Chapter 130 – Darkmtl

Chapter 130



Noa was the first to break the suffocating atmosphere that made it hard to even speak.

“I think a passionate love story that’s hard to explain with reason and logic is great, but don’t you think lighter conversation topics fit better at a festival? With that in mind… how about a simple game, you two?”

“What kind of game do you mean…?”

But the content seemed a bit suspicious. “Game”? From any angle, it looked like Noa was just trying to push Haruna toward something.

Even though it was obvious that Noa was on Haruna’s side, I couldn’t help but admire Nagisa’s boldness in accepting it… but I wondered if that was really a feasible choice.

“Hehe, it’s not a very difficult game. I’ll ask a question, and Mika will subtly send me the answer via Momotalk, and you two will take turns guessing the answer! If the range of answers is too broad, Mika will provide hints. A simple example could be… ‘What’s Mika’s favorite—’ something like that. So, how about it? Are you all interested?”

…Nagisa, you’re not really considering accepting this, are you? No matter how I looked at it, the questions would probably have been premeditated by Noa and Haruna.

While I could twist the answers a bit to not sound too obvious, creating a completely false fact wasn’t something I could do easily. It wasn’t an easy choice to swallow a lie for your sake earlier either.

Nagisa knew me better, having spent more time with me, but considering that the one thinking up the questions was with Haruna, it might lead to an unexpectedly close match.

“Alright, in that case, I’m confident I know Mika best. It’s obvious how this will end, so there’s really no need for me to say it, right?”

“Hehe, are you really so confident, Kirihouji? But I won’t make it that easy!”

This did feel like a trap, and I couldn’t shake off that uneasiness, but I understood Nagisa’s confidence wasn’t unfounded. It might actually be a well-founded confidence. The key was ultimately what kind of topic the questions revolved around.

“Then, for the first question. What is Mika’s favorite dish among the foods she has eaten so far? Please let me know my answer through Momotalk softly~.”

My honest answer to Noa’s question, which looked like the most excited one here, would probably be something no one could guess.

…How could they possibly guess that my favorite was the kimchi stew my mom used to make?

Ah, just thinking about it makes me want kimchi stew now. This is why I had been intentionally avoiding thinking about Korean food.

Anyway, I had to pick an answer that the two of them could possibly guess while also keeping it unbiased. This is way too obvious in its intent.

“I sent it.”

“Hehe, oh? This is quite an unexpected answer. Without hints, it might be impossible for both of you to guess!”

“I think the hint that it’s a meat dish should be enough. Yeah, still, starting with a question that’s too advantageous for Haruna seems a bit too obvious, doesn’t it?”

Thus began the answer time… or rather, the time to catch a lucky break.

“It must be Bistecca alla Fiorentina! Right?”

“Yes, Haruna! But unfortunately, wrong~♪”

“…?!”

Haruna, brimming with confidence, was left stunned as her eyes widened.

“Hahaha, I knew you would be the first to blurt that out! It’s undoubtedly the best steak I’ve ever had, but it’s a bit hard to say it’s my favorite meat dish.”

“…Hehe, I see. Then, Cotoletta alla Milanese would also be a wrong answer.”

“Oh, you remember that too? This just made my extra comment unnecessary. Hahaha, how unfortunate☆”

Nagisa looked at us as if wondering what kind of alien language we were speaking.

“…Mika, didn’t you clearly say you only knew simple dishes? Your knowledge seems a bit overly specialized.”

“Umm… but this doesn’t have anything to do with my cooking skills, does it? We’re just discussing the dishes I’ve eaten.”

“That’s… true. Speaking of which, it’s my turn now. I say Shepherd’s Pie.”

Both of them apparently tried to pick a dish related to themselves. Haruna’s was the main dish from our first meeting, and Nagisa’s was the dish she cooked for me that received my praise.

“And Kirihouji, wrong~!”

Unfortunately, neither of those was what I had in mind either.

More importantly, I was starting to grasp why Noa was here. I still didn’t quite get why she was supporting Haruna, but it was clear she was enjoying the situation more than anyone.

“How about Sukiyaki?”

“Wrong~!”

“Hamburger…?”

“Wrong!”

“Baby back ribs.”

“Yes, that’s also wrong!”

“Roast turkey…”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong~♪”

Countless dishes were suggested, but none of them came close to the answer. Despite being limited to meat dishes, there were a great variety, and for Nagisa, who didn’t have much knowledge of cooking, it looked hard just to recall one.

Even Haruna, who boasted a wide knowledge of dishes, was beginning to take longer to think before answering. Just as that was happening, Nagisa mumbled an answer, catching Noa’s eyebrow.

“Smoked duck…”

“Oh my? Kirihouji, that’s correct!”

