Chapter 31: Games
"Coming, coming, stop rushing."
Izumi Chihiro went to the entrance and opened the door.
Because it was the weekend, the girl in front of him wasn't wearing her usual school uniform but a long, plush coat, revealing only a portion of her calves.
To keep warm, in the remaining exposed areas, it was also visible that the girl was wearing a pair of white stockings thicker than usual, making her look fresh and adorable.
Additionally, he noticed a white scarf wrapped around the girl's neck, which, by contrast, made her snow-white complexion appear even more innocent and charming.
"What are you looking at? Let me make one thing clear... This scarf was casually pulled out of the closet by Kasan, and I was forced to wear it."
Eriri noticed his gaze, instinctively tugged at her scarf, and explained.
"Hmm, it really suits Eriri, doesn't it? I truly have good taste."
Izumi Chihiro nodded to himself and said.
This scarf was a gift he had given her in the past, but it was the first time he had seen Eriri wear it.
Perhaps, just as the girl said, it was just a coincidence.
"Heh, so you're just praising yourself in a roundabout way."
Eriri immediately sneered.
"Move aside."
He was nudged.
Eriri slipped her white-stockinged feet out of her short boots, then found a pair of slippers with a cat's head on them in the shoe cabinet and put them on.
These were her special slippers.
"Eriri-neechan."
"Oh, Sagiri."
When Eriri arrived in the living room, she was surprised to find a girl waiting there; they exchanged glances and greeted each other.
"Sagiri hasn't played games before, so she wants to play with us too. Is that okay, Eriri?"
Izumi Chihiro, who had closed the front door, followed closely behind.
"You don't need to ask me about such things, do you? Sagiri is your younger sister, right?"
Eriri seemed to emphasize this casually.
The two sat down in front of the TV, while Sagiri stood behind him, observing cautiously.
"What should we play?"
Izumi Chihiro asked for her opinion.
"Let's play 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters.'"
Eriri insisted, "Let me see if your fighting skills have declined."
"Heh, Eriri, you're looking for trouble."
He said with an arrogant expression.
For a co-op game, they would naturally support each other, but for a fighting game like this, it could easily turn into a real-life brawl.
"Don't look down on me! I was just going easy on you before! Just watch, I'll definitely take you down this time!"
Eriri said aggressively.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
Izumi Chihiro raised an eyebrow.
He didn't believe that someone who was bad at games but addicted to them could ever beat him.
As for Eriri's confident demeanor, he didn't take it seriously at all.
Because she was always this brave.
"Is that all? Eriri, you don't actually think picking a boss will let you beat me, do you?"
He looked at the character the girl chose, then directly locked in the Ninja.
The boss's skills were balanced for offense and defense, while the Ninja was a bit unconventional, very fragile, and prone to being unable to recover from a single mistake.
However, it still depended on the player.
Although there were differences in character attributes, there was a difference in skill between them, so he was very confident.
Eriri was equally confident.
"Three throws are enough to defeat it; I refuse to believe I can't win today!"
She muttered to herself with a confident expression.
The match began.
Eriri immediately unleashed a "Extinction Flame."
The boss crouched down, waved its palm, and a wave of ice flame swept across the screen.
Izumi Chihiro remained still for the moment, choosing to defend in place.
Eriri then continued to use "Extinction Flame," hoping to suppress the Ninja's position with it.
Izumi Chihiro couldn't let himself remain at a disadvantage indefinitely, so he controlled the Ninja to perform a small hop, jumping over the flames.
Eriri's eyes narrowed; she controlled the boss to approach, intending to use a throw if the opportunity arose, or directly reduce the Ninja's health significantly with an A-combo.
"Eriri, too naive."
Izumi Chihiro shook his head inwardly.
Only thinking about offense but forgetting defense—that was why Eriri played so poorly.
Just as the boss got close, the Ninja controlled his position well, soaring into the air and unleashing a "Death Whirlwind," with several crescent blades trapping the boss's body.
"How can this be?"
Once at a disadvantage, Eriri became anxious.
She quickly controlled the boss to jump sideways, trying to dodge the opponent's attack.
But the Ninja followed closely, then delivered a "Staff Slash," a move similar to an uppercut, knocking the boss down.
His health had dropped significantly.
Eriri could only look for opportunities to grapple.
But the ninja he controlled was very agile and didn't give the boss such a chance.
Instead, he seized the opponent's opening, launched another combo, and finally completed the KO!
"Puhaha…!"
Izumi Chihiro couldn't hold back his laughter.
Eriri's cheeks were flushed, and she couldn't speak for a long time.
How was she abused again!?
How many times had it been?
She had lost count.
She originally thought that using a character she hadn't used before would catch her childhood friend off guard, but it seemed she had thought too much.
"No, again! This round doesn't count! I'm not used to this character.
This time, I'll use my familiar Old Four to fight you!"
Eriri shouted, slapping her leg.
The classic 'losing doesn't count' excuse.
But, it didn't matter.
"Alright, I'd like to see how long Eriri can keep being stubborn… I told you, you'll never win against me."
He said with a chuckle.
"That's impossible!"
Eriri gritted her teeth, "I'll definitely win today!"
To that end, she resorted to a dirty tactic, constantly using Old Four's Super Flip Kick, which was that leg technique from the sky, commonly known as the Scythe Kick.
"You're starting to play dirty, aren't you?"
Izumi Chihiro glanced at her.
"Isn't this normal operation? I didn't use cheats."
Eriri smiled brightly.
"Heh, do you think this method can stump me? Watch closely, Eriri."
Izumi Chihiro's eyes sharpened, and he seized an opening in her controls, using a throw to grab the opponent.
"How are you so fast!"
Eriri looked puzzled.
"Because I'm strong and you're weak."
He answered very directly.
Soon, the character she controlled fell again.
Again!
It fell again…
An hour passed.
"Hmph…"
Eriri's cheeks were slightly puffed, the air she exhaled stirred her bangs, and her eyes seemed to burn with flames.
Her rage meter was full.
"Let's switch games."
Izumi Chihiro glanced at her and, without waiting for her reply, made the decision.
He had had enough fun.
He was afraid that if they kept playing, Eriri might lose control and use her twin-tail hairstyle to activate the 'Starburst Stream' skill, directly attacking the player.