𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕜 ♥

Although I could totally try to make new friends, after what happened earlier, I kind of want to enjoy some alone time to myself. That's why I'm just gonna drown myself in food and sneak a bunch of them into tupperware so I can eat them later.

I ran over to the table, each one filled with plates of expensive dishes. I could feel my mouth watering as I looked over all the food options. Ichibo steak, Kobe beef seared with potatoes and drowned in delicious sauce, white truffle and alfredo pasta, caviar with exquisite sushi and soy sauce, rice cakes with matsutake mushrooms and spicy sauce. I could keep talking about the food all day long. The rich eat so well; I'm so happy to attend this party. 

I'm gonna stuff myself so much today. This food won't come again in a long time. While everyone else was talking together, holding glasses of champagne, I was dashing around the food, grabbing massive amounts of portion sizes and also sneaking some in the tupperware boxes when no one was looking. I even stole some of the desserts for my bakery job, hehe. This was literally only the first course, yet so many of the tupperware boxes were filled already. I should've brought more...

I grumbled while putting them away into my suitcase. One of them was already half-filled, guess I have to stop here, otherwise I won't be able to eat anything else. Just one more macaron, though...

I guess I was too busy eating to hear the shuffle of footsteps behind me. Just when I stuffed the last meatball of my plate and wiped my mouth, I could hear the sound of a male trying to get my attention.

"Mmm...such a hassle..." The boy muttered. I immediately recognized that it was Nagi from the word choice.

"Uh...is there something wrong?" I asked. I actually expected him to be in the red group because Isagi and Reo are there.

"Could you hand me that lemon tea over there?" He lazily responded.

I remembered that his favorite food, drink I mean, was lemon tea. It makes sense, only four ingredients and it tastes pretty good. 

"Sure," I handed over the drink and he took it and sat down next to the table's legs and took out his phone. I think Yukiko probably didn't really bully or annoy Nagi because he's rich and really quiet. Maybe this is a chance to interact with him.

I remember in the game that it said that Nagi was a genius who was really good at everything. He was pretty popular and his studies were ok. However, when he met Isagi and Kumiko, he realized he couldn't get everything he wanted with them. He realized that being with them meant that he had to work hard. That's what caused Nagi's goal to form. I'll let him do that. I have enough to deal with. However, I don't think that'll stop me from being friends with him. Maybe.

I didn't notice it earlier, but he looked really great in his suit! His favorite color is gray, so he wore a gray/black suit with a dark blue tie. I could tell that he was wearing really expensive stuff. Did he plan this himself, or did Reo give him this..? I would guess the latter.

"I didn't see you at all when I entered. Where were you?" I asked, also sitting down and resting my stomach. I sat at the other table leg to give him some space.

"I was underneath the table, sleeping. People's voices are so loud, so I woke up," He took a swig of the lemon tea and continued pressing the screen of his phone. "It's such a pain. I didn't want to be put in the same group as Reo..." He muttered to himself, but I tried my best to listen. "He's gonna force me to talk to people..."

"Oh, you know Reo?" I began the conversation. 

"Yea, he's my friend. He wants me to stop playing on my phone and get more involved in business and other stuff, but that's too much work," He responded.

"Hmm...his net worth must be crazy...No wonder why I did that..." I sighed, contemplating Yukiko's past decisions.

"Did what?" He asked, curious.

"Nothing...you wouldn't want to know," I shut down the topic immediately. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"Nagi Seishiro..."

"I'm Yukiko Kurata. Nice to meet you, Nagi."

"Mmm..." He lazily responded.

"What games do you play?" I asked. "As for me, I used to play Project Sekai a lot. I think I'm pretty good at it. I haven't touched the app in so long though..."

"You should start playing again. There are anniversary rewards and a bunch of free pulls..." He continued tapping away at his screen. "And uh...I play...I don't wanna list them out, it's a hassle to think about it."

"'Kay... I'll check it out," I stuffed some crab into my mouth. "Is it those free 80 pulls? I swear, those are a scam. I can only get 2 4-star characters from that. And the gacha is really addicting as well. At least the cards are pretty," I sighed as I clicked on the screen to enter the game. I'm surprised Yukiko's phone has this game on it. She doesn't seem like the type to play gacha games.

"Mm...wanna do a co-op?" He asked.

"Sure," He'd probably get really tired if I talked too much. That's Nagi for you. Well, in my previous life, I never really got to play these games with an irl friend, so this is a first. I bet he's good at this. Well, I think I'm pretty good as well, so...

We both clicked on random, as he yawned. "Hey, why do you play proseka? It takes a lot of work to move your hands..." I asked. I think I know the answer, but let me confirm.

"I don't need to think when the notes appear. My fingers move on instinct..." He looked at the song choice and sighed. I looked at it as well and grumbled. Seriously...The Intense Voice of Hatsune Miku? Are you kidding me? I play with thumbs, I don't wanna learn how to play with four fingers, which as a result makes some songs impossible.

"Oh, that's a really pretty Kanade card you have," I said. Niji 25 cards always look so pretty. "Is she your favorite character?" I asked, pressing the expert button and confirming.

"Not really, I don't bother to read any of the stories. I just skipped them all for the crystals. I just wanted to do some gacha and I got her...I actually have a lot of her..." He muttered, glancing at my Tsukasa card. 

"That's really relatable. I don't read any of the stories. I just look at the stories of my favorite characters," I looked at the start screen. "Praying my fingers don't die~" We both chose expert, how convenient. 

After 4 minutes of torture, I actually managed to clear it. "Woohoo~ My skills haven't died...Wait! Are you kidding me? One good? Fuck this game," I inwardly sobbed while throwing my phone. "This is why I stopped playing..."

"You're good..." Nagi mumbled. 

"Well, you were also really close to full combo-ing it...this feels exactly like the time I got one great on 'Mr. Showtime'..." I complained. "I don't even wanna remember that."

