"Never knew someone wouldn't know computer games…" Momo says.
"Got my reasons," Mash replies.
"We pulled out some games, but what's good for a newbie?" Midori wonders.
"Action games! Learn the controls, and it's easy!" Momo suggests.
"Let's do it," Mash agrees.
"Hold on!" Momo sets up a console and cartridge, handing Mash a controller.
"First up: Straight Fighter!" Momo announces.
"Sis, that's pretty tough…" Midori cautions.
"It's fine! Gets fun once you're used to it!" Momo insists.
"It is, but…" Midori hesitates.
"What's it like?" Mash asks.
"Straight Fighter's a one-on-one fighting game. Simple rules: knock your opponent's health to zero to win!" Momo explains.
"Got it."
"Here's the manual," Midori hands it over.
"Thanks… Hmm, no clue," Mash says.
"Barely looked at it!" Momo exclaims.
"I'll figure it out playing," Mash shrugs.
Mash grips the controller delicately, wary of breaking it.
"Tricky," he mutters.
"Let's fight an NPC, Sensei!" Momo says.
"NPC?"
"Computer-controlled player in fighting games," Midori explains.
"Let's try," Mash says.
"To the character select screen!" Momo cheers.
Mash scans the roster. "So many. No idea what's good."
"Pick a character you like or find cool," Midori suggests.
"This one," Mash selects.
"Nice! That's Ryo, the game's main character!" Momo says.
Mash picks Ryo, a white-gi-wearing, red-headbanded muscle type like him.
"This game's tough to learn—guard, dodge, read moves. Hard at first, but super fun once you get it!" Momo says.
"Guard here, light attack there… I'll just play," Mash says.
"First to deplete health wins! Mash-sensei vs. NPC… Start!" Momo declares.
[READY—FIGHT!]
Mash experiments with buttons, eyes sparkling. "It's moving… cool."
"Enemy's attacking," he notes.
(He'll lose, not knowing moves or timing…) Momo thinks.
(As game pros, we'll teach him!) Midori plans.
But something unexpected happens.
[Seiya!]
"Low block," Mash clicks.
[Seiya!!]
"Low block," Mash clicks.
[Sei! Yaa!!]
"Low, mid block," Mash clicks twice.
"Wha—!?" the twins gasp.
Mash blocks every NPC attack—low attacks dodged upward, mid attacks guarded perfectly.
"Counter," Mash clicks.
"WHAT!?" they shout.
Mash reads the NPC's recovery, landing hits and counters, doing what beginners shouldn't.
[Gotcha!]
(Unblockable grab! He's done—)
"Dodge," Mash evades.
(He dodged backward!?)*
"Mid, then high," Mash attacks.
(Another counter!? That grab's supposed to be lightning-fast!)
"Counter to finish," Mash says.
[Gwa! Gwa! Gwa!]
Mash dodges the final move, lands hits, and wins.
[Ryo, WIN!]
["I'll keep fighting, believing answers lie ahead."]
"Cool line," Mash says, admiring Ryo.
"How!? How's a beginner pulling that off!?" Momo yells.
"Calm down, Sis," Midori urges.
The twins are stunned—Mash read and countered every move, even grabs, effortlessly.
"How'd you block and dodge like that!?" Momo demands.
"Used the guard and dodge buttons," Mash says.
"Not that! How'd a beginner master this!? It takes ages to learn moves!" Momo presses.
"I just reacted to the enemy's moves," Mash explains.
"Reacted…" Momo repeats.
"Midori, got something?" Momo asks.
"Sis… Sensei's using reflexes to block attacks!" Midori realizes.
Mash watched the screen, instantly deciding to dodge or block, pressing buttons with precision—jumping lows, guarding mids and highs, then countering.
"That's absurd! What reflexes!?" Momo shouts.
She's right. Mash's combat experience and reflexes outmatch the computer. "Tsurgi was tougher. A computer with set moves can't beat me," he says.
(Tsurgi, Trinity's strategic weapon!?) the twins think.
(A console hit his head, and he's unharmed… weird!)
"Can I try more games? This is fun," Mash says, eyes gleaming.
The twins, unable to refuse, nod and grab more games.
"Totally! What's next?" Momo asks.
"Something intense," Mash says.
"Got just the thing!" Momo grins.
Next: a horror game, designed to terrify, perfect for "intense."
"It's simple: walk the map, find the key, escape," Momo explains.
"Easy," Mash says.
"Wait, Sis, isn't that the five-star scare game?" Midori asks.
"Exactly! Scarier with friends!" Momo says.
(She's scared and wants Sensei here… me too,) Midori thinks.
"Scary? Not as bad as angry Rin or Yuuka," Mash yawns.
"True," the twins agree.
They think horror games are less scary than angry Yuuka. But a five-star horror game isn't to be underestimated.
[BAAAAM!]
"GYAAA!" the twins scream, clinging to Mash.
"Whoa," Mash says.
[KYAAAA!]
"NYAAA!" Momo grabs Mash's face.
"MYAAA!" Midori clutches his abs.
"Momo-chan, I can't see," Mash says.
[YOU!]
"HIII!" the twins shriek.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" they chant.
"Spooky," Mash says, deadpan.
The twins stick to Mash, terrified, while he plays unfazed, occasionally startled but expressionless.
"That was… scary," Momo says.
"Didn't look like it!" Midori sobs, still glued to Mash's abs.
"Scary but fun. Games are awesome," Mash says.
"Sniff… Sensei gets it," Momo says.
"Wanna try a rhythm game next," Mash says.
"Let's do it! Forget that horror!" Momo cries.
[Rhythm Game]
Thwack thwack thwack Mash swings drumsticks at Taiko no Tatsujin.
"Sensei's killing it!" Momo cheers.
"Full combo… unreal," Midori gasps.
[RPG]
"'Strength Ring,' 'Strength Belt,' 'Strength Book,' 'Strength Seed,' and 'Hot-Blooded Fists,'" Mash equips.
"Use a sword! He's a hero!" Momo urges.
"Why a melee weapon for a mage!?" Midori asks.
"Punching's faster than casting," Mash says.
"True…" Momo nods.
"Don't agree!" Midori shouts.
[FPS]
"Midori, Sensei, enemy's low—rush!" Momo says.
"Yeah!" Midori wields an SMG.
"Okay," Mash holds a pickaxe and bomb.
"Sensei, it's a gun game!" Momo protests.
[Cream Puff defeats enemy with pickaxe]
"How!?" they scream.
Mash clears impossible challenges with sheer reflexes, shocking the game-obsessed twins. Their dynamic shifts to big brother and little sisters, with them sitting on his lap.
"Next, this one!" Momo says.
"This one!" Midori adds.
"Let's play tons," Mash says. (I don't want to see them cry.)
As their teacher, Mash vows to protect their club.
They play so much, a day passes.
"We messed up!" the twins wail.
"To everyone watching, play games in moderation," Mash says.
---------------------------------------------
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