After Miku finished the last bite of her ramen, she quietly placed the chopsticks together on top of the empty bowl.
Across from her, Gojo Satoru was still completely focused on the handheld game console in his hands.
"Victory!"
The cheerful sound effect rang out once again.
Gojo Satoru leaned back lazily in his chair with a satisfied grin.
"Done."
He stretched his shoulders before looking at the results displayed on the screen.
Ten consecutive PK matches. Ten consecutive victories!
Not a single defeat.
This fighting game wasn't limited to battling AI opponents. Players could also challenge others online through random matchmaking.
There were no rankings or tiers to separate beginners from experts.
Whether the opponent was a complete novice or an experienced veteran depended entirely on luck.
And today...Gojo Satoru's luck had been surprisingly "good."
Among the ten matches, at least nine of his opponents were obviously experienced players. Every one of them attempted flashy combos, complicated mix-ups, feints, and stylish techniques.
Unfortunately for them...No matter how fancy their movements were...
Gojo Satoru only needed one opening.
"Black Flash!" {T/N: That is not a game move but something he said to himself while attacking }
One clean combo.
KO!
Again.
And again.
And again.
The opponents probably never imagined that the player controlling such a simple character possessed reflexes that bordered on cheating.
Gojo Satoru chuckled to himself.
"What a fun game."
He raised his head just as Miku gently wiped the corner of her lips with a napkin.
Seeing that she had finished eating, he switched off the console before casually handing it over.
"It's over." He stood up and stretched, "Let's go."
Miku obediently accepted the game console.
"Okay."
She carefully placed it inside her handbag.
As the screen briefly lit up before entering sleep mode, she unintentionally caught sight of the match history.
10 Win Streak!
Her calm eyes widened ever so slightly as she saw the recent achievement.
"...Amazing."
Although she rarely played this kind of games herself, she knew enough to understand what this meant.
She had tried online fighting games before.
The result...was terrible.
Being thrown directly into online matches without any experience meant being completely overwhelmed by good players.
She still remembered being defeated over and over before she even understood what had happened.
Yet Gojo had won ten games in a row on his very first session.
...
Neither of them spoke as they walked out of the ramen shop together.
The evening breeze greeted them the moment the automatic door slid open.
The streets were still lively.
Gojo Satoru casually slipped both hands into his pockets.
"Come on, I'll walk you home first."
Miku hesitated for a brief moment before giving a small nod.
"...Thank you."
Fortunately, her apartment wasn't too far away.
At a normal walking pace, it would only take around twenty minutes.
They quietly walked side by side through the bustling streets.
Several passersby couldn't help glancing at the mis-matched pair.
The white-haired young man with an easygoing smile looked striking enough to draw attention wherever he went.
Beside him walked a beautiful girl with long brown hair and headphones resting around her neck, quietly carrying her handbag.
Neither of them noticed them or didn't care.
After walking for several minutes, they passed a brightly lit convenience store.
Where, Miku suddenly stopped.
"..."
Gojo Satoru blinked as he turned to looked at the paused figure, "Hm?"
Miku looked toward the entrance before speaking urgently,
"Gojo-sensei...Please wait a moment. I'm going to buy some snacks."
She remembered her glutton of a sister had asked before she left as she had already finished all the snacks.
"Snacks?"
Gojo Satoru looked at the convenience store before suddenly remembering something.
The refrigerator at home is almost empty too.
Well...
At least...The snack shelf was nearly empty.
Remembering how his sister — Umaru had cried pitifully in the middle of the night because there wasn't anything left to eat...He shutter in fear.
Since then he had developed the habit of keeping the refrigerator stocked at all times but because of some mental training and adjusting he had forgotten to do so this time.
Better do it now before she start throwing tantrum....
Gojo Satoru smiled to hide his fear.
"What a coincidence. I need to buy some as well. Let's go in together."
"...Okay." Miku nodded.
The automatic doors slid open.
Ding—Dong.
A pleasant chime welcomed them inside as the cool air of A.C. immediately brushed against their faces.
Without saying another word, both of them naturally walked toward the snack aisle.
Each picked up a shopping basket.
Then...the completely opposite shopping styles began.
Gojo Satoru looked left.
Then right.
"Oh."
"Chocolate." Into the basket.
"Crispy rice crackers." Into the basket.
"Potato chips." Into the basket.
Chocolate bars. Cookies. Chicken jerky. Dried squid. Spicy chicken feet. Rice crackers. Candy. Jelly.