"Oof- that's a pa~in..." He stretched his arms and lay on the floor. "Wanna do another match?"

"Sure..." I picked up my phone and stuffed another crab leg into my mouth. 

And thus, the next 2 hours ensued of playing proseka, genshin, and an introduction to a bunch of shooting games that Nagi played. I like how Nagi plays the pokemon team in genshin, so he doesn't have to touch any controls. His characters are really well built and his rng is crazy good. How did he manage to roll an artifact over 50 CV?

"Ouch, I died again..." I huffed and pressed the retry button. "My aim sucks...how are you so good at this?"

"'Cause I play a lot," he responded quickly. "You're pretty good for a beginner though..."

"Probably because I play a lot of arcade shooting games. Maybe we can go together with a friend of mine. He's really good at it, even better than me," I aggressively started tapping the screen before the 'You Died' screen popped up again. 

I yet again stuffed another crab meat into my mouth and also put more in the tupperware. King crab is expensive as shit. I need more.

"Wow, you're eating a lot...not saying it's a bad thing or anything...don't you get tired of eating after a while though? It's a hassle to bite. I wish I could taste the flavors without biting..." He sighed. "Such a pain..."

"You're right, I'm getting tired of chewing. But look at it this way. This party cost me time and energy because I studied, got a job, and maintained a good position to win back my parents' favor..." I guessed at the last part. I think I got cut off from the heir position because of my behavior. I hope my allowance will come back soon. "This food right here is worth a lot of money. This king crab can cost up to 50,000 yen...it's really expensive. I'm getting my food's worth of effort! And also, I'm taking a lot of the leftovers so I don't have to cook."

"I don't like crab..." Nagi sighed. "I never tried it before, but it's such a hassle to eat. Hey, Yukiko, could you give me one?" 

"Sure," I quickly peeled the skin off, "Here, it tastes really good. It has a surprisingly sweet, refreshing flavor." Aww, the child called me by my name. He's so sweet~ "I'm guessing that you probably have never tried the good shrimp then. The one where you need to peel the layers off."

He quickly ate it, happily sighing. "That did taste pretty good. But I don't wanna learn how to get it out myself. And yeah, I have never attempted eating shrimp before." He looked at his phone, "Oh, the battery is almost gone..." While he retrieved his charger and plugged it into the socket, I peeled more seafood for the both of us.

"Here's a plate of some stuff you've probably never eaten..." I threw the shrimp into my mouth. "It tastes good. You're missing out."

"Oh you're right, it does taste nice." His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm kinda hungry right now...Maybe I should eat some stuff..." He yawned again.

Thus, after breezing through the seafood plate, we looked around at the dishes coming out. Nagi took 5 cups of lemon tea. Damn. We played for around 2 hours, so my stomach has slightly more space for more stuff. I grimaced at the steak tartare. I'm scared of that raw beef. That is not entering my mouth. I instead chose the crème brulée at the table next and gulped it down quickly. Nagi just opted for the steak and ate slowly. Really slowly.

"It's a pain to eat...although this does taste good," He slammed his head down on the table.

"Well, you should eat. It's not good to starve yourself," I reasoned while sipping on some Kopi Luwak coffee. That coffee is crazy expensive. Better drink it.

"Then can you feed me?" He yawned for the millionth time.

I nearly spit out my coffee. 

"Uh...but you know, you still have to do the chewing part yourself...and are you going to be embarrassed by it?" I would be embarrassed but at the same time, are people really looking at us?

"That's true, but holding chopsticks is even more annoying..." He complained.

"I can't feed you...so why don't you just cut up the steak into smaller pieces...?" I reasoned it out.

He pouted, his mouth replaced with an 'x'.

"Jeez, ok...Don't ask this again though. If you become too dependent on someone feeding you, how are you going to feed yourself?" I asked while using his chopsticks to grab onto a piece of nice looking steak. Now I want steak, but I've already had so much food...I do have some steak and potatoes and veggies in tupperware anyway. 

After he finished the entire steak, I realized how embarrassing it would be if someone saw us. When do you feed someone else food? Couples are probably the only ones who do that. But, I'm overthinking it for sure. I don't think Nagi even has any thought of that in his head, so I'm just not going to think about it.

Suddenly, when he almost fell asleep, he received a call. "Reo...I really don't wanna...Fine...See you and Isagi there."

He looked at me and said, "Isagi and Reo have something planned out for the dumb color matching competition that's coming up soon. I have to go with them as well because I'm a judge apparently. What a pain~" He rubbed his neck, "Oh, could you give me your number? I wanna play with you some time soon..."

I shrugged, "Sure. I'm not online that often though. Maybe only on the weekends." I wrote my number on a slip of paper and handed it to him.

"'Kay, thanks. See you soon, Yukiko."

"Yup, bye Nagi." I waved at him and he waved back, leaving the room.

It was nice interacting with him. He's a relaxing person to be around and he just likes playing games. Stress free, that's for sure! Hopefully Reo doesn't think I'm befriending Nagi so I can get closer to him. Self-centered child.

Well, now I'm alone. That's not fun. Who else is there to talk with...? I looked at the clock. Oh wow, 3 hours have already passed by? I looked at my suitcase filled with food. Well, mission accomplished. And I gained a new gaming friend. I call that a double win~

Time to see what this competition is going to be like. I bet the Red party is going to win though. They have Kumiko after all. And Isagi. And Reo. And like, 10 other yanderes. 

I think it's important to win whatever competition this is though, because the reward for successfully 100% clearing this arc is probably friendship points. Friendship points are like food, the more, the better.

