to mind?!" I said, giving him a murderous look.

"No, it's not that..." He murmured, still averting his eyes, and there was uncertainty in his demeanor.

Confusion clouded my thoughts. Why is he suddenly so awkward? I don't understand. It was all just another joke, right? I know you're not good at compliments anyway. Say something sarcastic and we'll move on. We'll just continue our little game.

"Then why are you silent?" I asked.

"Then I'll match your tone to keep things fair," he replied, meeting my gaze with a hint of seriousness, as if deciphering my intentions.

"Sarcastic then?"

"So you admit to being sarcastic?" There was a hint of triumph in his tone, as if he had caught me in a trap.

"Stop deflecting. You said yourself that you are better at giving compliments than I am. Well, since you're scared, I win," I declared, raising my chin triumphantly.

"Well..." He trailed off.

"Coward."

"Oh, if that's what you want, I'll tell you," he said with a sigh, as if I was forcing him, and it hurt me a little.

What was that sigh?

"Don't make it seem like I'm desperate for your compliments! You were the one bragging about your skills!"

I pursed my lips and turned away, looking at him out of the corner of my eye, noticing his hesitant look.

Gosh... He is hopeless. This guy would never compliment anyone... Then why doesn't he just make a joke? It would be easier... It would be easier for both of us. He didn't think I really wanted a sincere compliment from him, did he? Eh... What to do with him… Why is he so awkward?

"I was..." I started, only to be cut off.

"Fine, fine. I'll compliment you," he interrupted me, his voice firm.

Just kidding... I was about to say.

You actually will, huh?

"Hmph, you sound like you're doing me a favor! If you're not sincere, it doesn't count."

Why? Why didn't I stop him? Why am I asking him to be sincere?

It was strange. I was full of contradictions... I told myself again that I wanted him to turn this into a joke... But then I told him completely different things.

"Oh my God, you're impossible to please. Who cares what tone of voice I use?"

"I care."

I looked at him again, noticing his slightly annoyed and flushed face.

Huh?! What's wrong with him? I've never seen him like this... Hey, hey, hey, is he nervous? This could get weird really fast. Stop it, you can infect me with your embarrassment!

These thoughts were running through my mind in the background, but for some reason I didn't listen to them, I didn't rush to stop him.

It seemed strange to me.

It was probably just curiosity… Yeah, that's probably what it was.

I watched his face as he averted his gaze from me. Slowly, I studied his features... Hmm... His eyelashes were quite long.... His hair, glistening in the sunlight and a little disheveled, looked very good on him somehow.

As he shifted his gaze back to me, I found myself unable to look away, mesmerized by his face. Our eyes met, and he caught my gaze with his. His brown eyes reflected me, and there was something different in his look, something deeper and more sincere than usual.

Maybe it was just the play of sunlight on his face.

Yes.

Now the soft light of the setting sun illuminated his features, accentuating their contours, and there was something... something I couldn't quite grasp.

I fell silent, lost in thought.

What was it?

Perhaps it was just an illusion that would soon dissipate like dust settling on the ground...

It was just another game.

Yeah, let it be a game.

I knew I should stop him... Even though I was the one who asked him to be honest... I had to intervene before things went too far.

And when I realized he was about to say something, I finally got up the courage to stop him. "Stop!" I yelled, "I was kidding. Got it!"

Bam.

My scream shattered the fairytale atmosphere in an instant.

"Oh my God, you're pissing me off! You asked for it!" he shouted back, obviously reacting to my sudden scream.

"Well, I changed my mind! You should have done it sooner! It's your own fault for dragging it out like this!" I replied, feeling a rush of frustration and awkwardness.

And made everything so weird and awkward…

I turned away from him and walked forward, afraid to meet his gaze, afraid he would see something in my eyes that I hadn't yet realized myself.

My steps quickened, driven by an inexplicable anger that I didn't know if it was directed at him or myself. I moved forward, trying to get away from these unfamiliar emotions.

"No!" He grabbed my shoulder.

His grip, though sudden, was surprisingly gentle.

His touch stopped me instantly. Maybe my resolve meant nothing, just an empty lie to myself.

"What do you want now?" I turned to him, not realizing that he could now see my face, my eyes, and decipher the confusion in my heart.

He just stared at me, and for a moment I braced myself for a confrontation or an accusation. Instead, his voice softened as he uttered, "You're cute, okay?"

The compliment came off his lips simply, awkwardly, corny, yet somehow... I couldn't explain it... I couldn't describe it...

You're cute...

How many times had I heard those words?... How many times had I sighed in boredom at such words?... How many times had I seen the same embarrassed, flushed face I saw now?... But this time... it felt different. Why did his opinion matter to me?

Silence.

