A few days had passed since the exam results were released.
"Come to think of it, I did promise to make it up to you soon..."
It was a day off. I struck up a conversation with Hinako, who had dropped by my room.
"Is there anything specific you’d like me to do for you?"
"Hmm..."
Hinako let out a contemplative hum.
"...Itsuki, what did you and Tennoji-san do that day?"
"We went to a game center, went bowling, and then went to karaoke. That was about it."
As I explained, Hinako’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.
"It sounds like you had... quite a lot of fun."
"Well, I mean... it would be a lie to say it wasn't fun."
I had a feeling her mood was heading south, so I wanted to break it to her gently. At the same time, lying and saying it hadn't been fun felt like I'd be doing Tennoji-san a disservice.
Predictably, Hinako puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
"I’m... going too."
"Huh?"
"I want to do... all of that too!"
And so, it wasn't long before I found myself at a game center with Hinako.
We weren't alone, of course. Watching from a short distance away, Ms. Shizune and the Konohana family guards were keeping a close eye on us.
Unfortunately, Hinako wasn't granted nearly as much freedom as Tennoji-san. Then again, considering the personalities of Tennoji-san and her parents, I suspected her family was the exception to the rule.
"Alright, should we start with that racing game?"
"Mm."
I sat down in the driver's seat next to Hinako.
Today, Hinako was in a disguise similar to the one Tennoji-san had used. This allowed her to act as her true self rather than being in "Young Lady" mode. Dressed in plain clothes with a hat pulled low over her eyes, she could probably fool even her classmates from the Academy as long as they didn't get too close.
"Itsuki... what rank did Tennoji-san get in this game?"
"She was dead last by a mile."
I remembered how Tennoji-san had scolded the machine for a breach of etiquette when a banana was thrown in her path.
"Then I... will aim for a rank higher than that."
Hinako was burning with a strange sense of competitiveness.
Puzzled, I fed a hundred-yen coin into the machine and started the game.
The result was exactly what I expected.
"Last place, huh?"
"Muu..."
Having landed in the exact same rank as Tennoji-san, Hinako puckered her lips.
"...One more time."
I did as I was told, inserted another coin, and the game began again.
However—
"Muuuuu..."
Hinako was in last place once more.
We tried again and again after that, but for someone like Hinako who never touched video games, it seemed the barrier to entry was quite high. She just couldn't get the hang of it.
"W-Why don't we try a different game?"
"...Mm."
Before I knew it, we had spent over an hour on nothing but the racing game.
Next, we tried Taiko Master.
Hinako wasn't particularly good at this either, and she hit a "Game Over" screen almost immediately.
"If it were a real taiko drum... I would be much better at it."
Tennoji-san had said the exact same thing...
I started to wonder if Japanese drumming was a mandatory subject for the young ladies at Kikou Academy.
"Uh, I played that game over there with Tennoji-san too."
I pointed toward the air hockey table.
Hinako squinted at the white puck from a distance and tilted her head.
"Is that... a coaster from Seil?"
She had mistaken it for a high-end designer coaster.
We had a few of those in the manor's kitchen, which was likely why she made the association.
"This is hockey. You play by hitting that back and forth at each other."
After a quick explanation of the rules, we started to play.
"Yes!"
"Muu..."
We played several rounds, and so far, I was on a winning streak.
However, Hinako's movements, which had been fumbling and awkward at first, gradually became more refined.
"...I think I've mostly figured it out."
The moment she whispered that, Hinako’s movements suddenly became sharp and agile.
She made a motion as if to strike the puck—but it was a feint. She caught me completely off guard and slammed the puck into my goal.
"Wait, what?!"
"My... win. Hehe."
Hinako wore a look of pure triumph.
I’d never seen someone pull off a feint in air hockey before...
When I thought about it calmly, Hinako’s physical education grades were excellent. As one would expect from someone rumored to be the perfect student, Hinako excelled in both academics and sports. Her athletic reflexes were top-tier.
"Itsuki... do you see?"
Hinako suddenly leaned in close to me.
"I’m... more amazing... than Tennoji-san."
After making that proud declaration, she let her head drop onto my chest.
A moment later, I heard the sound of rhythmic, peaceful breathing coming from her small lips.
"...She's asleep."
"She was unusually focused for a Young Lady, so she must be exhausted."
Ms. Shizune, who had approached us without me noticing, spoke as she looked down at Hinako leaning against me.
"Let us save karaoke and bowling for another day. I trust that is acceptable to you, Itsuki-san?"
"Ah, yes. That's fine with me."
I carefully shifted Hinako onto my back. Her face wore a look of deep satisfaction as she smiled in her sleep.
As I thought, people of the upper class must be so far removed from this kind of casual relaxation. I figured I might invite her out again sometime when the mood struck.
(Come to think of it... I wonder how Narika is doing.)
I thought of Narika, another Young Lady, though one who was reasonably well-versed in the commoner lifestyle.
I wondered if she was managing to find enough ways to decompress. Lost in thought, I carried Hinako out of the game center on my back.