Kouhei felt like he finally understood her. That feeling of wanting more than just to exist. It was sothing he knew all too well. He'd once felt like he didn't exist either. After his parents died, it was as if he had disappeared along with them.
Their marriage had been sothing their families never wanted. So, when his parents passed, the sa people who should have mourned them instead mocked their deaths. They stood there, saying his parents deserved it. He rembered hearing everything—every cruel word—but no one even looked his way.
They called him an unwanted child. Said nobody wanted him. He rembered being terrified, wondering who—if anyone—would take him in.
Thankfully, soone did. His aunt. She stood up when no one else would and adopted him. She was only 22 at the ti, just ten years older than him. Without her, he might not be standing here today. She was the only one who acknowledged him back then.
So yeah, he understood what Saonji was feeling. That need to be seen.
"Alright, Saonji-san," Kouhei said, his voice firm but soft. "If you really want to know who I am... I'll show you."
***
The room was filled with the rhythmic sounds of button clicks and the electronic hum of video ga music. Kouhei and Saonji sat close together on the floor, their backs against the couch, controllers in hand. The blue glow of the TV screen flickered across their faces as they played, imrsed in the ga. Saonji, though new to this, was putting in real effort, her eyes narrowing with focus as she struggled to figure things out.
"How do I throw the explosives?" she asked, her fingers hesitating over the buttons.
"Here, press this," Kouhei replied, leaning in slightly to show her, his finger hovering over her controller.
"Oh, thanks," she muttered, quickly returning to the ga.
Surprisingly, she was taking the ga seriously. It was like she really wanted to connect with him, understand him, even through sothing as simple as a ga.
I never thought she'd do sothing like this, Kouhei thought to himself, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Still can't believe she's actually here with , playing video gas. Feels like a dream.
It didn't take long before Saonji started to pick up on things.
"You're surprisingly good at this, Saonji-san," Kouhei said, a bit impressed.
"Is that so? I've never really played anything like this before," she replied.
Saonji, in her life, had never touched a video ga. But this... this wasn't bad, she thought. In fact, it was kind of fun. She realized she had probably missed out on things like this for years. Then again, when she was younger, stuff like this didn't even exist.
After they finished the ga, they switched to watching ani.
"So, what's your preferred genre, Saonji-san?" Kouhei asked.
"I don't know. I've never watched anything like this before."
"Uh… okay. Well, I guess we'll go with so action for now. Or maybe romance? Is that more your thing?"
Kouhei sifted through so DVDs, picking out a couple to start with. He loaded the first one into the player. It was a post-apocalyptic series where robots and humans were locked in a brutal fight for control of the world. The series was pretty intense and grueso. After that, they moved on to a rom-com about a girl trying to get a clueless guy to notice her feelings.
Throughout all of it, Saonji didn't show much of a reaction. She just stared at the screen, as if watching was sothing she was supposed to do, not because she was genuinely enjoying it.
Well, introducing her to otaku culture might've been a bit too much, Kouhei thought, sneaking glances at her. I an, she's the most popular girl in school, practically untouchable. It's obvious she wouldn't be interested in this kind of stuff.
As his thoughts wandered, the episodes ended.
"What are we going to watch next?" Saonji asked, her voice calm but inquisitive.
"Huh? You still want to watch more?"
"These foreign concepts are intriguing to ," she said. "And besides, I want to learn more about what you like. I want to watch whatever it is you enjoy the most."
Kouhei seed genuinely shock. He never thought she would actually enjoy it.
With that, Kouhei and Saonji ended up watching more series.
***
It was already deep into the night, so late that there was no way Saonji would be able to make it ho.
"Uh, do you have soone to pick you up, Saonji-san?" Kouhei asked, glancing at her while she was still fixated on the ani playing on the screen.
Kouhei had even gone ahead and ordered a pizza, along with a large bottle of soda for them to enjoy while they watched. He'd also prepared so food, though it was just convenience store stuff he threw together quickly.
"I don't," she replied flatly, still focused on the TV.
"R-Really?" Kouhei stamred. It was way too late for her to be out this late with no way ho. The trains had already stopped running hours ago, and walking ho at this hour was definitely not safe. "H-How are you supposed to get ho, then?"
"I'm not going ho," Saonji said, her voice as calm as ever. "I'm staying here."
"W-What?" Kouhei nearly choked on his words. Did she just say she was going to stay here? As in, she would spend the night? Here?! "B-But that's dangerous, Saonji-san! I an, even though I might not look like it... I'm still a man, you know? W-What if I do sothing to you?"
Saonji finally tore her gaze away from the TV, locking her eyes with his. "Do sothing to ... like what, exactly?" she asked.
Kouhei gulped hard.
"I'm not going to resist if you do sothing to , Okumura Kouhei," she said. "In fact, I'd rather you did. I want children. I don't want my race to die with . I need it to survive. And for that, I need your help."
Kouhei could hardly believe what he was hearing. She wasn't beating around the bush at all. She wanted him to... what? Sleep with her? The sheer gravity of the situation hit him like a freight train. This wasn't just risky—it was practically insane.
Before he could even process it, Saonji leaned in closer, her face now re inches from his. Instinctively, Kouhei leaned back, trying to maintain so distance, but there was nowhere left to go.
"Don't move, Okumura Kouhei," she said. "I want you to understand just how serious I am."
With that, she leaned in further, her lips pressing against his in a firm, deliberate kiss.
It was the third ti they had kissed today.
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