To tell the truth, I hadn't seen this coming. Given that Shiro-san had gone through the trouble of proposing the wager herself, I was certain she'd been playing to win. Yet, the final result was my victory.
Moreover, it wasn't as if I had won through sheer skill. In the end, Shiro-san had essentially handed the win to me. While I stood there, bewildered by her intentions, Shiro-san spoke up with a look of quiet amusement.
"That was a good match. It was a narrow margin, but the victory is yours, Kaito-san. With this, you have earned the right to make Shiro-san do one thing. Now, I wonder what sort of request you will make? I am quite looking forward to it. As for me, I'd like something lovey-dovey..."
"Wait, what!?"
Her words struck me like a bolt of lightning. I see—because I won, I now had the right to command Shiro-san to do something. To put it another way, I was the one who had to seek something from her.
Shiro-san took delight in being relied upon by me—so much so that she often requested it herself. For her, this "right" was actually a golden opportunity to have me ask something of her.
And that wasn't all. The way she had casually slipped in her preference for "something lovey-dovey" was a masterstroke. Now that I’d heard her say that, I couldn't exactly ignore her wishes and waste the right on some trivial, half-hearted command.
I see, so that was what she meant by saying "either outcome is beneficial." If Shiro-san had won, she could have pushed her own desires. But because I won, it created a situation she favored even more—one where I would be the one proactively seeking her out.
Honestly, I had to be impressed by her brilliance. It wasn't as if I was losing anything, and regarding the request itself, Shiro-san had only offered a vague suggestion. Since I was the one who got to decide the specifics of our romantic interaction, I actually had more of a chance to mentally prepare myself than if she had sprung something on me as a surprise attack.
"...But, well, I can't really think of anything right away."
A situation where I would ask Shiro-san for something out of the ordinary while still satisfying her desire for us to be lovey-dovey... Nothing came to mind immediately.
For instance, asking for a lap pillow would be a valid request. However, we were in the middle of the Founding Anniversary Festival; it wasn't exactly something we could do this very second. Well, knowing Shiro-san, she could probably make it happen instantly, but still...
I sighed. Should I go for a standard couple-like activity, or should I take advantage of the fact that she had to follow my command and try something we’d never done before? It was a difficult choice.
"Is it okay if I put this on hold for a bit?"
"Yes, I do not mind. However, if a time limit is not set, we might end up in a situation where it is never fulfilled. So, how about this? You must exercise that right in some form before this day ends."
"Understood. I can do that."
For the time being, the matter was settled. I had until the end of the day to figure it out. This gave me some breathing room to carefully consider how to exercise my right while granting Shiro-san’s wish.
As I pondered this, I noticed Shiro-san watching me with a look of pure delight.
"Shiro-san?"
"Ah, no... I see that choosing this path was indeed the correct answer. I am looking forward to the result, of course, but watching you deliberate over this and that, wondering how exactly you should be lovey-dovey with me... is, for some reason, quite pleasing."
This person really had a talent for saying such things with a straight face. She was quite a handful. At any rate, whether it was because of the shooting game or Shiro-san’s remarks, I felt my face growing hot. Fanning myself with my hand, I headed toward the exit of the tent with her at my side.
??? "Kuh, that really is some incredible growth... Not only does she get Kaito-san to initiate the flirting, but by reading his mind, she can also enjoy the process of him agonizing over how to do it. It's twice as rewarding. Furthermore, she can take note of any ideas Kaito-san eventually discards and save them to execute herself later... What a flawless plan. As expected of a God."
Serious-senpai: "...It looks like the lovey-dovey developments are imminent. I... I can't take much more of this."