FFD 11

After grabbing a quick bite near the station, Hayama leisurely made his way back home.

"Oh, speaking of which, didn't Tomoya have a thing for Sayuka's posters? Maybe I should swing by the bookstore and see if they have any in stock. If they do, I could snag one for him, just to hopefully keep him off my back in the future."

Strolling along, he paused at the entrance of the bookstore, where a bunch of promotional posters were on display. Stepping inside, he approached the shopkeeper and asked, "Do you guys give out any Sayuka posters with the purchase of 'Love Metronome'?"

The shopkeeper shook his head with a sigh. "Not in the morning, unfortunately. We only had ten Sayuka posters, and if this place wasn't so darn tiny, they would've been sold out yesterday morning."

Hayama felt a tinge of disappointment. It would've been sweet if they had a few extras lying around. Using a Sayuka poster as a peace offering for Tomoya seemed like a decent deal to him.

"Is that poster really that popular? There was another student who dropped by asking about it," the bookstore owner grumbled, looking slightly annoyed. If he had known that the Sayuka poster had such a fan following, he would've slapped a price tag of 200 yen on each piece.

"Well, I'm not sure either." Hayama was just about to make his exit when a person clutching a paperback walked inside, "Hey, Hayama! What brings you here?"

"He's here to ask about the Sayuka poster, just like you!" the shopkeeper chimed in.

Hayama felt like the universe was conspiring against him today. The person with the paperback happened to be none other than Tomoya!

"Hayama, you're not being honest. It's obvious you have a thing for Sayuka... Now that we're alone, why not confess that you're an otaku?"

Tomoya flashed a smile and winked, his expression silently urging him to spill the truth. Hayama was taken aback and instinctively took a few steps backward.

"Um, maybe it's best if we maintain a safe distance, Tomoya."

"I never would've imagined that Hayama would have an even stronger devotion to Sayuka than me!"

Tomoya continued to advance step by step, while Hayama kept retreating until he was eventually pushed out of the bookstore.

"Don't go, Hayama! Despite your overwhelming thirst for Sayuka and how it cost me the chance to get her poster, I'm genuinely happy! It's been ages since I've encountered an otaku with such unshakable faith. We're kindred spirits!"

He couldn't help but wonder if Tomoya had completely lost his mind.

"Hayama, come over to my place! I've got a massive collection of games, light novels, manga, and figurines! When it comes to being an otaku, I, Tomoya, have the unshakeable confidence."

Hayama bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him. He couldn't handle Tomoya and his wildly delusional imagination. The mere mention of going to Tomoya's house together seemed scarier to him than Kousuke Kiyotaki!

"Huh? Why did he run off?" Tomoya stood there alone, pondering to himself, "Maybe Hayama responds better to a gentler approach. Perhaps I need to change my tactics? Oh well, it doesn't matter. I still have two part-time jobs to finish today! Keep it up, Tomoya!"

Hayama sprinted all the way back to his apartment and collapsed onto the couch. He felt like he had stepped out into the world without consulting his horoscope today.

After splashing water on his face and downing a bottle of juice, he finally managed to regain some composure. He unlocked his phone and checked his messages.

"The total transfer amount is 240 million yen? And they're deducting a whopping 10 million yen straight off the bat. Talk about brutal."

He closed the message and opened the Line app. Ginko had already sent him the software for his computer.

"Hey, Kato, I'm back."

"Alrighty, Hayama. (?-ω-`)"

Kato's lightning-fast response never failed to amuse him.

"Emoticons, huh? Kato can actually use emoticons?!" He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her unexpected flair for emotive symbols.

Turning on his computer, he proceeded to install and register the software as instructed. He then messaged Ginko, "Send me your ID!" However, it took a whole seventeen minutes before Ginko replied, and the response was unexpectedly bossy.

Nevertheless, he dutifully shared his IDs, fearing that Ginko might drag him off to play shogi at Kiyotaki's house next time.

Before long, an invitation popped up, causing his phone to buzz in perfect synchronization.

"Do we really need video calls for playing shogi?" he felt slightly awkward.

"Quit blabbering. The video call is to make sure you're not up to something else while playing shogi!" Ginko's response was curt and to the point.

Okay, so Hayama's secret plan had been exposed. His initial intention was to play shogi while simultaneously using MATLAB.

What? MATLAB is a mathematical tool? You probably don't understand the thrill of playing MATLAB on a high-end computer,

"Speed shogi, 30 seconds per move, sound good?" she swiftly set up the shogi board.

"I don't mind,"

Playing shogi with only 30 seconds per move proved to be quite a challenge. Ginko played with utmost care, maintaining silence and taking more than 20 seconds for almost every move. As the game progressed, Hayama even let out a few yawns.

"Take it seriously!" she smacked the camera with her fan, catching him off guard. After 127 moves, he was defeated.

Although Ginko emerged victorious against him, she didn't appear overly pleased. The last time they played speed shogi with a 30-second limit, she had won in just over 100 moves. This time, it took 127 moves, leaving her somewhat dissatisfied.

"Have you been secretly practicing at home?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice.

"No, why would I practice shogi if I have nothing else to do?" he replied innocently.

"Shut up, let's play another round!"

In the second game, she emerged victorious in 115 moves.

Despite winning in 12 fewer moves, she couldn't find any joy in her victory. After just one game, her stamina was drained, panting heavily with sweat trickling down her cheeks.

Hayama's shogi had no specific strategy, relying solely on computational power to dominate the overall situation. Playing against someone like that took a toll both physically and mentally.

Moreover, this game proved even more challenging than the previous one. At least 15 moves had Ginko on the edge, as she consistently delayed her moves until the very last second. If she made more than two mistakes within those 15 moves, she had no doubt she would face utter defeat.

'What a monster!' she cursed silently. Hayama's progress was undeniably impressive!

"Hah~" he yawned again at the wrong time, only to be met with her cold and menacing glare.

"Are you sure you want to keep going? You look tired too," he said.

"I'm not tired. Let's keep playing!"

Ginko initiated another game, with the moves quickly surpassing a hundred, and neither side gaining an advantage.

She started feeling a bit woozy; her energy and computing abilities were beginning to slow down.

He also began to feel a bit weary; a stalemate was the most boring situation. However, each time he felt a yawn coming on, she would shoot him a glare, preventing him from giving in to it.

"How about we take a break and have a chat? You seem worn out from all the shogi," he suggested.

"It's actually you who's about to doze off while playing," she teased, her voice surprisingly laced with a hint of playfulness.

...

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