The Flying Board after-party was in full swing. It felt more like a neighborhood festival or a casual banquet than a formal ceremony—relaxed, unpretentious, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Yellow Pipe’s live cooking show was a massive hit, drawing a constant crowd. Since we were the winners, plenty of people stopped to chat with us, keeping the conversation flowing.
Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the race, winners and losers alike. The atmosphere remained incredibly friendly, perhaps because Flying Board relied so heavily on luck; when you lost, it was easy to shrug it off as just a bad break.
I was having a great time, but eventually, I started to feel full. I retreated toward the edge of the venue for a breather. Being out in the sticks meant that even a short walk from the center of the party brought a sudden, peaceful quiet.
"Taking a break, Kaito-san?"
"Hmm? Oh, you too, Aoi-chan? Where’s Hina-chan?"
"She's still over there eating. I’m already stuffed..."
Aoi-chan stepped closer, drink in hand. When I asked about Hina’s whereabouts, she offered a wry smile and pointed back toward the crowd.
I looked over to see Hina devouring her food with visible delight. She gave us a little wave when she saw us looking.
"She sure seems to be enjoying herself. I’ve wondered for a while now, but does she always eat that much?"
"She definitely eats way more than I do. Usually, that much food would go straight to someone's waistline, but maybe it's because she's always on the move... or maybe the calories are all going to her chest. Either way, it doesn't seem to affect her figure at all."
"Ahaha, I see."
Ah, the perks of being young and having a high metabolism. I remembered eating like that back when I was her age. Though, in this world, where people like Alice had stomachs like literal black holes, my baseline for "eating a lot" was getting a bit skewed.
Aoi leaned against the fence beside me, a soft smile on her face.
"Today turned out perfectly, didn't it?"
"It really was fun. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when Hina first brought it up..."
"I know what you mean. Honestly, I kept wondering if there was something more worthwhile we could be doing."
If Hina hadn’t been so pushy, we likely would have skipped such a minor event. If we had, we would have missed the thrill of the race, the pride of victory, and that chance encounter with Shigenobu-san. I really owed her one.
"...That reminds me of our conversation from earlier. We were talking about high school, right?"
"Eh? Oh, the part about you being the school idol?"
"Hina was exaggerating. Honestly, I'm more curious about you, Kaito-san. Given how popular you are in this world... well, I want to know what your love life was like back in Japan."
"Ugh... honestly, I spent almost all my time sleeping. I didn't have a single moment that felt like a proper 'youthful' experience."
That was the plain, unvarnished truth. I’d been such a background character that I probably hadn't even spoken to half my classmates. My grades were okay—mostly thanks to last-minute cramming—my athleticism was mediocre, and my looks and height were so average I was basically invisible. I doubted most of my old classmates even remembered my name.
"Why were you so tired all the time?"
"I was obsessed with an MMO. My sleep schedule was basically inverted."
"...Now that I think about it, you were always online whenever I logged in."
"Yeah, if I was home, I was in the game. Looking back, I think I was just looking for a way to escape reality, and I dove in headfirst."
There were plenty of reasons. It was a subscription-based game with no microtransactions, so it was a cheap way to pass the time—only about two thousand yen a month for unlimited play. Plus, games back then rewarded raw time investment above all else. But in the end, it was just a way to stop thinking about the fact that my parents were dead.
"On the flip side, you weren't online nearly as much, Aoi-chan. Was that because of your family?"
"Yes. I had so many lessons and social obligations that I barely had any time to myself... But for me, the game was an escape, too."
"I see..."
"It was."
The weight behind her words suggested complicated circumstances. It didn't feel like a subject I should pry into, so I let it drop. A brief silence settled between us before Aoi spoke again, her smile a bit strained.
"...Would you mind if I vented for a bit?"
"Not at all. I'm all ears."
"Thank you... The truth is, I've hated my family home for as long as I can remember."
With a distant, nostalgic look in her eyes, Aoi began to speak in a quiet voice. She told me about the reason she had sought out that MMO in the first place—the reason we had eventually met.