Chapter 99: The Wrap-Up Party
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 99: The Wrap-Up Party
Friday, July 21, 2017.
The first semester of our second year was over, and summer vacation had finally begun.
We gathered on the school grounds early in the morning to listen to the principal's speech, then returned to our classroom where our homeroom teacher, Matsuda, handed out our report cards before dismissing us.
It was a truly simple procedure.
After the closing ceremony, the girls all left first, saying they were going to buy swimsuits together, so for the first time, it was just the guys.
"Ugh! Goodbye to this damn school for a while!"
Satoru stretched as he said this just outside the school gate. Sakamoto, standing next to him, shrugged his shoulders in relief and chimed in.
"I'm planning to binge all the games I bought during the semester but never got to play."
"Oh, you have a Switch, right? Let's play Ma○io, Ma○io."
"That doesn't sound bad."
They’d apparently known each other since middle school and seemed to hang out at each other's houses often.
As the only one who had met them in high school, I was feeling a bit like an outsider, unable to join the conversation. Sakamoto must have noticed, because he spoke to me first.
"Come to think of it, I've never seen you talk about games, Kim-kun. Do you not like them?"
I shook my head.
"Unfortunately, I don't have a console at home, so I just go to the arcade sometimes."
As a former Korean, how could I possibly dislike games?
I had considered saving up my allowance to buy one, but I was worried it would break the daily routine of home, school, and the gym that I’d established during the semester, so I had to give up the idea with a heavy heart.
"Then why don't you come over to my place? We live in the same neighborhood anyway."
"Huh?"
Sakamoto's unexpected offer left me momentarily stunned.
It made sense, I suppose. I had never imagined I would be invited to the home of the story's protagonist.
Beside me, Satoru's voice piped up excitedly.
"That's a great idea! Why don't we have a wrap-up party to bond a bit before our trip to the beach!"
I asked again, just to be sure.
"Are you really okay with me coming?"
Sakamoto flashed a bright, toothy grin and gave me a thumbs-up.
"Of course! We're friends now, right?"
To be honest, I was a little touched.
*
And just like that, our impromptu end-of-semester wrap-up party was decided in a flash.
Of course, it was a very wholesome affair, not the kind of university end-of-term party where you grill meat and drink until someone passes out.
On the way, we stopped by a supermarket and bought a ton of snacks like chips and dried squid, along with juice and other drinks, before heading to Sakamoto's place.
"Oh. Nice place."
About a ten-minute walk from my house in the residential area was a massive intersection with a high-rise apartment building.
That was where Sakamoto lived.
We passed through the automatic front door, which opened with a key card, and got on the elevator. Sakamoto pressed the button for the 13th floor.
Whoosh!
The elevator ascended quickly and silently.
Ding!
When the doors slid open, Sakamoto tapped the same card he’d used at the entrance on the digital lock of the door immediately to our right.
"Alright, come on in."
Sakamoto said, holding the door wide open for us.
"Pardon the intrusion!"
I followed Satoru inside, who walked in as if it were his own home.
'Whoa.'
Stepping through the entryway, my first impression was 'high.'
Unlike a typical apartment, this place had a split-level layout, which made the ceiling incredibly high.
Changing a lightbulb here must be a real pain, I thought as I took off my shoes and stepped inside.
"Here, here, make yourselves comfortable."
Sakamoto ushered us toward the living room.
The first floor, which seemed to be about 1,400 square feet, had an island kitchen and a large living room. Honestly, I had only ever seen luxury apartments like this in movies or dramas.
Compared to Rika's house, which had an overtly "rich family" vibe, or Karen's, which was intimidatingly huge, this place felt expensive in a different way.
It seemed most of the students at Ichijo Academy were wealthy.
If it weren't for the full scholarship program, I probably would have struggled with tuition just like the class president.
I looked around as I sat on the sofa. Sakamoto headed to the kitchen with the drinks we’d bought, saying he would get us something to drink.
In the meantime, Satoru turned on the large wall-mounted TV, grabbed the Switch controllers, and held one out to me.
"You know how to use this, right?"