But the problem is...if there are around 10 yanderes in the Red party, then there are only like...3 in the other teams. And uh...Nagi was one of them in the group, which means we only have 2. Um...what even is the competition anyway. Normal npcs can be powerful! But...I haven't seen Sado, Teruko, or Takeshi at all...so that means, I know fucking no one here. I'm such a loner ;;

The competition is going to start soon, so I was thinking of talking to a few more people, but then I remembered that everyone hates me. I don't regret talking with Nagi and eating all that food though. But I need to see who are the other yanderes.

There should be 23 people in this room. I'm not counting myself and Nagi left. People aren't allowed to leave unless they have a reason. I mean, there's a bathroom, food, and a huge party, access to a pool (for later). Why would you want to leave?

I looked, observing the situation. Two huge groups, consisting of 6 and 10 people. I see 3 pairs of 2. That's 21. Where are the other two? I observed the groups closer. Otoya is in that huge group of 10 people. Of course he is.

But, I can't find where the last person is. That person must be the yandere. Hmm...who's a loner in Blue Lock? I can't think of anyone. Um...Sae and Niko? Maybe even Ness? Perhaps that person is in the bathroom right now. Maybe I got my hopes up and there were only 2 yanderes in this place until Nagi left. Hmm...I guess I just have to interact with Otoya now. But, that's kind of hard because he was the huge simp for Kumiko. He was plain neutral towards Yukiko because Yukiko didn't bother him or mind his free spirit.

Oh, if they're in the bathroom, that opens up a lot of possibilities. Nevermind, I can't think anymore, guess I'll wait.

I tried remembering what the competition was like when I played the game. I don't remember it well, but the competition wasn't anything like math or reading. It was a silly, fluffy combination of some stupid stuff. For example, there was a gaming competition I think? There was a karaoke competition as well. And um...a sports part? I have no clue. It was supposed to highlight Kumiko though. For example, I'm guessing that if you sang, you'd have this super angelic voice and enchant everyone. Blah blah, cringe.

Reo will explain the rules, I'll just wait. 

I soon started staring into space, wondering what was taking Reo for so long. While cursing at him in my head, I didn't hear someone trying to say 'hello' to me.

"Um...hello, Yukiko?" I suddenly jumped and turned to the pink-haired boy with a braid. 

"Oh, hello Kurona..." I sighed. My heart just leapt out of my body.

"Sorry for scaring you..." He mumbled, "And I hope your hand is ok...sorry, sorry."

"Ahh, I'm good! Thanks for asking," I gave him a small smile, "I'm really glad I'm here with someone I know. I've been pretty lonely, haa..." I stood up and put my hand on my chin. "What do you think is going to happen this time? I wonder what the competition is going to be about..."

"I heard from Isagi that there is going to be a singing competition. Not excited. I sing really badly. Bad, bad..." He aggressively shook his head. "The freshman competition that Reo hosted was a very sporty one. Lots of running. There was even an eating competition. I had to eat hard rice crackers last time. I chipped my tooth. Hard, hard."

"Oh dear, I don't think I have any stomach room for an eating competition..." I laughed nervously. "The only thing I might be good at is gaming, but I don't think anyone would want to hear my opinions on this matter...after the mess I made last year..."

"What mess?" He asked, "You're very reserved and calm. Smart, smart." This child is going to kill me. In a good way.

"Hmm...I wasn't exactly the best person last year. Very far from it in fact."

"Well, I don't really know what happened, but you're really nice. I thought I should've gotten yelled at for the accident last time, but you were super chill about it. Won't make the same mistake last time!" He huffed.

"Thank you..." I said, my eyes threatened to fill up with tears, but I stopped them. I'm not going to cry in front of someone. My problems are my problems to solve. No need to involve anyone else.

Before we could continue talking, the speaker suddenly turned on. 

"Testing, testing..." Reo coughed. "Welcome everyone to the beginning of the year celebration for the most esteemed second years! I hope you guys are having fun. Right now, we are preparing for the competition that you've been waiting for. I'm one of the judges, Reo Mikage...Alongside me, there's Isagi Yoichi and Nagi Seishiro."

"Competition, competition!" Kurona said, jumping excitedly.

Did I say how cute he is when he repeats words?

No?

Ok, well, now I have said it, and I will say it again.

He's so fucking cute when he repeats-

Isagi's voice piped up, "So we're going to be starting in around 5 minutes, so I'll announce what competitions will be happening. All four groups will be facing each other in a tournament style round! Red vs green, blue vs yellow. Each group must send 1-4 representatives for each competition, and there can't be any repeats for people. You can only select three people to be able to go multiple times." 

"Mmm...annoying... *yawn*" Oh wow, is that Nagi? I totally can't tell. "Um...there will be a bunch of different competitions. There's a singing competition which must be done solo, a music competition...performers up to four people can play a song...a running competition, 4 people..." He paused. I feel like Nagi's trying to say less words, but at the same time, he doesn't want to think, but then he doesn't want to move his mouth, so I guess he'll say- "Reo, can you read the rest?"

"Oh fine, Nagi..." Reo sighed. This is like watching a comedy show, lol. "And there's a cooking competition as well. Two people need to be sent up!" He paused. "Just saying, we're not aiming for precision here, it's just to have fun! You guys probably can't play well because there are going to be some twists! For example, you guys aren't the ones deciding the song! No preparation. If you prepare, that's cheating." Reo sounded dead serious.

"There's a gaming round where the team will send one person to play against the other. By the way, before you make your decision, there will be 3 different games!" I think Reo just wants to watch others suffer.

"Hey Reo, can we host the 'can-you-trap-it' competition?"

"Nagi! We already finalized everything!"

"Hey, that sounds interesting. I approve of it!" Isagi commented.

"...fine, I guess we're adding that... *sigh* I suppose one representative from each team competes..." Reo muttered something under his breath. "There's also an obstacle course competition consisting of four people,and a trivia game consisting of a maximum of four people."

