Misaki visited Endou more often after that day. Time passed like this through the early days of autumn.

  "See, Kazuto? I sted 12 seconds longer against Misaki's combo this time—12 whole seconds!"

  "Just how low is your self-esteem to be proud of that...?"

  Kazuto was here again today. He wasn’t training with his club as usual because the coach had told him and the rest of the team to focus on mentally preparing for the autumn tournament, which would begin in three days. Besides, the coach didn’t want them risking injuries before the event, so it made sense for them to rest. Light physical training should be enough to maintain their fitness.

  Back to Endou—it was surprising how seriously he memorized every character’s command inputs in the game. It was genuinely difficult to remember them all, so he could only get used to them… by getting relentlessly beaten by Misaki, who was skilled at pying nearly every character avaible.

  Sure, his pride took a hit from losing to her over and over, but thanks to that, his mastery of the game was improving.

  "Well, at least Endou’s now at 10/100 of my skill level. That’s pretty impressive."

  Misaki decred with absolute confidence in her self-assessment.

  "No, he’s only at 03/100 of your level, Misaki."

  "Hey, at least I’ve improved to 40/100 of Misaki’s ability!"

  ""No, if we’re being honest, it’s like you haven’t improved at all.""

  "Ahkk!"

  Their words synchronized perfectly, delivering a critical hit straight to Endou’s morale.

  "I wasn’t trying to care, but… maybe your skills have improved a little. Just a tiny bit."

  Kazuto said it with a straight face, as if seriously considering it.

  "Yeah, you didn’t have to say it twice in such a short sentence, but thanks for the compliment!"

  Endou could only pout, feeling like he was being toyed with.

  "Alright, alright. At least our Endou is learning well. That’s good enough! Besides, you’re the only one who actually followed my insane pn of memorizing all the character moves."

  "You KNEW it was insane and still made me do it!?"

  "Well… it worked, didn’t it?"

  "You’re not even sure about this pn…"

  That day was filled with Endou’s poor attempts at retorts. But despite everything, the rexed atmosphere made it enjoyable.

  ---

  "Ugh… my eyes hurt from staring at the screen all day."

  Endou rubbed his teary eyes. He often looked at monitors while gaming or watching something, but never as much as now. And it wasn’t fun at all—his eyes had to stay focused on his character’s movements.

  *"Endure it. Overcoming this is part of the process to reach my level."*

  Meanwhile, Misaki was lounging on Endou’s bed, enjoying the softness of the expensive mattress while observing his gamepy. Since Endou was currently pying online multipyer, Misaki didn’t have to py against him and could just give instructions and advice.

  "I’m getting more and more frustrated. Should I just disqualified myself of the tournament?"

  "Hey, hey. After all the effort I’ve put into helping you, you want to quit just like that? Is this how you thank me?!"

  Misaki threw a pillow, hitting Endou squarely on the head.

  "Ow! Alright, I take it back! I won’t disqualified myself! So put down the other pillow in your hand!"

  "Your mental game is weak, Endou. Fix that. You won’t make it past the qualifiers if you’re not confident."

  A second pillow come to Endou's head, adding Misaki’s high score.

  "You’re really— Ugh, fine. I know I’ve been a bit indecisive. It’s just… I’ve been feeling kinda unmotivated."

  Endou scratched the back of his head.

  "Unmotivated?"

  Misaki frowned at that.

  In the past, Endou had entered tournaments but never made it past the qualifiers. Could it be that back then, he also cked the motivation to win? But he had seemed genuinely disappointed at the time, so why was he saying he felt unmotivated now?

  "Yeah, something like that, I guess?"

  "Don’t be vague. I’m the one confused here."

  Misaki pouted. Endou’s behavior was strange to her. The way he kept gncing at her awkwardly was unsettling.

  "Well… if only there was something that could pump me up to win the tournament. Hmm, I wonder what that could be~"

  Yeah. He was clearly hinting at something. His annoying tone and hopeful eyes said it all. But what did he want? A special handmade cake? Misaki had no idea, which only confused her further.

  What could she do to motivate him? After some thought, she still came up empty. So, she went with the option of letting him choose.

  "Ugh, fine. How about this—if you win the tournament, I’ll grant you one wish. Would that motivate y—KYAHH!?"

  "Really!?"

  Before she could even finish, Endou suddenly perked up and lunged forward, accidentally pushing Misaki back onto the bed and pinning her wrists. The position was awkward, but Endou didn’t seem to notice—his eyes were sparkling with excitement. They were way too close.

