During Komari’s time living here… she's grown increasingly idle, increasingly capricious…
Taihei Doma put down the bowl in his hand and said slowly, “Basically, she's exactly as you see her now.”
Hearing my senior's explanation, I was utterly bewildered, my face full of question marks. Was he seriously saying this was normal behavior?
—This isn’t just laziness. This is beyond the realm of human sloth!
Hey, hey, hey! Senior! Aren’t you even a little suspicious here?!
No one gets *smaller* just because they’re lazy, right?! This defies all laws of science! It’s practically a superpower!
I raged inwardly, then turned my gaze back to the now childlike Komari Doma. She hopped off the table, pulled a hamster cloak from under the bed, and draped it over herself.
Once properly cloaked, Komari hopped back onto the table, snatched up a pair of chopsticks, and began devouring all the beef in the hot pot.
“…Uh… Senior… you've earned my respect…”
Watching Komari ravenously tear through the beef, as if it were her life's mission, I gulped and spoke hesitantly, dead fish eyes locking onto the scene.
Taihei gave me a slow nod, followed by a resigned sigh. Suddenly, his favorability score on my HUD shot up to 60.
As I watched the hot pot swiftly transform into a mere broth, my eye twitched uncontrollably.
With the feast complete, Komari grabbed a bottle of cola and chugged it noisily, her tiny frame bouncing off the table mid-swallow. She rummaged under the bed for a game console, connected it to the TV with swift precision, and booted up the system without an ounce of hesitation.
“…Senior… is this her usual behavior at home?”
Taihei said nothing, but the heavy nod he gave spoke volumes of unspoken grievances.
Feeling the essence of his plight, I offered him an understanding glance and returned the nod.
“Well, Komari, want to play together?” I said, settling cross-legged before the television.
“Huh? You, play games?”
Komari cast me a doubting look, sizing me up like I was some noob who had wandered into the wrong arena.
With his deadpan aura, he’s almost identical to Taihei, she thought. People like them don’t even seem *capable* of playing games.
“Well, how will you know unless I play, Komari?”
I pushed up my glasses with a practiced nudge. After all, I used to hold the title of Trash-Talk Champion in online ranked matches. Was there anything I couldn’t triumph over? Let alone against someone with hubris like hers!
“No way! I refuse to play with an annoying guy like you!”
Child-sized Komari pouted, speaking dismissively.
“Oh? Afraid of losing to me, are you?”
Realizing my favorability score still wasn’t high enough to earn a seat at her competitive table, I decided to deploy my secret weapon—provocation.
Komari was too proud to let insults slide. Even if she didn’t fall perfectly into my trap, there was no reason why her favorability score should decrease.
The moment her defiant expression surfaced, I knew the strategy had been a resounding success.
With a smug grin, Komari picked up a controller, browsed the game selection menu, and purposefully chose a fighting game.
“So, if you’re so eager to play, let’s go for it!” Komari threw me the second controller. “But let me be clear—if you lose, you’re banned from visiting our home!”
“Komari!” Taihei frowned as soon as she said that.
“That’s fine,” I interjected, my response sending Senior into visible shock.
“Chiyo, don’t mind Komari’s unreasonable demands…” Taihei, giving a sheepish laugh, looked between us anxiously.
“It’s alright. I don’t think I’ll lose.”
Pushing up my glasses once more, I prepared mentally for what was shaping up to be a high-stakes showdown. My calculated bait had clearly escalated this battle beyond mere playful competition.
“But if there’s going to be a bet,” I added, “then I have a condition of my own.”
“Huh? What condition?” Komari hesitated, suspicion coloring her voice.
“This weekend, you and Taihei come with me and my younger siblings to enjoy the cherry blossoms,” I said evenly. Rather than requesting something romantic, I posed a more neutral proposal.
“Eh? But weekends… are perfect for chilling at home and gaming all day!”
“What’s this? Are you giving up already?”
Taihei shot me an approving glance, clearly catching on to my plan, and his silent praise emboldened me further.
“What?! No way!” Komari jumped up in indignation, fury radiating from her small figure. “I’m going to crush you with the power of U·M·R!”
“All right, then.”
Taking the controller she had tossed to me, I swiftly familiarized myself with its layout, fingers moving like a virtuoso conducting symphonies.
When Komari witnessed my speed and dexterity, the smug look on her face vanished, replaced by an expression of utter seriousness. From this supposedly stiff nerd, she could feel the unmistakable presence of an elite gamer—a kindred spirit of the highest tier.
Dammit, I don’t want to waste my perfect Sunday on cherry blossoms! Her inner voice screamed. But, even though he’s clearly a worthy rival, he *might* not know the ins and outs of *this* particular game.
Komari’s sense of pride flared. A rival’s aura surged from her tiny body, charging the air with tension. For an instant, their gazes clashed like thunder, sparks flying in an invisible battle of wills.
Emerging behind Komari was a colossal phantom hamster, while my own shadow took the form of a reckless swordsman. Their mighty specters clashed above us, swords meeting furiously in mid-air.
Taihei froze in his tracks, staring at the inexplicable spectacle unfolding in his living room. His hands hung uselessly mid-motion, chopsticks forgotten.
What the hell is going on here? This game hasn’t even started yet, so why does it feel like an all-out war?
“Let’s duel!”
With those words, Komari started the game and entered the character selection mode on screen.
“A fighting game, huh…”
I scanned the variety of character avatars, casually choosing one.
When Komari selected a muscular man cloaked in an oversized hamster hoodie identical to the one she was wearing, I could only stare, my face twitching.
Shaking my head, I settled on a scrappy old geezer with a shady feel and locked in my choice.
In the blink of an eye, the tension surged to an unbearable high. Both of us leaned forward, silent and motionless, eyes laser-focused on the screen.
The atmosphere, charged with seriousness, had thickened to such an extent that any ordinary bystander would surely falter under its weight.
Though the stakes—an afternoon of cherry blossom viewing versus full-on banishment—seemed little more than a juvenile quarrel, neither of us was willing to back down.
—Seriously? All this for a game?
Taihei glanced at us, helplessly muttering to himself, unable to comprehend the sheer intensity that had overtaken the room.
