“I won?” The game me and Miyuki decided to play was a racing game. None of us had a lot of experience with racing games, so we decided it was a nice, neutral ground for our bet. It was a fairly simple game, so it was really easy to pick up. All we could do was accelerate, brake and turn, so there wasn’t a lot we could screw up. We clearly weren’t used to playing on a steering wheel, so we crashed the first few turns, but that was nothing. We turned it around, and at the end of the third lap, we finished first and second place.

“No way! I swear I was ahead on my side!” Miyuki was looking back and forth between both our screens.

“You can just look at the finish times.” Even I was a little unsure of who had actually won, but the numbers don’t really lie.

“That was so close! I can’t believe it. Well, congratulations, Iroha. You won.” Miyuki sat sideways as she turned towards me.

I actually won, huh? I can’t believe it! Our bet was that she would do anything I asked. I won a crazy bet like that!? Oh no… I’m getting excited already… Is she really willing to do anything? “T- t- then… Do I win the bet?”

“Of course not, Iroha. This is only the first game, d- did you think it was already over?” Miyuki got up with her arms crossed and a troubled expression. Is she trying to change the rules of the bet? We didn’t go into too much detail, but I thought it was just one game.

“Was that the rule? Are you trying to change the rules?” It did feel too good to be true. Whatever I want just for winning a single game… It’s too much. Though she would probably have made me cosplay if I had lost, so it would be fair. We’re both putting our lives on the line here.

“Uhmm… No… Of course I’m not changing anything. What kind of idea is that, Iroha?” Miyuki’s face gave it all away, she looked like a child who got caught by their parents doing something they shouldn’t. “We’re not just gonna play one game, right? Making a bet for every single game would be too much, and making a bet just for the first one would make the others boring, right? The only thing to do is place a bet on our overall score at the end. Don’t you think?”

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re doing, and it’s alright. “Okay.” If I try to press you, you might call the whole thing off, and this opportunity is too big to pass up. All I have to do is win. That’s fine, I’ll do it!

“I always knew you were a smart girl! Alright then, next game!” Miyuki energetically got away from the racing game, and I followed after her.

For the next couple hours, we went all over the arcade, hoping from game to game to see who would come out victorious at the end. We played everything we wanted to play, and more than just video games. The last round was air hockey, and that ended up tiring us out, so we got away from the games to grab a can of soda from a vending machine. So refreshing… I really needed something cool after sweating so much.

“Whew… That tired me out.” Miyuki drank her can of soda while we leaned against a wall.

“We got really into it, didn’t we?” I agreed with Miyuki, and my mouth curled into a wry smile.

“Yeah, and I’m not sure I wanna keep going. Should we just call it here? I think we’ve played enough for one day, and there’s nothing else that really catches my eye.”

“We can stop. That’s fine by me.”

“That was a lot of fun!” Miyuki stretched her arms with a smile on her face. “What was the final score anyway? Sixteen to fifteen, my win?”

“It was a tie! Sixteen to sixteen! Don’t try to cheat!”

“Oh, you noticed?” Miyuki looked at me with a grin on her face.

Now, you might think I’m disappointed it ended up in a tie, since that means I just lost my wonderful opportunity to get Miyuki to do whatever I want, but that’s wrong. I may have won the first round, but there was a long time where I was the one playing catch up, and the mental pressure really wore me down. I don’t want to imagine what Miyuki might make me wear if we were to play another round, so at this point, I’m just glad it’s over!

“So? What are we gonna do about the bet?” Miyuki tossed both of our empty cans into the garbage. “It wouldn’t feel good to just forget about it after everything we’ve been through.”

“Well… I see what you mean… What are you thinking?”

“Hmm… Can you look at me, Iroha?” I had no idea what Miyuki was thinking, so I just did what she asked.

*Snap!* In a split second, there’s a tingling of the top of my head, and I hear the sound of a picture being taken.

“Wha-?” Before I even had time to react, Miyuki put some rabbit ears on top of my head and took a picture of me with her phone.

“Ohh… This came out great! You look adorable, Iroha!” I couldn’t tell from her voice whether she actually liked the photo or if she was just having fun teasing me.