"Also, the order of the competitions will be decided randomly! Remember to have fun~! Also, some special 3rd years will be here as guests! They'll also be judges so try your best everyone." Isagi cheered. He's cheering because he doesn't have to partake in this. He just gets to watch us suffer. Haaahhhh...

Wait, third years? Oh fuckkkk...I do NOT want to think about that.

"Yukiko, yukiko, let's go talk with the others! I'm so excited! Excited, excited..." Well, I'm glad Kurona is happy at least.

"Sure, let's see who we want to select as our three main players."

Everyone was super hyped for the competition. They were all shouting about how they should be one of the 3 people. I hope I'm not one of them. Lots of people were also yelling their talents. I could hear in the muffle of voices some people saying that they could play instruments really well, or how they're great at cooking, or how they're a trivia whiz.

Otoya, being super popular, was chosen as one of the three people. He said he'd participate in the obstacle course (because he's a ninja) and the race (because he's a ninja). I think that's a lie. He just wants to run really face and do stupid stuff and attract the ladies because he's foolish. It's probably the only thing that gets him pumping up. 

Kurona wanted to participate in the race and obstacle course as well and Otoya let him. The yanderes know each other after all. They're all fit because well, they're designed based on their football alter egos. I would like to participate in the gaming! I'm great at a lot of different games.

People started choosing where they'd like to go. Soon, the trivia section was filled, the cooking section was done, and the obstacle course team and running team had been decided. All that was left was the music group, and the gamer. Apparently, someone was super confident that he could trap well. I wish him luck.

There were a few people left, including me, so I decided to speak up. "Um...I pretty good at a variety of games and I also play (instrument/name), so I could fill in the last spot for the music group."

Murmurs were heard in the crowd and I could see Kurona nodding to cheer me on. However, the rest of them weren't as enthusiastic. 

"It's Yukiko. I'm surprised she got invited..."

"Does she want to impress Reo or something? So shameful..."

"We shouldn't pick her. She's probably lying..."

Kurona spoke up. "Hey...none of you want to take up the role of the gamer, so if you aren't volunteering, then you don't have the right to say anything! Not cool, not cool"

"Yes, he's right!" Someone spoke up, "Also, Yukiko isn't a bad person at all! I was there at the maid café incident; she's incredibly brave, so I'm sure she's talented too! In fact, we could make her one of the three people to represent us!" Wait WHAT?! NO- That isn't what I wanted...

However, I'm glad people are standing up for me. It feels really nice.

"Alright, Ms. Yukiko, you'll represent the Blue party along with me!" Otoya grinned and winked. I kept up a straight face. "You'll be the gamer and a member of the musicians~ Woohoo~!" Some cheered alongside him and others grumbled. I simply gave a polite bow. 

"Thank you. I'll do my best." 

Oh my god, stop trying to say their names, Yukiko-

.

.

.

The first competition was making sushi. What the hell is this masterchef thing? Don't you know how hard sushi is to make? Like, high quality sushi. But of course, I keep forgetting this school houses geniuses like Kumiko! She's an excellent baker. The Red team literally already has a guaranteed victory lol.

But of course there had to be a twist. Ok, I actually approve of this. Although Kumiko and her teammates are wearing normal stuff, Barou was wearing a maid suit. Please, it was like one moment in the anime. The huge hot pink lipstick-

The moment he stepped on the stage with his scary, pissed-off face, I spit out the water in my mouth from shock.

Well, Barou and Kumiko...that's a power cooking duo. In fact, those two carried their team so hard that they were really the only ones doing the work. Everyone was cheering for them too, and I could hear Reo and Isagi laughing in the background while Nagi wanted to eat what they made.  

I was cheering for Kumiko as well. Otoya was probably being a simp or something. I can't understand him. He likes to do what he wants and he'll do it if it feels right. Kurona was also cheering for the two, complaining about how he couldn't eat what they made.

Of course they won. It was nice to see Kumiko having fun. I waved to her and she waved back. I do wonder who she likes though. And how come she likes someone? Is her love percentage with them that high? Dang, she pulling so many people...

Apparently, the blue team (us) also won, and the guys were also forced to wear maid dresses apparently. It wasn't as funny as Barou's but it was really goofy. I'm never going to wear one of those though. Personally, the maid café arc was traumatizing enough.

That's how the first competition ended. It honestly felt like I was watching a play or some sort of comedic relief. Not saying that it was staged, but it felt exhilarating and very relaxing. I could just watch the main character having fun like a NPC. In a sense, I almost missed being 'normal.'

I glanced at the middle of the giant hall; it was an elevated platform with Nagi, Isagi, and Reo talking like commentators. I saw from the corner of my eye that a few of the best third-years had entered the room from the back. I could see Sae, Kaiser, and Loki, but not the rest because my eyesight is shit.

Pretending like I didn't see anything, I cheered as the Blue team and the Red team were both winners of the baking competition. Woo! One step further to more friendship points!

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.

.

Reo and Isagi disappeared backstage to set up the next competition while Nagi fell asleep at the table. Thankfully the mic wasn't near his mouth; that would've been a disaster. Kurona and I dashed over to Kumiko and Barou. I greeted her with a huge grin, congratulating her on her win. "That was awesome, Kumiko! Your cooking skills are top-tier! Oh, by the way, I have a suitcase filled with Mikage-paid-food so we don't need to cook," I whispered the last part.

She simply giggled, allowing me to ask her another question. "Did you make any friends today? I made one..." I gave a sigh of disappointment.

"O-Oh...I made quite a few~" She laughed nervously. "I can introduce you to them though!" She gasped in excitement, but I shook my head.

"No, I'm going to make my own friends," I said with a solemn face. "Anyway...enough about me," I dragged her away from Kurona and Barou, "Is the guy you like in the same team with you?"

"Hmm~ I don't really like anyone, but they're all really handsome, hehe~ And they're all really kind!" Her eyes glowed with happiness as a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"Who...I need to approve of them before you make a decision," I stared at her with sharp eyes while she sweatdropped.

