Gamers!

Translator: your_pingas

“Let’s find a time and visit an open hot spring hotel in secret? Amanocchi.”

During the after-school family restaurant meeting, a high school girl sent out an erotic and immoral invitation despite having a boyfriend.

To this request, I, Keita Amano-

“Ah, sure, why not?”

-I took a sip of my hot green tea and smiled. Then, the couple, which I should say is dressed weirdly, is eavesdropping on us. I think they want to say, “What’s with that reaction?” They are looking at us in shock. However, I ignored them and continued calmly.

“Indeed, I guess I’m kind of bored with family restaurants sometimes. Instead, let’s relax while talking about each other’s lovers in a room with beautiful scenery.”

After hearing that, the neighboring couple shot us despising looks. “Oi, oi, you two have lovers!?”

But, Aguri-san doesn’t seem to care about their reactions too. She took a small sip of her hot lemon tea and continued.

“No, if we’re going to say it anyway, why don’t we just talk to each other in the hot spring, Amanocchi.”

“I mean, boys and girls are separated in hot springs- ah, but I guess an independent open-air hot spring will be good.”

(It’s anything but good!)

The couple next to us is complaining quietly. But, our chatter won’t stop because of them.

“Ah, but, Aguri-san, ..is it bad for the two of us to go on a hot spring trip alone?”

(You only noticed it now!?)

“Ah, I guess so. I think the mood got weird after I said we can take a bath together. Our partners.”

(Of course!)

“Yeah, it’s like cheating from the looks of it.”

(It’s not from the looks of it. Taking a bath together is totally cheating, right!?)

“Yeah, but we didn’t actually cheat, right? I guess this counts as a pass.”

“…Yeah, I think it’s a pass.”

(It’s a complete fail!)

“Come to think of it, Amanocchi and I in a hot spring are just like everyone playing in the pool, right? We aren’t thinking about anything bad.”

“Yeah, it’s more like I don’t understand why Tendou-san is making a fuss.”

(Understand her!)

“Ah, but if that’s the case, I’m not so happy if Tasuku and Tendou-san are going on a hot spring trip together.”

“Of course, I’ll carve all of Uehara-kun’s organs out.”

“Yeah, I’ll also put Tendou-san on a grinder and turn her into strips.” 𝙛𝑟𝑒e𝘸𝑒𝗯𝘯𝗼𝘃el.𝒄𝒐m

(Sicko!)

“But Amanocchi and I are special, right?”

“We’re special. I can’t believe they are jealous of our relationship. I don’t understand why.”

(You two are really this selfish!?)

“It’s like that, right. From my perspective, suspecting Amanocchi and me is like being called out for cheating when I’m just eating with my dad. I don’t understand at all.”

“Ah, I totally get that. Tendou-san and Uehara-kun going out are definitely cheating. Still, the two of us don’t count even if we’re showering together.”

“Yeah. Moreover, it’s not cheating even if we kiss, hug, or sleep together naked.”

“Yeah, it’s fine even if you have to change your name to Aguri Amano.”

(What!? Eh, that…that’s already…!?)

“…Seriously, I really want to do it now. The hot spring meeting instead of the family restaurant meeting.”

“Me too. Hot springs are really nice. …Well, if Amanocchi agrees-“

“Yeah, Aguri-san. Well, I think it’s a bit too much to spend the weekend together without telling our lovers…”

“Yeah. Well, anyway, let’s ask Tasuku and Tendou-san…”

We glanced at each other and nodded. Both of us said the same conclusion.

“Let’s ask them for permission.”

At this moment-

“It’s impossible!”

The weirdly-dressed couple next to us finally snapped.

*

“That freaked me out, Amanocchi. I didn’t expect a stranger couple to get mad at us…”

“Yeah, the most depressing part is that they are the good guys.”

It’s been 10 minutes since the weirdly-dressed couple yelled at us. Unlike their strange appearance, they meant it when they scolded us. It seems that they are going to see a movie. Even though they wanted to say something else, the couple left the restaurant.

So, after they left, …we started calming down.

Aguri-san finished her lemon tea and whispered.

“How should I put it? I feel like we’re the crazy ones.”

“Yeah, I have to admit when an unknown person complained about us. …I think we are crazy.”

Then, both of us sighed at the same time.

“I think it’s pretty normal for siblings with good relationships to take a bath together.”