"Who do you take me for?"
I might not have a Switch now, but that wasn't the case before I was transmigrated.
As I said that and wrapped the controller's strap around my wrist, Satoru chuckled and did the same.
"Hey, you're not starting without me, are you?"
Sakamoto, carrying a tray of glasses filled with juice, hurried over when he saw us.
"Of course not. We wouldn't start without the host, would we?"
Satoru said, holding out another controller. Sakamoto took it and grinned.
"You know, with this many people, we could play that game for the first time in a while."
"That game?"
I tilted my head at his cryptic remark. Sakamoto nodded and opened a drawer beneath the TV.
"It's no fun alone, and it feels a little empty with just two people."
With that, Sakamoto triumphantly held up a game case for all to see. It was Ma○io Party.
"This is what we're playing today!"
*
There's a common perception that Nintendo makes a lot of great party games.
And it's true.
They're fun to play alone, even more fun with two people, and with three or more, they're absolutely insane.
You could almost say the fun increases exponentially with the number of players.
Anyway, we started with Ma○io Party, moved on to Ma○io Kart, and eventually ended up playing Smash Bros.
"Aaaargh! I lost again!"
"Heh, you're still no match for me, Satoru."
It was my first time playing games with Sakamoto, but one thing was certain: the guy was a veteran player.
He was so skilled at all sorts of games and had such a competitive streak that you could call him a Korean born in Japan.
There was a time when I was that into gaming, but that was long ago.
Before I was transmigrated, my long years in grad school got in the way, and after, I gave it up for working out. It felt like I’d lost all my old skills.
"The Vice President would give you a run for your money."
At my words, Sakamoto tilted his head and asked, "The Vice President? She likes games?"
I nodded.
"She probably plays for five or six hours almost every day. She's not picky about genres, either. She plays so much that her cousin, who lives with her, scolds her for it."
"Ah, I can relate to that. My sister gives me this really angry look and stands behind me with her arms crossed whenever I play for too long."
Hearing this, Satoru tilted his head.
"Speaking of which, where is your sister?"
"Oh, Yuika will be home a little late. She has her violin lesson today."
"Is that so?"
Satoru glanced toward the front door, then suddenly pressed the home button on his controller.
"Hey! What are you doing, man! You're just quitting because you're about to lose!"
"Just be quiet for a second."
Satoru said as he suddenly pulled something out of his bag.
It was an action game with a female character's chest prominently featured on the cover.
"That's—!"
Sakamoto seemed to recognize it.
"My whole family uses the console at my place, so I feel awkward playing it. Let's play it here for a bit."
Sakamoto gulped.
"Well, Yuika doesn't really play games, but..."
No matter how you sliced it, he was still seventeen, in the prime of his youth.
It was obvious he'd be interested in lewd stuff.
I, of course, was mature enough not to react to that level of exposure, but for these guys, it was a different story.
"...Yoo-Sung? What are you doing over there?"
"Gotta change the cartridge."
I said, holding out my hand. Satoru, looking moved, handed me the game case.
"You dog. You're a man, after all."
Even though it was obvious the game would be partially censored, falling for it anyway is just part of being a guy.
Click!
As I inserted the cartridge, a new game icon appeared on the home screen.
I quickly returned to the sofa and got into viewing mode.
"Starting it up?"
Sakamoto gulped again, then pressed the A button on his controller.
Flick!
The screen went black for a moment.
But it soon lit up, and the game's opening cinematic began to play.
Unlike typical Nintendo games, this one was clearly aimed at a male audience, with breasts jiggling right from the opening scene.
It had a strange allure, different from an outright pornographic video. For a moment, we forgot everything and quietly enjoyed the show.
After the short, 90-second opening ended, Sakamoto navigated to story mode. Characters voiced by professional actors appeared and started having some cutesy, bubbly dialogue.
It seemed to be full of female characters, but since it didn't look like a game you play for the story, I guess it didn't matter.
Just as we were all silently proceeding with this visually pleasing game under an unspoken agreement...
Beep-boop-beep!
Without any warning, we heard the sound of the front door's digital lock disengaging.