"Um...there's Reo and Isagi. I met them at the beginning of the school year! There's also...Rin, he's pretty but really aloof. I didn't get to talk with him at all. Chigiri is also really sweet! I only see him in math class though, what a shame...Shidou is a little weird but he's a fun guy, I think? I mean, I've talked with him before, but he was always a little strange. There's also Hiori! He's really nice as well!"

"Get yourself away from Shidou, this instant. I don't trust him at all. He's a red flag."

"Why though?" She tilted her head.

I patted her shoulder, "You're too innocent. I hope you're not into that kind of thing, Kumiko."

"What thing-" Before she could continue, Reo and Isagi appeared again, announcing that the next competition, decided by a random spinner, would be a Trivia competition. Again, it was the Red team versus the Green team. Although most of them were random side characters, I noticed Rin and Niko talking together while going up the stage. I waved my hand at both of them. While Niko waved back, Rin just looked away. I am so going to smack his head. Also, I wanna talk to Niko. I haven't seen him at all after our first interaction other then some small hallway chit-chat.

This competition was basically like scholastic bowl. There were math, physics, chemistry, Japanese history, and Japanese literature questions. Although I can do the math, physics, and chemistry ones, I'm so lacking in Japanese history and literature. I'm doing well in the class, but these questions are so obscure. I bet Nagi would do well! That's his best subject.

Niko's best subject is science and Rin's best subjects are English and History. That's another huge power duo! They absolutely destroyed the other team. The mood was also so serious...it felt like an actual competition. 

Rin is a genius though...how is he so good at every subject. The egoist bible says he dislikes calligraphy. Calligraphy? Bro what?? So your handwriting just sucks and that's it? 

There were also some anime questions. I think that Reo thinks that no one watches a massive amount of anime and I'm surprised that he doesn't think that there's at least one weeb in this room. To inform you, Niko likes anime. I need to ask him for anime recommendations. 

After the green team was absolutely crushed, it was the blue team versus the yellow team, but the moment I saw Yukimiya on the stage, I knew we had no chance. Yukimiya is good at Japanese literature and science, and for some reason, in this game, all yanderes' brains are buffed...well most. (Cough cough Bachira, cough cough Shidou(that man is brain dead))

As expected, we lost but it was a very tight match. It seemed like everyone was having fun. I haven't had this much fun in a while! It feels good to take a break after a month's hard work. Kumiko said that the next party is after the first semester, before summer break. I can't wait!

When all 16 of the players stepped down, I raced over to Niko and Rin.

"That was so cool guys! Rin, you're smarter than I thought! I don't know how you knew all that stuff..." I muttered, sad that I couldn't beat him in that area.

"Of course I know that. I read a lot. Unlike-" Before he could even mutter another word out of his mouth, I shouted.

"Haah? I'm congratulating you and this is what I get? This is why Niko is better than you."

"Your compliment was very backhanded, you know..." He glared at me.

"Be happy I gave you a compliment..." I glared back. "Anyway~ Niko, please give me anime recommendations! I never knew you knew so much about it. That's so awesome! I already finished a lot, but right now I'm only reading a few..." I felt a little bit self-conscious.

"O-Oh..." He jumped. Is he shy because he likes anime? Don't be! I think having a friend who you can talk with about similar topics is amazing! Rin and I get along because we like to insult each other and it surprisingly works for the both of us! "I like 'Banana Fish'...What about you?"

"Noted. I'm going to binge watch it as an excuse to NOT go outside. Kumiko is forcing me to walk to stay healthy. To answer your question...I like a lot, but my favorite is (anime/name). I have the full series! I could give the first volume to you. Don't lose it though, they're precious. What about you Rin?" I grinned. I feel much more at ease talking with them. This is great!

"One of them is 'Dragon Head'" He answered.

"As much as I appretiate the suggestion, there's no way I'm going to read that..." I laughed nervously. "I wanted to read it, but the second volume scared me...I haven't picked it up since...Wait- are you telling me you enjoy that??" I gasped.

Niko added with a slight smile, "It's a great read although it is pretty scary. If you want to read a horror genre manga, you should read it!" 

"You're scared of that? Weak," Rin looked away.

"O-Ok...I'll read it...I stopped watching horror anime after 'Mieruko-chan'" I shivered, remembering the creepy animation. I don't even know how I manage to play zombie games.

"I think that 'Mieruko-chan' is more light-hearted though," Niko thought aloud, "The art style is really nice, but it is a little gruesome...But um...'Dragon Head' is very claustrophiba-inducing, just saying."

"Niko, you're not helping..." I sobbed.

"I'll give you the first three volumes," Rin grinned with malicious intentions. "I hope you read them."

I gulped. I should've not started this...

"Ok..." But I want to read more...so uh...Ok, I'll read Rin's and Niko's favorite manga. I hope I don't die from sadness or my heart bursting out of my chest! "I'm just going to go before you recommend any more horror...the only thing related to horror that I like is psychological...I have nightmares about that stuff. Rin, if you make me have nightmares about 'Dragon Head', you're going to have to pay for my lunch. For a week."

"I'm not going to."

"If you're going to utterly destroy my mindset and scare me to death for a month, I at least want free food..."

"No thanks."

"I should've just asked Niko for more recommendations...Damn it..."

"If you want to watch a movie, I recommend 'The Shining.'"

"Rin, please shut your mouth..."

Niko chuckled as I rapidly shook my head. "Oh, and there's also Uzumaki...it's another good horror manga!" Niko joined in. 

"Niko, not you too...Let's talk about something else ok-" 

Before the two could torture me more, Reo voice piped up. First time I'm thanking him. I don't want to hear the word horror out of anyone's mouth tonight. It's just reminding me of 'The Promised Neverland'. That wasn't exactly horror, but it was enough to get me startled.