  "Y-Yeah! Anything, as long as it’s not something impossible like grabbing the moon or the sun! Now get off me, I can’t move!"

  For a moment, Endou looked confused, but then he realized Misaki was beneath him, her wrists pinned, leaving her unable to move. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before he finally snapped back to reality.

  *"O-Oh, s-sorry! I didn’t realize…"*

  Endou suddenly turned red as the situation dawned on him. It reminded him of that time when Misaki had just finished bathing, making him quickly roll off the bed to erase the embarrassing memory. But then, he immediately turned back to her with renewed energy.

  "But you’ll really grant my wish, right? That’s a promise?"

  "Hmm? Yeah, like I said. As long as it’s not impossible for me to fulfill, I’ll do it. But only if you win."

  "Don’t worry. I’ll dedicate my victory trophy to you, my princess."

  "??"

  Misaki was even more confused now. What had gotten him so motivated? Just that? Was it really that easy to fire him up?

  Under Misaki’s bewildered and doubtful gaze, Endou stood there, beaming with enthusiasm, creating an odd contrast in the warm atmosphere.

  ---

  "Take care of Misaki for me, and don’t let her stand alone ter, got it?"

  "Leave it to me! You just focus on your match."

  "Yeah, you too. Don’t get eliminated right away—try to win your tournament."

  For the first time, the two best friends seemed to get along and wished each other well, making Misaki smile as she watched.

  The day of the tournament arrived quickly. Today was the start of the gaming competition. Meanwhile, the inter-high autumn tournament had begun three days earlier, but coincidentally, today was also the day Kazuto’s team pyed. Unfortunately, Misaki couldn’t watch his match. Kazuto didn’t mind—the stadium would be too crowded and uncomfortable for her, so he told her to stay home. That’s why letting her stay with Endou was the better option. Sure, there’d be people at the gaming event, but it wouldn’t be as chaotic as the stadium, where cheers erupted constantly.

  *"Onii-chan, do your best!"*

  Misaki cheered enthusiastically.

  "Yeah, just wait for my victory."

  Kazuto smirked, patting her head.

  "And make sure this idiot doesn’t do anything stupid."

  "Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?"

  The jab was clearly aimed at Endou, who immediately took offense.

  "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he at least acts like a normal person."

  "Even you…"

  Misaki’s additional remark was enough to crush his spirit.

  The siblings ughed together at his expense.

  "I’ll head out first. The others are probably waiting at school."

  Checking his phone, Kazuto grabbed his gear and left.

  "Be careful, Onii-chan."

  "Yeah. You two, don’t be te at home."

  With those parting words, the front door opened and closed, leaving just the two of them in the living room.

  "Guess it’s time for us to go too?"

  Misaki spoke up.

  "Yeah, let’s head out."

  "Natsu, take care of the house. If a thief shows up, call the police."

  "Nyaa…"

  As if that would happen was said from it face. Natsu zily stretched on the sofa, seemingly dismissing the idea.

  With that, they also left the house, locked the door, and headed for the train station. Strangely, Endou didn’t ask Raphael to drive them, saying he just wanted to go with her alone. Why make things harder for himself? Misaki wondered silently.

  "It’s still afternoon, but it’s already cold."

  "That’s why I told you to wear gloves, Endou. Now look at you."

  The autumn chill was setting in, and people were bundling up in thick clothing to stay warm. Misaki and Endou were no different, both wearing heavy jackets. The only problem? Endou had ignored the gloves, leaving his fingers freezing after just 15 minutes outside.

  "I hate the cold."

  Endou grumbled as they reached the station.

  "And this is just autumn."

  Misaki shot back.

  "Just thinking about winter this year makes me shiver."

  His hands trembled at the mere thought. But there would be fun moments then too.

  "Yeah, I’d probably catch a cold if I stayed outside too long."

  Casually, Misaki took Endou’s hands in hers and blew warm air onto them.

  "T-Thanks. That feels nice."

  Flustered, Endou turned his face away. Misaki’s natural gesture sent his heart racing, though she remained oblivious to his inner turmoil.

  "Really? Then let’s keep doing this."

  Happy to help, Misaki smiled warmly.

  "Oh god, I could die today with no regrets…"

  That smile alone was enough to make Endou feel like the angel of death was coming for him.

  "Hmm? Endou, are you okay? Oii~ ooii~"

  He stood frozen like that until the train arrived.

  ---