“They’ve been in the industry for a while, so I’m sure I’ll get a handle on what they’re like after asking around a bit.”
“Who exactly are you asking? Do you know other illustrators?”
“I’m using my connections through Keikoin-san. I told you that I started doing some part-time work for him recently, didn’t I?”
Keikoin-san was Yume’s biological father, an indie game director and founder of a social game company. Because of that, he knew a lot of people. I was sure that he’d have some information about this live streamer.
“So you can either leave me to decide what to do with this request or...you can make the decision yourself.”
“Myself...?”
“Well, take a few days to think it over. I’m sure she doesn’t expect a response during the Obon holiday anyway.”
“Okay...”
After this, I hung up the phone. I should’ve asked her a little bit more seriously about what she wants to do and what she thinks about making money off her work. If she did well on this request, I could predict what would happen next, and if what I predicted happened, then I wasn’t sure how Isana would react.
“How is it that I’m out here in the countryside and I’m busier than ever?”
Between Kawanami’s SOS and Isana’s first commission, I had a lot on my plate. The wind blew as I was bathed in the sunlight. I was surrounded by nature, but my mind was as busy as Tokyo. In both situations, I didn’t need to make any decisions, but... Sheesh, when did I start caring about others so much?
I got up and began walking down the outdoor hallway. As time passed, morning turned to noon, and we had lunch. Well, I guess I’ll just spend today living the slow, countryside life. I’ll wait for them to make their decisions. I’ll spend time thinking about them once they’ve done that. Or at least that was the original plan, but as I was reading over some somen for lunch, I got a call from Kawanami that felt like déjà vu.
“Irido... Help me...”
Again? Just like yesterday, Kawanami began telling me about something that happened after waking up.
Kogure Kawanami: Kogure Kawanami’s Report of Crimes
Now that everyone was here, we headed to the bowling alley that we’d reserved, and then our group of twenty split into four lanes. Truth be told, I was pretty average when it came to bowling—I was neither amazing nor horrible at it. I was just happy if I could get a strike every now and then.
It might have come as a surprise to other people, but out of our small group of friends, Makoto was the best bowler. Then again, that was how it was for not just bowling, but most other sports too. But even so, she’d never really stood out because our class had Akatsuki Minami, who had a level of athleticism that bordered on superhuman.
“Yes!” Makoto triumphantly clenched her fist after knocking down all the pins.
The other guys from our mini reunion mellowly cheered, unsurprised at how good she was. We were used to it by now. There was something that caught my attention, though. Every time she got a strike, Makoto would look at me as if she were checking to make sure I was watching, as if she were waiting for me to praise her.
Every time I felt her look at me, I remembered how Minami had acted with me yesterday, and I felt like I was gonna barf. It was like hearts were shooting out of her eyes at me. Though Minami was behaving herself now, Makoto had begun to step up her game. Dammit. How did things come to this? Does the universe hate me or something? I don’t need a girlfriend. I’m okay watching other people’s romances...
“Looks like I’m gonna win again,” Makoto said, sitting next to me as I drank my oolong tea.
Though she always won against us when it came to sports, it seemed that she was still proud.
I forced a smile to hide how sick I was feeling. “Don’t you get tired of winning? You were pretty much unbeatable in middle school.”
“Nope, not at all. I’ve got no chance against you guys in Smash, but I can win as much as I want in sports.”
While we talked, Shoma headed to the lane for his turn.
“Sheesh, don’t take out your frustration over losing in a video game in real sports.”
We’d hung out at each other’s houses to play games often enough, and Makoto was about as good as an average player. She hated to lose, though, and while she had gotten better over time, she still trailed behind the rest of us. I could easily win against her, but also, there were girls like Isana Higashira in this world, who dumpstered me without breaking a sweat.
“I wanna play video games again some time. Ever since I started high school, whenever I do something with friends, it’s suddenly more grown-up now. Makes me miss middle school.”
“Yeah, I get that. All the money you get from your part-time jobs opens up your world to what you can do.”
Even Irido had started working a part-time job. I thought he said that he was doing some odd jobs at a company and working as a tutor or something. Though he started earning his own money, he never really used it for himself, but...I wondered if he used it for Irido-san. I had to hold myself back from smiling at the thought of him having a lavish date, and as I did, I felt Makoto tug on my arm. I looked at her, startled, and saw that Makoto’s lips, sparkling with lip gloss, had curled into a bright smile as she began to say something.
“Would it be okay if...I went over to your place again sometime?”