Chapter 15 - Master of Air Hockey

Afternoon homeroom just ended, so school is over with for the day.

"May I?" Chris approached Shōichi.

She has already been treated, and she's doing just fine. She also seemingly gets along with Kazuko after they talk with each other.

With both respecting each as a strong fighter, it's bound for them to get close, already close enough to banter with each other like old friend.

"Yeah, what's up?" Shōichi asked back as he shuts one of his eyes.

"I wanted to meet Shiina-dono from 2-S, who's living in the room next to mine, to show me the way to the dorm, but when I went to 2-S, they said Shiina-dono already went to her club."

"What about Yōta?"

"Yōta?" Chris tilts her head in confused manner.

"Oh, right..." Shōichi scratches the back of his head, "You won't know who Yōta is... But then again, I have to go to work now. So, Tactician Yamato." He points a finger at Yamato.

Yamato sighs and nods his head in response, "All right. I'll take you there."

He's sure there are a lot of things she doesn't know, so he'll teach her those things too.

And the fact that Yōta doesn't approached Chris when she searched for Miyako means that Yōta also already leave first.

"I'll show you around the school too."

"Thank you." She smiles softly.

'Hmm, she's cute...' Yamato thought as he scratches his cheek while averting his eyes from her, 'I'm getting embarrassed.'

"By the way, I'm Naoe Yamato. I live on the first floor of the dorm. Nice to meet you."

"Yamato?" Chris raised her eyebrows, "Is that the same as the other name for Japan, Yamato?"

Yamato nods his head in response, "Yeah. It's Yamato, like Battleship Yamato."

"That's a great name. May I call you Yamato?"

"Sure. Everyone calls me that, anyways."

"Then, nice to meet you, Yamato." Chris said as she reaches her hand out to Yamato and he takes the hand, shaking it gently.

The guys in the classroom are making a difficult expression. It must be the dillema of wanting to get to know her and also fearing her dad.

It's good for Yamato because he has the just cause of showing her around.

"You have the same name as the main character in Yamatomaru Yumenikki." Chris started as she looks around the school with excited expression written all over her face.

"Oh, I watched that too." Yamato nods his head and hums, "It's a good historical drama." Well, he's only watched one series out of many.

Chris smiles widely at that, "I have all the DVDs of the series."

"Wow, that's amazing." Yamato whistled before he averts his eyes to look outside the window, 'That must be the reason why she rode the horse to school...'

"I love Yamato."

"Eh?" Yamato snaps his head so fast in Chris' direction when he heard that before he coughs as he suddenly understand what she meant by that, "O-Oh, you mean the character in the historical drama."

"...!" Her cheeks were painted in red as she also realized what she just said, "O-Of course. I-It's a misunderstanding. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He waves his hand and smiles lightly, "I'm just glad I have the same name as him."

"Fufu..." Chris giggles cutely behind her hand.

"I'm not strong as him though."

"I do find his strength amazing..." She nods her head understandingly, "But what I love about him is his loyalty."

"I see..." Yamato hums thoughtfully, "He does have a strong sense of justice."

"Yes. I love the word justice."

Yamato simply nods before he points one of the whiteboards in the hallway, "So, there are lots of fliers in the hallway, right?"

Chris walks up to one of the whiteboards while looking at the fliers thoroughly, "Are these help-wanted ads?"

"Yes. This school lets you work." Yamato once again nods his head beside Chris as he looks at the fliers as well, "There's a flier asking for friends to drink tea with or something like that... They're posting everything here."

"That's an interesting system. Let's see..." Chris hummed while tracing the fliers with her slender finger, "Need strong martial artist to defeat Nagakura Yōta from Kendo Club. Big prizes for those who win."

Yamato couldn't helped himself but to deadpanned at the flier before he sighs, "I see that people are still don't give up on trying to usurp him. They're seriously wasting their time and youth at this moment."

"Nagakura Yōta..." Chris mutters the name under her breath, she then looks at Yamato, "Is this Yōta-dono that Kazama-dono just mentioned earlier?"

Yamato scratches the back of his neck, "Yeah. He's living in the same dorm as us too, and he's the one who trained Wanko by the way."