“Miyuki! Delete that!” That’s so embarrassing! She showed me the photo for a moment, and I tried to grab her phone, but she dodged my hand. Should I use Agility Burst? I have to delete that image!

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Calm down, calm down. This is part of the bet, so you have no right to complain. It ended in a draw, so this is just the minor prize.” Miyuki used her free hand to keep me at a distance.

“You’re making things up!” I gave up on taking her phone but continued to glare at her. I can’t believe she took such an embarrassing photo of me. My face looks so goofy, and seeing those rabbit ears on my head makes me cringe so much! “I never agreed to this. What’s my minor prize? Do I not get one?”

“You probably should. I didn’t really think about that. Let’s see, your part of the bet went from cosplaying and letting me take pictures into a single picture with a pair of adorable rabbit ears, so how would my part change?” Miyuki stated to think while looking at me.

“I don’t know, but if it’s not good enough, I want you to delete that picture!”

“I said I’d do any one thing if you won. What’s the minor prize for that? How about I answer any one question you ask? Does that sound fair?” Miyuki put her phone in her bag like it wasn’t going to be needed anymore. “Is there something you want to ask of me?”

“Hmmm… Fine, I agree…” I’m not really sure what I want to ask, though… “D- do you like me?” Was that too blunt? I mean, I really want to know what’s her obsession with taking photos of me and trying to dress me in all kinds of different things. Is she in love with me? There’s no way that could possibly be the case, but even I’m not sure at this point anymore. She’s way above my level, but if this is her way of giving a sign that I’m just too dense to pick up, then I really need to ask!

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here having fun with you if I didn’t like you.” Ahh… Miyuki’s beautiful smile is blowing all my weird thoughts away. I made a mistake. She likes me as a friend. My question wasn’t clear enough, so she didn’t even hesitate… I think I could still clear up the misunderstanding, but that would be too embarrassing. I’m also happy she said she likes me, even if it’s just as friends, so I’ll take that for now.

It was getting late, so we started getting ready to leave. A lot of crazy things happened, but that was a lot of fun. Miyuki really is perfect, I just can’t get enough of her. We passed by some claw machines on the way out. I think I saw Miyuki looking at them earlier, did she see something she liked? I bet she would be really happy if I gave it to her as a gift. We’re just friends, so wouldn’t giving her a gift like this be a little weird? Hmm… I think it could work. But claw machines are a bit of a scam, aren’t they? I’ve heard there are some techniques, but since I’m completely experienced, I’d just be gambling my money away. Yeah… No, I’m not falling for that. I’d rather just buy her a gift later, it’s much smarter thing to do.

We left the arcade and went home. It was a very fun afternoon, and now I’m sad that it’s over. I wanted more. I feel like there were so many big opportunities today that just didn’t lead into anything.

After resting for a few days, it was time to put an end to my break, and I returned to the House of Imaginary Boundaries in order to continue my training. I went straight into the dorm as usual, where I met up with Katja, who then took me straight into the main building, where there was a small dojo inside. I didn’t know this place had a dojo, the only time I’ve come to this building is when I went to Shinji’s office with the others. I see I still have a lot to learn about this place.

“How’s your body feeling, Iroha? Did you rest properly?” The two of us passed through the changing room before entering the dojo. I’ve never been in a place like this before, so I was looking around like a child while Katja walked ahead of me to the center of the room.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m alright now. I think I’m as good as new.” This place is full of mysteries. I wasn’t expecting there would be a dojo in here. The wood on this floor feels amazing to the touch, I think it’s very high quality. I’m the farthest thing from an expert, but I like it, probably because I’m so excited. It’s finally time to get some cool sword skills! I’ve been waiting for this!

“We didn’t hear much from you these past couple days, we were about to go check up on you.” I’m not very talkative, whether it be in real life or through messages, so we didn’t exchange much more than a few words over the phone in the last few days.

“Really?” I was a little happy to know they remembered me while I was away. “I was just doing as instructed. You told me to rest, so I just stayed home. I still went to school, but other than that, I didn’t leave much.” Though that is just how I normally live my life. I spent all that time at home watching anime and playing games, so maybe you can’t even call that resting.

