As she invited Asakura Mio into her room, a strange sense of nervousness welled up in Amaori Renako's heart.
This was the first time she had proactively invited a friend into this completely private space of hers.
Her room wasn't decorated in the frilly, cute style typical of most girls—it even seemed a bit haphazard.
The game console and controllers from her earlier session were still scattered in front of the TV, not yet put away.
"Ah—I forgot to clean up!"
Amaori Renako gasped softly, her cheeks warming as she hurried over to hide the conspicuous gaming gear.
But Asakura Mio simply smiled unconcernedly and naturally took a seat on the nearby cushion, her gaze even holding a hint of curiosity as it swept over the equipment.
"No need to fuss. How about we play a game to relax? Just sitting and talking can be a bit dull."
But Renako, as if struck by something, spun around abruptly, a trace of barely noticeable unease in her eyes.
"Mio-chan… do you find talking with me boring?"
Mio was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly, her shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Ah… your train of thought is something else. I just meant we could talk while playing~"
She paused, her eyes returning to the game console, smoothly changing the subject.
"What kind of games do you usually play, Amaori-san?"
"Well, I… mostly play FPS games…"
Renako replied quietly, sneaking glances at Mio's expression.
"You know, the shoot-'em-up kind… It might sound a bit hardcore, not really the type girls usually like…"
She had braced herself for surprise or teasing, but instead, Mio's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Mhm, I know. I play games too, you know."
"Really?!"
Renako blurted out, unable to hide the surprise and excitement in her voice.
Among the people around her, very few girls touched this kind of game, let alone understood the appeal.
In that moment, it was as if she had found a long-lost comrade. A powerful sense of belonging and joy surged in her heart, making her unconsciously clench her fingers.
"The one I play often is a zombie FPS. It might sound a bit gory and violent, not really living up to what people expect from a girl…"
She scratched her nose sheepishly, but her tone had lightened considerably. Mio shook her head, her expression open.
"It's fine. What you like is your own freedom. Killing zombies is pretty stress-relieving, too."
"How about you, Mio? What kind of games do you play?"
Renako pressed on eagerly, seizing the opportunity.
"Me…"
Mio hesitated for half a second, her eyes drifting away.
She couldn't very well say outright that what she played most were yuri-themed bishoujo romance games—so-called galgames—a niche genre filled with romantic plots, beautiful character art, and occasionally even some R-18 content.
Compared to Renako's action-packed shooter games, her own hobby was clearly more "otaku" and harder to confess.
She gave a light cough, summing it up vaguely.
"Well… they're a kind of shooting game too, I guess."
From a certain unspeakable perspective, it wasn't entirely wrong. You did pull a "trigger" with your finger to shoot something… Broadly speaking, it should count as a shooting game.
"That's great! Let's play together then!"
Renako didn't suspect a thing. Instead, as if she'd found the perfect common ground, she eagerly booted up the console and TV, deftly navigating the interface.
The earlier nervousness about inviting Mio over and the "serious matter" she had meant to discuss had already been tossed to the winds.
Mio didn't mind passing the time with games. She dabbled in various genres at home, and while she wasn't a pro, she picked things up quickly. Before long, both were immersed in the game world.
The moment Renako gripped the controller, she seemed to come alive, her eyes focused, her movements fluid, occasionally letting out soft exclamations of tension or excitement.
Mio, caught up in her enthusiasm, pressed the buttons nimbly, gradually getting into the rhythm. For a while, the room was filled only with game sounds and their occasional gasps or light laughter.
About half an hour later, a soft knock at the door interrupted them. Renako, as if waking from a dream, hurried to open it.
Outside stood her younger sister, Haruna, holding a tray with two steaming cups of tea, a faint look of resignation on her face.
"Onee-chan, you should serve tea when you have a guest."
She reminded gently, her eyes softly sweeping over the slightly messy gaming equipment and the two who were clearly deeply engrossed.
"Oh no! I totally forgot!"
Renako smacked her forehead, her face full of chagrin.
She quickly took the tray and scurried back to Mio's side. She opened her mouth as if to explain something, her expression tangled.
But Mio just smiled and waved a hand, taking one of the cups proactively.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm not really in the habit of needing tea anyway. We just got too into the game."
Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the room, Amaori Haruna quietly withdrew, softly closing the door and leaving the space to the two once more.
After Haruna left, Mio set down her tea cup and picked up the previously neglected controller, sighing sincerely.
"You're really amazing at games, Amaori-san."
"Right?"
The validation made Renako light up instantly, like a little animal being petted. Her eyes sparkled as she explained with a touch of pride,
"I played for about three years in middle school. I didn't have many friends back then, so most of my free time was spent on this…"
"That's quite the dedication. But I'm getting a little tired, so shall we stop for today? Shouldn't we talk about what you originally wanted to discuss?"
Mio smiled, gently setting the controller aside and rubbing her slightly sore wrist. She reminded Renako, her gaze resting on the other girl's face.
"Ah! You're right!"
Renako suddenly remembered the original purpose, the excited expression not yet faded from her face. She eagerly added,
"I have lots of other FPS games! Next time Mio comes over, we can play something else!"
Her tone was fervent, clearly already taking 'inviting Mio over to play games' as a default, regularly scheduled activity.
The corner of Mio's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to confess her actual preference for immersive yuri bishoujo games, and only nodded vaguely.
"Mhm… we'll see."
The two moved from in front of the TV to the low kotatsu in the middle of the room, each holding a warm cup of tea as they sat facing each other. The air held the faint scent of tea and a lingering warmth from their gaming excitement.
Renako cradled her cup with both hands, took a small sip as if drawing courage, then leaned forward slightly.
Her eyes sparkled as if she'd thought of a "brilliant idea," and she lowered her voice, but her tone was unusually chirpy:
"I think I've figured out a way to change her mind! It's—to implement the 'Lover and Friend Mode Coexistence' plan!"
--+--