Chris lets out an impressed voice as she claps her hands excitedly, "Is this Nagakura Yōta, the Young Emperor?"

Yamato raised his eyebrows at that, she sounds excited, "He is. I'm surprised you know him, is he that famous in Germany?"

"Yes. He's been a hot topic in my school in Germany." Chris nods in response, "And as someone who walk in path of sword, I'm quite curious about today's Young Emperor and my instructor is his biggest fan too, so I watched one of his match in last summer tournament together and I've to say, his swordsmanship is really beautiful!" She makes a cute guts pose with stars in her eyes, "Ever since I've been watching Nagakura-dono's match together with Fine-neesan, my instructor. My favorite match is his semi-final match in last summer against Eugeo-dono, they were so..."

Yamato could only chuckles in awkward manner as he listens to Chris rambling about Yōta's match against Eugeo through the tour.

-Scene Change-

Meanwhile man in the question is currently walking through the mall of the station when he happens to spot a certain someone in general store.

Yōta looks at Yukie's figure from behind as the said girl is over by the stationery brooding something over.

"A-All I need is two more... Then I'll have the complete set..." Yukie mutters to herself.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. You're collecting these?" Yōta suddenly asked as he looks at the things that Yukie had on her palms over her shoulder.

"Huh?" Yukie turns her head sideward and she can see Yōta's face close-up, it doesn't take long for her whole body flushed red as she jumps back in panic, "Wh—!? S-S-Senpai!!"

"Yaa, Mayucchi. It's fancy to see you here." Yōta smiles lightly at the girl while waving his hand.

Her reaction always looks funny to Yōta, she's really like an open book. It's just making him want to tease her more and more to see her cute reactions.

Oops, it seems he's been hanging around Yamato and Momo-senpai far too long that their bad habit is infecting him now.

"Yōta-boy, you shouldn't take girl's back like that." Matsukaze said.

Yōta scratches the back of his head awkwardly, "I guess you're right. I just thought it was kinda funny seeing Mayucchi staring down those erasers."

In response to that, Yukie covers her face in embarrassment with her hands as she muffles out a panic screech in low tone.

"But, scented eraser, huh?" He hummed while picking one of the erasers, "I remember these things. I used to collect them when I was little too."

"E-Eh, you did?" Yukie asked while peeking behind her fingers, looking slightly excited as she closes the distance between them little by little.

Yōta smiles softly at the sight, he really wants to pat her head when he saw that expression, but he holds himself back, "Yes, I did. Kazuko-chan loves this kind of things after all, and because of that she gets me into it too."

"I-I see, I can see her collecting this." Yukie nods her head understandingly.

She had a chance to meet with the youngest Kawakami when Kazuko visited the dorm to take Yōta somewhere.

And by looking at the cute girl that time, Yukie can easily imagine Kazuko collecting things like the scented erasers or another cute things.

"Totally." Matsukaze agreed.

Yōta chuckles and takes the dark blue and green forest scented erasers, "Everytime we're going home after school, she'll always dragged me to the station to buy one of these until she completed all the set."

And while Yukie still distracted by the conversation, he comes up to the cashier and bought the erasers for 240 yen.

"Here."

"Eh?" Yukie lets out a confused voice as Yōta gently grabs her hand, and put the erasers with blueberry and apple scents on her palm.

"Presents for you."

"Hwee?"

Yōta chuckles once again at the cute reaction, "You need these two, right? To complete the set, I mean? I saw you're looking at them earlier."

"B-B-Bu-But..." Yukie turned red and started stammering as she flails her free hand in panic manner.

"Haha, calm down, Mayucchi." Yōta said as he finally succumbed to his desire and pats the girl's head in fond manner, "In case like this you should accept the gift and say thank you. I will be sad if you don't accept the gift I gave to you."

"He's right, Mayucchi!" Matsukaze chimed in, "This is your second presents, and this is from your first friend too! You should accept it. Don't waste this chance!"

"Y-You're right, Matsukaze. This is my first p-presents from my first f-f-friend... It would be rude to turn it down." Yukie hushed her reply to Matsukaze.