One after another.
His basket quickly filled at an astonishing speed as only the blur image of his hand and legs were visible to the stunned bystanders.
He didn't particularly enjoy eating snacks himself — Sweets doesn't count!
However...Umaru absolutely loved them.
Late-night gaming sessions always required something to munch on — to keep the fingers energies.
Gojo Satoru couldn't help smiling.
There was no helping it.
Meanwhile...
Miku's shopping process was dramatically different.
She quietly stood before the potato chip shelf.
Salt flavor. Seaweed flavor. Cheese flavor. Barbecue flavor. Black pepper. Butter.
She stared seriously at every flavor.
"..."
After nearly two minutes of careful consideration...
She picked one.
Then another.
Then one more.
After that...She stopped.
Looking at the dozens of remaining flavors, she quietly shook her head.
"...These should be enough." For her sister, she hoped.
Compared to Gojo Satoru's overflowing basket that threatened to fall....Her basket looked almost empty.
About ten minutes later...
Miku placed her basket on the counter first.
The cashier politely smiled.
"Thank you very much for shopping with us." After scanning the items one by one, the cashier looked up. "Your total is 3,150 yen. Would you like a shopping bag?"
Miku instinctively reached into her wallet.
"..."
Only to realize that she had spend almost all of her this month pocket money!
Her expression stiffened. She opened the handbag before opening her purse as she began to count the money she had left.
Only three thousand yen.
She silently lowered her eyes.
"..."
She was one hundred and fifty yen short.
For someone else...It wasn't much.
But for Miku...it was enough to make her face red from shame.
She bit her lower lip.
Just as she was wondering which snack to remove...
Another shopping basket was gently placed beside hers.
Gojo Satoru smiled casually.
"Put mine together. I'll take a bag too."
The cashier nodded professional, "Certainly."
The scanner continued beeping.
One snack after another.
Soon...the mountains level baskets had been scanned.
The cashier looked at the register before giving out the amount number.
"Your total is 9,600 yen."
Gojo Satoru calmly reached into his pocket.
"Alright."
He handed over a crisp ten-thousand-yen bill.
The cashier quickly accepted it before counting the change and giving it to the person.
"Here's your four hundred yen."
"Miku..." Gojo turned to the embarrassed Miku who look like she want to disappear.
...
Several moments later...
The cashier packed everything neatly into two large plastic shopping bags before handing them over.
"Thank you for your patronage."
Gojo Satoru casually accepted the bags.
"Thanks."
The two walked out of the convenience store together.
Night had completely fallen.
The city lights reflected beautifully across the streets.
Miku quietly looked at the shopping bag in her hands before glancing toward Gojo Satoru.
"...Gojo-sensei."
"Hm?" She hesitated. Then softly with a hint of embarrassment, "I'll definitely pay you bac—"
"No need." Gojo interrupted her, "The amount wasn't much to begin with so you don't have to think about it."
He then suddenly leaned down until their eyes were almost level. His playful smile immediately made Miku nervous.
"If you really feel guilty...You could always say a few nice things about me in front of Nakano Nino. Or..." He deliberately paused for suspense, "...you could simply repay me yourself."
The moment she heard what he said —her face instantly turned bright red, brighter than it was earlier.
"I-I won't!"
She immediately took two quick steps backward in scared. Her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
"Praising you in front of Nino is one thing..."
"But repaying you personally...Absolutely not."
She quickly turned her head away.
"Gojo-sensei is really mean. You always tease people."
Miku looked more embarrassed than anything else that had happened before.
She quickened her pace and deliberately walked several steps ahead.
Gojo Satoru merely smiled helplessly before following behind at an unhurried pace.
Only...
After walking for less than ten seconds...
Miku gradually slowed down again.
Until...Gojo Satoru naturally caught up beside her.
Without looking at him, she quietly extended the heavy shopping bag toward him.
"..."
After several seconds of silence...
She finally whispered in an almost inaudible voice.
"It's...a little heavy."
Gojo Satoru looked at the bag.
Then looked at Miku.
Inside...Almost every item was potato chips where the air is more than the main product!
He raised an eyebrow. "...Really?"
Miku stubbornly nodded.
"Yes."
Gojo chuckle slowly before he quietly accepted the shopping bag without exposing her excuse.
"Alright. I'll carry it."
Miku secretly let out a small sigh of relief.
A faint smile unknowingly appeared at the corner of her lips.
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,623