“Yeah, …but we’ll obviously cry if we see Tendou-san and Uehara-kun taking a shower together.”

“Yeah, that’s common sense. …I’ll go grab a drink.”

Aguri-san stood up. I looked outside the window. The snow is already melting. Then, I finished all of the remaining green tea at once.

…Hmm.

(…But, even so, my heart still pounds if she’s fully naked.)

I reached this conclusion after thinking about it calmly. Well, I didn’t mean to keep this a secret. It’s just that I haven’t thought about it seriously. However, if we’re being real here, taking a bath with Aguri-san is too-

“H-Hey, Amanocchi.”

-Just as I’m thinking about that, Aguri-san came back with her soda. …For some reason, she’s blushing and embarrassed.

“…………”

It looks like she has the same idea as I did when she was grabbing drinks. We held our cups silently…even though there’s no green tea left.

I changed my mind and stood up to get a cup of cold oolong tea. After that, I chugged more than half of it without using draws. Finally, I spoke up to Aguri-san.

“W-Well, let’s forget about going to the hot spring together. …Uh, it’s not because I’ll do something weird. It’s just that I don’t think our lovers would be happy.”

“Y-Yeah, we’re not doing anything weird. Yeah, not good. Yep.”

We said that and sipped our drinks. …What’s happening? Compared to where we’re yelling open-air hot springs confidently, we feel even guiltier after being self-conscious.

Aguri-san cleared her throat and changed the topic.

“W-Well, did Amanocchi want to go somewhere else with Tendou-san?”

“O-Of course not! It would be too impolite for her!”

I denied it forcefully. Aguri-san stared at me, dumbfounded.

“What do you mean by impolite…?”

“The same goes for Aguri-san as well. Did you invite Uehara-kun on a trip?”

“Ha, that’s impossible. We’re talking about Tasuku here.”

“That’s kind of mean…”

I fell silent this time. We looked at each other and sighed.

-Then, immediately.

“…Pfft, hahaha!”

The “usual family restaurant meeting” is still just as familiar to us as always. We can’t help but burst into laughter.

Aguri-san laughed for a while. She wiped the tears off her eyes and mumbled.

“What are we even doing here? We’re supposed to be soaked in happiness after our new dates. Yet, this is where we ended up again.”

“Yeah, for some reason, I feel like new problems keep coming up after Aguri-san and I came into the family restaurant.”

“Ah, I get that. How should I say this? This meeting is supposed to solve problems with the two of us together. Right now, I feel like it’s causing more issues than solving them.”

“Well, should we stop?”

“We shouldn’t.”

“Yeah.”

Both of us smiled mischievously. …Even though we have our respective lovers already, this isn’t going to stop any time soon. It’s because we’re only cheating if we realize that doing this isn’t good for Uehara-kun and Tendou-san.

…………

…Well, from this perspective, it’s not good for the two of us to go to a hot spring. …Ahem! A-Anyway.

The two of us stared at the pedestrians outside the window.

“Come to think of it, while Aguri-san may not like it, a start of a relationship means an end to a story for me. Perhaps I should call it a goal, …at least in dating sims.”

“What are you talking about? That’s disgusting. Seriously, it’s disgusting.”

Yep, called it. She even included another high-damage word, “Seriously, it’s disgusting.” However, I remained defiant and continued to struggle.

“But, how should I say this? That’s not how reality works. There are no credits or ED. The story will continue. The affection meter can still change. Also, the worst scenario would be for a tragic break-up. In the end, there are no clear lines to separate each part.”

“Yeah, I think about that too, even if we’re talking about marriage. The sad part is that nothing is eternally stable in this world.”

“Yeah, that’s why-“

I paused for a moment and looked into Aguri-san’s eyes.

“-This meeting is the only thing that I want to continue forever with Aguri-san.”

Aguri-san froze for a moment after hearing that. …However, she immediately followed it up with a dumbfounded smile.

“What? Is this a proposal?”

“In a sense, yeah. After all, I’m talking about please be together with me forever.”

“Wow, this is embarrassing.”

“As in being fair-weather friends.”

“Wow, this is upsetting.”

“Ah, you can use ‘eternal friendship’ instead.”

“Stop, it’s even more upsetting. Well, it’s not like I don’t understand.”

“Really? Glad to-“

“Ah, then give me a ring, Amanocchi. You don’t need to fill it with love. I just need an expensive one.”