She then bows her head deeply in front of Yōta, "T-T-Thank you for the g-gift, Senpai! I-I'll treasure it forever!"

Yōta fixes his glasses and smiles, "You're welcome. And I'm happy to hear that."

As the two talk with each other, they could hear someone calling out for Yōta from behind, "Ah, there you are."

"Seriously, I was looking all over for you. I thought you leave me or something." Kokoro pouted as she's approaching Yōta in her casual outfit consisting of white and pink cute and fluffy babydoll dress.

She playfully smacks Yōta's elbow, and in response to that, Yōta scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about that. But didn't you get my text?"

Kokoro tilts her head before she smiles in playful manner, "Hyohoho, yes, I did." She then notices someone in front of Yōta, she squints her eyes slightly, observing Yuki from head-to-toe, "This is?"

Yukie straightens her body nervously when she felt the stare that Kokoro sends to her. Her whole body is shaking in fear and embarrassment.

She's always busy with her reactions.

"Right." Yōta nods his head before he taps Yukie's shoulder one time before smiling gently at her, "Go on, introduce yourself. It's your chance to make another friend. You can do it." He gently squeezes Yukie's shoulder for one final time to show his support.

Kokoro raised her eyebrows at the interaction between them, both of them look so close, and she couldn't helped but to sigh at that, it seems this man was charming another girl. AGAIN.

How sinful of him.

Yukie looks gratefully at Yōta before she prepares her mental to introduce herself in front of Kokoro.

She clears her throat but it comes out like a growl, and it surprises Kokoro so much that the Fushikawa jumps on her feet and instinctively hides behind Yōta.

Kokoro then warily peeks her head over Yōta's behind, looking at Yukie with wary gaze like she was dangerous animal or something.

'Waaa... I failed~!!!' Yukie thought as anime tears flowing out from her eyes.

Yōta on the other side could only chuckles wryly at the sight before he brings his face close to Kokoro, "She has communication disorder, so I need you to be patient with her. By the way just like you, she wants to make friend with everyone else too."

Kokoro's eyes glints with recognition before she clears her throat and bows her head in refined manner in front of Yukie, "Greetings. My name is Fushikawa Kokoro, I'm from class 2-S. It's nice to meet you."

Yukie shrieks in panic when Kokoro suddenly introduced herself, she wants to run right now, but by looking at how her seniors are looking at her so patiently and warmly like now, she stops herself from doing so.

She glances in Yōta's direction, and he gives her the warmest and gentlest smile she ever see. It warms her heart and slowly calm her nerves as she takes a breath.

"H-Hello, m-my-my name is M-Mayuzumi Yukie! I'm from class 1-F! I-It's nice to meet you, F-Fushikawa-senpai!" Even if she's still stuttering her words out, she is able to introducing herself properly for the first time.

"Mayuzumi?" Kokoro tilts her head curiously before another glints of recognition appears in her eyes, "Are you the daughter of Sword Saint, Mayuzumi Taisei?"

"Y-Yes, I am!" Yukie nods her head in frantic manner.

Kokoro simply smiles in response as she reaches her hand out to Yukie, "I see. It must be hard."

Yukie instinctively grabs Kokoro's hand with both hands as she understand what Kokoro just said, "I-It is."

"I knew the feeling." Kokoro sighs out loud as she shakes her head, "People will distance themselves from you when they know your status, because they're afraid of taking the rage of our family if they accidentally offended us."

"Y-Yes!" Yukie nods her head, "I'm always alone in my hometown because kids around me are afraid of my dad and most people are revering the Mayuzumi family too much that they start to treated me like I am some kind of princess or something. It's really hard, that's why I swear to myself when I first moved into this city, I will make friends!"

Kokoro's face softened at that as she squeezes Yukie's hands, "Then is it alright for you if I become your second friend?"

Yukie's face brigthened up with such intensity that her eyes manifest little stars around them, "P-Please! I-I would love to!"

"Hyohoho, good! As the sign of our friendship, you have to join us! We're going shopping!"