Nagisa, having gotten the answer right, blinked in disbelief as if she couldn’t believe she had guessed correctly. Given that Haruna was throwing out various technical meat dish names next to her, it made sense for her to feel intimidated.

But this question was about the favorite dish, not the tastiest one. So for this case, Haruna’s extensive knowledge became her downfall.

Nagisa simply picked something among the popular dishes within her limits, while Haruna, overwhelmed by her vast knowledge, had strayed too far.

“…I was wrong. I thought the daughter of Trinity, who must have grown up in luxury, would have an answer that leans toward fine dining.”

“Hahaha, that was clearly a flawed assumption, considering just Nagisa’s case, right?”

“Yes, as frustrating as it is. Scoring points in a situation like this makes my pride a bit hurt too.”

As she said, Haruna wore her usual smile, but her eyes had a bit of a gloom to them. Culinary expertise was akin to her pride, so accepting defeat in that regard wouldn’t be easy.

“Then~ let’s quickly move on to the next question. This one is about Mika’s preferred music genre!”

…Hey, Nagisa, don’t give me that victory-filled look. I’m not really into hymns, so please don’t be disappointed in me…

*

“It seems that, due to time constraints, this will be the last question. Hehe. Just in time, both of your scores are tied, so it’s perfect for deciding a winner.”

After six questions had passed, remarkably, Nagisa and Haruna had tied scores.

I should commend Haruna for catching up even after giving away points on the first question. The questions that followed didn’t particularly favor her either, so the concerns I had didn’t come true.

In other words, Nagisa had pure skill to bring this situation to a tie.

Perhaps bothered by the fact that she had brought it to this point as a romantic partner, Nagisa looked at me with an awkward sense of guilt.

I wasn’t the type to put much significance in the results of such games. But from the perspective of “is this all my partner knows about me?” it felt a bit different. The questions had somewhat turned into a guessing match after the first two.

For example, the fourth question, “What was Mika’s average score on her last exam?” was something neither side could accurately answer. Even I had to quickly check my grades on my phone to provide the right answer.

Once Nagisa, who knew my average score, started guessing randomly, Haruna followed suit, guessing in a similar range. It ended up being a race to see who guessed first.

…By the way, I felt relieved to some extent to know that I had been studying steadily. Considering how shameful my score had been during the first exam, I found it embarrassing to even mention that score.

After all, I had a sense of pride in getting into an adequately good university. It felt pretty humiliating that I couldn’t pull off decent scores in exams that were essentially a high school second-year level curriculum, which made me keep studying earnestly, even after I hit my target.

“The final question is… Hehe, interesting. In your opinion, Mika, who is the name of the person closest to your preferences?”

…Oh?

This might have been a question that could have been awkward for someone else, but not for me.

There was no need to even give a name of someone else.

As I shot a quick answer through Momotalk to Noa, she seemed a bit flustered. I nodded at Noa’s silent inquiry of whether I was serious…

“Fufuf… this is really interesting. I wonder if the two of you can guess this.”

Noa smiled slyly, anticipating the confusion that was about to unfold.

But who knows? If Nagisa got this wrong, it’d be pretty unfair for me.

“…Kurodate Haruna.”

“Kirihouji Nagisa.”

Without needing to say who went first, both of them threw out their names simultaneously. However, while Haruna looked tense, Nagisa had a rather calm expression, as if she plainly knew what the answer was.

“Hehe, both of you are wrong.”

Haruna looked gloomy at Noa’s words while Nagisa nodded, clearly expecting it. Indeed, Nagisa seemed to know.

“…Ushio Noa?”

But then Haruna answered next, gaining a teasing expression from Noa.

That’s a no, Noa. I know you’re just as mischievous as me, but that’s a bit overboard.

“Wrong. Wrong.”

“Mika… that’s my privilege! This is not good.”

Noa shot a piercing gaze at me, as if she had a ready charge to zap me into oblivion if she wanted. No matter how playful she was, some things just aren’t acceptable, you know.

“Ugh…!”

“Noa, your intent to tease is way too obvious.”

“Ne? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mika.”

Do you think I would fall for that innocent look? Not a chance, nope.

Anyway, after I interrupted Noa’s playful banter, Nagisa finally cleared her throat and spoke the correct answer.

“Ahem… The answer is, Misono Mika. Right?”

“…Oh my, I honestly didn’t think you would get it right.”

“Yes?”

Nagisa wore a victorious smile after realizing the shock on Haruna’s face. Well, it’s true, winning by luck is still a win.

“Hehe, to charm as many people as Mika does, one must have as much self-love as this, right?”

As I pondered how to defend myself against Noa’s remark, I unintentionally spilled my thoughts.

“…But, I’m pretty, right?”

Oh no, that was the wrong thing to say.