"Right there! A little deeper, push it in! Ishigami!"
"I can't... Uchiha-senpai, I'm out of ammo!"
In the room, Uchiha Ryo helplessly let go of the keyboard and leaned back in his chair to rest.
Ishigami Yu was a little embarrassed. "We failed this level again! It's my fault. If only I had the same perception as you, Uchiha-senpai."
On the other side, Shirogane Miyuki burst out laughing. "I told you this game was hard. I've never even cleared a single stage."
Uchiha Ryo sat up. "What are you laughing at, Shirogane? You were the one who got eliminated first, leading to our complete defeat. Are we going to try one last time, or head back first?"
Shirogane Miyuki shook his head. "I should be heading home. If I don't go back soon, Kei-chan will probably start to worry."
Ishigami Yu also let go of the keyboard. "Then let's play again next time. Do you need me to see you out?"
Uchiha Ryo: "No, no need. Speaking of which, we were only able to play this game thanks to Ishigami's equipment. Let's come again next time."
The friendship between boys is actually very simple. As long as you eat a meal together and play a game, you'll soon find something to talk about.
——Three Hours Earlier——
After school, Uchiha Ryo cornered Shirogane Miyuki, who was about to go home.
"Let's go! What kind of good student goes straight home after school? I'll show you what a real student's life is like."
Shirogane Miyuki: "???"
"Wait a minute, where are you taking me?"
Uchiha Ryo turned his head. "The monthly exams are just over anyway. I'm taking you out to relax."
At that moment, Shirogane Miyuki's mind raced. What would Uchiha take him to do? It seemed he had just asked him how to become popular not long ago... Could it be!
Shirogane Miyuki: "This... isn't a good idea. I'm not prepared. And should I just go in my Shuchiin uniform?"
Uchiha Ryo looked at Shirogane Miyuki in confusion. "What else do you want to wear? Just come as you are."
He dragged the just-out-of-school Shirogane Miyuki to the middle school division, then found Ishigami Yu, who had been waiting there for a while.
Uchiha Ryo: "Ishigami, let me introduce you to a friend, my classmate Shirogane Miyuki. Although he's not great at games, he can at least contribute a body."
Ishigami Yu nodded, then bowed slightly to Shirogane Miyuki. "Hello, Shirogane-senpai. I'm Ishigami Yu from the middle school division."
Shirogane Miyuki also smiled, greeted him, and then came to Uchiha Ryo's side to whisper.
"Bringing a junior from the middle school division... isn't a good idea, is it..."
Uchiha Ryo waved his hand. "What's not good about it? He's the one who organized this whole thing. You just have to come with me."
The reason for this activity was that Uchiha Ryo and Ishigami Yu hadn't had enough of their game on the sports field today, so Ishigami Yu had enthusiastically invited his senpai to his house, and of course, Uchiha Ryo had no reason to refuse.
Then he thought of bringing Shirogane Miyuki along. Not only could he raise the affinity of both of them at the same time, but he could also let them get to know each other in advance.
Since it was Uchiha Ryo who was leading the way, Shirogane Miyuki was too embarrassed to refuse and immediately nodded.
Shirogane Miyuki: "So where are we going?"
Ishigami Yu took a step forward. "I'd like to invite both senpais to my house. Because my parents are basically always at the company, I'm living alone for the time being. And my house is quite big. You can rest directly if you get tired from playing."
Uchiha Ryo nodded. "Then it's settled. Let's go to the supermarket and buy some snacks first. Don't worry, the snacks are on me this time. You can pick whatever you want!"
Shirogane Miyuki looked at Uchiha Ryo in surprise.
"So.... what you meant by taking me out to relax was going to Ishigami-kun's house to play games?" He had thought... he had thought it was a mixer.
Uchiha Ryo: "What else? Ishigami's house has four computers, top-of-the-line specs, two-by-two seating, and a soundproof, air-conditioned room!"
Shirogane Miyuki smiled. "Then we absolutely must go!"
——Back to the Present——
The two left Ishigami's house. On the way to Shirogane's house, Shirogane Miyuki sighed.
"I, her older brother, am out playing games so late. Kei-chan and Dad, are they eating well at home?"
There was something Uchiha Ryo wasn't sure if he should say. Shirogane Kei was now helping the Shinomiya branch family with their accounting every day. As long as she didn't make any mistakes, her salary was much higher than what Shirogane Miyuki earned from his tiring part-time jobs.
There was no other way. This was the power of the Shinomiya family. Even though the status of a Shinomiya family servant was low, and they were easily reprimanded and dismissed, in the eyes of ordinary people, this was definitely a wonderful job.
Even a regular mansion maid earned several times more than a regular maid outside.
It seemed Kei-chan hadn't told Shirogane Miyuki about this. Was she planning a surprise for her brother?
Uchiha Ryo: "Don't worry too much. Actually, Kei-chan has already grown up (she's even bigger than Shinomiya Kaguya). You can be a little more lenient with her."
Shirogane Miyuki nodded, but it was unknown whether this sister-complex brother had actually agreed or was just being perfunctory.
.....
The next day, unlike the past few days, Uchiha Ryo arrived at the Classic Literature Club very early.
After all, their school journal was about to be published. The core of their Classic Literature Club's issue this time was [The Youth of the Past and the Future], a literary magazine that compared the gray youth of Chitanda's uncle's era with the colorful youth of the students today.
Yukinoshita Yukino was working quietly. Seeing Uchiha Ryo come in, she just nodded slightly, which counted as a greeting.
Chitanda on the other side was also there, but she was reading, and it seemed to be a work of literature. Unfortunately, Uchiha Ryo was not interested in this kind of book.
Compared to elegant literary masterpieces, Uchiha Ryo preferred to enter places that tried to prevent him from visiting late at night, such as where Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's new work had just been leaked.
Although Hayasaka Ai acted like a lively and energetic gyaru at school, when she was making tea, Uchiha Ryo could always see a shadow of the maid in her.
He really wanted a maid who could live at his house... Maybe he should discuss it with Shinomiya Kaguya over the weekend and have her give him her maid.
After taking a sip of the tea Hayasaka Ai had brewed, Uchiha Ryo felt his whole body relax. In any case, this school journal had nothing to do with him. He was just a bystander.
Amakusa Shino: "Everyone's here. Hiratsuka-sensei, as our club's advisor, wants to take a look at the content we're preparing to publish in the school journal."
The door was pushed open, and President Amakusa walked in with Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Uchiha, I still haven't settled the score with you for sneaking out of the office last time, and for skipping class all morning!"
Uchiha Ryo: "...Oh."
The sight of Uchiha Ryo's expression made Hiratsuka Shizuka's anger flare, but she still looked at the manuscript about the gray youth... and then almost cried out in empathy.
Uchiha Ryo: "Hiratsuka-sensei, don't be sad. After all, your gray youth is already in the past. Yes, your youth has been in the past for a long time now."