With that, Kokoro excitedly grabs Yukie and Yōta's hand at the same time and drag them around as she leads the group with newfound enthusiasm.

Yōta smiles and squeezes Kokoro's hand back when he feels her little hand is squeezing his.

It seems it's not only his junior who's happy for getting a friend. Kokoro looks very happy as well, if the excited skips in her legs are any indication.

"Congratulations for getting your second friends, Mayucchi." Yōta said as he turns his head in Yukie's direction and smile at her.

Yukie sends a big smile back at him with blushing cheeks, "I-It's all thanks to you, S-Senpai..."

"She's right, Yōta-boy. You are the bro! I'll give you my blessing for eternity! And you also can take Mayucchi, I'll give you my blessing for that as well!"

"M-M-Ma-Matsukaze!!" Yukie grabs Matsukaze in panic and shakes the strap horse wildly with her free hand.

Kokoro curiously looking at the talking strap horse for a second before she simply hums in silent.

She also does a ventriloquism a lot with her stuffed dolls when she's alone in her room. That's why she doesn't really have any reactions when Matsukaze suddenly talked with Yōta.

And thus the three starts their shopping journey in the mall.

...

As the three of them were walking around in the station, they're passing by the arcade in front of the station.

Kokoro's eyes brightened as she suddenly grabs Yōta's hand with two arms, tugging on the man excitedly, "Let's go there. It's been a while since I last went into the arcade with you."

With Kokoro's dragging him to the arcade, Yōta could only follow her obediently with Yukie following behind.

"Right. I've pretty much just been playing stuff at my room recently." Yōta hummed thoughtfully.

There aren't many arcade-exclusive games anymore.

You can pretty much play everything at your house, save for the card games and the ones that are super large and need you to use your body for something.

He then turn his head to Yukie, "What about you, Mayucchi? Do you go to this kind of place?"

Yukie nods her head timidly in response, "Y-Yes, my little sister sometimes take me together with her."

"Oh, you have little sister too?"

"Yes, Sayaka is one year younger than me. What about your little sister, Senpai?"

Yōta's face softened at the question, he just remembers his cute little sister and can't stop the big dopey smile to form on his face, "Hii-chan is 3, she's already attending the kindergarten this month, and she's just the cutest thing ever, believe it!"

"Right, Hii-chan is really a cutie. Her big blue eyes is just so cute~" Kokoro joined in from Yōta's side as both of them starts swaying their bodies side-to-side at the same time while covering their cheeks with hands.

"Fufu..." Yukie couldn't stopped herself from laughing at the silly sight of her seniors in front of her.

Ever since she met Yōta and befriends him, there's no such dull moment in her life as she starts having fun with every little thing she does together with this senior of her.

"I want to see the lassie too if what are you sayin' is true." Matsukaze chimed in.

"Oh, you can meet her in Golden Week later. My mum told me that they'll visit me here."

"Oh, Emi-obaasan is?" Kokoro raised her eyebrows, "It's been a long time to since I met her. I miss her."

"Yeah, she's saying the same thing too. She's basically missing all of you." Yōta chuckles as he crosses his arms.

"Hyohoho, I can imagine that. She's very emotional person after all. But that is her charm point, and the way she's fussing over you is funny and cute too." Kokoro said before she throws a cheeky smile in Yōta's direction, "It must be nice to be loved like that."

The Fushikawa got the reaction she wanted as Yōta's cheeks slowly painted in red before he suddenly jump on Kokoro.

"You're so cheeky! I'll punish you, take this! Ora-ra-ra!"

He swiftly circling Kokoro and hold her from behind before he starts tickling the Fushikawa's side without mercy.

From her childhood until now, Kokoro is always weak against tickling, so if she's being cheeky like right now, Yōta will tickle her mercilessly until she apologizes as a punishment.

"Hyoh-ehehe-heh-hehe... S-Stop, Y-Yōta—!"

"I won't stop until you're apologizing to me!"

Yukie on the other side once again laughs at the sight of her seniors playing and bantering around.

It seems she doesn't have any intention to help Kokoro or stop Yōta from making a scene, even with how many are looking at them weirdly and some even look at Yōta with eyes full of envy.

