HER GAMER'S GUIDE. karma akabane

→CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

"You were amazing during your archery game!" Nagisa complimented. The two were assigned to put the chairs back inside the storage closet located inside the gym. The others were right outside doing their own tasks cleaning up after everything.

"Thank you, but I'm pretty sure you guys were the main event. You did great, too." Riku complimented him right back and with a slight blush of embarrassment on his cheeks, Nagisa accepted it as they both exited the storage space after they finished.

"I see you guys are already done." The man of the hour greeted the duo by the door with a bright chivalrous smile. Isogai. 

Riku's eyes went over Isogai's shoulders and saw the rest of her classmates talking and laughing, all with big smiles that were practically glued to their faces as they recalled the whole day.

Nagisa smiled at his male class representative while Riku merely looked back at Isogai with a blank expression. She and Nagisa exited the gym as Isogai closed it while everyone waited.  

"Hey, look at that."

Riku only pulled out her switch, immediately opening up a game as she completely disregarded the world around her. Her bright gem eyes concentrate on the screen and her avatar that she is customizing at the moment.

"It's Asano-kun."

Riku didn't bother to follow the rest of her class as she merely bent her body down in a squat, balancing her switch on the pad of her knees as she quickly reached for the lollipop she saved in her pocket, unwrapping it, and then popping it into her mouth where the sweet taste of strawberry greeted her mouth.

"Oi Asano!" Maehara called. The said boy turned around and found the End Class. Well, almost all of the End Class, the young strawberry blonde noted to himself when his eyes found Riku's crouching figure back at the gym's entrance. Her whole attention was on the game, and no doubt she wasn't listening to what was happening now.

Asano willed his eyes away before looking back at the people who somehow managed to have the odds ever in their favor against his class not only once, but twice.

"You better keep your word and not tell anyone about it." Maehara had a frown on his face. His anger was well-justified as Asano did threaten to kick his best friend out of school. 

Steeling his nerves, Asano replied. "I don't lie and I don't use cheap tricks as you guys do." His eyes narrowed, forming into an icy glare that could not even rival that of Riku's, but was a close second. 

"But this will never happen again."

"I'll destroy you all." And with that, Asano turned around and walked away. Feeling a little content that, at least, he was able to get the last word.

As Class E snickered behind the chairman's son's back, the young Asano cannot help but look back at the young female who was still, unsurprisingly, engrossed with her gadget, a lollipop stick stuck out between her lips. 

Asano then thought back to how his meeting went with his monster of a father and demon of an educator not even an hour before. Clenching his fists, Asano gritted his teeth as the same haunting feeling crawled its way up his throat, suffocating him with a fear to lose for the third time in a row.

Asano Gakushu has long acknowledged the fact that Akiyama Riku can very well take his place at the top in a snap of a finger. And he knew and believed in his capabilities that he can, right away, take it back.