"Hmm… looks like that's not working."
"It's really not working…"
Takanashi Akiko looked a little disappointed, but the Class Rep kept her calm smile. She knew Kuroha Akira definitely had other tricks up his sleeve.
Asato Hitomi believed her job was simply to bring Kuroha Akira to the Takanashi house. From here on, she only needed to sit back and watch him work his magic—because he would definitely come up with a solution.
Even though Takanashi Mirai was currently refusing all forms of communication, facing this difficult deadlock—with the difficulty cranked way up—Kuroha Akira was certainly not at a loss.
When he'd persuaded Shinomiya before, Kuroha Akira had already reviewed the key points of the "romance route-guide manual": adapt to the person. So dealing with Takanashi Mirai also required adapting and prescribing the right medicine.
Seeing that knocking on the door was completely useless, he decisively gave up on making more noise and walked back to Takanashi Akiko, asking,
"Aunt Akiko, does Takanashi-san like playing games?"
"She loves them. Ever since she was a little baby, she'd always watch me play games. So when she grew up, she naturally became just as fond of games as I am."
Wait, Aunt Akiko, you were playing games while taking care of a baby? That's a bit too casual, isn't it? Is that really how you raise a child?
"Aunt Akiko, you like games that much…"
When the topic turned to games, Takanashi Akiko's squinting eyes actually opened wider.
If her enthusiasm when talking about anime BDs and models was around sixty percent, then when it came to games, it instantly shot up to one hundred percent.
"Of course I love them! Playing games is my absolute favorite! Actually, it was a hobby I had even before becoming a voice actress. In fact, the reason I chose this career was because of games!"
"Oh? Were you influenced by game voice acting?"
"Exactly! Back in junior high, I played this super famous RPG called Magic Sword Chronicles. The third installment was the first game to have full voice acting for all the main characters' dialogue. I was so moved by the characters' voices and lines that I decided I wanted to become a voice actress myself. And just like that, over twenty years have flown by…"
Takanashi Akiko drifted off, lost in those old memories, then suddenly snapped back and gave a wry smile.
"Ah, sorry, I started rambling on about this old auntie's past. You're probably not interested…"
Kuroha Akira replied very seriously.
"Not at all. If I get the chance, I'd love to sit down and talk games with you properly."
Kuroha Akira genuinely liked games.
Out of the four major pillars of ACGN, his favorite was also G—GAME.
After all, the reason he'd entered the game industry in his previous life was because he loved games.
As for why he worked himself to death without quitting?
Ultimately, because he loved games and wanted to see the games he helped create actually launch…
Although Kuroha Akira had learned his lesson and decided not to be a corporate slave in this life, his passion for games hadn't diminished one bit. In this world, there were still many different games to play, and he'd always looked forward to that—but due to his broke student budget, he hadn't been able to revive that hobby yet.
"That's wonderful. Now I finally understand why Hitomi-chan brought you here. It seems Kuroha-kun, your interests overlap heavily with our family's."
"That's right. So Takanashi-san really likes playing games too, doesn't she?"
"Yes, and that child likes them even more than I do. For example, I'm not very good at FPS or action games—I mostly enjoy strategy-based turn-based RPGs. But Mirai-chan can play anything, and she's amazing at all of them."
"Oh~ impressive. A true gaming expert too."
It seemed Takanashi Mirai was an omnivorous player just like him—a hardcore gamer who'd play anything as long as it was fun.
"Speaking of which, Hitomi-chan, you used to come to our house all the time to play games, but you stopped after upper elementary school. Mirai was pretty sad about that for a while…"
"Ugh…"
Asato Hitomi looked a bit guilty. It was from her withdrawal that their childhood group had gradually fallen apart and they'd drifted apart.
Kuroha Akira wanted to cover for the Class Rep, so he quickly steered the conversation toward the idea he'd come up with.
"Anyway, it's good to know that Takanashi-san also likes games… So, Aunt Akiko, let's play some games right now."
"Okay… huh?"