"I-I, heh, hehe, I'm-heh, so-sorry!!!" Kokoro wheezed out her apologies while punching Yōta's chest multiple times, but there's no power in it because she can't properly collect her powers with how intense Yōta's tickling her right now.

Upon hearing the apologize coming from her mouth, Yōta finally stop his merciless attack as he holds Kokoro's body gently, supporting her so she won't fall, "You're 100 years early to tease me, Kokoro-san."

"I hate you..." Kokoro punches Yōta for one final time on the stomach before she uses his clothes to wipes the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, love you too." Yōta barks out a laugh in response.

"You two are so close." Yukie commented from the side as she looks at the interaction between the two.

Yōta shrugs his shoulders, "Well, I mean we've been friend for a decade now."

"I'm quite jealous..." Yukie whispers to herself, but Yōta and Kokoro clearly heard that.

Yōta reaches his hand out to Yukie and pats her head in comfort manner, "Don't worry, now that we are your friends, we won't leave you behind, Mayucchi. No matter what happens, we will always have your back, and when you need something, you can always come to me, I'll always open my arms to help you, that's what friends for after all. And if you're jealous about the bond between me and Kokoro-san, then we can just make the same bond as strong, you know? So, don't make that kind of face, it'll ruin your beautiful face."

"Y-Yōta-boy, you..." Matsukaze stuttered out before he fall silent all of a sudden.

Yukie's eyes widened when she heard that, her cheeks were burning hot and her stomach is firing fireworks right now.

Her heart is beating so hard that she can clearly hear it through her ears right now.

Oh no! Th-This is bad!

She's quickly avert her eyes from Yōta's gentle brown and she suddenly found the floor beneath her is very interesting to look at while fidgeting a lot.

Kokoro gives Yōta a flat stare from behind as she saw the expression on Yukie's face just now.

She knows that face, she'd seen it a lot, Kazuko, Miyako, and Koyuki had the same face when they in front of him, it's the face of someone who's clearly in love.

Geez, this man seriously need to stop being so kind and cool at the same time like this. Just how much girls he's trying to charm!?

Kokoro sighs tiredly before she smacks Yōta's shoulder so hard that it makes the man jolts in surprise, "Hey, what's that for!?"

"Nothing." Kokoro humphed the swordsman off while looking around the arcade, "But the prices of these things never go down, I see."

Fighting games and mecha versus games are only 100 yen a play though since the matches are short.

The newer additions and the crane games have always been a bit pricey.

"How is this card game 400 yen per play?" She asked no one else before she notices something when she looks at the machine, "Oh, and what's worse, you have to buy the cards separately to even play the thing..."

"C-Card games are special." Yukie answered from the side, her face is still red, but it's already in control, "I-If you get addicted to one of them, you could easily blow almost a million yen. But if you're good at buying and reselling cards, you could make some good money on the internet."

"That's way too much of a luxury game for high school students... But you're seemingly know a lot about it, Mayucchi." Kokoro raised her eyebrows at her junior.

She already got Yukie's blessing for calling the girl with her nickname just like Yōta and Matsukaze.

Yukie hugs her school bag, "I-I've once heard it from my sister when she invited me. She also heard this from her friends who loves playing these kind of games."

Yukie doesn't come to arcades much.

To her, seeing places like this where you have to drop your cash to have fun are a new experience.

"Do you play games much, Mayucchi?"

"We have an old console at home, but I never really get the urge to play on it, unless my sister invited me to play with her. I barely touch them at all."

Yukie is the type of girl that spends her time reading reference books. A far cry from the likes of Yōta and Takuya.

"H-Huh? Where'd Y-Yōta-senpai go?" Yukie suddenly asked when she noticed that Yōta's nowhere to see.

"Hm?" Kokoro also start to look around before she notices something not far away from them, "I think I know where he is."

She points further inside the arcade.

He's down there playing a rhythm game, with a huge crowd surrounding him.

"Oooh! Holy shit! How is this man so GOOD!?"

"H-He's getting perfect combos without even looking at the screen...!"

"Not only that, he's playing a high-level song on the hardest setting...!"

