Tokyo: Oreimo

Ruri Aragaki smiled, her eyes crinkling.

It was definitely a joke.

At least the part about "pushing him off the building" is.

She started walking again, side by side with Ling Nai on the slope leading to the school.

Ling Nai walked to her left, her golden hair blowing in the wind, occasionally brushing against Liu Li's shoulder.

Liuli turned her head to look at Ling Nai's profile.

This guy probably didn't even notice it himself.

From the moment we met, my right hand kept touching my lips.

I gently pressed my fingertip against my lower lip, then pulled it back as if I'd been burned, only to be irresistibly touched again a few seconds later.

"Ling Nai."

"Ok?"

"Your lips are a little dry today, can I borrow your lip balm later?"

Ling Nai stumbled, almost tripping over her own shoelaces.

"Huh?! Is it... really that obvious?!"

"Yes, it's a little swollen."

Liuli tilted her head, her smile flawless.

"I think... I bit my lip while I was asleep! Yes, I was having a nightmare and I was so scared that I bit my lip!"

Ling Nai's voice sounded a little flustered.

As Liuli watched her best friend frantically cover her mouth with the back of her hand, something deep inside her chest silently cracked open.

She mentally closed that crack again.

It's ok.

Even if Ling Nai likes her older brother, it doesn't matter.

As long as Ling Nai can smile, as long as Ling Nai can be happy...

But my elder brother...

If I remember correctly, he seems to still be dating other girls, right?

The man's face reappeared in her mind.

At last year's CM exhibition, she was quite surprised to find that she had developed a strong liking for Ryosuke, perhaps it was just a case of loving someone because of them.

It's also possible that the other party offered help when he and Ling Nai broke off their relationship.

In short, during that period, she even developed an inexplicable dependence on Ryosuke.

But since Ling Nai returned to normal, she has come to understand many things.

Especially after I figured out the reason why my friend was in pain during that period.

Even though Ryosuke didn't say it, she managed to piece together the events from snippets of information she gleaned from Ayano.

"By the way, Ling Nai, is your elder brother dating someone?"

"Ah."

Upon hearing Ruri Aragaki's question, Ling Nai's mood instantly plummeted, and she responded with a muffled sound.

What kind of person is he?

Liuli then asked.

Ling Nai's mind conjured up the face of Hououin Saori, and she also recalled the scene from last night when Ryosuke called out Saori's name and stole her first kiss.

As her face flushed, the girl couldn't help but pout.

It's infuriating! That kind of thing clearly happened, but now they're pretending they don't know anything.

That guy took advantage of me for nothing and even treated me like a female giant.

Just thinking about it makes me grit my teeth.

His tone unconsciously became impolite.

"He's a very arrogant guy."

Ling Nai made this assessment.

"is it?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Ruri Aragaki's face.

'So, does that mean you haven't broken up yet?'

'How did your older brother manage to appease Ling Nai while he was dating other girls?'

The girl couldn't have imagined it.

But none of that matters.

"If you make Ling Nai cry, I won't let you off the hook, brother."

The thought flashed through Liuli's mind, so clearly that even she was somewhat surprised.

"By the way, Liuli, that guy is releasing a new game soon, and I've already started playing it!"

"This is really interesting. I'll send you a set as soon as it's released."

Ling changed the subject.

"Huh?"

"It's a pity that there's no content after the character is taken down this time. It's such a shame. And that guy is as awful as ever."

"Is it a plot similar to Clannad?"

If that's the case, Ruri Aragaki is actually quite interested. Even after so much time has passed, she still can't help but tear up when she recalls Okazaki Shio throwing herself into Tomoya's arms.

That elder brother truly possesses extraordinary talent in this area.

"Don't say too much, or you'll miss out on a lot of the fun."

Is it really that good?

"You'll understand after you've played it."

Takashiro Ryouno still remembers 'Mayuri'.

The shock of dying more than ten times—if it weren't for what happened last night, I might have really had a nightmare, just like the lie she told.

"We'll continue when we get back tonight. If we still can't move the plot forward, we'll go ask that guy again."

The girl muttered to herself, and then felt a little shy when she thought of that face.

Her face was flushed, as if to hide it. Ling Nai quickened her pace and walked a little ahead of Aragaki Ruri.

Chapter 215 Breakthrough

Takashiro Ryouno was absent-minded all day at school.

After what happened last night, I can't calm down at all.

After finally making it to the end of the school day, the girl rushed out of the school without looking back.

If there's anything that could make her temporarily forget about losing her first kiss, it's probably playing video games.

After returning home, she forced herself to finish dinner awkwardly at the dining table, not daring to look directly at Ryosuke.

"Tonight's tutoring session is suspended because we're going to play games."

In the second-floor corridor, Ryosuke was about to enter her room when he was stopped by Ryouno.

What a joke! In my current state, I'm completely incapable of studying properly.

This guy may be slow-witted, but what if he is?

If he sees through it, how am I supposed to explain myself?

In short, at least today, I can't get too close to Ryosuke.

"it is good."

Ryosuke didn't mind; he considered such a request normal and simply went back to his room.

He should take advantage of his free time to finish "Is This a Zombie?" Once the title of this work is completely completed, he may have time to do other things.

.....

Seeing that Ryosuke didn't ask any further questions, Ling Nai breathed a sigh of relief.

She's not ready to face that guy yet.

The computer is turned on and the screen lights up.

The Steins;Gate icon is still on the desktop, with the gear and hourglass pattern sitting quietly in the corner.

Double-click the mouse, and the screen will light up.

The save point is just before Mayuri is crushed by the train.

Ling Nai gripped the mouse tightly.

She had been trapped in this cycle for far too long, each time thinking she had found the right answer, and each time watching helplessly as her childhood friend died in various ways after hearing the words, "Mayu's pocket watch has stopped."

Shot dead, stabbed to death, hit by a car, pushed off the platform.

This has happened more than ten times.

She tried almost every route.

But this time is different.

Early this morning, after that guy mistook her for a female giant and kissed and hugged her, she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The only thing she could think about was the game content to calm herself down.

This also made her think about where the problem might lie.