Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051598917319858
The day after I went to the aquarium with Shino.
Since I didn’t have any plans, I was just lazing around in the living room playing video games and enjoying my day off when I got a message from Iwami.
“You’re online—are you free right now?”
Come to think of it, we’d talked about adding each other as friends since we both play the same game, and I’d just gone ahead and added him.
“I’m free—until I start making dinner, anyway.”
“Then let’s form a party and play together. I’m playing with some other guys right now, and if we add Oosaki, we’ll have a full party.”
“So, you mean that game? Sure, let’s do it.”
Iwami was probably referring to the battle royale FPS we’d talked about at the school cafeteria the other day.
He’d invited me a few times before, but my schedule had never quite worked out, so I hadn’t had the chance.
I don’t have any assignments this weekend, and I don’t have anything else to do.
If it was just a casual game with my college friends, there was no reason to turn it down.
“Okay, can you join now? Let’s turn on voice chat, too.”
I was about to send “Got it,” but stopped myself at the last second.
The game console is currently connected to the TV in the living room.
Since I don’t have a monitor in my room, I inevitably have to play games in the living room.
But here’s the thing. I’m not the only one in this house. That’s right—Elis is here.
—What if Elis’s voice gets picked up during the call?
No way, no way, no way. That would definitely cause a huge hassle.
Iwami and the others know that Elis is my childhood friend, but they don’t know that we live together under the same roof. Well, thinking about it logically, there’s no way a girl would come to stay with just a guy, so it’s only natural.
“Can you give me a minute? I need to clear the living room.”
“Ah, nobody wants to get caught by their parents, right?”
“I’ll join you as soon as I’m done talking.”
“Okay, but I’d recommend you get a part-time job soon and set up a gaming setup in your room. Yeah, a part-time job is great…”
He sent me a sticker that sounded like a piece of wisdom.
A part-time job, huh.
I’d been thinking about starting one once my college life settled down. I need to cover my living expenses, and it’s always better to have more money to spend on myself.
Besides, every time something like today happens, it feels bad to have to explain the situation to Ellis every single time just to get her to keep quiet. Plus, the fact that I could only play games in the living room was pretty inconvenient.
I’ll set up a monitor in my room, hook up my game console, and make sure I can handle all my calls from there too—yeah, that’s good. It feels kind of like building a secret base, which gets me excited.
That said, I’d better explain things to Ellis for today, at least.
“Ellis, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Rintaro, what is it?”
When I called out to Ellis, who was in her room, I heard some clattering noises, and after a moment, she poked her head out.
“I’m going to be playing a game with Iwami and the others soon, and I have a small favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
Elis blinked her big blue eyes and tilted her head.
“We’re going to be playing while on a call in the living room. So, it would really help if you could try not to make any noise while we’re playing.”
“Would it be a problem if my voice got picked up?”
“It’s not so much a problem as it is a huge hassle.”
“Oh, I see.”
It seemed she understood what I was getting at, and Ellis clapped her hands lightly.
“It’s a secret that we live together, after all.”
“That’s exactly why—sorry about this.”
“No, it’s totally fine. I’ll be quiet—okay?”
Ellis lowered her eyes as if thinking for a moment, then looked up and smiled brightly.
I have a bad feeling about this.
Elis was smiling, but the corners of her mouth were twitching just a little.
It felt like she was consciously trying to keep her expression from breaking.
“……Elis, you’ll really keep it quiet, right?”
“Of course—it’s a promise with Rintaro♪”
She won’t slip up, huh.
I decided not to press the issue any further and started getting ready to play the game.
I sat down on the living room sofa and put on my earbuds.
I placed my smartphone on the coffee table and connected the call.
“Oh, here it comes. Hey, Oosaki!”
“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”
“Nope, I just got here♡”
“Sorry, but I’ve got an urgent matter…”
“I’m just kidding…”
We started the game while having this ridiculous conversation.
It seemed Iwami had the highest rank, and he kept trying to show off every now and then. That kind of annoyed me—
Just as I was thinking that, I suddenly sensed someone next to me.
Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ellis approaching with a mischievous smirk on her face, and she quietly sat down next to me.
(That Ellis…!)
When I glared at her, Ellis showed no sign of remorse; she just gently pressed her index finger to her glossy lips and smiled.
—I’ll be quiet.
That’s what she seemed to be saying.
True, I only asked her not to make any noise!
Why does that girl, Ellis, always come up with these sneaky ideas!
“Osaki?”
“Sorry, it’s nothing.”
I turned my gaze back to the TV and decided to keep playing. Ellis had said she’d be quiet. So I’d just treat her as if she weren’t there.
But my concentration was still slightly disrupted. The fact that she could hear everything I was saying was a little embarrassing, and more than anything, I could see Ellis’s cheerful face out of the corner of my eye.
Still, it wasn’t enough to stop me from playing.
Convincing myself of that, I focused my attention on the game.
But within a few minutes, a problem arose.
I felt something brush lightly against my right shoulder…
When I glanced over for a moment, Ellis looked like she was about to burst out laughing as she poked my finger with her finger.
I didn’t react. If I reacted now, I’d be playing right into Ellis’s hands.
“Osaki, an enemy’s coming that way!”
“Okay, leave it to me!”
I spotted an enemy player trying to flank me from the side and moved in to intercept them.