Yōta's completely in-sync with the song. He's hitting everything at the exact right time with swift steps.

Over the duration of this single song, hundreds of notes fall down, yet he manages to hit every single one effortlessly.

"Wow..." Yukie unconsciously lets out an impressed voice when she saw Yōta's going off with his movements.

"Damn, his moves are so smooth!" Matsukaze voiced out his opinion excitedly.

Kokoro tucks her hair behind the ear before she smiles gently with her eyes glued to Yōta's happy figure, "He's always been good with this type of games, and if you're wondering how he can play without looking at the screen, that's because he memorized all the songs."

"Thank you~ Thank you~" Yōta is entirely unconcerned, to the point that he has time to look back toward the crowd and give a wave.

His form and style are top-notch that even the girls in the vicinity are watching awe, ignoring his mediocre face.

"Alright! That's it!" He shouted happily as he looks at the perfect score with big smile on his face. "Heh heh heh, how do you like them apples? My skill haven't dropped a bit, huh?"

"You look so cool, Senpai!" Yukie claps her hands excitedly like a child.

"Yeah, I had to give it to ya' for that performance! The way you executed your steps is simply beautiful, Yōta-boy!" Matsukaze added from the side.

In response to their compliments, Yōta rubs his nose bashfully.

This is the man who competed at the national level and took home first place two years ago.

He's just that good.

"Well, enough of that. We need to get Mayucchi playing something now." Yōta suddenly stated as he turns his gaze to Kokoro first before to the fidgeting junior of his.

"Do you want to play something, Mayucchi?" Kokoro asked while curiously tilting her head.

Yukie turns silent for a minute before she nervously points the air hockey table not far from them, "T-The hockey thing. I want to try that."

"Air hockey huh..." Yōta hums thoughtfully before he grins at the girls, "Sure, bring it on, ladies. If I win, you have to buy me a drink."

"Hyoho, are you sure you want to do this?" Kokoro covers her mouth with the back of her hand, "I'm not gonna hold back."

In response to that, Yōta simply smirks cheekily, "Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Thus begins the match of Yōta versus Kokoro and Yukie.

...

"Hah hah hah! Is that all you got!? Weak-sauce!" Yōta shouted as he smacks the puck with all of his might, and the puck sliding smoothly through the surface.

"Getting so elated after beating up on a group of girls. That's pretty pitiful, Yōta-boy." Matsukaze commented from the side. He's currently acting as the referee of the match.

"We only scored a single point..." Yukie mutters under her breath as she masterfully moves her paddle to block the puck.

"Muu, why I forget such simple fact that this man is a monster when it comes to any physical games." Kokoro whined loudly before she strikes the puck with full power, causing the puck to cracks.

Reflexes are everything in air hockey.

It's only natural that the pair of them would be crushed under Yōta's prowess. They'd have to be in perfect harmony to even stand a chance.

He's always been invincible in this game, even Momoyo couldn't beat him in this game.

Yōta grins at the strike that Kokoro delivered, and with so much control on his grip, he strikes the puck from unimaginable direction.

Because with how he hits the puck in unconventional manner, it moves at weird pattern as to confuse Kokoro and Yukie.

And when Yukie thought she got the trajectory of the puck and try to block it, the moment her paddle touch the puck, it suddenly spins counterclockwise that it makes the puck circles around Yukie's paddle and skim through the slot with ease.

"Yōta-boy, sixteen points. That's the match." Matsukaze announced.

"Man, this is so fun~" Yōta said with the biggest smile on his face as he's looking down on Kokoro while fanning his face with the paddle.

"Shut it..." Kokoro pouted in annoyance.

She's puffing her cheeks so hard that it turns red and there's also a lone anime tear in the corner of one of her eyes.

She's so angry and frustrated right now. She wants to punch that smug face off of him right now.

Muu, how irritating!

"C-Calm down, senpai..." Yukie on the other side is fine with the result as she's trying to calm Kokoro down.

For better or worse, Kokoro is like an open book at times like this.

Her reactions are so innocent and cute it's hard for Yukie to judge Yōta for wanting to tease Kokoro so much.