“Uwah, this BFF sucks.”

Although I’m speechless, I rolled the straw wrapping paper on the table and handed it over. Aguri-san pinched the ring. She looks clearly dissatisfied.

“Uwah, here it goes. This is the one I hate the most.”

“The price is irrelevant during the oath, right?”

“The cliché line makes this even more annoying, ..sheesh.”

Aguri-san put the ring on her left middle finger with a bitter smile. Then…

“Ah, then I should give you a ring as well.”

“Eh, really? Well, give me a ring that can be pawned for a high price-“

“Yes, it’s a very high- temperature onion.”

“That’s just an onion ring!”

The gal handed a cold onion ring to me. I hesitated to put it on my middle finger.

“…Uwah, it’s greasy!”

“This is 180 carat.”

“180 carat doesn’t mean something boiled in 180-degree oil! Also, it’s not even hot anymore!”

“Ho, …I wonder what’s not hot anymore? Is it the ring or our relationship…?”

“It’s both the fried onion ring and our friendship! What the hell is this!? Take it off!”

“That’s mean, Amanocchi. I’ll never talk to you again if you take it off.”

“This is an impossible game! This thing will rot in a few days even if I try my best!”

“Well, consider that the end to our friendship. Well, but I’ll take this off before that.”

Aguri-san took off the wrapping paper ring I gave her- rudely.

“What!? Why are you taking it off first!?”

“It’s disgusting. I don’t want a wrapping paper ring made by an otaku’s dirty fingers.”

“Screw you! A leftover onion ring from a gal is way worse!”

“At least mine is edible. The one you gave me can’t be eaten. In other words, trash.”

“Aren’t your standards of rings a bit weird!?”

“Anyway, if this ring represents our friendship, isn’t it too short?”

“Ugh, tck! I-I get it! W-Well, let’s swear an oath when they are still rings! Put on the ring and swear an oath of our eternal friendship!”

“Hmm, it’s getting more and more like a marriage. Aren’t we cheating?”

“How is a friendship declaration cheating?”

“Well, if you say so, perhaps it’s really the case. …Sigh, forever, let’s get this over with, Amanocchi. I want to take this wrapping paper ring off as soon as possible.”

“That’s my line. I want to wipe off the grease…”

I feel like my middle finger is getting all sticky. Also, as a seriously-raised child, I’m really guilty about playing with my food. So, all I want right now is to take off this onion ring. Can someone just type, “The behind-the-scene staff enjoyed it.” during the credits scene!? I can’t take this anymore!

“Well, let’s start, Amanocchi. …Well, get your pinky out.”

“Ah, that’s nice. It feels like a serious oath.”

Both of us put our hands with the worst rings possible onto the table. Then, our pinky fingers are hooked together.

“…………”

W-What’s with this awkward atmosphere? It’s a bit too much to not say anything. Anyway, I’ll play the priest and say something oath-like.

“Well, will you promise to love here, eat here, get comfort here, help here, no matter whether you’re healthy, sick, …rich, poor, during a game release day, or during an important TV show?”

“I refuse. I’ll never come here when I’m sick or poor.”

I was rejected casually. This feels strange. I’ve never seen a rejection during an oath. …Sigh.

“…Well, can you swear that you’ll come here during your spare time?”

“This oath is really casual. But, if that’s the case, …very well, I’ll do it.”

“Very well. Now, let’s do an oath-“

“O-Oath what?”

Aguri-san blushed slightly and looked at me. Her face is written with nervousness.

Looking at her, I continued.

“Oath’s- yearly tribune.”

“Tribune!?”

“We’re doing this twice a week. So, the annual fee would be 200,000 yen.”

“Expensive!”

“Also, even if we’re not going according to the schedule, there’s no refund. Please pay attention to this part.”

“Sounds like a scam to me! What did I just swear to!?”

“Who knows? Aguri-san, -pay me if you miss me.”

“Is it okay to miss someone like that!? Amanocchi!?”

“…Tck. …I’m just joking.”

“Wait a minute!? You paused for a few seconds before concluding it as a joke, right!?”

“Nope, this can’t be helped. If you’re not willing to pay, how about a kiss then?”

“This is the first time someone requested such a casual kiss on me.”

“Here, let’s kiss. Please be as enthusiastic as possible. Go.”