Takanashi Akiko reflexively agreed, then caught herself and froze.
Wasn't Kuroha-kun here to help convince her daughter to go back to school?
Why was he suddenly inviting her—a classmate's mother—to play games together?
Kuroha Akira didn't explain. Instead, he walked over to the living room TV, crouched down, and turned on the latest game console—the SOGA Neptune.
So they call it Neptune, huh? The eighth-generation console…
I remember the previous Saturn went up against the PS1, so this thing is basically equivalent to the PS3? That means it actually reached the eighth generation… the era of graphical fidelity.
SOGA in this world had chosen to focus on both 2D and 3D, and hadn't been crushed by other latecomers—maintaining its dominance in the console market.
Incidentally, although the company "Nin O do" didn't exist here, the plumber uncle did appear. He'd become a classic too—only his name had undergone a subtle change.
Look at that green hat… Luigi! You usurped the throne, didn't you!
But what Kuroha Akira wanted to play now wasn't a platformer. It was a game that could liven up the atmosphere and was more fun for two people… a fighting game!
"Aunt Akiko, which fighting game does Takanashi-san like the most?"
Though very confused, Takanashi Akiko still walked over, pulled a disc from the shelf, and said,
"It's this one—Under Moonlight: Birth by Sleep. Do you want to play this now?"
"Yes. And we need to play it loudly and joyfully. I hope you'll cooperate with me later…"
Hearing this, Asato Hitomi also understood what Kuroha Akira was trying to do. She gave a knowing smile.
"I see. Akira-kun wants to lure Mirai-chan out of her room herself."
"Hehe, the Class Rep knows me best."
What do otaku boys and girls lack the most…
Fun games?
Absolutely not!
It's friends!
Games are fun, but if you don't have friends to play with, you'll eventually hit a wall of gaming fatigue. Kuroha Akira knew this firsthand.
As a hardcore gamer who'd started playing games in elementary school and later worked in game development, he had a deep, complicated relationship with games. Naturally, he understood that the feeling of gaming changes with each stage of life.
When he first encountered games in elementary school, he couldn't believe something this fun existed in the world. He dove in headfirst, unable to escape. Childhood gaming was pure, unadulterated joy.
By middle school, his friends also started gaming. They'd play multiplayer competitive games together in internet cafes—laughing, shouting, having the time of their lives. That was when he experienced the joy of playing with friends.
By high school, studies took over. He entered a period of gaming abstinence—no time, no energy.
In college, that long-suppressed passion reignited with a vengeance. Without teachers breathing down his neck, he started pulling all-nighters even more wildly. But somehow, something always felt missing. The symptoms of gaming fatigue began to creep in.
And after graduating and starting work? He completely lost the urge to play. Didn't even want to open a game. He used to grind ranked matches all night, but now he just wanted one casual round—barely even wanting to operate the controls. Maybe a couple of auto-chess games at most…
No wonder mahjong is the ultimate game genre, Kuroha Akira thought. He could finally somewhat understand it now.
It wasn't just that his mindset had changed—it was also that the friends he used to game with had all gone their separate ways.
"I want to buy osmanthus blossoms and carry wine home together, but in the end, it's not like the carefree days of youth."
People probably grew up like this—slowly becoming adults and losing that initial innocence.
Currently, Takanashi Mirai should be in the second stage—the stage where she wants to play games with others.
So being cooped up in her room every day must also be making her feel bored. Her heart would slowly corrode from loneliness.
Takanashi Akiko also caught on to Kuroha Akira's plan.
"Ah, I get it—you want Mirai-chan to hear the lively atmosphere of playing games!"
Kuroha Akira and Asato Hitomi exchanged glances, then both nodded in sync, smiles on their faces.
For someone who had closed her heart and refused to communicate, the best way to deal with her was through fishing enforcement—create a lively gaming atmosphere that would make her feel an unbearable itch when she heard it.
Just like Tom and Jerry using loud laughter to lure each other into a trap…
Want to experience the same joy?
Then come out of your room yourself!
Let's play games together!