Haruki left the studio with Kazuya after finishing their discussion with Masafumi.
"I'll be taking a break next week," Haruki said.
Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I've got everything covered. Where are you planning to go?"
Haruki shrugged. "Haven't really decided yet. I've been in Tokyo for two years and barely explored. For this trip… thinking of heading abroad, maybe."
After leaving the building, they parted ways. Haruki's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out.
"Hey, Haruki! Are you free tomorrow? I thought we could hit the internet café. It's been months since we last went," Ryuko's voice came through the phone.
Haruki hesitated for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Yeah, I'm free. Let's go."
After ending the call, Ryuko's heart beat faster. She had already decided, tomorrow she'd bring up the trip, And once they were on that trip, she'd try again to ask him to be her boyfriend.
---
The next day, Haruki wore a simple hoodie and jeans. Ryuko met him outside the internet café, dressed in a cream sweater layered under a navy coat, scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. She waved as he approached.
They headed to an empty computer station.
"Alright, let's do a team match," Ryuko said. "You take top, I'll support mid."
Haruki nodded as the game loaded.
"Enemy jungler near top," Ryuko pinged.
"Copy that," Haruki said, moving cautiously.
A few minutes in, Ryuko's mid stun caught the enemy ADC off guard. Haruki dove in simultaneously, taking down the top laner and turret.
"Top turret almost gone," he called.
"I'm rotating," she replied, pinging the path.
They synchronized seamlessly—Haruki splitting the lane, Ryuko coordinating vision and crowd control.
A dragon appeared. "Dragon spawning in 20 seconds," Ryuko warned.
She moved her character into position. "I'll zone their ADC. Watch for ganks."
The dragon fight erupted. Haruki landed a root, but he missed the enemy jungler. An attack hit Ryuko's character, and Haruki tried to peel the jungler off her, but the enemy team unleashed a combo on the dragon. It fell to their opponents, with simultaneous kills on both of them.
"Haruki, I told you to watch out for the jungler," Ryuko said, keeping her voice even.
"Sorry. I noticed him, but he was too fast—I missed the chance to react. Next time I'll pay more attention," Haruki replied, adjusting his strategy.
In the next match, Ryuko baited the enemy top into turret range, dodging skill shots as Haruki swooped in for the finish. Later, when she chased an escaping ADC, he timed his approach perfectly, securing the kill so she didn't have to overextend.
They coordinated well. Ryuko had been guiding him for over six months now—he'd gotten better, though he still made rookie mistakes.
As the next round began, Haruki asked, "Top turret's almost down. Back me up?"
"On my way! Don't die this time," she replied, laughing.
After three rounds, Ryuko leaned back, catching her breath.
"Haruki… have you decided where you want to go for your trip?" she asked casually, still holding her controller but sneaking a glance at him.
Haruki shook his head. "Not yet. I've been thinking about it, but no plans."
Ryuko tilted her head, steeling herself. "I was thinking… maybe we could go together?" Her voice was calm, almost hopeful.
Haruki paused. His first thought was that it sounded great; he wouldn't have to travel alone. But when he looked away from the screen and noticed her expression, he realized: she's asking me out.
"Do you want to take a break as well? Don't you want to go home with New Year coming up?" Haruki asked carefully.
Ryuko froze, unable to come up with an answer. Seeing her like that, Haruki knew she was asking him out again.
"Ryuko… I don't think that's a good idea," he said slowly. "I need to be honest. I like you as a friend. You've put a lot of effort into us… into me. I do feel something, but it's not what you're hoping for. And it wouldn't be fair to you if I pretended otherwise. You deserve someone who can give you the same effort back."
Ryuko's voice cracked slightly. "But why? I thought you started to like me."
"I did start to like you," Haruki admitted. "But it was because of how much effort you put in. Anyone would feel something when someone's chasing them like that. I've said no twice, but not directly enough, and that was my fault. You kept holding on to hope because I wasn't clear. "
Ryuko's hands tightened around her controller, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Haruki's tone softened. "If you don't want to be friends after this, I'll understand."
Ryuko shook her head, forcing a small smile. "No. I think… we can still be friends."
Haruki nodded. "And if you want some space, that's fine too. I won't take it personally."
She laughed quietly through her sniffles. "Are you trying to push me out of your life? Even if you don't feel the same way, I still want us to be friends."
Haruki took a deep breath. "I know we can be friends… but maybe some space for a while would help. After that, we'll be fine."
"That's it?" she asked quietly.
She stood and left. Haruki took a deep breath, staring at the game lobby. She had been his only friend since he moved to Tokyo, and he knew she had feelings for him. but he also knew he had hurt her. Keeping her close while giving her the wrong idea wasn't right. For once, he'd stopped being passive, but that didn't make the choice any easier.
[NOTE:- I know this was rough, this was my first time writing romance, and many people didn't like Ryuko. I also had a different idea in mind back then. The original story was a harem, but now I'm rewriting it with a single lead and a new perspective.
Volume 2 ends.]
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)