“Rest is very important, so I’m glad you’re feeling better now.” I was really happy to see that I wasn’t wrong and that Katja really warmed up to me, even if just a little. She’s not ignoring me anymore, and she’s smiling a lot more often. It really warms my heart.

“Ahahaha, I’m also glad.” My legs were really sore the day after I fainted. “But enough about me, let’s get started with the training.”

“You’re certainly excited. Are you really not lazy anymore?” Katja teased me before heading towards a tiny storage room.

“Lazy? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m still the same me.” It’s all a matter of motivation. Swords are fun, running not so much.

“Here you go.” Katja came back with a sword in her hand, which she promptly handed over to me.

Whoa… I received the sword and had to do a double take. This is a katana, right? It has a sheath and everything. Is this a real sword? I took a little peek inside, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was made out of actual metal. It’s real! This is incredible! It’s heavier than I expected, but lighter than it looks. It’s confusing, but it feels like the perfect weight. Even just holding it is very comfortable.

Wait… It just dawned on me… Did she just hand me a real weapon? Just like that? What are you thinking, Katja? I don’t know what I’m doing! What if I hurt myself or you? “I- is it alright to give me a real sword?” Did you actually think this through?

“It should be fine. I’m gonna be here watching, so you don’t have anything to worry about.” Katja shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s important for you to get used to the weight of a real sword, so the sooner you start, the better.”

It makes sense… I can imagine that if I learned with a practice sword, then the transition into a real one would be hard.

“From now on, you can think of that sword as yours. You saw where it was, so you can come and pick it up whenever you want. Just make sure you put it back before you leave the premise. Can’t have you walking with a sword in the middle of the city.” Right, I remember her telling me that one of the problems with fighting monsters with guns is that they draw too much attention. I bet that’s the same reason why Katja uses that weird retractable sword of hers. She said it like it was obvious, but it’s not always clear how their commitment to be discreet affects their decisions.

“I understand, but is it alright to just give it to me?” This is a real katana, and it definitely doesn’t look cheap. Even after all her explanations, I think it’s too early. Why am I complaining? I get to have a cool katana for myself? That’s great, isn’t it?

“It’s alright. It wasn’t going to get any use regardless. It might as well be yours.” Katja looked at me with an encouraging look. If you say so, I guess I’ll take it. I’m not gonna say no to a sword. Hope you don’t regret it.

“So, what do we do now?”

“We’re gonna start by having you do some swings. I’ll show you how it’s done, and then you’ll try it yourself.” Katja extended her sword and held it with both hands in front of her. “You’re gonna start by firmly gripping it with both hands, and then you’re gonna raise the sword over your head.” Katja moved as she explained. “Pay attention to how I position my legs, and then you’re gonna swing down.” Katja’s motions cut through the air with an audible slash.

Wow… That was impressive! She looked really cool. I would applaud if my hands weren’t full.

“Now it’s your turn. Just follow my instructions.” Katja came over to me and guided me the whole way through. She adjusted the position of my arms, legs, and waist until she was finally satisfied. She made it look so easy, but this is really precise. “Okay, now swing!”

That was… Wow… That was incredible. I didn’t put that much strength into it, but it felt really powerful, so powerful, in fact, that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop the sword before it hit the floor. That was not particularly good, according to Kajta, but she didn’t scold me too much.

For the next hour, we repeated this exercise. while also trying some other swings. After doing this so much, my arms are starting to beg for mercy, and the worst part is that I don’t think I’m going to faint just because my arms are tired, which just means that I’m not going to get anything in return out of the fact that I’m going to be too tired to play when I get home.

“I think this is good enough for today.” Katja tapped my shoulder, telling me to stop. “You still have a long way to go, but you did well to keep up.”

“Thank you.” Being praised by Katja is definitely nice! I’ve just started, but I wish I could have impressed her a little more. She’s seriously cute when something manages to get past her cool attitude and catch her by surprise. I think I’ve only seen it twice, but I want more!

I put the sword back into its sheath, and at the same time, Katja approached me with a confident look. “This is enough training for the day, but if you’re feeling up for it, how about we wrap things up with a sparring match?”