.

.

.

The third and fourth competitions were running and the obstacle course. However, this time, it was actually really close because all the participants were crazy good. Some were a landslide victory, however. For example, in the Red versus Green match for running, Chigiri was on the red team. I'm sure you know how that's going to end. Even though Nanase did a great job, his teammates were trash.

Our blue team won, thanks to Otoya and Kurona's stamina. Even Karasu wasn't able to beat them. I'm sure it was hard to move in their suits though. It must've been uncomfortable. 

Immediately after the third competition was the obstacle course. Otoya absolutely dominated, crushing the yellow team. I could hear his fangirls screaming his name. Oh my god, please stop. What's so good about that cheater? Although he looks great (every Blue Lock character does), I don't forgive cheaters.

That's how we were able to advance to the finals! Awesome job to everyone who participated :)

There was a break time before the start of the Red vs Blue. I actively ignored both Niko and Rin who were definitely going to give me more horror recommendations. I talked with Kurona about how his competitions went, complimenting him on the running one. "You and Otoya definitely carried our group! Thanks to you, I can show off my music skills!"

The Yellow and Green teams were moved to the back of the hall in the farther away seats and the people who participated were also sitting behind there. That's why the front of the stage wasn't as packed as before. That's why I simply talked with Kumiko while also observing who was left.

There were in fact, only 13 people left. The only ones who weren't NPCs were Kumiko, Hiori, Zantetsu, and me. I thought Zantetsu was going to be in the running group.

Oh shucks, Hiori is definitely doing the gaming competition. This isn't good. I'll be competing against him...can I even beat him? I never beat him in those shooting games in the arcade.

Kumiko is probably going to be singing. I remember from the cutscene that it described her voice like an angel. Well, I'm excited either way!

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The first competition was the music one. That meant me. My heart was beating so hard as I went onto the stage with the other people. I grabbed the (instrument/name) and played a few scales to get myself ready. I wonder what song our group will choose.

"Hmm...now that it's the finals, we're going to add a twist!" Reo grinned mischievously. "You can't pick your own songs! I'll be choosing them from a random spinner. Out of 1000 randomly chosen songs, either popular or not, you will simply have to sight read!"

Protests from the musicians emerged and I also felt my arms going numb. I'm so going to fuck it up! I'm horrible at sight reading!

"I'm going to give you guys 20 minutes to prepare...that's enough...actually no, 10 minutes. I could do it in 10 minutes...and since this is the finals, I'll raise the bar higher! The reason I'm doing this is because someone decided it was a good idea to add a competition at the last minute, so this is going to determine who gets the score more easily..."

"We're sorry about that, but make sure to have fun!" Isagi said, sweat dropping while Reo was glaring daggers at Nagi. Still very fun to look at. "Ok, the spinner has decided! The song you guys are going to play is...Senbonzakura..." Reo said, though I could tell he had no idea what song it was.

"It's a vocaloid song made by Kurousa-P..." Nagi commented.

While they were talking, my head was spinning with delight. I have literally spent all my luck today. Why? Because I know how to play Senbonzakura. In my previous life, I even memorized the song because I loved it so much...I wonder if I should just play it well. I decided on just matching the pace of the group. It's going to be hard though, it's such a hard song...

The group went to the back and started looking over the piece, muttering how it was super unfair. At least try to learn it...I looked over the sheet music and grinned. I'm so excited to play! However, despite my enthusiasm, the group I was in still included people who disliked me. They commented how they were the ones going to do all the work and how I just faked my talent. 

I sighed. Well, I'm not going to do much. It would be weird to attract so much attention.

That was the plan.

And the lesson I should learn is that nothing ever follows the plan in this game.

Damn it.

We stepped onto the stage after the Red group finished their performance. Everyone complimented them, saying that it was an amazing performance despite having only looked at it for 10 minutes. I do agree that it was splendid although there were quite a few wrong notes. The fun part was that some people were singing along. They even brought mics. It was like a very makeshift, improv kaoroke!

My heart beat with happiness as I sat down in my chair. However, we were off to a rocky start. I was so confused. They had all claimed that they were able to play very well, yet they couldn't even play at the speed.

As an explanation, Reo had provided the drums as background music so we would have a tempo, but the group, who claimed they were prodigies, absolutely stumbled over every little note. In fact, I had to cover up all their mistakes by playing slightly louder. I was ok with it until they started yelling on the stage.

"It's your fault! You're so bad...that- that we're messing up!" Reo paused the music and frowned.

"But you guys...claimed that you were prodigious players who could play any song on sight. Our team leader, Otoya, trusted you...And I'm the one covering for your mistakes..." I tried to explain rationally, but nothing went through their heads.

"Stop lying! You..."

"Why would you be able to play a music instrument. Don't think we forgot your real personality after that little act earlier this month!" One of them shouted. 

"What kind of nonsense are you making up?" I asked, starting to get pissed. "If you're that mad, I can get off the stage. Why don't you guys continue playing?"

"Um-" A girl holding a flute stuttered.

Isagi rushed to the stage. "Guys...stop arguing. I'm giving you guys one last chance...we can restart just this once. Who's playing?" He looked angry. Probably because the competition he made was being messed up by us in front of so many people.

"I'll play...solo," I glared angrily. "After all, they were just dead weight."

"Hah! Fine, you'll be so shameful! This is what you get for being so cocky!" A guy walked off the stage. I won't even try to comprehend what he's thinking.

"Sorry about that, Isagi. We'll- I'll start over again," Isagi just left while the whole crowd gasped. I could hear murmurs of me being too overconfident. Well, I understand their doubt, it is really hard. I did spend a long time learning it on my own.