“E-Eh? Ah, Amanocchi, are you serious-“

“Yes, please kiss- this dirty family restaurant table.”

“Cold-hearted!”

“But, it’s an oath about our family restaurant meeting, after all. It’s key to kiss with the restaurant.”

“Please pay attention to the people instead!”

“Eh, Aguri-san, don’t tell me you want to kiss me?”

“You’re really inconsiderate! No, that’s not it! I’ll never kiss Amanocchi! But I also don’t want to kiss with a family restaurant’s table!”

“Well, how about you just kiss something you like? You can kiss it as much as you want.”

“I’m not that fond of kissing! By the way, can’t we do something other than kissing?”

“I see. Well, do you want to pour each of our blood into a cup and drink it?”

“No! It’s too much for a family restaurant meeting’s oath!”

“Well, let’s yell, ‘Renaissance!’ while we cheer, okay?” [Not sure which comedian he’s referencing.]

“That’s too light-hearted! This isn’t a party!”

“Well, do you want to pray before each of our home’s graves?”

“No! Get your balance right, Amaoncchi!”

“Crossing our swords?”

“Where can we find a sword!?”

“We seek not to be born on the same day, in the same month, and in the same year-“

“That’s Oath of the Peach Garden!”

“Uwah, a gal like you actually know that? I-I’m impressed.”

“That doesn’t matter! Ah, sheesh, there’s nothing good for an oath between us!?”

“I have nothing. Well, I guess we can exchange our cups like it’s the Oath of the Peach Garden-“

At this point, a great idea suddenly popped up in my head. I gave Aguri-san time to mentally prepare herself as I said, “Sorry, just a second.” A couple minutes later, I took back two cups of drinks. Aguri-san raised her head in confusion.

“Uh, Amanocchi? What’s that?”

“It’s a drink. Here’s yours, Aguri-san.”

I put a cup in front of Aguri-san before returning to my seat. Aguri-san observed the cup in suspicion. She seemed to have realized something and sniffed it. She frowned.

“…What’s this? …There are a lot of smells. Amanocchi, don’t tell me…”

“You guessed it. I mixed every drink in this store together.”

“Uwah.”

Aguri-san stood up and tried to escape. Hey, didn’t you do something similar to this before…?

I continued.

“Let’s chug this together.”

“Are you serious, Amanocchi?”

The gal fell silent. I nodded determinedly to her question.

“This feels like us, right? Also, I made it already. It would be a waste to not drink all of it. Let us enjoy the taste.”

“Didn’t Amanocchi just make it by yourself…?”

“The one that put an onion ring onto my finger doesn’t have the right to complain. I was wearing this thing while mixing the drinks in front of everyone.”

Honestly, I must be a weird and terrible high school boy from the others’ eyes. I’ll never befriend a guy like that. Seriously, when’s the last time you saw a guy mixing drinks together with an onion ring on his finger? However, honestly, I was pretty serious about this. Sigh, it can’t be helped.

Aguri-san finally bent to my request.

“Sigh, …alright. I’ll drink it, okay?”

“Yes, chug it down at once.”

“This is the hard part. …Well, but I guess it’s good for an oath.”

Both of us raised our cups after Aguri-san prepared herself.

So, both of us smiled and swore.

“To my dearest friend!”

We chugged everything down at once. …Ew. It’s really bad. Actually, my throat can’t handle all that right away.

“…Phew!”

Nope, both of us closed our eyes as the liquid slowly passed down our throats.

“…Cough!”

We finished the mysterious potion at the same time. Our hearts are filled with excitement from passing the challenge. …Both of us looked at each other passionately. We hooked our pinkies together again and swore an oath filled with love.

“Please stay with me forever (as a friend), Aguri-san!”

“Of course, Amanocchi. My heart always belongs to you (as a friend)!”

We proposed. This is our eternal friendship. That was a wonderful scenery that can rank top 3 among my life experiences. It’s an incredibly throbbing scene.

…Indeed.

“…Ha?”

-If only Uehara-kun and Tendou-san weren’t there. I don’t know how they were sitting on the place where the couple just left.

The blonde girl and the normie boy immediately stood up and yelled vehemently.

“Hey, Amano-kun, what’s that-“ “Aguri! You’re really feeling that way-“

“…Ah, give me a break!”

Allow me to skip the usual routine.