Perhaps thinking I hadn’t noticed them, they carelessly exposed themselves—I seized that opening and unleashed a barrage of fire. Meanwhile, Iwami and the others wiped out the other enemy players, securing a spectacular victory.
“Nice teamwork! Alright, let’s loot the bodies and head to the next spot!”
“Yeah, got it—?”
As I glanced to the side for a moment, I noticed that Elis had moved even closer to me than before. Her soft, golden hair brushed against my arm.
“…………!”
my fingers jerked reflexively, causing his in-game character to dash off in the wrong direction.
“Hey, Oosaki, where are you going!?”
“Ah, sorry! That was a control slip!”
“That wasn’t just a ‘control slip’ level of mistake.”
Laughter erupted on the other end of the call.
Elis next to me, too, was holding her mouth and shaking with laughter, though she didn’t make a sound.
I glared at her out of the corner of my eye again, but she just tilted her head with an innocent look.
Her expression clearly said, “I didn’t make a sound, so it’s fine, right?”
This girl…! I’m definitely going to give her a piece of my mind later!
After that, Elis’s silent sabotage continued.
She’d tug at the hem of my shirt. She’d peek over my shoulder at the controller. Whenever I took down an opponent, she’d give a little clap.
None of it was a big deal. But being subjected to it one-sidedly while I was in a position where I couldn’t fight back really got to me.
And that wasn’t the only ordeal…
“Come to think of it, Oosaki, do you ever play games with Elis -chan?”
“W-why is Elis coming up right now?”
While we were talking about gaming buddies, Iwami suddenly brought up Elis .
“Well, if you two are the kind of couple who play games together late into the night, I’d be so jealous I might end up committing a crime.”
“I’ll defend you if that happens. Having such a cute childhood friend… Oosaki, you…!”
“No, Ellis doesn’t really play games that much…”
The moment I said that, Ellis, sitting next to me, flinched.
She tugged at my sleeve and stared up at me intently. Since she couldn’t speak, she was trying to convey something with just her eyes.
I think she’s probably saying something like, “If you ask me, I’d play anytime…”
“Seriously, Osaki, what’s the deal? Aren’t you dating Ellis?”
“…No, we’re not dating.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Having such a cute childhood friend and not making a move on her? You’re missing out on 100% of life.”
Is it really that bad?
And Ellis, stop nodding along right next to me.
“At the very least, you think she’s cute, right?”
“……Well, objectively speaking, there’s no doubt she’s a beauty.”
“What’s with that evasive answer? That’s suspicious. Are you just being contrary!? Are you being contrary!?”
These guys are so loud.
I can’t even escape if I wanted to.
In the game, I’m surrounded by Iwami and the others; in real life, Ellis is right next to me.
It’d be unnatural to just go silent here, but if I deny it in a weird way, they’ll probably think I’m even more aware of her.
Her golden hair sways softly every time the light hits it. Her skin is as white as a doll’s. Her clear blue eyes—the kind that seem to suck you in the moment you lock eyes with her.
To be honest, it would be a stretch to insist Ellis isn’t cute.
“I definitely think she’s cute. See, is this okay!?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the call.
“Ooooooooooooooooooooh!”
“He said it! He just said it!”
“Oosaki finally admitted it!”
“Shut up, the enemies are coming!”
Even amid the commotion, Iwami and the others were responding to the enemies properly.
They were unnecessarily skilled in that regard.
Meanwhile, next to me, Ellis was covering her mouth with both hands.
She could barely hold back her laughter anymore, and a moaning sound was escaping from her lips.
“Osaki, you lost your focus just now!”
“Who do you think it’s whose fault?”
“Don’t blame it on Ellis-chan.”
“It’s your fault!”
I continued playing while arguing back.
But once my concentration had wavered, it was hard to get it back.
Elis next to me had calmed down a bit since earlier, but now just seeing her sitting there was distracting. The fact that she looked completely satisfied was the most annoying part.
★ ☆ ★
In the end, we played a few more matches before calling it a night.
“Well, let’s call it a day for now.”
“Osaki, you better practice a little more before next time.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Also, get a monitor for your room. It looks like the living room crew is having a rough time.”
“…I’ll seriously think about that.”
I ended the call and closed the game window.
Just as I set the controller down on the coffee table, the living room finally fell silent.
Elis was still sitting right next to me.
It seemed to me that her skin looked a little more radiant than before.
She was still breathing heavily, probably from excitement, and the corners of her mouth looked like they might curl up if I wasn’t careful.
“Elis , sit in seiza.”
When I said that, Elis quickly folded her knees.
She seemed to have enough sense to know that if she messed around now, she’d get seriously scolded.
“Just because you’re not making a sound doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, you know.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Her apology was sincere. However, she didn’t seem downcast.
Even though she was being scolded, Ellis looked happy no matter how I looked at her.
Being told she was cute in front of her friends seemed to mean much more to her than being scolded by me.
“If you do that again, you’re banned from the living room.”
“I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll just watch from the kitchen!”
It didn’t seem like saying any more would do much good.
I wrapped up my lecture and leaned back against the sofa.
Today’s incident made it veeeery clear that playing call-and-response games in the living room is dangerous.
Why on earth do I have to put myself through this kind of humiliation?
At this point, I have no choice but to completely separate our spaces.
The living room is a shared space. Gaming and video calls belong in my own room.
If I don’t draw a line like that, my life will just keep getting eroded by Ellis.
“…I guess I’ll look for a part-time job.”
I made a firm resolution in my heart.
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