(Hehe, I wanted to include this song because I love it so much <3. Here are some covers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwGuM02ajVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LA1fD8HENw (personally, I prefer the one by Music Twilight because it actually follows the melody lol)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ECA4ZpnKxk
THERE ARE MANY MORE - search them on youtube! They're so talented)

As I started playing the melody, I could feel the joy of being able to play. Although I felt nervous, I felt strengthened by their doubt, knowing I played well. The emotions while playing were indescribable, but being able to play such a beautiful song well brought peace to by heart, as if I felt I was giving justice to this masterpiece. 

The whole room went silent as I continued playing. I entered the incredibly fast part of the song and my fingers deftly moved. At this point, I wasn't even looking at the music sheet. I closed my eyes and listened.

Although I couldn't see what my supposed teammates were doing, I hope they felt shocked and shameful about what they had just said. I hope they'd never underestimate me again or lie to me and everyone else. If I wasn't there, they would've been demolished. I let them save face because I have no reason to try to be malicious to them.

I reached the climax at the end of the song, almost hearing everyone's voice join as I ended the song, sweat dripping down my chin as I finished. After I stopped playing, everyone (or at least mostly everyone) started clapping. Even Nagi had stopped sleeping.

Reo spoke up after the applause died down, "Well, I'm certain we know our winner after that grand performance by Yukiko Kurata. Congrats, Blue Team!"

I bowed again and many people cheered. I could see that many people in the crowd clapped while some remained neutral. I guess this didn't really do anything to improve my popularity, but I certainly have less enemies. 

I stepped down the stage where my teammates were waiting, gritting their teeth.

"Did you choose a song that you knew? I knew it, you were conspiring with Reo! To embarrass us?"

"Yea! And even if you didn't, that was just luck-!" One of those pathetic fools started when I laughed.

"Ha! Look, do you think you're that important for me to try to embarrass? Please, get a reality check. You desperately need one. And also, is being able to play an entire song accurately and quickly luck? I do admit that I knew how to play the song, but it's also a friendly competition. I was simply lucky."

"You-" 

"Ah ah...don't even think of interrupting me. After all, you were the ones who declared that you knew how to play everything and that you were prodigies. So, prodigies, how did if feel like to be absolutely pulverized by a fool like myself? Hmm?" I slyly grinned. They flushed and ran away. So satisfying~

"Haha, you absolutely destroyed them, Yukiko!" Hiori's voice took me by surprise. "I can't wait to play against you."

"Ah-" I flushed, realizing my conversation had been heard. "Um...thank you. I can't wait to play against you as well. I'm going to be absolutely destroyed if Reo picks one of those horror games or zombie games. I can't beat you at those. And horror games...ugh..." I shivered.

"Well, there are three different games...but they're all decided randomly. I checked the game list and it has around 10 different games. From what I remember, I think you play all of them. Well, I hope we have fun while playing!" He smiled.

"Yup, same here," I sat down.

"Your performance was amazing, Yukiko. It's amazing how you memorized the entire thing," He started the conversation.

"I actually learned the song from Project Sekai and because I liked it, I started playing it. I actually have quite a lot of vocaloid songs memorized..." I scratched my nape. "I hope it doesn't count as cheating..."

"It's not. That goes to show that you're talented, which means Otoya did a great job of picking you as a member. Musicians always know an assortment of songs in the back of their mind, so the fact that one of the songs was one you knew just proves that you're great!"

"And lucky..." I laughed.

"I heard from Isagi that Reo picked a bunch of songs that were really hard to play...while the rest were songs that he didn't know. Apparently, Nagi also added a bunch of Vocaloid songs to the list, so even if Senbonzakura wasn't picked, there was a high chance another song you knew was picked. Either way, I definitely enjoyed listening to it. Hearing it makes me wanna attempt the master level again." Hiori commented.

"Isn't that a level 32 song...? As a thumb player, I can't even do that...I've been training to use my index fingers, but I feel way more comfortable with thumbs,"

"I haven't full combo-ed it either because I also use my thumbs. Project Sekai was on the list as one of the games. If it's picked, do you want to try a level 30 song?" 

"I have like one that's full combo-ed. But sure, that would be fun!" I laughed. Talking about games is so much fun.

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.

.

Surprisingly, the guy from our team who participated in the 'Can-you-trap-it' competition did really well. He actually beat Zantetsu because well, Zantetsu messed up a lot of times. Guess his brain wasn't really loading.

It was pretty funny to watch them fail though, but respect. I could never do that.

Thus, the final competition was the gaming one against Hiori. Hiori might have a motivation to win, but it might not be as big as mine. My motivation is that I need to win so I can get those friendship points. I need them. Imagine if it was 10%...that would be insane. If I think that my future depends on this, I'll hopefully get fired up.

When we went up the stage, Reo announced the games that we would play, and since he had no idea how any of these worked, Nagi simply explained. Our phones would be cast onto huge monitors so everyone could see what we were doing. The games were Zombie Uprising, Genshin Impact, and Project Sekai. Wow, I think I'm pretty lucky today. Well, except for Zombie Uprising. Hiori is going to crush me.

As expected, although it was a close game, Hiori beat me by managing to get a higher score and staying alive longer. He's great at that. I'm pretty sure the people listening were only able to hear the tap-tap of our fingers on the screen. Nagi was very tired of commentating but he did say that basically we were both really good. I don't spend my days off playing these games for nothing.

However, no one can defeat me in Genshin. I have spent so much time grinding for the perfect artifacts. Although I am F2P, I'm not F2P if you think about the amount of time I've played this game. In my free time, in my previous life, I had no friends really...(I'm lonely ok) and I never had a good relationship with my parents, so I holed up in my room. They didn't care, so when I wanted to take a break, I'd play Genshin. It was nice thinking about living in a world where magic existed. Such a beautiful world...

Hiori's team composition was really great, though. He played using Ganyu and his aim was crazy good, probably influenced by those shooting games he'd play. Although melt and freeze Ganyu are insane, they can't compete against hyperbloom...hehe. 