When I finally looked around, I noticed that random passersby were stealing glances at us and whispering, no doubt about us.

Since when?

Embarrassment washed over me, making me wish I could sink into the ground.

"Idiot! Why the hell are you yelling?" I whispered loudly, closing the distance between us and meeting his gaze with a facade of fearlessness that was, of course, a lie.

He took his time answering.

"And why the hell are you blushing?" I asked, finally stepping back a bit.

We stared at each other for a moment.

"You're blushing yourself, you idiot," he said simply.

Ah…

I wanted to run away from these emotions... I didn't want to acknowledge my embarrassment... But... I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Don't call me an idiot. It's all because of your cringiness, got it?" I grumbled.

"Let's just get out of here," he said, taking my hand.

"Oh my God, finally some sense has returned to your head," I remarked, not resisting his gentle grip.

We walked briskly down the street, eager to escape the prying eyes of those around us.

And I followed him, unable to resist the pull, my eyes fixed on his back, which led me forward...

"Why did you say it like that?" I asked, seriousness coloring my tone.

"What?" he replied, feigning innocence.

"Nothing!"

But anyway... He really thinks I'm cute? I mean, a lot of people do... but him? I mean, we were just fooling around...

It's not the first time I've heard this phrase, but somehow it feels like the first time.

What's going on? Akane! Wake up! You don't want to get into weird stuff.

"I don't believe you!" I said, turning my head away, even though he was looking ahead and couldn't see me. "Cute, huh? I won because you were dishonest."

Say you were joking! Say it was a joke, please! I don't want to feel those strange pleasant waves in my chest...

"You don't think so, do you?"

Why am I even continuing this conversation? What's wrong with me? Why do I keep asking him?

He still held my hand as we walked, and I trailed behind him, relieved that he wouldn't turn around to see my face.

As we walked, our steps slowed slightly.

"Don't many people think you're cute?"

What?

He decided not to give a definite answer.

Why? Is he taking back what he said? Why did he suddenly change his tone? It's annoying...

"It doesn't matter what other people think."

Ah, why am I acting like this?

"So you're that interested in what I think?" he asked, as if he had read my doubts.

Huh, now that you're not looking at my face, are you suddenly brave? I thought, not realizing my own hypocrisy. On purpose... It's like he's annoying me on purpose...

"You're at it again! Stop changing the subject!" I exclaimed, slapping him on the back with my free hand.

But he didn't react at all to my punch. It must have been very weak.

"You're the one who keeps messing with me. My turn," he said, still not turning to me.

Oh, is that why he's acting like this? Does that mean he still meant what he said before? Um... Why does he refuse to say those words to me again?

"Still, your compliment wasn't unique. And it didn't make my heart flutter," I said softly, moving closer to him and hiding behind his back.

I put my hand on my chest and tried to decipher my feelings. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't understand them. It was as if something was possessing me.

The lack of a clear answer from him only frustrated me more.

What if this was all just a joke? What if he was just playing with my emotions?

The thought worried me.

I stopped and pulled my hand out of his weak grip. "Doesn't matter anyway..." I muttered dryly in a hurt tone.

He stopped too.

I remained standing behind his back with my head slightly lowered, completely confused and not knowing what to do.

"I really think you're pretty," he said, breaking the silence between us.

Badump...

Badump...

Ah... Really? You really think so? You're not lying, are you?

"Let's change the subject..." I said in embarrassment, trying to hide my flushed face from him as he stood with his back to me.

Normally confident, I suddenly felt embarrassed and wanted to disappear so he wouldn't see my burning cheeks. Only then did I notice that my hand was wet with sweat.

As he took the first step forward without looking back, I followed, the rhythmic clatter of our footsteps echoing through the quiet street.

Why did my chest feel so warm? Where were these soft, pleasant waves coming from?

The world around me seemed filled with beauty...

I have to pull myself together!

Yes, the sun was unusually strong today. That must be why my cheeks were so hot.

I don't remember the rest of our conversation or how we parted. I hardly noticed how I got home. It was like a dream. But as soon as I opened the door to my apartment, I collapsed on the floor.

"Ah..," I sighed, leaning against the wall and pulling my knees up to my chest.

Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God!!! It was all so cheesy and cringey! But for some reason, it was so cool!

"Good evening, Miss," greeted my robot with its mechanical voice, trying to bring me back to reality.

Lost in thought, I remained silent.

"Miss?"

I finally looked up. "Ah... Yes?"

"Your pulse is high. Were you running?"

Um, what?

I stared at it, trying to comprehend. "What did you say?"

"Did you run?"

"Oh... Yeah..."

My thoughts were far away.

Ah, I feel like the heroine of a drama!

That night it took me a little longer to fall asleep.