I had fun though. Being able to actually play with someone is so different from playing solo. Whether being able to compete with them or just doing something silly makes time feel more valuable than being alone and building characters or improving skill. 

I could tell that Hiori was having fun. Perhaps it was the first time we experienced this because I'm certain Hiori's parents in this life are the exact same. Perhaps they wanted him to be the top in the world in something, perhaps business or maybe even football. I'm not sure, but he resorted to gaming as something to exert his stress and hatred into. He's very similar to me. I wonder if he's also similar to the real Kumiko.

 The score was 1-1 and the final game was Project Sekai. And of course Nagi decided that we'd have to play a master level song. That was above level 30. Of course. Do you want my fingers to die?

The crowd was murmuring, wondering if it was easy or not. Some people were saying that they wished our fingers good luck while others were wondering whether this was even talent. Well, of course there are haters.

"Let's pick one we haven't full-combo-ed," Hiori suggested and I nodded.

"We'll show them how hard this is. I doubt that they can even see the notes," I laughed.

"Yea, when I started playing the game, speed 8 already confused my eyes. I play at 10.6 now."

"I'm trying to reach 11, but 10.8 suits me..." I scrolled through the list of master songs until I found one that I liked. "How about 'Bitter Choco Decoration'?"

"You know, some parts take multiple fingers to play..." He laughed nervously.

"Yeah, then let's make some of the people play this song so they'll regret what they just said..." He grinned evilly. 

"That's...a great idea!" He looked back with the same look.

Safe to say, the entire crowd felt a sense of foreboding.

 "Oh! Then we'll try 'The End of Hatsune Miku!'" I continued.

"Ok, that's going to kill your fingers. Expert level is fine, but not master..." Hiori deadpanned.

The next three minutes ensued with a bunch of taps on the screen and shifting of hand posture that left everyone scared. Only Nagi was cool and collected, saying "Oof~ That's a pain."

(Bitter Choco Decoration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_NmlvMjg20)

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Our scores came out. 

I threw my phone on the ground.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? ONE GREAT???" Hiori was also considerably pissed, only getting 2 greats. "I KILLED MY FINGERS FOR THIS, FUCK-"

"Ah, that pisses me off a lot, but that was fun..." Hiori laughed. "Congrats on winning, Yukiko! Oh yeah, can I have your UID?"

"Ah, sure," I said, reverting back to my normal demeanor. I then looked at the crowd and yelled at them. "I'm sure no one wants to try this, so never underestimate the pain of rhythm players-!" Hiori just laughed and nodded.

Once Hiori waved goodbye, the rest of team Blue appeared on the stage. Kurona jumped up and down excitedly. Everyone was high-fiving, knowing that they had won the silly competition. 

"Yukiko! That was amazing! You're so talented! We won! Won, won~" He smiled, showing his shark teeth.

"It's thanks to everyone's, at least mostly everyone's hard work," I smiled modestly. "I wonder what prize we'll get..."

"Knowing Reo, it might be money or something...He doesn't really provide the most heartfelt gifts..." Kurona thought.

Just as Kurona said, Reo just gave us a cash prize. THANK YOU, REO. I NEED THIS. 100,000 YEN? Suddenly, a notification appeared.

╔⏤⏤⏤╝❀╚⏤⏤⏤╗

🅈🄾🅄 🄷🄰🅅🄴 🅆🄾🄽 🅃🄷🄴 🄰🅆🄰🅁🄳 🄵🄾🅁 🅃🄷🄴 🄴🄽🄳-🄾🄵-🄵🄸🅁🅂🅃-🄼🄾🄽🅃🄷 🄲🄾🄽🅃🄴🅂🅃

🄰🄻🄻 🄻🄾🅅🄴 🄸🄽🅃🄴🅁🄴🅂🅃'🅂 🄵🅁🄸🄴🄽🄳🅂🄷🄸🄿 🄿🄴🅁🄲🄴🄽🅃🄰🄶🄴🅂 🅆🄸🄻🄻 🄸🄽🄲🅁🄴🄰🅂🄴 🄱🅈 🄴🄸🄶🄷🅃 🄿🄴🅁🄲🄴🄽🅃

🄾🄽🄻🅈 🄰🄿🄿🄻🄸🄲🄰🄱🄻🄴 🅃🄾 🄲🄷🄰🅁🄰🄲🅃🄴🅁🅂 🅆🄸🅃🄷 🄵🅁🄸🄴🄽🄳🅂🄷🄸🄿 🄷🄸🄶🄷🄴🅁 🅃🄷🄰🄽 🄵🄸🄵🅃🄴🄴🄽 🄿🄴🅁🄲🄴🄽🅃

(🄰🄿🄿🄻🄸🄴🄳 🄰🄵🅃🄴🅁 🄶🄰🄸🄽🄴🄳 🄵🅁🄸🄴🄽🄳🅂🄷🄸🄿 🄳🅄🅁🄸🄽🄶 🅂🅃🄾🅁🅈)

My hard work and efforts were received by the gods. Let's go~

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.

.

Will you...?

Stay at the party

Or

Leave early

A/N: (I think the answer should be pretty obvious...)
Pls don't overthink, I will be so sad
if you choose the wrong choice ;;

˚ ༘♡ ·˚꒰ 丂ㄩ爪爪卂尺ㄚ ꒱ ₊˚ˑ༄

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NAGI SEISHIRO

Friendship: 11%
Love: 0%

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NIKO IKKI

Friendship: 18.5% 8%
Love: 12.5%

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ITOSHI RIN

Friendship: 43.5% 8%
Love: 11.5%

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HIORI YO

Friendship: 24% 8%
Love: 2.5%

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KURONA RANZE

Friendship: 12.5%
Love: 0.5%

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OTOYA EITA
(New Character!)

Friendship: 5%
Love: 0%

Other Characters:
Bachira: 35% 8%